Prepping for the big day

We got to take some awesome Christmas pictures this week, of course I'm not in any of them which makes them so great. These are just of the kids. Hmm, kids, that makes me sound like a real dad.

my kids are cuter than lots of other kids

My boy is 3 weeks old, and my little girl is almost 4. My how time flies. Things are going pretty well at the McKinley household, had lots of turkey on the big day, and now we're decorating for Christmas. I think one day I will have enough model railroad tracks to go all the way around the house.
Enjoy the holidays!

Change of scenery

We finally got to bring our little guy home yesterday. He's doing really well, off the oxygen, eating lots, and basically turning our schedule upside down since he's now running the show. And try as I may, no matter how much I pat his back to get a burp out, it doesn't work and he ends up burping on his own.
Let the fun begin.

More pics of the little guy

Don't wake me, I need my beauty rest.


I wish I had opposable thumb-toes.


Good thing you got this towel here dad, or else!

Oooh yeah, gettin' a good tan.

People pay lots for a suntan this good

Nat went up to to see Reed this morning, and he continues to improve every day.
His jaundice levels have dropped, so he's only going to be under one of the tanning lights instead of two.
The nurse had to put in a new IV for the antibiotics; they were running out of places to put it, it's been in both hands and feet so far, so what place is left? His head. But after the last blood tests the doctor said he doesn't need the medicine anymore. Too bad they already stuck him with the IV.
He's bottle feeding and doing really well. He can eat as much as he wants, and eats a lot when the nurses feed him, but not so much with us, probably because he's so comfy. I went up last night to feed him, and it was fun to see him awake and looking around, until we wrapped him up in a blanket and he fell asleep.
He's still on the oxygen because his lungs are a little underdeveloped.
Right now there's still no exact date on when he'll be coming home, but it sounds like it should be later this week.

Awake and alert

We got to go up to the hospital today and help feed Reed for the first time. I tell you he knows what to do with that bottle! All of his numbers have been improving every day, so we also got to hold him for a few minutes. It's such a wonderful feeling to see him awake and looking around, and it makes it a lot harder to leave him there all alone in the hospital. But we'll be able to bring him home soon enough.

He's out of the bubble

Reed is making some good progress. He will be in the NICU for a few more days, but his lungs are improving, and the hole has healed itself. They've taken him out of the bubble (theme music to Star Wars playing in the background). They also injected some Serfactant to help the lungs inflate better. I guess these things can be pretty common in preemies, but it's still a little scary to deal with as parents.
Hopefully tomorrow they can start to bottle feed him; up until now it's only been through the IV.

It's a boy!

We're excited to have a new addition to our family, Reed Gregory McKinley, named after his great grandpa. It seems like interesting names and unusual spellings are all the rage these days, so I tried to talk my wife into spelling his name "Wreighd" but she decided to go with a more traditional spelling, Reed.

He was born 11/11/09 at 5:32 AM, weighing 7 lbs. 14 oz. and measuring just under 4 ft long. Okay so he's only 20 1/2 inches.

Although he was born a little early at 36 1/2 weeks, the doctors weren't concerned about him having any complications. We were able to hold him after a fairly quick and painless (thanks to an epidural) delivery. He's a pretty good sized solid boy, and I was happy to see he has lots of strawberry blonde hair. For the first few hours he was doing really well, but later in the morning he started having a little trouble breathing, so they placed him in the NICU for some good TLC.

After a day and a half of tests and chest x-rays, they found that the reason he's been having trouble breathing is because of a pneumothorax. No this is not a character by Dr. Seuss as I initially thought; that's the Lorax. A pneumothorax occurs from a small hole in the lung that allows air to escape into the rib cage, causing the lung to partially collapse. The good news is the hole in the lung will heal itself, and may have done so already. He's also been put in an oxygen helmet to help his body absorb the extra air inside his chest; yep he's a bubble boy, I really need to get a picture.

The latest tests show that he's making progress, and will need to stay in the hospital for a few more days, but he should be just fine by the time he comes home.

Thanks for the support,
Greg, Natalie and big sister Julia

I'm a daddy again

I'll say this one came as a shock since Nat was only 36 1/2 weeks along, but Julia was 35 1/2 weeks so we knew it could happen at any time, and any extra day was a plus.
Reed Gregory McKinley was born 11/11 at 5:32 AM, weighing in at 7 lbs 14 oz. One of his best features is his strawberry blonde hair; wonder where he got that from.
After the first few hours he started having a little trouble breathing, and he's got a little infection, so they had to take him down to the NICU where the great nurses are taking very good care of him. I expect everything to be just fine, but we're playing the waiting game for his numbers to improve.
Daddy Greg

Really? Tonight?

We're only at 36 1/2 weeks. More to come. Stay tuned!

Halloween cupcake

Julia got to wear her new costume for the neighborhood Halloween party yesterday. It was a big hit!

will it ever end?

I know it doesn't end when you have a baby, all you're doing is ending one thing to start another. Right now it feels like the calm before the storm. Julia just got a big girl bed, she sleeps through the night, can feed herself, can play independently, walk around, you know, everything that a baby doesn't do. Once she goes to bed at 8:30 we've got a couple hours alone to work on things. Once the baby comes that will all change. But I'm okay with that.

33 weeks along.

Nat's prediction is the baby will weigh 9 lbs. I can't really say she's got a big belly, can I? I'd post a picture but she'd kill me if that happened, so I won't risk it. I still think it's bizarre to feel the baby kicking around in there, and it's pretty cool when he gets the hiccups.

A swarm of butterflies

Nothing ever goes as quick as you want it to. These butterflies took all week. Good thing I'm not in the butterfly selling business because I'd make about 25 cents an hour.

More painting that doesn't involve me

The playroom and bathroom are finally finished! Betty and her mom did an awesome job.
Of course now that the painting is all done, don't worry that I won't have any more projects to finish. Most guys use a saw to cut out manly stuff like 2x4's for a deck or to finish the basement. Not me, Nat's got me making butterflies for Julia's room. Of course they're cool and I still got to use a band saw to cut out the shapes. Now I know what I want for Christmas, power tools!

The first pic is the bathroom, and the second shows the new grass skirt curtains over the puppet stage in the playroom. Remember the playroom is only 40 inches tall, so it can be a bit tricky working in there. And Julia loves the room.

From the little one

Julia: Mom, you make delicious broccoli.

Julia: Mom, carrots are good for your eyes. They help you see in the dark. Today at school I ate 2 of them, one for each eye.

Finally, painting that doesn't involve me!

For the past 6 weeks I've been prepping, removing wallpaper, repairing holes in the drywall, sanding, taping, priming, painting, painting a different color because the "lime green" really turned out to be a fluorescent green and that definitely was not going to work; basically all the normal fun involved in painting 3 rooms, trying to get all of this done before the baby comes. I'll say it was my reward for going to Hawaii, Nat says I would've had to do it either way.
This last weekend we had the ladies come and put the finishing touches on the playroom. It turned out great, couldn't be happier!

How many more weeks?!

So, Nat is moving right along at 26 weeks. I don't know how many times I've heard that the next one is mine. She's also told me that I'll be hard pressed to talk her into having another one since we'll have a boy and a girl. Does that mean there will be another one? We'll have to wait and see.
The little boy is moving around quite a bit, enough to actually see Nat's belly jump around from time to time. Honestly what a weird thought to have a little person inside you.
Meanwhile, Julia is still the little chatterbox. I was playing with her outside when a bug started flying around her. Here's how it went.

Me: Julia, be careful, there's a bug flying around your face.
Julia: Get it dad!
Me: Ok, I got it.
Julia: Is it dead?
Me: Yes, I smashed it in the grass.
Julia: (patting me on the back) Good boy!

Another day, after my trip to Hawaii when I was really tired:
Julia: Dad, I need you to read me a book, and then I need a snack, and then I will watch a movie, and after you read me the book you can take a nap.
Me: Oh, thanks Julia.
Julia: You're welcome.

Oh yeah, I went on a little trip to Hawaii to the island of Kauai. My awesome wife let me go for a week with my family while she stayed home and went to Park city with her family. I owe her big time.

It's going to be a boy!

Everything is looking good and on target for an arrival sometime around Thanksgiving. It's amazing how, with the technology of an ultrasound, you can see little things like the kidneys, all the heart valves, and even brain tissue. Crazy!

We're definitely excited. Now we just need to come up with a name. For Julia my sister was set on calling her Bramble Berry. That name really started to catch on, I'll admit. I wonder what she'll come up with for this one.

Track & Field, the glory days - #4

At last, the time has come for the final meet of the 2000 indoor season. Hosted at NAU, they've got a great oversize track, giving the big guys a chance to get out and run.

At this point NAU had already sealed the team championship, so this relay wouldn't have any effect on the overall standings. As it happens during every meet, I felt a lot of pressure as the anchor leg. A lot of times it doesn't matter what happens in the beginning of the race, but at the end. If you lose by a step or by fifty, you still lose and you let your team down. To this day there are races where I'm still trying to run them differently in my mind, trying not to make the same mistakes over and over again. But I'll tell you this, as the races would start to develop I'd be watching on the sidelines and going over the scenario of where I'd be when I got the baton. If we were 50 meters back, I'd try to tell myself, "good, it doesn't matter what I do now because even if I run my hardest and fastest we're not going to win." But a relay can change in an instant, and you can never let your head talk your body out of giving a great performance. I'll admit it's exhilarating to hear the cheer of the crowd as they watch the race unfold and start to see that big tall white guy making up a little bit of ground with each step, wondering if this will be the time when Weber State gets the gold.

The team title was already decided, but I remember Coach Hislop telling us that we still needed to go out there and prove something big, that we needed to go out and win this relay as a personal victory. He could've told us that it didn't matter, that we didn't need to run as hard as we could; but then again I don't think he really could have told us that because that's not how we was as a coach. And by giving us that last bit of inspiration he was trying to make us realize that it's never too late to make a difference. A win is a win, and it can feel really good to win.

One thing I've always loved about this video is the way it starts. Todd, one of the finest surgeons in the Southern Cal area, definitely does not get rattled by a little gunshot, and almost too casually makes his way out of the blocks. Keeping it close he hands off to Chase, who does a great job of keeping us in 3rd place, just behind Idaho State. Lee's got the 3rd leg and does an awesome job of chasing down a future all-american half-miler from ISU. But honestly I think those Bengals are taking it too easy, thinking they're going to do the same thing they've done all year and beat us. Don't they watch the videos? Don't they know what's coming? Seriously. I mean, really.

Coming into the last turn I always thought I passed the leader (from NAU) like he was standing still, but watching the video it didn't happen quite that fast. But all I really knew was that after passing the first guy I was two steps behind Idaho State with 100 meters to go, and it was all over at that point.

Track & Field, the glory days - #3

I always thought that lightning would never strike the same spot more than once. I've come to realize that this belief is completely false; lightning does not have a memory, and if an object has been struck once, it is no less likely to be struck again.

They say that winning isn't everything; that losing builds character; and that there must be opposition in all things. If that's true, then how come we give so much recognition to the winner while never giving mention to the first loser and his followers? And how much character does one person need before finding in himself the quality of admitting defeat gracefully? And remember that while there will always be opposing faces striving for your defeat, they must never be allowed to win, even if you lose.

Here we go again, same track, same race, (almost the) same group of guys, same teams, just a different day.

Todd G.
Chason M.
Charles C.
Greg M.



One more week until Indoor Conference.

Track & Field, the glory days - #2

This is the second video post from the indoor 2000 track season.
Experts say lightning never strikes the same spot twice. Being a big believer in modern science I tend to want to agree with those experts and hope for the best. However, sometimes even experts can be wrong.
Same track, same race, same results?
Todd G.
Lee L.
Charles C.
Greg M.


Watching these videos over and over again still makes me nervous and excited, hoping the outcome is different this time. So far we're 0 for 2 on the season, losing to Idaho State again, but I'm not giving up hope. I know we can get those guys one of these days, seriously, they're not that good! There's no way we're going to end the season in second place. Come on guys, I know we can do it.

Track & Field, the glory days - #1

It's always fun to relive the glory days of an athletic career. Every year that passes by you somehow get that much better. I had the privilege of running track with a lot of great guys and great athletes. While a lot of races are about individual efforts, relays are about the team effort and what you can accomplish together. Sometimes the results are what you'd been working so hard to achieve. Other times you just have to sit back and watch the events unfold, and give a smile when it's all over. Because when it's over, all you have is the feeling of victory that you did all you could, or knowing and wishing that it could've turned out so much better if you had only tried a little bit harder.
This is the first video post of 4 from the indoor 2000 season. When you look at how close a race is determined, 2 tenths or 2 seconds may not seem like that much, but to others it can seem like a lifetime.
GMc

Todd G.
Andy G.
Scott T.
Greg M.

What do you call morning sickness that lasts all day?

I'll tell you there's nothing quite like looking at the image of an ultrasound and seeing a little person jumping around. At only 12 weeks along, the little quartermiler was pretty active and bouncing up and down. Nat's always been surprised at how much it will move around (on screen) and she can't feel a thing.
Nat's been pretty sick for the last couple of months and can't wait to feel better again. Me too.
So, we'll be hoping to make it to Dec. 5 for the arrival of the next little one.

Sayings of the little one

Julia is quite the chatterbox these days. Some of the things I've caught her saying, that I remember to write down.

Julia: Is my owie still hurting?

Mom: My popsicle tastes like peach. Julia, what does your popsicle taste like?
Julia: Mine tastes like tiger.

Dad: Julia, do you eat popsicles at school?
Julia: Sometimes we do, but not really.

Julia: Why do owie's bleed?
Mom: Because we have blood inside us.
Julia: BLOOD??!!

4 AM
Julia: Is it morning yet?
Mom: No, it's still night time, please go back to sleep.
Julia: But I woke up!

And the last one...
Julia: I want to tickle the baby when she's born and make her laugh.

Indoor Skydiving

What a rush!

Weber State Track Indoor Conference 2009

A couple videos of Jace Nye at indoor conference down at NAU this past weekend. Jace pulled off the amazing double win in the mile and 800, with only 70 minutes between each race. Even though WSU didn't win the men's title, he was voted co-MVP track athlete of the meet. Way to go man!

Trippin in San Diego

We're in San Diego for a little vacation this week. After taking Julia to Lagoon last summer and seeing how much she loved it, Natalie has been aching to take her on another trip. She's still a little to young for Disneyland, so Sea World it is.
The plane ride was totally new to her, and she wouldn't let go of our hands for the first 20 minutes. When we landed she told Nat, "that was almost fun mom!"
The next day at Sea World Nat had bought a churro and was holding it in her hand and walking back to give it to me when a seagull flew up behind her, smacked her on the head with its wings, snatched the churro out of her hand, and flew off with it. Nat just stood there totally stunned that she had just been robbed by a dang seagull. The mental imagery of a seagull sitting on a grassy knoll with a 2-foot long churro sticking out of its mouth like a cinnamon cigar kept me laughing for quite awhile.

Daddy penguin sledding

Christmas 2008 and Sledding