Happy 12th Birthday Sonic

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Sonic..Dude. Happy Birthday to you. Sonic got an extra treat this morning and his gift was the doggie bandanna from Orlando. The bandanna says, "My Human went to Walt Disney World and all I got was this LOUSY bandanna." Happy Birthday Sonic!

D'Amazing Darin

I arrived at Kansas City airport a few minutes before 7pm. As I disembarked (a term used a lot in Orlando), I turned left to obtain my carry on baggage. To my surprise and amazement I could not believe who I saw was waiting for me, but Darin and Madison. It absolutely brought me to tears (literally), what a wonderful surprise. Darin looked rested, thank goodness. But most importantly, Madison reached out for me when she saw me and she also had a belly laugh waiting for me. This was absolutely the highlight of my day, week, year, etc. It is so wonderful to be back home. Yes, everyone received Disney gifts. I'll provide you more information and pictures of the gifts tomorrow as I need some beauty rest...okay I need a lot of beauty rest.

Last Night Alone

Last night was the final night Jen is out of town. She returns to KC this evening. Sounds like she had a lot of fun in Orlando. I'm happy for her. Jen needed the break. I'm also sure she had fun shopping for Madison. I can only imagine all the new clothes for M.

Yesterday evening, Madison had a special treat. I combined squash, sweet potatoes and a dash of peas, whipped them together and created "candy by the spoonful". She loved it. In fact, she told me the presentation was a 10, creativity a 9 and taste was also a 9. I am the culinary master of baby food. Bath time was uneventful except that M peed on me again. She slept pretty well despite not being tired initially. All in all, not too bad of a time. I might have spoiled her by holding her a bunch over the last few nights, but she's worth it.

Day 3 and I'm still alive

Madison did even better last night. She ate almost an entire container of squash and drank 8 oz before falling asleep. Her bath went off without a hitch and she didn't even struggle getting into her pajamas. She fell asleep about 8:30 and slept till 5am. I did great except this time Sonic woke me up twice. I think he was laughing both times.

I had a 7am meeting so I had to take Madison to daycare early. I didn't pick her up till after 5 so she had a very long day. When we got home, we went for a walk with Sonic. It was still in the 60's and a great opportunity for her to look around. I also needed to stretch my legs. I'm ready for some warm weather.

Early next week I'm heading to Northern Michigan for a business trip. I'm looking forward to seeing Traverse City again and then driving north along the lakes. I know it will be cold, I'm just hoping the sun is out. I may also travel to Florida to continue discussions with a client. Michigan one day, Florida the next.... not all bad.

Day 2

Madison did much better last night. She actually struggled going to sleep and got up twice before 11pm, but after that she didn't wake up until after 6. Dana came into town and crashed here last night as well. Sonic ran to his room so that left me by myself. (hmmm.. wonder why?) I felt like I caught up on sleep, but I'm starting to fade as the evening approaches. I'm hoping for another good night by Madison.

Below is what she wore to school today. I'm sure Jen will love seeing this from Orlando. She was high energy this morning...




















Looks like things are picking up at work as well. I had a plumber come out to fix our sink and was planning on taking the day off to run some errands, but I've been basically stuck at my computer. I have a feeling I'm going to have a busy weekend catching up with all the new activity.

Day 1 and the house is still standing

Well, the 3 of us made it through the first night without too many issues. Shortly after Jen left for the airport, Madison had a blowout that required an impromptu bath. Jen is going to have a nice surprise when she comes home on Thursday. For dinner, Madison ate some sweet potatoes and squash. She was really hungry. Bath time went off without a hitch. However, Madison peed on me when I was drying her off. I think it was her way of judging my bath performance. Madison then had her final bottle for the night.

We went to bed around 8:30. Madison fell right to sleep and I went into the other room to stare a the ceiling. I think she was a little off last night as she woke at 10:30, 11:40, 2:30 and 6:30. Madison was tired but kept fighting sleep. I have a feeling she was just trying to test me or maybe she thought I was like Grandma R and would play with her during the night. Sonic only got up once and that was at 5am to go outside. He was pretty tired this morning. I think I move around too much for him in the non-King sized bed. After he came inside at 5:00, he went to sleep on the couch. He definitely gave me a dirty look when I tried calling him to the bedroom. Poor guy was happy to go into his kennel when I left home.

This morning, Madison had her 6 month check-up. But before that, we had to play from 6:30 until we left at 8:15. I wanted to nap during this time, but Madison wanted to play fetch..... and I was doing the fetching. Madison did very well at the doctor's office. She is now up to 16.1 lbs and grew over an inch and 1/2 since our last visit 4 weeks ago. Doctor was very happy with her progress. Best of all, no shots. She has to wait 3 weeks so Jen will have that pleasure instead of me. From the doctors office, we left to go to daycare/work. Madison slept the entire way. In fact, I checked in on her and was told she ate very well and took a nice long nap today. great....

Another FUN Filled Weekend

Madison got spoiled for a second weekend in a row. Grandma and Grandpa H came down for the weekend. They arrived Friday night, just before Madison's "pea" experience and bedtime routine. This was the first time to give Madison peas and she had the "baby food sour face." However, the peas must have been okay, cause she finished all of them. Unfortunately we did not video this experience, however it looked a little like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk88KAoQJk0&feature=related.Madison also started to "smack" with her lips, this is the first time I have ever seen it, maybe it was the peas. (No grandma did not share her lipstick, well atleast I hope not.)

Saturday the temperature was in the lower 30's so we ran a few errands downtown Liberty, but stayed in most of the day. Grandma and Grandpa got to spend a lot of time with Madison. It's amazing how she recognizes them and smiles. She has really been focusing on the face and grabbing for things. Grandpa H has a few smudges on his glasses as M loves to grab. Madison also showed Grandma and Grandpa how much she loves her exer-saucer.

I leave for Orlando this evening (business trip) and will be back home on Thursday evening. Therefore it will be Three's Company at the Rezac's. Dad, daughter and dog will be bonding. We just hope that dad gets enough rest.

Friday my mom has some medial procedures being performed. She'll be unable to lift for a while, so this was a great weekend for them to visit.

We had an awesome weekend and the time seemed to fly by. We hope everyone has a good weekend. You are always in our thoughts.

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Happy 1/2 Birthday to you. Happy 1/2 Birthday to you. Happy 1/2 Birthday dear Madison. Happy 1/2 Birthday to you.

Fun Filled Weekend

Darin's parents arrived Thursday evening for a weekend with us. They came down early to beat the snow storm that was heading our way. Luckily, we only had a dusting and the snow melted by the afternoon. On Friday, Darin and I had to work, so grandma and grandpa R got to enjoy some quite time before we (Madison was at school) arrived home.

On Saturday, we ran a few errands in the morning. Then, grandma and grandpa said they'd take care of Madison so Darin and I went to a movie. We decided to see, "He's Just Not That Into You." Please do not waste your time going to that movie,... not that great. However, we really did not care because we ate and shared popcorn, Barq's root beer and "quiet" time together. We also saw some teenagers make out in the front row which had us laughing.

Madison had sweet potatoes for her Valentine's Day entree. We ordered in Olive Garden and had a great evening. Saturday night, grandma and grandpa took care of Madison. She loves all of the excitement and attention, that she really did not want to go to bed, in fear that she would miss something. But she quickly became over-tired.

Sunday we got out and about, went to church and then went to Prairie Village to walk around. It was a balmy 35 degrees, so we did not stay out too long. Grandma finished a quilt for Madison, it has very colorful animals that really catch her attention. Grandpa and Darin took a "nap."

To celebrate Valentine's Day, grandma and grandpa took care of Madison while Darin and I went out to eat and to see a comedian. We ate at Capital Grill (one of our favorite places) on the Plaza. Then we went to the Uptown Theatre to see Comedian Frank Caliendo. We saw Frank about four years ago in KC. Heard he was back and we got some really awesome seats (center stage, sixth row, great view.). Frank is best know for his impersonations of John Madden, Bill Clinton and President (former) George Bush. His website is http://www.frankcaliendo.com/. Enjoy the great picture from Darin's cell-phone. We bought a few of his DVD's and can't wait to watch them. Our weekend was really awesome.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you a very special Valentine's Day!

Love, Madison

Celebrating 5 years with Cerner

Today marks Darin's 5th year anniversary with Cerner Corporation (www.cerner.com). To celebrate, associates from his compass group (new employee orientation) met and ate at Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue. For this event, spouses were welcome. So we decided we needed a babysitter. Thanks goodness for great neighbors, as our neighbors daughter helped take care of Madison while we were out.
We had a great time, shared pictures of Madison, listened to stories, told jokes and ate some great food. I'm very proud of Darin and his accomplishments that he has had with Cerner. We look forward to the 10 year anniversary.

Another gorgeous day...

We've really lucked out with the weather this weekend, so we thought we'd soak it up. This morning, we had a Infant Massage Class through Parents as Teachers- Liberty School District. There were six infants, ranging in age from two months to almost seven months. The class was an hour long and the instructor has been teaching infant massage for 10 years. She gave us some techniques for helping with stomach pains and gas. I wonder if this would work on Sonic. Being a hour class, you thought the infants would get really fussy throughout, however everyone did really well.
After the class, we went downtown Liberty to browse and do a little shopping. Then we decided to visit Prairie Village, we absolutely love the area. It has the old style brick homes, tree line streets, quaint shopping area and most importantly TCBY. This really reminds us a lot of Plymouth, MI, which we really miss. We enjoyed lunch at the Cactus Grill and then shopped at Mady and Me. Darin loves to shop for Madison. She got some new spring clothes.
When we got back home, we watched some of the Nebraska basketball game, they were playing Texas. However, as half-time approached we were not sure how the outcome would be, so we decided to go on a walk. On our way home, we ran into our neighbor who was mowing next to the community pool. He mentioned he thought the grass was a little tall, so decided to mow. We arrive home, turned on the TV and watched the last few minutes of the basketball game and Nebraska won. After a fun day, we decided we'd relax for the evening, XBOX and movies are on our list.

Is it Spring.....feels like it....

The temperature in KC was 70's and this weekend it's suppose to be in the upper 60's. Great for this time of year. We took Madison on a walk this evening, it was a little too windy, so we did not venture out too far. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to take another walk. And yes, we took Sonic with us as well. He absolutely loves it.

Changes at Work

It appears that the organization within Cerner that I was going to work for is no longer the organization I'm going to reside. Cerner has decided that a different alignment will work best to kick off this new business unit. My job basically remains the same, which is what I was really concerned about, but my reporting structure and physical location will change. I'll be working in a department I've had minimal interaction. The good news is I'll be able to extend my internal network. The bad news is I have to start over building people's trust. This change will also mean I'll move from my current office. Initial thoughts are Cerner's south campus, which is a good 40 min drive. I actually prefer a little longer drive home to unwind, but I'm not looking forward to early morning meetings if that is where I end up. Either way I think we're putting together a good team and there will be plenty to do as we launch this business.

You say potato and I say potato

We'll this is day two of sweet potatoes and Madison continues to enjoy them. We had been given Madison fruits for the past month and decided it was time to switch to some veggies. She absolutely loves sweet potatoes. We put her in her big girl chair (high chair) when it's time for supper. She gets very excited when she sees that we have a cup and spoon. The minute we sit down in front of her, she opens her mouth. Yes, mom moves a little too slow for Madison. Madison keeps her mouth wide open and ready for more sweet potatoes. Little does she know or need to know that mom really does not like sweet potatoes. I'm happy that Madison enjoys them, she can have all that she wants.

Saw my shadow

Happy Groundhog Day!

(This was one of Madison's school projects.)

Proud Da Da....

Yesterday we decided to use the video camera in hopes to capture Madison's pancake flips from her back to her stomach. As Darin was videoing, Madison was sitting up right and babbling quite a bit. We heard her say, "Da Da." Then we heard it again, so we think and we're sticking to it. We have it on video. It was absolutely amazing seeing Darin's face light up and he had such a huge smile full of delight and pleasure. Really amazing. If we can figure out how to post videos to the blog, we'll share another special moment with you. Right now Darin's soaking it all up!