Welcome back Grandma and Grandpa!

Grandma and grandpa came out for a 2 week visit.  We had an amazing time, not to mention they helped us out tremendously.  We hiked around Tony Grove, went to the zoo, fed the ducks, played at the playground, played in the sprinkler, and they got to see Ramsey's swimming lessons.  Lyla even grew out of the newborn size while they were here. She loves her new swing and Ramsey loves his garbage truck and car carrier truck. 

And best of all we had free babysitting for a night on the town!

One Month!

This is Lyla at one month old and doing well. She was 5 lbs. 14 oz and 19 inches long at the doctor appointment.  The doctor said she was growing fast and looks perfect.  

 Below is Lyla on her first chariot ride and Ramsey on his new balance bike.  He has gotten pretty fast and can jump and down the curbs.  I guess he takes after his Dad!

Bye Bye Grammy

We were very fortunate to have my mother come out the day after Lyla was born.  She stayed for 3 weeks and was a huge help.  The first week she was a huge help to me at the hospital and driving me back and forth.  The second week she took Ramsey and I since had to teach a course in Moab.  We never would have imagined that this course would get in the way of having the baby! And the third week, she was here to help us get settled after Lyla's homecoming.

This was on mother's day.  I arranged for my mom to participate in Lyla's bath and have the opportunity to hold her for the first time. It was a wonderful evening!

 

Grammy spent most of her time entertaining Ramsey.  Ramsey is still pretty obsessed with garbage trucks and dumpsters.  He literally screams with excitement when the garbage truck comes.  He also likes to walk around and look into the dumpsters to see what is inside.  And if they are full, that means the truck is coming soon! 

They also had a ton of fun going to the playground, riding bikes, reading books like Wacky Wednesday (and acting it out), and playing hide and seek. But best of all, Grammy gave us a huge head start on the potty training. We now have a potty tracker on the wall.  Ramsey gets a sticker every time he goes potty.  We hope he gets the hang of it soon!

 

This is when Ramsey met his little sister for the first time on May 25, 2012 (our 10th wedding anniversary)!  He has been a very good sport this whole time.  Of course he has gotten to spend it with his grandmother, too! Every time he came to visit me in the hospital he received a gift from Lyla, so he really liked coming there.  And when I would leave at night to go back to the hospital, he was very concerned about Lyla.  Either "Lyla's hungry" or "Lyla's dirty" and he was ok with me leaving to go take care of her.  Now that she is home, he is still reacting very well.  He talked to her the whole ride home from the hospital.  He was showing her all the different dumpsters we passed and telling her everything he knows.  He wants to go and peak at her all the time in her co-sleeper.  So far, (knock on wood) he has been very gentle.

Delilah Jayne Hoffmann

Born May 6, 2012 at 12:05 pm

4 pounds 6 ounces, 17 inches long

33 weeks and 5 days

Homecoming: May 29, 2012

Lyla's birth came as quite a surprise to all of us.  There were no signs of complications until I went into labor on the morning of May 6th.  I immediately recognized that everything seemed the same as the placental abruption I had when in labor with Ramsey.   Because of this, we were able to decide to do the c-section much earlier on than the first time.  However, during the labor, was when we found out that we would be in for a long stay at the NICU.

Lyla came pretty quickly and was whisked away for her immediate needs to be taken care of.  She couldn't breath on her own for several days.  She couldn't regulate her own body temperature and she didn't know how to eat.  She was hooked up to oxygen, an IV, a feeding tube, and all kinds of monitoring wires.   She needed to be able to do all of those things in order to come home.  Our stay in the NICU lasted for 23 long days.  I slept at the hospital every night and balanced my days between Ramsey and the hospital.  Lyla could not have been in a better place with better nurses.  She received the best care possible by nurses who really cared about her.

 

Here's Lyla's first bath 2 days after she was born.  She did not like getting her body washed, but loved getting her hair washed! And of course they like to put little bows in their hair after every bath.

 This is Lyla's isolette with billi lights:

 Kangaroo care was always encouraged.  Although we not allowed to hold her for more than 30 min to an hour depending on how well she could tolerate it.  Even talking to her or something as simple as rubbing her back was too stimulating and exhausting for her to handle.  It is hard to not be allowed to hold and love your baby for so long!

Here is our baby girl at 32 weeks! With all the craziness of having a toddler, we haven't had much of a chance to get ready for her.  During the 5 days I had to myself, I had plenty of time.  I completely rearranged our bedroom to make room for a new dresser/changing table, the rocking chair, and a co-sleeper (with the help of some friends).  Ramsey was so lucky with all the clothes he received, there are plenty of neutral clothes for her up through the 12 months sizes! The dresser is already full of Newborn to 3 months clothes!
I had a couple days of fun, too.  But, now am feeling ready and can't believe it is coming so soon! We are down to doctor visits every two weeks now!

 Ramsey and his Dad took a trip without me all the way to New York for 5 days.  This is the first time I have been away from him for more than an evening! The two did very well together.  They went to cousin Jason's wedding in Long Island.  I heard that Ramsey was a dancing machine on the dance floor.  Wish I could have seen that!

The family got to spend some extra days together, although for an unfortunate reason.  Scott's grandmother passed away just two days before he was supposed to arrived there.  So, the remaining days were spent laying her to rest.  Very unfortunate that the boys missed her by just days.  Scott did get to meet his new nephew Xander below.  What a bunch of cuties!

Ramsey is two years old!

Ramsey had a wonderful 2nd birthday. Abby and Clay flew in the night of his birthday just in time for some cupcakes and presents. Then we had a b-day party for Ramsey after hours at the climbing gym. Rachel from Ramsey's daycare brought his favorite thing in the world - the blow up jumper! He had a good time running around and jumping with his friends. Below is his Mickey Mouse cake:


Abby and Clay stayed out here for a week and had a good time with Ramsey. He grew very attached to them while they were here and still asks where they are! It wasn't all Ramsey time, they managed to get in some climbing, skiing, and a lot of green beer.

Ramsey is very much into garbage trucks and "dirty" dumpsters right now. Every day, we have to walk around looking at the dumpsters and he wants to watch You Tube videos of garbage trucks dumping garbage cans and dumpsters!

Trip to Cincy

Ramsey and I had a quick trip to Cincinnati to see some family. Ramsey had a grand time celebrating his birthday early. He had cake for dinner and for dessert, and enjoyed seeing everyone in the party hats - including his aunt Sarah's dog!
Grammy took Ramsey to the zoo, where he got to see a lot of animals. He had his first taste of Skyline. We got see great aunt Peggy's new house, cousin Sarah's new house, mimi's house, great aunt and uncle Bill and Kathy's house, and my friend Lauren's house. I think he had the most fun of all at "Grammy's house". He got to play the piano, play the cello, play with the cat, and play with Ryan's trains!
He was very good on the plane rides again thanks to Mickey Mouse tv shows on the ipod and lucking out with an extra seat. He told me to move b/c he wanted his own seat!

Big Blue Tractor!

Here is Ramsey on the tractor at the greenhouse where Scott is growing his plants for his PhD. His favorite thing to do right now is go "drive big blue tractor". He asks if he can do this every single day!

It's a Girl!

We just found out we are having a baby girl! The due date is June 19, and she looks healthy. I am definitely excited that there will be some gender balance around here! I had a feeling it was girl b/c of the differences in the pregnancy symptoms.

To prepare this time around, the focus is not on baby gear, but on Scott finishing up school and getting a job! Not knowing where we will be living and/or what the situation will be in June is a little unsettling, but it will all work itself out.

South Padre Island, Tx

This was our first family trip alone to South Padre Island! In fact, it is the first time Scott and I have gone on a week-long trip together since we were married almost 10 years ago.
It was an extremely relaxing and fun week for everyone. Ramsey especially loved the beach. As soon as he saw the ocean he started "talking" to it and pointing "ocean" and "beach". The temps were around 70, and the water a bit cold, but it didn't bother Ramsey. All the old folks walking up and down the beach got a kick out of seeing Ramsey run into the water and chase the birds.
We went to the bird sanctuary and saw a pretty nice variety of egrets, pelicans, and herons. There was also an alligator. We went to the Brownsville zoo, where they had a crocodile statue that Ramsey say on for a half hour shouting out "crocky-DILE" at the top of his lungs.
The favorite restaurant was Daddy's, a Cajun restaurant where we tried frog legs, craw fish, and alligator. We found a pier to watch the sunset. Overall, the island is not too built up and not too touristy. It has the longest stretch of undeveloped beach in the U.S.
Some other funny sayings from Ramsey this week were: "Don't worry Mommy", "Treatchery Treat" (for Sesame Street), "Sunglasses" (very into putting them on his face).

Big Cousin!

Here is Ramsey showing off his happy meal burger....a rare treat, but he ate the whole thing! He is doing really great and providing us with tons of fun and laughs!
He has been talking up a storm. Very close to speaking in sentences; he often repeats whole phrases. He's been using his potty almost once a day, but not quite ready for the full experience. He biggest loves right now are watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and reading his Whiney the Pooh and Mickey Mouse books. He will still watch/read the same thing over and over.
Ramsey's first Hoffmann cousin arrived a couple days ago to Ben and Lacey. They named him Alexander, and we are all so excited to meet him!

Visit from Ashley and Jake

Ashley and Jake came to spend some time with us over the holidays. They brought Ramsey some awesome gifts....a wooden train and a giant Mickey Mouse pillow. They both were a big hit. He still won't go to bed without his Mickey Mouse.
We spent New Year's Eve together with the traditional Hoffmann pigs in a blanket recipe. And they even got to go skiing at Beaver Mountain, too.

Merry Christmas!

Ramsey was a very lucky boy this Christmas. He got a big choo choo train set in the beginning of the month b/c his Dad couldn't wait to give it to him. It his hard to watch a boy beg for a choo choo train every day for a month! Another early gift was the Mickey Mouse stuffed animal. He has been obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and will not let this toy leave his sight!
From Santa: He got some play food and dishes for his kitchen. The food has a knife and can be cut in half, to keep him away from the real knives. Glow in the dark stars and moon for his ceiling, a hammer and marble toy, colored bath bubbles, the biggest container of honey you can buy, and some gummy bears.
From Grandma and Grandpa Browning 2 basketball hoops (one for the bath and one for the kitchen), some pictures and lots of clothes
From Grandma and Grandpa Hoffmann a potty and a potty book
From Sammy and Justin, a Xavier sweatshirt
From Ben and Lacey, a wooden tool box and 2 Mickey mouse books
Thanks everyone for all the gifts! He wasn't into unwrapping them, but is definitely into playing with them! And we just spent the last hour going on and off the potty until the first pee appeared in it! Ramsey earned his first potty sticker the first day having the potty!

Little Hoff #2

We're very excited to announce the expected arrival of the second Little Hoff on June 19!

20 month update

Ramsey is still a pretty good eater and loves to feed himself. He has gotten pretty good with just about anything. He likes to throw food to Stanley (which he knows he's not supposed to do) and say, "I'm funny."

He is now able to count to 12 on his own, knows colors, shapes, and knows all the letters in the alphabet very well. He is starting to learn how to count objects, too. He has also learned the difference between big and little, in and out, off and on, etc. He favorite thing right now is watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. This has recently replaced Elmo. He is also very fond of Thomas the Train and Whinney the Pooh. He asks for a "cho cho train" just about every day, so we are hoping he can hold out til Christmas.

One very exciting thing happened last week while Ramsey was home with Scott. He asked to go the "potty". So, Scott held him over the potty and he went! That was very much a one-time thing for now. He has mentioned the potty several times since, but won't get back on it. So, we'll have to get a Ramsey sized one to encourage him more.

Thanksgiving fun in St. George with Uncle Doug

Uncle Doug flew out from Seattle and joined us for an escape from the cold to the desert. We stayed in a little condo near St. George with gorgeous red rocks all around. We got in some climbing and mountain biking, while Ramsey tore up the desert.

The weekend started off with a proper Thanksgiving dinner. We cooked an 18 pound turkey, threw it in the truck, and brought it with us. It was accompanied by mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberries, and a pumpkin pie. We wished we could have spent the holiday with more of our family and friends, but did enjoy the short get away.

Happy Halloween!

The theme for this Halloween was a bee keeper and bees; although we didn't get a picture of the bee keeper. Ramsey's evening started out with a party at the daycare, where all the kids got dressed up in their costumes. Then, he came to my work, where trick-or-treating desk to desk is an annual tradition. He got the hang of that pretty quickly and was grabbing candy by the handfuls. We even got a few "trick or treats" out of him. Then we went to his friend Ivy's neighborhood for some more trick or treating. He was so excited by this time, he was literally running from house to house. I have never seen him run so fast! He won't eat much of the candy he has, but does have a liking for suckers. He had about 4 or 5 suckers on Halloween night!

Another visit with Grammy!

We were lucky enough to have grammy come back and visit us again. Scott went to another conference in Flagstaff, so we enjoyed the company and the help! We showed Grammy the full fall Cache Valley experience. She also got to experience Ramsey started to put 2 words together. Here are some examples: Garbage can, Garbage truck, dragon fly, apple sauce, Daddy's dirt, Grammy's tea, more juice, etc.

Here we are at the Western Heritage Center where there was cow milking, goats, corn husk dolls, broom making, corn mazes, and best of all the train rides. Ramsey enjoyed the train ride the most - I think we rode it about 6 times.



And then we went in to check out the corn maze:

We also took two fall hikes. This is called cold water lake. It is a short hike in the Wellsville Mountains. We hiked up to enjoy the fall colors and have some lunch at the lake. We also did our annual cider pressing with the Waterfalls and Dowds. Ramsey was really into all the apples. We found all the apples that he would take a bite out of and put back in the bin when we were picking.