It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

A lot of time has passed since my last entry, so let me give you a quick rundown of what has been going on in our lives.  Towards the end of November, we traveled back to Indy and had a great time staying with our friends Brian and Raendra.  On that Saturday, Brian and I headed up to South Bend to see Notre Dame play UConn.  The Irish ended up losing, but it was a very entertaining game and was the first time either of us had been to a football game there.  While we were at the game, Raendra had a very successful baby shower for Martha.  Quite impressive for only a couple of weeks notice.  Thank God for good friends!  It's hard to believe it has been over a year since we moved to Illinois.

Also, over the past couple of weeks I have been broadening my resume.  I have tried my hand at becoming a handyman while replacing our well pressure tank and installing a water softener.  I really felt like I channeled by inner Bob Vila (which is code for turning a 1 hour job into 8 hours or so).  My good friend, and Illinois State Trooper, Jeff let me try my hand at police work when I spent a Saturday riding along with him on patrol.  I learned a lot of things I think I can use to avoid speeding tickets or domestic disturbances at trailer parks.  Likewise, I was able to show Jeff than you can, in fact, measure the speed of a flying bird with his LIDAR.  You're welcome, my friend.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Quinn over the coming weeks and that inevitable life change.  We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Extreme Room Makeover

Well, it's not really extreme, but we did do a little more work on Quinn's room. It was a difficult balancing act between being too plain, and having it look like Mr. Bubble threw up on the wall. We used vinyl decals from dalidecals.com . They were pretty easy to apply and we were pleased with how they look. Check out the pics.

What's in a name?

This year seems to be flying by and preparation for Baby Tammany is in full swing. We have barely started a baby registry, and I must admit that I'm a little overwhelmed with the choice of baby items. Neither of us have much of a clue on what items are necessities and what we can do without. Please feel free to offer advice on your "must-have" baby supplies.
Along with registering, we have been trying to decide on a name for our son. Tonight, I entered our first names into a baby name generator and it told us our perfect baby name was Tavares. We have decided to shun the name generator and choose a name that we have liked for awhile. I really wanted a somewhat uncommon name, and possible something Irish, since I have bit of an Irish heritage. With that in mind, we have decided on Quinn, which means: counsel, wise, intelligent, or 5th. All of you other expectant parents can enter your names in the generator and see if you get something better than Tavares.

Find More Baby Names

Sedona, Arizona

This post is overdue, but I wasn't sure how to make a slideshow.  Anyway, these are a few pictures from our vacation to Arizona in September.  We went with my parents and sister to Sedona, Arizona.  It has some of the most amazing rock formations you will ever see, along with a lot of strange people.  If you need some fresh crystals, worship rocks or are just in need of a vortex experience, book your trip to Sedona today.

Welcome to my Crib

My parents recently purchased us a crib for our new addition. (Thanks again!)  I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly we were able to assemble it and, at the same time, it is very sturdy.  My faithful assistant Malcolm was nice enough to be in the photo for some size orientation.  Martha would like everyone to know that the baby's room is not yet decorated to her desires, so expect more pictures to come. 
Speaking of "the baby", we have not yet chosen a name.  We have a few we are considering, but nothing is jumping out at us so far.  However, if we share a name with you that we are considering, please pretend that it is a great name even if you don't actually like it.  A little positive reinforcement goes a long way it coming to such a big decision. 

Congratulations You're Having a.....

The final votes are in.  According to the poll, 9 people thought we were having a boy, 3 a girl and 1 thought twins.  This morning we found out we are having....(drumroll, please).......a BOY!!!!  We are very excited, and Martha was even more excited to find out that she is further along than we thought.  Her due date was bumped up to Feb 9th, rather than the 18th.  Here are the first shots of our son.

Countdown to Sonogram

Tuesday the 29th is the big day for when we find out if we are having a boy or girl.  I guess I always just assumed that most parents wanted to know what they are having.  However, it is interesting how many people are trying to convince us not to find out ahead of time.  In my opinion, that just adds more stress to an already stressful time.  If you like surprises that much, you should tell the doctor not to give you an estimate on your due date.  Now that would be fun.  Speaking of fun....place your vote on what you think we are having.  The true results will be posted in a few days!
   

Vacation In Arizona

Martha and I spent a relaxing week in Phoenix, Arizona visiting my family.  It was long overdue, as it had been almost 2 years since I had seen my parents.  We had a lot of good family time with a day trip to Sedona, shopping and spending time with our fast-growing niece and nephew.  We also ate a lot, like any good vacation, so the kids weren't the only ones growing.  Martha and our sister-in-law Amy were both working on their baby bumps, with Martha finally starting to show.  We had a great time, but as usual, wished my family lived closer.

 

Martha, Amy and Grant

 

Lauren and Justin

Must Love Dogs

Be careful about petting strange dogs.  This guy followed Malcolm and I home from our walk and decided to camp out on our front porch.  He even barked at people going by the front of our house.  I'm glad our house gives off the "make yourself at home" vibe.

 

This was the best shot from yesterday's photo shoot with Malcolm.

So this is blogging...

Today, I finally decided to take the plunge and attempt to blog.  Probably for many of you reading this post, I have been virtually stalking you by reading your posts on a frequent basis.  I am now returning the favor.  I have my doubts that my life is exciting enough to post very often, but judging by many blogs I read, doing an entry every week is not a prerequisite. 
This week, Martha and I invested in a new digital camera.  Malcolm and I may do a photo shoot today to get some pictures on the blog, if I can pull him away from staring out the window and barking at joggers.  Saturdays are so rough...