Recap for the last week

Hello, anyone out there? I have been sick, as has my whole family. Rowan is the last to be ailing - he has RSV (not restless leg syndrome) and has really been sick for the last six days. Unfortunately we all were under the weather through Christmas, and spread it to both extended families. We did, however, manage to have some fun during the holidays. Here are some snaps:

Free raspberries

Looking Snazzy

Big day for the Ro-boy

Here's a video of Rowan enjoying his first taste of solid food - he got some rice cereal tonight for dinner.

Happy Birthday to the Greatest Wife EVER!!!

Props go out to my lady on this special day. I'm not sure if you know this or not, but after a career in chemistry, Kristin served for Americorps for a couple of years, and then spent some time in Asia with a group called Youth International. There, she spent time helping those less privileged than herself. She met Mother Teresa and worked with her nuns at a leper orphanage, met the Dahlia Lama, and did some really good, caring deeds across the continent. All those good deeds did not come close to preparing her for the challenges she accepted on June 4, 2005. She had no idea how much she had to sacrifice, how much pain she had to endure, how much of her time and nurturing had to go into her newly accepted role as my wife. She is a strong, loving and dedicated wife and mother. She deserves a lot more than I've been able to provide her, but accepts me for the slightly neurotic guy I am. I guess my sense of humor goes a long way. A really, really long way (I thought my brother was the funny one!)
But seriously, I truly do appreciate and adore Kristin and can't wait to not only spend the whole day with her today on her birthday, but the rest of my life with her. She is an amazing person indeed.

Does this look familiar?

We set up the bouncy swing for Rowan yesterday. He seemed to enjoy it, though we probably shouldn't let him bounce until a 1/2 hour after he's eaten. It was a good weekend - I'm sorry it's already over.

Highlights this week: Kristin's birthday on Thursday. I'm taking the day off work to be with her, while we begin Christmas shopping.

The kids are doing well, though we are having a hard time convincing Rowan to sleep in his own bed. This is a deadly path to go down, I know (deadly is too strong, I know.) I realize we need to just let him cry, but we are taking the easy way out for now, where we can all get a little sleep.

12-7-08 photos

Another adorable video

Saturday after Thanksgiving

Annual Thanksgiving Family picture

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

This was our "on" year - the bi-annual (once every two years, not twice a year) Thanksgiving marathon tour. We treked up to Indianapolis to my Aunt Nancy's house for a early afternoon feast, then trek back to my in-laws to warm up the leftovers from their feast. Pie is involved in both on both ends of our journey. I have to say, thanks in great part to our new purchase of the CRV (still need a nickname - the White Wonder?) the trip was smooth sailing. Rowan slept the entire way up and both kids slept the entire way back. Kristin and I got some time to actually communicate. It was a fantastic trip.
It was great to meet yet one more cousin (once removed?) Quinn; daughter of my Cousin Michael. She is just a couple of months younger than Rowan and very pretty - delicate features. Maureen had a blast chasing Elizabeth and being chased by Liam (both Cousin Jennifer's kids). It's nice to see a new wave of youngsters running and screaming through the hallways again.
Back at the in-laws, we were able to spend some QT with some good folks, eat some good food, and watch two versions of the Nutcracker on TV - a new found love for Maureen. Both kids, not to mention their parents, were worn out by the end of the day. I am so glad my boss gave us Friday off. Now, to tackle those leaves!!

Sorry, no photos - we forgot our camera. If anyone from either party has some shots to share, please email me and I'll post em!

Mess on the dancefloor

We went to my cousin Dan's wedding - a beautiful wedding indeed - with the kids last Saturday. Maureen was having fun on the dance floor, running, playing and dancing (of course). She got knocked down at some point, cried, then got back out there and started playing again. Then, when Kristin went out to dance with Mo, it happened - large amounts of reprocessed mac n' cheese came spewing from her little body. Kristin quickly swooped her up and rushed her to the ladies' room, sister in-law Mickey and I transitioned into the cleaning crew, and we swiftly escorted our family unit out the door abruptly. Kristin was covered in vomit. I tried to breath through my mouth the whole trip home to keep from gagging. Maureen was weepy.

The next couple of days were filled with poor little Maureen throwing up and feeling really, really awful. I wound up taking her to the emergency room on Sunday, remembering that she got down prior to her episode and perhaps a bump on the head may have been the cause. But no, it was only a bug.

Maureen is feeling much better now. Thanks go out to Mickey and Chrissy, and other relative who helped us at the reception, and to GPP for watching Mo and Ro at a moment's notice through this week.

The latest thing is that I noticed a little bump on Maureen's stomach (under her breastbone) last night. Could be a hernia from vomiting? Anyone know anything about hernias in little kids? It doesn't seem to bother her, but we need to get it looked at today.

Not Hot. NOT HOT!

GPP (El Cuerta) came over last night and he and I took the kids to the Bonnycastle Club for chicken wing night. Maureen was delighted, though she did have one of her "NOT HOT" fits. This is where we bring her hot food, tell her to wait until it cools down, and she gets upset because her desire to eat outweighs the probability that she will get hurt doing so. She argues with reason, stating "Not Hot, NOT HOT." This has been a battle since she's been able to talk - and I would venture to say "Not" and "Hot" were two of the first ten words she first learned.

I know what you are saying - don't put hot food in front of her. Again, easier said than done. But she is learning, slowly, that heat hurts. We tell her she is in charge of the situation; if we tell her it's hot, and she feels that it's hot, it's up to her which path she takes. Some times you gotta get burned.

Once again, Rowan slept through the whole experience.

ps: Happy Birthday Betty (Owl's Pine Tree!)

Photos 11-18-08

Old home

Old houses are just plain hard to heat and cool thoroughly. We didn't use Rowan's room for the first two years of owning this house, so we had the vent blocked. I finally went down to adjust the air flow in the basement, and now our kitchen is freezing. There's just not enough force to keep everything regulated.

Big girl pant and vocalizing

This is week two of Maureen's journey from diapers to big girl pants and she is doing a great job. Number 2 is still challenging, but despite a few missteps, seems to be well on her way. Potty training is a bit hard on a slightly obsessive compulsive parent. It's like inviting a really drunk person to a dinner party. You know the chances are high that you will have to clean something up along the way, but you can't follow them around with a garbage can - you have to allow for a little bit of trust, and a whole lot of hope. We are very proud of Mojo both for keeping her pants clean and dry, and with putting up with a nut-job of a daddy.

As for Mr. Rowan, he is starting to test his vocal chords; jibber-jabbing away.

Exersaucer

We put Rowan in the exersaucer yesterday morning, first on the shortest level and then a notch up. He seemed ready - a bit wobbly, but ready. I can't get over how strong this little guy seems.

New ride

After years of discussion, research, budgeting and procrastination, we finally made the leap and added a new family member - the Honda CRV. Kristin's car was screeching and coughing up fluids left and right and I was concerned each time she hit the road with it, especially with two kids in the back. Plus the exterior was a bit battered - not bad, but a little worse for wear.

The car is white - not my first choice, but it is not my primary car. My sister told me we may get a discount on insurance because white is more visible on the road. I can live with that. We were concerned about gas mileage, but this is pretty darn efficient when compared to many SUVs and sedans. There's room in the back for both car seats, with enough space for an additional passenger - we are not used to such accommodations. Though it was a big expense (for us) we are happy to have made the purchase. Now Kristin does not have to be embarrassed when arriving to real estate appointments, the kids are save in the back, and we can actually go on vacations without renting a car, or bumming a ride.

OBSERVATION: the car comfortably seats five, but it has six cup holders when we use the middle back seat, and eight cup holders when we fold the middle seat down to make a backseat console. How many drinks do four to five people need?

Big Day for Rowan

OK, so we didn't quite get this momentous occasion on film (digital), but prior to shooting this video, Mr. Hot Shot Rowan successfully rolled over to his stomach, unassisted. I actually had my back turned, cooking dinner, while Aunt Erin and Uncle Jeff witnessed the event. Erin gets the credit on this one for coaching him. Good job Ro-boy. The video is a bit long - but it is safe for work.

Shoes

Here's a funny photo. I won't write much (dedicated to Aunt Chrissy : )

Caught on film

I never would have believed it myself - I had to shoot a video.

Betty's blog

This entry is from Rowan's Great Grandmother Betty, on Owl's Pine Tree. Nice.

A day in the forest

We spent a day in the forest yesterday with Abbey, G, Scott & Kathy. It was a gorgeous autumn day for sure. Here is one of my favorite shots of the year. Totally Christmas card worthy.

Happy All Saints Day

Irish jig

Roadblock tonight

At 8pm tonight, Barack Obama will take over the prime-time airwaves to deliver one more punch before polls open on Tuesday. You can see this half hour program on NBC, CBS and FOX, as well as a handful of cable networks (in the media biz we call this a Roadblock). If you have no interest, ABC will be airing Pushing up Daisies - they missed out on a huge media buy.

Rowan update - 4 months

Rowan is twisting on his side aggressively, and will soon be able to roll over. He strikes me as a particularly strong baby, and will try to pull himself to as sitting position when he's laying in my lap as I offer my fingers for support. He is gaining better head/neck control every day, though still has a bit of bobble going on. He just turned four months this week. Wow, where does the time go?

Bad parents

We just experienced two photo-riffic opportunities where are kids looked adorable and our camera was out of juice. Both events were Halloween related where Maureen was dressed in a giraffe costume we inherited from Kristin's cousin, Stephanie, and Rowan was dressed in a little devil outfit (could have also come from Stephanie?) They were really cute on both evenings. Sorry I can't post photos. I'm going to charge our camera now.

Update 10/26/08

Hi guys. I really haven't written much on the ol bloggerino lately. Everyone is doing fine. Both Mo and Ro have a touch of the crud the last few days - Rowan has the sniffly-snorts and Maureen has the Brenda Vaccaro cough. Right now, both kids are napping and Kristin is having an open house. It's reeeallly peaceful. Football is softly playing in the background, I'm drinking a beer and snacking on some veggie crisps (healthy versions of Cheetos, with no orange powdery fingers). It's a beautiful autumn day outside and life is good.
We're looking forward to Halloween - Maureen is going to be a kitty cat. I wasn't sure why she wanted to be a "black kitty cat with whiskers" until I noticed the Dora the Explorer episode where she is, you guessed it. Rowan will be a little devil.
We'll be sure to post photos, etc.

Parenting can be hard

News flash, sometimes it's not so easy to be a parent. Especially when both babies are crying. Not sure if you knew that or not. Just ask. I'll fill you in. Seriously. Bye.

BFF Dance Party

"Nice to meet you too!"

Damn Dad, it's Cold!

Let's hear it for the boy

OK, I realize I don't quite give Rowan his fair share of press on this blog. I just want everyone to know how wonderful he actually is. I think he accepts his role as the second born and let's his sister take center stage. He seems to be a bit more laid back and sometimes we don't realize that he's awake and just staring at us. He sleeps through the night (thank God), which is very accommodating. He also has the cutest smile I've ever seen on a baby. He can get fussy, but it really doesn't last too long.

Maureen has really taken to him as well. Every once in a while, we'll catch her hugging Rowan while he's in his swing. She tries to help out by bringing him his pacifier or Lovie if she hears him cry. I hope they will always be close and loving siblings.

Managing two kids can get kind of tricky. Sometimes when the crying fits align you just want to walk away - but the benefits always out-weigh the bad by far. Check with me in thirteen years to see if I'm singing the same song!

Anyway, a shout out to the Boy - he's just a fantastic little guy.

End of a good weekend

Our final event of the weekend was pizza out with the kids, Papa Joe, Uncle Joe, Aunt Chrissy and her two friends, Wayne and Gregory. Wayne is a close friend of Chrissy's from her days in Richmond, VA. While dining we discussed how Erin's honeymoon was abruptly re-routed and postponed one day, from Cabo San Lucas to Cancun. They arrived safely yesterday afternoon and I hope they post some updates on Facebook.
The food was good, and the conversation was also good until the Jazz band struck up right next to our table. Maureen got to shake her tail feather with Aunt Chrissy, and even Rowan got Jiggy in his car seat.

A really nice weekend

Boy, where to start. We had a very full weekend and it's not quite over. Friday night was Erin and Jeff's wedding - it was a very nice affair. The ceremony was Catholic, so we had to be there for a while, but they did it well and our kids actually made it through without causing a disturbance. Erin looked very pretty - Jeff looked cool and collected. The reception was held in the old Fischer's Meat Processing plant, though all traces of pig guts were removed long ago. The food was yummy, the music got people dancing and the toasts were entertaining (good job Chrissy!) The coolest thing going was the bobble head replicas they special ordered for the cake topper. Awesome! We kept Rowan with us the whole night, but we called in reinforcements for Mojo. She did not take a nap that night and she was getting punchy. Her Aunt Kathy was very nice to us and drove to the reception and picked up Mo at 9pm. Maureen didn't mind leaving because she got to spend the night with Abbey and Gus. I heard she slept in the bed with Aunt Kathy and Cousin "G" and poor Uncle Scott got booted to the couch. Sorry Scott - we owe you one, again!

Last night was a mini-reunion with some of my fraternity brothers from Western. It was held at the palatial estate of brother Tom and his wife Christy. Also joining us was Weve (a regular reader of the Adventures) and Garry, both with families in tow. Tom has really, really done well for himself. The house was overwhelming to say the least. The best feature was a hidden movie room behind a bookshelf, like Batman. Maureen spent her time between the trampoline outside and the indoor "slide into the pit of balls" contraption. She adored the other kids and simply had a ball. I hope we can reunite sometime sooner than the every-three-year norm.

Finally, today we (the Sparky family) had a picnic in the park. The day is beautiful, and we blew off all our chores and honey-dos to spend some quality time together in the early afternoon. It was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend. I hope everyone reading this is enjoying their weekend just as much as we are.

Wedding week

My sister Erin (Aunt Erin from this blog) is getting married on Friday. The rehearsal dinner is tonight. Lately bits of personal information have been appearing on Facebook (a social networking website - perhaps you've heard of it?) from Erin and her fiance Jeff about how excited and nervous they are. It's fun to pick up on that excitement. It makes me remember the not so long ago past, right before Kristin and I got hitched. It's a euphoric feeling of total elation and fear all rolled into one. I don't think you feel that exact feeling ever again; having babies is a little different in that there's a higher percentage of the fear factor.

Anyway, we are looking forward to a couple of days of celebrating. I promise I won't get too drunk tonight - when I drink at rehearsal dinners I want to give toasts. There's nothing worse than a rambling, drunk toast. I plan to keep my trap shut and let Erin and Jeff enjoy their moment in the spotlight.

Here's to Erin and Jeff (oops!)

Haiku of the day

I am trying to write the Haiku of the day - see the link to the right. Kind of silly, I agree. But I'm gonna do it anyway. I think.