What I Have to Put Up With

While I do appreciate all of the attention and I'm always one for a good joke, even at my own expense, this is a bit ridiculous.  Big Sis Ava and Daddy thought it would be funny to have me drive the school bus.  I don't even have a drivers' license and they didn't even put on my seat belt!  Of course, Mommy is equally to blame because instead of rescuing me, she ran and got the camera! Don't even think about short bus jokes!

Guess Who

Here's a little game to test how well you know my sister and me.  Mommy saved one of Big Sis Ava's outfits and dressed me up in it as well.  Fortunately, yellow duckies are gender-neutral.  Mommy even got the same white blankie and took my picture at almost the same age (I am 6 weeks in mine and Ava is 6 weeks, 2 days).  So, can you tell who is who?  The answer is at the bottom.

The top picture is of Ava and the bottom one is of me.  Did you guess correctly?

More Pictures

Hello Everyone!  There has been all this talk about my namesakes lately, including pictures, but nothing of me! While I appreciate my Mommy's interest in sharing stories with you, sometimes you just want to see pictures.  So, here are a few to tide you over until the next installment.

Snuggling with Mommy ~ 3 weeks old

Snuggling with Big Sis Ava ~ 4 weeks old

Sweet Dreams (during the hours of 8AM - 8PM!) ~ 5 weeks old

How I Got My Real Name

When Mommy and Daddy were trying to chose a name for me, they had a lot of help.  So many family and friends had thoughtful and . . . ahem . . .  creative suggestions.  Let me share a few . . .

·          Big Sis Ava – Baby Sister (even after she learned I was a boy), Baby Brother

·         Granny Z and Nanny – Steven, Matthew, or Steven Matthew

·         Aunts Cinse, Lisbet, and Jacque – Fergus, Magnus, Finlay, Selwyn, Declan, basically anything in the Celtic Family

·         Mr. Philip – Bucephelus, Omni, Trigger, Tiberius

·         Ms. Cathy’s Brother-in-Law – Rudder (after his dog)

·         Allie – Riley, Connley, Tyler, Jackson

·         Mommy – Henry, Ian, Sean, Evan

·         Daddy – Jason, Kyle, Quinn, Colin

Pretty quickly, Daddy narrowed his first choice down to Colin but it took Mommy some time to be swayed.  However, it did have a nice Scottish ring to it when coupled with Stuart and she slowly grew to like the name.  My middle name is for my Mommy’s daddy, Carl Emanuel.

Finally, for those who are as geeky as Mommy, here are the derivations of my names :

Colin –Gaelic – young creature and a shortened form of Nicholas

Emanuel – Hebrew – God is with us

Finally, this post is well-timed – Happy Birthday to Grandpa Carl Emanuel who would be 79 today – thanks for sharing your name.

Aunt Roseann, Grandpa Carl and Mommy

How I Got My Nickname, part 2

After my post explaining the nickname “Button,” many fans decried the omission of my original nickname, “Vladimir Otto.” So, I thought I would acknowledge the names that served as my placeholder for almost seven months.


When Mommy and Daddy found out I was a boy, Daddy immediately went to the sports page for inspiration.  Baseball season was at its zenith and there was a slew of Joses, a Hideki and an Ichiro from which to choose.  And then there was Vladimir Guerrero.  Immediately, Daddy and Mommy thought this was a great potential name.  They figured, who would mess with a Vlad on the playground . . . I mean, think about some of the great Vlads in history; would you mess with them:

·         Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (1431–1476), more commonly known as Vlad the Impaler or simply as Dracula 



·          Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the Prime Minister of Russia.  He is wearing his KGB uniform in this picture . . .come on are you really going to start something with him?
And then there was the choice of a middle name.  Well, Big Sis Ava’s name is a palindrome and so, to be even, Daddy suggested Otto as a middle name.  Mommy was quite agreeable since there are many famous Ottos in history, for example, Otto von Freising (c. 1114 - 1158) who was a German bishop and chronicler and about whom Mommy wrote her graduate thesis.

And so, I was Vlad Otto for the duration of the time I was in Mommy’s belly.  While I was quite happy with this name, it didn’t win the final round.  Check in next for the final naming and explanation of how I got my real name.

And the Gold Star Goes to . . .

ME!!    I had my one month check-up on Tuesday and I topped 6 pounds 11 ounces!  Yes, you read that correctly, almost two full pounds more than my birth weight.  Now, I’m not one to brag but that gain is impressive by any measure.  According to the internet (which is always correct) most average newborns gain about four to seven ounces per week.  So, based on the Excel spreadsheet Mommy put together to project possible weights based on a myriad of variables, I should have hit anywhere from 5 pounds 10 ounces to 6 pounds.  To say I “excelled” (yes, you may groan) at my job of gaining weight would be an understatement.  I think Wikipedia is going to have to update its newborn growth information with my new data added.  And so, I would like to give a brief acceptance speech to acknowledge this triumph.

“I am truly honored to receive the Gold Star for Weight Gain.  As a young lad, I never dreamed of achieving such a milestone, particularly since I wasn’t dreaming of anything at the time.  Who would have thought a small boy growing up in the tiny inside-the-Beltway hamlet of Greenbelt could reach such a lofty goal.  Of course, I couldn’t have done this on my own and I must thank very important people in my life who supported me on this journey.   First, I would like to thank my Daddy for the middle-of-the-night feedings that have contributed to this growth.  Next,  I have to thank Big Sis Ava for her efforts to feed me and her cheering encouragements when she sees Mommy feeding me.  And, of course, none of this would have been possible without Mommy’s yummy, high fat nectar.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.”



Diligently at work; notice the technique.

 

Another satisfying experience.  You can already see another ounce added - look closely around the chin, I think that's where it is.







How I Got My Nickname

You might have wondered how I got my nickname, Button.  Not every child needs a nickname, however, Big Sis Ava was known (and still is) as "Biscuit" and Mommy and Daddy wanted to be sure to keep everything equal with us.  However, in spite of loads of suggestions (mainly within the carbohydrate family), nothing stuck until Uncle Bernie came along.

When I was born, I was definitely on the small side.  I came out a few weeks early so I didn’t have the chance to plump up with the “brown” fat.  So, when Mommy saw me she said I reminded her of her Grandfather, particularly when he didn’t wear his dentures and yawned.  The picture of my arm adds to the overall “old man” effect.

Well, Uncle Bernie, upon hearing this description, reminded Mommy and Daddy of the movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald tale of a man born in his 80s and who then ages backwards.  And, so, Button I became!

Another nickname that was in the running was Dobby, a reminder of the house elf from the Harry Potter series.  Multiple people, unknown to each other, suggested there was a strong resemblance – you can decide for yourself.

More Visitors

They keep coming!!  I had no idea I would be so popular!  I've enjoyed all the snuggles from so many more family and friends and, on behalf of Big Sis' Ava, thanks for all the gifts and attention everyone has given her, too.  Oh yeah, thanks for everyone's kindness toward Mommy and Daddy - they seem to get lost in the shuffle sometimes (if only they were cuter like Ava and me it wouldn't be a problem.)  So here are a few snaps of the growing fan club - my apologies to Ms Jessica (a three-time repeat visitor), Father Tappe, Ms Dionne, and Great-Uncle Michael that I don't have pictures of you.  I have spoken sternly to Mommy and Daddy about fixing that oversight.

Granny Z, Daddy's mommy

Ms Jessica and Ms Megan, Mommy's teacher friends

Great Nanny Z (and she really is great), Daddy's grandmother.  Look how we coordinated our outfits and made sure to pose in a red chair - stars always look their best!

Cousin Mitchell and his Mommy, Aunt Jamie (also a repeat visitor who just couldn't get enough the first time.)

Cool Pictures

Here are some artsy pictures for you to admire.  Black & white are Mommy's favorites - which are yours?

First Family Portrait

Eat your heart out Olan Mills!

Snuggles with Big Sis!

My Big Sister Ava is so cool.  She helps give me baths, change my diaper, feed me, read to me and snuggle with me.  It is a wonder we need our parents at all - between the two of us we can handle just about anything!  Okay, so maybe neither of us can drive which could put a damper on our social activities and our ability to go to the grocery store and the library (two highly important outings!) but other than that, we make a great team.  Watch out Mommy and Daddy!

Rounding Out My First Week

It has been quite the party here at the Greenbelt homestead!  We've had so many visitors that I have been tuckered out (hence the delay in posting new stuff).  So many family and friends have been over to snuggle with me and play with Big Sis Ava (in fact, many have been bringing her gifts, too, to make sure she feels special - thanks to all who have done this).  And, so many wonderful families have made dinner for Mommy, Daddy and Ava so they don't have to spend time cooking and instead can spend their time on something more important - ME!

Here are a few pictures from the rest of the first week.

 

Nicholas and Lizzie Serra

Ms Cathy Serra with Lizzie and Jennie looking on





Ms Mary Larkin and Aiden Larkin

Uncle Sean Cockerill (who is also Ava's Godfather)

 

Aunt Jamie (though she is technically a cousin)

 

Aunt Roseann (really an aunt)



  



Allie Green (Mommy used to babysit for Allie and her sisters a long, long, long time ago and now the girls take care of Ava and Me!)

 



Mr Frank Green

  





Ms Barbara Gieger-Green and Mr Frank

   



Uncle Bernie and Aunt Janice Cherry (Uncle Bernie was my first visitor in the hospital and gave me the nickname "Button")

Cousin Elizabeth Cherry

Cousin Jessica Cherry



Other visitors who came to meet me but who didn't get their picture taken include:  the rest of the Serra family (Mr Pat and Thomas), Ms Ellen and Mr Roger (our next-door neighbors), Nana (my Mommy's Mommy) and Ms. Jessica (who with her husband Mr. Jeremy, took care of Ava while Mommy, Daddy and I were in the hospital).

Thanks to everyone for the kisses, snuggles, food and happiness!!!  Can't wait to see you all again!

Coming Home (Wednesday)

What a big day!  I finally got to come home and check out my new palace.  However, to get there I had to get set-up in my car seat, which was a bigger (quite literally) deal than for most babies.  Since I'm a bit more compact than most babies right now, I had to pass a car seat test at the hospital to ensure it was safe to come home.  Of course, I passed with flying colors (Mommy made me study nonstop before the test).

Mommy and Daddy

First snuggles with Mommy and Daddy.

Biscuit and Button

I finally get to meet my big sister, Ava!  We'd been chatting while I was in Mommy's belly about how she was going to show me the ropes when I got out and now we get to finally put our plans into action.  I can tell we are going to have fun together and give Mommy and Daddy a run for their money (that is for the pennies they will have left after they spend most of them on us anyway!)

My Birthday - January 2

Here I am, all 4 pounds and 13 ounces of me!