Unplanned Parenthood

See This...

2011-11-30T16:00:00.001-06:00

...street? This street is where Evan will learn how to ride a bike. This street is where Evan will go trick-or-treating. This street will be where the bus will pick Evan up for his first day of school. And where he'll splash in rain puddles. This street will be where he meets his friends after school to play. This street will be where Evan will learn how to drive. This street is where Evan may take a stroll with his girlfriend.

...driveway? That is where he will play "Red Rover Red Rover" with his friends. That's where Evan will learn to play basketball, and we will play "H-O-R-S-E" and shoot free throws. Where he'll wash his first car. And where Linda & I will stand as we wave goodbye to him - teary-eyed - as he leaves for college.

...front yard? That's where Evan will play in the sprinklers. And jump in leaves. And build snowmen and snow forts. And catch fireflies. The yard he'll mow. And where his prom date and him will have their pictures taken.

...top left window? That will be Evan's room. The room where he'll sleep. And have sleep-overs. That is the room where he'll do his homework. That window he may try to sneak into and out of when he's in high school and going out without permission, or stayed out past his curfew.

...front porch? That's where his first day of school pictures will be taken every year. That's where we may sit on summer nights and enjoy the neighborhood. That maybe the place where he has his first kiss.

...house? This house is where Evan will grow up. And this house maybe where Evan brings his children to visit their grandparents.

...backyard? This will be the place Evan will love to play. This will be the place he goes snow-sledding, plays in the mud, and finds earthworms. And hunt for Easter eggs. And build a treehouse. And play baseball. And football. This will be the backyard that will host playdates and birthday parties and family get-togethers with his cousins and any future cousins (or siblings).

That's right! We're moving! This house is where our memories will be made. This will not just be our house, but it will be our home. A home that I hope Evan will love and remember for the rest of his life, like I did my childhood home. This home has so many memories waiting for it...I can't wait to begin!

Trials & Tribulations

2011-10-25T12:53:00.001-05:00

These past few months have been crazy. Linda & I have put a bid on a house last August - it's a short-sale - and are still waiting on word if it's gonna go through or not. In doing so, we were attempting to rent our condo out, but have kinda put that on the back burner until we know something about this other house. We took our much anticipated cruise last month too.

Evan is definitely on the go constantly. While we were gone on our cruise, we had to leave Evan with my cousin, his sitter, then Linda's mom for a few days since we were gone a total of 8 days. (Getting someone to commit to watching an active 17 month old for that long is near impossible!) And lemme tell you, he wasn't happy with us for a whole week after we got back. He did great staying with everyone, but was not happy with us and was a total hellion. His epic temper tantrums have reached their zenith, and I hope the start declining.

For a week straight after our cruise, he was prone to outburst. He has a habit of head-butting different objects, depending on why he's angry - the door if one of us leaves; the floor if we tell him no; the coffee table if we scold him; etc. Linda had had Evan into see his pediatrician awhile back and explained this to him. His pediatrician said it's completely normal and that he himself had 4 sons, and one of them was a head-butter. Evan was upset at this doctor's visit, and demonstrated his head-butting abilities for him. It's a phase that will pass, hopefully sooner rather than later. He also has gotten into the habit of hitting and throwing his toys when he's upset. We're working on getting him to stop that altogether, and we've implemented a time-out program for him.

In our living room, we have a ten-paned glass door that leads out to our porch. The hell-week after we got back from our cruise, Evan was in a mood one day. I went to close the door, and for some reason that pissed him off. He promptly ran over to it and put his head through one of the bottom panes of glass. It happened so quickly, before I really knew what happened, I heard glass breaking. I ran over there, snatched him up, looked him over and thankfully no cuts on him. He did get a couple shards of glass in his hair that did cause a few tiny cuts, and I rushed him to the kitchen sink, bent him over backwards, turned on the sprayer, and rinsed out his hair. Needless to say, he didn't like that... And I didn't even wait for the water to warm up. So, I'm sure that was shock to get sprayed off with cool water. Since then, his head-butting tantrums have subsided. Later that week, he started playing and being silly again...and it was so nice to have our son 'back'.

Evan had his 18 month checkup a few weeks ago, and he's still growing and on track with everything. He amazes me everyday with the things he is learning. He points to something and I'll tell him what it is, and he'll try to say it. I really noticed that awhile ago. I was loading groceries into the car and a yellow car had pulled in. One of Evan's most favorite things in the world are cars. He pointed at this yellow car and exclaimed "caaa! caaa!". I told him that was correct and it was a yellow car. He studied it for a second and said "yah-yoo". Just yesterday we were at the grocery store and he pointed to the cantaloupes. He loves cantaloupe, but always calls them "baas" (for balls). I told him that was a cantaloupe, and he tried to say it, "caah-ooop". One of the funniest things he says - when he sees Frank (our cat), he'll say "catttt" (he enunciates the T very matter-of-factly). When I ask him what the cat says, he says "cowww", which is his way of saying "meow". He did bust out a full sentence last week. He likes to hide his toys in the end table and coffee table drawers... He would close the door and say what sounded like "Where did it go?", and came out kinda like "weer-iid-tt-ooo". We also play the body parts game, and we'll ask him where his nose, eyes, ears, mouth, head, hair, knees, toes, foot, tummy, butt, hands and fingers are, and he'll correctly point to each - then sometimes do the same on us!

Evan loves gadgets, just like his mom & dad. We had downloaded a few learning apps to the iPad, one of which was pretty cool. It's an interactive alphabet and Evan quickly got the hang of it, knowing what to press and how to go to the next screen. Also, to quell his temper tantrums, we downloaded a few movies onto the iPad for him... We created a monster with the iPad though. We have to hide it now. It was getting to the point that the first thing he'd do in the morning was go look for the iPad and demanded to play with it or watch a movie on it. It's now out of sight, out of mind.

As I mentioned earlier, he loves cars...and his favorite movie happens to be "Cars". Surprise, huh? If he's throwing a fit and we can't get him to chill out, we'll start that up. I'm afraid to admit I know practically every word to that movie now. He also loves "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2".

I've been trying to get Evan out and about more often, besides runs to the grocery store or the pet store, and to the park more often, and more socially stimulated. At first when I started taking him to the park, he was shy and didn't really know how to interact with other toddlers. But now, it still takes him some time to get warmed up, but soon though, he's up there in the action and making new friends.

Crazy how fast time does fly though. It's hard to believe in less than 6 short months, he'll be two years old.

Learning how to be a kid again

2011-09-10T09:46:00.005-05:00

It's amazing to me when I look back at Evan's pictures from when we first brought him home just a short 17 months ago and the boy he has grown into today. The worst part about Evan growing up is the snuggle time gets shorter by the day. The best part, though is watching him learn and watching him play.

When we grow up, start families, our careers, etc., it seems that life can suck the fun right out of you. Even worse, its like you forget how to be a kid and just have fun with whatever is in front of you. Evan is teaching me how to be goofy again. Whether it's jumping on the bed - which is his personal playground - or playing the "I'm gonna get you game" where we run up and down the hall, it's nice to come home from a long day of seriousness and, for a short amount of time before he goes to bed, be a kid again.

As adults, when else can you play with stuffed animals, throw the ball in the house, read Dr. Seuss or just squeal in delight, than when you are with a little toddler? It's a great atmosphere to come home to, which sounds crazy coming from me, knowing how I felt about the idea of having kids just a few years ago.

Evan's favorite thing now is doing a little dance that Brian and I call the "Evan Irish Jig." He just starts moving his feet up and down SO FAST and just howling with amusement of his own imagination. He also has discovered the phenomenon of dizziness. He'll spin around and then just crash into things. He loves it and finds it funny. I find him very funny and a fantastic dance party.

I recently put up one of those digital picture frames in my cube at work, filled with photos of Evan just being himself - from his first week until now. When I am having a long day, it reminds me of our goofy times together with Brian, and what I can look forward to when I get home. It's also a good reminder not to take myself so stinkin' seriously and just relax and have fun!

So Much To Say...

2011-08-04T12:48:00.007-05:00

Now that Dave Matthew's Band song will be stuck in my head the rest of the day...

Anyway, I can't believe it's almost been two months since either Linda or I have updated this poor neglected blog. Dunno if we still have any readers left! Lots and lots of things to share, I just dunno where to begin.

Let's see here, over the past two months - Evan got his first haircut; we transitioned him into a big boy bed and back again; we are house hunting; planning our cruise; and just working, working, working!

Life with Evan

It is crazy/fun - especially now that he's practically running and into everything! He is incredibly ornery. He's got a serious attachment to his toy ambulance that he got from his babysitter, Michelle & family. Most children have an attachment to a stuffed animal or blanket...but not Evan... If he knows his ambulance is nearby, he has to have it. He refused to take a nap the other day unless it was in his crib. He also screamed for it just the other day when I was trying to feed him lunch - I had to put it up on his tray so he would eat. It seriously rivals mine & Linda's addictions to our iPhones and iPads. (And you read that correctly, we now have "his & her's" iPads. I got Linda an iPad when they first came out for her 1st Mother's Day...she got me the iPad 2 for Father's Day this year!) He is definitely going to be a gadget geek, just like us. I dunno how he does it, but he has gotten his hands on my iPad on more than one occasion (when I thought it was out of reach) - and somehow looks at the pictures or starts iTunes on it. I dunno how he does it...it's got a passcode on it that you have to type in before you can look at anything! But his favorite iPad app is the Interactive ABC Flash Cards...he gets so excited and knows how to work the app. It's very cool!

1st Haircut

Evan got his first haircut last June. He was getting pretty shaggy, and was developing a baby-mullet. No child of ours will have a mullet. End of discussion. At the recommendation of a few friends, we took him to Sheer Madness in Olathe. They cut only kids' hair. They have cool barber seats made out of toy race cars, airplanes, etc. Evan did great, except when the stylist brought out the clippers to buzz around his neck line. It was amazing how much older he looked when he was done!

Big Boy Bed

Around mid-June, Evan somehow managed to climb out of his crib, and took a nose-dive to the floor. I had just gotten up and was fixing coffee...when it heard a loud "THUD!" and immediate screams from Evan. I ran in there and found him on the floor, luckily his large stuffed dog broke his fall and he wasn't injured. After some thought, we decided to see how he would do in a big boy bed. His crib is a lifetime crib that will convert from crib to day bed to a full sized bed, so I made the adjustments, bought him some "Toy Story" bedding and went from there. The first week he did great. The next week he was a monster. Refused to go to and stay in bed... He liked the freedom of just hopping out of bed and coming into the living room. We tried in vain almost every night for 2+ hours to get him to go to sleep. Once we did, he'd wake up in the middle of the night and roam out into the hallway. The next week, we put the crib back together, but had the mattress lowered to the day bed setting (all the way to the floor). He's gotten back on track with sleeping now. Thank God!

House Hunting

Linda & I have gotten the house hunting bug again. We are desperate to get out of the city, and get into a real house. We both have grown wary of city life. While our condo was great when it was just us and the dog - for a family, not so much. We've looked at several houses around the metro and in good school districts... A house that we can stay in for the next 15-20 years or more. Last week, we looked at three, a few nights ago we looked at four, last night we looked at four more, and tonight we are supposed to look at 5 or 6, possibly. It's exciting and depressing at the same time!

The Cruise

Dunno if I shared it or not, but I won a cruise last March through work... Linda & I have never been on a cruise before, and my luck finally paid off in a raffle they were holding at work. We booked a 7-day, 5-port western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean. We have ports in Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Caymen Islands; and Cozumel, Mexico. We leave next month! I'm counting down the days. This will also be the longest that I've ever been away from Evan since the day he was born. I dunno what I'm gonna do... Thankfully we have Skype and will be in touch to see how he is doing. But, we are gonna relax and enjoy ourselves. Linda has been working some long hours lately, and we both need a break to relax. We haven't explore too much on excursions, but I did talk Linda into going on the largest zipline while we are in Haiti. We are just gonna take things as they come... Another must see for us, at least that I really want to do, is the Mayan Ruins while we port in Cozumel.

I had to get my passport renewed since it expired in 2009. I procrastinated too long on it, and had to send it off with a rush to get it back to me in time. Linda's passport is still in her maiden name though...and I keep bugging her to get it changed.

Seems between both our work schedules, taking care of Evan, and all the other things that life throws at us, we keep steaming along! Hopefully it won't be another 2 months before we update again! At least I'll try and make a conscious effort to update more regularly!

The art of the fall

2011-06-05T21:04:00.002-05:00

Memorial day weekend was definitely memorable for many reasons, but for purposes of this post I'll keep with the subject referenced in the title. I fell for the first time - and hopefully the last time - with Evan in my arms.

It was Saturday morning and I was rushing around. Friday night when I put Evan to bed, I shut his drapes. Apparently, complete and total darkness helps ensure Evan sleeps until 7:30ish or later. He had been waking up at 6 am without fail for two weeks straight. This one little change changed the sleep pattern. Normally, Evan sleeping in is a good thing. It wasn't on Saturday. I needed to drive up to Excelsior and drop him off at my brother and sister-in-law's house, then head to Overland Park to get ready for a wedding, pick the bride up, make sure she was ready and make sure to get her to the place on time.

Evan slept in and we rushed. When I had him up, fed, dressed and myself showered, dressed and somewhat put together, I loaded up the car. Then I grabbed Evan and all of his stuff. His stuff accounted for a full diaper bag, a grocery bag full of some baby food and other snacky snacks and toys. I also had my purse and a newly filled travel mug filled with piping hot coffee.

I grabbed Evan and all of the remaining stuff and headed out the door. I dropped the keys, which meant I had to put Evan down, grab them, lock the door then scoop him back up and head out.

There are four steps from our back gate down to the driveway. I think I missed them all. Suddenly laying on the ground, my first thought - fear, actually - was that I just killed or severely injured Evan. Nope. He was sitting on me. Just looking around. Not crying. No blood. No broken bones. No third-degree burns from spilled coffee. Not a worry in the world.

Thank God!

I was not in as good of shape. I really don't know what happened or how, but here is my best guess.

Based on how I landed and the blood and bruises (through JEANS no less), my knees took the worst of the fall and then I twisted to the side so Evan landed on me, instead of me on Evan. I think I must have thrown my coffee mug during the fall because it was half-way down the parking lot. The tops of my feet - right where foot meets leg - must have slammed down on the corner of the last step because both are bruised to this day.

My left elbow hurt worse than anything. After my knees hit, I must have caught myself with my elbow. I was convinced it was broken when we first hit, but amazingly there isn't even a scratch on it. Weird. Maybe the diaper bag helped break my fall.

After I knew Evan was okay came the difficult task of getting up. I wasn't sure if I could. Like I said, my knees took the worst and I was certain my elbow was broken. I didn't know if I could stand. But, I composed myself and slowly got up, gathered everything up, and kept moving. Aside from some pretty nasty bruises and a skinned up knee, I didn't have any injuries that a good dose of Advil couldn't handle.

Fast forward two days to Monday. Brian and I were both off of work and the Royals were just starting a home stand. We thought it would be the perfect day to take him to his first baseball game - and it was. We bought tickets down the third base line to ensure we would be in the shade. Before heading to the game, we hit Rally House to get him his first KC baseball hat. We've mentioned several times before that baby boy has a HUGE HEAD. His head was far too big for baby/toddler hats and we had to go straight to the Youth-size hats. It was a litte big, but much better than the skull-crushing baby sizes.

We went to the game and Evan did great. He ate a whole hot dog, tried some nachos, got a ball from someone on the Angel's training staff (third base is the visitor's dugout) and a certificate stating that May 30 Evan became an official Royal's fan by attending his first baseball game. He also got his first scraped up knee. Brian took up to the fan area in the outfield to walk around since he was getting restless in the seats. He fell but didn't cry. Brian said he wasn't phased by it at all.

It was as close to the perfect day as anyone could ever have. That evening, Brian and I had so much just playing with Evan and watch him chase Truman around the living room. It was getting close to bed time when Evan started fake falling. He would dance around and then collapse to the ground. He thought this was really funny and his laughter was contagious... until he fake falled head-first into the coffee table.

That brought us back to reality. Brian and I raced over to him. Brian got him first. He had an instant HUGE bruise down the middle of his forehead where he caught the corner. He cried and cried, but we eventually got him calmed down and put to bed.

All my friends and family with boys said to get use to the bruises and scraped knees as there will be many. They are right.

Auntie Em, Auntie Em

2011-05-25T21:52:00.010-05:00

Downtown Kansas City - May 24, 2011

So, here we are in the middle of the month of May, and another springtime in Kansas City. Being in the Midwest, and growing up here, supercell thunderstorms and tornados are just a part of life.

When I was little, tornados and severe weather used to freak me out, like most children. But I came to embrace it as I got older. I love thunderstorms and tornados now, for the sheer power and energy contained in them...but I only love them when they do not hurt or kill anyone, or cause any property damage. A dream job of mine has always been to be a tornado and storm chaser. Seeing a tornado is like a rite of passage for those who are born and bred in the Midwest. I've had a few encounters with them, and they are something to behold. But nothing to play around with either.

However, with the recent tragedy last Sunday in Joplin, and the 125 persons (so far) that tornado claimed, it really puts things into perspective...especially since this hit sort of close to home (2+ hours driving to the south of Kansas City). This isn't the first EF5 tornado to strike, and it won't be the last, and it being "the deadliest tornado in US history," it has made me stop and pay attention a bit more.

Before Evan, when tornado sirens were sounded, I did one of two things. I either ignored them completely, or I went outside to see if I could see anything. I think I can count on one hand how many times in my life I've had to seek shelter...and all that was from my childhood when the tornados were too close for my parents' comfort.

Today, though, I was home alone with Evan. Linda was at work and the news cut into programming with a tornado warning for a county south of us. I called my dad to let him know, since it affected where he was...then called and texted Linda since she works near there. She had already evacuated to a stairwell in her office complex. Then the sirens sounded here at home.

I don't get worked up and go into a panic when things like this happen, but with the stories coming from Joplin rolling through my mind, mainly about the heartbreaking story of the 16 month old child (just a few months older than Evan) that was sucked from his mother's grip in Joplin last Sunday when the tornado struck their house...I couldn't help that my heart started to race. I had just laid Evan down for a nap. I paced back and forth, went outside to observe, and debated about going downstairs to our basement.

Linda text me that they were waiting the storm out and a tornado was spotted on the ground about 2 miles from where she was. She then sent a text immediately following that one that I should probably go to the basement with Evan, if I wasn't already there. Evan had been napping for about 10 minutes, and I went to grab him, gathered Truman, and headed downstairs.

Our condo is about 80 years old, with a dark, dingy, dirty, smelly stone basement that reeks of mildew. I was not gonna let Evan down and toddle around on the gross floor, so I held him for the entire time until the storm passed...which was a good 45 minutes. While down there, I started looking around at this basement for a game plan for worst case scenario, running through all possible outcomes. There would be no way we could be all that safe in this old building. It's all made of and has the original brick and mortar... The basement leaks and has glass windows near the ceiling. There is no interior room to take cover in. How would I protect Evan and Truman and myself if our building took a direct hit? There really wasn't a good place for us to hide. Tonight, Linda & I decided that our new place of refuge will be our interior hall coat closet...

Thankfully, we didn't have to worry about that, and I scoured facebook on my phone for updates since we don't have a weather radio. The sirens went off, re-sounded, and went off again for almost an hour...and by the time the all clear was given, my humerus felt as if it was gonna detach from my scapula...holding a chunk-and-a-half of a boy for that long will do it to you.

As I've stated before in prior posts, having a baby really changes everything. If we never had Evan, I would not have even given a thought about going to the basement. But I've got this innocent life I have to protect now, and I will do whatever I can to make sure he's safe, even if I die doing it.

Tomorrow I'm going to scour the city for a weather radio. It's time to buy one, especially with how this tornado season is going...

Happy Mother's Day...to me?

2011-05-10T11:33:00.008-05:00

So this post is a little bit late... I wish I was able to spend this past Mother's Day with Linda and Evan, but unfortunately I had to work a 13 hour shift Sunday... Linda got her Mother's Day gifts a bit early from Evan & me...and Linda & I celebrated with a date-night Saturday with dinner & a movie.

It was somewhat amusing when I came into work last Sunday and was greeted by one coworker wishing me a Happy Mother's Day. I chuckled at the thought, knowing they refer to me as "Mr. Mom". Then a second coworker wished me the same thing a few hours later. Then at the end of my shift, a third coworker told me that she wished I had a great Mother's Day. By this point, it was a little annoying... I know they mean well, but I had no desire to steal Linda's thunder. She is Evan's mom. I am his dad. She loves him the way a mother loves her son. She wipes his tears, his butt, his nose, his mouth; she loves and nurtures him; she gave him life for Pete's sake! She pushed his 9 lbs 3 oz, 21 inch body and 12 inches round head out of somewhere I can't even imagine...all in 20 minutes and in 3 pushes. She deserves her Mother's Day wishes...not me!

During Evan's first year of life, it was impossible for us as a couple to get out and enjoy ourselves. I've come to find out this is necessity for new parents. We have promised each other that at least once a month, Linda & I will find a sitter and get out for a date-night. Last Saturday was our date night, and a Mother's Day celebration for Linda. We had gift certificates for dinner and a movie, so ate at On The Border and went to see "Water For Elephants". Good dinner, good movie (if you hadn't read the book recently like me - of course the book is much, much better)...it was nice to get out as just us.

Friday as I was out picking up groceries and waiting for an oil change at Walmart, Evan & I meandered around the store... We passed the floral area, and Evan pointed to some roses and exclaimed "Ga! Ga! Ga!" I took that to mean, "Momma needs those for Mother's Day!" I picked up a photo frame collage for Linda to take to work and a couple cards.

I do hope Linda had a good Mother's Day, even though we hardly got to spend the actual day together. I hope she knows how much she means to me and what an awesome mom she is to Evan.

A Glimpse Into Being a Single Father

2011-05-04T07:29:00.010-05:00

Linda left for a business trip to Colorado Springs and Denver this past Sunday...and she will return later this evening. This isn't her first business trip since Evan was born, but it's definitely the longest in more ways than one.

Since I'm pretty much a stay-at-home-dad, and have been since Linda went back from maternity leave last June, I really had no uneasy feelings about her being gone for so long. I am really Evan's primary caregiver, and have dealt with a variety of things with him. Since last June, I've arranged my schedule with work to be able to stay home with him most weekdays, Monday-Friday, from the time he wakes up to about an hour before he goes to bed, which is when Linda usually gets home from work. This works out great, because I am able to break away and get a moment to myself...however I'm usually making dinner while Linda plays with Evan and gets some time with him on her own. He only stays with a sitter a few hours, if need be, if I'm unable to trade off a day. I never thought these past three days would be so trying.

Sunday, after I got off a 15 hour shift, I went to pick up Evan from his Aunt Noreen's since I was working late and Linda's flight was in the evening. By the time we got home, it was 10:00pm, and I didn't have any problems getting him to bed. Even though I was exhausted, I got the breaking news alert from CNN about Osama Bin Laden's death, and stayed up to watch President Obama address the nation, and watch the media coverage...I didn't actually turn off the TV til about midnight. I was up close to 20 hours.

Monday morning, I was too drained to do anything, and hoped Evan would be good for me so I could have a lazy day. He slept til 7:30. He was a bit fussy during the morning, but cheered up later in the afternoon. This worked out perfect for me, and we just had a movie day.

Yesterday, Tuesday, was a completely different story. Evan woke up, screaming (as usual), at 7:15. Normally, after we get him up and change his diaper, we'll let him play in his room by himself for maybe 30-45 minutes while we listen over the baby monitor, while we get things going for the day (e.g. get Truman up, let out and fed; make coffee; go pee; maybe a shower). He usually plays happily with his toys and will let us know when he's ready for us to get him. He didn't want any of this yesterday.

He was in one of those moods where he wasn't happy playing by himself, he wasn't happy with me holding him, he wasn't happy playing in the living room, didn't want to snuggle, didn't want to be read to, didn't want to eat...nothing. He screamed all day, and nothing I did appeased him.

His favorite foods right now are anything that is smothered in peanut butter, or ketchup; bananas or chicken nuggets. I made him a waffle and laid the peanut butter on thick and had a banana for him to eat. Didn't want it. Only wanted to throw it over the side of his highchair. He has been known to gobble a whole waffle down in no time flat.

I tried everything. Since his molars are erupting, I figured he was in some discomfort with those, and gave him a dose of Advil. Usually that sets in and within 30 minutes, he's a happy camper. Nope, didn't work. He was also farting up a storm yesterday, so I tried some Mylicon. Didn't work either. He was just pissed off at the world. Anytime I tried to leave the room to get something on my list of chores done, the moment I would leave his sight, he would break out into a tantrum.

Thinking he was tired, I laid him down for a nap. I had a huge list of things I had/needed to get done around the house (none of which I actually got accomplished, except the dishes). I think he heard me clattering around in the kitchen loading the dishwasher, and only napped for about 30 minutes. I started counting down the minutes until I put him to bed for the night...at noon...still 8 long hours to go before bedtime.

The rest of the day was spent with me trying my darnedest to make him happy with no luck. He didn't want to be read to, didn't want to play, didn't want to eat. Lunch time I gave him chicken nuggets...which promptly ended up on the floor for Truman to scavenge for...

Linda & I tried to FaceTime with each other around the time of his second nap. We had to cut our conversation short due to Evan being a grump. Since it was later in the afternoon, I didn't want him to sleep too long. I dozed with him on the couch for about 45 minutes. I should have let him sleep a bit more, but since I was counting down the minutes to 8 o'clock, I woke him up after about an hour. And talk about the wrath of Evan! He screamed, fussed, cried, fought...I'm sure he cussed me out, if I could only understand baby babble.

Exhausted and hungry, I finally fixed a frozen pizza for myself at about 7:30. And go figure...as soon as 7:30 rolled around last night, he was a happy camper...and demanded bites of my pizza. He ate maybe a third of my slice (with the onions, pepperoni, sausage, and peppers picked off). He then played happily in the living room, toddling all over the house, laughing and in a great mood. I stretched him out 45 minutes past his usual bedtime and he went to sleep with no problem. After Evan was sleeping peacefully, I searched in vain for an adult beverage. I took inventory of our liquor cabinet - two bottles of vodka, two bottles of rum, two bottles of scotch, a bottle of whisky, half a bottle of Cointreau, an unopened 4 year old bottle of Jägermeister, an even older opened bottle of port wine, a half gone bottle of Margarita mix, no red wine, a half drank bottle of some gross white wine in the fridge...then finally I scored! One lonely bottle of Bud Light in the back of the fridge. I promptly popped the cap off and guzzled it down. I think I deserved it!

The only good thing about yesterday was that Evan gave me his first kiss! He leaned toward me and puckered up just a bit... So, I guess that should make up for the cantankerous attitude I had to manage with yesterday.

This morning he woke up screaming at 5:45. I'm pretty sure he was trained to scream by Jamie Lee Curtis. I'm not exactly sure what to make of this screaming. He sleeps through the night, but every morning for the past 2 or 3 months, when he wakes in the morning, he SCREAMS. There's no rousing. Just one minute sleeping peacefully, the next minute screaming like someone's murdering him. Some of my friends have suggested that maybe he has night terrors. But he doesn't wake up in the middle of the night like this...it's been a long time since we've had to get up with him in the middle of the night. I don't know what to make of it. Linda & I used to rush into his room to calm him down. Now we are taking a different approach. Let him scream it out for 5-10 minutes and see if he goes back to sleep. If after 5 or 10 minutes, if he's still screaming, we'll go in to comfort him. This morning, he screamed for 7 minutes and fell back to sleep for another hour.

However, I didn't. I laid in bed for 20 minutes, trying in vain to catch a few more minutes of sleep...but was wide awake. Wouldn't you be after being startled awake by that?

So far this morning, he's playing happily in his room. I am counting down the minutes until Linda's plane lands. These past few days of being a single dad have been exhausting and draining. Just when I thought I could handle it, Evan had to prove me wrong. I did handle it...well...I dealt with it.

Linda's got another business trip in two weeks to New York. Then another one the week after to Houston. Thankfully, those are just overnight trips, there and back.

My props go out to all the single parents out there that have to handle days like these all the time with no help...I really don't know how you all do it by yourself!

13 months (almost)

2011-05-01T08:08:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite sports writers wrote a column, celebrating day 2 of the baseball season. In it, he said no one goes all crazy for Day 2 like they do for opening day. I guess the same could be said for hitting the almost 13-month milestone for your son or daughter. 13 months is just a day on the calendar and not one that is circled. There are no parties for 13 months - and most parents stop taking the monthly photo after 12. So, in Joe Posnanski's spirit this post celebrates the almost 13 month age of Evan.

I had grand plans to write a whole year-in-review, commemorating E's first birthday. Then life and a really ridiculous schedule got in the way. Today, I am preparing for my fourth or fifth work trip out of town since Evan was born, and the 1st of what will be three in May, and four in the next 10 weeks. I'm not complaining. All of the trips represent great opportunities for meeting personal and team goals this year. This Q2 schedule is just a bit frantic. On the plus side, 3 of the next four trips are in places where I have some friends from college, so we will likely get to have some brief reunions, which are always fun!

Yesterday, I was watching Evan and suddenly realized he's not a baby anymore. He's a toddler/little boy. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? He's much more independent and walking very well. He understands words, but doesn't really say them yet, except "KEEEY" for Frank the Cat. His Aunt Nor Nor bought him an inflatable penguin for Christmas. It has a heavy base, so its like one of those punching bags that always pops back up. He was afraid of it at first and now loves it! When we are in his room, I'll ask, "Evan, where's your penguin?" and he will go straight over to it, grab it and start playing with it.

Evan wants to feed himself most of the time now and has developed a love for peanut butter and ketchup (not together, but he prefers one of these items be on the food you are giving him). This is all Brian here. I am not a ketchup fan, and the only time I have a hankering for peanut butter is when I want a Reese's cup.

The boy is a climber and his parents and the world are his jungle gym. But I guess if we are going to celebrate being a boy and not a baby, this is the best part. Playing is so much FUN! You never know what he is going to find hysterical from one day to the next. Pillow fights are the thing right now. I'll gently go "boom boom boom" with one of the couch pillows to his tummy and you'd think, by the way he laughs, I was a professional comedienne.

The worst part about him being a little boy now and not a baby is the fact that he is a little boy now. He's fearless - and tough. Much tougher than myself. I have about 7 different heart attacks a day watching him take off across the living room and fall. I've learned that I can't leap the entire length of the condo in a single bound to catch him. I've done that and it hurts. I've also learned that I don't need to catch him. He falls down about once every 3 minutes. All we need to do is steer him away from potential head traumas and let him figure out the rest. And don't react when he does fall. If you say "ooh, or eww!" he will cry. Say nothing and he sits back up 99% of the time and continues on like nothing happened.

As a little boy, he's also hell bent on terrorizing the pets. He grabbed a hold of Truman's ear yesterday and wouldn't let go. I had stepped out of the room to go switch out laundry and when I came back in, Truman was sitting beside Evan with a very distraught expression. Then I saw Evan's fist CLINCHING the poor dog's ear. Evan chases Frank under the dining room table and belly flops on him or grabs his tail (something Truman doesn't have). To Frank's credit, he's only scratched him once or twice and that was when E was trying to pull his tail off of his backside. We keep correcting him and hopefully he will learn how to be nice to the doggie and kitty.

Evan is figuring things out. When we went over to Nana Vada and Papa Tim's house after his first birthday party, he grabbed the remote (batteries removed) and pointed it at the TV. He was very upset when nothing happened. He's reaching for door knobs now and trying to turn and open them up. He's fascinated by lights and clocks. He can now climb onto the airplane toy Aunt Bridgett and Uncle Mark got him for his birthday and scoot it across the room. He's even in a big(ger) boy car seat now, having outgrown his infant seat.

So here's to my almost 13-month-old boy! 13 months is, indeed, a milestone. 13 months means not only have we survived and thrived through the first year, we are officially into the whole day-to-day life of parents.

While I may be a bit biased, I'm still quite certain he's among the cutest little boys on the planet. Proof is posted below. :)

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"Gogan"

2011-04-25T15:31:00.005-05:00

That seems to be Evan's favorite jibber-jabber word. He points to the light on the ceiling. "Gogan!" He points to Truman. "Gogan!" He points to the liquor bottles on top of the curio cabinet. "Gogan!" At first, I thought he was trying to say "doggie", but apparently everything is a "Gogan!" Except the cat. When he sees the cat, he points and exclaims, "Keee! Keee!" I'm assuming that's his way of saying "kitty".

I worried about his speech development, because he never really busted out the "mama" and "dada" words, and he just would babble, but never formed any words. We read to him everyday, almost everyday, and when he plays and points to things, we tell him what they are. He did say a string of "dadadadadadada..." months ago, but I never really counted that as a word, used in the proper context (technicalities, I know). So, I guess "Keee!" is Evan's first word used in the proper context. I'm sure it's only a matter of time and then we won't be able to get him to shut up! And I really need to clean up my language around him. I'd hate for him to be at some family gathering and bust out a string of cuss words that I'll occasionally let slip with him around.

Evan's Birthday Week

2011-04-11T07:12:00.005-05:00

Evan had a good 1st birthday! We celebrated a week ago yesterday with several family and friends, then had his own birthday celebration here at home and at Poppie & Gramma Shirley's on his actual birthday! Hard to believe this little guy is already a year old. This past year has been one of the most exciting, uplifting, emotional, stressful and happiest of my life. It has gone by so fast, yet in the same aspect it feels like it has been the longest year of my life! I've learned a lot. A lot about parenthood, babies, myself, patience, and childrearing.

Two years ago, I had no idea how to change a diaper. I had no idea how to bathe or dress a baby. Two years ago, I had no idea if a baby was constipated just by seeing the poop in his diaper. Not that long ago, our condo looked like just a married couple lived in it; the latest Sports Illustrated, People magazine and iPhones on the coffee table, our shelving unit under the TV had pictures, books and DVDs, all the electrical outlets didn't have plastic covers over them, our condo was free flowing and didn't have baby gates or other items to hurdle that blocked access from certain rooms, we had a guest room... Certain items we had before have not survived this past year. The Irish green hand-blown vase Linda bought years ago, from Sheehan's, that used to adorn the dining room was the first to go... Then the stained lead glass fireplace screen was next. All that has changed now. Instead of magazines on the coffee table, it's stacked with kids books - "Green Eggs & Ham", "The Cat in the Hat", "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", "Zoo Picnic", "Goodnight Moon". The shelf beneath the TV is empty...the cable box, DVD player, WiFi, and Apple TV have all been moved to the fireplace mantel. The pictures and other decor have been moved up to higher ground too. All the electrical outlets have been covered with plastic protectors to keep little fingers and toys away. Our guest room/office has disappeared...now cluttered with more toys and stuffed animals. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Below are some of my favorite pictures from this past weeks celebration in Evan's honor:

What Happened?

2011-03-25T12:45:00.010-05:00

And so the temper tantrums begin... I had no idea that an almost one year old could throw a temper tantrum, but they have begun for Evan. I thought those came with the "terrible twos", giving us a whole 'nother year to prepare.

Evan has always been a bit on the high-maintenance side of things...but this past week has been a challenge. This morning he had a meltdown because he ran out of snacks in his snacky-cup...and was quick to inform me (in grunts, screams, moans, cries, and flailing appendages...) that he was out. If I didn't know any better, I really think he was cussing me out... He's been sick...had him at the doctors a few days ago...and I think he may be cutting his molars. I dunno.

He's been very defiant also. He hates going into his high-chair. He hates eating. We've been trying to introduce big boy food - food we eat - but he fights us on it. He doesn't care to self-feed, although we are trying to encourage it, and would much rather throw his food over the side of his high-chair and watch Truman or Frank scramble to get it. It's frustrating...

We let him roam around and explore the living room and dining room on his own. He knows what "no" means, at least I think he does...but when we tell him no when he goes near things he's not allowed to touch or be near (the TV, curio cabinet, lead-stained glass fireplace screen, carbon monoxide tester, Truman and Frank's food bowls, the computer desk, power cords, etc)...and try to distract him with his toys or books...he fights. When we pick him up and try to play with him, he makes a beeline right back to what it was we told him not to play with.

The past couple days, he's been in that mood where he's not happy doing anything. He'll crawl over to me and it seems he wants to be held. So I'll hold him...but then he'll scream and fight. When I put him down, he'll cry and fuss because I put him down. When I try to play or read to him...it's hit and miss.

For the past couple months, Linda has been carrying a heavy work load, working 10-12 hour days. Half the time, I feel like a single father because of Linda's work demands. I feel bad, once she comes home from work, I pretty much pass Evan off to her, not really giving her a chance to take off her jacket or sit down. I really do not know how single parents do it. Don't get me wrong, I love and cherish every moment I have with Evan...just some moments are more challenging than others. This past year is proof that time really does fly by... It only seems like yesterday when we got that positive pregnancy test result - and that was over a year-and-a-half ago!

I'm hoping this is just a phase and his grumpiness will pass. I know it will...but sooner, rather than later.

On a positive note...Linda & I will be taking a cruise this fall, hopefully around our anniversary! I won a cruise through a raffle at work. We are exploring our options...neither one of us have been on a cruise before. We've got our eye on a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise - with stops in CocoCay, Bahamas, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and Philipsburg, St. Maarten. (I'm trying to talk Linda into upgrading to a stateroom with a balcony...) I think we both deserve a much needed, relaxing break! Evan will probably be staying with his Nena and Poppa Gene, or maybe an aunt or uncle, for that week. We still have to iron out those details, amongst other things.

This Past Month

2011-03-15T08:31:00.003-05:00

Geez, it's been over a month since either one of us blogged. It really is tough to get a post typed out without interruption when we are chasing around a very active 11 month old boy. But here's a quick update since Evan is still sleeping. (Daylight Savings has thrown him off kilter with his sleeping schedule...)

We have a walker now! Evan took his first steps the day after Valentine's Day. I'm so glad that Linda was home to see him take his first steps. I worried about that since I'm the one home with him most of the time and Linda has been working some crazy long hours at work. I think Evan was saving this momentous occasion for when both of us were home. But yeah, he took his first steps from the coffee table to the couch in that little drunk man fashion. Since then he's been getting really great at this whole walking business and steadying his balance. Pretty soon he's gonna be running, I'm sure!

I would love to brag that his eating is getting better...but it's not. We've tried to introduce him to self-feeding, but it's more of a novelty to him. He does great with snacking on the Gerber Graduates Lil Crunchies, or very small pieces of fruit... But when it comes to meal time and getting what he needs for nutrition...he'd rather throw it on the floor and watch Truman or Frank rush to gobble it up. I'm so nervous though when he does eat regular food...afraid he's gonna choke. I hover over him like a hawk, ready to yank him out and perform the Heimlich...although I've never taken a course on how to properly perform that maneuver. Evan's pediatrician gave me a crash course on how to administer that though...

We are in the process of planning Evan's first birthday party. Hard to believe it's a few short weeks away. We are gonna go with a Dr. Seuss themed party. Can't wait, but I had no idea planning this would be so much work! Also have his 1st birthday photography session scheduled too!

That's about it in a nutshell. It's just difficult to get these plunked out when we are chasing him around the house. He's into everything. Wants to play with everything he's not supposed to... By the time I get a quiet moment when he's napping or down for the night, my brain is too fried to put together a coherent sentence. I will try to do better!

A note from Truman

2011-02-13T10:03:00.009-06:00

Being the dog of the house isn't easy these days. When the "visitor" first arrived, he just stayed in Mom or Dad's lap. He'd make noise, then would go to sleep.

He seemed sweet enough. We would all lay on the couch - my couch - like one big happy pack. And as long as I didn't try to give him a bath, we were all cool.

Then the little guy started getting grabby. He grabs my ears. My face and tries to grab my really short hair and pull. For a little guy he has quite a grip!

Now, he's moving around. He bugs me when I'm napping on the couch. He bugs me when I'm napping on the floor. All the time! He tries to smack me with his toys. And what's worse, he even tries to steal my bone. Mom and Dad are so strict with me when it comes to his toys, but they let him grab my bone all the time! How's that fair? At least they take it away from him when I want it or when he tries to chew on it.

The video below shows how he pesters me. I just want to sleep and he's trying to smack me with one of his toys. Mom tells him to "be nice." I wonder if she thought it was nice when he got her with that toy, too?

I've even had my collar taken away. I've been naked for the past 4 months! Yesterday, Mom put it on me to go for a walk around the neighborhood. We haven't done that in a long time. Mom and Dad said something about it being too cold. I don't know what cold means, but it's been terrible outside. There are huge piles of cold, white stuff blocking all of my favorite pee spots. Plus, I shake like crazy out there. I can barely feel my paws when I come in. Anyway, yesterday on the walk, the white stuff was everywhere. Mom kept griping about having to pick up the rolling thing the little person was in and carry it over all the white stuff.

When we got home, I was tired and Mom left my collar on me... until the little person started grabbing it and pulling it. I was good. I didn't knock him over like I wanted to. I tried to pull away, but his grip is SO STRONG! So, Mom pulled my collar off and put it away. Who knows when I'll get to wear it again?

He bugs my buddy, Frankie, too. He grabs his tail, pulls pawfulls of fur and even grabbed his whiskers once! Mom and Dad are pretty quick to make him stop, but I can't believe Frankie hasn't swatted him with his sharp claws. He's the biggest grump in the whole pack and even he gives him a free pass. If I try to play with him, he smacks me. Again, I don't know why this little person gets special treatment, but he seems to be pretty cute. And, when he isn't bugging me, or stealing my stuff, he's not so bad. I guess he isn't a visitor, but the newest member of our pack. That means, I'm going to have to put up with him.

Observations on Baby Poop

2011-02-13T09:52:00.005-06:00

Based on our own experience, as well as the inputs of several friends and family, new parents are hyper aware of everything. When Evan came home from the hospital, he came with a chart to record the number of times he peed and pooped. We diligently filled out this chart for the first few weeks, and have been keeping tabs ever since.

Perhaps one of the nicest things Mother Nature does for new parents is easing us into the messy diaper process. Newborn "stools" don't really smell and really aren't anything significant. But as you ease your baby into new foods, you start seeing first-hand the results. And, as your baby progresses into more complex foods, their diapers equally go up the hazardous waste charts.

You go from, "Oh, this isn't a bad one," to "Note-to-self-NEVER-feed-THAT-to-him-again." (See Brian's post "Prunes = YUCK!")

You also learn what to expect for the day based on what you uncover in that first morning diaper. Today, for instance, Evan had what Brian and I call "the pancake poop" in his diaper this morning when I got him up. This is a very easy diaper to clean up, but usually a warning sign of what is to come later.

Sure enough, later this morning, after E took his morning bottle, I smelled something pretty funky. I scooped him up and took him into his room and it was the dreaded "diaper-full-thank-God-in-Heaven-this-didn't-leak-out" poop. And I knew it was going to be like that when I picked him up.

The Worrisome Father

2011-02-10T11:03:00.005-06:00

Those who know me, and as I've written before in past blog entries, know that I worry constantly. I can't help it. It's just part of the fiber that is my being. It's almost a disease in and of itself. I promised myself when Evan was born that I wouldn't unnecessarily worry about the things Evan does. Nor would I call the doctor at every little cough or sneeze. And, for the most part, I think I've done good at sticking to my promise. In the back of my mind, I always have these fears and thoughts that I try to keep at bay...things like cancer, autism, Asperger's, SIDS, etc. I try to not let it consume my thoughts, but sometimes I will observe certain things that Evan does that makes those worries surface.

For instance, last night, Evan did something he's never done before...an unusual behavior for him that he's never done before. Something so innocent and probably means nothing, but I couldn't help but worry about it. I recorded this video this morning... See for yourself:

He paced back and forth, from the carpet in the dining room, to the coffee table in the living room... He did the same exact thing last night. Did about 20 laps, then got pissed off when I picked him up and tried to direct his attention elsewhere. While to most veteran parents this may be nothing to worry about...I couldn't help myself. I mentioned it to Linda last night after Evan had gone to bed. She didn't seem too concerned by it, and explained that it was probably some new game he had discovered and a way to keep himself awake. This morning, when he did this again, I almost instantly Googled autism. Then OCD. While this certain behavior doesn't necessarily fit into those symptoms, I texted Linda this video. She responded back, "Call the doctor." Using her reaction as a basis of whether or not I should panic, I asked her if she was concerned too. She responded back, "Just call and ask." So I did.

Evan's pediatrician's nurse then called back a few minutes later...and I explained it. She reassured me that Evan was probably just exploring more and found something that kept him entertained. I explained to her that I worry, sometimes for no good reason, and the thought of autism popped in my head. She asked me if Evan makes eye contact? Yes. Does Evan snuggle? Yes, if he's in the right mood. Questions I found online also do not mirror an autism diagnosis - Does Evan know his name and responds? Yes, for the most part. Does he smile and laugh? Yes. Does Evan express his emotions (happiness, joy, wonder, frustration, anger)? Yes. Does Evan reach out to be picked up? Yes. Evan had his 9 month well-check appointment a few weeks ago, and his pediatrician was pleased with his development (as he has always been), and Evan seems to be reaching all the milestones on time. In fact, Evan is standing on his own now and probably will be walking soon.

I know I'm weird to worry about this, but this behavior seemed to be a bit neurotic to me. Is it normal? While I felt a bit better after talking to the nurse, the thoughts still linger in the back of my mind. It's just I want Evan to have the best chance at life...and I can't help but watch over him like a hawk. However, I'm not the type to sneak into his room at night and check to make sure he's breathing, or jump at every peep he makes when he's sleeping. But it doesn't help that I'm suffering a bit from cabin-fever (it's been another brutally cold, crappy and snowy winter here in Kansas City...) I don't want to be that parent that hovers over their child, I just want to be sure to protect him. I know there's nothing I can do if he were to develop any of these horrible afflictions kids sometimes get. I just pray we don't have to deal with these things.

Quiet time

2011-01-22T07:23:00.005-06:00

7 am on a Saturday morning. Before Evan, I'd still be laying in bed asleep or just starting to wake up and listening to Truman snore away. Today, I'm on my second cup of coffee listening to Evan start to rouse through the monitor. He usually wakes up happy and I love listening to him "sing" in the monitor as he thinks about getting up for the day and plays with his Elmo and Cookie Monster toys.

I really enjoy this time. I turn on the TV, complete the daily Sudoku challenge (finished in the top 50 today!) and read the morning headlines. Working full time and then being the "stay-at-home-Mom" on the weekend makes me appreciate and cherish quiet time to myself. During the week, the commute to and from when I can listen to whatever music suits my mood or just be alone in my thoughts is entirely too short some days. I admit, sometimes I will take a longer route home just to make sure I clear my head, sing along with a couple of songs from the Glee soundtrack, pretending I am a good enough singer to be on the cast. It's amazingly therapeutic.

Like it is for most people, life in the Corporate world can be frustrating and stressful. Many of my colleagues joked this week that we got "1/2 days" because we left at 5 or 5:30 due to some pretty impressive snow showers. Quiet time helps me get over my frustrations and stress so I can leave them at the office and not bring them home. I don't get to spend nearly as much time with Brian and E as I'd like to, so I do my best to not taint that time by bringing the office home with me.

But little boy is calling now at 7:30. He wants to eat and start his day. After my little bit of quiet time, I'm ready to start it, too!

Papa Bear Instinct

2011-01-16T04:22:00.004-06:00

You know, it's funny being pretty much a stay-at-home dad. I love being able to take care of Evan. I love the bond that has developed between him and I. I love being able to show him new things and teach him about the world. I'm especially excited about this coming summer...since he'll be a bit more sturdy to travel and should be ready to venture out of the house and we can explore.

I've got a job that allows me to arrange my schedule and lets me have this time with Evan. Linda, on the other hand, works in the corporate world and has the usual 8a-5p Monday through Friday job. It only made sense for me to stay at home with Evan once Linda went back to work after maternity leave. It's funny though...lots of my friends and coworkers shower me with praise for being a stay-at-home dad. I'm not doing anything spectacular...if the shoe was on the other foot, would they shower Linda with the praise I get? I know it's still a rarity for the dad to be the primary caregiver, but this trend is growing...

Recently I discovered an area stay-at-home dads group that gets together twice a week for play dates, and every month, they have a "dads night out" which is where we leave the kids at home with the wives and just the dads meet up for drinks, movies or whatever. I'm excited about this group, that has about 70 total members, and it gives me the chance to get out of the house and Evan around other kids...helping both of us socialize. It looks pretty cool...every Wednesday they meet over at a group member's house during the late morning to afternoon. Then every Friday they have, what they call "Adventure Fridays", which is an outing of some kind...whether to just the park or museum, or to a civil war battlefield or the zoo, or whatever. I contacted KCDADs organizer, Mick, last week and he invited me out to Fun Run last Friday.

I dunno why or when it started, but when I'm thrown out of my comfort zone and meeting new people, I get nervous and a bit anxious. I never used to be socially retarded, but over the past few years, I developed this weird uncomfortableness or awkwardness around new people. I hate it...but figured I'd overcome my insecurities and try this group out.

Evan & I show up and quickly meet up with Mick. There's about six or so other dads there with their little ones...ranging in ages from 3 months to about 4 or 5 years old. Everyone seemed to be really nice and welcoming. Mick gave me the overview about the group...and another fellow dad, Shannon, invited me out for the upcoming Dads Night Out next week. I'm still rolling around in my head if I should go or not.

Another fellow dad (I've forgotten his name) warned me that his son, who is about 2 or 3 years old, is the most difficult one of the entire group. He explained that his son has always been difficult since he was a baby...but he seemed to be doing okay that day. Evan seemed to love the interaction with the other kids and Fun Run. They had an area designated for 3 and under with large colorful toys and other cool stuff. Evan was fascinated by this one large wheel thing that had balls inside. However, he encountered his first "bully" (if a child that age can really be a bully?)...the aforementioned child. He was on the other side of this large wheel, playing with the paddle that hits the balls around. He saw Evan staring in wonder at all the bright cool colors...and apparently he didn't like that. He stormed around the corner, covered Evan's eyes with his hands and yanked Evan backwards and hit him on his head. It happened so fast, and I was right there with Evan the whole time... I snatched Evan up and the other kid's dad came over and scolded him for it. He asked if he knew why he got into trouble and made his son apologize to Evan. It then happened again, Evan was still playing, and he got mad that Evan was still there, and came back around and tried to hit Evan on the head again. His dad was there and stopped him before it happened.

Right before we left, Evan was playing with some other large toy that had cylindrical spinning blocks with letters. The same kid was still playing with the large wheel nearby. He glanced over at Evan and me...and came over and got in the way of Evan playing and pushing him out of the way. That's when my papa bear instinct came out. I told him to stop, and that he could play and share, but Evan was there first and not to ever touch or hit Evan again. He stopped and went back to playing with another toy. My blood was about to boil.

I hope that this child isn't gonna be a problem for Evan. His dad knows that he has issues, and is working on correcting them. I just hope for my sanity and Evan, this kid stops what he's doing. This isn't gonna stop me from going to future playgroups...

But in all, I think this group will be a good thing for the both of us...and I look forward to what's in store!

Gonna Have To Suck It Up

2011-01-11T09:40:00.005-06:00

Anyone who knows me, knows my disgust and the pure hatred I hold for winter, cold weather and, more than anything, snow and ice. Over the course of the past couple days, the Kansas City area got 4.8 inches of snow. While this isn't the snowpocalypse the media makes it out to be, it still pisses me off. It isn't anything like the Christmas Blizzard of 2009 (when Linda was pregnant with Evan), when we got 9 inches of the white shit Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. Yes, it's winter. Yes, it's January. Yes, it's Missouri... I can't change it, but I can't help but be annoyed by it. I grew up here, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. But...that is gonna have to change, I know, for the sake of Evan. I figure this winter is my last winter that I have to piss and moan about it. Now that the snow is gone, we have to deal with bitterly frigid temperatures and wind chills. Today, the wind chill is supposed to be -10°F. Blegh.

View from our front porch this morning

Growing up, though, it didn't bother me. But working in the travel industry as I do, and have for the past almost 13 years has really made me see how much snow and ice is a pain in the ass...and really screws up things. Once November hits, I wish we could hibernate...or better yet just spend the winters in Caribbean or Hawaii.

As a kid though, I loved playing in the snow. It's always more fun as a kid. Get the day off school, hang out with your friends, go sledding, build snowmen, snowball fights, hot chocolate, watch movies... Even though when Evan gets old enough, I'm gonna suck it up and not show my pure loathing of this crap to Evan. He deserves to have fun like I did when I was a kid... But, Linda will hear all about it. I'll have to vent to someone.

Busy Busy!

2011-01-05T13:15:00.003-06:00

It's been a busy past couple months and I'm glad Linda updated any readers we have, or may have left. This poor blog has been neglected too long. When we aren't busy, I just have no energy to post anything. Most days I'm chasing this very curious 8 month old boy around the house...seems he wants to get into everything he's not supposed to...

It's been a busy past couple months with all the running around, holidays and top that off with several doctors appointments both for Evan and for us. He got a cold right before Thanksgiving, then again right after Christmas that turned into a respiratory infection. He's still getting over that. I had taken him into see the doctor New Year's Eve and saw another doctor in our pediatrician's practice. He was concerned with his "barking" cough. He didn't exactly diagnose him with croup, but only said it sounded "croupy". He put him on prednisolone to help him kick the cough. It's sounded much better over the past couple days.

On top of Evan's sicknesses, Linda & I have both battled crap. I came down with strep throat last week...I hadn't had strep since I was in maybe middle school! Linda came down with tonsillitis then right after I got over strep. I'm hoping all this crap passes soon!

All in all, though, Evan had a great first Christmas! I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for us. Happy New Year to all of you! Below is a video of Evan dancing to South Park's "Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo"...a bit late, I know, but hopefully you'll get some laughs out of it. I've been meaning to put this up for some time now, I laughed so hard I was in tears when I saw it! Maybe that is just me? I recorded it maybe a month ago... Enjoy!

Warrior Evan versus the Evil Dr. Sleep

2011-01-02T08:42:00.007-06:00

Sorry, once again, for the prolonged delay between posts. I have that rare moment of tranquility right now. Evan in his bouncer - and not mad for being in there while I am in plain view - and Truman cleaning whatever remains of breakfast might be off of his hands.

Evan's first Christmas was all we could hope it would be. He was very good at family, church and with more family. You would think the three massive family gatherings in two days would have sent him over his threshold, but he was a very good little trooper. He showed off his mad crawling skills and newly found beginner's walking skills (he can walk when holding on to someone's hands).

I joked on Facebook that he got a 157 new toys. It's only a slight exaggeration. Some of the toys are a little too advanced for him and will be better suited when he gets a little older. So we have put those in a tub for now. His Aunt Noreen and Uncle Anthony bought him a blow up Penguin. The kind you can hit and it always pops back up. He was afraid of it at first, but seems to be doing well with it now. His favorite new toys are a new cell phone, a toy with a steering wheel that makes car noises and the "interactive zoo*."

*My public service announcement for the year - LISTEN to the sounds, songs and noises a toy makes before purchasing it. If you can't imagine being in the same room with those sounds going on OVER AND OVER AND OVER again, chances are the parents of the child you are buying it for also do not want to be stuck in a room with it. Granted, Brian and I get as much amusement out of it now as Evan does, making up alternative lyrics to some of the songs...

TOY SONG: "I'm a very friendly parrot, chatting out loud for all to hear."

LINDA's VERSION: "I'm a very scary parrot..." You all know my hatred/blind fear of birds. Let's face it. No parrot is friendly. Why teach a baby to approach something that could claw his face off and bite his fingers in two? Birds are SCARY!

TOY SONG: "I'm a big and tall giraffe, stretching so high I touch the sky!"

LINDA's VERSION: "I'm a big dumb tall giraffe..." It did actually sound like he said "dumb" instead of "and."

We also have dances for the songs. The one for the penguin goes "I'm a tiny little penguin, waddling here, waddling there." To which I waddle from side to side when listening to.

Evan is back to sleeping pretty well again, which is a relief since Brian and I have both been sick. He FIGHTS falling asleep, though. Yesterday, I incurred a wrath so great that it could have only come from someone related to me because Evan knew I was trying to get him to fall asleep and take a nap. He screamed bloody murder for a solid 45 minutes while I tried rocking him, jumping up and down, playing with him, walking around the house for him until my arms where about to fall off* and I just gave up and put him in his crib. He was asleep 5 minutes later.

*Evan was also sick this week and Brian took him to the doctor. He weighs 21 pounds, 3 ounces. Pick up a giant sack of potatoes and carry that around for a good 1/2 hour and see how your arms, shoulders and upper back feel. You also need to mechanize that sack of potatoes because Evan squirms, fights, wiggles and does everything in his power to try and get you to drop him (thank God I haven't done this!).

With naps, he also wakes up MAD. Like he's pissed that we would allow him to fall asleep. He wakes up screaming and it usually takes a good 2-3 minutes to let him know he's awake now and it's time to play.

Last night, I gave him his bottle. He was so tired he would lift his head up and then it would crash back down on my arm, but he still fought. As he lay in my arms in his room, he started this pathetic "AhhhhhUhahhhhhUhahhhhhh" moaning. It was as if he kept making noise, he couldn't fall asleep. To know if he is asleep you have to watch the hands. He keeps one up and as he drifts off, the hand comes down to rest on his tummy. It was like he had some kind of electric shock on his jammies that jolted him awake every time his hand came down.

Again, we fought. Again, it resulted in giving up and just putting him in his crib with him falling asleep before I got out of the room. I'm beginning to think that he just needs to be free to roll and flail about. If he can't move, he can't sleep. The other theory is that wrestling with me just wears him out so that when he does finally land on the crib mattress, he has no more energy to protest.

On occasion, he'll still try. He'll get up on all fours and crawl to the front of the crib, but it's like his neck can no longer support the weight of his head and he just collapses, rises, then collapses again in a deep sleep that will usually last for the next 11-12 hours. When he will rise for a new day of battling against the Evil Dr. Sleep. My poor little warrior just doesn't know that that's a battle he will lose every day.

In the photo below:

Evan is about to figure out the hazards of opening presents. This photo was snapped just before the box slid on the wood floor, causing little E to face plant. He was not happy. Brian took this photo and I was recording on the video camera. He face planted and I snapped the video camera shut and reached for the little boy, but Brian already had him. Regardless, we had a very Merry Christmas. One face plant in what, I'm sure will be thousands.

Evan examines the goods before opening up his presents... All of these are his.

Frankie vs. the Family

2010-11-29T16:30:00.006-06:00

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

2010-11-10T10:26:00.005-06:00

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)

2010-11-02T09:18:00.014-05:00

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!

2010-10-29T11:44:00.002-05:00

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

2010-10-27T14:20:00.003-05:00

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

2010-10-15T09:07:00.005-05:00

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

2010-10-12T23:02:00.008-05:00

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

2010-10-11T12:24:00.005-05:00

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

2010-10-08T08:57:00.005-05:00

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!

2010-10-07T09:23:00.004-05:00

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!

2010-10-06T14:05:00.006-05:00

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

2010-10-01T12:49:00.006-05:00

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!

2010-09-22T13:52:00.041-05:00

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!

She Is Missed

2010-09-09T23:53:00.012-05:00

I blogged last year about my mom. Sunday is her birthday, she would have been 64 years old. She passed away 3 years ago last June from breast cancer. I took Evan up to the cemetery to see his "Gommie" (a nickname my niece used to call her) today because I have to work all weekend.

My favorite picture of my mom. Her senior portrait from 1964.

When my mom died, and my dad and sister designed and ordered the headstone, they wanted to list mine and my sister's names on the back, and respectively, my niece's name would go under grandchildren... So my niece's name was the only one on there for years... A few weeks after Evan was born, my dad ordered an additional engraving to include Evan on the headstone. That has since been completed. I saw it for the first time today. Looks pretty good! It gave me a somber feeling though, but I know that my mom was rejoicing. I'm just wondering if Linda & I have another child, where would their name go?

Even though it's been three years, and life has returned back to normal for the most part, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her. For me though, I dunno what's worse? Her birthday or her death day? Both are hard on me. These are really the only two days I go to the cemetery to 'see' her. Is that bad? I just wish that she was still here to meet Evan. I remember for so long, mom kept prodding me to give her another grandchild...even though at some of those points I wasn't even actively dating. Once, as a joke because I was tired of hearing it, I smartly replied, "Well, I can always go knock some chick up." She knew I was kidding, but she wasn't very thrilled with my comment. When Linda & I got married, the barrage of questions from my parents, as well as many other family and friends, came asking when we were gonna have kids! After mom passed, Linda tearfully asked, "Do you think your mom would have hung on for awhile longer if I had been pregnant?" It was just her time though. One of my friends put it best, "Who do you think sent him to you? I believe all babies are in heaven picking their parents... I think she met him, and loved him so much that she sent him to you and Linda." I like that philosophy. At any rate, I know my mom is watching over Evan. She will is and will always be his angel.

After I 'chatted' with mom...something caught my eye. A new headstone a few rows away. I walked over to it and couldn't help but feel sorrow. The headstone belonged to an infant...he died last February. He was only 5 months old. His headstone was inundated with stuffed animals, toys and flowers. The same age that Evan is now. I thought about this child and Evan all the way home. Me being the hypochondriac and the overprotective father that I am, I felt compelled to Google his obituary...only stating that he died unexpectedly. I'm assuming it was SIDS. Man that freaks me out. I don't ever want to imagine what those parents went through. I made sure to give Evan an overabundance of kisses tonight before bed.

Sorry this post is a bit glum and somber... I usually try to keep things upbeat and corny, but I just don't have it today.

Look How Far We've Come

2010-09-03T07:38:00.010-05:00

I was thinking the other day about this time last year. This past year has just flown by, yet it's dragged by at the same time if that makes any sense whatsoever? This time last year, we were in the middle of the 9th week of pregnancy. So crazy to read back on some of these old posts. This time last year he was about the size of a grape. Just a grape. He now probably pushing close to 18 lbs, and is already wearing 12 months clothing...mostly his PJ's because he's so stinkin' long! I often ponder what our life will be like and what he'll be like this time next year. Hard to imagine... On a side note, in a previous post about the baby-wave we're included in currently...Linda's sister (and Evan's Godparents), Noreen, and her husband Anthony (who were amongst my 'name withheld list') are expecting their first baby on April 1st, 2011! So Evan will get yet another cousin around his birthday!

Evan is really, really working on crawling, each time I put him down on his back in his play gym, he always flips over to his belly (he also does this when we put his down in his crib)...and STANDING! As I mentioned before, the boy loves to stretch his legs out and he bears weight on them. He needs to gain some more strength and balance, but in all he's getting there. Now if we could only get those 'toophies' in, we'd be set. I don't wish any part of raising Evan to go quickly, but I'll be happy when this teething phase is past us. Another one of those

things is the spit-up. The boy is like a geyser. He's soaked me down to my underwear before. I've come to the conclusion that instead of having to change shirts several times during the day, I just go around shirtless when I'm home with him. Lots of pictures I take with him, I'm sans shirt...and this is not because I'm egotistical and think I have an awesome bod...trust me I don't...I've got some man boobs and an ever-growing spare tire and back fat developing here...but it's because of all the spit up. It's easier to just clean it off my skin that to pile up laundry and run out of shirts halfway through the week. A friend of mine suggested to switch formulas to Enfamil

AR. I did on a whim since I went to Costco the other day to get more formula for him, but since Costco only takes American Express and no other credit cards, and Linda & I have recently changed banks and got new check cards (of which I didn't know my PIN) I ventured over to Walmart and decided to try this out. Today will be Evan's third day on this Enfamil, and so far so good. He'll still spit up, but not to the large quantities that he has before. Linda's not sold on it, yet though.

Evan has been harder and harder to keep entertained. We go through our usual routines, and the more he discovers the world around him, the more he wants to be a part of it. In the past two months we've bought a doorway jumper and an exersaucer (the jury is still out if he was really ready and if he likes these)...add this with his Bumbo that I bought a while back and his play gym, swing, and numerous books, you'd think he'd be set for a fun-filled day. But he gets bored easily. So we go from one thing to another til I find something that will keep him entertained for a few minutes longer. I know it's probably not good parenting skills, but he's fascinated by the TV...especially if I put on "Yo Gabba Gabba!". Check out this video of him discovering Beyonce:

Truman is also a source of amusement for Evan too:

Now we've got Evan's 6 months old picture shoot coming up next month...I got the photographer booked the other day... I'm wondering how much he'll change between now and then. I can't wait for these!

Things I worry about...

2010-09-02T08:37:00.004-05:00

Those of you who know Brian and I, you know we have a dark sense of humor as well as a pretty unsophisticated sense of humor - we laugh at fart jokes. So, if you are easily offended, I recommend you stop reading and just go browse somewhere else.

A few nights ago, we were sitting on the front porch after putting Evan to bed. Brian started browsing through The Onion and found this:

We laughed hysterically and then prayed, "Dear Lord, please don't let this be our son."

The Zoo!

2010-08-21T23:46:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday, one of Linda's old college friend and sorority sister, Nicole, came to KC with her 2 year old daughter, Sophie, and stayed with us for a few days. We joke that Sophie is Evan's future bride! Anyway, it was a great couple days and was good to catch up with Nicole... Yesterday morning, we decided something kid-friendly would be a trip to the Kansas City Zoo. I think I was more excited for this than Sophie... I hadn't been to our zoo here since right after Linda graduated high school...way back in the mid 1990s! And it had been since I lived in Omaha, back in 1999, that I had gone to any zoo. The Kansas City Zoo opened up a new Polar Bear exhibit, which was pretty cool. The zoo wasn't crowded at all. Although, it wasn't how I had remembered it from back when I was a kid, it was a fun trip!

Evan did awesome! Even though it was 95° and felt like it was 105° with the humidity mixed in...Evan was a trouper! I figured he would go into atomic mode and have a meltdown due to the heat and general uncomfortableness...but nope, not even a grumpy whine from him...even on the car ride home! Click here to view the pictures (from my facebook)... (I was gonna upload, but blogger takes too long...and I couldn't narrow down my favorites!)

There's Something In This Water...

2010-08-15T23:37:00.015-05:00

You know when you are starting to look to buy a new car? And you find that particular one that you really like? Then you see that same car everywhere? That's kinda like when you have a baby. Seems when you have a baby, either you're the beginning of a baby wave or in the middle of one. It seems 2009, 2010 and 2011 is gonna be the years of babies. So many of our family, friends and coworkers are starting to pop out offspring. Here's a rundown:

Deb & Mark - Deb is a coworker and a good friend of mine. She was part of my "party days" way back when. She and Mark welcomed their second son, Nathan in April 2009.
Neisha & Ted - Neisha is a friend I've known since high school. She and her husband, welcomed their daughter, Mira in July 2009.
Mindy & Jason - I worked with Mindy years ago. She and Jason had their son, Jayce also in July 2009.
April & Tom - They are friends from DC, from when Linda lived there before we got married. They had Braden last August...actually he turned one today!
Erika & Jeremy - More friends from DC. They had Sophia last August...actually a year ago tomorrow...
Erik & Maja - Erik is Linda's cousin...technically her 1st cousin, once removed... They had their daughter, Emma on August 27, 2009.
Holly & Bill - Linda and I went to high school with Holly. She and Bill had their daughter, Brea last September.
Kristy & Jay - I've known Kristy since grade school. We graduated high school together and since the invention of Facebook, we've become reacquainted. Their son, Connor was born last October.
Cassie & Josh - Cassie is a coworker of mine. She and her husband had their daughter, Katelynn last November.
Sean & Deanna - Deanna is an old college friend of Linda's. Sean & Deanna had a set of twins in 2008...then had their daughter, Abigail, last December.
Zac & Lindsey - Zac was a coworker of mine, and now lives in Dallas with his wife. He was part of my old "party days". They had a son this past January.
Jackie & Bryan - I used to work with Jackie as well. She and her husband, Bryan welcomed their daughter, Lyla also this past January.
Karen & Shane - Both Karen & Shane were coworkers of mine and also live in Dallas now. They had their daughter, Scout, last February.
Bridgett & Mark - Bridgett is Linda's older sister... She and Linda had due dates just a few days apart...however Bridgett went into early labor and Evan's cousin, Logan, was born March 16th.
Linda & me - Obviously you all knew that... Evan brightened our lives on April 7th.
Christine & Brian - Christine was my favorite bartender from the summer I lived in Las Vegas in 2007... She moved to New York City with her boyfriend, Brian, and they had a son, Avery, in June.
Brad & Amy - Brad is also a coworker of mine. He and his wife welcomed their son, also named Evan this past June.
Justin & Deana - Justin is also an old friend I've known since Kindergarten. We also graduated high school together...and again, with the invention of Facebook, we have reconnected and are probably closer friends than we were in high school, as weird as that might sound. He and Deana welcomed their son, Lexen, also last June.
Candice & Justin - Justin is a coworker of mine, and he married Candice. Candice also used to work where we do... Candice was also part of my old "party days" crew. They welcomed their daughter, Brooklyn last month.
Melissa & Sebastien - I used to work with Melissa during my summer stint in Las Vegas. She and her husband, Sebastien are expecting a son in just a few weeks.
Stacey & Mark - I used to go to school and church with Stacey. She and her husband are expecting #3, a son, in September.
Angela & Mike - Angela also used to work with me... She was also part of the party crew back in the day.She now lives in Nashville with her husband. They are expecting their first, a son named Kaden, sometime in September.
Dani & Nathan - Linda and I went to high school with Dani. She and her husband are expecting #2 soon...I think also in either September or October.
Kerry & Amber - I work with Kerry & Amber...they are one of the many married couples at work... They are expecting their second child, a son in October.
Mariah & Blake - Mariah is my cousin in North Dakota...well, technically my 1st cousin once removed... She and her husband, Blake will be welcoming their son, Wyatt, this October.
Ellen & Chad - Linda lived with Ellen & Chad when she lived in DC before we got married. They are expecting a son this coming December.
Brigid & Mark - Also more friends in DC from when Linda lived there...also due in December.
Vanessa & Brandon - Vanessa is my cousin and they will be welcoming a daughter, also this December.
_____ & _____ (names withheld since it's not public knowledge, yet...and no, it's not Linda & me) - This couple will be having a baby next April...around Evan's birthday!
_____ & _____ (names withheld)... This couple is due, I think, in March or April?
_____ & _____ (names withheld) - Just found out I believe...and probably will be another April baby.

So crazy! I'm wondering who's next?!?

Wow, where've I been?

2010-08-11T23:06:00.009-05:00

Answer - Taking care of a fussy, teething, (and as of today - more on that later) sick baby!

I just realized that it's almost been an entire month since I wrote and entry... But, it seems that I don't have lots of time to spare with Evan starting to become his own little person. And by the time I do after Evan goes to bed...my mind is complete mush and I'm too tired to really put a sentence together... So I'm rambling tonight. Mindless drivel.

At any rate, I think we (or maybe just Linda) may have wrote before that Evan is now rolling over. He started doing this at the end of June/first of July...and now he's a master at it! I can't leave him for a few moments without him rolling over onto his belly, whether he is in his play gym or his crib. I've been so nervous about it when he sleeps... He now prefers to sleep on his stomach...and of course all the experts say this increases the risk of SIDS. It freaks me out... When we first brought Evan home from the hospital, we put him on a wedge...but he wiggles so much in his sleep, he would just maneuver his way outta it. He can't stand to be swaddled, he has to have his arms and legs free to flail about... Each night before I go to bed I peak in on him to make sure he's okay and not face planted into his mattress. Luckily he knows to move his head to the side if he sleeps on his tummy. Evan is now working on rolling back over from his tummy to his back. He's kind of done it a couple times, but not worth really saying he's accomplished it.

His 4 month checkup was last Wednesday. He weighed 16 lbs. 1 oz., was 25¼ inches long, and his head measures 44½ cm (just a tad over 17½ inches). Our pediatrician was impressed with the fact that Evan is already bearing weight on his legs and likes to attempt to stand (with support, obviously). He mentioned that we may have an early walker.

Evan hasn't quite figured out though how to crawl. He's trying...really is... Everyday I notice he's wanting to figure it out... He gets his legs going and underneath him...and his butt up in the air, but he needs to work on his upper body strength. Although, today I noticed that he's trying to tuck his arms underneath him in an attempt to lift up his upper body. But then he gets pissed and lays flat on his belly and screams in frustration.

I mentioned to our pediatrician that Evan is now waking up in the middle of the night. Evan really had us spoiled. Ever since he was about 3 weeks old, he has slept through the night... And I mean like 7 to 8 hours, sometimes 10 to 12 too! But over the course of the past couple weeks, he has almost woken up every night, anywhere between 11:00pm to 5:00am. Our doctor confirmed that Evan is indeed teething, but didn't think he'd actually cut any teeth for at least a month or more...so this could be the culprit. He also said that he maybe gearing up for another growth spurt and his body isn't getting enough calories to carry him through the night. Therefore, he gave us the green light to start solids. The thing I love about our pediatrician is that he is not controlling, great at giving advice, and lets you raise your own child. He told me that there are 'guidelines' that are hotly debated about how to introduce solids to him...veggies before fruits, or fruits before veggies? Dark greens before yellow colored veggies? I honestly had not heard of any of these guidelines...and he told me that there was really nothing to support one or the other and told me to do what I felt was best for Evan. After his appointment I went to Target and picked up some baby food sweet peas, carrots, peaches and bananas. But...with that said, I got LOTS of unsolicited advice when I posted on my facebook that I was gonna try Evan on solids... Not that I mind tips here and there, it is appreciated. But wow, a little overkill! So, I heeded their advice and started him with sweet peas that first night. See below for the video:

He loved the sweet peas! We moved on to carrots a few days later and he seemed to like those as well. Not sure if he likes the green beans that I bought the other day though for him...

And as far as Evan being sick...dunno what exactly hit him. Last night he did actually sleep through the night. I got up at about 7:00 this morning and got Truman taken care of, coffee made and Evan's bottle started. At 8:00, Evan started rousing and I went into to get him up and change his diaper. He seemed really happy (lately in the morning, since he's been waking up in the middle of the night and this whole teething stuff) he has been a pissy-pants in the morning. He downed his bottle (which is also a rarity these days...he's turned into something of a grazer)...all 8 oz. of it... As soon as he finished his last swallow, it all...and I mean ALL...came back up. Projectile vomit! It shot straight out of his mouth and nose, all over him, me and the couch...nearly missed Truman. It soaked me through and through! I hadn't put on a shirt yet, but the puke soaked through my shorts and underwear! It was really like this scene from "The Exorcist" (although Evan wasn't this demonic...but there was a lot more puke). Evan hasn't been sick at all, thankfully, and I figured this was a call that I need to make to the doctor. The nurse called me back and said it sounded like a lot of other phone calls she's gotten...some kind of stomach bug going around with projectile vomiting and diarrhea to boot. Luckily no diarrhea for Evan (yet...knock on wood)... So Evan's diet all day today has been Pedialyte, until 4:00pm when I was instructed I could try another formula bottle with him. He kept that down...and I tried him with some bananas (per the nurses instruction...no veggies, only fruit) and he ate pretty much the entire bowl. Poor kid. Hopefully this puking thing was just a rare occurance and he really isn't sick...he seemed fine otherwise. No fever, acted okay, until he got pissed when I would only give him Pedialyte. Maybe it's just another symptom of teething?? Probably not. I don't want to wish anything to go quickly with Evan, but I'll be really happy when we are over this teething crap!

Objective: Mobility Now!

2010-08-06T16:17:00.004-05:00

Evan is really trying to get himself mobile. Here's a video of one of his recent attempts.

Also for your viewing pleasure is a picture from the same mobility attempt that I like to call, "Cheeks McGee."

Linda vs. snap-up pajamas

2010-08-04T09:02:00.000-05:00

There comes a time with every new parent when you realize you really dislike certain baby products. Right now, I can't stand snap up pajamas.

I know what you're thinking, "Linda, they are pajamas for crying out loud. It's not like you have to be a Mensa member to work the darn things." Yeah, well repeat that sentiment at 1:30 am when you are half awake and going on four hours of sleep from the previous two nights and using one eye because that's the one that will focus - kind of.

See, if you have one of those onesies with the feet in them that snap up at each ankle and then somehow meet in the middle, these aren't the easiest things to navigate under the strain of limited sleep. They are the Christmas lights of pajamas! If you are off on one, you have to undo every single one and try again. For added complexity, factor in an onery little boy who LOVES to keep those little feet kicking and moving. This means you have to get the foot in the sleeper fast and snapped fast in order for it to stay on.

This is why Brian and I prefer sleep sacks. They are basically nightgowns because they are open at the bottom, but the bottom as the elastic band around them so you can pull it around those little feet. After sleep sacks, the pjs that just have snaps from ankle to ankle are my second favorite. With the ankle-to-ankle items, you have to pull it over the baby's head like a sleep sack, but you get the added cuteness of the feet and its much easier than the full snap up. Zip ups are also ok.

Bouncy Baby Boy

2010-07-31T09:15:00.004-05:00

Not too much has changed since the last posting. Evan is working so hard at making himself mobile. He's able to push his upper body up to his elbows, but still can't really push up. While trying to get his upper body going, his fat little legs will be working. This morning, he was making crawling motions in the crib.

Baby boy likes to be on the go! We joke that he will not tolerate you sitting while holding him and he will only tolerate you standing still while holding him for so long. After so long, my arms feel like they are going to fall off and we have to sit down. I prop my feet up on the coffee table and lean him back against my legs. He usually isn't too happy about this, but if you let him grab hold of your fingers he will work with you to pull himself up into a sitting up position and then he just really amused by his abilities. When he gets bored with that (5 minutes later), sometimes we just take him to his "happy place" - the changing pad. There, we can have all sorts of "conversations" via bubble talk.

Then, we can usually start the rotation between the swing, play pen, Mom or Dad's shoulder, lap, changing table all over again. He is starting to get a preference for the play pen. At first, he was not at all happy about being put in his play pen, now it seems he would rather be in there because he work on his objective of self-propulsion.

We've also found little things that amuse him, like cradling him and then bouncing up and down. I think this is early practice for when he is bigger and able to say, "Again!" He enjoys bouncing activities so much that when you stop, he gets mad and lets you know about it! I'm going to have Hulk Hogan's "26-inch pythons" before too long. But it is alot of fun when he starts laughing and squealing in delight.

We haven't uploaded photos to the computer in a while, but here is one of my recent favs: "My little Simba."

Impressionable young minds

2010-07-23T16:38:00.003-05:00

Remeber that episode of Friends where Ross and Rachel were doing just about ANYTHING to get Baby Emma to laugh? If you recall, the only thing that worked was singing and dancing Sir Mix-a-lot's 90s hit "Baby Got Back."

Evan demands to be entertained. He is not satified with sitting on your lap. You have to be standing up and you have to be moving when you hold him. One night I discovered that making the "bubble" sounds with your lips really amused him. So of course I did this ALL THE TIME. If it gets you a smile, you do it no matter how numb your lips get.

NowI see how babies, particularly our baby, can pick up on things so quickly. Check out the video:

If Evan can pick up this at 15 weeks, how much longer do I have until my poor choice in language use comes back to haunt me?

Things I can't live without

2010-07-15T08:12:00.003-05:00

Coffee. If a car can't run without gasoline or alternative fuel, I can't run without caffeine. Some days require "higher" octane than others. And by higher octane, I mean I need a large vanilla latte from Latte Land with two extra shots in it.

A swing. The swing is Evan's most favorite place to be - except for the little dresser-top changing pad that we have for him, that's his happy place. We have two. The big one in our living room and a travel-sized item (which really isn't that compact). Some folks say they need a bouncy chair. I think its probably either or. We don't have one, but Evan loves sitting in the one at Aunt Steph and John's house.

Changing Table. We didn't buy a stand alone changing table. We didn't have room. What we did buy was a three-drawer dresser with a little side door. The side door area has two shelves and is great for storing diapers, wipes, butt lotion, etc. For the top of the dresser, we bought a changing pad that actually attaches to the back of the dresser so you don't have to worry about your baby sliding off with the pad. This is the greatest thing in the world. When Evan is red-hot, raging mad, we will often take him into his room and lay him down on the changing pad. 60 percent of the time, it works every time*.

A Boppy. I'm not breast feeding, but about one or two weeks after Evan was born, I was sitting in the rocking chair in his room. The closet door was open behind the chair, so I was hitting it as I rocked back. I reached behind with my left arm to try and pull it closed. SNAP. Something in my shoulder popped and, as a result, holding Evan for extended periods of time makes my whole arm burn in pain. This sucks, because when I feed him, I hold him in my left arm and the bottle with my right one. I can't switch. I've tried. It's like trying to write left-handed. It's just awkward. So, I grab that boppy and stretch Evan out across that on my lap and we can make it work.

Wipe warmer. I was on team "This has to be the single biggest waste of money in the entire world" pre-Evan. But, before we got the wipe warmer, he would SCREAM every time we changed his diaper. Now, the changing pad is his "happy place." I'm not saying spend any money on it, but put it on the registry. It's one of those things that people will be happy to buy for you and babies seem to prefer warm wipes as opposed to cold wet wipes -- wouldn't we all?

Extras. It is definitely a good idea to have at least two full sets of bedding (mattress pad and sheets) and a couple of changing pad covers. Babies - especially my baby - like to wait for the 2 second window of opportunity when the old diaper is removed and the new one isn't quite covering them yet to let loose.

*Did you get the Anchorman reference? Possibly the greatest comedy movie EVER. Evan will start "talking" to me and I will tell him "You know I don't speak Spanish! English please!" or, "What? What's that you say? You pooped in the fridge and ate a whole wheel of cheese?"

Parents: What are some of the things you can't live without? I'm sure my preggo friends and family would love to hear some extra perspective.

A Boy & His Dog

2010-07-14T00:33:00.015-05:00

One of the questions I've been asked over and over again by friends, family and coworkers since Evan has been born is, "How's Truman taking him?" I have to laugh at myself because everyone must have known how much we spoiled and adore Truman. Really, Truman was like our first child...

If you've seen the movie "Marley & Me", you may remember the scene where Owen Wilson's character comes home after his wife, played by Jennifer Anniston, has their first child, and has a talk with Marley about the changes. I admit that I, too, had a similar talk with Truman the day after Evan was born when I went home to grab some sleep, shower and change. And Truman has been such a good dog. While he hates not being the center of attention, he's willing to share it with Evan. There's been times when we've had to shoo Truman away, gone past his usual dinner time because we've been wrapped up with caring for Evan, or realized we haven't let Truman out for several hours... Truman takes it all in stride, and I couldn't have asked for a better response from him. He's such a good dog.

For the first few days after Evan was born, Tru didn't really know what to think of him. But as the days turned to weeks, and weeks into months, Truman has been intrigued with Evan. He loves to be near him and loves to give him kisses.

Of course, at first Evan had no idea Truman existed... But now that Evan has taken notice of the world around him...he's absolutely fascinated with Truman. My morning routine with Evan is usually a bottle on the couch, with Truman napping at the other end...but he inches ever so close to me as I'm holding Evan...and sneaks in a few kisses every now and then. At first, we were protective of Evan around Tru and would only allow him to kiss his feet. Every now and then, Truman would swipe the back of Evan's head as we were holding him. While we still keep a close eye on Truman around him simply because he's a cumbersome 65 lb. bulldog, we've been a bit more relaxed.

As you may have read before, most mornings I take Evan into his bedroom where we have his dance party. Truman has to follow us back there and make sure everything is okay. I think this has mostly to do with Tru wanting to be near the Boy, but also because Truman must be around people and hates being left out. At night when we are trying to feed Evan his last bottle before bed, we have to coax Truman out of the room. He doesn't want to leave!

Truman also likes to 'alert' us when the Little Man is getting fussy. If we have Evan napping in his swing, and he starts to rouse...he'll make a few fussy noises. Truman is typically on the couch with us...and the swing is across the room. Tru will hop down off the couch and go over to check on the Boy, then pace back and forth in front of his swing if Evan keeps fussing then come over and whine to us about it.

One other thing I find absolutely amazing is after we have put Evan down for the night, occasionally Linda & I will share a bottle of wine or a few beers out on our front porch. Truman will tag along with us and we have the baby monitor between us in case the Boy stirs. The baby monitor is pretty awesome...and if Evan so much as hiccups, Truman again will alert us... He'll jump up, stare at the baby monitor, pace again, and try to alert us that we must go check on Evan.

The other night while I was at work, Linda was playing with Evan on the couch...and of course again, Truman was there on the couch too. Since Evan has now noticed this large goofy looking dog, he giggles, coos and laughs at him. Linda took it one step further and reached out Evan's hand to pet Truman...she reported that Evan squealed with delight. She had never heard him make that sound before. Truman then immediately started to lick his hand and this really got Evan tickled.

They are really gonna be a pair...and I couldn't have asked for anything more. But But what would you expect after Truman was voted as "Kansas City's Best Dog" in September 2008 by the Kansas City Star... He will always be our 'baby'.

Figuring things out

2010-07-10T10:55:00.006-05:00

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I know I've kept half a dozen of you out there waiting on pins and needles. :)

Here goes... When I was pregnant, I would just about give myself an anxiety attack with all the "what ifs" and questions that would pop in my mind. And its never just one question at a time. It's 400 hundred all at once as your mind betrays you and sends you in to a complete meltdown. A friend of mine is going through this stage right now.

It's so easy to get overwhelmed. There is more information out there than anyone could ever read in a nine-month span. And, lets face it. The first three months, you feel like death so you don't really care about - or have the energy to do - anything else. During the last three months, you have a baby bouncing off your internal organs and it is impossible to fall asleep. And, when you do sleep, it's in 2-3-hour increments because you wake up having to pee, get a glass of water (because you've already downed the 32-ounce glass on your nightstand), chew up some TUMS, or all of the above.

So the second trimester is really the only time you can get stuff done before the baby arrives.

Looking back, I kind of chuckle at some of the things I was so concerned about then. Here are a few questions I had back then followed by answers that were hard learned by experience.

Question: How will I know when it is time to move up a diaper size? I seriously worried about this.

Answer: There are several ways you know, but the most telling is when the diapers are no longer capable of holding in the mess your baby puts out. When the diaper failure rate increases, its time to move up a size.

Question: How will I know if my baby is just upset or if something is really wrong? I worried about being the over-hyper parent that called the doctor every time my baby sneezes. Now, I know that Brian is this person, not me. :)

Answer: If he doesn't have a temperature or blood or green slimy stuff coming out of any orifice, he's probably fine and is just grumpy or has gas.

Question: How will we keep his nails trim so he doesn't claw up his face?

Answer: VERY CAREFULLY. You have to have the hands of a surgeon and usually wait until the baby is sound asleep before trying this out. Some people bite the nails off. I'm not a fan of this approach. I don't like biting my own nails. To keep from shaking with the nail trimmer, avoid caffeine for at least four hours prior to the operation.

Also, many PJs come with little flaps that fold over the baby's hands. Use them. Evan someone managed to get his hands free anyway, but they did provide his face with a little bit of a reprieve.

Question: How do I know what stuff to get and what to avoid? Do you really need EVERYTHING on the baby registry checklist?

Answer: You can read a crap ton of books, or just use some common sense. Or, even better, just ask people who have kids. They are always happy to dole out advice on what to get and what not to get. They will give you different answers, and what you need is usually going to be a little bit of a combo of what all your different friends recommend.

Question: How will we teach our baby to sleep through the night? The gift of sleep is not to be over-rated. Remember the saying, "If momma aint happy..."? Well, its very true.

Answer: Routine. Routine. Routine. We also recommend the "Baby Wise" book. It is a little bit more militant (and by militant, I mean it is the boob nazis' handbook) than what Brian and I do, but if you need to figure out structure, that's a good starting point. It also helps to have a big baby who just naturally sleeps for a long time.

Question: What the hell is a receiving blanket and why, according to the Babies 'R Us registry check list, do I need five of them?

Answer: I still haven't figured this out. Family and friends will give you more blankets than you can ever possibly imagine using. I don't know what differentiates a receiving blanket from a regular blanket. Someone told me that a receiving blanket is one that the doctors can use to wrap the baby in when he/she is first born, and then you have it as a keepsake. No thanks. I've seen what babies are covered in when they are first born and all blankets used to wrap of newborns should be incinerated as medical waste.

Question: How do I know what kind/type of bottles to buy? I just about started crying in the middle of Target when Brian and I were attempting to fill out our registry and there were no less than eleventy billion different brands, types and sizes to choose from.

Answer: Just pick one or two. Just buy one package. Try it out. If it works, go get more. If not, try something else.

Question: Why does my baby seem to smile and laugh every time I ask if he pooped? Evan will be sitting on our lap and then we smell something that isn't so fresh. I'll ask him, "Did you poop?" If he smiles slyly, the answer is usually yes. If he just looks at you blankly, then you just need to wait for it...

Answer: I'm not sure that this would be a very common question. I think Evan thinks its funny that he pooped because he Brian's son (and mine, too!).

That's all the Q&As I can think of now. I have been thinking about a post-pregnancy post, detailing the aftermath of giving birth - what Hollywood doesn't tell you. But, like I said, it is the year of the baby for my friends and family (the only people who ready this), so I'm going to wait on that. Maybe a good memory post for Evan's first birthday... all my friends babies will be born by then.

Here's a picture of Evan at his 3-month birthday:

Evan's 1st Fourth of July

2010-07-08T08:51:00.016-05:00

The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays, next to Christmas and New Year's Eve. As a kid, we'd always celebrate at home with our own fireworks display in the backyard. My parents would buy a few sparklers, snakes, tanks, those weird chicken things that would shoot out balls of fire from their ass (to give the appearance they were laying eggs) and screech like a chicken, some snappers, and for the grand finale mom & dad would buy a few fountains that showered out colored sparks... We always celebrated (modestly) at my house as a kid. We lived in a town that fireworks were illegal, but we did this in moderation. I remember one year when my dad bought a rocket. Not really knowing how far it'd go and the outcome of it, he set it off in the backyard. It shot probably about 200 feet in the air and exploded in a shower of sparks. Being maybe 9 or 10 years old at the time, I thought it was amazing. I still remember my dad wincing at the sight, afraid he disturbed our neighbors.

In years since, in my adulthood, I've been able to celebrate the 4th of July is some amazing locations...Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia. After Linda graduated college, she went on a 20-city-20-week promotional tour for Better Homes & Gardens...setting up displays in different malls throughout the country. Since I work for an airline, whenever she was in a city that my airline flew to, I'd fly out to visit her for a few days and see the sights. On July 4, 2001, she was in Hartford, CT, and I flew out to see her. One of the guys on her tour was a local from Boston. He had a friend that lived in a Brownstone right on the waterfront of the Charles River. Each year, the Boston Pops puts on quite the show...also including several other musicians (that year was Cyndi Lauper)...and they set off a huge fireworks display set to patriotic music, with the grand finale set to Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture". We sat on top of this Brownstone apartment, above the massive crowds below and watched the amazing display. That had to be the best 4th of July I've ever had.

Jesse, Holly, Ellen, Nicole, Mark, Linda & me on top of the Brownstone apartment

One of my favorite pictures of Linda taken at an afternoon BBQ in Boston on July 4, 2001

Linda & me chilling on a hammock in a backyard in Boston.

The following year, Linda & I were visiting friends in Washington DC. While we didn't really see much of the fireworks over Capitol Hill, we were at a bar in Georgetown. We were a bit too far away from the display, but we were able to briefly see the display up the Potomac River. All I have to say about that trip is "lee-mone-ade"! (Inside joke that few will catch.)

Chad, Mike, Ellen, me, Deanna & Linda at Mo's Bar in Washington DC

Me at the Lincoln Memorial - July 5, 2002

A few years later, my company was opening up service to Philadelphia and asked for employees to volunteer to walk in their annual parade through the streets of Philly. I volunteered Linda & me, and we were able to stay in downtown Philly and see the sights. That night we watched the fireworks go off over the Philadelphia Museum of Art (the place where the "Rocky" stairs are...which I wanted to reenact but it was too damn hot).

Some of my coworkers and me getting ready to walk in the Philly parade - July 4, 2004

Me on the "Rocky" stairs - Philadelphia Museum of Art

Linda at the Liberty Bell

Walking in the parade down Benjamin Franklin Parkway toward the Philly Museum of Art

Linda & me with Ben Franklin

Last year, Linda & I celebrated at home in Kansas City with their cool fireworks display over the Missouri River.

I couldn't figure out how to flip this video right-side-up, but this is the fireworks display from last year. Just turn your head to the right.

So as you can see, we've celebrated and experienced Independence Day all over the country. Each 4th of July has it's own memories. This year, however, we had to celebrate a day early. Due to my work schedule (I had to work a double at that), we went over to a friend's house to grill out. We were out kinda late, and Evan did remarkably well! It was great to hang out on their deck...and Evan just chilled out in his travel swing! It was just a low-key, chill kinda 4th of July. But we did end the night with an interesting game of "I Never...". Is it weird that thirtysomethings were playing this? This is Evan's first, and I'm hoping that he will be able to celebrate in some cool locations throughout his life...

Evan & his dad

Mother & son

Evan's honorary Aunt Jen

Evan's honorary Aunt Abbie

Evan's honorary Aunt Darcy

Evan's idea of chilling out

It's funny though, how much your perspective changes after you have a child. Our neighborhood is in downtown Kansas City. It's a historic neighborhood that was built at the turn of the 1900s...so the houses are very close to one another. Well, on the actual 4th of July, we had a bunch of idiot neighbors setting off several fireworks...and not just the run-of-the-mill bottle rockets, but near professional grade loud boomers that shot in the air and showered sparks down. As soon as we put Evan down for the night, the neighbors started with these fireworks... I worried about it waking Evan up, however he did well. For once, Mother Nature worked in our favor...no more than 5 minutes after our neighborhood lit up with fireworks, we got several torrential downpours of rain. This worked for a bit, but our neighbors still wanted to celebrate and decided to wait...til 2:00am to set of their stash. Hoping next year will be a bit more active...Evan should be old enough to enjoy fireworks, somewhat.

Dance Dance Revolution!

2010-06-23T07:57:00.005-05:00

Since I am home with Evan all day throughout most of the week, I have to think of things to stimulate and keep him active. While there are lots of suggestions I get, by far, Evan loves his daily, what I call his, dance parties. Usually every morning I will get him up, get a new diaper on him, get a few ounces of formula down him... Then I'll read to him until he loses interest and wants something more active... So I'll take him to his room, lay him on down on his play gym mat, and just put my iPhone's iPod on shuffle and find some music for him to dance along to... The song he reacts the most to is what I dub "Evan's Song-Of-The-Day" and post the YouTube video to my Facebook.

Yesterday, Evan really loved Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It". He really got a kick out of it. He was laughing, dancing and giggling...or maybe he was laughing at my dance moves? I really wasn't trying to dance like Salt-N-Pepa with him... Okay, well, maybe just a little!

Here's some other songs that he's gone nuts for:

Van Halen's "Jump": (I didn't dress him in torn spandex though...)

The remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation": (He's working on his Elvis hip shake!)

Bill Haley & His Comet's "Rock Around the Clock": (He likes oldies!)

Ike & Tina Turner's version of "Proud Mary": (I'm trying to help him perfect his Tina Turner shimmy!)

I'm wondering what today's song will be!

Back to work

2010-06-22T07:08:00.003-05:00

Last week was my first week back to work. Everyone kept asking, "Isn't it sooo hard?" And the truth is, it wasn't so bad. If all things were equal and I had to choose between working and spending the day with Evan, I would probably try to find some happy medium where I could do half and half.

I wish I had more time to spend with Evan. This is one area where his advanced sleeping skills kind of work against us. I don't get to see him before I leave for work. I sneak into his room and whisper to him, but he's asleep. I'm not going to go in there and wake him up just to satisfy my own selfish needs. Maybe, in a way, that makes it easier. If I fed him and then he fell back asleep in my arms (what he always does after the first meal of the day), I'd never make it to work. Since Brian has been able to arrange his schedule where he is home most of the week, I also have piece of mind knowing he's in good hands all day long and not with people we don't know very well.

On the other hand, it is nice to be around adults again and have conversations that move beyond the letter, "Ohhhh.*"

*Evan has started interacting with us and whomever he is around. He'll stick out his tongue and if you do it back at him, he will smile and laugh and just think it is the most awesome thing in the world. My sister said that tongues are the first muscle babies can control so when they use it and you use it, its almost like you are communicating with them. Also, babies love to say, "Ohhh." So if you say it to Evan, sometimes he will repeat it back to you with delight. Trust me, it's super cute.

I think I was more nervous about going back to work because I wasn't sure what to expect. There were a lot of organizational changes that happened while I was away. Many roles changed. We are even going to be moving our offices at some point.* But my position didn't change at all. In fact, my direct supervisor and myself probably had zero change. Most of my changes happened pre-maternity leave when I was able to "hand-off" a lot of legacy responsibilities that didn't align with what my particular role is now. Now I get to do what I enjoy doing and not spend so much time on stuff that I don't find all that challenging or interesting.

*In my five years with the company, our division/department has always been on the 7th floor (top floor), which is great because we are close to all the big dogs. During those first five years, we played magical cubes 3 different times, when they "realigned the organization" and then decide that the seating chart needed to be updated. Now, we're going to move down to the 2nd floor. The silver lining is we will probably be among the first groups to try out the new workspaces that will be part of our overall building renovations.

So the actual work part. The first two days it was hard getting into the swing of things because everywhere I went people wanted to know about Evan and ask, "Isn't it SOOOOOOO hard coming back to work?" I would gladly show pictures of my baby boy and just nod in agreement with their question. I'm not sure what they were looking for when asking me that question. Did they think I might burst into tears? Anyway, I was able to go through 2 1/2 months worth of mail (all crap), clean my desk, determine the strategic locations of the pictures of Evan I keep on my desk* and book an interview with some of our experts with a writer for the Wall Street Journal,** in addition to a few other tasks. Not too shabby.

*I wanted pictures of Evan to be within easy eye sight. So I have three on my shelf just to the right of my computer and a fourth picture is to the left. That way, if someone comes into my cube and sits down, I can see my baby boy while we are having a conversation.

**Fair disclosure. I didn't cold call the WSJ and set this up. The writer's editor suggested she contact us for a waste-to-energy story she is working on. My boss' boss was out of the office on vacation Monday. On Tuesday he came back and asked what I was working on and I joked, "I set up an interview with the WSJ on my first day back, what do you plan to do today?" We all had a good laugh.

I did miss Evan's last appointment. Part of me was glad that I didn't have to watch them give him those shots and part of me was very sad that I wasn't there for my son during the most traumatic experience of his short life. I think I teared up a little bit when Brian told me about it.

Yesterday, when I came home from work, he was in his swing just smiling and laughing away. I wanted to hold him, so I picked him up. He did NOT want to be held at that time. So, another lesson learned. Don't wake a sleeping baby and don't pull a happy baby out of his/her swing no matter how much you want to hug and kiss them.

Better Late Than Never!

2010-06-18T07:28:00.003-05:00

I've been working on this a good long while...

Below is a multimedia montage I made of Linda's pregnancy, and then pics immediately following Evan's birth meeting some of his family members...

Linda wants me to warn those of you that may get queasy or are currently pregnant. Please watch this at your own risk. These are just pictures and some video, nothing gruesome, however there is live audio of Evan's birth playing in the background. I wanted to preserve that, but tried to drown out the screams as best I could with music and some editing. Enjoy!

That Was Rough

2010-06-16T23:14:00.014-05:00

Today was Evan's 2-month checkup with his pediatrician. I've dreaded this day since he was born. This is the big appointment when they start the first round of vaccinations. Two days ago was Linda's first day back to work since March 31, when she began her maternity leave...so I had to go it alone.

I got Evan up this morning and he was his happy-go-lucky self that he is in the morning. He was laying in his crib, awake and just kicking around. He looked up at me and I smiled to him a "Good Morning Little Man!" He sheepishly looked back at me and smiled. We played a game of "oohh's & ahh's" and got a new diaper on him. We went into the living room and I got 6 ounces in him... Truman was sitting at the other side of the couch, closely watching us...and trying to inch ever so close to sneak in a kiss on Evan. Evan got a kick outta this and watched Truman very intently and would laugh and giggle at him. Little did he know what was coming in just an hour...and that thought broke my heart.

I arrived at our pediatrician's office with Evan in his car seat hooked on one arm, and a diaper bag slung over the other, my sunglasses hanging onto my t-shirt collar. The office staff checked me in and told me to have a seat. I joined about 4 other moms in the waiting room...and I could tell most of them were expecting Linda to come around the corner. Nope, just me. As much as I wanted Linda to be there...it was just me. Dunno why it's unusual to see just a father with his infant at things like doctors appointments? I've noticed it a lot since Evan was born...even if I just take him to PetsMart or the grocery store by myself.

They called us back and we marched behind the nurse to the room. She told me to undress Evan so she could get his measurements. I was eager to see what he weighed now. He hasn't been to the doctor since he was about 2 weeks old...and that was eight weeks ago! I stripped him down, wrapped him in the blue pee-pad blanket, and carried him to the scale. When he was 2 weeks old he weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz....today he weighed 13 lbs. 10 oz.! Back in April, he measured 21¼ inches long, now he is 23½ inches! His huge head went from 15 to 17 inches! Evan then promptly peed on the blue pee-pad blanket in my rejoicing and we had to change him out...

We went back to the room...our doctor came in. Told me that he was very pleased with Evan's progress both growth and socially. He checked him over...answered a few of my questions...said that Evan was a very healthy, happy and social boy. He said he was making eye contact and flashing smiles. He also explained that Evan is gonna be a big boy with growth like this...especially with Linda & me as parents. I'm average for a guy, 5'10"...and Linda is taller than average. Plus his Poppa Gene (Linda's dad) is 6'3"...and his Uncle John (Linda's brother) is just as tall. Evan is in the 75th percentile for growth. Our doctor went on to say that if Evan were to continue to grow at this rate, we'd have a 290 lbs., 6 foot 8 inch tall, three-year-old who demands M&Ms! Can you imagine trying to potty-train that?! He then explained the shots he was about to receive. My heart jumped. I've never been anxious about shots...never really put much thought in it. Now, though, that I've got this little life to look after and protect...I didn't want my little guy to be in pain.

Our doctor left the room and the nurse came in shortly after with her tray of torture. She first gave Evan an oral vaccine...and then told me to lay him down on the cot. She then prepped him for the shots. I held onto his little hand. He looked up at me with his huge puppy-dog-brown eyes. She stuck him with one needle...and I could tell the precise moment when that needle penetrated his chunky thigh. He winced, then turned Coke-can red, then screamed and cried real tears (he normally doesn't)! I'm not a softy by any means, but I'm not a robot either...and it was every thing I could do not to cry for him. I did tear up...and I had a moment there were I couldn't speak to reassure him...afraid that my voice would crack...an obvious sign that I was choked up. I quickly regained my composure and tried to comfort Evan. I will never forget that look he gave me. Two more shots and more screams and tears...and all was done. Amazingly I got Evan diffused in no time...and by the time I was getting him dressed the tears had stopped. By the time I got him in his car seat, he was smiling and cooing!

Lots of my friends who have kids told me going in that it's much worse on the parents that it is on the baby. All too true!

Mom and Dad's night out

2010-06-08T12:50:00.008-05:00

Last Friday was a big day for Evan as he met his Great Grandma for the first time and had his first overnight without Mom and Dad. Evan gave me two tickets to the Weezer concert for my first Mothers Day present and Friday was the night of the show down in the City Market.

Visiting Grandma M. was pretty sad for me. Grandma has very advanced dementia. She really doesn't know who any of us are anymore. Even worse, she doesn't sing anymore. She would always sing those really old songs that only grandparents sing. Now, she doesn't remember any words or melodies. But it was good to see her. She's going to be 93 soon. She's extremely healthy. Her mind has just betrayed her...

After visiting with Grandma M., we took Evan over to his Aunt Steph and Uncle John's house. They volunteered to watch him for the night, which was very awesome. At first we were a little nervous about how his 3 1/2-year-old older cousin, Brayden, would be around him. He's had some jealousy issues when Steph holds Baby Evan or Baby Logan. Steph told us the night before that Brayden said, "Baby Evan can't come here. He needs to stay at Linda's house." By the time we got there, though, he was excited to see Baby Evan - that's what he calls him. Baby Evan.

We visited for awhile and when it was time for Brian and I to leave and go get ready for the show, Brian went to give Brayden a hug goodbye. While doing so, he said something about playing nicely with Baby Evan and Brayden said, "I probably won't hit him." WHAT?

The concert was pretty fun and the Weezer sounded great. I can't say the same for the opening acts. Brian and I both agreed, however, that outdoor general admission shows just really aren't for us anymore. Everyone paid the same for the tickets, so they all thought they had to smash their way to the front on a 90 degree/90 percent humidity night. And then the crowd surfing started. Really? Crowd surfing? We joked after the show that you don't see crowd surfing at Elton John and thought the chances would be pretty slim at the upcoming Paul McCartney show at Sprint Center. Hell, we didn't even see crowd surfers at Ozzie over a year ago. We definitely are in favor of in-door, climate-controlled venues with reserved seating!

Throughout the night, Steph sent us pictures of our baby boy to reassure us that all was going well and that Brayden had not yet assaulted him. She said that she didn't make it through her first night without Brayden and had to go get him. We made it through. And while Brian seemed to have a harder time leaving Evan behind, I was the first to grab him up the next morning!

Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the day.

Four generations: Evan, me, my Mom and Grandma M.

Enjoying a few drinks in the River Market before the show.

During the show, Brian sneaks in a smootch

We met up with two of Evan's honorary aunts: Sarah and Jenn

Two Months!

2010-06-07T15:00:00.006-05:00

Our little man is two months old today! Time flies. So fast that I have to go back to work next week. :( Oh well, we gotta pay the bills, right? To see the progression, we included the photo from when he turned one month old. He's a little chubbier and his hair is progressively thinning. He is also capable of sitting up much better on his own. At one month, we had to prop him and I was within arms reach just in case he needed me quickly while Brian was snapping the photo!

Play time

2010-06-02T14:54:00.003-05:00

Evan is starting to discover and become amazed and amused by the world around him. At first, we were so entertained with his newer-found ability to smile and laugh, that we didn't think to record it. Over the past few weeks, we were able to get a few clips of him enjoying his swing and his play gym. Brian did a good job of editing these clips down into a short(er) video for all to enjoy. If this doesn't make you smile, then I don't know what will. :)

When a baby cries

2010-05-28T22:34:00.003-05:00

Before Evan was born, I thought all screaming babies sounded the same - loud. Having spent some time with my sister and Evan's older cousin, Logan, I now know that is not the case. Yesterday, was a bit of a girls' day. My mom, my older sister and her two kids, my sister-in-law and her son, and myself and Evan had a day out on the Plaza.

After walking around and window shopping for a bit, we hit the Cheesecake Factory for some dessert. Logan started to get hungry and fuss and I noticed how he sounds completely different from Evan. I shared this observation with Brian and we both agreed that we could stick Evan in a room with 100 other screaming babies and be able to pick out our son on just sound alone. Especially with his patented hyper-cry or his very cute - yet pathetic and heartbreaking - and succint "Wa's."

About a week ago a neighbor came over who was working to overthrow the long-reigning HOA president at the next meeting*. We went out on the balcony to discuss things as Evan was sleeping in his swing in the living room. I had to cut the conversation short when I heard him start to cry. She quipped, "You have mother's ears now! I didn't even hear him." I was surprised by the comment because I thought he was crying loud enough to hear him across the street!

*I am very happy to report that said neighbor won the election and during her very short tenure, she has already managed to get the HUGE parking lot pot holes fixed (a product of the multi-blizzard and freeze-thaw cycles of the past winter)**, a roof repaired, a light fixture for the outside of our building installed and a mirror to cover up the holes in the entry way from where the original building radiator use to be. Awesome.

** The potholes were absolutely ridiculous. Couldn't even use one of the driveways into the back of the complex. What was more infuriating than the actual potholes was the half-assed attempts to fill them. The previous president just had someone come in and fill it with loose gravel and dirt. That lasted until about four cars drove over it and threw all of the fill out.

My husband thinks I'm on crack

2010-05-26T10:05:00.002-05:00

We are going to move. It may be soon, it may be later, but it is going to happen. We had a realtor come out yesterday to list our condo. Our fair market value is now about $20K less than what we paid for it four years ago. Awesome.

If it doesn't sell, we will probably rent it out after we find a place. If you are potentially interested in a 2 bed, 1 bath condo that is walking distance to the Plaza, Westport, Art Institute, UMKC and the art galleries, lemme know if you want to buy or rent.

Anyway, getting the condo ready to list was no easy task. Brian has long stated that he hates HGTV and all of it's programming because it usually means more work for him and me taking on projects that are a little bit beyond our skill level. I've watched several episodes of "Designed to Sell," which is all about staging.

The Cardinal Rule of Staging: Declutter, declutter, declutter. Our basement is now filled with all the random stuff like trinkets, keep-sakes, pictures and more. I would fill up boxes, and Brian took them down until he said there was no more room. Then I took them down because I can always make room for more crap.

Step two of staging: Clean, Clean, Clean. After removing 90 percent of the hanging wall photos, I patched the walls and had to repaint. I also repainted the bathroom. Brian wanted to help so I asked him to scrub baseboards and the walls. He thought I was on crack. He did it without complaining and claims he sees no noticeable difference. I do. They are all white now instead of white with a thick layer of dust and spots of whatever drink got splattered on them.

Truman has also been victimized by the staging. I bought a slip cover for the couch so he is no longer allowed on it. It's amazing how nice it looks in the living room once you get all the non-essential stuff out of there. The hallway seems wider now that it isn't lined with dark frames and the bathroom just looks fantastic (if I do say so myself). Whether or not it sells, it is a nice sense of accomplishment just getting the massive clean out and clean up project done.