2010, the year that was....AMAZING!!!

As we come to the end of 2010, I thought it was fitting to take a look back at what has been the most amazing year!

January:
We kicked off the year with a serious New Years' Eve Celebration for Jessica & Nick's wedding! Oh, the stories we could tell about that night...I think my favorite has to be Craig & Nick's heart-to-heart "Welcome to the family...." discussion at side-by-side urinals at the Blair Mini Mart on our way to the hotel in Omaha. Talk about awkward! We also met one of Delaney's future boyfriends that month, when Reed Reinhart was born on January 12th. He came 3 weeks early, so he was a pseudo-shock to our system to get everything done before our baby's arrival.
February:
We did a lot of things around the house to prepare for our baby in February...assembled the crib, put the finishing touches on the nursery, stocked up on diapers, etc. It was far too cold to be doing anything else anyway. We also had a wonderful baby shower at Auntie Jess's house, and we got a taste of how spoiled our little peanut was going to be. Delaney's second boyfriend made his appearance in February 23rd...Parker Aerni!March:
March was a whirlwind of doctors appointments, babies, and visitors! Obviously, the most newsworthy occurrence of March was the birth of our beautiful little girl on March 19th! Our doctors had prepared us for the possibility of the baby having to come early, and she did at 36 weeks! It was a crazy, amazing experience! Delaney Jo was born at 12:05p.m., weighed 5lb 12oz, and measured 18.5 in. long. The perfect little bundle!
April:
April was a month of adjustment for us. We were learning the ins and outs of being parents, and figuring out how to function without our normal sleep! Our little peanut started spending more and more time awake, and I was still healing from the c-section. We hung out at home most of the month, and we even hosted an Easter celebration for our immediate families so that we didn't have to go anywhere! Our goals that month were to bath and get dressed every day, and we achieved that goal almost every day!
May:
We started getting a little more adventurous in May. Delaney and I had a few outings...lunch with Daddy, visits to my office, etc. It was about mid-May when Delaney started consistently sleeping through the night, which we all appreciated! What a little rockstar! As the month dragged on, I was getting close and closer to D-Day--returning to work! I had a "Mommy Freak Out" right before Memorial Day and decided to change daycares 10 days before we were scheduled to start. (I am soooo thankful that I listened to my gut on this one! Phew!)
June:
June was another transition month for us. I started back to work on June 1st, and it took a while to get back in the swing of things. It also took awhile for Delaney and I to figure out how to be ready and out of the house on time--we still have a little trouble with this some days! We spent the evenings in June taking many walks, which both Izzy & Delaney enjoyed!
July:
July was a big month. We started it off with a big weekend trip home to Tekamah for the 4th of July with all the family! Then, we baptized Delaney on the 11th in front of all her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins! It was such a special day for all of us! We then took our first official family vacation with Delaney to Okoboji...a week of fun in the sun! After we got home, we celebrated Craig and Izzy's birthdays!
August:
We hosted a 30th Anniversary party for my parents on August 7th (they were married 8/8/80). Craig and I celebrated our second year of wedded bliss on August 8th. We were a little bummed we didn't have any leftover wedding cake to eat this year. August was also the month at Delaney's crazy cousins moved back to Omaha from Colorado, which was an exciting time for the entire Mencke family.
September:
We spent a lot of time at the vet's office in September trying to get Izzy healed from a UTI...no fun! However, the biggest event of the month was the kickoff of football season. Craig started it off by a boys trip to Kansas City for a season-opener Monday Night Football game at Arrowhead. The Chiefs beat the Charges in a monsoon, and Craig came home more than optimistic about this season's promise!
October:
October marked a month full of fun firsts for Delaney. We had her first trip to the pumpkin patch with the daycare kids! We also took her on a date with her boyfriend Parker to Boo at the Zoo. We ended the month with lots of pictures of our little pumpkin in her cow costume. She was absolutely adorable!
November:
A month of football, food, and shopping is what November was for us! We spent the Thanksgiving holidays up North with the families. Delaney was a serious party girl that weekend and pretty much refused to sleep! I had my annual Black Friday shopping excursion with my mom, which was a total success! But, we had to cut our holiday weekend short and come home early so that D could get some rest!
December:
As usual, December was a crazy month. We spent the first weekend in Kansas City with my parents, showing D the sights, eating some yummy food, and doing some shopping! We then came home and geared up for Delaney's first Christmas! I tried to start some traditions with her, like new pjs for Christmas eve, and a night out looking at Christmas lights, etc. It was the best Christmas I can remember! It was so special!
What a great year we've had...I'm so excited for 2011! Happy New Year Everybody!

Happy Birthday Auntie Jess!

Even though we won't see you today, we hope you have a fabulous day! Love you!

Christmas 2010

We had a whirlwind weekend of family, food, and fun. I'm kinda at a loss for words to describe this Christmas. It's all a bit overwhelming to think about. We have so much fun, saw most of our family members, ate some seriously delicious food, and had lots of laughs. It was honestly the best Christmas I can remember! Enjoy all the pictures! They tell a better story I think!Izzy wasn't left out of all the festivities. Here she is opening her stocking full of goodies!

Delaney really enjoyed her bows! Here she is opening her gift from Izzy!

We also had to taste each and every gift she opened!Then, Santa came a day early to our house! Delaney was pretty excited with all her new stuff!

Poor sick baby...so happy, but so sick!

We traveled up North on Friday to celebrate with everyone. Everyone was so excited for Delaney's first Christmas, and boy was she spoiled! That girl got gifts everywhere we went. It was a bit ridiculous! She got lots of toys, clothes, and books! What more could a little girl ask for! She even figured out how to open the gifts, although she enjoyed tasting all the paper and bows far more than what was inside! She was pretty funny with all her gifts. She would open one, check it out, and than smile and clap. It was adorable. She was a clapping fool this weekend!
Practicing her clapping skills with Grandpa!Hanging out with my peanut!
More presents!
Yep! I'm spoiled!
Check this out!
Considering how miserable she felt, Delaney handled the crazy weekend fairly well. She skipped a few naps here and there, but she maintained a jolly mood for all the festivities. She didn't even have much of the stranger anxiety I was so worried about! She spent serious time with all of her grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Not to mention the many extended family she also got to see. She loved all the attention! I'm afraid we are creating a diva!
What!?! Santa comes to Grandma's house too?!?
Look Mom, all my new things!
It must be a special day, I even wore a little bow for a while!
Getting squeezed by my crazy cousins, Jaiden & Tyler!
My cousin Sydney always makes me laugh!

We all came home very tired and overwhelmed by the generosity of our families! Not only was Delaney completely spoiled, Craig and I were too! We are so blessed! All weekend long, I kept thinking about how special this Christmas was, and how because of one little person it all means so much more! This was the tenth Christmas Craig and I have spent together, and they seem to be better every year! I'm so excited to see what the next ten have in store for us!
Here are all three of my cousins...
Our family of 3 (plus Izzy, of course)
The entire Mencke clan
Little Miss D hanging with Aunt Leah!

Going for a stroll with Grandma!

A Christmas Message from Delaney Jo

To all my favorite peeps~ December 2010

Mommy says it’s the time of year to send a little recap of the past year to all our friends and family. Well if you have been paying attention at all, you know that we have had quite a year in our house! I gave Mommy & Daddy a real surprise when I came a month early on March 19^th. For being so early, it seems to me like everyone was pretty excited to come see me! We sure had quite a few visitors at home for a while!

Mommy & I spent most of the spring hanging out at home. We did a lot of snuggling and napping. I did a lot of eating and pooping while Mommy did a lot of laundry! Good times! We met Daddy for lunch once in a while, and visited a few different places. It was lots of fun. Mid-May Mommy started getting really sad, she kept telling me that she didn’t want to leave me, but had to so that we could have everything we needed. Then, she took me over to one of my new favorite places, Holly’s house. I have lots of fun over there with all my new friends. Plus, Holly takes really good care of me. We snuggle and play. I learn so much! I know Mommy misses me a lot, but I promise I party all day over there!

In July, Mommy & Daddy took me on my very first vacation. We went to this place called Okoboji. There was a lot of sunshine and water. I even got to ride on this crazy contraption that drove on water, but they put this stupid vest on me before I could go. I looked like a huge dork! I even got to go swimming for the first time in Okoboji…in a little pool, not the lake. That was fun…I love the water! We did lots of shopping and eating while we were there; I can’t wait to go back!

Fall came and I started wearing a lot of red! Daddy and I watch the box on the wall on the weekends. Sometimes, Daddy yells and jumps up and down. It scares me a little sometimes, but most of the time he looks like a big goof-ball! It’s funny, Mommy & Daddy argue a lot on Sundays about what dress I’m going to wear—red or green…I don’t really know what that’s all about! I have no preference as long as I look cute!

I have had a lot of dates with my boyfriends, Reed & Parker this year. They are a little older than me, but you know what they say about older men! We have done lots of fun things. We have gone to the zoos in Omaha & Lincoln. We have visited each other’s houses and played. Our mommies always bunch us together and get those flashy things out that hurt our eyes. We made a pact that one of us must fuss and cry until they put those darn things away—it’s working out pretty good so far! I’m excited to go to their birthday parties coming up in January & February!

I have also been completely spoiled by my family all year. I have four crazy grandparents that go a little nuts if they don’t see me often enough. Mommy even has to send daily pictures to my Grandpa B. I also have lots of fun aunts & uncles that love to dote on me, and I love to be doted on. My crazy cousins from Colorado moved back to Omaha in August—I personally think I had a lot to do with this, but don’t tell anyone! I love playing with them, they always make me laugh. Mommy & Daddy say that I’m getting another crazy cousin this spring from Auntie Jess & Uncle Nick…I’m pretty excited, but I’m totally soaking up being the baby until he or she gets here! After that, we will have lots of fun together I’m sure!

Oh, I have to tell you about this furry thing that lives with us. I didn’t really know what to think about her for a while, but now I think she’s pretty cool. She loves to play and jump around; she’s also a great snuggler. I like to grab her ears and her fur when we play. She just stands there and looks at me like I’m crazy. Then, I let go and sniffs me all over…that’s funny and it tickles! She gives really sloppy kisses, but I think that’s funny too! Mommy & Daddy say we are going to be best friends…I hope so. I love my puppy!

Mommy & Daddy are pretty busy these days keeping up with me and everything else. They love to make me laugh, and turn into big dorks trying to get me going. Daddy always gives me my baths, I think it’s pretty funny to kick and splash and get him all wet. Mommy reads me lots of stories; she keeps talking about this one book and my birthday party. We will see what that means in March! I eat a lot, and I hear people say how “big” I am ALL the time. Mommy says I get this from Daddy, but I see good eaters on both sides of the family!

I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas! I’m very excited to experience it all for the first time. I don’t really know what is going to happen, but everyone says it will be fun! We even planted this crazy bright tree in our basement for the occasion and hung socks on the window sills. Sounds like a party to me!

Love,

Delaney Jo Mencke

(And Mommy, Daddy, & Izzy)

P.S. Mommy & Daddy say “hi” too! Oh, and Izzy send her best licks to you all!

D got a cold for Christmas

Delaney got a nasty cold/virus this week! It has been no fun whatsoever! When I picked her up after work on Tuesday, Holly said that her cold had kicked in full blown. She wasn't kidding! Delaney has been pretty miserable since. I stayed home with her yesterday, and Craig is home with her today. Poor little baby! We had her 9 month check-up yesterday, but the doctor said that it's just a virus and there isn't much we can do for her. We just have to ride it out for a couple weeks.

We did find out that she's a pretty big girl. She's weighing in at 21.3 pounds (84 percentile) and is 29 inches long (92 percentile). She's had quite a grown spurt in the last month. No wonder all of her clothes are suddenly too short! Good thing Christmas is almost here...

Well, we're hoping for a big recovery, so she isn't so miserable for her first Christmas! We shall see...

9 Months

Delaney celebrated her 9 month birthday on Sunday. These pictures were taken Sunday night right before bed. She is such a happy little girl! We have our official 9 month checkup with the pediatrician on Wednesday, so I'll save the specifics until after that. I can tell you that she seems to be growing like a weed and getting so busy! Delaney had some more firsts this month. She took her first trip to Kansas City, met her first celebrity-Mike Rowe, celebrated her first Thanksgiving, and saw her first Christmas tree!
Delaney's little personality is so funny. She's a happy-go-lucky girl, but she definitely has an ornery streak. She loves to smile and laugh! She also loves to play. She's not much into the snuggling these days. She'd rather be up and moving. In fact, she is so close to crawling it's scary. She gets pretty frustrated when she can't figure it out. She rolls all over the place now, and has figured out how to roll to get to something or somewhere. (By the way, the baby gate is firmly installed!)
Delaney is a great little eater. She has two "meals" a day that consist of oatmeal cereal, fruit, and veggie. She still seems to be more of a veggie lover than a fruit girl. She loves to feed herself puffs. In fact, she's even started squatting my hand away sometimes because she wants to do it herself. She still has 4 bottles a day, but she seems to be maybe phasing one of those out. I'm sure her diet will be changing a little after our doctors appointment. I think the 9 months make starts some new things for her to try!
She is wearing mainly 9 month size clothes, but I think we'll be in 12 months before too long. She is already wearing 12 months in one-piece outfits, like PJs. She still seems to be pretty long. I'm anxious to see where she falls on the charts this time. She is wearing size 3 diapers, which I think we'll be in a for a little while yet.
Her hair has really came in all of a sudden. She didn't stay bald for too long at all. It seems to be a sandy brown color, but I still see some reddish tones--especially when it's wet. It is definitely lighter than when she was born. It doesn't seem to have much curl yet, but it's still pretty short. She's very anti-bow these days. If I try, they last about 10 seconds before she rips it off is and is chewing on it. Such a little stinker!
Delaney is so fun these days. She loves to bounce, dance, and watch her puppy. Izzy completely mesmerizes Delaney...it's so fun to watch. Delaney really loves music. Her favorite song right now is the Transiberian Orchestra version of the Christmas Canon. If she's fussing in the car, I turn that song on and turn it up and she stops. It's crazy! I may have to leave that CD in all year long! We also introduced her to the Rockabye Baby CDs recently, she has the U2 and Bob Marley versions. We all enjoy them!
She is getting quite vocal these days. She will say "da, da, da, da, da" repeatedly all the time now. We're still working on "ma ma". She also likes to talk to Izzy. She scolded her puppy (for no particular reason) the other night. It was funny! She seems to be a screamer, and hits some octaves that I think Mariah Carey would have trouble with! Sometimes she gets going, and I swear she's singing.
It's been yet another fun month with little Miss D! I think the countdown to her birthday can officially begin! I am so excited for that day!
BREAKING NEWS...DELANEY HAS FINALLY CUT HER FIRST TOOTH AFTER LITERALLY 5 MONTHS OF WORK! THIS IS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR OUR LITTLE PEANUT!

The Baby Gate Disaster

I have a story to share that I hope gives you all a chuckle and brightens you day because this event created serious havoc in the Mencke household last night. It was just an ordinary evening. We had just given Delaney an emergency bath due to a poop explosion, and I was getting her all lotioned up and into her pj's. Craig decides that this would be the optimum time to install the baby gate we've had for the last 3 months. So, I continue about my routine, and then give Delaney a little more floor time before bed while I check my email. Delaney starts getting sleepy, so I make her a bedtime bottle and take her into her room to feed her. Just as I'm laying her in her crib asleep, Craig starts yelling for me--saying he needs my help.

I come out to help him, and he's cussing at the wall and missing the drill bit for his drill. I put on my coat and venture out into the cold garage to look for it. I squeeze myself in front of his truck towards his tool bag. As I'm out there, I can hear various obscenities coming from the house and see a scared little puppy sneaking up behind me in the garage. Somehow, I miraculously find the missing drill bit in the bottom of the dark tool bag. I reload all the tools into the bag, and head back inside to discover that things have taken a serious turn towards chaos.

Apparently, the screws (sent with the gate) had decided to start stripping and get stuck. This lit an already sparking fuse in Craig. He couldn't get the screws out with the "reverse" setting on the drill, so he decided prying them out with a hammer would be a logical solution. Of course, he was completely infuriated by this point so as he's prying the screws out of the wall, he leaves a nice dent/crack in the wall along with a big hole from the screw he just took out. Then, I stand back and watch as my 27-year-old 6'5" husband morphs into a screaming, three-year-old throwing a massive temper tantrum. Looking back now, I should have grabbed the video camera and recorded this scene as it was entertaining to say the least. I haven't seen him lose it like that in years.

Next thing I know, there is drywall and and dust flying everywhere and you'd think Craig was Rocky or something the way he was wailing away at our wall. I swear I heard a little "Eye of the Tiger" in my head. I finally got him to stop punching the wall after about five swings. He then turns around and kicks the box from the gate clear across our living room into the kitchen. He continues to kick it while I'm screaming at him to calm down and the dog disappears downstairs. Then, he goes back and takes a couple more whacks at the wall in case there was any doubt about how he felt at that moment.

He managed to break open one of his knuckles which started bleeding pretty good, so I had some pretty sweet blood smear on my wall. This was about when I discovered the dog was no where to be found. I checked all over the upstairs--under our bed, in Delaney's room, under the kitchen table, she's not there. For all I know, she got hit by some debris and is bleeding somewhere with a chunk of drywall in her eye! I call for her, and call her for her and nothing happens. I decide she must be downstairs, and head down to find her shaking like a leaf hiding behind one of our tables. She will not go back upstairs after several minutes of petting and coaxing from me. I physically have to carry her upstairs and sit with her on the couch for a long time before she'll even look at Craig. He terrified her--not hurt, poor thing!

So, Craig then cut a huge square whole around his damage to "even it out". He cleaned up his mess, and then cleaned up his hand. The only good thing was that Delaney remained sound asleep throughout this entire ordeal, but I was fuming. We have a guy Craig knows from work coming tomorrow to start the patch process. He was going to have his brother help him, but that might be a few weeks since they are moving into their house this weekend. I think the huge whole of embarrassment and failure is eating at Craig. He doesn't want to wait, so we're going to get it fixed by a professional. Then, I have to pick out paint colors...I'm pushing for repainting the entire room because in all honesty it needs it, but we'll see what's in the budget.

A Weekend Away...

We decided to escape from the stresses of home and invited ourselves on a trip to Kansas City with my parents. We left on Sunday and came home this afternoon. It was a quick trip, but it was fabulous. Delaney handled everything like a rock star considering everything we did. She even managed to sleep all night last night, which was a huge victory as you'll remember from my previous post about Thanksgiving. She's had a little trouble sleeping away from home. We did a lot of shopping down there! It's so nice to have some access to stores that we don't have so close to home. We also ate a lot of yummy food...we even dined at the same restaurant as Mike Rowe last night! If you don't know who he is, look him up. Craig introduced himself to him, and offered to let Mike take care of the "dirty job" that is changing Delaney! Anyway, we're all pretty tired tonight, but glad to be home after a great few days in the big city! Here are some pictures from the trip!

Here she is all bright and shiny Sunday morning, locked and ready to go!

Practicing her "so big"/"touchdown" moves with Grandpa as we cheer on the Chiefs!

Modeling her new Santa hat

This is when she decided 3 AM was a good time to play on Sunday night/Monday morning!

More Santa hat fun

Here Mom, you wear it...

Zzzz...too much shopping fun!

Hanging with Mom gearing up for more fun!

On the way home...worn out!