Hot Hot Hot!

Man, has it been hot. This weekend we decided to go to Creston to visit Kim's family. They were all camping out at Green Valley State Park. It was hot as anywhere else in the state. We were able to go to Kim's parents place to sleep at night so that made it a little more bearable. Thankfully there was a slight breeze on Sunday to help us out. It's hard to imagine what it would have been like 50+ years ago without any air conditioning.

Josie's growing everyday and eats non-stop. I don't remember Jayden ever eating that much, but I'm sure he did. Depending on the light you can see more blondish tint to Josie's hair. She seems to be more active than Jayden was as she likes to lift her head when you rest her on your shoulder and she also enjoys tummy time more. Who knows maybe we'll have a crawler at 9 months instead of the 18 with Jayden. :)

Jayden's loving life and we're enjoying watching him. Yes, he does on the occasion have a "terrible two" moment, but for the most part he's (we're) handling it pretty well. He's starting to get clearer on saying certain words. His favorite is probably peeezzzz (please). Hopefully he'll continue to be well mannered. hehe

Black and White

Well, here I am again. The good thing with wordpress is that you get to change whatever you want to make your site look different. You'll also notice another change to the gallery link. It now pulls my flickr pictures and creates the albums from my site. It makes use of a pretty cool wordpress plug-in called falbum and the nifty flickr api. The reasons I'm using the plug-in are two fold. One, to see how search results change. I like flickr, but search results don't always show the true meaning of the picture in google. The next reason is because Pioneer's filtering software blocks all of flickr so I wanted a work around.

I've also been doing a kind of social experiment at work. We use a multitude of chat clients and such and decided to try and live without the main one used by our "little" group, namely, IRC. I decided to do it in part because sometimes the conversations get a little heated. Communication in a chat program is entirely different than that of person-to-person. You don't really get the true feeling of a conversation (missing body language and the vibe that you get from talking with someone in person). It's understandable why parents are worried about their kids being bullied from online sources. So, without the IRC client going, it's been rather quiet. It's hard to believe how much a person can get tied to modern technology (although IRC has been around for quite a while). Yeah, I could just go 5 steps and talk to the rest of my co-workers, but seems like social experiences are different these days. People don't talk one-on-one like they used to, or at least it seems that way. Without IRC, I can be working and not even talk to my co-workers all day. I may have to go back and join the IRC chat. I feel alienated from the rest of the gang.

Anyway, enjoy the new look and hopefully you won't find too many things broken.

Back to Work

Well, it's sure been nice having off a week after Josie was born, but I had to go back to work today. Jayden was pretty sad about the whole thing. In fact, he even had to call his Dad at work to say hi and tell me that he missed me. Or, at least I think that's what he was talking about. haha.

Josie is getting along nicely in her big new world. She actually is sleeping through most of the night and gets up around 4:30-5:00 in the morning to get her bottle. I sure hope she continues to do that as it's better for her Mom and Dad. :) It's amazing to see how fast they grow. After a week, she's already starting to fill out in her face.

Pleased to meet you, Josie Marie

Josie Marie Minnis was born on June 21, 2006 at 6:05 PM after nine hours of labor. She was 6 lbs. 8oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Her birth was quite a different experience than with Jayden as she didn't have any issues with meconium. Kim also had an easier time with Josie. She only had to push two times (one time was only to see if she was ready). This morning we changed Josie's first diaper. Man, talk about a load. haha. We had to change everything. :) Kim and I tried to sleep last night, but the bed she had and the "chair" bed that I had were not the same as a real bed. Hopefully we can get some naps today and sleep tonight. Both Mom and Josie are doing great and are hopefully sleeping right now. I'm going to sleep now. What a wonderful birthday it has been (except for spending it in the hospital)! :)

Pictures can be seen in the photo set, Birth and Prebirth.

Can't Sit Still

Let's see. Where to begin? Life has been busy. Kim's Mom, Pat, had surgery on her shoulder as a result of someone not cleaning up spilled water in the hall at the hospital she works at. We went down over the weekend (May 25-27th) to visit Kim's Mom and Dad and make sure that Pat wasn't doing anything she shouldn't. :) Then we headed back home to have some fun for the rest of Memorial weekend. We took Jayden out to Big Creek State Park so he could play in the sand and water. We took Jayden to the splash park when it was in the upper 80s a week ago or so and he didn't seem to like the water much. Instead, he liked to play in the grass and follow the fence around. Not sure what that's all about.

In spite of Jayden graduating to his "big boy chair" and gaining another 2 pounds (not much, but at least he's holding steady), he's managed to gain his terrible twos attitude a bit early. This past weekend we went up to Hope and Mike's wedding in Emmetsburg, IA. The wedding was short and sweet, but Jayden thought he should make a big deal out of it and wasn't the quiet little boy he usually is. So, I spent half of the wedding in the atrium of the church with Jayden. Next we went to the reception for about a half an hour. Jayden proceeded to want to run around. Kim and I decided we'd just leave early and head back to Rockwell City to visit with her brothers. I guess the lesson in all this is that I don't think we will be able to take Jayden to another wedding anytime soon. I don't blame him any, he's almost 2 and he had been riding in the car for about 2.5 hours.

Kim did okay on the long trip, but I think she's paying for it now. She (and I) can't wait to have the baby! We're not all that excited about the birthing process or the sleepless nights, but more for the comfort of Kim and getting back to normal.

So, yeah, that's almost all that's happened within the last month.

Lucky in the Wal-mart Parking Lot

Haha, catchy title huh? Last week after shopping at our Ankeny Wal-mart we were driving up the parking lot to leave and I saw some green stuff on the road so I pulled up by it and had Kim get it. Sure enough it was a dollar. Wow, we thought this is cool Kim will be able to get a dewski. Well, we continued up the lane and we couldn't believe it. We found another 4 dollars. haha. It was probably a funny thing to see us running around the parking lot picking up money. But, hey, I'm sure you'd do the same if you had the opportunity. Saturday night we went to Wal-mart again to get some food for when Kim's brother came to town. While there Kim was pushing the shopping cart and on a "blind" intersection (most intersections are blind corners in Wal-mart) this man in his 60s comes powering down the aisle. Kim stopped to see if anyone was coming and he almost ran into her. He proceeded to stare Kim down and if he could shoot flames from his eyes she would have been toast. We were all saying something to the extent of "What's your problem" to the guy. Needless to say we made it out alive. I really do hate shopping at Wal-mart. I always feel pissed off whenever I go there. I told Kim they should take your heart rate before and after visiting. I'm sure mine would indicate a heart attach coming on. Stupid cheap.

With this small fortune that we found at Wal-mart, we went to some garage sales with Kim's parents this weekend. I managed to find a computer for a dollar. It's not much of a computer but I thought I'd play around with it. Jayden was all excited he got to ride in Grandma's Avalanche. We'd ask him if he wanted to ride in the car, but he'd shake his head and say in his little voice, "No."

Baby number two is making Kim's life miserable. It seems that it's already started to drop some as Kim was feeling less then great over the weekend. Hopefully it stays in the oven at least another 2-4 weeks so it's not born too early.

Oh yeah, and I still have a job and haven't been "re-assigned". Hopefully it'll continue that way. We'll all find out more after another meeting this morning.

The Next Stage

Okay, so it's been a month since you've last heard from me. Yeah, it's been pretty busy. A lot of time has been spent chasing after Jayden. I'm not complaining though as it's so nice to have him mobile now. He likes to help out with about anything if you let him. We put together his dresser that we got at IKEA a while back and he was right in there trying to help out. We (thanks Grandma Wagner for your help) repainted the "guest" room, which is now his, and moved his new twin bed into it. He had no problem transitioning into his twin bed and so far (knock on wood) hasn't even fallen out of it. The first week that we moved him in he was busy trying to take all the stuffed animals from his old room to his new one.

Works been going good. I've been good and busy, but it's been hard to concentrate and do the whole "work smarter, not harder" because of some events that might be happening next week. I had a whole bit written about it, but decided to not include it in fear of getting in trouble for it. So, you'll have to wait till after next week to see what might or might not have happened.

Mustache Party

This weekend has been pretty quiet. It's been a while since we've just stayed around Ankeny and did very little. Friday I had off from work. It appears that Pioneer is becoming more of government than a business as we get the third Friday off in March now instead of Good Friday. Not sure what that's all about. Oh well, at least they still give us time off.

Anyway, on to the fun stuff. I think it was the week of February 6th, 2006 that I started to grow a goatee to get ready for Broox's mustache party that he had on March 17th. Lucky for me that my hair is leaving the top of my head so I could win the entry for longest/most hair for a mustache. Here's a picture of me starting out. I think it's with maybe a week's worth of growing. Here's a picture with my full goatee and finally, a picture with the mustache and "handle bars". haha. The party was a blast and I'm glad that I got to go. Saturday I had to shave it off. Not because Kim wanted me (she hated the facial hair), but because it was annoying to have. The initial itching was done, but I just hated it being around my mouth. It was weird shaving it off as I felt like I was naked. Even just shaving off the middle of the goatee made my chin feel cold, but now that it's all gone, I really feel the difference. I can actually feel the wind hitting my chin. haha. Oh yeah. And the Gillette Fusion that I won at the party works awesome!

Here's the full set of pictures for the mustache party. Thanks for the good time Broox!

Walking at 18 months!

We can now breath a sigh of relief. Jayden is now walking on his own...to a certain degree. He won't get up from sitting without grabbing on to something, but once he's standing up, he can walk on his own if he decides to. He's done with physical therapy for now but will be getting some shoe inserts to see if we can correct his ankle from turning in. He had his 18 month doctor visit with the a different pediatrician on Wednesday. We're glad we switched doctors for him. The new doc is much better and takes the time to listen and actually hears what we're telling him. Jayden's now starting to say a few more words: Car, meaow, truck, yuck (pronounced ggaayh and also refers to the trash can), Dada, Mamma (when mad), done and maybe a few more that I can't remember.

Let's see what else...oh yeah. Work's been okay. I now have an appreciation of why corporations don't perform. I can't complain on my end, but it sucks that the only way management sees groups better interacting is to split up people between two groups to "make" everyone get along. Pretty stupid way of trying to increase productivity if you ask me. Oh well, I guess I have a job yet.

Baby number two is coming along nicely. Kim seems to be not as tired as she was first starting out. She usually makes it till 10 instead of the normal 9:00. haha.

Skulls & Bones...Run!

Today Kim had an ultrasound for Baby #2. It was just as cool as it was with Jayden to see all the pieces and parts of Baby #2. I'm sure that all babies look the same when they're inside. Take for example, picture 1 (Baby #2) and picture 2 (Jayden). They both look like aliens. At any rate, everything's looking normal and we are quite pleased.

Another cool thing happened Sunday. Jayden finally took his own steps to and from Kim and me. We couldn't be any more pleased. :)

Sleep is gooood.

Well, yeah. What can I say, welcome back. It's been a while. Seems like not much has happened since my last writing. The new year has worn off and all that jazz. But, in reality there has been quite a bit that's taken place. No, Jayden's still not walking on his own, but he's a lot closer. He's walking around the ottoman with a 3-4 inch safety zone just in case he needs to grab hold of it. He does have an occasional sprint from one of us to the couch. He stands on top of the love seat with us by himself and thinks he's big stuff. He likes to get into things...pots and pans and shoes.

Monday he had fever and woke up at least ever hour on the hour that night and then Tuesday night he was up even more. Needless-to-say, Kim and I appreciate a good night's sleep and are happy that he's better. We think part of it is because of some new teeth coming in.

Jayden's saying a few words now. He has always liked saying, "Done" when he or someone else finishes something. He's saying car some and after watching Saturday morning cartoons, does an occasional, "Arrggh," in a pirate context. He shakes his head when he means yes and sometimes when he means no. We hope he keeps that up. :)

Baby #2 is coming along nicely. Kim filled me in yesterday that she's now able to feel it move, so tonight I got to feel it kicking. Next Tuesday we get to go in for the first ultrasound. Wonder what it's going to be...a boy or a girl? Hmmm. Oh the suspense.

Well, time to grab that sleep.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all. Jayden just wanted you to know that he's been a good boy and likes to get presents. :) We've had fun with the Wagner side, now it's time to have some fun with the Minnis side. Hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas.

More pictures can be found in the Christmas 2005 Set

 
 
 

Round Two

Well, it's time. Time to let you all know that Jayden's going to be a big brother. Isn't that something! :) Kim, Jayden, and I went for her first Doctor's visit today and everything is going smooth. The new lime (that's the size of it right now) had a heart rate of 160 which is great! Kim's been doing pretty well this week as prior weeks she's been feeling nauseated. But, she still is pretty tired...she could go to bed at 9 and some nights before that. She likes snack time too. Our due date is June 28, 2006, so mark your calendars.

Jayden's been practicing being a big brother these past two months. Kim's watching her cousin's baby, Kellen, two days a week. At first Jayden couldn't figure out what the deal was, but he's getting better at it now. In fact, now he knows how to get Kim's attention. As soon as she starts to feed Kellen, Jayden makes a mad dash for the stairs. Now, that would be fine and all, but he still hasn't mastered the last step yet, so Kim has to go stop him before he goes up. Jayden's getting almost there with walking. If we start walking with him holding his hand and then let go as he's walking towards the couch, he'll sprint for the couch or love seat. Maybe by Christmas? He likes to keep us guessing.

Ooooh, The Weather Outside is...

The weather is pretty snowy considering all the weather people predicting a warmer and drier winter. I can live with snow, even though it takes 40 minutes to get 12 miles (honestly, I can't believe people can't drive in snow), but I hate the cold.

In other news, Jayden's been rocking the house. He's warmed up to the singing/dancing "snowpeople" (snowmen). He's crawling up the stairs now with a little help at the top. He hasn't quite figured out how to get to the top and crawl farther from the steps to sit up. Most of the times he's got his collection of pots and pans strewn across the floor.

Let's see what else...oh. Thanksgiving was good. We traveled both up North and South to visit both sides. It was good to see my Mom and Dad. Especially after Mom being in the hospital for 4 days. She was/is having problems with her gall bladder. Next week she's having surgery to get it removed. Hopefully that will help her feel better.

Things that SuX0rz

I thought I'd take some time to rant on about some things that suck. Some are work and some are personal related items.

This time of the year provides a lot of "admin" time at work to do all sorts of surveys and "training" at work before the end of the year.

1. Jayden getting croup - He's getting better, but he still has a little problem breathing at night. He's not as bad as he could have been though. The Doc said that he's actually 2 weeks behind the peek Ankeny experienced 2 weeks ago.


2. Getting sick - because of a combination of changing of the weather and losing sleep while helping Jayden breath at night I have a slight cold.


3. Paper work - this includes, but is not limited to: flexbile spending account submital forms, performance plans, rebates (give me the price of the item from the start), timesheets.


4. When people ignore things or don't read the signs - For example, today I went to get my usual glass of water from the refreshment center but no cups were to be found. So, I went over to a different refreshment center and brought some back. Two people during that time had told me that it was like that yesterday too. Hmm. On the wall there was contact information to re-supply missing items. I emailed them and bam...we have cups.


5. Occasional Driver Training - I've been driving for 17 years (actually more when you consider driving around the farm) and haven't been in an accident yet...is it really necessary to take "Driver's Ed" each year just to drive for work?


6. Ethical Awareness and Decision Making training - Actually, I'm glad I had to take this one. Case in point, Martha Stewart. I don't want to be sent to prison for being unethical. Perhaps Bill Knapp and his buddy Dennis Elwell should be put through the same process as Martha. (Des Moines Register article)


7. The price of iPods - I really wish I could afford one.


8. Minimal Tinker Time - There needs to be 26 hours in a day so that I can tinker with new computer related technologies.

Well, that's it. I could have made the top 10 list, but I can't think of anything more to rant about and I think I feel pretty good now. haha.

Firefox Rules

It's been a while since I changed the theme for my blog, so last night messed around with a new design. It's not mine, but I like it so I'm using it (it's released under GPL) and it's easy to get implemented without a lot of time. You'll notice two different views depending on if you are using the better browser, Firefox, or the crappy non-standards compliant browser, Internet Explorer. Firefox does a great job with transparency while IE lacks any easy work around (1 2 or 3). So, you'll have to put up with the not so fun view with IE till version 7 comes out...but don't hold your breath for that one working either.

In other news, Jayden's been getting more teeth. He's been working on getting his molars in the back already. This weekend when he was eating it looked like he was trying to swallow his food with-out even "chewing" it. Kim figured out Tuesday that he's getting his back teeth and rather than feel more pain he was swallowing the food almost whole. He's also now walking with us holding one of his hands...so won't be long and he'll be tearing around the house on his feet instead of his butt.

Race'n Jayden

This year was pretty fun for Halloween. Jayden got to wear his racing costume and rode his "bike" around to get his treats. His favorite part was getting back home and eating his cheetos (Thanks Nehru and Karisa). He also is a big fan of twizzlers. Another food item that he all of a sudden started eating is bananas. The last time we shopping for food we decided to pick him up some bananas, but we should have picked them up at the end, because he thought he wanted to eat one in the store. It took a while to get him to forget they were in the shopping cart. :)

The Great Pumpkin

This weekend was a fun time of playing out on the farm in search of the great pumpkin. We managed to find the pumkin patch we were looking for near Cumming, IA at the Howell's Farm. Jayden found the perfect pumpkin for himself and picked one out for us too. I think it will become a tradition to go and visit Howell's each year. They offer a lot of cool things for kids to do.

Our garbage disposal took a dump on us, no pun intended, this weekend. So, Jayden helped me out in getting the new one ready to go.

You may also have noticed that the above picture links are all pointing to flickr.com. I decided to go the faster route in getting a better gallery going by utilizing flickr. They really do have a cool thing going and it's easy to manage all our photos. So, check out all of our pictures at flickr.com.

Trade Offs

Well, you saw it here first. Kim decided that she ain't a "Minivan Girl" so we decided to trade off the minivan and got a Pontiac Vibe. It's a pretty fun car to drive and is cheaper to drive than the van ever was (hopefully 35 mpg). We purchased it from Bob Brown GMC in Ankeny (Jamie Widen was our sales person). We were very happy with the way they treated us. Unlike Ramsey, they actually wanted our business.

Jayden's been learning like mad. He's now pulling his phone around by the cord like it was his once lost puppy. He's pushed through 2 more teeth this last weekend. He's cruising furniture now. He loves popcorn, but won't eat very many food groups. He can clap, do the "so big" move, dance a little (sitting of course) and has just started noticing his hair. We went for his physical therapy session yesterday, but the therapist called in sick and they forgot to call us. :( So, we'll continue to have Jayden kneel on and push his little cart. He also enjoys bouncing on the yoga ball we got to help him do his exercises.

Year One

Man, where has the time gone. Jayden celebrated his 1 year birthday last Monday. He did OK until everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He got lots of gifts and he is really thankful for those of you who gave him something. Ah yes, and he's finally mastered holding his own sippy cup. Check out his Year 1 gallery.

Today he went in for his 1 year checkup. They gave him his two shots and stole some blood from him. Needless to say, it pissed him off royally. He's at 19.1 lbs and I think 30 inches.

As you may have seen I modified the gallery a bit. It's more simple to manage and now has friendly URLs. Hope you like it. Sometime I'll be adding a frame to the front page that shows the newly updated pictures. It'll probably take me a bit to fix previous articles with links to the old gallery so be patient.