Don't Blame Me...

... blame Amy :)

My lovely wife has gotten me hooked on Wordle.net, which is an odd little site that makes arty-ish images from text. I've wasted a lot of time over the last few days on this site. Here are three of my favorites:

This one is from a previous post from this blog. I was just looking for something with a fair amount of text.

This one was from a piece of Perl code I was working on. I think it came out pretty cool. Probably works better as art than as a computer program, come to think of it...

And finally this one is from the first few lines of a song that is currently infecting my brain. Don't blame me for that one, either, that was from Amy's friend, Amy :P

UPDATE: I couldn't resist one more. Because this is just way too wacky to keep to myself... :)

The Christmas Season

I think the Christmas season is finally here!

There is Christmas music on the radio stations 24/7, the stores have Valentine candy on the shelves, and the lines to see Santa are long. However the thing that confirmed it for me is that I finally saw "The Clapper" commercial. Yes, Virginia, Christmas is on it's way!

Thinking About...

This may sound like an odd thing, but other than the aforementioned diaper difficulties, I think the hardest thing to get used to with Bambino is feeding. It's a very, very different experience than feeding Bambina. The entire time we were at the hospital, she might struggle through 10-20 mls at each feeding, taking 45 min to an hour per feeding. Even after we got home, the most we ever got into her in a single sitting for the first two weeks was one ounce, most often around 20 mls, over an hour to an hour-and-a-half. Compare that to Bambino, who sucked down one ounce in his first feeding with Amy yesterday, and tonight, just 32 hours after birth, gulped down two entire ounces in less than 15 minutes. I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry. On the one hand, he's a frickin' tank! He just plows through his bottle, no nonsense style (well, as no nonsense as a day-old infant can be). It's comical, because we have to really pay attention to how fast he's going so he doesn't splort everywhere. On the other hand, it just really drives home how little Bambina had the first two weeks of her life. The poor child must have been so hungry, all the time, and so frustrated that she couldn't get what she needed. Makes me want to run home and give her a big squeeze every time I think about it.

This Is Gonna Take Some Practice

It took less than 24 hours for the boy to pee all over everything while I had his diaper off.

Helsel Family Expansion Report

Amy, Teagan and I are delighted to announce the birth of our fourth family member, Asher James. Asher was born on Wednesday, December 3 at 2:25PM. Asher weighs in at a respectable 7 lb 11 oz, and measures 20.5". Mommy and child are both doing well. Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers

Three Things

Three things to post for tonight:

1. The Bambina can use a straw. That might not seem like a huge deal, until you remember that she was born with a cleft soft palate and was unable to create suction until she was eight months old. Needless to say, we're very, very happy!
2. Photos from her family birthday party have been posted to her photo gallery. There's video of her eating her cake, but I'm having trouble getting it uploaded.
3. We're heading to the hospital tomorrow for the imminent arrival of The Bambino. The C-section is scheduled for 1PM.

That'll do it. Watch this space tomorrow afternoon/evening for an important update!

UPDATE - Video is up.

Happy Birthday, Bambina!

Can you believe it? I know we sure can't! Time has slipped by so fast, where did it all go? And look how much she's grown! Can you believe she's the same baby?

Happy first birthday, Bambina. Thank you for all the joy you've brought to our lives. Mommy and Daddy love you very, very much...

Bambina Says...

Michigan stinks! Go BUCKEYES!

Attention Men

See the doo-dad in the photo there at the left? I'm sure you've all seen something like it in public restrooms across the country. That little thingy sticking out to the left of the main, upright whats-it? Do you know what it is? I'll give you a hint, in case you're mystified. It performs the very same function as the little lever on the commode in your bathroom at your own home. When you push it down as far as it will go and then release it, the contents of whatever device to which it is attached (this handle thingy can be found on both the upright and seated versions commonly found in lavatories, what a swell idea!) are whooshed away, to be replaced with much cleaner dihydrogen monoxide. How cool is that? Use of this lever-type device reduces odor caused by the previously mentioned contents of the attached device.

Now that you know what that little thingy is for, please for the love of Pete, FLUSH THE &@#$ed TOILET WHEN YER DONE!

5 years later...

So it only took me 5 + years to learn this interesting fact. Tom doesn't like Snickers candy bars!! I was working my way through the leftover Halloween candy and made this amazing discovery! I am just amazed that I did not know this... makes me wonder what other deep dark secrets he is keeping :)


In other news: Photobucket has been updated!

Meme Me

I don't often do memes, but what the heck, I haven't posted in a while, and if it's good enough for Darrin, it's good enough for me.

1. Do you like blue cheese?

Mmmmmmmm.... Is there anything better than chunks of blue cheese on a nice, medium-rare steak? This bald man doesn't think so.

2. Have you ever smoked heroin?

Uh... No. If I did, would I be admitting it here?

3. Do you own a gun?

No, but since I'm half convinced, based on recent conversations with my friend, Rattus, that Western civilization as we know it will collapse within the next five years, I might have to reconsider.

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?

Que? Never had anything to drink at Sonic other than iced tea. You add flavors to your drink at Sonic?

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?

Nah. I've had so many of them over the last 10 years, it's just routine.

6. What do you think of hot dogs?

Mostly, I could do without them. Unless I'm at a baseball game...

7. Favorite Christmas movie?

I've probably seen It's a Wonderful Life more than A Christmas Story, but A Christmas Story just cracks me up.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?

Coffee. Duh.

9. Can you do push ups!?

Plural?

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?

I only wear a wedding ring. Well, I guess that's not quite true. I have a little magnetic bracelet that I wear on my left wrist, which somehow or another helps with my wrist pain.

11. Favorite hobby?

Do other Daddy's actually have hobbies?

12. Do you have A.D.D.?

Huh? What?

13. What is one trait you hate about yourself?

My temper. I usually keep it pretty well controlled, but there are times where it bubbles up. I really fear for the day that Amy, or God forbid the kids, accidently get the full brunt of my temper. That would be truly, truly scary for all involved.

14. Middle name?

R.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.

- Good lord how many questions are there?
- Dagnabbit the timer went off on the light!
- When is the kid going to wake up for her snack?

16. Name 3 things you bought yesterday.

Lunch at Schmidt's for Amy and me.

17. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?

1. Coffee, 2. Coffee 3. Coffee

18. Current worry...

That I'll be up most of the night worrying for the third night in a row.

19. Current hate right now?

Writing requirements

20. Favorite place to be?

At home on my couch with my sweetie :)

21. Where would you like to go?

Walla Walla

22. Name three people who will complete this?

After me in my circle of friends? Probably noone, y'all have much better things to do with your lives :)

23. Name three people you would like to complete this?

No.

24. Shirt you are wearing?

Black T-shirt. Go fig.

25. What year would you go back in time to?

I don't think I would. I mean, my own past is past, there are good things and bad things about it, but the exciting stuff is ahead. I enjoy reading about more distant past, but wouldn't wanna live there.

26. Can you whistle?

Sorta

27. Favorite color?

Black. Wait, that's not technically a color. Blue.

28. Would you be a pirate?

No. I have too many eyes, too many teeth, too many legs and too many hands. Plus I can't speak the dialect.

29. Favorite girl's name?

Amy. Second favorite: Teagan :P

30. Favorite boy's name?

You'll have to wait a while longer for that one :P

31. Last thing you dreamed about?

I don't remember, but it was last night, and it was strange, because things would happen, then the dream would rewind, and start again with slightly different dialog. That might happen five or six times before the scene continued. Strange....

32. What's in your pocket right now?

Nothing.

33. Last person that made you laugh?

My child.

34. Best Halloween costume?

Good lord, I can't remember that far back...

35. Worst injury you've ever had?

Pain-wise, probably one of the bajillion times I popped out my back. Sometimes from tying my shoes. Sports-wise, I caught my ribs on a railing while stepping off a treadmill and strained the obliques on my left side, kept me out of the gym for three weeks.

36. Do you like where you live?

It's a nice place to visit, but I really miss home.

37. How many TVs do you have in your house?

Two

38. Who is your loudest friend?

Oooooooo... a competition. Not sure, I'd have to think about it.

39. How many dogs do you have?

None

40. Does someone have a crush on you?

I hope Amy does....?

41. What is your favorite book?

Oh, too many to choose from. I don't think a single book could be a favorite. For example, I love the LOTR series, but couldn't pick a favorite among them. Same for the Dark Tower series, Harry Potter, etc.

42. What is your favorite candy?

Currently, Butterfinger.

43. Favorite Sports Team ?

Cleveland Indians. Hands down.

44. Favorite Sport?

Baseball

45. What were you doing 12 AM last night?

Trying to sleep and failing miserably.

46. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?

%$&*

New Video Posted

Remember the Trolls dolls? You know, like the one pictured over there at the right? Well, Bambina does a pretty mean Troll impression when she wants to. Hop on over to her photo gallery to check it out.

Musings

The days go slowly, but the years pass quickly...

Today was one of those "little big days" in our household. Bambina has, despite our best efforts, continued to grow, and we realized that she had gotten too big for her bucket car seat. Last night we installed her "big girl" car seats in our cars, rear facing for another month or so, and this morning was her first ride. Between the new seats, her first teeth, and her imminent first unassisted steps, I find myself in a rather pensive mood.

Wasn't it just a few hours ago that I looked in the mirror and saw myself holding a little 7 lb 3 oz version of Bambina, moments after her birth?

Wasn't it just a few days ago that I looked in the mirror and saw myself dressed in a tux, with Amy standing beside me dressed in her wedding gown?

Wasn't it just last week that I looked in the mirror, and I didn't have the grey flecks in my beard? That I was living in NE OH with Xabu and playing poker with him, Kirk, Ben, Ted and a host of other guys?

Wasn't just two weeks ago that I looked in the mirror and my hair had only started its slow recession, and I was running around UD with the likes of Dave, Stoner, Redbeard, Don, and Jeem?

Wasn't it just a few days before that when I looked in the mirror and I had a full head of blond hair, wasn't so "big boned," and hung out with Shawn, Jim, Ken and Cooper?

The days go slowly, but the years pass quickly...

Will it be tomorrow that I look in the mirror, and I'll notice my beard a little more gray, and see both of our kids running around the room behind me?

Will it be next week that I look in the mirror, and I'll notice the crow's feet gaining ever more a foothold, and watch as the kids get ready to head off for school?

Will it be the following week that I look in the mirror, and I'll see that my beard is nearly completely grey, that I'm no longer standing as tall, and the kids are fighting over who gets to take the car to college?

Will it be next month that I look in the mirror, and I'll see that my back is bent, my face heavily lined, and watch as Bambina and Bambino come through the door bringing our grandkids for a visit?

The days go slowly, but the years pass quickly...

I Learned Something

When the remains of Hurricane Ike came through, the shingles over our back porch were peeled up. Today, my friend, Darrin, and I learned how to reshingle a roof. It didn't turn out to be nearly as hard as we thought it would be, and only took us about three hours of actual roofing work to cover about 230 sq ft. Many thanks to Darrin for helping get things set right.

Bambina's Photo Gallery Updated!

And now with videos!

What to do on a Sat. afternoon in central Ohio?

Go see "the" football game!

We were given tickets to watch the Buckeye's play We haven't been to a game since we were dating so it was exciting to have a grown-up afternoon out . We thought the game would be a blow out but we were happy that the home team won. Our observation is that while the new freshman quarterback has potential, he needs to work on his short passing game.

Thanks to Tom's boss for the tickets, and Grandma for coming down at the spur of the moment to babysit!

Check out the script Ohio:

Bambina's Photo Gallery Updated

'nuff said...

Brief Update

It's been a few weeks since we posted an update, so here's a brief recap:

• Bambina had her three-week follow-up with the cranofacial clinic at Columbus Children's Hospital. The doctors are very happy with how things have healed up.
• Bambina went in for her 9 month (holy cow, she's 9 months old?!) pediatrician checkup. She:
  • is 27 inches long
  • weighs 18.25 lbs
  • has a head circumference of 17.25 inches
• We went looking for a new, larger vehicle in a panicked state, because we didn't think we'd be able to get two car seats in our tiny S-series Saturns. Darned near bought one, too, before we came to our senses and I figured out how to get them installed.
• My mom is officially retired! We went to an "un-Labor Day" party on her behalf. Had lots of roasted pig. Yummmm....
• Bambina is using a sippy cup, now that she's able to produce suction in her mouth.
• Bambina is starting to eat "crunchies" like Cheerios.
• Bambina is getting her first tooth!
• Bambina is starting to crawl.
• I gave blood last Wednesday. I was not the first appointment of the day, so I was curious how quickly I'd be seen. I arrived somewhat early, and the whole process was so quick that I finished only slightly after my original appointment time. I must say, I'm impressed.
• My back took a vacation. It started last Thursday morning, it was very sore when I got up. It hurt worse the more the day wore on. Friday I needed loopy drugs to help manage the pain (which they failed miserably to do). Yesterday was the first really manageable day, today is better, but it still hurts.
• I'm preparing to paint the kitchen. I finally got around to finishing mudding a few places that needed patching. Tonight I'll sand what I mudded, then I'll paint this weekend whilst Amy and Bambina are elsewhere.
• I've started exercising again. I kinda fell off the bandwagon for a while, being way exhausted due to little sleep. But I stepped on the scale yesterday, and the left-most number was too high, and the middle number was too low, so I knew I'd have to get back to business. I'm going to the gym with a co-worker, Evil Dr. Bob.
• Because of the drought we've been having here, I hadn't mowed in a while. I finally broke down and did it last night and discovered that only two things had grown in the last month: the jungle next door and the thistle infesting our lawn. Everything else is dead or dormant.

OK, so maybe that wasn't so brief... :)

9 months old

We spent the weekend at home. That doesn't happen often in our house. I feel like we are on the road a lot. We kept August clear because we really had no idea how long of a recovery Teagan was going to have. She is doing amazing. She is learning to suck. That is big milestone for her. I bought her a beginner sippy cup yesterday. It has a soft mouth piece that mimics a bottle. She kinda gets the idea of sucking equals food.

One thing we did over the weekend was get Teagan's 9 month pictures taken. I am sharing because she is such a cutie (in my personal opinion!). I really don't understand kids clothes. The shirt she has on is a size 9 months, the pants 0-3 months, and the dress we changed her into for more pictures was a 12 month....

Bambina Update - One Week Later

A full week has passed since Bambina had her surgery, and she's mostly doing well. She hasn't been taking as much formula as usual, fighting us pretty vehemently when offered a bottle, but it looks like she's getting close to turning that corner. Her "solid food" intake dropped as well, but I think that's close to working its way out, too. I don't think it has to do with her mouth being sore, I think it's more of remembering when it was sore and not wanting it to hurt. My guess is that memory is fading now, so hopefully feedings will improve.

We haven't been making her wear the arm braces, as those have just frustrated her. Instead, she just hasn't been offered anything small enough to actually fit in her mouth, so she hasn't had any problems. Every once in a while she tries to put her fingers in her mouth, but that's been caught pretty quickly. We were told she is allowed to use her bink-a-bluff-a-paci-cork-a-nuk, so that keeps her hands out of her mouth overnight.

The big thing that is of any concern to me at this point is her ears. She had tubes put in at the same time she had her plastic surgery done, and we've been given drops to put in her ears. There's still a lot of dried blood in her ear canals, for those of you who have had kids with ear tubes, is that normal? She doesn't seem to mind the drops when I give them to her, but every once in a while she bats at her left ear, which seems to have more caked/dried blood than the right. There's no seepage at all, so I'm tempted to not worry, but there's this niggling in the back of my mind that I can't quite ignore...

The biggest frustration for us at this point is her sleeping. We've had some pretty rough nights, and she's been fighting going down something fierce lately. Last night, it took Amy's mom over an hour to get her calmed down and asleep, which has been, unfortunately, pretty typical since the surgery. Whenever we set her in the bed, no matter how tired she is, she just starts wailing, and cries and screams literally until she just can't go any more. Bedtime is bad enough, but she's done it overnight once or twice, too, which just puts Amy and me in a foul mood.

No picture of the inside of her mouth yet. I keep trying to get one, but I just can't seem to get a clear shot. It think I just got lucky with the one I took before her surgery. I'll keep trying, though, so you all can see how things look different post-surgery.

Problem Solved

Just a quick note to let you all know that Bambina is home. Amy said that she turned a corner last night, and though she's not eating as much as she was pre-surgery, she's eating. The hospital staff felt comfortable letting her leave, so we blew that popsicle stand a little after 9A this morning. So far, all is well. Thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes!

A Snag

It's Thursday night, and Amy is spending it with Bambina at the hospital. The problem? We're unable to feed her. Given the problems we had feeding her when we first brought her home, we're not checking her out until we're reliably able to get food into her. Other than the feeding problems, though, she seems to be doing well. One of the surgeons had a look at Bambina this morning and said that everything looked good inside her mouth. Noone has gone out of their way to check out her ears, but since they're not oozing, we're taking that as a good sign. Hopefully we'll be able to get Bambina home tomorrow.

All Done!

It's just after 5P here in central OH, and Amy and I are watching Bambina sleep in the hospital cage/crib. She's high on Tylenol with codeine, which seems to give her just enough pain relief to allow her to get some rest. The surgery itself was successful per the doctors, so now all that's left is the recovery. No pictures today, I took several, but can't bear to post them yet. Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers. We'll post more as her recovery continues.

Bambina's Surgery

At long last, Bambina's surgery draws near. Tomorrow, August 6, at 2:10 PM she goes under the knife to have her cleft soft palate repaired. We don't have a lot of details, other than they're going to use existing tissue in her mouth to close the gap, and the plastic surgeon will be creating a uvula during the proceedings. She'll also be getting tubes in her ears, as the audiologist who checked her out during her last visit found fluid in her ears. Recovery is expected to entail three weeks of arm braces to keep her from putting stuff in her mouth. People we've talked to tell us that she's unlikely to be in prolonged pain from her actual surgery, so that's a blessing.

So, if all goes well, the next time you hear from us, Bambina will be a new woman, with her birth defect a thing of the past. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers...

Blue Eyes

Tom might have mentioned we are color challenged. However I had an "ah-ha" moment this afternoon. Tom was laying down sideways and had Teagan propped up against his legs. It was then that I noticed our baby girl's eyes. They have always been a beautiful shade of blue, but now they have a name- denim blue. Her eyes were the exact shade of his shorts.

Kitchen Remodel, Part 2

As previously noted, we've decided to remodel the kitchen, at least in part, this summer. This past week, we had our cabinets refaced, and the counter tops and sink replaced, by Home Depot Home Services. The worker (it only took one) came out Tuesday and Wednesday and did the work, up to, but not including making the sink work again. Apparently, since he was a carpenter and not a plumber, he's not allowed to hook up the sink per some sort of rule, law or ordinance. No matter. Last night, Amy's parents came down, and my father-in-law walked me through installing the sink, from installing the faucet, to caulking and clipping the sink, to attaching the garbage disposal and drain. And guess what? It all works, and doesn't leak! Woo-hoo! So, we're two-thirds the way through this summer's phase of our kitchen remodel. All we have left for this summer is paint, which is still a problem because, as previously noted, we're not terribly gifted in color selection. I'll post before and after pictures once the painting is complete and this phase is done. Stay tuned...

Thanks again, Ed, for helping me get the sink installed and working!

My Current Diversion

Don't click this link if you have something important to be doing. Don't say I didn't warn you...

Boy O Boy

I would like to present the first picture of our son!


We went for our "you are over 35 and your daughter has a birth defect" level two ultrasound yesterday. The very first picture confirmed a boy very decisively. We are very excited and happy to report we have a healthy baby boy.

The Problem

Ignore the fact that my lovely daughter is crying. Seriously, just ignore it. What I'd like to call your attention to is all the way at the back of her mouth. Rather, what's not there. Now, find a child, spouse or friend, have them open their mouth, and compare. You'll notice that Bambina is missing a section of her soft palate and her entire uvula, compared with your reference. That's what is going to be repaired, very soon in fact. The surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, August 6.

Finally Got Around to It

Finally got around to posting more pictures in Bambina's gallery. Head on over and check them out. If you need the link and/or password, drop me a note at my usual email address.

The Weekend In Review

Whew! What a weekend! First, a quick summary:

1. 7/3 after 5P: Drive to Conneaut Lake, PA
2. 7/4 all day: Picnic with F's, H's and G's
3. 7/5: Drive to Shalersville, spend the day with H's and G's
4. 7/6 AM: Church and baptism of Bambina
5. 7/6 PM: Lunch at Spaghetti Warehouse, drive home, grocery shopping

Now for the details:

The drive up was fairly uneventful. It rained a lot, but it wasn't nasty at all. Bambina played happily by herself most of the way. It wasn't until we got to Conneaut Lake at a little past 9PM that we hit a snag. My family has had a cottage at Conneaut Lake for as long as I can remember. It's rented out to other folks for most of the summer, but our family always has it the week of the fourth of July and gathers during that time. My mom's step mother also has a trailer on the other side of the lake which she uses herself, and often lets the rest of the family borrow when things get crowded at the cottage. The H's and G's were to be staying at the trailer rather than the cottage this summer, so we headed there. The first problem was that I was given the wrong key. Evidently, the locks had been changed, and there was a mix-up in the distribution of the new keys. I called my mom, who had given me the keys to the trailer, told her of the problem, and headed over to the cottage, where my uncle was staying. He had the correct key for the trailer, and I was hoping to borrow it. Problem two came as I got close to the street the cottage is on. Road closed. Large construction equipment across the road, beyond that, the pavement was completely gone. Crap. OK, it's a lake, we turned around and went the other way around the lake. Only to find that the road was again missing before the turn into the cottage. Called mom again to find out how the %#^& to get to the cottage, find out that with the closing of Conneaut Lake Park, a gate which had previously kept visitors from mingling with residents had been opened, and that was the temporary access to the cottage. Somewhere in there, Bambina woke up, hungry and in an unfamiliar place, so we had a wailing child for the last 45 minutes. Oh, and by time we got to the trailer, frustrated and amped up, the only place nearby that sold beer was already closed. Bummer....

But with all the chaos of Thursday night, the next few days were great. We had a great time with the F's, H's and G's on Friday, and a kind of relaxing day on Saturday with the H's and G's (which included a trip to the A&W stand for rootbeer floats and footlongs, mmmmmm). Sunday service was great, too. I was honored to be asked by the band to sing with them for a song I wrote a few years ago. It brought back a lot of great memories, and the band really made my poor attempt at music sound awesome. The baptism service itself was beautiful (so that our Catholic friends don't feel snubbed, many, if not most, protestant denominations don't have any notion of God-parents). The funniest part of the weekend, at least for me, was picking up the cake that Amy ordered for our lunch. She ordered it by phone from a grocery store in the vicinity, and we stopped on the way to Spaghetti Warehouse to get it. I went to the bakery to get it, gave the baker my name and she handed me the cake. I looked at it through the plastic cover and said, "Ummmm.... there's a problem with this cake." She looked at me quizzically, so I continued, "This isn't my daughter's name." She grabbed the order slip and blanched, then looked at what was written on the cake and blanched again. "Ummmm... what is your daughter's name, sir?" I told her Bambina's name, she looked at the slip and the cake again, and asked, "Was this phoned in?" "Yeah," I replied. "You know what this word means, right?" Blanched again. "Yeah" "So you know how funny this would be in any other circumstance, right?" "Yeah, here, lemme fix this for you..." So she took the cake and made the necessary repairs, knocked a few bucks off my bill and sent me away with the cake.

So, you're wondering what was originally on the cake? Probably the most ironic thing I could think of:

God
Bless
Pagan

Back to the Chair

Faithful readers of this blog will remember last year when I took issue with a poor experience with the American Red Cross, vowed to not donate blood again, and then got a follow up letter and phone call from a representative of the ARC. I actually made it to March before I gave blood again, but that was on a walk-up basis, and I would have turned around if there had been anyone else at the blood drive. However, a few weeks ago, I got a call from the ARC asking me to give blood and schedule an appointment. I expressed my reservations about delays when I had a scheduled appointment, but the rep assured me that the ARC had made some changes, and now it is policy to try to get to those with appointments within 15 minutes of their scheduled time, so I agreed, and signed up for this morning. Not only was I seen promptly (OK, I had the very first appointment of the morning), but the whole experience only lasted 30 minutes from the start of my appointment and, as a bonus, I happened to go on a day that Kroger was sponsoring a "Pint for a Pint" day at the blood drive and got a pint of ice cream! W00t! Ice cream aside, I was happy with my experience this morning, and will go again. The true test will be to see how well it works when I have an afternoon appointment.

Kitchen Remodel, Part 1

Amy and I decided to take the plunge this summer and upgrade/remodel the kitchen. You know, because it's so easy to do this sort of thing when you have a child under one year old and another one on the way. It was one of those things that we'd been considering for a long time and then just sort of decided to do all of a sudden.

The first part of our remodel got done this past weekend, with the help of my dad. One of the worst things about our kitchen/dining room is the lack of adequate lighting. There is a ceiling fan with a light over the table, and a fluorescent light over the sink on the other side of the room, and that was it. Nothing over the cooking or food preparation areas, so that sucked. Saturday, my parents came down, and Dad helped (well, he did most of the work while his clueless son tried not to lose any fingers) install recessed lighting over the stove, sink and countertop, and then removed the existing fluorescent light over the sink. It all works thanks to him (I'd have burned the house down), and looks great! All that's left is for me to patch a small hole in the drywall where he removed a light switch. Then onto painting, hopefully before the next phase, which will be refacing the existing cabinets and getting a new countertop. If we only had color sense, we'd be in business.

Anyway, thanks to my dad for teaching me how to install electrical equipment without killing myself or burning the house down!

PETA Would Be Happy

Tonight was a new food for Bambina, and the first from a one-time mobile food source: chicken in chicken broth. As I'm following the advice of countless pediatricians and tasting the food that I'm giving my child, I can say with authority that baby food chicken tastes yucky. That's probably not exactly correct. I think it actually tastes like chicken. Over-cooked, completely unseasoned chicken. GROSSLY overcooked. I understand why they would cook the bejeebers out of it (reduces the likelihood of nasties) and would refrain from seasoning (don't want to upset the timid tummies of tiny tots), but knowing doesn't make it taste any better. Bambina didn't like it any better than me. After about 10 spoons, she stopped swallowing, which is the signal for me to stop cramming it in. We switched to applesauce and she was much happier.

The more observant of you will notice that I added a sidebar with a short synopsis of each baby food I try. I'm not ranking applesauce, because we're giving her regular unsweetened applesauce that you get in a big old jar for a buck rather than the little teensy-weensy 2 oz containers for 50 cents.

Some Traditions Are Worth Keeping

Our first date was six years ago today. For that date, I drove down to central OH in the morning and worked out of a satellite office for my employer, then we went to dinner and ice cream. Six years later, I live in the area, so no need to drive several hours just to go out with my Sweetie, but dinner, ice cream and a walk are still important to us. So, we're leaving Bambina with a friend for a few hours and going out to remind ourselves of one of the best days of our lives.

Love you, Sweetie...

Great Father's Day

I had a great first Father's day. I got to sleep in until 8A, which is nice with a 6 mo. old in the house. Teagan got me two lawn mowings, which really makes my day since I hate to mow and Amy is on the inactive list again this summer. For lunch, we decided to test out my recently repaired belly and had lunch at Red Robin (sorry Rattus), and then went for a good, long walk at a local metro park. Loafed most of the evening, and Teagan even went down without much of a fuss. All in all, a good day.

Bugs Has Good Taste

Carrot baby food is pretty good, too...

Home Again (For Now)

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers, they are much appreciated. I'm back home, though I'm not sure if I'm staying. The belly ache that sent me to the hospital is still with me, though much reduced in intensity. I was given the option of spending another night or coming home, and that's not really a difficult call to make, is it? I opted to come home because "things are moving," if you catch my drift, which made the doctor think that I was going to be OK. Hopefully I won't end up back there tomorrow, because, lemme tell you, there are few things less pleasant than having a tube shoved up your nose and into your stomach...

Prayers for Tom

Please keep Tom in your prayers the next few days. He is in the hospital.

Last night he complained of an upset tummy. We did the usually routine- Tums, Pepto, Maalox, nothing seemed to work. He was up most of the night in between the pain and Teagan's crying.

This morning he went to the Urgent Care - they sent him to the ER. An X-ray and CAT scan later he is being admitted. He has a blockage in his digestive track. This means he has a tube down his nose and it is sucking the "stuff" out. He is pretty miserable. Apparently it took three tries to get the tube down and he really can't eat or drink because it is sucked back out. He also admitted that it is pretty painful. To top this all off, he has some drainage that is seeping down into his throat from his Ear/Nose/Throat infection. That was diagnosed late last week. He can't really cough anything up because of the tube.

So please keep Tom in your prayers that this blockage disappears quickly, the pain goes away and that he is able to sleep. (Also, I am gonna selfishly ask if you would keep me in your prayers too... I am gonna try and keep the home fires burning by myself.)

Updates to follow.

Thought for the Day

Sweet potato baby food doesn't taste half bad.

Just sayin'...

More News From the Couch

Now, why would Tom and Amy be looking so surprised? Click our picture to find out!

Mr. Lion

I would like you to meet Mr. Lion. He is Teagan's very best friend. Without him all of our traveling this month would not have been possible. Keys and burp cloth are also good friends but no one can take Mr. Lion's place. Click on Mr. Lion's picture for product information.

I Forgot To Post This

Do not, under any circumstances, click this link. After all, you remember what happened the last time I warned you not to click a link that I had posted...

On the Road with Tom and Amy (and Bambina, too)

It's been a busy month away from the couch:

1. May 3-4, spent in Pittsburgh, PA for the wedding of Rebecca and David, and spending a day with long-time friend, Rich. Amy had never met Rich's wife, Essi, and I hadn't seen their lovely daughters since.... well, it'd been a long time. Best wishes to Rebecca and David (hope you're settling in well to your life together), and many, many thanks to the Pinkerton family.
2. May 10-11, spent in Indianapolis, IN for the wedding of my cousin Kevin to his lovely bride, Jenni. Kevin is on my mom's side of the family, who had not yet met Bambina. The wedding and reception was almost as lovely as the bride. Sunday, my cousin, Lisa and her hubby, Tim, hosted a sumptuous brunch. Best wishes to the Kevin and Jenni, and thanks to Lisa and Tim for getting us all together.
3. May 17-18, spent in NE OH, working in my parents' kitchen ripping up linoleum flooring and helping install a new cabinet that my dad built. Game night with Xabu and a fist full of Youngkins, followed by copious quantities of wine with Xabu and Piglet. Back to my parents' Mosquito Ranch and Bird Sanctuary (their term, not mine) to pick up the wife and kid.
4. May 24-26, spent in NE OH, surprise birthday party for Piglet (won't say her age, I'm told that's not nice), went on an actual date with my lovely wife, holiday picnic with Amy's clan.

And that's just what we did on the weekends! Weekdays were interspersed with friends (Rattus, and Darrin and Maryann with their lovely girl), a baseball game, a trip to the pediatrician, six-month pictures for the Bambina, and various and sundry chores. Whew!

Bambina held up surprisingly well through it all. She traveled very, very well, sleeping most of the time, and only had one really bad meltdown that I think we're going to chalk up to a nightmare or somesuch.

So, it'll be nice to stay home next weekend. More news to follow soon, I'm just too tired to keep going tonight.

Trip to the Pediatrician

Tom took Teagan to the doctor today for her 6 month check up. She got another round of shots today. Someday, she will appreciate the Scooby-Doo and Tazmanian Devil band aides. The doctor gave us the green light for starting cereal and solids. We have been giving her some cereal but not consistently so we need to work on adding it to the schedule.

Some stats:
Weight: 15 lbs 4oz- yeah she has more than doubled her birth weight (50th percentile)
Height: 23.5 inches- a little on the short size.
Head Circumference: 17 1/8 inches -75th percentile -we love our little bobble head.

We finally dumped the camera! We had over a month of photos to go through. We picked the best added them to Teagan's photo gallery. (Again, if you want the link/password drop us a note.)

Talk to the hand

This morning, Teagan was in her crib while Tom and I were getting ready for work. We could hear her talking up a storm. I went to investigate I found her talking to her hand. I would love to know what she was saying.

Questions For Those With Kids

So, we wanna know:

1. Teagan has begun repeatedly smacking herself in the head. On the one hand, I think it's pretty comical, but I'll agree with Amy that on some level, it is somewhat disconcerting. What does this mean, should we be worried about it, and what, if anything should we do? I really don't want my li'l girl to grow up to be a masochist...
2. How do you manage when you both are ill? We've managed (just barely) to stagger our illnesses: Amy had a bad end of the week last week, I was out Saturday night through Monday morning, Amy was back down Monday afternoon til this morning, now I'm down again. Whaddya do when you're both too sick to take care of the kid(s)? The last thing we want to do is give Bambina what either of us have (oddly enough, we both have different crud).

Pass the Puffs, please

After our trip to return the ink we went out to celebrate a belated birthday for Tom. Unfortunately, Tom wasn't able to finish his meal and we came home early. Why... Tom officially caught a cold/flu. I have been fighting allergies/cold since Tuesday and Teagan has had a cough for a good week. So it has been a fun weekend so much fun we used a lot of products that I would like to plug:

Items used in no particular order:
- Puffs
- TP (emergency Puffs)
- Benedryl
- Mint Tea
- Theraflu
- Nightquill
- Pepto
- Immodium
- Tylenol
- Chicken Broth
- Extra blankets for the chills
- Cough Drops
- OJ (extra vitamin C)

I felt bad for Teagan this weekend. She had to entertain herself a lot. We wanted to keep our distance so she doesn't catch anything. We want her healthy for Becky Rebecca and David's wedding on Saturday.

Greedy People Suck

The ink cartridges on our printer have been dying over the last week or so, so today, while we were out, we stopped at our local, mega-office supply store to buy new. I bought a pack with both color and black, paid my coin and went home. When I opened the box, I discovered that the color cartridge was completely out of its protective wrapper, the piece of tape over the jets had stuck to the inside of the box, and ink had spilled all over the inside. The black one seemed intact, but the protective wrapper was torn. What I assume happened is that someone came in and bought the cartridges, swapped the new ones for his/her old ones, hot-glued the box, then went back to the mega-office supply store, asking for a return because they bought the wrong one. Since the box was still hot glued, the staff simply returned the box to the shelf for some other innocent patron to pick up.

Now, I hate when stores' return policies screw over the honest customer (Amy could tell stories about her disdain for that of the Red Bullseye), but considering what stupid, greedy people will do, is it any wonder?

Yep, greedy people suck.

Improve Your Vocabulary...

...feed the world.

Saw that on the news the last night and thought I'd give it a try. It was Slashdotted all night, so I only got around to playing tonight. It's pretty addictive, Amy and I both had fun (although I probably had more fun since I was driving and she was feeding Bambina), and if the site does what it says, I think it's worth a couple of minutes a night. Enjoy!

Socks on Saturday

Teagan and I had on matching socks yesterday. I thought it was cute. I told Tom, "Quick take a picture to post on the blog!". It is amazing how tiny her feet are vs my size 9's.


A few new pictures out on photobucket if you are interested.

Opening Day!

Today is a day to celebrate! It's Teagan's first Opening Day! To celebrate, Amy got her decked out in the gear of my favorite major league team, and we watched a few innings together. OK, it was more like a few pitches. But, hey, WE WATCHED BASEBALL TOGETHER< GOSHDARNIT!!! Over time, there will be opportunity to discuss the infield fly rule (Amy's favorite rule in all of baseball), fair-vs-foul, suicide squeeze plays, the benefits of the sacrifice, etc. But today, it was just fun to see my kid decked out in baseball paraphernalia.

Update: Updated Teagan's photo gallery. Same URL and password as before. E-mail me if you need them.

$204,060

News in the house this week. I have a new full time job! What started out as a way to help out a little with the bills resulted in a new job for me. Starting April 7th I will be the new Membership and Marketing Coordinator for a Corporate Credit Union. I feel extremely blessed by this opportunity. However I have mixed feeling- This means our baby girl is heading to Daycare. My head knows she will be fine, it is my heart that is aching. However with the USDA report out this week we need $204,060 to raise our girl to age 18. This doesn't include college or the must have Christmas toy... I need a raise!

Routines in our house are going to drastically change so please bear with us if we are a bit grumpy in the coming weeks.

MLB Screws the Fan (Again)

It's rare that I don't catch a televised broadcast of my favorite major league baseball team, but from time to time, they'll play a day game during the week. In the past, it was possible to at least listen to the game on an internet stream. But this year, MLB has decided that people have to pay for the pleasure of listening to something that, if they had a radio handy, they could listen to for free. Thanks, MLB. You've provided me another reason to stop following your teams.

I'm Getting Old

... but you knew that, right? :P

So, yesterday, as Amy and I were walking to get a cup of coffee at lunch, we noticed a sign for an emergency blood drive. Now, you might remember that I had decided not to donate any more after a bad experience last year. Well, with the passage of time, and particularly after the response I got, I'd been considering changing my mind, and since there was an emergency drive right where I work, I decided to give it a go on the provision that there was absolutely no line. There wasn't, so I gladly sacrificed a pint.

Later in the afternoon, nearing the end of the day, I decided to rearrange my new office (I've recently occupied a vacant one). It involved switching two desks around. I got to pushing and pulling, and after about 15-20 minutes, I felt like I my heart was going to beat out of my chest, and I was going to either pass out, puke or both. It was only then that I remembered that I gave blood and I shouldn't have tried moving stuff that heavy. The thing is, once upon a time, I used to play racketball within a few hours of giving blood.

So, which is the sign of age? Not being able to be physically active after giving blood, or forgetting that I had given blood in the first place?

Just a Quick Post

... to wish you a Happy St. Urho's Day.

Public Service Announcement

When you check the batteries on your smoke detectors (you have smoke detectors, right? and you check the batteries twice a year, right?), remember to check the batteries on your carbon monoxide detectors (you have a carbon monoxide detctor, right?), too. Even if yours is a wall-mounted version, it's likely that it's got a battery backup. Regular checks may help you avoid panicked 6:15AM calls to your local fire department while packing up cats and kid and preparing to evacuate, only to be told, once the local fire department arrives, that all you need to do is change batteries.

Not that that happened to us this morning. Nope.

And continuing the PSA, remember to change your detectors every five years. Not that we were told to do that by the firemen who didn't come to our house this morning...

A Battle of Wills

In case I'd wondered if someone had switched babies at the hospital, Teagan is proving that she most definitely is our daughter. This may be a surprise to our respective parents, but Amy and I are both... hmmm... strong-willed individuals. It seems that our lovely daughter has discovered her own will, and is practicing asserting it.

Tonight, Amy went out and Teagan and I stayed home together. Teagan wanted held. I was willing to hold her and play with her, but I also wanted to get some other things done. So, after some play time, I put her in her swing and set it in motion, which usually puts her to sleep. Teagan decided she wasn't done being held, and thus the screaming began. I walked over to the swing to soothe her, cooed at her a bit, but she wasn't having any of it. After a few minutes I caved and picked her up. Shortly thereafter she stopped screaming again. I put her down. Same song, different verse. After a few put-down, pick-up iterations, she realized that after she calmed down she was going to be deposited in the swing again, so she just kept screaming. This time, I laid her down in her crib and gave her some toys. She cooed and gurgled a bit, played with Mrs. Ducky and Mr. Lion, so I left her. Cue the screaming. I let her scream for a few minutes, then went back in, soothed her, put her back down, more screaming. AUGH! She ended up getting herself so wound up she even made herself sick. Of course, when Amy walked in the door, she settled down and started cooing again.

Anyhow, I was thinking that I won that round until I realized I didn't get anything done. D'oh! I guess I'll have to try harder next time...

Monday update

Happy Monday!

• Teagan had her 3 month check up today- more shots (ouch!)
  
• She is weighing in at 12lbs. 8oz. (50th percentile),
  
• She is 22 inches long (25th percentile)
  
• Her head circumference is 16.25 inches (75th percentile) - still a bobble head!
• Teagan's gallery has been updated in photobucket.
• Spring is coming! Since it was SO warm today Teagan and I went for a walk and saw crocus blooming.

Don't forget if you live in Ohio tomorrow- GO VOTE!

Training Required

True story. Some things you just can't make up.

When I first heard about this story, I'll admit, I scoffed. However, on Tuesday afternoon, Amy and I stopped by one of the several locations near where we work to get a cuppa, and I asked for a "grande black Estima" (for those not familiar with the parlance, "grande" is the size, and "Estima" was one of the coffees available that day). The young man behind the counter, who must have been new, said, "Sure! You want room for cream?" His barista co-worker looked at him and said, "No, he said black." I rolled my eyes, chuckled under my breath, and thought that was the end of it until he stepped over to the urns, looked at them both, and then asked the same barista co-worker, "Breakfast blend is black, right?" She looked at him like he'd grown a third arm out of his left nipple and replied, "No, 'black' means he doesn't want cream in his coffee." Now, for those of you reading who don't drink coffee, you might not think that's all that funny, but this guy WORKS FOR THE LARGEST COFFEE CHAIN IN THE WORLD, FER GUNNESSAKE!!! Good thing he was going to class that night...

and time for an oil change...

Clever comments and phrases usually come from Tom on this blog... So I have to share the cute one he had this weekend. He said " WOW, I have known you for 50,000 miles!" Now that is love.

I Know I'm a Dad....

... 'cause I have formula stains on the left shoulder of all my shirts.

New Photos Posted

New pictures up in Teagan's gallery. If you don't already have the link and password and would like to peruse it, shoot me an email.

So, don't get overly used to me posting pictures of Teagan here in the blog, but this one was too much fun to share. In response to my rant, our friends, Heather and Jason, found this onesie while on their honeymoon. W00t, w00t and double-w00t! Words can't describe how tickled I am! Thanks, Heather and Jason!

Two Thoughts

Thought #1:

I have a magic finger. With my magic finger, I seem to have the capacity to get my kid to stop screaming when all other avenues fail. I think it's the doing of this guy, who has a DVD which we were recommended by our friend, Ken, to watch. We did before Amy went into labor, and, whenever Bambina would have a crying jag at the hospital, I'd follow the advice given on the video, one part of which was to use your finger as a binka-bluffa-paci-corka-Nuk (or whatever you want to call the thing you stick in your kid's mouth to get it to be quiet). And still, almost two months later, if Bambina is howling (like this morning) and can't be otherwise soothed (like this morning), sticking my finger in her mouth seems to do the trick. Oh, it's not just any finger, mind you. It's the ring finger on my right hand. I should immortalize it, maybe have it bronzed or something...

Thought #2:

Here, presented for the first time is Bald Man Tom's BABY TO ENGLISH TRANSLATION MANUAL

Baby Speak	English
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I'm hungry!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I'm too cold!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I'm too hot!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	You're squeezing me too tight!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	You're not holding me tight enough!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	You're holding me wrong!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	MOMMY! DADDY'S A BUTTHEAD!!!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I'm tired!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I'm bored!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I'm lonely!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I've got a dirty diaper!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I've gotta burp!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I've gotta fart!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I've gotta make a dookie!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	Noone knows the troubles I seen...
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	You never let me do ANYTHING!
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!	I have just solved the worlds most troublesome problems! Hunger? Gone! Economic disparity? Gone! Ethnic and religious tensions? Gone! Global warming? Gone! And NOONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT I'M TRYING TO TELL THEM! WHERE'S MY NOBEL PRIZE?!
EURLEURLEURLEULREURL!	I AM NOT HAPPY! I AM NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY! I DON'T WANT TO BE HAPPY! NOTHING YOU CAN SAY OR DO WILL EVER MAKE ME HAPPY!

The varying translations are derived from subtle variations in pitch, volume, repetition and speed of speaking. Other translations are pending, as research is ongoing.

Bobble head Baby

Teagan had a doctor's appointment today for her first round of vaccination shots. She got four and let the office know she was not happy. She turned purple with her crying- poor kid.

Anyway some important stats-
She is weighing in at 9lbs. 9oz. - 35th percentile
She is 21 inches long- 25th percentile
and her head is measuring in 75th percentile (sorry don't remember the exact number) ! She is a little bobble head. No wonder she has a hard time lifting her head up.

One final note: More photos have been added to Photobucket if you are interested.

For the record...

Teagan's lungs work just fine, and our ears are numb.

I Keep Forgetting to Say...

THANK YOU, DARRIN. I'm not so sure my wife shares my sentiments, but I really had a blast! W00t!