a league of their own

7 months, 3 days PB.

one of my favorite comedies ever - tom hanks played another classic role before he started winning oscars the next two years.  it also produced the memorable quote, "there's no crying in baseball!"  i have to say - it was tom hank's underrated comedic work that made me love his movies.

Answers to prior blog pictures:  1,2,4,6 - me.  3,5,7,8 - HM.  pretty crazy, huh?  i'm jealous of her resemblance to calvin....gummy smile and all.  if only his head looked more like a pill....

todays post revolves around sports; baseball in particular.  cal's first astros game was this past weekend.  uncle H was able to snag some dugout level seats along the first base line.  HM was appreciative to mention that we didn't have to breath lighter air in the nosebleeds -- her way of sarcastically telling me that the first time taking her to the field-formerly-known-as-Enron was not satisfactory.  thanks babe.

"hey, my pacifier is dirty now"

we were only about 5 rows up from this point, but as you can see we were pretty darn close.  good luck bringing you back to this spot buddy!

as a sports fanatic, i like to get into playful debates with HM on how i plan to build an athletic team from my offspring.  obviously, she prefers for them to be intellectuals first.  given our gene pool, i usually concede that our kids will have the greatest chance of success through education (and HM's slave driven study methods).  BUT, i always mention that i will do my very best to ensure that ALL of our kids have decent athleticism.  boy nerds who throw/run like girls typically get bullied (unless they run like serena williams, but then that's just plain scary).

i would like to mention that out of the three professional sporting events that cal has attended - the home team has won all of them.  good luck charm, possibly?  maybe a texans game next year for the little fella.  and even though cal was in a public place, he was NOT a fan of the roller coaster cheers and quietness a baseball game brings:

apparently, there IS crying in baseball!

-EZE

on a side note - 3 yrs ago, HM and i hosted a rehearsal dinner with our family and close friends.  we still talk about our wedding like it was yesterday....happy anniversary, my love!

love and basketball

6 mths, 2 weeks, 6 days PB.

11 years ago i saw this movie about a young boy and girl who grew up together, successfully played basketball into adulthood, and fell in love throughout that time. i became a big fan of sanaa lathan afterward. in the new age of couples meeting online, i guess i'm a sucker for stories about childhood sweethearts that end up together.

as i'm writing this blog, the NCAA division I men's basketball championship is being played about a mile from me. the teams aren't very interesting, so i decided to use the time to catch up on updating.

keeping up with the childhood theme, HM asked me to scan some our baby pictures to compare them to little cal's. we've noticed our friends and families are split in their decisions regarding who calvin looks like. of course, HM and i both WANT to think that he has more genial features of our own, but i've decided to let the audience decide. here are 8 old school pictures for you to debate on. there are 4 of me and 4 of HM. take a guess on who's who? i will post the answers on my next blog:

don't be discouraged, it can get confusing...even for HM and i!

and so i don't skimp out on my promise from last month, here's a long picture update of calvin since the beginning of the 2011:

1/1/11 started off with a bang as cal attended his first wedding reception. the bride and groom are nothing but inspiring, beautiful people who i'm not particularly close to but greatly respect and admire. cal was tired afterward, but still sported his onesie tuxedo in style. (he also liked our 1 ft xmas tree)

cal's 4 month checkup came in the middle of january. the doc says he's healthy and right on track with 'his' growth curve. i'm just glad he's on a curve at all. as you can see: short, fat body with a big head. you go boy!

later in the month, we took calvin on a nice saturday morning stroll to the houston auto show at reliant arena. i used to attend these regularly before i met HM, but there doesn't seem to be much excitement around new cars anymore. what was once a 2 week event has turned into a sad 5 day snoozefest. porsche didn't even represent! in any case, we came, we saw, calvin slept. what car did daddy like the best? james bond's ride, of course.

speaking of (who should own an) aston martin, we spent our tradition gambling chinese new years at uncle H's house. baby cal received his first li xi money! normally, i don't celebrate chinese new year, but i'm happy to take a holiday from HM. cal benefits from free money, but i'm not totally sure if uncle H gave him his 'extra cash' stash. do i see clouds outside?! kidding, people....

calvin's first super bowl was exciting. he boldly predicted the outcome by showing the true colors of the winner! black and yellow, WHO?!

february starts the season of love. and what better way to show my boy how handle his business than to treat the ladies right from the beginning! below, cal shows off what i call, 'the sneaky surprise'. baby hailey might be 6 months older and much taller, but she never saw what was coming. never underestimate the little guy!

the next two pics are for auntie NT. cal's first road trip (post delivery) brought us to the san marcos outlet mall. he quickly displayed his knack for modern furniture. what expensive taste you have, my son! he apparently got it from his momma. can you guess which chair is from pottery barn and which is from restoration hardware? shouldn't be too difficult! i absolute dig this first picture....totally enjoying the moment.

our next stop was into austin to visit auntie G as she completed her vicious half marathon. why run in the hills when you can run on flat ground in houston?! anyways - afterward, we had to stop by good ol' salt lick to celebrate. and since cal already enjoyed eating it while in utero, we let him chew the menu instead!

when people say that baby stuff takes over your home, they weren't kidding. i can bet that most babies would be fine playing with a plastic bottle or remote control. but after about 2 minutes, they need something else. this is why i think the baby business has grown into this booming market. in any case, HM and i went out and got him his bumbo seat for easy feeding. notice his feet don't touch the ground - just like his daddy...

a careful eye will notice a difference in the next two pics. yep - those are two different 'activity centers'. HM was all about craiglisting these massive (and expensive) space wasters. after a complete wash down and disinfection process, baby cal ecstatic with his new toys. the second picture shows his love for bacon (or ham) at an early age....

since it's taken me so long to update, we had cal's 6 month check up a few weeks ago. basically, the same info from his 4 month visit, but i noticed his head circ % is getting larger. in honor of this, i give you a beaming shot of his massive noggin.

although HM is a super advocate for breastfeeding, over the past month HM has started feeding cal some solid foods. basic items mainly, but sometimes it's fun to watch cal try some other stuff. we now know that he likes broccoli cheese soup! thanks mom...i'm trying to watch my sodium!

...and finally back to basketball. calvin got his first TWO rockets games within 4 days of each other. i won the first tickets at a work lunch raffle and the 2nd set were given to me by our communications/relations team to our company's suite! he got to meet our CEO and some friendly RPD's. i guess he's a good luck charm since the rockets won both games in a somewhat of a disappointing season.



reflection moment



cal vs yao's shoe

i hope everyone enjoyed the post! it's fairly difficult to load pictures 5 at a time (and sorting through hundreds of choices!), but that's my fault for lack of updating. HM's schedule has not been forgiving either. unfortunately, april isn't looking too much better. don't forget to make your 8 choices above!

-EZE

meet the parents

24 weeks, 4 days PB. (once March 15th hits, i'll note by months)

an instant classic. it's been 10 years since ben stiller and robert de niro hooked up to make one of my favorite comedies ever. though it's still not my favorite stiller comedy, i never seem to turn it off when it reruns on cable. whoever thought of using FOCKER was a genius. the name gaylord was just icing on the cake!

HM decided to give me some 'alone' time while she watches calvin tonight so i can blog. she's tired of waiting for me to post. the first 2 months this year has been killer at work and when i get home, i just want to hang out with the little guy. i know there is ALWAYS time to do something if you allow for it, but once i get him to sleep at 9pm, there's no way i'm going to risk waking him up while typing (the computer i like to use is next to his crib). and this month, i've had to play a single parent role quite frequently due to HM's night schedule. the end of residency cannot come soon enough....

anyways - just like "meet the parents" the movie, this post is dedicated to 10 years of HM and I being together. i promise a calvin update will be next. he wouldn't be here if it weren't for both of us and i figure now is as good a time as any to recap some of our highlights.

if you haven't noticed already, i have not posted any clear direct facial photos of HM and i in any of my blogs. i'm not sure why i chose this method, but after this post....i'll probably continue the trend. so, if you happen to follow during this time, consider yourself lucky! another picture story.....

(sorry.... no first pic!)

2001 - i can't seem to find any pics of our first year together. for those not old enough to remember, this was before digital pictures got big! i'll have to post after i can find one to scan.

may 2002 - saying 'see you later'. here's a picture of us before i left for my first disney internship. yes - i tried out for mickey mouse, but didn't get the part. HM and i were at our favorite (and still the best) karaoke joint - the original glitter (in ALIEF!). i chose this picture because we were genuinely happy-drunk together. we weren't thinking about not seeing each other for 6 months, but rather just enjoying the moment. i also chose it because i have a small amount of 2002 scanned pics to choose from. :)

july 2003 - theme park visit. during my 2nd six month internship the following year, HM visited me in orlando. we took this picture at epcot and emailed it back to friends in houston. at the time, it seemed like a big deal to receive pictures by email. not that you can really tell from the shot, but HM and i were very hot and sweaty from the summer central florida heat. it reminds me that we need to get away from houston's weather. not pictured, but present: my mom!

march 2004 - driving to home sweet home. before i knew i was moving to dallas later that year, HM and i took a road trip to the big D with some close friends. without any responsibility other than to party all weekend, the end result is what you see above. YMK shot this on the way back displaying what happens after 3 straight nights of eating, drinking, and clubbing. HM and i aren't big by any means, but sitting in the back of a 95 mitsubishi eclipse had us in close quarters. i'm sure glad i use dial!

july 2005 - chow down at SBC Park (now AT&T). i would consider this our first major vacation together. we did short road trips and met up at some other places, but this was a week-long planned trip which we probably still consider one of our favorite times. HM's $9 crazy crab sandwich was enough to satisfy her to let me watch baseball (she also had lots of gilroy garlic fries). our love for food was enhanced during this trip and we've always considered SF a dream location to live.

sept 2006 - luau bday(s). i added the (s) in there because september is a busy month for bdays. it's no different now that calvin has been added to the mix. among HM's friends at the time, there were 3 of them were celebrating a bday within 7 days of each other. for some reason, i fall in love with HM all over again when i see this picture. i think it shows my love for her..and my love for beer. heh.

april 2007 - the state capital proposal. you can't see much, but there are barnyard animals behind us in this picture. there was a petting zoo in the lobby of the hyatt in austin where we stayed and since HM loves animals, we stopped by. HM was a lucky lady that trip... she received a ring along with my promise to marry her, a snazzy purse, and (secretly) her favorite item. definitely the most expensive weekend of my life to that point.

june 2008 - last picture of our honeymoon. prior to boarding the 9pm plane back to houston, HM and i had booked a sailing trip on one of america's most historic racing yachts. we actually didn't know what we were doing at the time, and chose it purely on timing and price. given that neither of us are by any means nautical professionals, we had a blast (of water!) at an 80 degree angle as gusts of winds pushed us through bumpy waters. an 8 hour flight in saltwater ridden clothing could have been worse...if we stayed awake!

sept 2009 - the sweet taste of liberty. definitely a 'legendary' trip. HM and i had so much fun in philly (really?!), that we vow to go back. i decided to surprise her for her bday, and since she had little time during residency, i got lucky that a free weekend came up. perfect weather, lots of eating, and even a winning trip to AC. and even though she didn't know who rocky was, she was still game to run the famous training steps.

oct 2010 - modern family. this is one of our first pictures together. HM and i are happy as can be while little cal is showing off his true colors. he was NOT having it that day. meanwhile, our dog is the worst at taking pictures since he always finds a way to look like an idiot at the last second. we decided not to do family christmas photos. we figured it would probably turn out similar to this one.

feb 2011 - my valentine. 10 years, 10 cheesecake factory visits. most of our friends know that it's tradition for HM and i to go to CF for valentines. our first three hour wait (they don't take reservations!) in 2001 set us up for good conversations and getting to know each other. in 2002, i think we couldn't decide on a place, so we went back. it was only 2 hours of waiting that year. we've learned different methods to cut down on the wait time: find new locations, go at odd times, and eating at the bar (our favorite!). now with calvin in our lives, we knew there was no way we could risk waiting. we agreed that as long as we have young children with us, we're going to either go a day early or during lunch. i think it worked out well as cal definitely enjoyed his nap while mom and dad reminisced about the last decade.

there you have it my friends. our life in 20,000 words or less. it may not be as romantic as this movie, but give me a break... we're still in our youth! calvin pics/vids to come...

-EZE

Cry Baby

21 weeks, 4 days PB.

this will be a very short post.


unfortunately, i'm writing this under a very stressed situation. i've been listening to calvin cry for literally the past 45 minutes straight. held or unheld, he just blew up during his feed. HM left for work for the night, so there isn't a second set of hands to try to console him.

for anyone who thinks it's easy to just let their baby 'cry it out'.... u must have a stone cold heart. i teared up when cal was in pain prior to his ICU stay and i'm almost to a breaking point tonight.

*update* - after another 30 mins of consoling cal, i finally got him to eat and i'm writing this with one hand as he passed out in my other arm from pure exhaustion. finally some quiet time, but i would have preferred it coming with him falling asleep happy. it's difficult watching your child cry, but i think it's harder not knowing how make it stop.

-EZE

out of time

18 weeks, 2 days PB.

i like denzel washington. he's been a very influential actor throughout my movie watching days. from Glory to Training Day, i still consider him an A-list box office draw. even though he's made some thrilling movies, this particular flick isn't one of them. though i will watch for eva mendes alone... :)

the title to this post should speak for itself. i feel that i never have time to produce a quality blog entry, but yet i hate having to use calvin as an excuse. december was such a busy month with holiday events, work, etc. january hasn't been much of a relief either. our attempts to move cal's sleep schedule earlier in the evening has not panned out too well. we've made some progress getting him to around 10pm, but that's after about an hour of him yelling in our ears. by that time i just want to sit on the couch and get my head back on straight before having to get ready for bed.

i don't have any pictures to post this time around, but i promise that i'll have plenty soon. and speaking of pictures - a friend of mine (darkmark) brought up a question on his facebook status one day asking this: Ever wonder if you are the only one that REALLY thinks your kids cute?

so funny, because his kids ARE cute. i will be one to admit that calvin has his moments where he is super adorable, but i'll be damned if i try to say that he's cute 24 hours/day. he's got PLENTY of not-so-good looking poses in his repertiore. i think i'll post them soon, though HM might not like!

after going through calvin's early pictures, dark's question had HM and i thinking the same freakin' thoughts. i know babies change and all, but there are a GOOD amount of pics that i look at now and think to myself.....damn, calvin was NOT a cute infant!

does that sound mean and horrible? especially coming from his own father? in person, calvin is a stumpy ball of mass. he's typically quiet in front of others, so that makes him more attractive for some reason. but his thighs resemble turkey legs from a carnival. and he has a muffintop! sure, being a fat baby is 'cute', but is it really cute if he becomes the shortest, fattest kid in class?! oh, the fears of my parenthood are coming out now....

anyways - just a random thought that came to me today. i know i had to post SOMETHING. sorry for the delays.

-EZE