Are you really 32 today?

ANDREW: Today is my birthday. I don't feel any older, though. I guess that's a good thing. Unless, of course, I typically feel about 96 years old. I only feel about 72... Corrie wished me a happy birthday this morning and then sang "Happy Birthday" to me with Carys in tow. It was really sweet... Just received the above picture from Corrie. Based on the look on her face, Carys was clearly shocked to find out that her Papa was so old. Wait till I tell her how old her Mama is... hehe.

It's an uneventful day, unfortunately... work is incredibly quiet, with most of the office already taking the day off to launch the Thanksgiving holiday. The office will close at 3pm and I'll head home to get the house in shape for tomorrow's guests. We'll have about 12 people over from both our families to eat, drink and be merry. I love Thanksgiving.

Spoke to my mom earlier who called from her trip out west. I always thought my birthday should be more of a day honoring her, rather than me. Afterall, I just showed up, but she had to do all the work!

Got a nice call from my cousin, Jenn, today to offer me birthday wishes. It was a little expected, I have to admit, since she accidentally called me yesterday to wish me a happy birthday. A day early, but the thought was there!

Of course, Borrelli rang as he always does on my birthday. It was especially nice this year since he is in England celebrating god-only-knows what. I actually don't believe he is really moving to New York. I think he's defecting to the UK. It was very thoughtful of him to take time out of his vacation to ring me up. I can't think of a birthday when he didn't call me. Even when he was on his honeymoon, he and Michelle called to wish me a happy birthday.

Stayed up late last night prepping food for tomorrow. 2am. Virtually everything is done, just needs to be put to the flame. Prepping in advance, I learned last year, really helps me enjoy everyone's company. Otherwise I end up spending the entire day in the kitchen while the family's are over. The only thing I'll really have to do tomorrow is the turkey... frees me up to drink more.

Photo date: 11/23/05

"I can't put my arms down!"

ANDREW: Corrie took this crazy funny picture of Carys in her winter coat. It reminded both of us of that scene in "A Christmas Story" when the main character's little brother was so bundled up to go outside that he couldn't put his arms down... and when knocked on the ground, couldn't get himself up. As you can see, Carys was just as happy as can be...

Photo date: 11/17/05

Carys Partying it Up

ANDREW: This weekend we attended a very nice engagement party for my cousin, Roberto Fatta, and his fiance, Fran Furtis. We had a lovely time on Sunday evening (after a big Bears victory, mind you) and brought Carys along. She was the funniest: smiling at everyone she met, amazed by all the people. She was so alert and engaged with the party, it was really adorable. There were easily 150 - 200 people there and she just took it all in. When her bedtime rolled around (7:30pm), we put her in her stroller and tried to coax her to sleep. She fought to keep her eyes open, having too good of a time to miss out on anything. As we were leaving (at 8:45pm), saying goodbye to everyone, she was so tired that her eyes were starting to roll in the back of her head. But she was happy, go-lucky to the last. She was asleep almost the instant we put her in the car to go home and slept through until nearly 8am this morning. Turns out our little peanut is a bit of a social butterfly, I think.

Photo date: 11/20/05

It begins...

ANDREW: I'm not sure the proper etiquette for launching a blog, but here goes nothing.

Over this past summer, Corrie and I were blessed to have a beautiful little girl, Carys Isabel, on July 15, 2005. She was delivered by C-section at 9:54am and weighed in at a svelte 6 pounds, 1 ounce, measuring 18 inches in length. From the moment we saw her, we were hooked and she's been workin' Mama and Papa ever since. Just kidding.

Carys has been a wonderful addition to our little family. Belushi struggled in the beginning. Believe it or not, he suffered from sleep deprivation just like Corrie and I did. I actually think we coped with it better than he did. We could hardly drag him down the stairs for his walk because he just wanted to sleep any chance he could get. That subsided, as did his initial shock at the fact that he no longer was top dog in the house. I think he's forgotten what life was like before Carys arrived and now he treats her like one of the pack.

Carys started smiling very quickly (and it wasn't just gas) and that helped us cope with the crying and sleeplessness. Nowadays, she smiles all the time and is quickly getting onto a schedule. She has been sleeping through the night for about 1.5 months now and she's really getting into a nice routine. We've been fortunate enough to have Corrie home with her all this time so they've been able to do a sufficient amount of bonding. And I'm now certain she recognizes me, too. When I get up in the morning to get her out of her crib (usually between 6:30 - 7:00am), she is immediately all smiles when she sees me. When I arrive home from work at the end of the day, she looks at me and grins ear-to-ear. She's a pretty happy child, but demands your undivided attention at all times. She is definitely high maintenance and I know that I'm in trouble.

Today Carys is 18 weeks old... earlier this week, she had her pediatrician appointment and she weighed 12 pounds, 4 ounces, 24.5 inches long. She's doubled her birth weight... right on schedule.