This past weekend we packed up the 2 chillin’s and headed to Rochester for my sister’s wedding. We set a new trip record with a 12.5 hour drive with all the stops involved in feeding, changing, and entertaining our babies.

I was an usher, and Mason was the ring bearer. We got a preview of the Mason experience at the rehearsal where he did his best to distract the priest from his duties. At the rehearsal dinner, we ordered Mason his first drink from the bar, “Special Juice”- a Shirley Temple poured directly into his sippy cup. Baby Anna got her first exposure to all of my extended family. They all gushed. Lindsey and Mike nervously awaited their big day.

Saturday was a gorgeous fall day. 70 degrees and sunny in Rochester, NY in October is nearly unheard of. Tricia and I got us all ready at her parents house, and then we headed to the church around 1pm. When we got there it was right around nap time, so ring-bearer Mason fell asleep in his stroller in the vestibule. I carefully awoke the boy, and as Ave Maria began to play, there Mason went up the aisle…and then into a pew..and then back into the aisle, and then another pew..and then I gave up on him doing this whole thing alone, and I guided him to the front of the church before the congregation could make him cry. Very cute. I was a busy usher taking my widowed Grandmother up the aisle, as well as my crying Mom, and then Mike’s sister Monica – a bridesmaid. Tricia brought up the gifts, and was a eucharistic minister.

The ceremony was beautiful. Rev. Michael J. Parker, my uncle’s brother, performed a thoughtful Catholic wedding service. Lindsey and Mike made it through their vows without crying (which is something that I couldn’t even do). We took a stretch Lincoln Navigator limo to Linear Park for pictures. It took a LONG time to take the pics, and Mason was going crazy.

The reception was so much fun – of course I’d expect nothing less from my family. There was tons of dancing, drinking and frivolity. At the end of the night I ended up going home naked (I had to return my tux to the Mike’s parents to bring to Long Island), and Mason passed out in bed in only his tux shirt. Now Lindsey and Mike are off to Italy for their honeymoon. Congratulations guys!

The entire weekend was a lot of fun and really makes me want to be closer to my family. Maybe TMP will make a Rochester satellite office 😉

Tricia is so addicted to all these old episodes of the Cosby Show that it reminded me of my new role as Dad – to embarrass the heck out of my kids all through their lives. Here’s my first attempt at Anna. Daddy loves you honey 😉

I’m slowly rousing from my baby induced coma. I forgot that you actually have to feed that little bugger in the middle of the night. I’m glad I don’t have the boobs in the family though. Tricia is taking the brunt of it. Wait I think my nipples hurt.

It’s 2:10pm and Tricia just called to say that they are letting Anna out of the hospital tomorrow. Yippeeeeeeee! The rest of my life starts tomorrow. Now I can dream about my “Your not dating ’til 25” speech instead of whether she will be breathing tomorrow. Thank you God. Zippy loves you.

Tomorrow it will be 2 weeks since the birth of our little girl, and still she’s not home. She’s in the NICU at Central DuPage Hospital. When Anna was born she had what the doctors think was some kind of infection that may have caused pulmonary hypertension. Well, after a full week of antibiotics and breathing using a respirator, we finally got to hold our baby last weekend for the first time. That was huge!

She hasn’t even met her brother yet because he is too young to go into the NICU. Now, Anna has been without tubes for 3 days, and we’re just waiting for her to clear her last hurdle – eating so that she can come home. I can’t wait.

Anna Lucy Rzepkowski, born August 29th 10:25 AM, 6lbs. 14 oz.

Tricia and I spent Saturday morning in the hospital. She’s having pre-term labor with Baby Zip II. We know the drill though, since Mason was 4 weeks early and went through 3 weeks of pre-term labor. I’m thinking that we’re going to have a baby soon.

Although it is much better said by Mason:

Check it out

It always amazes me when you have kids, you stop calling your own mother Mom and start calling her Grandma. Happy Birthday!

Wow, I can’t bvelieve it’s been almost a month since my last post. It’s pretty much a result of 3 things. 1.) Being Mr. Mom as I actually pitch in around the house and allow Tricia her much needed bedrest. Baby Zip II is only a couple of weeks away now. We’re excited and anxious for all the changes that are sure to come our way. 2.) Work was hell for a few weeks. Covering for a co-worker on maternity leave, doing my job (and improving upon it), and a ton of clients needing stuff all at once. 3.) My life just isn’t that interesting right now. Besides completely re-installing my Mac for the second time in as many months, and painting our bedroom, I am really not that interesting.

So there. See you in another month. Not likely. We’ll have a baby by then, and other assorted fun to report.

Tricia hosted a Creative Memories Party last night. She put it on for her best friend who is a consultant. And now, guess what? My wifey is now a Creative Memories consultant. Congratulations on the new endeavor!

Scrap-booking strikes me as very retro-chic. Because I spend my time tinkering with my cranky Mac trying to get iMovie and iPhoto to spit out splendid documentation of our travels and of Mason growing up. I spend hours trying to get the DVD burner to work, or that transition to time just right. Whereas a scrapbook rarely acts up. As a matter of fact I got so much satisfaction with having my Mac produce a professional looking book of photos to give for Christmas that it is clear. Looking at photos in a physical book will always be a big hit. As long as the time is spent choosing the photos wisely, and properly annotating them with other thoughts and memorabilia. So while Tricia spends her time making and selling really nice photo albums, I’ll spend my time goofing around with the easiest way to document our lives digitally.

In a way, this blog could become my scrapbook, as Rachelle’s has become hers. I’d really like this to seamlessly link into my photo albums on oPhoto, and videos that I digitize in iMovie. I’d like to easily compile a scrapbook, and a DVD all pulling journal content from my blog. So please, Apple. Add another iApp. iBlog.