Eliza had her three month check-up today and Dr. Cumming said she was looking great. She comes in at 12lb. 12.5oz and is 25in long! She grew 17oz and 2in in less than a month. That puts her in the 70% in weight and the 92% in length. She got one shot today and has been a bit more fussy tonight and very tired.
For those who don't get to see Eliza enough, and photos just don't cut it, here are a couple videos of Eliza from last week!
All together now..."awwwwwwww." 
Lynne's mom knit the green top.
A happy baby!
If it weren't for the purple, she'd be in camo!
We found her holding her burp cloths like blankets, so we've started her out on a little lamb blanky, and she really likes it.
Getting ready to suck on the lamb's ear!
Last week was a good week for home cookin'! Since Eliza joined our lives, quality home-cooked meals have been at a premium. Usually a couple days a week we'll make something special and delicious, but the rest of the week are quick meals to be "cooked" and eaten in periods where Eliza is sleeping, thoroughly occupied with staring at the ceiling fan, or otherwise distracted. Imagine microwave quiches and other quick treats from Trader Joe's, hotdogs, sandwiches, and pizza (although our home-made pizzas are quick and excellent, but I wouldn't call them gourmet). This week, however, we had back-to-back-to-back nights of some restaurant-quality home cooking.
On Tuesday, Lynne made Chicken Piccata, which she has become excellent at, and it was her best yet! On Wednesday, we had scallops with veggies over angel hair pasta in a white wine sauce, and it was wonderful. On Thursday, Kirk had a craving for Chinese, and we realized we never really cook "chinese" food at home. Sure we make lots of thai, sushi, tempura, and pan-asian fare, but "chinese" (by which I mean americanized chinese food) is something we just never think to make. Kirk found a great cashew chicken recipe, and with a sizzling wok, delicious homemade sauce, and quality cuts of chicken (as opposed to what you get at a chinese restaurant), it was a great success. A pic is below.
One thing we both really enjoyed was a thinner yet very flavorful sauce as opposed to the thick and overly sweet sauces you get with takeout, and meat that wasn't overly breaded, so you actually ate meat and not just fried nuggets of batter. Definitely more PF Chang's caliber than Panda Express, and plenty of leftovers. Maybe I'll have to learn how to make fortune cookies next?
Eliza's neck is getting stronger, and she is trying to sit up more often. We put her in her Bumbo for the first time, and she really liked it! Just in case, we put a magazine behind her for support, but she really didn't need it.
Here's a picture from her most recent bath. Lynne's mom helped out, and Eliza really liked it.
Are you staring at my belly-button??
One of the funniest pictures we have...Eliza with a faux-hawk! She's making a ridiculous face to match her ridiculous hair.
As is customary, every 4th of July weekend, the Smiley and Haimbaugh clans reunite to camp on the family's property outside Rochester, IN. Dubbed "The River" due to the campsites proximity over-looking the Tippecanoe River, it's a great time to reconnect with second and third cousins galore. This year was especially fun since everyone got to meet Eliza for the first time! Despite the rain, it was a lot of fun, but hopefully next year, once Eliza can do more, it will be nice and sunny.
The Smileys sitting around and chatting. This is mostly Kirk's second cousins. There are now 4 little girl Smileys, including two that are a little over two years old, and Eliza and her third cousin, Ella, who was born three days after her.
Lynne and Eliza hanging out, with cousin Ericka looking on. Eliza was decked out in her "Baby's First Fourth" onesie and "All-American Baby" bib. :)
Due to the rain, some quick shelters were constructed.
Smiley tent city.
Of course, time at the River would not be complete without volleyball! 
I was out watering the garden the other day when I saw some weird grass growing on my lawn. It didn't look like your average weed, and it was growing a lot faster (taller) than my grass. I stooped down to take a look, pulled a few strands out of the ground, and lo and behold, I was a corn farmer! It seems that when we were playing cornhole a few weeks ago and the bags broke open on the lawn, the seeds had a fun time sprouting. I know corn is cheap at the store, but if it can grow in my lawn, I know it'll grow in my garden, so next year we'll definitely see what homegrown corn can do in our garden.
Other garden updates: lettuce mix continues to do so well I'm giving it away left and right, swiss chard is excellent (see below for more), all the herbs are looking great, green onions are starting to get thicker, jalapeno and bell peppers are actually growing (some very large, but no peppers yet), and the okra is working it's way up (about 2 feet tall in places). The failures have been the leeks which never took off, the spinach, which were excellent until about a week ago when the dried out and died, and the raspberry bush is still struggling. The blackberry bushes didn't make it either.
Before I left for NYC, we made our first pizza! It was quite easy and as cheap to make as a frozen pizza at the grocery store. Ours had lots of cheese, salami, and thai basil from the garden, and it was very delicious!
Poor Otis, constantly in need of attention. Here he is at his lazy best. Don't fall off?!
My extra-day-delay in NYC almost got in the way of the opportunity to see CJ, who I have been friends with since we were about 7 years old. CJ was coming down from the Chicago suburbs to Indy to visit us and his sister, Jenny, and fortunately we were able to spend some quality time with them on Sunday, despite not being around on Saturday. We went to brunch and had a lot of fun playing with his kids (Chase - 4 1/2 and Patrick - 1 1/2). We were picking up some good parenting tips from CJ's wife Amy, too!
Can you believe these two guys both are dads?!
The kids: Chase, Patrick, and Eliza. Patrick really liked rocking Eliza in her car seat.
Patrick was a big fan of Otis, chasing him all over the house. Chase definitely wasn't, but by the end of the day, he wasn't as afraid. Apparently Patrick is fearless and prone to adventures such as throwing things in the toilet, eating out of the trash, and when he falls down, he just dusts himself off and does it all over again.
The Fritz family! (I know, not the best picture, but it's the only one I had on my camera!)
Having friends over is a good excuse for us to get a family picture, too! Otis wasn't too interested though.
I finally made it home from New York on Saturday evening, rolling in a little after 9pm. While the trip was very worthwhile and a lot of fun, it sure would have been nice to have an extra day at home. To pass the time on Saturday, I slept in, had a nice thai lunch, and hung out for a few hours in Central Park. It was a beautiful sunny day in NYC, which made the extended stay much more palatable, and there may be nothing finer in NYC than sitting in the shade in the park on a hot day, listening to various musical acts and watching people pass by.
At the staff conference, I had a fantastic time interacting with my colleagues from NYC and around the country. Here's a pic of my goal-surpassing Central-South team. A big theme of our regional team portion of the conference was celebrating surpassing our goals from the most recent fiscal year, both personally and as a team.
You may notice the two onesies in the picture above, and a better pic is below. These were presents I brought Eliza (and sort of Lynne, too) from NYC. First, there is a a onesie from the NBC store at Rockefeller Center branded with a Dunder Mifflin logo on the butt from TV's The Office. The front says "That's What She Said," which is a great recurring line from the show, and thoroughly enjoyed by myself, my friends, and more recently, Lynne. We had seen this last year when we were both in NYC, but since we weren't pregnant yet, we didn't purchase it. Also, it seemed more appropriate for a boy, but give the second chance to buy it, I couldn't resist. I'll make sure Eliza wears it around my ATO brothers for extra laughs. The other onesie was a big deal for me to purchase, despite being cheap. Growing up outside Chicago, I love (most) everything about the city, including its sports teams. Therefore, I also despised New York and its teams (Knicks especially). This led to a general resentment of NYC in general. After finally getting to explore the city for the fourth time, all thanks to my job with DonorsChoose.org, I must officially admit that I really like it there. Of course, to visit, definitely not to live. And as Lynne is quite a fan of the city, I knew she would appreciate Eliza having an "I Heart NYC" onesie. At this time last year, I was still unwilling to cave and get one, but I'm officially a convert, although I still can't stand NY sports teams :).
I said this a few times to my coworkers on the trip (OK, probably way more than a few times), but while I missed Lynne, I can at least talk to her while I'm away. I have never missed someone so much as I missed Eliza for those 5 days. I'm already wrapped around her little finger.
After a great 4-day DonorsChoose.org conference in New York City, my flight was cancelled due to bad weather (after 4+ hours sitting on the runway), stranding me in the city for an extra night. While most people wouldn't mind that, I miss Eliza and Lynne far too much. Fortunately, I was able to have fun thanks to some co-workers, but hopefully the weather this evening will let me leave! More stories from the trip to come...
An addendum to our garage sale post, on Friday we also picked up 4 of these black metal tiki torches for only $1.50 each (they retail at Lowe's for $11). I had to spray paint them black, since they had definitely seen some use (and rust), but definitely a deal not to miss. Also, I hate those luau/tropical thatch-like tiki torches (I hate them in the Midwest, but they are fine in the tropics), so it was nice to find some that were metal.
OK, so week 3 of serious garage sale shopping is in the books. Some of you may think we have an addiction, or at least a bit of a problem, but the plan is to stock up so that we have whatever we may need (and can get cheap) before next summer's garage sales. And, if the deal is too good to pass up, we'll even buy some things a few years ahead.
We had extra fun on Saturday, as our first stop was a big sale at Second Presbyterian Church on Meridian. They had tons of stuff (we spent well over an hour there), and Kirk ran into some moms who had donated through DonorsChoose.org (he was wearing a DonorsChoose.org t-shirt that they noticed). It made for some great conversation and friendly shopping (and some deals!).
Now for this week's loot!
Not as much clothing this week, but what we did get was really great! The haul includes a pair of brand new shoes that retailed for $30 (we spent $7 which was a big stretch for us, but Lynne thought it was worth it). The outfits include 5 really cute good quality dresses with pants/bottoms (I love the yellow one with the turtles from Gap), 1 hat, 2 tops, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of tights, and Eliza's first swimsuit (the purple-stripey thing). Combined that was about $16. Again, that's more than we spent the previous weeks on clothes, but part of the cost was a donation to the church hosting the sale, and the clothes are really top notch. Also an important note, these outfits range from 3 months to 12/18 months, so we really are planning ahead!
One of the purchases we were most excited about, this great easel for when Eliza is bigger and can draw and paint. It's in great shape and cost only $10!
This table and chairs matches the easel and fit our plan for our basement. When we finish most of the basement next spring/summer, the plan is to use a significant amount of the space as a play area for Eliza. Lynne had always envisioned a table and chairs, and these, with the matching easel and some pieces we already own, will work really well! These only cost $10 total, too! We bought them from a woman who runs an at home daycare, and she was really nice to talk to.
This were some fun little add-ons at the church sale: a plastic doll house (better to transport than the gigantic wooden dollhouse Lynne's grandpa made for her) with all its pieces, and, up on the chair, a shape puzzle ball and a soft fabric tea set. $4 for everything in the photo.
We had been looking for a portable high chair seat for a while, but had a very difficult time finding one that was clean, in good shape, and un-stained on the straps. This was at the church sale for $3, and we got the pink Bumbo and tray for only $4! That is a crazy price! We've seen Bumbos for sale at garage sales for $20. Now, some of you may have read in the past that we already had a Bumbo and a tray, so why another one? My mom is a big fan of these, so one will live at their house, for sure (or maybe we can sell it for more than we paid? :) just kidding).
OK, this was a random find, but we both loved it so we couldn't pass it up. For $4 we got this gigantic caterpillar rocking "horse" for Eliza to enjoy. It is in terrific shape (looks like at was never used, and smells fine), and buying it allowed us to barter down some clothes at this particular garage sale, too.
Kirk is a big fan of Lego's and wants Eliza to enjoy them, so he's always got his eyes peeled for cheap Duplo's and such. We already had some, so now we got some Duplo's and this Mega Block safari set for $2. The old couple selling it (grandparents, clearly), looked at me like I was crazy when I offered them only $2 for the box full. I told them I wouldn't go any higher, and I eventually left with the loot. :)
Lynne saw these and loved them, but didn't say anything. Then Kirk saw them, thought Lynne would love them, and made sure to point them out. $2 later we left with these cute ice cream lights: perfect for an Eliza birthday party in the future?!
We are always looking for good children's books, and we found this lot for $1 total. That's right, all this for a buck, pretty crazy. We want some good multi-cultural books too (other nationalities are a plus, but basically, things without all the characters being white-skinned), and we found a few in this lot, and love "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything," "Peter Rabbit," a PBS book that goes through emotions and facial expressions, and a book from the old Robin Hood Disney movie (Kirk's favorite old Disney cartoon).
After all that, everyone needed a nap!
I know, I know, we need to post more pics of Eliza. I have tons of video I have to go through an edit, too (uploading 9 minutes of high def. Eliza staring at the camera just isn't going to cut it on blogspot).
Eliza is now enjoying her rainforest play mat which has tons of things that move, make noise, and light up.
What's that crazy monkey doing hanging there?
Hey, what's that over there? It spins and makes noise! (She's also crumpling a fake leaf with her hand that makes a cool sound)
Wow, look at those flashing lights! OK, now I'm getting tired...
Good night. Zzzzzzz
This Friday Kirk had the day off of work, so there were some big garage sales down the street and we decided to go shopping on Friday instead of our usual Saturday morning adventure. We ended up spending 5 hours (!) going to a bunch of sales in our area (we didn't even make it up to Carmel) and learned that Friday is definitely the day to get children's items, since moms pick them all over on Friday and little is left on Saturday. Eliza did great for most of the trek, and we got her loads of goodies pictured below (and some for mom and dad, too!).
Now that Eliza has her own room and closet, Lynne needed more space for her clothes, especially the seasonal ones she wasn't going to wear any time soon. She was excited we found this wardrobe to put in the basement, and Kirk was excited that we bartered it down to $3! (and it was just down the street so he could carry it home).
Here is the major haul! We spent $28 on tons of clothes for Eliza, all in really great shape and good quality (we probably looked through about 100 times this amount today, no joke). The items include 2 sleepers, 4 dresses, 17 pants, 1 sweater, 1 jumper, 9 tops, 1 pair of shoes, 4 pairs of socks. We're stocking up for the first 12 months too, since there aren't garage sales to scour in the winter months.
Our friend Hayden had a set of these, and she loved them, and they are fun and educational (and make a great mat on a wood floor, like we have all over the house). All the letters and numbers, for only $3! 
Two little purchases Kirk found at sales that didn't really have things for kids. A little piano and an awesome "Baby's First Bible" with great illustrations and lessons. These were basically free.
Kirk found three cans of brand new tennis balls (a rarity to find unopened balls at a garage sale!) and books by an amazing entrepreneur he likes (Guy Kawasaki) and chef Tom Colicchio (head judge on Top Chef) before he was uber-famous. $1 eachThis weekend was fun, but it definitely wore us out! On Saturday, Kirk helped our friend Josh move, which included moving a 1967 Dodge Charger, it's engine, and other misc. parts, but it was lots of fun. Lynne went garage sale shopping with Eliza, and then Kirk joined in on the fun when he got home. Check out our awesome finds below, including some really nice clothes, great big plastic toys, duplos, books, and a $60 toddler-sized bundle-me for $5! All soooo cheap!
The first smile we were able to get on the camera. It is moments like this that make it worth all the work!
This is our first try at uploading video, and what a worthy occasion, Eliza's first bath!
Friday night may have been the greatest concert of my life. It's no secret that I am a huge Ben Harper fan. First "discovering" him in spring 2000 thanks to a fraternity brother (forever thankful Pat Fay!), I saw him at the University of Illinois play a small intimate show. The small concert hall (Foellinger Auditorium) held about 1,500 people, and it was a realy nice quaint venue that matched Ben's softer songs and dulcet voice. It didn't play as well to his rock side, but at that time, his albums were more diverse.
Since then, I've seen him in four other venues, ranging from larger theaters (Ball St., the Murat) to outside at White River. As his popularity has grown, so have the venues he's played. Until Friday.
First, I was incredibly disappointed that Ben wasn't coming to Indy on this tour. The only options nearby were Detroit and Chicago. Fortunately, work meetings and a visit to see Lynne's family made the Detroit show look likely, but getting tickets was an entirely new challenge. Tickets sold out quickly, and the secondary market was charging some steep prices. I was pretty surprised by this until I learned it was because Ben's favorite Detroit venue (and one of his favorite in the world), St. Andrews Hall, is a small little dive that could hardly support 800 standing room only fans. For me, that was a clincher. The chance to see Ben rock out at such a small show was exciting.
The show didn't disappoint at all. The opening act, The Henry Clay People, were actually a really great live act, playing some fun rootsy rock, and developing a great rapport with the audience. We were about five people deep from the stage, and by the end of the opening set, we knew that it was going to be a night of sweat, ringing ears, and a unique concert experience
Relentless7, Ben's new band after a successful decade with the Innocent Criminals, is one thing - lyric-fueled rock. While I still love Ben's eclectic mix of style and tempo seen on previous albums, there was just something refreshing and tons of fun with his new focus. His lyrics are still as powerful as ever, and the rock riffs are excellent. It also provided for a show with more energy than I've ever seen out of Ben and his band (and the crowd). By the second set the foursome was already dripping in sweat (as was the audience as the venue was HOT).
Highlights from the night include Ben performing Better Way (a song he did with the ICs), some amazing solos during the new R7 songs, Ben cluimbing the speaker tower to say hi to the people standing in the narrow balcony, a great cover of Under Pressure, Ben's candor with the audience, and Ben coming out into the crowd to sing with his people.
Our ears were ringing after the show, and despite being hot, exhausted, and up way past our normal bedtime with Eliza (who was getting some good grandparent time in), I didn't want it to end. I'm very excited about the future of Ben Harper and Relentless7, and I'd drive to Detroit again for sure to see such a rocking and intimate show.
This last week was a big week for us. Kirk went back to work on Monday and Eliza and I tried to figure out how to get simple things done like eating and showering. On Thursday Eliza smiled for the first time with her eyes opened (she has smiled in her sleep almost from day one). Kirk was not in the room for the first smile but did get to see one last night. She is now about 22 inches long and her weight is up to 7lb 13oz, a full pound heavier then her birth weight! The past few weeks have flown by even though the nights can feel long!
For those not following the NBA playoffs or Chicago Bulls, go read about the games at ESPN.com or Yahoo! Sports, and this will make much more sense. I submitted this to the league office this evening, and I encourage every person who likes competitive fairness to do the same.
Today, Eliza turned one-week old! Party! In honor of our first week with her, here are some ways we have learned that she is exactly like her daddy:
Our first non-family blog post shout out for Eliza (that I know of)! Thank's Sean!
"This morning, Kirk and Lynne officially became my first friends to (voluntarily) reproduce. In my “congratulations, don’t drop her” email I almost said something about them having 16 years before they had to worry about me hitting on their daughter, but in a rare fit of common sense I didn’t."
5:30 pm - Arrive at the hospital and get admitted
6:00 pm - Meet our first nurse (we've been through quite a few), who knows one of the Smiley cousins
6:10pm - Get hooked up to the monitors that track the baby's heart rate and the frequency of contractions. Lynne discovers that she had been having contractions already for at least a couple days, but she didn't realize it at the time.
6:30pm - Nurses administer cervidil. The original plan was to administer this drug, which would, over a 12 hour period, "soften" Lynne up to be induced on Monday morning with pitocin, a much stronger drug that would significantly kick start things and bring on strong labor.
7:30pm - Sara and Jerry visit and Lynne's contractions really strengthen.
9:00pm - Sara and Jerry leave.
9:30pm - Contractions become incredibly painful, occurring every 60-90 seconds, with no relief even between contractions.
10:45pm - After braving what we learned was "significant labor" for 75 minutes, and being brought to tears during a "progress check," one dose of Nubain was administered to reduce the pain. At the time, Lynne was disappointed, believing since we were so early in the game (and at this point, we had no idea the future time frame for labor/delivery) she was "wussing out," but our excellent nurse (one of many Purdue grads serving us during our stay) was surprised she lasted as long as she did since the contractions were pretty severe.
11:30pm - After the Nubain dose wore off, and still no certainty that labor wouldn't last until late Monday afternoon, Lynne received an epidural, much to Kirk and the nurse's agreement. She was planning to have one at some point, and it just made sense to get it done early before the intense pain returned (which would make it difficult to adminster the epidural).
12:00am - The epidural kicks in and allows Lynne to feel better and have a little bit of sleep through the night. Contractions continued about every minute thrugh the night, which was very suprising to the nursing team.
4:00am - It is evident now that labor is happening very well on its own and there will be no need for pitocin! We were both pretty happy since we weren't a fan of that drug. The baby was ready to come on her own, which was wonderful to hear!
7:45am - The nurses give notice that in possibly an hour it will be time to start pushing. Pushing could last anywhere from 1 hour to 2, they think. We have a Purdue nursing student shadowing our nurse, whose sibling I knew at Purdue, and the staff continue to tell her that this is not normal. Lynne is an all-star, and getting to those point without pitocin is very uncommon, and her labor is progressing better than most. We enjoy hearing that!
8:45am - The doc has Lynne wait another hour before pushing to give the baby a chance to move a little further down. Parents are called and told to head to the hospital.
9:45am - Parents arrive and patiently kill time in the waiting room. It's time to push!
10:30am - Lynne is an all-star pusher, even with an epidural (which makes it harder to push since you can't feel yourself below the waist. Again, the nurses have to tell the Purdue student that this is not normal, so don't always expect it this easy. Lynne does about 90-120 minutes worth of pushing in 45 minutes. Kirk helps the nurses and watches this miracle happen.
10:31am - Eliza Kathryn Smiley is born! Lynne had no pain, Kirk triumphantly cuts the cord, and the doc takes care of Lynne while Kirk takes hundreds of pics and video of the baby being cleaned up. She weighs in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. Lynne was relieved since the doc thought she weighed 7 lbs. two weeks ago, and we were worried about a big baby. She measures 19.5 inches and rocks her APGAR tests :)
Today was supposed to be our due date, but the baby must not realize that it's important to be punctual. Clearly she isn't getting that from me, although I do recall how difficult it was for my mom to get me out of bed in the morning when I was little, so I guess I understand. Why would you want to leave that personalized hot tub?
Lynne's still hoping for something to happen today, but if not, it looks like we're set for a Sunday night admittance and Monday morning induction! Happy Easter indeed!
While bouncing from link to link online the other day, I came across a blog that I hadn't visited in about two years, and one article title really stood out: 70 Things to Do Before Having Children. While any list like this would be specific to any person/couple's personality, likes/dislikes, sense of adventure, etc. there is a valid point that there are many things you won't have time to do or want to do once the baby arrives. With that, here are some of the highlights from this couple's list that Lynne and I can say we were glad we did before having a baby.
1. Live in a high rise condo with an amazing view.
Not really interested in a high rise, but we have had our share of fun apartments/townhouse/fraternity that I don't think we'd change for anything
2. Take a month long vacation on the opposite side of the world in a city with a completely different culture.
I think two months in Bangkok qualifies :)
3. Attend the Super Bowl live.
Of course I think this would be fun, but what's to say that baby-sitting grandparents wouldn't make this an easy one down the road...especially when the Bowl comes to Indy (here's hoping the Bears are awesome that year). Also, I hit the Rose Bowl back in 2000/2001, which is the Super Bowl of college football!
4. Jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
Been there, done that (I doubt Lynne ever will though)
5. Make love in places you aren’t supposed to.
[Redacted]
6. Swim with the sharks
Doesn't seem that interesting...but you never know
7. Scuba-dive to a large ship wreck.
Thanks to my dad, I can actually say that I've been scuba diving multiple times, so that should count for something! And deep sea snorkeling should count for something (which we both did in Thailand, as well as other locales)
8. Audition to be on TV or in a movie… even if you’re just an extra.
I did try my hand at getting on two reality shows (although I sure didn't try very hard) while at Purdue. I made the semi-finals in a campus search for contestants for the old Who Wants to Be a Millionaire rip-off, Greed, but alas, my head shot wasn't very compelling. I also was one of three guys in my fraternity to put together a video entry for a show called "flipped" that was going to run on Fox (or Fox Family, which became ABC Family) and put people in new life situations they weren't accustomed to (like Wife Swap, but with individuals). They wanted a fraternity to participate, but the show never got off the ground. I remember sitting in my room thinking of the options of places they could swap me to, and honestly, I thought they'd all be exciting and eye-opening. Also, the Smiley family was in a Dodge commercial, and Lynne auditioned for theater stuff, which is way more high-brow than TV.
9. Throw the house party of all house parties. Supply all the booze and invite everyone you know.
This sounds like us, right? Well, we did throw a great ATO Semi-formal post party at the townhouse in Lafayette, since it was less than a block from the dance venue. And Lynne threw me a great graduation surprise party, so those count.
[now editing out the ones that really don't apply, for time's sake]
12. Become skilled with a musical instrument.
Lynne's got her voice, Kirk had the sax, and I'm still fiddling away at the guitar when I'm bored.
14. Live in the heart of New York City, Chicago, Boston or another major city for at least a year.
Downtown Lafayette doesn't count?? C'mon, it's a metropolis!
15. Spend a few weeks vacationing on the beaches of Kauai with your partner.
We've covered the beaches of Phuket, Thailand, and we've been to beaches in Florida and South Carolina together. I know we'll have more beaches in our future, but they will be very different trips with kids!
20. Read at least 30 books.
Yeh, we both have that more than covered.
21. Jump off a cliff into a natural body of water in an exotic location.
Why would I ever STOP doing this! :)
25. Drink warm beer out of a barrel in a real Irish pub.
Why is this even on the list? I did it before I drank and appreciated beer, in Ireland, and it was gross, but I'm sure I'd enjoy it more now.
26. Spend a night pub-hopping in London.
I've had the opportunity to do this in London, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany, all thanks to the Oxford study abroad program so graciously provided for free by Purdue University :) Nothing like putting your scholarship stipend to good use. I think Lynne missed out here.
27. Stage dive and crowd surf at a rock concert.
OK, I've never stage dived at a rock concert, but I have crowd surfed at a punk rock concert multiple times.
33. Go snowboarding in the Rockies.
A worthy list would have this item, but replace "snowboarding" with "skiing" since it's way better. I've been lucky enough to ski in the Rockies on 4 different occasions: Winter Park, Breckenridge (twice), Beaver Creek, and Keystone. Good times with family and friends. Lynne's never skied west of Michigan, but we certainly have the intention to get her a real skiing experience down the road (once she re-learns how).
35. Attain a solid understanding of how the government works in your country.
I guess minoring in political science helps, but it would be more fun to attain a solid understanding of how other nation's governments work, for comparison sake.
36. Master one particular style of dance.
While I was in no way a "master," I did get pretty good at swing dancing back in '98/'99 thanks to the musical influence, underage clubs, lessons, and plenty of girls willing to let me throw them around a dance floor. Once Lynne doesn't have a belly getting in the way, she's going to let me teach her :) Lynne also thinks she can waltz pretty well...me, not so much.
37. Fall in love.
Of course, but it is a bit sad that this is included on the list of things to do before you have kids. Too bad it's not a biological prerequisite.
38. Write a book… even if it’s short and never gets published.
I've won some awards for poetry and expository writing, but never ventured into the novel/novella, but I do have some outlines. Throw my poems into a collection, and *pow* you have a book that will never be published. :)
39. Drive through a (somewhat safe) portion of a third world country like Mexico or Costa Rica to gain perspective on what true poverty looks like.
Or, try living in a slum in an unsafe portion of a third world country, walking around it every day, choosing to dive into it instead of taking a skewed view through a car window, through actual encounters with the individuals who live in heart-wrenching conditions every day.
40. Go skinny dipping in a large body of water at midnight.
Who hasn't done this...even Lynne has! C'mon!
41. Take a shower under a waterfall.
If by "shower" you mean you stink and stand under the waterfall, then definitely. If this requires soap, you're doing it wrong.
42. Decide on your current life goals and write them down.
I actually don't make life goals...just go where the Lord leads. What's that line?..."If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans."
43. Spend New Years Eve in Times Square.
We both think that just looks uncomfortable and NOT fun. There are tons more fun places to spend the occasion, and I prefer Disney World :)
44. Go on a blind date (or a couple’s dinner date with new friends you hardly know).
We've done the couple's dinner date thing, it was fun. Lynne's had one blind date, but it wasn't the best.
46. Hit up Oktoberfest in Munich.
I would love to do this, and I really enjoyed being in Munich for a little summer festival they had in 2000. I could spend all day at the Hofbrauhaus.
49. Experience Spring Break in all its glory in Cancun, Mexico or Panama City Beach, Florida.
Um, not a big fan of "Spring Break in all its glory," since "glory" is infinitesimally too strong a word, but Lynne had a spring break trip to Panama City Beach, Florida, and Kirk's spent spring break in Colorado and Cozumel, Mexico, so he's had the snow and sun experiences (snow is better!).
51. Rent a fast sports car and speed down the Autobahn.
I've been the passenger in a car speeding (very much so) down the Autobahn, if that counts. It was fun to see how fast a Volvo station wagon could go!
53. Buy your first house.
So excited that we did that one last year!! We love it!
54. Own a convertible sports car.
Why own, when you can drive a friend's convertible? The perks without the price or the tickets. Although I do like the sunroof on our 2000 Infiniti.
55. Hike the Grand Canyon.
Kirk's been there, but didn't get to hike down in it (other than for a short little hike), and Lynne hasn't been, so this is definitely a locale for a future trip.
56. Attend a Red Sox vs. Yankees game in Fenway Park.
This item is inherently flawed. Who cares about these two teams? Silly east coast bias. How about "Attend a Cubs vs. Cardinals game at Wrigley Field?" That is the ultimate baseball regular season moment, and we've done it twice (and the Cubs won both times)! Also, Kirk got to see the Cubs play at St. Louis last year, and that was a fun experience to be surrounded by the enemy. Of course, the Cubs won that game, too. Go Cubs Go!
57. Spend a whole day making love without every leaving the house.
[Redacted...again!]
58. Learn to make one mixed cocktail like a pro bartender.
As my friends can attest to, I don't make mixed drinks well (Kamikaze a little strong there fella?), although I used to make a mean martini before I disliked vodka (and we don't drink enough for me to perfect a gin martini now). Lynne's probably much better at this.
69. Master a few fancy dinner recipes.
As our friends Alex and Sonja can attest to, we've done some for sure (despite the occasional recipe going horribly wrong...ok, more like slightly wrong, but in my eyes, it was horrible)
70. Finish up your formal education (but continue learning).
Yeh, we are both sooooo done with that! 8 years and 5 years is plenty!
Hooray for the longest post on our blog ever! If you are still reading, you must really love us, or be pretty bored today.
Since we are in the final stretch (quite literally) until the baby is born, it's been fun as more and more people are trying to guess the name. In an effort to spread the wealth to those we don't see all of the time, it is now open season on guessing the name. Submit your best guess (or guesses, but try to limit them to a handful) to Kirk, and the winner (whoever is closest* or, if you're good, spot on) gets a special prize. I've shared a variety of clues here and there, but the main clues are listed below. Good luck!
-The name is not in the top 300 on the Social Security baby name website for 2007. Now, some people have taken that to mean that the name is in the 300-400 range, because why else would I say "top 300" and not "top 400." While I applaud that astute observation, the 300+ qualification came well before we chose a name. I simply would not OK any name more popular than number 300, since I deemed it too common. Why 300 as the cutoff? Because I'm weird, that's why. It really was purely arbitrary. So I highly recommend looking at names #300-1,000.
-The name is an uncommon/rare shortened form of another name. This doesn't mean the name we chose is "short" but simply means that it could be a derivative of another name, but it is rarely used in this manner. It's a name in its own right.
-There is an actress with this name, but not one I really knew of before choosing the name (and I try to be a film/tv buff, although I used to be much better at it). This clue really doesn't help much, since a simple imdb.com search would likely find an actress with any name you could think of.
-This name might have a different connotation to my mother's generation than to my generation...but it might not.
-The baby's middle name is Kathryn, since Lynne, her grandmother, and her mother all have that same middle name. I like Kathryn, but I also know that if our second child is a girl, I get to pick a weirder middle name that time around. While we didn't pick a first name specifically to "flow" or "gel" with Kathryn as a middle name, we also don't think it sounds horrible, so take that however you are so inclined.
-Many of our friends and family know that during the name search process, we both refused to look at names that ended in a long "e" sound or an "s" sound. An "e" sound (e.g. Janie) coupled with the long "e" at the end of "Smiley" is cute for a little girl, but seemed to cutesy for an adult woman (yes, the baby will one day grow up, crazy!). Avoiding an ending "s" sound is to avoid a run on to "Smiley."
-Still others have asked, "The name IS in the top 1,000, right?" To that, my simple response is: "I wouldn't be that mean, would I?" :)
Now go get to work!
*"closest" defined by Kirk
What could possibly overshadow the NCAA championship game last night (other than a baby's arrival, of course)? Why, the Cubs winning the first game of the season in Houston, of course. It's the beginning of another exciting and cautiously optimistic year, and for many, the regular season is just a long introduction to the opportunity for the Cubs to show they can actually win a playoff game this time around (third time's the charm, right?). Here's to baseball!
*red is hated because it represents IU and the St. Louis CardinalsLynne saw this cool concept in a magazine, and she spent a lot of time making this cool accent to the baby's room. It ties into the tree theme of the Pottery Barn Kids bedding, and she thinks the baby will love to look up at it when we're holding her in the chair. She sponge painted the branch and then made and added leaves, moss, butterflies, a couple small bird nests, and even a little hummingbird.
Also, a more recent pic of Lynne and her gigantic belly. But, honestly, it could be a lot bigger...she still gets asked if she's due in a couple months...try 6 days! Also, I had two more incidents of people thinking that the beatiful white, green, and pink stripes are wallpaper. I guess that means we made them look really good, but wallpaper sure would have been easier!
As we EAGERLY anticipate the baby's arrival (Lynne says she can't come out soon enough now), I thought I'd post some more pics of the (nearly) finished nursery. Totally girly, for sure.
I'm glad the baby didn't choose to arrive this afternoon, because I may have missed the news of what was the most impactful off-season move in my lifetime as a Bears fan. The Bears traded for Jay Cutler, the best quarterback to (soon) play for the Bears in my lifetime (and since pre WWII). Totally wasn't expecting that, and they picked up a probowl left tackle to protect him. Definitely excited and looking forward to the NFL season more now!
Alas, the excitement over the new Chicago arrival also brings some sadness as Boilermaker Kyle Orton heads to Denver. Maybe he'll get the chance there that many fans didn't want to give him in Chicago.
In an attempt to spread the Bears joy across the world, I went to this funny little site I learned of today, called omegle, where people, for no apparent reason, talk to one random stranger at a time. To see if there were any true Bears fans out there across the Interwebs, I began each conversation with "Bear down..." to see who could pick up the rest of the first line of the Chicago Bears Fight Song (Bear down Chicago Bears, pretty simple). Sadly, after about 100 attempts to elicit the correct response, I had been cussed at, spoken to in spanish, french, and portugese, and told "rawr" many times. And then, in the perfect case of "be careful what you wish for," I had a random chatter respond in a way that I KNEW that THEY knew what I was talking about. Of course, that response came in the form of
Me: Bear down...
Stranger: F*** the Bears
I later learned that his dislike for a certain former coach, from a certain city, who could single handedly beat the Giants (Ditka, if you aren't following the Superfans reference) was the cause of his distaste for the Bears. So I found one random person somewhere in the world who understood my opening line, but who hated the Bears. Great.
Anyway, now all we need is a receiver and a safety, and we should be good for 19 wins...right?
Menu (with illustrations from the book)
Lime Spritzers
Grilled Artichoke with Tomato Compote
Strawberry, Peach, and Mint SorbetThis is from last month, but I just saw the pictures, so I had to post them. I hope they make you as hungry as they make me...but at least I got to savor this delicious food. Our friends Alex and Sonja cooked this amazing feast. I could eat that Paella alllll day.
Alex and Sonja
Garlic Marinated Olives
Pan Con Tomate
Goat Cheese and Blood Orange Salad
Paella!
Apples Soaked in Red WineI was up in West Lafayette this week for a couple work meetings, and it gave me the great opportunity to head back to Kokoro for some sushi. I fell in love with Kokoro during my years at Purdue and took Lynne there for an early date, where she loved it, too. When we lived downtown, we were only two blocks away, and if it weren't for the cost, probably would have eaten there weekly. I declare that Kokoro serves the best sushi in the states. I know, you'll probably laugh at that one, since how could a land-locked small town have such great sushi? But it all comes from a very unique man, who doesn't do traditional sushi, but "Tony food." Tony has been called the Sushi Nazi (ala Seinfeld's soup nazi) because he is a strong personality with some simple rules. No hats, no special orders, and "My Way or Highway!" He's been a chef for over 45 years, and he's still going strong. We always try to sit as close to his work station as possible so we can enjoy his banter, ordering around of his crew, and playful cussing out of his patrons.
After a lot of time and work (and more money spent on tape than actual paint), the baby's room is mostly done! We're still waiting for our dresser/changing table to arrive, but otherwise most of the room is now in place. We love it, and we both find ourselves just sitting/standing in the room periodically throughout the day. T-minus 41 days (or less)!!
My mom watches our neighbor's little boy twice a week (who is also my girlfriend Izzy's little brother). Mom is normally over at his house but last week he invaded my territory. Now, I am not sure, but I think that this is what is coming to my house soon and I am not going to tell you how I really feel about that! Mom says that if I do not have something nice to say then don't say it (or bark it) at all. I learned though that one afternoon with this little creature and my nose needs a break! He farts more than my dad
!
But there are some good smells around him too, like the milk I wouldn't mind getting a bit of. I need to keep my eyes on this one, that is for sure! I did not really appreciate him taking so much of my mom's attention and did not like how much she held him. What does a dog have to do to get some love? I was happy to see him go home at the end of the day. But if he brings his sister over next time to play, I might let him come back more often. We'll have to talk about that.
So, the nesting urge has begun. I have had more energy 
to start cleaning out closets and getting her room organized. Right now that is a bit hard as we are still in the process of painting the nursery. But, it is a nice change to have this feeling to get things done after a long while of having no energy or care.
As for the belly, she is stronger and so her movements are much more intense. My belly often looks like jello shaking as she is having her "playtime." At the doctor yesterday everything looked great and my recent tests came back all in the clear. She dropped down head first this past week and so hopefully she will continue to be that way when the day comes.
Some random notes: although probably not blog-worthy, just interesting to me.
-Babies R Us is a hoppin' place on a Friday night! I gave in to being "old" and making a trip there with Lynne yesterday, and I was simply stunned by the number of couples at the store at 8:30pm. Good to know that there are lots of other guys in the same boat as me...maybe we should form a support group. However, I did get to regress afterwards by reading graphic novels at Barnes and Noble :)
-Purdue basketball is driving me crazy this year, as usual. The nail-biting games, the screaming at the TV, the tragic recent injuries, the refs, the stifling defense, they're all putting me on edge for each game. Thankfully the Boilers won pretty easily today (at least in the second half). Also, as a way to channel all this thought and emotion, I may have news soon of my involvement in a Purdue/sports blog, so I'll keep you posted!
-Boy do I love grand slam tennis! After getting to watch some late night Australian Open action this week, I'm really pumped for the Federer/Nadal final this morning. Now if only I can sneak away from bed at 3:30am to watch some of it live...at least I have a DVR. I'm looking forward to heading to Birmingham, Alabama in early March to see the US (Roddick, Blake, Bryan brothers) take on Federer and the Swiss in Davis Cup action. I can't communicate how excited I am for those matches!
-Is it a sign I'm getting older that I care less and less about the Super Bowl (unless the Bears are in it)? The only other way I'd care is if Drew Brees makes it there one day.
-In ten weeks I'm going to be a dad...yep, still gradually sinking in.
-Never ever EVER turn a house fan on when your fireplace is filled with ash. It's amazing how quickly your living room can look like volcano fallout.
-At my work retreat this week we had to list our top 5 favorite genres of food, be it a general theme, ethnicity, or ingredient). Mine were: Japanese (specifically sushi, be it maki or nigiri), Thai, Seafood in general (if it lives in water, I'll probably eat it), Cajun, and a really nice steak. Unsurprisingly, those are the exact same foods that I prefer to cook myself, while I let Lynne tackle most of the Indian, Italian, French, Americana, etc.
and finally...
-My favorite professor of my 8 glorious years at Purdue, Bob Lamb, recently won an award for being the best professor in the state of Indiana. His passion, commitment to students, and excitement for teaching literature were what made me (eventually) get a degree in it. When I found out that I could turn my minor in English Lit to a major and take classes from Bob for half of the requirements, it was a literal no-brainer. While he's won every award Purdue and the state could offer, I'm sure he'll win some national award one day, too. Cheers to Bob for bringing out the best in all of his students and for staying focused on inspiring teaching even at a research-centric university.
This morning the baby's crib arrived, and the delivery guys were even tasked with the fun job of assembling the giant piece of furniture. It's quite a gorgeous crib, and we can't thank Marilyn and Stew enough for it. We know that she will love it, and it converts into a great little bed, too! Of course, she's already getting spoiled from her grandma and grandpa, since this is now the nicest piece of furniture in the house :)
So, to say the least it is strange to see your body change and I can't say that I am use to it yet! We have taken a few shots of the belly and for all you people far away here you go.
So this is my first attempt to post video to the blog. For Christmas we got an amazing Sony Handycam, and I'm still figuring out all the awesome features. For now, enjoy this footage of Otis wrestling with Wesley just after Christmas.
