This should be interesting....

So, I figured I would try this "BLOG" thing out to keep our families in the know of our comings, goings, activities and adventures. Since we have at least half of our family out of state, I thought this would be a good way to keep our kinship and amigos updated. OK, OK, truth be told, the real reason I am doing this is because I am bored out of mind! Well, that may be a little harsh. I have been feeling a little under-stimulated. As some of you may know, we decided to get rid of our cable. In my world, pre Andy and baby, I never had cable so I really thought that would be an easy-breezy adjustment. While I love being able to stay at home to take care of Maverick, she isn't exactly a reciprocating conversationalist (yet). I probably should have thought the whole no cable thing through a little. The point being, I am really creating this blog for selfish reasons and hoping that these ramblings will provide a glimpse of this crazy, chaotic, unpredictable and wonderful life that we have created. And just a friendly reminder, in publicly proclaiming that this blogging concept has morphed out of my boredom, I am hereby acquitted of any obligatory or scheduled posts. If you know me at all, you know to expect that posts will be sporadic at best, will likely lack any cohesiveness and may be quite frustrating to try and follow. I sincerely apologize in advance. I'll go ahead and chalk that one up to my Adult ADHD.



So, without further ado, I introduce the Chasteenkys! And believe you me, the name is all too fitting (except, of course, for me). Living with Andy and Maverick means living in a world of constant farts and poop. It's absolutely insane. I am so embarrassed when people come over and are blanketed with the aroma of farts as soon as they walk in. And I will go ahead and throw Zeus under the bus on this one too, he has had the most horrific case of gas lately. The whole thing is offensive. I guess it could be worse, although I couldn't possibly imagine how. In a way, I feel a little duped about this whole stinky situation. You see, Andy did not disclose that he had such a highly active and "extremely healthy" (his words) GI tract system. I really feel like excessive gas should be added to the list of those dirty little secrets (such as excessive debt, incriminating videos, stance on children, etc) that must be confessed before committing to the 'ol ball and chain. Hopefully, you all know that this comes from the most loving place in my heart. I love my husband, therefore I guess I must love every part of him, including his ridiculous tooting. That still doesn't sound right, so I guess I will continue my pattern of near asphyxiation in the name of love. Love you babe.



Now for the good stuff. After the above little tangent, I'm not sure there is any good way to segway into Maverick updates, so here goes it. We took her to her second doctor's appointment yesterday. Hard to believe she is already 9 weeks old! She has gained 3 pounds, weighing in at 11.1 and has grown 3 inches, measuring in at 22.75! She had to get three immunizations, which was absolutely heartbreaking to watch. I was surprised at how quickly she got over the pain of the shots, but I have had to give her Children's Motrin because last night and today she has been really grumpy, and I am paranoid that the shots made her feel bad. No fever though, thank the Lord! I am amazed everyday at her development. Every single day she is increasingly more aware and alert. She is smiling and giggling when we make silly faces at her (she finds Andy REALLY hilarious) or when she is under her playmat (Jungle gym?) thingy. Yesterday she sat through a whole episode of Baby Einstein with a smile on her face the entire time. We read together everyday and she now LOVES to take baths. I am pretty confident that she is the most adorable baby in the world. In fact, I am certain of it. She is my very favorite little person. Andy and I are so excited that she is starting to express her little personality. One lovely characteristic that we have observed in her recently is extreme stubbornness! It's kind of endearing right now, but I have a feeling that if we don't nip that in the bud in the future, it will evolve into something real bad. Of course she got that trait from Andy too. In no way am I responsible for that, right? Poor Andy, I'm beating him up in this post! Ok, I admit, she gets it from both of us. Bless her little heart.

I'm hoping that we will get some family pics taken real soon. Keep your fingers crossed that we can get her to smile when under the pressure of the lens! I could go on and on about my little girl. She is amazing. It's crazy how fast the time has flown by. Having an infant has been harder than I expected and been a bigger adjustment than I pictured. But man, it has been more rewarding and fulfilling than I could have ever imagined. Andy is an amazing dad too. I feel so, so lucky to have him by my side through this experience. I really owe one to the big guy upstairs for blessing me with Andy. He is so hands on and he just exudes pride in and love for that little girl. He loves to spend daddy-daughter time with her and she adores him. Seeing Andy pull her in the Chariot Cougar is the cutest thing ever. She is just enthralled and in awe of the outdoors and that makes us both very happy. I think having a baby has really brought to light how well Andy and I compliment each other. We are almost complete opposites in a lot of ways, but it has really worked for us! Hard to believe that we once thought our personalities might be antithetical. But, somehow in our extremely hectic and chaotic little life, our contrasting personalities have actually created a harmonious balance for our family. Who would have thought?!



In other news, the next couple of months are going to be CRAZY for the Chasteenky's. Andy is knee-deep in negotiations for a new job. I have an interview next week. I enrolled in grad school. Andy has a million weddings to shoot, not to mention a BUNCH of bike races. Maverick and I are planning on tagging along to support and cheer for Andy. He has become quite the biking stud, if I do say so myself. Of course, that is not surprising at all. I don't know how he is naturally acclimated to be an awesome athlete. Let's hope Maverick gets those genes! We have Andy's birthday coming up and a TOOL concert to attend. This weekend we are taking Mav on her first little camping trip at Horseshoe (well, not really CAMPING per se, but close). We are anxious to get there already. We really miss the ranch, Amy, Barry and all of their 89 kiddos!. In June, we will welcome our little nephew, Jace, into the world and I am just ecstatic to meet him! There is no doubt that he will be a real cutie and we are so anxious to see if he will have a personality like his sister (our niece), Corey. She is a real firecracker, that little girl! Amy, Chas and Karli (and hopefully Charlie too!) are coming for Corey's birthday and to meet the new Chasteen addition. My mother in law has been kicking butt and taking names with her running regime. She is wanting to run a half marathon at the end of the summer and with the way that she is training, I have no doubt she will accomplish this! It inspires me to get off my butt and start running! If I get to it, maybe I could run a half marathon with her! That would be super fun!

I think that is all the news that is news in our little world. We are excited for pool season! My father in law keeps his pool in impeccable condition and has made some really great additions/improvements to their backyard. Party time at the Chasteen house! We cannot wait! Nothing is better than the summer, the pool, good food, good friends and family! Life is good!