The Michaud Show

My kind of snow day

2012-01-13T14:58:00.003-05:00

I have to admit that my "ideal snow-day" has changed quite a bit since having children. While I used to enjoy a day that included sledding on the back hill, building snowmen, and using the four-wheeler to pull friends around on a disk; now, my perfect snow day involves a clear morning, a light dusting of snow during naptime and a quick romp on the back deck during afternoon play time. Patrick had a great time playing in our half-an-inch of snow. Most of his play involved trying to get snow on Linus and seeing which of his yard toys had ice in them. Alexandra was content to sit in my lap or on the swing and let her cheeks get rosy. Now, onto spring!

My Own Keebler Elf

2012-01-03T21:26:00.001-05:00

Recently Jessica has taken to baking cookies with Patrick when Alex is taking her morning nap. I've really been enjoying the cookies of their labor. With New Year's Day falling on Sunday this year, I had Monday to stay home and witness (and document) the culinary extravaganza first hand. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoy the cookies!

Sorry if the pictures are out of order, but the blogger app on the iPad is a bit lacking in features.

Alexandra 7 months

2012-01-02T14:47:00.002-05:00

With all of the holiday hub-bub, I forgot to post a blog for Alex's 6 month mark, but all in all, her 7th month has been the more exciting, by far. In addition to celebrating her first Christmas, Alexandra has had some significant developmental milestones this month. Shortly after Thanksgiving, she began to sit up on her own, and shortly after that, she learned the joys of holding herself up and standing at the toy chest. However, the real excitement for her came over a three week period of learning how to crawl. Matt and I were both amazed at how much more content she seemed once she could get what she wanted. Closer to Christmas, she started babbling; one day, I noticed her popping her lips together all day (I kept reaching in her mouth to see if she was eating something), and then, later that evening, out came the ba-ba-ba's, da-da-da's, and ma-ma-ma's.
Alex also loves to splash in the tub, "clap" her hands (or blocks) together and share her pacifier with anyone in arm's reach. Patrick is learning to deal with Alex's new-found movement. He even shares toys with her now and then or will bring her a new Christmas toy to play with without us having to prompt him.
Alex no longer has a scheduled nighttime feeding and we're hoping that in this next month, she will start sleeping a consistent 10 1/2 hour stretch at night. I'll let you know next month.

Box play

2012-01-01T15:54:00.001-05:00

Just a few pictures of some fun playing with the kids and some boxes:

Fa, la, la...

2011-12-29T14:42:00.005-05:00

We trolled the ancient yuletide carols, our tiny tots had their eyes all a-glow, and we definitely had a merry little Christmas. This was such a special Christmas for us because for the first time, Patrick could properly anticipate Christmas day, and Alexandra celebrated her very first Christmas (and had no idea what was going on but loved the boxes, paper and ribbon).
During December, we went to visit Santa, caroled on the streets of Franklin, made 6 batches of Christmas cookies, ate 6 batches of Christmas cookies, sang Feliz Navidad through the aisles of Bed Bath and Beyond, and watched every Christmas special Nick Jr had to offer. Patrick was so excited about Christmas coming that every morning he would run out of his room, grab the tag off of his advent calendar and announce how many more days until Christmas.
Christmas morning did not disappoint. He immediately wanted to play with each and every toy that was opened (whether his or Alex's). In fact, it took quite a bit of coercion to lead him up to our bonus room so that he could find his new train table. He received another surprise when my parents arrived later that morning baring more presents. As expected, the whole day was a little hectic but all of us had a joyous advent and memorable Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T09:57:00.007-05:00

Thanksgiving took us to the Carolinas this year. After dropping Linus off at the farm with my parents, we brought the children to Charlotte, NC to meet their cousin, Lucinda and spend Thanksgiving with JP (Matt's brother) and Laura. We were joined by Matt's parents (Nana and Poppop) and thoroughly enjoyed our visit and the extra hands and attention for Patrick and Alex. On Friday, we returned to SC and visited with my parents for a couple more days.

JP holding Alexandra and Matt holding Lucinda (Lulu)

Lulu and Alex at the park

Learning to drive with Nana and Poppop.

Patrick and Grandfather throwing rocks in the pond.

Ready to roll with Grandma

Whenever we go to the farm, Linus turns back into a dog.

Go Gamecocks!

Alexandra's Baptism

2011-11-12T21:44:00.004-05:00

On October 30th, we baptized our daughter, Alexandra Rose Michaud, at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tennessee. It was a joy to share this precious event with our parents, my grandmother, my brother, Chris, his girlfriend, Angela and our church family.

We chose to baptize Alexandra because we believe that as a covenant child she is able to share in some of the blessings God promises His people. It is also an opportunity for us, as parents, to make a public profession that we will teach her about our faith and pray that one day she will know God personally and not just as part of a Christian family.

"For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Acts 2:39

We were so thankful to all of our family who could join us for the weekend!

Patrick decided that he would rather sit on the floor and then with Grandma.

Our pastor, Nate Shurden, baptized Alexandra.

Patrick and Chris were also baptized in this gown. It was a chilly morning, so Alex also got to wear the overcoat.

"All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children."

Is. 54:13

At the Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-17T14:39:00.004-04:00

On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch he deems most sincere. He then flies through the air delivering toys to all the good little children in the world.

This is definitely a contender ;)

Alexandra - 4 months!

2011-10-04T21:21:00.004-04:00

Alexandra turned four months old either on the 30th or the 1st (Matt and I can't decide which since she was born on the May 31st). She is exploring everything that is within a hand's reach or rolling distance. She loves to stand-up and seems to be more interested in "bjorn-rides" and trips in the stroller. Alex definitely has a real laugh now, and she finds her Daddy hilarious. As per doctor's orders I still lay her down on her back to sleep, but she immediately rolls over and sleeps on her stomach; this development and being able to suck her thumb have resulted in better naps and nighttime sleep :) We are getting to know her more and more , and we are soaking in the joys and fun of these baby months.

height: 25 inches weight: 15lb, 10oz

Dare I Post It...

2011-10-04T15:58:00.007-04:00

POTTY TRAINED!

I'm always hesitant to post potty training success stories, but over the past month, Patrick has made huge strides in his potty training. We are by no means accident free, but we are completely done with day time diapers. Patrick usually needs to be prompted (coerced, bribed or begged) to go to the potty, but each week he seems to be doing a little better with going on his own. Keep an eye out for my article, "Potty training your boy in 6 months or more (or whenever he decides to do it)." Even though it took the better part of a year, I am so proud of Patrick and excited to have one out of diapers.

Patrick is about 2 1/2 years old now and is constantly amazing us with his intelligence and how quickly he learns new skills (except for the whole potty training thing). He still loves letters and numbers. Though not reading yet, he enjoys telling us the sound each letter makes in a word and is starting to make the connection that those sounds go together to make a word. He also can write his name and most letters and numbers. Thanks to Matt and Uncle Chris, he also can do simple addition and subtraction (he's really good with any numbers that add up to 6 or less). He loves puzzles, climbing, dancing, and running. Our nursery workers describe him as having LOTS of personality (which I think is good). He is a wonderful big brother and a sweet and sensitive son. Even though he is highly advanced in his academic and verbal skills, Patrick is still a typical two-year-old in many ways; tantrums, exploration, tumbles, and pretending are part of our daily life. So far, the "terrible-twos" have been a lot of fun!

Alexandra 3 months

2011-09-05T22:18:00.003-04:00

This past week, Alex turned 3 month old. It's amazing how quickly she is growing and developing new skills. In the past month, she has learned to turn over, grasp objects, laugh, and go to sleep on her own. She is a pleasant baby and only gets fussy when it's time for a nap or when Daddy changes her diaper ;) She's usually interested in what Patrick is doing and always has a big smile for Daddy (except on the changing table). Each month, I'm learning more and more what a sweet blessing she is to our family.

Beach Week 2011

2011-08-27T14:34:00.006-04:00

This past week, we took a family vacation to Charleston, SC (Wild Dunes). We spent the week with my parents, and Chris, and his girlfriend, Angela. Matt's parents also came to visit during the week. It was great having plenty of extra hands to help out with the children (as we quickly came to realize that family vacation does not equal parenting vacation). Patrick told us his favorite thing about the beach was the elevator that was in our beach house. He also enjoyed building/smashing sandcastles, collecting seashells, running in the sand, and splashing in the surf (when the waves weren't too intimidating). Alexandra's favorite beach activity was sleeping in someone's arms and perhaps dipping her toes in the water. We all enjoyed reconnecting with our families over beach walks, board games, and tracking hurricane Irene. The only down side to a relaxing beach week is how quickly it goes by and remembering that all too soon there is a job to go back to and at best a 1:1 adult to child ratio. Thank you Mom and Dad for providing a great family vacation!

July

2011-07-26T14:37:00.003-04:00

We've settled into a pretty consistent routine over the past month. Patrick has learned that he has to share Mommy and Alex has adjusted pretty easily to our family's weekly routine. Our outings never take us too far from the house, but each week we enjoy library story time, going to church on Wednesday evenings, and play-dates with friends. Alex does a good job on Sundays sleeping through the majority of church and even if she decides to wake up there or while we're out elsewhere, she's usually content to be held and watch the world.
Patrick has been extremely interested in numbers over the past two weeks (even more so than before). He's been learning how to count to 100 and surprised me the other day when he read the number "75" from a sign! I've been trying to broaden his horizon by exploring animals and nature, but lately he's always wanted to go back to numbers.
It has also been much more fun talking to Patrick now that he's fluent in English ;) Here's a conversations we had the other day in the car:
Patrick: *sigh*
Mommy: "What's wrong Patrick"
Patrick: "I'm sad"
Mommy: "Why are you sad?"
Patrick: "The kitties and puppies make me sad"
Mommy: "What about kitties and puppies makes you sad?"
Patrick: "I'm sad because they bite me"
Mommy: "Why do they bite you"
Patrick: "Because I poke them"
There are not too many dull moments in our house anymore. There's ALWAYS something to do, laugh at, make better, or prepare (and occasionally even clean).

Our sweet children!

Alex at 6 weeks.

Patrick wrote the numbers 1-14 on his Umizoomi coloring sheet. See if you can spot them.

A drawing by Patrick and Matt. They took turns coloring in the boxes.

Matt making beer marshmallows...yes, beer marshmallows

1 month later...

2011-07-01T21:33:00.004-04:00

We're slowly but surely figuring out how to be a family of four. Alex is doing well. She's gone on several outings this month including church, friend's houses and a few restaurants. We only had one doctor's appointment at 2 weeks and she had already gained 1.5 lbs. Patrick loves her (sometimes a little too much) and is learning how to share Mommy. We've been blessed to have several visits from family members and friends this month and the extra hands have been a tremendous help. All in all, I think we're going to make it, and if I remember correctly from when Patrick was a newborn, one day, I will sleep again ;)

Alexandra's First Week

2011-06-07T22:18:00.002-04:00

Here are some favorite photos from Alexandra's first week.

We're all doing well. Alex is starting to sleep on a normal day/night schedule and already seems to be getting longer and gaining weight. Patrick is both thrilled with his little sister and completely jealous of her time with Mommy. I'm sure the next few months will be filled with new challenges but I'm thankful we'll be taking them on as a family.

Welcome Alexandra Rose!

2011-06-01T10:19:00.005-04:00

Alex was born on May 31, 2011 at 3:10pm. She weighs 6lb 12oz and is 20" long. She is a beautiful and healthy baby girl!

I started my pre-labor/labor on Memorial day (May 30th) evening and spent the night counting contractions. By 11:30 the next morning, we were ready to go to the hospital, and I'm glad we didn't wait much longer. By the time we got up to the room, and all of the necessary info was collected, I was 5cm dialated. I had just enough time to get my IV fluids, antibiotics, and epidural, when the nurse realized I was 8.5cm and started collecting all of the necessary people and equipment for pushing. By 2:45 I was fully dialated and ready to push, and at 3:10 Alexandra Rose Michaud sounded her first cries into the world. We are both recovering nicely and ready to go home to start living as a family of four.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

Psalm 139: 13-14

39 weeks

2011-05-29T16:02:00.004-04:00

With one week (or so) to go, I feel a bit like a ticking time bomb with everyone just waiting on me to go into labor. Both Matt and I have done our share of nesting over the past few weeks, and the house is almost ready for Alex. Patrick is excited about meeting baby Alex (in theory), and she should be born just before the summer heat really hits. Hopefully, in about a week, we'll have a nice long post announcing the birth of our baby girl!

(38wk 5days)

Patrick's convinced that at some point he will see baby Alex through my belly button.

Just a really cute picture of Patrick that Matt took :)

Patrick's 2nd Birthday!

2011-05-02T21:01:00.006-04:00

On Saturday, Patrick turned two years old. We had a beautiful day to celebrate this wonderful milestone. Throughout the month we've been talking to Patrick about his birthday, and as soon as he woke up, Patrick was ready to tell everyone that he was TWO and it was time for presents. At lunch, we had one of Patrick's best friends come over to celebrate with cake and take a dip in his new pool. Patrick seemed to really enjoy the day and continued the celebration throughout the weekend.

The past six months have been an amazing time of growth and development for Patrick. Some of his newer skills include:
-identifying his letters (upper and lowercase)
-singing the ABC song
-recognizing the sound most letters make
-counting to 12 consistently (and sometimes up to 20)
-identifying the number "10"
-jumping
-throwing/kicking a ball to someone
-making jokes with names and understanding "silly" things
-sometimes chooses to SHARE without prompting
-knows the difference between whining and a "big boy" voice
-speaking in sentences with 5-7 words

Our little boy is such a blessing and brings so much joy to our lives. It's hard to remember what life was like 2+ years ago and at the same time so hard to believe that time has passed so quickly. I know the next year is going to be amazing and challenging as we welcome our little girl into our family, but I know Patrick will grow into a wonderful big brother.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward." (Ps 127:3)

Visit from Nana and Poppop

2011-04-22T23:02:00.001-04:00

Last week, Matt's parents, Janet and John (aka Nana and Poppop) drove from Myrtle Beach for a visit. Patrick LOVES his grandparents and always enjoys the extra attention and playtime that come along with their visits.

Patrick's first 2nd birthday present!

An early birthday cupcake.

There are no easy baskets in our house.

Nana and Poppop brought Patrick a super-cute Adirondack chair.
We are ready for the summer!

Big Boy Bed

2011-04-10T22:16:00.004-04:00

Last week, we decided it was finally time to switch out Patrick's crib for a "big boy" toddler bed. We wanted to make sure Patrick had plenty of time without his crib before baby sister arrives, in hopes that it will be one less reason for Patrick to want to send her back. I'm happy to say that the only tears shed over the crib were my own in reminiscing the past two years of nap-times and night-times. From the moment Patrick saw the bed, he was thrilled with it. He loves being able to climb into and out of his bed and after a week, he's still excited to get in his "big boy" bed to go to sleep. He seems to understand that he's not allowed to get out of the bed during nap-time/night-time, so as of yet, all of my fears of an extended sleep-time routine of returning Patrick to his bed, seem to be unfounded. In fact, he seems to be sleeping longer and more soundly, and I'm wondering why we didn't do this months ago.

Spring has Sprung

2011-03-21T22:52:00.003-04:00

Now that the temperatures are out of the 40's and into the 70's (and 80's), we can't seem to get enough of the beautiful spring weather. It's so nice to finally have the windows open and be able to play outside without three layers of clothes. Grandma and Grandfather Marshall came to visit for a few days, and Patrick thoroughly enjoyed all of the extra attention and spoiling that is expected from grandparents.

Baby girl Michaud is doing great. I had a really positive 28-week check-up, and my doctor thinks that both myself and baby are right on track. I still have a decent energy level and can almost always find a comfortable position to stand, sit or sleep. I'm also able to get buy one, get one free deals at Sweet Cici's (great frozen yogurt), so bring on the warm weather!

Weekend Get-Away

2011-03-02T15:24:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, we went to the Pigeon Forge area to hang out with some SC friends for the weekend in a mountain house. With eleven adults and eight children, the house was definitely full but also a lot of fun. It was a great chance for Patrick to play with children of all ages and start learning how to act around little babies (which will be necessary in a few months). The adults enjoyed chatting about our children, playing "Settlers" and eating great home-cooked meals while the children entertained themselves with pool balls, lady bugs, and a variety of each others' toys. The time together was way too short but at least we were able to return to a more "spring-like" Franklin, TN.

Patrick, Alina, and Ella enjoy a "princess" book.

Our mountain view.

Matt shows Patrick how to draw a truck.

The girls threw me "mini-shower" and we received some VERY cute items for baby-girl Michaud.

Chuck-E-Cheese

2011-01-30T22:58:00.003-05:00

We recently had a fun-filled weekend with Grandma which included Patrick's first Chuck-E-Cheese adventure. Unfortunately, we went on a busy Saturday evening and the noise, lights, and crowd were a little too much for Patrick. We tried to tempt him with toys, games, and rides, but what finally won him over was the giant animatronic mouse who sings and talks to the crowd. Eventually, he calmed down enough to enjoy some pizza, Kool-Ade and even some games. I'm sure future trips will be more exciting and one day, he'll have to take Skee-Ball lesson from my mom who beat me by 40,000 points.

Who knew a merry-go-round could be so sad? :(

Apparently Patrick loves the song "Party in the USA" and danced to the whole song.

More than any game, Patrick liked to grab the tickets.

The night ended on a happy note with prizes and even some ice-cream from Cold Stone.

A few of my favorite things...

2011-01-04T21:22:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday visiting friends and family in South Carolina. Between pre-Christmas presents at our house and two Christmases with Grandparents, Patrick learned to LOVE this holiday (for probably all the wrong reasons). If I could, I would give him a present to open ever day just to watch his excitement. Instead, I'll just have to re-live the experiences through these videos.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Let it Snow

2010-12-13T15:02:00.006-05:00

Yesterday gave us several inches of snow, and we have been bundling Patrick up for adventures to the backyard. Patrick enjoys the snow infinitely more than last year. He and Linus have had a great time "frolicking" in the snow despite the frigid temperatures.

Matt taught Patrick how to throw snow at the dog and Mommy.

(this is normal dog behavior, right?)

Patrick seemed warm enough but he did fall down a bit.

Fall Fun

2010-11-09T22:18:00.003-05:00

The transition from October to November brought with it plenty of opportunity to spend time in the cool autumn air. Our new hometown, Franklin, held it annual "Pumpkin Festival" where Patrick was entertained by a petting zoo and a giant pumpkin. We also took a trip to South Carolina and played on the farm for a week. Patrick (and Linus) loved the cows and taking rides around the farm on the golf cart.
We had a great 18 month check-up recently (mainly because there were no shots involved) and Patrick seems right on track in his learning and development. The fact that his mind is a little sponge is becoming more and more apparent as he learns new words everyday and doesn't forget important facts (like what time of day "Yo Gabba Gabba" comes on). He's even well on his way to learning the alphabet and has a good grasp of his shapes. Patrick is working on learning to share and obeying Mommy and Daddy (but I hear those are long roads :) We are looking forward to the holiday season and all the new experiences it will bring for Patrick.

Octa-what?

2010-10-19T15:34:00.003-04:00

Patrick is learning his shapes, but he seems to be learning them in reverse order of difficultly. While, "circle" and "square" are still hit-or-miss, he's pretty confident with "oval" and his absolute favorite is the octagon, or as he calls it, "oc-ga-ton."

1st Haircut

2010-09-12T17:09:00.004-04:00

This weekend, Patrick got his first haircut. Matt has been hinting that Patrick's mullet should be trimmed for months now, but I've been holding out for sentimental reasons. I finally decided that enough people had mistaken him for a girl and we brought him to a children's hair salon. Patrick did very well and enjoyed all of the cookies, toys and cartoons used to keep him from moving around too much.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Go Gamecocks!

2010-09-11T11:21:00.002-04:00

Matt has been reading Patrick a special bedtime story...

16 months

2010-09-03T22:05:00.005-04:00

It's amazing how much Patrick has changed and learned in just a few months. The only thing slow to change is Patrick's weight; at our 15 month check-up, Patrick weighed about 22 1/2 pounds (up 1/2 since 12mo). His height is still in the 70th percentile, so it's good to know he's still growing in one direction ;) This is not surprising however since he doesn't stop moving during his waking hours. Patrick loves the new house. He constantly wanders from room to room and it's not uncommon to see his little face peek around a corner and yell "Boo!" at whomever is in the room. Patrick's vocabulary has exponentially increased over the past few months. He can repeat almost anything and knows the words for most of his everyday objects (everything from "pool" to "night-night" to "cookie"). I'm also often surprised how much he understands. For example, he knows exactly what I mean when I say, "You have to eat another green bean before you can have a cookie." Patrick's "mommy-only" phase seems to have passed, as well, and he is now thrilled to go to nursery on Sunday mornings or run up to any random person in a store. We have recently started the long journey in potty-training, and are happy to say that Patrick LOVES to go pee-pee in his new potty. Any tips on this venture will be greatly appreciated.

Raluca and Alina recently came to visit us in Franklin. As you can see, Patrick loved having his good friend come to see his new house and toys.

Matt and Patrick assemble the new potty.

Patrick finds his own use for the potty lid.

It hard to believe the baby carrier use to swallow him up.

New House

2010-08-15T21:04:00.005-04:00

Last week we FINALLY moved into our new house. It is one story except for a bonus room and very open, airy, and full of light (the very opposite of the apartment we were living in). We had lots of help from our parents in the move; my mom came up from last Friday to Tuesday and packed boxes, cleaned and most importantly watched Patrick during the move. Matt's parents came from Wednesday to Sunday and unloaded boxes, decorated, and made our yard look beautiful (and of course watched Patrick whenever needed). In case we didn't say it enough, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all of your help!" We are so happy to finally be settled in a place where we can start getting involved and put down roots. To all of you back in SC (and beyond), thank you for your prayers and support these past few months as we transitioned from the Palmetto State to the Volunteer State. We hope to see you soon.

Virtual Tour of New House

Bluegrass in Franklin

2010-07-23T22:20:00.006-04:00

Friday night we visited our new hometown, Franklin, TN (we'll be moving there in two weeks!). After dinner, we went downtown to the annual Bluegrass festival. Turns out, Patrick loves bluegrass music (see video below). We are very excited about finally moving to Franklin. It has everything we want in a hometown except our SC friends and family; so everyone is welcome to come up and visit, and when you decide you want to move here too, Matt will come and help you pack.

Beach Trip

2010-07-20T20:58:00.005-04:00

Last week, we took a family vacation with my parents, Chris (and even Raluca and Alina for a few days) to Pawleys Island, SC. It was a wonderful trip where the days were spent lounging on the beach, playing in the ocean and catching a nap or two in between Scrabble games. Patrick loved the beach. We found out he is an expert sand-castle-smasher and would try to surf if we let him. Also, the sun, sand and water wore him out so much that he took great naps and ate as much as a teenager. Now that we are back in Nashville, I definitely miss the beach, but at least I have some great pictures to help me remember to relax.

I can't believe we actually got a family picture where we are all smiling and looking at the camera

On Saturday, we spent the day with the Grandma and Grandpa Michaud in Myrtle Beach.

If we weren't holding his hands, Patrick would be running into the ocean.

One of our favorite play areas was an upstairs, screened-in deck overlooking the ocean.

Playing in the waves was Patrick's favorite beach activity.

Patrick looked cooler than any surfer on the beach.

Playing in the rain.

There were too many wonderful pictures to choose from, so if you are interested, here is a link to our online album of the trip: PAWLEYS ISLAND ALBUM

Cute Videos

2010-06-30T21:39:00.002-04:00

Some fun new things Patrick is learning!

14 months!

2010-06-26T21:08:00.003-04:00

Patrick is almost 14 months old. Several people told me to expect big changes after the one-year mark and boy were you right (sorry for doubting). Patrick's verbal skills have dramatically improved in the last month. He's copying sounds and words and his vocabulary has increased to include "book," "up" and "juice." He is also more coordinated and started recognizing shapes. He's able to follow simple requests like, "Bring this to Daddy," or "The triangle block goes here," and he's constantly trying to discover the names of new objects. His favorite Nick Jr. shows are "Jack's Big Music Show," "The Wonder Pets," and "Yo Gabba Gabba!" Since moving to Nashville, Patrick has started eating wheat and oats (we are very thankful he's grown-out of that allergy) and summertime seems to have brought a decline in his eczema (which means I don't worry as much). Thanks to all of you who have walked beside us and have followed along in Patrick's progress; it continues to be a joy each month!

Patrick LOVES books. After he wakes up in the morning or from a nap, he reaches for the bookshelf and says "Book, book."

Patrick recently completed his shapes puzzle all by himself!

This was one of those times I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Teaching Patrick to clean

2010-06-05T21:14:00.002-04:00

After this I attached a swiffer pad to his diaper and let him scoot around the apartment ;)

In the doghouse

2010-05-30T15:30:00.004-04:00

Since moving to Nashville, we have had to start crating Linus whenever we leave - if not, he tries to dig holes out of the house by ripping up the carpet. I was a bit worried for Linus, at first and wondered how he would do being locked in a cage for hours at a time. Turns out, he doesn't mind it at all and always seems very content whenever we have him go into the crate or come home to let him out. Patrick also LOVES the crate and thinks there is nothing better than climbing into it and sitting in Linus's bed or opening and closing the crate door. We took some really cute pictures of Patrick's new play area ;)

Patrick gets just far enough in that it makes it fairly difficult to drag him back out.

Linus doesn't know what to think about his new den mate.

We are extremely thankful to have a dog who is patient and kind to our son.

Zoom, zoom....

2010-05-20T20:47:00.004-04:00

As some of you know, right before we left for Nashville, my Ford Explorer broke. Fortunately, we were able to sell it to CarMax for $2500, but for the past two weeks, we've been a one car family. We've had our eye on the Mazda5 for a while, and when Matt noticed that there was a manual version in a nearby town, we drove up to check it out. We really liked the way it drove and the price was good, so last night we drove home with our new car. Technically, it's NOT a minivan, but it does have sliding doors and an extra row of seats (6 total). We are proud of our new "family" car/van/suv/crossover and best of all, it is really fun to drive.Here's our Mazda5 next to a traditional minivan. I should have parked behind it since there's no depth in a picture, but it's a bit smaller an a little more "streamline."

The sliding door is great for getting Patrick in and out.

It's hard to tell, but there a bucket seats in the second row. It's nice that all of the back seats completely fold down.

I get bonus "cool Mommy" points for being able to drive a stick.

(Feel free to vote on whether you think this counts as a minivan or just a Mommy car. ;)

Packing Parties

2010-05-16T21:54:00.003-04:00

We are now up in Nashville and unpacked (pictures to come when I clean and organized, but we certainly had a lot of help getting to this point. The Lord has blessed us with many wonderful friends in Columbia who we now owe BIG TIME because of all their help in getting us packed-up and moved out. The pictures below are from Tuesday when I think it took all of 4 hours to get our entire house packed in boxes. I did not get pictures of the rest of packing, but on Wednesday our friends Justin, Tim, Ted (and Burton) came over in the afternoon and packed up 90% of the truck in just a few hours. After 5:00, about 10 other friends from church came to help finish loading and cleaning the house. On Thursday, Justin drove up to Nashville with Matt and they unloaded the entire truck with help from a new work colleague of Matt's. We also could not have made the move if my mom had not given up her Wednesday-Sunday to travel with us and watch Patrick, help clean, cook, and do anything else we needed. Thank you everyone! We love you and miss you.

Happy Birthday Patrick!

2010-05-03T21:32:00.005-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated Patrick's first birthday. He had some practice with the cupcake and icing earlier this month, so he was more than ready to dive in (literally) to anything resembling cake. We celebrated on his actual birthday (April 30th) at home with his Grandma Alice (Gamma) and his Great-grandmother Marshall (Granny). We also had a party at a local park on Saturday morning and celebrated with some of Patrick's church friends.

One year ago last weekend!

Patrick before his birthday cupcake.

Patrick after his birthday cupcake.
(notice the sugar buzz in the eyes)

Patrick loves the slide! He had so much fun at the park.

We celebrated Patrick's birthday with the Liles, Clarks, Rogers, and Leslie Waters.

Jo-jo and Riley help Patrick explore one of his birthday gifts.

This past year has been an exciting adventure introducing us to parenthood. We adore Patrick so much it's hard to imagine our life before he was around. In one year, he has taught us lessons in perseverance, strength, joy, commitment and most of all love in ways we never imagined. This has been a year I will always remember and cherish in my heart, yet I am also itching for the exciting years to come.

Party #1

2010-04-18T14:44:00.006-04:00

Patrick's birthday is not until the end of the month, but we've already started celebrating this momentous event. Matt's family was in town on Saturday so we took the opportunity to have a small party for Patrick. It was such a blessing having a house full of Michauds to help us celebrate Patrick's first year.

Patrick gets ready for his first chocolate cupcake (see video below for results)

Aunt Malinda and Patrick after the party and a change of clothes (again see video for details)

Patrick, Grandma Janet and Linus all play with Patrick's new train.

Patrick couldn't get enough of his Grandpa John this weekend; he even wanted to help re-screen the windows.

Uncle JP and Aunt Laura show Patrick his new KU dinner set. Patrick especially loved the spoon and cup

Oops...forgot to post about Easter

2010-04-14T13:38:00.003-04:00

I'm a little behind on my Easter post, but the pictures were too cute not to post. We had a joyful Easter weekend with family and friends. Patrick's grandparents (Michaud) came up to visit on Thursday and spent the day with us. On Friday-Saturday we went up to Clinton to visit Grandma and Grandfather Marshall, We also got to see Uncle Chris, Granny, and G-aunt Judy and G-uncle Jim. I think Matt won the Easter egg hunt this year, but Chris came in a close second. Due to choir obligations, we spent Easter Sunday at our home church in Lexington and went to Justin and Raluca Liles' house for a delicious Romanian Easter dinner. I have definitely stored up many good memories from Patrick's first Easter.

Patrick and Alina Liles prepare for the under 2 y/o Easter egg hunt. Patrick decided to compete without shoes.

I'm not sure if the pouty face is because he has no eggs or because I made him wear pastels.

Alina was just too cute not to get her own blog picture!

Pre-hunt pictures with Grandma and Grandfather Marshall

Grandma Janet helped Patrick take his first stroll through the grass.

First Steps

2010-03-20T09:43:00.002-04:00

Patrick took his first full steps last Thursday (3/18/10) and we finally got to put the "first step" sticker on his calendar (Thanks again, Pam for the great keepsake). Right now, his preferred method of transportation is still crawling, coasting along furniture and being held (in no particular order), but we don't think it will be much longer before Patrick realizes the joy of being able to carry toys and travel wherever he wants. Patrick has also been improving in fine motor skills, feeding himself, and being in a separate room from Mommy.

Pots and Pans

2010-03-01T20:55:00.006-05:00

Every month I read my What to Expect the First Year book to see what I "should expect" from Patrick in the next month. Quite often, the book has told me to let my baby play with pots and pans. It's told me this will help with everything from self expression to relieving tension to working on motor skills. Each time I think, "Haven't I bought $1oo's in toys that were specifically designed to accomplish these tasks?" Why would I give my child pots and pans to play with? Then one day we were bored so we took out the pots and pans.

Snow Day!!

2010-02-13T09:31:00.005-05:00

It started snowing yesterday around 3:00 P.M. This was the first snow for us all year, despite the fact that the rest of the country was getting tons of snow. We heard on the news last night that there was measurable accumulation in 49 of the 50 states yesterday -- everywhere but Hawaii! Snow in Columbia leads to quite a bit of fuss and excitement, since it comes so rarely. The city doesn't have salt trucks, and people have generally no idea about driving in these conditions, so it basically shuts everything down. We don't mind just hanging around the house though, and we hope that you enjoy these pictures of Patrick's first SNOW DAY!

Here you can see the snow just barely beginning to fall.

I'm pretty sure Patrick was more excited about seeing Mommy than snow.

Our across the street neighbor's Dogwood tree was quite pretty covered in snow.

Here's another Dogwood tree. These night pictures were taken around 7:00 PM.

Jessica awoke pretty early and took some beautiful pictures down our street.

We got about 8.6" of snow. It was the fifth most daily snowfall in Columbia ever.

We bundled Patrick up as best we could. Not living somewhere that snow is common, we don't have any snow gear for him at all!

Where are my legs?!?

Can I eat it?!?

Brrr... Its COLD!

I was going to make a snow angel with Patrick, but then he rolled off of me. A faceplant in the snow was the last thing he wanted. That was the end of snow fun for Patrick!

How much longer do I have to wear mittens?

2010-02-08T19:55:00.007-05:00

The biting cold winter days have not kept Patrick and I confined to the indoors. Unless it's raining, we usually take a daily walk with Linus. It is quite a process to bundle-up Patrick and get out the door, but both Patrick and Linus enjoy the fresh air and change of scenery. The only thing Patrick does NOT like are his mittens (which are more like socks since they don't even have "thumbs"); he can't wait for spring to come and free his hands.

Training for the Winter Olympics

2010-01-27T14:51:00.003-05:00

Now that Patrick is crawling, pulling up, and walking along furniture, it feels sometimes like we are training for the Winter Games. Here are some videos of our training sessions:

(I wish I could get a better video of this because he can really spin fast when he wants to.)

This was an earlier "training session." He's now an expert at the tunnel.

This is by far Patrick's favorite activity.

Florida and Family

2010-01-09T08:33:00.004-05:00

After Christmas, Matt, Patrick and I took a trip down to Florida to visit Matt's grandparents. Patrick had a wonderful trip visiting with his great-grandparents, great-aunts and uncles, second-cousins and other relatives for whom we could not quite figure out the proper names ;)

Great-grandpa Leonard Michaud, Grandpa John Michaud, Daddy Matt Michaud, and Patrick Michaud

The Michaud Family gathers to celebrate great-grandma and great-grandpa's anniversary

Everyone took turns feeding Patrick. He loved eating with his great-grandma Bea.

Patrick and his great granddaddy

Before our trip to Fl, we went up to Charlotte to visit Uncle JP, Aunt Laura, and Aunt Malinda

Christmas Day!

2010-01-01T08:43:00.004-05:00

Matt and I had a wonderful time celebrating Patrick's first Christmas, this year. We spent Christmas morning at home, just the three of us and opened Patrick's presents for him (which he saw us pick out earlier in the month and help Mommy wrap a little later). Patrick loved his new activity table, rolling toys and, of course, the boxes. For Christmas lunch, we were joined by Patrick's grandparents (Bruce and Alice), Uncle Chris, great-grandma Lorraine, 2nd cousins Laura and Andrew, and great-uncle Jim. At which time Patrick opened more presents. Later in the afternoon, grandparents Janet and John came by to stay the night, and again, we opened presents. Patrick was loved-on and cherished the entire day and we didn't have to drive a lick.

Matt helps Patrick open his first Christmas present.

Patrick opens his second round of gifts.

Andrew, Uncle Chris and Patrick

A great picture of Patrick and Laura

Grandpa John and Patrick relax after a long, exciting Christmas

Christmas list: Two front teeth...check

2009-12-16T09:54:00.004-05:00

Since Thanksgiving, Patrick has been learning to crawl. He gone from shaky movements with little progress to scaring Linus out of a room. I never knew how many things in our house are only 6in off the ground. In addition to his new sense of adventure, Patrick has sprouted his first two teeth. The teething process made him fussy for about a week, but at least now, he can chew the bottom half of his mum-mums. And finally, Matt and I have received all we need for Christmas with Patrick's new ability to say "Da-da" and "Ma-Ma." And don't tell us that they are just new sounds with no attached meaning...you'll ruin Christmas.

Patrick loves the Christmas tree and presents. Matt has said that if he can get to a present and successfully open it, he can have it early.

Alina and Patrick pose in front of the church Chrismon tree.

Matt played a surly carpenter in the children's Christmas play.

If you look closely, you can see two tiny pearly whites.

Last week, Patrick met his great-great aunt - my grandmother's identical twin sister.

At the Park

2009-12-04T10:10:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, Matt and I took Patrick on his first trip to the park. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, so we enjoyed the park with lots of other kids. Patrick enjoyed the swings and a tiny slide that I'm sure I would have mocked if I were a 7 year old; but it was perfect for Patrick. Patrick also showed a lot of interest in the nature when we took him for a walk along the path.

October Fun

2009-11-07T09:37:00.004-05:00

Hayrides, football games, jack-o-lanterns, carnivals, "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown," ; if Patrick had long-term memory, he would remember that his first autumn was filled with quintessential October fun. Even though he won't remember it, we took some fun pictures, and Matt and I will certainly cherish the beginning of our family's first holiday season.

Play dates

2009-10-19T08:57:00.004-04:00

Patrick's good friend, Alina was able to come over and play two afternoons last week. It's fun to watch them play and see just how early that "hey! that toy's mine" mentality begins. Fortunately, we have enough toys to keep everyone happy.

September

2009-09-28T20:31:00.005-04:00

We've had an exciting September filled with small changes and milestones that have been fun to watch. Patrick had his first cold and I did not rush him off to the doctor (just called the nurse). After about a week, he recovered from his sniffling and coughing, and gave it to Matt. Patrick also loves his jumper (see video below) and is slowly getting steadier on his feet. He's rolled over a couple times (once squishing his face in the bars of his crib) and is ALMOST ready to sit up on his own. He smiles and laughs at everyone, especially Linus and wants to put everything in his mouth, especially Linus.

Patrick's baptism

2009-09-14T17:01:00.003-04:00

Patrick was baptized last Sunday morning, and we were blessed to be supported by our friends and family during this happy occasion. Patrick's baptism symbolizes that we will raise him in a Christian household and hopefully, he will never know a day without the love of Jesus Christ. Here are some pictures from the baptism:

4 months and eating solids

2009-09-10T21:42:00.003-04:00

Patrick had his 4 month check-up last week. The doctor was impressed by his growth and he's hitting all the important milestones. While his eczema is doing much better, the doctor thinks it might be caused by a milk protein allergy, so no dairy for Patrick and therefore, no dairy for me. So, I've given up cheese, ice cream, chocolate and everything else that has butter, whey, milk, etc. (I can't believe how much I love that little guy).
Another exciting development, is starting "solid" food. Patrick is adjusting to eating rice cereal and everyday, a little more actually makes it into his mouth and gets swallowed.

These pictures are from Patrick's very first time eating rice cereal. He did surprisingly well.

Linus makes sure we don't forget about him.

so I didn't go back to school...

2009-08-18T20:00:00.005-04:00

It's the middle of August and I'm not arranging my classroom or buying pencils and folders or trying to figure out how to pronounce the names on my roll. It's a little weird, but I wouldn't trade it for the tummy-time, stroller walks, or ever-changing schedule I'm dealing with now. Patrick is doing fantastic; he's still growing like a weed and sleeping through the night - 10:30-7am (which I'm scared to put in writing because last time the day after I bragged about it, he stopped). He's starting to develop a laugh and a personality. He loves to play games and "talk" but seems shy around new people. It's exciting getting to know our son.

Patrick and "Dr. Squeaks"

This is Patrick's preferred method of transportation. It gives the best perspective.

I love teaching, but this is so much better.

By the way, did I mention we are ready for football season?

to the beach, ok...

2009-08-03T13:24:00.004-04:00

Last week, we took a family vacation to Pawley's Island, SC. In addition to playing in the ocean and taking naps on the beach, Patrick also dropped another nighttime feeding. I know what you're thinking, "why start something like that on vacation!?!" but blame Raluca; it was her idea. Patrick did surprisingly well with the dropped feeding (until we hit the 3 month growth spurt) and seemed to enjoy his time at the beach. He had quality time with all grandparents and learned how wonderfully odd his uncle Chris can be (who is determined to teach Patrick to say "Uncle Chris" by 6 months). Now that we are back home, we are back to our old routine, but miss the lazy beach afternoons and the extra sets of hands that came with them.

Matt, Jessica, Patrick, Grma. Janet, Grpa. John, Grma. Alice, Uncle Chris and Grpa. Bruce

Patrick in the Atlantic Ocean with Mom and Grandma Alice.

Patrick didn't exactly enjoy his time in the ocean.

12-7am!

2009-07-14T09:02:00.003-04:00

Patrick is now sleeping from 12 to 7am on a fairly regular basis. Hopefully, I'll start sleeping from 12-7, too. Part of Patrick's sleeping success can be attributed to his new talent of sucking his thumb. Other big milestones we've reached are grabbing toys and pushing himself up while on his stomach. Patrick also got to meet his Aunt Malinda, Uncle JP and Aunt Laura last week. Unfortunately, it was the same day he got his first shots, so he was a bit fussy for the visit.

Patrick and Uncle JP.

Patrick and Aunt Malinda.

Summer fun

2009-07-03T14:43:00.006-04:00

Patrick is growing and learning new things every week. He's sucking his thumb fairly frequently, now, although sometimes he still forgets that his thumb should be facing out. Mostly, we are staying inside with the cool A/C to avoid the heat of a Columbia summer, but we've also cooled off in baby pools and the lake. Patrick is now sleeping through a large chunk of the night (usually 12-6am), s0 we're all a little happier and well rested.

Patrick has a bit of a sly smile that i think will pose problems for us later ;)

Life is tough for Patrick Michaud

2009-06-28T17:59:00.002-04:00

Here you can see Patrick just "chillin" in the pool while Alina plays! Could he be more relaxed?

This is Patrick's first time in a "big" body of water. He seemed to enjoy the lake, although I'm not sure if he knows the difference between this and the bath tub. :P

Look at Jessica water skiing!! She did a great job, considering she hasn't been in a while.

Always the dare-devil, I tried to get some "jumps" in, although I barely made it a foot off the water.

Burton had a blast water skiing as well. Here you can see him waving to all of his fans as he shows off his skills!

2009-06-17T18:36:00.005-04:00

It's amazing how far we've come in only 6 weeks. Just a few weeks ago, Patrick and I were nearly home-bound and would take occasional trips out of the house to do things like fill up the car with gas. Now, we are out-and-about on a daily basis and I am becoming much more adept at traveling with Patrick. We even took our first road trip to Clinton by ourselves (Matt had to stay in Columbia). Patrick is making great progress as a person and is getting more interesting by the day. He can now "play" with his hanging toys and when we read books, he's actually more interested in the book than the window behind it.

We visited Grandma and Grandfather Marshall on Monday to celebrate my dad's birthday. Patrick was decked out in his jean overalls.

Alina and Patrick are becoming fast friends (although Patrick doesn't know it yet). We are always amazed that they are almost the same size!

The Elusive Smile

2009-06-12T10:03:00.005-04:00

Patrick started smiling last week (which is an incredibly rewarding milestone)! I have made several attempts to capture his adorable smile on "film" however, he mostly just looks like he's opening his mouth. Here are a couple of the better pictures.

Linus is almost as entertaining as Patrick. I took this photo during thunderstorm. It's good to know that Patrick and I have a fearless protector keeping us safe.

No more "newborns"

2009-06-11T14:48:00.003-04:00

Patrick has grown out of his newborn clothes. One night while getting him ready for bed, we noticed that Patrick could not straighten his legs when dressed in his newborn sleeper. So we have officially moved up to size 0-3 months. Also, we have recently tried "face out" while in the Baby Bjorn and taking "big boy" baths. Patrick is much more tolerant of all bath time now and especially enjoys time in the big tub.

2009-06-05T17:04:00.002-04:00

Patrick and Linus play on the activity mat.

Patrick helps with the laundry.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-06-02T14:04:00.008-04:00

Patrick left Columbia for the first time over Memorial Day weekend. Fortunately, our two stops (Clinton and Clemson) were baby-equipped, so we did not have to pack the entire nursery for our trip. Even Linus came for part of the way and if he didn't already feel demoted enough, he's not even allowed to sit in the back seat anymore; instead, he's in the very back with the luggage. We stopped in Clinton for the night to visit Grandma Alice and Grandfather Bruce (yes, he prefers "grandfather") and then continued for a two day visit to our friends Patrick and Pam's house in Clemson. We were joined by college friends, Dave and Karen, Jeff and Stephanie, and Marty and Gretchen.
Our hosts Patrick and Pam and daughter, Maggie. It is invaluable having friends with a baby a few months older than baby Patrick. I peppered Pam with questions throughout the whole trip.

We took advantage of all the extra hands. Patrick's bottom touched the ground once the entire trip. He especially seemed to enjoy snuggling with Stephanie.

Marty, Gretchen and son Trip gave us a preview of what's to come. Trip seemed very interested in Patrick until Gretchen held him and Trip made it perfectly clear that he did not approve. Little does Trip know that his mom will be holding a little baby a lot more often come July.

Can someone please explain this picture to me? I wasn't around when it was taken.

A week of "firsts."

2009-05-22T11:48:00.006-04:00

I guess when you are only three weeks old, "firsts" are not all that uncommon. Jessica and Patrick had their first week home alone together (with Linus) and are working out a daily routine that includes morning strolls, tummy time and reading "Harry Potter."

First bath! Now that Patrick has a real belly button, he's allowed to take baths (instead of washcloth wipedowns). Patrick did NOT enjoy his first bath, but at least he's clean for our upcoming first trip away from home.

Look who's wearing pants!!! Not just Matt. Last Saturday, we went to the Irwin's house. This was Patrick's first non-pediatrician outing and also, the first time he wore pants. Thank you to the Liles for gifting Patrick the outfit!

Afternoon naps. Matt and Patrick often take afternoon (or evening) naps on the couch. I'm not sure who is being spoiled more ;)

First Mother's Day!

2009-05-12T15:59:00.002-04:00

This Sunday, I celebrated my first Mother's Day. I had the privilege of sharing it with my mom and mother-in-law. Matt got me a mini-laptop and camera for Mother's Day, but of course, Patrick is the most amazing gift.

2009-05-10T18:06:00.002-04:00

I just love the way that Patrick decided to spread himself and had to take a picture!

After he tried to latch onto my nose, I let Jess know that he was indeed hungry. :P

As Jessica was getting Patrick dressed, she somehow got things stuck in this position. She decided that he looked like an Ewok, and I snapped a pic.

Here is Patrick with his Uncle Chris. He was able to come up from Atlanta and spend Saturday and Sunday with us.

And here is an extreme close-up of a friend that was on our wall this afternoon - may he rest in peace.

One Week Old!!

2009-05-07T18:15:00.004-04:00

Our first arranged "family portrait"!

Patrick isn't quite ready for "tummy time" yet, but we thought he might enjoy some time off his back for a change.

It turns out that his "bouncer" does a great job of putting him to sleep, especially when the "soother" is turned on. I wish I had an adult size one of these things!

Surprisingly, he doesn't enjoy being nekkid. He is particularly unhappy here because he's both nekkid and getting a sponge bath from mommy.

Here's Patrick ready for his first "walk". I'm not sure why it was called a walk for him, since he spent the majority of the time reclined and sleeping. Again, I wish I had an adult sized one of these things, along with some giant people to push me around in it!

This was Jessica's first foray out of the house since coming home. She really enjoyed getting some fresh air.

Patrick's First Week

2009-05-06T11:45:00.004-04:00

Jessica decided to give Patrick some "outside" time, and I thought that I'd take advantage of the setting to take some more artistic pictures of Patrick.

I call this the "praise Jesus" picture.

Patrick had his first play date (tee hee) with Alina Grace last night. He promptly slept through the entire thing.

Here is Patrick spending some time with Grandma Michaud

Linus has adjusted quite well to Patrick joining our "pack". Last night, when Patrick was making some small noises in his sleep, Linus perked up and wanted to make sure we heard it too.

I had to double and triple check his harness as we prepared Patrick for his first well-baby check up. He did great at the doctor's office. He has already gained 2 ounces above his birth weight!

He is sooo tiny that it makes his crib look humongous!

Here is baby Patrick spending some quality time with daddy!

Patrick's first moments

2009-05-05T14:19:00.000-04:00

Patrick is Here!

2009-05-05T13:27:00.003-04:00

Well, after weeks of Matt coaxing me to "go into labor, already!" I finally complied. On Wednesday night (April 29th) around 9:30, I started having regular contractions. It took until 4:30 for the contractions to be 5 minutes apart, and we went to the hospital. Unfortunately, I was still only 1cm dilated, so it looked like we were going back home. Fortunately, the doctor was tied up in surgery and couldn't see me for about 4 hours. Finally, around 2 o'clock, I had dilated just enough for the doctor to keep me, and she broke my water. I had not realized what the doctor meant about real contractions being much more painful until the Pitocin kicked in. After about 1.5 hours of the "real thing" I was able to get an epidural and the rest of labor sped by pretty quickly (literally - I went from 3-4cm to 9cm in 30 min). Patrick was born at 8:04 Thursday night and weighed 7lb 5oz and was 20in long. There are not enough words for how much we love and adore him. I could spend all my time just looking at his face.

While in the hospital, Patrick passed all his tests. The only thing we were worried about was that except for one wet diaper 45 min after birth, he did not have another one until 15 minutes before we were suppose to leave. If he didn't have a wet before 12 noon, we would have had to stay and Patrick would need a catheter to see if anything was wrong. A nice, seasoned nurse heard about our problem and brought Patrick back to the nursery where she put him under a stream of water at which point he hosed down the nursing station!

Patrick seems to love his new home. Our days and nights revolve around his every need. Each day we discover something new about each other.

Finally Caved In

2009-01-06T19:07:00.001-05:00

So after weeks of Jessica asking me to start a blog for our family, I've finally decided to give in and create one. With the new addition on the way, we figured this would be an easy way to let people stay up to date on the Michaud "Show." We are recently back from a vacation to NC with some friends and are both wishing that the Christmas break had lasted a bit longer!!

Baby Update

After a visit to the OB for another ultrasound today, we are being told that our due date is now April 18th, 2009. This puts Jess at 25 and a half weeks pregnant. She has been doing really well throughout most of her second trimester. Last night, we finally decided on a name for our boy -- Patrick David Michaud!! We are quite excited and nervous about being parents, but we continue to trust and pray that God is at work in an amazing way in our lives!