A Picture Share!

Rudi liked taking a short siesta on the sofa at IKEA.

A Picture Share!

Libby and I hung out with Errin & Rudi today. We went to Mall of America and IKEA. Here is Libby in a bin of pillows.

A Picture Share!

Libby relaxing next to Grandma.

A Picture Share!

We made it to "Minnie" without a hassle. Libby slept the entire way. Errin and Rudi are picking us up at the airport.

Brother in Law of the Year

My brother-in-law Paul, married to Beth's sister Laura, gets the BROTHER-IN-LAW of the YEAR AWARD. He flew out to Rochester today and went to visit my Mom who is in the hospital recovering from a Whipple Procedure.

Libby and I fly out tomorrow afternoon to visit. It will be Libby's first plane ride. I didn't get to take my first flight until I was 15, which beats my Dad who was 21 when he took his first flight from Chicago to New York.

A Place of Honor

My parents commissioned this 8x10 portrait of themselves this summer. They had it framed and gave it to us when we were up in Michigan this September. I can only assume that each of their children was also given a framed picture. We put ours in Libby's room on her armoire, so she can look at Gam-Gam and Poppa while she is being changed or playing.

I think it would be fun for each of my siblings; Dan, Dave and Susan, to post a picture of where they placed their photo.

Libby's friend

Beth completed her Pediatric Boards today and felt like she passed, she will know for sure in January. Afterwards all the people she works with who also took the boards got together at Damon's house (a fellow fellow) for some food and fun. Isabelle is Damon's daughter who was born a day after Libby. Libby and Isabelle will be BFF.

Halloween Costume

Here is Libby doing her impression of a squealing pig. A few more pig pictures are posted here.

The End

Great News

My mom's whipple procedure went great. The surgeon was very optimistic that most all of the cancer was removed. They removed about 40% of the pancreas and a foot of the intestines, but the stomach was not touched. The also removed a lymph node that the cancer had probably moved into. The doctor said that hopefully my mom should be in the hospital for the next week to 10 days and after that will be able to go home. Then she will undergo chemo/radiation in Michigan.

My mom had to be over at the St. Marys Hospital by 5:45 a.m. for her surgery prep. It was suppose to start at around 11 a.m. , but because of some changes in the schedule, they started at 8:15 a.m. First of all they went in with a scope to make sure the cancer hadn't spread. The GREAT news is, it looks like it hasn't. So now they will continue on with the Whipple. It will probably take between 4-6 hours to complete. Please pray for my family and the surgeon and all the nurses and support staff.

Best baby ever

Libby is on such a good schedule. After her doctor appoint last week, we started letting her sleep longer at night and it has worked out great. She gets breast feed from about 8:15 to 8:45 p.m., a bath after that for about 15 mintues. Then she gets a bottle at 9:15 and is usually sleeping in her cradle by 9:45-10:00 p.m. She sleeps until about 3-3:30 a.m. and then gets up to eat and is back sleeping by 4 a.m. At 4 a.m. we put her in her own room, and that way if she cries she can cry herself to sleep. I stayed up a couple of times to listen for her and she usually only cries for about 2-3 minutes before exhausting herself. Beth then wakes her up around 7 a.m. to feed her before she heads out to work.

Since part of the reason I started this Blog was to help others "raise their kids the right way", I will now start taking questions from people and answering them in the Blog. So please send your questions to askathomedad@yahoo.com. I will do my best to answer all of them in a timely manner.

Smiling Baby

I know this post will anger my brother Dave, who apparently hates Libby, but here are some cute pictures of Libby that Beth took.

I'm Sorry

I just want to apoligize to everyone and let them know that this will be my last blog posting. According to my brother Dave, I am boring everyone, here is his comment:

"It's official. Dan's blog is more interesting and humerous than Jon's. It looks like Jon's trying some of Dan's old tricks - like posting old pictures of stuff. Next we'll see meaningless random quotes of stuff. Could you please get a hobby or something? No more recipes, no more doctors office visits and no more naked pictures of your daughter. That's weird. "

I apoligize if I love my daughter and thought everyone wanted to know more about and see pictures of her since we live across the country and my family won't be able to see her grow up.

I guess I could turn this into a hate blog and make fun of the mentally challenged like Dave does.

Even more Awkward

Not even sure what to say about this picture of my sister Susan. So feel free to post your own captions in the comment section.

Awkward...

Yesterday at the doctor's office, the pediatrician and I were talking about Libby's eating and sleeping habits. When I mentioned that Beth sometimes had to wake Libby up in the middle of the night to breastfeed because of her engorged breasts, she started talking about what Beth could do to relieve the pressure. She kept saying "your breasts" and then quickly correcting herself saying "your wife's breasts" or "mom's breasts". For example she said "You can massage your areola and catch the flow into a cup". Now I am sure she dosen't get alot of stay-at-home-dad's in the office, but it was still a little awkward for both of us.

On that note, I found a couple of very intersting website about men breastfeeding. This one asks the question: Can men breastfeed? ( I think the answer is no)

Bathing Beauties

The first picture is of Beth when she was a fat baby, below is Libby. I guess we now know who Libby looks like.

eBay Savvy

We bought a duvet cover from Pottery Barn Outlet about 2 months ago for $80. After living with it for a while Beth decided she didn't really like it and found a new one she liked more. Yesterday the old one sold on eBay for $40. Now I have to paint the bedroom to match the new duvet cover.

2 Month Appointment

This morning Libby went in for her 2 month appointment with Dr. Geiger. She was very pleased with Libby's growth and progress, but wanted her to start sleeping longer at night. Even if that means letting her cry herself back to sleep. Libby should be able to sleep at least 5 hours straight. This will be much easier for me to do then Beth as I can sleep through anything. Libby now weighs 9 lbs 4 oz and is in the 12th percentile for weight. She is 22 inches long and that puts her in the 25th percentile for height. Libby cried like a stuck monkey after each of her 3 shots, but then promptly fell asleep for the car ride home, and is still asleep.

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Since I got such great feedback from my smoothie recipe, I have decided that once a week or so I will post a new recipe. This one I got off of foodtv. It was on Paula Dean's show. My brother Dave called me yesterday and he and his "friend" Will went to see Paula Dean's new movie Elizabethtown. You won't meet two bigger Paula Dean fans anywhere. He said the parts that take place in the restaurant were really funny, although a little crude. I didn't realize that Dane Cook was also in the movie.



4 chicken breast halves, or 2 cups leftover cooked chicken
Seasoned salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/3 cup butter 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken base
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 small yellow onion, minced
1 cup frozen green peas, cooked
1 cup chopped cooked carrots
Pinch fresh grated nutmeg, optional

Season chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through. Remove from heat and cut into chunks. Alternatively, you may use precooked chicken.
In a large saucepan, melt butter and then slowly add flour, stirring until consistency of peanut butter, but not brown like a roux. Slowly add cream and keep stirring. Add chicken base, garlic, and onion and stir until thickened. Add peas, carrots, nutmeg, if using, and cut up chicken. Remove from heat. Any remaining pie filling may be frozen.

*I used 1 pint of heavy cream and 1 pint of milk
** I also added a can of corn
*** I served this over homemade biscuits

Sleeping Beauty

Today was the first time that Libby slept in her cradle during a nap. Usually she would sleep in her car seat that we put in the craddle. Interesting fact: Everyone of my siblings and everyone one of my neices and nephews (except Elise) have used the cradle.