Special Gifts

Both of my grandmas gave my mom and dad some very special gifts to prepare for my arrival!  My Nana Kosten is really good at sewing and knitting and she made me a beautiful yellow blanket.  I think my mom and dad will use it to keep me warm when they bring me home from the hospital.  She also made the bumper pads in my crib (pictures coming later!).  It really adds to the color and playfulness of the room!!

My Grandma Vitek had pieces of her wedding gown made into a Baptism gown for me.  It will be an exciting day to be baptized in such a special garment that she wore 40 years ago when she married my Grandpa Vitek.  I think it took a lot of courage to know her wedding dress was being cut into pieces!!  Thank you Grandma Kosten and Grandma Vitek!

Finished with School

My mom and dad have spent a LOT of time in school!  They have both wrapped up their graduate schooling just in time for me to arrive.  My mom finished her Educational Specialist degree at Grand Valley State University just a few weeks before they knew about me.  I was even able to graduate with her in May 2010!  Her degree is the coursework for a doctorate but I don't think she's going to finish the dissertation at this time.  She's been going to school on weekends for 5 years and I think she just wants to hang out with me for now. 

My dad graduated with his Ph.D in Statistics this weekend!  This has been a long road that started with taking a mixture of Masters and Ph.D courses at Western Michigan in 2003.  He's spent that last few years working just on his dissertation.  What a long process of researching, writing, rewriting, researching some more, and patience!  This was a common sight at our house the last few years:

 

 

Then, in October 2010, everything came together and he presented his finished paper!  He had to talk in front of a large room of about 55 people and then they could ask him any questions. Afterward, he went into a room with his committee (a group of faculty advisers) and they could ask him further questions. All of this is called "defending" his dissertation.  He did a FANTASTIC job and they approved his work on the spot!  Whew....we are so glad this day was over!

The best day was December 18, 2010 when my dad officially graduated!!  All of this excitement comes just in time for my arrival.  I think my dad will enjoy hanging out with me on his lap rather than a laptop!  Nana and Papa Kosten, Aunt Julie, my mom, and I were able to go to WMU and watch him be "hooded" at graduation.  Members of his dissertation committee stood with him on the stage and placed a very nice hood (colored fabric) over his head and shoulders to officially declare his a Ph.D.  He is now Dr. Scott Kosten and we couldn't be more proud!!! 

A Place To Lay My Head

After a very long wait, my mom and dad finally ordered my crib!  My dad was pretty busy this summer and fall finishing his Ph.D dissertation and defending it so major decisions for my arrival were put on hold for a while.  Once he was done, my mom had a list of about 1,000 choices for items such as this crib, a stroller, a pediatrician, day care options, etc.  Oh, and a name, they really need to talk about one of those for me!!  I think the final choice for the crib looks good and will look better with the bedding being made by my Nana Kosten. Thanks Papa Kosten for helping my dad.  The directions were pretty confusing but it went together really quickly.  My mom and dad now just hope I get lots of use out of it by being a good sleeper!

Painting Day

With a little help from my Grandma and Grandpa Vitek, my nursery is painted!!  After much debate on paint color (see post below) and an "Are you sure you really want that color?" from the Home Depot paint guy, the day arrived to take the first formal step in making the former office into my nursery.  It was a fun day for everyone, including a break to watch an exciting Michigan State victory in football.  The color is pretty bright but I think once we get a crib, dresser, and curtains, it will be a fun color to be surrounded by as I grow up!

 My mom tried to her hand at spackling.  Needless to say it took both my dad and Grandpa Vitek an hour to minimize, sand, and dry the huge gobs she put on the walls. I think Grandpa was quite disappointed in her home improvement efforts!

 Grandma Vitek was a trooper and helped trim the whole room.  She and my mom made a good painting team!

The final room....it looks much less like green highlighter in person!

Indecisive!

Indecisive....that's exactly what my mom was when it came to picking a color for my nursery!  This woman can make decisions all day for twenty-nine 5th graders but, when it came time to pick the paint color for my nursery, she could not make up her mind.  After four trips to Home Depot, dropping $20 on little paint samples, gathering opinions from a few family and friends, and spending more than just a few minutes sitting on the floor staring a dried paint splotches, she finally decided on "Hidden Meadow."  My dad and I are more than just a little worried about how she will handle helping me make the important decisions in life!

Preparing the Nursery

The room my parents are using for my nursery has been a very nice blue for many years. They actually kind of like it but, since they don't know if I'm a boy or a girl, they thought they better use a neutral color and bedding. After looking online for hours, my mom still could not find bedding that she liked that would be good for a girl or a boy. My Nana Kosten is really good at sewing so my mom thought it would be a nice, personal touch to have her make the bedding.  They spent a fun day looking all over Grand Rapids for just the right fabric and this is what they decided on:

The polka dots will be my crib bumper and the stripes will be my crib skirt.  Looks like lots of fun to me!!

Sharing The Big News

     Two days after my mom and dad learned about me they went to my Grandma and Grandpa Vitek's house for the weekend.  I bet it was REALLY hard not to tell anyone there!! (Especially when my Grandma Vitek kept talking about having a baby!)   I bet it was even harder that Sunday when Mom and Dad took all four grandparents out to brunch at Charlie's Crab for Mother's & Father's Day. I don't think they had wrapped their head's around the news quite yet and wanted some time to let the thought of me soak in!
     A few weeks later Mom and Dad had a Memorial Day lunch with the Kosten side so they thought this was a good time to tell everyone about me.  We let my cousin Sophie tell Papa Kosten that she was going to have a cousin.  Instead, she kept asking him when she would have a cousin.  Needless to say, he told her he didn't really know!  Everyone was really excited and I can't wait to meet my cousins Ellie, Sophie, and Will!!
    The next weekend we went to Grandpa and Grandma Vitek's to tell everyone there.  For a few weeks, Mom had been trying to arrange a time for Aunt Lexa and Uncle Drew to all be together and their plans kept changing throughout that week. It didn't look like everyone would be able to make dinner and, normally, my mom would have been understanding about their plans changing.  Boy, did they make it hard to keep it a secret WHY it was so important we all had dinner together!  They told Grandpa and Grandma Vitek about me by having them open presents that were the books I Wanna Go To Grandma's House and My Grandpa Coaching Third by Janet Sinke. She grew up with Grandpa Vitek in St. Johns and writes beautiful books about grandparents and grandchildren.  Everyone was really excited there too - Grandma kept saying "That's so cool!" and "I think I need to sit down!!"

  

The First News

My mom and dad had been praying for me for a long time so they were pleasantly surprised to find out about me on May 12, 2010.  My mom found out in the morning and surprised my dad when he woke up - talk about being shocked!!  That day my mom had to teach and then sit through a math training with other teachers all afternoon.   I don't think she heard a single word of what the presenter said!  Teaching fractions was not nearly as exciting as the news that I'm coming!  My dad worked all day at QST but says he spent a good portion of the day just staring at his computer screen letting the news soak in.  Here are the flowers he sent her and the note he left.  Sweet!

Let Me Introduce Myself

My name is Baby Kosten but my mom and dad call me Peanut for the time being.  I hear my parents have family and friends spread across Michigan and the United States so they've decided to start this blog to share fun information.  They are more what you would call "math people" so they are leaving the writing up to me!  Get ready for an honest look at how life changes in the Kosten house with my arrival!!

First things first, let me introduce you to my mom and dad!  By the time I arrive they will have been married for 4 1/2 years and together for almost 10!  They've spent the last few years working really hard as a teacher and professor/statistician and finishing graduate school.  It all started as students at Grand Valley State University where they met while working at The Meadows Golf Course. My dad has already been talking to me about golf - I think he's hoping I can pay for college with a golf scholarship!

Their wedding was on a beautiful day in July 2006 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Johns where my mom grew up.  They celebrated with a reception at Hawk Hollow Golf Course, which my dad really liked.  They went on an amazing honeymoon to Acapulco, Mexico.  Don't they look young!?!?

They've also had the opportunity to travel to wonderful places, golf, take in beautiful days at Lake Michigan and spend lots of time with friends and family.  I can tell they are so excited to welcome me into their world and start a new chapter as a family!! 

 

Rocky Mountain National Park

 

Lake Michigan - Their favorite place in all seasons!

Mayan Ruins near Cancun, Mexico

Up North

Up North, Again

On our deck

New Hampshire (I am in this picture!!)