shopping for baby
Christine shopping at Babies R Us
baby shower
Click above for photos of Christine’s baby shower from last Saturday.
my valentine
for my sunflower … I love you!
expecting the unexpected (revised)
Christine tells me that my version of the story in which she tells me she’s pregnant is inaccurate. This is how it went down:
“It’s a pregnancy test.”
I said nothing.
“It’s a positive pregnancy test,” she says.
“Is it yours?”
“Yes!”
“Are you serious?”
expecting the unexpected
One night, Christine came home from work. I was in the bedroom watching TV and working on the laptop.
“Close your eyes and put your hand out,” she says to me.
I do as I’m told. I’m expecting candy, chocolate, maybe a homemade cookie baked by a patient of hers. Whatever it was, it didn’t feel edible. It was made of plastic. My first thought was a handy dandy toothpick holder, a freebie from my employer, something I can probably pick up on my own from HR. I opened my eyes to see what looked like a white plastic letter opener. I sat there, quiet (only because I didn’t know what it was).
“That’s a pregnancy test,” she tells me.
“It is?”
“Yes. It’s positive.”
I’m pretty sure my mouth hung open as I stared at the test in my hand.
“Really?”
She nodded.
“You’re pregnant?”
“Yep!”
When we got married, Christine’s clock was ticking. But we couldn’t conceive, no matter what we tried. It got to the point where we both accepted the fact that it wasn’t gonna happen. I think we were both ok with that, but sometimes I wonder “what if”. Daniel is my stepson. I treat him as my own, but I constantly remind myself that he is not my child. When we picked up Salem from the pound, he helped fill that void. I spoil that dog rotten; he is my child, my son, my boy (even if he has four legs and a lot of fur).
Needless to say, Christine’s news was a pleasant surprise and wonderful to hear.
“Well, this changes everything!” I said.
“Yep!”
birthday
Happy Birthday to my wife Christine!
(seen here with Daniel on the Kilimanjaro Safaris in Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
I love you, Babe! 
anniversary
Today, Christine and I celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary! Happy Anniversary Christine! I love you!
14/365
Christine feeds the goats at Grant’s Farm (taken last September).
long time no blog
And it will be a little while longer til I start posting better entries. I’m lacking motivation right now. Just to give a quick update – I’m stuck in all-day training the next 2 weeks (meaning I won’t get much work done). It was 10 years ago today when I first met CL in person. D has been the typical teenager, prompting his mother and I to be a little more disciplinary to get our point across. Lent is approaching, and I’m still unsure of what I will sacrifice.
Oh, and we got maybe 4 inches of snow. Seems miniscule compared to this. CL wouldn’t mind if they gave us a foot.
update 012907
Go figure that after my 4-day weekend, I still haven’t posted anything. So what’s going on? Work has been very crazy for both me and CL. So busy that Ronald McDonald, Little Caesar, and a handful of others have been helping us out with dinner. The weekend was spent catching up on laundry and restoring the hard drive on my laptop.
Just because it’s busy doesn’t mean I haven’t enjoyed some leisure. I recently upgraded to a fifth-generation iPod (took advantage of high-capacity storage and excellent battery life at a fantastic price). CL and I have been trying to catch up on movies and TV (Heroes rocks!). I’m also learning how to be a Guitar Hero; this game is addicting and I enjoy it a lot.
I hope to return to blogging on a regular basis. I’d like to be able to write like I did when I started this nearly 2 years ago. I miss being able to write random thoughts without any worry as to what it is or who’s going to read it. I may be able to relax and have fun, but every now and then, I need to have some release.
holiday update
I love the holidays. It’s a special time of year; I cherish the time spent with family and friends. I love the music, the lights, and the atmosphere. What I don’t like is how busy it gets. (more…)
A, B, and C
I work for Company A. CL works for Company B and has been for 16 years (the first 6 years was actually with Company A). For the last 9 years, CL has worked at one of Company B’s outside branches. (more…)
most wonderful time of the year?
Thanksgiving’s over. There’s 4 weeks until Christmas. Roughly 28 shopping days. Only 2 (gasp!) paydays.
Work is great. Can you believe I said that? It’s true. With the new helpdesk guys getting more comfortable each day, I’m able to focus on doing what I was hired to do back in September. I’m learning a bit more each day. Troubleshooting as an analyst is a little more challenging than it was at the helpdesk. But I like what I’m doing.
The holiday weekend was a busy one. CL and I enjoyed Thanksgiving at Ameristar Casino in St Charles. The buffet was very busy, but the food was very good. We also tried out some slots (came out ahead). CL worked Friday; I was off, so I spent it mulching leaves in the front yard. Saturday – we put up the Christmas tree and some decorations. Sunday – housecleaning (with some football in between breaks).
Monday night, CL’s employer is making a major announcement at a mandatory meeting for their employees. This announcement has unofficially made the rounds in the past week. Worst case scenario? She could be out of a job. Talk about bad timing with the holidays just around the corner. More to come after CL’s meeting.
ten years gone
Thanks to my cousin Jeff for introducing me to chatting online a decade ago. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been hanging out in chat rooms on America Online, signed in as “Tenyrsgon“. I wouldn’t have been in a particular room called “Friends First”, saying hello to all incoming chatters like a professional Walmart greeter. Most importantly, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet someone on this very day 10 years ago. Someone who everyone referred to as “CL”.
