Happy Halloween!

We kicked off the Halloween festivities early this year with a small party on Saturday afternoon. In addition to the grandparents and aunt and uncles, the Filer family was in attendance with a tough looking Spiderman in tow. We decided to go with a family costume. Definitely a step up from the year that Emily and I went as American Gothic. Pictures below:

Doing C.S. Lewis proud.
The Spider-Lady and Spiderman with two-thirds of a Narnia classic.
Grandma and Grandpa Ueland with the Little Lion.
Grandma Adriaens with the Ferocious Beast.
The Guys Hangin' Out.

Our Bouncing Baby Boy is Six Months Old!

Happy Half-Birthday, Guster!

Here is a video of the little man:

Motor City Part Deux -- Magic in the air

Whether it was the excitement of the wedding, or the dryness of the hotel room, Gus did not sleep well on Saturday night. Mom got up with Gus around 1:00 am, and tried unsuccessfully to put him back down for the next 45 minutes, before calling out to the bullpen for some relief from Dad. Unfortunately, it was an up and down experience for Dad for the next 90 minutes, and finally at a little after 4:00 am, we gave up and Emily fed Gus. We were scheduled to fly out at 6:40 am, and had asked for a wake up call at 4:45 am, so I tried to get a quick few winks in before the phone rang. I vaguely remember fumbling for the phone and hanging it up when the wake-up call came in, but the next thing I heard was Emily's voice saying, "Kevin, it's 5:30."

ZOINKS! (this is a family friendly blog) 5:30, and the pack 'n play was still set up, we had not yet finished packing, we were not checked in, and we had a 5 and a half-month old baby with us. Not good. Remarkably Emily and I left the hotel room 22 minutes later and rushed through the airport with the suitcase, pack 'n play, and the G-Man (rolling in his new wheels) all in tow. Now, I could blame this mad dash through the airport on the baby or the lack of sleep, and to be sure, this wouldn't be totally ridiculous. But those who know Emily and me know better. Shortly after Emily and I started dating, she took a trip to Hawaii with her family (this was in college). I borrowed a friend's car, and was all set to take Emily to the Cincinnati airport. A couple of wrong turns later I had to drive like Bo Duke to get Emily there in time for her flight. So, I guess what I'm saying is, there is a history. I am sure, in fact, that many readers who are familiar with our antics are thinking of their favorite Kevin and Emily running through the airport like O.J. in that Hertz commercial moment right now.

So we hit the check-in line at roughly 6:00 am. Long line of people with dozens of unused self-check-in machines standing unused. What's wrong with this picture? Isn't some of the convenience of having self-check-in lost when you have to wait for a ticketing agent anyway? Also, doesn't it always seem like when you're in a hurry the people in front of you are just baffled by the steps necessary to check-in using the touch screen? It's as if they all came down with a case of the Amish. It's not that hard people . . . just touch the screen on the big squares that describe the option you want. That's right. Checking bags? IT'S A YES OR NO QUESTION! Total time for the transaction should be approximately 75 seconds, but I swear that two guys took 15 minutes as they alternately poked at the screen, scratched their heads, and looked at each other shrugging their shoulders completely stupefied. All the while, the clock is edging closer and closer to 6:40 am. Finally a terminal opens up, and we quickly print our boarding passes and check our bags (total time approximately 47 seconds). 6:20 am. Uh-oh. Go, go, go, go, go . . .

One of the things that I was looking forward to about traveling with Gus was being in the gate when the announcement came out, "Passengers traveling with children or who need special assistance may now board the airplane." I would stride smugly to the front of the line with Guster in my arms. No more standing in the jet-way for a half an hour. No more standing helplessly in the aisle while Joe Carryon tries to stuff a suitcase that contains all his worldly belongings in the overhead compartment. I would have freedom to move and time to get situated. I had a taste of that on the flight out, but on the way back? Not so much. I am pretty sure that the three of us were the last people on the plane. Looking ahead to our aisle, I saw a woman sitting in the aisle seat engrossed in a book with two empty seats next to her. Hello, neighbor! Um, excuse me? Looks like we're 34A and 34B. Woman looks up at us, takes in Guster, and makes the oh, crap face. Now, there is a distinct possibility that in my days of travel PG (pre-Guster), I may have made a similar face. Even if I have not made such a face outwardly, I know that in the past seeing a baby in my row on a flight was not a cause for celebration, but desperation. Yes, I know that look, and a small part of me felt for the lady. But I also wanted the lady to give Guster a chance. He was not crying, and for all she knew, he wouldn't make a peep the whole flight. Our case with the lady was not strengthened when after sliding by her to our seats, we waited approximately 12 seconds before Emily had to excuse herself to the restroom so that she could dump some of the hot water we scored to warm Gus' bottle down the drain (the bottle full of formula displaced too much hot water -- as Raymond Babbitt would say, "burn baby bad."). The pursed lips told the tale. She was not pleased with her neighbors.

I gave Gus the bottle as we started to take-off expecting that he would fall asleep as he had on the flight out. Turns out that Gus has different plans. Gus finished the bottle and was wide awake. For the next hour or so, Gus squirmed, mauled his ugly doll, and smiled at the passengers that he spied over the seat back. And then the unmistakable aroma of a filled diaper began to waft toward our nostrils. Great. I suggested heading to the bathroom, but Emily said that there wasn't room -- that we were going to have to change Gus right here. On our laps? Gus has started rolling on the changing table, and it is getting harder to change him without it looking like the nursery has had a visit from Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo, so this seemed like a recipe for disaster. But we spread out the changing mat (our prickly neighbor was thankfully asleep), and started undressing Gus. I was in charge of actual changing, and as I undid his diaper I expected the worst . . . I pulled the front down and . . . it was just wet. Thank goodness. I quickly dispatched of the dirty diaper, and cheerfully put a new one on Gus. I've never been so happy about a little gas. I recognize that Emily and I are not the first ones to change a diaper on a plane, but I have to say that I felt like we had done a magic trick in the air -- a death defying stunt if you will. So, if you see me in the coming weeks, this may be a story that I try to tell you. Just cut me off and say you read about it here.

As a postscript, Guster proceeded to fall asleep for the last 20 minutes sprawled out on our legs. Our neighbor, upon waking, looked down at Gus. "He's such a good baby!"

We know.

Wonks.
More Wonks.
Headed Home. Dad is tired, but Gus is enjoying the flight.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming . . .

To write about something that I think is important and deserving of attention. It is called the "Mom's Opportunity To Access Health, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act" -- abbreviated as MOTHERS Act.
The MOTHERS Act will help new moms by:

1. Providing important education and screening on postpartum depression (PPD) that can lead to early identification and treatment. The legislation includes two grants to help healthcare providers educate, identify and treat PPD.

2. Expanding important research to improve and discover new treatments, diagnostic tools and educational materials for providers. Since the exact cause of PPD isn't known, research continues to be the key to unlocking the mystery of this condition.

The bill is currently with the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee of the Senate. Call your senator and tell them that you want them to support this bill.

Motor City Part I - The Wedding

Our little alarm clock went off at 5:00 am on Saturday morning, wanting to be fed. After Mom fed the little man, he took a short nap with Dad. After a little while, I could feel somebody's eyes on me -- and I opened one eye to see the Gus Man staring me down -- time to get up Dad. Ok.

I threw on some clothes, put Gus in the Bjorn and headed out in search of coffee. As I told Guster, gas makes the car go. Gus was great as we explored the hotel and a bit of the airport (I remembered seeing a Caribou near baggage claim the night before). Gus was quite pleased that the Westin made use of many mirrors as a part of its hallway decor. We stopped in front of each of them, and Gus greeted the baby looking back at him with an excited shriek. After about an hour of wandering, we decided to rouse the Mamma and get some breakfast.

Before too long it was time to get dressed and ready for the wedding. Dudded up, we all headed downstairs to the ballroom where the ceremony was being held. It was really fun to see many people that we had not seen since we left Chicago. One of the familiar faces was Riccardo and Ilana's not-so-little girl, Arianna. Born just a few weeks after Ella (who has also made an appearance on this blog), she is now a 18 months old. In between multiple escalator rides with her dad, and taking a nap with her mom, Arianna would point at Gus, and exclaim, "baby!" Fun stuff.

The ceremony, which was conducted largely in sanskrit, was beautiful. Gus, having witnessed his very first wedding, was overcome with emotion, and needed to retire upstairs for a nap. Refreshed after a brief disco nap, Gus headed downstairs for cocktail hour and the reception. At the reception, Gus broke from tradition, and ate before anybody else (including the wedding party). Much to Gus' relief, peas were in the past, and bananas were next on the food list. Gus sat in a high chair for the first time, and enjoyed a meal of mushy bananas.

Unfortunately for Gus, he had to call it a night before the dancing started (he was looking forward to showing everybody the booty dance in person). Gus and Dad went upstairs and called it a night.

The couple of the hour.
Sitting up and waiting to be fed.
I know I look good.
All dressed up.
The Bodinis -- Riccardo, Ilana, and Arianna.

Leaving on a jet plane . . .

This past Friday night Gus took his first flight to Detroit so that he could attend our friends Maneesha and Damian's wedding. As anyone who has seen Meet the Parents knows you can't say bomb on an airplane, but if somebody were to have asked me how I felt about our first flight with Guster, I would have said that I was nervous, and that I felt like I was traveling with a bomb. I had visions in my head of me bouncing up and down through the aisle with a screaming G-Man in my arms, with weary travelers trying to melt our faces with their death stares. But it turns out that my worry was much ado about nothing.

Our flight out was at 9:40 pm on Friday night, so Gus took a light nap at Grandma and Grandpa Adriaens' before we packed up and headed to the airport. Because we've traveled without him in the past, it seemed like Gus was sizing up the situation, trying to guess where Mom and Dad were going this time. When we started putting him in the car seat, Gus got very excited -- wherever we were going, he was going too. The excitement continued once we made it to the airport. Gus liked looking out the window at all the planes, fuel trucks, and baggage carts on the tarmac, and smiled at the other travelers. Gus was just beaming as we boarded the plane. Fortunately the flight out was fairly empty and we had an entire row to ourselves. Mom started feeding Gus just before takeoff, and the little man slept like an angel all the way to Detroit.

Once we hit the ground we were pretty much where we needed to be as we were staying at the Westin at DTW airport. Guster stayed sleeping as we brought him up to the room and set up the pack 'n play. We all hit the rack at a little after midnight.

Here is Gustafer at the airport:

All We Are Saying is Give Peas a Chance . . .

The weekend was a good one. Saturday Guster made his first trip to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market on Lyndale Avenue (his previous trips were all to the Mill City Market). Gus seemed to like it -- and Dad did too. By the way, if you think that 7:30 a.m. is too early for a fully loaded bratwurst, you got another thing coming.

Sunday the family was supposed to head to Plymouth to celebrate the baptism of JoAnna and Andy's baby, Noah. But Noah was running a fever on Saturday night and Sunday morning, and because the Gus Man was recently fighting a cold of his own, and out of an abundance of caution, Dad and Gus stayed home, while Mom attended the festivities. The G-Man and Dad wore each other out playing and reading The Poky Puppy, and Gus announced that it was time for a nap. Gus took a short snooze before signaling that it was then time to eat. Dad had neglected to ready the bottle in advance, so had to scramble to heat the water, and, in the meantime divert Gus' attention. Much to Gus' chagrin, Dad had the brilliant idea of strapping the baby in the Bjorn and heading for a lap around the block. Gus hated this idea, and told me all the reasons why while I was busy bundling him into his hoodie. But Dad listened about as well as the President listened to the Baker-Hamilton report, and we ventured out into the cold, October mist. Back inside, Guster went to work on the bottle, and Dad took the opportunity to take a peek at the pregame for the Vikings-Bears match-up. But alas, Gus was quickly through, and since Emily and I have recognized that we are hopelessly addicted to t.v. (God bless the DVR), we are trying to lead Gus away from the pitfalls of the rot-box -- so once Gus was done, and turned his head towards the big black box, it was time to turn it off and head upstairs for some more playtime.

Gus and I had a good time playing for about an hour and a half, but then a little man's barking told me that he would like to take another nap. As he quickly fell asleep on my shoulder, I snuck back downstairs with him and flipped on the game. Guster stayed asleep for the duration, and the Vikings won (barely). Good stuff.

After a trip to the grocery store, it was time to continue our out of a jar gastronomical education. Sweet potatoes? In the rear-view mirror, baby! The new week kicks off with peas. Guster got his first bite of peas today -- or at least the mush that bills itself as peas. As was the case with the sweet potatoes, there was an initial grimace, followed by Gus quickly deciding that peas (not pork) was what's for dinner. I think he ate most -- if not all -- of the entire jar. He's a good eater. Sorry, once again, for an insufferably terrible pun.

Cute stuff below:

This was actually last weekend at the Egg & I. Dad loves this place, so does Grandpa A.
Hanging out.
Lounging in his velvet pjs. Gus is a Hugh Heffner in training.
Peas be with you.
And also with you.

My what big teeth you have . . .

Guster has been back off the sleeping bandwagon, as he has been battling a bit of a cold that has given him a cough and congestion of a pack-a-day smoker. But there may be another reason that the little man is having trouble sleeping -- in fact, there may be two reasons. Little and white, and razor sharp -- yep, Gus is getting his first teeth. Emily was the first to feel their sting -- or at least the first to be able to tell about it. I'm afraid that Gus' two elephant friends on his bouncy chair have been feeling them for a bit (pun, sadly, intended).

The arrival of teeth has coincided with another big event for the G-Unit. Last night we gave Gus his first non-rice cereal food. It was sweet potatoes, and the little man LOVED them. We had read that babies sometimes only eat a few bites on their first dip into the new and exciting world of flavors in a jar, but Gus dove right in -- nearly finishing an entire jar in his first sitting. At one point we thought he was done, but he hollered, so I fed him a few more spoonfulls. Unsatisfied at how slowly I reloaded the spoon, Gus grabbed the spoon and jar himself and pulled both towards his hungry mouth. This kid can eat.

Gus also took another trip to the Mill City farmer's market this weekend, and came home with his first pumpkin. As Halloween approaches, we're still trying to nail down a costume for Guster. Any suggestions?

What you all come for is below:

Guster and Dad
Puffing out those chipmunk cheeks
Mom, Dad, and two pumpkins
An armful
You have a little something . . . just above your lip . . . on your cheek, you almost got it . . .