Health Report

So I finally went back to the Dr. to have another round of blood work done.

2 years ago I received some pretty disturbing news - my cholesterol was over 260. Not good when you're only 28, and have the wonderful family history that I do. Over those 2 years, Taryn & I made some moderate changes to our diet. We started cooking more at home, watching Top Chef and destroying our kitchen about once per day, 4 or 5 nights a week. I've cut down on the chips and switched from something like the Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffles to the Whole Grain Pepperidge Farm crackers. It's a start - I'm weening. Having a Toddler has made sure that I'm getting additional exercise - not just the 10 hours on my feet at work, but another couple each night rough-housing with the Biddles. We've been going to the park on days off (weather permitting) and spending time walking around our neighborhood.

All very slight changes - but I guess they add up. I went to see my Dr. on Wednesday, following up on a visit I had a month ago, where the new blood work was ordered. I found out that the results for the testing they did for Diabetes and blood-sugar levels, thyroid, kidney & liver function, etc., were well within normal range. I could lower my blood sugar a bit further, but it's not bad.
Then the big news. I lowered my cholesterol by 60 points!
2 years ago my LDL (bad cholesterol) was 196 - it's now 134.
My Triglicerides (another bad cholesterol) were 120 - it's now 75.
My HDL (the good cholesterol) was just 42 - it's now 53.
Overall, I went from a total of 265 down to 202. Not too shabby for a half-assed effort. With a little more progress on the food and exercise, I should be looking pretty good for a while. I'll be going back each year to check my levels and keep up on my progress. But what makes me really happy is knowing that I don't have to rely on a prescription medication to keep myself healthy.
Onward.

Rooms

Just before Addisyn's arrival, we were able to finish updating both kid's rooms.

We're still renting, so we haven't been able to paint or go the whole nine yards. But we've done as much as we can, and are really happy with the outcomes.

Eli has an outer space theme. His bedding is the Star Wars stuff from Pottery Barn, which is very cool. His Poppy Jim painted his dresser and bookshelf beautiful shades of dark blue. And he also re-stained his bed frame a nice dark tone. Taryn painted a nebula, which we mounted above his bed. And he's been in his full-size big boy bed for some time now, sonce we found such great safety bumpies online.

Eli also has some music stuff (even though the space stuff is cool, Daddy can't not have music stuff in his son's room), like the Moody Blues album that his Grambot & Grandpa framed for him when he was born. The hat rack mounted next to his closet has the two picture frames made from old records, given to him by his Auntie Niser and Uncle Jay. And we bought him a new silver clock. Note the Buzz Lightyear CD player/MP3 player, and his Star Wars Potato Heads - the "Spud Trooper" and "R2 Potatoo" (also gifts from his Auntie Niser and Uncle Jay). We'll definitely be adding the "Darth Tater" to the collection.

Here's the dresser, and mounted above it the guitar painting that his Aunt Margie got for him when he was born. Originally it was a light powder blue, with purple writing and stars. Taryn took my Gretch electric from upstairs and repainted it to match. She did an amazing job.


Taryn has always said that she isn't a girlie-girl, or too big on pink. But you'd never know it from Addisyn's nursery. Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely beautiful, and very girlie cute. It's just ironic. We moved the recliner over from Eli's room, and kept Taryn's old console table for additional counter space.The butterflies on the wall are mirrors. The lamp shade is a light pink, and at night when we turn it on it makes the walls of the room look light pink as well. Very cute. The bedding is gorgeous, and so soft. I think everyone involved in creating Eli's crib bedding was relieved to just go out and buy some this time.


Unlike the letters that she made for Cora, Taryn decided that she would use fabric as a backer for Addisyn's. More time effective. But they turned out fantastic.



Note the bright pink changing pad.


Here you can see the roses that Taryn found, which we hang her bows and stuff on. Also, next to the closet is the bow hanger that her Auntie Niser bought her.

We can't wait to get a home and really go to town on these rooms. But we think they look pretty good for the time being.

Thank you Sweetheart for being so creative, artsy and awesome.

The House Hunt Continues

Unfortuntely, Taryn & I had to walk away from the first house we put an offer on. It was a short sale with multiple Lenders, and while our offer was good, their infighting kept us from bagging what we thought was our dream home. But you know what they say: no matter how devastated you may be about losing a house, there's always another, and probably better, one out there for you.

Seems they're right.

We continued our search in Benicia, knowing that the town is definitely the place for us, for many reasons. We were worried that with such limited inventory, it would either take too long to find the right place for us, or it would be somewhere that we would have to make too many sacrifices.

Seems we were wrong.

Our Agent called us about a few houses that had recently come on the market, and although we were still waiting for final word on our first offer, we went out and had a look. What we found is a house that needs A LOT less work (but still A LOT of work!), is situated in a better, quieter and more private neighborhood, is much larger both inside and out, has all of the rooms that we need to accomodate not only our family of four, but also a study/office and a dedicated guest room, and a kitchen that with a little work could be amazing.

It's certainly the shabbiest house on the block, but that's a good thing. It should make for a great investment, and provides us with enough room that we could stay there indefinitely.

Here are a few pictures (there are still occupants, so we tried to keep the interior pics minimal). Notice the tiered front yard. Lots of potential.

The house is a split-level, with 3 separate floors. To the left is the entry way, straight ahead is the large kitchen, and to the right is a living room/dining area, with access to the upper level of the backyard.


Here is the reverse shot. On the bottom level is a family room, with access to the lower level of the backyard, a guest room, full bathroom, laundry room and access to the garage.
On the upper level to the left is the Master bed and bath, the main full bathroom is straight ahead, and two additional rooms are kitty corner to each other to the right.


The backyard is enormous. Here's a shot of the upper level, located off of the living/dining rooms.


Here's a shot of the lower level located off of the downstairs family room. Gotta love the old-growth tree in the middle of the yard. Perfect for forts, right?
We figure that with a little work (okay, maybe a lot), some retaining walls and new sod, the outdoor space could be great for the kids.


This house is also a short sale, and also has multiple Lenders on the property. I guess we're just gluttons for punishment. But the Selling Agent was very happy with our offer (even though it came in well below asking), and felt good about sending it to the banks. So here we go again. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Guitar Lessons

Eli has always been interested in Daddy's guitars. Even as a newborn, I would pick up my Samick and play for him, singing eveything from Bob Marley to Bad Religion. As he got older, he started wanting to mimick me, so I would sit him in my lap and hold the chords as I let him strum and pluck the strings.

I harbor this dream that one day he'll pick up one of my old guitars and learn to play better than I ever did - then provide the high vocal harmonies and solos for me. We'll record it on my Pro Tools (it's gonna happen). He's discovered that he especially likes my picks, and used to steal them from me in the hopes that I would chase him around the house to get them back. But he's learned that we don't run away with them, instead, we use them to plink the strings, which he does until he drops it into the hole with a big "uh oh!" He thinks it's hilarious how Daddy has to turn his guitar upside-down and shake it out.

He's now at the point were he'll sing "ah goodah da digah da gooah" as he strums away.

I bought Eli's cousin James a pint-sized guitar while we were visiting for Thanksgiving two years ago. I'm not sure where he's at as far as interest and skill, but Uncle Davey will always be here for him. Hopefully someday the two of them can learn to harmonize with each other (even if it has to be done over Skype).

Maybe they'll learn to play "Parachute" by Guster or something.

It's a great song.

Bottoms Up!

In celebration of Taryn's return to the bottle, Addy thought this was fitting ...

Addisyn's 1st Bath

Addy's umbilical cord fell off late Monday morning, so we were finally able to get her into a full bath. We watched the State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, then headed upstairs as a group for our first Family Bath Time. Taryn bathed Addy in the sink, while I bathed the Biddles in the tub.

When we gave Eli his first full bath, the kiddo looked at us like we were crazy and thrashed about as if we were trying to torture him. Which is funny in retrospect since he loves the water and can spend a blissful 45 minutes in his bath without complaint. Addisyn, however, didn't fuss at all. Just like at the hospital when they put her under the water for the first time, she took it all in stride. Not so much as a peep from the little girl.

Eli and I were making quite the racket in the tub, and Addy couldn't help but be distracted ...

Judging by her enthusiasm, we definitely have another water baby ...


Here she is all clean, warm and snuggly in Daddy's arms, while Mommy does the dirty work of cleaning up the mess.

Kissy faces.

(pretty sure she thinks I'm crazy)

Sleeping Biddles

We've been having trouble recently with the temperatures in the kids' rooms. Grambot bought the kids each a GroEgg room thermometer, but they never seem to read the temperature that the rooms feel. We set our thermostat to 68, and realize that the layout of our townhouse (being so tall and open between the upstairs and downstairs) might make it more difficult to have a standard temperature throughout each room, but the variance between the upstairs and down is a much bigger gap than it should rightly be. We've gone as far as to close the vent in Eli's room entirely because it heats up too much, and fully open the vent in Addy's room because it's always so chilly.

Even in winter, we've taken to putting Eli in thin, loose PJs so that he doesn't get too hot at night. He's had trouble with night terrors in the past, and we know that overheating can be a common cause.

On Monday night, a few hours after I'd put him to bed, Taryn and I were heading up to sleep when we found this ...

We always check on Eli before going to sleep, to make sure that his blanket is covering him, his humidifier is full enough to last the night, and to remove any excess toys from his bed. (He's taken to bringing his Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Star Wars Potato Heads, Sesame Street Dolls, maybe a train or two, and maybe his drum or his guitar, into bed with him each night. As far as Buzz, Woody, the Potato Heads and his Sesame Street dolls, he refuses to go upstairs or downstairs without them ... EVERY time. It's become quite the process)

Taryn has always said that Eli sleeps just like me. Well, the proof is in the picture. Sideways, blanket tangled and askew, feet uncovered and up ... yup, the kiddo is mine.

More Visits

Last Saturday Taryn's Aunt Chanda and cousin Christy stopped by on their way to the City to visit Miss Addy and play with Eli. They got the full tour of Eli's updated bedroom, and Addy's finished nursery. Oohs and Ahhs all around.

And of course they thought Addisyn was pure perfection.

Daddy's Birthday

So I turned 30 this year.

Yeah, 30.

Mom always said I'd be lucky to live through 18, let alone see 25.

I don't feel all that much older - well, maybe physically (my knees keep getting worse and worse, and I tire out a lot faster). And I guess I've matured mentally - I mean, let's hope so, right? But I certainly don't feel old at heart. I still love my cartoons and games and fantasy books. I still love fart jokes and potty language just as much as ever. I still listen primarily to punk music. I still wear my slippers whever I go, whether it's appropriate or not. I still appreciate slapstick and laugh my face off at a good hard kick in the nutties.

Taryn asked me the other day what I thought I'd be doing at 30, saying that she always knew she would be married with 2 kids. I told her that I honestly had no idea. I'd never thought that far ahead. (Mom would say that was one of my bigger problems) If I had taken a guess, I would have said living somewhere in the Northwest, probably rooming with 3 or 4 other guys, playing music, drinking, and working just enough to get by. But certainly not Married With Children.

Boy would I have been wrong. And I couldn't be happier!

With a new baby, a toddler big brother, a home search nearing its end (fingers crossed), and things basically as tight as they've ever been, this year I decided that for my birthday I wanted our Family to spend the day at the park across the street. Simple.

We love this park. It's beautiful and peaceful. It has great play structures, is extremely clean and never crowded, has plenty of open space for Eli to run free, and even a path leading up a hill to a water park nestled at the top. Plus, the weather couldn't have been better - clear blue skies and a comfortable 68 degrees.

We took our time getting ready that morning and even had a nice big breakfast (something Taryn & I never get, not with our schedules). But of course, Eli & I, being the men of the house, took a fraction of the time getting ready that the girls did, so we left early and walked to the park together, getting there around 11am. Taryn and Addy didn't make it until after 12p.

Eli ran immediately for the slide. His daycare has them both indoors & out and he LOVES them. He made sure to spin the steering wheel each time he passed it before slipping down the slide (going down both forwards & backwards). Luckily the structures are large enough for me to play too.

As I said, I never thought of myself as getting old, but my stamina sure isn't what it used to be. Thankfully, by the time Taryn arrived, Eli was ready to take a break and have some milkies.

But even before finishing the cup, he was ready to go again.

So when I say the structures are big enough for me to play too, I mean just barely.




Eli refused to let his cup go the entire rest of the time we were there. What a stinker!
Just remember kids: Don't drink and slide, because you might spill your drink.


We took another break and made a call to Auntie Niser. She wished Happy Birthdays and sent her love to the whole Family. Eli had big smiles listening to her voice, and waved goodbye (still not realizing that Mommy & I haven't upgraded our iPhones to include the video chat yet). We also received a call from Taryn before she showed up, relaying some very exciting news. Our realtor had contacted her that morning after Eli & I left to say that the Seller's Agent had accepted our offer, and they were forwarding it to the Lenders for final approval. Now, we've been in this situation before, and realize that that doesn't exactly mean much. But it was fun to celebrate a small victory and say that we bought ourselves a house for my Birthday.

Then it was back to the craziness.

With Daddy working hard to keep up.

Eli and I had so much fun. He even went on the Big Boy slide, climbing all the way up the structure by himself (with milkies cup in-hand).

I took Eli on every piece of fun stuff that the park had to offer. He especially liked the over-sized teeter totter.

And then came the hill. In the past, Eli hasn't been too big about roaming the parts of the park that don't include slides, but today he had his sights set on taking the hill. We chased each other up and down the path that follows the water as it flows from the water park at the top to the snakes head at the bottom.

And while we were up there, Eli found that the back side of that hill has a cemented pathway that is very steep. Daddy made the mistake of showing him how to stomp down the hill taking BIG steps while saying "Wow" with each one, picking up speed and letting momentum drive us to the bottom at a run, straight into Daddy's waiting arms. Eli thought this was the greatest thing ever. He went up and down that hill at least 30 times. No exaggeration.

Now remember when I said that I didn't feel like I was getting older, then had to ammend it to exclude the physical pains? Yeah ... that's because of this.

Although, we did take a time out to sing Eye of the Tiger.

Here's age catching up with me, caught on film.

And the whole time this fun stuff was going on, Addy was sleeping away. We were at the park for over 2 1/2 hours, and she didn't stir once. She's so calm, it's a gift.

There were a few parents and their kiddos there, and since we stayed so long, we saw quite a few of them come and go. Eli ran up and down the play structures with some of the boys, and was sliding in tandem with one little girl. Whenever any of them left, Eli would stop and wave goodbye to his new little friends.

As soon as we told him it was time to go, he made a run for it.

Maybe he was getting tired too ...

Makes me feel better to know that.

Within 30 minutes of being home, this was the scene. Addy passed out in Daddy's arms, with Eli passed out under the blankets on the floor next to us. I tell ya, having fun is tough stuff.

But we all got a second wind by the end of the night. We ordered pizza and watched a movie, and had a very relaxing evening until the kiddos went to bed. Of course, as soon as that happened, Taryn & I passed out too.

Tummy Time 2.0

Addisyn is quite a wiggly little girl. It's almost impossible to swaddle her since she's always stretching. We've just about given up. Both arms are frequently above her head like she's lounging at a resort (which she kind of is), her legs frequently locked tight and her toes pointing. For the first week, she slept through the days and was only up and alert at night, usually right after dinner, through 1 or 2am. But she's been adjusting to her new routine, and is starting to become more active during the day, being alert for longer periods of time.

We tried her out on her cute (and pink) Tummy Time mat after being home for only 6 or 7 days, and she did very well. She's been able to last over 7 minutes without any fuss. She just takes it all in from this new and interesting perspective. Just like her brother, she has great head control and strong neck muscles.

Eli was very interested in watching his baby sister. Every time she kicked or pulled her head up he would laugh. And even though we're still in our PJs, this picture was probably taken in the late afternoon. That's just what happens around here when people have time off from work. Also, awesome bed-head runs in the Family.