Merry Christmas

We had a great Christmas. It seems like it gets better every year. Andrew and Mari had a great time.

#2?

Mari started potty-training on Sunday. She went the whole day without an accident. On Monday, she went the whole day without using the potty. The final straw was when she peed on me during dinner. We decided she wasn't quite ready. This morning I had her in a diaper, and she said to me 'I have to go poop.' OK. So I guess she is potty-training. She made it all day today without an accident. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Some New Videos

Elliot Clapping




If you can't see the video, Click Here.


Mari & Elliot Singing & Clapping




If you can't see the video, Click Here.


Mari Singing




If you can't see the video, Click Here.


Andrew Singing




If you can't see the video, Click Here.

Worn Out

We had a fun, tiring weekend. Elliot and Andrew have not been sleeping well, and we have all had a little cold. It seems as though Mari is the only one still going strong.

Not much got done this weekend. Friday night we ran errands, I think. Saturday we also ran errands. We had plans to hit 'Holiday at the Farm' at Gorman Heritage Farm, but due to the rain we decided not to attend.

Sunday included more errands, and Susan and I even got to have a little date. Mer-mer and B-Bob (I still have no clue how to spell their grandparent names) watched the kids while Susan and I celebrated our four-year engagement anniversary. Then we enjoyed a nice chicken noodle soup dinner at their house, before heading home to put the kids to bed a little early.

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a fun weekend. Friday night we stayed in, ordering some pizza and getting the kids to bed early.

We spent Saturday taking care of some errands and some chores around the house. Saturday night we hit our first Christmas party, which was fun.

Today we hosted some visitors. Susan's friend and former roommate from CAP, Annie, stopped by with her five-month old daughter, Cecilia. It was nice to see Annie, as we had not seen her in a few years. She and her family recently moved to Hamilton, OH, which is only about half-an-hour from where we live. After she left we hung up some Christmas lights outside and then my parents came over for dinner.

Sledding

We got a little snow (/rain/sleet) a couple days back, and Andrew has been wanting to get out sledding, so today when I got home from work today, he, Mari and I headed down to the church playground (where there is a very little hill), and hit the slopes. Andrew had a great time, and I think he is finally getting to the age where he could spend a lot of time outside in the snow. Mari did well, even going down the hill a couple times by herself, but she was done in by a tandem ride where she and Andrew both fell off, him landing on her, her face landing in the snow. She did stay outside, but she was done sledding.

We came home to play in the back yard a bit. I taught Andrew the basics of frisbee golf while Mari swung. He actually hit his first target (which I bet was about 50 feet away) in just three tries, which was pretty good. We finished off our time outside by enjoying a fresh round of 'snow cookies', with the kids delighting in the taste of stale snow.

Jekyll & Hyde

Last night was a mess. The kids were tired & crabby, and on different schedules. Andrew cried and whined his way through dinner. Elliot skipped his afternoon nap so he was a fuss. Mari did not skip her nap, so while the boys were asleep by 7:30, Mari was an hour later.

Tonight was one of those nights when things just come together. We had a nice dinner, with all of us sitting at the table for about 1/2 hour enjoying ourselves. Holly stopped by after dinner with some advent calendars, which the kids (& Susan) loved, and will continue to love up until Christmas. After she left we hung out for about half an hour, listening to some nice Christmas music and playing. Before bed we read Todd Parr's Peace Book (The Peace Book, is the title), which I love, and the kids also enjoy. We were upstairs for bed by 7:30 and all the kids were asleep in a timely, relaxing manner. Nice.

Rain

We just got back from a fun trip to Des Moines for Thanksgiving, and to see our new niece/cousin, Hope. It was a great time and it went very quickly. I hope to get some pics up soon.

Still on EDT

We are still living on EDT, with the kids going to bed around 7 and getting up around 6. It is going OK. The only problem is that Elliot has not been sleeping well. We are hoping he is just teething.

Cleaning Up

We are getting rid of the following two items on craigslist. If anyone is interested, just let us know and I am sure you can have them for free:

Computer Desk

200 Disk CD Changer

Off to school

I take Andrew to school in the morning, which I really enjoy. At the beginning of the year, this could be a little challenging, as he was not always too into it. Now he loves going to school and he runs down the path when I open the gate.

Dairy Free

We are trying to get Elliot's bowels figured out, so Susan and Elliot are both off dairy for a little while. Elliot also has not been sleeping well, and we are hoping the lack of dairy may help with that as well. So far it does not appear to be doing much, but we will give it a few more days.

EST

I have a strong dis-taste for the time change. It really throws our schedule for a loop. I think we could get Andrew and Mari to adjust, but Elliot makes his own schedule. Right now, we are all upstairs for bed at 7, with the kids usually asleep by 7:30 or 7:45. This means that we get up a little early, and have a lot of time to kill in the morning. I don't mind this in the summer, when it is easy to get outside, but in the winter, it can get rather boring.

Early Bedtime

Elliot went to bed at 4:30 this afternoon, and appears to think that he is out for the night. Should be a fun one.

Goodbye, Elizabeth

Tonight, Andrew decided he did not want to sleep with Elizabeth anymore. She only lasted three days. We are keeping her around in case she decides to make a comeback.

The Pacifier Fairy

Andrew had been saying for a while that he was ready to stop using his pacifiers, but his actions were speaking louder than his words. On Saturday, we decided it was time.

We hung his pacifiers in a tree and the pacifier fairy came and took them, leaving a note and a little frog (though he insists it is a bear) for him to cuddle with. He named the frog/bear Elizabeth Kevin Nick, and he has been sleeping with it ever since. He has very well, with no problems so far.

Andrew's School Birthday

Susan, Mari, Elliot, B-Bob and I got to go to Andrew's school this morning to celebrate his school birthday. It was supposed to be a couple weeks ago but he was sick, which worked out well because I had a meeting that morning I could not miss.

Birthdays are a very special time in the Waldorf Community, and there is a special ceremony they celebrate in Andrew's class. We got there at 10:45, just in time for snack. Miss Carmy made a cake, and we provided a fruit salad. They sang their birthday song and Andrew blew out the candles. While we all sat around and ate Miss Carmy read through the birthday card book they had put together for Andrew. Every child draws a picture and writes a little (very little) note. After cleaning up we headed into another room and gathered in a circle. Miss Carmy told a semi-customized birthday story (same story, different names) about Andrew and then we all got to go outside and hang out for a while, until pick-up time, which is at noon.

It was nice to get a glimpse into Andrew's world and nice to get to see all the kids in his class. Andrew was thrilled and made his signature excitement/bashful face a few times throughout the morning.

The Final Dose

Elliot had his last dose of Bactrim this morning. He has been on antibiotics for almost three weeks now, and his butt is looking good. Hopefully we will get a little break now from the medicine.

Hard to Believe

I think I forgot to mention that Andrew's fourth birthday was last week. He had some fun birthday parties, with his school party still to come. He did not go to school on the day it was scheduled because he was not feeling well.

There are some nice pics in the 2007 II photo gallery, including some good piñata action shots.

The Swine

I have a lot of fish on mine;
I think enough to feed the swine.

-Andrew

Stayin' Home

We were supposed to cut out of Cincinnati on Saturday for a week-long road trip, but Elliot is still having some perirectal abscess issues, so we are going to skip the trip.

Baptism & Camping Pictures

I added some pictures from Elliot's baptism and from our camping trip to the 2007 gallery.

I also created a new gallery with some pictures that Susan's friend Maribeth took for us while we were visiting last July.

Perirectal Abscess

Elliot has a Perirectal Abscess. Hopefully it will go away with some home treatment, otherwise it will have to be opened and drained.

Camping

We went camping last weekend. We were originally slated to stay Friday & Saturday night, then Susan talked me into only going for Saturday night, then it was so nice on Friday I convinced her we should just go down and see what happens. Well, we left at dinner time on Saturday, which turned out to be a good call, in my opinion.

Sunday was nice. We got some stuff cleared out and had a nice, relaxing day.

Saved! ! !

We got Elliot baptized over the weekend. We have been fortunate to have the same priest perform all of our recent sacraments (one marriage and three baptisms). We really like him and it has really helped to tie things together for us.

Elliot was not thrilled about being baptized, but he has gotten over it. His head still smells good too.

I will try to get some pics up in the next few days.

Goodbye, Stove

We put our old stove on the curb tonight, went for a walk, and it was gone when we got back. It was a good stove. It served us well for several years. Now it is probably in pieces, being exported to China to be re-invented.

In other sad news, the groundhog I have driven past on my way to work every morning for the past few days finally fell victim to his habit of hanging out in the road.

A Few New Pics

I put up some new pics in the 2007 II gallery.

Andrew Feeding Elliot

Andrew Feeding Elliot

If you can't see the video, Click Here.

In cased you missed it. . . .

Susan turned thirty yesterday. It was a fairly relaxed day. A lot of cake was eaten. Hammocks were laid in.

Around the Horn

Two weeks ago tonight, Andrew started his 5 day fever. Mari got sick at the end of that week. Susan got sick at the beginning of the next week. I got it mid-week, and it appears as though Elliot just had a little touch of it as well. I would like to believe that we are finished with this bug.

Parents & Tots II

Mari & Susan started Parents & Tots this morning. The plan is that Elliot stays home with me, Rob, until after his nap and then I take him to the school for the remainder of the class. This morning he slept in late and then took a late nap, so he missed the whole class. Andrew hung out with Aunt Jill so that I could get some work done while Elliot napped.

Pot-Luck Trifecta

Friday Night: La Leche League
Saturday Night: Waldorf School
Sunday Night: Friend's Birthday Party.

It was a fun, busy weekend. Mari and I actually skipped the LLL pot-luck on Friday night because she was not feeling well.

Heating Up

Mari had a fever last night. Hopefully hers won't last five days, like Andrew's did.

Cooling Off

Andrew's fever appears to have subsided, which would be a good thing. Hopefully it won't come back. This isn't the first time that we have thought it was gone.

Sick Kids

Elliot: Went to the urologist today to talk about his reflux. More tests in six months, then again six months later. In the meantime, hopefully he won't have any more urinary tract infections.

Mari: Pink-eye is almost cleared up.

Andrew: Has had a fever, with no other symptoms, since Saturday. If it's not gone by morning (and I don't know why it would be), he is going to the doctor.

Soccer Can Wait

Andrew loves soccer. In fact, he loves all sports. Lately we have heard of several other kids his age who are starting to play soccer (of some sort, I guess). I mentioned something to Susan about it tonight and we quickly agreed that we don't really feel like there is a a good reason to start him playing soccer so soon. About fifteen minutes later she sat down to read Mothering Magazine and there was an article called "Soccer Can Wait." We agree.

Long Weekend

We had a long, but fun, weekend.

Erin, Nate, Ian, and Cameron were in town, arriving last Wednesday. We had a lot of fun hanging out with them and our kids played really well together. Things were pretty low-key.

On Saturday night, we hit Old Timers Day at The Rabbit Hash General Store, which was really fun. Our main reason for going was to check out Jake Speed and the Freddies, who did not disappoint. Their bluegrass/Ohio River style fit in perfectly with the river as a backdrop. We took the Anderson Ferry across the river on the way there, which was a nice little touch as well.

Liesland Dinner Blog

I have decided that we don't have enough blogs on our website, so, without further adieu, INTRODUCING. . . .


The Liesland Dinner Blog

Floored

We re-finished our living room and dining room floors this weekend. We actually started on Thursday night, painting the ceilings in each room while all the furniture was out. We stayed the weekend at my parents, which was fun, but tiring. The kids have not been sleeping well and I think we are all looking forward to sleeping in our own beds.

Andrew's First Day of Pre-School

Today was Andrew's first day of school, which I think had us all a little nervous. He was up early, and trying to keep himself excited. I just spoke with him and Susan on the phone and it sounds like he had a great time. She said that he was a little nervous before-hand, but once they got there he just went and played with his friends.

He was only there for an hour today. They were supposed to have another shortened class tomorrow, but the whole school is going to be closed due to the heat. Next week he will go for two hours on Thursday and then finally on Friday the whole class meets for the whole time, 3 & 1/2 hours.

I am glad and relieved that things went well.

Waldorf Meetings

Friday night, at the new-parent pot-luck, we learned that we had another meeting last night, the New School Year Meeting. The first hour was just new parents, and then the second hour was all parents, and then after that we had a meeting in Andrew's classroom, with his teacher. Overall it was a really nice experience. The community at the Waldorf School is great and we feel that the atmosphere and philosophy coincide nicely with our parenting principles. I think that my favorite part of the evening was at the beginning of the second hour, when all the parents were led in the singing of a song. I have never been to a meeting that started that way.

6 Months

Elliot is 6 months old today, which I have always considered a major milestone. He is definitely starting to act older, showing a preference toward certain toys and getting very upset when he drops them or they get taken away.

Transferring

Due to a late breaking development, Andrew is going to be transferring to the Cincinnati Waldorf School for pre-school.

Tonight we have our first parent meeting. First, as in, first parent meeting ever, as parents. Kinda' exciting, but honestly, I am feeling a little intimidated.

Appliances

We got all of our appliances in place and operational. There was a slight delay with the new washer because of a manufacturing defect, but that has been fixed and we are on our way.

I tried to take a picture of the kids watching the new washer, but now the camera is acting up.

First Tooth

Elliot's first tooth just broke through: bottom-right.

The Sheds

Speaking of Cam, his band, The Sheds, are going to be on Studio 89 tonight at 9. If you are not in the cincy area, but want to check them out, WNKU will be streaming online.

The Sheds Website, with free music

WNKU's streaming content

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a fun weekend. Friday night we hung out with my parents. On Saturday we got some errands done, got measured for new carpet, took some naps, and then ended the day with dinner at Cam & Eli's. We had a great time there, as always. We even got to go for a little swim in the camp lake, which was fun. Sunday we hung out at home for a while, had Emory over, took some naps, and then headed to the Y with Simon and Rachel.

Now we are ready for a busy week . . .

Backin' Off the Bactrim

We read the JAMA article DrGreene recommended, recommended it to our doctor, who read it and spoke with a urologist at Children's. The decision: parental decision. Great.

We think we are going to take him off. He seems to feel bad when he is taking it and we are going to keep a very close eye on his temp.

Homemeadow Song Farm

After a few weeks of careful consideration, and figuring out what our remaining options were, we have registered Andrew for a program at the Homemeadow Song Farm. It is a two day program will he will get to do some pretty cool stuff, on a regular basis. We are really excited about it, and Andrew is too.

The Little Red Hen's Early Mornings

Let the Bactrim Begin?

We went to the doctor yesterday to talk about Elliot. She said go see a urologist (which we will on Sept 5), but in the meantime start taking Bactrim, a prophylactic antibiotic, to keep him from getting another UTI, which could spread to his kidneys. So we started him on a very low dose of Bactrim.

No sooner than I sat down to write this post did I get an email, from DrGreene.com, whose website I linked to in my last post about Elliot. I had never communicated with him before, and I must have popped up on his radar because I linked to his site, which sent him some traffic.

Here is what he, or someone on his website's behalf, has to say:

if preventive antibiotics come up as a possibility, you might want to talk with your pediatrician about a major new study in JAMA in July where there was no difference between the kids who go antibiotics and those who did not in the number of subsequent UTIs -- but those who got the antibiotics were much more likely to get resistant infections. Everyone here is re-weighing the benefits vs. risks.

Great.

Testing the Renal Waters

Since Elliot had a urinary tract infection a few weeks back, it was recommended that we have some tests done to make sure that his kidneys and his bladder are working properly, so today we headed to the hospital to get some tests done. Turns out that he has a little vesicoureteral reflux, or kidney reflux. Elliot has the mildest form, grade one, and will hopefully grow out of it. Tomorrow we see our pediatrician, to see what she recommends.

Andrew's First Bike

Andrew's First Bike

If you can't see the video, Click Here.

We picked up a bike for Andrew at the Northside Yard Sale on Saturday, got some gear for it on Sunday (training wheels, and a helmet for Andrew), and by Sunday night he was off. He was a little tired, which made things interesting, but he did well, and he had fun.

Fun Weekend

Everyone else is in bed, and I just got finished carving up my first whole chicken, so I thought I would take a minute to wind down/not fall behind on the blog.

We are just wrapping up a fun weekend here in the Liesland home. We started off the weekend with the La Leche League Pot-Luck on Friday night. It was hot, and there was a lot of dessert, so it was pretty fun.

We were back out again on Saturday to enjoy the Northside Yard Sale. We didn't make it out until 11 and it was heating up. Holly came with us and did her best at reverse-bargaining. We came out with some fun stuff, including a new bike for Andrew.

Saturday afternoon we hit the Y, and then headed to Walt's Barbeque on Cincinnati's West Side. I would definitely recommend it. Cool place.

Today, Sunday, started off slowly. Susan slept until 10, and then Elliot slept until 12:30. Mari went down for her nap at one, Elliot went back down at 3, and then finally everyone was awake by 3:45, just in time for us to head to Home Depot to snag some new appliances. We got a new washer, dryer, dishwasher, and stove. Don't worry, we have 10 days to figure out where we are going to store the old stove. I just can't bear to have it taken away by people who will dis-respect it.

Later. . .

Rob's Books

I added a new blog to our website called 'Rob's Books.'

http://www.liesland.com/books

Where's My Radio?!?!?

I forgot about the early mornings. Elliot has been getting up earlier and earlier lately. This morning was the first time in a long time that we have been up before six. I don't mind being up early, but I do have one rule: if you are going to get me out of bed early, then you have to be happy. I am still working on this one with Elliot. He is waking up too early for some reason, and he is not ready to be awake. Could be his cold, his teeth, his bowels, could be anything really. The worst part about the whole ordeal is that when we got our house ready to put on the market we out away our stereo, which means no NPR news in the morning. I usually turn on the Channel 5 news, which is mostly a daily update on homicides, car crashes, house fires, sexual offenses, weather, traffic, and the Reds score from last night. I miss my NPR.

Things have been going OK lately. Elliot is about half-way through his latest antibiotic. He had an ear infection and luckily this antibiotic does not appear to be messing with him too much.

I am headed to the doctor this afternoon so he can drain some fluid from my eye-lid.

Elliot is headed to the doctor next Monday for some kidney tests to make sure that the urinary tract infection he had earlier this month is not a symptom of something else.

Chinese Fire-Drill

It seems we need to do this every few months - get all the kids out of the car, have them run around, and then end up in new seats.

Elliot has outgrown his car-seat (setting a new Liesland record in the process), so we had to shift everyone's seats. This always makes Andrew happy, because it means he gets a new seat.

The exciting and sad part of the whole ordeal is that it is just another step away from infancy for Elliot. Pretty soon he is going to be starting on food, which I can hardly believe.

As a parent, sometimes the hours are slow, but the days,weeks,months seem to fly by.

Mea Culpa

I guess it's my fault. For the past few weeks, things have been going well. So well in fact, that I was starting to get a little confident - maybe too confident.

Sunday I got sick. Whenever someone gets sick our routine goes out the door, as well as our ability to keep up with the kids. Susan handled herself well - even getting all three kids to sleep on Sunday night.

Now I am better, and it is time to clean. . .

Photos

I put up a few new photos in our 2007 I gallery and some shots from our trip in the new 2007 Vacation Gallery.

Where have we been?

At the Dr's office, the hospital, Northside, KY, Onalaska, Duluth, Minneapolis, Clive.

Dr's Office

Elliot had his 4 month check-up in late June, where things went well. At the end of the visit he got some vaccines and the Dr said that he may act sick/have a fever for a couple days, which he did. After 6 days the fever had not gone away, so we went back to the Dr, who told us to go to the hospital to get some tests.

The Hospital

We got some blood tests done, an x-ray, and finally a urine culture. Finally, we figured out the he had a urinary tract infection. We got him on an antibiotic, which made him a little fussy, but his fever went away.

Northside

We were supposed to skip town the morning of July 4th, but due to Elliot's illness, we decided to take a day to gather our selves. In the morning, we made it to the Northside 4th of July Parade, which is pretty cool.

KY

Not leaving on the 4th also made it possible for us to make it to our 4th of July family party, which was a lot of fun.

Onalaska

Finally, we made it out of town and hit the road. It took us 11 hours to traverse the 600 miles from Cincinnati to Onalaska, WI, which is right next to LaCrosse, WI. We visited with our friends Sarah, Kevin and Samuel for a few hours, and then it was back on the road.

Duluth

On Friday, July 6th, we hit the road again and travelled a few hours farther North to Duluth, MN. We got settled into our cottage, and then headed to Hope and Jeff's pre-wedding party. We got to hang out with a lot of Susan's friends and had a good time. The wedding was on Saturday night. Sunday we hit Gooseberry Falls, and then headed south to Minneapolis.

Minneapolis

In Minneapolis we stayed with Susan's friend from high school, Maribeth, and her husband Erik, whom we hadn't seen since our wedding. While in Minneapolis we visited Susan's college in St. Joseph, MN.

Clive

Tuesday evening we left Minneapolis and headed to Clive, IA, just outside Des Moines, to stay with Susan's parents. We stayed in Des Moines for a few days, and had a grand old time.

Now, we are back in Cincinnati, trying to get settled back into a routine. It always takes a while for everyone to get back in line after some time away from our normal existence.

Hopefully I will get some pics up soon.

I will try to keep you updated. . .

Random Vacation Moments

If you can't see the video, Click Here.

We just got back from a 10 day vacation, and here are some random videos. I was not sure if any of them were good enough to make it alone, so I combined them all into one super-video.

Mari is Two!

Yesterday we celebrated Mari's second birthday. Susan's parents are in town, and my family came over for some sandwiches, presents, and dessert. The party was fairly low-key, with simple foods and a lot of playing. It seemed to me to be a lot of fun. I think that Mari is now old enough to consciously have more fun than ever before, as is Andrew.

For those of you who don't get to spend much time with Mari, she is a very interesting little girl. She is very dramatic in everything that she does. She likes to be wild and have fun. Last week at the Y we were playing in the baby pool and I was spinning her around as fast as I could and dragging her all over the pool, similar to when you are water skiing and you lose a ski. She was having a blast and could have gone all day. She loves to play with Andrew, and loves to try to play with Elliot. She tends to be fairly quiet when things are going on, but when things slow down her mouth runs faster than her two little feet. She likes to talk and sing, usually making up her own songs.

Happy Birthday Mari!

Birthday Season

Heading into birthday season (Erin won the pre-season tournament), we have put a fun couple of weeks behind us. We have had a lot or get-togethers and a lot of fun time as a family. This has been aided by the fact that all of the kids have been relatively healthy and Elliot has been a gem. He is happy most of the time when he is awake, and when he is not happy he needs to go to sleep. He has been letting us lay him down for his naps, which makes the day a lot easier for Susan.

I put up a few new pics.

Not much action on the house.

My eye is looking & feeling a lot better, but I fear I may have to have it drained because I am just about done with my medicine and I still have a medium sized bump.

This blog is over three years old now.

We joined the Y.

Later. . .

Anniversary Happenings

In keeping with anniversary tradition, we (Susan, the kids, and I) ordered some Larosa's pizza last night and had a little picnic at the park where we had our wedding reception. It is always nice to go there, even though the kids can be a little hard to contain.

The kids were still really tired from the camping trip, which turned out to be a nice blessing, as they went to bed a little earlier than usual.

In a totally unrelated event, I added a few pictures to our 2007 photo gallery. I also put our pics back under password protection, so let me know if you would like the login info. I think it may have changed slightly from the old one.

Insaniversary

I've fallen behind. I didn't mean for it to happen, but it did, and I am sorry.

1. Today is our third anniversary. No, not you and me (unless you are Susan), but me and Susan.
2. My right eye has a Chalazion.
3. We just got back from a very short camping trip at John Bryan State Park in Yellow Springs, OH. The trip was fun. We went up Sunday morning and were joined by Simon and Rachel Sunday afternoon. They watched the kids while Susan and I went to the Greene Memorial Hospital in Xenia to have my eye looked at. We cooked hot dogs over a fire, made some s'mores, slept in a tent, hiked at Clifton Gorge and ate Ha Ha Pizza. Fun trip.
4. Elliot is 3 months now. He is doing well and still likes to sleep, though he is not that good at it.
5. Still not much activity on the house

I think that is it. I will try to stay on top of things.

May Photos

I put up a few new pics from the past couple weeks: 2007 gallery.

Swinging in the Rain

Andrew & Mari Swinging

If you can't see the video, Click Here.

What a fun weekend! We started off Saturday morning at the Cincinnati Waldorf School. They have an annual May Fair which the kids (and I think the adults) really enjoy. It is kinda' like a church festival, but a little more chill. I like it because I don't get to interact with the Waldorf families as much as Susan does, so it is nice to get to see everyone.

After the fair we went home, rested, and then hit the road again, headed for our friends' child's first birthday party. We were a little late, and the rains came soon after we got there, but I was glad to be able to congratulate them and glad to get to a city park that I have not been to yet. There was a light rain most of the time we were there, but the kids weren't phased, so a good time was had by all. We capped off the day with our nightly walk.

Sunday we were up early and off to cheer on the runners of the Flying Pig Marathon. One of my friends from work was running, as was one of Susan's La Leche League leaders. We managed to see them both, a couple friends we didn't even know were running, and some cool outfits. After rest-time, we headed to my cousin Dawn's baby shower.

It was a fun weekend. Now all we need to do is out away a lot of laundry and clean our house.

Later. . .

Ears

Elliot has his first ear infection, which would explain why he has been a little fussy the last few days. Looks like he takes after me & Andrew, and will have plenty more ear infections to come.

Later. . .

Two

We are the the point now where we are close to two milestones:

1. In two days Elliot will be two months old. Amazing, huh? Seems like the time is flying by. I know that Susan and I both feel that way.

2. In about two months Mari will be two years old. When people ask I still say that she is one-and-a-half, but she is acting a lot more like a two-year-old now. She insists on doing many things herself and knows how to throw a good fit.

Later. . .

Elliot Smiling

Elliot has started to smile, and I finally caught some of it on video:

Elliot Smiling

If you can't see the video, Click Here.

I also just added some pics to the 2007 photo album. There is a great picture of Elliot smiling at Mari.

Enjoy. . .

Bottoms Up

• Elliot - Elliot is doing well. He has started smiling, which is fun. It is nice to get a little feedback other than crying. He is developing well and has become a little more fussy lately. We know it will pass, we just hope that it passes quickly


• Mari - Mari has been a little crazy lately. We think she is getting a lot cuter as she learns how to express herself more and better, but man is she crazy. She really knows what she wants and she will let you know if she is not getting it.


• Andrew - Andrew has been showing some signs of stress also. He is still very well behaved and we really enjoy his presence, but he has been testing things a little more lately. I notice it most when I am trying to get Mari to sleep. He used to lie in his bed very quietly and usually fall asleep before Mari was asleep, but he has been pushing things a little more lately, rolling around, talking, playing with the curtains.


• Me (Rob) - I am doing well. I am getting settled in to my new job here at Xavier. I have moved from the behind the scenes application support world to the web world, which has been fun. It is nice to do something different and learn some new skills.


• Susan - I think that Susan is doing well. Elliot has been sleeping a little less at night, which means that she is more tired. Now that we are more than six weeks out it seems as though she has recovered well. She says that she thinks it takes nine months for her to recover, but I would say that she is most of the way there. I think that the hardest part right now is the lack of sleep at night and the inability to rest during the day.


• Visitors - We have had some visitors lately, which has made things a little easier. Our to-do list fills up quickly these days, and visitors are a nice break, amongst other things.

Later. . .

One Month

Elliot is a little over a month now, and things are chugging along. Elliot just had his one month checkup and he is developing appropriately. It looks like his eye are going to be a dark brown, and the dr thinks that he has my nose. His head is not as large as Andrew & Mari's were, and we fear that he is going to get my nose and Susan's head. Poor kid.

We are wrapping up a pretty crazy week. Andrew and Mari were both sick starting last Saturday and lasting until mid-week. We even had to take Mari in to the Dr to make sure that she was not dehydrated, which she wasn't. they are both feeling better now, though they are still really whiny.

The warm weather has been a nice help to get things back on track. We have been trying to spend some time outside to keep the kids entertained and not needing to be held the whole time.

We have had some showings of the house, but still not much doin' there.

Later. . .

Three Weeks

We are three weeks into it now, and things are going petty well. I am back to work full time, and Susan this is the first week that Susan has been home by herself with all three kids.

The weather has been making things a little easier. Since it has been so warm Susan and the kids have been able to spend a lot of time outside, which makes everyone happier. Last night we even got out for our first family walk of the year, which is nice. It is supposed to be warm again today, but then it will get cold again. I guess it is still winter, so I can't complain too much.

Elliot is doing well. He is awake a lot and fights sleep like Andrew used to. He has been doing OK at night, usually having one wakeful period.

Catch ya later. . .

Quick Hits

• I put some new photos up in the 2007 gallery.
• Andrew took off all of his clothes yesterday -- in the back yard -- and declared that it was summer. About two minutes later he told me he was cold and he wanted to get his clothes back on.

What's in a name?

A lot of people have been asking where got Elliot's name.

No where. We just like the name. The 'John' part comes from one of Susan's Grandpas, I believe.

Two Weeks

Elliot is two weeks old now, which is pretty exciting. He has changed a lot over the past week. He is starting to be awake for long stretches at a time. He usually is up all morning, sleeps all afternoon, is up again in the evening, and then is "asleep for the night" by 11. He appears to be a little like Andrew was when he was little. Elliot likes to be able to see what is going on and seems to get over-stimulated when we are out in large groups.

Andrew and Mari are still showing some signs of stress. They have both been getting up really early and have been fairly needy during the day. I need to get their sleeping straightened out by the time Susan's parents leave, so they are a less fussy and clingy during the day.

I am back to work now, working a half-day yesterday and a full day today. This week shouldn't be bad since Susan's parents are in town, but next week should be interesting.

Later. . .

February Baby

It's now March, and Susan and I are both thrilled to have a February baby. If Elliot was as late as Mari was, then Susan would still be pregnant, which would not be much fun at this point.

Elliot is nine days old now, and things are getting a little more settled. The kids are sleeping well, which means that they are in a good mood during the day. There was a stretch where they were not sleeping well and were a little crazy during the day.

Elliot is doing well. He has a little cold, which he is handling well. He is getting used to his bodily functions. In general, he is pretty mellow. He definitely sleeps more than our others did and does not require as much walking around. His presence at family dinners has been a pleasant one, since he has either been sleeping or just chillin' out.

Other than Elliot, there is not much going on. I am going to be headed back to work next week. There should hopefully be some visitors on the way soon, but the weather is not helping with that.

That's all for now. We'll keep you updated.

Interesting Stuff

• Elliot just went through five diapers and a blanket, in one diaper change. He also managed to pee on himself in the process.
• There is a placenta in my freezer. I had kinda forgotten about it.
• Elliot is going to have some more craniosacral therapy in the morning. His head still looks great, but we feel like a little more might help.

5 Days Down

We are five days into this little adventure, and things don't really appear to be settling down. I have a minute to write a little more extensively though, so I will.

The birth went awesome. We had perfect timing with everything, from filling up the tub, to calling our midwife, to Elliot actually coming out. He was born at 5:29, which gave us just enough time to get settled before the sun came up. That day, Tuesday, was crazy. Luckily my mom took care of the kids all day, and my dad brought us some dinner, so things were manageable.

Since then, we have been getting used to doing things on our own, which is going OK. Susan has been on a light bed-rest since the birth to help everything heal right. Tracey (our midwife) recommended this approach over stitches since it was a tiny tear and it will improve our chances of not tearing next time (next time?). Susan is able to get up and move around, but she is supposed to limit her activities. Since I am home, this has been pretty do-able.

Elliot is doing well. He likes to nurse and sleep, but he does not like to poop and pee. He was not very happy when he was born and Tracey pointed out that he had a huge ridge on his head. She said that he probably had a bad head-ache. She recommended Craniosacral Therapy. Our friend, Lauren, came over Tuesday afternoon, moved a few bones in his skull, and he appears to be happier now. Pretty cool, huh? She worked on him for about fifteen minutes and the ridge almost totally disappeared. She tells us that the amount of pressure that she uses is no more than the weight of a nickel.

Andrew and Mari have been adjusting well. They have both been tired and stressed.

I think that is enough for now. I'll try to keep you updated.

Quick Update

Elliot is doing well. He is really cute and sleeps a lot. He is nursing well.

Susan is recovering well.

Andrew loves his new brother, but I can tell he is a little more stressed than usual.

Mari ended her breastfeeding strike and is back in action. She rebelled for a few days, but once Susan convinced her that it was OK she is back to her old form.

I am well. My back aches from carrying kids, but that is OK.

Make sure to check out the pics of Elliot. More to come when I get the chance.

My favorite moments so far are when Elliot is awake and just looking right at me and when Andrew and Mari interact with him.

Photos of Elliot

I finally put some pictures up. Click here to view them.

Elliot's First Video

Elliot's First Video
If you can't see the video, Click Here.

Elliot's Weight

I just realized that when we sent out the announcement yesterday we didn't know Elliot's weight yet. We weighed him in the afternoon and he weighed in at 9lbs 8oz. Not too shabby and definitely the biggest of our three so far.

Andrew & Mari just woke up. Susan & Elliot are still 'sleeping'. Overall I would say that last night went pretty well. I think that Susan and I both got some rest and Andrew & Mari slept well also (which makes sense since they were both out of bed by 4:30 yesterday morning).

One Down

Wow, that was a busy day. Yesterday was pretty crazy. Hopefully we will start to find a rhythm and things will begin to stabilize, but I think that could take a while.

I am going to try to get some pics up today or tonight. Wish me luck!

Later. . .

Introducing. . . .

Elliot John Liesland

Born February 20, 2007 5:29AM


After a few days of light labor and a few hours of heavy labor, Elliot was born in our dining room (on purpose) in the wee hours of the morning. Andrew was there for the birth and Mari came down right afterward. Everyone is doing well.

More photos and details will be posted soon.

-Susan, Rob, Andrew & Mari

Note: I am tired. I hope I got all the details correct.

Valentine's Surprises

1. I didn't have to work (for the second straight day).

2. Mari was up at four in the morning throwing up. It was only the second time in her life.

After a fun couple days off, I am back to the daily grind (sort of). I am about to head home so that Susan & Andrew can go see our midwife and I can take care of our ailing daughter.

Later. . .

Rain Day

I got to spend some quality time with the fam today thanks to some winter rains. It actually started last night as snow and then it rained all day today. With the temps expected to drop soon, there could be a lot of ice around these parts tomorrow. Here are a couple videos from the day:

Andrew & Mari Making Muffins
If you can't see the video, Click Here.

Andrew Reading to Mari
If you can't see the video, Click Here.

A lot of people are wondering if there is any activity with the baby: no.

A lot of people have also been wondering if there is any activity on the house: no.

Believe me, something will be posted here when something happens (even though I think that I am the only person who reads this (and my friend Mark)).

We'll keep you updated. . .

Sledding

Andrew and I finally got out for some real sledding fun this past weekend. We went to the park where we had our wedding reception and found some medium-sized hills. He was a little too scared to go down by himself, so I had to go down with him. This was fine with me since I loved sled-riding. After going down the hill a few times we went for a nice winter hike. It was pretty fun because whenever he was tired he could just ride in the sled and I would pull him. His favorite parts of the hike were walking on the frozen creek and eating some snow. The hike brought back some great memories of sled-riding in the woods behind my parents.

Snow Day

. . . well, sort of. I got to leave work early today. I left around two and got home around three. I did fair better than my sister, Holly, who left work at 2:30 and when I spoke with her at six she was still not home and traffic was not moving.

The kids are in bed, the snow has stopped, and I got most of the concrete cleaned off outside. We all got to spend some good quality time together today, playing, reading, relaxing, and topping the day off by making some cookies.

Now, for a couple hours of relaxing. . .

Quick Hits

• I put some new pics up.
• We got the birth tub, and we have all the supplies. All we need now is a baby.
• I have a new cubicle at work.

What I'm Reading

Ever wonder what I am reading while you are reading our blog? Check out the newly added section to the right to see what blogs/websites I check frequently. I actually use a feed-reader (reader.google.com) which checks all these sights for me and let's me know if they have added anything to their blog. I highly recommend it. Let the websites come to you!

Trying to Sleep

Last night was our first attempt to get Andrew and Mari to share a bed. In the past they have always been at opposite sides of our bed. They stayed together until 2am last night, when I had to bring Mari up into our bed. By that time, they had switched positions and Mari was in Andrew's bed. No one was injured, which made me happy.

Snow, Finally

We finally got some snow, which Andrew has been waiting a while for. He has wanted to go sled-riding for a while now. Last year this would never have happened because he hated the cold. This year we managed to be out for about half-an-hour.


If you can't see the video, Click Here.


I am going to add some more pics from the rest of our journey to the picture section of our website.

We had an interesting weekend. Susan and I managed to get out on a date thanks to Simon and Rachel. They offered to watch the kids Saturday afternoon, so Susan and I took advantage and had some time alone.

Thanks to the snow, Sunday was spent mostly at home, cleaning, watching some football, and trying to keep the kids sane. We think that they are still a little sick, because something is not right.

Water update

I put the new element in the hot water heater, only to find out that it still wasn't working. I did some research and figured out that it was working, I just didn't know. Electric water heaters have two elements, but only one of them is on at a time. Who knew? Anyways, it turned out to be a very easy fix.

Andrew slept in a diaper last night and it was nice going to bed knowing that he wasn't going to pee on me. Instead, he woke us up at 3am because he needed to pee. This was a good thing. He won't tell us during the day when he needs to pee, so I figure any type of telling is good at this point. I took him downstairs and he peed. I thought it was time to go back to bed, but I was mistaken. He was not excited to have to lie down on the couch to get his diaper and PJ's back on, and there was some crying. This gave his cough some ammunition. So much in fact, that he had some mini-vomiting. Nothing major, but we ended up being awake for about an hour and a half. Mari slept through the whole ordeal, which was nice.

Hopefully tonight will be much more relaxing than last night.

Water

I am trying to fix our water heater. Tonight I am going to put in a new element.

We have also been sleeping hot water lately, as Andrew's bladder has suddenly stopped working. I think that the use of straws has caused an increase in liquid consumption, which no one was quite ready for.

I put up some new pics in the 2006 photo section. I also added a 2007 photo section, since it is now 2007.

We are all tired. I think that this last month of Susan's pregnancy is going to be a challenge for all of us, but I think that in the end we will all come out stronger. The dynamic will change when #3 comes, and I think right now everything is up in the air for a reason.

We made some cool pre/postnatal purchases in preparation for #3. We bought a Prenatal Cradle, a Bella Band, and a Moby Wrap. It is always fun to get some new gear. In college we used to make fun of our friend Jeff because it seemed like he was always buying a new coat. I feel like we are always getting some new type of baby moving device, whether it be a wrap, sling, carrier, or stroller.

Our birth kit, which contains all of the sterile/medical type things that we will need for our homebirth came yesterday. It was interesting to see what was in there, though it is not quite as interesting as the list of things that we need to purchase.

That's all for now.

We're Back, Again

Last night we returned to Cincinnati after spending a week in Des Moines. We headed out there the day after Christmas.

Dec 26 - Drive all Day
Dec 27 - Flat tire, play with the kids all day while we get it fixed
Dec 28 - Hang out
Dec 29 - Finally get out of the house
Dec 30 - Liess Family Christmas
Dec 31 - Party late into the night (just kidding)
Jan 01 - Hang out
Jan 02 - Head Home

That is a brief run-down of how things went. It was a fun trip. Susan got to see some of her friends. Andrew and Mari got to play with their cousins. I got to watch some football with Gary and Nate. There was even a little snow while we were there.

Now that we are back, it is time to do some work on the house. We are going to be painting the old toy/computer room and making it into a bedroom. We also brought back a new dresser from Susan's parents' house. The dresser is not really new, but it is new to us. It could use a good paint job, but I think that it will sufficiently hold #3's clothes.

I think that's all for now.

Home Run

For child #3, we are planning a home birth. It is something that we have been interested in for a while and we are ready to give it a go. Our first two births didn't go as expected, so hopefully this one will work out as planned. We have about 6 weeks to go now until the due date, so we have some serious prep work to do. Aside from getting things in order with our midwife, Tracey, we also have a serious list of supplies to start acquiring:

• 1 gallon jug of distilled water
  
• 4-6 mm. plastic sheeting at least 12"X12" Check Paint section in Wal Mart or Meijers
  
• At least 4 dark colored plastic garbage bags
  
• One set of old or used bed sheets
  
• 6 bath towels
  
• 4 washcloths
  
• 6 receiving blankets
  
• 1 small and 1 large plastic mixing bowl (these MUST be plastic because it needs to float)
  
• Plastic Rubbermaid type short stool, Needs to be waterproof
  
• Working flashlight and extra batteries
  
• Extra toilet paper, at least two 6 roll packs
  
• One citrus and one non-citrus juice
  
• Bag of ice
  
• Protein that you like that is easy to fix to eat during labor
  
• Gown or clothes after birth if necessary
  
• 1 pairs socks or booties, 1 onesie, 1 sleeper for baby
  
• 4 diapers
  
• Large cookie sheet
  
• Silver duct tape
  
• Brand new 25' hose for filling bathtub (White drinking hose or RV hose that can usually be found at Home Depot or Meijer)
  
• New long handled fish net (can be purchased at pet store)
  
• Container of Sea Salt, any grocery store
  
• Man's white tube sock
  
• Two bulbs of fresh garlic
  
• Ground coffee
  
• Bottle liquid Calcium/Magnesium
  

I am not sure what all or these supplies are to be used for, but it sure looks like fun, huh? I feel like I am about to embark on some strange adventure.