Where have all the pacifiers gone?

When Will and I were getting ready to buy bottles and pacifiers I thought we would be just fine with two pacifiers.  Then both of my sisters suggested that we might want 4 because they have a way of disappearing.  Somehow we ended up with 6 and right now I only know where 2 of them are and of the two, I only know where this one is because I was weak and bought this cool, but overpriced pacifier thing.  I'm thinking I might have to make a couple more of these once we find the other pacifiers.  Anyway, Anders is sleeping in the moving swing which is why the picture is off-center. 

Will bought Anders his first non-hand-me-down Iowa gear when he (Will) was down in Iowa for the Iowa-Iowa State game.  Here is he is showing his team spirit last Saturday, unfortunately it didn't help the team.  He looks pretty good in black though.

Here he is getting loved up (as Clare of Sawbill used to call it) by one of his grandmas.  

Here is my dad saying goodbye to Anders.  My parents left today.  It was very sad for me to have them leave, especially because I don't know for sure when they will see Anders again.  It will be a few months though.  They did tons to help out around here.  My dad stained all the woodwork that we stripped last year and it is beautiful.  The picture rail in our living room and dining room that was painted copper looks 1000 times better stained - it is oak.  I haven't taken a picture yet, but even if I do, I don't think it will do the work justice.  My mom was super, super supportive with Anders, even when I was a stressed out new mom.    Thanks to both of my parents for all their help and patience with me.  Also thanks for the chocolate cake (we celebrated my birthday a few days early).  

Anders has entered this stage of having to be held to fall asleep.  He is very sweet, but this makes things tricky.  Yesterday I was in the shower at 6 am, but mistakenly got dressed in "lounge around the house" clothes to start my day and was extremely frustrated to still be in those clothes at 11 am, when my parents and Anders and I were supposed to be heading out the door at 11:30.  He just didn't want to be set down and for the most part wanted to be held by me.  Other than that he is good.  He needs a bath though, but we keep going to bed by 9 pm.  

On the Lucy front:  other than the mast cell tumor, she is great.  She is extremely perky and energetic and today we walked down to the coffee shop and she hung out waiting for us while we ate breakfast without even barking at us to hurry up.  She is loving going for walks and she was just naughty and tricked Will into letting her outside so that she could have a treat by coming back in, yet she had no other reason to go outside.  So, we are investigating our options for treating her.  We have two treatment options - radiation at the U of M or chemotherapy via our vet.  Both options are intended to shrink the tumor in order to try to remove it.  The one thing we both know for sure is that we want to limit the trauma that the dog goes through.

Anders and I had our first meeting with my new mama (and babies) group on Monday and am so thrilled that I decided to do it.  It is great to chat with 7 other women and a midwife and find out that some of the stuff I am feeling is normal.  Anders is the second youngest baby there.  Today we visited the lab and I was happy to see that things are going well there.   Anders also met his great-grandpa yesterday.  We went to the nursing home to see him.  My parents took a 4 generations picture, but I don't have it yet.  Everyone loves a baby - even the residents of the nursing home, who in many cases seemed to be zoning out perked up when they saw the baby. Babies have quite an effect on people.  The picture above is Anders after his busy day of keeping me from getting dressed, going to Panera (after dropping Grandpa off at White Castle), going to a cool baby store and then going to the nursing home.