Presenting....BABY MEISSNER!

Doesn't he/she look just like his/her Daddy? We went for our first ultrasound today (and both of us cried). The head is on the right (and grinning) and the butt is on the left. Our due date is May 26th. We won't know if it's a boy or a girl for a while. My guess is that with parents like us the kid will be stubborn enough to not let us know until he/she comes out! Fortunately our baby registry is all gender neutral.

We are soooooo excited! Now that we have the picture it's all become real. Keep those prayers coming. We're in for an exciting 6 months.

Hugs,
John, Kim, Baby, Snoopy & Smoke

Where's Paul Anka when you need him?

I could really use Paul Anka's help in singing 'Havin' My Baby.' My wife Kim(a/k/a Pookie Bear) and I, who until recently were certain we would never have children, are now expecting our first. The as yet unamed little guy(or girl), is due in late May or early June. Because of our ages and past medical history, the possibility of a difficult pregnancy is present. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as we go through this amazing chapter of our lives together.

This is most certainly the ultimate "OHHHHHHHH BABY!" isn't it?!?!

Gale-force trade winds blow through Portland

The Portland Winter Hawks, in their 32nd season in the Western Hockey League, move seven players in one day, the most in team history, in an attempt to turn things around after a 3-15-0 start.

Read more at:

http://www.salem-news.com/sports/november92007/winter_hawks_110907.php

Baseball's winter meetings

The baseball winter meetings are taking place in Orlando, Florida. (Why anyone would willingly go to Orlando is beyond me. I lived there for about a year and a half and can recall no redeeming values that would make me want to go back, other than our adopted mother, or the chance to drive to the Space Coast.) So far, the most newsworthy thing to happen, is Major League baseball's decision to require base coaches to wear some kind of head protection(yet to be determined), prompted by the death of Tulsa Drillers first base coach Mike Coolbaugh, who was struck by a line drive in a game last season. Interesting concept for sure. In fact, players at the high school and American Legion level, have been required to wear batting helmets with ear flaps for years while coaching bases. It won't be a difficult adjustment. My question is this: Coolbaugh's death was caused by a burst artery in his neck, something no helmet would have prevented. While the idea of extra protection is a good one, it still strikes me as MLB treating a symptom and not the direct cause(Of an injury/fatality). Despite what MLB wants you to believe, they still do not have any kind of a grip on performance enhancing drugs, unsportsmanlike conduct by players/managers/coaches, so while making what appears to be a "good" decision, MLB is simply going for a "feel good," headline-grabbing "Look what we did" decision.

Sheesh. What next? Hockey-style helmets for fielders and base umpires? Fix the GAME first, starting with why it takes so darn long to play a game, plus doing something, ie: scheduling actual in-season doubleheaders, so we don't ever have to worry about a World Series game being played in November, before telling us how forward-thinking they are, by making base coaches wear helmets. Then maybe people will believe MLB is truly trying to improve itself.

The Veteran

From http://www.rodpedersen.blogspot.com (Thanks Rod!)

The Veteran

It is the VETERAN , not the preacher,
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN , not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN , not the campus organizer,
Who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN , not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN , not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN ,
Who salutes the Flag,

It is the veteran ,
Who serves under the Flag,

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.