Frankie vs. the Family

We have a psycho cat. His name is Frankie. Frankie is a high-maintenance diva and wants things done his way. He is the feline version of Stewie from Family Guy and tries to kill me on an almost daily basis.

We have a sweet bulldog, Truman, who isn't so great at figuring out things. He's not dumb, he just can't outsmart the evil genius cat.

Pre-Evan, the second bedroom in our condo was the guest room and, when unoccupied, was Frankie's room. Well, once we found out Evan was on his way, we reclaimed the guest room and forbid Frankie from going in there. Plus, we took away his bed. This led to a few weeks of waking up each morning with a "present" laying outside of the litter box. Frank's way of letting us know how much he appreciated being evicted from his favorite afternoon napping spot.

After a fairly rough week with Evan - he had been battling a cold and a blocked tear duct again - he was back to sleeping through the night. Saturday morning, I woke briefly at 6:00 am and went back to sleep. Remember the saying, "Sleep when the baby sleeps?" This mostly applies to opportunities to sleep in on Saturday morning.

Truman sleeps in bed with us and is always the vigilant protector of the house. Any strange noises are scared away by a fierce growling and wuffing. Truman also is a fan of sleeping in and frequent naps.

Well, Frankie does not believe in sleeping in. He believes he is entitled to our room after 7 am and does everything he can to wake us up and get us moving out of the room so he can take it over. He use to come in and just yap - loudly. But after being nailed a couple of times with a swiftly thrown slipper, he changed tactics.

Now, he sits on the outside of the bedroom door and scratches on it - even though it is never fully closed or latched. This scratching wakes up Truman who gets upset and starts barking, which wakes everyone else up - including Evan. So, we all get up and start our day.

In retaliation, I am considering shutting the door behind us on our way out so the cat can't go in there. However, this will likely lead to more "presents" on the floor, so I am conceding victory for now. Damn cat.

The Rookie and The Natural

First, apologies for not writing in FOREVER. I don't have any real good excuse. I just didn't feel like writing and didn't really have anything I thought was relevant enough to share.

Well, Evan is starting to move. He is successfully army crawling now and just a big ol' wiggle worm in general. Over the weekend, I was trying to clean up a catastrophically bad diaper. But Evan is very much in explore-and-see-and-touch-and-crawl-and-move every chance he gets mode. Every time I laid him down on the changing table he would flip over and try to dive off. I had to use the straps to restrain him, but that just kept him from rolling off the table.

He's also teething. He's waking up several times a night and Brian and I are both exhausted as we have not had to build up an immunity to nights of interrupted sleep yet. I know, Evan has spoiled us. And we both have been battling colds.

So, I'm getting very frustrated. You have to pin the shoulders down. If the shoulders turn, the whole body turns. But you can't change an EPA Superfund Site, hazardous waste zone of a diaper with one hand. I thought, maybe this is a learning opportunity. Evan needs to learn the word "no." He didn't. So we fought and wrestled all day on Saturday and all day on Sunday when it came time to change the diapers, leaving us both frustrated and irritated.

I came home from work on Monday and Brian was changing Evan. He was not fighting or wrestling with him - and Evan was laying perfectly still and happy on his back. No wiggling. No protesting. He was a perfect little angel boy.

Brian gave him a toy to play with while changing him. Distraction vs. Command and Control. So simple. But this just goes to show that while I am learning how to be a parent, Brian seems to be a natural. Good thing one of us is!

But he is also your typical Dad who is proud of his boy for things that Moms would not be proud of. For example. When I was wrestling with Evan and trying to get him cleaned up, I had him uncovered for far too long. I heard a bzzzzzzz noise and looked up from the poop. He was peeing. The pee flew through the air a good 3 feet and was bouncing off his bedroom door. When Brian returned home later that night, I told him about the fiasco and he held up Evan, impressed with his long-distance peeing capabilities and said, "Good job, Buddy!"

Boys.

While traveling for work last week, Brian sent me a picture. It's a group shot of all my favorite fellas.

Evan's First Halloween (and memories)

It really is true that a baby changes everything. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, but this year was definitely different. When I was growing up it was always a fun and exciting day. This Halloween was no different. But over the years, as with any adults, holidays become more like just any other day...and they tend to lose the magic. Having Evan has changed that. This was the first year I carved pumpkins. It had been, I'm guessing, since 1995 when I carved the last one. I loved doing this as a kid.

My sis & I carving pumpkins - About 1980

I love the countdown to Halloween...all the scary movies that are on TV. Linda is not a fan, and refuses to watch these slasher flicks with me. I love scary movies! The other night, I had DVR's the original "Halloween", and began watching it. I had recorded it off AMC, so it was censored and had commercial breaks. I told Linda that, but she refused to watch it and went back to our room to watch TV. I can't wait for Evan be old enough to watch these with me. Linda has her reservations about him watching scary movies at a young age. However, my parents loved scary movies and didn't censor what we watched growing up. In fact, when we got our first VCR in the early-mid 1980s, the very first movie we watched as a family on that new fangled contraption was "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". It didn't scar me for life. We were a family that loved scary movies. I remember seeing "Poltergeist", "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Jaws 3D", "Friday the 13th" and others in the movie theater with my family. Didn't bother me... I didn't have nightmares and didn't grow up to be a mass murderer. So we'll see how Evan does as he grows up.

When I was a kid though, my mom dressed me as a clown numerous years in a row for Halloween night, that is until I protested and got to choose my Halloween costume. She had made the clown outfit herself, therefore wanted to get good use out of it. Understandable, but I hate clowns to this day. Not only because for the first few years of my life I had to dress in that damn clown outfit, but also because I have a fear of the damn things. I blame the scene from "Poltergeist" for that. (My only adverse effect of watching that movie.) I promise that I won't do that to Evan.

My sis as a witch, me as the clown - About 1980

For Evan's first Halloween, we dressed him in a blue three-eyed, four-armed, pot-bellied monster thing. We dubbed the costume a "Mutated Cookie Monster". We headed up to our hometown, Excelsior, to trick-or-treat with our 4 year old nephew, Brayden, who went as Woody from "Toy Story". Linda's brother and sister-in-law still live in Excelsior, and in fact, in the same neighborhood that I grew up in.

Evan did great! Although he was gypped at a few houses, most people ogled over him and gave him treats. Granted, he won't be able to eat any of the candy, but Linda & I are divvy up the loot. I called dibs on the KitKats and Crunches. Linda's not so keen on that idea.

As we strolled around my childhood neighborhood, I had a feeling of nostalgia overcome me...it really was bittersweet. So much of the neighborhood I spent the first 20 years of my life in had changed. Old neighbors had moved on or passed away...some still remained. Growing up on Virginia Road and in that neighborhood was a trick-or-treaters dream come true in the 1980s. It was a young neighborhood then, and practically every house gave out candy and there was no need to hit any other neighborhood. But today, things had changed. So many houses were dark...either their residences empty (in today's economy) or weren't participating. The neighborhood had gotten old. Not a lot of young families living there anymore...especially on my old street.

I talked John & Steph (Linda's brother & sister) into heading down to my house. I was eager to see if whomever lived in my old house now would be giving out candy...but no such luck. I'm hoping next year. Even though my parents sold that house 6 years ago, it feels like decades ago. Lots has changed since then. That will always be my house. It's nothing special...just another cookie-cutter suburban house built in the 1970s. As much as I hated living there when I was the 'rebellious' teen...what I wouldn't give to see the inside of that house again.

I couldn't help myself but stare at my old house...and remember Halloweens-past...and all the other holidays and good memories I had there. I miss that house. Linda said it even made her reminiscent of the times spent in that house.

I hope Evan is as sentimental as me. I hope that one day I can point that house out to him and tell him that is where his dad grew up...and him feel the same fascination about that house as I did when my dad showed me the house he grew up in.

Evan's Photo Proofs!

For anyone interested, our photographer has put Evan's 6 months photo session proofs up on her website for 10 days to view.

Click here to see.

From there, it'll show several albums to view... You'll want to chose "Lea {Family Session}". Click that, then it'll take you to a login screen. You'll need to enter "Lea2010". Once you do, all the pictures should pop up.

To view larger images, you can hover your mouse over the magnifying glass at the bottom of each picture.

Now, the hard part comes in. I love all these pictures and am gonna have a hard time narrowing it down to a few to order!

Enjoy!

Seinfeld Meets Raising Arizona

This morning I ran by Target to pick up some things for Evan. I saw winter coats there and knew I had to pick one up for Evan for the impending winter... So I went to the check-out, the clerk made some small talk as he rang up my things...I paid and went on my way.

I got home and noticed that I wasn't charged for Evan's coat. I whimsically updated my Facebook status that I felt guilty for this. Several of my friends and family members urged me to take it back and pay for it, and to "do the right thing" and set an example for Evan. Thing was...this Target was 45 minutes away...I had gone to the one near Linda's work.

My conscience and with everyone hounding me got the best of me, and I called the Target I was at and explained that I bought several items, but wasn't charged for Evan's coat. The people there told me that I could bring it back in and pay for it. I explained I lived 45 mins away and they told me that I could take it to any Target. I then realized that in my sleep-deprived absent-mindedness, I had forgotten Evan's cereal...therefore another trip out to the store was due. So I went to the Target that's closer to home for the forgotten cereal...with the "stolen" merchandise in hand.

Got to the Guest Services desk and explained what happened this morning to the clerk. She told me that I had to go back to the Overland Park Target since it had been in their inventory. I told the clerk that that store had said I could take it back to any Target. We went back and forth on this for a few minutes, then she called over a manager. The manager explained again that I had to go back to the Overland Park store with the "lost" merchandise since it was missing from their stock. I explained once again to the manager that I was told I could bring it back to any store to correct their error. She finally agreed to just ring me up and let me pay for this coat.

And not so much as even a "thank you" or "we appreciate what you did"...even though I had to waste an hour to and from (the closer Target to our house is still quite a drive away).

But I'm setting an example for Evan, right? By "doing the right thing"? I have to keep telling myself that. I really don't feel any better for wasting part of my afternoon with this, when I had so much stuff to get done at home. If it hadn't been for Evan's cereal that I forgot, then I probably would have just chalked it up as "hey, their error...I got a free coat out of the deal!" Oh well. I felt like I was stuck in a part-"Raising Arizona"-part-"Seinfeld" scene.

Scavenger Hunt & Sneak Peaks

Who knew getting photos taken would be so hectic and time consuming? Getting the finishing touches, the preparations, making sure all of us are presentable, wrestling a confused and rambunctious dog, dancing around and acting like a fool to coax our stone-faced baby to smile, etc.

Wednesday, our photographer, Kami, emailed me and asked me to send her pictures of the outfits we were gonna dress Evan in, so she could coordinate her props. I sent her pics of a few different outfits and asked for her suggestion. She said the sweater and the guitar t-shirt were great. She suggested as a finishing touch for the rock-star t-shirt was to buy some red Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers (or any canvas-style sneakers, but red ones would be perfect, that looked old school) and distressed jeans. Thinking our outfits were complete prior to this email, Linda & I made a mad dash around the KC-metro area to find red baby sneakers and distressed jeans. Linda & I live close to the Plaza...were lots of retail shops are located. I hit Baby Gap first, and found some cool jeans that were on sale! Spent $20...for jeans that were normally $45! Then came the quest for red sneakers. Baby Gap didn't have anything. I asked the clerk at Baby Gap if she had any idea were to get any. She suggested Gymboree and Hall's. I steered clear of Hall's as I didn't want to give Linda another heart attack. I went to Gymboree on the Plaza...nothing in his size. The girl at Gymboree said that was all they had... I asked if she knew anywhere else that had sneakers. She said Gymboree and Baby Gap were the only ones. Really? On the Plaza? Out of all the retail on the Plaza? I had no idea finding baby shoes was gonna be a scavenger hunt.

Linda called after I left Gymboree. I was on my way to Target to see if they had anything. She searched online and found that another Gymboree location might have some... She also said that Children's Place might have some also. She said she'd take care of if after she was off work. She normally leaves work around 5:00pm, and is home by 5:45 or 6:00. She didn't get home til close to 8:00.

After work, she headed out to Town Center Plaza (near her work)...found nothing. Although, she did find a really cool twill hat at Gymboree...perfect for the sweater outfit and family shots. She said she asked for recommendations...and someone said there was a Converse outlet at The Legends. She then trekked 30 minutes over there. Success! She found the sneakers (but since Evan was a spring/summer baby and we've hardly put shoes on him...she had no idea what size his chubby little feet are...and ended up buying size too small. I'm gonna exchange them later...). She then ran by Banana Republic and picked us up both clothes, and changing what we both were planning on wearing. Was very hectic.

Yesterday morning, we got everything going early. Got Little Man fed and dressed while we got our showers in and put together. Grabbed Truman and walked over to the Nelson-Atkins, the location of our photo session, and met Kami. Here's a few sneak peaks:

We worked so hard to get Evan to laugh and get a good gummy grin in...but all he would do was smirk. His smiles are fleeting...especially for a camera. I'm sure we looked like morons, dancing around behind Kami, making funny faces and funny noises to coax a smile from him. I worked up a sweat, but to no avail. But Kami did great and showed Linda and I few previews on her camera's review...and from what I saw, I was happy with her work!

After the family shots that included Truman, I walked him back to our condo. He's a bit socially retarded. Even though we brought cheese with us, he still was difficult to get to sit still, position and behave while we were taking pics. Truman isn't like other dogs. Kami warned me when setting up this appointment that there are squirrels on the lawn of the Nelson, and that from past sessions with her clients that included dogs...the squirrels can prove problematic. I told her that Truman has no interest in squirrels. He's a bulldog. Enough said. But Truman lacks social skills and obedience at times... So to make our session a bit easier and less stressful than dealing with a confused dog, I walked him back.

Towards the end of our session, Evan was getting grumpy, tired and pissed. We wrapped things up after about an hour or so of pics. He did great though, considering...and I can't wait to see the pics. We have to wait another two weeks though before Kami is done processing and editing.

Haute Couture

I'm eager for Evan's 6 month photography session this Thursday. In order for a more fun session, our photographer, Kami, suggested a few changes in outfits for Evan. I bought Evan a great outfit from Babies R Us weeks ago, for the more formal shots, the ones that will include Linda, me and Truman. She suggested an outfit change, and what is really popular amongst boys is the "rock star look". Something kinda fun for us to look back on. I thought this would be an easy task...find something edgy, hip and fun... Boy was I wrong. I've scoured stores and the internet in vain for weeks.

I finally asked for suggestions via facebook. I got lots of feedback...and one of my old coworkers suggested I go to Hall's where she works now as a manager. Hall's is a very high-end department store in Kansas City. She said in the kids section, they carry some Kingsley line of clothing, and gave me the website for them. They didn't have much merchandise on their site, but from what I learned it's for the "rock star parent"...apparently this line of clothing was what Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie dressed their daughter, Shiloh in for pictures that made the cover of People Magazine... This clothing line is also the choice of other celebrity parents like Gwen Stefani, Johnny Depp and Seal. I should have known it was gonna be expensive.

I headed over to Hall's at Crown Center, strapped Evan in the BabyBjorn, and found their selection. Picked out a really cool hoodie, jeans and onesie t-shirt... These clothes were so awesome...stuff I'd buy for myself, that is if I actually bought clothes anymore for myself! I should've looked at the price tag... When I checked out, the clerk asked me, "Are you ready for this total? $212.76, please." I felt myself get light-headed and my knees buckle. I can't remember the last time I spent over $100-$150 on myself in one setting...it's been years! But, not wanting to look like someone who lives on a budget and normally shops at Target, and asking the clerk to put the clothes back, I whipped out my credit card like a pro. I told myself it was for Evan...and it was for posterities sake. For him being immortalized in some awesome pictures that would look like a print ad for a Baby GQ, if there were ever such a thing.

Buyer's remorse set in. I figured I could do the cheapskate route...and keep the tags on, hidden inside the clothes, then return them after the session. When I got home, I debated on calling Linda at work. I wondered if she'd notice the $212.76 charge... However, my conscious got the best of me and I called Linda. I told her I found some great clothes at Hall's. I could hear her swallow hard over the phone when I uttered the name "Hall's". The first thing she asked, "How much did you spend"? "About $200," I replied, hoping she'd take it in stride. I then quickly told her about my hiding-the-tags-and-return scheme. She didn't like that idea. When she got home, she asked what would we do if he spit up on the clothes or had a blow out while wearing them? It does seem pretty absurd to pay $89.00 for a pair of baby jeans, $69.00 for a hoodie and $40.00 for a onesie that he'll outgrow within a matter of weeks. In comparison, the most expensive pair of jeans I currently own is a pair I bought at Banana Republic a few years ago that cost maybe $70 or $80...and I still wear them...so I've gotten my money out of them.

So today, I ventured out again. I had to go to Target for more diapers, formula and baby food, and ran by the clothing section... I looked high and low and finally found a cool 3 piece rocker-star themed outfit, not as cool as the Kingsley stuff, but okay, I guess...and for a much reasonable price - $15.00. Then just to make sure all my options had been explored, I went over to Oak Park Mall and looked through Baby Gap, Crazy 8, and JC Penney. Found nothing at Baby Gap or Crazy 8, they had been picked over pretty well from some huge sale. JC Penney was still having a huge 50% off sale, I think for Columbus Day. They still had lots of stuff in stock and I found another rock star outfit for only $10.00! Still not Kingsley...these are Carter's outfits, but I know he'll look good...

Linda said last night, "When and if we ever win the Powerball jackpot, then by all means, Evan can dress in couture outfits. Until then, lets stick with Target and Babies R Us stuff."

Tomorrow with my head hung low and my tail between my legs, I am going back to Hall's and returning the Kingsley things and getting my $212.76 back. Dammit.

Prunes = Yuck

I don't get grossed out too often...in fact, I think I've got a pretty strong stomach. This morning, though I proved myself wrong. Yesterday, Evan stayed with his Aunt Steph for part of the afternoon while my sister Becky, Linda and I did some yard work around my dad's house. Steph gave Evan prunes last night. I've run the gamut with introducing Evan to all the Gerber 1st foods, except the prunes. I did buy some, but hadn't tested him out on them yet...was kinda saving them for when he needed it. Steph told Linda that he seemed to like the prunes. When Linda told me what he ate with Steph last night, a bit of worry set in...

This morning, when I got him up, I changed his diaper and all was good. I thought, maybe, by chance, he somehow was immune to the age-old constipation remedy. However, not more than 45 minutes later, Evan & I were playing in his bedroom when I smelled something funky. I picked him up, and felt a wet squishy mess on his diaper. Major. Diaper. Malfunction. It had leaked through his diaper and onto his PJs. I stripped off his PJs, and opened his diaper. I think I actually threw up in my mouth a little bit. It took two diapers and countless amount of baby wipes to clean up that mess.

I text Linda afterwards and told her that for future reference...lets save the prunes for when he's really constipated. In all of Evan's 6 months in existence, I have never encountered a diaper that bad. And I've change too many diapers to count...this, by far, takes the cake.

Rough Start

I didn't go to bed last night until about 1:00am. When Linda went to bed, hours earlier, I was in the middle of a game I bought from the iTunes App Store, "Oregon Trail" for the iPhone. I had felt a bit nostalgic when I saw it in the App Store...and remembered playing this game at school when I was in the 4th grade...way back in 1986. Not to mention, I'm a sucker for classic 1980s arcade video games on my phone... I also have Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Frogger and Galaga...and am hoping someone makes a Donkey Kong, Q*Bert, and Pitfall! apps... Well, in part of the Oregon Trail game you encounter George Donner, of the ill-fated "Donner Party" that got stranded in the mountains during their journey on the Oregon Trail in 1846, and resorted to cannibalism to survive.

Me being the dork that I am, my interest was peeked to learn more about the Donner Party, and I read the Wikipedia article about them after I completed my game (successfully). That article then led to a movie article about this story. Guess there was a movie made about this story just last year, and I then found it on Netflix, available for instant viewing streamed to the iPad. So I started watching it, and only got about halfway through when I realized the time and figured I needed to go to bed and would finish the movie later.

I should've been smarter...I'm still a novice at this whole parenting thing, but should have known a late night for me means little sleep, if any, while caring for a 6 month old. Evan really has gotten us spoiled...he's a great sleeper, that is, until this past week when he has been waking up once or twice in the middle of the night. So for the past week, we've been running on broken sleep...usually in 4 hour increments. When I turned in last night, I hoped he would sleep through the night like he used to, so I could catch up on the sleep I had deprived myself from... I knew it the back of my mind, I had screwed myself.

And wouldn't you figure...he woke at 4:00am. Weird thing was he wasn't crying...he sounded like he was playing. Letting out his happy squeals and giggles. Don't know what was so funny and intriguing to him at 4:00am in a dark bedroom. I laid there in bed with the baby monitor on, listening, hoping that he would fall back to sleep on his own. But nope. He was having a grand ole time in there. I didn't want to turn the baby monitor down or off, so at 4:30, I went in to check on him. Picked him up, changed his diaper and rocked him for about 30 minutes, but he was still wide awake and wanting to play. I laid him back down and figured he'd drift off if I put on his mobile. This worked, only for a few minutes.

He started fussing, and Linda then got up and checked on him...gave him a bottle, then started to get ready for her day. When she got up, I turned down the baby monitor to no volume and fell back to sleep. At this point I had only had about three to 3½ hours of sleep...and I drifted back off to sleep.

A few hours later, about 7:45 this morning, I awake to Linda rushing into our bedroom, saying in a panicked tone, "Wake up! Come quick!!" I went from a deep, peaceful sleep to sheer panic within a matter of seconds. "What was it?", "Was he hurt?", "Was he breathing?" "Is he blue?", "Is he not responding?", my heart felt like it was gonna beat out of my chest, my fear of SIDS and Evan's preference of sleeping on his belly while face-planted has always scared the crap out of me...all these thoughts flooded my mind in those few seconds. But nope, he was okay...just was ready to get up, but was pissed because his cries had gone unheard because I had turned the volume on his baby monitor all the way down and failed to tell Linda this when she got up a few hours earlier. Linda had left, but only came back because she forgot her jacket and heard Evan screaming.

Ugh... But as I'm typing this out, Little Man is happily playing in his exersaucer, laughing and squealing...and I'm trying to down a whole pot of coffee. Caffeine is my best friend today. Nothing like starting your day like that! But it really gets the blood flowing. I don't recommend waking up like that though...makes a rough start to your day.

Halfway to a Year!

This is post is in conjunction of what I posted yesterday...but wanted to update then and now!

April 7, 2010 - Evan's birthday!

October 7, 2010 - Six Months old (already?)

Six Months!

Evan had his 6-month checkup with his pediatrician this morning. He was very pleased with Evan's development, both socially and physically. Evan has almost doubled his birth weight. He was born 9 lbs. 3 oz. and was 21 inches long when he burst into this crazy world on April 7th, 2010. Today he was 18 lbs. 3 oz. (just 3 ounces shy of doubling his birth weight), and he is 27 inches long. Both of these place him in the 75th percentile for weight and length. His huge noggin measures 18 inches around, three more inches in circumference than when he was born.

It's so amazing to reflect back on the past 6 months. Evan is now sitting up by himself, has cut his first tooth, is trying to figure out this whole crawling business, interacts and is curious about the world around him...laughs and squeals and is generally a happy baby. This morning our pediatrician said that he was gonna predict that once Evan is mobile, we are definitely gonna have our hands full and suggested we start baby-proofing our house now. He went on to say that from his observations and the way Evan interacted with him, he is going to be a very smart child. Not sure if he tells every parent that? I asked my dad and Linda that, and they both said he wouldn't just voluntarily offer that up if he didn't think so...

Hope he's right and takes after Linda, she's the brains behind the family. After all, Evan has got half my genes...and I wasn't that smart of a child. My dad and sister like to recant the story of me getting my knee stuck in a fence waiting in line for the "Fury of the Nile" ride at Worlds of Fun amusement park when I was eight, and required the assistance of my dad and another guy to pry my knee out... Or, running around my front yard with my eyes closed when I was about 5 years old to see what it would be like if I were blind...and ended up banging my head on the tailgate of my dad's truck...which I still have a scar on my forehead from where I had to get stitches... Or, the story of when I was in Cub Scouts, and they had someone teaching a lesson on gun safety to the den, and were taking questions from the Scouts...I raised my hand and my mom asked me what I wanted to ask, I replied, "If you shoot yourself in the eye, will it put your eye out?" I guess I really wanted to see if the movie "A Christmas Story" had any truth behind it...

Officially tomorrow Linda & I will be the parents of a half-a-year old son! Happy (half) birthday, Booger Butt!! I can't wait to get his 6 months pictures taken next week!

Cathing up

So I know I haven't written in FOREVER. I don't have an excuse, just really couldn't think of anything to write about.

As Brian wrote in the last post, we took our first family vacation and Evan did GREAT! I would like to clarify, however, that I did NOT wear heels while walking a complete lap around the National Mall (Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, Tidal Basin included). I wore my black loafers that are extremely comfortable for normal activities - like walking from my car in the parking lot to my desk. I purposely chose not to bring tennis shoes because I have yet to find a pair that I can walk miles and miles in that don't try to rub right through my achilles tendon. I've tried Nike, New Balance and some expensive pair from The Walking Company that my "foot profile" seemed to fit. My feet are apparently deformed and therefore no tennis shoes will ever be comfortable again. That's why I thought my Addidas flippy floppies would be fine. They are thick-soled and also very comfortable. Well, they wore holes into the TOP of my feet on our first day when we went from 7th and Penn. to the Capitol and then Union Station and then back through the Capitol, Longworth and over to Ford before hopping on the train back to Braddock Road and walking 1/2 a mile to our hotel.

Other random notes...
A lot of people have asked me and continue to ask me if, "it was hard going back to work after Evan was born." The simple answer is no. I can't baby talk and listen to "Red, Yellow and Blue" all day long. Not wired that way. But I will say that staying at work after going back is hard. I'm just not as focused anymore. I'm not willing to work until 7-8 pm unless there is a darn good reason. If I can't get it done within normal working hours, guess what? It's going to have to take a little bit longer than the ridiculously short timeframe initially given. I would like to see my son before he goes to bed. As it is right now, I usually get about 2 hours with him in the evening before bed time.

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The Kansas City Chiefs season-opener was the first Monday Night Football game KC has hosted since 2003 or 2006. It was the grand opening of the renovated stadium AND we were playing hated division rival, the San Diego Chargers. I didn't even think about buying tickets as an option. We did, however, host some friends for a watching party since Evan went to bed well before kick-off. I said I changed. I haven't become a completely different person. :)

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I am a morning person. I'm not happy and cheery about it, but I know if I am home with Evan on the weekends my prime time of opportunity for getting stuff done around the house are in those precious few hours immediately following his first bottle of the day. In the morning, I can put Evan in his exersaucer and usually have at least two hours of get-stuff-done time before he gets tired of his iguana that sings, "Red, Yellow and Bluuuueee."

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Evan cut his first tooth! A little white tooth top is poking through the front of his lower jaw! He's also sitting up pretty well. He hasn't pushed himself up into a sit-up position, but once sitting up, he can stay that way for a good long while.

First Family Vacation!

Linda & I took Evan on our first vacation as a family last Thursday! This was Evan's first time on a plane. I worried for weeks how he would do...whether he would cry and scream, or just chill out and relax. And wouldn't you know it...a few days before we were to leave, he comes down with his first cold...lots of coughing and sneezing...so that added to my worries. Thankfully, he was a trooper and did remarkably well. Here's a run down of what we did:

In preparation -

Linda and I (mostly Linda) got everything ready the night before; Truman dropped off at her sister's house, bags packed, diaper bag stocked, formula, toys, etc. This is our first rodeo, so we weren't sure what and how much to bring. We included an entire sleeve of diapers, three wet wipe travel containers (which wasn't enough...we had to buy more), a whole can of his formula, clothes and PJs and backups, some toys...and of course our crap. What was a great idea was bringing the Mommy Hook. We had got this as a shower present from one of Linda's coworkers and this was a huge help! We just clipped it on the stroller, attached our bags to it (and later as we were playing tourists, hooked Evan's diaper bag and even Linda's purse to it)...this took a lot of stress out of getting around with all these things through the airports. Before Evan, we both would scramble the morning of our flight to get everything ready and just dump clothes (hardly folding them) into two bags we could carryon. Those days are long gone... We now were having to check two bags (something I hate to do...but no way around it now)...but thankfully we flew Southwest where they don't charge for checked bags. Linda and I also disagreed on how we could get from the airport to the hotel and back. We flew into Baltimore, but were staying in Alexandria, Virginia. Before Evan, we would just grab our carryon bags, head down to the shuttle pick-up for the train station at BWI, grab the Amtrak or MARC to Washington DC's Union Station, then hop on the Metro to our destination. I figured with the checked bags, our carryons, Evan, his diaper bag, stroller and car seat...all of it would be too much. I begged Linda to consider an easier alternative. We finally agreed on the Super Shuttle. I'm so glad we did, Evan did great on the shuttle to the hotel...but coming back on Monday, he fussed and cried most of the way... I'd do it again though.

Thursday, September 16th -

Our flight left at 10:00am. Not knowing how much time we needed, we left for the airport at 8:30. We live about 30 minutes from KCI. Linda dropped me off at the curb with Evan, his stroller, car seat, diaper bag, a carryon bag and the two bags we were gonna check. This is were the Mommy Hook came in really handy. Got everything checked in, our boarding passes issued...I took Evan around to see some of my coworkers. Lots of them haven't seen him before except in pictures and on Facebook...and they all ogled over him. It's funny what one person sees, another person doesn't. I had one coworker comment that Evan definitely has Linda's eyes...then a few minutes later another coworker who wasn't present earlier commented that Evan definitely had my eyes.

We got through security...through the family lane... It wasn't as arduous as I thought. We just had to collapse the stroller, take out his bottles and all the liquids, take off our shoes, and proceed through. Quick and painless.

Evan was booked as our lap child, so we didn't have to buy him a ticket, and thankfully there were enough open seats that we could carryon his car seat and strap him into the window seat next to us. Therefore, between the three of us, we took up an entire row. When we finally got on the plane, and took off, we gave him a bottle to help with him equalize his ears. We timed his feedings around the time the plane would be in the air...and he did great! He slept on Linda's shoulder for about an hour, then woke up and I played with him to keep him occupied for the rest of the flight.

We landed in Baltimore 35 minutes earlier than scheduled and had to wait for a gate to open up for us to pull in...and not a peep out of Evan! As we waited in the jetway for our gate-checked stroller, we had several passengers who were on our plane comment on how well he did... Even better than the dog a few rows back from us that wouldn't stop yipping. When I got the stroller, Evan was needing a new diaper...so I took him to the restroom, and changed him...and yet another passenger from our flight told me that he was impressed at how well Evan did.

Got checked in for the Super Shuttle... An hour ride to our hotel with a few other drop offs for other passengers added in and we finally arrived at the Sheraton in Old Town.

Linda lived in Alexandria for 2 years before we were married...so this was her old stomping grounds. In Old Town, there is a great Irish pub called Pat Troy's. Best Irish food in the DC area...so we made a beeline for that since we both were starving. Linda had the Pot Pie...and I had the Shepherd's Pie (pictured).

We got back to the hotel and Linda invited a few of her old coworkers to meet us. They were excited to see Evan and brought us some great gifts from the House gift shop, including a sippy cup, "Future Member" onesie, pewter keepsake rattle and a Sophie teether. I never heard of the Sophie teether, but apparently it's some huge must-have!

Linda's coworkers were starving, so we headed down to the hotel restaurant and chatted... Linda and I had dessert, and her friends ordered real food. After a glass of wine, I called it a night and put Baby Boy to bed...Linda stayed down to catch up with her friends...

Friday, September 17th -

Linda & I wanted to take Little Man into Washington DC to get some pictures. We thought it would be fun to make Evan our "Roaming Gnome", similar to Travelocity's Roaming Gnome commercials. We hopped on the Metro with Evan for his first subway ride, got into DC, had coffee with Linda's old roommate, Ellen and her sister Rachel, then walked the National Mall towards the Capitol. I strapped Evan into the BabyBjorn, which he loves! Grabbed a picture of Evan as the Roaming Gnome in front of the Capitol...

We were interested in seeing the new Capitol Visitor's Center so we ventured over that way. While it's very impressive, we didn't have much time to see all they had to offer due to us meeting up with another one of Linda's old coworkers, Matt, for lunch at Union Station. The Roaming Gnome was spotted in front of the Supreme Court...then we walked to Union Station. Grabbed lunch with Matt at B. Smith...Linda and I had a great crab burger, then walked back over to the Capitol with Matt. Went to see Linda's friends again at her old office, chatted a bit... Linda had worn her flip flops and they had begun to cut into the top of her feet...so more sightseeing was out of the question... We headed back to the hotel to relax a bit and get ready for dinner with Ellen & Chad.

Ellen picked us up at our hotel and we headed back to her house. Her sister, Rachel, and brother-in-law, Paul, offered to watch Evan for a few hours while Ellen, Chad, Linda & I had a nice dinner. We dropped Evan off at Rachel & Paul's, had a few drinks, then over to Carlyle in Shirlington for dinner. Great company, great conversation, great food, and a bottle of wine all made for a good time. Went back to Rachel & Paul's to get Evan. They each must have the patience of a saint...apparently as soon as we walked out the door, Evan erupted. He was still congested from his cold, was so exhausted from the past couple days, and on top of all this he got the hiccups and couldn't fall asleep, which pissed him off more. Rachel said when we got there he had been asleep for about an hour... We had been gone for about three hours though. Poor Evan...and poor Rachel and Paul! But a huge thank you goes out to them!!

Saturday, September 18th -

Having had to cut our Roaming Gnome picture shoot with Evan short due to Linda's flip flop misfortune, we wanted to venture back into DC to grab some more pics of him in front of all the major landmarks. Linda did not pack any tennis shoes...and not wanting to make the top of her feet any worse, she wore the heels she wore out to dinner with Ellen & Chad. After relaxing in the hotel room a bit Saturday morning, we hopped on the Metro again and got off near the Jefferson Memorial. The Roaming Gnome was spotted on the steps out front.

Evan went back into the Baby Bjorn and off we went, walking along the Tidal Basin, where the Gnome was spotted again, and through the FDR Memorial. Got to the Lincoln Memorial, the Gnome was spotted again, and once more in front of the Reflecting Pool and Washington Monument.

By this time, Linda's feet were turning into bloody stumps...she got a few blisters from these other shoes...and we decided to make a path for the White House. By this time, Evan had fallen asleep in the Bjorn... A grumpy Gnome was spotted in front of the White House. Maybe it was the Obamas?

Linda & I hadn't eaten anything all day and were starving. She loves Baja Fresh and every time we go to DC, she must stop to fill her Baja Fresh fix since KC doesn't have them anymore. We got back on the Metro and found a Baja Fresh over in Arlington.

Linda was hobbling along, and we decided that once we got back to our Metro stop, she would cab it back to the hotel (about 6 or 7 blocks) and I would walk with Evan in his stroller since we didn't bring the car seat with us. Next time we travel where we are gonna do the touristy-pedestrian walking thing...I will throw in her tennis shoes and socks.

That night, Ellen was having a get together at her house with some more of Linda's network of friends. Lots of them have kids of their own now, and it turned into what looked like a daycare center/maternity ward very quickly. Including Evan, there were 5 kids and two pregnant women. It was great to see everyone again and meet some new little ones! We ended the night, a late night at 1:00am, on Ellen & Chad's new backyard patio around their fire pit. Good times.

Sunday, September 19th -

We made it a lazy day. We met Ellen, Chad, April & Braden for brunch at the Royal Restaurant, then headed over to Ellen & Chad's to watch football and just chill. Sadly, Linda did not get a chance to see her beloved Chiefs win yet another game playing the Browns... Instead we watched the Bears win playing the Cowboys.

That night we met my cousin (my 1st cousin, once removed...Evan's 2nd cousin) Jordan at Chipotle in Old Town. Jordan is training to be one of the Guards of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Jordan is also one of my cousins that I hadn't met yet...his dad (my cousin) and his wife divorced and they moved to Washington state before he was born. So it was great to finally meet him!

Monday, September 20th -

That morning we had wanted to take Evan down to the hotel pool for a swim...but unfortunately the pool was closed on the weekdays til 4:00pm, well after our flight left for back home and much to Evan's disappointment. So we took a leisurely stroll around Old Town and down to the Potomac River Waterfront. The Gnome was spotted again at the riverfront...

Our shuttle came around noon...we were the first pick up. Evan did great at first, but after the 3rd stop to pick up another passenger, he turned grumpy. I think he was still miffed at the pool being closed since he likes to swim. Once we got to BWI, he calmed down.

We got to the airport 3 hours early and had lots of time to spare. So I strapped Evan in the Bjorn once again and strolled around the entire airport. I have been to BWI several times in the past, but never there for an extended amount of time. Well, I take that back...back in 2001 I got stranded there for 8 hours once with friends since we were flying on employee standby passes coming back from a company Spirit Party in Albany, NY...but we spent most of that in the bar... But Evan and I walked around, saw some kinda museum enticer...John Dillinger's car and the really cool kids area/observation deck/museum of flight area.

We ventured through security, grabbed a bite to eat at Phillips Famous Seafood and then headed over to our gate for boarding. While we were waiting, Linda spotted Danny Manning in the boarding area for our flight and became starstruck. She approached him and got a picture snapped with him and Evan.

As we were waiting...they made an announcement that they had to take our plane out of service due to an unforeseen maintenance issue...and they had to figure out if they could fix it or swap aircrafts. Not knowing how long the delay would be, we went ahead and fed Evan since he was getting a burr in his saddle. We had wanted to wait til we got on the plane and after we took off for this...and wouldn't you figure, as soon as we got the bottle in his mouth, the pilot made an announcement in the gate area that they were commandeering the aircraft that had just arrived at the next gate to take out our plane to KC. I worried that Evan would have problems with take off and equalizing his ears. A friend showed me a trick...she said if he starts to fuss at the altitude change, gently tug up on his ear lobe...this seemed to help.

A stroke of luck, when we were boarding the flight, I recognized the flight attendant in our section. She commutes out of KCI all the time and I've chatted with her whenever she does... She told me that anything we wanted to drink, let her know, and it was on her... Linda and I both thought a drink was well deserved while Evan napped in his car seat... After he woke up, I kept him occupied with his toys and my phone. I downloaded an app a while back that he is mesmerized by, called "PhonyPhone". On our descent into KC, I let Evan suck on my pinky, which helped his ears equalize.

Linda's brother-in-law was waiting for us with Truman at our condo when we got home. Evan was being a grumpus and we got a bottle in him and off to bed. He was just so exhausted from the past couple days, but he did so great on this trip. I just hope future vacations go as well for him (and us) as this one!