A Visit from Family

What a week it has been. The highlight of the week was a visit from David, Betsy, Nathan and Matthew. We met at a waterfall outside of Portland. We were in Portland buying a car, but more on that in a later post. After viewing the waterfall for a while, we drove the 5-6 hours safely to Spokane. Once home we quickly learned that our house is not child proof or John proof. The kids did great, but I tracked a raspberry throughout the house. New rule: Shoes off on the carpet. After a good night sleep, we started with some chocolate chip pancakes before our adventure. The day consisted of a trip to Manito Park, Cat Tails Zoological Park, and River Front Park before a dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. At River Front Park we road the train, slid down the giant red wagon, rode the carousel, and feed the trash eating goat. The next day began with trip to Frank's Diner for breakfast inside a train. After which we left for the short 20 minute trip to Post Falls, Idaho to view the waterfall. The water was pretty low, but the park was fun. Once back at the house we played some Wii and used the Slip'n Slide. Sadly the next morning David, Betsy, Nathan and Matthew left early, 6:20, to head to Seattle and return home. In all it was a great week. Hopefully they will be able to visit again in the future.

Connecticut Baby Shower

On July 12, I was lucky enough to be given a beautiful baby shower at Avon Old Farms by Christine Ruane and Mrs. Chamberlin. It was a wonderful shower with good friends and a delicious lunch. Caitlin received many beautiful gifts - she will be one of the best dressed little girls in Spokane. Many people traveled quite a distance to come to the shower, and their efforts are greatly appreciated. My mom knit Cailtin a beautiful baby blanket. That was quite a surprise, since I didn't even know that she had learned how to knit. :) The generosity and hard work that Mrs. Chamberlin and Christine put into the shower was phenomenal, and I am so thankful to both of them.

Week 26 Doctor Visit

On Tuesday, July 15, we met with our doctor for Caitlin's week 26 in the womb check-up. It went very well. Normally we seem to have to wait during doctor visits, but it seems being the first appointment of the morning paid off. A few moments after we arrived, Kim was called in to start the glucose test. Immediately after, we began the ultrasound. Caitlin is about 2 pounds 5 ounces. Her heart rate was 130 beats per minute. We were able to get some pictures and a video. Sadly the video is VHS, and I do not know how to convert it to a compatible format for this blog. After the ultrasound we met with the Dr. Hilton and set a date for the c-section on September 26. This date may could be later depending on the maturity of the lungs. That is just over two months away. We better get started on the nursery!

Connecticut Trip

Sorry for the delay, we are still trying to get a handle on this blog idea. Of course we are currently the only ones reading this, so I guess I am apologizing to myself.

Our trip to Connecticut was wonderful. The flights there was great and we were both got a bit of extra exercise running to catch our flight in Chicago. We had a row to ourselves on all the legs of the trip. It is always great to see everyone, and especially great to see Omi (Kim's grandmother who was visiting from Vienna).

We were able to see two outdoor concerts in Simsbury given by the Hartford Symphony. The Fourth of July concert had wonderful fireworks. The music was great even with the non-American Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture :). The Motown concert the following week was also very good. It is good to see that a small town can have such a great venue.

Kim's baby shower went well, but I will let her write about that when she gets the chance. Chris, Al, and I went to Five Guys for a burger during the shower. The burger and fries were tasty. It is not quite In-N-Out, but what can you expect on the East Coast.

As always, saying goodbye was difficult. We look forward to seeing Omi for the baptism next year. Fortunately, we will see Chris later this year and Evelyne and Al later this month.

The return flight was not as easy as the first flight. It took 13 hours from start to finish, and both legs had completely full planes. I do not understand why the planes leaving Spokane seem empty and those arriving in Spokane seem so full.