Yesterday sure was an exciting day.  Edward John Paff III (Trey) was born at 1:40 PM MST on Sunday January 9, 2011, just five days before his due date.  He came into this world weighing in at seven pounds fifteen ounces and twenty and a half inches tall.  He has blue eyes (for now) and a nice head of dark hair (complete with some mini sideburns).  Both mom and baby are doing fantastic!

I’m writing this from SkyRidge hospital from a luxurious private room with our own shower and even a futon for me to sleep.  Trey spent the night with us last night and all three of us managed to get a pretty good night of rest.  Kim is up and taking her first walk outside of the room since we moved here after delivery.  It’s a bitterly cold day outside in Colorado with over a half-foot of snow on the ground.

We should be discharged from the hospital tomorrow morning and I suppose that’s when the real fun begins.  I will be taking off work for the rest of the week to help out.  So far Trey has been very easy-going (except when the nurses and doctors mess with him too much).  He’s also a great eater and spends most of the time sleeping (even when he should be feeding).

More photos can be found over at kimandedjr.com.  I’m not sure how much I will be blogging this week, but I will try to keep posting photos.

The delayed post today probably has a few people thinking that Kim has gone into labor, but that is not the case.  I’m just having a busy day at work trying to tie together the loose ends for a release that is going out Monday.  Work has definitely been busy but I’m still enjoying it, so bring it on!  Once the baby comes I will likely take a week off to help Kim.  I wish I could take more time, but I don’t have any more vacation days to use.

Today is a big day in Cincinnati.  The annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout basketball game is tonight.  My University of Cincinnati Bearcats will take on the neighboring Xavier University Musketeers.  UC is looking to break a three-year streak from Xavier as well as continue their own fourteen game winning streak.  Overall UC has won 47 of the 77 matchups, so we are definitely overdue for a Bearcat victory.  Be sure to tune in to ESPN2 tonight at 7pm EST and wear some red and black.  Last years game went into double overtime, so it’s always an exciting matchup.

Today would have been a cool day for our son to be born, but I think we are running out of time.  January 5th was my grandmother’s birthday (dad’s side of the family).  She was a great woman who was taken from us way too early.  I was pretty young when she died twenty years ago, but she still had a big impact on me.

We are still over a week away from the due date, but I think we are all ready for him to be born.  There is still the chance that he could be born on 1/11/11, so maybe that’s what he is waiting for.  For more thoughts on all of this head over to kimandedjr.com, where Kim and I are continuing to blog about all things baby.

This past Saturday I finally made it out to University of Denver hockey game.  I think the season is already two-thirds over, so I am definitely behind.  Part of the problem is that they don’t have a very strong home game schedule.  For example, the Pioneers’ opponent for this weekend was the University of Northern Michigan Wildcats.  The Wildcats are not in the top twenty teams nationally, so there isn’t as big of drawl than if they were playing against North Dakota for instance.  They did play the Fighting Sioux earlier this year, but it was up in Grand Forks.  And they’ve also played or will play at Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota, both top twenty teams.

Despite the below average schedule, this is still one of the best values in town.  Tickets are as cheap as $18, and with the small arena there is no need to spend more than that.  Plus we were able to score two seats for $18 total from a couple of students outside of the arena.  That’s about the same price as going out to see a movie!  Not only is it cheap, it is also really good hockey.  I prefer college hockey over the professional level, since it is often more of a team game.  I guess this can be true with most college sports.

Anyway, the game on Saturday started off a little rough for Denver.  Northern Michigan was able to take a quick 2-0 lead through the end of the first period.  From there on it was all Denver, as the Pioneers outshot the Wildcats 47-13.  Unfortunately the Wildcat goalie played very well and only let in two goals for Denver.  Even with an extra five-minute overtime period, the game ended up in a 2-2 tie.  Denver is now 13-5-4 and may be able to move up in the top twenty from their previously ranked seventh position.

Happy New Year!  Before I get too far into 2011, here is the list of cities I visited in 2010 with at least one night spent in each place.

• New Orleans, LA
• Denver, CO *
• Breckenridge, CO *
• Kansas City, MO
• Copper Mountain, CO
• Frisco, CO
• Grand Canyon, AZ
• Sedona, AZ
• Phoenix, AZ
• Dillon, CO
• Section Hut, CO
• Lee’s Summit, MO
• Albuquerque, NM
• Santa Fe, NM
• Noblesville, IN
• Cincinnati, OH *
• Loveland, OH *
• Boston, MA
• Newport, RI
• New London, CT
• Yellowstone National Park, WY
• Bozeman, MT
• Grand Teton National Park, WY

Those cities marked with an * were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.

See also: 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006