Douglas (Doug) Herminez writing.  Hope this finds y'all well and happy.

We are doing well, especially since I have found out that my darling wife, Beckah, is pregnant!  She is 7 weeks pregnant with what will be our third child (and our first together as husband and wife).  Excited?? You bet!  Way past excited: I'm absolutely ESTATIC!!

Of course, Garrett Storm, being only two years old, is way too young to understand, but Ramona Dean is already jealous.  She already has a little brother; she doesn't want to have another sibling.  Don't blame her, but I am sure that once the baby is born, she will get used to it and learn to love him (or her), just as she has done with Garrett.

Garrett has managed to stay out of the hospital, which has been an answer to all our prayers.  Poor little guy gets sick at the drop of a hat: never has had a very strong immune system: any little bug that comes crawling along, and chances are, Garrett will end up with it.  If it is not a round of the squirts or vomiting, Garrett is fighting to breathe as he battles yet another respiratory infection (mainly pneumonia).  It's really a pain in the butt!

This morning, I took Ramona and Garrett to the park near our home here in Floydada, Texas, where we live.  Ramona enjoyed romping around on the jungle gym and swinging on the swings while I held Garrett in my lap and took him on the slide.  He loved it; he couldn't get enough!  I also took Garrett on the swings; they have special swings for kids like Garrett.  All I did was hook his chair to the chains and there you go.  He enjoyed himself immensely!

We were at the park for an hour.  We then went home, where I was greeted by the smell of vomit.  Beckah had gotten sick again (morning sickness).  She was lying on the couch, a towel on her forehead; she looked rather green in the face.  I felt so bad for her.  I made my wife some plain toast and got her a drink high in electrolytes so she wouldn't become dehydrated.

I then went to the restroom, gagging as I flushed the toilet (Beckah had forgotten to flush it; it was still full of vomit), and used nearly a whole can of room freshener, so I could get rid of some of the stink that permeated the air.  

I made the kids their lunches (Ramona: bologna sandwich, Cheet-o chips, and baked beans, and nutritional suppliment [PediaSure] for Garrett) and sat with them as they ate; I then sat with my wife, who was now by this time snoozing away on the couch in the livingroom.

I put the kids down after their lunch for their afternoon nap; they'll probably sleep until 4 or so; this gives me some time to do some reading and working on the computer.  That is where you find me now as I type this down.

Other than Beckah being sick, it was a great morning.  I hope the afternoon goes as smoothly.  I am going to go now; going to get something to eat myself, and enjoy the kids' company.  Take care; will write later!  Until then, this is Doug Herminez saying so long and God bless!

~Doug.

~To be continued.~