There's a new man in town

As many of you know, our family was blessed with the arrival of Ethan Paul Mueller on November 14th. Tara, Jason and Elle welcomed this special boy into the world. It was so exciting to meet Ethan on Friday. You love him instantly and just want to cuddle him forever. I'm so proud of my sister and the beautiful family she has. I could post 100 photos of baby Ethan, but I promise to keep it to a few!

The day before Ethan's arrival was a day filled with many raw emotions. The anticipation of the baby's arrival was blissful. A new life to celebrate!! Yet our hearts were also heavy, as Pat and I had to attend the wake of our neighbor, Greg Knoll, who lost his battle with stomach cancer. Greg was 37 years old, with a wonderful wife and two darling little girls. He was a Minneapolis Police Officer and a member of the S.W.A.T. team. To say he fought his cancer with the same rigor is an understatement. Pat and I attended the wake and were amazed at the strength of Greg's wife, Melissa, and their two daughters, Neva and Morgan. It is hard comprehend what happened to this family. It's things like this which help to keep life in perspective. 

I was awaken by a phone call at 4:24am on Friday. I hadn't slept much... I was anxious, concerned and excited about the pending arrival of my new niece or nephew. I knew the baby would be delivered during the night and it was just too hard to sleep soundly. We've all had those nights. Whether you're going on vacation or you have a presentation at work, your internal alarm clock wakes you up each hour to make sure you aren't going to miss your flight or the bus. This was no different. I won't forget the pride in my sister's voice when she shared the news of Ethan's arrival. I was so happy and relieved. I was thankful for all of the details she shared. It's amazing what babies do to you. I loved him the instant my sister said, "I'm holding your new nephew". I was also thankful that I would be able to meet him later that day. 

On Friday, I brought Connor to the hospital with me while Cole was with his PCA, Haley. Connor and Ethan became best buddies instantly. Ethan showed off blowing bubbles and squirming around. Connor felt like the big man on campus, holding Ethan with confidence. I do have to tell you what Connor said when I told him about Ethan's arrival. I told Connor his name, etc. Connor said, "I wanted the baby's name to be Tyler. Maybe they'll change it when I come to the hospital." Kids say the funniest things. Connor loves Ethan and he loves his name. He even told him so in his baby book. 

The plan on Saturday was to play with the kids in the morning and then when Cole went with his PCA for a few hours, Pat, Connor and I would visit the hospital.  If you recall, Cole's wrestling partner (aka Daddy) was in Texas for most of the week. When Tiffany the PCA arrived to take Cole to the Mall of America, Cole refused to go. Cole was so sad and just wanted to stay with us. This doesn't happen very often, especially with Tiffany. She has known Cole for 4 years and he adores her. It just goes to show you how much Cole missed his daddy. He had what we call "alligator tears" and you could see the true emotion on his face. So we sent Tiffany on her way and went to plan B (with Cole, there is always a plan B and sometimes a C & D). 

Plus, Cole wanted to meet the new baby. A while after Tiffany left, Cole went in the basement. I thought he was in the playroom but instead he was carrying something back upstairs. I couldn't believe it... he went into our storage room and found the bouncy seat. He brought it to me and said, "Tara come over. Baby Ethan come over". Can you stand it?!?! How GREAT is that!!  

Grandpa Denny graciously offered to come to the hospital with our family. You see, Cole listens really well to Grandpa and things just go better when Grandpa is around. We didn't know how Cole would do in the hospital setting, etc. He knew one thing, there was an elevator ride in store and he couldn't wait! Cole did awesome. At first, he didn't want to sit near Tara and the baby. He was more interested in the vertical blinds on the windows and the fan in the room; Cole loves fans. In time, he went and sat on the bed with Tara and the baby. I tried to get a picture and I'll post the best one I have. I was so proud of Cole. He behaved like a gentleman and I'm so glad  he got to share this experience with us. It was worth it. He also asked to see Tara's belly and said, "Belly's gone. It will come back.".... does Cole know something we don't know?!?!?

Today we worked on how to spell Ethan's name. I spelled it for him twice and I bet when I ask him tomorrow, he'll know it by heart. He was finishing the letters as I spelled it for him today. He's so smart! Cole is so lucky to have his cousins. Connor and I counted them today and so far they are up to six. I grew up with one first cousin, so six feels like a herd to me. Either way, I know Cole's cousins will always watch out for him and love him no matter what. After all, that is what family is for.