Finally

I don't know what I can say about Coleton John Swegle being born, that Tony and Marie haven't already shared with their friends and family.  Maybe they haven't specified that he is the first of the next generation of Swegles, so the name will live on....or, maybe they haven't told you about how Marie fought through hours of pain, no--days of pain, but held firm that this child would be born naturally.   But, I wanted to tell you about the other people waiting for Coleton to be born.  It was truly an adventure. 

Marie was being induced,  so Tony and I and Marie's mother, Mona, planned to be in Charlotte on Friday (July 27) for the birth of "our" baby.  We all arrived on Friday around 11:00 a.m. and went straight to the hospital--a beautiful facility filled with wonderful staff. 

We sat with Marie and Tony in the birthing room while the "hurry up" drugs dripped into her system.   We could tell that she was experiencing more pain as the hours dragged by and finally went to the waiting room so she could rest and concentrate on having the baby. 

Tony and I were up by 6:00 a.m. on Friday so as the hours wore on, we were getting more and more tired.  I found myself thinking of songs and snippets of lyrics while we were waiting.  I couldn't figure out if I was really, really tired, or if I was just marvelling at the amount of time it took for our baby to come out. 

I have put my "songs" to the pictures and hope you enjoy our story:

"As Time Goes By"  we watched this sign for hours.

"Cats in the Cradle"  A child was born just the other day; he came to the world in the usual way, but there were planes to catch and bills to pay--he learned to walk while I was away....

"Call Me..Don't Be Afraid to Just Call Me..."   Tony teaching Mona how to use her phone.

And also, as we waited.....

"Baby, Baby, Don't Get Hooked On Me...." (Mac Davis)  Is this what was taking so long?

"Dream Baby"  Born Saturday, July 28, at 12:51 a.m.; 7 pounds, 13 ounces, 21 inches long.

"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"   I knew the sun rose in his eyes.  

"Oh My Pa-Pa"...I knew he was so wonderful.  (Eddie Fischer)

"Show Me The Way To Go Home"....I'm tired and I want to go to bed (check out the time on the clock--THAT'S AM!!

"It's My Party And I'll Cry If I Want To..."   Getting his first picture!!

You might also enjoy:

Tony, Mona and Tony...um, Daddy!

"Dad, I have a son...."

"A woman draws her life from man and gives it back again--there is love."

Who needs London when they have Coleton?

Wear the name proudly, son of my son.

Almost Time

As you are all probably aware, Marie is being admitted on Thursday evening, so we are heading to Charlotte on Friday.  We are both so excited to finally see "our" baby....oh, sorry, Tyson, "our" other baby!  It's seems like a long time ago that we got our announcement in the form of a lime at Christmas time (the baby was as big as a lime, so that's how they told us!)  But it's almost time for the Swegle family to grow again.  I am still thinking pink but hey, whatever we get will be a blessing and a joy. 

Things are also progressing on the job front.  Tony and I went to Strickland's Windows yesterday and participated in a video and still shots.  We were the customers!  I was supposed to talk to Fred (the President of Strickland's) after the shoot, but it became apparent that things were running behind schedule and we would have to reschedule.  I did meet some of the staff and really hope I get to work with them.    I am sitting here staring at my phone, waiting for Fred to call today and "take things to the next level," which I am hoping is a job offer.  It's not definite, but it is still a candle in the wind.

So, we are in for many changes in the next week (I hope) and I can't wait to get started on this chapter of our lives.

I know that Tony and Marie will be great parents--just look at how well they have raised Tyson!  Stay tuned to the blog for pictures of "our" baby...oh wow, I can't wait.

The Countdown

Well, we are officially in "Baby Month!!!"   Marie's due date is July 10, but babies have a mind of their own when it comes to wanting to be born, so it could be any day.  We are excited and have started to pack for when we get "the call" and head over to Charlotte. 

I'm glad the baby is due in early July because it's been really hot here.  It was 103 yesterday and 93 when Tony was coming back from chuch (around 10:30 a.m.)  I can't imagine how Jenna did a late August and two October pregnancies. 

I will be so glad to finally know the sex of the baby so I can go shopping again.  And the name...well, I can't wait to find out about that, but Marie did tell me that I can be 100% sure if it's a girl it won't be Maude Marie--go figure.  (Yes, Jenna and Jon, I was "name" obnoxious to Tony and Marie too!!)

We are also counting down the days until we see Jenna, Jon and the kids in September. Oh boy, toy shopping!!

Hey, maybe we should have a date, time and weight contest....like we did for Cornhole.  The closest to the actual event gets to take the baby home for a week and then passes it to the next closest. (OK, insert "obnoxious" groan here!!)

Anyway, we are thrilled to see the family grow again!

Will Tyson figure out he's being replaced as "the baby?"

 HOT...HOT, HOT, HOT......HOT!!!!

Grandpa packing for our Baby Event.

On the Road Again: Part 3 - Savannah

On our way back from Florida, Tony took me to Savannah.  He attended several of his NBAA aviation conferences there and really enjoyed the city.  I did too....it reminded me a lot of Charleston.  We had a good time exploring the sites and getting stuck in a terrible rain storm because one of us didn't want to bring the umbrella...gee, I wonder who that was? 

We took a trolley tour around the city and visited a huge park and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church that was built in 1873.  The stained glass windows were fantastic.    We went to a ton of art galleries--I still think Tony could do much better than most of the artists we saw.

The trip reminded me how much fun we have together.  We laughed, zinged each other and enjoyed the sites.  The trip took away some of the "not working" stress.

Here are the highlights:

This fountain is in the middle of the park in downtown Savannah.  It was also featured in at least 15 paintings that we saw in the galleries.

Daddy Bear stopped to smoke his cigar while I shopped and this strange woman tried to flash him!

This is a statue of Raphael.  There are a number of classic pieces of art around the city.

This is an old restored house.   It was beautiful. 

 St. John's church and windows:

DB and me (with a pole sticking out of my head!)

It was REALLY HOT in Savannah....this guy had the right idea!

On The Road Again - Part 2: The Great Cornhole Tournament

Part two of our trip was spending time with David, Joanna, Tony and Marie...and of course, Tyson and Bernie. This was the first time we met Bernie and we just loved him.  He's an enthusiastic baby wrapped up in a furry, squat body with a permanent scowl on his face.  Plus, he's got the wildest eyes...it looks like he went way overboard on eyeliner and mascara!

The house that David and Joanna rented was really nice.  I think the best part was the pool.   It was very hot in Siesta Key so the cool water was a relief. 

It was a relaxing time, but there was definitely an under current of competition as we all anticipated the long awaited  Swegle Cornhole Competiton.  David is currently the reigning champ, but who would take home the trophy and be named the Swegle Cornhole Champions of all time?  Or, at least until the next competition!

The "kids" were absolutely brutal and dead on with their bean bag tosses.  Tony and I went down in defeat very quickly.  After that, it was brother against brother and the ex softball pitcher (Marie) against the secret weapon (Joanna, who had some great throws!)  

Here's the trip highlights.....and the ultimate Cornhole Champs!

The rental house.

The pool.

Like Father, Like Son!!  Relaxing in the pool.

Daddy Bear checking out an airplane.

Puppy Love!

The Competition Begins......

Score:  Swegle's 1,   Swegle's 0

The younger set steps up....

The Fat Lady sings....I mean, throws! (Not you, Marie!!)

The Ladies score!

It was close, but who won????

Bernie enjoyed the air conditioning while the Cornhole battle outside raged on!

She's small, but mighty!   Joanna was the secret weapon--don't let her tell you she's not good at Cornhole!  But did they win????

Bernie shares a victory brew.....

...and says, "Congratulations to the new Cornhole Champions of the World"...for now!

Like Father, like Other Son!  Tony Jr shares his Cornhole tossing secrets!

On The Road Again - Part 1

Tony and I have been travelling this past week and had a great time.  There were three parts to our journey, so I'm going to devote one blog post per part.  The first one is about our dinner with Joyce.

People who have true connections don't have to see each other everyday to stay connected.  A strong bond with another person transcends time and distance and that's how I feel about Joyce.   When I first  met Joyce, I was the "new Swegle wife."  Joyce had "seniority" and more important to me, she contributed Swegle children, something I could never do.  We were the Alpha and Omega--she was a talented and caring person who provided a loving home to her family and took on challenges around the house that I left for Tony to do.  Intimidated?  Oh yeah.  Joyce fit better into the family than I did.  I didn't cook.  I didn't grocery shop.  I didn't do all of the wonderful things that she did.  I worked outside of the home and that's about it. 

But over time, I got to know Joyce and realized that we had more in common than I thought.  We both have a goofy sense of humor and we both tend to tell it like it is (or in my case, how I see it.)  We both love wonderful Swegle men and we both have terrific and talented children.  Joyce taught  me that I didn't have to change who I was to "fit in," I just had to acknowledge the differences and stay true to myself.  Joyce gave me the power to say, "ouch" if something hurt and not keep it inside.  She became my lifeline and sounding board and most important--my sister-in-law.  Marriage didn't do that, we did, just by talking to each other openly and honestly. Joyce and I developed a closer relationship than I have with my own sisters. 

As you are reading this, I'm sure you can tell that I was thrilled to get together with Joyce.  We had a wonderful evening as evidenced by the pictures I've included.  We talked, we laughed and we were goofy--who can ask for anything more?

My sister-in-law and me!

OK, you wanna talk, "goofy???"   Joyce told me that the best way to hide a double chin in pictures was to do this....not only can you see my "other" chin, you can see my fat arm.  Didn't work, Joyce!

Did I mention that we laughed?!!!

Two of my favorite Swegles!!

It was the end of the evening, but we will do this again.

Busy Weekend

Compass Pointe has started a "happy hour" every other Friday at the pool.  Tony and I went for the first time, this past Friday.   We had fun--met new people and hung out with friends.

On Saturday, we drove to Charlotte to drop off stuff that we had in storage the belonged to Tony Jr.  We had a great lunch and then drove to their house to see the nursery--a work in progress at this point.  We also got to see the newest ultrasound pictures.  I think we have a Tony Jr. double (boy or girl), as we saw alot of his features in the pictures.  Our baby is also very flexible, as we saw a picture where his or her feet were up near his or her head. 

When we were packing the car here at the storage place in Leland, one of Tony's (Jr) shelves had to be partly in the front seat because it was so long.  It effectively cut off our ability to see each other.   All the way home Tony was making wise cracks about this being a good invention for husbands and wives.....I didn't think so!

Today I was motivated to walk--mostly because when I weighed myself this morning, I was up 1.5 pounds from yesterday.  Too much food, too much sitting in the car driving and way too much wine.  I have declared today Wineless Sunday (at least for me) and walked for a half hour this morning when it was cool and breezy.  I felt like the walk was worth it, when our friend, Jim Chinni, drove past me, rolled down his window and said, "Hey, good looking!!!" 

We are gearing up for more travel.  Marie's shower in Charlotte is next week and then the following week, we are driving to Orlando to see our sister-in-law, Joyce.  After that, we are spending some time at the house that David and Joanna rented on the beach in Siesta Keys. 

The job search remains a challenge.  I continue to network and check the job boards everyday.  I know something will come up, but not know when is frustrating.  

In house news, we no longer own 19652 Jamestown Circle--the new owners, the Wagners (I think) took ownership on Friday.   It's kind of sad, but since we have all started new chapters in our lives, this is a good thing.   Tony and I will always remember Ben and Sam rolling a ball down the railing of the steps, hitting Papa in the head or butt and laughing about it.  We will remember all of the prom pictures taken in front of the Azalea bushes and the many Christmas's we had there.   When we come up to see Jenna, Jon and the kids, I'm sure we will drive by and see what the new owners have done to make it their house. 

We heard from Donna today that Shannon may be induced soon.  The baby is due in about two weeks, but it could be better for both Emma and Shannon if she is born earlier.  We're keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes well. 

Loading up the car for the Charlotte trip!

I think Tony called this the noise barrier--ha ha ha...it's Tony Jr's shelf.

Rhoda Chinni and I with my newly "re-blonded" hair!

Tony (who was the best lookging guy there!!) with our friend, Jim Chinni.

He loads...he unloads. 

Our baby's crib!!!

Tony and the first baby--who knows something is going on, but is not sure what!