Christmas is over...

Well, Christmas is finally over. Don't get me wrong, I like Christmas, but I don't like how it starts on Halloween. Since Chris works in retail stores, he forbids the playing of any Christmas music because he's forced to listen to it for 8 hours a day for 3 months.
Our Christmas celebrations started on December 18 when my Dad came to visit on his way to the big family Christmas in Michigan from Oklahoma. We had a great dinner, and Lauren loved seeing her Grandpa.
Christmas #2 was on December 22-23 with my sister and her family in Youngstown. We went to see Jeff play on the 22nd, and unfortunately they lost. We had a Christmas lunch the next day, followed by opening way too many presents. Ryan (Lauren's cousin) really enjoyed herself; she's almost 5 so she's really into Santa and presents.
Christmas #3 was on December 25 (wow, what a concept!). Santa brought stockings for me and Chris, to our house and to my mom's house. We went there for Christmas dinner, just the 4 of us. Finally, James, Rachel and Tenzin came over after their day at the Thornburg family Christmas. More presents, a few drinks and a game of poker later, Christmas was finally over.
We really missed hanging out with the Bilek family, but the trip to Minnesota just wasn't in the cards this year. Hopefully we'll make it to the land of 10,000 lakes sometime this year.
As I mentioned in my last post, thank you so much to everyone all you did for our little family. We love you all!
Oh, and new pictures are in the Kodak Gallery! Lauren had her first experience with tights and shoes...

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas! Thanks to everyone for your generous gifts. We can't wait until next year when Lauren can actually visit Santa and enjoy opening presents (at least the wrapping paper part). We have more pictures that will be added to the Kodak Gallery soon. A full rundown of Christmas festivities will follow soon...

Schedule changes and a full night's sleep

Let's start out with a big Happy Quarter Birthday to the little one! She is officially 3 months old today. At times it seems like she was just born yesterday, and at others it seems like the little turnip has always been there. In any case, it's been a wonderful three months with our beautiful little girl.

Things continue to progress well at the Bilek household. The biggest news lately has been the change of schedule we're working on. I know, very exciting, right? But for a three-month old it definitely is. Our old schedule used to look something like this:

6-6:30am: Eat
6:30-7:30am: Play
7:30am-8:30am: Sleep
Repeat at 8:30am, 11:00am, 1:30pm, 4:00pm, 6:30pm, 9:00pm and 11:30pm

A little tedious, I know, but it worked incredibly well from the time she was about 3-4 weeks old, with Lauren waking up about 5 minutes before feeding time on her own. Lately it hasn't been working as well, though. Lauren wouldn't nap during some times of the day and would sleep for 2 hours at others. So, it appeared it was time for a schedule change. So now, our schedule looks like this:

6:00-6:30am: Eat
6:30am-9:00am: Play/Sleep (we're still figuring this one out. Sometimes she likes to sleep the entire time, others she'll play and then sleep)
9:00-9:30am: Eat
9:30-11:00am: Play
11:00-12:00pm: Sleep
12:00-12:30pm: Eat
12:30-3:00pm: Sleep
3:00-3:30pm: Eat
3:30-5:00pm: Play
5:00-6:00pm: Sleep
6:00-6:30pm: Eat
6:30-9:00: Play/Bath (we've given up on napping this time of day; it doesn't work and it makes her angry if we try)
9:00-9:30: Eat
9:30: Bedtime

That's right, we've eliminated the 11:30 feeding meaning that she's now sleeping 8 hours at night. Yes, you read correctly 8 HOURS!!! In our original schedule Lauren had been eating at 9pm and would typically pass right out. Then we'd have to work really hard to wake her up to eat at 11:30. But, we were scared that if we didn't have her eat at 11:30 she'd wake up at 2 or 3am, which isn't fun when you get up for work at 5am. So, while Grandma had her the other night she tried it. And Lauren slept from 9:30pm until 5:30am. Not too shabby. We did it again last night, and it worked for us, too, proving that it's not just a fluke that only works at Grandma's house. I'm crossing my fingers that this pattern will last.

We're getting into the thick of the holiday celebrations, so stay tuned for some Christmas pictures.

Updated pics in the Kodak Gallery!

There are some very cute bathtime pictures in the Kodak Gallery! Check em out!

The Baby Whisperer

I am not a fan of Oprah Winfrey in any way. However, she did have a guest on today's show that I found quite interesting. The topic was "The Secret Language of Babies" and featured a woman who had deciphered five common words spoken by babies 0-3 months all over the world. I was skeptical at first, but Lauren definitely speaks those five words (neh, heh, eh, eair, owh) and they mean what this woman said they did. Of course we figured this out on our own and didn't need to spend the $59.95 on the 2 DVD set. Still, it was pretty interesting.

Nothing much to report today, other than we narrowly averted our first lapse in childcare. I have learned that I need to find a list of babysitters to use when my mother goes to Disney World and Chris has to work. If anyone in Columbus has recommendations for good sitters, please let me know.

We shot some new video that I'm working on getting loaded, so that should be up sometime this weekend. Have a great week!

The Bilek Family Sleeps

Let me start by apologizing for the lack of posts. I just start this thing up and I'm already slacking. Let's see, what should I use for an excuse? Well, I spent all day Friday making candy with my mother, one of our holiday traditions. Then a holiday wine and cheese party, followed by recovery from the wine and cheese party. Then a great, full day with the little turnip.

In general things are great. We're happy to report that Lauren is officially sleeping through the night. She's been sleeping 5-6 hours at night for about 2 weeks now, but we were scared to jinx it by posting anything. We still have the occasional 3am wet diaper, but she goes right back to sleep after we lay her in the crib. One strange thing does happen, though. If I wake up, Lauren wakes up about 15 minutes later. Even if I don't move or make a sound. This makes getting ready for work in the morning very interesting. I get up and race to get dressed, do my hair and put my makeup on as quickly as I can. I've given up on morning showers. Why doesn't Chris get up with her? Because he stays up with her for the last feeding of the night at 11:30, so he doesn't get to bed until 12-1am. He's got that last feeding down to a science so that Lauren goes right to sleep without any rocking or coaxing. He just lays her down in the crib awake and she goes to sleep. Amazing!

As far as playtime goes, Lauren likes anything that involves sitting or standing up. No laying down. At all. It's great, except she can't sit or stand on her own yet. So, we're getting a great upper body/arm workout. No need for a gym membership when you have a baby. She also enjoys her play mat and has started to reach for toys and try to grab them. She's still not quite sure of what to do with those things on the ends of her arms, but apparently they taste good.

Her vocabulary is rapidly expanding, and she'll go on for about 30 seconds of little baby noises and an intent look on her face like she's telling us her innermost secrets. Unfortunately, she didn't provide us with a dictionary to decipher the meaning of any of her sounds. She has started "talking" even when she's not happy now. I think it's the equivalent of yelling. Not so much crying, but definitely yelling.

Hopefully that's enough to tide you over for awhile. Things are about to get crazy with family for the holidays, but I'll do my best to update on Lauren's first Christmas.

Picture time!

Okay, I finally got some pictures uploaded to the Kodak Gallery site. Use the link to the right called "Kodak Baby Gallery" to check out the latest Lauren pictures. More to come later...we got some super cute ones after her bath tonight.

Dr.'s report

Well, Lauren survived her latest trip to the doctor. She is in the 97th percentile for height and weight at 13 lbs, 8oz. and 24 inches long. I guess Chris and I grow 'em big. She also got four vaccinations by injection and one by mouth. I watched the needle go in her leg for the first shot and then decided I couldn't watch it three more times. She screamed and cried and generally looked at me like I was the most evil person in the world. After five minutes she was back to her happy self, though. I guess babies have short memories. Now she's just really sleepy. I actually had to wake her up an hour after her usual wake-up time this morning. Now that's something I never thought I'd do.

Today she'll get to hang out with her Dad for a few hours while I make a trip up to Delaware for some sorority stuff. Then it may be off to Grandma's for a couple hours so we can go out for a bit. It's great to have my Mom in town to help out. We're trying not to take advantage of her too much, but I can't imagine not having anyone to give us a break once in awhile.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm working on getting some pictures uploaded to the Kodak photo gallery. Once they're there, I'll post the link to the right. Then whenever we have new pictures you can check them out there.

I love my Daddy!

Lauren has officially figured out who her Dad is, and she loves him to pieces! Two nights ago I picked her up from Grandma's house after work and brought her home as usual. After a quick nap and some "dinner time" with Mom, she started getting a little fussy. I tried everything...standing up, sitting down, playing with Mr. Ducky. Nothing worked, and she was staring at her Dad the whole time she was crying. So, off to Dad. Lo and behold, the crying stopped. She just needed some Dad time. Chris is also the best at getting her to talk on the Happy Mat, aka the changing pad. Nothing's cuter than a man and his daughter.

It's Friday!

"No, it's not," you're probably thinking. It's only Wednesday. But for me it's Friday. I took 6 full weeks off after Lauren was born. It sounded like plenty of time. Any new mother will tell it's nowhere near enough time. Luckily my boss is flexible. So, I returned to work 3 weeks ago, working Monday through Wednesday. I absolutely love it! I'm sitting here counting the hours until I can go pick up my little one, realizing that I have the entire weekend to spend with her. What could be better?
Unfortunately, I'll have to go back to the normal 5-day schedule after the first of the year, but for now I'm enjoying my short work weeks. Have fun at the work the next 2 days ;)

About my "Favorite Links"

You may be wondering why the links to the right are there. So, here's a rundown:

Jan Bilek's Pottery--Chris' mother is an amazing, award-winning artist. Her website is still under construction, but the Gallery section shows a sample of her current work.

Jeff Christian--This is my brother-in-law's website. He plays hockey for the Youngstown Steelhounds (see info below), and this site gives some additional information about him.

Nationwide Insurance--My employer. They've treated me very well over the last 5 years. If you're shopping for insurance, check them out...it helps me out in the end :)

The Adventures of Tenzin James--James and Rachel's blog about their son/my future son-in-law.

UPromise--Help us save for Lauren's college education by signing up. They track what you purchase and deposit a percentage of the purchase price into an account. Not much, but every penny helps!

Youngstown Steelhounds--The hockey team Jeff plays for. Check out a game if you're ever in Y-town.

I'll add more links as I think of them...

Place your bets...

Lauren goes to the doctor on Friday for her 2 month checkup. I'm told shots are involved, and not the fun kind I used to do at the bar. Of course it might be a good idea for me to have a shot before Lauren gets hers so I don't rip her out of the Dr.'s arms to keep him from hurting her. We'll also get a update on height and weight. I did an unofficial weighing (weigh myself, then weigh myself holding her) a few weeks ago and she weighed about 12 pounds. The last unofficial measuring a couple weeks ago was 24 inches long. Of course that was with the tape measure while changing her diaper, so who knows how accurate that was. So, we're taking bets. What will her height and weight be? Will I cry when she gets her shots? The winner gets...bragging rights. Sorry there aren't better prizes. Remember we're new parents :)

Parenthood

As most of you know, we were recently blessed with a beautiful, healthy little girl. Lauren Olivia was born on September 27, 2006 at 5:08pm. She was 20" long and weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. The first 2 months of parenthood have been the greatest learning experience of my life. Here are a few things I've learned since becoming a parent:

1. It is possible to function on less than 3 hours of sleep for several weeks at a time. Not pleasant, but possible.
2. Diaper contents are an acceptable topic of conversation with other new parents.
3. The best possible way to start the day is with a laugh and smile from your daughter.

4. Grandparents will always spoil their grandchildren. Thank goodness!
5. An overnight trip with a 2-month old requires one bag for the parents (combined) and 4 bags for the baby.
6. It is impossible to leave a store with a baby department without buying something for the baby.

On a more serious note, I guess the biggest thing I've realized is that all the things I used to think were important are nothing when compared to the surreal task I've taken on. To be responsible for the life of another human being is turning out to be the hardest and most enjoyable thing I've done in a long time.

What makes all this even better is that I have great friends to share it with. The Thornburgs son, Tenzin James, arrived on October 25, and we're already planning their wedding. We used to spend random Sunday nights with a few drinks and a game of poker. Now it's watching Heroes on Mondays while trying to keep the babies quiet. I can't wait for Lauren and Tenzin to grow up enough to play together. For now, they just hang out in the Pack 'n' Play. Tenzin's on the left, Lauren's on the right.

We survived Black Friday

As if Thanksgiving isn't hectic enough with juggling two families, we decided we needed to buy a new TV on Black Friday. Having both worked in retail hell on this most horrible of days, we had sworn we would never shop on Black Friday, let along camp out over night. We should have held our tongues.

After returning home from Youngstown around 10pm with the little one in tow, I decided to drive by the store to scope it out. When I arrove around midnight there were about 40 people in line. So, back to the house to send Chris to wait in line. He bundled up in his mummy bag and braved the 25 degree weather, all to guarantee we'd get our 37" LCD TV for $500. Once Lauren woke up around 4am, I fed her and then headed off to relieve Chris. By this time there were several hundred people in line, virtually all of them waiting to buy TVs. After the baby handoff, I waited the final hour till the store opened at 6. Everything went smoothly, and we were watching our new TV by 7:30am. It was kind of like Christmas morning, only a month early. And again, I swear I'm never shopping on Black Friday!

Welcome to the Bilek Family blog!

In a move of utter un-creativity and un-originality, we've started a family blog to share the adventures of the Bileks in Columbus. Our friends, the Thornburgs, started one to share their experiences as new parents, so we figured we'd do the same. Hopefully you'll find this interesting...