Cousin Lily Has A New Home Built – Analysts Reconsider Previous Subprime Housing Slump Comments

Hand built by 2 of her loving Grandfathers (Papa and Grandpa Rick), this property is complete with a foundation-hidden picnic table, rope-assisted climbing wall (which she’s mastered even though its twice her height!), A-frame roofing, screened-in windows, built-in tic-tac-toe wall, super sized wavy slide (for future use as fear level is currently set to HIGH), swing seating for 3 with interchangeable seat pads, nooks, crannies and enough handles and pulls to make a minivan jealous, Lily is indeed showing off her vacation home bling!

Have fun this summer! It would be difficult not to with a pad like this!

Mid-Week Question: Is It Possible To Kiss A Baby Too Many Times?

So we have just been enjoying the you-know-what out of our little darling. One of my favorite things to do is smell her.

What? Am I normal? Is this a natural part of parenthood or evolution? Have I been pre-programmed to sample and store her scent into my memory for future recollection or reclaiming?

It is enjoyable (especially after a bath), but seriously, I think sometimes I'm going to wear her hair off! What is it about that new baby scent...oh wait, she will 8 weeks old Thursday.

Today’s question is this: When your child/children were small, how often did you stick your nose in there? And when, because I know it is inevitable, does the smell fade away?

Alternative question for readers without children: How does the inside of your car smell currently and what flavor/brand of aftermarket air freshener is your favorite, if any?

A note about commenting: the settings have been modified at LWH, allowing for anonymous comments to be made. This is especially useful if you had a foul smelly baby, but don't want anyone here to know!

It’s Like Wearing A Blanket!

Here’s just a quick update for now. This is how we dress our baby girl for sleeping, versus the former method of swaddling her with blankets. She seems to really like these sleep-sacks, which I have to admit look very comfortable! (I secretly wish these were sold in adult sizes!) To keep her arms warm at night, she wears a long sleeved onesie – wait, is that how onsie is spelled?

Stamp Prices Continue To Rise

Here is the birth announcement for our Ellena. Attached are pictures of both the front and back of the page. The back contains a quote from James 1:17

These announcements were made by S and printed at home to try and save a little bit of money (I know – isn’t she talented on the computer?). As a reader of this blog, if you’ve seen this announcement and thought “Hey, what do you mean these were already sent out? I never received mine?” Keep on reading.

We recently received a strange envelop in our mailbox from the USPS. Maybe you’ve received one of these at some point. It had a clear front and inside you could see this return address label:

And that was all that was inside – along with an apology from the USPS for the damage. It was torn at the corer of someone’s envelop and appears as though it was maliciously eaten by some conveyor or piece of sorting equipment. I mean, who really knows how the mail is physically routed around? Of course, without the original receiver's address, we have no idea who didn’t get their notice.

By posting this, the Fam at LwH would like to apologize to you for something we had no control over. Please consider this your official birth announcement. Will the mystery ever be solved?

Baby Talk: It's' me...

Finally I was able to sneak away from #1 & #2, make it to the computer, and figure out my password, all completely unnoticed mind you! Wanted to see what this internet is all about anyway. Oh, here's a picture of me in my new bouncy seat my friends Grace and Sophie gave to me - thanks girls, I love it! It's a little roomier than my old "pod", which I still use during day when #1 puts me in it for short naps. It's so fun, #1 and I, we hang out every day together and do fun things. We usually play or sleep until #2 comes home and then he holds me or walks with me. Today was a banner day around here - or at least that's what I heard #2 say to #1. It happened to be the 3rd day in a row they tried to feed me with a bottle, usually around 6 pm. I heard them say it was important for when #1 goes back, but I don't know what that means. Really, all I know is the bottle tip tastes terrible and completely not what I am used to! Well, after 3 times in a row, I figured what the hey and started to drink from it. #2 gave it to me and I think #1 was nearby, but hiding. He said it would be better if #1 wasn't around during the feeding. Well, he walked with me and talked with me and I really did enjoy that plus whatever was inside the bottle tasted the same anyway - but don't tell him I said that. Oh here's a picture of me in my crib watching the red birdies spin around over my head. This is one of my favorite things to do and really seems to calm me down at night, when I get f-u-s-s-y, whatever that spells, I hear them say it all the time...okay gotta go.

Mid-Week Question: Where Did Your Children Sleep?

One of the fun things about having a child is that it’s easier to relate with so many other parents now. As if by magic, their stories make more sense than they used to. And I’ve never met another parent without an opinion or a story about “when their kid was a baby”.

This topic came up the other day and we’ve heard several versions already – our child slept only in their car seat – she liked the dresser drawer (yes, someone really said this!) – I had to drive her around every night, then carefully place her in her bouncy seat.

These memories are great to share, so please do so by commenting below. If you’ve never commented on Blogger before, I assure you its very easy.

That being said -

Today’s question is this: When your child/children were infants, where did they sleep the best?

Alternative question for readers without children: Where do you intend for your children to sleep within relation to your bedroom (i.e. nursery in another room, crib, bassinet in your bedroom, etc.)?

Over The Hump

Today Ellena met many of my GM collegues when we attended a going away lunch for one of my team members. It was great to see everyone and show off our beautiful daughter. Everyone was impressed that we were out at "only 6.5 weeks of age" and assume that we were "over the hump" - you know, that hump that consists of sleeping, crying, eatings, crying, eating...repeat... Well, we aren't over the hump - (on a side note - why didn't anyone tell me about this hump BEFORE we had Ellena??) but we are working on creating our life as a family, and sometimes that even means a little crying in Buffalo Wild Wings.

Good luck in your new job, Andy!

Living Lean(er)

This past week we enlarged the size of the closets in our master bedroom. It was a quick & simple task and we didn’t even have to rip out the drywall, modify the carpeting, or (worst of all) paint!

How did we do that?

By removing unused items from the insides and cleaning them out!

How it happened:
I came home from work one day and found the bedroom in complete disarray. The bed was covered with clothes and a pile of mismatching hangers – plastic, wood, those useless thin dry cleaner type. White plastic trash bags littered the floor filled with clothes – at least 8 of them! Sweaters, shirts, old pajamas, jeans, hats – the list goes on.

After seeing how good the closet looked and realizing this was the right thing to do, I jumped right in and sorted my stuff. You know that feeling when you are so motivated to do something, you just can’t stop? I mean, you want to skip a meal because you’re just really into it? That’s exactly what it felt like.

When it was all said and done, the local Salvation Army received a carload full of clothing and some other miscellaneous items we’d let pile up for our end-of-the-year run. What a great feeling!

Living lean is a topic we discuss each year, especially around the spring cleaning season. We try to analyze each item we find and see if it can be re-used, sold or donated. It’s difficult to explain the specific feeling we receive when we toss old junk. Well, for S it may not be so difficult – she’d most-likely say “it feels great”. On the other had, for me it feels a little like that, but there’s also a bit of regret and remorse mixed in. Regret because I was foolish enough to keep the item for soooo much longer than I really needed to, often carting it around from residence to residence. Remorse because, even though I’m attending my Packrat Anonymous meetings (and they say I’m making excellent progress!), I feel as though I may miss the item – or need it the very next day. I know – be patient with me, I am a work in progress.

For now, the closets look great! Now, if I could just get started cleaning out the basement…

Managing The Mess With Love

Well, I have to be honest - yesterday wasn't the best of days for Ellena and I, but we have learned to love each other through the hardest of times (which I hear will come in very handy with a daughter and a mother...). And no matter what, all I want to do is give her the biggest hug and a 1,000 kisses. Here is a kissable picture of our little pumpkin for you to enjoy! Happy Friday!!!

Back In The Mix

What! No posts have been made since last Sunday? No new content?

This is blog suicide!

Well, more realistically, it resembles a thought loop I’ve been stuck in all week. Some of you have most-likely been here at some point. At home, there are more critical tasks, such as helping S with the baby and giving her a break, I convince myself that “I’ll do it at work”. Once I’m at my desk the next day, I get sucked into work tasks and say to myself “I’ll do it at home”. Then before I knew what happened, an entire workweek has passed! At any rate – TGIF!

This has been a challenging week. First off, it was difficult to get back into “the swing of things” after a 2 week break. Of course the first day back was near useless for everyone I work with. Similar to the first day of school, most water cooler conversations began the same way…”How was your shut down? What did you do?” Nobody really pushed it that first day back.

I was surprised to witness so many people say the same things. Here are some examples:

- “It was so great to have time off, even though we didn’t really go anywhere”
- “That was so much better that dotting the calendar with 3-day breaks that don’t result in the true goal – recharging”
- “I never would’ve taken 2 weeks off, if left to my own choosing”
- “It felt great to slow down. Usually when we take a vacation, we travel. This time we just stayed home”
- “I’ve never taken 2 straight weeks of vacation since I began working”

Above all, I’d say it was a successful 2 weeks for us, and we look forward to it again next year, assuming the high probability that it will be offered up for employees again.

To recap the time spent home on our “summer vacation”, here’s a list of some of my own personal observations. Some of these we already known, but it was enjoyable to “learn” them again:

• Going to the dentist is a LOT more enjoyable when you leave work early on a weekday rather than going during vacation!

• Doritos now produce a TON of different flavors and, when on sale at $2 a bag, it feels like an official summer to try some of them out! Not bad at all, but even the Spicy Habanero flavor isn’t as hot as I’d like them to be!

• Turner Classic Movies rock! Ellena and I had quite a tradition of catching the early programs (read: anywhere from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM) while we gave S a break to catch up on some well deserved sleep. What we found is we really love comedies from the 60’s. Check out www.tcm.com for more information. The site alone is worth the visit.

• The movie Fun with Dick & Jane is very creative, but a little too scary for these economic times.

• Pulling weeds in the early morning sun, while the grass is still dew-covered, can make a person feel retired. Rare enjoyable moment – waiving good morning to your neighbors while wearing no shoes and holding a bad of weeds as they drive off to work.

• Tom Hanks really nailed his role as a 13 year old boy surviving in a 30 year old body in the 80’s comedy, BIG.

• Changing diapers is easy, and to be honest with you, I think I’m pretty good at it. In my own personal search for God-given talents, I question – Is this one of them?

• Drew Carrey doesn’t do Plinko justice on The Price Is Right.

• Bug spray should always be applied before a fireworks show - always. If ignored, it’ll be simply too distracting to enjoy the celebration.

• Making cookies from scratch isn’t nearly as simple as using these quick packages of “ready-to-go” dough, although it’s more rewarding in 2 ways, both in the feeling of accomplishment and also in the consumption of lots of “extra” raw dough.

This Just In: First Smile Caught On Camera!

Although we've been watching her smile in her sleep for a few weeks now, we felt as though a genuine awake-smile was just around the corner for Ellena, so we've been keeping the camera charged, poised and at the ready.

Sure enough - Seen here is what we are claiming to be the first awake smile we've been blessed with (well, at least one that we were awake enough to enjoy and capture anyway!)

She's really growing and changing every day. Some of the most notable changes have been

1. a lightening of her hair - it's fun to watch because we just don't know where it'll stop!


2. stronger muscles - she's more capable of pushing things away from her and stretching out her legs and arms (especially when unhappy!) and


3. a more defined schedule - although still a baby and very much "in charge", it has become a little easier to predict when she'll be hungry, fussy, content, etc. This work shut down period has been a blessing for our family as we've been able to spend a ton of time together and really been given the chance to know and bond with our baby girl.

This One Goes Out To All The Grandmothers...

Happy Sunday!

Just a quick post today to answer requests for more pictures. Here are some of the latest Ellena pics from this week (out of several hundred, right?). She's doing great and growing every hour, or at least it feels like it! Enjoy.

We hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

She really enjoys her new play mat

Sleepy Time

Napping with Mommy

At Papa's Birthday Party

A happy girl in her new pink dress

*BEEP* Your baby is out - please try again later

An extreme close-up

Member Of The "Pink Hats"

An Uncle Sam Tribute - Wakko-Style!

While the family was driving around yesterday, running miscellaneous errands, we were listening to XM and stumbled upon one of their temporary stations - a 4th of July tribute called, appropriately, "Uncle Sam".

The Uncle Sam mix was wide and contained many genres of music with one common theme - pure patriotism (country, classical, marching band, honky tonk, etc), but my favorite piece ran throughout the time we were able to listen was "The 50 State Song", as performed here by Wakko from the Animaniacs - a cartoon show from the 90's.

Whether you were an Animaniacs fan or not, the following 2 minute video is definitely worth a listen...Enjoy, and we hope you had a happy 4th!

God Bless America!

Have You Been Digging In The Dirt Again?

We have found something Ellena just loves - BATH TIME! She enjoyed her first full bath on Tuesday, July 1st. Her little tub has a sprayer that she thoroughly enjoys as the warm water trickles across her body. Also, we have been using a "sleepy time" soap that is supposed to calm the baby and help her drift off to sleep (compliments of the Olechnowiczs. We aren't sure yet if it works on her, but it sure does make Loren and I sleepy (or maybe that is just due to the sleep deprivation... who knows).

Have You Seen My New Diggs?

Seriously, when we found out we had a girl, we knew dressing her would be fun, but we didn't know it would be this much fun?!? Auntie Nikki (my good friend from college, Nikki Sobick) spoiled Ellena with one of her cutest outfits yet, perfect for the cool weather yesterday...and then Mommy and Daddy just couldn't resist adding to the fun with a hat and glasses!

Ellena - you look "gorgeous, simply gorgeous"!

Happy Birthday Papa!

Yesterday, we all celebrated Grandpa Hickok's (aka: Papa) 62nd birthday, which is actually today, July 4th. Though Ellena spent a great deal of the birthday celebration asleep, we all enjoyed time with family. Our niece, Lily, especially enjoyed the "cher-wee pie" - YUM! Happy 4th of July!!!

Work Called: They Want You To Stay Home Today!

Yesterday was the first day of a 2 week mandatory shutdown instituted by my company, in an effort to ultimately save some cash. When the news was first distributed in the office, there were many mixed emotions about the "forced" time off, but not from this mouth. From the moment I first heard the rumors, I immediately tingled with joy! The opportunity to spend 2 weeks with my girls was a gift from God! With S already on maternity leave and a newborn at home (okay - 3 weeks, 5 days to be exact!), what wasn't to like? Work can wait!

We've kept the expectation list of tasks and projects we wish to accomplish over the shutdown reasonably short. The first order of business - hold our daughter! It is indescribably enjoyable to wake up to Ellena and be able to hold her and walk with her around the house. Yesterday, I as able to coax her into a multi-hour nap in her new sling that I believe she truly enjoyed. I just relish being close to her and being able to take this time instead of what has typically been "okay, I'm off to work so call me if you need anything honey!"

My goals over the shutdown? Simple - capture these precious times and do what the sign says; Slow Down!

What's The Proper Definition For "Hippo-Phobia"?

The other night our friend, Jake, was displaying his displeasure with our stuffed hippo as he's captured here running from his mother, and the hippo of course!

He's a real trooper though and later wanted to become friends with the hippo as his father used a deep voice to pretend the hippo was talking to him.

Run, Jake! The truth is we are all scared of different things at different times! Actually, Jake, we're all scared of that hippo, too!