Christmas

We had a low-key Christmas this year down in Austin. We spent Christmas eve with some neighbors stuffing our faces and playing some intense games on the Wii (which we used as justification for eating more). We also had our second checkup today, and the doc says everything looks great. They were able to find Chewie's heartbeat very quickly using the hand-held ultrasound device so that was very exciting. This was the first time we could actually hear the heartbeat and it sounds like the little guy is on a treadmill! For anyone who has yet to experience this, I assure you it is pretty cool. Seeing the ultrasound was amazing but actually hearing the heartbeat was equally exciting.

Kelly was also excited because I've gained more weight than she has... not exactly sure how that happened but I'm blaming it on the holidays. I guess that gives me a resolution for 2009.

Tater was just excited for a new place to hide...

A Day With the Dogs

Today was the annual "pictures with Santa" event for Blue Dog Rescue. Kelly has been volunteering for them since she moved here and I've been helping them out with this event for the past few years. Both of our pooches were rescued by this great group and it's always a fun event to work. My job is pretty easy, but very, very hot... I throw on the full Santa garb, stuff my shirt to make a good belly, and let dogs sit in my lap, lick my beard, and pee on my boots for 3 hours... and I can honestly say I love it. We also had kittens...


This year was a great turn out at a new venue and many of our friends showed up to support the cause. Kelly had not been feeling well thanks to Chewie and a recent bout with the flu, but she came out anyway to show her support and sit on Santa's lap (always my favorite part of the day). Of course, Bella and Tater also joined in the fun and we had our first family Christmas pictures as husband and wife. The change of venue meant that there were a lot more kids present this year, so Santa got a lot of requests for various toys, including one request for a ballerina with a radio and toothbrush... an interesting combination. Maybe it was being surrounded by kids and puppies or maybe it was the fact that the Bears beat up on the Jaguars so I was on an emotional high, but I started thinking a lot about this time next year and a big smile hit my face. Papa Noel...

Little Chewie

A couple months ago I made a small and seemingly insignificant wager. Insignificant because I was sure I was going to win. The wager involved a fantasy football match up between me and Ryan Rogers. Somehow both of our bets involved our significant others and to make a long story short, if I lost then we had to name our first born Chewbacca. Obviously this was completely ridiculous, but I did feel the need to honor the bet. So when Kelly asked what we should call our little lima bean sized dude or dudette, I seized the opportunity to nickname the child Chewie.

Now I understand that this is a growing child and not a Wookie with incredible strength, limited vocabulary, and advanced technological weaponry, but I think the nickname is kinda cute. Besides, it's ambiguous enough to work for a boy or girl, and Kelly, being the awesome wife that she is, graciously accepted it without any rebuttal. I was as surprised as you are.

So if you hear us refer to Chewie in conversation or writing, now you know why. I hope this doesn't offend the Wookie community- I can handle a few Ewoks but Wookies are no joke :)

Sharing With The McBreens

The revelation to Kelly's family had to wait until our Thanksgiving trip to Florida. Adding to our anxiety was the fact that her folks were stopping to visit my parents in Hudson on their way down to Florida. Luckily Renee and Harry were able to keep quiet and we arrived in Jacksonville 2 weeks later, fresh off of our first doctor's appointment. We had a few printouts of the ultrasound made and had one framed for the future grandparents. Kelly had been feeling nauseous the whole trip but blamed it on a bumpy flight when her parents asked. When we got to the house she presented her mom with a gift of some "wedding photos" and Kathy eagerly opened the package. The printout confused her at first but she soon caught on and when she did she yelled so loud that I think everyone from Florida to Illinois knew what had happened :) We were immediately mobbed with hugs and kisses by everyone, including all of Peter and Stacy's extended family. We then proceeded to stuff our faces with turkey, squash casserole, some sort of delicious sweet potato dish, lots of deserts, and a few cold beers (well, just me on the beers). It was really a great night and we were very fortunate to be able to tell everyone in person.

160 BPM

Our expectations and emotions were high on the way to the doctor for our first checkup. But we were also understandably nervous. We arrived at the hospital at about 8:45am- just early enough to sit anxiously for half an hour before we were ushered to the back. Our ultrasound tech was a very sweet and understanding older lady and she got right to business, squeezing what seemed like an exorbitant amount of "belly jelly" on Kelly's stomach. After a few sweeps of the wand she found the gestational sack and identified a heartbeat... 160 beats per minute. I think I asked if he/she was getting a workout or something stupid like that but all I can really remember was the look on Kelly's face and the feeling of happiness that overtook me.

Sharing With The Wrights

Timing is everything right? Well, as timing would have it, I ended up back in my hometown of Hudson, OH a mere week after we found out that Kelly is pregnant. The Wright family had gathered to see my dad through surgery and while it was still early since we hadn't been to the doctor yet, it was the perfect opportunity to share the good news. I wore my "Best Dad in the World" t-shirt under a sweatshirt on my way to the Cleveland Clinic. After surprising my dad by showing up, and subsequently making him cry (sorry Dad, but it's true), I sent him into tears again when I told my immediate family that there was a reason I was wearing that t-shirt. Actually, I couldn't even get the words out before my mother guessed that Kelly was pregnant. Mother's intuition I guess... or it was just that obvious. Soon after, my grandparents and aunt and uncles showed up at the hospital and I told them all as well. Lots of hugs and congrats. We talked all about babies and celebrated the recent Obama election and at the end of the night my dad had a smile so we were all happy. The only thing that could have made sharing the news with them better would be if Kelly was with me, but it was great to raise my dad's spirits and tell them all in person.

Getting Good News

So after months of trying we got great news on Sunday, November 1st. I'll let you guess what it was :) I woke up to let the dogs out after a long night of Halloween partying and proceeded with the normal Sunday routine of cleaning the kitchen. I heard Kelly slowly make her way out of bed soon after. A few moments later my heart dropped as I heard my wife scream my name at the top of her lungs. I panicked and bolted up the stairs only to find her smiling and holding a pregnancy test in her hands. She exhaled a barely audible "I'm pregnant!" and then jumped around my neck for a gargantuan hug... and some less sizeable tears of joy.

What a great way to start the day...