"Four" the Record

Baby Frankie is four months old already... where did the time go? Most days, it feels like he's growing right before our eyes, and at the rate he is growing, we're probably right. The little monster, as Mommy likes to call him, gained three pounds and grew three inches in two months. At his four month checkup, he weighed in at 15 lbs 8 oz and was 25 inches long. He's in the 65th percentile for height, which is virtually unheard of in this family!

 Dr. Bertson is amazed by Frankie's strength he can sit up with assistance, and he can hold himself up in the Bumbo. His head is no longer shakey, and he's making attempts to roll over. Frankie is grabbing toys and picking them up to put in his mouth. It's so wonderful to watch him learn to do new things. He's starting to giggle, and as expected, it's one of the best sounds we've ever heard. He's quite a talkative guy, which should come as no surprise in this family, and he loves to coo and babble with Mommy, Daddy and especially TJ.

Those two boys are going to be quite the pair. From the beginning, we've seen a special connection between Frankie & TJ. Even when he was just a few weeks old, Frankie's most awake time was when TJ was home from school. He'd sit in the bouncer and just follow TJ with his eyes, watching him play and taking in his every move. Now, it's TJ who is able to draw the biggest smiles on his baby brother's face. His eyes just light up when TJ talks to him. And, TJ is so sweet with his little brother. He's very attentive to him, helping Mommy and Daddy, and making sure to include him in everything. TJ will be playing with his toys, and then, out of the blue, get up, walk over to Frankie, kiss his forehead, and return to playing without saying a word. Melts our hearts.

TJ's reaction to his baby brother has been the easiest part of having two children. He's so grown up, and he continues to amaze us with everything he does. His vocabulary is phenomenal, and he's able to write all the letters of the alphabet on his own. We've started working on reading with him, and there are moments when he picks it up and can read words. Not consistently, but it's there. The other day when we were in target he said, "Hey guys, we should go over there to the exit." We looked up and sure enough, he was pointing to an area with an exit sign. When Mommy asked him how he knew that was an exit, he replied, "Because it has an E and an X and an I and a T." We had to point it out to him that he actually read that word. Amazing.

Last week, we were lucky to host Cousin Greg who was in town from D.C. We were so happy he was able to meet Baby Frankie and have some playtime with TJ. It was a short visit, but we can't wait to see him again and get the boys together with their cousin Izzy!

We're excited to travel back to Colorado this week to celebrate Frankie's baptism. It'll be so nice to visit with family and friends we haven't seen in a while. Big Frankie is looking forward to taking Jonas out on the lake for some fishing, and TJ can't wait to play with Jack!

World of Wonder

Four months into the “two-child experience” I can definitely say that Les and I did not know what we were getting into….

I can also say it has been everything we thought it would be.  AWESOME.

Yeah, I know that really doesn’t make sense.  But then again, neither does raising two children, alone, after starting new jobs in the country’s “snobbiest” city.

I guess life is like that.  But we aren’t complaining… much.

 

It’s been about a month since Les started her new gig as Executive Producer of the KPIX morning show.  The job requires her to wake up at 1 am every morning.  NICE.  The change also meant I would now be the one to get the kids ready for their day.  Thankfully, TJ and the Babe (as I call them), are perfect children and have “allowed” me to feel like I know what I am doing.

Each and every morning, our schedule pretty much plays out like this:

4am – 6:30 am – One of them gets me up before my alarm goes off.  Waaayyyy before my alarm goes off.

7:15 ish – the other one gets up.

7:30 am – 8:05 – we mess around, watch TV, read books, laugh, cry and change diapers.

8:06 am – Dad starts to panic and says, “we’re late!” A LOT.

8:10 am – Usually by now we are in the car, and on our way to school. 

TJ gets to choose who gets dropped off first.  He is the oldest. 

 

All I can say is life got really hectic the day Baby Frankie arrived.   It’s definitely harder… But Les and I  wouldn’t change places with anyone in the world.  Just this morning, TJ grabbed Baby Frankie’s hand and they both smiled at me at the same time… PAID in FULL. 

It’s  these constant rewards that keep Les and I going

Without Les as my partner, I don’t think I’d feel this way.  She gives me a reason to be the best husband and father I can be. 

We have learned to embrace life's challenges together as a team.

I will leave you with this…

TJ and Baby Frankie, likely you will read this years from the day I wrote it…

So, a little background info.  Steve Gleason is kind a hero to me.  Former Saint, who battled ALS.  In 2013, with the help of friends and family he climbed Machu Pichu.  Because of his disease, he had to be carried.  He reflected on the experience.

“It was much more gnarly that we anticipated,” Gleason said, of the grueling 11-hour climb to Machu Pichu. “I was definitely scared. But I just chose to embrace it because it was happening."

Gone Country

Our recent trip to Colorado was busy, busy, busy!  We started our vacation with Baby Frankie's first flight, and it was a great one -- we made through all the airport hassles of security, and baggage check, and Baby Frankie slept the whole way!  TJ did awesome, as usual, too, and we were all excited when we saw Grandma waiting for us at DIA.

After getting into Buena Vista at about one a.m., the boys were up early to go fishing.  It was TJ's first fishing trip with Pa, Uncle Carl and Daddy, and he ended up catching the biggest fish of the day! Pa helped him hook it, and TJ reeled it in all by himself. It was a good thing he caught it when he did, because the boat made him seasick, causing an early end to the outing. 

The next day, Aunt G came into town, and we all went to play in the creek up Fourmile.  Pa had bought an inner-tube for TJ, but Daddy managed to pop it on his turn down the water.  It didn't dampen the day, though. We all had a great time playing and splashing in the water before heading back to town for hamburgers and milkshakes.  That evening, Pa lit the firepit, and we roasted s'mores with Uncle Carl, Aunt Jane, cousin Amy and the little girl she was babysitting.  It was a great time!

On Sunday, we loaded up in Pa's truck and headed to Denver.  It was a great couple days in the city.  Baby Frankie got to meet Uncle Marshall, his godmother, Susie, Auntie Anne and Matt & Pollyanna.  TJ had a blast getting in lots of playtime with his best buddy Jack, and Mommy cherished her time with her friends.  Daddy ended up flying back to SF Monday morning so he could go to work, and on Tuesday, Mommy & the boys headed back to Grandma & Grandpa's house.

We finished out our vacation with lots of playtime.  We took TJ to FIBArk for the carnival and later for the annual FIBArk parade.  TJ loved both. 

The flight home was uneventful -- both boys slept, and we were all so happy to see Daddy when we landed.  The next day, we celebrated Father's Day with Daddy, as well as Mommy's last day of maternity leave before returning to work on Monday morning. 

Although we were in Colorado for 10 days, the time flew by, and we can't wait to go back out there in August.