Wow. Time really does fly when a little one is in the house. Jason has recently been saying that his internal clock (at age 32, he still feels pretty close to age 25) clashes with the real world clock when he sees kids (can’t feel the same as 25 when your nephew who was born when you were 25 is now 8 years old). We’ve been noticing this even over the past 3 piddly months. I can't imagine what it will be like over the next few YEARS.
Yup, Peter is THREE months old now. I can’t quite believe it. As you can tell by the lack of posting, we’ve been busy with Peter, trips, visits, friends, work and Life, but I couldn’t let this significant day go by without a public notation. It'll be a doozy, 'cause there's a lot to catch up on, but I think the pictures will help it go by quickly.
Our last posting was at the beginning of October, when Peter was just starting to crack smiles and get creases. The month of October marked some huge changes for Peter, including his first road trip, some fantastic social smiling, and another 2 lbs of weight. He’s now out of newborn sizes and into 3 month clothes, and likes nothing more than to smile, giggle and laugh at his silly parents (who will do damn near anything to get him to crack up). WHOA! We are parents! (this realization happens daily).
The best part of Peter’s smiling was that it developed in the midst of fantastic company (who also did nearly anything to get him to smile) In mid-October, we went on a 2 week voyage (well, a trip, but it felt like an epic voyage) to the Midwest to introduce Peter to his adoring fans. We started out in Dinosaur National Park in Vernal, UT, where Pete had his first close encounter with Science (other than the pipette-given Tylenol) and Jason got all excited about the dinosaur bones. It’s a nifty quarry—they even left some big dino bones embedded in the wall and let you touch them. I’ve never touched anything so old before. It was incredible (especially with a 2 month old new being on my hip).
A quick stop in Steamboat Springs gave Peter his first taste of snow—he wasn’t a fan, since he had to be all bundled up—and then it was off to Greeley, CO, where we stopped with our friends Connie and Larry Bethards for the night. Dot the cat graciously shared Larry with Peter, and Jase and I caught up on some much-needed sleep in the Most Comfortable Bed in the World.
We then took off for a leisurely drive across the backroads of Nebraska, where we encountered such folk art classics as Carhenge and the Mitchell Corn Palace. I hate Nebraska on I-80, but on the backroads, it was just lovely. Peter was very chill in his carseat (and yet STILL slept fairly well at night), and I pumped milk and bottle fed him as we glided along softly rolling hills, marveling at the splendor of the grasslands, the muted colors as sun set and wondered what it would look like if buffalo came back to roam that amazing rolling sea of grass.
St Paul was a sight for sore eyes, as were our friends Aric and Wieke Daul, and their son Aidan. We were happy to lend them Peter as a practice baby for when their daughter, Charlotte, will be born in December. Aidan took to Peter right away and was very serious when he held the new baby, and trotted his little legs off getting diapers and “helping” whenever he could. Peter loved getting attention from such experienced hands as Aric and Wieke, and Jase and I loved getting to sleep in during the mornings that Wieke took him for us. That’s love, people. Peter also discovered himself in a mirror for the first time, which was a kick.
Peter got to meet some Knudson family and friends at lunch at Keys Cafe his first day in St. Paul. Vivian graciously held Peter even as he marked her as his own with urine. Christina and Stephen added great laughs and entertained Peter well. Aunt Nancy showed us how to soothe a kiddo so well that she barely got to eat lunch, and Hans was his wonderful cheerful self. It was fantastic.
We hung out with so many good friends and Peter got to meet some of the best folks in the world… Ann and Jeff and Daniel came for dinner and Daniel serenaded us with the latest cool videos on Youtube. I can’t believe that Peter will one day be a tall, boisterous boy like Daniel… that clash of the internal and real world clock again. 
We visited our college friends Carol and Paul and their son Oliver, and Elizabeth and Andrew, and soaked in the wisdom of their parental know-how (and the reassurances that it’s OK to want to sell your kid on Ebay momentarily… as long as you don’t actually do it).
We saw med school friends Kristal and Gloria (who we hadn’t seen since we moved from the Twin Cities), and Peter graciously slept so we could really catch up. 
We had dinner with high school friends Emily and Brett, and John and Andrea, and their assorted children Ella, Jack and Sophie, and reveled in the controlled, delicious chaos created by 2 dogs, 2 toddlers, 1 near-toddler, 1 newborn and 6 very happy adults. And Jack showed us what to aim for as Peter's one-year landmark trick.
I held court with Peter and Wieke at Caffe Latte on Sunday and got to see even MORE old friends. First was a gathering of my health journalism peeps and their kids, when babies were handed around to many loving hands and hilarious stories were told about jobs, kids, politics, families and general world views. It was so wonderful to see Suzanne, Julie and her daughter Abigail, Toya and her son Dallas, and Colleen and her family- David, Sasha and Marisa. It looked (and felt) a bit like a family reunion.
Next was a gathering of my Nu Sigma Nu medical fraternity gals (well, most of them), and Peter was adored again by Jessie, Anna and Sanaya, and I got to adore those great women.
Next stop was GrandNan and Poppa Ralph’s house, where Jase and I got to sleep in AGAIN after we made a “Peter delivery” to the grandparents every morning. Heaven.
We had dinner in La Crosse with Aunt Clara and Uncle Karl, and friends Carol and Drake, and Peter and Mary. Peter seemed to recognize his Wisconsin roots and accordingly behaved very well in his first bar… but did not protest when we didn’t get him a beer.
We went further back to Peter’s roots when we went back to Kaukauna, WI and spent a few days with Jaosn’s family. I don’t think Peter was ever put down for the whole 3 days, since there were more aunties, uncles, cousins and grandparents around than he had ever experienced. (in order of appearance: Auntie Amanda, Cousin Kisie, Grandpa Tennessen, Great-Aunt Luella, Great Aunt Garnet, Grandma Tennessen, Great-Aunt Gail, Great-Uncle Bill, Cousin Krista, Cousin Colton, Cousin Violet, and Aunt Tami with Cousin Trenton). 
He didn’t even get sick despite numerous runny noses on cousins, and I’m happy he got to boost his immune system so well. Kisie even tried to get more Peter-time by staying home from school sick, but quickly recovered when she realized she wouldn’t get to hold him with a sore throat. Great Grandpa Tennessen loved meeting Peter, and from the looks of it, Peter was happy to meet him, too.
Jason set off a rocket that he made for our nephew Cameron, which was a fantastic failure (but a success in that no one got blown up). At least the rocket survived the burnout on the pad. Peter discovered himself in the mirror AGAIN during an early morning diaper change, and squealed so loudly with delight he woke up his dad. All in all, very successful time.
We also had dinner with Peter's "Lab Grandparents," Beth and Bart DeStasio. Beth is probably really the reason Peter exists at all, since Jase and I got to know each other in Beth's lab at Lawrence University. Beth and Bart filled their Lab Grandparent roles perfectly, and we had a great visit.
Almost done. We then headed south to Rockford, IL where we had Peter meet his Great Grandpa Heerens, and met up with cousins Lysne, Criag, Liam, Adam and Molly, and friend Joan. Of course, GrandNan and Grandpa Ralph came down, too. 
We decided that babies are the equivalent of crack cocaine to little girls, since we could barely pry Molly’s hands off Peter (and the same with his cousin Kisie in Wisconsin) enough to feed him. Peter made another leap by holding the bottle on his own for 30 seconds—the result of Jason’s careful training.
Last but not least was a stop in Des Moines, IA, where we hung out with Deb and John, who treated us to an amazing dinner and another Most Comfortable Bed in the World. Peter, who had so much practice to smile at friends and relatives during the trip, brought out his smile in full force and charmed all of us. He barely protested during the long haul to Greeley (though I certainly did, since we took I-80 through Nebraska… ick!) and we had a nice winding-down dinner with Connie before heading home. Whew!
All of us handled the trip fairly well, which was wonderful and exhausting and enlightening. When we got home, though, Peter’s sleep went to hell and he went right back to waking every 2 hours, and napping like crap. Needless to say, I was fairly ready to start work on November 1 and let Jase hang with Peter for 2 days a week. My first few days of work were pretty fun—it was nice to be welcomed back, to hang out with adults, to use my brain again, and to have quiet time on the train and in the car. Of course, as is the nature of my job, I’ve since had days when I’m wondering what the heck I got myself into, but I had those days before Peter was born. I’m working 2 days a week this month, and Jason is staying home with Peter those 2 days, which made the transition away much easier. It’s made the transition at home a little rougher, though, since we don’t get much time at home as a family, or as a couple. I feel like our marriage has become one big negotiation, in which we are both trying to protect our own sleep and needs, but still be generous to each other and our work… it’s a tricky balance. We’ll be ready for daycare when it starts in December, so we can have some family time and couple time again without so many juggling acts. Thankfully, Peter’s sleep has gotten back on track and we nearly have a routine… just in time for it to spontaneously combust in daycare.
We just had a great visit with our friend Teresa, who was our first non-family visitor since Peter was born. Teresa was a wonderful guest, and very graciously put up with our empty fridge (I just couldn’t quite get to the grocery store) and our mouse invasion. She actually ended up turning the tide of mouse death by pointing us to the best mouse eradication techniques—and they worked! It was great to see her and get in some nice girl time, and expose Peter to even more estrogen.
Our next visitor will be Crazy Uncle Nick (my brother—the name given to him by the Tait kids… we’ll see if it sticks when Peter grows up) for Thanksgiving. I anticipate many hours of overstimulation as Peter and Nick become fully aware of each other and their inherent amazingness.
And so, as we head into the season for Thankfulness, we are very thankful for family and friends (especially those who let us invade their homes with our kiddo, and those who were able to come and play with us), for quality daycares (even when Laura mixed up two daycare directors and didn’t call the desired daycare for 2 months, since she thought the undesired daycare WAS the desired daycare), for tasty food and fulfilling jobs, for caring and generous partners and spouses, and especially for a smiling, cooing, cuddly little guy who keeps us guessing every day.
