Braden has quite the imagination. I’m not really sure where he really gets it, but it’s quite entertaining. Tonight he was running around the house pretending that he was racing.
He stops and comes up to me, shakes my hand, and says “Hello. I’m Bob. I’m a racer.” Bob.
Later he told Kathie, “It’s nice to meet you Braden’s mom.”
He really manages to put a smile on my face.
Emma is a card! She comes up to me tonight and says, clear as day, “Aw man! Don’t do that!” I’m not sure what I was doing that I was supposed to stop, but apparently I was supposed to stop. I stopped and started laughing hysterically. Of course she then had to ask “What, Daddy?”
What a cutie Owen is… and a good baby too. He was pretty alert
when we were there too. Braden got a kick out of holding him, right up to the point that Emma took Boo Bear and ran… We had to grab Owen quick before he dumped him on the floor! Phew!
It was good seeing Kevin and Stephanie… they looked tired, but it seems like they’re settling in very well in their new roles as parents. I think they’re going to be very good at it!
And it was great seeing Josh and being able to say good bye. Braden seemed very sad that he was leaving. He asked Josh if he “was coming back” and said he was “going to miss him.” We all will.
We spent some time at Kevin and Stephanie’s visiting and then headed to the Chancery for Linner… Dunch…Luppper… whatever you call lunch at 3:00 PM. Emma was a little cranky missing her nap, but all in all, I think they were pretty good. Braden ate like a horse, even with Grandpa tricking him by sticking broccoli in his root beer straw.
I had my first burger in what had to be about 4 weeks. My stomach didn’t think that was such a good idea… yikes. But my run tonight felt good!
The nesting has begun. In earnest. Today we moved Braden into Emma’s room in preparation for the baby taking over Braden’s room. It went pretty well. I had a lot of help taking down Braden’s bed, moving it, then putting it back up. I’d take out a bolt and Emma would put it back in. Very helpful!
The room actually works pretty well with both beds and their stuff in there. It’s nice and cozy, but there’s still plenty of room to play and read books.
Nap time went pretty well, but they both were up pretty early. I have a feeling that will be an issue, but I guess that’s just how it’s going to have to be. Bed time was interesting; We told Braden he needed to be a good example for Emma and go to bed nice and not mess around. Story time went well and both kids went to bed peacefully. But then Emma decided it was play time. I went in to put her back in bed and she tried climbing into Braden’s bed and then under the tent. The whole time Braden was ‘trying to sleep’ and said “Dad, Emma isn’t going to bed.” How funny, considering Braden usually plays in his room for 30-45 minutes every night.
After I put her back into bed, though, she calmed down and it seems like it’s going to work well.
Tomorrow we get to meet my nephew Owen. I’m very excited! Unfortunately we also have to say good bye to my brother Josh. We’ll miss him, but wish him luck in Dallas. I know he’ll do great. He always does.
We had a trip to the dentist today for a checkup and cleanings. Emma and Braden both did very well and have good teeth. Emma’s getting her two year molars, which might explain why she’s so cranky.
The biggest problem we had was getting Braden to stop talking while they were cleaning his teeth. That boy can chat!
Kathie was reading the kids a book about Creation for a bedtime story. She was telling them about all the things God created; except she slipped and said “These are all the things that Daddy created for us… I mean God.”
It would have been a slightly humorous slip at best…. until Emma looked at me and with all seriousness said “Thank you Daddy!”
Boy is she going to be confused in Sunday School….
Some catch up items. Phew. It was a busy, ugly weekend.
We were all sick this last weekend. Well, ok, I was sick on Monday and everyone else was sick on the weekend while I tried not to get sick. It was Ehlke Puke Fest 2009. And for the record, Emma started it.
The big girl bed is going great! Emma loves it and actually goes to bed better now than she did with the crib. Last night, though, she figured out she can come out of her room… we’ll see how that develops. The bottles are also all put away and we’re on to big girl cups. Every now and then she asks for a bottle, but we can usually deflect her to a juice cup instead.
Braden has now learned how to puke in a bucket. Woohoo! Talking about your major accomplishments. He’s pretty proud of it! And speaking of growing up quickly, he asked Kathie today how the baby got into her tummy. The conversation, as I understand it, went something like this:
Braden: “How did the baby get into your tummy? Did you have to eat him”
Mom: “God gives Mommies and Daddies babies.”
Braden: “Did he make a hole in your stomach?”
Mom: “Mommies have a special place in their body for babies to grow. It’s another way boys and girls are different.”
Braden: “What’s it called?”
Mom: “The Uterus”
Braden: “So, how do you get the baby out?”
Mom: “Eat your lunch.”
What a thinker. He also greeted one of the painters we had come give us an estimate at the door by saying “I’m Braden. You’re really going to like me!”
We’re probably going to move Braden into Emma’s room this weekend or soon. We want to start the adjustment sooner than later for when the baby arrives. Plus we’re looking at painting and that will help that process.
I have now lost 17 pounds since January and am feeling great. I still want to lose another 10 before the baby comes in May, but I’m really starting to feel good. I’m running 2 miles in 20 minutes and not really pushing too hard yet. I want to get my speed and distance up a little yet, but I’m really enjoying the running for a change!
Just to make it all about me, I am now an uncle twice over! Yeah! And I’m now an uncle to a nephew! Ok, my selfishness aside, here come some pictures of a very cute Owen Russell Ehlke, born to my brother Kevin and his wife Stephanie on Monday, Feb 16th, 2009 at 10:05 PM. He was 7lbs, 13 oz and 21 inches. Happy Presidents Day, Owen and welcome to the family!
One way to get out of having to take your wife on an expensive 
dinner and date is to spend Valentine’s Day taking care of of a sick little girl while you’re very sick wife sleeps all day after puking all night.
I wouldn’t advise this approach, in case you were wondering. I’m exhausted and have spent most of the day wondering if my stomach feels weird because I’m getting sick or because I’m worried I’m going to get sick.
One good thing about today was the treasure hunt I set up for the kids last night. I cut out hearts and wrote clues on them. I hid them with treat bags and small gifts. The kids went on an hour long search around the house finding the treasures. We had a blast!
Later, at bet time, Braden asked me why I got them the treats and toys and I told him because it was Valentines Day and that I loved him very much. He thought about that for a minute and threw his arms around me and said “You’re the best Dad ever!”
So, as it turns out… it was the best Valentine’s Day ever after all!
Last night Emma ate very little dinner. Ok, so that, in and of itself, is hardly earth shattering news. But she also didn’t drink a bottle after her nap or before bed time.
She didn’t want a bottle this morning when she got up. Odd.
Then, we figured out why. And in an explosive manner. She has a stomach virus. It sounds like she’s feeling better now that’s she’s puked, but of course now she’s asking for a bottle.
So, now we’ll probably try and wean her off the bottles. Two big accomplishments in one week! Such a big girl. Maybe we should potty train her too?
I wonder if Kleenix will sponsor Favre’s second retirement press
conference.
I’m now at the point where I’m looking forward to running at night. It feels good! I’m wearing shirts that were tight 3 weeks ago!
I’m really looking forward to meeting my new niece/nephew when he/she arrives. I’m kind of surprised how much the suspense of Stephanie’s due date is getting to me. I know it’s no where no near as bad as it is for them, but they are in my thoughts a lot.
I’m really impressed with how well Emma is doing in her new bed! And I’m really disappointed in how long it’s taking the government in getting this stimulus package approved and I’m not convinced it’ll really be the right thing anyway.
Speaking of our little princess growing up fast, last night we setup Emma’s toddler bed. We’re pretty sure she could have climbed out of her crib at any point, so we figured it was time to move on to a big girl bed.
She got pretty excited when I asked her if we should setup a big girl bed for her. Her big brother got even more excited about it. They both helped put it together. Braden had to help set it up by putting a pillow on it. Once we got it setup, Emma got her Boo Bunny, laid down and ‘went to sleep.’ Then she hopped up and turned off her light and went ‘back to sleep.’ We were even brave enough, at this point, to take down her crib!
Then it deteriorated into a monkey fest. Both kids spent an hour climbing over the side, then jumping off. They had a lot of fun, but 
it certainly didn’t bode well for a quiet evening or for Emma staying in bed later, especially since she loves going in and out and opening and closing doors. Needless to say, we thought we were in for a long night.
Bedtime came and we asked Emma if she was ready to climb into her big girl bed. She practically flew up the stairs! Story time went good, and Kathie had to sit with her for about 5 or 10 minutes to get her to calm down and stay in the bed. We heard her on the monitor for about 10 or 15 minutes more. But after that, she slept through the night and didn’t (as far as we know) get up and wander the house or make any midnight snacks.
Personally, I think we’ve been very lucky! Braden was the same way. As soon as we put him in the new bed, he just stayed in it and we had no problems. We’ll see if it continues with Emma.
Literally translated: “But it flees in the meantime: irretrievable 
time flees.” Or the shorter version Tempus Fugit… Time Flies. My last blog post was when Emma was 10 months old. Some how we’ve leaped forward 15 months and she’s now two years old! Time really does fly when you’re not blogging.
Kathie really wishes time would fly. She’s 25 weeks pregnant with our third child. It’s a boy. We took the kids to the ultra sound, which Braden thought was very interesting. He thought it looked like a dinosaur, so the current leading naming candidate is Barney(no, not really). This has been a particular tough pregnancy for Kathie. She has been quite ill; struggling with nausea and stomach pain for most of the pregnancy. Recently things seem to have started to turn around, so hopefully we’re around that bend.
Braden and Emma are both very excited about the coming addition to 
the family. Emma has really taken an interest in dolls and mothering them. And Braden likes to put his bear in his shirt and call it his baby. The other day he complained that “It takes a really long time for a baby to come.” I think his mother agrees with the sentiment.
Braden will be four in April. He’s attending pre-school at Trinity Lutheran School in Waukesha, which he seems to 
really enjoy. His speech has really come a long way. In fact, we’re struggling to understand him now, not because of his enunciation, but because he’s using more complex and longer sentences. He loves playing soccer and with his train table. He really likes making long, long trains. He also loves going, and especially staying, at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.
Emma just turned two in January. Our little princess isn’t so little anymore. And she’s not such a princess at times. That girl has a temper! She’s also the sweetest, cutest girl too. But when she’s mad, the screams hit 150 decibels without warning! She has really blossomed and has to do everything her big brother does; She really looks up to him. She talks quite a bit, using more words than we can list and putting phrases of 2-4 words together. She also climbs like she’s part monkey. She’s not in school yet, but she absolutely loves going to music class with Mom.
Kathie worked as a resource social worker for a local hospice / palliative care provider for a while this winter. It was nice that she could stay in touch with her profession and do it in a way where we didn’t have to take on a day care. She’s also having fun with the neighborhood ladies in a Bunco group… no, I don’t know what Bunco is either, so don’t ask me. She stays pretty busy being a stay at home Mom, taking the kids to school, music class and swim classes and we all love her very much for all her hard work!
Me? I’m boring. I work. I’m taking on some new projects at work that are both fun and challenging. This year will be an interesting one for me, but I’m looking forward to it. I still play hockey once a week and love that. I’ve ale started trying to get in better shape. I’ve started eating right and running on the treadmill. I’m down 12 lbs so far and feel good! I’ve also started to try and get in touch with my family and friends a little more, thus this blog… and my Facebook pages.
But mostly I love spending time with the kids, even if I have to fix Braden’s long, long train 12 times a day! Being a Dad is the best job in the world!
Well, that’s all for now… I mean I can only do so much catching up after 15 months…Yikes!
I have decided it’s time to resurrect the beast that is my blog! I apologize for the very long delay and blame technical difficulties.
Ok, maybe not technical, but my extreme laziness combined with the fact that my life is… well… busy!
I’d really like to keep up on this blog in the future, more so for my own benefit and thought processes than for my faithful *cough* readers. But we’ll see how that goes. Send me a note of encouragement and maybe that will help. Or come babysit my kids so I have more free time… that will help even more!
