Feliz Cumpleaños a Mama

A big Happy Birthday to Amy today!

Owen and Gus were so excited for their mom's birthday -- much more excited than we parents get at the thought of notching another year on our belts. Tess was groggily watching her brothers bounce off the walls this morning, but she quickly picked up on the excitement.

The kids had made pictures for Amy -- including an apple tree under a sky of raining hot dogs and hamburgers (Owen & Tess), a sea of fish with a flying airplane truck overhead (Gus & Tess), and a fiery volcano (Owen & Gus) -- and then hid them under the TV table in their playroom.

Then, this morning when Amy got back from her run the boys played "hot" and "cold" to guide her to the hidden birthday treasures. When Amy didn't find it in about 3 seconds, Gus said, "No Mom, upstairs! Upstairs! Under the TV!"

When Amy sat in the floor the boys couldn't pull out their gifts fast enough, including a small package wrapped in birthday paper.

"Here Mom, here are your jelly bellies! Open them! Open them!"

We need to work on playing up the surprise a little bit. But hey, we'll take the botched surprises in exchange for the boundless energy the kids bring to birthdays any day.

Happy Birthday Amy B!

Race for the Cure

Normally when Gus, Owen or Tess are awake before 6:00am on a Saturday morning, Mom & Dad aren't happy. But Amy & I actually woke the crew up before sunrise this morning. Today was the Komen Race for the Cure over in Raleigh, as 22,000 runners united for the annual race for breast cancer research.

Amy & I had planned on running the first 5K race at 7am and then coming back home in time for breakfast with the kids. But we couldn't in good conscience ask someone to provide childcare beginning that early in the morning. So we signed the boys up for a fun run at the Kids' Zone and took the whole crew.

I ran the 5K at 7:00 while Amy entertained Gus, Owen & Tess. Then I took over with kiddos as Amy ran in a women's-only race at 7:45. The race is such an uplifting event as it winds through older neighborhoods in Raleigh where residents turn out to cheer people on and shower runners with their yard sprinklers. Pink shirts are everywhere as breast cancer survivors and their teams of supporters come out in droves. Bands and church choirs dot the course and perform for hours as runners make their way in three different races.

Meanwhile Amy & I had built up the notion of a kids' race for Owen & Gus -- how else were we going to get 2 four year-olds up at the crack of dawn without a scrum? So after our races we headed over to the kids' section where their "race" was supposed to take place. As it turned out the start to finish was probably 50 ft. which we figured would be a big disappointment.

So Amy & I decided to line the boys up for the 1 mile fun run which was taking place right next to the kids' section. The boys were all about it. Owen & Gus ran their little hearts out the whole way, stopping a couple of times to catch their breath. When they crossed the finish line you would have thought they won the Boston Marathon. Two excited little boys for certain.

So it was a long -- but very enjoyable day for the Rutl crew. Gus & Tess were falling asleep at the dinner table tonight. Thus, it's bedtime. Mom & Dad arent' too far behind.

Cheers!

Mom, the sprinter boys & Tessa Lou

The Rutledge dude runners.
Tess enjoyed the "pink" theme as she found a resting place.

The kid crew in a picture which is essentially a microcosm of their sibling relationship -- Gus gives Tess his Chick-fil-a cow stuffed animal while Owen scrubs Tess's head. Brotherly love comes in different forms.

Homecoming

Amy & the kiddos returned from their excursion back to Kentucky to spend time with Amy's family. And although Tess picked an unfortunate time to go through a "stick every second to Mom" phase, the boys and Amy had a great time visiting cousins, aunts, uncles & grandparents. Owen & Gus each took pictures of their trip to show-and-tell, and Gus has asked several times if it's time to go back to Nana and Granddaddy's.

Bachelor week was pretty good for Dad I must admit. But by the weekend I was ready to see the wife & kids. I did manage to do many of those little things around the house that you can never seem to do with kids around -- paint that spot on the wall where the boys crashed into it with the push toy, work out in the yard, go to the bathroom without a child accompanying me, etc. So that part was really nice. But I missed the commotion and the chaos for sure.

It took me a couple of days to get "back into shape" so to speak with the kids. For 8 days I had done pretty much what I wanted. So when it came time to give baths, read stories & put kids to bed I had to get back into the groove. After a couple of times it's like riding a comfortable bike.

Thanks to the family in Paducah for taking the crew in and showing them a fun time. Cheers!

Roadrunner

Before I immerse myself in the election today I have to give a huge congratulations out to my wonderful Amy, who last week overcame the work week from hell, scarce (if any) personal time to exercise & train, the responsibilities of three small kids, and an annoying head cold and still managed to run the IBM 5K on Saturday.

Amy ran start to finish without walking and to this day amazes me with the load she manages to shoulder. Way to go Amy B!

A special note of gratitude as well to Ms. Ann who entertained Owen, Gus & Tess on slides, swings, and jump houses so Mom and Dad could run the race. Amy & I are certainly grateful for all the help and friendship that she shows to our family.



Cheers to the strong women that keep us all going!

Happy Jelly Belly Birthday

This week is birthday week at the Rutledge household. The boys' excitement has given an added jolt of energy to the celebration of their parents' birthdays. Normally Amy & I pass through this week with limited hurrah. But the boys would have none of it. A birthday to a three year-old is like a car to a sixteen year-old. So when they found out that their mom's and dad's birthdays were coming, every day they wanted to know about the cake, the presents, and the party.

Last night the boys and I made a birthday cake card for Amy as she was out with Tess. Then we hid it with her present -- two bags of her favorite candy in the world, Jelly Bellies -- in the boys' closet. When Amy came back to the house, the boys were just bursting to tell her what they had done for her. Luckily I held them off and convinced them that waiting until today when it would be a surprise was the way to go.

Owen and Gus were up before 7:00 this morning, ready to serenade their mom with "Happy Birthday." When they gathered up their card & their Jelly Belly gift, the boys barely let Amy out of the shower before they shrieked and shouted birthday wishes to her. (After the celebration, Owen, an avowed sugar fiend, was mostly concerned with whether Amy was going to share her Jelly Bellies.) Kids definitely know how to bring the energy & excitement.

Happy Birthday Amy B!

Summer Vacation

Just a couple of weeks of summer left before the boys head back to preschool and life becomes a bit more organized. On one hand I think Amy and I are ready for school to start so we can get the boys back on more of a schedule. As a parent it is a challenge some days to keep the boys entertained during the morning so Amy can work. On the other hand children have a lifetime of schedules and routines ahead of them so we want them to enjoy their summer break as much as we can.

The Rutledge clan was fortunate to have GJ with us the past couple of weeks to help out with the kids and visit with us. She kept the boys busy with trips to the library, the swimming pool, Hopper's House (how great a place like this is for a kid), and lunch outings. GJ also gave Gus dancing lessons to silly songs as the two of them pranced around the house, stomping, dancing and singing. Like grandmother, like grandson.

Pappy joined GJ this past Friday before driving down to Charleston to see the Crumpton crew. As always we appreciate the helping hands & nuggets of parenting wisdom.

After company leaves the boys typically have a down day so Amy and I tried to line up a "nature walk" for Owen and Gus on the American Tobacco Trail to divert their attention. We loaded up a backpack for Gus and an insect net for Owen with the thought that the walking would wear them out and they would nap hard later that afternoon to catch up on sleep. The boys really enjoyed the walk, collecting leaves, pine cones and checking out spider webs. But neither of them really napped that afternoon so Amy & I were stuck with two high-strung kids while we were dragging tired. Funny how things don't go as we parents plan them no matter how hard we try!

Tess was just incredible on the walk. I strapped her into the Baby Bjorn, and she happily tagged along checking out all the trees and smiling at the people that walked by. The little girl didn't cry once. She continues to just amaze us with her mellow disposition -- she is certainly a content little child.

Finally on Friday night Amy & I treated ourselves to a night out as one of our favorite bands, Wilco, was playing over at the amphitheater in Cary. It was a gorgeous night under the pine trees next to the lake as the temperature dropped comfortably down into the 60's. We had seats under the pavillion 20 rows back so we had a terrific view of the stage. The band treated us to many of our favorites, including several songs off the early A.M and Being There albums. What a fun night -- it was good to hang out as husband and wife and take the night off from being mom and dad.

Many of the Wilco fans were in their 30's like Amy & me, and several brought their kids to the show with them. It was funny on the way out when Amy & I overheard a girl complaining to her boyfriend that "there were too many kids and babies at the show." We could not have disagreed more. For the parents with their children in tow, they were giving the kids an appreciation of good music and the great spirit among Wilco fans. I look forward to the day when we can pack up a blanket with our three and have our whole crew singing along!

Cheers!




Hot summer nights call for ice cream in the driveway. The boys' strategy was to see if they could get more ice cream in their mouths or more down the front of their clothes. Tess has to settle for a plastic chew toy. Your time is coming for ice cream, dear.


The slip n' slide -- another tried and true method of keeping cool on hot, humid North Carolina summer days.


The 8/8/08 show at Koka Booth.



"If I could you know I would just hold your hand and you'd understand...."

Working Woman

Laptop, check.....conference call, check.....notebook, check.....sleeping infant, check.

Multi-tasking at its finest right here. Cheers!

Paternity Leave

The past week and a half I have been fortunate enough to have time off from work for paternity leave. (My hat is off to IBM for that great benefit extended to dads.) Being home with the boys, baby & Amy has given me a lot of quality family time and an appreciation for all the domestic things that go on behind the scenes to make house and family operate. At times the commotion and chores are an alarming harbinger of the days to come as Amy & I come to terms with our future with three kids under the age of three. But fortunately we have had a lot of help from family, friends and neighbors who offer help, meals, and an ear for listening. We will get into a routine sooner or later and adjust to this big (and awesome) life change.

Grandparents are always a welcome sight at the Rutledge household. Nana was here for a couple of weeks after Tess was born, and her help was much appreciated. GJ arrived this week to get some grandmother time with Gus, Owen and Tess which is fulfilling for her and a helpful reprieve for us.

Amy is hanging in there trying to catch as much sleep as she can between Tess's feedings. Tess gave us a break last night by going five hours between feedings. (I should say she gave Amy a break as Amy obviously bears the brunt of the sleepless nights.) We try to wake her up & feed her during the day to get that little belly full in hopes of stretching out those post-midnight feedings as long as possible. We just have to tough it out until she sleeps through the night.

Outside our four walls, our attention has turned to the political primaries. I cannot remember a more interesting, gripping political race in my lifetime than the Obama/Clinton race for the Democratic nomination. After 20 debates and several primaries and caucuses, "Crucial Tuesday" as it's being billed could decide the race if Obama can pull out wins in Texas and Ohio next week. And the excitement is not just limited to the Democrats. Personally I think the Republicans have nominated -- or at least are about to nominate -- a quality person with integrity in John McCain. The general election promises to engage tens of thousands of new people to the political process and should be engaging to watch play out. Now if I can just contain my overzealousness for Obama to get my wife to jump back off the Clinton wagon....

Don't look now. But if Kentucky can somehow upset mighty Tennessee on Sunday, they have the inside track on the SEC regular season championship. (BTW, I did a double take writing that sentence during basketball season instead of football season.) Who would have thought this would even be within reach after Gardener-Webb?

Here are some Paternity Week scenes from our household. Happy Leap Day -- cheers!

There's nothing like snuggling up next to Mom for a warm winter's nap.



GJ's shoulder proves not to be half bad either.



"I'm milking them folks. These people don't stand a chance against me."



Bat the eyes. Dad jumps. Got it.

Homecoming

Amy & I brought Tess home from the hospital this past weekend to two anxious boys and four proud grandparents. The boys were waiting at the top of the street for us wearing their "I'm the Big Brother" shirts, courtesy of Amy's friend Julie. The boys have had a mixed reaction to Tess so far. At first they were very excited to see her and their parents, as they crouched down in the driveway to inspect the new arrival. As the weekend wore on (and their cough/congestion bug lingered) their patience withered for this little pink invader. By Sunday morning, Owen's comment was "Dad, I want to hit Tess. I want to hurt her." So we have some building to do with the boys -- their little worlds have been turned upside down with the events of the past several days.

Amy & I try to make sure Owen & Gus get some 1-on-1 time each day so they don't feel (too) left out. Gus really showed his tender heart this morning by bringing a balloon downstairs for Tess and clipping it on to her blanket. Then he proceeded to kiss his sister before his hacking and coughing forced his exit from the room. So there are signs of progress....

Tess got a great report from her first visit to the pediatrician yesterday. She is already back up to her birth weight, indicating how well she has taken to eating. She is nursing about every 2-3 hours which keeps Amy busy and fatigued. But overall Amy has recovered well from the delivery. She is obviously tired as she tries to sleep when she can. But we are trying to get her to take advantage of the help around the house while she can. I will say that we have walked Tucker around the block together the past two nights which is the first time that has happened in ages.

Three of the grandparents have left the scene as GJ and Pappy ventured down to see their granddaughter Corinne in Charleston and Billy returned to his FEMA job in Oklahoma. Nana will be staying with us for a while to lend a willing helping hand.

Cheers!


Proud Dad & Mom leave the hospital with Baby Tess.


The Big Brothers survey the new crying bundle of pink.

The boys were intrigued by their little sister. It will take some time for them to completely warm up to her, but we're on our way.

Tess, Day Two

Tess's birth and first two days have been such a different experience for Amy and me than what we had with Owen & Gus. With the boys being premature the doctors and nurses swept them away in an incubator the second they were born. For the first two weeks of their lives Amy & I came to the hospital every day to visit the boys in the NICU. We scrubbed our hands clean, put on hospital gowns, sorted through the maze of wires that were attached to their bodies, and negotiated the beeping monitors in order to bond with Owen and Gus. So while we certainly formed a bond with the boys, it was much more of a process to endure than this time around. From the moment Tess was born and cleared for landing, the nurse handed her back to us and said, "Here's your daughter, congratulations."

The past two days for us have been wonderful because everything has stopped. Nana, Granddaddy, GJ and Pappy are all here to help take care of the boys -- and my how Amy & I are grateful to have the grandparents taking care of under-the-weather boys. Dealing with work and the sea of unread emails is a distant worry far out of our minds. The singular focus of the past two days has been parent and child. What a fantastic way to spend the day.


Amy B cradles her bundle.

Tess and Dad share a nap.

Nana and Granddaddy get a glimpse of their new granddaughter.

Tess is no match for GJ's shoulder...

...nor Pappy's.

Amy & I so wanted the boys to bond with their new sister that we braved their cruddy coughs for five minutes so they could meet Tess at the hospital. We were very glad we did as the boys gushed over her. Owen presented his baby jaguar -- as permanent a fixture to Owen as the blanket is to Linus -- to Tess to kiss her foot. And sweet little Gus -- who lately has turned into his Mom's little boy -- wanted nothing more than to hold his baby sister.

Ah, the times to come. Cheers!

Tessa Lane

Every family has its own birth story etched in memory as every child's birth is unique from another. Like all parents Amy & I will always remember the circumstances surrounding the birth of our children. With the boys, Amy began having pre-term contractions and was on bed rest for months. When we went to the hospital at 33 weeks the doctors were trying to hold off labor for as long as possible. After 30 long hours the boys were born early but healthy.

With Amy's second pregnancy the pre-term contractions once again emerged very early. So all along we prepared ourselves for another early birth. Week after week passed though, and today marked the 39 week mark -- quite a feat for Amy B or as I like to call her, my miracle woman.

So when Amy woke me up at 4am this morning to tell me that she thought it was time, our own unique journey began. We gathered our things and left the house around 5am as our wonderful neighbor Mary came over to stay with the boys when they eventually woke up. When we arrived at the hospital, the nurses checked Amy and were not convinced that she was truly going into labor yet. So they told Amy to wait out the contractions either in the jacuzzi tub or by walking the halls. We tried both, but neither helped the pains that were really coming on.

After an hour of contracting and a shift change at the nurse's station, Amy was requesting pain medication as she was ready for her epidural. (By the way, "requesting" is Amy's word -- my words would be "unequivocally demanding.")

As the new nurse checked on Amy's progress, she spoke bluntly, "I'm going to be completely up front with you. I'm going to try to give you everything you want, but you are 7-8 cm's right now."

No more than 15-20 minutes later and still not officially admitted into the hospital Amy delivered a healthy baby girl, all natural with no pain medication whatsoever. Tessa Lane Rutledge was 6 lbs. 9 oz., 19.5 inches long and born at 7:46a.m.

My miracle woman delivered a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, great-granddaugher and cousin as well as another unique birth story of our own.

Cheers!


Baby Tess, eyes wide open

Baby Tess, un-burritoed and unhappy about it.

Amy B. with her Baby T.


Proud Mama....

....beaming Proud Papa.

Four-Letter Word Friday

Today is a definite T.G.I.F. day after a long week. It is a relief that the weekend is about here. And although outwardly I may complain that the sunny 60-degree weather we're about to get here over the next few days is unwanted because I want winter weather, in reality I'll be a happy camper to get outside this weekend and enjoy the sunshine.

On the Amy front, her doctor appointment this week went very well. For the last few visits she has been in and out like a trip to a fast-food restaurant.

"Baby still in there?" Check.
"Not currently in labor?" Check.
"See you next week. Do you want fries?"

Amy actually took exception to my comment in an earlier post that she is at the "incredibly uncomfortable" stage of pregnancy. On the contrary, she says, she is not uncomfortable. She just gets tired easily. I stand corrected. Maybe I just look at that huge protruding belly and think, "Wow, that must really be uncomfortable trying to stay upright" and transfer my impression to her.

One thing for sure is that Amy is a very light sleeper at this stage. Maybe it's the mother's body gearing up for the light sleeping that inevitably accompanies a new baby. Amy lets me know on occasional nights that I am snoring and thus keeping her awake. I blame it on Tucker and then fall back asleep. One night this week she even tried to make conversation in the middle of the night when I got up.

"Oh, you're up too? I've been up since 2:00a.m. What do you want to talk about?"

I could only utter a sympathetic grunt as I walked into the wall on the way to the bathroom. Overall though Amy is doing really, really well at this stage and is playing the waiting game like a pro.

Then there are the boys. Next week Owen & Gus start attending preschool five days a week from the three-day schedule they have been on since August. This will undoubtedly be a change for them. But we feel that it will be a positive thing for them to get the increased learning experience and for us to have a little more time to devote to the coming life change.

Lately the boys have picked up an undesirable piece of speech. Apparently we parents -- more likely yours truly -- have not been as careful around them with the vocabulary as we should have been. The boys have taken note. Playing at their train table recently, one of the trains fell off the track crashing into the floor and made a mess.

"Oh dammit!" barked Owen.
Gus immediately followed suit, "Dammit!"

The boys then tried to outdo each other, repeating their new word over and over again as loud as they could. Amy looked at each other with wide eyes in shock. Then immediately we turned away from them and tried with all our might to contain our laughter. Laughing is of course the worst thing we could do. If the boys saw us laughing we would be guaranteed that their new word would be in constant repetition and they would keep it up until they got that positive reaction.

Another time this week Amy was cleaning Gus up after he had an accident in his pants. Owen walked in to the bathroom and surveyed the scene.

"What happened Mom?"
"Gus pooped in his pants, Owen."
"Ahhhhh, dammit Gus!"

I suppose we just have to cross our fingers that the newfound joy the boys get in repeating curse words is short-lived and hope that it happens at home instead of at school or church. And we have to keep the kids away from me while I'm watching the UK games on television.

I do have to hand it to them though for using the word in the right context.

Finally, a big congratulatory cheers goes out to our friends Dave O and Julie who are expecting baby #1 in June. It will be the first girl to be born into an Orthober family full of sons and grandsons. And good luck to Dave in persuading a reluctant Julie to name their daughter Wesley Woodyard Orthober in honor of the Kentucky football player. This UK fan is pulling for you.

Have a great weekend -- cheers!

New Year Notes

The New Year is here. Down with the Christmas tree and plastic yard reindeer and up with the campaign banners as the caucus & primary season is underway. So many states have moved up their elections to these first few weeks of 2008 that there is a tidal wave of coverage on the races at this early stage. I have to admit that all the attention on the Presidential race has a political junkie like me excited.

With Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee winning in Iowa last week the remaining candidates are scrambling to craft themselves as the change candidate. Whatever your political affiliation, it is easy to admire both of these guys as experts at crafting and delivering a message of hopefulness that so far transcends left/right, blue/red, liberal/conservative. It is really interesting to watch.

Full disclosure -- I am an Obama guy. After reading his book, The Audacity of Hope, I began drinking the Obama kool-aid. Yes, he is light on experience. Yes, he speaks in platitudes that are devoid of many specifics on how he would change things. (As Amy says, he needs more "red meat" in his speeches.) But his vision for America to bridge differences both among people in the country and with people beyond our borders is genuine to me. I think it reflects an inclusive way of thinking -- that you have to listen to all points of view and not surround yourself with people who support your way of thinking -- that I believe is exactly what this country needs right now. His message resonated with tens of thousands of new voters in Iowa last week. We'll see if he has the staying power to take New Hampshire tonight and more states in the coming weeks. It will be fun to watch it unfold.



On the homefront, Amy is almost to 35 weeks with the pregnancy -- or as she likes to say, "5 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours, and 15 minutes until I can go 10 minutes without having to pee." She is a trooper as she waddles around the house scrounging for Honeycomb and keeping the three men in order. We go to the doctor tomorrow to get her checked out, and then it's an appointment every week from here on out. A couple of our neighbors pulled together a baby shower for Amy on Saturday which was great. Amy got to get a surprise night out on the town with her friends, and the boys got to eat pizza and roughhouse with pal Chad Guthrie.

We are still plunging forward with potty training with decent results. The boys are progressing at telling us when they need to go to the bathroom. Sometimes they tell us as they are going and sometimes right after they have gone. I'm sure you can imagine some of the mishaps so I'll spare you. Let's just say that so far the number of Fabreze bottles it takes to get the "accident" smell out of a certain two year-old's favorite pair of green lizard boots is at two and counting.

Finally, I have been receiving some good-natured ribbing from my friends here in Carolina about a certain basketball team's less-than-stellar start to its new era of basketball. After Kentucky's seventh discouraging loss to archrival Louisville on Saturday, I vowed to quit reading message boards because of the endless sea of negativity coming from the Chicken Littles among UK fans. That resolution lasted only days as curiosity got the best of me today. After reading the posts from the "This is all Tubby's fault" crowd and then posts from the "Gillispie was a huge mistake" crowd, I take solace in the calls for calm from the few sensible posters that still post on the boards. The reality is it is going to take some time for Gillispie to get his mindset instilled in his type of players. It will take time, which is never easy for a rabid fan base to accept.

The other reality is that after the second consecutive Music City Bowl victory and a win over the national champion LSU Tigers, Kentucky is a football school anyway!

Cheers!

Why Amy Doesn't Tip Over

Hmm, I was thinking it was because she can still outrun Gus. Apparently there is a more complicated, scientific answer. Whatever the reason, my hat is off to the child bearers.

Cheers!

"Why Pregnant Women Don't Tip Over"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/science/12cnd-pregnant.html?em&ex=1197781200&en=9ee163509360e953&ei=5087%0A

What they found, said Katherine K. Whitcome, a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard and the lead author of the paper, was evidence that evolution had produced a stronger and more flexible lower spine for women. After studying 19 pregnant subjects, Ms. Whitcome found that the lumbar, or lower back, curve in women extends across three vertebrae, as opposed to just two in men. And the connecting points between vertebrae are relatively larger in women, and shaped differently in ways that make the stack more stable and less prone to the bones shifting out of alignment or breaking.

Halfway Point

Amy B has passed the halfway point of the pregnancy. The first trimester was a bit rough as her appetite was....how do I put this politely, particular and selective. ;-) She is through that stage now though and eating much more. The doctors have told her to put on the pounds.

We are still proceeding with caution as the Braxton-Hicks contractions that sidelined Amy when she was pregnant with the boys have made an unwelcome return. Amy is going to the doctor every two weeks for ultrasounds to make sure that the contractions aren't causing anything to happen prematurely. So far, the contractions are just a nuisance. Still we are keeping a close watch on it and trying to keep Amy from overdoing it.....as much as a mom with 2 two year-olds can not overdo it, right? Luckily we have been fortunate enough to have GJ in North Carolina with us for a few weeks to help out with boys, meals, etc. Her help has been tremendous.

Finally the boys know they are going to have a baby sister rather than a brother -- although I'm not sure they really know what that means. And they know that the baby is actually in Mom's belly and not in Dad's belly.

Cheers!

Happy Birthday to Amy

Happy birthday to Amy B who every year gets to put up with my annoying barbs about being two days older than her husband. Cheers!

Thirty Love

Anyone who has stopped by the Rutledge house over the past week or called to talk to us may have heard a South African's voice resonating throughout the house in the background. That's because Cliff Drysdale is the most popular man in our house these days. Some of you may not know this, but Amy is an avid tennis junkie especially when the major tournaments roll around. For the past week the Australian Open has dominated the television at our house. The DVR is filled with four-hour blocks of tennis recordings. Law & Order has been officially booted from the programming schedule. My pleas for an occasional break to enjoy the utter brilliance of Jack McCoy breaking down a defendant on the witness stand fall on deaf ears. Instead I go to bed with the sound of Drysdale calling a match that won't end until 3:00 in the morning. When I wake up, Amy is out in the living room searching through the late-night recordings to queue up for the day. Instead of breakfast at Wimbledon, we have breakfast with Cliff at the Rutledge house.

I try to convince Amy that Australia is actually a far-off land that is three weeks ahead of us and that all these matches have already taken place. "Roger Federer wins," I promise her. But she isn't buying it.

"Keep it down, honey. I can't hear Cliff."

The fortnight is over come Sunday at which time this smooth South African will leave our house....until May when the French Open rolls around.