Swallowed by School

It's almost bed time for Daddy and he's tired. This week has flown by in a blur and it's all because of school. I only get to see Z for about four hours a day now and it's usually her tired time. We take a walk when I get back to give Shannon some time to make dinner (and get herself together after spending all day with her). She will doze off for about 30 minutes or so which helps because Shan has trouble getting her to nap. Then we get back and I play with her for a little while. Next, it's dinner time so we all sit together at the dinner table and enjoy dinner. I get to feed her which is nice. Then it's off to bed time rituals. Every other day she gets a bath. Sometimes we take a little walk around the property with me carrying her. Then we change into our nighttime clothes, read a few books, maybe hang out in her room and then it's time for the crib by 7:30. She has been great going to sleep and will be down before 8:00 with minimal fuss. She has been sleeping like a champ, only waking up twice for some short feedings. Shan takes care of that pretty easily as I sleep tight. She wakes up pretty early so Shan is not happy about that but at least she gets a good night's sleep.

I am barely making it to the weekend this week. Can't wait! We have a party to go to on Saturday and lots of hanging around. I have to do lots of school work but don't tell Shannon.

My Turn

Now I'm sick! Fortunately I have sensed this coming and have attacked it with fever and gusto. I can't go down before the first day of school! Z is still hacking like an old smoker but she is better although today she was particularly fussy. Shannon is also on the way back and is feeling better than she has all week. I'm going to bed soon because tomorrow I meet the parents at school and it's going to be a long day!

Summer of Z Comes to a Close

It's been a great ride. My first summer with Z. We swam, hiked, played, sang, read and hung out every day. We went to Miami and Atlanta and to many places around the Asheville area. We learned how to sleep in our own crib and fall asleep by ourselves. I'm gonna miss it.

Right now, both girls are coughing up nasty stuff. It's the tail end of a nasty bug that got them, but the bright side was our mom's were both here for it and I was not yet working. Now as the school year approaches, I foresee two healthy ladies ready to tackle mornings and afternoons without dad. Well, at least that's what I hope. I know Shan is not looking forward to my going back but she will adapt.

Right now the buzz in the home is the deck project coming to a close by the end of this week and a whole new approach to eating. Let's start with the deck. It should be done by Thursday. Party to "break" it in will be September 4, 2009. Uncle Ted will be here to celebrate which should be awesome and I'm inviting my school to also make it a back to school fiesta.

As for the eating, Shannon has decided to detox from sugary foods and regain her pH balance in her body. Grandma Lanie gave her a food book which has us eating even "healthier" than before. We went to the grocery store today and basically just bought everything from the bulk and produce section. No processed foods, no baked goods just pure raw foods that will provide us with plenty of nutrition. When Shannon gets a project in her head, there is no stopping her. I'm looking forward to feeling the effects of this improved diet. With all the visitors lately, we strayed from some healthy eating habits so now that it's just us, we can resume. Z continues to eat her veggies but we have placed some restrictions on fruit. She continues to chunk out and fill in.

Z Spreading Sickness

Safe to say Z is out of the sickness situation as she is sleeping soundly for the first time in a few days. However, Shannon is now sick. Fortunately her mother is here. She went to bed feeling better so hopefully she will wake up tomorrow and be much better. I must stay healthy.

Feeling Better

Z is starting to come out of the funk. She has been taking her meds and is now smiling and feeling a little more normal. In fact, she has just been moving from sitting position to crawl position on the couch. Hopefully she will sleep better tonight and get past this little bug. In the mean time, we will be home with little Z and keep her as happy as possible. Now I understand why folks have to stop their lives when their child is sick.

Z Still Sick

Z is still down in the dumps with cough, runny nose and illness. Her fever seems to have broken and she is on medication right now. This sucks.

Abuela stays, Grandma Arrives, Z is Sick, Summer is Gone

Where has the time gone?

My mom arrived a week ago and we've been busy as can be. Visits from friends going to China, sushi nights, True Blood marathons, entertaining young couples about to be parents themselves.

However the mood is somber here as Z is going through her first sick day. She has a slight fever (steadily rising towards 100), is stuffy and is lethargic and tired. She really looks like crap. It is so sad to see her like this. She was like this all day and now it's only getting worse. Of course, having two grandmas around is making things better for the family.

The reason my mom is still here is because her flight was delayed. She was supposed to be off today as Grandma Lanie came to take over. Now we have a double dose of grandma healing powers.

I'll keep you all posted on Z's condition. I think everything will be OK. It just sucks to see your little one feel bad.

Hell Freezing Over

After a rocky start, things have cooled down here between the petulant child and the over bearing mother. It must have been a combination of the torrential rain and a happy Zahra that helped ease the tensions from the day before.

We spent the day shopping after a morning of showers here in Asheville. My mom bought tons of stuff for the Seijezzali family, including an overhaul of items for the kitchen area. We also hit up the downtown Tailgate market. It was fantastic! Fresh veggies, breads and meats everywhere at reasonable prices from local farmers. We picked up some freshly caught fish (the guy drove in from the Carolina coast this morning with Tuesday night's catch on ice) for our sushi night.

The next great bit of news involves the sleep progress of Z. After a busy day, she was ready for sleep at about 7:45. After a good feeding and our night routine, I took Z and gently laid her on her crib. I patted for about 30 seconds as she wailed away. Then, instead of leaving the room, I decided to lay down next to her crib, below her eye sight so she couldn't see me. This was at 7:51. I laid there and waited until 7:56 when I would begin to pat again. Right as I was slowly moving up, she ceased crying almost instantly! I laid there as stiff as a board, tense with anxiety. Would she resume her tantrum? Seconds stretched into minutes and her slight sucking sounds dissipated. I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of her face and there it was. A beautiful angel snoozing easily in her bed. I proceeded to slink out of the room and went straight to Shannon and told her the whole story.

I can see why this is such a happy moment for parents. If Z can continue to go down this easy, I will count my blessings every day!

As for abuela, I have to remember that we are like two peas in a pod. Our controlling selves conflict like two chiefs fighting for power. I need to remember my Taoist teachings and realize the more I try to hold onto something, the more I lose my grip. Just ride that positive energy and let the cool head prevail. Let's hope the rest of the stay works like this.

New Tricks

Dog Days of Summer

Wow it's been hot! Asheville's been humid and quite warm the past few days. No rain means the temps get even hotter. We've been adjusting to a "normal" schedule since Shannon's family left town and now that we think we are on a schedule, more family comes in the next couple of weeks starting with Abuela tomorrow. Should be good to have her around though as we need to get ready for my return to work (yikes!).

Z has been improving her self feeding skills. She is also getting even more wiggly. She kicks up a storm and her scooching powers are through the roof. She is healthy and getting so big. Picking her up now requires knee bending if you want to avoid the back pains. She is also into making new noises and her level of interaction just makes you say there is someone clearly inside that brain. She does this cute little head butt when she is close to you that feels like she is trying to either pass a message through her brain or some primitive form of greeting.

The other big news is that our deck has begun construction in earnest and in only a short week, the guys have put up a beaut of a start. We are drooling over the possibilities of hanging outside on our screened in deck and enjoying the wilderness around us. So begins another week, let's see what it has in store for us!

Capezzali Clan Dinner Video

More pix and video from the Capezzali Clan!

The Capezzali Clan Visit

It's been a heck of past four days here in Asheville. The Summer of Z got an injection of Shannon's side of the family as August has become family month.

It all started Saturday as Uncle Chris rolled into town from Charlotte. We took it easy that night and just got caught up to speed on Chris's world. Z was happy to see her uncle and Chris was excited to see the huge changes in his niece since the last time he saw her.

Sunday was when the rest of the clan showed up. Zahra got to meet her Aunt Julie, Uncle Harold and two cousins, Morgan and Emma. It was all smiles and hugs as Z's new found relatives held her and shared in her giggles. We took a stroll down to the Lucky Otter for some grub. Then the man showed up. Grandpa Capezzali! At that point, we are all together. We met up later downtown to see our family settle into their accommodations downtown. We walked around and had a nice dinner together.

On Monday, we began the adventure portion of the trip. We took everyone to Dupont Forest to go check out some of the most beautiful waterfalls in North Carolina. It was a warm and sunny day and the hiking was excellent. We all marveled at the mighty Triple and High Falls. We also did a lot of laughing and eating. Our stop to Sliding Rock was altered because it was so crowded, so we headed back to Asheville to freshen up and get ready for another family dinner. This time we had bar b que and enjoyed more of the downtown area. We also hit the Chocolate Lounge, Shannon's new favorite place to enjoy her favorite deserts.

Tuesday had us splitting up with Shan hanging back with Julie and Z while I took the rest of the crew to the Green River. We had a blast at the Green River! The weather was hot and the water was cool and the beer was delicious. The girls had lots of fun yelling and screaming over the snakes and trees that always threatened to knock them off their floats. Us guys just took it easy and soaked in lots of sun. Unfortunately, Harold hurt himself on the rope swing, breaking a few fingers. The crazy part was he never told anyone his fingers hurt until we made it all the way back to Asheville! Harold spent the rest of the day in the hospital. When we got back to Asheville, we found a tired and cranky Shannon with Julie, Z and Grammy Lanie and Grandpa Larry. It got dicier still as we had scheduled another dinner out (Harold had still not told anyone about the fingers so we were all still heading to dinner) and Shan didn't want to take Z out for a third consecutive night. Now the previous dinners went well, except when we got home we had a tired a cranky baby who had been up past her bed time. This caused some tension between mom and dad but we were still rolling along because how often did this side of the family see each other? (The answer is very little). But tonight, it all came to a head. The compromise was that Grandpa Richard took Julie and the girls and Chris out to dinner and Larry, Elaine, Shan, Z and myself just stayed home and ordered in some food.

After I put the baby to bed, we finally had almost everyone together (Harold was in the emergency room at this time). We finally had a moment to hang casually at home instead of out and about. Around nightfall, Larry and Elaine had to go back to Atlanta. Chris went with them to finish out his stay before heading back to Colorado. Everyone else headed over to the hospital to be with Harold.

This morning, Grandpa Capezzali left and Harold had to have some major work done on his hand. Julie and her crew leave tomorrow morning. Harold will have to have surgery on his hand. The house seems very quiet as I have brokered a little time away from everyone as Shan and Z are hanging downtown with Julie and the girls. It's been great to have Z meet and hang with both old and new members of her family. It's been a great learning experience between Shannon and I on handling the stress of hosting so many family members with a baby. The big debate is whether you make the baby come along and adapt to everyone or have everyone have to accommodate for the baby. Shan and I are torn over this one. Z has handled all of the events with as much composure as an 8 month old can. She has been well behaved and cheery pretty much the whole time (minus a few long car rides but that's to be expected). Things will go back to normal for a while which will be nice for mom since she is not as adept at handling all this craziness. Soon my own mom will be here for a week to continue the month of family that has become August. Fortunately, only my mom will be here so it won't be quite the frenetic adventure. But I must say, we all had a great time in the end and can't wait to have everyone back for more!

Exercise Video

Eating and Exercising

Z has really taken off with her eating. She can now feed herself tiny morsels of food using her forefinger and thumb. It's a tiny motor skill we take for granted but it's so neat watching her develop it. This was something she developed in the course of a week! She is also more involved in the eating process, wanting to gab the spoon that feeds her and do it herself.

Along with the standing, Z has been much more mobile and wiggly. She is constantly kicking and moving her arms. It won't be long now before we get some real movement.

I am going to leave shortly to pick up Uncle Chris and then the floodgates will truly open tomorrow as the rest of the Capezzali and Jankins clans move in. Enjoy the photos and video!