12 and 13 Week Update

I can't beleive Christmas is here and gone already!

Tommy, your first Christmas was very special! You got to meet many more relatives! Your Aunt Bridget was in from London, England. Aunt Gretchen was in from LA, and so was your great Aunt Karen. They loved meeting you and holding you. You even got to participate in your very first SAQFEST which was quite a thrill for you, even though all you did was sleep and eat through it.

Christmas was just Christmas, except you were here to celebrate it with us this year. You got lots of nice presents, lots of cute outfits, and your cousins Sam and Susie gave you some very fun blocks. You also got some toys from your grandparents as well. It was wonderful opening all those gifts with you!

You also got to attend your Auntie Tara's baby shower. You were so excited to see all those gifts for your little cousin that you pooped. Everyone was laughing at you, because you were sitting in your infant carrier pulled up to the table and you were grunting so hard. It's so funny when you do this. You sound like a grown man...and all these noises are coming from a teeny little baby! It's so funny and precious.

You continue to develop and grow everyday. At 13 weeks old yesterday, you weighed in at exactly 16 pounds. You're a big boy! You are just as big (if not bigger) as the 5 month old baby boy and 6.5 month old baby girl in your Gymboree class. You are a chuinky little beefcake, but so sweet and loving. You are always full of smiles and giggles. You are trying to laugh, but it sounds more like you're breathing fast, or like a "slight" cough if that makes any sense. But I know it's your giggle. When anyone talks to you, you answer with lots of "ooos" and "aaahhs." You are making lots of vowel sounds and enjoy having conversations. I was playing peek-a-boo with you yesterday, and you love it! You smile and smile! I said "peek-a-boo" in a really low voice, and you scowled, but then smiled very big! I just love playing with you!

So, that's about it. A wonderful first Christmas with you!! We have so much to look forward to! We're ringing in the new year tonight, and looking forward to your first year of growing and learning! And, in about 10 more days...you're going to the Florida Keys!! Tommy's first vacation!! I can't wait to see the world with you! I hope you like traveling!!

Merry Christmas!

Hi everybody! Merry Christmas to all of you! I hope Santa brings you everything you asked for! I posted a picture of me meeting the big guy for the very first time. I didn't know what to ask for because I have everything I could ever want, so I just told Santa to be good to all the boys and girls out there! I hope you have the merriest Christmas ever and thanks for reading my website!
Love,
Tommy

12 Weeks Pictures

12 Weeks old and SUCH a cutie pie!

New Seat

This is Tommy trying out his new seat. It's a certified seat safe for air travel, and it also is a car seat (so we don't have to rent one with the rental car), AND, the bottom flips out and converts into a stroller. You can also use it as a high chair. It's the perfect gift for a couple who travels a lot with a baby. It holds babies up to 50 pounds. It's the only gear you have to pack. It's awesome! Tommy will be using it in a few weeks when we go to the Florida Keys! You can buy one at www.skymall.com. Search for "car seat."

Prettiest Eyes

Tommy definitely looks more like a Novak in this picture. It's about time! I thought he was 100% Krull until this...

Eleven Weeks Old

Tommy you are eleven weeks old.

You have cried most of the day today.
You hadn't pooped in 3 days.
I got suppositories to help you poop.

You pooped.
And pooped.

You were fine for a little while.
Started screaming again.
Screamed.
Louder and Louder.
You had a fart that could have registered on the richter scale.

Gave you Mylicon to stop the gas.
Stopped.
Screamed a little more.

Fed you.

Laid you down in your crib and you're awake; but content.

Mommy's brain doesn't work on days like today.
Mommy can only think in short spurts.

Did I mention that Daddy threw his back out?
Mommy now has two babies to take care of.
Plus one demanding schnauzer.

Gotta go...Mommy has a date with a man named Merlot.

Pooped Out

I listened to Mommy and took lots of Christmas pictures, but I pooped out and started dreaming of sugar plums

Yuletide Greetings from Tommy

Mommy said it's my first Christmas and I have to take lots of pictures!

Eleven Weeks Old

Ten Weeks Picture

Ten weeks old and always wanting more food!

Drunk

This is the "drunk" look Tommy has on his face when he's done eating.

Ten Weeks Old

Tommy is officially a butterball.

At ten weeks old, he was weighing in at 15 pounds. Good Lord. There are some babies who probably don't reach that weight until 6-9 months! Not my big boy, he's my chubby tubby Tommy!

Tommy you had a great first week of your first December ever! Gammie and I took you to the mall to meet Santa. You did great! Mommy cried!

You have become SO alert and enjoy looking at everyone around you. You make great eye contact, smile SOO big, and it was during this past week that you really started talking back to us. You coo and goo and gaa, and it's just the most precious sight ever. You love to say, "owwwwwoooooooo." You do this over and over and capture all of our attention. Daddy loves to hold you on his lap and talk to you. You start smiling, talking, kicking and wiggling. Daddy is definitely getting more comfortable in being a daddy!

You had a very big weekend and traveled to downtown Chicago again! You got to meet many of mommy's sorority sisters from college. You revisited with Jenny and Tootie, and you also met Jamie and Kelly for the first time and Kelly's daughter Maddie. Maddie's about 7 months older than you, so I imagine you guys will be romping around together at many gatherings in the future. We enjoyed a nice brunch together and did some visiting at Jenny's condo. It was a cold, but perfect afternoon!

You're growing like a weed and getting so big. You are the most beautiful baby and have the best complexion and sweetest little face. Your nose is always the first thing people notice about you. It's the cutest little button. Mommy loves to kiss it and LOVES to kiss your chubby cheeks.

Christmas is coming soon Tommy! I can't wait! It's hard to believe time is going by so fast and it's almost time for mommy to go back to work. I'm going to miss you like crazy, but soon summer will be here, and we'll have all the mommy and Tommy time in the world again! We also have a lot to look forward to this spring...your cousin will be here before we know it!

Butterball

Chubby Tubby Arms and Thighs

How to Smile

Step 1: Look curiously at mommy dancing and singing the Poo-Poo song in front of you.
Step 2: Open your mouth really big in anticipation
Step 3: Smile SOOOO BIG!

Isn't he just precious??

Two Tommys

Grandpa and his Tommy

Just a few random things...

1. When my sister was home over T-giving weekend, she asked Tommy if he had to make "poo-Poos," and he smiled really big and baby giggled. This has now led to me sitting on the couch for hours saying poo-poo in all sorts of voices.

2. Tommy got his picture taken with Santa today. He was an angel. This was another episode of me crying. I tend to cry during all of his "milestones." I was afraid I was going to scare the children waiting in front of us.

3. I packed up all of Tommy's newborn sized clothes this evening. Surprisingly, I did this without crying. I am very pleased to say that Tommy wore every single newborn sized piece of clothing he owned except for one teeny tiny t-shirt. Not bad! I packed those up with dreams of my next baby. Be it boy or girl, I hope we are blessed again in the future (FUTURE!) with another little angel like Tommy. If not, our hearts are still overflowingly full of love and happiness with this little guy!

Family Pics

The first picture is a picture of Four Generations of Zalens. (Rich's maternal grandparents and Rich's mom, Marsha).

The second picture is of myself, Rich, Tommy, and Tommy's Great-Grandparents. Oh, and Winnie.

Finally, the third picture is a common way of Tommy falling asleep: A smile on his face and his hands in the air. I think he's wise beyond his months and has all kinds of great thoughts running through that little noggin of his!

Lounging with Daddy

Mommy's two boys lounging on the couch after a hard day's work.

9 Weeks Pictures

Big Boy Tommy in his Pooh Bear sweater and, of course, a photo of Miss Winnie...can't ignore the first baby of our family!

9 Weeks Old

Tommy you are growing so fast! I know I say that all the time, but you have truly grown overnight! You feel like a sack of potatoes when I pick you up. You have outgrown almost all of your newborn outfits and are now fitting into 3 month outfits nicely.

You had a very big week! You went back to LC to visit some of mommy's coworkers and most importantly, you celebrated your first Thanksgiving! Your Auntie Tara came home and got to visit with you again and enjoyed spending lots of time with you.

On Tuesday, you also met your Great Grandparents, Norma and Edward Zalen. Your middle name comes from him. He loves to tell jokes and when he was holding you and talking to you, you were smiling away! You also met Aunt Teri, Uncle Frank, Michelle, Bill, Frankie,the other Michelle, Doug, and your cousins that you will be running around with on the holidays: Kylie, Bailey, and Brayden. They loved looking at you and playing with their new baby cousin.

You also met your Great Uncle Kevin and Great Aunt Gloria on Thanksgiving. Aunt Gloria loved holding you and after dinner, you sat in the family room with the other men and watched football. You loved it so much that you pooped during it. You're a true man.

The day after Thanksgiving we went shopping with Gammie and Auntie Tara to register for her baby shower. You were a big help and helped us model car seats and strollers. We went out for pizza that night...you didn't eat any, but enjoyed the night out!

And then finally, on Saturday, we had a big party for you! It was your big debut for the family. This was when you got to meet your Great Aunt Lois and Great Uncle Vince. They drove all the way from Wisconsin to meet you! How special you must be! You got to meet almost the entire family on both sides. We ended up with 53 adults and 11 children at the party! It was HUGE! Everyone loved seeing you, and you were passed around to almost everyone throughout the night. Mommy barely got her hands on you, but she took the opportunity to visit with our guests and have some wine! :)

The party was a huge success and you received lots of nice gifts, even though we said not to bring gifts. Now we have even more thank-you's to write! But, that's ok...we're just so thankful for having such a wonderful web of support with such great family of friends. We're truly blessed.

It was one of the most proudest nights of my life. I just love being your mommy and showing the world how wonderful you are! I can't imagine how magical your first Christmas is going to be!