Virtual Bible Study

Just this week I joined a “Blogger Bible Study” and thought it would be fun to share just in case anyone else wants to join! A “blog” friend of mine, Callie, over at The Wannabe Athlete had this idea and I loved it! Feel free to go here to read her post on it. In a nutshell she plans to post once a week on her blog and anyone else is welcome to link their blog as well if you want to post about.

She has also created a facebook group where everyone can stay connected & accountable throughout the week. If you are interested please visit  http://www.facebook.com/groups/bloggerbiblestudy?ap=1 and request to join! (The name of the group is currently “Blogger Bible Study” but you do not have to be a blogger to join!)

Beginning August 14th we will be going through Beth Moore’s study “Ester: It’s tough being a woman”.

I think this is a great idea. I hope to learn and grow from the experience! Let me know if you join!!

Busy, Busy!

We have had a busy 4 days here in the Bangert family! Friday when Kyle got off work the three of us headed up to his parents’ house for supper. Mel & Steve were in town so Adelyn got to meet them! We grilled out for supper and had a nice evening!

Saturday & Sunday Adelyn and I were in Okoboji (click here to see that post). And then Monday Adelyn and I headed to a town about an hour north to have lunch with our good friend, Sara. We were celebrating her 30th birthday!! It was great to see her. Just wish we lived closer!

After lunch Adelyn and I stopped by to see Uncle P on the way home at his office. My old boss also works with him so it was great to see her! And we finished off our Monday with a meeting at church! I feel like we are getting better about “outings”! Adelyn was a good little girl through all those travels and hours in her carrier!

Jenna’s Shower & Bachelorette Party

Adelyn & I had a big weekend! It was her first overnight away from home & Daddy. My Mom, Wendi, Hayden, Adelyn, & I packed in the suburban and headed up 2 hours to Jenna’s hometown Saturday morning for her bridal shower! I am Jenna’s Matron of Honor along with 4 other girls who will stand up with Jenna on her big day!

Jenna is such a sweetheart and great friend!! I am so honored to stand up with her on one of the biggest days in her life!

Jenna got a lot of great gifts!! I think her & Mark will be set!!She had a great turnout for her shower.  (Just wish we could have made it on time!)

Jenna loves ice cream, so I couldn’t resist this personalized ice cream bowl for her!! Pretty sure this will be one gift she’ll get lots of use!!

Hayden was VERY interested in Lauren (daughter of one of the bridesmaids)! She just a month or 2 older than him! It was so cute to watch them together!!

The cousins just hanging out after the shower! Notice Wendi holding Hayden’s hands…he’s got some flappy arms these days, didn’t want him to slap my sweet baby!

After the bridal shower we headed about an hour north to Lake Okoboji, which is where we had the bachelorette party! While Wendi and I went out for Jenna’s party, my wonderful Mother watched Adelyn & Hayden!

And here is the woman of the night…”Soon to be Mrs Helfley”!!

I had fun making a few little decorations for the night! I made a couple of these topiaries and also a few signs! And who knew the zebra would go with what the bride to be wore that night!

We played a few games before going out for the night. One of them was quizzing Jenna on questions I asked Mark (her fiance) ahead of time. She had to answer them how she thought Mark would. If she got it right, she took a drink. If she got it wrong she had to eat a piece of bubble gum.

Needless to say, she had mouthful of gum!

After games we went on to gifts! Jenna got lots of fun things, including this shirt from her Mom! Hawaii is where Mark & Jenna got engaged!!

Somehow my camera got switched the black & white setting!

And a bachelorette party isn’t complete with a few “nighty’s”!!

And "the Mother In Law”!! ha ha

After games & gifts we all piled in a couple suburban's and headed out to eat at Taco House, a yummy Mexican restaurant. But not before snapping a few pictures first! Have you caught the theme of the night??

PINK & BLACK!!!

We went around to a few places around Okoboji throughout the night. I did sneak back to make sure Mom was ok with Adelyn once during the night (and to pump!). Of course, she was just fine and so were the kids! All of our stops were outdoor bars and woo-eee it was a hot one! But we all had a good time!

Sunday we packed up and headed back home. Kyle was so happy to see us and have our little family of 3 reunited again! On the way home we drove by the lake home where we spent many summers while I was growing up. It was fun to reminisce with Mom & Wendi. Makes me excited to make some fun memories like that with Adelyn & Kyle!

Adelyn Meets Uncle Geoff

Stef & Geoff came from Omaha about a week ago. Geoff wasn’t able to come when Adelyn was born and was excited to meet her! Adelyn was good for her Uncle Geoff too…enough time for Aunt Stef & I to go through my maternity clothes!

Since Stef & Geoff were in town we had the whole family over. Mom (Grandma) even made a pie…ruhbarb!!! MMmmmm!!

Hayden had to get in some Uncle Geoff time too!! Stef & Geoff brought and made an awesome supper for all of us complete with steaks, potatoes, veggies, salad…I’m sure I forgot something! It was awesome!

Adelyn sleeps like this a lot in her swing! We always say she’s going to the beach when we put her in there ‘cause it plays wave sounds and has a fish mobile, add in the arm behind her head and she’s chilled out!!

Us girls and our babies…Adelyn 4 weeks, Baby Barton 15 weeks in Stef’s tummy, and Hayden 10 months! It is going to be so fun to have all the cousin’s so close in age!

Adelyn’s One Month Old!!

To say Adelyn is already one month old today just seems crazy! It’s hard to remember life without her. It has been an amazing month filled with love, learning, new life, and complete happiness! Adelyn makes being 1st time parents fairly easy! We are completely in love & overwhelming blessed by this little girl!

Adelyn has made nursing a breeze! She is such a good eater, it’s pretty much like clockwork! She eats pretty close to every 3 hours during the day. Thankfully she does not spit up too much, maybe once or twice a day total! Adelyn doesn’t require her pacifier all the time, but if she gets a little fussy and it’s not time to eat yet it will help calm her.

After each feeding she is usually awake for 30-45 minutes and then will nap until her next feeding. She usually sleeps in her crib from 11pm/midnight – 6am/7pm each night. We’ve had a handful of middle of the night feedings, but for the most part she will sleep for 6+ hours!

Not only us, but everyone who holds Adelyn cannot get over how strong she is! She is always trying to hold her head up. That being said, she does really well at tummy time & doesn’t mind it at all. She loves to kick her legs! Daddy says she’s going to be a runner!

She is a very content baby! Unless she is wet/dirty or hungry, she is happy! Lately not only is she more alert during the day, but she is starting to coo and make more little noises! I wish I was quicker with the video camera to get them captured on “film”!

Since Adelyn was a good sized newborn baby (10lbs 2 3/4 oz, 22in long!) she has been in size 1 diapers since she was born! She wore a few newborn clothes, but they were never quite long enough for our baby girl! So for the most part she is wearing 0-3 mo clothes.

Speaking of diapers…we are so surprised at the noises our sweet little girl makes! She even had Daddy rolling on the floor laughing over the toots that sounded like they should have came out of Daddy, rather than this cute baby! Not only is she a tooting champ, she can burp with the best of them! I guess that means everything is “working” correctly!

When Adelyn had her first bath at the hospital she screamed!! Thankfully every bath at home since has been the complete opposite! She does so well at bath time and I’m sure that will only continue the older she gets!

She loves to sit in her bouncy seat, which Mommy loves! It helps me get a few things done around the house when she’s awake! Adelyn also likes her swing. We say she wants to go to the beach when we put her in it ‘cause it makes noise like ocean waves and has a little fish mobile! One day we will actually take her to a real beach! She does so well in her car seat too! Adelyn loves going on walks. Surprisingly it doesn’t put her to sleep. She is bright eyed, content, & looking around the whole time! Our walks have been minimal these past few days though with this 100 degree heat we’ve been having.

We are getting better about “outings’! At first it took us, what felt like, hours to get out of the house, but I think we’ve got it down now and I’m sure it will continue to get better! We’ve been out to eat twice, a few trips to Target & the grocery store, the hospital a few times (dr appts & visit friends), and one trip to Grandpa & Grandma Greene’s house. Adelyn does really well when we’re out! This weekend we will have our first overnight away from home!  

We love this little girl more than we could have ever imagined! We know she is going to grow up way too fast, so for right now we are enjoying each and every day with her!
*ONE MONTH STATS*

weight 11lbs

length 23 1/8 in (2 week appt)

eating 100% breastfeeding

clothes a few newborn/ mostly 0-3 months

diapers size 1

Wordless Wednesday

Adelyn’s First Bottle

Friday Kyle, Adelyn, and I had our first little family date night out! We grabbed some supper at Applebees, make a stop at Target (much easier when Daddy is there is to help!), got some ice cream, and picked up a movie from Redbox to finish up our night at home! It was the perfect night with my little family!

Before we started the movie, we had our first attempt of feeding Adelyn from a bottle. Next weekend while I go to a bachelorette party my Mom is going to watch her and will have to feed her. We wanted to make sure she wouldn’t have a problem taking it…no worries there! She took it like a champ and guzzled the 2+ ounces in no time! I don’t think my Mom will have a problem feeding her from a bottle next weekend! And Kyle was SO proud to be able to take part in feeding our daughter! I think you can tell by the BIG smile, he was happy!

Adelyn – 3 Weeks

Tuesday (7.12.11) Adelyn was 3 weeks old. We have noticed a few new things this week. She is SO much more alert. She is getting better about focusing on you and your movements. I just love spending my days with this little girl and cherishing each moment!

When I’m done feeding Adelyn I put her on the ottoman while I pump quick. I know I won’t be able to do this too long (once she starts rolling around). But for now she enjoys laying there and taking everything in. 

Not only is Adelyn very alert, she is also very strong! I cannot believe how well she will hold her head when you put her on her tummy or when you’re holding her on your shoulder. If you look closely here you can see she is holding her head up off the ottoman!Sometimes in the mornings we will sit in the bay window to take in the sights! Adelyn loves to just gaze outside! I love to gaze at her!! This is usually Abby’s turf, but she is willing to share with us!

And who doesn’t love cute little baby feet?!?! Kyle and I have decided Adelyn has my fingers & toes…they are very long! Except her’s are much, much cuter!

I will do a full update on what Adelyn has been up to next week when she is a month old. It is so hard to believe that it’s already been a month since this sweet little girl arrived & blessed our lives!