New Niece!

April Hope Sanders was born on Monday 4.25.11

We are happy to have another niece and can't wait to watch her grow up to be a wonderful lady! :)

(this picture is not mine... it's from Alison's blog)

Managing

Well hello...

There are no pictures for this post.  That's because I would have a hard time telling you just exactly where the camera is at this moment.  We are managing here - but it's been a whirlwind of a week!

We celebrated Easter in Pittsburgh with both families - Hoffman's and Barton's on Sunday, plus Ritter's on Friday.  We had a great time catching up with everyone and showing off Connor - who doesn't like to sleep when he could be doing much more fun things like visiting! :)

We were blessed to receive Grandma Hoffman's bedroom furniture set - but that also meant it had to find it's way to Hanover.  Bill did the very labor intensive job of installing the hitch to our Jeep, getting the UHaul, working with Dad Hoffman to load it up, driving it back to Hanover, working with Tom to unload it, and returning the trailer throughout the weekend. 

Auntie-Nanny-Michellelee (we're working on a shorter title...) moved in two Wednesdays before Easter to learn all about Baby Connor and figure out where to put all her stuff in our tiny living room which is where she is calling home for the next few weeks.  Michelle has graciously taken the job of watching Connor while I'm at work.  I went back on Tuesday and have 33 days left (and YES, I am counting!).  I was broken-hearted leaving for school on Tuesday.  If I thought giving birth was going to be the hardest thing, I was completely wrong (I know, I know, it's probably the easiest thing about having a child).  The last three days have been manageable, but I can't wait for summer time when I'm home again full time.

So... needless to say, our house is a wreck and that is okay.  We're taking it one day at a time.  :)

Happy Easter!

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph 'or his foes

He arose a victor from the dark domain

and he lives forever with saints to reign!

talking, talking, talking

Doing

What have we been doing recently?

Going to church

 Connor hanging out with bass player Wes in the band at church - wearing his shades to match ;)

 "flirting" with Miss Mabel after the service

Visiting Dad at work!

 We surprised him on Wednesday during second mod - he really was surprised! 

Taking walks

it was sunny... but still kinda chilly, so we went with the shades and the hat - he's so cool! :)

I think I see a smile!!! :)

So... Here are some more pictures - this time with smiles!

No Joke, he's Mr. Serious

So... I decided to take some pictures of Connor yesterday. I figured it would be fun to get some "good ones" now that he can smile, and will look directly at me.

Well... as you can see... he was looking at me, but wasn't cracking a smile! I think I got some good serious shots though - we'll work on some with smiles a different day!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad Hoffman! We love you!

Hope your day was a great one!

Arms

Recently, Connor has decided to use his arms more - most of the time, his hands are closed in fists, which makes me think that he wants to "fight" - which we pretend to do - or that he is a Superhero off to save the world ...

I know it's just my imagination, but it's still fun to play! :)

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Chris! We love you! :)

Two Months

Connor had his two month appointment today!

He is 11 lbs 10 oz. (48th percentile)
and 23.5 inches (70th percentile)

He is learning to smile at us and makes noises other then crying (wahoo!!!)
He does a GREAT job on his belly and can roll over from his belly to his back going to the left and the right.
He still likes the ceiling fan, but also enjoys his bouncy seat and swing a little more then he used to.
Most of the time he is very serious - looking around and taking it all in.

We love you Connor and are excited to keep watching you grow!

Memories in the Making

We are so glad that we made it to Pittsburgh for Connor to meet his Great-Grandma Hoffman.

We'll miss you Grandma!

March 17th

This little Leprechaun is wishing you a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hamilton Wedding

This past weekend we went to Virginia Beach to celebrate our friends Mark and Sarah's wedding. Bill was the best man, and he did the best job! :) Everything was wonderful, starting with the rehearsal and dinner on Friday. The dinner was at Mark's house and it was a pig roast! We were able to meet a lot of Mark and Sarah's relatives and friends.

The wedding was Saturday afternoon. The ceremony was very nice. Bill read a scripture passage and also said a prayer. Afterwards, the reception was held at the church, in a very nice room with pretty table decorations and great food.

This was Connor's first big car trip and he did FABULOUS! I figured out afterwards that because he isn't mobile yet, he doesn't really care where he is, since he's always 'stuck' in a spot until I move him anyway! He seems to like the car, and we're glad because we'll be traveling a lot soon!

Look what I can do!

For the Love of Cinnamon

How is Cinnamon doing with Connor? I'm sure you are wondering...

She is doing great! She loves that I am at home during the day. When we first came home she was quite curious about the baby. She sniffs his car seat and things in his room. She stays by my side all day long, except in the morning when she'd rather nap then anything else.

She runs up the stairs and stays at my feet when I'm feeding Connor, and still loves to be under the blankets on the couch when Bill and I are downstairs watching TV. Bill has nicknamed her "black lightning" because she runs circles in the living room when she gets excited.

Dachshunds are supposedly notorious for being bad with children, but Cinnamon has proved her breed wrong again! She is the quietest little dog I know, and she's doing a great job with the new family member. :)

Happy Birthday Michelle!

Hope you have a great day! We love you!

Doctor's Appointment

Connor's one month appointment was today! I thought it was going to be a disaster because it was during nap time, but he was a trooper - in fact, he was nice and quiet the whole time - he was looking all around and I think he liked getting to hang out in just his diaper! :)

He is 9 lbs. 13 oz. (48th percentile)

We'll take his picture next month in the Boppy to compare his size.

He is 22.5 inches long (74th percentile)

I couldn't resist putting this picture in - I'm not sure what he is so worried about, but I think it's a funny one!
He got the stamp of approval from the doctor - everything is looking good!

He's so big!!!