All Things Chicago...

As promised here's a bit more information about our trip to Chicago and a TON more pictures!!

The adventure started on Saturday. Nick, Billy and I flew out on the same flight to Chicago. Luckily, the flight was fairly empty, so even though we didn't buy a ticket for Dylan, we were able to take his car seat on the plane and he got his own seat. For any of you who ever travelled with Zach, the picture of Dylan below is a similar expression to the one that Zach often had while we were travelling. However, just like his Daddy, once we were settled and on the plane, Dylan was super happy!!

What exactly is going on here??

Our flight attendant was awesome! Once he knew it was Dylan's first flight he brought us everything under the sun. Dylan got his first wings, a certificate for his first flight, a deck of cards (we're encouraging those gambling skills young these days), a coloring book and some other stuff.

We made it safely to Chicago and Toni picked us up at the airport. I fed Dylan on the airplane, but apparently on the car ride to grandma's, he decided he was STARVING!! I was a little nervous that we were going to get in a car accident on the way home because Grandma Toni doesn't like anything that makes her grandson cry. I assured her although he was a bit hysterical, he was not starving and would be fine. I think at one point Billy even offered to drive :) Once we made it to Grandma's we made his bottle and I fed it to him. Now, I'm by no means a bottle expert. In fact, I very rarely feed him a bottle (Nick's the expert on this one). Well, you basically have to stop feeding him after a few ounces and get him to burp. Sometimes he's okay with this, other times he cries like you might never feed him again. Well, Saturday he decided to go with the crying route...of course it's not so easy for mom to take that so I gave in and fed him some more. Billy and Karl went and got us lunch, so I gave Dylan to Nicki to hold him when he was done eating while I ate lunch. Well, a few minutes later, Dylan started spitting up (what seemed like gallons) all over Nicole, himself and the floor. So, we had an impromptu sink bath which he loved :) Luckily, he was still wearing his plane outfit and not his party outfit, so no worries.

Toni had a party for people to come and meet Dylan (some claimed it was to see me as well, but I know the truth). Dylan had a GREAT time and loved meeting everybody. Thanks so much to all who stopped by. It was very nice to get to see everybody. And yes, as you look through the pictures, Dylan is wearing 2 different outfits. No, he didn't spit up again, he's got so many cute clothes that Nick and I decided he needed to change clothes in the middle of the party. Soon, he'll be too old for us to play dress up with him!

Just taking a bath...in a sink!

Looking awfully cute in Brad's arms :)

+055.JPG">Chillin' with Kevin and Colleen

With Melissa in party outfit number 2

Dylan loved hanging out with Aunt Beth!

Dorian is definitely a natural!

I'm not sure Nicki trusted Tiffany, but she was great!

Sunday morning we got up really early. Billy, Nicki and I camped out in the basement and Dylan slept in the guest room. I didn't sleep well because I was nervous about the timing of everything for Sunday morning. And, I'm not used to listening for Dylan through a monitor (I just leave the doors open at night). Dylan who had partied hard, slept through the night which was great! We got up, put on our Cubs gear and headed to the stadium. We met up with the family and around 9 a.m. the Cubbies let us walk out to the left field warning track. We said a prayer, sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame and left a piece of Zach there. I also took some of the warning track dirt and a bit of ivy back with us. It was a super emotional time for everybody (I can't even write about it without tearing up), but it was very special. Zach would've absolutely loved it and it was so nice of the Cubs to let us honor Zach in such a special way. (another huge thanks to Carrie Mac for making it happen!)

After the ceremony, Nicki's friends graciously had us over for bagels (thanks Heather for getting them). We walked over to Luke, Alicia and Grace's place where they hosted a little brunch for us (complete with an awesome French toast souffle that Luke made). They have a great deck with lots of toys so Ella, Gracie and Dylan were thrilled. They showed us such amazing hospitality, and we are super appreciative! Zach and I have been to a few games with Luke (I think even a few shots might have been done...), but for them to open their house to all of us was above and beyond. They were even sweet enough to let Ella and Morris hang out after we all went back for the game so Ella could get a good nap in. Thanks again Luke, Alicia and especially Gracie! We had a great time!!!!

Gracie was very interested in Dylan. She kept giving him his key rattle to play with! She is SO cute!!!

We headed back to Wrigley Field. One of Nicole's MBA friends who used to work for the Cubs helped us get on the field during batting practice. Because we had the family ceremony in the morning, we decided it would be neat to have Zach's friends come on the field before the game. (I know I always refer to them as Zach's friends, but I truly consider all of the gang there my great friends as well. I've known them since I first started dating Zach and we've all been really great friends ever since. It was very nice getting to see all of them again, and hopefully we'll be able to meet up for a Hawkeye game this fall!). It was really neat to be on the field for the second time that day and we got some really good pictures.

The Cubs won the game that day. The weather was great and we had a great time. Dylan is now officially 2 - 0 for baseball games!

Hanging with the college group on the field before the game!

Sleeping like a baby in mommy's arms

Dylan loved hanging out with all the guys! I think they'll all take it as their personal responsibility to corrupt Dylan when he gets older!

1-2-3 strikes you're out at the old ballgame!!

Hanging with the fam!

After the game, a group of us went to Giordano's (my favorite pizza place). It was great to get to spend some more quality time with everybody.

4 generations :)

On Monday Grandma Toni, Nicki, Andrea, Morris, Ella, Dylan and I explored downtown Chicago a bit. We went to Buckingham fountain and to Millennium Park. Ella loved drumming on the giant "bean" and looking at her reflection in it.

Dylan loved hanging out with Grandpa Karl!!

So, that's pretty much it for the Chicago trip. Thanks again so much to Toni and Karl for their hospitality all weekend. We can't wait to come back and visit again soon!! Dylan did great on the plane back as well. He actually got a bit hysterical in line to get on the plane...but as soon as we got on, I fed him and he literally slept the entire flight. I wanted to hold him up and show everybody what a good baby he was. We flew back with the Morris crew and had a great time playing peek-a-boo with Ella :)

The day after we got back from Chicago, Dylan had his 4 month check up with the pediatrician. He weighed in at 12 pounds 8 ounces (gaining 20 ounces in 26 days, which is great). Dr. Kate said he looked FANTASTIC!! And was super impressed with how physical he was...she told me I better prepare myself for him to be an early crawler/walker since he seems like such a mover and a shaker. Dylan also had to get his 4 month shots :( He did great with them as well. He was a little bit cranky that afternoon (poor Aunt Nicole), but after a little bit of Tylenol he was back to his happy self...although a bit sleepier than normal.

After the pediatrician, we headed to Children's Mercy (south campus) for a follow up appointment with Dr. Ostlie. Dr. Ostlie thought everything looked great. He thinks he'll do the next stomach surgery when Dylan is 6-7 months old. We made a follow up appointment for the end of September and will likely schedule his surgery then but it'll probably be in October.

HAPPY 4 MONTH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Cubs Go!!

We made it back from Chicago safely. Dylan was a rock star as usual. He got to meet a TON of new people and was great throughout the whole trip. A special thanks to Toni for being such a great host! And once again to Nicole for coordinating as perfect of a weekend as there could have been.

I'm both physically and emotionally exhausted...so I'm going to post a recap that my mom sent to her family for now. I'll post more details later this week and a million more pictures. Thanks to everybody who made this weekend so special...it was super hard but Zach was smiling down on us...and in case you haven't heard...the Cubbies are in 1st place now!!

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Yesterday the Harsch Clan and the Lichtenbergers and many friends attended the Cubs game at Wrigley Field. In case you missed your Baseball Tonight highlights, here is a brief recap of the game:

CHICAGO (AP)—Day, night, home, road … Rich Harden(notes) says the when and where don’t matter.He proved it Sunday with a dominating 5-2 victory over the reeling, aching Cincinnati Reds that put the Chicago Cubs atop the NL Central for the first time since April 21.After being told that manager Lou Piniella was pleased with his six-inning, one-hit performance, Harden smiled slyly and said: “Yeah, and it was during the day, too, wasn’t it?”Harden, whose previous Wrigley Field day victory had been Aug. 24, 2008, snapped two inexplicable trends: Going into Sunday, he had a 1-5 record and 7.38 ERA in day games (vs. 5-1, 2.23 at night) and a 2-5 record and 7.59 ERA at home (vs. 4-1, 2.03 on the road).

At 9 am before the game, the Cubs let a few of us on the field for a brief ceremony. We circled on the warning track near the left field foul pole (355 feet from home plate) and joined hands, prayed the Lord's Prayer, and sang "Take me out to the Ballgame". We left a little part of Zach in Wrigley Field--and took some Wrigley Field dirt with us.

Here is a picture of us on Wrigley Field before the game--perhaps a little tear stained. Bobbie and the rest of us have mourned hard the last few days---her wedding anniversary was July 16th. This was Bobbie's first time to Chicago without Zach in the last nine years.

We returned later to watch the Cubs win and move into first place in their division. There were about 30 of us at the game.Bobbie and Dylan and the rest of us did fine.It was a perfect summer day in Chicago and it was so nice of the Cubs to let us have our little memorial.

Still as Cute as Ever!!!

Sorry for the delay in posting. Work has been pretty busy lately, so it's been getting in the way of things :)

Dylan has been doing great. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes for his surgery last week. The good news is I think this is all much harder on me and everybody around me than it is on Dylan. Dylan was a bit sleepy for the rest of the day on Monday after surgery, but was already smiling by Monday night. By Tuesday, he was pretty much back to his normal smiling/laughing/adorable self!

We head to Chicago this weekend to take Dylan to his first Cubs game ever. And through the generosity and kind heartedness of a lot of people (can't say thank you enough carrie mac!), we are going to get to go on the field on game day and say a little prayer for Zach and get a picture of Dylan. I'm most grateful to everybody that has been working on making this happen for the last few months. Nicole gets a lot of credit for coordinating everything we have going on in Chicago this weekend...helping me get ready to fly with Dylan...and most importantly taking amazing care of Dylan day in and day out.

We are also so excited to get to see lots of friends and family this weekend, many of them meeting Dylan for the first time. Of course, as with many things the trip will be bittersweet for me. I think it's the first time in almost 9 years that I'll be in Chicago without Zach. It will be tough, but I'm thankful for all of the support surrounding me!

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. Look forward to some great shots from chi-town this weekend!!

One of Dylan's happiest places to be is in his Aunt Nicole's arms!!

Dylan loves when Liz O. visits...not just because she always brings us cookies!!!
Lars came to visit Dylan after surgery. He was smiling up a storm at her!!
Dylan a little sleepy during post-op. He would open his eyes every few minutes as if to make sure I was still holding him, and then would go back to sleep.
Nicki is turning into quite the chef this summer! On top of basically helping me with everything, she has perfected making b-day cakes and a ton of other fabulous meals!!
We got this carrier for the trip to Chi-town this weekend. Dylan loves being walked around in it!

Jessica came to visit us and brought us yummy Panera. Of course Dylan charmed her and was full of lots of smiles for her!!

These are a little late, but hey better late than never...for the fourth of July we went to the Lenexa parade (for those of you who don't know, Lenexa is where we live...and why haven't you visited yet?) We met my coworker and his wife and baby for the parade (thanks so much for saving us seats, Matt and Jody). Their little girl, Kylie, had a stint at Children's Mercy Hospital while we were there, so we have gotten to know each other quite well. The parade was fun, and Dylan loved being outside.

Enjoying the parade with grandma :)

Jody, Matt, Kylie, Bobbie and Dylan...isn't Kylie one of the cutest little girls you've ever seen!!

4th of July night at the Morris family house! Yes, that is Ella holding Dylan's hand. It was so cute! And yes, Ella's shirt says American Baby and Dylan's says Born in the USA.

Home from the Hospital

We're home already from the hospital! Dylan did a great job and even had some smiles for the surgeon (who validated he was one of the cutest babies he's ever seen). Dylan was not super excited about not getting to eat this morning, especially after the nurses were messing with him getting his vitals. But my mom managed to get him back to sleep for a while before he went back (he was not happy when I was holding him and not feeding him, but seemed more okay with grandma). He is now sleeping very peacefully in his pack-n-play and will just need Tylenol for the pain. Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers. They are much appreciated! And a special thanks to my mom, dad, Andrea, Nicki and Beth for entertaining me in the surgery waiting room so I didn't go to crazy waiting.

Isn't this about the cutest hospital gown you've ever seen!?!

My Little Moose!!

I took Dylan to the doctor this morning to get him weighed. He's been doing so awesome with everything; this was the one thing that was still a minor concern, so his pediatrician wanted to weigh him at 3 months instead of waiting until his regular 4 month appointment just to make sure he was still tracking.

Dylan once again surpassed everybody's expectations and weighed in at 11 pounds 4 ounces. For those of you keeping track, he gained 38 ounces in 30 days (as I've mentioned before, an ounce a day is on the high end!). So, needless to say we're super thrilled! He's also growing a ton and is up to the 25th percentile in length (he was at the 10th a month ago) and is at the 10th percentile for weight (he wasn't even on the scale last time). We anticipate him continuing to catch up after his slightly slow start.

Have a great 4th of July weekend! Read below for his 3 month update :)

3 Months Already!!

Well, believe it or not, Dylan is already a quarter of a year old! I know I say this every post, but I really can't believe how quickly time has flown by. Dylan continues to change so quickly. He is coo'ing up a storm now. And will even have conversations with us. He smiles all of the time and has even laughed a few times. He continues to roll over from his stomach to back (going both left and right). He'll roll from his back to his side but hasn't gotten all the way to his stomach yet. I'm back at work now which has definitely been a transition. But luckily, all of my friends at Applebee's have continued to be so supportive of me. They even decorated my cube with pictures of Dylan, so I wouldn't miss him too badly. (which was so nice, b/c as I walked into the office the first day, I thought to myself, I really should have brought in some pictures to have up!). And, Aunt Nicole is down here for the summer which is AWESOME! She's so super helpful to me and she and Dylan are very much enjoying bonding. Although, not the standard internship for a Northwestern MBA student, I have assured Nicki that she's learning some pretty important life lessons :) And she is definitely a professional already!

Yea, Nicki is here full time for the summer!!

Dylan apparently likes the drama (some say he takes after his aunt(s), you can choose which one!). He has something called an inguinal hernia. It's actually pretty common with infants (it's the number one most common surgery for babies). Basically, a small bit of his intestines is pushed into his scrotum. (I know, sounds super painful, but doesn't really bother him at all.) They can get more serious and painful, which is why they like to operate on them fairly quickly after finding them. So Dylan is having surgery on July 13th to fix that hernia. And, since we're hooked up with one of the best surgeons in the world, we're not too concerned about it. It's a fairly simple procedure, and is done as an outpatient surgery. The hardest part will be not being able to feed him for the few hours leading up to it (apparently it's not easy to reason with a 3 month old about why he can't eat.) Luckily, we managed to get him on as the first surgery of the day, so hopefully it won't be too hard. I promise to make sure to get an update as soon as he gets out of surgery.

So, since I've been such a slacker about updating the blog, I'm keeping this relatively short (for me at least), and am going to do most of the story telling through pictures/captions.

Sleeping on mommy's lap while she udpates the blog :)

My Aunt Carolyn and cousin Mikaela came to visit!

Feeding Dylan at the Cheesecake Factory! Nobody even had a clue what was going on :)

Annie O. came to visit Dylan, Liz O. and me! We had a great time and it was so nice getting to hang out with both of them!!

We celebrated Andrea and Beth's birthday with a fun party complete with life size drinking Jenga...Nicki and I are convinced that there is a market out there if we can figure out a way to mass produce it! (Thanks to Tom O. for making this version and Liz for letting us borrow it!)

Carrie Mac came to visit and we took Dylan to his first Royals game! They even pitched a complete game shut out for a rare Royals victory. Dylan was great throughout the whole game! And especially liked meeting Slugger!

Great Grandpa Lee and Great Grandma Rose came to visit! I think they instantly fell in love with the little guy!

Sarah and JoAnne came to visit! We had a great time, and I got addicted to some new games on Jo's iphone.
Grandma Toni came back to celebrate her birthday with us! We got her a digital picture frame so she can see pictures of Dylan all the time!

Dylan and me on my first day of work!

Already joining in on the famous sunglass pictures with Grandpa!

Ella continues to be infatuted with her cousin. She likes to swing him while he's in the swing!

I'm SO cute!!!

Dylan's impression of a tootsie roll :)

Reading Dr. Seuss with grandpa...I do so like green eggs and ham!!

He slept with his hand up for a good 30 minutes!