Where Has the Time Gone???

Okay, so my efforts at keeping the blog up to date have slowly gotten away from me.  It turns out with family and work and still attempting to have a social life that there isn't a whole lot of time still available for things like blogging.  But with a renewed dedication, and by sacrificing a little sleep, here we go again.

The last month with Connor has been great.  He's become so much more active and aware, started laughing (Sara and I are now convinced that we're hilarious), is smiling all the time and is able stay awake for big chunks of time without getting too fussy.  He recognizes us when we walk up to him, which makes picking him up from daycare awesome, can grab and play with toys, although is still as likely to smack himself in the cheek as he is to place said toy in his mouth, loves jumping in his "jumperoo" and has even graduated to rice cereal and riding in his stroller without the infant carrier.

It is amazing how fast all of this goes.  We cannot believe that he is 4.5 months old already, that Sara has been back to work for almost 8 weeks, and that we've survived the first part of his life and he is now sleeping through the night consistently from 8pm to 7am.  Parenthood is so incredibly humbling, with myriad moments where Sara and I talk about various options and hope that we make the right decisions without ever actually knowing (and then there are of course the moments where you make a decision that is very quickly discovered to be wrong, typically discovering said errors with very loud volume).

Over the past month or so we made our way out to Palm Springs for the annual golf tournament where Connor made his inaugural voyage into the pool (he liked the pool temperature much better in Palm Springs than he did in Paso Robles), went to an Angels game with Kim and Fredy, watched our first UCLA football game with T, Brittney, Ryan and Anees, enjoyed our first Charger game, went to Thousand Oaks to spend time with the Izu clan, went to Ben and Bridget McCormick's 1st birthday party, hung out with Tony, Odyssey and Harper and generally just enjoyed ourselves.  We still seem to manage to fill our weekends by catching up with friends, occasionally allowing ourselves a quiet day to recharge the batteries.  Connor has been on a great schedule throughout which makes it easier to plan and keep him happy.    

Overall, Sara and I could not be happier with this expansion of our family and we are enjoying every minute of it.  Below is a sampling of photos of the little guy from the last month or so.

Connor's 3 Months Old

Well, where does the time go.  It turns out that as Connor has gotten older, become more alert, more active and generally more fun, Sara and I have far less time for things like exercise, dinner, relaxing and last but not least blogging (or at least that's what I'm telling myself, because it certainly couldn't be laziness or procrastination).  The last month has been great though, as Connor has transitioned to a very aware little boy, Sara has gone back to work, Connor has met lots of new friends at day care, and Sara and I have realized how short 24 hours really is.

Along with all the stuff at home we managed to make a quick trip down to San Diego to visit Nana and Papa and go to Connor's first Padres game.  We actually had gone to a Dodgers vs Phillies game in LA about a week earlier with Sara's office, but we decided that this game would be the true start to Connor's fandom.  He got decked out in his Padres gear (adorable socks included) and we headed down to Petco Park.  We got downtown about 45 minutes before the game and let Connor take a little nap and then have a quick bite to eat before heading into the stadium.  We got in after the first inning, in which the Padres had scored 4 runs already (for those of you who know the Padres, we assumed we had missed the entire offensive output of the evening at this point).  Connor was an expert baseball fan, with Papa teaching him all the intricacies of fielding grounders and throwing a curveball, and the Padres decided to show off, winning the game 14-1.  Connor was an absolute angel, allowing us to stay for the whole remainder of the game, and even managed to make a few friends with the people sitting around us.  Along with the game Connor also managed to see Great Gammer, Aunt Erin, Kris and Steve, John and Nancy, and Amanda and Jeremy.  As you all know, Sara and I don't generally like to leave any spare time in our relaxing weekends.

Along with the trip to San Diego we snuck in a few quiet weekends around the house.  We even managed to get another night out on the town, celebrating T's birthday while Grandma and Grandpa watched Connor for the evening.  It was great to be out with friends, and everyone at home loved their time together.

The other big adjustment that has happened in our lives recently is that Sara's maternity leave came to an end, meaning she headed back to work and Connor headed to daycare.  As we progressed through the pregnancy this was something that we realized we needed to focus on, and after visiting a few locations we decided on Beach Babies, a daycare facility in Redondo Beach, about 10 minutes from our house.  Sara was going back to work 3 days a week, which meant that Connor got to hang out with his friends for those same 3 days.  The transition was a little harder on Mom than it was on Connor, but they both managed it well and daycare has worked out really well thus far (I'm saying this a whole week into it, maybe get back to me in 3 months).  Sara typically drops him off at their facility at 7:30, and then I pick him up on my way home from work, somewhere between 3:00 and 3:30.  It seems that his day there typically involves some singing, some play mat with friends, and of course some painting (we've got his painting of a boat up on our fridge...I'm saying it's abstract).  Here at the Means house we're going to try and convince Mom to write a guest blog about how going back to work has treated her, so we shall see.

It is truly amazing to see all the development that Connor has gone through in the past 3 months.  He is now incredibly alert while he's awake, has started grabbing at toys (and necklaces and hair and...), is sleeping from 11pm to 6:30am (cross fingers, knock on wood), can support his own head when you carry him around, and a myriad other things that I can't write or put into words especially well.  We are having so much fun with the little guy and cannot wait to see what's next.

 

A Little Catching Up To Do

Well, I'm now paying for the lack of blogging over the past couple of weeks, as I try to remember everything that is happened.  All this with a brain surviving on minimal sleep  and days blurring together, so without further adieu, I give you the bullet pointed, probably out of order and with many things forgotten.

- On Thursday July 21st, Nana Means and Diane Pascall (aka DeeDee, my Godmother who earned her nickname when I was unable to pronounce Diane as a toddler) came up for the day for a visit.  My mom had minor Connor withdrawls and figured she could solve them with a quick trip up the 405.  The two of them had a great visit with Connor and he was on his best behavior for the majority of the day.  Connor even slept in DeeDee's arms throughout our whole dinner.

- On Friday July 22nd Connor got to go to the pediatrician for his 2 month check up.  Little did he know this also meant he got to receive his first round of shots.  He weighed in at a robust 13lb 7oz and was 23in long.  It's now making lots of sense why those 0-3 month clothes are getting so snug...it's because he's as big as a 4 month old.  The shots went about as well as could have been expected.  He took the first two in his left thigh with only minor irritation, but the third one in his right thigh, as the nurse predicted, sent him into a bit of a fit.  Dad was of course left with the lovely job of holding him while the shots were administered, allowing Mom to sweep in when it was all over and rescue him from the evil people who caused him pain.  He calmed down relatively quickly and ended up falling asleep.  When he woke up he was really uncomfortable, probably one of the hardest things Sara and I have had to watch him go through, but a little infant tylenol and some more sleep seemed to be just the right prescription.  Sara and I took advantage of the sleepy boy and headed to Buffalo Fire Department, a local burger joint, to celebrate another successful week.

- On Saturday July 23rd the family headed down to Huntington Beach in the evening to hang out with T and Brittney.  We ended up having to mess with his schedule a little bit based on timing, but figured that we would be able to make it work (yes, this is foreshadowing).  After Connor was a little fussy when we got there we decided to throw him in the stroller and head to a pizza place across the street from their house.  The stroller was successful in quieting him down, but when the movement stopped so did the quiet.  At this point we decided to go with a different tactic, and see if hunger was the issue.  The bottle didn't seem to interest him a whole lot, so we then moved on to the infant carrier and the pacifier in attempts to calm him down.  This was moderately successful, and at least allowed us to scarf down some pizza before heading back to T & Brittney's house.  The remainder of the evening was spotted with bouts of crying.  Despite all of this, I think we all managed to enjoy ourselves and T and Brittney didn't even kick us out of the house.  Note to self though, don't screw with the baby schedule.  Wowza

- On Tuesday July 26th Bart and Joni came up to our house for the afternoon.  Bart had a meeting in Downtown LA and figured he might be able to swing on by to see his grandson.  We have a great evening playing bridge, eating some delicious steaks and passing Connor from one set of arms to the next.

- On Thursday July 28th Lara came in to town for work from New York.  After she finished up her day at the office she headed to our house to spend the night and see her nephew.  We didn't think we would be able to see Lara again until November, so it was great that we got to spend some time together and that she was able to spend some time with Connor.  We all managed to go on a walk together before enjoying dinner and then a little Mahjong.

- On Friday July 29th Sara and Connor and I packed up the car and hit the road for Paso Robles.  My Mom's side of the family had rented a house for the week for a little family reunion.  Connor was as good as we could have hoped for in the car.  He slept for the first portion of the car ride until we arrived at Lake Cachuma, a little North of Santa Barbara.  We got him some food and hung out outside the car for a little while before getting back on the road.  He settled right back in and didn't make a peep until we pulled into the driveway of the rental house.  Over the weekend Connor was able to meet Shelton and Mary, Bob and Sharyn, Jamie, Molly, Megan, Manny, Jenny, Noah, Shea and Eddie, along with being reacquainted with Nana and Papa.  The house had a pool and a pool table, along with a huge backyard.  The weekend was spent relaxing, playing in the pool, playing pool, playing games in the yard, and last but certainly not least, consuming way too much delicious food.  Connor was amazingly well behaved the entire weekend.  He didn't protest being passed from person to person, slept when he was supposed to sleep, ate when he was supposed to eat, and was super smiley most of every day.  He even managed to sleep from 11pm to 6:30am the last night we were there, only the third time he had slept through the night.  On Monday morning we managed to stuff all of Connor's gear back in the car and head South.  The car ride home was no more eventful than the care ride up, and we made it home before LA traffic.  Overall it was a great weekend of catching up and we felt really lucky that Connor was so well behaved.

Now, the tricky part, trying to determine which pictures to post.  Here are a few, and I might have to dedicate a later post to just trying to catch up on the camera roll.

A Week at Home

After a couple of weekends in a row of being out of town, it was great to be at home for a full week, not having to worry about getting things ready for packing.  Not that we would use this time to relax, that wouldn't be our style.

On Tuesday Sara and Connor went to the Manhattan Beach Farmer's Market for mommy and me class.  Connor spent most of the time in his infant carrier, and Sara wandered with the other moms enjoying such delicacies as kettle corn.  Sara also discovered that you apparently must have a child/stroller in order to be allowed into the Farmer's Market, as the street became a zoo of Bobs.

Wednesday night the three of us went out to dinner at Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach.  We timed the meal after a feeding, and expected Connor to fall asleep in the car on the way to the restaurant.  Connor, however, had other ideas, and decided this would be the one time when he would cry while driving around.  By the time that we got to the restaurant we were almost ready to turn around and head home, as we didn't want to be the people who couldn't do anything to calm their crying child.  We talked for a minute and decided to tempt fate anyways, popping Connor is his stroller and heading towards the front door.  Remarkably, the stroller accomplished what the car was unable to, and Connor quieted right down.  He stayed awake the whole time in the restaurant, looking around and enjoying the noises.  No crying, no fussing (although to be fair, it was pretty loud in the restaurant, so we may just have not heard him).  We had a nice dinner out, staying at the restaurant for a little over our hour, and as we left we considered the evening a huge success.

On Friday Sara, Connor and I met up with a few friends from KPFF at Chipotle for lunch.  Connor struggled to decide between chicken and barbacoa, but the rest of the lunch was pretty uneventful.  Connor was able to meet Claudia, Yungmoon and Kane, who was even able to hold Connor without dropping him or totally freaking out.

Saturday was a big day around the Means household.  Grandma Joni came up around 11am to spend the day with us, and to babysit on Saturday night while Sara and I went on a double date with Mike and Jess.  Since Joni got there so early, Sara and I were able to get a run in together for the first time since she was 5 months pregnant.  This is something we used to do 3 or 4 times a week together, so it was great to be able to be out together again, and it makes me excited for when Connor will be able to join us in his running stroller.

Saturday afternoon was pretty low key, with Sara and I doing some chores around the house and running a couple of errands.  We also threw a Harry Potter movie on to get in the mood for the final chapter that night.  Around 5:45pm Sara fed Connor, and then after that Sara and I hopped in the car and headed to Salt Creek Grille to meet up with Mike and Jess.  We had a very nice dinner and enjoyed relaxing without having to worry if the baby was going to start crying at any moment.  After dinner we headed to the theater for the last Harry Potter movie.  We both enjoyed it, Sara avoided crying too much (because of the movie, not because of leaving the baby), and she only checked her phone every 15 minutes or so.  I was proud.  We got home around 10:30pm and found Connor sleeping soundly in his crib.  It was definitely weird to be away from the little guy, but it was nice to spend a little time with just the two of us, remembering what it's like to be a married couple instead of parents.  Joni, a special thank you for allowing us to feel totally comfortable while we were out of the house, knowing that Connor was in capable hands.

Sunday morning was a typical Colin type of day.  We woke up and flipped on the British Open, so Connor and I plopped down on the couch for a little male bonding.  Connor was able to experience the frustration of cheering for Phil Mickelson, or at least feel frustrated energy channel through his father, as Mickleson made an early morning charge only to fall a little short.  After the golf was over we quickly got Connor into his 4th of July outfit which also acted as a perfect onesie for the Women's World Cup final.  It seems that sports isn't going to tease Connor into thinking that all his favorites will win all the time, as the USA lost in heartbreaking fashion.  As a role model I think I only yelled at the television a handful of times, which I felt was progress.

On Sunday afternoon we managed to cram one more event into the weekend as we drove over to Craig and Gretchen's house in Manhattan Beach.  From there the 6 of us (the 4 adults, Connor and Craig and Gretchen's 4 month old son Tyler) walked to a park close by there house where they have free concerts on Sunday evenings during the summer.  We packed picnics and blankets and hung out on the grass and listened to renditions of 1980s country songs.  Connor seemed to enjoy the music when he wasn't sleeping, and it was a great day to be outside for a few hours.  After the concert ended we headed home to get ready for another week ahead.

It is amazing to think that Connor is closing in on being 2 months old.  He's become so much more alert and aware in the past couple of weeks, smiling a ton more and learning to watch his mobile and focus on toys.  He's able to hold his head up much better than before, seems like he really wants to roll over and seems to respond when we talk to him.  Cannot wait for all the exciting times ahead.

A Day in the Life of Connor

As Connor gets older we've (I make this a we statement somewhat loosely, as most of Connor's days are managed by Mom) been able to get him into a pretty good schedule.  Based on a few of the books we read prior to him being born, I think this was one of our biggest goals, so it's been nice that Connor has been somewhat pliable.  I figured a few of you may want to know what a day in the life of Connor was like, so here we go (please note, all times approximate, and if we stay at your house or come over, none of this will hold true):

6am ~ 7am: Connor wakes up between 6am and 7am and gets his first feeding of the day.  Connor has become a pretty efficient eater, so this usually takes about 15 minutes or so.  He then spends some awake time hanging out with Mom and Huck. He's the most alert early in the morning, so for a while Sara will just hold him, and then he might spend a little time sitting in his bouncer or hanging out on his play mat.  After being awake for an hour or so, it's time for nap number one.  I wish I had to number my naps during the day.

9am: Time for second breakfast, at this point Connor has begun to resemble a hobbit with his eating habits.  Awake time number two means it's time for a walk.  Connor gets saddled up in either his stroller or infant carrier, Huck gets wrangled with his leash, and it's time to hit the road.  We really are quite the production when we're all out there together, and I feel sorry for anyone who thinks they can share the sidewalk with us.  Connor likes to look around at the houses and trees, and is only occasionally startled by cars/dogs/wind.  Huck is also learning, as he is very rarely run over by the stroller any more, which wasn't exactly true the first few times we tried this.  A lot of times Connor will fall asleep by the end of the walk, but either way, when we get home, it's time for nap number two.

12pm: What day would be complete without lunch?  This is normally the part of the day that we have the toughest time keeping Connor awake after feeding him.  He fills up his tummy and calls upon his Spanish heritage, as it is now time for siesta (editor's note: as far as were aware, Connor has no Spanish heritage, so we're thinking he's just very cultured).

3pm - 8:30pm: Around 3 in the afternoon Connor has an afternoon snack, and sometime a little later  I usually get home, so Sara gets a little reprieve from diaper changing and providing entertainment.  I've grouped the hours from 3pm to 8:30pm since this seems to be a more unpredictable part of our day currently. Some days we'll try to take shifts getting a run in, or one of us will run an errand, but after his afternoon snack naps are pretty hit and miss and there is usually a little more crying than there was in the morning.  Some of the more common times Connor cries are right when one of us leaves for a run, or right when dinner is ready, or right when hands are messy, or right when we're both busy with laundry, or right when... (are you noticing a pattern).  It is also at this time that he gets a bath every other day.  Connor loves bath time and sits contently while we give him the royal spa treatment, which usually involves emptying and refilling the bath water at least once after he pees in the tub.  He'll get one feeding in between, typically around 5:30 or 6.  Once 8:30 rolls around the routine seems to be able to take hold again.  Connor gets one last feeding before he gets a bed time story and then it's time for bed.

10:30pm: Based on the routine we're following, this is when Connor gets his "dreamfeed." Sara goes in, gives him a little more sustenance to hopefully help him make it a ways through the night, and then puts him right back down.  Again, the life of a baby doesn't sound so bad.  I don't remember a whole lot of nights being woken up to a late night snack ready to go and then having nothing else to do other than fall back to sleep.

10:30pm - 6:30am: Connor will usually wake up, and wake us up, once somewhere in between these hours (again, the we hear is used loosely).  He's gone as long as 6 hours between feedings, but it is generally at least 4.  Occasionally he'll wake up a second time between 4 and 5am for a small snack, but that does seem to be happening less and less.

So, there it is, the life of a baby.  I'm not sure what he has to complain about all the time...

San Diego and Over the Line

Well, I can officially say that we haven't allowed Connor to cramp our social lives too much, as it seems that every weekend has been packed with outings, introductions and a very full cargo area in the Rav4.  This past weekend was no different as we made our way down to San Diego for the annual Over the Line tournament.  My Dad and I have played in this event together 6 of the past 8 years, and it provided an excellent excuse to come down to San Diego and have Connor meet more family friends.

As is true with many babies, the bouncing of the car puts Connor to sleep pretty nicely, so the drive down on Friday afternoon was very uneventful.  My dad and I, along with Steve and Nick Gedestad, headed down to Fiesta Island for a little practice pretty quickly, and Connor and Sara got settled at the house.  While we were at practice Diane Pascall came over to meet Connor, who I'm sure was charming. After practice we got ourselves cleaned up and headed to the backyard for dinner and drinks.  Connor was able to meet Steve, Kris, Nick and Jenn,  as well as my cousin Erin, and we all had a really nice night.  In the morning the guys got up and headed back out to the Island at 6am to begin the OTL experience.  Kris and Jenn made it down to the Island a little later to cheer us on, but Connor, Sara and Nana Means stayed home.  OTL only has a few rules regarding behavior during the event, but they are fairly strict on their B's policies (no babies, bottles or bowsers).  We also didn't think that Connor needed to have the finest sand in the world blowing all over him the entire day, getting in all his wrinkly, chubby folds.

Our play during the day was not it's best, but we had fun as always.  While we were away Connor got to meet a few more of the San Diego contingent; Erin came over again in the morning for a little 1 on Connor time, John and Nancy Watt came over for a little while, and then Leanne Quirk arrived later in the day.  We've found that on the weekends we're rarely holding the little guy, unless of course he's crying or fussing, when he seems to miraculously make his way back into either Sara's arms or mine.  We managed another low key night on Saturday night, chowing down on pizza and all crashing early, as it was a long day for all of us.

Sunday morning was a chance for Connor to meet the rest of the Means family.  We had brunch at my parent's house with Gammer, Jim and Lark, Greg and Branden and Genevieve.  Along with the family Amanda and Jeremy Allen came over.  It was a fun morning celebrating Connor as well as my uncle Jim who just received his PhD.  We hung out in San Diego until about 3 in the afternoon when we hit the road to head home.  Connor again was very well behaved on the ride home, and once home we all enjoyed the comforts of home and started resting up for the week ahead.

A few photos from the week, and Connor making many of his introductions (and we promise we actually do hold our own baby on occasion, even if it doesn't seem like it in all the photos).

Generations Party and 4th of July

The weekend of 4th of July brought yet another opportunity for Sara and I to introduce Connor to family and friends.  On Sunday the 3rd, Bart and Joni hosted a Generations party, celebrating Bart's 60th birthday, Sara and my 30th birthdays, and Connor's 0th (hmm, might have to come up with a different term for that) birthday.  Rainer, Carolyn, Nico and Great Grandma Izu trekked in from Palm Desert, Lara, Great Grandma Patton, Katie and Aidan we're still in town, and Nana and Papa means made the trip up the 5 for a fun afternoon and evening.  We played games, ate bbq, and Connor was once again the star of the show.

Along with being fun, the day of the party may have been one of the more stressful days for Sara and I as new parents thus far.  For anyone who was in the Orange County area over the holiday weekend, you'll know that it was pretty warm, and as it turns out, infants are not quite as good as adults at managing their own temperatures, not to mention the fact that we have to wrap Connor in a straight jacket type blanket or he won't be able to sleep.  The heat, along with all the stimulation of the party, seemed to be a little more than the little guy could handle at times, as he struggled to go down for naps most of the day and was a little fussier than normal.  I think that Sara and I have been incredibly lucky with how well Connor has adapted to a schedule of eating and sleeping, but that still did not make it any easier to see him be extremely uncomfortable while we looked on somewhat helplessly.  Around 8:30 Sara and I got him out of the house for a walk as the outside temperatures started to drop, fed him again at 9:30, and luckily for both his sake and ours he was able to sleep thereafter, allowing everybody to recharge their batteries a little bit.

(Every parent has been through similar times, so please know that Sara and I understand that this is all part of this new journey.  We are just the most recent in a long line of parents who have had to learn how to deal with situations that are not ideal.  The goal for me on the blog is to describe our experiences as parents, and sometimes those experiences won't be 100% positive, but at least the descriptions will be honest.)

On the morning of the 4th we all got up (Sara, Connor, Lara, Bart, Joni, Huck and I) to participate in the Lake Forest Firecracker 5k.  The run/walk starts just a couple of blocks away from Bart and Joni's house, and it seemed the perfect opportunity to work off some of the calories that we had taken in the day before.  Bart, Lara and I ran the race, while Sara, Joni, Connor and Huck walked the course.  It was a lot of fun, Connor and Huck were both on their best behavior, and I got to realize how out of shape I am, which is always fun.  The remainder of the day was pretty relaxing, we hung out at the house and laid low, playing a few more games and continuing to catch up.  During the day Connor made a few more introductions, meeting Gary and Rosemary Miller, and getting to see Iris again.  We packed up the car around 3 and headed home.  We figured that for an baby boy who can only see a few feet away from his face and who gets startled occasionally at loud noises, staying for the fireworks show was probably not a great idea.  Connor was happy to be back home and Sara and I were happy to plop down on the couch.

On a funny note, the night of 4th of July allowed Sara and I an opportunity to feel very old.  Since I had to work in the morning and the weekend had been pretty busy, we climbed into bed right around 10pm.  Now I don't know if it was my memory failing me, or if celebrations have pushed later and later into the evenings in recent years, but I was certain that fireworks shows always ended earlier when I was younger.  Either way, the hubub finally calmed down by 11pm and we were all able to get some sleep.

Well, on to another week.

Sara Birthday Week

Well, where to begin.  The past week was another full one for the Means family.  On Tuesday Connor had an appointment with the pediatrician where they did a quick weigh in and then checked his heart beat.  Connor has continued to show his affinity for eating, as he weighed 10lb 11oz, or 2lb more than he had two weeks prior.  Looks like we still don't have any eating concerns.  Along with weighing Connor in the previous appointment, the doctors listened to his heart beat and detected a small murmur, apparently something that is very common among infants and typically takes care of itself in a couple of weeks.  After taking a long listen this time around the pediatrician was happy to report that everything seemed to be back to normal, and Sara and I were able to avoid any further worrying.  We celebrated by heading to Babies R Us to purchase a 4th of July outfit for the little guy, because he certainly wouldn't want to be caught dead in a standard onesie on the Country's birthday.

Thursday was Sara's 30th birthday, and we celebrated that evening with her family.  Lara flew into town Thursday morning to meet her nephew, and later in the afternoon Bart, Joni, Bart's mom Jane, and Bart's sister Katie and her son Aidan arrived to meet Connor and enjoy a nice dinner.  I know that for many people, 30th birthdays are a time to reflect back on the passing of youth, but I don't think that Sara or I experienced that phenomenon this year.  Our birthdays became a little less significant in the wake of such a life changing event occurring right around the same time.  If anything was going to make us feel old, it was going to be planning our lives around an infant rather than a silly number.

Thursday evening was really nice, as Connor was able to meet his third Great Grandma and his only aunt.  I think one of the coolest parts about parenthood thus far has been seeing that we're not the only people that have been overjoyed with his birth.  Having a new member of the family has been special for everyone, and the amount of love and support that Connor receives is incredible.  It absolutely takes a group effort to raise a child, and I have no doubts about the size or passion of the group surrounding Connor.  We spent the night on the back patio as it has been a little warm in Southern California of late, enjoying the evening cool and a delicious dinner.  Around 9:30 everyone hit the road after wishing the little guy sweet dreams, and Lara and Sara and I were able to spend a little time together before we all decided bed was calling our name as well.

On Friday I managed to skip out of work a little early and we drove down to Long Beach to meet Matt and Megan Moyneur and their daughter Paige for lunch before they headed off a quick 3 day cruise down to Ensenada.  Matt was the first of my friends to have a child, and I still remember meeting Paige at a UCLA tailgate when she was just a couple months old.  It is absolutely amazing how much difference a couple of years makes, and it made me think again that we absolutely need to treasure every moment, as I'm sure it will be gone before we know it.

After making it home Sara and I got ready for another first on Friday night, Sara was going to the New Kids on the Block / Back Street Boys Concert (Connor can't even hold his own head up and he knew to be embarrassed about this) and leaving Connor and me home alone for almost 6 hours.  With breast milk in the fridge and only a small amount of worry she headed out for an evening with friends.  Not only did Connor, Huck and I all survive (Sara said beforehand she had the most faith in Huck), but it was an amazing time for me to bond with Connor.  I fed him twice, managed to get him to sleep a few times, and and some general hanging out time.  I have been a little jealous of all the time, however necessary it is, that Sara gets to spend with him, and this was a great way for me to get some of that time back.

On Saturday Connor got to meet his aunt (second aunt, aunt once removed...does anyone know how these terms all work???) Kelly and his cousin Bennett who is about 14 months old.  Again, quite amazing to see the huge differences in development in such a short amount of time.  After chatting for a little while Sara, Connor, Lara, Kelly, Bennet, Huck and I all headed over to a park with a playground near our house.  I'm sure we were quite the production heading down the sidewalk with Huck darting back and forth to smell everything and multiple strollers.  We packed a little picnic and had lunch over there, and then Bennett had some time in the swings and both boys went down the slide.  Later in the evening we all just crashed after a pretty full day and knowing what was in store in the next couple of days with the big Generations Party on Sunday and 4th of July on Monday (we'll cover those in the next post, this has already gone on long enough).

Last, but certainly not least, a sampling from the overflowing memory card.