Happy New Year!

Well, Hadden is almost 9 months old now and he's experienced his first Christmas and first new year - neither of which he understood as he has very little knowledge of the Julian calendar. I guess when you're 9 (months) the most important things are people, paper towels (he loves them) and tupperware lids (loves those too).

This Christmas was full of fun for Hadden because he got to see tia Leslie, tio Karl, abuelo Bill, abuela Jane and abuela Wendy (unfamiliar words are Spanish or so I'm told). It certainly was a premium Hadden day with at least one adult paying constant attention to him all day long.

It's been a bit over a month since the last post so here's a short list of new skills:

• Eating. Not new, but continues strong. Certain foods he doesn't like (I think the best category is "stinky" foods like broccoli, cabbage and chicken). Other foods he chows - any type of sweet squash (butternut, spaghetti, kabocha, etc.), grains and dried fruit, etc. He eats a lot these days. I've taken to calling him "el caballo" (look it up).
• Not quite crawling (is that a skill?). He gets in the position, lurches forward with the hands...then lurches back or sprawls flat on his stomach and then turns over on his back into the helpless "turtle" position. Refuses to move forward. Who knew locomotion would be so hard.
• Assisted standing. Hadden loves to use anything else in the house to help him get into the standing position (side of crib, dad, chairs, pillows, cats...). If he could stand continuously he'd be happy 24/7. He used to be totally thrilled with eating. Well, it's been several months since eating started so "standing" is the new "eating". I'm sure the thrill will wear off. I can stand pretty much any time I want and it doesn't thrill me any more. Not sure when it lost its appeal. Perhaps I've lost perspective.
• More sounds. He can do M, N, D, B, A, E, I, O, U, H, P and perhaps a few others. Mind you, this is a pretty good set for Wheel of Fortune. Do they have a baby show? "Pat, I'll take a 'duh'".
• Hair pulling. I guess this could be considered a deficiency (see below) but for now it's a skill. Give him some hair and he'll pull it for all he's worth (loves doing it). It's not really a resume-builder but perhaps he could list it in a "hobbies" section.

Deficiencies:

• Sleeping in the crib for naps. He rarely sleeps in his crib for naps longer than 30 minutes. If you hold him or put him in the stroller he's gone as long as 2.5 hours.
• Eating the aforementioned "stinky" foods. Life is more than butternut squash. Deal with it, boy.
• Untimely bowel movements. Self explanitory. Sometimes I call him Stink Stinkerton.
• Grabbing. He grabs everything. So much that I call him Grab Grabberson.

Over Christmas it was good to see everyone including my parents who both thought it was too cold in Seattle. Other news:

Angela's been doing great and Hadden loves her. She's here Tuesdays through Fridays as I'm at school (UW) and Yvonne's at her new job at Microsoft working for the "man". Hadden gets lots of love, walks, story time, etc. from Angela. It's been wonderful for all. He's also getting a good dose of Spanish from Angela (who is also teaching Yvonne), which is fantastic. He already knows who los gatos are (no, not the California town) and can't get enough of them. He's still chubby. We've thought about gastric bypass surgery but have instead opted for bigger shirts. Right now he wears 12-18 month-old clothes. We think he's gifted. Hadden is still pretty uninhibeted socially, which we wouldn't mind changing a little bit. It's a little disconcerting to hear him grunting as he "drops a deuce" (thanks for the phrase Sassons) at the dinner table while the rest of us are eating.

If you're ever in the area, drop by and say "hi" and if you wake Hadden up you have to put him back to sleep. Ha, ha...seriously - put him back to sleep.

steve

Happy December all

Just got back from Las Vegas for Thanksgiving this weekend. Visiting the relatives was great: Karl and Leslie came over from Denver and we stayed at Auntie Michelle, Uncle Andrew, and Cousin Kash and Cousin Haze's house in LV. We flew over on Thursday morning so the airport was rather dead. Hadden was fine on the plane ride down except that he crapped himself twice. Not a big deal except that this particular Southwest Air 737-700 did not have any changing tables. So, we had to take him into the micro-bathroom, put the toilet lid down, cover it with a blanket and try and do it there. Not nearly enough room. The first time we rather well (I got lucky with that one) but the second time he apparently peed all over his clothes while being changed. After some time in the lavatory, the door opens and two hands pass out a near-naked baby with just pampers on. Yvonne cleaned up the mess best she could and Hadden switched to the backup clothes, which unfortunately were not as cute as the starting team clothes. Not surprisingly nobody sat next to us in our row.

The above picture is from a vigorous 1.5 mile "hike" we did on Friday in Red Rocks. It was sunny but very windy and, thus, quite cold. Mom and dad brought lots of warm clothes for Hadden except forgot that his hands might be cold. The make-shift "gloves" he's wearing are actually Uncle Karl's extra socks - they're a bit big. At least someone was prepared. Thanks Uncle Karl.

Hadden loves his relatives and especially likes watching his cousins motor around the house. Nothing more entertaining that watching Kash get into trouble. Haze really enjoyed saying "baby" and pointing to Hadden. It was more like, "bay-bee" in a really cute baby way. Kash also still calls him "Baby Cheese" but now can also recite his name, "Hadden". In case you missed an earlier post, "cheese" came about from when Kash was in Hawaii and saw me on a visit and called me "Uncle Cheese" (closest he got to "Uncle Steve"). That made us the "Cheese" family with Uncle Cheese, Auntie Cheese and Baby Cheese (or "Baby Queso" as Gena likes to call him). Uncle Karl was also a big hit in the Sasson residence as Kash found out how much fun Uncle Karl can be. Uncle Karl?

On Saturday the gals (Yvonne, Michelle and Leslie) went for a spa treatment at the Bellagio so the boys went to...Hoover Dam (now who could have chosen that destination?). Karl, Steve and Hadden drove down to the dam (about 1 hour counting the traffic jam the last 4 miles) and walked around. There was no Michael Jackson moment with Hadden dangling over the side - we experienced Hoover Dam as safely as possible. Below...the boys in front of the new Hoover Dam bypass bridge being built.

The flight home was relatively uneventful and we started the new week with our new Nanny - Angela. She's great, from Peru and speaks Spanish. Anglea's been doing fantastic with Hadden - took him to storytime at the local library today. Yvonne's new job is going well so far (Microsoft) and Steve is still teaching/researching (in the proper ratio to obtain tenure) away.

Tonight we went to a volleyball game - the Huskies were in the the NCAA tournament and play their first 2 games at home. They won tonight 3 games to 2 (VERY close) over Missouri and Hadden slept through about 2/3 of the match. Thanks to Mommy for holding him almost the entire time. He even stayed asleep as Dad yelled quite loud at a couple of bad referee calls and match point.

Hadden's sleeping, Yvonne is fixin' to so I'll sign off and join them.

TTFN,

steve

Manly man...boy

Well, here Hadden is at month 7. Hard to believe he was born 7 whole month ago. As our friends Dave and Jenny say, "they grow up so fast but each day is an eternity".

(Hadden looking like a manly "fisherman" after a jog with dad)

Lots has happened since October (last blog post). New skills:

• "B" sound. At first this was an unsophisticated full bottom lip sound but it's progressed to an adult "B" sound that requires little effort. We think he' gifted. :-)
• Sitting. Can sit with relative ease. He falls over infrequently when his big head gets going too fast in one direction.
• Peek-a-boo game. Hadden's been doing this for a while but now it's hilarious. At first I was hiding my whole body but then I realized that just hiding my face with my hands was just as funny. Apparently, dad has some peek-a-boo learning to do.
• Eating solid food. Mom has been making various purees (squash, peas, pear, carrots, millet, quinoa, yams) and Hadden LOVES them. He can't seem to eat fast enough. On the down side, this has made crapping a bit more difficult (if we were to spin it I guess I would say it's now more "rewarding").

Hadden's also gaining dexterity. It's fun to watch him play with objects now because he tends to twirl them slowly in his hands to see all the different aspects of a 3-D object. We got him a set of rubber blocks that I can stack (he knocks them over) and he can chew but his favorite toys are still kitchen related, including spoon (both wooden and regular flatware spoon), whisk, spatula and anything else out of the utensil drawer.

(Hadden being manly and driving a tractor with dad)

Today we went to a baby show put on by something like the Northwest mother entrepreneur association. They had baby legs (http://www.babylegs.net/) and other stuff there including some cool blankets and bags. Hadden slept through the whole thing (a good thing) but mom and dad spent some $. I am amazed at the engineering and art that goes into modern baby things. I doubt you could find anything this cool at Babies R Us. I was one of the few men at this event but that's not totally unusual.

In 2 weeks we will all be heading down to my sister's house (auntie Michelle) to see cousins Haze and Kash over Thanksgiving. Bonus, Leslie (Yvonne's sister) and Karl (husband, uncle and great guy) will be there too. Should be fun.

steve

Almost 1/2 a year (by Hadden)

Well,

You may be checking here because you are wondering how I'm doing 1/2 year into my life. Not bad, I must say. Dad recently went to South Africa and got me the national rugby team shirt (they're the Springboks). Everyone seems to agree I'm a rugby looking guy right now.

I hear that my English relatives are big rugby players/fans. Others tell me that all the good rugby national teams are south of the equator.

As you can see, I've gained lots of weight in the last few months. Mom and Dad have not had me officially weighed yet but I'm about 19 lbs and 28 inches - a chunk. My head's big enough that it's still difficult to sit up for long periods of time because once that head gets going in a certain direction it's tough to arrest it. I have gained some new skills recently:

• Saying things like, "da, da, da, da..." and other basic jibber-jabber
• Sitting in my stroller without the baby bucket (like a big baby)
• Sleeping in my car seat (I did several hours on the way back from camping at Icicle Creek near Levenworth, WA)
• Bulking up (just look at my 'Boks photo). My Aunt Michelle says I should go on the Atkins program.

Despite the numerous baby play toys I have my favorite things to play with are hair, newspaper, spoons, plastic chip bag clips, straws, beer bottles and pretty much anything else that isn't mine. I'm also a pretty big sports fan but I'm not sure I've had a choice in the matter so far. I've been to 1 Mariners baseball game, 2 Husky football games and 2 Husky volleyball games. I also like going for walks because I love being outside and there is so much to look at there. Shopping is also great - especially at the open market, which is sadly done until next Spring - because there are also many different things to look at.

Finally, Dad got out his old sweater and hat because it was getting cold out and was a bit small for him. Mom dressed my up in it (originally made by Grandma Jane) and I'm wearing it today as Dad writes this - yes, Dad is writing this, not me. I can't type yet. I can bang on the keyboard and send e-mail but there's really no structure to my computer skills yet. That said, I can't wait to buy my first thing on ebay or do my first Google search. Perhaps I'll look for "chip bag plastic clips" or "endless baby formula".

Mom and Dad both think I'm doing pretty well although they both wish I'd sleep on a more regular schedule and for longer periods of time. When I do, I'm very good at auto-entertaining. Right now I usually last about 5 hours in my crib at night (not bad) but my daytime naps are too short. Dad keeps saying duct tape would help but I'm not sure what that means. The way I see it, there are just too many things to see and do on this earth and I'm not sure I've got time to waste sleeping.

TTFN,

Hadden

Hawaii

Hello all,

Hadden is back from Hawaii and everyone had a great time. Hadden got to meet his great grandmother (Nana), his auntie (Michelle), and his two cousins (Kash and Haze). Thanks to Michelle for putting up the "cheese family" (more on that later) at her place near Kailua Beach and thanks to Mom and Dad for the time at their place and thanks to everyone for coming over multiple times to "share in the love". There certainly was a lot of love to go around with three small, vocal children all under the age of 3.

Above: Four generations of Muench folks (the youngest of the fourth is NOT happy while the other 4th is eating yet another banana).

The plane ride over was fantastic as Hadden slept for 3 of the 5.5 hours and allowed us to watch two crappy movies (Epic Movie and Smokin' Aces). He was even quiet (for the most part) on the car ride to Kailua. My sister, Michelle, and her two kids (Kash - 2.5 and Haze - 1) along with Geena are staying the summer in a beach rental across the street from Kailua Beach and offered to put us up while we were in town. Each morning we would all pile in the vehicles and drive over to grandma and grandpa's house at about 7:15am. It seems early but we generally got up with the kids at about 6am anyway.

Apparently we have become the "cheese family" because Kash, back in June, referred to his "uncle Steve" as "uncle cheese" (which is pretty close, really). That then made Yvonne "Auntie Cheese" (Kash's idea), which obviously made Hadden "Baby Cheese" (G's idea). Baby Cheese did wonderful in Hawaii - most nights going to bed between 7 and 9pm and getting up at the crack of dawn. He got to go swimming in the ocean, go swimming in the pool, get pushed (in a stroller) in Kailua Beach Park and see grandma and grandpa's house. I must say that the overprotective parents made sure Baby Cheese was in his UV protection suit (quite cute) with sunscreen when he was in the sun. Michelle was wonderful, offering to babysit BC (Baby Cheese) one night while we went out to Alan Wong's restaurant. He slept like a champ while we were out. Nice job G and Michelle!

Seeing everyone and playing with Kash and Haze was fun and gave us a glimps of the joys (and issues) to come with Hadden. Kash, "Kashito Diablito" loves lizzards and helicopters, which is an interesting combination. Haze, "Bonita Flower" is all about the flowers. She also started walking in July.

Our six days in paradise were over sooner that we would have liked so we headed back to Seattle on August 9th. Hadden was "OK" on the way back - much more bouncing in the back of the airplane than on the way over but we did all right in the end. Yvonne thinks he got a B+ on the way back but I think that's a bit high, however I can understand the high grade coming from his mom.

After being in a house full of children for a couple of days it amazes me how much their lives are driven by learning - Kash and Haze seem to spend their waking hours figuring out the universe one tinker toy at a time. It's what drives them to get up and what makes them happy. I see it in Hadden too when he does something like figure out where his feet are (BIG smiles for that one). People often call me "childish" or "still a little kid" and I guess I'm fine with that because kids play, cry, eat, make messes, etc. but central to it all is learning. Not a bad day's work.

steve

Back from Denver (from Hadden - sort of)

Hi everyone (or at least the 2 or 3 that read this sometimes),

I'm back from my first trip on an airplane. Mom and I and Grandma Wendy went to Denver for 10 days. I went over with Mom and Grandma and came back with Mom and Dad (he had another conference to go to in Austin, TX beforehand). Everyone wants to hold you and as you can see by my expression in the photo - I'm not always focused on the joy of the moment.

I got to meet all the Lush folks - quite a clan. I got to meet just about everyone - I've got lots of cousins including Derek, Evan, Anna Rose, Jack, Culley, Max, Alec, Sophia, Erica, Greg, Torey and Daisy. What do my Lush Aunts and Uncles do all day? Auntie Leslie and Uncle Karl shared their house with us and I got to stay in what I call the "Hadden Room" (first floor, next to the bathroom - if you get to stay there in the future, request the "Hadden Room"). Uncle Karl eats a lot but only once a day and no sweets to speak of. Aunt Leslie (I hear Max used to call her "yea-yea") looks a lot like my Mom (especially given my eyesight) and lives in a great place with Uncle Karl. They do, however, need a new car.

I was given a grade of "A" for my trip to Denver because I didn't really fuss too much. I must say that perhaps your Mom and Grandmother don't provide the most objective grades. While there it was really hot so mostly I ran around in a diaper only (actually it's a Pamper). I got lots to eat but on Friday I decided I didn't like bottles any more. Dad and Mom have no idea why but Dad did go out to Safeway at midnight on Friday night to get another brand of formula and new bottle nipples thinking that was the cause - nope. Once I got back to Seattle I decided to like bottles again. Dad thinks it's the Denver water. I'm not telling.

Some of my accomplishments this last 10 days:

• Made it to Denver and back.


• Took a huge dump in the Seatac airport before I left (my parents consider big dumps "accomplishments" - should not be too hard to impress these idiots)


• Screamed every time I got put in my car seat; affectionately known as the "bucket".


• Kept Mom up late on several occasions. Actually, that's too easy to really be considered an accomplishment.


• Grabbing stuff. I'm getting pretty good at grabbing stuff. Mom say's I do it mostly with my left hand (my right hand pretty much stays in a clenched fist no matter what I try). Also, she thinks it's funny that I raise my right leg when I'm concentrating. I see no problem with this.


• Went to 2 outdoor concerts. I've already been to 3 concerts in my life and I'm only 3 months old. I'm such a music person although I think it's okay to scream in the middle of the concert if you feel like it.

Everyone totally looked at me in the Denver Airport - I guess because I was getting a carriage ride to the gate. Mom and Dad say I was a good baby on the way back to Seattle. Although, I suspect that their rating of my behavior is more a reflection of their ability to deal with my needs rather than any concious decisions I make about my behavior. If they want to project their ability to deal with a baby onto my "behavior" I say, "whatever floats your boat". Give me some milk.

I am looking forward to my trip to Hawaii in August and am trying to get a tan and some new swimwear before I go.

-HTM

Closing in on 3

It's been two weeks, which is about 1/6 of Hadden's life, since the last post. Hadden will be 3 months old next week (July 12th to be exact). He's gaining weight well now - yesterday he was 11 lbs, 13 oz at the doctor's office. That's still light for his 25 inches of height but getting better.

Recent happenings:

• Went to his first baseball game - saw the Mariners win (figuratively - he probably didn't see them at all - but he did see a bunch of folks in his immediate vicinity).


• Went to a Madaleine Pereoux concert at Chateau Ste. Michelle. Not bad, we got there just before she started and he was pretty good for the whole thing. Again, don't think he saw Madaleine but perhaps he heard some of the music.


• Hadden laughs. He can laugh now...or at least chuckle. That helps mom and dad.


• Hadden goes out to dinner. He's been to a variety of baby-friendly restaurants including the Barking Dog, Gorgeous Georges, and a pizza place in Wallingford.

So this stuff seems to be more about mom and dad but that's okay. Usually we know what he's on about when he's crying now (or at least we make up good reasons, e.g., he's tired, he's hungry, he's bored), which helps. Top three things used to stop Hadden fussing:

1. Eating. Obvious, enough said. Although sometimes he fussed while eating.
2. Crack ball. The exercise bouncy ball that we got from Sandy and Peter (our neighbors with 1-yr old twins) is so effective Yvonne calls it the "crack ball".
3. Walking up and down stairs. Perhaps he enjoys the thrill that mom or dad could tumble down the stairs at any time. Or, perhaps he likes the bouncing motion (see #2).
4. Walk around the neighborhood. You must carry him (placing in the stroller doesn't work).

Other Hadden features: he doesn't like his car seat and doesn't particularly like riding in the car, likes to face out when held, enjoys staring at himself in the mirror (is it narcissistic if he doesn't even know it's him he's staring at?), usually dislikes diaper changes, has a small bald spot on the back of his head, likes to 'boobie sleep" (sleep right after feeding very near to mom).

Next week - Denver! (and then a visit in August to Grandma/Grandpa and Aunt Michelle and cousins Kash and Haze in Hawaii).

TTFN...