Sorry, this video is kind of boring. I have another where he's smiling a ton, but it's too long to upload. I'll put another one on soon, that showcases his new abilities. Thought you'd like this in the meantime. Notice how blue his eyes are still!

Thank you Grandpa W., Karmen, Angela and Brinley for giving me those special Valentine's Day cards. They made my first Valentine's Day very special!

Love,

John

The binky helps make a good Poker face, don't you think?

Grandma Quale knit this hat for John. Isn't it adorable?

Our little Packer fan

Hike!

Like father, like son (oh, and John's crying

because football season is over).

I'm ready for some tailgating!

You can keep the boy away from Wisconsin...

...but you can't keep Wisconsin away from the boy!

Keepin' up with the Jantzes...

I didn't think I'd be the mom that had a binky in my son's mouth at all times. Therefore, I was satisfied to just use the ones given at the hospital. Well, pretty soon I realized binky = sanity, and I became a binky mom. However, I was still using the hospital binky. That's when my brother-in-law, Peter Jantz, commented on one of John's photos "what's with that big teal thing in John's mouth?". At that moment, I felt completely embarrassed. Peter's daughter obviously had better fashion sense than to use the hospital binky. I mean, those were soo 2 lbs ago! At that moment, I realized this would be John's first experience with peer pressure, and I'm sure not his last. So, I asked my sister which brand all the kids were using these days and purchased one for my son. This is what any loving mother would do, right?

What do you think of his "MAM"? (I know, what a weird brand name)

favorite and least favorite shower gifts:

This is the best gift ever. It's called a "Moby wrap". It gives John the "womb effect". He falls asleep in five minutes or less when he's in it. It can be used from preemie to 35lbs. The best thing about it is that it allows me to do some work around the house while he is falling asleep.

This is the absolute worst gift! It was from my dear mother in law and sister in law. It's a frog that sings 3 lullabies in "frog". It's easy to accidentally turn on and it won't stop playing the songs until it's completed singing all 3. With my luck, it will probably end up being John's favorite toy.

a smile, a sneeze, and a chubby baby...

This is for all the grandparents, aunts and uncles back home. Thought you'd love this video.

Our Chunky Monkey!

At his 6 week check up Friday, he weighed 12 lbs 10.6 oz!

Show off!

Keep it up and they'll stay that way!

fun with family

For the first month we had lots of visitors. First it was my mom (No mom, I didn't forget to post a pic of you. Brent just has to show me how to use this hard drive device so I can access some earlier pics). She was such a help. She basically did all the cooking. It was nice to have a break and be able to focus on my new baby. We had a lot of fun between Black Jack games in the hospital and Seinfeld every week night. I couldn't have done it without her. Then we had my dad and step mom Terry visit. It was a short trip, but we fit a lot in. We played a couple games of Euchre and Brent took them to some of the "must see" attractions. They treated us to a fancy dinner at a restaurant we always wanted to try. They also made a gazillion steamed crabs for dinner one night. Brent thought he had died and went to heaven! Then, in one trip to the airport, I dropped Dad and Terry off and picked up my sister Angela. She booked her flight a week before coming out, once she learned she had some extra time with work. I'm so glad she was able to come out. It was so special to have her here.

<-Hey, I said fun. Where's your happy face?

<-Sister Angela
<-Grandma Terry with John. This is the cute reindeer suit she got him for Christmas.

<-Dad, I think you'll need something a little more supportive to hold those up.
<-John watching the NFL playoffs with grandpa.