Teachable Moments...

As I sat in the parking lot of my daughters school today, having to replace a fallen beret (if that's what those little clippies are in her hair...) I decide to combine one of my favorite things (technology) with teaching my daughter more words for her vocabulary. I have one of those Sirius satellite radios on my dash. Lots of lights and an LCD screen. Who could ask for more? Anyway, she starts pointing out the various words on the module: MENU, MEMO, BAND, POWER. I praise her, and then starting changing the channel. As you change channels, it lists the various band and song titles that are playing on that particular channel on the LCD screen. On all the different pages, there were words that she knew, and asked about others. Makes a dad feel good in the morning....

FYI... According to my lovely wife... it is "barrette" not beret. If she were wearing a beret, she would have starred in a John Wayne film some years ago...

-J

Daddy is Talented...

So the other night we were out running around. I think we were on our way to meet J's parents and Gma K for dinner, and out of R's mouth came something that made us laugh...as usual. (She can be quite the little comedian, wonder if stand-up is in her future?) From the backseat we hear, "Mom, Dad can drive with one hand." I reply with a "Yes." (Because I have learned that if you don't reply to her statements you will hear something to the effect of...

"Mom, Dad can drive with one hand."
"Mom, Dad can drive with one hand."
"Mom, Dad can drive with one hand."
"Mom, Dad can drive with one hand."
"I said, Mom, Dad can drive with one hand."
"Mom, Dad can drive with one hand. Are you hearing me?"

So after I replied "Yes." she came back with a, "Yeah, because he's talented like that."

Always something...never a dull moment with her.

(Just don't let it go to your head there J.)

-A

It's a....a.....a.....Boy! (bless you)

Well, the results are in. The ultrasound is done. We're having a Boy! Yes we peeked. Sorry for all of you who are surprise junkies. We ruined the surprise. But it's good to know what to expect. We're more planners. Now it's time to clean out some of the baby girl things we've been storing in the attic for the last 3 plus years. R is very happy she is getting a baby brother. She would like to call him Caillou (after the character on the PBS cartoon. It's pronounced Kai-you) We told her that could be his nickname for now.

The little guy was quite active during the ultrasound. The tech was a little frustrated with him not cooperating and posing just like she was hoping for some of the photos. But we got to see him wave his fingers at us, and open his mouth. All the parts were where they were supposed to be and everything was functioning as it should. He measured 2 days bigger than normal, which is fine. My OB is still keeping the due date as R's birthday. So, sometime mid-March, we should have a new edition to our family!

Here's a little preview of the heartbeat from our earlier ultrasound...

Proud Papa J is trying to figure out what to buy him first. Something tells me it'll be something sports related. Just a guess on my part, but probably right...at least knowing J like I do.

We are really thankful that this pregnancy is going well and mom and baby are both healthy. It's such a miracle to stop and think of all the things that have to come together just right to create life. We thank God everyday for all the blessings he has bestowed on us. R is a joy to have. She makes us smile everyday. We can't wait to see what this little miracle will add to our days too.

Love,
A&J

Back from Vacation...bummer

Well, we're back from our Bahamas Cruise. Boy did it get cold in Nebraska while we were gone. What did you do? We left you here with temps in the mid 70's, and when we got back it was in the 30's! That was a shock to the system after a week in the Bahamas with highs in the mid 80's and lows in the lower 70's. Next time we leave town, we expect you Nebraskans to hold the temps a little more steady. Got it?

Our trip was great. We left on Sunday to fly into Miami. We stayed overnight there and boarded our ship the next day. R was thrilled to be on a really really really big boat. She thought that having the pool and the massaging pools (i.e. hot tubs) was really neat. Our first stop was Freeport on Grand Bahama Island. The port is really industrial, but a quick cab ride with a fare of @ $30 for the 5 of us took us to a nicer resort area. There we spent half the day on the beach and the other half shopping in the local straw market. SJ had quite the time and left the market with quite a few of her "Straw" finds. Daddy and O'W took R for a stroll and let her get a braid in her hair. She was quite amused by her braid for the rest of the trip. She liked making the beads swing around when she'd move her head. We stopped at Xanadu beach for a photo by the sign for me. (It's all about me you know...and Xanadu was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. I liked to dress up and dance around the living room to the music...hey, I was a kid. Cut me a little slack.) The beach we played at was Lucayan beach near a couple of the larger resort hotels. It was a very nice beach. White sand, blue water, sun shine...you know, the perfect photo beach. (see photo-it's that simple)

Our next day was in Nassau where we had a city tour that took us around the city with a great tour guide that gave us a good history lesson on the Bahamas and Nassau. We toured a couple of the old British forts that were built there to protect the island. Also had a stop off at the Pirate's Museum. It was a little corny, but informative about the history of the Bahamas and the Pirates that frequented the islands. They had a few artifacts in the final room, but it was more of a gimmicky kind of museum than a "real" museum. But it was still fun. Of course they make you exit through the gift shop, so we HAD to buy a few trinkets there to commemorate our experience.

Our final day was spent at The Great Stirrup Cay. Let me tell you, they don't call it "Great" for nothing. It's the day that we most look forward to. Pretty much all you do there is get off the boat and pull up a beach chair and sit. Enjoy the view, enjoy the sun, enjoy the water and well....enjoy! We rented a floaty tube to float on (imagine that) for the day for $25. It was vacationing at it's best. There is great snorkeling around the rocks at the Cay. NCL owns this island, so anything you rent or buy as far as equipment or drinks are charged to your room. Food is all included and is available most of the day. They do allow locals from neighboring islands to boat in and set up a small straw market that sell t-shirts, jewelry and other islandy things. But mostly they leave you alone if you aren't wanting to purchase anything. They don't spend the day prowling the beach asking you every 5 minutes if you want your hair braided or if you'd like to buy a necklace. (you get a lot of this on the public beaches at the stops and from vendors near the port in other places.)

So, would I do it again. OH YEAH! Just get me to Miami, and I'm off to sail away! I love cruising! J didn't get seasick this time. R had a blast, and for the most part (aside from the lack of a normal sleep schedule) was very well behaved. We learned a little more about vacationing with a little one, and will do a couple of things differently next time, but all in all it was a terrific experience for all of us.

I'm really glad that SJ & O'W were able to go with us. It was nice having adult time with them for dinner in the evenings, and I think R really liked riding around on O'W's shoulders. Thanks O'W for that BTW.

Until next time...take care!