Second Trimester 2010!

13 Weeks, October 10-16, 2010:
We started telling other friends and family this week, which was lots of fun. A few people suspected, but many were surprised. Kevin got to tell Jon, Briggs, and Lukas in person. They bought him shots for fatherhood. The same does not work for motherhood. I called my close friends, and I got to tell Wendy and Clark in person, as well as my friends from work, Akua, Christie, Adrienne, and Lee. Sarah said I could tell our law school friends the weekend of her wedding, so I waited to make it totally public until we were there.

Milestones: End of first trimester, telling close friends and family about the pregnancy. Our baby book says that the baby is growing vocal cords.
Craving: Cereal
Anti-craving: Coffee
Symptoms: Round ligament pain (still sick but that doesn't count).
Baby-size: Medium-size shrimp, hm
Weight gain: 5 pounds

Friends watching the sonogram video

14 Weeks, October 17-23, 2010:
Hurrah! We're public! And it's the second trimester! It was a lovely week of being completely in the open about being pregnant. I finally got over my cough. Dad was in rehab and is improving every day. His leg tumor got smaller so he was able to walk more with a walker, and this put him in much better spirits. His speech is almost perfect, he just occasionally gets stuck on a large word like "obstreperous." But considering most people don't even use words that big, mom and I don't think this is a big problem. The final hurdle to taking him home is that he be able to get up and down the stairs to our apartment.

My clothing is just too uncomfortable now, so I had to give up on just using the belly band and I bought a couple pairs of maternity pants and shirts. Sadly, being short is an even bigger problem when it comes to maternity pants than it is with regular pants. Maternity pants only come in small, medium, and large, and because of this inexact sizing, even the petite sizes are too long.

Milestones: Second trimester! Being completely public about being pregnant! Maternity pants. Our baby book says that our baby might be growing some hair now.
Craving: Fish!, rice, cereal, fruit, lots of water
Anti-craving: Not exactly interested in red meat
Symptoms: Bending over a little when I'm sitting is uncomfortable, acid reflux
Baby-size: Lemon
Weight gain: 6 pounds

3 Months Pregnant 2010

Our baby at 11 weeks- he or she is awesome

With baby Eleanor

9 Weeks, September 12, 2010
The week began with Rachel's 30th birthday surprise. I got to hold Eleanor finally, and she was so quiet and wonderful. It was such a shame not to be able to share the news with Rachel, Janice, and Christina in person.

Becky and Brandon had baby Connor 14 weeks early this week.

Later in the week, My dad was in aggressive rehab when his leg pain increased. Mom had to bring him back to the hospital and the doctors decided to perform another leg embolization because the leg tumor had grown again. The first embolization was done with wires and this second one was done with alcohol at a different hospital in Teaneck that specialized in it. They used a dye that would affect his kidney the following week.

Milestones: Our baby book says the baby is starting to grow muscles to move his arms and legs on purpose.
Craving: Fish Vitamin C in any form, though orange juice and grape fruit juice make me queasy
Anti-craving: I guess the baby hates red meat forever
Symptoms: nausea, sciatic nerve pain
Baby-size: Grape
Weight gain: 2 pounds

10 Weeks, September 19, 2010
The weekend was really tough as my dad's kidney failed, and I gave up on trying to keep my stress down. I took sometime off work and joined my parents at the hospital. Kevin and I had been waiting until after next week's appointment to tell our mothers, but the circumstances were scary enough that I thought it would be best to tell my mother on Monday night so that she could discuss the news with dad. Dad started his dialysis on Monday, and afterward he felt a little better than he had during the weekend, and mom was in okay spirits. Mom started crying and hugging Kevin and didn't let go, until I insisted on my turn for a hug. Dad pretended to be surprised, but I busted him. Unfair since I’m the one who asked him to keep it a secret in the first place. I showed mom the sonogram picture, but dad was interrupted by a follow-up ct-scan, so I showed him the following day after his second dialysis treatment. His kidney started working again on its own by the end of the week.

Milestones:  Our baby book says the baby is starting to grow bones and cartilage.  The baby can bend its elbows. The kidneys are now producing urine. If the baby is a boy, he's producing testerone.
Craving: Peanut butter, cranberry juice, granola (I saw a picture in a magazine of granola and became obsessed), Honey nut cheerios, tea
Anti-craving: Meat is back in, coffee is still out.
Symptoms: Sleepiness
Baby-size: Kumquat
Weight gain: 3 pounds

11 Weeks, September 26, 2010
Our week started with our ultrascreen appointment, which was awesome. We got sonogram photos and even a video of the sonogram.

And active!

Then around the 29th I got sick with a cold or flu. It would last for weeks! Sniffling, coughing, achiness. Dad was moved to a less aggressive rehab and then we were off to Cory and Robin's wedding.

Milestones: According to our baby book, the webbed fingers and toes have split into separate fingers and toes with nails starting to grow.  The nose has little nostrils.  If the baby is a girl, she's starting to develop ovaries.
Craving: Cherry-flavored anything and citrus, granola. Honey nut cheerios, tea
Anti-craving: Figs? Hm.
Symptoms: Round ligament pain
Baby-size: Fig
Weight gain: 4 pounds

12 Weeks, October 3-9, 2010
Baby is now the size of a lime, so Kevin tosses me a lime, and I say "this is huge, how would you not feel this kicking around?"  Kevin goes, "throw me back our baby."

I got a call from the doctor's office that everything was okay with the baby.  Since it was 12 weeks now, that meant we could start telling people, but we wanted to tell Kevin's mom before other people.  We arranged for her to come visit at the end of the week so that we could tell her in person.

I was getting sicker and sicker this week with my cold or flu.  Sniffling turned to coughing.  Dad started getting sick in rehab again so he went back to the hospital.    It took the doctors a few days to figure out what was wrong, and Kevin's mom met us at the hospital on Saturday.

I had to review documents at the hospital, but we took a break to take Kevin's mom to lunch and tell her the good news.  We gave her a card with a copy of the sonogram.  Just like my parents, she cried with happiness.

I felt bad having to leave my dad when he was having another minor surgery the next day, but I had to work the whole weekend.  In fact, I even missed most of Kathy's visit, though it was nice of her to have dinner waiting for me when I came home from work.

Milestones: All our parents and grandparents (the baby's great-grandparents!) know we're pregnant.  Our baby book says the baby's bone marrow is starting to produce white blood cells to fight off infection, and the pituitary gland is producing hormones.
Craving: Apples, granola
Anti-craving: Coffee
Symptoms: Round ligament pain, acid reflux  (coughing plus acid reflux means vomiting)
Baby-size: Lime
Weight gain: 4 pounds

2 Months Pregnant 2010

5 Weeks, August 15-21, 2010

Of course, morning sickness decided to strike on the delayed flight home from San Francisco. For the record, Kevin offered to give me his seat and be the one who stood, but I thought it would be quicker if I was the one without a seat. While I was standing around waiting for the flight attendant to give me a seat on the plane, she kept commenting on my bad-attitude face. "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "What's wrong?"

Oh-let-me-see. I am on hour 24 of my travel home, I barely slept last night because my shuttle to my scary hotel was mislabeled, and now I get on the flight to discover my seat is missing. Probably for all these reasons, today is the day that my morning sickness has kicked in and all I want to do is bend over at the waist, or – I don't know – take my seat on the plane. Instead of getting me a seat you want me to stand in the back of the plane and smile.

"Just nauseous."
"Pregnant?"

And that is how I got her to rip the seat cushion off someone else's seat and give to me. Score!

Nonetheless, I had to throw up in the plane bathroom later. I didn't really mind, as it was a sign that I was really pregnant and I felt better immediately after. I lost my appetite but now I figured I had to eat frequently enough to avoid nausea.

When we got home, I took another pregnancy test just to be sure, and I made a doctor's appointment with the doctor Kevin selected for excellence in baby-delivering. Then we went back to the hospital with my dad for an embolization.   The sadness and stress of the situation with dad also made me throw up again.

Mostly I was really tired the rest of the week, unfortunately, I couldn't tell Jaime when she visited and wanted to walk all over creation.  Also, this is really random, but I was no longer able to sit for stretches at a time without my bum being sore. This symptom makes no sense. I was a champion sitter before pregnancy! I am guessing it's another bad consequence of all my muscles being relaxed. The preggo blogs call it sciatic nerve pain, but sometimes the sites say it's not actually that unless it's severe.

Milestones: First morning sickness. According to our baby book, baby's heart is forming and starting to beat.
Craving: Lots of water, Annie's organic mac and cheese, and eel
Anti-craving: Coffee
Symptoms: Nausea!, very tired, sciatic nerve pain
Baby-size: Sesame seed (I was a week off before on size, so sesame seed again this week)
Weight gain: 1 pound

6-7 Weeks, End of August 2010

Flowers for being Pregnant 2010

6 Weeks, August 22, 2010
This week was truly awful. Chrissy's mom passed away from cancer, which made for another very sad week. I felt personally sad about Maureen missing from the world, I felt awful for Chrissy, and I felt awful about telling my parents who knew and liked Maureen and were also fighting cancer. I cried a lot again this week.

Due to my dad's brain radiosurgery, he was on antiseizure medication. But the doctor's made a mistake on his prescription and he had a seizure on Thursday, and he again lost his ability to speak or walk. The doctors advised us to up his antiseizure medication and wait for him to improve again. With my dad in this state, I went to Maureen's funeral on Friday. Heart-breakingly sad. I had to leave after the funeral to help my dad who had not improved after his seizure yet.

On Saturday, Kevin and I went to Patrick and Aubree's wedding, which was lovely. I had trouble eating the yummy wedding dinner and could not dance much because of Baby Clou, so I spent the time chatting and taking pictures. Mom called during the end of the wedding reception and told me that dad was getting worse, so I encouraged her to call an ambulance to bring him to the hospital. Kevin and I left the reception so we could get up early and go back to New Jersey.

Milestones: According to our baby book, the baby's organs (kidneys, liver, lungs, eyes, and ear canals) are forming.
Craving: Cereal, Red fruit, Strawberries (which I never especially liked before), cranberry, raspberry, red grapes, etc. I tried looking this up, and I think I must have been after flavinoids
Anti-craving: Anything fried, fatty, or red meat.
Symptoms: Very thirsty, very hungry (waking up at 4 am hungry), nauseous
Baby-size: Lentil bean
Weight gain: 1 pound

7 Weeks, August 29, 2010
We visited Dad in the hospital on Sunday, while the doctors tested him and decided what to do. Despite his brain radiosurgery, the doctors determined that he needed a regular invasive brain surgery to deal with the swelling around his brain tumor more quickly. The doctors said that if he remained without his ability to walk or talk for too long he might not be able to regain his abilities so it was important to take action now.

He was scheduled for traditional brain surgery on Wednesday. We followed dad all the way to just outside the operating room, and when mom stepped out right before dad went in, I told dad I was pregnant. He couldn't speak but reacted very emotionally and sweetly and seemed happy. I didn't expect him to have such a big reaction though and then I felt bad about getting him worked up before he went into the surgery. It was a very long day of sitting in the waiting room. When he came out, he felt awful, and he didn't show any signs of knowing, so I wasn't sure if he remembered.

Milestones: Telling dad about the baby.  According to our baby book, the baby is growing brain cells, a mouth, tongue, arm and leg buds.
Craving: fruit juice
Anti-craving: red meat, coffee
Symptoms: Nausea
Baby-size: Blueberry
Weight gain: 1 pound

8 Weeks, September 5-11, 2010
We had our first doctor's appointment and the doctor did a sonogram! Once he told us, I was so excited about baby's first picture! But what I wasn't expecting was that I would see a little leg kicking and arm punching out. I didn't expect that the baby already had some sort of volition. I instantly fell in love.  And so much cuteness in 2.45 cm from head to rump. But clearly I was already extremely biased. Kevin was equally excited to hear the heartbeat.

First picture at 8 weeks and 3 days, September 8, 2010

Mom called while I was at the doctor, so I pretty much assumed she was on to me by now. But I asked the doctor and he said in no uncertain terms not to tell my family until Week 12. Sorry, mom.  Dad moved to rehab after the brain surgery and started speaking again little by little.  But things were still extremely tough.  Ash and Janice visited that weekend to cheer me up, and I really wanted to tell them too, but I kept quiet even as I had to subtly ignore the wine they kept pouring for me.

Milestones: First sonogram! Baby kicking and punching spontaneously.
Craving: Fish, cottage cheese, and fake fruit candy
Anti-craving: red meat (though pork doesn't seem gross anymore this week), coffee
Symptoms: nausea
Baby-size: Kidney bean/ raspberry
Weight gain: 2 pounds

Dad Progressing in Rehab 2010

October 24, 2010:

Dad took a walk outside and enjoyed the sun

Dad and Mom

Baby Bets 2010

People have asked if we're going to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. While I always thought I would wait for the surprise, the reality of our family's wishes and the difficulty of shopping for cute gender-neutral outfits have convinced us that we should find out. We will probably find out in two weeks, so now seemed like a good time to put up the Baby Game. I got this idea from Chrissy and her baby Owen's blog.

Please click the ExpectNet link below, enter your name, and your guesses for the baby's gender, weight, length, and birthday (expected due date is April 17, 2011).  We will come up with a small and appropriate prize for whomever wins.  Kevin and I will not be guessing in case we have some special insight and because giving ourselves a prize is not cool.

Warning: Pick a gender before you click the link so that the other guesses don't affect yours.

1 Month Pregnant! 2010

0-2 Weeks, Mid-to-Late July 2010

For those of you who don't know, since it's difficult to pinpoint when the magic happens, doctors typically count all the time when it would be even theoretically possible. That means that usually one to two weeks are counted when there is probably no baby or even egg present. So 0- 2 Weeks (in mid-July) are largely irrelevant except that I had been hoping to get pregnant that month so I started a twitter account for the potential baby. (Yes, my baby has a pre-birth twitter account, and yes, I know how absurd I am.)

But then, my dad got sick, and I figured it wasn't going to happen after all this month. The morning after I returned from the first hospital visit, I got so dizzy I almost passed out. I figured it was the stress of the event, but now I think it could have been stress or a pregnancy symptom, or both.  Things were so sad and awful in July, that I couldn't concentrate on anything else.

Around 2 weeks, before I even knew I was pregnant, my appetite increased, but luckily I was mainly interested in healthy food. Well, except for ice cream, but ice cream suddenly seemed incomplete without milk mixed into it. Runny milkshake anyone? Kevin assumed (feared!) I just wanted an excuse to eat more. Also, that week, Kevin and I reached 4 years together, and just a little over 1 year married.

Boston, July 31, 2010 - Is it possible to show immediately?

When we were in Boston and Marblehead, my body started feeling strange, but I did not think too much of it until the symptoms persisted. (It's hard to discuss pregnancy symptoms without quickly delving into TMI, and I have decided to err on the side of somewhat tasteful but incomplete.)

Milestones: Baby went from zygote (fertilized egg) to blastocyst. Once it implants it will be an embryo.
Cravings: Milky milkshakes, wasabi peas
Symptoms: Increased appetite, dizziness?, TMI

3 Weeks, August 1-7, 2010
Then I had a little more dizziness. I felt like I had slightly pulled a muscle in my abdomen. During that week I became sleepier and sleepier, until on Friday, I slept from 9:30 p.m., to 9:30 a.m. the next morning. After that, I routinely napped and went to bed early whenever I could. By now, I was 80-85% sure, a percent I arrived at when Kevin questioned me to see how much I was getting my hopes up. Still, I did not have the more classic symptoms you hear about such as being nauseated.

On Saturday, August 7, we spent the day at the beach and we returned, I could not hold out to take a test. Even though the baby was planned, Kevin still looked surprised and maybe a little confused. According to the books, the baby should have looked somewhat fish-like at this point, so I drew a fish in its twitter account. ><)))*> I started referring to the baby as Poppy Seed, based on its approximate size.

Milestones: Positive pregnancy test, the baby is an embryo now with cells rapidly dividing.
Cravings: Milky milkshakes, salt, salad, nuts
Symptoms: Extreme sleepiness, dizziness, slight abdominal pain
Baby-size: Poppyseed

4 Weeks, August 8-14, 2010
This week started with my dad's brain radiosurgery.  Under normal circumstances, my mother probably would have noticed my 4 trips to the bathroom in 4 hours.  I didn't like keeping the secret from them, but it wasn't a good time to share the news.   The baby was perhaps about two weeks old at this point, and it had been an extremely difficult two weeks for my family and would continue for months.  Reading Origins definitely makes me nervous about the effect of these weeks of sadness on the baby.

I started referring to the baby as Sesame Seed based on its approximate size.  Kevin researched the best OB/GYN in all of Long Island.  Of course, he did. The hormone headaches came on with a vengeance.

Sonoma, August 13, 2010

We went to San Francisco for Jeff and Inga's wedding, and instead of adjusting to the time difference I went to bed at 7 pm and got up at 8 am PST. Yes, that's 13 hours of sleep.  Kevin and I discussed potential baby names while waiting for the San Francisco trolley.  It was such a long wait that we picked out names we're fairly confident about, but it's a secret for now.  Food tasted amazing.  It felt as though my pulse went up.  Since the baby's heart was supposed to start beating this week, I drew a heart on twitter.

Ericka, October 31, 1979

I bought the baby's first outfit in Chinatown, inspired by a little outfit I had when I was a baby.  Walking long distances, which is what we mostly did in San Francisco, was fairly painful in the abdominal region, and brought on some nausea. Apparently, this also made me very grouchy.

In wine country, I found creative ways to avoid wine so no one would notice, but I am told that Briggs, Cory, and Robin noticed anyway. (Okay, I sipped a tiny amount of the delicious pinot noir at the wedding, but the NY Times says that's better for the baby anyhow.)

Milestones: Picking a boy name and a girl name, baby's first outfit- Chinese shirt, pants, and shoes!
Craving: Nuts (and San Francisco's clam chowder and sourdough)
Symptoms: Extreme sleepiness, headaches, abdominal pain when walking long distances, all food tasting delicious, some nausea
Baby-size: Sesame seed
Weight gain: 1 pound

Things My Wife Complains About: #15 Pregnancy

For someone who complains about how heavy her coffee is, my wife doesn't complain that much about being pregnant. On the whole, she enjoys carrying my powerful unborn child. I believe Baby Clou is a good influence on her.

Still, my wife does occasionally complain about the way certain food tastes. She thinks the Panda Puffs cereal she's been eating for 1,354 consecutive days tastes like Thai food, and while she likes Thai food, she doesn't like it for breakfast. Good thing she's not Thai, or she'd only eat two meals a day, which would be down from the four meals she currently eats. She invented a second breakfast. Take that, Taco Bell Fourth Meal.

Much of my wife's complaining centers on eating, which isn't new; it's just much more violent. It's also considerably more challenging, as my wife's tastes change on an hourly basis. Here is an incomplete list of things she's craved in the first trimester:

Vinegar
Milk
Condor Egg
Red Fruits (e.g. Cherry)
Peanut Butter
Salt
A Single Plum Floating in Perfume Served in a Man's Hat
Granola
Scotch

Just kidding. She's been craving rum. Lots of rum. On French toast.

Mostly, my wife complains about my inability to carry my powerful unborn child. She likes to poke me in all the places she feels extreme discomfort. I get poked in the abdomen every day. It brings us closer together. That's another thing my wife complains about: physical contact. The weight of my arm hairs is oppressive. She complains in equal measure about the absence of physical contact.

There are no possible solutions. But the good news is that all my friends with children have assured me that pregnant woman become increasingly rational, fair, and kind throughout their pregnancy and into the subsequent decades of child rearing. So that's a relief.

"A Single Plum Floating in Perfume" from The Simpsons

U.S. Space & Rocket Center 2010

While we were in Huntsville, Alabama for Sarah and Donald's wedding, we had to hit the biggest attraction in town, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Brian, Roger, Lina, Kevin, and I went after a quick lunch nearby. It was lots of fun.

Brian, me, Kevin, Lina, and Roger outside

They decided to race the length of a space ship because why not?

Haha, Brian didn't really play.

Mandatory couple with rockets picture

I'm concerned

Spacesuits

We had to climb into this rocket and sit upside down

Lina peaking in

Sleeping weightlessly

Checking out the interiors

Those kids are beating Roger and Kevin at the Mars climbing wall 

Sarah and Donald's Wedding 2010

Sarah and Donald got married in Sarah's hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. Needless to say, it was the first time many of us had been to Alabama. The wedding ceremony was at a Catholic church. The bride was beautiful, and both the bride and groom looked very happy. Josh was a groomsman, and he was wearing a tuxedo and proper dress shoes, which is a huge step up for him from his tuxedo t-shirt. I did a reading from the Book of Ruth, and rocked it.  But the flower girls were really the most outstanding participants aside from the bride and groom.

Mr. and Mrs. Burke after the ceremony

Isabel tries to steal the show

Rosie keeps it professional

The reception was very fun. A lot of the traditional wedding reception elements were there but in a somewhat less formal way- quicker or more relaxed. The band was solid- at one point I was wondering why Cyndi Lauper was there, and I turned around to see a man doing a perfect version of True Colors. I went to the buffet a little after my friends had gone and I got several different recommendations about the tasty things I should not miss.

Oh my gosh, how cute were they?

The UVA Law friends

One of the most lovely parts of the wedding was how wonderful and welcoming both the Hughes family and the Burke family were. They were not just the average polite families you would expect at a wedding, but the parents and siblings were truly loving and friendly to all the guests. I found myself wishing I were also joining their families, and I was not the only one that felt this way. Donald and Sarah are doubly blessed now.

Sarah's sister and brother

Donald's sister and brother

The bride and groom dancing the night away

A Law School Love Story 2005-2008 plus forever

This weekend I have the last wedding of six weddings this year.  They were all between May and October, and it's otherwise been a hectic summer, so it's been extremely tough.  But this last wedding is special because I got to watch the bride and groom meet, become friends, and finally fall in love.

Sarah and Donald met when they were randomly placed in the same section in law school. A "section" is a group of students who take a number of classes together first year.  And at UVA, sections are encouraged to help each other and compete against other sections.

Our Law School Section B, Class of 2008, First Year 2005-2006

A few of us became particularly close (below in all the photos). But over the first summer, many people got internships all over the country, and four of us stayed in Charlottesville to work: Donald, Sarah, Josh, and me.  We spent a lot of time together going to restaurants, bars, playing games, and just watching television together.

Donald, Sarah, Josh, and me the following Christmas 2006

There were times when people saw something and said that they would be perfect together because they were both smart, had the same witty sense of humor, and had the same interests, but they were both also shy, so things remained friendly for another year.

Christmas 2006

We tended to hang out as a group. But things were getting a little friendlier between Donald and Sarah as evidenced by the photos.

Barristers Ball, February 2007

Donald's 24th Birthday, February 2007

Libel Show, April 2007

Playing games outside, April 2007

Studying for finals, May 2007

But it wasn't until summer 2007, when Donald and Sarah were both in Northern Virginia, while the rest of us had jobs elsewhere, when Donald started upping the pressure. They hung out all the time, and Donald even started making nice with his future niece Rosie to get on Sarah's good side. Of course, I wasn't there for that part, but the pictures tell the whole story.

Donald, bribing Rosie with beer, summer 2007

But I was there the night the finally fell for each other. We were all at a party for our friend Sarah M's birthday and sparks flew.

September 8, 2007

They've been inseparable ever since.

Public Interest Law Association Semi-Formal, November 2007

And we couldn't be happier for them.  Wooo!

Our law school friends at graduation, May 2008

Wednesday's 30th Birthday 2010

We went out with Wendy and Clark because we hadn't seen them in a little while and Wendy turned 30 last weekend but I wasn't free to see her.  We caught up on some important stuff including the progress of her band Pigeons. They're going on a national tour starting this month!


At Momofuko

Here she is being gorgeous in a video:

Pigeons "The Paradise" from OLDE ENGLISH SPELLING BEE on Vimeo.


The tour dates are updated on the Pigeons website:

THURSDAY,OCTOBER 28th: Union Pool, Brooklyn w/Electroputas http://www.myspace.com/electroputas

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31st: SPECTACLE, Boston w/ Many Mansions, Invisible Circle

TUESDAY, November 2nd: PERMANENT RECORDS, Chicago, IL

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd: EMPTY BOTTLE, Chicago w/Wet Hair, and Running

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd: OBERLIN COLLEGE, Oberlin, OH

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4th: WHITE LIGHTENING, Iowa City w/ Wet Hair

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5th: CLUB MED, Minneapolis, MN w/ Wet Hair & Robust Worlds

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6th: HEXAGON BAR, Minneapolis, MN w/ Leisure Birds, Brute Heart

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7th: The Manor, OMAHA, NE w/ The Praries, Hominoid and Wet Hair

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10th: Missoula, MT location TBA

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11th: The Business Records, Anacortes, WA, http://www.thebusinessanacortes.com/

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11th: NoHouse Bellingham, WA w/ Jazz Magazine and PRND

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12th: Josephine, Seattle, WA



SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13th: The Know, PORTLAND, OR w/ Monopoly Child Star Searcher

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14th: Lil Red Lion, Eureka, CA

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15th: Holland Project HQ, RENO, NV

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16th: The Hub, Sacramento, CA

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17th: in-store AQUARIUS RECORDS, San Francisco

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17th: Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA w/ Donovan Quinn & the 13th Month

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18th: ECHO CURIO sponsored, Los Angeles, CA w/ METAL ROUGE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19th: UC IRVINE OPEN MELODY FESTIVAL

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20th: The Dressing Room, Phoenix, AZ w/ Eddie Detroit

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22nd: AUSTIN, TX TBA

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23rd: NOTSUOH, Houston, TX
Wednesday, November 24th: Circle Bar, New Orleans, LA w/ Hosannas FREE!!!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26th: The Handle Bar, Pensacola, FL w/ Heavy Kid

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27th: location tba, Gainesville, FL

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28th: Far Side, Tallahassee, FL

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29th: Wonder Root, Atlanta, GA

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30th: NIGHTLIGHT, Chapel Hill, NC w/ Dan Melchior und Das Menace (http://www.myspace.com/dasmenace)

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1st: Location tba, Richmond, VA

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2nd: TBA? Somewhere between Richmond and NYC/

Kathy Visits 2010

Kevin's mom visited this weekend. Unfortunately, I had to work all weekend. I volunteered for an assignment because I need billable hours. I worked remotely from the hospital Saturday morning, then went to lunch with Kevin and his mom who also stopped by to visit my dad. Then Sunday I had to physically go into the office all day, so I checked in with mom and dad regularly on the phone and Kevin took his mom to see the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry and then for a walk in Central Park.  She was really sweet and understanding and even made me dinner. She seemed to have a nice time anyway, and hopefully we'll get up to Cape Cod to spend better quality time soon.

Kathy in Central Park on 10/10/10