we are the champions

So it would seem that if Patrick ever wants his favorite teams to win the world championship, all he has to do is deploy.  When he was in Iraq in 2009, the Steelers won the Super Bowl.  You might remember it from this.  And now the Cardinals have gone against the odds and won probably one of the best World Series in recent history.

Gunnar and I cheered them on the whole way...

 He sported his various St. Louis outfits throughout the post season...
(thanks Auntie Mer!)

 And when all was said and done, he crashed, ha!

Congrats to St. Louis on a job very well done.  Wish we could have been out there for it, but we are looking forward to taking baby man to visit the arch, Busch stadium, and perhaps the Budweiser brewery very soon!  Oh yeah, and Uncle Larry too :)

gunny boy

So Patrick's mom called him "sonny boy" when he was growing up.  She may or may not still call him that :)

And he may or may not kill me for saying this, but he loves it.

Now that I've got my own "gunny boy" its apparent that the momma's boy gene was inherited.

Are you kidding me with that face?!  He better always be that happy to get love from his momma.

almost

We had a family photo shoot outside today.  Well almost our whole family, there is a key member missing...

 We are missing Dad more and more every day.  BUT!  We did get to skype tonight (even if Patrick couldn't see us, we could see him).  Gunnar was fussing until he heard Dad's voice and then he just stared back at the computer screen.

 It totally melted my heart.  I love all my boys so much!  I am beyond blessed.

i've got sunshine on a cloudy day

This kid is seriously all smiles.  When he wakes up, when he hears my voice, when we snuggle, when we talk to Dad, and especially when he poops... I just love it!

 

No matter what kind of day I'm having, I can't help but smile when I look at him.  I am the luckiest mom in the world to have this sunny dispositioned little guy to call my own.

baby face

These are just a few of my favorite faces... all courtesy of my sister, Kelly...

I call this one "pirate eye"

 in this one you can almost see his bottom lip quivering getting ready to cry

 sweetest. profile. ever.

 this one reminds me so much of Patrick.

 and the winner!  My absolute favorite...

he looks like he's laughing very heartily 

(in reality he's getting ready to yawn)

More in love with this kid every day.

my best friend's wedding

One of my very best friends got married last weekend, and I must say... she was the most beautiful bride I have ever seen.  Myself included!  Carly and I played hockey together at Mary Wash, and lived together for 3 years there.  She married Justin, also a Mary Wash alum, but who we have grown closer to because he is also a Marine, went through TBS with Patrick, and then they were both stationed at Camp Lejeune.  These two are very near and dear to our hearts and we really could not be happier for them.

Now, I'm sure she had some stresses on her big day (because don't we all) but from an outsider's view, it seemed that everything about her day was perfect!  It was the most gorgeous fall day, in the cutest little town.  Us girls had a funfilled morning and afternoon of mimosas, baby talk, the most wonderful pumpkin cookies, and feeling like models.  Guns came along for the ride, and he was a trooper!  Here are some of my favorite photos from the day:

Patrick was there all day too!

getting ready... isn't that dress stunning?!

 loving her finger waves

 champagne in the church pre-ceremony

 baby love (10 seconds before walking down the aisle)

 "my mom's going to kill me for wearing a denim jacket"

"but you're really pulling it off"

walking to the reception

 all of the girls

 checking out the groom's new accessory

 I love how happy he looks looking down at his ring

 bride about to be serenaded by the groom

 groom getting ready to entertain us with some Lynard Skynard

the bride and groom headed back to the b&b after a fabulous celebration

Congratulations Carly and Justin!  We are so excited for you and can't wait for the many years of double dates ahead of us!  Enjoy Belize!  XOXO

four weeks

My little Gunnar boy is one whole month old!  Well, he was 4 weeks yesterday (since he was born on a Wednesday), and one month tomorrow (the 14th) so I split the difference and I'm posting today.  We had yet another fun filled and exciting week!

He took his first walk in the stroller, and LOVED it!  It is well worth the money Dad!

We also went to South Carolina to visit my sister Kelly (who obviously already knows him) and her 7 kids (who hadn't met him yet).  It was so fun, the kids all got to hold him and love on him, and he loved on them back.

We practiced more, and fell completely in love with tummy time.  He's already scooting himself forward!  He just has to get his head and arms to cooperate...

We also stopped by the hospital to get weighed today, and can you guess how much he tipped the scale at?  Nine lbs, ten oz!  My growing boy!  That's 1 pound in 2 weeks!  His newborn onesies are starting to get a little snug, and I think we may have to move on from the newborn diapers.

We have an even bigger weekend ahead of us... another road trip up north for Auntie Carly's wedding!  Check back for more on that next week!

celebrity mom

I have the same exact car seat as Jessica Alba.  How cool am I?

Thanks to US Weekly for the photo.  That's all.

three weeks

My Gunny boy is now three whole weeks old!  Okay so I should have posted this yesterday, but the serious lack of sleep is starting to get to me...  We had a very busy week.

This week we ushered in October, and fall weather.  And we had the appropriate outfit, thanks to Aunt Kelly!

Some of our cousins came to visit!  Pat's sister and her family stopped by to meet Gunnar and introduce him to their Mackenzie and David (who is just about a month older then Guns)!

We also spent this week cheering on Dad's favorite baseball team - the Cardinals!  They are playing in the NLDS, and as of last night the series is tied up and we are going to game 5!

Big news is that his belly button arrived (sounds so much better then "his umbilical cord fell off"), so he got his first bath!  He loves the warm water, and doesn't fuss at all until he has to get out.  A waterpolo star in the making, just like Dad.

My favorite part about this week is the he is smiling SO much!  I can't get over it!  It's hard to catch on film mostly because I don't want to stop watching him to get the camera... but I did manage to get this one:

He also took a nap in his own crib, instead of the pack 'n play (or my bed).  The nap may or may not have lasted only about 10 minutes because he may or may not have peed all over himself (and the sheets).

 So a quick wardrobe/linen change, but he was wide awake, and wouldn't stop staring at his Daddy doll!

We also made our first outings.  He came with me to run errands, which of course included picking up some new things for him.  I mean honestly, how can I resist that face?!  And the big trip was all the way up to DC for Auntie Carly's bachelorette party!  Way to go Guns for holding it down in a group of 20 crazy, dance partying women.  I thought that was the appropriate first social outing for a newborn, don't you agree?

Oh, and we started tummy time!  Just for a few minutes at a time, he seems to really love it.  Too bad I can't put him to sleep on his stomach, I think he would prefer it that way!  Then at least I could get some shut eye.  Oh well...  People do survive the sleepless nights, right?!