She's on the List

Today we took Karis to the King of Prussia mall. We entered through a department store where she proceeded to wave at every person she saw. You see, we just got back from visiting both of our families for Thanksgiving. Karis has mastered waving and realized that if she waves to her family members, they will wave back. What she didn't realize was that perfect strangers will not wave back at her. She seemed to get a little discouraged by the lack of return waves before we reached the main mall entrance.

We made it to the line to see the one and only Santa. We have told Karis about Santa and even had a dry run at my parents house with a stuffed Santa. That all went perfectly fine. The video below picks up once we got to the front of the line to see Santa.

Santa is not her favorite yet... But at least we know for sure that she is on the list!

Captain Karis

We spent a couple days this summer with my parents in Nantucket and here are some of the highlights:

1. We spent a day at the beach. It's the kind of beach where you let the air out of your tires and drive onto the sand. You back the car up and dump all of your stuff. We had a nice day and BBQ'ed. Karis doesn't exactly look like she is at the beach because she hung out in a UV tent. She also tested out the ocean. I'll have to do a video post of that one in a couple days.
   
   
   
   
2. We went boating. No, that is not the latest style in chic clothing for babies. To board the boat, Karis had to wear a life preserver. You have to admit she looked pretty cute/silly.
   
   
   
   
3. Karis set the Guiness Book World Record for youngest to captain a boat. As you can see, Grandpa let her drive. Even though she didn't hit anything, we'll be sticking to the exersaucer and jumperoo at home. (they require a little less supervision and gas...)
   
   
   
   
   

Plague or Pool?

Sincerest appologies for the extended absence and for breaking the silence with little more than a few words.  

Karis has been so much fun and we have been incredibly busy. (having fun with her) The picture below is not actually a real frog, but is an inflatable pool. Thank goodness!

A couple weekends ago was a perfect opportunity to test it out. Karis hated it at first, but warmed up to it. Once she realized that there were bath toys she just started playing. She even learned how to splash and attempted to drink some spout water...

Click for larger images...

Sisters

Need I say more?

Exersaucer

The Olympics have started and there is one event that is blatantly missing. The exersaucer is most definitely a necessary addition to the summer games. Karis would be an excellent member of the US team. I know what you are thinking... She isn't old enough to compete. However, I'm pretty sure that she is the same age as some of the Chinese gymnasts.

Giggles

We have had a few moments where Karis has let out a solitary giggle. Tara and I usually turn towards each other as if to say. "Did you hear that?" Well as you are about to witness, this past weekend there was no mistaking it. Karis is a full fledged giggler. Enjoy!

New Developmental Milestone Discovered

We believe that we may have discovered a new developmental milestone that falls right between rolling over and giggling. It is Shopping! My guess is that this milestone may have been overlooked as it is theoretically only applicable to female babies. As you can see below Karis reached out and grabbed the jeans that she thought would look best on her.



Karis then proceeded to try on a bandana, commenting: "Ahhh, gooo, phhhh!" Which is translated from baby talk as: "That's how I roll!"



She then tried on some sun glasses. The style is large these days so she found the biggest pair around.



We think this may be a break through in child development. So all you developmental psychologist that read this blog, please contact us... We could use your input on which journal would be most appropriate for a submission.

Some Like it Hot

We think Karis might be teething. They say it's more painful than child birth apparently... Our doctor pointed us to a homeopathic pain reliever to apply to her gums. We have another idea. A little spice should numb those gums up really well!

Say Cheese!

We got our first portraits of Karis this past week. I wasn't there but Tara said that she was crying and was really tired. It's amazing that any of these turned out at all! Maybe these people are just really good with photo shop? Anyway, we had to scan the pictures in because it was a ridiculous amount of money to get the digitals... You can see each of the pictures up close by clicking on the thumbnails below.

Karis Kong

I mentioned before in a previous post that Karis is apparently tall. The doctor said that she was in the 80th percentile for length. She seems very tall to us for her age as well. So, to give everyone who has not seen her recently some idea of how tall she has gotten, we decided to take a picture that would give you some perspective. Below you can see how she compares in high next to the Empire State Building.

Look out King Kong, Karis is coming after you! (Peter Jackson - Karis is available for any further Kong related projects you may have planned for the future.)

If you think she is tall, you should see the kids in the 95th percentile!

Move Over Seinfeld

It's summer. LOST is over. There is nothing on television. In the absence of quality programming, we found a new show that we watch every day. It doesn't seem to have a title. The plot is pretty weak! The same thing happens in every episode. The set never seems to change. (although the set design is rather nice...) The dialog is practically non-existent. You think Seinfeld was a show about nothing? You should watch this!

The one redeeming quality of this show is that the casting is awesome! We could, and do, watch the leading lady every day! Behold our new favorite show:

Bugs and Birds Beware

One of Karis's favorite activities lately is her "animal friends" mat. We lay her on her back and she stares in wonderment at all of her brightly colored friends that hang above. Just this week, she has mastered the art of touching, dare I say smacking, her new friends.

Let this post go out as a warning to all bugs and birds alike. If you hang completely still approximately two inches over our baby, you might get smacked in the face. Consider yourselves warned. That goes for you too Big Bird!

Please enjoy the following video:

Karis & Floyd's Excellent Adventure

I guess you could argue that rolling around on the floor with a pink dog every week is an adventure? Here we have an update on Karis's growth and development. At her 2 month checkup they told us that her weight is now 11 lbs 4 ounces. Which is apparently in the 50th percentile. Her length is now 24 inches. (80th percentile) That means she has grown 4 inches since she was born. Her head circumference is apparently in the 25th percentile. If she keeps this up, she's gonna be tall and have trouble finding hats that fit her...

The Way of Improvement Leads to Bedtime

We have tried to started the tradition of bedtime stories with Karis. Before she goes to sleep we read a story. We just started what is soon to be her favorite book: "The Way of Improvement Leads Home". She especially likes the part where Philip Vickers Fithian attends Princeton University. Karis highly recommends this book!

If you are interested in it, the link above will take you to the page on Amazon where you can purchase it. Strangely, it is not listed in the children's literature section. We're thinking we might make some WWPVFD bracelets.

I considered titling this post as "The Way of Improvement Leads to Sleep", but I thought that might be misinterpreted by the author. :) (the author is Karis's uncle)

So get a copy of the book. Read it. Read it to your kids. And Stephen Colbert, I know you are reading this, have the author on your show as a guest. This is perfect material for you!

All Grown Up

Can you believe that this photo was taken of a 9 week old? We think the photo either looks like she's leaving for her first day of school or that she's about to backpack through Europe. In all actuality, she just sitting in her car seat waiting to go out on the town.

Personal Hygiene

Karis just turned 2 months old. Around that time she had her first tub bath. She had survived up until then with nothing more than routine sponge baths. It was time to get her really clean! We weren't sure what her response to the whole thing would be... We expected either shrieks of fear or gurgles of delight. We got someone who seemed to think it was just OK. She probably just wasn't sure what to make of it. We're glad the sponge bath phase is over. Hopefully bath time will be a fun play time once she gets more used to it?

Karis and Her Duke

To follow up on "The Quest for Duke", I made it home with a stuffed Duke for Karis. Turns out it shrank a lot in the wash.

Mommy or Daddy? (updated)

Many people tell us who they think Karis looks like, but we can't keep track. Tell us what you think.

Tara suggested that I add some pictures to help those who need more data to make their decision. Make sure you vote after you look at the images below.

Make sure you scroll down for the pictures.

Karis	Tara Baby	Drew Baby
Nala	Tara Now	Drew Now

Miss Personality

I absolutely love this picture! I think I had to take six pictures to get this one. This past sunday was an awesome day. We did nothing except hang around the house and play with Karis. She was so happy! And as you can see her personality is starting to come out.

Karis Kicks It, Old School

If I had more time on my hands, I would have fired up the Fruity Loops and made some baby rap to go with that picture. I would have mixed together some coos and cries that would have been so cheesy you would think it was 1985. It would make "Who Let the Dogs Out" sound like Bethoven's 9th. Lucky for us all...

What would her rapper name be? Maybe Vanilla Chip or White Noise? Comment with your suggestions.

Peace, she's out!

Click for Someone Else's Baby Rap

Cooing

If you have never had a baby, cooing probably does not seem like a big deal. You have to understand that in the first month there are very few social interactions with your baby. She is effectively a social blob. The sounds that come out of her are either related to crying or an activity that rhymes with cooing. (I'll spare you those videos) For Tara and I, any signs of social development are extremely exciting. Karis has been getting more and more smiley every day. You'll see in the video. Towards the end, you'll hear a little coo. It's very cool to watch her grow and develop.

More Cousins

This past weekend was our first road trip with Karis. She did really well in the car and it was great to get out to see family. One of the highlights of the trip for Karis was that she got to meet the rest of her cousins, Nick, Natalie, and Samantha.

The Pink Floyd Show

Can you believe how much she has changed already? She is so much more alert. We think she is smiling socially. It's not just gas anymore... Something lights up in her eyes that says she recognizes us. Anyway, at the time of posting, this slide show had 6 pictures. We will be adding the seventh shortly, so if you don't see week seven check back later.

The Quest for Duke

I'm homesick! I miss my awesome wife, my baby girl and that furry thing... I figure if I am on a business trip I need to bring home a stuffed animal for Karis. The mascot of the conference I am attending is a little guy named Duke. I'm not exactly sure what he is or even if he is a he for that matter. To me, he/she looks like a white and black arrow head with a big red nose.

I've been on the hunt for a plushy Duke to bring home. I found one, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to carry it on the plane...

JavaFX Will Make Your Head Spin

If you understand that title, you are a huge nerd! Wait, that makes me a huge nerd... Anyway, I'm experiencing separation anxiety this week. I'm not crying inconsolably about it. But, I am missing my girls!

My company sent me to a conference in San Francisco. The conference is all about a technology called Java which I have been using every day at work ever since I graduated from college. So I'm spending my days enjoying the company of a plethora of technology enthusiasts. I know what you are thinking: "That must be the dorkiest place ever! Like a Star Trek convention!" Well that's the crazy thing... It's actually kind of hip. For example, Niel Young was here the first day and actually spoke for a little while. I know, pretty surprising.

I have a video clip below to demonstrate the blatant coolness of this conference. Java has a relatively new technology that they are hyping big time. It's called JavaFX. The video below is from the main session where they started talking about JavaFX. It's amazing the urban influences in technology today. Nothing says computer programming like a little hip-hop and some break dancing! Just watch the video below:

That was maybe the last thing I expected to see at this conference. Apparently JavaFX is so cool it will make your head spin. At the very least it will make you spin on your head?

We Expect Smiles!

Karis is now nearly 6 weeks old. She loves to sit in that bouncy seat and look out the window. I don't think she can see anything out there, but she likes the light and all the movement. We're loving every moment with her! Even the ones where she's grumpy.

I Dream of Diaper Genie III

We have this thing called Diaper Genie II. Apparently it's the sequal? The thing is great because it's basically a garbage can that keeps you from smelling the dirty diapers. I gave the white plastic a rub hoping that the Diaper Genie would emerge and grant me three diaper related wishes. Nothing happened... Talk about false advertising! Anyway, I had prepared my wishes ahead of time, so here they are:

Wish #1: I wish diapers had a spoiler. You know something that goes up the baby's back. Many times Karis has wet her outfit and the entire changing pad by peeing while one of her parents holds her feet up in the air. An absorbent spoiler would catch much of this spillage.

Wish #2: I wish diapers had a feature that told you audibly when they needed to be changed. They should even tell you how badly they need to be changed. Some sort of scale of how full they are... "This ones a 9.5, better change it or you're doing laundry!"

Wish #3: The diaper genie II requires me to empty it every other day. Why did you have to make it so small? I wish for a diaper genie III the size of an oil drum!

There you have it. If I ever run into that Genie, I'll be prepared! Maybe I should call customer service?

History Repeats Itself

They say that there are no new stories. All the movies that come out now are just recycled plot lines dressed up with new settings and special effects. They say even history is bound to repeat itself. Perhaps there are limited number of permutations of events and eventually we are just bound to run out of new possibilities? Perhaps we just aren't very original? Well the same seems to be true for our pictures. We put a cute new outfit on Karis and took some pictures of her. When we looked at the picture, we said: "Wait a minute, we've taken that picture before..." See for yourselves:

I think we just aren't very original.

A Thousand Words

I realize that there are two types of people. Those that read and those that don't. Maybe it's busy people and bored people? Anyway, I know that some people are reading everything and others just want to see pictures. So, if you are one of the picture people, this post is for you! You can click on the links below to view all of the pictures that we have taken since Karis was born. No words. I promise. Wait a minute, you didn't read any of this did you? Well hopefully the icon and links are enough and you can figure the rest out... Readers, enjoy as well. We'll be updating this gallery periodically so feel free to check it regularly to see what we've been up to, without reading. It's fundamental. (just had to slip that in)

Click to See More

Click For Pictures of Karis

Dave & Buster Clairvoyant?

Dave & Buster's, if you aren't familiar with it, is a restaurant / giant video game type place. They have everything from skee ball to the latest arcade games. When Tara and I were engaged to be married, we went to D&B with some friends and one of the "games" was "The Gene Machine". This machine would take a picture of two people and then spit out a picture of what their child would look like. I know what you're thinking: "That sounds very scientific." Well we recently remembered this experience and dug up the picture to see if D&B do in fact have the ability to predict progeny aesthetics. Behold the magic of Dave and his colleague Buster:

OK, so now that you have taken that in... Please feel free to click on the comments link below and leave your feedback on whether or not you think this picture resembles Karis or anyone else for that matter. Let us know what you think D&B are full of... Perhaps smarts?

Sienna - A New Friend

This past week Karis was able to spend some time with Sienna, her first friend. Sienna is about 6 months older than Karis. The two really hit it off as they have a lot in common. They both love to sleep and eat! They share a common hatred for being wet. Both consider discovering new things to be their favorite hobby. Who would have thought that two people could have so much in common?

Karis looks forward to many play dates in the future.

Karis Eats (rated G)

No need to worry here. I promise this has a G rating. It's even calmer than a Robert De Niro style feeding... It's our first video posting of Karis and it is of Karis having a bottle for the first time from her Dad.

Nala Wants Attention

Karis has been getting so much attention that Nala, our Yorkie, is very jealous. Before Karis was born, Nala was our baby. Embarrassingly, I must admit that we talked to her in baby voices. Now that we use those voices to talk to our actual baby, she is feeling very left out. Plus, I promised Nala a post...

So, Nala would like everyone to know that she was once a cute little baby also and she has video to prove it. (Yes, we're kicking the blog up a notch and trying out the video of the dog.) Here is a short video that we filmed a little over 2 years ago when we first got Nala:

Now I know what you are thinking. "Video of the dog! We want video of Karis!" So, video of the dog was easy because it's already on the computer from 2 years ago. I still have all the video on the camcorder and it's gonna take some work to get it off. So be patient and check back often and you'll get some baby video in good time.

My Girls

I didn't really expect to be outnumbered on the gender front in my own family. I have girls. Even the dog is a girl... Anyway, I wanted to share my favorite picture that I have taken since Karis was born. I printed this out in Sepia and it's hanging next to my computer monitor at work. Several times a day I look over and there are my girls. (sorry Nala, you'll get a post someday)

Karis Turns 21 ... (days)

We haven't let her hit the bottle yet, but Karis is now 21 (days old). To celebrate her coming of age, I have included the latest slide show for the first three weeks. They grow up so fast!

Cousins

This past weekend Karis met two of her cousins. Allyson and Caroline came to meet her and to give Nala some much needed attention. Karis also wore her first dress for the occasion. She greatly enjoyed meeting them and looks forward to meeting Nick, Samantha, and Natalie.

Springsteen Soothes

So I just had one of the most difficult mornings with Karis. She was crying and crying... I just could not get her to calm down and go to sleep. It's difficult to console a baby during the day, because there's a lot happening. We also want our daughter to learn the difference between day and night, so we keep day active and night very quite. Tara finally got her to calm down a little. As she lay in her bassinet, still fussing, I suggested that perhaps she didn't like whatever song was playing on the radio... No other explanation seemed to make sense. At that moment, she fell asleep and I think it was because of the music. You see, she had been listening for hours and had not heard anything that resonated with her or made sense to her, given her twenty days of life experience. She finally heard something she could relate to... "Born in the USA!" Thanks Bruce! Do you babysit?

Time to Work Out?

I'm sitting on the couch trying to console Karis our 2 week old. I think maybe the reason she is so fussy is that she always lays on her back. So, little Karis enjoys some tummy time with Daddy and sure enough she falls asleep. Tara, my wife, sits down next to me and gently leans her head on my shoulder. "This is nice family time", I think to myself. Nala, our dog, curls up on my legs that are comfortably propped up on our ottoman. Before I know it, my daughter, wife and dog are all asleep and I am apparently their pillow of choice.

I think it's time to exercise!

The Floyd Scale of Measurement

While in the hospital, Karis received many gifts from friends and relatives, all of which we love. I would like to single out one gift as it will be in the spotlight (if you can call it that...) for the next year or so. Karis's Aunt Marla and Uncle Charlie gave her a large stuffed pink dog which pancakes nicely on the floor. Per Tara's suggestion we are stealing an idea from my college roommate, Bob Smiley. He and his wife photographed their little boy every week next to the same stuffed animal. The resulting photo collection gave a consistent view into his growth over time. We will be doing the same thing with our stuffed dog.

With all of that said, our dog needed a name. It seemed obvious to me, Floyd...

So, every week we will be taking a picture of Karis with her stuffed dog Floyd so that we all can see how she is changing. I can't promise that the images will be added here every week, but at least every month. So here it is, your first shot of one standard unit of Floyd. Enjoy!

Oprah Inspires Giving

Tara and I have been watching the new reality show that Oprah created called the "Big Give". We started watching it because one of the contestants attends my parents church. Anyway, we're not big fans of reality TV, but this show seems to be one of the best concepts I've come across. The idea is that each week the contestants are given a challenge to "Give Big" to people in need. Sometimes it means raising money for a family that lost their father in a store robbery or cleaning a garage for a family that adopted 26 special needs children. The intention of the show is to challenge and inspire people to reach out and help their fellow man. We hope it continues.

In our first week home with little Karis, we turned on the latest episode of Oprah's show. About halfway through the show, Karis became inspired and decided to give big in the only way she knows how. Let's just say she gave to overflowing... Unfortunately, a simple diaper change was insufficient and Karis had her first unplanned sponge bath as a result. Thanks a lot Oprah!

Karis Ann Leamon Born!

Move over Nala! Your little sister has arrived.

Karis Ann Leamon was born March 24th, 2008 at 7:53 PM. Karis weighed in at 7 lbs. 13 ounces and measured 20 inches long. She was born with a full head of hair, Tara's eyes and Drew's monkey feet...




Both of our families were able to be at the hospital to welcome her into the world.

Many of you may be thinking, "Karis, that's a unique name". Well you are right and I thought I would head off your questions by giving you an explanation of her name here.

You see Karis is the phonetic equivalent of the Koine Greek word for grace. It is commonly spelled charis, but is always pronounced with the hard "K" sound. We liked the "K" spelling better and besides Koine Greek has a completely different alphabet anyway...

From Strong's Dictionary of New Testament words:

“grace” = 5485 charis (khar'-ece); from 5463; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude): KJV-- acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, grace (-ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy).

From Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament words:

GRACE = 1. charis 5485 has various uses, (a) objective, that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight, or causes favorable regard.

The middle name of Ann was choose to honor Tara's Grandmother Ann Masar.

Please join us in welcoming Karis to our family and please check back for updates.