And Baby makes

Fasten your Seatblet... turn all electronics off...

2009-08-12T09:51:00.007-04:00

Ok… This is now more for me that for those of you that stop by… I have been writing this thing in my head for weeks and posting to my memory and not sharing… I have no real excuse for losing the machine like precision I had 3 months back, when I was pushing out updates daily. What is it one maybe two since Dot arrived… I can attest our lives really have not changed all that much, so I get no out by saying Dot is consuming all my time… I could say work is unbelievable busy and free time is spent with Toots & kiddos but not the case… Toots will tell you I spend too much time with her and the kids…and that I never pickup my towels… So when or where do I find time… Guess at 34,000ft flying over Denver… Yep on my way back to the left coast for a few meeting and knowledge sharing… seems it never stops been... to San Fran 3 time in the last month or so, hoping that my next round of trips are shorter… Chicago, DC, Atlanta & Dallas… "truck'n"

Family update… Toots is doing wonderful; she got through the baptism and subsequent party with ease… She put together a family & friend get together that went off without a hitch… and air conditioning but we survived. We survived the families converging on the home front; we lived to laugh about the schedules and arrangements of travelers. Toot's little brother, travels all the way here and never got the 50 cent tour of the shore… he got the abridge version but even that was fast as I had command central on the phone barking orders… next time.. he will get to the one place he always wanted to see… Can’t blame the tour guide.. blame the tour company…

Big Sis, well is unbelievable… she loves Dot to a fault... and torments Little Guy to the brink… She is growing up… but still young and silly at heart… Basketball is swinging around… she is playing as hard as ever.. Noticed something about her over the summer.. as her game goes to the next level.. she is enjoying the leadership role on the court… she keeps it serious but knows how to smile and laugh.. it is a game…is is suppose to be fun… Little Guy… This summer has found him in that weird stage.. too young too old and somewhere in between… there is no hint of jealousy about or over Dot… He is enjoying the summer and some new found freedoms some that coming with growing up and those that come with the addition of a new sibling. Bringing me to Dot…People ask how are we adjusting… Hopefully Toots will agree… three months in and Dot has been a breeze… the house is filled with more laughter than wails… her smiles light up everyone… to watch Big Sis hold her and make her laugh.. or little guy get smiles from Chicken ( A word that seems to make Dot laugh, smile and coo)…It is all good… Me... I don’t talk much about me… I will say that my life is great… enjoyed having all my family around these past few months…I need to focus more on the weight and losing it... try running but the dam stuff keeps catching up…. After the christening, I looked around... and was in awe of my parents and Toot’s… the job they have done raising and readying their kids... only hope my kids can look at me some day and feel the same… The one thing I wish... is that all three of my kids will have memories of growing up that are so real and true that when they grow and move on... that they will feel like I do each and every time I hug my parents’ hello and good bye….

So time.. I always have to talk about times. 3 months in no big changes or impacts. 11 going on 12, turning from little girl to young lady… 7 well just full of goofiness and quirks. Toots and I, as a good friend said, we have a reason to stay young…whether we like it or not. Time keeps on moving and we are doing our best to hold it back at times, run ahead or just let it pull us along. So we are 9 months away from a year and I can honestly say…looking back to a year ago… I would never have thought my life would have changed so much… sometimes the dice roll the number you need.

Thanks for stopping by, I promise you keep or restart those cards and letter and I will stay committed to doing this a regularly.

I took a month-long vacation in the stratosphere.....

2009-07-11T11:01:00.006-04:00

Welcome back now......!!!!

OK... Getting lots of heat and grief about not keeping up on the Blog... Reality is after my 50th post.. I think I hit a mid-blog crisis... Started wondering what I was going to do with the blog beyond 50 and did more thinking than typing... This is really the first time I have touched the keyboard as it relates to the blog since 6/10... Big Sis has offered to it pick up and share her thoughts, Little Guy has asked to post his videos.. (More on that later)... Others have just asked... what happen... So as I come to grips with with the Mid-Blog crisis, I will continue to type and share my thoughts and the events around the family.

When we last left off.. our hero was starting a challenge... dam good thing I gave myself 9 months.. cause I started off with a bang and have seen my daily routine get impacted by weather, work and what ever else life tosses my way. I have not stepped back on the scale and I won't until I resume the routine..... Not that I have been sitting around doing nothing... Between work and life, I have been refinishing one of the rooms in the basement... doing it mostly on my own, while frustrating it is also rewarding... a few more days of hanging sheetrock and I will get back to an exercise program... hell I might even join a gym...

So what of the life around the Clan... Dot in the last month has gone from this little tiny thing to a mini person.. she is smiling, laughing and definitely recognizing faces and voices. Big Sis started her summer BBAll league and is doing well... Little Guy has stepped up his bicycle inventory to include a new trick bike.... Remember when you got a new bike or even sneakers.. how it always felt like you could run or go faster... That is what I am dealing with now.. Toots is taking care of the house... No sewing or such but I did carry in a box of fabric yesterday...

We are getting ready for Dot's baptism, big day.. big party... everyone is coming in and we should have a full house. After that it is all about enjoying the summer... sitting on the beach and relaxing..
So the tradition has been to mention time or the passing of it... In the month since we last at down, Dot has gained some weight not a lot.. thank goodness cause that was also part of the challenge... She has grown some hair... and brighten our lives... age and time don't always go hand in hand.. sometime we age far quicker than the clock and other times we are much younger than the calendar tells us... I am still waiting.. for my mind to catch up to my body... big difference from growing up and growing old...

Check back... I think I have the bug again... and lord knows what I will be writing about.. but I will..

OK one picture of the Dot....

ok one more

Thanks for pushing... and keep those cards and letters coming in!!!

Made it to 50 next goal is 100

2009-06-10T23:01:00.008-04:00

I know... where have you been... Been right here dealing with life's little adventures. Letting the little things get in the way of actually making my 50th post. I think I have been trying so hard to figure out what is the right thing to type that I missed the correct thing to type. This entire blog has been about change, changes and changing and how we are impacted by or influence it... Well the simple change was the arrival of Dot, the obvious changes were related to our adjustment we made but the biggest thing that has occurred around changing.. Not what you think ... nothing to do with Toots or I.. not Dot... It was Big Sis and Little Guy... They have been changing little by little these past 49 posts growing and experience things that are new, scary and exciting... But the most gratify thing I have seen in their "change" is that they actually have been drawn into writing... they both posted comments on the blog, Big Sis has taken to banging out fictional characters that reflect her daily grind... Little Guy is taking his simple spelling words and trying his best to make detailed stories. They are both excited about writing... and their spelling is a heck of a lot better than mine..

Catching up since the last post... Been enjoying the beach.. miss Toots but someone has to stay home and take care of Dot... Big Sis and Little Guy are doing great jobs fending for themselves on the beach... I pick a spot sit down and they touch base when they are going to the pool or looking for money... For the first time in years, I actually got a bad burn...(Never would have happened if Tootts was there.... ) walking around the day of the burn, I couldn't figure out why everyone was looking at me... I didn't feel the burn.. I didn't see the burn.. but I was getting stares... Looking back on it.. I should have had black socks and sandals on... Yes I looked like a Bennie.... Felt like a fool when I got home... I was so red.. I could stop cars... the kids were getting a kick out of leaving hand prints on my stomach.. but like everything else the redness has faded and I will be back on the beach Sunday...

Dot update... she is aware and enjoying her surroundings... Smiles are crossing her face... she is starting to recognize voices and she loves the dog or my beard brushing against her feet...Toots is planning the big day... picked the place for the baptism dinner, making arrangements and such.. A little update... all those things we have for a new born..aren't being used... well most of them are.. but there is one thing that hasn't been touched... not going to divulge.. but I bet you can guess... Yea yea.. sure Toots it will be used... maybe for the next kid.... we can save it in teh basement..

Pictures will be posted as soon as I upload them from my camera... thank God for large memory cards...

OK.. I have posted the weight loss challenge.... laid it out there... I have no plan on how I will attack my weight loss... I have started walking... realized working from home full time... you don't get the morning and evening exercise of walking the city... so hopefully once I start walking as if I am heading to and fro the office the pounds will melt away... I guess I will need to watch what I eat... or watch less of what I eat... Here are my rules...Toots gained and lost 21 lbs over the course of her pregnancy... I figure I gained as much... so my goal is to move the number on the scale south over the next 9 months... I will update weekly maybe monthly.. all depends on how well I am doing... I will also post how I am doing it... or maybe not doing it depending on how agreeable the scale is... I will also toss in an additional loss challenge that is to loss what Dot has gained over the course of a year... anyone can join in.... friendly wagers... suggestions...

Thanks for hanging around... stopping by to check if I have updated this thing... I hope I amuse...or at best put a smile on your face... Thanks for sticking around through the changes... I promise to post a lot more.. . should be easy with school letting out in a week... Keep those cards and letters coming in...

Wouldn't trade it for the world

2009-06-02T22:16:00.010-04:00

Sorry..Sorry..Sorry.. I know it's been too long... Life has gotten in the way the past few days..when I heard the calling of the keyboard, I always seemed to get pulled in another direction. I think the few blogs done during day light hours throw me off schedule. Not complaining because what was derailing me from my thoughts was bringing me great joy..little things amounting to big things... or big things driving smaller moments within... don't worry I'll try to explain some of it... all in all I have had a great few days... no curve balls tossed my way, just enough aggravation to keep me honest and on my toes and experiences that no matter how many times they happen are still new or firsts...

Little things.. the blog is actually one shy of 50 posts.. I found the lost postings.. they weren't that good... looking back over the past 50 or so days.. there have been so many little things that have made an impact on who I am and who I can be.. Reading what started as a update on the events leading to Dot has turned into almost quasi journal for myself that I am not afraid or shy to share with whoever stops by. 48 post ago I include a counter to capture the days until Dot, that counter started me thinking about my life and the days gone by and the days to come... brought back many small memories some I posted.. some I just smiled about... somewhere around the first few, I realized Toots was turning into the mother of all nesters... sewing and buy things I had no idea what they were for or how to use them.. I watched her change from being pregnant.. to being really pregnant... never once during this time did she ever mutter the words.. I wish this was over... I introduced the kiddos to the blog... my thoughts and updates on them revealed their adjustment and excitement towards the pending birth and some of their uncertain feelings after... I was able to share many little things with folks that stopped by the homestead.. where in turn I shared with these pages... but the biggest little thing that impacted this blog the most was the unwillingness of Dot to adhere to the well placed counter... That night a month ago ( Actually month and a day), when Toots thought she dreamt her water broke and the ease of the rest of the events of that night set the stage for the many more posts, pictures and updates... everything over these past 49 posts has been as smooth and easy as that night... a little tension every once in awhile... a lot of smiles... an a while a lot of little changes.. all for Dot..

Even with the arrival of Dot, we talked about the daily hustle of the rest of the clan.. balancing school, sports, parties and whatever else the kiddos came up with...

Little guy went from bored with baseball to loving the game... playing it at ever chance he gets... Just the other day he was pitching to a group of kids that were all much older than him... I could see his smile beaming across two fields.....

Big Sis, equally excelled at dealing with a new sibling and school, sports and a busy social life. Her science project of a eatable cell will forever be etched in my mind... I can make things and fix things but making a cell from cake is no job for Dad... She has finished one team season... heading in to the play-offs for the other and getting ready for some summer basketball...

I guess I am blessed... I have a safe happy family that loves and supports each other through the big things and laughs together through the rest... The things that look like turmoil are just little bumps on the road to happiness. The world could be falling apart but it all washes away when I see Big Sis put her arm around Little Guy... or Watch Dot smile up Toots... For that moment all is good... cause with in 60 seconds.. Big Sis is Punching Little Guy and Dot is spitting up on Toots.. But that's life or at least my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything..

So I touched on the normal babble of events and even managed to get references to counter and days in the body of my ramblings tonight.. what is left...

The Weight.. No not the song... no reference to Dylan tonight... no attempts as someone said in my recent poll of being a Springsteen wanna be... I am talking about the weight... gain or loss depending on where it goes from here. I originally thought I was going to set a goal to lose as much weight as Dot gains over the next 12 months ( A good use for the current counter)... but Toots tossed a challenge... no idea on the wager yet.. but she has laid down the gauntlet... daring me... to lose... as much weight as she gained during the pregnancy in the same amount of time it took her to gain it... So I have nine months.. to lose .. the actual number will be posted in the next post... This is a great challenge.. one that I will get no sympathy from her on... you see one month and a day and she is back to her pre-pregnancy weight... I hate her too... ( joking)... Guess I should consider myself lucky that she didn't gain 40 or 50 pounds... So I have the challenge and the goal... the easy part is I have the inspiration.... I will also keep my original goal in play.. so I will set my targets on losing her gain and the total body weight of Dot 9 months from tomorrow... Need one more cold beer and a few cookies... Wish me luck..

Last thing on my ramblings... Regardless if you have been an active participant in this post stopping by everyday or if you happened to stumble across only to stop back from time to time.. I want to ask you to think back over the last 50 or so days and ask yourself how have you changed... Than think about those that were impacted by that change... while our lives may be boring to others... the reality is it our life experiences are very much the same...

Good night.... keep those cards and letter coming...

Hey we surpassed the 2000 visit mark...

Be Good..

just put some bleachers out in the sun....out on highway...

2009-05-29T09:42:00.013-04:00

Spent yesterday speeding across the highways and byways that make up the mid-Atlantic region. Had a lot of things run through my head as I was driving... Between calls, rolling the radio dial from Dylan to the Who and the memories that rushed at me as fast as I was traveling, I had a thought... yes just one.. not a big one... but one that stuck with me through my drive back home and across my emails from the road... Words... What is the saying put a bunch of monkeys in a room with a type writer and they would eventually type something that makes sense... words... like musical notes.. there are just so many to use... it is how we use them that makes a difference. it is what they conjure up in our minds that makes them so powerful. Sometime it is what is between the words that says more...

Which brings me to the next part of my dance... Not sure if writing this blog is making more aware of of certain things but since I started this... things I took for granted are more apparent and important to me, things that were always there as mere memories seem to have different feel or reflection...for instance, traveling around the beltway, I had dinner at Tyson Corner's Mall... Years ago it was considered the biggest thing in the world of Malls.. But that isn't what stuck with me... what crawled out of the corners of my mind was that this is the place after many months of pleading.. .I got my genuine Daisy BB gun... yes I know you'll shot your eye out... best $9.99.. spent.. I will never forget the day my father pulled it out of the back of his Impala... I actually found it in a box in the basement ( Yes I save only the important stuff.. different gene than Toots) a few weeks back.. I felt the same way holding it some 10 years later ok... 36 years later as I did that day standing in the driveway.

The other thing about my trip is just how boring the drive north to south really is.. nothing like driving across east to west.. North to south you see Starbucks and Burger Kings... driving east to west, as soon as you leave civilization (NYC Metro Area), you see the world largest Frying pan.. ball of yarn.. ball of aluminum foil, largest t-pee (St Joseph AZ) and many other interesting things... North to South you get South of the Border (Long live Pedro) or South Lands and lots of firework and smoked ham stands...

Family is well.... Not much to say since I was gone for the day and night... they left for school yesterday and were a sleep when I returned. Got a glimpse of the milking machine in action.. now I know why Dixie was making faces at Toots... Looks like something you would find driving east to west.... Better yet.. looks like something the Professor would have made on Gilligan's Island... Dot is doing great... fussing less, actually went 4+ hours last night... which was a blessing for both of us... Little Guy has become a banker with my money... he has figured out that he can take my change from the counter and buy things at school. No matter how much he "doesn't" take he always comes home with change... Big Sis, was a Taxi player the other night... she played up two age brackets with two other girls from her team... She was the closing pitcher and hit in the tying run... nothing like supporting your cause...

Well that's it.. I actually am kicking myself for stopping the writing process this morning... Cause when I came back to it the flow wasn't there... not that I left something out.. More like I didn't put that last dash of something in... taste alright.. but missing the normal kick... heck maybe I'm just tired...

Have a great weekend.. keep those cards and letters coming in... I do appreciate the feedback... I promise something big for 5o... only two away...

Be Good...

Please Stand-by We are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

2009-05-27T08:11:00.009-04:00

Not sure what happen to my last two posts... You don't know what you missed, some of my best stuff ever... I will attempt to recapture the wit and wisdom of the past few days, worse case...I will recap the long weekend and the events that make a holiday more like work.

So with the start of the long Holiday weekend we saw the end of Camp Dot. No more sleepovers for out of town travelers. Since the "Arrival" we have been blessed to have our parents experience the newest of their granddaughters, the awww moments of seeing them hold the baby or when Big Sis or Little Guy do something cute. We have heard 1,000 times over from them and all other... "that the best part of being a (fill-in the blank) is that we get all the benefits of having a baby around but they stay when we leave". From here on out until the baptism, it will be daycare, with only day visits and just stopping by to say hi! Not sure what is harder on the routine, planned and prepped over nights or the unexpected guest just stopping by... either way they are always welcomed. Again we are grateful for the long journeys they all took to be part of this and equally thankful they all made it home safe and sound! We are glad you all came.. but also glad you have a place to go home to....

So the weekend.... across many of my post I have mentioned the need for Sun, the anticipation of the beach club opening... well it came... and went.. but in between, we accomplished what we set out... Truck was packed and unpacked.. Thank goodness the weatherman got it wrong this weekend, where it was suppose to be damp and gloomy, it was actually hot and sunny... Saturday started with Big Sis All-Star game.. followed by a quick trip through the beach club.. Toots by the pool with Dot.. .me on the sand with the kiddos...Little Guy aka the Mayor was back in full swing... checking up on how things and people changed over the long winter... Big Sis found herself back in the lion's pack.. hanging with all her friends from school... We ended the day with an all night impromptu BBQ with the neighborhood...Way I see it this year will be a breeze.. Dot isn't going anywhere.. the kiddos are of the age they can actually with minimal supervision and respect for the lifeguards manage their whereabouts at the club... leaving me and toots some time to sit back an relax... Next year... Toots is going to be real busy chasing Dot around... Sunday was a dry run of me alone with just the Little Guy... for a few short hours,he hung and played with about three different sets of friends.. on my whistle he packed it in and tagged along with me to pick up Big Sis... Monday was the unveiling... Dot and the titanium, 4X4 stroller from hell made their first appearance on the beach... While it didn't come close to being sprung from cages... it did handle the sand nicely... and was noticed the same way a new car gets the once over when it makes its way to the driveway... In a few years with a few tweaks the stroller from hell might just server a future purpose as a beach cart... Toots also had her share of stares.... Had more than one person approach and say no way did she just give birth... Even while having my start of the season cigar with the Judge... he said I was a lucky guy...

Yes Toots you still got it..

So I am still thinking on the whole race with Dot... see if I can lose the same amount of weight she gains in a year... Working the logistics of tracking.. cause it is needed... while Toots may be back to her prepregnancy weight... I haven't achieve that goal yet... So as soon as I figure out how to post/track these numbers I will start... My goal to myself is to start no latter than Friday of this week... which if my posting keep up will be on a blogging milestone... my 5oth post... good place to start... I am still up for other to join in.... maybe start a pool for some funds... think on it and leave a comment if you want to join in on the challenge..

I talk a lot about memories and stories... While sitting on the beach this weekend.. looking down along the shore... I compared the pictures in a series of books a friend gave me to current look and feel.... For those that don't know or slept through history that day.. .the Jersey Shore in the late 1800/early 1900's was the place to be... the American Rivera... The huge hotels are gone... with only pictures and post cards as reminders... what I was musing on was that the people from that era really went through and lived the same battles we are living now... there was those that were untouched by the changes in the world.... there were those that made do and those that fell by the wayside... the cycle continues and bad becomes good.. good becomes bad... but we survive and find our little piece of comfort...

A little jumbled and convoluted today as I try to recapture the thoughts gone by... I promise to post the "lost Postings" if they return.... I will posting some pictures this week...

Have a great day... keep the letters and cards coming in... thanks for stopping by... Be good.

Here comes the weekend....

2009-05-22T09:48:00.005-04:00

It is not three days until the end of today, so technically I stayed on schedule. A lot has happened in the past two days in all our lives. One event that I can not let pass is the birthday of a friend of the Blog.. Known by a few names..but agreed to be called NJRB for the purposes of being mentioned in the blog. She is a great friend, my spell checker and wonderful person. Happy Birthday NJRB!!!! Many more....

The official unofficial start of summer is upon us... Doesn't it seem like Memorial Day is so much earlier this year... Like Day light savings but for Holidays instead.. must be part of some stimulus package... Hope it comes with government burgers and cheese... Not a fan... So the great migration east commences at dawn tomorrow... the start of the relaxing holiday, actually starts with more physical labor than one should have to go through... that would be packing the truck with the summers worth of "stuff" and hauling it to the beach club... Haul once in and once out on Labor day... the rest of the summer all I haul is beer, soda and water and whatever else Toots buys for the Beach club( Which means I haul more home than down each year).. Weekend weather doesn't look to promising but I don't care... I will be on the beach with the start of the season cigar... and cold beer... it could be 40 degrees.. but I will be there... On Dr. orders Dot is not to go to the beach until she is at least 6 months... The Dr should have followed that up with I would wait another 6 months because it isn't a good idea to take a baby on the beach in the dead of winter...

While many of our holidays have drifted away from their true meaning or purpose... let's try to remember what the memorial in Memorial Day is really all about...

THANK YOU!

What else is there to chat about on this glorious day.... As much as I like doing this as the hour reaches mid-night.. it isn't half bad doing it with the sun up and a cup of coffee within in reach..

Toots, Little Guy and Dot are all about town already... Big Sis is hanging in her room... She had her first playoff game the other day... hit safely and drove in a run... She has the all-stars this weekend... Little Guy and I have conquered, not completed Ben Ten... If you have to ask you just don't know.. and if you know.. you know what a pain it was... Little guy is off getting his hair cut... He actually asked while Toots was in the hospital a few weeks back... If he could use her appointed so he could get his hair cut.... wonder sometimes if he is my kid... I'd let my hair keep growing if Toots didn't remind me to get it cut... I think it has something to do with the buzz cuts of my youth.. and that ear stuck to the mirror at Buddy's Barber Shop.. If you move, I'll be putting your ear up there....

Been looking at the count down for the year.. and have been contemplating... putting myself out there with a personal challenge I might or might not track on the blog... I know Toots feedback already... I would like to lose as much weight as Dot gains between now and her 1st Birthday... Attainable goal, that I can always control by withholding food... (Joking)... I am going to give myself a week to think on it... and than post starting weights with updates ever month. I am open to a friendly contest to see who can come closest to loseing the weight gained by Dot...

That's it for the post... Hope you enjoyed, smiled a little, thought a little and stop by again. Keep those letters and cards coming in...

Be Good

Doo, doo, doo, Looking out my back door

2009-05-19T22:55:00.003-04:00

Ok... Two days later and I am back at the keyboard.... To share some insight into all things Dot, to update you on the growing family and the impact the little alien is having on the kiddos and to shed some wisdom or just plain dumb to my league of fans... Ok for myself to look at and say.. not bad... A lot of planning does not go into these posts, most nights it is an " All work and no play makes Jack and dull boy" start...white screen, some thoughts swirling around my head and fingers that tap way faster than I think... resulting in a few paragraphs about nothing...

Hit the city today for a few meetings... did something I haven't done in years.. hopped the ferry and took a nice leisurely 45 minute ride into downtown... Each and every time I go into the city, I feel like I am walking into the lion's den... It has never felt right after 9/11.... yea the landscape has changed but more so the heart and soul changed and even though we have all moved on.. the change still lingers... Watching the skyline come at me as the boat approached downtown, I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach.. not fear or scared... more about control or lack there of... if someone wants to do something they will... nothing I can do... and what really bothers me is that doing something to me, really doesn't impact me at the end of the day... it impacts those around me, my family and friends... That sucks... because if I want to influence or impact my friends and family, I want it on my terms and not at the hand of someone else... Don't get me wrong, I am not paranoid or hung up on something happening to me or the city.. it is just a feeling I get when I get closer to the city... Flip side... taking the ferry in, you pass right by the Statue of Liberty... on a clear day, with crisp skies there isn't a better sight to see...

Looking out my office window I have a great view of Ellis Island... Babies are a lot like the immigrants that passed through the doors on Ellis Island... They left a safe comfortable place to travel to a place that was full of unknowns, they don't speak the language and had no clue about there new place...they are totally dependent on others to help them get started and over time they improve and contribute to the lives around them... until one day they are so blended in.. that we forget where they came from or how hard they fought to make in the early days...

Dot is doing well... I actually have found the dexterity in my meat hooks to unsnap those tiny, wee snaps that seem to be multiplying on her clothes... not sure how or why a piece of clothes that designed to fit something so small requires so many snaps...whatever happen to Velcro... pulling the diaper off is a piece of cake...can do that with my eyes half open.. what I have become an apprentice at all over again is getting it back on... I got the approval from Toots tonight that I did it right.. Yes Toots told me I did something right.. been a trend since she was wrong the other day... yes she was wrong.. ask her it was the first time ever...I'm not going to argue.. she is right.. and if she is wrong it will only be the second time...Sam Drive is where I left it... not that way.... I think she is getting lazy with the GPS in the Suburban... she can no longer navigate by the stars or smelling a leaf... I don't care cause I was right... Anyway.. I changed the diaper snapped the numerous snaps to their corresponding mates and had Dot resting comfortably in my arms...

Skipping a day means I missing some stuff... I promised myself in the last post that I wasn't going to go back as often... but yesterday warrants a trip... It was the 18th.. the day the counter committed that Dot would be born... glad she came early.. looking back over these past few weeks, it is easy to see the impact she made on the lives around her... the fact that it happened a few weeks early may not seem important but she changed some one's life... that might have not been changed if she decided to listen to the counter... Big Sis is in a funk... I think the reality of Dot is sinking in and she might be feeling a little left out.... It is tough, she is at that age where everything comes with drama... and if we don't pay attention to the star we here it from management. All we can do is reassure and give her patience... we know it won't be long until she is back in full fledged big sister mode... Little Guy still seems fine... a little less clingy, not so whining... and almost a little more self reliant... I wouldn't say the kiddos are jealous... I think they are awed and caught up in the activities that are going around and for Dot... As we settle deeper into the routine, they will rise from the funk...

I think that is it for tonight's musical interlude... I talked about the day, Dot, the kids and expressed myself. Nothing earth shattering or moving... but enough to make me think...

enjoy... keep those letters and cards coming...

Good night and be good...

One last thing.. love the comment that was posted last night... Thanks...

Where have all the good times gone... (first thing that popped into my head)

2009-05-17T21:46:00.007-04:00

No, I haven't given up yet, no I am not getting lazy and switching to every third day and no... I haven't run out of useless things to document on these pages. I started last night with all intentions of getting the pages filled.. but somewhere between create and publish, I got hit with a serious bout of procrastination.... so bad that I watched the late hour of Saturday turned to the early morning of Sunday.. to the mid-day and finally to the late hour of Sunday... In between those hours I had numerous things I wanted to or should have put down on the pages but I didn't... So tonight's post will be filled with a little of this and a little of that as I attempt to catch my thoughts up to present time. While it was real easy not posting it is real hard trying to catchup.

So Friday was Little Guys birthday... he started his day with minimal fanfare, shared cupcakes with his class and came home in search of presents. He picked dinner and waited patiently throughout until we got home for cake. He has these new sun glasses that make him look like some 1970 sitcom star...

He's too cool for himself...

Big Sis has started to show a little jealousy about Dot... Toots asked me to reload the digital frame and Big Sis could be heard loud and clear mumbling under her breath.. I bet they will all be of Dot... Not much we can do to change her mind.. just let her and show her that we love her... and that all the kiddos are loved the same... On the sporting front.. she made the All Start team, she and 4 of her teammates will be playing with the all stars from the U12 division. This should give her some more confidence and exposure to the next level she will face next year. She already has been asked to join a travel Basketball team for the summer that will start sometime after softball ends.

Big Sis and Dot catching some zzzz's

Dot the reason for the commotion... My calendar popped up a reminder that I was suppose to be at the hospital tomorrow morning at 6:00AM... my neighbor...who we obviously haven't seen in a few weeks approached me today... expressing "tomorrow's the big day... " I said huh.. he said tomorrow's the big day... May 18th... baby... I said... guess we haven't seen you... Dot made her arrival two weeks ago, totally disregarding the best made plans of Toots.

I am going to catch hell for this.. but doesn't Dot make a perfect Garden Gnome...

This is the part of the dance where I start talking about time and the counter... Let me tell you the struggle to catch up after missing a day was tough.. trying to capture a span of a few days makes this work, takes away the fun and the flow... I have learned my lesson that I either can't let it go for too long or that when it does slip that I can't try to recapture the span of time. Two things hit me today... about the preciousness of time and how we need to worry about today, enjoy the moment and plan for the future.. the things that have gone by can not be changed, altered or dismissed. The joy or heart ache that has occurred is only an influence on what we can or should do today and beyond. I dropped Big Sis off at a friend's house who happen to live close to the cemetery where my Grand Parents are buried... On my way home, my car made the left into the cemetery, travelled down the winding roads to the place they were laid to rest... I got out of the car.. walked to the top of the hill... said a little prayer.. and looking at the dates... I did the quick math.. and realized that so much has happened since those dates were etched in stone... funny that even after all this time, they haven't changed... they are still discussed in conversation as if they are still down the street... waiting for our Sunday afternoon visit...

Nobody will remember you if you keep your thoughts secret... Express yourself...

That's it... promise to not let it slip and hopeful that if I do.. the posting is more concise... Tonight's post was more for me...Yes selfish but eye opening... nothing is so ugly that it can not be faced down... not is so bad that a little good can't make it right... life is too short to worry about things we can't change.. and most of all why let the little things become big things... some times you have to say.... It..

Keep those letters and cards coming...

Good Night.. be good...

Just Nod if You Can Hear Me...

2009-05-14T22:16:00.002-04:00

Time for a new post. Not sure how I will pull this off as my mind is mush. No I am not tired or exhausted by Dot's schedule. I have just spent the last 10 hours on a conference call, it could have went longer but I was given a pass due to the hour on the east coast. Safe to say, I've become comfortably numb... So most of my witty, insightful comments and observations have been spent today... So I will ramble slightly through the paths of my mind to see what nugget I might find. I will also use the help of Big Sis, who snuck into the office and typed... "time for a new pet".

The last two days have been fun and laced with laughs and battles. Seems I'm not doing enough and Toots is doing too much. That I can't remember to do something and that Toots can't forget to remind me that I forgot something... It goes both ways... but since I am writing this, I get to spin it my way.... the good news is that at the end of day, we find time for a hug and a sorry... right before we laugh and crash...

Tomorrow is Little Guy's birthday, 7 years already... time has flown but I have been very lucky to have been able to spend a lot of time with him as he has grown. the job tends to allow me to work from or close to home, so I have been lucky to be there for many of his milestones. There are a few games or practices I have missed. Outside of the few misses I have been in attendance for most of the other big steps made by Little Guy.. Over the past few years I have watched him mature and revert only to amaze. There is definitely a difference in raising girls over boys.... I know it switches as they hit their teens... Just hope that there is slight over lap in this transformation process.. one day without a poke, punch or scream.... one day where we look like some TV sitcom family; instead of a Spanish soap opera... Than again, a day without fun filled sibling battles would make for a boring Blog...

So Big Sis, snuck in time for a new pet!!!!! I would have a better chance of getting Toots to agree to me dating a super model than getting her to even slightly entertain the notion of bringing another nonhuman into the house. Besides a supermodel won't eat as much as a new pet; heck she might even pick up something...

The other night in my reference to the counter, I focused on getting old... I have been thinking about those few lines the past two days.... I realize what was bothering me, old and aging are two very different things that are linked so tightly together. Getting old in my philosophy means setting or being set in your ways... while aging refers to the process of the body changing and the clock ticking off year after year. Aging is suppose to be good.. old is bad... did you ever hear of anyone selling old cheese or beef... no they are aged... a fine wine is not an old wine it is aged... Lucky for Dot, she has many years of aging before she is once again gets set in her ways. For a newbie, she is doing pretty good at setting and keeping a schedule.. she also has the propensity to wail or fuss if that schedule is broken...

That the dance around ring for tonight. We are close to the 2K number... we just might make it by the real date... (5/18).... 4 days to get 150 or so hits... been averaging 20 - 25 a day... we will be close... we are reaching another milestone... just a few days until I hit 50 postings... seems like yesterday I was wowing little guy with the counter... The bug is still there and the fire smolders all day on what or why I should write. I am glad that the why or whats continue... tomorrow pictures...

Keep those letters and cards coming...

Good night and be good..

Forever Young...

2009-05-12T14:15:00.006-04:00

We lost the instruction manual for Dot, so we will be free wheeling it for the next 18 years or more. Figure we've done it twice, how hard can it be to do it a third time. We remember the basics commands... No.. No .. Because I said No... Believe we need to feed and change her, wake her and parade her in front of the throngs that come to wonder at her shrine call the crib. For the near future we will go on instinct and feed, change and dry tears.. oh yea.. and buy clothes.. lots of clothes. When mobility hits, we will revert back to basics.. No... No.. because we said No...

Dot is officially a used baby now.. Toots gave her a sponge bath and washed that new baby smell off. She now smells like baby lotion... so she smells good but now she is this tiny little bundle that keeps slipping out of my hands... ( joking)... I haven't dropped her yet.. I have successfully with a little help from Toots changed a diaper... Like riding a bike... yon never forget.. just a little wobbly on the first attempt.

Dot is doing great, she is sleeping and eating and eliminating as only the most perfect baby can. I am sure if the nurses in the hospital saw her now, they would agree she is still excelling past her peers. We are truly blessed with wonderful kiddos... Big Sis is always right there ready to hold... Little Guy seems to have gotten over the shock of being the boy between the two girls... He told me yesterday it OK... I am now just like my cousin... he has two sisters and he seems OK... Toots is doing great... looking great and starting to act like her old self again. She has marshaled the troops back to normality while continuing her Martha Stewart like touches on the homestead.

Haven't mention the counter... A year is a long time on paper but a mere blink of an eye in it's impact to change us. I always thought getting old meant aches and pains, slowing down slightly year after year... but the reality is getting old is more a mindset... Getting old is more about being set in your ways... having a routine that is hard to break or at best disruptive when not followed. All in all it is about managing the "different" things that come our way. Where am I going with this ramble... I was in the car today, listening to my fixed XM radio station and realized that old is when your favorite music is by an artist that is either dead or hasn't put out anything worth while in 25 years... Old is having a hard time listening to the top 20 music of Big Sis... not because it is bad... ( OK it isn't Stairway to Heaven or Born to Run) but because it is different. Big Sis gave me a pass, after I told her my feelings... she reminded me... She has to tell me to stop singing her music.. cause its a little creepy.... She told me I have a better voice for Bruce than Brittney... Can I get a.... Poker Face... There is a lot of truth to kids keeping you young! The way I see it... I won't get old before my time and with Dot just starting down the road... I have another 10 -15 years of top 20 music...

May your hands always be busy,

May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young

I know... quoting an artist that thankfully is still alive and hasn't put anything out in 25 years...

Hope the every other day postings are fun... that I am not being to monotonous and that you stick around for the ride until I am done... or reach a point when my musing only make sense to me. keep those cards and letters coming in...

Good night and be good.

Don't pass Go.. don't collect..

2009-05-10T22:16:00.006-04:00

Happy Mother's Day.. I hope all the Moms had a restful, enjoyable day... cause tomorrow(today) it is back to the grind. Breakfast in bed will be replaced with making breakfast for your broods... Cards will be replaced with permission notes and post school scrambles and those flowers will be pushed aside to make room for homework and projects. As a Dad and a Son, I am thankful for all the Moms in my life... Given the load and the sacrifices moms do and the pure fact that they always put us first.. warrants the thought that everyday is mother's day... because with out Moms the day wouldn't start right and the end would be missing the attention to detail that makes each day flow from one to the next. This one was a special one for us.. Dot's early arrival made Toots and the kiddos the center of attention, the family and friends that spent time with us and those that were miles away all contributed to a day that was fun, relaxing and non-eventful.

If there is one thing I have learned about Toots over the years is that I should never ever play Monopoly with her. Big Sis begged for a game tonight... So Toots and her mom along with Big Sis sat down for a "fun" game... Little Guy and I knew better.. so we decided to stay clear of the house for awhile... The game went on for sometime.. when Toots announced she needed to go upstairs... I was forced into playing... Figuring that in the absence of Toots,, the game wouldn't be that bad, I agreed.. Man was I wrong... I see where she gets her drive to win this darn game.. I also see that Big Sis has acquired the same passion of winning... so what I thought was going to be a easy wrap up of an on-going game now has turned into a multi day event... I am sure I will hear something about what I did to Toot's growing empire and be nicely asked to let her finish what she started... I will gladly give up my trustee role and search for a quiet spot in the house tomorrow when their battle to secure the streets of Monopoly continues. I am sure Toot and Big Sis are plotting their individual battle plans, mounting the elephants and ready their trips to reclaim or conquer the precious pieces of paper that make up the property.

A little over a week since Dot made her arrival.. in that time our lives haven't changed all that much... Dot is really the perfect baby... sleeping and eating on a schedule... when awake.. she is content to be held and watch her world come to her... I will say that for someone so tiny it is amazing how her arrival has impacted or influenced so many major changes on our space.... the Dot dowry continues to grow with more clothes, gifts and stuff that I have no idea what purpose they serve. There is a struggle between Big Sis and Little Guy to see who gets to hold her...it is a great struggle as the picture of the Big Brother and Sister holding Dot is precious. Little Guy is jealous not of his new sister but of her name... he wants a name as long as Big Sis and Dot.. so he announced today he will not longer go by his two letter initial name and now prefers to be call the same name as his grandfather... He is reacting to this in the same manner I did when I tired of my childhood nickname... We will see how long it lasts and how determined he is to demand we call him by his long name... It is a good thing he doesn't have stationary...

I am amazed at how easily our lives adjust to change... I guess good change is easier than hard change when it comes to impacting our mindset. Regardless of the change, we morph our thoughts, routines and lives to embrace and face the challenge of change... Good change is a welcome path that leads us to new and exciting findings... Bad change or distributive change takes us down the same path... the difference is that on the good path you look for those nuggets... on the bad path we are to focused on changing the course... the old adage of taking time to smell the roses applies to good and bad change... Not to fear.. there is nothing bad on our road.. I am just musing about life's little curve balls... When the news of Dot was first communicated, I thought my god... what are we going to do... the Arrival of Dot changed my thought process and has me thinking my god look at all we can do... "I was so much older than... I'm younger than that now(Bob Dylan)" sums up how I am changing with the good...

I set a goal of 2,000 hits on this blog before the old counter hit zero... while we all know Dot decided to screw with the math... we are still on track to hit 2,000 by the 18th... hope you still find this entertaining... Cause I find it relaxing and therapeutic..

Good night... Keep those cards and letters coming...

Take me out to the ball game....

2009-05-08T23:18:00.005-04:00

Last two days have seen a flurry of activities around the homestead. The changes to the house dwarf the nesting activities that have occurred in preparation for the arrival of Dot. Seems that early arrival really had us with many unfinished things that were on the scrolls of to do items... The wash machine if it had human traits, would be feeling like a Chinese laundry...it has been nonstop washing and drying of all the clothes. The washing and drying is followed by folding and storing of the smallest little things. post baby nesting continues with furniture being rearranged, baby stuff being moved from one place to the other and the introduction of more baby apparatus. where there was a chair now sits a swing, where there as a table sits a pack and play... Dot has over taken the house and we love every second of it!

Had my folks in for the day and Toot's mom has arrived for week or so to help her and us deal with new activities as well as the existing events that Dot can't stop. all these visits and additional help are being done for this little baby...

She is so small, with the normal weight lose she is now at 6lbs 1oz. she is so tiny I can't change her diaper with out help. Mind you it is not because I don't want to.. my be meat hooks just don't seem to have the dexterity to maneuver a diaper the size of a postage stamp, while dealing with the little gorilla legs twisting and kicking... Dot found her voice today, was wailing away, the sounds echoed throughout the house.. funny it actually sounded like music... I know in a few weeks it is going to be wearing thin and we will have the frustration of not being able to clam her ..wishing she could tell us what was wrong...

Toots is doing and looking great. she has the baby routine down pat and Dot has bonded to her very nicely. She is radiant when tending to Dot and Dot response to the love in the sweetest ways. Too watch mother and child sleep is precious, to watch Toots in the dark changing and feeding her....reminds me that these are moments to treasure and store away forever.

Tonight found me and the kiddos at a baseball game. We had to arrive almost two hours early because the entire league was being invited onto the field, This invite conjured up images in the kids of being announced over the PA system... now entering the field..field.. Big Sis... starting pitcher.. or little guys vision of being able to steal home... much to our surprise.. all they got to do was walk the parameter of the field... no touching of the grass.. just walk.. I spent the entire game standing, watching over the kiddos as they went about there social interactions with friends and strangers that quickly became friends.

We must be doing something right... because big sis and little guy still are capable of drawing people in the same way Dot does, they have the personalities that make people want to be near them, the silliness to make everyone laugh and the compassion to make sure everyone is attended to. these characteristics are seen with friends, family, definitely Dot...I only wish they would treat each other the same way.

Tomorrow continues the prayers to the rain gods.. to hold off for day... we need to get a game or two in this weekend as the season is almost over. should be a challenge tomorrow.. two games in two different towns....

OK one more picture...

That's it for tonight... check back tomorrow or the next for more updates on the every changing family landscape! Keep those letter and cards coming in...

Good night and be good

Who'll stop the rain....

2009-05-06T21:50:00.003-04:00

Day two of the house invasion. Dot is home and settling in like the perfect house guest. She is definitely a part of this family and has the "stuff all over the house" gene to prove it, which I am sure has a strong linkage to the "Save all the stuff around the house" gene. Every room in every corner is Dot stuff. I believe in two days, she has accumulated more stuff than she will use in 100 years. One would think that she is going to stay tiny forever!

Night one was so uneventful that if we didn't have all this stuff strewn around the homestead, we would be hard pressed to know there was another person living under our roof. She is so quiet and fuss free that it has me nervous for when she turns the corner and wants to be heard... Big Sis and Little guy are on cloud nine... spening as much time as possible, Toots has settled in to a routine.

I did my first run in several years to baby R Us, for those of you that haven't been in as many years I have... there is more stuff that I had no idea what it was for or why a baby would need it.. Pack-n-Play setup that look like Barbie's townhouse... two levels, elevator and hot and cold running... strollers that had lease plans because they cost more than my first car... I think one of them actual came with a Graco GPS, with built in tags for bathrooms with changing tables.. The wall of diapers was more overwhelming than the racks in the library of congress... They actually have organic diapers... not sure how they work but.. I think a brown paper sack would work better... of course I couldn't find the diapers that Dot needs... size 0 diapers appears to be made only for those super model babies... by the best designers...

Outside of the sunshine Dot brought into the house these past two days, we have yet again been deluged by rain. Keep checking my mail to see if my address is Seattle and not NJ. all this rain is eating into softball and baseball... fields are more like swamps better suited for fishing than pitching... I am hoping we can get a game in before basketball starts... we need sunshine... I need the beach... 20 more days until the beach club opens... I need to feel the sun on my face and my toes in the sand... looking forward to hitting the breakers for my afternoon cigar...

Had a realization today, a little off track from what I write but it struck me hard today... it is as hard now to order a cup of coffee at Dunk'in donuts as it is at Starbucks... I always have a hard time at SB, ordering Toots, white vanilla half this half that, no whip, skim coffee.. I would just point and hope I got the right one... at DD today I could not order a large coffee because the store changed managements and nobody spoke English... While on the subject of customer service... I got email from Volvo today.. asking me to provide feedback on my buying experience... needless to say.. I had fun... can only image the statistician who has to figure out where in the reports to put car burst in to flames 250 yards away from dealership... Like I said before Quality is job one... unless of course it is almost lunchtime and somebody else can worry about it...

Full house this next few days, my parents, Toots mom are all in for baby unveiling and grandparents day... and Big Sis science fair... her project and the rest of the 6th grades had to create edible cells... try making a scientifically correct model of a plant cell out of food... go ahead.. just think about it... my contribution was melting jolly ranchers into a nucleus... at least I got that part down for Little Guy and Dot's turn...

Well that is it for the night.. tomorrow will be picture worth a few thousand words night... with both black and white and the much requested color photos... until than.. keep those cards and letters coming..

good night and be good..

you can get anything you want... at..

2009-05-04T23:26:00.003-04:00

One more day until Dot makes that ride home. Will things change on the home front. Yeppers... Dogs will be told to be quiet, kiddos will be told to be quiet and I will be told to quiet everyone down. Don't get me wrong, we weren't the "church mouse" family with Little Guy and he managed to sleep through the normal rumble of the day. That middle level murmur that rose to the rafters never woke him up. It was the quiet stuff that always had him stirring and fussing... like someone saying... shhhh the baby sleeping.. Than he would go bug eyed, and wail like he was stepped on...

Dot is sleeping like a baby..and already excelling past her peers.. Toots was told today Dot was the best baby in the nursery.. low maintenance.. How often do you think I will hear that statement about my girls... stop laughing... So we have gone from nesting to lists... each trip to the hospital, I get a list of things to bring and return to and from home. Of course Toots is telling me to get the light green blanket with white bows that have a hint of something or other in them.... she forgets I am color blind.... been good so far, haven't brought the wrong thing but I do have one more day.

Tomorrow for me restarts the car seat wars... sure I can re-enforce an ancient bassinet and wow Little guy with my ability to use crazy glue to fix something.. but car seats... last time I did a car seat it was the biggest battle trying to get my hand behind the seat to grab the seat belt... than apply enough downward pressure to make the seat belt super tight.. never really worked.. the seat still always moved an inch or two... than we discovered the tether... great invention... another strap that hook to the top and to some unreachable piece of metal deep under the seat... now it is a base, with it's own adjustable straps that connect in sequence to two different metal hooks that are equally unreachable... good news is that it goes in super tight.. no wiggle room or need to sit on it to get the belt that extra inch tight...Betcha its a bitch to get out... if only I could move it an inch to reach the straps... I just wish , the truck had a hump.. we could plop her right on down and watch her roll on corners... isn't that the way most of use were secured in cars .... the next adventure for our low maintenance girl is a stroller.. not any stroller but some German engineered graphite metal, no flat tires contraption that can go on land, air or sea... with out missing a step... I promise to send picture by the end of the summer of me carrying this go anywhere stroller of the future over my shoulder while trudging off the beach... Tonight I'll stick to the mechanical devices that are suppose to make our lives with Dot simple and carefree... Another night, we can talk about the things without moving parts that makes no sense..

so a few days into the year.. and I have already started equating ages and ability to changing seasons... like this year.. Dot will be in a stroller ( Aforementioned high tech panzer stroller) but by the start of little league next year... Toots or I will be chasing after her as she unsteadily walks away... Looking over the past few days, I have seen Big Sis grow in yet another direction.. she is the proud sister... ready for dress up and such... but also kicking in to be a helper of sorts.. yes she wants to hold the baby.. but she also has been a huge help to me these past few days.. Little Guy hasn't grasped that Dot is coming home... or if he has.. he doesn't realize what is in store... I am sure that he will be fine, nose a little out of joint but the normal pattern of the house will return... for awhile... that is until Dot stops sleeping like a baby....

A wow story... or an oh my god story.. going down the elevator today... did the male bonding thing.. guy next to me looked at my shackled wrist ( Need security tags to get in and out of the floor) and asked boy or girl... I proceeded to tell him the story of Dot in three part harmony...telling him about the blog and all the funny things I mentioned... than asked him the same... and he topped my tale of newborns and growing families and said boy... this was followed by ...your first.. Sounding like an old pro... I said no.. third... he smirked... and said... his 8th...I thought I saw a tear... I held the door for him when we hit the lobby...

Well that brings us to the end of broadcast day... keep those letters and cards coming in...

Good night be Good..

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels....

2009-05-03T10:09:00.005-04:00

OK... Getting heat for not doing a posting last night. To be honest I was far too tired to think, never mind type... As you all can image it has been a whirlwind the last few days... Running here and there... back and forth... while trying to manage the rest of the normalcy that occurs in our life. Runny on Empty doesn't do justice to the way we feel now... Let me walk you through the last few days... maybe you can see where we lost sleep and help us find it...

Around 2:30 in the morning, I was awoken by Toots... Kind of moved slow.. thinking she was just up early doing some nesting stuff. When she finally got my attention... "Honey.. I think my water Broke..." I was up... Since she had everything planned to the last second... nothing was ready... nothing was ready for the hospital trip... so I was in the basement getting luggage... in the laundry room getting clean clothes... the DR. told her to take an hour to get to the hospital... so she showered... now.. those of you that know Toots... already have said... get out.. those of you that don't.. Toots has been known to take two hours getting ready... the end result is always fantastic.. but needless to say... her routine has made us late for a few events... ( I think somewhere on the can of hairspray is the statement.. You never want to arrive too early)... She did her hair and face thing in record time... and we were out the door by 4. Quick drive to the Hospital... let them dare stop me for running a red light... Gotta do it when you can... In the hospital it was a hurry up and wait scenario... Toot's DR was delivering another baby, so the time for her C-Section was going to be in a few hours... Contractions starting coming a little faster... and an OR opened up.. so they zipped us in... snip and clip... an little tug and some big pulls and pop... Dot entered the world...

Toots was in surgery for an hour.. seemed like a lifetime.. between running to the nursery and back down to check on her... recovery for her was a hoot... forget the drug but it caused amnesia. Nurse warned me... and as soon as she opened her mouth it was evident... the nurse was not exaggerating... best line... while Taking Toots... BP and other vitals... Toots looks up at the monitor... and asks in a very panicked tone... where the baby's heartbeat... nurse and I laugh.. tell her upstairs in the nursery...

Toots goes off to rest..Dot rolls down the hall to the Nursery to meet some new strangers... me... I head home.. get the kids... bring them back... wait for Sis-N-law and one of the Niecetts... spend a little time together.. and head off to the next best thing to giving birth... My thought is Toots had this planned... cause where do I head off too... I get the wondrous job of being the host at Little Guy's birthday party... 30 screaming, twirling... there all alike boys.. ( A few girls) for two hours of "bounce around fun".... I am glad I was so tired that I didn't realize where I was.. my ears were fast asleep so I couldn't hear the screams... my body was numb.. so I didn't feel the constant punches, pushes or shoves... all in all with a lot of help, I made it through... had a great moment.. While I was taking pictures.. I had one of the boys hold my life line... ( Fresh cold bottle of coke...aawwww caffeine)... I take my pictures...reach back for the coke... open it and I get a shower... Big Sis gets a shower of nice ice cold coke... while it didn't have the same effect... none the less it woke me up... I got yelled at by the party police... No food or drinks allowed in the bounce area... Bite me... After the fun in the inflatable world.. it was back to the hospital...

Let me tell ya... I love Toots... I love Dot.. but I hate hospitals... I can talk for hours with Toots.. but in a hospital room.. there is nothing to say... nothing to do... but I went.. stayed and was good about it...
Friday ended around an hour after I should have been asleep... my second wind wasn't strong enough to blow out a candle but I stayed up until midnight... couldn't sleep...

That was Friday....

Saturday was more the same but solo... so I was running kids back and forth in between baseball parties and friends houses... still no sleep... and no time for coffee... the folks at DD must be missing me around now... I think I fell asleep around midnight on Saturday... Little Guy and I were fighting to stay awake while watching a show about a tow truck company... ( Definitely a subject for another night.. an entire show about a tow truck... and no it doesn't talk like Thomas.. real truck... real world.. real boring... )

Sunday.. Big Sis was off to a friends.. I think she needed a break from the hospital.. but she missed Dot and Toots... so She called me to change the pickup time not once, not twice.. but about 6 times.. .. Little Guy and I had a plan.. that we would go the hospital.. bring the Wii and spend hours playing... he was going to show.. Dot how to play... unplug.. packed and head out the door... get to the hospital.. to our surprise.. the TV doesn't have jacks... so no Wii.. The next best things for a 6 year old outside of playing Wii in the hospital.. is playing with the bed... trying to make a sandwich out of himself... that lasted an hour... I give him credit he made it a total of 3 hours... all he wanted to do is play... but we had to get Sis... and get back to the Hospital to say good night... Out of the mouths of kids... Little Guy wanted to know how the milk was delivered to mom.. so Dot can drink...

Brings us to right now... I am tired beyond belief... kiddos are fast asleep.. talked to Toots.. she is tired and feeding... heading off to sleep...

New survey and counter... Since we couldn't count on the counter to count correctly ( say that 3 times fast)... I figure we can count on the calendar to correctly flow from one day til the next... thus the 36X days until a year has past... I may not write anything again until the year is up... or I may drop notes every once in a while... true goal is to look back over the upcoming year to capture and share moments... and memories... and to see what changes have occurred in our lives over the next year... promise I won't talk about diaper changes or the reason those changes occur...

Good night.. keep those cards and letters coming...

Be good... Drive safe..

Thank you to all the friends and family that offered to help, provide ground coverage and special thank you to Sis-N-Law for making the drive, CB (neighbor for taking the call at 2:30), NR & JA( one of my biggest fans) for helping and the R's for taking Little Guy after the party on Saturday... with out friends and family.. like each and everyone of you... I think someone would have found me sleeping in my car on the side of the highway....

And Five it is...

2009-05-01T22:26:00.007-04:00

This is the easiest posting yet... what is the saying... a picture is worth a 1000 words...

Well here is 3000 words...

Let me just say that Dot ( Everyone else has a nickname), is so tiny and small that I am almost scared to hold her. She is perfect in every way... the kiddos are head over heals for her.. Toots, came through this like a trooper... Contrary to Facebook.. It was me that was updating her status from her phone as she was in delivery...

I'm happy, tired and relieved... good night....

The counter lied... goes to show ya...

2009-05-01T10:36:00.006-04:00

Mid morning post...(Feels more like my normal midnight post) The counter over there... lied.. or was really PO'd about being talked about ever night... as a matter of fact it woke me up at 2 in the morning.. to tell me I was wrong.. that the DR. was wrong and in show of solidarity to the counter... Dot decided to voice her opinion.... seems she isn't one for counters, calendars or clocks...

Somewhere around 2am this morning Toots said.. I think I am in labor... Somewhere around 6:05 am... Dot responded with Oh yes you were in labor...

In case you can't tell... Dot has arrived... 6lb 5oz 18.5 inches long... Mother and child are doing great... Big Sis and Little Guy are off the wall with excitement...

Oh yea....... While Dot will be her nickname in this blog... her real name is...

Morgan Kathleen.... ( Thanks NJRB for letting me know I forgot to enter it.. yes I am tired... )

Pictures to follow...

Keep those cards and letters coming....

Follow the bouncing ball...

2009-04-30T21:26:00.004-04:00

School out again... two days this week the kiddos either have had off or been sent home early because of mechanical problems at school. Day off was already highlighted in a post, was due to a water-main break... Today was an early dismissal because of a failed fire monitoring system. I don't envy the teachers and staff... the simple statement that the system failed turned into controlled chaos, with kids calling home, saying there was a fire, gas leak or that the school was going to blow up. We got the call and toots had me to the bat cave in seconds... demanding that I rush to school to retrieve the kiddos.. As I wrestled for a parking spot.. Guess everyone has a bat cave these days... cause it was packed... I found the kiddos and them some.. school to be perfectly intact and needless to say..all kids safe and sound.. great staff.. The kids are treating tonight like they are preparing for a snow day... keep asking did we get the call is school closed or not... do you think they fixed what was broken... ( as I write this.. they got their wish.. no school tomorrow...)

If I unwrap work from my day, it was pretty good.. the baby staging area number one is complete in its full glory. I reconstructed, solidified and modified the bassinet to Toot's specs... It is sure to withstand the ages and be handed down for many more generations.. all the blankets, skirts, pillows and other window dressing looks fantastic...Dot is going to be in her glory... So Staging area one is complete.. I do believe staging area two will be easier and more mobile... either in Toot's office or off the kitchen... I don't think I have seen the bedding for that... but I am sure it is somewhere and equally beautiful to area one. While on the topic of modification and safety... Little Guy pulled a little guy move today... for years he has been swinging on the post of Big Sis's four poster bed... ( Yes in the words of Chris Rock.. keep'em off the pole..) today.. the thing we have told him 1000 times happened... he swung and the post came with him... all we heard was crash... than Little Guy running down the stairs and out the front door.. I knew what it was immediately.. by the time I got to the room... he was on his way back up the stairs.. hands over ears cause he didn't want to get yelled at... Lucky for him he split it cleanly.. I was able to rebuild and reconstruct... needs a little touch up but all is well... next time he swings on it he will be out the window...

Toots had a much better day today.. energy level back up and in full nesting mode again. She spent most of the day stretched out in her closet cleaning, moving and tossing... Since it was her stuff... I actually got of the hook.. didn't do much of anything.. moved a bin to the basement tonight.. best part of it.. since it was her stuff... I never heard.. why are you saving this.. what is this doing here.. you haven't worn this in years.. why are you keeping it... All I can hope is that she doesn't set her sights on my closet... because I will be forced to defend my stuff with stories and memories.. and I can only use I might wear it some day...once...

Tonight at softball, Big Sis and I stuck round a few extra minutes to watch her old team wrap up a game... As the parents shuffled by, a little girl all of 3 walked past Big Sis and I.. all dressed up and prancing... Big Sis, was all excited.. saying she couldn't wait until she could dress Dot up like that... Me..I was thinking how it was only yesterday that she was dressed like that... wearing red Dorthy slippers at Yankee game.. dancing around...

Counter talk... 17 days... 17 more days of walking on eggshells, wondering if every oooh or aww from Toots means the counter was wrong... right now the feeling is like a ball rolling down a hill.... it is moving fast but steady... trying to catch it is fruitless... cause it is way ahead of us... rolling...rolling... a mind of it's own.... their are lots of laughs as we try to chase it... and catch it.. but we will need to wait until it hits the bottom of the hill... even if we could get in front of it...it would change course only stopping when it is ready... Someone asked me tonight how much longer... when I told them they said no way... Toots doesn't look like she is 9 months pregnant.. That she looked fantastic... that person was right... 9 months in... and if she was sitting at a table.. looking at her you would be hard pressed to say she was pregnant...

Well I have come to the end again... save some words for tomorrow... I am sure it will be filled with stories of Little Guy's birthday party... 7 already...

Keep those cards and letter coming..

good night.. be good...

Loose the Attitude... you talking too me...

2009-04-29T21:16:00.008-04:00

You know most days I write that I was real busy with work and the duties that come after. I know everyone is real busy with life and the stuff that comes in between, so I don't expect pity but I do hope from time to time I strike a cord. So about being busy, as Toots rounds the corner here and her energy level is dipping big time, she is getting more "Nesty"without the strength to pull it off... so the nest factor" is being projected out on to us... as hard as we try, nothing is done right, no matter what we accomplish, we always forget something.. nobody is as diligent and focused as Toots, the rest of us are just not paying attention.. I don't say this in a mean spirit manner... I honestly say it with a loving voice... I don't envy Toots for the turmoil her body goes through everyday, I don't let her swings get at me too much... but I will be glad when Dot is sitting in her lap.... it's coming...

There is certain nervous tension in the house as we come closer. This is where Toots and I differ... I am of the mind set that it is what it is and we have no choice but to except that when Dot arrives we are finished. Finished with the nesting, prepping and "stuff"... It is like a sunrise or sunset... it is going to happen nothing you can do but watch and enjoy.... catch the right one and the day's little obstacles kind of rush away... Toots on the other hand is wound tighter than a clock... twisted around the little things, searching for and demanding perfection in preparation of Dot. She wants it all in place, all in sync and most of all..... done... I think we are all tired....

A lot happen today... work was work.. keeping me busy from early morning to late evening... one call after the other.. after the other... last night was a late night... spent some time in support of a good friend... while you do these things because they are right.. sometimes you get back a little...

here is my little back:

J, I know from knowing you and your family that they all know they are lucky to have you, but I just thought all your family should know that what you did for me and my family last night went beyond the call of duty and that I will never forget it. Taking that time out to give me that kind of support shows just what kind of friend you are and as you well know if there is anything I could do for you guys just let me know. Good Luck to your wife and could smell that cigar already.Thanks again for being the special person you are. M

18 days, sure I could write about above tension and mad dash to complete the mountain of tasks that still lay ahead. But I won't.. instead, let's look at 18.. 1 +8= 9.... 9 months ago or so, we were staging a garage sale... getting rid of stuff that was saved for 6 years... at the 11th hour, I was given instructions to recall the baby stuff cause we need it again... 8 months ago, it all sank in.. the test were all coming back normal and healthy.. bringing us to less 1 month, test all remain good... the stuff retrieved from the garage sale has been painted, redressed and covered in wonderful hand made blankets, bumpers and stuff... rooms have been made ready for the influx of visitors we will have over the next 30 - 40 days.. and preparation remain in gear on the build out of the new addition for the new addition. Life has changed and in 18 days give or take a few weeks we will slowly get back into the old groove... Dot will become part of the fabric and take her place amongst Big Sis and Little Guy...

nothing funny or witty tonight.. guess you lose the edge when you are tired... have a good night and a wonderful day... keep those letters and cards coming in....

Be safe and Be good.

kick my feet 'way down the shallow water.....

2009-04-28T22:43:00.004-04:00

Water main breaks and flooded schools equal a very tired Toots. Kiddos had an unexpected day off today due to a water main break that flooded the school. Big Sis immediately wrangled a sleep over at a friends that lasted until 4 today. Little Guy and Toots were at a friends today... I was working like a one armed paper hanger in a steam room... Even with Big Sis away, Toots was tired by the end of the afternoon... so much that she couldn't get out of the chair to go to Big Sis's softball game... I have joked about her feet and getting tired at night... today she was blown away tired and ornery... She has gone from swollen ankles and hormonal to... tired and real touchy.... I feel sorry for her because there is nothing I can do for her and at the same time... I am afraid to get too close... Me thinks... this is a sign that things are changing.. and that ye ole counter is going to be off by a few days...

My day was no less eventful outside of the wonders of a busy work day, I have numerous project and things I need to close out before Dot arrives. The most important right now is getting the bassinet stable... a wonderful antique that has been in Toots family for years... a beautiful piece of history... That I keep asking Toots.... You sure Sis-n-Law actually allowed the niecettes to sleep in... So I am protracting and triangulating a base fit for a princess... Toots has her ideas... following her lead we could land small aircraft in the bassinet... and it wouldn't nudge or budge.. unless of course I placed it in the wrong place... than it would be.. inch to the left, little more... little more... no too much... The end result should be a simple expansion on the efforts of Brother-N-Law.. and placing the legs at more of a angle... I am told.. and I will go on record right now.. that it doesn't matter.. because there will be a skirt around it... Please remember that... I still don't have my new car or the should I say the replacement for the new car... talking about depreciation... a real fire sale...

So we are at 19 days... to date it has been a great journey... I have re-lit a passion that has been dormant for years... we have made new friends, share old memories and started thinking about a few things in different ways... over the past few weeks, I realize that I have come to several realization... some were like a shovel to the head.. while others touched my heart... To night I had yet another realization... that no matter what you do, how you teach them or how you try to ready them for life.. it still hurts when they hurt... it is equally frustrating to see a big one sad or crying over something that you are helpless in trying to help them avoid... as it is to hold a baby that is wailing in your arms... words for either don't matter... when the crying is done and all we can do is learn, teach and remind them of the good, offer alternatives and wipe the tears.

So contrary to what a lot of folks are saying about it all starting all over in 19 days... it is actually just continuing in 19 days... there will be one more ring added to the four already, another gem that will be mixed with rest of jewels that make up our family.

That's it... I am done for the night... tomorrow I will do two things.. make sure Toots rest and stay as far away as possible... Keep those letters and cards coming... the counter jumped over 1500 today... name game has a bunch of suggestions... Kate or Cathrine is a recurring name...Oh.. I added another counterish thingy on the side.. .it was either a chart of a sonogram that grew...and turned... I like the chart..

good night... be good

Yes it really did happen!

2009-04-27T22:14:00.004-04:00

I am sure you will all forgive me for this short blog tonight... Couldn't make it up if I tried... I went today to replace my car that had just come off lease with a new one... dropped of my car, filled out and signed all the papers for the new car... the sales rep that has sold me several cars walks me outside to the nice plush grass where my new car has been parked... he goes over a few things with me... shakes my hand and says see you in a few days when your plates come in... He walks back inside, I drive off... call Toots on the new integrated blue tooth to check how it sounds... hang up... stop in traffic and the cars stalls... dies... won't start... I push the little button thinking that maybe I turned it off instead of hanging up the phone... nothing... I push it and hold it in a little longer.. it starts and stalls... mind you I have only driven about 200 yards... so now traffic is backed up past the dealership... I push the button again... it starts and stalls... guy pulls up alongside of me and says... Hey Buddy... your cars on fire... I now smell the smoke... see it billowing out from under the hood... I call the dealership... tell my sales rep.. we have a problem... he asked what.. I said see the traffic in front of the dealership... look west... you'll see the me.. and if you can't you'll see the smoke... from me... I hear an O SH*T from his side.. I push the little button yet again... it starts.. I push my foot to the floor drop it in gear... swing around in the traffic and drive this now smoking car... right back up onto the lush staging area, where I was at just a few moments earlier... sales guy and entire service dept meets me... mechanic says... well that it right... People mulling around inside the show room either moved towards my car that is billowing enough smoke to .. well smoke a fish.. others are making their way towards the exits.. figuring quality definitely isn't job one... sales guy tells me.. he will take care of everything.. hands me keys to another car and tells me to call later... he just wants me out of there...

Turns out a piece of plastic from shipping got caught in the fan belt... the smoke was from the plastic... Needless to say.. I pick up a new car tomorrow...

counter talk... 20 days... time flies.. where has it gone... yadda yadda yadda.... I went to the extreme tonight... was at a meeting at school where they asked your children's names and grade... Big Sis, 6.. Little Guy 1... "Dot" 5 years away... yep, they knew I'd be at those meetings long after they were done.... 20 days.. house is looking good.. the major stuff outside the room has been completed.... Toots actually has me doing secondary items... items that compliment the primary things that needed to be done... Feel sorry for her.. she isn't sleeping.. her not sleeping is generating lots of lists... lots of little things that need to be accomplished...

Hey... Not sure if you know but you can leave comments... Regardless, I suggest you check out the comment in last night's blog.. it makes perfect sense to my memories and recollections as well as how I mentioned sometimes we take a story as if we lived it... To anonymous... welcome to the blog.. thanks for your comments... To Toots... yea some of them (My Posts)are boring but I get some folks thinking...

that is it for tonight.... Kids have off tomorrow due to water main break at school... so I need my rest... keep those cards and letters coming..

Good night.. be good..

Dog days of April...

2009-04-26T21:49:00.007-04:00

Hot and hazy day that has me lazy.... The last thing I want to do is type this up tonight... had lots of thoughts and "good ideas" run through my head today.... but none of them have really stuck. Scary to think that people are saying it is too hot on April 26th... I am Sure Al Gore is jumping up and down... see I was right.... Sure Tipper is just turning up the AC to 11... ( get that reference and you get a special mention)...

Sunday day of rest... I'm thinking we need to listen to that bible of ours more... at least on Sundays... I think we do more on Sunday than any other day... Instead of rest it is nonstop, bouncing like a pinball from thing to thing... compound that with a weekend like we had and it seems like the days lasted 26 hours... more time to cram more stuff into an already busy life.. On the seventh day he rested... I'm sure the lawn that was created around day three or four was already growing... but Sunday was rest... not mow, clip, dig or haul day... not scrap, paint, hang, move.. move again day...

Kept going back today to my thought last night about Oral history... legacy... and even further back about memories... Had this wild thought... what was my real first memory or was it really a story told to me that I have made my first memory... Thinking real hard and all that pops in to my head is the Dam Parrot... but I know I was older than...I'll keep thinking and update if I find something older in the mush that is my gray matter ... because I know there has to be something earlier... The one I know is not a memory but a story... memorialized by me over the years because of the numerous times I have heard it... repeated.. again... and again... but none the less I felt I was there... is Big Brother(3), missing Ruby getting shot... there is no-way in the world I could remember that.. but it is as real today as it was in November of 63... As I move further away from childhood, the good and bad blur together... with the good winning out most of the time... there are blocks of time or events that remain etched in stone, but I would venture to guess even those when looked at across the family are viewed or recalled differently... Thoughts like these are why I am doing this now... Even if I stop in 21 days... I think I have a little snapshot of my life that I can share with Dot.. something she can look back on and feel as if she was there in person and not just in anticipation... She will know the impact she had on Big Sis, Little Guy, Toots and myself... without these few blogs... these days leading up will soon be forgotten replaced by new first and our reactions to them...

Bringing me to... 21 days... So I was thinking, is it really 21 days or 20... see most read this the next day... so am I a day behind... on the 17th... it will be one day... my blog that night will be stating or documenting something that happened on the on the 17th... my next and possible last post will be the announcement of Dot's birth... That event is not part of the count down.... it is actually post clock stopping... No I am not trying to leave the count down out.... just trying to figure out if it is set right... Truth is it doesn't matter.. .because in some span of time between this key stroke and the 18th, Dot will be here... no stopping that... even Toots has no control over the drop date... it will happen when it happens but definitely be done by the 18th... unless we have snow...

That's my little snapshot of my life for today... keep those cards and letters coming... I screwed up the name game, left out a ' in some Java script and didn't realize it.. so it disappeared for a few days/hours... not sure... any way it is back... you all have presented a nice array of names... keep guessing...

Be Good

We're having a party....

2009-04-25T23:26:00.004-04:00

Is summer really here or is it a trick... 85 plus degrees, shore traffic and sun tan lotion... The day was like a mini summer vacation.. the start seems like days ago instead of
hours. we crammed so much into the mix that I am spinning to figure out what or where to start. While it was a long and winding summer like day, the type of day that calls for doing nothing, we found ourselves at little league, softball, birthday party and wrapped the evening with a mini block party... again... think the concept of neighbors hanging in the street to all hours drinking and chatting is becoming the norm for the hill...

Baseball was a blast... little guy played his heart out in the 80 degree heat... a couple of good hits and some fielding... most of the team was focused and having fun... The little guy I mentioned before was at it again... this time he was waiting for an aunt to arrive, so the entire game he was yelling to his Dad.. is she here yet... why isn't she here yet.. I think you better call the cops to look for her... like you said dad.. this field is dam hard to find... this went on for three innings.... when she arrived, he walked off the field, right up to her and began asking a thousand questions... the best being heard by most.. was my dad right you can't read a map...

Toots took Big Sis to her game... different story.. the Have fun coach... didn't allow her to warm up before the game... so after just a few practice throws, she had to face a batter... she got lit up... second inning was much better... when she came off the field the coach had actually said to her.. you played better last year... I heard this when I arrived in the 4th... I had to bite my tongue... she had some solid hits.. drove in some runs and played a good defensive game.

Counter moved again... time has a way of doing that... 22 days and the world changes, our history and legacy lives on... While the neighbors mulled around tonight... one of our neighbors walked up... he was feeling no pain... this guy is an odd duck.. doesn't socialize, has no kids... kind of neighbor that you read about in the papers.. usually with the comment he was a quiet man... kept to himself... anyway.. he started in that he was glad he and the wife didn't have kids... that he can travel when and where he wanted to with out the baggage of kids... I bit my tongue... ( Did that a lot today)... cause I had several thoughts race through my mind.. but the one that stuck.. was sadness for him.. sure he can Christmas in some remote village in Mexico.. but who will he tell this adventure to in 20 or 30 years... Sure you can tell friends and strangers about your travels.. but the story and history is lost without family... Like using electronic jamming chaff as tinsel on a Christmas tree... With kids, you have a captive audience to repeat your history to ... over and over.... and while you think they might not listen... it pops up in a blog 40 years later... This is the stuff friends don't remember... his oral history is really cocktail party chatter that fades faster than the ice cubes in a half empty glass.... OK not much about 22 days catching me.. or baskets and swollen feet... 22 days starts another "round" of rocks painted with the greatest Mom or Dad on it... pictures that only a parent can decipher... and millions of single moments that will impact and influence Dot and the family that surrounds her...

Guest contributor tonight... Big Sis wanted every one to know about her dream...

I dreamt that Mom had the baby...But it was a lot bigger than a normal baby... it knew how to talk and walk... At the baptism party... Dot was walking around introducing herself to everyone... she was so big that she had to wear a communion dress... after the party, we went home and the Baby was to big for the crib.. so she had to sleep in a bed... Then I woke up cause I got freaked out...

Proud Big Sis...

That's it for today... keep those cards and letters coming... While I don't do this for praise... Thank you to all that have let me know you enjoy this... that it has become part of your routine... that it has put a smile on our face...

Be Good...

From Small things..Big things one day come

2009-04-24T23:05:00.003-04:00

Sometimes the smallest things are the toughest...tiny doesn't mean weak and fragile doesn't break. Like the silk of a spider, that is stronger than steel, or the strength of an ant... small doesn't mean weak...

Over the past few weeks, I experience strength like this... not by me but by Big Sis... She made some decisions and choices that required the wisdom of Solomon and the strength of a diamond. As she has said, she is nearing the end of her long road, that she is almost home. Many of her wishes and wants are becoming a reality. Based on events of today and she now has a voice and a chance to get her "wants" listened too. Funny while waiting this morning my palm began to itch, I never remember if it means rain, money or a visitor... but I usually lean towards money, cause we got enough rain.... So as I itched the itch, I wondered what money I would get today... maybe the lottery.. to my surprise, I got a bigger treasure than old King Farouk... or as Visa says... Priceless ( Need I say more)

Cryptic message, I know... it is all good for Big Sis... she has been through a lot and that "lot" is slowly fading away...

Day started out with all of us up and getting dressed... kids off to school.. Toots and I off to battle "Dorthy's" demons... cause there is no place like home... ( Don't worry... not gonna break into song). Kiddos were at friends after school, I was nose to the grind stone catching up from my busy morning. Little Guy, Big Sis, Toots and I all were relieved and kind of walking on air.. Little Guy had an interesting day... friends started to sing a song.. Mrs. Toots had a baby and her head pop off... needless to say he didn't take kindly to his friend's singing.. he was a little upset but survived.

23 days.... and counting... had a friends ask tonight how far along Toots was... Big Sis said a few weeks.. I said 23 days.... Good ole counter.. like a Swiss army knife.. million uses... Big Sis repeats with a little "Duh Dad" 23 days is a few weeks... After I got over her ability to do math so fast... I explained.. when you get this close to the end... You don't count in weeks.. it is days... cause sometime 23 days can turn into... Gotta go.. Toots is in labor... You never know... ( she's not... she is sleeping... )

Short post tonight.... sure I missed something... but i am mentally exhausted and physically drained.... my words went elsewhere today...

Good night.... keep those cards and letters coming in... don't forget to enter the name game...

Went to a garden party... You got to please yourself..

2009-04-23T21:50:00.006-04:00

Been reading about successful blogging and how to draw people into your site the last few days. The recurring message across all these informational sites is to present content that will draw the reader back. That the content has to touch a nerve or satisfy a need if it is going to wildly successful. What do they know.. I am very happy tapping out my ramblings for the few that enjoy, for the conversation it starts or for the mere fact that Toots will say during the day... you should put that on the blog tonight.. or I will kill you if you share that on the blog. When I go back over my past posts, I think I have walked a fine line between openness, humor and reality ( some boring, some not). I started this as a journal for myself, to track as I recall posting the event of Dot's birth. We have shared this with many and truly enjoy the feedback and such.. but after rereading last night post, I have to go back to writing this for myself, for the journey...

Wow.. heavy stuff.. nobody has complained or said any thing negative.. I just have not been thrilled with what I feel is some of the forced stuff I have been reviewing. At the end of the day, it has to draw me back....scratch that itch that started this ride.... and it has!

On with the day, We had new surrogate nesters in... the last ones just didn't know how to clean the nest right... They were foreign birds who couldn't "tweet" English... Crew today had Toots happy and pleased... She actually didn't have to re-nest after they left... The house is almost there with the exception of the new room.. Spoke with the contractor today and he could start in a two weeks.. Very funny story... When I called him today and he apologized for not calling me over the past few weeks. He stammered a little.. only to say, I was afraid something happen and , I just don't know how to deal with stuff like that... Construction, guess we need to see when those two weeks would really start and make the decision to wait until after Dot arrives... like everything else it will work itself out in the end.. Crisis are that way.. no matter how bad or dark it is at the moment.. there is always light at the end of the tunnel...

Big Sis had a wide-eyed smack in your face realization today... After all these years of buying trinkets and souvenirs at the circus, fair, zoo... she was on a class trip to Medieval Times... prior to leaving she asked for some money to buy a t-shirt and to get something for Little Guy... all she wanted was 20 bucks.. When she hopped in the car today with a Burger King paper crown and empty glass... is when she expressed her amazement at... the cost of things.. this glass Dad cost 10 dollars and it had some disgusting strawberry goo in it.. and see those swords and cardboard shield.. those kids actually paid 40 dollars... She said she would rather spend her money on something she really wants or needs.. Little guy on the other hands still is looking to shake the money tree to go buy a new DSi... He has devised a plan to take the new $130 DS and return it to the store for a credit...($25) and have us pay the rest... he thinks it is a great deal... We have other plans...

We had a softball game today... Driving to the game, I stopped at the sweet shop that was down the street from where I grew up... Told Toots.. I haven't been here since I was 13 or 14... further up the road at the ball field, I said it again... I haven't been on these fields since I was a little kid... In the trip between the shop and field, we drove past the old sandpit where we lived as kids... and said it again.. Slightly different.. I can remember doing this or that out there... all three places had the clock impact or memory of time... the sweet shop.. two thing hit me... the pinball machine that use to be in the corner.. and running from our house to the store with a buck in my pocket to get bread and a packet of Winston's for my mother... Sand pit.. I could feel the sand embedded in my hair from the underground forts... and for some odd reason I recall standing on the side of the field with my dad... don't remember why we were there.. just remember standing at his side... By the way, we won the Softball game... and again Toots heard it a 100 times... you look great... and folks they mean it... outside of the "Dot Pod" and the swollen feet.. she looks great... people are amazed that she it is only 24 days away.

Counter time... 24 days, Looking at 24 days... I wonder what I will be feeling, when I write 24 hours... we can wait 23 days for that... right now we have 2 dozen days to dream about what Dot will look like... ( I know, she looks just like Toots...) wonder if we will be lucky again have a baby that actually sleeps through the night... If she doesn't, all it means is we get to watch late night educational shows together... 24 days to make sure the bins and baskets are full.... 576 hours to slide this piece of furniture and inch there or a foot there... two weeks and 3 days of waiting for Dot and all the changes she will bring...

Before I close out Jersey RB suggested that I do a PSA about the car warranty calls and letters we all get... She happen to be sitting in our kitchen when I got one of these calls... I asked the caller to please tell me what car he was calling about... and he couldn't answer... it is a scam... Don't bother asking to be taken of their list... it will only increase the frequency of calls...

That's it for tonight.... thanks for stopping by... keep those letter and cards coming in.. I added a name feature to the "guess the Name" section so we can congratulate the winner if one of you is luck enough to guess the name...

Be Good

watching paint dry

2009-04-22T21:47:00.006-04:00

A few days ago I talked about having a day where there wasn't a moment to breath and how everything fell into place and worked out perfectly... Today was in the words of SpongeBob opposite day.... Outside of work, absolutely nothing happen.... even work was rather quiet. Nothing went wrong... Nothing went right..

Day started out with a whimper... the new blackout shades on the bed room windows had Toots and I sleeping in.. not an issue.. the kiddos got up and made up the time with out so much a raised voice. Toots had a Dr. appointment today... all is good and on schedule. she still doesn't look like she is 8+ months pregnant... she shopped... Little Guy went to a friends house.. and Big Sis disappeared to her room... I worked.... Boring.. Day...

Funniest thing that happen today, had Big Sis and Little Guy asking Toots why she purchased a box of baby wipes... there's no baby... Little Guy is swinging the other way as we get closer.. he is afraid that we won't love him... Big Sis is not feeling it as much.. she remains very excited... but lays down a sarcastic remark here or there about when the baby comes... We will watch both of them closely over the next few weeks... They don't believe it yet.. but there is more than enough to go around...We'll just keep preaching it over and over... until they get tired of it...

Let's hope that this is not a trend and that the next 25 days finds us with lots of exciting, wacky and engaging stories. Since I am committed to this blog until at least the baby is born, I need to make sure I watch the life that goes by a little closer, capture some of the nuisances, when a story or event doesn't present itself, look outside the 4 walls of the home front and see how the elements at the fringes of our lives are being impacted, influenced or effected by the pending arrival or other actions related to the family... or how they impact us...

So 25 days and counting... I know.. I count every night... feel like rainman... about 25 days... yea...25... baby due in 25... I can type this blog in 1 minute but I feel like I am walking away if I don't spend sometime on the date, the number, the counter... like it is unfinished... At 25 days, we would be opening the advent calender to count backwards to Christmas... it takes 25 days for a wildflower seed to bloom into a flower and nobody knows how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop... Face it 25 isn't a glorious number... 25 was a boring age... getting to that point of being too old to do some of the stuff you did when you where 20... and not quite fitting in when trying to do things of say a 30 year old... 25 is similar to that awkward stage a toddler goes through when he or she is too old to go into the bathroom with the parent of the opposite sex but still to young to go in by themselves... Toots has to deal with that stage when the time comes... Told you a boring day...

Some update... We are fast approaching 1500 views or hits on the blog.. based on the counter statics, we have folks from all over the US, Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Malaysia ( I think they are reading the sweatshop stories....). Let's see if we can get it to 2000 hits before Dot is born...spread the word, share the link...

The baby names still are even with what was posted last night... even have some middle names tossed in... Dot continues to be the leader..

Good night, keep those letters and cards coming...
Be good!

...thougth I heard the Captain say....

2009-04-21T23:14:00.006-04:00

OK folks... A short and sweet blog tonight... I just spent that last 4 hours sitting on a hard bench in a crowded town hall listening to pros's and con's of cell towers. Some of the parents at school have done a great job of mobilizing the parish and community to raise concerns about placing a tower so close to the school... I agree that not knowing the risk is worse than hearing all the specs, stats and proven scientific assumption of no or minimal risks... I also agree that town hall needs cushions...

Update on the day... the thrill of Dot caught up with us today.. a little tension... a little frustration and some arguing... and that was me... The kiddos pulled it off this morning with out a hitch... I on the other hand was just a grumpy old man... The good thing about Toots and I, is that even when we disagree we still find room somewhere to laugh... so the ebb and flow of the family noise is always laced with a chuckle or a laugh... Little Guy went to the Dermatologist to get some growths removed( call toots she will give you the info)... one of those moments that will stay etched in my mine... Dr. gave him a choice to have them basically scoped out or to use a cream to burn them off... He picked scoped... let me tell, Little Guy turned a corner today... instead of crying and twisting all over the place.. he laid on the table and let the Dr. treat him... he had tears in his eyes from the pain.. but never complained, screamed or pulled away... He just grinned and beared it.. I believe it hurt us more to see him not show pain...

26 days and a new little life will be welcomed to our world... 26 days and we will hold a little person in our hands that is 100% reliant on us for food, shelter,nurturing and protection.... the first three are a piece of cake, the last while it should be the most basic instinct is in itself becoming harder and harder to do... Sitting in the cell tower meeting tonight, I realized how much life has changed and how threatening it has become to our kids... Maybe I am being a little naive or my parents just did a great job of not letting us know... but I don't recall all the dangers, risks and "boogieman mentality" growing up. Looking back the biggest threat to our well-being growing up was ourselves... The stories I can recite from my youth are similar in tone and tenor to those of my parents... I don't think Big Sis, Little Guy or Dot will ever have the experience to experience a lot of what what my generation or those before have.... What has changed or caused us to change so much that it is to the point kids can't be kids anymore...

Quick update on the survey... the top few names as of today in no particular order: Dot, Amy, Mary and Kate... keep them coming... Big Sis has yet to play a Softball game this year because of all the rain... but I went outside today and played catcher... last year I would give her a man that hurt when she throw a particularly good pitch.. tonight.. she actually hurt me... let's hope she gets a game in this week.... season is almost over... Little Guy has practice tomorrow...if it stops raining...

Well it is off to sleep... close out another and chart the course for tomorrow... or wait and see what the captain has in store for me...

Keep those cards and letter coming.. and please add your two cents to the name game...

Good night!

Fixing a hole where the rain comes in...

2009-04-20T22:32:00.005-04:00

OK... Monday, Easter break is over, the kids all made it back to school... the morning hum sounded as if it never missed a beat after a week... There was no, lost uniforms, books or lunch boxes... no ... forgot I need to bring this or that in... There were no sleepy or slow moving kids... Just the hum....

The weather was terrible today.. cold., rainy.. thank goodness for the weekend... We have had some much rain that if I could find one of those biblical baskets in the basement, I would be looking to put an outrigger on it and paddle down the street. There is something to be said about the gentle sound of rain rolling across the roof, its almost calming... but when it sounds like a fire hose being shut back up the gutters you wonder if its ever gonna stop... Toots and I had the fun luck of running around in it tonight... or should I say waddling and walking alongside holding the umbrella...

I realized tonight just how prepared Toots really is, how over the top she is about having everything she can control, planned out with the accuracy of a surgeon. We went to the mandatory baptism class tonight at our church... and we were the only ones there that hadn't given birth yet... These good folks already had their bundle of joy and they are just now planning the Baptism... Heck, Dot is already enrolled in SLG, High School picked out ( She will go where Big Sis went or to Sacred Heart) and her first car has already been decided... big boat...the more metal the better... cause Toots already knows she is going to be a so so driver... And the people sitting with us haven't even picked out a baptismal outfit...or planned the menu... Having someone so efficient and in full speed ahead nesting, prepping and "get out of my way" mode makes my life easy at times, has it fun moment and makes stop, drop and roll seem like a party game...

OK 27 days, working on a dream... Actually, I have added yet another interesting bell to the few whistles on the blog... over there.. right above the counter that has had center stage since day two... right below the words " Guess Dot's Name"... is a line that is underlined.. Click there to make a guess... a page will pop-up.. you make your guess... hit the x up in the top right hand corner and go about your day... I have added this little survey to expand on the fun of the count down... notice I put it over the counter... I don't know why.. but I can only guess that I am trying to deflect some of the focus away from the tick.. tick.. tick..of the counter... forcing my subconscious to stop looking at the days left.. replacing that thought with wonder of... what the name of the day is... no fear... both the survey and the counter are set to stop on the same day, same time... and why shouldn't they... (It worked... I didn't fixate or have some philosophical statement about time...)

Well to use a Toots quote.. "pretty flat and dull" post tonight... while the kiddos experience re-engagement in their recurring routine... Me, my day and schedule keeps it metronome pace... day after day after day... swinging between work, kids, Toots... and work... kids... with the occasional move, hang, paint... but always back to the measured notes of my schedule.

Good night... Keep those cards and letters coming...

Sunday... day of rest...

2009-04-19T21:21:00.003-04:00

So Toots told me my last posting was boring, flat... She thought I should have used a different story about what happened on Saturday... So I will rehash yesterday for a moment than move on to today....

Little Guy and I were sitting in the kitchen when out of the blue he starts to tell me about a friend that wears a back brace to treat her back... I asked him if this person had scoliosis and he said yes... A few moments passed and he reaches as far back between his shoulder blades and tells me he is in great pain... I asked what is wrong... His response was.... that his umbilical cord is killing him... I asked where it was and he pointed between his shoulder blades... and I asked do you mean your spinal cord.... his reply was a sheepish yes...

Today was a lot of the same as yesterday... Church, diner, back home to finish the male portion of the nesting ritual... Glad to say I am almost done... all rooms that need molding have been successfully crowned... so the kids throne room has a crown.. and the Big Sis sometimes known as the princess has her own crown to show off... I say almost done.. because next is our room.. we are rearranging to find a place to place the bassinet... I don't think I have to paint.. and given the ceiling height and shape... I know there will not be anymore molding... until I do Dot's new room... That is a bigger project..... that will grace these pages in the weeks ahead...

Kiddos were out again.. their social lives are busier than Toots and mine combined... She was here.. he was there... Little Guy popped in from time to time... he actually was helping me with the crown molding... Big Sis...was with a friend at a ball game.. made it back for dinner... Toots, trooper that she is, had a tough day... the kielbasas that have replaced her ankles were killing her today.. so she crashed in a chair with her feet propped.... up... watching the chick channel.. this was actually a good thing for me.. it meant I would not be disturbed at all during my get ready for Dot work... I made it through the day, with out a single, Oh Sh*T or wrong cut...... Didn't have to run back to Lowes.. and still can count to ten...Best part of all that... I never heard.. what a mess, you are going to clean that... or had any other Foreman like advice or recommendations.... Toots never saw the room until I needed her help restocking the shelves... Big Sis has lots of stuff on lots of shelves.. stuff that I have only touched once maybe twice and that was when I purchased it... You see she has years worth of Snow Globes rimming her room... all from our different travels over the years... Great collection... not easily replaced...

Had a realization today in church... The sermon was about time and forgiveness.... I will focus on time... The priest talked about time and how there is chronological and then the essence or what I realized.. the memory of time... One we count the other we count on... or look back over... we all have those events in our lives that we can tell explicitly where or what we were doing... What I am doing with the counter is tracking the days we can count 28 days...... but also setting the tone for a memory.. event... life changing occurrence... I can not change what will happen... but I can write about what has happen leading up to it... creating a memory that spans several months of anticipation leading to the single event, establishing Dots arrival as a story or journey.... and not just a birthday... Not sure about you.. but I can not recall all the events or activities that occurred prior to Big Sis or Little Guy's birth in great detail.....most of what occurred leading up to those birthdays... were like Christmas presents important at the moment but almost all forgotten... The thing that stays with you is the Day... (Yes Mom.. some Christmas gifts left a lasting impression and in fact are forever etched in the memory of time... )

Well...chew on that for awhile... I am sure we all have a moment or event that just popped into our heads... some were world impacting but most were probably more personal... some smiles... some tears... maybe even a few what ifs...

Good night... keep those letters and cards coming... I am enjoying the feedback..

Put Me in Coach...I'm Ready to Play

2009-04-18T22:03:00.003-04:00

You ever have one of those days where you start at the crack of dawn and go nonstop until you crash in bed.... Today was one of those days... everything fell in place, all things went off without a hitch and we were hitting on all eight. The best part of day like this is that you get this feeling or have this sense of accomplishment.. knowing that it all worked out fine in the end.... Or as the Hannibal use to say.. I love it when a plan comes together...

Day started out with Baseball... Couldn't have asked for a better day... sun was shining, grass was mowed... and the kids were ready to play. The kid from practice was at it again... Asked me why the grass was wet.... I said maybe it rained last night... He yells to his father from second base.. "dad did it rain last night..." No was the response... I say to him ... maybe it rained this morning... again he yells to his Dad... Did it rain this morning... Again the response is no... ( I felt like Uncle Buck....)... He looks at me as if to say... you have no idea why the grass is wet... but instead says... It's OK, I'd rather be home playing Xbox... followed by... you know what a a good sport is.. Boxing.. I like boxing.. can we box instead of play baseball... I have a feeling this kid is going to provide me with some good comic relief over the next 6 weeks... he closed the day out with his pants falling down as he yelled to his father.. told you they were to big.. do you think they belong down here...

Little Guy played a great game, he was paying attention and actually into doing well... Started the game at first base where he and the third baseman were able to turn a couple of nice outs... He switched over to third and was on the throwing side of some more... He crushed the ball each at bat... I have to say.. Big Sis has taught him finesse and his other brothers ( Neighbors older boys) have taught him not to be afraid... He is starting to appreciate the game more... Heck, he actually got a good game from his sister...

Baseball rolled into house work, while Toots and Big Sis went off to run errands... They returned.. to Little Guy having a friend over... I took Big Sis to a friend's house for a sleep over... All the while I started a nesting project... or should say continued a project... the crown molding in the bathroom... Happy to say it is installed and looks good... tomorrow I finish the molding in Big Sis room... Little guy wanted to know if his was done.. I said yes...he runs into his room.. returns happy...Tells me it looks good and give me a thumbs up... Goes to show how much they even look in their rooms... his crown molding has been up since we moved in... But I'll take the compliment...

Day rolled into night and a short walk to get Little Guy from a friend's house, turned into several hours of relaxing... hanging with the neighbors... only to return to write this and close the day out...

Counter... 29 days... by the time I wake up 28 days.. just goes to show you that no matter what you do or what you write.. you cannot stop time... can't speed it up, can't slow it down... it just ticks..ticks..ticks... away... We get asked a lot now.. when is the baby due... usually followed by are you excited... Once I would love to answer no... just to see the look I get back... Of course we are excited... Realized also.... we get a lot of are you ready... not in do you have blankets, bibs and bassinets... more like wow you guys are kind of old to be having a kid.. are you ready to do it all over again... Two answers yes.. and we have no choice... Dots coming around the mountain... and we couldn't be more excited...

Having been caught up in the nesting over the past few days... has put me in awe of what Toots and all mom's go through while pregnant.. My body is aching in ways that it ain't use too... Lifting, nailing, painting, sawing... and pushing... has left me sore, achy, tired and at times unable to get my butt out of a chair... that's a week for me.. not 9 months... Hats off...

That is it for Saturday... Good Night.. keep those cards and letters coming in...

30 and counting...

2009-04-17T22:31:00.004-04:00

The Hormonal High Jinx of Yesterday were washed away a with a wave of calm.. that filled the house with song and blue birds... Not... We had relative calm in the house today, Toots was in a different mood... She was back in Nesting mode... With laser focus on Little Guys room... We actually had her laughing today...

I exaggerated a little last night in my post... Blame it on me being tired or the fact that I was looked at with Daggers this morning... Toots was not pleased with what I wrote.. So I will go on record and say... Sorry...

Another great weather day which meant the kiddos were out and about all day. It felt like after breakfast they were gone, doing this or that... saw them at dinner... We spent a few hours down the street at a neighbor's house.. Big Sis was the big sis to about 10 little kids...each one vying for her attention. She is going to be in high demand when she starts babysitting... Toots had her feet up and looked relaxed... Little Guy was in his glory...

On the Command Center board in big red letters circled... is the number 30... and the words days until Dot comes.. This notice was placed there by Little guy ( Guess the counter really did impress him), a few days ago. That big Red 30 is more impactful than the counter, ticking away... Because of who put it their... Little Guy has gone from concerned, hurt, fearful...to happy and excited about having a little sis... His daily actions are a little blog in themselves... Big Sis is just glowing... she really can't wait for the day...

AS we turn the corner into the last month, I am sure the excitement and anticipation of Dot will flow across these pages. I am sure that I will touch on the kiddos, hormones, nesting and the next wave of baby items that will find their way to house. I am sure I will praise Toots for what she is going through and how well she looks and I will joke about the ankles and mood swings.

I want to make sure 30 days out that my family knows, I appreciate what they are doing, going through and how well they have adapted to the changes already. That as the pace quickens if something is missed or over looked it is not Dots fault, it because someones mind is elsewhere. Most important, over these next 30 days and long beyond that everyone remembers and knows they are equally loved, cherished and considered a blessing in my life... 4 becoming five just means there is even more to give, that what I have today to give is not divided into lesser parts; instead it will just grow with even more to give and share...

OK... the smoke from the fire pit must have gotten in my eyes...

on a different front, looking at the other counter, we hit1245 visits tonight... status breakouts to about 75% returning and 25% new... Spread the word... Actually had a few hits from over seas...

Tomorrow is baseball and stuff..... So I am heading up for the night... Thanks for stopping and keep those letters and cards coming in...

Good Night!

An another thing.... Don't insult the alligator till after you cross the river

2009-04-16T21:48:00.005-04:00

Hormone heaven today.... Good ole Toots was in peak form... nothing was right, no one was listening, everyone is lazy except her... Seems I got in her head about Dot coming early... Obviously not a good thing... cause now she is in hyper drive around nesting... nobody is moving fast enough and nobody does what we are told...

Oh Well... Tomorrow will be another day.... Still haven't finished Little Guys room... Just don't have the energy Toots has... Painting is complete, I just need to replace all the outlets and wall switches, move the furniture around and around, paint the windows and fill some spots in the crown molding... Awww tomorrow... Did I fail to mention that I am back in Big Sis's room, doing some crown Molding, back in the bathroom doing some crown molding... rearranging our room... and cleaning up some mess or pile that was left behind in the carnage...

Kiddos were great today, but great weather will do that for them... Little guy was out and about, playing with the neighborhood tribe.... Big Sis, taking it easy... stretched out on the back deck "catch'in rays" and reading Twilight... She swear she has got a tan... not going to argue...

31 days and counting, given the "fun" in the house today.. kind of wish it was picture day and I was posting pictures of Dot on the Blog and making the decision to continue doing it or hanging up my blog writing. 31 more days of today and I will either be bald, grey or hiding in the backroom in the basement... with the kids, dogs and any other unsuspecting victims... (Send food)... I'm exaggerating, Toots isn't that hormonal... She just has peaks and valleys.... swings from angel to devil.... high and lows.... you get the picture... we don't know who will walk into a room...

Not much more to talk about today... Work was work... accomplsihed a lot for a busy Thursady. Kind of tired from the past few days.... I need to get out on the sunshine and catch some rays.... head out on the highway and go racing in the streets... or as Toots would say... get the hell out of the house... I think there are some parties and kids stuff tomorrow, so I should have the castle to myslef for a period of time...

Thanks for stopping by, keep thoses cards and letters coming in...

Mid Week Mayhem..... what life throws at you...

2009-04-15T22:39:00.005-04:00

Long day today... Working off of about 5 hours sleep, did a six hour round trip drive today and presented for an hour and half... my butt is numb from sitting, my shoulders are aching from painting and my mind is mush... But yet I am here, typing... typing with total abandonment... lack of theme or even a desired outcome... just type... Even a room full of monkeys banging a keyboard will make a few words once in awhile...

Kiddos are back and better than ever... Big Sis was thrilled about her room.. loved the color, the rearranged furniture... Her words.. " I LOVE IT"... Little Guy on the other hand was very upset... because of my trip, we did not finish his room last night... He was feeling unloved... but excited about being able to help tomorrow night... Toots is thrilled to have the kiddos back.. she now has ears that will listen to her.... correct that ears that must listen to her... All in all, the house remains quiet and calm... Kiddos had a great time with their aunt, uncle and cousins...

Dogs are thrilled that the painting was put off for a day. Dixie usually is my shadow where ever I go... But will not come near me when I am painting... funny thing for the past two year, she would not get on Big Sis's bed.. tonight with it rearrange, she was comfortably stretched out... Told Big Sis to be careful about her wishes.... the dog takes up a lot of bed...

What are we at today, 32... Little Guy ask Toots tonight what would happen if Dot came early... of course Toots said that would never happen... Wish I had her confidence, still betting on the 13th... as Toots says, she is glad I have a gut feel about Dot coming early.... why, because most of the time my gut feelings are wrong...or is it that she is always right... I will let her think what she wants... makes for much quieter halls... So 32 is just a number tonight... no fret or worry about the change from 33 to 32.. guess I am just to tired too care... Toots had a Dr. appointment today, Dot has added a pound... where you can't tell... cause Toots still looks like she did a month ago... everything but the feet....

Let's look at a different number.... This is the 19th posting to this blog... To date the feedback has been good... but that's not why I am writing it... I am writing this to see how my thoughts and thought process change as the day nears. To see how or what I focus on, what I might learn about myself or to notice things about the family that I may have missed or taken for granted.... Over the 19 days, I find myself no less attentive to the family but always with a eye out for that one story, line or event that I can write around.. Needless to say, we don't lack excitement or events...

But is is funny that when you watch closer, so much more life comes your way...

Good night, keep those cards and letters coming...

Joseph was a carpenter not a painter

2009-04-14T23:23:00.004-04:00

OK... So last night was a fast post because I was tired... Tonight should be a no post cause the salve driver known as Toots has kept me very busy. the painting and nesting continues. Rooms were moved around.. bed here.. no there... move it an inch to the left.. no another inch.. You missed a spot, you missed another spot... She is a great foreman... all she needs is a broom or shovel to lean on... All kidding aside, she was right in the mix with me today... staying clear of the paint but did a mean job on the taping... made my work so much easier... and just because it was easier... I guess she thought I could do more... Tonight was more painting, mixed in with some electrical work and cleanup...

Days remain quiet with the kiddos away... Work has me busy but no so that I don't have time to assist with the little things around the house. Finished painting tonight and just banged out a 25 slide presentation that I will be giving in DC in the morning. So I am going to cut this short...

The counter is still there and moving faster. Looking at where it is today to where it was when I started, I realize how much our lives have already changed... Dot has been a huge factor but so many other little things have popped up that have made these changes occur. Life is funny, when you are not paying attention it just moves by.. but when you start capturing it or take the time to think about what has occurred... the little things add up... the events that we take for granted really impact us and the events that really impact us fade away faster than the daily routine. Dot now is a major impact but in a few short weeks she will be part of the fabric with a place in our daily routine.

Potential problem that will be addressed in this blog over time. We have a very dear friend, she is part of the family always there, always ready and one hell of a speller. She has been mentioned in the blog, referred to as other RB, Jersey Girl... Well I need to come up with a more endearing nickname.... Seem offense was taken with Jersey Girl... So for the time being, this dear dear friend will be simply know as the LuminosClan adopted Aunt. Welcome to the family...

Well I hear that alarm clock getting ready to go off, so I am going to try to catch some sleep... enjoy the night, have a great day and keep those letter and cards coming...

Quite the Quiet Day.... I stand corrected

2009-04-13T23:23:00.004-04:00

Fast post tonight... After working all day, I went to work again at night... Painting...painting, led to chair modeling, which led to crown molding, to skim coating.... not one room but two, with a third on the honey do list for tomorrow night... Yes it is true, I have a hard time hiring someone to do what I can do... Toots even made note of it tonight as I was cursing about this or that... Reality is, I like doing it.. Regardless of how sore I am after or in the case of tonight's work.. how sore I was doing it... elbow, shoulder, neck.... No I am not looking for sympathy... just some icy hot and a hot shower....

Kiddos appear to be having a blast at the cousins... trying to talk to them is almost impossible through the laughs and back ground giggles... Big Sis sent me a video tonight of Little guy on his cousins drum kit, playing along.. couldn't make out the song.. but Little Guy was intense... Big Sis is just in her glory... being the middle girl for a few days...

House San Kiddos, leaves for some boring blogs.... no stories, gore or guts... Toots has no one to Marshall around...no one to correct... ( I know, what about you... I am married it is part of the job description)

Counter... almost forgot... heck i am so tired I almost forget Toots was pregnant... 34 days... hmmmmmm 4.8 weeks... If I was really stressing I would have went out a few decimal points... anything to buy some time... have this gut feeling that the counter is going to be off by a few days... ad since it is a schedule C-Section those few days will be south of the forecast end date... just a gut feel.. but figure I would share with all, so on the 13th I can say see.. I told you...

OK nothing funny, so I am going to an old stand by... If this isn't our house on any given day...

Last thing... RB (Local Jersey Girl) stopped by today and informed Toots that when she was in the hospital she was going to rearrange furniture in the family room... Jersey Girl was told, she would have to deal with the "real" RB if she thought she was going to move anything... the placement of our furniture isn't feng shui... it is RB way...

Good night, keep those cards and letter coming...

He has Risen...again....

2009-04-12T22:41:00.009-04:00

Easter evening, the house is quiet... real quiet.. Toots and I left the kiddos with the cousins after a great day of food, family and fun. Big Sis was excited about it, Little Guy a little apprehensive but none the less wanted to know when we were leaving. So with all the quiet in the house, what are we doing... nothing and enjoying every second of it... Toots is thrilled knowing she won't be woke up at 7AM tomorrow morning but sad cause she misses the kiddos. Me I am glad I won't be the one making breakfast tomorrow or the one who will have kids busting into the office asking me if they can do this or that... I won't hear.. "Cause Mom said to ask you if it was alright"... Only to catch hell by Toots because I said yes...

This vacation of sorts is short lived with a schedule return date of Wed of this week. Things may change and I may convince Toots to hop a flight to some exotic local.. I know, no flights... no exotic locals... . just regularly scheduled trips to the DR. and the closest I will get to an exotic location is the Malaysian sweetshop atmosphere Toots has going when she is in her sewing groove... Fully expect Kathy Lee Gifford to show up protesting.. image having an 8 month pregnant woman stuck in a room sewing all day... what's next sneakers.... actually more blankets are next.. with all the press she has gotten in the blog and the pictures strewn across the net, she has been getting request from many for blankets... All I can say is she is in her element...

Great day today... Little Guy gave us yet another rendition of the passion of Christ.. today's version starts after the Crucifixion, has Jesus laid in the tomb, the big rock rolled into place and his friends coming in a few day to see that he was gone.. He goes on to say that he went to heaven to be with his family for Easter.... only to come back to the tomb to meet the Easter bunny... Bible according to Little Guy...

35 days, RB pointed out today that time seems to be going fast... I seem to think it is going faster... A short 10 days ago, I started this little blog... to me it seems like yesterday... Well we can't slow it down, we can't stop it, we just have to brace for it... lots of folks ready to help out, lots of folks willing to help out and lots of folks able to say glad it is you two and not us...

Let me set the record straight, we are ready for Dot, we are ready for the changed she will bring, we are ready for our one step up two steps back look at life.... Seems 8 months ago, we were saying after a short visit with new born... glad it isn't us... Jump ahead 8 months and we are thrilled it is us...

Well after a long day of food, family and driving, I am calling it a night.... as soon as I figure out how to down load 600+ pictures...not the 500 or so I thought... Seems our photographer Big Sis, the official/unofficial picture taker at the previously mentioned walk a thon and decided that she had to capture every person,every footstep and several other indistinguishable items...

I think I will use the quiet tomorrow to get Toots to contribute to the blog... BTW: she is looking great if we could figure out how to hide the sausages she now has in place of her feet... They aren't just a little swollen, they looked like a fat girl in spandex today... the proverbial, 10 pounds of S**T in a size 6 sandal...

I will leave you with that graphic... Be Good, stay well and as always keep those cards and letters coming in...

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T23:02:00.002-04:00

The great thing about Holidays and writing something is that you can skate and actually get away with a simple:

HAPPY EASTER to Family, Friends and Strangers that stop by from time to time!

Now if you have been following the bouncing ball all along, you probably have figured out that skating isn't in theses fingers yet... I'll save the one sentence blogs for the midnight feeding, where I have to pick between typing away or holding Dot just right...

Day was 180 degrees away from yesterday... Little guy snuck into our bed around 7 am, Toots was already up and putting her clothes on... command center says eyes.... Little Guy and I hung out while we waited for Big Sis to arise... Low and behold the princess was up before the lunch wagon pulled into to town... Kiddos and I, had a nice breakfast while Toots was off doing something with her eyes... Yes Little Guy and I watched Spongebob...

After lunch, Toots and Big Sis headed to the mall... All I got from Toots is it is getting harder to shop with Big Sis... She is like you in a store... Big Sis let me know that no matter what I picked out Mom said.. .No.... Probably a good thing, I have seen what Big Sis will buy when left to her own devices or when shopping with me...

Little Guy hung with a friend all afternoon... Me I had the fun job of cleaning out, rearranging, straightening up... the garage... Looks pretty good... At least I thought.. On the Nester's return from shopping, she didn't say great, didn't say about time... I got, you missed something under your tool chest... 36 more days and than she won't care if I have an engine block from a 69 Chevy sitting in my garage bay.... as long as she can get the beast in on her side...

Evening was filled with the sounds of Easter carols... OK it wasn't, cause there aren't any such thing... The evening was spent thick in the smells of vinegar and colored fingers... .I mean eggs... Some serious sibling rivalry was in play, Big Sis reverted to designing eggs and dyeing in secrecy.. Little Guy did the next best thing... waited until Sis put her eggs in the holder to see what interesting design.... On the subject of Dyeing eggs, I have always thought and assumed that the only egg coloring product out there was Paas... Toots didn't get Paas, she got something else... Maybe I am wrong but why has it taken all these years for someone to come out with a competing food color pill that is dropped in vinegar and water... Stuff the kids used tonight seems to have worked OK.. I will let you know if in the morning the color is faded or chipping...

Best line of the day.. Big Sis said.. you know one of the cool things about Dot coming.. Christmas and Santa Clause, Easter and the Bunny, the tooth fairy and other traditions will continue.. that means we (Little Guy and Big Sis) will get to enjoy the benefits of Santa, Easter and Tooth fairy for more years... I told her to do the math and asked if she planned on still enjoying Santa, you need to realize that you will be almost 20 and sitting on his lap in a store... That your tooth fairy money won't be coming due to you losing your baby teeth but instead from pulled molars.. She was fine with it....

Second best line of the Day... Little guy and his friend tell me they are hungry... I get some cookies and other very nutritious foods for them... an hour goes by and I notice the cookies still on the counter... I ask if they are going to eat them.. and to my surprise Little Guy did a dead on impression of Toots.. Saying to his friend, you know my Dad works real hard to put food on the table.. you better eat those cookies... I was honestly waiting for.. you know there are kids in China that don't know what cookies are...

Counter chatter... got some odd looks about my counter talk last night... O' well can't please every one all the time... If I had to explain everything I type, that would take the fun out of typing it... Tonight a more traditional counter review... O' Sh*T, 36 days... Way I see it, I have 6 more days before the full court press is on, so much could happen in those last 30 days... the biggest being that my counter is wrong and Dot decides to come early... So in the grand scheme of things it is 36 bottle of beer on the wall.. one falls down.. we ....

Honestly, it is coming fast.. my one wish is that when the counter starts going north ( Counting up) that the days drag on and on, cause I don't want to miss a single day.. I want to enjoy and savor each second with Dot, Little Guy and Big Sis... Cause that timer is going to be at 20 plus years faster than I know it...

Discovered something about this blog.. the ads that are on the side and bottom actually are based on the content of what I write... all you have to do is click on the topic and the sidebar ads reflect what I have written... last night, I mentioned Johnny Cash, so the adds on the side were for Johnny Cash memorabilia... this makes a new challenge for me.. I want to be as sublime as possible in references and see if the ad monster picks it up.. if and when it works I will let you know..

Enjoy your Easter... Thanks for stopping by and keep those cards and letters coming in...

Writer's Block

2009-04-10T23:47:00.006-04:00

Well it was bound to happen... Friday evening, everyone asleep and I have nothing to say... at least I think I am drawing a blank... Lots of thoughts but nothing worth pecking away into the blog. So I'll go random... and just type....

Guess the day was relatively boring... work was busy... for what should have been a slow day... the kid's were like leaves. blowing around the neighborhood with friends... Toots ran some errands and took little guy to the Dr... Not even relatively boring... plain boring... suburbia white picket fence boring...

Toots actually asked me to shut off a light... While this is not a big deal to almost everyone who reads this blog.. two people will "get it"... It is one of those gene things... This gene requires that you have enough lights on in your house...day or night...that planes can land in the driveway... It is also closely associated with the flick it on but not off gene... It's not lazy or even forgetful... Guess you could say it is a bright idea... I have one light on and I get why is every light on in the house... go figure...

37 days, one more day closer... the numbers are starting to sound like the whistle of a train coming closer and closer... you know it's it a train, you can hear the sound... what you don't know is what is inside or who... Dot holds a million mysteries 37 days away... no matter how many times you hear that train whistle, there is always that wonderment of the unknown... the smile of where it might be going, fear of being ready for it and realization as it screams closer... all rolled up into single sound..... ( ...I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away..... Johnny Cash Folsom Prison Blues)

Different take on my homage to the decreasing number... but like I said many posts back.. this blogging stuff has me writing again or at least looking at the words differently...

Well I am pecking into tomorrow again... So I had better wrap the evening... Evening was as boring as the.. day... Nothing much happen, nothing much said.. just the motions of a Friday... Looking forward to the weekend and heading north... celebrating Easter with the family... hopefully convincing my mother to start a blog where she can put down all those stories, she has told over the years... and told, and told...

good night.. keep those cards and letters coming in...

We're gonna need a bigger boat.....

2009-04-09T23:06:00.005-04:00

There is a commercial on right now that says the average person gets to experience 25, 000 sunrises...( 32,000 average for the LuminosoClan) image that counter... huge number...

Throughout all our sunrises, we are lucky enough to have people come and go in our lives.. we see friends grow into family and other make their impression only to move on.... unfortunately we see family drift apart.. and fortunately pull back together... We experience events that change us forever and miracles that touch our hearts... We experience the wonder of our babies being born...we feel the pain of people passing on... lots of good, lots of bad.. in the end lots of life...

That is a broad stroke of the brush look at our lives... Thinking back and ahead at the Dot counter, makes me realize that while I have a lot of sunrises, I need to focus more on the time between sun up and sun down... so much happens in our busy lives that one day blurs into the next and a handful of days are gone before you realize you missed them... You never get them back... they are gone...

Life isn't too short... it is the days that make it up... that go by to quick

OK... sorry about the Nietzsche moment...

A slow day.... great weather, you could see people enjoying the sun back on their faces for the first time in a while.. Big Sis and her friends, actually were trying to get tans today... didn't want to break their spirits but you need to lay out in the sun a little longer than 5 minutes... I guess the right thing is not to lay out in the sun, makes sense given what we know.... To me it is one of those things... I still hang out on the beach most weekends... nothing compared to the days, when I was on the first beach at Sandy Hook by 9 and off as the sun came down...

I was moving some of the "stuff" around in the basement today and became fascinated by the Car seat and the insurance industry approved platform it sits on... Man things have changed in 6 years... I think Little Guy's seat was more like mine as a Small brat... than it is like the baby in a bubble technology Dot will experience... I remember mine... a piece of foam, sitting on the hump in the back of an old Plymouth Fury II... It had a little plastic steering wheel that was bolted to a steel frame... And to my brothers, yes I remember that Fury.. if you turned the wipers on, tuned the radio to a high side of the AM band it made a sound like breathing... throw in the emergency flashers and it sounded like a heart beat... ( the things we remember or the stories we were told.. over and over again... like Strawberries as big a your fist... See Mom, I listened)

Back to the day... The kiddos had a walk a thon at school... great event.. Big Sis was the unofficial photographer... I looked at the camera when she came home, I think she took 500+ pictures... I am sure she will want to print out at least half of them... Can hear Toots now...

Little Guy... was in his glory.. anytime he can run with his friends is a good time... While it raises great cash for school, I think it is a great tool to start Easter break... after an hour of walking in circles... the kiddos fall asleep real easy at night...

Tomorrow starts... "can I go to ______ House.... Can I call _______ and have them come over... or the dreaded... what are we going to do today..." Tomorrow also starts... Toot's nervous breakdown... Can hear it now... "No you can't.... no s/he can't, I don't know.. go pick up your room... And the ever popular... Stopping hitting your ____. "

I'm going to the office....

Well that's it... The mind is shutting down... Thank for the continued encouragement and thoughts... Keep those letters and cards coming in....

...Throw that speedball by you.. make you...

2009-04-08T20:47:00.007-04:00

Hey sports Fans... tonight was capped off with two practices. Big Sis had her travel Softball and Little Guy had his.... Not coaching this year but did slide in for the assistant coach spot on the Little Guy's team... Coaching 7 years old is a story in it self... Had a kid tonight, come up to me and basically say... Don't coach me, don't show or ask me... I don't want to be here, I'd rather be home playing Xbox. Had another one ask when do they sing the song and can he get a hot dog...

The rest of them all wanted to know why they had to practice and why couldn't we have a game... There was also great concern that one of the teams was missing... Missing from a 7 years old's vantage point.. Missing because they were their and the other team was not...

Big Sis is confused.. her coach told her tonight, she was throwing the ball to hard... yes to hard... I am getting the feeling that her coach comes from the mindset that everyone wins... even the losers get trophies so they don't feel bad or end up with low self esteem. Uses the phrase this is all about fun far too much...

So the day started out with a difference... let's just say "Voices Carry..." The calm that we have been having these past few days was dismissed by a bang of ranging hormones... Toots, done stitching and sewing has turned to "B*tching and spewing"... but it is all in the good name of ... Dot... The hormonal swings are not really that bad, just that when they come the slightest thing set other things in motion. The Kiddos have grown very use to them and have devised ways to make Toots laugh... Tonight, they stopped her in mid rant about forks and napkins and suggested she go to the spa... go relax... do yoga.. do baby yoga.. work on saying ohmmmmmmm.... It worked... Toots was soon laughing...

I am hoping with the arrival of the surrogate Nester tomorrow, Toots goes back in to nesting mode and tires herself out... Come on we all know she will clean before the surrogate Nester arrives..

We completed all the paper work for Big Sis, keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer... She is mature beyond her years but wants so much for all of this to be behind her... ( For those of you that don't know what I am referring don't worry... she is fine... )

So with the completed paperwork, I was out and about dropping of papers here and there... Toots, was out shopping for this or that... I do know she personally help bump the price of Hallmark up today... looking at her desk, it seems everyone we know has a Birthday or a Birthday party... in April...

The counter now reflects a mear blink of an eye... snap of the finger... it will be at zero real fast... 8 months ago, it was like the feeling you had when you were young and summer had a few days left and you were getting ready for school...you always had that sense that the few months in the summer were like a year... 8 months ago it seemed that May was ages away... Now May is coming at us like a kid running down the stairs Christmas morning...

I am more than confident we will be ready... and if we aren't we will be.. it's just the way it is... Dot is coming, regardless of the color of a wall or for that fact regardless of a wall.. Yes construction has not started yet...

The hours of the blog creation is getting better... I looked back over the last few, two days ago it was 3 in the morning, last night midnight... tonight... right on schedule... I still have not been able to get back into scratching notes throughout the day. The big thing I see in writing it straight out as I fall sleep is the tense is all the same... I also seem to focus ( translates to types) a shorter period of time on a given topic. Regardless, as I told my Big Sis today, I almost feel guilty if I don't write something everyday...

Thanks for hanging in and enjoying the normalcy of the clan... keep those cards and letters coming in... seems Toots has been sending this link out to folks and they have been sending it out.. and so on and so on.. to the point we just hit our 1 million visitor... joking... we still remain a nice quiet corner on the net...

Tuesday, Two beers two bucks...

2009-04-08T00:15:00.004-04:00

Well folks another day has slipped by and I yet again did not have a chance to capture the humours snippets that occurred throughout the day. 40 days left, amazing.. look at it again 40, that is a big number in so many ways. 40 birthday, huge, reason to try to act like 20 again.... 40 years, Moses spent roaming the dessert... looking for a basket... 40 seems to be a number of "testing", 40 day of flood, 40 days fasting... Well the test here, is to see if the mood swings and tension can be survived for 40 days.

I figured something out... Why modern woman actually stay in the hospital, it gives the rest of the family time to relax from the intense nesting that occurred leading up to birth and of course to be well rested for when Toots comes back...

Speaking of Nesting, I meet my surrogate Nester today. Consuela something or other, she has been foolish enough to sign up as the surrogate Nester, responsible for cleaning... and cleaning again... and again... no you missed a spot.. still missed it... O' give me that rag... this is how we clean in Nebraska, when I was little... the only difference between Consuela and us, is that she gets paid... doesn't have to respond.. no Inglis and she gets to leave and not hear the moaning about how bad she cleans...

Day was spent heavy in paperwork.. the never ending saga of Big Sis continues, not sure if we are near the end zone or mid field with all of it, but we have a great play book, the team is strong and we know the opponents weakness. Thanks for the kind words and thoughts...

Lil Guy, still trying to Wiesel his way into freedom, found a poster of Dora on his wall and Sheetrock dust on the floor... Warden thinks he is trying to make a break...umbrella sippy cups.... Actually let him roam free a little bit today.. he got mad at me because no one was home to play with.

Turning the corner to mid week, almost to the start of spring break.... I am sure the days off will drive some fun stories. Might even ask the kiddos to guest blog and share their thoughts and words...

For all the female viewers out there, I was able to get some photos of the "BEDDING"... I am sure Toots will be sending pictures to all the ladies in the coming days... Here is a sneak preview of her handy work... She should be selling this stuff. I could retire, sit on the beach.... spend more time on my blog...
Toots really did a good job.... Dot is one lucky Dot... only problem is that is it far to nice to actually allow a child to spit-up in it. So I am fearing that we will need to buy everyday bumpers, blankets and pillows... Kind of like our bed, we have the regular sheets and stuff and than the company coming set, where Toots rolls out several hundred pillows, and stuff... Where does she get it from.....

Well calling it a night.. knees are killing me, elbow is killing ,me, shoulder is killing me... dam it is tough being over 40... but it is going to get tougher as that counter goes under 40... the way I see it all the "fun" over the next few weeks, will quickly be replaced with FUN as we welcome the changes into the house...

Good night, keep those cards and letters coming in....

if it's Monday I must be in....

2009-04-07T02:47:00.003-04:00

Well, my fellow partners in crime... I am sad to say the day got by me and I never had a chance to capture the uniqueness of the life and times of the Clan today. I just came up from the office ( 2:50 am), so I am not sure if this is yesterday's blog or tomorrow's.

Highlight of the day, The pedal pusher was back in action, Toots was up way past bedtime.. think she came down to me around mid-night... but she accomplished a lot... finished the blanket, sewed from scratch the liners for some wicker baskets... no not a moses basket.. just a plain basket... guess these don't float... or maybe Dot won't fit in them.... regardless, Toots hit a home run again... Pictures will follow...

Kiddos have been unbelievably kind.. Little Guy has been doing his best to get his sentence reduced.... he is super sweet... asked if he is being good... than sneaks the can I get my DS.. or can I go around the block... when I tell him no.. he starts to whine but holds it in... I did let him hang with the Boys across the street today... but that is it.. like Toots has said this is my punishment.. so I can turn the faucet when every I want... Big Sis, has been an angel.. she is dealing with some issues that at times rip her apart... but on the outside always a smile... Toots and I are helping her make these things go away... I am very proud of her and how mature she is when dealing with her cross in life... I am eqaully amazed with Littel Guy and how I think he has turned the corner in listening...

Well, the counter is clickling away... Big day is getting closer... Toots sent me a Baby.com link that said "right now she is very tired..." No S**T... I don't need to read an article that tells me that.. I live it... Wish the article would say.. right now she will clean, mend, stick, tack, wax, dust and overahul anything that happens to sit still for more than a minute. Best advice, keep moving...

Brief and to the point on my musings tonight...

Good night.. please keep those cards and letter coming in... I must like them cause I felt guilty about going to sleep without at least tapping away a few lines...

Sunday... Felt like a circle...

2009-04-05T21:24:00.004-04:00

Odd day today, wasn't home much so I never captured my mid-day thoughts and musings, stinks when I am away from the oracle too long.... So the post tonight is being done as the family falls off to sleep and I try to unwind from a day that felt like a circle...

We started off 6:00 am.... Little Guy and I doing our guy stuff in the morning.. Breakfast, SpongeBob and 100 Questions. My response to what are we doing today drew cries and whines... All I said was we are going to 10 o'clock mass... You would have thought they cancelled Christmas... He wanted nothing to do with Church today... But... When I told him it was Palm Sunday.. he thought for a moment... Gave me the true biblical story as conveyed by a 6 years old who has spent his entire education in a catholic school... The story as he knows it.. the dessert was hot, Jesus was coming to town and all his followers decided to cool him off by waving leaves at him... I corrected him.. told them they used Palms...( I had the same education)... In his defense and that of his educational experience, he did convey in great detail the entire story of the Passion of Christ... His big thing, outside of raising from the dead was Veronica wiping his face and the image on the vail... Of course he could move the boulder he was Jesus...

We made it out the door in time to catch the start of the mass from the parking lot... hit the top steps as the procession was midway up to the alter... So I said it felt like a circle... here is why and when it started... Mass was crowded... Toots and the clan sat two pews in front of me...

Great mass... more on that at a later date.. let's just say the church has changed....

I promised to continue the Palm Fronds subject... big disappointment... no swords or whips... The kiddos made crosses... a lot of crosses.. like in does anyone need a Palm cross...

After mass and a quick bite at the diner and the circle or separation continued... Toots and little guy went to yet another B-Day party. Big Sis and I went to yet another Softball clinic... both kids had a blast... We arrived home at about the same time... Toots drop Little Guy off, so she could run some errands and the three of us packed the dog in the car and ventured off to the dog park. We slid further away in the circle... Back home, Toots is wiped heads to bed.. I take the kids out for a bite... even further....

About the diner, Toots actually quoted me today... She said in a few months we will need the big table...

Big Sis put it ideally; today we were going to do things as a family and because of all the stuff we had to do, we never really saw each other... some family day...

The circle will be closed when I stop typing and crawl in next to Toots, take her glasses off and finish watching whatever show she has left on as she dosed off... Kiss her forehead and turn off the light... until the morning..

This concept of the circle is all about how we start the day at the same point and move in different directions until we meet back up... The best part of the circle is the start and end.. the in between leaves me feeling empty... Funny, we might get on each other nerves but I miss Toots when I am away.... I miss her when she is away... (there's the Awww moment for the post.... ) Guess we are lucky that after all this time the cricles are still pretty small...

Not much else occurred today. Little Guy is being punished for a bone head move on his part... He is restricted to the driveway and lost his New DS for a week... When his punishment was dished out he acknowledge and repeated what and why this was happening to him... From the second the last breath left his lips on his rehash of the why and what... he started to negotiate... (Gotta wonder where he gets that from...) If I do this.. can I get that... At dinner, he told Big Sis.. " When I get my DS back you can play it whenever you want.. even if I am playing take it and I won't care..." than turned to me and said.. "See Dad I am going to be good when I get it back.. can I have it now... so I can start being good"... I said "no"... He told his Sis... "that she can't play it"... Gotta love the love...

So I can't end a posting without some mention of the counter... 42 days... in a few more I will go in the basement and look for the Noah thing that we must have for Dot... Cause the last 40 days will be like a flood... but until than.. I will sit here with a smirk on my face that is equivalent to the secret pats Toots makes at her stomach... Seems like yesterday when we found out... in a few months these days will be a life time behind us as we focus on the growing family...

Good night, thanks for sitting through my feeble musings.. Tomorrow we will resume the normally scheduled program of a midday and late night wrap up... keep those cards and letters coming...

2009-04-04T13:48:00.005-04:00

One week in and I am still typing this thing. Saturday came with the expected fanfare of opening day. 8:00am and we were standing in an empty lot with several hundred softball and baseball players all ready to start the season. Long parade from nowhere to the field to listen to speeches and self serving back slapping from our great town politicians. The only good thing out of the speeches is that they were using a sound system borrowed from the NYC subway system so we couldn't understand a single thing they were spewing... I mean saying.. Weather was cold and rainy for the most part. Toots beat the traffic and used the "I'm not parking over there, I'm 8 month's pregnant" (She used the counter) She wrangled herself Rock Star parking amongst the privileged in town. I on the other hand had to park a timezone away and with the aide of my trusted Sherpa trekked to the staging area, where I assisted in herding cats... kids into groups.

No games today, due to weather... Little Guy went with a friend, Toots and Big Sis went to her shower.. so I have the kingdom to myself. Not like I will be able to relax too much... I have a truck full of Dot things that I have to unload, move and move again... I am sure wherever I place them will require one more move... Seems that Toots and her Sis share a common gene.. the someone might need it someday gene... There is something to be said for this gene... All the great stuff unloaded means less for buying... And yes eventually a need for more shelves... As I told my Sis-n-law.. Because of our ages, we are running out of people we know that will need this stuff... The only hope now is for a friend's kid to have a child that really is the only way it will move out of our basement in say 5- 10 years... and it will come back in time for Dot to take it with her when she moves out...

I would list some of these items but like the biblical basket from last post, I have no idea what most of the stuff is, what it does or even how to put it together. All I know is Dot has enough stuff, that will require her to get a basement when she moves out... That is if she also has inherited that gene... Funny thing about that gene, if I save something I'm called a junk collector... One never knows when they might need a seashell collection or rubber band ball...

In my solitude, I was sitting on the deck putting these word in place, watching the two hounds running in the yard... Dixie is digging holes deep enough that I think we could order Chinese food through... the other puff is sitting at my feet whining for god knows what reason...

Day started early for Toots, I think she gets up early to see what I have posted the night before... I laid in bed listening to her nesting... something is so wrong with cleaning at 6:00am, regardless of who is coming over. Nesting is great...I truly believe either bounty, hoover or Windex should start an add campaign... selling industrial sized products for the mother to be... The house looks great, everything in its place and shining... I am sure my footsteps in the carpet that was vacuumed just right will cause some discussion later...

kiddos were great this morning between the thrill of opening day and the shower they moved quickly. Both looked great in their uniforms.

After the morning festivities at the ball park, Big Sis came in all dressed up, ready for the shower...... and for the first time, she didn't look like a cute little girl.. she looked like like a young lady... Man we are in for some long nights.. she will break a lot of hearts... She was very proud of how she looked... watching her with her niece today gave me a good glimpse into the future of how Big Sis will be a big sister to Dot... Not that she isn't a big sister to Little guy, I just get the feeling watching her today that she will act differently with Dot.. I see her mothering more than slapping around... Little guy will be a proud big brother... protective...

Toots's friends throw an unbelievable shower for her... They are true friends!!!! I was summoned to the party because someone locked the keys in the truck. When I pulled into the driveway, I saw a massive pile of stuff... so I loaded... more stuff to go with the Sis-N-Law stuff... Toys, clothes, diapers, chairs, bags... loading the car I felt like I was lifting one of Toots packed bags, you know the one she packs for a short weekend.... It is safe to say Dot has enough clothes for her first few weeks that Toots won't have to wash anything ( which is probably a good thing since that nesting obsession stops soon after the baby makes her big arrival)... She has enough activity things that she won't be bored.. unless of course Toots decides to rotate them in and out over the next 10 - 15 years... Her friends and the friendship they share between each other was the best gift at the end of the day.. .( Yes I am buttering up some future babysitters..) Thank you .... for making Toots and the rest of our family and friends feel welcome...

As expected the night was a bust.... Big Sis ended back at her friends house to finish the sleep over she didn't get to do last night.. some folks are saints... Little Guy parked his butt across the street with his second family... Toots and the other RB chatted away... me I moved stuff and move more stuff..

So All in all it was a great day... Toots looked positively radiant today... Looking at the counter and looking at her one would think that the counter is wrong... She doesn't look like she is ready to give birth... she looks great... but than doesn't she always...

Thanks for hanging with me throughout the past week... keep those cards and letters coming in...

Good night

Friday.... We made it..

2009-04-03T09:55:00.013-04:00

Yes we made it to the end of the week, all 10 fingers in tact and only a little battle scarred. The big issues of any given day, really turned into little nothings, lessons to be learned for the next time we have the same crisis. Actions and reactions will be etched in the memories of all but soon will be replaced by new actions and on and on....

The big thing is that the counter over there has retired 6 days... Leaving 44 days until we can hold our bundle of joy in our hands. It is truly amazing what Toots needs to go through for this miracle ( Without the help of a glue gun). Even through the fast pace of the week, she never loses her glow or that inner smile.... To watch her pat her stomach when she thinks no one is watching is sweet...not that I ever forget.. but it does remind me why i love her so.... The kids like Mom... are savoring the time..

So it's Friday! First Friday for that matter. which means kids have church in the morning and Toots will attend. ( You think the countdown is amazing.. how's this for a stat... based on the math of a a friend... we will be doing 13 more years of First Friday Masses, Christmas Bizarre...... ) I get out of going today cause of that thing that I do all week long.. work.. more typing and talking as we wrap up the week. From a work standpoint it was a good week, lots accomplished and a lot more plotted to the 'task" map for the upcoming weeks. So for the morning, it will be me and the hounds hanging in the office....

Prior to the departure of the clan to Church, the morning again ran smooth, two showers and a bath, still hot water and no shouts.... everyone in place at the right time... Little Guy was allowed to bring his DS on the bus today.. with a reminder from Toots that if this one gets broken, there will be no more... Little Guy in his wisdom said, "I know... I will have to get the new DSPlus.. cause they don't make the DS lite anymore"... When reminded that is not what mom meant.. that she would not spend any money on a new one... He responded.. "No problem.. I will get a job at Burger King"....

Before I go on with the day recap and nightly close... Please remember just because it is the end of the week does not mean it stops... noooooo.. this life is a vicious cycle that never ever stops... No rest for the weary... Saturday is full swing... parade, party, Easter egg hunt... and i am sure lots of what are we doing next.. I'm bored... The break should be Saturday night... kids will be tired, Toots will be tired... Sunday will be another bright and early day for Church.. Palm Sunday... where we spend the entire time in mass getting hit with palm pieces, watching sword (palm) fights or asked to make them into a cross, picture frame.... or what ever shape the kiddo's imagination conjures up... More on the palm fronds on Sunday...

Busy day on the home front... seems one of Little Guy's friends has Fifths Disease... A no nonsense viral infections for for kids... Not a major concern for Dot ( Concerning only in the first 20 weeks) but Toots still went and had blood drawn to see if she has it... Little guy isn't showing any signs... Toots should be fine... If she comes back positive, than the rest of us will get checked...

Toots and Big Sis had a mini fashion show... seems Big Sis now fits into some of mom's skinny clothes... Man I am in trouble... Little Guy hit the front door like it was revolving door... grabbed some food and back out to play with friends. Glad the weather is changing.. gives the kids a chance to actually play outside... Big Sis went to a sleep over B-day party that she wasn't sleeping over over at. Big thing about this little party is she gets to watch "Twilight", Toots wasn't happy but she gave in... I asked Little guy if he wanted to go to the movies.. he decided he would rather... sleep... And that he did.... sound asleep by 9:00pm.

Toots went upstairs early to rest her sausages. The littlest bit of running around causes her feet to blow up like balloons. Like moss on a tree trunk, you can tell how tired and what her mood will be like based on the size of her feet/ankles. Me I hung downstairs... enjoy the peace. had to stay up so I can pick Big Sis up around 11:00pm.

Learned something new today... Toots is buying a Moses basket... not sure what Moses will use if Toots buys his basket but she is getting one so she can float Dot down a river... no no.. so she can take Dot out of the bassinet in the dinning room and place her on the floor in the family room... Can here it now.. Dam dogs... What's next a Noah's boat for when she gets bigger... I am amazed how much all these baby things have changed in just 6 short years. Last time around a pack-n-play was enough for the downstairs confinement area. Now we are buying biblical baskets. I know Dot's first few months will revolve around sleeping, eating and making deposits in between. Guess this is the reason Toots has spent so much time on sleeping stuff... The crib's bumpers and skirt look great! The blanket will be done soon... Still don't know what the next nest item is but I would venture to guess that it will be along the lines of "pimp" my Moses basket...

Wrapping the day with a trip to pick up Big Sis. Tomorrow starts with a baseball/softball parade and opening day for Big Sis. From Softball Mom and Big Sis will be whisked off for a day of the ladies hanging out... Little guy doesn't understand why they have to go somewhere else for a shower... I told him don't ask, let's just be glad all we have to do is drop off and pick up...

Thank for hanging with us this week, Keep the cards and letters coming and I promise to continue this until Dot arrives...

Good night.

Day before Friday...

2009-04-02T10:02:00.004-04:00

Funny... Into this less than a week and I am already thinking in a way I haven't in a long time. Little statements or quips have me thinking about items from the past and future and how they all tie together to make our present.

What do I mean... Day before Friday is... .not a test.. but in my young crazy days... Thursday night was always.... Lady's night at the clubs/bars. This blog to date really has been about the current and future lady's that make up the Clan home-front... Every night is lady's night for the Little Guy and me... The dance of pleasing the woman folks is a losing battle.... no matter what we (little Guy and I) do we are wrong, incorrect, not paying attention, absent-minded or just us... But we enjoy dancing...

Day started off quite.... still some what sulking mood of Big Sis. Little Guy was right back into DS mode, asking, whining, crying that he wanted to take it to school. Big Sis, smiled and ate today but she was awfully careless with her Ipod... seems she dropped it a few times, hinting/asking if is broke would it get replaced. Toots already has said,if it she breaks it on purpose she will be grounded until Apple comes out with kpod and forced to use Toot's old Sony Walkman. Yes in the basement alongside the other stuff we might need some day is a collection of cassette tapes... A lot can be said about the a person based on the cassette/albums/Cd's they never throw away... Anyway, big Sis seems Ok, Little Guy is happy and Toots is leary that the whole mood thing is not over.

Toots was out of the house getting her hair done in preparation for Saturday. Like my Grandmother use to say... "She looks the rent..." She does look great, but than she always looks great....

Kids came home and like I thought.. no issue... Big Sis was fine... She joked and had a little sarcastic edge to herself most of the night... While I know the "fun" is ahead for us as she moves into her teens... We can rest assure that she won't be the one in the corner afraid and that her personality will make her a leader not a follower. Little Guy, was as sweet as ever... he burst through the door, rushed to the kitchen and... went for his DS... He eventually made it around to hugs and kisses... Dot will be lucky to have two sibling like Big Sis and Little Guy teaching her the ropes...

Dinner was great, fun conversation, lots of laughs and goofing around. Big Sis mimicking Toots.... Had us on the floor... As she said.. "it was a real knee slapper"...

Toots is back on the pedal...making bumpers and such... She is in the groove now... my bet is she will be finished tonight or tomorrow... Big fear is than what..... What will she do next.... what is the next nest item on the mental list... what type of controlled disarray will I walk into tomorrow.

Day is wrapping up.. I think it was a good one... we started with two kids and another one 46 days away... and finished with the same amount and one day closer... Good parenting

Keep those cards and letters coming..

Mid Week Almost There

2009-04-01T08:44:00.011-04:00

Almost where...? Sure it is the middle of the week, what does that really mean... A long time ago that meant weekends.. fun... going out.. coming home... sleeping all day... Almost there now means, more of the same with a different twist. Yes we still go out but instead of going out at 10 - 11 pm, we are going at at 7 -8 am for some sport, school, (___) fill in the blank event. Most weekends this time of year we don't see the couch until late in the evening.

Today is April Fools Day, the big prank from last post was not pulled off this morning. A few small ones between the kiddos and me but nothing big. ( I hope to have the big one pulled off by the time I close out my day). I did get one of my whiz kids with the premise that Vets have discovered away to make dogs talk... Addressing the age old question of why are you barking... This specific off-spring was amazed and asked" how it was done"... My response was simple, that they have to insert something into the dogs brain... too which I got.. "gross... no but really how do they do it"... Wonders of those tuition dollars...

Morning was rather uneventful... Ran like a well oiled machine everyone was in place doing what the General instructed... Showers, clothes, dishes, teeth... all washed and accounted for... Several minor infractions around manners and attitude but nothing that erupted into any significant level of noise. I did notice Big Sis rolling her eyes a lot... each time she does it I realize what fun we are in for as she moves from a tween to a teen....

No sewing machine today... at least for most of the morning and mid-day... Toots has a Dr. Appointment to check on Dot. I did not attend because I had to work... Type and talk.... Looks like I have the kingdom to myself for a few hours, Toots will be off shopping and picking up must have items for this weekend ( no food). Taking a late lunch today to meet up with her and the little guy, to watch Big Sis play in her opening day on Varsity Softball. The quite in the house is almost deafening... only noise is the clicking of the keys.... I know... I know... .enjoy it cause in 46 days... Reality is I need to enjoy it now...because in 4 -6 hours the tranquil atmosphere will be shattered by... I want... Food, friends, you haven't done that yet and TV..

Update on the DR. Visit... all is good both mother and child are fine. Baby continues to grow putting a few pounds since last visit. Everything is still on track for the the countdown. Dot turns out to be the only happy female in the house today.

No softball canceled because of rain. Big Sis had a friend over and Little Guy and I went to Game Stop to replace yet another DS. The last victim was placed on the back of my car by someone and it went flying off into the highway... Great story for another day.... That was a few months back.. Toots and I decided that we would replace it yet again for his birthday. Trying to get an old DS before the new DS came out meant we had to buy it now.

Big Sis got her nose all out of joint because her brother got yet another DS and she still has an old ipod. Toots got her nose out of joint because Big Sis was upset. I told Big Sis both Mom and I understand how she feels, we have been on both the receiving and giving side of getting or not getting something. She sulking in her room, Toots is upset because she feels Big Sis doesn't appreciate what she has...Little guy is playing his DS. It will all blow over by morning... I remember feeling the way Big Sis is... So the calm that I knew was going to be distrubted after school was not only disturbed it exploded... eyes rolling continues...slamming doors... heavy feet...

So in 46 days, little guy and I are going to be living in a house with 3 females.. all three have the propensity to cry, scream and demand... only one needs a diaper. I get the feeling the Little Guy and I will be spending a lot of time in the bunker.. um basement to avoid the woman folk roaming loose upstairs.

Bedtime was a piece of cake... Little Guy fell off to sleep while we read... Big Sis, sulked her self to bed and now Toots is upstairs drifting off.

Good Night... Good Day... Keep the cards and letters coming....

Day after Monday....

2009-03-31T09:16:00.007-04:00

Second day of the week.. The day started out great... showers without shouts... breakfast without fits... beds made, teeth brushed without asking!

Little Guy, rolled over this AM and didn't ask "what was for breakfast", didn't ask "Do I have to take a shower", didn't even ask what the weather was like... What he did ask was did Mom finish my Project Box... cause it is due today. He was impressed with Mom's use of a glue gun... Jesus won't have to worry about slipping or for that matter walking any further... he is stuck down real good. The Buds in the boat were free floating until Mom realizes that they would never make it to school. In true gunslinger fashion, Martha whipped out the glue gun and stuck the boys in the boat to the back of the box. Nobody is going anywhere... The little miracles in support of the big Miracle!

All chores completed, breakfast table cleared and lunches made ( this time with less snacks, it happens when Dad makes the lunches) Kids out the door without any issues. We do need bottle water and a bunch of other things in the fridge... Shopping has not occurred... the sweat-shop owner won't let the seamstress leave her table... and I am far too busy typing and talking, you know doing a real job... ( Yes I ducked and she missed).... to be running to the store.... But, I am sure I will be handed a list tonight to go pick up a few things...

The hum of the sewing machine was not as frequent this morning. Not sure what was going on upstairs... Almost afraid to venture from the office as I might be accused of slacking... or worse asked if I like this fabric, color or texture... I really don't care about the look and feel but I am impressed with the outcome... Toots should be selling this stuff... Wait until you see the pictures... I have submitted a request for clearance to that should allow me to approach inside the velvet ropes to take some non-flash photos (Can't have that flash fading the fabric). Hope to have clearance to take the pictures by the time Dot graduates....

OK... Got a pass on homework today... No they had Homework... But I wasn't there to help them ... I was food shopping... yes, I did prophesied this early today ( I write the content through out the day)... I was sent to gather the requirements to feed the family, while Toots sewed and managed her facebook "wall"... Can always tell when she is managing her facebook. No one is allowed in her office... Until she has checked to see what wonderful pictures has been posted by friends showing Toots in her glory from the 1980's.....

Since I did the shopping, it was my delegated privilege to cook what I hunted and gathered. The Clan was happy with the feast and all had a hand in cleaning.

I realized tonight that our table for four is quickly becoming obsolete. While it made me smile, it also had me thinking how many other things will be replaced as we go from 4 to 5 and what in the world will we do with all the old 4 stuff. Basement...? Cause someday one of them might move out.... Two things come to mind... Dinners out will now mean we have to wait for the big table to open up and I can't drive a little car anymore cause 5 won't fit... ( I know Toots, nobody rides in my car now, it's too dirty....)

Kiddos showered or at least washed their face, PJs on, teeth brushed.... all clothes folded, stuff animals moved from the holding area downstairs to their individual post to watch over the little guy as he sleeps. He faded off to sleep mid-way through our book "Henry Huggins and Ribs". The Big Sis and I continue the tradition of reading but it is mixed or delayed by having to watch American Idol... We are reading very slowly "Tom Sawyer". Looking forward to adding a third kiddo to my reading chores... I think we have some princess type books in the basement alongside little guy's first pair of shorts that he wore on a Saturday... Why cause you never know when you might need them... And I'll be dammed, she was right... but ain't she always...

Kids asleep, the seamstress has retired to the bedroom, I have my final instructions for the night... I need to clean something and put something else away... after I finish making sure all the computers in the house are protected from the latest virus...

It is April 1st tomorrow besides from being one day closer, can we say 47 days!!! It is also my day to "fool" the kiddos when they awake... I'll think of something that I am sure will get Toots po'd and have the kids saying Daaaaaaaaaaad.... Than spend the rest of the morning hearing the kiddos try to "fool" us... and Toots saying enough... enough...

Survived another, tomorrow is more of the same, with a different slant... wish me luck and keep those letter s and cards coming in...

Monday... the silence or lack of

2009-03-30T14:14:00.006-04:00

Today like almost everyday started around 6am, showers and shouts... nobody moves fast enough or in the right direction at 6 am on a Monday morning. Breakfast, lunches, brush your teeth, get a coat and last minute "Oh I forgot I need this.. or I have to bring this in..." By 7:25, there is a certain silence that comes over the house a hum... Not really silence it is either the wash machine or dryer and as of late the sewing machine. Christiana ( The Queen who spun straw into gold in Rumpelstiltskin) is doing a fantastic job of making wonderful bedding and such for Dot's crib. I will post some pictures when I am allowed close enough to take a nice shot... Right now the velvet ropes and broken glass scattered around is keeping the rest of the clan at bay.

Toots rushes past me numerous times a day while I work, rolling her eyes and carry fabric. With a look of... The work of a very pregnant seamstress is much harder than my job...how dare I sit there typing on a computer, speaking on the phone! I can't wait for the hormones to come back in check in 48 days... ok give or take a few weeks, months... Because then my jokes and smart remarks will once again garner laughter instead of stares.

Toots is feeling worse for the wear from her hectic day yesterday. Her feet kill her, her back kills her, lack of sleep is killing her... and I left something on the floor... She is a trooper, she tries to do so much and never lets it come out how really tired or achy she is... all you have to do is look and you can see behind the glow is a very tired wonderful woman...

Fun of planning dinner... I'm not cooking I have been sewing all day! So it is Chinese food for the Clan.

Th Kiddos had a busy day, between school, softball and projects we were all over the place this afternoon. The big Sis had Softball practice, the little guy had a project for Religion class. Softball starts next week, for both leagues and little guy starts baseball later in the month. (the sports activities will be well documented over the course of the season....) So we have a weekend off next week..... Oh wait, no we don't there is a parade and Easter egg hunt next week. A shower for Toots and lord knows what else on the social agenda of the kiddos. Who says I don't pay attention to what is on the big board in command central???

Getting back to homework... Having to do a religious diorama the night before it is due will invoke the use of the name of the big guy numerous times... as you try to figure out how to make him walk on water while his best buds flounder in a boat...all inside a shoebox... trust me given the tension... I would have walked across a lake to remove myself from the "fun".... Hell I would have drown myself in a lake to remove myself from the "fun"....

The Kiddos are off to sleep the cycle starts again.... 6 AM comes fast... Toots is milling around upstairs, preparing for the fun of the morning... I am sure her and her hormones have found something upstairs that I haven't done, need to do or should have done without being asked...

All in a day of the life... as we wait for baby to make 5!

Before I sign off did you see the dam counter is still clicking away... in 48 or so days the blog will change to discuss how Dot is doing and all the wonders a proud parents loves to send up to friends and family... Until than keep those cards and letters coming in...

Day Two and I am still doing this...

2009-03-29T08:03:00.001-04:00

Day 2 of this Blogging and I have learned a few things.. like how to use javascript..( It impressed the S**T out of my 6 year old) See the cool little countdown .. Cool to you... reality to me... or as my little guy said when he was initially impressed with the counter... "we only have that many more days!!!!"

Day started at 6:00am, well rested and relaxed from a nice night out with the Yan Clan, dinner at Charlie's lots of talk about Dot and the other fun things that impact our lives... Such as... Tuition, Ex-spouses and their lunacy, good service, bad service but all in all great food, great conversation and most important great friends!

8:00 am little guy ( the one previously impressed by my counter)... came into the office and greeted me in the usual way.. I'm hungry and I want... only to turn and head back to the couch for SpongeBob or who knows what.

The rest of the Clan is sleeping. So the calm remains for a few more minutes or hours... Than we go into full swing. Typical weekend... Basketball playoffs, birthday parties, Church and what ever else Toots has me do. I am sure their is a few honey do tasks that I will be given, not done and catch hell for later but it's all in a day and the life.

Off to race the the day and that counter.... tick... tick... tick...

Well the day is behind us and we survived! A little tired, battered and in Toot's case swollen and achy! If you thought I was floored by the amount of time left on the counter... You should have heard her when I tried to show off my new find Javascript skills. Something got lost in the translation of "I wrote this" and my God is that how much time is left. Little guy had a party and Big Sis had a play-off game... Toots and Dot attended both. I lucked out and only had to coach. We lost but it was a valiant try. Still better than sitting in a room full of bounce arounds with a bunch of 6 -7 year olds... Toots is a trooper...

I was informed that she is done with the cleaning of the "nest" and is going to hire back a cleaning lady... Seems she just doesn't like the way I clean... ( something never change)... Being done with cleaning the nest will leave her more time to fuss and worry over expanding the nest and yes, decorating and redecorating.... That honey do list from this morning...now includes a dead line that is shorter than the amount of time on the dam counter... Should have wrote the counter than destroyed... it will be my "down-fall" as I try to complete everything before the bundle called.. ( Not yet) she is still just Dot arrives.

Off to bed to listen to Toots moan about her pain.. Yes I feel sorry for her and realize what a wonderful thing that pregnancy is and how tough it is on her... and that I only have 48 more days to deal with I can't sleep... only to hear.. that "you" can't sleep cause it is your turn to take care of Dot... Hear it now.. " I carried her for 9 months.. it is your turn..." no problem there, love that aspect of fatherhood.. just hope that for the next 9 months, I can moan and groan in bed while making all sorts of noises with out getting kicked or punched...

I am a lucky guy to have a wife like Toots and two wonderful kiddos... they are my sunshine each and everyday... Their will only be more love, smiles and happiness as 4 become 5. Yes.. Yes... and more screaming, yelling... but it's family!

Good night...

Day in the life

2009-03-28T17:22:00.001-04:00

OK, this is my first attempt at keeping a running blog. My intent is to capture the next few months of the Clan and share them in all their humor with the world. OK, our family and friends and any other welcomed guest that might happen along to our little patch here on the web.

Purpose of the blog is to capture the daily changes our lives will be experiencing as we wait for the birth of our third child, right now referred to as Dot. No not her name going forward, Dot came about when we tried to explain the ultra sound photo to our youngest. Get it, we had to keep saying see the Dot... WEedo know Dot will be a girl and that her real name will be... "that will come later" trying to keep a few things secret.

The blog also will track the wonders of getting ready for baby Dot. Covering the simple pleasures of dealing with a wife that is nesting, her unbelievable sewing and a little thing called construction.... yes with the new addition, we are getting a new addition...

Dot is due on 5/18/09... Yes May 18th... right around the corner... like it was only yesterday... As in you are kidding me...

So check back from time to time and catch up on the growing Luminoso Clan

BTW: the picture is of our 2 year old Goldendoodle Dixie... her and the other hounds will surly play a role in this rolling tome.