Halloween

Today was Halloween, so we wanted Joshua to have some festive clothing. For his clothing during the day, Meghan found a cute little monsters outfit (notice the feet!). For his costume, we were somewhat limited since he's so little, but we found a tiny monkey outfit that fit him. I'm not sure if he's happy or irritated in that picture, but he's adorable either way. Since he's a bit too young to trick or treat, he stayed inside and slept instead. Seems reasonable to me.

Aunt Josie

Today Joanna was able to stop by to see Joshua for the first time.  Joshua's a sleepy guy, so it took awhile to wake him up, but eventually he did.  Joanna brought something very important for Joshua and something that's critical to his well-being: K-State gear.  She brought some really cute K-State onesies, pacifiers, and shirts, including an "If you think I'm cute, you should see my aunt!" shirt.  Joanna is very excited to finally be an aunt, and we're excited to have her as one!

We're Number One!

Tonight was the last game of my fall soccer season.  We won all our games, so tonight we got to play in the championship game.  We ended up winning the game and the championship.  I'm already excited about the league starting again in the spring.

Angry Kitty

Today I took Alex to the vet for his annual checkup and vaccinations. He really hates the vet and always requires both the vet and tech to hold him during the exam. Here he is, looking majorly unhappy.

Windstorm

There have been strong storms across the country over the past couple days.  I was in Milwaukee today, and the storm there had no rain or clouds but instead was purely wind.  But it wasn't just a normal windy day.  I've never experienced wind that strong in my entire life.  At times I couldn't even walk forward, and I saw a woman walking down a sidewalk who then literally get blown sideways across the street by a gust as she barely kept from falling over as she was pushed to her left by the wind.  I later read that there were gusts up to 61 MPH which seems about right based on how it felt.

It's a Wrap

Today I got a wrap because my arms get really tired from holding Joshua all the time. There is kind of a learning curve with how to fold it, but i think we are getting the hang of it. I am not sure if I will not use my hands at all because that makes me very nervous especially before he can move his own head very well, but it's nice to have his weight distributed better and to not put so much pressure on my arms. So far he seems to like it a fair amount too, so that's good.

Some Help

Today Peg came over to help me since it was my first day back working. She spent a lot of time with Joshua and also helped clean and gave the pugs some attention too.

A Big Day

Today was a very busy day since it was our first full day back and Jason is leaving tomorrow so we tried to squeeze in as much as possible. First Ron, Peg, Julie, and Andrew came over to meet Joshua, which was really special for everyone. Then our friend Callie was nice enough to come over to take some photos. We wanted to get some as early as possible since babies are only so small for a short time. Then Christine came over for dinner and to meet Joshua. It was a tiring day, but worth it.

Three Generations

Today we drove back from Dallas and arrived back at our house for the first time with Joshua.  Dad and Deb were in town, so they stopped by to see our newest family member.  In this picture we have three generations of Leach men.

Cloth

Today, since we were in Dallas anyway, I went and met a lady who sells cloth diapers and got some to get started once we get back home. Here I am with Joshua and one of the cloth ones. After we use them for a few weeks we'll be able to know which we like best so we can order a few more so I don't have to do laundry all the time.

Great-Uncle

We're staying in Dallas for a couple days before (hopefully) getting clearance to head back home to KC.  Since we were in Dallas, we were able to meet up with Brent for dinner tonight, and he got to see Joshua for the first time.  Brent recommended El Fenix for a restaurant, which was really good, and we had a really nice dinner with the four of us (one of us mostly slept in his carrier).  Here Brent is holding his great-nephew.

Final Agency Meeting

The woman who runs the adoption agency we used in Houston came by to go over a few more things and have us sign some final paperwork before we leave the state.  Joshua was hungry, so while Meghan listened she fed him.  He's not too good at focusing yet, but here he looks up at me as I take his picture.    

One Week

Today we took Joshua to a pediatrician here in Houston for his one-week checkup.  Everything was great, and he's perfectly healthy. 

The King

Tonight we went to Chuy's Tex-Mex restaurant. This is a chain in Houston and each one has an Elvis shrine. Here I am with Elvis.

Back with Our Little Guy

Today I came back from Orlando and was greeted by Jason and Joshua at the airport. It was nice to be back with them. Here I am with Joshua at the airport.

Here's to the Bride

Today Michelle and Sam were married in a beautiful ceremony. Here we are before the wedding toasting.

Off to Orlando

Meghan is flying to Orlando for Michelle's wedding, so today I took her to the airport.  Here she is with her garment bag before she heads off into the terminal.

Amped

As we began our overnight roadtrip, I knew I was going to need caffeine throughout the night, so I had a lot of Diet Mountain Dew as we drove.  By morning, I was still doing okay, but I thought I needed to kick it up a notch, so I went with am Amp energy drink, which definitely helped.

Parents and Petsitters

Mom and Ron are watching our dogs and cat for us while we go on our trip.  To save us time, they were nice enough to come by and pick up the pets and take them to their house.  Here they pose with our little guys on the way out the door. 

No More Reds in October

I've gotten to go to baseball games in a lot of different ballparks this year, from Camden Yards, to Target Field, to U.S. Cellular Field, to Kauffman Stadium.  I was in Cincinnati today, and (thanks to the Phillies) the Reds' season is over, so I couldn't attend a game.  But I was downtown for a bit and saw their stadium.  So I can't add this to my list of parks in which I've seen a game, but it was still cool to see it.

Memphis BBQ

Today I had a layover in Memphis on my way to Cincinnati.  Although of course I can get excellent barbecue in Kansas City, I don't get to have it very often, as Meghan doesn't really like it all that much.  So although this wasn't Kansas City barbecue, and although it was sold from an airport restaurant, it will still good, but mostly because it's hard for barbecue to be bad.

Take Your Pug to Work Day

Tonight I had to go in to my office to get some work done.  Since it's a Sunday, no one else was there, so I decided to bring Terrence with me.  He was pretty excited to get to go to a new place, but after awhile he settled down and slept on his dog bed while I worked.

Rehab

Today was an injury recovery day.  I spent a lot of time keeping ice on it to help the healing.  I couldn't walk well enough to mow the yard or go to the wedding we were supposed to attend, so I was able to use that time to relax and heal, which was good.

Going on the DL

I didn't have quite enough time to stretch before tonight's soccer game, and as a result, I got injured during the game.  Early in the game, I reached out to kick a ball to my left and I immediately felt pain, as I had pulled my groin.  It hurts pretty bad, so tonight I'm spending the evening with an coldpack trying to control the swelling and start the healing process.

Good Riddance, Nebraska

Tonight K-State played Nebraska in football.  Although ranked #7, Nebraska has had some questionable games, so I thought we had a chance to beat them.  Turns out that wasn't true.  It wasn't even close.  I took this picture of myself which I thought fairly accurately summed up my mood at the time.

Central to Eastern to Central to Mountain to Central

Today I went to Madison again. There are no direct flights from KC, so I have to have a layover when flying there or back.  On my way there, I went through Detroit, which is in the Eastern time zone.  On the way back, I went through Denver, which is in the Mountain time zone.  So I was in four airports and three time zones today, just to go to a short customer meeting.  Here I am in Denver after the third of my four flights for the day. 

And no one even brought donuts or bagels

Today I had a local demo here in Kansas City.  For some reason they thought it would be a good idea to start it at 8am.  So I got up bright and early and demoed and presented to them.  I was done and home by 10am.  I still had plenty to do for the rest of the day, but it was nice to have the big event for the day done so early.

Birthday Dinner

Tonight Ron and Peg took us out to Hereford House for our birthday dinner. It was a fun night and the dinner was delicious. It was a nice way to finish up celebrating.

Fall is Falling

This morning we went to early service at church and it was 42 degrees when we left the house. We have been enjoying some nice fall weather lately, but today was the first day we had to wear long sleeves and sweaters and some of the trees are starting to change colors.

Stix

Tonight Meghan and I met up with Christine for dinner at Stix at The Legends.  Meghan isn't a fan of food being thrown at her, so we skipped the hibachi experience this time and just went for the normal in-your-own booth dinner experience.  The sushi and crab wontons were quite good, though the entrees seemed to be mediocre.  Maybe next time we'll opt for catching our food as it's being tossed at our faces.

A Free Friday

Today we were able to relax at home because there was no soccer this week and we didn't have plans. It was really nice and we had Mexican food and margaritas. If a recipe calls for grating, I have Jason do it for me whenever possible because that is something that goes faster the more arm-strength you have. Last night he grated the potatoes for our tacos.