Rendezvous

The Kikibear riding shotgun!

We left Seattle after work on Friday in the Tortuga and I knew we needed an ambitious drive so that we could make it to the race in time on Saturday morning in Mazama. I drove most of it, but Annie took a short pull behind the wheel and had to give up her post to me only 20-miles out, collapsing in the back on the couch. Wimp. We pulled into Pateros at midnight and needed to sleep, but I knew that we needed a place to plug-in in order to keep the little family warm -- gone are the days of just bivying alongside the road in my sleeping bag -- I found a string of Christmas lights still up in front of the public library adjacent to the public pub, that I could splice into for power. It was late and we'd be off by 6am, so no one would notice. Needless to say we were very comfy that night.

At 6am I jumped up, fueled up with gas and coffee and a breakfast sandwhich, and hit the road with Kian and Annie still lumbering in the back -- I had a race to git to. It was a beautiful morning, a clear and crisp 12 degrees, and the 30-km race over Rendezvous Pass would be an epic for sure.

I started in the third wave this year instead of 2nd, and my row of 4 racers took off a minute behind the first wave, 30-seconds behind the next. We started off hard, Chad leading my group out the Cub Creek trail towards the first climb of the day, about 30-40 minutes of painful ascending before the first reprieve. Well, the rest of the race report I'll save for my own blog at dougnog, because this is Kian's page, although what he did for the next 2 hours while I was racing will probably always be a mystery to me although I am pretty sure that he slept some, ate some, pooped some, and then he came to the finish line in his chariot to watch me ski.

Out skiing on another glorious day in the Methow!

Warming up at the Wolf Ridge Warming Hut.

New contraptions: gotta keep the boy under wraps or he'll roll away from us: the Bumbo seat and the Kelty pack that doubles as a great portable high chair.

A couple snaps of Kian ringing the bell for daddy -- or was it for dinner?

Stuck

Roger, Malia and Oliver loaned Kian this softer, gentler kind of chair. Last night the six of us met at The Third Place Pub for dinner to toast the new President with pints of Old Rasputin.

Because of the MLK holiday we had another 3-day weekend and spent it on the Chiwawa and at the Nordic Center during the days. Great skiing all weekend long, cold and sunny! We took turns skiing and "hosting" -- doing our volunteer service for the good of the country (and upper middle class cross-country skiers everywhere) -- while keeping a close eye on Kian.

Hosting involves standing at the entrance to the ski and snowshoe trails and greeting guests, directing traffic, trying to keep warm. One day Mike and Ed set up a burn barrel so that we could huddle around the fire, but we keep Kian bundled up in one of his many carriers so the cold is rarely too much for him.

If the shoe fits...

...you're going to have to start skiing on your own.
No more free rides in the pulk.

Hittin the Bottle

His first time in a high chair!

A friend at work saw this picture and said "now there is the
face of trouble". I presume he meant that in a cute way.

Now, no longer do we slice and dice with sharp things and stir cauldrons of hot stuff on the stove while he's strapped to the front of us, now he can sit here and be entertained when we cut and burn ourselves, cursing under our breath. Yes grandma's: its for good reason that we tell you these things after the fact. You can now breath easy, he's totally safe now, we take no further risks.

Up until now Kian has been fed entirely on a diet of radio news, but now, at the cabin, he gets his first dose of prime time news. It keeps the little guy entertained much better than does Democracy Now's TV broadcast: more colors, more graphs, cuter anchors. Sorry Amy.

Yet another way to keep his little mind and body entertained while we cook, clean, launder, go for a ride?


Things all go to hell when mommy leaves daddy alone in charge....

24 2/3 inches X 14 lbs 13 ozs

For weeks we thought that Kian was way behind the eight-ball in both size and weight, but we got the latest checkup and he's now moved into the 60th percentile of 5-monthers by weight. He's still porkin out, and is now back to waking up 3-4 times a night for food (the little buggar).

Just a few weeks ago he started hittin the bottle because mommie's milk factory isn't always able to keep up (we'll post some pictures later). It won't be long before he's swilling milk straight from the gallon jug.



I was stoked when we acquired this swinging contraption because after about the first two weeks of swinging Kian in his baby seat every day to put him to sleep, he outgrew my arm -- about 8 lbs was all I could take without risking shoulder and elbow tendinitis. But for several months he hated this thing until just a few weeks ago, so now we have a new tool in our quiver of things to occupy his time while we scramble to get some things done with out Kian strapped to one or the other of his parents.

My camera has Nightvision, and here's a stealth shot we took of Kian
one night when he thought that we weren't watching.

Poor kid must be hungry eating his fingers like that.

Today Out-n-About in Seattle

A public rocking cow somewhere in the Pike Place Market.

Daddy's Deathbed Sick

I caught the flu last week and nobody was surprised but me. Apparently everyone thinks I should be sick all of the time, as though my lifestyle were so fast and furious that I should naturally be either sick or in bed recovering. Friends of mine think this. My own mom said something near to this recently to Annie. Thanks people: if you'd have told me that you saw it coming I might have skied one fewer k or drank one less beer.

Well, the holidays were pretty on-the-go intensive. Get this: from December 20th until my return to work date on Monday the 5th I only worked 2-1/2 days because of holidays, vacations days, and free snow days, and now including the past week of sickness I can add 4-hours of work to an additional 7-days off.

Saturday Annie cooked up a whole hog breakfast and Kian got to ride shotgun. Here he's wearing dual oven-mits on his hands.

Kian Conrad Read!

Snow Angels in the Corderoy

A little cherub flappin his wings.

More of the Holidays

Christmas in the Methow Valley

Our little Christmas spread at our rented cabin in Mazama.

Ah, look who paid us a visit... an elf in Santa's clothing.

"Raise the little nipper and open up a present, for the camera... okay, now look happy."

'

A nap with mommy.

A nap with daddy.