Poison Control

On on of this past weekend mornings Ezra and I were enjoying some nice early quiet time (read: he woke up really early and we let Ahna sleep in a bit). Sometime during the time we had together, I went upstairs to the kitchen and to do my morning reading on the computer, and Ezra played by himself. Really well in fact. So well, that I peered down after a while to see what he was up to. When I looked down into the living room, I saw that Ezra had completely emptied Ahna’s purse and was going after something else in there….I hurried downstairs only to be greeted by a boy that was having a blast, but was covered in something that he shouldn’t have been covered it. The investigative hunt was on.

I knew the following: it came from Ahna’s purse. It was smeared all around his mouth, indicating that he ate some of it. It was smeared all over his shirt and pants, indicating that it drooled out of his mouth. It smelled vaguely familiar, yet I was unable to identify it. All of the tops to lotions and soaps were still on.

I found out the following after some CSI-level inspection: he ate at least one and no more than three Zicam tablets (I was able to find the open bottle and the uneaten tablets on the ground). I woke Ahna up and passed Ezra to her for while I made the phone call to poison control. Only one problem….we didn’t have that number handy. I can now tell you that as fast as the internet is, at times like these it seems really slow and uneasy to use. We eventually found it, and talked with the hotline finding out that Zicam is completely benign and non-poisonous. The worst that we would see is an upset stomach. The best that we would see is an immunity to the cold for a few days (just kidding).

He seems to have no repercussions from eating the medicine, and I am sure that it won’t be the last time that we have to make that phone call. Oh, the number in case you need it: 800-222-1222.

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Sleep – A Major Breakthrough

Early on with Ezra we decided that we were going to co-sleep with him. It’s not that strange here in the US, but it isn’t exactly the status quo…but it is throughout a large portion of the rest of the world – a recent study in India says that 93% of kids from 3-10 are co-sleeping. There are many upsides to it, most notably are one for convenience (don’t have to leave bed to feed) and one for nurturing (a really close bond between the baby and both parents). I think that we can safely say that both of those are true. Now for the downside: after a while, it seems that nobody sleeps well. Ezra wouldn’t nap without one of us with him, and nighttime was interrupted with several feedings – although he would rarely wake up, just move and complain.

Yes, you read that right. We have been sleeping with Ezra in our bed for 14 months, and for every nap that wasn’t in a car one of us would lay down with him. That also includes the fact that one of us would have to go to bed with him during his bed time at 730pm. For 14 months, Ahna and I didn’t get any time together during the day or during the evening. And once we hit the sack, there was a little one between us. Now, I know that I just painted a pretty gloomy picture of co-sleeping, and there were times where it was pretty gloomy; but we wouldn’t change anything. We love the relationship that each of us has with Ezra, and we have absolutely cherished the opportunity to sleep with him – something that we don’t anticipate ever having the opportunity to do again, with Ezra or any future kids.

Oh, one other thing….we were trying to accomplish good sleep habits without letting Ezra cry-it-out.

Now to the breakthrough. 2.5 weeks ago I was trying to lay down with Ezra for a nap. Ahna was at work, so it was just the two of us…and after 40 minutes of him not going to sleep and playing with me, I needed a break. I put him in his crib and walked away for a few minutes – I actually settled on 5. As I left the room, Ezra broke into a cry; which is just a devastating thing to hear. But by the time that I got downstairs, he had stopped. I waited a few more minutes and went back up and checked in on him…..he was sleeping. On his own, in his crib, for the first time! (Disclaimer that he has been doing this at day care, but never at home). I didn’t know what to do with myself. I went back downstairs and watched TV, but checked on him every couple of minutes for the entire nap which lasted about 1.5 hours.

This continued for two days and we gambled with a move to the nighttime sleep next. For the large part, it worked. Within three nights, he was sleeping on his own, in his crib, without waking up from 730pm to 5am. Success! Or so we thought. During the second-third week of this new habit, he got sick/a new tooth/etc and all pattern was disrupted. 40 minute naps, crying out, 3 hour stretches at night…..but it seems like he is feeling a little better and starting to resume the pattern from before.

This opens up a whole new world to us, and is possibly the most significant lifestyle change for us since having Ezra. Ahna and I have once again found each other, are enjoying spending time together during the day and evening, the house is cleaner, laundry is getting done with less stress, and the days that either of us are at work are a little easier. Most importantly, Ezra seems to have taken to it really well and based on how ‘easily’ it all happened, it is apparent to us that he was ready for it.

Back to the ‘crying-it-out’ thing…..he does cry, sometimes. But the longest that he has cried when we layed him down has been 3-4 minutes. As a matter of fact, over the past three days, there has been no crying at all. So we conceded a little bit, but it was by accident. Now, we seem to be on a different trajectory that makes everyone a little happier and more rested.

PS – It has been amazingly easy to get used to this…..

The Stair Climb

As mentioned in the previous post, I once again took part in the annual Denver Memorial Stair Climb. I was thrilled to be part of the few folks that organized the event and Friday was the culmination of many hours over many weeks of preparation. Five of us met at the Qwest building in Denver at 6am and did our climb early so we could work the event. The building is 55 stories tall (when you count the basement) and we climb it twice for a total of 110 stories, or the same height of the World Trade Center buildings.

The climb took us about 1 hour and 30 minutes and we wore all of our gear. Each year, we wear a picture of a FDNY firefighter that was killed and climb in their memory…since I am an organizer and get to choose, I once again climbed in memory of Ray Downey. It’s a very emotional and stirring climb. There are some amazing truths about what happened on 9/11 that you can only begin to discover when you participate in something like this.

We limit the climb to 343 firefighters (and the climb filled up in 7 days way back in July) since that was the number of brothers killed eight years ago. There is a picture below of everyone just before the climb began…take a minute to think about it….that’s what 343 firefighters look like. Just imagine the number of spouses, children, parents, brothers, and sisters left behind.

I ran Lobby Control this year, which is a position that has ultimate accountability for everyone entering the stairwell. Everyone has to check in with me before the first trip, before the second trip, and after they are done. It’s a great honor to be able to talk with every single firefighter that gets ready to enter the stairwell. This year we had firefighters from 5 different states and 48 different departments.

There are no pictures of me climbing…but there are several during the event (I am wearing the t-shirt that says “God Bless The Brothers From FDNY”). Photos were taken by my Dad and a photographer from the Boulder Daily Camera. In one of the photos you will see a piece of hose with names written on it. There was a firefighter from Arizona who came up and on that hose is the name of all 343 firefighters killed. Oh, there is also a nice video attached.

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9/11

“Lord, take me where You want me to go, let me meet who You want me to meet, tell me what You want me to say, and keep me out of Your way.” – Father Mychal Judge, FDNY Chaplain, Killed 9-11-01. A prayer that he used to share with firefighters.

Do not let this slip by you. Do not go about your Friday as if it were any other day, or worse yet, any other day of remembrance that we never remember. Personally, I have a hard time thinking that people will do anything on this day other than remember. It’s not a day for yardwork, for catching up on studies, or for reading that book. It’s a day that you should take responsibility to put everything else down and remember: remember the victims in the planes, the victims in the buildings, and the firefighters. The brave men who went into those buildings knowing that they wouldn’t come out alive.

For each of the past 5 years, I have taken the time to remember by participating in a stair climb in downtown Denver with other firefighters. We choose to climb 110 flights of stairs, which is the number of floors in the World Trade Center. I will write more about that event afterwards….but I encourage you to find a way: climb stairs, talk about it with your coworkers and family, take a long moment of silence.

Here is a photo that sits close to my heart; it’s a photo that someone took of FDNY Ladder 118 as it responded into Manhattan. The stunning thing about the photo is the fact that every single member on that ladder company perished shortly after the picture was taken.

Never ever forget. God bless the FDNY brothers.

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The list of the 343 FDNY brothers that died:

Joseph Agnello, Lad.118 Lt. Brian Ahearn, Bat.13 Eric Allen, Sqd.18 (D) Richard Allen, Lad.15 Cpt. James Amato, Sqd.1 Calixto Anaya Jr., Eng.4 Joseph Agnello, Lad.118 Lt. Brian Ahearn, Bat.13 Eric Allen, Sqd.18 (D) Richard Allen, Lad.15 Cpt. James Amato, Sqd.1 Calixto Anaya Jr., Eng.4 Joseph Angelini, Res.1 (D) Joseph Angelini Jr., Lad.4 Faustino Apostol Jr., Bat.2 David Arce, Eng.33 Louis Arena, Lad.5 (D) Carl Asaro, Bat.9 Lt. Gregg Atlas, Eng.10 Gerald Atwood, Lad.21 Gerald Baptiste, Lad.9 A.C. Gerard Barbara, Cmd. Ctr. Matthew Barnes, Lad.25 Arthur Barry, Lad.15 Lt.Steven Bates, Eng.235 Carl Bedigian, Eng.214 Stephen Belson, Bat.7 John Bergin, Res.5 Paul Beyer, Eng.6 Peter Bielfeld, Lad.42 Brian Bilcher, Sqd.1 Carl Bini, Res.5 Christopher Blackwell, Res.3 Michael Bocchino, Bat.48 Frank Bonomo, Eng.230 Gary Box, Sqd.1 Michael Boyle, Eng.33 Kevin Bracken, Eng.40 Michael Brennan, Lad.4 Peter Brennan, Res.4 Cpt. Daniel Brethel, Lad.24 (D) Cpt. Patrick Brown, Lad.3 Andrew Brunn, Lad.5 (D) Cpt. Vincent Brunton, Lad.105 F.M. Ronald Bucca Greg Buck, Eng.201 Cpt. William Burke Jr., Eng.21 A.C. Donald Burns, Cmd. Ctr. John Burnside, Lad.20 Thomas Butler, Sqd.1 Patrick Byrne, Lad.101 George Cain, Lad.7 Salvatore Calabro, Lad.101 Cpt. Frank Callahan, Lad.35 Michael Cammarata, Lad.11 Brian Cannizzaro, Lad.101 Dennis Carey, Hmc.1 Michael Carlo, Eng.230 Michael Carroll, Lad.3 Peter Carroll, Sqd.1 (D) Thomas Casoria, Eng.22 Michael Cawley, Lad.136 Vernon Cherry, Lad.118 Nicholas Chiofalo, Eng.235 John Chipura, Eng.219 Michael Clarke, Lad.2 Steven Coakley, Eng.217 Tarel Coleman, Sqd.252 John Collins, Lad.25 Robert Cordice, Sqd.1 Ruben Correa, Eng.74 James Coyle, Lad.3 Robert Crawford, Safety Lt. John Crisci, H.M. B.C. Dennis Cross, Bat.57 (D) Thomas Cullen III, Sqd. 41 Robert Curatolo, Lad.16 (D) Lt. Edward D’Atri, Sqd.1 Michael D’Auria, Eng.40 Scott Davidson, Lad.118 Edward Day, Lad.11 B.C. Thomas DeAngelis, Bat. 8 Manuel Delvalle, Eng.5 Martin DeMeo, H.M. 1 David DeRubbio, Eng.226 Lt. Andrew Desperito, Eng.1 (D) B.C. Dennis Devlin, Bat.9 Gerard Dewan, Lad.3 George DiPasquale, Lad.2 Lt. Kevin Donnelly, Lad.3 Lt. Kevin Dowdell, Res.4 B.C. Raymond Downey, Soc. Gerard Duffy, Lad.21 Cpt. Martin Egan, Jr., Div.15 (D) Michael Elferis, Eng.22 Francis Esposito, Eng.235 Lt. Michael Esposito, Sqd.1 Robert Evans, Eng.33B.C. John Fanning, H.O. Cpt. Thomas Farino, Eng.26 Terrence Farrell, Res.4 Cpt. Joseph Farrelly, Div.1 Dep. Comm. William Feehan, (D) Lee Fehling, Eng.235 Alan Feinberg, Bat.9 Michael Fiore, Res.5 Lt. John Fischer, Lad.20 Andre Fletcher, Res.5 John Florio, Eng.214 Lt. Michael Fodor, Lad.21 Thomas Foley, Res.3 David Fontana, Sqd.1 Robert Foti, Lad.7 Andrew Fredericks, Sqd.18 Lt. Peter Freund, Eng.55 Thomas Gambino Jr., Res.3 Chief of Dept. Peter Ganci, Jr. (D) Lt. Charles Garbarini, Bat.9 Thomas Gardner, Hmc.1 Matthew Garvey, Sqd.1 Bruce Gary, Eng.40 Gary Geidel, Res.1 B.C. Edward Geraghty, Bat.9 Dennis Germain, Lad.2 Lt. Vincent Giammona, Lad.5 James Giberson, Lad.35 Ronnie Gies, Sqd.288 Paul Gill, Eng.54 Lt. John Ginley, Eng.40 Jeffrey Giordano, Lad.3 John Giordano, Hmc.1 Keith Glascoe, Lad.21 James Gray, Lad.20 B.C. Joseph Grzelak, Bat.48 Jose Guadalupe, Eng.54 Lt. Geoffrey Guja, Bat.43 Lt. Joseph Gullickson, Lad.101 David Halderman, Sqd.18 Lt. Vincent Halloran, Lad.8 Robert Hamilton, Sqd.41 Sean Hanley, Lad.20 (D) Thomas Hannafin, Lad.5 Dana Hannon, Eng.26 Daniel Harlin, Lad.2 Lt. Harvey Harrell, Res.5 Lt. Stephen Harrell, Bat.7 Cpt. Thomas Haskell, Jr., Div.15 Timothy Haskell, Sqd.18 (D) Cpt. Terence Hatton, Res.1 Michael Haub, Lad.4 Lt. Michael Healey, Sqd.41 John Hefferman, Lad.11 Ronnie Henderson, Eng.279 Joseph Henry, Lad.21 William Henry, Res.1 (D) Thomas Hetzel, Lad.13 Cpt. Brian Hickey, Res.4 Lt. Timothy Higgins, S.O.C. Jonathan Hohmann, Hmc.1 Thomas Holohan, Eng.6 Joseph Hunter, Sqd.288 Cpt. Walter Hynes, Lad.13 (D)Jonathan Ielpi, Sqd.288 Cpt. Frederick Ill Jr., Lad.2 William Johnston, Eng.6 Andrew Jordan, Lad.132 Karl Joseph, Eng.207 Lt. Anthony Jovic, Bat.47 Angel Juarbe Jr., Lad.12 Mychal Judge, Chaplain (D) Vincent Kane, Eng.22 B.C. Charles Kasper, S.O.C. Paul Keating, Lad.5 Richard Kelly Jr., Lad.11 Thomas R. Kelly, Lad.15 Thomas W. Kelly, Lad.105 Thomas Kennedy, Lad.101 Lt. Ronald Kerwin, Sqd.288 Michael Kiefer, Lad.132 Robert King Jr., Eng.33 Scott Kopytko, Lad.15 William Krukowski, Lad.21 Kenneth Kumpel, Lad.25 Thomas Kuveikis, Sqd.252 David LaForge, Lad.20 William Lake, Res.2 Robert Lane, Eng.55 Peter Langone, Sqd.252 Scott Larsen, Lad.15 Lt. Joseph Leavey, Lad.15 Neil Leavy, Eng.217 Daniel Libretti, Res.2 Carlos Lillo, Paramedic Robert Linnane, Lad.20 Michael Lynch, Eng.40 Michael Lynch, Lad.4 Michael Lyons, Sqd.41 Patrick Lyons, Sqd.252 Joseph Maffeo, Lad.101 William Mahoney, Res 4 Joseph Maloney, Lad.3 (D) B.C. Joseph Marchbanks Jr, Bat.12 Lt. Charles Margiotta, Bat.22 Kenneth Marino, Res.1 John Marshall, Eng.23 Lt. Peter Martin, Res.2 Lt. Paul Martini, Eng.23 Joseph Mascali, T.S.U. 2 Keithroy Maynard, Eng.33 Brian McAleese, Eng.226 John McAvoy, Lad.3 Thomas McCann, Bat.8 Lt. William McGinn, Sqd.18 B.C. William McGovern, Bat.2 (D) Dennis McHugh, Lad.13 Robert McMahon, Lad.20 Robert McPadden, Eng.23 Terence McShane, Lad.101 Timothy McSweeney, Lad.3 Martin McWilliams, Eng.22 (D) Raymond Meisenheimer, Res.3 Charles Mendez, Lad.7 Steve Mercado, Eng.40 Douglas Miller, Res.5 Henry Miller Jr, Lad.105 Robert Minara, Lad.25 Thomas Mingione, Lad.132 Lt. Paul Mitchell, Bat.1 Capt. Louis Modafferi, Res.5 Lt. Dennis Mojica, Res.1 (D) Manuel Mojica, Sqd.18 (D) Carl Molinaro, Lad.2 Michael Montesi, Res.1 Capt. Thomas Moody, Div.1 B.C. John Moran, Bat.49 Vincent Morello, Lad.35 Christopher Mozzillo, Eng.55 Richard Muldowney Jr, Lad.07 Michael Mullan, Lad.12 Dennis Mulligan, Lad.2 Lt. Raymond Murphy, Lad.16 Lt. Robert Nagel, Eng.58 John Napolitano, Res.2 Peter Nelson, Res.4 Gerard Nevins, Res.1 Dennis O’Berg, Lad.105 Lt. Daniel O’Callaghan, Lad.4 Douglas Oelschlager, Lad.15 Joseph Ogren, Lad.3 Lt. Thomas O’Hagan, Bat.4 Samuel Oitice, Lad.4 Patrick O’Keefe, Res.1 Capt. William O’Keefe, Div.15 (D) Eric Olsen, Lad.15 Jeffery Olsen, Eng.10 Steven Olson, Lad.3 Kevin O’Rourke, Res.2 Michael Otten, Lad.35 Jeffery Palazzo, Res.5 B.C. Orio Palmer, Bat.7 Frank Palombo, Lad.105 Paul Pansini, Eng.10 B.C. John Paolillo, Bat.11 James Pappageorge, Eng.23 Robert Parro, Eng.8 Durrell Pearsall, Res.4 Lt. Glenn Perry, Bat.12 Lt. Philip Petti, Bat.7 Lt. Kevin Pfeifer, Eng. 33 Lt. Kenneth Phelan, Bat.32 Christopher Pickford, Eng.201 Shawn Powell, Eng.207 Vincent Princiotta, Lad.7 Kevin Prior, Sqd.252 B.C. Richard Prunty, Bat.2 (D) Lincoln Quappe, Res.2 Lt. Michael Quilty, Lad.11 Ricardo Quinn, Paramedic Leonard Ragaglia, Eng.54 Michael Ragusa, Eng.279 Edward Rall, Res.2 Adam Rand, Sqd.288 Donald Regan, Res.3 Lt. Robert Regan, Lad.118 Christian Regenhard, Lad.131 Kevin Reilly, Eng.207 Lt. Vernon Richard, Lad.7 James Riches, Eng.4 Joseph Rivelli, Lad.25 Michael Roberts, Eng.214 Michael E. Roberts, Lad.35 Anthony Rodriguez, Eng.279 Matthew Rogan, Lad.11 Nicholas Rossomando, Res.5 Paul Ruback, Lad.25 Stephen Russell, Eng.55 Lt. Michael Russo, S.O.C. B.C. Matthew Ryan, Bat.1 Thomas Sabella, Lad.13 Christopher Santora, Eng.54 John Santore, Lad.5 (D) Gregory Saucedo, Lad.5 Dennis Scauso, H.M. 1 John Schardt, Eng.201 B.C. Fred Scheffold, Bat.12 Thomas Schoales, Eng.4 Gerard Schrang, Res.3 (D) Gregory Sikorsky, Sqd.41 Stephen Siller, Sqd.1 Stanley Smagala Jr, Eng.226 Kevin Smith, H.M. 1 Leon Smith Jr, Lad 118 Robert Spear Jr, Eng.26 Joseph Spor, Res.3 B.C. Lawrence Stack, Bat.50 Cpt. Timothy Stackpole, Div.11 (D) Gregory Stajk, Lad.13 Jeffery Stark, Eng.230 Benjamin Suarez, Lad.21 Daniel Suhr, Eng.216 (D) Lt. Christopher Sullivan, Lad.111 Brian Sweeney, Res.1 Sean Tallon, Lad.10 Allan Tarasiewicz, Res.5 Paul Tegtmeier, Eng.4 John Tierney, Lad.9 John Tipping II, Lad.4 Hector Tirado Jr, Eng.23 Richard Vanhine, Sqd.41 Peter Vega, Lad.118 Lawrence Veling, Eng.235 John Vigiano II, Lad.132 Sergio Villanueva, Lad.132 Lawrence Virgilio, Sqd.18 (D) Lt. Robert Wallace, Eng.205 Jeffery Walz, Lad. 9 Lt. Michael Warchola, Lad.5 (D) Capt. Patrick Waters, S.O.C. Kenneth Watson, Eng.214 Michael Weinberg, Eng.1 (D) David Weiss, Res.1 Timothy Welty, Sqd.288 Eugene Whelan, Eng.230 Edward White, Eng.230 Mark Whitford, Eng.23 Lt. Glenn Wilkinson, Eng.238 (D) B.C. John Williamson, Bat.6 (D) Capt. David Wooley, Lad.4 Raymond York, Eng.285 (D)

Colorado Balloon Festival

This past Sunday morning we were all able to steal a little time together and head down to Colorado Springs for the annual Colorado Balloon Festival. We got down there early – 630 – for a 7am launch time, but soon realized that due to a fog bank and ‘aloft’ winds that the launch time would be slightly delayed. Luckily for us, it was only delayed about 45 minutes (on Saturday, they never launched) and we were witness to a great show of nearly 80 balloons getting prepped, inflated, and launching. Ezra walked the grounds only saying “oooooo” and “wowwowwow” for a long long time as each balloon appeared seemingly out of nowhere. We were able to meet up with a few other brave folks, some friends that we have through Ahna’s school, that also brought their youngster to the early morning fun. I think that we are going to put this on our calendar for next year…!

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15 Months!

Ezra turned 15 months old on Saturday and ushered in a great birthday present (that he gave to his parents – more on that later)!

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At The Park

For some reason, I haven’t been taking too many pictures of Ezra recently….so I made a commitment that I would bring the camera to the park the next time that we were there (today) and take too many pictures. Besides, I wanted to try out the new lens that I got on Craigslist the other day (Sigma 18-200 OS).

Oh, the big one that you see….might be one of the top 5 pictures ever taken of Ezra – if I do say so myself.

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Toddler

I was sitting in training while at work two weeks ago and we were reviewing pediatric emergencies. As is always standard practice at the beginning of a training on that subject matter we review the age/category breakdown of kids, since there are wide discrepancies on treatment protocol from a 3 month old to a 3 year old. We began with preemie, then neo-natal, then newborn, then toddler, then….wait a minute. How did you define toddler? You say that the child must be 12 months old and walking on their own? That sounds awfully familiar to Ezra. You mean to tell me that he isn’t a baby anymore? He is actually a toddler now?

Me Feed Me

Mop Up – The stage of eating (usually dinner) where Ezra is done eating his main course yet is still hungry. At this point, we search the fridge for leftovers from previous meals, resulting in a mixed bag of breakfast and lunch for dinner.

During the aforementioned mop-up stage of dinner last night, Ezra decided to try to feed himself. He was enjoying some leftover yogurt from an earlier meal, and started to reach the fork into the yogurt container and then bring the fork to his mouth. Most of the yogurt seemingly didn’t make it into his mouth, but the effort, control and decision making were all there.

My First Word Book

If you have ever wondered what exactly Ezra does while he rides in the car (other than sleep), here is the picture to show you. He will read for 30 minutes while we drive around….

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