Having fun (we think) at the WOW! Museum

Headed to the WOW! (world of wonder) museum down the street for "toddler hour" from 9-10 yesterday. It was great until 10, when all the other kids started rolling in, and just was too busy for a 17 month old. He had fun exploring all their fun exhibits, from the pirate ship, to the art room, "bubble boy" station, bank teller fun zone, food station, wind tunnel, sand box, magnet table, just to name a few...... Mostly just running around, with no real focus on any one thing. Then we put him on the movable car. we were so excited for his turn, as we waited for the other kids to finish up. Dropped our coin in, and "here we go". well, we'll let you watch and see how he liked it! Wish we had another week off, but soon enough for xmas.

Happy Holidays everyone!

One Year and still growing

well, here we are, months later, and this little guy is now ONE! So very hard to believe. we still don't know exactly what "free time" is (as shown by the lack of posts here), but we just keep moving from day to day, week to week, and month to month. This year has been a busy one, and while we were so looking forward to summer, it already feels as if it is on its way out. I just saw Halloween decorations AND xmas wreaths the other day displayed for sale in a store....how depressing. I think I will avoid retail shops until we actually hit October.

We just celebrated a wonderful milestone for Tristan this past week. No, not turning over or crawling or even walking with a bit of assistance, or mastering finger foods.... simply his turning one! With two baby BUG cakes (one for him, and one for us!), balloons and lots of family in town, it was a good time for all. Some cake and icing actually made it to his mouth, and we think he liked it, until the nose scrunched up, eyes squinted, and before long he was wearing blue mucky gloves. It was all good. Off to nap time a few hours later, all in all, a memorable day for us.

So here we are, one year later, and what's next? who knows! This guy keeps us busy busy busy, and we have been so blessed with a baby who is most certainly "good" if not "great." Yea, let's go for great. He's so full of life and spirit and energy, always with a smile (as long as he can keep those feet moving!). Thank you to everyone for a wonderful year of congratulations, smiles, visits, FOOD!, advice, gifts/cards, and most of all support. We have enjoyed sharing this incredibly amazing journey with you all this first year, and look forward to keeping you updated as our little man continues to grow his personality.

Rolls and Giggles!

Caught!

I thought i was invisible when hiding in a pile of laundry! How can you see me?

Tristan isnt much of a help when it comes to folding laundry, but that is something we will be working on in the coming months. He will be earning his keep by his first birthday.

He is muttering what sounds just like maaamaaa. We are pretty sure he isn't associating it with his caring tender mother, but it is pretty damn cute all the same.

Tristan is really enjoying his chariot! we have the jogger attachment so we can push it on walks and we have the bike attachment so we can tow him at warp speed. Dublin enjoys this quicker pace and we like it cuz we can run him to wear him out. This was, yet another, craiglist score. its almost ridiculous to pay retail for big ticket baby items, with the obvious exceptions (car seats, etc.). I think this weekend we might try to ride down to Kaddy Shack for some grub and grog...

Video

Sorry, here's the video i was supposed to include on my last post...

Slackin'

Well we have been slackin...wait a minute. No we havent; we just dont have vey much free time anymore!! We were able to take a nice trip out to "not so sunny" socal. the primary reason was to see jan's side of the family. They were able to schedule for our little one to be dunked in the holy water and once that news hit the presses, family and friends came out of the woodwork...it was a great trip. Jan and I were also able to meet up with some old college friends Erasmo and Jeff as well as some old Amgen buds Roger, Jake and Jenny with their little boy Giles Jack. It was nice to hang out over some pies and beer. our little guy did a great job on the plane and only had a minor issue on the descent back into denver. otherwise i dont think anyone knew we had an infant with us, although i think all the extra luggage was a clue.

Tristan is growing bigger and rounder and plumper! he's got to be a tad over 20lbs...some year olds havent even hit the big 2-0. his cute arms looks like marshmallows stacked one on top of each other. he has big broad shoulders. built like a mini rugby player! Sitting up like a big boy now. No rolling, crawling or anything like that quite yet. his favorite activity is his jolly jumper. its like bungee jumping for infants....boing, boing, boing. 20 minutes of watching him jump like he is in Riverdance or something. its hilarious to watch.

Pop Smith taught him a new trick, or maybe Tristan taught it to Pop...its in the video, sans Pop. when he is excited he will do this for minutes at a time...arms out like he's throttling a mini invisible YZ250. so cute.

Happy Holidays

I think Santa spooked Tristan; he wouldn't stop wailing from 4:20 - 5:45 this morning...precisely when old saint nick was supposed to deliver.
Dont forget to check our web album of the little guy @ http://picasaweb.google.com/seth.jan/tristanandrewtownsend

Honey Crisp.

Delicious.

'nuff said.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, we are all finally over being sick. First Jan with her head cold, then Tristan with congestion and then Seth with a mild cold. All in all we fared pretty well, considering. Tristan's sleep schedule was all outta whack when he was sick, and that meant that mommy and daddy didnt get much sleep for about a week. He was waking up all snotty so we would have to go in and suck baby goo from his nose. poor little guy! But he is doing much better and is looking forward to a big ham thanksgiving dinner at our friends', Bhavna and John. I just finished making the Townsend traditional sticky buns. Jan is working on some green beans, a corn side and pumpkin cream pie. We are also bringing over some wonderful beer:

• Bruery Autumn Maple (beer brewed with maple syrup and yams!)

and some home brew:

• belgian ale brewed with cherries from a friends yard and some
• IPA brewed with hops from our yard.

Should be a fun afternoon!

Took this video last night. Jan was out running some errands and Tristan was being extra vocal, so i had to grab it on tape. He is starting to take after his mom in this sense!! Enjoy your holidays!

Halloween Fun

Halloween night - Tristan was begging to go out trick or treating, but his only special request was milk. Can you see the empty bag (and disappointment on his face?!) Unfortunately, we came home with nada. He was upset, cried, and then fell asleep by 8. Typical night, really. We handed out candy to the neighborhood kids until 8, and then the lights went out. Too much noise and excitement for us and Dublin by then - and we were wanting some peace and quiet. We didn't even get a chance to carve up the old pumpkin -- maybe next year.

He couldn't decide between an owl, a giraffe, a hedgehog, or a jailbird, so we let him be all of them. Cast your vote for the favorite! He is taking suggestions for next year already, and will be scrapping the milk in favor of Butterfingers and gum - so you better be ready!

Tummy Time!

Not much time for bloggin' these days, but here is a fun video of our little creation. He is growin so fast; he even had his first spoonful of rice cereal today!! Hand-eye coordination neurotransmitters are starting to fire as he is workin on grabbin things and moving them to his mouth; although sometimes its his eye, nose or cheek. He is sitting in his Bumbo chair; his little neck is strong as all get out. We cant believe we have kept him alive for 18 weeks and counting! He is our world!!

Our Four-legged furry son #1.

Sorry Dublin has felt so left out lately, so we had to post this. We took this clip pre-Tristan, when dubs was our only son...

Pumpkins!!

We had a great time at the Pumpkin Patch down the road from us last week. We picked out a super juicy orange veggie that was just about the same size as the munchkin. He even got his own tiny little one. The farm had all kinds of produce and i even grabbed some western slope peaches, one of which we discovered had a family of earwigs living in it. Jan wasnt too happy. The weather was nice and we had just enough daylight after work to make the short trip. Tristan was a champ right up to the end.

We need to give credit to our great friend Bhavna for making his adorable sweater and beanie; he loves it!! It is the most thoughtful gift we have received; Thank you!

Lately our guy is really starting to fight going down. he and we know that he's super tired, but for some reason crying is easier than actually falling asleep. but that's okay, we are adjusting. He is really working on his hand-eye coordination. Every now and then, while he is in his crib, we will hear this scraaaatch, scraaatch; he is just laying there staring at the crib bumper and pawing at it. So cute!! He also discovered how to blow bubbles and flap his lips, so his squeeking and squawking have toned down a bit.

Tristan's First Prost!

Well, he definitely takes after his father here, there's no doubt about that! No, we did not put him up to it..... he just reached out and took a sip. Hey, the little man has good taste in beer already! And pretty strong for his wee-little size too! It was a last minute decision, but I felt the need to again prove we too can have fun (i.e. LEAVE THE HOUSE) on a Friday night, so the 3 of us headed 30 seconds down the street to our new neighborhood BBQ - Kaddy Shack - for a sampler plate of ribs, chicken, sausage, brisket, and the best darn cornbread we've ever had. It was a perfect outing for Tristan, as he was getting a little fidgety after 45 minutes or so, which is just about the time the country music came on loud and large - yee haw! Perfect setting for an overtired baby. We were pretty happy with a "night out" all 3 of us. Needless to say, Dublin held down the fort while we stepped out - but not without a few groans and moans. Maybe next time we'll drag him along too for some good old fashioned family fun on the patio!

3 Months Old: Smiles & Squeals

Here we are, just over 3 months with this little guy, and we're all still alive, somehow. In all honesty, September has not been a great month for us, but we are now seeing some changes (for the better) with Tristan, like a whole lot more smiling, interacting, and as of two days ago, tons of squealing- which we just love! Seems he has really discovered his voice, and the squealing has replaced the crying, upon waking up in the morning, as well as when the little squirt is bored, wants to play, or be held. Although somewhat ear piercing at times, it still beats the wailing and tears!

His weight gain is right on schedule, and he's fitting into just about everything now hanging in his closet - which is fun - but this age too will pass quickly, and we'll be buying larger clothes before we know it. How is it that the days can be so long, and yet still feels like a month ago that we brought him home from the hospital? We look at his tiny newborn onesies against him now and realize how small they actually are, and how tiny he used to be. Makes me a little sad when I think about how quickly time flies.

The upside to getting older: he is falling into a more predictable schedule, in terms of naps throughout the day. We know how important it is to get him to nap periodically, before he gets overtired, because that is when disaster strikes! This past weekend tested BOTH our levels of patience, me on Saturday, and Seth on Sunday. A very, very difficult weekend for us both, but we are still learning a lot, and doing the best we can. Thank goodness for our sense of teamwork - I can't imagine doing it any other way.

Sunday Brunch, for 3 please...

We decided to skip making breakfast this morning and head out to Huckleberry in old town Louisville. So we waited until the bugaboo was all juiced up (or milked up), content and settled and then plopped him in his carseat and headed out. He did really well. He was asleep in his seat in no time. Its totally hit or miss with this guy and the car seat. He either settles in quickly or instantly freaks out and wont chill out for about 20 minutes. But today was a good day for being out and about. He even sat through the 20 minute wait with out as much as a peep. But he could smell our breakfast and as soon as our drinks arrived he started to get a little fussy. Once he was freed of him mini cell, he was happy to be at our level and able to check out the scene. His hair is a total magnet and he loved the attention he was getting from just about everyone that walked by. "what do you put in his hair", "wow, looks like the static fairy paid a visit" and "oh, that hair" are comments that we are getting used to hearing...We took turns occupying him through our berry crepes and salmon scrambler. Delicious!

Mom has had a rough couple of nights because we like to hang out together and it gets late quick...he will go down about 9 and we are up till 11 or 12 and then she has to get up at 3 and 5 and 7/8. i try to occupy him after his 7am food session so she can grab some more z's. We usually spend some time on the changing table gettin' dressed, workin on our kicks and smiling and cooing at each other. its good daddy-time! then we do down stairs and read a book or two and play on our mat gym. he loves the crinkly wings on our dragonfly and such. his eyes bug out (no pun intended) and he shakes almost violently with excitement...you can almost see the adrenaline rush to through his body; its so adorable.

What a lazy 3 day weekend...at least for Seth! Word of the day is Sesamoiditis. Sounds a lot worse than it actually is. Basically there are two bones under the ball of your big toe that float in ligaments. Those ligaments can get inflamed and irritated; its very painful even to the touch. Because i have broken my big toe on several occasions and it never really healed correctly, I was uber prone to developing this. I am going to meet with the doctor this week after meeting with his PA last week. I will probably be getting a boot of some sort to allow me to walk without putting pressure on that joint. The outside of my foot and shin are super sore from walking all queer, compensating for this. It really sucks.

So I have been sitting on the couch, with my foot elevated; icing it frequently. Poor jan has had to run errands, work around the house and do most of the up and down the stairs with Jr. Not exactly how we planned to spend our holiday weekend! But daddy got a ton of good quality time with Tristan, mommy and Dublin. We read lots of books, played on our floor mat gym, talked about current issues (or whatever infants talk about, he was a little hard to understand), and even ruined an outfit due to a blow out.

Where does the time go?

A good friend of mine, Caia, said that when you have a kiddo the days are long but the years are short. I am starting to realize exactly what that means. Our little guy has been with us 10 weeks today. Is that possible?? He is now coo-ing and babbling in his own language. He loves to hang out on the changing table after a freshie was just donned. Kicking and coo-ing...Oh to be without a care in the world. Just cry when you are hungry, poop while you are eating and then fall asleep to repeat all over again. Well maybe the pooping while eating thing would be a bit odd.

Tristan was kind enough to give us about an hour or so on Monday for us to cook up a nice dinner for our 9th anniversary. We were able to actually sit together, enjoy our food and a bottle of wine. Perfect.

Tomorrow I start track (velodrome) racing lessons. Boulder now how an indoor track, so now daddy has a once a week date with his bike...although i can barely walk right now becuase i have some serious pain in my foot, so its off to the orthopedist tomorrow to see whats up. hopefully i can wear a cycling shoe by 7pm!

5.5 hours!

Wow, our little man slept for around 6 hours last night. Jan awoke at 430 and thought that she had totally missed something!! Tristan is sure throwin' us curve-balls every day/night. We had our 2 month pediatrician appointment today. Dr. Kamon was happy about his progress. about 50th percentile for height and weight. She also stuck him with a couple vaccines today and he really took it like a man. We were both really surprised at his reaction...Obvious initial wailing, but after about a minute he was totally fine.9 weeks. Thats how long we have kept a totally dependent human alive; its pretty amazing.

I was telling Jan tonight about my epiphany. I can be a pretty selfish and absorbed person. On Saturday I was literally feeling like my insides were tying themselves up in knots; I felt I really needed some "seth" time. I was super anxious and had a lot of nervous energy. Tristan was cyring in his swing and I could feel my blood pressure rising. I pulled him out of the swing and layed him on the couch and started singing to him. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey..." And then I finally realized it. It was like a huge wave came over me and all my anxiety and bad energy just dissipated. It was amazing. I was really disappointed in myself for not instantly becoming immune to his crying from the start. It was a hard transition. I kept thinking, "you are terrible, his cries frustrate you...that isn't normal for a parent." I always was thinking "What am i doing wrong, why is he crying". As a male, we are constantly trying to solve situations and if we cant...FAILURE. But with this little guy, there isnt always an answer or it might not be obvious. So one thing I learned is not to be so hard on myself. I may not be able to get him to stop cyring, and that is OKAY. Maybe a hand-off to mom is in order, or maybe he has an upset tummy. But realizing that was a huge step in the learning process. And he is just so damn cute!

Time is just slipping away...

And our little munchkin is plumping up like a little pot roast. All you FB'ers, you can check this blog at bigabv.blogspot.com there is a link on my INFO tab. Remember you can see more pics by clicking on the link on the right (Seth and Jan's Web Album). I cant believe that Tristan will be 8 weeks on Wednesday. Its an amazing transformation from a arm flailing bowl of jello to a semi-morpheus infant who can now smile and rub his eyes when he's gettin tuckered out. He is now pushing 11 pounds and his has totally outgrown most of his little outfits that we bought coming out of the gate. We have discovered many more of his favorite positions and learned that he may not be too keen on the favorite of last week. He loves to kick and flail on the changing table after he is all cleaned up and i sometimes find myself watching him there for close to 15 minutes. Arms saluting me and his little legs are trying to kick start that imaginary moto. His eyes will bug out and he will fit in a smile here and there...it just melts your heart.

He has now met all of four of his grandparents. My mom arrived the end of July and brought her friend Richard. Grammy instantly fell in love with her 3rd grandson and i think that little Tristan misses her sweet gentle touch. My dad and his new wife Lisa followed a few days after my Mom and Richard left and were kind enough to bring Dublin a few playmates. They refer to their little white dogs as a Canadian Terror Cell, but they were more akin to Canadian Antagonists.

About a week after the four Townsends left, Jan's parents arrived. Rich, Jan's dad, is unstoppable. He saw me mowing the lawn and immediately went into the garage and started edging the yard. A few hours later, he had cut beautifully straight lines along every edge of the yard.

A feat that i haven't attempted all season. The next evening we were

sitting on the front porch and he looks at me and says "Hey,

how about I trim up this bush?" Next thing I know, there are leaves and limbs flying like a scene from Edward Scissorhands; then he recruited Bonnie in on the fun. It was like having Smith and Smith Landscape Architects working on the yard.

They earned a few pints of homebrew for that job!! Sometime I'll tell you about him and our washing machine.