Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man’s best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, in drumming of fingers and kicking of heels, in whistling tunes that he does not like, or in the long, dim labyrinth of reveries that have not even lust or ambition to give them a relish, but which, once chance association has started them, the creature is took weak and fuddled to shake off.

— Been reading Lewis’ Screwtape Letters again.  So good.  And inspiring to not let our lives be drawn away by the tempting power of doing “Nothing”. 

Sittin’ Pretty

Yes indeed, we have a big boy who’s sitting up in his Bumbo seat.  Sure, it may have only been a few minutes tonight.  And he may have developed a slight lean as his neck grew a little tired.  But it was way better than a week ago when his head had to be propped against the couch and even then it ended up all the way leaning on one shoulder.

We’re not quite to full sit up and play mode yet, but we’re not far.  Can’t believe how fast he’s changing.

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Today is March 2nd, which has become a very important day for us, as it’s the birthday of our nephew Jacob.

I can distinctly remember March 2, 2005 when I got the call from then-fiancee Tracy (our wedding was a month and a half later) that Jennifer was in labor.  By the time I was able to leave work that afternoon, Jacob Henri Huitsing had entered the world.  He was the first less than 1 day old baby I believe I ever held.

From the very early stages, Jacob was a really cool, fun, interactive kid.  We had the distinct pleasure of seeing him a lot over the first few years of his life, and were constantly amazed by his newest developments and changes.  Once he figured out how to talk, he never really stopped - not in an annoying way, but instead in the curious, seeing-the-world-for-the-first-time type of way which makes you refreshed and exhausted all at the same time.

Before we knew it this little man…

…turned 2

…and then 3

Jacob was 3 1/2 when we decided to move to NYC.  He was just old enough to understand that we were moving and wouldn’t see him as often (and it was fun to show him NYC on the map…his fascination with all things motorized made discussing taxis and subways and buses a must!)  But it killed us to leave each time we’d visit NC, as more often than not, Jacob would ask us, “why are you leaving to go back to New York City?”

But figuring out questions like that are part of growing up, and if one thing’s for certain, there’s no stopping this boy from growing.  At some point in the last two years he’s made the leap into bonafide big boy territory.  He talks to us on the phone now and is learning new and exciting things at school.  His love of numbers has manifest itself through sports (NASCAR and football primarily - I’ve posted one of my favorite videos below from early 2009), and we marvel at the ways his young mind is grasping how the world works.

Fun with numbers, NASCAR style from Zack Mansfield on Vimeo.

Today, Jacob is 5.  Or as my good friend Eller put it today when I emailed him about this fact - “WOW!  Jacob’s 1/3 of the way to his learner’s permit!”  I guess he is, Eller, though it’s hard to believe.  I’m hopeful these next 10 years before that happens won’t pass too fast, though I know they will.  Regardless, we’ll try to soak up all the great moments.  It will be hard - with this kid, great moments are almost too many to count.

Happy Birthday Jacob!

What’s Up Doc?

Today was a big day for us all.  After a month of postponed (due to snow) and rescheduled appointments for Miller’s 2 month check-up, we finally made it in a few days short of 3 months.  The beginning of the appointment was the easy part, as MIller played the role of prizefighter, getting weighed and measured for size.

Our main man tipped the scales at just a shade under 15 lbs.  While his weight puts him squarely in the upper quartile, his height of 26 inches is on the far end of the curve, at 98%.

The real test, though, would come later in the appointment when Miller was to receive his first batch of immunization shots.  He had the luxury of ignorance, as evidenced in this last shot pre-needle (Mom, on the other hand, knew what was coming and was none to excited about the forthcoming event, smiles portraying otherwise notwithstanding).

In the end, our little man was a champ.  There were tears when the needles (all 3 of them!) did their work. But the cries quickly subsided.  And the temporary pain was nothing a little Tylenol and about 5 hours of combined naps this afternoon weren’t able to fix.  He even got his first 2 Band-Aids of his young life to date, a feat worth noting for sure.

By this evening, Miller was 100% normal.  So normal, in fact that while we were eating dinner at our coffee table per usual and catching up on the day we were caught by surprise.  Miller was playing away on his mat, joyfully batting the toys and giggling - that is, until we looked down and he wasn’t on the mat at all.  He had wiggled and giggled his way so only his feet remained on the play area.

So, yeah, I guess those legs are not too sore after all.  And for that, we couldn’t be more excited!

Snowed In!

The snowfall has been fast and furious over the last 30 hours or so.  While it wasn’t sticking yesterday morning, the slush began in the evening and overnight it apparently turned into a blizzard.  In the typical NYC fashion, the roads are pretty clear but there is 17 inches of snowy goodness in Central Park.  Miller was supposed to have a doctor’s appointment today, so I was planning on working from home anyway - turns out now we’re snowed in.

We haven’t yet ventured out to check out the scene in person.  We’re relying on the around the clock reporting from the local news stations.

With the three of us cooped up in the apartment, things are starting to get crazy.  Miller just took my glasses and popped them on his head.

We may venture out later today…if we do, we’ll be sure to take some pics.

Miller loves technology

You know the kids these days…they love their technology.

I walk into the living room and what do I see but Miller propped up in front of the laptop.  At first I thought he was closing a few trades in his ETrade account.  Nope.  We could only be so lucky.

Turns out he was doing a little online chatting with his little (female) friend Bennet Lee who lives across the Park in the Upper West Side.  Bennet is a diminutive cutie with Texas roots who is a few weeks the elder of our boy Miller.  They ended the convo before I could catch what they were talking about, but word on the street is that it was something about planning “Diaper Blowout 2010”.

Who knows if that really was what they were conspiring about.  For all we know, they may have simply been planning a playdate, as Bennet came over last week to see ol’ Miller in person.  Gotta keep an eye on these kids with all this technology!

Weekend Update

We’ve had a lovely weekend with Tracy’s sister Jennifer visiting for a few days.  Since both of our families have visited a few times over the last year, we more often than not skip out on the touristy activities in favor of more laid back options.  This time was no different - we filled our days with copious amounts of Miller-snuggling, hour long walks in the Park, and great meals (both at home and out on the town).

On Saturday night, Jennifer was kind enough to babysit Miller as we had our monthly Supper Club with friends.  It was great fun for us to have a night out, and Jennifer certainly was a big fan of the alone time with Miller.

It was fantastic to be with such great friends during a night filled with much laughter great food, and a little silliness (as seen below) .  And when we got home, our little man was fast asleep in his crib, content after a night of fun himself.