Bedtime

It seems that we are constantly battling the clock now that Cale is here. Our typical weekday is a race from the time the alarm goes off (or more likely Cale wakes up prematurely) until we get home from work.

We race to get out of the house, to get Kristin to work for morning biopsy sign out, to drop Cale off at daycare, to the office, through the impossibly short work day, to pick Cale up by 5:30pm, and to get ready for the next day.

But, from around 6:00 to 7:30 pm, we forget about the clock. This short 1.5 hours each weeknight is a simple cycle of infant activities, shared laughs, and new accomplishments. Every night, Kristin and I take in this precious family time and glow in awe of our beautiful son.

Starting at around 6:45, Cale's internal clock notifies him he is both hungry and tired, and the bedtime routine begins. We mix his cereal and feed him, struggling to get the spoon past his hands and into his mouth. Once finished, it's up to the changing table, where we share our last few laughs and playtime for the day.

Once the diaper is changed and the PJ's are on, my almost constant sense of urgency comes to a complete halt. While Cale nurses I just relax and listen to his soft coos and sighs. When finished, Kristin and I slowly rock him together next to his crib until he is to the brink of sleep. Then, with me starting, one by one we tuck him in, kiss his forehead, whisper a goodnight, and tiptoe out of his room over the creaky wood floor.

Bedtime with Cale and Kristin is my most cherished part of day. The moment we leave his room the urgency returns and we begin to get ready for tomorrow. And every night, I'm sad that I won't see Cale for another 11 hours...

Ironman

The Ironman Triathlon is considered by many to be one of the most grueling single day endurance events concocted. 2.4 miles by sea, 112 miles by bike, and a nice 26.2 mile cool down run. It takes years of preparation just to build the fitness necessary to do the training.

I've done two Ironman triathlons, the second one this past July. Some might call me a tough guy. I trained for an entire year - over 500 hours covering 250,000 yards swimming, 4600 miles cycling, and 1100 miles running. My biggest month, June, I averaged 10,000+ yards/week swimming, 190 miles/week cycling, 43 miles/week running, and 20 hours/week training. In many ways just making it through that training load, especially starting from essentially zero fitness, is pretty remarkable. Then I completed the race in 10 hours, 33 minutes, and 3 seconds, finishing 146 out of 2300 people, and setting a personal best for the marathon distance. I can remember the remarkable amount of toughness it took to will myself up the hills, through my aching quads, to the finish line. I pushed so hard that I couldn't walk comfortably for two entire weeks after the race. Remarkable...

At least until you compare me to my brother-in-law, Matt Uday.

As I stated in my first post, Matt was diagnosed with testicular cancer this past October. Oh, and at the same time he was learning to become a father to his 3 month old son, Ethan. For me, balancing fatherhood with my normal life has been THE biggest challenge I've ever faced. Oh, and he's also trying to run a newly acquired business and sell his two bedroom condo (which he eventually did, requiring a move in the middle of treatment) in arguably the worst economic times that Michigan has ever seen. And this isn't just any testicular cancer, it is the rarest and one of the fastest spreading kinds. So by the time the doctor's figured it out, large masses had developed throughout his chest and abdomen. So yeah, that's some pretty heavy news to take in. And basically means that Matt's got a lot of truly extreme hardships coming in the next few months. Matt's response - "I'm going to kick this cancer's ass." THAT is Remarkable.

So Phase I - 4 rounds of chemo therapy from October until January. Since the chemo kills cells, his immune system becomes too weak to fight illness. So that means virtually no visiting with anyone. Quarantined for 3.5 months. During the holidays. So it's home all day, confined to the two bedroom condo. Except to drive 1 hour each way (sometimes up to 5 days in a row) to go get drugs pumped in you that make you feel worse and worse. Then there's the fatigue. The unparalleled Lance Armstrong, who could ride faster than any human ever over 2,000 miles of French countryside and mountains (roughly 5 - 7 hours a day for two straight weeks), was reduced to barely being able to ride for 30 minutes on his bike during chemo. Surviving through the chemo is in large part what drove Lance to the ability to win 7 straight Tour De France's. So, to grossly understate it, chemo is some pretty harsh stuff. And I have yet to hear Matt complain about it. To talk to him on the phone, you wouldn't even know he is getting treated; other than the positiveness and enthusiasm he exudes whenever it is brought up. To be with him in person, the only clue is the bald head. After the Chemo finished in January, there was "The Surgery" to remove you know what, and Matt is talking about taking a 20+ hour car ride to Florida days later. I think it's clear that guy has at least one big cahone left down stairs.

The deal is the story's not finished. The cancer's mostly gone, but it's not ALL gone. So it's Phase II time. The good news, Phase II only has two rounds. The bad news, they hit you so hard with the chemo (4-6 times the normal amount) that it'd kill you unless they harvest your own stem cells to transplant after each round. Oh, and you have to drive 5 hours each way to get it. And for three straight weeks each round you have to live away from the home you're not even moved into yet, in a hospital, while you really get knocked on your ass by the drugs. Oh yeah, be back here in 5 days ready to go. Matt's basic response - "let's roll."

So yeah, THAT is an Ironman.

Livestrong Matt.

New Things!

Cale is doing something new nearly every day now, so I thought I would devote this post to new things he has accomplished this week.

1) My favorite one - Sleeping through the night! (or alternatively, Rice Cereal is the Sandman's Magic Potion...). Cale has slept the entire week from at least 7:30pm until 5:30am.



2) Rolling Over...He has hated tummy time from day one. Now that he has figured out rolling over (from tummy to back), he is on his back almost as soon as his tummy touches the ground. I had to be quick with the camera (and sabotage the placement of his arms) to catch this sequence from start to finish.











3) Grabbing his feet (even though his tummy tends to get in the way...).



4) Going to town on his froggy in the activity center/bouncer...he has been trying to get that sucker in his mouth for a couple of weeks, and finally succeeded this week. I'll update with a picture if I can catch it in action. This will have to do for now - you can see the determination on his face...



5) Accompanying Mommy and Daddy as they try to lose the baby weight...well, at least Daddy (up 20 lbs. since birth!)...Mommy is already back to pre-pregnancy weight.

5 simple pleasures

1) Rice cereal...





2) Goofing off with daddy...









3) Cuddling with mommy...











4) Grandparents...





5) Hanging with cousins...

Welcome...please forgive our unoriginality...

Those of you reading this are probably aware of our rapidly expanding photo gallery on Picasaweb. We have decided to take the sharing of those moments in time to the next level by going to a blog format. It seems that most of the pictures have a backstory, so now we can give a little insight into what makes some of our favorite pictures so special.

Of course we are not at all original in our endeavors. The impetus for this bold new move originated with two truly inspirational people. One is Kristin's brother Matt, who began his blog to share the experience of his first born child, Ethan. Only two months after his son was born, Matt was diagnosed with cancer. His blog has become a window into this other life altering event. I check Matt's blog daily and am always stirred by his courage, faith, and grace.

The second source of inspiration is Chris Keels, the photographer whose studio we happened upon while walking in our neighborhood. Thus far he has taken maternity photos for us, as well as newborn pictures of Cale. We have recently completed a photography class under his direction, where he was kind enough to share all his secrets (if only it were that easy). His personality is as contagious as his photography. He also has a blog sharing some of his favorite pictures. I encourage you to visit both his blog (you'll see where we stole the classy black background theme from), as well as his website - (you might recognize some familiar faces ;)

So there you have it...we invite you to join us as we strive to be as moving and eloquent as Matt and Chris.

Below is our first picture, taken when Cale and Daddy were playing hooky at home (the day Mr. Cale caught his first cold). It's one of my favorites...more to come soon...