Hello 2010!

A new year and a new decade is now upon us! So glad it's here. Looking back 2009 wasn't that bad of a year...had some ups and downs, but it was leaps and bounds better than 2007 and 2008. I can't wait to find out what 2010 has in store and to meet my son!

Linda & I had a low key New Year's Eve...went to a friends house, but both of us had worked a lot around the house yesterday and were home by 11:30 and stayed up late enough to see 2010 at midnight, then went to bed.

Christmas was good this year...would have been better except for the blizzard we got. I wrote last on Christmas Eve and the Kansas City area received a huge snow storm/blizzard that dumped almost a foot of snow over 4 days. It wasn't fun...and it was definitely a white Christmas. Reports had stated that this was the first time in over 50 years that we received more than an inch of snow on Christmas day. I'm not one that likes snow...much less cold and ice...so I was not digging the weather. If I could have it my way, we'd spend the winter in a tropical climate, preferably next to a beach. We spent Christmas Eve night at her parent's house, about 45 minutes away from home. Christmas morning we woke up our cars buried in their driveway and were worried about getting out and back home and to my families Christmas's. Her parents live on a gravel road and we were lucky that the snow grater come through right as we were leaving and plowed a path for us to get out. Needless to say the roads and highways were not in the best of condition and we made it home after about 1½ hours with no major problems until we pulled into our back parking lot that hadn't been touched by a plow and we got stuck. With the help of our next door neighbor, we dug out and decided to skip one of my families Christmas's. We decided to venture out later that night and was able to visit my sister and the rest of my family. Evan even got his first Christmas presents! My dad got him his first pair of overalls...or "bibbers" as my dad calls them...along with other great outfits and onesies.

We are on the cusp of the 27th week of pregnancy... Last week, in the 26th week, Evan's ears have developed and are more sensitive to the sounds of the outside world...meaning he should be able to hear not only Linda, but me too! His testicles have also began their descent from the abdomen to his scrotum...journey that will take three days! Something I'm sure he'd love to know I'm broadcasting on this blog... He is continuing to inhale and exhale small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is helping his lungs develop. This practice will help him once he is born and takes his first gulp of air. He is also continuing to fatten up and weighs a pound and is the length of an English hothouse cucumber, measuring head to heel. He now has eyelashes!

In the 27th week, the week we are beginning, Evan weighs about 2 lbs. now, which is about the weight of a head of cauliflower. He'd be about 14 ½ inches long with his legs extended. He is sleeping in regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes and perhaps sucking his thumb. Linda has said that his kicks and punches have definitely gotten stronger and usually around 12:00 or 1:00 his punches are really strong. However, he seems to be shy around me...each time I try to feel his hits, he clams up and doesn't do anything. I have been able to feel some nudges, but nothing really strong. Linda said the other day, it felt as if he was banging on a drum and she was able to actually see her stomach move! Evan's brain is continuing to develop and is very active now. Although his lungs are still immature, we are at a point now in the pregnancy that if he were born, he'd be able to survive with lots and lots of medical help. His nostrils have also opened up...which had been previously fused shut.

Hard to believe we've only got one more week in our 2nd trimester, then it's the final stretch!