Find photos, photos, and more photos on ofoto.com... links are below. A note: I'm now using Hello and Picasa to manage pictures -- so I've putting up full folders with everything (it's much easier than picking and choosing) -- so there are a lot more pictures...
Playing with Will in December:
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c
Visiting NOVA in December:
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c
New Year's in Oriental:
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c
Playing with Will, January:
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c
Family at Audubon Park:
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c
Friday night fun! (Jan 28):
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c
House Photos... renovations, before/afters, etc...
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Photos are (finally) up!
It just doesn't get old for him. Here is he, bucket on his head, pondering the world...? Notice you can just make out the pacifier sticking out from the bottom...! 
Morning Grocery Shopping
This morning's conversation between Will and I in the produce section:
Me: "How about some apples, Will?"
Will: "Ap-pulls"
Me: "Yes, apples!" (This was the first time he'd said it.) "Would you like some apples?"
Will: "Ap-pulls!"
Me: "Okay. We should also get some bananas."
Will: "Nan-nas!"
Me: "Yes, bananas. You eat those by the truckload!! Who taught you to be such a little monkey?"
Will: "El-mo."
Mass laughter in the produce section from all.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Will Update!
New foods: baked beans, whole banana (just hand it to him, no cutting up necessary -- although cutting is still our preferred presentation), peeled apples, broccoli, Kraft mac-n-cheese
New word: Nan-na (for banana)
Teeth? Still at 8 solid choppers. Drooling and chewing have picked up again... more could be on the way soon!
New game: Bucket head. His head, your head, anyone's head. Any bucket, anywhere, any body, any time.
New fun spot: Playground at Annunication and Eleanore (a few blocks away). Will likes the slides (particularly going head first) and especially climbing the stairs. He's not into swings right now, but we're working on it.
It's Carnival Time!
Actually, it's been Carnival time since January 6th. But with Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras right around the corner, things are heating up. We are learning that Mardi Gras is SERIOUS business around here. Some of the interesting things we are learning:
- Local non-profit "Save our cemetary" sells St. Charles balcony space ($50/person) at the local funeral home for the "Krewe of Bacchus" parade. But, the draw isn't just the parade. The balcony attaches to a large viewing room where a large screen tv will show the live broadcast of Superbowl.
- This Sunday is the parade for the "Mystic Krewe of Barkus". This Krewe held a press conference on January 20th to announce it's parade theme and crown King Barkus XIII (his name, "Bee Bop"). This year's theme: "Hairy Pawter and the Sorcerer's Bone." The picture (on the front of the local paper) showed King Barkus licking away at his royal milkbone septre.
- Not to be left out of the fun, this Saturday is the annual bal masque of the Endymeow Krewe. Their theme? "Whiskers of Oz -- There's no place like home." All attendees receive complementary photographs and prizes will be awarded for costumes (which are highly encouraged) and floats.
I promise, I am not making any of this up.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Monday, January 24, 2005
Weird Things Parents Say
Now that I am a parent, I've found that I say the strangest things. I'm compiling a list. Here is what I've got so far:
-- His poop is getting poopier.
-- Cat food is not for babies.
-- We're not going to play in the toliet right now.
-- Where are your pants?
-- Don't eat the buttpaste!
-- Did you eat your sock?
-- Did you feel his butt?
-- He's learning from the cats.
-- You can tear the cover off this.
-- Plastic bottles are the best toys.
-- Put your finger in his diaper.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Weekend in Mobile
Will and I have had a fun weekend in Mobile. I took Saturday "off" and spent the day playing with Will and Granna -- including spending a good hour in the spa tub. Will and I went out to check the water while it was heating up and he tried as hard as he could to throw himself out of my arms and into the water. (It was only about 85 degrees and still too chilly.) When we went back inside, he was VERY ANGRY. He wanted in that water -- no matter what the temperature!! We got in when it was about 90 degrees (still a little too chilly for a spa tub) and Will had a blast. His favorite toy is the tub thermometer, which he uses to beat his other toys in the water. When Granna joined us, we threw he back and forth, blew bubbles (the kind you blow out of a wand -- he calls them Buh-buhs), and encouraged him to swim in the water. He and I blew bubbles in the water (his way of doing this is dunking his face in the water) and splashed and splashed.
We thought we had tired him out. Ha!
When PapPap came home 3o minutes after we got out of the spa... Will and PapPap went back in! For another hour! When they got back out, Will played, walked around, and got into every drawer, nook and cranny he could... and still no sleep for another 2 hours. What a wild man!!
At Granna and PapPap's house in Mobile. Will is helping PapPap build a "car town" (a present for Will). Will is being extra helpful by taking off all the parts that PapPap puts on the town. Will also found Granna's visor cap on the bed and decided to wear it in his own special way.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Paul -- electrician extraordinaire!
Will and I left this morning for a quick weekend in Mobile. We cleared out to give Paul the house for his massive on-going electrical project(s). He has been slowly re-wiring the entire house -- a difficult, time- and labor-intensive effort! He's been doing a great job and we are certainly much safer because of his efforts. So far, he's actually found 6 cut off wires, 4 with current, one of which was attached to a live telephone line (major fire hazard). One of the live wires was right underneath Will's crib... so, should a fire have started...
It is a good lesson in old homes -- home inspections can't get this kind of detailed information -- you literally have to crawl under each beam and look up at what is there. This is what Paul has been doing, room by room, separating and investigating each circuit and creating much needed additionally outlets. Definitely, this is a plus in the style of home we have. Our shotgun double is typical New Orleans' style in that it is up off the ground on pylons -- making it fairly easy to crawl under. Still, it's too high to lie back and work and too low to be seated and work, so it is physically rough.
Definitely, I have the better end of the deal with taking Will on an overnight road trip! (Especially one where I get free babysitting and a spa tub!)
Friday, January 21, 2005
Sunday night dinner! Leftover spaghetti from Nardo's. Within seconds after this picture was taken, he managed to get this tiny bit of spaghetti throughout his hair, on his right eyelid, and up his nose (really, he sneezed spaghetti.)
On Saturday in Audubon Park. Notice Will is waiting patiently, hammer in hand, for those ducks to get just a little closer.....
He likes to hit things with his head.
Will reminded us of our favorite line from the movie Parenthood. He dumped out all of the legos from the container and spent the evening wearing the bucket on his head. He would put the bucket on his head, and then walk until he hit or fell on an object (another toy, the gate, the wall, furniture, a cat, etc.) It was hysterical. Every once in awhile, he'd peek out to see what was around him, but for the most part, he'd just continue to bang on whatever he'd hit over and over again with his head. We were laughing too hard to stop. We did get some video of it (but of course the tape only had about 20 seconds left!) Sometimes, as a parent, all you can do is sit back, watch, and wonder.
Today Will is 14 months old -- and celebrated by showing how hard he can work on the computer! (Just like Mommy and Daddy!)
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Rough Week
We are having a rough week. Or a least a rough couple of days.
Will is (again) having problems sleeping soundly. He has joined us in bed during the wee hours of the last few nights, and for some reason, is more and more restless. (Particularly with me. His purpose of coming into bed with us seems to be to beat me up.) Thankfully, Paul has taken pity on me and taken Will to the front room where they sleep together for the rest of the night on the couch.
It's been a rough week for me with classes -- steep learning curves to climb in the start of some particularly challenging courses have meant long hours downtown and more hours at home. Will not sleeping soundly is definitely not helping. To make matters worse, I encountered some serious computer issues and Paul is now staying up all night wiping clean my computer... which means I'm even more behind on time and both of us are totally sleep-deprived.
Keeping things even more interesting, Will and I are both sniffly. I think mine is the result of horrible allergy attacks this weekend (we kicked up a lot of dust during our marathon cleaning this weekend --- and it's pretty much made me miserable) . However, the severity of the attacks and the lasting symptoms am starting to make me think I could be entering antiboditic territory. With the cold snap, lots of folks are walking around with the sniffles, so something is definitely going around. (50 degrees in New Orleans is a cold snap... although in a house with no insulation, 50 degrees is pretty chilly.) Tuesday Will started showing similar sniffly and sneezy symptoms, which is enough to make any mother nervous and concerned. He seemed better today, though.
Parenting is fun and kids are great... but some days are definitely rougher than others!
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Will Update
Teeth: 8 (four on bottom, four on top)
Words: Ma-ma, Da-da, Gato, Thank You, PapPap, Uh-oh, Ouch!, Agua, Ah-Ah-Ah!, Yeah!, El-mo, Doggie (and lots more that he tries to parrot back to us). He babbles A LOT these days.
Weight: approximately 22 pounds
Walking: Yes. Usually about 6 steps before falling, or getting down on knees to go faster. He seems to try to run more than walk, which plays a large part in why he falls.
Ouch(ies): Luckily, nothing here to speak of... yet. I know this is coming, but it's hard to think about.
Drinking: Breastmilk (usually nurses 3-4 times a day), Whole (Cow) milk, juice (pear, white grape, apple, carrot, mixed veggie, fruit punch), water
Favorite foods: Tofu anything, corn, Cheerios, Sweet Potato Puffs, Graham Crackers, Matar Paneer, Spaghetti with sauce (a new menu item), Veggie Chili (complete with onions & peppers), green beans, jello pudding, carrots, mashed potatoes, eggs (scrambled)... otherwise, seems open to try anything!
Favorite toys: Any type of hammer (he carries them around... in other words, watch out for whatever he has hidden behind his back!), Mega-Blocks "Peek-a-blocks" station, big cardboard box, ball maze, ring set(s), stacking cups, anything he can get out of the kitchen drawers.
Favorite shows: Sesame Street, The Wiggles, Teletubbies, Baby Einstein DVDs
Schedule: Up between 6-8, 2 hour nap sometime between 11-3, showertime between 7-8, bedtime (hopefully) by 9pm
Not so fun when... Will is restless at night and won't sleep. Also not so fun when diapers leak (rare) or when Will decides to roll around and take off during a particularly interesting diaper change. Sometimes feeding is trying if he is too distracted (or not distracted enough) to eat easily.
Disposition: FUN FUN FUN -- he has a great sense of humor and laughs with great big belly laugh! He is easy-going, takes change with no problem, is friendly to strangers. He sometimes cries when Mommy leaves the room, but recovers quickly and happily plays with babysitters, friends, and family.
Activity Level: Playful! Copies actions and words, runs or crawls into our arms, gives zerbers, will do raspberry contests back and forth, is shameless about making a diaper, plays peek-a-boo, will seek out hidden items, and loves to sing.
And as for Mom and Dad....? We had no idea being a parent could be such fun.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Our Day
After a restless night with the munchkin, Paul slept in while I made a yummy breakfast of whole wheat toast, eggs & veggie patties. We took turns having a blast with Will for the morning, while the other cleaned... and when Will went down for a wonderful 2 1/2 hour nap, Paul and I tackled the bathroom off of our bedroom. We completely gutted it, scrubbed it out, re-arranged everything to make it more usable, and basically improved everything about it. There were several bathroom-related boxes from the move that we got to and unpacked as well. It was a major achievement, we feel. (Even though my poor allergies are all a mess from the effort, it was worth it!)
After Will woke up, we had a light late lunch and went for a long walk in the park. We fed the ducks (and sea gulls?!) and walked around the park for almost 2 hours. We went down the south end towards the river, which borders on the zoo (near our house) --- and saw three giraffe at the zoo fence, just feet away! Fun! Then we walked up and down the streets around our neighborhood, observing the houses, yards, architecture, and general state of our lovely city, finally ending up at a newly opened neighborhood restaurant. It's called "Nardo's Trattoria", the food is very good quality italian, and it has a semi-family/neighborhood/upscale bistro-style feel. The food was great -- and a little after we got there, our neighbor (Linda) and daughter (Chandler) came in for an early dinner as well. We chatted with the owner of the restaurant, her mom, and the staff. Everyone was so impressed with how wonderfully behaved Will was and commented on how totally precious he is.
We then walked home, got Will to bed by 9(!), and are now doing laundry and catching up on work. Tomorrow, we have a new babysitter coming to try out... she'll watch Will for a few hours in the afternoon and give us time to work. (Paul under the house -- he has been methodically re-wiring the entire home... a serious project! --- and me at the coffee shop trying to learn how to use STATA for demographic analysis!) We are thrilled at the prospect of having a few hours on a Sunday!
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Eatin' Cookie
Select lyrics from our new favorite on Muppet Radio:
"Eatin' Cookie" (sung by Cookie Monster to the tune "Makin' Whoopie")
...In the summer, it very hot
Me go to the beach, me sweat a lot
It another season, another reason
For eatin' cookie!
Me eat them every season
Me eat them day or night
When it come to cookie
Me got healthy appetite
So if it's winter ... spring ... summer ... or fall
It don't matter!
Hey, anytime at all!
If it a season, me got a reason
For eatin' cookie!
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Scheduling 101
My schedule is filled with econometrics, biostatistics, statistical analysis, literature reviews, spanish, and BABY! We are doing our best to figure out how to fit it all. Here is our rough weekly schedule, with some variations each day:
5am: Paul wakes up and gets to work by 5:30-6
6-7: Will wakes up, nurses in bed with me. I try to get him back to sleep so that I can dress while he snoozes.
8-11am: Margarita comes. I go to CC's coffee to study or to class (Wednesdays)
11-12/1: I come home, eat lunch, feed Will, and get Will down for a nap -- then leave for afternoon classes (which I have Tuesday-Friday)
5-6: I get home. Meanwhile... by 2 or so, Will has woken up. Hopefully, Paul has his hours in for the day. If not, I'm watching him at night (and not studying). Or, Paul has to squeeze in hours through the rest of the day/evening.
6-8: Try to make sure Will stays awake so he'll go to bed at a decent hour (this is more a dream than reality)
8: Shower time for me and Will.
9-11: Try to get Will to sleep.
10: Paul goes to bed.
??: I go to bed after studying.
And then (thanks to the graciousness of my wonderful spouse) I am gifted the escape of yoga once a week.
Somehow, we are trying to make this schedule work.
I seriously wonder how anyone ever has a second child. Honestly. When would you ever have time to even think about it??
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Peek-A-Boo!
Here, Will has just emerged after being asked, "Where's Will???"
Yummy Cheerios!
Will spilled all his Cheerios on the floor and is here laughing about it!
Monday, January 10, 2005
Sunday, January 09, 2005
So much can change in a day...
In the last 24 hours, Will has gone from crawling with occassional stepping to stepping with occassional crawling. It is truly an amazing transformation... both in skill and speed.
We are completely impressed, a bit excited, and totally terrified.
Will at Bathtime: Ozzy and the Dove Impression
Bathtime with Will
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Babysitting Arrangement
Margarita (our Salvadorean nanny) stopped by last night with her son and granddaughters. We worked out a babysitting plan that works with her schedule at the local taqueria. She will come each morning (Monday-Friday) from 8-11am. So, we've got 15 hours a week of babysitting... at $150 a week ($10/hour). We really like her and she is great with Will. And we are lucky to have her. Still, the expense is considerable. Most full-time daycare is roughly $400-500 a month: cheaper than what we are paying now for Margarita. But the in-home care is really the only option we have until he's older.
Lesson to be learned: children under 3 (ie: children who are not potty-trained) are VERY difficult to place in daycare, because of the high ratios and requirements for these caregivers. You have to have something arranged way in advance (one year is the shortest waiting list for these ages). OR, you have to have in-home care. This is high on my list of "things parenting has taught me."
Oh, and seeing a daycare is really heart-breaking. The thought of leaving your kid in a place with lots of other small kids that need equal attention is very hard. The bottom line is that you actually DON'T want your kid in daycare as much as you actually want it.
Dream solution: grandparents who live next door and want to help LOTS.
Happy Birthday!
We celebrated my b-day on Thursday, the 6th with dinner -- just Paul and I. We tried out a place in town (Olde College Inn) that is a popular local's spot. It was fun and a great place to take folks and now that we've checked it out, we know that it is kid-friendly.
Mom stayed and babysat -- she and Will watched Broadway documentaries. (Will is a fan of musicals, of course.)
Good thing that we got dinner in... if we'd have waited, we'd have been out of luck! Mom got *terribly* sick in the wee-hours and spent the rest of her visit in bed. In fact, my Dad came last night, stayed the night (Mom was too weak to travel) and took her home today. (We lost our babysitter!!) Poor Granna, she is really sick and feels so badly that she can't help more.
The fact that everyone: Paul's folks, my mom, Amy, Kevin, and Paul --- ALL got sick with this virus and I somehow did not is very interesting. I figure I must have some great antibody for this type of rotavirus?
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Feeling better!
Will is definitely on the mend. He still isn't eating much and is in major tote-mode (Scheib speak for "wants to be held and carried") , but is laughing, playing, singing, and exploring again.
His kung-foo roll off the changing pad, super-stretch to the kleenex box, and swift removal of every tissue during the brief 30 seconds I spent throwing away his diaper is a good example of how we know our little man is coming back.
Sharing zzz's
BIG NEWS
THE BOY is ENGAGED!!!
He asked Emily on New Year's eve and (to great delight to us all) SAID YES!!
The irony is that Christie, Steph, and I (and Steph's mom, who was visiting) had all worked hard over dinner planning the perfect proposal for them. (We did this while we were visiting at Christie's house in Raleigh last week.) Maybe we'll have to use those plans for the wedding. I'm sure Emily, the Boy, and Emily's family will allow a birds' takeover of their wedding.
Their current plans include buying a house in June and getting married later in the summer (maybe August)? I realize that hearing about the Boy getting married AND buying a house in one sitting is a lot to take in. But it's all true! Yeah, Boy! Yeah, Emily!!
We are SOOOO happy!!!!!!!!!!!!! And we need a beautiful engagement photo to archive here (ahem, Boy...?)
Morning in Oriental
Oriental New Year's Dragon
Oriental New Year's Party
Monday, January 03, 2005
Rotavirus?
After another morning of vomit from our little guy, I went and saw the doctor. Looks like Will has a little rotavirus (viral infection of the GI tract, most common cause of nasty stuff for kids under three). Not sure where he picked it up, but considering the way these types of viruses are usually spread, I really don't want to think about it.
He had a long afternoon nap on my chest (he woke up and cried everytime I tried to put him down, so finally I gave up and vegged with him) and we spent the afternoon chilling out, playing a bit (he's really low-key today), swinging on the porch swing, and having a fun time brushing the cats (Will picks up the fluffs of hair and tries to put them back on the cats). He is eating a bit: he scarfed some tofu and gram cracker (which his digestive system quickly and efficiently disposed of in the way most appropriate of someone with a virus). He's also had juice and water to great success (in addition to lots of nursing).
According to the doctor, we should be enjoying 'normal' behavior from our son by the 6th (my birthday!)
Sunday, January 02, 2005
...And Finally Home!
We left last Wednesday (the 29th) for Oriental, N.C. and just returned (Sunday the 2nd) from a great trip filled with celebration. We celebrated: a belated Christmas, New Year's holiday, and two birthdays (Kevin's, Jan. 1st, and mine, Jan. 6th)! Some highlights:
Impromtu dinner and visit with great friends!
-- Christie and David (my college friends) and Steph and Mike (and Steph's mom) hosted us for dinner and got to finally meet Will! (Christie and Steph were bridesmaids in our wedding.) We had a great time and were so happy to see them!
Playtime with Will!
-- Grandpa George reading at story to Will about "Tinky-Winky's skirt"
-- Aunt Amy helping Will with all his presents (and maybe even having more energy than Will??)
-- Everyone pitching in on diaper changes (we understand that Grandpa George managed at least two biggies!)
-- Aunt Amy singing "Do your ears hang low?" over and over and over....
-- Nana Nancy talking with Will and hearing all his wonderful words: thank you, good-bye, gato, moooo, hello!, hi!, uh-oh, and more!
Deciding that Will is especially special, both from biased and unbiased sources:
-- Somewhat biased child development specialist's (e.g.: Nana Wisneskey) opinion was that he was incredibly verbal, tons of fun, super curious, secure, and expressive.
-- Totally unbiased stranger: she approached us in the airport to comment on Will. She had watched him play and came over to ask about him, introduced herself as a child development specialist, and got into conversation with us. When she learned his age, was very surprised and said that he was both remarkable skilled and impressively verbal and gave us suggestions on activities to continue his development in this regard.)
Christmas:
-- Lasted four days. It took this long -- Will opened a present or two a day!
-- Was filled with great food and gifts: including a beautiful watch and flower pot for me, robe for Nana, Tulane gear for Amy, Kevin, and Grandpa, and house-work gear (like masks!) to go with his nail gun (!) for Paul.
New Year's:
-- Involved a big party where we met with Wisneskey family friends, put on party hats and gathered noise-makers and went to see the running of the Oriental dragon. The town has a Chinese dragon that locals (ie: anyone who wants to run under it and help) carry a few blocks back and forth downtown. It was GREAT fun!! We met lots of fun people, including a retired Michigan School of Public Health ameritus faculty who had lots of stories about my Michigan profs. We all touched the dragon for good luck and took lots of pictures. We did not stay downtown, though, for the dropping of the Croaker at midnight (think of the New Year's party in Time Square, except with a fish on a dock.)
Birthdays:
-- Found out Kevin was the first baby born in his county shortly after midnight. Celebrated the afternoon with walks downtown, lunch at the marina, coffee at The Bean (where we saw Paul and Amy's parents in a photograph on the wall!), and tours of the many boats in the dock
-- Hummingbird cake: heavenly white cake filled with amazing things.
-- Cool backpack and beautiful engraved silver bracelet for me, bamboo wind chimes and dress watch for Kevin.
-- Playing lots and lots of "Apples to Apples"
Great trip.... until the end!!! Everyone (save me and Kevin) got very ill with some sort of stomache flu. All the Wisneskey's--- sick! Even Will threw up a couple of times in the car on the way to the airport this morning (a new challenge for us: digging clean clothes out of the car, cleaning out the carseat, and trying to not be puked on ourselves), Paul required many stops along the way as well. It was a long trip home and we are so happy to be back!