Hanukkah

This year for Hanukkah we are having a blast! On the first day mom held a party for Odin's friends. They made menorahs, ate latkis and chocolate, played with driedals, danced and sang songs!

Last night Odin helped Grandma light candles...(he then blew them out just so he could light them again;-).

Dad and Bjorn spent some quality time together. Bjorn is so responsive!

and he holds his head up so well these days.

more tree climbing for Odin! In this picture there are 3 boys climbing...Demetrius, Lucas and Odin. They are best buds!

I saw it!

Bjorn just rolled and this time...I SAW IT! Yeah! The big boy is growing and doing so many cool things (in addition to rolling). He "talks" a lot and coos while nursing (so incredibly sweet). He holds our gauze and appears to answer our questions when we ask him. He, also, still sleep a lot. Odin continues to love his baby brother and appears to be a bit protective of him. If someone gives Bjorn a kiss or touches him, Odin always follows with a kiss right on Bjorn's head as if to say, "that's MY brother!"

More Smiles

Bjorn Rolled!

When I wasn't looking!  Serves me right for trying to work while Bjorn is hanging out in a different room!  This morning he was laying on his tummy about to fall asleep.  I snuck off to the office to try and get some work done.  Five minutes later I heard a loud cry, so I trotted into the living room to make sure he was OK.  AND there he was on his back!  I think he scared himself by rolling over...now, in all fairness he got a little help b/c he rolled off the mat (about 1/2 inch high).  Here is a picture minutes before he rolled...

Yesterday we had our annual Christmas party.  It was a blast.  Adults and children decorated wreaths, ate yummy food and played really hard outside and we had a bonfire.

Bjorn looking so cute in his Christmas outfit (the same one Odin wore!).

Bjorn's Smile

This morning we finally caught Bjorn's heartwarming smile on camera!

To get him to smile, Odin and Dad were being very funny!

Last weekend we took a trip to the land.  It was a gorgeous day!

This past week we also got our Christmas Tree.  Odin loved decorating it. 

It was really important to Odin that he put the star on the top of the tree.

Grandpa Dave came to visit yesterday.  He and Bjorn did some hanging out...

Yesterday Bjorn and Odin both went to the doctor.  Odin now weighs 35 pounds (72 percentile) and is 38.25 inches tall (69 percentile).  Bjorn is a big boy!  He weighs 16 pounds (97 percentile) and is 24.5 inches long (81 percentile).  According to the doc both boys are right on schedule developmentally.

Happy T-Day

This year we had a low-key T-Day. Grandpa Dave came to visit and Dad made a turkey (it was probably the BEST turkey we've ever had!). Grandpa did some babysitting Eicheldinger-style...notice the glass of wine and video player :-).  Bjorn seemed to really dig Grandpa's belly!

Bjorn and Grandpa taking an afternoon nap...

Momma and Odin reading a book.

Odin teaching Bjorn how to make a tent!

We ended Thanksgiving with a fire in the backyard. Odin was a big help building the fire and throwing sticks and pine needles in to keep it going!

 Odin also enjoyed wearing his headlamp and searching for good sticks to throw in the fire.



Bjorn's Smile!

Bjorn's been flirting with smiling for a couple of days, but this morning he locked eyes with Momma and flashed her a big one! We haven't caught it on camera yet, but as soon as we do, we'll post it.  Here is an 'almost' smile:

Below are some cute pics of the boys entertaining each other. Odin is very serious about taking care of Bjorn and checking up on him. He also really enjoys laying next to him, holding him and talking to him and telling him stories.  He can't wait for Bjorn to start chasing him around!

Yesterday afternoon we had some friends come over and play. They left a bit past Odin's nap time...he crashed while having a snack...

He's growing so much!

And that applies to BOTH of my boys! For Odin, a day isn't complete without climbing at least one tree. Clearly, he's NOT afraid of heights.

Odin and Bjorn continue to foster a great sibling relationship. Here they do tummy time together.

My "little" bear has grown so much. At 8 weeks he weighed in at 13 pounds 10 ounces! WOW that's a lot of Momma's milk!

Halloween and Other Good Times

Life continues to be fun and exciting with our two boys. Odin loves Bjorn so deeply and Mom (being an only child) finds it just fascinating (this sibling love that seems so sincere). Bjorn has also recently started taking note of Odin. Often if he is fussy he'll calm down when Odin comes over to show him a toy or talk to him.

Odin loves it when he gets to cuddle Dad and Bjorn!
Last Monday was Halloween and we all had a blast with our friends. It was raining, but that didn't stop the trick-or-treaters!

Odin was a fireman and Dad, well, not too sure...:-)
Odin and Maya (the cute clown) leave a house happy and full of candy! The day after Halloween we had some struggles with Odin. He ran around the house yelling, "I want SUGAR!" (Note, he didn't even say, CANDY!) After two days of yelling about SUGAR! Mom arranged a deal with Odin. He give her the rest of his candy and in exchange he got to pick out any toy he wanted from the toy store. After some negotiations (Odin got to have one more piece) he agreed. Odin and Mom spent 30 minutes in the toy store while Odin checked out all the toys and finally he decided on his special toy! Whew! What a relief! Sugar is so addictive!

Check out how LONG Odin's hair is! He says we can cut it when he is a thousand years old:-)
Grandma Fern continues to be a huge help around the house. She and Bjorn definitely have a special relationship. They play, cuddle and sleep together in the mornings while Mom runs around getting Odin fed, dressed and ready for the day.

Bjorn about 6 weeks old.

Holding a bear!

We all enjoy holding Bjorn.

And we are pretty sure Bjorn enjiys it too!

Uncle Brandon came for a visit just to hold the bear (actually he came for that AND opening day of dear season).

Odin probably enjoys holding Bjorn the most!

Little Bear is GROWING!

On Saturday we had an appointment with our midwife to check in and see how Bjorn was doing. All is well, he passed his hearing test and definitely passed the growing test! He weighed in at 8 pounds 4 ounces! Almost 2 pounds growth in 2.5 weeks! WOW! He's such a good nurser and it is showing :-)  Today he is 3 weeks old, and today was also Bjorn's original due date.
Grandma Fern and Bjorn have become very close. She helps out so much everyday by holding Bjorn for many hours and they love the time together!