The Final Countdown

No, we're not quite that close but I couldn't resist using the Europe song as the title for an entry, mainly because of how funny it is in Arrested Development, one of my all time favorite shows.

We are in the final three week stretch where baby Jackson could decide to make his grand appearance at any time. While we eagerly await his arrival, I thought I would send out a request to our four loyal readers (yes, we did have five but I think one deleted the site from their bookmarks). Kris and I would love to hear nuggets of wisdom from you parents out there. What advice do you have for us as we get ready to go to the hospital or enter the world of parenthood in a broad sense? Or, if you aren't parents yet, feel free to post anything you want here, like lottery numbers, you credit card numbers or anything in that vain. We want to hear from all four of you!

Baby Things

My office threw us a baby shower on Thursday. They are a great bunch and we were overwhelmed by their generosity. I'll post some pictures soon.

We're working in the nursery right now, going through all of the gifts we have received and taking inventory. Everything is just so dang cute. We were supposed to get our new carpet for the nursery today but due to a little snafu, it will have to wait.

And just so you know, important items like bibs are getting a thorough testing before hand. It is all Allie Approved!

My Kind of Town and Other Updates

So I'm back in Dalton after five days in Chicago. If you've never been to Chicago in the spring or summer, then put it on your bucket list. The city is awesome, currently at #1 on my Favorite US Cities list, narrowly beating out Washington, DC; South Boston, VA; Greenwood, SC; and Compton. Chicago has all of the things that New York does, but it is easier to get around, in my opinion, and more picturesque. The museums, the sports, the food...there is so much to see and do there. I was there for work, our biggest show of the year, NeoCon. It was very successful and we won an award, keeping the seven year streak alive. I had some good food, good wine and had some very enjoyable runs along Lake Michigan. Chicago is a very active city.

My two favorite moments:

1. I finally met Jeff Shaara. He gave a lecture on Saturday, discussing his previous work and his writing philosophy. It really inspired me to confront my fear about eventually taking a stab at a book myself. I'm still looking for subject matter so if you have a great idea that I can steal without giving royalties, please email or post your ideas...maybe we could work on something together (cough...Rachel....cough). Anyway, meeting Jeff was great and very meaningful to me. Thanks for being so accessible, Jeff. And if you have not picked up The Steel Wave yet, what are you waiting for? I'm about half way through and think that it is awesome.
2. Rainn Wilson was at NeoCon. He was appearing on behalf of a furniture manufacturer. Crazy, huh? So my coworker Rebecca and I stalked him and were able to snag autographs and meet him. He is very nice and accommodating. It was the highlight of NeoCon for me. I wanted to hear him sing Wild Side but I thought that would be too much to ask for.

While I was in Chicago, our awesome friends in Dalton hosted a baby shower for Kristina and Baby Jackson. Much of our families came into town for it and by all accounts it was a wonderful party. Thank you everyone for your generous gifts and we greatly value your friendship. Special thanks to Tracy, Janet, Lynsey, Alys, Mary Lynn and Ginny for hosting the group. Here are some of the pictures.

Quick Update from the Windy City

Expect a post by the end of the week. I've got several things to update people about, namely the baby shower last week and the going's on in Chicago this week. The Callaway Family blog will have its first celebrity guest so stay tuned! Some of you already know about it because I fired off some picture messages on my phone but the footage here will be even better. I'll post it when I get back home.

I hope all is well and thanks for your comments about the name. We're very excited about it. Thanks to Baggett for suggesting "Seven" as the name. I wanted "Seven" and Kris wanted "Soda" so we compromised with Jackson. Peterman was our second choice, followed by Puddy.

He Who Has Been Named!

The waiting is over! Check your office pools as we're finally announcing the name. If you had Jackson Warren Callaway, you're in the money.

We cannot wait to meet you, Jackson!