My name is Ebenezer.

I really can't believe that Christmas is already here! And honestly...I'm ready for it to be over. I'm hoping that next year breathes new life into my view on the holidays. I used to love Christmas and this time of year, but for the past couple of years I find myself struggling to get into the holiday spirit. The only thing I honestly enjoy about this time of year is the time spent with family... Before Linda & I got married, and when I lived on my own, I never put up a Christmas tree. When Linda & I did get married, we put up a tree the first few years, but haven't now since about 2006. I know next year will be different and I can't wait!

This past week has been a busy one. As Linda mentioned, we got Evan's room painted and his crib up. (Yes, I did call him Evan... Linda has unofficially picked out his name. That has been our favorite all along, but she said it is subject to change.) That was an all day task, but I'm satisfied with the room! We did a good job! We just need to refinish the dresser and put up a few other decorations and then Evan's room is ready for him!

And, as Linda mentioned, she was finally able to get the "scary grandma picture" hidden away. That particular painting (pictured to the left) is of my great-great-great grandmother, Mary Westlake. The painting has been handed down for generations, pictured below is a photo from 1958 of my mom and my aunt with that picture on the wall... My mom gave that to me just before she died since she knew my love for genealogy. It's got a historical significance to it...it was painted in 1846. I'm afraid to store it in our basement due to the humidity, so for the moment we have it stored in our hall closet. It will go back on the wall once we get a bigger house though, much to Linda's chagrin. Anyhow, Linda has found it creepy and does not like it...she claims it's one of those pictures that follows you around the room.

Last Friday we also had another doctors appointment. Our regular doctor is out for maternity leave, so we saw one of her partners. It's funny when you get used to one person, and then someone else steps in. Her partner was a bit bizarre, and we kinda felt like she didn't really know why we were there. She stepped into the room and just stared at us. Linda broke the ice and introduced herself. The doctor then asked us a few questions, repeated herself multiple times, listened to Evan's heartbeat on Doppler and measured Linda's belly. Everything appeared normal... We waited for 45 minutes for a brief 15 minute interaction... Our normal doctor will be back by our next appointment. However, she did give Linda the paperwork for the glucose screening, where Linda will have to go in and drink that sugary syrup stuff to test for gestational diabetes. She's planning on going in next week for that.

Right now Evan is in his 25th week of gestation! He would measure about 13 inches long from head to heel. He weighs about a pound and a half, which is about the same as the average rutabaga. He should be packing on the weight and exchanging a lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will transform and he'll look more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair...and if we were able to get a sneak peek of him, we'd be able to discern the color and texture. Linda has started to get a faint line running down the middle of her belly...called linea nigra. As Linda also mentioned before, she's intrigued by her belly button flattening out and worried that it might turn into an outtie. I have one of those weird complexes about belly buttons. Belly buttons and feet actually. I don't like people to poke my belly button or touch my feet...therefore don't expect me to. Linda tries and tries to get me to feel her belly button to no avail!

Progress

I am ready to proclaim that we have finished most of the "heavy lifting" for Nugget's room. Last week, Brian got the window trim taken care of and on Saturday we moved forward with moving out the old and bringing in the new.

Among the highlights:

I got to use shrink wrap again for the first time since 2001 when I was on a marketing tour. I picked some up at Home Depot so we could wrap up the mattresses and put them in our basement storage unit.

Finding a place (mostly in storage) for just about everything in that room that Brian wouldn't let me throw away. We even found a new home for the scary grandma picture - in the hall closet. (NOTE TO BRIAN: When you get home, would you mind posting a picture of the scary grandma picture so our readers can see what I am talking about?)

Having a reason to take scary grandma picture down.

Painting. All day we painted and were a pretty good team. I rolled while Brian did trim. We shut the door to the room and opened the windows. It was a little chilly, but fortunately, it was in the 40s, so not too bad.

Hung the first ever curtain rod that Brian and I have had as a married couple. In fact, this was the first curtain rod (and curtains) I have ever purchased. I'm quite pleased with the results.

Finally put together Nugg's crib.

Brought Ruff Ruff (the stuffed dog pictured to the right) home. Brian won Ruff Ruff at the Las Vegas Circus Circus when we went there over my 21st birthday. Ruff Ruff had been living at my parents' house, but Mom was happy to send him home.

All that we have to do now (and by "we" I mean Brian) is finish stripping and staining the dresser.

The Aftermath
I should note that while I am very happy we made so much progress on Saturday, it did come at a price. After we finished putting the crib together, we had a birthday party to go to down the street. Everyone was bringing a dish and then going out to the piano bar in Westport.

When we got to our friend's place and sat down to eat and visit, my back stiffened up. I thought I was going to need a walker. I couldn't stand up without assistance. When I did stand up, I couldn't fully straighten out. So, when it came time to go to the piano bar, we dropped off our friends and headed to Walgreens. Instead of night on the town, I spent the night with a heating pad. Brian had one of those collar things that you warm up in the microwave and put on the back of your neck.

We are awesome.

Am I really THAT old?

Since the last time I posted on here, I've aged a whole year! I enjoyed being 33. I hated to see 34 come. I used to love my birthdays...they were an occasion to celebrate. But now, with each year that passes means more aches and pains, the ever sprouting gray hairs and receding hair line. I wonder...am I too old for this? The Five For Fighting song "100 Years" has been running through my head and has been in heavy rotation on my iPod since we found out Nugg was on his way, and seems appropriate for the moment, especially the line "I'm 33 for a moment...a kid on the way, babe, a family on my mind."

One of my friends on facebook wrote on my wall for my birthday, "Happiest of birthdays to you, father-to-be. Just think this is your last birthday as a married man with no kids. After today your gifts from your child will consist of sticky kisses and ugly ties. I know you look forward to it." I am excited to get those gifts from Nugg though. Although I'm not a tie-wearing sort of guy...I'm sure Linda will help him think of some other crazy gift! But Linda does a good job coming up with gift ideas for me. She got me a Magic Mouse, since our old mouse has been crapping out on us...and she renewed my subscription to Ancestry.com. Yes, I am a geek! Don't judge!

But it was a good birthday. I got to spend it with those that are most important to me. My two families...dinner one night at Tasso's Greek Restaurant. I'd never been there, but had always heard it was a great place. And it was! Great food, belly dancers, and Linda and I got to break plates. OPA! Saturday night, Linda & I met up with my dad & his fiancé Shirley, sister and her family at the Hereford House, a great Kansas City landmark for awesome steaks! Pics are below.

The gang at Tasso's...

At Hereford House...

We are closing out

the 24th week of pregnancy now. This week Nugg has put on 4 more ounces of weight and would be over a pound now. He is about a foot long, or the length of an ear of corn. He's sporting a lean figure right now, but he will be filling out and fattening up. His brain is growing quickly and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing branches of the respiratory 'tree' as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he pops out of the womb. His skin is still translucent and thin, but that will soon change and he plumps up.

The belly button watch

One thing that has always fascinated/horrified me about pregnancy was the whole belly button popping out thing. I don't know why, but it is one of those things that I just obsess over.

Anyway, the pregnancy Web sites say this can happen any day now. I'm on watch and I recently noticed that my belly button is much shallower than it use to be. It's going to happen and I find myself wondering if I will just wake up one day with an inside-out belly button or if it will continue to be a gradual process? What can I wear that covers up the outtie that was previously an innie? Do people notice you have a belly button sticking out through your clothes? I can't wear sweatshirts to work. I gotta have on a sweater or top.

These are the questions that swirl in my head.

Will we be THOSE parents?

You know, the ones that live for embarrassing the hell out of their kids? I don't think so, but Brian and I sure had a good laugh about it the other night. We were driving home from dinner when Prince's "Kiss" came on the radio. Now, just like everyone else our age, we totally jammed out in the falsetto and did the complete freak out/scream at the end. It's very fun... and kind of a stress reliever.

Then, we imagined driving Nugget to his first high school dance. Like Homecoming his freshman year. We imagined him being so embarrassed as we pick up his date and start jamming out to Prince 16 years from now. Of course, then Prince will be considered an "Oldie." Could you imagine the horror for the poor kid? Imagine me driving along and then shrieking "You don't have to be rich to be my girl you don't have to be coo-ool to rule my world..." with Nugget and his girlfriend in the back seat?

It's the stuff movies about teenage angst are made of. With this in mind, please see the top five list below. We'll need to refer back to it someday to see how well I keep to it.

Top five things I vow NOT to do that would likely embarrass Nugget when he is a teenager:

5. The aforementioned jamming out to "Oldies" with Nugget and any of his friends or girlfriends in the car. If Nugget is in the car by himself, all bets are off.

4. Lick my thumb and then use it to wipe his face

3. Bring out photo albums on the first date. I'll wait until he's in a more serious relationship.

2. Walk around the house in my robe or pajamas when his friends are at the house. This rule applies to company in general. And even though I have never gone around with curlers in my hair, I vow not to do that either.

1. I promise I will not dance or attempt to dance when anyone Nugget may know or go to school with could possibly see. I am the WORST dancer in the world. Ask my husband. My attempts at dancing are really just desperate attempts at humor. It would likely cause permanent damage if I attempted to "Bust a Move" when any of his friends or potential enemies are nearby.

I'm gonna live!

Just got back from my follow up appointment from last week - and all is well! I can't help but worry constantly about every little thing...every ache and pain floods my mind with the worst. But looks like I'm okay... My doctor said that my glucose and "bad cholesterol" (LDL cholesterol) were a bit high, but nothing that is alarming to her. She did say that my "good cholesterol" (HDL cholesterol) is "phenomenal" for my age and gender...not sure what that meant. She suggested that my anxiety and ill feelings could just be the nicotine withdrawal after all...just my body's way of adjusting to life without it. She said that it's normal for a first time parent-to-be to have some of these feelings and to want to make sure they're healthy for their children. So more walks with Truman and less Ben & Jerry's ice cream...and that should do it...hopefully. So Nugg will have me around to watch him grow up!

This week is the 23rd week of pregnancy for Linda. Nugg is about 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, which would be about the size of a large mango. His sense of movement has developed so much that he can probably feel Linda move now, and soon we might be able to see him squirm around in her belly. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. Sounds that his ears are picking up are also preparing him for life outside the womb... Nugg should be getting used to loud noises now, so when Truman barks or drops his bone on our hardwood floors, those noises shouldn't faze him. Linda might soon be getting to the point where she can feel Nugg's hiccups.

Poor Nugget...

...has a hypochondriac as a father. What can I say...always have been and probably always will be. I promised myself that once Linda became pregnant, I would quit smoking. So I attempted to kick the habit, but cheated here and there since August (when we found out Nugg was on his way), but haven't had a cigarette in over two weeks now...after having smoked a pack a day for the past 12 years. I know I've done horrible things to my body. I've been managing the cravings and withdrawal and am proud to say that I think the worst of the "nic-fits" are over. However, I have a guilty conscience, like a "smoker's remorse" of sorts, of having smoked all those years has caught up to me, I fear that it's too little, too late. I don't know where or why I feel that way... Maybe it's my way of making sure I never pick up another cigarette...like my brain's way of scaring the bejesus outta me?

I think it's all in my head, but for the past two weeks I've felt like crap. I've felt different sensations in my throat over the past two weeks and have poked and prodded all over my throat to see if I feel anything abnormal...but nope, not a thing. In my job I have to talk a lot, and somedays I have to project my voice so people can hear me...on those days my voice feels tired and sore at the end of the day. All these thoughts flood my mind and make me think of the worst...not to mention trying to self diagnose via the internet with WebMD. Linda tells me that I need to stay off that website because it makes you fear the absolute worst. That website has me fearing everything from an array of cancers to Parkinson's Disease (what Michael J. Fox has) to ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) to dystonia (what the Virginia cheerleader had after getting a flu shot that was in the news recently) to a number of debilitating diseases. For the past week, I would fall asleep okay only to wake up after about four hours and my mind would be racing. Imagine Linda's irritation the other night when I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep because I was having some kind of anxiety attack and my legs wouldn't stop twitching, and I got up at 1:30 AM to Google it.

We are in between primary care physicians at the moment...our old doctor just retired and we haven't researched a new doctor yet. We had been referred to a few doctors in our insurance network and I call to set up an appointment with them. Since we were new patients to them, the earliest they could get me in would have been February 23! To a hypochondriac such as myself, that's too late...in my mind I could be dead by then! At Linda's urging to quell my mind, I went to the Walgreens Take Care Clinic, where nurse practitioners check you out and send you on your way. I showed up at our local Walgreens first thing on Tuesday morning. I told her my symptoms, she gave me a once over...looked down my throat and found nothing...then told me that she thought I was still going through nicotine withdrawal. She also recommended a nearby primary care physician that accepts new patients almost immediately. I called and set up an appointment just 30 minutes later! She seemed very friendly and I really liked her! She gave me a generic physical...she, too, looked down my throat and saw nothing...felt around my neck, nothing...tested my swallow reflex, nothing...poked and prodded all around my abdomen, nothing...listened to my lungs, they sounded clear... So who knows? Linda, my friends and my coworkers believe that is just me being nervous and first-time dad jitters about Nugg's arrival in a few short months. However, since some of my family members have over- and underactive thyroids, she sent me to get blood drawn to test for that, and test my liver and kidney enzyme functions and have my cholesterol checked. I am feeling better, but am still very anxious and will be until I get the results of that test next Monday. She gave me a low dose perscription to help with anxiety which will help me sleep at night. Last night was the first time I actually slept through the night and got a good 8 hour sleep in over 5 days...thanks also to the makers of Tylenol PM. So, our faithful blog readers, please say a prayer that my bloodwork comes back okay and that this feeling is all in my head. In the meantime, I've made a promise to Linda and myself to stay off WebMD. It is the devil incarnate.

On to a lighter topic, Linda & I have settled on a theme for Nugg's room! We decided to do the epitome of a boy theme, "Frogs, Snails & Puppy Dog Tails", using Truman as our muse. The bedding we really liked and registered for is pictured to the left. However, the walls will be a robin's egg blue and we'll use a chocolate brown for the accents with the drapes and area rug. Linda has already ordered this area rug from Overstock.com for his room. Hopefully it'll tie together well. We are still undecided on a name though...

It's the 22nd week of pregnancy! That means Nugg is about the size of a spaghetti squash, which is about 11 inches. He weighs just about a pound now, and is now looking more like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyebrows and eyelids are becoming more distinct. His nipples are starting to sprout too! His tooth buds are forming under his gum line as well. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part) still lack pigment. I'm hoping he doesn't inherit the shit brown color I have...but gets the crystal blue that runs in my genetics. He is able to perceive light and dark now too. Lanugo still covers his body and the deep wrinkles in his skin, which he'll keep until he starts to fatten up. Inside his belly, his pancreas - essential for the production of important hormones - is developing steadily. Nugg should be hearing pretty much all that Linda says and should be hearing my voice now too. I have to remind Linda that she has little ears listening when she goes into a cursing fit - usually when she's driving. His fingernails have now fully formed, and in some cases, babies might need a nail trimming soon after they are born. Hair is still sprouting on the scalp - although it too lacks pigment and would be bright white. Nugg is sleeping in regular intervals, usually for about 12 to 14 hours a day...and Linda can feel him kick, she claims he is most active in the evening and right before she goes to bed. He is also developing his sense of touch - in fact his grip is well developed. Since there isn't much to grab ahold of in the womb, he might be grabbing the umbilical cord.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's hard to believe another holiday season is upon us. I'm wondering how we'll do this next year with Nugg... I've got two families and then add Linda's family into the mix and we have 3 to 4 Thanksgiving dinners to attend. Linda already had Thanksgiving at her aunt's house last Sunday. Today we are going to my dad and his fiance's and her family's dinner about 30 minutes away; then over to Lawrence, about an hour away, for my other family's dinner...and will actually make it in time for dessert. Tomorrow we are going over to Linda's mom's to celebrate with just her immediate family... Years ago, Linda & I would end Thanksgiving night at the Plaza Lighting Ceremony - a big event in Kansas City - then find a spot in some bar and drink the night away. The past few years we've skipped that and just head home...plus it's no fun for Linda to hang in a bar when she can't drink.

This past week has been a busy one! On Saturday, after we found out Nugg's gender, Linda & I decided to knock out some of the baby registry at Babies R Us. Some of Linda's friends from college came with us as well...since they were jazzed up about us having a baby, but more so they really, really wanted to use the scanner registry gun. They are easily entertained and easily excited, I guess? Anyhow, Linda & I spent about 2 ½ hours at Babies R Us, and of that time I think we spent an hour just looking over strollers. My dilemma was the ease and convenience of the strollers. Working for an airline and boarding many families with strollers, I can't begin to count how many times I've wasted several minutes trying to figure out how to fold down a stroller because the parents failed to collapse their strollers at the bottom of a jetway after being asked to do so before boarding. We ended up registering for two strollers. One that is part of a set that matches the car seat, and the other that's a like an all-terrain stroller. Linda said she wanted something nice to take on a walk, or if we visit somewhere that requires a lot of walking. I told her that traveling is gonna be a whole new adventure with a baby and we'd want to make it as easy as possible. A huge all-terrain stroller is gonna impede our travels - a simple umbrella stroller will be much more convenient. We cut the registry day short though because Linda was starving and will continue another day... It's a daunting task! I never knew how much is required to have a baby! But it's fun!

I think Linda has been going through a nesting phase. She took a few vacation days from work and has been working away on getting the house in order. We've already bought our crib for Nugg, but instead of buying a new chest of drawers and changing table, we are using my grandma's old dresser drawers from the 1940s as a combo dresser and changing table. But we need to refurbish it...and Linda decided to get to work on that with sanding the old stain and scuffs off it. Yesterday she spent most of the afternoon rearranging our closets. She's been very busy!

Seems the hot question of the week now is, "What's the name gonna be?", and "Can we please call him something else besides McNugget (or Nugg or Nugget)?" Linda said she isn't ready to commit to a name just yet and will probably make her mind up in February or March. He's gonna be here in April! It's the age old debate between husband and wife. We have decided that Nugg's middle name will be William, which is my middle name and my dad's first name. But we haven't come to a decision yet about the first name. My list includes Evan, Kyler, Caleb, Elijah, Nicholas, Rylan, Ethan, Owen, Cole, Zachary, Asher, Connor, Landon, Abe, Carter, Keaton, Nash, Case and Grayson. Linda hates most of these. Evan was an early favorite and there's a story behind that name... But Linda's not ready to confirm that name yet. She said she does like Evan, Owen and Zachary. She's thinking of more Irish names. Her maternal grandparents immigrated from Ireland in the 1940s, and she still has cousins there and she was thinking along those lines... She emailed me a short list of Irish names she doesn't hate which included; Finian, Ronan, Owen and Teague. I like Teague and Owen...but Finian and Ronan? She said we could call him Finn or Rowe for short. Ummm, no. I like Finn...but just Finn. Not Finian.

We are in the midst of our 21st week! One of my friends, Deb, put it into perspective - the earliest Nugg could be born in as early as 16 weeks (when we hit our 37th week). In comparison, Linda took the pregnancy test just 16 short weeks ago! Good God! On average, Nugg would weigh about 12 ounces, but he's a bit ahead of the game. At our ultrasound they said he weighs about 14 ounces now! We forgot to ask how long he was, but he'd be about 10 ½ inches long, or about the length of a carrot. Linda is feeling him kick and punch more and more...and you can see him punching away in the ultrasound video. I actually got to feel a pretty good kick the other night...and there was no doubt about it! Such an amazing feeling! In other developments, Nugg's eyebrows and lids are now present. Fingerprints are now fully formed and loud noised can wake him up. In fact, we've already experienced that. Truman dropped his bone on our hardwood floors the other day and Nugg jumped and kicked in response! His circulatory system is completely functional now... The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture him. He already has a high number of red and white blood cells too. The placenta is now about the size of Nugg. In fact at our last appointment, Nugg's heart rate measured 145 beats per minute! Nugg could be swallowing as much as 17 ounces a day of amniotic fluid now. It's so cool to be able to call him HIM!!

Happy Turkey Day everyone!!

It's a ...

So, today was the big day. Today we found out the answer to the boy/girl question. Brian, my mom and I all went to the doctor together and we went to the ultrasound room. The ultra sound tech said she had to do her business first.

She measured the head, looked at the brain, spinal chord, heart, diaphragm, feet, legs, arms. Then she went back and tried to get photos of the face, but Nugg was in a position where all we could see was a profile, but from that profile, I pretty confident to say that Nugg will have Brian's nose!

Then, she finally (like this post) got to the point that we were waiting for. She was trying to get the angle when Brian said, "I think I see something." The ultrasound tech said, "How could you miss it?"

It's a official and absolutely no question. Nugg is a boy! So if you voted boy in our little poll, you have the joy of being right. Congratulations!

Halfway There

I've slacked on updating the blog. Linda told me that I needed to post something! I guess I've just had writer's block.

There's been a lot of developments over the past week! Linda has been feeling Nugg kick more and more strongly everyday. In fact, she started to feel Nugg kick from the outside of the womb. She woke me up a few mornings ago to see if I could feel Nugg...but no luck. The next night, I was at work and Linda was home with Truman. Truman loves to snuggle and had his head resting on Linda's belly...when Nugg decided to give a strong kick...probably because Tru's big head was crushing them! But Linda said that Tru jolted up and looked at her like she had done it on purpose. I was bummed that the dog got to feel Nugg before me! But then, the other night, I had my hand on Linda's belly and felt the slightest, faintest little kick. When I felt it, I had figured it was just Linda tightening a muscle or she had a muscle twitch...but she said that was Nugg kicking...and that from her perspective it was a pretty strong kick...

The day I've waited for since we've found out we were pregnant has finally arrived! Kind of appropriate it's scheduled right smack in the middle of pregnancy. I think today and the day Nugg arrives will be the most exciting of the entire pregnancy! We get to find out if our first born will be our son or our daughter! We go in for the big ultrasound appointment today at 3:30...and it can't get here soon enough! Our poll shows an exact 50/50 split for what our friends, family and blog readers think Nugg might be. So much for a strong lead one way or another. Me, personally, from all the wives tales and myths, I'm expecting a girl...but hoping for a boy. It really doesn't matter either way really, as long as Nugg is healthy, that's all that matters to me.

This week we are in the exact smack-dab middle of pregnancy! Twenty weeks behind us, and twenty more weeks to go! (Even though at the moment, technically, we're closer to 21 weeks...) Nugg would weigh about 10 ½ ounces and is about 6 ½ inches long from crown-to-rump. This is the last week the baby is measured from crown-to-rump, due to the first 20 weeks the baby's legs are curled up against the torso and are hard to measure length. Nugg's length from head-to-heel is about 10 inches, which is about the length of a banana. Nugg is gulping down amniotic fluid for both nutrition and the practice of swallowing, which is good for the digestive system. The taste buds actually work too... Anything that Linda would eat, Nugg can taste! Supposedly tests have been done and studies show that babies respond to tastes they've already had via the amniotic fluid. Meconium is being produced in the bowels, which will be deposited into the first dirty diaper. If it turns out that Nugg is a girl, her uterus is now fully formed and her ovaries are holding about 7 million primitive eggs of her own! If Nugg turns out to be a boy, his testicles have begun their descent from the abdomen to the scrotum. Nugg's skin should also have begun to thicken this week and will develop into four layers.

Here's hoping the next 20 weeks fly by!! I'll be sure to update the blog with a video of the ultrasound!

Snack Time

During the first trimester, sweets were not for me. Eating in general was a painful process because of the "morning" sickness. Now, I don't have that problem. I'm hungry pretty much all the time.

As I write this, my stomach is growling and I am polishing off what was - 20 seconds ago - a Hershey's bar with almonds. Now I am reaching for my banana and wondering what is for dinner.

I don't want a lot of sweets. Just a little candy bar here or there, or a piece of cake, or a fudge round, or a Kit Kat (I searched every single vending machine in my building- 15 total - and no Kit Kats!), or a bite of Ben & Jerry's Magic Brownie ice cream (a pint will last me at least 2-4 days), and I'm good.

However, if I don't get my sweet fix, watch out. I could cut someone.

Well...it's not exactly a piece of crap...

...but close. My car has decided to be temperamental. Yesterday, I was leaving for work and got in my car, turned the key...and nothing. The radio came on, but the engine wouldn't even turn. Just the radio came on. I tried again. Nothing. And tried again a few more times. And nothing. Crap!

Luckily, I try to give myself enough time to get to work (it usually takes me about 25-30 minutes) and I leave about 1 ½ hours before I need to be there. This is mainly due to the fact that I work at the airport and have to park about 2 miles away from the terminal in the employee lot and are shuttled over to the terminal. Since the employee shuttle schedule isn't all that reliable, I choose to leave for work early. Fortunately, Linda had left work early - she went to Houston last night for a work thing. Thankfully, due to construction on I-435, I called her in enough time for her to divert back home to pick me up and we rode together to the airport. But it sucks having one car. And fortunately for me, my brother-in-law, Jeff, is an expert in repairing cars. He owns his own business in Kearney, fixing and repairing cars...and he's nice enough to offer me a 'family discount'. It also helps that I give him some of my buddy passes for free travel...so the repair won't cost me anything. My car, a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am, is 7 years old and out of the extended warranty, so this repair, according to Jeff, is probably pretty costly. Funny thing is, after Jeff got my car towed to his shop...it worked fine. Go figure! He thinks there's something wrong with the computer system. He said he might have it figured out and ready by this Wednesday or Thursday. So until then, we have to depend on one car. Linda's flying back from Houston tonight around 6:30...however I'm off work at 8:00. Then tomorrow, I'll have to take her to work. Then when I have to get to work, I'll have to go pick her up, she'll spend her lunch break driving me up to the airport...and then go back to her work. Then she'll have to come get me tomorrow night when I'm off work. Hopefully it'll just be one day of juggling, since I have Thursdays and Fridays off...but it's still a pain in the ass.

Linda & I got my car paid off a few years ago...and I'd like to keep that car for as long as we can, at least until we get her car paid off. That'll be a few more years though. My car isn't the most ideal "family" car though...it's a two-door. All my friends who have kids have told me that will change very soon and I will need a four-door. Linda has a crossover SUV though...a Dodge Caliber...so we have the convenience of a four-door car.

I just hope we don't have these problems after Nugg arrives! I know we should probably invest in getting me a new car...but it's nice only having one car payment for the moment.

So we are now in our 19th week!! Man, we're almost halfway through this pregnancy! Nugg weighs about 8 ½ ounces and is about 6 inches measured from crown-to-rump (head-to-bottom), which is about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Some of these grocery store produce analogies baffle me. I've never heard of heirloom tomatoes. When I was at HyVee last week, I checked the produce section to get an idea, but found nothing of the sort. Anyhow, the kidneys continue to make urine and Nugg's scalp is sprouting more hair. A waxy protective coating, vernix caseosa is forming on the skin to protect Nugg from pickling in the amniotic fluid. Nugg's sensory development is exploding! The brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. It's apparent that Nugg can hear now too! Linda said that as she was watching last Sunday's Chiefs game, she was screaming at the TV and Nugg was kicking up a storm. Yesterday, as she was driving us to the airport and cursing at the idiot jackass drivers (Linda suffers from road rage a bit), Nugg was also kicking up a bit. I have reminded her that she's got little ears listening to her now.

I'm anxious for our next doctors appointment to get here...only a 1 ½ weeks now until we find out if we are having a son or a daughter! It seems like that's the topic of debate. Seems like everyday at work, my coworkers ask me if I know yet. In fact, I had one coworker tell me she was waiting on pins and needles in anticipation. Her and I aren't even that close, but she said the whole station was eager to find out what we are having. That seems funny to me for some reason...especially given that her and I aren't that close. But I welcome the eagerness of my colleagues...just shows you how much encouragement and well-wishes you get from everyone!

In my dreams

Weird and/or awful things happen! Last night, I had a dream that Brian and I were walking down a street and we came across a daycare facility. We decided to check it out. We just walked in and started asking questions. Then my dream switched over to the basement of this daycare facility where an older woman was just sitting on a stool when these four big thugs came in. They looked like someone cast to play a Russian Mafia boss in the movies. They stole a paperbox full of cocaine. Why was there cocaine in the basement of a child daycare? I don't know. But the lady started screaming and carrying on that they were stealing her coke. Then my dream flashed back to Brian and I and we just looked at each other and said, "maybe we should look at other places."

End of dream.

The night after an appointment where our doctor told us about Edwards Syndrome and Down Syndrome and how to test for those, I had a dream that my baby was born with an elbow sticking out of its head - which, for some reason, never showed up on an earlier ultrasound. I didn't know what Edwards Syndrome was before that doctor's appointment. Our doctor just said it's basically a chromosonal disorder that results in the baby being put together all wrong - hence the dream about the elbow coming out of its head - and the baby usually doesn't survive too long after birth.

I've had dreams that the crazy lady behind us - the one that once ran through the parking lot screaming with nothing on but high heels and a bath robe - tries to steal my baby. In some she is successful, in others I totally kick her butt or am able to grab a 12-gauge that I do not yet own and fend her off.

In none of my dreams do I recall a specific gender being assigned to McNugget. I guess we'll find out for sure soon enough.

When Hormones Attack: Part II

I'm writing this post part embarrassed and part giddy because men in white uniforms haven't shown up to drag me to the loony bin yet.

Last night, I'm sure Brian thought I completely lost my mind. Let's paint the picture ...

On Brian's days off, a typical evening involves eating dinner and then sitting on the couch together with Truman. Only Truman wouldn't sit still. He was up, he was down. He would chew his bone, he would go bark at some noise, but mostly he was PACING. Non stop all night.

Finally, Brian pulled Truman up on his lap and the dog just went to sleep. That's what he wanted, to sit on "daddy's lap." About an hour past and I started teasing Brian about his snuggling with Truman and we were both having a pretty good laugh.

Then, inexplicably, I start to cry. Not just cry. I was bawling my eyes, inconsolable SOBBING.

Why? Because Brian was snuggling with the dog instead of me. For 5 hours we sat on our own side of the couch without issue, so why it was all of a sudden, I don't know. Like I said, I'm just grateful he hasn't had me committed yet.

And in case you missed it, you can read the first ATTACK OF THE HORMONES

Revenge of the Morning Sickness

Linda hasn't had the nausea that plagued her during her first trimester for a few weeks now. As she mentioned, she switched her prenatal vitamins from Women's One-A-Day (which in fact were two vitamins for the prenatal formula) to Flintstones Complete. This seemed to have taken care of her morning sickness. She still takes the same Nature Made Folic Acid, which had no effect on her feeling sick. This seemed to do the trick. However, on Sunday, Linda thought chicken tacos from Chipotle would hit the spot. I worked Sunday night and received the following texts from her:

Linda:

"Ugh...went to Chipotle. Thought chicken tacos would be good. Halfway through last taco, had to run to the bathrooom. PROJECTILE vomit. No chicken for me."

Me:

"Yuck! I'm sorry honey!! Guess Nugg doesn't like chicken tacos! Hope you start feeling better!! Love you!"

Linda:

"I feel fine now. I didn't feel bad before. It was just a sudden, "oh crap I'm gonna barf!" I'm just glad I made it to the bathroom."

So, Nugg made their message very clear, no chicken tacos anymore! Linda still didn't feel up to speed the rest of that night and yesterday. She told me that she barely made it to the toilet, and that she literally had to run to the bathroom. I feel so bad for her. I'm hoping it's not a reaction to the flu shot we got on Thursday. Linda is positive it was just Nugg's way of telling her not to eat that again...

Linda's poll she posted to the blog has gotten some good guesses, but as of right now, we are even-steven. Those that thought Nugg is a boy was in the lead, but yesterday, the girl guesses caught up and we are exactly 50/50 now. So...if you haven't voted on what you think we're having...please do so at the top right of the window! We're both anxious for November 20th to get here. Only 2 ½ weeks left!

This week, Nugg is about 5 ½ inches long, about the size of a bell pepper, and weighs almost 7 ounces. Nugg continues to flex their arms and legs, blood vessels are visible now through their thin skin, and the ears are now finally in their final position. In the brain, areas that specialize in the senses; taste, smell, touch, sight and hearing are maturing. The bones in the ears have hardened now, and Nugg should be able to hear sounds from life outside the womb...so that means they will be able to hear our voices! Guess it's time to start reading and talking to Nugg! In fact, if a loud noise happens, Nugg would be startled! Nugg is passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. In Nugg's digestive system, meconium is collecting, which will be passed in Nugg's first dirty diaper. A protective covering of myelin is now forming around nerve endings, a process that will continue through Nugg's first year of life. The heart begins to build up muscle cells and is pumping between 25 to 30 quarts of blood per day. If Nugg is a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If Nugg is a boy, his penis and testes are now noticeable and the prostate gland will begin to form this week.

Happy Halloween! (And worries...)

So, I'm about an hour late... Linda & I went with her mom to Columbia to visit Linda's sister, Bridgett (who is also due a couple days before us) and our niece, Olivia. For Halloween, Olivia was going as Ariel from "The Little Mermaid". What blows my mind, is the next Halloween we are gonna celebrate, we'll have an about 6 month old in tow...dressed as a pumpkin, bumble bee or something along those lines. However, with us living in the city, I don't foresee us making rounds for trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Linda's brother and his family still live in our hometown (about a 45 minute drive for us), and in fact bought a house a few years ago, in the same neighborhood I grew up in. I told Linda that maybe we can take Nugg trick-or-treating there with our nephew, Brayden, next year. Plus, it would be kinda cool to stop by my old house. The same house I spent from age 2 months to 22 years in, and the same house my parents lived in for 31 years until they sold it in 2004. I miss that house.

Linda and I have been in our condo for 3 ½ years. We bought it at the start of the housing market crisis, but no one ever thought it would have gotten this bad. We probably could not sell this place for what we bought it for, and both of us are losing our minds here. It suited our needs as a newlywed couple, but now we've got a growing family to think about, and noisy neighbors and constant police sirens are not going to benefit us once Nugg arrives. Case in point, the recent college grad-frat boy that is renting the unit above us. All units were converted from apartments to condos, and the buildings themselves were built in the 1920s, one of the reasons we loved it when we bought it...lots of character. Well, all the units have the original wood flooring. You cannot take more than 2 steps before the floorboards creak and squeak. Our original neighbor upstairs when we moved in was a very very quiet guy...we NEVER heard him move. He had that unit on the market for a good year, then decided to rent it out. The guy that just moved in, threw some kind of kegger for Halloween and I was about to go insane from the noise.

I just wonder how that's gonna go when we have a newborn that is trying to sleep? Hence the reason why we'd really really like to move. Move to the 'burbs. I'm tired of the city-life. But how can you sell a condo in this market? Linda & I have fretted over this for months, even before we found out we were gonna have a baby. We liked the city-life, but it's grown stale. We're ready for a real house, with a real yard and a real garage.

Linda & I have had the thinking that we need to get the condo up to speed with some minor home improvements and get it listed. We figured have a good 4 or 5 years before we really need to be somewhere else, when Nugg hits school age. This thought has ravaged my mind tonight. So much so that I googled what I could find about the school district we are in. Kansas City is known for it's magnet schooling, which is less than stellar...and the designated public elementary school for where we live is John T. Hartman Elementary Magnet School...so I guess this is where Nugg would go if we are living here then. Which completely freaks me out. Looking at some of the test scores for this school has got my mind swimming. I really am not familiar with how to read the scores, so I don't know if I'm looking at them correctly. Then I looked at the public high school Nugg would go to...Westport High, which is just a few blocks from us. That school's state scores are even scarier! I then researched private schools near us, the closest is just a few blocks away - Notre Dame de Sion. While this seems like a fit for what I want for Nugg - I can't believe the tuition!! My God, I have no idea what to do.

I really don't want to raise Nugg in the inner city. The inner city is no place for a child. My head is swimming. I need to go to bed...

Good News!

I dunno if Linda will update this as well, but thought I would in case she gets busy at work. She just called me and said that she had just heard back from our doctor's office. Dr. Schieber said that if there was a concern regarding the blood test we had done at our last appointment, she would be the one that called us. However, if there was no worries, then one of her nurses would call. Linda got that call this morning from...the nurse! Hurray! She said that the blood work came back good and there was no concerns regarding Down Syndrome or Edwards Syndrome!

I really was not all that worried about it, which surprises me. I'm the one that worries about everything! Linda, on the other hand, said that she had horrible nightmares about it, especially last night. She said that she was surprised that she didn't wake me up. She said she woke up crying from the dreams. She said that she's cried more over the past 4 months than she has over her entire life. Linda is not a crier and can usually keep her emotions in check. I'm probably more of a crier than she is...and I haven't actually cried-cried in over a year or so. Although, I'm in the same boat somewhat. Since finding out Nugg is on the way, I find myself getting a bit more emotional about the thought of Nugg's arrival...I'll read something online or hear a story about a baby or child, and get that lump in my throat feeling. What's wrong with me?? Linda has her hormones to blame... What's my excuse??

What do you think?

Will McNugget be a boy or a girl? Put in your choice via the survey in the right column. You can vote up until the hour of our ultrasound that will give us the final answer.

Learning how to keep surprises

As you can tell from Brian's last post, we're pretty anxious to find out if Nugget is a boy or a girl. The fact that we thought we would get a sneak peak, tells you that we aren't too good at waiting for information or for the day that surprises are suppose to be revealed.

Case and point: Last year for Brian's birthday, I bought him a new camera. I bought it about a month before his actual birthday because of an awesome sale that was going on. I think I was able to keep the box unopened in the guest room for a grand total of 24 hours before I ended up giving it to Brian.

Brian's no better.

When we find something that we know the other is going to absolutely love or be so surprised over, we can't wait to give it to them.

Obviously, this is going to have to change with our child. We can't give Nugget a Christmas present the day after Thanksgiving just so we can see his/her face. And, it wouldn't be fair to give each other Christmas presents early if Nugget can't have his/her present. So, perhaps this will be the last Christmas where Brian and I get our presents in November or the first week of December.

Latest Doctor's Appointment

Linda & I had our latest doctor's appointment last Friday. Things went great! Dr. Schieber was able to listen to Nugg's heartbeat through just the Doppler, so there was no need to do an ultrasound, like we've had at every other doctor's visit. I was bummed. But, good thing was that we were able to hear the heartbeat and it was a strong 154 beats per minute! They also drew some of Linda's blood to test (a common standard test) for chromosomal abnormalities and what our risk was for things like Down Syndrome or Edwards Syndrome. I'm not worried about it though. We would love the Nugg no matter what. We will get those results by the end of this week or beginning of next.

I had my VHS tape and camera just in case they did an ultrasound and we could've been enlightened on whether Nugg is a boy or girl. But alas, we must wait til our next appointment...in 4 long weeks to find out. That appointment is a lengthy ultrasound when they go over the entire anatomy of the baby from head to foot to make sure everything looks good. The waiting is gonna kill me! According to an 'ancient' Chinese gender chart, which takes in account Linda's age at the time of conception and the month in which Nugg was conceived, Nugg has a 90% probability of being a boy. We ran the same analyzation on mine & Linda's birthdays...along with our nieces and nephew, our siblings...and it's all pretty accurate! As far as names go...I think we both have kind of put that topic on the back burner until we know what we're having...we both have our favorites, but nothing set in stone.

Today marks the 17th week of pregnancy. Nugg would weigh about the same as a turnip and is about 5 inches long from crown to rump. If you open your hand out wide, that would be about how big Nugg would be at the moment! Soft cartilage is turning to bone. Fingers and toes all now have their own unique prints... Nugg is also starting to get fat! Fat deposits are starting to insulate the tiny body which will help keep Nugg warm, along with aiding metabolism. The umbilical cord is strengthening and growing thicker. Nugg's sweat glands are also starting to form now. Nugg's ears continue to develop and move closer to their final spot on the side of the head... If we could see Nugg right now, the ears would protrude out a bit from the head. Think of the quintessential dorky kid in grade school that had big ears. Although, Linda & I don't have big ears that stick out, this is normal for a baby in utero and they will eventually lay more flush against the head.

Linda has finally agreed to let me start taking weekly pictures of her as she starts developing more of a noticeable baby bump! Look for those soon!!

Things to do...

As we gear up for the upcoming months, there's tons of stuff we need to get accomplished. One of those things is to register for items for the baby shower. Linda & I had the idea that this won't be the typical frilly baby shower with dumb games like "guess what is the melted candy bar in the diaper". Instead we are gonna have a fun party with friends, maybe at a bowling alley? That way it's more fun for couples and guys to come. People will bring gifts, but we won't open them right away and just have fun and hang out with each other instead. Linda had a night with girlfriends last night and came home to tell me that her & her girlfriends had tentatively set a date for February 20, 2010, for this baby shower. We will probably also have another one, a more typical baby shower with family on another date. Anyhow, I digress.

When we got married 4 years ago, Linda & I spent about 5 hours at Macy's trying to register for our wedding presents. This was fun for about the first hour-and-a-half, when we were getting used to using the registry scanner gun... At one point about 3 hours in, the Macy's clerks noticed we were still there and commented that we had been there for almost as long as they had been on their shift! Some of Linda's girlfriends are not married and don't have kids and have never used a registry gun. They want to go with us for this adventure so they can use the gun. They all have inundated my email inbox with plans. They are geeked out at the thought of using the scanner gun. They've joked that they will divide up in teams, with team colors and matching headbands. At least I really hope they are joking. After reading through all these humorous emails, I don't know what I'm in store for...three of Linda's girlfriends, with a more noticeable pregnant Linda who has stated she will be more susceptible to hunger and fatigue... Pre-pregnancy, if Linda was hungry, she had a hard time keeping in a good mood, multiply that ten fold, and it's a volatile mix.

Earlier this week, I mentioned to Linda about who's gonna be present in the delivery room. At first, Linda was considerably shy about having anyone in the delivery room...even me. She agreed that I alone would be the only one in there with her. Over the past few weeks she has come around to agree to let her mom in as well. I started thinking about my dad then too. It's not that I think everyone should be in there for the event... However, when my sister, Becky, had my niece...she only had Jeff, my mom and his mom in there with her. Since my mom has since passed away, I thought this would be a neat opportunity for dad to witness. I ran that idea by Linda, and she was okay with it, as long as they didn't have their heads in her crotch! Dad & I talked earlier this week and I mentioned it to him. Although, dad is also shy by nature and said he didn't know if he could handle that intensity of that moment, both emotionally and physically and gets somewhat queasy with the sights and sounds of what he might encounter in a delivery room, which is completely understandable. I told him he had an open invite though if he changes his mind.

This weeks update though, and I'm a little late since we are more closer to the 17th week now. But this past week's Nugg developments - Nugg would be about the size of an avocado, 4 ½ inches long and 3 ½ ounces. The legs are more developed and the head sits more erect upon the neck. The eyes have moved closer to the front of the head and the ears have moved to their final position, too. Nugg would be able to sense light now in the womb, in fact, Nugg would react to visual stimulation by shielding the eyes if a bright light were to appear. The tiny bones in the ears have also formed, so it is possible that Nugg may hear what Linda says - and will soon be able to pick up and recognize my voice! Nugg's bones continue to solidify, and now there's enough calcium in the bones that an X-ray would pick up their skeletal frame! The patterning of the scalp, along with sprouting eyebrows and eyelashes, has also continued. Toenails have also started to grow! Nugg's heart is now pumping 25 quarts of blood each day, and that amount will continue to increase during further development. Fascinating stuff!

Later today, we have another doctor's appointment... I'm hoping that we'll have another ultrasound, but I don't think we will. If that happens, we might see if Nugg is a boy or girl! If we have an ultrasound and/or news to share...I'll update later!