The Newest Bon Photos

My sister, Margaret, has recently taken a more active role in developing her photography skills. When she took my belly pictures, she mentioned if I was thinking about baby pictures, it was best to take them in the first couple weeks, so baby is more likely to sleep and be content to just lay still while taking pictures. So... this is what we tried to do. Although Carl wasn't completely content during the shoot, she still managed to get a bunch of good shots. Jon even walked over to our neighbors house to ask if we could borrow his wonderfully landscaped lawn as a backdrop for a few pictures, and he was excited it could be used in such a way. Brianna was napping for the first portion, but once she woke up she was excited to be included and get her picture taken too. She did almost everything we asked her to!

Without much more ado... here are pictures of our newest addition and our new family!

Was three - now Four!

Such a wonderful big sister.

More than willing to hold hands!

One of my favorites.

One of his namesakes.

The trunk, in addition to being a great photo element/prop, is also Jon's Grandpa's from his time in the army. You can see his rank and name on the top, and we thought it would be fun to relate the two since it is (partly) where Carl gets his name. We are so excited about how the pictures turned out and are happy to have such wonderful memories captured for his baby book!

Sleeping Babies

What is it about sleeping babies that makes them so irresistible? 

I love that Brianna wants to be around Carl, but like I said, she finds him irresistible, especially while he sleeps!

On a slightly different note, I've been loving the time I get with Brianna while Carl sleeps. I'm going to need to get a little more creative with what we do in that time, but for now, playing together is paying dividends!

Big Girl Upgrade

In June, we were finally able to finish painting the bedrooms and hallway of our basement. A big accomplishment after being that way for almost 3 years. One of these rooms downstairs became Brianna's new bedroom.

We made the decision to move her before the new baby was born, in order to negate any jealousy or other emotions of someone else taking over "her" space. We would already play around in that room before moving the bed, so it seemed like a natural move. In addition, I was feeling like she might be ready to transition out of the crib and put on just the side-rail. I was a little nervous doing two big changes almost simultaneously, but I'm glad I listened to my instincts because she has done an amazing job transitioning and loves being able to get in and out herself. It was a big step that made her seem to grow up instantly overnight!

We try not to "play" too much in bed, but sometimes I can't help watching her face light up when she climbs in.

She didn't want us to leave so she closed the door.

The curtains I made special for her new room. I think they turned out great and compliment her orange colored walls!

2 Week Getaway

As I mentioned previously, Jon was able to take two weeks off after Carl was born. It was great to have that time as a family, and for Jon and Brianna to spend some quality time together. Their favorite activity by far was going for long and short bike rides. I believe Jon added it up to be over 120 miles they traveled together. Brianna now says bike and eagerly responds when we ask if she wants to go for a bike ride. One afternoon, after their ride, we pulled out the newly purchased pool for them to cool off in. Brianna loves the water and loved playing the afternoon away.

It was so hot and humid that the camera needed time to acclimate to the weather before I took any more pictures.

Carl and I enjoyed watching the fun!

Big Shoes to Fill

June 9 - Mommy's tennis shoes

July 19 - Daddy's sandals

First Doctor's Visit

July 19, 10:15 am, we rolled into the Doctor's office for Carl's first visit. We've been seeing this Dr. ever since we brought Brianna home 19 months ago. He is attentive, informative, and is great at interacting with the whole family. Brianna's been a little tentative the last few times we've been in, but this time she was comfortable enough to sit on his lap while he checked Carl out. We are so thankful that everything sounded/looked good.

The nurse gave her a book to read while we waited - I believe she is trying to feed the goose her snack!

Beauty Queen of Only 18 (months)

I caught this photo purely on accident but I love looking at it and really can't help but share. It was taken at the beginning of June. I think it gives a glimpse into her personality.

I asked her to smile and sure enough...

Brianna Catches On

Brianna has been doing a wonderful job interacting with Carl. She is also a great help - she makes sure he has a blanket (all of them), his pacifier (all of them), and some loving kisses and hugs. We've had to correct her on some things, which is understandable, but for the most part, it seems she doesn't mind the new baby in the house. She knows how to say his name, which is so fun to hear when she is looking for him or sees him first thing in the morning. A few nights ago, as we were going through our night time routine, we headed to her bedroom, but before we got to the stairs I heard her say, "bye-bye Carl." So cute! Speaking of... I'll post soon with pictures of Brianna's new room and bed. She's loving the extra freedom.

She also digs having the fun baby stuff around. But the hard part will be playing safely with it while Carl is using it too!

Rice Creek Flood 2k11

It was a harrowing few hours as we watched the creek steadily rise (sarcasm). It didn't come close to our house but it did rise to the highest level we've seen it the (almost) 3 years we've been here.

The water level is usually well below its banks and within the tree line. I suppose 5+ inches of rain overnight coupled with a train wreck downstream (due to a bridge abutment washout) both contributed to the high water levels. The water has now happily gone back to its normal level.

And this is a house we seriously considered buying and confirmed it wasn't a good idea after seeing sandbags this spring.

A New Adventure

Introducing the newest addition to our family: Carl William Bonkoski!

He was born July 12 at 10:47 pm. 

He weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce and was 20 inches long.

We are so grateful for a wonderful (and quick) delivery and, most importantly, a healthy little boy.  At our one week appointment he was already up past his birth weight which means he's eating well and growing! It's been two weeks already and I can't believe where the time has gone. We have been blessed that Jon has been able to be home these past two weeks. Besides loving on Carl, he has gotten to spend a lot of extra time with Brianna and she is loving every minute of it!

Tomorrow begins the new test with Jon going back to work. I'm sure Brianna will miss daddy, but hopefully we can stay entertained and active enough to help ease this next transition.

Thank you to everyone who visited us in the hospital, prepared meals, and especially, offered prayers. We can't wait for him to meet everyone!

Garden Update

We just picked our first batch of green beans and had them for lunch today. They were delicious! The tomatoes will be next and zucchini squash not far behind. How exciting!

We had a bunch of them for lunch, but I found a couple stragglers later this afternoon. Fresh vegetables are yummy!
 

The Belly Shot

My sister was kind enough to help me by taking some pictures of my baby belly. I'm not usually a huge fan of these types of pictures, but I thought it would be nice to have some record of what I looked like pregnant. Margaret can attest that I was slightly uncomfortable, but she managed to get some really good shots. Here's just a couple...

Brianna's First Family Reunion

Here are a few pictures of Brianna from the Family Reunion. As I mentioned in a previous post, my parents were willing to take Brianna with them to Nebraska and I got a weekend alone. She had a ton of fun - and here's the pictures to prove it!

Don't worry, she was encouraged to tackle Casen!

 

 

It's fuzzy, but it reminds me of some of my old pictures - a classic shot with family!

Apologies First

A month has now gone by and for those that check our blog, we offer our sincerest apologies. We are now a culprit of one of my own pet peeves - a habitually un-updated blog. No we did not fall off the face of the planet, although it may have seemed that way, we have just been extremely busy preparing for and now caring for babybon 2. If you've ever fallen off the blogging wagon, you know how daunting it can feel to catch back up. You don't want to leave anything out, but the thought of writing/uploading pictures for, in our case, a month, is enough to make you procrastinate and just stay off the wagon.

Well... here's to climbing back on the wagon!