Jim Compher (1946-2007)

My uncle Jim passed away last week. He'd been sick, but I think death is never "expected." Sadly, I hadn't seen him in nearly a year. My family seldom gets together...in fact, the only thing planned is Christmas Eve. Since we now spend all of our Christmases in Tennessee, I obviously don't see the Comphers much.

Funerals are certainly never fun. I think this one was a bit different for me... Uncle Jim is the first of his generation in my family to pass. In other words, his death makes me realize that I've now transitioned to the age where I will start losing more and more loved ones. Yep, getting older sucks (aren't I so eloquent?).

One good thing from his passing? Well, it would have to be the fact that Jake made his first trip to Ohio and was able to meet nearly every member of his family (on all sides...even his cousin twice removed, Dave, from MN:). All of those first meetings...and me with no pictures!!! I love TN. My life is in TN....but, sometimes, it's difficult being so far away from your "roots."

Before I sign off...a quick "story" about Uncle Jim. If you'd look up "mumbled speech" in the dictionary, I'm quite certain you'd find a picture of Jim Compher:) Sometimes you'd have to listen particularly closely to understand what he was saying. It's funny, in DUI cases part of my standard cross examination of an officer is to point out that some people have naturally mumbled speech (since it is often listed as a sign of impairment). When I ask that question, I can think of Uncle Jim....and smile.

Post from Court

Just testing the mobile blog feature. This picture was taken on Lake Loudon on Father's Day at sunset. It was a gorgeous night and my very first trip to the lake this summer. Jake (and Kobe) stayed with Grandma and Grandpa, so it was just Andy, Ruben and I.

Affair in Red Square

In 8 years of driving on Neyland Drive, I've often had to stop in the middle of the road and wait for the geese to cross the street. Thursday morning on my way into work there were two dead geese in the road. It breaks my heart.

I took a couple of hours to myself today and joined my friend Kristi at SoHo for a mani/pedi. My feet are now in beach shape and my nails look fabulous! I've also discovered my new favorite color--from the OPI Russian Collection--An Affair in Red Square:




Last week we got to hang out with some old friends and, of course, Jake was a doll! He was also stylin' in his Cincinnati Reds gear (compliments of Grandpa Steve):

Although everyone always says that Jake looks EXACTLY like Andy, I never really saw it, until I saw the picture above on the right! Shauna is right....it's like Andy has a "mini-me."

We leave for Florida this Tuesday. Traveling with a 7 month old and with no car is sure to be an adventure, but I'm really looking forward to all of the time I'll get to spend with Jake.

One last picture before I sign off. Grandma and Grandpa bought this for Jake at Bass Pro Shops (of course) and it finally fits! Look closely, you may not see him:)

Technology

I'm actually posting from my phone...just because I can. Technology is too cool.
JAKE NOW WEIGHS 12 POUNDS, 9 OUNCES!!!! More to follow later...

Boating Fun!

Check out Jake's first trip to the lake!

Jake's Big Weekend

First let me apologize for the second post in a row without a picture or video...I'll strive to do better in the future:) Jake had a very productive weekend with two major developments.

1. He actually CRAWLED! Well, it was a form of crawling at least. On Saturday, Andy turned him over for tummy time and the next thing we know he's scooted/crawled over 2 feet across the floor. It wasn't a full blown crawl b/c he kept his right hand in his mouth the whole time, which brings me to...
2. He's teething. All of my friends are confirming my suspicions. He's been constantly gnawing on everything...his hand, his blanket, toys, clothes, and he's drooling a lot. He also got fussy a few times this weekend without explanation. All of that adds up to the fact that my baby boy must have his first tooth on the way!

Portrait Session

I almost forgot to mention...we had a fabulous photographer come to the house last week to photograph Jake and Mikah. She's posted a few of the pictures of Jake on her blog. He was fantastic...he smiled and laughed for her and then fell asleep and let her mold him into different positions for more pictures. If the rest of the photos are anything like the ones she posted, I'm in for some hard decision making when it comes to choosing which ones to buy!

So far, the favorite of most is the picture of Jake in his red chair. What do you think?

By the way, I would highly recommend Nancy (www.nancyhellsten.com). She has tons of photos posted on her website and blog and are worth checking out!

Lake v. Beach -- Lake Wins

Jake's had an exciting past few weeks. He had both is first trips to the lake and the ocean; he turned 6 months old; and he started daycare!

The Lake--Jake loved it! Well, at least he loved hanging out in the boat with mommy and daddy. He wasn't quite so sure about the water, but really enjoyed floating after he got used to it. We had the best time with him...despite the bumpy beginning to that particular lake trip. Let's just say that I won't be pulling the boat trailer in a crowded parking lot anytime soon!

The Ocean--I think Charleston was just too hot for my poor little guy. He's not a huge fan of sun anyway and even with a baby tent (Thanks Jen!), it was still a little much for him. He was a trooper though--he spent a couple hours on the beach and some more time at the pool. I'll definitely be signing us up for swim classes b/c he really enjoyed the pool.

6 months--Has it really been 6 months?

Daycare--I think this has been much harder on me then Jake. He is such a happy baby! He smiles when I drop him off in the morning and smiles when Andy picks him up. His teachers all comment on what a happy baby he is and how he just smiles all day long! That has helped alleviate my anxiety and mommy guilt. I am so lucky to have such a good baby. The only issue has been his schedule...I think he's still trying to get used to daycare and work out when he wants to eat, nap, sleep. I'm hoping he's not sleeping at noon today, b/c I'm hoping to pop in for a quick visit. Mom is picking him up today and keeping him overnight...I need to visit to avoid massive Jake withdrawals later tonight!

Well, I don't have the beach pictures uploaded yet, but here are some others from the lake:

He was very happy to get out of the life jacket and hang out on the boat deck for awhile!

He preferred just skimming the top of the water.

He sat and entertained up by jabbering and screeching for quite awhile!

His daddy was cracking him up!

He's starting to get the hang of a spoon.

A New Man..um, Baby

We're post-surgery now and all is well. Jake had a great time playing before they took him bak. He especially loved chewing on his hospital gown. He stole the hearts of many! I only had to be apart from him for a little more than an hour. Seeing him post-op was probably one of the worst things I've ever experienced...even worse than the NICU. He was in so much pain and was inconsolable. Once the pain meds kicked in...all was well. After a couple of days of being groggy, he is now back to normal and even now seems to play more than before!

Jake has also learned a new trick....he can roll over on his own! Ugh! So he can make it to his stomach, but I'm not sure he can roll all the way over. He loves to sleep on his stomach...though he always has. Because of tummy aches, he spent a lot of time on his stomach in NICU.

Our Own Personal Bumpkus'

When they moved in several months ago, we joked that the Bumpkus' had moved in. They had tons of cars parked in their driveway and their yard. We also likened him to Frank the Tank, as he not only worked on his cars in his driveway, but always had his classic rock loudly blaring. I put up with all of that, even found it endearing. But, after last night, much like Ralphie's dad, I'm ready to declare war on our Bumpkus'.

2am last night, I'm awoken to the loud sound of a car alarm just outside my window. This honking persists for what seems like hours, but was more likely about 15 minutes. Oh yeah, and providing backup vocals to the horn was every single dog in the neighborhood (save my two angels:). 5 minutes later...alarm (and dogs) AGAIN. Now I'm completely awake and annoyed. After another 15-20 minutes, the alarm is silenced again....for a total of maybe 2 minutes. I try to cover my head with the pillow...doesn't even begin to mute the sound. I proceed to the guest bedroom, where the sound of the alarm is muted, but the sound of the dog chorus is elevated. Ugh! Andy tried to come to my rescue. He got dressed and went to the Bumpkus' house, banging on the door and ringing the doorbell. Either they were not at home, or scared of my Andy:)

Finally, after an hour and a half, God had mercy on me and somehow silenced the alarm. The irony of the incident is that Jake actually slept through the night. I would have had about 6-7 hours of beautiful, uninterrupted sleep but for that *&^% car alarm! I'm even more pissed that I'm too exhausted to confront the jerk when I get home tonight.

Sorry for the rant....and for lack of new Jake picture. Jake IS officially off of the monitor now. His hernia surgery will be scheduled this Thursday. No other updates...he's just as fantastic as ever!!!

More Jake

I haven't had much time to blog lately...very busy week. But, here is a quick Jake update. He's now 10 pounds. He had his sleep study at the hospital yesterday. He hated the medicine they gave him and having all of the wires and probes peeled off of him (can you blame him?), but he was such a trooper. He slept most of the day, so I'm looking forward to this weekend with him. Look for pictures/video next week of Jake's first day on the lake! Also, we should hear from the apnea clinic today whether we can finally "officially" ditch the monitor for good.

Kudos to Lost, To Hell with Grey's

Kudos to Lost. I loved the episode again this week. I have a couple of criticisms, but was very pleased overall. As for Grey's . . . to hell will Grey's. The season finale was the worst episode of the entire series. Nearly everything about this episode pissed me off--in no particular order:

• George/Izzy storyline continues to be ridiculous!


• Callie as chief resident over Bailey? Come on! Earlier this season the Chief was basically telling Miranda that she'd be chief of surgery if she were an attending.


• Meredith--I'm over her character. The writers explain that the episode shows how flawed she is and that she never had a parental example of how to be in a relationship. Boo freakin' hoo! I could now care less if she and Derick ever end up together. I wish she'd drowned and put us all out of OUR misery.


• Burke/Cristina storyline . . . huh? Are you kidding! That was out of left field and it sucked!


• Chief chooses new Chief only to remain Chief. Stupid! And how can he get back together with Adele if he continues to be Chief?


• Alex/Ava . . . does anyone remember Izzy/Denny? Another doctor/patient relationship?


• Speaking of Ava--Griffin as her husband (or was it his twin, aka Pink?)--I love the actor, but what in the hell was on his chin? Terrible.

What did I like? Not much, but here it is:

• George failing...that's what you get, you cheater!


• The moment between Bailey and George.


• The fact that Adele's baby was Richard's.


• Callie...even though she shouldn't be chief resident...she is fantastic. How sad that she's grasping at straws to keep her marriage together.


• Sandra Oh...I hated her storyline, but she is a fantastic actress.

Okay, enough about crappy television. I've been very neglectful in posting any updates on Jake lately. In a nutshell, he is fabulous. He's now 9lbs., 10oz. Here is a video of him enjoying his swing:

Lost Thoughts

Here are my "Lost Thoughts" for this week's episode in no particular order:

1. I called it . . . John Locke's deadbeat dad and Sawyer's "Tom Sawyer" were, in fact, one and the same. This is my second character connection to be verified in the past few weeks...the last was that Jack and Claire were siblings.

2. They are NOT in purgatory. I think the writers are clearly using this theory as a red herring. John's dad didn't die...the main guy playing God (whoever he may be) orchestrated the accident and owned the ambulance that picked him up. I don't yet have an answer to the fact that the plane was found, though the same explanation could hold true. Anyone seen Wag the Dog? If you can fake a war, you can certainly fake the discovery of a plane at the bottom of the ocean. The aforementioned "God" figure obviously wants some of these people to remain on the island and for the island not to be found, so it is plausible that they would fake such a discovery.

3. I'm over Jack. He's been pissing me off for awhile, but when he pulled that crap with Kate this week saying "she's not ready" to learn whatever secret Juliette wanted to share with her...he was doing no more than pulling a Ben. Come on! Of course, I don't feel sorry for Kate because she never should have gone to Jack with that information. I'm guessing though that it was a "you broke my heart and now I want to hurt you by showing you that your friends don't trust you" gesture. Love and heartbreak make us all do stupid things....for this, I forgive her.

4. Sawyer. I love this character. My heart broke for him this week. Obviously, you don't want to think of him as a murderer and even after he kills "Tom Sawyer" with his bare hands, you still don't see him as a murderer...at least I didn't. So, now what? He gets to go back to Kate who is using him while she's in love with Jack. I know he's caused a lot of pain in his past, but he deserves to finally put his past behind him and be happy, right?

5. Locke. Ugh, John Locke. I did love the moment after Sawyer killed his father when Locke simply said "Thank you." I'm also glad to know that he still cares about the camp (giving sawyer the information and evidence against Juliette). I'm not sure what I think of this "I'm on my own journey now" crap. I'm just over his weirdness. The only good thing about him going on this journey is that we will hopefully start to get some answers about this island.

6. Foreshadowing. In 3 nights they will raid the beach. So, the season finale may hold Sun being kidnapped. And, why does Rousseau need the dynamite? Will she confront her daughter before the season ends?

7. Final thoughts. I love Desmond's character and I love the new alliances and friendships. I can't agree with Kristi the Horse that Juliette is fantastic because I frankly can't stand her. Also, I get the impression that no one really likes Ben...why doesn't someone kill him or otherwise put him in his place?

Until next time . . .

It's Official

It's official. Having a baby has truly changed my life, scrambled my brain. Before this weekend, other than adjusting to less sleep, I could have argued that my life was not much different. Then it happened...this past Saturday...I FORGOT the draft. ME...just completely forgot. I remembered about 4 hours in, just in time to catch the end of the first round.

Despite the fact that it's changed me, I am enjoying motherhood. I'm loving my weekends with Jake. We've been able to spend lots of alone time on Saturdays. He hasn't weighed in for a couple of weeks, but he's definitely well over 8 pounds now.

Mother's Day weekend, we are walking in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica (www.walkamerica.org/jakerice). It terrifies me how many people I personally know who have been touched by premature births. I know that Jake is part miracle and partly a product of all of the research and development accomplished with the help of the March of Dimes. So, I'm really looking forward to working with this organization.

Okay, back to Heroes . . . which has become a television version of the X-men. Of course, I love the X-men!

Saturday Night

These days, my Saturday night's are simply thrilling. I'm still in my pajamas at 9:25 p.m. and posting to this blog. I really don't have anything to say, but did want to post some newer pictures of Jake. He is now weighing in at nearly 7 1/2 pounds. Today he's been eating about every hour and a half, so he may just make it to 8 pounds this week:) He's still on his heart monitor, but barely wearing it. He's had no real alarms since we've been home, so he now just has to wear it when he's asleep and we're not close by. We can get rid of it for good once he undergoes a sleep study. Overall, Jake is still the sweetest thing and Andy and I are still counting our blessings!!!

Still Addicted

I really would love to be one of those people who isn't addicted to television, who can pass their time reading a book (which I do often), cooking, cleaning, etc. I really would, but I'm just . . . well, I'm just too lazy. Since I am a lazy, TV addict, I may as well expound on the addiction.

Friday Night Lights - - I LOVE this show. I really want America to LOVE this show too so it will stay on the air. I know it's creepy now that I'm officially in my 30s, but Riggins, the tough guy on the outside, sweet on the inside, hot all over, football star is just yummy. It's not quite as creepy now that he is sleeping with a woman on the show who is older than me:)

Lost - - This is the show that I really, truly wish I could give up. It has really pissed me off this season, but no matter how bad it gets, I just can't stay away. I blame it on Party of Five - - the Salinger in me just can't help but tune in to see Matthew Fox. My thoughts so far as I watch it right now:

• Damn Locke for not keeping lookout and going after Ben . . . though I am still waiting to find out why . . . fat chance they'll actually answer that question tonight.


• Kate and Jack really do love each other. As of now (10:30), I'm thinking his love for Kate will ultimately keep him on the island.

Well, the little man is crying and Andy is trying to sleep. Apparently, it is not, in fact, a certain little guy's bedtime. Or, maybe, just like his mommy, he just has to watch Lost too.

Gratuitous Jake picture of the day - -

Memories

Been thinking of Paris today . . . watched a Rick Steves show on it earlier today. Then, I backed up our pictures from Europe and thought I'd upload this one. This was taken on our first day in Paris . . . it looks like a gorgeous day--and it was, but was also pretty frigid--especially a the top of the Eiffel Tower. I can't wait to go back...a few short days in Paris was not enough. We have so much more to see. Of course, it's going to be a bit more difficult to make such a far trip now that Jake is here!

That's What She Said

I hate coming up with a title for these things. I'm watching The Office, so loyal fans will know where I got this title. While we are on this topic, I must say that Dwight Shrute is the most awesome (yes, I said awesome) character to EVER be on television. I love Dwight!

So, this is a picture of my 38 week gestational age son holding his own bottle. We keep trying to explain to him that he's not even supposed to be born yet, but he doesn't seem to notice or care.

I also had to add the second picture because it is just so damned cute! Jake was wide awake tonight after bath time (which he seems to really like...after the initial shock of being in water) and being so adorable! He's also wearing his new OSU hat for the first time...in support of their first tournament game. Unfortunately, he has no UT gear small enough for him right now.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love You . . .

What would have me singing like Annie, you may ask? WE'RE GOING HOME . . . TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rooming in with Jake last night went really well. The comforts of a hospital room leave something to be desired, but being in the same room with Jake for more than a few hours more than makes up for the accommodations.

I'm still rather in shock that we are finally bringing our baby boy home. He's coming home on a monitor. I'm happy for the extra piece of mind, though my goodness is that damned thing loud! :)

Feeding time! More later . . .

Back in the Saddle

ANDREW JACOB "JAKE" RICE

Born January 10, 2006 4:46 p.m.

I thought that was a great way to begin . . . it explains why I've been MIA for so long. Although I could easily compose a small novel recounting the past 6 weeks, I'll try to break it down briefly. . . Due to a sudden onset (and very severe) of toxemia, Jake was able to make his appearance a bit early...11 weeks early! We have truly been blessed with a wonderful and HEALTHY child...which is no small feat for a 29 week preemie.

Jake continues to reside in the NICU (in his new, fabulous private room!) at UTMC, though we hope to bring him home very soon. He's been off of oxygen for a couple of weeks, is now in a crib bed, holding his own heat and keeping his stats stable. Up next...ditching that feeding tube. I'm confident he'll get the bottle/breast feeding down in no time (we just started tonight).

This picture is from tonight's visit. Not only is he grinning (which he does often), but he is also striking a Heisman pose! I'll do my best to keep the blog updated and post updated pictures of Jake...but with my schedule, I make no promises:)