Outings

From Random Thoughts

We had our first over several outings this weekend, minus the trip home from the hospital. Unfortunately, no pictures this time.

Our friend Dan came in to town from Minneapolis to see Evan and hang out with his family who live in Iowa. Evan was not phased by the car ride, lunch at Zio's, a quick trip to First National Bank and a stop at Best Buy to be an external hard drive to store all the new and future photos.

Liz's mother and sister, Joy and Ally (Grandma and Aunt), spent the better part of yesterday with us and took Evan in the stroller around the neighborhood. He was very well behaved and awake a majority of the time. Joy told me she was providing commentary on the route and explaining the colors of the houses and the view to him. Mark (Uncle), Ally's husband, stopped by for a while in between meetings for work and had lunch with Evan.

Last night, Dr. and Mrs. J. Chris Bradberry hosted the student leaders from the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions at their home for the annual appreciation dinner. Liz and I both needed some time away from the house, so this was a great opportunity for us. Evan knew something was different as he was somewhat fussy before we left and while we were there. Overall, he did really well for being 6 days old. We are so lucky to have a great baby and everyone was excited we came with Evan.

There will be more pictures to come as we take more and get them off the camera. Evan will be a week old tonight. His first bath at home is also coming tonight, so that will prove to be interesting.

Home and Resting

Shawn, Liz and Evan are home and resting well, sort of. Days are quiet as Evan seems to think this is the time he need to be sleeping. Nights have proven interesting as the last two have brought on very high-pitched cries. We run through our checklist each time, but to no avail. I am guessing his little tummy is full and he is having trouble working through it. Last night, Liz sat in the rocking chair with Evan and I laid on the nursery room floor with a blanket. Nights are very hazy for us, but I am certain we can get things turned around.

This week as absolutely flown by as we seem to be working through each day with a new experience; feeding, burping, changing of diapers, sleeping on Evan's terms (for right now), laundry, fitting 3 meals in, staying ahead of work as much as possible, updating photo albums for family, and the list goes on. This is way more fun than I ever imagined and I cannot wait for all the great experiences to come.

I continue to take a ton of pictures and will continue to post them for everyone to see. There are NEW PHOTOS in the Evan Michael Cook slideshow, so please go back through them if you have visited in a while. I will continue to post photos there as I get them off my camera and onto my computer. Please pass this blog onto family and friends as I will continue to update stories and photos here. Facebook also is another great place that I am putting updates as well.

My goal is to visit work a few hours next week. We will see how that goes. If Evan keeps up his daytime sleeping, going back for a few hours will not be rough on Liz. BUT, that all depends on how this weekend goes.

Happy Friday. TGIF. We almost have one week down.

Evan Michael Cook

He's here! Evan Michael Cook decided to make his appearance on Sunday, March 15, at 6.27 p.m. He weighs 7 lbs and 7 oz, and is 21 inches long. He has blue eyes, light brown hair and "Liz's nose." All grandparents and siblings have been to visit and ALL are very excited.

We are doing our best to get some sleep while we are hear at the hospital. Liz will be at Methodist Hospital through Thursday. I will be in and out, but will have my phone....hoping the battery holds out. Photos will continously be uploaded in the screen above as we take them, so continue to check back. They will continously cycle...enjoy!

Waiting Game

Well......we continue to wait. We just visited the doctor and his final comment was, "Well, we will see you next week." De-coded: thank you for your co-pay, make an appointment on your way out with the receptionist and you still have a long way to go. So, I continue to believe my original prediction that March 21 is probably closer to reality for a due date.

Liz and I are both frantic at work because each day could be the last we are there (not due to the economy, hopefully, but rather if BBC comes). Looks like we have another week of work ahead of us.

Getting ready to relax over the weekend. Liz is out to dinner with friends and a friend of mine is coming over to hang out tonight. The chair is in, so Mark has graciously accepted to pick it up for us. Thanks for all the phone calls and Facebook postings over the last few days. I will post information here if things come up over the next week.

Happy St. Patrick's Day early.

Dancing with the Stars

Another year of Dancing with the Stars begins tonight. There has been a lot of lead up to this year's group, but I will be honest, none of them really are exciting me. However, I would like to say that Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks are my early standouts. I am bias though since I am a country music fan. AND, Steve-O from Jackass, really. I bet he doesn't last passed the 1st round. Can't wait to see how the season turns out.

BBC and Liz are doing great. More of a waiting game at this point. He did a full turn yesterday which was crazy, but the doctor says everything is on track. March 17 is one week away. I think Liz is ready to be done so she isn't uncomfortable all the time. We will post things as they change.

Lowering the Drinking Age

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I received this video from my fraternity newsletter recently. The former president of Middlebury College is a Lambda Chi alum. 60 Minutes featured this story in a recent episode which I recorded by my DVR erased because I didn't watch it soon enough. The professional assosication I belong to (NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) is also a strong supporter of lowering the drinking age as Dr. McCardell is describing it in this video. My thoughts are mixed, but I am glad this is being discussed and debated in an open format.



Tuesday's random thought. The Bachelor, what is that all about? I felt sorry for Jason last year because Deanna pooped on who I thought was a nice guy. I also felt sorry for Deanna 2 years ago when that other guy dumped her, but the producers really have done it this time. That will teach me to get roped into a TV show that is made up from the beginning.

Weekend thoughts

March, in like a lamb. A wee bit of snow on Friday night, but still considered February. I bet the people out east wish March was coming in like a lamb. So, the end of March should be interesting since it is supposed to leave like a lion. Time will tell.

Happy Birthday to a load of people, my Aunt Roxanne today, my Uncle Jim tomorrow. My brother-in-law Mark on the 4th, my Aunt Bettie and I share a birthday on the 10th and my cousin Krystal on the 18th; big 21 this year.

As the weekend wraps up, we are watching the Best of Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell. Absolutely priceless. "I got a fever, and the only cure is more cowbell." The best skit SNL has ever put together. Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken, that is all that needs to be said.

2 more weeks to go. We are right on schedule and everything seems to be going well. Liz is feeling good. The doctor told us we were on track and on schedule. If we have the little guy, I will post photos here with the name. Speaking of the name, what a hard decision. As Liz said the other day, "It is forever, so we have to get it right."

Enjoy the week. As the late Paul Harvey would say, "Good day."