I found my pumpkin at Tucker & Becky’s Pumpkin Patch, thanks to an invite from Carrie and Matt! It was located in one of Cashton’s rustic valleys, on a certified Organic Valley Farm that featured beautiful barn murals, animal friends, bakery items, hayrides, and more! It was great fun with great friends. And great watermelon!

After touring the farm and perusing the patch, the fun continued as we showed Carrie and Matt how we eat pizza in the park and how we wash down said pizza with root beer floats at the nearby Rudy’s Root Beer Stand.

Per. Fect. Day!

Of course we spent the next morning carving our pumpkin and harvesting the seeds. The end result: perfectly roasted and overly salted (thanks to Mom’s addiction) pumpkin seeds and a meticulously detailed spooky pumpkin (thanks to Dad’s knife skills) to greet all the trick-or-treaters that never visit our door.

Halloween, we’re ready for you!!

At least I’m consistent.

Similar to last year’s Oktoberfest parade, I once again failed to fully implement the high-knee march that I spent hours perfecting in my living room. It was unfortunate because I had even planned to showcase my new move: the backward march. But, despite an expanded Paparazzi this year, comprised of Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom & Genesee, it just wasn’t my moment to shine. Regardless, my parents say I’m still a star. Probably because only they know the full extent of my marching talents. From the comfort of our sofa their front row seats, they have experienced my silly backward march, the sloooowwww-motion march, my super-fast march, and the post-shower “naked bear” march (translation = bare naked). That, my friends, is the real show! Sorry you missed it.

Some people call it Hidden Trails, but we located the address easy peasy, and it was the perfect way to welcome the fall season…. by admiring gorgeous pumpkins and navigating West Salem corn fields with my buddies, Sonia & Idris! Even though the calendar said it was almost October, the 93-degree day felt more like mid-July. But sweaty or not, it was still a cool place with so much fun to be had! In fact, as soon as Genesee is old enough to read a map  keep up with the big boys  stay awake for longer than five-minute increments, I’m going to tell her to “Get Lost!” With me! In the Hidden Trails Corn Maze!

I’m not just a big brother. Since earning that title, I’ve also become a licensed tour guide. Therefore, it’s my duty to introduce sis to some of my favorite places to go and people to see…. especially since the doctor encouraged us to explore the world during Genesee’s last appointment.

“Don’t be afraid to bring her around people now, as long as they’re not sick,” Doc said. “She’s doing great. I mean, I wouldn’t take her on the river quite yet, but get out and enjoy life!”

So, first on the list: we took little G on the river over Labor Day Weekend!

After exploring the majestic Mississippi, the adventures continued on our 4-wheeler, of course! Because that’s how we roll.

Next stop: Melrose-Mindoro High School so I could share my love of sports with Genesee. I always enjoy eating Skittles and popcorn cheering for Ashlee at her volleyball games during this time of year, while we anxiously await the basketball season that follows.

Surely, we couldn’t let summer end without visiting a pizza farm. An early September weekend was perfect timing to check out the newly opened Winghaven Pizza Farm in Galesville, WI. Yummers!

And who doesn’t love a good apple orchard?! (Genesee, apparently, since she slept the whole time.) An annual trip to Ferguson’s Funny Farm always puts a smile on my face and apple treats in my belly.

Also on the agenda, thanks to Ashlee turning 14 years old, I had to show G how we celebrate birthdays around here: with food, family, and frosting (although some people actually eat the cake)!

I even escorted baby girl to a wedding, so she could watch her big bro tear up the dance floor!

Finally, I introduced my sister to some of my favorite UWL friends because a girl has gotta know who her fan base is!

And that concluded Genesee’s tour of September! Tickets for October adventures are now on sale, so book your adventure with Jaeger today!

Some kiddos think they’re too cool for school. But not me. I’m just the right amount of cool, which is why I was thrilled to make my return to the classroom last week! However, while mom is on maternity leave, I will only be getting smarter on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I need to stay home the remainder of the week to sabotage mom’s productivity levels and to prevent her from achieving a state of restfulness.

To prepare for my big debut in the 3-year-old room with Miss Kate, I first attended an Open House back in late August. I loved showing Grandma and Grandpa my school and was delighted to learn that my locker will be right next to Hudson’s this year!

When my first day finally arrived on September 12, I posed for the obligatory first-day-of-school photos (with a special guest appearance by Genesee), gave mom a big hug, and then immediately started chasing Huddy around the playground as fast as my little feet could take me. But in the middle of the third lap, I stopped in my tracks to look back at the spot where my mom and sister waved goodbye, and when I realized they were nowhere to be found, I broke down into an ugly cry.

Of course, with the help of some teacher hugs and the sound of joy all around me, I was sniffle-free within minutes and well on my way to a full recovery. Because I’m cool like that.

Meanwhile, mom caught a case of the sniffles too and so she made her way to Centennial Hall to find a cure through visiting friends, colleagues, and awesome college students.

At day’s end, I was reunited with mom and sister and couldn’t wait to tell them about my fun-filled day of getting my learn on, despite missing them “a little bit but not too much.” While we all exchanged stories and smiles, I pushed Genesee to the parking lot, where I hopped into Dr. Bee’s car and tried to head for home. And although my attempted carjacking was a failure, my first day of school was anything but. So, as I buckled myself into the back seat of our not-as-cool Toyota Highlander, I confidently declared Tuesday a success and eagerly looked forward to Thursday!

After spending 5 weeks in the NICU, Genesee had her first doctor appointment 3 days after her release. Since she was speechless throughout our commute to the clinic, I gave her a little pep talk about how I not only survived my last doctor appointment in April, but also graduated to annual exams.

My April 2017 Well Child Appt – Nailed it!

She, too, survived her first appointment, because of my words of wisdom I presume, and was then scheduled for a follow-up Well Child visit a week later, where she would suffer through 3 unfortunate shots. Ouch! She was speechless no more…. at that moment, we didn’t need any doctor to tell us that her lungs were working just fine! Poor thing. But after a healing kiss from dad, we also learned that the rest of Genesee was doing just fine too. Doc said she’s growing wonderfully, weighing in at 7 lbs, 8 oz. and measuring 20.6 inches long. All is well!

Like all things, the summer of 2017 had to come to an end, which wasn’t a terribly sad goodbye in some respects, since the world around me saw some pretty dark days, including a total solar eclipse, catastrophic hurricanes and flooding in Texas (Harvey) and Florida (Irma), North Korean nuclear threats, and white supremacist rallies.

Luckily, amidst only a couple moments of deep sorrow, my corner of the world was significantly more happy, bright, and carefree. In fact, my 2017 “summer-of-the-vacation” will go down in the books as a wet and wild one that had me skipping through sprinklers, patronizing local water parks with my BFF (Ash), exchanging my beloved baths for new & exciting showers (especially double showers!), and watching in awe as Grandpa rebuilt our driveway three times after torrential rainfalls.

This was the summer of warm & humid days, filled with dairy breakfasts and Rudy’s root beer floats. It was the summer of embracing Grandpa’s retirement, sending Ashlee to high school, cherishing time with the Docan-Morgans during their too-short return from South Korea, seeing my best college buds off to grad school, meeting Genesee, growing into my big brother role, and painfully learning about the circle of life as we said our goodbyes to the larger-than-life and always jolly Uncle Harley.

This was the summer where you could find me growing taller, biting my nails non-stop, becoming a night owl, fishing in the dark, assembling new patio furniture, eating suppers on the deck, roasting marshmallows over the fire table, sleeping in the master bedroom between on top of mom and dad because every day is a weekend, getting excited about the “P-U-S guy” with every brown truck sighting (UPS – United Parcel Service), and requesting my new friend Alexa to blast my favorite song on repeat, “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars.

Endings and new beginnings, discoveries and familiarities, giggles and tears…. this was the summer of 2017. Also affectionately known as “The Summer of the Vacation!”

Check out my sand castle, compliments of Harley

King of the hill

Hot roddin’ with Grandpa

Weeeeeee

Family portrait

Fun at the Winona park

My allium flowers

Sniff test

Painting with Dad

Or child labor

4 wheelin’ in Hatfield…

…like a pro

Cheese! (and crackers)

Test driving

For real driving

Crash landing my trike off the edge of the driveway

Soccer shirt from Kowee

Swimming with Ash…

…my bestie

Ash takes the scary out of the big slide

Love me some Ash!

Assembling our new patio furniture

Sprinkler fun!

Eeeeek!

I got a little wet!

Growing taller & documenting my height

“Helping” with laundry

Colorful slide…

at another park!

Bee sting near my eye

Swinging with Cortney and friends

Jaeger sandwich

Visiting Beth at Pearl Street Books

Lunch at Rudy’s with Aunt Julie and the gang

Enjoying our new couch

Sitting on the deck under the moonlight

Friendship Garden with Ash

More child labor

Ash’s basketball game

Looking for trouble

Love my cousins!

Texas Roadhouse

Picking Blueberries

Saying my goodbyes to Jamie…

…and Authrene. Good luck at grad school!

Riverview supper

The Black River

Melrose park

Heading back to the visitation

I’m gonna miss that guy

Momma & Papa celebrating Harley’s life

Uncle Harley’s dump truck

Uncle Harley’s burial

Showing Papa how to eat lunch on the deck

A fun visit with Sonia and Abe’s families

Shenanigans

Me and Abe solving the world’s problems

Fishing in the dark

Dancing in the Winona park ampitheatre

Our new fire table

Roasting marshmallows!

Gooey and yummy!

Genesee likes the flame!

Mom turns 25!

Ash turns 14!

Homegrown Stargazer Lillies

Double shower!!

Happy Hour Freezes at Taco Bell!

This is how I watch TV

Woodman’s model!

Hi! I’m Mickey Mouse.

Whoa! This dog’s got skills.

Golfing at Scheel’s

Teaching grandpa how to fish

My new fishing hat!

After 40 days in the hospital, over 3 weeks of postpartum night sweats for mom, several oxygen dips, too many Bradycardia episodes, bilirubin treatment, a failed car seat test, gavage feeding tubes, and of course lots of progress and growth along the way, Genesee was finally approved for discharge!

Prior to this much-anticipated moment, on the eve of Genesee’s homecoming, mom performed a trial run, where she “roomed in” with my sister at the hospital, just to make sure they liked each other.

Here’s Genesee without licensed supervision

Yikes! Mom is initially nervous.

Don’t worry mom… you got this!

At peace.

There you go, Mom! You’re a natural; It’s like riding a bike. (Disregard the fact that you’re not a graceful bicyclist.)

Cuties!

Adored.

Spoiler alert: They loved each other! And since mom was also successful at keeping Genesee alive without tubes, machines, or 24-hour medical care, it was time to pack up our bags and bring little G home… so long as we could get past the nurses who were plotting to steal her.

But just as the NICU staff hated to see sweet Genesee go, we couldn’t stand to see her stay another minute. And so, just like that, on August 29, 2017, we buckled our precious, premature bundle of absolute joy into her car seat and took the fastest, safest, and most direct route to the Onalaska Culver’s Restaurant. (Because turtle sundaes, duh.)

G is sooo happy to come home!

And here she is sporting a cute vest and skinny jeans for the ride home.

Family photo!

Genesee’s head is so small, we had to put towels on each side of the headrest for added support.

Ready!

Our lovely escort

Yay! I have a back seat buddy!

Love her already!

This photo was a re-creation of one that was taken of me when I left the hospital as a baby.

We can cause a lot of trouble back here!

Then, at long last (and upon completion of a romantic drive-thru lunch as a fully intact family of four), Genesee had arrived home. Finally. Just where she belonged.

This is my first time holding Genesee!

How am I doing?

We look good together, hey?

Of course, I immediately assumed my big brother role: helping with sponge baths, discarding diapers, patting for burps, exchanging snuggles, taking G for walks, and modeling shopping cart etiquette.

I help with the sponge bath.

And I can be the diaper assistant, unless it’s a poopy situation.

I’m good at snuggles too.

Watch out! Me and sis have places to go.

Here’s our first trip out of the house!

We visited the Lunda Community Park in Black River Falls.

We also braved the busy aisles of Wal-mart. Genesee was a champ!

Being the lovely assistant is great and all, but the best part of having a little sister is the bond we already share. In fact, you’ll often find me holding her hand, kissing her forehead, or just loving on her like only a big brother can.

Genesee’s homecoming was a long time coming, but it was definitely worth the wait; she fits right in and completes our family that didn’t even feel incomplete until she came along. Adding two feet to our house was the ultimate home improvement!

I like to pride myself on my 10-second attention span (easily 5 seconds longer than most of my buddies), but spending hours upon hours at the NICU is a true test. So, game on!

Surviving the hospital takes precision and skill. And manipulation. Once my parents started to pity me for having to exchange my weekends for NICU visits, I took advantage of the situation by suggesting an alternate route to the hospital (via toy stores) so we could purchase new cars that would pass the time and ensure good behavior.

Hospital: 0 | Jaeger: 1

The nurses decided to play along too by making me a car garage!

But the cars only went so far. Literally. I was restricted to driving them within the confines of Genesee’s very small NICU cubicle. Eventually (10 seconds later), I grew tired of my too-small race track and decided to outsmart the hospital and keep myself entertained in the following ways:

I utilized mom’s breast pump to increase the milk supply.

I jumped off every empty couch I could find in an effort to perfect my dismount.

I documented Genesee’s silly faces so she can thank me later.

I taught Genesee how to be a bed hog like me.

I snapped selfies with my ladies.

I taste-tested the hospital bakery items.

I convinced my parents to take me to a playground to break up the day.

And to Riverside Park.

And to the Children’s Museum.

In the end, however, the hospital was stiff competition, wearing me down and attempting to defeat me.

…But my shirt reminds me why we’re there, what I have to look forward to, and who the real winner is.

Winning!

Apparently, I’m not the only one adored by nurses. The La Crosse NICU team liked my sister so much that they decided to keep her for several weeks after she arrived! Needless to say, this extended hospital stay somewhat counterbalanced the excitement and convenience of having little G in a more familiar zip code. But while we couldn’t take Genesee home right away, fortunately, with amazing friends and family in our lives, we were able to bring home to her:

Uncle Harley & Aunt Ellen visit

Chatting it up in the family lounge

Grandma & Grandpa watch Dad in action

More chit chats

Genesee passes Ellen’s inspection!

Sharing Genesee’s birth story with Harley

Showing off my sister!

Thanks for all your love, Nizam, Mahruq & little Sonia!

Amery checks out my sister!

Carmen visits from out of town!

Aunt Mary & Uncle Peter

Bethy stops by!!

Cheeeeese!

Mahruq holding Genesee

Gene (Papa) meets Genesee

The preemie connection

Me, Beth and Genesee

Me, Beth and Genesee

Grandma Goodenough gets some snuggles!

Love at first sight!