The joy of having kids is doing things that you never got to do as a kid. I’m not sure all of the different things that I’m going to force Mason and Anna to try just so I can relive my childhood, but building a gingerbread house was a good start. I never did one as a kid, and I’m sure that to do one from scratch would stop any normal human. We went to Jewel and bought a boxed one. You simply mix up the icing and start gluing pre-baked pieces together. It even comes with a plastic tray that serves as the platform. We had so much fun, and so did the kids. What can be better than lots of icing and candy? Let the holiday cheer begin.

Sunday was Anna’s first birthday. She had an awesome time at her pool party at Lietime Fitness. It was a red white and blue, All-America theme. We floated hundreds of beachballs in the pool, and served Popeye’s chicken and apple pie for dinner. The best part of it all was watching my Anna take the right of passage into the chocolate cake addiction that is a Rzepkowski birthday. Nice job honey! And yes…you can have a brown chocolate cake at your wedding.

It’s amazing how quickly the second child grows up when there’s a bigger kid around to motivate her. Anna is 11 months, and if she doesn’t start walking in the next 2 weeks I would be surprised. In the meantime, she has definitely figured out how to crawl, climb up on her brother and get in his grill. The boy needed a challenge..now he’s got one. With a beautiful 90 degree Sunday we went to the Lifetime Fitness pool. I just need to burn that day into my memory for safekeeping on those 20 degree days in February. Summer is too short.

Friday we spent a glorious evening at Chuck E Cheese. It’s the first time I’ve been there since I worked there at the tender age of 16. Come to find out, they “improved” the shows fom the old animatronic days. Bummer. I have fond memories of these characters. At least the guy in the Chuck E suit didn’t have his head fall off and freak out my kids. I’ve got a whole new perspective on that fateful incident that ended my Chuck E career.

Dear Tricia,
You are the goddess of the childrearing world. Your tireless energy and devotion to the needs of me and my two never-resting children is the stuff of Oprah Winfrey couch talks. You are the smartest, funniest, hottest, bestest wife a boy could ever have.

Humbly yours,
Kris

This after I spent 15 hours on Saturday with the 2 kids learning what it’s like to football-hold the little one while making lunch for the other. My muscles hurt, my head hurts, and my patience is shot. Guess what? Tricia has been doing this gig for the last 2 months. She must be so ready to go back to work.

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.