A Charger-Induced Letdown

Recently I decided that Meghan and I take too many pictures (partially thanks to this blog) of too many important things (namely Joshua) to continue to live with a mediocre camera. I wanted a DSLR but was turned off by the price and the size.

However, Sony recently came out with the NEX-3, which is reasonably priced for a DSLR, is reasonably sized, and gets outstanding reviews and is regarded as the perfect camera for someone moving up from a point-and-shoot (that's me!).

With the Vegas trip coming up, I ordered it, and it got here just in time today, and I was very excited about it. Unfortunately, it didn't include the battery charger. I'll get a new one, but not in time for this trip. So I'll have to use the included battery until it dies, and then I'm out of luck. Today's pic was going to be taken with the new camera, but since I need to save every ounce of battery life for the trip, this pic is taken with my old camera of me with my new camera.

Yard Games

Andrew and Julie invited us to their house today for a Memorial Day party. Originally we were going to go to a beach at Clinton Lake, but ultimately they decided to host it at their place. We had a great time, as Andrew grilled up some great food. Wally and Lisa were there too, and they brought a board game that we all liked (it seems we're pretty much all board game fiends). In between, we played some games in the yard. Here Andrew and I are tossing around a football as I try to guess which way it will come down from the tree.

Lake Tahoe > Chevy Tahoe

The hailstorm we had in April did significant damage to a lot of property in our neighborhood.  For us, it damaged our house and both cars.  My car is in the process of being repaired right now, and they gave me a replacement car to use in the meantime.  Unfortunately, the only option available was the gargantuan Chevy Tahoe.  It's too big to be useful, gets very poor gas mileage, and the interior has clearly been neglected, so it's not exactly a glamorous car.  The body shop is paying our deductible, which is nice, so we won't have any out-of-pocket expenses, but they justify that by slapping three very large decals on the replacement vehicles.  So for the time I have it (1 to 2 weeks), I'll be a mobile billboard for that body shop.

A Happier Ending

Today we ate dinner with Eric and Christine and Joshua got to meet his Uncle Eric for the first time. We had a good time grilling and it was better than the last Memorial Day Barbecue we had years ago with my family since it didn't end with Jason and Christine grilling in a severe thunderstorm.

PetSmart's Inventory Guy Must Be a KU Grad

We have a K-State family, and everyone in our home, including the dogs, loves K-State.  As such, Terrence and Natalie have always had purple accessories.  Terrence has had a purple harness and Natalie has had a purple collar.  Recently, we needed to replace Terrence's harness, so we went to PetSmart (which is where we normally buy their gear), and I found that they still have the same brand that we buy, and they still have an array of available colors, but they no longer carry the purple ones!  This is clearly some anti-KSU conspiracy.  They had no harnesses in purple that would work.  So I ordered one online, but it turned out not to be what it seemed, as it didn't work as expected and didn't adjust well.  So I'm back to trying to find a good purple harness.  Here Terrence glumly models his harness as it falls off of him.

A Standing Baby

I don't have a baby monitor. I can't imagine how I would get any sleep at all with one as I am a very light sleeper. So although I can hear Joshua when he cries, I don't necessarily hear every little movement or noise he makes. So imagine my surprise when I went downstairs after his afternoon nap to go get him and saw this. He had never pulled up in his crib before. Tonight Jason moved the crib down to an even lower setting and we think he isn't tall enough to pull up with it that low. Hopefully by the time he is tall enough to do that I will feel more confident that he won't dive head first out of the crib in some misguided effort to get a dog or cat.

Some Sippy Cup Progress

I introduced sippy cups at around 3 months. Joshua mostly just chewed on them and ocassionally sipped some water until I got him his straw cup a month or two ago. He drinks water pretty well out of his straw cup now. Today, though, he finally got the sippies too. So now we are doing all his formula feedings out of sippy cups except his night-time feeding. I will try to get him moved over to straws by a year or so since sippy cups aren't the best for a baby's teeth, but it's positive progress from the bottle and an easy way for us to transition to less formula. Plus, sometimes, like in this picture, he will actually hold his own cup which he basically refuses to do with his bottle so that's a nice bonus.

The Old Switcheroo

Joshua is getting better at feeding himself with his fingers, though I still wouldn't use the word good. But it's kind of an annoying stage because he wants to feed himself, but he misses his mouth a lot. If I help him he gets irritated unless he is really hungry. He has been like this with finger foods for awhile, but today was the first day he was really insistent on feeding himself with a spoon. He also did not want to give me the spoon back. So what we settled on is using two spoons and when I put the yogurt on the spoon he would grab it and then I would take the empty one, and then we'd repeat the process over and over again.

Bringing the Indoors Out

Today was a really nice day so we ate dinner outside. We brought Joshua's highchair outside so he could sit at the table too and he seemed to enjoy it. He seems to want to eat whenever we eat now. We had Thai so we really couldn't share much with him since it's spicy, but we gave him some white rice and that seemed to satisfy his desire to be part of the group.

Daddies and Babies

Today we went to a barbecue with friends, organized for the purpose of allowing those of us with kids (who therefore have schedules that aren't so accommodating to frequent impromptu gatherings) to get together for us to catch up and to see each others' families.  Jason and Kelli were there with Hadley, and Nick and Cassie were there with Macyn, so I was able to see two of my best friends, even if only for a small portion of an afternoon.  These days, that's about the best we can hope for.  So here we three dads are with the little ones that have changed our lives dramatically but for the better.

Doing a Pull Up

Today Joshua pulled up into a sort-of stand for the very first time. It was very exciting. Here he is with Jason stabilizing the basket so it doesn't fall.

Baby Bumpers

Yesterday we lowered the crib mattress since Joshua has been showing some interest in pulling up. I also put in the bumpers. I feel like somewhat of a bad parent for that, but the SIDS risk is quite low this late and he smacks his head on the side of the crib constantly. We took this picture when he was tired so he doesn't look that happy, but I really think it will improve his life and hopefully he'll get a little better at cause and effect soon and they will no longer be necessary.

The Old Standby

Today Mom and Joanna came to help watch Joshua while Meghan went to an appointment.  Although Joshua is eating a lot of solid foods now, he still enjoys his bottles more than anything else.  Here Aunt Josie feeds him a presumably delicious meal.

Yet Another Reason It's Better Than O'Hare

Even though I just returned from a long trip, I found out today that I needed to fly out again tonight, this time to Chicago.  Because I was flying Southwest Airlines, I flew into Midway.  I had wondered in the past if it was named after the Battle of Midway, but I never knew for sure.  After I landed tonight, I stumbled across a fairly cool memorial to the battle, confirming the connection between the airport name and the World War II battle.  It was fairly well done, complete with a Douglass SBD Dauntless/A-24 Banshee dive bomber hanging above the concourse.  I spent some time reviewing the various exhibits, and it really helped to me get a better understanding of the battle.

Weary Travelers

After five days of intense training in California for all the sales engineers and professional services staff in my company, we're all heading back to our respective homes across the globe.  Haggard and exhausted from morning-to-night training and activities in combination with some very very late nights working on projects, we're all ready to go home.  Here Rob and I pose for a picture as we wait to board our plane to take us back to see the families that we've been so badly missing.

Tastes Like Meh

Ask anyone from California what their favorite burger chain is, and they'll probably tell you something like, "IN-N-OUT!  IT'S THE BEST EVER!  WHAT?  YOU HAVEN'T TRIED IT.  OH MY GOSH!  YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!  YOU'LL LOVE IT!  IT'S SOOOOO GOOD!"  So we're in California for our training, and they decided to bring us In-N-Out burgers to eat while we worked on our projects.  Greatest ever?  Not by a long shot.  Really good?  I wouldn't go that far.  Tastes like decaying roadkill?  No, better than that.  Decent?  Yeah, I'll go with that.

At the Store

Since Jason is away and we were very low on food, I had to take Joshua to the store with me which I don't do that often. But now it's a lot easier than it used to be because he can sit in the cart. Here he is. It was getting close to nap time so he is a little tired, hence no smile, but he was a very good boy the whole time.

Lots of Nerds Bowling

Although we have all-day training sessions going on, they are providing us with fun activities in the evening.  Last night we went to a pool hall.  Tonight's activity was bowling.  Our whole team went to a local bowlng alley and bowled a few games while drinking some beer and eating some pizza.  While some of us spent their time attempting gimmick shots, most of us did traditional bowling, and we definitely had a fun time.  Here I am with my competitive bowling face.

As Tasty As You'd Hope It Would Be

I'm at a mandatory training for the technical team within my company for the next few days.  The information is useful, but it makes for long days.  Apparently someone decided to spring for a treat for us which is a little outside of what you'd expect for an afternoon snack in a hotel conference center.  During our afternoon break, they brought in a plate of chocolate-covered bacon.  I thought it would be one of those things that's good in theory but that the actual taste wouldn't be good.  Instead, it was quite tasty.  Sometimes I love my company. 

7 Months

Taking these pictures isn't as easy as it used to be since this month Joshua thought sitting was completely stupid and he should really be crawling. But I eventually got him to cooperate. I feel like he is really growing up. He is starting to babble a little bit and move around faster and all sorts of new things.

Like the Rain?

Today it started sprinkling and Joshua was totally intrigued by it. Since it was warm, Jason put him on the patio. It was definitely the most amazing thing Joshua experienced today. He could not stop touching the deck to feel how wet it was.

A Shelf of His Own

Today we finished up baby-proofing at least for now. I am sure we will have to do more when he walks. Part of changing things to be more safe was to stop using the bottom shelf on the bookcase as storage and make it a shelf for toys and books. Joshua really loves it and has already taken everything off it with great delight. Here he reaches for a book.

We weren't sure this day would come

We have been feeding Joshua various fruits and veggies and chicken in very small pieces since he doesn't like purees. He has been fine with it, but not excited. But today for the first time he was excited to eat his food and he actually fed himself too. He isn't that great with his motor skills yet and doesn't yet have pincer grasp so he isn't very efficient, but he got at least a couple pieces in his mouth and I helped with the rest.

Happy Mother's Day

Today was my first mother's day and we had a good day. Jason worked on these cute projects from Joshua that involved hand and foot prints. It was all going well until Joshua got sick of cooperating. Then there was a brief interlude for a bath.

Bouncing

Today we went to Lexi's birthday party and they had a bouncer at the party. They gave the babies a chance to go in for awhile and Jason took in Joshua. Joshua wasn't quite sure about it.

Baby Lunch

Today Donna and I and Lexi and Joshua met for lunch. We decided to eat on the patio since it was such a nice day. Here are Lexi and Joshua holding hands.

Olè

Today we celebrated Cinco de Mayo at home. Jason and I had chips and salsa, taquitos, rice, and margaritas. Joshua had none of those things, but he did have some fun sitting on the gigantic sombrero Jason got in Mexico when he went in high school.

A New Seat

Today I took Joshua's new carseat to be installed. He was too heavy for me to carry in the carrier anymore so we decided to go ahead and put in the convertible seat that doesn't come out of the car. So far he seems to appreciate the extra room.

Fun Times with Grandma

Normally I take Joshua with me if I have errands to run, but today I needed to get one of my stitches out of my eye and, even though it was a very quick appointment, it was pretty vital that I hold very still so I thought it wouldn't be the best time to bring Joshua with me. So Peg came up to watch him while I did that. Here the two of them are, along with the pugs who seem convinced she comes to see them, having some fun playtime.

Both an Aisle and a Window

The good thing about flying in and out of Kansas City is that usually you don't have to deal with giant overcrowded planes.  Today I flew to Chicago, and there were only 14 people on the plane.  It was a small plane with one seat on one side of the aisle and two seats on the other.  I always like these little planes, because I can get the row to myself, with the ability to look out the window (or lean against it to rest or sleep) without having someone pushing up against me from the other side.  Here I am in my own personal one-seat row for this flight.

Food, Folks, and Filing Paperwork

Today we needed to meet our attorney to sign our adoption petition so he could file it with the courts this coming week. We decided to meet at Panera so we could also eat lunch. Here Jason is signing his affidavit.