Farewell, Newark

This will be my final post from Newark, which we've called home for 15 months. Tomorrow we embark on our month-long nomadic odyssey before we fly to England for Lars to begin work. Needless to say, I'm a little strapped for time, but I wanted to get some cute photos of our recent visitors up here before we left. (Tor's godfather Josh and his fiancee April visited last weekend, too, but I haven't uploaded those pictures yet. Next post.)

Pakka minding the chunk

 

Our gracious neighbor Yolanda volunteered to hold Col while we raced around cleaning the house

Christina and Caleb lent a hand on several occasions AND cooked us dinner

If only he could count that high

A very welcome visit from dear Minnesota friends Dave, Lindsay, and Owen

Rockin' with Ed GRRR the Tiger

Showing Little Bro some love

Chef jams

Cuddles with Dave

Big Boy Activities I

Big Boy Activities II

Unnerving eye contact while bouncing with cousin Whitney

I'll miss three things in Newark: the proximity to Christina and Caleb, our church, and Tor's amazing day care provider. Sonia has been a constant in his life for our entire stay here, and he's blossomed from a toddler into a preschooler under her care. She's helped him grow socially, academically, and artistically, and she's set the bar high for Tor's next school. So far we've been incredibly fortunate in Tor's caregivers, and we pray the trend only continues in the UK.

Besties!

One Month Old

A quickie post, but a date worth marking (and it's yesterday). Col has grown chubbier by the week, nursing even more frequently than his older brother did. He likes to sit in his swing during his awake time and is a grunting, thrashing sleeper who hates being swaddled. I can't wait for the smiles that I anticipate are coming in the next few weeks!

Just about to grow out of his Halloween attire

Here's a light sampling of those grunts:

Also, my new favorite photo:

"Take a picture of me and Col!"

Adjusting

We continue to ascend the two-kid learning curve at House of Hansen. We've been aided in the steep climb first by Oma (see previous post) and then by Ah-Bee, who came down for a week and blessedly did our laundry, shopped and cooked for us, played tirelessly with Tor, and even put him to bed most nights. Our amazing friends from church have also set up a meal delivery calendar that's covered us at least three nights a week since Col was born. That group, our day care, and the relative proximity to family are the three things I'll miss most about Newark. 

Lovin' on the newbie

Tor's teacher Sonia got him a big-brother present as well as several cute outfits for Col

Telling DaDa about his day

First bath at home

 Tor continues to be a very gentle and interested big brother. When Col cries, Tor pats his gently and says, "That's okay. That's okay. I'm here now." When Col is screaming his head off in the car, Tor tells him, "Almost home, buddy." I'm sure he says these things because they're what we say to Col, but that doesn't make them much less adorable in my eyes.

Surrounded by babies

Playing with "mama frog, baby frog, and big boy frog"

Collaborative childrearing

Tor brought Col the giraffe in case he needed a friend

Helping Col open his gift

Working the camouflage

One of these Hansens is ready for school

"Yippee-kai-yay!"

"We need ALL THE FOOD!"

Our free-range turkey

When Tor wakes up before day care, I've been letting him watch a short TV program while Col nurses. He'll probably watch more TV in the next few months than ever again--hopefully, anyhow.

"Turn down that racket!"

Finally, I'm pleased to announce that Col is officially sanctioned to travel the world. Here's his passport mug:

Only took Lars 87 tries