The first three words of this tweet are one of the greatest three-word combinations ever used in the English language:
-from TweetsofOld
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Our Bags Are Packed And We’re Ready To Go
Sometime in the next few days, I’m planning a one-man real-life reenactment of this, minus the phone cord:
The Civee’s doctor said it’s looking like the baby will be here this weekend. Now that I’ve typed that, it’ll probably be another two weeks (and I’ve already been blamed for any delay). Either way, The Civee, Hope and I are all ready for the baby.
Post-Movie Weather
Becauee of this great Smarch weather we’ve been having, it’s been a lot of fun to be outside.
I’ve gone running, played in the backyard with Hope and one night this week, The Civee, Hope and I even ate dinner outside. I think this is the first winter in Ohio where I haven’t complained about the weather.
Earlier today, and I can’t remember why, I got to thinking about what I can best term as “post-movie weather.” It was this feeling from my younger days (when I had summers free) of exiting a movie theater on a hot summer day. I’d go from one environment, dark and very cool to hot, bright and humid. I think that was the only time I didn’t mind the combination of heat and humidity.
I was probably thinking of post-movie weather because that’s what this past week has felt like compared to the typical winter. Overall, very enjoyable for what’s supposed to be more miserable weather.
I’ll have more time this weekend to spend outside. Although it may not all be enjoyable, as I’ll have to get started with the yard work sometime.
Fighting Fires With Hope
Hope’s favorite place in our neighborhood is the fire station two blocks from our house. It’s not bad living near a fire station; the trucks aren’t that loud and the firefighters wave to Hope whenever they drive by.
We went out for a walk tonight and as we were headed back home, we passed the fire station. For the past few months, the garage doors have been closed, disappointing Hope each time we walked by. But tonight, the doors were open and Hope went crazy (in a good way). One of the firefighters was outside and waved us over.
The firefighter invited us in and showed Hope the fire truck (the engine, as opposed to the ladder). He showed Hope his helmet, turned the lights on and even let her sit in the driver’s seat.
I think it’s safe to say this made her day. She talked about it the whole walk back home and even when we were putting her to bed.
The three of us take a lot of walks around the neighborhood and I just hope she doesn’t expect this to be a regular thing.
The Civee and I (and especially Hope) are happy to have the fire station in our neighborhood. Thanks to the crew at station 13 for making Hope’s night.
The Fanboy Menace
Way back during my first month of blogging, I wrote about my the last time I saw a Star Wars movie in the theater. It was probably the sixth or seventh (or maybe eighth) time I saw Return of the Sith in the theaters. But my rationale for going was sound. As I wrote at the time, I figured there won’t be many more times that I can say a Star Wars movie is playing in the movie theaters.
Well tonight, the opportunity presented itself as Star Wars Episode I opened in 3-D in theaters. True, The Phantom Menace is the worst of the six Star Wars movies. But it’s an entertaining flick, and if I’m going to catch the other parts of the saga when their 3-D release hits the theaters in coming years, I might as well start with the first movie.
For a 12-year-old movie not originally shot in 3-D, the conversion wasn’t that bad. There were some scenes that didn’t feel like they had any 3-D elements at all. There were some (like the space scenes) that felt like there should have been more use of 3-D. And there were others where it felt well done. Overall, I’ve seen the movie a lot and I was surprised at the number of things (mostly in the background) that I haven’t seen or noticed before.
There were a lot of kids in the theater, who seemed entertained, which was nice to see. There was a boy next to me who really enjoyed the movie. I’m glad for him that they just get better from here on out (and part of me couldn’t help but think that The Phantom Menace could have been so much better had George stuck to his original script).
So if things keep to their current schedule, we’ll get a Star Wars movie in 3-D each year over the next six years. Even though I’ve stopped counting the number of times I’ve gotten to see these movies (in the theater and at home), it will be nice to see them again. And by the time the Original Trilogy gets out, just maybe I’ll bring Hope along.
Off to See the Groundhog?
With the weather we’ve been having lately, it seems like winter is over. Unfortunately, due to the laws of karma (or something like that), we’ll probably get below freezing temperatures and feet of snow in late March.
The Naming Non-Game, Round II
With another child on the way, one of the things The Civee and I have been talking about a lot lately is names.
We’re not planning on finding out the baby’s sex, so we have to come up with two names. We’re pretty sure we have a girl’s name picked out (and no, I won’t share it). But just like last time, we can’t quite agree on a name for a boy. Unfortunately, most of the boys’ names I liked last time around are still on her “definitely not in a million years” list (I also have the same standards for choosing a boy’s name as I did back then).
Still, I’ve been trying to keep an open mind. I’ve been looking at some lists of names, and while nothing has jumped out to me as the perfect name, I’ve seen some possibilities. Many of the lists contain the rankings of the most popular names over the past few years. And while I may like some of the names, the fact that it’s one of the most popular names for boys makes me less likely to choose it.
One particular list, over at familyeducation.com, had some interesting rankings. Take a look at names 24 and 25:
I’m not a huge fan of either name, but it has to be more of a coincidence that those two names are ranked back-to-back. Maybe I should add Jules or Mace to my list of contenders.
Coming to Our Galaxy This Summer
The Civee and I are having another baby.
The Civee is 18 weeks along and is feeling a lot better than she was a few weeks ago. The baby is due around June 27. It’s been tough to keep this news off the blog for as long as I have, but The Civee and I wanted to go for her ultrasound before making it public.
Because Hope was born with a cleft lip and palate, the chances were greater that any other children of ours would be born with one also. Hence, the waiting and a slight bit of nervousness leading up to today. However, in an ultrasound session that seemed like it lasted all day, the technician and doctor declared the baby healthy. While they can’t tell about the palate, the lip is intact, which has taken a lot off of our minds. We also chose not to find out whether the baby would be a boy or a girl, and even now after the ultrasound, we’re fine waiting until late June.
We know Hope will be a great big sister. But she doesn’t know yet. While we’re very excited about the new addition, part of me wishes we could have Hope to ourselves for a little while longer. But I think just like Hope, the new baby will be a lot of fun.
It seems like right now, the baby is enjoying itself in its current environment. The technician managed to capture this shot of the baby giving us the thumbs-up sign, telling us everything’s going to be okay.
But that means more than just everything’s going to be okay. Because Hope has some speech delays, we’ve used some sign-language with her. In our family, the sign for Da-da is the thumbs up. I don’t know how baby number two knows sign language already, but its first recorded communication has made me happy.
*and yes, the titular line of this post is a Star Wars reference
Merry New Year!
Have a great 2012!
Housekeeping
If the blog looks a little out of sorts over the next few days, don’t worry.
I was looking at the blog and noticed my Google Reader widget on the sidebar hasn’t been updated in forever. That’s because the Google Reader no longer supports sharing through RSS, but rather they’ve moved the sharing to Google +. So I’m trying to update that.
Then I noticed that my archive was getting real long. So I have a new archive widget.
I’ll be making some other changes too (hopefully).
Of course, the best way to get the Kingdom writing better is to write more, which I’ll try doing also.