9 days in Houston...

Dear Augosto.

Life has been pretty crazy here in good ol' H-town. Not crazy in a bad way, either. It's just been a lot of getting up and going and stopping and so forth.

I have tried to take as many pictures as possible to document all the great things that have taken place in the last 9 days.

Here are some of them...

This is you after your first plane ride(from MKE to IAH). You were pretty calm for most of the flight. Most. Not all. But luckily you were calm enough not to drive everyone on the plane crazy. :)



This one was taken a few days before Christmas. On the left are Grandma and Grandpa Lopez. On the right, Grandma and Grandpa Rios.



We took this picture at my buddy Hugo's house. It's what I call my "Vicente Fernandez" picture. It's a little obvious that you were more interested in the hat than Hugo's camera.



That's all I got for now.

We have one more day in Houston and we are going to try to make the best of it.

Hope you have enjoyed the holidays. Especially since the weather in Milwaukee is nothing like what we have been experiencing. As I type this, it's 11 degrees in Milwaukee and 44 degrees in the Bayou City.

No matter what we got the heat crankin'.

Love.

Dad.

a portrait of a brown American family...

Dear Augosto.

I just wanted to write to post a quick picture.

Today, your mother and I went to visit my buddy Hugo so he could take pictures of us in his studio.

Here is my current favorite.



Me, You, and your mom and a copy of the Spanish version of Where the Wild Things Are.

The holidays in Houston have been a blast. Wish we were here longer.

Love.

Dad.

This week in Pictures--Week 8

Dear Augosto.

Yesterday, we took you to the doctor for your monthly check-up. Unfortunately, this also included shots. 3 of them. You were quite brave and took them with a heart full of optimism. But, gauging from your crying, they still hurt.

Just seeing that "what in the world are you doing because that really STINGS" look on your face hurt us too.

As of yesterday, you are coming in at 12 lbs. 9 3/4 oz. Your length is 23 3/4 inches. I keep telling your mother that it won't be long before you are borrowing my clothes.

Here are you pictures from this past week.

I took this one while your mother was reading Las Rimas de Mama Oca(Mother Goose Rhymes en Espanol) to you. You are not one to actually look at a book while someone is reading it, but you do like the sounds. I did the same thing when I was a kid too.



This is what you wore when we took you to meet your mom's students.



Your mom says that this picture kind of reminds her of my big brother. I agree very much.



I took this one while we were making breakfast tacos for your mom.



I don't know if we have ever mentioned this before but you have your own bath pod. And you LOVE it! Some days it takes you a while to warm up to it, but most days you just sit in there and enjoy it.



This was taken right after we took you out of the bath pod.



That's all I got. Tomorrow we start packing for our trip to Texas.

I can't wait for you to meet my parents and the rest of the Rios clan.
And who knows? You might even get lucky and meet my buddy Hugo.

Sincerely,

Dad.

a tale about eyelashes...Part 2

Dear Augosto.

Here is the continuation of the "eyelash" story.

Summing up what happened, I am in the bathroom and I just trimmed the lashes off of my left eye with scissors.

Then, my big brother walked in, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

He noticed the scissors in my hands and snatched them from me, "You're not supposed to be playing with these."

I denied playing with them and asked for them back. He refused. I got mad and started yelling at him. Unfortunately, I yelled loud enough for someone else to hear.

Moments later, dad walked in and asked, "What's the problem?"

I wanted to tell him about the scissors but I also knew that I would get in trouble for playing with them.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong, dad."

Just as I was about to walk out of the room, Dad noticed something on my face.

"Did you do something to your eyes?"

I shook my head. I convinced myself that I was telling the truth since I didn't cut both sets of eyelashes. Just one. So, technically, I only "did something" to one eye.

Dad kicked us out of the bathroom and I ran outside. I was so glad that I wasn't in trouble that I immediately forgot what I did to my eyelashes.

It wasn't until later when I was at the park playing with my friends that I started to remember again.

"What's wrong with your eyes?"

"Nothing."

"They look weird."

"There's nothing wrong with them. Let's just play."

No matter how hard I tried to pretend that there wasn't anything wrong, it only seemed that more people would notice. The boys at school. The teachers. The girls!

"What's up with your eyes? They're not pretty anymore."

Eventually, people stopped calling me "Pretty Eyes" and just started calling me "weird."

Regret soon became a close personal friend.

It wasn't long before I started to realize that life was better when people called me "pretty eyes." People at least smiled when they said it. And they didn't look at me like I was a three-legged dog!

Luckily, it didn't take long for things to go back to normal. My eyelashes grew back. Boys and girls started calling me "Pretty Eyes" again. And, most importantly, nobody looked at me weird.

The only thing different was that I was just a little bit smarter.

I tell you this story because we both have the same eyelashes. I hope you never regret them but if you do, then I hope this story helps.

Have a great day.

Love.

Dad.

a tale about eyelashes...Part 1

Dear Augosto.

When I was a kid, I did something very dumb. I trimmed my eyelashes.

I was seven and we were still living in Cottage Grove, a very small inner-city neighborhood in Houston.

In Cottage Grove, almost every kid who ran around the neighborhood had a nickname. One kid was called "Big Red" because he looked like a mini-sumo wrestler with coppery red hair. Another kid was called "Juice" because that's what his name translated to if you mispronounced it. Another was "Fat Joe" because he was...well...not skinny and his name was "Joe." (This made a lot of sense since there were at least four or five Joe's running around.)

I was one of the few who had the luck of having more than one nickname.

Curly--Because of my hair.

George Jefferson--Because of the way I walked.

Can Opener--Because of my teeth.

Pretty Eyes--Because of my eyelashes.

None of those names seemed to bother me except for the last one.

The boys in the neighborhood would make fun of my eyelashes because they were very very long. There was never a day that went by when I would hear something like "Hey, you got girl eyelashes."

I don't think this would have bothered me as much if the girls didn't tease me too. But they did. Truthfully, I think they teased me because my eyelashes were longer than theirs. They weren't being mean. They were being JEALOUS.

I eventually got tired of my nickname.

One day, I walked straight home and into my room. I found my construction paper cutting scissors(the ones with the round tips) and went into the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror and, without much hesitation, I trimmed the eyelashes over my left eye. Trim is actually generous. What I really did was just cut straight across being very very careful not to cut my eyelid or my eye!

As I was about to do the next one, my big brother walked into the restroom. For some reason, I forgot to lock the door.

To be continued...

cooking with Augosto...

Dear Augosto.

This morning we were up pretty early. Somewhere between 5:30 and 6am.

I tried to keep you entertained as best as I could but nothing was working. You weren't up for a GREEN EGGS AND HAM. You didn't want to play "lets see who can stay quiet the longest." You didn't even want to do "tummy time."

So. I came up with another idea.

I decided to show you how to make breakfast. And not just any ol' breakfast. We made breakfast tacos!

At first, I was thinking of holding you while breaking eggs and heating up the tortillas but then I realized that there was a better way.

The BUMBO chair.

Before your Aunt Whitney came over, I didn't even know this thing even existed. But this chair has come in quite handy. Instead of just laying you down and waiting for you to cry or grunt, I put you in the chair and put you in the same area I am in.

This chair doesn't beat out me holding you. And you have made that quite clear. But you seem to like it from time to time.

Here's proof.



We successfully made the tacos and your mother loved them.

Not long after that, you were ready to get out of the kitchen and into my arms for a long morning nap.

And since my belly was full, you weren't the only one catching some zzzzzz's. :)

Hope you had a great day.

Love.

Dad.

celebrating the little things...

Dear Augosto.

I've written a lot about your sleep habits. How you like to sleep whenever you feel like it. And how you prefer anything but the crib. Stuff like that.

Now, I want to mention a few words about "waking up."

One would assume that when a baby wakes up from a long nap, he/she would cry to let the parents know "Hey you people who feed me and clothe me, I'm up!"

This is not particularly your style.

When you wake up, you GRUNT(I don't know a better word how to describe it but that's exactly what you do.). And you don't do it once or twice. You do it a lot.

First, it starts out tiny. Like a small cough. Then, it increases volume. Like you're trying to clear your throat. It continues to get louder and more elaborate until it sounds like your trying to lift a car with those chunky legs you have.

Your mother has compared what you do to the main character in the movie SLINGBLADE. He grunts too. But he's not 2 months old. And he's usually awake.

The funny part about this is that your eyes usually remain closed the whole time you're doing this.

I am convinced that you are not grunting because you want us to know you are awake. You are doing it because you want us to be aware of what you accomplished.

If it were a conversation, it would go like this.

AUGOSTO-- "GRUNT" = "Hey, mom. Dad. Look, I'm awake."
ME--"Great. Do you want to read a book now?"
AUGOSTO-- "GRUNT" = "No. You're not paying attention. I'm awake. Look."
ME-- "I am looking."
AUGOSTO-- "GRUNT" = "Isn't that cool? or what?"
ME-- "Yes, it is cool."
AUGOSTO-- "GRUNT" -- "I am awake! I am awake! I AM AWAKE!"

If this was a musical, this is the part where dancers and singers and mariachis would come out and celebrate, "He is awake!"

As I think about all this, it makes me realize how the smallest things seem so trivial to someone like me. Waking up. Breathing. Walking. Using two hands.

And yet to you, someone who is still new to the game of life, it is the biggest deal in the world.

So, grunt away young man and I'll grunt with you.

Sleep well.

Love.

Dad.

this week in pics -- week 7

Dear Augosto.

Today, we had to say "goodbye" to Grandma Lopez. She hopped on a plane and returned home. We are so grateful that she was able to fly up here and help out while I dealt with finals and your mother returned to work. I am quite sure you had fun too. :)

Since today is Saturday, here are pictures from this past week.

You and the Northwestern Bear(Uncle Farhan bought this for you). I took a lot of these pictures hoping to also get most of the Christmas tree in the background but this is the best I could do.



You on the swing. From what I hear you really like this thing.



I took this picture on the day I returned. I just love that smile.




Before Grandma Lopez left, I hooked up her camera to my computer to see if there were any pictures of you that I didn't have. I found this one. Not sure when it was taken but I had to share it.



That's all I got for today.

I don't know if I have mentioned this but I look forward to spending a lot of time with you next week. Starting Monday, it'll just be me and you and the fat cat. Your mother will be around but she'll be working hard for the money.

Have a great day.

Love.

Dad.

new feature

Dear Augosto Readers.

I have added a new feature to this online journal(I still refuse to use the "b" word).

If you want an update of "Dear Augosto" sent straight to your e-mail, then visit: http://royalmexicanboy.blogspot.com/ and put your e-mail address in the subscribe thingy on the right.

I'm still new to this so I am not sure how it works but I wanted to spread the word.

Take care

A.D.(Augosto's Dad)

a holiday tradition...

Dear Augosto.

Before we get swept up in the holidays with packing and flying and visiting the Rios Clan & the Lopez clan, I just wanted to quickly write about a Christmas tradition that your mother and I have. One that we started before we were married.

Basically, every year we buy a Christmas ornament for our tree. One year, it was a cat ornament that we got from an art museum in Chicago. Another year, it was a Cirque du Soleil ornament that was filled with swatches from the performers' costumes.

This year's ornament reflects an exciting time period in our life. It marks your first Christmas with us and it also serves as a reminder of my steps towards obtaining a graduate degree.



I joke with your mother that you too will one day be a Northwestern Wildcat. I would tell you how she feels about that but I think that's one thing you should find out on your own. (HINT: She went to USC.)

As I type this, I'm listening to Christmas music and taking a break from reading The Time Traveler's Wife(I figured I needed to read something other than books about writing right now). As for your mother and grandma Lopez, they are having a grand ol' time at UW-Milwaukee watching William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The cat is nowhere to be found.

And you. You are sleeping.

Life is pretty cool right now(Outside it's cool too. Too cool. 16 degrees).

Stay warm and enjoy your own Midwinter Night's Dream.

Love.

Dad.

back in MKE!

Dear Augosto,

It is so great to be back home. WOOHOO!!!

After catching 2 trains in 2 degree weather(not considering wind chill), your mom picked me up at the train station. Unfortunately, she had to go back to work. So I dropped her off then zoomed home.

After grabbing all my bags, I ran inside and there you were hanging out with Grandma Lopez. You looked very happy. :) And you looked BIG and HEAVY. But then again that should be no surprise to me since I hear that you are feeding like you are getting ready to be a sumo wrestler!

Once I got off all my 47 layers of clothes(it's a midwest thing), I picked you up and almost instantaneously felt the difference. You seemed about as heavy, if not heavier, than a sack of potatoes. And I'm not talking about those small little red ones. I'm talking about those big ones. The ones look like dinosaur eggs.

There was a point where you were getting sleepy and I sat in the rocking chair to rock you to sleep. It wasn't working so I tried holding you out flat in both arms(Grandma Lopez says you like that). Well, this was worked for a little while until...my arms starting hurting. Then my back. If you are going to continue with your feeding frenzy, I think you and might have to have a talk about sleeping positions very soon.

No matter what I had a blast just being back with you. We had "tummy" time. I read one page of Humpty Dumpty to you(I would have read more but you weren't having it). I watched Dr. Oz while you slept. All this beats those sleepless graduate school nights. But I'm almost done. June is right around the corner.

I hear you stirring so before you wake up I want to post the most recent picture I have of you.

Is this a smile or what?



From what I hear you have been smiling a lot lately. And laughing.

I can't wait to hear you laugh.

Take care.

Love

Dad.

all done!

Dear Augosto,

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Very sorry it took me so long. I had a lot of writing to do and a very very very short time to do it in.

No matter what. That is all behind me now. Now the big priority is cleaning.

I've got to wash clothes & dishes. Put books back on shelves, recycle papers and find those pens I keep losing. And, most importantly, clean out the fridge.

When it come to the food box, I'm being relentless and tossing everything. Left and right. I don't want to know what this stuff smells like when left in there until January. I'm sure you and your mom don't either.

When I'm done with that, then it's time to pack. Tomorrow morning, I hop on a train and head home.

I can't wait to see you and your mother.

I didn't go home this last weekend so I could focus on finals and it turned out to be a lot harder than I thought. Luckily, I have pictures of both of you taped to my wall to help me get through the long days of punching keys and staring at a computer screen. And believe me, the pictures helped. A lot.

Also, I can't wait see what new pictures we have so I can upload some more pictures for you as well as the rest of the world to see. I think I have exhausted all the ones I have saved on my computer.

Oh WAIT!

There's one more I haven't shared. And it's my current fave.



Tomorrow, we'll be back together just the way it should be. Like a family.

See you soon.

Love.

Dad.

to sleep perchance to...

Dear Augosto.

This weekend was rough. With a capital "R." For some reason unknown to us, you refused to go to sleep at night. There were periods where you would sleep maybe an hour if you were in our arms but that was it. And if we even walked near the crib, forget it. You were up and you were ready to party like it was 2009.

We think this possibly has to do with all those warm loving people who were willing to hold you on Thanksgiving. We're thinking that you possibly thought that this was going to be a regular occurrence. And when it didn't happen, you protested by not sleeping. And if you weren't sleeping, then of course we were riding the sleepless train too.

Luckily, Grandma Lopez is back in town to help out(she arrived on Friday). And she has the magic that only grandmothers possess. When we are at our wits end, she comes in to the rescue.

I'm back in Evanston and finals are coming up. I am hoping to at least be able to post some entries this week but please forgive me if I don't. I have a lot of pages due next week and short time to create them.

But before I go, I at least wanted to post one of my favorite pictures from this past week. Is this the cutest or what?



I am very sorry for not posting pictures on Saturday but sleep took priority!

Have a great day.

And don't keep your mother up too late. :)

Love.

Dad.

getting ready for the big day...

Dear Augosto.

Now that Turkey Day is officially over with, we can now focus on Christmas.

In hopes of putting our readers in the holiday spirit, I figured it was best to share a picture of you spending quality time with Santa Claus.



Actually, you fell asleep right after this picture was taken. :)

Happy holidays.

Love.

dad.

Your 1st Turkey Day...

Dear Augosto.

Today was our first Thanksgiving as a family. Unfortunately, we were not able to fly to Texas and spend the day with your grandparents, aunts, uncle and cousins but we did get to spend time with friends.

All in all, we had a blast. There were lots of great people and, of course, they all wanted to hold you. As for the food, there were two kinds of turkey and all kinds of roasted vegetables and homemade pies. Your mother made green bean casserole and Watergate Salad, a Rios family favorite.

I could go on and on but we did take pictures!

This is what you wore to Robin & Richard's house. As you can see, you were definitely dressed for the occasion.



Here you are getting to know Robin and the rocking chair.



You and Richard doing some pre-dining strolling.



This is everyone gathering in the kitchen to smell all the food.



While at the gathering, you made a friend. Her name is Mieko and you seemed quite comfortable with her. From my understanding, she also babysits and is CPR certified.



After a long day of spending time with friends, this is what happens when you either have too much turkey or too much milk in your belly!



Hope you had a great day because I know we did.

Love.

Dad.

ahhhh...the sweet sounds of...

Dear Augosto.

From my understanding, it's common knowledge that one can usually lull a baby to sleep with the joyous sounds of a hair dryer or a vacuum cleaner.

In truth, we've actually tested this theory out. Not purposely. More like accidentally. And guess what? It works. It really really works.

Not long after the sounds begins to roar, you either get very very quiet or your eyelids get very drooooooooooopy and you are out for the night. Ok. Not the night. That's wishful thinking. It's actually just a few hours. But a few hours is better than NO hours, right?

While your mom picked me up from the train station today, we were actually discussing this when she asked, "If the sound of a vacuum cleaner and hair dryer puts babies to sleep, why hasn't someone invented a toy that makes those sounds?"

We eventually decided that it most liklely doesn't exist because there isn't anything really cool or marketable about a toy that makes a loud roaring jet-engine type sound.

All the stuff designed to take babies to La-La Land( that we have come across) has pretty sounds to go along with it like "the sounds of nature," "a heartbeat," "Mozart 5th Symphony," or even the popular "Go to sleep little baby."

But what if?

What if someone actually took the time to come up with a toy like this? If so, I am quite curious what it would be called and what would it look like.

Although I do not consider myself Mr. Inventor(I've only invented one thing and that was in 5th grade and it was a bust), here are two possible ideas:

Baby's 1st Hairdryer--Comes in either pink or blue and is the size of a mini-squirt gun. You attach it to a crib like a mobile and just press the "ON" button. No more crying. Well...no more crying that anyone can actually hear since all other sounds will be drowned out.

The Vroomy Vroom Vroom--It's a small vacuum cleaner the size an average cell phone. Also comes in pink or blue or maybe even many different colors like the ipod. It attaches to the side of the crib and makes three different sounds. Loud, Louder, and This Better Put You To Sleep.

For all we know, somebody actually has invented it but nobody has passed the information along to us.

Until then, I hope the neighbors don't mind me vacuuming or drying my hair at 3am.

Glad I am home for the holidays.

Love.

Dad.

take a tour of Augosto's room...

Dear Augosto.

This past weekend, I decided to take pictures of your living space in hopes of giving you an idea of what your room currently looks like.

This is the map I mentioned in a previous posting. It's a puzzle attached to a corkboard(your mother's idea). As I mentioned before, it hangs right above your changing table and you always stare at it as we tend to our cleaning duties.


This is the changing table. That white thing on top is made out of plastic and foam so it is easier to clean when things get "messy."


This is your current library. Some titles include: Johnny Texas, Huevos Verdes Y Jamon, The Cat in the Hat, and The Light in the Attic.


This is your crib. The one you barely like sleeping in. We are hoping that changes since this crib actually turns into a day bed and then serves as a head board for a twin bed. So, no matter what, you definitely will be living with this for awhile.


Last, but definitely not least, in case anyone gets confused or forgets whose room this is, we decided to put your name on the wall. Actually, this too is your mother's idea(and a great one at that).


Also. I hope you had a great time with your Aunt Whitney(she flew in Saturday and left today). From what I hear, she got you some really cool stuff. Can't wait to see it all.

That's all I got for now.

I'm catching the train to see you tomorrow.

Love.

Dad.

The many cries of Augosto...

Dear Augosto.

As a new parent, I have learned that not all of your cries are the same.

Here is a list of the following cries that I recently have experienced:

--The "I'm Hungry" Cry. This one is the most popular one. I've been hearing it since Day One and it usually happens in 3 or 4 hour intervals. Sometimes even 2.

--The "You are NOT mom" Cry. I get this one a lot too. I think what doesn't help is that I am not usually clean shaven every time I hug and kiss you. Sorry.

--The "You just bumped my head against something" Cry. It's sad to say but I as well as your mother are quite guilty of this. I think you cry more out of being frightened than out of pain, but who am I to discredit your pain factor. I do have to admit that this really hurts us as much as it hurts you. :(

--The "Why are you changing my clothes again" Cry. This one I empathize with you. I hate just putting on one pair of clothes much less three or four. I can understand how tiring it can get. BUT. I do have admit that this wouldn't happen if you didn't decide to show us your "Ol' Faithful" impression.

--The "My diaper is full" Cry. I think this one is self-explanatory.

--The "My Belly is full of air" Cry. This one doesn't happen often but it still happens especially when you fall asleep while I am trying to burp you.

--The "That Baby Wipe is not warm" Cry. Believe me. I try really hard to remember to warm up your baby wipes before using them on you but sometimes my mind just feels like mushy oatmeal and I just want to get you changed so I can return to bed.

--The "I'm not going to sleep" Cry. This happens during the day and in the middle of the night. Sometimes we let you cry yourself to sleep. But sometimes we give in. Especially when your cries start sounding like actual words like "MOM! Come get me" or "DAD! I know your just playing on Facebook."

--The "I bet you thought I was sleeping" Cry. This always happens not long after I put you in the crib. Usually you wait until I'm actually in bed and then you belt one out. Sometime I get back up but sometimes I just stay in bed and hope it was just my imagination. But no. It usually never is my imagination.

I am quite sure there are other types of cries that I have yet to experience, but until then I will just deal with what I have so far.

Have a great night.

Love.

Dad.

This week's pics

Dear Augosto.

Here are this weeks pictures...

This is the first time that you were fed with a bottle. You rejected it for about 2 seconds and then realized it had the "good stuff" in it and you knocked it out quick.


This next picture is of your "Ranger Rick" outdoor outfit that Grandma Lopez got for you.


This is when we decided to give you some blanket time. Unfortunately, the carpeted floor is way too hard so you weren't there too long.


I took this picture today after we had our Pre-Turkey Day picture session.


Now it's time to go to the mall and find the fat man in the red suit and then pick up your Aunt Whitney.

Love.

Dad.

patience, my young boy, patience....

Dear Augosto.

Yesterday, I planned on writing about getting you to sleep. Or, more specifically, letting you cry yourself asleep.

I tried this last Sunday. Your mother went to go see a play at school and I stayed home to hang out with you and knock out some much needed homework. When your mother left, you were asleep in my arms so I decided to put you in your crib.

Well...I am quite sure you know what happened next.

It wasn't instantaneous but you weren't asleep for too long after that. I was just about to start typing away when I heard you cry. Automatically, I got up. BUT. Something inside me told me, "Don't. Don't pick him up. Let him cry himself to sleep. He'll be all right."

And it made sense why I was thinking this.

You had already been fed and your diaper was clean(I made sure to change it before I put you in the crib). I figured the only reason you were crying was because you knew you weren't in my arms anymore.

It doesn't take a Northwestern graduate student to know that sleeping in the crib is nothing like sleeping in daddy's arms.

My arms are warm. The crib is not as warm. My arms adjust to your movements. The crib feels the same no matter how much you move. My arms will rock you to sleep. The crib doesn't rock, but it does have a mobile with cool looking animals rotating to the sound of a heartbeat. But why would you want to listen to that heartbeat when you can just put your head on my chest and hear the real deal?

I ended up not picking you up. It took some patience but you went right back to sleep(and slept for 3 hours). Actually, it took a lot of patience. I think you cried almost 15 straight minutes. That may not seem like a long time but it is when you hear someone you love cry. I know you and I don't speak the same language yet but there were times I felt like I heard you saying, "Dad, pick me up. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!"

I do feel like I made the right choice but at the time I felt conflicted.

I never want you to think I won't be there when you need me. Because I will. But I also want you to learn how to do things on your own.

Should I even be wondering about this when you are only 4 weeks old?

Sometimes I feel if I don't start doing it now, when will I do it? No matter how old you are, it won't be easy.

Sleep well.

Love.

dad.

yawn...

Dear Augosto.

I was looking through some of the pictures that we took in the past weeks and I found this one.



I love this picture.

It is actually part of a bigger picture but I decided to crop it.

In the original picture, I have one eye open and the other looks about halfway open. Basically, I look like I am drunk. Either that or I look like someone just socked me in the eye.

Once you get to know me better, you will see that it is not uncommon for me to have pictures taken of me where I look inebriated. Some I keep. Most never see the light of day.

Wish I had more to say, but homework is a calling.

Even just looking at this picture makes me sleepy sleepy...

Love.

Dad.

the growing boy...

Dear Augosto.

Sad news.

Today, you and your mother returned back to Milwaukee. It was hard loading you up in the car and much harder watching the car drive away. I know I'll see you on Friday, but until then my days & nights will just feel a bit off.

I guess I could just set my alarm at all kinds of strange hours(2:47am, 4:09am, 5:53am) to get that hazy "I can't believe how non-functional I am" feeling but it won't be the same. I don't even think I can even pick up Don Quixote to see what happens in Chapter 2. I need my side kick. My Sancho Panza(hmmmm...I think I discovered a nickname for you).

Speaking of panzas, guess what you have been doing for the last couple of weeks? Yes, my friend, you have been putting on the pounds like a bear preparing for winter.

I know this because you went to see the doctor today.

As of today, your current weight is 10 lbs 6 1/4 oz. And you are 22 inches long. I knew those newborn clothes were getting a big more snug.

At first I thought your clothes were semi-ill-fitting because we were leaving your clothes in the dryer too long. But that is definitely not the case, Mr. Voracious Milk Drinker.

It's all you.

I have to admit I am quite envious of you right now. Guilt-free weight gain. What a concept.

Enjoy getting fat while you can.

See you on Friday.

love.

Dad aka Don Quixote

PS. I wanted to make a special note to thank all of the followers of "Dear Augosto." Officially, we have 13 followers(YAY!). Unofficially, I hear we might have close to a hundred. No matter what, all of you have my deepest thanks and appreciation for taking time out of your schedule to follow along Augosto's journey. I hope the ride won't be too bumpy. :)

books to sleep by...

Dear Augosto.

I am quite exhausted today. I have been staying up until at least 3am for the last couple of days in hopes of knocking out most of my homework or taking the first shift. First shift meaning that if you wake up anytime before 3am it is my duty to either try and get you back to sleep or feed you and then put you back to sleep.

Yet, getting you back to sleep hasn't been too successful. Surprise, surprise.

So, in those instances when I can't get you back to sleep, I have taken it upon myself to read to you. When I originally decided this, my choices were limited to my very small library I have here in my dorm because most of my books and plays are in Milwaukee.

Here are some of plays and books that I had to choose from:

--HAMLET. Although I love the play, I decided to pass on this one. It's too much of a downer.

--HOW TO BUILD A GREAT SCREENPLAY. This was a no brainer. Not sure learning about "the midpoint" would be compelling enough to keep your attention. And yet, maybe it might pay off to teach you how to format a screenplay.

--THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY. I almost picked this one mainly because I used to read the dictionary when I would get bored. But I figured if I read to you from this dictionary then I would also have to read to you from my Spanish Dictionary and maybe even a Chinese one! Why Chinese? Supposedly, it's the language of the future.

--THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO. Great Pulitzer Prize winning book but I would prefer that you read it on your own.

--BROWN, NOT WHITE. Although this great historical book about integration in Houston is fascinating, I think I can find something better.

In the end, I chose Cervantes' DON QUIXOTE. A story about a man who went crazy because he read too many books. I didn't choose it specifically for that. I chose it because I have never read most of it and I figured it would be a great adventure book for both of us to enjoy.

So far, we are barely into Chapter 2.

Actually, we've been on Chapter 2 for the last 3 days now because there is something about it that makes you very very sleepy. I barely even say Don Quixote's horse's name and your eyelids start getting heavy.

Until then, Chapter 2 awaits.

Have a great night.

Love.

Dad.

4 weeks and counting...

Dear Augosto.

Just writing a few quick lines to say that you are four weeks old today. Is that crazy or what?

Somehow, I think you sensed that something very special was occurring. I figure this is the only way to explain your refusal to sleep most of the day. From 3am on, you were in that heavy-eyed "I'm almost asleep but not really" state. There were times when we thought the "Z monster"(this is an Army term for sleepiness) had won but you would quickly recover. You would flail your arms and look around as if to say, "Did I miss something? I'm not asleep. Really. I'm not. I was just checking to see if there were holes in my eyelids. That's all I was doing. Yeah."

This went on and on until around 7am. After that, you wouldn't sleep unless you were in our arms.

I have to say that having you in my arms while you dream your little dreams doesn't bother me that much. Actually, it doesn't bother me at all because it's kind of amazing. It's hard to describe but it fills me with pure happiness knowing that my son has no worries as he rests in my arms. If this feeling could be bottled, it would be worth gazillions. :)

But. If you do plan on continuing to do this, all I ask is that this cease before you get middle school aged. A back can only take so much.

So, here is to being 4 weeks old. WOO-HOO!!!

Your mom was adamant about taking a picture today so we could document this occasion. But, by the time we remembered, you had decided it was time to catch up on your beauty rest.



Sweet dreams.

Love.

Dad.

this week in pics--NU days

Dear Augosto.

I have decided to try something new. In an effort to take share more pictures of you, I am going to use my Saturday journal entries as a week in pictures type thing-a-ma-jig or whatever it is called.

If possible(this more has to do with my fading memory), I will also try and add some commentary to each picture in hopes of providing you with details about the actual picture.

So. Here we go. These are pictures from this past week.

Location: Evanston, IL. In the Graduate Housing dorms on the Northwestern Campus.

This first picture was actually taken on Monday--the day we left for Evanston. As you can see, you are ready to go while mom & dad are running around the apartment packing and so forth.



This next one looks like an early morning picture. Could be 4am. Could be 7am. No matter what it is obvious that I am a bit worn out from discontinuous sleep.



I don't know if this picture captures what I saw but I think it is quite funny that every time you fall asleep in the sling you stick your hand out to show everyone that something is in there. It reminds me of a cat paw. (Side Note: We love your sling--homemade by grandma Lopez--and we find it quite interesting that people are not used to seeing someone carrying a baby inside one of these. They always ask, "Is something actually in there?" Our response, "No. Not something. Augosto.")



Not much to say about this one. Your mom is responsible for this picture and I had to share it. Cool, huh?



That's all I got for now.

Have a great day.

Dad.

PS. One of my ten-minute plays is being performed tonight and we are hoping to take you. Even if you are asleep during the play, it will be quite cool to have you there.

growing and growing...

Dear Augosto.

You are not even a month old and yet I am already seeing signs that you are growing up at quite a fast pace.

First, we just found out you have baby acne! To tell you the truth, I never knew such thing even existed. Baby Acne? Really? Are we just bypassing your grade school years and already hitting the teen ones? Next thing I'll find out is that there is that there is such a thing called Baby Liver Spots or something. Anyways. Back to the acne. Your mother looked it up and it basically says that it is not unusual for a baby to get acne at 3 weeks. There is really nothing we can do about it other than keep it clean and hope none of the other babies make fun of you as your strollers cross paths.

Second, your feet are getting big. And when I say big, I mean BIG! You have already outgrown one pair of shoes. I wouldn't doubt that's a world record for outgrowing a pair of shoes. At the rate your going, it wouldn't surprise me if I had to start buying you men's shoes for your first day at kindergarten. Luckily, we do have a pair of extra shoes for you. But if you out grow those too soon, I am calling your Uncle Trevor and asking him to ship his shoes up here. He wears size 13 shoes and has been wearing them I think since 4th grade or something like that. He'll be quite sympathetic to your situation since he definitely knows what you are going through.

Third, you are quickly outgrowing your newborn clothes. Not even four weeks old and your newborn clothes are fitting a little snug. If you were my age and wearing ill-fitting clothes, I'd tell you to hit the gym or lay off the pizza. But your not my age. You're a growing boy and it shouldn't surprise me that you are already wearing clothes for 3-6 month olds.

I have to admit that it does excite me to see you change so quickly. I can't wait to see how tall you get.

It seems like just yesterday that I was putting you in the car seat for the first time and driving you home. Noticing your changes is a constant reminder to me that I need to make sure to make everyday with you count. It won't be long before I'm walking you to school, driving you to the library, helping you with your Calculus homework, and, most importantly, taking you to your first wrestling match!

But if you can help it, don't grow up too fast. Your mother and I just bought you the cutest and coolest cold weather suit that we are hoping will fit you throughout the whole winter.



Stay Warm.

Love.

Dad.

fighting the good fight no more...

Dearest Augosto.

Oh young brave warrior. I write to thee today because a congratulations is in order. A deep heartfelt one.

Why so?

Well. I am not so sure if you recall when last I wrote about that devious sleep chamber we commonly know as "The Bassinet." In my last correspondence on this touchy subject, I mentioned that you had decided that if we were going to put you in there that you would not "go gentle into that sweet night" without a fight.

Oh, and fight you did. You kicked. You screamed. You cried. You even threw thy sleeping cap off!

Each time we put you in there, you fought bravely until you were rightfully declared the winner, which basically meant that thy mother or I had to hold you in the royal rocking chair for the rest of the evening.

Well, young brave warrior, as I said, I am writing because a congratulations is in order. Actually, two.

First. I congratulate thee on your fine show of strength and endurance. You fought the good fight for almost three full weeks. You fought long and hard. And not once did you show any sort of fear. Not once did you say, "Today. I am too tired too fight." Even if you were in a deep deep slumber, you made sure to remind us that the good fight would continue.

Second. I congratulate thee for your gentle surrender. It takes a special person to lay down your arms and you fine warrior are one of those special people. To some, this might seem like a sign of weakness but to thy parents, the people who actually matter in this situation, we see it as a sign of growing up.

Sleep tight young warrior and may your dreams be filled with more colors than we can ever imagine.



Love.

Thy Father.

Veterans Day

Dear Augosto.

Today is Veteran's Day.

Ever since I got out of the Army(DEC '96), many Veteran's Days have come and gone without me even noticing. Many but not all. And yet, those that I have actually remembered were only because I had friends who would remind me. They would say, "Hey, why are you at work? Today's Veteran's Day." I would look at them and say, "If all the Veterans in this country took today off, nothing would get done! Now, where's my hammer?"

Being a Vet(not to be confused with Veterinarian) and the son of a Vietnam Vet and the grandson of a World War II Vet, you would think I would know when this day would occur. But for some reason I always forget. I guess it has to do with the fact that I don't need a day to remember what I did. I will never forget my military experience, even if I tried to.

And even though I have forgotten many Veteran's Days, this time I didn't.

This is due to...well, I won't go into much detail(because if you are truly interested in this I have no doubts you will research it) but last week something very bad happened on the Army base that I served three years on. It's quite sad and tragic. I have to admit that I was stunned when I heard the news because what happened on that base never even crossed my mind while I was serving my time there. I think I was more scared when I would leave the base(There are some kooky characters hanging around Killen, Texas!).

It's been over thirteen years since I set foot on that base but just seeing the name Fort Hood in the newspaper brings back a lot of memories for me.

--Learning how to bowl. Maybe learning isn't the right word. I'm still not that good at it. But I do like the shoes!

--Taking my first college course. I think more of what I remember is doing my homework while I was inside my tank. (Yes, I drove a tank.)

--Chasing cows. This is a definite No No on the base but it's kind of hard not to want to do this when everywhere you look there is a cow staring at you.

--Getting the day off for donating blood and then heading to Austin to see Lollapalooza. Since I was missing a pint of blood, I decided to play it safe and stay away from the mosh pit.

--Meeting some of the bravest/craziest/loudest soldiers that ever served in the US Army. They came from all over the country. Minnesota, South Dakota, Arizona, California and of course the great state of Texas. I actually still keep in touch with a few of them.

--Dreaming of what I would do when my time was up. When I got out, I told everyone I was going to be a doctor or at least someone who helped people.

Thankfully, most, if not all, of the people I served with have moved on to other duty stations or retired. And even though I didn't know the soldiers who lost their lives last week, it's hard not to think about the memories and the dreams they had while they lived there.

I don't know if I will remember any more Veterans Days in the future, but I can at least say this is one that I will never forget.

Good night.

Love.

Dad.

21 days...

Dear Augosto.

Great news. You are three weeks old! This is definitely a momentous occasion worth celebrating.

I know three weeks doesn't sound like a lot but it is.

It's 21 days of learning how to adjust our lives to your life. It's 21 days of changing diapers. It's 21 days of changing outfits. It's even 21 days of dealing with an awkward sleep schedule.

Yet, now that I think about it, your sleep schedule probably doesn't seem too awkward to you. It actually seems quite practical. If you're tired, you sleep. If your not, you stare at things or cry. Or both. If that's not words of wisdom to live by, I don't know what is.

Also worth mentioning, within these very short 21 days, I have noticed that you are already showing signs of change and/or maturity.

--Your weight. Day by day, you are getting a lot heavier.

--Your eating habits. Your not eating as often but you are still eating like you are worried the milk is going to expire. Do not worry. The milk you are getting will not expire anytime soon.

--You length. You are getting so long that we are already putting you in clothes for 3 month olds. At this rate, I'm going to gave to buy you men's clothes before you even hit kindergarten.

--Your strength. Your mom and I believe that you might be preparing for a career as a weight lifter. You have no problem using your arms to push yourself up. Especially when you are mad because no one understands what you want.

--Your voice. This may just be me but I think you are actually crying a lot louder. And yet this shouldn't surprise me. Your mother is a vocal coach.

21 days down and lots and lots more to go.

Enjoy your 3 week birthday, it only gets better from here.

Love.

dad

PS. Another momentous occasion has taken place. You took your first out of state trip. As I type this, you and your mother are with me in the Graduate dorms at Northwestern. If you want to take a class while you are here, let me know. I'll see what I can do for you. :)

sleeping like Augosto...

Dear Augosto.

As I type this, something very special/very exciting/very amazing is happening. You are sleeping in your crib!

Now, this may not seem like too much of a big deal, but I can guarantee you this is definitely a momentous occasion worth celebrating. It's such a big deal that I might even go out and buy a quart of our favorite custard from LEON's--Butter Pecan. WOO-HOO!!!

The reason why I am particularly excited about this is because last night from 2:30am to 5am I had to sit in the rocking chair while you dreamed about whatever 2 3/4 week old babies dream about(Milk? Warmth? The most comfortable car seat in the world?).

Now that I think about it. This is definitely one of those times where I should get out the camera but...I won't press my luck. I know that if you wake up just because I wanted to snap some picture for this journal, I will most likley have a higher authority to answer to. I won't say who this is but I am quite sure you will definitely be familiar with her by the time you can read this. For all I know, she might be the one reads this to you. :)

Uh oh! I think I hear...yep.

You woke up!

Time to cut this short.

I guess I'll be seeing you on the rocking chair at 2am!

Love.

Your Dad.

PS. Instead of lamenting about having a picture of you sleeping in your crib, I'll post my favorite pictures of you sleeping everywhere else.

In your mom's arms...


On Grandma Lopez's shoulder...


On the Boppy pillow...


And last but not least, on me.

a recent pic

Dear Augosto.

I just wanted to write to post a picture that your mother took recently. To tell you the truth, I really don't have much to say about this one. I think it definitely speaks for itself.



Sorry this one is so short. I'd give an excuse but I don't really have one.

See you later.

Love.

Dad.