Playing Marco Polo with Turner

I came home from work one day.  I can’t tell you what day it was because they honestly just merge into one.  My co-workers know I’ve been surprisingly busy lately.  Tori can confirm that I’ve been busy at home too (see my previous posts about home renovations. Anyway, so I came home and was exhausted.  After dinner Tori told me she and Turner were playing a new game.  I looked at her with disbelief – I think you can all picture that.  The game is best described as ‘Marco Polo’.  If I didn’t see this with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.

For those that aren’t familiar with the game, one player is chosen as "It". This player closes his or her eyes and tries to tag the other players.  In this game, Turner is it.  So this is how the game is played.  Tori will run her fingers on her stomach and Turner either kicks or punches back.  She moves to another spot on her stomach and continues to poke and Turner moves over to that spot and punches / kicks back.  They can go at this game for at least 15 minutes.  I can’t tell who’s more into it though, Tori or Turner.  I have yet to play but if Turner is this playful already, he and I will have a great time. 

Tori and Turner

A good friend and new mom (Shelby) told me that we should take pictures at various months / stages of the pregnancy.  She also said that Tori should wear the same shirt.  While we loved the idea of taking some picture to record the memories, there no way I’m going to remember which shirt Tori wears.  She’s next to me on the sofa as I write this and without looking, I couldn’t tell you what color her shirt is (shame on me). 

 Here are a few of the pictures we took.  Turner was the size of large mango in the first picture (top).   The second picture on the right is from August 12th - Tori was just starting her 21st week.   In the last picture, Turner is the size of a baby doll - weird.    I will be posting more messages with pictures of Tori and Turner this week so that everyone can see how they’ve both grown.  According to the books and growth charts Turner is around 15 inches. 

Renovations are done!!

Here are some pictures of our newly renovated office and recreation room.  It really came out well.  You can see from the pictures here that it looks pretty good.  Both the natural light and light fixtures really compliment the grey that I choose.   After the work was done I gave the carpet a good cleaning and started moving furniture into both rooms.  Tori and I took this as an opportunity to clean house and throw out a lot of things that we were holding onto for no good reason.  We also have a few bags of items and some old furniture for Goodwill. 

We purchased some new furniture as well to really complete the look.  Nothing too fancy, just some shelves from IKEA. I will be preparing my old office / the new guestroom to be painted this weekend and hopefully move furniture into that room. 

For the guestroom, we’re going to move away from the grey and go with a neutral beige color with some dark wood accents.  Some of my books will stay in there.  They’re good reads before going to bed.  For all of our family and friends planning to visit in the near future, our doors will be open in a week or two.  Just give one of us a call. 

Next on our schedule of renovations is the bathroom.  Wait, What? When did the bathroom get added to the list of home improvements?  Simple, Tori added it to the list after she saw a great vanity on same at Home Depot.  It’s partly my fault for asking her to come with me one day to pick up paint samples and light fixtures.  According to my older brother Sammy, installing a vanity should be easy.  I think it will take a couple of hours between removing the old sink and mirror and replacing it with the new ones.  Then and only then will the real fun begin; decorating Turner’s room!!

 Look for a pretty lengthy post about themes and colors for his room! 

His name will be Turner Alexander Moore

Thank you again for voting.  I’ve spoken to some friends and family individually but wanted to make it official.  After thinking about names that would both sound good and have some meaning, we’ve decided on ‘Turner Alexander Moore’ for the name of our first son.  As mentioned in previous posts, a rough interpretation of his name is  “wood-worker warrior who is noble and great” – how cool is that?!  The answer is very cool.  

Sorry to everyone who didn’t get a chance to vote on a middle name but after learning that some friends (yeah you) and family (you all know who you are) were exploiting small security vulnerabilities, I thought it would be best to close the poll and select a name.   I like how my son’s name sounds and what it means.  What do you think?

The Dad Workout: Pt .1

There is this ugly rumor about father’s-to-be gaining weight along with their pregnant wives.  Sadly, the rumor is true.  It’s not from an increased unhealthy diet.  I've been going to LA Fitness for about two years now. At my highest point, I was going everyday afterwork.  Now, not so much.  I haven’t gained weight but I have seriously slowed down on my trips to the gym after work and on the weekends.  This is partly due to coming home and having to do research on baby products with Tori.  Our weekends are spent running baby related errands as well.  Junior isn’t here yet and I have barely anytime to workout.

With limited time to make it to the gym, I started thinking about a workout schedule for fathers and fathers-to-be.   I know I won’t have as much free time once my son arrives.  That is a fact. I’m hoping I can make it to the gym at least three days a week though.  It’s based on 45 to 60 minutes of time at the gym.  The goal is to maintain weight and tone the muscle I currently have.  I start out with cardio and either do a 2 mile run or 20 minutes on the cross-training program on the elliptical machine.  I then move onto the bench press.  Gone are the days of my 300lbs lifts but it’s still good to do some upper body work.  I follow the bench with either a military press or lat pull down.  Next, I go back to cardio and bike for 10 minutes and another round of lifting and lower back extensions.  The lower back extensions will come in handy when I’m reaching down to play or pick-up Jr. The workout ends with some work on my abs.  I’ll let you know how it turns out but I’m optimistic about it.   

Polls are closed!

Thanks for voting but I've decided to close the poll.  Results will be posted this week along with a new poll.

Baby Research pt 2: The Crib

There are way too many cribs in the world. I guess that’s fine for a free market economy but it is terrible when it comes to making a decision. It has been a balancing act between safety, style, longevity and PRICE. This process is almost as challenging as shopping for a new car. The prices range from $200.00 to over a $1,000.00. It really is a lot to take in. Just to add some context, the queen size bed that Tori and I sleep in, is not as expensive as some of these cribs.

So, let me share what we’ve seen and like so far. Now before you say it, yes; they look very similar. The only things we know for sure is that we want a crib that converts into a full size bed, has an espresso / mahogany finish and a solid headboard. With those as our only requirements, you can see our difficulty. I really like the Cocoon 7000 Series Crib (pictured to the left). We saw it at Baby SuperMart. It’s heavy and looks like it can take a beating. I think it’s manly and handsome – just like my son will be.

Tori recently decided that she really likes the Munire Deco crib (pictured to the right). We’re going to visit Closic’s in Wilmington, DE to see it in person. Just as with every crib test I’ve done, I’m going to shake the crib and see how easy it will be for my bionic son to lift it / break it.

The renovations are almost done

Well. It was over budget; I will spare you those sad details. The project was over time; about 1 week but it’s down to the wire and the major aspects of the renovation are almost done. We’re doing our final walk through of the project with our contractors on Monday, September 13th around 5:00 or 6:00pm.

Just to recap, we’re looking at all new wiring for electrical, phone and cable. We then added in new insulation, new drywall and topped that off with Martha Stewart paint; Cobblestone. It’s a grey color that works well for my office and for the recreation room for movie nights. We added in a new 5 light track systems in brushed nickel for the recreation area and a new fixture with energy efficient daylight bulbs. I’ll have to do a deep clean of the carpet in all of the rooms but that will be easy.

Now that the office and recreation area are complete, it’s time to me to get my hands dirty. I will be priming and repainting the ceiling in our living room first and then moving onto the new guestroom. The guestroom will get fresh coat of paint in a neutral color and new blinds. THEN – I’ll be painting the nursery. I think it’s fair to say that if anyone wants anything painted in the near future to contact me. Over the next week or so, I will have perfected my painting skills and Tori will be perfecting her project management skills as she tells me how things should be done.

Baby Research pt. 1: The Car seat and Stroller

We’ve been doing a ton of research lately. Tori will most likely be upset with me but I am really pushing to have some decisions made – mostly on the big ticket items such as the crib, stroller, and car seats. I really want to have those items selected before creating a registry at Target, Babies –R-Us or The Bump. Here’s a sneak peak at what we are thinking about. Keep in mind the crib is seriously subject to change until we see it in person and I test it out in store.

We really like the Chico Keyfit 30. The Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Seat and Base provides your infant with a safe way to travel in comfort and style. The practical design of the KeyFit system includes a five-point safety harness and reliable LATCH anchor, making it incredibly easy to use (Source: Amazon.com).

Tori likes the Britax B-Ready stroller. As most of you know, I really like the Orbit Travel system (ever since I saw it on The Office). We’re going to go with the Birtax Convertible seat and adaptor as well. It features 14 different configurations--from forward-facing to rear-facing as well as in-line, double-stroller options for infant car seats, bassinets, and toddler seats. The B-READY is user-friendly with features including a large, removable storage basket and an adjustable handle with comfort grips. This stroller is appropriate for children from six months old up to 55 pounds when used with the top seat (Source: Amazon.com) I’ll spare you the information on The Orbit Travel system – just trust me that it’s amazing. 

Making progress on the renovations

The end is near – or maybe this is just the beginning of a long list of expenses for my son?  Tori and I have had several conversations with our contractor about final details such as paint color, base board style, door & window trim and a new banister. The bad news is the project is going to cost us a little extra (surprise surprise). The good news is that it should all be done by September 10th.

Last week all of the insulation was installed and the new wires were run. This week, the drywall was replaced in my office and the main area. Everything is taped and spackled. The next day or two of work will involve some heavy sanding which means a TON of dust.  The whole house need a deep cleaning after all this work.

We’re going to have the main area, my office, and the guestroom painted in ‘Sharkey Gray’. After several trips to Home Depot during lunch with coworkers (Julia and Suron) and several returns (with Tori), I’ve decided on brushed nickel light fixtures. I am still debating adding in a dimmer switch but have decided on an update outlet with built in night light for the top of the stairs.

If you think I’ve escaped this project without getting my hands dirty, think again. I’ve been drafted into repainting the living room ceiling and shortly after, I will be painting Turner’s room.

With this project complete, Tori and I can finally focus our energy on decorating Turner’s room! Color choices are being narrowed down and we have a crib and theme in mind. Look out for posts about that project.

Thank you Aunt Khira!!

He's not here yet but Tori's sister, Khira (soon to be Aunt Khira) has started shopping - really shopping.  Turner's room isn't ready yet but his closet is starting to fill-up with some nice clothing. We knew that Khira was purchasing some clothing so we kept an eye out for the package.

I came home from work and saw two boxes. Upon inspection, one was clothing that Tori ordered for herself  (umm yeah, that will be a post for another day) and the second was the package from Khira.  Tori and I openned the package and couldn't believe what was inside.  Khira sent us some onesies, about four to be exact sized for the early months and some really nice PJ's with footsies (is that what they're called?). 

Family on both sides will be spoiling this young man for years to come but in the race for the title of favorite Aunt, Khira is quickly sprinting into the lead position.   Thank you Khira!