Doggie Puppy Meets Person Puppy

On Saturday, Stellan got to play with my boss Heather's puppy, Lily. Lily is a Lhasa Apso puppy, and very cute. Heather and I often compare notes about how we're up nights, cleaning up messes, dealing with whining and finicky napping, puppy/baby-proofing our homes and generally not finding much time for anything besides being mommies.
So you can imagine that there was an overload on cuteness when the two met. These photos, cute as they are, truly do not do the encounter justice. They would both chase the same little bit of food on the floor (have you noticed that puppy chow looks a lot like Cheerios?), try to get the same toy, climb up on the puppy pen, and go back and forth between completely fascinated, mildly sketched out and stunned at the activity of the other.
So here's to a long and happy friendship. Also, I just can't help including an observation made by Elaine, another co-worker: babies are like pets with potential. So here's to the prospect of a person puppy with potential.

Just Because It's Cute

One Small Crawl For Stellan...

We've become accustomed to feeling free to leave the front door open because Stellan usually does this:He just goes to the doorway and stops.

But yesterday, Kev was on his way out to run some errands and invited Stellan to join him. OK, he was taunting Stellan. Tragically, he took the bait:
Oh well. It was nice while it lasted.

Twice the Cookie, Same Size Jar

Yes, Kevin's parents came to visit last week while Kevin was taking finals. It was great - Kev had all the time he wanted to go to campus and study, and I didn't have to take off a bunch of work so he could take tests. (I don't mind taking work off to help Kevin, but it's more satisfying to take time off to play together.)
Phil and Susan were brave enough to bring their inflatable mattress and collapsible bed frame and camp out in our oh-so-spacious living room, and stay in our oh-so-calm home, braving our oh-so-quiet nights and oh-so-charming youngster. They were great - they grabbed him first thing in the morning so Mom and Dad could stay in bed a bit longer, they went grocery shopping, they even watched Stellan while I played the aforementioned game of beach volleyball.
They gave us an awesome excuse to go out to eat, go swimming, go to the beach and visit family. And while I really tried to muster up a complaint about the big bag of M&Ms they brought, I definitely enjoyed my fair share of them (and probably more). And did I mention the rousing game of Boggle we played while Stellan tried to nap? The nap was definitely less successful than our game.
So while it must have been a struggle to leave all that snow and sleet behind and brave life on the the beach, we are grateful they sacrificed their time to spend a grueling week with their grandson and his parents. We miss you already, Mom and Dad!

Happy Easter!

Stellan and his BFF Levi wish you all a very happy Easter!

(Also, my apologies if you've already seen this photo on Levi's Jerry and Vivian's blog.)

Stellan Then and Now

Tuesday marked the beginning of beach volleyball season for those who play with the Museum's weekly group of volleyballers. Kev and I both have enjoyed the chance to spend some time at the wonderful beach playing a casual game of volleyball in the company of friends over the last several years.
Last year I even managed to play (when I could muster up the energy after work), despite my ever-burgeoning belly. My colleagues were more than generous with my "I'll only hit it if it comes close enough that I don't have to move to hit it" policy. Perhaps the most memorable game of last season was the game I played at 40+ weeks pregnant. Yes, when people asked when I was due, I actually got to respond, "Yesterday."
So here you go - Stellan then, and Stellan now. Guess which I prefer...

Working It Out - In Style!

So I'm finally getting around to that whole "lose-all-that-weight-you-put-on-while-you-were-pregnant-and-
maybe-some-of-the-weight-you-should-have-lost-before" thing. Museum beach volleyball will help me out in this endeavor, but I've also taken my aunt up on her offer to get in shape together. Beth (or Beeb, as she's known in the fam) and my Uncle Bob have an elliptical as well as a stationary bike, and also a nice yard with a great view so that Stellan can keep himself entertained.

Today I went over for the first session (and let me assure you that I'm feeling it right now!), and it went pretty well. I have some serious work to do in terms of stamina and work ethic, but I'm committed enough to actually post for the world to see that I'm in it to win it.
As I mentioned, Stellan also had a great time. Bob found Stellan his very own box, which we placed next to him on his blanket island. He is not quite sure how he feels about grass, so putting his blanket in the middle of the lawn was a sure way to keep him on the blanket the whole time. We'll see how long that lasts.
And as always, the best part of the entry: the photos!

Pool Follow-up

Stellan went to the pool again today - and this time I got to join him!

Pool Time Is Here!

It is a well-known fact that Stellan loves water, and especially pools. So with the absolutely gorgeous weather we experienced here in SB on Saturday, Stellan went on his first pool excursion of the season. His grandma and grandpa were kind enough to make arrangements with Stellan's greatgrandpa Bob to enjoy one of the lovely pools at Maravilla, the retirement community where he lives.

As the photos here indicate, Stellan had a blast. Then again, it would be difficult to say who had the most fun - the baby, the grandparents or the many adoring onlookers (other resident grandparents). I missed the whole thing; I was working. So if any of you went to one of my afternoon planetarium shows, I hope you appreciate the sacrifice I made!

SCUBA Chocolate, SCUBA Vanilla

Today Kevin got his own SCUBA gear. It was an income tax refund present, and he definitely has been wanting it for a while. He was pretty excited to take it all out of the box:


Stellan was also excited for Kevin to get his gear because it came in a big fun box.


So my boys are both very happy tonight.
Any certified divers out there? Call Kev!

What a Week!

We have had quite an eventful week at Casa Cook. Perhaps the most exciting thing that happened was that I got to talk to Chuncle, AKA Elder Steward, AKA my kid brother Matt. For those who don't understand all of those titles, let me explain:
Chuncle - derivation of the Portuguese "tia," pronounced "chia" (like the pet). Matt liked the sound of his sister Stephie's title (tia means aunt in Portuguese), but didn't like "tio," the word for uncle. So he hybridized the Portuguese and English and has become Chuncle.
Elder Steward - Matt recently joined the ranks of the 50,000 or so full-time Mormon missionaries. Not a designator of age, Elder is the title given all male missionaries.
Anyway, this week Matt travelled from the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT to his mission headquarters in Indianapolis. However, he was allowed to make a few phone calls while he was laid over in Chicago. To give you an idea of how rare (and awesome!) this is, he'll only get to call home four more times in the next two years - on Mother's Day and on Christmas Day. And we'll only get to talk to him if we're at the home of one of his parents.
So you can only imagine my elation when I recognized his familiar voice on my phone! We chatted for long enough that Stellan eventually woke up from his nap and participated in the conversation. Here he is in his crib, looking excited at the sound of his beloved Chuncle's voice on speakerphone:


It was great talking to you, Matt! We love you and miss you, and we're very proud of you.
Also this week, Stellan was lucky enough to get to cut some new teeth. Four, to be precise. Yes, in less than 24 hours, he went from toothless top gums to four razor sharp pieces of bone poking out. It's been a little rough on us all.
Stellan has gotten very good at tagging along with me. This week he went to the Museum with me (twice) on my supposed days off as I had a few things to take care of. He came with me to tour the camp we'll go going to this summer with the teenage girls I work with at church. He came to the Sea Center with me where I went to do a little shopping for an upcoming baby shower. None of these are a very tough sell; he's already got quite a fan club at both Museum sites (the Mission Canyon campus and the Sea Center), and the other ladies on our camp field trip were more than willing to entertain him as well.
He also seems to really enjoy youth group meetings on Wednesday night. This last week was game night, and the room was full of chairs and people, two of Stellan's most favorite things. So I set him down in the middle of the room, let him take off and hid myself so that he would forget Mommy was so close at hand. Sure enough, he sped to a chair, pulled himself to standing and had made some new friends, all within about 2 minutes. Not shy, this one.
He has been very busy around the house, too. He's been "helping" Daddy clean the bathroom and is love with the toilet. He is using his new standing powers during bath time to make sure his mom's blood pressure doesn't drop too low. Daddy is coaching Stellan in stair climbing (under close supervision). And he is now an expert at locating any electrical cord within a 15 meter proximity.
In Krissie and Kevin news, we got to go out on a hot date on Saturday night, thanks to Dad and Maggie, or Grandpa Craig and Grandma Maggie, depending on your point of view. We played tennis and got take-out from Natural Cafe. I must explain that this was a real treat for us - we use family babysitters pretty frequently, but usually for un-fun stuff like working late or on days off, or going on campus to work on a lab. As a result, we would hate to burn out our awesome family by asking for more than they are already giving and don't usually ask for extra time beyond the absolutely necessary. So Kev and I felt absolutely decadent spending hearly two hours away from home together and childless. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!
OK, enough chit chat, here's what you really want!