Conner's First Camping Trip

Steve got the camper out of Storage this week and brought it home to De-Winterize it. We didn't know when we were going to go camping, but we needed to get it ready. Well, At 11PM Thursday night, we decided we wanted to go this weekend. So we made camping reservations for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Lincoln. Nothing like making Last Minute plans. Those are sometimes the best. So, Friday afternoon, on Conner's 3 week Birthday, the three of us headed to Lincoln City, IN. We invited Mom, Dad, Steph, Tim, Sophie, and Andrea up for Dinner on Saturday. We had the best weekend. I think Steve and I got more sleep this weekend than we have since Conner was born. It was so relaxing. When Conner slept, we slept. No laundry to do, bathrooms to clean, or grass to mow. We needed the peace and quiet. Other than some Showers Saturday, the weather was just beautiful. Conner did so well camping, we won't hesitate to pack up and go again soon. We realized that this will for sure be the last year for us in this camper. What used to sleep 9 (mostly little people or kids), now barely holds the three of us. There is so much stuff to take for a newborn, we were packed to the gills. We are now pretty cramped, but it is will work for us for the rest of this camping season. When Conner is a toddler walking and into everything, we hope to have a camper with slide-outs so he can roam freely inside without bumping into things. Right Now, It fits our small family perfectly.

Conner and Grandaddy Cuddling Yes!!!!!!!! That is a Pink Bow in Steve's Hair.

Sophie finally figured out what that extra compartment on the back of her stroller is for.

Grandma and Conner Cuddling

Just a Swing'N

Conner's Umbilical cord stump finally fell off Friday. So that means a real bath, which happened to fall on Saturday. So, what to do, but throw him in the camper sink. He really seemed to like it. He didn't want to hang out there all day, but there were no tears.

Rub Dub Dub

Conner caught up on some Z.....Z....'s this weekend.

Oh Wait. He wasn't behind on Z....'s. It is mommy and daddy who are really tired.

The night weather was perfect for cuddling Andrea and her "Little Sister" Tristan

A night walk by the Lake

Snug as a Bug in a Blanket If it isn't obvious, Conner and Sophia are spoiled with Love by Grandma and Granddaddy

Conner spent a lot of time outside in the warm air just a swing'N. Conner's First Camping Trip

Conner's Pictures

Conner's pictures are now available for viewing. Go to http://www.capturedstudiosphotography.com/

Click on "Enter Flash Website" chose "Online Ordering" at the bottom.

Chose "Maternity/Newborn then Chose "Elfreich" and the Password is Conner

Alisann did a wonderful job and she had such a cute subject to work with.

Hospital Photo

To view Conner's hospital photo, go to http://www.mckevanportraits.com/ Click on the client image button, then Search Baby's first Name: Conner and the Password is: Conner. ENJOY

Conner's Photo Shoot

Yesterday, Jamie and I took Conner to get his pictures taken. We went to Captured Studios Photography owned by Alisan Elpers. A few of his shots are on her website for viewing. The rest will be up for viewing in about a week. Go to her website, click on the center picture titled "The Blog." Conner's pictures are 11-16. Check out the rest of her site. If anyone is in need of baby, children, or family photos, I highly recommend Alisann. http://www.capturedstudiosphotography.com/

Meeting Karen and Katie

Karen and Katie Wilkey were in town from Cincinnati today and stopped by to meet Conner. We had a wonderful visit. Katie is almost 8 months old. We were looking at Conner's big feet and then we realized his feet were the same size as Katie's feet. That really opened my eyes to how big his feet really are. WOW. He is going to be a big boy.

Karen, Katie, and Conner

Katie's foot on the left and Conner's is on the Right

Conner Meets His Great Grandmother

Today, we got up early, and went to Rockport to 7:30am mass. We met my mom and dad there. Then we went to My Grandmother's house for breakfast. This was the first time Conner has met his Grandmother because we were in the NICU last weekend. They hit it off really well. He knows who has been praying for him for all of these months.

My Godmother Carolyn and Uncle Steve were there also, and Steph, Tim, and Sophie. Sophie was excited to see Conner again. When my aunt Carolyn was holding him and got up to walk into the kitchen, Sophie Said "MINE." She thinks Conner is hers, but when we asked if Conner could go home with her and sleep in her bed, she quickly said "NO."

Conner and his Great Grandmother Payne

Sophie holding Conner

It takes four to change his diaper. Actually, Steph started changing his diaper, but she doesn't have much experience with little boys and Conner broke her in .......... TWICE........ in one diaper change. It was hilarious. His clothes were soaked. Next time, I think she will cover the parts.

Sophie supervising the diaper change. She was very interested becuase Conner was screaming.

Grandmother with two of her great-grandchildren, Sophia and Conner. She has 21 living grandchildren and 1 deceased. She has 12 great grandchildren and 1 more on the way.

Four Generations of Payne's

Conner's First Day of Work

Saturday was Conner's first day on the job for Elfreich General Contracting. He went to work with Steve today to bid on a job. He was the "Estimator." It sounds like all he really did was win the heart of the Customer. Mom stayed home and took a nap while the boys went out to make money. I like it that way.

Update On Remodel Job

Well, all the trash is now removed. I hauled off 4,420 lbs of trash to be exact. Replacing all the electric in the kitchen has now began. Plenty of power will be laid out for xenon under cabinet lighting, small appliances, & power in the island also there will be cable tv and power in the cabinet above the microwave for a large flat screen tv. Its taking a little longer than expected because the existing wiring was in very bad shape. After all that is finished I will insulate and then up with the new drywall. The Solid maple 3/4 inch hard wood floor has arrived and waiting for installation. Thursday we took all the final measurements for the cabinets. They will be going into production sometime this week. They are also solid soft maple.

All Cleaned Up!

A Look In The Other Direction Across The Kitchen. The Room Size Is 16'x21' 2.22 Tons Of Trash Piled up On My New Dump Tuck Getting All The New Electric Installed

Blue Prints & Cabinet Plans For The New Kitchen

Conner's 2 Week Check-up

Today, was Conner's first Doctor's visit. He is 2 weeks old today. We went to see Dr. Voyles. Conner is doing great despite the weekend in the NICU. When we left the NICU Monday, Conner weighed 9lbs. 11oz.. Today, he weighed 10lbs. 9oz. He gained almost a pound in 5 days. So, needless to say, he is eating well. He has also grown an inch and a half since May 8th. Conner did his best to make an impression on his Doctor by peeing all over the exam table. He is good at that.

Spending Time with the Grandmas

Since we have been home from the hospital the second time, Conner's grandma's have been splitting days helping mommy out. They come over and help with the laundry (which seems to have tripled) and the housework. Then they spend a lot of time loving and cuddling Conner. They are taking good care of Conner and me since Steve went back to work Tuesday. Steve stopped by during work today. Which is odd since he is working on the West side. Today, he said he was dumping trash at the landfill on 164 so he was in the neighborhood. We don't live anywhere near 164. I think he is having with drawls. It is really cute. The other day, Steve said, "It's so cool, now I have a reason to look forward to coming home every night." Of Course, I said "You didn't before?" I know exactly what he was getting at.

What I Am Up To

Hey Everyone! Well it has been a while since I have posted anything so I thought that I would do something interesting that would give me something to blog about. Some of you may wonder what I do at work and what some of my jobs look like when I start and when I finish. Many of you may have never seen any of my work. Well this is a great opportunity for me to start because today I started a new job on the west side. This is a total custom kitchen & dinning room remodel. I will actually will be taking it from 2 separate rooms and turning it into 1 large eat in kitchen. As you can see the old kitchen and dinning room are very worn and out dated. I spent several months consulting with this couple to come up with a design that is open and user friendly, great for entertaining, yet maintains great functionality. Check in for pictures and updates every couple of day's to see the grand transformation. Job Stats: Cost $44,000 Time to complete 3 to 31/2 weeks.

Welcome Home Conner, AGAIN

Conner has been a very sick little boy. Friday afternoon, he started throwing up after every feeding. By the end of the night, he was very groggy, wasn't eating much, and his breathing had become very fast then he would stop breathing for about 10 seconds. We took him to the ER around 10 P.M. Friday night and we came home this morning around 10:30. We spent our weekend in the St. Mary's NICU with their wonderful staff and neo-natologists making Conner as good as new. When we left the hospital the first time, on Tuesday, Conner was very Jaundice. His levels were pretty high. He was sent home with a billi-blanket thinking this would kick it. Well, I guess he was just too tired to fight it, and became very tired and was having trouble breathing on his own, so we went in Friday for a little help. He was dehydrated from the vomiting and he was having trouble breathing all due to the Jaundice. They put him on the Billi- lamp in an isolet and his billi levels went from 17.9 to 10 in a few days. When we came home Monday, he was like a new little boy. He felt so much better, his breathing was better, and he was more wide awake than he has been . He was a very sick little boy and he scared the crap out of Steve and I. He broke us in this weekend. We are very happy to be home and that Conner is feeling better.

Still Jaundice

Today, we started our day at the lab to test Conner's Billirubin Levels. It was 15.6 today. This is down from a high of 17.9 on Tuesday. They will keep him on his blanket until the level drops below 14. We go back to the lab Saturday morning to test again. Hopefully, we will get rid of the blanket soon.

Conner's Visits

Yesterday, several people stopped by to see Conner. Most of them took time out of work to visit him. Grandpa Elfreich (no Picture), Granddaddy Payne, Aunt Andi, and Aunt Steph all escaped work for a Conner fix. Do their bosses know what they do during the day?

Granddaddy Payne

Aunt Andi

Aunt Steph

Today, Kyle Stopped by on the way home from School to see his buddy, Conner.

We also went to meet Aunt Joannie, Uncle Kenny, and our cousin Issac. Conner looks like a preemie next to Issac who is 4 months old and 18.5 lbs.

Our friend, Melissa also stopped by to meet Conner.