In the Xmas spirit

The tree is up, the stockings are hung, Christmas music fills our
halls and the "family" bed, as Henry calls it, is the prime spot to
watch Christmas movies. Here are our two little elves ...

Go Bucks!

Emerson is enjoying his first OSU / Michigan game (so far).

Yep ... Underwear on the Head

I told Henry to put on his underwear. This was the result. Goes really well with his homage to Animal House.

Henry has been an absolute godsend with the Emerson (but hasn't he always been? He is, after all, his Gaga's Baby Hope).

I'm still learning so much about this parenting thing. Dads (and Moms) have been telling me since he was born to cherish every moment, and I thought I understood what they meant. As I was climbing up the ladder to his bunk bed this evening, it washed over me that this kid won't be 4 much longer. And then he will never be four again. Will he still insist that I sleep up with him (no)? Will he still sing James Brown, Ray Charles, and Beatles songs with me (hopefully - fingers crossed)? And dance uncontrollably?

I went out to the car yesterday and noticed that the dome light was busted. I looked at it for a minute, then dismissed it so that I could get Henry and Emerson ready. Henry bounded out the driveway, opened up his car door, settled himself into his car seat and promptly (right away) told me that the light wasn't working because my (driver's) door was still open.

And he was right. I hadn't quite closed it all the way, and even though the door was closed, the sensors thought it was open.

Henry 1, Daddy 0.

IMG_0586.JPG

First Pictures!

Sarah has planned, since Emerson's birth, to get pictures of the boys
before Emer sprouts his first tooth. Then life happened for about six
months.

Yesterday she was feeling around in his mouth, and felt a tooth! So we
called an audible and got pictures. Tonight. Here's a behind the
scenes shot. The real pictures will be posted soon.

Catching up on the end of summer

We have had a very busy summer just trying to keep up with Henry, and
keep up with Emerson's high expectations of us! We have, however,
squeezed in some time for fun. You can see Henry trying to convince
the camera of the awful time that he's having just before and after
dancing like a mad man at a joint concert of the Symphony and the OSU
marching band.

Unfortunately, Sarah and I have have spent the last month taking care
of each other, combatting a case of the flu and a tweaked back
(Michael) and a severely sprained ankle (Sarah). Here's hoping that
the fall is a bit less crazy!

Who's 4? I'm 4!

IMG_0468
Originally uploaded by hepcatrayo.

On our bike ride to campus, Henry stopped off to hang out at The Numbers, which is a series of number sculptures on the outskirts of the Engineering buildings. Most of them are upright and huge.

Henry, however, wanted to find the "4" (for obvious reasons) which was off in the corner, and sat flush with the ground. After a bit of searching, we found it. Here's Henry sitting with his quarry.

Birthday's! - Henry's and America's

Henry turned 4! Henry turned 4! As usual, the small family birthday that we had in mind ballooned up to 20 people (we just don't have a small family, and really need to come to grips with it!). Gramma Schmidt made an appearance. Auntie Pammie called him during the festivities.  And all of the usual suspects were there: Grammy and Grandpa Rayo, Gaga and Papa, Jimmy, Erin, and Asia, and James, Rachel, and Tenzin.  Uncle Jonna was noticeably absent ... we hope to see him soon!

Henry's big present this year was a big-boy bike, replete with training wheels.  Have no fear, the frown that you see on his face has nothing to do with the bike. He has inherited his mother's absolute and complete loathing of cameras, and slapped that face on just before all the flashes went off.



Along with Henry, the country had it's birthday, and it was the first time that Emerson witnessed it! He wasn't all that impressed, sleeping through both the parade and the fireworks.  Henry, however, was quite engaged and excited, and saluted the servicemen.

    

Henry also had his first "friend" birthday this year along with his family birthday. We did pretty well for having 10 4 yr. olds (all boys except one) caged inside a Graeter's, plied with ice cream and cake, and set loose.  Everyone lived, and much revelry was had.

Catching up - Emerson's first DriveIn!

Whoa ... it has been a long time since I've written.  Here's a quick update.  After 6 weeks, my paternity leave ended (right about the time where I expected to start that "mommy" blog!).  Within two days, I transformed from being blissfully unemployed to full-on, 50-60 hours a week. Amazingly enough, I remember how to work like that!

In the meantime, life didn't slow down at home in the last .  Emerson went to his first drive-in movie (and Henry's second). This is us in the back of the Murano, just before the movie.  Henry actually fell asleep in the middle of the SECOND movie, which started at 10:30 (Henry fell asleep at 11).

 

Henry went to his first baseball game!



(Click to make this one bigger ... it's a pretty sweet picture of our seats!)

       

Henry's first time sleeping in a tent outside (which was really a trip, because he really likes jumping on air mattresses).




... and there were tons of other Emerson firsts through June that I frankly can't remember anymore!

New Daddy Blog!

OK, I entered a contest.  To be a mommy blogger.  Eternal optimist, right?  Well, they were pretty serious about the mommy part, so I was out on my tuckus.  So I'm going to blog anyway. I won't be flooding this blog, though ... I'm starting a new blog, Lightning Dad, at http://lightningdad.blogspot.com.  So you guys won't have to hear about cloth diapers, Moby's, how not to dress kids, and the like (unless you want to!)

I'll also be on twitter as LightningDad.

More Emerson and Henry pictures shortly.

Periodontal Surgery: Not fun

NOTE: no pictures on this one. You're welcome.

So, after a year of being really mad at my dental insurance, trying to figure out a flexible spending account, and generally dragging my feet (my excuse? A rough pregnancy and a French Fry!), I finally got the periodontal surgery that I needed. I would like to take this moment to thank the genetic c0cktail that sent my grandmother, mother and father for the same surgery.

Worst part? The 4 hours of cutting, scraping, and sewing? Nope. The novocaine. Almost passed out. Had to request a pre-sedative (pre-sedative?). Which they had to send someone (in their car) to go get while I was in the chair. Or maybe they called Cafe Courier. I was a bit busy at the time.

It was very strange listening my tunes (thank you thank you iPhone!) while they were doing their work. I started with an audiobook, but I couldn't concentrate on it. I switched to Medeski, Martin, and Wood, then finished with Beirut. Very very cool. I great way to dissociate myself what was going on, but still able to listen for instructions.

Craziest part? They numbed me up so much that my nose went numb. It (and my mouth) is finally past that, and I'm on serious pain medication. But doing fine.

The Story of Emerson James Rayo

If I wait any longer to pen this, I'll forget the good parts ...

We had been circling April 17th, French Fry's due date.  We were a bit bummed that Bryan, Sarah, and Annalia wouldn't be able to see him on his first weekend, because of Bryan's business trip to the great state of Alabama (they're hiring, by the way, if you're a GIS dude and can convince Bryan to quit). However, they would be down the weekend before (Easter weekend!), and we were planning on sucking the marrow out of the weekend.

We were getting ready for our Easter festivities, the Michigan Rayos had just arrived, and we had an impromptu toddler dance party, replete with a dancing chicken (playing, of course, the Chicken Dance).  It was a blast, and we turned in late but knew that we would be waking early to get the kids ready for the Duckling Day Parade, an annual Easter Tradition.

Instead, we woke to contractions.  Big ones. At 4:00 AM.  At 6:00 AM, we woke up Henry and told him that we would be going to the hospital soon. As I went down to give Bryan and Sarah the news, Henry rode out three or four contractions with Mommy.  She squeezed his arm to get through them.  Henry soldiered through it, didn't ask any questions, and they watched cartoons together.

Once arriving at the hospital, the labor and delivery went quickly, and were as uneventful as a "normal" birth could be.  Sarah pushed for about 30 minutes after about 4 hours in the hospital.

The fun started when we realized that he had fluid in his lungs that he couldn't aspirate.  His lips would turn blue when they removed the oxygen mask.  Fun, huh? They whisked him off to the NICU, got him hooked up to CPAP and an IV, and we rode it out. 

As emotional as it was, I fully realized that he wasn't in any serious danger ... we just wouldn't get to hold him or have him as quickly, and that meant that WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO NAME HIM.  We had fully expected to shoo everyone away for about an hour, take a long look at him, and figure out who he was.  That would not come to pass, because we went right from the NICU to his car seat to go home, and the hospital gets cranky about not naming your baby before you skedaddle out of there. So, in between the 35 visits between the NICU and Sarah's room, visiting with family, getting everything ready, and (oh yeah) sleeping, we did get some time and came to a decision about his name.

Emerson James Rayo. The feisty SOB that would be doing everything his way, thank you very much.

We got home without a hitch, and we're not really sleeping very well.  And it's wonderful.

The Parade that we Missed

Not that I'm complaining, but there are consequences to be paid for spending a weekend in the hospital, even if it is for the incredibly wonderful, life-changing experience of welcoming your second son into the world.

Unfortunately, our consequences were missing just about all of the Easter festivities of the weekend.  This started off with the Duckling Day parade, where Henry and his cousins donned their duck uniforms and marched proudly with a hundred or so pint-sized cohorts.

We also missed all the family dinners, but we didn't miss any of the food! Thanks to all of our family for feeding us the last week, and visiting the new boy!

They sleep!

Yes, there's a lot of sleeping going on in our house lately. And a lot
of not sleeping.

Emerson James came home!

I'll be posting the extended version later, but wanted to let everyone
know that everyone is home and doing great!

French Fry's official name is Emerson James Rayo, and he is just as
spirited as he was in the hospital. He eats great, but only on his
terms. Sometimes breast, sometimes bottle - no rhyme or reason.

He's asleep on my chest right now!

Baby!

Born at 12:25 pm, 8 lbs, 9 oz.

No name! More later.

Where's French Fry?

They have his bed made, they have his hat ready ... but that dude
hasn't shown up yet!

French Fry's Room - Crib Side!

As promised, crib-side pictures!

Henry has graciously donated his crib (which is the same crib his mother, two uncles, and cousin Tenzin slept in), his wall signs, bookcase, changing table, and diaper pail. He's so generous!

And, as always, Henry wants to say hello!

French Fry's Room (part 1)

I couldn't get the crib side to come out, so you'll have to be OK with waiting on the edge of your seats in anticipation. Here, for the first time in cyberland, is French Fry's room!

We changed an accent wall, added a ton of baby furniture, and took out all of our guest room furniture. A pretty major overhaul. Luckily, I convinced Sarah that our paint job from 4 years ago would still work for the baby!

Next up ... crib pictures!

Almost ready ...

We have been painting, building, finding, and cleaning like madmen. We now have all the tools ready for French Fry. Not that we're saying that we're "ready" ... We just have all the gear ready. Henry wants all of his grandparents to know that we love you and miss you very much (they were all out of town this weekend!)

Henry's first signature

Ok, maybe this is only cool to Sarah and me ... Henry did this a
couple weeks ago. Lately he's been back to his Geometry proofs.

Before I forget ...

I keep meaning to start penning all of the things we've been doing lately before I forget all of them.  Everything is moving so fast and frankly it's hard to keep up with all of it. 

French Fry's room got finished two weeks ago, and we took the last vestiges of our crap out of the closet last weekend.  The basement guest suite (which will actually be pretty !@#$ cool once we straighten up) is now outfitted with a full bath, double bed, and an iMac which could easily double as an Entertainment Center (as long as you only want to watch Disney movies ... that's all it plays!).

All that's left is some trim, some shelves, and some straightening up. We might just get that finished before our little one arrives.

I've rented a megaphone to talk to French Fry.  I heard it's loud in there.  Wanted to make sure I got through to him.  You know how kids are. In all seriousness, he's been high-fiving me lately. 

Henry is absolutely awesome right now.  His imagination is through the roof, his curiosity is insatiable, and his laughter is infectious. The dude rocks.  We spent last Saturday morning cruising Hot Wheels cars around our bedroom ... worth every minute.  He is helping out with the baby preparations, and is very excited about his new brother.  However, he isn't French Fry's brother.  He is quick to tell you that he's French Fry's Big Brother.  Nothing else will suffice.

Spring is breaking, even though I know that it will run and hide from Winter at least one more time this month.  So be it ... the last weekend has been lovely.  We're seeing our neighbors again. Some are just finding out for the first time that we're having a second child. Oops!

Our big boy camper

Henry found his tent this weekend, so we put it up and he's been
sleeping in there for naps and overnight.

He must have found a really comfy spot last night, because he wasn't
budging when I tried to wake him.

Then, all of a sudden, he popped up, started reaching for the granola
bar that I brought for him, and stumbled
Into our room to watch TV. All without opening his eyes. Ah, the
Thornburg sleepwalking/sleepgrowling/sleep disorder has befallen him.

The house is no longer safe, I fear.

Some Fun We Had: 2008

Holy crap, 2008 went fast. Here's a taste of some of the stuff we got into. Obviously not everything, but I thought this was nice ... some beach time, some pool time, some snow time ... and all of it Henry time.

With a new finished basement, a new job (wait ... two new jobs), new classes that Sarah took on, and oh yeah, a new babe on the way (shout out to French Fry), I'm pretty excited that my head hasn't exploded.

Quick note on the video: our sled popped on the run after the last one shown in the video. We started veering towards a fallen tree, Daddy our Stalwart Hero got Henry out of harm's way, braced for impact, Saved the Day, and started hearing the telltale hissing sound of a failing tube sled. So we packed it up and went home. Arrgh.

Daddy 1, Sled 0

Henry has been dying to sled ever since the snow came three days ago.
Unfortunately, it's been subzero (seriously) ever since. Today it's
15, so we're going out. Henry's napping, and I'm inflating the tube.
Even bought a new pump. Easy, right?

This is the concoction that I devised so that I wouldn't have to
resort to huffing and puffing. And yes, those are vice grip pliers.

First "sleepover"

Henry has been asking for a sleepover, so two nights ago I made the mistake of telling him: "We can't do it tonight, but we'll do it tomorrow." What a boneheaded move: everyone that knows that child knows that he doesn't forget ANYTHING. So, lo and behold, after I tucked him in last night and got snuggled in on the couch, I heard him calling down to me:

"Daddy! Daddy!"

I went up to see what was the matter, and to remind him that he should only be calling to me when he's in trouble. He let me know that (1) I forgot to put his night light up on his loft and (2) that I forgot about sleepover. D'oh!

So I made him a deal: I'd lay down in his room until he fell asleep.

It was actually a very surreal experience. I got to see Henry's room after hours. I got to see what he sees right before he goes to sleep. It was very much Henry's world. I had visions of how this is going to work when he's 15 (and I shuddered). And I got definitive proof that our little dude has a really hard time settling down and going to bed. He tosses. He turns. He kicks. He readjusts. He whispers. He repeats the whole process. And finally, he falls asleep.

He made sure to tell me this morning that he was awake when I snuck out last night. A very Henryesque comment, to be sure.

Happy New Year from Batman

Happy New Year! We had a fantastic Christmas, and a great start to the New Year. Christmas was all about superheroes for Henry (as you can, I hope, see in the picture). He got costumes, action figures, pajamas, underwear, accessories ... the whole superhero schmear. And not to be outdone, the supervillains got a place at the table, too. Daddy got a Wii, and Mommy got a bracelet so that she always had a place for her "h" charm ("h" stands for ???).

Shannon and Jen were in town (for two weeks!) and we spent as much time as we possibly could with them. We attended their son's first birthday party (ok, it was kind of a Fiesta Bowl party, but we won't tell him). Shannon and I played the Wii quite a bit over the two weeks, and continuously schemed more ways to play Olympics, or Wii sports, or Excitebike (which you can download right on to the Wii! Who knew? Not me!)

Hope you all had a fantastic break from the action, and are recharged for the next year. And, if you're in the Midwest, hopefully all of that Christmas cheer takes you through the rotten weather it appears that we're going to have over the next two months (just keep humming "Winter Wonderland" ... maybe that will work)