The Copelands

For BB & KO

2010-01-15T14:39:00.010-06:00

You all are awesome to think of TE!

Frog #2 is just as big of a hit as Frog #1. When TE goes to bed he now asks for "frog, frog, eh-fan". Translation: First frog, second frog, elephant. I don't know how many stuffed 'buddies' are in his crib at night - but those three are a must have.

We recorded him opening the goodies so you all could see his reaction. I'll confess now - we received your package when TE was at school. I selfishly unwrapped his gift - and really didn't even think twice about it - to see what it was. The precedent of me opening his gifts was set during Christmas. He liked to watch me unwrap the booty while he oohhed & ahhhhed. So, it was out of habit....really:)

Anyway, I re-wrapped the gift (guess it finally dawned on me that TE might like to try a little unwrapping himself), so that explains what happened to the blue paper & ribbon.

This is just a test...

2009-12-27T13:45:00.002-06:00

After a long, dry spell, TE is back at 24 frames per second. Below is our test video. I would have included the portion where he makes all of the animal noises he knows (very cute), but he had his hand in his crotch the entire time.

My Pajoutfit (PUH-jowt-fit)

2009-05-21T20:51:00.007-05:00

A Poem on Unidentifiable Clothing

by Thomas Eilers Copeland

Am I wearing an outfit

Or pajamas?

Nobody knows,

Not even my Mama.

She hadn't done laundry and was running amok

And then found this in my closet,

Talk about sheer luck!

Then off to Candice's we hastily sped,

And when Mommy dropped me off she thought

"Is he dressed for bed?"

Nobody is quite sure,

And nobody knows,

But I think these things may be my bed clothes.

So at the end of the day, in my back yard I happily sit,

Knowing that Mom invented the very first ever....

Pajoutfit.

Year End, Part 2...and then some

2009-05-18T20:24:00.025-05:00

Here's the Reader's Digest Rundown of how 2008 ended for the Copelands south....

I went to Academy for 20 whole minutes to finish up some last-minute Christmas shopping. Here's what my sweet little angel's face looked like when I left:

And here's what it looked like when I got back:

According to Dad, TE had an altercation with the rubbermaid container that held our wrapping paper. I ALMOST used this image for our Christmas card, but TR didn't think that was funny. I didn't think it was funny that our little guy lost the battle with the wrapping paper container, so I guess we're even.

We had THREE Christmas'. One with the Copelands, one with the Schierlohs and one at home in Austin with just the three of us. TE is not allowed to receive another toy until he's 13. Here are some of my favorite pix of all the holiday fun:

TE's first birthday was a bust since he started to get sick on Christmas Day, and he wasn't in the mood to par-tay on the 27th. Sadly, I imagined taking a picture of our smiling son, sitting in his high chair with a big cupcake on the tray that had one burning candle in it to mark the day. What I got was a snotty, cranky baby who was just miserable for 10 solid days. Blech!

In January of 2009, TE had his first haircut. I was enjoying his curly locks, but they got a little bit out of control. Here's his bushbaby look:

These were taken post-nap so you would have the full effect.

After 20 minutes at Cool Cuts 4 Kids (conveniently located in Toys R Us) his stylist Colleen turned him into a little gentleman.

In case you can't tell, she even used product on his hair. How fancy!

Mom & Dad S have the honor of being the bearers of his locks from haircut #1. You know me, keeping miscellaneous body parts around the house isn't really my thing. Honestly, I think it's a little gross. When TE's belly button nub fell off I felt obligated to keep it. Bear in mind that my hormones were still out of whack at that time, so I obviously wasn't thinking very clearly. I'm not quite sure where it is, but I shudder to think that I may come across it again some day.

Since January TE has had one other haircut at Great Clips. It was $9, and I'm still surprised that neither TE nor I had an eye poked out during the process. It wasn't because the guy was incompetent, but he certainly didn't have the benefit of a TV playing an Elmo video & cool ride for TE to sit in during the process. Instead, he had a screaming crying baby squirming around on his mother's lap.

We celebrated TE's Baptism Day in February with family, friends & Godparents. We captured most of the event on video, but the highlight was TE stuffing an entire cupcake in his mouth in record time. He's a classy guy. I'll have to say that all of TE's grandparents did an excellent job of obeying my "No More Toys Until 13" mandate.

However, TE did manage to sneak away with a library & spring wardrobe:)

I rock! I knocked out this post while simultaneously avoiding dealing with the mountain of paperwork in the office. (Insert stadium-size crowd cheering here).

The next post will be current. Catching up is nice, but talking about TE in the present is more fun. He's walking (albeit like a drunk), he started saying "Mommy" just in time for Mother's Day, he loves going to the park and playing in our yard, and he's FULL of rambunctious energy. He's turning into a little boy and we love it!!

Year End, Part 1

2009-03-04T21:52:00.004-06:00

I know it's been quite a while since I've posted any TE updates, and the fans have been clamoring...so here's Part 1 of our year end update (best as I can remember).

This picture reminds me that Nana, Addy and Tanta came to visit in November. The excuse was to see TR for his birthday, but I think this images tells a different story.

We made it through the Thanksgiving holiday without ANYONE getting sick. Too bad we can't say the same for Christmas (oops, a spoiler). TE loved every bite of the two thanksgiving dinners we had. We started at O'ma & O'pa's (in pix below), and ended up at Uncle Scot & Aunt Maggie's (NOT in pix below b/c they are on my computer at work. Lame, I know). Let it suffice to say TE looked pretty much the same at both dinners - hungry.

Here he is, all dressed and ready for someone to pass Buffy (long story, but that's what we call the bird @ the Schierloh household).

This is TE saying a prayer of thanks.

Or was it a prayer that O'ma would break out one of his Christmas presents a little early? Hmmmm.

Yes, his grandparents no longer have will power when it comes to saving gifts for Christmas. O'ma's excuse for busting out this 'little' toy was something like this... "well, he just doesn't have anything to play with while he's here". Never mind the toy box in the den, or the drawer full of surprises (AKA toys) in Uncle Michael's old room. Or all of the rooms to explore, curtains to pull, and chairs to lick.

Keep in mind, this toy now lives in our living room. So much for the 'something to play with at O'ma & O'pa's house' idea.

Coming soon:

What happens when Mommy runs a 20-minute errand & leaves Dad in charge
Christmas x 3
Bush patrol
B-day bash

Just some pictures

2008-11-03T21:57:00.016-06:00

In late September we took a trip to Dallas to see Papa Doc & Mary. The highlights were that we got to see a LOT of family, TE had a stomach virus (which led to many wardrobe changes), and he slept for an entire 3 hours Saturday night.

This is our version of "Where's Waldo", except that you should be looking for Mason & Thomas. Here's a hint: TE is busy spreading his viral cooties on Mason's toys.

Ahhh, Late Afternoon, Day 1 of the trip. Total nap time: Zero hours, minutes or seconds. Even with baggy eyes he's still cute though.

Papa Doc, Addy, TR and TE (minus cute outfit that he arrived in).

Papa Doc, Nana, TR, TE and TE's belly. It's hard to tell, but his Nana is pretty happy to be with him. In case you're wondering why everyone is looking in different directions, it's because there are about 15 people taking pictures. It's a Copeland tradition to take at least 100 pictures/hour.

Papa diagnosed TE with Flintstone-atitis in both feet.

Uncle Scot, Papa Doc, TR, Mason, Tyson and TE. Talk about a wild bunch.

This is just a random blurry picture in the bunch. TE's expression is great. Somebody must have said "Wubba wubba". For some reason he laughs when we say that to him. It must mean something in babyese.

The long ride home from Dallas. TE is tired of the paparazzi (see Copeland Tradition above). You can see all of the bags under his eyes. Even though nobody got any sleep on Saturday night, we all slept like rocks on Sunday.

Another random bath-time picture in his new tub. It was working fine for everyone until he started standing. Now it's practically impossible to keep him in the water. Every piece of baby gear we have has a ridiculous harness system. However, the bathtub that is wet, soapy and incredibly slippery, seems to have slipped through the harness installation department. On the bright side, my arms get a great workout every bath night. Trying to hold on to a soapy wiggly creature isn't easy.

No, we haven't started baby proofing yet.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2008-10-31T19:23:00.008-05:00

Life of Riley

2008-09-13T14:35:00.007-05:00

Well, it is most of the time, unless TE is being beaten up by a GIRL.

Look mom, no black eyes. We were just playing.

It's just another day at the Kiddie Corral. I would get one of these for our house, but if TE doesn't scoot around all day on the floors, how else are they going to get clean? He's our little Roomba.

So many toys, so little time.

TE is smiling because he has successfully licked every thing in this picture.

The other morning when I was getting ready for work, TE was in our room on the floor by the bathroom door. When I looked over (he was being suspiciously quiet), he was laying on his stomach, mouth wide open, tongue out, licking the bathroom door.

Yet another proud moment at the Copeland house.

Thomas' BFF

2008-08-13T19:00:00.015-05:00

You've all heard me talk about her, and I finally have evidence that TE really does have a girrrrrllllfriend.

Her name is Caitlyn, and she's Candice's youngest daughter. TR and I refer to her as The Older Woman because she was born 19 days before TE.

Caitlyn wears cute outfits and has lots of teeth. She also sits up like a pro and I bet there's some crawling going on there, too.

Thomas, on the other hand, has been subjected to bulk-buy onesies, is constantly drooling and doesn't have any teeth. I figure that's because he's working really hard on developing a full head of hair. Oh, and his primary mode of transportation is rolling. As far as crawling goes, he obviously thinks that's for girls.

Here's the lovely couple having some quality tummy time. Notice Caitlyn's cute ensemble, and how she puts on a cute face for her portrait. Thomas is...well...I'm not quite sure. We have a lot of pictures of him looking this way - straight into the camera with his poker face. hmmmm....

Caitlyn is admiring TEs luxurious head of hair. Either that or she's discovered some formula crust in one of TEs neck rolls. TE doesn't mind...or even notice. He is very focused on having his picture taken, as you can tell by that poker face. Really, why does he do that?

Too bad there aren't any teeth for Caitlyn to see. But, she manages to keep a polite smile as not to offend. Yes, a polite, TOOTHY smile! TE is probably sizing up her hand and wondering if he can fit her entire fist in his maw. His won't fit, and it's not for lack of trying, but this little girl hand may be the perfect size.

Here's Caitlyn trying to teach TE the Hokey Pokey. Too bad that he doesn't understand that 'right arm' isn't 'left leg'. Then again who cares - TE thinks it's fun - especially the whole roll yourself around part.

Candice picked a perfect day to take pictures. First off, Caitlyn is in pink and TE is in blue. And TE isn't wearing a onesie. He's actually in a little boy outfit, which, incidentally, happens to be a one piece deal. Yes, I like them. They are easy. The are comfortable for TE. They can be purchased in bulk, usually on sale, at Kohl's. When he starts to outgrow them I buy another batch of five. No, they do NOT have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday written on the rear end. But if they did, I'd still make the purchase.

Here's another picture of TE kickin' it old school at Candice's. When I saw this picture I finally understood why TE was completely unimpressed with the bouncer we have at home. The chair he's sitting in (in the picture) rotates around that center pod of doo-dads & noisemakers. The chair also spins so he can face in or out.

Our bouncer goes up. And then down. And I think that's only because Newton says there's a law about things that go up have to come down. It has some toys stuck to it, too. Most of them are placed at a level that is designed to poke out eyes when he gets the bounce going.

Here's another angle where you can see TE in action. Notice all of the other fun stuff in the background awaiting his drool.

TE loves Six Flags...I mean Candice's house. First of all, Caitlyn is there, and of course there are a ton of toys to play with, AND, Candice runs a tight ship. Translation: she has TE on a SCHEDULE. (you should hear angels singing here) This has made life for TR and I a lot easier, to say the least, and TE thrives on consistency.

Yes, finding Candice spared TE from baby jail (day care center). The more I reflect on how this all came to be, the more I believe that we have yet another blessing to count. I had looked at several baby jails before calling Candice. I had just assumed that she would not have room for TE. Four jails into the process, I called her because I realized that it was at least worth a phone call to confirm my suspicions. Fortunately, suspicions are nothing but that, and timing is everything. One of her charges was moving, and she had an opening. She was also taking off some time in December after having Caitlyn, and was planning on being back around late January/early February....the exact time that I would need to return to work.

I think the pictures above tell the rest of the story...and maybe show a little of what lies ahead for TE.

And Candice, just in case you're reading this, I believe etiquette dictates that the bride's family pays for the wedding. And I always did picture my sweet pea having a big wedding followed by a fancy reception complete with ice sculptures.....

Father's Day, Surprise Visitors, Motel Hell

2008-07-16T21:09:00.014-05:00

For Father's Day we packed up the family truckster and headed to Fort Worth. Unknown to Dad, Kim & Tony flew in on Friday from New York as a surprise. TE saw this as a golden opportunity to add new members to his fan club. TR & I saw this as an opportunity to give other, sweet, loving people the 'opportunity' to hold the baby.

Aunt Kim & Uncle Michael are racing to see who can complete their Sudoku puzzles first. I'm not quite sure who won or even if anyone won. We did a lot of eating, so there wasn't much time for Sudoku folly.

Here's O'ma in her usual mode - cooking.

Uncle Tony & Aunt Kim - one of the many pictures of us sitting at a table full of food.

Uncle Tony & O'pa even found a little time to cuddle after breakfast.

Let them eat cake...or icing...you make the call. All I have to say is that when pieces of cake were handed out, any piece that had an icing rose on it managed to make a full circle & ended up sitting by the cake. Fortunately, the cake part was delicious, and I sure didn't mind scraping off those 4lb. roses to get to it.

I would like to say that this picture must have been taken at breakfast, seeing at Great O'ma is in her PJ's, but it could just as well been lunch or dinner. Ferguson's are strong believers in staying in your jimjams as long as possible. Who knows when you might be suddenly overtaken by a rogue nap?

I'm really impressed that both Thomas and Tony are feigning the EXACT same look of interest. I get this same look from TR when I talk about work.

Is there anything more special about Father's Day than getting to grill everyone's dinner...with several Chefs blabbing to you about how to properly cook their steaks?

This picture was taken just before we left. TE is just heartbroken that he's leaving everyone. He always has a lot of fun with the family. Then again, he could be crying because he just remembered where he spent the night.

Some call it Motel 6, I call it Motel Hell. TR thought that since the Schierloh B&B was going to be pretty full (O'ma, O'pa, Great O'ma, Uncle Tony & Aunt Kim) that we should stay at a motel.

Now, this is where the commitment part of marriage comes into play. Because I wasn't feeling much love when we drove to our doom.

I don't even know where to begin with this one. It's hard to decide which part of our stay was the worst. Was it the large, uninterested desk attendant who did me the favor of checking us in? Was it the part where I was given a TV remote control along with the credit-card style room key, and told to turn in both when we checked out?

Was it the vending machine full of toiletries, lighters, cards and yes, generic condoms (bottom left, in discreet box) for $1.05?

Was it that our room was #242? (Unfortunately, we found it in spite of the bad signage).

Was it the fancy carpet - that also doubled as a baseboard?

Was it when my son tried to run away for the first time?

By the next morning I was tired. I was hungry. I was sick of being kicked all night long by TE. (He had to sleep in the bed with us since the room was almost as warm as a meat locker, and I stupidly forgot to bring his snow pants - which we so often need in Texas, in JUNE). But most importantly, I was ready to turn in my remote control and leave some tread in the parking lot.

Ugh. Never, EVER again!! Ugh.

What's for dinner?

2008-06-26T21:30:00.005-05:00

This is by far the most asked, and most unanswered, question in the Copeland household. The last time I checked Betty Crocker hadn't moved in, so dinner is a DIY thing as far as I'm concerned.

Sadly, TE is learning at an early age that it's usually best to fend for oneself.

If not, he may get stuck eating some gross puree from a jar.

Oops, too late. Mmmm, a bowl of orange - it could be carrots, it could be sweet potatoes, who knows. But it's mixed with cereal and it's pretty caustic.

If you think that's a sour face, you have seen his reaction to green...I mean peas.

Lazy Days of Early Summer

2008-06-26T21:11:00.002-05:00

Earlier this summer, before the sweltering heat moved in on us, we thought TE would enjoy playing in the yard. He is, after all, a big boy now.

Of course, we recorded his adventures since this was his first time to romp around in the yard.

Here he is enjoying the shade of one of the many tress in our yard.

Looking for baby birds in the bird house (it's the brown box nailed to the fence that you can hardly see).

Sylvia thinks she's at the baby zoo.

Playing in the yard sure can make a guy hungry - it's GRILL TIME!!

What's on the menu? Frog legs, of course.

Nana & Addy

2008-06-02T19:15:00.004-05:00

Nana & Addy have only been a part of TE's life since he was born, but I didn't have ANY pictures of them from the numerous trips they have made to Austin to see TE. OK, I do have several pictures of them at the hospital with TE, but I look like crap in all of them so there's no way I'm posting those. You probably think I'm vain, but if you saw the pix you'd agree.

Nana & Addy came down for Mother's Day - which I now call "N&A Photo Op Day".

TE is playing doctor with Nana - he's checking her tonsils to make sure she isn't getting sick.

Addy is very concerned to hear our little doctor's opinion.

Now he's feeling her glands to make sure they aren't swollen. Fortunately, Nana wasn't sick and the doctor's advice was to have a good weekend. Not being a family to question doctors, we followed his orders to the T.

Ode to Rice Cereal

2008-05-20T20:37:00.015-05:00

by Thomas Eilers

Oh rice cereal,

on my plastic spoon.

Who knew I'd be eating solids so soon?

You are mushy in my mouth,

and runny on my chins.

Are you the reason that I am not so thin?

Sweet, sweet cereal,

I won't miss a drop.

I will suck you off my bib,

My tongue is my mop.

Oh rice cereal,

Only once a day.

Please never let your oopy, goopy goodness ever go away.

Sigh....

Who Run Bartertown?

2008-05-13T17:06:00.009-05:00

Master Blaster?
I think not. Say Baby Blaster!!!

Say loud.

BABY BLASTER.

Baby Blaster what.

BABY BLASTER RUNS BARTERTOWN!!!

Welcome to another edition of Thunderdome!

You know the law: 2 men enter, 1 man leaves.

Or, in TE's case, one man enter, nobody else fits.

Oh my goodness, it's BECKY!!!!

2008-05-07T20:19:00.008-05:00

That's right - my good friend Becky packed her bags, left her husband and two small children just to come to Austin and hang out with TE.

They got along just great...

... especially around dinner time.

And, she brought an incredibly large gift for TE - we call it Thunderdome.

We ALL love Thunderdome because 1) TE can entertain himself for a loooong time in there - there are all sorts of toys hanging from the inside,bright colors and noise makers and 2) we get to take a break while TE plays alone. We call that 'teaching him how to be independent'. He's getting pretty good at it. As a matter of fact, he got to spend some quality time learning how to be independent the other night while I tired to get some sleep.

Weekend with the Grandparents & Great Grandparent

2008-04-30T20:03:00.008-05:00

Yes, I'm still catching up on blogs! That means I'm going to keep the entries short & sweet until I'm back on track.

The weekend of April 12 TE's grandparents & great grandma came to visit for the weekend. You can tell it was a very stressful time for him.

Yes....very stressful.
All of this love and attention can really get a guy down.

O'pa/grandpa tries to take a picture with TE and O'ma/gramma both looking at the camera. This is a challenging task. My suggestion is to just keep snapping pictures until you get the one you want. That's the beauty of digital, I say!

We're not quite sure who benefits more from having grandparents in town...TE or Thomas & me. We even got to go out for a few baby-free ours while TE stayed at home. It was his first time with a babysitter - or should we say sitters. They did a good job because TE slept like a log that night. We'll definitely be calling them again.

O'ma, Mom, TE and I went on an adventure to the store. I'll give you three guesses where we went shopping.

Yep, baby Mecca. The place I used to dread going to is now one of my favorite stops. I'll have to admit that shopping for TE is something I really enjoy, and we have the credit card bills to prove it. Hey, I'm doing it for the children, ok?!

All of that spoiling can really wear out a little guy.

There's someone in my head, but it's not me..

2008-04-24T20:55:00.004-05:00

This is why you don't accept candy from strangers - especially at a Pink Floyd concert. Although, we may now have an explanation for Hell Week (see post below)...and the constant drooling.

Uncle Josh, thanks for making me the hippest kid in daycare:)

Hell Week

2008-04-23T21:03:00.006-05:00

Sweet picture, huh? When was it taken, you ask. Well, I'm not 100% sure but I can guarantee is wasn't taken between March 31 and April 4. That was the week TE decided that he wasn't really interested in sleeping from 11pm-6am. That's right, an entire week of all nighters.

I can't recall all of the details, but I vaguely remember driving up and down Mopac one night at 1am. Driving worked like a charm - TE fell asleep after a few minutes in the back seat. We drove another 30 minutes before heading home to make sure he was really in a deep sleep. As soon as we pulled into the driveway his eyes shot wide open. It was time to be awake...AGAIN!

The thing is, TE wasn't incredibly fussy or crying. He just wanted to up and he wanted one of us to entertain him.

By Wednesday night TR was drunk with sleep deprivation. I was a zombie and we were both pretty close to the end of our ropes.

By Thursday we were ready to put the smack down: we decided to let him cry it out a little bit. It was horrible. Neither Thomas nor I could stand to hear his pathetic crying, so we gave up on that pretty quickly. So much for tough love.

I eventually developed a routine: put him on the play mat on the floor, which allowed for 20 minutes of sleep, then it was downstairs on the couch, then in the swing, then upstairs in front of the computer watching the colorful screen saver, then downstairs to the stroller and laps around the house, then back upstairs to the play mat (and hopefully 20 minutes of sleep). There may have been a couple of times where he slept a bit in his car seat, but who can really remember. All I know is that if you repeat those things above about 50-100 times, you would eventually get to 6am.

And 6am was the magic hour. TE would eat and then fall into a deep sleep...just in time for TR and I to get ready for work.

What a considerate child.

I believe we have mostly recovered from Hell Week. TE still has horrible sleeping habits, and there have been a couple of all nighters since then, but we haven't been through five consecutive nights without sleep. If TE decides pulls that stunt again, he's going out in the yard in the Pack-n-Play.

You think I'm joking.

Hello, 9-1-1?

2008-03-31T20:25:00.012-05:00

Yes, is this 9-1-1? I have a situation here...

We need a Hazmat team dispatched for a major clean up in South Austin.

The polluting suspect is a caucasian male, 3 months old, around 2 feet high, patchy brown hair and blue eyes. While the rest of us are reeling from the spill, he seems rather happy and satisfied. He has even smiled a couple of times. No need to send an ambulance - a LOT of wipes and some rubber gloves will do.

Uncle Scot, Aunt Maggie & Tyson

2008-03-31T19:45:00.018-05:00

Scot, Maggie and Tyson made the trek to Austin this weekend to see their new nephew / cousin. There was a lot of eating involved, and just hanging out in general.

Tyson is a soon-to-be big brother so he was able to sharpen those big-brother skills with TE. One of his most frequent requests was to 'pet' the baby. TE happily obliged.

As you can see, TE finds Tyson very interesting. Tyson was even able to get a few smiles from TE (by petting him, of course).

Tyson discovered that TEs crib was a good place to hang out and watch videos on Maggie's iPhone. Regretfully, I didn't get a picture. You'll just have to trust me when I say that finding him hanging out in the crib totally absorbed in cartoons was a pretty funny sight. He also shared all of his toys with TE by piling them in the Pack n Play.

TE took to his Uncle Scot & Aunt Maggie right away. He's definitely a fan of family who come to visit and hold him, even if he has to squish his newest cousin to get into Aunt Maggie's arms. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

Aunts are FUN!!

Scot, Maggie, Tyson - Thanks so much for coming to see us. We hope these next two months go smoothly for you all. We can't wait to meet TEs newest cousin!!

Easter Sunday

2008-03-24T19:09:00.008-05:00

TE was fussy during the first half of the church service and then slept through the second half. TR had church business to take care of afterwards, so TE and I headed home to see what the easter bunny left for us.

We got two baskets, but we had to wait on TR before opening them. Lucky TE got to hang out in the Neglect-O-Matic for a while.

All of that waiting can wear out a baby. TE snoozed through the whole basket-opening event.

When he FINALLY woke up, we showed him the animatronic bunny Nana & Addy sent. The first time we made it 'go' we got BIIIG smiles. The second time the bunny got just a wee bit scary, so we put it on the mantle. I guess there's truth in the whole 'too much of a good thing'. We'll just use it in moderation.

Bathing Beauty

2008-03-24T19:09:00.006-05:00

We discovered that hands that remain in fists most of the day are prone to finger jam. Talk about a disgusting discovery.

Look ma, no more screaming and crying during bath time. I may even start to like getting clean.
Sucking on fist = happy place.

Hey, did you have to post a picture showing everyone my duck? It's so embarrassing.

First Job Interview

2008-03-24T19:08:00.002-05:00

TE spent Good Friday pounding the pavement looking for a job. Our plan is to have him employed in the next few months. His first interview was at The Sound Lab. He heard that audio engineers are practically rock stars, and we all know how TE likes to be the life of the party.

As you can tell, TEs smiles are infectious. He was working his hardest to impress Phil and Steve.
Steve is getting ready to test TEs ProTools skills. Unfortunately, TE only knows about ProDrools, which is a NO-NO around the console. Trust me, I know all about how it is forbidden to set your drink anywhere on the console...even if it looks like a 'safe' place.

All in all, the interview went really well. We're just waiting for the call:)

Lord of the Manor

2008-03-19T19:53:00.008-05:00

TE has discovered his hands. Evidently they taste pretty darn good.

Remember the Muppet Show? Remember the two old hecklers who sat in the balcony critiquing the show?

Now look at TE....

All he needs is just a little grey hair & a serious moustache.

TE's First St. Patty's Day

2008-03-17T21:09:00.000-05:00

Underneath his bib his onsie says "Kiss Me I'm Irish". It must have worked because he was tuckered out, or should I say puckered out, after day care today. I'm not sure why his tongue is hanging out of his mouth, but it could have something to do with the beer stein in his right hand.

Oh, and his bib is on crooked. Again.

Hey, it ain't easy being green.

Spring Break '08, Part Deux

2008-03-16T20:49:00.000-05:00

In case you can't tell, I was getting a little tired of TE always being the star. Not to mention that he's laying down in all of the pictures since TR hasn't been home to hold him during a lot of the photo ops. This is my attempt at getting us both in the shot. You can see from which side of the family he gets his double chin.

This is how TE likes to fall asleep - on someone's shoulder. I am usually anxious for him to doze off so I can get things done around the house. When he FINALLY does drift off, I get suckered into holding him for the entire nap. There's something to be said for having him so close AND so quiet. It's almost special:)

Needless to say, there are a lot of things around the house that don't seem to be getting done. Oh well, there's always the next nap...

Spring Break '08

2008-03-13T13:28:00.000-05:00

Sleeping in until 10, eating late breakfast, taking long naps in Mom's arms....this is the best time ever!

Morning Routine

2008-03-07T19:17:00.000-06:00

Normally we are too tired to take any pictures in the morning but TE's cuteness factor was through the roof today. He's sporting his fancy overalls and personalized cap.

TE hangs out in his baby vibrator while mom finishes getting ready for work. This little seat has made our mornings a lot easier. TE gets a massage while I dry my hair and make faces at him.

Notice the tray in the background. TR makes a hot breakfast for everyone in the morning & brings it upstairs. This way we can eat while taking care of business.

Just in case you didn't believe me about the personalized hat AND the cuteness factor.

Sensory Overload

2008-03-05T20:15:00.000-06:00

Given that TE likes to lay on the floor and wriggle his entire body while inspecting the room around him, I thought that he would LOVE one of those play mats with the dangly things. I spent a lot of time imagining how much fun he would have kicking his little feet at the toys suspended above him while fixating on the bright colors & bold prints. He would be in baby heaven - and I was going to be the one to make it happen.

All week I looked forward to Saturday when I could go to the store and pick up his surprise gift. I was absolutely convinced that he would think this play mat was the best toy EVER!!!

Boy was I wrong.

As you can tell, he can barely contain his excitement. Heck, he's almost looking at the thing. I fired up the music and blinking lights, but obviously some tinny sounding Mozart screeching out of a crappy speaker didn't cut it. He didn't think the lights were anything special, either.

As a matter of fact, one could almost say all of the noise, blinking lights, dangly fuzzy things and bright colors are just a little scary. Nope, this is not a fun time for TE at all.

GET ME OUT OF HERE BEFORE THAT GIRAFFE EATS MY BRAINS!!!!

Let me just say playtime ended in tears. Evidently he likes the simple things: floor, receiving blanket, ceiling with fan.

On the upside - he did look exceptionally cute the whole time in his little crocodile outfit. Thanks Tanta!

Moon in the Morning

2008-03-04T19:31:00.000-06:00

This is TE all dressed and ready for his two-month doctor's visit. There wasn't any time to do a wardrobe change if he did one of those 'belch up my breakfast on the way out the door' moves, hence the bib. Notice how it is DIRECTLY below the spigot...I mean mouth. That's right, I meant business. Come rain, sleet, snow or a stomach full of milk, we were NOT going to be late.

The Pooh hat is really cute when it's on the right way (pulled down a bit more & with the little ears sticking up in the air).

And yes, let's address the 400lb gorilla in the room...those jowls and the nice quadruple chin. We're not 100% sure what he's packing in there, but it has been a while since we've seen the cat.

What you can't see in this picture, which I did NOT know about until we had him undressed at the doctor's office, is that his diaper is loose and his little plumber crack is on display. By a little plumber crack I mean practically his whole bottom was hanging out in the breeze. You can only imagine the moment of shame I had when the doctor turned him on his tummy and the moon came out. I almost said "Well, we can tell that Daddy dressed you this morning", but caught myself before the words came out of my mouth. That won't happen again. The new rule is if you aren't at the doctor's office to defend yourself, you take all of the heat. Sorry.

The New Babysitter

2008-03-03T20:26:00.000-06:00

We've decided that instead of taking TE to daycare he can just stay at home with Sylvia. It certainly is a lot cheaper. We're sure they'll get along just fine - they both like to lay on the floor and both seem to like TE's little toys.

As you can tell, Sylvia takes her job seriously, never letting her eyes leave TE.

Catching a TE smile with the still camera is hard. This is just another failed attempt.

Sylvia & TE

2008-02-26T08:47:00.000-06:00

So far Sylvia has adjusted to our new addition much better than we ever imagined. She hasn't licked a giant bald patch on her stomach like she did when we first moved into the house. This isn't saying there haven't been a few hiccups along the way: she hissed at the baby when we first brought him home; she's managed to barf a few extra times around the house (of course she always makes it from the tile to the carpet just in the nick of time - how do they KNOW that is just extra evil?!?); and her ultimate passive-aggressive move...the mystery turd that somehow walks from the litter box into the middle of our bedroom. Gross, I know.

After a bout of minor depression, she has come to terms with the fact that TE is staying for good...just like TR.

Now she is establishing boundaries. She's learning to cope with less attention but she is NOT giving up her place in the bed OR on my lap.

Do My Ears Look Funny to You?

2008-02-24T17:07:00.000-06:00

For some reason we thought this stage of getting TE dressed was funny. It's probably due to the lack of sleep.

Sleepy Sweet Pea

2008-02-22T20:31:00.000-06:00

First Week Apart

2008-02-22T09:56:00.001-06:00

I returned to work on Tuesday after almost 8 weeks of maternity leave. On the way to Candice's (Thomas' daycare provider), I did get a little teary eyed. Then I thought of Thomas having one of his meltdowns and stopped feeling so bad.

All day at work I missed Thomas & couldn't wait for 5pm. If you were on Mopac at that time, I was the maniac in the black Pathfinder. When I picked up Thomas he was calm and happy, which was completely unexpected. When he was with me, he was a wreck by 5:30 (as was I). TR thinks that he was SO bad during the day that Candice gave him some 'special' milk. I think he finally felt comfortable since he was with someone who knew what they were doing. He's the same way with his grandparents, Uncle Michael, Beth, Michelle, Robyn...pretty much everyone but us. Go figure.

The rest of the week has been pretty much the same. He's a calm sweet baby when we pick him up after work. We did have a rough night on Wednesday. TE decided that he wanted to pull an all-nighter. TR didn't get any sleep, I got some but it wasn't that good. Thursday morning I was kind of happy to hand the tyrant over to Candice to work her magic.

We're all looking forward to our weekend together. Since TE is starting to smile and make happy noises my new favorite hobby is to watch him do his baby thing. It's nice to know that his vocal chords have a setting other than ear-piercing cry.

Thomas' OTHER Birthday

2008-02-21T20:23:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, February 17, Thomas was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church.

TR and I were really happy that Jud and Eugénie graciously agreed to be his sponsors. It's a big responsibility!
All of TE's grandparents came to town for the weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pix with Nana, Addy or Uncle Michael. At the time, there were some many cameras taking pictures that I figured I'd get copies of whatever I was missing from someone. Not to mention I wasn't thinking about the blog!

TE showed off by being on his best behavior. He didn't cry during the baptism, even when some of the water made its way to his eye. Instead, he did a lot of grunting, straining and sweating (he has gas issues - LOTS of gas issues).

After church we all went home for a DIY lunch. Gramma & Nana set up lunch while I took care of baby stuff.

After everyone left TR, TE, Sylvia and I ended up in bed talking about how much fun we had & how blessed we are to have such a loving and supporting family. Actually, that's a lie. Only TR and I talked. TE just grunted and tooted. I don't think Sylvia said anything.

What a great weekend!

Getting Big...and FAST!

2008-02-21T16:32:00.000-06:00

This picture was probably taken around the beginning of February. We weighed him earlier this week and he's 13 pounds. That means he's almost doubled his weight in less than two months. That's our little piggy for you!

December 31, 2007

2008-02-21T16:31:00.001-06:00

Thomas Eilers on New Year's Eve with severe lactose intoxication.