Photos from "Great News" Entry

Photo 1: Erin & Jeff

Photo 2: Mojo looking for an escape route

Photo 3: Chrissy juggling children

Photo 4: Mojo, Claire & Bear

Photo 5: Cousin Claire

Great News!

Great news, Mojo’s favorite aunt (besides Aunt Kathy and Aunt Chrissy - ooops, and Carrie, Kristi & Mickey - thanks babe) got a big ol’ diamond ring from her now-fiancé Jeff. It happened Saturday morning. We were able to see the newly engaged couple a few hours later as my family participated in a special fund-raiser walk in memory of Jeff’s sister, Ethel, and for the rehabilitation lounge at a local hospital in her name. The walk also supports projects such as a pediatric rehab lectureship series and a summer pediatric day camp program. The event was very nice – they had T-shirts designed for all participants, a bike ride and a walk for all levels, chances sold for a bevy of prizes, a yummy bar-b-que lunch, and Radio Disney on hand to entertain the kids. The only slight down-side was the scorching weather, but that was not a big deal at all.
Erin and Jeff seem very happy. We had a cookout last night that was originally planned to welcome Maureen’s Aunt Chrissy – she is in town for a week on vacation – but it turned into an engagement party. I don’t think Chrissy minded sharing the spotlight. Maureen was very excited to see Cousin Claire. Right now I think the age gap is still a bit too big for them to focus their efforts on playing together, but it is not too far off in the future (Claire is almost exactly one year older than Mo.)
This week is quite busy, though we hope Aunt Chrissy will be able to babysit one evening so she can catch up with Mo, and so we can have a night out on the town. I guess I better get that nailed down. I will add some photos of the weekend later tonight.

Photo of the day.

Bathing Beauty.

Taken moments ago at the pool.

Thanks Dad!

Thanks goes out to Grandpa Joe for watching Mo on short notice yesterday. And also to Uncle Joe and Aunt Erin for back-up support. Maureen had a great time.

End of July, 2007

It's becoming harder and harder to write entries about how Maureen is progressing because the changes, though monumental, are also gradual. She is crawling around like she's always known how, says the most amazing things and eats real foods like turkey, chicken, grapes, bread, pasta, and most of all, cheese. She loves Kraft Singles and will push anything else out of her way to get at it. I have a feeling it won't be long before she adds shells to her weekly staple. When I say shells, I am referring to Kristin's family comfort food, which is basically shell pasta covered in tomato juice. I am not allowed to publicly mock this delicacy as the roots run deep and too many key people swear by this closely guarded recipe. I will not go into the smell of this treat, especially when served as breakfast fare. This group of shell devotees are also the Cheez-it Ambassadors and heaven forbid you call them Cheese Nips in front of any one of these ambassadors (though I must admit, it is fun to push the limits.)

Back to Mojo - as mentioned in previous entries, she is crawling and pulling herself up to a standing position. She is really into playing with dolls - her favorites include Baby (one of those soft bodied dolls with a plastic head, hands and feet), bi-lingual Elmo, Puppers (her plush doggy who has been with her since the beginning) and Monkey (a stuffed Monkey that I actually gave to Kristin on our first Valentines Day together - we call each other Monkey - kissy-kissy!) Maureen understands who's who and can correctly pick out baby for kisses when instructed to do so.

Last night we went down to the riverfront for a concert on the lawn, an event that happens every last Wednesday of the month, sponsored by the local public radio station. One of my clients is a sponsor of the event so we get preferred parking - last night's password was Fancy Pants. I felt like an idiot yelling out "Fancy Pants" from my car window to the parking lot attendee but the reward was well worth the embarrassment. Maureen saw all kinds of interesting sights: mostly babies, doggies, yuppies and hippies. She loved sitting on the grass and grabbing handfuls. She even danced to the music.

Her latest words include Ba-Ba (we think it's either Mama, baby or bottle, but we are not sure - GPP thinks it means Grandpa, but we're positive that is incorrect) and E-I-E-I-E-I, which I'm pretty sure means E-I-E-I-O, as in Old McDonald (we prefer the Irish Mc version over the Scottish Mac version). We are still waiting for the first tooth to push through and keep saying "any day now." Many babies we know in her age range already have teeth. We will be a bit sad to see them because her smile is so cute without them - plus we know the process of cutting teeth is not the most comfortable for the baby. But you can't stop progress.

Well, I think this is enough for now. Here's the most up-to-date photo. More to come.

Christmas in July.

We went to Holiday World/Splashin Safari yesterday. Maureen loved spending time in the water with Granny.

Here's proof!

SHE CAN CRAWL

Maureen Josephine officially crawled, on her own, for more than just a couple of creeps yesterday! Hurray! Now it's time to baby proof the house.

Kissing the baby.

Here's Mojo kissing her baby doll and finishing up in the splits.

Elmo chair.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Apparently, as Kathy and the kids (including Maureen) strolled through the aisles of Toys R Us, Mojo was hit by a lightning bolt. Her eye caught the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her nine months on earth. Her body stiffened to absorb the shock; her eyes got as big as, well, Elmo's; and her mouth made her now famous Ooooh Ooooh (picture Arnold Horshack when he raised his hand in Kotter's classroom.) What she locked in on was the Elmo chair you see in the photo above. Kathy did not buy the chair on the spot, but was so moved by Maureen's excitement that she had to go back and buy it for her. It was a very nice gesture indeed, and I think she will cherish the chair for years to come.

I'm not sure what power Elmo holds over youngsters. He wasn't even a character until after the death of Jim Henson (don't quote me on that - go to Wikipedia and check it out before passing this on as truth.) It's amazing how marketing affects everyone, even the youngest of consumers. I have a feeling this is the tip of the iceberg with Mr. Elmo. I kind of like the little guy, though I can't wait for the Sponge Bob phase.

The movie below shows Maureen dancing to the Sesame Street theme song, emanating from her Spanish Speaking Elmo doll. He sings it both in English and Spanish.

Photo of the day - Eating!

Maureen crawled just a little bit today, reaching for her Elmo doll. Not a full out crawl, but it looks like she's starting to understand the mechanics. I took her to her PDO teacher's house today and she cried a bit as she clung (is that a word?) to my shoulder. She is still a bit afraid of the lady's husband - we think it's his voice. She loves her teacher though. We have about a month more of this shuffling around until PDO starts back up, but Maureen is getting great face time with her grandparents P&K and Aunt Kathy and the kids.

Mojo documentary.

Last night we watched a tape of our Mojo home movies from birth to 8 months. Its really cool to see how much growth takes place in one year. You could see hints of Mo's personality as early as a few days old, and we got to hear how silly our conversations with this little baby were. We started our second tape on Sunday, and hope to get our first tape over to Uncle John's house to burn a DVD copy for us.

It was good to have lunch with GP Joe and family, and then dinner with GP Paul and family on Saturday. I think it's important to constantly surround Maureen with family - that's what its all about, eh?

I will post some new pictures this week.

Video of the week: Soooooo Big

A few more pictures to brighten your day.

Photo 1: Cousins A & G.

Photo 2: Mojo with a fun toy (the box)

Photo 3: Cousin A shakin' her bootay!

Special thanks goes out to Aunt Erin and her posse for babysitting last night so we could go see the Lion King.

Weekend wedding.

We had a weekend adventure on Saturday and Sunday, trekking up to Chicago (Oakbrook, Il) for Kristin's cousin Brian's wedding. It was a good time - Mojo is a pro at the long distance drives now and was perfectly content as we headed north with GMK and GPP. We stayed at the Double Tree in Oakbrook and thought we had plenty of time to get dressed and make it to the church for a 2:30pm (central time) service. The problem was that we all thought someone else knew how to get to the church. And, we all thought the church was just a few minutes drive from our hotel. Long story short - we had to slip in the back, just in time for the homily. The wedding was very nice, and the reception was wonderful. Open bar, full meal, dualing pianos rocking out to Billy Joel and Chubby Checkers - what more could you ask for.

Maureen took only one nap that lasted for a little less than an hour and a half - she was hanging in there because she hates to miss a party. The reception was held in this Theater/Dining Hall/Reception Hall place - a bit hard to explain. She finally fell asleep in her stroller as the band dove into Love Shack. Funny, that song tends to bore me as well.

We ended our stay in Illinois by stopping at the Ikea store in Shaumburg and buying a couple of stools for our kitchen table. It's the Disney World of Swedish furniture (or are they Swiss?) Anyway, it was a good time, but we've neglected our yard for too long and we need to do some work this week. Tomorrow is the holiday and we'll split the day between yardwork, unpacking our basement from our move over a year ago, and a little fun with swimming and a cookout.

Breaking news.

This photo was just sent in, showing Maureen pulling herself up on a toy this afternoon. I guess we really need to start baby-proofing the house. Way to go Mo!

Swim meet.

It was a big step for me as we went to see cousin A swim in a meet for her country club last night. Big step you ask? I spent my teen and young adult years working for a country club in the golf shop and the cart barn was on the other side of the swimming pool. Swim meet days were pure torture for those of us trying to work in an atmosphere of mayhem. Just imagine wet, screaming kids running amok with little to no supervision. We were constantly shooing spoiled kids off the golf carts and away from the driving range. Where were their parents? Either on the golf course, or sitting by the pool slowly getting sloshed off their double martinis.
Apparently Kristin has fond memories of swim meets because she was a pool rat growing up. Last night was a walk down memory lane for both of us in very different ways. She was having the time of her life reminiscing with old country club cronies. As usual, Maureen was a hit with Kristin's old gang - using her top shelf material of So Big - she killed. I was happy to see that Kristin was having such fun. We enjoyed watching cousin A swim - she needs a little fine-tuning on technique, but she was anxious to race, was not nervous at all, and was very proud of her purple ribbon. And we were all proud of her. Kristin said she cried because she was so excited for A. The whole experience was not as traumatic for me as I thought it would be, though a double martini would have been a welcome addition.

ADDED COMMENTARY: I am, in no way, stating that Kristin was a spoiled brat when swimming for her country club, nor am I implying that her parents were drunk or neglectful during their swim meets.

Ordinary weekend.

Yet another weekend has come and gone and Mojo keeps on trucking. Friday night was happy hour with the regular crew. Saturday was kicked off by a walk to the farmer's market - it was extra special because this was the first time this year that Kristin was able to join us because didn't have any real estate meetings that day. We ran a few errands, visited great grandpa Doc at the Nursing Home and then Kristin and I got to go out on a date in the early evening. Aunt Erin, Uncle Joe, Erin's boyfriend Jeff and Grandpa Joe came over to sit with Mo so we could go see a movie - the new Angelina Jolie movie about Daniel Pearl (I forgot the name, but it was a good movie.) We even got to duck in to a local restaurant for an appetizer and a drink. Sunday was a big real estate day for Kristin, so mo and I stayed at home and watched the rain come down. We gave Maureen a new baby doll because she seemed interested in her cousin Abbey's doll. We expected a great response, but she was luke-warm about the whole thing. She may not be in that nurturing stage yet. At this point, she liked to chew on the doll's toes, but that's about it. Grandparents P & K get back from Italy this week and we are all anxious to hear how the trip went.

8 1/2 month report.

We are nearing the nine month mark with Miss Mojo and it's hard to imagine life without her. It is hard to chronicle what is different in her life right now, but here's a shot. First off, the picture shows how big our baby is: she's SOOOOO big. Kristin taught her the tried and true game and she will stretch her arms high over her head and scrunch up her face in the most serious manner while doing it. We are in the midst of establishing bedtime boundaries - trying to get her to fall asleep in her bed and not in Kristin's arms. We've had a few crocodile tears, but last night was better than the night before. We make a point to comfort her periodically through the trauma - I think I get more upset than she does to tell the truth.

Maureen has been experiencing summer fun with Aunt Kathy and family - all reports tell that they have a routine on Maureen days of going to the library for story time, to the pet store to window shop and then to McDonalds. Though she's too young to fully participate in the McDonald's experience, I think she gets a kick out of watching cousins A & G in the playland.

We also have to report the introduction of Oaty-oats (you know them as Cheerios) to her diet. She is really focused on getting the hand-eye coordination down in order to get those little Os in her mouth. Sometimes she is triumphant and then has to focus on getting the Cheerio wet enought to avoid having it lodge in the back of her throat. I have a feeling we'll be finding Oaty-oats here and there for the next ten years.

Last night we went out to the extreme east end to visit our friend's new Gelato shop, Gelato Gilberto. We strongly encourage all residents of this city and visitors to the area to make the trip for some authentic Italian Gelato - it is super-yummy.

Aunt Erin's babysitting team will be watching Mojo this Saturday in the early evening so we can go out and do something fun. We are up for suggestions for a three to four hour date (keep it clean folks.)

Fathers day images.

Dia de Padre means Father's Day, in Spanish!

All in all, it was a great father’s day weekend (I get 2 days!) Father’s day eve, we went to a Catholic Church picnic – leave it to the Catholics to have two beer trucks, and black jack and showdown poker tents. I played on $6 for about 20 minutes before busting in the blackjack tent. But it’s for a good cause, I suppose. We went with Courtney (long time fan of AOOSFB) and Mike, and, of course, encountered cousins Joey and Bobby F. We managed to walk away with an award winning cake and a big red ball for MOJO. The evening was capped by a nice dinner at the neighborhood Mexican restaurant. Though they have a glaring B rating from the Health Department, we always take our chances and usually have a great experience.

Prior to leaving for the picnic, Maureen and I were looking through some bags of used baby clothes our friend Nancy P brought us, and we were both surprised to find a Spanish Speaking Elmo doll. Upon first sight, MOJO stiffened her whole body and nearly hyper-ventilated with excitement. She was freaking, even though she’s never seen an episode of Sesame Street in her life. It was the best thing that ever happened to her. EVER!!

On Sunday, we had a leisure Fathers Day morning, ate cake – our major prize – for breakfast, watched CBS Sunday morning, and I was even able to work the crossword puzzle. Ah, that’s life!! My family came over at 4pm for Father’s Day dinner - it was a pleasant evening, the food was great, and the Cards won their baseball game in the NCAA tournament. Some Argentine won the US Open, though Tiger made a respectable attempt. I feel very lucky to be a father – the fact that our baby is the best baby ever makes things even better.

Road trip compilation.

Before our road trip to North Carolina, I sent out an email to close friends and family requesting they send a digital file of their favorite (or an appropriate) road trip song for a compilation for our travels. I got some good responses, and I tried to add in some suggested titles that were not accompanied by a digital file. Some I added myself to complete a full length CD. Here’s the play list I ended up with, in no way a top 20 list:


We gotta get out of this place – The Animals
Let’s go for a ride – Cracker
King of the road – Roger Miller
Highway to Hell – Hayseed Dixie version
Mammaw drives the bus – Government Cheese
Rock n’ Roll stew – Traffic
Tennessee plates – John Hiatt and the Guilty Dogs
I get a kick out of you – Frank Sinatra
Texarkana – REM
The Car Song – The Cat Empire
Route 66 – Chuck Berry
Maureen – Nick Lowe
Life is a highway – Rascal Flatts version
Ramblin’ man – The Allman Brothers
The songs of the 50 states – John Linnell (of They Might Be Giants)
Highway patrol – Junior Brown
Miles from our home – Cowboy Junkies
Can’t hardly wait – the Replacements
Coast of Carolina – Jimmy Buffett
All the way home - Nigel Tufnel/David St. Hubbins
Bonus Track: Highway to Hell (AC/DC version)


It was a fun little experiment.

North Carolina vacation.

I'm sorry the sight was dead for a week. We were away on vacation from last Friday through yesterday to North Carolina. This was Maureen's first major vacation and major road trip and she handled it like a pro. I think she got a bit spoiled - she was the center of attention for the whole week. Here are some photographed highlights:

Memorial Day Weekend Shots.

Memorial Day, etc.

We have a ton planned for this weekend - it all starts with a quick stop up at the B-Castle club for short order night - we won't stay for bingo afterwards. There are several new members that we've managed to bring into the club, so, hopefully us mid-thirty-to-mid-forty-somethings will take over the place - or at least be less of a minority. If MOJO cooperates, we'll head from the BC to a local establishment for more happy hour fun. Tomorrow brings two birthday parties, and Monday, we may try to hit the concert down on the river - All Beatles bands and music all weekend long!
MOJO reports: Her hair seems to be getting longer, especially in front of her ears; she had her first piece of chew toast a couple of days ago and seemed to enjoy it; she wants to throw everything now, including her pacifier; she is a carnivore this week, having tried a few meat baby foods; she still dances and makes her raspberry and trill noises; she is realizing what waving means and seems to do it more often; she prefers to sleep on her belly, with her legs hanging between the bars on her bed; her last day of PDO before summer break was Thursday; she gets a special visit with Auntie Chrissy this weekend; she gets to go on her very first beach trip in exactly one week from today. I'm sure I'm missing something monumental, but I will include it in the next entry.

Mojo throws.

Shamrock Challenge.

Sorry, I haven't made time to put up a new entry. More to come.

Happy Tuesday.

Mojo has no great news to report, other than spending time with Aunt Kathy, and Cousins A & G last night. She did take off her sock and earnestly offered it to Jezebel the super-cat this morning. She's cute, smart and considerate.
Oh yeah, our shamrock is doing ok. We're not quite up to the Shamrock Challenge standards, but we're hanging in there.

Maureen wants to hear from all of her fans out there - send us a little note to make sure we know you're still alive!

For now, adios amigos!

A Happy Mothersday.

Yesterday was a full day of celebrating mothers. This was especially important this year with little Mojo around. We started off the morning bringing a wide awake Mo into our bed, a bed with some not-so wide awake parents, and enjoying her quirky sense of humor. She still can't say "Mama", but it is clear she knows how to say "Hi Dad" and the raspberries are still abundant. We did not have to worry about Kristin heading off to an open house today - it was family fun day and that's exactly what we experienced.
Once CBS Sunday Morning, a personal favorite of the household, was over, we got dressed up, went to the "garden" to cut some fresh flowers, then went to the cemetery to see my Mother's grave. I think mother's day must be the busiest day of the year for a cemetery because the traffic was heavy down those narrow pathways.
This has always been a non-holiday for the past 19 years for me, up to now. When I think about it, my only regret with losing my mother is that she did not have a chance to hold and kiss on her grandchildren. She would have made a great, loving grandmother and her grand kids have been slighted for not being able to know that love. But I can't get swept up in feeling sorry for my loss, because I have gained so much these last few years.
Most importantly, I've gained the love of my life and an awesome mother for my child in Kristin. I was fortunate to find someone with a big heart, a great sense of humor, and someone who will not let me get too wrapped up in myself(she completes me?) We've had a rough few months adjusting to new responsibilities, but it's been great knowing that we have each other to lean on through these new challenges. And it is very evident that she is a wonderful mother. Mojo ADORES her.
But back to our day: we went to Target and met GMK and GPP - we shopped for our up-coming beach trip. I had a lot of fun with Paul - we convinced (?) the ladies that we NEEDED to buy a pavilion tent to keep Maureen out of the sun. We bought a few other "essentials" and then went to brunch. Following our excellent buffet meal (the type with a waffle station), we went to the zoo again to visit the baby elephant and the gorillas.
Needless to say, it was exhausting, but I think Kristin appreciated her day. It was a perfect day to celebrate our new family.

Princess Mojo.

We are working on trying to get Mojo to say Mama, but all she really wants to say is Dadda, pffftt, and non-descript jibberish. Yesterday she started throwing blocks - we see some athletic potential in her - perhaps she'll take more after mommy than daddy in that respect. She loves her big yellow balloon - it's the type with a rubberband attached so you can play paddleball with it. She will grab the rubberband and flail around for a bit. We made a movie to illustrate - we did not get a dime from Citi-Bank, by the way.

The photo shows Maureen sitting on the inflatable throne at Gus-boy's B-day party. The party was held at an indoor inflatable playground. Those playgrounds are truly designed for kids and not adults. I walked away from that place with a big strawberry on my arm and an ache in my bones. This is mothers day weekend and we are going to treat Kristin like a queen - we already gave her a mothers day gift; a gift that represents our love an respect for her - a four-drawer filing cabinet. Top of the line. Nothing is too good for my baby!

Raspberries.

Yes, Mojo can now make the raspberry noise as of the weekend. I'm not sure where she picked it up, but I like it!!

Video of the week: Little Bo Peep.

All dressed up.

It was a long, enjoyable weekend. Horses, family, friends and good food (love those ribs GPP!) We got to see Uncle Dolberry, APD and KMD, Aunt Chrissy and a host of other folks we didn't know before. Here are some shots of Mojo, all dressed up for a special party. She was the belle of the ball for sure.