We miss you Dad

So I had to abuse my blog access one last time to show a cute pic of our lonely pups. Get well soon Dad!

Survivor

The "secret" Backer Family Blog password was divulged to me (L) today, so I could give a quick update. No worries, the regular blogster will be back next week! As most of you know Ryan had back surgery today to fuse two of his vertebrae together. The procedure went very well and the Ryan was alert for most of the day, not in a lot of pain and even took a short walk before I left the hospital to head home for the evening. We are relieved that he is on the way to recovery! For those of you in town, he would love visitors... he'll be is at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park likely until Friday morning.

24 down, 16 to go

Sorry about the 2 week sabbatical to all of you Backer blog followers out there. Things got a little hectic with the holiday, end of the semester school happenings and so on.

Anyway, here's the latest belly update. The book says the Little One is the size of an ear of corn, weighs about a pound and is nearly fully equipped with taste buds.

On a related note, Dad (that's me) got to feel the baby move for the first time this past week! This "we're having a baby" thing is getting more an more real by the day!

On a totally unrelated note, we learned this past week that Maya (pup #2) is capable of scaling a kitchen counter, selectively picking out York Peppermint Patties from a selection of holiday candies and surviving a binge diet of foil and chocolate.

Preview times 2

Linds and I enjoyed a weekend with the Chipelewskis and their twin 2 y/o's (Kendall & Kaleb), visiting Minneapolis for the first time since we all uprooted from Indy last year. It was so great catching up and playing "aunt" and "uncle". K&K were a riot and kept us entertained all weekend (although I must admit I'm glad we're entering this game one child at a time!).

Thanks so much for visiting... We miss you guys!

22 down, 18 to go

Belly update time. Not a lot of change from the pic in week 18. Linds finally admits she "may have been pushing out a little bit" last time.

Linds also says this may be the last outdoor photo shoot. It was a balmy 10 degrees at picture time this morning!

Rub-a-dub-dub

Found a recent pic of Linds washing the dogs' underbellies after a romp in our sloppy, grass-less backyard and thought it was blogworthy.

10 fingers, 10 toes

Linds and I had our first ultrasound today. Pretty darn incredible. We watched the tech count and measure limbs, fingers, toes, eyes and organs. Saw a healthy backbone, beating heart and squirming arms and legs. All in all it looks like mom and baby are doing excellent!

Oh, and the "who does the little one most resemble" game has already begun. I noted that the constantly moving mouth was clearly a hand-me-down from Mom. Linds countered noting that junior's huge melon is clearly mine, as was its lack of cooperation when the tech was trying find and measure various parts. Hopefully someday we'll see the little one taking after some our more positive features!

O-H

Linds and I headed to Chicago this weekend to meet up with Joe & Tisha, Schultze and Dr. Rice (not pictured, out with a bone exam) for the biennial Ohio State / Northwestern football game in Evanston, IL.

As usual, we were treated to a damp, frigid and sun-free November day. Also as usual, we were treated to forever long concession lines and stock-outs of hot dogs and hot chocolate by halftime. Looking forward to 2010!

The Godfather

Linds and I made the trek to NU this weekend to check out my Dad's new place and see my newest cousin, Tanner Jay Backer (Jay and Jenny's latest). I think that makes 29 of us on the Backer side!

J&J asked me to be Tanner's Godfather (I accepted of course!) which I feel rounds out my fatherhood validation/resume quite nicely, if I do say so myself.

Halloween 2.0

Linds and I rejoined the Furbers and McNerneys for another go at Halloween. This time dressed as the Joker, Princess Leia, a woman from the polygamy ranch, a couple of door-to-door bicycle missionaries and a repeat of Joe the Plumber.

As you can see from the pics our theme clearly was, "tonight, we drink". As you can also see from the pics... the only way to keep prego happy 'til 1am at a bar like Gasthof's is to paint the smile on!

18 down, 22 to go

Big day for the mom-to-be yesterday...

Linds is about 95% sure she felt the little one move for the first time. In her words, "it felt like mix between tapping and tugging... when I felt it I froze, my stomach dropped and I started crying".

She's also finally made the switch to maternity clothes (well, bottoms at least) and is already completely addicted to elastic. On the nesting front, things are escalating daily as well. Comments like "we should think about putting in new windows in the nursery" are becoming "you haven't even had him out for an estimate yet!".

Looks like I better catch up on my reading of the 'Tips for Expecting Fathers' book Linds bought me.

Trick-or-Treat

Halloween cometh early in SW Minneapolis this year. Linds and I joined the McNerneys and Furbers for a night on the town all dolled up (some a little more committed than others!).

From left to right: The Suicidal Stockbroker, Joe the Plumber, Tigger, Joe 6-Pack, Governor Palin and Amy Winehouse.

And you don't know the half of it!

The baby bump is taking a backseat this week in light of some bigger happenings.

Newly engaged brother Joe and fiance Tisha were in town this weekend with their new pup in tow. Joe and Tisha are in fact happier to be engaged than the picture suggests and the pooch Carter is nowhere near as calm either.

We also hit up a big Backer family wedding this weekend that was, um... let's just say 'one of a kind'. Cops, camouflage and cross-dressing... I'm still reeling!

Better get your whole grain...

So, General Mills asked me what they've got to do to get me sign on the dotted line and I said, "My face on the cover of a Wheaties box, now!". Well, I guess they like me! OK, that's not exactly how it all went down.

Regardless... Mary Lou, Walter Payton, Michael Jordan, KG... and now yours truly.

Eat your heart our Michael Phelps!

15 down, 25 to go

We had a few big moments this week...

First off, as you can see in the pic, Linds is finally sporting a bit of a baby bump! Related, earlier this week Linds was on a business trip to IU and discovered en route that her suit pants wouldn't button. So where does one to make that first maternity clothing purchase... the Walmart in Martinsville, IN naturally!

Linds also stated today that she feels she's finally kicked the achy, nausea, hyper-fatigue phase... but unfortunately I'm feeling like she's passed it directly to me (but then again that could be the hyper-celebration of Oktoberfest with the boys last night?!?).

Green thumbin' it

Linds and I were lucky enough to get gardening extraordinaire, Elizabeth Neils (a school friend of mine), for an afternoon this weekend to help revive our neglected "landscaping". A couple hours weeding, a couple hours planning and shopping, a couple hours planting and a couple months of waiting supposedly will yield a much needed flowery facelift around 4709 come springtime. Burning bush, dogwoods, coneflowers, bellflowers, bee balms abound! Now Linds is looking forward to the snow melting even before the first flurry. It's going to be a long winter!

On the prego front, Linds is still struggling with every symptom in the book and is battling a cold this week. Not fun at all. On the positive side, Linds promises a belly pic next week... and guarantees a bump!

Happy birthday dear Griff-in...

Griffin turned 2 on Saturday and we just had to celebrate it with a Backer family birthday tradition... breakfast in bed. Ridiculous? Yeah, we know.

Not a ton to report this week on the prego front. Linds still hasn't turned the corner with the nausea or headaches, but did actually make it past 9:30pm twice this week (so maybe the fatigue factor is finally waning!).

12 down, 28 to go

I'm reminded that the main reason for starting this blog was to track Lindsay's pregnancy - so, back by popular demand... here's the the belly watch entry and a few words from the future mom.

So, how have you been feeling? I’ll go with OK.
Care to expand? Nausea – Often. Fatigue – Constant. Crabbiness – Frequent. [Hey, her words, not mine!]
We had a big appointment earlier this week, did we not? Yes we did. The little buddy in my belly has a full-fledged heartbeat [I’ve got to say that was a pretty amazing moment!] and is the size of a plum. At the close of trimester #1 I’ve gained a pound or two and still feel like I look pretty normal.
Anything else you’d like say? May I be excused to go take a nap?

Well, there you go. Stay tuned.

How 'bout a (5K) beer run?

I mean how can you not do this run? It's sponsored by James Page, its just over 3 miles, nobody's keeping time, the water stops are replaced by beer stops (yes, you heard me correctly), costumes are encouraged and there are free burgers and more free beer after the race (instead of the standard energy bars and Gatorade). Linds & I skipped the costumes but brought the pups as our "flare".

Another rainy race for the Backer family, but a great time nonetheless! If you'll be in the neighborhood next year you gotta sign-up (www.pagebrewing.com/blubber_run/blubberrun.php).

Tour de St. Paul

Not much to say here that the pictures don't. Dad was up for his 2nd St. Paul Bike Classic with Lindsay (a 30-miler in and around St. Paul, MN). The difference this year... I joined the team as did several inches or rain. Good times though, really.

The Last Supper

A few days after Mom arrived, my brother Joe and his girlfriend Tisha made the trek up from Chicago as well. I guess the popular belief in my family is that I'm not a ton of fun to be around once school is in session, so everyone decided to make one last "fun" trip to Minneapolis on Labor Day weekend. The other popular belief in my family is that when they do come visit, I've got a weekend's worth of jobs lined up for everyone (painting, landscaping, etc.)... and nobody really enjoys this (who knew?). So, this particular weekend I tore up the "to do" list - we saw the sights (Stone Arch, Harriet Bandshell, Mill City, etc.) and hit up some of the local dining classics (Psyco Suzi's, Pepitos, Tuggs, etc.). You guys happy now?

(Editor's note: This entry was written after school was in session)

Puttin' for Payton

At the end of August, Linds & I (and Mom, in from Denver, CO) headed to Sartell, MN to play in the inaugural "Puttin' for Payton" golf classic. The event was a fundraiser for perinatal hospice as well as a celebration of Payton Blomstrom's very short life. It was great to see Jeff & Susan (Payton's parents) and all their supporters that day.

We learned two things that afternoon... (1) hospice can be a lifesaver and (2) don't talk in Lindsay's backswing!

The Great Minnesota Get-Together

Linds & I are currently in a State Fair food induced coma... cheese curds, corn on the cob, funnel cake, corn dogs, lemonade, a gallon of Sprite and umpteen chocolate chip cookies will do that to you. Still can't believe how much my city-slicker wife loves those farm animals... maybe we will end up on a farm outside of Fairmont one day after all.

9 down, 31 to go

Alright, fine... we're busted (and really flippin' excited!). So here's the real reason for the Backer family blog. We'll keep you in the loop from here on out... Stay tuned.

M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A.... Minnesota, Minnesota... (7/1/07-8/24/08)

Year 1 in MN was a success if I do say so myself. Linds quickly fell in love with the new set up (OK, fine... until that big, late March snowstorm that is) and we're both loving being close to our MN friends and fam. We bought another house, got another dog, our friends had more kids, I knocked out half a year of b-school at the U, my little sis' turned 21 and we tried to take advantage of school breaks with trips to the U.P., Chicago, Itasca, Duluth, Vegas and Denver. Good times.

The Indiana Chapter (7/29/06-7/1/07)

Linds & I got married in the summer of '06 and grew up fast. We bought a house, got a dog and saw our friends do the same.... some even upped the ante (kids!). Linds wrapped up her final year of b-school at IU and spent a summer in Omaha with ConAgra foods (which ultimately was the beginning of the end of our IN days), but with whatever free time we had we painted the town. Never thought we'd be saying this, but we definitely miss our "sweet home In-diana".

Welcome to the 2000s

OK, so we're a little behind the times... but we're now officially up and running with our very own "blog". Since I can't seem to handle starting anything anywhere but the beginning, I (of course) have got to retroactively post what we've been up to since the inception of this here Backer family... July 29th, 2006. Bear with me. Two quick posts and we'll all be up to speed.