Sunday, August 30, 2009

Getting Better

This past week/weekend has been exhausting for all three of us in the house. As some might know Thomas got a little cold from his daycare a couple weeks ago, and now here we are with Jenn still coughing and Thomas still coughing a little, and I'm actually doing alright. I'd say I'm around 98%, with an occasional runny nose, but no cough, and no fever.

Jenn was able to get to the doctor on Friday and so she'd been hitting the drugs and sleeping much better (rule is that when Mommy sleeps well, we all sleep well). Thomas is growing like a weed, and so I've put some pictures and some videos to show how big he'd getting; FYI - I know that you blog readers would rather see this stuff than have me just write papers and do homework all night.

This was Thomas in the bathtub getting washed by Mommy while I snapped some tasteful "baby-bath-photos". Bath time has gotten a lot easier because Thomas is really able to sit up in the tub, and he's playing with the water and everything he can reach.

In case you haven't figured it out, the cutest part about babies taking a bath is when you get to dry them off in their cute little towels. This photo of Jenn and Thomas is my new favorite (I suppose I could crop out that toilet in the background, huh?)!



Jenn is a much better photographer than me, and so here are a couple videos that she took of Thomas. The idea with these videos was to catch Thomas babbling (which he's doing all the time), but of course, when you have a baby doing something cute like trying to talk and making noise, you grab the camera and then the baby stops what they were doing. These videos are still cute if you're a true Thomas fan, but I know that some of you readers might be a little like, "He's not doing much and there's no background music or funny commentary. Sup with that?"

Here is Thomas hanging out in his crib, and coughing a little.





This video is a conversation between Thomas and Mommy. Make sure you watch the whole thing because the beginning is a little slow, but then it totally picks up (maybe not totally, but it gets better).


That's all for now, I'll be sure to post some medical records or something educational once I have all the details from Jenn and Thomas' ailments. Also check out next weekend, because we've got a party lined up, and it's going to be a long holiday weekend!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

World Premiere...

Baby Rap Video:

Some avid blog readers may remember that I have been working on a "rap video" for a couple months. Initially I wanted to make the video to showcase the talents of every one's favorite baby boy Thomas. As you may or may not know the very first thing a person must do after getting a brilliant idea of wanting to make something, in this case making a music video, is to begin with a script, or in this case song lyrics. I wrote a rough draft that was later edited and collaborated with by Uncle Tony.

Once the amazing rap lines were written down we next had to begin filming, or in this case video taping. Again, as you may imagine there were many-many scenes and working with a baby whom at the time was only around 5 or 6 months can prove to be challenging. Not everyone has the patience to work with their director dad, or cares to sit still or wait for the best sunlight. None the less, we were able to shoot a lot of video thanks to the help of Thomas (the big star), Mommy, and again Uncle Tony.

After all the shooting had been completed it dawned on me that I hadn't yet created a musical track or actually sung the lyrics that would be the driving force behind our music video. So again, I stepped into my private recording studio (I'll show it to you next time your over at our house) and sang the words that everyone is going to love to hear. After the music and song tracks were made we were on to post production, or editing the video.

Let me just say that the most challenging part of video making is the editing process (hat off to Auntie Laura). The ability to take 30+ minutes of video and whittle it down to the very best 3 minutes is a long and challenging job, but whenever I felt like giving up, or quitting, I would just think about you... the blog reader, and then I would whittle on.

After many months of going from up in my head to here in the blog, I am proud to present the Baby Rap Video of Thomas!




YouTube Link HERE

And because this is a blog, and I know how much all the blog readers love to read, I have posted down below the Rap Lyrics so you can read the rhymes at your leisure.


Yo yo yo
I’m awesome cause I’m a baby
You know you love me, baby-baby
I’m awesome cause I’m a baby
You know you love me, baby-baby

My name is Thomas with a capital T
I’m the cutest damn baby that you’ll ever see
I'm not very old, but I got a lot of style
I might just come at you like a croc from the Nile

All day long I hang out with my dad
You think he's a fool but I’ll guarantee he’s rad
He changes my diaper whether dirty or wet
But you don’t have to worry cause he never breaks a sweat

Only have two teeth, still got a lot of gums
Watch me drool and slobber while I suck on my thumbs
I’m always hungry, morning, noon or night
If you don’t feed me, there’s going to be a fight

You think I get embarrassed because I wear a diaper
When I grow up I’m going to be a fast typer
4, 3, 2 - I only need a onesie
Go ahead get jealous because this is funzie

I’m awesome cause I’m a baby
You know you love me, baby-baby

I make a scream when I wake up in the night
I make a scream when I can’t see the light
I make a scream when everything’s alright
I make a scream because my dad is so white

I’m awesome cause I’m a baby
You know you love me, baby-baby

About once a day I will party in my swing
Rocking back and forth, feeling like a king
Sometimes just to soothe me, they stick me in a backpack
It makes me feel cool, like a member of the Rat Pack

When the weather is bump'n I will cry for my stroller
Checking out the da hood you know I’m a high roller
I’m looking at the trees and looking at the sky
You think I’m so cute and you know I’m super fly

Every pretty lady especially my mother
Looks at me and says what a cute-mother-hugga
My cheeks are da-bomb you know my face is precious
With looks this good I’ll be given a free Lexus

3-4 times a week I get to take a bath
I grab my bubbles and have a good laugh
I get so fresh and clean and I mean real clean
You can tell I’ve washed away the cranky and the mean

I’m awesome cause I’m a baby
You know you love me, baby-baby
I’m awesome cause I’m a baby
You know you love me, baby-baby
Peace out, word to my mother.




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Monday, August 17, 2009

Sick Day!

Hello loyal bloggers! It's the long-awaited post from Jenn!!! (Don't get too excited, it's not going to be anything more fancy than what Don has got.)



This past weekend Thomas had another first but not the good kind. He had his first cold so we stayed home all weekend so he could get better. Today I (Mommy) stayed home from work with him and we went to the doctor. He didn't tell us anything surprising, just that in the first few days of the common cold your baby will have a fever, (which Thomas did) and that he will be really congested (Thomas's nose is running like a faucet) and he will be more fussy (which we can attest to since we pretty much held him all day yesterday).



He is looking better and should be going to daycare tomorrow. Hopefully since Thomas has been intiated into the daycare world with cold germs, he can now officially be part of the group.



Here are some pictures but I am not sure if you will be able to see his little sick characteristics going on. Look for the red eyes and snot filled nose.








Also since we stayed home all weekend, I decided that I should cook something that I never cooked before. I choose a Berries and Cream Cheesecake. It came out delicious! Here is the recipe if you would like to try it!




Look for more posts from me soon, hopefully before the next time I have to stay home with a sick Thomas.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

School, Daycare & Work

The whole family has made it through our first week of 'new routine'. I started my student teaching this week, Thomas started his daycare this week, and Mommy continues to work and make tons of money. Thomas' daycare experience has been closely related to Jenn's because Jenn is the person who gets Thomas ready for his day and drops him off at daycare and so they both are adjusting to the routine of saying 'good byes', and 'I love you'. I on the other hand an waking up early and leaving the house around 6:15, so I get to work early and therefore I leave work early. Typically I have been picking Thomas up from daycare at about 3:30, and every time he has a large smile on his face because he sees me walking in the door. His smile is more from "Dad's here to play with us" which is better than the "Dad please get me out of this nightmare".
Because our family has been running around with our new routine, I have some pictures and some videos (notice the plural of both... your welcome).
This first video Jenn took of Thomas because it's really funny listening to the sounds he makes now that he's getting a little older (and wiser I assume).




These pictures below were taken while Thomas was asleep in his crib. It was a usual day and Thomas was taking a usual nap, except that his butt was way up in the air. I told Jenn it reminds me of Marty McFly from Back to the Future (if you aren't a huge fan, the character in the film slept in odd positions).




These pictures are just of Thomas sitting in the swing, but we thought it was neat to compare some of these pictures to some earlier ones when Thomas was teeny-tiny and sitting in his swing. Also you may notice how Thomas is becoming more and more handsome with each passing day. I told Jenn that at the rate Thomas is going, he will be better looking than me, in which she replied, "Oh I hope so". I'm still figuring that one out?


And here is the second video which I shot of Thomas as he was crawling around in his room. For those that have visited us before you will remember that the closet doors are very large mirrors and so this video was funny because Thomas was reaching and grasping at his reflection, and eventually tried to eat or kiss himself? Thomas is only 7 months old, so at this age there's still a lot for him to figure out.




Finally, I would like to alert all blog readers to keep an extra close watch for the Thomas Music Video. It will be posted to the blog, ASAP... will you be the first person to view it?

Monday, August 3, 2009

PEACHES

This week I started my student teaching, and so far so good. I wanted to leave all the blog viewers with this little video because I fear that once school starts next week I will really start to lag behind in my blogging. Also I will try and not post Thomas eating every kind of food imaginable because I am starting to get to the point where I'm saying the same things as you blog readers, "Seriously, another video of this kid eating some new food?" I realize it's amazing that Thomas is experiencing all these foods for the first time, but it's also the fact that, we've gotten the idea that new foods + Thomas = funny faces.
Here is Thomas eating peaches... lots of peaches!



Also for those who might care, this video is also in a way a preview of the Thomas Music Video which is still in post-production. I would like to have it up on the blog ASAP, but there are other things to attend to (Jenn & Thomas), but I promise I will continue to get it done!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Roadshow & Table-Show

My beautiful wife and I woke up on Saturday, dropped our little angel Thomas off with his Gramma and headed to...

the Antiques Roadshow! Some of you friends and family who really know Jenn and I are aware that only one of use cares about the Antiques Roadshow (hint: it's Jenn, not me), and so when we heard that the Roadshow was coming to Phoenix Arizona we started screaming and crying and yelling and all those mixed emotions (Jenn was happy, I was terrified).

Jenn's good friend Anessa is also a fan of the Roadshow so they both applied for tickets, and got them (what were the chances?), so we started searching garages (we have a car-port), and attics (I only found aliens), and Mother's houses (mine, thank God lives in another time-zone) for objects that could be treasures. Luckily Jenn and I don't have any junk- I mean items to take to the Roadshow, and luckily Anessa's Grandmother owned an antique shop so she had a bunch of things to bring to the Roadshow. This picture is of a carousel horse that Anessa's Grandmother had in her shop, and so every other spectator at the Roadshow came and asked us about the horse and it felt like the Paparazzi were attacking us for the cover of US Weekly.


I didn't realize that every in the state of Arizona had things that they thought might be worth money? I was shocked at the entrance line, because as you get to the front they give you a category ticket based on the items (each person is allowed 2 things) you bring in.

This picture is Anessa telling me how she is able to be patient with all these people asking her questions about her horse, and I'm telling her how I would start turning into a jerk with so many people (people I don't know, mind you) asking me questions and 'chatting' with me about my stuff.
Once inside the Roadshow is were the experts sat and the TV cameras and all that fun stuff you see on TV. However, because they are live filming during the day we aren't allowed to take pictures so my description now will just have to suffice. Like I said it was a packed convention center and all the items we brought in were worth some amount of money (some what we thought, a couple were a little higher then expected), but in the end none of us brought any items that would pay off a mortgage... or buy a car... or afford to have someone killed... but we could probably go on an OK vacation.
Picture of us at the end of our day, Jenn, Don, Anessa, Anessa's Mom Bev at the end of our day.


After our Roadshow morning/afternoon we drove back to Gramma's house to pick up Thomas (Jenn's idea, not mine [joking, of course]), and I show this little video of him playing with a new toy. We bought a little high chair/booster seat and Thomas was hypnotized by this red bird because it was on a little spring, so every time he's touch it, the bird would wiggle back and forth. I pulled the camera out after ten minutes of this, but you'll still see some cute baby time!




PS- for those interested in watching our Antiques Roadshow episode, they mentioned it would air some time in January.