Kyler -- Week 29 (6/2/12-6/8/12)

So this was a busy week. We started out in Jenison for more house hunting, a graduation party, and a baby shower/family cookout. We ended the week by accepting an offer on the house we were interested in and welcoming my parents back to Bourbonnais to paint Kyler's bedroom back to a boring white color. So as you can imagine, this was one busy week!

Saturday we started out with visiting four houses, the last of which was a brand new house still under construction. We really liked it and had my parents bring Kyler to come see it--just so he could see his possible new home. He didn't seem to get too excited. That afternoon we headed out to Byron Center for my cousin Blake's graduation open house. Kyler enjoyed visiting with all of his fun relatives, playing with his cousin KayLynn and some extended cousins. On Sunday, we had a great time seeing more extended family and got to celebrate a "little one" on the way for Sarah and Andrew. Tim, Kim, Eli, and Norah were in town from Washington, and it was so much fun to have Kyler and Norah interact. They were born just 18 days apart, and it was great to see them smile and enjoy each other. Kyler did not seem to be bothered when we had to deal with some house stuff--he just enjoyed all the attention from his relatives!

We had a rough week with naps and bedtimes, probably because his schedule was thrown off due to our late return to Bourbonnais on Sunday. It took him a couple of days to adjust back to normal. Even with all the rough sleeping though, Kyler has been getting up on his knees and sitting on his own for brief seconds. It will be only a matter of time before this kid can sit and crawl!

Kyler and his cousin KayLynn playing at the open house

"I love my cousin so much!" KayLynn loves to give Kyler hugs...

...and kisses!

"Hey, Uncle Matt, what is on your eyes?"

Family picture time

KayLynn had to say hi to her cousin when she saw him again on Sunday

Such a happy baby boy!

Hanging out with cousin Sarah

Kyler and Daddy!

"Bring on the food mommy--I love avocado!"

Trying to figure out his sippy

Kyler -- Week 28 (5/26/12-6/1/12)

Memorial Day weekend provided us with a lot of family time, which was really nice to have given that Ryan has been teaching summer classes at ONU. We started feeding Kyler green beans this week. He wasn't so sure about them at first, but by the end of the four days, he was eating a ton of them! We enjoyed some nice lazy time in bed as a family. One time when we were getting ready for a walk, Kyler feel asleep in our bed, so the four of us (including Duncan) snuggled and relaxed together. There have been other times when I try to put Kyler down for a nap, but he is just too crabby or wound up, so I just lay in bed and snuggle with him until he settles down. I just love looking into his eyes and stroking his cheek while he sucks on his thumb and stares back at me.

On Sunday, Ryan gave me a nice day off, even letting me nap and go out to a movie (The Avengers). Kyler had a great time watching baseball and making some fun videos with Daddy. He has also really enjoyed watching Praise Baby and Baby Einstein DVDs while jumping in his jumperoo. He will just stop jumping and stare at the television--and that is something since this kid never likes to stop jumping! Memorial Day was nice and included a family walk and a cookout with our neighbors Dale and Emily. We thought that we could make it until we moved before having to get out the high chair, but the Bumbo seat was just getting too tight, especially around Kyler's legs. Plus, with Kyler being so strong, it was just a matter of time before he tipped it over. He has been playing in his crib more and more when he wakes up, so we starting leaving "passiraffe" and "ele-lovie" in there for him to play with.

The rest of the week included many early morning walks (since the weather is getting warmer), enjoying the green beans, and then discovering a love of peas as well. Kyler has been reaching for things more and more, but also getting frustrated when he can't reach them. On Friday, we headed out to Michigan for more house hunting and some other family events. 

Wearing his cool hat before going out for a walk

"I like eating!"

"Mommy, give me more!"

Our son is already a couch potato--enjoying his Baby Einstein videos

"What are we having today? PEAS!"

Stretching out! Notice that my son likes to wear  his rings =)

Not sure if this is a gang sign or just excitement

Look at those baby blues!

Kyler -- Week 27 (5/19/12-5/25/12)

So we had a lot of changes and excitement this week. Ryan and I went house hunting on Saturday, and Kyler got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa during the day. He had so much fun playing outside in the shade. Sunday we visited Great Grandma again and saw Aunt Lynsey and Uncle Darrel. At the grandparents' house, it was getting nice and warm out, so we thought we would see what Kyler would do if we put his feet in the pool. He kicked and smiled with his little piggies in the water! However, the water was too cold this week to get him all the way in the pool, but in a few weeks when we go back, I think this kid is never going to get out of the water. I think he will be taking after his Mommy with his love of water. (Ryan's editorial comment: as a scientist, I would say that he might be hydrophilic.)

We started Kyler on "solid" foods this week too! Kyler did not seem to deal with rice cereal very well at 5 months old (he was gassy and crabby), so we thought we would wait until he was 6 months old and try oatmeal instead. Kyler LOVED the oatmeal and would have his little mouth open before we could even get another spoonful ready. On Friday, we had Kyler's 6-month pediatrician appointment and found that he is now 20lbs 3oz and 28.5 inches tall! We have a very healthy and growing "little" boy. When the doctor did the exam and turned Kyler on his tummy, Kyler decided that the paper on the table looked good enough to eat...so he shoved it in his mouth! Dr. Oo was quick to replace the paper with a tongue depressor for Ky to chew on instead. He got 3 shots, and his tears broke my heart. But after feeding him in the office and a 3-hour nap, he was happy as ever!

Hanging out at the pool with Grandpa and Grandma while Mom and Dad are house-hunting

Wherever Kyler is, Duncan is never very far away

Such a happy little guy

"Now that I get 'solid' food, I want to drink my bottle on my own too!"

Kyler -- Week 26 (5/12/12-5/18/12)

Kyler and I spent this week in Jenison for the Fifth Third River Bank Run and to visit with lots of friends. Kyler stayed up super late the night before the race (which wasn't very fun for me since I had to get up so early), but then he slept in until almost 9am. During that time, we were downtown for the race. For the third year in a row, Ryan's parents came up to Grand Rapids with their friends Bob and Pam to take part in the festivities. Plus, this year my dad ran again too. That night, we all hung out at my parents' house, and Kyler had a lot of fun playing with both sets of grandparents and Bob and Pam. He had plenty of laughs and giggles for everyone and went right to sleep. Sunday was Mother's Day and Kyler gave mommy a great gift--the gift of a good night's sleep! Kyler got all decked out in sweet little khaki overalls with a button-down shirt. I wish that they made those button-down shirts like onesies because tucking them in constantly is a pain. New invention, anyone?

During church, Kyler loved to listen to the music, and after he woke up, it was fun to see him visit everyone in our row. What a great legacy to have him loved by family during church! We went to visit Great Grandma afterwards, and he had fun making her laugh. After our visit, we headed over the Uncle Matt, Aunt Lori, and cousin KayLynn's house for dinner. Kyler got to experience his first swing ride! I forgot to take a hat along on the trip, so Kyler borrowed KayLynn's. Even though it was a little big on him, it was still super cute! Ryan left that evening to head back to Bourbonnais since he had A&P summer classes at ONU to teach, but we had a great week enjoying long walks at the park and playing outside on blankets without him.

The highlights of the week included visiting some wonderful people we hadn't seen in a while. We went and visited my friend Jen and her triplet boys, who are very close in age to Kyler. They are such adorable kids, and it was an honor to have Kyler be their first play date! After a busy play date, we headed out to visit Grandpa at work. We got to meet all his co-workers and even went out to get some lunch. Cousin Sarah was home not feeling well and lived close by, so we visited her before heading out to pick up Grandma from work. It will be so nice when we live close by everyone and can spread all the love out during the week. Kyler loves to go and visit people!

Visiting Great Grandma on Mother's Day

This happy boy loves his zebrafly

His first swing outside! Check out his awesome hat -- the sun sombrero!

It might have been Mother's Day, but he loves his Daddy

"Yummy... Go blue!"

Cousins playing

Aunt Lori has that great zebra toy again!

Playing with my new buddy Caleb and our bug toys

Caleb and Joshua are going to be so much fun to play with when we move back! Matt was sleeping, but I think he will just add to all the trouble these boys might get into together.

"Mommy, these boys are fun!"

"I helped with the laundry, Mommy!"

"Aren't I the cutest baby ever?"

"It is a great day to read a book outside -- but I cannot forget my sunglasses"

Hanging out by the pool in his jumperoo!

Kyler -- Week 25 (5/5/12-5/11/12)

We started out the week with Ryan being at ONU most of Saturday for the senior biology breakfast and university commencement. Kyler has been having so much fun rolling over and over that he just does not want to nap. Even in his crib at 1:00am, he decided to spend the next 3 hours awake, rolling around, and snuggling with Mom. Kyler has always been a great sleeper, sleeping through the night (about 8:00pm to 7:00am) since around 2.5 months old, but it seems that has changed this week. It may be just a phase, but we have been spoiled before this. It seems that if he naps well during the day, going down for sleep at night is much easier.

This week was the start of a very busy couple of months. Ryan started teaching his summer classes, and with Kyler not sleeping well, I was feeling pretty run down. On Friday, we headed out to Michigan to run in the Fifth Third River Bank Run. Kyler was a little too young to be part of it this year, but we hope that next year we will be able to push him in a stroller. I tried to pack the car Friday morning, but I couldn't because Kyler decided to blow off his early morning nap--the "almost-sure-thing-30-minute-snooze." After running back and forth with him awake, it did eventually get packed. On the car ride up, Kyler also decided that he didn't want to nap much in the car. That night, he was up most of the night after Ryan and I tried over and over to get him to sleep. Grandma Wiersum helped around midnight, singing and rocking him while I was in the room. He finally went to bed close to 1:30am.

Matching super hero shirts -- guess whose idea this picture was?

"Here, Daddy--smell my feet!" So it begins...

"Seriously, Mommy--you are going to take another picture of me in the jumperoo?"

"I love being able to roll over! Look how strong I am!"

Kyler -- Week 24 (4/28/12-5/4/12)

There were some fun visits and major milestones this week! Grandpa and Grandma Wiersum came to visit Saturday morning to help with packing and had a great time watching Kyler show off his jumperoo skills. We enjoyed a nice walk and taking plenty of pictures. We even took a trip to Menards and found one of the now favorite toys--a pinwheel! Kyler loves it, but even though he wants to grab it so badly, it would be "Goodbye, pinwheel!" in the hands of our little man. Later that night, we attended the final Biophilic party for ONU. Kyler loves to visit with all the faculty and students, and he tends to be the center of any party he goes to. There are so many great students who love Kyler that we will miss when we move, but we hope to always stay in touch with them.

The major milestone this week was learning to roll over onto his tummy from his back on Monday! He was so good at it and could not stop practicing. It was fun to watch him work at it and perfect it as the day went on. He did get frustrated not being able to get back onto his back, but after lots of practice he mastered that on Wednesday. He is now a rolling machine and unfortunately does not stop when he should be going to sleep at night. All the rolling keeps him awake longer and makes getting him to sleep a big challenge because he gets so over tired. We have had a lot of nights where putting Kyler to bed has become a whole evening job that requires two people! It's just a phase though, and we know he is proud of what he can do--because we are too!

Sitting with Grandma and my turtle

Daddy flying me in the air--I love it!

All ready to head to the Biophilic party

I love ONU students!

Just hanging with college guys

The chicks dig me--especially because of my bear ears on the hood of my jacket!

Waking up with Grandma

Getting ready for church with my favorite wooden ring toy

Lounging around after a very social weekend

Daddy is so silly...

...but I love him so much!

Is this how you use a burp cloth, Mommy?