Year Eight

Today marks the first day of year nine for Emily and I. Eight Years ago I was lucky enough for Emily to say yes to a date. I made her dinner. I almost lost her the next day after I broke in let my self in with the hidden key to her apartment to leave her flowers and a Snickers bar. I can't believe eight years could go by so fast.

Year eight has been the biggest of our lives. We no longer consider each other the most important person in each others life. I still cook for you. We have never been happier or more tired.

After you get marred I think you have a tendency to overlook your dating anniversary. I don't think I ever will. I was already head-over-heals for Emily when she finally say yes to a date. Eight years ago we became us. Little did we know that was the first day of the rest of out lives. Worth celebrating, no?

Video Tuesday: Throwback!

Hi All! Video Tuesday again! I know it is starting to feel like all I do is post video of Eli, but it hard to find the time to do much else.

This week we will be looking back in time to when Eli was just a week or so old and comparing it to the present. Enjoy!

Throwback: Bedtime! from Kenton Kodner on Vimeo.

Bed Time! from Kenton Kodner on Vimeo.

Time for Solids!

We started Eli on solid food this week. We decided to go with sweet potato over rice cereal. Why? I don't know. Maybe because sweet potatoes sounded like more fun.

For someone that has only had substance that his mother provides solid food is a big deal. So we did what any self-respecting parents would do, over documented it. I don't fully expect anyone to watch all four videos. Well, I do expect the Grandma's to, but the rest of you are free to browse.






First Food: Try One from Kenton Kodner on Vimeo.




First Food: Try Two from Kenton Kodner on Vimeo.




First Food: Try Three. from Kenton Kodner on Vimeo.




First Food: The Clean Up. from Kenton Kodner on Vimeo.

1/2 Year Old!

My baby boy turned 6 months this week! 

He still thinks sitting is dumb and is not quite crawling.  If allowed to, he would stand all day.

He got TWO teeth, which is two more than he needs in my opinion.  His overall mood has improved greatly since they finally cut through though.  We’re done with that now, right?

He had his first taste of “solids” (otherwise known as fairly liquid food that just happens to not be breastmilk) yesterday.  He was initially curious though suspicious of our motives.  We debuted with sweet potatoes.  Some made it into his mouth.  Some made it all over his face and hands and diaper and chair.  We believe a small amount made it into his tummy.  Curiosity quickly transitioned to sorrow, anger, and all-out crying. We’ve tried several more times and I believe he and Kenny finally had a positive experience this afternoon. 

He’s become a bit more attached to Kenny and I and a bit wearier of outsiders.  He’s generally happy to grin at people across the room while in our arms, but hand him over and he often makes them feel like they smell bad or something.  We did test him in that area quite a bit though this month.  He’s seen all of his grandparents and even made it to the West coast. 

I, on the other hand, am beginning to feel increasingly like I am losing my mind.  My memory is virtually non-existent.  I don’t know if it’s the weird sleep or the constant changing focus of my attention.  At work, I basically get up every two hours to pump.  At home, I drop whatever I’m doing when he cries.  Maybe pregnancy was just preparing me for this phase.  The other day I stopped a coworker and asked her where she had gotten her shoes because they are exactly what I need for my friend Molly’s wedding.  Apparently I had stopped her on a previous occasion and we had discussed my borrowing them.   I had no memory of this.  Oh well.  Who needs clarity anyway?  Especially when you have a little monkey like this.

Video Tuesday: Rise of a Hungry Boy!

A big reason that I started Video Tuesday is that I wanted to shoot more video of the small things that I am going to wish I had taped years from now. Eli is most content when eating. He is a Kodner after all.

Times to eats! from Kenton Kodner on Vimeo.

No more. from Kenton Kodner on Vimeo.

SIX MONTHS!

How did this happen? One-half of a year old!

I have gone back and added Labels to all the month photos. I know welcome to bloging. So now everyone can go back as see all the month photos on one page!

Let's all move to Oregon

We spent most of last weekend in Portland, Oregon for our friend Lindsey's wedding and wedding-related activities. I was last there 10 years ago and it's even more beautiful and wonderful than I remembered it. Our friend Wayne's parents were kind enough to allow us to invade their home. They even got some of Wayne's things down from the attic for Eli to play with. This is his first ride in a highchair, and perhaps the longest length of time he's put up with sitting (generally prefers to stand).

On the second day we were there, Lindsey and TJ planned a wine tour complete with bus for a group of about 40 of us. Oregon pinot noirs are among my favorite wines. Splitting and skipping many of the tastings was a bit rough, but the outing was awesome nonetheless. Views like this were around every corner:

We learned that Eli has an embarrassingly accurate knowledge of what to do with glasses of alcohol. Regretfully, I do not have the picture wherein he attempted to fit his whole head in the glass.

Later that week, we visited a few microbreweries (breweries and wineries are just like museums, only tastier). I guess Eli is just in that grab everything and put it in your mouth stage.

After partying all week, some of us found it hard to stay awake for the wedding. There was a live band playing a few feet from him, but he remained fairly dead to the world throughout. He even allowed himself to be passed from lap to lap so mama and daddy could get a few dances in. This is Eli in one of his brief moments of wakefulness during the reception. I believe he awoke to express surprise or disgust with the band's song choice.

As we were leaving, the bride even let him chew on her French-manicured finger tip. That's love.

While waiting for our flight in the Portland airport, Kenny finally did it. He ate a Baconator.

So, let's do it. Let's all move to Portland. Part of the reason we moved to Chicago was to be closer to family so we can't just pick up and move to Portland--but we can if you all come with us!