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.