My Baby (The Creed of the Daddy)

This is my baby.
There are many like it, but this one is MINE.
My baby is my best friend. It is my life.
I must master my baby as I must master my life.
My baby without me is useless. Without my baby, I am useless.
I must fire my baby true.
My baby must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me.
I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...
My baby and myself know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire,
the noise of our bursts, nor the smoke we make.
We know it is the hits that count. We will hit...
My baby is human, even as I, because it is my life.
Thus, I will learn him as a brother.
I will learn my baby's weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories,
its sights, and its barrel.
I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage.
I will keep my baby clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready.
We will become part of each other. We will...
Before God I swear this creed.
My baby and myself are the defenders of my country.
We are the masters of our enemy.
We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until there is no enemy, but PEACE.

ps - you're supposed to be laughing by this point - its a bit of a take-off from the Marine's Creed about his rifle. Was holding the baby and thought it was funny.

Hendrix meets Santa Claus!

We took Hendrix to meet Santa Claus yesterday for the first time.  He pleaded his case to ol' Saint Nick, and made some requests.  Marina and I will meet with Santa later on this week on a conference call and see what we can arrange for our little fella on Christmas Day.  Overall, I think that Hendrix  has been a pretty good boy, but lets be honest;  he's a little cranky at night and that one might play against him.

Thanksgiving on Long Island

We decided to surprise Corey's family for Thanksgiving in New York. We stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Schwarting's house and I didn't want to leave when the trip was over! Hendrix was almost as big as Billy Joel that weekend as friends and family came to meet him. Never before have I seen a crowd of 10 people stand and watch in awe as a baby eats baby food. He was a huge hit! Unfortunately, the second day there, he got a little fussy and mommy hadn't clipped his finger nails and he gave himself a really bad scratch on his right cheek...it's healing up good now, but didn't make for the best pictures.

The crowds gather for the tiny rock star!



Breakfast with Great Grandpa

Lunch with Great Grandma


Kismet on Fire Island

Hendrix's first trip to the ocean


The Proud Grandparents


The guys on the board walk heading towards the lighthouse





City Thugs


Chillin at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum

Hendrix is 6 months old!!!

Well actually older than that now, but no time til now to update the blog! Our little fellow is doing great. Hendrix sits up on his own now (has been doing that since about 5 1/2 months) and is gobbling up the baby food. He's recently started to wave his arm bye bye, although it does take a few minutes of Mom & Dad waving to each other saying "bye, bye" over and over, but after staring at us like we're weirdos, he catches on eventually and smiles at us and starts waving back. He's 15 lbs 9 oz which is the 25th% and I forgot exact height but it was 50th%, so he's on the thinner side, but we are working on that with all the baby food. He eats pretty much anything, the peas are the only things he's a little unhappy with, but he'll still eat them. Corey and I think he'll be crawling really soon, he's gotten his butt up in the air quite a few times and does quasi scoots and is showing major signs of wanting to get moving...we'll see how much that'll change things!

Here's Hendrix at his 6 month doc appt.


We have some fun new video and a lot of pics from our trip to NY for Thanksgiving, but that'll come next time we have a moment to breathe and update the blog again! We appreciate your patience ;-)

Gustafson Family Halloween

Marina, Corey, and the scary little skeleton had an adventurous, if not short-lived little Halloween evening.  Here's how we partied the night away.

Awesome Pictures

We saw these pictures of election night online and thought that they were awesome, so check em out.

www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/show/with/3008257421

Hendrix Swings!

Here is Hendrix going nuts in his new, jumper? or swing? Not sure what to call it, but he sure does love it.

It's been a while...

Here are some pictures that should bring you up to speed on what's been going on with our little man for the last 2 1/2 months!



Looking out the window checking out the neighborhood...






"I hate tummy time MOM!"


Hendrix's first try in the Exersaucer. I tried putting some books under his feet because he was still a little too short, but he just kicked them over. Since then, he has mastered the exersaucer, or as we call it.. Baby Command Center




Hendrix's first bite of solid food, some yummy runny rice cereal! He took his first bite from a Tiffany's silver spoon!




It was a little confusing for him!


Hanging out with Daddy on a Friday


Standing up on his own (just long enough to take the picture!) But he does have some strong legs


At a recent trip to Costco, I started making faces and sticking out my tongue at Hendrix... well, he decided to copy me! Here he was in the middle of Costco, sticking his tongue out at us!




This was my attempt at a photo shoot... Becky I need your help!!!




5 Months old!!! Look how big our boy is getting!




Master of Baby Command Center


I think someone is getting a little too big for the bouncer...this is how he likes sitting in it these days.


Playing on the stairs with Daddy




chillin' in the Bumbo


We got Hendrix a jumper that hangs in the door frame... I was soo nervous to put him in this contraption, but he LOVES it and just bounces and bounces and bounces!