More firsts!

Yesterday we took JJ on his first walk in the stroller. Of course we went at the hottest time of day so it was was a short one but we all still had lots of fun.
Turbo was especially pleased.
The little wheels did fine on the gravel path though eventually the big wheeled BOB or something will probably be better. JJ seemed to like it a lot.
Now that all systems are functioning well, JJ has increased his outfit per day quota. That's good because we have a lot of cute ones to get through while he's still small.
Mostly JJ has settled into a routine that centers around eating and sleeping. Throw in riding and he's ready for a blog and can join the enduronut crew.
This morning he was chilling on his monkey blanket with Turbo while Marni fixed some pancakes, it is Thursday after all. I was busy getting ready for an interview. It seemed to go well so crossing my fingers again and hopefully I hear soon. Last night I met the Wednesday night ride crew at Red Rocks and got in some riding on the Fatback. I have to say that it rides technical trails much better than the Pugsley and I cleaned almost everything I normally clean despite the 100mm rims (aka tanks). It will be in the regular riding rotation a lot more now to get my knees totally happy with the 100mm bottom bracket.
Tonight we get to see Leslie and Derrick and tomorrow Grandma Judy arrives from St. Louis!

What a difference

...the milk makes. I'm not going to lie. Life got a whole lot easier when Marni's milk started to come in on Monday. First we started to hear swallows, then the diaper timing started going in the right direction. JJ gained 5 oz between Monday morning and Tuesday morning making the nurses very happy and Monday night we finally got some real sleep. The picture below is our "yay we slept for several hours at a time" faces.
The little guy has just been 10x more content now that he has a full belly all the time.
I can only do so much to help but I can cook and change diapers. Deluxe omelet (bell pepper, chicken, cheese, avocado, tomato) and donut for breakfast with a sleeping baby on the side.
Since the nurse was slightly worried about JJ's weight on Monday, we got to pump a little extra milk and feed him once from a bottle to supplement the breastfeeding before a recheck on Tuesday. I wasn't expecting to get to feed him for a few more weeks so while not part of the plan, it was welcome surprise. Huge, giant thanks for Marni's parents for showing up with the pump on Sunday as we needed it unexpectedly on Monday and all I had to do was unbox it and sterilize it to have it ready to go.
Happy daddy with JJ's first small bottle (~20mL).
JJ likes his swing now too. Turbo likes to check on him every time he cries. Plus he peeks his head into JJ's bassinet every morning to sniff him.
JJ is also loving his tummy time now. He keeps picking his head up really well and has even somehow turned over twice. We thought we were imagining it but he did it again yesterday. I'm sure it requires the right surface or something but still really funny.
I love getting to spend so much time with him and Momma. I'm a lucky guy.
Now that JJ is feeling better and sleeping soundly, I even snuck out to the BRC yesterday afternoon for a quick session. It was just an hour but it was fun to climb and other than my skin paying the price for a week and a half of time off I felt great. I think being a new daddy is cheating as I jumped right back on and onsighted a new easy 12. Must be the extra daddy happiness.
Today we've had a brilliant morning following stretches of 3 hours of sleep at a time last night and JJ is going to go on his first stroller ride!
It's nice to be back to blogging too. I guess the secret is to have a cute baby and tons of pictures to share. Haha.

The first days

I tried to parse down the more than 100 pictures we've already filed into the save folder into just one blog. So this is my best shot at the early greatest hits. For those dying for more, there is a larger set on Marni or my facebook page.

Marni and I on the way to the hospital. There is a matching picture with smiles but this second one we took as the "how do you really feel?" picture.
Marni walking into labor and delivery on a beautiful early Colorado morning. Good thing we stopped at Starbucks on the way in. I wouldn't really eat or drink anything for the next 13 hours or so besides water and a few crackers.
Marni chilling in the delivery room with a Popsicle, waiting for that last centimeter.
Almost there.
John James arrives and we were happy to hear his cries.
Momma and baby meet for the first time.
Daddy gets to hold JJ for the first time.
JJ meets some of his cousins and his aunt.
Peaceful sleeping. We haven't got too much of this since night one though it's getting better.
Look at those long legs!
Momma almost ready to go home.
Comfy and cozy back at home in bed.
Sleeping peacefully for the moment.
JJ loves Grandma and Grandpa Berry.
A few little zzzz's.
Monkey!
Resting with Momma.
Testing those lungs. It's been chilly in the house with the AC on :)
Giving Momma some nap time.
Turbo came home last night and he's really interested in his new brother.
And I leave you with this. Cliche for new parents but Hootie has it right. I even reminded Marni of it last night during some extended crying. It all changes so fast already.

Welcome my son

What an amazing last week. Yesterday at 7:37pm, Marni and I welcomed John James Plesko into the world. He is doing wonderfully and so is Momma who is a rockstar. Us bike racers have nothing to brag about, labor is incredibly hard and I feel humbled by comparison. At 8lbs 0.2oz and 22" he is a big boy for a little Marni but she did spectacularly. The birth story is hers so I won't steal it but 5 days of contractions led up to a sleepless night complete with full moon midnight walk (Turbo's favorite) and more than 12 hours at the hospital until birth. She's a bit sore today but otherwise upbeat and doing fantastic. JJ had a great night is feeding and sleeping well already. Plus he's a poop machine and I'm proud to say that I've changed every diaper save one where I was gone getting his car seat inspected. We're overjoyed to have so many family and friends come to see him already and it's great to know we'll get to see more tonight and this weekend as we settle in at home. Grandma Judy gets to come visit very soon as well which we cannot wait for.

Like all good things in life, this one did not come easy from start to finish. From fertility treatments and miscarriage to yesterday's birth, JJ gave us one heck of a ride. About the pregnancy we cannot complain much. Well I can complain none since I wasn't toting JJ around for 39 weeks. But as pregnancies go we were lucky. Other than some minor scares and an extra meeting with a geneticist, we enjoyed it as much as we could. While it's not all roses growing a human, Marni was all smiles and we both tried to experience all we could about an only couple times in a lifetime experience. Now that he's here of course we're thrilled. Lucky again to have decent insurance, I sit here writing this watching small storms roll across the foothills of the Front Range while wifey and baby sleep in our quiet private room. Nurses and doctors have been poking their heads in all day offering checkups and assistance where needed but generally it's been happily quiet. And tomorrow we should get to go home where we can bond and recover in peace, introduce Turbo to his new brother and even have JJ's first pediatric checkup in a few days. Life is grand.

I'm sure JJ's photos will grace the pages of my blog many more times from now on. After 4+ years of waiting I cannot stop taking pictures of him. And little by little he'll grow into his own man, where I can teach him to be a good and kind person and show him the wonders of this world. Surprisingly I haven't cried yet but my eyes have welled with tears dozens of times in the past 24 hours. There is nothing in life like labor, working so hard to take care of the two people you love most in this world at the same time, in a situation where total success is not guaranteed. Racing bikes nor alpine climbing can even come close.

Someone asked me yesterday if I was scared or overwhelmed and I said no. I've wanted a baby for as long as I can remember and being able to share this with my wonderful wife of 6 years is incredible. As hard as it has been to get here, I wouldn't trade a second of that time for anything. Sleep deprived nights and poopy diapers are cheap payment for the experiences to come. From his first bottle I get to feed him (hopefully in a month) to his first bike, his first race car bed and maybe someday his first Tour Divide I cannot wait to see what happens.

Better than any television, I have to get back to watching my son sleep.

Waiting game

The time is near. After years of trying and disappointment, followed by a wonderful pregnancy, our little boy's arrival is imminent. Marni is back at work, somehow finding energy to teach 24 little Kindergarteners at 38.5 weeks pregnant. It's difficult but every extra day she spends there before means an extra day bonding with our new little bundle of joy after. Our family and friends have been amazing. Our home is filled with everything we need and then some. JJ has a closet full of clothes, way more than his father, and the nursery turned out even better than I imagined it thanks to Marni's parents and her aunt Jackie.

Yesterday I spent the day with Marni at school to be an extra pair of hands and eyes but today she left me at home to catch up on rest of my own. It's hard not to be there today but I do need to be full on sleep myself I suppose since soon my support will be crucial and the timing of such support very much unknown. On Friday I snuck off to RMNP one last time before JJ's appearance and climbed the Diamond on Long's Peak with Aaron. It was a fantastic, hard and rewarding 19 hour day. While it was no Tour Divide type effort, it was the crowning athletic achievement of my summer because when I woke up at midnight to head out, I didn't know if I could actually do it. But we summited safely and survived the crux drive home and now I'm (happily) tethered to activities with cell phone reception.

And now the house has been cleaned again. The nursery is arranged just so. The clothes and blankets and toys are all washed and put away. Baby monitors are setup and our hospital bags have been packed. Marni's been having regular contractions since Friday but they keep stopping. While this could go on for a while longer, it doesn't seem like that's going to be the case. Hopefully the next blog post here will be the one that everyone is waiting for. Until then my son is going to teach me just a bit more patience.

It's really so hard to blog lately with no concrete big goals in sight. Sure I've been getting out but it hardly feels like I'm breaking new ground. I have ideas all lined out but I can't go through with anything yet. My ankle has started to get worse lately rather than better (like it was for a while) so Monday I'll be making an appointment and heading back to the doc. I don't really think I will like what they say but hopefully it will move things in a positive direction. At least I can hangboard and top rope if I end up back in a boot or cast. I better figure out how to crush my 12+ plastic project sooner rather than later...

Regardless of the ankle effing up my plans I'm psyched for JJ's arrival. His room gets more perfect every day and we get to hear his heartbeat again on Tuesday. Marni is 35 weeks and doing great. Turbo is busily inspecting all the new furniture in the room that's had the door closed for years and is probably wondering what the car seat is doing in his spot in the E. I know our world will change drastically in ways we can't even imagine when he gets here but we still can't wait. Two more weeks of cooking in the belly and then he'll be on any day arrival alert.

This weekend the CTR crew is in town and I'll be at the start on Monday cheering them on and definitely wishing my ankle could tolerate CTR level hike-a-bike. So you all should find their blogs and check them out instead of mine :)

Where's Waldo?

Or should I make that Where's Goldbug? So much for consistency! At least in blogging that is. My how time flies lately. Summer always goes too fast for me, no matter what is going on and this year getting ready for baby JJ it seems to be going even faster. I can't say that I'm not eagerly awaiting his arrival but he's got a couple more months of growing to do so we're stuck in nervous and excited anticipation.

Working on his nursery was wonderful. I love that he has his own special room all ready for him now and I think it looks great. Once again a huge thanks to Marni's parents for helping with prepping, painting and buying the beautiful dresser/changing table. We would have never been able to do such a beautiful job without their help. And also thanks to my Mom for getting him his wonderful crib so soon he can have all his turtle bedding decorating it. Marni has little JJ's blog all started up so if you want to see way too many cute pictures of him and his things, add Little Pivvay to your blog reader.
Since Marni and I have been planning his arrival for years we had the name, John James Plesko, and room design mostly all picked out before we even knew we were pregnant. Getting to finally make it all a reality has been incredibly fun. It may have been a long road to get here but we're trying to enjoy every minute of it. I chuckle in birthing class at the notion that some men feel like they are giving things up getting ready for a child's birth (oh noes Baby's R Us is scurrry!) but I can't imagine not being a part of it. The Tour Divide or any other sporting event is an option almost every year but you only get to experience pregnancy a very limited number of times in your life.
From the initial shot in the butt...
to week 30, oh wait, just kidding...

to the real week 31. Marni has been doing a fantastic job and while it's hard to physically carry a baby sometimes it's also a joy to know he's doing great and now to get to feel him move and kick every day. We even get an "extra" ultrasound next week for a more or less routine checkup.
And as for sports? Can you tell it's playing 2nd fiddle to something else? Well that's going alright too. I've got a loose training cycle underway for climbing and it's making a difference. I'm far from a good climber but it's fun getting to improve at the more rapid rate involved in any new sport. Last year I couldn't even conceive of pulling onto a 12. Now I'm pulling onto (soft gym) 13's and beginning to figure out and link moves. My goal for the winter since I'll be tied closer to the house is to compete in the local gym comp series and also lead my first gym 13. It's ambitious but I know you all wouldn't expect any less of me now would you? The guys and gals at the BRC are really friendly and laid back and have a great setup for those days when you need to train alone (9 auto belays!).

As for biking I have my good friend Brett to keep me honest. He's been riding and training hard and I've got to be on my A game to stay ahead of him up the climbs and now the descents too on his spiffy new Lenz! I've mostly been riding the Selma lately and it's an awesome machine. In fact just the other day I managed to blitz it up one of my local hill climb test pieces only a few seconds behind my personal best time which I set on my road bike. I'm definitely still lacking endurance rides at the moment but those are so fun that I know I'll get there when the time requires.

So there you have a little update from the Plesko's. Wifey is sleeping upstairs, no doubt basking in the fact that the high today is in the 60's not the 90's. Turbo is hoping the light rain stops so I can take him on a walk now that I've finished blogging and breakfast number one. And I guess I'll go make another cup of tea and get some work done myself.

Follow the thin red line

Aaron was on call but we still wanted to get in a big day outside. Luckily the Flatirons get great cell reception and we spent almost 9 hours blasting up and down some big formations. We clicked off the most popular route (direct east face on the first flatiron) by 8:30am while the Boulder Boulder was getting going and spent much of the rest of the day dodging the crowds on less traveled routes (2 more on the first, 1 on the second and 1 on the Spy linking into the first). We simulclimbed every route, often linking 1200 or 1400 foot faces in just a couple of pitches.

Aaron somewhere up there at the end of the skinny rope.
Cool parasailer flew right by the face on our first trip up. Close enough that we exchanged hellos!
Following Aaron up the cool fin feature known as the Spy before linking into the North Arete on the First Flatiron.
Lots of pretty lichen and plenty of flakey stuff once you get off the Flatirons trade routes.
5600 feet of climbing according to Aaron's Suunto, not a bad day. Hopefully we can translate this practice and speed to some rock routes in the Park soon. The Petit is calling my name.

Summer: Here and Now

I think when there are 90's in the forecast, I can officially declare summer to be here. Plus Marni finishes up her teaching year today which is great. She's ready to enjoy her last few months of pregnancy without the stress of teaching the little ones every day. I know she loves her job but it's also great to have a bit of time away every year to decompress and get ready for another class full of wonderful kids who need lots of love and attention. Her dad and I picked up another couch last night while she was at her grad class and hopefully this weekend we'll get the paint color picked out for the nursery. Bit by bit I feel like we're getting ready for little JJ's arrival. Know how fast summer always flies by, it won't be long until he's here.
In other news I didn't get the job I interviewed for. It was great to hear back yes or no but a bummer to hear back no. More applications and interviews await and I'll probably find something closer to home anyway but it's always a little depressing not to be chosen. I had a nice time mentoring a new trad climber yesterday on the first flatiron to think about things and hopefully will get away for a little solo adventure to the Indian Peaks Wilderness this weekend to reflect some more. Getting up into the high mountains is such a paradox. The places I love to go have a limited time window when I can safely be there so I move quickly and all too fast I'm back home looking up at the big mountains, longing to return to where I just was. This time I've got a plan to spend a few extra hours up there if everything works out.
Well time to take Turbo for his walk before it gets too hot for the furrysaurus. Golden Retrievers aren't a big fan of 90 degree weather :)