It's April...

Today is April 1st.  April Fool's Day. 

Let's just say my husband and I choose to go all out for different holidays...

He came up with this brilliant idea at about 8:00 last night.  He started with a pack or two of balloons he found in the basement, which later morphed into a trip to Walgreens, an air compressor, and a 9:00 'office visit.'  His goal was to fill Phil's 10x10 office from floor to ceiling, but didn't realize he bought two packs of water balloons instead of regular sized balloons.  I think he's channeling his inner Jim Halpert.

 

Besides April Fool's Day, today was also the opening day of Cubs baseball.  Other than the date, the two occasions have nothing in common.  This was a special day for father and son, as Cruz was introduced to the Friendly Confines for the first time today.  Beau picked Cruz up from daycare early, stopped by Hy-Vee for some beer brats and kraut, and by the time I got home from school, they were dressed in blue, cheering on Dempster and honoring the great #10...

 

Cruz likes baseball.  He looks good in royal blue.  And he turns out to be a great baseball fan, as he got tired and took a nap with his dad through the seventh and eighth.  I have a feeling this will be a frequent tune around our house this summer.

 

More to come!  Happy Weekend! 

 

Ron Sock-o

If you know my husband, you know he is an avid and ever-faithful Cubs fan.  And about this time every year, as the snow starts melting, the temperature starts rising, and the football season has ended, he starts gearing up for another hopeful year of Cubs baseball.  Today, the weather is as nice as it's been since last fall, upper 50s.  Another thing you might know about my husband is his love (or obsession) with grilling.  So tonight, after he comes and speaks to my 10th graders about sales (ala Death of a Salesman), we will grill, maybe open a window or two, and maybe sneak the Cruz-Man out for some fresh air.  

There is one more thing that goes hand-in-hand with grilling and Cubs baseball.  Ron Santo, aka, the voice of the Cubs.  Listening to Ron Santo's commentary on the back deck with Beau speaks summer to me.  Beau is a big fan of Ron and has been known to run home in the middle of a night out to grab a book on the Cubs just to provide some substantial evidence to a hater as to why Ron deserves a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  This winter, Ron passed away after a long battle with diabetes.  Listening to the Cubs just won't be the same.

Beau has always tormented my family (and myself) by threatening to name our son, Ron, in honor of Ron Santo.  First, it started with our cat.  For the first few months of Jade's life, Beau referred to her as 'Santo.'  Then, when we found out we were having a boy, I was not surprised when Beau attempted to persuade me into the namesake again.  Still to this day, I'm not sure if he was joking or not...

So instead of our son being named after the Cubs legend, we have named Cruz's favorite stuffed animal Ron 'Sock-o.'  It will be a staple around our household and a way to teach Cruz about his daddy's favorite Cub.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Church, Cheese Dip, and a Third-String Quarterback

182 games and only 2 playoffs.  The last time the Bears and Packers played in the post-season was in 1941.  Now, 70 years later, the Bears were looking for their first Superbowl win in 25 years.  And while Jay Cutler decided his knee hurt too bad to finish the NFC Championship game, Caleb Hanie, the Bears' THIRD string QB nearly pulled it off.   

The positives?  We can actually watch the Superbowl with our friends instead of couped up in the house so Beau can 'focus,' and Cruz no longer has to wear his Bears jersey to church for let's see, the 18th Sunday in a row.  How many weeks do I have until baseball season starts???

Much like the Bears game this afternoon, this weekend was filled with a roller coaster of ups and downs.  Cruz woke up Saturday morning with his very first cold.  I found him face first in a puddle of snot-slobber and his little head was so congested.  Poor baby.  He had no idea what was going on, but I could tell he didn't feel like himself.  We spent the majority of Saturday holding him, and I became pretty good at the whole nasal aspirator thing.  He was so sweet, still trying to smile and play, but usually settling for a head on our shoulder instead.  I felt helpless and desperate for my little one most of the day.  

I guess a lot of snuggling and cuddling is the best medicine for a baby's first cold.  By Saturday night, the Cruz Man was starting to act like himself again.  After a warm bath, some fresh pjs, and a snot-free blanket on the floor, Cruz played with his toys and we cooked in the kitchen.  One of my favorites, chicken tetrazzini.  We had a carpet picnic on the living room floor, watched TV in between puppet shows and plastic cup towers, and enjoyed a nice night inside.  

Sunday morning, Cruz once again woke up with a plugged nose and watery eyes.  I thought it seemed like a good idea to stay in, but Beau insisted we head to church.  I think he wanted to pray for his Bears.  

I guess Cruz was as nervous about the game as his father was.  Today was the first morning I had to take him out during the sermon.  Not because he was fussy, though.  He pooped.  Or so I thought.  It ended up being a false alarm, so, as I lugged my baby and baby bag back to our pew (no pun intended), five minutes later, we had the real thing.  This time, however, I made the decision to barrel through the last ten minutes of church with a stinky baby.  Cruz didn't seem to mind a bit; however, his father made quite a scene.  Instead of take part in the last song, Beau decided it was a better idea to make gagging faces at me and stand about two feet away from me and Stinky.  Needless to say, I didn't catch a whole lot of the sermon this morning ;).

After a bottle and more importantly, a fresh diaper, Cruz was ready to party.  Let's just say his game face looked a little bit different than the Bears' starting lineup.   

The first half was far from entertaining for this family.  So, while the offensive line decided not to block and Jay Cutler decided not to play, we decided to make our own fun...
 
We had some tummy time (notice the drool)...

Conversed with the creepy baby face toy during the second quarter...Cruz was mesmerized.

Practiced our touchdown dance...

And took a nap during half-time.  By the time we (Cruz and I) woke up, Cutler was chillin on the sidelines and Todd Collins was getting his first ever field time (we should have kept napping)... 

At least we had cheese dip.

At Wal-Mart yesterday, I came across a pack of Bears napkins.  I couldn't resist, and not only left with the napkins, but groceries for deviled eggs, hamburger cheese dip, bacon wrapped smokies, and ham and swiss slammers.  Sunday's spread was made complete with a couple of Bud Lights, a bag of M&Ms (which were ironically missing the yellow and green ones), and a perfect tailgate feast for two (or twenty).

The Bears couldn't quite get it done, but Cruz was able to see a pretty great and unexpected season football for his first season of life. I guess the best things are worth waiting for!  And Mark and Janet...Cruz sure got some good use out of his little jersey! 

Bring on some warm weather and Chicago Cubs baseball!