Christmas time is here!

Its David's first Christmas and everything is so much more exciting when you have a little baby to celebrate Christmas with. David is absolutely fascinated by our Christmas tree which we just bought today. A little while ago, we took him to meet Santa for the first time. We don't think he was very impressed as he only smirked at the camera then casually spit up on Santa's couch. Maybe next year he'll take on a more vested interest in the big guy bringing his presents.

He is so much bigger and has such a personality. This week, we are hoping that his four month doctor's appointment will lead to real food! We're pretty sure he's ready because he is so intent on watching us eat and drink.

Little Cal

I put up more pictures of the last couple weeks. They are now on picasa web albums so that people can place orders from shutterfly or photoworks if they want.

David Andrew Krey

At 4:13pm on July 29, 2007, David Andrew Krey entered the world. This 7lb. 10oz. little guy is 20 inches long. Mom and Dad are doing great! We got home this afternoon after 2 nights in the hospital. After a good meal and approving his crib, David is asleep on my chest as I type on the laptop. This little guy is adorable.

I find it amazing that just a couple days ago, David somehow fit in his mother's stomach. Erin was incredible during labor. She started feeling cramps/contractions around 2am on the 29th. Around 5am we got out of bed and called the doctor, who told us to stick it out for a couple more hours at home. When the contractions were about 4-6 minutes apart, I told Erin that we should go to the hospital (she was still worried that these weren't actual contractions). They took us in immediately and the real labor began. After a few hours gave way to some hand-breaking contractions, Erin asked if there was an alternative to an epidural to take the edge off. The nurse gave her nubaine through the IV. This miracle drug made the next few hours practically forgettable. Seriously, Erin slept, only waking up to squeeze my hand a little during a contraction, then drifting off to sleep again. I honestly started worrying that this drug had slowed things down to a standstill. The room had a television, and while my wife was in labor, I was was either watching her sleep or staying up-to-date on Cal Ripken's induction to the Hall Of Fame. This was nothing like what I had seen on tv. But around 3pm, the doctor came in, checked Erin, and surprised us both by telling us she could start pushing! A little while later, David was born...

My family, who was actually in Cooperstown to watch Ripken's ceremony has decided that David's nickname WILL be Cal. Hope you like the Orioles, David!

Two new additions to the family!

No, we aren't having twins. Meet Camden (she):
and Doubleday (he):
who we adopted from the Animal Rescue League in Boston on Thursday. They are both pretty timid cats, but have started to come out of their shell. Camden is gray with orange splotches and her brother Doubleday is gray and striped. When we brought them home on Thursday, Doubleday found a hiding place immediately right under the entertainment center. Camden, the more outgoing one at the shelter, explored the house a little bit, but a thunderstorm that night kept them both hiding. Now we are finding that Doubleday is actually the one who walks around the house looking for attention. Camden is still a little shy and only hangs around with us for a few minutes at a time. I'm pretty sure both of them will start getting into trouble in no time.

We've heard the stories about cats suffocating babies and attacking children out of the blue, but most of those stories aren't true and these two kitties seem to be nothing but love. I know we're crazy, but just look at these two! They are both about a year 1 and 3 months old and were given to the shelter by a family who was moving. We do not know that much more about them, but they seem really sweet.

4 weeks left until the baby is due ... ahhhhhhhh! We're gonna warm up with cats first ...

Yankee Stadium

On a memorable memorial day weekend, Erin and I went to Yankee Stadium to watch the Yankees play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Angels of California whatever. It was my first time at Yankees stadium, so I really wanted to take it in. We went on Saturday, and it was a day game so no batting practice. Forgetting that major leaguers can't take batting practice after an exhausting night of playing baseball and drinking at bars, we were left with plenty of time to see monument park behind left field. Its really a great oasis to take in baseball history.

The game itself was nothing to write home about. Erin and I had some nosebleed seats, and that is hardly an exaggeration at yankee's stadium. In the upper tiers, you honestly feel that you could fall to your death if the drunk people behind you were to give a little shove for wearing the opposing teams hat. Luckily, I married a woman who isn't afraid to go on a quest for better seats. And we certainly found them. From the 4th inning on, we were right behind homeplate where we saw a Yankees rally fall short with ex-phillie Bobby Abreu striking out looking as the winning run. Not to mention, I saw Mo come in at the top of the 9th to hold the Angels lead to 1. All around, it was a complete trip to the house that Ruth built, DiMaggio played and Steinbrenner still reigns. Amazingly, it still stands, but not for long ...

1 0 weeks to go ...

2 cars, a house, and a baby on the way. Not bad for 25, eh? We just recently bought a new Nissan Versa. A fun little car that has all the trimmings. The only thing we are not impressed with so far is the gas mileage, less than 30 mpg, even on the highway (the EPA is 36 for the highway!). Still, with less than 1000 miles, I guess we are still "breaking it in." Although if it stays this way, you can bet our sales rep (named Will Smith) will be getting a call.

This past weekend, we went to Georgia where my little brother was graduating with a degree in Broadcast News. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any leads for a job as of yet, but a couple bites on his resume have given hope. Overall though, it was a great weekend. Most of the family came down to celebrate as well as his girlfriend's family. Impressively, the two of them entertained both families feeding us all with breakfasts, lunches and dinners in their nice college apartment. Both myself and my sisters were left asking "Who is this, and what has he done with our brother?"

You are probably more interested in the baby. Amazingly enough, there are only 10 weeks to go. And yes, I still have just about everything to do left on the house. If you want to come over and help drywalling, painting, gardening, just give a shout. I even pay in pizza. Erin is doing great. She's got a great belly and the baby is moving all the time. We were just reading tonight on what to bring to the delivery room on the big day. One of the things included socks to keep your feet warm during delivery. I really wonder how many women have come home from the hospital thinking "You know, the delivery was easy, but man, my feet were cold!"

The other thing that caught my eye on the "what to bring" was the infant car seat. Wow, I mean, thats real. You think of this whole process as being so distant really, but as soon as you think of bringing a car seat, baby clothes, diapers etc. to the hospital, you realize this baby is really coming home with you. Manual not included!

Predictions

We are now in the third trimester and Erin's belly is now the obvious pregnant belly. As a result, she has more people offering their predictions for the sex of the baby. Someone should put together a study on all these old wives (mother's?) and find out if any of them are accurate. Probably wouldn't find anything, but it would be a good read. Some things we have heard:

Her belly is out, it must be a girl. A boy, you grow more wide.

Her complexion is good, it must be a boy.

Her belly is small, it must be a boy.

My boss's wife is having her second and he thinks he is having a boy. This is because his wife's first pregnancy, she craved pears. This time, it's Doritos, obviously a boy's food.

The ultrasound

Last week, Erin and I saw our second ultrasound. A small little person growing inside Erin. Little hands, feet, and even a little personality. Enough of one to not turn around to give the technician a good picture of its little spine. Already a little stubborn!

We could have found out the sex of the child, but both of us are excited about it being a surprise. Although, I must say, many people are definitely all about finding out the sex of their baby these days. I mean seriously, people are shocked and either impressed or thoroughly confused when we tell them we won't be finding out (intentionally anyway). True, it probably allows people to buy some nice pink or blue outfits for the shower. But really, are there any bigger surprises in life? What does the baby being a girl or boy even matter anyway at this point? All that matters is that we are having a baby. Why start the pigeon-holing before the baby even draws its first breath? No matter what, this baby is going to learn the starting lineup for the Baltimore Orioles and sleep with its baseball glove :-).

Erin's pregnant!

Sometime around July 25th, I will become a father! I'm nervous, excited and just plain amazed. I'm 25 and my wife and I are having a baby and, for some reason, I feel like I am ready for it. Is that strange? I mean, many things are going through my head these days like; What kind of father will I be? Am I really this old? Are we having a boy or a girl? What is a good name for a boy? Why in the world did I start a blog? Was I really supposed to start this question sequence with a semicolon?

Seriously, its pretty great. Today Erin and I went to all mall to help her find some maternity clothes and then to old navy where Erin found a little newborn top that says "I drool." How awesome is that? Not only will the baby actually drool, but its shirt will heed a warning. Honestly, you can dress a baby in anything and it will either be incredibly cute or incredibly funny. (At least, you imagine the baby that way. You could always end up being that couple with the ugly baby.)

My first blog ...

For some reason, I decided to start a blog. So this my first post. I hope its up to code ...