Baby Colds Suck

I hate, I mean really hate, blowing my nose. After dealing with a congested baby for a few days, however, I have a new found appreciation for this simple if gross ability. Isabelle has her first cold. Being only 5 weeks old there is nothing she can do to communicate with us except cry and be fussy. She has had a hard time sleeping in certain positions and it's hard to tell whether or not she'll be comfortable when put down until you try. Then she either continues to sleep peacefully, or wakes up and fusses. And, of course, she does not yet have the ability to blow her own nose so the blue bulb from the hospital has become my good friend and the bane of Izzy's existence.

The good news is that the pediatrician tested her for RSV and it came back negative, her lungs are clear, and her appetite is still pretty good. So now we wait for her congestion to clear up and try to get back to business as usual.

Life on Mars

Stolen from the TV show, yes, but totally appropriate nonetheless. Isabelle is already one month old and, of course, life is totally different. Thus, it's like being on Mars. :)

My days are now measured by my ability to shower, brush my teeth, and generally behave like a human being. Today I have done all of the above! The first three weeks were definitely the most difficult experience I have ever had but I can now officially say that I enjoy motherhood. Two weeks ago...not so much! Thank God for good friends, an amazing husband, and the world's greatest mom!

Though she only sleeps peacefully in her car seat right now, Izzy has started sleeping much better at night which makes the days much more enjoyable. And yesterday, at exactly one month old...she rolled over! Most likely by accident, but it was still cool. :) She smiles and laughs, but only in her sleep. We can't wait to see an awake smile and hear a real laugh for the first time.

I'd love to be able to come up with something profound to say right now...but baby stole my brain (I'm trying to milk that saying as long as possible...no pun intended!).

What a Day

This Inauguration Day really has multiple meanings for me. One of the first sights I witnessed on the television this morning was the massive sea of people gathered on the National Mall awaiting their first glimpse of our new president. Later, I was briefly moved to tears (hormones may have played a role) by the cheers from the massive crowd at the mere sight of President Obama emerging from the morning prayer service. Again, a pan across the sea of people, many waving American flags. While I know there are many who will disagree, it felt in that moment as if our country had become unified in a way that we haven't seen since September 11. It was a beautiful, hopeful moment that I think will stay with me for a long time to come.

One thing I have yet to see live, however, is the actual event itself. This morning I had to seize one last opportunity to get out and shop unencumbered. I was invited to Bloomington to do some shopping with Rebecca, who understood my cabin fever after spending six days at home with her two little ones during the recent Arctic snap we had in our area. Thankfully, the technological age in which we live will allow me to watch as much coverage of this historic event as I please. After some more house cleaning, I plan to sit down and watch our new President's swearing in and inaugural speech.

Since waking up the day after the election in November, I've been thinking a lot about what this day would mean to me. Because yesterday was my due date, my first thought was that my daughter could be born on the day that Barack Obama was sworn in as President. While that will most likely not be the case (unless I have a miraculously quick labor), the fact that she will be born this week feels very special.

"Change" has been the theme for so many months now, through the campaign and leading right up to today. While I am certainly not moving into the White House, this theme really resonates with me. Within 48 hours, I will be holding my little girl... and life will NEVER be the same again.

And I suppose that's why today feels so special to me. We have come so far as a nation, that we have elected a man who would not even have been allowed to vote a few decades ago. A man who openly recognizes that in most countries, his story would not even be possible. He has inspired a nation in ways that many could not have imagined, and brought hope to those who have felt as though they have largely been ignored. And this is the world I will bring my daughter in to. Isabelle Kay Shivers will be able to say that she was born when Barack Obama was president, and hopefully, that will mean almost as much to her as it does to the rest of us.

Extreme Cold + Pregnancy = Extreme Boredom

Not exactly an equation on par with the likes of Einstein, but equally true as far as I'm concerned. Not only has it been too cold to really get out and do much of anything this week, but the impending (or maybe not-so-impending) birth of our daughter has kept me pretty well confined to the house.

I don't know whether my 'nesting' instincts exist, because I certainly could have passed time by cleaning the house. My energy level is generally pretty good for this stage of pregnancy. The problem is, I didn't want to clean. I did do some cooking and baking, but mostly I sat around, watched TV, and contemplated the fact that my unborn daughter has apparently inherited a stubborn streak. (I'll let you determine which parent she gets it from! :)

Granted, Monday is my official due date, so I really can't complain too loudly. But when boredom becomes so extreme that one would rather experience childbirth, I think that speaks volumes.

Sarah vs. the Pack-n-Play

Today was my last day of work before the arrival of baby Isabelle. It was a pretty routine day, complete with one or two kids managing to find my absolute last nerve by 3:00. Nevertheless, it was an odd sensation walking out of the building and getting into my car knowing that I won't return for about 8 weeks.

On the way home, I began thinking of all the things I could do to fill my time until the arrival of zero hour. Among these was setting up the pack-n-play in our bedroom for Izzy to sleep in when she arrives home. It's been on my mind for a while, but knowing that I had to get up for work the next day had been holding me back. So tonight I decided it was time to meet the beast head-on.

When I got the directions out of the box, I was actually surprised at how simple it all looked. I laid out the essentials and quickly got to work. The actual play yard was all one collapsed piece, so it popped right up. The bassinet attachment was a little tougher, but didn't require too much effort. I even managed to locate a D battery for the little vibrating attachment that went under the padding. After a fairly short amount of time, everything is ready to go with the exception of the changing table attachment and organizer.

Here's where it got tricky. The directions are short on words and mostly illustrated. The picture does not show whether the support bar goes in with tabs up or down, so I ended up switching it around several times. To complicate matters further, the swivel mounts actually need to be swiveled before attaching them to the changer! This whole process probably took as long as the assembly of the rest of the pieces combined, but when it was all said and done, all the pieces worked the way they were supposed to and the assembly complete.

I'd post pictures, but the camera has been returned to my hospital bag so as not to be forgotten when D-day arrives. Instead, I will leave you with a picture of the pack-n-play as it appears in stores. It actually does do it justice.

So long Christmas!

Normally, I take down Christmas decorations with a bit of sadness each January but apparently being 9 months pregnant puts the process in a new perspective. Perhaps it was because we didn't put up as many decorations this year, or perhaps it's the anticipation of bigger things to come, but I didn't feel even the slightest hesitation as I put some of my favorite decorations back in their respective boxes for another 11 months.

Next year's process is sure to be interesting with an 11 month old running around the house...or crawling...or toddling...we'll see. :) Hopefully we'll have some decorations going up on newly painted walls! :)

New Year, New...well, pretty much everything!

So Matt has moved on to his own blog space and permanently handed this one over to my sole possession. It's been so long that I've written anything that it took me about 5 minutes just to log in!

Since last we posted, I've gone through almost an entire pregnancy! Our first little one, a girl to be named Isabelle, is set to arrive just about any day now. Though I'm not officially due until the 19th, I'd prefer for her to arrive by about the 15th. I'm ready to be done with pregnancy and move on to motherhood and getting back into my old clothes! I can't complain too much, though, because this whole pregnancy experience has been good to me. I had zero morning sickness, no complications, and other than being swollen and having to go to the bathroom every 2 hours at night, I don't even feel terribly uncomfortable even now.

Still, I have to admit I'm nervous about labor and delivery. It's been almost too easy up to this point. Where will I be when my water breaks? When I start having contractions, will I even realize what his happening? This is such a new experience that I have almost no idea what to expect. We did the whole childbirth class, but it's different for everyone and I know it's hard to describe what some of these things feel like....a foot to the rib cage being a good example, you can't really describe it, but you know when you feel it!

I think it's still safe to say that I have some time to prepare. I know it's not a lot, but the baby hasn't 'dropped' nor have I had any extreme nesting urges just yet...so I think I'm in the clear for at least a few more days! Only time will tell!

Last post...

...almost two frakin' years ago? Jeebus...we need to get on the stick.

It's far too late for a meaningful post now. Best attack it tomorrow...

Me again...

...So I just finished watching Rumor Has It... I'd have to say I was let down. It didn't really ever seem to take off. I'd heard mixed reviews, but I guess I expected more. It couldn't have been much more that an hour and a half but I thought there would be more funny moments. I was certainly hoping for more Shirley MacLaine, but I guess I'll have to watch Steel Magnolias if I want some Shirley MacLaine comedy goodness.

I'm still feeling anxious about the start of school, but I will at least be getting started on my classroom tomorrow. My mom and dad are bringing all of the school stuff that I had stored so I should feel more prepared after a busy day tomorrow. Plus, a day with mom always helps.

Hopefully, blogging will help empty my brain considerably this evening. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day...and pretty much the rest of the week will be busy too...so I need to get some sleep soon.

**I just saw the funniest thing! I was watching Futurama while looking for quotes from Steel Magnolias, and the Futurama group was sitting in a movie theater... The movie was in black and white and you could see the characters silhouettes just like on MST3K. One of the characters says something and the camera pans over....and we see the silhouettes of Crow and Tom Servo from MST3K! And Crow says 'hey! Don't talk during the movie!'

Okay....so I'm a huge dork, but it was hilarious!

A new post? Really?!

Wow...who knew that you could even get spam on your blog! Admittedly, we haven't really kept this up like we intended to, but spam comments? How ridiculous.

So, it's been a year since Matt or I posted anything here, but I think I'm going to try to keep it up more because I need a way to empty my head. I've been having a hard time falling asleep at night because there's too much in there! Right now, though, I'm just procrastinating.....I know, I'm bad.

Once again, I am getting ready to start another school year. This time I will be at a new school. I'm a bundle of nerves, but I really think it's going to be a good year.

Suddenly my mind has gone blank, so I guess that's all for now.....

Blogspot Confessional

Alright, I admit it. The Pennsylvania trip was not as bad as I made it out to be. It was actually a pretty great time.

**Random Interuption** Right now my father is watching TV. He is switching between a History Channel show about dragons and South Park. That's beautiful. Good work, Dad! Oh, and Mom is frowning at South Park. And now, back to the show.

As I was saying...Pennsylvania...really fun. Except for that amusement park we went to. Not so amusing. And Pottsville...damn you and your confusing system of roads and allies! But we got to see some relatives that we don't see nearly enough. Good times.

And then there's Harry. Ah, my poor pup...he's got an infection, as Sarah outlined in the previous post. I think I'm turning into one of those crazy dog people. He's like our furry, four-legged child. In my defense, the huge lump hanging from his neck really freaked my out. So, he's on meds and should be getting better by the day.

I know I had a greater point to make, but my A.D.D. has kicked in and I can't remember what I wanted to...HEY! Let's go ride bikes!

Harry's Summer Vacation

Harry stayed with my parents while we were on vacation in Pennsylvania. Our trip really was fun, despite Matt's most recent post. Just don't ask about Pottsville. :) Anyway, Harry got to spend almost two weeks with my parents' golden retriever, Chloe. I've never seen two dogs behave more like siblings than Harry and Chloe. They play hard ALL DAY. They'll compete with each other for everything! Even a dead weed in the yard! They also like to get dirty...well, more like FILTHY! Harry's never been dirtier than he was while he was on vacation. Take a look for yourself.

Though he had a great time, there turned out to be some consequences to the way that he and Chloe play. Harry has since come down with an infection. It turns out that while they were playing, Chloe got a tooth into Harry and his little puncture wound got infected. He's not really sick, but he does have a large lump above his right shoulder. We took him to the vet last night and had him checked out. Big thanks to Dr. Steffen and TeNisha at the Animal Emergency Clinic in Bloomington, they were great! Harry's on some antibiotics now and due to see our regular vet tomorrow afternoon for another check. Hopefully, everything will be back to normal in a few days!

Abandon all hope ye who travel to Pennsylvania!

Ok...it's not that bad as a whole. Just the part my wife Sarah, my sister Anne, her friend Shannon, and I traversed yesterday. But I should back up a step or two.
We're here in Pennsylvania for a family reunion. Danville, PA to be precise. Tourist attractions and stuff to do in general of any quality are tough to find. It seems a little backwards here. Anyway, we began our day by going to a brewery in Pottsville. This town is out of control...stay away. The brewery was kind of cool, but nowhere near worth the hassle of driving there and navigating the labyrinth that is there street system. Just in case you're interested, it's the Yeungling Brewery...supposedly the oldest brewery in the US. http://www.yuengling.com/

Then we went to a "theme park" yesterday called Knoebel's (http://www.knoebels.com/). Believe me...the website makes it look a lot better than it actually is. I can't even translate into words how much yesterday pissed me off. Maybe a picture will do it.


Yeah, that's a pretty accurate representation of my mood yesterday. BUT, the girls had fun which was the most important thing.

Hopefully today will be a much better day. It's almost noon and we have done nothing. So I'm money ahead already!

We'll see what happens...

Mr. Six...the new face of evil

Ok, maybe I'm overreacting. But a year or so back this strange, elderly, energetic "old man" danced into a new Six Flags TV campaign...and into our nightmares. Is it just me, or is Mr. Six just plain creepy? Maybe he should be called Mr. 666.

My Civic Duty...

So, I was called for Jury Duty this week. 9 months in McLean County and my name, social security number, or whatever they use, gets drawn. Of course, I'm so special that out of all the potential jurors, I even get chosen to sit on the jury of 12. I guess it's not as bad as it sounds though...the lighting in the courtroom is kind of harsh. I may have a good sized headache by the end of tomorrow, but everything else seems okay. I get free parking, a free lunch, and ten bucks for each day plus mileage! :) Now, before you get too jealous, it's supposed to be a short trial. I'll probably be done by Wednesday. It's no Law and Order, but it should be interesting...Hopefully, I won't end up in a real life "Twelve Angry Men," or anything like that. Wish me luck!

On a lighter note...

It's about time my wife made an entry. Look for her next one around Christmas.

God bowling is fun...even though I really suck at it. Just got back from ThunderBowl in Mokena. 10 bucks all you can bowl tonight was the way to go. Plus, it was cosmic bowling. Jeebus, what am I 12? Hell, I don't care...it was fun. Coronas are yummy.

Pretty sure that didn't help my game any.

Why am I awake? Could it be the Depth Charge from Caribou Coffee with a shot of espresso? Likely. Time to sleep...or try.

I really should post more often. It feels good to empty my brain.

Life, death, and those left behind

Jesus...it's been almost two weeks since my friend Kurt Fischer died. 27 years old is too young to be taken so soon. One moment you're playing softball and in the next you've slipped away. It's too random. I guess it's easy to be angry. It's easy to shake your fist at the sky and ask "where was God for Kurt that day?" Then I remember...with any luck, He was with him on that field. He must have needed Kurt more than we did. Still, it hurts. With all the bad shit going on in the world and the millions of assholes, rapists, murderers, child molesters, etc walking freely I can't help but be angry that they remain and my friend is gone. I also can't help but question my own existence. What would happen tomorrow if, God forbid, I die? Have I done all that I want to do? Certainly not...not at this point in my life. We're too temporary to take life for granted. My patience for greedy and self-centered people in quickly waning. I've gotten to the point where I just want to shake them and scream "stop wasting your time being petty! It's not about you!" That's another story.
So Kurt is gone. His wife Katie and his twin brother Eric (and their respective families and friends) now must pick up the pieces and move on. My keystrokes to God's inbox.
Kurt Patrick Fischer...a truly kind, loving, considerate, and overall extraordinary human being. I miss you, brother.

Sarah's First Entry

So, it's only been, what?, 6 months since Matt set up this blog and I'm finally making my first post. It's 11:18 here and I'm pretty bored. I guess it's about time to start thinking about going back to school...I can tell that my summer is about to end when I start feeling bored.

We've moved into a new apartment, which is okay...We'd much rather be in a house, but it will do for now. So Harry and I are lounging around, though there are plenty of things I could be doing. I need to put clothes away, do dishes, and generally make the place feel more like home.

Harry, meanwhile, is doing great. He's become very protective lately. He does a lot more barking, which would be great if we didn't share a wall! :) But he's such a good dog, it's impossible to stay mad a him for anything. He's been such a blessing in the last 7 months. It's hard to imagine not having him around. He's also discovered a new game this week. It's called, "I'm going to take my ball up the stairs and drop it, so I can chase it back down again." He loves the stairs, but it makes it much harder to keep an eye on him!

Well...my eyelids are growing weary...until next time...

Another post? A mere three months later?!

Ok, ok...so I haven't been as diligent as I thought I would have updating this thing. That's life.
My wife and I just got in from seeing Batman Begins. This makes twice I've seen this movie and I still love it. It blows away any other Batman movie...well, except for maybe the Adam West one. Come on, I've got two words for you...Shark Repellent. If you know, you're smiling. If you're confused, find this movie and educate yourself.
So, where are we now? Three months have passed since my last entry. Some things have changed. My wife could not find a teaching position in the Chicagoland area. That's ok. We've decided that we really like where we are anyway. Unfortunately, I have to find a new job. I guess that's ok, though. It's too long a story and I haven't got the time or energy.
My buddy Aaron is getting married tomorrow. I wish him all the best. Marriage was the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, that's not exactly true. My wife and I have been married only a year, but we've been together in one way or another for six years. So, it's kind of like we've been married that long...just without the official paperwork.
Ok...the mental train just derailed...I need sleep. ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.........

I am worthless.

Well, at least I've been worthless this weekend...and pretty much all week. Tomorrow I begin my new job. I'm nervous, but more than that I'm excited to get started. The promise of rewarding work and another steady paycheck added to the income is a welcome change.
Tomorrow morning I meet with my boss at our satellite office at 8:30, go to corporate HQ, fill out my paperwork, and who knows what else. Damn...just when I was getting used to watching TV all day with my dog. Honestly, it's a welcome change.
The down side, if there is one, is that I won't get to see my wife as much as I would like. Luckily, that is only temporary.
I'd better get a good night's sleep tonight. I have a big day tomorrow.