The Best Thing About Monday

Actually, this is one of the ONLY good things about Monday, the other good thing being that it's Josh's day off... and that is Monday Night Football!! Tonight the Colts are playing, and they happen to be our very favorite team. This has been a rough NFL weekend for Josh and me because we can't stand Tom Brady, as we've said before, and everyone is currently worshiping at his altar for the number of touchdown passes he's already thrown this year. Give me a break. Yeah, so he can throw touchdown passes. That doesn't change the fact that the New England Patriots is still Satan's team.

We are beginning to understand why people say you don't sleep after you have a baby. Howie was once a great sleeper... sleeping 6 or 7 hours, waking up to be fed, and sleeping another 2 or 3... I thought we had avoided the whole being up the whole night with your baby thing. When people would ask how well he was sleeping, I would usually say "oh, you know..." and then move the conversation to something else because I didn't want them to feel bad about their kids since their kids' sleeping habits obviously couldn't hold a candle to Howie's, and I also wanted to pretend like I was participating in the rite of passage for parents that is staying up all night with your child. But in reality I was basically sleeping like normal. Oh, how things have changed. Somehow our wonderful sleeper has fallen into some alarmingly normal baby patterns, i.e., waking up all the time. To the tune of 8 TIMES this past Thursday. Getting up for the 6th time in one night to replace a fallen out pacifier or see why Howie is making squawking noises in his crib is rough, let me tell you. The 7th and 8th times are even worse. This is pretty much how i goes. Wake up to squawking baby. Stumble into kitchen where baby's crib is, being careful to avoid any land mine piles on the floor since it's dark. Replace paci and/or comfort in whatever way needed. Stumble back into bed. Get comfortable again. Then repeat 5 minutes later, seemingly just seconds after falling asleep. Oh, well. Josh and I have learned to pray a lot while getting up all those times. But then I go to Howie's crib and see those huge eyes looking up at me... that makes even getting out of bed for the 8th time seem OK somehow. Hopefully he'll start sleeping better, but until then, we're officially in the ranks of un-sleeping parents.

Updates from the Desch Household

Well, Folks, a hint of fall has come to Augusta. It has FINALLY been very cool in the mornings and evenings, which has been wonderful. Last night we slept with the windows open and heard such a loud noise we were sure it was the microwave melting down or something, but no, it was just a creature of the wild making its presence known. Howie and I have been enjoying taking a lot of walks in his stroller. The weather has been beautiful, and he has loved seeing what there is to see outside. I can tell that I'm dreadfully out of shape because we have a little hill in the driveway, and I'm practically huffing and puffing to push the stroller up it. Yeesh.

The picture with Howie wearing a hat kind of tells you everything you need to know about my transformation into a Southerner. Was it chilly? Yes, but probably only by Augusta standards. I think the heartier Midwestern mamas might not have seen the same need to bundle Howie up. But hey, he looks so precious in that hat that I didn't hesitate to use it when the opportunity presented itself. Besides, better to err on the side of caution, right?

Last night was Monday Night Football, of course, and even though Josh and I didn't particularly care about the game, we had so much fun anticipating football being on. I am also definitely getting into the Christmas spirit even though it's still 2 months away, so we decided to listen to Christmas music before the game and make hot chocolate. I think the cooler weather is getting me in the mood. Now neither of those things happened because when you have a baby you can have all the plans in the world, but chances are not that good that you'll accomplish your plans because Howie throws a monkey wrench into everything. We're glad he does- it's a CUTE monkey wrench- but all that to say that we didn't get our Christmas cheer in last night. Not like we don't have plenty of time. Ho Ho Ho!!

I guess that's about all for now. Happy Tuesday!!

Howie's Baptism with Photo Updates!!

Here is a picture update, which has been long in coming...
1. Mama, Papa, and Howie at Howie's BAPTISM!! Howie was baptized yesterday morning. We were so blessed to have members of Howie's fan club come to witness the baptism... my parents, Josh's parents, my grandma Fisher, my Aunt Martha, Marnie, Chris, and Josh's BFF Tommy. This was quite a party, starting with a pre-baptism dinner at the Pizza Joint, a post-baptism lunch at Goolsby's, and a cake brought all the way from our favorite bakery in Peoria!!! The BEST bakery in the world!! I requested that Mom and Dad bring a few goodies for Josh and me. Little did I know... my mom walked in on Saturday afternoon with 4 BOXES!!! WOOP!!! Needless to say, Josh and I may gain about 50 pounds before the contents of those boxes are gone, and may have some serious tooth rot, but the process will taste amazing. Howie's baptism was a wonderful blessing.
2. Mama, Howie, and Cake. Yum.
3. Aunt Marnie & Uncle Chris at the Pizza Joint party.
4. Josh & Howie at the Pizza Joint. Howie is a Pizza Joint regular. His first visit was on his 4th day of life, and he's been sold ever since.
5. Mama & Howie chillin' at home.
6. Howie getting excited about his improved head-holding up ability!! "Look at me, Mom!!"
7. Getting some help from Papa.
8. Howie lounging in the sink following a volcanic spit-up. It was so bad that we didn't take time to get his little tub out... just threw him in the sink. We discovered that at his size right now he fits like a glove!!
9. Howie looking good with a popped collar. He's already up on what's cool.
10. "Joke's on you, Mama!!"
11. Howie in his pajamas, lounging with Papa on a lazy morning.
12. Howie talking for the camera... it's too bad that there's no sound, because this is the face he makes when he's making some precious little noises.
13. Howie in his ducky bathrobe, getting ready for bed.
14. Josh and Howie... "Mama, alright already!! ENOUGH PICTURES!!"

Please be sure to click on the link to our flickr page over on the side bar... you will NOT be sorry when you see these!!

The Prodigal Blogger

We are BACK from our long blogging vacation!! I'm not sure why it's been so long since I've blogged last. Howie and I have been staying home most days because I'm trying to get him on a good nap routine, and we live out in Timbucktoo with no internet. But a blog update is WAYYYY overdue, so here we go. (This was supposed to be accompanied with some pictures of recent events, but I left our computer with all of our pictures on it at home in our rush to get out the door... with baby, baby's bag, baby's seat, mama, papa, mama's purse, etc.)

Josh and I have been watching a lot of football with the NFL season in full swing. That's been pretty amazing. I caught Howie trying to watch the Colts game yesterday evening... already a fan!! We don't let him watch TV, but if we did, I'm glad to know that he's already developed good taste in NFL teams.

Remember all of our wildlife stories from our apartment? Well, there have been several more nasty bug encounters since the last story, so many in fact that Josh is trying to kill bugs in his sleep. We were in Peachtree City for the weekend, and Josh's mom, knowing that he is a proficient spider killer, introduced Josh to a huge spider on their back porch and asked him to get rid of it. Josh made a valient effort, but the spider seems to have fallen to the ground before we could be sure that it was dead. I'm sure it was at least a little injured. (Mr. Desch also sprayed huge amounts of bug killer in the general area where he fell.) Anyway, we all went to bed and thought maybe the spider would be back in his web the next night. I didn't sleep well that night because I'm currently sick, and at one point I saw Josh get up out of bed. I asked him what he was doing, thinking he was probably just going to the bathroom, and he mumbled some half-asleep gibberish... what I made out was "I'm going to look for spiders." I, being fully awake, thought this was hilarious but I also wanted him to be quiet because Howie was sleeping in our room too, and I didn't want him to wake up. I asked Josh again where he was going, and he repeated that he was going to look for spiders. He was almost out the door when I finally convinced him to get back in bed. His exterminating services are being called upon so often that he's ready at a moment's notice, even when he's asleep.

I've been reading cookbooks a lot recently- I kind of read them like normal books, over and over. I just love cooking, so I always like to read the cookbooks in search of a good recipe. Josh and I are currently on a pie kick, specifically, PUMPKIN pie. Neither one of us has ever baked a pie, but we're going to try. We got a pumpkin pie at the Fresh Market a couple of weeks ago, and it was sooo good. I had forgotten how good pumpkin pie was!! I've always been intimidated by pie crust, but I'm gathering up my courage and we are going to attempt to make one. My aunt Martha makes the best pies... we'll have to ask for a tutorial when we're in Peoria next time. But for now we're on our own. We'll keep you posted on the results. So anyway, this latest forage into the cookbooks was a search for the perfect and most fool-proof pumpkin pie recipe. While I was looking I came across a chapter in one of the cookbooks called "Side Dishes and Salads," or something like that. As most of you know, I am not a fan of condiments, with the exception of ketchup on french fries. I do not care for mayonnaise, mustard, any kind of salad dressing, etc. Most of these things that qualify as "salads" are held together with some combination of condiments. So this chapter made me shiver a little bit. Then I came across a recipe called "Snicker Salad." What? A salad made out of Snickers? Aren't salads supposed to be green and leafy? Or at least be made of mostly healthy things? Oh no, this salad was made up of chopped up Snicker bars, part of an apple, and Cool Whip. That is definitely NOT a salad in my book, but I guess if more salads were made with candy, more people would like them!

In Howie news, he turned 3 months old this past Saturday and started giggling this past week!!! It is the cutest sound I have ever heard, and Josh and I will do whatever it takes to make him giggle. It's still pretty hard to get a giggle out of him, so you usually have to go to some extremes to be rewarded. Before I had Howie I always vowed that I would never be one of those parents who talked tons of baby talk to their babies. Well, that's definitely out the window. I've been talking baby talk like crazy since Howie was born. There's just something about that sweet little baby face and chubby cheeks that makes the silly words come out. Last week I got Howie to laugh by saying "Ooga Booga" over and over. Whatever it takes. Whole sentences have their place, but there's nothing like some good old baby talk to make Howie smile. Josh has discovered that Howie likes to be lifted up and down, so he does that to make him laugh. That's too much work for me, so I resort to baby talk and old-fashioned tickling.

Well, that's partial update on our life. I can't believe it's already October!! 2007 is just flying by. I'm also getting excited about Christmas!! I put some Christmas music on the other day just for kicks... I know it's a little early, but what the heck.

Love to you from us in Georgia!!

Fall Is Coming

Ahh, fall has officially arrived with the opening of the NFL season this weekend!!! There's something so fall-ish to me about turning on the TV and seeing football games on every channel. Just another reason that fall is my very favorite time of year!! Another reason is that fall is apple season. I LOVE apples, but only when they're hard and don't have a mushy texture. Fall is primetime if you're an apple. I've been looking for good apple recipes so I'm hoping to get some good things cooking. Unfortunately Georgia doesn't seem to grow many apples, so we'll have to duplicate the apple orchard experience at Kroger. Might look weird to take a bucket in, but whatever. Apple picking is very fall-ish.

OK, I just have to rant about Fergie again for a second. If you've read our blog before you probably know that Fergie is one of my favorite people to rant about, but I just can't stay quiet any longer. Have ya'll heard her new song "Big Girls Don't Cry"? This is possibly the worst song I've ever heard. There is a line in the chorus that says "I miss you/like a child misses their blanket." This is not a joke. When I first heard this song on the radio I had to listen again in case I heard it wrong. But no, I unfortunately heard it right. I thought "Wow, whoever wrote this song is really digging deep. That lyric is the most pathetic thing I've ever heard." THEN I found out that this song is sung by none other than FERGIE, the pop star who is the worst offender of all in my opinion. To say that she sunk even lower in my estimation after hearing that song is a serious understatement. Fergie, first you were spelling in your songs, but now you're singing about your BLANKIE?? Can you possibly be any more juvenile? Wow. I apologize for that rant, but I felt like I could stay silent for no longer.

Howie is doing very well. I posted some pictures of him playing with his toys and having fun being a baby. The one of him looking at the outlet is in our bathroom. We give him a bath every night because he loves to get wet for some reason, and so he was resting on the counter by the sink before we put him in the tub, and he got fascinated with the outlet. It doesn't take much to make a friend if you're a baby. Right now Howie is laying next to me, making all kinds of baby sounds and shrieks. It's soooo precious!!! He's growing so fast.

Have a great day!!

Happy Weekend

Last night Josh and I had the pleasure of going to a banquet hosted by a local ministry called International Link, which networks with internationals in the Augusta area who are here for a variety of reasons. We served as table hosts, and we ate with 7 Chinese people. Most of them spoke English well, so it seemed like we were understanding each other pretty well. There were two women who live here with their families, and both of their mothers were here visiting from China. I got a big kick out of these older ladies. Neither of them spoke any English, but my favorite part was watching them eat the American food. We were served chicken and rice casserole, vegetables, fruit, and a roll. They both speared the roll with their forks and picked it up and took bites off of it that way. It was sooo funny!! They were good sports to try the food... can't say that I'd necessarily reciprocate in China. We had a lot of fun!! I learned that Chinese people don't eat butter or many sweet things or coffee or french fries or cheese, and they have way more fruits and vegetables that you can't get here... on the whole, Chinese people blow Americans out of the water in terms of healthiness. Way to go, China. Howie enjoyed spending the evening with some good friends from church.

We would like to make a huge announcement, right here and now... drum roll please... Howie slept a whopping 8 HOURS last night. Yes, that's right, folks. Our favorite little wide-eyed baby slept like a champ. Howie, here's to you, Buddy. Thanks for the great night.

Well, I guess that's all the updates for now. We wish you a great weekend!!

Random Updates from the Desch Household

Probably not the picture that you were thinking you would see when loading our blog. No, Howie has not grown 8 legs. This is a chilling photographic record of the spider Josh faced off with outside of our apartment. For the details on this horrific event, please consult Josh's Real-Life Stories from a First-Time Dad. Just looking at that picture now makes my skin crawl.

In less disgusting and disturbing news, things have been going well in the Desch household. Howie is growing by leaps and bounds... he weighed in at 13 lbs 6 oz at the doctor last week!! I guess all of that stuffing his face with milk that he does each day is working. I'm sure that every new parent has "Wow- I'm Really A Parent" moments, and I've already had several. I experienced my latest in the course of reading... drumroll please... parenting books. Yes, I'm reading parenting books. The esteemed James C. Dobson has found a place on our shelf with his book Bringing Up Boys. Another book on our nightstand is Making Your Kids Mind Without Losing Yours, by Kevin Leman. These books were given to me by my mother, and I'm actually finding them very useful. Granted it's a bit early to think about Howie minding (seeing as he's only 2 months old... "Howie, I told you NOT to spit up again!!" Oh wait, that's crazy). But this parenting know-how will come in handy before we know it.

I am currently obsessed with watermelon. I guess I've always liked watermelon, but for some reason my liking has escalated into an obsession. Maybe this was something pregnancy-induced. We've had a watermelon in our house at most points for several weeks. There's something about the watery but firm texture that just makes me crazy. I could honestly eat the whole thing at one time. A few weeks ago Josh came home from work to find a watermelon cut in half, with most of the middle gauged out. If you've ever cut a watermelon, you know how much work it is. The juice gets everywhere, you have to cut all the fruit off the rinds and throw them out... it's a little time consuming, and when you want watermelon real bad, you just have to set into it with a knife and your mouth. No time for formalities here. There are few foods that I would shamelessly put my entire face in and just eat away, but watermelon is definitely one of them. I would also dunk my face into a pool of Laffy Taffy, but that's another issue.

Howie has this blue bouncy vibrating seat that he just loves. We put him there when we're eating or cooking or doing dishes, and he thinks it's great. In the last couple of weeks he's started taking an interest in toys and and batting at them with his hands. The chair came with a little bar of hanging toys that we left off for the first several weeks because he wouldn't have cared about them, but I put the bar on a couple of weeks ago. There are four little toys that now hang over Howie's little seat, and then this tag on the side that has all of those stupid mumbo jumbo warnings, like "Don't Let Your Child Operate Heavy Machinery While In This Chair," or "Don't Let An Elephant Sit on Your Child While In This Chair." For some reason, Howie loves playing with that tag as much as playing with the other toys. It's really funny to watch him bat at the tag while this enticing rattle gets no play. I love how babies can find anything amusing.

All right, here's several pictures of life in the last week. I'll tell you about them in order.











1. Howie's battle wounds from his first round of shots. The Sesame Street bandaid may make it look fun, but Howie would tell you otherwise. To his credit, he hardly fussed. Already taking it like a man.
2. Photographic record of Howie's FIRST golf cart ride in Peachtree City this weekend! Already hitting the paths. Only in Peachtree City can you take the family for a spin to Kroger on your golf cart.
3. Howie learning to push himself up and hold his head up. Hard work for a baby. All of those brains in there make it heavy.
4. Howie with Nana and Bible Bill, having some grandparent fun.
5. Howie lovin' on his paci. Whoever invented pacifiers deserves some kind of Nobel prize, seriously.
6. Howie dressed in one of his more manly onesies.
7. Papa reading Howie one of the heavier philosophical works, B Is For Bear.
8. "Heeyyyy, Mama!! Are you SEEING this??"
9. "Yeah, that's RIGHT!! I'm holding my WHOLE HEAD UP!!"
10. Giving Howie very early driving lessons in hopes that he won't be a typical teenage driver.

Well, I guess that's about all the updates for now. Thanks for reading!! Have a great week!!