Memorial Day Video

Sunday 5/24

Sunday, we got up went to church and hung out at home for most of the day. We didn't have too many plans outside of heading over to Mary and Randy's for dinner. While we were at home we hooked up Brian's new web book to the TV to watch the Yankee game. This was a pretty cool setup we had going until it froze in the 10th inning, hopefully that doesn't happen too often that was a bit frustrating. Oh well they ended up loosing anyway, so it was probably better we didn't have to watch. We then piled up into a total of 4 different cars (it's amazing how small a car gets with just one infant) and made our way over to Mary and Randy's for dinner. It was kind of funny when we got there people were carrying tables to the front of the house. Apparently when they found out extra people were coming over, Randy had everything he needed laying around to build two picnic tables. Between the two of them it never ceases to amaze me what they can do. While at there house we took family picutres and Aunt Mary knew how to organize and line up the whole family. Apparently in her spare time she learned the secrets of posing pictures, and Randy was able to get some great shots. (Thanks, we appreciate having those done, our last ones were a little out of date.) Anyways, while we were there Antonio and Thomas got to play with trains, cars and lots of other toys. I was impressed with the number of toys they had for them to play with, I guess with 4 grandsons you have to have a few of these. Anyway it was great to be able to hang out and see everyone. We missed Dennis, Collin and Truman but Truman was sick. It was also very nice for Joe, Joan and Grandmother to be able to go. Thanks everyone for an awesome holiday weekend.

Saturday 05/22

Saturday morning we all got up and eagerly awaited the arrival of the rest of the party. I was shocked when we saw Antonio and Thomas, the two of them have changed so much since we last saw them. Antonio seemed to be able to navigate the "park" in our backyard much better than last year. I think that might have something to do with the practice that he has gotten playing on the monstrosity of a park that his Papi built him in there backyard. (I think once your kids get too old for that you may be able to rent living space in there). When Joe and Joan and Grandmother got there, we realized that we had to go get some more beer and some bourbon, after all what would a family gathering be without Manhattan's. Me, Brian and Manny went to go get the goods, on a side note I think it took the two of them slightly less time to pick out the beer than it does for my wife to pick out a new purse :). By the time it was done we had purchased Bud Light, Guinness, Peroni and one other beer that slips my mind currently. Then just as I thought we were going to be leaving they found some local brews. After careful deliberation they were able to select two of these one liter bottles that were just too good to pass up. One was actually called double wide ale, maybe it's just me but that doesn't really sound like a true premium beer. Anyway we got back and cooked up a brisket some pasta salad and a personal weakness of mine jalapeno poppers. It was a truly beautiful day and some people actually even ate outside. While no one noticed at the time, Dad actually showed us some evidence the following day that suggested we may have been joined by a few mosquitoes. I believe he counted a total of 15 or so bites. Other than that it was a pretty nice evening and we enjoyed the chance to catch up with Joe, Joan and Grandmother, this was their first chance to meet Madelyn.
The other interesting story that we should be sure to share about Saturday night occurred while I was in the kitchen. I briefly looked up and saw Trish hopping over on the porch and grabbing her foot. Things weren't looking good so I immediately dropped what I was doing and rushed to be by her side to see what it was I could do to help her. When I got there I discovered that while she was outside in the yard with the boys a bee stung her foot. Now I am not 100% sure how this happened, she said that she had her sandals on and that she was just walking along and a bee got between her sandal and foot and stung her. Then accepting the fact that I too could suffer a terribly tragic bee sting, I set off to avenge the stinging of my beautiful wife. After a long and arduous search I managed to find the bee right next to her sandal, and triumphantly proceeded to step on it putting it's head clear through it's rear.

Friday 5/22

Friday night when Lauren came in we got to meet her for the first time, which was certainly an exciting time. She ended up having her driver and personal assistant come with her as well, and it was kind of nice having the two of them in for the weekend as well.(Brian and Melanie it really was great to see you two) She really was a well behaved and cute little girl, and it is my understanding that she started sleeping throughout the night while they were here. Now maybe it is just me, but I noticed that Madelyn became a lot cuter and more likable once she started sleeping through the night, so hopefully it works the same for you. As an added bonus Trish seemed to feel a whole lot better when she didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night. The moral of this story is sleep deprivation sucks, and I am glad that the two of you get to put that behind you, at least for now.

Mary and Randy also came over today and we had fajitas, fiesta casserole and chips and dip that Mom had made while I was at work. Dinner was fantastic. We also got to take some pictures of the two cousins meeting each other for the first time. It looks like they like each other. All in all a pretty cool and relaxing day.

Thursday 05/21

Well, where to begin on Memorial day weekend we decided it would be fun to have a family get together over at our house. We had everything arranged where Mom and Dad would come in on Thursday, Brian Melanie and Lauren on Friday night, and Jennifer, Manny, Antonio and Thomas would be in Saturday morning. Thursday night we ran to the grocery store to get some things to grill out for dinner we got a call from my favorite Uncle Joe Connelly, and after all was said and done they ended up deciding to pick up Grandmother and come up on Saturday, which was an awesome surprise. ( Thanks guys)

That night once the lawn had been mowed we sat down and ate dinner. Some time during dinner it was mentioned that we were going to have 8 adults and 4 kids staying at the house, and we better start figuring out what all these people will be eating. After checking the refrigerator and finding we had absolutely nothing , we decided to make a plan. In an effort to make it look like we do occasionally cook Trish stated that we had made a concentrated effort to clean it out in preparation for everyone coming. (I think they bought it, either that or they think we eat frozen food and carryout way too often.) Anyway after coming up with a grocery list that was a page and a half Mom and Trish were on their way. Somehow Dad and I got out of going to the store and got to stay home and watch the game (err baby) instead. Being the good Dad that I am though I made sure to go the extra mile and check on the baby at halftime AND the commercial breaks. Anyway after their epic 2 hour excursion to the grocery store, I think we managed to fill every free space in our kitchen with food. I appreciate you two of you making that trip, I would have gone ballistic after about 30 minutes of looking for things there. It was great to have everything there and not have to worry about it the rest of the weekend, thanks guys you did great.

2 Years Already

Well, the holiday weekend went great, thanks everyone for coming we had a blast. It was great to be able to catch up with everyone and for Madelyn to get to meet a lot of her family. We will definitely go back and update the blog with pictures and stories a little later this week. Anyway today is our 2 year wedding anniversary, and after a busy month we don't have any concrete plans for the day. My parents are in town for the week, so the way things are setup now we do have babysitting lined up, but with it being Trish's first day back to work I am not sure if she will be up for it. Anyway I think we have been together for almost 6 years now and married for 2 it has been an amazing experience, and I would not change it for the world. I remember waiting at the back of the church two years ago and being excited about getting married and starting our life together. Since then it seems like things have been a quick blur, I started a new job, have moved moved 3 times and we have been blessed with a daughter. I remember thinking about things when we were getting married and having to commit to the good times and the bad, and being a little bit worried about what the future might have in hold. I can tell you now, that while we have had our ups and downs, the ups have certainly outnumbered the downs. It's pretty amazing how our lives have changed in the last 2 years, and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next. Whatever the future holds at least we will have each other.
Happy Anniversary, Jim

Thanks for my package Aunt Kathy & Uncle Bob

Today Madelyn recieved another package from Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bob. She loves the pink sea horse. Thanks Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bob!

May 19th... A Very Special Day

Well, yesterday was Madelyn's 2 month birthday; it is hard to believe it has already been 2 months.
Apparently from what I was told yesterday was also our 3 year engagement anniversary. (I am not really sure how Trish keeps track of all these dates, but it is good she does, because I would be totally clueless) All in all everything was setting up to be a pretty exciting day. Apparently in order to sort of level out the day Trish decided to schedule Madelyn's 2 month checkup for the same day. Now Madelyn has been to the doctors office several times since she has been born, and with the exception of the catheter and blood drawing most of these were pretty pleasant experiences. I told Trish that I would take a late lunch and meet her at the office for the appointment. I got there and everything seemed to be going very well, Madelyn was her usual content self, and didn't really see anything coming. Then in a possible foreshadowing of events to come, we stripped her down to be weighed and measured, and she let out a scream like I had never heard from her. (She came in at 22 1/2 in and 11 pounds 50% in both, she was 80% for head size but I don't remember the measurement off hand) Once we got her dressed and back into the room everything calmed down. The doctor came in the room (we were seeing someone new because our pediatrician had a family emergency) and asked us how everything was going and wanted to know if we had any questions or concerns. We told her we didn't have anything that we were concerned about, but this is our first time and we are still trying to establish a baseline. The doctor just told us to continue to do more tummy time with her, which is unfortunate, because as of yet she is still not that big of a fan.

After giving a clean bill of health the doctor left and told us the nurse would be in shortly. We had a couple of pleasant moments alone and then the nurse came in with the vaccination shots. Trish and the nurse were talking and said something along the lines of "Your job must really stink." Then in what could only be described as a true betrayal of a mothers love Trish laid our daughter on the sacrificial table and allowed a stranger that we had known for mere 30 seconds to inject some unknown substance into our 2 month old daughter. At that point in time Madelyn again began to cry, I'm really not sure which hurt her more the shot, or the realization that her own mother was capable of allowing her to be hurt like that. (*See below)










In all seriousness though the vaccination went pretty well and Madelyn was not nearly as upset as I thought she might be and someday she might even understand why we would do that to her. We gave her a bottle right afterwards and she calmed down enough that by the time we left, you wouldn't have known anything had happened. We went home and she ran a small fever and had leg pain. Last night Trish was worried that it might be a long night because Madelyn would scream anytime she moved her legs so Trish told me I could sleep in the guest room and that she would stay with Madelyn. I don't know how the whole night went, but this morning when I went to check on them Trish was cleaning throw up from the bed. I picked up Madelyn and held her for a couple of minutes and she was smiling and having fun, so she must not have been feeling too bad, maybe just a little bit of payback for the shots. Thanks for taking the night shift alone Trish, I hope the rest of the night was a bit better then this morning.

Well at 2 months our daughter is now eating 5 oz, 5 times a day, which we were told by the doctor was perfect. After the one time we found out we were underfeeding her that has become one of our staple questions at each appointment. In addition to this she seems to be recognizing us and smiling more. The biggest new challenge has been trying to keep her from stuffing her entire hand into her mouth and sucking on it. I am hoping we can keep this from becoming a habit and hold onto the pacifier, as it seems this would be easier to break in the future. Madelyn still really enjoys her swing, playmat, and the bears in her pack-n-play.

*Trish wanted to make sure I mentioned that she wasn't really that evil, and she wasn't even sure that she was the one that put Madelyn on the table for the shots.

Wichita Weekend Canceled

Well this was supposed to be our big weekend trip to Wichita, to attend Julie and Darren's wedding reception and meet up with some of our friends and family that live there. Everything was scheduled out and we had the date circled for some time. Trish's mom was flying into Wichita to spend time with us and Madelyn and we were going to hit the town with some friends. Then the day before we left Trish and Madelyn ended up coming down with Pink Eye, I think I am taking the blame of this, as I had it just a couple of weeks ago. They said that she would still be contagious for a couple of days and not wanting to infect anyone we decided to stay at home in KC for the weekend. Trish's mom was able to get a new flight and thanks to Aunt Kathy she was given a full refund on the ticket to Wichita. I am not exactly sure how Kathy's conversation went with Air Tran, I guess it was effective, but judging from past experiences most notably at the Cinnibun in the Maryland House, I am pretty sure we owe an apology to the Air Tran rep. Anyway we pretty much took it easy on Friday, and on Saturday we decided to start working on some overdue yard work.(Not our favorite weekend activity) Anyway after a long and rough weekend we ended up getting most everything taken care of that we had wanted to. We ended up trimming the bushes on the side and front of the house. Tearing out some other bushes and replanting new as well as remulching the whole front area. In the back we ended up trimming trees, and ripping out ground cover in 3 different areas. In addition to that we ended up putting up a bird bath and buying several different flower pots. By the time we were done we ended up having to pay someone to take all the trash and debris to the dump. Overall no where close to the best weekend we have had, but I guess it was productive. I think we owe an apology to Trish's mom as I don't think she was planning on coming down and doing yard work. Thanks though I promise we appreciate it, and we couldn't have gotten it done without you. Hopefully next time will be a little more fun, can't wait to see you in June.

Finally on Monday, we had someone come out to look at both the hot water heater and air conditioner. They were able to get the air conditioner to cool the whole upstairs, with the exception of our bedroom. Apparently the suggestion he gave Trish was that we change the vent cover in our room and then the air should blow harder from the vent. That makes about zero sense to me, but we don't really have to much time to worry about it right now. The hot water tank apparently needs to be replaced, we are still getting hot water but it is slowly starting to leak more and more. Right now they said they think they will be able to get it replaced before the weekend, which would be convenient as my whole family will be here for Memorial Day weekend, and it would be nice to have some hot water. Keep your fingers crossed.


PS
Susan, at this point in time I am going under the assumption that it was not poison ivy on your arm (especially after the pics we looked at online), and we are all very happy for that. :)

For Our Daughter

Madelyn is 8 weeks old and we can't believe it! She has been such a joy and the past 8 weeks have been so much fun. We didn't know what to expect on March 18th but on March 19th our eyes were opened to a whole new world and this new world is wonderful. Madelyn, we love you so much and can't wait for all the things to come.

Wed Doctor

Yesterday Trish had her final checkup appointment to make sure everything had healed up ok from the C-section. She asked me to come up and watch the baby while she had her checkup. Fortunately everything checked out ok and all was well, the only thing we were advised was that they prefer you go at least 18-24 months between deliveries. After Trish reassuring the doctor multiple time that she had no desire to be pregnant again any time soon we were able to say our goodbyes and leave. I think I have come to accept the fact that we won't be going back for some time. As interesting as some of those appointments were, I believe I have learned all I ever care to know and then some about pregnancy. Let's just say simply I am glad I was just an interested party in the pregnancy and wasn't actually experiencing it. (It didn't always seem to be the best of times)

Yesterday I also got a call from Trish about mid morning saying that Madelyn had a thick yellow mucus coming out of her eye, and she asked me what I thought we should do. I gave my typical response of if you are worried about it call the doctor. It always amazes me that people would actually call and ask me questions like this. If it was me I probably would have just let it go and see how things played out, but for some reason I didn't think we should do that with an infant. After Trish consulted the internet, several friends and called the doctor we were all satisfied that it was an infected tear duct, and outside of having yellow pussy stuff coming out of her eye all was good.

Aunt Sarah's Coming

I have been told for several weeks now that on 05/13 Aunt Sarah and Uncle Vince will be in Town for Matty's graduation and that Trish was going to be headed out on the town tonight. For those of us counting I believe that would make it two times this week (isn't that right Trish?) :) Apparently Whitney is going to come pick her up and then she is getting a ride home afterwards with Sarah and Vince, so it sounds like it should be a real blast.

I guess this leaves me at home for babysitting duty all by myself. I am pretty confident as this brings the total number of people that have asked me to watch their kids by myself in the last 10 years to 1. After a couple months of doing it, I believe I have attained a functional level of both diaper changing and feeding. Also if anything comes up or I have questions on I will just ask when Trish calls to make sure Madelyn is still alive. So we will see how it goes, actually I am kind of excited about it, and hope Trish can go out and have a good time without worrying for a couple of hours. Stay tuned and we will let you know how it turns out.

PS: As of this morning the over/under for number of time Trish is going to call tonight was set at 15

Power & Light District

Well yesterday was kind of a big day for us, Elizabeth said her interview went well and we decided to go out for dinner to celebrate her graduation. We got to talking and decided it would be cool to go to the new power and light district for dinner. For those of you who don’t know it is essentially a new outdoor bar, restraunt and theater area across from the Sprint Center. We went and had dinner at Gordon Biersch, the food left a little to be desired but it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy the company. Madelyn managed to sleep almost all the way through dinner and just woke up at the very end to have a bottle.

At dinner we were discussing the fact that Madelyn was coming up on 2 months old and we had not yet taken her to the bar. We then consulted all of our books and decided that there was not a clear consensus as to what stage of development a child would typically begin going out with her parents for drinks. After determining that this important step must be entirely up to the discretion and good judgment of the parents we decided to head out for a drink. So we ended up going to the actual outdoor/covered bar area to have a drink. Essentially it is about a one block covered area with about 10 bars and clubs. In the middle area they have a stage for live performances and on the weekends they typically have beer vendors there as well. When we have been there in the past they have security checking ID’s to be able to get in, but seeing as it was a Monday night they were a little more lax and the four of us were able to head to Makers Mark have a drink and enjoy the nice weather.

After this we ended up packing it up and heading home. We had a little bit of a walk back to the car, as being cheap I had tried to park a little ways a way thinking it would be cheaper there. I apparently parked in the $7 lot, and I would like to thank my wife who so helpfully pointed out the $2 lot that was actually in the area we ate in, or even the free lots that were closer than where we parked. While this would have been more helpful before we actually parked, I guess it will be helpful for next time. The pictures below are not from last night but they give you an idea what the Power and Light District is like.

Mothers Day

So, yesterday was Trish’s first official Mothers Day as a mom. Saturday night I took Madelyn and went to bed to keep her for the night, and assumed that Trish would try and get a full night of sleep in the guest room. Apparently I was wrong on that as she came up to bed at 9:30 AM and told me that she had not yet gone to bed, she had spent the whole time without the two of us cleaning the house (she actually told me she enjoyed this time by herself). So I just want to let her know that we all appreciate having a clean house and it looked great. Seeing as Trish didn’t go to bed till the morning we got a little bit of a late start to the day and ended up getting take out from her favorite Mexican place for lunch. Then we finished the last bit of cleaning on the house and waited for my cousin Elizabeth to get there. Elizabeth just graduated from OSU with her degree in Human Development and Family Sciences (Congrats), and is in KC to interview for an internship at Children’s Mercy. We then went over to Mary and Randy’s house for a BBQ and to hang out with their family. As always we had a great dinner and good time seeing everyone. Before we got there one of the boys had caught a snake and they were having a pretty good time playing with it. I saw Trish looking at it and I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was extremely disappointed that Madelyn was too young to take a turn playing with the newest pet. Oh well, I am sure there will still be some snakes to play with when she is a little older. When we came home yesterday night Trish opened her gift, and we went to bed. Apparently Madelyn didn’t sleep all that well, because at 6:15 Trish woke me up told me it had been a long night and asked me to feed the baby. I did get her fed and put her back in the bassinet, but the way she was smiling and laughing I am not so sure Trish got any more sleep.


Needless to say Madelyn got pretty lucky to come into this world with a mother like Trish. I think she knows she has got it pretty good as she has been a content and quiet baby since the day she was born. Yesterday when we were at Aunt Mary and Uncle Randy’s house she cried for about 5 minutes and Trish thought that something had happened to her, as this was the longest she had ever cried. I think in reality her mom just does an exceptional job and she doesn’t have to cry much. Hopefully she keeps this up as it has made my life pretty easy and enjoyable. Thanks Trish, you are doing an awesome job, and I do recognize and appreciate it, even if I don’t say it enough.

Love you mommy, your the best.

Madelyn meets the sitter......Yeah Mrs. Rachel

Today Madelyn met her babysitter Mrs. Rachel and really seemed to enjoy her and all the fun things she had at her house. We got there shortly after 11 and stayed for a couple of hours. Madelyn was awake the whole time and gave Mrs. Rachel lots of smiles so I would say the trip was SUCCESSFUL! Madelyn will go to her a house a couple times over the next few weeks to get used to things and will start going full time on June 1st.

Mrs. Rachel is our old neighbor. She stays at home with her three children. Her older two are in school now and she just has her youngest at home who is 1 1/2 years old. She had always told me she would love to find one baby to watch so when we found out we were expecting we talked with her and she suggested watching Madelyn. Her degree and work experience is in early childhood development. She has all Madelyn's favorite things (swing, bouncy chair and playmat) and the right car seat base so we don't have to supply her with anything other then diapers and formula. She is really looking forward to watching Madelyn and we feel so fortunate to have her. THANKS Mrs. Rachel!!!!!

I am not tired Mommy!

Last night at bedtime we took a quick video.....Madelyn was not tired at all! She was pulling out all of her tricks (smiling, talking, kicking and eating hands). We decided that she might already know how to win us over and get her way :)