Adler Nicknames

Here are just a few of the names we are confusing Adler by, thus probably causing a delay in his name recognition:

Sugar Man
Mr. Droolicans
Mr. McSquirmicans
Spits-a-lot (his given Indian name)
A-man
Mr. Man
A-$
Baby Boo
Cranky Pants
Crankster
Poopy Pants
Alfredo Face

New Phrases Spilling Out of My Mouth...(make it stop!!)

For Pete's Burger!! (my grandma always said this one)
Ohhh poopy doop! (got this one from my mom)
Aee carumba! (thanks granny!)
OOoocheaka! (another from Grandma D.O.)

Double Duty Dinner

Kristine and I have always enjoyed eating out. There's just so much simplicity to it, and honestly, it's not that much more expensive when it's just two of you and you factor in the cost in time to buy the food, cook it, and then clean it up. Plus, with Adler, it seems like some time out of the house is great for Kristine, who spends all of her day alone on the isle of parenthood.

So far, dinners out have been great because Adler is almost always asleep after a car ride to the restaraunt, so it's a great chance for Kristine and I to say something to each other, and also avoid saying "Ooooohieeee, Adler, you are so cute, you are so cute...la la la la la la whoo whoo, you are so cute, love you, luv u, love yoooooouu." and other baby phrases or facial gestures that send Adler into pure joy. That was until last night:

Kristine and I decided to go to Scallinni's, a local italian restaraunt that specializes in AWESOME garlic/butter rolls, and some nice affordable food in a mafia style (dimly lit) environment. The rolls are amazing by the way, if you couldn't already tell. So, we get to the restaraunt and sit down, Adler next to me in his car seat, and I notice that his eyes are as big as Texas. He's wide awake and just fussy. So, I eat rolls and salad with one hand while rocking and holding his pacifier steady with the other. I was probably a terrible date because of the concentration my little mind requires to keep a baby happy while also feeding myself. By the time the food arrived, Adler was definately frustrated and wanted to be played with. So, we implemented double duty dinner, and I fed Adler a bottle while Kristine ate, and then we switched so that I could eat. It was honestly pretty tough, and we didn't walk out of the restaraunt very caught up on "grown up talk", but I did have a good laugh inside about how in it (parenthood) we really are. He's the real deal, and there will be more of those tough times...but I Praise God for my family and how awesome and fortunate and wonderful it was to be in that situation with someone like Kristine and a son like Adler. It makes anything "tough" seem like a piece of cake afterward, and in retrospect, it's never as stressful looking back as it felt in the moment. Ultimately, he's a joy and it's a priviledge to be his Dad and her husband. Really, it was perfect because the food had cooled off to the perfect temperature by the time it was my turn to eat, so Win Win right?

Well, Stephen is showing me up by posting, so looks like it's my turn. So as you can see, Adler is growing up already...he is such a cutie. His smiles are more frequent and are heart melting! He is 13 weeks today. I realized today how blessed I am that I am not going back to work...I would be taking him to daycare around this time and it would just be heart wrenching. I don't know if I'm ready for the 1 hour at the gym nursery... can't imagine 5 days a week!

Being a mom has been great, but challenging. Lots of times I don't feel like I know what the heck I'm doing. Through trial and error (ie silence and crying) I have sort of figured out some things. Like he loves to have his face lightly rubbed when he's trying to fall asleep, I can calm him down by showing him the pictures on the refrigerator, he is not a fan of Atlanta traffic, he likes to nap in his swing but in his crib at night, etc.

There have been moments when I really miss being in Texas - close to family and the people I grew up with. Most of our friends in Atlanta have family nearby, so their time seems more limited - stretching it from one family to the next...especially with babies in the picture. They also have the problem of their family members fighting over who gets to keep the baby when mommy and daddy want to have date night. We just take Adler to these places with us...I'm waiting for the "You have a baby...in a bar..." (no I really don't take him to bars, but you get the picture).

It's been interesting, though, seeing the creative ways God has provided friendships with this new stage of life. A couple weeks ago, I was feeding Adler in the Piedmont Park parking lot when a familiar SUV pulled up next to me. A girl got out of the car and I realized it was Mandy, one of our old neighbors from our rental house. I watched her pull a stroller out of her trunk and realized she had a baby too! We spent the day walking in the park together and catching up - I hadn't seen her for 2 years. It was nice having a conversation with someone and sharing similar challenges.

Well, that's about all the time I have today....Adler calls....

27 + 26 + 3months = The Hunton Fun Times Family Photo Extravaganza

I recently got a tri-pod (no...not an iPod) for my camera. It's been fun because it allows us to take family pictures, as well as set up some silly shots (for furture posts). I can only describe the above picture with a smile, because that's what I do when I see our fat little Adler and my beautiful Kristine. At 3 months Adler is a whopping 16 lbs, which plops him into the 95 percentile as far as weight goes! He's so cute...and, not really fat...I just tease. It's such an exciting time, and so much fun to watch him grow (SO QUICKLY). Everyday seems to bring something new. He just found out that he can suck on his hands, and he LOVES to stick his tounge out at me, in hopes that I'll return the gesture and thus begins another game of "Mimick me Daddy!". He laughs and laughs when we play, and my heart is so full in those moments.

I know we've been lame-O's on the posting, but who'd have thought that parenting would be time consuming??? Anyway, I hope the pics get you up to date, and if you want some more pics...just go to www.flickr.com/photos/stevohunton.

High Five,
Stevo

Being a Dad is:

crazy
awesome
exciting
fulfilling
fun
scary
stressful
hard
emotional
inspiring
difficult
weird
radical
important
the best
driven
hopeful
rockin
hilarious
a gift
worth it.



I could go on and on about the different words that describe what it feels like, to me, to be a Dad. It really changes minute by minute. Once second Adler is sleeping soundly, looking innocent and beautiful, which melts away any concern I have in life and let's me know that I'm so blessed to have him. The next second, he's puking on my t-shirt or crying so hard that his lip quivers, which stresses me out beyond belief because I don't always know what to do. The great thing about it though is that, whether in the first second, or the next, I feel this unbelievable love for him. I don't get stressed about not wanting to be a Dad or feeling like I could give up, but more that I want to make him feel better because he's my child and I love him. It's funny the parallel to God there, in that God so often has looked at me and wanted to make me feel better but it takes me calming down and turning my eyes back towards Him. In Adler's case..he usually just needs to squeeze out a little poop and then he feels better, but you get the picture. I have a Father's love for Adler Ryan and it's so cool because it's painted a picture to me that God loves me this much and that's pretty awesome.

An Announcement to Make

Looking over my latest blogs I realized I failed to mention the latest good news at the Hunton house. I have decided to stay home with our Adler! Giving credit where credit is due, this comes as a complete answered prayer. God really showed Himself by providing in our financial world exactly what we had asked and needed. I don't know why I am amazed when God answers prayer as obviously as He did in this situation - He is my Father - He cares and hears me and wants good things for me and my family. God, I am so grateful for this opportunity and want to be a good steward with what you have provided for us!

In other Adler news:
He did the cutest thing yesterday! (get ready for lots of stories like these) I noticed he was intently staring at my face, so I stuck my tongue out at him to see if there would be a reaction. His face changed to serious...studying my tongue closely.....then he got the biggest smile on his face and even giggled a little bit....like it took him a minute to realize it was funny. He eventually started mimicking me (I just read they can start doing that at this age)....sticking his tongue back out at me too. It was great mommy and Adler time!

Today is our 2 month doctor's appointment - Adler will get 4 shots today (immunizations) - this will be really hard for me to watch. Sometimes babies have reactions such as fever or fussiness - so I am hoping not to experience either. However, It's interesting to me that some parents DON'T have their kids vaccinated for fear of rumored side effects (none which have been proven) - things like they cause polio, brain damage, autism, etc. All which are scary things, but would you rather your kid die of some rare disease you could have prevented?

For those who may be interested:
1)DTaP (kinda like a 3 in one) - diphtheria-a severe respiratory illness rare in the US but common in 3rd world countries, tetanus - a disease that causes paralysis when a dirty wound is allowed to fester, pertussis - whooping cough

2) Hib - hemophilus influenza B - which causes meningitis

3) Polio - a virus that can cause paralysis

4) Prevnar - a bacteria that causes meningitis, pneumonia and blood infections

Anyways, that's what we're up to today. Will keep you posted on how it goes...