Visit to Daddy's Work

Nathan had quite a big outing this past week...we went to Kevan's work to meet daddy's co-workers. He drew quite a crowd and everyone was happy to finally meet him. I think we'll have to take another trip soon because many people were out on vacation or traveling on business.

Another big outing was this past Saturday; after Nathan's morning feeding we went to Forest Park (for those of you who aren't familiar with St. Louis it's kind of like our Central Park). It was a gorgeous day and we had a nice long walk. The picture of the three of us was taken in front of the Grand Basin with the art museum in the background.

Since Nathan has been holding his head up really well we decided to try out his Bumbo this week (the bright green "chair" that he's in). He wasn't a fan of it so we'll have to try it again in another few weeks.

Nathan will be 2 months old this Thursday and you may wonder how we're celebrating!?!? Well, he has his doctors appointment that day so he can get his first round of immunizations - I'm already dreading the tears (his and mine)! We're planning to give him some baby Tylenol before the appointment so hopefully that will help curb the pain - we'll keep you posted on how that all goes!

Sleeping Through The Night!!!

That's right folks - Nathan has been sleeping through the night since last Sunday!!! He's been getting between 9-10 hours a night for a week now which Mommy and Daddy are very excited about (although we were a bit freaked out the first few nights - wondering if he was still breathing, etc.). We cannot take any credit for this blessing; Nathan turned 6 weeks old and decided he wanted to start maximizing on his sleep! Daddy says he's definitely a Mommy's boy in that respect.

Other exciting news - today was our first day back at church - YAY! There's a picture of me lugging him out the door and then a picture of him in his cute little collared onesie and overalls that he wore. Nathan was a big boy and went to the nursery this morning and he did great (they said he was cooing and smiling the whole time); I did get beeped before the end of service to feed him, but other than that, it was smooth.

Things are getting really fun; he's been making some really cute sounds, smiling, batting at his toys hanging down from his tummy time mat and bouncy seat, blowing lots of bubbles and he recently found his hands which he enjoys gnawing on. We'll see what this next week brings and we'll be sure to keep you posted!

Nathan's First Piece of Mail

That's right...Nathan received his first piece of mail addressed to him and him alone...it was his Social Security card! As you can see in the first picture, the envelope is about the size of him (isn't that too cute!). Also, as you can see, he's starting to really overtake the bear (and check out the budda belly on him!). We finally moved on from sponge bathing to bathing in the kitchen sink this week and I couldn't resist taking a butt shot of our little cutie afterward. The last pic is my favorite "mommy and Nathan" picture that Kevan happened to take one afternoon. Actually, there were too many cute pictures to choose from this week so we had to do two posts (you can only put 5 pictures in each post) so check out the below post titled "More Pictures." Enjoy!

More Pictures!

Nathan keeps growing and growing!!!

This was a big week! First off, Nathan got to meet his Great Grandpa and Grandma as they stopped in St. Louis on their way out to Colorado and Wyoming. We're very fortunate that they were able to be here and meet him so early in life! Also this week, Nathan had his 1 month check up with his pediatrician, Dr. Finn of Blue Fish Pediatrics (get it? isn't that catchy - no pun intended!). He's a whopping 8 lbs. 9 oz and 21 1/4 inches long! That is the 17th percentile for weight and 35the percentile for length. We think he's going to be tall and thin like his daddy - yay! Another milestone this week...Nathan grew out of his newborn clothes (sniff, sniff)! As I was packing them away I thought I was going to breakdown in tears. I told Kevan that before we know it we'll be shipping him off to college. We cannot believe how quickly time is flying! One of the pictures here is of Nathan on his play mat doing some tummy time and guess what?!?!? He rolled over onto his back! He pushed himself up and rolled over to his right side then onto his back! I thought for sure it was a fluke but he did it 3 times! Poor daddy has yet to see this and still doesn't believe it happened. We should be getting the proofs back from the photographer any day so stay tuned and we'll post a link to his website early this week!

Nathan is 1 month old!!!

Hi everyone! Can you believe that Nathan is 1 month old?!?! We cannot believe it and we are blown away by how much he has changed and grown in just 4 weeks!!! He's really catching up to his bear as you can see in the first picture! In the second picture I wanted all of you to see his crazy hair! It's especially crazy right after we give him a bath - it looks nice in the front but sticks up in the back - too funny! It was a cool weekend here in St. Louis so Nathan got to wear his first pants suit (you can really see how much lighter his hair has gotten in this picture). The last picture is Nathan sporting his "gangsta" pose in a cute little outfit that Grandma Pratt sent this week. Nathan has an exciting week ahead- in addition to turning 1 month on Monday he has his 1 month doctor's appointment on Wednesday. We'll let you know how that goes in next week's blog. Talk to you then!

Meeting more family

WOW! Can you believe Nathan is 3 1/2 weeks old already. He got to meet Uncle Jon, Aunt Michaelle, and his first cousins from Ohio (Ashleigh, Koty, Ryleigh, and Lucas). We've also thrown in our favorite pictures of the week, along with him sitting next to his bear to show you all how much he has grown and filled out (Check out those cheeks)! Nathan had his newborn photo shoot this past Sunday. They should have the proofs online in a few weeks and we will include the link for you all to view/purchase when they are available. We purchased a "baby's first year" photo package from this photographer, so we will be able to document Nathan in photos every 3 months! Our little guy is fun to watch grow and the time is going so quickly. We are trying to savor every moment!

Milestones

Our little guy is growing so quickly! Here are two pics with his 2009 All Star Bat and also him next to his Build a Bear. We hope to do this weekly to give you all perspective on how big he is getting. He also lost his umbilical cord today. YAY! We are very excited about this since it will be off for his professional pics next Sunday! Enjoy!

Visitors

Nathan had a few more visitors in the past couple of days. Our good friends Bud and HelenVincent (aka Mimi and Paw Paw) stopped by for their first visit. They are very proud surrogate grandparents!! Also Uncle Jeff and Aunt Jenny were in town this weekend from Columbus to see Nathan and the rest of the family.

Our miracle baby: pics of the first 2 weeks

Sorry for the delay in posting, but it has been a whirlwind two weeks of adjustment, especially for Tiff and Nathan learning how to breastfeed. We wanted to share more pictures with everyone of Nathan's first two weeks, as well as, describing some of our adventure with him so far.

One thing that we didn't share in our initial announcement email was that we have a little miracle baby on our hands. Of course, every life that God creates is a miracle, but we learned something right after Nathan was born that solidified our faith that God had/has His hands on Nathan. The doctor was showing Tiff and I the placenta and noticed something that she described as a miracle. Nathan's amniotic sac had something called "villamentous insertion" (you can Google to see a full definition). This meant that instead of the blood vessels from the placenta going directly into the umbilical cord, they traveled within the thin amniotic sac and then gathered to the cord. The doctor said that when this occurs and most women have their water break, that the sac tears the blood vessels as well, and the baby bleeds to death in less than a minute. In Nathan's case, the tear of the amniotic sac went right along one of the blood vessels, therefore leaving them in tact. Thank God that He was, and is, watching over our little guy to keep him from harm!

Also, Nathan was a little jaundice after birth and had to be placed on a UV bed to help eliminate the bilirubin from his body (see pic of him on his bed at home). He was on this treatment for the first 5 days of his life, but his color is great now and he is doing well. The rest of the pics are just fun moments that we have had with Nathan over the first 2 weeks. He is an amazing little guy and we are loving him more each day. Can't wait to introduce him to all of you.

Pics with Family

Here are a few pictures at the hospital with Grandma Pratt, Grandma and Grandpa Krestel and Uncle Steve.

Introducing Nathan Lew Krestel

Hi everyone,
Well, I have finally arrived!! It was a long 9 months in my Mommy’s tummy and quite cramped toward the end. Whew! I am so glad that I can finally move my arms and legs around without hitting anything.

I started hinting to Mommy that I was ready to meet her and Daddy at 2 AM on Friday the 19th. After a few hours at home we finally went to the hospital so that I could meet them in person. It took 30.5 hours total, but I finally arrived at 8:34 AM on Saturday morning the 20th and God answered Mommy’s prayer of strength for a natural, unmedicated labor and delivery.

Once I followed the bright light down the tunnel and greeted everyone, a nice lady laid me on a cradle and announced that I weighed 6 lbs 4 oz. After getting a good chance to stretch out my legs, I also overheard the lady say that I was 20 inches long.

I remember hearing people call me Junebug over the past few months, which I became quite used to, but now everyone is calling me Nathan (Gift of God), which has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

You may be wondering what I look like, so here are a few pictures of Mommy, Daddy and me.
I look forward to meeting many of you soon!

Nathan Lew Krestel

Made it to the hospital!

We left for the hospital at about 3:00 PM today and got checked in after the 20 page admission form was finally filled out. We are just monitoring progress at this point and waiting for baby to arrive. Tiff is doing a great job and is a champ! Check out the pics from today's events so far. We will keep everyone updated when we can.

It's go time!

Just wanted to post an update that Tiff went into labor early this morning around 2 am. We are laboring at home for now, but will probably be heading to the hospital soon. Please pray for a safe labor and delivery! We will update later.