Guest Bloggers: Grandpa Gene & Grandma Marsha

Hi everyone! Our turn for updating the blog (that would be grandma Marsha and grandpa Gene).

We have been really enjoying our time here in Basalt and Aspen visiting the “Koorn Couple” - now the “Koorn Family”! Freja has been the sweetest! We had only known her through pictures and a short video, but now we've had the chance to get our hands on her and have really relished it. So special! She has put up with me (Grandma Marsha) holding her, bouncing her, talking to her, and cooing to her. She has been very patient with me. I have noticed that she likes to look at her Grandpa and be held by him, too!

Her mommy and daddy are keeping busy caring for her and observing all the subtle changes that happen day by day. She is a lucky girl to have such doting parents.

This is Grandpa Gene here – she feels so good when she falls asleep on my chest. When she is fussy (take that to mean crying and arms & legs flailing), she can be determined to get attention. But, with a clean and dry diaper, she returns to her lovable self. At 6 weeks, her facial expressions, yawns and sneezes are very cute. She is so tiny. I brought her some John Deere socks, very nice. Today, March 31, 2011, I got to install a ceiling fan and light in her room. I'm a very lucky Grandpa.

Guest Blogger: Grandpa Dirk

Just when you start thinking that you are so surrounded by love from your wonderful family and friends that you couldn't possibly fit any more in your heart, along comes a granddaughter that so overwhelms you that you feel like your heart could burst from so much love. Holding little Freja in my arms, watching her sleep so angelically, breathing steadily against my chest, is like no other feeling I would have ever imagined before. Freja is absolutely adorable, perfect in every way, with long delicate fingers, perfectly shaped face and mouth, and deep blue eyes that are focusing more and more each day.

We arrived last Monday and will stay for a week. During the time we've been here I've taken Freja for a stroll in her stroller (Kelly allowed me to push it while she walked along with me), and got to carry her in the Ergo pack (like a backpack, but it goes in front, allowing Freja to sleep against my chest). In the house I can carry her around in my arms, which soothes her, but she really seems to prefer that I sit on the ball and gently bounce up and down. That definitely transports her to her dreamland. You can tell when she's dreaming because her eyes are moving behind her eyelids. Jeanne and I both want to hold her knowing our time with her is limited, so we take turns. We will have to leave this wonderful family and our granddaughter all too soon, and will follow her progress on the blog, but we are truly honored to have been allowed this time to get to know her at this stage of her life. Thank you Kelly and Jan for bringing this wonderful girl into our lives!

Guest Blogger: Grandma Jeanne!

Freja is learning and changing day by day, under the wonderful care of Kelly and Jan. She responds to sound and movements around her, and turns to see what's happening. Every day she shows more awareness and responds to music and songs with a little look of pleasure on her darling face. Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa Dirk love holding her, watching her and Dirk even got to stroll her around the community yesterday. She is an absolute little sweetheart, with active legs, hands and lungs. It's a joy to watch her in all these stages. We're so happy to have her in our lives. I really love this little sweetie!

Grandparents

Just a quick update - my parents are visiting us for the week and enjoying time with their new granddaughter. I think they are pretty smitten with Freja... (I would be surprised if they weren't :o). I have been back at work but I know that she's in good hands with Kelly and my parents.

Family Photo

Grandpa Dirk with Freja

Freja: One Month Old Already!

It's hard for us to believe that Freja is just over a month old already! On the one hand it feels like she's always been in our lives, but on the other hand it seems like we just brought her home from the hospital yesterday.

Jan & I love getting to know Freja and figuring out her cries & noises and what they mean. In addition to her hungry cry, change my diaper cry and the general newborn inconsolable cry, she's just on the brink of starting to make some coos, oohs and aahhs, and we're sure there's also a genuine smile around the corner. Freja had a one-month checkup at the doctor on Friday who confirmed for us that she'll be smiling and cooing at us in no time. We also were happy to hear that she is growing and gaining weight at a good pace, and that she is very strong for her age. She even rolled over twice just to show off for the doctor (Jan's chest puffed up just a little bit when the doctor praised her for this accomplishment!).

We start phase two of meeting the grandparents tomorrow with the arrival of Jan's parents tomorrow afternoon. We just know that Jeanne is probably not sleeping a wink tonight she's so excited to meet her first grandchild! She & Dirk will be here for a week, and Jan & I look forward to having some help around the house (and by help I mean we'll let them hold Freja so we can rest, do laundry, make dinner etc). Check the blog later this week for a guest post from one or both of the new grandparents!

Picture on the right - we got to enjoy grilling this afternoon to celebrate the first day of spring. Sort of hard to tell but Jan has Freja in the Ergo pack WHILE he's grilling burgers. This is definitely him in his happy place!! She's already a daddy's girl, but there's also no doubt about it, she's got him wrapped around her tiny little finger. Love!

Guest Blogger: Grandma!

Grandma Cecilia here...I came earlier this week to visit and help, and thought I'd share with you from a different perspective. Well, not too different. Like her parents, I think Freja is a wonderful little baby! She and Kelly came to the airport to pick me up Monday afternoon - her first trip to the airport, not that she will ever remember! The biggest surprise about this little package is that she is not like any baby I remember in our family - she has a LONG torso, LONG legs and LONG arms! Longer than it seems in her pictures. She is certain to be quite an athlete!

So far, we have been keeping busy. Yesterday Kelly called me "The Grandma Whisperer" as when Freja is fussy, I have been able to calm her by whispering a "shush" noise to her. My body clock is still on FL time, so I get up early (4 or 5 here) and have encouraged Kelly to go back to bed after the morning feeding to get some rest and I am up with Freja. The weather has been nice and in the high 40s, so we have been on a few walks and this afternoon, I got to help give her a bath. We may make a trip to Target tomorrow - a major outing! Overall, I'm just here to help when I can and try not to get in the way, and of course, get my hands on that precious little baby every chance I get!

Two Weeks & Two Days!

Freja is just over two weeks old now and growing and changing so much every single day. We had a two-week check at the doctor on Friday and she's doing great, just about back up to her birth weight and getting longer/taller too (looks like she's getting height from her dad - thank goodness!). As newborn parents Jan & I are learning and growing every single day as well, which at this point means letting Freja take the lead. She eats when she's hungry, sleeps when she's tired, we just follow suit and do our best to accommodate her whims. She loves to be carried around & held all the time, and Jan and I are more than happy to oblige.

My mom Cecilia Wilhelm arrives tomorrow for a week. I look forward to having some help & company during the days since Jan is back at work full time, and I know my mom is dying to help out by holding and loving the baby full time! I'm hoping we have some warm springy days while she is here this week so we can get outside and go for long walks (it didn't take me long to realize baby + stroller = nap time. LOVE the stroller!). We'll post pictures of Grandma & baby Freja this week, and will try to get some of Jan & I too. Thanks as always for checking in on us and sweet little Freja Maxine!