Brendan Rowan McNulty HAS ARRIVED!!!!

Well . . . . We are now a family of 4 (5 with Guss).  6/6/16 was a big day as Meri started contracting on her due date at 0530, to the hospital by 0710, Brendan born at 0850.  We had Munson Medical Center moving quickly after their shift change, but all was very smooth and Meri was a total ROCK STAR.  Brendan was 8.8lbs, 20.5in, and super healthy.  We were in tears as I called out the gender as we all kinda expected a girl.  We made it home yesterday around 1130 and it felt great to get settled in at home.  Below are some pics and Caleb is stoked and immediately gave Brendan a kiss on the head, and touched him very gently.  Thanks for all the support, texts, emails, and love from all over the globe.  Standby for more updates . . . . .

38 WEEKS!!

Wow. . . . Only a few weeks left until Meri is full term on baby #2 (June 6 is D-Day).  We are waiting to find out if our new family member is another boy or a charming girl.  Meri is hanging in there, but of course is definitely ready to deliver this child.  Please excuse the long delay of a blog update, but the time has been flying since we have settled into our new home in Traverse City.  We had a pretty mild winter, but were still able to enjoy some snow activities (walking to the park, skiing at our local ski area, and XC skiing).

Some new exciting news came in March when I was offered a part time flying position with the hospital flight program.  I have been hired by Aero Med Spectrum Health of Grand Rapids, MI who will be merging with the flight program in Traverse City starting July 1st.  I started training on April 1st and we have been managing the family schedules to allow enough time for Caleb coverage.  It has been amazing to fly again, sharpen those skills, and learn a new programs operating procedures.

Other highlights of the winter are below with pictures to truly show how much fun we have had with Caleb and getting acquainted in our new home town.

- Beavercreek 2015, our annual CO trip to see Marco Sullivan race the World Cup Birds of Prey downhill
- First Xmas in our new HOME!
- Chicago Trip to see the Voice auditions with Michelle
- Tahoe Trip in Feb (just the boys, Caleb and Dad)
- Girls Trip to CA (pre-baby moon for Meri to relax)
- Caleb's 2nd B-day Bash
- Keelan's marathon training (Running on May 28th to qualify for Boston)
- Milwaukee Trip to visit family

We hope everyone is doing well and truly ready for some summer fun.  Be safe and remember to CARPE DIEM!!!

PURE MICHIGAN!!

Pure Michigan has been the theme during the last month as we have officially become initiated into the community of Traverse City.  Our new address is:

823 E. State Street
Traverse City, MI 49686

and our new home phone (that is right, we went that route with internet service) is 231-486-6965.  After our first block party in our neighborhood (shut down street, food, music), the welcome reception for new physicians to Munson Medical Center, and Caleb not wanting to leave his day care (2 days a week) because he wanted to stay and play with his friends in the dirt have all been signs that we are HERE.  Reality has definitely set in and our house is for the most part unpacked and feels like home.  Meri has started her job and has been very busy trying to figure out the new flow, learn the new equipment, and figure out the schedule.  We welcome any visitors that are willing and able to make the journey to Northern Michigan as the list of visitors over the last few weeks is still alarming.

1.  Darren Moniot (first night in new home and welcomed to our new home with ribbon on door and the front deck wrapped in gift paper)
2.  Katie Donahue (helped unpack, babysit, dog sit, and show us town)
3.  Mario Cicconetti (sandbagged and helped move furniture, place some pics, and sandbagged some more)
4.  Grandpa & Grandma Koski (helped organize house and unpack the decorations)
5.  Nana McNulty (stayed for 9 days to help with Caleb, clean, unpack, and take labor day trip to Mackinac Island)
6.  Aunt Kari, Cousin Mina, & Uncle John (enjoyed the new house and played with family)
7.  Liz Kenny, Anna Goodman, & Marco Sullivan (all came to town for Mike Prado's Wedding . . . great time!!)
8.  Tara Hartman (in town for work conference, came for dinner and tour of new digs)
9.  Kate Hosking (driving thru town from Ann Arbor for work conference, mtn biking, and hung with Caleb)
10. Whoever is reading this . . . . yyyeeaaaahhhaaaaa

We officially now have two SUP boards that we bought as used rental boards that are nice and beat up, but still smooth in the water, enough bikes (5) to cruise into town, and enough room to sleep 6 people in beds.  My job flying with North Flight (the local EMS helicopter in town) is looking about 60/40ish and will continue to network and wait to hear any updates.  The main purpose and focus is keeping Caleb happy, fed, clean diaper, and trying to minimize his face plants on his strider bike.  Oh yeah, and Meri did pass her board exam and now will have to take step 2 in March/April which is the oral portion.  Huge news as you can't move onto step 2 without step 1 completed.  Congrats to her and thanks for all the positive thoughts sent her way.

We love you all and thanks so much for the support as we have made this huge transition into the next chapter of life.  Below are some photo highlights of the last few months.  See you soon.

41 Days (see updated pics below)

This is the perfect time of any for a McNulty family update from Cleveland.  On the verge of Caleb’s 15 month mark and the fact that we are 41 days from leaving Cleveland here is the most recent update with the family and our future. 

First, the past 6 months have been magical watching Caleb James grow, play, learn to throw, stand, watch birds, and most recently scoot across the floor.  We hosted family during Meri’s graduation from the Cleveland Clinic Residency Program (see pic below), visited Lake Tahoe for an entire week for Caleb’s first dip into Lake Tahoe, and the biggest news for the family was finding and buying the perfect house in Traverse City to stage our next chapter of life.

The plan is to pack the house on August 21^st and drive West and North to Traverse City, MI on August 22^nd.  After getting settled into our house (1 block from beach, 4 blocks from down town, 1.9 miles from Meri’s hospital, 2.2 miles from local ski hill) we will enjoy some time with family and friends before Meri starts working with Traverse Anesthesia Associates and Munson Medical Center on the 15^th of September.  It will be very hard to leave some great friends in Cleveland and the wonderful job of flying for PHI Air Medical, but the time has come to turn the pages and move on.  I will initially be Mr. Mom before I start my campaign to run for Mayor of Traverse City in 2020 or find another local helicopter flying position. 

Please plan your trip now to come visit as we do have a mother-in-law suite behind the main house and there are many connecting flights through Chicago or Detroit.  Excuse the long delay in family communication, but this parenting thing is too much fun.  See everyone in PURE MICHIGAN!!

Really . . . . coming up on 6 Months

The summer has been so amazing with many travels, Caleb first's, and quality time with all the amazing people in our lives.  Thanks to all for the support, the gifts, and the love we feel everyday.  Below are just a few highlights of the summer months and the pictures below really tell the true stories.  I will be sure to update this blog this Fall and Winter as the travel plans have been set for some big trips out West (Seattle, LA, Beavercreek) with a big finish for Xmas in the U.P.  Happy Fall and Seize It!

1.  Wedding weekend at Flathead Lake with the MT crew.  Stayed with Lacny and reunited with Peter,  Kyle, Mark and Chris.  Congrats Chris on the wedding and thanks again for the invite.

2.  Vermont Family Reunion at Snare Camp/Averill Lake.  It was the first time in 7 years that everyone made the family reunion and what a great trip with quality family time, great food, and of course many laughs.  Meri and I were able to stop and see Chuck, Wren, and Thayne at the Tamarack Tennis Camp.  So great to see you guys and it was awesome that the two red heads could meet.

3.  Wedding weekend in Bay Harbor, MI - Kyle and Marissa from MSU Medical School had an amazing wedding on Lake Michigan.  Thanks for the invite and it was so great to see everyone.

4.  Caleb's first camping trip at Hocking Hills State Park... exploring Ohio while we're still here!!!

Besides those big trips we had plenty of visitors in Cleveland with Aunt Kari coming to help out with some Caleb sitting as well as Grandma Koski.  Joel and Julie came through town from TX to see some family and Uncle Mario was through CLE for a few weddings.  Meri and I are truly enjoying this little man growing and blabbing. Everyday illustrates why we are here and why we get up everyday.

Thank you again for everyone's support and continuous love.

2 Months . . . WHAT!!!!!!

Caleb James turned two months old the other day and how amazing the past 8 weeks has been for the proud parents of Meri and I.  It has been a jam packed few weeks with tons of activity (we wouldn't have it any other way) and we tried to Seize every last minute we had together before work began for both of us last week.  I am so lucky to have such a strong wife in my life and part of this family.  She is the foundation of this family and from the start of Caleb's life she has been once again a total WARRIOR (never giving up).

Caleb was able to finally meet his other Grandparents from the West Coast as my Mom and Dad flew into Cleveland for nice visit.  Of course the trip was filled with quality time at the house, some nice walks around Shaker Lakes and our neighborhood.  One highlight was Caleb's first MLB baseball game (Indians got smoked by the A's) on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon in Cleveland.  He slept most of the game, but didn't really fuss and was just happy to be out and about.  Thanks Mom and Dad for all the help around the house, the quality conversations, and for being so supportive.  

The next big event was our first family road trip to Traverse City (TC), MI.  Because we are rookie parents and this was our first trip we packed the entire kitchen sink in our new family Toyota 4Runner (Yakima travel box loaded as well).  The main reason for the trip was for the TC marathon which I was running with some friends from Cleveland and a nice chance for a little get away to kick off the summer.  We rented a nice house from VRBO on an inland lake and were able to set up base camp there.  The marathon was awesome with an early morning start 0700 and we finished in 3:29 (PR's for all of us).  The rest of the memorial day weekend was spent with great friends and enjoying some lake life.  Caleb was able to meet many more friends to include Julie & JT, Katie & brother, and some other TC locals.  Because we had traveled to the Northern tip of the lower peninsula of MI, we decided to go big and just keep driving north across the Mackinac bridge and into the U.P.  We visited Grandpa and Grandpa Koski again and of course Uncle John, Uncle Joel, and Aunt Kari came to meet Caleb as well.  Again three more days of lake life as the sun continued to shine and represent.  At this point, Meri and I have started to figure the routine of traveling with the little man and he has been great.  He loves his car seat (usually falls asleep within 5 minutes of rolling) and loves looking out the window.  It was really nice to see other friends in the U.P. and again enjoy some quality family time.  On the way home to Cleveland we decided to make a smart decision and break up the normal 12 hr drive and stop half way at Kari's house in Milwaukee.  The following day Caleb had his best day in the car driving all the way from Milwaukee back to Cleveland with only one stop to feed.  So far Caleb has traveled in OH, MI (& the U.P. of MI), WI, IL, & IN.  Yyyyeeeehhhaaaa buddy and can't wait to take you all over this amazing world.

This may sound crazy, but the next week (Meri's last week before going to back to work), we decided to book some last minute flights to Montana to attend a Chris Maki's wedding (buddy from Montana State).  Caleb once again rocked out his first flight and despite our crappy flight plan to MT (two layovers . . . good job McNulty) he did great.  The wedding weekend was fast and furious, but so great to see old friends like the Lacnys, Seacats, Sturrocks, Hulst, Corys, and Kellogg.  Love you all and MT could be calling our name (in the future) as we did a little recon in the lovely town of Big Fork on Flathead lake.  Congrats Maki and what a beautiful wedding.

So now the next event is meeting crazy Aunt Michelle as her Voice Casting Crew is in the lovely city of Cleveland for the week.  Get ready Caleb . . . . . another great week ahead of us.

1 Month Already . . . .

Everyone has told us to enjoy the time with the little man because it goes fast, and at first we only half believed them, but wow these four weeks have truly flown by.  Of course we have dealt with some serious hurdles with the breastfeeding, some lack of sleep (lucky as Caleb is an awesome sleeper at this point), and some mood swings, but all in all LIFE is SOOOO GGGOOOODDDDD.  Meri and I are so lucky to have the time off together and just focus on one thing. . . Caleb James McNulty.  Meri is feeling better every day and actually is attending her first slow flow yoga class right now.  The Spring weather in Cleveland has been awesome with warm walking weather, occasional rain/thunderstorms, and blooming flowers.  Caleb had the chance to meet his Grandpa Koski, Aunt Lala from Steamboat, and is now prepping for Nana & Grandpa McNulty who arrive on Friday.

We would like to give a quick thanks to our great friends in Cleveland Travis and Casey Nickels for taking the time to complete a 2 hour personal photo shoot of the family and then providing this creative video/photo slide show (and about 100 photos) that is attached to the link below.  Enjoy if you haven't seen the pictures and we will update the blog before heading back to work at the end of the month.

http://animoto.com/play/gOy1r1R02AGhLhjzcoPDmQ

Week 1 down . . . so many awesome weeks to come

Well . . . we made it through week one with lots of tears (of joy) and many moments thankful for our jobs, vacation/off time, time together, and most importantly a healthy son.  He had many first time experiences such as stroller rides, trip to pediatrician, meeting some great friends, and to top it off meeting his first Grandparent, Grandma Koski.  Carolyn arrived last night and will be helping out this week around the house and with some other baby duties (date night has already been scheduled, thanks Carolyn).  Meri is kicking butt and recovery well from the delivery day and we can't wait for some more sunny weather in Cleveland.  Next stop will be a Cleveland Indians game and meeting more friends and family.  Check out some pics below from his first week as a Clevelander.

Introducing . . . . CALEB JAMES MCNULTY!!!!!!

All we can say is WOW. . . . what an awesome life event that will be cherished forever.  Caleb James McNulty was born on 4/14/14 at 2052 in the evening at Hillcrest Hospital (Cleveland Clinic) in good ol' Cleveland, Ohio.  He weighed in at 8lbs 10oz and was 21 inches long.  Meri was a rock star during the entire birthing and pushed hard (stage 2 of labor) for 1hr.  We just arrived home yesterday (he loved the car ride) around 1600 and are adapting to the new environment, routine, and of course the valuable breast feeding game.  Caleb is a total "ham" and Meri and I can't stop staring at him and then burst into tears of joy and are simply so grateful for his health and to have started a family together.  He can't wait to meet everyone, go skiing, and ring some cowbells.  Thanks again to everyone for their support and endless love we receive everyday.  We will update this blog with new pictures every week (that is the goal), so stay tuned . . . . . As always CARPE DIEM!!