New year, New Homepage

 

 

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I've posted on blogger and there are a few reasons... but mainly because I'm switching everything over to wordpress. My space is all used up on blogger, and also because wordpress has some fun features that will be a nice change. A lot has happened since Thanksgiving and I plan on posting on that in the next few days if little man cooperates :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!

Click below for a link to my new homepage which will be up and running shortly!!
http://marenthielen.wordpress.com/

2 months and truffles!

Vincent was a pumpkin for Halloween
6 weeks old

It's been a while since I've posted an update on the little man, my apologies! I'm sure you have all been waiting oh so impatiently for a new post ;)

The past few weeks have been really fun and busy. Of course things are busy with a little one, but we also took a little trip to the Piedmont last weekend and stayed in Moncalvo again for the truffle festival. Between that and wrapping up things after my dad and Deb left, it's been a busy couple of weeks.

His Halloween face- "Am I scaring you yet?"

The truffle festival was great! We went to Alba to the truffle market during a rainy day, and enjoyed the atmosphere of wine, yummy snacks (salame and cheese) and trufffles. The entire tent just smelled of truffle- it's so potent! We bought some white and black truffles and had fun in the process. To buy, you look at the shape (it should be round), and also the smell is a big part of it. They all smell a little different- some earthy, some woody, some like nuts... I never imagined it would be so interesting. We made some pasta last week with the white truffle and it was delicious!!

First smile captured with a camera, about 6 weeks old

 

 

 

We have a few firsts though! We picked up Vincent's first passport from the US consolate here last week. He can now come home to MN when we are ready! He was only about 1.5 weeks old in his passport photo and still had the massive bump on his head, so already he looks a lot different. His head takes up the whole area for the picture so it makes him look like a big potato head. Vincent also visited our friends at Boston Scientific and did very well. The offices were a little warm for him so we couldn't stay too long, but he got to meet a lot of the people Josh and I have worked with. They were calling him big potato (patatino) :) Italians use food to give little nick names- "big potato", "little onion" (cipollino), etc.

Walking in Barolo last weekend

Vincent has also started to sleep through the entire night! For the past three nights he has slept 8.5+ hours. It takes us a couple of hours to finally put him to sleep, but I'll take that if he sleeps for 8-9 hours! It's such a nice change from the every 4 hour feedings, and even the 6.5 hour nights he had :) We are slowly getting him to bed at an earlier time each night. It used to be anywhere between 12-1AM (some nights at 2AM). We are now able to get him to sleep around 11-11:30PM for the night.

We attempted a family photo in Piedmont, V wasn't too excited about it...
He was too cold!

We have also been working through some food allergy issues. It's amazing how much your life revolves around your childs bowl movements when you are nursing. My diet no longer has peanut butter, cheese or milk as a result. It's very sad, these are some of my favorite things!!

My two guys!! So cute!

Last week Vincent had his two month check up and he is very healthy. He does have some cradle cap though, so we are debating what to do about that. We can keep up with the recommended method of just washing his hair and using a soft brush or comb to get up the pieces, or we can go to the pharmacy and pick something up for it. It seems to be getting worse, so I think I'll be opting for the pharmacy. The doctor also recommended some massage therapy for him to start using the left side of his body more- the bump from the birth had him always turning to the right. He can hold up his head though! Still a bit of a bobble head... but he can do it. Here are some new stats for you:

2 month photo shoot!

Weight: 6.350 kg, 90-97% (13.99 lbs!)
Height: 62 cm, 97% (24.5 inches)
Head circumference: 41 cm, 75-90% (16 inches)

(they measure the head circumference- not sure if they do that back home??)

At two months he is only a pound away from doubling his birth weight, and my shoulders are starting to feel it! Man, bouncing him to sleep at night is not as easy as it use to be. Now I sit on a big exercise ball to put him to sleep. It saves the shoulders!!



I just love his sweet face!

 

That's all for now. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! We'll have some fun stuff for you after that since it's Vincent's first Thanksgiving and our second annual Italian Thanksgiving. Turkey has been ordered, and we are preparing- I'm so excited!!

Vincent around town

This week Vincent is 6 weeks old and we are starting to get out on the streets of Milan every day now. He loves the noise of the city and it puts him right to sleep. It must remind him of the days when I was pregnant walking around town. He's also starting to stay awake more during the day which is fun. We play with his monkey toy, and he is starting to get better at tummy time. He lifts both legs off the floor when he's on his tummy- it's like he's practicing pilates! He can almost hold his head up by himself now, and he's starting to talk more and even gives me a smile every now and then :) His baby acne is also clearing up too.

Playing with his favorite toy- his Monkey from
cousin Abby.

Last week he had his one month check up and he is one healthy, growing boy! At his two week appointment he weighted 3.6 kg (7 lbs 15 oz), and at five weeks he weighed in at 5.05 kg (11 lbs 2 oz)! He also grew from 51 cm (20.75 in) to 59 cm (23.25 in). So, apparently mama's milk is doing him good :) So good that he is now wearing 3 month clothes and we've put away his newborn outfits already.




Napping with Grandpa- I love how they are
laying the same way

My dad and his wife Deb arrived last weekend to visit the little man, and he has been bonding with them. It's nice to have my dad around. He moved to Iowa for a job four years ago (more or less) and since then I haven't been able to see him very often. We've been enjoying Milan and they've toured around a bit seeing the sights. We were even able to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and spend the day in the Parco Sempione two days ago. This morning they took off for Rome and will be exploring on their own for a few days before returning to Milan. Hopefully they do ok!

Shopping, Deb bought an awesome Furla bag. I'm a little jeaous!

While we were out and about, I was able to get some fun pictures of Vincent. Enjoy!



At the Duomo

At Parco Sempione, looking at the Arco della Pace

In the Castello Sforzesco

The many faces of Vincent (one month old)

Vincent is now one month old and he's starting to give us more faces. He's pretty adorable! It just doesn't get old looking at this little guy. He's so sweet!

Tomorrow we have his one month check up, so I'm sure we'll have more news at that point. But, as you can see, he's starting to fill out and pack on the pounds. He's a good eater! He's also becoming a good sleeper. He goes to bed between 12-1AM, and sleeps until about 5 or 5:30, then sleeps again until 9 or 10 depending on the day. It's nice because I can finally get some decent sleep! He's started moving his head to follow someone when they walk by, and he's been doing well with tummy time. His neck and back are getting stronger! Vincent also enjoys watching football with dad- he lays on Josh's belly facing the tv and loves it.

In the past week we've had to organize a few things- registering for his pediatrician with the healthcare system, picking up birth certificates at the city hall, and going to the US Embassy to apply for his social security number and passport. It was so easy going to the embassy to apply for everything!! I forget how efficient things are in the states compared to Italy! It was actually a nice change :) We get to pick up his passport in only a few weeks!

Josh had fun on Sunday taking one month old pictures of Vincent, and here are his many faces... Enjoy!

Poop face...

The Thinker

Elvis Face

So serious...

Where are you going?

The start of a smile



Should I cry or not??

Food?



Confused... amused... not sure.

Sweet face

Pirate face

Someone just farted and it wasn't me!



Go Vikes! #1!!

Usually his face when watching football with dad

More firsts...

It's hard to believe that Vincent will be four weeks old on Tuesday! The last two weeks just flew by and are a little of a blur... My mom and her husband Jim arrived from MN and stayed with us during that time and we had a lot of firsts during their stay.

Our first family photo, 2.5 weeks old and ready for the Vikes game!

Of course, it was the first time that Vincent met his grandma and grandpa! We also had his two week appointment and found out that he not only gained back his birth weight, but he also put on another 200 grams! He weighed 3.66 kg at that appointment and had gained almost a pound since his one week appointment. The boy eats like a champ! We also had our first metro ride, his first road trip to the Piedmont region and first over night in Venice. He also met his "aunt and uncle" Sissel and Ragnar, and saw downtown Milan for the first time. Man, we packed in a lot in two weeks!

Meeting grandma and grandpa, also a little smirk- the beginning
of a smile :)

Let me say to all new moms, take it easy! I've been over doing it the past week and my body is not happy with me. Going to Venice was great, but it was way too much walking for 3 weeks post partum and I'm looking forward to resting in the next week. Not to mention the stress that comes with traveling with a new born and the unexpected issues.... Because he wasn't on his normal schedule he wasn't eating every three hours like he had been. The day before he was building up my milk supply, so unfortunately I had some issues with a wet shirt all day in Venice! He wasn't eating much and I was producing a ton of milk. Luckily I had a scarf to cover up the lactation damage! Also, I was constantly worried about if he needed a diaper change, would we be able to find a bathroom with a changing table, or when he was going to be hungry again... As it turns out, it wasn't so bad, but we did have to get creative with his diaper changing situation. We ended up changing him on the floor of a restaurant... in the trunk of the car... on the front seat... even on a bench in St Marks square. LOL. I guess you have to get creative to take care of the little guy!



his first designer hat thanks to Marcella

Playing with grandpa

It was bitter sweet to see my mom and Jim leave this morning. It's nice to have the house back to normal, but I'm going to really miss them. It was great to have my moms insight on the little man, and have her and Jim's experience with babies. It was just a little stressful for me though because I wanted to play hostess to them on their first trip to Italy and have them see the sights, but really they wanted me to relax and rest. It was tough because I wasn't up for doing much and that made me feel bad because I wasn't going with them to see the Duomo or other parts of the city. But they were a huge help and I will definitely miss having them around!

Thankfully I had the scarf that day in Venice!

Vincent loves taking walks and I foresee that becomming a daily afternoon routine for us. When he doesn't get out to move around I've noticed that he becomes an afternoon snacker... He'll eat for five minutes, then sleep for half an hour, then repeat. This can last all afternoon!! So walks will definitely be a good thing to prevent that. He's now been sleep for a couple of hours from our walk today :) That's why I have time to write this blog.

First time sitting through an entire meal at a restaurant in Venice
(not just pizza at Pizzeria Spontini)

Meeting Sissel and Ragnar

We are so in love with our little man and have seen some huge changes already. He's starting to fill out and his cheeks are getting chubby. He's also developing some baby acne, hopefully we can clear that up. He's also making more faces and starting to smile a bit- usually when he's feeding or sleeping. But he'll give a grin when he's awake every now and then.

First time downtown Milan- at the Galleria, 3.5 weeks

Life is good :)

Day 1- only about 12 hours old

Wow, the first week or two with a newborn is an adventure! We have had so much fun bringing him home from the hospital and getting to know this little man that is now living with us. We're in the process of establishing a schedule and figuring out all of his "signals", but it's the most amazing thing.

Day 1 in the hospital

Today Josh and I are celebrating our five year wedding anniversary with Vincent. Talk about a great anniversary gift :) Everytime I look at Vincent my heart just melts. In the first week we've been able to have a few firsts- coming home, his first car ride, first check up with the doctor, his first walk, and first bath.







My view from the hospital room

He liked the car and was actually singing along with the music on the car ride home from the hospital. It was pretty cute! At his first check up he had put on quite a bit of weight already- he eats like a champ! When we left the hospital he weighed 3.1 kg (down from 3.4), but at his appointment he weighed 3.3 kg. He was almost back at his birth weight one week later! On his walk he loved all the bumps along the way, and even the street noise. Our neighborhood is noisy and I think he likes it.

Day 5- nap time

Getting ready for bed- Day 5

Flowers from Josh's work team

Other than the firsts this week, we've been trying to figure out breastfeeding. It's taken a lot of practice for both him and me, but we're starting to figure things out. It's not easy though! I feel hungry all the time (just like during my second trimester), and I'm just exhausted by it! Especially when he goes through a growth spurt and wants to eat every 2 hours, instead of every 3. It feels like I'm training for a marathon or something! But let me tell you, it really does bring down the belly size quickly. It's crazy how fast my big belly is being reduced.

Day 6- his cross eyed look

For me, recovery has been my main concern (after taking care of Vincent of course). I did have some natural tears during the delivery, but thankfully I didn't have an episiotomy. This just makes it difficult to move too much, and my muscles are still sore from the delivery. Just walking across the street and up and down a few stairs is difficult right now. I'm looking forward to having more energy and healing so I can get back into the swing of things. My mom and Jim arrive tomorrow morning to help for the next two weeks- I can't wait to see them! I have a feeling I'm going to cry like a baby when I see her.

Day 7- bath time! He wasn't too excited about his first bath...
He was pretty upset, but gave me this adorable face!



getting ready for his bath

Josh is so great at calming him down, not
to mention how he loves Vincent! Just
look at his face in the picture.

This post wouldn't be complete without mentioning how Josh has helped everyday! Josh has been amazing during this first week! He had to work a few days, but worked from home. He has called himself the "Camp Chef" because he has been cooking everyday for us. It's such a huge help! Otherwise I don't think I would eat! He's gone out to the store almost everyday for random things that I need and is happy to do it. I'm so happy to spend this five year anniversary with the most incredible man and I feel so lucky and blessed to have him in my life! What can I say, life is good :)