Christmas, Lobsters and Exploding Waffles

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas went very fast. I'm sure Ciara's pregnancy helped this as we all watched her belly grow. We were excited to have Aunt Emily and Bob home for the holidays. It wouldn't be a holiday without some last minute rearranging of plans. Emily and Bob drove up from Newark due to a snow storm on the east coast and Aunt Aoie and Uncle Josh were unable to make it up. We've been trying to start our own family traditions and those who were able to make it helped to kick it off. Many families do an annual cribbage tournament, or board games. We tried to incorporate that, but added our own twist. Ciara bought some tee-shirt materials with the idea that, as a family, we could make the trophy for the year's champion. We played a variety of games - Wii Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Pictureeka, Buzz, Spoons and Spades. It was clear that we were outmatched by our visiting mountaineer.
We woke Christmas morning and prepared a feast for our family. Nanny-Noodies, made a delicious French Toast casserole dish as well as an egg hash, Ciara made Eggs Benedicts with homemade hollandaise sauce and I did homemade sausage and sweet potato waffles, which exploded in the iron. I had melted the butter but neglected to actually add it to the mix. Oops. Needless to say, we ate well and plenty. When my mother showed up, she brought the roast beast, her favorite. We picked and ate for hours throughout the day. It was a simple relaxing Christmas day.

Dan, Cora and Connor went home Christmas night, however Emily and Bob stayed behind. Aden got to spend some quality time with his Aunts. We did some traveling around our area including a great lunch at The Last Unicorn in Waterville and a trip to our favorite bar, Three Tides. Bob and I enjoyed sampling their house drafts and picked out a couple growlers to take home. The Em-Bob duo stayed with us for an additional 3 nights until we took a slow drive down the coast to Bath. We stuck around a couple days to drink the growlers and see some more sights including the Portland Headlight.
Aden got a sample of Lobster, which he was oddly unafraid of. After a great few days with family from near and far, we gave our hugs and returned home to Thorndike.

Thanksgiving at Nanny and Bumpa's

The Hargrove's had a fantastic Thanksgiving break. Aden and I got some bonus "daddy day" time. Aden's daycare/pre-school was shut down during two days prior to Thanksgiving. We got to hang out a bit at the park and see Aunt Caity. The three of us went to the Therapeutic pool in Waterville and had a lunch buffet at Pizza Hut. On top of those 2 extra days, I got a compensatory day off on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Aden and I used this to go to the pool again and play around town. On Wednesday Aden went back to daycare so that I could have a day with Mommy, Ciara that is. We had an early appointment at the Women's Center to hear the heart beat and take vitals. The baby is doing spectacular as is Mommy. We then went to Augusta, hoping to find a decent brunch, but were disappointed. We settled for a bagel and breakfast sandwich before heading to Railroad Square for a movie - "Pirate Radio". It was fantastic, with great music.

On Thursday morning, Aden, Ciara and I got ready early. We picked Caity up at about 9:00 and went to breakfast at the Gov's. Aden was enthralled by the model train that circled the dining room. We arrived at Nanny Noonoo and Bumpa's place before noon and well before dinner. Cousin Simon, Siobhan, and Layla arrived from Boston shortly after.


Later on Aunt Aiofe and Unlce Josh arrived. Uncle Connor took a hiatus from his thuggery to watch some football with the family.


My mother-in-law, a.k.a. "Nanny", "Noodles", "Noonoos", "Noodies", and "Cora", wisely used previous strategies with my mother, telling her 2:00 when dinner was planned for 4:30. Grampa Clair and my mother a.k.a. "Nanny", "Nanny too", "Grand Marnier", "Nanny two" arrived with plenty of time to spare. Notice the resemblence between my mother and a Margarita....hmmm.

Aden woar himself out before dinner started....




The rest of us enjoyed a beautiful spread of Turkey, Ham, Salad, Creamed Corn, Broccoli and Cheese, Stuffing (Dressing if your Irish), oddly only one potato dish and a slew of desserts including a delicious Pumpkin Ginger Ice Cream and Caity's Pecan Pie. After dinner, the kids played. It was nice to see the interactive fun.......











Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. With the exception of Black Friday, it is a clean holiday, devoid of commercail motives - other than eating and drinking. I'm looking forward to Christmas at our house. Aunt Emily will be home from Colorado (go Broncos!) with her new beau.

Aden Turns Two

Aden's second birthday was on Thanksgiving. Ciara and I made plans to take him bowling on Black Friday. None of the family seemed to have any interest in the "normal Black Friday calling. Noodles Thought it would be fun to have Aden and Cousin Layla help in making the cake.



Ciara said that after 5 cupcakes Aden wanted to eat the tasty treats. That wasn't the point however so we had to find a diversion.

Uncle Josh and Aunt Aoife were not going to make to bowling, but they brought over a present for Aden....the perfect diversion.

Thank you Aunt Aoife and Uncle Josh!!!!!

Cousin Layla, possibly the cutest 3 year old in the world, joined in the gift giving and delivered a few surprises herself. The new challenge became sharing between two toddlers with all the new toys around....
Finally we pack the car with the troops and headed to 1-7-10 Bowling in Augusta. I was initially a little concerned about how it would go... my concerns were put to rest by an endless cycle of toddlers whipping, throwing, rolling, nudging and dropping little balls in the general direction of candle pins.

Brandi and Chris, who watch Aden during the week, were there with their two kids, Lindsey and Michael, and niece Hailey.


Aden, having spent some good quality time with Cousin Layla, finally got to eat some cake.

Ciara's friend Crystal, her husband Mitch, and their daughter attison were also able to make it and enjoy the day. Finally, the kids wore out the ball return machine. While the manager was repairing we took some time to open some presents. Aden's preferred technique was to delay self-gratification and wrip the wrapping paper into small pieces, methodically revealing miniscule glimpses. This drove my mom nuts as she was anxious to see the present that she had gotten him.

Even though it was Aden's birthday, I had a blast watching the kiddos who had a blast and the parents enjoying the time with their families. A fantastic day.

Mom's Birthday

After a disappointing referendum season in which the citizen's of Maine voted to deny same-sex marriage, the family gathered at Mom's new favorite Mexican restaurant. She had been trying to get us there for over a year to see the Mariachi band perform....again. Well the moons aligned and her birthday fell on a Friday, freeing us a bit from our normal evening routines. The food was great, company even better and boy did Aden like the band.

Toddler Time

It has been a long time since I've updated this post. My technological skills were too low to keep up to date, but recently they have gotten better. There's a lot to catch up on so I'll do my best to keep it simple.

Summer of 2008 was Ciara's and my first anniversary. No better way to celebrate than returning to a place special to the family and where we got married....Ditch Plains Beach, Montauk, New York. Aden was just under a year at that point but already breaking hearts.

It was a lot of fun in the sun. Aden was pretty good for the drives but not a big fan of the sand. Nanny and Bumpa did get him a play tent that came in very handy. My families are great and it also fun to get Ciara's side mixing with my. We all have common interests like good food, good beer, and good times. Nanny and Bumpa also watched Aden for an afternoon so that Ciara and I could celebrate our anniversary by going for a horse back ride. It was supposed to be a suprise, but Ciara did not pick up on suttle suggestions to bring jeans so I had to let in on the plan.


When we got back from Montauk, it was time to transition back into fall. Ciara and I got ready for school and Aden eased back into full-time at day care. Friends of ours Josh and Caroline got married at a gorgeous farmhouse on the coast near Tenants Harbor. Josh has a large family with more brothers than I can count. They all seem to have a great bond however. A bunch of them were getting married all relatively at the same time.

Shortly into the fall Nanny and Bumpa secured a house in the coastal town of Friendship for the weekend. It was a beautiful stay and will probably become a regular family activity.

After this we settled into the school year, the winter, and watching Aden grow.


The school year goes by so fast. I had a ton of meetings between school and the planning board while Ciara had concerts galore between school and her Community Choir. We were able to steel some time in February for a trip to Burlington, one of my favorite cities in the nation. I was initially disappointed to not get a room at the Willard Street Inn; they don't allow guests under 12 years, and Aden wasn't event 18 months. We found outstanding accommodations at the Lang house and plan to make it a regular trip. The picture is from the website. It was February so the look was a bit different.

Aden enjoyed the independence of being able to walk on the streets and sidewalks. Church Street, which is closed to traffic, was ideal. Music played outside the shops and the people were instantly taken by Aden's charms. We went to the Aquarium, a fantastic exhibit to rival any big city collection. Aden was a little scared of the turtles but enjoyed the water exhibits. We finished the night with a great dinner and cocktails at my favor bistro Leunig's. Aden had the best Grilled Cheese sandwich in the world and was entertained by the mirrors behind our table.











The next day we did several tours including The Teddy Bear Factory, Cabot Creamery and, of course, Ben & Jerry's. Next trip we hope to see some breweries.












We returned to school to finish out the year. It wasn't long before we had decided to go to Ireland during summer break. Ciara's cousin Ben was getting married, a perfect opportunity to introduce Aden to the rest of the family....oh and drink some whiskey.
Ciara and I rented a house in Scotland. We did our best to see what we could, taste the haggis, sip the the whiskey and breath the wind. We were astonished in both Ireland and Scotland for the blistery 90 degree days. We survived the heat, driving on the opposite side, and RyanAir. While there we had the fortune of great hospitality from family and friends. Thank you Stacey and Brendon for dinner drinks in Dublin. Thank you Nanny Noonoos for the tour of Dublin, including all the churches you went to and the nearby pubs.



Upon return to the states Ciara set up an OBGYN appointment to confirm a spring suspicion. We got that confirmation towards the end of July. Aden would be getting a baby brother or sister.

Over all the events, travels, holidays and family gathers, I have learned that there are 4 categories of pictures we have of Aden regardless of where we are or what we are doing: Tired/Sleeping, eating (usually with a bonus snotty nose), laughing, or crying.

I'm looking forward to future fun.

Snow Day; Bath Day

Last Monday Maine had the first real snow storm of the season. School was canceled so I got to spend an extra day at home with the wife and kid. We were able to enjoy the picturesque scene, warm inside, the sound of the wood stove crackling, a fitting harmony to the blowing wind and slight patter against the windows. An occasional plow truck, with flashing light, diesel engine, and grinding metal, provided an industrial cacophony that reminded us that we are not as isolated as we sometimes lead on. The storm left us with over a foot of snow and the hopes of a white Christmas.

The rest of the week was a real transition. It was the first week that we were really alone with Aden. Ciara has been absorbing the bulk of the late night, early morning duty. Aden is generally awake, not crying, but up and investigating the world, at the time that we normally go to bed. He will drift off for a few hours after feedings, but wake up periodically. I try to get up to help, but inevitably I am not equipped with the plumbing to satisfy him. I feel guilty, but I roll over in hopes for a bit of shut eye before the blasted alarm goes off.

The folks at the school have been great. Everyday I have a new gift from staff or parent. As I walk through the hallways, there are shouts of congratulations and requests for pictures. In 6 years teaching at the school, I have never felt more a part of the community then now. Still, I am mentally at home with Ciara and Aden, and many of the daily problems seem insignificant.

Ciara had a home visit from with a nurse from Inland Hospital, where Aden was born, Aden was weighed and checked. He has gained a pound from his birth weight to put him at 7 pounds 9 ounces. His umbilical cord finished withering as well and we were given the go ahead to put him in the bath. A pretty happy baby, he did well transitioning back to an aqueous environment, of course having mommy there helped.

The cats have not been an issue. Evil has been the only one to really take notice, the rest just associate Aden as "not food" and therefore uninteresting. One night Wicket slept in the bed with us, but was careful not to sleep on top of Aden. It seems like overnight, we have become a family and what once was a house, is now a home.

The Book of Aden

We had an outstanding Thanksgiving weekend with my mother and Claire, in-laws Dan, Cora, Caitlin and Conor, and good old friends, Brian, Lauren, and Jack. We were all hoping that baby Hargrove would make a dramatic holiday entrance. It was not to be however and our guests had to return home. Monday the 26th marked the official begining of Ciara's maternity leave. She woke up with me at about 5:3o in the morning, sad to see me go. Home alone, Ciara realized that her relatively subtle 4 minute contractions had evolved to acute 20 minute contractions. She called me during my lunch break and we spoke of different positions and relaxation techniques. She called back at about 1:30 announcing that the women's center had told her to check in with the birthing center.

I raced home after school; together we dashed to Waterville and the birthing center. The contractions were consistently getting closer: 10 minutes, 8 minutes, 6 minutes. We got to the hospital and found out during the pre-labor evaluation that Ciara's cervix was completely effaced though only 2.5 cm dialated--the same as it had been for the past 2 weeks. Neither one of us really thought that this was it and the nurse advised us to stay and walk around. We would be admitted when Ciara dialated to 4 cm. So we stayed, Ciara nervous that the pain and discomfort wasn't actually "it". Nurse Laurie came back at 5:30 and to our delight we had hit that mark. The cell phone was out in an instant- Dan & Cora were on there way and so was Audrey. Caroline called-she had a jump on everybody having left Boston on an impulse. Nurse Laurie estimated that it would be at least a 10 hour tour, so Ciara and I set course to weather the storm of contractions.

Ciara went from bed, to bath, to peanut shaped exercise ball and
back to bed. The contractions
maintained the avalanch-like pace; steadily increasing in frequency and, as measured by the wails and screams that could
be heard in the waiting room, intensity. Baby's heartbeat was strong, strong, averaging 140 beats per minute and Ciara was reaching her pain threshold. Twice, thrice she asked me for pain medication, each plea I parried citing her excellent breathing and relaxation techniques. The last one could not be ignored the nurse on the spot checked Ciara: "Your cervix is gone".



Her cervix was gone and it was barely past 8:00 p.m. So much for a 10 hour tour. Caroline walked in the door and was just as quickly dispatched...its a good thing it was her and not my
mother for I think Ciara would have eaten her. The nurse
confirmed that Caroline and my mother were in the waiting room, but there was no word from Dan & Cora. There was a whirlwind of activity as the nurses set up the room moving things in and out according to need. Ciara was asked if she felt like pushing and so she did.

The doctor arrived and soon enough we could see the membrane of the amniotic sac. Ciara was pushing and breathing and hugging me like never before. The door opened and in came mumsy Fahey. The nurses did their best but nothing was going to stop her from getting to her baby. Ciara shifted her legs, perfected the push and I became a daddio: 8:39 p.m. on the 26th day of November in the year 2007.