The First Noel

I did the math. Yes, I had to count on my fingers, and, yes, it took three hands. Jason and I celebrated our our 13th Christmas together this year. In our long and storied past, our Christmas traditions always involved traveling...making the "tri-state tour" to Ohio, Kentucky, and back home again. Some years we even made the "quad-state tour" to Chicago for Jason's annual music director convention. Our traditions used to involve driving through blizzards. Playing Car-Packing Tetris to make sure our clothes and gifts made it to all of their respective destinations. Listening to the same episode of Car Talk three times. Eating Christmas day lunches at Waffle Houses and gas stations. But this year was different - we didn't leave the house for three days. Oh yeah, and a certain little baby boy changed everything.

We started new traditions. Christmas Eve church was the 5:00 Kids' Service this year instead of Midnight Mass. Miles got all gussied up for the occasion - the tie only lasted for an hour, so the only picture we got was on my phone.



We each opened one gift that night. Miles was just as excited about eating the wrapping paper as he was about eating the Harry Belafonte CD we got him. Then, we put out cookies and milk for Santa.

We woke up before dark on Christmas morning. Jason thinks Miles was just hungry, but I'm pretty sure Miles knew Santa had come. We sat him in front of the tree, and he surveyed his booty (like that flashback?).



We opened up gifts together. Miles particularly enjoyed the taste of Santa's wrapping paper selection. Penguins in Santa hats are a particularly delectible choice of fowl for Christmas day.



Finally, we opened stockings. Miles enjoyed the books, socks, and binkies but wasn't a big fan of the sunglasses.



Later that day, Grandpa and Grandma came to visit and brought with them a mountain of gifts. Good thing Miles didn't know any better, because they totally showed up Santa!



They also provided Miles' very own Santa suit, complete with black boots. Miles already had the rosy cheeks and bowl-full-of-jelly belly to add to the ensemble. The only thing missing was a tiny white beard...nah, that would have just been an extra step towards creepy, right?



Miles had his third Christmas on Friday when Grandpa, Granny, and Aunt Ashley came to visit. He loved his new activity table and immediately gravitated towards the piano part of it. Think we have a budding prodigy on our hands?



All in all, it was a great holiday season. Can't wait to ring in 2009 with our boy!

Oh, and this isn't Christmas related, but it's a cute video. Daddy thinks Miles is saying his first word...basketball. Enjoy!

Kahlwoodsonolbchard Family Christmas (and Santa)

Miles celebrated the first of many Christmas gatherings on Saturday with my family - Nana, Papa, Great Uncle Dean, Uncle Craig, Uncle Vince & Jen, and Aunt KK & Uncle Davy.

It's been a long time since we've had little kids around at Christmas, so Miles was the entertainment for all:



After the mountain of presents we gathered, Miles is going to think that Santa gypped him on Christmas morning!



He was super-happy that he had some overnight guests and was even happy to share his bedroom with Uncle Craigy. Poor Uncle Bub...being the youngest of the family, he still gets stuck with the air mattress, but at least this time he graduated to a room with a door! Miles really had fun snuggling with Nana and Uncle Craig the next morning:



Today, we went to go see Santa at the mall. Being the son of cheapskates, Miles was originally going to visit with Santa at my work...the free option. However, Miles was sick that evening, so we broke down and shelled out the dollars for the mall Santa. Luckily, there was no line, literally. We showed up at about 10:30 and Santa was just chilling out with the photographer. Apparently, people on the East Side (Yo!) don't get up until noon. Santa must not be a morning person either, because we wasn't particularly chatty. I don't know if he's used to scaring little babies or what, poor guy. Miles did start to freak out a bit at the beginning, but I think it was less about being afraid of Santa and more about the sales lady, the photographer, and Mrs. Claus all yelling at him at once. Once again, the Hokey Pokey did the trick, and we were able to get Miles to flash that grin.



The final Miles moment, this time on the vintage rocking chair fixed up by Great Uncle Dean:

The Mask of Miles-O

So, remember when I said Miles' cold was mild, and we couldn't have to do scary stuff like breathing treatments and steroids? Scratch that.

After Miles got a mild rash from his antibiotic, I called the doctor to see if we should switch medication. By the time the doctor was able to call me back, the day care called and said Miles was wheezing more. So, the doc had us come in and confirmed that Miles was worse than our visit the day before.

To treat him, the next step was a nebulizer with Albuterol. They did the first treatment in the office. I cried when I saw my poor boy with the tiny oxygen mask on his face. Amazingly, that one 10-minute treatment made a world of a difference. Within five minutes, my smiley happy boy returned after a several-day hiatus.

So, yes, we've had a couple of sleepless nights, but I think the boy is finally getting better after what seems like a very long week. Thank you Nana, Papa, Grandma, and Grandpa Ron for being part of the army it has taken to make this boy better!

On a lighter note, I was "tagged" on my friend Joe's blog to do this fun little exercise.

The object of the picture tag is to:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 people to do the same...So, I think that every person I know who has a blog has already been "tagged", so I'll endure the 7 years of bad luck or whatever you get for not passing this along.

NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)

OK - so I actually have two places I store pictures. The first was in my "Kodak" folder that went with my old camera. Since I switched cameras, I use a different folder now...but I'll post both.

The first...



5/13/2006. My house. Post- El Jaripeo. Post- free-flowing margaritas. My sister, wearing a pair of my glasses from high school. My mama, flashing that classic grin.

Next picture...



1/29/2008. Miles 20-week ultrasound picture. Obviously, his foot. It was huge then, as it is now!

Since we're talking ultrasound pictures, I'm thrilled to share one more:



It's hard to see, but that's Miles' baby cousin!! My sister Kari is finally sharing the news that she's having a baby. The fun part is that Miles was born 6-7-08 and Kolb Baby is due 7-8-09. Can't wait to meet the little one!

And, since this blog is about Miles, here's one last pic. Miles is enjoying his tasty Christmas present from Aunt Hilary and Uncle David...the BNL kids CD.

Ya Give Me Fever

Miles had a couple of new firsts this week - some good, others pretty crappy...

Let's start with the Good. Miles can sit up by himself now! Here he is, watching The Year Without A Santa Claus. We're usually anti-TV for Miles, but the 2.6 minutes I let him take a peek was a special treat. Unfortunately, the Heat Miser did not make an appearance in that 79 seconds. Maybe next year...



Once again, I think he decided to sit up to prove the doctor wrong. At his appointment on Wednesday, the doctor said that by the time he was 7 months old, he should be able to sit up on his own. Miles decided to sit up the next day!

The doc's visit showed Miles' stats as usual - 18 1/2 pounds (75th percentile) and 28 inches (90th percentile). His once-tiny noggin is now completely average - 50th percentile. The not-so-great part was the discovery of a mild ear infection. The doc said it probably wasn't anything to worry about but gave us a prescription for antibiotics to fill if his symptoms got worse...and they did.

Miles' first fever came the next night. It was gone in the morning, so we took him to day care. Luckily I decided to work from home that day to visit him at lunch, because his temp was up to 101 when I got there. So, we enjoyed a mama/son afternoon and evening. He seemed worn out on Saturday, so Grandma Misty and Grandpa Ron came over to watch him while Daddy was at school and I had to play flute at church.



Notice his Butler shirt...Saturday he also saw his first Butler Bulldogs game on TV. They lost, but if they had to lose, I'm glad it was to the Buckeyes. Speaking of Buckeyes, here's a picture from the OSU/Michigan game that got stuck on my old camera. His shirt was actually my shirt as a baby, a vintage flashback from waaaaaay back in '78.



Sunday, Miles' cold symptoms started to get worse - poor guy! By this morning, he was looking pretty puny, so the doctor wanted to see him, since RSV has been going around at day care. That brings us to the last "first"...Miles' first UN-well baby doctor visit. The doc said he should be fine - a touch of bronchiolitis but mild enough he doesn't need additional therapy...scary stuff like breathing treatments and steroids.

We're not out of the woods yet though, so please keep us in your prayers. This sick baby stuff is scary for us newbies!

Here's a new favorite picture...Miles watching the snow.

Turkeys, Trees, and Toasts

Despite one baby cold, two pink eyes (Jason this time), and five hours of mid-night teething issues, we had a great Thanksgiving weekend at my parents' house in Port Clinton.


Miles enjoyed his first Thanksgiving meal - mmmmm...Oatmeal. When I had my back turned, the rest of the family members decided to school him in another family Thanksgiving tradition...drinking! They'd never actually let him drink from the bottle (which was sparkling grape juice at least), but he sure got practice in how to hold it for when he turns 21.



On Friday we got to visit with Miles' Great-Grandpa and -Grandma Woodling, which meant beer and cheeseballs! We had lots of fun hearing about Grandpa's recent trip to Washington, D.C. on the Honor Flight to visit the World War II Memorial. Unfortunately, I hadn't figured out my new camera yet - I had it set on night vision until a few days ago - so this was the only picture that turned out. Miles loves his Uncle Craigy!



Heidi and Darren came up the next day, and, thanks to Nana and Papa, we got to spend a night out on the town without the babies! While the daddies were freezing their heinies off in Cleveland for the Browns/Colts game Sunday, Miles enjoyed hanging out with Janelle, his platonic compadre, cherished colleague, and trusted ally....definitely NOT his girlfriend. Darren might break out his shot gun if I say his little girl has a boyfriend.



In other holiday news, we spent this last Saturday finally putting up our Christmas decorations. This little rosy-cheeked elf liked staring at the lights, but he mostly enjoyed eating the wrapping paper on the few presents we let him open.







This last impromptu post-church photo makes me chuckle. He looks like a little preppie man, about ready to enjoy a pipe in front of the fireplace with a good book and a glass of scotch.

Happy Holidays!

JC Penney Trickery

I feel duped. Suckered. Embarrassed at my stupidity. All because I'm a cheapskate. And because JC Penney sucks.

Miles had his Christmas pictures taken at JCP a couple of weeks ago. The pictures turned out fine, sort of. However, here's the tale of why we won't go back.

We showed up for our 11:00am appointment a week ago Saturday in good spirits. Despite my worries, Miles ate when he was supposed to, had a nice nap in the car on the way over, was in a pleasant mood, and hadn't managed to puke all over himself. When the elevator doors opened to the Portrait Studio, mass chaos ensued. There were babies crying, kids whining, toddlers darting, parents scolding, all of them dressed in their Sunday best. Reds, greens, reindeer sweaters, and glitter dresses abounded. Why did I think that a Saturday afternoon before Christmas would be any different? Because, I am an idiot...I mean, an optimist.

After I was able to finally flag down the girl to check in, she told us it would be 40 minutes until they would be ready to take Miles' picture. An hour later, we finally made it into the studio for the session. Miles made it through the first round of pictures with a smile on his face, thanks to my obnoxious rendition of the Hokey Pokey behind the photographer. I'm pretty sure the 30 or so people in the waiting room enjoyed my performance too. The hotter the lights got, the less patient Miles became, so we did have a couple shots of him crying and staring off into space in our proofs. Overall, we thought Miles was a super good boy - he ended up coming out of there in a better mood than we did!

That's only the beginning of my complaints with JCP though. I don't have enough creative energy for a continued narrative, so here's the rest of the why-JCP-sucks list:

• It took another 30 minutes for someone to review our proofs with us.
• I knew more about how to "edit" the pictures in the JCP system than the sales clerk did.
• We ordered the package to see the pictures online...our prints came back 4 days before they posted them to the internet!
• The online prices are not the same as the deal we got in the studio. If I want to reorder, it will cost almost SIX times as much for the same sheet of pictures I bought the day of the shoot.
• You cannot use coupon codes on reorders, even the one I got from the survey I filled out about my horrible experience.
  
• The resolution on the pictures online is so bad, you can't even read the type on some of the "enhanced" pictures. Plus, they're so low res I can't print them someplace else.

This is where JCP is sneaky. They outline all of this stuff in the small print and hidden away in their FAQ section. So, I'm the one to blame for ASS-uming that they would honor my coupons, my original price, and that the pictures I bought online would be of high quality.

All of this b.s. is worth it, though, because of this:



And this:



And this:



Sucker.

Return of the Weekend

Now that Jason is finished with marching band, we've been filling our weekends with fun stuff...um, I mean, yeah, not that sitting at marching band contests isn't fun. I'm a bit behind on the blog, so forgive the massive amounts of pictures.

A few weekends ago we had uncharacteristically lovely November weather - in the 70s! We took advantage of this freak occurrence and took a walk on the canal downtown.

Last weekend, Miles and his daddy met me in Louisville. I survived my first night away from him while at a conference in Chicago. I was only away from him for 36 hours, but that was enough! After spending the night with Uncle David & Aunt Hilary, we went down to Grandpa and Granny Kahl's house.

Miles had lots of fun playing with Aunt Ashley's old musical ball. Sorry for cutting off your head, Gran!


We also got to see Aunt Ashley score 6 points at her basketball game! Miles was completely enthralled with watching the girls run up and down the floor. Cripes - first a football addict, now a basketball junkie. Looks like he's ready for a full season of Butler Basketball!


Before it got too dark, we made it outside to take some pictures with the beautiful fall leaves. We just made it - it gets dark around 4:00 in Kentucky!!


On the way home on Sunday, we stopped at Uncle David & Aunt Hilary's house again to watch the Colts/Steelers game. Aunt KK and Uncle Davy came up from Lexington to keep Aunt Hilary company as Steelers fans. Miles was shocked to hear his own relatives liked that team. He almost looks disgusted to be touching such nasty jerseys. At least he puked on Aunt KK's jersey - good boy!


Can I remind everyone that the Colts won? First time in 40 years in Pittsburgh. I think it was this cute touchdown dance (assisted by Uncle David) that gave the Colts the advantage...


Miles moment...cutest boy ever!

Miles Film Festival

I finally figured out how to transfer videos from the camcorder to the computer! It turns out that all I had to do was plug it in, and the software automatically popped up and did everything for me. D'oh! Guess I shouldn't let my fear of new technology get in the way anymore. I won't post everything - sorry, I know you REALLY wanted to watch all 20 minutes of Miles' baptism - but here's plenty to entertain you for awhile...

Scene 1 - Miles leaves the hospital, refusing to go into the real world without a fuss.

Scene 2 - Only a mother for two weeks, Kristin quickly learns not to turn her head for even a second to get the video camera.

Scene 3 - The plot thickens. Enter "Bears"...named Hal, Fannie, and Dagwood by our protagonist.

Scene 4 - Miles' first "tasteful" nude scene.

Scene 5 - The action-packed climax - Miles' first time rolling over.

Scene 6 - Miles vs. First "Solid" Foods. Solid Foods wins the battle, but Miles wins the war.

Scene 7 - El bambino loco. Miles practices rolling his rrrrrrs, either to have a conversation south of the border or to sing Italian arias.

Scene 8 - Final Scene. Miles tames the savage beast.

fin

Skeletons in the Closet

Miles had a great day on Halloween! He started it by carving his first pumpkin with Nana and Papa. OK, so, no, Big C did not give a 4-month old a knife, but Miles had a great time watching Carl's artistry.



After it was finished, Miles posed with Nana and his first jack-o-lantern:



Later that evening, we had some friends over to hang out and help hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. Every year, we have about as many kids as you'd see waiting outside a Jonas Brothers tour bus (translation: a helluva lot), so we definitely needed the help. It was supposed to be a costume-optional affair, but the people with the fancy costumes (translation: an actual smoke-breathing dragon) peer-pressured us into dressing up as something. So, our family went with what we could pull off with what was already in our closet. That just happened to be John McCain, Sarah Palin, and the skeletons in their closets.



We were making fun of them? You betcha! Apologies to any GOP readers out there. Many of the parents of trick-or-treaters assumed we were endorsing them, but I held my tongue; even when one little kid said, "Oh, the President!" I guess McCain being president is possible on Halloween...after all, it is a holiday all about make believe! Nevertheless, Keno and Miles humored us by tolerating their costumes for the evening. Miles really had fun watching all of the little kids in their costumes...didn't make a peep the entire night and just stared at each of them.




I still have some fun videos to upload of Miles...stay tuned!

Happy Halloween!

More Halloween pictures and funny videos to come. Have fun trick or treating!

What About Me?

Keno's a bit perturbed that this blog is by "The Kahl Family", but he hasn't had any face time lately, so here's his moment in the sun. He likes to sing along whenever Miles and I are playing the piano, so I finally got it on video. Don't mind the poor musicianship...holding Miles on my lap kind of takes away from the technique of, say, playing with two hands.

So, without further ado..."Keno's Song."

Buzz Buzz

And now, the cutest picture in the world!



Miles cheered his daddy on at his marching band contest on Saturday by dressing up. Don't call him a bee - he's a mighty yellow jacket. Jason's school's mascot is the yellow jackets, so I just couldn't resist when I saw this Halloween costume at Target. He must have brought the Pride of Morristown good luck, because they did so well that they are moving on to Semi-State next weekend! That basically means that, in the small school division, Jason's band is among the Top 20 bands in the state of Indiana. We are so proud of him!!

Miles also got to have a quick visit with Uncle David, Grandpa Bernie, and the three aunties: Hilary, Ashley, and Kari. Here he is with 'Pa.



And showing Uncle David and Aunt Hilary how well he can "stand" and "dance":



On Sunday, Miles got to spend time with his other grandparents, Ron and Misty. Not sure whether he was tired out by playing with Grammy, smiling at Grandpa Ronald's silly faces, or just because the Colts lost...again. It's sad when the Browns have the same record as the Colts.



We lazy parents finally got off our butts Sunday morning and went to the grocery store to buy rice cereal. The doc told us we could start it about 2 weeks ago, but we've been putting it off. Sure, part of it was that we didn't have time to get to the store, but I think I was secretly liking the convenience of not spoon feeding him yet...plus it's just one more step in my baby growing up!

Miles wasn't too excited at first, but he got the hang of it. As of last night, he devoured the whole batch I made up for him! Little piglet. Again, we caught it on video on our camcorder and still haven't taken the time to figure out how to upload. Give us a break - if it took us 2 weeks to find time to go to the grocery store, this could take years! Here's a pic of him later that day, chowing down for solid meal #2.