Some Aksel Images...

From his first visit to the Chicago area. He had so much fun meeting all of his relatives and helping his Grandpa making coffee and assisting in JesusCreed posts!

Helping with the espresso:

With the Nelson clan for the Turkey Trot 5k:

4 generations of Normans:

4 generations of McKnight men:

G'day from Aksel!

4 and Counting

Last week Annika and I celebrated our fourth year of marriage, and what better way to reflect on our wonderful time together than to look back on a few pictures of us together over the years. Enjoy!






What fun! We can't wait to see what's in store for us in the next four years (and beyond)!

Is This the Real Life, or Is This Just Fantasy?

Aksel's had a charmed existence thus far; each weekend of his life, he's had visitors traveling from far and wide to come see him, hold him, and ogle his every move.

This weekend, Annika's sister, Jessica, had a belated wedding reception in Jamestown for the family that could not make it to her Chicago wedding. Joining her were her husband, Ryan, as well as Aksel's aunt Erica. Even Slater and Meriam had company, as cousin Cody joined them on their journey.

As always, we loved having the visitors!

We've been trying to prepare the little guy to let him know that it will just be us this weekend, but maybe there's someone around that will find some time to keep him company.

Changes

We stare at Aksel so much that we hardly notice any changes to his appearance. However, we then see pictures from his first days and realize how much more active he is and how chubby (read: healthy) he is now! He likes to interact with us much more, and he's easily amused by us being silly with him- we loves his smiles. As well, he seems to enjoy being read to, but he doesn't like to hear his book about chameleons; he'd far prefer Squishy Turtle or Brown Bear Brown Bear. I think he prefers fiction over non-fiction, but that's understandable.

So, the first picture is 5 minutes after birth, and the second is a picture of him yesterday (both taken on my phone). I'm sure the Chicago family will be amazed at how different he is than when they last saw him.

Aunt Laura Comes to Visit (and Kari and Jonathan too)!

We love having visitors, and this weekend, we had one all weekend (Laura) and two others stop by on Saturday (Jonathan and Kari). Aksel likes having visitors most of all since it means he'll be in somebody's arms the whole time!

Aksel sure took a liking to Laura; he gazed upon her and smiled as she read him books.







Lukas enjoyed having Jonathan here; as Annika, Kari, and Laura visited craft fairs and apple orchards, the men were able to talk football, play Wii, and drink beer- talk about a dream Saturday!

Aksel's Got a Brand New Friend!

Annika and I have some dear friends, Jay and Betsy. They're cool and hip, and we have an ubergood time when we're all together. Luckily for us, they must not get tired of us because in the baseball off-season (mostly winter), we get together all the time. Maybe they get sick of me, but I still have a great time with them.

Nearly two years ago, Jay and Betsy had a son, Mathis. Now with all due respect to Jay and Betsy, Mathis is one cool guy. He and I have many of the same interests- dogs, soccer, and food! I watch over him from time to time when Betsy and Annika are off and Jay is busy, and we have good times together.

Mathis and Aksel got to interact a little bit this past weekend, and Mathis acted like a mature little guy- he was gentle, intrigued, and eager to hold Aksel. We can only hope we can rear such a bundle of fun!

Grandma and Grandpa Come for a Visit!

Aksel, Annika, and I were pleased to welcome Grandma and Grandpa McKnight for a visit on the weekend. Grandma Kris was here the week before, but this was Grandpa Scot's first time seeing Aksel.

Aksel enjoyed reading stories with Grandma, Scot and Kris enjoyed walks around town, and we all enjoyed the family time together!

In another month, Aksel will make his first trip out to Chicago for Thanksgiving/Festivus, and he'll have the chance to see his Grandparents McKnight (and some anxious aunts, uncles, and cousins!) again.

Clean Baby!

Speaking of milestones, we had another the other day, and this a little more signifcant than his gaze catching mine.







Aksel lost the remnants of his umbilical cord!







We could think of no other way to celebrate than to finally get the chance to bathe him (or at least wipe him off with some soapy water). He seemed to enjoy it greatly, but I'd attribute that largely to the tender hand of his mother.





Also, Meriam wanted to tell everyone that, as always, she had a paw in the process.

Well...

There's not much that goes on in the life of a newborn, so we tend to get excited about (very) small milestones. We've been excited to see Aksel look at us for extended periods of time, grab onto our fingers, and watch him lift his head and turn it from side to side (which we think is very advanced; of course, I think we might be very biased).

And today marked an even more significant milestone- he lost the remnants of his umbilical cord! Oh goodness, we're exciting!

One Week Old!

Aksel's a week old today, though we all feel he's been here longer than that. He's settling into his home, and is getting used to all sorts of commotion that his dog-brother and sister like to stir up.

A Picture of Aksel to Kick Things Off...

Here he is! He's had enough pictures taken thus far to last a year.