Sunday, October 26, 2008

Chill

There was a chill in the air this week. Chill could also be used to describe our calendar this week. Nothing huge going on. Lots of hanging out.

Early in the week, he cut his second bottom tooth with little fanfare.
He seems quite proud of his new chompers and has been flashing them alot.

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He's becoming much more aware of, and interactive with, his daytime pals, Gabe and Anna.

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Having sitting up as part of his positional repertoire is proving to be quite convenient and broadens the horizons of playtime.

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On Thursday evening we headed out to Rhythms on the River to catch two bands that he has been listening to since birth, The Figs and the Bluerunners (who played with their full, 5 man, rockin' lineup)

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We really want to catch a couple more of the bands this season, but it'll all depend on his nap schedule, because he didn't do too well this week.

He did look pretty good though, in his first cold weather outfit.

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So, to bring him back down to Earth and keep his ego in check, I made him sit in a box for a while, which he liked.

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Friday was father/son day since Daddy was technically unemployed (start the new job on Monday).

He started off the day by dressing to match his dog (black and gold).

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He then met all of my old pals at Briney & Foret before heading over to Rabalais, Hanna and Hebert to see all of mommy's buddies and share lunch with her for her birthday.

Friday evening, Paul, Liz and Caroline came in for a birthday dinner. No shots of the kids together because they would never be still at the same time.

Riley, was looking like a rock star in his new skeleton hoodie. It's my new favorite outfit for him.

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On Saturday morning, my whole immediate family, including dogs, went out to the Nature Station for some fresh air and a nice woodland stroll.

Canines present were Stitch (Jake's pug), Ozzie (parents' Boston Terrier), Titus (Eli's Alaskan Eskimo Dog) and, of course. Jimmy (our mutt)

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We topped everything off with a great lunch at Johnson's.
The only regret I have in changing jobs is that I will be too far away to go there for lunch most of the time. ( Admittedly, life's not bad when that's the worst that is weighing on your mind)

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After all of the adventuring, Riley was completely wiped out and nowhere near being in a good enough mood to wait through the line that we met when we tried to go "early vote."

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Nothing major on the calendar for next week except that Saturday is UL Homecoming, so he'll have a full day.

In closing here's a few cute pics.

One highlighting his eyes (with his ever present drool goatee)

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One of his mop top

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and finally, one of him with his new best friend, his MP3 player.
I'm a firm believer in early exposure to good music. While the chipmunks and other kids music has merit, we've got him on a path to good adult tastes by stocking his player with the likes of The Weary Boys, Richard Revue, Mario Matteoli, The Figs, Bluerunners, Willie Nelson, Red Stick Ramblers, Charlie Pride, Woodsboss, Lost Bayou Ramblers, and Roddy Romero.(Soon we'll be ordering a fake ID to get him into the Blue Moon, McLovin style)

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Disclaimer- Now that I'm starting a new job, hopefully I'll pick up a few new readers. I don't want to scare anyone off with my sarcasm and/or dry attempts at humor. So, to clarify in advance, I am not actually mean to my kid. I do not make him sit in a cardboard box to punish him for being too cute. We use waterboarding for that. :)

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Pack it up, Pack it in....

...Let me begin.

It was a good week 'round here. Full to the brim with adventures for the little guy.
Sorry if I don't have anything too witty to say, I'll mostly let the pictures tell the stories.

He's really taken to sitting up unassisted this week and only falls when he's reaching for something. It's good because now he can sit around to play with Anna and Jimmy and you can sit him in his crib so that he can watch you while you do things around his room.

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(oh, and he's far more of a naturalist than either of us)

Friday evening we took advantage of the cool weather and headed out to Downtown Alive to catch Dire Wood, a local rock act fronted by Joan's cousin, J Burton.

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Even after Mommy and Daddy ate some Johnson's, we were able to make it home in time for him to still be in a good mood.

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Saturday was a big day of tailgating and the Cajuns taking on Arkansas State. Riley actually made it through the whole game, which is a good thing because the Cajuns won it in the last minute of play. Like the Saints game, he sported his earplugs which allowed him to nap in the middle of a noisy stadium, yet still allowed him to wooo any ovary laden being within a 5 yard radius.

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Before the game, he tried unsuccessfully to take a little nap,

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and instead hung out with friends he doesn't get to see often like Funcle James

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Miss Amanda

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and Miss Traci

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Sunday, things didn't slow down. After church we went to Outback for my mom's 50th birthday, where Riley got to try out his newly developed back muscles in his first high chair sitting.

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After the meal, we headed over to the Pumpkin Patch for a photo session. Unfortunately, by that time he was dead-tired and entirely unwilling to smile or cooperate. But we did get a few good pics.

with Nonnie

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with Poppy

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with Miss Amanda and Uncle Eli/Cousin Mose
(for you Office fans)

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with Uncle Jake

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With Jake, Eli, and Amanda

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With some random chicks.

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And with lots of pumpkins

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(that last one looks all sad and lonely, quite the opposite of his life)

After the Pumpkin Patch, we headed down south of Erath (where just 6 weeks ago there was a few feet of Gulf water) to see Joan's Mom's family and to celebrate Joan's grandmother's 80th birthday. He got to see their pond, see some cows and even see a horse up close.

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even with all of the cool sights though, he just wanted to be cuddled by mommy and frustrate her by not going to sleep.

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Now hopefully all of that activity will make him want to sleep all night. He's only got 4 days to think of a birthday present for his Mommy's last birthday before she turns 30.


on a side note, this will be my last week at my current firm and, starting next Monday, I'll be employed directly by State Farm in their local legal office. I'm excited. I'll be driving 15-25 minutes less a day, and I think I'll be much happier.

Thanks for the hits.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Flying Colors

As usual, we tested our luck this week, and, for the most part, he passed with flying colors.

Early in the week, he cut his first tooth, which we have discovered does not photograph well. The neighboring tooth is on its way through too, and hopefully its arrival will be as uneventful as the first.
He's also gotten pretty good a sitting up on his own (but he's not good enough for the wood floors yet.)

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Thursday, he had his six month pediatrician visit. He tipped the scales at 15 lbs 4 oz, after not having a smelly diaper for 4 days, so you've got to think that is a little heavy. Still, that only puts him at the 10% weightwise.

The measuring tape has him at 26 inches which is the 25% for a six month old.
He also got three shots, and, despite screaming for a few minutes, did not have any ill effects the following day, like we had been warned from some other parents.

The doc's office also told us that now would be a good time to put him in an exersaucer to develop his physical skills, but that we should never use a walker with wheels because he could hurt himself.

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On a side note, this week he has gained much more control over his deathtrap walker with wheels (which he really likes) and has taken to following a ball around the room, not realizing that once he catches it, there's no way to pick it up.

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Friday, we took it easy, knowing that we had a full weekend ahead of us.

Saturday morning, he had his first experience with the wonderfully speedy service in the Sears auto department (read with sarcasm). You can see how hypnotized he was by the prompt attention.

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The sluggishness helped though when we went back later to pick the car up and he was able to squeeze in a healthy nap while Mommy waited in line.

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Later, we met my parents and brother, Jake, at Johnson's Boucaniere for a hearty outdoor lunch on their newly constructed (and still being constructed) wrap-around porch.
You just can't beat that place in my book.
The adults like the food, the atmosphere and the staff.
Riley loves being outside and hamming it up for Ms Claire, Ms Lori and the staff inside.

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Nothing tops off a good meal like good music, so we headed down to Girard Park to catch the Red Stick Ramblers' set at Festival Acadiens.

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It was sunny, so he sported his hat and sunglasses, which really seemed to amaze people. Sort of a baby "Fear and Loathing" look, without all of the hard drugs.

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Sunday was the big test... his first 2 hour car trip and Saints game.
He woke up early and cheery, ready to hit the road.

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Once we got to NO, he donned his Saints gear and hung out with his godmother, Lesley.

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Pregame, he was in a good mood, but not really in the mood to look at a camera.

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Since we've worked so hard at cultivating his good taste in music, we were sure to protect his ears with baby earplugs and a nice hat to keep them in.

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He didn't try to take them out at all. They must have worked because he didn't even flinch in the cacophonous Dome. He even napped through most of the first quarter.

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Plus, about half of the people that walked by commented on how cute he was. Some even took pics of him. (He's already got paparazzi.)

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And the Black & Gold's 34-3 whooping of the Raiders put him in a good postgame mood (or maybe he was just happy to get a clean diaper.)

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Overall he was never really fussy until about 20 minutes before we got home. That is amazing to us because, between traffic and a stop over in BR, he was fine until we had been away from home for over 11 hours. I'm proud of him.

I think that just about covers this week. The next week should be pretty calm.

Thanks for reading.