Visit with family

My grandparents were at their lake house so we went to my parents' house for the weekend to visit.

Ivy loves napping on Mimi's shoulder.

Bryce taught Papa how to play golf.

Mimi and Bryce reading.

Ivy watching the fan. Her new favorite activity.

Sitting Pretty

I was curious if Ivy could sit in her bumbo yet and...she can! She is 7 weeks old and doing great. Still eating like a pig and starting to sleep. She slept 7 hours in a row for the past few nights. We go to the doctor next Friday so I'll have a growth update then.

Party

We had Bryce's birthday party in our backyard on Saturday. I was worried about it being too hot but the backyard was surprisingly comfortable. I think everyone had a good time hanging out and playing in the sand. When Bryce took a bath last night you would have thought that he went to the beach, sorry to my friends who had to clean up their kids. Ivy was excited about the party and was awake pretty much the whole day...less than ideal...


After the party, Myra and Bob babysat and Russell and I went to see the new Batman movie. I haven't been to a movie theater in ages. Anyway, both kids went to bed before we left and stayed asleep while we were gone for the most part. Ivy only needed 1 bottle while we were out and was nice enough to do it rightbefore we got back so I was able to go to sleep before her next feeding.

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Happy Birthday Bryce!

Bryce turned 2 today. You don't quite understand what it means to have a birthday at 2. You really don't understand why people call and sing on the telephone...it's kept me entertained though. My mother was in yesterday so we celebrated with a cupcake. Cupcake is Bryce new favorite word...

Here's Ivy

I've been meaning to post a picture of Ivy since July 12 (her due date) to show the world what she would have looked like if she popped out when planned. I'm terrible at taking pictures so here's my best attempt.

This Backyard Brought to you by Re/Max

So you've read us blogging about Bryce and his golfing ability. He smacks the ball around the yard...occasionally getting a hold of one (his outside club is the blue one shown above...or "bew cub" as he calls it). He likes to congratulate himself on a good shot..."big hit" he says...or "big BIG hit" if he really cranks one (he can hit the ball probably 30 feet in the air). Sometimes he'll land one on the lid to the irrigation system (a backyard hole in one) and he yells "HOOOL" (not sure if this made the Brcye-tionary...but that translate to hole, as in, it's in the hole).

Well...we've reached a crossroads in our backyard golf. Bryce can now hit the ball over the fence. I can see this going one of a few ways. We can opt to erect a driving range quality net around the perimeter of the yard. The only problem is when we were members at Great Hills Country Club, the neighborhood association sued the club to take the net down. Ultimately the net came down the poles were used to construct a barbeque smoker. Now, while I enjoy slow cooked meat as much as the next guy, that seems like a long way to go to get a smoker (I have a birthday coming up...that seems like a more direct route).

The other option is we raid the Academy and buy them out of the little plastic wiffle golf balls Bryce enjoys so much and start training for the under 3, under 3 feet, under 30 pound, toddler division of the Re/Max Long Drive championship (this must exist...right?).

As step one, I've started showing B the video below of Jason Zuback from the 2007 championship.

While we're a long way from teeing it up in this event, I think Bryce's 3rd birthday party next year will be a long drive contest. I think if we start training now, he could hit a ball from our patio to the fence...which I estimate at about 25 yds with about a 5 foot decline in elevation. I'll have to get Paige working on sponsors and I'll start working on equipment? Do we think Little Tykes makes a toddler launch monitor? Is there a multi-piece wiffle ball out there to maximize his launch characteristics? Well, good thing we have a year...for now we'll just have to start working on short game so we don't lose as many balls.

July 4th

We went to my parents' house to celebrate the 4th because my grandmother and great aunt were able to meet us there. Bryce and Ivy loved all the extra attention. Dede was very impressed with how well Bryce can hit a golf club. Ivy was her usual cooperative self. We had a great lunch.

In exchange for unlimited golf, Russell is required to help my father with life threatening activities when we visit. Todays task was moving a very large tv out of the house and into the garage. I wish I had a picture of the 2 of them, support belts on, balancing the tv on the dingo. Quite a picture...you'll have to use your imaginations and take a look at them reprogramming the new remote. TV was working in plenty of time for Bryce to watch Elmo.

Visitors

My grandparents were at their lake house so they decided to come visit. They were nice enough to bring lunch and a few presents for the kids. Bryce is a big help in the yard and Papa got him his very own shovel.

Also-Russell has been wanting to post this so here it is. Bryce likes to sit on the potty and as a reward he gets a pretzel. He used to get them when he got off the potty but lately he just snacks while he sits there. Must be a guy thing to need an activity while in the bathroom.

Like Brother, Like Sister

Apparently this is how my kids sleep when they are 2 weeks old. Just thought it was kind of funny...

Bath time

Ivy's umbilical cord fell off the other day so Bryce and I gave her a bath today. Ivy seemed to enjoy the experience and Bryce was a big help.

Happy Father's Day

Before we knew Ivy was going to show up a little early, we had planned to go to my parent's house for Father's Day so that Russell and my dad could play golf. I'm feeling great so we kept the plans and took Ivy on her 1st road trip. Bryce had a great day playing and Ivy slept through it all.

Is Bryce's world upside down?

Even though this picture reflects otherwise, the answer is no. Bryce is doing great. Everyone was sure that my little mama's boy was going to fall to pieces when Ivy arrived but I wasn't worried. He tells me what she's doing, baby sleep, baby eat, etc but otherwise life has not changed for him. Let's be honest newborns eat and sleep a lot. When Ivy is awake, Bryce picks the activity. Russell went to work for most of the day on Friday and I had no problems taking care of 2 kids. Let's hope the kids continue to cooperate!

Ivy and the magic poop

Everyone poops. It's a fact. It's a book. Everyone poops...except Ivy. Well, at least for the first 24 hours. There hasn't been such controversy about pooping since that famed day at Bushwood:






Andy Dufrane went through less agony and frustration over poop than we did:

But..."in the end"...everyone poops. Since this is a medical lesson for everyone, apparently there's a mucus plug involved with the first poop.

Once you pass that plug, you're free to leave the hospital...sort of. Since it took Ivy a little longer than most for her first BM, they kept us an extra day for jaundice observation. So...Paige got some sleep and Ivy got a tan. And, in case you're curious why I'm writing so much about my daughter pooping, I figured there was no time like the present to start on the first (of many) embarassing tales to tell the host of young suitors that I'll kick out of my house when the come to pick her up for a date.

So...we're all home now and away we go...

LET ME OUTTA THIS PLACE ALREADY!!!!!

I get to go home?!? WHOOOHOOO!!!!!!

I think I'll rest on the way...

Editor's note: how ridiculously cute are those giant socks on her bitty feet? Had to do a closeup.

Home at last :)

Live and in color...

A Few Stills for download purposes...

I'm the worst dad ever...or am I?

I have to confess. I missed the birth of our second child. Not like, I had to sneeze, I turned around and there she was....like she was 5 weeks early and I was on a trip and didn't make it back in time....AAAGGGHHHHH!!!!

In the grand scheme of things...now that I'm here and have held my baby girl and seen for myself that everything is OK I think I'm over it. I mean...what does she care...she's just wants to know why she now has to work to eat and where the Yanni like ocean noises went. But for a while, I was carving myself atop the Mount Rushmore of worst parents. From left to right...Travis Henry, Lynn Spears, Michael Jackson, & Me.

But then I got to thinking, as I'm sitting there thanking the good people of American Airlines for doing everything within their power to stop me from returning to Austin, including not letting my row of the plane board until it was 2 minutes before takeoff because it was dirty (I'm not making this up)...there had to be at least 5 things worse than missing the birth of your daughter...right?

1. Showing up to the father daughter dance as drunk as Shooter in the movie Hoosiers yelling random Harry Carry quotes...twice.
2. Attending parent teacher conferences in nothing but a yellow polka-dot thong
3. Tatooing "daddy's girl" backwards on her forehead so every time she looks in the mirror she'll know how much I love her.
4. Pretending to have a British accent for the first 13 years of her life and then during her Bat-Mitzvah speach, switch cold turkey and tell her we're actually from France, not England.
5. Call Jose Canseco and have him swear that I was at the birth and then accuse Ivy of "mis-remembering" when she questions me about it later.

So...now I feel better. The whole world...or at least the 3 people (including my mom) who read this blog...know what a terrible father I am. But just think about how much worse it could be...and if anyone thinks it can't be...watch out for me wandering in from right field at your daughter's softball game...with no pants on.

Ivy Grace Newman

Ivy Grace Newman joined the rest of the family today at 10:45 AM. While still a few weeks from her actual due date, she decided she was ready for action. And, not unlike her mother, when her mind is made up...watch out!

Ivy weighed in at a petite 5lbs 10oz and was 18" long.

And, also like her mother...she's a bit cranky before dinner...so she's eating like a champ.

Mom, Dad, Bryce, & young Ivy are all doing great.
Stay tuned to the blog for pictures once we get home.

Neighborhood Party

Our neighborhood had a summer kick off party on Saturday. Russell is in New York so my mom came in to play. Bryce hated the clown, to be honest, he was pretty bad but loved the snow cones.

Watching the clown show

Grape snow cones are the best!

Throwing the ball to Gabby

Playdate at Central Market

We met up with Missy and Avery on Tuesday to play at the Central Market playground. After Bryce warmed up to the new place he had such a good time. We had such a good lunch too. It's not easy for me to go out these days and find things to eat that won't make my blood sugar get too elevated. Missy was nice enough to share this picture. I had my camera but just didn't have the energy to take it out :)

Memorial Day

Every Memorial Day weekend we go to my aunt and uncle's house in Port O'Connor. It's a mini family reunion. I think that there were around 40 people this year. Bryce had fun playing with his cousins. I had fun letting other people take care of Bryce. In case you're not currently 9 months pregnant and living in Texas, let me tell you, it's hot and I'm tired!

Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's Day, Bryce decided to take over the housework. Here he is doing a great job sweeping the patio.

Round Rock Express

We took Bryce to a minor league baseball game on Sunday. He hasn't been since last year. He was less content to sit still this time around so Russell worked hard entertaining Bryce. I think we lasted about 2 hours before Bryce pulled us up and marched out towards the gate.

BRYCE-TIONARY

Bryce talks. A lot. Like...can you find a mini muzzle and stick it on that kid? He really enjoys holding a good conversation...with himself. A lot of times we'll find him chattering away in the back seat...quite content with the answers to his own questions. Anyway...for anyone who happens to call the house or who gets an "accidental" cell phone call from Bryce...we thought we would provide a Bryce to English dictionary or Bryce-tionary if you will. Clearly this is a fluid document, but this should help a little for now.

A
AAHPOO – Apple
AH EE – I See
ANK OO – Thank You
AHHHAYIGT - Alright


B
BEE – Blanket
BEEBEE - ????
BUBBOH – Pretzel
BUBBLES – Bubbles
BOLF - GOLF
BOLF BALL – Golf BallBEEBALL – Basketball
BAABALL – Baseball
BABBY – Gabby (Paige’s mom)
BOOK – Book
BRRR – Cold
BYCE – Bryce
BOB – Bob (Russell’s stepfather)
BABAH – Barbara (Russell’s step mother)
BYE – Bye
BUHBYE-EE – Bye Bye
BITE – Bite
BEEP – Beep
BATH - Bath

C
CRACKER – Cracker
CD - CD

D
DEE – Dirty
DAH – Down
DOG – Dog
DUCK – DUCK
DADDY – Daddy
DAAHHR – Darnit
DAAAHH – Dominate
DEHRRR-AH-IZ – There it is


E
ELMO – Elmo
EE EE – Cookie
EGG – Egg
EYE – Eye
EAR – Ear
EETH – Teeth
EE V - TV


G
GIGI – Josie (the dog)
GOLDFISH - Goldfish

H
HAPPY – Happy
HOT – Hot
HEEP - Sleep
HEP - Help
HELP YOU – Help me
HO – Hold
HOVEL – Shovel
HOOS – Shoes
HAPES – Shapes
HI – Hi
HAT - Hat
HEMMY - Hammer

I
ICKY – Sticky
IRCLE – Circle
IX – Sticks

J
JUICE - Juice

K
KNEES - Knees


L
LARA – Lara (Paige’s cousin)

M
Mama - Mom
MOMMEEEE - Mommy
MONEY – Money
MUH – More
MUH MAH – No More
MUFF MUFF – Muffin
MIMI – Music or Mimi (Paige’s grandmother)
MEETBALL – Beach Ball
MILK - Milk
MOW - Mow

N
NAHNAH - Banana
NANA – Russell’s mother
NO – No
NO NO – No, I mean it
NOODLE - Noodle


O
OH – OH
OH NO – Oh no
OH BOY – Oh boy
OH BRYCE – Oh Brcye
OH TAY - OK

P
PEE BOO, BYCE – Peek-a-boo Bryce
POOPIES – Poopies or Pee Pee
PEE PEE – Pizza
PEAS – Peas
PEEES – Please
PAPA – Papa (Paige’s grandfather)
PAPER - Paper

R
REE REE – Raisin

S
SIP - Sip

U
UMMY – Tummy
UP – Up or Open
UNDEES - Underwear

W
WAFFLE – Waffle
WAWA - Water

Y

YACK – Jack (Paige’s dad)
YUMMY – Yummy
YEAHYOH – Yellow
YES - Yes

Passover

This weekend was Passover and we went out to my parents to celebrate with family. Bryce loved seder and Aunt Barbara and Uncle Arnold's house. Not only did he eat everything put in front of him, he also got to play with 3 basset hounds and 2 8 year old boys. He was going strong well after his bedtime.

On Sunday my mother and I took him to the San Antonio zoo. Since this was our 2nd trip, we knew right where to go. The zoo just completed a great Africa exhibit and we also spent time at the toddler discovery area and even fit in a train ride before Bryce needed to crash. Even though I took terrible pictures, it was a great weekend!

Wildflower Center

Bryce and I met up with our friend Jen and her 2 kids today at the Wildflower Center. It's right by our house but this was the first time we have been. Bryce liked walking around and looking at the ponds. Jen and I worked hard to get some cute pictures of the kids by the bluebonnets.

Friends from NJ

My friend Sarah brought her family to visit us this weekend. This was her son Nate's first trip and the first time we got to meet each other's child. While we were excited about the visit, I think we were focusing on everything that could potentially go wrong. Expectations were low but this was one of the best visits we've had. The boys did great and it was so fun to hang out with old friends in a new way. Here a little view of our weekend:

Any given thursday...

I know that's not exactly how the saying goes, but that's what this post is. Just another weeknight in our house. Dinner around 530, 30 minutes of playtime, E! News at 6, more playing, and then bed. Why E! news? Why not...you can't tell me that Bryce is getting any more from Elmo than he is from Seacrest and Guiliana. I mean, I'm all for the ABC's and counting, but let's be honest...he's sure to get more mileage out of knowing that Amanda got voted off Idol last night. However, tonight was one of those nice nights where Bryce willingly ate his dinner, was feeling good since he had a reasonable nap, and was really interested in just getting down to some serious playing...sans meltdown. Anyway...I got a little carried away with the video, but chances are you've got nothing better to do for the next 8 minutes anyway...and if you do, just hit pause on the Tivo and catch up later...you'll thank me since you'll most likely have skipped a commercial or two letting you know what to do if your Cadillac turns you on for more than 4 hours. Enjoy.

Visit from the grandparents

Russell's dad and stepmom decided to take a vacation to the Lake Austin Spa and then spend a few days with us. The weather was cold and rainy most of the visit so we didn't do too much. We did go shopping in Boerne one day while the men played golf. Bryce is walking now and really enjoys shopping. At one store he stood in the door way and told people "hi" and "bye". Pretty funny to watch...

Go fly a kite

So I guess one of the fun things about having kids is that we get to go to these places where if we didn't have kids, and were just trolling around on our own...I'd kind of be a little leary of a reporter from Dateline popping up asking me "how long I've been stalking young children?". Luckily, since we've got the hip ornament...we can cruise the kids' festivals and enjoy some of the activities of our own youth guilt free.

Today we got to go to the Austin Kite Festival. This is the largest longest single running centrally located family operated with more than 10 port-a-pots kite festival (have we given enough qualifications yet to make this sound impressive?) in the World. This is a time when people from all over take time away from playing World of Warcraft or SIM City to see what the outside looks.

Now...while the term "flying a kite" may sound innocent enough...apparently the urban dictionary thinks that phrase can mean any number of things. So, since this is a family blog, from here out I'll refer to this festival or the actual activity of based on the Wiki definition as flying tethered objects that depends upon the tension of a tethering system (actually that has kind of a catchy ring to it for a festival name...mmm...maybe not).

The whole set up is very family friendly with games and vendors and plenty of kites. We were lucky enough to run in to several of our friends...the McClures, the Tishgarts, the Grays...and stake out a prime viewing spot to see all of the people flying tethered objects that depends upon the tension of a tethering system. Well..while a fair number of people were flying, those that hadn't figured out the tension part of the equation were crashing...right on us. While kites may seem harmless enough, who ever thought it was a good idea to let a cotton candy crazed six year old run around in a crowd with a Spiderman kite with a 14ft wingspan (again the lack of tension thing)?

At some point...a nice lady came by and gave us some free kites which we had a blast with. Bryce helped me fly a tethered object that depends upon the tension of a tethering system. He really seem to enjoy the randomness of the movement, but he probably enjoyed making me chase have the loop of string even more. Well, who are we kidding, the thing he enjoyed most was stealing goldfish crackers from Jen and Steve's lunch.