Back home!

We've been in Miami since the 26th visiting with Kim's family so posts are behind but we have TONS of pics to post from the trip.

I'll post in the next day or so with new stuff. Best of all, Kim and I went to the Dr. this morning and got another great report. Kim is doing fine and we heard Reese's heartbeat again so everything sounds fine.

I wonder if everyone read through that one....Little girl is now officially Reese Avery Hall.

That makes it pretty real, huh?!

More coming later!

26 and soon to be 27 weeks.

We've heard more than our fair share of requests to see pregger belly again...kinda weird but its a uniform request among friends and family so we'll take another pic soon. Before we get into the holiday mode I wanted to update the weekly changes that baby girl is experiencing and we'll post Christmas pics next week.

26 Weeks:
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days. ADAM note......A hothouse cucumber? What the......?
27 Weeks:
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.
So there are the weekly updates...

Kim and I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. Take a moment to reflect on the reason that we celebrate and even in the midst of our economic woes...We are exceedingly better off that 95% of the world. Take time to nurture the blessings you have and more will find their way to you. We love all of you and pray for the best for each of your families!

Merry Christmas!!

I'm gettting a little better....I think.

This is a possible replacement header for a future blog re-format. We did the most recent one because I was jumping to do something new but I couldn't learn enough....fast enough. This is a little more in line with the initial blog look so I'm going to stock pile some backgrounds that are my own and I'll be able to change as seasons or events change. Lemmeno what you think! I'm pretty pleased with this because I'm not the most talented at this stuff and Kim seems to like this look. I NEED MORE PICS! So Adam will be snooping around with the little camera this holiday and maybe the bigger one later in the spring...hopefully.

We've decided....

I feel comfortable saying that Kim and I have finally decided on baby girl's name.

What I don't feel comfortable doing is posting it right now because Kimmy is asleep on the couch and she may "dream" something about her name and decide that what we've already decided isn't quite right for some reason.....ahhh the joys of living with a pregnant woman that already stinks at making decisions.

Another decision that we made tonight is that this was to be COOKIE night. Every Christmas we...or for some reason this has turned into I....make the Neiman Marcus cookies that take about forever to mix, spoon, and bake but we love them and I refuse to let this tradition die. Little bit will be 30 years old with her own kids before I let this one escape us. Kim helps some usually but she was flat exhausted from running around today (Yeah! She finally took a day off!). She bought everything for the Chili cook Saturday night and she got all of my cookie mixing stuff. She did her Glucose test, she went to the dentist, she did something else and even cleaned up a little in the house....she was also up at 11pm so as I type this post, she is slobbering on the pillows of the couch. Poor girl is out cold.

Well, with cookies done, Baxter having gone out for his last potty, Kim scaring off intruders with her low toned snore....I think the only thing to do is wrap up and show you the final product.

More posts will come before the day but I'm starting Chrismas week off with a big honking bowl of cookies and ice cold milk. Merry Christmas to me!

Countdown to baby girl's arrival!

Today marks only 100 days left! The countdown is on and there is SOOOOOO much to do. I have got to get busting on the baby room because I've been sort of dragging it out. We are getting carpet upstairs for Christmas to keep our budget in line so that whole process will bite since Kim can't move much but we need to pick it out...schedule a time....fix the squeaky floor...OMG!! Too much to do!

I also think "nesting" is starting. I don't know what it is...but I think it's started.

100 days to go, oh my lord. She's almost here.

Sunday Summary....Chuck turns OLD! and we're closer to a name.

Kim's folks stopped in for some lunch and for Chuck's Birthday...he turns 66 today and is pretty much confirmed old as dirt. Truth be told, Kim and I are jealous because we would love to be retired! I think ol' Chuck is hanging in there pretty good for 66. I could only be as lucky to be trucking along that well. We had a good lunch and Lance and Celeste introduced us to a word game that pretty much sucks if you don't get it and we didn't for nearly an hour. We'll have to spring this on some friends and family at some point because it will terrorize you until you figure it out.

Baby girl is doing good. She keeps kicking away and believe it or not....we've pretty much figured out which name we're going with. We ALMOST put it in the Christmas cards but opted not to because writing it down makes it semi-permanent. But we're pretty sure which way we're going.

We'll "unveil" it later on just to make sure that sleeping on the name doesn't change things.

Outside of that...we're just looking forward to Christmas break and then we're giving ourselves CARPET for a Christmas gift. (I mean really....how thoughtful is that ladies? Forget jewelry - Kim wants flooring and is happy about it.) We really need it upstairs if nothing else but to calm down the squeaky floors. We may do some more personal stuff in a few months just to get through some craziness around the first of the year.

Keep on praying for Kim and baby girl and have a positive week!

Weeks 24 and 25....

What a week! Kim and I have been covered up this week with bringing Baxter in, registering everywhere, and just normal stuff during the week....oh yeah, and there are rumblings of bad news at work so life is a little stressful ON TOP of baby girl coming and everything that comes with that.

The whole work thing is weighing heavy on the both of us because Kim and I have a lot of friends and contacts that I work with and the thought of either having to watch someone leave or be one of the guys that leaves is pretty tough. I get the feeling that there is some time between now and tough decisions so I hope I'm not being bold in asking for prayers for all of the people that I work with. Not necessarily for myself alone...but for everyone as a whole. I like the group, I like the company, and everyone there needs a job or we wouldn't be there. I know everyone will appreciate the thoughts and prayers because there is just so much of this going on right now.

Enough of the gloom and doom...we're going to keep up the pace with weekly updates so here is what the pros say about our baby's development:



Week 24 Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Week 25
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.



Should be a good weekend because I have a football game, Soccer Ryan is having his house warming party after that, Kim and I will register more stuff this weekend and this Sunday is Chuck's Birthday. Big stuff...but please keep your prayers for Kimmy and baby girl and the whole job situation as well. Thanks and love to all.

Quick update...

So far so good with Baxter being inside! This little guy has adapted so well and I am so proud of him. He's been inside with Kim for the past two days while she worked from the home office and he just chills inside and will pee outside when she lets him out. He has had a few little booboos in the garage but I'm ok with that for two days. Kim has really done an about-face on having a dog inside and thus far, little Baxter hasn't done anything but impress us both. This will really cause us to be closer to him and that's a good thing.

On another note, we went to BabiesRus tonight with Nan and Michelle to register for stuff. We still need to go to The Baby Store, Target, and Walmart and then add some stuff to the BabiesRus website as well. It was such a huge help to have Michelle there to tell us what works and what doesn't and I'm sure Nan enjoyed being a part of this as well. Kim HATES!!!!!!! to make decisions so Michelle's experience with each item was invaluable. Thank you so much! And thanks to Nancy for driving all the way from the Hoon to take part. We still have more to register for and this stuff is exciting but we both feel so unprepared. I think we're feeling a little scattered right now with the Holidays, Registering, Rocky passing, needing to buy Christmas, job stresses and worries, blah, blah, blah......Because no one else goes through this stuff right?

Among all the perceived stresses, God has still blessed us immensely and we're going to try to focus on the good things rather than the bad right now. Keep praying for Kim and baby girl! We'll post again soon.

We'll miss our little friend....

Sunday has been a sad day for Kim and I. This morning I went to give Rocky and Baxter their morning treat and Baxter was up and full of energy and busting to eat something, but Rocky didn't come up.

We've both been expecting this to a degree since Beagles don't typically have long life spans and Rocky was nearing his 11th year but he passed sometime last night. He ate just fine last night at feeding and was perfectly fine during the day yesterday. We can only guess that he had a heart attack or stroke in the night.

Rocky has been one of the best dogs I have ever had and he's been with Kim and I since we lived at Dorsey St. We will miss him and know that little Baxter will as well. We have decided to bring Baxter in now and see if we can get him to adapt. I gave him a warm bath this afternoon and he was as good as he has ever been. He has just laid around this afternoon which wouldn't be much different than a normal day. He'll stay in the basement at night and we'll see if we can get him to potty train to have him join our "pack". Rocky was awesome little dog and we will miss him very much. I hate days like this....I hope God takes care of our little friends that we lose during our years. We love you Rock...

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy 52nd Birthday!!

She doesn't look old enough to have a granddaughter does she?

Sunday Summary...Thanksgiving and the Holidays begin

Kim and I love the holidays and we got off to a good start with a 5 day "weekend" for Thanksgiving. Wednesday was decoration day...Meaning the pregnant wife couldn't lift a thing or tote anything down the steps. Mind you, I wouldn't have let her but I gave her some props because I didn't realize how much she helps me tote stuff around here until she can't. But the tree is up, the outside is lit up, and the rest of the house decorations are up as well. Thursday was spent eating with family, Friday we shopped and Saturday/Sunday we chilled here at home. Baby girl seems to be trucking right along because every night after dinner, she lets Kim know that she approves of the meal. Between 6pm and 9pm she practices tumbling inside Kimmy's belly and apparently the kicks are getting more intense because Kim jumps higher now.

I've been back in the nursery putting up the chair rail and we've backed off of the judges panel look just because of the size of the room. It just seems like it could get a bit busy in there. I've also emptied the closet so I can put up new shelving and take better advantage of the nook in the back. Pretty soon we'll be painting and ready for carpet after that!

Focusing a little more on the baby....We keep getting asked about names and we're sort of torn between two and can't make up our minds. I asked Kim if she wanted me to see what everyone thought using one of the little polls on the blog but she declined. Seems a little too democratic for such a personal decision. We have, however, polled friends and family and we've gotten mixed results when we've mentioned the names we're leaning toward. Some folks like both, some like one strongly over the other...some folks tend to forget that we're talking about our daughter and sort of snarl and voice purely negative opinions (if you're one of those people, we're potentially talking about my kid's name for Pete's sake. Be nice.) In the end we're just praying that we give this little girl the right name so that she isn't ashamed of who she is and is empowered with a sense of confidence. Maybe that's alot to ask of a name but hey...we're just trying to do the best we can. It's so much easier to name a dog. You sit back and say...MILO! And Milo sticks. But Milo could have some potential pitfalls in middle school and on job interviews. Oh well, we love you all and hope you have a great week. Just think, No more Saxby and Jim Martin ads after Tuesday!!!!

Oh, not that every article is comment worthy but we appreciate and look for comments all the time. For those of you that have left them...Thanks! For those that haven't...please take the time if you read or see something comment worthy. We really appreciate the feedback.

Weeks 21, 22, and 23

We're a little behind on the baby updates so we're going to lump three weeks into one post. Rather than ramble....here is the straight skinny from the pros:

Week 21-

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Week 22-

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Week 23-
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all of our family and friends, Happy Thanksgiving! Kim and I are so very blessed to know and love each of you and we're excited to introduce our little girl to you in the spring. This is a difficult time for many but we can all find something....in fact many, many things to be thankful for. It's always easier to complain about the lack of perfection in our lives than it is to be thankful for the smallest blessings. As all of you spend time with your loved ones today, just take time to thank God for the very opportunity to enjoy this day. Happy Thanksgiving!

On the move!

Tonight was a first for me....I saw her move!

I really thought that would freak me out a little but baby girl has just been kicking the heck out of Kimmy tonight. It's so amazing to see our little one bumping around inside of her. I under estimated the wow factor on this one. Kim has been feeling her alot lately but she seems to like salad and baked potato.....or she's ticked about it, one of the two.

Simple pleasures of an ecstatic Mom and Dad.

Sunday Summary...Birthday party for Mary and Thanksgiving week!

Thanksgiving Week!! It's here and the holidays are officially upon us. We love this time of year and more so than ever before, we need the distraction from economic gloom and doom. Kim and I are dedicated to making this Thanksgiving and Christmas about our families and being thankful for what we have. It's also noteworthy that this is our last holiday season by ourselves. That's sort of sad from a selfish point of view but Kim and I are so very excited about every Christmas from now on having a baby girl grow into a little girl and a woman with her own family eventually. Everything appears to be fine with baby girl right now because she's moving more and more and the baby bump is starting to show {grin} even more! Well, on to the run down....

We hung with family a good bit this weekend starting off with Uncle Lance and Aunt Celeste for chow on Friday night. Then we went to the 'Hoon (Calhoun) Saturday afternoon for my Great Aunt Mary's birthday party. Mary is Papa's sister and she hasn't been in the best of health lately. She has Alzheimer's to the point that she might know the most familiar faces one minute and not the next. It's so sad to see her like that but so many people turned out for her birthday party and it was good to see alot of family.

Papa Hall Version 2.0 with an exceptional smile.



Kimmy and Elizabeth

One of the big topics at the dinner was Kimmy and the baby. My family (by and large) probably thought that Kim and I were never having kids so we were sort of a novelty last night. Everyone was very complimentary of Kim's progress....meaning that she barely looks pregnant so that made Kim feel very good. Robbie (my little cousin) thinks that the Doctor is wrong and we're having a little boy. He told Kim and I that he was just sick to his stomach about us having a girl! That kid is a trip. Elizabeth (Robbie's big sis...obviously enough my first girly cousin) is very excited that we're having a girl so that she won't be the only one any more. And finally Grandmother Helen was just happy in general. I would probably draw up about being a Great Grand-anything but she's just tickled about it.

Grandmother Helen and my Great Aunt Essie


I caught Mom by surprise.

We tested names on everyone and we got 50/50 results. Nothing is overwhelming one way or the other so we're just using alternate names in reference to her around the house for a real world test. Just for shiggles I might poll everyone to see what the poll would say.

After that Soccer Ryan and Jenny (sorry Peggy...I didn't know if it's with an I or a Y) came down to spend some time with us. Ryan is jumping into the world of home ownership this week and closing on his first home Wednesday! Kim and I are very proud of him and this will be a good thing for him to break out on his own. Congratulations Ryan! We also need to throw out a semi-late Happy Birthday to Sandy (Kim's sis). She's probably like 50 something by now so Happy Birthday Sandy!

So Sunday was our typical chill day. Some Target Christmas shopping, Lowe's for some chair rail that I'll be installing in the baby's room, and a little yard work between football. We chatted with our neighbors while they were putting up Christmas lights outside so now I'm on fire for putting up decorations! This week will be a fun week because it's less work and more play and I know the Kim and I both need that right now. We'll post prior to the day but Happy Thanksgiving in advance to all of our friends and family. We love and appreciate all of you and just ask that you keep praying for Kim and our baby girl.

Blog changes coming....

In the next day or so we'll be unveiling a new blog view courtesy the awesome ladies at Cutest Blog on the Block. I won't take credit for anything other than picking the background with Kim and then asking the ladies to help design something for me. I've bought a few programs to be able to design some stuff down the road but we wanted to give the blog a little better feel pretty quickly so stay tuned.

Sunday Summary....Furniture, nursery work, and baby bumps

It's been pretty busy for us since we finally determined that we're having a little girl on Tuesday. I traveled the last half of the week but Kim and I both have been on name patrol. I'd have to say that we had the names licked if we were having a boy. We were thinking Aaden Benjamin or Carter somethingerother....probably Benjamin there too. Aaden or Carter...two fine names for a fine little boy. Well....God gives you what you need in life and we're blessed to be having a little girl instead. But.....we don't have names narrowed down so nicely as we did for boys. We have some choices but we'll wait to announce options until we've had time to think on it for a while.

We did, however, go to the Baby Store and order our furniture on Saturday. We ordered the crib, dresser, and a night stand. The crib will convert to a toddler bed, a daybed, and then a single bed as well and we bought the railings for that too. The crib/bed should last little girl for a while so I'm pleased with our decision.


This isn't the bedding that we like but I'll show you that as well. Let me tell you, from a rookie perspective on baby having, picking out bedding is a pain. You can't pick the frufru bedding, you can't pick the HOT PINK bedding, you can't go too pastel, but you can't be too plain either.

So we ended up deciding on a bedding called A la Mode. It hits all the right colors not being too bold or too soft, but even better, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg like some that we looked at.


It's hard to be manly and shop for girly bedding.

After shopping for baby girl in the morning...we went shopping for baby girl's room in the afternoon. The nursery projects have begun and whether she knows it or not, she'll have crown molding in her room because Daddy spent Sunday afternoon putting it up. We opted for these pre-made inside and outside corners that give things a little flair and keep me from dorking up the installation and it was surprisingly easy.

Before....

That dumpy fan is coming down too. The room looks a little plain but you add a little molding and guess what.

After....

I'm telling you, those little corner things are a life saver. It's hard to see here but they're about a size bigger than the normal crown and it will allow for some detail once it's finished. I didn't feel like coping corners today so I was real happy. The overall plan for the room will allow for new base mold, some wainescotting, new paint, and a closet refurb. On top of that, we plan to re-carpet the upstairs and tighten up the loose/squeaky subfloors. I'm doing most of this to hold down the cost except for the carpeting. Yeah! I love projects!! But this is ok since it's for baby girl.

And last but certainly not least...Nana and PawPaw finally make the blog tonight. (I'm giving serious consideration to requesting an exchange of PawPaw for something less....country...for our little one. We'll play that one by ear.) Nana, Pawpaw, and Aunt Celeste came down for some fajita eating and general catching up. I think the lake house may be closed for the winter so we're liable to see a little more of Nan and Chuck on the weekends now which will be nice. Uncle Lance was out getting bad guys or at least acting like it, so he didn't get to chow down with us but we didn't need instructions. We ate big, talked baby talk, I gave Chuck and Nan some older chairs that came with the house....thanks Scott and Shelly but they can use them more than I...and just smoked it over. Both Nan and Celeste noted that the baby bump is more noticeable so we decided to offer up the first baby bump photo tonight. Kim isn't always open to showing skin....you know, skin is the devil. So is fooseball. (Don't worry if that went past you....)

So here she is. Baby bump photo number one at week 21.

I think she looks beautiful.

It's official........

We have been blessed with a little.........

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!

This photo is aiming at what isn't there...our little girl was being modest.

The poll pretty much predicted it....Daddy's Little girl won out at 70% of the vote.

Weeks 19 and 20! We're halfway there.

I had somebody ask me the other day if I posted these updates from my personal knowledge of what was happening to Kim and our baby....Uh, no. I'm pretty much ignorant to all of this stuff and every week its just as new to me as it is to you. But here is what the experts say is happening to Kimmy and baby......

Week 19 - Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Week 20 - Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Sunday Summary...Flag football and naming baby!

What in the world was I thinking?

I'm 34 years old and not in necessarily in shape (albeit a blossoming cyclist) and I've signed up for a Flag Football league that starts December 6th. That being said, we had a little practice this weekend and I'm just a tad sore. As big as I am, I feel like I'm still able to do things that most wouldn't expect me to do, but man am I sore the next day. Holy smokes I hurt. I would rather ride any day of the week than run around chasing a football but it'll have to help my weight loss efforts and its too late because I've already paid to play.

After playing football for two hours Saturday, Kim and I decided it worthwhile to chill the rest of the day. My Mom and Dad (Future Grandparents) came down to do some shopping and they came by afterwards so we attempted to eat at Roadhouse Grill but the wait time was astronomical. When they don't tell you how long its going to take...that's a bad sign. We ended up eating at Taco Mac, came home, and then fell asleep within 30 minutes of getting home. Sunday started with my weary bones creaking from acting like I'm 12 but we got rolling and bought some wreaths for the upcoming holiday season to hang from the windows. We have some wreaths currently but they really stink.

I didn't take alot of pics to post but there wasn't much happening this weekend either. (Other than the Future GPs stopping in.) It's so nice to have a slow paced weekend again but the holidays are coming fast and the nursery project starts in some form next weekend. We find out Tuesday morning what we're having and Kim and I are so excited. We've got some names picked but I think we really need to know exactly what we're having so we can focus clearly. I just hope and pray that everything is ok. We're both so nervous but I think excitement is taking over at this point. For whatever reason, this will make the whole thing more real. Kim showing is making it real but finally being able to give our little one a name in the coming weeks is exciting. It appears that most are thinking baby girl based on the poll but I probably should have posted it sooner to get a better pool of voters. Eh well.

Keep the prayers coming and vote while you still can on our poll. We love all of you and thank you for all the prayers that have already been prayed. God has blessed us and we're just along for the ride.

Boy OR Girl?

Ok...so Kim and I go to the specialist next Tuesday (November 11th) primarily because I was born with a cleft palate and the OB-GYN just wants to take an advanced look at what's going on with little bit. I'll save you the details of what a cleft palate is and why we're checking for it but the nice side effect of getting to take a look at our baby is that we'll finally know what we're having!

No more ambiguous baby references like Little One or Little Bit or Peanut or Elmo.....we'll finally be able to say HE or SHE and eventually a decided name of course. Believe it or not....we have some keepers. So, since we have a week I thought I would develop some polling data. All you have to do is go to the right and check Boy or Girl....you can even track the poll and see where things stand so far. No long lines, no photo ID...nothing. Kimmy and I have this early voting thing down to a science but the poll will close November 11th at 8pm and by that time word will probably have made it around.

Thanks for voting!! We don't have any stickers that say "I Voted for Baby Hall" but we hope that won't deter you.

Sunday Summary - Halloween, Football, and more...

Kim and I love the fall and one of our newest fall rituals is to sit around our little fireplace on Halloween night to hand out candy. Lance and Celeste have attended the inaugural candy giving and now the 2nd Annual version....and man were we expecting a crowd since Halloween was on a Friday night. Encouraged by that fact, I felt like Kim was half out of her mind with the lack of candy the we had on Wednesday so she bought more while I was out of town. We got stuff for Smores, got logs on the fire, and settled in for some serious candy giving.....Yeah, we have a ton of candy left over. Halloween was a stinking bust. Probably 40 kids max. That might sound like a lot but neighbors assure me that in the years prior to the last two, you could hardly see the streets and homes resorted to handing out random items from the house because everyone run out of candy. Oh sure...we had a great time hanging by the fireplace. We had Mellow Mushroom pizza, smores, candy out the wa-wa, and the homecoming game for the Etowah Eagles could be heard pretty easily so we jammed out to the band most of the night.....but the stinking kids must have been at the game or so paralyzed by the economy that they stayed in (that was our neighbor's take.)


So toasty!

So Saturday was UGA and Florida going at it in Jacksonville. We lined up a sweet little party with Scott/Michelle/Addison, Daniel/Cathy/Emma, Scott's neighbor Mike, Ben/Sara, Shwan/Kelly, Lance/Celeste, and later in the day Ryan/Jenny stopped in....tons of folks....TONS of food....good friends and good weather......all this would have to equal a happy ending to this perfect fall Saturday. Mmmm mmmm. The dawgs got punished. Sad performance indeed. I mean I went all out with the tent, Scott brought brats and chicken, we had burgers, more snacky food than you could even touch. Cathy's gooey cheese caky thing was fan-freaking-tastic, and Shwan got all home town on us with Pumpkin pie and strawberry shortcake goodness. Ben and Sara appealed to my inner-mexican with a not quite seven layer dip but all of this friendship and fellowship....made for a pitiful game. We should just get together again and not center it around a UGA game. I didn't keep the camera close when everyone was here so all I got was a lousy picture of the tent on the deck. That was the only Bulldog thing that went even half way right.



Toward the end of the night, Addison decided to befriend Uncle Adam and at the same time nark out in my arms. What a sweetie. This is good practice for our little one.

Notice all the candy on the top of the fridge.....nice call Adam.



So then today, Kim and Michelle went shopping a some for preggy clothes and I stayed close rest up and watch even more football. The house was/is relatively spotless after our prep for the party yesterday so I didn't have to do a thing. I did find where the boys had made a GIGANTIC mess from the trash overflow....


This was after I raked up 90% of it.

After I cleaned that up, I rode my bike on the Tour de TowneLake which is a 7.2 mile circle around the house and it has been a goal of mine to break 30 minutes. It sounds easy right? Believe me, its a tough task to do this and Justin and I have been riding for weeks trying to break this time. Well, I had to take the pic because no one would believe me since I was by myself and no one will believe that the Cycle computer rolls off another 8 seconds but it does after you stop....either way, I present to you photo evidence of less than 30 minutes:


Booyah! I touched the driveway at 29:50

That's my biiike. (ala Forrest Gump)

So at the end of the day, this blog has more to do with our journey towards being parents than anything. All of this stuff is cool and having parties and watching football is fun, riding the bike to lose weight has a purpose, but Kim and I are unbelievably excited about our little one and every day I understand more and more what parents go through because I'm there now. Seeing little Addison trust you when you hold her. Seeing Daniel's daughter, Emma, tell you with excitement about finding something as simple as a shiny rock but to her....it might as well be a chunk of gold. We're ready now. I'm ready now. Kim feels Little bit move every now and again and that just blows my mind. Our little one is growing inside of her...that just doesn't compute for some reason. On the 11th of this month we'll find out what we're having and I'm excited but I'm worried too. The only view we have of little bit is one that essentially looks like a bean. Are the arms and legs there? Did my medicine effect anything? 10 fingers and toes? Is our baby ok? So many unknowns. I've never been forced to accept God...neither has Kim....but how could you possibly not believe in something far greater than you when this miracle is happening to us? Pray for us both. Pray for our unborn baby. Boy or girl....God already knows. HE already knows the trials and tribulations that this little one will face. HE already knows the triumphs and the victories....I just pray that Kim and I will be good parents and do all that we can to guide our little one in this world. The worries have just started....and we just want to know that everything is going to be fine.

We Have Movement!

Kim has been experiencing a little weird fluttering feeling in her stomach every now and again and it appears that this is becoming frequent enough to call it - baby movement! That is so cool. The baby bump isn't large but she is starting to show and now she is feeling our little one. AWESOME!!

Sunday Summary

I'm all the time looking at other blogs to get ideas for our own and I've seen titles like Wordless Wednesday...the theme being pics only with no blog or explanations for the day so I'm inventing Sunday summary which will sort of catch up the end of the week and give the wrap-up on our "hectic" lives.

In summary....I didn't do anything exciting this weekend. Kim had a sort of a girls night out Saturday with the Cartersville gang but I stayed back to watch the Dogs beat on LSU, I was supposed to wire up the stereo but I only found the strength to wire up the DVD that we bought in August....I just had to have that DVD player! I treated myself to some JD's BBQ and then narked out on the couch that Kim has been keeping under lock and key lately.

I was productive to a degree as I did ride for about 18 miles Saturday and that must have kicked me good because I haven't felt great since I got off the bike. I was able to secure the CFO's nod to purchase Photoshop this weekend (I'm only kidding honey...) but loading and using the program in order to make our blog all flashy will probably take all winter. I'm tinkering with the camera all the time so I can be ready for those cute baby photos that the entire family will be looking for once 'little bit' arrives but now I'm needing ideas on how to pitch the necessity of a DLSR camera to the board. I'm thinking Christmas but with budget cuts at the Hall Corp. I may have to shelve the camera until spring/summer timeline. The new little pocket camera is just that....a pocket camera for those everyday run of the mill photos. You gotta have the mac-daddy for baby portraits and the cute little hold still moments....right?

There are some events coming up this week which include our 2nd Annual Sit out by the street with the chiminea and hand out candy for Halloween Event....already a hit in its inaugural year, the event has been brought back with s'mores on the menu and hateful kids that just walk up and hold out their hands for free stuff. I don't mind the kids with manners but I take issue with the brats that walk up with the Walmart plastic mask and demand candy with nothing more than an "Umph". At least pay me the respect to ask for a Trick or a Treat. Eh well....Then Saturday will be the UGA v. FL game hosted at Casa de Hall. No formal invitations will be sent so please drop in for some chow and football.

Man, I have alot to do to the house before then. Alrighty...Keep prayers coming for Kim and baby and I'll be posting more later.....Maybe on Wordless Wednesday.

Weeks 17 and 18

Week 17 - Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop


Week 18 - Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Pregnant Woman Chillin'

She'll stroke that I put this on the blog.....hehehe

Happy Anniversary Kim

I have lived a charmed life because Kim has put up with me for 13 years on October 21st. We've been through the best of times and some of the not so best. But despite my flaws, Kim loves me more than I deserve and more than I could ever give in return. What a wonderful wife, friend, and soon to be mother. You are a blessing. I love you.

Good Weekend

An Apple Festivus for the rest of us!

Kim and I had a great fall weekend and I'm pretty bummed about going back to work tonight. From a sickness standpoint....we're getting so much better than we were. I'm very pleased that Kim had a good Sunday because we ate like garbage yesterday at the Apple Festival and I fully expected for her stomach to bother her today. I started the apple festival day off with a corn on the cob which sounds a little strange but the corn is fresh, they have awesome seasoning, and it's just my thing. We then shared a bloomin' onion with Lance and Celeste and ate some of their peeled potato chips. THEN, Kim got a fried pie and I took on a fried pie with ice cream. All of that was with intermittent shots of fresh apple cider. Sooooo gooooood. I was looking for Brunswick Stew but my guy hasn't been there for the past two years and I'm to the point that I think I'm going to find my own recipe and make it for one of the menu items when we host the UGAv.FL game.

We left Ellijay and drove to the Cherohala Skyway in Western North Carolina hoping to see some fall color. The peaks of the mountains (around 3500 ft and up) were beautiful, but I think the leaves need another week or so. Kim didn't show signs of being car sick until we were already down the mountain and the little winding road from Tellico Plains back to Blue Ridge proved to be a little much for Kim and Celeste toward the end. We powered through some chow at O'Charleys and that ended the 10,000 calorie day for us both. (Hopefully we didn't eat 10,000 calories but we ate a lot of food Saturday....I forgot the Family Traditions biscuit that started the day for all of us.)

For whatever reason, Sunday's have been bad days for Kim but today was another perfect day. We didn't kill it and we didn't sit on it. We just got some stuff done that was still lingering from painting the office and I worked a little around the house. Like I said, it was a perfect fall weekend.

Monthly Visit

I had my monthly check-up today, and all is well with Mom and the "little one". I was able to hear the baby's heartbeat again today, which still blows me away. I could literally sit there and listen to the heartbeat all day. While listening to the heartbeat it kept making different noises and the midwife said it was the baby moving around. It won't be much longer before I will begin to feel the "little one" moving in my belly. Adam and I have truly been blessed and we are so thankful for this little miracle in our life!

We were finally able to make an appointment with the specialist for NOVEMBER 11th, and should be able to find out the sex at that time!!! Needless to say, we are SO excited and the 11th can't get here soon enough...then we can stop saying "little one" and say he or she! :)

My biggest craving right now is Chik-fil-A strawberry milkshakes...I just want to be sure I'm getting enough calcium. :)

I believe we have decided on the furniture posted on the blog. We should be ordering in the next couple weeks since they say to allow 8-10 weeks for delivery.

Stay tuned for more updates....

Our First little ones...

We wanted to give our boys a Blog time as well. Baxter is under the planter and Rocky is laying by the grill. How could you not love these little guys? If a fire truck comes by...you can listen to them howl and start to dislike them a little but all in all, they're good boys.

Dawg Love...

It wouldn't be right to not show some Dawg love as well. We painted a little something in the basement a couple weeks back......before all of the madness of the living room and office began. This is basically a projected image on the wall and TONS of tape. I think it looks pretty good for a rookie.



The basement is a work in process and still needs some serious attention but it's not really getting all of the time that it needs right now. We have tons of UGA stuff and general sports stuff to hang and I need to install some new baseboards but hey...its the basement so it'll be ok. I've also got UGA standing watch over the yard with the flag in the background.



Oh and by the way, our yard that just happened to get (I have to brag a little) Yard of the month. I'll not say another word about it...until I get it again : )
Kimmy's sweat made this possible....God love her. The yard isn't in top notch condition but no body has a super green yard with the lack of rain. Little Bit will probably never have to cut grass because Daddy likes it too much.

PAINT!

So this is what the living room looked like about two weeks ago....the walls were painted with a sanded paint and then covered with a glaze in order to cover some booboos and give the walls a bit of a suede look. The idea was great but the color....a golden mustard...eh, not so much. A year after moving in we finally got motivated enough to change it and this is the final product:



We also did the office but in a bit of a darker color...you can hardly tell during the day but it is a little darker (almost looks yellow in this pic but I promise it's not). We turned the desk around, put up new blinds, painted the windows, scraped the windows...OMG I'm sick of painting.



But while we're sharing, the Dining room looks pretty sweet too....we painted this room back in the spring but it hasn't really gotten alot of coverage since we don't really have a "formal" dining set. This room was a deep red with a white bottom when we moved in and the top is now more like an Olive color and I opted for an off-white to soften the blow a little. Yeah, Kim and I are done with reds in the dining room.



Next up, the nursery or the hallway/kitchen. I love to paint. No seriously!