Kolbe gets a Haircut and a Thanksgiving with certain parts that we hope to forget!

Not this past weekend, but the weekend before, Mark and I took Kolbe to get his first haircut! Kolbe certainly didn't have a head full of hair or anything, but it was definitely starting to fill in making his original baby hairs really long. Some of them would even stick over the collar of his shirt! We took him up to the Sports Clips by our house to get a little trim and he did great! He sat on Mark's lap and didn't mind the clippers at all! He was so adorable! We can't believe how much he's turning in to a little boy! Check out the pics below!

Get ready, Little Boy! Here comes the clippers!

Hey! This isn't too bad!

Check out my new do!

This year for Thanksgiving we stayed in Lubbock and celebrated Thanksgiving with Mark's family. Thank God we didn't plan a trip or anything because all three of us came down with the stomach bug! Kolbe had it Tuesday...luckily he never threw up...just diapie problems! He ate like normal, wasn't running a fever or even acting sick at all so we thought it might be teething. But oh....Wednesday! I had a sonogram that morning to check on little Reagan and managed to leave Tuesday night's dinner at the doctor's office. We stopped by the bank so I could get a few things from my desk and they received a special Laura gift in the parking lot too! It was absolutely horrible! Lets just say that being pregnant and having the throw up bug is not a good combination. If only I could have convinced Reagan to take a nap for the entire day!!! I woke up Thursday morning feeling fantastic though, just to turn over to see Mark doubled over in pain. He got to suffer through it on Thanksgiving day and didn't even get to partake in any of the yummy food served up at Miss Lora's! While we're glad that it's finally gone from our family, we still feel pretty much horrible because we managed to pass it on to a good five or six other friends and family members! Our sincerest apologies go out to Brian, Andy, Krista, Shelby, Miss Debbie, Brookston and any one else who got to share in the delight! Oops! We swear we didn't know it was coming!!! It was still a wonderful Thanksgiving. We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family and just relaxing! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Here's to better luck with our bellies next year!

Kolbe's First Birthday!

First of all, sorry for having two posts on one day! As I'm sure you can imagine, things have been hectic with a major surgery, a trip to Houston, and a first birthday all in the same week! I figured I'd knock out all our updates in one evening!

Our precious little boy, Kolbe, celebrated his first birthday on Sunday, November 9th! Mark and I cannot believe that an entire year has passed!

Kolbe, what a special, amazing, wonderful, joyful, perfect year it has been with you!!! You came in to the world under the strangest of circumstances and have continued on in extraordinary ways. We never could have imagined what a fighter, what a flirt, what a wild man, what a sweetheart, and what a best friend you would turn out to be. Just as we always sing to you, you truly do make us happy when skies are grey! Your precious little face has made every hour of work, every minute of studying, every sleepless night, and every crazy moment so worth while! You are every parent's dream come true! The little boy any father would hope to raise, the precious baby any mother would dream of holding. We couldn't imagine this world without you and we thank you for blessing us with your beautiful first year of life!

Since we were still in Houston recovering from Kolbe's surgery on his actual birthday, we didn't celebrate until this past weekend. We had a small group of family and friends over to celebrate with Mr. Kolbe. With as crazy as he typically is, we assumed he'd be ready to tear up his birthday cake! Instead, he was so fascinated by the crowd gathered around his booster chair that he could have cared less about the ice cream and cake in front of him! Oh well! Saved us the mess and left us with a perfectly good, undestroyed cake! We had a wonderful time and Kolbe got a ton of wonderful gifts! (way more than he needs!) Thanks to everyone who got to come and help us celebrate as well as all of you who wished us well and prayed for us from afar! Your love and support throughout this first year has made the journey so enjoyable and worthwhile!

Happy Birthday, Little Boy!!!

Yes! It's the morning of my birthday party!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Check out my new prized possession! I love, love, LOVE my new red sport coupe! It's the BEST!

Kolbe's Second Surgery!

We're so happy to announce that Kolbe has officially made it through his second big surgery! Kolbe had his palate repair done on November 7th at the Shriner's Hospital in Houston. Just like his first surgery, it was quite the whirlwind experience. Kolbe and I arrived on Wednesday afternoon and spent the night with my parents. The next morning we headed to Shriner's for his pre-op appointment. They told us to be there by 10am and we arrived just in time to find out that his appointments didn't actually begin until 1pm. I was certainly a little peeved, but it gave my mom, my dad, and me a great opportunity to visit the brand new cathedral in down town Houston, visit a Catholic bookstore, and eat some good bar-b-que! Thursday evening we picked up Mark from the airport and spent another night at my parents.

The next morning we all arrived back at the hospital at 6am! We spent about an hour getting Kolbe ready and they took him back around 7am. Poor guy, he arrived all happy and cheerful and had no clue what he was about to go through! We were away from Kolbe for about three hours while the surgery took place. After everything was finished, Mark and I spent about an hour in the recovery room with Kolbe trying to wake him up and just comforting him. We were finally able to go back to our room around lunch time. The rest of the day and evening was spent just cuddling the poor little guy and trying to keep him comfortable. We received a special surprise visit from Uncle Mike and Aunt Casey who drove over from San Antonio! Kolbe even let Aunt Casey hold him and fell asleep on her shoulder which was rare for that day!

It was a LONG night in the hospital! Kolbe only wanted to be held by Mama....with one exception! The hospital had a big red wagon in the hall way that Kolbe LOVED! We piled it up with pillows and blankets and Mark spent hours (literally!) pulling him up and down the halls! We were released from the hospital the next morning around 10am and headed back to my parents. The first few days after the surgery were definitely tough as well. With Kolbe's first surgery, he couldn't put up much of a fight. This time around he had PLENTY to say concerning what we put him through! (actually, we tried our best to convince him that Uncle Pat did it and got away before he had a chance to see him! Ha ha!) Since Mark had to head back to Midland, my mom and dad did a fantastic job of helping me out with the little guy for a few days!

Now that we're back in Lubbock, Kolbe is doing great! It's amazing how quickly kids bounce back. He's back to eating all the foods he used to eat and is working on trying out his "new equipment." He definitely now has suction in his mouth although I don't think he knows exactly how to use it. He still tends to "chew" on his bottle to get the milk out instead of sucking. He'll get better at it though! The other big difference has been with his nose. Previously, any mucus would just go through his hole and down his throat. Now his entire breathing pattern is different. He's not liking it too much! I guess the hole had it's perks! BUT, on a positive note, we've all but abolished his giant collection of bibs! The uncontrollable drooling has vanished! Hallelujah! We're starting to work on his speech now too. His "voice" definitely sounds different now and I think it's just a matter of time before he starts experimenting with the sounds and words he's probably been wanting to say for months!

Speaking of speech, we also should see some additional improvement in the weeks to come as we begin preparing for his ear tubes surgery. We meet with the ENT on December 9th and then will probably move forward with the surgery around the beginning of January. (hopefully before Mark goes back to school!) This surgery should definitely help with the hearing and structural problems in his left ear. We'll keep you posted on how Surgery #3 is shaping up!

Thanks again to everyone for all of the prayers and support for our little fella! He came through with flying colors! Two major surgeries before even reaching his first birthday!!! What a trooper! Mark and I couldn't be prouder of the little guy we've been blessed with! As always, we find ourselves asking, "How did two goons like us get picked to be the parents of this AMAZING little boy!?!" We pray that each of you find yourself just as blessed!!!

Here are a few pictures from the surgery:



At the pre-op appointment, we took Kolbe out on the huge playground that they had out on the balcony. He had a BLAST!!! Note: his last day to rock his signature bib!!!

This was on the morning of the surgery just after getting him dressed in his hospital gown. Our usual happy little boy! Poor guy! He has no clue what's about to happen to him!!!

This was taken just after getting back to his room at the hospital. The long black string coming out of his mouth was actually threaded through his tongue. (Yes, my son had his tongue pierced before his first birthday! Yikes!!!) Because of all the swelling in his mouth, this was done as a safety precaution so that if his oxygen level dropped and he was having trouble breathing, all they had to do was pull the string and it would draw his tongue out of his mouth, opening his airways. We were able to take it out by early evening the night of the surgery.

Thank God for the wagon and thank God for Daddy! This was our saving grace throughout the long first night with his new mouth. We definitely put some mileage on that wagon and Daddy definitely got his exercise!!!

Kolbe Picks a Pumpkin

This past Sunday after mass, Mark and I decided to stop by the United on our way home so Kolbe could pick out his very first pumpkin! It was VERY windy, but we managed to find not one, but two!, that were just too good to pass up. Kolbe was fascinated by the pumpkins and loved the hollow sound they made when he hit them. Of course, now that he walks EVERYWHERE, it was hilarious to see him trying to navigate his way around the pumpkins that came up to at least his thigh. Hopefully I will remember to get a picture or two when we carve them later this week.

Can I take them all?!?

Mama knows which pumpkin she wants to pick!

How do I get around here???

Hmmmm....maybe this is the one!

In a little bit of other news, we had another sonogram of little Reagan today (he's almost 22 weeks now!) and he looks great! He's almost one pound! Also, we were able to tell for sure that Reagan does not have any clefts or birth defects. Thanks to everyone for all of their prayers! With any luck for the fella, Little Reagan will be as handsome as his daddy and his big brother! : ) We leave for Kolbe's palate surgery a week from tomorrow. Please pray for both of our boys!

Monkey Business!!! (in various forms)

So I'm pretty sure that Kolbe Alexander has the cutest Halloween costume of all times!!! My ambitious mother decided to make his costume, and once we knew he would not be in the hospital on Halloween Day, we vetoed the doctor idea. She headed for the fabric store to peruse the costume patterns and happened upon a hilarious monkey costume. Several hours of sewing later, the following madness was produced!!!

"Who me? Cute?"

Mama says, "Pay no attention to the dirty room in the background! She swears the monkey did it!"

Pinkie did a FABULOUS job on Kolbe's suit! We're pretty sure he's going to get all the candy in Lubbock!

As for the other form of "monkey business," apparently Kolbe has recently felt compelled to live up to his Halloween costume. While I was getting ready for work the other day, I slipped back in to the "room" portion of our bedroom where my clothes were laid out on the bed. I decided to let Kolbe stay in the bathroom area knowing that I'd be right back in there in a matter of seconds. As I finally got that last arm through my shirt, I noticed a strange silence coming from the bathroom, which can never be a good thing with Mr. Kolbe. Luckily, the camera was near by to capture the culprit!

"Oh no! She caught me!"

"Quick! I've gotta make a break for it!"

Kolbe's "new" slide!!!

This afternoon when we got home from mass, Kolbe set up camp beside the kitchen window, staring out in to the backyard and watching the birds. Being the "all boy" that he is, we decided to take him out back to play. I then remembered that one of our good friends gave us a Little Tykes fort/slide of theirs before they moved away from Lubbock. This was over a year and half ago when I was on 12 weeks pregnant with Kolbe! Since then, the slide has been hiding in the shed in our backyard waiting until Kolbe was big enough to give it a go. Mark and I pulled it out of the shed (after Mark warned me that I might hurt Reagan from inhaling the fumes from the rat poo in the shed...ha ha!) and gave it a good bath with the water hose while Kolbe and Uncle Dave looked on. Since the yard (and the slide) were now drenched, we decided to strip Kolbe down to his diaper so he wouldn't ruin his church outfit. Kolbe LOVED it! His cheesy little grin said, "I'm the king of the yard!" He proudly stood atop the "fort" and surveyed his domain. The only scary part was the slide, of course! He had to have either Daddy or Mama push him down, but as soon as he made it to the bottom, he immediately wanted to climb back up and do it again! It was so much fun for us to watch him with his new slide! He's growing up so fast!

"Look at me, everybody!"

"Don't let go, Daddy!"

"I love my new fort! Yea!"

One quick addition, we're so happy to announce that Kolbe's surgery has been rescheduled! He will now be having his palate repaired on November 7th (just one week later than it was scheduled prior to the hurricane). It will be at Shriners in Houston instead of Galveston. Poor little Kolbe will be in the hospital for his first birthday (November 9th)! But we are just so happy to be having it done before Reagan gets here, and we'll gladly postpone his birthday celebration a week so he can get this done. Heck, having this surgery will be the best birthday gift EVER for this guy! It will truly be life changing and we are so thankful for the Shriners' efforts to accomodate us and take care of Kolbe. Please pray for him and us as his surgery approaches!

It's Official!

I had another sonogram last week, and yes, he's still a boy! After much thought and consideration, we have decided to name this little fellow Reagan Mark Asmussen. Reagan is a name that Mark and I have always liked, and Mark...well, heck...it's his Daddy and his Grandpa's name! How could we go wrong? He is growing really well and weighed 7 ounces at the sonogram. We didn't get any good pictures of his face because he was moving around so much and kept covering his face, but in the few glimpses we did see, it did not look like Reagan had any clefts. I'm sure we'll be able to get better pictures next time (October 28th). I'm definitely starting to feel him more and more each day! I'm now 19 weeks along! Just about half way there! Here are a few pics from the last sonogram:

Here's my profile shot! Nice round head just like my big bro!

Usually they say a Red Raider from birth...but I'm a Red Raider BEFORE birth!

Kolbe the Great is doing wonderful too! He is ELEVEN months old today! Can you believe it??? I certainly can't! What an amazing eleven months it has been! And it has certainly flown by. This little fellow has met and surpassed every goal we've ever place before him. We couldn't be prouder!

As (somewhat) expected, Kolbe's palate surgery has been cancelled for the time being. It was supposed to be at the end of the month (October 30th) in Galveston at the Shriner's Hospital; however, Shriners has apparently sustained quite a bit of damage from Hurricane Ike. (just like most of the Galveston area!) I spoke with a representative from the hospital and she told me that someone would be calling me back "in the future" to reschedule the surgery. I'm sure you're thinking what I'm thinking...what does "in the future" mean??? A few weeks? A few months? While the problems of those down in that area are certainly greater than ours, this whole predicament leaves us with an interesting situation. If they are unable to do the surgery by December, we will be unable to have it done until the beginning of May. (I won't be able to fly/travel during January or February and then Little Reagan will need at least 6-8 weeks before he can jump on a plane and go with us!) If we wait that long, Kolbe will be 18 months old. So right now we're still on standby for a while, but Mark and I actually have thought about possibly looking in to having it done here in Lubbock if they will be unable to do it in Galveston before the end of December. I'm planning to call them back again next week to see if there's any sort of timeline at all and I guess we'll go from there. I'd hate for Kolbe to have to wait till he's 18 months to get this surgery done. He's almost a year old and still unable to eat most foods babies his age eat, and most of all, he's having such a hard time talking. He has so much to say but the lack of pressure in his mouth makes the same sound come out over and over. Plus, the surgery was also when tubes would be placed in his ears, helping with chronic ear infections and his lack of hearing in his left ear. We definitely need to have that done soon! Poor fellow! After all is said and done, I know God will take care of Kolbe and this whole situation no matter when it takes place. Please pray for us and Kolbe's much needed surgery!

A few weeks ago, my parents flew up to Colorado Springs, CO to attend my Dad's 30 year reunion from The Air Force Academy. On their way back, they stopped in Lubbock for a few nights. Grandpa and Pinkie couldn't help but bring back a few goodies for Mr. Kolbe. Check out his Air Force jacket and new Air Force Academy Falcon's hat! Who knows? Maybe he'll be a cadet some day!!! (if not a Red Raider!)

Grandpa and Kolbe....the Falcons' biggest fans!!!


Check out that priceless smile for Pinkie! Isn't he a doll!?!

Ten Months, Two Teeth, Taking Off, and Too Obvious!

Hello to everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to get an update posted. Things have been (as usual) CRAZY! Mark is back at school, Pinkie (my mom) has gone back home, and Uncle Dave is settling in here at home and at Tech. Baby Two continues to grow though you'd never guess it. I was told by all the "experts" that I would start showing much sooner with my second pregnancy than I did with my first. Well, at 15 weeks, I still look pretty much the same as usual...maybe just a little poochy!

The changes are much more obvious in little Kolbe! He turned 10 months old a few weeks ago! I can't believe my precious little baby is getting so big. Every day there's something new! A few weeks ago he finally sprung his first two teeth. The bottom right center tooth emerged on a Saturday followed by the bottom left center tooth a few days later. That was certainly cause for a few sleepless nights! They're gradually starting to come in and look like little fish teeth according to Uncle Dave!

Check out my two teeth! If I didn't slobber so much you could see them a lot better!

Kolbe's other biggest change is his newfound ability to stand on his own and even take a few steps! You can tell that he knows he's capable of doing it; it's just mustering up the courage to let go and take off! He does it best when he's walking back and forth between either Mark and me or Uncle Dave and me. The other night he took a good 7-8 steps to Uncle Dave! It's SOOO cute! The best part is, when we get him to walk, he can tell we are excited so he gets excited too. Even as he's falling he laughs like it's funny! (as seen in one of the pictures below) He has yet to just take off on his own and still requires prompting to do it, but Lord knows it won't be long!

This is easy! I can even walk while holding my Tech hat!

Mom says I look like a miniature little man. What do you think? At least I'm decked out in my Tech gear! Go Raiders!


Oh no! I was just one step away! Catch me, Mama! (Why are we laughing!?!)

As for Baby Two, we had a sonogram back on September 3rd that Uncle Pat accompanied me to. I was thirteen and a half weeks along at this point, and lets just say that there was no denying the obvious! The little fella had a "visible third thigh" as Uncle Pat told my mom on the phone. IT'S ANOTHER BOY! Of course several of my friends and co-workers that assume we only want two children (guess that's the going rate in America these days!) asked if I was "disappointed" that it was boy. Actually, I was thrilled! Heck, these two little guys are going to be fifteen to sixteen months apart! It's going to be great having two boys! Number Two will learn so much from his big brother! And, Lord willing, we'll be blessed with another little one (or more!) some day that just might be a girl! So with one boy and another one on the way, I guess we'll just need more diapers and we'll be just fine! As for the name, we're still working on it! We'll keep you all posted!

My two legs, my fanny, and my man parts! (the camera-in-the-toilet-bowl shot)

Here's my little alien face! Maybe next time we'll get a 3D face shot so I don't look so creepy!

Here's my profile shot at 13 1/2 weeks! I'm growing just perfectly!

Also, we have a little prayer request for everyone. As most of you know, my parents live in The Woodlands which is just north of Houston. Last night Hurricane Ike hit the entire Galveston-Houston area pretty hard. My parents house made it through with very little damage, but several of her neighbors have fallen trees that have caused some major damage. They are all without power and it's assumed that they will be for several more days. Also, Kolbe's hospital where he has his palate surgeries is the Shriner's Hospital in Galveston. We have yet to hear about the damage there, but it is only a few streets up from the Galveston seawall so we're assuming they're probably having some difficulties there as well. Please pray for these groups of people as well as all of the nearly seven million people of the Galveston-Houston area. Thanks!

Kolbe's time with Daddy and Pinkie

Things continue to change at the Asmussen Household. With Kolbe Man, it's a daily thing! His newest skills include dancing, growling, and dumping out his entire bucket of toys. The dancing is the cutest, the growling funniest, and the toy dumping most annoying! But other changes abound as well. Mark was very happy to get two weeks off from PA School and decided to keep Kolbe home from his sitter's house. They spent two soild weeks of Daddy and Kolbe time! I think when all was said and done, Mark truly loved it but decided that being a stay at home dad was certainly not his dream occupation. Guess he has a little more respect for us mama's now! Carying for these little ones certainly is a full time job!

Daddy makes a good horsey! He even lets me take my hammer along for the ride!

Mark and Kolbe both LOVE the "catfish" pose. In general, Kolbe likes to be upside down, but when Daddy does it, it makes it even more fun! You can tell Daddy loves it too!

Mark had to head back to Midland this Monday to begin the fall semester, but with his leaving, we received two new arrivals. Uncle Dave moved in to our spare bedroom last weekend. He began his freshman year at Tech on Monday. Dave will be living with us this year. I know this is going to be a HUGE help to me as I try to get through this pregnancy with Mark going back and forth! (Maybe we can help him a bit as well!) Dave is such an awesome "kid!" Hopefully all of you who don't know him will get a chance to meet him. He's calm and put-together like Andy, looks a lot like Mike, is creative like me, and is nothing like Pat! (just kidding! Love you, Pat!)

Kolbe's sitter's daughter recently had a baby so Debbie is out of town helping her out for a few weeks. That being said, my mom has also been staying with us and watching Kolbe. Bless her heart, she's been roughing it on an air mattress! She's also been quoted several times saying, "I just don't see how you do it! He's a total wild man! None of you 5 Hefferly kids were EVER this active! He just goes, goes, goes!" Kolbe has absolutely fallen in love with her and will probably be devestated when she has to head back to The Woodlands. Grandpa will be coming in this weekend too for a couple of days. So needless to say, the Asmussen Household has been packed lately! I'm sure in a week or two everything will be back to normal!

As for Baby Two, we have another sonogram on Wednesday and Uncle Pat will be accompanying me since Daddy is in Midland. I'll be sure to post pictures some time next week. The first trimester is done!

Just one more picture of little K-Man. He continues to be the most adorable, flirty, friendly, lively boy around! He truly defines living life to the fullest! This guy "leaves it all on the field" so to say, playing his heart out and trying to discover the world!

Little Bubble Head says: "I'm not supposed to be touching the faucet...wonder if she'll notice or be mesmerized by my precious face!?!"

Kolbe's first "shiner" and Baby Two's first picture!

Things have been CRAZY (as usual!) at the Asmussen house! Daddy Asmussen (Mark) has been stuck in Midland for the past two weeks studying for finals for the first semester of PA school. After successfully making it though as I knew he would, (he still has one more tomorrow!) he will be coming home tomorrow for two whole weeks! Kolbe and I can't wait! We are soooooo proud of Daddy!


With Mark being gone, Kolbe and I have been roughing it through the middle of the first trimester. Can't wait till that's over! Zombie mode is no fun! Although, I must admit that I have been more than blessed not to have to mess with morning sickness. Thank God He hasn't bestowed such and evil thing on me! I think I've got about all I can take right now!

Kolbe, Kolbe, Kolbe...what can I say for the little guy!?! Mr. Action officially got his first "shiner" (black eye) last week. From some unknown source, he frequently summons up the courage to let go of one stationary object and dive for the other before actually holding on to it. Brave, but not so sensible. Needless to say, he missed last week and caught the edge of his little Leap Frog music player. Of course, being the "tough guy" he is, I recall him fussing for roughly 12 seconds before getting immediately distracted by something far more important...his dancing chicken. The tiny little bruise didn't show up until the next morning and you can just barely see it under his right eye in the picture below.

"I'm a real boy now!"

I had my first sonogram on Tuesday of this week and got our first peak at Baby Two. Sonograms are just the coolest things ever for a pregnant lady! In the pic below the baby is about 9 1/2 weeks along and growing well. Despite the 3D picture, he or she still looks pretty much like a gummy bear! After having a baby with birth defects, having HELLP syndrome, still having lupus, and still having a family member with Downs Syndrome, I'm now like super-duper high risk with this pregnancy so I get to have sonograms every 4 weeks! Enough to make you paranoid, (like they're almost expecting something to go wrong...) but exciting at the same time because I'll get to see the little one progress every single month. Still, after looking at the pictures the paranoid factor did end up setting in just a little bit. One of my co-workers commented: "Man, it's amazing how huge their heads are at this stage! It's like a little alien!" Of course I started thinking, wait a minute! Is it supposed to be that big? Are you sure? She's right! It's is HUGE! So I had to do a little internet searching a came up with a medical sketch of 9 weeks gestation. Laughing at myself, I realized that Asmussen Two looks almost identical to the sketch! Facing the same direction, cord in the same place, yolk sac in the same place...it's like he or she posed for the artist's rendition! Silly Mama! Don't be such a worry wart! Here's a link to the sketch if you'd like to compare too! http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-9-weeks

"Hello everyone! Can't wait to meet all of you!"

Family News and More!

In an effort to keep our lives interesting, Mark and I are expecting our second little one on March 7, 2009. We are certainly as surprised about this addition as you are! Of course, this will come with lots of changes, sacrifices, etc., but we are more than excited to be open to life! We've always wanted a big family! Guess we'll be getting it sooner than expected!

Kolbe Boy is now 8 months old. (He'll be 16 when Number Two arrives! Yikes!) He has perfected his crawling and is all over the place!!! On one hand, it's exciting as he's learning and discovering so much. But on the other, it's a little heartbreaking cause he doesn't want Mama to hold him as much any more. It makes those few minutes before he falls asleep that much more precious. He's also pulling up on EVERYTHING! If it's within the reach of his little paws, he manages to get himself into a standing position against it.

A few mornings ago he took it upon himself to go and meet "the other Kolbe." After finding the standing mirror in our room, he decided to stand up and properly introduce himself to the new fellow! He never thought he'd meet such a handsome little cuss! It's so much fun to watch him discover everything...including himself!

"Hey Ma! Look at me!"

...Wait a minute...who is that?

"Hey there, Little Guy!"

Welcome to our blog!

At the request of many, welcome to the Asmussen family blog! While it's common knowledge that I love to write (being a former English teacher and all), it's also common knowledge that the amount of time I have to devote to such a pleasure is a few scoches under minimal. But alas, while the definition of 'mother' has got to be denial of self, I can somehow justify my indulgence in a favorite past time as merely a way to keep family and friends informed. (Right???)

But what else is there to the Asmussen Family other than Kolbe, Kolbe, Kolbe? Heck, right now it seems like nothing! He truly is the center of our world, though in completely different ways for Mark and me. I am here in Lubbock caring for Kolbe and working full time at Lubbock National. Mark, on the other hand, is attending Physician Assistant School in Midland during the work week. PA school is a huge sacrifice for both of us! For me, it's certainly hard to raise Kolbe on my own during the week. And what a sacrifice for Mark to attend school day in and day out away from his family! Bottom line, he literally does it ALL for us! We pray that the means will be worth the end result! (The end result being Mark working as a PA and me being home raising our family) The next two years will certainly be a journey to our 'dream destination!'

But back to Kolbe!...Little Guy will be turning eight months old in a few days! In a few phrases, he can be described as a wild man, a sweetheart, a total flirt, a thrill seeker, a visible analyzer, a toddler with a temper, a smily guy, and so much more! He really is just the sweetest little thing on the face of this earth! It truly is a joy to be in his presence. Kolbe cries when he's hungry or sleepy...and that's it! (Lucky me!) Plus, his unique journey makes him such a special little soul. It amazes me daily that God chose Mark and me to guide him through life. I still can't believe I would even be considered for such a task!

So how is Kolbe doing? Amazing! As previously mentioned, he is almost eight months old and all over the place! Kolbe has been rolling since late 4 months, sitting on his own since late 5 months, and attempting to crawl since 6 months! While his crawl is certainly unconventional, he definitely knows how to get around. He makes it from he family room to the kitchen in a few minutes flat! While Kolbe has figured out the simplest form of transportation, he would much rather be walking! Since about 12 weeks old, Kolbe began standing assisted the majority of his waking hours. He LOVES to stand! This, of course, has already turned in to walking as long as he's got a finger or two to hold on to. Heck, if his head weren't so heavy, he'd probably take off and never look back! Kolbe's zeal for action makes him such a fun kid and a total boy. He loves wrestling, rolling, splashing, jumping, falling, and everything else 'boy'. He's afraid of nothing!

As for Kolbe's health report, he's doing great! His first surgery for his cleft lip was on March 13th. Three and a half months later, you can hardly tell his cleft was ever there! His scar has healed beautifully and that resilient little trooper hardly let it slow him down at all! The second surgery to repair the cleft palate will be on October 2nd back at the Shriner's Hospital in Galveston, TX. We can't wait for this surgery! Because Kolbe's nasal passage is completely open to his mouth, it makes eating so hard for him. This surgery will truly be life changing for him! No more spitting up out his nose or shooting green beans from his nostrils when he tries to swallow! During this second surgery, the doctors will also put tubes in his ears. Many babies with clefts have other deformities and infection issues with their ears. Kolbe currently has no hearing in his left ear; however, the choclea in that ear does work! The doctors are hoping that the tubes will help open up his ear passageways and help stop the ear infections. (Just like his nose, the inner openings to his ears are directly connected to his mouth so whatever goes in his mouth can also go in his ears.) At last weigh in, Kolbe was 15 pounds and 8 ounces-- Still in the 0 percentile for his age group, but leaps and bounds beyond his starting weight of 5 pounds, 6 ounces!

Ok, ok. Enough about Kolbe! Lord knows, there's certainly no where near the wealth of information to share about Mark and even less about me! Mark is thoroughly enjoying PA school. (Despite the exhaustion!) The program is a total of 27 months long and he has made it through the first 6 weeks or so. Luckily, only the first 15 months are in Midland. With God's blessing, the remaining year which consists of all of his clinical rotations, will be in Lubbock! He still hasn't quite decided what field of medicine he wants to go in to, but the clinical rotations will help with that decision. Right now he just wants to make it through gross anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, medical ethics, and clinical lab! That's right, he's currently taking 17 hours in the summer! While he misses Kolbe and me terribly during the week, having plenty of quiet time at night to study really does help. So far, he's doing great! As for me, I'm keeping up my position in real estate lending at Lubbock National Bank. While it's certainly not my dream vocation, it helps pays the bills and provides the family with insurance. It also provides me with a wonderful at-work family and support group that helps makes each day away from Kolbe a little more bearable. Plus, I DO get to practice my dream vocation every day beginning at 5pm! And if I can just get through these two years, I will be blessed with the privledge to be mom for a long time coming.

Well enough said in the Asmussen Family update. Hopefully the entries to come will read much less like a progress report and more like the true story that our little family lives. Thanks for joining in our journey!