Four Weeks

Wow, time really boogies on by. Our little kumquat continues to grow and explore his environment. What did we take pictures of before this little one came along? (I did make a great peach pie, but I felt that pics of Tobias were more blog worthy this time.)

Oh, What a Busy Day!

Saturday was a blast! It began with a slow morning (very appreciated)! Next, we had a visit from very good friends on their mini vacation - as you can tell by the Hawaiian shirt :)

After a late lunch, we headed out to the St. Croix to celebrate a couple of summer birthdays. The weather was perfect. Tobias even experienced his first bonfire on the beach!

Sleeping Baby

He sure can sleep sometimes!
Who's more comfortable?

Parents are Grand

Thanks, Mom and Dad. Tobias is a lucky boy to have you as Grandparents! (I'm a lucky girl, too.)

Great Visit

My good friend, Becky, stopped by for a visit today. I am so happy we had a chance to catch up on the news in both our lives. Note to our co-workers: we are both looking forward to the next "musical night" :)

Two and a half weeks

Here we are, at 2 1/2 weeks. Tobias enjoys listening to Dad's voice and studying his face, especially when Dad sings Weezer songs.

Baptism Sunday

We had the honor in bringing Tobias before the Lord in baptism Sunday and were so fortunate to have family and friends join us for this special day! Tobias wore the same baptismal gown that John wore many years ago.

Grandma, mom and Tobias

Enjoying a picnic lunch

Grandma and Grandpa B. with all 8 grandkids

Second cousins: Tobias and Nathan

Mornings

Mornings are often the most relaxing time of day. After Tobias has fed, he likes to take a mid-morning nap, today it was on Grandma's lap. He also seems to like sucking his fingers for comfort.

Grandma and Sara enjoying the cool morning.

Relaxing with mom in the afternoon...

Getting sleepy in the evening....

I get by with a little help . . .

I'm enjoying a bit of sun and a cup of coffee on my deck this morning, trying to shade the computer screen with my head so I can see what I'm typing. Yes, it's a tough life . . .

Here are some pics of our outing Tues. afternoon with a picnic lunch stop along the way. (We were on our way to Hardware Hank - ah, seems like an appropriate first outing for the son and grandson of handy men.)

I am so grateful to my parents for staying with John, Tobias and me! They have done tons of work around the house and yard, and provided me with plenty of time to rest and enjoy these days at home. Plus, they have been so supportive and reassuring, so a 1st time mom like me can feel somewhat competent. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Picture time

Not that we are bias at all, but we just happen to think that Tobias is the cutest baby out there.

Aunt Andrea made this outfit for Tobias. We thought it was very fitting:


A new album with more pics can be found here.

Meeting a new friend

Tobias went to church today and met his new friend Quintin (who is older by two days!). We are confident these two will have lots of fun playing together.

Bath Time

Guess who had his first bath today (hint: its not John)?

"Not sure what I think about this..."
"I guess this isn't so bad"

Party Time

The Fourth of July is always a party. Normally we take in the holiday in Bismarck with Sara's family, grill and enjoy an outdoor meal and watch the fireworks from the park across from Grandma Julia's. This year we didn't think fireworks were the best idea, but we did have some fun as the A's came for a barbeque dinner visit.

We had a great spread of food. I grilled (burned) short ribs, and hamburgers. The ribs were still excellent though, which was nice because Angela (one of our friends) had dropped them off for us the night before. John and Bev did all the work getting the details ready, since I was busy fire-fighting with the meat. As you can see, it was quite a spread: burgers, ribs, two fruit salads, lettuce, tomato & onion, watermelon, chips, a few deserts (which hardly touched). Just what the Fourth is supposed to be. More pics are here

Timothy was showing off mom's new "Smile Shutter" on her camera:

Tobias had on his "Little Firecracker" outfit. Very appropriate for the occasion. Notice the rest of us have American Flags on our shirts....

Home Sweet Home

Tobias made it home from the hospital just fine. We arrived yesterday around noon. The hospital packed up a bag lunch for each of us, which we enjoyed. Grandma P video'd the arrival. We'll have to see how we can get that on here at some point (haven't messed with video on the blog yet).


Tobias didn't know what to think of his car seat. At first, he definitely didn't like it, but once we started moving on the highway he was quickly asleep. Here is what he looked like once we got him home:

You may have noticed his big feet. The nurses did when he was born. These puppies definitely come from daddy:

We have also been worried about how Cleo would take being demoted to second fiddle (those of you with kids that visit us know how much she loves little people). She has been doing quite well so far, in fact it looks like she may make a fine guard cat:

One more pic

And one more pic of the best-looking person in the room, looking at his precious mother:

First Visitors

Tobias had the opportunity to meet both sets of grandparents on Tuesday and Wednesday. They were all excited to meet him:



The Levang's stopped by to say "Hi". "T" seemed to like Tobias already. In fact, "T" brought a flag for his new friend:



Rachel also stopped by. Tobias is going to have a great support network:

Thanks everyone for stopping by and sending all the comments and emails. We appreciate the support.

The Birth-Time Winner

Congrats to Suzie for being the closest to the birth time: Suzie guessed 8:57PM and Tobias was officially here at 8:58PM (in the judges opinion, 8:59PM would have been 'overbidding'). Great guess Suzie - next time you come visit you get a ride in the 'multi-activity vehicle'!

And thanks to everyone else for participating.

Meet Tobias

Well, right now Tobias is sleeping in the bassinet in our room (which gives us the opportunity to enjoy a nice quiet breakfast together as well as create a blog post). His last 24 hours have been exciting as he entered this new world with lights & people and different noises. He definitely seems to know mom's voice and seems to be coming around to dad as well.

We are so blessed by this miracle and thank God for the healthy delivery. Thank you everyone, for all your prayers and thoughts!

Last night he had the opportunity to meet all his grandparents as well, how lucky!

Anywho, here are a few pictures of him.

Welcome to the world:

Hi Dad:
Sleeping:

Hi Mom:
Active little eyes:

Introducing:

Tobias Henry Berge
8:58 PM
7 lbs 1 oz 19 3/4"
Perfect
Mom is doing great.

Update 8

Well, Sara is starting to push. I think the next update will be important.

What happens when John gets to drive the computer

As we have been discussing names, I keep gravitating to "Optimus Danger Berge". Sara doesn't seem to like it very much.

If he looks like this, I think that we will go with my suggestion:

Update 7

Sara is now dilated to 8cm. Being this is our first time through this and all, I am not entirely sure how this affects the voting.

And in response to Michael's question, the cutoff time is when the baby is born.

Polling Time

All right, time for a guessing pool:

What time will the baby be born? Price is Right Rules apply: closest without going 'over' wins the pool.

Hint for those wanting to make an educated guess: Sara is dilated to 5 cm.

Update 6

We did purchase a chest freezer from Best Buy the other day (gotta store frozen baby milk eventually), and we found out it is now available for pick up. How exciting!


In other news, Sara is enjoying some well-deserved rest courtesy of the miracle of drugs. Doesn't she look great so far?

Update 5

Epidural time.... (or, as Adam likes to say: 'epirdermal' if you want some entertainment, check out his blog posts from the hospital last fall- much more interesting than my short blurbs).

Apparently the epidural makes a major difference in the pain levels during contractions. To quote Sara, in reference to a contraction as I was looking at the monitor: "I just had a contraction?".

Drugs are good.

Now lets hope that baby comes soon. We are most ready to meet him.

Update 4

Early labor is definitely here. Things are going a bit slowly at this point, but Sara is hoping to catch a quick nap right about now.

Update 3

Lunch time (for me at least) I had McDonalds for lunch. McChicken and fries. I think all Sara gets is Sprite until little 'Optimus' arrives.

Update 2

We are being induced for labor today. Sara is currently hooked up to an IV drip with Pitocin. The contractions are just beginning.
But she still looks cute (and perhaps a little nervous):

Update 1

Well, we are at the hospital. Yes, they have internet access.
Sara just got her wristband. No other major updates at this point. More info to follow.

Lost and Found

Silly me, I looked down and saw that I had picked up someone else's feet and ankles. If these belong to you, please let me know. I'll be happy to see mine again, not that I haven't had fun leaving thumb imprints on the top of the foot. :)