Team Tepley

An Ode to Our First Home

2010-09-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

I was hot and tired and little loopy from a long day’s work moving. I guess “the break” to go make another donation run to Savers and grab some lunch was long enough to take me away from the moment. As I turned the key and opened the front door, my mind on auto-pilot was expecting my usual greeting.

There would be Chloe rushing to the doorway’s edge, wagging her nump and running into me with excitement. Miles would be running around the circle – the 15 foot circumference that went through the living room, kitchen, dining room and entry way – yelling gibberish at Chloe. Mana would be in the kitchen in the midst of cooking dinner. It always smelled amazing and it was always all within my view from the entry way.

It was utter chaos and it was beautiful. But instead, this home once bursting at the seams with life and love greeted me with complete emptiness, minus a couple leftover boxes of stuff.

Reality of the fact this commonplace scene will never be lived again finally hit me and I immediately broke down.

As I lifted my arm to wipe away tears, I was brought back with the realization I was still holding my lunch; quesadillas from the Taco Taxi, and I was damn hungry. Shock gave way to a more urgent human need.

I had been meaning to eat at this restaurant for at least two years, but, for one reason or another, never stopped by. Now, I stood devouring some of the best Mexican food I’ve eaten in at least two years cursing myself for not enjoying more of the foods up and down Lake Street when I had the chance.

After lunch, I made another tour of the house to take stock of what yet needed to be done. But, all that was really left was just more surreal reality. Even the gunk in the bathroom sink suddenly went from gross to touching remnants of a life now past.

It’s not that I wasn’t excited to get out of a house that was no longer fit for our growing family, but permanent goodbyes are hard.

I grabbed what was left and headed out to what is home for now: my father-in-law’s house in Minnetonka.

When I got there, I was greeted by Chloe running recklessly toward the car. After she finally let me open the car door, I made my way to the house as she circled my legs. I opened the door to find Miles running through the entry way, yelling gibberish at all the dogs.. Mana was in the kitchen making dinner. It smelled amazing.

My heavy heart lifted immediately.

Later that evening as we were pulling away from the final family tour of the old place, Miles said it best, “bye, bye house.”

Weady. GO!

2010-07-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

Nine, 10!

2010-07-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

While visiting last Sunday, Grandpa Mike and I took a stir-crazy Miles out for a walk around the cul-de-sac. It’s become a frequent trip lately. Honestly, it’s less of a walk and more of an exploration for Miles. Most trips find him stopping, squatting and yelling, “whoa,” down every gutter and pointing out every flower. We really don’t get very far.

Sometimes successfully, but usually not, I’ve been trying to get Miles to hold my hand when we’re walking places like a restaurant, or a store, or down the middle of the street. This walk was no exception. My efforts were met with an immediate tantrum and screaming.

Then, Grandpa Mike quickly grabbed his other hand and starting counting, “one, two, three!" And, we lifted Miles up in a swinging motion to his laughter. Crisis averted. Whew.

But wait, there’s more. After a few rounds of this, to our surprise, Miles started to count along. We’d start with, “one,” and he’d finish with, “two, free (three)!”

This proud Da-Da was beaming. But I’d soon find out, that was nothing.

When I got home from work on Monday, an excited Ma-Na reported that Miles can count to 10. She explained that as she was preparing dinner, she was counting to 10 and encouraging Miles to join. During one round as she got to eight, Miles quickly finished with, “nine, 10!”

This went on in a back-in-forth of Ma-Na starting with, “one,” and Miles chiming in with, “two,” all the way up to ten.

Since then, “counting” has become one of Miles new favorite things. Lately, six is coming after one, but we’re working on it.

Our good morning...

2010-04-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

As usual, it started with a tiny whimper. From there it grew into what sounded like the dozy, nonsensical blathering of an infant. This was followed by, “row, row, bot. Row, row, bot.”

The statement is just one shining example of how much Miles has evolved in the past few weeks. “Row Your Boat,” is currently his favorite song, with many others as a close number two. As of recently (past couple weeks or so...) he can now request it verbally. And, for better or worse, this request is almost always met on demand. File under: too cute to turn down.

Unfortunately, this request was being made at 4:00 a.m. Sorry bud, even cute has its limitations.

His request was followed by more chatter, which, as it tends to, grew into louder chatter and eventually full blown wailing. Shit.

My quick snooze dream he had fallen back asleep was shattered. He was awake. And now, so was I.

It doesn’t help that he’s currently sleeping in the same room as us. With our house on the market, rooms need to be staged in a matter of minutes and it just makes sense for him to be in our room. Adding to this, life’s been crazy lately and it seems the changes and variances from day-to-day are even catching up with Miles. He’s been waking up (way too) early a lot these days.

I crawled out of bed, stumbled over Chloe and made my way to his crib. As I picked up Mr. Bright Eyes, he was already engaging in his current favorite pastime – pointing at things and saying what sounds like, “what this?”

“It’s your crib, Miles,” I said.

“Wha’,” he said as he pointed at it again.

“Crib.”

“What this?”

“Window.”

“What this?”

“Door.”

“Wha’?”

“Door,” I repeat, as I often have to over, and over and…

I carried him downstairs and we went through our routine, which involves filling a bottle, and lately, giving him a shot of medicine, usually in the dark while holding him. Some attempts are better than others. Mostly at this stage, I’m on automatic pilot.

We sat downstairs so ‘Ma-Na’ could get some more sleep.

I flipped on the tube and zoned out to some infomercial with Miles resting between my legs, enjoying his ‘Ba-Ba.’

Finished, he tossed it to the side without care. Always makes me think of Dennis Leary’s fantasy of arrogantly tossing styrofoam cheeseburger containers out his car window….

As I sat there half-awake, tired, grumpy and a bit overwhelmed by my day ahead, Miles turned to me and said, “row, row, bot.”

I sang, we mimicked rowing and he ‘screamed’ on cue during the crocodile verse. He even put his hands to his cheeks right on time. I finished to his roaring applause. It's confirmed, Miles is the best, completely unpredictable, alarm clock ever.

One small step for...

2010-02-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

Text message from Miss Amy at Artisticrats:

"So Miles just spent the last 15 minutes walking around the room w/out holding my hand"

So, that happened..

2010-02-10T04:03:00.000-08:00

It’s February 2010, and this only our second post since 2009. And that post was well before Christmas.

Its times like these I’m glad I don’t have to answer to a higher blog authority, especially if the authority was Mrs. Leidman, my 8^th grade English teacher. She may have only been five-feet tall and 120 pounds, but she was tough and feisty. If she was in charge, I’d now be typing blog updates every day after school until well into 2011, and just happy to be alive.

But I digress, much like I blog.

Since our last post in 2009 a few things have happened. Let’s begin with Christmas and start with the annual Riddle caroling party.

For all intents and purposes it was Miles’ first appearance at this long-standing tradition. Last year at this time he was only a couple months old and spent the evening sleeping or snuggling on his Mana. This year he stayed up well past his bedtime enjoying Grandpa Mike’s guitar playing, the Christmas lights and the chorus of voices that, as a whole, are always more joyful than in-tune. I accept my part for both adding joy and subtracting tune.

For a better part of the night the party was minus Sarah and Jeremy. They were busy preparing for a little trip that would take them half way around the world to be with their kids and add to their, and our, family.

That leads me to Christmas Eve. The first time we hosted a Christmas gathering.

As it turned out, it was the first time ever we weren’t expected to be anywhere on Christmas Eve. A first, and unique enough that we were happy to be where we were.

With an open docket, we decided to do church and dinner with Sarah and Jeremy, joining them for the First Universalist Christmas Eve children’s service. Although the journey only took us to Uptown, a few miles from home, it was still an adventure. It was snowing and raining (seriously, raining in Minnesota on Christmas Eve?) as generously as the season is holly. It was a short, traditional service that featured a number of performances from children’s choir. After each reading and song Miles felt the need to either applaud or respond loudly verbally. We laughed in the comfort of all the other parents attempting to “wrangle” their wee ones doing the same thing. Whew. Actually, it seemed the few of us who made it were just happy to be in each other’s company on such a winter’s day…

Service was followed by dinner at our house. We chose a traditional meal: Carnita Tacos. It was a memorable dinner for many reasons. The gathering ended early as both couples still had lots to do. Us with Christmas, them with Christmas and that little trip…

Christmas Eve…. full of last minute to-dos… Katy was busy getting everything that needed to get done, done; I was busy trying to stay awake and baking goods in the spare time. Eventually, the night wrapped up with both of us passing out in the living room.

This led to Christmas morning. It marked our first Christmas morning at our house with our first baby boy. Obviously, this was more significant to Katy and I than Miles (marked by me tearing up as I wrote this), but he had a great time too. Gifts were unwrapped and good times were had. He was more interested in the wrapping and bows than the gifts… we should hope to only be so lucky for the years to come…

This was followed by Christmas Day at Grandma Becky’s and Grandpa Mike’s then onto Great Grandma’s for a full family celebration and dinner. On all accounts, it was a wonderful Christmas full of unwrapping gifts for Miles, who continued to show that sometimes the best gift is the wrapping and the box it comes in.. Had it been a few degrees cooler, it may never have happened this way as it continued to rain all day. The oddest Christmas weather we can ever remember.

Christmas with my family got a bit disjointed. The weather led to undesirable traveling conditions, so we had Christmas in mid-January at my sister’s house in Brainerd. Actually, it was kind of nice to extend the holiday.

Miles had a great time with his older cousin, James. They both got sleds from Grandma and Grandpa Tepley and Miles enjoyed his first sledding outing.

What seemed to be a never-ending trip eventually came to a fantastic finish. Sarah and Jeremy returned from Ethiopia with their children Hirut, Helen, and Binyam at the end of January. Since we spent the better part of January waiting with baited breath for updates on their travels and adoption process, to finally have the family home was a true splendor.

All in all, we’re all happy and making our way through another Minnesota winter. Here’s to more consistent, less weighty blog updates. Pictures and video to come. Hopefully yet this year…

Cheers,

The Tepleys.

Like a Date

2010-02-02T03:09:00.000-08:00

“Oh, it’s like a date,” Katy said after the attendant told us it would be about a half-hour wait.

Surprised by the thought, I gave her a puzzled look. After all, it was Sunday afternoon and we were at Bobby & Steve’s getting a slow-leaking tire fixed. On the surface, nothing at all like a date really.

“They have coffee, and a café; and look, they’re showing a movie,” she continued in defense of her statement. “Or, we could actually just sit and talk.”

As luck would have it, a malfunctioning tire was pointed out by my parents who were following us on the freeway earlier in the day. Our original plan to meet for breakfast turned into more of an adventure after Katy offered to take my mom to Kitchen Window to look for a lefse roller she’d been searching for.

After breakfast at Emma’s (Miles recommends the blueberry pancakes, of course) we caravanned up 169, planning to meet back our house. The peaceful drive was quickly interrupted when I noticed my folks blazing up to us in the left lane.

With a look of concern, my mom yelled, “pull over!” Never good. Indeed, one of our back tires was nearly flat.

Thankfully, we were able to drive to a service station just up the road. After some commotion that involved the discovery of a nearly worthless car jack and a screaming baby, the tire seemed to be holding air okay, so we decided to get back home to take care of the problem.

When we got home, Grandma and Grandpa were more than happy to look after Miles, giving Katy and me some freedom to take care of the car.

So there we were at Bobby & Steve’s, alone for the first time in long time, on like a date.

p.s. - BIG thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Tepley for all the help and for what turned out to be a great day.

Winter is here! Now what do we do?

2009-12-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

"What's on the docket today, Ma-Na?"

I've been seeking out indoor activities for Miles and I on the winter days we have together. A couple months ago, a friend (with a daughter just a few weeks younger than Miles) suggested the Butterfly Tent inside the amusement park at the MOA. With a heavy sigh (by me), Miles and I packed up and headed to the biggest mall (is that still true?) in the USA for some indoor fun.

Surprisingly, it was not so terrible on a Monday afternoon and the butterfly tent was spectacular. Plenty of room to crawl around (for Miles), many colorful butterflies to chase, and other kids to watch.

In fact, it was so much fun that we returned this past Monday - and we brought friends.

Miles chasing butterflies

Can't talk, crawling...

"Whoa!"

Miles' friend T with butterfly.

Clearly I hadn't watched the local news in the last couple days because I wasn't aware that the meeting place we had chosen was the exact location of Sarah Palin's book signing. Although crowded and chaotic, I have to admit the people watching was second to none. Big cheers were heard when Sarah's husband and finally, Sarah made an appearance. As we walked though the amusement park, the line snaked all the way around with people clutching their newly purchased copies of "Going Rouge" (along with a receipt proving purchase at the mall that very day, which was required to meet the "real American" author).

Unfortunately*, we missed the attempted assault with a tomato... From the great distance we were required to keep without recently purchased book in hand and a VERY, VERY long wait in line, the best photo I was able to pull off is this fuzzy one below...

After visiting the butterflies, we made our way to Legoland, where Miles and friend built a couple of impressive structures.

Sleepy guy near the end of an action-packed day...

All in all, a successful trip. My search continues for more fun activities for an (almost) toddler in the winter in MN. Suggestions are welcome.

Ma-Na

*We do not wish harm on anyone, but I imagine it would have been quite a scene to witness...

For the love of peas...

2009-11-22T06:34:00.000-08:00

Miles likes peas. Excuse me, Miles loves peas. Any doubt was officially put to rest at 5:50 p.m., Saturday, November 21, 2009.

While waiting for his dinner, I grabbed a frozen pea out of the bowl of goods waiting to be heated up and handed it to him to see what he'd do with it.

Without even minor hesitation he promptly put it in his mouth. I anxiously awaited to see his surprise, or even disgust; but instead he eagerly chomped it down and ate it. Then, he immediately turned to me and said, "mar!"

He ate 10 frozen peas before dinner. I'm convinced, he's not a baby boy. He's a pea monster.

Overheard on a Saturday morning...

2009-11-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

I'm in the living room, enjoying my last couple of moments of peace.

Miles is hanging with Ma-Ma in the bedroom.

The usual morning interaction is taking place and I mostly just hear random, sporadic gibberish; until Ma-Ma says, "Miles, what can you say? Can you say Da-Da?"

Miles responds, "Da-d.."

"Can you say 'more'?"

"Mar"

"Can you say 'clock'?" (the kid is fascinated with the alarm clock and most things with red lights)

"Clook"

"Good job. Can you say Ba-Ba?*" (*bottle in the Team Tepley language)

"Baa..ahba"

"Very good. How 'bout Ma-Ma"

"Maa. Ha.."

"Can you say 'Chloe'?"

"Aaaaaaggghhhh!"

Guess I can't argue with the logic, Chloe is pretty crazy.

She may never leave us alone again

2009-11-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Katy spent most of her time working at a trade show, which meant I spent most of the weekend as the solo provider of parental support and guidance for Miles.

I'm happy to report we made it through the weekend with Miles' health and well-being still intact.

When I got home from work the following Monday, I asked Katy how the day went, to which she responded, "fine.. did you scream a lot in the car over the weekend?"

I could tell there was a motive here, but what?... "You mean like, yell at other drivers?"

"No; like scream, scream."

Hmm.. my quick jog through my poor excuse for short-term memory turned up no recollection of random screaming in the car... "No, why?"

"Miles did a lot of random screaming everytime we were in the car. I thought maybe you guys were playing a game."

Right at that moment, as if on cue, Miles looked up from his Cheerios and blurted, "baah! ya! ya! ya!," in a loud sort of happy scream.

And, without even thinking I responded with, "blah! blah! blaaaah!"

"Aaaaagghhhh!"

"Blaaaaahhhhh!"

"Eeeeeeeee haa!"

What can I say, it's a groovy kind of love.

Coffee and a Song

2009-11-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

I know we haven't been as diligent at updating the blog as we should be. It's sometimes hard after our full days to sit down and write... even if it is just to recount the day. Today, though, I wanted to reflect.

This morning, I had coffee with a new friend. It was so wonderful to sit down with another mother, with a child, right around Miles age, talking about our lives. I didn't realize how much I missed that. I think a lot of new parents feel like I do. Like we have to re-establish who we are - re-invent ourselves to "fit" into our new roles as parents. We adjust, but often, I think that we neglect the experiences that shape us as individuals, not recognizing or nurturing the reality that we all play many roles (parent, spouse, professional, child, sibling, etc...)

It was amazing to me how my coffee partner and I followed similar paths in some ways and made very different choices in others. It's always a gift when someone shares their life stories with you - it made me realize how much of an impact that we all make on each other. Whether it is our friends or family, or a brief exchange with strangers, every interaction that we have the potential to make a difference in a person's life.

After coffee, I thought a lot about the effect of our choices when it comes to our kids - what an incredible responsibility it is to raise these little humans through childhood and into adulthood. Parents are so powerful, but I think that most of us are really quite uncertain, second guessing ourselves and worrying about little things (or everything).

At one point in our conversation, I admitted that I really didn't see the "grey" in life before Miles. Black, white, right and wrong always seemed obvious to me. But now, everything is "grey" different shades, mind you, but still grey.

This evening, when I picked Miles up from daycare, I looked at him and realized that he had grown... it seemed, since the morning (I had been suspecting that he was having a growth spurt - and this was my confirmation, he is getting so big, so fast!).

His teacher, Miss Amy shared the activities of the day, a picture that Miles had colored and the songs they sung in circle time. All of the sudden, Miles made a request "row, row row..." (They had sung Row, Row, Row your Boat" and he had taken a liking to the song.) Honoring his request, we sang it for him to his smile and when we finished he clapped.

After we got home - while dining on enchiladas, and through bed time, Miles repeated his request, "row, row, row..." his Da-da and I gladly performed (in a round, no less..)

It is so awesome to watch him grow and learn, to see the impact that we all have on his life and the awesome little person that is emerging.

Thank you Grandmas and Grandpas, Great-Grandmas and Great-Grandpa, Aunties and Uncles, new friends and old friends, Miss Amy and Miss Dee (and all of the teachers at Artisticrats) and especially, my dear, dear husband the most INCREDIBLE Da-da, for being a part of shaping who our little guy is and who I am too.

- Ma-na

MILES ART GALLERY SUMMER/FALL 2009

Just a little sample of his artistic point of view...

Finger Paint on White Construction Paper

"The Flower" - by Miles

"Letters"

Three Cheers

2009-10-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

We just found out that Sarah and Jeremy passed court.

Congratulations!

We're looking forward to meeting Hirut, Helen, and Binyam in person soon!

Read all about their journey here: http://13monthsofsunshineinmn.blogspot.com

Happy Halloween from Miles!

2009-10-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Say, what a revolution...

2009-10-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

We recently celebrated Miles’ first birthday. The party was held on Saturday, October 10. One day before his first full revolution around the sun was complete.

One year ago, he was our revolution. Since then, we’ve had the privilege of witnessing all the revolutions he’s made through one year of life. Incredible and indescribable. Here and gone in an instant with another more advanced to take its place.

He’s gone from a squishy little guy who could hardly move to a busy boy who loves to crawl around the house in "hot pursuit" of Chloe. From making nothing but occasional gurgling noises to chanting “Da-Da! Da-Da! Da-Da!,” as I leave for work in the morning and return in the evening (the greatest goodbye and greeting, ever). This, of course, hardly scratches the surface.

The party was held at his Grandpa Mike’s and Grandma Becky’s house. All of his grandparents, aunts and uncles, only cousin in the states, and tons of additional family and friends were able to make it. It was a grand celebration of his life to date on all accounts.

The pinnacle moment was everyone gathering to sing “Yellow Submarine” to him. It's been his favorite ever since Grandpa Mike sang it to him on one his first days of life. A mainstay throughout all three hundred and … days of his so far revolution filled life.

Happy First Birthday, Buddy.

(Note: meltdown at end is a Miles' classic. He doesn't like sudden load noises.. makes it hard for Da-Da to be a Vikings' fan..)

Damn you Pooh; you warm, fuzzy bear of cold, hard truth

2009-09-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

My parents didn’t read Winnie-the-Pooh stories to me as a kid. It’s not that they didn’t read to me, the Pooh collection just didn’t make it to the list. It’s okay; I grew up and became a relatively well adjusted adult without ever spending any imaginary time with Christopher Robin and crew. Until recently.

Katy and I got the whole collection of original stories in one book for a shower gift. Since Miles was born, I’ve had the privilege of reading this collection to him. Kind of a nice first to share together.

Honestly, my fondness for the author and story started pretty lukewarm. After reading the first chapter my initial thought was: ‘Hallo! Hate to bother! But who let this pass without hiring an editor to help you express a concise thought every once in awhile? Geesh.’

Upon reflection, I think most of my frustration stemmed from not reading a book out loud since story time in Mr. Beck’s 6th grade class.

It was harder than I remembered; especially when captain run-on hits you with a five line sentence full of Old English phrases and made up words. I’m no grammar Nazi, but on a couple occasions I was so out of breath I started to see spots.

However, after I stumbled through the first couple of chapters, it got better. Much better actually.

I became fond of the phrases, Pooh’s poems and the characters’ come-as-you-are eccentricities. I actually took pride in being able to rattle off paragraphs (written as single sentences) full of confusing statements, purposeful misspellings and round-about logic.

Mostly I fell in love with getting swept away in the naivety, innocence and wonderment of youth captured so well by the author, told through stories of a little boy and his motley crew of stuffed animal friends.

But just when I couldn’t wait for another ridiculous adventure to unfold the final chapter hit me like a ton of bricks. Funny now to look back at how naïve of me it was to think that a little boy could lead a crew consisting of an Owl, Piglet, Tigger, Bear of Little Brain,…, on “expeditions” forever.

As the last chapter went on, it finally dawned on me Little Christopher Robin was growing up and putting away his stuffed animals for good. And, as I looked down at my soon to be one-year-old son, the story of this little boy growing just a little bit older became very hard for me to read out loud again.

Thanks Pooh. While reality can sometimes be a bother, I know I’ll cherish sharing the stories more and more every time through.

Two Teeth and a Big Smile

2009-07-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

A few new photos of Miles - these were taken last weekend.

Two-tooth Tepley

"What?"

Serious Miles

He can't help himself - he's a smiley guy...

Father's Day 2009

2009-06-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

A few new photos - Miles' 1st Twins game!

"i like baseball" - Miles P. Tepley

The Wave

The Wave coming...

Rally Time!

Pooped!

3 Generations Tepley Men

By popular demand...

2009-06-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here is the much requested photo of Miles' 1st tooth. Enjoy!
(double click image to enlarge)

Everbody wants some...

2009-06-18T20:32:00.001-07:00

Miles learns to share...

Exploring...

2009-06-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

The Tepley family has been enjoying the warmer days of June, working on lots of projects around the house and enjoying many new firsts for Mr. Miles.

His list of warm weather favorites are as follows:

1. He loves to be outside - Miles has been dining "al fresco" with Mama and Papa on the deck. Some of his new favorites are: sweet corn; peas; carrots; whole bananas; cantaloupe; berries; lentils; parsnips; alphabet pasta.

2. Long walks around the lake or the falls. Well, he rolls; we walk. But, we're enjoying the exercise as much as he's enjoying the new sights. He loves watching airplanes, birds, dogs, cars and other people - especially other babies. Other babies make him laugh and giggle. All this excitement usually leads to another favorite passtime, napping in the stroller outside in the shade.

3. Miles votes for playgrounds on every block. He's a big fan of swings and slides. To date, his favorite slide buddies are Mama, Papa and his older cousin, James. Also, Miles seems pretty sure the only thing cooler than running his fingers through grass, is running his fingers through sand.

4. Helping in the yard. Miles likes to pick flowers and grass. Watching Chloe chase the birds and bunnies makes him giggle wildly!

5. SWIMMING!! Based on his enthusiasm for bath time, we fully expected him to be a fan... Here's Miles' 1st dip in his new pool:

All in all, this family is incredibly happy to bust out of the house after a long cold winter and spend more time exploring our neighborhood and city with a new perspective - through Miles' eyes.

There is lots to do and see and it is a blast to watch Miles experience everything for the first time.

It has also been a busy several weeks professionally for Papa with the PGA drawing near and Wolfgang in town... Miles decided to check it out for himself:

"What you talkin' 'bout Wolfy?" (Miles & Wolfgang Puck)

Best Impression

2009-06-15T16:40:00.001-07:00

As I sit alone at home for the first time - I can remember anyway - in a long time, I'm going to pound out a blog entry for the first time in long time. (Enter: "choose your witty comment about how this isn't a coincidence.")

You see, as we're discovering, growing into parenthood is a wonderfully overwhelming experience.

As any parent will tell you, parenting truly runs the gamut of emotions, experiences and responsibilities. All of which normally leaves me speechless* by the time Miles goes to bed each night. (*And, by speechless, I mean totally mentally spent.)

But, never before have I felt so speechless*. Likewise, never before have I played a significant part in the life of a developing eight-month-old.

Furthering my bout with speechlessness, I can't seem to find the words that would do justice in explaining what it's like to bear witness to growth of my Lil' Man.

To shed some light on how this currently tongue-tying journey makes me feel, last week marked a watershed week in my professional career. I lead a couple high-profile media days for the upcoming 2009 PGA Championship on Tuesday and for celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck on Friday. Exciting and fun work that, when all said and done, will accumulate more than 5 million consumer impressions.

(Miles and Wolfgang Puck)

Yet, the best impression of the week in the Tepley household, in our opinion, was still made by its smallest member. Miles finally cut his first little tooth this past Sunday. Quite the memorable moment.

About last night...

2009-05-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night, that is...

It was about 10:30 p.m. when Miles woke up a very unhappy baby. And, anyone who knows Miles personally, knows "unhappy" is out of character. At 6.5 months old, teething was the first suspect, often the cause of tears. A little Tylenol, mommy's kisses and a good nurse later, our little man was not soothed...again, out of character.

He showed very little interest in the usual Miles tantrum tonics; nothing was working.

Three hours later, I realized that he was not getting better. Honestly, I started to worry long before - he wouldn't look at us or react to our voices. I started to think something was really wrong. My heart started beating hard and I tapped Troy on the shoulder and blurted, "Honey, something is wrong - I want to take him in."

I realized, as we were getting our very sad baby boy into his car seat, covering him with a blanket, that this is one of the things that we heard about from more experienced parents. The emergency room visit in the middle of the night is sort of a rite of passage for new parents, I think - but what I am speaking of is the fear, the worry.

It's amazing the places our mind goes when we are scared. I felt helpless that I couldn't make my little guy feel better, that I didn't even know what was wrong.
I started thinking about the what if's:
What if I waited too long?
What if I had reacted more quickly? Why didn't I react more quickly?
What if it is really serious?
What if he's not ok?

Fortunately, it was not serious. Miles had his first ear infection.

I think back and realize that it all seems a bit silly. I almost didn't write about it, but did, if for no other reason to have a record of the experience. I figure that that someone out there might be able to relate.

Mama

Weekend Breakfast Time

2009-05-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were in the air, and Harvest Vegetable Medley was dripping down his chin as he was madly gumming the spoon. He gave that special look of pure joy.

We danced, dined and talked gibberish.

Sunday morning with Miles is a good time.

Miles has 3 New Cousins!

2009-04-17T05:59:00.001-07:00

Miles will be welcoming 3 (yes 3!) new cousins into our extended family in the very near future. My sister, Sarah and her husband, Jeremy, have been matched with a sibling group from Ethiopia.

Hirut is the oldest child and she is 8 and a half, followed by Helen, 5 and a half, and then Binyam 2 and a half. Two big sisters and a little boy...why does that seem familiar to me...?

We could not be more excited for our growing extended family! If you would like to check in on the process from now until they travel to Ethiopia to bring their kids home check out their blog.

Miles was so excited he wanted me to share the good news.

Six Months

2009-04-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Miles turned six months old on April 11. In honor of this occasion, here are the top-six things I’m going to miss about his first six months of life:

6.) Being able to lift him and hold him in the “flying position” with one hand as I take him flying around the house

5.) The not too stinky, stinky diapers

4.) Sticking his whole hand and arm up to his elbows in my mouth while saying, “Miles, you taste like chicken,” to his grins and laughter

3.) Immobility

2.) Dancing on the kitchen countertop (So far, I think his favorites are James Brown*, the Beatles* and the Beastie Boys*)

1.) The best damn toothless grin in the history of mankind*

*So says this bias daddy

Overheard in the Team Tepley house

2009-03-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, Katy was sitting on the couch, holding Miles in a standing position in her lap when she said, "who's my handsome man in his nightgown?"

Since I was in pajama pants and a t-shirt, it became painfully obvious she was referring to Miles.

Good to know my wife can find bald, diaper-wearing, toothless men in nightgowns handsome for my senior years....

A first major Miles-tone

2009-03-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

Miles started eating solids last week.

We think he likes bananas.

D-Day for Daddy

2009-03-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

I recently got back from my first business trip since Miles was born. Before I left, I dreaded it for weeks.

Most days I miss him by noon, which made me wonder how the hell I was going to make it four days without seeing the world’s best toothless smile in person. Not to mention, knowing my departure was going to create even more responsibility for Katy certainly didn’t help ease my anxiety about the situation.

My imaginary fears envisioned coming home to a wife in a three day old, coffee stained t-shirt, with the hair she hadn’t pulled out pointing in all directions, cursing me over a screaming baby wearing nothing but a dirty diaper….

But, since business travel is an occasional fact of life, I knew this would come, and like it or not, it was time for me to get this “first” over with.

The trip kept me quite busy, so I had little time to fret and think about what I was missing at home.

I was in Dallas, and during my last evening there, our entertainment was provided by a cowboy who was a ropin’ and bullwhippin’ expert. As a part of the fun, he pulled a young boy from the crowd and mock hogtied him. Hey, when in Rome…

The thrill of experiencing something so exciting and foreign was painted all over the kid’s face. And, for the first time I got the sense of how seeing that must have made his father feel.

As I choked up over a mock, modern day cowboy tying up some kid, I decided I’d had enough whiskey for one evening. When I got home the next day, I shared a long hug with Miles.

Oh, and Katy was well groomed and in good spirits...

So, this is what it's like to get old

2009-02-07T07:18:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago, a friend threw us a sip-n-see party to show off Miles that got insanely wild. It didn’t even really get rolling until 12*. And, while parties like this usually wrap up around 3*, we kept partying until well past 5*.

(*All references to time are in the p.m.)

It really was a great party that mostly consisted of friends I’ve practically known since I was Miles’ age. Amazingly, that’s just a mild exaggeration.

With such history, to state we haven’t been strangers in getting together in a celebratory capacity through the years would be a mild understatement. But this was truly a first.

All of a sudden a baby in a baby carrier became the new twelve-pack as practically everyone was carrying one into the party. Brunch with fresh fruit and stinky cheese replaced the late night frozen pizza. People were sprawled all over the floor…playing with babies.

At one point in time, I entered the living room and reality hit me with the sight of Miles as only one of four babies poking, or laughing at, one another in the room. My first thought was whoa, whatever happened to, never mind, I was told there was need of a diaper change…speaking of change…

Big thanks to Casie who threw a killer baby bash. And, to all the friends, loved and wee ones who joined.

Pictures to come.

Li'l Man or Li'l Mama's Boy?

2009-01-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

While Katy attended a couple events for work last night, I was excited for some man time with Miles. I guess I was the only one...

After Miles and I got home from daycare, I started to feed him. Although he initially took the bottle, about a minute or so into it he all of a sudden burst into tears, looked at me and wailed something that sounded exactly like, "Ma! Ma!"

The initial shock of hearing my son speak, what were perhaps his first words, quickly eroded into slightly hurt feelings. Come on man; I know I'm a poor man's Ma! Ma!, but the bottle's full of breast milk and you know I can put on a hell of a puppet show...(or is the kid giving me courtesy giggles...hmm...)

"Miles," I said, and continued, "mama's not here, you're just hangin' with your papa..."

At that point, with a beet-red head, he turned away from me and shouted, "Ma! Ma!"

Miles turns 100

2009-01-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

Miles is 100 (days old) today. That’s 14 weeks and two days… Or, about 3 ½ months… Or, about 2,400 hours and counting…

Before Parenting (BP), I always laughed at people who tracked the age of their children by weeks… Or, even worse, days…

Proud papa is guilty as charged.

Here are a couple recent shots:

Kyra: New Master of the Team Tepley Universe

2009-01-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

I was upstairs with Miles on Sunday morning when a shrill scream came from the main level.

“Ahh! Eww…. Oh yuck…. Honey!!,” Katy shouted.

From past experience, I assumed there was some really gross bug scurrying across the kitchen floor. Deep down I relish opportunities like this, as they allow me to put on my big boy pants.

Feeling manly as I grabbed Miles to head downstairs and save the day, she continued, “Kyra is chasing a mouse! There is a big, ugly mouse in our house!”

A mouse! The mere thought sent shivers down my spine. I’m happy to swoop in and handle a bug of any size, but a mouse has fur, and a tail, and eyes… My big boy pants turned into a skirt as the horror of sequestering this rodent over took me. (On a side note, all fingers are crossed that this not the start of a terrible new trend.)

As I quivered in the corner trying desperately to find some semblance of manliness, Katy went on to say, “well, Kyra is hunting it down, maybe she’ll handle the situation for us…”

‘Oh yea,’ I thought to myself, ‘the cat that sleeps in hiding 25 hours* a day is going to do something noble…’ As I tried to grow a pair and finally entered the living room, where the mouse was last seen, I was shocked to see Kyra standing triumphantly by her “taken care of” hunt.

Kyra: 1; Mice: 0; Troy: -50,000,000

After I mustered up a clean-up effort, well-deserved congratulations were showered upon our new hero, Kyra.

After she patrolled the main floor one last time, she gave me a look that read, “Now that’s how you take care of business. I’ll be upstairs napping if you need me, Sally.”

*Kyra could not be found for a photograph

D-Day

2009-01-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked D-Day for Katy: The first day of daycare for Miles.

After looking long and hard for a good daycare provider at an affordable price, we finally found a center we’re currently enamored with merely six blocks from our house. Score.

Not only is it close, the center focuses on arts (hence the name Artisticrats), which is very cool.

My mind was at ease upon entering the place during our initial visit, as it’s practically a warm fuzzy factory.

But, as it goes for moms, as I’m beginning to discover, it wouldn’t matter if this place had a Mary Poppins per pupil. Katy, like every mom I've been talking to, dreaded this day for weeks.

I’m happy to report both Miles and mom made it through their first day apart. And, Katy only checked in on him once during the day….

The days of our lives...

2009-01-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

It’s Sunday morning and I’m up with Miles. He was fussy earlier, but only because he’s teething.

Yea, lucky for him (and us) he’s teething considerably early as he just turned three months old yesterday. Great… But after a feeding and some Tylenol he was pretty content so I put him down.

As Miles was catching some Z’s in his swing I was reading the paper (Ahh... a nice, quiet Sunday morning).

Eventually he gurgled, which caused me to interrupt the article I was immersed in. As I stared at him - and his ever growing body – while he stretched and cooed (super cute…), I had one of those moments of shock, Katy and I are pretty sure every first time parent has: Holy sh*t; that’s my kid; I’m a responsible parent; he’s going to be with us for a long time; he’s going to grow up, have opinions, ideas, thoughts, growing pains….

If only there was a Tylenol for all the growing pains - for him and us - to come….

Of Miles + Merriment...

2008-12-26T08:12:00.000-08:00

The Saturday before Christmas, a snowstorm knocked out our plans to attend an out-of-town family party. While Miles’ introduction to more extended family unfortunately had to wait, it gave us a day together to share in some good old, classic American family, holiday fun.

Bundled up, we ventured downtown to Macy’s to introduce Miles to Santa. Because at 10 weeks old Katy and I knew he couldn’t wait to get placed into the lap of a big, wild white haired, funny red suit wearing stranger…

But, as Katy and I remembered how days like this turn Nicollet Mall into a life-sized holiday snow globe, I couldn’t help but feel Clark W. Griswold-like excited for some family fun.

The day didn’t disappoint, and I’m happy to report there were no Clark Griswold-like meltdowns from me, and more importantly, Miles.

With a special nod to Miles for helping to make the season more bright, it’s great to be a parent during the holidays.

Miles and Troy in line to see Santa (note Miles' excitement)

Miles first Christmas with Santa (note Miles' excitement)

Miles and Katy, lunchtime at Brit's (note Miles' excitement...)

Miles and Katy, Nicollet Mall turned winter wonderland

Early New Year's Resolution...

2008-12-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

It was a little after five on Wednesday when Katy called me at work on my cell.

“Hey hon, just wanted to check in to see when you think you’ll be home,” she asked innocently.

“Umm, I don’t know, it’s late work night tonight,” I state in a manner implying she obviously must of forgot, because it was obviously the late work night we talked about weeks ago.

“No; you said your late work night was the 12th.”

“Yea.”

“Today’s the 10th. I had your late work night listed, as we discussed, on the 12th in the calendar. Are you still not checking the calendar!?”

Busted. And then, as if on-cue, I hear Miles start to cry in the background.

I go on to plead imbecile as my obvious failures at simple communication come to light.

She continues, “remember, I had plans…needed you to be home…that’s why I update the calendar….”

I needed to work late; at that point in time there was nothing I could do. The crying in the background just kept getting louder.

Note to self: Keep up with the changing times. Check the damn calendar.

A new era

2008-11-23T16:21:00.000-08:00

This evening I posted an overdue update to the "About us" section.

Our family has changed from our original description:

Katy, Troy, Chloe, Kyra and Baby Monster

Troy: Husband, Twins fan, music lover and avid griller who typically smells nice. Katy: event planning genius, loving wife and excited soon-to-be Mom. Formerly a foodie before getting pregnant, she's now currently just a production vessel for Baby Monster. Chloe: Faithful dog, who is unsuspecting of the future and sudden demise from the high life as "only child." Kyra: cat that's around from time to time. Baby Monster: Ever growing, disruptive force who specializes in making Katy nauseous and sick.

My how you've grown...

2008-11-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

Miles recently* had his four-week check-up. (*and by "recently," the neglectful poster means two weeks ago...)

We're happy to report Miles got an all systems go grade from the doc.

And, during his impressive four weeks of life review, we also learned he grew by a couple in both height and weight;* measuring in at 23.5-inches and 10.5-lbs.

*If Shaquille O'Neal grew at the same rate he'd go from 7'1" / 325 lbs. to 7'6" / 406 lbs. But then again, this comparison is odd and irrelevant.

Enjoy the pictures.

Miles, as seen in week one:

Miles, as seen weeks four - six:

A Month of Marvel

2008-11-11T18:04:00.000-08:00

Some Mogwai-esque gurgling noises – which we’ve become very fond of – woke Katy and me up at 4 a.m. this morning. By the time I was able to wipe the sleep from my eyes, Katy and Miles had already assumed their feeding position. This was no different from what has become the norm. But, the realization of this norm is what struck me.

After all, it’s only been a month since what was once a great mystery burst on to the scene as the newest, and certainly most popular, member of the family.

Most of the time it’s still hard for me to believe we’re actually parents. But walking into the TV room to find my wife with things that look like suction cups attached to her you-know-whats to draw and store Lil Man’s food certainly helps to drive the point home. Nobody but a mom would spend a Friday night this way. Nobody but a dad would make up nonsensical songs to the beat of this machine as it rhythmically pumps away. Nobody but a newborn would stare in awe to such out of tune, idiotic foolishness.

Becoming a parent is an amazing experience. But believe the hype, as it changes life quite a bit. For instance, it took 30-plus years for me to utter a phrase like, “whoa, does someone have a big doo-doo poo-poo pants?” Within the last four weeks, I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve said or heard such things from grown adults.

Never before have we been surrounded by so much love and joy from our friends and family… and occasional stranger at the grocery store.

The best part is that Miles is happy and healthy; and normally a splendor to be with. When he’s not eating or sleeping, he’s spent the good part of his first month meeting friends and family, and bonding with his mom and dad.

It appears his goal for next month is to master the art of lifting his head, as he’s already made great strides in this regard. Already, it makes us think: wow, how quickly he’s grown….

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2008-11-09T06:45:00.000-08:00

Another typical Sunday finds me reading the paper and drinking coffee with Miles by my side in his swing.

He likes SportsCenter.

Yes we can!

2008-11-04T20:15:00.001-08:00

It's truly a historic time. A healthy and happy new son has given our family a new direction. And, we believe the election of Obama to President will bring a new, happy and healthy direction to our country.

We couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of such historic events.

With one week…

2008-10-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

…of life under his belt, we’re happy to report Miles is doing well.

Current likes:

Eating

Sleeping

Pooping

Visitors

Determining the perfect arch for maximum distance peeing during diaper changes

Current dislikes:

Bright lights

Wet wipes

Socks

Debatable:

When we (try to) sing him to sleep; particularly when it’s ‘80s hair metal

Mom and Dad are enjoying the incredible adjustment to parenthood.

Excellent. Things are going as planned...

And all of sudden...

2008-10-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

All,

It's my pleasure to humbly introduce to you the newest member of our family, Miles Patrick Tepley.

Born October 11, 2008 at 2:20 a.m, he entered the world as an 8 lb. 1 oz., 21.5" bundle of joy.

There is nothing to see here. Step away from the pregnant woman.

2008-10-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

Katy's due date was last Friday, October 3. As you can imagine, she's showing a wee bit.

I feel for this woman. Her birthday was last Monday and we celebrated by enjoying take out at home and watching movies. Even though the take out was from our favorite, the 112 Eatery, dining out of plastic containers lacks that certain je ne se qua of going out to celebrate in a nice restaurant. But, according to my wife, sometimes being the spectacle in a room can get old and she just didn't want to deal with it.

I've witnessed this first hand on many occasions. The other weekend as we went for take-out (notice a theme here?), Katy decided to walk into the restaurant with me. Upon entering, jaws and forks dropped simultaneously. Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster could have made it through the restaurant in a sleigh being pulled by unicorns and no one would've noticed as all eyes were glued to my very pregnant wife.

Don't get me wrong, as a man I've made more than my fair share of stupid statements around and toward pregnant women. But spending the past month with my wife makes me want to get a bullhorn and state the following as we walk in public together:
"Stop staring at the pregnant woman. There is nothing to see here, being pregnant is completely natural. Have no fear, a baby will not instantly sploosh out of her at any time, ruining your breakfast. Step away from the pregnant woman. Keep moving. There is nothing to see here. She is not a Buddha with hair; you may not touch her belly for good luck. And, to answer your question Captain Obvious, yes she is due any day now. Thank you. Move along. There is nothing to see here....."

For the love of your mom Lil' Man, any day now, please...

The summer of ’08 happened and all we got was a doughnut…

2008-10-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

A cool chill woke me up as it breezed through our bedroom this morning. And then, as I stood without a jacket, I shivered for the first time in a long time as I waited for the train. It’s official. Summer is over and all Katy and I got to show for it was a doughnut.

Well technically, Katy had two doughnuts, but I’m only counting because I can’t believe summer passed with such little summertime fun.

Between work and preparation for Lil’ Man, Katy and I took a total of one extended weekend vacation together this summer. One. Not to mention, we spent it with her family at their annual camping trip in Devil’s Lake outside Wisconsin Dells.

Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats bonding by the campfire, but sleeping in a tent on an air mattress, surrounded by extended family does little to scratch the “we time” itch.

Then again, this summer was all worth it. The doughnuts at Paul Bunyan’s in the Dells can’t be beat. That, and we got to enjoy the thrill of preparing for what will be one of the newest arrivals around next year’s campfire circle.

Don’t worry Lil’ Man, there’ll be plenty of room around the fire and doughnuts to go around for many years to come - with hopefully some more summer fun mixed in too...

Your call is important to Li'l' Man...

2008-09-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

I recently called our phone company to change our service. I was on hold for what felt like forever.

My on-hold experience included some looping background music that was only interrupted by a reassuring voice that informed me, “(my) your call is important to us, one of our service representatives will be with you as soon as possible….”

This was followed by more of the same background music, interrupted by the same statement every minute or so; repeat: loop….

This is what the last month of my wife’s pregnancy has been like. Day after day of people saying, “so, when are you going to have that baby?" And, I’m not even the one with the prego belly.

If everyone, including myself, feels like this pregnancy thing is taking forever, I can't imagine what it's like for Katy.

This makes me think that mother nature truly does move in well-intentioned, mysterious ways.

We've been bursting at the seams (literally for my wife) for the answer at the other end of the line for what feels like forever. I think it's all part of a grand plan to ensure we'll be as excited and ready as we possibly can be for this bundle of big change and responsibility.

Moms, particularly mother nature, are smart. But, being on hold gets old after awhile…. Answer the call Li'l' Man! We're waiting... Oh yea, time to get the car seat installed I suppose.

Good things in four

2008-09-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary on Saturday. Our actual anniversary, Sept. 3, fell on Wednesday, but my wife was in the middle of overseeing one or three of the 12 RNC events she’s been planning for months.

We’ve both been busy with work and transforming the house this summer, but booking, planning, coordinating and executing 12 RNC events in four days has definitely been the giant elephant in the room.

Naturally, everything went well and in the past few days, my wife has finally got the rest she richly deserves.

In honor of our anniversary, Saturday was one of the first entire days we spent together just relaxing and having fun in what has felt like… an entire summer.

Even Lil’ Man decided to throw a party. Reports, sightings and tummy touch confirmations indicated that he danced around the womb almost all day long.

Summer is over; we’re down to the final four weeks of pregnancy and no more elephants. It’s nice to have time to enjoy the excitement and anticipation of what we hear is one of life’s biggest changes.

Katy: Dutch for pretty, flowery rock

2008-08-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

Going through Katy’s pregnancy together has given me a new level of respect and admiration for this woman. Having a front row seat to the miracle of birth and its toll on women is nothing short of truly amazing.

Not that I haven’t been a completely wonderful and supportive husband…. I just can’t refer to it as, ‘our pregnancy’. While it is something we are going through, referring to it as, ‘our pregnancy,’ just makes me feel like a poser.

Besides a pint of ice cream every other night or so, I have no idea what my cute transformer is going through. Particularly what her body is going through.

I’m sure she thinks the occasional backrubs and the extra trips to the grocery store are nice, but until I work a nine hour day on my feet with a five-pound, foot-long rib kicker in my belly, I’ve really got nothing.

But, for how rough the first trimester was, the second and third trimesters have treated her quite well - minus having a five-pound, foot-long rib kicker in her belly.

I can tell its getting a bit old for her, but she carries on with almost no complaints. She’s got the glowing pregnant woman look thing down and beyond needing a little more rest than usual, she’s been solid as a rock…I mean…a pretty, flowery rock* of course.

*From: Katy TepleySent: Friday, August 08, 2008 10:35 AM
To: briddle; B Riddle; Troy Tepley; Michael Riddle
Subject: 32 weeks

32 weeks
The baby is about 17 inches long and weighs about 4.5 lbs.
The baby's toenails and fingernails are completely formed.
The baby's lungs are continuing to mature but will not reach full maturity for several more weeks.
The baby's skeleton has completely formed, but his/her bones are very soft and pliable.
The baby has now developed sensitivity to temperature.
The baby will gain one third to one half of his/her birth weight during the next weeks.

From: Michael Riddle
Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 11:02 AM
Subject: RE: 32 weeks

Cool!! Hope Mama’s hangin’ in there.

On Aug 8, 2008, at 11:05 AM, Tepley, Troy wrote:

She’s like a rock. I mean, a very pretty, flowery kind of solid rock…

Me, on the other hand…

We recently told Katy's dad that we had our delivery room walk-through during our last birthing class. He looked at me with a grin and gave this sage advice: “get ready to feel like a screen door on a submarine.”

At first I was a little surprised, because I felt he usually has something more insightful to offer.

Not like I didn’t feel virtually useless already. Then I got it. Thanks Mike. It's nice to know I'm not the only father-to-be who's felt like lipstick on a pig.

Paradigm Shift

2008-08-12T15:17:00.001-07:00

Pregnancy and the expected arrival of a baby has changed many things. Here's one recent example I found kind of funny:

The "Fire Alarm" in the office as it hung for the past three years:

The new Fire+ Alarm in the new nursery, aka, "old office":

Mancation

2008-08-12T05:33:00.000-07:00

In early June, I went on a vacation with my best friends, Andy, Eric and Travis. We grew up together in New Ulm and our life long bonds were set in stone helping each other make it through the awkward time of high school. We were so inseparable we even stuck together after that, as we all attended the University of Minnesota when we ventured from home.

Since the time we eventually separated in our early- to mid-twenties - Eric has lived in Chicago and Andy has lived in Portland for more than five years - we’ve gotten together in bits and pieces for things like weddings and holidays.

It’s also weddings and holidays that have kept us from getting together as just friends.

We finally met up for a “guys’ weekend” in Colorado at a cabin outside Cripple Creek. If you’ve never been to the Rockies, it’s a scenic splendor. But for me, like I think for all of us, it wasn’t the place, it was the people.

Prom '95: Eric, me, Travis and Andy

Having the weekend together gave us a chance to catch up, reflect and remember why we’re such good friends. I guess the old saying is true. No matter how long it’s been since the last time you met up with long-time friends, after a hug and some break the ice conversation it’s like old times again.

And for us, for better or worse, that means arguing about music and sports and trying to solve the world’s problems through drunken discourse. While we've never really solved any of the world's problems (outside of our own minds), the tangents are unparalleled.

During the vacation, we almost instantaneously interacted as if we were five years younger while we got to observe how much each other has grown in the past five years. Among many things, old friends make great life-long history markers.

For example, the job Eric followed has turned out alright as it takes him to places like Abu Dhabi, where he makes sure some of the world's most cutting edge skyscrapers won't fall down.

I remember when we once killed time in study hall for a couple weeks by drawing a picture of a fruit basket on the back of my notebook.

That picture, creatively named “fruit,” would later hang on a wall in our first dorm room.

Anyway, upon reflection, as father-to-be of a son, this trip gave me a new perspective on our friendship.

Of course, it’s pretty much impossible to spend a weekend with three other guys in a hot tub at cabin in The Middle of Nowhere, Colorado, and not gain at least one new perspective on life.

It just became very clear how much we mean to each other. It's not like the next sentence you read is going to go like, 'maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the moonlit scenery, but all of a sudden, our friendship took on a whole new meaning...' I'm just trying to recognize the bond between some really good friends.

Friends like I truly hope my son has someday. They’ll be able to support, understand, influence and walk through life with him in ways his loving parents simply won’t be able to do. It’s a timeless treasure.

So here’s to the Andy, Eric and Travis in wombs near you, Lil’ Man. I hope you’re all resting well. You're going to need it.

A Battle for the Ages!

2008-07-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I stand corrected. Our little hop-a-long pinned a hopper....

When I came home from work this evening, I noticed a rabbit in our yard. This is nothing unusual as rabbits are all over South Minneapolis.

What was odd was that this particular rabbit couldn’t seem to find its way out of our yard as I walked through toward the house. Usually when I enter our yard the wildlife scurries as if I’m shooting leprosy from a sprinkler. This rabbit just stood still and tried to act natural as I stared at it from five feet away.

The rabbit looked at me like we were ex-lovers who ran into each other in public. Don’t make eye contact. Is that really him? Yes, it really is… Okay, I’m not going to make the first move. I'll just pretend I don’t notice him and hope he plays the same game…soon it will be all over.

There must be multiple exits through our fence that are well known in the bunny and squirrel world as they typically enter and exit at will. Either this one forgot the map or didn’t get the memo.

I went into the house, let Chloe out of her confinement room and grabbed the mail. From a previous phone conversation, I knew my pregnant wife was starving. A starving pregnant wife is a recipe for a disastrous evening, so my mind got fully consumed with getting dinner going as soon as possible.

Without thought, I ran outside to get the grill going and Chloe followed. This is when things got interesting.

Like a heat seeking missile after a jet, (or, in this case, like a turtle in hot pursuit of a snail) Chloe tore after the map-less rabbit stranded in our yard. A wild chase ensued. It ended in a corner of the yard as the rabbit simply had no place to turn. Chloe had it cornered and for one glorious moment she was like, 'what’s up now, doc?'

But that authority quickly turned into, 'whoa, I finally caught you….what in the hell am I supposed to do now…?' She's clearly the last of the great hunters.

The hesitation cost her. Mr. Rabbit seized the indecision by darting off and miraculously finding an exit through the fence.

The bunny hopped away and never looked back. Chloe was confirmed - in her head - champion of the fight. She ran back to our deck and gave me a look like, ‘I sure showed bunny who was boss, no doubt about it, I’m the woman.’

While I found the whole situation kind of pathetic - after all she’s hopping around on three legs - I bent down, scratched her behind the ears, patted her on the chest and said, “Chloe, I’m so proud of you for keeping me safe.”

She strutted with her chest out for at least the next hour. It was adorable.

Let me guess, our refrigerator will someday be plastered with squiggly laden, nonsensical finger paintings….

Chloe Chaos

2008-06-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

Chloe, our first kid, who happens to be covered in fur and have four legs, recently went under the knife to have the ACL repaired in her left hind leg. As it turns out, Chloe is an anatomical misfit. She's part Black Lab – a breed known to have leg problems – and part Boston Terrier. Obviously, her parents should've never co-mingled, but, we're glad they did as we're big fans of Chloe, even if she is prone to injuries like a torn ACL.

In a nut shell, this situation and her surgery couldn’t have left our pocket books lighter and our hearts heavier.

I have to commend the little pooch; she’s quite the trooper. The surgery was more invasive then anything Katy and I (knock on wood) have ever had to go through, yet her spirit is still up.

Actually, the little hop-a-long gets around quite well on three legs. I hate to sound like a jerk, but sometimes it’s quite funny. Like when she still tries to catch bunnies in the back yard. She couldn’t catch them when she had four legs, so, in my non-medical opinion, invasive surgery on her leg clearly didn’t make her more intelligent.

That’s okay. I love her passion for ensuring the backyard is void of anything that moves, by chasing everything she sees in it from bunnies and squirrels to fluttering leaves. Basically, when it comes to our backyard, she’s like an elementary school hall monitor who actually takes her job seriously. Totally ridiculous, but unbelievably cute.

Beyond that, she’s got a fun loving, quirky personality. Considering her mix, you can imagine she looks a bit odd, but we also find her pointy ears and crooked smile adorable.

She enjoys finishing the last couple drops of my beers before I toss them in the recycling bin and she cleans up the floor after I make lunch in the morning. She’s a fetcher and a lover. All in all, she’s a fantastic dog, who also happens to be a huge pain in the ass right now.

As in, right now, this dog is on more pills than Keith Richards at a Pink Floyd concert and we’re responsible for ensuring she takes them exactly when she needs to. Also, I’m carrying her up the stairs every night when we go to bed and carrying her down the stairs every morning before I go to work.

This wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t act like she was a feisty old lady and I was a mugger who was trying to knock her over and steal her purse.

What’s worse, she’s been licking her stitches like they were covered in bacon. She's been so relentless that we had to get her a cone head to wear when we’re not around because her activities were compromising the stitches. Basically, our poor little Chloe and this whole situation is just a mess.

It’s tough because we know what’s good for her and we want to do what it takes to make her better. She just doesn’t get it and is simply confused by the whole thing.

Just in time, I think we’re starting to understand why people say that having a dog is good training for having a baby.

Like Father, Like Son…Already?

2008-06-14T05:49:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks Katy has started to feel Lil’ Man bouncing around the womb.

Beyond being a wondrous pregnancy related experience, she says it kind of tickles and can be distracting; particularly during important business meetings, which happen to be junior’s favorite time to cut a jig. So, as Katy is trying to be serious, Lil’ Man wants to make her laugh.

I find this hilarious. First, I think you’ve got to give the kid a break; there isn’t much going on in there, so I imagine entertainment is at an all time premium. Also, it reminds me of how Katy and I met.

It was the summer of the 2001 and I thought the best thing I could do with my recently obtained college degree was to continue waiting tables for the summer. So, I parlayed my serving experience at a chain Mexican restaurant into a job as a server at Brit’s Pub, a busy, Brit themed pub in downtown Minneapolis.

As it turns out, it really was the best thing I could’ve done, as Katy and I met there as colleagues.

When I started, she had already been working there for awhile and had a specialized job managing parties and events. Actually, she created the job she had at Brit’s, which I thought was pretty impressive for someone who spent her late teens and early twenties hanging out in Seattle working in coffee shops.

As an event manager, Katy catered to demanding customers who dropped thousands of dollars to host flawless parties. As a server, I specialized in joking around with customers and talking dirty in broken Spanish with the amigos in the kitchen. Clearly, the similarities between us were striking.

But, as we quickly discovered, there was something really special between us, and we like to think that we’re two different pieces that fit together well to make a better whole. And, luckily for me, Katy likes a man with a unique sense of humor.

Since I used to get to make her smile on the job, and that’s where all of this began, it’s sort of heartwarming, in a really odd way, to see that, perhaps, the apple already hasn’t fallen far from the tree.

Keep making your mom smile, Lil’ Man. From my experience, it’s simply the best advice I can give.

Uncle Bub & Aunt Katy

2008-05-30T04:50:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, when our favorite nephew James was even younger than he is now, I often referred to him as Bub. As in, "Hey, Bub, how you doin' little man..." And, for whatever reason, that really stuck with him. He's referred to me as Uncle Bub since he's been able to formulate words. I've been called worse, so I'll take it. Truth be told, I find it pretty endearing.

He was recently back in town for a visit, and Katy and I got our first opportunity to spend time with him out and about on our own. He was staying with his grandparents while his parents were on vacation and we were able to take him out for an afternoon, which was a great chance to flex some parenting muscle. It was really important to me to show him how we have fun in the big city.

It seems like he had a great time with Uncle Bub and Aunt Katy...

Retail: The difference between First-Time Moms and Dads

2008-05-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

I’ve lived on this planet for 30 plus years. A little more than 12 of these years, I’ve probably shopped at Target at least twice a month, if not more. (The first 18 years were spent in a town that actually didn't have a Target (but now does), yet, surprisingly, I was able to survive.) That means I’ve, at minimum, been inside a Target at least 288 times.

Yet, just recently, I found myself entering a portion of the store I never really realized existed – the Baby Department: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y

I remember life as a kid, teen and a young twenty something, full of summers running into lakes and diving into pools full of cold water. There’s a slight initial shock, but your body quickly adjusts and you’re good to go.

Well, that is the male mentality at least. I also remember the ladies, dipping one toe into the pool or standing knee deep in the lake for what felt like eons as they, ‘adjusted to the temperature.’

So, there I was, standing in a somewhat foreign aisle of a typical Target store. It was somewhere in between the Office Section, Shoe Department and Women’s Clothing Department. My initial thought was, when the hell did Target get carpeting? I stood and stared and couldn't get myself to walk into this carpeted mystery land full of moms with crying babies.

Then, there was my wife with shopping cart in hand busting through the aisle like a run-away semi-truck. She barreled into the Baby Department as naturally as a recently hatched baby sea turtle makes a mad dash for the sea.

“Look at these booties and blankets, car seats and cradles,” she said ecstatically. She was so into it, I don’t think she noticed the obvious shock painted all over my face.

I put one foot onto the carpet then quickly brought it back to the safe and known Target linoleum. It was clear; I needed to ‘adjust to the temperature.’

But, I eventually ‘jumped in.’ Don’t get me wrong; I really can’t see myself in this Department for fun on a regular basis. But, it was pretty amazing to see what made up the retail space between where I buy cards and where I used to buy video games.

In a really odd way it made me feel like I was entering into a new Department of my life. I wasn't sure I wanted to let go of where I once was, but when I did, It was kind of fun splashing through this Department of miniature sized consumer goods that we’ll need for the next phase of life. Besides, itty bitty socks, frogs on small t-shirts and giraffes on tiny overalls are fricken cute, no matter what anyone says.

The next time we're at Target, shopping for Little Man, aka Baby Monster, I’ll dive right in. Yea, it’ll still be a bit shocking, but I know that once I jump in, I’ll 'adjust to the temperature' quickly and will be happy to be there.

Baby Monster is a Boy!

2008-05-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

Katy and I had our big "20 weeks into the pregnancy" ultra-sound today. Baby Monster and Katy are 100% healthy. And, as you can see in one of the ultra-sound images, Baby Monster is a boy! Apparently, he's not very shy. That's my boy;)

Neither of us had a preference, but we couldn't be more excited. It's been a fantastic first Mother's Day for Katy.

Profile:

Face:

Another Profile:

Feet:

The Money Shot:

If you want to see larger images, just left click on the image you want to enlarge.

Minnesota Twins Love Baby Monster

2008-04-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Baby Monster attended its first Twins game on Saturday, April 19. Everyone rooted for home team and the Twins beat division rivals, Cleveland Indians, by a score of 3-0.

Although Justin Morneau homered, Nick Blackburn got his first win as a Twin and Joe Nathan got the save and held the shut-out, the biggest highlight for Baby Monster, who had an obstructed view seat, was the nachos and Malt Cup.

Big thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Tepley who made the day possible by buying the tickets.

Link to box score: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/wrap.jsp?ymd=20080419&content_id=2553902&vkey=wrapup2005&fext=.jsp&team=home&c_id=min

Here we go!

2008-04-11T04:25:00.000-07:00

I get to see my favorite (and only) nephew, James every once-in-awhile. I’m sure we’d like to see each other more often. I know I’d like to hang out with him more. Since it would be pretty sad if a diaper wearing two-year-old thought I was lame, I’m going to assume he digs me too.

As it turns out, James is a huge fan of trains. Good kid. The last time he visited The Cities, his mom, my older sister Tonya, decided it would be fun to take him for a ride on our light rail train. I was lucky enough to join.

I ride this train downtown to work every day. It’s a great way to get downtown, mostly because it’s quick and easy. I pop on my iPod and just grab onto something as I mindlessly get whisked to work with the same similar faces day after day.

This trip was much different. As I'm just getting to know, to a two-year-old almost every experience is new and amazing. It’s great to be a part of when I get the chance. I’m a 30-year-old cynic, which means it’s been a long time since I’ve been so excited that I screamed uncontrollably. James hit that level of excitement a few times on this trip.

He thought the train was about one of the coolest things he’s ever seen, much less taken a ride on. He took in so many new experiences, his wide eyes almost never blinked. His joy brought joy to everyone on the train. “Here we go!,” he shouted every time the train started from a stop and there we went to grins and laughter.

It was an enriching experience and a great day.

Recently, my wife and I had a routine Baby Monster check-up with the Obi-Wan-Gynobie. (Help us Obi-Wan, you are our only help. Please tell us how to soothe Baby Monster.)

Baby Monster is happy and healthy. Katy, though still nauseous, is healthy as well. The only thing that didn’t go as planned was that we were supposed to get to hear Baby Monster’s heart again and it didn’t happen. Our OBGYN grew impatient and said, “we’re going to try to do this another way.”

So, she had me dim the lights as she pulled out an exotic looking tool and some lube that looked like KY Jelly. I could tell it was going to get interesting and we eventually experienced things we had never experienced before. We got to see Baby Monster for the first time by ultra-sound. Inexplicably cool.

There it was; a real little baby in Katy’s belly. Our little baby.

At the time we voyeurd into Baby Monster’s world, it was kicking and bouncing from one end of the womb to the other. Well, there's the answer to Katy's nausea. The structure seems to be holding up fine; good work Doozer.

Baby appeared to be in an excited state of discovery and it looked like it was yelling “Whoopee! Whoopee! Yippee! Woohoo!” as it zipped around in the only world it knows.

It looked a lot like a two-year-old on a train for the first time, or a 30-year-old, soon to be first-time dad, seeing a growing little baby in his wife’s belly for the first time. I guess it’s just a matter of perspective.

At one point in time, it appeared that Baby Monster turned and looked right at us. Then, it lifted one of its arms over its head and moved it back-in-forth as if to waive us "hello" for the first time.

Hello Baby Monster, here is to many more exciting firsts for all of us.

Early 2nd Trimester... yea... sort of...

2008-03-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, we've now officially entered the second trimester.

Katy has gone three days without puking.

It's been a banner few days in our household...

Go Doozer.

T-Minus Two Weeks ‘til Second Trimester: Time Warp Please!

2008-03-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

After my third call in-a-row to Katy on my way home from work tonight, I snapped the phone shut a bit anxiously as she didn’t answer, again. It’s not that I was obsessively worried about her; I really just wanted to reach her before I got home.

We’ve been in a routine for the past few weeks and I really hate to break routine; especially in these days of the great unknown. Basically, everyday during the work week we get a hold of one another around the end of the work day and I ask the simple question, “So, what sounds good for dinner tonight?”

This leads to an elongated conversation about random simple meals Katy thinks won't come back up later in the evening. It’s like a multiple choice question on a high school quiz - but this question usually doesn’t have a correct answer. At least so far.

However, we keep hearing things should turn around and get much better in the second trimester. We just entered our 11^th week of pregnancy, which means that might be light I’m seeing at end of this tunnel (no sick pun intended) (reference to stupid pun shamefully intentional)

When the pregnancy was still really fresh, all the changes going on with my wife – even though painful and discomforting to her – were really awe-striking to me.

She kept talking about how weird she felt because she could feel her body going through so many physical changes. I kept thinking about how cool it was that I turned my wife into a Transformer. Or, as I tell it to my my wife, I found it utterly cute and adorable that my baby was making a baby.

I found it so "cute" early on that one night I woke up in the middle of the night and before I fell back to sleep, I went into a half-awake dream state and imagined that there was Doozer inside my wife, prepping her body to house the baby.

If you recall, Doozers were the little green construction workers on the show, Fraggle Rock. The Doozer in my fantasy is the head Doozer from the show, who comes complete with a pink nose and a grey mustache.

Just like in the show, all he's concerned about is building these scaffolding like structures. The only difference is that now he is building scaffolding structures to support my wife's growing womb, versus the show, where the Fraggles simply ate his structures like snacks.

It was an odd show and this is an odd fantasy.

So there's a Doozer in my wife's belly. I haven't gotten to detailing out how he gets there, but he is there none-the-less, with only one goal to accomplish on his mind. He is a single handed machine, laboring tirelessly forward to do nothing but build and expand his infamous scaffolding-like structures that will form the dome to keep our baby safe and secure.

He spends his days building, checking the blue print and scratching his head as he anxiously tries to figure out how he’ll complete his daunting task on time.

Katy woke up with me the same night I created this odd world in my head. I shared the story with her and we shared a good laugh at four-o-clock in the morning.

It was one of the first times we broke the ice and made light-hearted conversation about the effects pregnancy was having on her body. After all, what's not fun and cute about the thought of a tiny green guy in her womb, busting out his mad construction skills to make her belly a safe haven for the baby monster for the next nine months?

For starters, how about his over-zealous dedication to construction, which has completely screwed with my wife for the last 11 weeks non-stop. I shouldn’t complain, I know. Baby and wife are both healthy. But, we're now into an 11 week stretch of Katy as a puke-ie, couch stricken mess.

After next week, we'll officially enter into the second trimester and I really hope that means Doozer gets her to a comforting spot in the construction process soon. If not, I hope he at least leaves – in whatever way he entered – from time-to-time and starts helping me with the laundry.

Currently

2008-03-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Currently, I find myself on the couch sitting next to my wife, Katy. It's a Sunday afternoon and some romantic comedy is on the TV. I don't know the name of the movie. I'd ask my wife, but she's sound asleep.

As it turns out, Katy is one of the lucky ones who gets to experience pregnancy-related nausea. Of course we're elated about being pregnant, but for the past eight weeks, beyond work, my wife has been basically confined to our couch. If you need any updates on American Idol, America's Next Top Model, etc., just let me know. I've got a great resource.

It's funny how quickly our conversations went from talking about how we need to get back to the 112 Eatery for their Lamb Scottadito to talking about whether it's Kraft Mac-n-Cheese or Campbell's Chicken Noodle she's most likely to keep down.

Don't get me wrong, being pregnant is incredible. Easy for me to say. But, I'd be lying if I wrote that we both weren't a bit surprised at how proficient we were at getting pregnant.

Again, we're incredibly fortunate for being able to get pregnant at all, much less so easily. But, it went from an idea to a reality in a few tracks of my wife's temperature changes on this thing she called a "fertility chart."

Now, something that's currently the size of a green olive, and up until about a week ago looked like a snot-ball alien baby (but is looking more like just an alien baby everyday...), is making my wife's life miserable. When we measure a good day from a bad day by how many times she pukes, pregnancy isn't making the best first impression on these first time parents...

So, in my effort to share some of our weekend together, I've now spent enough time on the couch to figure out that I've just watched Sliding Doors. When we talked about getting pregnant, I didn't see that coming.

But what's important (or the stuff I keep telling myself) is that we had our first check-up this past Tuesday, and although Katy has been sick, our pregnancy is going great and our alien baby is happy and healthy. (Motion image of a 10 week-old fetus: www.i-am-pregnant.com/pregnancy/calendar/week/10 (bouncing explains nausea)

We were even able to hear a heartbeat. Hearing the heartbeat gave me my first true, of which I've been told are many, inexplicably wonderful emotions related to the pregnancy. It completely overtook me. All I could do was grab the hand of the woman I love and share in the feeling. Sappy I know, but true.

I assume the rapid heart rate is either due to the natural process of baking up a baby, or we're actually having an alien baby. I think the doctor said something about it, but I was lost in the moment.

Katy's awake now and hungry. What will it be, Mac-n-Cheese or Jell-O?