Christmas in Fort Myers Beach

Let me start by saying for all of you who enjoyed your Christmas in the snow and cold...SUCKERS!

We spent our holiday at the beach in the 80 degree weather. Every morning, we woke up to look out over the ocean. Every afternoon, we sat out by the pool. And every evening, we slept with the sliding doors open. It wasn't too bad for Patrick and Stacy.

Let me tell you a little bit about Aunt Bette's condo. Its called the Coquina, however due to its location, it has been renamed the Co-gina. Its down the beach from the Master Bait and Tackle, down the road from the Publix, and across the street from the Munch Box. We had three condos to stay in, and it was a blast. Walks on the beach, lounges at the pool, and games at night. It was quite the enjoyable Christmas.

However, it wasn't the perfect Christmas. Keep in mind, I wasn't able to get a photo of the following in fear for my life, but try to imagine. My dad had picked up a bottle of wine from Costco, and when Robbie went to open it, the cork crumbled in the bottle. My dad tried to fix the situation. We handed him a knife and went back to preparing dinner. Next thing we heard was my dad screaming for help. We turned around to see his eyes closed, and red wine all over his face, shirt, the walls, and the ceiling. In trying to fix the cork, he managed to splash the wine out of the bottle and all over. We all thought Christmas was ruined for sure. Needless to say, my parents owe Aunt Bette and new coat of paint in the condo.

For Christmas dinner, we all headed out to Naples for a dinner buffet the likes of which you have never seen. The Ritz Carlton, Naples, puts on a dinner with more delicious food than you can imagine. There was a bread and spread bar, a seafood bar, soups and salads. There were side dishes of mashed potatoes, wild rice, califlower. And for main courses, prime rib of beef, turkey and sage stuffing. Then the desserts. Oh God, the desserts. I cant even begin to describe the desserts, and the pictures do not do it justice. There were puddings, creme brule, cookies, key lime pie, and ice cream stations that served made-to-order bananas foster and a molten chocolate cake. Out of this world.

The rest of the trip was enjoyable. We spent a few hours at the outlet malls, and a few hours shopping in Naples. The only downfall was the travel situation. Due to the weather in Chicago, we didn't arrive home unil 4 am. Other than that, Stacy and I had a very merry Christmas at the beach.

We hope you enjoyed your Christmas just as much, and that you have a very happy new year!

Merry Christmas From Our Family

Stacy, Wrigley, and myself would like to wish all our friends and family a Merry Christmas. This will be the last Christmas without a little one running around for us, and the last one where the presents are focused on us as well. Next year, we will have a 6 month old to spoil.

This Christmas Stacy and I are joining the Lewis clan in sunny Fort Meyers Beach, FL. This is something new for Stacy to experience. The Lewis family has been going to Florida off and on for years now. While it may take Stacy some time to adjust, I know she will have a great Christmas with us there. This experience is a must if she is to truly enjoy a Lewis Christmas.

To the rest of our friends and family, we hope you enjoy your holiday wherever you may be. 2009 will bring more updates as the due date grows closer. By the end of January we should know the sex of our little one, and the updates will become more frequent. Until then, Merry Christmas once again from the Lewis Family!

June 11, 2009

That is what we were told today. That is what we calculated on our own from the beginning. What we don't understand is, if we are only 9 weeks along, then why did we hear the heartbeat on Monday? From everything we have been told, you can't hear the heartbeat until around 12 weeks. So either we didn't really hear the heartbeat, or something has been calculated wrong. After hearing the heartbeat, the doctor told us to get the early untrasound to get a size calculation. So we did. When Stacy called today, the nurse who answered the phone said the results were in and we are due June 11th. Now, maybe she didn't really look at the results. Maybe the results hadn't even made it in yet. Maybe she just saw June 11th on the chart from before. Maybe the baby really is due June 11th, and just has a really strong heartbeat. I can't say for sure. We have our next appointment on December 1st, and will speak to the doctor then. For now, mark your calendars. June 11, 2009. We can't wait!

Yes We Can!

A popular sentiment these days, granted, but I am not referring to our President-elect in any way. This exclamtion of joy is referring to that question that was on everyones mind these past few months...."Can Patrick and Stacy conceive a child?"

YES WE CAN!

About 5 weeks ago, Stacy found she was feeling a little under the weather and thought to herself, "could we?" So off she rushed to the bathroom, and sure enough...Yes we can! Needing to tell someone right away, and me not being home, Stacy confided in Wrigley, who was very excited to hear she would become a big sister. Either that, or she thought she was getting a treat. We can't be too sure. Stacy decided to come to work and tell me the great news. She rushed off to the mall, and stopped by the Sports Fanatic to make a quick purchase. When she arrived at my office, she handed me the present she had just purchased. A Chicaog Cubs onesie. "Why did you buy this," I asked thinking we had agreed on no baby clothes until we were sure we were pregnant no matter how cute or cheap they may be. Stacy just looked at me. "Why do you think," she exclaimed. My eyes lit up and I asked, "Could we be?"

YES WE CAN!

I know the next question everyone wants to know is, when is the big day. Well, we still don't know. The wonderful insurance from school district U-46 won't let our doctor do the ultrasound, so we had to swing by the hospital today to get that taken care of so they can estimate the date by the size of the baby. But wouldn't you know it, the hospital has to send the info to the doctor in 2-3 business days, so we wont know until Wednesday or so. But please check back for the updated info then.

After that, the big question will be, boy or girl. About 20 weeks is when we can say for sure. Let me preface by saying, either way this child will be the most loved child in the world. I am feeling girl. Sally is PRAYING for a girl. Brad is convinced girl, after his half-assed Fremd High School theory. Can I do it? Can the first of a three boy family actually produce the daughter my mother has always wanted?

YES WE.....hope.

See the first picture of Baby Lewis below and draw your own conclusions.

Wedding Pictures Are Available!

For anyone who is interested, we finally have all the proofs from the wedding in our possesion. If anyone would like any pictures from the big day, email either Stacy or myself and we will email any picture back to you.

Costanza!!

Did anyone see the espisode of Seinfeld where George pretends to be a tourist in order to meet women in the city? I think that perhaps my father was trying the same trick on our way to the Statue of Liberty. I am not sure how I feel about that.

The Lewis Boys Do New York

This past weekend, the Lewis boys visited New York City. We left O'Hare on a 7:05 am flight to begin the whirlwind two day trip. I wouldn't have thought we could squeeze so much into two days. Our hotel was at Grand Central Station, which worked out well. We were able to see Times Square, Broadway (Dad and I saw Spamalot), the Ed Sullivan Theater, China Town, Little Italy, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Ground Zero, Radio City, Rockefellar Center, Central Park, and Yankee Stadium. Thats a lot for two days, and believe me we felt it. Dad even had to turn in early both days to nap, leaving us crazy kids on our own in the Big Apple. We had dinner the first night at a delicious little place in Little Italy, where we had two bottles of wine between the four of us. For lunch the next days we had a slice at two different pizza places. Joe's Pizza, recommended by Kelly Ripa (yes, of Regis and Kelly) and seen in the hit film Spiderman. We also tried Ray's. Now I know what you are asking yourself...is that Famous Ray's or Original Ray's? Well, it was Famous Original Ray's. As much fun as we had, I still think that Chicago is the city of cities in this country.

Will the "Curse of the Lake" hold true?

We just returned from Minocqua, WI today. We had a short, but fun, weekend with the Lewis family and their significant others. Now, if you are reading this and are unfamiliar with what the title references, let me help. My mother is convinced that there is a curse of bringing girlfriends up to the lake, and that immediately following the lake trip, the relationship will come to an end. If not, the relationship will hold. Now, so far Stacy is the only one to survive this curse. It remains to be seen whether Britney or Christine will survive.

It was a weekend of crappy weather. It was overcast almost the whole time, with just spots of sun every now and then. However, we did upgrade the fire pit, as shown here, and the weather was quite nice if sitting by a hot fire was on your agenda. It was nice to get away, even for just a couple days. This was the first time that we were all at the lake together in some time. Next year, we will plan ahead and be sure to pick a time when the weather will cooperate a little more and we can enjoy the boat, and not bundle up before getting on.

Wrigley makes a new friend

We have started to feel bad for Wrigley lately. She hasn't been the best traveler in recent months, so her playtime with Aunt Maggie has been greatly reduced. We've tried to find closer friends for her to play with, but that hasn't produced the best results. Well, tonight, Wrigley made herself a new friend. She was shy at first, but after a few minutes, she really to began to warm up. To think, we had a friend for Wrigley in the house all along. Hours of play time just waiting to happen.

You think I am a Star Wars nerd....?

Many of you will find this video disturbing, while a select few may find it, well, we won't talk about you. One thing is for sure, as far as Star Wars nerds are concerned, at least I have not gone this far.....yet.