On the Mic with Mike

Wow.......the triplets aren't even here and they've already had a profound impact on the Sella household.  On Monday we ventured down to Warren to purchase a mini-van.  Talk about an image change; from G6 to Montana.  Somehow, "Driving Excitement" isn't the first thing that crosses my mind for this Pontiac model.  I will say though, that the van has really grown on me.  Tons of room, a DVD system for Lindsay (and Dad), and seemingly every option available.  And thinking about it a bit more......driving a van with 4 kids may prove to be more exciting than originally thought.

My little girl is at it again..........seemingly growing up too fast for me to keep up.  I'll admit that there have been many times where I've said: "I can't wait until Lindsay is old enough to do such-and-such with me".  But, lately I'm finding myself a little bummed that she is growing up so quickly.  Just when I get used to her little quirks and mannerisms and think that I have her figured out, she breaks out something new to keep me on my toes.  Over the last two weeks she has cut 3 teeth and the fourth one is barely visible, and she has barely fussed over any of them.  I think she is just trying to act tough now that the Red Wings are back in action.  That's my little fan!  All-in-all, we're now settling in with the idea of triplets.  I have to admit that I was a bit freaked out at first.  Now I'm just envisioning how fun it will be.  Few people get the chance to experience raising triplets and I plan to make the most of it.  I'm sure it will be quite a challenge, but the reward is absolutely priceless.  After all, it is said: "One treasures most, that which he has worked hard for."  I can't wait!

Lindsay is now nearing 9 months of age.  How the time flies.  Lately it she has been displaying an ever-evolving little personality.  It's just so amazing to watch.  It seems like she waits for opportune times to make silly facial expressions and she has even begun to express her displeasure when she feels someone is ruining her fun (how dare Daddy NOT let her chew on his shoe).  What I love most is her very inquisitive nature.  Today I let her borrow my watch and she studied it intently for over 10 minutes.  She would pass it from one hand to the other, allowing the links to flip-flop and collapse back and forth.  Each time she would pause for a second and watch closely as she made the transition.  She seemed bound and determined to figure out how that worked.  After then studying a few of the links in particular, she finally got bored (or figured it out) and decided to see if it would work for teething.  She's so small and yet she seems to be learning so much.  My friend Joe summed it up well one day when he said "They're really just little people."  Sure she can't walk or talk yet, but she's got her own little personality, curious little hands, and tons of little mannerisms to let us know how her day is going.  Watching her path to toddlerhood (is that a word?) is just simply amazing.  I love being a Dad!

Little Miss Lindsay has been home since Tuesday morning this week with a little cold. It was the first time we had to go get her from the day-care because she was sick. I have to admit, that I got a little rattled at first when they called and said she had a temp of 102.2. So, I took her to the Med Express and spent the rest of the day at home with her. She was clearly not herself. In most cases, this would have been the ideal scenario, because Grandma Jan and Papa Bob typically baby-sit on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Luck would have it that Grandma had jury duty this week and Papa was out of town. In the end it worked out pretty nice, as I ended up being able to spend the afternoon with her today as well. She was feeling much better today, so we decided to visit Grandpa at the John Deere dealer. I just couldn't resist tossing on her Cabela's hat. It says "I Hunt For Hugs" on it and matched her onesie perfectly. Yep......she was definitely Daddy's little girl today. When we got to the store, Grandpa was waiting on a customer, so I sat Lindsay up on the counter to wait. After a few minutes, the farmer looked over at Lindsay and said "Hi there. You sure are a little cutie." Leave it to my little critter to smile back and then let out a nice big belch. Talk about a proud Dad. =) Later I tried to explain to her that just because she was wearing camo, didn't mean that she shouldn't have manners. All-in-all, it was wonderful to spend my afternoon with Lindsay. Days like these are just priceless!

This past weekend was wonderful! My one request for Father's day was to spend it up at our cabin on Henderson Lake. It ended up being a very special weekend, as the cabin welcomed Lindsay, the first member of it's fifth generation. I remember spending so much time up there when I was a kid and now, seeing Lindsay up at the lake is a dream come true. There are just so many things I want to show her up there. It's a chance to relive some of my favorite childhood memories through my little girl. Absolutely priceless! Although the weekend started out by me getting the car stuck (long story), I was soon kicking back to enjoy some fishing and some much needed R&R. A storm rolled in Saturday evening and produced some very cool clouds and a variety of lightning. We sat out and watched it by the campfire until the rain got too bad. Sunday morning was awesome! A little cool to start but the sun was shining. Lindsay went on her first walk (or ride) around the neighborhood and was soon fast asleep. Upon our return, Lindsay got to see fishing first-hand, although she seemed much more interested in the bobber than in the fish. Oh, well. She is only 5 months old after all. All in all, we all had a wonderful time, and can't wait to head back up over the 4th of July weekend.

Man...... I have been horrible at posting as of late. Here goes a brief update until I can get back in the blogging groove.

Things have been insanely busy at work the past month. We have a few high-profile projects going on right now that have been eating up a great deal of time. Combine that with the normal daily support and administrative tasks and there just doesn't seem to be enough minutes in a day. To top that, I just now got a call about a serious power failure in the DataCenter at work. I'll return to this post shortly....

Well, now that I'm back....

Lindsay is doing great! She has started to eat a little bit of rice cereal, and has learned how to eat that very quickly. We give her very small portions, but she is definitely getting used to it. She is starting to grab onto everything in site, including Mom's necklace (which she broke). It's truly amazing to watch all of her little accomplishments.

Today I stopped at the hardware store to pick up a few things and as usual, I used my Disney Rewards Visa. As I finished checking out, I realized that I had just purchased mouse traps with a Credit Card that sported a nice picture of Mickey Mouse. I sure hope that he doesn't hold a grudge, as I would really hat e to cause a scene when we take Lindsay to Disney World.

Our hook-up to city sewer is now complete. After trying to coordinate work between the excavators and the plumbers, I now see why people hire general contractors for building a house. The next major project will start in a few weeks when another excavator will be putting a new finish grade on the back yard after removing several stumps and the septic tank. Following that, I will be planting my new back-yard lawn. Hopefully it turns out well, but if nothing else, it will save some mowing this year.

Well, that about wraps it up for now.

Nearly a month ago, Lindsay decided that she wanted to start rolling over from her tummy to her back. It was one of the coolest sights to behold. She would get a determined look on her face, would start leaning to one side, and eventually she would rock a little until she had enough momentum to roll. I still remember the startled look on her face when she first rolled over, as if trying to figure out what just happened. The weeks following, she replicated this feat dozens of times. This past week we have continued with her tummy time, but she hasn't rolled over a single time. As a matter of fact, it appeared that she has stopped trying. I was beginning to think she was just bored with that trick. This morning, she managed to surprise us again. During her typical tummy time, she appeared a little frustrated; repeatedly wiggling her legs, putting her head down, and then lifting it back up. Then.......out of nowhere, she put her head down, pulled her knees up toward her chest and lunged forward. It wasn't quite a crawl, but it appears that she is well on her way. Within a few minutes, she had scooted a little over a foot across her play mat. I had to laugh when on her final little lunge, she incorporated a roll too. She demonstrated her new trick a second time this afternoon and it definitely seems that she has a system figured out to get her closer to mobility. It is just so amazing to watch Lindsay's developments. She is just growing up so fast!

So all-in-all, I guess she must have figured out that she couldn't learn to crawl if she she simply kept rolling over. After all, it's pretty tough to crawl on your back. =)

Has feet, will move. Time to start baby-proofing......

Last night I flew out here to Chicago for a facility tour and personalized product briefing at the Panduit Demo Center. It was the first night that I did not get to personally say "Goodnight" to my little munchkin. Honestly, it was a very weird feeling being away from my family. I usually travel a couple times a year for a week or so at a time, but this trip was WAY different now that we have Lindsay. But at any rate, I will be flying back home this afternoon. The real test will be in April when I head to Cincinnati for a full week for VMware training. I think I may invest in a pair of webcams before then. =)

On a lighter note, the trip has been nice so far. Matt and Kristen, our Panduit and GrayBar Reps, took us out to Tin Fish for dinner last night. If anyone ever happens to find themselves in the Tinley Park area, it is definitely worth your time if you like seafood. Great food, outstanding service, and even Warsteiner on tap.

I just finished my workout, got cleaned up, and am now just taking some time to relax in my room. Unfortunately, the coffee maker keeps taunting me. If the windows in the room opened, it may have found itself a one-way ticket to the parking lot. Ah, well. 14+ days and still counting. At this point I think I can go a few rounds with Mr. Coffee. =)