Race Day Roundup

Just a quick update from our 10K weekend. Around 3,000 folks competed in the Medical Center 10K in Bowling Green last Saturday. There were a variety of 1/2 mile, 3/4 mile, and 1 mile races for children in addition to the 5k and 10k races. Laurie walked the 5k in just over 52 minutes. Cort completed the 10k in 37.58. I have not seen the complete results yet.

It was chilly, but sunny, and the changing leaves made for a beautiful run/walk through downtown Bowling Green.

Cort has just one race left in the fall season: the Memphis marathon (Dec 2). He has some injury issues to address, so pray for quick healing. After Memphis, it will be time to cut back the mileage and let his body reknit for a few weeks.

Laurie was joined by church friends Beth and Shelley on her 5k trek.
















Cort was joined by intense pain near the finish.

I Like to Do Drawrings

Well, it's a few days late, but we are ready to drop the name. No more Fisticuffs or Zuko. No more Prince Adam or Yowie or Anvil. The time has come for Simon Vance Basham. Simon means, "to hear" or "to be heard." I'm sure he will be...at all times and intervals. Laurie and I had little common ground for first names, so we felt that releasing the name a little earlier than anticipated would be fine. It is settled. We liked the idea of using a family name for the middle, and Vance fit pretty well with Simon. Although our "name gaming" is over on this blog, we will still update his in-womb progress on a weekly basis--at least.

Speaking of progress, Laurie is in her 28th week and everything is still progressing smoothly. Her iron and glucose tests were top notch, and her weight gain is right on the "normal" curve. She is getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of water, and eating well. She has some back pain, but all things considered, she is in great shape at this point. Oh, and about the "eating well," that includes farm fresh, fried peach pies from Jackson's Orchard.

More stories and pics about the Bowling Green 10k, Nephew Henry, and Laurie's belly pic coming soon.

L enjoys a peach pie from Jackson's.
















I also picked out a quality pumpkin.
















And, for good measure, here are the before and after shots of the nursery paint job. The color in the photo looks much more "gold" than the actual walls do. They are actually "scarecrow," which is a flat, brown color. The color matches the monkeys on his crib bedding. The room turned out OK for my first solo paint job.

Busy Week

This will be a short post, but with promises of a longer one tomorrow or Friday. We have doctor's visit on Friday, so be praying for that. We have also decided on a name, but I won't drop it on the blog until we have told a few more friends close to us. We will release it next Monday.

Pics of the freshly painted nursery and a trip to Jackson's Orchard coming soon.

Warren County and Mammoth Cave

On fall break weekend, I drove out to the Richpond area in southern Warren County to take some photos. My running group routinely meets at the corner of Meng Road and Hwy 242 to do long runs in these peaceful Warren County farmlands. The landscape is dominated by soybeans, corn, barns, and open fields. Many friendly dogs often join us for long sections of our runs. The roads are one-lane, unlined, and flat as can be with very little traffic, which makes for ideal road-running conditions. We often run two hours or more and can count the cars that pass on one hand. Scenes like this make the miles pass a little more quickly.

Beans. Lots of beans.















Former cornfield that is resting for the fall/winter.















Then, on Sunday, Laurie and I teamed up with church pals James and Rachel Miller for a picnic and a hike at Mammoth Cave National Park. MCNP is providing more and more trails for hiking, biking, and trail-running, which may lead me to purchase trail shoes for the first time in my life in the near future. See pics of our fun on a gorgeous October day in the Barrens.

The view from Green River Bluffs.
















An extremely large, old tree on the Green River Bluffs trail.
















James, Rachel, and Laurie.
















The River Styx emerging from Mammoth Cave and flowing into Green River.

Ears Lookin' at You, Kid

"Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
~The New Testament Gospel of Luke, 8:8

Boy Basham has reached Week 26 and he is continuing to make his presence known with his seemingly nonstop activity. In addition to his wild, in-womb flailing and swimming, he now can detect noises in the outside world. Therefore, I have started reading to him from time to time. His first book is The Princess Bride by William Goldman. We have reached the part where Westley and Buttercup have revealed their love for one another and Westley has to go away. I know he cannot understand the story, but he now can detect different pitches and volumes. He can also recognize different voices. So, the more familiar he becomes with my voice, the more he will recognize me and the easier it will be for me to help soothe him when he is in the outer world. He can hear Laurie's voice, heart, and internal sounds practically all of the time at this point.

So, in celebration of hearing, I give you Anvil Basham. As sound enters the outer ear, it travels through the ear canal and vibrates the eardrum. This, in turn, causes three tiny bones, the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup, to vibrate and they pass the vibrations on to the snail-shaped cochlea. The tiny hair-like fibers in the cochlea send nerve signals to the brain and completes the process we call "hearing." Click here for a diagram and more info.

In other news, we took a day trip with friends James and Rachel Miller for a picnic and trail-walking at Mammoth Cave on Sunday. I'll post pics later tonight after we register for baby stuff! We are planning to register at Toys 'R Us and Target this evening. If you know Laurie and I well, you also know that having to make so many decisions in such a short time span will likely cause our brains to turn into pancake batter. Remember us, please!

Smells Like Teeny-Tiny Spirit

Our little guy is kicking his way through Week 25 this week. It's amazing how much he is moving around these days. The doc says that at this point, he is swimming around in his fluid cocoon having a grand time. I have been able to feel him "kick" me in the back at night if Laurie's belly is touching me. He seems to stay busy most of the time.

This week, his skin is becoming opaque and the blood vessels in his lungs are developing. At our first Lamaze class last week, we learned that he could likely survive outside the womb after Week 25, so this week is an especially important milestone.

His nostrils will open this week as well. Nostrils are strange and interesting body parts. For example, did you know that your nostrils smell odors differently at varying times? In fact, at any given moment, your right nostril may be "dominant" and pick up smells that your left nostril cannot. Then, your left nostril can be dominant just hours later. Read more about nostrils from Indiana University and Stanford U.

So, this week, our little one shall be called Yates Basham. This is a combination of the most prominent noses on both sides of our family. The Vance side knows about the Yates nose and its prominent place in history. The Basham nose is legendary as well. It earned brother Neal the nickname "Yoshi" from his Little League All-Star team (the dinosaur from Mario brothers). Our boy may get some hybrid of the Basham/Yates nose and wield a power unseen since Sauron crafted the One Ring. Or, maybe he'll get Laurie's cute, little, perfect nose.

In other news, the transformation of the guest bedroom into the nursery is underway! Now, visitors will have to sleep in the front room with the morning sun, computer, and bookshelf. There are some pics below. Paint should go on the walls sometime this weekend.

Also, we have Lamaze class #2 tonight, so slow your breathing to 6-9 breaths per minute and say a prayer for us.

We forgot to take a true "before" pic, but here is one from midstream move.
















Here is the crib that we purchased and put together last weekend.
















Here is Laurie next to the changing table. She is sitting in the rocker that will undoubtedly rock many a mile in the coming months.