While I was back in school, we had to have help with our new little guy, which meant we had quite a few helping hands and visitors for the first few months until he was old enough to be taken care of by our au pair! Of course my maternity leave didn't cover the full weeks, but as I was heading back to third year we had Paul's mom join us! She was able to stay for a week and help with the baby shifts!

Of course she did more than that and whipped through our house cleaning, tidying and all around helping us put together our lives. The help was so amazing. I could come home at night and just eat instead of frantically trying to pull something together for the family. We had home cooked meals and extra meals in the freezer after she left! Erik was also able to come out and join us for the weekend while he was between rotations as a fourth year medical student. It was nice to have them both here, and I know Paul loves having his family join us in Pittsburgh - who wouldn't!? I'm so thankful we moved into our new home to help accommodate and encourage lots of friends and family visitors! At the same time, it sure takes a lot of work to keep up, so we stay busy with the house and appreciate every ounce of help!

After Kathy and Erik left, Paul took a few days of vacation and we were fortunate enough to have Ray and Bonnie and my dad come out for the week. They are professional road trip travelers. We went on a lot of road trips with Uncle Ray as a kid, and he doesn't blink and eye when it comes to a 10+ hour truck ride. They all came in my dad's truck to help me for the week with baby snuggles and hanging out with the boys! We spent every evening at home, and before we knew it the week was over, and they never even left the house!! Haha! We had dinner in the basement and Paul served up a feast. It was so nice of them to come out and see where we live and do all that babysitting! I'm sure my dad was very appreciative he didn't have to wrangle the boys all week by himself too! Retirement can be tough on a grandpa!

We were so thankful for Ray and Bonnie! What a treat and a special time to spend with them! While I feel like I grew up and able to spend lots of time with my "Uncle Ray", the last few years we haven't been able to catch up as much as we wanted - so it was so special to have this opportunity! God works in mysterious ways!

After they left, Paul took a week of daddy duty while our au pair was at her classwork in Flordia getting all of her required credits done. After that week, my mom came out to help us the week before Xmas! The boys showed her around and had lots of time with 'Oma. We then packed the car to head back to Wisconsin for a full week of Xmas vacation in Green Bay - a rare treat! The car was packed tight: Me, Lovis, the two boys, Mom, Paul and the dog. There was only one middle seat open, and it was full of food. I can't believe we did it, but we made it all the way home in the Honda Pilot! The kids did great and we were home in no time.

We're so thankful for our parents and Ray and Bonnie who all graciously gave their time to help with childcare while I went back to Medical school for my first rotation. We couldn't have done it without them. I hope they know just how much we appreciate every minute of help, every dinner and every evening conversation. We are so fortunate. :)

Baby coverage and many visitors!

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