Seriously Cute

Hi everyone! Here are some seriously cute pictures of Deacon to hold you over until the holidays! We can't wait to see everyone during our mega-trip North! xoxo, Jill

Thanksgiving & more

It was a near picture perfect Thanksgiving for us. Unkie Josh and Aunt NeNe (Jenn) came into town to visit with Deacon (and us too). We can't wait to see everyone in a couple more weeks!



And even some more video:

A blast from the near past

Here's some previously "unpublished" pictures from earlier this month. It's strange to think how much Deacon has changed since we took these shots - who knows what the next month will bring.



And here's a brief video highlighting a recent home improvement (good eye Steph):



We're waiting for Unkie Josh and Aunt Ne Ne to arrive on Wednesday for Thanksgiving. We'll have the Chex mix and bourbon slush waiting.

Wish you were here! Happy Thanksgiving!

Deacon Crawls

No fancy writing today, just video.

Warning: He's not happy in the first part, but this is footage from the first night he started crawling. He's also really cute towards the end. Enjoy!

Fall with the Family

This post is being brought to you by our honorary guest blogger - Gramma Weezie!! I know all of you out there in the blog-o-sphere won't find it hard to believe that Deacon is even cuter in person!! We got to witness a major milestone while we were here...Deacon started crawling! He had been scooting around for a couple of weeks...but now he found his knees. He is also learning new foods...like bread and lemons. How absurd! But he likes it! Now we will be looking forward to seeing him at Christmas. Enjoy the pictures.

O-my-bama!

It has happened! I held Deacon in my arms as I listened to Barack Obama deliver his acceptance speech. What a wonderfully historical moment.

If Obama wasn't your man, I'm sorry. It was a good race. Don't worry, things aren't going to change overnight, but change will come.

Frankly, this night gives me hope. Obama's speech was inspiring and unifying (except where he opened with a welcome to invite a broad diversity of people into his tent - he even welcomed those who are gay. In doing so, Obama inherently excluded those who choose to exclude/deny these people's presence and rights in our country). I feel like science, reason, evidence, dignity, human rights, and social and ecological justice may be on the rise in this country and around the world. I feel like we may be on the cusp of a new America, of a new time in history.

I am probably overly optimistic. Perhaps Chris Rock hit the nail on the head when he said:

"Bush has f-ed up so bad, that he's made it hard for a white man to run for president. 'Gimme anything but another white man, please! Black man, white woman, giraffe, anything!' A white man's had that job for hundreds of years — and one guy f-ed it up for all of ya!"

Then agian, maybe not.

Obama isn't the answer. We are. If "change" is the order from this evenings events, then we are the ones who will need to fill it. Live smaller, simpler, and smarter. It's time to rebuild the trust we have in one another and the vision of a shared future.

Good night, and good luck.

Deacon did his duty

Deacon voted and you should too!

We hope everyone has a successful election day!
(Especially those in Ohio!)

Chicago+Wedding+Deacon=

It was a whirlwind trip - there and back in about 36 hours. There are numerous good stories to tell, but I'm beat. Here are a couple of pictures and maybe I'll get to some of those stories later.

Mostly Treats (but a few tricks too!)

We leave for Chicago bright and early tomorrow a.m., so I'll keep this short and sweet.

Deacon was a monkey. Jilly made the costume with a little design help from me, and it looks friggin' sweet. If I have my way, Deacon may be our family's first holiday monkey. Ho ho EEE EEE EEE!!!

7-7-7

After dinner this evening, Jilly asked me, "So, are you going to do a blog post?" She enjoyed my previous post today (see below if you missed it), but I think she was swayed by the comments. So one just wasn't enough. Especially without pictures!

Rub his belly for good luck, Deacon is seven months old. This past weekend we had a very full Saturday, spanning from college football in the afternoon to Keller Williams who had a free show downtown. Sunday was spent building the X-ween costume - and no, we're not going to share any details yet.

And this just in: Weezie and Papa Lombardi are going to be coming down in a couple of weeks and it looks like Unkie Josh is going to be coming for Thanksgiving! Deacon can't wait to catch up with everybody! So until then...

Recent comments on this blog make it obvious that Deacon has garnered quite a lot of attention, but for those of you who think it's easy for him to be to as cute as he is, that it's just "natural" for him, well let me tell you, Deacon works hard to make you happy! The pressure has been waking him up every 2 or 3 hours throughout the night. At other times during the day, he'll randomly just start screaming and pound his hands over and over and over again on any thing that's in front of him. Now, I don't say this to make those of you who are demanding more and more of Deacon feel guilty, but only so you'll understand the sacrifices he makes for you. Deacon loves you, he wants you to be happy.

So we hope that you can forgive him for taking a couple days off, away from the paparazzi, sippin' on Cristal (non-alcoholic, of course), and enjoying his VIP room play dates. He promises to return shortly - refreshed, energized, and ready for anything.

When Grandma & Grandpa were in town

Last weekend my parents were in town to visit with Deacon - oh, and see us too. We spent some time out on the town together, I played some disc golf with Dad, and Jill and I were even able to get out for a date! We miss you Grandma and Grandpa!



Here is Deacon making some noise after dinner:



Did anybody get tickets for Phish in March?

Deacon is famous

Jill's co-worker, Jen Lepkowski, was just named the best local visual artist by readers of the local free weekly paper. We're honored not only because she took some pictures of Jill and Deacon a few months back, but because she has also featured Deacon on her newly updated website! Check it out by clicking here (if you click on Deacon and look at the second set of portraits, you'll find a picture of pregger Jill too). I've included a link to Jen's website in our links section.

Other breaking news: Deacon cut his first tooth! We discovered it on Tuesday while we were visiting him at daycare. He's on his way to being a "big boy" now!

Here are just a couple of shots from this past weekend, when Gramma and Grandpa H visited (more to come later):

Change! (his diaper)

Sorry if I took too long to get another post up, I know that many of you rely on us for your daily dose of cute. I hope I haven't let anyone down.

We joined over 20,000 others and went to an Obama rally here in Asheville this past weekend. It was held at Asheville's high school, and we were able to walk from our house. Deacon did great, I got sunburned, and we all stood in line for about an hour and a half (which I've heard is not too bad for an Obama rally). It was a pretty amazing experience, no matter your political persuasion.

Me-mah and Grandpa H are coming to town this weekend and we can't wait - I think we're going to get to go on a date!

Here are the pics:


UPDATE:

More video for your viewing pleasure.

The six month video

Witness the latest installment in the epic masterpiece: The Deacon and I.



Happy October! Here's a fun question: What should Deacon be for Halloween? Think about it carefully! It's the only first Halloween he'll ever have.

The Twenty-sixth

It's late, so I'll be brief.

Deacon ate his first "solid" this week - sweet potatoes! He's also mobile. Well, somewhat mobile, he can only scoot backwards. It's all pretty sweet.



The last picture here is from Brewgrass, an annual beer tasting and bluegrass music event in Asheville and probably my current favorite holiday. Check my disc golf blog for more Brewgrass pictures.

Almost Six Months!

It's hard to believe that it's already been six months - it's also hard to believe it's only been six months. The time has gone so quickly, yet it's impossible to imagine our lives without him.

Here are just a couple of pictures from around the house this week. As you can see Deacon's newest trick is sitting up. He does pretty well on his own. We think he'll start crawling within a couple of weeks, then we're in trouble.



If you didn't see the comment from my Mom, she and my Dad are in the Thousand Islands this week (with Dr.'s approval), so rest assured, they're both doing great! Thanks again for all your kind thoughts and words.

Super Back Home Happy Cute Fun Times!

Thank you for your prayers and kind words. Dad is doing great- he may have gone home today (haven't heard yet) or he'll be home tomorrow. UPDATE: He came home tonight!

Well, I'd like this to be a "get well" post for my dad. I think these pictures of Deacon should do the trick!

There were a couple of festivals this past weekend, so Deacon was out and about, ready to rock, and off the heezy. Check him:



Stephanie, a long time friend and frequent commenter on this blog, came to visit from DC with her friend, Dwight. Good times were had by all.

Now I'd like to wax political for a moment. I have refrained from this subject area until now, and as I type I wonder if I should start, but I am, so you're warned. Look away if you need to.

Okay, ready?

I heard someone saying that Sarah Palin puts lipstick on pit bulls and pigs. Then she turns them into stew. As a vegetarian I don't think I can vote the McCain-Palin ticket. Oh that and their blatant hypocrisy, lies, ANWR-"drill baby drill"-chanting, issue-dodging, name-calling, speech-repeating (the same one since the convention), "lipstick"-issue-making ways. I respect Palin as a human being and American (U-S-A), but if she's going to be a willing accomplice to the Republican's attempted smear of Obama as a sexist for his use of the practically cliche "if you put lipstick on a pig," analogy to criticize McCain's "maverick"-ness, then she is the one who is allowing her sex to become an issue. Isn't that in reality a much more "sexist" act? Not to mention a ridiculous twisting of words, meaning, and logic. Not the kind of people I want in my White House. With that said, Deacon is voting for Obama and so am I.

Think of Grandpa H!

Yesterday my dad had a heart attack. He had to have three stents put in, but the doctors have said there is absolutely no damage to heart - which is great. From the way my mom put it, it sounds like things are as good as anyone could hope for - in large part due to the preparedness of the people in his office and at the hospital. He's doing really well now, still resting and recovering at the hospital, and he will remain there until Thursday.

Deacon sends his love (along with Jill and me) and has received lots of hugs and kisses for you Dad!

Please keep my dad and mom in your thoughts!

"On the Road Again"

It was a long weekend shared with good friends, family, and the road. It was also complete and total baby mania. I mean infants. I thought it was funny when I first came up with "Procreate in '08" (and yes, it was I), but I didn't expect it catch on like it has!

Deacon had a blast hanging with Liam in Dayton, while Damion and I enjoyed a little disc golf. I'm thinking about starting a new disc golf blog, so look for that coming soon. (UPDATE: here it is http://thediscgolfrecord.blogspot.com/) It was good to be back in Dayton. Things there have changed, yet managed to remain pretty much the same.

After spending Saturday in Dayton, we hopped in the car and headed over to the Huff's home in Columbus to meet Tyler. He was so little and seemed very alert for only being a couple of weeks old. I think his big sister might have something to do with that. Rachel and Deacon have really hit it off. As if seeing baby Tyler wasn't enough, the whole family came out to see us and celebrate Papa Lombardi's birthday - Happy Birthday! It was a great time filled with badminton, cookin' out, gifts (with Rachel, after a vigorous shaking, asking, "Is it cake?" for each.), babies (did I mention the babies?), and yes, cake (fulfilling Rachel's quest). Unfortunately our camera battery died, so we missed a good chunk of photo opportunities.

FYI, Deacon is a champ at 8 hour car rides. Me? Eh. I'm tired and cranky. Wah!

Pictures:

Procreate in '08 Participants

We would like to thank everyone who is taking part in this year's theme of procreation, including the families of baby Liam and baby Tyler who have recently made their debuts.

Here are two of our local participants, Amy Alday of the House of Alday (due in November) and Victoria Partridge of Peartree Manor (due in Feb).



Keep up the good work ladies! We are looking forward to meeting baby Marmaduke and baby Wolfgang.

Sick and Tired

This past week was filled with some significant milestones: Deacon began taking bottles at daycare, he also began taking naps, and he got sick! The good part about the latter of these is that Deacon's immune system seems to be working fine. He did have some good sniffles and a little fever that have kept mommy and daddy up at night - but we've adapted by going to bed before 10. As you will see in the pictures, Deacon handled it like a champ. Jilly also picked up a bit of what we assume Deacon had (Jill is a champ too!). Thankfully everyone has made it through the worst of it and is now on the mend.

Last week also marked the beginning of my fifth year at HCC (see the back-to-school picture).

This week were getting ready for another trek up to OH-IO for Baby Fest '08: Labor Day Edition.

That's all the news that's fit to print.

P.S. We've also included some pictures of our pets: Smokey, Bandit, and Karma. Remember them? They've been feeling a little left out lately. Little do they know that in another six months or so they may be getting more attention than they have ever wished for!

Boy Oh Boy!!

That's right, Lori and Trent had a boy!! Tyler Michael Huff was born on 8-18-08 at 6:14 PM. He weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and was 19 inches long...and couldn't be cuter!!



What a beautiful family! You can just tell that Rachel is going to be a great big sister!



Congratulations Huffs!! We can't wait to see you all and meet baby Tyler in a couple of weeks!

Week 19 - The back-to-school edition

This past week was Jill's first back to work and Deacon's first at daycare. To commemorate this sacred indoctrination into society, we took pictures each day before school.


Deacon has really come along way during this first week. He created his first word document, which is included in its entirety here:

,pp,ovvvvvvvvv87[][;’?nZVBNBxX]]\\2\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

ds55555tdgHb 0—ppppppppx”D’

MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII;’

;7FV XTwcx2a7y7tfn ,r g

Congratulations Skeans Family!

Please give a warm welcome to William "Liam" Beckett Skeans. He was born on Wednesday, August 13 at 8:27 pm and was 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 21 inches long. Great job Jocelyn and Damion!


If you'd like to find out more about this newest addition there is a link to the Skeans's family website under our links section.

Week 18 - Deaconpalooza and more

Just pictures for now. Thanks for coming to Deaconpalooza!! Deacon misses all of you!

Week 16 & 17 - Look who's a big boy now

We're back! Actually we've been here the whole time, it's just that we've been very busy. This is my last week of the summer semester and Jill's second to last week before she will be returning to work.

These past couple of weeks have been filled with guests and lots of activities. From bike races to Bele Chere we've been enjoying much of what Asheville has to offer. The best part is that we've had the chance to share it with our family (and of course our friends!) - Jill's sister Jenn (aka Aunt NeNe), my Aunt Tracey and Uncle John, and Gramma Heimburg have all been by to see Deacon.

And if that's not enough, we're getting prepped for the great journey north for Deaconpalooza taking place at the Heimburg residency in Farmington this coming Sunday. We're very excited and look forward to getting to spend time with our NY relatives (Yes Deacon, you are related to these people). We hope to see you there.

Now for the latest and greatest: today Deacon ate his first "solid" food. The meal was organic rice cereal and breast milk, and by all accounts it was delicious - he ate the whole thing!

We hope you're all doing well and having a safe and enjoyable summer!



Late edition: Here's a video of the first bites!

WE ♥ NY

Travel news:

Deacon is in demand!

We'll all be headed up to Farmington during the first week in August. We plan on arriving early in the day on Sunday, the third, and from what I hear there will be a welcoming party later that afternoon. Our plan is to hang at the Heimburg homestead throughout the week. We can't wait! If you're in the area we hope to see you there!

Here are just a couple of pictures from this past week; they give you a taste of what you'll be in for if you can make it to see us.

Week 14 - the Fourth in Ohio

We'll let the pictures do most of the talking here (I'm at work and I'm busy), but needless to say, it was a fantastic weekend. It was great to show Deacon off. We got in to Canton Thursday night, drove to Columbus on Friday, and I don't think I got to hold my son again until sometime Saturday afternoon!

Everyone loves Deacon!

June 27th - Deacon's Three month B-day!

Week by week, this would technically be Deacon's 13th (I believe), but today is three months to the day since his birth. For this special day he gave us the treat: Deacon rolled over AND I caught it all on - well, not film, but you get the idea. The fourth picture in the slide show begins the sequence. He was also being off-the-charts cute tonight - look out ladies!

A Special Treat

Yes, it is grainy and dark, and the plot is, well, non-existent, but it is Deacon.

I'll try to do better next time.

The Outtakes

Who knew one photo would generate so many comments! It is Deacon though and he is awfully cute.

We thought that if you enjoyed that picture you might be interested in some "behind the scenes" shots - you don't usually capture that level of cuteness in just one take. Enjoy!

Hi from Deacon!!

Deacon can't stop talking about his new baby cousin.

Welcome Isabel Marie!

If you haven't already seen, Deacon has a new cousin! We can't wait to meet her in a couple of weeks. From the looks of things, there may be a friendly "cheek off" brewing between these two!

Great job to the both of you and congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!

Good luck Lombardis!

Mikey and Melissa are currently in labor! Check in at http://themandmfamily.blogspot.com/.

Deacon can't wait to meet his new cousin!

Papa Tomato says, "Catch up!"

It has been too long. One great thing about having a baby: no need for excuses.

Since our last post I've gone back to work (another good excuse for neglecting your blog) and become obsessed with the sport of disc golf (ditto). Jill has had a birthday and been perfecting the art of motherhood.


Enjoy all the pictures!

Week 9 and 10

During this time Asheville was hot, hot hot! It's amazing how much heat a little baby can generate on a 95 degree day. Jill and Deacon headed to the mall to escape the heat.

Deacon attended his first festival, the Mountain Sports Festival, where he enjoy music from Brushfire Stankgrass and Col. Bruce Hampton. If was a very fun day out and about.

Deak also attended his second wedding - congrats Rosie and Tim!

Developmental note: During week ten Deacon started blowing bubbles.




Week 11

Happy birthday Jilly! Jilly's birthday was on the 12 of June. We celebrated with our friends before we headed to a baseball game. I think we've gone to more of the Tourists' games since we had Deacon than ever before. For Jill's birthday I "Pimped our patio," with a new umbrella and chairs. Sweet!

During this time I continued to work and play as much disc golf as possible. Deacon was also able to attend his first drum circle in downtown Asheville!

Developmental note: During week eleven Deacon began "speaking." He couldn't be cuter!



Week 12

Week twelve was a busy week. My first Father's Day was excellent. Disc golf in the morning with Deacon and Jill, followed by a great French toast brunch, and then Amy and Silas arrived in the evening. Jill, Deacon, Amy and Silas had a great time during the week. While they were here they walked around downtown and had a picnic on the parkway. We also went to Dirty Jacks and ABC (two favorite watering holes). The night before they left we had a big potluck with all of our friends so they could meet Amy and Silas - good times for all!

And congratulations to Adam and Vicki Partridge, who are expecting their first child! I've said it before, I'll say it again - 2008 is the year to procreate.

Developmental note: Great improvement in neck and finger control.

Deacon's Photo Shoot

Jill's co-work, Jen Lepkowski, is also an up and coming professional photographer and has been kind enough to volunteer her services to us twice. The first time was for some belly pictures and most recently to take some shots of us with Deacon. It was a fun experience, with Deacon's famous "pee-pee fireworks" and all, and the pictures turned out great!

Deacon at the Doctor's

Before I begin, last night Jill and I found ourselves driving across town listening to a kid's song on the radio thanks to WNCW, a great local station, by this guy Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. It was really odd - the experience that is, the music was actually good for kid's music. It is positive hip-hop for kids (e.g., "I gotta be me!"). I guess it beats Barney!

Today was Deacon's two month check-up he is 24 and 1/3 inches long (that's over two feet!) and 13 pounds and 8 ounces. He is a fine physical specimen, still in the 90th percentile for height and in the 85th for weight, and it is all in just the right places!

This visit also included some not so pleasant vaccines - the HiB, Rotovirus, and PCV. Two of those are shots and one was oral. We did put another vaccine off for two weeks, in an effort to spread them out a bit. He has been sleeping for the better part of the day since, which is probably for the best (let's hope he keeps it up). Sleep 'er off Lil Deak!

On another note, I racked a repeat of the oatmeal chocolate stout today. That basically means that I siphoned it from one container to another. It should be ready in about 10 days. This will also most likely mark the end of my brewing "season," because as the temperatures rise the yeasts die.

Week 8 - Two whole months

Can you believe it? Two months!

It was a big week for Deacon. On Thursday, we went to lunch at Jill's work and Deacon got to meet all her co-workers. Then on Thursday evening he went to his first baseball game, where we saw lots of friends from around town. He seemed to enjoy the noise of the crowd, he stayed awake the entire time and was very attentive - no crying.

On Friday we headed out for Deacon's first big road trip. The destination: our friends Trish and Brad's wedding in Virginia Beach. It took about seven hours and I would say that Deacon did fairly well (there was some crying - at times very much). The wedding and hotel were beautiful and we enjoyed meeting up with Ali,another of Jill's college roommates, and Jairus, her main squeeze. Congrats Trish and Brad! It was a wonderful time.

Before the wedding we went to the beach, so Deacon had yet another first! For all you motherly types out there, we did keep him quite protected from the unfriendly sun - we arrived at about 9 am, lathered him up in sun screen, and had his hat on most of the time. It's hard to say what kind of experience he had there because he slept the entire time. The rhythmic sounds of the ocean waves were obviously very relaxing. So next time we have an ornery baby, we're heading to the beach!

We returned back home on Sunday without incident, so all in all a very successful trip. Tomorrow Deacon has his two month check-up at the doctor, so I'll do a brief post on all his vital stats then.

At this time, I would like to send a warm thank you to all of you that keep checking in on Deacon's progress through our blog. As we've traveled about this past week so many people told me they check the blog almost daily! It is wonderful to know that Deacon has such a wide and supportive network of friends and family! Thank you!

Week Seven - Vacation

We've really been enjoying our time at home with Deacon this week. We had lots of friends over to visit with us and Deacon - and play Mario Kart on the Wii (Amy & Silas, we need to play online!).

According to our bathroom scale, Deacon now weighs about 13 pounds or so. He's a good eater - so good in fact that Mom has given him nicknames such as Cheeks McGee & Pork Chop (which she sings out, "Pooork Choop!") - neither of which will stick, but humor us for the time.

One other announcement. Our friends Amy and Byron Alday just told us they are 3 and a half months pregnant! Congratulations Aldays! And this is a warning to the rest of you: If you're coming to visit Asheville, be sure to get a vaccination for baby fever before you do.

Other than that, not much else is happening - which is exactly what we planned for. Hope everyone is doing wonderfully!

Week 6 - Shhh... Smiles Six

Deacon loves alliterations. He is seriously like, the smartest baby we know.
Can you bounce to the beat?
He can.

This past week was about smilestones! Smiles for miles.

Other events include... Deacon went to Target and on some walks in the baby bjorn . Deacon voted! He wanted to vote McCain (silly baby!) but Mama went for Obama (Dad too). He also enjoyed a fire in our fire pit with friends and his first retirement party, for my supervisor.

And of course, we celebrated our first Mother's Day. Our big event of the day was a photo shoot at Jill's co-worker's studio. We should have some of those pictures up shortly. Other than that it was a relatively lazy day and we did our best to make sure Mom was able to relax and enjoy herself.

For dinner, our friends Vicky and Adam Partridge made us eggplant parmesan. We were also joined by Byron and Amy Alday (if you go back to our Asheville the baby shower pictures you can see everybody). It was a very nice meal shared with friends on a special day.

Today begins my summer vacation. I get to spend the next three weeks at home with Deacon and Jilly. I'm looking forward to being around and enjoying their company. We don't have any big plans, so if you're in the neighborhood give us a ring, we'll be around.

You thought there would be pictures?

Week Five - The Visitors

Jill told me today that tomorrow will be her fifth day alone since we've come home with Deacon. Do the math and you'll quickly see that we've had family and friends with us constantly - and who can blame them when we have this bundle of cute in tow! At the end of week 4, right around Deacon's 1 month B-day, Jill's Aunt Linda came by for a night and shared in dinner and a movie. The next morning we walked down to the farmer's market with Deacon. He did pretty good and gave us enough time to grab some purple cabbage starts.

After Aunt Linda, came Uncie Josh. Josh, my brother, was in town for an interview. Things seemed to go pretty well and I think he enjoyed his stay. We hope we'll see him again soon (and more frequently!). Josh was able to stay through the week - as he admitted, the power of Deacon makes it hard to leave.

This past week also marked Deacon's first outings. The very first was to the Asheville Brewing Company (ABC), where we relaxed and enjoyed a bit of the night life with many friends. The second outing was at a Derby De Mayo Party on Saturday (I'll let the name do the explaining). It was a fun, family event - fortunately all the kids were outside at the pinata when Eight Belles was being put down.

Deacon Developments:
If I gave you one guess who could do a superman all on his own, holding his own neck and back straight, who would you guess? If you chose Deacon, you chose wisely. No pictures of this yet, I'll get them up soon (he's sleeping now). It's pretty clear he can recognize our voices and we think he is starting to smile. He's also losing his hair - it lines his hats and the head rest on his swing. The little things continue to amaze us.

Here are the pics!

Week Four

It's hard to believe it has been a month! It has gone by very quickly yet it feels like Deacon has been here for years- it is difficult to imagine our life without him.

Enough mush - pictures!

The Booger Story

Aunt Di has been asking about Booger ever since I caught a live snapshot of him behind our house (it was just a groundhog who lives off our alley), so I thought I'd share the story. Here is the book I created while at the University of Buffalo. To be able to read the text you might be better off clicking on the slide show once it is playing to see the full size view.



On another note, if anyone is looking to move to Columbus, OH (and no, we aren't), Jill's siblings have been working hard on restoring a great house in a great neighborhood. You can check it out here. This is the second house we've worked on together as a team. Jill and I offer a little investment capital and a lot of moral support, but Mikey and Jenn did the lion's share of any actual work. The house looks great - check it out!

We've been working on getting a good head shot of Deacon. Taking good pictures of babies is tough! Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Week Three

Grandma and Grandpa Heimburg began their journey back to New York today. They took very good care of all of us while they were here - trips the grocery store, dinners, baby bouncing, trips to the doctor, handyman repairs, babysitting, and lots of love. We thank them for their gracious hospitality while they enjoyed their stay at our house. Jill and I are fortunate to have such caring families.

So, we're on our own now. This is when the meconium gets real! Wish us luck.

Here is another slideshow filled with what people keep telling us they want - baby pictures!!

Highlights include Deacon's first real bath, a great tofu loaf recipe (we'll make you eat weird stuff if you stay with us long enough), and a trip on the magical mystery glider.



The night out to the ball park was great! It was nice to get out into the other real world for a little bit. Thanks to everyone who stopped in to visit Deacon and to the grandparents Heimburg for making it all possible. (And so you know, we wish you could babysit for us every thirsty Thursday too!)

Ashevillans, will we see you Thursday?

We're hoping to reconnect and catch up with our friends around town tomorrow night. Jill and I have made plans to attend this Thursdays Asheville Tourists game and we hope to see you there! (For those of you who might not be familiar, the Tourists are the single A ball team whose stadium happens to be in our neighborhood.)

Grandpa and Grandma H. have offered to do the baby sitting to help get Jill some well deserved R & R. You could also stop by our place before the game to see Deacon if you'd like (he's not ready for big crowds yet). Please let us know if you think you may make it.

Our Little Big Man

Deacon's visit to the doctors office was a smashing success. Smashing because this kid is breaking all the records. Today Deacon weighed in at ten pounds and is 21 1/3 inches long (keep in mind, "measuring babies is a lot like measuring jell-o," according to his nurse, Andrew). Those number place our big little man in the 90th percentile for height and weight amongst his peers.

Todays other big event was Deacon's first bath! Some pics on that later.

Week Two - Life is Change

There is no teacher greater than experience. I've realized that I know almost nothing, but that it helps to let instinct take control. Although, one thing I'll say I have improved on over this week is the art of baby posing.

It was a bustling week at La Casa de Deacon. Grandparents went and came, Deacon's new friends continue to drop in (just call - we're home), a life altering metamorphosis occurred, and the reality of life with sleep interrupted has set in.

Each day with Deacon is full of surprises. You never know when he's going to want to eat, or sleep, or eat again, burp, fuss, fill a diaper, eat some more, or sleep, just sleep. Jill swears she can see him growing and I feel like I've won a free gym membership (the gym currently only has one ~ten-pound weight and every routine involves some degree of bouncing). His next weigh in is on Tuesday, so we'll try to get the official stats to you then.

We'd like to thank all of you that sent us cards, gifts, and your love as we celebrate this wonderful new addition to our world. It has truly been overwhelming.

The First Week

What a wonderful new life! As I've said since my freshman year at UB, sleep is for the weak! Actually, Deacon has done a pretty good job at sleeping for about 3 hours at a time - until last night when I got about 3 hours of sleep total. It's a good thing he's so cute!

We both want to give a big, BIG thank you to Jill's Mom, Grandma Weezie, for staying with us and helping take care of Jill and Deacon over this past week. I don't know how we would have survived it without her!

It's much more difficult to keep up with this blog thing now, but I promise not to let it fade away!

Here's our little man!

Welcome Home Deacon

We've all settled in nicely. Deacon's demands are simple: Love, Food, Sleep, & Change. Jill has done an excellent job at providing all and I've done my best to help fulfill 3 out of the 4. The boys (our dogs) have shown their interest, but have been listening well and give Master Deacon his space.

To clear up any confusion about our posting on the name, to the best of my knowledge there is no "Helping Friendly Book." I appreciate that some of our friends went to the trouble of trying to find us a copy, but you'd only find on in the land of Gamehendge, a fictional place that is the setting of many early Phish tunes. Still confused? Don't sweat it, check it out here.

Now onto the pictures! Here's a fun game to play while you're watching: How many unique facial expressions can you recognize on a 3-day-old? Warning: These images are a product of parental over indulgence and contain extreme cuteness.



FYI, if you'd like to download any image from the slide show just click on it and you will be taken to our Picasa web albums page where you'll see a download link.

And the winner is....

So... as you know by now we had a child, a son to be exact, and up to this point in time we've had quite the time figuring out what we would call this wonderful new addition to our lives. Jill and I aren't the most decisive couple around, especially when it comes to important, life altering decisions such as the naming of our child. Now we know that you just want to know what his name is - and you will, but please, understand this has been a very, very long and inspiring journey for us - and we hope for you as well.

We want to get serious now that we have your attention
We want to talk about..
We want to talk about an important man
Who could have an important effect
On everybody in this world's lives
If they were willing to take the chance
To let this person into their hearts and their views
Because this is a special man
this man was a philosepher many years ago
(Background OOOH's and AHH's begin here)
And this man wrote a great book
For this is the author of the Helping Friendly Book
The book that could change your life, the way it changed ours
And I hope that someday
That you, you people will all have the chance
To read the Helping Friendly Book
And experience the wisdom
Of the great and knowledgeable
Man who wrote the Helping Friendly Book
Because he is, the great and knowledgeable
He is the one, the only
Author of the great Helping Friendly Book
HE is, the man, the great man, the only
the special
His name is...
The Author of the Helping Friendly Book
He is the great, the knowledgeable
The one, the only
The great and knowledgeable
Person who wrote the Helping Friendly Book
His name could only be
The one, the only
The only, the special, the Author of the Helping Friendly Book
HE WROTE THE BOOK!
HE WROTE THE BOOK OK!
His name..
IS..
Deacon!!!!!

We are proud to present Deacon Michael Heimburg. Please welcome into your hearts!

Our First Day Together

What a day it has been! Thank you all for the comments. It has been great hearing from everyone and we can feel the love coming from all corners of the country and world! We're glad you all recognize that our child is as adorable as we do. Still no name - sorry - but we're getting close! We've narrowed it down to two.

Here are some pics from the day:

Welcome Master Heimburg!

At 7:48 on March 27, 2008 we welcomed our son to our family. Weighing in at 8 pounds 8 ounce and a length of 20 adn 1/4 inches he is a big boy! Both Jill and baby are doing wonderfully. He's already peed and pooped (much more on pooping to follow) and had a meal with mom.

Still going....

We're still headed in the right direction - Jilly is at 6 cm right now! This baby should be ready by dinner time.

Thank you for all your prayers, support, and encouragement. Jill definitely appreciates the cheering section!

Here is a final belly picture taken just the other day and some pics from our hospital room from last night to hold you over until the grand finale.

Week 39 and 1/2

Mama is ready!

Here's the delivery room - sweet floors, huh?

Matt's Bed - comfy

Progress!

It was a productive night at the hospital. Jilly is currently 4 cm dilated (1 cm more than an hour and a half ago) and the doctor just broke her water, which should help move things along even more.

Jill is a champ - the nurses and our doctor have both been impressed with her ability to manage her contractions to this point.

The doctor said than in the "average" labor that the mother with dilate about 1 cm per hour. Only 6 more to go!

The time has come (almost)

Well, we're at the hospital. They have wi-fi, so we'll do our best to keep you all updated.

Jill has developed what is known as preeclampisa, which isn't serious, but if left unchecked could cause problems for her and Master Heimburg. What is the cure for preeclampsia you ask? Well for Jill it's having the baby! So she is being induced and long story short by this time tomorrow (with any luck) we'll both be the proud parents of ________ Heimburg!

Stay tuned!

Our Asheville Shower

About a month ago our good friends, Amanda, Amy, and Vicki, were kind enough to throw us a couples baby shower. The highlights shown here are the Monkey head cake made by Vicki (no, there were no jell-0 monkey brains inside) and the diapering race. The race consisted of "chugging" about one ounce of beer from a bottle, doing five dizzy bat spins on a golf club, then running about 30 yards to put a diaper on a stuffed animal - all while donning a pirate eye patch and ear ring. Good times.

A big thank you to Amanda, Amy, Vicki, and everyone that shared in the excitement and helped us prepare for Master Heimburg.

The Joys of Pregnancy - "Swankles"

Jill has been lucky enough to have a picture perfect pregnancy. You need look no further than this very blog for proof of that. Yet, not all the pictures of a picture perfect pregnancy are pretty.

Enter ~the swelling~

As a result we've become very sodium conscious in our household over the last three months. Jill also does well to spend plenty of time with her feet up. I had initially referred to Jilly's condition as "Cankles," but was later corrected by our OB/GYN, Dr. Simmons, that when the condition is the result of pregnancy induced edema the proper term is "Swankles."

I don't care what you call them, I say they're hot, hot, hot - you'll see this trend spread across the U.S. of A. in 2008 (the year to procreate).

Still waiting.... week 38

Here's Jilly! She is doing wonderfully!




I started a chocolate oatmeal stout this Saturday. The plan is that this brew should be ready about the same time our baby boy is. This will likely be the first beer Jill will enjoy in more than 10 months and a treat to share with our family and guests who come to welcome our son.

I've documented my brewing experiment (I've never used chocolate before!) and if you're interested you can check it out by clicking the link on the right that goes to "Our Photo Gallery" or just click this link here. I would recommend viewing the photos as a slide show and be sure the captions are turned on.

Hangin' at the crib

Our crib finally came in this week so we ran down to Greenville, SC this morning to pick it up. Now the nursery is really looking like one. Thanks Mom & Dad H.!

Not yet - week 37

Thank you for all your kind comments on the nursery. We still have a guest bedroom, so there is an open invite for everyone to see it in person. At this time we are booking about 6 to 9 months out. Make your reservations early if you plan on coming during leaf season.

We visited the doctor this week and she said the big day could come any time now. Jill thinks he has a few more weeks to bake before he's ready. We need the time to settle on a name.

His movements are much more clearly defined - we've been playing with what we think is his foot for the last day or so. He's certainly an active young man.

Did you say, "Belly pictures?"

I took this awesome point of view shot.

It is DONE!!!

After a number of Saturdays the mural is complete. I think the pictures can do most of the talking (remember you can turn on the captions by clicking the text bubble in the bottom left). I think I worked the jungle thing just right - bright & happy, very baby friendly. As I was finishing up I thought more about the pirates and decided that when he is 5 we can paint some pirates (or just turn the monkeys into pirates) if he'd like. I'm pleased with the final product and Jill says she loves it.

We've both been doing really well. Today we got back together with Jill's co-worker Jen, who is also a professional photographer, to select a couple of the shots she took a couple of weeks ago. We picked two that she'll print for us as a most excellent baby gift.

The time is just flying and the excitement is certainly building around the house. I can see those "nesting" instincts begining to blossom in both of us. The crib should be coming in toward the end of this week or early next, so Master Heimburg better not show up before then.

Enough jibber jabber - on to the mural! Enjoy

UPDATE: Here is a link to a larger view http://picasaweb.google.com/mheimburg/Mural/photo#s5170316585147457314

Belly Picture - Week 34

The ever-popular belly picture. 6 weeks and counting.

This is one of my favorites

Sneak Peek

It's been another a busy week, we just finished touring the hospital as part of the educational classes we've been attending. They have some nice facilities, a very comfortable environment, and all of the delivery rooms in the hospital have computers - so expect blog updates during labor! Or maybe we'll even bring our webcam so we're able to skype the really good parts! Sounds like a 21st century delivery, right? Come on now... really?! No, not really, but we are hoping we may be able to post some pictures as soon as we're able following delivery.

This past weekend I was able to get started on the mural in the nursery. I think it looks pretty sweet. I'm hoping I can get it pretty much wrapped up this coming weekend.

How about another post?

I figured enough time had past and events cumulated to prompt a posting on the baby blog. I feel like such a lazy blogger, but I assure you neither of us are lazy. Jill and I have been working hard both at home and away.

We've got a couple of pictures to prove it too! Thanks to a recent visit by Grandpa and Grandma Lombardi our nursery has improved by leaps and bounds. As of today the "built-in" shelves have been unbuilt and re-built-in, walls have been repaired, two coats of paint on the walls, trim and door, blinds and curtains hung, and a mural sketched into place. It looks like this next weekend we'll have a chance to get started on the mural - if you want a sneak peek you'll have to drop by. I'll post the finished product.

You'll also see some pictures of our friend Byron and his wife Amy making some beer over at our place (if you click on the little text bubble on the bottom left of the slide show it will display the comments describing the picture).

And finally we have a picture of our rocking Super Bowl party - I heard it was pretty freaking sweet.

Things there aren't pictures of... The baby totally moving around Jill's belly, us practicing breathing and relaxation for labor, and the piles of baby stuff in every corner of our house. Thank you everyone for all your help in getting us ready for baby!

Poll:

When the baby pokes you, is it wrong to poke back?

Nursery Plan

Here is our latest guess as to what the nursery may look like.


It's going to be a little tight, but it looks like all the essentails will fit. This plan does involve a bit of demo and reconstruction of some shelves.


Other news... we just had our friend Alex from DC drop in this past week. It was great to see you again! And I've just had another baby!!! An oatmeal stout (again)! I'm sure she'll be delicious.

Work and life are keeping us quite busy right now, so we apologize for the infrequent posting we'll (meaning me, Matt) will try to keep on it.

We're looking forward to a visit from Papa and Weezie (Grandparents Lombardi) next weekend. We should have a few new and improved nursery pics after their visit.

Finally - Our Holiday

Thanks for checking in - sorry we didn't have anything up sooner. I guess I'm a lazy blogger. We're also busy people outside of this blog as well (if you can believe that).

We traveled for over ten days stopping in Canton, OH, Farmington, NY, Canton, OH (again), and then Dayton, OH before finally making back to Asheville. It was a whirlwind trip, but it was perfect because we we're able to see all of our family!

We also had two baby showers, one in NY and one in OH, and while the formal "thank yous" are being finished off we'd like to extend our thanks here as well.

Enjoy the show:




And for those of you who have been keeping track at home, you may remember that we like to bestow a theme on each New Year. Well, this year's theme was dubbed by Jill - "Procreate in '08." So bring on the babies!!