Reflection: Father's Day Weekend

My apologies for not being diligent with our blog updates. I swear, Chuck has had more updates in the past few weeks than the Weiland family. For those of you who aren't familiar with Chuck, you're missing out on one cool cat.

I'd like to go back a few weeks to Father's Day weekend. John, Kate and I spent the weekend at my parent's house in West Bend. On Saturday, John discovered his new favorite place in West Bend - "The Candyman". John, myself, my sister-in-law Laura and the kids (Brooke, Charlie & Kate) capitalized on the beautiful weather and took a stroll downtown to purchase some tasty treats. I have a feeling that this will become a staple each time we visit going forward.

On Sunday we celebrated a very special Father's Day. We began the day by going to mass and our little peanut decided to give dad an extra present and spit up all over him and herself. Luckily, it was near the end of mass so we didn't have to smell that lovely milky scent for an hour. After mass, we proceeded to have brunch and open gifts. John even got a well-deserved nap in! It was very special to be with family on John's very first Father's Day.

For those of you that know John or simply read these posts, it comes as no shock to you that he is an incredible father. The best part of my day is when he comes home from work and interacts with Kate. While he entertains her with song and dance, he also makes me laugh. It brings such joy to my heart to watch him love her the way that he does. It's no wonder her favorite onesie reads "Daddy Makes Me Smile".

I love you, Daddy!

Kate giving Daddy a big smooch

Our niece, Brooke, and Kate seeing eye-to-eye

Everyone can't get enough of Kate!

Simon says, "Open your mouth"

Andrea & Michael: Just Married

I would like to take this time to congratulate John's cousin, Andrea, and her new husband Michael! They were married this past weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina where she grew up and John's aunt and uncle still reside. Prior to having Kate we were certain that we were going to make the trip to witness this spectacular event, but once our little one arrived we realized that traveling would be a little more complicated than it once was. Ultimately John and I came to the decision to stay in Wisconsin, but the two of them were definitely in our thoughts. I caught myself looking at the clock all day on Saturday and praying for them as they were committing their lives to each other.

Thankfully, Andrea has a blog and kept all of her readers updated with wedding details. She included a picture of her cake design (which was beautiful!) and described some special touches that they added such as "signature cocktails" - yum! So while we couldn't be there, her blog (and Deb's photos!) made us feel as though we were present. From the many photos we viewed, it was so apparent that their special day was wonderful. The weather looked gorgeous, the reception hall was exquisite and the bride and groom were simply stunning. In fact, Andrea looked so beautiful that some of her bridal photos are displayed on "Southern Weddings'" blog!

So at this time I'd like to extend a belated "cheers" to the bride and groom. May your days, weeks and years ahead be filled with much love, laughter and joy. Congratulations and long may you love!

Kate wore PINK to honor you, Andrea!

1 Month Old!

It's simply unbelievable that Kate is already 1 month old! As much as I thought time flew by before, its amazing how much quicker it goes by with a little one in the mix.

Things are still going very well. Mom and Kate actually had a pediatricians appointment the other day and we were thrilled to hear that Kate had gained almost a full pound since her last visit, which now puts her at 7 lbs. 15 ounces. Also, while her bilirubin number could be lower, it continues to drop from 9.1 a couple weeks ago to now 8.4. Our pediatrician again reassured us that this is completely normal and it sometimes takes a couple months for the "yellow" to go away completely. As long as her "plumbing" is working (which trust me....it is!) everything is A-Ok!

The last couple weeks, we've been fortunate to have family continue to visit. Auntie Dre and Uncle Ryan came here for the extended Memorial Day weekend and Uncle Greg (Burch) was with us last Tuesday through Thursday. It was wonderful to see you all and thanks so much for everything!

Other than that, we're having quite a bit of luck with Kate's new sleep schedule and with how were handling the evenings. Every night she seems to fall asleep a little quicker and sleeps a shade longer. She's happy and Mom & Dad are certainly happy. Until next time, take care everyone!

"Say whaaaaat?"

Dad....Master Swaddle'er

"Whaaat? No more Red Wings games until OCTOBER?!?!"