The Hebert Story

Waiting!

2012-01-07T15:35:00.000-06:00

As many of you already know, our family is awaiting the arrival of Baby #3 any day now! Today I am 38 weeks pregnant, making 14 days until our due date of January 21st. Damien was born 10 days early and Blaise was 12 days early, so I've been waiting for this baby to arrive 14 days early! ;) No signs of labor yet, so we'll have to wait to see what this baby is planning to do. If this baby makes it to 39 weeks, I won't know what to do with myself as far as more waiting and anticipating the size of the baby...Damien and Blaise were nearly 9lb (8lb 11oz and 8lb 15oz, respectively). We will be posting our birth story not long after our baby's arrival, so check back soon!

More Halloween Fun!

2011-10-31T20:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-29T21:48:00.001-05:00

Today our family had a great last Saturday in October. We started out the morning with the first day of fall swimming lessons (Damien's 2nd time in a class, and Blaise's 1st time). They both loved their time in the water!

After the boys' naps, we went to Janesville to celebrate our friends' birthdays and Halloween. The boys got to wear their Halloween costumes, and they really seemed to enjoy it!

Damien, aka Shark!

Blaise, aka Skunk (or Stinker!)

Skunk and Shark together!

Happy Halloween!

Go Pack!

2011-09-20T14:31:00.000-05:00

Our family was definitely ready for football season to start! It's the best part of fall!

Cooking up some tailgating food!

Eating some tailgating food!

Blaise is practicing his tackling skills!

Go Pack Go!

Blaise's Birthday Party (better late than never...)

2011-09-20T14:13:00.003-05:00

I finally have a moment and a little time to upload some pics off the camera and write a quick blog post. On August 20th, Blaise celebrated his 1st Birthday Party with lots of friends, family, cake, and the kiddie pool! Below are some photo highlights of Blaise's big day!

Happy 1st Birthday, Blaise!

2011-08-16T22:19:00.008-05:00

Today Blaise is 1 year old! The year has flown by, and it's amazing to see the little accomplishments he makes every day. To read where it all began with his birth story, click here.

Blaise is starting to learn to stand on his own and has tried to take a couple steps without holding on to anything. I think it will be only a matter of days before he figures out how

to walk. Blaise is very good at making gestures with his hands: he can wave, do "so big", clap, and sometimes he can even hold his pointer finger up to indicate that he is 1 year old.

Blaise loves eating! I think it's safe to say his favorite food is probably graham crackers, but he also loves mashed carrots and potatoes, bananas, and chicken nuggets. Tonight, for his birthday dessert, Blaise will try his first ever piece of cake. Poor little Blaise can't eat too much yet because he only has 1 tooth on the bottom!

Here are some photos of the 1 year old!

Happy 1 Year Old

Playing with Anna, Marian, and Damien

Birthday Boo Boo :(

Things Are Looking Up!

2011-08-12T12:34:00.002-05:00

Thankfully, Blaise's second antibiotic seems to be doing the trick. He still has two days of it left to go, but he hasn't had a fever for a week, and he's been back to his normal, trouble-making self. It is clear that Blaise has been taking notes from his big brother.

We can hardly believe that Blaise will be turning 1 in only 5 days. The year has flown by, and it's amazing to see how much Blaise has grown in a year. Damien and Mama have been practicing singing 'Happy Birthday', so we'll see what Blaise thinks of it next week!

Update

2011-08-04T13:27:00.002-05:00

Well, we had to go back to the doctor with Blaise today. He finished his course of antibiotics last night, and this morning he woke up with a 101.7 fever. The poor little guy has been very clingy and just wants to be held all the time. In the clinic, we were able to see the same person that saw him on Monday, and she said not only does his ear look worse, but now his other ear is infected too. They are also concerned that Blaise may become dehydrated because he hasn't been drinking as much as usual and has very few wet diapers (he's not eating solid food at all). So, today he will be starting a 10-day course of a new antibiotic. We are trying our best to push fluids for him. We are praying this antibiotic will work! We hate having him on so many medications at such a young age.

In addition, I now have an eye infection that they're guessing is all related to whatever else has been going around the house. I was also prescribed an eye antibiotic. The worst part of that is that I have to wear my glasses instead of my contacts... :/ Oh well, I can't complain when I see what my poor boys are going through.

A Rough Month

2011-08-02T13:18:00.002-05:00

All year we look forward to the summer, and this year was no exception. We had a great (although cool) June, filled with many trips to the zoo, park, and walks around our neighborhood. We had a good start to July as well and enjoyed celebrating Andy's 29th birthday on July 12th. The night of the 12th unfortunately took a turn for the worse, when Damien woke up sick (throwing up). Ever since that night, our family has been struggling through a series of illnesses. It started out with the stomach flu (all four of us got it), followed by what appeared to be a viral eye infection accompanied by fevers for the boys, followed by some type of cold (coughing, sneezing, runny nose, etc). During this time, both boys seems to be having intermittent fevers, but would appear normal in between. This all seemed to peak last Monday (7/25) when Damien got a fever up to 104.3, a rash, and wasn't eating. I immediately called the doctor and was told to keep treating with tylenol/ibuprofen, and if he had the fever for three consecutive days, we should bring him in. Well, on Wednesday morning when I brought him in, Damien was diagnosed with a double ear infection and tonsillitis. He immediately got started on a 10-day course of amoxicillin. On Friday, he didn't seem much better, so we went back to the doctor and his amoxicillin dose was increased. Saturday was the first day Damien woke up without a fever.

Meanwhile, we had hoped that Blaise had made it through without getting sick, as we were told Damien was probably only contagious for 24-48 hrs after his antibiotics were started. However, Saturday night, Blaise started getting lethargic, and he woke up with a fever on Sunday and refused to eat anything except his bottle (he had been eating table foods and drinking from a sippy cup). So, first thing Monday morning (yesterday), I called the doctor and got Blaise in for an appointment. Blaise was diagnosed with a right ear infection and started on a three day course of azithromycin. Blaise's fever also went up to 104 yesterday afternoon, and he was one sad baby. Today Blaise seems a little better--he woke up with a fever of 101, but his temperament seems a little better and he tried some yogurt and applesauce.

We are hoping and praying that once these antibiotics take effect, our family will be able to get out of the house and enjoy the rest of summer! Maybe Mommy and Daddy can even get a break! :)

Memorial Weekend Coming Up

2011-05-22T21:52:00.003-05:00

We are heading up to Minoqua this weekend for our annual fishing weekend with my brother's family, my parents, and my uncle's family. We went last year. We've been doing this for a good 15 years now. We are all looking forward to it. I am sure the boys will like it even though looking after them will require another vacation for recuperation for me and Trisha.

And here's hoping we catch some fish or my dad might be a little bummed. Here is a video from a few years back after not catching any fish (it will be pretty boring if you don't have your volume up).

But really it is a great time and should have a post of some pics/video when we return.

Damien Meets the Easter Bunny

2011-04-27T11:52:00.005-05:00

Damien met the Easter Bunny after Mass on Easter Sunday. I think he liked him!

Damien's 2nd Birthday

2011-04-27T07:43:00.015-05:00

Damien had a lot of fun turning 2 on April 21st. We celebrated by having a birthday party on April 16th, where Damien received his "dream" gift...a play kitchen...and enjoyed playing with family and friends. He also got a special "carousel cake" made by Grammy to celebrate his special day.

Damien's actual birthday landed on Holy Thursday. Mommy was home during the day, so she took the boys to the zoo, so Damien could do something fun for his birthday. Mommy also made Damien his favorite meal for dinner: meatloaf and mashed potatoes. He had oatmeal raisin cookies for his birthday treat.

On April 26th, Damien had his 2-year-old doctor's appointment. Since there were no shots, I think he actually enjoyed the appointment. He felt pretty proud wearing a stethoscope and sitting well for the doctor. Damien continues to tip the scales: 35lbs (98th percentile) and 36.75" (95th percentile). No wonder our backs hurt so much! :)

Straight to the Heart

2011-04-18T12:14:00.006-05:00

Last night, for no particular reason, a song from my past (not sure if it was high school or college) randomly popped into my head. I remembered very little from the song--just the chorus. So, out of curiosity and memory's sake, I went to my phone and YouTube'd the song (the fastest/easiest way I thought of in which I could listen...).

Well, it didn't take long for tears to be streaming down my face. I soon discovered that it probably wasn't a coincidence that this song popped into my head. The song has so much meaning being Holy Week, and even more meaning now that I am married and Andy and I are the parents of two young sons. I wanted to share this with whoever felt like listening. It definitely touched my heart, and I pray it may touch your hearts as well.

Watch the Lamb

Finally Spring!

2011-04-13T21:10:00.010-05:00

We've had a very long winter here in Wisconsin, and I think it was particularly hard for the boys...well, at least for Damien! He absolutely loves being outside, and his outside time was limited during the cold winter months. The last couple days here have been relatively warm, and I was off work, so I took advantage of the time and "heat" and took a couple afternoon field trips with the boys. We were able to get out of the house and enjoy the best of Madison! (The temperature is supposed to drop at least 20 degrees tomorrow, so we had to get out when we could!)

Henry Vilas Zoo (4/12/11)

Checking out the otters (above) and watching some swimming seals (below).

Olbrich Botanical Gardens (4/13/11)

Damien liked petting the elephant in the Thai area of the gardens, and we watched a muskrat play in the water for awhile from the bridge. The boys were definitely interested in the bright Thai Pavilion, and I thought that it was neat that there were "Lenten Roses" (I saw red, white, pink and yellow), given that we are celebrating the last week of Lent before Holy Week. (I just discovered that those flowers are nicknamed "Lenten Roses" due to the fact that they bloom in the spring, typically during the season of Lent!)

Morning at the Children's Museum

2011-03-19T21:41:00.008-05:00

We took the boys to the Madison Children's Museum this morning. They had a great time, especially Damien. They had all kinds of gadgets and contraptions designed for kids. He was still most interested in opening and closing doors, which, for those of you who do not know, has been his favorite thing to do for over a year now. He did take an interest in water works area.

It wouldn't be right if we didn't open and close some doors.

Water works:

Blaise enjoyed it too:

What's up with the Spock eyebrow, Blaise?

2011-03-14T19:07:00.003-05:00

March 1st

2011-03-02T10:57:00.006-06:00

With a new month came some "firsts" for our boys!

I have been working with Damien for some time now to teach him how to draw with crayons. However, Damien was never interested in the drawing part...all he wanted to do was EAT the crayons! Yesterday, Damien finally figured out that he could draw with his crayons, and he created his 1st picture, which is now hanging on the refrigerator with pride! ;)

Blaise also tried his first "vegetable"! He had pumpkin that Andy had baked, pureed, and frozen for him in the fall. In the photo he doesn't looked too pleased (it was his 1st bite), but he ended up eating the whole ice cube!

Blaise Chasing Damien with Dad's Help

2011-02-12T18:53:00.004-06:00

Blaise really likes Damien. He watches his every move. When you get Blaise close to Damien, Blaise starts laughing and smiling. Damien is somewhat sheepish when Blaise gets close but he still gives him kisses on his schedule. So I started chasing Damien around with Blaise and Blaise loved it. He was laughing really hard and Damien liked it too. Thought it was funny so I had to post.

The Boys' 1st Valentine's Party!

2011-02-11T13:23:00.004-06:00

Damien and Blaise attended their 1st Valentine's party yesterday at our friends' house in Janesville. Damien and Blaise were the only boys in attendance, but they represented their gender well! Damien really enjoyed playing in their play kitchen...he was busy cooking almost the entire time we were at the party! He even skipped snack time, so he could play in the kitchen longer! We may need to think about getting a kitchen for Damien's upcoming birthday...hmmm.

We are the Champions!

2011-02-11T13:12:00.000-06:00

It's official...The PACKERS are the Super Bowl Champions! Our family definitely enjoyed watching the game and seeing the team that we love so much earning a very hard-fought victory! We even predicted it correctly when we said that our favorite player, Aaron Rodgers, would be the Super Bowl MVP! We were all decked out in our Packer gear, and even made an exception and wore our Packer attire to church on Sunday morning. (We had to wear our Packer clothes all day--how many times do we get to see our team in the Super Bowl?!).

Andy and I were fortunate that our moms were available and willing to watch the boys on Tuesday, because we were able to make the voyage to Green Bay to welcome the Packers home and congratulate them at the "Return to Titletown" celebration, along with over 56,000 other fans. It was 7 degrees out, and the windchill was -15 degrees--I don't remember if I've ever been so cold in my life, but it was worth it! It was great to see all the players and the Lombardi Trophy home where it belongs!

Happy Feast of Saint Blaise!

2011-02-03T08:22:00.002-06:00

Today, February 3rd, is the Feast of St. Blaise, the saint our son, Blaise, was named after! Each year, we hope to make the feasts of St. Damien and St. Blaise special for our sons. Since Blaise is so young, we tried to think of something we could do that would be special for him this year. Therefore, we decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to try his first "solid" food...rice cereal!

Blaise after his first spoonful of rice cereal!

I think he likes it!

Snowpocalypse, aka Groundhog Day

2011-02-02T11:55:00.008-06:00

Well, this time the weather prediction was correct. We got 16 inches of snow, plus enough winds to make 4-6 foot drifts! Andy used our new snowblower that we bought at the beginning of the season (a worthwhile purchase!) and it still took over two hours to clear off our driveway and sidewalks! Below are some photos of the effects of the Blizzard of 2011...

During the storm, before we went to bed...

This morning's view!

Needless to say, our local groundhog didn't make it out of his den to predict the length of the remaining winter. I'm thinking that's a bad sign...

Super Bowl Bound!

2011-01-25T11:46:00.008-06:00

As most of you probably know, our family LOVES the Pack! We are sooo excited to see them going to the Super Bowl, and can't wait to cheer them on as a family! We all really enjoyed watching the games the season and are looking forward to victory in Super Bowl XLV! Below are some photos from the NFC Championship vs. the Bears! GO PACK GO!

Tripod Sitting!

2011-01-06T11:21:00.003-06:00

Our boys learning to "tripod sit" at 4 1/2 months old. Damien is wearing the blue shirt in early September, 2009. Blaise is in brown (the photo was taken yesterday, 1-5-11). See any similarities? ;)

Christmas 2010

2011-01-05T09:43:00.010-06:00

Christmas is such a special time of the year, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior. Our Christmas season has definitely changed a lot over the past couple years. The once relaxing and reflective holiday has turned into something a little more crazy and exhausting! I guess that's what happens when you celebrate Christmas with a 20 month old and 4 month old! Wow! We wouldn't change anything about it, though...except maybe we could have done without the stomach flu that 3 of the 4 of us had a couple days after Christmas... ;)

Here are some photo highlights of the Hebert Christmas!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-23T11:10:00.007-06:00

Since it's almost Christmas, I thought I better post some of the Thanksgiving photos! Damien enjoyed his first time being able to eat and enjoy the Thanksgiving meal, and Blaise enjoyed hanging out with the family on his first Thanksgiving.

1st Halloween & 1st Time Trick-or-Treating!

2010-11-01T12:27:00.008-05:00

Blaise celebrated his 1st Halloween and Damien enjoyed going out and trick-or-treating for his first time. Damien was proud to be Elmo, and Blaise was a skeleton!

Damien and Blaise in costume!

Damien in front of a very festive house while trick-or-treating! (He looks very happy!)

"I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

2010-10-20T09:48:00.009-05:00

We celebrated Blaise's baptism this past Sunday, October 17th, during the 9 am mass at Blessed Sacrament. It was beautiful to share in our son's first sacrament with the support of our family, friends, and church community.

"Blaise, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit".

Damien helping to give Blaise a blessing.

Blaise with his parents and godparents, Mary Ellen and Steve.

Looking handsome in his baptism outfit--the same one Damien wore June 13, 2009!

40 Days for Life!

2010-10-02T14:19:00.005-05:00

Our family has been fortunate enough to pick up a couple hours so far in the 40 Days for Life campaign in Madison. People pray and stand vigil 24 hours a day for 40 days outside of a Planned Parenthood facility in an effort to end abortion. There are actually 238 locations worldwide that take part in the 40 Days for Life campaign, and our family definitely believes it is a worthwhile cause.

Damien has been an enthusiastic participant and was very excited to help out with the signs.

Introducing...Blaise James!

2010-09-01T13:07:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe that our second son, Blaise James, is already two weeks old as of yesterday! The past two weeks have been a blur in adjusting to our family of four, but somehow we have made it through with the help of our family and friends. Blaise has been an amazing baby...pretty calm and easy-going. Damien, on the other hand... ;)

Well, as we did with Damien, I will write up our birth story. This is more so that we won't forget the events surrounding Blaise's birth, so sorry that it's long.

I had my 38 week doctor's appointment on Monday, August 16th. I had hoped that I would have already had my baby by then, as Damien was born in my 38th week, and I was hoping my second would come earlier. I was getting extremely uncomfortable with lots of pelvic pain over the last month and some cramping. The summer heat and humidity wasn't too helpful either. Anyway, at the appointment, I was 4cm dilated (an improvement from 2cm the previous week), 80-90% effaced, and 0 to +1 station. So, the baby was low, thus my discomfort. My doctor said that if I was anyone else, he'd guess I'd have the baby that night or the next morning. However, given my history (walking around at 6cm dilated for several weeks with Damien), he couldn't predict when my baby would be coming.

We had a normal evening--watched preseason MNF with a friend and ordered pizza for dinner. I probably went to bed around 10:30 or 11 feeling exactly the same as I had been feeling previous days.

I woke up at 1:51am to use the restroom. Nighttime trips to the bathroom were regular now that I was this far along, but I usually didn't have to go that early...oh well, back to bed.

I woke up again around 2:59 with some cramping. I had experienced this feeling on previous nights, so I didn't get too excited. I decided to watch the clock and see if they had any regularity. I started to see that they were about 4-6 minutes apart, but they were lasting different amounts of time. I tried to rest, as I knew I would need the energy later if I was in true labor.

Around 3:45, the pains had not subsided and were becoming stronger, but still did not seem to be too regular. I decided to wake Andy up and tell him, "I might be wrong, but I think I'm in labor". So we both got up and I finished packing my bag (I had just started the day before) and Andy started to pack a bag, since he didn't have one yet. We were very calm and methodical in looking back. Some point in there, I was no longer able to walk around when the "pain" (which I now knew were contractions) came. I had to lay down on the bed or get on my hands and knees on the bed to get through the contraction. Andy asked, "if you were walking in the hospital, would you be able to keep walking through a contraction?" I answered no, I didn't think I could, and that was an indication to Andy that this was really happening.

We called my mom a little before 4:45 to come over and watch Damien, and at that time, the contractions were about 2 minutes apart and I was feeling somewhat nauseous. My mom got to our house a little before 5am, and she prodded us with some urgency when she saw me. She was like, "you guys have to get to the hospital...that baby is coming!" We were still calm and Andy took the bags to the car and we left for the hospital.

We got to the hospital around 5:15, and I was wheeled up to L&D from the ER by a security guard (luckily not one who would recognize me from working there). I was a little nervous because I didn't have a single contraction the whole ride up to the nurse's station. Did my labor stop? Did I come to the hospital too soon? Well, I checked in at the nurse's station and was taken to triage. In triage, the contractions immediately came back, and the nurse was getting a little nervous. She said, "I'm going to get the resident so she can check you". She came back a couple minutes later and said, "I can't find the resident, so I'm going to check you myself". At that point I was 8cm and 100% effaced. The nurse called the nurses' station and said she needed help and a room for this patient (me) now!

They wheeled me on the cart to the room around 5:45 and on the way I asked, "Has anyone called Nettum?" (my doctor). A nurse was like, "Oh yeah, we better do that!" I later found out at a follow-up appointment that when my doctor got the call, the nurse wasn't even sure what my name was, so my doctor wasn't totally sure which patient he was coming to the hospital for, although he guessed it was me since I had just seen him the previous day...

My doctor walked into the room around 6am and immediately gowned up. I had the urge to push at that time, and when he checked me, I was completely dilated, so they gave me the okay. While pushing, everyone, including Andy, got quite a surprise because my water suddenly broke/burst/exploded...ha, which was unexpected because they thought my water had already broken. Apparently, I was leaking amniotic fluid, but due to Blaise's positioning, the majority of the bag had not ruptured until that point.

Well, after a few minutes of pushing and great coaching throughout the labor from Andy (he helped me to focus on my breathing and keep my face relaxed), Andy announced that it was a boy at 6:27am.

Blaise James was 8lb 15oz and 19.5 inches long. He is named after St. Blaise and Blaise Pascal (check out Pascal's Wager) and James is a family name (my grandpa is James). Plus, we just like the name "Blaise"!

Here he is...!

New House!

2010-06-04T10:39:00.003-05:00

Today we will be officially closing on our first home. We will be moving from Madison to a small "suburb" 3 miles east of Madison called Cottage Grove next weekend. We are excited to start this new journey together with our expanding family and becoming a part of a new community. I'm sure we have much to learn about being "homeowners", but we are looking forward to the challenge and thankful for the support of family and friends.

Here's a photo of our new house!

New Baby Ultrasound

2010-06-03T22:40:00.008-05:00

So here are the newest pictures of our newest baby! Actually, these pictures are 2 months old and the baby will be 28 weeks old on Sunday. We can hardly imagine that we are going to have another little one to take care of. Maybe Damien can help us...

Memorial Day Weekend - Fishing in Rhinelander

2010-06-03T22:16:00.008-05:00

Trisha, Damien, and I met my family at Kafka's Resort in Rhinelander, WI. It has become a tradition over the years that we meet my parents, brother and sister-in-law, uncle, aunt and family at a cabin resort on a lake in northern Wisconsin. This year we were on Lake George. Damien was a handful. Non-stop exploring...

First experience with Bubbles courtesy of Aunt Deanna...

And then, we got the chance to visit with Uncle Helfer who was visiting his Dad in Minoqua! Damien and Uncle Helfer always have a great time together...

Trent Graduated from Law School!

2010-06-03T14:24:00.007-05:00

Andy and I had the opportunity to travel to Williamsburg, VA to celebrate my brother, Trent, graduating from William & Mary School of Law in mid-May. It was a great weekend...we are so proud of Trent!

Damien's 1st Haircut (April 25th)

2010-06-03T12:06:00.004-05:00

Before:

After:

Happy 1st Birthday, Damien!

2010-04-21T09:42:00.006-05:00

Today is Damien's 1st Birthday. It's hard to believe that Andy and I were in the hospital at this time a year ago, waiting for our little boy to make his appearance at 2:39 in the afternoon. Click here for Damien's birth story! Awww, memories...

Anyway, Damien has grown up so much in the last year, and we can't believe how many new things he does every day. He is now starting to walk (he can walk half way across a room) and feeds himself "real food". His favorite foods seem to be cheese and bread, so he has a lot of "sandwiches"! He is even becoming much more vocal and is quite good at making his needs known.

On Saturday, the 17th, Damien had his first birthday party and enjoyed his first piece of cake. Below are some photos from his special day.

Afternoon at the Park!

2010-03-19T13:41:00.004-05:00

The weather has been beautiful this week, so Damien and I have gotten outside for some walks and time at the park. Below are some pictures of his first time trying out the swings.

Damien Has an Announcement

2010-03-13T15:23:00.002-06:00

Standing Up!

2010-03-10T13:58:00.003-06:00

Damien started pulling himself up to a standing position in mid-January, but now he's standing everywhere and getting himself into trouble! He can stand for a few seconds without holding onto anything, and he's starting to try walking behind his little push-walker thing.

Playing with Damien

2010-01-25T23:29:00.003-06:00

Playing with Damien is a lot of fun. He likes when you hide things from him and play peek-a-boo and even the simplest games are a lot of fun.

Update!

2010-01-18T13:33:00.006-06:00

So much has happened since our last post here! It's hard to believe how much Damien is now able to do. He amazes us every day. Here are some highlights:

-Damien learned how to crawl on December 23rd, after about a month of rocking and crawling backwards. At first he was a little tentative and unsteady, but he sure has the hang of it now!

-Damien really seemed to enjoy his first Christmas. He was a great age to celebrate, as he was able to rip the paper off the gifts and play with his new toys. He really enjoyed playing with the boxes too!

-Last week (January 12th), Damien started pulling himself up onto the furniture in a standing position. We realize that we will have to lower his crib mattress, since he can now stand up in his crib.

-Lastly, Damien almost has four teeth now! There are two on the bottom, and the top two are just starting to break through. He had his first teething biscuit on January 15th and made a huge mess! :)

Sitting Up Solo!

2009-12-14T14:52:00.004-06:00

Today while I was addressing Christmas cards, Damien sat up all by himself for the first time. He's been able to sit unsupported for months now, but he was never able to get into the position by himself until today! Luckily, the camera was close by, so I got a couple photos of the proud little guy. :)

St. Nick Came!

2009-12-07T13:23:00.003-06:00

St. Nick found our apartment to get a special gift for Damien on his first St. Nick's Day. Damien left his shoes out the evening of the 5th, and this is what he woke up to:

It seems like St. Nick had trouble getting the gift in Damien's shoes...
Damien opened the gift himself (with a little help from Daddy) and found his very first cell phone inside!

1st Vacation

2009-12-07T13:14:00.004-06:00

The day after Thanksgiving, the Hebert family embarked on a road trip to Tennessee to visit many of Andy's relatives. Damien had the opportunity to meet many new people, and he did very well with the change of pace from his normal routine. Right before we left, Damien got his first two teeth, which he enjoyed showing off to the family.

Getting into the holiday spirit in Gatlinburg.

Damien in his car seat, trying out his new teether from great-aunt Connie.

Big Day!

2009-11-03T13:56:00.003-06:00

Today Damien had a busy day. It started out with his 6 month doctor's appointment (complete with 4 shots and one oral vaccination). Damien is off the charts weighing 23 lbs, 10 oz and is 28 inches long. He flirted with all the nurses, even smiling at them after they gave him his shots. When Damien got home, he was pretty tired, so he took a 1.5 hour nap. When he woke up, he got to try a new food. Daddy cooked and pureed acorn squash last night, so today Damien had his first vegetable. He gobbled it up like a pro!

So happy to have his 1st squash!

Turkey Bowl Highlight Video

2009-10-28T11:19:00.003-05:00

Andy enjoys taking part in the annual Turkey Bowl--a touch football game--with some coworkers from WPS. This year Andy came home with a jammed ring finger (he still can't wear his wedding ring on his left hand since it's still so swollen)! I have never actually gone to watch the game, but I have had the privilege of seeing photos and video from the event. Below is a video featuring Andy with a great block on defense...

Pumpkin Patch!

2009-10-21T17:06:00.003-05:00

On Sunday (October 18th), we brought Damien to a pumpkin patch in Sun Prairie to pick out his very first pumpkin. Damien enjoyed all the bright colors, touching different pumpkins, watching chickens running around, and the wind blowing in his face. Below are a few photos from the pumpkin patch.

First "Solid" Food!

2009-10-14T19:40:00.004-05:00

Tonight Damien tried rice cereal for the very first time. It was also his first time attempting to use a spoon. He seemed to really like the taste of the cereal because he kept trying to reach out and grab the spoon to get it in his mouth. However, he still has a long way to go in learning to eat off the spoon (he wanted to chew it) and coordinate the swallowing. There was more cereal on his bib than in his mouth, but over all, Damien's first time with "solid" food was a success!

2 Peas in a Pod!

2009-09-24T10:15:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I visited my friend, Kim, and her 1 month old baby, Abby. Damien and Abby are exactly 4 months and 4 days apart. Although Damien was never as small as Abby, it's amazing to see how much of a difference 4 months make! Damien seemed to be very interested in Abby, since this was his first time around a baby younger than him.

They got sleepy at the same time, so below is a photo of nap time.

Damien and Abby showing off their SwaddleMe wraps, featured in sizes Large and Preemie. :)

5 Months!

2009-09-21T13:57:00.003-05:00

Damien turned 5 months old today. He's been doing so many new things lately like rolling from his back to his tummy, sucking his thumb, and grabbing for his toys. He's also a lot more vocal about his likes and dislikes. He's been drooling and chewing on his toys, so we think a tooth may be in the near future!

With Grandpa B during the Packer Game yesterday.

He's A Mover!

2009-09-09T08:33:00.004-05:00

Damien is definitely becoming more mobile every day. Yesterday, this is how I found him when he woke up in the morning:

This is not how we put him to bed! ;)

Big Boy!

2009-09-05T21:37:00.006-05:00

Damien has been reaching new milestones every day. In the last couple weeks, he's been able to sit up like a tripod, using his arms for support...he's even got some drooling action! ;)

Today Damien dressed up to watch his first Badger game on TV. He was pretty excited to see his first Badger victory!

Ha ha ha!

2009-08-27T20:58:00.005-05:00

Damien's personality is growing everyday. As of a couple weeks ago, he began laughing and his laughs become more frequent each day that passes. Here are a couple videos of us goofing around.

4 Months!

2009-08-25T15:18:00.003-05:00

Damien is growing up so fast! We can't believe he is already 4 months old (on August 21st). Here are a couple photos we took on his 4 month birthday...

Damien's Photo Shoot!

2009-08-17T17:39:00.002-05:00

Check out Damien's 3 month photos! We love them, but we just have to decide which ones to order. Let us know your favorites! :) Here's an example:

Stevens Point!

2009-08-13T18:20:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, on August 8th, Andy and I went up to Stevens Point to celebrate a friend's wedding (the grandparents watched Damien). The wedding was beautiful, and we really enjoyed spending some time with our friends Mel and Chris (who flew in from England for his sister's wedding). Below are a few photos from the day!

Belts' is a must-have if you're in the Stevens Point area. It was my second time!

Andy and Chris playing foosball at one of the bridal party's stops...

All of us during the reception (we went home early to get back to Damien...it was the longest we had ever been away from him!)

Exersaucer!

2009-07-30T20:06:00.004-05:00

Damien has been getting much better at holding up his head, and he's starting to get bored faster with his usual activities. So, I assembled the exersaucer that's been in a box in his room and gave it a try. He really seemed to like it! Although he still can't play too much, he did attempt to hit a couple of the toys and enjoyed looking at them!

One Year!

2009-07-27T10:52:00.009-05:00

Yesterday, Andy and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary. Wow, what a year it's been! We enjoyed our first evening out as a couple since Damien was born, and Damien spent the evening with Grandma and Grandpa in McFarland. We had a very nice dinner at Fleming's Steakhouse by Hilldale Mall, and enjoyed reminiscing about our wedding a year ago! After dinner, we took a walk around the capitol and stopped by the Concourse Hotel, where our reception was held. It was definitely a nice evening out with my husband!

July 26, 2008

July 26, 2009

Damien also dressed up for the occasion...

12 Weeks!

2009-07-16T09:44:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday, July 14th, Damien was 12 weeks old, which meant that my maternity leave was over! Wow, that went fast. I went back for my first day (only a half day) on Wednesday and will be working all weekend. It's definitely strange to be away from my little guy!

12 weeks!

Wow!

Andy's 27!

2009-07-13T10:11:00.006-05:00

Andy's birthday was yesterday, July 12th, and we had a beautiful weekend to celebrate it! On Saturday we celebrated by spending the afternoon in Milwaukee with Andy's brother, Steve, and sister-in-law, Deanna. On Sunday we had both sets of parents over to have a grill out at our apartment. Andy says now that he is 27, he is "definitely old".

In Milwaukee (before Andy got his hair cut by his brother)!

Andy blowing out the candles on his cake! (A little guy is observing from his bouncer!) :)

Time Flies

2009-07-08T10:52:00.001-05:00

When people say time flies by when you have a little one, they're definitely right. Damien's only 11 weeks old, and I already can't remember him being so small!

1 week

6 weeks

9 weeks

First Fourth!

2009-07-06T10:14:00.000-05:00

Damien was busy on his first 4th of July! In the late morning we went to the zoo (Damien's second time in a week!) with Grandpa B, the Stars (great aunt and uncle), and Jill and Caitlin Holloway. We then had a BBQ lunch at Famous Dave's and drove out to Columbus to spend some time with Papaw and Grammy Hebert. We grilled out and ended up watching the fireworks from the house since Damien wasn't too happy (it was his bedtime).

Dinner time!

Our patriotic little guy!

Concert on the Square

2009-07-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

In the continued effort to get Damien in on the Madison traditions that we enjoy so much, Damien went to his first Concert on the Square on Thursday, July 2nd. Damien slept through the 1812 Overture complete with cannon shots, but I still think he enjoyed it!

With Grandma at Concert on the Square

The reflection of the capitol on a nearby building as the sun was setting.

Sleeping!

Nose Dive!

2009-06-29T22:07:00.000-05:00

Today during tummy time, Damien seems to have spit up. Below is the result...

Lions and Tigers and Bears!

2009-06-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

Today Damien and I went to the Henry Vilas Zoo with Kaelyn, her son, Ethan, and our friend, Kelly. It was Damien's first time to the zoo, and he seemed to be especially amused by the trees...maybe next time he'll like the animals! :)

At the bear exhibit!

A little happier with the penguins!

The boys were tired out after the zoo...

First Farmer's Market

2009-06-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday (June 27th), Damien went to his first Farmer's Market on the Capitol Square in Madison. It ended up being a beautiful day, and Damien really enjoyed watching all the people and activity around him.

Damien with Daddy.

Damien looking over Grammy's shoulder.

The Hebert family at the capitol for the Farmer's Market.

Damien's Rollover!

2009-06-18T23:26:00.000-05:00

Before yesterday, Damien had only rolled over once. That time was a fluke, as he was really upset and worked up. Since then, he has been working on his arm and neck strength. Yesterday, during his daily "tummy time", he figured it out! He rolled over probably ten times, and I got two of them on video (to show daddy!). The video above is the faster of the two rollovers caught on tape. :)

Damien's Baptism

2009-06-18T22:34:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, June 13th, Damien was finally baptized. We had many family and friends join us in celebrating Damien's first sacrament of initiation. Both of his godparents (Beth and Uncle Trent) even flew in from DC for the occasion! He didn't mind getting the water poured on his head, but he screamed when the chrism was placed on his forehead, making the congregation burst out laughing.

Damien is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

After the baptism (Damien is finally sleeping!) with his parents, godparents, and Fr. Ron.

Damien with his parents and grandparents.

He Escaped!

2009-06-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

For those who don't know, Andy and I think that the SwaddleMe Wrap is probably our most useful baby item. It swaddles the baby tight using velcro, which is perfect because Damien would always break out of our blanket swaddles in a matter of minutes. He sleeps quite soundly when he's in his swaddle wrap, and we use it every night.

Yesterday Andy helped by getting up with Damien around 5 am. I was still in bed, and I could hear Damien was pretty upset from the other room. All of a sudden, I heard Andy say, "Mommy must have swaddled you last!". The photo below explains everything...

Oops! The result of a poor swaddle by mommy.

Trip to Wausau

2009-06-08T12:14:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, June 6th, our family traveled to Wausau, WI to visit my cousin, Kirby, Dean, and their 15-month-old son, Blaiden. It's hard to believe how much a 15-month-old can do! Crazy to think that will be Damien in a year!

The small road trip is about 2.5 hours each way, which is Damien's longest car ride so far! He did a great job, sleeping both ways.

We all really enjoyed our time in Wausau...they spoiled us with great conversation, parenting tips, and an excellent dinner! We can't wait to see Kirby, Dean, and Blaiden again soon!

Ready to travel!

Kirby and Blaiden

Kirby, Dean, Blaiden, and Damien

Damien's First Happy Bath!

2009-05-28T12:06:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day that Damien seemed to enjoy his bath. No crying or screaming--just happy baby noises! He seemed to be very alert and curious as to what was going on. What a good boy!

One Month Old!

2009-05-20T12:50:00.001-05:00

As of yesterday, Damien is exactly four weeks old. He had his one month doctor's appointment, and we got a good report! He is starting to grow quickly, after losing weight in the first couple weeks. He is now 9lbs, 7oz and 21 inches long! His head circumference is 37.5 cm.

In the last month, we have seen Damien grow in many ways. His eyes have become very clear, and when he is awake, he is very alert with his eyes wide open. He can follow objects with his eyes and turn his head to sounds. We have recently started introducing him to "tummy time", and he is able to hold his head up for short periods of time. His weight gain is becoming apparent, as he now has a little belly that sticks out.

There are two things that Damien still doesn't like: diaper changes and baths. Diaper changes have gotten better, but he still does cry occasionally. He always makes his "scrunchy face", which is his face right before he starts crying, while getting his diaper changed. Baths are a different story. The second he feels the water, he starts screaming. He sometimes seems to like having his hair rinsed, but that's about it. Hopefully he can have a relaxing bath in the near future!

Damien is enjoying the nicer weather by going out and about. He is going on walks in his stroller around the neighborhood, and he's also starting to like being carried by mommy in his Moby wrap carrier. Damien has been to church at least once a week since his birth, and has been very good during all masses (as long as he's not hungry!). He has gone to restaurants (Claddaugh, McDonald's, Pedro's, Culver's, and Panera) and some stores (Target, Farm & Fleet, Copps, and Babies R Us). He's getting around!

Damien showing off his belly!

Damien trying to relax with daddy after a rough bath...

Happy and alert at 4 weeks old!

Damien at the doctor's office for his 1 month appointment!

Father Damien of Molokai

2009-04-29T09:14:00.000-05:00

Some people have wondered why we picked the name Damien for our little boy. We were inspired by learning of the story of Father Damien de Veuster (Belgium). Father Damien was a missionary priest on the island of Hawaii in the late 1800's. He volunteered to minister/evangelize a leprosy colony that was exiled to the island of Molokai. To put it lightly, the colony was spiritually devastated due to the chronic disease of the people but moreover the exclusion of exile. They were a forgotten people deemed unfit for the participation with the healthy community.

His tenure on the island brought purpose, hope, and the love of God to the majority of the colony's people. He was a strong man who aided in working the land bringing crops to people. He was a carpenter bringing sustainable shelter. He was their priest, teacher, funeral director, and social advocate to the world.

He contracted leprosy but continued to work for his people until his death on April 15, 1889. He truly exhibited the sacrificial love of a saintly servant of God.

There has been documented miracles that have taken place through the intercession of Father Damien. These documented miracles have paved the way for his canonization this Fall. We think it is special that our son was born in the year that Father Damien will become a saint.

This video from pbs does a great job with an overview of Father Damien and goes in depth on the documented miracle of Audrey Toguchi: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/january-23-2009/father-damiens-legacy/2030/

Trisha and I had been learning about the heroic works of Father Damien in the last few months and have grown to greatly admire and love him.

Trailer of Molokai, a movie made telling his story:

Another brief overview of Father Damien (another mention of Audrey Toguchi's miracle case):

Here is the movie from Amazon

Trisha is reading this book right now.

Damien Joseph Hebert Born on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 2:39 pm

2009-04-27T21:40:00.001-05:00

Well, he is here. It was quite the ride. It sounds cliche, but it was an experience I will never forget. I was watching the beginning of my new movie I got in the mail (The Ten Commandments). It was about 11:30 pm on Monday, April 20th when I heard Trisha's voice from the bedroom saying, "Andy, can you come here?" When I arrived to Trisha, she told me her water broke. Within the hour after her water broke, she really did not feel any contractions, so we wanted to wait around for a while before we went into the hospital. At around 3:00 am, I asked her if the baby was moving around still and she said she had not felt him or her move lately. So to be sure everything was OK, we went to St. Mary's to see where we were at.

For those of you who do not know, she had been dilated 6 cm for a couple weeks now so she had progressed behind the scenes (which is whole different story). At 3:30 am in the labor and delivery triage, they verified that Trisha's water had broken and found her to be 6.5 cm dilated. The baby was doing well with a heart rate in the 150s. Trisha had mild contractions, which she described as cramping. Around 4:00 am she was officially admitted and we went to the birth suite where our baby would be born. We decided to try and rest a little while the contractions were still relatively mild.

By 9:00 am I had some breakfast from the St. Mary's cafeteria, and Trisha was stuck with clear liquids to eat. Trisha's contractions were still relatively mild but somewhat stronger than what she was feeling at 3:30 when we arrived at the hospital. So she was progressing, but at a slower pace (at least in terms of the medical professionals). At this time we were doing a little bit of walking around the floor in an effort to get things moving naturally. Our doctor had met with us shortly before (around 7:45), and told us that he would like to administer pitocin at 11:30 am if she hadn't progressed. This would be to ensure that our baby would be born within 24 hours of Trisha's water breaking to prevent infection. We hoped this augmentation wouldn't be necessary.

At 11:30 am, Trisha had progressed by the measure of about a half of centimeter (7 cm dilated). She was experiencing a little more pain but still up and about walking and talking. I talked to our doctor by phone (he was in the clinic) asking if we could reevaluate our situation later that afternoon and postpone augmenting/artificially accelerating the labor until then. He agreed and said to re-check Trisha's progression at 1:3o pm.

I then called our birthing class teacher (Betsy) who was incredibly helpful in bouncing ideas off of regarding our experiences thus far and getting labor to progress naturally. Over the next hour, we did a lot of walking and tried different positions with the birthing ball, which seemed to really help.

At about 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm, our prayers for our Trisha and our baby were answered. The contractions became stronger and Trisha entered into harder labor. She was soon unable to walk around or talk because she had to focus. At about 1:30, our doctor was called in anticipation of the birth in the relatively near future, as Trisha had progressed to 8.5 cm.

The last 1.5 cm went extremely fast, but we really had no concept of time. Trisha soon had the urge to push, and our baby was born after pushing through several contractions. I watched and assisted in the most intense part of the labor and pushing, which was a big surprise to our doctor, Trisha, and me! (We had a chair ready for me, just in case!) But enough about me.

To say that Trisha really did a spectacular job birthing our baby boy would be an understatement. Again, as cliche as it might sound, it was amazing to see Trisha work so hard and endure such tremendous pain for the purpose of bearing such a life-giving miracle into this world.

He came out of the womb sucking his hand. Damien Joseph was born at 2:39 pm:

He was a chunk! 8 pounds 11 ounces!

Parents on both sides became grandparents.

Steve and Deanna become an aunt and uncle.

Trisha's grandparents are great grandparents. There were 4 generations of family in the room on this day.

Trent is excited to visit Damien for the first time when he comes home from law school on May 4.

Having Damien at home is a blessing. Don't get me wrong, it is tiring, sometimes stressful, and overwhelming. Depending on the way you look at it, these things are essentially good. These things force us to put Damien's needs first and ours last, which is the blessing.

It is amazing seeing him observing everything for the first time. That is, at the distance in which he can see at this age (which is about a foot, the distance from baby to mom's face when she is holding him).

His personality traits are shining through as well. He hates having his diaper changed and he does not like baths any better. In fact, he screams at the top of his lungs during those seemingly traumatic events.

The running joke is that I haven't been looking so good lately. I would say that in the past month at least ten people have told me that I don't look so good or that I look extremely tired. I think Damien might have me beat as far as tiredness goes.

We love our little man. More to come...

Brand new blog to tell the Hebert Story

2009-03-26T10:38:00.000-05:00

I used to run a blog at www.andrewhebert.com however, I think it is about time to move to a more conventional blog that can be easily updated by Trisha.