Category Archives: Family

So that Grant’s Farm trip on Sunday …

Family, oliver, Work

Now that Oliver and Sarah are both sleeping at the same time, I am sneaking some Internet time on the laptop. Thought I’d write a little more about Sunday’s trip to Grant’s Farm. It was for my work picnic. We bundled Oliver up in a little onesy that has a tie sewn on it, and we topped his outfit off with his first pair of blue jeans. It was pretty cute.

So anyway, we were running late as usual. I actually thought I had made up for lost time with my driving, but had forgotten about the LONG tram ride. We had to take it all the way to the back area of the park where our picnic was being held. Needless to say, we missed the special tour our company had arranged. Instead, we indulged in some brats and hamburgers. Then we walked around and did all the regular “Grant’s Farm stuff” that you do there. You know, feeding animals, reading about animals and looking at animals, as well as smelling poo, looking out for poo and trying not to step in a pile of poo.

After a few hours, Oliver was getting fussy so we headed home. He was a hit at the party, but I’m pretty sure he’ll enjoy his next trip to the park — when he’s older and all that. Anyway, I’m trying out a new photo service tonight. If it works, there should be a few pictures below. Enjoy!


Oliver all dressed up:





Sarah feeding her new friend:




Me feeding my new friend:




By this time, even the kangaroos were getting tired:




And so Oliver and Sarah posed for the obligatory “You-can-tell-I’m-at-Grant’s-Farm-because-of-the-sign-behind-us” photo shortly before leaving the park:



 

For those in caves with Internet access, we did feel an earthquake

Family

It’s been confirmed: What we felt last night was a magnitude-5.2 earthquake. I thought I’d let you know in case you live in a cave that’s somehow equipped with Internet access and, like most of my loyal readers, you check out my blog before reading the daily news.

We also had an aftershock a little over an hour ago. I heard the magnitude was in the 4s. It was a little freaky.

So what exactly went down at the Lopinot household in the wee hours this morning. Well, as I’ve been telling a few people around the office today: A woman’s chest was exposed and the bed was a-rocking, but it was nothing like my college years. Yes, Sarah was feeding Oliver and our bed was shaking like crazy. In my tired stupor, I thought maybe his vibrating bouncer was on and touching the bed (like that little thing could have shaken our king-size mattress with that much authority).

After realizing it wasn’t the bouncer or wind, I was like, “I think it’s an earthquake. What do we do?” I just couldn’t remember. It had been nearly 20 years since the late Iben Browning, a business consultant and climatologist, predicted a 50-50 chance that an earthquake would take place along the New Madrid Fault between Dec. 1 and 5, 1990 (I had the year wrong in my earlier post; I found the information here). The media was all over that prediction and, naturally, the public freaked out and overreacted. At our school, we learned to stand in a doorway, get under a desk or head outside. Of course, at 4:37 a.m. and extra tired due to our baby, I couldn’t remember those things. Instead, we headed downstairs, got on the Internet and turned on the TV.

Nearly 20 minutes went by before KSDK broke into the national morning show and informed us that we had experienced an earthquake. I can’t believe it took 20 minutes. In this instant-or-bust society, 20 minutes is a LONG time. They could have at least put a scroll at the bottom of the screen telling viewers that they’d have information forthcoming. The anticipation nearly drained me.

I was back to sleep around 5:15 a.m., turned off my alarm at 6:20 a.m., and overslept until 8 a.m. Then we had that fun aftershock here. What a day.

Nothing new on the Tiny Love mobile front, plus our new ride

Family

There’s nothing new to report on the Tiny Love mobile front. It’s pretty ridiculous, but I’m just too tired to deal with it right now (tonight, for example, I had an hour-long conference call from home this evening, and I still need to check e-mail for the college courses that I’m teaching). I’m still angry about the mobile, but I’m just tired.

I need better Web diagnostics on this site, but there was a spike in readership on the post about the Symphony in Motion mobile and the near tragic snapping strap. Whether somebody from the company read the post, I’m not sure, but at least people are becoming more aware of this faulty product.

Most of you know that I work in the public relations industry. I advise companies about how to deal with situations like the one that happened to us. The so-called “blogosphere” is large — and permanent. Soon, my blog entry will be listed among Google searches for this product. Companies like Tiny Love should take bloggers like me seriously. Despite my skewed Technorati ranking (it’s based on http://blog.blogfullofletters.com and not http://www.blogfullofletters.com, with is the URL people link to), I have a pretty strong readership. If a company like Tiny Love would read a blog post like mine and then step in to make the situation right, especially before I take the time to contact them myself, that could have a positive impact on their business. It would show that they truly care. Or they can just keep quiet and I’ll continue spreading the word about the situation, as I’ve already started doing on several Web sites. But I digress …

Well, another reason that I’m tired is that we were out pretty late (for us) last night buying a new vehicle for Sarah. We purchased a 2008 Mazda Tribute. It’s pretty nice, and the gas mileage is decent for an SUV so I don’t feel too bad about our carbon footprint. The best thing is that it will be great for hauling Oliver and Molly around in. I can’t wait for our next road trip down to Springfield, Mo., to see the parents. We’ll have so much more room!

Below is a picture of the new ride. Enjoy:

‘Wii’ play as a family (Get it? Wii? I’m so clever)

Family

It’s been a blast having Oliver’s Aunt Jennie and Uncle Ryan at our house these past few days. We’ve also been blessed to have Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Neal in town. We’ve always been a family that’s big on games. It’s mostly cards, but also board games over the years. Well, since buying the Nintendo Wii in December 2006, family gatherings have had an added video game element.

My parents usually will bowl on Wii Sports or just watch us youngsters play the games. However, I got them playing today before they made the trek home to Springfield, Mo. There’s nothing like the Wii for making my dad (one of the smartest, though also goofiest, people I know) and my mom (who’s heart is as big as they come but who’s not the most gifted of athletes) look like goofballs.

The videos I’ve been posting are nothing short of awful in quality, but for those of you know my mom and dad, you may get a kick out of them jamming with the band on Raymond Raving Rabbids 2. Check it out:





Filling up after two days of running on fumes

Family, oliver

Yesterday was a long day. I was on fumes after less than four hours of sleep for two consecutive nights. That, coupled with family in town and the need to entertain them, left me groggy. I hardly remember much of what went on.

We did take Oliver to his Great-Grandma Lopinot’s house. Well, I say “we,” but mean that “I” took him. Sarah was too tired and wasn’t feeling so hot, so I piled into the car with Oliver, my sister and her husband. We had a nice lunch, and Oliver got to meet a few new people, including my Great-Aunt Tillie and Uncle Dale.

Then, last night, my parents came over and we played some cards (I still feel guilty, as a regular Texas Hold’Em player, for contributing toward cleaning out my dad – twice – and the other players). After the parental units left and Sarah went to bed, Jennifer, Ryan and I played Wii. I hit the sheets around 12:45 a.m., “letting” Jennifer watch over the sleeping Oliver while trying to get some unimpeded rest. It paid off, as Oliver slept for over four hours! It was amazing. And all night, he went right to sleep after feedings. I’m still a little tired but, comparatively speaking, I feel wonderfully refreshed.

Anyway, below is a picture of Oliver with his great-grandma and great-uncle. Enjoy:


Aunt Jennie and Uncle Ryan in the house

Family, oliver

Today was a long and tiring day. I’m beating the same drum, I know, but Oliver was up sooooo much last night. I barely slept over three hours. Then, this morning, my parents came to stay at our house while Sarah and I test drove some vehicles.

After we left the first dealer, Sarah had to pump a little baby nectar, so we found a covert parking spot in the back corner of a secluded parking lot. So what happens as soon as we got the pump going? Some schmuck in a truck pulls into the spot RIGHT NEXT TO US! There were literally 50 spots open on that parking lot, including about 12 in a row to our left. But there was Mr. Dufus, sitting there in his truck. And he continued to sit there. And sit there. I finally moved the car, but what a knucklehead.

Anyway, the car shopping was not successful, so we’re still looking. Back at the house by 3 p.m., we awaited the arrival of Aunt Jennie and Uncle Ryan. They drove down from Minnesota to stay with us for about four days. It was their first time meeting little Oliver.

It’s been a crazy night. Really, like a zoo. Loud and louder. Sarah just went to feed Oliver and then go to bed. I promised to stay up with him until the next feeding (perhaps around 1 a.m. – yikes!). Tomorrow, we’re off to Great-Grandma Lopinot’s house for lunch. Then probably back here for a nap.

Here’s a picture of the Stokes twosome feeding our son (enjoy):


Grandma Sharon and her calming effect on Oliver

Family, oliver

My mom, henceforth known as Grandma Sharon or Grandma L., just left our house a few hours ago. She came up on Friday to stay here and help with the baby, cleaning and cooking. She really wanted some long-overdue face time with Oliver. She got plenty, as Sarah and I gladly accepted her help (for example, Grandma Sharon probably changed two-thirds of the diapers and was responsible for all of our meals, and we happily let her calm her screaming grandson at midnight last night).

Grandma Sharon has a real calming effect on Oliver. I shot a short video of her holding him. The quality’s not that great, but I’m excited to feature it as my first YouTube video of Oliver on this site. Enjoy it, and let me know what you think:



A first Easter for Oliver

Family, oliver

In case you have been locked in a vault somewhere or are reading this blog from some jungle on the other side of the planet (ahem, Trevor!), Easter was today. For those of you who don’t live in the St. Louis area, let me first tell you about the weird weather today. We had snow. I’m talking HUGE flakes of snow. And it was coming down in droves. It looks almost fake, like in a movie. Then the snow would stop all of a sudden and the sun would come out. Then it’d start right back up. Here’s a picture of me standing on my in-law’s porch:



OK, OK. I know what you’re thinking (yes, I’m talking to Sarah’s friend Judy and some other readers out there – I know who you all are!!!). You’re thinking, “Quick putting pictures of you and backyards on the blog. Just give us more of Oliver.” And I’m hearing you loud and clear. What’s ringing through my ears is, “Oliver. Oliver. Blah, blah, blah, Oliver. Blah, blah, blah, we don’t care much about you anymore, Justin. Blah, blah, Oliver.”

And I don’t blame you. He’s an adorable little newborn. Anyway, he had a great first Easter. He got to meet his cousins, Nathan and Kaitlyn, for the first time (I’ll blog about that later in the week), and he got a lot of gifts. However, he didn’t seem too happy to pose with his Easter bounty. Enjoy the picture (it cracks me up):



Happy Easter everybody!


Killing time at 2:30 a.m.

Family

Oliver was up for quite some time in the middle of the night, plus I was still wound up after earlier playing ice hockey and getting completely smoked by the best team in the league. So after noticing there was a full moon, I took my mother-in-law’s fancy camera and went out to the backyard to take a few pictures.

Most were completely terrible, since I don’t have a tripod and was relying on my shaky hands while the shuttle closed for several seconds. But a couple turned out alright. With the clouds and our view, it was a neat sight. Here are two of the salvageable pictures from my impromptu 2:30 a.m. photo shoot:




 

St. Patrick’s Day reminds us how lucky we are

Family, oliver

For the Lopinots, St. Patrick’s Day is just another excuse to down a few pints of beer. But this year, the almost national holiday has special meaning. It reminds us how lucky we are to be sitting here, on a rainy Monday morning, holding our new son.

Almost a year ago, we could not have imagined this day would ever come. We had been trying to have a baby for nearly two years, struggling with disappointment after disappointment, visiting numerous doctors and undergoing some humiliating tests.

But we had a nice, relaxing day at the in-law’s house last spring. Sarah and I took the dog on a hike around their 5-acre lot. As we walked, I kept seeing four-leaf clovers out of the corner of my eye, amid huge patches of clover. I had never had that much luck in finding those genetically enhanced little charms, but there I was, finding one after another. I must have plucked five or six from the ground that afternoon. Sarah never found a four-leafer, but she did find that day’s “pot o’ gold,” a five-leaf clover.

We took our loot into the house and pressed them in an old book. We talked to each other that day with newfound optimism in our quest to become parents. “Just maybe,” we thought, “our luck had turned.” And little did we know, we did find our stroke of luck, and we now are holding the luckiest charm of all, Oliver.

Below is a picture taken this morning in his St. Paddy’s Day getup. For any of you out there that need some luck in the coming year, we hope you find it.