Happy Holidays!

Jan & I took Freja to our 30-week ultrasound appointment today in the hopes that she would get more excited about the baby if she got to actually see her. While she was somewhat interested in the ultrasound machine, the baby, not so much. And so it goes.

For our part we were happy to see the baby growing just like she should be, see that heart beating and little hands & feet showing off coordinated punches & kicks. Our doctor tried to get a good 3-D ultrasound picture, but the baby kept her fists up close to her face most of the time. We were able to view a couple of 3-D pictures - enough for us to decide she looks just like Freja! - but none were really worthy of posting here.

We are having our family Christmas this Saturday because Jan had to go up to work yesterday. So for now, no pictures of Freja tearing through the stack of presents - but coming soon. Here is a little snippet of her singing along as she reads a favorite new (library) book, Frosty the Snowman. Over & over & over again.....! I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing that little voice singing. Love.

Sledding!

Sledding!  We got a new sled for Freja.  This was her first day playing with it.  She doesn't seem to like walking through the snow but she loved the sled and going fast!

Snowing!

Today's video clip shows me going in to get Freja up this morning. It's usually a funny & entertaining time for her, as she is well rested and in a great mood. She will just jabber away in there until we go in to get her, no matter how long she's been awake or what condition her diaper is in. She was pretty excited to see all the snow this morning as you can see!

In baby 2.0 news, our still-nameless TBD is moving so much these days, it's getting harder & harder for me to get a good night's sleep. She moves throughout the day too, but it's about the time I'm ready to go to bed that she delivers the big punches & kicks. Our next check-up is next Wednesday, and Jan & I are both eager to see her again via ultrasound, something we haven't done since the 20-week mark.

I'm currently at 28 1/2 weeks pregnant. Wonder what else Freja Junior is up to?
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Happy holidays to each & everyone of you!

Snow Day!

After a very dry and warm start to the winter we've finally gotten some snow here in the Roaring Fork Valley. At long last, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! With the snow came a huge change in temperatures, with highs near 50 last week but only in the teens today - and the low supposed to be below zero tonight. We'll all be bundled up from here on out and hoping for more snow that we can go out & play in. Freja loves seeing the snow fall and getting to play in it too, so much so that Jan had a hard time getting her back inside shortly after this photo was taken this morning. No Daddy, I want to play!

In other news as most of you know it's been a busy week in real estate for the Koorn family. We found a house we love in Carbondale and are hoping to move in around February 1 - giving me a month to settle in & unpack before the arrival of baby #2. Our townhome is officially on the market as of Tuesday, and since then we've had six showings with more to come this week. I'm already in pregnant-hypernesting mode, and started packing things up yesterday in anticipation of the big move. I suppose it's nice to have so much to distract me from all the energy I've been putting in to baby names, and of course just being pregnant in general.

I'm 27 weeks pregnant now - one more week to go then I'll be in the third trimester! Tick tock.
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Bedtime is happy time

Here is Freja getting ready for bed last night. Yes, she stayed in her cupcake PJs all day. Maybe her mom also stayed in her PJs all day. Don't judge.

Guest Post: Uncle Arie!

Guest Post here, Uncle Arie reporting live from the Colorado Koorn homestead, where I have spent the most delightful week eating turkey and leftovers, catching up with the family, and chasing little Freja around the house.  I had not seen her since February, and in the intervening months she somehow acquired two of our species' distinguishing traits, namely speech and the ability to walk upright.  But never has Homo sapiens performed either activity as charmingly as my little niece.  After a couple shy moments when I first arrived, she began to lead me around her domain, pulling out her favorite toys in turn and handing them to me, naming them one at a time: "drum," "Legos," "ball," and so on.  Then it was on to her books, and then to the window, and a brief spell with my smartphone (which she is clearly more adept at than I), and then back to her Legos for round two of the circuit.

Freja also proved an enthusiastic guide at the park and in downtown Aspen, and she had me running hither and yon (no, not you, Jan) and stooping to investigate every leaf and stone and friendly doggie along the way.  She has an inexhaustible supply of energy and smiles, and she continually amazed me with her awareness and understanding of what was said and done around her.

I should mention that there were big people here as well this week, and I trust they will forgive me for the short shrift they are given here, being that they are all as understandably enthralled by Freja as I am.  Jan and Kelly were perfect hosts, somehow finding time to catch up and go hiking between parenting, cleaning, and cooking a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.  It was great to see Mom and Dad in their new roles as Gramy and Grandpa, and even more to see Jan and Kelly obviously enjoying being parents, and doing an amazing job of it to boot.  Thank you all for a wonderful week!

On the Move!

Gratuitous Freja shot - didn't want to leave her out of this post! Here she is sporting her new winter coat on her way in to the Basalt library on Monday morning.

For the past few weeks I have been feeling the baby move here & there, and about a week ago Jan finally got to feel her move too. I really should have him writing this week's blog post to give you his POV. Little Secondi is on the move lately, still no big kicks or punches, but definitely doing somersaults (and using my bladder as a trampoline) at all hours, day & night. You might think since we are BTDT (been there, done that) parents-to-be that it's no big whoop, but it's still very exciting & reassuring feeling her ongoing activity.

For week 23 - How your baby's growing:
With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking cat meowing or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby's weight in the next four weeks alone should double. (Yipes!) You have probably heard your developing baby's heartbeat through a Doppler a number of times already (though you never get tired of hearing it), but by now you can also hear it through a standard stethoscope. What a heart throb!

Bunn-it

Freja helped me whip up some meatballs yesterday, and Jan got this quick clip of her saying bunnit instead of button. It's one of our favorite Freja-isms, I'm so glad we got it on video as she'll probably correct herself soon. Little mistakes like this are just the cutest.

She LOVES helping in the kitchen, especially when that means she can push the bunnits on the food processor or turn on the big mixer!

20-20

I've reached the midway point of my pregnancy - 20 weeks down, 20 to go!  Jan & I went to the doctor for an ultrasound yesterday and I'm happy to report the baby is perfectly, boringly normal. Which is exactly what we wanted to hear! The picture above is one of many views we got to see of her, a cute little profile pretty similar to Freja's, although admittedly, it's also pretty early to start making guesses about what she will look like.

I continue to be obsessed with baby names, and I'm certain I am driving Jan crazy with all of my suggestions, especially late at night, in the middle of the night, etc. With Freja we pretty much knew we were going to name her Freja as early as when we found out she was a girl. Which is only adding to the self-imposed pressure I'm feeling to come up with just the right name this time around. Anyone? Any ideas?

What's little Secondi up to at 20 weeks?

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against her torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of her head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.)

She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

20 Months Old!

Sweet Freja is 20 months old today. Time is going so fast and we are constantly surprised at how fast she seems to be growing up. And yes, I suspect I will still be putting pictures up on Facebook marking the months even when she is 240 months old. Mamma-razzi!

The Name Game

Well it's been about a week and a half since we found out - finally! - that we are having another girl.  I think I've spent all of that time obsessing about, researching and trying out different names for little Secondi. It's a daunting task! Jan & I have talked about all the different directions we could go in, such as another goddess name, another Scandinavian name, something that starts with F, something that ends in A, or something just so off the wall that it would still jive with the name Freja. There are a lot of websites where - trust me - you can spend way too much time looking up names and their meanings & origins. As with the first time around, we are open to suggestions if anyone has any ideas!

Freja still has no idea that we are expecting a new addition. We had a fun week of gorgeous fall weather, walking around & playing at the park and enjoying the changing leaves. Today is cold and rainy so we read just about all of her books this morning, and are planning to make pumpkin muffins when she gets up from her nap.

What's baby up to at 19 weeks?

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Secondi

The Koorn family took the show on the road last week, and visited all three sets of parents plus extended family in Indiana (including my 100-year-old Grandma Elsie, in the pic above). We had a great time watching Freja show off all of her best tricks, and letting everyone get in lots of QT with her.

A few people asked me when am I going to start blogging about baby #2, which made me realize just how remiss I have been in keeping up with baby updates here on the blog. As you can imagine I don't have quite as much free time this time around, as I did when I was pregnant with Freja! That said, we are super excited about the new addition coming in March, and I will do my best to keep the blog current with updates about both babies.

Jan & I have been calling this baby "Secondi," as in second, in the tradition of calling Freja "Primo" when she was still in the womb. (They are Italian terms you might see on a menu referring to different courses.) Of course now that we know #2 is a girl we're trying to find just the right name for her - not easy after setting the bar so high with Freja Maxine!

And now your weekly baby update, at 18 weeks:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. Her blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and her ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place.

A Real Puzzler

Jan put together this fun - and fast-paced! - clip of Freja working on her cute name puzzle.  She's gotten pretty good at getting those letters where they belong quickly!  Ta-da!

Baby 2.0

For anyone who missed the announcement on Facebook! I think that might be about 3 of you. Happy news!

Freja & Gus

This little kitty lives around the corner from us. Freja & I frequently see him on our way to the park or to check the mail. She's never gotten this close to our cats, Shady & Gary, and probably never will. With Gus though the affection is mostly mutual!

18 Months Old!

Freja is officially a toddler - look out, world! It's bittersweet to me how fast she is growing up.

Giddyup Cowgirl!

We took Freja over to Basalt for the "Downtown Hoedown" this afternoon. There was live country music, a petting zoo, kids' games and lots of kids running around. Freja loves all of these things!

Book Worm

Freja & I had a playdate with Willow & Rachel this morning. Our first stop was a new (to us) park in Basalt. After that we visited the library. Freja LOVES looking at so many books, pulling them off of the shelves and "reading" as many as she can. It's a habit Jan & I encourage every single day!

Day at the Beach!

Freja and I had a fun play date at the beach on the Roaring Fork River this morning. As you can see, the river was very muddy thanks to all of the rain we have been getting. Freja didn't mind the mud one bit!

MEOW

I realize her "meow" sounds more like "MOW" (rhymes with now), but you get the gist. Freja has the sweetest way of meowing and looking like she is so concerned for the kitties when she does it. She recently started doing this air hug thing, sort of hugging herself really, we have no idea where she picked it up because it isn't something we have taught her. But she does it when she sees something she wants to hug, like a cat, or small dog, or her stuffed animals. By now it's taken you longer to read this post than to watch the whole video! Just wanted to share another snippet of our little nut. Enjoy.

Happy Fourth of July!

Freja & I went down to Carbondale this morning to take in the family parade. Mostly kids & parents on bikes, with a few fire trucks thrown in. It lasted about eight minutes - perfect for our short attention spans given the heat. She is really into trucks now and says DUTS whenever she sees any, so needless to say she loved the parade! Hope you all have a happy fourth!

Giggle Box

Jan is giving Freja some raspberries and as you can see, she really likes it. Her laugh is just about the sweetest thing.

Plane

Yesterday we celebrated a friends birthday at a gorgeous house along the Roaring Fork River. Freja loved the big open lawn and probably would have jumped in the river if it weren't for our watchful eyes. The house was also in the flight path for the Aspen airport. There were several low flying planes and with each one Freja would get really excited and point to them. I think she is going to be a pilot like her great grandmother!

The pink car

Our neighbor and one-time babysitter Karen loaned us this pink car this spring. Freja loves to climb on it or to be pushed around in it all over the neighborhood. If you've noticed it shows up frequently on the blog or on Facebook because it is a huge hit!

I'm posting this update from a blogger app on my iPhone. If all goes well you should see more frequent updates in the future! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Father's Day!!

Now that Freja is walking around all over the place, I find I'm always looking for ways to keep her occupied. I saw this idea on Pinterest recently & thought it would be perfect to entertain her while I'm in the kitchen, and keep her just out of the kitchen since it is cozy in there. It is an oil drip tray attached to the cabinet with velcro, used as a magnet board. Jan helped me round up the supplies and as soon as it was up Freja was intrigued. Success!

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day & weekend!

Jabber-Walky

...is a cleverly titled post as this video clip shows Freja jabbering away whilst walking around & around the coffee table. If you've ever wondered just what Freja & I do all day, well, here's a snippet!

Guest Blogger Gramy Jeanne

We had a fantastic time with Jan, Kelly and Freja in Colorado! We went to Rock Bottom Farm to see the piglets, bunnies, poultry and kids (goats and children, as it turned out).

We loved being at home with them in their routine. Freja has it down so well, when it's time to play, eat, nap run around, go to the park, or read. She is happy all the time, talking and responding to everything around her.

We enjoyed seeing Jan being such a wonderful dad and husband. Happy second Father's Day, Son! We're so lucky to have Kelly and Freja in our lives. Thank you so much for all your hospitality.

Where Did May Go?!

Just a quick post to keep things fresh! We had a great visit with Jeanne & Dirk last week and they are planning to send a recap for the blog in the next few days. Freja is growing like a weed - she's up 2 inches in the last 3 months! - and walking all over the place these days. We've been having a lot of fun at music class, hiking & biking, and meeting friends at the playground in our neighborhood. Hope you all have a great Memorial Day!

The Good Life, Florida Style

Freja & I got to spend a week with my mom & Dennis in Florida last week, and we both really enjoyed the easy living! Those retired folks know how to have a good time.

The week flew by, with us doing a whole lot of nothing, but somehow still feeling busy. We spent time at the pool working on our (my) tan, and Freja loved splashing around. One evening we went to the neighbors for happy hour, and on Friday had happy hour at the Wilhelms. Freja warmed up to the crowds and we both enjoyed meeting Mom & Dennis's friends.

On Thursday Dennis took us out to Cayo Costa, an island/state park in the bay. It was a beautiful boat ride, although Freja slept through most of it, both ways. We had a picnic on the boat then walked along the beach getting our feet wet. This was a big adventure, especially for a one-year-old, and definitely a highlight of our trip.

This video clip is Freja watching a boat go by. She is really missing the low windows and great views now that we're back home!

She Walks!

I can only hope that the thrill of seeing Freja walking makes you all forget how long it's been since the last blog post! And that no one notices she's wearing the exact same PJs today that she was nearly a month ago (I swear she's been in different clothes in the interim).

Freja turned 14 months old on Wednesday, and that was the day she really started taking her first steps without holding on to anything. Since then she's made quick progress moving across the room and then some. She's pretty proud of herself when she's on the move. Needless to say, we are too. 

Social Climber

Freja is really in to climbing on everything these days. Everything. We'll rearrange pillows & toys in her room so she can't climb up to one thing, and she finds something else to get to. The little music drum from the Vonderschmidts is by the window now, and she gets herself right up on top of it so she can peer out the window.

Other things she enjoys climbing on include pillows, stuffed animals, her car, Jan, me, etc. We think she's thisclose to walking, but who knows. Honestly we're not in a hurry for that milestone - she's mobile enough with the crawling & climbing!

Giggle Box

Sometimes Freja & I play this little game when she's in her high chair, where she puts her head back and sort of arches her back, and waits for me to tickle her tummy. Yesterday she was really hamming it up, and for once ignored the camera and just kept it up. Anything for a laugh!

This clip also gives a good view of all those crazy teeth coming in on top. There are four you can see and two more about to come through. Chompers!

Freja's First Birthday!

Guest post for the birthday girl from Grandma Marsha & Grandpa Gene!

Wow!  A birthday party for Freja!  With balloons and cupcakes and everything, including other children and their mommies and daddies.  She likes balloons.

Our little birthday girl has been so special and fun to be with this week.  From talking on her pretend cell phone saying "Hello, hello!" to cuddling before bedtime.  She has been a pleasure to be with--many smiles, much jabbering, and even some words.

One highlight was our trip to her music class.  Many little ones and their mommies and one grandma and one grandpa (us) beating on drums and dancing and swaying to the music, singing songs.  We all had a lot of fun.

Just waking up and hearing her jabbering, and then being the first to chat with her in the AM.  And you all know how much I  (Grandpa Gene) like to chat in the morning.  A special trip.  

We will miss her very much until the next visit.

Dirk & Jeanne, you all need to join us in Indiana the next time that Freja comes to visit.  We have two extra bedrooms.  So get with Kelly and Jan and let's geterdone.

Grandma Marsha and Grandpa Gene

Note: it looks like we lost the Flickr photostream gadget on Sweet Koorn, but you can check out some new pictures I put on Flickr by following this link.  The video below is a little long, but it took Freja a while to warm up to the cupcake! 

Guest Blogger: Grandma Cecilia!

Grandma Cecilia here… what a fun time I have had these past several days visiting Freja (Jan & Kelly have been pretty busy celebrating Kellly’s BIG birthday, so I’ve had a LOT of quality time with the baby).  It has been such fun watching Freja – it seems she learns something new every day.  She has lots of toys that have buttons and switches and she has figured how to turn them all on and off and knows which ones have music – she starts “dancing” almost before they start.  She’s also quite the reader; she LOVES books and spends a lot of quiet time every day looking through her “stash.”  She isn’t quite ready to walk but gets around pretty fast crawling.  A third tooth appeared about the time I got here and two more are quite visible.  She’s discovered her voice and I’m sure she says “thank you” at the appropriate times.  One of her favorite things is playing peek-a-boo, anywhere and everywhere.  She is just lots of fun! Check Facebook for more pictures!

Cruisin'

And away she goes!

Well, sort of.  Our friends Rachel & Brian lent us their daughter Willow's ride-on walker for Freja recently, and in just a few days she's really made great strides (bada-bing!) with the walking. She loves cruising across the room almost as much as she loves riding across the room. We are so lucky to have great hand-me-downs and loaners from all of our other parent-friends.

My mom, Cecilia, arrives tomorrow, and we can't wait!  I'm really excited to get a few days of quality time with my mom and our baby, especially now that I am a SAHM (stay-at-home mom - just keeping you all up with the lingo) and have so much "free" time on my hands. Look for a guest post on the blog from my mom while she is here!

Mrs. Busybody

Here's just a minute and a half of Freja being Freja. As you see in the beginning, and much to my delight, she works hard at putting all of her toys away (some of the time, anyway). She's learning to wave, she plays the drum and as previously mentioned a few times, she LOVES to read books. Enjoy.

Mrs. Books

So Jan & I have a habit of calling Freja "Mrs. XX," where XX is whatever she's up to. Like if we're feeding her puffs she is Mrs. Puffs, and if we're putting her in her pajamas she is Mrs. PJs, etc. Here she is entertaining herself (we are so lucky) in her room, being Mrs. Books. She loves to get them ALL out of the basket, turn the pages, and babble-slash-read her books. It's very cute, more often than not the book is upside down, but never you mind she is reading it anyway!

Freja & I are enjoying my first week of being a SAHM. We went to story time at the library on Monday, music class this morning and met some friends in the park this afternoon. Breaking up with work has definitely been great so far! Being here playing with Freja and going on walks around the 'hood beat sitting in a cubicle any day. She is a great little co-worker.

Freja's Room Redux

As most of you know Freja's room has been our office nook off the living room for the past 10 1/2 months. Sometime after Thanksgiving we rearranged our living room & dining room to make the dining room Freja's playroom.  It gave us one big babyproofed space for her to roam around in.  Yesterday the transformation from dining room to baby's room became complete, after A LOT of work from me & the boss.  We are both exhausted and sore today - are we getting old or something? - and excited to have a dedicated office again.  Today's video gives a little tour of her new room.  As you can see, she's pretty much mastered "Uh oh!"  Now if you'll excuse me, I need a massage....