By Popular Demand

OK, so a few of you who read this blog have been asking me for an update on Henson, and demanding more recent pictures. So this post is for you.
My little guy is now 4 1/2 months old, which is hard to believe. At his 4 month check up he weighed in at 15lbs 10oz and was 26 inches tall, which is apparently way above the average hight for his age. This explains why all of his shirts are either too short or too wide.

So here is a quick update on what is new with Henson.

He has started to sit in his high chair.

He and the dog have become great friends.

He can now sit up for nearly 3 full seconds by himself

He got to try rice cerial for the first time this week (not really a fan yet)

Silly Accomplishments

I realized this week that sometimes the things I am most proud of are the smallest silliest little things. For example, this week I cut my hair 100% by myself, and it didn't turn out too badly! Granted it's nothing complicated or special, but I was pretty pleased with myself since I've always been too much of a coward to do more than a trim or bangs before.

So to celebrate my accomplishment here are some pictures of my mediocre hair cut. (Please forgive the bad pictures, I took them myself and the batteries on the camera were dieing so there was no opportunity for a re-do).

A Short History Lesson

Since Henry is spending this week in Monterey, CA for his EMBA orientation course, I thought it would be appropriate to learn a little bit more about the school he is attending. For those of you likewise curious, here is a little bit about the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).

The school was first established over 100 years ago in 1909 in Annapolis, MD. At the time it was only for Navy officers and taught courses in Engineering. The first class was made up of 10 officers and 2 instructors, with enrolment expanding to 25 students in 1913.

It wasn't until 1945 that the school became a fully accredited, degree granting graduate institution. At this point a new location for the school became necessary. In 1951 the US Navy purchased a hotel and the surrounding grounds in Monterey, CA, and the entire university was moved 3000 miles to where it is today. The campus has been expanding ever since and now covers 627 acres, but the hotel that was purchased still houses the main administrative offices.

The Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, CA 1945

The student body has expanded from the origional 10 to nearly 1,500 today, most of whom are uniformed officers from one of the branches of the US military, but also includes officers from over 30 other countries as well as a small number of civilian employees.

So that is where Henry is spending his week. And while Henson and I miss having him home, we are so excited that he has such a great opportunity.

Congradulations Henry!

So for some of you this may be old news, but for those who haven't heard Henry got into grad school! I'm so proud of him, he has been working so hard. He was accepted to the Naval Postgraduate School's EMBA program. He is flying out to Monterey CA for a week long orientation at the end of this month, and he officially starts distance learning classes in January. His graduation date is already scheduled for December 20, 2013 (that sounds so close). It's going to be a lot of work, and our family is going to be even busier (if that's possible) but we are excited.

What I Don't Care About

I apologize in advance for this post. It is much preachier than I usually like to get on this blog, but it is something that has been on my mind. Becoming a parent is an interesting thing. I always anticipated that it would be life altering and perspective changing, and it certainly has been. Schedules, habits and priorities shift to fit your new life situation. There have been a few other, slightly unexpected consequences. Other parents suddenly welcome you into their confidence, as if your choice to procreate grants you access into an exclusive club. Within this club the sharing of very personal information is both encouraged and expected. Most of the members are very friendly and helpful. However, as with anything on which there is a difference of opinions, there is also some pressure and judgment to be contended with. Some tend to think that their way of parenting is the right way; that what was best for their child should be best for yours. I have never taken this type of judgment and unsolicited advice seriously, but I have known many who have convinced themselves that they are less of a parent because they do not measure up to someone else's ideals. With the emotional nature of parenting rooted in a deep desire to do what is best for your child, it is not hard to understand why so many are so quick to second guess their own actions in the face of ridicule. So in response to all of the judgment, harsh comments, and unintentionally cutting remarks that I have heard, I just want to say to everyone who is a parent or who may ever choose to become one:

I DON'T CARE
If you breast feed or formula feed
If you use cloth diapers or disposables
If you swaddle or not
If your child sleeps in a crib, a bassinet, or your bed
If you start solids at 4 months or at 6
If you give your child a pacifier or not
If you potty train at 1 or 3
If you wean from the bottle at 9 months or 2 years
If you dress your child in new or used clothing
If you rock your child to sleep or if they self sooth

I DO care that you love and take care of your child. That you do what you feel is best for your family, your child and you. I have my own opinions, and they may be very different from yours, but every person is different and there is no one-size-fits-all for raising or defining a family.

Thanks for letting me indulge in this rant. I promise not to turn this blog into my own personal soap box.

Introducing...

For those of you who may have been wondering, no I have not given up blogging or dropped off the face of the earth. The last month has been a bit of a whirlwind, and I am just now catching up with regular life.

It seems only appropriate for this first entry back to be an introduction of the cause of the whirlwind in our home. As most of you know by now, Henson James was born on Monday July 4th, and the last four weeks have been some of the best ever.

Here he is waving hello to the world just minutes after he arrived.

He was 8 lbs. 2 oz. 20 1/2 inches long, and was born at the Alexandria hospital around 10:30am on the 4th of July. Lucky boy, he will have fireworks for his birthday every year. I'm convinced that is why he waited an extra week to show up.

I was surprised to see his full head of beautiful hair

Henson is a healthy growing little boy. By his two week appointment he was already 8 lbs. 14 oz. and 22 inches long (although I have my doubts as to how accurate those height measurements are). We go in this Thursday for his one month checkup, which is exciting to see how he's progressing, but not so exciting because he hates doctors appointments (who doesn't really).

I think our dog must be emulating Nanna from Peter Pan, because he runs to the nursery door every time he hears Henson cry. (He also tries to lick his feet whenever he thinks we're not looking, but we are trying not to encourage that). We are just happy that they seem to be getting along. Darcy has even gotten used to the stroller, which use to terrify him.

Henson and I are finally getting into a routine of sorts, and I feel like I'm getting back on top of things again. It's fun to have a little buddy to tag along, and it's exciting to see him grow and develop so fast.

A more recent picture of Henson, taken last week at 3 weeks 2 days old

Getting Ready

This weekend Henry and I both had Friday off, so we spent some of that extra time on finally finishing the nursery. It has been in a state of near completion for weeks now, and while I still have a couple small projects I want to do, it is now more or less finished. So here are some pictures of the finished product. (The coloring in the first couple pictures is a little off due to lighting)

The nursery from the doorway.

The other side of the room.

This is a more accurate depiction of the wall color. I finally made the crib skirt this weekend after putting it off for almost a month. And yes, that is a tree on the wall above the crib (we had someone asking us what it was).

Changing table, Dr. Seuss pictures, and the great blanket made by Tana.

Henson James Lopez

I know we are still supposed to have four weeks till his arrival, but it's a relief to have pretty much everything ready now. This long weekend came at the perfect time.

Curses, Foiled Again!

I had the very best of intentions to catch up on our blog this past weekend. I had pictures from Henry’s triathlon and of the almost finished nursery, and I was going to spend the afternoon diligently posting. Normally my sporadic posting is entirely my own fault, but for once I am innocent. Technology failed me.

I switched on our laptop and headed into the kitchen to clean while it booted up. About 10 minutes later I went back to the desk to sign in, figuring it would be ready, and was greeted with what no computer owner wants to see; a completely black screen and a slow but constant humming sound. The power light was on, the battery charging light was on, but the screen was blank. After a few failed attempts to make it do something, I finally gave in. Our trusty lappy, who has been with us since our last year of undergrad, has given up.

So we are currently without a computer, and therefore without access to any of the pictures I intended to share, so this will be a text only post. I apologize for the lack of visual stimulation.

First things first, Henry completed the Rumpus in Bumpass Triathlon! (*Imagine a great picture of him crossing the finish line here*). The weather was absolutely foul. We got to the lake that morning and it was pouring rain and cold. For a while it looked like there would have to be a delay for the swim, but it calmed down enough that everything started on time. The swim was in the lake (which was not particularly calm that day due to the weather), and the bike and the run were on the windy country roads that surrounded it. Henry finished in what I think was great time, through all of the rain and mud and wet slippery grass. He is now officially a tri-athlete!

The rest of my items to post are really best represented through images, so I will do a quick rundown of what else has been going on, and possibly update with pictures later.
1. Henry spend Easter weekend in El Paso, TX visiting his sister. While he was there he got to visit the white sand beaches in New Mexico.
2. We are nearing completion on getting the nursery ready. It is now painted, the wall decal is over the crib, the shelf is over the changing table, his initials are painted and on the shelf, and one of the three pictures has been framed in a newly re-painted frame and hung on the wall. Once we can find a chair that will fit we will be able to finish it once and for all. (So if anyone comes across a comfortable, yet relatively small arm chair, let us know. I am not opposed to re-covering it myself)
3. Spring is here! Ok, I know it's been spring for a while, but it really feels like it now. Our rose bushes are blooming, and Alexandria is a buzz with activity once again. The farmers market has fresh local veggies, the library just had their book sale, and the school just had their big flee market. The best thing, we can walk to all of it.

So there is my bland and imageless recap for the last month. If you read this far, I commend you for your patience. Hopefully by the time I next post I will have a computer again and have access to my files/photos.

Bumpass Bound

This Saturday Henry and I are heading south to the town of Bumpass Virginia for the Rumpus in Bumpass Triathlon (yes, that’s what it’s really called, and that is the real name of the town). The event takes place Saturday morning, and includes a 1500 meter swim, followed by a 24 mile bike ride, and ends with a 10k run. This will be Henry’s first triathlon type event, and I of course will be coming along as the trusty photographer and spectator. Henry has been in his final stages of training this week. I’m proud of how hard he has been working. Every day after work he has been going to the gym at the Pentagon to swim and/or run, and biking in the evenings when he gets home. While I would never think to attempt any event like this myself, it is fun to watch him prepare because he gets so energized by the training. Naturally when I found out we were going to be traveling to a town named Bumpass I wanted to find out a little more about it. In researching I found out all sorts of little fact, like that the town was named after the first family to settle there in the 1800s, the current population is approximately 6,350, and it is most known for its unusual name, many farms, defunct ice cream spoon factory, alpaca ranches, and lumbering operations. While all this research was mildly interesting, when I went to the Bumpass, VA website I had to laugh. The main page shows a road sign with the statement “Enter Bumpass, VA Leave Everything” and is captioned with the following quote: “You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead... ” —Rod Serling. Hmm…sounds like they have a rather high opinion of their little town. I am now officially intrigued. After a very busy week I am ready for the weekend and a chance to get away for the day. Let the Rumpus in Bumpass begin!

February Travels

February was a month of traveling for me. I think I was on more airplanes and in more airports during that one month than I have been in the last three years combined. Unfortunately my travels were strictly work related, but at least I got to visit some cities I had never been before. We are preparing to implement a new program at work, and since there are only two of us in my office working this issue, we were the only ones who could provide the training.

First stop was San Diego, CA. I have been to California numerous times since a lot of my extended family lives there, but this was one city I had never had the chance to visit.My view outside the window as we flew over Chicago. This was the last snow I would see for the rest of the week.

Most of my time in CA was spent either driving to and from airports, or on base to give training, but I did get to have a nice lunch at this cute little restaurant by the beach in between classes. My meal was served with freshly sliced Avocados and real sourdough bread. Two of the reasons I love California.

From CA I flew straight to Seattle Washington. I actually stayed and worked across the water in Bremerton, WA, but I could see Seattle from my hotel window. Everyone talks about how it always rains in WA, but it was clear and beautiful both days that I was there.This is the hotel I stayed in.

My next trip was a quick four day trip to South Carolina and Pensacola, FL. Ironically I had to take more flights to get to and from both of these places than when I was flying all the way across the country. I stayed in Charleston, SC. One of the days training got out early, and I got to see some of the old downtown. I wish I had more pictures of the architecture in that city. I would like to go back some day when I have the time to spend in some of the museums. There is a huge open air market that I got to walk around.

I was in Florida for a grand total of 24 hours, so no pictures from that stop. Believe me, there was nothing photo worthy in the town that I was staying in anyway. Lets just say it was the not the kind of place where you would want to go walking around alone after dark.

The trip home was a bit of a mess, with a delay going out of Pensacola, and a layover in Atlanta. I ended up having to take a shuttle in Atlanta to get to my terminal and jog all the way to the end with my luggage in order to board the plane before they closed the doors. Luckily I just made it.

After all of this travel I am VERY glad to be home for a while. I have no long trips planned for the near future, and am very happy about it.

It's a boy!

So we found out last Friday that we are having a little boy. Since then the list of things to do before he arrives feels like it has tripled, and time is speeding up. There are 19 weeks till his estimated arrival date, which in a normal world would sound like a long time, but for some reason now sounds like it's just around the corner.

We have started painting the nursery (well Henry started, I'm staying away from paint fumes at the moment) but due to a lack of advanced planning we have run out of painters tape and progress is stalled until we make a trip to the hardware store. It's a small room, so you would thin it would be a quick project, but somehow we have managed to drag it. I'll be glad once it is done, at least we will have completed one project.

Today we finally sat down and wrote a list of all the little projects we want to get done in the next four and a half months. Now that it's on paper I feel slightly more sane. On the bright side, I now have the energy to work on projects. On the down side, I am traveling for work 2 out of the 4 weeks this month so at home project time is limited to weekends.

Me, now that my bump is actually showing.

Happy Groundhog Day

It's that time of year again. The time when an over fed furry animal is pulled out of a tree stump in an otherwise unknown town in Pennsylvania to whisper in the ears of men in top hats and predict our meteorological future while national media catches it all on film. While I've never been to Gobblers Knob, I have watched the proceedings on TV, and I'll admit I was curious as to where this tradition started. For any of you likewise curious people, here is some information http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/punxsutawney/a/groundhog_day.htm

In my search of the history of Groundhog Day I found some little known facts abuot the event. Here are just a few I thought were interesting:

1. Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, has not seen it 15 times, and nine years are unaccounted for.

2. The National Climate Data Center reportedly stated that Phil's prediction's have been correct 39 percent of the time. This number is in conflict with Phil's club, which states he's been right 100 percent of the time.

3. In the years following the release of Groundhog Day, a 1993 film starring Bill Murray, crowds numbering as high as 30,000 have visited Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney where the ceremony takes place.

4. Though groundhogs typically live only six to eight years, Phil is reputed by townspeople to be more than 100 years old, surviving beyond a marmot's normal life span thanks to the strong constitution of his wife, Phyllis, and a steady diet of Groundhog Punch.

5. States without groundhogs are taking matters into their own hands by choosing their own weather predictor. Texas, for example, chose its state mammal, an armadillo, to predict the weather for their first "Armadillo Day."

6. The groundhog's full name is actually "Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary." It was so proclaimed by the "Punxsutawney Groundhog Club" in 1887, the same year they declared Punxsutawney to be the weather capital of the world.

So happy Groundhog Day everyone! Punxsutawney Phil comes out at 7:25 this morning, and although the odds are stacked against me, I'm hoping for an early spring.

Moments of Creativity

Lately we have been trying to finish up a lot of the projects we have started around the house. This includes putting the finishing touches on both the living room and our bedroom. One thing that we have been wanting to change is the lampshades on our bedside lamps. Instead of getting new lamp shades we decided to re-invent the ones we had using old magazines.

My lampHenry's lamp

We also recently got a new sofa for the living room, one that will last us for a long time. In order to make it fit in I had to recover my pillows. We found pillow covers that we liked, but of course they were the wrong size for what we already had, so out came the sewing machine! It has been a while since I have done a sewing project for the house, and it was fun to work on.

We liked the pattern of the fabric because it complemented the pattern of the artwork we already had.

(Just ignore the messy living room)








We also needed a new shade on the window in the back door, so we got an extra pillowcase. I took the case apart and was able to use the fabric, plus a strip of left over green fabric, in order the make the drape.

A close up of the curtain

It has been fun to have some creative projects the last couple weeks, and now that they are finished I will have to find a new creative outlet. Luckily we still have one more room in the house that I can work on :)