This is Curt. Shelly said if I was going to spend every winter evening on the computer I could at least make something useful, so here's a page about our baby. We farm with my dad north of Kearney, Nebraska: corn, beans and about ninety head of cows. Shelly works at the bank in town until the baby comes, and then we'll see.

The cows are calving right now too, so I've been out checking heifers at two in the morning. Shelly says this is good practice for me. I said at least the heifers don't need a car seat. She did not laugh.

March 9
The hospital bag is packed and sitting in the pickup. The car seat is in. It took me forty-five minutes and the whole instruction book, and then Shelly's mom came over and moved one strap. 31 calves on the ground so far and all of them healthy. Shelly is done at the bank as of Friday. She says she is done with a lot of things, including shoes.

February 22
Baby shower at Shelly's mom's. I was allowed in for cake. We got a whole pile of sleepers in yellow and green, a quilt from Grandma Powell that she started back in September, a swing, and something called a Diaper Genie, which I have now had explained to me twice. Thank you, everybody. Shelly is writing the thank-you notes and I'm supposed to be doing the envelopes, so I'd better get off here.

February 2
Nursery is painted, a soft yellow since we don't know. My brother Dean and I put the crib together in one afternoon with only three bolts left over. They're in a coffee can in case they turn out to be important.

January 12
Shelly says she hasn't seen her feet since Christmas. The baby kicks the most at night, right when she's trying to sleep. I felt the first kick back in November and I've been a goner ever since.