It's been a long time...

So the bad news is that I haven't written anything in more than a month... The good news is that there is more than a month's worth of occurances to write about.

So let me start with "Hooray! It's a boy!". I honestly would have been happy either way as long as the kid was healthy, but deep down (or perhaps not quite as deep as I think) I wanted a boy. Unfortunately, I was on a business trip during that ultrasound, but was also reassured to know that he is doing well and is about 15% bigger than expected.

Athletics, academics, girls, emotions, problem solving, what it takes to be a good man, I have experiences and insights in these areas to share, and that means it is easier to envision what I will spend time doing with him. Down the road I do look forward to becoming a strong father for a girl as well, but it is nice to start with the kind of young mind that I know. Also, let's face it, I still like a lot of the things little boys like to do and it'll be nice to have an excuse to do them as an adult.

On the homefront, the second trimester is MUCH happier for Austin... she has a glow, has a lot of energy, and our time together is wonderful. The searches to start outfitting our house with baby gear have begun in earnest. We have reduced our list to about 80 things that we need and are searching Craigslist and Ebay in earnest to get what we can. Right now we are shooting for anything that is 50% less than the best we can do for an equivalent new item and Austin has had some success.

Austin is feeling movement of the baby now, and I may be able to feel it externally too, though I am not really sure. Breathing, stomach rumblings, and baby movements all feel the same to me right now. Everything at our Dr. visits has been positive, and nothing really scary has happened on our end, so we are very pleased and excited about the way things are going. We are debating between a green safari theme or a blue ocean theme for the room, so feel free to weigh in with your opinions in the comments section.

The coming week is our trip to the Dominican Republic and the longest vacation that I have taken since I started my career. It will be great to see my whole side of the family and great for the both of us to get a chance to relax and enjoy ourselves. I can't wait!

I will try to get back into writing more often now.

-Kevin