The Lieslands

The past week has been the most challenging we have had since Mari was born. Aside from the fact that it has been incredibly hot out, Mari and Andrew have been keeping things interesting for us.

Mari has been a little fussy, but not too bad. She still likes to sleep a lot, and usually if she is awake, she would rather be sleeping. She has brief periods where she is awake and just taking in the world around her. She is smiling a lot more. We just had her one month check-up (even though she is 5 1/2 weeks) and she weighed in at 10.12, which is not too shabby.

Andrew has been doing very well lately. He is learning more and more about Mari, and the rest of the world, every day. He has even been able to take some good naps, as Susan has been able to get him down while Mari is napping.

Susan and I have been doing well. Mari has had a few rough nights, which have added some stress to our lives, but we are dealing.

I just put some new pics up on the picture website.

Next few weeks should be fun, as there will be many visitors. We’ll keep you updated!

After me being home for two weeks, and then her mom being in town for two weeks, Susan is finally spending her first full day with two kids. I was scared to call home and ask how things were doing, so when Susan called me in the mid-afternoon to tell me that things were not only going ok, but Andrew even got a nap in, I was delighted.

I guess it has been a few weeks, and a lot has happened. Susan’s Mom has come and gone, as she and Gary, who came in last Thursday, left this morning to head back to Des Moines. Their visit was certainly a great help, as it allowed us a longer adjustment period.

Andrew is doing well. I would say that he is slowly learning how to treat Mari. He still doesn’t understand that he can’t just pull, grab, and press where he likes, but he is learning. More than anything, he likes to give her kisses. His vocabulary is exploding, and he is talking more than ever.

Mari is also doing well. She has a little cold right now, and her baby acne is hopefully going to be going away soon. She is beginning to understand that there is a world around her. She follows things with her eyes and even flashes the occassional smile. Her eyes are definitely open a lot more now. She has been spending most nights in the downstairs bedroom with Susan, as she goes to bed later than Andrew, and needs to get up sometimes in the middle of the night. Hopefully Susan and Mari will be back upstairs in the big bed soon.

The upcoming months have some fun events for us, as Susan’s sisters Mary and Erin (with their kids, Nate included) will be coming on separate visits. As fall approaches we have some trips on our calendar, as we head down to Berea, KY for the Zoe Speaks Clear Creek Music Festival. We tried to go down last year, but Andrew was sick, so we didn’t make it. Hopefully we won’t waste our money again this year. After that we have a couple weddings up North: One in September, in Cleveland, and one in Wisconsin. These trips should be interesting, as we try to get everyone to sleep in the same hotel room.

Wow, I think that is all I have to say for now. Drop us a line with any questions/comments.

Well, my return to work has certainly been interesting. Along with the normal work requirements, I was greeted on Thursday with my cubicle filled with balloons, well I thought it was filled. I came back Friday to find even more balloons, this time up to my chest. Along with the balloons came a few other random decorations, that I think you will be able to figure out for yourself. Here’s the pics.

Aside my my return to work, things at home are going fairly well. I have been doing half-days this week, so the real fun starts next week. Luckily, Susan’s mom is coming to town to help us out.

Mari is doing well. She is starting to develop a fussy period, but it is not too bad.

Andrew appears to be adjusting to the recent changes. He is sleeping a little less, and nursing a little more, and with his new haircut, he is really cute.

I will try to get some updated pics of Andrew and Mari up this afternoon when I get home.

Keep it real.

Well, it has been a few weeks, but if you are one of the few people who read this, then you are probably aware that Mari has finally arrived. She came only sixteen days after her estimated date of arrival, but she is certainly ready for the real world.

She spends most of her days sleeping and nursing. She enjoys the swing, the sling, and surfing. OK, I made that last part up, but I couldn’t thing of another word that begins with “s” and ends with “ing”.

Anyway, if you missed the pics, here is a link: Mari’s Pics.

You know where to reach us. . .

It is annoying enough that Susan is now ten days late, but to make things a little more crazy for us, yesterday was the hottest day since July 8th, 2003. This is mostly due to the fact that last summer was very cool. BUT, come on. Can’t we catch a break?

For those of you who are paying enough attention to know that we were due a few days ago and wonder what is going on, we are waiting, as patiently as possible. Dr. Bowen does not have us on a strict schedule, so we do what we can to encourage labor, and we wait.

Well, we have been playing the waiting game for a while now. Susan was due a week ago, and still no signs of a new Liess-Hyland. The good thing is that Susan’s parents are in town to help keep everyone sane and to help with Andrew when Susan goes into labor. Also good news is that our Dr is willing to be patient with us.

We have spent the last week making minor preparations for the new kid, as all of the major ones have been finished for a few weeks. Other than that, just a lot of hanging out and waiting.

In other news:

• Gary’s car may be fixed.
• My car is in the shop, getting the turn signal and muffler fixed.
• The US Mens Team plays against Panama at 8:30 tonight.
• The Reds suck.
• Ten Club membership rates are going up.
• I found a cool Seattle NPR station: KEXP.

I’m Snuffleupagus.

It is a sad day when I start to check my own blog for updates, so I thought that I better make some.

Susan: Susan is doing great. She is a having a little trouble sleeping, but I would say that she is doing very well (she may say something else). In case you haven’t checked our countdown page lately, she is due any day now, although we don’t expect any activity until next week, or the week after.

Andrew: Andrew is also doing well. He is building his vocabulary and his ability to climb. He is extra-clingy, probably in anticipation of the impending doom that will enter his life (but believe me, he has no clue what is coming).

Rob: I am doing well. Trying to finalize some things at work before I have to take a few days off. I have also been doing a lot in the yard, including putting together and sealing our new picnic table, which has been a lengthy process for Susan and I.

Not much planned over the next few weeks, except having a kid. If you are reading this, then you are probably on the email list, but if you think that you may not be, drop us a line, and we will make sure that you are.

It has been a long time since our last post. Nothing major happening lately.

Susan and I have begun final preparations for newbie, who will be arriving in a few weeks. We still have a few more things to get ready, but we are almost there.

Andrew is doing well and is cuter than ever. He loves to play outside, in the car, and in other people’s yards. He also has a new outside swing that he really enjoys.

Susan has her last class in a few hours, and then all she needs to do to be certified is take the PRAXIS.

The rain barrel is doing well. It seems to be either feast or famine when it comes to getting it filled.

We’ll keep you informed.

After weeks of planning and agonizing, it is finally ready: The Rain Barrel. I got a free 55-gallon barrel from Meier’s Wine Cellars (under the advising of Linda) and put some hardware in it, put up a gutter (with some help from Alex), and finally put the two together. Now, all I need is some rain.

After being told about this project people have said, “That’s great Rob, but what are you going to do with the water?” We are going to water our garden (that doesn’t exist yet, but is the next project (after we paint our living room this saturday)).

Other than that, I am excited for Red’s Opening Day.

Susan is still blossoming and Andrew is almost tall enough to open all the doors in our house.

We are all excited for some great Spring weather that has finally descended upon us (after a cold March). Andrew has a great time chasing around balls in the back yard (except for when I throw them on the roof or in the neighbor’s yard).

Keep it real (and sorry about all the parentheses in this post)!

After a nice trip to Des Moines, Susan, Andrew, and I are back in Cincinnati. We came back to a very wet city, but the good weather is here now (though maybe not for long).

We had a great trip to Des Moines, even though Andrew had a few rough days. My biggest fear on this trip is always the drive and this was the most successful trip we have had yet, in that regard. On the way home we only had to stop once and made it in 8:45 (you do the math).

Now that we are back we have our hands full with things to do around the house. We need to get things ready for the new kid and also start doing some maintenance outside now that spring is here. Since there was a creek in our laundry room when we returned, one of the first things we need to do is get up a gutter over our back porch which will hook into a rain barrel.

That’s it for now. Thanks for checkin’ in.

After many months with the same blog template, I finally decided to take a chance on my own. Let me know if you notice anything weird.

You know where to reach me: in my cubicle.

It has been a long time, but there is a reason for that: I am lazy.

That, and nothing major in the past few weeks. Susan, Andrew, and I have been busy hanging out with friends, getting the house ready for the new kid, and getting ready to have the new kid. In case you didn’t know, Susan and I are into natural childbirth. More specifically, the Bradley Method. We are also going to be enlisting the services of a doula this time around, to help us out.

As for around the house, we finally moved the TV to the basement and got another twin bed for the upstairs bedroom. We have no clue who is going to sleep there, but it seems fairly likely that someone will. In April we need to paint one more room and a hallway. We should probably paint another wall also, but I am not too sure how much time we are going to have to get all this done. Especially since I am eager to start doing some work outside. I need to get our compost pile set up better and I also want to install a rain barrel in our back yard.

Susan is going to be finishing up her classes in May, so we can already count on two (2) hands the total number of classes she has left. She is also taking a prenatal yoga class on Saturdays that seems pretty nice.

Susan and Andrew have also begun the Parents & Tots Program at the Cincinnati Waldorf School. They have only been to one class so far, and Susan already accidentally left her folder there and took someone else’s felt egg. I hope they don’t get expelled.

Andrew is beginning to talk a lot more. He isn’t quite ready for Hamlet’s soliloquy yet, but he is definitely learning to get his point across. One really cute thing he did recently was when we were on a walk in the park a few days ago. He was picking up leaves and trying to put them back on the trees.

Drop us a line. (It’s the least you can do. Unless you are one of Susan’s friends and you call all the time, but she never calls you back, in which case, sorry.) UPDATE: I told Susan about this comment, and she said that if you want to know what is going on then call me, because I will call you back. The downside to this is that you will have to talk with me, which is not quite the same.