One Month Old

Well apparently we have drawn quite the audience on our blog. However, I am afraid that we are not that interesting of a group of people! I mean how interesting can it be to wake up eat, burp, change diaper, change clothes, take a nap, eat, burp, change diaper, clean, eat, burp, change diaper (WHOA! This one’s a doosey!), take a nape—I THINK YOUR ARE GETTING THE DRIFT OF ANNIKA’S DAY!!! What a life…

I was so excited with this nice weather to go for walks but I have yet to venture out to do that. Yesterday, Annika and I drove into the big town of Sisters and had lunch with Gary. She loved this--for any chance to be held and passed around is a good day. It is pretty cute to see a bunch of high school kids get so excited about a little baby. Gary is a proud daddy—while on leave his co-worker printed pictures of her on 8 ½ by 11 paper and hung them on his office window (their still there!). And he has also added a large picture of her and the football players that helped us move. Just so you all know she is being trained to be a “kicker.” This child already owns a basketball (Gary bought it at the hospital gift shop) and TWO footballs. This has developed into a competition between us—what she will grow up to do. I like to give Gary a hard time and tell him that every time she smiles in her sleep she is dreaming of ponies. HEY, G’pa Hedin has already promised to buy her one. Of course, if she wants to play sports over horses I guess I will have to deal with it. Let’s just hope she doesn’t get my athletic ability. “What abilities?” I hear some of you mutter. That is exactly my point—there is nothing athletic about me!

Yesterday Annika was a month old—I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW THE TIME HAS FLOWN BY. I have days that I miss my other 25 kids (students), but I know they are in good hands and that I need to enjoy my time at home. When my Aunt Linda came over the other weekend she brought me a bag of Valentines from them—they were so cute.

She is about to wake up so I must get a couple more things done before we head home....I am hoping to have interenet at home soon! - SH

Our Little Ba-nan-nika

She has her first “nickname,” not sure where it came from. But Gary has called her Annika Ba-nan-nika since she was in my belly and it has just stuck. We are slowly getting out new toys for her to play with. She loves her ocean floor gym and her papasan chair that allows her to sit on the kitchen counter while mom and dad cook dinner.

This weekend was a busy one—still trying to get things put away in the house. It is slowly coming together, but it is a long process and a lot of times I find myself turning circles and moving things from here to there to over there and back to here!

We are very fortunate that although we are apart from so many family and friends that Gary has a group of phenomenal friends that have been so helpful. This past Saturday, his friends, I mean OUR friends, :-) Jim and Chris threw us an open house so that Gary’s friends and co-workers could come and meet Princess Annika. And although Gary was teased for breaking the “guy code” and having a co-ed shower we had a great turn out and Annika was excited to meet and greet. She received many little outfits and dresses for the upcoming hot Central Oregon summer, an adorable pair of yellow and black stripped leg warmers and bumble bee slippers and her first pair of glitter butterfly crocks (shoes). She also received a very special gift from “Mrs.Rawls.” Kristy is a co-worker of Gary’s, however she taught in Gaston and was my junior high science and math teacher. I also was her daughter’s FIRST babysitter and baby sat quite a bit for them. (Her daughter is now a JUNIOR in high school!!) She hand crocheted a blanket that looked exactly like one that her daughter carried around for many of her little people years. The even more special part—she had never crocheted before! It is a gorgeous blanket and little Miss Annika will get a lot of use out of it.

Gotta run…hope you all are enjoying reading about us Hedin’s and mostly importantly our little Annika Ba-nan-nika!

Princess Annika

I would like to say that I have accomplished some things around the house. But no such luck. I am great at "moving" things around...just not getting it put away! :-) Annika is a trooper, she enjoys her sleep so it allows me to get a few things done. I didn't have my car here until this weekend when my parents brought it over. With the snow over the pass I didn't want to drive it when we first came over and I didn't want to leave Gary in a truck for 4 hours with Annika when I didn't know if she would sleep the whole time. But now with my car I can venture out...so yesterday was my first trip not only by myself, but my first trip driving Annika. Let me just say...it is EXHAUSTING! My quick errands turned into an all morning event! :-) AND, I couldn't wait to go home!

She is growing fast. This is a pic of her at 3 weeks old. She is finally gaining some weight and I have had to completly go to bottle (formula) with her as she was not getting enough from me and it became too stressful. She had a hard time keeping the formula down at first. I am talking projectile spit up across your lap and on all furniture in sight! :-) Let's just say the "barf" onsie that Arielle got her fits her VERY WELL! It was fine at home, but really embarassing when we were at someone else's house and not our funiture! THAT'S OUR GIRL!

This weekend Gary's friends are throwing us an open house for everyone to come and meet her. I am sure she will enjoy this as she loves to be passed around, held and cooed at. Again, THAT'S OUR GIRL! She is definietly the princess in the family--she just better make sure she remembers I am the QUEEN! :-)

We've Moved!

FINALLY...we are in our new house! Thanks to the help of my parents, my Aunt Linda and some Outlaw football players we have officially moved out of "the facility" and into our new home in Redmond. It was nice to get the majority of things unpacked before the week started, although there is much more to do. At least I won't be bored while home on maternity leave. :-) Annika was a big help during the move--she slept most of time which was a huge help to us and allowed us to get a lot done.

My mom took the majority of the pictures over the weekend (imagine that!), so once she emails them to me I will post them up for all to see. I was going to take some pics of the inside--but it is a SCARY MESS at the moment. So once things are organized and put away I will get some up.

Right now there is only one other family that lives on the street with us and we have currently have an empty lot next to us. It is a pretty quiet street with the exceptiong of construction a few hours a day. We have a great view of many of Central Oregon's mountains from the upstairs. On clear days you can see them all! With this nice weather I am eager to get outside and go for walks with Annika.