Fall Trip to Steamboat

Thomas family near Fish Creek Falls, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This picture was taken near Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat, CO. We went to Steamboat this year on our annual fall trip. The aspen colors were amazing and the weather was perfect. We stayed at Rabbit Ears Motel which is a Steamboat landmark and visited the hot springs. We also went up to Steamboat Lake state park and Pearl Lake state park. What an amazing place to see the Colorado fall colors.

Bryce's Baptism

Bryce in his baptismal gown, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

We finally got Bryce baptised at Jason's home church in Independence, IA on Sept 24, 2006. He was pretty squirmly throughout the service but managed to stay calm during the actual event. The reason we waited until September was so we could do the baptism with Bryce's sponsors, Brian and Katie. They flew in from Alaska to do a presentation to the church about their time in Kenya. You can still see their blog about their trip here. This presentation drew a lot of extended family who we also haven't seen it a while. It was an added blessing to have them there for Bryce's baptism as well as the Kenya presentation. We enjoyed seeing Brian and Katie again and can't wait until Christmas when we'll all be together again. Sydney has been talking about Grandma Jayne's Barbies (Melissa's old toys) and Oma's dolls and cars since we left. Every time we talk on the phone she reminds them that she's coming out for Christmas to play with their toys. I think they could wrap up a few things she's already seen and she'd have a great Christmas!

Sydney and the Penguin

Sydney and the Penguin, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

I'm still trying to catch up with our iPhoto library by uploading to Flickr. This photo belongs to a set I just uploaded from when Melissa, Sydney, Bryce, and Jayne went to the Omaha zoo on their way from CO to Saint James. I've also uploaded some from when we went to 6 Flags Elitch Gardens in Denver. Each fall Ball rents out 6 Flags for the evening for all the employees. We usually hang out in the kids area the whole time but this year, since Jayne was in town, Melissa and I were able to ride the wooden roller coaster. 6 Flags in Denver is a decent park but because it is really land locked there isn't much more they can do with it. Oh well, they still have an awesome wooden roller coaster. Just ask Melissa!

Sydney at soccer camp

Sydney at soccer camp, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Sydney participated in the English soccer camp in Broomfield this year. By English I mean all the teachers were from the UK. Notice the kids t-shirts with the flags. The kids met each day for an hour at 4pm at the beginning of August. Needless to say, it was often very hot and that seemed to wear on the kids. Sydney had a mixed experience. One day she was out there running around and the next she didn't want to do anything. Obviously the 3 year olds didn't really learn any technique or soccer skills. It was more about learning to be away from the parents and listen to a coach. Mission accomplished??? Well, maybe a start.

Family at Lily Lake, RMNP

Family at Lily Lake, RMNP, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This photo was taken at Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park when Mark, Pat, Arlyn and Carolyn came out to visit. They staying in a motel in Estes Park and we decided to spend a night camping in RMNP. It just so happened that we purchased our new Honda Odyssey on Friday and then drove up to RMNP that very night with the dogs, kids and all the supplies. What a way to break in a new vehicle! We had a great time camping (Bryce's first experience) and even managed to sleep a little with two dogs, a 6 month old, and a 3 year old in the tent.

Family at Coors Field

Family at Coors Field, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

We went to Coors Field on July 31 as part of our church group. It also happened to be Dog Day at Coors which means people could bring their dogs and sit in a special section. Sydney had fun petting all the dogs on our way to our seats in the upper deck. The Rockies played the Brewers and won 4-2.

The Thomas family at the Embassy Suites

The Thomas family at the Embassy Suites, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This photo was taken at the end of our stay at the Embassy Suites in Minneapolis next to the Mall of America. We flew out with the kids to welcome back Brian and Katie from the missionary trip in Kenya. They told us it was quite the culture shock to go from the Kenyan countryside to the Embassy Suites and the Mall of America but they took it in stride. We were really happy to introduce them to their new nephew Bryce whom they met for the first time. Sydney had a great time playing and showing them how much more personality she had developed in the year they were gone. It was a great trip and we're so glad to have them back close again. Ok, Alaska isn't really close but it's a lot better than half a world away!

Sydney on her decorated trike for the 4th of July

Sydney on her decorated trike for the 4th of July, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Where have we been? You know, just around doing stuff. But it's never to late to post some photos so here is some from the 4th of July as well as some from the park. I'll be putting up photos from our trip to Minneapolis to welcome back Brian and Katie soon. Like in less than 2 months!

Sydney and Sarah with Dora

Sydney and Sarah with Dora, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

We were at the Boondocks fun center today to meet Dora! The $5 adult / $10 kid fee included a pretty good breakfast, tokens for arcade games, a ride on the go-carts, and of course the chance to meet Dora. Sydney was totally freaked out by Dora as she has been by anyone in costume. Her friend Sarah seemed to be having fun but Sydney refused to give Dora a hug. She eventually mustered up the nerve to give Dora a high five and Boots a hug but that was it. She's always been freaked by people in costume including the Rat at Chucky Cheese and of course Santa. She had a blast on the water boats (see Flickr photos) but got freaked out by the little go-carts. We put her in one and started to buckle her in but I think she expected us to ride with her. Of well there's always next time. We found some extra mini-golf clubs and balls sitting around and decided to let the girls play a round while the moms did some baby feeding. We actually ended up staying from 9:45 to 1:15 which was way longer than I expected. Both girls were pretty wiped out by then but at least Sydney had a decent nap!

Goofy Bryce

Goofy Bryce, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Wow has it really been over a month since I've written anything! So much for June. I just uploaded a bunch of pictures from Sydney's birthday party, from when Oma and Opa visited, from when Jayne and Jerry visited, and random ones of the kids. We've been keeping busy trying to figure out why Melissa hasn't been feeling that great lately. So far we've ruled out many big bad scary things (like most forms of cancer and MS) but no diagnosis yet. It seems her symptoms have started since having kids so I blame lack of sleep and feeding our monsters. Bryce was 20lbs at his 4 month checkup (on June 5th) which put him off the chart for weight. That's a lot of breast milk! Unfortunately he was only in the 50th percentile for height so he has some lengthening to do. Sydney just had her 3 year checkup and was still in the 95% for both height and weight. Anyway keep Melissa in your prayers as we try to figure out how to help her feel more like herself.

Sydney's 3rd Birthday

The happy birthday girl, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Sydney celebrated her 3rd birthday on May 13th at Sunflower Farms in Longmont, CO. She celebrated with three of her friends who were all turning three around the same time. Sunflower farms is basically this old farmstead just south of Longmont that they've turned into this big kiddy land. Compete with tire swings, trampoline, sandbox, tractor, bulldozer, tree house, and of course petting zoo, this place had it all. We were one of 3 parties there at the same time so there were easily over one hundred people there and it didn't even feel crowded. The kids all had a blast climbing over everything, feeding the animals, and riding the pony. Later in the day they even sheared the sheep while we were which is something I haven't ever seen live. It's a great place for a kids party!

Hard Drive Crash!

Warning! If you do not back up your computer on an external hard drive then it is time to start doing so! I learned this the hard way a few weeks ago when the Maxtor hard drive in my iMac died. It died very horribly too, so much so that when we took it to a local drive recovery place (which was going to charge between $500 - $2000 for data recovery) they said there was nothing they could do. Luckily the computer was still under Apple's warrenty and they gave me a new one without any problem. My last backup was in October so I've spent the last week downloading all our email since then and all the pictures we sent to people and uploaded to Flickr. The first thing I did when I got the repaired computer home was buy a 250GB external hard drive to mirror everything on the iMac hard drive. Sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way but don't say I didn't warn you.

Sydney & Bryce Easter 2006

Sydney & Bryce Easter 2006, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

I've uploaded some pictures from all the Easter feastivities. The ones with Sydney in her yellow rain coat were taken Sat at Bronco Park in Broomfield near where we used to live. The local realtor in the area puts on an epic Easter egg hunt with 6000 eggs all containing a little piece of candy! They basically coat the ground with eggs and then let the kids go nuts. Luckily there are three groups: 0-2, 3-6, 7-9 so Sydney had a chance in the 0-2 group. Other pictures are from Sunday brunch at the Potter's house with the Olsons. This picture was taken before church Sunday while Sydney still had her hair done. I was at church from 7:15 to 11:15 doing my choir duties which I thought was long until I heard the pastor was there from 5 until 12:30. We had four services: 6, 8, 9:30, & 11 and the 9:40 service had people in folding chairs all down the hallway. It's just too bad that so many people think the only church they need is to show up on Christmas and Easter and put $5 in the offering plate. Here's hoping a few liked the service enough to come back this Sunday. Amen.

Sydney Swimming Lessons

Sydney Swimming with Instructor 2, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Sydney started swimming lessons on Monday at the Westminster Rec Center. So I (Jason) took her in the Men's locker room and got both our suits on, showered, then got in the pool. Then we see the instructor come over and say "Let's get started!" That's when I looked around and noticed I was the only adult in the pool. Apparently this was an instructor kid class and not a parent involved class. Melissa neglected to tell me that (she didn't know) so I felt pretty cool sitting in a chair next to the pool in my suit with the other parents in their street clothes. Sydney was fine without me or Melissa and didn't even make eye contact with us the entire class. It was a little weird for us to see her out there all by herself because this was the first thing she's been in that we haven't also participated in. It's almost like a date for Melissa and I as sad as that sounds. Hopefully this teaches Sydney a little respect for the water so she doesn't just walk off the steps into our local pool into 3 feet of water.

Bryce on Oxygen

Bryce on Oxygen 1, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Bryce got out of the hospital Sunday afternoon looking like this picture. They sent us home on an oxygen tank which is hooked up to a tube in his nose. Then Monday the oxygen guy came over and gave us our own portable oxygen concentrator which produces oxygen from the air. He also gave us some small tanks of oxygen if we want to take Bryce out. We saw the doctor on Monday and he thought Bryce was doing better. We see him again on Thursday and hopefully we'll be off the oxygen at that appointment. Bryce still has a bad cough but is eating well and sleeping pretty well. He's fussy and wants to be held all the time but we can deal with that. Click on the photo to see other photos with his nursing crew.

Bryce's RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)

We had some bad news today that Bryce has RSV and now he's in the hospital. Apparently it's a lot like the common cold but hits little babies a little harder. Sydney has been sick since last Thursday with a running nose, cough, and occasional fever but hasn't really acted sick. She gave it to Melissa who had headaches, sore throat and fevers for a few days. Bryce started getting sick on Sunday or Monday with coughing and sneezing. He's also been burping up his breast milk a lot lately. Tuesday night he really scared us because he was about to puke up his milk and then stopped breathing. Melissa laid him down and gave him a quick breath and he puked up his milk and started breathing again. So we took him into the doctor Wednesday and his blood oxygen level was only 85% when you're supposed to be in the upper 90s. Melissa asked about the breathing thing and the doctor said he probably would have puked it up on his own and in the future to tip him over and slap his back. He sent us home and said to come back tomorrow if he was any worse. Wednesday was bad again with lots of coughing and spitting up so Thursday (today) he was admitted to Avista Hospital. They suctioned his nose which helped and now have put him on oxygen to help him breath better. The doctor said we'll probably be there through the weekend. It's not how we were hoping to spend our weekend, especially since it's supposed to be mid 60s here and sunny. Please keep Bryce in your prayers for a quick recovery.

Bryce's Birth Announcement

Bryce's Birth Announcement, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This is the picture we used for Bryce's birth announcement. So if you didn't get an actual announcement letter from us this is what you missed!

Oma & Opa & their Grandchildren

Oma & Opa & their Grandchildren, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

This picture was taken when Oma and Opa came out to see Bryce for the first time. If you look close enough you can see that Sydney is wearing her Iowa State dress. Go Cyclones! They were out here the first weekend in March and I'm just now getting pictures out. It was fun to see them as always. Sydney enjoyed the undivided attention from them and Melissa when Bryce was being held by the other. Whenever the grandparents are here it's always "Grandma take me to the bathroom!" or "Oma change my clothes!" Of course that's fine with Melissa and I. We even managed to sneak out and have dinner together while Oma and Opa were here although Bryce did get to come. We'll see them again in early June before they leave for Kenya to visit Brian and Katie.

Grandpa Hummel

Denise, Grandpa Hummel, Sydney & Bryce, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Melissa's dad Sandy came to visit us and see baby Bryce. He drove out from Pittsburgh and arrived March 1st. We immediately went out to Old Chicago for a great meal. Friday Denise flew out and saw our house for the first time. I went skiing Saturday with Nathan and Shelby Fuerst as they were out here on vacation.

I came back just in time to get ready for dinner at the Boulder Flagstaff House in the foothills above Boulder. Melissa's dad took us and another couple out and it is probably the nicest restaurant I have ever eaten at. First of all they have complimentary valet parking and our Expedition was parked amongst the Mercedes and BMWs. We had to take Bryce along since he feeds so often but Sydney definitely stayed home with a baby sitter. Luckily Bryce behaved because it was not the place to take a crabby baby. I could pronounce most things on the menu and really didn't have a clue what my meal was going to look like. The menu was all al-la-cart of course and ran from the $250 caviar appetiser to the $108 Kobe beef meal. It wasn't all that bad because I had a seafood dish for $30 and Melissa had prime rib for $44. Every time they brought out a course it was 3 people setting the plates down all at once, and then they would come back and pick them up all at once. They would also bring out various things complements of the chef which were also good. Melissa and I joked that next time we're just going to split a salad and bank on the chef's compliments. I don't even want to know what the bill was considering we all had wine and most had salad and dessert. It's definitely a great place to eat and the views are awesome overlooking all of Boulder.

Bryce and Sydney

Bryce and Sydney, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Sydney is getting along well with her little brother. She always wants to pick him up and hold him but she doesn't really know how yet. We prop her up with pillows under her arms so he can basically sit in her lap. She's slapped him on the chest once and then stared at us to see what we'd do. Melissa had her in a timeout so fast her head spun! So far it seems to have worked because she hasn't done anything like that again.

I just posted a dozen pictures to Flickr so click on this picture to check them all out.

Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions Essay

I found a really cool essay about the Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. They relate the movies to elements of the biblical Genesis story. The main theme I found really interesting is this: God created everything including the serpent. He also gave mankind curiosity and modeled them after his own image. Plus since he is all knowing he basically set up mankind for the fall. This is modeled in the Matrix as Neo chosing the Red Pill, leaving the Matrix (the Garden of Eden), and entering the real world. Later Neo chooses Trinity over the salvation of Zion. He does this will the full knowledge of that choice. The author manages to relate this to humanity truely choosing our salvation in Jesus Christ. This is a better choice than simply loving God in Eden because we would have done so without the full knowledge of good and evil. You really have to read the article to get everything out of it. Obviously I should re-read it because I'm not describing it very well!

Bryce's First Doctor Appointment

Bryce visited the doctor Monday and received a good bill of health. He was 7lbs which is good because it's more than his weight leaving the hospital. He's sleeping a lot and we struggle to get him to stay awake after feeding. We're using elements of the BabyWise technique like we did with Sydney. Wow I just put BabyWise in Google and man are there a lot of negative articles. We don't really follow the strict scheduling (which seems to be the source of all the outcry) but try to follow the "Eat, Wake, Sleep" method. What's funny is that our pediatrician is Robert Bucknam who co-authored the book. He doesn't push the book or the technique and I'm sure he's aware of the criticism. His advice during the checkup was to try to keep Bryce awake during the feedings which is really difficult right now. All he wants to do is sleep! I remember this same behavior with Sydney and by the third week she had woken up and was colicly all night. Hopefully we'll avoid that with Bryce. So far he seems much more mellow than Sydney.

Today was the day we were scheduled to be induced. Bryce obviously wasn't waiting for that!

Grandma Jayne's Visit

IMG_3998.JPG, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Grandma Jayne arrived with Jerry on Wednesday night. They left this morning but we sure enjoyed having them. This picture was taken of Grandma with all her grandchildren on our couch. I've also uploaded more pictures from the hospital and from home.

Everyone is doing fine and Bryce is eating, sleeping, pooping, and peeing well. Having a boy is definitely a different experience for us already. Let's just say we've all gotten a little wet during the diaper changes! I'm going to stay home Monday to help out and take Bryce to his first pediatrician appointment. It's supposed to be 60 in Denver Monday so it will be a nice day to take off.

Sydney is still adjusting to being a big sister. She's had a few accidents lately so it appears she's regressing on the potty training. Hopefully she'll get that turned around but from what we've heard, it's going to be a long couple of a weeks ahead!

It's a boy!

IMG_3940.JPG, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Melissa woke me up Monday morning at 4:30 saying that she might be in labor. Her contractions were less than 5 minutes so we called the hospital for advice. They said to shower off and then come on in. So we both showered and got ready but by then the contractions had let up a bit. I went back asleep and woke up at 8 with Sydney. Melissa had been up the whole time and decided to go downstairs to dust and clean up a little bit. Yes, Melissa was dusting the house while in labor! We then ate breakfast and headed to the hospital with Sydney in tow. They checked us into triage to see if this was the real thing. At noon Melissa was at 4cm dilated and was still getting pretty regular contractions so they admitted us into a real room. The doctor came by about 1:30 and decided to speed things up a bit so he broke her water. About the same time Katie came to pick up Sydney and took her to Aiden's house where she took a nice long nap. Meanwhile back at the hospital things were progressing quite rapidly. Sometime after 3 the nurse said Melissa was at 9cm so she went to get the doctor. He showed up and Melissa really started pushing at 3:30. By 3:52 after three pushes we had a baby boy! His name is Bryce Patrick Thomas and he is 7lb 3oz and 20.5in long. He has sandy brown hair and looks a lot like Melissa's baby pictures. Katie, Glen, Aiden, and Sydney showed up around 7 so Sydney could meet her new brother. Sydney and I even got to watch Bryce get his first bath. Sydney and I finally came home at 10 and she finally fell asleep at 10:45. We headed back over to the hospital today and now I'm back at home for Sydney's nap time. Melissa and Bryce will stay another night and we'll all come home Wednesday morning. Jayne and Jerry are coming out Wednesday so we'll have a little help through the weekend. Click on the picture to see the rest of the photos posted on flickr.

Bathroom waincoat

This is the before picture of our downstairs bathroom. I've already started the demolition work of removing the baseboards.










This is my baseboard removal technique. I took the widest chisel I had and used it to pry away the baseboards. This worked pretty well because I was able to pound the chisel down behind the board without damaging it before prying the board away from the wall. The idea is to reuse the baseboards as much as possible.







The chair rail for the wainscoating was not a cap rail which looks like an upside down L. I decided against the cap chair rail because of how thin and uninteresting it was. At least the one style that our local Home Depot had was thin and uninteresting. So instead I got the only other chair rail they had. The problem was the bottom detail work of the chair rail was not wide enough to sit over the wainscoat. So I used my table saw to rip off this bottom detail. The picture shows the modified chair rail on the left and the original on the right. One disadvantage to using this chair rail rather than a cap rail is it doesn't hold down the top of the panels so you really need to nail the panels to the studs. It also doesn't allow you to hide the top nail holes under the cap.

The next step was to install this chair rail all around the bathroom. This is the method described to me by the Home Depot guy. "Whacha wanna do is snap a chalk line around and then hang your panels. Then slap the baseboard on the bottom." Well I didn't snap a chalk line because my room was so small. I just used a level and it worked out pretty well. Note if you do decide to snap a chalk line be very careful with the chalk. Only after I used this method in our baby's room upstairs (over the carpet) did I notice that chalk is made out of industrial strength dye that doesn't come out! Another tip is if you use a chair rail with bumps and reliefs like mine, nail it under one of the reliefs so the nail holes are in the shadow when the overhead light is on.

I bought adhesive (Liquid Nails) and applied it to the waincoat panels. Home Depot sells these big panels that you just cut to fit around all your obstacles. It was pretty easy in the bathroom because I didn't have any outlets to worry about. It was a little harder in the baby's room upstairs with the outlets and window sill to cut around. I don't really know how much the adhesive does for you because I think you still really need to nail it up with finishing nails. Try to find all the available studs because it makes it stick a whole lot better!




I cut a few strips of wainscoating out of my scrap to put under the panels. I did this just to support my baseboards when I nailed them to the waincoat panels. One probably obvious tip is to nail the bottom of the panel as far down as you can so hopefully the baseboard will cover the nail hole. That's just one less nail hole you have to fill. I had to trim my baseboards a little to account for the depth of the panels but otherwise they were totally reused. I just snipped off the existing nails rather than pounding them though the front creating all kinds of holes.

The worst part of the whole thing is fill the gaps and nail holes. I used regular paintable caulk and went to work on the whole thing. The Home Depot guy said that pros usually fill the nail holes with drywall spackle but if you aren't doing any drywall then you probably don't have spackle lying around. I found that caulk works ok although you can see the holes if you look.






Here is the painted finished product with the toilet and toilet paper reinstalled. It really lightens up the room which as you can tell was painted in a really dark blue. I hope everyone who uses this room has time to sit and enjoy it! :-)

Another Doctor Appointment

We had another doctor appointment today and found out Melissa is 2cm dilated. Otherwise we are to continue on bed rest until Friday and then wait for the baby to come! We're still scheduled to be induced on Feb 15 if the baby decides to wait that long. We're trying to get everything around the house ready because it could happen any day now. I installed the baby car seat this afternoon and am working on getting the cameras ready. We're already packed and have friends lined up for Sydney so it's starting to get exciting! Stay tuned.

Thanks for your help Jayne

Jayne left today at 10am after spending a week with us. Her help watching Sydney and doing chores was invaluable as we made it to 36 weeks on Friday. One more week to go of bed rest and we're through. I forgot to mention that at the doctor appointment Tuesday we were scheduled to get induced on Feb 15 if it doesn't happen naturally before that. Once Melissa gets taken off bed rest I'm sure she be running all over and probably will go into labor.

Speaking of going into labor, congratulations to our friends Nick and Krista Kliebenstein who gave birth to a daughter Nora yesterday and to Jason's cousin Steven and Suzi Fuerst who gave birth to a son Tomas on Jan 25.

Melissa and I both got a 24hr stomach bug this week. Melissa had hers all day Wednesday and I got mine on Friday. I came home from work a little early and puked for the first time in 5 1/2 years. Today I feel much better though. I was supposed to go into work today but I didn't want to push it after yesterday. I'll probably go in tomorrow during Sydney's nap. We have a major build of our satellite software scheduled for Thursday and there is always a lot to do to prepare for it.

Latest Doctor Appointment

We were at the doctor again on Tuesday afternoon. His diagnosis was to continue on as we have been for another two weeks. If Melissa were to go into labor now he'd deliver the baby but it might have to stay in the hospital for a little while. Each day we can wait lessens the chance of hospitalization so Melissa is still on bed rest.

Melissa's dad Sandy got here Tuesday afternoon and met us at Outback Steakhouse for supper. He has some business out here and will be back in a few weeks for a month. That will give him the chance to meet the new baby. He has already left our house for the night because he has a 6am flight to CA tomorrow.

Jayne is still here and Melissa is keeping her busy. She's done laundry, cooked, cleaned, and most importantly entertained Sydney so Melissa can relax. I don't know how we're going to do it next week but we'll figure something out like we did last week.

Homeless in our home town

I write this from the Westminster, CO La Quinta Inn (which has free wireless Internet) because we are having our hardwood floors refinished. During our final warranty walk with Neumann Homes Melissa convinced them that our hardwood floor needed to be refinished. They arrived today at noon to fill cracks, sand, and apply a new finish to the floor. We can't be on it for 24hrs so we're staying at the La Quinta which was one of the few hotels in the area that takes dogs and has a pool. Frank and Liz came over this evening with Sarah so Sydney had a buddy to swim with. We ordered pizza together and relaxed in the room.

Melissa is still on bedrest but she got in the pool to relax a bit. Jayne is coming tomorrow at 3 for the entire week so we'll have a lot more help. Of course the Denver Broncos AFC championship game starts at 1 so her timing isn't exactly perfect. Just kidding Jayne! Having her here will allow me to work full days next week and make up the time I took off this week. Melissa's dad will be here Tuesday through Thursday so we'll have lots of help this week.

We were at 35 weeks this past Friday and we have two more weeks to go! Stay tuned!

Sydney and the Monkey

IMG_3856.JPG, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

I took Sydney to the Denver Zoo Saturday to give Melissa a break since she's on bed rest. Our friends Tyler and Heather came over with their son Cody but Sydney didn't want to go to the zoo without me. I was hoping to get some things done around the house during the zoo trip but I had fun taking her. She loved seeing the monkeys and especially liked the gorillas because one had a baby. One little girl about her age walked up to her and she said, "See that one has a baby." The little girl got excited and said, "That's my baby!" Sydney got all in her face with attitude and said, "That's not your baby! That's the momma's baby!" She also loved the polar bear because he was really active and playing with his ball. Check out our flickr photos to see the rest.

Bed Rest and meeting with Doctor Austin

Today we met with our doctor, Doctor Austin. He did an exam and just offhand said, "We'll see if your membranes have broke because if so we'll probably just send you up to the delivery room." We were both shocked because neither one of us had even considered that Melissa would have to deliver right away. Then he had us to another ultrasound and measured the amniotic fluid just to make sure. Luckily everything came back ok and we're to continue with the bed rest for 2 1/2 more weeks. Basically until Super Bowl XL. He said Melissa can go to every 6 hours on the tributiline (sp?) which stops contractions. He also said we're at -1 station. The range is -5 to +5 which basically means the kid is out. We both thought he said +2 last week but he said he actually meant -2.

I stayed home the rest of the day and tried to do a little work at home. Tomorrow we have Tonya taking Sydney after library story time in the morning. A group lunch with Katie and Aiden and then Bray and Parrish coming over after nap. Thursday is music class, preschool, lunch, nap, and then Kristin, Jaden, and Jacob may come over. Friday Sydney may go to Jill, Meredith, and Maggie's house if they are all well or I'll probably stay home in the morning again. Melissa's mom may be coming next week so that would really help out.

Anyway, thanks for all the meals, company, and prayers. We've got 4 days down and about 18 to go until we're 37 weeks. That's when Doctor Austin says we can go off the tributiline and have the baby whenever its ready. We'll keep you posted.

Melissa's contractions

Well today was definitely a Friday the 13th for us. Melissa starting feeling contractions all day and decided to go to the doctor. They ran a test for a particular hormone that is supposed to indicate labor within the next two weeks. Guess what? They found it! So she was prescribed Tributiline and bed rest for the next two weeks. We are at 34 weeks today and they say 36 weeks is a full term baby so that's what we're shooting for. Of course bed rest is a little difficult with a 2 1/2 year old running around but we'll make it work. We have plenty of friends signing up to help and I have already warned my work about taking time off. Please keep Melissa and the baby in your prayers so we can wait as long as possible before labor. Each day the baby stays in is very beneficial for its health and ability to come right home with us. We'll keep you posted as things progress.

Maksim

My friend Craig Ortner has recently helped me to discover the artist Maksim. His website is definitely worth a look see because he has free MP3 downloads of some of his latest music. He also has an album on iTunes. Sydney loves listening to his music and wants us to play the Bumblebee song all the time. She calls him "the piano guy" and is obsessed with his "crazy hair." I must say I'd much rather have her request "the piano guy" than some of the other music she likes listening to over and over like nursery rhymes and a certain VeggieTales sing along.

Colorado Mammoth Lacrosse

Saturday night we attended a Colorado Mammoth lacrosse game with our friends Paul and Jill Olson. We were using another friend's season tickets which happen to be on the 3rd row in the corner of the pepsi center. They also happened to be next to the Mammoth hot tub which holds four bikini-clad women. I was close enough to put my hand in the water so I definitely enjoyed the game. If you've never had the chance to see a lacrosse game I'd recommend it. It's basically hockey on turf without the annoying icing and blue line rules. The one-on-one breakaways due to a full length pass were probably the most exciting parts of the game. If you have a National Lacrosse League team nearby I'd definitely recommend checking them out.

Sydney enjoyed playing the night away with Paul and Jill's girls Meredith and Maggie. They all watched The March of the Penguins which we have seen and enjoyed. She actually went right to bed when we got home so that was nice.

Aiden, Sydney, and Ian

IMG_3823.JPG, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

The kids all managed to stay up until midnight to welcome 2006. About 10pm we were all wondering if they would make it but they caught a second wind and partied the night away. Our family room was turned into a small disaster area but was quickly picked up before everyone left.

The guys had a pretty good poker game (which Glen won) while the women talked about babies and all the bodily problems associated with having them. Thanks to everyone for a great New Year's Eve!

Oma and Opa with Sydney

IMG_3813.JPG, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Jason's parents drove out on Dec 27 and stayed until Dec 30. They are known to Sydney as Oma and Opa which is German for Grandma and Grandpa. Sydney was excited to get an art easel from them which I know will get plenty of use. She had a lot of fun with her Opa watching movies like Nemo and Veggie Tales. She still tells us how she watched Nemo with Opa.

During movie time with Opa, Oma was put to work in the baby's room with Jayne painting. With Jason, Melissa, Pat, and Jayne all painting we made quick work of it and I think it turned out pretty good. One quick tip to someone doing remodeling: don't spill the chalk if you're doing a chalk line because it stains!

Thanks for all the help and Christmas presents. Jason now has a table saw, compond miter saw, and router so I guess it's time to start making doll furniture or something. :-)

We can't wait to see you in March after the baby comes!

Sydney and Grandma Jayne

IMG_3790.JPG, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

Jayne arrived from Saint James, MN on Christmas Day and flew back on the 29th. We all loved having her here to celebrate Christmas. Sydney has been playing every day in the Discovery Toys tent that Jayne got her for Christmas. She's constantly asking us, "You wanna play in my tent with me?"

Of course whenever Jayne comes we put her to work and this time was no different. Melissa had her making a valance for Sydney's room which turned out great. She also helped paint the baby's room once I finished putting up the wainscoating.

Jayne, thanks for everything and we'll see you in February when the baby comes!

Sydney, Kozmo, and Zoey

IMG_3728.JPG, originally uploaded by jason_m_thomas.

We managed to get Sydney, Kozmo, and Zoey to all stand in front of the Christmas tree for a picture. The dogs were pretty hesitant but eventually cooperated. Check out our flickr site to see the rest of our Christmas photos.