Calvin's First Fire!

Exciting night for us last night! We went to bed at a reasonable time with minimal fuss (10:30ish?), and Calvin slept like a champ, only waking up hungry around 3am. At that point Lisa took care of him, then went downstairs because she couldn’t fall back asleep right away. As she came back upstairs around 3:30am, she asked me if it smelled anything funny. I took a big sniff, agreed with her and promptly fell back asleep….

She woke me up 10 seconds later after investigating a little bit more and looking out our window to find monster flames reflecting off of our neighbor’s windows closer to the end of our complex (20 feet away). We quickly burst into action, me grabbing Calvin, an infant onesie that hasn’t fit him in 6 weeks (I was in a rush!) and a pair of shorts; Lis running outside to check everything out quickly, calling 911, alerting a neighbor and then coming in the house almost relaxed like we were good to go now. She quickly rebounded, realized we were still in an emergency situation and remembered to grab the car seat and the diaper bag that I had overlooked.

As we left the house, both dogs started barking from the smoke and the lights from the fire, and I realized that this was the situation that Bessie had been waiting for her whole life! Bark Bessie! Bark! You bark for 10 minutes when a neighbor brings out their trash can! You almost rip down the door when a package gets delivered by the mail man – THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE! ….

10 seconds of barking and then they were dead quiet…. (to say I was disappointed would be a severe understatement)

So I took it upon myself to run up and knock on some neighbors doors to alert them, and somehow Darby got off the leash. I looked back quickly to her being in complete bewilderment – trying to decide if she should run home, run away or what. Then she saw Lis getting the car ready and ran to her – smart dog.

By now Lisa, Calvin and the dogs were in the car ready to peace out, all the neighbors had been alerted and emergency services were rushing in. We tried to pull out of the driveway, but were not able to go anywhere due to the 3 fire engines blocking our path, so just pulled to a safe spot on the road and let the car running so that Calvin wouldn’t have to directly breathe in what would turn out to be a mixture of plastic/feces smoke.

I don’t want to go on for too long here, so basically what happened next was extended chaos, with all our neighbors just watching and saying hello to each other for the first time. Turns out that the port-o-potty in the back alley (we have had workers in our complex for 2 weeks) was lit on fire, and the end unit nearest to it also had a big whole burned through it.

We ended up with 3-4 fire trucks, 2-3 EMT’s and another handful of cop cars outside of our place, all with sirens flashing. Calvin LOVED it – SO many bright colors.

About an hour in they said we could head back in. It was almost 5am by this time, so Lis and I were up for good. We realized that we had gotten pretty lucky and that we were glad Calvin was hungry when he was and that Lis couldn’t go back to bed. Not sure what I did to help the team, but everyone in the complex was primarily ok, and only some property damage to the end unit.

Exciting night that I hope never happens again!

PS - Another thought I had later on was what if we had not woken up in time. And I don’t mean that as in if any of us had gotten hurt, because that is just depressing. I mean, what would I have done if the flames were leaping up the stairs to our house (only way out) when we realized what was happening. I’ve come to two conclusions – 1, wrap calvin in a wet towel, toss Lisa on my back and I would barrel through the fire with no regard for my own safety, or 2) strap Calvin onto my chest, jump out the guest room window, use the porch ceiling for quick support as I barrel rolled off. I would then land quickly on the 1st floor porch before leaping with a quick roll onto the ground on our basement level – protecting Calvin the whole way obviously. Then talking Lisa through the whole stunt-team-esque maneuver. Pretty awesome all the way around, although I'm not sure why I immeadiately started daydreaming even crazier scenarios...

2 Months Old!

So Calvin is officially 8 week/2 months old! Even though I've spent every waking moment with him, time has still flown by! It's really crazy to look back on the videos we took in the hospital and compare them with what I have currently in my lap.  We have our 2 month check up this Friday and we are all anxiously awaiting to hear about his weight gain.  I definitely can tell that he has been gaining weight steadily by the size of my biceps.  Since learning how to nurse standing up so I can continue to rock him, my arms support him nicely like a frame.  Holding him is a workout!

We had a fabulous Saturday and started the day with a trip to the Green Market at Piedmont.  We got our delicious iced coffee, pastries and relaxed listening to the live music.  We left before it started getting too nuclear hot and received a call from Alice and Adam asking if we wanted to grab lunch.  Sure! We met up with them for a nice lunch and catch up.  Afterwards, we received a call from our friends Whitney and Dan inviting us to an underground food market for dinner.  What's an "underground food market" you say?  That was my question!  Apparently you have to be on this somewhat secretive list and you receive directions the day before the event to the secret location.  A bunch of local vendors show up and you get to dine on their best food for $1-4/plate.  Vendors featured stuffed mushrooms, traditional African dishes, and TONS of delicious desserts.  Since we were on Calvin time, we showed up after most of the dinner dishes had been consumed so our dinner consisted of fried dough and crepes -- yum!

There was a cafe that was open in the back and we ended up headed there.  It turned out to be a very unusual spot -- some might even call it a speakeasy... and that's all I'll say about that.

Calvin went to his first "cafe" and slept the entire time.  It was a very artistic place and somewhere you would see models posing against red brick mill walls.  It was definitely a place where one goes to be inspired.

Afterwards, Jon and I headed home to eat a real dinner and relax.  All day long, Calvin was a good boy and was laid back in many different environments including Barnes and Noble and our local mexican restaurant.

Happy 2 months to my baby boy!

Glamor shots by Mom!

With some "free" time on my hands, I decided to have a photo shoot with Calvin.  We used a super soft blanket that was a gift from his Auntie Sam and had some fun!  These pictures were taken on June 21, 2011 (7 weeks, 3 days old). He was all smiles and wiggles!

Quick letter to Calvin

Sweet boy,
Most of my day is spent cuddling you on our couch, kissing your perfect chubby cheeks and listening to your slow breathing.  You have this triple sigh that I just love.  In, in, in, out.  I first heard that sigh when I nursed you right after you were born.  You have had my heart ever since.

You have changed a lot in the past few days. Before, any time I tried to put you down, you would squirm, squeal and then scream to be held again.  Now, I put you down and you smile, kick your legs and look around at the world.  It's amazing to watch you respond to new sights and sounds whenever we change rooms.  Watching you engage with your toys, reflection and examine the light coming through the curtains never fails to amaze me.  We spend hours together that pass as if they were minutes.  I wish I could keep this time in the freezer so that I can bring it back later.

You are the sweetest boy and at this moment, a few days shy of 2 months of age, you are perfect.

Love, love, cheek kisses,
Mommy

Ahh -- the grandkids all meet!

We were so glad that Donny, Jill and the girls were able to swing by the house in RI for a quick visit with their new cousin for a little bit.  Calvin won't remember first meeting his cousins but we took enough pictures to share with him later!  Megan was slightly more interested in Calvin than Leah was but that's the nature of toddler-hood.  Someday he'll be more fun to play with but for now, he makes for a cute conversation piece.

Grammy and all of her children/grandchildren in one place

All of the Ferland men (except Uncle Gene, Pete and Grant)

Anna and Jeff's Wedding

Jon's cousin's wedding in Newport RI marks our first official "grown up" date/formal event since I got pregnant last July.  Suffice it to say, I wanted to look nice but had to find a dress that would cover my ugly nursing bra straps.  I also brought 2 back up dresses in case Calvin decided to spit up on my good one.  My mom was nice enough to make the trip to Newport with us to provide baby sitting services at the hotel where the wedding was being held.  Fortunately, everything was on site so I wasn't ever farther away than a walk down the hallway.  The plan was for my mom to text me as soon as he would get fussy and I would rush out to nurse him.  He hadn't yet taken a bottle so this was our best plan.

The wedding was beautiful and the ceremony was conducted by Jeff's father.  I always love it when someone close to the couple marries them.  It makes everything a little sweeter and more personal.  I check my phone -- no text.  We decide to do some preventative maintenance (or "PM" as Dave would say) and nurse Calvin during the cocktail hour.  He was doing great and mom seemed to be having fun.  OK, we're good to go.  We head back and hang out a little during the cocktail hour and make our way to the table.  The bridal party is announced and we all welcome Anna and Jeff as the newly married couple.  Their first dance is simple and sweet and they look so in love.  I get a text about an hour later and head to the room -- quick nurse and I'm back.  We eat dinner, listen to the toasts and the dance floor gets moving.. I head out to nurse Calvin a few more times and miss the father of the bride's toast, cutting the cake and tossing of the bouquet.  Fortunately Jon's caught some of this on our camera but I'm feeling sad to be half in-half out of the event.  It's tough to focus on the wedding events when I keep leaving but it was still easier than having him in my lap or not going to the wedding at all.

In the end, it worked out great and we were able to enjoy ourselves, take care of Calvin, and be there for his cousin's most important day.  At midnight, we get Calvin and my mom looks exhausted, we crashed in our hotel room and Calvin slept soundly.

Plane trip to RI/NY

So we knew that when we booked the tickets and checked the box for "infant in arms" that we were taking a big chance.  Nobody knows how their baby will do with the air pressure changes, tight environment, recycled air, strangers, airport security, whatever.  The airport and traveling by plane is fast but definitely not convenient.  I suppose its more convenient than driving which wasn't an option for Jon's cousin's June wedding in RI.  We planned on extending the weekend to Wednesday so that Calvin could make the rounds in RI for his family and NY for my family.  We were officially embarking on a "Tour de Calvin."

We read 2 books on traveling with children and I think that it really helped us get our priorities in line.  I pride myself on being efficient in the security line because I hate waiting behind those people who move too slowly and fumble with their things.  Take your shoes off and walk!  It's really not that hard to do, you just need to plan ahead a little and THINK.  Most people have checked out by the time they make it to the airport so slow movers are a pet peeve of mine.

I took Calvin to the airport in his carseat and snapngo via MARTA.  This was quite easy and the only baggage I had was his diaper bag.  We brought 2 large "gate check" bags for his car seat and snapngo stroller so that we could put him in that and wheel around the airport.  The car seat was a must and who wants to lug a car seat by hand anyway?  The bags were really to protect them from getting dirty but both made it through the process dent-free.

Jon had one large suitcase and one smaller bag with extra diapers and clothes for Calvin.  Looking back on it, I packed every 3-6 mth onesie he has which was definitely overkill.  The weather was supposed to be in the high 90s but ended up being in the 50s-60s so we didn't need as many as I had planned for.  Calvin gets hot and sweaty in Atlanta so I knew bringing extras was the safe way to go.  Fortunately he stayed swadled up for a lot of the trip to keep him warm as we don't have that many colder-weather clothes.

Ok, back to the airport.  We checked the large suitcase and Calvin's small bag.  Jon had his laptop case, I had the car seat, snapngo, diaper bag and Calvin.  The security line went like this: we kept Calvin in his carseat as long as possible.  We loaded up the bins and lined up all of our stuff so that the car seat and stroller would go in first.  I took Calvin out at the last minute, Jon folded everything and pushed it through while I walked through the metal detector with baby in arms.  On the other side, a TSA agent helped get the stroller unfolded and put the car seat in.  I put Calvin in his seat and helped grab Jon's stuff as it came through.  Doing this without Jon would've been infinitely harder and I was glad for the help.

We were relegated to taking the slow elevators everywhere once we were in the airport, which was a PAIN.  The elevators are small and people who don't belong in them (without strollers or wheelchairs) were jumping the line and getting in front of us.  It was annoying to say the least.  As our gate check bags had straps, we should've just carried them and taken the escalator.  I had my moby wrap and Calvin was all snugged against my chest.  It would've been slightly awkward but would've saved time and some frustration.

At the gate, Calvin needed to eat and let everyone in a 5 mi radius know.  I whipped out my bebe au lait (nursing cover) and nursed him at the gate.  A woman behind me kept asking me questions and inquiring about Calvin.  Nice lady and all but give me a minute please.  We did a pre-boarding diaper change, some more nursing and we were good to go.  We gate checked our car seat and stroller and kept Calvin in the moby wrap.  We were set all flight long and I discovered that the nursing cover worked well even when he wasn't nursing.  Calvin liked the darkness and comfort it provided and he was asleep/quiet for the 2 hour flight.  Our parents installed car seat bases in their cars so getting in and out of the car was a snap.

Overall, the flight was very positive and we had a similar experience in Albany when we were headed back.  TSA agents seemed helpful when they see a baby coming through and fellow passengers that initially had a look of fear when we boarded the plane, left the plane with smiles saying, "what a great baby!"  Mission accomplished (plus a little luck!)

Family weekend madness!

My cousin graduated from college (yay!) and was having a pinning ceremony for her degree.  Unfortunately, Jon had to work and we were unable to make the ceremony but we did make it for the weekend of family fun.  Since Jon was working all day Friday, I made the bold choice to take Calvin in the car on my own for a 4 hour drive.  Well, the drive is normally 4 hours -- with Calvin, it took a little bit longer.

The drive down was planned around his "nap" time -- usually its an elusive and moving target but generally he calms down between 11am-2pm each day.  The plan was for me to head down and try to make it to Statesboro within that window.  We almost made it!  He was timing his freakouts nicely whenever I had 1 mile until the nearest exit.  I was able to pull over, nurse, gas the car, burp Calvin, change his diaper and hit the road all within 30 minutes.  I knew I only had another 1.5 hours until the next Calvin pit-stop so I tried to keep things moving.  Again, he timed his next stop nicely and we had a drama-free pit stop.  After another 2 hours of driving, we were 15 miles from my Uncle's house.  Come on Calvin! We can make it 15 miles.  I knew that if we stopped, it would be another 30 minutes or I could keep driving and he could be out of the car for good in 30 minutes.  I did the tough thing and drove through his cries. We ended up at the house and we were both happy to have him out of his carseat.  We walked into a house full of family anxious to meet him and he was anxious to eat, poop comfortably and enjoy the love!

It was great to see everyone -- especially Nana and Boomps since who knows when we'll be able to make the 9 hour drive to their house.  I want people to meet Calvin as a baby since he'll be grown soon enough!  Of course, everyone loved him and we even got a few genuine smiles from him that weren't related to gas.  It was nice to have some relaxing time in the pool while Calvin got star treatment from my Aunt and cousins.  It's nice to have family love him as much as we do.  He gets cuter everyday!

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Every year, Jon manages to surprise me in some nice way with an event for my birthday.  In years' past, he has rented me a VIP area in a dance club, taken me to Disney World, and last year we spent it with family up North.  This year, we jumped in a car and headed to the north GA mountains for a nice relaxing weekend on a river.  The cabin was extremely spacious and was about 20 degrees cooler than in the city.  We were thankful for cooler air and a nice porch for kayaker-watching.  The dogs loved being able to explore around but after a near runaway incident with Darby, we blocked off all porch exits to the nearby woods from then on.

The majority of the weekend was spent completely relaxing by the river, in the huge king sized bed upstairs or on the upstairs porch reading our books or just Calvin-gazing.  All in all, it was a perfect weekend complete with mint chocolate chip Klondike bars (yum yum) and fudge chocolate cake (yum yum yum!)