Welcome To The Jungle!

A little Guns 'N' Roses for you juxtaposed against the sanctuary of Jacob's new room...


Jen and I have been preparing the way for Jacob since June, when the doctor advised us that the IVF cycle was a success. We started looking for different materials, paint samples, and furniture within days of hearing the great news. The first thing that was purchased was a small sonogram picture frame for our first sonogram photo. Gabriel gave us the first gift- by getting a stuffed animal dog for the baby. By July, Jen's parents had already purchased the baby crib. At the time, we did not know whether we were having a boy or girl, so we picked a crib that will look great for a boy or girl.

Since July, we have added a changing table/dresser, chair and ottoman, more clothing that can ever be worn by a child, new carpet, area rug (two different ones), floating shelves, wall decorations, and stuffed animals. And that is simply the start of the process. We decided to go with a jungle-themed room for him. This is a pictorial diary of its progression...


From its humble beginnings, we have developed a fantastic nursery that started with painting the walls. We took a piece of the fabric we chose and matched paint and stripe sizes that corresponded to its design. I created a sample on the focal point wall before completing it just to get an idea of the design:


Although it looked a bit daring, we decided that we would trust our idea for the room and continue forward with the paint scheme. Because I LOVE to paint in solitude, I did not allow much help with painting the room. However, I had a great helper that assisted me stripe the room:


Despite looking wild initially, the wall turned out better than we had imagined. The stripes matched the distances and colors of the fabric perfectly. The remaining walls were painted green to complete the start of our theme.

Initially, we purchased a zebra rug to place in front of the crib, but it was quickly replaced for a giraffe-print rug because of the aesthetic value and to contrast against the new carpet.


We started to add the decorative touches to the room, which started with wall art and finished with floating shelves:


Jen’s grandmother made custom curtains, crib bumper, crib skirt, and even sleeves over the baby mobile. She did amazing work and we are truly blessed to have her help make this the room of our dreams.


The room was coming together quite well, but we still needed to add personal details to the room. We added Jacob’s monogram to the crib bumper and the curtains. The most personal items in the room are a giraffe that my parents placed in my bedroom and a safari carousel that was in Jen’s room when we were babies. It completely ties all of the room together.


Here are some finished photos of the room:


Now, all we are waiting for is the finishing touch- Jacob, which should be arriving shortly. It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun and I hope that Jacob enjoys the fruits of our labor. For in this jungle, our little lion cub will sleep shortly...

Back 2 Good

Nice play on words with a good song from Matchbox 20...

As many of you already know, I have been having a lot of pain in my back over the last few years. This pain is always here and it never departs from me. What once was an annoyance is now a part of my life that aids in defining the person that I am.

I honestly don't remember the instance it started. In 2004-2005, I was having a great time playing softball on various teams from spring until autumn. I remember breaking my right middle finger in the middle of a game and breaking my left wrist on a lazy fly ball to right center later in the same game. I made a great sliding catch for the final out of the game as my wrist turned over in the outfield grass. During 2006, I had lost a lot of strength in my right arm as I had fluid build up between the socket of the humerus bone and the clavicle that lasted 18 months. My back began hurting at some point during this time as well. Needless to say I have been in a lot of physical pain over the past 4 years.

This is not the typical back pain that most people have in their life. Contrary to most, my pain occurs when attempting to stand up straight or stretching or backward, which compress the joints together. More often than not, I will continue doing what I want to do and deal with the pain later. It drives Jen absolutely crazy. I love coaching baseball, tossing batting practice and teaching fielding with all of the kids as well as boxing, wrestling, and playing tackle football with Gabriel. By the end of baseball practices I can hardly stand up straight, but I keep pressing onward. It's pretty depressing because I don't believe that I should be feeling like this at my age.

After several years of continuous wincing, grunting, and complaints, Jen finally made me go see a doctor. We found an orthopedist that gave me doses and doses of steroid packs, anti-inflammatory meds, and physical therapy. After a season of trial and error, we were referred to Dr, Clendenin, a spinal specialist, who told me that I have arthritis in my lower back joints. Normally, the arthritis and deterioration in the joints is typically seen in people 50 years or older. He decided to offer cortisone injections to try to isolate the pain and provide options for relief. I completed the first round of cortisone injections inside the facet joints on Christmas Eve. I had about 8 lidicane shots to numb the area, and 4 cortisone injections.
Several people have asked me what the initial injections felt like. The only thing I can say about it is that it is completely unexplainable. At times it was quite painful, There were instances when the doctor would move and even bend the needle into place between the facet joints. I could not take in a breath at all until he stopped moving them into position. At other times, the feeling was so bizarre I could do nothing but laugh. I left the OR feeling pretty good that day.

A couple of weeks later, I contacted the doctor's office to let him know that the pain was still quite persistent. I was asked to come in to complete a second round of injections this morning. This time, Dr. Clendenin performed the injections in the sacroiliac joints. These injections were a completely different feeling. This time, it was more of the typical pain one would expect from getting shots in the back. This evening, I have not felt as well as I did after the first injections.

Hopefully we will find the cause for my misery soon. I can't imagine feeling this way the rest of my life. I have a LOT of playing to do with Gabriel and soon enough with Jacob....

If You Want Blood, You Got It

A little AC/DC never hurt anyone...

Sorry for the delay since my last post. I feel pretty bad about it, but Jen and I have been extremely busy over the past couple of months creating a bedroom for Jacob Matthew deserving of a segment on HGTV. Pictures and a LONG blog about it once completed...

Like a majority of Americans, I work at my place of business because I HAVE TO work at my place of business. There comes a time in your life where, as the Daniel Stern character (Phil) eloquently stated in CIty Slickers, "at this stage- where you are, you are..." With the recent changes in our health care coverage at the start of the new year, what was once a great advantage over other companies is now merely competitive with other companies. With the tightening economy, all of the reasons why I stayed with Verizon Wireless are falling by the wayside...

During the waning days of 2009, many of my fellow team members are burned out. The pressure to perform to higher standards coupled with less benefits is taking its toll on our department. I only took 2 of my 3 weeks of vacation this year in order to save extra time for Jacob's arrival in the coming weeks, so have been exhausted for quite some time. Recently, each of us have been talking about what we would give to have a little break in our day. Some stated that they would pay $50 to have an hour away. I made the comment that I would donate a kidney to have a couple of hours away from my desk right now...

Last week, employees received an email from our Health & Wellness Team at Verizon Wireless that explained we were going to have the opportunity to participate in a Red Cross Blood Drive at work in January. Before the I could read the email in its entirety, I clicked "reply" and said that I would volunteer. I did not have to even think twice. All I read was "spots are limited" and "first come first serve basis." I WAS getting a spot for donation. Are you kidding me? An hour away from the desk and all I had to do is give a pint of blood? Fair trade, considering I mused of donating a kidney for two hours. It was time for my body to cash the check that my mouth wrote a couple of weeks ago.

I had not donated blood in several years. The last time I did so was the last Verizon Wireless Blood Drive in 2007. It only took about 5 minutes from the initial start of the draw to the completion of the donation. The collection bag was hidden from site so I never saw the pint of blood at all. Just a day after the donation, my arm has only a small red dot as evidence of the needle's invasion. Moreover- the Red Cross will allow blood donations every 56 days! That's incredible. The website for the Red Cross (www.redcross.org) is a fantastic resource for more information about blood donation and their need for volunteers.

I have made a New Year's resolution to give blood at least 4 times this year. I figure that it is the least I could do to help others in need. I encourage everyone to go out and find a Red Cross Donation Center or the location of a BloodMobile near you. It is a small gift, but the dividends are exponential. Each pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. With my 4 pints this year, I my small donation could save 12 lives! That's pretty awesome! What are you going to do to make the world a better place this year?