Brad :: Stacey :: Boston :: Hoosier

We are going to be coming home to Fort Wayne in June.  June 13 - 24 to be exact.  We are very excited to bring Boston to Indiana for the first time!  Anyone have tips on flying with an 8 month old on a plane?

Boston has been growing quickly.  We took him to the doctor last on May 4 when he was 6.5 months old.  He weighed 22 lbs. 15 oz. - so we’ll say 23 pounds!  He was just under 28 inches long placing him above the 95 percentile in both height and weight.  What’s that mean?  It means he’s a big boy!  He’s longer and heavier than 95% of kids his age - but proportionately correct!

Lately, he’s been working on his crawling skills.  We think he’s just on the verge of crawling.  He can get up on his hands and knees for a limited amount of time but still can’t move forward.  He’s excellent at scooting backwards though!

He loves to scream and wail, too.  And he’s got quite a giggle when he sees something that makes him happy!

Stacey and I have been fairly diligent on training for the half marathon in September.  We’ve both worked up to 6 miles of continuous running (meaning we run without having to stop).  I was sick last week so have been a little bit out of the training loop but hope to get back on the bus this week.  I’ll be in California this week for work in Visalia, CA the first couple of days and San Francisco until Sunday.

We look forward to seeing everyone in June!

Stacey and I have decided - in our goal to bring Boston up in a healthy household - to begin training for the Fort-4-Fitness Half Marathon on Saturday, September 26 in Fort Wayne.  We’ve both been working out pretty regularly these past few months.  Stacey is less than ten pounds from pre-baby weight and I’ve lost about 25 pounds since my ‘one-month-before-Boston-was-born’ weight.  I guess that’s what I get for eating a giant cupcake every night and a syrup item for breakfeast - every morning.

Anyway, an interesting tidbit is that the Fort-4-Fitness Half Marathon is part of Fort Wayne ‘Health Festival Weekend’ in September.  There’s even a ‘Healthy Food Expo‘ at Harrison Square/Parkview Field on Saturday, September 26.

You may be interested to know that at said Healthy Food Expo you can get coffee, donuts and other breakfast snacks at 6:30 AM.  Yes, donuts at a Healthy Food Expo.  Maybe at the finish line of the Half Marathon we’ll get to shotgun some beers, eat some BBQ’d lard and drink melted salted butter!

Anyway, we’re excited to start training!  I want a donut.

I guess we just write quarterly posts now…

So what’s happened since the holidays?  A lot!

Boston has grown from  around 8 lbs. to what we think is around 18 lbs.  He’s due for a doctor’s appointment for his next round of shots - so we’ll find out for sure soon.  Yesterday, he had his first taste of real food - sweet peas!  He dug them!  He also had them all over his face!  He’s a really good boy.  Pretty independent in that he can entertain himself for quite a while without getting too fussy.  He loves to swing as well as lay on his play pad and watch a little butterfly hang over his head that lights up - we’ve named her ‘Beaulah the Butterfly!”

He also does a pretty good job of sitting with support behind his back.  In fact, he barely falls side-to-side like he did just a few weeks ago.  Besides a usual fussy time before bed - he’s a pretty happy baby!  Speaking of bedtime … he will usually sleep from about 7:30 PM until 6 AM (at the earliest) to 8 AM (at the latest).  He usually wakes up between 6:15 and 6:30.  We really can’t complain about a four month old who sleeps 11 hours a night.  It gives us a good one or two hours before we go to bed to have some time to catch up on our favorite TV shows and relax.

Oh, did I mention he’s half fish?  He loves bath time! In fact, last time he was in the bath the water got cold because he used all the hot water!  He sits in a little baby bath that sits in the real bath tub.  We fill that bad boy up and then use a handheld sprayer to spray on him and keep him warm.  He loves to kick his legs and looks like he’s swimming.  It’s hilarious and he could probably spend all night in the bath if he could.

In case you didn’t know, Stacey has decided to stay at home for the time being!  Yes, Stacey is a stay-at-home mom … and loving it!  She’s quite domesticated and it feels all a little ‘Leave It To Beaver’ to me - a wife at home, a child, a dog and dinner ready when the husband gets home.

Her staying home as actually led us to talk a lot about creating some sort of business on our own to supplement our income that we might be able to start in our free time…  Which has leading us into a new adventure!

We’ve started a website - Bow Wow Ratings - that we hope will take off.  Our goal is to make it the #1 website for people to go to find, rate and review dog boarding and kennels, dog grooming, dog trainers, doggy daycare, dog stores and bakeries, dog parks, veterinarians and more.  We are definitely at the beginning stages of starting this thing and have quite a few ideas running through our heads on how to promote it.  If it works as planned then it should provide us with our own business that relates to something we both love - dogs!  So check out the website.  Don’t be afraid to click on the links and looks around.  We’ll make our money via the Google Advertisements you see on the site - so don’t hesitate to click on one or two of those!  :)  But, let us know what you think.  We are just starting it in the Phoenix area for now and hopefully nationally worldwide soon!

Hoosier the dog, of course, will be our mascot for www.bowwowratings.com.

We hope everyone is doing well!  Hopefully those of you in cold climates are able to cope!  Not to rub it in anyone’s face, but it’s supposed to be 88 in Phoenix today (definitley above normal) and then in the low 80’s the rest of the week.  With sunshine of course.

Time flies this time of year!  I can’t believe it’s been since Thanksgiving that I’ve actually written something on our little piece of the interwebs…

Since Thanksgiving it’s been pretty busy here in Phoenix.  Grandma and Grandpa Shaffer came to visit Boston and celebrate my 30th birthday (December 13, thank you very much).  It’s pretty amazing to think about how much life has changed in just one year.

A year ago I was freaking about about my last year of my twenties.  And that seems like it was last week.  Since then, we’ve been unexpectedly pregnant, freaked out about it, accepted it and now have a fast-growing bundle of awesomeness in our lives.  Turning 30 was actually easier than turning 29.  I’m not sure why - maybe it’s the whole “new decade, new start” thing, but for some reason I see my thirties as being way cooler than my twenties.

Speaking of that fast-growing bundle of pooping and puking joy, he’s now officially 13+ pounds!  We took him in on his two-month birthday on Wednesday and he weighed 12 lbs. 15.5 oz.  So, I am going to asssume he’s over 13 lbs. now.  According to our sometimes odd doctor that we enjoy, “13 is the magic number.”  That’s when we can start checking off things to move the kid to baby food.  He recommended that we start feeding him formula with rice added to thicken it up and keep him full longer.  He is a big, big boy!

I’m not sure if it’s the rice-added formula or the new swaddle blankets we got him yesterday - but Boston slept last night from 9:30 PM to 6:30 AM.  Stacey and I didn’t know what to do!  I’m not holding my breath … but hopefully it continues!

Stacey’s brother, Rob, gets here later this morning.  He’s staying until the 23rd … and just as soon as he leaves Larry and Fernando get here the same day.  It’s going to be a busy next week and half - but we’re excited to have had family in town and friends too during the holidays!

We had a good Thanksgiving! We spent the morning preparing our turkey feast and cleaning up. We were both thankful when we woke up because Boston slept from 9:30 PM until 5 AM!

Troy and Kelly came over a little after noon and we ate around 2. If you’ve ever shared a Thanksgiving with us … Then you know that we like to do it up right - brining the turkey, homemade everything, slaving in the kitchen all morning. This year, we got our turkey at Fresh and Easy. It was fresh, never-frozen and wrapped in bacon and sage. We added our own herb mix but that was the extent of our work. The turkey was already washed, pinned and ready to go. It was awesome.

We even bought cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes from the Fresh and Easy. They were all fantastic!

The day was great. Boston slept quite a bit but when he was up he was pretty content and smiled a lot. He rocked his Thanksgiving outfit too … Which I posted to his online gallery.

Now we are watching ‘The Elf’ and he’s sleeping on my stomach as I type this on my phone. Oh wait, he just woke up to poo.

We hope everyone had a greasy Thanksgiving!

Big Boy.  Beefcake.  Call him what you like, but Boston is a growing boy.

Just take a look at these two photos that show him in his first days and then at just over five weeks:

Boston has gone from swimming in a newborn outfit to bursting them at the seams!  In fact, he currently is wearing some sizes that are for three month olds.  He went from losing too much weight in the first week (down to 7 lbs 2 oz) to over 10 lbs!  His cheeks are chubby but as Uncle Troy puts it, “he still has a lean stomach and broad shoulders.”

Boston is also much more alert these days.  He’s focuses on the mobile in his swing now and seems fascinated by the twirling jungle animals above him.  He also seems to really like the whale stickers above his changing table.  Every time he’s changed he’ll ‘coo’ and sometimes smile at the Mother Whale (Wanda) and her baby (Wendel).

Oh yeah - he gives the occasional smile, too!  It’s funny how he can go from crying one second and the next he’s smiling at you.  

He is suffering from a cold right now - we think.  Being the awesome parents we are (and thanks to Google) we cured his stuffy nose by putting some saline solution down his nostrils and then sucking everything out.  And I knew you wanted to see what came out …

Well, here we wait.  Ten days until the due date for the baby.  Tick, tock, tick, tock.  That’s probably what it feels like for Stacey.  

Why women “love” to be pregnant is obviously beyond my personal understanding.  Back aches.  Cankles.  Swelling.  Not being able to sleep.  Not being able to breathe.  Internal jabs to the lungs and ribs.  Not to mention the whole delivery and labor thing.  Sorry, that doesn’t seem like a walk in the park to me like some women claim it is.  Maybe those women forgot that taking psychedelic drugs and drinking is not good during pregnancy - because they have to be on something to claim it’s something they love.  

It’s all these things that Stacey is going through that makes me appreciate women who’ve birthed children more - especially the one carrying my son.

We go to the doctor tomorrow.  Hopefully she’ll have some good news … you know, something like, “Wow, you must be a special lady because you evidently can’t feel the birthing process - we need to get you to the hospital NOW because this baby is on it’s way!”

This SNL was just too funny!  Tina Fey is hilarious and they did a great job of making fun of both sides.

The best line is at the end: “And for you Joe Six-Packs out there playing a drinking game at home … Maverick!”

Well, it’s been quite a while since we wrote anything on here.  Alas, our lives are becoming less exciting in terms of “things we do.”  Alas, I said ‘alas.’  

Things are finally starting to cool down here in the desert.  If you live anywhere but central or southern Arizona, it won’t seem like a cool down to you …

Okay, Monday is pretty stupid with a high of 104 … but there really is a pretty big difference from 97 to 104.  And my sources from the future tell me it won’t get that hot on Monday.  Unfortunately for Stacey, in week 35, Monday will be stupid for her regardless unless Alaskan weather suddenly settles in over Phoenix. I am sure she could go for a solid high of 50 right about now.  But, the weather here in Phoenix is slowly inching back to tolerable if not down-right-NICE!  By the time this baby comes and family comes to visit it should be stellar weather - highs in the mid-80’s and lows in the mid-50’s.  Beautiful!

I will be somewhat enjoying highs in the upper-70’s this week in Albuquerque.  I will be teaching there for AT&T Monday - Wednesday, leaving today.  Albuquerque isn’t a place that really impresses me.  I am sure the mountains just north of there would impress me as well as Santa Fe, but for the most part Albuquerque seems pretty dirty to me.  

I just got back from a Wednesday - Friday stint in Tucson (which is also somewhat dirty, but not as dirty as Albuquerque).  After I get back from Albquerque, though, I will be in Phoenix until our little man arrives in this world.

Speaking of his arrival, we went through a baby class last Tuesday night.  I am not sure what the official title of the class was, but we called it:

“What To Do With Him Once He Gets Here Class”

The nurse instructor had us take a 15-Question Quiz before we started class to test our knowledge.  I scored a 10/15 and Stacey a 5/15.  That really boosted our confidence.  Most of mine were guesses with Ben Shaffer-like reasonings behind them (which would mean my reasons sounded fantastic but in reality - I knew nothing of the facts and BS’d my way through them (and that would be why both our initials are just that - B.S.)).  

We learned to swaddle, diaper, take a baby’s temperature, signs of illness, how to hold him, that the head really won’t fall off, that we will get pissed all over no matter what we do to try and stop it … all the exciting things everyone says we will so enjoy!  I have faith that our baby will be that one in a billion that sleeps through the night (that’s a minimum of 8 hours) from Day One.  Also, he’ll never pee on his because he realizes that that is not nice and it’s disgusting - there are fetish clubs in New York City where I could probably get pee’d on if I wanted to - and he will realize that.  

Also, when he becomes a toddler he will only cry if he is really hurt, he won’t do that fake crying crap where he makes a crying face, screams at the top of his lungs but produces no real tears because his entire crying episode is just to get attention.  He won’t do that.  He’ll just say, “Woah, I fell down.  I bet I looked funny, right Mom and Dad?!”  He will be such a good little boy …

We also need to decide on a name.  My original name - Boston - still stands while the other two that we’ve narrowed it down to are Sullivan and Memphis.  We’re not sure what it is with city names (because I also like the name ‘Houston’).

I actually had an AT&T employee in class on Wednesday afternoon whose name was ‘Boston.’  I asked him if he’d ever met anyone with the same name and he said, “No.”  I then told him we were thinking of naming our first son, Boston, and he said:

“Please don’t name your son ‘Boston.’  I don’t want there to be more ‘Bostons’ in this world.  Everyone always remembers me the first time they meet me because my name is unique.”

He did say that Kurt Russell’s son’s name was ‘Boston.’  So, allow me to create a Pat Shaffer-like sequence of thought after I heard that … follow with me if you can …

Stacey’s maiden name is ‘Russell.’  The kid’s middle name is going to be ‘Russell.’  Kurt Russell’s son’s name is ‘Boston.’  Kurt’s last name is also ‘Russell.’  Stacey and Brad once went to Boston together when they first met in high school.  Oh my god, Boston Russell Shaffer!

I promise I don’t usually like to poke fun at my parents even though I’ve done it twice in this blog today … but I also poked fun at myself so it’s okay.   

The point that I have not made too clear is that it’s crunch time and we still need to decide on a name for this little rugrat.  And designate a Pediatrician.  And get a glider.  And a swing.  And a Pack-N-Play.  And clean all his clothes in the stupid special baby detergent (I bet my parents didn’t wash my stuff in special baby detergent and I turned out fine).  And update our Will (and by update I mean create one).  And buy a house.  And make more money.  And start a college fund.  And get fit.  And find daycare that takes kids like a dog kennel would - when we want and not everyday.  And determine how to introduce Hoosier the Dog to little man.  And take the Deluxe Angelcare Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor back because our nurse said it’s pointless and a waste of money.

As you can see, there’s a lot to be done.  This dang kid has made us be adults and I am not sure I like it just yet.  We will always be kids at heart even if we start using sayings like “because we said so” and “do what your mother says and stop asking questions” and “we’ll be at the bar across the street for happy hour your bottle is in the fridge - make sure you don’t heat it up too long or you’ll burn your mouth.”  Well, maybe not that last one.

And come to think of it - nobody has even instructed us on how to give a baby a bottle.  Shit.

It’s been a while since we’ve talked …

Last weekend I went to Traverse City, Michigan for my good friend’s wedding.  It was absolutely a fantastic weekend!  The weather was perfect (at least for me, I was happy to be in the 70s and 60s as compared to the 100s and 110s).  Our hotel was right on the shore of Lake Michigan and it was also nice to see a large body of water.

I spent Thursday in Chicago and ran up and down Lake Shore Drive.  Just like when I was in Chicago about a month ago the weather was perfect - not humid, not too warm and not a cloud in the sky.  That type of weather sure does make Chicago appealing … but then I think back to when I got stranded at O’hare Airport in December coming home for Christmas.  I stayed the night at our friend Larry and Fernando’s condo and we walked to a bar nearby and the windchill was -20 degrees.  That makes Chicago very unappealing.

Anyway, there are some pictures HERE if you’d like to see them.

Also, on my real estate blog I wrote a little ditty about “Phinding Your Inner Phelps.”  Follow that link to read it.  The Olympics is always a great way to get motivated and inspired to accomplish more in your life, don’t you think?