So, it has been a long summer without hockey. A couple of weeks ago I order our 12 game pack for the Kings and we’ll probably pick up another 8 or so games. We already have the Luuuuuuc retirement game so we are at 13. What is interesting in looking at the schedule is that there are only 5 games that weren’t on the schedule last year, Philly, NYI, NYR, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh. Our package has opening night and the Penguins game. So, I’m happy. Let someone else have the other games.

We are thinking of travelling to Anaheim for the opening of the season on October 6th for a Duck Roast. The Kings fans have a somewhat bad rep with the Ducks fans when we go down there. I think its because Ducks fans are not too rabid during the regular season. In fact, during the playoff runs recently the fans seem to be quiet until the second or third round. I frankly hate the Ducks but it has to do with the Disney connection. Their very first home game was when I started hating them when the trotted out Disney on Ice to perform. Blech! I want more hockey, less other crap including Kingston and Wild Wing.

Ok, so the bad news is that Annette has miscarried. 🙁 The good news is that we are probably better prepared to have a child. Annette went to the hospital multiple times. It seemed for a two week period we were always at the hospital. Life is back into a routine. Annette is on a pump to help with controlling her diabetes, she’s’ eating better, and we are exercising more.

Ok, so you must wonder, why didn’t I post about the baby for over a week? Well, the roller coaster began on last Thursday. Annette was starting to feel morning sickness and was throwing up. This was after she had visited her primary care physcian. Her primary care physician had told her to stop using all of her meds, including her long lasting insulin. In addition, Annette was drinking a number of Diet Cokes a day. So, at the beginning of all of this, she was probably dehydrated. To make a long story short, we ended up going to the emergency room on Sunday night and Monday afternoon.

It ended up she was dehyrdated from puking so much and need to be refilled. Fortunately, this isn’t the Olympics and she doesn’t have to undergo a doping testing at the end. This means that help from the medical community is acceptable and is actually prefered.

Sunday night was the interesting visit to the ER for me. After her blood was done and her ultrasound finished, we had to wait around for the test results. So, to pass the time, I started to watch a documentary on Gibson’s 1988 World Series homerun. The documentary ran 1 hour but hey, I had time. God knows how they stretched it out to 60 minutes but they did. So I sit through 55 minutes of commericals and drawn out commentary. The count is 2-2 on Gibson and the doctor walks in. WTF? So, I listen to the doctor who tells us to go home.

So far, I think Annette has started crying or cried more times in the last 36 hours since finding out she was pregnant than in the previous six months. It is rather overwhelming, everything from morning sickness to figuring out which doctors need to be contacted to figuring out how to make the house baby ready. I think I just want to put the baby into a giant round ball, sort of like a hamster ball. That way, she can roll and crawl anywhere without worries.

Annette said she was surprised that she got in the family way so easily. I think it is because I have sperm that look like the little guy on the side. Of course, I’m not sure how he got so muscular when I’m not.

One of the fun things we’ve done even before we knew that Annette was pregnant was figure out what names we won’t name our baby. Here’s a few:

Morris
Irwin
Louis
Mabel
Effie-May
Olive
Louisa

This is almost every parent and grandparent name on my side of the family. Oh, well, I still have Gordon and Irene.

8/3/06

Yesterday Annette called me up and told me she was, in a rather excited voice, pregnant.

“Whoa, slow down, what makes you say that?” I ask. “I just did two pregnancy tests and both came out positive,” I’m informed.

I’m not sure how this happened. What a minute. I know how this happened but given that I’m 43 and Annette is somewhat over 35, it shouldn’t have been this easy. We were suppose to have to go through infertility counseling or adopt. Of course, I’ve always wondered why it is called fertility counseling. Do they teach you techniques that help get pregnant easier? Ok, I’m wandering here a bit. Stay focused.

After a brief conversation we decide to have Annette go get tested today to see if she is pregnant since it was already nearly 5pm yesterday. Third time is a charm. She’s pregnant. No, we’re not pregnant. I hate when people say that. I’m not pregnant although some smart ass who knows me would say that I look it. So, the question is what will our kid look like?

I hope she gets her head size from one of her distant Aunts. Yes, I said she. Just have a feeling although if she is a boy that will be ok, too. Maybe this because she was expected on March 29th, the day after my grandma’s birthday. She’ll probably be early since Annette is diabetic and I guess babies from diabetic mom’s come early.

An interesting aside is this. Last night we were over at our neighbor’s house, Liz and Terry. After Nick, her son, was a pain she commented to us: “Don’t have kids!” I wonder what she’ll think now.

One last thing. Is it just Annette or does every woman excited show the pregnancy test to their husband? Honestly, the last thing I really want to look at is something that has been peed on. I have three cats and a dog to fulfill that need. Even stranger, I suggested we keep the test for the scrap book. I’m not sure how the conversation will go on that. “Look everyone. Here’s the pregnancy test that Annette peed on to determine if she was preggers with little Tina.”

This is rather rambling and will be held until we tell everyone. I’m going to keep blogging until the baby is born.

I’ve found the time to put Tioga, our tortie cat, onto Catster. I’m sure within days she will have more friends online than me. I guess my cats are more compelling than me.

In other news…..Annette didn’t get the Stray Cat Alliance position. Is it because she didn’t have all of our animals on Catster and Dogster? Could be. It is probably more likely that they hired a volunteer from the organization.

Just a quick note before I leave work……

I think the heat of the last few days and my lack of a/c at home have taught me that being cool is the best thing for sleep. I’ve struggled the last two weeks without a/c and finally installed one last night after my wife stopped at home depot and picked one up. Last night was a frosty, lovely slumber.

Ok, I created a profile for my wife’s cat Shaney on catster. So far, he has more hits than my myspace profile. I am depressed.

Interesting how active the catster people are in comparison.

Big changes are taking place for the Kings. Trades, UFA signs, and qualifying offers. Cloutier from Vancouver to be the #1 goalie, Blake for defense again, O’Sullivan in the Demitra trade, Thorton and McCauley. I think the Kings are become the Los Angeles Sharnucks with all the former Canucks and Sharks on the roster and behind the bench. If they win, who cares?

Demitra is gone after one season. I like his style of play but he seemed a bit too fragile. I couldn’t picture Demitra leading the Kings to the Stanley Cup. So, the Kings got a kid named O’Sullivan back, who was the AHL rookie of the year. Supposedly he is NHL ready. We’ll see in September how he does. So far, it is wait and see with the Kings.