Brendan Hall

Been there Done that, Got the T-Shirt

2009-05-24T19:25:00.004-05:00

Memorial Day weekend provided Brendan with his first trip to the aquarium. Maybe not the greatest day to go with the mass amount of people that had the same idea. While it didn't seem like he was totally into it, there were times when we could get him out of the stroller that he really enjoyed what he could see.

Here he was looking at a small penguin that was outside of the gift shop. He also got into a pair of otters that would do hot laps around their habitat, and seemed to always pop up out of the water where Brendan was.

The aquarium also had a full Black Footed Penguin exhibit that you can see Bren was getting into.

We're still holding off on taking him to the Zoo because we want to be able to take him when he can enjoy seeing the animals.

Dinner after the trip to the aquarium saw Brendan's alter ego...Cheese Ball. We have quickly found out that the boy is not just loved by us, but by anyone that lays eyes on him. Whether we're in a store, or out to eat, people are ALWAYS stopping and telling us how cute he is. And he knows it because he never fails to shine his big smile and cheese it up for whoever. Thus the nickname.

At Joe's Crab Shack our waitress fell in love with him, and was constantly stopping to see him. Soon other waitresses were following suit. One even dragged the manager over. The manager left, and soon returned with a free t-shirt for him.

Obviously Bri and I know he is cute, but it amazes us how many people stop and comment on how cute he is. And it's genuine, not just "oh look a baby, isn't he cute move along with your life", which makes us feel really good about what we created.

Now we get ready for another plane ride with the boy to Vancouver so those that didn't get to see him in November...Katie and Rachel...will get to meet him.

Ivory and Mobility

2009-05-03T15:50:00.003-05:00

Life as we knew it...for all of six months...has changed.

In the span of a couple of weeks Brendan has learned to be able to sit, he has figured out the coordination involved in crawling, and tooth number one has FINALLY made its appearance.

Hang on...gotta pull him outta trouble again....alrighty then.

His sixth month check-up found him in the 70th percentile or above in both height, and weight. Which also meant we were able to ditch the baby carrier and go to regular car seats. Which would also mean he's sitting in shopping carts, and high chairs.

The days of midnight feedings have also become rare, never mind last night when Bren decided to act like a 3 month old and needed a 3:00am feeding from his ill father.

It's safe to say we've exited the period where all he is is a cute baby to hold and entered the time when he's a cute baby to play with. And he loves to play, especially with anything that is not considered his toys; like remotes, cell phones, and laptops.

Brendan has also gotten into a bit of a routine, whether it is during the week, or the weekend. He's in a new daycare twice a week where there are few kids, and he gets the attention he deserves. Although not for long, Elmo can grab his attention when Elmo's World comes on. We've also subscribed to the Baby Channel on DirecTV, which he will watch on the weekends in the morning.

Now we wait the next adventure...walking.

A Baby Story - Brendan

2009-02-15T19:37:00.003-06:00

The first Saturday after Bri came home from the hospital her and I had our first chance to go out to dinner together while Brendan stayed home with Nana Pam. During this dinner we found ourselves reflecting on the experience we had just gone through. While yesterday (Valentines' Day) marked the one year anniversary of the day we received official confirmation that Bren was on the way. I thought now would be a great time to share the reflections Bri and I had.

The Friday before Valentines Day last year I arrived home to Bri handing me a Purdys box. Which struck me as odd because I could not for the life of me figure out why she was trying to give me a box of chocolates that were nearly already eaten. As it turns out the box was just a box, but what was actually inside wasn't chocolate but something that would theoretically change our lives.

A positive home pregnancy test. I believe the first of I don't know how many Bri went through that day either from trying to be sure, or just the pure joy of seeing something other than a negative test.

That following Thursday we made our way to the doctor's office to get the official word, and possibly see Brendan for the first time. On the way there Fergie's song "Clumsy" came on the radio. I don't know if it's the fact that song has a catch beat, and hook, but I will always think of that day when I here it.

So my expectations going in was that Bri would take another pregnancy test, then we would sit in Dr. Diggs' office and he would give us the results, and set the plan for the next eight to nine months. You know like you see in the movies, or on a TV show. Not the case, our confirmation actually came from one of the nurses, and it was delivered nonchalantly.

Through the next several months there was the clothes buying. Getting his room ready, prenatal class, and many nights toward the end where I slept on one third of the bed, while Bri, and about ten pillows got the other two thirds.

Of course who can forget the baby shower at our house with the remains of Hurricane Ike skimming past us.

I will admit the entire process reminded me of Christmas growing up, and now. I'm sure everyone remembers when they were kids how the days before Christmas dragged, and it seemed like that day would never come. But now, one day it's Thanksgiving, and the next day you're cleaning up after Christmas.

I remember looking at the calender and thinking nine months will take forever. Eight of those months did for the most part. But then before I knew it, we were coming home from the hospital.

I knew the summer would drag, because of the heat. Though when football season rolled around it would start to roll, because that's just how time is during the football season. (If you are a football fan you understand this premise.)

As the days drew closer Bri kind of knew that she was probably going to be induced. Selfishly I was hoping we could do it on a Friday so I could get another day off on top of the two weeks I was taking to begin with. But Bri being a nursery nurse, and understanding the scheduling doctors have, and when it was better to schedule said early in the week was better. So Monday, exactly one week before the actual due date would be the day. This would allow her mom to get here and be here for a few days before we went to the hospital.

Of course I think they set me up when they planned her flight for opening night of the hockey season, and at the time the Avalanche would be playing no less, with us getting home in time for the Canucks game.

Bri had one more doctor's appointment scheduled for that same day.

At work, and on my way to lunch I turned on my cell phone with a text message waiting for me from Bri asking to call her immediately. As it had turned out she had protein in her urine which required her to go over to the hospital for further tests, and also opened up the possibility that induction might happen that day.

It ends up being one of those calls where your mind is racing, and decisions aren't really made. What we did decide is that the moment she received word she would call me on my cell phone. Normally I'm not suppose to have my cell phone on at work, but under the circumstances I was allowed to have it on, on vibrate, and if need be slip into a private place to answer it.

This put me into an awkward situation where my mind wasn't on work, and I was basically twisting in the wind waiting for an update. Add to the fact I carry a two-way radio during the day that also vibrates, and it led to an interesting afternoon. Though I thought the day would drag, the next two plus hours blew by.

No sooner had I gone on break that Bri sent me another "call me now" message. Dr. Diggs decided that she was only days away from her scheduled induction, and since she was already there they might as well move it up. He also took Pam's flight into consideration and wasn't going to start the process until about 8:00pm.

Now while I could have stayed at work the rest of the day, and not missed anything I still had unfinished business to take care of. Bri's unfinished business that is. Her plan after her appointment was to come home and finish cleaning the house, and get her mom's room ready. So now that fell on me, along with getting her's and my bag ready. So yes I took full advantage, and left early.

I also knew that she really had no chance to stock up on magazines for her stay. So I had to also suck up the strange look I got when I went through the Wal-Mart check out with Cosmo, and US magazines.

From the time I got to the hospital I had that uneasy, eager feeling. There was nothing I could do but be patient and wait now. Eventually my parents had made their way to the hospital, and my dad and I would then head off to the airport to surprise Bri's mom. For all Pam knew she would see two faces when she arrived, Bri's and mine. Well obviously she would know something was up when my dad's face would substitute for Bri.

Only when we got to the airport, where I thought I had parked close, we found out her flight was more than a half hour late and as it turned out I parked farther away than where I thought her gate was.

I think Pam was thrown off a little by my dad's presence, but figured out quickly what was going on. Before I go on any farther, let me explain that the fact I missed the Avalanche game is not the biggest tragedy that Bri's labor caused. No it was the fact that Pam brought the normal cab fare - Tim Horton's doughnuts, and they wound up not getting eaten because of the situation. Yes we wasted Tim Horton's doughnuts, give me a moment here.

OK

Through all of this Bri was beginning to progress rapidly, and it seemed like only a matter of time. After a quick trip home to get some warmer clothes due to the hospital's idea that 50 degrees is not cold enough, I returned to find Bri really starting to go through the pains. The pains were beginning to really cinch in, which meant it was time for the epidural.

Now the epidural is something that has been performed many times with success. Yet you know one wrong move while it is being inserted can really change one's life for the worst. So there's still that worry. The one thing they tell you as it is being put it is to not move, and stay still. So as Bri is having her's put in she happens to be going through a contraction, which I thought was the needle going in, only to quickly find out it wasn't. As it was being applied Bri flinched because it had sent a strong sensation down her leg. This in turn earned her a reprimand from the anesthesiologist. Once she got it in, her contractions were much easier to take obviously.

Eventually I dosed off on the couch since she wasn't 100% dilated. About five in the morning I got a nice little shove from our nurse, Tonya Thompson, telling me Bri was ready. Figures I don't have to go to work, yet I'm still woken up at five.

I will never forget that feeling waking up, trying to get my bearings straight, and realize I'm minutes away from being a father. Except minutes turned in 60 minutes which I wasn't concerned about. But then that one hour began to multiply in the three, then four hours as Bri continued to push.

Throughout that marathon session that Bri fought through I felt the ups and downs of anticipation. Every time Dr. Diggs walked into the room I thought 'this was it, it's happening now'. Only to see him walk back out because it really wasn't time.

The problem was a prominent pubic bone that Brendan could not get past. What made it worse is because of the mass amount of time between the epidural being administered it was beginning to quickly wear off, which led to a small power struggle that saw Dr. Diggs outright tell the anesthesiologist to change her dosage cartridge.

The epidural also produced a fun power struggle between Bri and Tonya, with Bri trying to drag me into. The epidural is much like a morphine drip. It's set up to give a certain dose in certain intervals. However if you feel the need you can press a button to get a little extra juice. While Tonya was trying to limit this so that Bri was not completely pain free (for those that have never been through this, if you can't feel anything period, you pretty much lose the feeling of pushing, so you have to feel some pain). It got to the point where Bri was trying to get me to do her dirty work. Which I wasn't getting involved in.

What was not a struggle was the decision to go to a vacuum, which looks like a large pair of scissors with a suction cup attached at the end of it. When that decision was made the room came alive. Dr. Diggs took a couple of tries with the vacuum and was having little success. The next option was the forceps which we wanted to avoid even though Dr. Diggs has a great reputation for using them well. By this time there was a shift change. Because it was Bri several of the nurses from the night shift stayed, including Tonya. The nurse taking her place, Monica, may have helped avoid the forceps.

After she had unwrapped them the exchange between her and Dr. Diggs looked like it could be seen on a football follies video. They completely fumbled them to the floor which meant they needed to get another set. While that set was being retrieved, Dr. Diggs gave the vacuum one more try and it was a try that would bring Brendan into the world.

Within all of this my mind is again racing, I couldn't really tell you by name EVERYONE that was in that room. But I remember Staci Byrd coming in, stating she wouldn't look. One of the images burned into my brain of that day was seeing Staci out of the corner of my eye peaking in.

There is also the famous quote from Pam as Brendan's head became visible, "Where did the brown hair come from."

I remember thinking that I probably wouldn't cry, but just have this perm-a-smile throughout. But as I looked at Bri, and looked at our just born son, I couldn't help but cry.

I also thought I would have both cameras going the entire time. But I barely got either out.

Both Bri and I were finally able to get to sleep a little after noon. Both of us were tired, and aside from my hour and a half nap I had been up since 5:00am the day before, and Bri wasn't too far behind along with the fact she never tried to take a nap after she went into active labor, and before she began pushing.

The hospital experience wasn't what I was hoping considering I was looking forward to Starbucks every morning. Come to think of it I don't think I've EVER seen Starbucks at the hospital open.

But the experience I did enjoy was the one that involved the birth of my son.

Rolly Polly Loves Hockey

2009-01-29T19:16:00.002-06:00

Clamoring for an update...thought so.

We've learn a couple of things about Brendan in his first three plus months. One we love him to death, and two he LOVES hockey. And I'm not saying that because I've put him in three different jerseys, and there's still one he hasn't worn. It never fails if we have a hockey game on TV, and he's awake, he'll sit there and watch with intent.

OK, I don't need the lecture that he just likes the movement that he sees. Let us enjoy the fact our half Canadian son is watching hockey!!!

This is from this past weekend during the NHL All-Star game, notice the fact he almost fits into what is considered a 12 month infant jersey.

Brendan is really growing up and down. We are looking at 6 month clothes right now, in fact he fits in 6 month stuff now the way he was fitting newborn stuff when he was first born.

He has also been enjoying his daycare, and ever since we put him in, we've notice him even more active, and a little more "talkative". Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond ours, and our provider NaTasha's control we are having to look at other options.

Actively he is moving. Maybe a few weeks ago Bri mentioned he had rolled from his back to his stomach on the bed. He had not done that since...that is until about an hour ago when he did it three times on the floor.

We are also praying his teeth come in soon. He has been teething now since before Christmas, and it kills us every time he unleashes a rage out of nowhere when the pain hits.

With that I'll leave you with this little stat involving the Superbowl...the first Superbowls played in Bri's, Brendan's and my life all involved the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dwayne - Super Bowl X - Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17
Bri - Super Bowl XIV - Pittsburgh 31, Los Angeles Rams 19
Brendan - Super Bowl XLIII - Pittsburgh vs. Arizona

So what do we have to say about that?
GO BRONCOS!!!

Brendan's First Christmas

2008-12-26T10:42:00.001-06:00

Vancouver was White, Mansfield was warm, and Brendan Slept

2008-12-26T09:41:00.004-06:00

...Now it's really been a long time since I last posted...minutes. HA!

With grandparents aplenty, Brendan celebrated his first Christmas asleep. No kidding. He was awake enough in the morning for us to go through his stocking, then slept while the rest of us opened presents. We figured no problem, he'll be awake when Grandma and Grandpa Hall show up, and we can open his presents then. Two o'clock rolls around and they shop up and guess who's fast asleep again...

Yes we know it won't always be like that.

Finally around five he woke up enough we finally opened up his gifts. Ranging from toys to a couple more hockey jerseys.

While his first Christmas was non-eventful in some respects, we are looking forward to the years to come when instead of sleeping, he'll be awake by 3:00am trying to wake us so he can open presents.

We did establish one thing though...the boy knows who the Denver Broncos are. If we have something Broncos on the TV, like a couple of DVDs Bri got me, he would watch as intently as I was for short periods. He will also do that if we have hockey on.

Speaking of hockey, here is one of his jerseys. We are confident that Brendan may be the only infant in the US with a Canucks infant size third jersey. He also got a Team Canada jersey.

With Pam and Norm here for Christmas Brendan has gotten plenty of attention. Norm being Norm (at least he remembers Brendan is his grandchild this time around) he has referred to the boy as...she...with quick correction from three other voices in the room.

All in all it has been great having them both here in the screwed up weather of Dallas Texas where we've had freezing days followed by nice mild days, and the chance of thunderstorms mixed in. Versus the massively white Christmas being experienced in Vancouver. Mr. Stowe they to thank you for shoveling their driveway.

Also if you are wondering where more pictures are, I will try to get a slide show going on the side bar from Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Brendan and his parents.

Brendan Goes to Canada

2008-12-08T18:48:00.005-06:00

I know, it's been a while and little has been added to this blog, blame it on the economy.

Brendan got his first trip to Canada and finally got to meet Grandpa Norm, and Uncle Jason among others.

The first question we get when it comes to the trip was how he did on the airplane. Like he was suppose to be terrible on the flight. Come on, this is our child...HE WAS PERFECT!!! I can't say that enough. The only person that was remotely fussy was me after the gate attendant at DFW Airport decided to be an A1 Bitch, and that's putting it nicely. In contrast the attendants in Vancouver were extremely nice.

As far as why he was great, Bri did a good job going to Vancouver timing it out where he ate while we were taking off, and landing. Coming back he sucked on a pacifier.

His reaction to his first bit of cold air was priceless however as his eyes popped wide open when we got outside of YVR.

The trip nearly cost us a vaunted American Airlines $25.00 second back charge due to the mass amount of swag the child raked in from friends and family.

Norm of course got his first taste of his grandson, then briefly forgot who he was. The Friday night we were there Pam had a get together so people could come meet Brendan. While one of Bri's friends was holding him, Norm had come around the corner and made a comment on "their" baby. He was quickly reprimanded, and reminded that was HIS grandson.

The trip as a whole was fun, it allowed us to gather a couple of hard to acquire Christmas presents for Brendan that we'll never find in Dallas, and are hard to track down online...more on those when I start writing the Christmas blog...in a couple of minutes.

Passports, Broncos, and Feed Me More

2008-11-02T18:13:00.006-06:00

Officially Brendan will get his first trip to Canada over American Thanksgiving. In order to bring him across the border he requires a passport, which involves passport photos. Imagine the enjoyment of waiting in line behind several Mexicans who must have passports for the American born kids, THEN, having to try and get Brendan awake so his eyes are open for the picture.

As difficult as it could have been we actually had a very patient lady at the passport office who told us there had been couple who took a couple of hours trying to get their babies to open their eyes.

Thankfully we only needed about fifteen minutes to get Brendan's eyes to stay open for a picture.

With that out of the way, the fun comes with taking a newborn on an airplane for the first time with all the added difficulties that go along with it.

For the first time we finally dressed Brendan in Denver Broncos stuff. What a friggin cute little kid!!!

Unfortunately since his birth the Broncos are 0-3, and are playing like the franchise did in the 60s.

Yeah, he took the loss to the Miami Dolphins hard, but not as hard as dad did.

We've also passed over his first Halloween. We had plans to go out and trick or treat with him, however we never got a chance. But that doesn't mean the boy didn't get dressed up.

Next up is his first Thanksgiving, which again will take place in Vancouver, not long after of course will be his first Christmas.

Brendan's appetite has become big. He's usually taking between 3 and 4oz of formula a feeding, and occasionally he's fussed after 4oz, and has gotten a couple more. Normally a newborn will take between 2 and 4oz.

Bri unofficially weighed him at the hospital earlier in the week and with clothes on tipped the scales at 9lbs 5oz.

As the days have gone by he has changed from the day he was born. More and more he is staying awake a little more, and when he is awake he is WIDE awake, and a couple of days it's been in the middle of the night!

The Boy Grows

2008-10-25T23:13:00.006-05:00

Two weeks ago yesterday Bri and I celebrated what we agree is the best day of our lives when we brought Brendan into the world.

He came in at 7lbs 6oz, and left the hospital 3oz lighter. Well that was two weeks ago, yesterday he weighed in at 8lbs 2.5oz, and added just under an inch to his height.

We've been told that he is perfect by our pediatrician and that we can't return him.

So far he's been to a couple of youth soccer games, his first trip to the mall, and multiple visits to the hospital...to visit.

More and more he's been flashing a smile, usually in his sleep. He's also been caught chuckling in his sleep a couple of instances. He's also earning himself the reputation as a snorter.

The reality of his being continued this week when the first piece of mail addressed to him showed up yesterday in the form of his Social Security Card. Which we put into good use in getting credit to buy a new boat......

.....Kidding :p

He's also set for his first Halloween. After much debate we finally decided to go ahead and him a costume. He'll be going as a tiger, and he'll put those cute looks to good use when we take him trick or treating at the hospital.

As for the past two weeks and our entrance into parenthood we would be lying if we said it's been a piece of cake. Certainly we've had our frustrating moments with him, as I'm sure every parent has had with their newborn. But the kid is so cute it's easy to let go of that frustration instantly.

Tonight Bri and I did get a chance to go out and leave Brendan with Grandma for a couple of hours. It gave us a chance to look back on his birth for the first time. One thing that needs to be said is how she handled the whole situation.

It had been thought by some that she would be a nightmare during labor. If how she was is a nightmare, I'll take it!!! Bri was incredible throughout, and I'm not just talking about labor. From the first day we knew she was pregnant to the end she handled herself better than could have been expected. She was strong throughout the labor process, and really showed her drive during a marathon four hour stretch of pushing.

If anyone wants to doubt my wife don't forget she's Canadian, and like any Canadian hockey player she sucked it up and held tough, and I love her, and respect her for what she went through. Not to mention she did it going on about 20 hours without sleep.

Oh yeah, that picture above is Brendan in an Avalanche jersey, we put it on him just prior to his one week birthday, the Avalanche got their first win of the season, and haven't lost since.

Would you Like to Shed a Tear?

2008-10-15T21:08:00.003-05:00

Among the people that we had in the delivery room was Kari Crowe who has known Bri pretty much since Methodist Mansfield opened. Kari worked with Corr Images which had a contract to photograph the post delivery for the hospital. Unfortunately the contract between the two was allowed to expire at the end of September.

Maybe one of the greatest gestures we had was both Kari and Cherie Strader offered to be in the room anyway, on their own time, to give us this same deal.

Kari was at the hospital for a majority of the marathon that was Bri's active labor. Which was VERY early in the morning.

Below is a link to Kari's blog site. If you scroll down past the first batch of pictures, you'll find a slide show of Kari's work just past 9:25am October 10th. It gives you an EXTREMELY good sense of the early moments of Brendan's life.

Please don't hesitate to check it out.

Also to Kari, thank you very very much for being there, offering your time to put together an unbelievable piece of art.

Not only look at what she did for us, but some of her other work. She is an amazing photographer that is now on her own trying to start her own photography buisness.
http://www.karicrowephotography.com/

First Few Days Home

2008-10-14T10:56:00.005-05:00

The running joke during our time at the hospital was the fact Bri's scheduled appointment was still going. Well she went in to see Dr. Diggs at 11:00am Thursday, and it didn't end until about 2:30pm Sunday.

In with her purse, and out with a diaper bag and this little guy below.

Home in time for his first Broncos game, which he slept through...the ENTIRE game. We all figured at some point he would awake hungry...guess not.

The last day or so he has continued to eat more and more. He's up to plowing through an entire 4oz ready made bottle.

This is the basic gist of the pictures on my camera right now. Brendan sleeping away the day and night. Here he's in his lamb swing just hanging out.

We've had one unfortunate incident so far in our first trip out of the house. We didn't see a single person look at him. WHAT THE !@#$!!! How can no one at least take a glance at him. Maybe the felt like not intruding on our privacy, yeah we'll go with that.

As it goes, Brendan gets his first trip to the pediatrition's office today for a weight check. His first obligatory visit to Babies R Us, and who knows what else is in store.

Also contratulations to one of the guys in my fab shop at work, Robert and his wife Angela who gave birth to their first child yesterday afternoon.

In the Words of AC/DC....ARE YOU READY!!!

2008-10-09T21:28:00.008-05:00

Friday - Oct. 10th, 2008 - 9:25am cdt
Please welcome...from Mansfield Texas, weighing in at 7lbs, 6oz...BRENDAN THOMAS HALL!!!

After 4 hours of pushing, and a pubic bone complicating matters, Brendan finally arrived kicking and screaming into the world. Dad has about an hour and a half of sleep in the last 24 hours, Mom out did him by staying awake the entire time.

Did dad cry? YES.

One hour later the room is full with guests, all but one grandparent (NORM, learn to fly!!!) Chris and Pryia, and of course the nursing staff at Mansfield Methodist.

Thank You to Dr. Diggs who was awesome throughout the entire process from the initial doctors office.
Also to Tonya Thompson who was there nearly every step of the way in the delivery room.

WOW!!!!

Friday - Oct. 10th, 2008 - 2:28am cdt

The progression continues, Bri has moved from a 4 at last check to a 6, and she is fully effaced.

A nice 15 minute nap kinda rejuvinated me, along with the lastest progression.

Bri's hanging in there perfectly with co-workers visiting.

Friday - Oct. 10th, 2008 - 1:18am cdt

Basic labor continues. Bri's water has been broken, and four of five in the room remain awake, except for sleepy to my left<<<<, which brought up the discussion that I resemble my dad when I sleep....alrighty then.

The epidural has been administered, after a bout with heavy contractions. The water was broken prior to that, which means she is and remains at a 4. We'll get an update on that in about an hour.

As the night has progressed, and Bri's need for a cool room comenced, it became apparant that shorts would not to the trick. Thus a run home for long jeans, and a couple of other things. However the all important cell phone was left at the house...DAMN!!!

In reality the boy missed out on the opening of the NHL season, specifically an Avalanche loss to the Bruins, and a mandatory ass whoopin' of the Flames by Alex Burrows, and the Canucks.

Thursday - Oct. 9th, 2008 - 9:28pm cdt

We are currently hanging out at Mansfield Methodist Hospital, Labor and Delivery room #1. Grandma Pam was a half an hour late and got a good surprise when instead of Bri and I, it was Grandpa Don and I...Why, cause Bri has been admitted to the hospital, and instead of inducing Monday as planned, hows about the opening night of the hockey season (0-0 Avs/Bruins 19:00 left in the 1st).

There you go...PROOF!!!

So any and all plans with Monday's scheduled induction have now been tossed out of the window since we are going today.

Bri's current state, we'll go with pretty damn happy with mom here. She's dialated at a 3, and working towards a 4 at which point the doctor will come in and break her water. She's feeling a lot of pressure, especially in her back. With that I should probably give her a hand, and ease her pain.

I'll try to keep blogging until the time comes to worry about other things.

As Promised

2008-10-04T21:38:00.007-05:00

We have for the most part finished Brendan's room, and yes we have pictures...

The obvious theme in his room is the "Peek-a-boo" Winnie the Pooh. You can see the wall hangings above his crib around his name. We were originally going to use letters from Babies 'R' Us, but when we went to get them they were clean out of "R"s. So we found a company on the Internet that could give you letters any size, thickness, and font.

If you look towards the bottom right, you'll see a football. It's in his room and one day it will actually be his. But that is a Superbowl XII football when the Broncos lost to the Cowboys. It is signed by a number of Denver Broncos. It was given to me from my dad, and will continue to be passed down to Brendan when he is old enough.

Here is a good look at his crib all dressed up thanks to Chris and Pryia's gift. This is also a good look at the new paint job with the border. Yeah, needless to say the boy may have nightmares of Winnie the Pooh characters staring at him :).

It's strange in one sense to think this was my old Sports Room, however there are still remnants of it remaining as apparent by the Canadiens rug, which sits next to the Avalanche rug.

Other remains from the sports room are the panoramic framed picture of Mile High Stadium, which when the boy is tired of looking at Winnie the Pooh and friends, there's John Elway and friends. Toward the left is the baseball collection with a Colorado Rockies collectible bat from the 1998 All-Star game, along with three baseball's, one thrown to me by former Rockie Ellis Burks, and two we got in one game in Houston. One came from, soon to be former Rock Brian Fuentes which he tossed to me, and the other is one handed to Bri from fellow North Delta grad Jeff Francis.

Again we would like to thank everybody who has gotten us something for Brendan. Every gift will be put to good use. It is also starting to hit home more that in just over a week the occupant of that room will be here.

Mark a calender, any calender

2008-10-02T17:37:00.002-05:00

Dwight D. Eisenhower, John Wooden, Ralph Lauren, Usher, and Brendan Hall. What do they or will they all have in common?

All born on October 14th.

Officially Bri will go in October 13th at 5:30pm and we believe the magic will happen sometime after Tuesday morning.

The new and probable date has a couple of funny coincidences. First and foremost while the boy's room is decked out in Winnie the Pooh, it so happens that the original book debuted on October 14th, 1926.

Grandpa Norm's favorite musician, Elvis had his "Jailhouse Rock" released on that same date in 1957.

The great Wayne Gretzky scored his first official NHL goal against....the Vancouver Canucks in a 4-4 tie at the Pacific Coliseum on October 14th, 1979, mmm, Brendan's mom was a mere 7 months old at the time.

Oh yeah, let's get one in for daddy...the Colorado Rockies won game 3 of the NLCS over Arizona 4-1 on the 14th. If the kid wants to hold out another day, he'll be born on the one year anniversary of Colorado's first and only National League Championship.

Now obviously induction doesn't necessarily mean the date is a done deal. The boy may decide he can't wait, and put mom into labor over the weekend. Obviously we'll let you know if that happens.

So again to recap, we'll be watching "Chuck", and "Heroes" on the second floor of Methodist Mansfield Hospital Monday Oct. 13th.

Yes pictures of Brendan's room are still to come, we're almost done.

Like an Oncoming Truck

2008-09-21T11:18:00.003-05:00

Time flies when you're having fun, and unfortunately time is running out to prepare for Brendan's arrival.

Q - But aren't you guys a month away still?
A - Maybe not.

Upon completion of this past Thursday's doctor's appointment we have found out the boy is as big as his dad when he was born....6lbs 6oz. Which as you think about it means he will be much bigger when October 20th rolls around.

What does that mean? We may be looking at induction soon after Grandma Pam arrives on October 9th. That possible iduction day may be October 13th.

For anyone that came last Saturday for the baby shower, his room looks nothing like it did then. In fact you would think a tornado hit it. But that's only because we finally got around to painting the room...ok I got around to it. (Pictures upon completion).

As for his induction into being a hockey fan (remember he's half Canadian, it's not a choice, it's in his blood) Brendan has an Avalanche, Canadiens, and Canucks jersey all on the way. But not long before he's on the way.

Baby Shower and Ike

2008-09-14T09:54:00.005-05:00

With great fury, Hurricane turned Tropical Storm Ike barely glanced off of Dallas-Ft. Worth bringing just a few rain showers and a decent Kansas like breeze. But nothing to hamper or take the shine off of Brendan's baby shower.

Bri and I would like to thank everybody that attended, and especially Stacey, Tania, and Jennifer for everything they did to make it happen.

Also give Bri a lot of credit for the work she put in helping to get the house in order, including the mammothly quick task or re-doing our garden, although her job on that was more finger pointing.

I believe the only complaint if it can be considered a complaint was the mapping technology of Mapquest and its ability to turn people around in our area since it's a somewhat new neighborhood.

In all we had fun, and enjoyed the company at our house, and look forward to everyone stopping by again when little guy is here.

That said, following yesterday's shower of gifts, we continued to fill in today thanks to the afore mentioned Babies R Us sale. We were able to acquire some other somewhat high dollar essentials like the Pack And Play, and baby monitor, along with a swing.

So now the wait continues, and enters its final month. It will definitely go fast for me at least with football season having begun. And any football fan knows this time of year blows by quickly because of that.

We are within a month of Grandma Sumner arriving, albeit on a bad night. I mean come on, opening night for the Colorado Avalanche, and her plane arrives at face off time. I think this was an elaborate plan by the women Sumner myself ;). But I can't complain, she should be coming bearing Tim Horton's Coffee, and the entrance fee into our home...Tim Horton's doughnuts.

Again thank you to everyone who came to the shower, and if he could, Brendan would thank you for all the gifts, we certainly do..

Baby Shower Nears

2008-09-07T20:08:00.002-05:00

We are now a week away from the baby shower and still plenty of work to do. Looking forward to seeing what we get for Brendan. Of course as life has evolved so has the concept of the "Baby Shower". From an all mom and her female friends get together to a somewhat more common co-ed shower. Though I'm not exactly pumped for Saturday, it gets me out of working a Saturday, and I'm sure as we go through the gifts I'll be more excited about it.

It also helped that it falls on an off week for Colorado Buffalo football.

Now if we were to go by our gift registries it would seem that one person might actually show up for the shower. But being realistic, certainly there are other gifts that people have bought.

Ironically both Babies R Us, and Target have put on massive sales at the right time, so take advantage.

Meanwhile extreme signs that we are close continue to pop up. Dr. Diggs has informed us that if Bri goes into labor after week 34 he will not try to stop it. Guess what...Week 34 begins tomorrow (Mon 9/8). Bri has also been looking at pre-me outfits, not because she feels he will come that early, but to point out to me that Brendan can fit in those clothes NOW!!!

As far as getting ready for the hospital, and all that implies, we may have more bags to take into the hospital than we would take on vacation. OK, maybe not that bad. But figure our "labor bag", "post partum bag", lap top, and cameras, and we will be loaded for bare.

Also with the continued rise of Mansfield, the shopping strip across from the hospital has taken shape with a coffee shop, a hamburger place, and a decent deli, so there will be plenty of places to go for those that come to see us at the hospital.

But, that is still about six weeks away and can not get here soon enough.

Brendan's Baby Shower Sale, Now at Babies R Us!

2008-08-26T18:51:00.005-05:00

Announcer (car salesman like): Attending Brendan Hall's Baby shower? Clueless as to what to buy? Scared to pay a lot?

Babies R Us has the answer starting this Friday. It's the Brendan Hall Baby Shower Sale, only at Babies R Us!!!

Don't hesitate to make your way to your local Babies R Us for ten dollars off all play yards, ten percent off all baby monitors, and fifteen percent off all bedding sets over one hundred dollars. THAT'S RIGHT fifteen percent off the Pooh Soft & Fuzzy bedding set on Brendan's gift registry.

The savings don't end there, take fifteen percent off all diaper bags, you'll save so much money you can buy both bags on the registry for mom AND dad!.

Playtex infant feeding or bottle accessories....FIFTEEN PERCENT OFF. And don't forget to help mom and dad fill the custom made Denver Broncos boppy pillow cover with ANY boppy pillow, ALSO fifteen percent off.

Shop early on labor day, the doors open at 8 AM!!

It's the Brendan Hall baby shower sale starting this Friday at Babies R Us, you'll save so much money you can donate to the Brendan Hall SCHOLARSHIP FUND!!!

Disclaimer: All afore mention savings require a coupon, online coupon codes available on the side bar under Baby Registry Info. Unsure if actual circular with coupons is available in store.

Registered to be Showered

2008-07-22T20:10:00.003-05:00

The boy requires swag, and we have registered for said swag. Feel free to click the links on the side bar to see what the kid wants.

As was the case when we got married, we were looking forward to registering, and scanning anything and everything we wanted.

This obviously was not our first go around in the gift registry game. Aside from our own wedding registry a few years ago we were asked to join Chris and Pryia Peters on their scanning for Ethan, and Stacy Byrd's trip through Babies R Us for Sydney (the day before Ethan was born).

One lesson we did learn from Chris and Pryia is to keep up with both of our registries daily so we are not blessed with two or three bath tubs.

I know the common worry when shopping off of some one's registry is not knowing what to get. As much as gift cards are welcomed, don't hesitate to just get whatever is on those lists because we are asking for them.

Information on the baby shower will be posted later. I can say it is in September.

Finally for those scoring at home...we are in the FINAL trimester!!!

Almost Called It

2008-07-17T20:35:00.004-05:00

"The running joke is now that the Broncos are scheduled on the due date, we're wondering if the Canucks will come to Dallas on the 21st, before continuing a road trip to Denver to play the Avalanche on the 22nd. Sure enough that would mean the Avs would be here in Dallas that Friday the 24th."

Scroll down, and you'll find that exact quote from me after the Broncos schedule was released revealing the fact Denver would play on Monday Night Football against New England on Brendan's due date.

So today saw the release of the National Hockey League schedule with prime oppotunity for either the Avalanche, or Canucks playing Dallas, or each other around October 20th.

The possiblity of the Colorado Avalanche being in town as Brendan is brought into this world is a very distinct possibility now as they make their first of two trips to Dallas on October 18th.

While any other year I would have that circled to buy tickets, especially being a Saturday. But that won't happen this year and for obvious good reason. I mean imagine the scene:

Second period, Marty Turco has already been chased from the net with the Avalanche rolling behind a Burnaby Joe hat trick and my phone rings with the following message...

Bri - Hey, it's time.
Dwayne - WHAT!
Bri - it's time.
Dwayne - Time...2:13 left in the second period, how's everything at home?
Bri - No it's time as in baby delivery time.
Dwayne - What, I can barely hear you, did you say Sakic is delivering tonight?
Bri - NO MY WATER HAS BROKE AND THE KID IS ON THE WAY!
Dwayne - Water?...oh...OH...can he wait til the end of the game?

Yeah I don't think that scenerio works out well in real life.

As for the actual due date of the 20th, Colorado goes from Dallas to Los Angeles. Meanwhile the Montreal Canadiens host Florida, and the Vancouver Canucks are in between dates with Chicago and Columbus.

In other news, Bri did have a check up and another sonogram today. The sonograms did not come out very good, thus the lack of any proof here. The bouncing baby boy, is bouncing in at over 2 lbs and doing fine.

We will also be posting baby registry information this weekend. The baby room is already coming along with the crib and dresser set up.

And finally in two weeks begins back-to-back Saturday's with prenatal classes with valuable information for me, and what will amount to a nearly free delivery for Bri when the hospital bill comes which is without question one worry we are glad not to have financially.

So to recap...Avs may grace us with their near presence when Brendan arrives. We will soon let you know what to spend your money on. And finally I will get to see the gory birthing video...gigity gigity gooo, alright!

Stimulating the Economy

2008-06-14T16:51:00.003-05:00

Take a wife who is pregnant, add that to a government in fear of a recession, and the final result is a shopping spree that might make some blush.

With the U.S. government sweetening tax payers bank accounts free cash entered the picture at the right time for Bri and I. Consider the kid well dressed with a sturdy bed and dresser that will last. THANK YOU GEORGE W., now go back to finding 'tara'.

Never mind the hutch, and the 6-drawer dresser in the picture, and that's a simple idea of what we found, and will have in Brendan's room. With much debate the argument of free money equals buying a better crib won out.

Further more if my wife was not impressed with me before hand, she is now after I personally moved BOTH large furniture cartons into the house on my own.

Before the furniture adventure in Ft. Worth came the clothing mad scramble in Grapevine.

Think of your weekly trip to the grocery store. You have a checker, and in most cases someone else bagging your food. Followed by a receipt that equals a tree. Now transfer that thinking to Carter's in Grapevine Mills Mall and that was the scene.

Want more of an idea of the fun we had, a coupon we had for a certain percentage saved us nearly $75.00. End story is Brendan will be the best dressed infant on the block. We're already turning girls away at the door ;)

Now of course I've already put my effort in to dressing the boy with Broncos and Rockies gear. However I'm resisting any hockey for the time being, meaning no Avalanche, Canadiens, or Canucks right now. That's too many teams for different people to fight over who he should cheer for. I'll intervene when he says he likes the Maple Leafs, or Red Wings.

So on that note we move into the second half of this journey.

Boy Oh Boy

2008-06-01T20:25:00.000-05:00

With the first pick in the 2027 NHL draft, the Detroit Red Wings select...Brendan Hall!

Yeah I know a couple things jump out in that sentence. Is 2027 the correct year, and how do the Red Wings get the first pick in the draft. Come on, Red Wings suck, and do you really want me to degrade the Colorado Avalanche or Vancouver Canucks and say they will be so bad then that they have the first pick.

Or did the fact I'm proclaiming my SON, twenty weeks shy of birth will be that great of a hockey player. Or just the fact that you just popped on here and the whole color scheme has changed among other things. That said pretty easy to see what we are having right.

Upon initial examination the child already has one lesson coming his way - cooperation. In a breech position Dr. Diggs was unable to any clue as to blue or pink...hockey gear or a shot gun.

Upon a secondary examination (note actual terminology has been replaced to protect the innocent) "Daddy's got his wish," gushed Dr. Diggs. Which had me thinking he had found a good way to find what we were looking for. That thought was quickly replaced by the fact I realized he meant daddy as in me.

General consensus among the predicting many was a girl. Those that said BOY were in the minority which had me beginning to believe I would have a "daddy's little princess".

So a BOY it is, and the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies merchandise stores are happy. Even more we can look at, and buy clothes for HIM.

Obviously the ultimate dream for me is that HE makes it to the NHL. But if HE decides to be a doctor, lawyer, or even a plumber so be it. The BOY is free to be whatever HE wants to be. Right now I'm just looking forward to that day in October when my SON is born. HE needs to get here in time for that Broncos/Patriots Monday Night Football game on his due date.

Aw yes, that first Broncos game, me with a beer HIM with a bottle of formula.

All the thoughts a soon-to-be dad with a BOY on the way have entered my mind from taking HIM to baseball games, showing HIM golf, or taking HIM to hockey practice.

So with this all said, let us return to the old wives tails I ventured to discuss awhile back and remember the last thing I wrote there.

IT'S A BOY!!!

It's Alive....ITS ALIVE!!!

2008-05-19T21:33:00.003-05:00

As we close in on the halfway mark reality is really starting to set in that something is living inside of Bri.

The kid is already very active, giving Bri a nice kick today which I subsequently told her to kick it back :).

So of course I have to take a feel tonight and sure enough there is something in there and it is moving. Which it apparently has come to enjoy given that every sonogram Bri takes at work the kid is all over the place. Could that equal a boy...mmm, tune in June 2nd.

We've also read that the child has attained the ability to hear. Sorry Canucks fans...Let's go Avalanche! By the time I'm done the kid's first words will either be "Red Wings Suck!", or "Go Broncos".

Although I am still waiting for confirmation that this child is truly mine. The only true test I can think of is if the kid flips the bird during a sonogram. Of course he/she needs to pull his hand out of his mouth before that can happen.

Now understand all these sonograms she has taken they have yet to totally identify if the child has plumbing going in or out. Though every nurse that has given her one has their ideas, of course since we pay none of them, their ideas don't count.

What will count will be the one we have on June 2nd when Dr. Diggs performs the big one, which will be followed by me purchasing either a shotgun, or hockey equipment. So if you're curious that evening log onto here, and you'll have no problem telling.

Scheduleing Conflicts

2008-04-15T19:52:00.005-05:00

So it is probably well established that daddy Dwayne is about as big of a sports fan as there is. And with a due date of October 20th for Bri there is no doubt some sporting event of importance would land on that night. Figure that the NHL will have begun, a possible World Series run for the Rockies again this year, and of course there is the Denver Broncos.

So there it is, the Denver Broncos schedule has been released and look at that, they play Monday Night, October 20th at New England.

The running joke is now that the Broncos are scheduled on the due date, we're wondering if the Canucks will come to Dallas on the 21st, before continuing a road trip to Denver to play the Avalanche on the 22nd. Sure enough that would mean the Avs would be here in Dallas that Friday the 24th.

So no question anyone reading this is thinking; 'where are Dwayne's priorities going to be?'

Good question and a simple one thanks to, one...the invention of the television and its subsequent use in hospital rooms far and wide. Second the invention of TiVo, and the fact one wound up under the Christmas tree last year.

But who are we kidding anyway, that'll be a Broncos win without question right? After all the Broncos have lost just once to the Patriots since 1983.

However the schedule makers of the National Football League did do us a favor with a bye week following the Pats game. So our future Broncos fan's first game will probably be November 2nd when the Broncos host the hapless Miami Dolphins. Of course we continue to wonder if the clothing of choice for the baby will be a jersey onesie, or a cheerleader outfit.

In the meantime the child has now been pseudo exposed to altitude with our recent visit to Denver. Unbeknownst to the kid he/she's been to a pair of the Rockies games, an Avalanche game, through downtown, and a short adventure into the mountains above Boulder. With that Bri also found herself exposed to altitude, but pulled through just fine, tiring quickly most days but that was to be expected. Her joy came Wednesday when snow graced the mile high landscape.

Oh in case you're still wondering, Bri has made me aware of my priorities regardless of sporting event.

Old Wives Tales

2008-03-27T21:02:00.002-05:00

So finally papa got to see a real live sonogram, and thus the reality of what will come in October was clear. The kid is bouncing that's for sure. With that out of the way our next sonogram will come at the 20-week mark. This will be the biggest one by far because it will be the one where we find out if we’re buying blue or pink.

But we can not wait that long so; we tried some old wives tales that we found on the internet. The final result...let's just say we're as unsure as before.

We tried the thread and wedding ring trick...it went in circles. That one is pretty accurate right? One place we read it says that means it's a boy, another says a girl.

I asked Bri to show me her hand...palms up says boy, palm down is a girl. What if she shows it like a high five?

There is a trick with the mom picking up a key. If the mom picks it up on the key end it's a girl, and the round end, a boy. She picked it up by the latter, which as Bri said; "Don't most people pick it up that way?"

Then there's a mug test. If she holds it by the handle that's a boy, and by the body of the mug means a girl. She held hers by the body, which says little seeing as if you hold something the same way all your life does that really tell you anything?

Early morning sickness and a baby’s heart beat at or above 140 beats a minute says you're having a girl...check and check. However craving salty and sour foods along with meats say boy...um check and check.

So bottom line we'll just have to wait until the end of May when we go in for THE sonogram to find out if we're having a Brendan or a Camryn.

Oh but there is one thing...if the mom is looking beautiful during pregnancy that means a boy...

I guess I can by the boy a Jay Cutler jersey when we go to Denver ;)

Texas and snow

2008-03-08T19:06:00.004-06:00

So many times we encounter situations where we have given advice in the past, yet in dealing with the situation first hand do not follow said advice ourselves. Everyone had done it at some point in their lives.
Last week saw our first nervous scare in this pregnancy, though a bit more of a scare than what has happen to others who have asked Bri about it. Anyone who knows us probably knows what happened and with that I will not go into details. Thankfully all is good, and she is back to work although taking it easy still.
So as it was this past Thursday was to be our first "official" sonogram. That of course was thrown out the door less than a week earlier when Bri had no choice but to see the doctor who gave her a sonogram that day to make sure the baby was doing fine. He again gave her another one the following Monday on a follow up.
So taking off work early Thursday I had it in my mind that I would ask the doctor to act like this was the first time. Except as sleet fell in the DFW area I find out the appointment was cancelled due to the weather.
So let's review: Wife is from Canada, husband is from Colorado and the media in DFW is totally blowing the winter like weather out of proportion as though a blizzard hit town. Please, if this city saw a foot of snow in a 24 hour span it would shut down...or as we found out Thursday in sleeting conditions. In Denver or Vancouver we probably would have made our appointment with little discussion of the weather.
So Friday turns into the day Bri must return to the doctor, more now to see if she can get off of bed rest. Of course another sonogram is performed and daddy Dwayne is left out.

So there it is, the...third sonogram. As you can see from the image it isn't very easy to pick out, but we have been assured there is a baby in there. Bri says the heartbeat is strong (which means it's a Broncos fan ;) ). At the time of this sonogram you can see it was just over 1cm big. By now it should be about 1.5cm, maybe larger.
Bri also received an "official" due date during her visit last Friday. Circle October 20th on your calendar for that. Leave us a message as to your guess with an hour of the day and we might just take the closest person out to dinner some time.
Make mine October 22nd between 1:00pm-2:00pm.
We have another appointment scheduled toward the end of March which I hope to actually attend and see what this alleged sonogram thing is. Until then may the morning sickness continue...for her.

Is it October Yet

2008-02-24T09:07:00.002-06:00

So the news is out, and everyone knows, and now the wait. For me at least. Bri on the other hand has to deal with it differently as you might guess. Really when you look at it the nine month wait we now have to endure is much like the wait in 2005 when we got married. In fact that was days from being exactly nine months.
My excitement about being a dad is still there, but I've let it tone down some. No need to get overly out of control now eight months from d-day. Like I do with most long waits I look at the calendar and break down the time with other events that require a shorter waiting period. Call them checkpoints if you will. But when you live in Texas there are three months in the year that no matter what will drag...SUMMER.
More so this year since Bri will have to deal with the heat and being pregnant at the same time. At least she works in air conditioning. But I do seem to remember the summer prior to our wedding was extremely long and hot. Brings whole new meaning to 'watching the kettle boil'.
But alas there are many things to look forward to before the day comes. Bri's birthday is just around the corner, along with our first sonogram. Another Canucks/Stars game in March. A week in Denver that will surely blow by quickly. Mix in my birthday in May, and Memorial day and we're at the door step to summer. But I know on the other side of summer is football season, and as most football fans know those weeks blow by very fast.
But one thing that will integrate itself into the wait, and will hopefully continue through the entire period is Colorado Rockies baseball. That's right, I said Rockies baseball. Nothing would make me happier than having to miss a World Series game with my Rockies in it because I have to be at the hospital.
It dawned on me in the last week that last October was probably the funnest I've ever had with the Rockies run. Then the thought that it will no doubt be quickly trumped the next time around. Let's just hope Jeff Francis and the boys can make it a fun year again this year. Because nothing will slow down the wait than a lost Rockies year.
But while I look forward to Denver, our birthdays, holidays, and baseball in the end I am ultimately waiting for one day. I just don't know what day in October that will be.

IT IS!!!

2008-02-14T20:51:00.003-06:00

So ten home pregnancy tests and a single visit to the doctor and the prospect of shopping for baby stuff has become a reality.

While the visit to the doctor was a little less climactic than we thought it would be it did give Bri and I the concrete idea that our parents will soon be grand parents, and Jason will be an uncle.

So what comes next? Less than nine months of waiting and all that a pregnacy implies, especially for Bri with me in tow as support.

The ironic twist to this is the fact that we received the official announcement exactly five years to the day that we met face to face in Calgary. Yet even more ironic is the fact the baby could arrived six years to the day we first talked to one another.

Of course there is one hurdle that we were able to avoid within the last week of this new situation. There will be no arguing over names, unless we have twins.

So with that thought in mind we are looking at either Brendan Thomas, or Camryn Elizabeth. The first names are just ones we finally agreed on, the middle names are my grandfather's (dad's dad), and Bri's grandmother's (her mom's mom).

Hopefully we'll have pictures in the weeks to come, our first sonogram is scheduled in a few weeks when we'll get our first look at our future.

So before the days turn into weeks, and the weeks into months thank you for all the support and we look forward to what is about to come.

It Could be, It Might be....

2008-02-09T20:27:00.000-06:00

While prematurely, and maybe not as viewed it may be safe to say that in less than nine months the Hall household could be seeing an addition. To say that Bri and I haven't been working our backsides off to accomplish what we believe will be confirmed in a matter or weeks would be an understatement.

Within the last six plus months we have watched two friends bring life into the world. While I'm considered the uncle of one, and Bri is the "baby's daddy" to the other (that story upon request, and only with permission from Stacey), we have been looking forward to our chance at this process.

For both Chris and Pryia and for Stacey we happen to be the ones asked to join them during their trek through Babies R Us as they set up their registries. Both times I think it got our thoughts going.

I can't speak for Bri, but I can say for myself upon the moment she showed me the positive test that did not require squinting at, I have had tons of thoughts roam throughout my mind. From how I'll tell those that are not quite privileged to the information yet, to looks into the future of either early morning hockey practices or soccer, or dance class or whatever he/she decides to do.

One thing is for sure, since we have known each other, friends and family have had children of their own and we watched from the bench gladly showering them with presents. So now, it's our turn.

Of course now we just have to wait for an actual doctor to tell us the same thing. Until then and after that both Bri and I look forward to this journey and sharing it with anyone who happens upon this blog because...

"IT TURNED BLUE" - the test not the beer :)
-Dwayne