Just because...

Just because I don't feel like writing anything, but want to post something!





My handsome son, Zander!






And my beautiful niece, JaylynShe gets the nose scrunching from me. I usually scrunch my nose when I smile, not on purpose of course. On my wedding day my sister told my photographer to remind me not to scrunch my nose. SO, for almost every picture I got a little reminder, "Allie, don't scrunch your nose."

Ketchup Post-Friday, August 28, 2009

Friday, August 28, 2009 (Yesterday), I went to a P.A.L.S. class. Of course Zander did not sleep well and was up 3 to 4 times in the middle of the night. I'm not sure why. Maybe he is teething or he is still a little sick. Anyways, I woke up fairly early, around 7:45 a.m., and Brian drove me to my class. Since I work in the Emergency Room I have to have certain certifications. I already have these certifications: CPR, ACLS, and TNCC. All I have to get is my PALS and my radio nursing certification (not sure the abbreviation for that). P.A.L.S. stands for Pediatric Advanced Life Support. I have to say this was the first class I have gone to where I haven't wanted to fall asleep or have fallen asleep in. The guy who taught the class was sooooo interesting. Then McDreamy, Zander, and I all went to my in-laws house to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday. Zander has a cousin that is almost 3 months older than him, and Zander thought she was the funniest thing. We were sitting at the table finishing up dinner. Zander was sitting on my lap and Jaylyn was sitting next to him in the high chair. Zander kept laughing at her. She wasn't doing anything, but he kept giggling at her. It was hilarious.

Zander was so exhausted from all the fun that he fell asleep in his Grandpa's arms

Ketchup post-Thursday, August 27, 2009

So, unfortunately I have not had much time to post. I have been busy working. And if I have not been working I have been spending every minute I can with my son and my husband. So I decided to write one post each for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday while Zander is sleeping and my husband is watching NASCAR. I only had a class on Friday, otherwise I was off work. Tomorrow I start another round of work days. Thursday, August 27, 2009 I decided to take Zander to get his pictures taken at Picture People. I joined the Potrait Club they have and we have only gone once to get his pictures taken. He was 1 week old at that time. We had his 3 month pictures done my someone else. Brian dropped us off at Picture People in the mall, and he went job hunting. We had fun with our small photo session. I didn't have her take a lot of pictures because I am having his 6 months pictures done in September. Zander wore a cute lion outfit and we brought along a stuffed lion that Zander got from his Auntie Aubrey when he was dedicated to the Lord. Here are the ones we ordered (when I figure out how to scan them into my computer). We will probably order a few more later. The rest of the day we just relaxed. We were supposed to have our first small group bible study. We lead the bible study from our house, but we took a break for the summer. Some of the group got sick and could not come, and the rest decided not to show up. My little sister decided to come for the first time and it was just me, McDreamy, and her. I hope she comes next week.

No time

I don't have much time to post. Unfortunately I have been too busy working. I have so much I want to write, but those posts will have to be for another day. Instead I am posting a couple of pictures of, you guessed it, Zander. I just love him so much. And I miss him so much when I am at work. As much as I love my job, I really want to be a stay at home mom. Or work only 2 days a week. Right now I will take working 3 days a week, like I am supposed to be doing. Today will be my 8th day in a row of working. Then I am off for 1 day and then I have to take a 9 hour class for work. Okay, I already wrote too much. These pictures are old, but cute. In the first one Zander is only 5 days old, it was taken on my husband's birthday. And in the second picture he is 13 days old.

He looks like he was a pudgy baby, but he really wasn't that big, just long. It is just the way I had him posed in this picture.

Five Months Already!

Zander is 5 months old today. I can't believe it. These past 5 months have been filled with happy times. I love watching my son grow and learn new things, even though I would rather have him stay small forever. These are some of the thing Zander is doing now that he is 5 months old:

• He rolls over all the time.
• He loves to be in a standing position.
• He smiles and laughs all the time. He is a very happy baby.
• He is starting to enjoy his exersaucer more and more.
• He plays in his jumper that goes in between the door and seems to enjoy it.
• He is now grabbing at toys while under his play mat.
• He kick the ball by himself while laying under his play mat.
• He loves laying under the play mat and playing the toys that are above him.
• He also loves to grab your hair now.
  
• He is in size 2 diapers
• He is 15 lbs. 8.5 oz. and is 27.5 in. long.
• He grew 2.5 in. in 1 month and 1 week.
• He is now taking only 6 oz. of formula for each feeding, starting this past week. For a long time he was taking 8 oz. of formula for each feeding.
• He has sat up on his own with no support for about 10 to 20 seconds.
• He still loves to chew on his hands. He likes to put 3 fingers in his mouth at once.
• He recognized my voice and stops being fussy if he hears my voice over the phone while I am at work.
• He loves his daddy.
• He enjoys swimming and has been swimming 4 times already.

Mommy and Zander time

While I was at work, Zander was busy with his daddy. On Thursday, August 20th, Zander rolled over onto his tummy while taking a nap. This is the first time he has done that, and he stayed on his belly for the rest of his nap. He has not done that again. I'm glad he hasn't because it makes me nervous when he sleeps on his belly. I would rather have him on his back. McDreamy only got pictures on his cell phone. He should know by now that I love pictures and I need much more than that. Oh well, next time. Today I don't have to work until 3 p.m., and I only work for 4 hours. So, its mommy and Zander time. We will definitely enjoy our time together.

Missing My Baby Boy

I have to pick up extra shifts at work so we can make ends meet. But that means I will miss this cute little face.

And this face.
And this one too!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Sick

Zander is sick for the first time today. I think it started last night. Last night I tried putting him to bed at 7:11 p.m. He cried until 7:35 p.m. and then I could not take it anymore, so at that time I went into his room and held him and consoled him for a while. I tried putting him down again, and I went back downstairs. He then cried until 7:50 p.m. I then went back upstairs and brought him downstairs with me. I rocked him on the glider. He fell asleep on me, and I brought him up to his crib at 8:11 p.m. He then fell asleep. At around 11:30 p.m. he woke up. McDreamy tried to comfort him and get him to go back to sleep for about 45 minutes. He finally just fed him. He usually doesn't have night feedings. He usually eats around 6:30 or 7 p.m. and then does not eat until between 5:30 or 6:30 a.m the next morning. Anyways, after his 11:30 p.m. feeding, he went back to bed. He was then up at 3:30 a.m. and we fed him, then he was up at 7:30 a.m. to be fed again. Man were we exhausted. I was going to meet a friend for lunch, but decided against it because I was too exhausted. Good thing I cancelled, because he was sick all day. He took 4 naps today. Usually he only takes 2 naps, sometimes 3. He has never taken 4 naps. Then when he was up, he was fussy. He was sneezing and coughing today. My poor little Zander man. I hope he feels better tomorrow. On another note, we took out a couple new toys we had for Zander. We have a jumper that hangs on the doorway that we tried out today. He seemed to enjoy it at times. The other times I think he just wasn't feeling well. Then McDreamy put together his exersaucer. Zander did not try it out yet, because he was asleep for the night before it was all put together. But it is really cute and has a lot of toys for him to play with on the top of the exersaucer. I think he will love it. Here are some cute pictures of my boy on a day he was feeling better.

Hugs, Hugs, and More Hugs

Yesterday Zander and I visited my cousin Melissa and her 2 kids, Joseph and Madeline. Joseph is 3 years old and Madeline is 14 months old. Madeline is in love with Zander. She hugged him about 20 or more times, and she kissed him a bunch too. After a while Zander was getting a little fussy about all the hugs. It was so cute!!!

Okay mom, a little help!
Helllllllppppp! Put down the camera and help me.
Okay, maybe if I bite her she'll stop hugging me. Oh, I don't have any teeth. Maybe I can just gum her and she will back off!

Letter to my son

Dear Zander,

You are only 4 1/2 months old, but I hope one day when you are older, you will read this letter. I love you very much, more than I can articulate. I have so many dreams and wishes for you and for your future. But the one thing I wish and pray the most for you is that you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Zander, I want you to know the best decision I ever made in my life was to ask Jesus into my heart and life and have a relationship with him. And I want that for you. Your dad and I pray for you every night. We pray for your health, your wealth, and your happiness. (Okay, not the wealth part, we don't pray for that, even though it would be nice.) But every night we pray that you would one day come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. I asked Jesus into my heart at a very young age. I was only 4 or 5 years old. And never once have I regretted that decision. Life is hard. And even if you are a Christian, it is still hard. But I cannot imagine what life would be like if I did not have Christ in my life.
Zander, I hug and kiss you every day. You are a gift from God. God has blessed your daddy and I so much. God has just lent you to us. I cherish every minute of every day that I am with you. Even when I have to go to work, I want to be at home with you. When I am at work I talk to you on the phone. And at 4 1/2 months old you know your mommy's voice. You smile when I talk to you on the phone. Daddy puts me on speaker and he puts the phone close to your ear, and even if you are fussy, you calm down when you hear your mommy's voice. I love you Zander and I always will.
I think about the first time you will crawl, walk, and then run. I think about the first day you will go to school. I think about birthdays, graduations, colleges, and one day your wedding. I don't care what career you choose. I don't care if you love baseball or hate it. I don't care if you decide to be a NASCAR driver like your daddy wants you to be. What I care about is that you become a Christian and you love the Lord. Zander, I want God to be most important in your life. Because that is what matters in life. Don't get me wrong, I care about those other things, but they don't matter as much as having God in your life does. I want you to be happy. So, if you want to be a race car driver one day, I will support that. I may worry and pray a lot about you so you won't get hurt, but I will support and encourage that, if that is what you want. I want you to choose a career that makes you happy, and not to base it on what anyone else wants for you. I know I am thinking about your life a long time from now, but I do want you to love God and to know that He loves you very much. He loves you more than I can ever love you. He loved you so much that He sent his son to die for you, and for all of the world. I hope one day, you will love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul. I have 2 favorite verses I want to share with you and they are Jeremiah 29:11 and Philippians 4:13. These verses have been my life verses. These two verses have gotten me through a lot of hard times. Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You see Zander, God has plans for you. He knows all those plans already. We don't, but He does. He has plans to give you hope and a future. And so I put my precious little boy, Zander, in God's hands. I can trust Him. He loves you and I know He will take good care of you. My second favorite verse (well it is tied for first) is Philippians 4:13. Philippians 4:13 says, I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. God is the one who gives you strength. You can accomplish anything you want to in life because God will give you the strength to do it. You just have to go to Him. You need to pray to Him, read the bible, and have a relationship with Him. Just like you will have a relationship with your many friends (and I hope you have a lot). God loves you and He wants you to come to Him. I can't wait until that day when you ask God into your heart. And God can't wait either. He loves and longs to have a relationship with us. So, I know this is way over your adorable 4 1/2 month old head, but I hope one day you will appreciate it.
Now, I know your mommy can be long winded at times, but I want to talk to you about one more thing. I want to talk about family. My family means so much to me and is so important to me. I hope and pray that our family will mean a lot to you as you grow up. I love all my brothers and sisters and my mom and dad very much. They have helped shape me into the person I am today. And I am so glad God put me in the Wiersema family. I also love all of my extended family. I love my cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts, nieces, nephews, grandmas, and grandpas. God had blessed me with such a great family. Our family is just starting out. You are our first born. But as our family gets bigger I hope you will come to love your siblings, your aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and cousins. You already do love your grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins. And they love you very much. Zander, I hope you will always realize the importance of family and never take them for granted. For now, I will end this letter. I am sure I will write more letters to you. I want you to know that I love you very much. More than you may know. But, God, He loves you way more than I do. Zander, I am so glad your mine. And in the words of your Auntie Abby, I love your guts. I love you, my precious boy. I love you my baby doll (as I call you sometimes, even though daddy is not too fond of it).

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be

I hope you never forget how much I love you and how much God loves you!

Love,
Mommy

Zander praying

How many fingers

How many fingers can I fit in my mouth?Apparently only 3 for now, but they sure do taste yummy.

Favorite pictures of me and my husband

I love photography, if you couldn't tell already. And I have been taking pictures for as long as I can remember. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of McDreamy and I.

85th Percentile

Today Zander had his 4 month doctor visit at 4 1/2 months old. He weighs 15 lbs. 8.5 oz. , and he is in the 50th percentile for weight. He is 27.5 inches long and is in the 85th percentile for height. He is in the 50th percentile for head circumference. He got 2 shots this time, and he got different band aids this time. He got flag band aids. They are really cute. He also got the oral rotovirus vaccine. He was smiling and laughing while the doctor was examining him. He is a healthy boy. And a growing boy. He grew 2 1/2 inches since our last doctor's appointment which was 1 month and 1 week ago, and he gained almost 2 lbs. since then. Our doctor told us not to buy a lot of clothes for him since he is growing so fast. That may be hard for me, but I will try. After his appointment, we went out to eat with my parents, my older sister, and my aunt and uncle who are in from Florida. Earlier today we were at my older sister's apartment to help her pack. She will be moving in 2 weeks. Zander and I helped her pack yesterday too. We got Zander's suit today in the mail for my sister's wedding. We just ordered it on Wednesday, and I just posted about it earlier today, how funny. We didn't try it on him yet. We didn't have time today. But maybe if I have time tomorrow I can try it on him. But I'm really busy tomorrow too, maybe Monday. I can't believe this is my fourth post of the day, and I have been gone most of the day. But I guess that is what you get when you are up at 5 a.m. Here are a couple pictures of Zander on his 4 month birthday. I had not started blogging yet, so I thought I would put them here since he just had his 4 month well baby check up. In just 10 days he will be five months. He is growing up way too fast. But, I am enjoying every minute of it.

Speak, See, Hear

Speak No Evil
See No Evil

Hear No Evil

Speak no evil, See no evil, Hear no evil

Suits and Costumes

I found the cutest suit for Zander for my sister's wedding.

And I also think I found the costume I want Zander to wear for Halloweeen. Here it is. I also liked this one. But I think I am going to go with the lion costume. McDreamy and I both like that one the best. Now all I have to do is find shoes for Zander's suit.

My favorite pictures of my nieces and nephew

My niece, Alyssa, who is 4 years old in this picture and she is 8 years old now.

My niece Julia, at 3 years old. She is now 6 years old.

Tyler, my nephew, 4 days before his second birthday. He is now 5 years old.

This photo is a little blurry, but I love his face in this one.

My niece Madeline, 4 years old, this past Christmas!

Madeline when she had just turned 2 years old.

My youngest niece Jaylyn. In these picture she is just 17 days old. She is now 6 1/2 months old.