THE HOUSE GREAT DEBATE!!

Okay it is time to catch you all up on the home front, literally. Yes, this is not a post about Drew can you believe it. For those of you who don't know we have a house in Caldwell, ID. This house has been on the market since September 2007 and you guessed it...STILL IS. So, we put it up for rent in January of this year and finally after much prayer it rented this week. We are so thankful because it was getting really stressful trying to figure out whether to move back to Idaho ASAP due to finances.

For those of you who don't know we have been praying very hard about whether to move back to Idaho as it doesn't look like our house will sell in the next 3-5 years as a result of the market, so that means we will continue to pay rent in Missouri and a house payment in Idaho, talk about tight. We decided to just surrend it to God and see what he has for us and wouldn't you know it this past week on Wednesday or Thursday we received a call that we finally have renters (talk about timing). This was awesome news since we have had very few inquiries and the ones we did have fell through. So, we are trusting in God's plan no matter what it may be. Even though these renters are not paying the full mortgage (we had to lower it to even get it rented) it is something and something is good!! We are still remaining open...David has applied for jobs in the Idaho area, so you never know.

Thanks for your prayers with this situation! Isn't God good!!

Time Flies...

I am just sitting here reflecting on the past 6 months, and I'm in awe of how fast the time went! Drew had his six month doctor's appointment today and as usual he flirted with every lady possible especially the front desk lady... It was quite cute!! Now for the stats: He is 18lbs 14oz & 27 1/4" long both of which are in the 75 percentile. His head size was 17" which is in the 25 percentile. You will notice the weight is down a little...God is answering my prayer, Drew is almost 100% off formula. In the past week he has only had 5 bottles equaling 15 oz. He would normally drink more than that in a day. I am confident that we will be completely done with it soon. Today was the first day in three days he had any. Back to the appointment: the funniest part about the appointment was right when they were getting ready to do the shots he got up on his elbows and looked at both nurses with a worried face, which was red from using his tummy muscles. It was the talk of the office!

Now to the fun stuff, I am listing what has happened in the last 6 months of his life:

Drew has learned & done (no particular order):
-Smile
-Play Peek-a-Boo
-Laugh
-Reach & Grab
-Raspberries
-Using Bumbo
-Goober (aka slobber)
-2 Flights (Seattle-St. Louis, St. Louis- Palm Springs)
-Sleeping through night (started about 3 months)

Just since 4 months:
-Clap
-Sit Up
-Roll Over
-Jump
-Eat Solids (rice cereal, avocado, banana, carrots, sweet potatoes, prunes, peas, pears)
-Reach for us
-Copy Us (with squeal, clap, bang toys together, sounds)
-Starting to Wave
-Gab
-Sippy Cup (He knew right where it went, still learning the sucking process though)
-Napping
-First swim
-Bashful moments (sometimes when someone reaches for him)
-Sitting in High Chair & Shopping Cart
-Swing
-First Cough & Congestion
-Flight (St. Louis- Boise)
-Holding Bottle on own
-Discovered Hands, Feet, Toes, Tongue

Whew, I think that is most of it, I'm sure there is something I'm forgetting. I am just a proud Mama!! Enjoy the pic below, this is what Drew's face looked like when he got the shots. Although this time he was all smiles once I picked him up.

The "SIX" Month Buzz!!

Drew hit the big 6 months yesterday, can you believe it? He has his doctor's appointment tomorrow, so we will have some stats then...this time we are giving him Tylenol before we go as he will be getting yucky shots again.

We just got back from Iowa Monday night from a visit with my family. Whew, that is the last trip for May...just to give you a run down here is how the month has gone: Erin, ,my sister-in-law, visited, then off to Idaho for 1 1/2 weeks, back for one day then down to Carbondale, IL, finally home for a couple days before we headed off to Iowa for Memorial Day weekend. I am exhausted writing about it. We don't have anything else on the calendar except for the arrival of my friend Leslie's little gal, Katelyn, which I am on-call for. I just can't wait to share the birth experience with Leslie and watch her joy as she meets her little girl. She has waited a long time to be a Mom, so this moment is extra special. She is not due until June 20th, but you never know.

Okay I know I just gave you all an update on the last email, but Drew is just learning like wildfire. Although he can not pull himself up to sit, once you help him into the sitting position he can stay there for long periods of time, especially if toys are involved.

Sitting Up on Bed

I am finding Drew is alot like his daddy because he just studies everything. I mean it is pretty extreme, you can see him just concentrate with his forehead wrinkled in great thought trying to figure out how something works. It is so funny! The other day I caught him studying the car seat straps. He would just tug, stare, then put in his mouth. This is just one of many examples... I prayed he would get his daddy's brain and he got it! He is eating like a little piglet we added prunes & carrots this week. One of his new things is when he is sitting and I am behind him, just in case he falls, he falls back onto my legs throws his head back and grins at me. It is the cutest thing ever. He is definitely getting more snugly which I LOVE. Today he decided he was interested in his tongue. He is sticking it out, grabbing it, and using it to talk...I will try to get a video it is to funny not to share. Drew is still trying to figure out what his hands are...boy does he study them. A tooth is not to far off, as he is gnawing really hard on everything and has had a couple sleepless nights recently... we will see!!

Since he was turning 6 months, you guessed it, A PHOTO SHOOT! I took the below pictures over Memorial Day weekend at my Mom's since she has a beautiful yard, his attention span was really short so I didn't get all the pictures I was hoping to, which means we will just have a second session. My Grandma unexpectantly showed up for a visit, so the pics got pushed back a couple hours. It was okay because I enjoyed visiting with her, she is 89 tomorrow. I got her to take a pic with us as well..

I just couldn't keep up with the drool!

I just love this face...

This pic is funny because the only distraction of the day was the passing cars. Drew LOVES to watch cars!

Okay that is all for now as this blog is getting LONG... I will have more after his appointment, enjoy these first 6 month pics...more to come!

What's Up in Hagerhjelm Land!!

Let me update you on whats happening since I returned from Idaho.. Drew came home with a cough, which we thought was just due to the dry air in Idaho, but we were wrong. So, we took Drew to the doctor for the first time, outside of his regular appointments, since the cough was waking him up at night. The appointment went well, they said he just caught a little of the cold Robby & Ang had, but he had no infections. So, they told us to get a plug in Vick's thing to use at night in his room. Talk about potent, I think we are even cleaning out our neighbors' sinuses!! Now we just wait as they said he could have the cough for 7-10 days. Since using the Vick's thingy everything is definitely draining, he is now congested, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him. Oh by the way the most shocking news is Drew weighs...drum roll please.... 19lbs 7oz...can you believe it??????

Before our big trip Drew was napping well, however he decided to take a vacation from it. So, we had to bring the swing back out when we returned home and today (Thursday) he finally took 2 naps again. We are starting over... I am just glad he took naps today as he has been restless these last few nights, his little body needed the rest. I really think he is teething on top of everything else. I am just waiting for a tooth!

Drew's menu has grown since being in Idaho.. beside cereal and avocado he has added peas, banana, sweet potato, and today he tried a little pear. The jury is still out about the pears, but he loves peas and tolerates sweat potatoes. I will eventually be making all of his food, however as we are sampling new things every 4 days I just want to see what he is responding well to. So far no allergic reactions! I have carrots and prunes on deck!!

We went down to Carbondale, IL this past weekend, to throw a baby shower for Leslie whose little Katelyn is due June 20th. We had tons of fun and got to visit some special people.

Leslie & Phil: Parents-to-be

Nick- My Adopted Little Bro (Hey Girls he is Single, cute huh?)

Me with Grandma Rachel (she is one of my most favorite people in the whole world)

I love the 5 month stage, Drew seems to be learning so much. In Idaho he finally rolled over (back to front), but he has not done it since...boy he takes his sweet time. He definitely doesn't like to perform on command. He is also obsessed with his toes, every time they are in his sight he goes for them and in his mouth they go. His newest thing is using all he has to try and sit up. He is so close to getting there, right now he can sit up for periods of time before falling over.


I would have to say he is sooooo much like his daddy when it comes to figuring things out, he will just study it, for example his hands...he will be nursing then pull off to study how his hand moves back and forth with such a serious face. Then back to nursing he will go.





He is just growing up to fast. I love watching his personality develop! He has become such a laid back happy boy. There is nothing that melts my heart more than his smile! That is all the updates you get for now...are you still awake?! Until next time!!

Idaho Adventure Final Installment- Just Plain Fun!!

This is the last post from my Idaho trip, as I have other updates...but you will have to wait for those. These pics are just plain fun!

ANDREW FUN!!

On Mother's Day (As you can see I did not dress up for the pic)

This is Drew's reaction to Rob trying to feed him for the first time. Just Plain Cute
Riding the Horse (we were looking at a big model home and this was a decoration in the kids room, we thought that looks fun & a perfect Kodak moment. I almost died when Drew decided to spit up all over in the horse's mane while I was laughing uncontrollably. Needless to say we quickly exited the model, but not before we scored some oh so cute pictures).

Drew LOVES Remotes

First Slide experience, I am still not sure what he thought of it, like his daddy he is probably still figuring it out! I am not sure where the haziness came from, maybe he is just touched by an angel...ahhhh!

ROBBY FUN!!

Robby with Grammie Karen & Auntie Ness

Robby's Hand is caught in the "Cracker" Jar!!

Bundled Up- Seahawks fan! Doesn't he look tough?!

Not Sure, Just Cute!!

Adorable, what a Model!!

Horse Play!

More posts to come!!!

Idaho Adventure Part III- Friends for Life

Here is the third installment of my Idaho trip. It is so hard to narrow down the pictures I wanted to use because there are just so good ones. Below are some cute pics of Drew & Robby, plus more. Rob's sister and brother came in Mother's Day weekend to surprise their Mom, which was tons of fun! Drew fell in love with Ness right away! He was not sure about Rob at first, but he warmed up to him really quick and they became fast friends. Enjoy!!

Robby & Drew on the Counter (I can't say what they were looking at, but these faces are priceless)

Below is our attempt at pics together, poor Robby was feeling miserable, but he put up with us snapping away!

Drew & Rob (one of their first meetings)

Ness & Drew

Idaho Adventure Part II- Swimming

I just have so much I want to share, so yes this is the second post today. My favorite part about our visit to Idaho was Drew's introduction to swimming. They have a very nice Rec Center, which keeps their pool at a warmer temperature. Robby loves swimming, so I could only hope Drew would too, especially since he loves bath time...the verdict is YES HE LOVED IT! He immediately started kicking his feet and splashing his hands. When I sat him on the side of the pool he scooted right back in to me. I think we have a natural!!

We had the opportunity to go twice once with the Holden Fam and the second time on Mother's Day with Daddy since he came in for the weekend. Ignore the red-eye I have not fixed the pics yet.. Enjoy these fun pictures and videos.

Swimming with Mom Video

Swimming with Dad Video

Stay tuned more to come!!

Idaho Adventure Part I- BEST BUDS!!

I'm back at my computer and ready to post post post. Drew and I returned from Idaho last Thursday after spending time with my friend Angela, her husband Robert, and their cutie pie Robby. We had so much fun! One of the first things we did was put the boys in the tub together, how fun! Robby was such a big helper, he shared his toys and saw that we were rinsing Drew by filling a cup with water and pouring it over him, so he followed suit.

Next up... most of you know Drew loves to jump, so Angela left out Robby's jumperoo so he could use it while we were there. It was so cute because as Drew was playing in it, Robby would help by pushing the piano keys so music would play (as he danced) and shake the sides I think to help Drew jump. How cute huh?!

Stay tuned for more about my Idaho trip!!

Busy Beavers!! First Stop Blair Visit!!

Okay I know I've had a posting drought, but our lives have been so busy and it is not slowing down any time this month. My friend Leslie's baby is due the middle of June, so I am trying to fit everything in, so my calendar is clear for that whole month. I don't want to miss the birth of precious little Katelyn. Anyhow, I will be posting lots to catch you up on just the first part of May... First, David's sister, Erin, and two of her kiddos (Maddy-2 1/2 & Alex-5) came up for a visit, from Oklahoma. We all squeezed into our little 800 sq ft apartment, which was tight but OH so fun! We loved having them!! We went to the park, zoo, Galleria Mall, and so much more. We also got to meet up with Erin's friend, Melissa, and two of her kiddos for our trip to the zoo and the mall where we all enjoyed lunch at no other than the Cheesecake factory!! Below are some pics from the first week in May when they were here!

At the St. Louis Zoo

Alex Reading the Map (this was after he was briefly stopped in his tracks watching the train go by. I don't know anyone who loves trains more than him).

Auntie Erin & Drew

My Favorite Picture of Drew from the Park

Cousin Maddy (I just couldn't resist this pic)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

What a joy it is to be a Mom! I was just thinking earlier today, WOW this is the first year that I get to hear HAPPY MOTHER's DAY and it means me, too. There were so many years when I was somewhere and mothers were recognized and I would just think... when is that going to be my moment?! So, needless to say it is FINALLY my day and it feels GREAT! There is nothing else in the world I would rather be doing than wake up and see this little guy's face smiling back at me. So, below is what the card said I got from my handsome young man...

"Oh How I Love My Mommy!"

There's no one like my mommy for bringing happy smiles...

For stopping what she's doing to rock me for a while.

There's no one like my mommy for singing lullabies...

For hurrying to hold me when she hears my little cries.

There's no one like my mommy for taking me on walks...

And for being a good listener in our "mommy-baby talks"!

There's no one like my mommy to hug a snuggle me!

And though I'm small, my love for her is as big as it can be!