Accent Vlog

Saw this on another blog and thought it would be a fun post to participate in. EJ may have more of a southern accent than he cares to admit. We wonder what Meatball will sound like..

Directions are as follows:
The instructions are to say these words: Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you use to change the TV channel?

Bump to Baby: Week 25

Bump to Baby: Week 24

Bump to Baby: Week 23

Bump to Baby: Week 22

Bump to Baby: Week 21

Bump to Baby: Week 20

Bump to Baby: Week 19

Bump to Baby: Week 18

Bump to Baby: The First Trimester

In December, our family will grow from 2 to 3 and while we are well into the 2nd trimester now, we have some special memories from the first trimester that we want to etch in virtual ink now to reflect on and remember later:

- Dad-to-be’s lengthy internet research of what a positive pregnancy test looks like
- Mom-to-be falling asleep at a Cubs game at Wrigley Field
- Confusion and misinterpretation of the announcement postcards. No EJ isn't going to be playing for the Cubs in December.
- Darius Rucker concert at Converse College
- Riley was a bridesmaid at a Lake Lure wedding (the wedding party figured out Roo was a Mom-to-be a few weeks earlier when she turned down a glass of Hop, Skip, & Go Naked at a Bachelorette weekend luncheon)
- Morning sickness in the morning church service sent Roo to the kitchen trash can
- A family trip to Edisto…and work trips to Atlanta, Savannah, Tampa, Texas, and Chicago
- Craving pickles and watermelon…and broccoli casserole

Bump to Baby: Week 17

Bump to Baby: Week 16

Our Bump to Baby series begins!

Man Cave No More

As the weeks go by and our precious little meatball continues to develop, Riley’s body, mood and appetite are evolving as well. What the ‘What to Expect’ book didn’t tell us to expect was that we’d have to pass on a free trip to Bimini. And even bigger than a trip to the Bahamas, I’d have to sacrifice my man cave. That is in jest of course, as every day the due date draws closer, we feel more blessed. Thus, I didn’t hesitate or even give it a second thought when we decided my playroom would become the nursery. I didn’t bother to take any pictures to remember it by nor did I spend any time admiring my Chicago Bulls dynasty Wheaties box circa 1993 (cereal still inside to Roo’s dismay). I just got to work. Note: the ugly lime green walls were there before us and probably why I was given the room in the first place. We are excited to continue decorating the room…and can’t wait to add the last and most important piece in December!

3 Years Down, Forever Yet To Go

3 years go today...

In honor of our anniversary, I created a poem for Roo. Created not wrote as you'll quickly realize I borrowed the words but its never really been about the words between us anyway, its all in the heart.

Just a small town girl…just a city boy,

Here on Earth, its you and I.

Sweeter than candy, hotter than heat,

At long last love has arrived and I thank God I'm alive...

You're too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you.

I just want to look in your eyes and catch my breath cause I got a feeling...

This could be one of those memories we want to hold on to, cling to, one we can't forget.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing, watch you smile while you are sleeping.

My darling, I can't get enough of your love babe,

Wouldn't you agree, baby you and me, got a groovy kind of love.

Baby, I'm amazed by you,

You're all I need to get by.

I have all I've waited for and I could not ask for more,

And its all part of a grander plan that is coming true.

Oh, I love you more today than yesterday but not as much as tomorrow,

Take my hand, take my whole life too.

The smile on your face let's me know that you need me,

Then you wouldn't have to say you love me cause I'd already know.

More than words.

Ending with comic relief to cut the cheese above...I did drop some of my own words on Roo at dinner, telling her I hope she feels as beautiful as she looks. Her response (now nearly 12 weeks with child): "I feel bloated and gassy."

we're having a....

BOY....well according to the Chinese Gender Chart we are....

29 more weeks until we know for sure! That's right folks, we aren't finding out the sex of Meatball. We've heard a wide range of reactions so far...most people act shocked and say "you sure are brave!" I think to myself "we're pretty darn brave to have a kid to begin with"....not sure how waiting to find out if it's a boy or a girl makes us any braver.....

EJ and Roo...plus someone new!!!

It’s taken us a few months to be able write this post. And now that we are, I'm not sure I'll ever have all of the words to describe what we are feeling. You see, sometime after I recapped the fall of 2010, Riley and I made a decision that not only has been an underlying theme of our last few months but one that will define the rest of our lives together: We decided it was time to add someone new. Not shortly after we had this talk, I coincidentally received an end-of-season sale code for cubs.com. I made a purchase for the future, waiting til next year as they say in Wrigleyville.

Well, next year is here. By our best estimates, the magic happened on March 11^th. Our first pass at pregnancy tests wouldn’t come until early in the week of the 21^st . Riley had to be in Atlanta that Monday but the signs were already there. Literally. At a rest stop, she accidentally parked here:

Upon her return to Rock Hill, we took the first early detection pregnancy test. Faint but not nothing:
Is that a positive result? Or an optical illusion. I compared these results to thousands of google images, read hundreds of message boards posts anxiously trying to decipher. I should have just waited until the next morning when she took another test:

Over the next few days, we contained our joy. The only people that knew were us and the lady at Bump (maternity store in Baxter Village); though the cashier at Target had to suspect something considering I had been in a few times for ovulation and pregnancy tests. Ironically or coincidentally, during Sunday school that weekend, Riley sat on “pregnant row” as it was dubbed by our unsuspecting teacher. A few days later, I wasn't driving Riley as crazy as I usually do this time of the month and a week later, a trip to the doctor confirmed the news!

We then felt it was time to share the news with only our immediate family members. While I "tested" the shot for a family photo, instead of asking them to say “CHEESE,” we broke the news by telling everyone to say “Riley’s pregnant” thus capturing the moment.

We insisted on picking up my brother from the airport as he was returning from his 30th birthday trip to London. He was greeted with a "Welcome Home Uncle Philip" sign and responded with an expletive cry of joy. Phone calls to Columbia, SC and Lakeland, Fl followed to share the news with my parents, everyone thrilled and excited, though both sides claimed to be suspicious. We wondered who was at highest risk to leak the news. I nearly hacked my dad’s facebook account to disable it. Riley’s sister was certainly a concern around family. It was impossible to keep the secret from the wedding party in which Riley served as a bridesmaid though one husband thought I had purchased Riley a boob job. Overall, we did a pretty good job keeping the secret safe, despite so many people, including me, wanting to shout it out from the top of a mountain.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” – James 1:17"

At about 10 weeks, we had our first ultrasound. I thought I was going to cry when I saw the image appear on the screen. Our little meatball was just wiggling and jiggling around, dancing to the rhythm of that little heartbeat. And the music of that heartbeat made our hearts melt when the doctor amplified it in the room. Everything was in order and we’ll be back in 4 weeks for another routine checkup.

Thus, with the 10 week prenatal visit complete, we’ve gone viral with the news. We announced it with the help of the Wrigley picture above, a couple creative videos and this blog.

We of course broke the news to the dogs as well, though I am not sure they quite understand the changes that are in store. I am not sure we entirely do yet either. Friends with kids say you never will.

We are so happy and so blessed.

Nerd Alert

I love math. I'm wicked awesome at Suduko. I keep a scorecard when I attend baseball games. I can file taxes by hand. I'm handy with Excel, SQL, SPSS and SAS. In other words, 100% nerd. I dressed the part this morning for church, wearing the first bow tie I've ever owned thanks to tagging along on a trip to Belk with Riley. And while I am a Star Wars fanboy and an avid Xboxer with a decorated gaming past that includes modded maps on Command and Conquer Red Alert 2 and successful city planning in Sim City 2, I am not Geek enough to mount a TV on our wall. I am always looking for chances to prove to Roo (and her dad) that I can be handy around the house with chores a little more difficult than changing a light bulb. With Google at my fingertips, I can learn just about anything in mere minutes (like how to make the perfect meatball, tie a bowtie or when Sons of Anarchy Season 4 will start on FX), but even I knew better than to rely on various do-it-yourself YouTube clips and turn to the pros when we decided to hang our plasma on the wall in our living room. Kind of like the cartoon devil you see on one shoulder, angel on the other or Goofus and Gallant adventures depicted in the latest Highlights magazine, I had no trouble playing out the two scenarios: 1) me hanging the TV and having it rip from the wall and crash to the floor just before we find out how much the lady saved on the latest episode of Extreme Couponing 2) Filing a service warranty in the drawer of important papers with peace of mind that my only concern will be retraining my neck muscles to the new viewing angle. No brainer. In detail, I explained my dilemma and needs at Best Buy, bought the necessary wires and mounting supplies and made the appointment for the Geeksquad's housecall. However, when the men in blakc arrivved sometime between 8am and 4pm for the appointment, of myself, the dogs and the two Geeksquad reps, there weren't 2 feet on the carpet of the room before I was able to sense their hesitancy. Their diagnosis confirmed the notion that this wasn't going to be as easy as it should be or I wanted it to be. They went through the whys and what nexts (no crawlspace means the wires have to go outside the house, remove the vinyl, need an electrician, need longer cables, call us back) and I'm left typing this out as I watch Deangelo Vickers and Michael Scott duke it out...nay, hug it out...on the TV that remains rested on the TV stand. I wonder if they would have taken me more seriously had I been wearing my bow tie.

This past weekend we had the pleasure to host EJ's baby brother's 30th birthday celebration. PJ left this morning for a vacation across the pond to celebrate turning 30 in style. (I hope he brings me back a little William & Kate memorabilia!) We're so glad we were able to kick start his birthday fun with a "Hangover" themed party with family and friends.

I owe Roo. Big time.

I have an amazing wife. Not a question or opinion but fact. I’m a city boy, born and raised in Illinois that converted a small town girl living in a Friday Night Lights world into a full-fledged diehard Chicago Bears fan. So much a great fan that she bought a Bears flag to replace (temporarily) the South Carolina state flag that hangs outside our front door. So much a great wife that for the biggest game for the Chicago Bears in the past 25 years and she was able to get us tickets, the hottest tickets in town in the past 25 years, less than 72 hours before kickoff.

She topped it all off by booking a “free” stay thanks to hotel points; our last minute surprisingly cheap flight came with a free first-class upgrade thanks to her frequent flyer status. Given I write this from my couch and not one of the hundred various Hilton or Marriot properties in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, the game obviously didn’t go as we would have hoped. But the jet-setter weekend trip to the Windy City was worthy of awarding Riley with Wife of the Year honors in only the third week of January. Arriving on gameday eve, we ate our way through Saturday with the help of Graham Elliot’s Grahamwich and a Girl and the Goat’s roasted pigface.

An added bonus at the Palmer House was that our brief stay coincided with 2011 Soxfest. Now I bleed Cubbie Blue but my cousin Amberly and family were in town from South Bend to let son and dieheard Southsider Sam take in the festivities. So we were able to meet them for Sunday brunch before setting out into the bitter cold.

The key to surviving a Chicago winter is layering and we did just that on Sunday. But even with hand and feet warms placed at all extremities, the cold crept in. Roo was a trooper though, sticking it out from start to finish, complaining only about the numbers on the scoreboard not the ones on the thermometer.

The game came and went, drive after drive of coming so close yet so far away and ended sans the spectacular roar with which it began.

We finished off the day with a deep dish at Giordano’s and Starbucks hot chocolate for desert. The next morning we returned South and I’ve been mourning the Bears season ever since. I will no doubt be pulling for the Steelers today and of course looking forward to the commercials…though, I think I (and12 million other viewers as of 12:42) have already seen the best commercial of the year, if not ever…