Urbanek Family Blog

2011-12-18T14:58:00.003-06:00

I love this picture!

A little more serious!

Bode's dedication

Drew all gussied up for the dedication

It is REALLY hard to get a good picture of them together!

Drew being Colonel Sanders in the tub! (He really looks like my mom's brothers in this picture!)

Bode on our way to cut down our Christmas tree.

Drew and Mackie taking the mo mo out for a spin on Thanksgiving. This is the only chick allowed on the back of his bike!

Brothers on Thanksgiving

Drew and Mackie eating more sprinkles than decorating.

Halloween Fun

2011-11-04T08:43:00.006-05:00

Drew was Super Why for Halloween. For those of you who don't watch Iowa Public Television, it is a cartoon about reading. It teaches kids to read using fairy tales. Super Why and his friends go into books to solve super big problems. Drew loves to watch this show and absolutely loved wearing his costume.

He really got into character. We called him Super Why all day and he was the only kid who left his costume on the entire party!

These next few pictures are from Grandma Jan and Papa Mark's annual Halloween party. Drew was the only one not too scared to pop the balloons. I love Mac covering her ears in the background!

Super Why and Rapunzel, best friends.

Super Why on the hayrack ride!

All dressed up for the kids to go trick or treating in the back yard.

The scary brothers!

The trick-or-treating mobile. We have a lot more kids than when did when this tradition started. They used to all fit on the cart!

Bode was a sweet pea

Drew and Daddy trick-or-treating. The boys relaxing under the blanket that Debbie made for Drew.

Thursday was vest day for me and Bode!

New Pictures

2011-10-28T08:35:00.003-05:00

I love this picture of Bode all ready to go. He has his cute sweater and of course his shoes on and is ready for a day out. He is starting to smile more and more now. He really likes to smile for Mommy!

Bode now enjoys bathtime as well. This isn't a very flattering picture, but he is a big boy! You can kind of see his very helpful big brother in this one too.

Drew has an ear infection. I had to get a picture of my big boy using a big boy medicine spoon for the first time. He is getting so big!

Bode went to the doctor for his two month appointment and shots. He weighed 13lbs. 8 oz. (86th %tile) and was 22 1/2 in. long (49th %tile!) he has only grown two inches since birth but has more than doubled his weight! He is starting to sleep longer at night now, around 7-8 hours which is greatly appreciated by Mommy! We are enjoying life and our two little blessings right now!

Updated Pictures

2011-10-12T09:22:00.005-05:00

It has been awhile since I have posted pictures so here they are! Bode hanging out on the floor.
Grandpa time

Watching the Octoberfest parade with Great-Grandma Bonnie

Mackie taking a turn holding Bode

Best Friends!
All of the girls holding Bode, I guess I liked it so much I put it in twice. I couldn't get the second one off.

Watching the parade with Grandma Karen

Drew and Auntie Kelsey waiting for the parade to start

Riding rides with Daddy at Gay's Mills apple festival

Bode all dressed for the homecoming pep assembly

Brothers

Bode likes his baths now

I tried on Drew's cheesy smile!

Hanging out with Daddy.

Playing B-ball in the toy room. Drew made sure they both had helmets on. Safety first! :)

Being a good boy on the way to Ottumwa

Loving on Uncle Dan Dan

Meeting Great-Grandpa Tom for the first time.

Drew loves Tootsie Rolls, but has a hard time getting them off of his teeth.

Pictures of Bode

2011-08-23T20:22:00.003-05:00

Drew's first look at his little brother!

Drew riding the train at Tripoli Days

Peeking at Grandma

Bode Alan Urbanek

2011-08-23T10:56:00.002-05:00

Bode (Bow Dee) Alan Urbanek was born last night (August 22nd) at 8:28 p.m.. He weighed 6lbs. 10.5 oz and was 20 1/2 in. It was a crazy delivery . My water was broke at 6:30 and Bode was here at 8:28 p.m.! I was forced to go natural. When they sat me up for my epidural I felt the urge to push and about 10 minutes and three or four pushes later he was here! It was totally crazy! We don't have the adapter here to get the pictures off of the camera, so I will have to post pictures later.

A LOT of STUFF

2011-08-05T10:54:00.007-05:00

This is our kitchen. It now has a countertop, which looks amazing. Who ever picked it out must be a design genius!

I think the railings are amazing. Everything was sanded (thanks Deano) and varnished (thanks Deano again, and Papa) by hand and then Joe and Mark put it all up. It really makes the house look finished. The plan is to move in next Saturday. That is a goal that we really hope to make because school starts for us that Tuesday and the first football game is that Friday, not to mention there could be a baby in there sometime!

The finally finished stairs and railing. I am so impressed!

Grandma and Grandpa and their sweeties!

I love this one. The bachelors!

At the beach

Waiting to race turtles in Niswa

Drew's turtle wasn't very fast from what I hear.

Daddy's BIG fish!

I would narrate the vacation pictures more, but I didn't go this year. The doctor advised against it since they left on the day I was 34 weeks and that was when I delivered Drew. Thank goodness I didn't deliver while they were gone. I had a pretty lonely week at home alone, but I am so glad that they got to go and have fun with family!

We went to Adventureland, actually I can't remember when. I think it was July. Drew and I left with Grandma Jan and met up with Grandma Karen and Justin, Kris, Alex, Taylor and Mackenzie. Everyone had a great time. It was a beautiful day! Here are some of the highlights from that trip!

One of my personal faves, riding Puff the Magic Dragon with Grandma Karen. Thanks for taking that one, Grandma. I don't think Mommy would have fit!

Riding the BIG RIG with Alex

Boating with Mackie

Tea anyone?

Fourth of July fireworks in Fredrika

His first sparkler, how sweet!

A lot has been happening around the Urbanek house this summer. We don't have internet at home, so it is hard to keep up on the blogging! The house is almost finished and looks absolutely amazing! We celebrated a lot of birthdays as well as the Fourth of July, Drew and Joe went on vacation in Minnesota and we are expecting our baby boy anytime now! I am 36 weeks tomorrow, which is two weeks past when I had Drew, praise God for that! Here are some pictures from our summer adventures! The infamous sparkler cake. We didn't know if it would set off the fire alarms or not. Thankfully the answer was not!

The Final Count Down!

2011-06-29T10:49:00.006-05:00

It is getting to be the final countdown for a number of things: the completion of the house, the completion of my pregnancy, Minnesota vacation, the start of football and the start of another school year! Needless to say, there is a lot going on in the Urbanek house right now! Joe and his dad are winding down on the house, or I should say gearing up for the final push to complete it before our new little boy joins the world! They are mainly working on finishing stuff now like trim, doors, railings and the like. They have worked so hard this past YEAR and it is great to see what they have accomplished! I am now 32 weeks along and getting a bit nervous since Drew made his entry a bit early at 34 weeks! Everything seems to be going well, so hopefully I'll make it a bit farther this time! Here are some pictures which are now a bit out dated (of the house anyway) because they are making so much progress. We get kitchen cabinets tomorrow and appliances on Friday. Enjoy!Drew with one of the diggers in the back yard. These are his absolute favorite. If you ask him, it is an excavator!
We went to the balloon races in Ottumwa a couple of weeks ago and Drew got the chance to try out some of the rides. He loved them ALL!

This is the new floor looking into the kitchen/dining area from the front door.

The beautiful vaulted ceiling, I still don't know how they did it!

This is looking into the loft room from the front door. It now has the posts for the railings up and probably the spindles by the end of the week!

Easter and House Updates

2011-04-28T12:39:00.004-05:00

This is my favorite picture from Easter. What a little ham!
Decorating eggs with Grandma Jan

Easter morning. Drew got more than enough gifts from family for Easter. He loved all of them. He has had candy every day from his various baskets. His favorite so far: chocolate alligators!

Hunting eggs at Justin and Kris's house on Easter Sunday. Yes, that is a girls shirt and he was wearing it for an Easter play he was a part of prior to the hunt.

These are the updated pictures of the house. The main floor and upstairs are almost completely drywalled, except for a few random spots and our master bathroom. This is a shot of the kitchen.

Drew's room. (I helped in here!)

The pantry/laundry room.

Our master bath.

Our master bedroom.

Living room.

Drew and Danny in the loft room.

(there will be a railing prior to completion! :))

The master handy man himself!

Dry Wall Finally!

2011-04-11T10:23:00.004-05:00

It seems like it has taken forever to get to this point, but we are so excited to be here! The insulation has been sprayed in and the drywall has started to be hung! Here are a few pictures of all of the recent excitement.

We bought a lift to help the guys with the heavy stuff.

Uncle Jeff came up on Saturday from Parkersburg to help with the gigantic ceiling! We are so thankful for all his help. They got the entire main room done in eight hours!

The lights really blurred the picture, but it is supposed to be of the finished ceiling!

This outfit was just too cute, I had to have pictures!

Riding his Easter present from Grandma Karen and Papa Doug. He is starting to get the hang of it.

He also got this cool new golf club that Daddy is trying so hard to teach him how to use correctly. He usually tries to swing it like a hockey stick!

House Updates!

2011-03-21T11:08:00.005-05:00

Here is Drew trying out the basement shower. He really didn't want to get out of it!
This is looking down from the catwalk. Joe and Drew are standing in the dining room area. Drew couldn't figure out where I was. He was looking everywhere but up!

This is the dormer in the loft room.

This is looking from the loft/game room across the catwalk and into the baby's room.

From the opposite side. that room will be left open with just a railing.

This is from the kitchen/ great room area.

Okay, so I had to put some of Drew in too. It was a pretty nice day on Saturday (minus the wind) so we played outside for a little bit. Now he has to sit at the window and wave to his car outside because it's too cold. He doesn't let us forget it's out there!

Grandpa Mark and Grandma Jan bought him this cook alligator shirt while they were in Florida for spring break. He thinks he looks pretty cool in it!

This is at Papa Doug's, of course! He loves to sit on his mo, mo and make noises like he is reving it up. I don't know which is cuter, his face or Dad pushing him around the living room on it. I think they both enjoy it!

Sprocket finally got to spend a weekend out with Drew. They seemed to like each other well enough. Sprocket just thinks he needs all of the attention.

We have an inspection scheduled for tomorrow. If that goes well then Joe and insulate and start drywalling! Hopefully the pace picks up from here a bit. It is going to be a race to get in before this baby comes!

Drew Has Something to Say...

2011-02-24T08:36:00.002-06:00

He's going to be a BIG BROTHER in September!!! We are really excited with this news, and it's been hard to keep it a secret for so long! I have had two ultra sounds already and the baby is growing like a weed (from a week 7 or so ultra sound to a week 12 or so makes a huge difference) Our due date is September 4th, but Drew was six weeks early so who knows when this little one will join us. We just wanted to share the news. We will update later! Praise God for this blessing!

A Much Needed Update!

2011-01-24T12:09:00.004-06:00

There always seems to be something going on around here any more! I thought I would just post some pictures of Drew and update everyone a little on what has been happening. We enjoyed a great Christmas break until the 29th of Dec. when my dad (Katy) had a heart attack and was air lifted in the middle of the night to Des Moines. He had a stint put in and is doing fine now. We spent the remainder of that weekend in Ottumwa. Joe has been working hard on the house and all of the duct work is almost complete and we are pretty much ready for electrical this week. I can't wait until dry wall goes up and this place starts to look like a house. Drew continues to entertain us all day everyday. He is saying everything and will do anything to get a laugh.

Drew in his fire hat from Aunt Debbie
This is the trike we got him for his 2nd birthday. He has to wear the fireman's hat when he rides it! This is pretty much how he always looks around the house.

I love this smile!

Playing with a balloon at his party.

Grandma Jan made Drew's birthday cake. He loved it and it was DELICIOUS!

Being goofy over break.

Grandma Karen bought him this crazy hat!

Sitting in front of Grandma Karen's tree.

He wanted the lady bug pillow pet in the worst way!

Christmas morning.

In front of the tree with the girls.

I just thought this one was funny!

Cheese ball!

Sledding for the first time. He loved it and didn't want to stop!

We had A LOT of snow over Christmas.

Potty Training Graduation and LOTS of snow!

2010-12-20T12:44:00.006-06:00

There is a lot of action in the Urbanek household these days! Drew is always on the move. I have been trying to get him to potty train a little bit here and there. Some nights I put him in underwear and protective pants. He goes in the potty pretty well. It is my intention to start training him over Christmas break. We will see how it goes. Secondly, he likes to wear his snow boots all the time. He wears them around the house and has to put them on himself! These are a few shots of him modeling his big boy pants and his boots around the house!

We have A LOT of snow up here and it is snowing as I type this. We probably have at least a foot of snow already. I decided to dress Drew up in all his gear and take him out to see the progress on the house. It is coming slowly, but surely. They are working on plumbing/heating and hopefully electrical soon!

My little brother Danny graduated from UNI on Saturday and we attended the ceremony. Drew really couldn't sit still so he and Daddy made some laps around the place. The other picture is supposed to be of Danny on the jumbotron getting his diploma.

We did not send out Christmas cards this year. We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and blessed new year!

House Updates!

2010-11-18T11:46:00.003-06:00

I think this is the sweetest picture ever! It is so hard to get him to smile at the camera and hold still long enough to snap the picture anymore. This one is definately a keeper!
Drew likes to wear different hats now. This is one example of a Saturday morning hat session!

Joe's football team made it to the state semi-finals last week in the UNI Dome. These are just a couple of pictures of him on the sideline.

Daddy waving to Drew from the roof yesterday.

The house is getting really close to being completely closed in. The part in the picture is the only part left to be shingled. Hopefully that will be finished by the end of the weekend and the windows will be installed as well. We are really getting down to the wire! Joe has been going non-stop since July! Once he gets it completely inclosed, he is going to get some much needed R&R so he can find his second wind to finish this thing! (I might even let him hunt a bit! :) )

Wow, It's Been Awhile!

2010-10-18T14:54:00.005-05:00

This is the first picture of the house in July. I love little Drew running by!
Aaron ( our high school helper) Will, Joe and Mark putting up the wall between the house and garage.

The house kind of how it looks now. They built the front porch this weekend so it looks a bit different now!

Drew swinging on our trip to the apple orchards in Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago.

Papa Mark, Drew and Daddy

Using his mo, mo at the house.

Brushing his teeth like a big boy!

This was one of my shirts when I was little!

Mowing the yard with Daddy. Better safe than sorry!

He loves to wear his "hat" around the house and around the neighborhood!

Driving with Mac.

See, I told you he loves to wear his "hat"!

Pretending to drive another new favorite activity.

Hanging out on Bebo's side of the fence for awhile.

Corn on the cob for the first time. Yum!

It has been awhile since I've blogged. Sorry to everyone that has wondered if we feel off the face of the earth! Well, we haven't! The summer was awesome and we really enjoyed our time off.

We went on vacation to Minnesota like we always do. We made a few trips to Ottumwa, and of course to the pool. Drew loved swimming at all the different water parks. He especially enjoyed going down "big boy" waterslides.

In July we broke ground on our new house! Joe and his dad are building our dream home just on the edge of town here in Tripoli. We will be able to see the golf course out our huge living room windows (Joe's dream!) It is going to be a ranch with a catwalk loft. So far things are going very well. They hope to have the roof completed after next weekend.

Drew is very busy growing and learning. He says new words everyday and is very independent. He likes to pick out his shoes, brush his own teeth and has recently started trying to zip his own coat. I plan on potty training him over Christmas break.

Easter and Other Fun Stuff

2010-04-04T19:50:00.005-05:00

Happy Easter! Drew was so happy to see all of the different sport equipment he got in his Easter basket. He LOVES balls and can almost always been seen carrying one!

We jumped on our trampoline at Grandma Jan and Papa Mark's house today. Drew loved it! He's actually laughing in the picture, even though it looks like he's crying.

We hunted eggs at Grandma and Papa's too. He loved it! He even carried his own basket!

Drew and his cousins.

From left: Alex (8), Drew (15 mo.) Mackenzie (21 mo.) and Taylor (5)

Aren't they the cutest!

This is Drew on Thursday afternoon during our daily wagon ride. He loves to go in the wagon as long as he has a nice cold cup of milk in his cup holder! What a goof!

A much more serious pose!

Reading his favorite book of animal sounds.

Playing with the block box. Aren't I a good mommy, I taught him this! :)

Eating his first Girl Scout cookie, a Peanut Butter Pattie.

He was licking the glass!

Fore!Practing his golf swing.

This is how you will usually see Drew, with a glass of milk on his mommy's lap! He is such a momma's boy!

It's been a long while since I've last updated everyone. Everything is going great here in Tripoli. Drew is still growing and changing every day. He is so much fun and always entertaining. He is starting to say more. His vocabulary includes: DaDa, No No, MaMa, ball, What's that?, bye and hi. He babbles a lot of other things that only make sense to him and possibly Mackenzie! We have about six more weeks of school left. Joe is busy with golf now, coaching both the boys and girls teams by himself. There really isn't too much exciting going on around here other than watching Drew grow and learn!

A Rough Couple of Days

2010-02-09T19:06:00.003-06:00

Drew has had a hard couple of weeks. We went an entire year without illness or injury, then he turned a year! At his year appointment, they gave him his chickenpox vaccine, which is completely standard. Drew, however had been sick that previous Sunday and Monday (his appointment was Thurs.) with a 102 temp. We took him to his appointment anyway and they gave him the vaccine because he was not running a temp at the time. About a week and a half later, we noticed a rash near the injection site, and sure enough he had gotten the chickenpox! It was a very mild case. After the rash went away, he got really congested and weezy, so we took him back to the doctor and they gave him a steroid for five days. He finally started feeling better this weekend, until today that is! We had a snow day today and we were playing in the living room. Drew was walking around having a grand time, until he fell and hit his head on the corner of the coffee table. It was the loudest thing I've ever heard! It was a really deep cut. We took him to the doctor and they decided to super glue it closed because of it's location and for cosmetic reasons. Hopefully this is our last trip to the doctor until Drew's 15 month appointment. The chickenpox kid!

We have to cover it with a bandaid, so he doesn't mess with the glue.

Here's what it looks like post super glue. I didn't take a picture of it when it happened. I wish I would have!

Drew's First Birthday!

2010-01-25T13:03:00.004-06:00

Drew had two first birthday parties (as weird as that sounds!) His first one was in Tripoli the day before his actual birthday. We had a lot of friends and family over. It was great to get everyone together and Drew received way too many wonderful gifts.
These next three pictures are kind of random, but it's where they ended up when I uploaded them so oh well! This first one is Drew and Monkey's official one year photo. Doesn't he look like such a big boy? (Drew, not Monkey! :) )

This one is Drew on the day of Grandma Elsie's funeral. He was actually sick that day, I just didn't know it at the time of this picture. Mean Mommy!!

Drew and Bebo checking on Alice, our 90 year old neighbor.

This is from Drew's birthday party in Ottumwa which was the weekend after his actual birthday. He is with his friends Kenleigh Burton (left) and Bailey Johnson (right) I went to high school with both of their parents.

Drew's cake in Ottumwa. He didn't seem to like chocolate as much as vanilla.

His big cake. He's saying MMMMM. He knew what it was because of his previous party!

Drew and Monkey have a dandy time at the party!

Drew's first try at birthday cake. I told you he liked vanilla better!

Opening gifts in Tripoli.

It's crazy how fast the year has gone. We have had so much fun watching Drew change before our very eyes. We feel so blessed to have him in our lives and we're not real sure what we did before he was born! We look forward to all of the new things and joys that lie ahead of our little family!

Drew's Christmas and First Big Boy Hair Cut

2010-01-07T09:20:00.002-06:00

Here is Drew sitting on Santa's lap (my dad). He wasn't scared at all! :) We put him on Santa's lap at Wal-Mart as well and he never thought about even frowning.
I know I recognize you from somewhere.

Uncle Will got Drew a play shotgun for Christmas. He loves it. He chases Bebo, who he calls No No around the house with it and giggles. Joe plays with them and they pretend they're hunting dog! It's pretty cute!

Grandpa Mark and Grandma Jan got Drew this ride on pony. He hasn't quite figured out how to make it go yet!

What a big boy already!

These next few are of Drew's new haircut. It's just like Daddy's.

I can't believe Drew will be one on Sunday already!! He is doing so many new things now. He takes steps here and there, but crawling is a much more efficent way to get around for him. He says no, no and dada very well. He has started saying "What's that?" and pointing at random things. He loves to play with Bebo and get into things he's not supposed to. When we were picking up the tree last week, I went into the dining room for about 30 seconds to put something away. When I came back, Drew was half way up our steep stairs!! It's a good thing our stairway has a door on it! He loves to eat everything, especially meat and bread. There isn't much he won't eat. His party in Tripoli is set for Saturday and he is looking forward to it. I'll have more pictures from that soon!

Drew and all of his new discoveries!

2009-12-13T21:08:00.005-06:00

Now that Drew is crawling pretty well, he is into EVERYTHING, I mean EVERYTHING! If he is awake he is constantly on the move. It is fun to watch him move about the house investigating everything. He is more interested in Bebo now, sometimes too much! He likes to carry one of his red baseball bats with him most of the time. Drew is also "crusing" around using all of the furniture and anything else he can push around and move behind! He is thinking about walking, but I am guessing it won't be until his birthday or a little after. We are looking forward to celebrating our Savior's birthday for the first time with Drew and teaching him what Christmas is all about. Here are some pictures, enjoy! Our boys.
Drew and Monkey for their 11 month close up!

Crawling behind Mommy's chair to get into all of the books and magazines.

This was taken on one of our snow days last week. Drew was looking out the window and then decided to investigate the curtain situation!

He kind of got stuck!

Helping Mommy make supper, or hindering!

He pushed the box of diapers all around the kitchen and ended up underneath the kitchen table.

Helping unpack the diaper bag.

Drew and his favorite toys!

The prisoners begging to be released! :)

Catching Up on Lost Time!

2009-11-01T16:35:00.007-06:00

A lot has happend since September! These pictures are in reverse chronological order, if that makes any sense. We have been very busy with school, daycare, football and spending time with family so here's an update of what's been going on! And oh yeah, Drew crawls everywhere now! It's and army crawl but it gets him where he wants to be and shouldn't be very quickly!
These first few pictures are from yesterdays Halloween party at Grandma Jan and Papa Mark's house. This is an annual event that everyone enjoys!
The first one is of Grandma and Drew right before we had to leave.
This is Papa and Drew on the golf cart. The kids go "trick or treating" in the back yard. All of the adults hide behind trees with masks on and the kids ride the cart with Papa and visit all of the "houses". It is so cute and a lot of fun for all!

Uncle Justin and Daddy at thier "houses" waiting to spook the kids!

Drew sporting the elephant costume. Possibly the cutest one there!

Drew doing his part in the reader's theater production. He was obviously the dragon!

Drew, Makenzie and Tjaden waiting for their turn in the reader's theater.

Drew got a hold of some eyeballs used in one of the big kid games.

Playing with Papa.

Yet another eye ball ball!

Going down the slide for the first time.

Drew tries to pull up now. I stood him up to this and he actually took a couple of small steps!

Drew and Daddy's hair cuts!

These are my grandparents.

We went to Gays Mills a couple of weeks ago to the apple orchards and took some pictures on the way home.

This is what he had on under his camo coat, perfect for an apple orchard!

All of the sight seeing wore him out!

Joe's cosin got married in early October and these are some pictures from that day. Here Drew is pulling on Mac's dress!

Drew and his first texting experience.

A four generation with my mom and grandpa.

Drew and his first pumpkin that uncle Danny carved for him. It has teeth in same places Drew does.

Before the pumpkin was carved.

Drew met Kenleigh for the first time. She is one of the guys I went to high school with little girl. She is about four or five months. I think she liked him!

Drew and Grandma Karen

Grandpa Doug

Drew at the Octoberfest parade in Ottumwa. It was COLD!

Drew and Monkey for a nine month shoot!

Where Has The Summer Gone???

2009-09-12T21:26:00.002-05:00

All ready for his first Panther home game!!!
He loves eating baby MumMums!

Grandpa Doug's beard is so scratchy, he just had to check it out up close.

This one is for Grandma Jan. Our friends Scott and Deb Morgensen gave this to Drew to broaden his horizons a little bit. :)

He is so silly in the mornings in his high chair!!

I can't believe summer is over already!! We are back into the swing of things and enjoying life with an routine. Drew is changing every day. He has two teeth now. The first one I noticed at the football game last Friday night, and the following morning I found the second one on the bottom. He doesn't crawl yet, but it is obvious he is thinking about it!!! He wants to be held, but is constantly trying to get down at the same time. He LOVES daycare. The other kids keep him entertained all day long and he can hardly keep his eyes open when he comes home. (but I make him because I want to love on him too! :) ) We will be sure to let everyone know when he makes the big move into motion!! Until then.

Drew Lloyd is Seven Months!

2009-08-10T20:37:00.004-05:00

Drew with his monkey for their seven month picture together. It's hard to belive that the monkey was bigger than Drew at one time!
Drew couldn't believe it either!

Drew decided to read the paper while I was doing dishes one night. Doesn't he look so guilty in the second picture!!

Eating some carrots for supper. I'm glad he didn't have any good clothes on!

Checking out Grandpa Doug's motorcycle. Don't get any crazy ideas!!

It's hard to believe that seven months have flown by already!! Drew is getting so big. He sits up pretty well by himself now. Joe is trying really hard to get him to crawl(I'm not sure why! :)) He loves watching Bebo and playing with anything that makes noise. We go back to school on Friday and Drew has his first day of real day care with other kids. We went to visit last week and I think he's really going to like it. Joe started football practice today, it won't be long and we'll be sitting in the bleachers under the lights cheering on the Panthers!! Well, that is about all the news I have from T-Town for now. Enjoy!

Minnesota Vacation

2009-07-31T16:44:00.005-05:00

We went to Paul Bunyon Land, what an experience!

Without the grandmas this year it was hard to take our own group picture. It was entertaining though to watch the guys set the timers and then RUN!

Drew and Mackenzie got their swimsuits mixed up!!

This time they wore the right colors!

We buzzed Drew's hair the other day. He's so cute!

We went on vacation to Minnesota last week. We stayed in a cabin in Nisswa, MN on Round Lake. This was the first time we have stayed there. It had an anwesome beach and the kids had a good time. I have to admit, vacation was not as relaxing as usual. Drew is a very scheduled baby and he did not like the mix up! He also loves his own little bed, so the pack and play did not prove to be a suitable replacement. We felt like we had a two month old again! We survived though and had a great time.

My First Fourth of July

2009-07-05T14:30:00.005-05:00

We went to the fireworks in Frederika last night. For those of you who don't know, Frederika is a small town just a few minutes from Tripoli. My Grandma Jan and Papa Mark went with us. We also met up with our friends the Nuss Family.
The first picture is actually at the end of the fireworks. I really liked them, but it wore me out looking at all those pretty colors and I feel asleep about half way through the show.
My buddy McKoy didn't really like them!

While I was awake I watched the sky to see the beautiful lights. I didn't get scared even once! I had to show Daddy where to look!

This is me, Daddy, Tom & McKoy Nuss.

Pepper was scared so Papa put her in his coat!

I love doggies, they make me laugh without even having to try!!

Grandma Jan let me hold her tootsiepop, but my mommy says I can't have any yet!

This is me with Papa Mark and Grandma Jan waiting for the fireworks to start.

Me, Daddy & Bebo A.K.A. Mommy's Boys

I don't reallylike bananas!

I love my Bebo though!

Drew and Bebo Get Hair Cuts!

2009-06-10T17:36:00.005-05:00

Bebo before his hair cut. After his hair cut. I can't belive how young he looks now!

Drew's hair cut. He slept through the whole thing! He had some long hairs on top so we took care of them. It isn't finished yet because the back is still long. It kind of looks like a mullet.

Grandma Karen and Drew

His hernia is completely gone! Praise the Lord!

He got his arm stuck in the leg hole! This picture was taken before his hair cut.

My mom and I took him to Wal-Mart and we couldn't resist putting this hat on him. Doesn't he make such a pretty girl!

Summer Break is HERE!!!

2009-05-27T13:01:00.003-05:00

I just thought this one was cute but I forgot to rotate it, sorry!

We put the Johnny Jump Up in the door Monday. He really doesn't know what to do in it yet, but he enjoys just sitting there.

He finally likes his bumbo and is starting to pick up and hold things.

Drew and his monkey's four month picture. It's hard to believe that monkey was bigger than him when he was born!

I didn't realize Drew had these jeans until it was almost too late. They are Lucky Jeans that my Aunt Jane bought for him when he was born. I thought they were 12 mo. but it turns out they were 6mo. Oh well, he looks cute in them any way!

What a chubber!

Drew wiped out after a day of going to parties in Ottumwa. We went to a bridal shower, a birthday party and a graduation party. WOW!

Drew and his girlfriend Bailey Johnson (my friend Cassie's little girl) She is a month older than Drew, but you can't really tell can you! :)

Summer Break is FINALLY here! I have to admit we've been looking forward to it since January 10th! We can't wait to spend every day with Drew. He's getting so big already, he weighs close to 18 pounds or more! He's getting more personality and starting to talk to us and copy some of the things we do.

Drew's Dedication and Other Fun Pictures

2009-05-04T20:49:00.005-05:00

All worn out after the day's activities, being dedicated is hard work!

Two VERY handsome guys!

Hanging out with Grandpa Doug and Uncle Danny at my party.

Such a serious look for such a happy little guy.

Isn't my cake awesome?! Mommy said it tasted awesome too! :)

Drew stared at Pastor John the entire time he talked to Joe and me. I guess he was even smiling at him too. The entire congregation was laughing, especially when Pastor told everyone they should be as attentive as Drew is!

We went to our neice Alex's soccer game Saturday morning. It was pretty sunny so Drew needed his sun glasses!

I think this picture is just too cute to be left out!!

Well, we finally had Drew dedicated last Sunday. It was a beautiful day and it was great to get family together again. Drew did really well and even got a few laughs. He goes to the doctor on Thursday for his four month check up and shots. He's growing so quickly, it's hard to believe he started out as a five pound premiee, you'd never be able to tell now!! Softball starts on Monday, so it will be pretty busy around here at least until we are done with school on May 26th. We're looking forward to spending lots of time together this summer.

More Pictures (I kind of have a camera problem!)

2009-04-27T21:09:00.002-05:00

A picture of my Bebo Norman, he kind of gets left out now days. Isn't he a handsome man though!!

Uncle Danny and Drew hanging out on the couch together. It looks like they're having a great time doesn't it!

Drew loves to be cuddled and rocked to sleep. I think I enjoy it more than he does!

He's really starting to smile and be such a happy little guy.

Drew loves to listen to books. I try to read to him every night after school, but it doesn't always happen.

We only have 19 more days of school left until summer break. Softball starts two weeks from today and that is when things are going to get a little crazy around here. Joe will still be coaching golf when I start softball so our paths will hardly cross and we'll have to find someone to watch Drew for the few hours we overlap each other. I'm looking forward to those long, hot summer days when we can sit together at home and do nothing but soak up A.C. and enjoy each other's company.
Drew is getting dedicated at church this Sunday. We are looking forward to sharing our church with our family and friends and finally dedicating our son to the Lord and committing ourselves to raising him to know Him and to serve Him. Look for pictures of the special occasion soon!

2009-04-19T19:47:00.002-05:00

Drew and Daddy love to take naps together.

The weather was SO NICE Friday afternoon so Drew and I went for a walk. He was a pretty cool dude with those glasses on!

Bebo likes to do tummy time with Drew. I wonder what they're looking at!

Drew has been smiling a lot more lately. It's fun to see his personality coming out. He's getting to be such a big boy. He probably weighs more than 15 pounds already and we haven't even started giving him cereal yet! I can't wait until summer break so we can spend all of our time with him!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T16:48:00.006-05:00

We were able to spend time with family over the weekend. It was good to have a few days off. We went to Ottumwa for the day on Friday and Joe and his dad fished and Drew and I spent time with my mom shopping and hanging out. Below is a picture of Papa Mark and his two babies before we went to Ottumwa.
Drew was so happy in the car. It was the first time I had the opportunity to ride next to him. I think he liked it!!

Drew turned three months on Friday and this was his monthly picture with his monkey. Who's bigger now!!

Alex loves to hold Drew any chance she gets! He was asleep, what a perfect opportunity!

Four adorable kids with their Easter baskets!

Uncle Justin and Drew!

Aunt Kristi loved that Drew didn't cry when she held him!

Sadly, this is our first family picture!

So excited that the Easter Bunny came!

What is there to say about this one, adorable!

Ottumwa Part Two

2009-04-05T18:21:00.006-05:00

Happy to be home!

Joe with Ryan Smith and Clint Witt. They went fishing yesterday and caught a ton of crappie!

Joe with his catch of the day, a 1 pound 10 ouncer!

Drew and Bailey. Bailey is my friend Cassie (Heller) Johnson's baby. She is three weeks older than Drew. Aren't the matching outfits cute!

Dillon finally got a chance to see Drew. I babysat Dillon and his sister Darby when I was in high school and college. It's amazing how big he is, he was only three when I first started watching him!

Great Grandpa Don. He really enjoyed meeting Drew.

Drew loved being held by Great Grandma Bonnie!

And I think she loved holding him too!

This was our second trip to Ottumwa. Even though the weather on the way home was rough, we had a great time with friends and family!

Drew's First Trip to Ottumwa

2009-03-30T19:08:00.005-05:00

This isn't a picture from this weekend, but it is so darn cute I had to put it on here. One of our friends gave it to us at our shower a couple of weeks ago. The tie is screen printed onto the onesie!

Drew finally made his first trip to Ottumwa last weekend! It was great to see family and friends again. Drew met a lot of people for the first time. We have put the pictures of most of his meetings here. The trip went well, Drew slept the whole way to Ottumwa (2 and 1/2 hours! and the whole way back home, only 2 hours because we stopped at Grandma Jan's and Papa Marks. It was his first trip there too!) We had a good time. Here are the pictures!

Drew and Aunt Nikki.

Here is Drew during his bath in Grandma Karen's kitchen sink.
Drew and Grandpa Doug had a little nap Sunday morning before we left!Here is Drew and his best friend Landon Witt.These are my cousin Emily's kids, Braydon and Hannahlee. They really liked playing with Drew.Drew and Uncle Clint.

Here is Drew with my cousin Alec. I think Alec really enjoyed meeting Drew and I know Drew liked meeting him!

This is my other cousin Jacob. I remember holding him when he was this age. It's amazing how much he's grown!This is my grandpa, my mom's dad. He really loved holding Drew and getting a good look at him!

This is my Aunt Ann, Uncle Kevin and Alec getting a good look at Drew.Drew and Papa Mark, we went to visit Joe's parents on our way back home.

New Pictures

2009-03-18T17:30:00.003-05:00

Drew and Joe all ready for Grandma Jean's funeral today. Aren't they so handsome!

Up close and personal!

Hanging out in the Bumbo

Rough Couple of Weeks

2009-03-14T14:33:00.004-05:00

It's been a rough couple of weeks. Last week my mom and I were driving into Waterloo with Drew to go shopping. We almost made it to the mall, when a Jeep Wrangler suddenly came out of no where into our lane and smashed into the front of our van. Luckily no one was injured, but it really stinks that we have to have our van fixed!!

Drew has an umbilical hernia and he went to see a surgeon on Thursday, they wanted to schedule a surgery for Monday but our pediatric doctor told us to get a second opinion from a pediatric surgeon first. So, we are going to Iowa City on the 26th to see if Drew really needs surgery or not. Bummer!

The same day Drew had his appointment with the surgeon, he had his two month check up. (it was quite the afternoon of appointments!!) Everything looked good except for the hernia. He weighed 11 pounds 6 ounces which is the 15th percentile and he was only 21 inches long, the 5th percentile!! He also got his first round of shots, which he did very well with. Drew continues to grow like a weed!

I had my conference make ups this week, causing me to stay after school every night for two to three hours extra. To top it off I started feeling sick Tuesday night and found out Friday afternoon that I was running a 101 temp and had strep throat. I got an antibiotic shot yesterday and I feel much better today!

Joe starts girls golf on Monday and boys golf the following Monday, so he will be busy once again! I don't start softball until May 11th so that gives us a little more time of sanity before the scheduling nightmare really begins. I'm just glad summer break is around the corner.
That is it for now. We'll keep everyone posted on the surgery situation!

What a cute little boy, he's starting to smile more now!Here he's wearing a hat that one of my dad's friends made for him. I thought it was pretty cute!This is one of my favorite pictures, I can't remember if I've posted it before or not!

The van, what more is there to say!

You can see the hernia here. It's pretty gross, we have to push it in every once in awhile to make sure it will go back in!

Bath Time and Other Adventures

2009-02-22T19:42:00.002-06:00

This is Drew with Papa Mark at Great Grandma Jean's house in Parkersburg today. We have been able to spend a lot of time there with family.

It is so tough being a baby, all of that eating and pooping really wears you out!!

Drew and Mommy after our first successful bath. He kind of liked it, kind of hated it.

This was at a point in the bath experience when he wasn't screaming!!

I don't know where the time has gone! I have to go back to work on Wednesday. I'm really not looking forward to it at all!! It has been great spending day after day with my little boy. I know he is in good hands and that I have to go back sometime!!

The Ever Changing Drew

2009-02-19T22:27:00.004-06:00

Well Drew's actual due date was yesterday, the 18th but he'll be six weeks old on Saturday already!! It's hard to believe. He looks much different than the baby we left the hospital with. He still sleeps quite a bit (mostly during the day of course!) I think he is still catching up. Here are a few pictures of Drew doing what he does best, sleep!

First Time at Church and Other Photos

2009-02-15T17:37:00.003-06:00

We went to church for the first time with Drew today. It must have been really tiring because Drew and Daddy had to take a nap when we got home. How sweet! :)

Drew loves to sleep in his car seat. This was yesterday before we left home for Parkersburg. Love of car seat equals love of car ride and we love that equation!

Drew got to meet his Great-Grandma Church yesterday in Parkersburg as well. He's getting to be quite the socialite and Grandma thought he was adorable.

Drew loves his swing and I thought this picture was cute!

This is what Drew wore to his first day of church today. Isn't he a cute little man!!

Fun With Family

2009-02-12T18:09:00.004-06:00

Drew went down stairs to work out with me today. I had to bundle him up because it is kind of cold down there. I couldn't resist this picture, he looked so cute with that hat on! He slept through the entire workout!
This is a picture of cousin Alex holding Drew for the first time last night. She was so excited to finally get to hold him!

This is Drew and his cousin Mackenzie. She is six months older than him. We thought we'd take an opportunity to capture a moment when she's bigger than him. I think in the future he will make her look tiny!! She was excited to see him and kept trying to grab his hair. Kris had to hold her hands while we took the picture so she wouldn't get him!

This is Great-Grandma Jean with her great-grandchildren. Aren't they all so cute!!

This is the first time Great-Grandma Jean got to hold Drew. She was so excited to see him and we were so excited for him to meet her.

We recently found out the Grandma Jean has cancer and doesn't have much time left here with us. We would really appreciate it if you could pray for her that she isn't in much pain and could find comfort in knowing that she is going home to be with the Lord. We plan on enjoying all of the moments we have left with her, she is a wonderful woman.

More Pictures

2009-02-09T18:51:00.003-06:00

A little nap with Daddy!!
Tummy time! I don't think I have to mention that he's not really a fan! :)

My mom's boss picked this up for Drew on his trip to Cancun!! How cute!

Isn't he a handsome little man!

Drew went to the doctor today and he weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces! He is growing so quickly, I can't believe how he's putting on the weight! We plan on taking him to church for the first time on Sunday and out to eat with us on Friday. Well I really don't have much new news, I just wanted to post some more pictures!

Growing Like a Weed!!

2009-02-04T14:33:00.002-06:00

Drew went to the doctor on Monday. He has been pretty fussy at night so we went to have him checked out. The doctor said he ask a little reflux so they gave us a prescription to help it. We gave it to him yesterday and it seemed to help last night, hopefully it will continue to get better. He doesn't like to lay on his back to sleep (probably because it hurts) so he slept in his bouncy chair last night. We're hoping to have him back in the bassinet by the weekend.
At the appointment we also found out the Drew weighs 6 pounds 13 ounces!! That is a lot compared to where he started. I can't believe he is going to be a month old already, crazy!! He goes for his one month pictures on Friday. It will be the first time we go anywhere besides the doctors office, hopefully there won't be many people there, the doctors still don't want him around large crowds of people. Well that is all the news I have for now. I don't have any pictures because my computer isn't working, I'll get more up as soon as I can.

More Pics

2009-01-26T14:46:00.002-06:00

I just thought I would put a couple more pictures up for everyone to see, I know Grandma Bonnie in Arizona loves to see them!! Drew is still doing well here at home and he has his first doctor appointment tomorrow in Waterloo, it will just be him and me so it should be interesting!! :) Any way here are the pictures.

This picture was taken when we were still in the hospital. He makes some of the craziest faces!

This one was after his first bath at home on the day we came home from the hospital. Drew loves to have his hair washed!

He looks a lot smaller without all those blankets!!This is Drew's two week picture with his monkey. It's still bigger than he is!!

I took this on this morning, he was wide awake for awhile.

Finally Home

2009-01-22T19:48:00.001-06:00

We are finally home! Drew and I got to come home this afternoon! It feels great to finally be here. They found out that he really didn't have an infection so they let us come home. He has been gaining weight well (about 2-3 oz. a day!) and is keeping his temp. up on his own. Here are some pictures for you all too enjoy! :)

Update

2009-01-16T14:38:00.002-06:00

I thought I would give everyone a quick update on our situation. Last Saturday at 1:39 in the morning we welcomed Drew Lloyd Urbanek into the world! He weighed 5 pounds 1.3 ounces and had a good set of lungs. He was 18.5 inches long with a ton of black hair. The delivery went fine. I was induced at 6:30 Friday night and had a baby not too much after that! So far everything has gone better than the doctors thought it would. Drew did not need any help breathing and has never had oxygen or anything. We are still in the hospital in the NICU. I was discharged Monday, but I've been able to stay with Drew in his room the whole time to nurse and spend time with him. We are looking forward to getting him home. The doctor thought that it might be Monday or Tuesday of next week that he can come home. He needs to gain weight two days in a row in order to be discharged. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and thoughts, we really appreciate it! I will be sure to post a lot of pictures once we get home and I can down load them to the computer.

Early Debut

2009-01-08T08:33:00.002-06:00

Well I had an appointment yesterday at 4:00 and I was leaking fluid. They sent me right to the hospital. I am only 34 weeks right now so I had a steroid shot and have been on antibiotics. Right now it is just a waiting game. I am about 2-3 cm. dilated and 50%. Our little guy could be here today, but I'm hoping he'll wait until at least Friday. It's obvious there is already a plan in place, we just have to be faithful and enjoy the ride. Please pray that he will be born with healthy lungs and minimal or no complications. We'll try to keep everyone posted! :)

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T12:48:00.003-06:00

Happy new year! I can't believe it's the last day of 2008 already! Where has all the time gone?! I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve in Hudson with Joe's family. We went to church and then came home to share good food and great gifts. It's really fun the see the excitement on our nieces' faces as they open gifts and play with them. On Christmas day we went to Ottumwa to spend a few days with my family. We had a lot of great food there too as well as some awesome gifts. We feel truly blessed to have such wonderful family.

We also had our 32 week appointment on Christmas Eve. Everything looked good and I'm scheduled to go back on the 7th for another check up. It won't be long and baby Urb will be here. I think we're pretty much ready for him. We have a lot of the gear set up and Joe is going to install the carseat this week so we're ready when the big day or night arrives! Here are a couple of pictures we took last week. They show me 32 weeks pregnant for all of you who haven't seen me in awhile!

Joe is busy with basketball. The team is doing well. They are undefeated going into Christmas break. We've had a couple close ones, but for the most part the wins have been easy so far. Hopefully the success carries over after break. When we go back to school on Jan. 5th the schedule really heats up. Joe has a game everyday except for Wednesday and Sunday that week, so it will be busy!

Well that is all the news from Tripoli for now. We hope everyone has a safe and happy new year and we look forward to seeing you in 2009!

Good News!

2008-11-29T15:03:00.003-06:00

We had our ultra sound today and the tech. said that the placenta has moved and it is not blocking the cervix! Praise the Lord! We shouldn't have to worry about a C-Section now. She also said that the baby has hair, surprise, surprise! You could actually see it on the ultra sound! I also got to see a 4D image of his face and I think it is safe to say he is going to look just like his dad! :) I also asked her how much he weighed and she said 3lbs. and that the due date she was getting from the measurements today was Feb. 11th so we'll just have to wait and see when he decides to arrive!!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Until next time!

Bebo's Spa Day

2008-11-24T19:10:00.007-06:00

For all of you who don't already know him, Bebo is our two year old Brittany. Our first born son! We took him to the dog groomer for the first time today after school. Here are his before photos:

He smelled WONDERFUL when I picked him up and he looked a lot better too. I have to admit the bandana around his neck was awfully cute too! Here are his after photos:

On another note, my ultra sound is scheduled for Saturday. We will be sure to post the results as soon as we know them. Until then everyone have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving!

Baby Shower!

2008-11-17T16:03:00.003-06:00

We had our first baby shower on Saturday. It was absolutely awesome! We got all kinds of great things that we really need for the baby. The shower was very nice, we played a few games and had the most wonderful food. It was really great to get to see all of my friends and family in one place! As you can see from the picture we did get a lot of things, it was really hard to make it all fit into one picture! :)

Joe started basketball today with a 5:50 A.M. practice!! He wasn't real exicted about getting up that early but he is excited about the season!
I have another appointment on Wednesday and hopefully they will schedule an ultrasound to find out about that low lying placenta for sometime in the very near future.
We bought a mini van last week. It is a silver Toyota Sienna 2005 Limited. It is awesome, I'm still trying to figure out all of the amazing things it can do! I thought I would really miss my Camry, but I think this van is going to be just as enjoyable!

2008-11-05T18:51:00.003-06:00

Welcome to our first blog! We're new at this and we're trying to get it right. We thought it would be nice to have a place for friends and family to go to keep track of our pregnancy and what is going on here in northern Iowa.
School has been going quickly so far, especially with the football season winding down. Joe was the assistant football coach here in Tripoli this fall which kept our nights fairly busy. He is enjoying his break between seasons as basketball will start on November 17th!
Everything is good with the baby right now. My next appointment is November 19th and we will schedule our next ultrasound then as well. I'm looking forward to seeing the little guy again!! I'm also looking forward to my baby shower on the 15th that my aunts are having in Ottumwa. It will be great to get to see everyone in one place and celebrate!
I plan on adding to this blog often and I hope to keep you all well updated on the pregnancy and other happenings here in Tripoli.