Christian Clap

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Kris

After a week of cold(er) weather following the Labor Day holiday, we finally made our way back into the upper 70F’s this weekend. So we made sure we took advantage of it.

We ended up walking around Old Orchard on Saturday for close to four hours. Between lunch (first us, then Chrisitian), walking around, and take photos, it was a full afternoon for what could be the last summer-like weather we have this year.

Photos are coming soon, but for now I figured you’d enjoy a little clip of what of Christian’s newest activities…clapping.

Nine Month Checkup

Earlier in the morning, Christian had his nine month checkup already. Things went extremely well, as he was a total champ between the two shots and the finger prick for a Hemoglobin test. Honestly, I think he had a thing for the nurse, so he was trying to impress her. He only cried for about 10 seconds, and that was it.

As far as numbers go, he weighed in at 22lbs, 5oz and measured in at 29.5″ tall. He’s still in the 75% percentile for growth, and if he keeps up this pace, we’ll keep buying him clothes in sizes 3 months ahead.

Enjoy the video
– Kris

Lake Geneva Photos

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Kris

Last weekend we made a little trip north of the “cheese curtain” as some people call it, and spent a few nights up in Lake Geneva. Unlike our previous visit to the area back in April – when it rained almost non-stop – the weather this time was absolutely gorgeous.

There’s nothing too exciting to share about the trip, since it was just one of those lazy, walking everywhere, sitting outdoors kinda trips. But I did snap a few photos during the day on Saturday, so I thought I’d share those.

– Kris

Saturday Shopping

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Kris

We found ourselves with a few options on Saturday, and of them, we chose to head to a pair of outdoor malls and enjoy the nice (although not that sunny) weather.

Note: if you don’t want to read the boring stuff, just scroll down for the pictures.

Oakbrook Shopping Center

First up was the Oakbrook Shopping Center, mostly because there’s pretty decent-sized camera store right across the street. The camera store was the first stop so Papa can continue to price out a few indoor studio lighting options, but luckily he didn’t come up with anything.

The walk around the mall was nice, and after a stop at the Starbucks “in a box” we tried feeding Christian. Well, that didn’t go to well the first time, since apparently he was still a little tired. Why didn’t he just say so?

While he took yet another nap (lucky boy), we continued to walk around and found ourselves in the Na Hoku store for a little taste of Aloha. Cindy ended up leaving with a new watch, which we have to go back and pick up later in the week after they get it sized for her.

There were quite a few neat places to take photos at Oakbrook, but we held off and decided to head back to Old Orchard instead.

Old Orchard Shopping Mall

We made it to Old Orchard at around 6:30pm and stopped for dinner at Corner Bakery. It was mostly overcast (which is good for photos) and starting to get a little chilly but not as cold as last weekend.

After we ate and did our laps around the mall, we stopped at one of the courtyards for some photos.

Watching the Train

Baby Smiles

Not a Cookie

Hi Mama

Playing with the water fountain statue

There are a few more shots, too, if you’d like to see more. Seeing we’re at Old Orchard usually once a week, we’ll likely be adding to this set many more times in the near future.

More Photos: Old Orchard Portraits

Enjoy,
– Kris

A Day in the Park

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Kris

Our friends and family on Facebook have already seen these images from Saturday, but getting caught up on the blog and sharing this as Christian’s first year continue. After all, it was his first half-birthday on Saturday, so what better way to save the memories of how cute he and his Mama were and share them with all of his future girlfriends. Very, very future girlfriends, that is.

Cute, eh?

After a brief storm, Saturday turned into a beautiful day, and we found ourselves at Riverwalk Park in Naperville. After we made it passed the wedding parties and found a nice quiet spot by the river, I took out my camera, we freed Christian from the stroller, and the rest is here for you to enjoy.

More Photos Soon

These are the best shots from Saturday’s shoot (which is pretty good for only about 15 minutes). But we are leaving town this week for a little road trip, so I’ll have camera in-hand and we hope to more great shots like this to share with you next week.

Stay tuned,
– Kris

On the Road Again

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Kris

Finally, we get to update our Travels page.

It took four months after Christian was born, but we finally back on the road again now that we’re hauling ourselves around in a bigger ride. Less than three weeks since trading up, we’re already out here in Iowa so our little guy can meet his grandma, aunt, and uncle. We’re halfway through the visit, and besides a few moments, he’s been taking well to traveling.

The Long Haul

The trek started Thursday afternoon, with us packed and leaving town around 2:30pm for what is mapped out as a 420 mile journey in just over 7 hours. With traffic and weather cooperating, we made good time while actually on the road, but a few longer than expected stops put us into our hotel just before midnight.

We’ll learn from this for our drive home on Sunday, but for his part, Christian handled it well. We made it all the way to our second stop – the world’s largest truckstop – without him getting too fussy. That was almost 3:30 hours of road time of being tucked away and sleeping in his car seat. Not bad.

Off his usual schedule, though, meant his afternoon meal during that stop wasn’t the easiest, and therefore set us back. Getting back on the road was a little tougher, too, as once he was up out of his car seat and fed, he wanted very little to do with getting back in.

But we did make it, though, and just like running a marathon, the last leg seemed to be the longest. With Cindy riding in the back with Christian, they both were resting until about the last 30 minutes to the finish line before he woke up. With no real chance to stop and feed him, we pushed on forward and Mama worked her magic (like only she can) to keep him tolerable before we arrived.

The last hurdle was then, after sleeping in the car all day, trying to get him to sleep after his final feeding of the night. With Papa absolutely drained from what turned out to be nearly 10 hours behind the wheel, Cindy had Christian sleeping at around 1:30am. What a day!

The Road (Trips) Ahead

Logging over 1,000 miles round trip on this visit is about the furthest from home we venture by car. Our plans for next and future visits are easily shorter drives. Right now, they include getting back to Door County, WI after Memorial Day, a visit to Lake Geneva, WI and Kris’ great-grandmother (Christian’s great-great-grandmother) and possibly back to South Bend, IN to visit Cindy’s friend, Nabeela.

With all this travel time, it should help Christian prepare for what we’re hoping to be another trip to Maui come August. The kicker there is, even though we’re talking about 10 hours of flight time one-way, we at least get to walk around, take turns holding him, and will even have Grandma with us. Plus, he’ll be going on 9 months old by then, if you can believe that. He’s going to be almost a completely different child ability-wise from now to then.

Needless to say, we can hardly wait.