Happenings…

Since day one, CTC has amazed us. It has always been fun to watch all things that are new to him. He is a smarty pants. Month two brought on even more F1RSTs for our little man. He traveled, witnessed, smiled… He is a mover and a shaker in the baby world.

Christopher and I have started hanging with a new group at the BBB playgroup at The Women’s Hospital of TX. We meet my friend Larkin and his friend Marc. We have met many new friends and love the advice we receive from others… Some advice we use, other advice we just nod and say ok to. What can we say… advice is good, but not always needed. It has been fun to spend time on Thursday with friends… We will miss it when maternity leave ends on September 24. Sad face… How would, or did you spend your time on maternity leave?

Hanging with new friends… Celeste, Marc, and Christopher

Seeing his daddy is a sports fanatic, month two would not be complete without a new experience in the sports realm… Baseball and college football! CTC went to his F1RST MLB game with his Uncle John and friend Adam. He was so stimulated with all the noise and happenings, even though the Astros are terrible. There were probably 5,000 people there. The DisASTROS! Christopher is ready to enjoy more… We just need better teams in Houston first. What was your first sporting event? How old were you???

Hanging with Uncle John

In keeping with the sports tradition, Christopher went to his F1RST college football game last weekend in Arlington, TX. (Just outside of Dallas) MI vs. AL. GO BLUE! There was plenty to look at. Football, Uncle Ian, and Grandpa Tom! In comparing his ticket and my ticket, from my first college game… Times have CHANGED.

“You look just like my daddy.” Quality time with Uncle Ian.

CTC and Grandpa Tom!

Ready! GO BLUE!

View from our seats… @Jerry World

1979 vs. 2012

Christopher is a good baby… Always pretty chill when we go out.  What were you like as a baby? Christopher wants to know… Until next time.

TWO Months!

Click to see more photos from CTC’s two month photo shoot!

Let’s see… CTC will be three months old very soon. So what better time to post TWO month pics than right now. We apologize for the late post. We shall work on our timing…

At the two month mark Christopher is able to hold his head up and is smiling on a regular basis. He is a very happy baby! He grabs onto everything, including my hair. OUCH! His noises sound more like the typical baby coos. It is the very best!

We will post again soon. There are many things that have been happening in the Crancer casa since August 20. Stay tuned and pass the word… Have you met CTC?

-Crancer Inc.

 

Big Boy

Anyone who writes a blog on a daily basis… My hat goes off to you! Especially if you have children. Days are busy and tiring, which makes writing a new blog post, the last thing on my mind. Often times our lives are updated on Facebook, but not everything is posted. Photos especially… So here is your update. We will try to update once a week from here on out. We shall see how that goes come September 24, the day I return to work.

Christopher continues to meet everyone that will be a part of his life for years to come. Cousins, Laura, Marykate, Ashtyn, and Tommy came with Aunt Caroline to visit a couple weeks ago. Lots of kisses and hugs and a trip to the Houston Children’s Museum topped our week with the family. Cousin Ashtyn loved hanging with her new cousin. Such sweet moments!

Cousin love. (Ashtyn and Christopher)

F1RST trip to the Houston Children’s Museum

Following our family fun, CTC had his first set of shots on Tuesday August 21, 2012. There were four vaccines for his two month shots. He did well, considering. He did cry, but it lasted for about 5 seconds. He was a tough boy. Our big boy…

Uncle John has been helping a lot and has had some good quality time with his favorite nephew. Christopher loves his Uncle John. There are plenty of updates coming this week. Truth… There will be updates this week. This is a jumpstart. Any patience is appreciated… Coming up??? Two month photo shoot, F1RST baseball game, F1RST college football game, meeting more family, SMILING, and much more. There will be more… But for the meantime, check out some favorite photos from the past couple weeks…

Shark Week!

 

Like father like son…

And one of the best photos…

Big Boy!!!

 

TWELVE lbs.

CTC has made his mark… He has officially made it to the twelve pound mark. Sleeping more? Check. When I say sleeping more, it means four hours at a time. It is still not a full night, but we are making improvements. Christopher has made a lot of new friends since the last time we were here. The photos are plentiful… Don’t worry, you will see some here!

Speaking of new friends… He met someone his own size. Literally. They are four days apart… Arthur Higuera and Christopher Crancer. Let’s hope we don’t see their names in the newspaper for mischief.

Dude. Duuuuuuuuuude…

 

Future football teammates???

Gearing up for football season!

With football season coming up, CTC has a decision to make. UT or OU? MI or OSU? The Browns, The Lions, or The Texans? Hmmmmmmmmmm… Decisions. Jack claims that Christopher has a choice. We shall see. Who do you cheer for? Go Browns!

 The big news this week is that CTC has started sleeping in his room… during the day. He needs to sleep at least six hours before that becomes a nighttime routine. Two flights of stairs is too much at 3am… Christopher is pretty self sufficient. As I type, he is “napping”. Meaning, he is laying there, wide awake, checking everything out. Including his new mobile… Thanks to Amazon.

Sleeping???

Even bigger news?! Cousins Laura, MaryKate, Ashtyn, and Tommy are coming this week from New Jersey! Great Aunt Caroline is coming with a HUGE hug… and he finally gets to meet Uncle John! Photos to follow… That is a lot of love in one week. Let the fun begin!!! Houston Restaurant Month is currently happening. We may have to take our NJ relatives to some of Houston’s greatest. Do you have a favorite?

We will leave you with a couple favorite photos from the past two weeks. You can check out more on my FB page, if you have not already… Have you met CTC?

 

Sumo. Wrestler.

 

8/11/2012 (AM)

 

xoxo, Crancer Inc.

Model Material?!

Apologies for not posting these sooner. CTC is so awesome, that we cannot do anything else. Anyone else feel this way about their kids? This could change once he is a teenager…

Christopher’s one month birthday was on Friday July 20th. His F1RST photoshoot was that morning. (The lighting in the master bedroom is amazing in the AM.) CTC was a great model. He knew all the right “model” moves to ensure a fantastic shoot. This was my F1RST time as a newborn photographer. You be the judge… Should I pursue it? Haha.

Click on the image below to check out all of the photos on Flickr. Not only is CTC on Flickr, but he has made his debut on Jezebella Foto. Check out Jezebella Foto and Flickr…

How did you document your infant’s one month birthdays?

We will leave you with a favorite from this week…

Love.

Month ONE…

As you have noticed, blogging is not a top priority these days. CTC takes up time during the day and we would not have it any other way. We promise to update you more often as we start to get more sleep… We are working on that!

When we left you last, Christopher had just turned two weeks old… Fast forward two weeks and we are now looking at ONE MONTH! (One month photos are going to be posted on the blog this week. Pinkie swear!) After the last post a BIG milestone happened while Nana changed his diaper… His umbilical cord fell off. He is becoming more human everyday. CTC’s belly button is truly an awesome site. Check out the photo shoot post “fall off”. Cute eh?

Saying goodbye to the umbilical cord, means a real bath. Jack was able to witness the F1RST bath via FaceTime… Love.

The image above is normal… Check out the “crazy train” face we normally see below. Do you think CTC will take after his momma or his daddy?

 

Now that we have freaked you out… Let’s bring in the “awwwwwwwwwwwww” factor. CTC has met and hung out with many new friends. Visitors are always welcome. Remembering to take photos of all the visitors is sometimes too much to remember with exhaustion. We are working on that! Have you met Christopher?

   

Check out the following link and follow Mad Max and Family! They documented their visit to meet CTC. There are more photographs! Blogs, blogs… Everywhere. Check it out.                                             http://madmaxandfamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/fun-friday-sadie-visits-newborn-baby-c.html 

 

 Christopher has had an eventful month of life. He is very social and loves hanging out. One of his most favorite parts of his F1RST month, besides birth, was meeting his MI grandparents. Grandma Nancy came to help for a week on 7/14/2012. We spent many days resting and hanging out. It was a great week! Grandpa Stein (Christopher’s namesake) and Grandma Paula came in from MI on 7/19/2012. Both sets of grandparents were here for the big one month bday on Friday 7/20/2012. CTC is loved by many in so many states and countries across the globe… Is your family close or far away?

 

 Because we LOVE to take a bajillion photographs of the little guy, here are a few more fun/cute photos from the last two weeks, leading up to 7/20/2012…

   

   

And my personal favorite…

Keep the blog close, as CTC’s one month photo update is coming THIS week. Are you ready for the cuteness?!?!?!

Blonde. Yes or No?!

What do you think? Will Christopher be a blondie like momma??? Leave a comment… Yes? Or no?

Do you see my BLONDE halo?

F1RSTS…

F1RST Smile

Christopher is two weeks old. In those two weeks the list of F1RSTS has grown. This will be the F1RST of many posts like this, as he experiences things for the F1RST time.

F1RST Bath

F1RST visit to the pediatrician

The best F1RST so far would be his F1RST 4th of July. Not only was it a holiday, but it marked his two week birthday. Yes, he witnessed fireworks. Yes, he passed out while watching the fireworks. Either way, he was a trooper with the noise and our annoying picture taking all day. His outfit was changed a couple times, as he tends to pee on himself. He is a boy alright!

The outfit he started the day in…

 

 

The outfit we thought he would end the day in… Not so much. He was changed AGAIN.

 

Lastly… Jack left for NYC on July 4th. It was hard for all of us, but thanks to the iPhone, we have FaceTime. It is something that will keep the THREE of us close. It is tough to have him gone for five weeks, but this is an incredible opportunity for his career. We love you and miss you.

 

Introducing Christopher Thomas Crancer…

He’s here!!!

On Monday June 18, 2012, I had an appointment with my OB. As we walked into the office that day, we had no idea that we would be at the hospital that night. My doctor felt it was best to admit me. My blood pressure was high, and as a diabetic, I am a higher risk for pre-eclempsia. After a lot of testing, they found out that I was doing well. My higher blood pressures were because of my swollen extremeties…. Oh boy. Literally.

Dr. Smith had scheduled a c-section for Friday June 22nd, which so happens to be my father’s birthday. But with my current status, my OB felt that waiting until the end of the week for a c-section would be ridiculous, I would go in ASAP.  There was no need to wait. GULP! June 20th at 7:45am was when it was all going down. Christopher was coming!

Fast forward a few hours… Surgery started at 7:59am and by 8:07am he was here! Weighing 8lbs. 7ozs. and 19.5 inches long, our boy had made it. We were parents!

  

Jack and I both had tons of tears as we heard his strong scream after delivery. The boy has some lungs! The typical tests were performed as they closed me up… They discovered that because of the c-section and being a bit early (37.5), that he had more fluid in his lungs than they wanted to see. Because of this, I was not able to see him right away. Thus we missed the usual “first family photo” in the OR. Sad face. They rolled him over in his oxygen hood and I got to see him before they wheeled him to the NICU. He was our little astronaut.

 

While in recovery the cord blood kit was sent off for storage. Despite having Christopher in the NICU, the knowledge of his cord blood and cord tissue in route made things better. His cord blood could save not only his life, but the lives of any future siblings, and possibly his mother. (Much thanks to all that donated to the cord blood registry. Christopher owes you a beer, at least…)                                                                                                                                                                                        http://www.cordblood.com/?mtag=CPXV&gclid=CLfynvaU7bACFQYKKgodi1jRwQ

After some rest and updates from my parents and Jack, I got to hold my son for the first time. It was roughly 8pm and it could not have come soon enough!

                          

Christopher spent the first night in the NICU. As sad as that sounds, we had one more night to rest before the crazy sleepless nights began… And did they begin. Upon his return to us the next morning, we could not take our hands off of the little guy. In fact, he fell asleep in my arms the first night with us, and I did not let go. He woke up in my arms the next morning. BEST THING EVER!

On Friday, we learned that he had a bit of jaundice. He is A+ and so am I. I also had jaundice as an infant. He was put on a Bili Light for the evening… He went from an astronaut to E.T. He was only on the Bili Light for the night. The kid has a good immune system. Despite his dramatic start, he fought back from each dilemma quickly. He missed us.

 

On Saturday, we were released back into the real world. His outfit? A Guns n’ Roses onesie. Thanks Auntie Tatum! He is our sweet child o’ mine. We were all happy to be home as a family after a week of hospital hoop-la. Phew!

  

We had a rough week, but every second brought us closer. We love visitors… We hope you can come see us soon. The Crancer family is truly in business now… Watch for more frequent posts. Let the party of our lives begin… Yeehaw!

Have you met Christopher yet? He’s a keeper.

Our Little SUMO Wrestler

Halfway through week 36 and things are starting to get REAL! Christopher is growing and getting quite plump. According to the high risk OB, he is roughly 8lbs. 6ozs. Really? That is a sumo wrestler. We are at week 36, but he is measuring at week 38… Check out the comparison. Eeeeeek! Sumo. Wrestler.

        

You ready to see what he looks like in utero? Keep in mind that he is squished in there… Kind of like smooshing your face against a copy machine. Sumo wrestler. Linebacker. He is chunky. Here you go…

Because of his size, he may come earlier that July 7. There has been a lot of swelling in both my legs and my feet. The docs are a bit worried and may induce in the next couple weeks…. Really? Oh my. Like I said… Things are getting REAL! We are ready to meet our little chunk. He moves A LOT.  He definitely makes his presence known. Christopher has a lot of people ready to meet his chubby cheeks.

Because of the possibility of his early arrival, lots of things are happening this week. The carseat was inspected and is TX approved. (You must have it inspected to take the kid home from the hospital.)

Jack and I are meeting with his pediatrician Thursday. There are a lot of questions and we are excited to meet her. Dr. Monica McGrann is her name and she is with Bootin and Savrick Pedriatrics. Looks like a pretty sweet place to take your kid. It was reccommended by TW Tara Alcancia Johnson, my amazing art sidekick at school. Thanks!                                                                                                                                     http://www.bootinandsavrickpediatrics.com/dr-mcgrann

Baby Christopher has a room. It is almost finished…. We are not sure how anyone finishes their nursery prior to the arrival of the baby. Seriously. Take a look at the finished bookshelf and the crib, which for now, houses other baby things. Haha.

   

Until next time… Are you ready for another Crancer/Buffett in this crazy world? Ready or not… He is coming SOON!