What's Up Doc!?! Bit by What!?

Bit by the Stork!

Sloane has a red mark back behind her head, it kind of looks like a rash so at her doctors appointment this week I made sure to point it out. It's what they call a Stork Bite, not really a problem, kind of like a birth mark. It may fade and go away as she gets older, or she may have it for life. Only time will tell.

Other than that Little Lady is healthy and doing well. She measured in at 22.25"(50th percentile) and weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 9oz (15th percentile). We thought we were finally to the point where we could give up the newborn diapers and move on to 1's but after a couple days and numerous leaks which lead to multiple outfit changes a day, we're back to newborns. She's right in-between. It's like she's too long for the newborns but her tiny toosh is not big enough for the 1's. Urgh!

She also had her first major round of vaccinations. Let me tell you about how awesome it is that after their shots babies sleep like a rock..... like... a... rock!

"Excuse me Doc, do they sell those shots on the black market?!?!"

She did really well with the shots, turned flaming red and screamed pretty loud but was fine once I could pick her up.

Fourth of July

Happy First Fourth of July Sloane!

This Fourth of July we kept it casual and had our friends the McCartney's over. Their son Madon is our Godson and he loved playing with Sloane and keeping her entertained.

We also had the honor of attending our friends "Sex" Party where they found out for the first time what the gender of their second baby-to-be is. After the doctor figured out the sex they sealed it in an envelope and without peaking had a local bakery make a layered cake with colored frosting inside. Pink for a girl and blue for a boy.

Below is mother-to-be Autumn holding Miss Sloane and her sister-in-law Shannon (also expecting) holding their newest nephew Tyler. He's five weeks old and a big boy. He's already 3 pounds more than Sloane, this picture doesn't do the difference between the two justice.

Their daughter Annessa was dying for a sister and it was surely going to be a show if the frosting inside of the cake was blue. We all voted before the cake cutting and either wore a mustache pin for a "Beau" or a pink bow pin for a girl.

Annessa helped cut the cake...

It's a Girl! Look at the happy face on that big sister!

We couldn't be happier for the Steif family, they deserve the very best and are truly blessed to have another little lady on the way!

2 Months Old

Our princess is already 2 months old! 

She has finally exchanged her crying fits for fits of giggles and smiles. Not to say all crying is gone, but it's all much better! Miss Sloane is also doing really well lifting her head up and has discovered her hands as they are often in her mouth. 

We love this lady.

Grandpa Wendorf

The Fourth of July is a day to celebrate freedom and remember who gave us that freedom past and present. It's with great sadness that The Fourth is now a day of remembrance for my grandfather, my fathers father - Don Wendorf. Wednesday evening he passed away. He was plague with many medical issues over the years and we even joked he had nine lives.

When I was a kid I thought my grandpa was the strongest man in the world (no offense Dad). He would pick me up and let me hang from his arm. I'm pretty sure I can attribute my hand eye coordination to him and our many 'Hand Slap' games.  Even as he got older and I became wiser to his tactics I would still lose an embarrassing amount of games. That game was something I always felt was just ours, our something special.

My memories are also endless when it comes to the family trips down to Florida to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Spending hours walking up and down the beach searching for sharks teeth. Searching for drift would or branches to make miniature islands out of wood and shells; and my favorite catching small shellfish before they borrowed under the sand. Never mind the time he let me keep them all and I stuffed them in a bag in my suitcase (without killing of bleaching them). That was a much better 24 hour drive home when we finally figured out where the rotting smell was coming from.

Speaking of shellfish. There was not a trip to Florida in my childhood that we didn't go sand dollar hunting down in Fort Desota. The sandbars would go out for nearly a mile. I eventually became a good enough swimmer to swim from sandbar to sandbar but on top of Dad's or Grandpa's back was the place to be. I'm going to state the obvious though, I'm short! Some of the sand bars were too deep for me to just bend down and grab the sand dollars like everyone else, so I would plug my nose, close and eyes and dig with my hands. When I got tired of that my Dad and Grandpa would hold me while I brought them up between my toes. Something not everyone knows is that sand dollars are actually gray and have to be bleached to turn white, but the real big ones..the really, really big ones are actually red to start and have a distinctive hump on them. One time out my Dad and Grandpa were helping me search for only the biggest of big sand dollars. My Dad was holding me up by my arms and my Grandpa was at my feet ready to grab the sand dollar. I felt one beneath my feet with the biggest hump I'd ever felt. I called them over and I began to dig it out with my toes, got it between my feet and brought it up to the surface. Only problem was, when I got it to the surface it had legs moving around and CLAWS! It was a ginormous crab. My grandfather jumped and started swimming away, and my Dad clear dropped me and started swimming for the shore as well. The two strongest men in my life left me abandoned out in the ocean with mean angry crabs surrounding me! We were never more out of breath or laughing so hard once we finally reached the beach.

I love you Grandpa and know you are at peace now. You will be so missed by many, I wish you could have met Sloane, she is beautiful. I know you'll watch down over us and never miss a moment.

3rd Times a Charm... Right!?

I met with the orthopedic doctor this past week he confirmed it's just a strain in my wrist, like tendentious. He gave my wrist a shot of cortisone which took two days to kick in and I'm nearly as good as new.  Fingers crossed this works and I won't need any more shots because it was pretty painful.

On another note I'd like to take a minute to etch a couple memories in time.

I'll start with Dad on diaper duty this weekend. He learned not once, not twice, but three times the importance of getting a clean diaper ready and under Miss Sloanes toosh before vacating the dirty diaper. Four o'clock in the morning I hear over the monitor... "No! No! No! Ash can you come in here?!" I rose to find Chris holding Sloane's legs sky high and poo all over the changing table. We couldn't help but laugh. So you would think having to clean that up and the smell of it all would have taught Dad. Nope. Round two to Sloane. This time I was there to observe this greek tragedy! The minute the diaper came off everything started coming out..... and out.... and out! I was loosing it with laughter, whats the luck?! So you would think third times a charm, certainly not in this household. Round three again went to Sloane who this time turned on the "water" works for Dad. We were running out changing pads quickly!

Thankfully things calmed down then on the diaper front for the rest of the weekend. We relaxed at home mostly, got stuff done around the house and hung out with some of the neighbors. Saturday night we headed to the golf range, Sloane stayed awake long enough to learn how to chip and putt. Already a Pro, she'll be wooping Dad on the course in no time.

To finish this post off Sloane had her first sit in the Bumbo chair! I read as soon as she had decent head control we could try, she doesn't love it for very long yet, but a few minutes here and there to supplement her dislike for tummy time.

We of course then took her time in the chair as a wonderful opportunity for a photo shoot!