Stephen's Shower

Oops ... look what happened when I let Ryan loose with Stephen's shower gifts!

We had a busy day yesterday. Stephen and I set out in the heat for a trip to the farmers' market, where we bought daddy's birthday presents.

Then we went to our neighbor's wedding. It was a joyous occasion; the pastor read an excerpt from something Scott wrote in 1985 in which he knew he needed to trust God to bring him a spouse in His timing. And it's 2006! Scott and Ellen were obviously so happy with each other. I saw them this morning in the driveway as they were heading out for a honeymoon in Hawaii.

Stephen's shower was really fun. Many people who had not met him yet were there and he received some great gifts. (See photo of Ryan above - a cow puppet and a knitted hat.) There seems to be a consensus that he will be a baseball player. We'll see ...

Then we went out for dinner to celebrate Ryan's birthday. Cousins Anna and Claire continue to be very curious about Stephen. I'm sure it will be fun for them to see him grow up.

And now Stephen and I are going to go in to wake up daddy on his 26th birthday :).

One Month Today!

Stephen is one month old today! What a big boy he is ...

We spent the morning with some friends, Jon and Marillyn, who are having a baby in September.

Stephen and I took a great nap this afternoon while Ryan typed up his program notes for a saxophone concert on Sunday (his birthday!).

We are gearing up for our neighbor Ellen's wedding tomorrow as well as Stephen's shower hosted by his great-aunts.

A step of independence

Stephen took a bottle today! He is four weeks old and that's when the "experts" say you can give them a bottle and the baby will still also eat from the breast. Ryan sat on the couch and Stephen was eating almost immediately. (I don't know who was more excited about the feeding - Ryan or Stephen!) Grandma Susan also got in on the action and fed him the second half of the bottle. (I just hope he eats well later and doesn't prefer the bottle!!)

Carolyn had the day off and we enjoyed a leisurely day. I got my hair cut (hooray!) and she held Stephen when he got fussy.

a TOY!

We had a nice day today sleeping until about 9, then going to the chiropractor. We had lunch with a couple that we met at our childbirth class. Their baby is due August 4; they are still waiting! It was lovely outside and we ate on their back porch.

Ryan assembled Stephen's toy - I believe he got it for Christmas from Grandpa and Grandma Lorimor. We put him in his cradle this afternoon and he really enjoyed looking at it! At least we think so.

Stephen's First Wedding

Sorry - no pictures from the wedding - but this is from the other night. Ryan took it when he got home from his band rehearsal.

We had some visitors today. Great-Aunt Carolyn and Cindy and Brandy came by to spend some time with Stephen. Grandma ad Grandpa Leatherman were here for a bit, too.

Today we went to the wedding of Meredith Kelly and Paul Vaughn. It was beautiful! I can't tell you much about the actual wedding (vows, etc.) because I had to go to the basement to tend to a hungry boy. But he was quite the hit and surprised many who did not even know he had been born!

After that, he went downtown to meet the other guys in daddy's band.

A busy day

I'm trying to figure out how to take Stephen all over town. The diaper changing isn't too difficult, but the feedings sure are. Today he ended up eating in the parking lot at the mall, at our friends' house, at my co-workers' house, and at the Drake Diner.

My dad's twin brother (Gary) and his wife (Judy), a.k.a. Uncle Gary and Aunt Judy, met us for dinner at the Drake Diner. Stephen got hungry, too, but when he wasn't eating Gary enjoyed holding him.

Ryan has a gig tonight so Stephen and I are hanging out at home. After so many errands today it's a good idea to just stick around here.

Our move is just over 2 weeks away. I'm excited about it, but also beginning to be sad to know that I'll miss so many people in Des Moines! I am sure God will take care of our little family, and it's nice that Heidi will be so close. Still, I've lived here for 10 years and it's going to be sad to leave.

A Portable Baby

We discovered today that Stephen really can go a lot of places with me! We went to a Bible study this morning at the Minahan's house then had lunch with Naomi. We went to Perfection Learning and picked up my "new" computer. (I had to feed him in the file storage room!!) He got along well with my old boss, Randy (pictured).

We went to our regular Thursday night dinner and then went swimming at the midwife's house. Stephen couldn't swim yet but the women there took turns holding him.

Grandma and Grandpa Leatherman are here to see him right now.

Comparison

6/29/06
7/19/06

Ian's birthday!

Stephen and I picked out some fire truck pj's for Ian's 2nd birthday. Ian has been very generous to Stephen so it was our turn today!

Stephen has been eating and eating and eating and eating ... hard to get anything else done! Ryan and I finally made it to Hy-Vee tonight for some groceries.

He is getting so big. Here he is in his firecracker shirt from Laurie!

Body Parts

Tonight when we were just sitting around in the evening, Stephen showed us his ear. Maybe it's his way of telling us that he passed his hearing test this morning. The appointment with the midwife also went well - she didn't have too much to say except that all seems to be going well.

Ryan and I got to enjoy an appetizer downtown while grandma and grandpa (Leatherman) hung out with the little guy.

Another exciting body part is Stephen's belly button - as of yesterday! (He is an "inny." I'm sure some were wondering!)

Today might have been the big day!

July 15 was our much anticipated due date. We took a picture of our family while my parents were here. We really enjoyed having them visit. A little packing around the house got done, and my office at Perfection Learning is mostly empty.

Great-Grandpa Leatherman's pacemaker is put in and he is back at home now in Goshen, Indiana.
Grandpa and Grandma Lorimor are here from Chicago and have been helping with lots around the house.

Special visitors

Today Stephen had some very special visitors from Illinois. Great-grandma Lindstrom and Great-aunt Sherry drove to Des Moines to see him for the afternoon. We enjoyed visiting here at home and also walked a block to a coffee shop for a little snack. There has been a strong thunderstorm here for the past hour or so. Ryan got our dinner and brought it here.

A hard day's work

Our little guy seems all grown up! We put this outfit on him and just laughed because he really looks like a little man in it. We jokingly asked him if he had an interview today.

During Ryan's lessons we went over to the Hagenbergs. Of course Elaine did not complain at all. She loves getting her hands on these little ones. She will have another of her own in about 8 months!

I think Stephen is going through his 2-week growth spurt. He's been eating pretty much non-stop since 3 o'clock today!

Batter up!

Stephen went to see Uncle John's baseball game and we even saw him get a hit! Grandpa shielded him from the sun so he really missed most of the action.

He also got to go to pray with Laurie and Kathy for an hour this afternoon. Laurie's niece, Ellie, is going to live with her for a few months so we thought that was something to bring before the Lord for both Laurie and Ellie's sakes!

Ryan and I are getting some sleep, but could use a little more around the 4 o'clock hour, when Stephen decides it's really fun to be awake just for the sake of being awake ...

We look forward to Grandpa and Grandma Lorimor visiting again this weekend. Great-grandpa Leatherman is in the hospital and will have a pacemaker put in on Thursday. Grandma and Grandpa Leatherman are going to Indiana to be with him.

Learning about les animeaux

Stephen is wearing his french zoo outfit tonight. So we took a picture with his fuzzy green bear.

Today we enjoyed an outing to the chiropractor as well as to a few stores. Grandma and Grandpa Leatherman took us a few places, and we went to the dentist with grandma. Tonight daddy is at the Footloose rehearsal at the playhouse, so Lisa and Stephen are chilling at home. A nice relaxing bath was on the agenda!

Music Under the Stars

Tonight David, Susan, Stephen and I ventured out to Ryan's performance with the Des Moines Municipal Band. They played marches and show tunes for about an hour on the capitol grounds. We sat on the lawn. Stephen slept the whole time.

We're glad that daddy's gigs for the weekend are done and we can spend some more time together tomorrow. Ryan and I are beginning our plans for moving to Illinois. We are fairly certain that our move date will be Monday, August 7.

Baby's outings ...

After a somewhat tumultuous night we enjoyed a visit from Stephen's great-grandparents. Evelyn and Bernard were in town for a doctor's appointment. We ended up having lunch at the Drake Diner with them, grandma and grandpa Leatherman, and Uncle Dan and Aunt Shiela and Claire and Anna. After a wonderful dinner made by a friend, Ryan had to head out to a rehearsal and a gig and won't be home until 2:30 or so!

Grandma and Grandpa Leatherman took Lisa and Stephen to Target for a diaper pail. Stephen has been dozing on grandpa's lap and is due for another meal soon!

Baby Stephen is here!

Stephen Larry Leatherman joined our family at 7:27 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28, 2006. He was 8 lb. 8 oz. and 21.5 inches long. We thank God he was born 2 1/2 weeks early!

The last week he has met so many of his family and friends. Grandma and Grandpa Lorimor were here for the first weekend and now Grandma and Grandpa Leatherman are helping out around the house. Of course all the grandparents want to be here as much as they can! Grandpa Larry even labeled the house key that he had: "Stephen's house." So much for Ryan and Lisa ... :)

We were a little scared because of Stephen's high bilirubin level but after using a bili-blanket for 3 nights and putting him out in the sun his levels have gone down.

Stephen and I (Lisa) are home alone for the evening for the first time since he was born. So far so good. Today we took Stephen for his one-week checkup and he checked out just fine! The doctor said not to worry about the jaundice - that he was getting better. The fun part of this appointment is that the doctor we took him to is the same doctor who delivered Ryan almost 26 years ago! We went to dinner at our friends' house tonight and ate with many of our neighbors and other friends.