Learning How To Smile :: Chase at Two Months

The days are growing longer, the trees are growing new leaves, and Chase is growing from the small, fragile newborn he was into the very big baby we all assumed he would become. He goes for his two-month-checkup tomorrow, so we won't know for sure until then, but I'd put his weight at anywhere between 13 and 120 lbs., and his length at anywhere from 22 inches to 3 feet. Just kidding. But it does seem that he grows another inch every night when he sleeps. He's already wearing 3-6 month clothes. At this rate, he'll be borrowing clothes from his dad by October.

And get this: We are actually all beginning to sleep more now! I can't believe it either. I mean, in reality, it's still a crap-shoot, but it's marginally better. At best, we get a good 5-hour stretch at night, which, all things considered, is fantastic. Some nights are better than others, but really, all it takes is a good lullabye to get him off to dreamland. Fortunately, his mommy actually knows traditional lullabyes. His dad? Well, last night, Chase fell asleep to his father's stirring rendition of Springsteen's "Thunder Road." I'll have to work on that.

Every day, it seems like he becomes more and more of a person, with his own personality, likes, dislikes, expressions, etc.. And, after the long wait, our little guy finally gave us the smile we've been waiting for. He also learned how to stick out his tongue, which we weren't necessarily waiting for per se, but it's pretty cute, so we'll take it.

All in all, he's still the best thing since sliced bread, and the cutest creature on earth. We're looking forward to a great summer, and many great summers to follow.

Oh, and as an added treat, we've posted a short video of him playing on his mat. Why? Just because. Enjoy!

Eat. Cry. Poop. :: Chase at One Month

It's amazing how one month can change your entire life. And as much as Chase is learning something new everyday, his mom and dad are scrambling to learn the fine art of "Chase." It's exhausting, frustrating, and ultimately, the most wonderful experience in the world. Did I mention it was exhausting?

The Rookie's personality reveals itself a little more every day. He's very curious, very stubborn, and VERY strong, which is a dangerous combination. He hates being naked, unless it is to either, a. pee on us, or, b. get partially submerged in gloriously warm water, while being bathed in lavender soap. Not bad, eh? He loves bouncing, hates sleeping, and can put down a bottle like no one's business.

While I'm certain that Justine and I are his favorite people on earth (*fingers crossed*), we simply cannot compare to Chase's grandparents. Grammy and Grandpa (Justine's parents) are the comforters: when Chase is around them, he falls into a peaceful slumber; a perfect angel. Mom-mom and Pop-pop (Drew's parents) are the entertainers: when Chase is around them, he is awake and alert (without wailing for food), happy as can be. Pop-pop even got (what we think was) his first giggle.

The weekends are chocked-full of meeting new people, experiencing new things, and hanging with his bodyguard, Layla. We go on family walks and family car trips, both of which he falls asleep for, with many more to follow.

Finally, we cannot thank all of the folks who have lavished Chase with love, well-wishes, prayers, and gifts. They have meant the world to us, and we will make sure Chase thanks every one of you in person... when he can finally talk. He looks forward to seeing you all, and meeting the many new friends he still has yet to meet.

Chase- Week One

After a few sleepless nights in the hospital, it was time for us to bring our little man home for the first time. Justine (who had been relegated to a hospital bed that looks comfortable at first glance-- not so much after several days) and myself (who was relegated to a pull-out that would only pass for a bed in third-world countries) were happy to get home to our comfy furniture, familiar surroundings, and, yes, Layla.

Layla and Chase get along famously. Chase is nonplussed by her being around, and Layla sees Chase as the new little creature that she has to protect (even from his own mom and dad).

Chase's grammy was a saint, and came to stay with the new family for a few days to help us with cleaning, cooking, etc., which was real godsend. Especially, seeing as how we had to take our little man to the doctor's 3 days in a row.

Yep, for having a father whose appetite is surpassed only by his waistline, Chase had lost a little more weight than he should've, and was pretty jaundiced. We had to put him on the bottle with both formula and milk, and, after a little scare, Chase is doing just fine. Actually, fine is an understatement. If the amount of, ahem, "stuff" in his diaper is any gauge, Chase is doing fantastic.

As for sleep, well, let's just say that the Rookie may have his days and nights mixed-up. For instance, when the doctor says that he should be fed every 2 hours, you don't immediately assume that the 3:30 a.m. feeding will end 15 minutes before the 5:30 feeding. But, we steal shut-eye when we can, and, to be honest, it's amazing how far a one hour nap can go.

It's quite an experience so far, and completely rewarding at that. He makes us laugh and smile and giggle every day. As each day passes, his personality comes out more and more. It's tough to decipher whether or not he actually enjoys peeing on his mom when she changes him, or keeping his father awake for as long as humanly possible because sleep isn't "the cool thing to do" at 4 a.m., but we take it in stride. It's what makes Chase... Chase.

Chase Erik Frantzen

The Rookie is here. First the facts: he's a 7 lb. 5.5 oz., 19-in. long, strong little boy. 10 fingers, 10 toes, and he's possibly the most beautiful creature on the planet.

Now, the story. Justine and I went in to the hospital at 12 am on Thursday morning, so that Justine could be induced. With the gestational diabetes, the doctors didn't want to take any risks. So, at around 2 am Thursday morning, she began the intitial steps to induction.

Around 5 hours later, the doctors began giving her the drug that essentially starts labor. Justine began having contractions, but after many, many hours, the Rookie was still not budging. Then, the dreaded "Plan B."

At around 5:30 pm, the doctors and nurses got us ready to go into the Operating Room for a C-Section. She was scared, and in a ton of pain, but Justine was a champ. And, at around 6:53 pm, on March 5th, 2009, we got to meet our son for the first time.

Mother and baby are just fine. Justine is sore, and very hungry, but recovering quite well, given the circumstances. We'll be in the hospital until Sunday, and then the fun-filled adventure begins.

Thanks for all of the well-wishes, and we will post more (many, many more) pictures very soon.

--The Proud Papa

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

Here we are at just about 39 weeks. The rookie will be here any second now. Justine, being the planner that she is, has already packed her bags and booked a kennel for Layla. I, on the other hand, have yet to do that. (I swear-- I'm all over that tomorrow)

We're ready to welcome the Rookie into the world. Not just to meet this little, mysterious kicking-machine, but also so that Justine can stop being so... uncomfortable. Needless to say, the last few weeks of her pregnancy have not been a picnic. But right now, we're eager to meet the little man.

3 Weeks Left

So, here we are in the homestretch. Justine is trucking right along, dealing with fatigue, arm numbness, etc., and she's more beautiful than ever. The Rookie is running out of room, but growing like a champ. (I'm amazed that he has a head of hair, by the way... Maybe more so that the ultrasound could pick up hair).

The nursery is ready. The carseat is in the Kia (even if it doesn't seem quite right...). Justine is done work next Friday. Layla has been sufficiently warned that her rule of the roost is coming to an end. All that's missing is our little boy.

He'll be here before we know it...

Mommy & Grandpa.

Classic.

The Home Stretch

At work each day, the first thing I do is write the date on the board. It really hit me when I realized we are now less than a month away from meeting our little boy. Thank you so much to everyone who planned, came to, and gave so generously at our shower. We were both just truly overwhelmed with how blessed we are. Our son is definitely entering a world filled with people who will love him to pieces...not to mention spoil him rotten!! Below are some pics from the shower...yes, there were six pregnant ladies there and we are all due in either March, April, or May.



The last few weeks have been quite busy. We have been working hard to get our house in order and the doctor appointments are still two times a week. As of Monday, February 9th the rookie is an estimated 5 lbs. 15 oz, which again puts him around the 45th percentile in growth...just where we want him! As for me, I am still feeling good, just really tired and incredibly huge.


The nursery is finally ready to go. The furniture from Grammy and Grandpa looks extra special now that everything has been set up and found its place. Drew's paint job matches the bedding perfectly! Here's to the last few weeks of waiting!

Week 33

Time flies when you have a bun in the oven. We've now officially been certified care-givers to the Rookie, as we've now completed our childcare course at LVH. We learned all sorts of tidbits of very useful information that I am almost 100% certain we will forget when the Rookie is screaming bloody murder at 3am. We also mastered traditional swaddling techniques right before the instructor told us about a much easier solution. Go figure.

Anyway, the Rookie is about 4 lbs. now, and growing nicely. Justine goes to the doctor twice a week so they can monitor the guy, which he doesn't like one bit. He does his best Jean Claude Van Damme when the wand gets into his "comfort zone," which, at this point, makes up the entirety of Justine's belly. Good part is he's passing all of his tests like the grade A student we all know he will be, and Justine is happy and healthy (albeit a little tired and sore).

So, with 7 weeks to go, all's going just peachy.

Ella Hope Frantzen

Very early on Friday morning, the family got one more member, as our brother and sister-in-law, Kris & Becky, gave birth to their second daughter, Ella. Ella came into the world at 6"7 oz., and it was a blessedly quick delivery for Becky. She's absolutely adorable, and her big sis, Sofia, is ready for the challenge of both protecting, and picking-on her new sis.

So, with 52 days left in our adventure, it looks like the Rookie has his first playmate!

The Weekend of the Nursery

On New Year's Day, we began the initial steps of creating the Rookie's habitat, or, as some call it, a nursery. The goal: Finish the room with breathtaking results and, more importantly, our sanity intact. So, we brought up the selected paint (a light blue, a rust color, and something called "Aviary Nest"), moved the furniture to the basement (where the new "guest room" will be located), and taped-off the doors, window, trim and ceiling. What fun... The process was underway.

Day One. We go through the task of drawing perfect lines on the wall with a level and a yard stick to divide the walls into the blue/rust/Aviary Nest areas that we have decided on. This would be simple to do with: a. More adequate equipment other than a level and a yard stick; and b. walls and floors that were level to begin with. No matter-- we got the lines to where we want them.

At this point, I ushered Justine out of the process for the most part (this is something I wanted to do myself-- besides, she ultimately has the lion's share of the work, what with carrying the child, giving him nourishment, dealing with the stress on her body and mind that go along with carrying a baby, and, you know, the whole giving birth thing). The music went on-- mainly the odd assortment of crap that I like (Steve Winwood(!), Prince, The Gaslight Anthem, Bon Iver) and stuff that Justine and both like (the new Pink album-- quite good actually). The plastic drop cloth went down, which was not easy, considering every time the heat would kick-on, the floor vent would create a cloudlike surface of thin plastic. Fun to look at, not fun to paint on. The first coats of the blue and Aviary Nest went up. Not bad. They got another coat shortly thereafter. So far, so good.

And, we got a new picture of Justine in front of the Christmas tree.

Day Two. Stripe Day. The nice man at the paint counter at Home Depot said the rust was going to go on thin. Nobody will ever accuse him of being a liar. 4 coats. Four. Ah, but first, I had to find the thin pencil lines Justine and I made to denote the area where the rust stripe was going. Under 2 coats of paint. Not happening. New lines needed to be drawn, which, all things considered was pretty easy. So was the taping for the rust stripe, where I expertly recycled some tape from the ceiling. And, while the paint was thin, four coats did the trick. Once again, things went surprisingly un-Drew-like.

Day Three. Move that bus! But not until after the tape was removed, and, oh yeah-- the first two pieces of furniture were built.

First, the tape needed to come off. Sure enough, my sister-in-law's expert painter boyfriend came through with the tip that allowed the rust stripe to come out pretty darn perfect. We owe him a beer.

On to the crib. For being a convertible day-bed/crib, it was easier than I thought it was going to be. All the parts were included, the directions were thorough (and in English), and I didn't need any foreign tools to complete the task.

Finally, on to the dresser. Substantially more complicated. About 30 parts. About 160 various screws. Ugh. After a few hours of blood (not really), sweat (plenty of it), and tears (mostly sweat actually), the dresser was complete. Justine loved the room basically put together. Layla was confused. And I, in very un-Drew-like fashion, managed to do my part without screwing anything up. Mission (for the most part) Accomplished.

And the best is yet to come.

The Great 2 lb. Ninja

And here we are at week 27. The days are getting shorter, the temperature is heading south, and, as Justine's belly continues to grow, so does our anticipation.

Oh, and our son is a ninja.

It's TRUE! And it's more than just him kicking Justine (quite a bit). I thought it was just me at first-- I would put my head next to her stomach, and he would kick me. I thought it was a coincidence, but it keeps happening. He even made sure to give us a demonstration this morning. I couldn't be prouder.

So, here's our little ninja, and his beautiful mommy.