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...