One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish!

Hey there all. No new news on the kidneys other than it's a "mild" case. The docter still wants us to do the x-ray test to make sure that the kidney is functioning normally, which is April 1st, no foolin'. We should know everything there is to know about Skylers' kidneys after that.

The other day, Justin and I took Skyler to the Shed Aquarium in Chicago. It was AWESOME! Skyler watched all the fish and was just mesmerized! He loved it. He was even awake for practically 9 hours (little cat naps of about 5-10 min here and there). Unfortunately for us, the over-stimulation, although worth it at the time, did some damage to Skyler's sleep schedule. It took him all weekend to back on track!

The fun doesn't stop there. Apex Adventure Alliance had a great weekend to kick off the season! Although it wasn't as warm as it was about a week ago (about a 15-20 degree difference, actually haha), it was great to get out on the rock! I found out I'm a little rusty on the climbing skills, but it was encouraging to be back after only 2 months after having Skyler.

As always, here are some pictures from the aquarium for your enjoyment.

Skyler just started smiling 2 weeks ago and he just doesn't want to stop, which is alright by us! It makes all the screaming worth it :)

Justin and Skyler enjoying the brightly colored fish.

Skyler LOVED the jellyfish! (sorry for the blurriness)

Momma and baby Beluga whale (baby is blurry and hard to see, but there, trust me)

The sea horses are always my favorite!

Justin and Jordan showing Skyler the fish.

That's it for now. On to spring!

Moving right along...

Well we are moving into Skyler's second month and it's been amazing! He is in a nightly routine of being crabby from 7 until 11-12 (still), feeding at 3, and again at 6. I was hoping that we would be moving toward longer periods of sleep, but at least he is consistent. I'm sure it will happen soon. I know this 3 hour stretch of sleep will not be on my "missing it" list.

Skyler has a doctor's appointment next week to check out his kidneys because they vary in size. It is not a major concern. If it had been, it would have been checked out in a more timely fashion. They just want to make sure everything is working as it should. I will post shortly after we get the results.

Other news on the homefront is that Justin, Laura, and I have started our training! We plan on running a 1/2 marathon sometime after September. We haven't chosen one yet, so if you have any ideas on a good one to start with, let us know! Preferably, one with a desired vacation spot near by (wink). Hey, sometimes you just have to kill two birds with one stone!

Spring is in the air here in Wisconsin, and we are loving it! Soon, Skyler, Montana and I will be out at Devil's Lake, rocking it with Apex Adventure Alliance! Very stoked to introduce my little man to the awesomeness his life will entail. In the meantime, we will continue to hike daily and grow with eachother.

Skyler taking a nap, which he does oh so often.

Skyler and Harper (Skyler's bff) enjoying eachothers' company on the floor.

Sky and I visiting friends in Milwaukee.

Ice falls at Parfey's Glen

Green fern in Parfey's Glen

Sky and I hiking with Kelly at Parfey's Glen.

Very Brigadoon-like atmosphere with the fog. It was eerily beautiful.

Kelly telling Montana what's what.

Sweet tree

Hiking into the fog

That's the update. Hope all is well everywhere else!

There's a Wocket in my Pocket

There really isn't a wocket in my pocket, but it is one of the many books that Skyler has been read over the weeks. Things are coming along in Skyler's world. His feeding is better and on some-what of a schedule (though still only 3 hours of sleep at a time for us at best) and he is very alert and aware of his surroundings. He didn't much like his first bath time, but the many we've had after have been more enjoyable for him. Since I don't want to embarrass him too much in life, we'll keep those pictures for his future wedding (maybe the girlfriends if he's lucky haha). He is now into that "fussy" stage at 3, going on 4 weeks and man is it fun! Wailing from 7pm to around 11pm is the best! (sarcasm) Although, I have to count my blessings because at least it is only about 4 hours long, not the whole day and not through the night. That and he's so darn cute when he's not wailing in your ear. So he's still a keeper. :)

A friend of mine from high school came over and took some professional pictures of Skyler and I. He obviously was the main focus, I just happen to be there. This is just one of many. You can go to her website to check out more... photographybykait.photoreflect.com .... in the albert file... shoot me an email for the password if you are interested in checking them out. She did an amazing job!!

Some people have been asking how Montana has been handling the new baby in the family and I think this picture sums it up. If Montana could have puppies, she would be an excellent mother! She took to Skyler immediately when we brought him home with the smallest, cutest kiss and has been in love with him ever since. She even keeps the cats away (or maybe she thought it was just a good reason to chase them more). Either way, she is amazingly good with Skyler, the newest member of the "pack".

We took Sklyer out on his first hike on Super Bowl Sunday. At 20 days old, he took it like a champ! We didn't go terribly far, seeing as the healing process takes ridiculously long with c-sections, but it was far enough to make me sore the next day. It was well worth it for Skylers' first hike though because it was so pretty. We went to Baxter's Hallow and the snow was beautifully coming down in huge flakes (the ones you stick your tongue out for). We all had a blast!

Stay tuned for more updates......

Cute as a button

Well we are finally home! We were released from the hospital Saturday afternoon and it was a blessing!

Although it feels great to be home instead of the hospital, I'm still fighting off infections. I was on high risk for infection because my immune system was low when we were released, and sure enough, Sunday evening I spiked a fever. Now on anitbiotics (again) I'm working real hard to just be healthy, let alone recover from the c-section surgery. The road to recovery has been a long and bumpy one. We haven't hit pavement yet, but we are working on it.

Skyler is doing great. Healthy as a horse and eating like a champ. His sucking skills are yet to be determined, and he is still hesitant to come to me directly for food, but he is getting the food he needs and meeting is daily "output" requirements :).

Here are some more pictures for you all to enjoy.



Skyler rockin' it in Mom's baby blanket..ya vintage!

Grandma getting excited about going home.

Skyler's first time in the car seat.

First car ride :)

Sky testing out the vibrating seat from Grandma Jackson.




One happy little family :)

Sky working on his facials

Just being his cute little self...


...and working really hard at it too :)

Skyler Edgar Albert

There he is! The newest member of the family! We don't have a whole lot of pictures just yet, we've been sort of busy. The whole birth process has been a long and bumpy road. The plan was to give birth to Skyler the the Madison Birthing Center the all natural way. We started off doing just that. Early labor, with small contractions starting Thursday. These annoying little buggers stuck around, getting progressively stronger until Sunday night, around 11:35 pm, when my water broke. The real contractions weren't far behinde, and they were strong! We lived through each beautiful contration until 11:45 am when we found out that things weren't progressing fast enough, so off we went to St. Mary's Hospital. Things got interesting after that. Epidurals, monitors, and routine vital check-ups became the norm as we found out that I had a fever, which indicated infection. This was hard to handle, but we were still hoping a c-section wasn't going to be needed. Unfortunately, for the safety of both Skyler and myself, the c-section was the only option. But he came out smiling! Beautiful 8'13oz Skyler 21 inches long! He is perfect!


More pictures and updates are on the way, so stay tuned!

We should be both on our way home by Saturday, so keep us in your thoughts!

Let it snow!!!

Well Fall just cruised right on through, here in Wisconsin. In October, we thought we may be getting winter early. We had some flurries and cold weather, which made guiding for Apex Adventure Alliance chilly. Rock climbing on cold rock isn't the most pleasant. But then November rolled around and, well, it was like a whole new fall, only without all the pretty leaves. Indian summer was right! We had September weather for the rest of the month! My last "who-raw" day of climbing was around 28 weeks (7months), and it was a good day to end on. Beautiful weather, great company, and great climbing. I probably would have kept going until the end if I had a harness that would fit!

The September-like weather stuck around until Dec 9th. We had the first major snow and it was wonderful! Full on blizzard warnings and everything! Wisconsin is now a winter wonderland, just like it should be. It's beauty reminds me why Wisconsin is so special in the first part of winter. Although, I can honestly say I miss the mountains. The windy, bitter cold after a huge storm like this is uncomfortable at best. But I am glad that there is finally snow on the ground and that winter is finally here.

Bring it on winter!







Here are some pictures from the last few months....enjoy!

Me climbing Mouses' wall (the 5.10a) at 28 weeks.
















Montana looking up at me taking a break before the crux.

Looking out at the fall colors.

Sara K. and I.

First snow; in the back yard.

Mom getting snow off of Montana's nose while out cross country skiing.

Looking out over the Wisconsin River at Ferry Bluff.

Yep, me at 8 months....

A family of eagles went out for a joy ride right above our heads. They were simply majestic.

Mom and Ferry Bluff.

Mom trying to get up after losing her balance.

Montana being awesome.

Montana under the snow burdened lilac bushes.

YAY SNOW!!!!

Stay tuned for updates..............one more month to go.......!