Monday, April 15, 2013

Typical Weekend? Not so sure...

This weekend was a typical weekend...status quo in terms of spending time with Cristina, Bill and Chloe (which I love so much). We had some friends over on Friday night for burgers, and then last night Bill and I grilled some pork loins after Cristina went to sleep and watched a movie on Netflix. We live a very normal life, without a lot of fanfare, we're on a budget, we have a fantastic group of friends, our "go out and party days" are over, our families are supportive and loving, and our relationship is solid -- though that isn't to say it doesn't come without some bumps :-).  But we're HAPPY. And when life is said and done, I believe that is all we hope to have...is a happy life. When I was younger, I used to say "Life's a bitch, and then you die."  Well, no more do those words ever get uttered from my mouth. In fact, I can't believe that I ever really thought that way...was it the cynical thirtysomething in me? Or the uninhibited twentysomething? If those words ever come out of Cristina's mouth, I will be sure to wash it out with soap, or pinch her, or grab her tongue (or whatever you do when you want to teach your kid a lesson -- LOL).

As Sunday came to a close and as is typical at around 9 pm, Bill leans over and gives me a kiss, and goes to bed and I stay up. I'm the night owl. The contemplator. The secret Glee and HGTV fan (shhh don't tell anyone!!). The kind of guy that puts on his headphones and listens to new music, or old, and leans back in to his life and lets it all marinate. In fact, many of my blog entries end as the clock nearly strikes midnight and I am seeped in the nostalgia of what has past, all that is happening around me, and musings of what will come. It is a blessing and a curse...and has been pretty typical for most of my life. I guess it could be worse, I'm a happy man, with a beautiful family that I thought I could never have. So sometimes a couple cocktails and some good tunes is all I really need to maintain that happiness. It's pretty simple.

What made tonight so different is that as Bill traipsed off to bed, and I was going to check the blogs and listen to music and maybe catch an episode of guilty TV, the screen saver on our television switched on, and it was like an episode of "This Is Your Life" exploded in front of me.  All of Bill's iPhone photos are automatically loaded in to our screen saver and many I haven't seen, and it amazed me how much our baby has grown, and how much she has become a little girl. From a blob to a beautiful, energetic little personality that has truly changed our lives. She is SUCH a gem...and we are so very lucky to have her.  And I was just very much struck by this moment, and had to write it down for posterity's sake.  Again, call me crazy...

Today I snapped this shot as our curious little Cristina came head-to-head and nose-to-nose with Daddy. It couldn't have been more befitting of how our "typical" weekend went...

Here's hoping all weekends are just as uneventful.


DBCC



Saturday, April 13, 2013

Men Having Babies Dot Org...

Thanks to Jason of Stalking the Stork, Bill, Cristina and I, along with our surrogate, Mary, will be in Los Angeles sitting on a panel on May 5th for an organization appropriately named Men Having Babies. We'll be talking about our experience and long journey to become parents, which is super cool because I've always wanted to help others of during this process. Especially MEN having babies, since the task seems to be so formidable and there are so many options to get to the final product of that beautiful child of your own. We're super excited to see Mary again, and we also get to see Jason and Adrian, as well as a plethora of friends who live in the LA area.

So thanks, Jason, for thinking of us and allowing us to share our story. Hopefully it helps even one person see a little clearer how they can fulfill their dream of creating a family and becoming a father.

In other news, cute bath time photo alert!


DBCC


Monday, April 8, 2013

Everything seems to be coming alive...

Cristina is so mobile, and so emotive and so much fun right now it's hard to describe how much in love we are with this little girl. She's so sweet!

She giggles and coos when she's happy...



She's starting to say Da-Da...even though I'm secretly jealous because I'm Pa-Pa (joke)...



...and when she's angry or sad, she's only for a moment -- and then her sweet disposition quickly returns.









She sleeps anywhere!...and three times in the last week she has slept from 7 pm to 5 or 6 am...it's been such a dream (though, yes, we know it will change soon!).



She's standing on her own...



She's eating with her hands...though sometimes it gets stuck on her face (she LOVES puffs!)



She loves the ocean and the beach...











And loves to be thrown high in the air...



She's strong, can push things around like a brute...but she's gentle and loving and is learning how to give kisses (open-mouthed for now but hey, we'll take it)...


Venturing out of the guest cottage in to the yard...NO FEAR...


She definitely supports equal rights!



She's learning!...

Watching Baby Einstein

She is getting to know her cousins, her god parents...and her other "little people"...








She's a total ham and loves to play in her crib after bath time...


She's becoming a bit of a fashionista...



And Chloe is still her big sister and always will be...



Thanks for following along.
We feel so blessed and lucky to have this wonderful, happy little girl in our lives!

Aloha,
Cristina, Chloe, Doug and Bill


Monday, April 1, 2013

Cristina got some PR on HRC's Facebook...

Our pretty girl wore her HRC IF DAD SAYS NO ASK DAD shirt proudly and got the most likes on the HRC's Instagram page...they posted all the winners on their Facebook page. Check it out!:  http://www.facebook.com/humanrightscampaign?fref=ts

Thanks to Brittany and Chris from http://ourjourneytobecomemommies.blogspot.com/ who let me know...I wasn't paying attention between the diaper changes and the three teeth that are coming in! Ouch!

Otherwise, lots happening here...a real update coming soon...when I come up for air! LOL

D