Weekend # 22

I hope everyone had a fun-filled and nice Memorial Day Weekend.  We had quite a weekend ourselves!  It all started on Friday night...

I got home from work a little after 3PM and decided to go for a little run, Lena hadn't been out too much last week so I decided to take her with me, so I packed our water belt and her collapsible cup, her leash and we were off.  We didn't go too far, a little over two miles, but it was far enough because when we got back we were both pretty tired.  We even made a 1/2 way stop for a drink.  So then after a nice cool shower for me and a few minutes laying on the tile floor in the kitchen for her, I took off to meet Randi and Lena went to take a nap in her crate.  I was off to meet Randi at work and then we were off to the Astros' game.  We got to the stadium unusually early (about an hour before game time) so we decided to walk around and check out the stadium, both the bottom and top levels of a stadium we have both been to at least 50 times each.  Well if you have been following the baseball season you know what happened at the game...the "Stros blew a 6-0 lead and lost 7-6...terrible play on the field aside, the nachos, hot dog, pretzel, and soda were really good...our team may suck but our stadium has pretty good food...

All in all Friday wasn't to different from other Friday's...but that was just the start of the weekend...Saturday started quite different from most Saturdays and that trend continued all the way until Monday night...

Saturday morning I woke up to a dog nose about 7:00...I took her out fed her and went back to sleep...my alarm was set for 8:30 I was gonna get up and go to LA Fitness and do a cycle (spin) class, Randi wasn't sure if she was gonna come with me or not.  Well when she was awoken at 8:25 by that same nose that got me less than 90 minutes earlier she decided since she was up she'd come too... when we got to the gym there was a sign saying that the 9:15 cycle class was cancelled...so I joined Randi on the treadmill for a 5k jog followed by a nice leisurely 1.5 mile walk..After our time at the gym we drove over to Alvin, TX and went to Froberg Farmers Market for some fresh veggies and fruit...After a quick pit stop at home for showers and to let Lena out we were off again...this time we stopped at Academy Sports and Outdoor for a pair of padded biking shorts for me (those cycle classes are murder on the butt)...we enjoyed some lunch at Pot Belly...then it was off to Kohl's, where Randi found a shirt and pair of shorts that she liked, I found a shirt but they didn't have it in my size...After that we walked next door to Babies r Us, for over 3 hours - but we did manage to get most of the baby registry done...Once we finally left BRU it was off to Kohl's again, another one just down the road a few miles, to see if they had that shirt I liked...but alas no shirt...so we headed to our final stop of the day, dinner (or should i say breakfast) at Cracker Barrel....

Sunday started out much like Saturday, with a cold nose in my face around 7:00...Again we were off to LAF, this time my class was in session and I got to try out my new shorts...definitely worth the $30...home for showers again...then off...First stop Fry's, in and out in less than 2 minutes...then we headed away from our side of town and too IKEA...We spent about 1.5 hours in IKEA, got some great ideas (for next spring and next summer), and found a shelf system that we have been looking for quite a while to finish off the majority of Lena's room...Then it was time for some food and a stop at our favorite place Sweet Tomatoes...After stuffing ourselves on salad and soup, it was time to go grocery shopping at Costco...nearly two hours later we were headed back home...with a stop at McDonald's, someone had to try the new strawberry lemonade, it was worth the trip...Randi thought Lena needed some exercise so once all the groceries were put away we took Lena on a walk (the same route her and I had ran two days earlier)...we stopped off at our friend Lauren's house and let Lena play with her FOUR labs (Jeter, Vanna, Sherman, and Kennedy)...we stayed for about an hour and decided to head back while there was still some light, there wasn't any by time we got home...

Yes we like to park a LOOONG way away!

It's the only place that sells Lena's food...so we make the most of it!

She wouldn't let me get these for Passover...but at $5 it was too good of a deal this time!

Monday (Memorial Day) the Alarm went off at 5:30 like it does every Monday...We both got up and got dressed to go do the 5K Race for the Pennant at Minute Maid Park...I ran (34:04) and Randi walked (about 47 mins)...we enjoyed the food after, I even downed about 1/2 of a Michelob Ultra...sat in the stands and cooled down before heading out for some more adventures...Once we left the park we first went to UH and stopped in at Randi's office and used the showers in the locker rooms to get all nice and clean...We headed to midtown grabbed a Starbuck's coffee, Mocha Coconut Frapp for me and a decaf iced coffee for Randi...with drinks in hand we walked over to Pottery Barn Kids and did some baby shopping damage...We found a design theme we both love and bought up just about everything we could think of...After some debate we chose to drive home after this and get Lena and take her to get her nails trimmed at Petsmart...I've tried to do it myself (w/o a Dremmel) and have clipped too much off and caused her to bleed so I get a little squeamish and don't like doing it, I hate to hurt her....After getting her nails done, Lena was ready to go...so we thought, "it's only 3:00 let's see if we can find the dog park!"...We found it, after driving past it once, we pulled up to it and she didn't go quite as crazy as I thought she would...she played with other dogs, tried to get a nice man who was giving out treats to give her about 10, played some more, she was just a dog (A GOOD DOG!!!)...We stayed for about 30 minutes and then its off to home for a bath...Lena's bath...Nothing quite smells like a clean, wet dog.  I managed to bathe her, clean her ears, brush her teeth, give her the flea treatment, and a heart worm dose all in under 30 minutes...She gets her bath outside but she likes to dry off on our rug in the living room...what a weirdo!  Once we had a clean dog we headed out for the last time of the weekend...we went to Wings & More and then to get the last few groceries we hadn't gotten the last two days at Kroger...The Weekend was capped off by catching up on "The Biggest Loser" finale and a couple episodes of "Friday Night Lights" and making lunches because it is back to work on Tuesday...4 days until summer "break" for me...some "break" I'll be taking 12 credit hours, working 40 hours a week @ UH, plus a two week stint opening up the weight rooms at 7AM...at least there are a few nice trips on the horizon!!!

Before the 5K Race for the Pennant

Lena in the middle of the action!

Waiting her turn for a drink!

Isn't she so cute!

Well that was our weekend! Sorry so LOOOOONG!

Now for the Baby updates...

• Randi and Baby are doing great,  he is very active (especially in the car) but I still can't feel his movements, and I really want to! 
• It doesn't matter what Randi eats now, it's going to give her heartburn an hour later.  
• As mentioned earlier we have gotten our registry done and bought some bedding and clothes already for him, but not nearly enough.
• Later this week we are going to go to the hospital to check it out and sign up for some of the birthing classes that they offer.
• We have an appointment to meet with a pediatrician next week, and another ultra-sound that same day.
• We toured some day care providers and found one we really like.

The fact that we are 4 months away, as of yesterday, from having our first child is starting to set in now.  It is not as if we didn't realize it before, but by the end of this weekend we knew that whirlwind weekends all over the city are most likely not in our future for much longer.
It's just little things, like the Houston 1/2 Marathon in January.  I know its 8 months away right, but you have to sign up to be in the lottery for a spot starting tomorrow.  So do we both sign up, like we've done before, and if we both get in who will watch the baby, it's in January!  Who's gonna wanna come out there for 3 hours with us while we run 13.1 miles?  Or does just Randi sign up, but then this one of "our" things we do together.  I know from all you parents out there will probably say that something like that shouldn't even register on my radar, but it does.  I (we) know our lives are going to change in ways that we can't even imagine right now...I don't really know where to go with this thought process...I guess I'm just so excited that I can't wait to experience it all, and to be standing right there with Randi the whole time...they say that pregnant moms go through hormonal mood swings, I'm here to tell you that I have a full blown case of A.D.D.  One minute I want it to be September 30th like yesterday, the next I feel like I need at least 5 more months to prepare everything (on top of the 4 that are left)...OK I'm done for now...I just re-read that whole paragraph and if you can follow it more power to you...I'm going to leave it as is, because I think it illustrates my point very well...

Weeks 20 and 21...Half way point...

Sorry CRAZY couple of weeks doesn't even begin to explain it...but I feel I need to get some updates out there and not make them to long...so without any further delay...

Over the last two weeks we have blown right through the half way point and get closer and closer to meeting our little guy!

The weekend after Mother's Day (Week 20) the three of us enjoyed an Astros' game Saturday afternoon, and some tree trimming on Sunday, with a stop at the mall, and dinner at Abe's

20 Weeks...Half way there...now lets go eat!

Last weekend (Week 21) we packed up and headed to San Marcos, TX for two full days of Outlet shopping.  We went with the intentions of getting some baby stuff...and we did!  We found the rug we wanted for the baby's room at a huge 75% discount!!! That alone made the trip worth it...and we found that in the first 30 minutes!!!

This was fun...

21 Weeks...shopping is tiring!

So far so good on the Baby front, momma is doing great baby is doing great.  He likes to kick but I can't feel it yet.  Lately heartburn and and an itchy tummy are her only complaints. 

Daddy on the other hand was starting to notice he was gaining a little baby weight, so this week the gym came back into my life.  I have taken two spin classes so far with one more to go this weekend, along with a run with Lena....

Lena is doing very well, she got to spend the day at Camp Bow Wow on the 14th for free, to see if she is a good candidate for their overnight stays and day camp, and she passed!  So we took advantage of this fact and she stayed the night at Camp Bow Wow while we were in San Marcos.  She seems to really enjoy it, we are happy with it so she will be staying there when we go away this summer!

Well it's gonna be a full weekend I'll tell y'all about it on Monday....Have a great Memorial Day weekend and make sure if you see a veteran of our military services...Tell him/her THANK YOU!

Happy Mother's Day!

Randi, Lena, and I would like to wish ALL the mother's in our lives a very special and wonderful Mother's Day! 

Some of the special moms that we'd like to point out are...Mary P and Jackie P, the mothers of our nephews...Jackie G, Debbie, Lisa, Linda, Paula, and Fran, our very special aunts, but y'all know that you are MUCH more than that to us...Mary N, Billie, Gertie, and Esther our GRANDmothers and they have been so truly Grand!!! Then of course that brings us to Joan and Vera, who we love so dearly and are so grateful that they are OUR mothers...There are so many more that I hate to leave anyone out...but I have to wish one more mother a very special Mother's (to be) Day!

RANDI!!!!!

We are officially announcing that we are pregnant!

Baby B's EDD is 9/30/2011
That makes us just past 19 weeks...

It was late January when on the way back from Lowe's and Target we decided to stop at CVS and get a Home Pregnancy Test...less than the 2 minutes later that the box said..."Holy Sh**, We're gonna have a baby!"  The whole "Holy Sh**" comment was not in disbelief of what was happening, it was I couldn't believe I was not smart enough to properly read the test...

Yup that's a BFP! Big Fat Positive!

We have been to a few doctor's appointments and EVERYTHING is progressing very well, mom and baby, and dad are all doing great! 

We have received 3 ultrasounds so far one at 8 weeks...

At this point the baby wasn't much bigger than a bean!

 The second one at 12 weeks...

Measuring in at 6.73 cm...we were only at 12 weeks and not 13w1d...

The most recent one at 18 weeks...

Left side of Baby's Face!!

Heart Rate is Good and Strong at 143

Our doctor has a sense of humor....but it is a BOY!!!!!

We are SOOOOOO excited...so keep checking in because there are going to be a lot more updates to come....this time from a first time dad's perspective...

The Day After we found out!

Sunday Morning in her PJ's

There's Lena!

Going to the Astros game!

Easter Sunday!

Mother's Day 2001...The Belly is starting to show!

Two days after we found out this mysteriously showed up on Randi's desk at work....

Again Happy Mother's Day!!!

Easter in SugarLand

For the 2nd year in a row we spent Easter Sunday over in the SugarLand area with Bobby, Paula, Jason, Diana, Sophia, Illiana, and Isabella.  This year we went over to Diana's parents house.  It was a joyous, fun-filled day with family, food, and Eggs!  It was a fantastic day and a yearly ritual that we truly do enjoy, and look forward to again next year.  After we left, we went to Whole Foods and did some grocery shopping.  We then spent the rest of the evening at home catching up on some DVR'd shows and playing with Lena.  All in all I would have to say it was an awesome day!

Sophia getting the eggs on the trampoline!

Illiana and her eggs...she wouldn't let that bag go for anything!

Isabella looking cute!

That cute smile was just a ruse...Cracking an egg over Grandma's head!

Randi wasn't safe from the confetti filled eggs either!

Sophia getting ready to wail on the pinata!

OMG this is Awesome...

OK first off let me tell you it is really hard to type with dog paws.  But I just had to tell somebody about the day I had last Sunday.  It started like any other normal Sunday, I woke up around 6:30 and used my nose to wake up my human because I had to check and see if those darn rabbits were in my back yard again, oh and I had to pee.  But then after that it got so weird but so cool at the same time...So my humans finally got out of bed and started to do their normal Sunday things, they made some coffee, watched The Biggest Loser, showered and got ready to go wherever they go on Sunday's.  Then as I was preparing myself to go into my crate and take a nap, the big human asked me if I was ready to go!  I was like hells yeah..where are we going...so I got into the truck and I was so pumped I could hardly contain myself, they kept talking about the Astros?  What the heck are the Astros?  Long story short, we got to downtown, got out of my truck and started walking towards this huge building with a bunch of oranges on it...they kept saying Minute Maid?  As we got to the big building I saw some of my peeps and finally figured out it was Dog Day at the Ballpark...well if you asked me everyday is Dog Day!  Anyway because of this Dog Day at the Ballpark, I got to go down on the field with my humans, they are pretty awesome, and then go to sit in the Ballpark and watch the baseball game with them and a bunch of my peeps...here are some pics from my Awesome day....

Chillin' with my humans out side of Minute Maid

It was nice of that other human to take some pics of us!

Me and the one they call Randi on the field...I really wanted to run into Right Field!

That was me on Jumbo Tron!

I was pretty tired of pics by the end of the day!

OK one more with these two...They are awesome...I love them....

After the day at the park I was pooped so I went home and took me a nap...well I see my humans coming... talk to you later....

Lena (Woof!)

Our Li'l Graduate...and Rebellious teen!

Well our li'l girl is growing up...and asserting her independence...

Last Saturday, April 2, Lena attended her final beginner class at Petsmart with her trainer/teacher Amy.  During her final class Lena needed to navigate an "obstacle" course.  At specific stations she needed to demonstrate all the skills she has learned during the 8 weeks.  There was a station for sit,come, down, leave it, stay, and "trick".  She went through the course 3 times, once with Amy, once with me, and finally once with Randi.   She performed magnificently all 3 times, with the exception of "stay", she just can't handle sitting still that long.  After competing her course work it was time to celebrate her graduation, complete with treats and a hat!  Once the celebration was over and all the pictures of the special day were taken it was time to get her enrolled in "middle school" her intermediate classes, which begin the end of April.

Practicing down and crawl!

Spinning is fun!

So much fun I'll do it again!

Graduation Time!

We're so Proud of our li'l girl!

Acting crazy with Amy!

Her Diploma

Lena took part in the "Paws for a cause" dog walk on Sunday April, 3.  It was a 3K walk...which I am counting as my April event...to benefit cancer research in dogs...she was a very good girl the whole time...she even let us put a green bandana on her...it actually tired her out for a couple of days...After the walk we came home and made some steaks for dinner, and had s'mores for dessert, and Lena got some peanut butter...

Ready for our Walk!

Makin' Friends!

Who wants to walk in a silly ole' straight line...zig zags are way more fun!

MMM S'mores!

Can I have a taste?

Now that she's starting "middle school" she's acting more and more like the "teenager" she is...

We recently stopped crating her at night, giving her free range of the house during the night, she stays in our room and very rarely, if ever, gets off her bed.  She does wonderfully well at night, with the exception of an occasional cold nose in my face at 3:00 AM...I roll over and go back to sleep and she goes straight back to her bed. However this has created a bit of a problem with crating her during the day, while we are at work.  All week long Randi would coax Lena into her crate before she left for work.  Then on Friday Lena would NOT go into the crate, for 10 minutes Randi had to struggle with trying to coax her into the crate.  Finally Randi had to grab her and force her into the crate, giving herself a bruise in the process.  Once in the crate she was fine all day long...SO needless to say we are currently experimenting with letting her out while we are not home.  This past weekend we left her out while we went out to lunch and ran some errands, about 3-4 hours each day.   When we got back we were worried, the only thing out of place were 2 blankets that had been moved from the couch to the floor (Both Days!).  So it looks like she can handle being on her own...but can she makes it 10 hours while we are at work...stay tuned!!!

Tuckered out after a LOONG weekend...but I will be back to my old tricks soon enough!

The Best Day EVER!

There are many dates that have significance to me: 6-24-1975, 6-9-1978, 3-3-1980, 12-7-1981, 10-14-1984, 10-27-1985, 10-15-1988, and 11-20-1992 (do you know the significance of all these?) There are many more like 6-14-2010, 1-9-2011 and I know there are more still to come 9-30-2011??

There is however one day that comes to mind…3-27-2009…If not for the events on that day, everything since and still to come would not be…

March 27, 2009 was a Friday, particularly rainy Friday at that. Now as a baseball coach a rainy Friday usually means a day of watching the radar and wondering if the opposing team remembered to tarp their field. That is exactly what I did from 7:00 AM until about 2:00 PM. At 2:00 the first of two important phone calls happened, it was the head coach at Lake HS calling to say that their field was too wet and the JV and Varsity games we gonna need to be moved to Brook and played on Saturday, the Sophomore game was being completely scrapped! So now it’s 2:30 school is over and I have nothing to do on a Friday night…Meanwhile the weather had cleared up and it was a beautiful SE Texas afternoon and about 5 miles away from my apartment Randi had taken the afternoon off to do some shopping and was walking outside of Old Navy.

I took a deep breath found Randi’s number in my phone and called her for the second day in a row, we had talked for about an hour the night before. She answered, we exchanged pleasantries, I told her about the cancellation of my game, and I asked her if she’d like to get some dinner. I was pretty sure she was gonna say yes, but when the words actually came out of her mouth I still got that rush of adrenaline and could physically feel my heart begin to race. We decided to meet at about 7:00 at BJ’s Restaurant. I quickly showered, think I shaved, got dressed and then tried to relax for a bit so my heart rate would come back to normal.

We met outside the restaurant, had to wait for a table, enjoyed a beer, and talked and talked and talked. We were eventually seated, ordered, and continued to talk and talk and talk… When the food came my order was wrong but I didn’t care, I was lost in conversation hanging on her every word. Nearly 3 hours later were finished with our meals and the evening was coming to an end, I walked her to her car, we said good night with a hug and went our separate ways. As I drove away from the restaurant I remember thinking to myself: that lady is special, someone like her only comes along once in a lifetime…

Well most of you know how this story continues (6-14-2010, 1-9-2011)…
But beyond that 3-27-2009 will always be special to me because it is the day I found my best friend, my partner for life, the person who has and continues to make ALL my dreams come true…

On Sunday 3-27-2011 we celebrated two wonderful years together by getting up early, watching “The Biggest Loser” on DVR, driving an hour to go shopping at Costco for dog food and a 2nd dog bed (amongst other stuff), then enjoying dinner at the restaurant where it all started…It was a perfect day capped off with us talking and talking and talking…until she finally fell asleep.

Outside "Our" Restaurant

I no longer worry about rain on game days, or care if the opposing team tarped their field. I know great things can happen because of rain outs!

The last two years have been Amazing…I am looking forward to the next 64 years…and soaking in every last second of it by Randi’s side!