Re-Dadded
Posted by brianchurch on Nov 23, 2011
It’s been 115 or so days since my last brief update. Freya turned 2 and a few days later we found out Jane is pregnant again.
[insert sound of record scratching]
Wait! What the! Seriously, read it again. We are preggers with niño dos.
It’s a huge surprise given the difficulty we had getting pregnant with Freya, our first bundle of awesome. Initially the news hit me like a sack of fists because I was selfishly plotting to reclaim some of my own time since Freya now plays with her toys and crayons without needing constant 100% attention. But, I got over it and now I welcome the additional challenge that will be coming our way at the end of June.
I’ve already started annoying Jane with baby name proposals. It seems some of my name submissions like Incredible Hulk, Strawberry Applepie, Classy Champagne, Thebossame, Humberto Jr II or Magneto are not on Jane’s short list of certified good ideas. I’ll keep trying, though, maybe I can slip a good one in there when she’s sleepy. Regardless of our li’l buddy’s name, we’re going to make a good time of it.
We’ve started to prepare Freya for the experience by telling her that she will be a big sister and that Mommy has another baby in her tummy. Apparently she said that she will let the new baby play with her toys which is pretty effing cute. She’s such a bright little girl and I hope her incredible sense of calm happiness rubs off on her sibling. Meanwhile I’ve been thinking of Daddy and Freya activities that can continue after the new baby is here to be sure Freya doesn’t suffer from having all attention diverted from her to the new arrival.
Freya Vocabulary Quiz
Posted by brianchurch on Dec 2, 2010
Last week we conducted a Freya vocabulary quiz after she finished her lunch. Video below, I smile every time I watch.
Freya walking video
Posted by brianchurch on Oct 31, 2010
Early this evening (around 4pm) we donned our costumes and headed downtown with friends to celebrate Halloween. Jane was a Giants baseball player, I was a samurai and Freya was a bumble bee. Next year I hope we can coordinate a bit better. Our adventure was less about candy than admiring the costumes we saw, one of my very favorites being a dog with a headless horseman riding on his back.
When we returned home, Freya practiced walking and I caught a few steps on video for everyone to enjoy with their mountains of candy. The quality is a bit crappy due to being captured with my cell phone and the lighting in our TV room needs some work.
Happy Birthday, Freya
Posted by brianchurch on Oct 27, 2010
One year ago today, Freya joined our party and we’re continually grateful she accepted our invite. I’ll spare you the detailed version of her birth story, just know it was a very long night with a few uh-oh moments thrown in for fun. If you’re really curious, I think my wife may have blogged about it t some point. The best part of the story, though, is we came home with this awesome baby who is so happy all the time it makes parenting much easier for Jane and me.
Minutes after her arrival (Oct 27, 2009):
One year ago she was born and became very real to me, no longer an abstract idea but a very real, very small, human being. I’ve found myself in a strange haze of time dysmorphia as Freya’s birth seems like it happened yesterday while simultaneously seeming like many years have passed. I would blame sleep deprivation but, honestly, Freya was sleeping through the night (except when nursing, of course) soon after we brought her home. I lose more sleep because of my job than I do my daughter. but admitting that to other new parents makes me feel a little guilty.
Recently (Oct 06, 2010):
Skip ahead one year, add a bunch of coos and laughter a pinch of fussy baby stuff and we arrive back in the present. Over the weekend we had a small birthday party which Freya likely won’t remember but Jane and I appreciate the thoughtful cards and gifts she received from friends and family. In addition to a birthday celebration, it was a good excuse for us to socialize, which we don’t do often enough.
After the party died down, she stood up near her toybox with no support and did her little bouncy knee dance for what seemed like a long time before she plopped down on her butt and clapped her hands. An hour or two later she was hugging Jane and I stretched out my hand barely out of her reach and she took what I consider to be her first solo step as she bridged the gap between mommy and daddy. Soon, I fear she will be wreaking real havoc on our house as she runs from room to room bounding over baby gates putting metal things into electrical sockets.
I really hope she is more sensible than that…
Happy Birthday, Freya!
I never write
Posted by brianchurch on Mar 23, 2010
Dear neglected blog, don’t take it personally. I’m just not an active blogger. It’s me, not you. I hope we can still be friends.
One and one half months since my last posting, how absurd. Here’s the short version of some family stuff.
Jane and Freya joined me on my latest work trip to San Francisco and our sweet little muffin was a fantastic flying companion. Our flight from SEA to SFO was delayed by one hour which mucked up her feeding schedule and put her in a foul mood as we were boarding but it was short lived.
This month (March), Freya has started crawling backward and is able to push herself up on her arms very nicely. My favorite progressions in her development, though, is her laugh. Last week as Jane carried her around the house, Freya was laughing about everything, it seemed like she was practicing for some hilarious event that will eventually occur in her life. I really should make an audio recording and post it.
Unfortunately, my clock reads 11:28pm and I need to finish some house chores before running off to sleep so I will end the post here. Perhaps I will make more of an effort at regular updates.
Goodbye old friend
Posted by brianchurch on Dec 30, 2009
Today was a very emotional day for Jane and I as we had to say goodbye to our very good feline friend Simon. For several weeks his health had been spiraling downward and I tricked myself into thinking everything was better when he showed signs of improvement for one week. However, his face continued to distort from swelling on his forehead and the third eyelid of his left eye was 50% closed. Monday and today he didn’t eat and wandered around with a distant look on his unfamiliar face. We suspect he was losing his vision because he was pacing around the house in strange patterns, running into things and getting stuck behind furniture.
I had to phone the vet to schedule the procedure and for the first time since we met, Jane saw me cry – which proves I’m probably still human.
Shortly after noon today Jane petted Simon as the doctor injected the series of fluids that would signal his retirement. The doctor’s best guess is that his swelling and deteriorating health was caused by some form of cancer. The procedures to verify the diagnosis were out of our price range at this time and it was very likely the results would tell us that he was in very poor health with no chance of significant recovery. It’s very frustrating but I’m confident that we did the right thing by not prolonging his suffering. He had a very good life with us and will be greatly missed.
Now that I’ve set a dreary tone for this post, let’s see if I can pull it around to something more celebratory.
A short and incomplete list of the things I loved about our dear friend Simon.
- His purr often rivaled the roar of a Harley Davidson when he would snuggle up to Jane at night.
- When working in my home office late at night, Simon would often hop into my chair between me and my chairback to fall asleep purring his face off.
- Simon was down for a nap any time of the day and would happily lay on my chest to make sure no one disturbed me.
- He was very good at playing with balls of crumpled paper.
- We could not have house plants because Simon would always find a way to rub his face in them, eat the leaves or knock them over. In the video below you’ll see his love for plants.
- He was one of the most social cats I’ve met. When visitors would walk through our door, he was there to greet them.
- Simon was talkative. He would sometimes walk into a room and start meowing to us as if telling us about his day.
- He was the boss and made sure our other pets stayed in line. When we brought Kona (our dog) home, Simon backed her into a corner the first day to send the message that he’s not to be messed with.
- He was crazy about being picked up and would seriously try to climb my leg just so I would cart him around like a baby.
This video was taken on Simons 14th birthday in our back yard. He was an indoor cat ever since I met him (though in his early days he was indoor/outdoor) and was always interested in escaping if there was a partially open door. The best part was even if he did escape he would only get as far as the first leafy plant because he would have to stop and stick his face in the leaves, it was like catnip for him.
You had a good life my friend and will forever live on in our fond memories and many photos, one of my very favorites is this one:
