Maureen and I had our "1 month-to-go" appointment today. Everything is going as planned, so no real news to report. Maureen has been extremely tired the last few weeks, and I have been getting the house as ready as I can for the arrival of Baby Franchi.
Next up....car seats. It is going to feel absolutely strange having a car seat in my car.
More baby news, my cousin Matt and his Wife Gina had a baby girl this morning!!! She was about 4 days past her due date, so we were all waiting for this happy phone call. Cera* Colleen Claybourn, a healthy, 9 pound baby girl.
*(still awaiting official spelling of 'Sara with a "C")
It feels like the land of the dead at Kraft today...
Kraft announced a few months ago there were going to be layoffs in corporate, specifically in Maureen and my building. We knew it would hit close to home, maybe to close, but thankfully Maureen found a great job at 7 Ticks, and I dodged the axe.
Several people with whom I have worked since I started at Kraft got let go today. I have a friend who just had his first child a few weeks ago get laid off today. Another friend who is 5 months pregnant. Several others have not been talked to yet and are borderline panicking.
Maureen's old department got slaughtered. They eliminated the VP, the Sr. Director, and they even eliminated a great friend of ours, Maureen's former manager. About 50% or more of Maureen's old department got let go today. Nobody at Maureen's level was spared.
So..........the corporate air is rather cold today, but most people are holding their breath.
Maureen and I had a great doctor's visit last week. Everything is going great with the baby. Strong on all accounts and measuring just as expected. We also had our most recent Ultrasound, so we wanted to share a picture with you.
This is a close up of the baby's face. Clearly a looker just like his or her parents...
What a year. Maureen and I were talking about the year that has just passed, and its incredible what took place in our lives. I can say once again how blessed we both feel.
Some highlights: We got married, March 17th Our amazing honeymoon in Hawaii We found out we were expecting a baby this coming February We spent some vacation time in Las Vegas in May We sold our house in Buffalo Grove We moved into our new house in Arlington Heights Maureen started a new job at 7Ticks IT Consulting I bought a new car The Bigane Family Trip to Eagle River for my father in law Joe's 60th birthday Grandma Sharon's 60th surprise birthday party
Family and Friends in 2007: Dom and Jami got engaged Keg and Ingrid got married Lots of babies: Meaghan, Josh Jr., Max, Bradyn, Lily, Charlie... Sheila and Brenden got married Dan and Jami got married Enza and Patrick got married Tim and Liz got engaged Phil and Trish got married, and bought a home in Arlington Heights Phil Oerke's bachelor party to Three Lakes My parents moved into a beautiful new home Gary and Angie moved into a beautiful new home Patrick bought a place in Schaumburg Christopher got accepted to an Internship at State Farm Buffalo Grove Softball - 2nd place (best finish for us in 7 years) Cinco De Mayo groomsmen Cubs Game
Other 2007 Happenings: The 'Big Dig' and flood recovery at the Arlington Heights home My double sprained ankles The Cubs made the playoffs for the third time in my adult life The Bears made it to the SuperBowl (06-07 seasons) The world didn't end, contrary to popular belief
And as always, each year has a few sad moments that we hate to relive, but we never want to forget. The Rogers family Patriarch Jack Rogers passed away in September. Chloe Grace Hershberger passed away at 10 weeks old in June of this year. Both of these losses caused a great void in the family, and while the wounds may never completely heal, its clear that everyone is remembering the good times and the great impact they had on our lives...however long...however short.
Well, 2007 was a craZy year. 2008 promises to be just as eventful...so what do we have to look forward to?
The arrival of Baby Franchi The arrival of Baby Bigane (Andy and Anne) The arrival of Baby Hershberger, Baby Burns, and the Claybourne Babies A Cubs World Series run Katie and TJs wedding Tim and Liz setting a date for 08 and countless other things..........
