It lives! It liiiiiiiiiiives!!

So yes, it's been almost a month since my last post. This week I plan to rectify my past laziness in keeping up with what all has been going on. Anyways, on with our story...

Me for the last few weeks: "Hey, soon I'll be able to feel the baby kicking yeah?"

Little Kitty: "Well, probably sometime in the fifth month or something."

Me: "Nah, it'll be sooner than that right?!"

Little Kitty: "I dunno, it has been kicking pretty hard. Maybe."

Little Kitty on Thursday night: "Hey, it's moving around again, wanna see if you can feel it?"

Me: "Sure!"

So I place my hand on her stomach, concentrate reeeeeal hard thinking "kick baby kick!". Lo and behold, it does! However, it has been the only time it's worked so far. Now whenever it starts to move and I try to feel it, it stops!

Well, as least it knows how to play a good joke on it's parents. That's a good sign. :)

In other news, I just got back from being gone for ten days in Utah. Now Utah is a nice state. I got to see some friends there, and I got to take about 300+ pictures of everything from the Mormon's cool stuff to cool stuff in a big graveyard to natural rivers and giant boulders. Also, I did a bunch of training there, which nearly made my head explode, but which also was a very good thing to get me moving forward in my job.

I also came to a realization while I was away. The first was just how much I would miss my wife and child-on-the-way while I was gone. You always here about it from other people who have to travel occasionally, but you don't really understand it until you haven't seen your love for over a week and you realize that there's still 2 more days and a thousand miles between you. It's not a pleasent experience, but it did lead to a second realization.

That realization is that I really am responsible for a family now. Now don't get me wrong, I've always had an OK work ethic. I would get done what I needed to get done and if I needed to put in some extra work on a rare occasion then I would go ahead, do it, and go. However, that's not necessarilly enough. I can become much, much better at what I do, and take steps to even advance my personal goals much, much more than I currently have. It will take a lot of study, and a lot of work on my part, but in the end I need to make sure that my family is provided for not only emotionally, spiritually, and physically, but financially as well.

Now this does not mean that I am going to become one of those crazy workoholics who's job comes before all else and the only thing that really matters is advancing up the ladder and making more money. However it does mean that I can take some time outside of my 8-5 job and do a little studying and a little growing to make sure that I become more than I am now.

I guess becoming a man who strives for growth in all areas of life, not just the parts they find shiny, is part of becoming a father too.

Hey look! I'm growing up!

P.S.: On July 29th we have our wicked-awesome sonogram where we find out if it's a boy or a girl!

Woohoo!

P.S.S.: Yes, those are robots playing soccer. Doesn't technology rock?!