This past weekend we purchased a gas fireplace insert from Black Hat Chimney. I can't believe I waited so long to get one of these. I have been thinking about doing this the past two years but decided to put it off. We have a fireplace downstairs but it is warm down there most of the time. The problem was our bedroom. The vaulted ceilings and the lack of ducts made this a problem. The temp in the winter would hover around 59 to 61. I have poor circulation in my hands and feet so I get cold easily. Most nights I would sleep with the hoodie over my head.

The solution was to put the insert right in our bedroom. Since our house used to be an upper/lower there was a gas line already in place. Most likely our bedroom used to be the kitchen. Here is the almost final product.





There used to be some hidious shelving that took up the whole corner. You can see where the previous owner did not paint under the shelves. The carpet is also missing on the floor where the shelves stood. I am going to put some nice tile around the fireplace itself and then on the floor so we don't have to put down more carpet. It should look nice in the end. Now we just have to pick a color to paint the bedroom once we get the tile in place. Anyone want to recommend a tile and wall paint combo?

Monday morning my wife got a call from our pediatrician saying that our 2.5 week old son may have Cystic Fibrosis. I have heard of CF but I did not know what the disease was all about. So my wife called Children's Hospital (Obviously upset) and demanded that we get an appointment on Tuesday morning. For some reason Children's does the CF test once a week!!!! So we would have had to wait over a week. Googling the disease I see a lot of information about chances and the possibility of a lung transplant later in life.

This morning we went to Children's and got the test done. It was the first test he had to go through and it was tough. We had to hold each arm straight while they hooked up an electrode. That on top of him being hungary it was not a pleasant experience.

While we were waiting for the results the gene counselor sat down with use and explained a little bit more about this process and answered any questions we had. The first words out of her mouth were "Did your doctor explain how slim the chances are that Jack has CF?" WTF, I mean really you call use and tell us all this news and we are sick all night just to find out that the chances are slim. We spoke with a woman in the waiting room and she said they have done 700 tests at Children's for CF and only one has been positive.

The results came back negative for Jack. We were so relieved.

This does let us know however that Jack is a carrier of this gene that causes CF. Which means that my wife or I or both are a carrier as well. When asked why the OB did not test us for this the answer was simply that some do and some don't. Knowing ahead of time how simple the process is for adults I would recommend everyone ask their doctor to get tested before trying to have any children. It might save you from some scary experience like this. At least down the road Jack will be able to let his partner know that he is a carrier and they may be able to do the same. This is assuming that there is no cure.

He is here. He was born at 9:39 PM on October 16th. He came after almost 3 hours of pushing. Mary did great and he is beautiful. I love his pose in this one. We are now at home and getting used to him being at home. It is so good to be home after a few nights in the hospital. There is only so many magazines you can read and things you can do to pass the time

The October 14th due date is really closing in fast. It is hard to believe that 9 months has gone by so quickly. I am not very good at judging time when it comes to years but this past few as life changes I have come to learn how people keep everything straight. With a wedding, house and baby in the last three you start having big events to compare time with.

The crib finally came in though. The hurricane held up the shipment and there seemed to be some confusion on the order as well. I was pleased that we got to support a local business (White's Furniture on Kenmore Ave.). I can finally now say that the nursery is finished!

My wife made this split up tree art:

behind estrip.org

So for the past few days I have had some lower back pain. I think this actually started a week or so ago but has been off and on. I can't tell you when I have ever had any back pain for more then a day. Usually it was due to working hard the day before or something but this is different. I have been on the couch with a heating pad tonight to try and alleviate some of the pain. I am worried that if I go to the doctor they will just tell me to take some pain meds or something. I have put on a few pounds since my wife got pregnant which I know is normal but I don't really think that is the cause. Perhaps when you turn 30 everything does start to fall apart.

Today we went to the factory outlets near Rochester. I was looking around the Gap baby clothes and thinking it all looked soooo cute. I can't wait to dress my son in some manly baby clothes. Then it got me thinking. What would it be like if we only grew to be like 10 pounds? Now granted our offspring would come out even smaller but so many things started flying around in my head. A kitchen built for a 2 foot person. Would all of our houses be really small? Maybe we would not be in such a huge energy crisis because of smaller homes and cars. I probably would not be lugging around a 15.4" widescreen laptop :) I know this is totally random but thought that thinking about it might be fun.

I saw this posed on WGRZ.com tonight.



WTF, are people thinking?? This must have been a late night run on a Friday or Saturday because the subway is usually not that full. I totally did not expect that one guy getting his ass pounded. I can see how things get blown out of proportion like this though. Many people in a small area all moving around and bumping into each other.

I have never been in a fight in my life. I hope that never happens but I have been close. I think that everyone could make this world a better place by sticking to their own business. Taunting enrages me!

This past weekend we attended a wedding at the Buffalo Marina on the U.S.S. Little Rock. The couple that exchanged their vows is a very Buffalo couple. They had chocolate favors that were little Buffalos. The rain was not really a problem at all since they have a tent that covers the back of the ship. I think there were about 100 guests and the seating was a little tight. However, being on the water kind of made it magical. It was like being at a Naval party while the ship is in port or something. It is nice to only have 4 weddings this summer and not 6 like last year.

I thought it was very informative. The class was held at Sisters Hospital where we plan to deliver our son. This was more of a getting ready for birth versus the whole parenting aspect. We watched a few 80's informational videos that had some really styling workout suits and some awesome big hair. The whole process is so amazing considering that the baby was so small when this all started. I would have to say the highlight of the whole first class was when they took all of us down to the maternity unit. We got to see a baby that was only a few hours old. How about that for a reality check? In just a few short months (or less) I will be in the same boat. Hopefully he is a healthy happy kid!!