Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Saturday, August 25, 2012

ONE WEEK

I decided to take some pictures around her one-week mark.  My mom was over one day and helped me with them. She would move Ruthanna around and I would quickly snap the pictures.  








We tried a hanging one with a sheet-- found the idea on the internet. Andrew helped me with this one--

Friday, August 24, 2012

A week of firsts


Well, with Ruthanna being a  week old, we have had our first experiences with many things over the last week as parents...  here is the picture of Ruthanna ready to leave the hospital last Friday night.

First car ride. We put her in the jeep late last Friday night as we pulled out of the Watertown hospital. It was a special ride home, taking our firstborn home.  

Next was bath time. We gave the first two baths in the hospital, so these pictures are from her first baths at home.  


We took Ruthanna to the doctor for her checkup. All went good. She is just about back to her birth weight. The doctor said that she's very alert and active for her age. Her heart murmur is also gone, so that's a blessing.
Bath time again-- it works good having both of us do it and work together. Definitely a two person job!
We had to put rubbing alcohol over her cord until it fell off. Yesterday when Andrew was changing her diaper, it came right off.

And, Ruthanna's first piece of mail that she got. It's a letter confirming her next doctor appointment.  

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Ruthanna's Baptism

 August 19, 2012 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Watertown, S.D.  Pastor Schaller was very happy to baptize our precious daughter. She seems perfect to us, but she is still sinful and needs God's Forgiveness of sins.
 My father, Dean, came and brought the baptismal gown that has been worn by my family on his side, for over a hundred years. A lot of babies have worn it for baptisms. I think that it is very special for Ruthanna to wear it, partly because it is from back when things were different, but the way we want to make them for our family. Slower paced, more family values, more church values, and more self sufficient.
 Ruthanna's Great Grandma Millie Kuhlman is on the left along with her grandparents on the right, Paul and Melanie Dummann. We are very thankful to live close by them. They have lots of experience raising children and it shows that they did it the right way, so we will be looking to the for advice as well as my parents.
 The Dummann grandchildren. It is hard to imagine that in a little over a year and a half, Ruthanna might be as big and smart as Larissa. And then before we will know it, she will be all grown up like Kayla. We are really cherishing our time with her in these early years, as they fly by, we are told.
 My two precious girls, we are still trying to figure out if Ruthanna will have brown eyes like her mom and darker hair, and other features. Hopefully she got some of her good looks from me too, LOL!
It is sure nice for the two sisters to have daughters close in age to be able to play together for years to come at holidays and gatherings, or just visits.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Our Answered Prayer!

The time finally came for our baby to be born!


We checked in to the hospital at midnight and settled into our new home for the next few days. 


 At 1:28 in the afternoon on August 15th, 2012, Ruthanna Joy Larson was born and gave us more joy than we ever thought was possible!


She weighed in at a very healthy 9 pounds and 1 ounces. And she is 21.5 inches long.


My two Precious Girls!

                                           
Dr. Praydede with the finished product, what a wonderful OB.

                                        Our expanded family, what a blessing this truly is!
I wouldn't trade these moments for anything. Ruthanna is such a sweetheart, I would do anything to make her happy!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The disk, strawberries, and Twin Brooks

I bought a horsedrawn disk from a neighbor and made some repairs to it, since it hadn't been used in thirty years.
It is eight foot and the perfect size for just two horses.
The tongue was the biggest replacement, but some work was done to free up pivot points that were seized up and I retrofitted a seat.
I was imagining driving my team on it, and that motivated me along the way.
After some final adjustments, it was ready to put to the test.
In the garden our new strawberries that we planted this spring have begun to produce good.
We are excited for a big crop next year and strawberry jam maybe.
Paul and I went to the twin brooks threshing bee and I used my new disk behind Fanny and Amy.
I also used a walking plow which I really like doing.
I feel better by at least carrying my own weight.
These girls pull nice and steady all day!
Fanny is the two year old daughter of Amy, but they pulled this 18 inch plow with ease.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Waiting for our Little One...



With our due date here and things done in preparation for our little one to arrive, all that's left to do is wait!


I never could have imagined how beautiful my wife would look nine months pregnant. It is such a special blessing to have our little child growing inside of her. I feel bad that I can't do as much to care for the baby now, but when he or she comes out I will be able to fulfill my dreams of caring for, teaching, loving, and inspiring our wonderful child.
                           

      

Well we should be all ready to take care of the baby with all our supplies that we bought, but I am sure there is something that we will still have to get. And we have read a lot about babies and asked people questions about their care, but I am sure there is something that we will have to inquire about again. I am excited to learn about this new part of our life!





Our bags are packed and I am just waiting for Rebecca to say that she thinks that maybe possibly she is having contractions, because I will get her into the hospital prompto. I am very excited for our baby to be born!

 All that is missing in this picture is baby Larson.
I haven't changed too many baby diapers yet, but I am going to learn some more from Rebecca. I am really excited about our cloth diapers!