Here at last

Peanut has arrived.

She was born on Sunday, October 23 at noon.  She was 6 pounds 10 ounces at birth and 19 inches in length.  Both the baby and mommy are doing well after a difficult birth.  We are thankful to the talented group of doctors and nurses that helped bring her into the world.

Here are a few pictures.

Very quiet to start out.  RacDad was pretty worried until she finally let out a squeal.

First Cuddle With Mommy

Princess was at a Girl Scout Halloween party earlier.  Still in face paint.

RacDad with all the kids.

Bright eyes and a suspicious stare.

You Can't Contain It

Chunky Monkey has been expanding his mobility for nearly six months.  Like many babies, he started out by exploring the horizontal axis.  In a matter of weeks, he had thoroughly reconnoitered the living room area, and was interested in expanding down the hall and into the dining room.  Chiefly due to his propensity to identify objects through ingestion, we decided to limit his movement to just those areas where he can be easily seen and intercepted should he attempt  to eat anything more harmful than the occasional clump of dog fur.

From the beginning we knew that he considered the situation untenable.

Thankfully, he was powerless to change it, until he made a shocking discovery.

Using his powers of standing and his increased arm and leg strength, he can surmount the obstacles put in his path by his nemeses.

The photos that follow were not doctored in any way.

He never said as much, but I could see in his eyes the contempt he held for the ottoman/laundry basket barricade.  Congratulations on obtaining the daddy chair, son.  You've earned it.

Until next time.

Happy Birthday Chunky Monkey!

It has been a year since my son entered our lives.  It amazes me how he has enhanced the lives of everybody in our family.  Because of him, my wife found a new undertaking with her blog and contacts within the online Mommy community.  My daughter has blossomed as a big sister and her remarkable skills in dependability and independence have been reflected at school as well as at home.  As for me I'm just thankful to have the opportunity to raise the next generation of manhood.

Here's a brief recap of his life so far:

March 21, 2010

We arrive at the hospital at 7:50 AM.  At 3:13 he shows up mad as hell.

My memory might be a little foggy, but I don't think he calmed down for a few months.  We did manage to snap off a few pictures between his meltdowns.

By Easter of that year, we had settled into our happy family routine.

He celebrated Mother's Day in style.

In June, both he and big sister were baptized.

Over the rest of the summer his personality really started to develop.

By Autumn, The Princess was ready to take on her share of the baby work.

He loved Halloween, even though we wouldn't let him eat any candy.  That was also when he started crawling.

Once he was mobile, there was no stopping him for the rest of the winter.

Once he could get around, he quickly caught up with what he considered to be the most interesting family member.

Which brings us to today.  Our first try with cake didn't work out, but when we realized that he, like his mother, doesn't like frosting, it was all systems go.  Happy Birthday Champ, Daddy loves you.