My Daughter is Finally Here...

Well ladies and gents, she's finally here.  Some of you are probably thinking, what, you're only just now saying so??  But hey, when you have a brand new baby, you run out of time for a lot of things.  We've been busy not sleeping.  Don't be deceived, we couldn't really be much happier, but we are a little tired.  Our sweet princess doesn't require as much sleep as we do during normal hours.  No, she prefers to sleep when we're awake.  Oh well, one look at her, and you just can't be upset.  She's so perfect.  I have lots of pictures.  I'm only showing you a few because I haven't figured out how to get my pics from the camera, but i have a few from my cell phone that i don't think anyone else has.  Here we go...

I took this Thursday night.  Kind of a gangster look...

I just couldn't resist.

Look at those big beautiful eyes...

I think she heard a noise or something...

This is shortly after birth, I think just a couple hours...

With Grandma Susan

With Mommy right after birth...

With Grandpa Randy

How precious is that...

My favorite

About as peaceful as she gets...

With Aunt Bethany

Biiiiiiiiig yawn, liiiiiiitle mouth

At rest...

What did you just say???

This is cool because this represents a four generation span...

With Ryan

How adorable!!

Doesn't get much better than this...

Out cold...

Wish I could sleep this well...

So cute you could eat her...

Up close and personal

Mommy was tired too...

More pictures to come soon!!  Stay Tuned!!

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Hmm...

So I wonder, how come nobody's left a comment asking where I am, how I'm doing, if I'm even still ALIVE??? Maybe you all take me for granted. Then again, only like ten people read this blog...Ok, eleven if you count the mysterious anonymous commenter (who are you?). Still, ok whatever.

So yeah, Katelyn is still not here. Baby girl is one hour away from being nine days late. She is nearing Daddy's record, and that is not necessarily a good thing. We would much rather be counting the days that she has spent outside the womb than the days that she is spending still inside. Baby girl come OUT!

This almost feels like a long weekend, but here we are again preparing to start a new work week. I am comforted by the fact that I probably won't have to finish this work week because my daughter will be born. Oh, I got to do another ride along with Jersey Village PD. That's police department for you civilians out there. Anyway, this time I got to ride with James instead of someone I've never met. We pulled over lots of people, went really fast on the highway, and arrested someone. Ok, I didn't do any of those things, but I got to watch James do them. It was really cool. The only thing more fun that going on a ride-along is being a cop on patrol and getting to do all that stuff.


What...the...HECK does "crunchy" mean????? My wife and Lynne used it tonight, and I don't understand. I thought about just asking, but then I figured, "hey, if I put in on the blog, then they'll answer on the blog, and everybody else will get to learn, too!" So smart am I.

Can't think of anything else for now. Later,

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Day 283

So, we're three days late. Still no baby. That's ok though, because if she's not out yet, God must not want her out yet. That's not really any consolation to Melissa, because it means the baby is still inside her body, but at least we know she'll be here soon. Worst case she'll be two weeks late, that's about as long as we're willing to let her stay in. We're happy letting Lynne have the record among us for latest baby. Melissa has tried just about everything for getting this baby out, and Katelyn has dropped a LOT, but still no baby. We're trying not to obsess, but we want her here NOW. If she could just see all the stuff we have waiting for her, she'd be out here two weeks ago. This little girl is gonna have so many cool clothes and toys and stuff, she should come out and enjoy them. In other news, there is no other news. Umm, no seriously, no other news right now. Nothing's really going on, we're not going anywhere anytime soon other than the hospital. You will know when the baby is here - I'll post about it, and we're going to build her her own blog for pictures and stuff.

Question, when you see a movie like The Patriot, 300, or Gladiator, (I know all you women love these movies) do you care if it's 100% accurate? These three movies are on the list of the top 10 most innacurate movies. Stupid little facts. For example, in 300 the men didn't wear just the little speedo things, they wore bronze armor. So what?? What woman watching that movie wished the men were wearing more? And for the guys, we couldn't care less, because the action was great. Granted, some of the things about that movie could have been left out, but overall a good movie. You get my point. Which matters more, the accuracy or the story line? I'm gonna say the story line matters more. Unless it was something that affected me directly - some family history or something, I would rather see a good movie with a few smudged facts than watch a boring accurate movie. Aren't movies supposed to entertain anyway? I dunno. I'm not expecting a right or wrong answer here, just wanting your opinion.

Anyone see Brittany Spears on TV last night? That's right, she was on How I Met Your Mother. Her acting is even worse than her singing. Although she didn't look half bad. That poor girl just couldn't handle the fame and pressure from her younger years. Too bad. She should go get a real job or something.

Anyway, I'm gonna go for now, gotta work cuz I never know when I'm gonna leave for the baby.

P.S. Look up the news story about the woman where they took out her organs to remove cancer.

Later,

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No, I'm not dead...

It's been a long time again, I know. Many things have been going on. Looks like we're finally selling our stupid Explorer this week!! Yay!!! That officially means that I can go ahead with my HPD application, and Melissa can for sure stay home and not go back to work. Yay! It has been a huge stress lately because if it hadn't sold, well, things would have been really tight. But that's over now, or will be by Saturday.

So I got a new phone! My Verizon account renewed so I got one of these. Oh yeah, that's totally a bowl of water. It's waterproof. How cool is that? Lynne and Melissa are insisting that it is NOT babyproof, but who cares, what really is? I'm gonna keep telling myself that it is. Oh well, it's cool.

So what's up? Melissa is due on Saturday. That's right - this Saturday. We are soooo ready for that baby to get here. Melissa has been put on modified bed rest because of high blood pressure, so one more reason she'd like the baby to get here.

I could talk much more, but I'm really behind at work and should get back to it. Later,

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March is here!

So, guess what, we're havin' a baby this month!! I say this month, because we are totally believing that the baby will not be more than 9 days late. Plus, can you imagine being born on April Fool's Day? I think I know a person that was, but talk about getting made fun of. Yeah, she's coming out this month. We are so ready for Katelyn to be here. We have a crib, and a stroller, and a travel system, and some diapers (finally!!), and sooooo many cute clothes. If you haven't ever bought baby girl clothes for your child or someone else's child, you may not understand what I'm about to say. I want to buy one of every little outfit!! Good grief, they're all just so cute. My daughter has so many clothes already, she's not even going to wear all of them I think. We'll probably end up swapping some out for larger sizes.

So how's your week going? Yesterday was sooooooo slow, but today seems to be going much faster. Supposed to rain today. Yesterday was beautiful during the afternoon and ride home. I wish it could always be right around that temp - upper 60's to low 70's with sunshine and a couple clouds here and there. It doesn't matter that much in a car, but we bikers prefer nice weather. :)

So really, what's up? Somebody tell me something cool. Anybody seen any movies lately? Done anything exciting? I tell you what, I actually, get this, I went to work yesterday!! How crazy is that?!?! ........... Ok so I tried. I did manage to burn my arm on my exhaust pipes yesterday. It looks like my forearm got shot with a paintball. I didn't think I was that close to the pipe - I was trying to wipe some stuff off of my bike. Weird though, it doesn't hurt today.

So Melissa has officially started her maternity "leave." Yeah, permanent leave. She ain't going back there, no sir. She sent me a text on Monday morning and I quote: "This... is weird." I warned her, though. If I hear her say "I'm bored" even once, it's back to the sweat shop! Ok maybe not, but no talk of being bored. :)

So I need some opinions. My lunch for today is wrapped in aluminum foil. I left home at 7AM, and remembered to put it in the office fridge at 9:30. It's still ok, right? Hopefully so. let me know!

Later,

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Humor For Lexophiles (Lovers of Words)

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Police were called to a day care where a 3-yr-old was resisting a rest.

Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.

The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.

The butcher backed up into the meat grinder & got a little behind in his work.

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.

The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

A thief who stole a calendar got 12 months.

A thief fell & broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal.

When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.

The dead batteries were given out free of charge.

A dentist & a manicurist fought tooth and nail.

A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.

A will is a dead giveaway.

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

A backward poet writes inverse.

In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.

A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.

If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.

Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft & I'll show you A-flat miner.

The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.

A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France, resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.

You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.

A calendar's days are numbered.

A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.

A boiled egg is hard to beat.

He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.

When you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.

When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.

Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.

Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture: a jab well done.

Another Week Begins

So my fellow humans, how is life? I'm tired. My wife, if reading this, is shaking her head thinking "Oh YOU'RE tired?!?!" But she's 36 weeks pregnant, so she can think like that. So can Lynne, cuz she's on a trip with just her 7 month-old son. So can James, cuz he's working like 180 hours a week (do the math). Ok, I'm tired - other people are too, I'm not saying I'm....tireder than you, I'm just tired. So what's up this week? We're hoping that Katelyn comes out soon. Like Melissa's blog (ordinaryexultations.blogspot.com) says, she's full term now, so any day is great! Why is it that Houston weather is so weird? It was 50 degrees when I walked outside this morning, and the high today is 82!! How do you dress for that? Ok yeah I know, LAYERS, but I don't like having to transport them back home. It's one thing if you have a car, but on a bike, a whole layer of clothing takes up a lot of storage space!

We watched the Oscars last night, I don't know why I watch them every year. You watch the Oscars to see what the ladies wear, and who wins what prize, right? Almost every woman there is wearing a weird dress. The ones that aren't, a.k.a. jennifer garner, miley cirus, look great, but they're million-dollar celebrities, so of course they look good. Sheesh. I hate watching award shows like that, because my picks never win! OK, almost never win. POTC won a couple times, and Sweeney Todd won one last night, but they usually never win, because they aren't the politically correct choice. The shows are rigged. Gotta be. Some world domination thing. Oh well, what are ya gonna do? So I'm gonna go, have to work now. Later,

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Larry the Cable Guy...soooooo bad

Friday Again

Funny, no matter what I do, we always end up having a Friday every week. It always seems to follow Thursday and precede Saturday. It's usually a day of wrapping things up, usually a little bit of overwhelming stress from the rest of the week, and sometimes a glimmer of hope. Hope that the weekend will justify the week we just went through. It's supposed to rain this weekend, but I think it will be a good one just the same. We are expecting rain, but it's February in Houston, TX, so what else is new? The temperature is still decent - 60's and 70's so we're not freezing or burning up.

If you have a minute today, check out this blog. It's one Melissa frequents, and today's post is amazing. WARNING: if you are prone to crying at sad stories, grab a couple tissues before reading. It's a really good way to put things in perspective. In fact, go read it now, and then finish reading this post. Do it! I'm not kidding, go read it now.

This story brings to mind something I've been thinking about for a couple years really, and it's the topic of Joy. That word always makes me think of this verse: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4) That is so difficult to do! I have so many thoughts on this that I don't even know where to start, so I'll try to organize this as well as possible. Let me give you a definition of joy: the emotion of great happiness. Let me take it a step further. True joy is something that comes from having the Spirit of God inside you. Remember the Fruits of the Spirit? Love, JOY, Peace... It must be an important one, too, cuz it's the second one listed. Joy is different from happiness, I think, because happiness tends to depend on our circumstances. You wouldn't necessarily be happy if you got stuck in jail, but the apostle Paul always managed to be joyful when he was stuck in prison. Check out this verse from 1 Peter: "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy." (1 Peter 4:12-13) Amazing! Be happy in times of trials! To take it another step forward, if we are called to be joyful in times of trial, how much more should we be filled with that same joy when things are good? Pray that God would fill you with His joy, and watch what happens. "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Matthew 21:22)

In other news, we are only 35.5 days away from Melissa's due date!! 5 weeks left! Crazy. Technically, I've been told that once we reach the 4 week mark, it could happen at any time. Apparently 36 weeks is a full term. For any of y'all hoping she'll come early (ahem, MOM, BETHANY), you may get your wish. We still have a couple things to do, but I'm confident we'll be able to finish them. By the way, I am still trying to sell our Explorer, so if you know anyone that wants/needs a car, tell 'em to give me a call or shoot me an email. I've got bunches of pictures, and we're selling it cheap, we just need it GONE. (sigh) It's been a long week, but like I said, I think this weekend will be a good one. There's a gun show in town that I might go to - those never seem to get old. Melissa and Lynne are going to see some documentary in Louisiana this weekend, so I hope they have fun. That's all for now. Later.

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Stupid.

Stupid, stupid.

I had jury duty today. Jury duty is stupid. I had to get up at 5:30 this morning just so I could get downtown by 7:15. I then proceeded to sit in a chair at 1019 congress until 11 am. I met no new people, because who knows what kind of serial killer could be sitting next to you. On the bright side, I was able to read four chapters of a pretty good Star Wars book. You know, when they need people, thats when they should randomly select people and bring them in. Why do they have to call 500 people in if they're only going to use 200 of them? Plus, they didn't even randomly select us, they just starting picking entire groups of numbers, and they went IN ORDER!! Where's the randomness? Why couldn't they have just picked those numbers right off the bat, and called those people in? You know what else I figured out? They have multiple shifts of jurors coming in. I was in the 8am group, and then they had a 12pm group, and then they probably had a 4pm group. That's like 1500 people out of which only 600 are used. WHAT THE HECK???? Plus, you know what, not even all of those 600 were used. They would call like 24 people to go over to one court, then they weed through them and use only 6!! Soooooo stupid. I don't like that. Aaaaand, they only pay you 6 freaking bucks for your service. I made $1.25/hr sitting there reading my book. They should at least pay you minimum wage. Government. Ha. Timewasters is more like it. Stupid stupid stupid.

What a day - this week is taking forEVER. When will the insanity end??? Some weeks (thankfully not very many) are just like this - everything bad seems to come together and hit me all at once. Yes, I am rich and far more fortunate than many people all over the world, so I have tons of stuff to be grateful for.

To be honest, I had one other external reason for posting today. Lynne threatened to hurt Melissa and me if we didn't post soon, so here I be posting. Have a great day. Later,

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