Somewhat Pregnant

Heather is in the 27th week of the pregnancy. Oh… so is the baby. The young ‘un is moving quite a bit. When she gets kicked, Heather just says, "Hi, Baby!" and puts her hands on her stomach to get the full experience, and to really appreciate the movements of our second child. Heather has an appointment next week. My scheduler adjusted my calendar so that I can be there, too. Unbeknownst to you, but knownst to me, I am the guy who sets my schedule, so I was kind enough to coordinate my schedule with myself. I try to be accommodating, especially with Team Me, Myself, and I.

I don’t want to miss a thing whenever I can be at the appointments. Besides, Gabriel is a handful and I can occupy his time and distract him so that the Doc can check out the momma-to-be. I admit, Heather is looking "mostly pregnant" now (in the words of her doctor, as she has progressed from somewhat pregnant to the current state of progress). Soon, she will be very pregnant, but that is more than a month away yet. Heather has her misgivings about the way she looks and feels. Mostly pregnant or not, Heather always looks good to me!

There is No "I" in Team? Riiiight!

I received the spiffy copy of my AABA diploma yesterday. It isn’t an advanced degree, but I feel pretty good about sticking with the program, especially when the demands of work are stressful. It is worth it, and I feel that I am accomplishing something worthwhile. One step at a time, I will reach the masters degree that I set as the minimum academic finish line (for now). I want to earn a doctoral degree, but whether I complete that without a break after the master program or not is something on which I haven’t decided. I have abundant time to decide.

I finished my portion of a learning team PowerPoint dealing with organizational structures. The assignment is due tomorrow, but nobody posted a thing all day. I have been working a lot of hours, so I didn’t lead the group. Besides, I was the group leader for the last assignment, so I figured it was someone else’s turn to lead. I wasn’t sure what everyone else was contributing to the assignment. I got tired of waiting for the group tonight, so I sat down and did five slides for the assignment and posted it. Hopefully, I didn’t upstage anyone else who was doing the same content. But nobody told me squat about their plans, so that is just tough tiddly winks if my work conflicts with other team members. So much for communications among the team members. Tonight, everyone apologized for not being online all day to get their work done. If I have to, I will post the assignment myself and leave off the names of anyone who has been slacking. Why should they get credit for not doing their fair share?

I posted about fifteen times throughout the day and into the evening, asking for input from the group. It wasn’t until after 8 tonight before the others actually started working on the project. I will probably edit the compiled work of the entire group and create transitions to put it all together logically. Oh well. I want it done right, and usually the only way to make that happen is to do it myself! I admit that I am particular about correctness of format to APA standards, and I expect the team members to contribute to the perfection of assignments. This is college-level writing, after all. I have another paper to write tomorrow, but until then, I am not thinking about work or school anymore tonight!

Please hold on to the bar...

Gabriel is so funny. Heather said she was hungry and took out a luscious-looking Granny Smith apple. He took it away from her, and is currently eating like it was the best apple ever. It is kind of funny, in that he commandeered the apple after Heather managed one bite. The apple is huge, and Gabriel has to use both hands just to hang on to it. Thankfully, he is such a healthy eater. He turns down chocolate in favor of fruits and vegetables. I hope he always makes such smart food choices. Oh, by the way, Heather says this is the first apple he ever ate (in the non-apple mush format). That is one great thing about living with a toddler. There are so many “firsts” to enjoy. Being a father is great. Being a daddy is even better!

Today, I started working on a handrail for the stairs. Gabriel can navigate to the basement in record time, scooting on his behind and using his hands to control his course and speed down the stairs. One of these days, he will climb the stairs and want to use the hand rail. When we bought the house, the inspector noted that was one thing that should be added soon. Only four and a half years later, we are adding the rail. I stained the handrail today, and after I seal the wood tomorrow, I will hang it on the wall. It’s a cheap project, but it makes me feel like a productive DIYer.

Early mornings

I am getting ready to head out the door again. I am training Raul on the procedures for removing gaming systems today. It is pretty simple stuff, though there are lots of little steps. It will be easy, I think, as the casino is going to have a lot of work done by the time I get on-site. If not, I get paid by the hour, so I will deal with it.

I don't mind the variable hours. I just hate when a long day is followed by an early start. Honestly, today I could just go back to bed and fall asleep in a minute. It's okay, though... the weekend is coming soon, just not soon enough. I will take it day by day, enjoying life as it comes.

Catching up on the blog

I had oral surgery last week. I need to have the sutures removed this Friday, and will stop at the office at that time. I need to stop in Hutch to drop off some chairs at Dave’s apartment. Mom has been oddly silent lately. I do not think that I have received an email from her all week. Weird. I hope that everything is okay there. I will check how Dad is doing after his knee replacement. The last I heard, he was in some pain, but it was getting better. That is a major procedure, so it will take time. I am glad that Dad went through with the procedure, though I think it was tough on him at his young age.

This year, Mom and Dad are celebrating their 50th anniversary, so I am working on a little thing for them. It is not extravagant, but even if it was, Mom and Dad are worth every penny!

Maybe we can go on a family trip to the zoo this weekend. We might as well take advantage of our family membership. We want to stop in at the Rainforest Café, too. I mentioned to my nephew about going to a Twins game sometime. I am not the huge sports fan that he is, but I think that Gabriel would get a kick out of visiting the Dome while it still is in use. I do know that Heather loves baseball. Maybe we can all go to a game when the Twins play the White Sox this year.

I need to go to bed. I have to remove a couple of gaming systems tomorrow morning. I need to be on the road by 5 a.m. so I am going to call it a night. I love being this busy… the days fly by and the weekends come sooner. The only problem with this hectic schedule is that I want to spend more time with Gabriel and Heather.

Anyway, it is bedtime! Later days!

More comments

Gabriel is growing fast and still as energetic as ever. He is a great kid and so energetic. He really keeps Heather busy, and he entertains everyone he meets. He is a nut, but I do mean that in a good way! Being a dad is a lot of fun, and I love my life. Having another baby due in July will be interesting. I cannot image how that will change things, but we will find out soon. I think that Heather is really looking forward to the baby being born, as her body is too easily remembering the first pregnancy, and she is feeling about 15 months pregnant, though she looks ravishing to me now. She eats so healthy that she is not gaining weight beyond what she should be, not at all!


I am itching to start gardening soon, but the weather has to stay warm a bit longer. Heather started many plants in pots, so we can get a head start on long-season plants in our short-season climate. She planted morning glories, moonflowers, tomatoes, watermelons, and gourds, among others. Many will go on lattices, for decorative and whimsical purposes. The best part is that we grow many of our vegetables in summer. Every bit helps, and the homegrown vegetables are generally so much tastier than the food shipped to the grocery store from parts unknown.

School daze

I talked to the financial office for the college yesterday. I found out that I was awarded a scholarship for college, which will cover $2 Gs for this year. I will try to get the same scholarship for next year as well. I wish it was more money, but I will take whatever assistance I can get, especially the aid that I do not have to repay later!

It is hard to believe that I am a junior in college already. It is amazing how fast this has gone so far. I do intend to continue at least through a master in business administration degree. I have been considering pursuing a juris doctorate, and maybe other degree programs later, but it depends what happens with my career and with our family needs. I am not sure where my future will lead, but time will tell. Only God knows about our future events. I am entrusting my future to Him, and leaving it in His hands to show me the next move.

I have to write a paper on the ethics of Halliburton’s business practices. The goofballs who believe everything they read in the newspaper will think that Halliburton has zero ethics, but the fact is that Halliburton is the only corporation that does much of what they do. When they got no-bid contracts, it was because this is the only company that CAN do what they do. Anyway, no business is perfect, does everything for completely altruistic reasons, or is entirely malevolent, no matter what the papers might suggest. Halliburton is no exception to that rule. I get tired of the folks who act like mind-numbed drones who believe everything they read. If you are one of these people to whom I refer, you know who you are. So there! That doesn't actually refer to any specific person. I just like to tweak the gullible kool-aid drinkers out there!

This week, work, training and installs

I have a frenetic calendar this week. I am still training the new tech, Raul. He is not only a fast learner, but I admit with a bit of bias, that he is a great tech. The full disclosure here is that Raul is a close family friend, and his wife and kids are, too. I am glad that he got a job with the company. I think that he is going to do very well, and the first two weeks since he started training are a positive hint that he is going to be a great asset to the company. In my infinite wisdom, I recommended Raul for the job. So far, things are very, very good!

Today we started the SuperSpin installation at Mille Lacs. It went fantastic, and I expect the games will go in service on schedule, barring some unexpected setback. Speaking of the install, Heather made some big brownie points with the techs, because she brought over four pizzas for the casino techs and for the company techs. It was a nice break from the work. We all returned to the installation refreshed, and our progress went even faster after the ravenous interlude at the trough. =) That was really thoughtful. Heather saved the day. What can I say? My wife rocks!

Are you having a boy or a girl? Yes!

After the level-2 ultrasound in March, I became convinced that Heather is carrying a baby boy. However, in light of the experiences that Heather has been having with the baby stirring when she is messaging me, I have to wonder if the little human incessantly kicking my wife in the bladder is, in fact, a girl. Of course, this is very unscientific and simply speculation on my part.

Heather and I have theorized that when she starts text messaging me while I am traveling, it causes some hormonal fluctuation that is imperceptible to her, but energizes the baby. Alternatively, maybe the baby is just in tune with his or her little world and is excited when mom and dad put their thoughts together. Maybe the guardian angel who watches over our child informs the baby that mom and dad are fondly carrying on a conversation, despite the many miles between them. Keeping in synchronicity with Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, I guess there is a time to use a cell phone. Likely anyone reading this who knows me will find this to be old news, but, as odd as it sounds, I absolutely loathe cell phones (almost as much as I hate the dangerously inattentive people who drive while talking on a cell phone. Even worse are the wannabe Italians who 'talk' with their hands, or more precisely, talk with both hands while they are on a cell phone wedged against their ear, between their melon and shoulder, begging the question, "Which hand is on the wheel?") Heather will definitely attest to my fondness for cell phones (haha, fondness, yeah right!) Despite my lack of affection for telephones, technology has good points, too, when high-tech connections allow us to stay in touch across the miles. To talk with my wife, even when we are not together, using the telephone is a worthwhile sacrifice even for a guy who absolutely despises telephones. I like my wife. What can I say? But I digress...

Many people ask me if we are having a boy or a girl. My answer is always a resounding “YES!” I am convinced that we are, indeed, expecting a boy or a girl. To answer the inevitable and recurring question about my preference, my answer is the same as that of every parent in the history of the world. Heather and I want a healthy baby. If this child is a boy, we will be thrilled. Gabriel will love it. If this is a girl, then Gabriel will love that, too. In my mind’s eye, he will be the big brother who picks on his baby sister for fun in the coming years, and then plays the role of the protective older brother in high school and beyond. That is, if this baby is a girl…

I do not want to get ahead of myself here. Life goes fast enough, and I want to enjoy the time with Gabriel now. In fact, that is what I am going to do now. Later!

Daddy's little girl????

I don't know whether this will be a girl or a boy, but, whatever the gender, the baby certainly reacts to Doug, or maybe my feelings for him. The past couple days I have noticed that the baby stirs a lot when I am text messaging back and forth with Doug. Last night, I decided to experiment with the kid. I leaned against Doug while he was shaving and brushing his teeth. When my huge gut was touching Doug was when I felt the baby moving around. I find it very interesting. Doug was thinking it was a boy after the ultrasound. Now I'm wondering if it might be a girl. You know how little girls are with their daddies.