Our friends Joe and Dawn gave birth to a baby girl yesterday.  Joe has a few pics available on his blog…..she’s adorable!  Please join us in congratulating them on their new little blessing!

Over the weekend Lindsay developed a little bit of a cough.  It seemed to be getting better and Jill and I didn’t think much of it because her nose has been a bit runny lately due to her teething.  When we got home from the NICU on Monday night, we were surprised to see that Lindsay’s bedroom light was still on.  Before we had left, it appeared that she was ready for bed.  When we got in the house, Grandma Cathy said that Lindsay was having trouble staying asleep and that she had just managed lay her down on the couch without waking her up.  I was able to pick her up and take her up to her room, but the minute I set her in her crib, she woke up and started balling.  It was so unlike her to do that.  Right after I picked her back up, she immediately fell back asleep on my shoulder.  I took her down to our guest bed and laid down with her, and she immediately crawled over and curled up with me and was sleeping within minutes.  While I love the fact that she had cuddled up with me, it was a bit out of the norm for her.  It was very noticeable that her breathing wasn’t quite right and she appeared very restless.  At about midnight, we decided to take her to the ER.

The ER staff was awesome and they quickly determined that Lindsay was positive for RSV and they said they were going to admit her to be sure that it did not develop into pnuemonia.  Shortly after came the IV…  That was by far the WORST experience I’ve had as a father, and one that I will hope to never see again.  Lindsay is a pretty strong little girl, which made the IV setup very difficult.  It took Jill and three nurses to hold Lindsay still enough to get the IV in.  Meanwhile Lindsay is screaming “Ma Ma! Ma Ma!” and has a look of complete terror on her little face as if wondering why Mommy and Daddy weren’t helping her.  I felt absolutely horrible.  And to top things of, the IV didn’t take…  So, then they had to get another more experienced tech to try on the other foot.  Here we go again…  At this point Jill is leaning over on the bed with Lindsay basically laying in her arms, staring at me.  She was so tired from the first IV ordeal, that she barely flinched when they got the next one in.  Thankfully this one worked and Lindsay was prepped for her trip to the pediatrics floor.  By 6:00 AM, we were finally situated in a room and could rest a little easier.  We kind of chuckled when we realized that all four of our kids were now hospitalized in the same building, a few floors apart.  I guess Lindsay just wanted to be with her brother and sisters.

Lindsay is now home and is finally able to rest peacefully.  Hopefully tonight goes well and puts our little girl on a fast road to recovery.

Wow…….the triplets have arrived!  I’ve started a new blog dedicated to the triplets and a link has been provided at the right.  I’ll continue to provide updates about me, Lindsay, and random things here at this site but for the latest on the trips, please check out their site and Jill’s blog.

Well, I think it’s about time to shape up again.  I had been doing very well at the gym last year, but once we found out we were having triplets, I really let the work-outs slip.  That combined with a sub-par diet and a desk job just doesn’t bode well.  Last year I did very well when I decided to nix soda and coffee, so I’ve decided to take up that initiative once again to jump-start an attempt at healthier living.  With the triplets almost here, I’ll need every bit of energy that I can find, and hopefully a few small lifestyle changes will get me headed in the right direction.

I also have to mention how proud I am of Jill.  She is simply amazing! I can’t even imagine how uncomfortable she must be, and yet she just goes about her day like it’s no big deal.  I just don’t know how she does it.  I think my cousin summed it up well when she said “That’s just what moms do.”  She has done an incredible job with an exceptional pregnancy and I just can’t express enough how much I admire her strength and courage.

Well, it’s half-time of Super Bowl XLIII and I’m kicking back watching Springsteen.  The game has been pretty exciting so far and I guess I’m cheering for the Card’s, though I’d be happy just to see another competitive half of football.  Prior to the game, I fired up the grill and threw on some NY Strip for my parents and us.  Talk about a great way to start an evening.

In other news……  Lindsay and Jill are finally both over their colds.  It’s great to see Lindsay back to her normal energetic self, and I’m very happy that Jill can at least be a little less miserable.  We hit the 29-week mark yesterday for the triplets, which means only 5 weeks until we reach our target date.  I had set a deadline for myself to have the cribs set up in the second-floor nursery by Feb. 1st, and I’m happy to say that I was able to accomplish that just in time to get prepped for the big game.  I was even able to install a semi-permanent baby gate in for the first-floor nursery.  Overall, it was a very productive day.

With only 5 weeks left (not sure that they’ll let Jill go much past the 34 week mark), I guess I’m pretty happy with how ready we are here at home.  Of course there are several things I’d like to get done yet, but all of the important tasks have been finished and we’re stocked up on all of the basic baby items.  We’re not too far removed from Lindsay’s infant days, so at least we’re still well in practice.  At this point, we’re just taking each day as it comes and praying that all continues to go well.

Last night I finally made it out to the gun range with Nate.  It was a blast! (no pun intended).  Nate is an avid handgun enthusiast and brought out a small arsenal, which was great as I had previously fired only a single handgun round back when I was 15.  Among the arms were a pair of Sprinfield XDs (9mm and .40), a Sig Sauer (.357), a KelTech (.380),  a Ruger Mark III (.22), and a compact revolver that I believe was cahmbered in .38 Special.  The variety of calibers and guns gave me a great opportunity to compare them all side-by-side.  My hands-down favorite of the bunch was the Sprinfield XD 9mm.  That gun fit my hand very well, was amazingly accurate (even with a newbie pulling the trigger), and had a very manageable recoil.  I was also pretty impressed with the Sig.  The .357 Sig rounds had noticeably more recoil than the 9mm, but the gun was probably a step above the XD as far as grip comfort.  I was also pretty happy with my shooting performance.  For my first time out, I was able to keep some pretty tight groupings.  All in all, it was a great evening and provided a nice bit of stress relief entering the weekend.  Thanks, Nate!

Well……what a fine evening!  I got home from work and spent some time playing with Lindsay.  She seems to be getting over her cold and is almost back to her fun-loving self.  After Lindsay went to bed, I decided to go outside and make good use of the wonderful spring weather.  Equipped with only a beer (too warm for a coat) I ventured out to fire up the grill for the first cook-out of 2009.  Norm’s had NY Strip on special for $4.99/lb, so Jill picked up a few nice cuts this afternoon.  Have I mentioned how much I love having a great meat market a couple blocks away!  Before long the coals were nice and toasty and my beer was still cold.  Conditions were perfect!  Meanwhile, Jill had made some oven-roasted potatoes with onions.  Talk about a wonderful dinner.

After dinner I recalled an email that Dad had sent me poking fun at residents of other states for being intolerant of the cold in comparison to Michiganders.  I couldn’t help but chuckle, recalling myself standing on the porch in 30 degree weather with no coat and drinking a nice cold beer.  Man do I love Michigan…..wouldn’t have it any other way!

Jill is just past 27 weeks now and we had an appointment with the doc today.  We were relieved to hear that all metrics measured very well with no immediate concerns.  With all of the possible complications that are prevalent with multiples, I’m always a bit on edge for these appointments.  The tide can turn at any moment and I count my blessings that things have gone so well thus far.  So, now we’ll just take things a day at a time and pray that we can reach the 34 week goal.

Both Lindsay and Jill have bad colds right now.  I feel bad because they both of them look so miserable.  Hopefully they get better soon and spare me from the same fate.  Lindsay can now climb the entire set of stairs without any help (except close supervision).  She also now waves goodbye to every single child and parent at daycare as well as any visitors at the house; it’s so cute.  She’s doing pretty well with her walk-behind toys and is pseudo-balancing against the furniture, so I imagine she’ll be walking before I know it. Yikes!  

I think we’re now about as ready as we can be for the triplets.  I have a few cribs to set up and need to organize the nursery a little, but other than that we’re pretty much set.  I’m sure I’ll regret saying that once they arrive.

Upon my switch to WordPress, there is one significant change that may affect a few readers.  On Blogger, my site required the reader to have an ID to post a comment to the site.  I didn’t really like this setting, but did not want to leave it wide open either.  On the new WordPress blog, I have been able to configure the comment moderation a little differently.  Now, if anyone would like to add comments to my posts, all you will need to do is fill in your name and email address.  Once I approve a comment from your name/address you will then be able to comment freely with those credentials on future posts.  This will add a little delay for each reader’s first comment as I will need to approve them, but hopefully will be much easier to use going forward.  Though I’ve been checking in frequently these days, I apologize in advance for any delay in your comment approval.