"SANTA! I know him! I know him!"

Lincoln Racquet Club had Santa stop by tonight. Unfortunately, Simon missed out on playing tennis with Santa earlier in the evening. That must have been quite a sight! Maybe next year, buddy.

Bonus points to the first reader to name the movie quoted in this post's title. In case you need help, remember... yellow ones don't stop.

Simon the Snowbird

Simon, Nancy, and I went down to Florida for Thanksgiving. Obviously, this year we had many things for which to be thankful. Most of those were Simon-related, but still.

Nancy and I learned a great deal on our first long-distance trip with an infant. Mainly, we learned that Chaos Theory is alive and well. For those unfamiliar with the theory, its gist is that if a butterfly flaps it wings in China, Simon will scream when he should be happy. Or, vice versa.

One thing we learned is that infants like weather delays in airports as much as the rest of us. I'm sure that played into the meltdown Simon had while we waited for an hour on the tarmac in Chicago. However, knowledge of that provided no solace to the 57 rows of passengers that could not escape his shrill protestations.

All in all though, we had a great trip. It was very nice for Simon to see Uncle Troy, Grandma Jane, Grandpa R.C., and Great-Grandma Verla again.

There are a couple of new web albums available now on our Picasa site. They are as follows:

These are the pics from the Florida trip...

http://picasaweb.google.com/kirenosnhoj/FirstFloridaTrip#

And these are from a trip to Yankton...
http://picasaweb.google.com/kirenosnhoj/ThanksgivingInYankton#
(Looks like I didn't get the camera out enough in Yankton. Those four are pretty cute tho)


Until Next Time!
Erik

Precursor to Crawling

This was taken at Brian and Nancy's house. Those plastic keys were out of reach before he inch-wormed his way to them. It's only a matter of time now. I better get our house child-proofed soon!

First Meal

Here's video of Simon's first meal. There was clearly some confusion on both ends of the spoon. At the end, you can hear Nancy trying to keep Kensi at bay. I think some of the neighbor dogs may have told her how awesome it is when babies eat... food flying everywhere!

Youth Vote Comes Through

Simon was very excited to learn that Obama won the election. At this stage in his life, he votes very selfishly. He figured his tax bill would look better under Obama, since he currently makes less that $250,000/year. By the time he's clearing more than that with his professional golfing/freelance-Astrophysicist career, Obama will likely be nearing the end of his term.

Happy Halloween!

As you can tell from the picture, Halloween is Simon's favorite holiday so far... though that isn't really saying much, since he hasn't seen them all yet. It's only his fourth holiday ever, and that's counting Columbus Day, which is really weak ;-)

Simon was a Rollin' Stone

Simon rolled over on his own for the first time today! Nancy and I were both there watching it happen, and we probably freaked him out with our reactions. Alternate titles for this post are as follows:

Rollin' with my Homies
That's how I Roll
The Roll of a Lifetime
Rock 'n' Roll, Coochie-Coo... Lordy Simon, light my fuse
"Let's Roll." (too soon?)
Simonroll (like a Rickroll, but cuter)
MMORPG (Mommy & Me Observed Roll Playing Guy)

If you got the joke on those last two... that's a sign you spend too much time on teh internetz! LOL!!!!!111! (again with the internet "humor", jeez I need to go outside).

If you're interested, here are some photos from the baptism weekend.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kirenosnhoj/SimonSBaptism#

Baptism on Sunday

Hey all, I was going to say sorry it has been so long since our last post, but this is becoming a habit. So, now we'll just say this is right on schedule.

So, let's see... what's new? Well, Simon's growing quite a bit. He had a check-up a couple of weeks ago, and we found out that he was 24 inches long, and 13.1 pounds. Apparently that puts him in the 90-95th percentile for length, and 75th for weight. I guess that's good, or at least not bad ;-)

Simon is getting baptised on Sunday at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls. We're hoping he doesn't have any sort of meltdown in church.

Nancy's time off from work is just about over, so that means that Simon will be going to daycare very soon. We've been trying to prepare him for it, but it's more likely that we are the ones that are unprepared. We'll see who does more crying on Monday, Nancy or Simon. (Certainly not me... I'm all tuff and stuff :-).

Finally, there are some more photos posted. Same site as before, the new album is called Misc Shots (9-14-2008). You can get there using this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/kirenosnhoj/MiscShots9142008#

Go Big Red!

In honor of the first win of the Bo Pelini era, I figured I'd post a video of Simon cheering for the home team. Or, a video documenting delusional parents trying to brainwash an infant. Depends on your point of view, I guess ;-)

For those that are interested, the Husker Mascot Mobile can be found at the 70th & Pioneers Hy-Vee, of all places.

Simon and Nancy are out of town this weekend, and it's been pretty tough. It's amazing how much you can miss someone who has yet to form a coherent thought.

I also miss Simon. hehe, BURN!

8 weeks already!

Simon is 8 weeks old today. Everyone has told us to enjoy this while we can, because the time flies by very quickly. Y'all were right! We're trying to keep up with photo-taking, since he is changing so fast (at least we can see it ;-)

We tried a little photo shoot in our yard, the results of which are posted here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kirenosnhoj/AmateurPhotoShoot

Hope you enjoy!

Simon's First Trip

Recently, we took Simon on a whirlwind tour of Family and Friends. There are some new galleries posted, feel free to take a look:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kirenosnhoj

We started off celebrating Nancy's mother's 70th birthday. First at Red Lobster in Sioux Falls, then at Aunt Lisa's house in Garretson. That was very nice, and it was good to see everyone... well almost everyone anyway. Get home safely and soon, Auntie Brenda!

Next, we headed up to my parent's lake cabin, where Simon got to meet some more family, this time on Erik's Mom's side. I'm finding that I need to do a better job of getting pictures taken. There are some introductions that have no record other than memory. Oh well, I'm sure once Simon becomes famous and getting hounded by the paparazzi, we'll be wishing there were fewer photos being taken.

Another thing we discovered on this trip, spending time at the lake cabin is quite a bit different when you have an infant. I'm really looking forward to next year, when he might enjoy himself a bit more.

To cap off the trip, we went to Minneapolis to go to Erik's cousin Marc's wedding. It was a very nice wedding. Congrats, you two. Also, Simon had a couple of firsts on this leg of the trip. He had his first boat ride, since the rehearsal dinner was on a boat cruise around Lake Minnetonka. He also had his first stay in a hotel room.

There were lots more details about the trips that I'd like to share, but not enough time to go into it all. Thanks to all who helped us during these trips, we needed it ;-)

Until next time... Erik

Too Long Since Last Post

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. It's more fun to bliss out on the couch with the little guy than to blog, oddly enough. Let's see... since the last post, we went to the Pediatric Orthopod and received good news. His hip looks fine for now. They'll check again in six months, but it's just precautionary. At that appointment, they weighed him again and he was 10.5 lbs. Judging by the heft of the baby/carseat combo, I'm guessing he's even more than that now.

More photos

Added a small album to the web http://picasaweb.google.com/kirenosnhoj . They were taken on the day of Doug and Jess's wedding. We went to the wedding, so that meant we used a babysitter for the first time. Since there were no tears shed by either of us, I think we handled it pretty well ;-)

Loose Hips Sink Ships

When Simon was born, the nurse noticed a click/clunk when she put his legs through the range of motion. Potential hip dysplasia. So, that was something the pediatrician wanted to have checked out. We went to a pediatric orthopod on Friday. They confirmed the click, but said it likely wasn't a big deal. Since Nancy is so extremely feminine, her estrogen is likely still in Simon, causing his ligaments to be loose. We are going to have an ultrasound done next week on the hip. Hopefully, it will confirm the hip's okay. Otherwise he will likely be in a Pavlik harness for three months or so.

You can see the harness here: http://www.hip-baby.org/pavlik.html

Since that would suck, we are hoping for the best. We aren't too worried about it, though, considering that there are a lot worse things in the world, and he would probably hardly notice it anyway ;-)

Simon's 1st Bottle

Daddy got to feed Simon his first bottle the last Sunday. I really enjoyed doing this, because I finally could satiate him when he was hungry. It was a bit frustrating when all I could do at feeding time was be the opening act for the main course, Nancy "the Mammiferous" Johnson. It was a bittersweet moment for Nancy. She knew in her head that it was good, because this liberates her somewhat... but her heart-strings were being tugged as I fed Simon. It was okay that someones else was feeding him, but I don't think he was supposed to enjoy it... or something like that ;-)

Annette and Harlow

Nancy's mom came down on Saturday with Nancy's brother and his wife (Brian and Nancy). She has been a real trooper; she is only a week post-op from a knee surgery! She has been a big help. We try to keep her off her feet, but you know how that goes... ;-) Her husband Harlow and his daughter Lana drove down today and they will all be leaving tomorrow. After that, it'll just be Nancy, me, and Simon for a while now. Scary!

Web Albums

I don't want to overload the blog with all the photos, so I created a web album for some of the other photos I've taken. If you are interested in looking at them, I have posted the URL below:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kirenosnhoj

Thanks!

First Visit to Taco Johns!

Daddy wanted to document Simon's first visit to Taco John's... I swear he was happier about going than he looks in this picture ;-) He and I will have to go there when Mommy's not looking. She'll surely try to get us to eat healthier than that, somebody's got to!

Evil Baby ;-)

It's a good thing I don't have any mad photoshopping skills, otherwise I think this Simon pic could be the next Angry Baby... http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/42874/

Swingin' Simon

Here's a vid of Simon in his Graco SweetPeace Newborn Soothing Center. To anyone expecting, we recommend this swing. It has plenty of features to keep gadget-loving daddies happy. Six swing-speeds, vibration, and a sound system that will either play audio from the womb, or a playlist from your favorite mp3 player. Very handy to have around.

Obligatory Bath-time pic

Every baby must have at least one naked bath-time photo to embarrass him or her during their teenage years. But, since this is a family blog, I did a little censoring. At birth, the nurses told us he had really big feet, and you know what they say about babies with big feet... ;-)

Happy 4th of July!

Sorry, it's been a while since I last posted... this blog doesn't seem as high on the priority list as changing diapers, tummy-time, and Simon-gazing. We went to our neighborhood 4th of July Parade today, and Simon had a great time! Okay, well he slept through the whole thing, but we were certainly fine with that. Do you like his FireCracker outfit? It was cute, but it only lasted for about 2 hours. Simon enjoys peeing on himself. We set a new record today, with 4 diapers in one hour! I hope that mark stays in the record books for a very long time!

Proud Grandparents

Here are Erik's parents holding Simon for the first time in the Hospital. He definitely passed grandparental approval :-) Nancy's mom unfortunately had to have knee surgery on the 27th, but she'll be down to see the little guy as soon as she can!

Timeline: Simon's 1st Day

Since I have some downtime, now would be a good time to fill in some details. I'll start with a timeline of the Big Day:

• 10:05 AM or so - Nancy's water broke while she was at work here at the Hospital. Not a bad place to be, really.
  
• 10:09 AM - Nancy called me at work to let me know, and told me to get home and get the bags.
  
• 10:10 AM - I freaked out, mostly internally ;-)
  
• 10:55 AM - I arrived at the room, and found Nancy very uncomfortable and having very little time between contractions.
  
• 11:35 AM (approx) - She bit me.
  
• 12:00 PM - Much needed and appreciated epidural. Also, found that after being 1cm at check-in, now at 5cm.
  
• 2:30 PM or so - Surprising nearly everyone, Nancy was at 10cm. Time to push. Nancy pushed like a champion. She pushed like an athlete trying to set a personal best. She pushed like a Warrior Poet... You catch my drift. She was spectacular. It turned out that Simon's heart rate was a little on the slow side, because the cord was around his neck once. So, with a little help from some forceps...
  
• 3:22 PM - Simon poked his head out, cried havoc, then fully entered this world of ours. I hope you like it, buddy!
  
• 3:23 PM - The newly minted mother and father basked in the glory of our son. We marveled at how he is basically a tenuous emotion, wrapped in the most delicate flesh. His reactions are immediate and pure, unfiltered by any sense of self... and we love each one.
  
• 25:73 - The concept of time lost meaning for Daddy. This was an unprecedented, seismic event in our previously familiar world, and the aftershocks are still being felt.

Baby's First Video!

Baby's fist video... and oddly enough, his first spit-up too!

Welcome, Simon Miles Johnson!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce... Simon Miles Johnson! And now for the vitals:

Born at 3:22 PM, June 26th, 2008.
7 lbs. 5 oz.
20 inches long
100% perfect (in our eyes anyway ;-)

More posts on the way, but right now we're just soaking in the glory.

So long, Due Date... we hardly knew ye

Even though Nancy's ready to be done (looks that way, doesn't it? ;-)... it appears full-term wasn't enough for our little guy. As you may have guessed from the subject of this post, today (6/25) was our due date. Our next appointment with the doc is tomorrow, and we're excited for an update.

I don't know about you guys, but the longer I stare at that photo... the more it appears there's a Goodyear Blimp trying to break through Nancy's shirt. I'm probably gonna get in trouble for that one ;-)

Trail Trek 2008 - Lincoln Journal Star's Family Festival and Fitness Ride

Trail Trek 2008 - Lincoln Journal Star's Family Festival and Fitness Ride

Well, Nancy and I decided to ride in this event today. We talked about it earlier in the week, but didn't sign up until last minute, since there was a pretty good chance we'd have an additional family member at this point.

As that was not the case... on a steel horse we rode. Actually aluminum is more likely, but whatever ;-)

We had a very enjoyable, 24-mile ride. The weather was beautiful and the event was well-run, but that's not the best part. They had a raffle during the finish line festivities. Started off with a bunch of logo'ed swag, but the final raffle was for four new bikes. Nancy and I were joking around about winning, since I had won a tennis racquet at different event. So, we almost burst out laughing when Nancy's name was called out for the third bike! I'll try and post a pic of it below.


http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/lifestyle/1268/29329/

Hopefully this was a good omen and means that we'll be lucky with everything upcoming ;-)

Ultrasound Scans

The due date is rapidly approaching, so I thought
I'd post my scans of the ultrasounds. Okay,
without peeking at the dates on scans, tell me
which one was more recent, top or bottom. First
person with the right answer gets to name the kid.
(Don't worry, Mom... that was a joke ;-)

Belly Shots

First pic... two of my favorite females catching some shut-eye. Second pic, after some rest... Proud, Perky, and Pretty Pregnant!