First Family Portrait

Scott and Ron gave us the wonderful gift of a Family Portrait from Robin London. We loved the pics. Coco was a real trooper. She sat still and cooed for about three hours. Nene was a pretty good sport too! She jumped in on the fun at one point. These are our favorites from the 400 pics that Robin took. Thank you Scott and Ron...and thanks Robin!

The Daddy Vortex

OK, so it's been a little over a month now and Daddyhood couldn't be better. I (Victor) really think this is what I was born to be, a Dad. It feels completely natural and organic (I know that word is overused but somehow it seems appropriate) and is the most fulfilling "job" I've ever had (after my last full-time job experience that doesn't seem like such a high hurdle but you know what I mean!).

Now, I'm still a husband, friend, son, brother, etc. but am noticing that it can be hard to balance all those roles. The days seem to fly by and they are basically centered around when Coco will eat or sleep next, what she needs and what things I need to get done in the down time I have. Pretty much everything else has taken a back seat to caring for Coco and meeting her needs. (Before the advice starts rolling in, let me say that I realize that this is a natural part of adjusting to being a parent and I am not worried, simply letting you know where I am TODAY.) Fortunately, I have a great husband who encourages and reminds me to take time out of the day for me (and us) but it's so hard to do. I feel really guilty leaving Coco for any length of time even though we have a wonderful and very capable baby nurse on hand.

I WAS a BIG email and phone person but not anymore! It seems to take me days to reply to emails and phone calls, forget it, they're virtually impossible for me to attend to. So, if you've left me a voice mail or written me an email and I haven't gotten back to you yet, I'm sorry!

This is what I call the "Daddy Vortex" (DV)...it's a space occupied by stay-at-home Dads (and Moms!) that is filled with all things baby and not much else. The DV is kind of a cool place...it's very cozy, no one cares about what you're wearing or how your hair looks and you can sing all the silly songs you like and make all the funny faces you've ever wanted to and not get any strange looks. It's filled with excitement about poopy diapers, loud belches and other bodily functions that in other environments would NOT be topics of discussion or amusement. The DV is filled with love, laughter and lots of amusing sometimes senseless chatter aimed at amusing a very easy audience!

I'm getting accustomed to life in the DV while trying to maintain the proper balance with the world outside the DV. It can be an odd balancing act BUT I'm making my way and remembering (most of the time) to just soak up every minute, every second of this experience because it will only happen once with Coco.

Until later....

Happy One Month Coco!!!

Happy One Month Coco!!!

Coco was one month old yesterday. We definitely understand what people say when they say "they grow up so fast"! We look at pictures from the birth and she seems so much older and bigger than just a month ago. Part of me wants to stop the clock and keep her this adorable, chunky, cooing little sentient being, but at the same time, I am very excited to watch her grow. It is amazing to see the small changes in her behaviour and responsiveness that occurs every day. We are incredibly grateful that we have not had one health issue in her entire first month (knock on wood!)

One thing that I had not internalized was the impact that Coco would have on our family and many people around her. Not only did we gain a daughter, our parents got a new granddaughter, our nephew got a new cousin, our brothers and sisters got a new neice, etc... I did not expect our nephew Ben to be so excited about Coco's arrival. He was such an angel around her!!

Grandpa and Grammy Fraley have stopped by to visit. Grandma Fraley was feeling a little under the weather and decided to postpone the visit, be she will be here for easter. Granny Self is coming to visit on Monday for a week!




Grandpa and Ben came to visit














Tummy time with Coco and Nene













Grammy Fraley showed up at the door at 7am the morning after we got back from LA. She must have left Hartford by 5 to get there! lol...









I love this pic becuase it looks like she is Cheerleading just like her Daddy.