IT'S A BOY!!!!

So many thoughts are racing through my head right now. Baseballs, dinosaurs, fire trucks, Legos, robots, Hot Wheels. What will he like to play with? Camping! Is it too early to think about taking him camping? How are we going to teach him how to ski when we live in Kentucky? Is his mom going to have to show him how to throw a better spiral than his dad? Is $1.00 still the going rate for the Tooth Fairy? I know that I am getting ahead of myself, but there are so many questions flooding through my mind.

Yesterday afternoon at 1:05 pm, I met my new son for the first time. Yes, son…we’re having a boy!! Wow, I am still beaming with pride, excitement, and relief. After a health scare (which put both of us through the emotional ringer), we went to the hospital for an unscheduled sonogram. According to the doctors, he is a very photogenic, healthy baby boy (and not shy about it).

After getting past the scary analysis part of the exam, we were able to watch as our son practiced the Running Man Dance in Amy’s belly. I’m please to say that he appears to be blessed with his mother’s rhythm.

As I sit in my office, I cannot stop staring at the sonogram picture of my beautiful baby boy. I cannot wait to meet him and hold him for the first time. The camping and Legos will come soon enough, but for now, I continue to pray for the health of momma and baby.

Rapid House Progress

Things are moving along very fast at the house these days. It looks more and more like a home every time we stop by to look at the progress.

The painters have finished painting all of the rooms and trim (check out the colors in the picutes). The hardwood floors have been standed and stained (you can all see them in the pictures). Almost all of the trim work has been completed, including the stairwell handrails. They also put the stone on one of our fireplaces last week.

On the outside of the house, we now have a concrete driveway and a VERY long public sidewalk.

They are working on the bathroom tile today. If the weather holds out, they are going to pour our front sidewalk and rear patio soon. I think (cross your fingers) that the kitchen and bathroom cabinets are going to start installation on Friday. Then, they will start installing the granite tops.

By next week, they might start installing the lighting fixtures and the plumbing fixtures will soon follow. Carpet will be the week or two after that.

Overall, things are progressing very well.

Midwest Ice Storm

Most of Kentucky was pounded last Tuesday by a snow storm that turned into an ugly ice storm. It started last Tuesday morning with about 4 inches of fresh, fluffy snow. For Kentucky, that is more that enough white stuff to shut down the schools and most businesses. Tuesday morning was fairly calm, but by Tuesday evening the storm had turned to freezing rain.

After spending some time at the fire station on Tuesday night, I drove home around 10:30 PM. By that point, the tree branches were already starting to hang low enough to scrape the top of my truck.

Sometime around 4:45 AM, we lost power at home. I added another blanket to the bed for Amy and went back to the fire station around 6:30 AM. By that time, the roads were almost impassable due to the tree branches. They were literally hanging all the way to the ground. I had to drive on both sides of the road to negotiate around the obstacles.

Around daylight, another storm surge dumped about 4 more inches of fresh snow on top of the layer of ice. I spent most of the morning helping out around the fire station and running a few calls. Amy spent that time bundled under blankets and reading through magazines.

Because Dani and Brandon had a two-month-old baby to care for, they really needed to find some place with power. Brandon called 30 different hotels before finally finding a room at the Seelbach Hotel in downtown. After an hour of loading the car with baby supplies, they were off for the evening.

Amy and I opted to stay the night at Dani and Brandon’s house since they had a working gas fireplace. We put the air mattress in front of the fireplace and loaded it with about 5 blankets. We stayed pretty warm throughout the night, but the trips to the bathroom were pretty chilly. By morning, the house was down to 50 degrees.

Dani and Brandon were able to extend their hotel room for another night and also reserved a second room. After making arrangements with the rest of the family, Amy and I decided to take the other hotel room. Heat and power never felt so good!

Mom and Dad decided to drive 4 hours north to stay with my grandparents in Illinois. We shut the water off at the houses and hoped for the best.

By Thursday afternoon, we had power back on at the office. Dani and Brandon got power back at their house by Friday afternoon. I stayed with them on Friday night while Amy enjoyed visiting her college friends in New York City.

Finally, by Saturday afternoon, the power was back on at Mom and Dad’s house. Since the temperature inside had reached 34 degrees, it took a few hours to bring it back to an inhabitable level.

All in all, we were pretty lucky. Several large branches came down at Mom & Dad’s house. Amy and I lost another tree in our new yard. However, none of the three houses received any damage from the storm (at least that we’ve been able to find).

I said it after the big storm last September, but we really do take the luxury of electricity for granted. You really cannot appreciate it until you have gone without it for an extended period of time. This last event was especially difficult due to the cold weather.

Thank God for the amazing efforts of the electrical companies all across the nation. We have seen electrical crews from Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia (just to name a few). We are forever grateful for their efforts.

Overdue Updates

Well, I am a little overdue in updating our blog. With all of the new Internet technology out there, I sometimes have a difficult time keeping everything updated.

Carter Update: Little Carter is doing well and continuing to grow. It sounds like he keeps Dani and Brandon pretty busy and a little light in the sleep department. I think they are counting the hours until he can start sleeping through the night.

Amy and I have had a couple of babysitting practice runs, but have not watched Carter very much yet. I think the grandparents are busy filling that role for now. They are all very happy to look after the little guy.

House Update: Two more months and counting!! It cannot get here quick enough. Amy and I are ready to have a place of our own again. After a year, I am tired of living out of boxes and suitcases!

The trim and built-in shelves are finishing up this week. The tile crew is going to start laying the bathroom tile next week. I think the painters are going to start priming sometime soon. And, one of these days we are supposed to get our kitchen cabinets. Keep your fingers crossed.

I will try to get some pictures of the house progress posted soon.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas! We have enjoyed a relaxing holiday break with the new addition of our nephew, Carter. He has been the center of attention and has been passed from lap to lap. Everyone enjoys holding the little elf.

On Christmas morning, Dad decided to drive 6.5 hours round trip to pick up Grandma and Grandpa and bring them down for Christmas Day. It was a last minute decision, but we thought they should be with family on Christmas Day.

Amy and I have taken advantage of the down time to work on house plans. It may not sound exciting, but we are pleased to have more of the work behind us. It's slow, but we are making progress.

First Time Holding Carter

I got to hold little Carter for the first time last Friday night. It was pretty cool to hold my new little nephew (especially because he wasn't crying or pooping at the time). It is amazing how small newborn babies are. Think about it, he actually weighs less than 7 pounds! I think my first cell phone actually weighed more that that.

Needless to say, everyone in the family is crazy about the new addition (except for maybe the dog, Bailey, who hasn't found out yet). There has been no shortage of people to hold the baby. Fortunately, I have managed to avoid any of the diaper changes so far!

As you can tell from the picture on the right, Baby Carter has more hair and a better tan that his Uncle Brad.

The house is really starting to take shape on the inside now. The drywall crew was able to hang ALL of the drywall in two days! It is exciting to see the framing work transform into real rooms. I love just walking around the house that we spent months designing on paper.

If all goes well, we should have heat in the house very soon and the drywall work can continue. I think they are going to grade the lot even further this week, too. We’ll keep you posted.