las vegas, thanksgiving, black friday, ,etc...

Well, we haven't posted in a while, mostly because we have been running around like crazy folks. Last wednesday night, my friend Tracy (who deserves to be made Saint Tracy after her heroics last weekend) helped me bring the girls to Vegas. It was insane. Fortunately, it wasn't as insane as it could have been, but it was still quite an undertaking. Tracy does not yet have children, and it was quite amazing that she was so awesome with helping me haul mine through a 5 hour plane ride, a four hour layover, and another 1 hour plane ride, and then repeat the whole process 4 days later. Fortunately, both Juneau and Nova have already made a couple of very long plane rides, so they are becoming rather seasoned travelers at the ripe old age of 6.5 and 14 months. This was Nova's 3rd trans-pacific flight, and she did quite well.


I only really got the Bad Mother Award once, when Juneau fell off the airport chair she was balancing precariously on, and busted her bottom lip. there were many tears, and lots of gushing of blood, and quite a few nasty stares from bystanders who couldn't believe i would let my daughter stand unassisted on the airport chair with metal arms. With several minutes of heavy pressure on the wound (once i finally identified it through the massive hemorrhage), the bleeding and tears resolved, and we made it through the rest of the trip.

Vegas itself was a BLAST. Tracy, our friend Kenya, and I had a great time learning lots of cool stuff at the Cosmetic Gynecology conference, and Juneau and Nova had a fantastic time getting non-stop spoiling by Grandpa and Grandma Saccenti, Aunt Becky, and Uncle Drew. The girls absolutely LOVED the lights of the casinos. I unfortunately do not have any pictures...which is rather sad, but truthfully i had such a difficult time keep up with myself and the girls, that i couldn't even think about taking the extra step of pulling out the camera. Travel with babies is hard! I thought travel with 1 baby was hard when Nova and I were traversing between Hawaii and Michigan, but adding J-bug to the equation kind of quadrupled the work/stress. But all that being said, it was DEFINATELY worth it so Juneau and Nova could hang out with the family. Grandpa and Grandma adored the girls, and the girls adored them, so it was overall a success. Not to mention that the good Lord smiled down on us, and Tracy and I each had an empty seat (on otherwise totally full flights) next to us on 3 of the 4 flights. That was truly a miracle, and a life-saver.

The girls' first Thanksgiving was action packed. We started off with the Tripler Crew thanksgiving, then headed over to the Traditional Thanksgiving Feast at Gordon Biersch with cousins Tim, Beth, and Melody, and then over for a final thanksgiving evening with the University of Hawaii Kinesiology gang. Needless to say, i think we are truly thanksgivinged-out until next November. The girls were amazing as we dragged them around all over the island. I'm glad that they have very easy going personalities, and just go with the flow.

Finally, we didn't do our usual wake up at 4 am for the black friday deals this year. There wasn't really anything we "needed" from the ads, so we slept in until 6:30 when the bug woke us up. I was getting a little stir crazy from being in the house all day, so in the afternoon we headed out for a little shopping. By the time we hit the stores they crazy crowds had kind of dissolved, and we just bought a few little things.


I have to say i am pretty pumped about my christmas present (which cris bought after just a tiny bit of begging a couple of weeks ago). On December 25th i will be the ecstatic owner of my very own Nintendo Wii. I'm super excited. The last game system i owned was the olllld original Nintendo (circa 1985). Cris owned an original Playstation system, but never bought anything since then. we can't wait to try out the amazing new technology that has come about in the last 20 years.


and finally, pictures of the week (except for vegas, for the above stated reasons!)

Hanging out at the Zoo with Aunt Bets

J-bug getting her Starbucks Fix


Juneau going in for the open-mouth drool kiss

Thanksgiving dinner with Cousin Melody

The Buckeye Tradition

As a Buckeye living outside of the midwest, I am often asked "What exactly is a Buckeye?"

Technically, a Buckeye (Aesculus glabra) is small, shiny, dark brown nut with a light tan patch that comes from the official state tree of Ohio, the buckeye tree. According to folklore, the Buckeye resembles the eye of a deer and carrying one brings good luck. “Buckeyes” has been the official Ohio State nickname since 1950, but it had been in common use for many years before.

Commonly, a Buckeye refers to an Ohioan. The first recorded use of the term Buckeye to refer to a resident of the area was in 1788, some 15 years before Ohio became a state. Col. Ebenezer Sproat, a 6’4" man of large girth and swashbuckling mannerisms, led the legal delegation at the first court session of the Northwest Territory in Marietta. The Indians in attendance greeted him with shouts of "Hetuck, Hetuck" (the Indian word for buckeye), it is said because they were impressed by his stature and manner. He proudly carried the Buckeye nickname for the rest of his life and it gradually spread to his companions and to other local settlers. By the 1830s, writers were commonly referring to locals as “Buckeyes.”

For those of us who are Alums of the greatest university in the world, being a Buckeye is a label we wear with pride that represents the traditions of our beloved Alma Mater.The term Buckeye also refers to the round white decals, about the size of a quarter, with a green depiction of a buckeye leaf applied to Ohio State football helmets for big plays and consistency on the field. This tradition started in 1968 when Woody Hayes and longtime athletic trainer Ernie Biggs changed the look of the Ohio State uniforms. Many of the sports at Ohio State incorporate Buckeye Leaves into their equipment and uniforms.

Finally, Buckeyes are also a candy made to look like the Buckeye nut though unlike the nut, they are delicious instead of poisonous...these yummy confections are the heart of a family tradition that began many years ago.

In 1992, my sister and I were living in a small apartment just off High Street at the edge of the Ohio State campus. She was in her second year of medical school and I was in my second year of undergrad. We had grown up on a small farm in Ohio and had been raised to love the Buckeyes. That was the year, without knowing it, we started what would become our “Michigan-week” tradition. In our small kitchen we baked a single recipe of our beloved Buckeye candies and each took half of them to work with us on Friday – her to share with her med school mates and mine to the Ohio State Athletic Training Room. The tradition has continued every year since then even after we moved to different corners of the state or country and seemed to get bigger every year – that first year we made about 50 Buckeyes total; In recent times, some years have seen us well over the 500 mark between us. The tradition has been carried through Ohio, Kentucky, to California for a couple years and even all the way to Hawaii. Now years later, it’s not just her and I carrying on the tradition: Her 6 year-old son and 10 year-old twin daughters know the process of rolling the peanut butter balls and dipping them in chocolate by heart and my wife, now already in her fourth year of the tradition has her own special touches she likes to make to the recipe. This was Juneau and Nova's first of what will be many years of making Buckeyes during "Michigan Week".

So, for 17 years now, my sister and I have been bringing Buckeyes to work with us the Friday before the Ohio State – Michigan game and sharing some Buckeye spirit.

Juneau "helping" roll peanut butter balls

Juneau dipping her first Buckeye

It looked too good to share with everyone

Nova dipping her first Buckeye

Juneau testing out this year's batch to make sure they were safe to share

Obviously, Juneau approves of the family tradition but I'm not sure she realizes she has to wait a whole year until the next batch.

“Time and change will surely show, how firm they friendship, O-HI-O” - from "Carmen Ohio" (The Ohio State Alma Mater)

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Go Bucks!!! Beat Michigan!!!

crazy, busy, fun weekend

I may be about to put you into photo-overload, so get ready. we had an AWESOME weekend. Actually, the whole week was just about perfect. Monday and Tuesday were hospital holidays (veteran's day + a "training holiday"), so i got to spend two extra days with the girls. there was a time (not too terribly long ago!) that i dreaded being home alone with the girls. I know that sounds terrible, but in August, after everyone finally was together in the same house, it just seemed so overwhelming to be responsible for both of them when i was by myself. Nova was still so tiny and needed constant attention, and Juneau was still adjusting to having a new mommy, a new sister, and a new house. Fortunately, being totally alone with them happened rarely, as i had tons of help from Cris, Betsy, and Sally. But there were some times it was just me and the girls, and it was terrifying. Now, for the most part, things are great when i spend the day home alone with them. I have even been brave enough to venture out on outings with them. On Monday (or was it tuesday?) I spent the day with the girls in honolulu. we ate breakfast at Starbucks, and then wandered over to the zoo, and then to the big fancy mall for a couple of hours. Our only purchase was the adorable little hat that Nova is modeling in the picture below. We had an absolutely fun day! As many other adoptive parents can attest to, we get blatantly stared at whereever we go. It usually starts with an "aww..cute baby" then the Phil and Ted stroller rolls by, and they notice the second baby, with a slightly darker skin tone, and the looks of puzzlement start. As crazy as it seems, we get a lot of "are they twins?", which baffles me, since Juneau is not only much bigger than nova, but also, clearly not Nova's twin. I think people must feel bad staring, so they just say the first thing they can think of. anyway, on to the rest of the weekend.
Our very dear friend, Jeremy (brother to our nanny Sally, as well as husband to my friend Tracy-who delivered Nova-are you confused yet?) was home on R&R from Iraq. He has been gone a full year, and has to go back again until February, but it was so wonderful to have him home for a short time. There was a huge beach party/pig roast thrown for Jeremy, and everyone had a fantastic time! Nova quickly became Uncle Jeremy's biggest fan, and i'm sure she also can't wait until february to see him again.

The guest of honor, Jeremy, with our friend Benny

Juneau loved the pig (both looking at it, and also eating it!)

Jeremy's party was held at a beach house right on the beach, and Juneau had her first true ocean experience. Let's just say, she's a huge fan. We knew she loved the water, but we weren't so sure how she would handle the giant North Shore waves. Well, there was no need to worry. She loved the ocean like she was local kine. We weren't really planning on swimming with her right then, but before we knew it, we were all drenched, and Juneau was diving face first into the waves and then laughing. The next day we had to go back up to the beach house to pick up some stuff we left behind, and as soon as we stepped out into the yard Juneau was pointing at the water and wanted to get back in. Nova was napping during the whole ocean fiasco, so she didn't really try it out, but something tells me with her dislike of anything cold, combined with the fact that the waves are kind of on the loud side (and we know how she feels about loud noises), i don't think Nova is going to be a surfer-girl any time soon.

after a bit of a "wipe-out"

Bring on the Waves!

And finally, here are some pictures to show some daily occurences around the Stickley house. Below is documentation of the nightly Bottle Ritual. We are trying hard to cut down on Nova's nighttime bottles, but as you can see, we have a ways to go. Every night we make a big bottle for nova to drink right away, 2 small bottles for the nighttime feedings, and another big bottle for her early morning milk, as well as a big bottle for juneau's early morning milk. Does it look exhausting? it is. seriously.

this one is for Grandpa and Grandma Stickley... Sweet Little Juneau can't wait to show you in December that she has learned to throw some Serious Fits!

But for the most part she is full of some serious cuteness!

It's a Dad Thing...

It’s amazing to me that there was a time not too many years ago that I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal if I never became a parent. In the days leading up to Nova being born, with the anticipation of bringing Juneau home within sight on the horizon, I knew that becoming a dad would be great. It turns out I was completely underselling the experience. It seems like every day I marvel at how great it is…definitely the greatest blessing of my entire life.

I hate to sound too cliché about it but time after time, the things I find myself loving most about being a dad are the stereotypical “dad” things…the stuff that, to me, just seems like time-honored “dad” traditions.

Here are my top 8 “Dad Things”:

8. Taking the extra trip:

In a typical scenario, we’re over at a friend’s house and it’s time to go. I start loading up the van and after a couple trips, we’re down to just the girls and we’re ready to say goodbye and each carry one out. Not that this is something I totally love, but at the same time, I like making the extra trip out to the car, into the house, etc. to unload baby stuff, get that last thing we forgot in order to be ready to make the trip, or whatever. Growing up, this was definitely a “dad thing.”

7. Buying them Star Wars clothes:

Okay, so this wasn’t necessarily a “Dad Thing” when I was growing up but what dad my age doesn’t revel in dressing their kid up in Star Wars clothes…especially this vintage looking t-shirt we found at the mall. Also, Juneau loves to show off her “standing” skills these days.

6. Throwing giggling babies up in the air and wrestling on the floor in the evenings before bedtime:

Up until recently, Nova has not been keen on the throwing into the air but I think she realized I wasn’t going to stop doing it so she might as well enjoy it. So, now she actually laughs in response. As everyone knows by now, Juneau loves to play rough and the higher I throw her into the air, the harder she giggles (or at least as close to giggling as Juneau allows herself to come). She also loves jump on me and wrestle and we also recently started doing this cool thing where she does a high speed “head over feet” flip in the air that I think actually panicked Emilie the first time we showed her. Juneau on the other hand just keeps making the “more” sign after each time we do it.

5. Shoulder Rides:

This is a no-brainer of a dad thing. Within the last 2 weeks, Juneau has figured out how to effectively ride without needing support to stay upright so now she rides on my shoulders constantly. She also loves to reach down and “hug” my head and go “ahhhh” while she’s up there. Too cute and sweet.

4. Not stop my child from doing daring (even dangerous) things because I’m actually so proud of her, instead I take pictures:

Juneau has become a total climber…combine that with the fact that she’s totally fearless and we’ve got our hands full. She loves to climb out the arm of the couch, reach across the 1 foot gap and vault herself up onto her highchair. Just tonight, we turned around just in time to see her complete that trick, stand up on her tray and fall to the floor. She cried for just a second but by the time I picked her up to check her out, she was ready to move on to the next thing…like completely climbing up on top of her busy beads table.

3. Making sure their love for the Buckeyes runs deep:

I remember getting in the tractor cab with my dad on Saturday afternoons in the fall and the radio was invariably tuned to the Ohio State football game. I had no choice but to be a life-long die-hard Buckeye so why should my kids get a choice J. Already, every time the fight song comes on, Juneau already knows to put her arm in the air and pump her fist in beat to: “Fight the team across the field show them Ohio’s here…” and we’re working hard on “O-H” although it will probably be awhile until Nova is able to learn “I-O”.

(I know we already posted this first picture but I love it so here it is again - My girls in their Buckeye jerseys. For those keeping track at home, Nova wears Troy Smith, Juneau wears Tedd Ginn, Jr. and on that day I was going old-school and pulled out the double-heisman winner, Archie Griffin)

2. Sunday afternoon naps on the couch:

This is definitely a HUGE “Dad Thing” from my childhood and is one of my favorite things in the world. Members of the Stickley family may say I am violating couch napping protocol by snoozing in a horizontal position since it seems to be a requirement that couch naps are undertaken in a seated position. I’m sure I will eventually develop this part of my genetic make-up so that I can pull this off but not yet. On a side note, Emilie took these pictures and they crack us up because they weren’t staged but actually some quality synchronized sleeping.

And the #1 “Dad Thing”…

1. Carrying sleeping baby girls up to bed:

On a serious note, the absolute best part of my day comes every evening when it’s time for Emilie and I to turn in. Nova has fallen asleep in her swing in the living room and I pick her up, give her a small “shhhh” to keep her from waking up and carry her up to her crib all snuggled into my arms. Other variations of this include being able to combine this one with #8 when we come home late and the girls are asleep in their carseats…I carry one sleeping girl up to her crib and then get to do it again with the other one. To me, carrying a sleeping baby from the car or the couch up to her bed is the absolute epitome of a “Dad Thing” and is my favorite by a lot.

All of these things make being a dad so much fun…so much fun that I can’t wait until the day I can do the ultimate dad thing and race into the living room and ask:

“Did someone change the thermostat?”

Happy Half-Birthday Nova!

Nova Joelle,

Yesterday you turned 6 months old! It is unbelievable how fast the last 6 months have gone by. I already miss the days of holding you when you only weighed 7 pounds and couldn't even hold up your head! I know I talk about it all the time, but you have the sweetest personality. You are always smiling and giggling and making the cutest faces. You are now sitting up completely on your own. In fact, you don't even like to sit in your bumbo any more because you can sit up by yourself. You also know how to get places on your own. We're not quite sure how it happens, but we will set you down in one place, and in 5 minutes you are completely on the other side of the room. You are so close to crawling. You will get completely up on all fours and then kind of lunge and rock until you make progress towards getting where you want to be. Today you actually pulled up to standing several times. It really cracked you up, so you kept doing it. You try to eat some baby food, and you are definately interested in whatever food we are eating. You also really want to drink out of a sippy cup but you haven't quite figured it out yet. You still like your swing, but you really go crazy when we put you in your jumperoo. You are finally gtting brave enough to let daddy throw you up into the air without getting scared. You love your sissy, even though she hits you on the head with some type of hard plastic toy at least 3 times a day.

Here are some cute pictures of you over the last few days.

6 months is definately my favorite age so far, and i absolutely adore every second watching you grow from a tiny baby into a sweet little girl with her own personality.

Nova and Aunt Betsy's Best Part of the Day - Naptime!

Sitting up in the big girl rocking chair

No matter where she starts out in the living room, somehow Nova always ends up underneath the pack-n-play

Soon to be crawling

We can't stop taking pictures of Nova because she is so stinking photogenic. Every picture we have she is looking right at the camera with this huge grin. It's so cute!

In other news, the girls will be making another trans-pacific trip in a couple of weeks when they come to Las Vegas with me for the Cosmetic Gynecology Conference. No, they won't be learning how to do tummy tucks, but they WILL be exposed to some serious spoiling since Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Becky (and Hopefully Uncle Drew!) will be joining us in Vegas. I can't WAIT for everyone to meet June-bug and get to see Nova again. It's going to be Awesome!

Halloween 2008!

Halloween was a blast! The girls did great. They were in a great mood, and Juneau definately was catching on to the idea of getting something at every house. She didn't exactly graspe the concept of candy until later in the evening when she had her very first piece of chocolate - a KitKat. excellent choice, Juneau. Nova was really more of an accessory piece to the costume since she had no clue what was going on, but she had fun anyway.

So, without further ado, I introduce Thing 1 and Thing 2

Since we were a little on the White Trash side last year, this year we opted for a more wholesome theme. Here we are in our very aunthentic Amish Costumes purchased from an Amish garage sale near my parents home.

Betsy was Amish this year too. Her Ballet class at school all wore costumes. Isn't she cute?