Leavin' On a Jet Plane

Tomorrow morning, Zach and I will be boarding an airplane and flying across the country. (We're visiting a friend in NJ who just had her first baby three months ago.) I've been planning and going over this trip in my mind for weeks. Mainly, I've been trying to think through everything I might need to keep a 9 month old happy for 6 plus hours while trapped in an 18 inch wide seat.

EVERYTHING. What outfit I should wear, what he should wear, what to eat, what toys would keep him best entertained... etc. etc. And don't even get me started on the germiness we may encounter. There is a baggie of disinfecting wipes, another bundle of hand sanitizing wipes, and Zach's seasonal flu shots are all complete. As you can see, having a child during the flu season has turned me into a germ-a-phobe.

Now I must take a deep breath, say a prayer, and hopefully get some sleep. We begin our adventure early in the morning, so if you are reading this sometime Friday morning, say a prayer for us! While you are at it, say one for Ryan too. He has his FLUG (Flight Lead Upgrade) checkride tomorrow. He has been working so hard on this (the training never ends), and he's ready to be done with this phase. I am so amazed at how well he's handled his three jobs, each one pounding him with major challenges in the past few weeks. This is one of the lights at the end of the tunnel, and it will be good to be finished.

I'll update you when we get back next week!

My New Toy

I just got myself an upgrade in the camera department.

I was experiencing technical difficulty with the last one I purchased, but had to be sure this would be a good investment before I shelled out the dough.


I think it will do just fine...

Even though I missed a post last week, I actually have been on the computer A LOT lately. I'm re-doing my photography website (FINALLY!) and it will hopefully be done in a few days. I'll post a link here when it's finished, so you can check it out and let me know what you think!

Boys and Their Toys

Our new house has a HUGE lawn... which gave Ryan the perfect excuse to buy a riding lawn mower. As luck would have it, he found a used one on craigslist that came with a snow blade, which we new would come in handy, since we now also have a huge driveway. And what guy wouldn't want to use tractor equipment in the summer and the winter?

Here are the boys using the snow blade a few weeks ago...

Sleep Tight

Most babies can and will sleep in the most odd positions, making adults cringe and want to schedule a session with a chiropractor or a masseuse.  Zach is certainly no exception.  In fact, I think he has to be the oddest sleeper I have ever seen.  He bends his neck back in a way that you would swear would cause the worst crick ever, and smushes his face into the side of the crib, or covers it with his blankie.  If he's feeling really dramatic, a foot will be propped up in the air.

We were describing the odd way that Zach likes to sleep to some friends, and they asked, "Do you have a picture of it?"

Uh, no.

Shame, guilt, shame.

I fixed that the next day.  Keep in mind I couldn't use a flash on this precious, sleeping little baby, so it's a bit blurry, but you'll get the idea.

At times, the right arm is down by his side and he is lying flat on his back, but with his head in the same position.  No kidding.  Oh, to be that flexible again.

Christmas

Before it gets too embarrassingly far past Christmas, you probably would like to see our Christmas photos.  Well, let me explain about that...

Tradition puts us at my parent's for Christmas Eve, and we forgot our camera.  So there are a few pics of Zach on my mom's camera, which I have yet to copy from her.

Then, on Christmas morning, we took a video of Zach opening his presents from us, but no pictures.  We have a new camcorder now, but I have yet to connect it to our computer.  Besides, the video is about 5 minutes long of Zach SLOWLY opening his present and playing with the wrapping paper, so I'll just spare you the boredom.

So, feeling somewhat guilty about having absolutely ZERO photos of Zach on his first Christmas, I got inspired as I was taking down the Christmas decorations and putting them in their storage bins.  In the bottom of one, I found some reindeer antlers, and here's my attempt at making up for my shamefully negligent parenting in the photography category. (Is it more embarrassing that I am a professional photographer too?  My excuse is that future siblings won't feel left out when comparing the amount of photos taken of them versus the firstborn.)

Catching My Breath

We're back.

Has anyone else been feeling overwhelmed lately?  I'm almost ashamed to admit it... because I know plenty of other people with a lot more on their plate (Meagan!).  So even though my laundry is spilling over in its baskets, the dust bunnies are multiplying like rabbits, and I am behind on my photo-processing, this blog will stay silent no longer.  (cue fan fare)

You've missed almost two months of Zach now.  The photos and videos have been piling up in our cameras because I was trying not to ONLY blog about our child.  But I've realized that I really need to be doing exactly that, since a few years (or months!) from now, I will have forgotten most of the little details about his first year.  And that's precisely why I've stuck with this blogging thing.  It's been so great to go back a remember specific moments and events, when otherwise, it would have all just been a blur.

So, if you've managed to stick around, even though it's been quiet around here, prepare yourself for an overload of catching up from the last few months, and a shameless amount of Zach's face.  After all, it is adorable.

Guess what?  This photo was taken today.  I'm already improving!

Busy Busy Busy

This could be a record for the longest span I've gone without posting...

Maybe this song will explain it best...

I promise there will be pics and videos and stories soon.  I just have to catch my breath!