One week down, one week to go...

Well, Finnegan and I have made it to Michigan safely and are enjoying our time. Our first week has been full of excitement... We went to the Zoo on Friday and to visit my great aunt on Saturday. Sunday was church and Monday was a day with my in-laws. Tuesday, we went to Frankenmuth to the Largest Christmas Store on earth, Bronner's. That was pretty fun! Today, my sister Beth is heading back home and Finnegan and I are enjoying a restful day at home. Tomorrow we'll head back to Grandma and Grandpa Morgan's house for a visit, and Friday will most likely be a day trip to Ohio to see my Grandpa Jack.

Finnegan is enjoying his time with the family. He and Izzie get along very well. Izzie is talking up a storm and gives us the play by play of what is happening... Baby Sleeping, Baby Bye-Bye, doggies stop, Baby Dipee (diaper), Thank you Papa, Papa outside? and so on. It is very cute. When we left WA, Finnegan was doing well with the Army crawl, and he is now in a full on crawl and is beginning to cruise the house. Finnegan is enjoying the warm weather and I think he's having fun with the grandma's and grandpa's.

I will definitely post photos when I get home... Mom and Dad are the "Slowskey's" and only have dial-up connection... So, no photos for now.

Mike Wazowski, my pal!

Today, Finnegan was slightly off schedule, as he tends to do on our "Gymboree" day. He normally only has two naps during the day and stays up once he wakes up from his second nap until bedtime. Today, after a shortened second nap, Finnegan had his normal meal and play time. Then I like to put him down for a little rest period in his bed. I always tell him that he doesn't need to sleep but that he needs to rest quietly in his bed. And normally, 9 times out of 10 he does fall asleep. Well, tonight, when I put him in his crib, I suppose he was over tired because he did not want to stay in the crib. He cried and cried and cried. After about 15 minutes of crying in his crib, I went up to console him and to get him to quiet down and when I walked in, I found a sweet but sad sight... Finnegan was sitting up in his bed with his back to the door. I had packed Moosy already because of our trip later tonight, so when I put him down, I gave him his blankey and Mike (Wazowski) to snuggle with. As I walked up to him, quietly, I looked at him and he was leaning over Mike with both arms around him in the biggest bear hug. Oh, my poor sweetie has found a friend in Mike!

I was able to get him to quiet down, but not to sleep before our flight, so hopefully he won't be too cranky on the plane...

10lbs!!!

I have reached my first 10lb mark on Weight Watchers! And coincidentilly, this is my 10th week doing it! I am so excited!! I only have about 40 more to go, but hey, it's a start!!

Just wanted to share my news with you all!!

Sudden Cardiac Death

According to the recent story on Nightly News, this statistic is alarming. 850 Americans die of Sudden Cardiac Death (Sudden Heart Attack) everyday. What a staggering statistic. Last Friday, this is the death that caught Tim Russert by surprise and it has been all over the news. Lord, comfort the 849 families that lost a family member on Friday. And each of the other families who have lost family members over the weekend.

Whistler...

We have a whistler in our midst. Finn has just learned how to whistle... well, sort of. He doesn't whistle a tune, but has learned to pucker his lips and breaths through them. And he sounds like the Gopher on Winnie the Pooh. I have tried to get it on video and will try to post it. Anywhoo, hopefully he won't be whistling at any girls any time soon :)

Happy Father's Day!

This year is Ken's first Father's Day. Less than 9 months ago, he became a father for the first time. And if you take a look at the photos below, I think you'll come the same conclusion that he likes his new role. Especially now that our little Finnegan says, "DaDa". It is also very sweet the way Finnegan's face lights up when daddy comes into the room. How he already admires his Daddy. This photo below is right after Finnegan was born (obviously) and we are in the recovery department. You can see the sweetness on Ken's face and how proud he is of this little boy and how much he loves him.

This is several hours later. Just relaxing in our room.

Our first day home with our little dude. Daddy can even juggle all the ones who loves him.

Playtime after church.

Everyone needs a nap.

This is at the beach - our recent vacation.

Everyone learns stuff from their dad.
Happy Father's Day Honey! You're the perfect father to our little boy! And he loves you so much. Almost as much as I do :)

I've been Tagged...

My friend Andrea from Cornerstone has tagged me to offer five random facts about myself for my blog readers... So here goes:

1. I won the "Christian Life Award" as a Senior in high school at OCS. It was an award that is given to one senior each year. And as the recipient of this award, I got to make a speech at graduation. So along with the Valedictorian, I made a speech and then sang a song with some of my very close friends. Along with making a speech, your name goes on a plaque that hangs in the school with all the other recipients of the award. A sort of "legacy".

2. I love to cook. I never realized how much I enjoy to cook until recently. If I could go back and do one thing over again, I (think I)would have gone to culinary arts school after college (or sometimes, instead). I enjoy making new things, but don't always like to be the first to taste them. I enjoy desserts, but have been experimenting with new tastes since working on the weight issue. :)

3. I hate to clean. The more I stay home with my sweet boy, the more I realize I just don't clean as much as I should. Granted, I've realized that I clean more when it is sunny outside, because I feel motivated and can get a lot done. I hate the dishes and vacuuming and dusting... And I hate cleaning the bathrooms. But I don't like it when things get really cluttered. So if I don't keep up on the cleaning, when it gets really sunny, I compulsive about the cleaning... Sort of weird.

4. I shop when I'm lonely. I used to hate going to the mall and just walking around. I never saw the point. But when we moved to VA, I found an enjoyment of just showing up to see if I could find a deal. I only went to a few select stores, and always had a purpose to begin with. And then would walk around, and always found other things that I needed or should purchase for others as gifts. Since we've moved to WA, I've realized it more and more, that the first few months we lived here, I'd go to Target on every Saturday and I'd always spend the same amount of money. Sometime on things we needed, sometimes not so much. But the more I've realized it, the more I try to re-evaluate why I'm going to Target or another store and once I get home, I try to evaluate what I purchased to see if we "really" need it or if I should return it.

5. I contemplated leaving Cornerstone at the end of my first semester of school but almost had to quit at the end of my Jr year. I had trouble making friends during my first sememster and didn't really feel like I fit in. My first couple of months were real rough and I thought long and hard of what I would do if I left. I couldn't come up with a viable option because I didn't want to move back home, so I stayed. Luckily, I did. Once I'd gotten my feet into everything, I loved it there. But after my Jr year, I had no idea how I would pay for school. I can't remember why it was, but the bill was due and if I remember, the amount was unexpected. When I went to the business office to check the final amount, I found that my account had been paid in full. My mentor had paid the amount so I could return as Student Body President.



So, this was my attempt at sharing five random facts about myself... now, it's your turn: Alison, Beth, Melody, Jessica and Audrey.

NKOTB

Call it what you want... (yes, that was a hidden pun) but I just purchased tickets to the New Kids on the Block concert in November. A friend of mine and I are going together. We got ok tickets... On the opposite side of the arena (a small arena) on the first level. I'm definitely looking forward to the concert. Even if people look at me funny... like my husband. He has already reverted back to those Jr High days when the boys made fun of us for liking the band. :)

Tim Russert

As some of you know, I am some what of a news junkie. I could watch MSNBC news all day long. And although, I am definitely a Republican, I would much rather watch NBC than any other news channel on TV. So today, I am greatly saddened by the death of Tim Russert. I am a huge fan of Tim Russert and read his book, Big Russ and Me. He is a great reporter and was always faithful on reporting both sides of the political aisle.

Almost 5 years ago when David Bloom died, I was also saddened. And remembering his death - I remember that it was quite a blow to me at the time. I really had a hard time with David's death, almost as he was a close friend. He was one that I enjoyed watching, especially on the weekend news. He died of a pulmonary embolism due to riding in a HumVee in Iraq and the iconic "Bloom-mobile". It has now been released that Tim Russert has died of a similar means - a coronary thrombosis - after riding on a long flight from Italy (on vacation with his family).

My heart goes out to his family and especially his wife, son, and his dad, Big Russ.

Olympics Obession

So, every two years, I enjoy two full weeks of Olympics coverage. I can't decide if I like the winter or summer Olympics better. They both have their good qualities. The one thing about both seasons of Olympics that I have come to enjoy is Bob Costas. I wouldn't say that I have a crush on Bob Costas, but that I just thoroughly enjoy his coverage of the Olympics. He is very professional and down to business when it comes to the games. And he does a great job covering all aspects of the games and even brings a light-hearted spirit to them offering a joke and humor when it seems that people aren't listening. :)

I think that although I'm not an athletic person, I enjoy the competition. And I feel that I was raised to be very patriotic and I love my country. So, the Olympics is a great outlet for all these feelings. I may not know who the athletes are before the games, but during the games, they are my best friends, and root for them, because we have one thing in common - we're American (queue the "Star Spangled Banner). :) I think (or hope) each person had a dream of becoming an Olympian competitor at sometime in their child hood. I always wanted to be on the swimming team. And in college, I thought it would be fun to be the caller on the rowing team. I think my sister wanted to be a gymnast. Anywhoo - This year, I will enjoy the Olympics even more because I will be home and able to catch more of the match-ups. It will definitely be great!

Do you enjoy the games? What is your favorite of the summer games? Have you ever wanted to be an Olympian?

Weekend Update

I love the weekend update... I also love Best Week Ever... Just some random thoughts for you tonight. Here's the real weekend update for the Morgan Clan.

• We think Finnegan if feeling better from his near ear infection. He is still pretty cranky at times, but no ear pulling or fevers so I think we're in the clear.
  
• Finnegan has officially started the army crawl. He isn't cruising while doing it, but if he sees something that he wants bad enough, he'll head for it. I've tried a couple of times to get him on video but that hasn't happened yet.
  
• Beth is safe and sound in TN from her trip abroad. She had a wonderful time with tons of stories. I see her in a couple of weeks, and I'm excited to see the photos and hear about all the adventures.
• As of this hour, Mom and Dad Morgan, Mom and Dad Stepleton and my sister's family are sitting in the dark. Because of a huge storm that went though, my in-laws lost a tree in the front yard and there is one that is down also on my parents street. I wonder how long they'll be out of power??
• The NKOTB tickets went on sale this weekend and aren't sold out yet. I am planning on buying a couple for my friend and I. I think it would be fun. Their new video debuted today on VH1 and I must admit that I do like the video, although I think the song "Summertime" is a bit cheesy for the crew. I expected something a bit better. Hopefully the album will be better.
  
• What a difference a 1/2 hour makes... Recently I was encouraging a new mom to drop back the baby's nap time 15 minutes to help them sleep longer... And so I thought we'd try the same technique with our little guy. He has had a great record of sleeping 12 hours at night. But the last few weeks, he's been sleeping only 9-10 hours at night. I think the main reason was because of day-light savings time. So for the past few nights, we've been putting him to bed a 1/2 hour earlier than normal, and he's been sleeping 12-13 hours at night. It is great!!
  

Hope you guys had a great weekend. And a great week! :)

Still Post-Partum?

Who would have thought that a women is considered "post-partum" until her child is 18 months old? That means that a women's body may not be fully "back to normal" after having a baby until that baby is 18 months old! CRAZY!! And how did I find this out? I took a visit to my doctor with several complaints of things that just aren't back to normal, even thought my sweet Finnegan is almost 9 months old. My ligaments are still loose from hormones and I have developed a bad case of eczema on my hands. So, the doctor gave me more exercises to do and other suggestions to help my skin. This was also the explanation for my exhaustion that I am still feeling. However, they did take some blood to make sure that I don't have another auto-immune disorder.

I also took my little sweetie into the walk-in clinic. Ken woke Finnegan up this morning and I went in to say good morning. Ken didn't notice that Finn's ear had been bleeding a bit and had been bleeding enough to get all over the sheets. (Granted the sheets are polka dotted - in brown and green and the blood had dried a bit - and he doesn't notice too much sometimes) So, I got him cleaned up and took him to the walk-in clinic to have them look at his ears. He'd had some drainage for the past couple of days and had been pulling at his ears, but I thought it was because of teething. When the doctor took a look, he did say the one ear was pretty pink, but not completely inflamed. But his tonsils are swollen too. So we have something brewing in there.
So, we'll see how he does over the weekend and if he isn't any better by Monday, I'll get an anti-biotic for him. My poor sweetie.

Red Wings

The Redwings will meet the Pittsburgh Penguins for the sixth time tonight. The Wings lead the final series 3-2 and could take the cup tonight. Pretty exciting!! Finnegan and I are poised and ready for the game. We've enjoyed the first period and will enjoy the rest of the game after dinner :)

Go Wings!!

Beach Retreat

So we are now home from our weekend at the beach. I must tell you that although the weather wasn't as hot and sunny as I'd hoped, we sure did enjoy our selves and are thinking of when we can plan another trip out to our new get-away destination. If you have yet to see photos, shoot me an email and (or comment) and I send them to you. (My camera is broken so I can't upload photos to my computer- I have to do it upload them to Ken's computer... long story and even longer process to do - so conclusion is, I don't have photos on this computer) :)

We arrived on Friday afternoon, just in time to make supper and take a walk to the beach (about a 10 minute walk away). We walked through the new (est 2004) town of Seabrook and admired all the homes and the construction. That night, we watched a "super" dumb movie and just relaxed in our new surroundings. On Saturday, we had no plans. We thought we'd go where the car would take us. So, we traveled south down to Ocean Shores (where we'd been only 8 months earlier) and walk around on the beach there. We stopped at a road look out point and enjoyed the scenery there before reaching Ocean Shores as well. Once in Ocean shores, we found a spot to stop and then took a stroll. At one of the local hotels, they had some kites going and we thought we'd join in but found another spot to enjoy a bit farther down the road. We were out for a total of 4 hours and Finnegan was getting fussy and needed to eat and sleep. So, we went back to our cottage and got some lunch. Just as we arrived home, the sun appeared and we had to make one last stop at the beach in the sun. So after lunch, we quickly walked back to the beach so we could enjoy it in the sunshine before Finnegan really melted down due to lack of a good nap. As we walked home, he fell asleep in the baby backpack. That night was real calm at the cottage. Another family was two doors down from us and had started a fire for some smores. So we went out after they were done to enjoy ours. YUMMY goodness, let me tell you. We also played an exciting game of scrabble, where Ken beat me, but only by 15 pts. So I didn't lose too bad. But I did have a few rounds where I only had vowels or consents. It was a bit depressing. The ride home was a smooth one for the most part. But we did manage to take a wrong turn (because there weren't any signs and we "thought" we were going the right way) and ended 20 miles south from where we wanted to be. We should have been traveling east. Well, needless to say, that made us about an hour late getting home, but no need to worry, we didn't have any thing else planned for the day. So we just enjoyed the ride. Finnegan was definitely ready to be out of his car seat and SUPER tired when we got home. So we had some crying to take deal with when it was bed time. But once he was asleep, he was ok. And slept all night long.

We had a great time at the beach and will visit again soon!

Oh, and an update on Beth... We receive text messages from her each day and it is great to hear from her. Since I posted last, her knees were doing much better, but are now in much pain. Please continue to pray for them. She has gotten sun poisoning pretty back on her face, neck, shoulders and arms. We are hoping that she is getting some coverage to those areas so that they won't be effected more and won't get worse. Hopefully she was able to find a stronger sunscreen as well. From what I understand they were in the Garden of Gethsemane today as well as the Mt. of Olives. They also went to Caiaphas' house and a museum. Two days ago they were at the Jordan River and Beth as well as some others were "commemoratively" baptized in the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized. How neat, don't you think? With i the last day or so, she's gotten pretty home sick as the trip has become emotionally and physically draining on her. We Stepletons are not the "active" type, so all of the walking is really harsh on her body. And they haven't been serving her "favorite" things to eat, so she's not getting a lot of nourishment. She Because of the places that they've been recently, she's been very emotional. There's something about the Garden that doesn't allow you to just look at it and move on. You have take it in, and doing that at site after site is pretty draining. Keep her and the team in your prayers as they travel throughout the land for another 5 days. They should arrive home next Sunday (starting travel on Saturday). Pray for God's guidance and provisions as well as safety. Because she is beginning to get home sick, please pray for her spirit. Mom spoke with her this morning and said that she sounds like she getting sick... Her voice is getting weak and she is just tired. Please pray that this will not get in the way of her enjoying the trip and that she won't walk away with any regrets.