Gilbert's First Plane Ride

Tomorrow is a big day. Team Johnson is heading to Dallas for a long weekend with my family. This will be Gil's first plane ride and ours as parents. Strategy is already being formed on how we'll pack, check-in, where to sit on the plane, etc. Serious stuff!

But the best part is we get to meet Maddie - my niece - for the first time! Maddie was born on my birthday last year. She's almost seven months old. I can't wait! It will be fun to see Gil and Maddie together. Of course, they'll probably be oblivious to each other, but who cares. It will be fun. My P's are driving up from Houston later in the week so the entire Johnson clan will be together. Oh boy!

So, for those savvy travelers who have taken their kids on plane rides, any sage advice you can offer?

Back in the Groove

Sorry for not posting lately. Took the weekend just to relax and get acclimated to being home after a week in London. Our sitter-nanny has started and she is working while Kristen is still at home to get in the groove of how Gilbert operates.

Gilbert changed greatly during my week away. His sounds have evolved and now his range of noises, gurgles, squeals has broadened. As I write this blog he's carry on a fantastic conversation with himself!

He's also grown, or more accurately filled out. Gil's dexterity hs improved too as he's discovered how to suck on his hands with ease, but still hasn't located his thumb!

With greater vision comes the desire to see more. His favorite vantage point currently is to look over your shoulder. He props up his forearm on our shoulder so he can survey the back 40. And when he is on the ground, he loves to stand up (as demonstrated by this picture).

One thing we have to be careful of is the television. We don't have it on much, but if he sees it we lose him. He'll just stare intently at it and zone out. Same thing for the computer screen. Personally, I think it is just the illumination coming from the screen. One time I caught him staring at the glowing blue light coming off the DVR. The light had the diameter of a quarter!

It was definitely to get back out on the road for travel, especially to a cool city like London, but nothing beats being at home with Kristen and Gilbert!

Coming Home

I've been in London working all this past week, but tomorrow I'll be home. Sitting in my hotel room, I'm all packed and ready to go. A bit tired from the intense work sessions and jet lag, but the week has been fun. The folks in the office have been amazing hosts and the camaraderie built over deciphering each others language jargon was priceless!

But there is no substitute for the joy that awaits me when I get to give the little man a hug! I brought with me a little deck of pictures that I could flip through when I was jonesing for some Gil. And yes, of course, I can't wait to see Kristen! That goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway!

Cheers mate!

Big Day!

Today is the first day our nanny/sitter starts caring for Gil. Officially, she'll be on for the full time in early February, but are bringing her in a few days this week and next so she can get acclimated to Gil and our home with Kristen together.

This signals the first real shift back to pre-Gil life; Kristen returning to work. Her business is now official. The paperwork is filed with the State, she's doing design work on her own and now she'll be a contractor for her prior design firm. Lots of good things are happening for her!

From a parent perspective, knowing the shift is coming has been - at times - hard to accept. No matter how good the care is for your child, it is not the same since you are not the person providing it. Plus, giving up the control is probably the unspoken hardest part. Maybe that is why in other countries the maternity leave is so much more extensive.

For example, in the UK it is one year. I've heard in Germany, the leave is as much as three years! And in both cases salaries are paid close to 100% for the entire length. This might not be completely accurate but regardless the US policy of 12 weeks (salary provided is optional) pales in comparison. And remember, prior to the FMLA (signed into law during the Clinton administration), there was nothing concrete. Scary, huh!

We Survived!

Our first night out and away from Gilbert went off without a hitch. Katie was excellent in both feeding him and getting him to bed. Thanks!

As for the evening, it was enjoyable. The event at Nau was quite interesting. Packed with design-types, Kristen definitely fit in more than I did, but even so she was still a bit on the conservative side compared to many of the more eclectic. There was plenty of food and beverage and the sample of eco-friendly or sustainable building materials were quite interesting. It is amazing what is being done with natural or recycled products nowadays!

With the evening going so well, we decided to keep it going and did go to Webster's Wine Bar. The place was just as we remembered it, but the menu of food has exploded! Kristen selected three fantastic cheeses and the sliced spicy Spanish sausage I picked was the perfect companion to the large reds we drank.

What surprised us the most is that we thoroughly enjoyed our evening and still somehow ended up back at home before 10pm! Heck, I've got friends who don't even think about going out until then!

So, the evening was fun and we look forward to doing it again.

It is quite cold today so we spent our time indoors playing and taking pictures. Here is the latest batch.

First Date

Tonight will be the first time Kristen and I have been out together since Gilbert arrived. Well, now that I think about it, we have been out before when my P's were up for Thanksgiving, but tonight is the first time we'll be out for an extended period of time.

Gilbert will be placed in the trusty hands of Katie for the evening. How did we convince a young, single girl to give up her Friday night, you ask? Food and the ability to do her laundry for free (apparently public laundramats freak her out!). The bitterly cold weather didn't hurt our case either!

So, what are we doing for the evening. Fine dining, perhaps? A romantic rendezvous at a hotel, maybe? Nah!

We are attending an event held by Nau, a progressive clothier that makes eco-friendly, hip clothing. I learned about Nau through the foundation I volunteer - Taproot Foundation. Nau donates 5% of the profits from every sale to a variety of local and national partners. Taproot is one of them. As a result, I've had the opportunity to get to know the folks at Nau and am often invited to special seminars, parties, etc. the store holds to promote their eco-philosophy.

Tonight is a seminar on eco-friendly and sustainable building materials co-hosted with Ecolect.net. They have developed the first freely accessible on-line database of sustainable materials for architects, builders, furniture designers, fashion designers, and more.

Since this might be of interest to Kristen, we are both attending. Of course, the enticement of free food and beverage at the event was nice too. And 50% all the stores wares!

And yes, if all goes well we are going out afterwards with plans to visit a familiar haunt...Webster's Wine Bar to spend a little one-on-one time together. Kristen has been jonesing for some good cheese and I know she'll get her fill at Webster's!

The question that remains is how many times will Kristen call Katie to check in on Gil!

City Playdate

With a sense of structure and some normalcy settling in at Casa de Johnson, Kristen has begun to ease back into her pre-birth activities; working out, seeing friends, enjoying what the city has to offer. For her, a big reason was also the ability to reconnect with past co-workers/friends.

Well, yesterday Gil and Kristen had a playdate with her friend Lauren and her son, Ty, at their place. Not privy to their conversation, I'm sure Kristen and Lauren talked about their work, parenting, and I'm sure did some good gossip dishing!

I did talk to Gil and he said that he and Ty had a fun time together. A year older, Ty provided Gil some sage advice on how to deal with nannies and baby sitters, eating solid food, and how to hold one's pee until the very minute your diaper is being changed so you can spray mom and dad.

Additionally, Gil said they attempted to address some of the more serious issues facing their generation such as equal access to the sandbox and how television baby models are poor role models for body health issues along with a friendly debate on what is "the ideal nipple". In the picture above, Gil is laughing at Ty's retelling of his famous first pee after eating creamed asparagus story.

Road Trio to the Suburbs

Today we took a road trip out to see our friends - Emily and Derek, along with their two kids - and enjoy the day together. For those of you not familiar, Kristen is the Godmother to their oldest, Taggart. The day was great as the ladies tagteamed for the lunch and we spent the remainder of our time together just talking, hanging out, and being entertained by the kids.

Taggart is stringing together sentences quite well, but like all kids whose vocabulary is expanding while enunciation still a challenge it was good to have Emily around as Tag's interpreter!

Cammie (Campbell) will soon be up and walking. She can hoist herself up with ease to stand and climbs, but when it comes to moving north/south she still prefers to go low. But her laugh! She has two; a high-pitch joyous scream that surely dogs can hear within a mile radius and a second; this deep Ha! Ha! Ha! that is crazy funny and totally infectious. I simply laughed in response!

Gil was his usual self. He enjoyed the new surroundings and did his best Stevie Wonder as he head seemed to be on a swivel as it darted back and forth to take it all in. During play time, he seemed to be enamored with both Cammie and Tag as he stared intently at both of them. We ran the entire Gil gamut - feed, sleep, diaper change, fussiness, smiles, and repeat. When it came time to depart when lulled him to sleep in his car seat prior to guarantee a quite ride home!

The Results Are In, Part 2

Gilbert had his two month (okay, more like 2 1/2 month) check up yesterday. His visit can be summed up in one word, GROWING!

The typical measurements were recorded and his growth chart is progressive upwards. Here's the results:

• Weight - 13 lbs. 7oz. (up from 10lbs. 11oz.) in the 70th percentile (up from 50th percentile
• Length - 24 3/8 (up from 23 inches) in the 70th percentile (same)
• Head size - Whoa! 16 7/8 inches (up from 15 inches) in the 90th percentile (up from 75th percentile)

However, the big surprise of the visit was the four shots he had to receive for a variety of vaccines to ward off nasty diseases and viruses like Ebola, Avarian Flu, etc. Just kidding! But he did receive four shots and was not at all thrilled about the experience.

The first shot went fine. A little grimace and pout, but he quickly recovered. However, the second shot was fast and in the same vicinity. That did not meet his approval and he expressed his displeasure.

Of course, he calmed down and regrouped only to be stuck two more times in the other leg. By the time all the shots were finished, he was simply pissed and let us know verbally. However, we quickly comforted him by wrapping him up in a snugly outfit (see picture).

The rest of the day seemed to progress nicely with no signs of being upset or side affects of the shots. We even interviewed a nanny and everything went swimmingly.

However, his pleasant demeanor shifted to painful at bedtime. I had just left the condo for the gym when he began to wail in obvious pain from the shots. Able to provide only mild comfort by holding and soothing him with word, he'd relax only to shout out in pain in intervals throughout the evening. Eventually he fell asleep, either from total exhaustion or from finally finding comfort, but the ultimate surprise was he slept through the entire night!

This morning we all woke up and it was back to the status quo. A happy child wanting to play!

Sleeping Upright

In the early weeks, any time we would hold Gilbert against our chest (whether sitting or walking around), he craned his neck. Call it a reflex to having his face laying against something or was Pavlovian to tummy time.

However, in the past two weeks he's finally begun to relax when we hold him against our bodies. Now to the point where he'll actually cuddle up and fall asleep. For me, I love it! Now I can lay back on the sofa, watch a little tele or take a nap myself, and relax my hold without worrying about Gil suddenly arching up and flying off me.

The downside is now when we do 'tummy time' he has the tendency just to lay there and drift off. Either he's comfortable with his ability to lift his head and no longer finds the need to amuse us or he's realized his nug has become so large that the effort to raise it up isn't worth it!

The Best Thing About Waking Up

is not Folger's in my cup, but play time with Gilbert. Originally, he was would sleep most of the morning and then upon waking demand a boob. Now, his new morning pattern is to want to play before feeding.

So, I get up early and get cleaned up. He is typically awake cooing in his crib as he stares at the black and white mobile overhead waiting for me to pick him up. We gather on the couch for some quality face-to-face and I get to enjoy his smiles, laughing, talking, and on occasion farting (this morning, he destroyed not only his diaper, but his onesee and sleep sack. Where does all that poo come from, really?).

For the past few weeks his hands and arms have been quite active. We've snapped some awesome photos only to capture a blur of his arms and hands because of the fast movement. He's developing quite the karate chop as he reaches for objects in front of him. However, without his depth perception fully in place yet, it is often 'swing and a miss'. He's whacked both Kristen and I a few times in the face as well as hitting himself on the noggin too.

His favorite item to grab right now is his burp cloth. He loves the texture and often will latch on with both hands, pull it into the center of his body and attempt to put some portion of the cloth in his mouth for a taste test. It is pure joy to watch.

If he does grab my fingers, he either attempts to eat them or, on occasion, will pull himself up especially if he's already in somewhat of a sitting position (see the photos).

What better way to welcome in the new year...

than to get naked and take a bath! Looking to get the new year off to a good start, we partook in a guaranteed good time for Gilbert. Of course, it is fun for us as well. His balance in his tub has improved dramatically and he's learned how to stay upright by stabilizing his body by placing his elbows and forearms against the sides of the tub. I knew he was a prodigy!

Turns out the bath was the highlight of the day as the rest of it went downhill from there. The little man had a bad bout of rumble-stumble belly and he let it be known he was unhappy. Helpless to sooth him beyond a comforting song or embrace, this lasted most of the afternoon.

By nighttime he calmed down, but continued to let us know his discourse. His cries were more like audible pouts just to let us know he is pissed.

I have a hard time not laughing when he does this, because the face is funny as he sticks out his bottom lip and gives his "Waaa" - long pause - "Waaa". I equate it to a 'hear me roar and I will not be ignored' cry.

He's not doing it in this picture, but his discontent is easily recognizable!

Holidaying in Michigan - The Return

During the holiday season we trek back and forth to Michigan to spend time with all of Kristen's family. We attempt to make as many family functions as possible, but the past few years we've missed the Boggio family get together (Kristen's Mom's family). This year Ryan was able to wrangle them all together in Ann Arbor for a Christmas party. We departed early Friday after Gil's morning feeding (it always sounds like I'm describing how you feed livestock. "Hey Vern, the cows get their mornin' feed, yet?"). Anyway...this is the third time we've gone to Ann Arbor, but are still batting 1000 for snow storms during our travel.

I tip my hat to the meteorologist. He said snow would start at 8am. Well, come 8am the snow started. So, I thought we'd be ahead of the weather. Yeah, right. I-94 was littered with wrecked cars (some unfortunately, looked to be serious) most of the trip. Of course, as we entered Ann Arbor city limits, we finally got in front of the storm.

Background. Taya is one of three sisters. When they are all together, the decibel pitch of their conversations and laughter can be deafening to the uninitiated. Of course, I mean this affectionately! I warned Gil, once we entered the house to be prepared for the shriek of the Boggio women. However, no warning can prepare oneself for that experience! Still emerging from his car seat slumber, his eyes shot open wide as he looked up to see all these new faces doting over him. I quickly ushered Gil upstairs before grabbing hands could claim him and prepared the little man for the evening.

As for the evening, it was fantastic. Lots of food, beverage, and good conversation. Michigan State was playing their bowl game so many were attuned to the television. In lieu of the traditional chinese gift exchange, Ryan made it a requirement that everybody instead brought a book that was hopefully a favorite. Still enforcing the rules of the game, we opened and stole books from one another. I ended up with a great book on grilling and Kristen got some chicky, feel-good story of Camelot told by four chicks. Like King Arthur was a touchy-feely guy! If he wasn't killing and pillaging, I'm sure he was drinking with his buddies at the 'Round' betting on joust matches!

On Saturday, we finally got to see the farmhouse Ryan and Shannon purchased. They have big plans for the house (and a lot of work to do!), but I'm sure it will turn out fabulous. We walked the 40 acres (not all of it!) and enjoyed some nice, very un-city fresh air.

Our return trip home was much quicker and easier and of course, Gil slept the entire ride home. Here's a picture of what he looks like all the time in his car seat. And no, I wasn't driving as I snapped the photo!

Mr. Smiles

Eight weeks into life with Gilbert, his facial expressions have begun to evolve. Gilbert has begun to flex his facial muscles for smiling. Dubbed "Mr. Smiles" when he flashes the big grin at Kristen and me, we can't help but smile back! For your enjoyment, here are a few pics of Mr. Smiles!

Christmas Day

Okay, I'm a few days late. Back off! It has been a relaxing time at Casa de Johnson. Christmas Eve and Day were spent at home, just the three of us, and we thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Being with family is always special and a lot of fun - especially on during the holidays, but there is something to be said for the tranquility of relaxation. And that was definitely our theme the past few days.

We continued to gorge ourselves on snacks and holiday treats while opening presents on Christmas Day. Santa was good to everyone and Kristen and I were surprised that Gil was able to get some shopping in for us. Apparently he has become quite adept at using the internet. No more leaving him unattended! Of course, we had time for some photos. Here Dad and son are in their Christmas colors. He is less than amused with the new headwear.

The day was quite temperate, so we went for a walk that night and was surprised how quite the city turned out to be. Walking along the river on Wacker Drive we encountered only a handful of people. With the streets empty I attempted to coax Kristen into the middle of the intersection for a fun photo, but this is as far as I could get her to go!

As I write this post we are preparing for round two to our holiday trips to Michigan. This time we are off to Ann Arbor for Christmas with Kristen's mom's side of the family. We haven't gathered in a few years so it will be good to catch up. Also, we'll get a first look at the new home Kristen's brother - Ryan - and his wife - Shannon - bought recently. It is an old farm house on 40 acres. Ryan, the consummate outdoorsman, is quite giddy about the new home and space especially with their family expanding by one next summer. Should be a good time.

Santa's Little Helper

The day after the Lawrence family Christmas, we celebrate the holiday with Kristen's immediately family in Niles. It was bitterly cold and windy outside, but warm and festive in! Kathy had a fantastic spread of food - as usual - and we ate throughout the day as we opened presents.

This year we had a visitor. One of Santa's special little helpers. He surprised us when he came down the stairs to drop off the presents and enjoyed our company so well, he decided to stay around during the present opening!



Later that day, we visited Kristen's lifelong friend Mindi as she was in town with her two kids and husband, Brent, visiting her family. Getting all three boys to focus on the camera was a bit of a challenge, but we captured the reality of the day!


We wound down the day back at Kristen's parents house and prepared for the drive home. Gil was awesome, considering we completely threw off his routine. He was a bit cranky as we packed the car, but the magic of the car seat seduced him into a nice slumber that lasted the whole way home!

The Lawrence Family Christmas

Saturday was an early morning. Kristen the drill sergant had me pack the car the night before in preparation for our dawn raid on Michigan. After Gil's 6am feeding, we headed out in order to make lunch and see everyone at the Lawrence family Christmas.

Dave is one of five siblings; all married and with kids. As a result, the Lawrence family has grown to be quite large. The youngest of Kristen's cousins are upperclassmen in high school so it has been some time since a baby has been in the family.

Additionally, Gil is the first great grandchild bringing together four generations of Lawrences. Pretty cool, huh? A generation picture is to the right (Lynn, Dave, Gil, Kristen, and Phyllis). With multiple cameras snapping, getting everyone to look in the same direction and Gil smiling was all but an impossible task.

The day itself was its typical good time. A big family dinner followed by a Chinese gift exchange accompanied by the usual wrapping paper ball fights! Throughout it all, Gil was a tropper. He was definitely handled by a lot of family members, but provided his best smiles, a few cries, and a nap when he was done being social and a few 'steamers' along the way. Then again, Kristen had Mexican the night before that might have contributed!

Here's Kristen with her grandparents - Lynn and Phyllis. However, the day was also special, as the siblings surprised Phyllis with a birthday cake for her 80th birthday (January 1st).

Quality Time

Starting today I have a strech of seven days at home; all for spending with Gil and Kristen. Been looking forward to it! Kristen has been out all day today visiting friends and some old co-workers so it has been just 'Daddy and Gil' time today.

We had a nice bath, some good naps, and tummy time. He's sleeping right now so I'm taking advantage of the quiet to wrap presents and post this blog. Gil feel asleep toward the end of the bath and was snoring before I could get his pj's on! Definitely asleep at the wheel, I'd say! Oh yeah, with Kristen gone, I can raid the cookie jar unabated now that it is loaded from Kristen baking all week!

Ooh, I can see on the monitor Gil's stirring. Got to go!

A few hours later...

I'm back. This is a big weekend for Team Johnson. We have the Lawrence family Christmas on Saturday and with Gil we now have four generations of Lawrence's. Should be fun! Sunday will be Christmas with the family in Niles - Dave, Kathy, Katie, Ryan and Shannon - as we are all going to be at our respective homes for Christmas Day.

It will be interesting to see how well Gil travels, is passed around among all the family members, and what happens to his routine. He's been such a fantastically dispositioned baby so far, I hope the true Gil continues to shine through the weekend. Stay tuned...

Bottle Transition

Dad is now of value in regards to the feeding of Gil. The bottle was introduced last week. Gil took to it immediately. Kristen felt shunned. Was there now value in the authentic? I think for the first few minutes, she was actually upset.

But I reassured her, there is no replacing the real thing. Fakes just don't cut it. And trust me, I've seen my fair share of fake ones. I digress...

I told her to look at it from Gil's perspective, he wants the breast milk. As long as it resides behind the nipple - real or fake - he's gonna go after it. To him, it is Liquid Gold!

However, with the bottle now in play I'm now involved with feedings. So much for the care free late night feedings. Actually, that is still Kristen's role. I'm stepping up with the morning feed. This way Kristen can get an extended sleep after the late night feeding and it actually gets me up and forces me to prepare for the day.

The hidden gem that has emerged is Gil is quite playful after the morning feed. So, while Kristen sleeps Dad and son have a little bonding time. Best part of my day! He smiles in recognition of my over exaggerated faces and I get to sing ridiculously made up songs. Some G rated, others for adult ears only. But hey, to Gil if they are in an up and down pitch, I could be reading the box scores.

Back to the bottle, we're still learning on the timing of pumping to create our milk bank and when she feeds direct. Here you can see Gil's reaction when it came time to feed and Kristen had to inform him, there was 'no milk in these here boobs'.

Me and My Monkey

Actually, it is Gil and his monkey. Of his stuffed animal kingdom, the monkey hasquickly become his favorite. Only time will tell whether the primate becomes his long-term best friend.

Aunt Katie came over for a visit so we dressed him in his Christmas best. With time to waste, we captured some photos of him with his monkey and santa's hat. Gil even gave us a 'thumbs up'. Enjoy!



With Gil's outfit came a skull cap. Unfortunately, he's not a fashion bug when it comes to headwear. His annoyance quickly turned into downright disgust for the hat. Then again, I'd be upset too if I looked like a member of an Alabama prison chain gang from the 50's.

And It Begins

The search for daycare, nanny, babysitter. Whatever you want to call that person, the process has now started for us.

As many of you know, Kristen is striking it out on her own hoping to find gold. She already has a project and with more potentially looming, plus work from her past employers, we are in need of daycare. I offered to stay home full time, ala Heimer, but we weren't keen on changing our address to "Under the Highway".

And I though choosing a college or selecting a job was difficult. Jeez. At Gil's tender age, we want to bring the daycare into our house. That means finding a nanny. Luckily, there is a fantastic service called Sitter City that vets and does background checks on its sitters. As a sitter you can post a profile, a video via YouTube, and other information to assist parents in the selection process.

From a parents perspective, we post listings, sit back and let the sitters come to us. We just posted and the inquiries are flowing. Now the hard part. What questions do we ask, where do we meet. Basically how does it all work. So, we're relying on those with prior experience.

Our goal is to have our sitter selected by late January, so KJJ Design can go into full gear come February 1st.

Wish us luck!

It Has Been a Good Week

It has been a fun week for us. The past weekend was full of activities. Team Johnson took a road trip to Cary (anything over 50 miles is a road trip, even if just the suburbs) - as posted earlier - and then on Sunday Gil and me had our first outing to the Niepomnik's Holiday Open House.

They were fantastic hosts and the spread was awesome. Since I had Gil full-time it kept me away from destroying the buffet. Everyone benefited from that! It was a good learning experience having to care and feed the little guy one-on-one. After he destroyed a few diapers = pee-uuu - he calmed down and was a champ! Kristen had to call of course as she was having Gilbert withdrawals! Here we are dressed in our best Christmas colors!

Today was a good day for Mom and Gil. He slept through most of the morning and was quite playful in the afternoon. Luckily she snapped some photos of his playtime with his friends in the animal kingdom!

Where Does It All Go?

As you know, Gilbert was born with a full head of hair. That hair has now begun to fall out. The mystery to me is, where does it all go?

When Kristen sheds it is everywhere. The bathroom sink, floor, and shower. But Gil's hair just seems to disappear. It is not visible on his clothers, the crib, etc. Where does it all go!

First Crawl

Got excited reading the title, yes? Well, a first crawl did occur, but it wasn't Gilbert. No, we were witness to Fayth's first crawl.

Team Johnson visited the Evenson's for a fun, relaxing evening of kids, food, and just good conversation.

As we were sitting around the family room, Suzanne was holding Gilbert as Fayth was playing with her toys when she started to scoot as she always does, but turned it into a full blown crawl over to her mommy and Gil.

Suzanne proceed to burst out, "Oh, Pookie. Fayth just crawled. Ooh!" Okay, that might not be exactly what she said, but it was close!

What a great way to start the evening. Fayth is an incredibly happy child. Even her crying is accompanied by a smile!

As usual, they were fantastic hosts and we had an enjoyable evening. Thank you!

The House That Goose Built

Friday has been a fun day. My office is being painted, so displaced I've been working from home. Probably helpful, since my latest proposal has involved one of our Germany offices resulting in a shift in my work hours.

Come Friday afternoon, the work was done so Team Johnson headed out for some holiday shopping. Gil and I dropped off Kristen at her doctor's for her post-delivery follow up. All is good and she got the green light to begin working out again and perhaps have some 'relations'. Yippee!

Gil was a trooper. He slept through most of his first shopping experience - lucky him - while I had the joy of bearing witness to Kristen shop for a new winter coat! But seriously, she is quite expeditious when it comes to shopping. Especially when its a one day sale! We headed home after lunch, sans Kristen who continued on shopping and then proceeded to get herself a new haircut.

But the highlight of the day was visiting our friend Nancy. Nancy is my Goose Island connection. Kristen met her through a mutual friend, provided some interior design services and they've been friends ever since. Because of Nancy, I've been fortunate enough to attend some kickin' Goose Island events. But seriously, Nancy is a good friend and we enjoy visiting her.

Nancy likes art. And she has a lot of it. Well, someone has to hang all that art. And that someone is me. When Kristen was working with Nancy originally, she devised a 'wall of art' for her. It was a collage of about 10-15 art pieces arranged in a square on a wall around her television cabinet. Kristen required the best of the art hanging contractors around to complete this difficult task. After calling around and not being able to locate anyone, I got the nod.

My compensation for toiling over the 'wall of art'? Goose Island beer!

Fast forward. Nancy just returned from what was a fabulous vacation in France and Belgium. She bought art in Paris and drank beer in Belgium. Not a bad trip. Armed with all this 'new' art, we headed over so Kristen could revel in it and then order me around as to where to hang it! I must admit, some of the art was pretty cool. You should see her condo, it is covered in art and there is still more yet to be hung!

After a few hours of work, I'm happy to admit I'm now two cases of beer richer. And one of the cases is a special limited bottling commemorating Goose Island's 3000th beer run. Congrats to the Goose!

This Is Not a Nipple!

So, this morning I had the pleasure of sharing in Kristen's joys of waking up when Gil is hungry. We introduced a bottle to the little man for the first time and I had the bleary-eyed pleasure of being the delivery vehicle.

He took it like a champ. Breat milk is breast milk, right? Nipple be real or plastic, the kid knows liquid gold is on the other side, so have at it I say!

I'll spare you the picture of the feed (actually we didn't take a pic, rely on Mom for pictures and our family would be photographed as much as any family from the early days of photography...never!). Instead enjoy this collection of recent photos!

Here Gilbert imitates what he'll look like when he gets to ride his first Harley. Vroom. Vroom. He's actually sound asleep. We were eating dinner and looked down at him to see this little man sleeping with his arms completely rigid and sticking straight out. How can that be comfortable?

First Big Snow

Contrary to popular opinion, snow does not blanket Chicago often before the new year. However, twice now we've witnessed a good snow fall. Icy walking paths are viewed so differently now that I have to navigate not only myself but a stroller as well!

This picture is from our balcony looking east back to the city.

Unintentional, but with the flash on, you can actually see the snowflakes upclose. Pretty cool. Ansel Adams, step back! Here's the same night, but now looking west.

The Results Are In!

And Gilbert is expected to pick up the red states. Oooh, sorry. Thought this was an election.

But seriously, Gil had his first check up visit with the pediatrican and all the hand-wringing Kristen and I have done over his results is over. We fretted what percentile he'd be in for weight, height, and noggin size. Was he going to be behind already? We couldn't bear to watch as the nurse weighed him and the doctor conducted his measurements. Were we good parents? Or were we neglecting our child?

YEAH RIGHT!

C'mon. Like we care how he compares. As long as he's healthy. And to that, the answer is YES! Here's his progress...

1. Gil was born 7lb. 7oz. He tipped the scale at 10 lbs. 11oz. That throws him right in the median percentile at 50%. That puts him in the middleweight class (for all those pugilists, out there!).
2. He's grown quite a bit, though. He came out of the chute at 20 inches, but is already at 23 inches (okay 22 3/4 to be exact) and that places him in the 70 percentile. A good start to reach the Mendoza Line of height...6 feet.
3. And as I expected, his nug has expanded as well, dropping him in the 65 percentile. Needed as he is already soaking up the nuggets of useless information I'm feeding him as we have our 'daddy' talks.

So, he's growing and gaining. All good things!

B&B!

Now when you hear this term, you immediately think "Bed & Breakfast". Well, for Gil that's "Boob & Bath". Not a bad consolation, I say! When we are both at home, we split "B" duties. Obviously, I'm in charge of the bath! It is pure enjoyment for both of us!

The routine goes like this...Strip him down, fresh diaper, followed by a good feeding. I prepare the bath. Handoff from Mom, give him those awful vitamins (with iron) via a dropper and then strip him down to his birthday suit and it is bath time. And there you have our version of "B&B".

This weekend marked his first real bath. No 'birdie baths' for this guy. We filled up the sink and dunked him head first. Okay, so he actually went in butt first. He loved it!

Gil has enjoyed bathing from the beginning. We think he gets that from his dad as it allows him to be 'free'. No gold bond for him though!

After the bath Gil gets his much appreciated 'naked time'. Just him and a supersoft bath towel. Pure joy, but of course and it registers on his face. Such tranquility after a good bath, no?

Here are a few more photos from his latest "B&B".

That relaxation quickly transitions into animation and he's always good for some excellent photos. Here he gives his patented "power to the people" pose.

Pre-bath. First of the B's. He's wondering, "Wasn't there a nipple in my mouth just a second ago?

Staring intently at Kristen and his food source, he must be thinking..."You gonna feed me or what?"