Our Winter Wonderland

The snow and ice storms hitting the U.S. in the last few weeks have made the news worldwide. Of the six years that I have lived in Minnesota, this year has been the earliest that we have been hit with the snow and cold. It seems especially cold when you have a little baby to get bundled up! I never thought putting mittens on a little one could be so difficult. They ought to make that an American Gladiator or Survivor challenge. Forget this eating worms or knocking people off platforms with a foamed oar. This is the true test of survival in a harsh environment!

As you may have guess, I'm not a fan of winter. This time of year I often ask the Clever King just why we live in Minnesota. I then spend a lot of time explaining to him how, yes, there is snow and cold in Wisconsin, but it is DEFINITELY not as snowy and cold as it is HERE in southern Canada. This time of year, lots of other folks ask the Clever King why HE lives in Minnesota when he is from the island paradise of New Zealand, where it is rarely below 50 degrees (although furnaces are also rare there). He spends a lot of time explaining to them the merits of the States. We've collectively spent a lot of time the last few weeks shoveling the sidewalk so the wheelchair man can get through to church*, digging out cars, commuting home from work, and hunting down the last of the fresh apple cider in the local supermarkets.

Fresh apple cider may be the best part of late fall. CK has perfected the art of heating it in the microwave so it is just hot enough to burn your throat a little bit, but not hot enough to burn your mittenless hands off. One of our favorite mugs (meant for coffee but used for cider by us) has an excerpt from Garrison Keillor on it. It was given to us by an Australian friend one summer when he and his girlfriend (now wife) stayed with us. CK and I each clamor for this mug in the winter months because, when we are feeling sorry for ourselves, it reminds us of the expectations of being a Minnesotan in the winter. Here's what Garrison has to say:

"Growing up in a place that has winter you learn to avoid self-pity. Winter is not a personal experience, everybody else is as cold as you, so you shouldn't complain about it too much. You learn this as a kid, coming home crying from the cold, and Mother looks down and says, 'It's only a little frostbite. You're okay.' And thus you learn to be okay. What's done is done. Get over it. Drink your coffee. It's not the best you'll ever get but it's good enough."

Yes, Jack's first Minnesota winter has definitely arrived with a bang. On those few occasions that he has been out in the cold for the 15 seconds it takes to transport him from the house to the car and the wind hits his face, he takes a sharp little breath and looks at us as if to say, "Good God, people! What have you done with that warm cozy place where I spent nine months?" We tell him he's been fortunate to spend the first days of winter at home with Daddy, surrounded by radiators pumping out heat and soft, snuggly blankets wrapped around his little body. Soon enough, he will have to brave the cold each day to get off to daycare. With a Wisconsin mom and a Kiwi daddy, we'll have to see if he is tough enough for survival in the land of 10,000 (frozen) lakes. I'm betting he can make it.

*This stems from the times when we first moved into our house and we had disagreements about exactly how frequently and well the sidewalk needed to be shoveled. Nick often felt that it was "good enough" and I would respond that if he wanted to be the house in the neighborhood who had the sidewalk that kept the wheelchair man from getting to the church on the corner, that was fine with me. The (hypothetical) wheelchair man usually won.

It Takes a Little Time

Well, I am officially back to work. I returned on Thursday, November 29th, so, as of today, I have spent 8 days as a working mother. I had been doing a little bit of work from home part-time, but that didn't really count, as it didn't take me away from Jack and didn't require that I get up, get dressed, and be ready for business by a certain time of day. And it's a bit trickier than I would have thought.

The last month that I was at home taking care of Jack, there was a sort of calculus I completed to figure out what I was going to get done that day. For example, taking a shower meant that I might not be able to get an hour or work done. Surfing the web and blogging meant that the laundry might not get put away and my contacts wouldn't get put in. It's amazing how quickly I learned to assess the tasks for the day and prioritize. Apparently, this type of thinking is a common phenomenon, as one of my favorite bloggers, dooce, used to measure how well the day was going with her and her little baby by how many tasks of personal hygiene she accomplished. Another friend of mine whose children are older now said that she never has gotten more done than when she had a baby in the house because she was always trying to hurry up and get everything done before the baby woke up. So true.

Being back at work is a whole new type of math because there are so many additional tasks associated with it. It makes my old "calculus" seem like using an abacus. Not only does work require a shower and presentable clothing (read: no J-Lo velour jumpsuit), but I must pack my lunch, my work bag, my breast pump, bottles to pump into, and a cooler for milk storage. I have to get up in the morning by 6:45am at the latest, whether I have been up one or three times in the night with Jack. Once I arrive at work, I have to figure out how to balance meetings, catching up with colleagues, and getting regular work done with the need to pump frequently so that my baby has enough milk for the next day. I have to decide if I am going to use lunch to hang out with friends or run errands so I can come home earlier to my baby, who I miss desperately by 2pm or so. When I get home from work, I have a couple of hours to spend with the little man before he goes to sleep and then I decide if I will do laundry, pay bills, run to the store, or simply snuggle my husband and cat. I can't explain it in a way that doesn't sound a bit pathetic and "woe is me," even though that is not my intention. It's just adjusting to life in a different gear than it was B.J. (before Jack). You parents out there know exactly what I am talking about.

Some days it goes well. And some days, when anything unexpected comes up (like 4 inches of snow during a weekday or a car that won't start), it is very hard. I'm really glad that Nick is home with Jack right now because it gives me an opportunity to get used to the work routine without having to factor in adjustment to daycare. The boys are really enjoying their time together and Nick has figured out a good nap schedule for Jack, something I couldn't ever do.

When I was feeling a bit low the other day and lamenting to Nick about if things would ever get easier, he told me that getting used to our "new" life with Jack is like learning to play The Sims. At first, it seems impossible just figuring out how to get your character to eat, sleep, use the toilet, and not stink so bad that the neighbors don't want to speak to you. After a little while, that is a piece of cake, and you begin to socialize your Sim with the neighbors and have a little fun. A bit later, you are able to find your Sim a job, a girlfriend, and time to throw a party big enough to attract Drew Carey. I think this is a good analogy - particularly because I love The Sims and became quite good at it back in the day (after many, MANY, hours of play).

A friend at work today was listening to me talk about the adjustment and commented that just when you think you have it all figured out with the baby, it all changes. I guess that means the key is learning to expect the unexpected. And also not expecting to master a game that I haven't practiced a lot yet. I know many others have done it before me and that, and just looking at the handsome devil below, make being a working mother, wife, and oh yeah, basic human, a bit easier each day.

What a Whirlwind!

I looked at my blog today and realized that it has been almost three weeks since my last post and that post was just a little video of Jack. Where does the time go? I remember starting this blog because I thought I needed something to fill the extra time on my hands. As the holidays and my return to work have come near and dear Jack has gotten big enough that he doesn't sleep all day, that extra time is a distant dream. I had all of these great ideas for posting about National Adoption Month (which is November!), our wonderful cat (Hank the Tank), and other clever? thoughts of a new mother, but they have not come to fruition. Those posts take longer than I would have imagined, so instead I'll spend a little time catching you up on what's been going on for us in November.

We celebrated our friend, Comet's, birthday with her on November 12th at Pancho Villa on Nicollet. If you live here in the Cities and you like Mexican food and margaritas, head on over there. The food was delicious (even Nick who prefers Tex-Mex was enthusiastic) and the margaritas were the best I have ever had.

We headed out to Stella's Fish Cafe with the Camp Buckskin Crew on November 16th. Jack got to meet Mav and Chiquita and thank Tom for bringing Nick over to the States so that he could be born!

I'll do exactly as you say, I promise!

Whew, can this guy ever talk!

Man, I'm so hungry I'm eating my hand and all he can do is smile for the camera!

The Clever King and I went with some friends to the Badger/Gopher football game here in town on November 17th. We were lucky enough to have Nick's old boss's wife, Mary, look after Jack during the game. We spent some time catching up with their family while eating lunch before the game. I can't believe how big their "boys" are now! What a change since I first came to work at camp 7 years ago. Hopefully, Jack was a good boy! (Mary said he was, but we realized later that he and I were both probably coming down with something at that time.) After a shaky start, middle, and end, the Badgers managed to pull out a victory (or is it the Gophers managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again).

Jack and I felt really sick and achy last Monday and Tuesday. It was sad seeing our fun little man down and a bit cranky. We took a visit to the doctor on Tuesday and determined that it must be a virus of some sort. After some Tylenol, Jack felt a little better and we had some visitors from Iowa on Tuesday night for Thai food and Guitar Hero. (Thanks, Kris, Mickey, and Kim for the fun!)
We headed down to Madison on Wednesday night to stay with Grandpa Roy for a night before traveling to Joliet, Illinois, to spend Thanksgiving with my extended family. Jack enjoyed meeting the relatives he hadn't seen yet, especially the twins. We spent the night in a hotel there on Thursday and, after discovering that our sickness had morphed into pink eye for both Jack and me, returned to Madison on Friday, making a visit with Dr. Amber, Molly, and Mark. (Your prescription was a lifesaver, Am!)

Is that really what happened to the turkey?

Jack and our Thanksgiving hostess with the mostess, Laurie

We had a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Anne, at my dad's church on Saturday. It was fun to celebrate the pending arrival of Jack's first cousin and to catch up with more family. Saturday night we visited briefly with my dad's neighbors so they could admire Jack and Sunday we headed home, exhausted.

We learned a lot about routine and traveling with a little one over the long weekend. Jack was a wonderful traveler, especially for how sick he had been feeling, but even so, it's hard to be away from home. Every day we are learning more about how to be good parents to our "Jack-pot."

Jack and Grandpa Roy

Now as we are back home and in our routine, it is just about to change, as I will be heading back to work full-time on Thursday and Nick will be staying home with Jack until early January. I have been doing a bit of part-time work from home during the month of November, so I have had a glimpse back into my "old life," but I know it will be hard to be away from Jack.

So, that is November, in a nutshell! Looking back, it is no wonder that I haven't posted - we've had the busiest month yet! Here's to slowing down a bit come December! Happy belated Thanksgiving to all.

Our (Hiccuping) Movie Star

Thought you all might like this video of the little man.

What a Man, What a Man, What a Mighty Big (Little) Man

Jack had his two month check-up this week. (Even though he is, as of today, 10 weeks old, they still call it a two month check-up.) We had not been to the clinic since Jack was a little over two weeks old. That visit was because he had a bad case of thrush that had not responded to the doctor's first treatment, and he had to have his mouth swabbed with gentian violet, turning his gums, tongue, and lips a bright shade of purple. This made him look like a baby vampire for a few days and caused the doctor to joke that Jack was getting ready for the "big game" on Sunday. I had to inform the doctor that Jack is NOT a Vikings fan, but rather, a Packers fan, to which the Clever King responded that, actually, Jack's first loyalty is to the 49ers, then the Packers, and that he might cheer for the Vikings sometimes, if it didn't hurt either one of those teams. I think the doctor was sorry he had made any comment.

While waiting to be seen by the doctor this time, we ran into the Assistant Commissioner of Human Services, Chuck Johnson, and his daughter. Assistant Commissioner Johnson is almost the biggest bigwig at my work. I told Jack that we must be in the big leagues to be at the same clinic as the Assistant Commissioner. He agreed. Assistant Commissioner Johnson was catching up on Winnie the Pooh's adventures while his daughter read another book. Jack and I just stared off into space, illiterate buffoons that we are. I guess there's a reason some people climb the ladder and others, well, scratch their heads and wonder how to get up on the roof.

The nurse called us back and she measured Jack's head circumference, weight, and height at the appointment. Jack's head was 41 centimeters around (71st percentile for kids his age), his weight was 12 lbs 13 oz/5.8kg (also 71st percentile), and his height was 24.75 inches/.629 m (a whopping 95th percentile). No wonder he is already growing out of many of his 0-3 month old clothes! Then, the doctor came in and admired Jack. She said he is developing perfectly and is a beautiful baby. (Of course, we already knew that, but we are biased!) After that, the nurse came back to give him some shots which he did not like one bit. His face turned bright red, crumpled up into the cry look, but no sound came out for several seconds. I thought, okay, maybe he's not going to cry. Immediately, after I thought that, he let out a big wail and looked at me, like, I thought you were supposed to protect me from stuff like that. He recovered quickly (probably more quickly than me) and we went home and took these pictures in his cute dino outfit because, at the rate he is growing, it won't fit for long.

Nope, no babies needing shots here, just a little stegosaurus

These things are extinct, right?

We've got a really great show for you tonight! And Richard Gere is here! Stick Around!

Happy Halloween!

Superman never made any money....but I'm okay with that

Okay, okay, I'm waving!

Do you see something spooky in the corner?

Ready for my Milky Way

My potential is yet untapped

And you thought Casper was cute

I ain't 'fraid of no ghost

Jor and Kal-El

My mom keeps dressing me in these stupid Halloween outfits

My dad is so proud of my costume

Our Weekend

We had a very busy weekend. On Friday night, my cousin, Greg, and his family came over to our house for pizza and some chatter. They were in town from Indiana, enjoying some of the fun the Twin Cities has to offer, like the MOA (Mall of America) and the Children's Museum. We had a great time catching up with them. I can't believe how big their "little one" has gotten. We hadn't seen her since last Christmas and wow, has she changed. We got some good parenting advice from the experienced ones. I'm sure we'll be seeking some more via email. Jack liked meeting his relatives.

Wow, she's two-fisting it with the babies, what a mom!

He's kind of strange, but I like him

On Saturday, we went over to our friends' house to help them get ready for a Halloween party. It was our first experience of a kid-focused party when we actually had a kid. We had a lot of fun and got to catch up with some friends that we hadn't seen for a while. There were many amazing Halloween costumes.

I think I'm gonna yuke

Don't anyone make a move or the monkey is history!

I sure hope that was a raindrop I felt

On Sunday, we enlisted the help of our friends to get our broken storm windows fixed (long story) and to figure out what is wrong with the HD connection to Nick's Xbox (another long story). Sadly, we weren't able to resolve either problem, but we appreciate their willingness to try, especially, Mike, who was not feeling well.

Look for a special Halloween edition of You Don't Know Jack tomorrow! Surprises are in store! (Ooo, what a teaser!)

Good Things

Okay, I'll admit it. Even though I don't have it listed on "my What I've Been Watching Lately - TV," I have, on occasion, (well, maybe a few occasions), watched Martha Stewart while home on maternity leave. (I have also watched some other unspeakable things - Young and the Restless: Out of the Ashes - but I'll save comments about those for another time.) I have never been a big fan of Martha. In fact, I have never been any fan of Martha. I don't hate her or anything, I just don't fully appreciate Martha's appeal. This has disappointed at least two of my aunts, who measure most decorating tasks they undertake by some unknown Martha factor.

Martha has just always seemed a bit too stuffy for me. However, since her stint in the slammer, she has become a bit more fun. I saw her on Late Night with David Letterman a few weeks ago (yes, I have been watching late night TV a lot also), and Dave was being pretty edgy with her and she seemed to be having a good time. She even made her own jokes about some weird plant pod thing she had brought called hairy balls. (She also talked about this on her TV show that day. Not that I was watching.)

Those of you who are not Martha fans may not know that she has a segment on her show called "Good Things." I didn't realize until recently that was the source of my aunt saying, "It's a good thing" in a funny voice. I guess "Good Things" are her (or more likely, her staff's) little discoveries of things that she has found useful or likes, such as products or crafts.

Recently, I have been thinking about all the "Good Things" that have been happening to me, family, and friends. So, in honor of Martha, the Bodeans (no, no, no, don't pass me by BoDeans – Good Things), and the Fine Young Cannibals (good thing, where have you gone? Fine Young Cannibals – Good Thing), here is my list of good things:

1. The sun is shining today.
2. The sun was shining yesterday.
3. It hasn't rained since Sunday.
4. Jack and I went for three walks already this week.
5. The leaves are at their peak here.
6. We are predicted to have the longest stretch of no rain since the end of July.
7. We had visitors from Wisconsin last weekend (Janet and Pat).
8. We have visitors from Indiana coming this weekend (GML family).
9. My friend, Aaron, got engaged (to a girl named Erin).
10. My cousin, Darcy, got engaged (to a boy named Bryon).
11. I cleaned the cupboards today.
12. Jack's Halloween costume arrived in the mail this week, just in time for his 1st Halloween party this weekend. (Stay tuned for pictures.)
    
13. The Clever King got his Xbox back today.
14. Jack slept for six hours last night!
15. The Office is on tonight.
16. I talked with Nick's dad on Yahoo messenger yesterday (go, George, with your high-tech self).
17. My friend, Kris, got a great new job.
18. The fires in California are getting under control.
20. We have managed to not eat most of the mound of Halloween candy that I bought a couple of weeks ago.
21. Tomorrow is Friday.

Thoughts from Garrison Keillor

I enjoyed this piece sent to me by my husband this morning and thought some of you might enjoy it also. Garrison Keillor is Minnesota's hometown boy whose essay on Salon this morning comments on the war, health care, and parenting.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/keillor/2007/10/24/gop/

If You Want a Baby Badger...It Takes Due Dilligence

As most of you know, I am a Wisconsin Badger through and through. I grew up just outside of Madison, I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and I returned to the good old UW to complete my graduate degree a few years later. My allegiance to Bucky Badger is strong. My dad (along with my aunt and uncle) has had season tickets to Badger football games for several decades, suffering through the years of Don Morton and experiencing the rush of beating Michigan in 1993 to go to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 31 years (and to win for the first time ever). In the last 15 years or so, many of my family's vacations have revolved around traveling to see the Badgers play in a post-season bowl game. (Thank goodness they don't have the Garden State Bowl any longer!)

One of the (many) benefits of marrying an international man of mystery like Nick is that he did not come into our relationship with an allegiance to any particular college sports team. This has saved our relationship from much agony, as he readily converted into a Badger fan. His love of American football in general has also been beneficial, as he has no trouble spending Saturdays curled up on the couch, catching a Badger football game.

Maintaining your Badger status while living in Minnesota (land of the Golden Gopher) isn't hard when you have a strong Badger pedigree like I do, but it will likely be more of a challenge for Jack. Because we truly want a Baby Badger, we are working diligently to expose Jack to all things Badger. He has already watched at least two Badger football games on TV, he has a Badger mobile that plays On Wisconsin attached to his crib (thanks Aunt Janet), he has some Badger clothes (thanks Aunt Jane and Uncle Steve), and we sing Badger songs to him every chance we get.

One of my personal favorites for serenading Jack, stemming from my days of living in the Lakeshore dorms, is "If You Want a Baby Badger." Many of you are probably more familiar with the traditional version of this song, that is, "If You Want to Be a Badger." The Baby Badger version, is sung to the same tune, but using the lyrics below:

If you want a baby badger, just come along with me,
By the bright shining light, by the light of my room.
If you want a baby badger, just come along with me,
By the bright shining light of my room.

By the light of my room,
By the light of my room,
By the bright shining light, by the light of my room.
If you want a baby badger, just come along with me,
By the bright shining light of my room.

I'm not sure where we got this version from, but, boy, did we have some good times at Badger football games with this one. (Perhaps the tailgating before also had something to do with it.) Maybe one day, Jack too will decide to go to the UW and will get to experience this fun as a student. If he does, he will be one of the best prepared kids in his class!

Jack after the loss to Illinois

Come on, Badgers!

Jack and Bucky

Note: Those of you non-American readers of this blog who are not very familiar with college football teams may want to check out the hyperlinks that I have embedded in the text above, as they may help you understand what the heck I am talking about in this post!

Parents' Night Out or Our Life Before The Child

Last Friday night we went to the movies. That's right, to the movies, like in a movie theater. We didn't get a DVD from the library or watch Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason for the 10th time on TBS, we went to the movies. It was the old "us" (which includes a 30-something brunette and a 40-something New Zealander) , not the new "us" (which includes a little baby that we just can't seem to shake). Before that, it had been exactly 7 weeks and 2 days since we had been to the movies, a fact that my husband, the King of Clever, had pointed out to me just a few times. We last went to the movies the day before Jack's due date and saw The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (highly recommended glimpse into geekdom - appealing to geeks and non-geeks alike).

If you haven't spent a lot of time with my husband (or maybe even a moderate or little amount of time), you have no idea how important going to the movies is to him. Here are a few things that will give you a clue:
1. In addition to being the King of Clever, he is also the King of Pop Culture, reading Entertainment Weekly cover to cover each week. (When the summer and fall movie issues are on the newsstands, he checks the mailbox obsessively to see if his subscription has come yet.)
2. He was praying that his son wouldn't be born before August 3rd because then he wouldn't get to see The Bourne Ultimatum the first night that it was in wide release. Luckily, his son wasn't born before August 3rd and we went to The Bourne Ultimatum on opening night. Despite the fact that the theater was about 90 degrees and I was 9 months pregnant and about to pass out, I lasted through the movie because I didn't want to let him down by asking to leave. (Full disclosure: I also really wanted to see the movie and I never told Nick that I was feeling so hot, although I was fanning myself with whatever random items I could find in my purse and I wiggled out of the tank top which was under my shirt while sitting in my movie theater seat.)
3. His surefire conversation starter is "what movies have you seen lately" followed by a recitation of the slew of the movies that he has seen lately. If people respond that they can't remember when they last saw a movie, but it has been a long time, he responds, yeah, the last movie I saw was a few weeks ago.
4. He doesn't trust anyone that hasn't seen a movie for more than six months on DVD, or a year in the theater.
5. He LOVES Roger Ebert. We once went to the University Bookstore in Madison to hear Roger Ebert talk about movies. He checks Roger Ebert's website every week to read Ebert's latest reviews. When Roger Ebert was offline because of complications surrounding his cancer, Nick was genuinely concerned.

This outing came about because my 2nd cousin some number removed Katie had volunteered to babysit for us. I wasn't quite sure if we were ready to leave our baby home without us, but decided that we should give it a shot. Katie offered to babysit for dinner and a movie, but that seemed like too much on the test run, so she brought us dinner instead and ate with us. (Thanks, Katie! Yum.)

It had been so long since we had been to the movies that the CK (Clever King) had a difficult time selecting which movie was worthy of our attendance. The movie that we saw was Michael Clayton. It was a great movie, made even better by that eye candy, George Clooney (whom the CK bears some resemblance to).

We don't typically buy refreshments at the movies. Since we go to the movies so often, this has saved us a lot of money over the years. We also had a bad experience early on when we were dating where I choked on a piece of popcorn while watching the movie Traffic and had to go to the emergency room to have it checked out because it felt like something was stuck in there. (After looking down my throat by putting a camera up my nose, it was determined that everything was fine.) This time, I bought a bottle of water (for $3.75!) only because as a nursing mother you are supposed to stay well-hydrated and I didn't want to duplicate the Bourne experience again.

We arrived plenty early, as we always do, to allow the CK to select the optimum seats. I felt proud to stay awake through the previews (no, it wasn't a midnight or even 9pm movie, it started at 7:10pm) and really struggled to keep my eyes open during the first 20 minutes or so of the feature. Then, I kept thinking, baby thoughts. Was he okay? Would Katie call us if something was wrong? Did he miss us? Did he understand that we hadn't deserted him forever? Would he decide he liked Katie better than us?

Despite those initial thoughts, for about 40 minutes at the end of the movie, I forgot that we are Mommy and Daddy. I forgot that I was still wearing maternity jeans and that, prior to that night, I had been in record setting mode for how long it had been since I had worn makeup or shoes with a heel. We were Amy and Nick (formerly Kit Kat and Moondog), and they do this every couple of weeks. Sometimes they even go out to a 9pm movie. Sometimes they go out to dinner after 6:30pm. Sometimes they go to dinner AND a movie in the same night. Baby? They have no baby. Just a rather large tabby cat named Hank who thinks he is a baby.

On the way home, we both agreed that we had a fun time, but we missed Jack. We decided that it was a good thing to get out and that we are lucky to have Katie (and others) who are willing to babysit for us, as our immediate families are not in town. The CK said we should make a point to go out every couple of weeks or every week. "Every week?" I said. "We do have a new baby you know."

I was just testing you, said the CK, and you passed the test. But maybe we could go out once a month or so.

I agreed to consider it. After all, we are approaching the holidays and that is when all the best movies come out. And I don't want the King of Pop Culture to lose his edge in movie trivia.

Amy, Jack, and babysitter Katie

Parcel from New Zealand

When we returned home from our adventure to Madison a week or so ago, we were lucky enough to come home to a special thing - a parcel (or what we call a package here in the States) from New Zealand. It's always fun to get something in the mail other than the usual assortment of bills, requests for campaign donations, and circulars (advertising fliers for you Yanks), and something from Nick's family overseas is a special event.

Nick eagerly tore into the parcel. He had made a special request to his family for an All Blacks outfit for Jack and they did not disappoint. For those of you non-Kiwis who are wondering, "what kind of crazy father requests an all black outfit for his newborn son, don't most normal babies wear blue, green, and yellow," let me explain. The All Blacks are New Zealand's national rugby team and they inspire a cult-like following, particularly by my husband and father-in-law. If you are American, it is difficult to understand the magnitude of a whole country following the same team playing the same sport. I guess it would be like if all of the die-hard Packer, Cub, and Badger fans united together to cheer for a common cause. When visiting my in-laws last fall, I had Nick teach me the New Zealand National Anthem on the long drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound so I could impress my father-in-law, George, by proudly singing along before that Sunday's rugby match. I won several daughter-in-law favor points by doing so. (Note to self: will have to learn the Maori verse on the next trip to bank a few more.)

Not only did Nick's family send an All Blacks outfit, but an All Blacks hat, mittens, and booty set. Their timing couldn't have been better, as the weather has turned cool and we finally gave in and turned on our heat last Friday. Jack also lucked out with a new Stretch and Grow (known as Sleep and Plays in "American"), lots of fun socks, and a beautiful sweater, handmade by Auntie Jean and purchased by Nanny from the hospital shop where Auntie Jean volunteers by selling the sweaters she knits with her amazing talent. The sweater is the perfect size to fit Jack in the heart of winter. There was also another snuggly sleeper that will fit Jack soon and will keep him warm all winter. Grandad tucked in a kiwibird key chain for Jack, which Mommy will carefully safeguard until Jack is old enough to have his own set of keys.

Nick said the All Black outfit and package (almost) made up for the loss that the team had suffered to France in the Rugby World Cup earlier that weekend.

Jack begged us to let him model the clothes right away, so we acquiesced. I swear, he can be such a prima donna. Please see his runway shoot below.





A note from Jack:
Thanks, Nanny, Grandad, and Uncle Michael for all the cool stuff. Hope you don't feel too bad about the All Blacks. As I told Daddy....

There's always 2011.