Merry Christmas!!!

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!!

Welcome Home Olivia

We finally got to bring home our bundle of joy from the hospital today.

Kara gave birth to her on Friday, December 8, 2006 at 6:41pm. She weighed a whopping 9lbs 1/2 oz and measured 22" long.

We went to the hospital on Thursday night after Kara's water broke. They admitted her at around 10pm. It was around 12am when her labor pains started. After about 18hrs or so, she finally dilated to 10cm and was told to start pushing. She pushed for a good 2 hours, but the babies head was tilted so she was not coming out that way. They decided to do a 'c' section.

I was able to be with Kara in the operating room and held her hand the whole time. It was quite emotional when they pulled our little miracle out of Kara's belly. It was just so amazing to see them hold her up and still see the cord attached. We just couldn't believe she was inside Kara for 9 months and she was finally here. It was the happiest moment of my life, an experience I'll never forget. Even now when I think about it, I still get choked up.

After being weighed, measured and cleaned up, they took Olivia to the nursery. That's when I found out she had a temp of 103.3. That's when I started to worry, because I've heard what a high temp. like that in a newborn can do. Even though Kara was planning on breastfeeding, I had to give her a bottle because her blood sugar was low. So they let me feed her and burp her for the first time. After that I went to recovery to check on Kara, she was pretty out of it. I now had to let her know our baby had a fever, but I couldn't let her know how high it was. If she had known at that moment our baby had a 103 fever, she would have lost it. Everything turned out OK though.

By the next day Olivia's fever was gone. They still had to keep her on antibiotics for 48 hours though just as a precaution. So after 4 long days in the hospital they finally let all of us go home.

Now starts the journey of parenthood for Kara and I. We're just so thrilled we have a beautiful, healthy baby. We never knew we could love someone so much.

Mommy and Daddy love you Olivia!!

The Waiting Game

With only 2 days till the due date....we're just patiently (Kara not so patient) waiting for our little girl to pop out.

Kara's been getting some cramps and pains, possibly Braxton Hicks contractions the past week or so. Other than that not much sign of her wanting to come out.

I'm on 24hr baby watch... just waiting for the call at work or the jab in the middle of the night.

Kara's mommy came to stay with us this past weekend. She'll be staying till after the baby comes. She's been helping Kara out alot and we're very grateful.

Hopefully it won't be much longer.... stay tuned!!

Start of a New Life

Latest Baby Checkup

This past Friday Kara had another ultrasound. Her doctor wanted to make sure everything was OK for a couple reasons. She has been getting some sort of rash and inflamation of her right cheek and ear for the past 3 weeks now. We've seen a regular doctor, an ER doctor, a dentist and her OB/GYN. Nobody has a clue as to what it is. So her OB just wanted to make sure there wasn't any type of infection around the baby. He also mentioned in her previous check up that her belly had grown quite a bit in a week and they wanted to check for too much fluid or anything abnormal.

Everything is just perfect with our little miracle. They said everything is where it should be, her head is down and she's pretty active. She's also still a girl!! Kara was worried she would turn out to be a he. So we can still use all the pink clothes we've received from everyone!! They also mentioned that she's about 8lbs 3 oz already....with a month still to go!! So now Kara's worried she's going to have a 9 or 10lb baby. Although everyone has told us they are usually wrong about this....so we'll have to wait and see. We're both getting very anxious, Kara really wants her to come out. But we just have to wait a little bit longer.

This past Sunday our friends John & Shirley had another baby shower for Kara. There were some friends that weren't able to make it to the first one, so this gave everyone a chance to be there. We would like to thank everyone that showed up. It really meant alot to us!!

How much seafood do YOU eat??

Check out this story from BBC News about a team of researchers who say... "This century is the last of wild seafood".

Click..... HERE

Baby Shower

We just got home a little while ago from Kara's baby shower. We received lots of wonderful gifts from everyone that attended. We would like to thank everyone that was able to make it. It really meant alot to us and we appreciate it greatly. A special thanks goes out to everyone that helped set this up for Kara.

Now it's time to go and check out everything we got. See ya'll later!!

Hey everyone. It's Saturday afternoon and I just got back from the store and I figured I'd better post something on here, it's been almost two months since the last post. Been slacking off lately.

Kara's at her Mom's until Sunday so I'm just hanging around the house today. I had to run up to ABC Warehouse to pick up a new DVD player. My other one died on us last night after about 6 years of use. It was a 3 disc JVC. This time I got a Toshiba. Probably could have gotten one a little cheaper, but this had the main thing I wanted, an optical audio output. Just enhances the sound quality from the DVD player to my audio receiver. It's a guy thing... hehe

So not much has been happening here lately. Kara went back to work a few weeks ago, which really helped out with our cash flow. Unfortuneately she was told by her boss yesterday that her husband just lost his job. So they will probably only need her for another two weeks. Then they don't know what's going to happen. They may move to Texas. So that kinda sucks. As I told Kara though, we just have to move on and get through it. She only needs to worry about the baby. Speaking of which, both mother and baby are doing fine. Kara went for a check up this past Tuesday and everything was fine and normal. Only 75 days more to go!!!

On a sadder note... Kara's Dad (Bill) passed away a few weeks back on August 26. He had been sick as of late and had succumb to liver problems, he was only 50. He lived in Alegan County, MI, about 40 miles northwest of Kalamazoo. As you can imagine it was an emotional time for Kara, her mom and three brothers. I'm just glad I was able to be there for her.

On another sad note... winters almost here!! Can't believe how fast the summer went by. The cold weather will be rolling in anytime now. We've already had a couple chilly mornings, but I'm still wearing shorts everday. I dread wearing long pants again!!

I hope everyone is doing good. Take care!!

What's Been Up...

It's been a few weeks since we've posted on here, so I figured I'd just drop a line or two to let everyone know that we're still alive.

Not much been going on... as usual. Just been trying to deal with this ridiculous heat the past few days. I mean c'mon, we set a record high for like 3 days in a row. It's been like 95, 96 and 98 degrees with a heat index of 105!!! Not having any A/C in our apartment, I had to send Kara to her Mom's for a few days. I can deal with the heat as long as I have fans. I just didn't want anything to happen with the baby and all.

A few weeks ago we went to Stony Creek Metropark for a picnic and bike ride. The bike ride was not such a good idea. We had to rent bikes there and they weren't the best bikes. It was just too hard for Kara. Even though it was a paved bike path, there were far too many hills for a one speed bike. The picnic by the lake was nice though, also the walk around the Nature Center.
The pics are from there.

I went to my works annual pool party last Friday. Kara went to her Mom's for the weekend to register for her baby shower, so she didn't go to the party. I didn't stay long. Had some beers, shot some hoops, ate then left. I picked Kara up from her Mom's Sunday after golf. Then we went to her brother's for his daughters first b-day party.

That's about it for now. Hope everyone is doing ok. Take care!!

100,000 Miles!!

Today my 2003 KIA Spectra hit the 100,000 mile mark. I know...exciting news...ha ha!
Just didn't think I'd put all the miles on in just 3 years. So much for the 10 yr/100,000 mile warranty. :-)

Olivia's First Video

Here's our wonderful daughter at 19 weeks. I'm just so thrilled I'm going to have a Daddy's little girl!!!

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Meet our daughter...

Kara and I had a wonderful day today. It was her 19 week checkup and that's when we learned that we're going to be the proud parents of a wonderful little girl. Please say hello to our daughter... Olivia Grace.


It was an incredible feeling when the ultrasound tech told us that it was definetly a girl and to actually be able to see her move around. It was very emotional indeed. Throughout the whole pregnancy I had told Kara I didn't want to know the sex. Up till about a month or so ago, I hadn't wanted to know. Something made me change my mind... I guess just not knowing what to refer to our baby as....him /her... was enough. I didn't let Kara know until just today that I wanted to know... she was quite surprised and happy.

It's still hard to believe that we're going to be parents....finding out the sex and seeing her move made it all sink in a little more. We can't wait to meet our daughter in person!!

I have some video that I'll be posting soon.

Short Trip to Ohio

This past weekend Kara and I drove my mother down to Canton, OH so she could stay with my sister Lynn, her husband Willie and their three wonderful kids...Andrew, Aaron & Audrey for a few days.

We left early Saturday morning, around 7. Picked up my Mom around 8, stopped for breakfast and hit the road at 9. It's about a 3 hr. drive from my Mom's. Pretty boring drive along the Ohio Turnpike (I-80/90).

We arrived at there house around 1 or so. We hung out, chatted and had a BBQ. It was good to see everyone again. Been about 8 months since the last time we were there. The kids sprout up so much between visits. There such good kids and there all so smart. Must be the parents... he heh.

Sunday morning Willie and I got to go and play 9 holes of golf. We didn't do so hot, but still had fun. It was a pretty nice course as well. It sure made up for not being able to play my normal round back at home. Thanks again Willie!

We headed home around noon and got back at about 4:30pm. We had to stop only once, so Kara could get pizza....then it was only a matter of time till her tummy started hurting. Took about 20 mins. It was good to go on a little trip...been doing alot of nothing lately.

I'll post some short videos of the trip shortly.

Happy 4th of July

Hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July this year!!

Kara and I didn't really do anything this year. We're trying
to save for our bundle of joy in December, so we just stuck around the house.
Tomorrow I go back to work after my long 5 day weekend. Why couldn't every week have only 2 workdays?

Feeding the Deer

Here we all are feeding the deer at my bosses' house.

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NEW - Photo Gallery

I just added a link on the right under "Check These Out" for a photo gallery. I've added a little bit of everything to it. It may still have a few bugs, so bare with me.


enter PHOTO GALLERY

House Sitting

The past 6 days we were house sitting for my boss. The last few times I house sat for him, his (2) dogs were there, not this time though. We had it pretty easy, all we had to do was make sure the flowers and plants were watered and keep the pool clean. We even took our cat, Buddy with us. I guess it was kinda like a family vacation, except I had to work all week. It was like our own resort house with pool, hot tub and mini golf course (offroad cart included). Even though it rained a few days, we still were able to have a couple of BBQ's with John, Shirley and their kids. It was nice to be able to host a party for once, being that our apartment is way too small. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Everyone that is except for Buddy. Buddy spent most of the time locked in the bedroom upstairs when we had company or when we slept. We were worried he would knock something over or eat the plants. On the second day our fears came true. It was Sunday evening after everyone left, Kara and I were sitting on the couch relaxing, watching TV. Buddy was roaming around free. We watched him pretty closely for a little while, he basicly just walked around and sniffed everything, then finally settled on the window sill staring at the birds and chipmunks. Our attention slowly drifted back to the TV... then it happened. We seen him move out of the corner of our eyes, by the time we turned our heads he was leaping off the window sill into the air towards the floor lamp with the full length paper lamp shade. His left paw made a medium size hole in the shade, which quickly turned in to a large hole, then it ripped completely off. With 3/4 of the shade lying on the floor Buddy had limped off in pain. It seemed he hurt the paw he's been holding up since he got declawed. The paw that the vet said nothing is wrong with, but yet he continues to favor it. So the lamp is broke and Buddy is hurt. He hisses and cries if we touch his paw. Now Kara is crying histarically because Buddy is crippled forever, at least that's what she thinks. Of course the next morning he is fine. So that's the story of our little vacation from home.

Listen To Almost Any Radio Station Online

This is a pretty cool site, you can listen to almost any radio station in the world at www.live-radio.net. Just pick your country and state and you can get a live feed.

Our Baby's Heartbeat at 13 weeks

We went for Kara's 13 week check up today. We got to hear the heartbeat and was able to record it. The heart is beating at about 150 bpm, the doctor said that was good. Hopefully Kara will start to relax a little more now. The doctor told her she needs more calories and more fluids, about a gallon a day. This is why we were at the Emergency room at Genesys for 4 hours Wednesday night. She was having really bad abdominal pains so we went there just as a precaution. They gave her an IV to get fluids back in her. Apparently dehydration can cause bad cramps and also low potasium, which she had too. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat that night too. I'm thinking maybe Kara just wanted peace of mind to hear the baby a few days early. It's all good though. I was glad to hear it as well. We were a little worried at first though, the R.N. wasn't able to find the heartbeat at first, even he looked worried. He did find it though and it was an unforgettable moment to hear our baby for the first time. So anyways, everything is good and everyone is healthy!!

You can listen to the heartbeat below.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. Don't forget to think about the ones this day truly belongs to. The men and women who died for this country and our freedom.


God Bless America!!!

Golf Outing

Went on a golf outing today with seven other guys from work. Normally I probably wouldn't go because the green fee was $75, but since the company was paying for it I said "what the hell" and went. The course was Sheperd's Hollow.

We left work around 11am so we had time to hit the driving range, have a beer and get to the starter for a 12:19 tee time. I didn't do too bad, alot better than I expected too. I'm so used to playing on the short course at Hampton I wasn't sure if I could handle a full par 72 course. But as I said, I didn't do too bad.

This is a really beautiful public course. I recommend splurging just once to try this one out.

Kara's Pregnancy Blog

I setup a blog for Kara to tell about her pregnancy and share her stories and pictures, so be sure to visit it. CLICK HERE

You can also find a link to it on the right under "Check This Out"

Vacation Week

Kara and I were on vacation all this week. We didn't do too much, just hang out at home mostly. We figured it was best to save our pennies now that we have a little miracle on the way. Besides, Kara's been feeling nauseas alot these past few days. We did get a chance to go to the Toledo Zoo on Wednesday though. It was a gorgeous day... it got to about 78 and was sunny all day. To my surprise Kara was able to make it through the whole day, I was quite proud of her.

It's official.... Kara's pregnant!!

Well we went to the doctors on Friday to see the first ultrasound. Of course being only 7 weeks along, the baby is only about the size of a grain of rice. We were still able to see the heart beating at about 170 beats per minute. So we know that it's okay at least...one of us was REALLY worried we wouldn't see the heart beat...give you one guess who that was. The official due date is December 7th, so we should have a wonderful X-Mas present this year. Kara's just now starting to feel some symptons of being pregnant, like feeling nauseated and mood swings... how I love those mood swings. We'll keep posting updates on here after each appointment.

HAPPY EASTER!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!!

Golf Season Has Begun

This past Sunday was the second week I've gone and golfed. We've finally had some decent weather, hope it's good this weekend. The first week was with Johnnie, Charles and myself. This past week Bob and Mike went. I'll be occasionally putting up clips on here. Here's a sample....

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Our Business Cards

In an effort to make a little extra money on the side, we figured we would print up some business cards to advertise services each of us could do. Kara of course being a professional child care provider opted for her little business called Kara's Child Kare (not a typo). Myself of course having limited skills outside of the sign industry fell back on my experience with computers and became the Neighborhood Computer Guy. Now we don't expect to get rich, just a means to earn a little extra something. Wish us luck!!!

New, More Colorful $10 Bill to Debut

Appropriate for the upcoming spring blooming season, your wallet is about to get more colorful. The newly redesigned $10 bill is going into circulation.

(click text for complete story)

Sledding on Thanksgiving 2005

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Buddy After Being Declawed

Buddy's poor little paw......

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What's Been Happening

Been almost a month since our last post, so I figure I should give an update as to what's been going on. Unfortunately not much of anythings been going on... :(

Let's see..... Valentines Day was a few days ago. We didn't do much. I wasn't feelin' well, so I took the day off work. Kara still had to work though. We got each other a nice little card, some candy and Kara also got me a little stuffed monkey and I got her a stuffed bear and some flowers. We spent a quiet evening at home eating pizza and watched Saw 2. It was also my Mom's birthday!!

Speaking of my Mom, she came up and visited us over Super Bowl weekend. We didn't do much then either, was just nice to see her.

This morning we took our kitty, Buddy to the vet to get up to date on all his shots and to finally get him declawed. It's gonna be so nice to not have to worry about him scratching everything up. He had to stay there overnight though, and we sure do miss him.

Well I guess that's it for now....everyone take care!!

Pinky's 50th B-day Party

This past Saturday Kara, her Mom and I went to Pinky's (Mary's Friend) 50th birthday party in Clarkston. Everyone had a great time. Some of us however had a few too many Jello-Shots and felt a little sick the next day....we won't mention any names though. ;)

Crazy Cat

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Happy New Year!!

Well it's official...it's 2006!! Is it just me or did 2005 just fly by? It seems like the older you get, the shorter the years become. Just gives you more reason to live life to the fullest.

Anyways I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's Eve. Unfortunately my darling Kara was sick on New Year's Eve. We went to eat at the Rain Forest Cafe on Thursday, by the next morning she was sick with food poisoning. She was in lots of pain and couldn't keep anything down. I sat by her side the whole night. By Saturday she was feeling a little bit better, but not much. She's pretty much back to 100% now. This will be a very memorable New Years for us both.

Good luck to everyone in 2006!!