Wright Baby Blog: 2009

Saturday, October 3, 2009

New Blog Location

WE'VE MOVED!!

You can find the Wright Baby Blog at its new home on Wordpress.

http://wrightbabyblog.wordpress.com

Monday, September 28, 2009

Blogger and I have had a big falling out recently and I'm a little tired of the slow uploads and general crapiness of their platform. So, while I search for a new home for the blog, please enjoy this reverse-chronological pictorial description of the last few weeks. Actually, I'm going to write this from the bottom up, so at this point I strongly recommend you scroll down to the bottom of this post and read your way back up to this point... or just look at all the cute pictures of our adorable son (sorry we are very biased).

Addie and Smokey came to visit. Note to self: never leave a plate of delicious grilled beef with tomato and feta dressing alone near Smokey. You will regret it.

Clara and Evan came up to hang out for the weekend. Evan was convinced that he'd get to gloat when the Steelers walked all over the Bears. Sorry Erv... Cutler > Roethlisburger... at least for a day.

I don't know how this could possibly be comfortable but Mason slept like this for almost the entire Bears game. Luckily his birthday gift to me (the new Bears t-shirt) was good luck.

If you can't read the numbers they say 30. Thirty. Treinta... or Tres Zero if you're Chad Ochocinco. Fortunately, birthdays are a reason to celebrate for me. I always think I'm lucky to have lived this long with all the stupid stuff I've done over the years. Plus I still feel like I'm 23, except that I actually pulled a muscle in my shin the other day getting out of my car... how does that happen?

Kelly got artistic by mistake (see the photo target, Addie, in the background) and took this shot. Coincidentally, I woke up Sunday morning a little groggy. I don't know what happened...

Josh and Jill were happy to see the Horns avenge last year's lost to Texas Tech. So that's what redemption looks like huh? Someday I'll learn that emotion from OSU.

Nate and Melissa were over for the birthday party and they had big news of their own. Congrats on the engagement guys! And Nate, I'm sorry but somehow you had your eyes closed in both pictures and this one was the better of the two.

Where's Mason? This is what happens when dad is left to watch the kiddo for the day. The idea started innocently enough- take a picture of Mason with each stuffed animal and send a pic to the person/people who gave it to him. This was the end result. He just enjoyed the animals so much I kept piling on more and before I knew it we had Mt. Mason.

Nothing surprises me with this kid but I'm impressed that he found this comfortable. Maybe he was dreaming of being Superman and he was out for a nice peaceful Sunday morning flight.

Mason was ready for the Buckeyes' big game against USC... even if they weren't.

Tater really loves Mason. And apparently Mason loves to sit on his own and watch TV.

Hi- I'm Mason. I'm a little chubby but very cute. I love open shirts and goofy grins and I've got enough hair to make both of my Grandpas jealous.

This kid loves getting naked. I hope this feeling fades at a reasonable age but if not we'll just have a lot of explaining to do with our neighbors. He's also started to "laugh" recently. His version is smiling big and letting out a half gasp and half cough. It's pretty cool and very amusing. Plus he recognizes mom and dad a lot more now and will return our smiles most of the time. It makes you feel pretty special when your son recognizes you and smiles. This is actually what I think about every time I deal with a crazy client at work or some idiot cuts me off on the way home. It's instant meditation.

Mom and son looking super cool. Kid's got style for days.

Aunt Cousin Katie and Mr. Mason man. This looks like an ad for happy baby and mommy magazine.

Katie was in town for a few days and we had a blast. Lots of lounging with Mason and Kelly and watching chick flicks (the girls... not me). Katie managed to contain her clumsiness (something I struggle with severely) and Mason loved her new holding techniques (see above).

Kelly took another great pic here. And as per usual, the kid is cheesing away. I think all he does is eat, sleep, and laugh... and poop... a lot.

First dip (literally) in the pool. I think that face is saying: "Dad, I know you think this is cute and all but if you drop me I swear I'm gonna kick your butt. And speaking of your butt, pull your pants up. The underwear showing look went out of style with Kriss Kross."

AnnMarie stopped in Austin for a few days before heading to Dallas. She got a brief glimpse into her future (no pressure) and the girls got to spend some quality time together.

Mom loves her some Mason.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

The other half

Wow... I can't believe it's been almost two months since the last post. Time flies when you're changing diapers and trying to sneak in naps when possible. Suffice to say we've had a busy couple of months, although it's mostly been spent in the living room with an occasional venture out into the real world. Mason has nearly doubled in weight, so we're getting a solid workout just by bouncing him to sleep. The health report has been solid- he's still eating like a champ and we head in for his two month checkup next week where we'll find out how tough he is... lots of needles. We've settled into a rhythm at home and Mason is at most times a very happy and easy baby. Let's hope he continues this trend through his teenage years...

So the big news is that Grandma and Grandpa Wright got a chance to meet Mason a few weeks ago. Let me just say that we are truly blessed to have great parents. Having Kathy here for a week was such a huge help and having Harry and Renee join us for a couple weeks was equally amazing. And getting to see my folks hold my son for the first time is about as special a moment as I can imagine. So I owe an apology to them for waiting so long to post, but I think they'll understand that we've been a little preoccupied :) I also want to say thanks to them, Kathy, Stacy, and Michelle one more time for helping us out with our new little guy. I'm sure it was a treat for you all to be able to spend time with him but you may not realize how much we appreciate everything you did for us while you were here. So thanks again- we really have an amazing family!

Jenny and Geoff also paid us a visit while they were in town. We had a big dinner (mom's fried chicken and potato salad... delicious!!) and got to catch up and trade parenting stories. It's amazing how many stories you accumulate over such a short period of time. It's only been a couple months but it feels like Mason has been with us for so long already. Maybe because we were so ready for his arrival or maybe because parenting just makes you feel old faster. Time will tell on that one, I suppose.

The two week visit went by way too fast and I feel fortunate that we'll be able to see all of the grandparents (including Grandpa Mac) in a few short months at Thanksgiving. By then Mason will probably be dunking on me in a game of one-on-one at the rate he's growing. On their first night in town we Skyped great grandma and grandpa, Danielle, and great aunt Karen in Ohio. I'm not sure what was more amazing- getting to share Mason via live video with our extended family or hearing my grandfather explaining that the computers were talking to each other.

So what did we learn from my parents of nearly 30 years? (yes... 30 years... almost) We learned that Mason will sleep through just about anything, except for the ice-maker. We also learned that he likes singing. At least he likes good singing, which means that we'll leave that to my mom. Speaking of my mom- I learned that having a son with a lot of hungry friends who love her cooking means that she will always make far more food than can be eaten in one sitting. Thanks for the leftovers, mom! And I learned that my dad is about as tough as a marshmallow when it comes to his grandson- I saw those tears old man!!

We spent the majority of the time they were here just hanging on the couch and fighting over who got to hold Mason. We did manage to get out for a round of golf and a few dinners, and mom and pop got to meet some of the Austin crew over at Jeff and Amy's place also. Tater and Bella also enjoyed their stay since they got multiple walks each day and Tater eventually warmed up to Grandpa Wright. It was a sad farewell and I know we're all looking forward to our next visit. For now we'll just have to continue to flood the blog with pictures...

Grandpa's first cradle

First time bottle feeding

So content

Grandma gets some cuddle time

Hi, I'm Bella and I like closeups

Another one of my favorites. I'm not sure who's more tired though.

This one was just too ridiculous to leave out.

Jenny and Geoff and the Wrights

That's not a yawn- it's a Bear growl!!

Our second pre-season game and we're in mid-season form. I like it, family. Good work!

Kelly is getting good with the camera. I love this picture.

Cheesin away!

Nobody is pinching Grandma's baby!

Tater's cuteness is not to be outdone.

Pass me the Axe body spray and my tightest t-shirt... my hair and I are ready for a night on the town!

Hands up if you love nap time!

Apparently Mason didn't call fives on his bouncy seat.

Everybody's smiling

3 generations of Wright men

Bella has learned quickly that she's going to have to put up with a lot in the coming years. A foot to to the face is pretty tolerable, apparently.

Mom and the fam.

Brothers don't shake hands... brothers hug.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Family Time

It's been a while... so I figured that before I fall behind too far I better get a post in. First, I need to share something difficult. We lost a dear friend recently and she was certainly someone we hoped to share our new addition with. So this post is dedicated to Cynthia Cole- who brought some truly wonderful people into our lives and will be dearly missed.

Mason Charles Wright was born at 10:19am on 7/8/09 (yes... we know... cool date) He weighed in at 6lbs 14oz and was 21 inches long. The labor pains had been working on Kelly all day. She was having early labor contractions for several hours, peaking when she took the dogs for a walk and bent over to scoop up some Bella goodness and almost didn't make it back upright. By the time we got in bed around midnight she was feeling more pain with each contraction but since they were still about 7 minutes apart we decided to chalk it up to early labor and try to get some rest.

We "rested" for about 2 hours before Kelly woke up with more severe pain and by 3am she decided to wake me to see what I thought. Being the medical expert that I am I used my greatest resource to help determine if she was indeed in labor: Google! Pregnancy.com convinced me that it was still early labor, but Kelly convinced me to call the doctor. After speaking with the doctor on call we were both sure that it was early labor... until he heard Kelly's labor moan in the background. He quickly said "Nope, that's definitely active labor. You better get her in here as soon as you can."

By 4:15am we had reached the hospital and Kelly was feeling it for sure. My feeble attempts to get her to take a "cleansing breath" with each coming and going contraction failed miserably. But with every lift of the shoulder and firm grip of my arm we were getting closer to meeting Mr. Mason. I just need to say that my wife and her uterus are rockstars! When we arrived Kelly was 3.5cm dilated and she powered her way through about 2 hours of intense contractions. The great nursing staff at St. David's was there at every step to help out but she really did it all on her own. After a couple hours she was finally given an epidural and she was almost 8cm dilated at that time. I think the nurses finally got tired of her telling them to "just give me my damn drugs!" Truth be told, I know she could have done it without the medicine but damn was I glad when it finally kicked in. We both took an opportunity to get some rest before the big push.

After a couple hours of sleep the nurse woke Kelly up to begin pushing. Much to my surprise I was given the task of holding a leg throughout the process. I had planned to be as involved as possible but I was expecting that to include encouraging from Kelly's shoulder side and eventually cutting the umbilical cord. After another hour I got to do just that. Kelly pushed like Olin Kreutz against the Packers d-line and by 10am Dr. J was on her way over to welcome our baby boy. By the time the doc arrived Kelly had to give one good push and he was out. I had a slight urge to yell "Free!!" like Dave Chappelle in Half Baked when he got out of work, but I held back.

Mason came out Superman style with one fist tucked tightly against his head. Then he proceeded to pee all over the Dr. J and tried to hit his dad but I was quick to dodge the stream. Until that moment we were up in the air about names- a toss up between Mason and Benjamin. But Ben is a nice boy... not someone whose first earthly act is to pee all over people and then scream his head off. So it was Mason. The nurse got him cleaned up while I watched and snapped a few pics. Then I got to bring him to meet his mom. I have to say that watching him come into this world was truly the most amazing thing my eyes have seen. I know it's cliche but it really is true. I'm still in disbelief that we actually made a human being... and he's awesome... and we get to keep him :) Of course, Kelly immediately fell in love with him as well and we had our first official family moment (sorry Bella and Tater).

After a couple sleepless nights in the hospital we finally made it home. I'm giving a plug for St. David's North Austin Medical Center- that place is amazing! The nurses were so helpful and always there when we needed them. They made the stay so much better and really calmed us nervous new parents down. So for any ladies reading this that are thinking baby in the near future- you know where we'd recommend. Anyway, we were lucky to be graced with plenty of visitors from Convio and other friends while in the hospital (too many to name) and when we got home we had more. Our neighbors Lee and Meagan and Ryan and Izumi stopped by on Friday and Saturday and brought us some delicious food and desserts and then Mason got to meet his first extended family member- cousin Michelle.

Shell-bell (that's right Michelle- I just outed you on the blog!) was in Houston for work and made the trip to Austin for the night. It was a great reminder of how amazing our families are and how much we enjoy spending time with them. Michelle basically catered to us the whole time she was here- grabbing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us and helping with Mason. She also humored us with some good stories and we were sad to see her go on Sunday.

The following week was a crazy one. We tried our best to grab a few hours of rest between feedings and diaper changes. It was kind of like trying to get to sleep on Christmas Eve when you were 5 years old... so much anticipation of what's to come that you can't shut your mind off. Every little coo and heavy breath made us check on him until we finally gave in to exhaustion. There is something that's been bothering me though- why is every baby wipe now "sensitive"? Are there insensitive wipes that are made of sandpaper and drenched in alcohol? It's like extra strength pain killers... what happened to good old strength? It was strong enough in the past.

Anyway- we also took the little man to the doctor that Monday for his first checkup. He had already gained a couple ounces so Dr. Sharpe was very happy and he got a good health report otherwise. Kelly and I spent the week getting to know our new addition and routine and watching lots of daytime TV together- which really sucks by the way. Thank God for the British Open, although I was kinda pulling for Tom Watson to pull it off.

On Saturday Kelly's sister Stacy arrived. She picked right up where Michelle left off, going so far as to do our laundry twice and cook us a delicious dinner. Aunt Stacy was great and a much needed helpful hand as I went back to work on Monday. That night Grandma McBreen arrived and when I got home I was greeted by my very own version of a sex and the city episode... minus the annoying red headed one... and please don't ask me who Samantha was cause I hadn't thought out my joke that far until now. Anyway, having the ladies around was great. I'm sure there were tears shed when Stacy left on Wednesday and my pile of laundry hasn't been touched since she left... come back Stacy!!!

The same morning that Stacy left we had our second doctor's appointment. Mason weighed in at 8lbs 2.5oz this time around so he gained over a pound in a week's time. The nurses and doctor were amazed at his eating ability and overall health. He even got a heel prick to run some drug tests and didn't even flinch, although I think Kelly was ready to pass out.

The rest of the week we enjoyed Grandma's home cooking and visits from more friends. Mason got to meet another baby for the first time when Jeff, Amy, Anna, and her daughter Mia came to the house. The two almost look like they could be siblings with their long jet black hair and big eyes. Mia is only 4 months old but I was amazed at how much bigger than Mason she is. I think Kelly and I are going to have some sculpted arms in a few months as the load gets heavier. I really never thought of a baby as a workout device but there's an added bonus- that and a large tax write-off. Thanks Mason!

This weekend Kathy and I snuck away to go golfing and collectively took enough strokes for a full PGA tournament. I got a quick swing fix from one of the guys we were playing with and made par on 3 out of my last 4 holes. You'd think that would make me happy but it really just made me angry that I hadn't been hitting the ball like that before. Why do I golf? Why?

So that bring us up to date. More to come soon as we have a week break and then the Wright Grandparents come to down! We're as excited as they are for them to meet Mason and I'm hoping my mom will make some of her fried chicken and potato salad ;) Keep checking for pictures at our online gallery as I'm taking way too many photos to post them all on the blog. Here are some select pics from the past couple weeks below: