Successfully Home

Nate was dismissed from the hospital earlier this afternoon. He is successfully home and doing great. Up walking and moving around as much as possible. He only walks for about 5 minutes and sits up for no more than 30. He can only lift a gallon of milk for at least 3 weeks. We are learning how to adapt and Elyse loves that he is home. She can't get enough of him. Constantly saying, "Dada" and reaching her arms for him to hold her. Unfortunately he can't unless he is sitting. Overall, I am so glad everything went so smooth and even more glad he is home. Thanks again for your prayers, now to a quick 6 weeks of recovery.
A special thanks to my mom for watching Elyse and helping out around the house and for my stepdad, Gary for letting us have mom for the weekend.

Successful Surgery

Nate's surgery went really well. He did great and everything went very smooth the doctor said. So, thank you for your prayers today! If you want to talk to Nate or see him here is his information:
-He will have his cell phone with him so you can always try that first
-Room Telephone #612-775-3778
-Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis.
-Located in the Heart Hospital Section. (Take the heart hospital elevators to the 7th floor)
-Room #H7078

Prayer Request for Nate

Today at 1:00 p.m. Nate will be going in to have back surgery. Please pray that everything goes well, wisdom and good hands for the doctors and it to be an overall successful operation.

A few questions some people have asked us...
1. When did Nate break his back? Do not know, it's been hurting for a long time
2. How long is the surgery? 4 hours
3. Where is he having it done? Abbot Northwestern in Minneapolis
4. How long will he be in the hospital? 3-4 days
5. Does he want visitors? If you can come, he'd love to see you Sat or Sun
6. How long will his recovery take? approximately 6 weeks

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime. God has his hands in this today and I am just trusting in Him that He will bring my husband home feeling like a brand new man.

Noisey Little Trouble Maker

So I have heard from many parents that when they don't hear their child they are most likely getting into something they are not suppose to. Well, like I have mentioned before Elyse loves to not be the norm...Elyse was playing in her room so I figured I had a few minutes to go put away some laundry in our bedroom two doors down. I continuously heard her talking and singing away, so I assumed she was fine. However, I realized her sounds were a lot louder than they should have been. So I put down the laundry walked to her room and was stopped in my tracks. There was Elyse getting into the toilet and toilet paper while still singing and talking away. I then decided I was going to have the "that's not a toy" discussion after I went to get the camera to capture my little trouble maker.

Fun in 90 Degrees

So there isn't much fun about the thought of being outside in 90 degrees. That is until you blow up a pool, block the sun with a shade, get a swimsuit on and jump in. Today hit the mid nineties and so we thought nothing would be more fun for Elyse than cooling off in a pool. The water was super warm but with her shade it was perfect. She spent a good thirty minutes playing and splashing as evident in the video. I finally feel like summer is here, yeah!

Special thanks to Elyse's Grandpa and Grandma Klauser for the pool!

Happy Father's Day

So I have heard many times from many different people that Father's Day is everyday. Even if that were true I still think fathers deserve a day to celebrate being dads to our children. Nate really is an amazing father! He is loving, gentle, fun, thoughtful, honest, a provider, and a very Godly man. I was super excited today to wake up to spend the day focused on him being Elyse's dad. The weather wasn't the greatest today but we did spend a lot of quality time. Elyse got to wake up Nate this morning, then we all went to church, spent the day playing, did a little shopping, ate some good food from Famous Dave's (Nate's request) and opened some gifts from Elyse to Nate. She got him the flash for his Nikon camera he wanted and a photo block so he could see her in many ways while at work. I hope Nate had a wonderful and relaxing Father's day. I love him with all my heart and I know for a fact his daughter does too! Happy 1st Father's Day Nate!!!

I also want to take a moment and wish my dad and Nate's dad a very Happy Father's Day too. We miss you both and hope you had a wonderful day.

Watches Dadda Every Time

So every few days Nate mows our yard. I really appreciate him doing it for a few reasons...
#1: it is something I really don't enjoy doing
#2: it enables me to get something else done, like blogging :)
#3: it keeps Elyse busy for about 20 minutes. See every time Nate mows the front yard Elyse watches him. She stares out the window, taps at it and/or screams "Dada" over and over again. I think it's incredible cute.
Thank you Nate for being an amazing husband who does the mowing chore!

Amen

Whether out at a restaurant, someone's home or at our own table, we always give thanks to God before we eat our meal. Nate and I hold one of our hands together and grab Elyse's with the other open hand. We want her to be apart of our praying time before we eat.
Well the cutest thing happened last night. Nate decided he wanted to take his girls out to dinner. I was super excited since I love to go out to eat and it's been awhile since all three of us had. Nate and I ordered and while we were waiting for our meal, we let Elyse start eating her banana. Then once our food arrived we decided to let her just keep eating (she had very sticky fingers from the banana) and we would just hold our hands together. With our eyes shut and heads bowed praying, Elyse by herself decided to place her hand on ours and leave it there until we were done. Once finished Nate and I both look at each other and smile, and then turn to Elyse who too was smiling.

Picture is taken in Michigan, but cute picture of Elyse praying :)

Finally....

...Elyse got her first tooth! Most children get their first tooth at around 7 months. When Elyse had her 9 month check-up she was still all gums. Late last night when Elyse was exploring my mouth and trying to touch my tongue, I decided I would do the same, and then all of a sudden I felt something sharp. I was so excited. I then proceeded to lift up the lips to see the new tooth on top. Most children get their bottom two central incisor first, then their top two central incisor. However, Nate and I always knew Elyse was extra special and likes to do things on her own. Elyse's first tooth was not a central incisor but a lateral incisor on her top left side. I love when babies smile only with their two bottom teeth, guess I will have to settle for a smiling baby with a top side tooth instead.

Unsolved Mystery

Our front door use to be painted an ugly gray, so Nate decided to refinish it so the natural wood would show instead. It's looking good so far, but that's not the point of the mystery. Today was raining non-stop so Nate and I had to take the door down and carry it to the garage through the house instead of outside. So we opened Elyse's little step gate and proceeded to take it to the garage. Elyse got a new toy Nate found on Craig's List so we assumed it would keep her busy while we moved the door like it's done in the past. We we wrong! I walked back into the house and found Elyse crawling towards me. She some how made it down the three steps to get to the family room. When I saw her she was smiling. We also found NO marks, bruises, cuts or anything showing she got hurt. Maybe she scooted backwards as we have been working on, maybe she slid on her stomach, maybe she rolled every step, I guess the mystery will never be solved. All we know is we need to keep that gate closed 24/7 from now on.

Elyse with her new toy, distance from Elyse's play room to stairs Nate working on the front door in the garage, see the beautiful wood Spot where I found Elyse after successfully making it down the stairs

With Assistance...

...she's walking :)

9 Month Check-up

So Elyse had her 9 month check-up today and passed everything. The doctor said she looks and acts great. She also told us that we can start her on regular food too. So tonight she had a few bites of cheese, banana and a turkey meatball. It appeared as if she still preferred her vegetable baby food though. She didn't know what to think at first. She continuously kept looking at her hands, I think she was thinking...wow, mom and dad are really letting me get dirty at the table ;) She also was 19 lbs, 3 oz (57th percentile) for weight and 29 inches long (90th percentile) for height. Overall, very successful doctor appointment; plus I think it was Elyse's favorite because she left without any shots.

Below are a few 9 month pictures Nate took.

9 Months Old

Happy 9 Month Birthday Elyse! While Nate and I were talking yesterday about how much we love this little 9 month old, I mentioned I want to freeze her right now. Every month I want her to stop growing, not because I love that stage, but because that just means she's going to be a teenager in no time. However, it's different now. I want her to stop growing because I LOVE this stage. She's crawling, standing, talking, and expressing her personality daily. She will play by herself now but still loves to be around people. I can't get over how beautiful and perfect she is. God really blessed Nate and I with a gift that we love so much!
Elyse is having her 9 month check up on Wednesday, so for grandparents and other interested people the stats and more 9 month pictures will be coming soon.

Mastered the Art of Climbing

Well I've said it many times and many people have seen that Elyse is constantly pulling herself up on things. I feel now that I never got it on video and it's been a month it's old news. So what is new news? Elyse is now pulling herself up the stairs. She climbed all 12 stairs last night. Nate and I can't get over how physically strong and strong willed our child is. It takes her awhile to do it, but at just under 9 months, we are very proud! Oh yeah, my life just got a little more busy, time to add another gate :)

Elyse Stair Climbing from Natalie Klauser on Vimeo.