The Townsends

Christmas Update

2012-01-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

So Christmas has come and gone as has the new year. We did get a trip in to see Santa of course. Spencer was actually willing to sit next to the man in red and told him he wanted "lots of stuff" for Christmas and that Paisley wanted "baby girl toys."

Such a big improvement from a year ago.

We spent Christmas in Kentucky. The kids were great on the flight as and soon as our Crown Victoria rental got us to London we had plenty of helpers willing to take them off our hands. Thank you so much to Johnny and Paula for being such wonderful hosts. Thank you also to everyone for the gifts.

Look Ma! No oxygen.

Uncle Don was Spencer's hero as we got to go to the fire station and see the fire trucks.

Getting this picture took a lot longer than it should have.

As I mentioned Paisley is off her oxygen. We are so thankful to be done with it and have a child that doesn't have a tube connected to her. She just had her two month check up today: 8 lbs 9 oz (30th percentile) & 21.5" long (66th percentile).

Paisley Update

2011-11-30T20:37:00.001-07:00

Paisley is just over a month old now. She went to the doctor and we have some updated stats: 6.1 lbs (23rd percentile) & 19 3/8 inches long (73rd percentile). We have a string bean! Hard to believe, but one month in and she is still about 5 ounces less than Spencer weighed when he was born.

Our only picture of her without her accessories.

Spencer loves his baby sister.

All dressed up with nowhere to go.

As you can see, she is still on oxygen. We had an overnight test, but that didn't go too well. We will have another one the week before Christmas. The doctor thinks we will be ok in Kentucky without oxygen so we won't have to travel with it which is a relief.

Halloween & a Household of 4

2011-11-05T20:47:00.000-06:00

Halloween has come and gone. Chrystal took Spencer out with the Roschs and Hecks while I went to the hospital to feed Paisley. After I was done I raced home to hand out candy for the last few trick or treaters that were still out.

Blue from Blue's Clues is enjoying his bounty.

We have good news! Paisley is finally home with us. She was released on Friday and I forgot how little sleep is to be had a night. She is on oxygen, but it is the lowest setting possible so we expect her to be off the oxygen when we see the doctor on Monday.

Paisley enjoying a nap on mommy.

Spence is so excited to have his baby sister home!

She is so handsy. Here are some Jazz Hands.

It is a huge relief to be home. While so many of the nurses who helped both Chrystal and Paisley were truly wonderful people, it is just nice to be settled and getting into our routines.

We Are So Sorry

2011-10-27T20:39:00.000-06:00

It has been 9 months and that is unacceptable. A lot of things happened in those 9 months. We did all the fun summer stuff. Went to Omaha to see friends, went to the Renaissance Festival, and spent a lot time at parks. I guess the biggest thing we did over the past 9 months was grow the family from 3 to 4. Crawford Paisley Townsend was born Tuesday October 25th at 4:27pm. She was 5 lbs 5 oz and 17 inches long. She decided to come see us about a month ahead of time because Chrystal was having some high blood pressure issues.

We went from the OR to the NICU. Here she is with her CPAP on.

Big brother Spencer got to see her and he is soooo excited!

This one is a keeper. The kid who hates pictures agreed to play nice.

Day 2 brought the removal of the CPAP. She is ahead of schedule.

Here is Mom getting to finally hold our little Paisley.

We did have her first bottle feeding today. That was a huge step the doctor's weren't expecting so quickly. She is doing well and we are hoping she gets to come home by Wednesday of next week.

A Quick Recap

2011-01-28T19:10:00.003-07:00

As most of these posts start, it's been a while. We finally got Chrystal a new camera and just took the time today to upload all the pictures. A lot has happened since we last posted...

Spencer got a big boy bed! It's actually bunk beds.

We have hung out with our friends...

This was the only picture he let us get with Santa. He wanted nothing to do with the man in red this year.

His big present from Santa this year was a work bench. There are nonstop home improvement projects being worked on throughout the house now.

Tools were really the Christmas present theme this year. Safety first!

Mike, Laura, and Landon came out to visit in January. We went to see the dinosaur museum in Woodland Park and stopped for Mexican food.

We rented a minivan so we could all ride together. The boys loved being able to watch Cars on the ride.

There was a 2nd birthday party as well. Friends and family came over for some cupcake cake. The official stats are 36 inches tall (92nd percentile) and 29.6 lbs (67th percentile).

Poppa came to town for Spencer's birthday. Chrystal and I took the day off to celebrate and let the little man give ice skating a shot. He didn't want to leave ice.

A Kentucky Wedding!

2010-08-11T21:23:00.002-06:00

So there have been a lot of changes in the Townsend household. We got a new computer as our old one took a dump. We are now members of the Mac world. We got rid of our paint stained carpet, painted the dining room, and put in hardwood. No pictures of that stuff as we just got back from London where we went to Katie and Ben's wedding.

Chrystal dressed both Spencer and I.

Once the music started the tie came off and he hit the dance floor!

A true ladies man in the making.

He needed a little cool down time before bed.

On Sunday we headed up to Louisville to spend some time with Poppa and take in the scenes. When I say we I mean Chrystal, Spencer, Alex, Daren, and I.

This is a fountain outside of our hotel, The Galt House.

After the fountain time we met up with Poppa for dinner at O'Charley's.

We finally stopped in at the Louisville Slugger Factory/Museum where Spence got in some BP.

I wasn't going to not get my hacks in to. We are watching Daren embarrass himself.

As you can see it was an exhausting trip.

We had a great time. It was great to see everyone. Congrats to Robbie and Dana who are getting married on 10-10-10. We plan to come out for the November reception. With the new computer we plan to put more posts and pictures up.

15 Month Checkup

2010-05-22T10:27:00.002-06:00

So needless to say, April was a busy month. Fertilizer season finally hit for me so that meant long days and the economy is rebounding so Chrystal has been buying and selling people as well. We had Easter come and go, a trip from Mimi, and a doctor's visit since the last update.

This is the only non-blurry Easter picture. I know what you are thinking...that is a nice tile floor.

Spencer has taken to two things recently, a love for Fruit Loops and his Mickey chair.

Mimi came out for a week in late April. She watched the little man while Chrystal and I were at work. She was able to take advantage of Auntie Alex being a flight attendant and hop a free flight!

MMMMM Lunch!

With a set of golf clubs here and at Nana's I expect him to be course ready in no time.

The doctor's visit was just this past Monday. Here are the stats: 24 lbs 8 oz (52nd percentile), 32 1/2 inches tall (88th percentile) and head size 18 1/2 inches (45th percentile). That's all for now. I will try to make this a more regular thing now that work is slowing back down.

A Post For March

2010-03-31T20:07:00.003-06:00

There have been a few changes, but really its been a lot of hanging out and having fun. Auntie Alex got a job as a flight attendant and moved to Denver. We get to see her every couple of weekends as she escapes down here to hang out. We also have a new day care provider as ours left the in-home world. Spencer has really taken to Ms. Stephanie's and is doing really well.

Spencer got a bubble machine from Great Aunt Trixie and Great Uncle Bobby!

Notice Alex trying to hide from the camera.

We now have a play place in the back yard thanks to Great Grandma Liz and Great Grandpa Johnny!

The weather was nice enough to get out a couple of times.

The park down the street provides a bigger slide Spencer loves.

Lots more of these type of pictures to come this Summer.

The books Spencer got for his birthday are coming in handy.

There isn't a whole lot going on. I am in the midst of busy season in the fertilizer world and Chrystal is seeing a big spike at work with the economy crawling back. Easter is coming up so I am sure there will be another post sooner rather than later!

1 Year Stats

2010-02-17T19:35:00.002-07:00

Since we had so much "fun" with Spencer's pneumonia we missed his one year check up. We were able to get it in on Monday. He is 22 lbs 6 oz (45th percentile), 31 inches tall (86th percentile) and has a 18 1/4 inch head (51st percentile). I was really excited until my mom dug up my 1 year stats: 22 lbs 9 oz and 30 1/2 inches. There goes Chrystal's dream of a UK basketball star. The doctors are really happy with his progress and development. We couldn't put a post up with out some pictures and today was bath day so...

The kid is a fish and would live in the tub if we let him.

He is growing up so fast.

A cleverly placed toy prevents this from haunting him in 15 years.

A very big step happened today as well. Spencer had the remote in his hand and changed the channel to Pursuit, our hunting channel. It was a magical moment and I had to wipe a tear away from my eye. Only 9 more years until his hunter safety class!

What A Birthday!

2010-01-30T16:36:00.003-07:00

I know I know... it has been 6 days since the party and 4 days since the actual birthday and I am just now getting around to posting. It has been an adventurous week as some of you already know and the rest of you will learn from below.

We invited friends and family over for some burgers, dogs, and Handy Manny cupcakes on Sunday. While the Denver crew thought they were winning longest commute, Mimi and her 3 sisters made the trip from Kentucky for Spencer's big day. Spencer had come home from daycare with a cold on Friday night so we gave warnings to those with children, but the party had to go on!

Friends and family enjoying my grilling prowess.

Please notice my son doesn't look to be in the best of spirits. Remember this for later.

MMMMM cupcakes!!!!!

The party was a good time and thank you to everyone who made the trip down and spoiled the snot out of the little man. Even with all the toys he got, he still plays with string, remote controls, and phones most often.

With Ethel (Mimi), Gerri, Judy, and Wilma in town we wanted to make a trip to Garden of the Gods to share our everyday scenery with some out of towners.

You can't go to the visitor's center and not take a picture with the buffalo!

As mentioned earlier Spencer came home Friday with a cold. On Sunday he started a low grade fever. Come Monday morning his fever was spiking. We were able to get an appointment with the doctor to get checked and hopefully some antibiotics. What happened next is what made his birthday truly unforgettable.

That's right folks...daddy is in a hospital bed with his son who was suffering from pneumonia.

At the doctor's office we took chest x-rays and got an immediate booking into Penrose St. Francis, the same hospital Spencer was born in 11 months and 30 days prior.

The sickness couldn't hold him down.

1:51 am January 26th, 2010...exactly 1 year old!

We spent Monday night and hoped to be discharged Tuesday for his birthday, but that wasn't the case. My mom brought Mimi and the Great Aunts by to see him on his birthday before they had to catch their flight out. That night Nana, Mr. Townsend, and Auntie Kristen came by with some Baskin Robbins and balloons for a small hospital celebration.

Mommy spent her fair share of time in the crib with the birthday boy.

Come Wednesday we were discharged, but had to go home on oxygen. Chrystal has taken the past two days off to stay at home with Spence while he has been on a concentrator. I am taking off Monday to take him to the doctor and hopefully get the ok to stop oxygen and return to normal life.

Spence was a true champ through all of this. He has been a strong little bugger and really fought through this. Nothing like a little scare sometime during the first year of life! Thank You to everyone who has helped us and sent their prayers through this tough time. We can honestly say it will be a birthday Chrystal and I will never forget!

Quickie

2010-01-14T20:04:00.001-07:00

Ethel worked her magic and got a link to the Christmas broadcast by channel 11 news in Louisville staring guess who...

http://www.whas11.com/video?id=80926132&sec=553687

We'll be back in 10 days or so after the little man's b-day.

A Kentucky Christmas

2010-01-03T08:05:00.005-07:00

For years Chrystal has talked about how great a Kentucky Christmas is. This year Spencer and I got to experience it. We got into Louisville on the 23rd and were greeted by the channel 11 news team. They interviewed me and caught the moment when Alex and Mimi came running up to meet us (Alex had White Castle in hand for me!). Our Christmas and Food Tour had begun!

That night we ate at O'Charley's, a must for any Kentucky trip as the baked potato soup is amazing. It was a very low key evening spent watching movies and relaxing after the long day of traveling.

Christmas eve day rolled around and we started it off with a White Castle brunch! We then headed from Corydon, IN down to Louisville to spend the afternoon with Poppa. We were treated to a ham dinner and of course presents.

Poppa and Spencer. Spencer loved the dog naturally and also the trains. We may be investing in one to go around the Christmas tree for future Christmases.

We headed back to Corydon and spent the night at Mimi's while watching multiple loops of A Christmas Story.

Christmas morning started around 8:00am (having a little one not adjusted to the eastern time zone was a blessing!). We opened presents and got cleaned up (well some of us did) to head down to London, KY for the Crawford Family Christmas Party.

The Santa pjs still fit!

We zipped down to London in a speedy 3 hours to arrive on-time. I know I know. I was able to get 3 women and a baby to a family function on time. Please hold the applause until the end.

Family picture with the Coca-Cola Santa.

The Crawford Clan from left top to right bottom: Wilma, Judy, Ethel, Geri, Bobby, Jay, and Johnny.

The Crawford Kids from top left to bottom right: David, Nicholas, Carla, Alex, Katie, and Chrystal.

The Crawford Grandkids from left to right: Damon, Carlin, Cortland, and Spencer.

After the amazing food spread (there were left overs for weeks) and the family pictures, the presents began. The wrapping paper flew as 29 family members opened presents.

There was no doubt who this present was for.

We stayed the night in London at the Hotel d' Johnny and Paula who have hosted us every trip down there. We spent the evening eating more food, including the traditional Papa John's Christmas Pizza thanks to a craving from Alex and playing games.

Spencer cruised around in Johnny's classic Chevy.

On the 26th, we cleaned up and headed up to Lexington, KY to see Robbie, Dana, and Hayden. On the way we stopped by the mall to load up on UK gear and of course Gold Star Chili. Hayden is about 5 months older than Spencer and the two of them got a long great while Robbie and I told Chrystal stories, including one from earlier that day involving the Great American Cookie Factory.

I promise this wasn't set up. It just happened and we got it on camera.

After spending the afternoon with Robbie, Dana, and Hayden we packed up and headed back up to Corydon. We made a call and met Mimi and Alex at our final Food Tour stop, Frisch's Big Boy. Chrystal believes their ranch is the best in the world and no trip to Kentucky is complete with out it.

Mimi, you have to watch his sneakiness. He is never out of reach of the Christmas tree.

After another low key evening we got up, packed and headed to Louisville to catch our flight. Chrystal had hyped the Kentucky Christmas up a lot before the trip and it lived up to every bit of it. A huge thank you to everyone for the hospitality, great food, and presents. We all had a blast and look forward to making it out for another one.

A trip to Omaha and an early Christmas

2009-12-20T13:15:00.003-07:00

Our trip to Omaha got delayed a week due to an unavoidable work conflict, but we were able to make it out to see the newest member of the Troy family. Spencer and Landon hit it off.

Homies

Mommy suggests Spencer wants a little brother...

Landon's personal body guard.

We had a bit of a cold stretch here leaving him to barely fit in his car seat all bundled up.

With our upcoming trip to Kentucky, we went ahead had Christmas this morning. Spencer has fallen in love with his inflatable Nemo ball pit. We can't get him out of it.

He finally got the unwrapping part down.

We had to give him some presents in the ball pit so he would open them.

Snow White from Great Grandpa Johnny and Great Grandma Liz!

Building and learning blocks from Nanny and Pappaw.

I have a feeling we will be finding plastic balls all over the house.

Thank you Nanny and Pappaw and Great Grandpa Johnny and Great Grandma Liz for the presents. We have Christmas with Nana and Mr. Townsend this afternoon. We are off to Kentucky early Wednesday morning. More Christmas posts to come!

A lot to catch up on...

2009-11-30T20:40:00.004-07:00

Not too terribly long ago we had a good snow that stuck around for a bit. We took the opportunity to bundle Spence up in his snowsuit and let him have it. There wasn't a lot of mobility but he enjoyed playing for a few minutes.

Sort of a snow angel

OK I think I have had enough of this!

We have been introducing the little man to all kinds of new foods. We have found only one he isn't a fan of, green beans. He tries each one, makes a funny face, and then puts it down. Fruit on the other hand is his favorite.

MMMMM bananas

Now that crawling is too easy, Spence has taken to the stairs. Chrystal and I learned very quickly not to turn our backs on him as he can really motor up the stairs.

Busted!

We went over to my parent's house for Thanksgiving. It was a packed house with my siblings, Christina and her two daughters, a friend of Kristen's, and a coworker of my dad and his son. Christina bought Spencer an outfit and demanded he wear it for everyone. She has good taste.

Ladies man

The kid is clearly about to fall into a food coma.

Helping with the Christmas decorations

We are headed to Omaha to meet Spencer's best friend Landon Troy this weekend. We are also attending the yearly Christmas party and celebrating a 30th birthday. We will squeeze in some time with Chrystal's family out there as well to make it a well rounded, busy weekend. Pictures will follow.

Haircuts and Halloween

2009-11-01T10:06:00.003-07:00

Chrystal set up our family picture shoot for the Christmas cards this year so that meant we needed to cut this kid's mane. We went to Kiddie Kutters, a place my mom use to take us, for the big day.

The Before

The During

The After

We also had our first family Halloween. Spencer is seen here in his lion costume which was complemented by Chrystal's witch costume and my wardrobe costume. There are pictures of the three of us floating around on Erin's blog, we just forgot to get one on our camera. The rocking horse Spencer is on was hand painted by Great Grandpa Johnny. My mom found it and shipped it to him to have his touch added to it. Spencer loves it. Thank you for the gift.

He really loves it when grandpa makes the horsey sound.

This is Spencer's new KY sweatshirt courtesy of Mimi. He can now match mom and dad. Thanks Mimi!

9 Months Old!

2009-10-27T20:23:00.005-06:00

So it has been a little bit since we last posted. It's been busy as I had hunting camp and have been spending Saturday's helping Joe with youth football. Chrystal has been working her tail off and training a new person at work. So to catch everyone up...Spencer is 9 months old! His doctor's appointment was this morning. He is 19 lbs 8 oz (52nd percentile), 28.75 inches tall (80th percentile), with a 17.75 inch head (54th precentile). The kid is growing like a weed and is lightning quick!

All dressed up like daddy before hunting camp.

Did we mention he has his two bottom teeth?

MMMM rocks!

Enjoying a nice fall day outside.

His newest hobby is walking around anything he can balance on.

Other big news this past month:

Welcome to Landon Michael Troy! Mike and Laura became mommy and daddy today at 4:09 pm today. Landon is 8 lbs 9 oz and 21 inches long. Mom and baby are both doing well. We are sooooooo happy for you all.

I turned 28 this month. 30 is creeping up on me, but Chrystal is closer than I am thank goodness.

Hunting camp was fun, but too short. No animals this year, but good times were had by all 4 of us (3 Townsends and a Steen).

We will have more updates this week and Spencer is getting his first hair cut and has his Halloween costume ready to go. See you all again soon.

Bath Times Are More Fun

2009-09-23T19:06:00.008-06:00

It has been a while I know. As we near 8 months, I know 8 months, Spencer has realized he loves bath time. He can't get enough of the splashing and squirting toys.

Look at that toothless grin!

He loves to lay back and kick his feet.

Love that post bath hair do!

As you can see there is a nice skidmark on his nose. Our little man has become quite the daredevil and isn't afraid to take things on head on, literally. He is faster than we could imagine and gets into anything he can get his hands on. We are also to the pull up stage. Anything that will support his weight becomes something to help him stand...this includes poor Winnie.

Cheesing it up.

A face of innocence.

Not a lot of news. We have purchased the plane tickets for Christmas in Kentucky this year. We are there the 23rd - 27th. Not as long as we would like, but we are really excited to take the little man back to meet the family. We have gotten our first snowfalls the past couple of days. It seems crazy this happened in September! I am getting excited as hunting season is only a couple of weeks away. I won't be up as long as I like thanks to the new job, but fun will be had. We hope all is well with everyone and will be back to post more soon.

We've got a crawler!!!!

2009-09-08T20:03:00.006-06:00

The time we have been awaiting and at the same time dreading is upon us. The kid is mobile. We have baby proofed the place as he likes to get into anything he can shimmy over to. It has been a bit and we have had some fun things happen.

A couple of weekends ago we all went to Jisun's house for an end of summer party. It involved games, food (lots of food), beverages, and not a lot of sleep. The Roschs, Hecks, Brauns (yes Sarah you are included in that), and Townsends all crashed Jisun's house.

Spencer and I enjoying some shade from the scorching sun. Hottest weekend of the summer.

This was Sarah's game. It involved walking, water, balancing, and hand eye coordination. Some the group lacked some of these skills.

This is pretty much photo evidence of Murph being assaulted by Joe, but she had it coming to her. No one left the yard without being water ballooned.

The morning after the morning after. Spencer was the best looking of the bunch enjoying his Baby Mum Mum. A great invention, the dissolving cracker.

We did take advantage of the long weekend and got a trip to the zoo in. Spencer was very good with the animals being a healthy distance away.

As you can see when the petting zoo was an option he didn't seem to enjoy it as much.

Mimi's Jeep as been a huge hit with him lately. He loves standing up and honking the horn.

In other news, I started a new job recently. A company hunted me down and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Other than that Spencer has passed the 7 month mark. Month #8 will be right around the corner. Talk to you all later.

A baby shower and a reunion?!

2009-08-19T19:36:00.004-06:00

Its been a busy couple of weeks and I have been slacking off. To start Chrystal and Spencer headed out east to Omaha for Laura's baby shower and to see the Hopkins clan. I couldn't make the trip as Pioneer decided they wanted me to stay on for my last couple of days with them instead of giving me a long weekend before starting my new job.

Spencer and Great Grandpa.

Oh the excitement of opening presents!

Chrystal being the sly devil she is secretly arranged for Clark to make the party.

You 3 have come a long way from ERAC!

The word reunion was in the title because I am an old man and just had my 10 year reunion. It was fun to see those who could make it. It was a two day affair with a happy hour on Saturday night and a family day at a park on Sunday.

Everyone who could make it.

It was a rare chance to catch up with the Heck's and we couldn't miss that!

Spencer was a hit at the picnic. His good looks continue to curse him.

The kid loves the swings. We may have to invest in one under the porch.

All in all the past couple of weeks have been fun. We are looking forward to the 1st Annual Summer Games at Jisun's this weekend. It has been a while since we have seen her since she was too cool to come to the reunion...or something like that. More pictures next week!

6 months in...

2009-07-28T20:24:00.003-06:00

Wow hard to believe its been 6 months already. We spent Saturday evening at the Giants game up in Denver with Josh and Shawna. I was able to get some club level tickets from work so we were high class for the evening. It rained and we were able to escape to the suite area. The Giants were generous and graciously lost to their host 8-2.

We certainly looked good in our Giants gear.

Getting pictures early in the game was crucial as the rain rolled in early.

With the big 6 month mark came another trip to the doctor. The latest stats are 17 lbs 3 oz landing him in the 67th percentile, 27 1/8 inches long putting him in the 88th percentile, and a 17 1/8 inch head finishing in the 58th percentile. We are excited as hopefully he will get the Townsend height that eluded my dad and I. Other than that the doctor is happy with his motor skill development. All in all a good trip.

Our Camping Adventure

2009-07-05T10:28:00.010-06:00

Happy belated 4th of July to every and happy belated birthday to Poppa who shares his day with the country's. We packed up and headed up to Deep Lake Campground. Its about 5 hours from the Springs with no traffic so it took us a bit longer to get there thanks to traffic and broken down truck drivers. All in all it was a fun trip. We got to fish and I took Chrystal to see where the boys went elk hunting last year. Spencer was a trooper and did really well.

Those mountain mornings can be a bit chilly!

The valley where we fished and I hunted last fall.

Spencer's first hiking experience thanks to a Father's Day present from Nana.

Chrystal gave it her all with the salmon eggs and the powerbait.

Spencer let us know when he was done fishing with this face.

The camping version of tummy time.

While waiting out some rain Spencer practiced driving.

The reason we left.

We spent Friday night under the stars and after fishing on Saturday we sat through a rain storm in the car and tent. While everything was drying out we noticed another storm a brewing. Chrystal went with her gut feeling and gave me the pack it up idea and we got out of dodge just before it hit. Good thing too because it was a bad one.

I'm 5 Months Old!!!!

2009-06-29T19:03:00.004-06:00

Ok so he's 5 months and 3 days. The sinus infection is gone! The only downer is we think he has allergies, specifically we think he may be allergic to Winnie as when he is on the carpet his eyes get red and he sneezes. The good news is we have begun to master a new trick!

He is sitting up all by himself!

Look at how clear that picture is on the tv.

Here he is practicing for his PBR career.

We have decided we are going camping for the Fourth. It could be interesting as I have never taken Chrystal camping, much less Chrystal and an infant. Chrystal is just dying to use her new fishing gear she got for her 29th birthday. I am sure we will have some amusing photos to post after the trip.

Mimi's Visit

2009-06-19T20:15:00.004-06:00

So the Saturday before Mimi was arriving Spencer decided he wanted to start his day at 5:30am. Being the great husband and father that I am, I turned off the monitor and grabbed the little man to take him downstairs so as not to wake up the momma. I was able to talk Spencer into going back to sleep with me on the couch and Chrystal took this picture once she woke up.

A great husband and son.

We celebrated father's day last Sunday as my dad flew to Florida for back surgery this week. So far through one operation he is doing well. He is scheduled for one more procedure with the possibility of a third. We had KFC at Nana's house and then went to Rizzuto's for some ice cream. Spencer decided he had to join in the celebration and we have an ice cream addict on our hands.

MMMMM! Its so good once it hits your lips.

Mimi got in on Sunday night and spent the next three days with Spencer while Chrystal and I were at work. We are waiting to get some of Mimi's pictures as she took boat loads to show off her handsome grandson to all the friends and family back home. While Mimi was here we celebrated Chrystal's 29th birthday at no where other than Red Lobster.

Jumping for Mimi.

Mimi couldn't resist the chance to spoil Spencer a little. He is now the proud owner of a Jeep. The carpet is proving a bit of a challenge, but on the kitchen floor he is able to scoot himself along backwards.

It's a face of utter surprise!

We had a great week with Mimi. She was able to pack a lot of Spencer time in during her stay. Thank you sooo much for the Jeep. We are excited to have him scooting throughout the house. Hope everyone is doing well.

It's Been A Couple Of Weeks

2009-06-08T19:34:00.004-06:00

So Spencer spent some time with friends and family last week as Mrs. Lisa was on vacation. He spent Monday and Tuesday with Nana. Naturally she grabbed the camera for a few pictures.

He was an angel for Nana of course.

Here is a new trick he learned!

Wednesday and Thursday were spent at the Rosch's house. Ava took to him like he was her own. We got several pictures of the kids, but they didn't transfer over well enough to put them on here. A huge thank you to Nana and the Rosch's for helping us out.

This past weekend we went to a wine festival in Manitou Springs with Nana and Mr. Townsend. We took Spencer in the stroller, but it wasn't much of a family friendly event as it was very hard to maneuver a stroller around. I know you are all thinking, we sat out on the tasting portion and spent more time cruising around downtown Manitou.

Spencer at the wine festival practicing his J.C. Penny Catalogue poses.

He has taken to putting hands and feet in his mouth.

Other than that it has been some of the same old same old. I did make an impromptu trip to Nebraska with Davis, Mash, and Lops. It was good to see some friends, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances. Our condolences and prayers go out to the Hardens. We love you guys.

Mimi comes this weekend so be prepared for another post in less than two weeks!

Wow he's 4 months old already!

2009-05-27T20:00:00.003-06:00

My how time flies. So a lot has happened in the past few weeks. Spencer made a new friend as the Heck's had Sophia, their second daughter, just after Mother's Day. Spencer turned 4 months old on the 26th and we have had some major milestones with that.

We have a bottle holder on our hands!

Here is the first bite of that delicious cereal.

I guess it wasn't that delicious after all.

Spencer usually enjoys playing on his bear skin rug. Here he is disagreeing with our decision to take the picture.

We had a doctors appointment on Tuesday. The big 4 month check up and second round of shots. He now weighs 13 lbs 14oz (55th percentile), measures at 25 1/2 inches (82nd percentile), and has a head circumference of 16 1/8 inches (36th percentile). The doctor tells us he is on pace to be over 6 feet tall. Sounds like he is getting some of the Townsend height gene that skipped my dad and I.

On a side note congrats to Matt, Shelly, and Dane Z as baby deuce arrived today. We are also excited as Mimi will be making another visit in the middle of next month and will get a bunch of time with Spencer as she will be watching him the days Chrystal and I have to work.

Our First Mother's Day

2009-05-11T19:50:00.002-06:00

Being the wonderful husband that I am, I got up early with Spencer, fed him, and changed him so mom could sleep in. Chrystal then woke up and came down stairs to a fresh bouquet of lillies. She took over Spencer duty while I made a big breakfast. She also opened her cards from Spencer(I translated his writing) and me. Inside was a pair of tickets to see Aerosmith in Denver this August. The rest of the day was spent relaxing as a family as I was too sore to do much after trying to reclaim my youth on the baseball field on Saturday.

My mom got Spencer a bouncer which he has taken to. He loves it for about 15 minutes at a time. After that, he is ready to be out of it and held.

Woah, get that thing out of my face mom!

Did I stutter?

Oh now dad has the camera, here is my smile!

All in all Mother's Day was a success. Chrystal has been trying her darndest to get Spencer to say mommy. He is having none of it, but is very vocal particularly when we are on the phone or trying to pay attention to something other than him. In fact he dominated Chrystal's Mothers Day conversation with Mimi.

Poppa's Visit

2009-04-29T20:54:00.003-06:00

Poppa and Great Aunt Lynette made the trip out from Omaha to see our house and Spencer of course. They got in on Thursday and were brave enough to take him for the day while Chrystal and I worked on Friday. It was a smooth day as Spencer was his normal laid back self.

Poppa holding his first grandchild.

Great Aunt Lynette practicing for grandchildren of her own someday.

On Saturday we went through Garden of the Gods and took the scenic drive up Gold Camp Road to Helen Hunt Falls. It was a fun day of sight seeing and sharing some of the reasons to live in this wonderful state.

California Love

2009-04-16T19:13:00.003-06:00

So I know this post isn't fast enough for some people out there, but with hockey and settling in after the trip, it took a little bit. So we were in the Bay Area again for the first time in 8 years for a hot 72 hours. We tried to pack as much in as possible. I am glad to say I was able to eat at Togo's, the best sandwich place in the world 3 times. The service for my Uncle Paul was very nice. A lot of family got together for the first time in decades. Thank you to everyone who made the trip and to Mark for hosting the family at his house afterwards.

Uncle Tim flew out with us and was a big help with getting all the carry on luggage around.

Mr. Townsend got Spence giggling at breakfast one morning.

Great Grandma Liz and Great Grandpa Johnny with their first Great Grandchild.

Great Grandpa Pappaw and Great Grandma Nanny with Spencer at breakfast.

4 generations of Townsend men.

We were the whitest people at the beach.

We were able to squeeze in a trip to Santa Cruz. We walked the boardwalk, ate fresh seafood, and Tim, Kristen, Chrystal, and I played enough games to earn enough tickets to win Spencer a toy tugboat. All in all it was a fun trip. Spencer was the hit of everywhere we went. Hope everyone is doing well and we will keep you all posted.

A Baby Shower, Not For Us

2009-04-06T18:21:00.002-06:00

The Hardens made the trip out to Denver for a friends and family baby shower. Their little girl Bailey is due on June 18th. This was Spencer's first visit with his future in-laws. We learned from the name book that the name Spencer stands for "the kind of man you want your daughter to marry." Once Ian gives me the 3 goats or one night drinking at Tiger Tom's the marriage will be finalized. The roads were terrible on our way up and back, but it was well worth it to get together with every one.

The whole gang.

Spencer soaked up all the attention he got.

It has been cold enough he has needed his winter coat and hat.

Not a lot of other news. We are off to California on Thursday so we will have lots of new pictures with family and a beach next week. Everyone have a good one and stay safe.

Spencer Update

2009-03-31T20:52:00.005-06:00

A week has gone by and I wish we had exciting news, but unfortunately we don't. Just wanted to post a few pictures Chrystal took on her final day of maternity leave. That's right she is officially a full time working mom. It makes our workdays go by faster knowing we get to come home to this kid.

How can you not love this face?

Mom is learning how this picture taking thing works!

He has started to focus on the camera making these moments easier.

Holy buckets its a smile!!!!

Momma said knock you out!

We will be taking an unexpected trip to California in the next week. We will be visiting family such as some great grandparents and great aunt and uncles. I had an uncle pass away over the weekend so its the kind of gathering that isn't hoped for, but it will bring a family together that has been spread across the country for far to long. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the Bambergs affected by the passing of my Uncle Paul.

Nekkid Time

2009-03-24T19:11:00.003-06:00

We had a doctors appointment this morning. We got a clean bill of health. He is 10lbs 6.4 oz putting him in the 58th percentile. After finally getting Spence stretched out he measured in at 22 1/2 inches landing him in the 75th percentile. Last but not least his head 14 3/4" placing him in the 24th percentile. He got his second round of shots today and wasn't a fan. He had to have a warm bath per doctor's orders today (because of the shots, not because we don't regularly bathe our child) so we got a few shots to share.

Its like his own personal jacuzzi.

This kid really loves his baths.

Visitors from Omaha

2009-03-23T19:37:00.003-06:00

So Spencer is really gassy. He has to spend a lot of time on his belly to help easy the pressure and get things moving.

Spence fell asleep while trying to squeeze out some gas.

Here is our naked little man all wrapped up.

Mom is saying goodbye before we head out to win some $$$$.

Mike and Laura made the trip out from Omaha. Laura got in on Wednesday night and refused to have a beer with Chrystal and I to relax from the trip. We found this odd as normally we associate with people who enjoy an adult beverage now and again. Laura couldn't wait for Mike to arrive on Friday and told us they are expecting! We are sooooo excited for Spencer to have a new friend on the way.

The ladies are rubbing the good luck charm before heading to Cripple Creek to win big.

Mike was taking some time to relax with the newest Townsend.

The 5 of us had a lot of fun. It was great seeing the Troys and sharing our vast knowledge of parenting. We passed on the little miracle that is Mylicon and that Luvs are the best diapers out there. We all 4 won money in Cripple Creek making the trip back down the mountain that much more enjoyable.

Chrystal, Spencer, and I would like to say thank you to Wilma, Don, and Nicholas for the care package. We got a Wildcat blanket for Spencer embroidered with his name and birthday. We also got a Wildcat Santa hat. There will never be enough KY gear here for Chrystal.

Chrystal started back to work part time today so Spencer spent his first day with Mrs. Lisa. He did really well by all reports. We have a doctors appointment tomorrow as the little bugger just hit the 8 week mark today! We will get back to you all with all the measurements.

Baby Update!!!

2009-03-09T22:03:00.002-06:00

So it's been a little bit. I am back at work and time has gotten away from me. So Spencer is 6 weeks old today! Hard to believe. He has grown so fast and is showing all kinds of progress. He has started to follow our fingers and responds to our voices sometimes.

Some say he is yawning, I am thinking he is trying to tell Mom to get the camera out of his face!

This one really is a yawn. It doesn't take long before the swing or his bouncer put him out.

Look at this kid go! He will be crawling and mobile in no time.

This is Chrystal's favorite outfit. She took about 74 pictures of him in it.

This was after rooting for Michigan for with dad. It was a close game and it wore him out.

Work is going well. Its tough to leave the kid everyday, but I guess it worth it so he has a place to live. We have found our day care provider. Spence will be her only infant and she is really really excited to have him. It seems to be a perfect fit. We have been truly blessed as Spencer has been a calm little man, knock on wood. Well its time for bed as work comes early these days. We are off to Allie's fourth b-day party tomorrow so there may be another post shortly, but don't hold me to it...

Out With The Old, In With The New

2009-02-24T13:01:00.003-07:00

Well it didn't take long, but my reliable, trustworthy ride has found a new home. I posted in on Craigslist on Friday night and had cash in hand Saturday at noon. It was a good truck, but we found a worthy replacement. We were able to find our Tucson at only the second dealership so it wasn't too bad of a vehicle hunt.

It has hauled it's last deer.

Something tells me I don't get to take this to hunting camp.

I know I would catch hell if I tried to post without at least one picture of the little tiger on here, so here are two. He is trying to grow into some new outfits which is good because Chrystal and I were tired of the 4 he fit into.

Chrystal played dress up with him and found this to fit.He loved being perched up in the boppy so he can see the whole room.

Now that the car hunt is over, the rest of my last week off will be hunting down a day care provider. Chrystal still has until the end of March, but I want to at least be able to see the places he may be spending his days. Have fun this week and we will catch you all later.

It's Been a Week...

2009-02-21T07:58:00.002-07:00

I have avoided the nasty e-mails for not posting this week so far so I figured I would get ahead of the curve this morning. It has been another busy week. You know...having a baby really fills in all that time we used to have to just hang out and relax. Mimi was in town until Tuesday. She was awesome. Thank you so much for jumping in and helping with diapers and spending time reading to the little man. We really appreciate it.
There isn't a lot of baby news. The kid is eating 4.5 oz at a time and we can really see how much he has grown since we brought him home. Oh sorry...just remembered he is sleeping in his crib now! That is so nice. He was in our room in a little bassinet, but the little man has graduated to his own bachelor pad. Now what you really came here to see...here are some of the newest pictures. Thank you to Mimi for sending some that she took while here.

I just thought it was funny he is trying to get away from Mom.

Its our second family picture, the first not in the hospital!

Mom and the "Fun Aunt" as Alex has titled herself.

Here is Mimi and Spencer's goodbye on Tuesday morning. Notice how he only poses calm and with his eyes open for her?! We need you to pass this knowledge on to us Mimi.

Last but not least I (Brett) got a new job. I learned the medical world wasn't necessarily for me so I am back in a transportation/logistics/sales position with Pioneer Sand out here in the Springs. Also, this will hit Tim harder than me, but the Tacoma has been put up for sale. I guess the government isn't too fond of a mother holding a baby in her lap while a family of 3 drives a two door truck. What has this world come too?! Now Chrystal and I get to argue over what type of new vehicle to buy. We are soooooo excited. Feel free to offer suggestions! See you all next week.

Visitors Galore!

2009-02-13T17:28:00.004-07:00

I know I know I know...I have heard it from a couple of you out there now. 10 days between posts with a newborn is unacceptable. We have been busy though. Since coming home we have been scheduling people to come over between meals which are at about 8 a day. We went to the doctor on Wednesday for the two week check up. The little man weighed in at 6 lbs 9.6oz, measured in at 20 & 1/2 inches, and has a 13 &1/2 inch head. The doctor was very happy with the weight gain and growth.

Mike, Pam, Taylor, and Jordyn came over on Saturday to be introduced. We got a couple of pictures with the girls and Spencer as they were teeming with excitement when they got to hold him. Thank you Duffy's for the outfit.

Jordyn has the calming touch.

Taylor left wishing for a little brother. Looks like we have two future baby sitters in the making!

Mimi Ethel and Aunt Alex (the cool aunt according to her) got in on Sunday afternoon. It has been great having them here. It allows some more free time for Chrystal and I as there are always two sets of arms willing to hold, change, and rock him to sleep. With their arrival has followed a barrage of bad tv as Alex also likes the terrible reality shows Chrystal likes.

One of the few times Alex has wrestled him away from his Mimi.

Ethel has evaded Chrystal's picture taking abilities for the moment. We will get some of Mimi and Spencer and get them up here soon. The Hughes also stopped by to say hi and congratulate us. Thank you for popping in. We have had more good nights than bad so far so we feel like we are ahead of the curve so far. We also want to thank the Hardens (Ian, Kim, and Spencer's future wife due in June) and Nanny and Papaw for the cards and diaper funds. Alrighty I am going to wrap this up as Mimi is babysitting tonight while we head out to celebrate Alex's last night in town.

Bath Time

2009-02-04T14:54:00.003-07:00

We are getting settled in nicely. There has been good nights and rough nights after being home for almost a week now. We think we have a schedule in place, but I am sure in no time it will be out the window. Heath update: he is off the lights and officially has a clean bill of health.

Friday was bath day so we snapped a few pictures of Spencer's first bath at home. Chrystal played photographer and got some great shots.

All safe and sound after the bath. He calms down quickly once he gets covered up.

He absolutely hates this part. The kid isn't a fan of being nekkid at all.

Thank you to everyone who has helped out and given us their well wishes. We really truly appreciate it. Mimi Ethel and Aunt Alex will be here Sunday so we will get some more pictures of them saying hello to Spencer and get them posted. Until then enjoy the sunny Colorado weather we have been having.

We're Home!!!!

2009-01-30T16:10:00.002-07:00

Well we are home...finally. We got to the house last night at about 5:30. We got the word around 10:00 that Chrystal was cleared and Spence got his clearance at noon. We then sat around for the next 5 and a half hours waiting on nurse Donna to get on the ball. We had a wonderful experience at the hospital with the staff, except Donna. If you have ever seen Just Friends, Donna is the mom in that movie. Dead on, the personalities couldn't be any more similar.

Ok enough complaining. The important thing is we are all home and healthy. Spence is spending some time under the bilirubin lights. His test came back improved this morning so we go back on Monday and should be able to return the lights then.

Napping with Mom after an evening meal.

The first night went alright. I took the first night so Chrystal could get some rest and try to heal up. We all 3 fell asleep on the couch and we moved him to the crib with the lights around 12:30 this morning. That lasted for a hot 30 mins. He decided to scream bloody murder so I took him down stairs to the couch and recreated the above scene with him myself for 4 hours.

Picture Time!

2009-01-27T05:38:00.004-07:00

Alrighty so this morning I gave it a go and viola we have pictures. I am sure it had nothing to do with the fact I had 2.5 hrs of sleep in the prior 40 hours. I went to drop off some grub to our little man this morning around 1:30 and he was all bright eyed and bushy tailed and sucking on his fingers. This is a huge improvement and we are very thankful he seems to be improving so much so quickly.

Here he is in the NICU after getting off the O2 and CPAP.

Here he is freshly bathed just before we got word he would heading to the NICU.

He was not a fan of getting his foot prints taken.

37 weeks, 6lbs 3 oz, 19 inches

I love this face. I am sure this picture will come back to haunt him in a wedding slide show someday.

Chrystal is up and walking around the room without help. She has come a long way in the 24 hours since the c section. I couldn't be more proud of her. We are actually on our way out the door to walk down and deliver some food for Spence.

Happy Birthday Spencer!

2009-01-26T19:42:00.002-07:00

This morning at 1:51 am Spencer decided it was his time. Chrystal and I were lounging around before bed when she started to have contractions at about 9:00pm on Sunday night. We read up on the differences between false labor and labor in the baby bible. Slowly we got ready as we timed the contractions and decided shortly before midnight this was the real deal. We got here and had quick check to see he was still breech making it an easy decision for the doctor. I got front row seats to the c-section.
Spencer was 6 lbs and 3 oz while measuring in at 19 inches. According to his mom he has my lips and chin and her nose. He has a head full of dark hair and the longest fingers and toes we have ever seen. With being only 37 weeks he did have some respiratory trouble. After I took him to the nursery for his bath I took him to the NICU for some oxygen. He has some fluid in his lungs due to his early arrival and c-section. He is off oxygen as of now and has very good vital signs. Once he is off the antibiotics he will be moved back in with Chrystal and I.
Chrystal has been a real trooper. She has gotten up and taken a lap around the room. I have helped load her up in a wheel chair so we can have some family time with Spencer in the NICU. She is healing great and loving her new role as mom.
I know there are no pictures yet. I tried to load them on this laptop I am borrowing with no luck. Perhaps I will be able to get back to the house for a few minutes to post them. Thank you to everyone for your well wishes and prayers. I promise to keep you all updated as we start our lives as parents.

36 weeks down, ??? to go

2009-01-19T09:45:00.006-07:00

Well the trip to the doctor last week didn't provide any real news. Everything is still going well. As of yesterday we are officially at 36 weeks so we have all the bags packed and are ready to go should Spencer decide Feb 9th is a little to late for his liking.

My wonderful wife did win Avs tickets for us last week. She continued her domination at work and won a contest where we got the company's suite level tickets, parking pass, and dinner for the night. We watched the Avs falls to the Oilers on Friday. I was spoiled as I hadn't been to the Pepsi Center before and my first experience was with amazing seats behind the goal. Chrystal decided to snap a couple of pictures so we could share our view.

A big thank you to Mimi Ethel for the high chair. We are officially outfitted for the baby now. Also we would like to say welcome back to the Rosch's. The Springs is a better place with them here. It also gives the Springs the numbers to lure others back...ahem Daren.

Just News, No Pics

2009-01-09T07:29:00.002-07:00

Sorry to disappoint with a lack of pictures, but we did have a doctor's appt yesterday and I figured I would spread the news. Yes we get a weekly doctor's appt because there was a certain person in my family who had a heart defect when he was born. I won't name names at this point. Our little man weighed in at 5 lbs 7 oz. Right at the 47th percentile so he is right on track. He is also still breech. Because of that the doc had us schedule a c section for the morning of Monday Feb 9th. So by 1 month from today he will be here!

Also 53 years ago today a man was born in Detroit, MI. Happy birthday dad! 53 wow...I hate to ruin the surprise, but I got you a phone with the big numbers so you can see and dial as well as a cane. They both seemed very age appropriate.

We have another doctor's appt on Wednesday so if there is any big news I will be back to pass it along...who knows maybe even with a picture?!

Spencer's Bachelor Pad

2009-01-05T12:46:00.004-07:00

Well after I got the painting done I realized it bled under the taped in areas. Being that I am somewhat anal I had to go back and touch up every border that was taped. Daren came over and helped out as he had nothing better to do while on vacation. We got it finished in a speedy 4 hours. Here is the finished product...

Its very sports themed to say the least.

The first of Chrystal's artsy projects.

Here is the one she is most proud of as it took a heck of a long time.

Notice the hat rack is complete with his first UK hat on it.

These were done by my grandfather. He is an incredible artist.

Winnie was begging for attention. Get it while you can dog.

The latest doctors appointment went well. He has a nice strong heartbeat and is still breech. It will be time before we know it. The bags are all packed and ready to grab and go should he decide he just can't wait to move in. Hope the new year has started off well for all of you out there!

Merry Belated Christmas or an Early Happy New Years!

2008-12-29T11:14:00.004-07:00

Ok so I don't exactly stay on top of things, but I like to wait until we have more baby news. We had another appointment and everything is ship shape. The little bugger is still breech, but we are told some don't decide to flip until week 36 which is only 2 weeks away. He is definitely still a boy as my soon to be son has already decided to be an exhibitionist. He just loves to show the doctor he is indeed a he and not a she.

Chrystal in her nesting phase. We got the room all taped and ready for the paint.

That is my backside as I tape in preparation for the paint.

Chrystal finally let me take a belly picture. It only took 32 weeks!

So I just finished painting this morning and I will be adding pictures of the finished nursery once I get all the furniture back into place as everything is piled in the middle right now. Thank you to Christina for the gliding rocking chair and also to the Duffy's, my god parents, for the pack and play and the swing. Happy New Year to all of you as I probably won't be back to post until 2009.

Baby Shower...the finale!

2008-12-09T12:18:00.003-07:00

Chrystal and I spent last weekend in Omaha for a baby shower and the annual Christmas party. A huge thank you to Laura for hosting the baby shower and to everyone who came. This is how I thanked Laura. I drank her husband under the table at Tiger Tom's, the best bar in the world.

Tiger Tom's 1, Mike 0

Here is the only picture of Chrystal and I together while she has been preggo.

The proud great grandparents to be prior to our trip to the casino. I am proud to say I won $19.50 on the day.

Also we had our 30 week check up today. We found out the little bugger is breeched right now and only about 15% of babies are at this point. We are hoping he gets the urge to do a 180 for us. He doubled in size the last month and it weighing in at a hearty 3.7 lbs. The next appointment is in 2 weeks so check back then for more info.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T12:02:00.003-07:00

For those of you who don't know, my mom's birthday was on Thanksgiving this year. She turned the big 5-0. To surprise her my dad took her to Mexico. We were invited to go with Tim and Kristen and my Aunt Virginia to relax for the week, but with a third trimester wife we declined. The last thing I needed was to watch Chrystal go into labor in Mexico and completely forfeit the chance of Spencer becoming President some day. So with that all said I had to cook Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. Aunt Stacy came over, we ate and watched terrible football.

My first turkey. It was delicious.

The whole spread.

Just a quick note, the next doctors appointment is on December 9th so you may not hear much more from us until then. Have a good one.

Baby shower, the prequel

2008-11-18T09:31:00.005-07:00

Back in late September Chrystal and I headed out to Kentucky for her 10 year high school reunion and to see family. Ethel, the soon to be mimi, got the family together to throw us a surprise baby shower. Needless to say Spencer is ready to be decked out in UK Wildcats gear for a little while. We want to send a huge thank you to Ethel for the planning and Johnny and Paula for hosting the party and us for the weekend. Also thanks to everyone who was able to make it.

Chrystal's favorite cake, ice cream.

Spencer's first Wildcat Tee.

The baby bouncer which is being mailed back to us due to the airlines new multiple bag charges.

This is the best picture we have of Alex including all the ones from the wedding.

Here is the only picture taken at the reunion. Its Chrystal and her friend Sarah.

Chrystal was able to take me to Churchill Downs as I had never been. For you nonhorseracing fans this is the home of the Kentucky Derby. Here are the famous Twin Spires.

This is the infield of Churchill Downs.

And this is the neighborhood Churchill Downs is in. Unfortunately we had to get down to London and missed the contest.

It seems to be the cool thing to do...

2008-11-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well we finally took the time to set up a blog to keep all the family and friends updated on the happenings of this soon to be family of three. We just had a baby shower thrown by my mom and Aunt Stacy. They did a heck of a job with the decorations and getting the word out. Thank you very much ladies. Also thank you to all who came as Chrystal loved it. I was out watching a family movie with Tim as this wasn't a manly thing to attend. For those who don't know, we are having a boy, Spencer William Townsend. He is due Feb 15th and will be here before we know it. Here are a few of the pictures from the shower and even a few scans of the little guy!

The cake before the crew was unleashed on it.

Shawna, A.J., Kim and some of Chrystal's co workers.

Oh the excitement of waiting for Chrystal to open a present.

You can never have enough baseball themed clothes.

This is part of the 49ers apparel from Great Grandma and Grandpa Cirica. It also included a great 49er running suit. I am currently trying to find it in my size.

This is from Spencer's 19 week ultrasound. This is where we learned it was in fact Spencer and not the girl's name we had chosen.

He's a good lookin' kid.

I am still learning this whole blog thing so I promise in the near future it will be exciting. For now its main purpose is to keep the grandmas, grandpa, aunts, uncles, god fathers, god mothers, in Daren's case god girl friends or god hook ups, and other friends updated with news as we get it.