New Life

He's here. 2:51 PM. 7lbs 5oz. 19.5 in. Pics soon!

SOON!

When I look at the date I last posted and all of the progress Violet has made, it makes me feel a little ashamed and a little sad. Life has a tendency to catch up with us. Much like all of my friends and colleagues and family members have said, "It all happens so fast". I can honestly attest to the fact that no truer words have been spoken. Our daughter, Violet is a charming, funny, energetic, and fiercely independent 3 year old who, in a matter of hours, will become a big sister. I have a feeling that our Violet will be a good helper (for at least a week) and she'll serve as an excellent role model (until she's 16).

I'm excited as ever for the arrival of our son. We've decided that his name will be Degan (pronounced with a long e). The middle name has caused a bit of a silly war for the past few weeks. I had/have my heart set on Flynn. Melissa and I came to a compromise on Archer. We'll see what happens when he's born. I can't wait to meet him.

This has been the pregnancy of mistiming. By that I mean with Violet, everything fell perfectly into place; we induced on the day we wanted, her room was set up, and everything just fit to accommodate V's arrival. Not so with Degan. We needed to sell our town home to make some more space for his arrival. After a set of harrowing events involving our house sale and purchasing a new home, we found ourselves back at square one. Regardless, I suppose all Degan needs is a family that loves him as well as a roof over his head and a steady supply of food, and we have that. Time to make the best of what we can't control and give him all that we have.

Melissa is currently receiving an epidural and I've been removed from the room for this process. She said that she was more nervous about the needle in the back than she was about actually giving birth again. Going through the birthing process with her again reminds me of how amazingly strong Melissa is, as well as how much I admire her strength. I don't think I could do what she's doing (well, despite not being physically able). I'm in the unfortunate position of having to watch her in pain, which I absolutely abhor, but I'm also in the position to be as supportive as I can be when it matters most.

We'll probably have our son in the world by 5PM.

More later.

Round II

2009-2010

No excuses. Really. There's not any reason why I've failed to update this blog. I still have all the right intentions, but more than enough distractions and reasons to put it off. At least, at the very least, I managed to make an attempt to catch up before the full year mark. I pray that this "hurry up it's almost a year since I updated" rush does not become a trend. At this point, I'm not even sure if anyone checks it anymore. No matter. I didn't make this blog for the sake of getting readers.

Violet is a toddler. The term "toddler" used to make me giggle because it reminded me of the jingle for the old-school toy, the "Weebles"... As in, "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down". Now as a parent of a toddler, my sense of humor is met with a dose of reality. Toddlers topple and they get hurt. It’s all part of the game, I suppose.

Violet’s curiosity, will, her desire to seek fun and adventure are traits that have manifested themselves to such a massive degree that they're now something I marvel at. The T.V. is rarely on when she’s up for myriad reasons, some of which revolve around the fact that she is so damn fun to watch. Currently at 2o months, she is more beautiful, intelligent, articulate, and aware than I ever imagined.

She eats what we eat. She doesn't get a bottle. She is officially nukless. She can express herself extremely well now by repeating familiar words like, "out, up, down, NO!, dudes, cars, eat, wa-wa" just to name a few. So far, Violet is still kind of a Melissa clone, but now, more than ever, her facial expressions are mine. I can read her emotions like a book. Everything she feels and thinks ends up being expressed with her face. She, like her father, will be terrible at poker.

Melissa has become an amazing mother. The amount of love she showers on Violet seems to have no end. Violet's needs are met with poise and grace. I knew the woman that I married would need to have infinite patience; little did I know that Melissa had more patience than any human being I have ever met. It's one of the many qualities I admire in her. Together, she and I are trying to be the best parents we can be. I've come up with the model of "fair, firm, and consistent", and it seems to be working well with our little miscreant. Violet tests us regularly and we believe that we don't always have to rely on "negotiation". We say and will continue to say "no" to her and mean it. Some things are up for negotiation, but other things are not. Our daughter has picked up on this after only a few harrowing weeks.

All in all, things are awesome in the Conroy house, despite having to wade through the morass of toys and everything else she can get her hands on; however, I think that the clutter comes with the territory. Another lesson we've tried, and are still trying, to instill in our daughter is to put things away when she's done with them. She understands the phrases, "please put that back where you found it" and "please put this book back if you want us to read another to you". So far, so good. I think if we had a designated play area in our home, the toy issue would be resolved or worked on in the same manner. Not so much the case in our town home, lovely though it is.

More to come, as updating the blog with some regularity is on my list of resolutions for this year.
If there are any more readers out there, let me know by posting a message. Having this fall on deaf ears doesn't really matter, but if I know I have some readers still around, I might be more inclined to post with some frequency.

On to the pics:

11 month series:

It was around this time that I started to see my face in hers, bruises included.
Lots of falls and spills when she was this age. Hard to watch, unless you're twisted.


Violet in "grab everything" mode. Dad in "I'm going to eat you" mode.



"One Cheerio to rule them all".


Mid-roar.

12 month series:

Her 1st birthday was a massive success; due mostly because of Melissa's planning and love.


V was leery about smashing her cupcake at first. To be honest, she still doesn't like food or crud on her hands.. but she doesn't mind it on her face one bit.


Birthday balloon? Check. Inedible plastic weight in mouth? Check.
Discovering the power of helium? Check.


Rounding out the day at the "mosh-pit" aka the indoor play ground at Woodfield Mall.
I have a love/hate relationship with this place, but V loves it.


Grandpa Mitchell and Great Grandmother Talli at Violet's 1st birthday party.


Great reaction to a present. Complete with a high pitched scream. Good times.

13 month series:

In a word: Wark.
Needless to say that the baby chocobo was a BIG hit at ACEN.


Test run of the chocobo costume. V was not happy with the hood.
This unhappiness was nowhere to be found at the convention when she was
the CENTER of attention. Teenage girls moaning "awwww" was enough for this
little choco to ditch her hatred of wearing hats for the time being.


Cosplay trophy, GET! Melissa's hard work and Violet's
willingness to be fawned over made it all happen. That and having
two Japanese judges go completely nuts over V's costume.

14 month series:

My future soccer star. Still working on dribbling, but she can toss the ball
pretty well.


One of the few shots in this series when she looked at the camera.


Consumption of non-nutritive substances... although Melissa
is smart in her attempt at consuming cute.


Another obligatory mow hawk pic. I certainly hope that when she
turns 13 this will be her haircut of choice.

16 month series:


At least this postpones her asking for the keys. She can activate it,
but she can't steer. Parallel parking lessons start next summer.


She asked for a "venti no whip half mocha half caramel macchiato". She received
a cup of water instead.


Mesmerized by the train. She usually cries when the train leaves, however.

17 month series:

Early stages of human food consumption. Please note the
t-shirt I bought her. I can get her to say Thor. Spiderman, however
is just "man". Still plenty of time to remedy this.


"Look. All I said was Jenova". I wanted to steal my buddy's
buster sword for her. Totally cool.


Steady diet of Aspartame. Just kidding.


I think I tempted her with pizza in order to get her to smile like this.

Every one and a while, Melissa and I would treat her to a Baby Einstein DVD. Since then
she recognizes the cases, calls them "Dees", and can open up the DVD player and put the disc in.
Currently she's in love with Toy Story, I would prefer TRON, but I can't win them all.

Hiatus

Well, when January rolled around and someone sent me an e-mail wishing me a happy Halloween through the blog was the first indication that I've been remiss in my duty of updating and maintaining the baby blog.

It's been almost 4 months since the last post and Violet is officially a little person with a killer personality. As of this point, she crawls, stands herself up, walks with assistance, and gets into EVERYTHING. Ripping paper into shreds seems to top the list of her favorite past times.

She has developed a very unique behavior set that is slightly reminiscent of my own temperament. She likes to do things on her own, and wants to be held less and less as the days progress. There are moments when I may be trying to get her to say or do things and she'll shoot me a look that I've seen myself make either on camera or in front of the mirror.

Melissa is doing a wonderful job as mom. While Violet is in the early stages of walking, she's been bumping her head a lot. This evening, Violet made me realize who is the primary caregiver in the house as she wailed in pain from her tumble, but also wailed because I wasn't mom. It's strange to feel as though I'm not the one consoling her and spending time with her. I now realize that Violet's perception of me has a lot to do with fun, games, and silliness. It's become part of the bedtime ritual to tickle her and make her giggle while I put her into her PJs.

Violet is making new sounds everyday as well. Melissa told me that V was making new noises including the word "do". As soon as Melissa uttered the word, Violet followed suit with her own voice and said "do". I put my hands to my mouth and got tears in my eyes. Violet babbles quite a bit and she does day "dad" and "daaat" a lot, but this was the first time I heard her mimic and state a new word.

Violet has also taken to waving her hand back and forth for both "goodbye" and "hello". When we take her out shopping, she frequently greets everyone she sees with her hand waving. She is also a big fan of clapping her hands. If Melissa and I are watching a show on television and someone starts clapping, Violet quickly joins the chorus.

There are good days and bad days. The bad days are fraught with extra fussiness and whines. Melissa has adapted and weathered these storms well. However, when Violet's screeching or whining becomes incessant, especially on the weekends when I'm home with her and mom, it's difficult to keep my cool. I'm sure that I'd be able to build the patience that Melissa already has, but it's difficult because I'm at work during the week and only get to spend windows of time with my daughter. I also have to keep in mind that Violet's vocalizations are the only way she knows how to communicate her needs. Melissa and I are trying to break the whining habit, but I have a feeling that the whiny/crying noises she makes are par for the course and will probably continue well into the future.

On to the pics:


1st snowfall at 8 months. We had to throw a snowball at her.


Pre-snowball cuddling with dad (8 months)


Mom and our "little guy" Usually when it's
my turn to dress V, it's got to be black with jeans.
Gender roles and expectations be damned (8 months).



Mid-meltdown Violet complete with salty
tears and real-life snot. Yours at the low
price of telling her "no" sternly (9 months).


Something for the history books. Proof
that she was there witnessing history unfold. (10 months)


Bed head baby ver. 2.0. (10 months)


Santa visited the Conroy's this year. Violet seemed OK
with the guy in red at first, but soon got a little freaked out.
Might have something to do with the anagram of SANTA?


Despite what the picture may suggest, I have not
replaced my hand with a bird creature. Oh.. and Violet really
digs the puppets we found. She lights up when we use them around her.


She loved the horse. We still use it today. It's
just that now she can rock her way forward instead
of remaining stationary.


Now, the world is her oyster. She is into
EVERYTHING and is more inquisitive than ever.
She's also bonking her head and face a couple
times a day... but she's learning.


Despite the childproof corners and the like,
this little alleyway is her main runway of pain.
It's amazing how quickly she's progressed.


Our little explorer. Too bad exploration
is synonymous with prize fighter...

Humanoid

Violet's progression from less of a bundle of nerve endings and flesh to a little human being is a constant state of amazement for me. My new favorite things to do with her is to make her giggle. Nothing... NOTHING sounds better to my ears than the laughter of my daughter. It's like a drug. I find myself mock eating her neck and "zerbus"ing her belly as often as I can to get one more fix of her laughter. It's the best sound in the world.

Violet is healthy, strong, and vibrant. We finally see teeth in that little mouth of hers. Two bottom front teeth that are razor sharp. I think the older we get we tend to take the whole tooth growing thing a little too much for granted. If you think about it, having sharp, calcified protrusions erutping through the sensitive tissue of our gum lines is really not a pleasant experience at all. I don't think I'd want to go through growing a new set of teeth. Once is enough. I suppose the reason why I don't remember growing my teeth when I was a baby was probably not because of my age, but because of it being such a traumatic experience that I've psychologically blocked it from my mind.

Melissa is still V's primary caretaker while I'm at work. She's pretty content with the whole affair. I think she's doing a hell of a job. Melissa has weathered every storm with speed, tact, and grace. Violet's tantrums have become less frequent and we've managed to get her back on a longer sleeping schedule. For a while there, I was really starting to worry about Melissa's lack of sleep. V's asleep as I type this. Her bedtime is 7PM and she'll stay down until about 5AM when she'll want another bottle. After the 5-6 AM bottle she'll stay asleep for another 1-2 hours. With some training on our end, we've managed to get her to self-regulate. A lot of her neediness stemmed from the cold she had recently, and that was no fun for anyone.

Violet is still working on the whole crawling thing, but she does a really good job at holding herself up and starting to walk with our assistance. She's incredibly grabby and getting better at manipulating and moving things around with her hands. It's really awesome to watch her interact with toys and the world around her (with the exception of her grabbing onto my face and pulling at it with her razor sharp talons).

Well, on to what everyone wants to see the most:


This was taken in early September. It's as if she's
winding up to deck the paparazzi.


Meow.


Aunt Vicki feeding the monster. Cool thing about having
people over is that I can shirk my responsibilities on others.
Little did I know that Vick was a pro.


Dad and his budding little rock-star.


V at 6 months. One of the coolest thing about
having kids is that you can accessorize them.
Glasses=brainy kid.


Apple Fest adventures. This was taken while waiting in
line for apple pie I can buy any time during the year
but am compelled to wait hours in line for during Apple Fest.
The older she gets, the more I see me in her.


V's 1st Halloween costume. Ugh. Can't take anymore cute.


Now Melissa and I have even more reason to love
Halloween season.


Mother and daughter.


Almost 2 feet tall at 6 months.


Fusstank in motion! Live and in 3-D!