Long time...so sorry...

With Mom back at work full-time and coaching swimming, it seems that the blog has been left behind. Lots has happened since early November. I am in daycare full-time and adjusting fairly well, Mom is too! I am great at holding my head up by myself and love to play in my Exersaucer as much as possible. I have survived my first plane trip, Thanksgiving, trip to see Santa and bought my first Christmas tree. I am eating rice cereal in the morning and again at night along with Sweet Potatoes for dinner. I tend to sleep for most of the night, depending on what kind of day I have. I will try to "point" at my dogs if you ask me where they are and I am very good at voicing my opinion, even if it wasn't asked for. I reach out for the dogs and if Captain isn't careful where he puts his jowls then I am going to reach out and grab a hold of them. We are planning our Christmas holiday extravaganza first a drive to Deleware to see Grandma and Grandpa, Mom-mom and Pop-pop, Uncle Matt, Aunt Jennifer and cousin Bise then we return back to North Carolina and then continue our journey the following day in Winston-Salem to visit with Poppy and Mimi, Aunt Lindsey, Cousins Olivia and Addison and get to meet Uncle Marc and Aunt Sabrina while they are over on this side of the pond for a trip home. It will be lots of hours in the car (and the dogs are coming to Deleware too!) so it could make for really good or really bad stories, depending on your outlook!

Hope everyone out there had a great Thanksgiving and is preparing for another great holiday season. Best wishes to all, Mom will try to update again soon!

Oh boy....what a week!

I'm not sure where to even begin so I guess I will start with the basics....Chase is now eating rice cereal once a day (usually around dinner time). He started last Wednesday at about 3 1/2 months old which is a little young in the mind of some people but he was hungry all the time and I knew that he was ready for "solid food". He would follow our forks and spoons and try to grab them when we would eat and then he would mimic our mouths and make a chewing movement. Sooooo, I called the pediatrician and talked to a nurse. I explained that I would be starting back to work and he would be in daycare in 5 days (that's another story though) and that I wanted to try him on cereal with me at home so I could really watch and see if he had a negative reaction before we threw daycare into the mix. Needless to say, he gets VERY excited when I put him in his highchair and his eyes get big, his mouth opens wide and his arms flail with joy when I walk toward him. Rice cereal, no problem!

The next big hurdle is me going back to work and him starting at daycare. We took him last Thursday for a trial run (actually, it was more a trial run for me than him) and it went well. I know that him teachers will do great with him it is more a matter of me accepting that fact. He started today (Monday) and did good. Jason and I dropped him off together so that we could finalize the login procedures and learn how to check him in and out every day. We also brought all his "stuff". I refused to leave if he was fussy so we waited a few minutes until some of his class mates were done with breakfast and could join him on the floor to distract him. I made Jason call once and check on him just for my peace of mind. He did good and took a brief nap on the way home. When we got home, he did want a little extra snuggle time with me, which I never mind, and then we played for a little bit. One day down, way too many to go! The good news is that tomorrow is another teacher workday so I have some flexibility in my schedule and will drop him off a little later than normal and pick him up after swim practice in the afternoon. The plan is for Jason to drop him off in the morning because I have to report to work before daycare even opens and then I will pick him up in the afternoon. Dad = bad guy, Mom = Good guy! I like this plan!

Will try to keep everyone posted on how I cope over the next couple of weeks.....I know there are multiple betting pools out there...I passed day 1, week 1 is still a question! Hope all is well and everyone is enjoying the recent pictures that we sent out. If you aren't getting them, let me know and I will add you to the email list.

Where to begin.....

The last week has been a complete whirlwind for all of us. Like I said before, Grandma and Grandpa were here with their dogs because we were getting ready to take a big trip. So, how did it go? GREAT! I flew on my first airplane on Wednesday and was so good. Dad was shocked and Mom was relieved! We literally got off the plane, dumped our bags at the condo in Orlando and spent the day at the Magic Kingdom. My first official ride was Winnie-the-Pooh and I liked the movements and colors and songs. We spent the entire day (from park opening until closing) and I didn't want to miss a thing so I fought naps. I took a couple power naps for about 15 minutes here and there, but that was it! By the time we got home to the condo I was cranky so Mom and I took our shower and I went right to bed. I slept from 11 pm until 6 am solid! Here is what happened on Day 2:

Sea World! It was so close to the condo that we literally could have walked there however, we decided with 2 kids, great-grandparents, grandparents and 2 sets of parents, maybe we should take the free shuttle from the condo - great plan. We got there when the gates opened at 9 am and started our day again. Sea World was much less crowded than Magic Kingdom and the weather was overcast which I have to admit was kinda nice - or at least Mom thought it was nice because I actually took a couple decent naps on Thursday! Some of the group left early but Mom, Dad, Cousin Bise, Aunt Jennifer and Grandma stayed with me at the park so we could watch the Shamu show at 6:30 pm. That was cool....but we stayed away from the splash zones! End of Day 2!

Day 3: Friday morning was our chance to relax a little at the condo before the wedding. I slept in and was a happy baby when I woke up which Mom-mom and Pop-pop loved! We went to the wedding at the Wedding Pavilion in the Magic Kingdom and then rode a bus to Epcot's Living Seas for the reception. It was really cool because we could look through the windows into the aquarium and see the fish, sharks, stingrays and divers. I took a good nap while Mom and Dad ate their dinner and then we came back to the condo. Mom and I watched while Uncle Matt, Aunt Jennifer and Grandma played shuffleboard and then Mom and I headed to bed. End of Day 3!

Day 4: Character breakfast with Goofy, Minnie and Donald. I slept through the whole thing but Cousin Bise had a GREAT time and we got some good pictures of him with the characters. Then Dad went to visit with an old friend who lives in the area while Mom and I hung by the pool since the sun was shining and the weather was warm. I like the pool but only when I am actually in the water and when I am done and wet, I am NOT happy. I took a couple naps pool side and then we got cleaned up for a farewell BBQ back at Epcot. We hung on the beach and watched the sun set over the BBQ and then Mom and I drove back to the condo while Dad, Grandma and Grandpa went to a local bar with others from the BBQ to root on the Irish as they played Washington. Mom and I watched from the condo where I decided to fall asleep and Mom started to pack. End of Day 4.

Day 5: Time to leave...boo! We got packed and headed to the airport for our flight home. I slept on this entire flight. I was tired after having so much fun for 5 days! Besides, I need to rest this week and enjoy being home with Mom because this is her last week not working....another subject we don't enjoy talking about!

All in all, everyone had a great time and I proved that I am a good boy on planes so maybe Mom and Dad will let me do it again soon! Hope everyone is doing well. We are working on getting some pictures posted to snapfish and will send them out when we do. Dad is also trying to figure out how to post video to the internet from our camera since he took more video than still shots. Will keep everyone updated on our progress. Love to all!

Rolling!

Nana came down to stay with me on Saturday while Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Matt and Aunt Jennifer went to the UNC/Notre Dame football game yesterday. When she got here, I showed her my new trick: I can roll from my tummy to my back. I have to use the pillow on my surfboard to do it but I can do it on command! Mom was excited when I did it on Thursday afternoon and then I did it on Friday for Grandma and Grandpa when they got into town, again on Saturday morning for Nana and Uncle Matt and Aunt Jennifer. Boy, are they impressed and do I think I am big stuff now!

I had a good time with all my people visiting me even though I wasn't feeling too great. Mom isn't sure but she thinks there is a chance that I might be starting to cut my teeth. This is not a good thing in her mind but man, am I ready to eat some good stuff when I get my teeth!

I am getting very excited for my next trip: Disney! We leave in a little over a week for our trip down there. I already have my Pooh outfit for my visit to the Magic Kingdom and another with Dumbo for my trip to Sea World. Then I have a wedding and a beach party, man, what a busy little bee I am!

Anyway, Mom just wanted to share my big news with everyone so that you would know the latest and greatest. I hope everyone is doing well and having fun like me. Hope you are enjoying the pictures on snapfish. If you can't open them, send me an email and let me know and I will have Mom send you instructions. Bye for now!

New tricks

Well, as much as I dislike tummy time, mom has been told to make me try anyway. Thing is, if she catches me in the right mood, I enjoy it....as long as she is on the floor next to me. She is fearful that I am going to roll over soon and she is right. I am part way there already, just have to figure out what to do with my opposite arm!

Let's see. What to share with you. I am getting bigger. Actually enjoy being in the "front pack" as long as I can see what is happening. That requires me sitting on a blanket because otherwise all I can see is the inside of the pack! I actually enjoy it so much that every time I have been in it lately, I have fallen asleep. That includes taking walks in the neighborhood, helping Dad vacuum (Mom has this on video as evidence in the future!) or going with Mom to school.

I am laughing and responding to voices and noises even more than before. I love talking on Skype to my grandparents and other family members. If you don't have it yet....ask Mom, it is GREAT!

I am just starting to notice my dogs, although they still ignore me! If mom sees me looking at them, she tells me "there's your dog" and I will track which ever one is around. Pretty soon, I think I will realize that they are on the floor and tummy time will take on a whole new meaning!

My feedings are still going good. Pretty consistent during the day (anywhere from every 2-4 hours) and during the night I am going anywhere from 5-6 hours. Mom and Dad have a definite bedtime routine that I know and follow. Around 7:45 -8:00 at night, my eyes get red and I start to get sleepy. Mom or Dad then shower with me (I like the sauna feel of the shower) and the other one gives me a massage with lotion and puts me in my PJs. Then Mom feeds me and I drift off to sleep around 9:00 - 9:30. I will wake up once about 10 minutes later (they don't know it but that is my way of testing Mom and Dad to make sure that they are still around) and then I will fall asleep for the night. I typically will wake back up between 2:00 and 3:00 AM for a diaper change and feeding and then will fall back asleep until somewhere between 7:00 and 8:00 AM. Mom and Dad have started taking the collars off the dogs so that their chains don't jingle and wake me up and that makes a huge difference. I am no longer waking up at 6:00 AM when the dogs go outside and have breakfast. Mom hopes that this pattern continues and that I will soon start sleeping even longer and longer although she does love the middle of the night cuddle (as long as I go right back to sleep after feeding!)

Grandma and Grandpa Corn are coming back down next week for the Notre Dame/UNC football game. I am making my first trek to Kenan Stadium and will be wearing my ND game day shirt but will also have on some Carolina Blue. Not sure how I will pull this one off...hopefully my good looks will help!

Oh well, Mom has chores to do so she says I have to go. Hope everyone is doing well out there. Hope to send new pictures soon.

Busy little bee....

Well, the past 2 weekends have been full of events and commitments. The weekend of the 15th, Dad officially graduated from MBA school and I got my first trip to the Dean Dome. I didn't understand why there were no whistles or balls bouncing, but I was a good boy anyway. Then this past weekend was my baptism. Grandma and Grandpa come down from Deleware, Nana came from Winston, along with Poppi, Aunt Peggy, Uncle Dale, Uncle Ron, Aunt Debbie, Cousin Liz. Uncle Matt, Aunt Jennifer and Cousin Bise came from Greenville. Godmother Jennifer and her husband, Gary, came up from Savannah and Dennis and Missy Rolo journeyed from Deleware too. Mom-mom and Pop-pop stopped on their way back to Florida from Vermont where they spent the summer once I was born. Whew! It is no wonder that I decided this past weekend that I didn't like to take long naps during the day so I would only let myself fall asleep for about 15-30 minutes at a time. I did still sleep at night for 6-7 hours but mom really wants me to go back to napping more during the day so she can get stuff done. I got used to being held and passed around like a beer at a frat party (or so Grandma said) so sleeping by myself is not happening right now. Mom is building some serious arm muscles because of it though.

Oh yeah, did I mention that I had to go see the doctor for my 2 month appointment the Friday before Dad graduated? I was a big boy, weighing in at just under 11 pounds and got a clean bill of health from the doctor. Then they did something to me that felt like I was being shot by a machine gun (Dad's analogy!) and boy was I unhappy for about 30 seconds. Then I was held and loved by Dad, put in the car by Mom and fell asleep on the way home. I also found out that I really like Tylenol (apparently Mom likes what it does for me but I like the way it tastes). All in all, the last couple of weeks have been crazy. Mom says that things will slow down but that doesn't mean that I personally will. As a matter of fact, I have a few new tricks.

If you lay me on my back on my floor mat, I will kick and swing my arms until I hit the toys and make it sing for me. I am happy doing that inside or out and will play there for almost an hour before I start to get fussy! I will mimic Mom when she makes noise at me and then laugh and smile from ear to ear when I think she or Dad does something funny. I have started taking a bath or shower every night before bed as part of my routine. I normally have my bath or shower around 8 or 8:30 and then feed one last time and fall asleep around 9:30 or 10:00. If that happens, Mom usually races to bed and will sleep with me until about 4:00 AM when I wake up hungry and wet. Then I eat again and hopefully, but not always, will go back to sleep for another 2-3 hours for Mom so we can play the next time I wake up. I am the happiest in the morning and will usually play my hardest and have the most fun then although I am starting to have some fun in the early afternoon too. I blow bubbles with my spit all the time and have started chewing on my own hand and Dad's thumb knuckles. Of course, his knuckles don't make me happy when I am hungry but if I am just looking to "chew" then they do just fine. I am super strong and will grab onto your finger if you offer it, but don't think you can let go when you want, I don't work that way! I also grab at my lovey and my toys when Mom and I play. I am just starting to arch my back and Mom fears that I am getting ready to roll over. She likes me immobile but I think I want to start to explore a little more - watch out dogs!

Other than that, life is good. Dad is home more at night and not so busy so I get to spend more time with him. Mom and I try to get out of the house at least once a day (if I cooperate and the weather isn't too bad), even if it is just to take a walk around the neighborhood. I loved having so much company and can't wait until my next trip. Mom tells me that we are going to Walt Disney World at the end of October for a wedding....Cousin Bise says I am going to have a great time....and I trust him since he is so much fun for me to watch! Mom will write more soon and hopefully Dad will upload some pictures although we did finally get more out on Snapfish for you to enjoy.

My first overnight trip away from home

Well, Mom, Grandpa and I took a trip to Greenville, SC to visit Uncle Matt, Aunt Jennifer and cousin Bise....wow, what fun! I did great on the ride down. Slept for most of the time and when I did wake up, I only had about 15 minutes left in the 4 hour drive! When we got there, cousin Bise and I played all afternoon. I probably should have had a nap but he was so much fun to watch that I couldn't even think about missing it. I slept pretty well overnight which Mom was happy about (and so was everyone else in the house who was trying to sleep!). Then we hung out in the morning too until Grandpa got back and then we headed home. We thought about staying one more night but Mom said there was this thing called a hurricane that was on its way towards our house and we didn't want to be driving home in it (or so she said). I got more pictures taken and when we came home Dad tried to upload them from the camera to his computer but the program isn't working so he is really frustrated. We are either going to buy a new camera or try to buy the software from Cannon so that we can upload the pictures and send them to people. One way or another...Mom and Dad promise that we are working on it and will send a batch out soon....