Baby + Thunderstorm = No Sleep for Mommy & Daddy

I think the title says it all. I was super tired this morning, after Baby B was awake at 1:30 for his normal post-midnight snack and again from 3:30 to 5:00 a.m. His eyes were WIDE OPEN, and he kept looking at the window at the light show. Today I'm the "officer of the day", which means I have to be available and in the office all day, to handle any walk-ins or crises that may arise when someone's regular officer isn't here. And on Fridays, NO ONE is here. Anyhoo...I'm going to soldier on.

I went to pump, and realized that I had left vital pieces (ie valves) to my pump at home, so had to run to the store to buy replacements. Apparently, I had thrown everything in a bag this morning, except the thingies that make the pump work. Oops. That's tired, folks!

Drew left this morning to drive to New Orleans for a bachelor party for our friend Jacob. A bunch of guys in a 15 passenger van, spending the weekend in the Quarter. I asked if he wanted to take the camera, and he said, "No, too much liability". I'm not sure if he meant the camera might be damaged, or that it might capture things not meant for us delicate ladies to see. I don't think I want to know. I asked if I should set aside bail money, but Drew said he had plenty.

Drew and I decided to put King Ave. up on the market, so called the Trib and placed an ad, to start running on Sunday. Drew's cell phone was the contact number, and figured he could take calls on the way home from his trip. Only the Trib messed up, and started running the ad yesterday (apparently, because we already got a call). So, he may have a busy phone amidst the revelry. Should be interesting!

Well, that's it from Mid-Mo. Anyone wanting to come to Columbia to watch Bacchus while I take a nap this weekend, feel free! The guest room is open...zzzzzz.

Wedding recap

Had a great time in Nashville last weekend, when brother Steve married the lovely Delara. It was a great, low-key ceremony, in the Ba'hai tradition, with lots of time for friends and family to relax and get to know each other. Bacchus was great on the way down, with a good combination of sleep and play, with a little fussy time thrown in for good measure. We were lucky enough to get an adjoining suite at the Hampton Inn with Nana Louie and Grampa Gary, and Josh and Courtney as well. Great to have baby help close by. Connie was in attendance (surprise!) which we were really grateful for. Also, old friends Michael and Melissa were in from Fredericktown, and it was great to reconnect with them (Hi, guys!).

Bacchus "found his voice" over the weekend, and can be really vocal at times, which is hilarious. I sing to him a lot, and he often accompanies me. :) He was extra fussy on the way home from Nashville, and letting him chomp on my finger seemed to be the only soother. I guess it just confirms Jessica's suspicion that he's starting to teethe. Yahoo.

Oh, Steve, if you're taking timeout from your honeymoon to read this, I just read that Don Cheadle is working on (directing and starring in) a biopic of Miles Davis. Just FYI!

Well, that's it from the greater Rocheport area. Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Lazy Sunday

Well, Bacchus rocked the Rocheport General Store again last night (3rd weekend in a row). They had an Irish band playing, and Shepard's Pie on the menu. I had some friends in from out of town, and we all had a great time. Bacchus was wearing his new driving cap that Drew bought him in Pennsylvania, along with a green and white striped outfit. I'll try to get some pics on here (Jessica, help!), because he looked so precious. At one point, he was laughing at Jan Carla, and her mom, Nirma. He was laughing so hard, that pretty soon, almost everyone in the store was watching him. Sorry, six piece Irish band. You were shown up by a 4.5 month old.

I'm starting to make lists of stuff in preparation for our trip to Nashville on Thursday/Friday. Gretchen has graciously invited us to stay with her in St. Louis on Thursday night, which will break up the trip somewhat. I can't wait to see everyone. Our thoughts and prayers are with my Aunt Connie, who will not be able to make it.

Well, that's it for now. Time for laundry/dishes/babycare/shower/grocery shopping, etc. Later!

P.S. For those of you keeping track, yesterday was the 8 year anniversary of our first kiss....aawww.

Aaahhh....Friday

Nothing much new in Bacchus-world. He's still as cute as always, and markedly happier in the mornings (much like me!). I can usually get him to have one laughing fit in the evenings, and take turns calling different family members to hear it. He's not making any moves to roll over yet, which is totally fine with me.

Drew and I put a bid in on an historic home in Rocheport yesterday, and are waiting to hear from our agent. "Fix-R-Upper" would be a mild term for this house, but it is beautiful, and has so much potential. It was built in 1840, and sits on a large corner lot, which is actually four small lots put together. We'll see!

Aunties Gretchen and Amie are coming into town this weekend, and we plan on going out to dinner and seeing an Irish band at the Rocheport General Store tomorrow. And they're calling for SNOW.

We are getting ready to travel to Nashville next weekend (I'm starting to stress and make lists now), and we'll see how Bacchus does on an extended car trip. So far, he's only been in for two hours at a time (to KC or STL). He probably travels much better than I do (just ask Drew). Well, that's it for now...hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Ok...I dressed Bacchus in "real" (a.k.a. "big boy") clothes today before dropping him off at the sitter. (It was a red, white and blue striped shirt with jeans, from his aunt Marie, but that's beside the point.) I think I've been putting off this step for several reasons. Practically, it's easier to change a diaper when you just have to unzip or unsnap a onesie. Also, they are the cutest outfits, and babies are much snugglier when wearing them. On an emotional level, perhaps I've been delaying the inevitable...facing that fact that I don't want him to grow up. I've always had problems dealing with changes, big and small. When I picked him up from the sitter the other day, and he smiled when I entered his field of vision, I suddenly had the thought that, someday, he WON'T smile when he looks at me. I'm not always going to have his complete and utter trust. Someday, I will disappoint him. He won't always grasp my finger in his chubby fist and look up at me while he's eating his meal, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider won't make him giggle anymore. Aaahhh...

On a happier note, he slept all night. Woo-hoo!

Full night's sleep

Ok, now that I watched my dad update pictures on this last night, I realize that I can do it just as easily, and can actually post stuff to update everyone on the wee bebe. Ok, so he's not so wee, having weighed in at his 4 month appointment at 17.5 lbs (in the 95th percentile). As Drew likes to say, "He likes his groceries!". I went back to work in mid-January, and we are all adjusting well. Bacchus has been sleeping through the night since about 9 weeks of age. Except for last week, when he suddenly forgot what he was doing, and started waking up two to three times per night, needing food/comfort, etc. We broke that cycle over the past weekend, and I'm pretty sure it was the Johnny Cash impersonator that did it. Let me 'splain. We went out to dinner with our friends Jacob and Jan Carla, to Abigail's in Rocheport. Bacchus started getting fussy around 7:30, his usual dinner time. I tried to feed him (albeit awkwardly) at the table, but he just fussed around. Drew ended up holding him, and he had a good time looking around at everything in the different environment. At 9:00 p.m., he was still in good spirits, and apparently not hungry, so we headed over to the Rocheport General Store, where there was a Johnny Cash impersonator band playing. Playing loudly, and quite badly, I'm sorry to say. Anyhoo, Bacchus was totally into the new environment, and had a good time being passed around to a few people. At 9:45, we finally called it a night, and went home, fed him, and put him to bed. He's been sleeping through the night ever since. God Bless you, horrible Johnny Cash impersonator!

Drew has been in Pennsylvania since last Sunday, attending a winery convention of some sort with the other winemakers. Dad Marchbank, thank God, agreed to come and help out at the house, where he has been feeding and caring for all the animals, including me. I'm going to miss coming home to a house smelling like dinner! He has also been doing little things around the house (wiring the living room for internet, painting a patch job in the bedroom/bathroom, etc) that is so appreciated. Grandparents are awesome.

Well, that's the update for now. Sorry this has been so long in coming! Hopefully, I'll be able to update it regularly from now on. We haven't taken any videos, and I wouldn't know how to post them if I did, but I'm willing to learn. Everybody needs to be able to hear Bacchus laughing. It's so cute that when I'm home, I call my office line, and leave a voicemail of him laughing, so I can listen to it all day at work. Life is good.

Bach as a pirate, a frog et al

More of Bach...