A Few More Photos

Little Buddies

Jeffrey and Allie Arrive!

Kjell has a new buddy---well at least now they have met in person. Jeffrey Kato-Dilks came to visit. Although you can't tell from this picture, they really were taken with one another. They smiled at one another, held hands, and shared slobber and toys. It was great to see Jeffrey again because Jamie and I haven't seen him since he was two weeks old. He has changed quite a bit since then. He now moves gracefully and practiced his new tricks at our house. He crawls and pulls up to a standing position. We got a quick preview of what we need to do to baby ready the house.

Naps Two Days in Row? Dr. Visit and More Shots

So, we are (knock on wood) going on two days with actual long naps. Weird. Great. We'll see what happens next.

Dr. Spell said that we haven't yet spoiled Kjell or ruined his sleep habits---yet being the key word. These doctors, they don't mind making poor, sweet baby boys cry. Mom is a little softer souled. Dad is on the fence only because mom is softer souled. He's a smart man.

Really though, sweating profusely and flailing arms and limbs are actually good for a little boy? OkayDr. Spell, I'll give you a week to see if we can tame this "temperament issue." Probably the good doctor is right, and it will be only Mom crying and flailing when all is said and done. Dad got nervous when doctor spell mentioned that Kjell's propensity to want to be held and have constant attention paid to him (and the subsequent crying and flailing when it is not) was mostly just his temperament showing. Mom, who has a tendency to enjoy attention and cuddling, wasn't bothered as much. Go figure.

Kjell no longer has a wee dinosaur head (though his arms cotinue to be more in T-rex proportions). He is up in the ranks of respectable head size as of today's appointment and continues to lead the baby ranks in height. His showing in the weight category is also nothing to sneeze at.

As far as shots go, it was not as smooth sailin' as at the two month visit. Kjell decided he now does not like the flavor of Rotavirus vaccine which he gulped down with great zeal at the last visit. Maybe they changed flavors.

MORE PICTURES...
Kjell is loving being outside these days. He has been kept warm by his hand-knit sweater from Gramma Sara. We also wanted to inlcude some pictures with Moose and the rest of the family---as if anyone is actually still interested in us.

Maija Turns 30, Grandma Judy Visits, and Kjell Enjoys the Fall

It's been an eventful couple of weeks.

Kjellybean Chronicles.....
Kjell continues to grow at an exponential rate. He has enjoyed meeting his new playmates, Addison L. Smith, and Lucy Pearson Dyer. Both are lovely ladies. Kjell's Grandma Judy visited from Oregon for Maija's 30th birthday. It was the first time that she and Judy have been able to be together on the actual birthday in years--maybe since her first year at Willamette.

Kjell has made some big progress on the way to growin' up right. He tried a little cereal and seems to like it. This was indicated by his lip smacking and the fact that he cried bitter tears when the spoon was eventually taken away. The jury is still out on whether or not Mom and Dad will continue this or wait a few more months. Dr. Spell will provide some more help in deciding. Kjell also seems to be getting some teething signs--drooling like a bull mastiff who has caught scent of a pork chop, biting EVERYTHING in sight and gum range, etc.

Coming Soon...Gramma Sara and Granbobby Return and Cousin Cade's Long-Awaited Arrival

Photos, Photos, Photos

Cutest baby ever?

Tailgate Anyone?

Kjell is ready for football season. He donned his Panther gear for the pre-season game this evening with Mom and Dad. He consistently amazes us with how big he is getting. He's the size of some of the smaller members of the Panthers already. His good friends "Uncle" Gray and "Aunt" Heather think he is starting to look a little more like his mom.

This week Kjell has learned that spoons coming out of the dishwasher magically become great instruments when Mommy is unloading the dishes. She is also one whale of a good musician and can use an empty bottle to make quite a nice little song. His hands, when clapped together (with help from Daddy), make him smile wide as well. He also has decided that it is easier to feel objects with an open hand than with a fist. To top off a big couple of weeks, he also is getting pretty good at blowing spit bubbles and shaking his toys.

Just Like His Daddy

Kjell is very much his daddy's boy. He is already getting geared up for football and basketball season. And, as you can see from the first photo, he has the same fervor for his teams that Dad does. However, unlike many sports fans, it took absolutely no beer to cause the expression. That's just the natural goofball gene inherited straight from Jamie. Apparently the calm and dignified genes passed to him from his mommy are recessive in nature. The outfit is a treat from his buddy Benjamin Goguen, a fellow Charlotte Bobcats fan.

A Different Perspective

These pictures are from recent visits from Auntie Anna and "Auntie Ang" who both loved Kjell almost as much as we do! Kjell is growing very big as you can see. There is also a disclaimer for the most recent family photo. Our darling little fellow does not have googley eyes as it may appear in the picture. It's a bad angle, but the only way to get the family in together was to take a self portrait. Moose would have loved to take it for us, but lacks the opposable thumbs of course. The picture of Kjell hanging out solo includes some of his favorite things---the background is his hand-knit blanket from Gramma Sara. In the foreground are his little blue bear buddy and also a security blanket from his friends the Goguens which will help Kjell learn to spell his name in the future.

Long time... No Post

We apologize for the long delay between postings. We've got plenty of excuses and most of them are centered around how much work it is to raise a boy up right. The other problem is that the 'blogger' tool has been spotty at best over the last month. Every time we tried to post, it would time out. Oh well, enough complaining and on to the updates!

As of yesterday, August 10th, Kjell is 10 weeks old. We can hardly believe that it's already been 10 weeks. He's getting much more social as each day passes. He's been smiling for almost a month and in the last week he has added a number of "coooos" and "goooos" and happy squeals to his vocabulary. He and Maija have almost 20 minute "conversations". It's all very cute.

Last Thursday, Kjell had his two month "well visit" with his pediatrician. Everything checked out great. Kjell is "thriving" according to the doc. He was 13 lbs. 3 oz. and 24 1/2" long. His weight puts him in the 75-90th percentile for all babies and his length comes in at 95th percentile... So, he's on his way to being a big boy.

I (Jamie) had to end my paternity leave and go back to work on July 27th. It was tough to leave Kjell, but knowing that he and Maija are waiting at home, just gives me something to look forward to on my nightly commute home.

In sad news, Poppa P (Jamie's Dad - Kim) passed away on June 25th. Although he'd been sick, and battling prostate cancer, his passing was a surprise. Although we miss Dad terribly, we take solace in many things. Poppa P had an amazing last week. He learned the gender (boy) and name (Cade) of Cory and Leslie's baby (due Oct 31st). He came to our house and visited and played with Kjell. And, he and Penny had a wonderful week of planning an upgrade to the kitchen, discussing their plans for a trip to Hawai'i and preparing for Mel and Vickie's 50th wedding anniversary. Poppa P was as happy that week as we've ever seen him. We also take solace in the fact that his passing was brief and painless and that he was able to avoid the really tough days of battling cancer ahead of him. We're all doing as well as we can and doing our best to watch out for one another. We are eternally grateful to the love and support of all of our family and friends. Your caring continues to help us. Thank you.

If you are interested, you can view Dad's obituary on-line here.

Already a Month Old

We can hardly believe how big our Kjellybean is getting. He is starting to take naps in his crib and occasionally can do so when he is put in there slightly awake. This doesn't happen with any real regularity yet, but we are hopeful that some day soon he might make it a pattern.

He is also now 10 pounds and 8 ounces. So, he is recovering nicely from the initial weight gain problems he had. I am still trying to keep up with his appetite, which, like mine, is most often voracious!

As you can tell from the pictures, he is already a Duck fan. The cute little hat and outfit with the ears is a hand-me-down from his good buddy, little Jeff Kato-Dilks. He is staring to enjoy "tummy time" on the surfer mat from Mom and Dad's friends Labon and Katie. But when he is not surfing or eating, he still mostly enjoys a good snuggling.
Kjell was also a big hit at book club, where he went with me on Wednesday night. We made a one-time exception to our strict no-boys rule. And, Kjell actually made it clear that he prefers his mom to hold him, which had not really been much of a priority for him before Wednesday.

He may also have had his first semi-smile today (July 9?) that was not inspired by gas or a dream state, but I was not quite sure if it was actually on purpose or not.

He now fits into this 3 month clothes along with the more generous 0-3 month sizes. Luckily he has been gifted quite an extensive wardrobe, so we actually have a hard time getting all the clothes on him, through the wash, and worn again before he grows out of them.

He very much is enjoying his swing for catnaps and just looking around, and shared a lot of alert listening time this morning while Jamie read his stories.

We hope this little update finds you all healthy and well and enjoying the summer weather. We look forward to those of you who have not met Kjell yet doing so soon. Feel free to give us a call and come over for a visit!

Our little Swede-heart

We've caught World Cup Fever, have you? Kjell and his Dad both sported the colors of Sverige today and were pleased with the 2-2 draw with England. It looked as if England was going to escape with the victory, until Kjell's favorite player, Henrik Larsson, scored in the 90th minute. Exciting stuff. A special thank you to Daniel, Heike, Nils and Elis for Kjell's first Swedish outfit.


After cheering his heart out for a full 90 minutes, Kjell was left exhausted. Emotions run high during the World Cup and Kjell was flat-out beat after the game with England. He hopes to be refreshed by the time that Sweden plays their next match versus the host team - Germany. Of course, Kjell also could be worn out from his additional kidney tests today. The good news is that the bad kidney has shrunk even further and the good kidney shows no signs of reflux. Of course, the tough thing is that the reflux test required a catheter. Kjell was none too happy about that, but he made it through like a champ.

Grandma Judy and First Visit to Poppa P.'s House

Kjell had his first visit to Poppa P.'s house this week as well as some cuddle time with Grandma Judy. It was a big week. Poppa P and Grandma each enjoyed feeding Kjell and he very much enjoyed eating a meal with them.

More "Grands"

We have really enjoyed having the grandparents here to visit us. They have helped out so much around the house and with holding and feeding Kjell. Although we are breastfeeding, Kjell needed a little supplementation to get back up to birthweight so Gramma Sara, Grandma Judy, Grandpa Bob and Dad have been helping to plump him up a little bit. We were pleased to hear today at our lactation appointment that he was back up to a perfect weight for his age. On our first appointment after our consultation with Cindy the lactation guru, Kjell had gained 8 oz. in one day. We don't know how we'll ever feed him as a teenager if he continues at this rate! Today he weighed in at a whopping 8lbs. 5 oz., which hits the goal of birth weight plus 1 oz. per day after the first week. So, even though he appears to get none of his physical characteristics from me, his appetite seems to have been inherited.

Today I may have also noticed a dimple too, which I like to believe came from me.

My First Buddy Benjamin

Benjamin and Kjell have hit it off from the start. We knew they would of course. Benjamin was so gentle with him and pronouned his name properly right away.
We finally got everyone in the family together for this photo. Brother Moose is just itching to lick his baby bro. So far we've been able to discourage such attention, but the day is not far off I am quite sure when they will both be licking one another. Jamie and I will have to keep in mind the words of a veteran mother whose son was letting Moose lick is tongue one day while we were out sitting at a patio for lunch. She said, "He's my third. Can you tell? The first two were kept in a sterile environment. This one plays in the toilet and is the healthiest of them all!"

Maija, Jamie, And Baby Kjell Together At Last

The Brothers

Moose has been a good big brother so far. He gets up to make sure mom and Baby Kjell are doing well for all the feedings and has gingerly sniffed at the newest addition to our family.

First Days At Home

Looking Back...

After his first few days at home, we've had a little chance now to look back on the busy week behind us. It was such a relief to hear those first cries when he was born. After months of worrying over his health, I am so thankful that all seems to be very well with him. Dr. Perez, perhaps the sweetest children's urologist in the world, pronounced his good kidney to be "healthy, pretty, and robust." These adjectives seem to ring true for more than just his kideys. Mom, Dad, and Gramma Sara think he's quite beautiful, healthy, and robust in general.

We are so glad to be home now too. Hosptial beds are not meant for sleeping. I can't believe how much we love him already. He's got kissable little cheeks and is starting to gain weight.
We've already had our first post-hospital check-up and have discovered that he is quite gifted (at pooping, sleeping, and eating!) We did have to admit he was still illiterate though and lacking in fine motor skills when we had to explain why the patient couldn't sign his own forms at the doctor's office. His pediatrician, Dr. Almquist (note the good Scandinavian name she married into), said that he's doing all that is expected of him. Apparently signing one's own forms is optional when you are only five days old.

Monkey Toes
One of Kjell's most distinguishing characterisitics are his long, skinny monkey toes. Dr. Barnes said she's delivered a lot of babies in her day, but that he has the biggest feet she's ever seen. The picture really doesn't do the toes justice.

He's Here!!! (Introducing Kjell)

KJELL WILEY OSTERHOLME PETERS

Well, our little man is here and we couldn't be happier. Maija and I went into the hospital at 6:30 am on 5/31/06 for the doctor to induce labor. At 1:40 am the next day (6/1/06), our little boy took his first big breaths and let loose his first powerful screams.

He weighed 8 lbs and 1/2 oz at birth. He's 21 inches long and would probably have mesured in at closer to 30 inches, if he didn't have so much of his length wrapped up in his unaturally long feet.

In honor of Maija's Scandinavian roots, we gave him the Swedish name Kjell. We pronounce it Chel, as if it was short for Chelsea. He has two middle names. The first is Wiley (in honor of my maternal grandparents). His second middle name is Osterholme (Maija's maiden name). So, his full name is Kjell Wiley Osterholme Peters. Hopefully, one day he'll grow into his name (and his feet).

It's now 1:30 pm on Saturday, and the new bigger family Peters has arrived home. During our days at the hospital, Kjell learned to feed, lost a little weight, and most importantly - got the all clear from any number of pediatricians and his urology specialist.

Now, for what everyone came here to see.... Photos of the little man!

Kjell, just minutes after birth

First bath

First moments at home

Kjell with Gramma Sara (Jamie's Mom)

With Poppa P (Jamie's Dad)

With Grandma P (Jamie's Step-Mom - Penny)