Roar

Does she think she's a bear?

She thinks she's a cat

Lilia trying to get into the cats basket....

First words

Lilia is speaking fluently these days. Well, that is in her own mind. She talks all the time. We have made out a few distinct words:
Dadda and Daddy, Duck, Mom, ho ho ho, and this one she said a week ago:
"DECKER!" That's the name of my sisters cat, and she couldn't get enough of him. Now every orange animal she sees is "DECKER!"

Lilias first steps

This happened on 11.30.2008!

The rules have changed

and this is how you play basketball according to Lilia (the tub was the basket to begin with)

Get up, stand up!

Lilia has started to balance and stand on her own! (see how proud she is?)
Video Below:

Watch carefully

Lilia is learning sign language. This is her first attempt at this sign. It needs perfecting, but she did it! She also signs "milk"

(11.7.2008, at 10 months old)

Lilias personal trainer

This guy does all the work, vacuumes, entertains, and exercises the little one

Ready for pictures

Lilia started to do this face all on her own

Bananas

This is what happens when you spend too much time at home, alone, without other people to talk too...for a week....

Happy Halloween!

Daddy time

10.19.2008

Lilias point of view

We were tagged. I asked Lilia to fill this one out.
So here are her answers:

Trios: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions and 3 random facts:

Joys
1. Playing Peek A Boo
2. When Daddy comes home and plays with me or hugs me
3. Exploring anything new

Fears
1. Some loud noises
2. When Mommy walks out of the room and I see her go I think she won’t return
3. That if I don’t get fed right when I’m hungry I might starve

Goals
1. Walking on my own
2. Teaching these people my language. I speak fluently, they just can’t understand me
3. Getting my entire family, including these two fuzzy people Mommy calls BoscoRioMeow, together in one place permanently.

Current Obsessions
1. Investigating everything
2. Walking along furniture or with Mommy or Daddys help
3. Anything with lights and sound

Random Facts
1. My butt is ticklish. Right below my butt between my thigh and cheek. Mommy likes to tuck my blanket in and then I squirm because it tickles!
2. I like to go into the pose “downward dog” and hang out like that
3. When I hear sounds I try to repeat them. I often match their pitch (like sirens, dogs, and random beeps on the computer)

I tag whoever is reading right now

The Countdown

It's unavoidable. It's coming. It's almost here.
Nate is continuing on tour while Lilia and I stay home in Chicago and he flies out on Tuesday. We did lots and lots of thinking, and came to the conclusion that this was best all around. Lilia does great on the road. She proved it again this week while we joined Nate in Peoria, IL, just a short jog from Chicago. But the travel in between towns is what gets to both her and I. With this particular tour traveling is a weekly thing. Plus the travel days will be getting longer as the miles stretch further and further between each city.
Also, this way Nate will be able to fly with the cast, and not have to make those long drives either. Plus, Nate will get to keep his job (in this economy it's a must) and we'll still get to see each other when he comes home for a visit in a few weeks over a Monday/Tuesday travel day, and when we fly out to spend a few weeks with him in November.

Still, we are going to miss him. Terribly. Not only will I miss my best friend and husband, but we'll miss the moments like these:

Lilia reading

Now you can Jam

I think you should be able to see the Jam Session with Lilia now?

I stupidly had that video set to private on youtube. So I could see it, but no one else could. Doh!

This is how Lilia does it

She has discovered....the mirror!



(sorry it's so dark, it was shot in the hotel at night)

The joy of doing laundry

Lilia teaching me how to find joy in doing the laundry

Jam session with Lilia

Walk this way

The Great Escape

Lilia escapes down the hallway:

Mmmmm!

'Cause I like too

Lilia figured out if she does this:


It make me laugh.

So now she does it all the time. Nothing wrong with that, I love to laugh!

Lilias New Hat

Good Fun

The other day I was at a "gently" used Childrens store and came across an almost new Leap Frog Table for $11! What a steal. After cleaning it up we set it on the floor for Lilia to play with and this was her reaction:

It’s true what they say

Kids must assimilate information during the night. Last night Lilia was awake at 3 am. After calming her down she went back to sleep in her crib. I tiptoed out of the room and made a pit stop in the bathroom. Before I could make it back to my bedroom I heard her up again. She sounded like she was just babbling. I went to take a peek at her. She saw me walk in so I quickly dove into the queen bed we have next to her crib and closed my eyes (this room will double as our guest room, but is also convenient for those crazy nights when she is teething or sick and just won’t sleep unless I snuggle with her). I must have been convincing as she didn’t beg for me or cry. Instead she laid back down like she wanted to sleep. I was so tired I dozed off and then woke up to hear her babbling some more. I peeked at her and she was playing in her crib and pretty soon she was sitting up clapping! Why is this so exciting? Because we have spent the last few weeks trying to teach her to clap and she just hadn’t picked it up yet. Then, here she was, suddenly practicing in her crib. Needless to say it was one of the cutest things and it was all I could do not to fly out of bed and cheer her on!

Today she was applauding almost everything we did. I guess I now understand why Nate likes to perform. It’s nice to feel appreciated with applause.

Girls just want to have fun

Lilia discovered that she likes the feeling of shaking her head. And apparently she also enjoys a messy face (click on the photo to see the video):

From Lilia Ann 8 mo + 3 weeks

What you laughing at Mom?

Lilia tried Pasta the other night.

Food, Glorious Food

Lilia decided it was time to try feeding herself

Just 121 days, 4 hours, and 50 minutes...

Until she's a one year old!

It seems like yesterday when she was just a tiny helpless little baby in my arms. Now she's creeping (almost a crawl) along, and since the right top tooth just broke the surface she has 4 little teeth to eat her solid foods with.
She's 8 months old.
That's just 4 months till her first birthday people! That also means just 4 months till Christmas, have you started shopping?

Shoe love

Johnson Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Descendants - Family pedigree

Lilia also loves playing with tupperware

Who knew plastic bags were so funny?

Lilias big splash

Lilia tried out the swimming pool today for the first time and LOVED it!
(pic and video below)

Peek A Boo

Lilia LOVES to play with blankets and loves Peek A Boo.
(this video was taken last week 8.7.8):

Inching along

Lil Miss Lilia is making progress in her attempts to start crawling:

She rolls, she bumps...she

Stands?

Look what Lilia is trying to do:

Picnics

I've always loved picnics. These days they have new meaning.

Since we travel the country in our Ford Explorer we don't have room for all the toys, and/or other useful things that many parents use while raising their children. Especially not a high chair. Sometimes we are just lucky to have a small kitchenette and a table in our hotel room (if that table isn't being used as a desk that is). So Lilia and I have started our own morning ritual. We enjoy a bowl of oatmeal together. That's not such an odd ritual you say? Well, we sit on the floor and eat our oatmeal every morning. Picnic style on her blanket and/or my yoga mat. It's actually kind of nice. She can play with her toys in between bites, and I can stretch out and relax with her. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I agree, and it's even more special now that I can share it with her.

Here's a video of her the other morning. She loves her oatmeal and has never refused it. But this morning she was discovering how her tongue worked:

7 months old today!

Lilia turns 7 months old today!
She's been busy practicing to get ready to crawl. Here's a video clip of how strong she's getting:

Look, baby push ups!

A Little Princess

Lilia and I had fun the other day when I decided to take photos of her at 6 months in her "Princess Dress". Here's a photo journal of our afternoon:



If you'd like to see most of the photos we took check out our Picassa album and be sure to comment on which one is your personal favorite.

A Family Tree

Nate and I were recently send a few baby photos of ourselves so for fun I created this photo family tree:

Beep beep, here she comes

Nate and I had our first dinner date alone in almost 6 months tonight. We are in Washington DC this week and Grandma and Grandpa Johnson are visiting and volunteered to babysit.

During their stay we have done may fun things together as a family, including celebrating the Fourth of July. Nate and I also managed to get out to a movie one night, a walk around the city alone one afternoon, and tonight was dinner. Nothing fancy, but we had a great time and it was just what we needed after 6 months without any time to ourselves (Thanks again!!).

The icing on the cake was when I returned after dinner this evening. Lilia was still up and had just had her own dinner which consisted of milk, oatmeal and green beans. Mmmm.... tasty?

I plopped down to play with her on the floor and put her on her tummy. Suddenly she quickly rolled across her gym mat 3 times. I was shocked! Prior to tonight the most she could do was roll over once and lay still. Out of curiosity I drug out my yoga mat and put her on one end. She proceeded to roll across the mat several more times, squealing in glee.

She’s mobile! It’s time to baby proof the sharp corners and put up the hazards.
My question… what did they put in that oatmeal??

Here's a video:


Second Video:

Happy Fourth of July!!

Anyone have the time?

I let Lilia play with my watch yesterday. But I think she's confused on how you wear a watch...
(she slipped this on, we didn't touch it)

Funny Face

Lilia was having fun making faces today

Destined to have Cheeks

By the looks of these photos our little girl was meant to have those cheeks! (pic on left is her Daddy, Nate, Pic on Right is my sister. I didn't have access to a baby photo of myself right now)

Ponderings

Why do babies love things they shouldn't have. Especially plastic bags, or paper? Lilia is really into plastic bags and tissue paper right now. As well as magazine pages and anything that will rip when she tugs on it. Last week when visiting her Grandparents in Minot, ND she was given an empty Tostitoes bag. (supervised of course). You would have thought she'd been given her own pony! She was so excited she shook and began breathing rapidly!! The same thing happened this week when I gave her some rolled up Tissue paper I pulled out of a new pair of shoes I'd bought. It was so darn cute I kept the tissue paper to entertain her with when nothing else is working.

Now if only those shoes would have fit.....

*A second pondering I had today- why do Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs taste soooo much better than regular Reeses PB cups? I've even come to almost dislike regular Reeses cups, but the Eggs are so good I hoard them and eat them throughout the year. I just finished my second to last one. What a sad day.

Do I look like I like to eat?

Lilia had her first bites of solid food! She had rice cereal "with bananas" and she seemed to LOVE it! She didn't spit it out, and grabbed at the spoon and bowl for more. Here's a little video of it. (you may have to turn your head some, the video person made the mistake I do all the time by turning the camera on it's side to fit us both in the lens, hehehe!)

Guess what I did today?

Check out what Lilia did for the first time today!

Lilia "talking"

Lilia has been testing out her vocal chords lately:

Oh how fast they grow

Seems like just yesterday she could hardly even hold her head up, and now today, at 4 months old, she's doing this:

Let's celebrate

I was sent this the other day and thought it was worthy of a post:

Before I was a Mom

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never k new I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,

the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Happy Mother's Day !

It’s happening…

She’s starting to notice things around her and reach for them…

p.s. Yes, that’s a GIANT plastic bowl for my salad. We stay in hotels and rarely have bowls other than those for cereal. And, well, I like my salads, and I like ‘em supersized!

Words you never want to hear

Post by: Dee

He’s sick, and had to be put in the Hospital….
That was the phone call I received when our cat, Bosco, had to be taken to the vet yesterday.

Bosco is a big lovable grey and white ball of hair. He and Rio, or female cat, were our first “babies”. They are our family. Any animal person knows that the term “pet” doesn’t cover it. They are more than that, they are family.

Last year when I joined Nate on the Mamma Mia tour, our whole family came. That included myself, and Bosco and Rio. The cats did awesome, and became road warriors like the rest of us. It was wonderful having our whole family together.

Then Lilia came along (yay!), and decisions had to be made. We knew there was no way to travel with a baby and two cats. But Nate’s job required travel, and without his job we didn’t have health insurance or his income. Both necessities.

The difficult decision was made to continue on the road, but find someone to take care of our beloved kits. (my lingo for furry kids). We toyed with the idea of having someone stay in our home and also take on the job of being cat parents. But I would only trust certain people to do that, and they weren’t available.

Then, to my relief, my parents agreed to be temporary guardians for our kits. I cannot tell you what a generous gift and blessing this was! Not only are my parents animal people, but Bosco and Rio consider them their second home. We’ve stayed with them often, and the cats Love, LOve, LOVE it there! They get to romp around the house, and watch their birds, go outside in their amazing backyard, and spend quality time in my parents laps or stealing their chairs.

There’s no question in my mind that the cats are happy there. I know they miss us, and not a night goes by that I don’t say a prayer for them and will them to know how much I miss them and love them… but I know they are happy, loved and well taken care of.

(Yes, I agree - it’s not fair that I had a baby and then left them to go on tour with my husband. It’s not fair to them at all. But I was between a rock and a hard place and a decision one way or the other had to be made. We chose to stay afloat and have income and insurance, and part of our family together. But, we eagerly await being reunited with the kits.)

Fast forward to now and Bosco gets sick..again. Yes, you see he’s had this problem previously and they warned me it could reoccur. It's like this - his plumping was backed up. Yep, he was impacted. As silly as that sounds it’s very dangerous for a cat. Thanks to very observant guardians they saw he wasn’t well and took him to the vet right away. Still, the call wasn’t an easy one to get. I felt even more guilt for not being there, and that he wasn’t well. Top that off with the fact that Rio seemed to miss him while he was in the hospital and I was a mess.

The good news came today when I found out Bosco was ok. He’s back at home with my parents and Rio and he’s almost his old self. He'll have to be on medicine, and may have to switch to some other food but at least he was already begging for food even though he’d just ate. Ata boy Bosco. Hang in there buddy, I’ll be home to visit you soon. I miss you both more than words or tears could ever relay.

Thanks for taking care of my babies Mom and Dad. I owe you much more than I can ever repay.

Vancouver, Before Christ (BC)

A. Chicago B. Appleton C. Detroit D. Kalamazoo E. Omaha F. Fresno G. Seattle H. Spokane I. Vancouver

Post by: Nate

It appears that I've let my blogging duties go to the wayside again. I'm quite possibly the worst blogger ever or at least a high ranking candidate on that list.

Okay, let me recap since we last heard from our intrepid hero when he re-joined the tour in Appleton, WI. The first day back in Appleton I had a quick brush-up with the assistant dance captain and then I was shot out of the canon and back into the show. My first week back was good, it felt great to be back on stage. After the closing the Sunday night performance, I drove back to Chicago and slept in my own bed for 2 nights before heading off to Detroit the following Tuesday. The Mia played Detroit for 2 weeks during that time I stayed with my buddy Derek and his wife Aili in Riverview. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in our cast that "loved" playing Detroit but staying with Derek and Aili was great; definitely a highlight of my tour life. I was able to spend quality time with Derek having a few beers and showing him how to play darts.

After Detroit was Kalamazoo, MI where we saw a changeover of principle cast members; 9 to be specific. The week was full of rehearsals and put-ins and more winter weather. At the end of the week we said our "goodbyes" to old friends leaving the cast and the next week in Omaha we said our collective "hellos" to all our new friends starting. But the icing on the cake was when the girls, DeeAnn and Lilia, joined the tour with me in Omaha. What a relief to finally all be back together again. We stayed at a nice Residence Inn in Omaha and started to get acclimated to tour with baby on board. Like any parent will tell you, it's always a chore with a new baby but touring with a little one isn't much different. We have our Pack-n-Play for Lilia and many other items that make her life on the road comfortable. It's a good thing we own an SUV otherwise, Dee would be hell-bent on already having a minivan. Getting everything into our Explorer is a little like playing Tetris but it all fits and we've made this far without too many bumps along the way. Speaking of new parents, we have some fellow Chicago friends that recently joined the tour with a new baby as well. It's been very helpful sharing the transitions of parenthood and touring with a baby with them.

Following Omaha we had a long trek to Fresno, CA. Dee and Lilia flew with the company, while I caravanned with a friend 1,600 plus miles from Omaha to Fresno. The first day we drove from Nebraska to Beaver, UT driving through Denver, CO and the beautiful Rockies. After 18 hours and over 1000 miles later, we ended our day in Beaver and found a Comfort Inn that fit our budget. The next day we forged our way to Fresno via Las Vegas with a far too short stop at the Cheesecake Factory at Caesar Palace Forum Shops where my sister and her family met us for lunch including a surprise visit from my mother who had found a cheap ticket to Vegas the week before. We had a nice lunch and for good luck we dropped a few bucks in a slot machine in the casino. We rolled into Fresno around 8pm that evening. Dee and Lilia were waiting with open arms. It was nice to be greeted with such big smiles. Our week in Fresno was uneventful: a few rehearsals and nice warm weather.

Seattle was the next stop along the way. Again Dee and Lilia took the company flight while I caravanned with a friend. 16 hours later, we were all reunited. We had a great week in Seattle with visits to Pike Place Market and the Lululemon store. Seattle was great. I would have liked a least another week there. Someday we'll have to go back visit it again.

Next on the schedule was Spokane, WA. The four-hour drive through the mountains from Seattle was nice. We rolled into the Spokane Valley area around 5pm and got settled in for the week. I can't say that I ever need to revisit Spokane.

This brings us to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Mia parked there for 2 weeks. We shared a high-rise apartment with some friends and enjoyed our time in the city. On our Monday off we drove up to Whistler and enjoyed the beautiful, scenic Sea to Sky Highway drive. Vancouver is crazy busy with construction preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics. All-in-all, we enjoyed our time there but were excited to get back to the US.

We're being invaded...

by alien babies- eeeek!

Babies = ...

I always thought that babies = cute and fuzzy feelings.

Then today we took off Lilias sox and found this:












Cute, Fuzzy.... Feet!!

Sevens not enough

Seven Weird Things About Me.
(posted by Dee)

1. I like Peanut Butter in nearly everything. I eat it in oatmeal, on my apples, on my bananas, mixed with yogurt, and/or cool whip, on pancakes, or bacon, I'll put it in the bottom of an ice cream cone, melt it and then add the ice cream, it's good on brownies, or mix up a batch of Bisquick muffins with PB, and mixed nuts, It's great on Banana Bread too. Oh, and it has to be JIF peanut butter. Trader Joes is pretty good, but JIF is da best! I was mortified when we arrived in Canada and I found out they didn't carry JIF. I had to buy some crappy brand before I finally found it at a Walmart here. Then I had to by a HUGE jar to make sure I had enough to get me through the two weeks we'd be here.

2. I have to put my toilet paper on so that the loose end is coming towards you. It drives me crazy when it goes the other way.

3. I used to eat my pudding mixed with cool whip and then in an ice cream cone with either Peanut Butter in the bottom, or dry hot cocoa mix.

4. I like my cereals mixed together, 2 different kinds are good, 3 or more is better. I also used to also eat my cereal with a fork.

5. I ran around on my hands and knees and acted like a horse until I was about 16 years old. I plan on doing it again when Lilias old enough and wants me to be her horsie....

6. Long, long ago, in a galaxy far far away... I co-wrote a song about passing gas and it was sung to the tune of "We're Not Gonna Take It " by Twisted Sister. You'll have to tune in for a future post on what the words were. (La Rêveuse that was for you).

7. When I blow my nose, I sound like a fog horn. It tends to scare my brother-in-law.

Ok now I get to tag someone else - Jen at Allen Fieldhouse and LeNae Grandma your it!

Gotchya!

Tag! I'm it....and If you're reading this, YOU'RE IT!! (posted by Dee)

Two names you go by:
1. Dee
2. DeeAnn

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. black yoga pants
2. Workout Tank (heading to the gym next!)

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. My Artwork (sculpting/painting)
2. Exercise

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. To be snuggling with my cats in my own bed
2. To be visiting with friends and family that I miss (in person)

Two favorite pets you have had or have now?
1. Bosco
2. Rio

Two people who will fill this out:
1. Ronica
2. Lisa

Two things you ate last night:
1. Peanut Butter
2. Apple

Two things you ate today:
1. oatmeal
2. Peanut Butter

Two people you last talked to:
1. Nate
2. Bethany

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Laundry
2. Starting to pack to travel to our next city (Sacramento, CA)

The longest car rides I've been on:
1. San Francisco to Houston
2. Chicago to North Dakota

Two favorite holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Fourth of July

Two favorite vacations:
1. Florida
2. Cancun

Two Favorite Drinks:
1. Hot Cocoa
2. Chocolate Martini

Birthday:
July 16

Now copy, paste and blog it. I look forward to it!

It's all worth it

When your tired, and your trying for the eleventh time in a day to get your little one to go to sleep. Finally, she stops whining...looks up at you, smiles and closes her eyes.... You wait, she looks so content. But wait, she opens her eyes just a smidge...checks to see if your still there, smiles again and drifts off to sleep.

Is there anything better than that?

We grow weeds

Or at least that's how fast Lilia is growing. She's really been changing lately. Not only putting on the pounds, but getting stronger. She now holds her head steadily, and during "tummy time" she holds it very upright. She can sit up by herself when surrounded by pillows, and if you lean her against something she tries to use her abs to sit herself up, grunting the whole time.

She's also full of all sorts of noises, and last night and this morning kept us up while she seemed to be trying out her singing voice.

Who says weeds are all bad?

Sunshine

Post by: Dee

I’ve always been a sucker for sunshine. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, if the sun is shining I’m in a much better mood. Much like a cat, I will seek it out and stand or sit in it for a moment just to feel it’s glow which brightens my spirit.

Until I became a mother I didn’t realize how the sun could shine even on the gloomiest of days. It’s changed my outlook on life. While I was pregnant people gave me negative warnings like: “your life will never be the same again” and “you’ll never have a moment of peace or quiet” or “you’ll never sleep again”.

They were right....
My. Life. Has. changed.

Sure, I lack sleep, but it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever staying up all hours of the night for. As for peace and quiet. There’s nothing more magical than the sound of my little girls voice, whether she’s laughing, crying, gurgling, or hollering. She’s here, she’s alive, she’s healthy. And she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced.

My little sunshine not only warms my heart she illuminates my world.

Love Thursday (or whatever day it may be when I get this posted)

(posted by: dee) <--- thought I'd specify so there isn't confusion as we are both posting on our blog.

Ok, so this was suppose to be done Thursday. I'm a bit behind, but your lucky I'm getting a post up at all. :)

I LOVE:

1. Our baby girl, Lilia
   
2. How supportive our families and friends have been, and spending time with them
   
3. Snuggling with my kitties
4. Sunshine
5. Seeing our little girl recognize me and grin or giggle
   
6. Spending a day outside when the weather is perfect
7. Walks and exercising
   
8. Painting, sculpting or doing anything 'artsy'
9. Apples and peanut butter, together or seperate
10. And lately - I love to sleep whenever I can

Romney Traded from GOP

Wouldn't it be cool if political parties were run like professional sports teams?

In a political shocker, Mitt Romney finds himself switching teams midstream in a trade by the Republican Party. The trade sends Romney and an undisclosed amount of money to the Clinton campaign for Mike Gravel, Tom Daschle and Al Sharpton from the Democrats. Sources say that Romney had demanded the trade after a less than adequate showing in this week's Super Tuesday voting. Democratic leaders were happy to offload the salaries of Gravel and Daschle and threw in Sharpton to sweeten the deal. Sharpton could not be contacted for comment regarding the abrupt party change. Obama and Clinton both supported and then took credit for masterminding the trade. Baring a failed physical conducted personally by Sen. Mitchell, Romney will be moving his office to the other side of the hill as early as tomorrow.

Just think we could all be playing Fantasy Politics on Yahoo! (soon to be Microsoft) next season.

Fat Tuesday

"Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, the festival New Orleans, Louisiana, is famous for."Gras" is French for fat and "Mardi" is French for Tuesday."

I'm back on the Mamma Mia tour in Appleton, WI. I left Dee and Lilia and my mom, who is graciously helping us with this transition, yesterday morning and drive a simple 3 hours north of our home to meet up with the company. With 2 ½ months away from it all, the arrival of a new baby, great amounts of food, a less than ambitious workout schedule and countless other factors I'm feeling the weight of it all. Figuratively and literally. It's not just the weight on my shoulders but also the new pounds I've added since my departure. So the fact that yesterday was Fat Tuesday couldn't have been more fitting.

After I checked and settled into my hotel room, I headed to the theatre to work with our assistant choreographer and one of our amazing keyboard players before the company meeting and sound check to test my brain and go over dance movers and music before diving into the Mamma Mia deep end. All-in-all I was really surprised that most of it came back into my body without much coercion. I guess once this show lives within you, it's always there buried deep below ready to be accessed or rather summoned when needed.

I stepped into the show without any major problems. I didn't kill anyone. In fact, it almost felt like I never truly left. I have such an amazing, supportive and welcoming set of friends out here. And the new faces, stories and subtle differences throughout the company have made it even more interesting than I could have imagined.

But regardless, Fat Tuesday was Fat Tuesday and I'm heading to the gym.

Time Flies

Holy smokes time flies. I know that all our friends and family members that have kids have told us that for years but 'Wow!' were they or you (if you were one of the people that "told me so") right. I admit it. It's in writing. You have evidence of my guilt and admission thereto. I've come clean. I was so naïve but until you have kids it's just hard to comprehend how time moves at an accelerated rate. It was January 12^th since we last updated the blog and it seems like it was only yesterday. Tasks that used to take seconds now take minutes and tasks that used to minutes to complete now seem to get spread over hours. It's hard to stay focused, on course and on task.

I guess it would only be considerate to conduct a minor recap of the events leading up to today. With a statement like that my recap better be worthy of such an introduction but sadly enough I doubt it will be so; reader beware of boring details to follow.

Since Dee's last posting, the girls, Dee and Lilia, and I have been fighting the good fight at home. Last Friday we had a quick checkup at the doctor's office and Lilia has grown to 10 lbs, 3 oz and 23 ¾ inches. For those of you scoring at home she started her "out-of-womb" experience at 7 lbs, 4 oz and 21 ½ inches. It feels like a Phil Donahue chart would be helpful here but I fear if I make another reference to Phil Donahue I might date myself. So I'll forgo the embarrassment of making that mistake and let you piece together a visual of the data points in your head. Needless to say, sans chart, she's progressing beautifully. She never misses a meal.

The week prior to that, we had taken the little "diaper-dirtier" to Children's Memorial Hospital down in the Lincoln Park neighborhood for an echocardiogram due to a heart murmur our pediatrician had observed during her customary inspections. Without going into the gory details, the results are positive and the murmur is most likely going to fix itself as she matures and grows. We'll have to have regular checkups with a cardiologist to monitor the progress. This was a huge weight off our collective shoulders. I didn't necessarily think it was anything other than that but I'm not sure if I was, again, being naïve or in denial not allowing myself to consider it was anything other than a minor, self-healing abnormality. Denial isn't a bad defense sometimes. I used it all through high school and most of college and look you're reading our blog now.

This past week my parents, Gary and LeNae Johnson, arrived and have been helping us stay sane as we continue to learn how to listen and react to her highness. It's been great having the help and visiting while they've been here. Dee's triumphantly returned to work, so their helping hands have been extremely welcomed. Trying to waste time while watching a baby is hard work and frankly it doesn't pay well.

Last Sunday, the day after my parents arrived, we had Lilia's baptism. She slept through the whole thing – water and all. In fact, I doubt she even knew it happened but regardless we're not doing it again so that she can experience it with cries and screaming. It was a nice service and we went out for lunch afterwards – which she also slept through. Come to think of it, my parents took us out for dinner this evening at one of our favorite restaurants, Koi in Evanston, and she slept through the entire meal again. I'm trying to find something funny to say in correlation with this phenomenon but comedy gods have denied my request for more funny.

Next Tuesday I return to Mamma Mia (North American Tour). I'm ready to be back to work but not ready to leave the comfort of my home with wife and baby. This too is a new transition. Such is life. Dee and Lilia will join me soon enough and we'll have new friends with their own new baby on the road with us. More details to follow and hopefully sooner than the time lapse between this post and the last one.

Thanks for biting the bullet and reading to the bottom. Too bad there wasn't any gold at the bottom of this bucket.

I got nothing…

My new Gym

Bosco and I tried out my new Gym Playset this weekend. We both really liked it. Bosco even entertained me by chasing the lights that flash when the music plays. Thanks for the great gift Grandpa and Grandma KJ !!

(More new pix have also been added to D's Picassa Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/deeannkjelshus/LiliaAnn2Weeks)

Thank heaven for little girls

"I can't resist a joyous urge
To smile and say
Thank heaven
For little girls"

Our little girl is two weeks and two days old today . This morning when I picked her up and said good morning she smiled at me. I swear she did. You can call it gas if you'd like, but it doesn't matter. When I see that little grin it warms my heart and fills me up with so much joy.

She smiles when she's falling asleep after a feeding too, and at times I swear she laughs in her sleep. Maybe it's coincidence, but I chose to believe she's already expressing an emotion of joy. Either way, it fills me with happiness and more love than I know what to do with.

All’s Well on the Midwest Front

Lilia slept pretty well through the night last night but today she's been a little restless and a little bit fussy. I'm not sure if she's in a growth spurt today or if she's just got gas. It's so hard to try to discern her needs when all she can do is cry to let us know that she's not comfortable. I know in time we'll become more adept to adjusting our responses to her cries but for now it feels a little trial-by-fire. After a quick sponge bath and a cluster feeding cycle, she's napping and hopefully will grace us with a little break again this afternoon. So far, so good.

G'pa and G'ma Kjelshus returned back to North Dakota yesterday morning. Their visit was great and extremely helpful. Dee's dad, Ron, called around 4:30pm to let us know that their flights were good and on schedule and they had arrived safely. It's always nice to get that phone call when a family member or friends are traveling after a visit and especially at this time of the year with weather variations. It was hard to see them go but I'm sure they're happy to be home and able to sleep in their own bed.

Yesterday afternoon Dee and I took little Lilia on her first walk through the park near our condo. The weather was amazing! I think we set another record high here in Chicago for the second straight day. We bundled up Miss Lilia in her car seat and attached it to her travel system stroller and headed out. She didn't make a peep the entire walk. It's a little hard to believe since she's a little bit vocal at times. She was deep in mid-day nap. Hopefully this is a good sign she'll be a travel-pro since March is the departure time for Dee and her to join me on tour. At this point only time will tell.

Yesterday I had an audition for a Comcast radio spot. I had to sing the "blues". Does anyone see a problem with this? I'm about the whitest, straight-laced dude you'll ever meet. I did my best but don't expect any calls from it. Regardless it's always good experience to try something different and see what happens. Life is often about pushing your own boundaries, right? I guess the same analogy can be applied to fatherhood or just plain parenthood. Each day that Lilia is with us I'm learning more and more, and I'm lovin' every minute of it. Who knew?!

Introducing Lilia Ann Johnson

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years from Chicago. It's been awhile since the blog has been updated and it's far overdue. I've been meaning to post news for months but it seems like every time I start to write something, I can't figure out where to begin with so much to share. Well, I guess it's just best to start from today and fill-in the gaps as I go.

First and foremost, I'd like to introduce y'all to the newest member of our family:

Name:	Lilia Ann Johnson
Birthday:	Tuesday, December 25th 2007 at 9:47pm
Weight:	7 lbs, 4 oz
Length:	21 ½ inches
Location:	Evanston Northwestern Hospital (ENH), Evanston, IL

Dee and I returned to Chicago from the road in mid-November to prepare the way for Lulu to arrive. For those of you unfamiliar with the name Lulu, Lulu was the "en vitro" nickname we used for Lilia before she was born. Many of our friends still call her that and most likely will for years to come. Both Dee and I think it's cute and don't mind in the least.

We spent time readying her room and the rest of our house putting the futon, a chair and countless books and other miscellaneous items into storage making way for baby clothes, a crib, a travel system, swings, stuffed animals and many, many other wonderful gifts from friends and family members. All of which have been extremely useful thus far.

This past summer, the end of the pre-Lilia era, we were on the road with Mamma Mia. We had an amazing time seeing the sights. We spent time in Madison, Minneapolis, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Portland, Salt Lake City, Costa Mesa, Las Vegas, Tempe, San Diego, San Francisco, Houston, San Antonio and Kansas City. All of which you can view pictures online at our online photo galleries:

• http://picasaweb.google.com/nathanalanjohnson
  

Soon after Lilia arrived, Dee's parent, Ron and JoAnn Kjelshus (a.k.a. the Kjs) visited us from North Dakota. They've been very helpful with this new adventure and transition into parenthood. Ron has also been extremely useful around the house hanging shelves and repairing and painting walls. Our place looks and smells like new again. JoAnn has passed along great motherly advice and techniques. I don't know how we could have made this transition without them.

Ron keeps telling me how it's not cold here in Chicago. I guess I've become acclimated to Chicago weather and disagree with him. It's cold enough for me. I'm ready for spring!

For more pictures of Lilia, checkout our online photos galleries:

• http://picasaweb.google.com/nathanalanjohnson/LiliaAnnJohnson
  
• http://picasaweb.google.com/nathanalanjohnson/TheKjSVisit
  

I hope everyone has a wonderful, productive and fruitful 2008.