Fall already

I can’t believe that it is fall already! It has been busy here in Alabama but I’m not really sure what we have been doing.

Sydney just came home from a vacation in Illinois. My mom came down to Alabama and visited with us for a few days and took her up there. It sounds like she was very spoiled while she was there. She got to visit both sides of her family, went to the Chili Supper at my mom’s house, played in the bouncy house, and got to wish the triplets a Happy 2 year Birthday! The Wise family brought her back home and they stayed with the kids while Steve and I went to the Bears game in Atlanta. Sydney is now in the Grandparents de-programming process. She has not heard the word “no” in a while and does not seem to understand its meaning anymore.


Halas is happy to have his sister back home! He crawls all over the place and can stand and cruise along the furniture. Most of the time he is heading to where ever his sister is playing. He had his 9 month check up and is 24.5 pounds and 30 inches tall.

I have been very busy at work getting ready for the launch of Ares I-X. This is the first test flight that NASA has launched since the 1981 launch of the Shuttle. Ares I-X is much taller than the shuttle (almost twice as tall). It is scheduled to launch on Tuesday, October 27th at 7:00 a.m. central and I am so excited!

- Ang

She swims, he raps

It was very warm and sunny this weekend. Here is a picture of the kids playing on the swing set.


Sydney had her first swim lesson this week. She had a lot of fun and didn't want to get out of the pool. She was a little disappointed that they didn't teach her more but I assured her that she would get to do more each week.

Here is a picture of her jumping in.


And on the kick board...

And while we knew that Sydney loves to swim, we learned that Halas loves to rap. Steve and I were watching the movie "Notorious" and whenever a rap song came on (which was frequently) he would start jumping and squealing. Of course, every time we tried to get some video of his excitement, he would stop. Here is a quick clip...

Our little engineer

Today is "Take Our Children to Work Day." Sydney came in with me this morning. I took her over to get all of the NASA goodies and to meet the NASA robot. She wasn't too sure about the robot. He wanted to shake her hand but settled for her blowing him a kiss.

She stopped by my office and then headed over to check out her dad's digs. Then she went back to school "to have some fun."

Growing like a weed

Both Halas and Sydney went to the doctor last week for a checkup and shots.

Sydney got 4 shots that day, two in one arm, one in the other arm, and one in the leg. I could not believe how brave she was! She gave Steve a big bear hug and took every shot without crying at all. We were so proud of her that she got to go to her favorite restaurant that night. It is a Mexican place that gives ice cream and balloons at the end of every meal.

She is growing right on track too. At 4 years old she is 3' 5.5" tall (77th percentile) and 38 lbs. (67th percentile). There is an old wives tale that if you take your child's height when they were 2 years old and double it, that will be their height when they are an adult. If that holds true, Sydney was 35.3" at 2 years old so she should be about 5'10".

Halas got 3 shots and one oral vaccination. He cried when he got the shots but stopped as soon as they put the drops in his mouth. The nurse was very impressed with their pain tolerance.



Halas is getting to be a very big boy. He is 26.5" (95th percentile) and 17 lbs. (87th percentile). He is one of the happiest babies that I have ever seen! He is now "talking" more. He just started eating baby cereal. The most success I have getting him to eat is when I put him up on the counter and Sydney in front of him (I bribe her with applesauce). He loves to watch her and will ignore the part where I am shoveling food in his mouth.



This morning I had breakfast with Sydney at her school. It was Muffins for Mom day. Halas even got me a Mother's Day gift. When I dropped him off at daycare today there was a flower pot with his hand print on it and 3 "flowers" that had different pictures of him on each flower. It was very cute. Sydney got me some bath stuff and made me a card where she used her fingerprints to make the petals on a flower. The gifts are so sweet and are on proud display in my office. Later this afternoon they are having a Mother's Day party in Sydney’s class.

This weekend is Sydney's last gymnastics class for the semester and the following week is her gymnastics finale where she will put on a show of what she has learned and get a medal.

The weather down here has been very rainy but I got Sydney's blow up pool out last week. She will start swim lessons in June. We are going to take a break from gymnastics for the summer at least. One activity at a time is enough for me.

- Ang

Rock-n-Rolla

Halas mastered rolling over from his belly to his back a couple of weeks ago. Last week he was able to get from his back to his belly. Won't be long until he is chasing Ruger around the house. He is doing great in daycare too. They call him their Eating Machine and is charming all the women with his big smile.

Here is a picture of Sydney getting ready to go to gymnastics this weekend. Last week she went on a field trip to see a high school production of Cinderella and had a great time.

Not much more to report but I thought people might enjoy a couple of pictures.

- Ang

Back home & Back to Work

We are back from Halas' first trip to Illinois. The good news is that Halas travels very well. The bad news is that we took up a stomach bug that wiped out most of our family (for those of you infected, again, we are very sorry).

I got a call from Sydney's school on a Monday that she had a stomach bug. I picked her up and by that afternoon, Steve and I were sick too. We took Tuesday to recover and were very thankful that the baby wasn't sick. On Wednesday we headed up to Illinois to see our family before I went back to work. On the drive up there, Halas started to spit up a lot but we didn't know if it was the bug or the bumpy ride. It turns out it was the stomach bug and it was very nasty and contagious.

Wednesday evening we got into town and went out to dinner with family. I did warn everyone that they could only hold Halas at their own risk of getting sick. Of course, nothing could keep the grandmas away. The next day both Grandma Carol and Grandma Linda were sick within about an hour of each other. Next Uncle Brandon went down, along with Aunt Lori, and finally Aunt Tiffany and Papa B. I think even Uncle Adam ended up with it.

While we were in town, between infecting everyone, we got to see my nephews. They are growing so big! We all went to get pictures taken of the grandchildren. I am excited to see how they turn out. I also went up to see an Illini game (which they won meaning that my mojo is back!)

Steve and I brought Halas home on the following Sunday. Sydney came back home a couple of days later with the Wise family who visited us for the week.

Last Monday Halas went to the doctor for his 2 month appointment. He measured 24.5 inches (91%) and weighed in at 12 pounds 6 ounces (67%). He is long and lean. He also got 4 vaccinations which put him in a pretty grumpy mood.

I went back to work last Thursday. I figured I would start half way through the week to ease back into it. Yesterday was Halas' first day at daycare. He did great. Today he even got to visit Sydney in her class. She is very proud of him.

Here is a picture of Halas at 2 months. I also put a picture of Sydney at 2 months for comparison (she's the one in purple).

- Ang

Road Trip

Halas is about to take his first road trip to Illinois this week. Steve surprised me last week and told me that he was going to take us all up to Illinois for a few days before I have to go back to work. We are very excited!

We plan on heading out very late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Steve, Halas and I will probably head back on Saturday and Sydney will come home with Linda, Lori, and Gene who will be visiting us for a week.

While we are in town, my mom will probably hold a get together so that we can see everyone. Just be warned...hand sanitizer will be handed out at the door. There are a lot of nasty viruses going around.

See you soon!

4 years already?

Sydney's just celebrated her 4th birthday! I can't believe 4 years has gone by so quickly. She is at a really great age. She is independent enough to get herself dressed, potty training is long over, she can tell us what she needs, and she is still young enough to wear pig tails, play dress up and snuggle with Mommy and Daddy.

On Friday she had a Valentine's Day party at school. The next day our friends came over to celebrate Sydney's birthday and her friends Courtney and Ethan's birthdays (they are all just a few days apart). On Sunday, we gave Sydney her presents from us. When she went back to school on Tuesday (we had a three day weekend) we had a birthday party with her school friends. That was a lot of cake!

When I went in for her school party, I dropped Halas off at his class room for a while. We are going to try to ease him (ok...really it's me) into going to daycare. He was having a pretty grumpy day but once they gave him a bottle he was good to go. The boy likes to eat. In his room there can be a total of 6 babies at one time with 2 teachers. However, usually there have only been 3 - 4 babies in there at one time. That is because the waiting list has been so long that a lot of people are paying for their slot before their baby is ready to actually use it. Some people have been getting on the waiting list before they even get pregnant. Sydney was one year old before we were able to secure a spot for her in this daycare and I got on the waiting list as soon as I found out I was pregnant. We are really lucky because siblings have higher priority on the waiting list and we are only paying for Halas' slot for a few weeks before he goes into daycare.

Here are some more pictures...

- Ang

Not much new

We don't really have too much going on here. Sydney is still doing great as a big sister. She helps re-stock diapers, throw dirty ones away, and is kind of like a baby monitor if I go into another room ("Mom, Brother is CRYING!"). She got to go on a field trip last week to Sci-Quest, a children's museum in town, and had a really good time.

I have started doing some work from home in an attempt to both stay in the loop and put in some hours to delay going back full time.

Halas is still eating and growing well. We almost have worked out a routine too. He takes a long nap around 5:00 when Steve and Sydney come home. That is good timing to make and eat dinner and play with Sydney for a while. Then, he goes to bed around midnight, gets up once to eat, and then wakes up for the morning around 6:00. About the same time he finishes eating it is time to get Sydney ready for school.

Here is a video I took of him yesterday checking himself out in the mirror.

- Ang

Why Halas?

I am happy to report that Halas has been screaming less this week...as long as he stays fed. It seems like he eats all day long. Actually, he eats about every 2- 3 hours. Sometimes he eats closer to an hour and a half apart in the evenings. No real complaints here though. He is a very healthy boy who is growing well.

Here is a picture of Halas at 4 weeks old.

We have had a lot of people ask where we got the name Halas Daniel. His middle name, Daniel, is Steve's paternal grandfather's name.

Halas is from George Halas. Many people who follow football know George Halas as the founder and eventual owner of the Chicago Bears and a huge participant in the formation of the NFL.

For those of you not familiar with George Halas, here are some quick facts:

- Like Steve, Halas earned an Engineering degree from the University of Illinois
- He served the Navy in both World War I and World War II
- His athletic ability was diverse. He played baseball for the New York Yankees. He played football for the Bears (while also coaching the team). He also played baseball, football, and basketball for the University of Illinois.
- He started the Decatur Staleys football team and later moved the team to Chicago to become the Chicago Bears (they took the name Bears as a tribute to the Chicago Cubs, who permitted the Bears to play their games at Wrigley Field).
- His career ledger reads as follows: 63 years as an owner, 40 as a coach, 324 wins, and 8 NFL titles as a coach or owner
- To this day, the jerseys of the Chicago Bears bear the initials "GSH" on their left sleeves in tribute to Halas
- “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” - George Halas

Colic?

Well…Halas isn’t quite the calm baby he was for the first two weeks. Around 5:00 – 11:00 each night, he starts screaming. He only stops to eat or take quick nap to get ready for the next round of screaming. We are really hoping this is just a phase…a very quick phase.

I have to hand it to Sydney, she is coping really well. She wants to play with Steve and me when ever she can, but if Halas is throwing a fit she is very patient and will play by herself her a while.

Halas is growing fast. I try to put him in outfits that have footies to keep him warm. However, at 3 weeks old he is already getting too long for his 0 - 3 month clothes (they only go to 24 inches). This picture of him is from a week ago. I guess I will have to switch to onesies and pants with socks. That just seems like more work when I change his diaper.

Not much more going on here. Here are some more pictures. The picture of me is the day before Halas was born.

2 weeks old

I just got back from Halas' 2 week check up. He is a healthy baby. In 2 weeks he has grown 3 more inches for a grand total of 23 inches and is now at 9 pounds 6 ounces. They said they typically would like to see babies back up to their birth weight at this point, so Halas is growing beyond expectations. His size is currently in the 99th percentile for babies his age.

Sydney is back to school this week and is doing really well adjusting and getting back into routine. She has been a great big sister and will be happy to tell you that she loves her brother soooo much!

I want to send a huge Thank You for all of the help we got from our family. Gene, Linda and Lori helped out with Sydney in the week before Halas was born and for the days that we were in the hospital. I know that Sydney appreciated the attention. My mom and dad were here when we got home from the hospital and were a great help in letting me get rest, watching Halas, and entertaining Sydney. Sydney even got to go on a treasure hunt with Papa B.

Steve is back to work. I am doing pretty well. I am just a bit tired and achy. Halas has been a great baby though. He rarely cries unless he really wants something. He goes about 2 - 3 hours between feedings and about every other night has went long stretches between feedings so that I can catch up on sleep. I don't know if I am just more relaxed this time around or if it is his personality but I don't remember Sydney being like this at all!

I hear him waking up so I better get going. I will try to post more pictures later.

Ang

Ready or not…here I come!

We are home with Halas Daniel Wise! He came a few days after his due date but when he decided it was time, he wasn’t joking around. Long story short, at 3:40 p.m. I sent a message saying that we were driving to the hospital with strong contractions. At 4:16 p.m. Halas was born (with a 20 minute drive between the text and arriving at the hospital). Let’s just say that we were cutting it close.

Now the long story…

I had been hoping that I wouldn’t have to be induced but I was scheduled for an induction on December 29th at 4:00. Since the little guy still wasn’t here, we headed to the hospital and they hooked up everything to start monitoring the baby and me before they started the induction. It turns out that I was already having contractions about 6 minutes apart, they just didn’t hurt so I didn’t know that’s what they were. I thought it was just the baby moving around. Since I was already starting the labor process, we decided to come home and let the little guy come when he was ready.

12 hours later, at 4:00 in the morning, the contractions were about 4 - 5 minutes apart and lasting for about a minute each. I knew that Sydney came fast when I was in labor for her so we went back to the hospital just in case. When we got there, the nurse said that my dilatation hadn’t changed any and the contractions still didn’t hurt. They gave me the option of going home until my water broke/contractions hurt or to wait 4 hours for the doctor to get in and break my water. I opted to go back home.

So Steve and I went back home, slept in, went out to lunch, and waited. Finally the contractions started to come on stronger to the point that I needed to start doing breathing exercises. At 3:30 p.m., Steve made the call that we should probably head back to the hospital. The contractions were still about 4- 5 minutes apart. After we got in the car, I sent a message via twitter to my family that we were on the way back to the hospital.

As we pulled up to the drop off area at the hospital at about 4:00 p.m., I was waiting for a contraction to end before I got out of the car. Before I had a chance to get out of the car, my water broke. Steve got a wheel chair for me, left the car in the drop off area, and rushed me up to the maternity floor. When we got up there they had me fill out paperwork and told us to wait for a nurse to take us back to a delivery room. We waited in the lobby for about 5 minutes where I was having contractions right on top of each other. Then I told Steve that I needed to PUSH. Luckily, a nurse walking by heard me and grabbed my chair and took me back to a delivery room. She gathered the available nurses to help get me ready.

As soon as we got in the room I told them that I really needed to push. They checked me and Halas was on his way. A nurse held his head in while another nurse found the nearest doctor (he was on his way to a C-section). As soon as the doctor came in, he gave me the go ahead to push and Halas was here (4:16 p.m.).

Halas Daniel was born at 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and 20 inches long.

Here are some pictures!