Grandma Mary & Boppa's Trip to Omaha

Thanks to retirement - Jon's parent's, Paul & Mary were able to make the trip to Omaha to meet their newest grandchild & help with the transition to the family of 5! Here are a few of the pics that capture some of the moments.



Some of the jobs/duties they performed:



Helped entertain Andrew and Avery.


Mom did laundry - constantly. I threw something in the hamper and it was washed, dried, folded, and in my drawer within 20 minutes it seemed.




Dad got my cars oil changed, washed, and vacuumed.





Mom helped with bath & story time before bed each night.






Dad brought a web cam as a gift which has allowed us to video call Grandma & Boppa, the Paschall's, and/or the Salter's! Yeah!

As always, it is always entertaining when mom & dad visit! It ended with a visit from the AAA Tow Truck! The van key was used in the Grand Am causing the ignition to lock in the 'OFF' position. We had it towed to the dealership to get it fixed! The tow truck driver had to be surprised by the attention and excitement he brought to the Swanson home. Once the car was taken away, Grandma & Boppa 'got on the road again' headed back to Portland! It was a later start for them than planned, but allowed us to say farewell with a smile on all of our faces!


We all loved having Grandma Mary & Boppa stay with us and look forward to their return trip in September!

A few pictures...

1. Alex - our prized new addition!

2. Alex's FAVORITE position - sacked out with mommy!

3. Andrew & Avery - Big brother and big sister waiting to show him the ropes on the playground and everywhere else.

4. The Swanson's of Omaha - Now a family of 5!

What a first week for Alex...

What all happened in Alex's first week out of the womb...here are just a few things in no particular order:


1. Andrew's birthday party (Alex didn't attend as he & mom were still in the hospital)

2. Met and spent time with all 4 grandparents...Jill's folks Barb and Jim live in the area & Jon's folks Paul & Mary were in town from Portland, OR for the week.

3. Met Great-Grandma Kathleen...spent a lot of time with her on Saturday as everyone else worked around the house and helped 'beautify' the backyard. (see picture)

4. First house showing - 15 minutes after getting home from the hospital we were informed that we were showing our home to a prospective buyer and needed to clean up. We got out and went to the Lake House.

5. Went for his first boat ride on Poppa Jim's boat.

6. Experienced his first midwestern 'summer storm' - and it was a doozy! 60% of Omaha lost power and suffered a huge amount of wind/tree damage.

7. Avery's 'pre-birthday party' with Grandma Mary & Boppa since they will not be in town in July. We went to McDonald's and had Kung-Fu Panda cupcakes.

8. Alex has slept approx. 4 hours straight at night - not bad for the first week. He had a check-up today and so far all is well. He currently weighs 8lb 13oz.

Just a few things to note...thought you might like to be aware of. A great first week...cannot wait to see what the next few weeks bring!

And his name is...

After a night of deliberation...the newest addition to the family is:

ALEXANDER JAMES SWANSON

We had narrowed it down to Carter, Hayden, Brady, & Alexander...after spending some time with him outside of the womb, Alex seemed to fit him well. Alexander translated into 'Defender of Mankind' in one baby name book...but I think we hope it also means 'Defender of Himself from his brother and sister'!

For those keeping score that makes the Swanson's of Omaha: Jon, Jill, Andrew, Avery, and Alex. The A's weren't intentional, but it is what it is. The kids came in early this morning and are excited as one can imagine. Grandma & Poppa Jim have/will keep the kids at the Lakehouse until we head home from the hospital on Monday.

Andrew has a birthday party today with 7 5-year-olds...we are going to go miniature golfing! Nothing like having a party w/ 7 5-year-olds on 4 hours sleep on a pull out couch with 5 feathers in a pillowcase for a pillow to make for an interesting experience!

All for now, until next time...

IT"S A BOY!

Baby Boy Swanson (we haven't quite decided on a name yet)
Born: June 21, 2008
Time: 11:33pm CST
Length: 21 inches
Weight: 9.14 lbs (To quote Choukalas...Yes indeed, he was a 'big un'
Location: Lakeside Hospital - Omaha, Nebraska

Both mom baby are quite content and sleeping at the moment.

Mom and baby are doing well. Jill started getting some real contractions around 6pm. Went to the hospital at 10...a lot of people were amazed at the speed at which she delivered! Doctor made it in time, barely...didn't have time to gown up completely...Jill didn't have any pain meds for any of the 3 kids. I am not kidding, she could have been a pioneer woman! Little man has already spit up on and peed on a nurse - he might be ready for Andrew & Avery yet. That is it for now, enjoy some of the pics...as you can imagine, many more to follow!

Summer Thoughts

I finished school the Tuesday after Memorial Day but haven't yet made much progress on my 'summer projects' that I want to accomplish before school starts up again in August. Here are a few highlights of life so far this summer:

1. DADDY DAYCARE - I am now catching up on some of the fun I miss out on during the school year. Andrew & Avery definitely keep things interesting. It is such an odd dichotomy that the 5 year-old and 3 year-old sibling 'thing' is...at times they really cannot stand each other, yet at those same times CAN NOT LEAVE EACH OTHER ALONE! Literally they are so annoyed by one another, yet when I try to get them to go into different rooms...they are like HUMAN MAGNETS! Go figure. We have made some trips to the library, the store, swimming lessons for Andrew at the local YMCA, and T-Ball for Andrew. The T Ball has proven to be quite entertaining in a 'cat herding' sense...one game had a hot air balloon happen to fly over head...OH THE HUMANITY!

2. I have begun my Master's of Historical Studies program at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was a 5 day course entitled History Alive! Overall it was a positive experience that made me think about my teaching style/presentation and how to better 'reach' ALL of my students relating to the '7 Intelligences' (verbal/linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, visual/spatial, kinetic, etc.) I will be taking another class in July that focuses on Nebraska History (apparently involving several field trips - I have heard good things about this class)

3. Time at the Lakehouse - Jill's parents purchased a 'lake home' that is located about 15-20 minutes southwest of us that is FANTASTIC! They still live in Schaller (farm house) but make it down most weekends. It has given us an escape to go swimming, boating, and jet skiing. The only problem is that at the age of 33, I am already ready to retire and live the lifestyle!

4. Preparation for Baby Swanson...we have most things ready to roll...now we just have to keep Andrew & Avery out of the baby stuff! Now I know why baby toys tend to say 18 months AND UP...it's because 3 - 5 year-olds find the things almost more interested than the baby!

That is it for now, just wanted to send you an update as to what has been going on recently - hope all finds you well!

Until next time...

Prognostication Posts...in order of postings

Here they come:

1. Jill - June 25 / boy / 8lb 4 oz

2. Chris Choukalas - June 28 / boy / 8lb 8 oz
"dude, it's totally going to be the 28th, another dude (look at how she's carrying!), and a big'un... 8lb 8oz..."

3. Grandma Mary - June 22 / girl / 7lb 10 oz

4. Boppa Paul - June 27 / boy / 7 lb 7 oz
"Friday, June 27th... Boy... 7lbs..7oz. (Please note...7..7..and 7 of 27...at 7 AM or 7PM. 7 is number for wholeness, completeness,and perfection in Scriptural notations. Don't think you want to wait to 7/7/07+1 at 7AM or 7PM)"

5. Dr. Marge Bisenius - June 26 / boy / 8lb 2 oz

6. Chris Cagle - June 30 / girl / 7lb 13 oz

7. Karlynn - June 23 / boy / 8lb 3 oz
Auntie Kiki: "June 23rd, 8lb 3 oz, boy, 6:00 a.m. (an early riser unlike daddy)
What better birthday gift for Andrew than a baby brother."

8. Scott - June 29 / boy / 8lb 6 oz
"I'm guessing a boy 8 lbs. 6 oz. on June 29th. Or at least you should hope for another masculine child considering the b-day gift we got for Andrew this year"

9. Grandma Barb - June 25 / boy / 8lb 8 oz

10. Poppa Jim - June 23 / girl / 7lb 11 oz

11. Baby Daddy (JON) - June 26 / boy / 8lb 2 oz

12. Kristen - June 26 / boy / 8lb 1 oz
"I think it's a boy. I think it will be born on June 26th at 9:45 a.m. He will look more like Avery...be a blond eventually and will be 8lb. 1 oz."

13. Matt - June 24 / girl / 7lb 11 oz
"Matt says girl...7 lb. 11oz..'7-11, get it?'
Born June 24th."

Baby Swanson Pick 'em Pool

Okay gang, now is the time to see how good your prognostication skills are...give the date, weight, and sex of the baby. This is your last chance and since not everyone has access to the comment section, so you can also email your answers to jswanson0812@cox.net and I will post those on the blogsite for all to see. The only info we have is that the due date is June 27th...that is it. As for some background - Andrew came a couple days early and Avery was a week or so late. Good luck and we'll see who comes closest!

Pregnancy Update

Hello all...sorry for the long absence. Summer Break is here and it is fantastic! I will keep the write-up short, but get some pictures on the blog!

1. Avery & Dad on the jetski at the Lakehouse.

2. Andrew at Immanuel's Pre-School (Day-Care) Graduation.

3. Mommy with baby #3. Gorgeous as always!

4. Andrew & Avery helping to make cookies/dessert! Needless to say, we had fun cleaning up after the 'fun with flour'.

5. Avery, Andrew, and Daddy hangin' out in the lake!