So Bianca and I, pre-Isaac used to all kinds of way of making the mundane, such as running errands, more exciting. One way was to give something "mission status." This means that the thing you are looking for, Raspberry Dr. Pepper, MUST be found, no matter what. Many times things were given "mission staus" and in the ten years of marriage we never failed. There was the Ricotta Salada Cheese Incident, but technically it was found and Bianca downgraded it to non-mission status to stop us from driving to the North End of Boston (which, as a mission status event, we would be required to do). Usually medications were given mission status, which meant that we'd go get them even if it was like 2 AM. Sometimes things like Raspberry Dr. Pepper is given mission status. For that stuff we drove into downtown Boston at 11 PM from Woburn, but we found it. Unsurprisingly, it was not as good as the original Dr. Pepper, aka the Bordeux of Sodas; for an extra special treat, try Dr. Pepper made with cane sugar instead of High Fructose Corn Syrup, found here. Dublin Dr. Pepper, though expensive, is totally worth the price. Try it sometime.

Anyway, Bianca got pretty sick yesterday, 101.9 fever, and called the Dr. and got some meds. She was really wiped out so I took over with Isaac. But we had to get the medicine. What to do? Isaac and Dad went on their first mission status errand. We went to CVS and Panera. And Isaac was GREAT. He slept a lot and did not cry at all.

He was even helpful. We arrived at CVS at about 5, right when all the old people are getting their meds. There was a huge line, but fortunately people saw the sleeping superstar and let us cut all the way to the front of the line. Thanks little dude.

Then we went to Panera and again got caught in a line. I had Chubby Bubby in the Baby Bjorn and his cuteness did all the work AGAIN. We cut to the front of the line. We even met a nice older lady that showed me how to sign "Isaac" in American Sign Language. It involves a combination of the letter "I" and the sign for "smile" (Isaac means one who laughs).

In the end, the duo of Dad and Isaac returned home to sick Mommy with her medication, some Saltines, two bottles of Gatorade, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup from Panera.

Mission complete.

When Myles Patrick was born he was a big kid and he stayed big for quite a while. His brother, though not as big when he was born, grew quickly (though it too has started to even out) and was a toddler by week two.

On the other hand Isaac Anthony was a mere 7 pounds .4 ounces at birth, probably something like Myles's two legs combined. But he was bound and determined not to be left in the dust. He wants to catch up to his cousins. So, it was a strict diet and training regimen.

Cue the Eye of the Tiger montage.

He wakes up at nine and does a double dose of boobie milk followed up with some reading and tummy time. During tummy time he picks up his head at least four times (or whenever Bianca calls his name). And then it is to his baby gym. A quick nap is followed by the repeat of the entire cycle, starting with the double dose. Can't you hear it? "Risin' up, back on the streets..." You get the idea.

Well it all paid off because Chubby Bubby tipped the scales at 10 pounds 11.5 ounces at today's pedi visit, putting on more than pound a week for the past three weeks.

In a press release Isaac thanked a few people. "First," the announcement states, "I'd like to thank my Mommy without whom none of this would be possible. I'd also like to thank my Dad, who kept both Mommy and I going through the tough times. Finally, I'd like to thank the people that first harvested lanolin. We made it everyone, we made it."

This is the exhausted champ, after a hard day of double dosing boobie milk:



Eye of the Tiger indeed.

Yesterday was my Dad's birthday so Isaac, Bianca, and I sent him this message:



We also did a little iChatting with the grandparents and the great grandparents who got to see Isaac, aka Chubby Bubby, for the first time. It was one of those moments when technology truly does make the world feel like a smaller place. It was great. He was really in a good mood, watching the monitor and cooing for people almost on command. I think he really likes his GGs, both Woody and Mimi. I can't wait for them to meet him in person.

It was also the All Star game last night and Isaac fell asleep on my chest while watching the game with me. He was impressed by David Price's gas and offspeed stuff, but mystified when Tim McCarver said that Umbaldo Jiminez has "hard" 100 mph pitches while Price has "soft" 100 mph pitches. He and I discussed the matter and we concluded that Tim McCarver, who is becoming more like the John Madden of baseball with every passing game, meant to describe Jiminez's pitches as "heavy". That just means they are sinking fastballs, that they have a pronounced drop. Because of the drop they are hard to lift into the air for hits. Either way, at five weeks of age, Isaac knew more about baseball than Tim McCarver does. Isaac told me to link to this site in hopes that Tim McCarver reads this blog (Domenic you must click that link and go to "Gems").