[Nicolas] Cooker Baby

so, finally I have some time to post a few things here for you. a few days before nicolas had surgery, we spent some really nice moments together: I took him to his primary doctor for a follow-up visit about his ear infection: then we rode over to his gymnastics class. this is how he likes to roll: I took him to the doctor and gymnastics class that day so Mary could work on a tv commercial with some Saints players and Coach Payton (and Jon Gruden) for Madden 2010. She said it was fun, but then again, she didn't get to witness this in person either: that weekend we did some gardening: karaoke / rock and roll practice: actually it was more like mardi gras indian practice - remember "handa wanda" from previous posts? and we even had some time for a little plate walking: then he had his surgery: and now seems to be doing great. we spent a beautiful Friday evening on the bayou last weekend at Bayou Boogaloo: he loved dancing to an amazing B3 Summit set which featur...

sorry for the brief hiatus blog readers. it's been 10 days since Nicolas had tubes put in and his adenoids taken out. yesterday was his first day back at school in about 2 weeks (he spent the week prior to his operation with his grandparents in Oxford), and despite some initial resistance, he had a great time and can't wait to go back. he's kept us so entertained this past week and a half, and his ear pain seems all but gone. pics and movie clips coming soon. just wanted to let you know all is well and he seems to be feeling much better.

Fwd: , originally uploaded by nolafilm . I'm at work wondering how Nicolas is feeling and Mary sends me this pic right around lunch time.

we're home from surgery - he did great. and now that the codeine is kicking in, he's feeling fine. he wanted to say good-bye to me as I headed in to work so he and mary came over to my car and i snapped this pic with my phone: more pre- and post- surgery pics are on the camera at home - the battery is charging, so i'll update things tonight.

we got up at 5:15 this morning and waited til almost 6 to wake nicolas. he was a little groggy, but totally fine and actually pretty entertaining in the car on the ride over. when we got to the hospital he was dancing and playing. once we got into the pre-op room, he put on his gown: and played with the stickers and magnets the nurses brought for him. he's being operated on right now, but Oschner has been great so far. the staff made him feel comfortable, and they even had a cool little car for him to drive: after they gave him an anesthesia cocktail, we told him he might feel a little sleepy in a few minutes. it actually took 10-15 minutes, but he thought it might be kicking in a lot sooner than that: I only wish I'd filmed him driving back for the operation - his anesthesia had kicked in and he was smiling and waving to everyone like he was riding in a parade. Camera battery is dying and I couldn't find the charger this a.m., so we may just have text updates from ...

after numerous consultations with doctors, friends and family, and even more numerous ear infections and ear pain for nicolas, we've decided to move forward with tubes and an adenoidectomy for him. we go in tomorrow at 6 am. today, he took a tour of the hospital with his mom and nona so he could get oriented and be prepared for everything that's going to happen with the operation. we'll keep you posted on how everything comes out.

makin groceries , originally uploaded by nolafilm . nicolas loves to go grocery shopping, or as they say down here in new orleans, "make groceries". he also likes pretending he's groceries.

wow. crazy week - tons going on. lots of new pics and stuff to share, but before it becomes a distant memory, I really want to wrap up our jazzfest experience here. bottom line: it's one of the greatest things in the world - something everyone should experience at least once (everyone that likes food, music and crowds), and I'm happy to say Nicolas has been 3 years in a row now - not bad for a just-turned 3 year old. we saw mardi gras indians: and danced to them before collapsing for a brief nap (that's herbal tea he's sipping): we even got up close: he was a bit sleepy there, but oddly enough, he wants that same song (ho na nae) on in his room now every time he goes to bed. a little while later, we enjoyed Third World right outside the Congo Square stage (and almost got run over by a few people): we bonded with mom: cousin mandy: and each other: as well as total strangers: but when you've got moves like this, is it that surprising? and amazingly, Ni...

Okay, so we're smack dab in the middle of the second weekend of Jazzfest, but I'm not sure we're going to go - we got our fill last weekend, and despite the gorgeous weather, we may save some money and enjoy some of the simpler things New Orleans has to offer. For those of you who didn't see the Flickr page or my Facebook page - here's some fun stuff from the past couple weekends: 1. French Quarter Festival - this event gets more amazing every year. the largest free music festival in the south - and one of the best, hands-down - packed over 400,000 people into the French Quarter over a beautiful Spring weekend for music, food, and fun. We rode our bikes from our house down Esplanade Ave on Sunday to the Old US Mint and caught some great performances by local Zydeco legend, Rockin' Dopsie: and the incomparable Wild Magnolias - a Mardi Gras Indian Tribe famous for its recordings from the 70s of Handa Wanda and Smoke My Peace Pipe. Nicolas loves their music and ha...