Chilly ride

What do people do in South Dakota when the mercury rises to 45 degrees in late February? Go for a bike ride, of course!

Tracy suggested we try out the Chariot bike jogger/trailer he bought me shortly after we learned Baby Koskan was on the way. We didn't have a kiddo to tote around, but that didn't stop us. We grabbed Lucy the Wonderdog and pedaled down to Winter Street (i.e. Main Street) in Keystone, which, come to think of it, is essentially Keystone's only street. And it will probably be the only time Lucy's allowed to run down the town's main drag without a leash. The pooch was in love. I swear I heard the strains of "Born free ..." coming from one of shops.

I can't wait for our little guy to arrive and grow big enough to ride behind Mom or Dad in the Chariot. It's one sweet ride! We returned home just in time to avoid the rain, which eventually turned to snow and sent our mild temperatures packing. Lucy, who ran the entire way, was dog tired and immediately plopped down on our coats. We're anxious for the weather to clear so we can go again.

Who says you need all this stuff?

Baby Koskan now has the green light (almost) to make his grand entrance. We've got the goods. Baby stuff. Burp cloths and onesies with annoying statements like, "If you think I'm cute, you should meet my daddy (seriously, who writes this stuff -- canned Hallmark writers?)" Binkies and blankets. And much to the relief of family and friends, a crib.

With four weeks and counting until D-Day, Tracy and I were making more than a few people nervous by not having a crib. Apparently there are unspoken deadlines for purchasing this stuff. I must have unsuspectingly breezed through the fine print when we drew up the baby contract last summer. Telling people we would just swing by Target and pick up a crib on the way to the hospital didn't go over well.

So world, rest at ease. Baby Koskan will not be wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger upon his homecoming. He'll have a sweet crib to chill in.

Like he would know the difference.

Opening day

Props to Jessie for kicking me in the (maternity) pants to get a blog going. She started a myspace page for me last April. Which I have updated all of four times. Let's hope this new endeavor gets a little more TLC.

I'm visiting Jessie this week to meet the newest member of the Pollard fam: Baby Griffin (which we learned tonight means "strong in faith"). Speaking of baby names, Baby Koskan's arrival is six weeks away, and Tracy and I have yet to settle on, much less sort through, names. Anyone, any ideas? Bueller, anyone?

The cute kid with me is Grif. What a cool kid. The only bummer is that this cool kid will have grown so much by the next time I get to hold him.