Raina's Birthday

My 31st birthday happened to fall on "administrative professionals day" so the entire day I received cards and gifts from my coworkers and managers for both occasions. After working a 1/2 day, I treated myself to a mani/pedi and then went to the dentist (mainly because it was the only day that would work); I figured that I need to take good care of the ole body! Harrison and I arrived home to find Michael busily preparing my birthday meal - an absolutely amazing seafood risotto, grilled asparagus, nice wine and "upside down double dutch chocolate pudding cake," a recipe from his mom that he has made me a handful of times and I love. Additionally, dad played with and bathed baby while mom took a nap (!). Talk about extravagance! A big thank you again to my wonderful husband who knows just what his girl wants.

Resume

Harrison J. Fein

Objective: Seeking a position as the CET (Chief Executive Toddler) within a fast growing family

Professional Accomplishments:
 *Achieved walking at 10 months of age, ahead of peers. Attained proficiency and am currently working on my Masters in Running
*Accomplished eating solid foods with fingers. Preferred nourishment includes quesadillas, mac & cheese, toast with jam, peaches and mandarin oranges.
*Expert at drinking from a sippy cup; milk or apple juice ideal
*Decreased nap frequency to once a day for 2-3 hours
*Proficient at putting things into containers, especially after dumping them all out
*Follows simple commands, such as go get a book, pick up your blankie, etc

Language Skills:
*Basic knowledge of Toddler Sign Language. Signs include more, drink/thirsty, all done and please
*Basic knowledge of American English. Words include mama, dada, ball, woof woof (for a dog noise) and mmmmm (for a cow noise)
*Comprehension of simple conversations, questions and commands (however often exercises right to ignore requests)
*Commanding use of whining and crying to display displeasure

Education:
*Attending a Kids Academy with an emphasis in play time, song time, story time and art

Extracurricular Activities:
*Enjoys dancing whenever good tunes are playing, utilizing such dance moves as rocking, turning circles and “jazz hands”
*Snuggling with mom or dad, especially in the early morning and late evening
*Wrestling with dad on the weekends
*Bonding with Winston including playing fetch, climbing over him, smiling and waiving when he enters the room and hand feeding him food while sitting in the high chair
*Recreational activities such as parks, slides, riding in the red wagon and exploring the deck

References:
*Available Upon Request

Our Dapper Little Man!

Doesn't he look dapper? I expect Brooks Brothers to start calling us any moment. Harrison is such a good sport, he never complains regardless of what mommy dresses him in. For Easter Sunday, he escaped the beloved sweater vest and instead sported a seersucker jacket, a white oxford style button down shirt with yellow tie and khaki pants. We attended church with Michael's family and he easily out dressed us all! Unfortunately, church was early enough that we did not have extra time to stand around and take photos beforehand so the photos I do have are around dinner time and he refused to stand still and smile at me. 

Remember this Easter basket picture from last year? He could hardly sit up without falling over... ah, he is growing up fast!

The family gathered at Michael's Aunt Shivonne/Uncle John's house for Easter. The weather was windy and a bit chilly, so rather than dragging the entire family outside to hunt eggs in the lawn, we elected to do it in the living room. It was fun to watch Cousin Gillian, Aunt Rae Ann and Uncle Stephan help dad to hide the eggs... it wasn't so long ago that we were hiding eggs from them! Thinking about this moment ahead of time, on Saturday we had a practice session in our living room to ensure Harrison knew what to do. Sure enough, he immediately took hold of the basket, walked straight towards the plastic eggs, picked them up and dropped them in his basket - I couldn't believe it! So when the big moment came on Sunday, he did not fail to please... the family of about15 all watched intently and gave him hearty cheers each time he dropped the egg in the basket.

Lastly, a few photos with mom and dad... rest assured he tried to wiggle out of our laps the entire time.

Shower Power

I have permission to share this photo (thanks dad!). In February, when Harrison was on antibiotics for almost 4 weeks, he had severe diaper rash and it burned if he sat in the bath tub. Dad discovered that if he held him in the shower, the pain was not so bad. Behold:

Canuck Gangster, eh?

Dad recently went to the Vancouver Cunucks vs. Detroit Red Wings game in B.C. with his buddy and came back with a cool Cunucks hat which Harrison took a shine to. We would put it on his head, the heavy brim would pull the hat down over his eyes, he would flip it off his head onto the floor, bend down and pick it up, try to put it on his head again but 9 times out of 10 it wouldn't get on his head right and fall back on the floor and the whole process would start over again.

Since you have been a bit photo deprived lately, here are a couple freebies for good measure:

He has six teeth now; you can see the two top and two bottom here but he also has two more top teeth, each flanking the middle two.

Gym Time

Our friend Beckett celebrated his 2nd birthday at The Little Gym, which is a local kids gym franchise that Michael used to play at in his youth. Just a couple months ago, we were watching home movies of him running around, climbing on mats and riding a mini zip line with his dad's help, all the while a perma-smile affixed on his face. As you can imagine, we were pretty excited to visit with Harrison in tow.

Other than a couple little babies hanging out in car seat carriers, Harrison was the smallest of the group of about 15 kids, but that did not stop him from having a good time. Whenever he enters a place he has never been, especially if there are people he does not know, he will stand stock still and just look around for as long as 10 minutes. It's as if he is doing recon... he needs to know just what he is walking into. Once we got through this "warming up" period he really perked up. He seemed to enjoy this hoola hoop activity, in which we used the hoop to pretend we were cars, trains and planes.

The had a large colorful parachute witha a variety of activities; kids sat in the middle while the adults pulled the edges up and down to make it billow all around them, kids got underneath it while adults pulled it up and let it float down over them, etc. Below, Harrison is not yet on the parachute but it is in the bakground. The second photo, he sat down too close to the edge so when dad picked up the 'chute, he tumbled over and started scooting towards the middle with the other kiddos.

I forgot to charge the camera battery so we only got half of the play time on camera. We did take some video, but I need to upload that (don't hold your breath... I'll post it eventually though).

Play Room Decor

When we decided to make the bonus room a play room, I initially conceived it as a place to corral all the toys but as I started to flip through catalogues and visit the mega toy store, ideas started flowing. I also have an idea to use some chalk board paint to make some large chalk boards for drawing and a magnetic plate for magnets and attach them to the wall. In any case, I found these cool wall decals that are re-stickable and glow in the dark; the theme is "Monster Patrol." I love the little toy bins and book case, i just wish both were twice the size... evidently the people that make these things don't have children or don't let their children play with toys. Harrison actually doesn't have that much stuff (yet) and the receptacles are mostly full.

15 Minutes of Fame...

Ma and Pa Fein recently appeared in print! Michael was selected from his company to be the face of the "expert" in their print and online ads. Come on, wouldn't you trust this guy?

As noted in an earlier post, Raina was honored for her "Service Excellence" and was mentioned in the her company's Washington newsletter. My "head shot" isn't quite as galmourous as his fancy schmancy ad though. Not only is Michael on the company website, he is also in ads in tech magazines!

 

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

I know I am biased but look at this kid, he is totally adorable! Sweet, loves to laugh, play and cuddle.

And then there is this kid. Recently, he kicked his whining up a notch into well developed fits. He will drop his head backward so he howls skyward, all the while big, fat crocodile tears start rolling down his checks. We tried to capture that exact moment via camera however he did not take too kindly to our photojournalism during this “very difficult time” in his life. The photo below manages to capture the pure drama of it all. Do you still remember the kid in the first photo? I cling to that memory while I wait for the fit to play out.

To be fair, even though these are the same jammies, these were taken about amonth apart. That said, he can do the old switcheroo in a matter of seconds when he puts his mind to it.

Check out this cool piece of wall art I procured for Harrison's bedroom. It is 12"x12" and totally cool. I thought of it as another birthday present for Harrison but I probably ordered it more for me than for him. Surely he will thank me when he is older.

In addition to the awesome play tent mentioned earlier, Grandpa Dale and Oma Barbi financed this super awesome Radio Flyer for Harrison's birthday. Thus far we have only pulled him through the house but he absolutely loves it. The weather may include some sun this weekend so maybe we can convince Winston to sit in there with him and we will all take a walk.

Flying High

  

  

He may look terrifed but I assure you the giggles were flowing fast and free!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Today, yours truly was presented with a "Service Excellence" award from her employer as part of the employee recognition program! To be nominated, someone else must write up a few lines describing why this person is so amazing that they should win this award. The two managers I directly support wrote the following:

Raina provides exceptional service to our team, the division and the 47th floor. One thing we have a lot of is reporting and communication. Raina applies her exceptional work ethic to make sure we have meaningful and clear reporting and simple, clear and eye catching communications. Everything she does is timely and thorough. Each and every day Raina goes above and beyond, working at an outstanding speed, staying accurate, adding meaningful edits where necessary and staying flexible to help with any need. She truly role models quality work and caring about her customers, meaning all of us. She brings the vision to reality: "We believe our people will out-execute our competitors every time because they care more than our competitors do".


Words to describe Raina….Reliable, Accurate, Fast, Entuitive. Raina knows what is needed many times before even being asked. As a support person for the division she is invaluable to our success as leaders. Another great attribute that Raina brings to our Division is the ability to keep things light and fun! As we experience some challenging situations I am able to lean on her strenghts to help pull us through. As an example we needed to have some fun with a sales challenge in our division. Raina was able to put a really fun sports theme together and tied it into the vison and values of {our company}. As a result of this we were able to help motivate our team to exceed expectations. Raina is our "competitive Advantage".

Each nomination is reviewed and scored by a an anonymous committee of employees (which I help lead); if the nomination scores high enough, it is deemed a "Champion" which means it is a winner. Yours truly was voted a winner. I was presented with a special pin and certificate for display and will be mentioned in the Washington region internal bank newsletter. And of course I think it is helpful to have in my file come review time!

For those of you that don't really know what I do, I am an administrative assistant supporting 2 managers directly, 2 more indirectly and the 27 stores and their managers in our division. I have been in this role for about four years and love my job, my company and the people I work with. Usually when I say I am an admin, most people think of a secretary, receptionist or office manager but I do much more than what those job suggest. I am very proud of my nomination especially as it describes the impact I have on the people around me. When I returned from four months of maternity leave, they clearly indicated that they barely survived without me... how's that for impactful!

Love Bites!

On Monday, Harrison stayed home with momma since his daycare was closed for the President's Day holiday. Grandpa and Oma financed a cool new play tent for Harrison's birthday, so I set it up and he was having a great time playing. He walked over to me in the manner he does when he wants a hug, so I opened up my arms to embrace him. He walked right in to my embrace and bit me on my left shoulder! While I know most kids go through biting, this had never occurred before and caught me completely off guard so my gut reaction was to yelp in pain and yell "NO!" He looked at me, his eyes started to fill with tears, his lips began to quiver but he did not start crying as I expected. Instead he nuzzled into the same spot on my shoulder and then "kissed" it several times (he kind of opens his mouth and bumps his head at you). What was really painful suddenly turned into a really sweet moment. Instantly forgiven, we went on playing.

I would like to note that three days later, I still have obvious red marks on my shoulder!

Harrison's First Birthday (Part 2)

On Saturday 2/6, we had a small family birthday party at our new house. Mom, Dad, Grandmama Dreslaine, Great Papa Hugh, Great Grandma Peggy, Great Grandma Nancy, Great Aunt Shivonne with Great Uncle John and cousin Gillian, Aunt Alexis and his two teachers from school Miss Ashleigh and Miss Stephanie. Harrison enjoyed some bits of cheese pizza followed by presents which included lots of clothes and books and a fun toy from mom and dad. As expected, he loved the tissue paper best but also enjoyed the giant Pooh Bear and other stuffed toys. In the days that followed we have also enjoyed many of the books as well.

Opening gifts with momma

 

Making friends with Pooh while sporting his "Birthday Boy Cake" Hat sent from PoPo

 

Hooray for Harrison!

The best part of a one-year-old's birthday party is the cake eating. This event was so highly anticipated that dear old momma made a trial cake the week before, which dadda sampled nearly every night in between to ensure it was fit for his son. I had begun the quest for the perfect cake weeks earlier, seeking a low sugar, healthy alternative to the standard sugar, butter and oil found in most cakes. Dad implied I would be a bad mother and ruin Harrison's birthday to feed such healthy junk to our son. In the end I acquiesced with a couple compromises. I made a two layer yellow cake, sandwiching a layer of vanilla pudding and mandarin oranges (his favorite food, hands down)  and covered the whole thing in low fat Cool Whip. Methinks my future will consist of much giving in. Before I know it he will be eating Pop Tarts and Happy Meals and I won't even recall insisting on organic, fresh food.

Cake Co-Conspirators

When the time came, Harrison thought the candles were pretty neat and instantly tried to grab for the flames. Once we sang and the candles were removed, he didn't seem to know what to do so dad dipped his finer in the whipped topping and stuck it in Harrison's mouth. He puckered up like a fish at the taste of it, although that is not unusual for a first taste of anything. They tried again and I could almost see the wheels spinning in his mind... this stuff is pretty good. There is a lot of it in front of me. Are they going to let me eat more??

 The white candle in the middle was a big "1"

Dad that tastes weird!

 Second taste, dipping his own finger into the cool whip

Hmmm... not so bad!

 More please!

 15 minutes later... made it through the cool whip and scrapping the top layer of cake. Eventually dad removed a chunk so he could find the treasure trove of pudding and mandarin oranges.

 We taught Harrison to raise his hands above his head when we yell "Hooray!" so at some point, he would raise his hands and everyone in the room would respond with "Hooray!" in unison. What a manipulator!

Peggy, Shivonne and Dreslaine were hysterical with laughter. Evidently the idea of giving an entire cake to a one year old to demolish at will was too much to handle. Grandpapa Hughie flinched and shirked every time Harrison dug in his hand! Mid way through the spectacle, I served up some "adult" cake from Central Market (much tastier than any cake I could have baked). 

After about 25 minutes, he was done eating and we took the cake away. Remarkably, he was pretty clean and he did not throw chunks of cake onto the ground as expected. Aside from cake on his clothes and some in his hair, he was in pretty good shape. We stripped off his clothes, put on some fresh ones and a few wet wipes later he continued with the party, no need for a bath.

  Two pals, Harrison and Hughie, 85 years apart.

As mentioned in Part 1 of the Birthday post, Harrison had the stomach flu and we were concerned he might not make it through the party. Although a wee bit of a whiner, he held up well and did not throw up until well into the evening after everyone had left. A baby's first birthday party is certainly more for the parents then for the child but we think we were able to fulfill everyone's hopes without going overboard.  

At the end of a long day