Zach Dotsey

We used the GPS that my parents gave us for Christmas for the first time today.  We weren’t going far, in fact we were just going to a baby shower for Elliot and Melissa that was being held in a neighborhood not far from us, but it’s easy to get turned around in the neighborhoods between Gordon and Market with all the little winding roads and cul de sacs and whatnot.  In fact, the place we were going is so new it wasn’t on Google Maps, Mapquest or the GPS itself, and the maps on that were updated very recently.

The baby shower was nice and we got to catch up with a number of friends and meet some new people.  One of them, a lady from Raleigh, watched after Milly for us for a while.  We relieved her at one point but she asked if she could hold her again a little later.  Milly spent most of her time with her trying to eat her necklace.  Milly was passed around quite a bit and didn’t ever seem to mind.  She’s very sociable.

There was one girl, I think she was four years old and named Tyler, who was very intrigued by Milly.  We let her hold her a couple times, one of those being on a couch.  They seemed to be back far enough on the couch to not worry too much about them, but Milly leaned forward and Tyler didn’t have hold her tight enough and Milly fell headfirst off the couch.  Luckily I was right there and I caught her by pressing her against the couch with my leg.  She cried a good bit, but it was from being scared.

After we got home and put Milly down for a nap (she hadn’t had one except on the short ride to the baby shower) we watched Duke take on Boston College.  I was a little worried because BC is a middle of the pack ACC team that Duke beat by 20 points earlier in the season, but they’d just had a great game at home against Georgia Tech and Carolina is coming up on Wednesday, so I thought it might be a trap game for them.  Well, they got pretty far ahead but only ended up winning by three.  Despite that, I was happy for the win.  Next up, the Tar Heels.

There was a lot of good basketball on today.  Lots of close games.

I talked to several family members today.  I caught up with Aunt Robbie this morning and Uncle Roy this evening then Mom and Dad.  Dad had gone up to Rochester this weekend because Mom’s back was bothering her and she didn’t think she’d be comfortable riding on a plane.  They went out and about, saw It’s Complicated and it just sounded like they had a nice time together.

Zach Dotsey

Milly turned seven months old today.  She celebrated by having a pretty fussy day.  I don’t know if she was tired or what, but I ended up putting her down just a little bit earlier than usual for her morning nap and when she got cranky this evening she fussed the whole time we put her down for her nap until we decided that there wasn’t enough time for her to fall asleep and be worthwhile before her dinner.  In fact, she was good for a little bit after we got her up, but she was so fussy that we ended up feeding her about ten minutes early.

It’s not like she was bad all day though.  She had some fun and sweet times too.

I met a client we’ve had for a year or so today.  He was having some email trouble and we were having a hard time taking care of it over the phone, so I just went over to help him out.  We have so many clients, even here in Wilmington, that I’ve never actually met, and it’s good to put a face to a name sometimes.

Justin and Lisa Hauenstein came over for dinner tonight.  It’s been since a little after Milly was born since we’ve spent any real time with just then, except for when we were all over at the Boscljons’ a little bit back, and it was really good to catch up with them.  They’re expecting a baby, Ayden Matthew, on May 8, a day before Amanda’s birthday.  That’ll be a great Mother’s Day present for Lisa.

After dinner, and after Milly went to bed, Justin checked out Wii Fit for a few minutes, but we spent more of our time playing Beatles Rock Band.  Amanda sang while Justin and I switched back and forth between guitar and drums.  Lisa, being very pregnant and all, didn’t have the energy.

My Xbox 360 is going green again, which isn’t a good thing in this case.  It means the video card is about to go out again.

Anyway, the Hauensteins left around 9:30 I think and Amanda and I watched an episode of Community before she went to bed.

On a different note, I talked to my friend Jason Revill today.  Their big dog, Maggie, went missing a few days ago.  They don’t know if their neighbor might have something to do with it or if someone just picked her up or if she’s just gone or what.  To boot, Sophie, their little dog, is not doing well.  Jason said they’re thinking they’ll put her down next week.  I remember when they first got her.  Jason said they’ve never not had a dog (I remember Norman and Winston before Sophie and Maggie) and Andy, Jason’s dad, doesn’t think he wants to go through getting another one and losing it again.  I really feel for them.

Zach Dotsey

Didn’t Amanda do a great job of writing a post tonight?  I tried to get her to write while she was pregnant with Milly, but I never could get her to do it.

There’s not much I can add to it, except that I was a little stressed out with work towards the end of the day.  The phone seemed to ring incessantly for the last hour.  I’m planning on putting in a little work tomorrow.

Amanda’s grandpa, Earl Lemons, called me today with a pretty big surprise, which Amanda may or may not have figured out.  (She did.)  It’ll be here Monday.  I felt bad because he wanted to talk to me about it, but it was during the absolute most stressful time of my day.  I’m extremely grateful for what he’s doing, and I hope my stress didn’t keep him from realizing it.

It was really great catching up with the old small group, though I wish Elliot could have been there.  Melissa and Lisa are pregnant, so from what I could tell, a lot of the girls’ conversation centered around that.  Mike, Justin and I mostly talked sports.  How stereotypical is all that?

Everyone seemed to really enjoy holding Milly, and aside from making some screeching noises before she was fed, she was very well behaved.

Zach Dotsey

I went to bed earlyish last night.  I fell asleep on the couch but got up and went upstairs when I let the dogs in from when Amanda let them out to pee.  Getting up and walking around tends to wake me up some, and I didn’t fall immediately back to sleep when I got in bed.

I did go to sleep early though, like I said, and I ended up getting up just a little before 8:00 this morning.  I was planning on getting Milly’s breakfast ready and getting her up at 8:15, but Amanda told me from upstairs at 8:14 that Milly was up and crying.  I fixed the bottle and went upstairs, where Amanda was going into the nursery.  She doesn’t get to get Milly up often in the morning, so she was kind of excited going into the room.

We fed Milly and watched House.  After that Amanda showered and we walked to the store to pick up a few things with Milly in her stroller.  A lady at the store told us that we had a beautiful baby.  When we were in the checkout lane Justin Hauenstein walked up to us.  Justin lives on the south side of town, but he was up this way doing some work for Time Warner.  He said that he said to himself when he walked into the store that he thought he’d see me.  We talked for a few minutes.  He and Lisa are expecting a baby, and Lisa’s had a rough first trimester.  They find out the sex in about a month.

Most of the rest of the day was spent taking care of Milly and cooking.  Well, Amanda cooked.  We were going to Blake and Stephanie Konny’s tonight and she made chocolate chip and toffee cookies and macaroni and cheese to take there.  The house smelled good.

Amanda’s brother, Michael Mercer, and his girlfriend, Jenn Greenawalt, came over at 4:00 to babysit Milly for us.  Amanda gave Michael a crash course in feeding and diaper changing (which Michael was not pleased to learn) and showed Jenn what to do when putting Milly to bed.  After that we headed over to Blake and Stephanie’s.

Blake and Stephanie, as long as we’ve known them, lived in a one-room (well, two if you include the bathroom) garage apartment behind Stephanie’s sister’s family’s house.  They moved into a rental house not too long ago, and this was the first time we got to see it.  Mike (Lars) and Kaitlyn Boscaljon were there when we got there.  We haven’t seen them in quite some time.

We had a good time there.  Chris and Katy Davis were there, and even though Chris had to leave early I talked to him a bit.  I also spent a good bit of time talking to Stephanie’s brother-in-law.  Amanda and I both thought that his and her sister’s younger daughter, Sophia, looked a bit like we imagine Milly will look like in about a year.

Later on we played The Blake Game.  Guys versus girls, as usual, and also as usual, us guys won.

Early on when we were at Blake and Stephanie’s I got a call from Michael.  Milly was screaming in the background and he was wanting some advice on calming her down.  He called again a little later and she was quieter.  Eventually they took her for a walk and she fell asleep, and I think things were fine from then on.

When we got home we looked in on our sleeping daughter then talked to Michael and Jenn for a bit before they borrowed a few DVDs and took off.  A few minutes later Amanda and I heard Milly crying upstairs, and to be honest we were a little glad since it gave us an excuse to interact with her.  We changed her diaper, gave her her sweetmaker and put her back in bed.  She gave us a smile before rolling over on her side and falling right back to sleep.  Amanda pointed out before that she sleeps like me.

The only real regret I have about going out tonight is that Duke played NC State tonight, kickoff being at 4:00.  Duke versus State was the game I went to last year, and the Wolfpack beat the Blue Devils.  They got some revenge tonight though, and how!  The score was 49-28.  I wish I had DVR’ed it.

Zach Dotsey

I worked a little bit today, but I got everything done pretty early so I could spend some time with my family.Mom, my youngest sister Andra Sawyer and her two kids, Jackson and Addison.  They got here last night and stayed with my brother, Adam Dotsey, who also came over eventually, so as not to disturb Milly with a four year old boy running around.  Of course, I offered to have them all stay here.

For a while we just sat around and visited.  I did some work here and there and Jackson and Mom played Little Big Planet for a while.   I was surprised how much fun Mom was having with the game.

Amanda had a dental appointment, so while Milly, Amanda and I went there (Amanda’s not supposed to be driving yet) my family went to do a little shopping and eating then we all met back up at Wrightsville Beach, where I taught everyone to surf.

I took Jackson out first, as it has been my goal for some time to teach him to surf.  At first I carried him and the board out in the water, but after a couple small waves hit us he wanted to go back in.  I caught a couple waves (they were all small and tame) to show him what fun it was, then Adam helped me coax him back out.  Adam carried him then eventually sat him on the board, which was floating next to us.  Then we got him to grip the rails as I pushed him in the waves.  He had a lot of fun until the water got in his eyes, at which point he’d want to “go back to the sand” for a few minutes.  I never did get him to stand up.

Next I pushed my mom on a couple waves and then Andra.  Andra was the only one to actually attempt to stand up (and she accomplished it too, however briefly).  I have now gotten each one of my siblings to surf, plus my mom.  I’ll have to get Dad next time he’s down here and we go to the beach.

Amanda and Milly didn’t come out, as newborns aren’t supposed to go out in the hot sun.  When I went in I left my board out because Mom and Andra were using it as a raft.  If you could see me shake my head in writing, you’d see it right now.

Amanda and I got home in time to meet Justin and Lisa Hauenstein, who brought us a very nice dinner of chicken and salad and such.

Amanda went to bed a little after 8:00 and I watched Kings.  I say this every week and I’m going to say it again- it’s such a travesty that this show has been canceled.

We used formula for the first time today.  We weren’t planning on it, but Amanda just got so sore from feeding that we had to do something.  On the plus side, she’s pumping better now, so we can mix real mama’s milk with formula.  Milly doesn’t seem to mind.

Zach Dotsey

Tonight Amanda and I went to Port City Community Church’s small group connection.  We’ve been to a number of them, so here’s a rundown.

The first one we went to was held in the old church offices on Shipyard.  We started a small group with  two other couples.  One couple never showed up and the other couple came for a few weeks, got married, and never showed up after that.

So we went to the next small group connection, this one also being held at the old church offices.  This one started off what I’d call the Golden Age of any of the small groups we’ve been involved with.  It lead to the formation of a group consisting of me and Amanda, Ben and Jessica Lambeth, Paul and Kim Ayers and Rob Peterson and Kristen Barriner.  There was admittedly a little friction and Paul and Kim eventually stopped coming, but the group was still pretty close.

A while after Paul and Kim left, we decided to see about adding to the three remaining couples so Amanda and I went to another small group connection, this one having been held at Studio 3.  There we ostensibly picked up two or three new couples, but only one ever showed up, and that’s how Elliot Clark and Melissa Nicholson joined our group.  Shortly after that though, Ben and Jessica moved to Winston-Salem.

Our group stayed pretty active though, mostly due to the online service called Group Finder.  People our age are wont to use the internet, and we picked up several couples that way.  We added Adam and Meagan Koch for a few months until they moved to Virginia, then we added Kyle and Lorin Van Zandt until they started their own small group, Brian and Kimberly Willows for about a week or so, Mike and Kaitlyn Boscaljon and then Justin and Lisa Hauenstein.  As I mentioned yesterday, it looks like we’ll be adding another couple via Group Finder- Mike and Sarah Nowak.

From the time we gained Elliot and Melissa up until today we also went to maybe three or four other group connections, but not in search of adding members.  We went to help out with the events, and that’s how we met Blake and Stephanie Konny who, though we were never in a small group together, have shared many a game night with us since.  The small group connections have been different many of the times we’ve been to them, in one capacity or another.  It’s an evolving thing with no real set formula on how to go about them.

So that’s the history of me and Amanda and PC3 small group connections up to tonight.

We went tonight because we recently disbanded the most recent version of our small group (Elliot and Melissa, the Boscaljons and the Hauensteins) because we just weren’t all able to come together consistently for a few different reasons and we wanted to be in an active small group.  We’ve been invited to join other groups, and I think we’d have gotten a lot out of them, but the church is in need to group leaders so we thought it would be best to start a new group instead of joining an existing one.  We just want to get one where we feel close with people who are going through the same or similar things in their lives, people about our age at the same stage in life.  We know how good a small group can be not only from our own experiences, but also from hearing other people talk about their own small groups.

Tonight we formed a group with three other couples, which also leaves room for the Nowaks and the Hauensteins, when Lisa is fully recovered and they’re ready to get back into it.  As we’ve seen in all but one instance, generally not all of the people you get together at the connection end up coming or staying for very long, so we’ll see what happens from this one.

Zach Dotsey

Today was our last Valentine’s Day before having a baby.  We spent it by not doing much of anything.  We took our time getting up.  Amanda snuggled with Bruce (Harvey was in his crate as he always is after eating) and recollected the first time she saw him.  Bruce was a Valentine’s Day present.  We talked about the baby a bit too.  After we got up we showered and went to Cracker Barrel for a late breakfast/brunch.  We used to go out to eat breakfast on the weekends pretty often, but we’ve gotten away from that (which has saved us a lot of money), so we thought it would be a nice thing to do for ourselves today.

The day was a little rainy and a lot dreary so after we picked up a few groceries at Wal-Mart we went home, watched some TV and just relaxed.

Amanda fixed chicken and rice for Justin and Lisa Hauenstein, as today was our day to take them dinner.  We also got them some apple sauce, green beans, and a small box of chocolates, in addition to the cookies we made them.  We got to their house right around 6:00, beating Justin home by just a minute or two.  Their friend, Renee, was helping take care of Lisa today.

After we dropped off their food (and saw their upstairs for the first time) Amanda and I decided to stop by my brother’s new apartment.  Amanda mentioned that I didn’t know where he lives now and I reminded her that I helped him move in.  After we stopped by there, Adam asked how we knew where he lived, and I had to remind him, too, that I had helped him move in.

He’s getting settled in.  There’s a large pile of boxes that he’s been trying to give to some people who said they needed some boxes, but if he doesn’t hear from any of them tomorrow he’s tossing them all out.  He hasn’t completely decided on where he wants to put everything, but it’s coming together.

Tomorrow a girl from work is going to go help him haggle for furniture and then he’s going to pick up some silverware and flatware.  He said he’s just gotten to the point where he realizes that he can buy nice, new things and not have to get things used all the time anymore.  That’s a pretty cool feeling to have.

I say that, but I don’t think Amanda and I have bought any major piece of furniture in our own house yet.  All the tables, couches, beds and dressers have been given to us or made by various family members.

Anyway, we sat around and chatted with Adam for a while then we watched a few online videos that made us laugh.  Amanda and I introduced Adam to Kristen Wiig (that is how it’s spelled, Amanda) and he showed us the gem below.

After Amanda and I got home she watched the end of A Walk to Remember while I played some Age of Empires II (an oldie, I know).  At the end of the movie we had this exchange:

Zach:  Are you crying?

Amanda:  No.

Zach:  Ahh.  Seen it too many times, huh?

Amanda:  No, I cried earlier.

That gave me a nice laugh.

Zach Dotsey
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