New Additions!

Friends and family have brought new additions to their family into the world!

Family. Kristen's brother and his wife gave birth to their first child, a baby boy - Jasper Quinn Bouton Lawrence on Tuesday. The little guy came in just over eight pounds. Mom and son are doing well. Talk about timing! They just completed moving in to their new home last week!

Friends. Lifelong friend, Tim, and his wife had their second child, a boy! Jack Robert Prerost was brought into the world last night around 7pm. The little guy weighed in at an impressive nine pounds'ish! They are doing well also.

Congrats!

Preparing For Delicious

The expectation is killing me! With the warm holiday weekend, grilling was in full force (actually I grill in the chilling cold winter, but so what!) and I was without my Delicious!

Supposedly Delicious is still on schedule for early June and I have been dutifily preparing. Over the Memorial Day weekend I visited Penzey's Spices and stocked up on the necessities - Chicago Steak Seasoning and BBQ 3000 along with a few other items.

Knowing Delicious will take up most, if not all, of my freezer space I have been timing the inventory. I'm down to only a few frozen flank steaks and fish fillets along with one frozen bag of chopped pork for the last stir fry of the season. Once this inventory is gone, the freezer will be dedicated to red meat and breat milk. A winning combination.

I've been working on my grill skills as well. I mentioned awhile ago that during my stint in the 'burbs I worked on masterly grilling on a Weber using real charcoal. However, City ordiances forbid charcoal grills on balconies and decks, but I can use a gas grill. Nothing like a combustible, flammable tank of gas on my porch, but oh well!

Having to succumb to grilling with gas, I have had to relearn grill times and temps. But check out these grill marks on some pork loin I recently did. I find the key is to lightly coat the meat (or chicken) with oil after I apply the dry rub - I use grape seed as it has a high smokepoint - and this helps seal in the juices. This technique will be invaluable to keep the lean, grass fed Delicious, well, delicious!

Squawk Box

I've posted earlier how Gilbert can squawk. He's doing it more know. According to Kristen (courtesy of one of her development books), the seventh month should be a talkative month for Gilbert.

The jumper chair is courtesy of my mother. As you can see, he prefers to swing and squawk as oppose to jump!

A Day In The Park

Okay, not a full day. More like an hour, max, but it was great. As Memorial Day drew to a close, we wanted to get outside so we headed to the local park for some fun and sun. Skinner Park is a nice walk (or quick drive!) and a nice family area - fenced in away from all the other activities - allows kids and parents to play with some level of comfort and safety.


We took Gilbert out for a swing and some 'blanket time'. Here are the pics!

The Jagged Edge

Gilbert's first tooth has breached the surface. We knew it was coming soon, but were surprised the tooth has arrived.

He did not exhibit any of the traditional teething symptoms - becoming a drooling factory, developing a red bum from 'drool stool', or was in visible pain.

I noticed the tooth tonight when I was feeding him dinner. I had some peas on my finger and put it in his mouth. Rubbing the lower gum, I felt the jagged edge of his tooth as it had pushed above the gum line.

Kristen later got to experience the new tooth during breast feeding. Pleasant, I'm sure!

7 Months And Counting...

Seven months ago today when Gilbert entered this world. Nothing overly special other than it is just another special day with the Little Man. Today we introduced him to his first cup.

He took to it quite well. Don't let the picture fool you, he's shown no propensity to hold his bottle, let alone this cup. I just happened to capture him picking the cup up. What I didn't capture, but was more appropriate was the cup laying on its side and Gilbert leaning forward attempting to attached his mouth to the spout without using his hands!

Happy Memorial Day

We hope all our readers are enjoying the holiday! And what a great day. The sun is out and the weather is warm in Chicago. Got my day started off right by spending a few hours working on my golf game down at Harborside International. They have a great practice facility with a HUGE range as well as practice greens for pitching and chipping.

Coming off both the accident and the knee surgery last year it feels as if I'm having to learn my swing from the beginning! I better learn fast since my annual trek to Indianapolis for the Crony Cup is only a few months away and I need to be able to shoot mid-to-low 70's!

I'm sure you have been enjoying parties and BBQ's with friends. Same here! We had two yesterday. Gilbert was awesome. Despite his naps being completely screwed up he was quite the trooper!

The second party of the day kept Gilbert up til 8pm - way past the usual lights out! He was fun and entertaining squawking like a prehistoric bird, but eventually even that ran out and we headed home. However, it was great to see friends, their kids, and indulge in food and beverage! Hope your holiday weekend has been equally fun!

Chef PJ

Another week of homemade baby food preparation took place. Learning from my first round of errors, I was determined to create baby food Gilbert's pallate would accept.

This time I went to the greens. Peas and beans, that is. First up, peas. These were quite easy and very quickly I converted the frozen peas into a smooth puree. Gilbert feasted on them all week!

Last night I moved on to beans. I purchased a good quantity of fresh green beans, prepped them and also was able to make a fine puree! Making a large batch, I filled two baby jars and then put the rest of the food in an ice cube tray to freeze and save for later. Now, all I have to do is pop out one of the bean cubes, let it thaw and presto, baby food!

Once the greens are a staple of Gilbert's diet the next step will be sweet potatoes and fruit. Maybe a pear!

Social Breakthrough?

Gilbert may be coming out of his social shell. Maybe. I've posted before how when in unfamiliar surroundings, Gilbert becomes reserved. At Gymboree yesterday we noticed a marked change in his behavior.

Arriving a few minutes early to play on the equipment, he was much more engaged and exhibited smiles and genuine interest. During the class we placed him on a balancing platform with another baby (about a foot from each other) and for the first time he actually reached out to touch another child. He kept grabbing at the little girl's sweater! Then, he became fixated with her bow and was persistent until he was able to remove it from her head.

For us, it was great to see Gilbert finally become comfortable with his surroundings and actually enjoy it!

Gilbert's Latest Visit To The Doctor

Today was Gilbert's latest 'well visit'. Suppose to be his six month check up, he's actually close to seven months (on the 26th). The visit today was a tough one.

Background. Gilbert is quickly becoming aware of his surroundings. As a result, he's in full "stranger, danger" mode with anybody that is not familiar to him. When confronted his bottom lip sticks out and he's ready to cry. For unfamiliar surroundings he gets very quiet, sometimes inserts the thumb and simply stares around as if he's in the mafia and he's watching the door half expecting a hit man to come through!

He was somewhat aware of his surroundings at the doctors office so he played it cool in the waiting room as well as his patient room. Stripped down and sitting on the scale, the nurse leaned over to adjust the measurements and given Gilbert a friendly hello. About a foot from his face, this definitely violated his no-fly zone. I quickly scooped him up to avert 'stranger, danger' moment.

Back in the patient room, Gilbert had to have his blood checked so the nurse pricked his finger. He was sitting on the table as if all was cool, and then wham! A pricked finger! He let out a wail, the tears began to flow, and he looked up at the nurse as if to say, "Why would you do that. It hurts!"

He was not happy the rest of the visit. Each time I attempted to sit Gilbert back down on the table, the screaming and crying began. I had to hold and comfort him the entire visit. When the doctor checked his ears and eyes. I had to hold Gilbert down. His face was purple from screaming!

After the poking and prodding, Gilbert began to calm down as I held him and Kristen peppered the doctor with questions we prepared. Satisfied with the answers, the visit was over.

Not quite! Gilbert received his next round of vaccinations. Two shots in each thigh and his oral rotovirus ( he doesn't mind that) and he was back to full on wailing!

We quickly dressed him, I scooped him up as Kristen settled our tab, and out the door we went. Gilbert was asleep within minutes of being safely deposited back into his car seat. Whew!

Here are the stats from the visit...

• Weight - 18lbs. 10oz (50th percentile)
• Height - 27 1/2 inches (75th percentile)
• Head size - 18.25 inches (95th percentile)

Pretty consistent from past visits. He has not grown much from his last visit, but his weight: height ratio rocks. And then there is his head size. Could it be any bigger! Apparently he continues to absorb all the bs I sling around the house!

Gilbert's Big Boy Chair

We had been feeding Gilbert in his Bumpo. However, the last few days, he's been arching in the seat and can almost pop out of it. Last night I was on feed patrol and was tired of him arching away from his food.

So, I pulled out his high chair to see if it would make a difference. Oh yeah! He loved the new roomy accommodations. With a big smile on his face, he sat back, opened up his mouth and let the food pour in!

The Clap

Kristen and I have worked on this one. From early on, we would clap Gilbert's hands together whether to song or if he did something rewarding. Originally, I would clap his hands together after he'd sit up from pulling himself up holding my hands. At first, one hand would open and clap over the other still in a fist.

Then he started to open both hands. The hands then opened wider to make that smacking sound from palms touching. With his trips to Gymboree I think he started to see the other babies clapping. Well, I was playing with him yesterday and happened to catch this on film.

Kristen's Birthday

Yesterday was Kristen's birthday. Now a ripe age of 33, Gilbert and I treated her to a little breakfast in bed. She had minimal demands, coffee and a 'sweet'. I think she just wanted to enjoy me having to actually go into a coffee shop and order coffee! Everyone knows how much I enjoy coffee!

So, I bundled up Gilbert (freshly awake from his sleep) and we trodded on down to the local Starbucks to grab a Soy Latte Grande something and a few baked goods. And yes, the Sunday Tribune.

Back at the condo, I made scrambled eggs (with cheese. Kristen likes cheese) and throw in some fruit and wha-la! Breakfast!

We lounged around for the morning knowing we had a wedding to attend later that day.

Kristen's present you ask? Well, Daddy and Gilbert combined their financial resources and spoiled Kristen with a new 'bag'. Oversized purse if you ask me.

Wandering around the neighborhood she stumbled upon a boutigue - Bess & Loie - and was raving about this bag she saw. Being the attentive husband that I am, I deftly asked a few more questions to learn about the bag and visited the store a few days later and made the purchase.

I am pleased to report Kristen was surprised!

This Is Why We Live In The City

Saturday was a beautiful day and indicative of why we moved back to the city. After working out, we saddled up and headed to Lincoln Park to stroll through the Chicago Green Market's first weekend. The market is an open air farmer's market.

From there we completed a few errands and headed over to Gymboree. We parked in a neighborhood, grabbed lunch at a local spot and strolled through the neighborhood on our way to Gymboree. Sitting forward in his stroller, Gilbert seemed to enjoy the breeze blowing through his hair. It was a windy day and he had a semi-squint as he adjusted and accepted the breeze.

Later that day, and a nap later, we then headed back out to our friend Eric's condo for a BBQ. Some of our other friends brought their 7 1/2 month old girl, Audrey, along so Kristen and I were interested to see how Gilbert would interact. He is extreme content as a norm, but in new situations, reserved would be the appropriate term to describe him as he takes in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Audrey is an active and happy child and she wanted to play with Gil immediately. Both sitting on a blanket she kept reaching for him. Gilbert was not interested. He had this look on his face, like "Who is this crazy person? And why is she all up in my business!" For us it was fun to compare as they were close in age. Audrey is already working on scooting and has her bottom teeth with a third coming in. However, Gilbert weighed more and as you can tell from the photos looks like a giant in comparison. But as you know from reading this blog, socializing is not his strong suit yet. At one point Gilbert leaned over to pick up a toy and Audrey reached for him and got hold of his hair and did not let go. Gilbert was not pleased! How funny!

However, as the night wore on, Gilbert relaxed, but was quite content to sit play with one of his toys and just watch everyone. The evening encroached into his normal sleeping routine and he was a trooper. He even flashed smiles to unfamiliar people when they approached him.

However, after a string of double-eye rubs we headed home. He was asleep before we pulled the car out into traffic! A quick change into his jammies and a feed and Gilbert is now tucked into his crib and sleeping soundly.

What a fun day!

Baby Food - The Follow Up

After toiling in the kitchen making homemade baby food, Gilbert got his first taste pureed carrots. The outcome was neutral. At first he enjoyed the food. The texture was definitely different and at times gave him pause.

As his feeding progressed, though, his tolerance for the rougher texture waned. He continued to pack in the food, but wasn't swallowing it at the same speed as the more proceed baby food from the store. He had a mild choking episode that scared Kristen a bit, but it all came flowing out when she tipped him forward.

Back in the Bumpo we feed him more, but it was clear he was done eating carrots. The last few spoonfuls just sat in his mouth and to signal he was indeed done, he opened his mouth and using his tongue pushed all the food out of it and watched it roll down his bib!

I still have another jar for him, so we'll have to wait and see if his affinity for the carrots improves!

Baby Food - Homemade!

I'm at home today. My back and neck are killing me from the recent accident. Occupying my Clark Kent-ish job during the day behind a desk only makes my situation worse. I've been stretching and doing my therapy exercises all morning.

We finally purchased a food mill and what better time to give it a spin than today. So, with no one around I was able to experiment in the kitchen. We replaced our blender a few years ago, but I kept the old one. Good move on my part! Now I have a blender for us and one just for making Gilbert's food! Armed with that and the food mill I began my quest to make homemade baby food (and in the process quite a mess!).

Anxious to give the food mill a spin I brought out rice, barley and oatmeal so I could grid each down in bulk for quick and easy cereal. What a debacle! The 'fine' plate that came with the mill barely affected the rice. Not to be deterred I went to the blender with greater success. In very little time I had ziplock bags full of powder rice, barley and oatmeal just waiting to be boiled (cooled!) and served.

Next up, carrots! Gilbert has been introduced to applesauce and a few other store-bought foods; carrots included and he seemed to enjoy these the most. We buy baby carrots by the bulk for ourselves at Costco so I figured we had a few to spare for the Little Man.

I threw a handful of carrots into the foodmill and began turning. Getting them to break apart was almost impossible. Figured I must be doing something wrong. Probably would have helped to read the baby cookbook! Boiling them first to soften up the carrots definitely made a difference!

Now you understand why I waited until no one was home. Nobody around to judge, direct, or correct. Learn from this ladies! Guys just want the opportunity to do it. Yes, we might screw up, but what is wrong with learning from mistakes? So I missed the turn. I can get there at the next intersection! Take notes ladies!

Now with the carrots softened, mashing them up in the food mill was much easier. For the last step, in to the blender they went along with the cooking water (got to save all those nutrients sitting in the water) for a final puree. Success!

In the fridge now sits a few jars of homemade pureed carrots. Gilbert better damn well eat them!

The Hypnotizing Ability of Mr. Waddles

Wanted to share these video clips. The rattling duck has 'waddles' embroidered on its chest. No idea why, but Kristen took to calling it Mr. Waddles and it stuck. Anyway, I was playing with Gilbert last week and caught this on camera. Thought it was funny and worth sharing.

With Mr. Waddles 'rattling', Gilbert was hypnotized by it.

Unfortunately, the affects wore off! Check out those big tears at the end!

The Evolving Bedtime Routine

Bedtime is a fun time for us. I only wish it started later in the evening. Come 5:30, Gilbert is ready to start preparations for sleep. He'll get cranky - "Hey, I"m hungry" - so we'll feed him. Step 1. He receives solid food first. We've introduced him to carrots, prunes, bananas, and applesauce. Carrots seem to be his favorite.

He sits in his Bumpo waiting arms stretched out. I feel like a momma bird feeding a new chick (short of eating the food myself and regurgitating it back into Gilbert's mouth!). There he sits eyes fixed on the spoon, arms outstretched, mouth agape. Quite a site.

And be damned if you are the one not feeding him and are making noise disrupting his feed. I'll be feeding Gilbert and Kristen will be off doing something in the general vicinity, but making noise. Gilbert will turn around and stare at her! Tonight I was feeding him while she was putting away her work, but again was making noise behind him. He turned around as if to say, "Do you mind!"

Once solid food has been deposited, he gets his 'milk topper' as Kristen's call it. While that is taking place, I prepare Gil's bath (It might be time to introduce his nickname -GM - Gilbert Merrill, but really it should stand for "General Manager" because he sure does run the team!). Kristen usually strips him down and brings him in. No need to discuss bath time, it has been well documented!

After a good air dry, rub down with baby lotion and his jammies secured, it is time for sleep. Well, not quite!

We now read a book to him. The light is dimmed, blinds and shades drawn, and the nighttime white noise selected (we go with 'summer nights'). Reading him a book, for me, is the best time. Just Gilbert and me, he sits in my lap, lays back against my chest, and stares at the book as I read it. By the time the book is complete, a few eye rubs have occurred and he's adequately relaxed for sleep.

Or so we think! As I lay him down, a big grin appears on his face and the minute his body touches the mattress his arms go a'flailin' and legs a'kickin'! It is a race to get the blanket over him and secured between the crib and mattress before all that calming work goes to waste. He usually succumbs and after 10 minutes of rustling around settles into that ideal position and it is eyes shut!

But here's our latest challenge. Admittedly, we do use a pacifier every so often. It became associated with sleeping only. Well, he's graduated to the next size, but hates them. Won't take it! The shape is all different and Gilbert refuses to let it in his mouth. As a result, we are still using the smaller version, but I attempt to put him to sleep without it. Sometimes I'm successful, other times not so. Anybody run into this challenge of not accepting a new 'nook'?

Hangin' With Gilbert In His Crib

Gilbert likes his crib. He could play in there all day, if we let him. Now in the mornings when we go in to start his day we play in his crib for a few minutes. He loves it!

When he sits up, his eye level is just over the top bar of the crib so he can see out into his room. We'll sit and just listen as he jabbers on!

Over the weekend, we played a bit and brought in a few of his friends!

Happy Mother's Day!

Whether a newbie or a veteran, I want to recognize all the Mom's out there. Hope on this special day that is yours, you are given your due recognition!

Special shout out to my sister for her first Mother's Day! Love ya, Carrie!

And to my wife, I love you dearly and am thankful everyday that Gilbert has you as his mommy!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Scary Moment As a Parent

Kristen and I had a brief scare with Gilbert on Friday night.

We put Gilbert to sleep, enjoyed the rest of our evening and went to bed. Somewhat restless, Gilbert moves often in his sleep. Conditioned to wake up in the middle of the night, I awoke around 3am and refreshed my water glass. Back in bed, Kristen awoke and checked the video monitor. She asked for me to check on him.

Background. Kristen has always felt as if Gilbert stops breathing when he sleeps and then starts back up, of course, when necessary. Obviously, this is not true, but I must admit I've checked in on him at night, put my ear to his nose and not heard or felt him breathing. Obviously he is. Perhaps this is some sort of phenomena, probably should do some research on it.

Anyway, I looked in on him and I couldn't hear him breathe. I lifted an arm (typical reaction is to pull it in to his body). It fell limp. Did the other arm. Same reaction. Now I'm getting worried. I rip off the blanket and no reaction. Now, I'm scared. I reach for Gilbert and jerk him out of his crib and up and into my body. No immediate reaction. By this time, Kristen has come into the room having watched through the monitor. I make some quick movements with him and Gilbert finally opens his eyes. He is not happy being woken from an incredibly deep slumber. My heart was pounding hard. Felt like it might jump out of my chest.

I have never seen Gilbert sleep so hard. Even when he was a baby, he'd react to movements or changes in his immediate environment. I should have realized all was fine when I picked him up, because his body was stiff as opposed to being limp.

However, in the moment all I cared about was seeing those eyes opened. After we all calmed down and finally got Gilbert back to sleep - I'd be pissed to if I was jerked awake during a deep sleep - we went back to bed, but it was difficult.

Any of you ever have something like this occur?

Son Protection

Gilbert has never liked having anything on his head. When he was a newbie, the stocking caps were a nuisance. Then it was the hood on his sweatshirt. Plus his head is large so finding a hat that fits and doesn't cut off the circulation was a challenge. So we gave up.

However, with the warm weather comes the sun and we need to protect his nug from those UV rays that pass through the gaping hole in the ozone! Enter the floppy hat. Those of you that know me, know Dad is a big fan of the floppy hat. My inventory is impressive. So, it was only natural to get Gilbert a camo floppy.


I wasn't around the first time, but I'm told it didn't go well. So, we started to put the hat on him while he was being distracted. Eating seemed to be the ideal time. Tonight we had it on him after his 'boob and a meal'. As you can tell, you'd think he loves the hat. A few times we had to distract him with clapping or other gestures to get his hands off the hat and prevent him from pulling it off his nug.

And, yes, again he sees the orange light on the camera and he knows it is 'picture time'. He's getting out of hand!

One Man's Junk...

How does the saying go? Well, in this case we'll call it Little Man's Junk is his Treasure!

The last few days we have shifted his position in the bath tub. Originally, Gilbert was in a reclined position. As a result, he would relax, occassionally grab his feet and simply enjoy the bath. Well, the tub has another position in which he can sit upright.

As you can tell from the pictures, he likes this position very much (again,, note his 'hamness' as he smiles and poses for the camera. He actually holds his smile until the flash goes off!). And there is a reason . If you notice, in all the pics his hands are underwater. Yes, he has discovered his 'junk'. And it makes him smile. Oh boy!

Squawk Box

No, not the popular show on CNBC, but instead that could be the term to describe Gilbert. Starting over the weekend he began to squawk, screech, etc. He's still working on consonant-vowel sounds, but "Ma" is the go-to sound when he is upset.

Basically, he just calls out her name when he's grumpy, hungry, or in general just in an unpleasant state. Makes Kristen feel good to know that he only calls her name in a time of need!

In addition to his squawking, he has this new sound that is a precursor to a laugh. The sound resembles that of a howler monkey! A deep, throaty sound that builds up into a laugh. We know it is a sound of joy, but not something you'd expect to represent it.

Morning Laughter

We rarely set our alarm in the morning. Gilbert is our natural alarm and we wake when he wakes. Granted that can be between 4:30am and 6:30am! Usually, we wake to the soft sounds of him talking or babbling.

When we go into his room to greet him 'Good Morning' we receive a nice big warm smile. Some mornings, he continues to talk incessantly. The morning this video was shot he was particularly talkative and I captured at least five minutes of soft talk and babbling.

However, I did cut out a snippet of him laughing. Enjoy!

Gymboree Week 2

Yesterday was our second trip to Gymboree. A weekly occurrence, Gilbert was zoned out from missing his nap the first week, so we had higher expectations for his second trip.

Well rested, he was active at first playing on the equipment. He seemed to take to leaning on his knees and wanting to reach for balls and other items around. Perhaps a good sign as a precursor to start considering crawling.

Then, the class gathered and this is where Dad made a tactical error. We ended up next to the instructor. She is excellent in leading the group, but has to be loud and project for the group to hear her. Well, this frightened Gilbert. He had that 'stranger danger' look on his face.

Something we learned about Gilbert was when he's a bit unsure, he goes to 'insert right thumb into mouth'. I have numerous photos of him just staring with his thumb in his mouth. This reaction is another reason we want to get him exposed and acclimated to other kids and large groups. He needs good social interaction. After six months of having three primary contacts, it is time for a limited release into the wild!

Future Golden Eagle

With Gilbert now 6 months (and growing!), he's now ventured into a whole new set of clothing options. Going through his wardrobe yesterday, I was elated to find that his Souther Miss tee now fit.

So, he doned the wares for his day at Gymboree. Can't tell me he's not happy to be a Golden Eagle!

Picture Time!

Kristen took these photos of Gilbert. She caught some amazing pics of him. Wanted to share a few...

Gilbert The Giggler

Kristen and I were playing with Gilbert this afternoon and he broke out into a giggling fit. Luckily, I was able to capture some of it on camera. Enjoy!

Back In Therapy

Today was my first day for physical therapy following losing a game of chicken. And the PT center thought they were permanently rid of my after my stint following knee surgery. Oh, were they wrong!

Actually, they were glad to see me. Life of the party, I am! They asked about 'GM' as he's known there, the wife, etc. It was good to see them as well. Nice people, good therapists. They really do care for the well-being of their patients.

So, I have a different therapist this time. Mary. Lots to talk about. She'd been dislodged from her bike on more than one occasion. So she can relate. Anyway, my first visit was nothing more than a battery of tests to determine my current physical state (a mess!) and the best course of action. I knew I was sore and stiff, but in expert hands I realize I am even worse! The back is still inflamed and I tight throughout. Left side is worse.

Looks like my visits will consist of stretching and massages. No, I'm not at a spa. This is gonna hurt! But I'm applying the same philosophy used for my knee therapy. This is an opportunity to come out better than I was prior to the accident. I like massages. And their massage therapist rocks!

Bath Time = Happy Gilbert

Gilbert is at his happiest during and immediately after his bath. Oh yeah, and he's learned that when the light comes on the camera it is picture time. It is amazingly scary. With the flash there is a delay, and I swear he holds his smile waiting for the flash. Talk about a Pavlovian response!



After he is dried off and depending if he's still got a few minutes before he let's us know bedtime is upon us, we'll have 'quiet time on the sofa. He was in such a playful mood this particular night, it was easy capturing some good smiles.