61 days to go and we're moving on.

Good morning young grandson,
Momma had her Dr's appointment yesterday and all went good. You are not a very active baby and I hope things change when you get out of your current situation.

The ladies of the house are running around like crazy people getting ready to load the truck. We are checking out of our rental today and spending our first night in our new house tonight. All our things are already there, and the only thing left to do is get out the box knife and put stuff away.

Your Momma went shopping last night for things for her new room. I think they will paint next week.

Mrs "C" made a good point about our cord cutting dilemma. What if the tool i choose doesn't work? She says I have her permission to use my teeth. So - I'm gonna bring a bottle of mouth wash in the unlikely event I have to go Tribal on the cord. What a story that would be.

We got a text from some friends this morning at 7am. The friends will remain un-named to protect their privacy. They wanted to know about the housing market here and we explained where we were and where to look. The funny thing was the time. 7am our time is 4am their time. They had been up all night on the Internet looking at houses. We love them like family and hope they will at least come visit us soon. Our lips are sealed :-) now go back to bed!

I love you Emmett,

Poppy

63 days to go

Young Emmett,

Today we are doing some last minute stuff to the house before the movers come tomorrow. Your Momma and Grandma will spend the day packing our clothes here in the rental and I will go to the new house by myself. Soon it will be you, me and a big bag of tools walking around building stuff.

The weather here is cool today. We think it feels like the high 50's but it's been so long since we've felt high 50's who could be sure.

You go to the Doctors tomorrow. I'm not sure what yer gonna do there but I hope they take more pictures of you.

BIG day tomorrow and I'd better get going.

I love you Emmett

Poppy's Choice

For the Boy that's ready for Life and any Adventure this would be the logical first choice.

I bet if Indiana didn't carry a whip he'd have one of these.

64 days to go!!

Good Morning Grandson, Wow that feels funny to say.

We are headed back to the house to finish some cleaning and repairs today. Last night we did the last of the paining and will begin the move in process soon.

We had a suprise visit from Aunt Joy and Uncle Art. They dropped off some gifts for you and Momma and also a little something for the weary painters to snack on.

They say it's gonna be warm today and a chance of rain tomorrow. We sure love the weather here.

We met our neighbor a couple days ago, her name is Susan. Not sure what you will get to call her but she seemed like a real nice lady. She lives alone with her 94 year old mother. she lost her Husband earlier this year after a 6 year fight with an illness.

Coffee's done and we're ready to attack the day.

I love you Emmett.

Poppy

Cord cutting, Mommom and Poppop weigh in.

Pop Pop says he would love to send his pocket knife to do the task, only if you promise to send it back J

Love Mom Mom

65, 4, 7, 365

65 days until you get here.

4 days til our furniture arrives.

7 days I go back to work.

365 shopping days until Christmas.


I honestly can say I am only looking forward to half that list. Good Morning Grandson!

Yesterday was a hoot. We had a nice breakfast together and went to Church. Service was wonderful and the music was amazing.

We decided to take our gifts over to the new house and open them on the back porch. The weather was so amazing and we think one of the warmest days since we've been here in Florida.

Momma's list of gifts included: bath supplies, a sleeping pillow for you, a bunch pregnant clothes, Beach supplies and a swim cover up.

Grandma got a new sprocket set and chain for her motorcycle, swim supplies, shorts, a few shirts, sweats, and a house.

Your Poppy got two hugs from his girls, 2 long sleeve T-Shirts, flip-flops, and a remote control Air-Boat. By the time you get here I should have a great collection of RC boats and fishing poles for us to play with.

Cutting the cord RE-VISITED...

Good morning Emmett,

I got myself in into some interesting conversation yesterday over you. We want to make every turn in your life full of adventure and excitement and this blog is a record of your life as we go. We hope you will go back through this site over and over again as you grow up.

As you know Poppy will be the lucky one to "Cut the Cord". I have been thinking about the moment a lot and wonder what I might do to make it a memorable moment for our family. The question I offered up was "What should I use to cut the cord with"?

This moment might define you and I want to make sure I use the right tool. Here are some of the suggestions. Keeping in mind the normal medical instrument would be these.

• Kbar
• Leatherman
• EMT scissors
• Kukri
• Machete
• Side cutters
• Classic Deer Knife
• Gut Hook Knife
• Ninja sword
• WWII Bayonet
• Box Cutter
• Fillet Knife
• Electric Turkey Knife
• Light saber
• Weed wacker
• Chainsaw

Some of these are ment to be funny but we think it would be great to start things off with a spirit of adventure.

Family and Friends, Please visit Emmett's FaceBook page to enter YOUR choice of cord cutting tools.

Merry Christmas Emmett, 66 days to go!

Good Morning Emmett,

Today is Christmas, though I must admit it doesn't feel at all like it. The weather is going to be sunny with temps in the low 80's. Yesterday I stopped in at the pool store and found a floating Santa you put in the pool. People light all the palm trees. Late last night about 8pm I road down the way to get some last minute things from the grocery store, on my motorcycle, with just shorts and a T-shirt on (NEVER DO THAT!). That's Christmas here and you are gonna love it.

Your Poppy and Grandma have been spending the last 5 days cleaning and painting your new home. We are excited about you and think you will love this place.

Your Momma has been in charge of Christmas this year and she did a wonderful job. She took care of all the shopping and wrapping of gifts and tonight we will finally sit down and take a break from this madness.

Momma says it feels like you are going to just fall out of her when she walks around. I think you just want to get out of there so we can start our adventures together. I say "let'em out"!

I'm looking at our gifts sitting in the table. I remember when we were young and my sister and I used to make noise and sneak into our parents room and hide under the bed listening for them to wake. We can't wait until it's your pile of gifts, 4am, and your laying on the floor outside our bedroom door listening for signs of life so YOU can open your gifts. What fun!

We are off to Church in a couple hours. After Church we will show the house to your momma for the first time. We decided to get things cleaned up a little and some paint on the walls before we took her over.

We met some great friends when we first moved to Florida, Rob and Linda. They have really been wonderful to us and helped us get settled and even look for a house. They invited us to Christmas dinner today because they know we are far from our Families. What a wonderful thing to do, they are the best. That will be our Christmas this year.

I'd better get breakfast cooked while the girls are getting ready. Biscuits, eggs, saugage and Super Cinnamon buns!

Hey there goes Da'momma and you walking through the kitchen. I stopped her and put my hand on her tummy in hopes of feeling you kick me Merry Christmas.

I love you Emmett and cant wait until you get here,

poppy

68 days to you and an update on us.

Young Emmett,

Not much action on the blog this week because we have been very busy.

Momma:  She has been having a rough week and has spent most of her time resting. She will go to the Doctors office next week, between Christmas and New Years, to get an update and start some classes.

Poppop:   Your Great Grandfather has been going through Cancer treatment this year and we received good news this week that he would be getting his surgery earlier then expected. He and Mommom hope to visit you in May.

My sister kathy:  We got a phone call from her and she hopes to fly down in a month to help us settle in and see some sights.

Poppy and "Big Momma":  We took keys to your new home Tuesday and we have been cleaning, fixing, and painting. We will be busy with these activities until next Thursday when the movers bring our Furniture and things. We will be home then.

Christmas is in 2 days and we have a little shopping to do for you and your momma this afternon so we better get on with our day.

I Love you Emmett,

Poppy

Week 29, 73 days to go

Here's your Doctor update this week Emmett,

Your Momma has been feeling weird with little fluttering butterflies in her belly, it’s not just her run-of-the-mill pre-birth performance anxiety. Actually, it's amazing Emmett with a case of the hiccups: a fairly common occurrence at this point, due to you practicing your breathing for your big birthday.

In addition to getting a round of hiccups, you have arduously managed to accumulate enough baby fat to account for nearly 3.5% of their overall body weight.
Yeah, compared to we lardy adults, it’s not very impressive, but considering you used to have NO fat, it’s certainly a healthy (and body-warming) accomplishment in its way.

Another fantastic life-critical accomplishment: your spleen is now in charge of hematopoiesis — the 10 dollar name for the process involved in building up certain important blood components.





We didn't find any Shark Teeth yesterday but we did find a new beach to visit. We are excited to get our new house on Wednesday and are super excited to meet you.

I love you,

Poppy

74 days, Super Saturday

Good morning Emmett,

1 week before Christmas, 3 days before we close your new house and start moving in, and 74 days before you arrive. What an exciting time for us.

The TV people are calling today "Super saturday" because it is the last saturday before the Holiday weekend. The stores will be crowded today. We will not be shopping today :-)

Your Momma has been very tired the last few days. She spent a day with a friend earlier in the week and had a fun time. Last night we went to the beach and watched the sunset together and searched for shells. Today she will spend the day at home and rest. She is ready to settle at our new home, we all are.

Your Grandma and I are taking a day to ourselves today. We usually go on Thursday or Friday but decided to take a weekend day off this week. We always try to take one day per week to enjoy each other and share an event, trip, or just a quiet day at home.

Today we are driving to Venice, Florida. There is a beach there famous for sharks teeth. My Dad, your Great Grandpa (Poppop) used to go to this beach with his grandma (Nanna) when he was young and worked in Florida. Grandma and I were about 5 or 6 years old then. He still has a cup full of teeth in his house today.

Most teeth are little but there are some real big ones from a giant shark called a "megalodon". We hope to find a small one today, if we're lucky. We will try and look for teeth when ever we go to the beach and you will be able to help us build our own family collection.

Your Poppy loves you

76 days

Hello Emmett,

Where have all the STARBUCKS gone? I miss my coffee but my budget is happy we can't find a good cup anywhere here in SW Florida.

I drove to Miami about 3 weeks ago to pick up your Momma . I left about 5 am so I'd be at the airport when she arrived at 8. I thought I'd sneak out of the house a little early so i could get a good cup of coffee for the road. How fun to make my first trip across the state with a little help from my friends at Starbucks. I plugged it in the GPS and found one just a few miles away. I was in route to Interstate 75 which cuts the state in half just west of Miami all the way to Naples and is affectionately referred to as "Alligator Alley". Finally arriving at my pit stop my plans of clutching a warm cup of seattles finest were dashed. NO WAY! Closed? Looks like a Starbucks but it's been closed down and even has a "For Lease" sign in the window. I don't think I've ever heard of a Starbucks closing.

No worries I'll plug in another one and continue towards my destination. #2, a few miles further, also closed too! Last chance...one more before I hit the massive empty coffeeless everglades. I can't believe it. 3 Starbucks, 3 empty stores, 3 stained facade where the signs used to be, 3 strikes and I'm out! There will be no coffee for me this morning.

I was in a way relieved there were no Starbucks. I have to confess I use to spend a hundred dollars or more a month on our coffee habit. What do yo know....no coffee for me on this trip and I managed to retrieve my package without one minute of unauthorized sleep. Caffeine....! I don't need you anymore. Starbucks...bye bye. Budget...it's your time for some love.

I love you and can't wait to meet you,

Poppy

77 days to go!!

Good morning little man,

We are at a point in your development where you are starting to cause your Momma some real social problems. She says she is ## weeks into her pregnancy and we only have ## weeks to go. It's scary how many women can calculate this complex data in a split second but are unable to do anything with a fraction, Decimal, or percentage - ever.

Men do not understand. Why can't we make this calculation? Do you think it's just new moms that do this? They must have some whacked out math chemical rushing through their bodies. I guess I should be happy for her and her new found skills. People do enjoy knowing something no one else does.

By the way - last night, during our evening pizza and TV time, she started laughing at a show then started screaming. Soon I would learn your position on her bladder no longer allows her to laugh without peeing her pants.   SU-WEEEET JUSTICE!

I love you,

Poppy



  

78 days...

Another day closer to our introduction and I can't wait!

I have been known to enjoy an empty quiet house from time to time. I like watching a good baseball game, naps, coffee, and tinkering in the shop. A mans life is full of responsibility and some stress and we often turn ourselves off when we pull into the driveway at home. I am no exception to this general rule.

Your Momma went to Tampa yesterday and I rushed home to enjoy an empty house where I could mill about in my boxers, pick my nose whenever I wanted and have control of the remote to watch whatever I wanted on TV. I was overly excited about the evening and even stopped at the grocery store to get a few favorite snacks.

As I drove into the neighborhood I spotted your Grandma walking the dog and stopped to say hi and let her know I would be making dinner. She told me she would be home in a half hour or so and she would see me after her walk. I drove the rest of the way and finally arrived at the empty house I'd be dreaming about all day.

I rushed the groceries in, spread them out on the counter and some in the frig before I headed for a shower. All cleaned up I put on my comfy clothes and headed for the kitchen to start preparing the food. I was home, calm, clean, comfortable, and surrounded by my favorite food. I stood in the kitchen and stopped...somethings wrong...so what gives?

I was alone.

I always thought being alone was great but it turns out I was thinking about it the wrong way all along. Being alone wasn't what I was after, being with my family was. I was too lazy to do the tuff things that made the people around me feel good about themselves and used the "alone theory" to make that OK.

What a waste of time! Life is too short and I want to be a member of a community. I hope you choose to be with us along the way and understand we love you and no matter what you do in life. You will be a member of my family and I will be there for you forever.

I love you little man and can't wait to meet you,

Poppy

First kick and 3-D Ultrasound

Grandson,

Last night I felt you move for the first time. People must think I'm funny standing around with my hand on your Momma's tummy. You are not very active during the day and I look forward to more kicks as you grow.

Momma is going to Tampa today to spend time with a friend from Collage. Her friend is also Pregnant so they will have a lot to talk about. They tell me they are going to get a 3-D Ultrasound of her baby. This image is not flat (2D or 2 dimensional) but gives a 3 dimensional view of a baby while still in the tummy. A normal ultrasound like the one you already did looks like this. The new 3-D image looks like this. They use this machine and move it along her skin to shoot a sound wave inside her. This sound wave bounces off you and the machine can make a picture using this information. This technology is used in much the same way a ship would map the ocean bottom or a war ship would locate a submarine with sonar. We also use sound waves/sonar when we use a  fish finder to find fish underwater and see how deep the water is.  

79 days to go!

I love you,

Poppy

Clicking the blue words

Emmett,

I will tell you about things we do as you grow and alls you have to do is click on the blue word and you will see a picture of "IT". After you view the item you can hit the "Backspace" key to return to the blog and continue reading.

Example:

     We like to Kayak and hope to learn how to fish from these long skinny boats. My friend Joe catches Tarpon. We like to watch the Kite Surfers on the weekends on Sanibel Island. I would like to learn to Scuba. We have to be careful to watch out for Sharks, Gators, snakes, and spiders!


Just one example of our job as boys to freak out, in a fun way, the girls in our lives.

Poppy

81 days to go and Fetal development is in 28th week

Emmett is making blood, fat & hormones!

14.8 in Long and 2.2 lbs

You know your Momma has been feeling like a whale with legs. To state the obvious, that feeling isn't going anywhere until she finally gets down to the hard work (aka labor) of evicting you, from her womb.

For the time being, you are in the fat collection business!
This fetal fat collection stuff is serious business, and your Momma has got to put up with it because it’s going to keep you warm and healthy after birth, since your brain will be unable to regulate your own tiny body's temperature.
Other good stuff from inside the womb: your eyes are doing lots of blinking this week because they’re now responding to light and dark!

And in life-critical physical developments: your tiny industrious bone marrow is now a major construction site for blood cells, while youradrenal glands are actually producing androgen and estrogen — which will stimulate Mommas body to begin milk production.

Say “Moo”!

Cutting the cord

Emmett,

Your Momma has been very tired these last few days. She still gets sick sometimes. You should know she has been getting more information about how she will deliver you. She plans to do it without medications so you don't get sleepy while your trying to get out of her tummy. You have work to do also and you have to be alert and ready to breathe. 


Your Momma blessed me with the most incredible invitation. I have been asked to be part of the your birth process. I am so honored! I get to cut the cord when you're born. This is the cord that comes out of your belly button and helps feed you while you are inside your momma. This is an awesome thing and this will be my 2nd time. 20 years ago I got to cut your mommas cord and it was one of the most amazing things ever.


I am so excited about you and can't wait for you to get here. 


I Love you Grandson

82 days

Grandson,


The end of my weekend and tomorrow I'm back at it. I have a couple more free days at work before I go back into the class room to start the Radar portion of my certification here. The should take a couple months and I am excited to be finished. 


We took you to Port Charlotte to have dinner with my Aunt Joy and her husband Art. She is my fathers younger sister the number 2 of 5 children. Art is a great guy with a lot of funny stories to tell. We call him Art the Fart. They bought a new home here and plan to spend the winters here where it's warm. We had a nice time and it's great having family close. 

Today your Grandma and I went scuba diving. She has some real fear in the water and we think we'd like to start diving since it's warm here and there are lots of colorful fish. We decided to go on an orientation dive to make sure it was something we were going to like. She did great and I think we will plan to take lessons sometime in the next year or so.


We would like to go fishing and lobstering from under water. They use a long speargun to shoot fish under water. Other things to hunt under water are Lobster. You find them under rocks and use a stick to scoot them into nets.  



How lucky am I to have such a great partner in life willing to try anything? I hope you can fill in for her some times.


I love you Emmett

84 days to go and a late night swim in December

Good morning my young Grandson,

Momma says it helps if she spends a half hour per day in the pool working out so after a nice supper we all walked down to the pool for a dip. I think she did a few laps and explained how floating helped keep the swelling of her hands and feet under control.

Later in life you will learn the extraordinary medicinal value in new nails, a day at the mall and fresh hair color. I don't know what those people do but it seems to heal all ailments. 

How lucky I am to have such great girls and I can't wait to show you what they like and how they like to be treated. 

• Your Momma likes her back rubbed before bed.
• Both like any ice cream with peanut butter in it.
• Both like the book store.
• Both like scary movies but only one will watch. Not your Momma.
• Grandma doesn't like surprises.
• Grandma would rather spend a day at the beach then almost anything.

We will go through the bigger list when you get here. It's our job to figure these things out and that's one of the best parts of being  in a relationship. When you hit it on the head it brings a smile to your loved one, and satisfaction to you that you did a good job paying attention to their needs.  

My work week is almost over and in a few months it will be the start of our fun weekends.

I love you Emmett

85 days

Good afternoon young Emmett,

I worked a full day today. That may seem like an unusual statement but I've had some trouble staying at work for my full work day lately. Not that I don't like it here, I've just been enjoying your mom and Grandma. Good thing I saved some vacation leave.

I just got a text from the house and they want me to stop at Costco and get a couple things. I hope they know that means i will be "eating out". Costco rocks!  You will love costco and we will spend a lot of our time at the food court.

Just got another text giving me the OK to chow down, ONLY IF I bring home a couple chicken bakes. I hope you are a lucky as me and have a family to bring things to.

I love you and I Love my girls.

Please hurry and get so I'm no longer the only dude in the house. They team up on me all the time! Poor me :-)

I think I will sit on the couch later with my hand on momma's tummy until you kick. I will let you know tomorrow how that goes.

Have a good night little man,

Poppy

86 days and counting

Hey young man,


December 5th 2011 and you will be here in 86 days. 


I fight the urge to ramble on about things I want you to know in the hopes you wont make any of our mistakes. Truth is you are your own man and I want you to be. The best we can do is fill you with love and give you every tool we can so you can make your choice. 


You could flip a coin. Your choice taking a 50/50 heads or tails coin toss is a choice. You don't really get to decide, or did you. These choices are fun and we need to let go that way sometimes. Like when you can't decide over a cheese burger or chicken sandwich. 


It's been said that if you come to a "Y" in the road...take it. What is this telling us about choices? You have a choice to make and there is no wrong answer. I think the idea here is to move forward, try new things and see the adventure in the unknown. The wrong answer is to be crippled under the pressure to just make a choice. 


What if the choice is about right or wrong? Should I lie about my time card at work? We answer these questions all the time. God gives us things called Principles. These are life guidelines we predetermine or decide ahead of time. This means we think about something like telling the truth and decide before hand what we will do if confronted with the choice to lie. 


Example:

• I choose to drive the speed limit no matter what.
• I choose to tell the truth no matter what.
• I have determined I will always open doors for my wife.
• I decided some time ago I will never miss my mothers birthday
• I will always say good night to my kids, no matter where they are or how tired I am. 
• I always go to Church on Sundays even when I'm on vacation.

These "PRE-DECISIONS" or principles make us who we are and will define you.  I hope you take time to decide what you will do when confronted with a choice. I hope you choose character and godliness. 

I love you Grandson,

Poppy

Anna Hove say's Hello

• I saw your mommy's post about what your Grandpa and Grandma are doing for you.
  I have known your mommy for about 4 or 5 years. It does how ever feel like I have known your mommy, your grandma and grandpa for ever.
  Emmett, you have wonderful Godly Grandparents. I know that they already love you so much and they haven't even met you yet. Just wait until you are born. They will shower you with all the love they have. Let them love on you. I know they must be very proud that you Emmett are going to be their Grandchild.
  Oh Emmett, what can I say about your mommy. She is such a wonderful young lady. You will love having her as your mommy. You know out of all the people that could have been your mommy, GOD picked her. He knew that she would take very good care of you and love you with all of her being. She is so happy that you are going to join her family. You are going to help complete her. So already loves you so much. Your mommy will be the best mommy ever.
  Well, Emmett I am happy to be part of your life even if you live in Florida. I will ask your mommy or Grandma for updates about you. I also love you too Emmett.
  Wendy, if there is anything that you want to edit you have my blessing. If I can think of other things to say to the precious little baby I may send you something else. Jessica is such a sweet young lady. God Bless You Guys.
  Love,
  Anna Hove~