IT'S A BOY!!! (8:28am on 08.20.08)

So, this was Rania & I yesterday at the park.....probably one of the last moments we'll have alone for a little while.
...and this little (BIG) fella is ELIJAH ZACHARY JOHNSON. Weighing in at a whopping 8lbs. 5oz. 20 1/2" length. Born 8:28am on 8/20/08.....A boy! That was such a surprise. Ninah & Cia are big sisters to a beautiful brother. Welcome to this world, Elijah!!!
Bebe, Nona, Rania, Elijah...all SMILES.

Nona & Elijah

Nona & Rania
Proud Papa!

Dr. Roa & Nurse Karen were awesome!

...and this is Rania AFTER the delivery, seriously. She did awesome!!! We began at 3am this morning racing through the backroads to Hillcrest in the Subaru making record time; 14 min (thank you very much). Made it safely and labored very nicely until Elijah Zachary (EZ) Johnson's giant head and body finally came out!!!!!

At the moment, Mommy & baby are doing fantastic...more to come later......z

08.17.08

Here are some photos from the trip to Holden Arb yesterday and about 2 weeks ago....

08.16.08

So Rania is ready.....our due date is Monday and we know that it's just an estimate, but we are ready. Bebe & Doc arrived Friday, Nona is primed & ready, we're just waiting for this little one to make the decision to come on out!

In the meantime, we have had beautiful weather and went to the farmer's market this a.m., picked apples at Patterson fruit farm, went for a great run, and then headed over to Holden Arboraetum to catch frogs & marvel at the gardens (I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or me in the pond with the bullfrogs).

Ok, well I'll do my best to get the blog updated as soon as this baby makes his/her arrival.....could be any hour/day now!!!!

08.03.08

ok, I know....I've taken an hiatus from the blogging. Normal hours and actually seeing my family when they are awake has been curbing my home PC usage.....So, the last 3 months in a nutshell:

-bought the house in Kirtland....love it!

-Rania got more pregnant.

-moved from Ober to the new house.

-I ran another ultra-marathon (my last one until the children's dust settles.!)

-Rania got more pregnant.

-we did a whole bunch of stuff (that's the summary). -Rania got more pregnant.

So, everyone is healthy & happy. We will finally get to find out in a couple short weeks who this little person is!! (Due date 8.18.08)


So, since I have gotten so bad about blogging....I would imagine that the next entry will have pics of a new family member.
If anyone wants to take a guess at the gender, respond.....I am guessing girl!

Later,
z

05.09.08 (2)

Oh, yeah....we bought a house. We like it (a lot). We close on the house 06/27/08, so we have some time to prep & move. We will be @ 8811 Eagle Rd. Kirtland, OH 44094.

05.09.08

Okay, I am not as good about the blog as I was....I suppose there is one downfall to working at Rockwell...no more 2am blog posts. Here is a current family shot (all drawn in highlighter, thank you).

...and finally, a pic or two of the bunk & twin beds for Ninah & Cia.

04.29.08

Well, the new job has altered our lives to say the least. Today is week 4 at Rockwell Automation. It has been a pretty wonderful transition from UPS to Rockwell. Comparatively, it is night & day. Considering that I have not been able to have dinner with the family M-F for nearly 3 years and now I can be there every night…that alone was worth the change. We still feel like we are in the honeymoon phase, getting up early, having coffee, making dinner, putting the kids to bed (as a team), and just being able to do what much of the rest of the world can do when they finish their work day.

Rania is doing really well with the pregnancy…we still don’t and won’t know if it’s a boy or girl until he/she comes out in the middle of August. She doesn’t really look pregnant, except for the bump on her belly. Anyhoo, she’s doing well.

Cecilia & Ninah have moved up in the world – at least in their beds. This weekend, we moved the crib out of Cia’s room and replaced it with Ninah’s twin bed. Ninah is now on oak bunk beds with a little bit of history. While we were in Florida on vacation, Dad offered the bunk beds that he slept on as a little boy, Angel slept on, I slept on (when I was there), and I sure a few others….(kids, I mean). So, we are guessing circa 1955 or so…there was a “MARINES looking for a few good men” sticker on there that we could not get off, so it was covered with a “Trees are the answer” sticker…fitting, I think.

Cecilia is adjusting to the new bed….2 nights so far, last night better than the first. Well, that’s the update for now. I will add photos when I can…later……….z

04.17.08

Okay all....Rania is now at week 22 with ~126 days remaining in the pregnancy.

According to the BabyCenter.com, our baby is about the size of a spaghetti squash.

Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out. Your baby's eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks some pigment. Your baby's lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. You won't actually see her first tooth until she's around 4 to 7 months old, unless she's one of the rare babies who are born with teeth.

I'll try to add some more this weekend.............z

04.13.08

Oh my gosh....I have spent some time trying to go through all of the photos and I wish I had been good enough to keep up with the blog while I was on vacation. Alas, no....So, I am simply going to post a bunch of photos from parts of the trip from shots that were on my camera. I realize that these are COMPLETELY out of order....Oh well....z

4.10.08

Okay, I have been terrible about this blog for the last 3-4 weeks but there is good reason. We took a wonderful trip to sunny Florida for 2 weeks (pics to follow shortly). Last Monday, I left the Brown cult (aka UPS) and took an opportunity with Rockwell Automation (sweet!!) as a Manager in Strategic Sourcing (what?). Anyhoo....it's been a bit of a culture shock for me in the best way. We are finally getting our lives back due to the normal schedule and I have actually had dinner with Rania & the kids everyday this week, something I haven't done in over 3 years!!

Alright, I will get to the blog this weekend and post a couple of the pics from Florida.....z