On the Home Front
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News and Views from Jack and Stephanie
Thursday, December 09, 2004
On the Home Front: Lila Edith Zaientz has arrived! Steph went into labor at 8:30 Tuesday night, Dec 7. We drove to St. Josephs hospital at 9:30 in the morning on Wednesday, Dec 8. Lila was born at 1:50 pm. Height 21 1/4 inches. Weight 8 lbs 11 ounces. Both are almost identical to her sister Eva when Eva was born. She looks a lot like Eva did, too. Very strong family resemblance. Steph did great and, other than being a bit tired and sore, feels great. Lila is doing great. As always we have lots of photos
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
On the Home Front: Ok, it's taken a year to update the site, but it's been a busy year. And I promise more updates will come fast and furious for a while. We've added lots of pictures. So what's been happening?
- Steph is pregnant with our second kiddo! She's due on Dec 11, 2004. That's two weeks from now. We're excited, terrified, and otherwise out of our skulls. The pregnancy has been mostly good so far. Steph has had lots of heartburn and some tired spells, but is otherwise happy and healthy. We've got a name picked out, but you'll have to wait for the official announcement. We've been reading to Eva every book on having a new sister that we can find. Her reaction to a new baby should be very interesting.
- Eva turned 2 in October. We had a fun birthday party and lots of presents. Eva has figured out presents. The whole idea of everyone in the world giving her things was very fun.
- My brother Nate and his girlfriend Sara got engaged. We're so happy for them. The wedding will be in the spring in CT. Can't wait.
- Steph's Mom and her fiance John got married in June. It was a lovely ceremony. Steph cried through most of it, setting off a chain reaction of happy tears through the crowd.
- Lots more and I'll backfill some more when I get a chance.
Monday, September 15, 2003
On the Home Front:: We went to visit Cindy and Grandpa Mark out at their lake house last month. We all had a great time. It was hard to pull Eva away. She thought the lake and Grandpa Mark were the best things ever.
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Out There: I'm generally fascinated with web-based recommender systems. These are the 'if you like bagels you'd probably like cream cheese' kind of systems. I ran in to two interesting ones today. The first is Baconizer, which lets you input two books, CD's or movies and it will tell give you a chain of other books, cd's, movies that connect them (based on purchasing preferences). The other is Gnoovies, Gnooks, and Gnoosic which clusters related movies, books, respectively to point you towards media similar to ones you're interested in. I love it from both scientific and consumer perspectives. Very fun.
On the Home Front: This has been a particularly busy summer. We bought our first house. We've got pictures to prove it. They're from before we moved in and have the previous owner's stuff, but it'll give everyone the idea. And of course we've got tons of new Eva pictures.
Saturday, March 29, 2003
On the Home Front: Ok. After a long delay...More Eva Pictures! Eva had lots of visits and my mom made her a new dress
I love my new dress
Mother and Daughter
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
On the Home Front: I had the opportunity to give a presentation to Ann Arbor Software Quality Professionals group last night on Discount Usability Methodologies. One of my co-workers is part of the group and invited me to speak to them. Small turn out, but the talk was well received enough that I've been invited to speak at 4th Annual Michigan Quality Conference, a statewide gathering of software Quality Assurance folks. Sounds like fun. I've posted the presentation I gave and the Usability Aspect Report template , if anyone is curious.
Monday, March 03, 2003
On the Home Front: Ok, so it's been a long couple of months since the last time we chatted. It's amazing how a little one can take up all your time. A quick up date...Steph's company has switched to fee-for-service meaning she only gets paid for clients that show up. This could be good if she can keep herself booked, or bad if nobody shows up. We'll see. I've become a project manager at my company, which is fun but taking too much of my time. I think we're finally going to hire another HCI person soon and give me a break.
Eva is doing great and growing like a weed. She's 95th percentile big but perfectly proportioned and cute, cute, cute. (I refuse to acknowledge any bias. so there). She's in that phase where grabbing things and shoving them in your mouth is fun and if you happen to start gagging at the same time, that's just a coincidence and you should shove things back in your mouth as soon as the gagging stops.
To the victor go the spoils
Saturday, December 07, 2002
Puddledock Update: Due to popular request, I've added a new section of Eva pictures to the Puddledock Post Office. (Well, Heather asked me too, and she's popular isn't she?) From the Post Office you can send electronic Puddledock Postcards. Currently, there aren't that many postcards to choose from, mainly pictures of Eva, Steph and my wedding, and the Puddledock Lighthouse, but I'll be adding more as quickly as I can.
On the Home Front: We got two rolls of film back from the last month. I've got some pictures from the first roll online. The next roll will go up tomorrow, I hope. Click here for the pictures.
I'm a Hippo!
On the Home Front: We're in the middle of a three weekend family blitz. We went back east for Thanksgiving, having dinner at my Aunt & Uncle's place and then staying with my folks for the weekend. It was a rare treat. All three of the Zaientz boys were at the Thanksgiving dinner, along with wife & girlfriends (and new baby, of course). Steph and I got to visit some of my college friends and my mom got her Eva fix. This weekend Steph's mom is in town, to get her Eva fix. (They're at the mall right now...three generations out on a shopping spree). Next week Steph's dad and his wife are coming into town for their first meeting with the little one. Whew. Lots of visiting going on.
Monday, November 18, 2002
On the Home Front: We got a funny call from my mom the other day. She hung Eva's 2nd day hospital picture on the wall at home next the rest of our family pictures. Right next to a picture of me as a baby, in fact. She called us, whooping it up, because evidently Eva and I look the same as infants. We don't have the picture my mother was looking at for comparison purposes, but we do have this one. The lady is my mom, in case you don't recognize her. So what do y'all think? Spitting images or what?
Thursday, November 14, 2002
On the Home Front: We developed and posted some more new baby pictures. This time of Grandma Ruth's visit.
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
On the Home Front: Ok. I don't know where to begin, but it's been a busy couple of weeks. Eva is more active (and cute) every day and Eva is starting to mimic us. If we stick our tongue out at her she'll stick hers back at us. Oh, and check out the new pictures.
Tuesday, November 05, 2002
Friends and Family: Eva has a new cousin! Sydney Megan Zulich was born on Friday, November 1st, weighing in at 7 lbs, 13 oz and is 21 inches long. By all reports Sydney and momma Dani (and papa Troy) are doing great and are home from the hospital.
Saturday, October 19, 2002
On the Home Front: This has been a very tiring week. (I expect knowing nods and a bit of sympathy from everyone out there with a child.) We're home, in love, and exhausted. It seems that babies think that day is night and night is day. Well, we're adjusting to her, and her to us. I've posted some more pictures, you can find them here...
Monday, October 14, 2002
On the Home Front: Baby Pictures! Here are the very first pictures of Eva. Actually, they're just the first I could get online. I'll have more pictures later this week, including some from inside the delivery room (if they came out well)!. This shot is just the teaser, there are more here
Our Daughter at age 2 days
On the Home Front: Home again. Steph and baby were discharged on Sunday, both happy and healthy. Last night was our first night at home. Whew. Not much sleep, but lots of excitement. Steph now knows here true roll in life...to be a milk vending machine. I think she should get a "Real" milk logo tattoo.
Friday, October 11, 2002
On the Home Front: Our daughter is here! Steph went into labor this morning at 5:00 am and by 5:30 pm she had given birth to a lovely little girl. Her name is Eva Rose (Chavah Shoshana) Zaientz. She's 8 lbs. 12 oz, and 21.25'' long. She has a full head of dark hair, long dark eyelashes and is the prettiest little girl ever. The labor was reasonably quick and Steph was a real trooper. (We figure it was the wasabi Steph ate at dinner last night that got labor started.) We'll post pictures asap.
On the Home Front: Yesterday was Steph's official due date. So I took her on a Due Date. We feasted at the local sushi emporium. yummy. (no raw fish for her, though. much sadness and envy.) We had great fun and spent the evening repeatedly reminding ourselves that first time moms are usually after their due date and everything is just fine, really.
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