Summer Fun!

Well, I suppose it's been long enough since my last post that I must acknowledge the elephant in the room...that's right, Katie's pregnant!  (Let me clarify that there is no correlation between the chosen animal and my pregnant wife, it's a common phrase and nothing more).  She's about 14 weeks along.  We're pretty sure it's a girl, just based on how brutal she was during the first trimester (whereas Daniel was not).  She has actually been doing quite well of late.  She experienced some pretty intense sickiness and tiredness in the first trimester, but we are moving past that at this point.

Baby #2 is about, again, about 14 weeks along.  According to our weekly updates, it is kicking around a bunch already, although it's hard to feel at this point, BUT, Katie said she already felt it move once.  What a good baby.  This'll be quite the journey.  Lots of people say that going from none to 1 is tough, but 1 to 2 is much harder.  I say..."challenge accepted".  Mainly because we don't have a choice now.  Daniel has really grown up quite a bit (literally...he can actually reach light switches now without a step stool) in that he is a super helpful little dude.  He helps do the dishes, clean up, put things away, and when he plays with other kids (some of the time) he's getting better at being a sweet lil' guy.  Kate's due date is about mid-December, so he'll be quite a bit older by then.  We're hoping he'll have his license so he can help with driving duty, but stupid Nebraska state laws will probably hold him back...

Strong opinions for a toddler.

Other happenings in the last month?  I finished my 10K.  If I died, then I'm living the exact same afterlife as my previous life, I'm going to assume I survived.  It was tough, but I wasn't passed in the last mile and had my personal best.  That was a big deal for me.  I also completed the Warrior Dash with my bro-in-law, Queño.  That was ridiculous as the rain left the course barely runable, but it's one of those things we'll look on as old men as a fond memory of mud-caking and falling.  School has finished and Katie is preparing for her new year in a new school district.  Again, she'll be working in Papillion now and teaching at Trumble Park.  She's very excited to have her own building and to teach more levels.  I'm in marching band mode and writing drill to make my band look like eagles, flowers, and such (actually, they look more like fallen necklaces and occasional parallelograms).

Last leg of the Papio 10k.  It was raining.

This was following the Warrior Dash.  I found mud in my ears two days later.  AFTER showering twice.

We've also welcomed two new folks into the Elsasser family.  Kate's brother, Brian and his wife, Danielle, had their awesome little boy, Brycen and her other brother, Rick and HIS wife Jackie had Eden about a month later.  The plan is to have enough kids to make yard-work unnecessary in our own generation.  I know Daniel has to work on operating the weed-whacker though, but we'll get there (Disclaimer:  I do NOT let Daniel use any yard tools except maybe an empty bucket).

Babysitting Baby Brycen.  Daniel was being quite helpful.  

This is at the hospital where Eden was delivered...so...I don't have any pics of Eden yet.

We've done some zoo fun, I traveled to Chicago with my band, saw some baseball games, played outside, went camping, had some family get togethers and many, many other happenings, but most of you have probably stopped reading by now, so here's some pictures!

Museum of Science and Industry with my WWII look alike.

Enjoying a Stormchasers game.

Eating some dinner with his buddy, Amelia.

Playing with his very, very favorite toy.

Best buds with our two curly-haired spawns.

Letters with attitude.

Even superheros gotta snack.

"Look!  A reticulated giraffe!"

Camping fun.  Check out the action shot on his cousin, Elaina, falling.

Drinking in the nude.  

Side-saddling?  I've heard of space-cowboys, but this is ridiculous!!

Tractor.

Big boy swing!

So much mess...so much sugar...so much summer.  

Growing Up So Fast

Man...it seems like Daniel is just making such great strides these last couple of weeks.  His attention to detail when it comes to routines is pretty great....most of the time.  He certainly gets very upset when things are out of order or against his wishes.  We've really been working hard on teaching him ways to communicate with us, because we find that's one of the times he gets really frustrated is when he wants something or is ready for something and we...don't know what that something IS!  Again, routines and certain words seem to help.  One of the best ideas (from Katie) was to teach Daniel to say "Help, please" when he would get frustrated with something.  Situations like getting stuck somewhere, not being able to get a lid back on can, not being able to find a certain page in a book.  He used to just get pretty darn upset, but he's much more calm and communicates so much better from just say "Helpee"...which is how it comes out.

Good speller.

A couple notes of some fun displays by our little guy, Daniel.  He's a very helpful guy.  He helps with the laundry and dishes.  I can give him his socks or PJs or shoes or pants or even shirts and he'll know where they go in his room...they don't stay folded, but it's a good start!  I'll take all the knives and sharp objects out when unloading our dishwasher and he'll proceed to hand me dishes or even put away items where he can access the cabinets/drawers (pots/pans).  He always helps clean up at night, he's usually very good with directions, and he's eating at the table very well for the most part.

I put him in the swing backwards...whoops.

This last week was pretty blazay (spelling?).  I had an honor band last weekend which is always bittersweet because I have a good time, but it often means an entire day without any time with Daniel.  Makes me look forward to getting more time in the summer.  We did get some big news for Katie.  As of this week, she will be working in the Papillion-LaVista School District this upcoming year at Trumble Park Elementary.  I know she would say that she truly loved Millard and will miss it terribly, but this will be a great opportunity for her and she's very excited to have her very own classroom and building.  I am truly ecstatic for her and know that Trumble Park is going to be extremely blessed to have her...also...it's about 5 minutes from our house =)  Katie's also been very, very busy with some graduate courses she's taking towards her Masters.  She just finished off some big benchmarks this week, so I know she has some relief, even if it's little.

Reuinted!

Lots of writing this week!  Looking forward to a nice rest of the week and hoping that you all have a nice time as well!

Date Night!

Good pic.

Although one could argue that last Friday night was a date night to Brian and Dani's wedding, tonight we're actually going to dinner and a movie!  We're going to try and make this a periodic thing.  So...we'll be watching the Huskers today throw MSU into the Pit of Death (or at least Pit of Defeat...Death seems so...morbid..) then we're off to pig out and enjoy a good flick!  We've certainly had some times this week. 

Parasite.

Daniel is continuing to grow, but perhaps the greatest feat continues to be his sleeping habits.  He's already had a few nights where he sleeps through the entire night (I'm talking 8-9 hour!) He wakes up fairly hungry, but never in hysterics.  I'm sure he has his reserves built up.  Last week he weighed in at 12lbs 7oz...little under my guess, but eh.  You'll get there buddy.  He tends to like playing in the morning most (which I sadly miss), but still has some nice play times throughout the day.  Play time includes the following:  Standing up, sitting down (in his Bumbo), laying on his play mat, shaking a rattle in his face, taking advantage of his Palmar grasp reflex to have him hold something, and having him dance (which looks like a noodle flailing in the wind.  It's a lot of fun. 

Watching Greys.

He was also able to have a play day at the Coopers (our eventual day care).  It sounds like it went well and I think he's looking forward to Hangin' with Mrs. Cooper (shout out to Mark Curry)...I throw that reference to Jason Cooper too often...I'll give me two more times.  This always gives Katie time to actually get some stuff done rather than acting as a host to our cute, parasitic son (I said "cute' to offset the parasite comparison).  This week is a big week for our family as Daniel has his 2-month birthday, which means that Katie will be returning to work as well.  Please keep us in your prayers as we make this transition, because, as we've heard, it's not always a simple one.  We're very thankful to have Emily to watch Daniel because we know he's in safe hands.

In other news, it's getting quite chilly outside.  It makes me reflect on our good friends, the Norths (check out their blog here) and the rough climate change they're experience in southern California.  Please keep them in your prayers as well as they deal with the mid-70s temperatures and sunny weather.  Change can be tough (I guess they ARE from Texas...)

Konrad out. 

Rocking B-Day Party with Queño

This is what he enjoys watching.

One expression looks more contrived than the other.

It's Good to Be a Konrad

So, big news.  We're finally parents..or at least of a post-utero baby.  Although this is mentioned in the previous post, but what a stinking healthy baby.  Daniel came into this world weighing a whopping 8lbs 4oz and stretched a good 20 3/4 inches.  Born 9:32pm.  What a stud.  He looks so darn good.  He has a few zits, but we'll just limit his pizza intake and that should help. 

We had so many wonderful visitors yesterday and I especially want to thank Rick Elsasser, Eric Konrad, and Laurie Konrad...for feeding me.  The hospital food would have been great, but I never thought to eat until the cafeteria closed.  I am in your debt for eternity though. 

I'm sure you would all love the details of the whole ordeal, but I'll be discrete.  We arrived at the hospital at 7:20am, Katie began the Pitocin at 9am, began pushing at 8pm, and had a baby at 9:32pm.  The hardest part of the process was waiting.  I've been told this is often the case for inducing first-time mothers.  Katie had been a trooper with her contractions for quite a bit, but we decided to go with the epidural and I'm very thankful they did so.  The rest of the day was less about the pain and more about the wait.  We watched some good movies though and luckily the hospital has free wireless for when Kate took her naps.  Our nurses were amazing (Dorothy and Connie) and Dr. Harper-Harrison was "da bomb". 

After Daniel was cleaned, we chilled a bit before moving to our recovery room.  Katie was quite hungry as she was only allowed to eat crackers, italian ice bars, and jello...which she was not supposed to eat either...but we're rule-breakers.  I was just hungry because I'm always hungry.  Because we didn't eat until 12:30pm and the doors were closed, we didn't want me to leave, and there were not many options in our pantry that late at night...I got creative.  I whipped up a 4 course meal though.  First:  Bagel with jelly, Next:  Bagel with butter, Third:  Chili Cheese Fritos, and Lastly...the dessert:  Twix bars.  I had a frozen muffin. We did not sleep too well the following night because Daniel's appetite and my "pull-out bed" which was about 16 square feet. 

Yesterday, Saturday, was wonderful because of all the friends an family that came.  Daniel was passed wonderfully and nurses/doctors continued to sing him praises of how well he's doing.  He breathes, eats, pees and poops so well.  I'm getting pretty good at wrapping him up like a burrito too.  I'm thinking I'll try the fajita wrap on him sometime...

So..what to say?  Thank you everyone who supported us through prayer and other means.  We know that so many of you have offered your aid in the time to come and we certainly look forward to taking advantage of those offers and hope we can do the same for you.  We're very blessed to have you in our lives and cannot wait to share this journey with you.  Daniel's amazing.  We love him more than anything.  There's no doubt in my mind that many of you know what we mean when we say that and we're excited to act that out in our lives.  Here's some pics to wet your whistle.

Grandma Patty

Nana K

Grandpa K

Broccoli Monster

First Family Picture

Greasy hair, double chin, and a baby.

Beautiful

Playing with Daniel

This is for all the mothers.

Playing with Daniel is kind of tough when he's locked away in your wife's abdomen.  I've tried the poking game...you see, I poke at Katie's belly and hope that Danny pokes back.  This seems to hurt Kate however.  I've tried the singing game.  I'll sing loudly into Kate's belly button (I believe that's where you get the best sound), but the beautiful singing either temporarily paralyzes him or dulls him, because he refuses to sing back.  I was going to try and throw him up in the air, but I assumed Katie would be a fun-killer and not let me...oh well.





Things are still going smoothly.  The pains of third trimester are starting to weigh down on Katie.  Her back is in exceptional pain and sleeping is very uncomfortable.  Lately, Katie has been Gleeping instead.  That's when you watch Glee in place of sleep.  Kate had her visit with the doctor yesterday and she still thinks we'll go early, but maybe not as early.  Either way, we're (as of yesterday) at 37 weeks and Danny is considered full-term.  I guess this is really happening!  Well, just like every week, it's time for a visit to your local HyVee vegetable aisle (don't worry, it comes with a VERY helpful smile).  Apparently Danny is like a stalk of Swiss chard.  I swear I've learned as much about fruits and vegetables as I have about the birthing process.  Thankfully, another site says he is like a watermelon.  That's a fruit I can really sink my mental teeth into (don't really like them for my real teeth).

This is apparently the recipe for chocolate-covered carrots.

As I said, Katie has been sore from carrying our fat baby.  She believes most of the soreness comes from the fact that she is now back teaching her music classes.  As a K-2 music teacher, she's called to be quite active, leaving her feeling like she's just run a marathon.  We were discussing the other day that she has not had any weird cravings (such as pickles dipped in ketchup or chocolate-covered carrots).  I, on the other hand, have been having sympathy cravings for food in general. 

The last couple weeks have been quite tough for a few reasons.  I've been having my two-a-days for band camp (second week of two) and Kate has been back to work.  This schedule allows little to NO interaction throughout the day.  Although I love my job and it was a great camp, thankfully, I'm out of those two weeks and will be spending more time at home with my shnooki-mooki.  Life is good, we're very blessed to have each other.

ANNNNNNNNNDDDD....so on...

A stalk of Swiss chard is the main ingredient of this fabulous meal.

Three Posts are Better Than Two

Today officially marks 32 weeks of progress made by in utero Daniel Christopher.  This means that exactly 8 weeks from today, my beautiful wife will have completed the first childbirth with zero discomfort and pain (I can't speak for wildlife.  Their contractions might not be so bad).  According to thebump.com, Danny is about the size of a squash.  Now, this would interesting if he hadn't been the size of a squash for the past 4 weeks.  My theory is thebump.com is being sponsored by S.F.A. (Squash Farmers of America).

This is a jicama.

Hopefully my above paragraph isn't removed by the government because of its conspiracy theory implications...in any case, according to another website Danny should be weighing in at a whopping 3.75lbs.  That's as much as a large jicama!!!...don't know what that is?  Neither does my spell check.  Despite his fruit/vegetable affiliations, Danny seems to be doing quite well.  He's taken up a new style of dancing similar to the convulsions following an electrocution, which will probably be popular by the time he's 16 or so...so we're quite proud.  He's certainly moving though and the consensus is that his head is down, facing the right direction.  Although there's always the possibility he could change directions, this is a blessing because he's right where he's supposed to be for birthin' time and that seems to lessen the chance for a C-Section or other complications.  I'm chalkin' it up to him being a smart kid.  Of course I was delivered by C-Section...and I'm smart...right?

Kate has been certainly busy around the house.  You see...I'm feeling quite ill today...cough cough...and so she's been taking care of me (in her 8th month of pregnancy) because I am oh so very weak.  Our baby room looks fantastic though.  We got it arranged like we wanted and Katie has already started decorations including a fabulous set of canvases that you'll have to check out below.

...I had no part in the creativity of this process..but I did give the "OK".  

Kate is as tough as these babies.

Kate is quoted to be feeling "alright" and that she's "rolling with the punches"...punches meaning Danny's fisticuffs with her internal organs.  She's also had some trouble with back aches and minor heartburn, but she's tough..tough as nails.

Kate celebrating the 4th with FIRE!

This past weekend we celebrated the birth of our country with some explosions and brats.  It was quite a great time.  I left a rocket on a resident's roof, so we'll have to see when that comes down.  All in all, things are going quite well.  We're moving into somewhat of a busy weekend for me.  Kate excitingly has her first baby shower tomorrow and we're hoping to get those bar stools we always wanted...for the baby ya know.  It will be nice for us to get the room set up as quickly as possible for Danny so that when we go back to work quite soon, we don't have to worry about it then...and so on..

Day 1

As we begin this journey of rearing a child in this vast world, it seemed purposeful to make sure our impending child would have a blog available for his creative outlet.  Today marks thirty weeks, meaning ten weeks until the predicted arrival of Daniel Christopher Konrad.  My beautiful wife, Katie and I, Zac, are excited for so many things:  Teaching Danny to make right decisions, creating a safe environment in which our child can grow, but most importantly, how to adjust the template of a Blogger blog.

Danny continues to grow rapidly.  Although the consensus of friends and random passersby on the street is that Kate does not look very big, our baby continues to explore the limits of his mother's storage unit.  We are right in the thick of attending baby planning classes and just finished our Lamaze course.  Our course instructor is a wonderful grandmotherly woman who brings to class a knitted uterus and stories of labor mishaps.  An example would include, "I do not want to scare you, but when I was giving birth, my daughter got caught on my tailbone and I heard it pop out of place it was so loud."  Luckily, she had a pelvis model so that she could show us almost exactly what happened.  We like to make up our own worst-case scenarios.  "I don't wanna scare you, but my second child was actually born a monkey."  I guess anything's possible.

This week we also attended Kate's checkup and I was able to hear Danny's heartbeat for the first time.  I'm assuming he's doing the in utero version of sprints because it was pittering quite fast, but if I remember from my own experience 27 years ago, that's pretty normal.  He's looking quite healthy though and we are quite thankful for that.  We have really been blessed with a smooth pregnancy this far out.  We continue to pray that he will be healthy and I'm excited to see him greet this world with a "Heya Pops!" or at least a cry.

Kate's been feeling quite well.  She's been feeling the 1st Trimester blues (made famous by Muddy Waters) of being quite tired.  The cost of carrying and growing a child is starting to take its toll on her.  She's been doing a great job of staying active though, walking, sewing, shopping, landscaping, hang-gliding, and so on (titular line).  I've been feeling okay personally!  No sympathy pains yet! 

Again, we're quite blessed for many reasons, including being surrounded by such a supportive, encouraging group of family and friends.  Hopefully these writings will be a brief glimpse into the inner workings of the Konrads...and so on...