Mckenna's First Christmas Gift

...and she's starting to get it!!!

Thankful Thursday: Yoga Pants & "Magic Touch"

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for Mckenna's daddy...aka Ronnie. I say is that way though because Ronnie wears many hats around this house, and Mckenna's daddy is one of them. He is such a great daddy. He's fun. He's attentive. He's loving. He's knowledgeable. He's everything Mckenna could ever ask for in a daddy. I love watching him grow as a dad and watching Mckenna be totally smitten by him. If we want BIG smiles out of her, she needs her daddy. If we want her to be content and nothing is working, she needs her daddy. If mommy is frustrated with trying to figure her out, she needs her daddy. Bottom line, she needs her daddy and I'm so thankful that Ronnie is such a good one!

I'm thankful for yoga pants. Ok, so this one's a little silly. But I have to admit, I live in yoga pants. If I'm home, I'm in yoga pants. Shoot, many days, whether I'm home or not, I'm in my yoga pants. The are so stinkin' comfy I can't help but live in them. Plus, something about yoga pants makes them acceptable to wear in public in the middle of the day at 25. Somehow sweatpants in the middle of the day looks like you never got out of your PJs (which is ok too), but yoga pants can look deliberate and as if they're not your PJs but your choice of outfit for the day. And comfy pants mid-day in public is always something to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for zoo memberships. Ronnie and I got a year long zoo membership. It's AWESOME. For $80 a year, we both can go to the zoo as much as we want, we get 2 guest passes, and free or discounted admission to over 150 zoos across the country. Here's the best part: going one time is $18. So with the 2 guest passes (value $36) we only have to go once each to make it worth the money. My girlfriend and I are going to meet there weekly to walk and chat while our girls get to look at fun animals and learn new things. Win-win for everyone! 

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful that Mckenna is still alive and well after two full days of me being Mr. Mom. Now, I certainly didn't think I was irresponsible enough to get her killed, but the fact that she hasn't been injured in any way is a miracle. I hope that trend continues.

I'm thankful for my new U of A cup. For Christmas, Josh and Chrissy got me a UofA 24 oz water cuppy thermosy thingy that has been awesome to drink my water out of. It keeps it colder than a regular cup would and of course, I get to see one of my favorite sights on earth every time I take a drink - the block "A"!!

I'm thankful for my "magic touch". I'm not convinced of it, but Mandi says I have the magic touch when it comes to burping Mckenna. I'm not thankful for my sake, but for Mckenna's. Air in her tummy must drive her crazy and I'm just glad that I can help her feel better. So, come to think of it, when she feels better, she's a happier baby and in turn, we are happier parents. So I AM thankful for my sake :)

So, what are you thankful for today?

First Day as Mr. Mom

The time has come.

Mandi has returned to work and now it's time for me to change into my "mommy pants". Thus far, Mandi has been doing the bulk of the entertaining while Peanut is awake so I could continue working during these past 10 weeks or so. Thankfully, everything slows down around the holidays, so I was still able to get in plenty of family time. But now the holidays are over and things are going to start moving again. This year will definitely be the year of balance and adjustment!

Mandi's employers have allowed her to come back at part-time for the beginning of the year which I'm sure is going to be a big help. It will give me an opportunity to see how the "flow" of the day is going to go before I'm on the boat all alone and Mandi is standing on the shore. No, it's not going to be that bad since she works from home, but I will be responsible for making sure she's actually able to get her work done. I'm actually looking forward to coming up with unique ways to entertain Mckenna throughout the day if anyone wants to throw something out there. And in case your wondering, not unique for her sake, but for mine :) If I have to watch her play on her little mat or read her books for 8 hours a day, then someone is going to get hurt - and since hurting myself, Mandi or Mckenna is not an option, it will probably be a random stranger and we all know that nothing good can turn out of that.

I am however really looking forward to this time I get to spend with Mckenna. Since we know that Mandi has to work and someone has to watch the baby, I don't feel so guilty when I'm away from my computer. It's still not easy, but it definitely makes it easier. A lot of this is going to come down to me shifting my schedule a bit and re-prioritizing what the most important things to get done every day will be. I may have to look into getting to the gym at a different time. Or maybe eliminating a show or two from my normal line-up. Or maybe, just maybe, I'll have to get up an hour earlier than I normally do (GASP).

The bottom line is: Things are a-changin'; it will be up to me how much they change.

The Year Ahead

I'm not a big New Year's resolution kind of a guy. I figure that if I need a certain day of the year to get me motivated, then making some a "must do" resolutions is the least of my worries. I do however like to look at the year ahead and figure out some things that I would like to accomplish or continue to do. They're not resolutions as much as they are plans for the future.

My number one focus this year is my family. Not only do I want to be the husband my wife has always dreamed about, but I want to be the kind of husband that blows away her expectations. I know that she would never say this, but she deserves that from me. The day I was blessed enough to make her my wife was the day that she made my life complete. I was finally given the woman that God created just for me and I could not have been happier. She "checks off all of my boxes" and my hope is that I can check off all of hers...and then maybe add some that she never thought about.

I also want to be the dad that my precious daughter deserves. There really isn't a whole lot that I can do right now besides meet her basic needs, but I can prepare myself for the future. Part of that is taking care of myself physically and also being there for Mandi so she can take care of herself. If we're there for each other and co-parent like we've always planned, that gives us both the much needed mental breaks once in a while as well. As we anticipate Mckenna growing from an infant to a toddler to little girl to a teen; I just hope that I can continue to sharpen my skills to be the father that God created me to be.

A big part of that is making sure that I'm capable to be the spiritual head of this household. I'm sold out on the fact that God has already laid out a plan for our family that is perfect, and a big part of that plan is for us to seek His Will. That of course is always a tough thing. How do I know His Will for my life? I don't have a blueprint for my life, or my family's(although that would be nice), but He did provide a blueprint for all of humanity to follow. This year I need to be sure to open up that blueprint, focus on what it says, talk with the Author and then wait for His response.

There are also some other things that I'd like to see done this year, but compared to what I've already talked about, it seems very arbitrary. I'd like to continue to pour into CysticLife.org and make sure it's the space that the CF community deserves. I'd like to I'd like to replant and spruce up my garden. I'd like to do a couple of house projects, not sure what they'll be, but something cool. I'd like to travel with my family of three. I'd like to continue to reach a couple of people with this blog.

So that's what's in store for me (if I have my way) - what about you???

Mckenna Monday: New Discoveries, New Year

Happy new year, everyone. I'm not sure what that means, but I keep hearing mommy and daddy saying that to everyone...and they yelled it the other night while I was in bed?

This last week has been a busy one for me. I feel like I've grown up a lot. This week's development? I FOUND MY HANDS. I mean, I knew I had hands. When I was in mom's belly I'd suck on them, they were my best friends. But then there was a time I could only find them by accident. Sometimes mom and dad would shove them in my mouth, but last week was the first time I could find them consistently, all by my own self. They are so fun to suck on. The only draw-back is that I've started drooling, so I leak like a running faucet, so I tend to get a bit wet, and drip all over whatever I'm laying on. Mom doesn't care though, she keeps saying, "it's ok, I'd rather the drool than the spit up!" As you can tell by her statement, I have a bit of spit up problem too. A burp rag is a permanent fixture on my mom and dad's shoulders. Sometimes they even drape it on or around my neck as my "spit up catcher" or "spit up collar" as they call it.

And now that I've found my hands, I LOVE touching things. I did keep my hands in fists, but now, much to mom's delight, I'll open my hands and touch things. Soft things are my favorite, but I'll give anything a feel once or twice. My new favorite game is playing with kitchen objects (don't worry, we keep the knives in the knife block...I just get to play with the safe ones). Mom and I pick out a bunch of fun kitchen gadgets and then we sit and talk about them, she rubs them on my cheeks and hands. We even sing songs about them (mom can't sing and I can tell she's making up the words as she goes along, but I don't let on...I just smile to humor her). So far a wisk is my favorite. I can really grab it with all the openings in the top...plus I like that mom tickles me with it by "stirring my belly" (as she says)...silly mom, you can't stir a belly!

My sleeping has been a bit crazy. I can't bare the thought of missing any action, so I only nap for 45 minutes to an hour most times (unless I'm held or really snuggly, then I can't bare the thought of missing out on snuggles, so I open my eyes for a second, but go right back to sleep). I was sleeping like a champ at night. But last week I would sleep a long 5-6 hour stretch and then wake up every hour, on the hour after that. On those nights I could swear mom wasn't as happy to see me each time I woke up. The last 3 nights I've gotten it together a little better. I sleep from 9 or 10 to 3-4:30ish and then I eat and go back to bed until morning. Mom seems to be happier with me on those nights. Although last night I couldn't fall back asleep after I ate, and mom finally just brought me to their bed to finish the night. I know she hates doing it, but I could tell she was just too tired. Sometimes they bring me to their bed, but normally it's in the morning just to snuggle me and smile at me after I wake up for the day. Hopefully, I can be more consistent, I know mom would really appreciate that.

Well that's all I've got for ya. This is going to be a big year for me; full of change. My new year's resolution is to learn to sit, roll over, crawl and MAYBE walk...if I decide to get crazy! What's yours?