February Showers

We've had a very snowy winter so far (already in the top 10), 75+ inches total!  Last Sunday and Monday we had heavy snow showers with 12-18 inches in many areas.  Zander LOVES to shovel - here he is on President's Day: 

Go boys go!

Over the snowy weekend, I was reflecting on last year at this time -- instead of snow showers, I was enjoying two wonderful Baby Showers in anticipation of Zander's arrival.  We originally thought that our travel to Korea might be as early as March, which is how we landed on February showers.  As it turned out, we did not travel until June, but the showers were a delightful way to prepare and celebrate while we waited!  The first shower was hosted by my boss Jan:

Jan prepared a delicious feast that we all enjoyed:

We received so many wonderful gifts that Zander has grown to love.  Here are some "Spinaroos" (a type of building block) that came from Sue - they are so much fun!

Noreen brought a cake that was absolutely precious - which made it difficult to cut!

A gift from Jan - some adorable artwork that matches Zander's bedding:

Here's how it looks in his room - so cute!

Froggy Chair!  What an awesome gift from Amy's team.  Zander has so much fun with this chair, more pics to follow.  Thanks team - you are the best!

Noreen also created some unique treat bags with custom-made chocolates - how sweet!

Bottom row of chocolates: "Born 4-17-09," "I'm Baby Wilson," "Amy is my Mommy!," and "Thank heaven for little boys!"

A few days later, my sister-in-law Heather hosted a very special shower for family and friends.  Here are Heather, my aunt KK and my mom (a.k.a Nana Pat):

Another gorgeous cake - this one looking forward to the long plane journey in front of us:

A creative accent photo... yes, that is Babe the Blue Ox (with Paul Bunyan)!  Note Babe's unique 'markings' - the Korean flag!  Why Babe?  Because, of course, Zander was born during the Year of the Ox!

Fun shower games:

Cousin Leah won one of the games!

The Caterpillar dump truck - definitely a Zander favorite!  Thanks KK and Nana!

Yours truly showing off the cake one more time before cutting:

Wow!  A fully stocked diaper caddy from Heather - we enjoy using it every day!

Heather requested that each person bring their favorite baby/toddler book.  Everyone was so generous - we built up an amazing book collection which Zander continues to enjoy:

Thanks again to everyone who helped me celebrate - it really helped shorten the wait!  Special thanks to both Jan and Heather for hosting such lovely showers and creating priceless memories!

Zoo

Zander enjoyed a recent trip to the Minnesota Zoo with his friend Elara.  It was his first time at this zoo, and he loved it!  The zoo was delightfully toddler-friendly, so we will definitely be heading back.  We started out on the Tropics Trail where we saw many exotic creatures.  Although it was a brisk day, we braved the elements and explored the Medtronic Minnesota Trail where we saw beavers, coyotes, pumas, lynx, wolverines, and gray wolves.  Zander was able to tame one of the wolves for a quick photo op:

Elara also enjoyed the ride:

Yikes, check out those shark's teeth!

Playing upside-down with Daddy...

...and completely missing the dolphin show behind us!  Thank goodness Elara was watching!

We also ventured out to see the Grizzly Bear habitat - we found three very large bears sleeping.  Fortunately, one lifted his head to say hello - see his face in the upper right hand side of the photo.  Zander had a hard time believing that grizzlies can grow to over 10 feet tall and weigh over 1300 pounds - wow!

At the end of the adventure, Zander got to meet Snoopy Dog.  What a fun day!!

Under the Weather

It has been a long week... Zander is just getting over a case of pneumonia!  Last weekend we knew something was off when he lost his appetite and had a lot of trouble sleeping.  Daddy brought him to the doctor on Sunday... the chest X-ray was not fun!  Zander stayed home from school a few days and we tried to help him rest as much as possible.  He's finally getting back to himself, we are so thankful!  While home, Zander was often lethargic, and took several naps a day - here he is catching some Z's with Dooly and another favorite companion "Puppy," (a gift from Heather's parents last summer): 

Another nap, this time sleeping on the adorable Pillow Pet he received from Chris, Karissa, Justin, and Erin for Christmas:

Still, some occasional smiles:

Zander has recently learned the unofficial sign for "P.U." - he now uses it frequently to signal a poopy diaper!

Taking a rest on his beloved Froggy chair (more pics of Froggy to follow):

The week before the pneumonia diagnosis, Zander had a run-in with a wall at school - he was running and slipped on a mat.  He got a big owie on his face that had him looking pretty rugged:

Fortunately, it didn't stop Zander from eating one of his favorite fruits, banana, which he affectionately calls "Nanny".  (Not to be confused with Nana Pat, whom Zander has also recently given the same nickname!)

And, even with the big owie, it was wonderful to see a smile!

Although Zander would often point to his left cheek and announce "Owie!", the boo-boo did not keep him from enjoying "Transportation Day" at school:

Getting by with a little help from his friends!

We are delighted that Zander's big owie and, (we believe) his pneumonia are behind him!  Good health is a great way to start the Lunar New Year that we celebrated on February 3rd - "Seolnal," as it is called, is the biggest holiday in Korea.  The Year of the Rabbit is said to bring Peace, Tranquility and Harmony.

     새해 복 많이 받으세요(saehae bok man-hi ba-deu saeyo) - Happy New Year!