Pics

-If I put pictures on the blog, people tell me "You need to put those on Facebook because not everybody reads your blog"

-If I put pictures on Facebook, people tell me "You need to put those on your blog because not everybody is on Facebook"

The blog is free, Facebook is free, the pictures aren't all that interesting to begin with...it will be okay if not everybody sees every picture.

That said, here are two recent pics from Facebook :)

Speaking of Hair

So, speaking of hair, any guesses as to Everett's new hobby? What's that you say? Grabbing his own hair and pulling on it until he cries about it? Why yes, yes indeed...you got it!

Hair Dryer = Savior

I'm sure many of you women have known for some time that a hair dryer can be quite the savior. However, given my steady decline into a follicly-challenged state, I am new to this wonder. That said, I am considering nominating the hair dryer for some type of award. Why would I want to do that, you ask? Well, I'll tell you...It is because as I discovered last night, it is the only thing that can get Everett to go from screaming to silent. During one of his fits of baby rage last night, I remembered he seemed to like it when Meggan dried her hair. So, I carried him into the bathroom and turned on the blessed machine. Within seconds, he was completely calm and quiet. We did this a few more times just to make sure it wasn't a coincidence and it had a 100% success rate. I am now in the process of trying to fashion some type of apparatus that will allow me to strap the dryer onto my back or holster of some sort so when he cries, I can whip out my magic pistol like a wild west gunslinger. I'm like the Doc Holliday of colicky babies...are chaps and a cowboy hat too uncomfortable to sleep in? Anyways, if it so happens that I can't get any awards to buy in to my discovery (which I'm sure every other parent already knew), I will begin a crusade for all people to remove the term "hair dryer" from their vocabulary and replace it with "Jesus's Gun of Noisy Salvation".

Birthday Finale

I won't bore you with tons of info and photos from Amelia's 3rd Birthday Bash. Just know there was...

some hoops...



a little bubble chasing...


some rolling around...


lots of silly smiles...


and even some playing with Mommy...


All in all it was a great time and we can't wait to do it again! Meggan's got the next birthday in house, so maybe we'll celebrate hers at Gymboree as well!

Birthday, Part 2

We had a little party at home for Amelia's birthday last night. This is the 2nd celebration she's had leading up to her big party at Gymboree on Sunday. She's a lucky girl.


Required Dora cake...


Aunt Stacy's worst gift wrap job ever....


A happy little 3 year-old...

Can You Help A Brother Out?

My sister came to town to take Amelia out for her birthday and have a chance to see Everett for the first time. Well, this morning, both Meggan and I had to work for a bit so she got a REAL opportunity to spend quality time with the kids. I know I have said on here that Everett is a bit of a cryer...wellll....

within 20 minutes of being at my house last night, she said "Ummmm, I just remembered I have to go home early tomorrow"

within 30 minutes of Everett being awake this morning this conversation occurred...

Me: So, does this make you want more kids?

Stacy: Uhh, no! This makes me question whether I even want Robby (my nephew) to give me grandkids!

Now, I assure you she is just joking, loves the kids with all her heart, and is probably having a good time with them by now. But, I selfishly have to admit...it is sort of nice seeing someone else share my pain with a crying baby.

Happy Birthday!!!

Kids have birthdays all the time. However, how many of them do you know who start their day with their favorite dish cooked by their favorite dad....Happy Birthday Sausage...

Happy birthday to you...happy birthday to you...


As you can see, she's very happy about this...


Contemplating her birthday wish...


And yes, I'm aware this makes us candidates for some "My Big Fat Redneck Birthday" show, but she loves it, so lay off! :)

Mood Swings

The beauty of having two kids is you have now doubled your chances of having one kid who is in a great mood...the problem with having two kids is you have unfortunately also doubled your odds of having a kid who maybe isn't in the best of moods...

3

3 years

36 months

156 weeks

1095 days

26,280 hours

1,576,800 minutes

94,608,000 seconds

150,712,917 viewings Elmo's World

Okay, I may have exaggerated that last one a bit, but it FEELS like I have watched that many episodes. No matter how you slice it, my baby girl turns 3 tomorrow. I couldn't believe it myself as it seems she was born just a few months ago. However, I verified it by going through over 800 posts that support the fact that Amelia has indeed been around a while.

Happy 1st Birthday...


Happy 2nd Birthday...

Two Kids

Several parents I talk to seem to agree with me that behavior goes in shifts - good babies end up as rough toddlers and bad babies take a turn as good toddlers. Well, let me just say this...if you are going to have two kids, pray as hard as you can that you have your bad baby first. If not, you end up in our situation...struggling with a wild 3 year-old and struggling with a possibly colicky baby. For example, there was about an hour long period of time tonight where both kids cried uninterrupted. Amelia was inconsolable and going on and on about anything she could think of while Everett was even worse. He cries about 75% of the waking hours in which he is not attached to a boob. There was definitely a few times where it was a real struggle to stay calm. So, I guess what I am trying to say is...if you are either the parents whose kids are always good or the parents whose bad baby is now a good big sister and new baby is always happy...I hope your teenagers steal your car and tattoo their faces.

Burn the Boats

I heard two of the best pieces of advice I've heard in a long time tonight. As a grown man, I'm a little ashamed to admit it came from Anthony Robbins...who I saw on Oprah...that we DVR'd...that I was watching after Meggan left to pick up Amelia from school. So, there you have it. I'm sure many of you think watching Oprah means I should have my "Man Card" revoked. Well, first of all, I'm not sure any guys who read this baby blog have room to throw stones. Secondly, good luck finding my Man Card...Meggan took that thing years ago. Anyways, on to the very loosely paraphrased advice (if you want the real thing, you'll have to watch the Oprah-Anthony Robbins interview)

- If you are unfulfilled, your backstory is not why you are where you are today. You are where your are today because you are deathly afraid of what it would take to change.
I love this because I feel we all, at some point or another, use past hindrances and failures as a crutch that allows us to settle in the future.

- If you want to take the island, burn the boats.
This really struck me because this statement alone touches the heart of why so many of us fail at new ventures - from losing weight to changing careers. The fact of the matter is we leave ourselves too many outs. There are too many opportunities to take a half-hearted stab at something and then quit at the first sign of adversity. So, if you want to take the island, burn the boats. At that point, there is no escape, there is no quit, and failure is no longer an option.

Little Man

3

We are now less than one week from Amelia turning 3 years-old. I almost can't believe it. She still seems so little to me. That said, I think she has the 3 year-old attitude down pat....


Is that a fist she is making?

Back On My Feet

I was finally healthy enough to go back to work today...and I worked in the office and at home until almost 10pm tonight....ummm, maybe having the flu wasn't THAT bad.

Eye Glasses

Speaking of glass and eyes ....



Yeeeaaaaahhhhhhh, my family probably needs to hurry up and come on home.

Glass Eye

Is it just me or does Everett look like he has a glass eye in that last picture I posted? Since I've had the flu, I haven't seen him in a few days. That said, I'm like 95% sure he didn't have a glass eye when he left here.

Pics From the Road

I just got these two pictures to cheer me up...thought I would share...

Leper

With this flu, even Sophie has decided to take precautions...

Valentine's Day

Considering my loved ones, particularly my wife, are 5 hours away while I fight off this flu, I don't have much to say about Valentine's Day other than "Congrats to all you lovely, celebrating couples out there...I hate you"

Shame on You, Esquire

Let me start by saying Esquire magazine is one of my favorite magazines on the planet. It usually has great interviews, interesting stories, and just enough style trends to keep me from being completely out of touch. That said, I came across something in this month's issue that really disappointed me. In its coverage of Bill Clinton and 78 Other Things We Can All Agree Upon, it has this listed as #12...



...assuming this is only a commentary on these three items (in other words - excluding God, health, etc.), I am saddened by this prioritization. Starting at the top, kids is a great choice. They should be your first priority. After all, they got stuck with you as parents, the least you can do is give it your all. That said, for me, the list goes completely awry from there.

I'm certainly no marriage expert, nor do I profess to be a leader in professional guidance. So, I can only speak for my marriage and my career when I say compared my my marriage, my career could not be more inconsequential. There is a reason I made a vow to my wife that I'd be with her until death while I offer my job a gentlemen's agreement of a two week notice. That reason is because I love my wife. I don't love my job...I wouldn't love any job. Having the greatest job on Earth would simply mean I got to spend the hours between seeing my family doing something fun and exciting. At no point would it transition to anything more than a means to an end. I like my job, work very hard at it, and I appreciate it to the fullest. However, my career is just how I pay my mortgage, pay for Amelia's ballet class, and make sure I can afford my DVR. My marriage is how I live my life.

I'm sure there are a thousand self-centered counterpoints the fine folks at Esquire would hurl my way. However, they would fall upon deaf ears. For me, it is as simple as this - I haven't been to work in days and I don't miss it one bit, yet Meggan has been gone less than 24 hours and I can't wait to see her. I don't keep an eye out for women, yet I do keep an eye out for open positions in my field. I hope to retire long before I leave this Earth, yet I plan on being with Meggan until my last breath. How, I ask, can you ever consider something they have to pay you to do more important than someone you would do anything in the world for?

Sick Leave

In a bad turn, I found out today that I have the flu. This is bad for anyone, but it is REALLY bad for people who have 3 week-old sons. So bad, in fact, that Meggan and the kids have gone to visit Grandma and Grandpa just to be away from me. Obviously, they have had some level of exposure already, but we felt no need to push it further. So, here's to hoping...and praying...their flu shots work.

Nightmare

Just when you think a crying baby is the scariest thing you'll face overnight, you get called into your daughter's room to find her laying in sheets that look like a murder scene. Amelia was yelling for mommy and daddy last night, so I rushed into her room. She said she had something on her chin, but I couldn't see it. When she rolled over to show me, I saw a pool of blood larger than my hand on her sheets. Naturally, this made my heart skip a beat. Luckily, it ended up just being a bloody nose and she hasn't had any issues since. Unluckily, it forced a situation that found me, Meggan, Amelia, Everett, and Sophie in the same bed at one point. Here's to hoping for a better night on all accounts tonight.

Build A Friend

A friend of ours took Amelia out for an early birthday celebration last night. They enjoyed a tasty Chick-Fil-A dinner, some frozen yogurt, and most importantly, a trip to Build-A-Bear. Amelia had never been there before, but from the time she had last night...I'm certain she'll go there again.

Time

I swear we thought we were mentally prepared to have a second child. However, we apparently weren't exactly correct in our thinking. While it hasn't been entirely overwhelming, we have taken a massive hit in the time department. Basically, at all non-working times, we are either feeding him, attempting to keep Amelia from permanently damaging him, or trying to sneak in an hour of sleep. This leaves very little opportunity to blog, exercise, read, bathe, etc. When prepping for Everett, I distinctly remembered Amelia robbing us of all luxurious free time when she was born...however, the tiny little detail I didn't think to calculate this time through was the difference in having Sophie as the second child vs. actually having a real daughter as the second child. Soooo, note to self for next time...raising multiple humans is much, much harder than raising one human and one dog.

A Nice End to the Day

If Amelia knows anything, she knows how to wind down after a hard day at preschool...you get yourself a delicious lollipop, throw on your fake reading glasses, curl up under a blanket, and check out a few Dora videos on the IPad.

Relativity

Three weeks ago, Amelia was my tiny little baby girl. Now, she is my big, silly kid. Compared to Everett , who weighs about as much as Cool Whip and always smells like a baby, she might as well be grown. Now, this relative change isn't all bad. To go along with now feeling like she has lead in her pants and constantly smelling like a sweaty kid fresh off a game of freeze tag, I now also more fully realize how funny she is, how caring and sweet she can be, how easy she is to take around town, and in all honesty, just how incredibly awesome she is to hang out with. So, while I love both my kids with all my heart and I try to appreciate them every day of their lives, I apparently became complacent somewhere along the way. It took a fresh little face around the house to help me understand there was another little face running around that I had begun to take for granted.

Peaceful Rest

I sincerely hope we aren't the only parents who have a nightmare of a time getting their child to sleep. Are we asking too much to want Amelia to go to bed without jumping on the bed, arguing with everything we say, and requiring one of us lay with her forever? I'm sure no kid bathes themselves, reads their own bedtime story, and tucks themselves into bed. That said, I'm not thinking bedtime takes over an hour for most parents. Sure, she'll go to sleep if we either go to bed with her or let her stay up until she passes out from exhaustion. Unfortunately, we believe in things like schedule and structure...and apparently Amelia believes in things like parental torture and tension.

Truth Hurts

Even though it doesn't really matter or mean much, I have to be honest and say it didn't feel so good tonight when during a bedtime sobfest, Amelia basically put me in my place. I went into her room to be the hero and make her feel safe and loved. She thanked me by looking at me through tears and saying "I don't want you. Daddy's not my best friend. Mommy is my best friend". Ouch. Oh well, at least I know Sophie still loves me.

In Training

Amelia tries to do everything she can to help with Everett. This includes offering to carry him, feed him, bathe him, dress him, etc. While she currently has 3 jobs - making sure all visitors wash their hands before touching him, washing his feet at bath time, and picking out his outfits - she is not allowed to do any of the higher pay grade jobs. I give her credit for continuing to try to show us she can handle it, though. Here she is showing her prowess with the Baby Bjorn...

Nice Try

So, what do you do when you think both of your parents are too preoccupied taking photos of your new baby brother?


Naturally, you sneak into the pantry, grab a bag of chocolate chips, and try to use your dog's claws to open the bag ....

Time Warp

Apparently, while Everett is still very much a baby, Amelia is now grown (or at least a disgruntled teenager). Here are the last things I heard before I went to bed last night...


Amelia: Randall, just please do what I asked you to do!

Everett: waaaaaaahh, waaaaaaahhhhhh, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!

No Rest For The Weary

Last night, I posted that having a newborn made me so tired that the only reason I was up past 9 was because I had to pay bills. It is certainly a good thing I didn't post that in an effort to get any sympathy. I heard from not one, but two, grandmothers today that I need to get more pictures posted on the blog immediately. So, without further adieu...or rest...here are enough pictures to keep you busy...

Sleeping angel...


Either about to give me the bird or trying to hold in his pacifier at all costs...


Getting better with the pacifier...


Taking a look around...


Snoooozing...


Tiny little piggies...


Resting up on mom...


Clearly annoyed with all the pictures...

New Schedule

Well, it is roughly 9 p.m...Three weeks ago, this would have meant it was time to surf the Internet, post on the blog, and begin relaxing a bit. However, since the arrival of Everett, I am literally only awake right now because I had to stay up and pay bills.

While I'd like to write a smart, enlightening blog post for you tonight. I actually feel like that story told you more about having a newborn than I ever could.