From now on, I will primarily be providing picasa (not facebook) links when I link photos in my blog entries. I’m making the switch to picasa for two main reasons. First, this will allow a greater number of pictures to be shared. And second, the links will not expire after a period of time.
So bookmark this website and check back for photo updates! http://picasaweb.google.com/miller.family.photos.1121
This Christmas will be remembered as the first Christmas for Alan and Wai Po. Alan had his “A” stocking hung above the fireplace and Wai Po received presents from Santa under the tree. 
We also enjoyed Snow Days at Progressive Field and the Winter Show at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. Overall it was a wonderful weekend spent with family.
Pictured above is our annual photo in front of our Christmas tree and my beautiful niece Yingying in Shanghai showing her Christmas spirit.
Merry Christmas!
http://picasaweb.google.com/miller.family.photos.1121/Christmas2010#
This time it’s my turn. This afternoon I found out that I passed my last remaining section of the CPA Exam!! I wasn’t expecting my score to be posted online yet, but I decided to check anyway (waiting is the hardest part). But before logging in, I still went and picked up Alan and brought him to my laptop for good luck. After seeing the good news, we quickly ran over to celebrate with V, who was in the laundry room at the time. We celebrated there before realizing there was more space in the kitchen haha.
After passing AUD and BEC last winter and FAR over the summer, I completed the long, arduous CPA journey by passing REG this fall. It took a year’s worth of time to reach this point while working busy seasons at Deloitte and being on an exhausting job search, but it’s all finally over. What a relief! For both V and I, it’s a great feeling to be able to turn the calendar to 2011 with a fresh start and more time for Alan.
Yesterday Alan, V, Wai Po, and I spent an enjoyable day in Columbus. It was the first of what will no doubt be many trips to the Ohio State campus for this family. 
We had a great time and I was so proud to take pictures of Alan in his OSU hat–especially outside the Horseshoe! He was a good little Buckeye throughout the whole day. In addition to visiting Ohio Stadium, we also made stops at the business campus, my old apartment, Mirror Lake, Joy’s Village (favorite OSU restaurant), and The Oval.
It’s hard for me to believe how much the OSU campus has changed in the five years since I graduated. The new student union, Woody Hayes Center, renovated Thompson library, and the South Campus Gateway are phenomenal. I thought OSU was top notch while I was there, but apparently nowadays it’s even better.
http://picasaweb.google.com/miller.family.photos.1121/OhioStateTrip#
It seems like every recent Thanksgiving I’ve had something new and special to be thankful for. This year is no different with the arrival of Alan in September. V and I love our little guy and we’re excited for him to experience his first holiday season. It’s also the first holiday season for V’s Mom in the U.S. We’re thankful to have her living with us and taking care of Alan as well. It’s been a lot of fun for V to have her Mom around all the time.
I’m also thankful for my new job at Key and for V passing the bar exam. I’m thrilled to be working in a different avenue within the accounting field, and I really enjoy the team I work with now. And V is much closer to her dream of becoming a U.S. attorney after passing perhaps the most difficult professional certification test out there.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
http://picasaweb.google.com/miller.family.photos.1121/AlanNovember#
Yesterday V found out some great news. She passed the bar exam!!! It was a long four months waiting and worrying about this result, but now she is a giant step closer towards her long-time goal of becoming an attorney.
V found out the news by checking her email. I found out the news by hearing V cheer loudly and jump into the bed where Alan and I were taking a nap. I was confused at first what was happening but then quickly realized the magnitude of what she was telling me.
Her path to this point was nothing short of obstacle-filled. She studied for the exam while working and carrying Alan. She took the exam at 33 weeks pregnant and 3 hours away from home. Not to mention that actually taking the two-day exam was preceded by a two-year struggle and multiple appeals to be declared elibigble to sit for the exam.
The journey was rough and nothing came easy for V. But at the same time I knew there was no way V was going to be denied of obtaining her ultimate goal. I’m very proud of her and I also know that this is just the beginning of what she’ll be able to accomplish.
For those wondering what I do as a Financial Risk Governance Analyst at Key Bank, this entry is to try to answer that question. First I’ll provide the formal explanation and then I’ll translate into my own words:
Financial Risk Governance is the center of excellence focused on the financial controls process. Financial Risk Governance’s main focus points are as follows:
Basically this means my department is an internal support group for all things related to the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation of 2002 (which is legislation that was passed to require companies to strengthen their financial controls after the Enron/WorldCom scandals). My group is a non-revenue generating support function, so we do not deal with the bank’s external clients. We don’t do independent testing, so we’re not internal auditors either. Rather, we consult the bank’s lines of business to help ensure that appropriate policies and procedures are in place to lower risk of financial loss due to subpar internal controls.
Tonight Alan celebrated his first Halloween, dressed as a bear. He was good for the most part and helped pass out candy for about 15 mins (by “helped” I mean he stayed quiet in V’s arms). But after about 15 mins he quickly grew disinterested and had to go inside with Wai Po. It was a good first attempt at celebrating Halloween though. Hopefully next year he’ll be able to go out for trick-or-treating! V and I have already decided that each of us will get to take him to one side of our street while the other stays at home to pass out candy. Neither of us wants to miss out! Actually I think V would wear a costume and go trick-or-treating if she could.
Earlier this evening Alan held still long enough for us to take some nice pictures. He might not have truly enjoyed wearing the hood, but V and I sure loved it. Halloween can be just as fun for the parents as for the kids!
http://picasaweb.google.com/miller.family.photos.1121/Halloween#
How about those Cavaliers!! Beating the Celtics on Opening Night at the Q–a day after the Celtics beat the Heat–was probably the ideal way for the 2010-11 Cavaliers to usher in their new era of basketball under Byron Scott. LeBron could never beat Boston when he was here (or in Miami apparently), so how fitting was it to see the Cavs pick up the victory over the Celtics in their first game without him.
No one was quite sure what we’d get from the Cavaliers after a long and difficult offseason of change, but what we got was a team that hussled, featured an up-tempo offense, played with passion and purpose, fought back from a deficit, and moved the ball well in crunchtime (Not to mention the Cavs made their free throws and didn’t have any supposed team leaders quit in the middle of a game). The Cavs played as a team and gave a maxium effort that was easy for fans to get behind.
On one perfect night, this hard-working and overlooked-but-victorious Cavs squad represented Cleveland better than LeBron ever could. As a fan, I was more proud of this victory than any from last season. And judging by the raucous crowd at the Q and the buzz around town the day after, I think a lot of Clevelanders would agree. After all the doom-and-gloom, this surprise victory was just what everyone needed to snap out of the funk and realize that there can be success in life after LeBron.
Once a year the Browns put together a stellar performance right when you least expect it. In 2008 the 1-3 Browns beat the undefeated, defending champion Giants on Monday Night Football. In 2009 the 1-11 Browns beat the defending champion Steelers in a Thursday night rivalry game. And on Sunday the 1-5 Browns stunned the defending champion Saints on their home turf.
The Browns didn’t just beat the Saints–they ran circles around them. The win featured 150+ yards of trick plays, Colt McCoy’s first NFL victory (and first NFL reception), and two of my absolute favorite sights in a football game–a big man rumbling (Bowens, twice) and a punter on the loose (Who knew Hodges could run like that?). For the first time Eric Mangini and his staff outcoached the opposition and put together a perfect gameplan.
The question now remains, was this just another once-in-a-season win? Or is it a turning point for this team in the Holmgren-Heckert-Mangini era?
On Thursday of this week Alan turned 1 month old. Hard to believe the first month has already flown by, but for the most part it went smoothly. He’s growing, starting to find his voice, and learning how to sleep at night (it’s still a work in progress). Alan has been a good boy, and he was on his best behavior yesterday during our first family trip.
After going to Buffalo at the end of July for the bar exam, we went back again yesterday–this time to go to Niagara Falls. This was the last weekend that the Maid of the Mist and Hurricane Deck would be open for the season, and V and I want to take V’s Mom to see as many sites as possible while she’s here.
V watched Alan while V’s Mom and I got drenched. It ended up being a lot more fun than I expected. The whole family had a nice time and I was very, very happy that Alan cooperated. He even helped us take a nice family photo by the falls! I’m still very proud of him.
It’s nice living so close to the falls (just a 3-hour drive). We’ll definitely take Alan back when he gets older!
http://picasaweb.google.com/miller.family.photos.1121/AlanSFirstTripNiagaraFalls#
http://picasaweb.google.com/miller.family.photos.1121/AlanOctober#
Lost in the baby shuffle was the fact that I officially changed jobs. I missed most of my final two weeks at Deloitte so that I could be with V and Alan in the hospital. They were pretty understanding about the situation and I appreciated that a lot. Then on Thursday and Friday I worked my first two days for Key Bank. So far I can tell that I’m really going to like it at Key. It’s a great company and I’m excited to work in a department full of people who are my age and have come out of the Big 4 like me. It’s exciting to have positive feelings about work and my career again.
Alan is now 10 days old and he’s been a joy to be around. He’s awesome to hold and fun to watch. I feel that I could just watch him stretch and repeatedly change facial expressions all day long. The past few nights he’s even slept relatively well–giving his Mom and Dad a huge break. He’s been an absolute blessing to our family and we love him so much.
However, that’s not to say everything has been perfect these first couple weeks of his life. The delivery was rough on V–she spent 26 hours in labor only to have a hurried c-section because of complications during the final stages of delivery. Then Alan developed a case of jaundice that kept us in the hospital for a total of 7 days. And after finally getting home, Alan had major trouble adjusting during his first night at the house and kept V and I awake the entire night.
But I suppose that’s how parenting a child is supposed to go–an overall great experience, but a lot of day-to-day ups and downs. It’s going to be a long, fun ride and we’re just getting started!
http://picasaweb.google.com/miller.family.photos.1121/AlanSFirst10Days#
Alan was born at 7:13pm on September 21st–weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces with a length of 21.75 inches!
More details to follow once V is out of the hospital and things settle down. But for now let me just say that I’m enjoying every minute of being a Dad!!
Visit the link below for more pictures of Alan:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=550171&id=705640598&l=b810cb50f8
Well, for the second time this week we went to the doctor’s office thinking today would be the day labor would be induced. But like Monday, today the doctor concluded V was still not dilated enough to make it safe to induce labor. The plan now is to try again on Monday and this time the doctor has already scheduled a room for V at Hillcrest hospital. Because of Alan’s size (large) compared to V’s pre-pregnancy size (small), we know we can’t wait any longer than Monday to induce labor.
This delay does give Alan a few extra days to come out naturally as well, so there are some positives too. And V did experience some contractions for the first time recently so that’s a good sign. Maybe after all this Alan will still decide to come naturally after all. I have been reading to him and talking to him every day hoping to encourage him. Hopefully he listens to his Dad!
Given Alan’s size I never expected the delivery to occur after today’s due date, but I’ve learned that a pregnancy can be extremely unpredictable. We’re taking it in stride though. V’s been her usual happy self all throughout the past 40 weeks and that hasn’t changed. I’ve been hanging in there as well mostly due to my belief that things will turn out the way they are supposed to. V and I have definitely been relying on our faith as of late and counting our blessings to help get us through.
We’ll see what happens this weekend and on through Monday…To Be Continued!
V did not get induced yesterday like we thought she might. The doctor said that she’s just not far enough along yet to be induced. The plan now is to try again on Thursday–Alan’s actual due date. On Thursday we have an appointment at 9am and we’ll go from there. The waiting sure is hard when we really want to meet Alan. But I guess all we can do right now is pray that everything turns out for the best for both V and for Alan. On the bright side we have a little extra time to get Alan’s room in order and wash more of his clothes. I’ve taken this week off from work so that I can be with V as she waits.
Speaking of my work, I’ll take a break from the baby update to share a job update. After 4 years at Deloitte–2 in San Jose and 2 in Cleveland–I have decided to move on in my career and accept a position at Key Bank as a Financial Risk Governance Analyst. I’m joining a department of 10 or so individuals who are mostly rather young and came out of the Big 4 after a few years in audit. Naturally, the group seems like a good fit for me. I’m definitely excited to change up the work I do and it goes without saying that I will welcome a 40-hour work week. I have a strong interest in working in the banking industry as well.
I just got the call from Key on Friday and agreed to the offer shortly thereafter. I had been waiting anxiously by the phone all week as I waited for both V and the bank to call. It’s definitely been a hectic few months of exams, interviews, and overtime—and we still have the delivery to go. But it’s so nice to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and have the chance to move on in my career. The timing is just amazing too. The baby is going to be born right in between my move from a time-consuming job to a more family-friendly one. I’m thrilled to have the time necessary to raise Alan properly and to be able to watch him grow!
My last day at Deloitte will be September 23rd. Depending on when Alan comes, I may only have time to pick up my belongings and peace out. I’ll then start at Key Bank on September 30th. My desk will be on the 11th floor of the Key Tower.
Now that I’ve shared that bit of news, it’s back to focusing on V and Alan. Please wish them all the best!! I think we’ll take a walk this afternoon…at least that’s what people have been telling us to do to speed things up!!
We’re now into week 40 of the pregnancy, with the due date of Sept. 16th quickly approaching! It looks like we’ll be getting the show on the road pretty soon, as Alan is already an 8-pound baby. In fact we’ll be meeting with the doctor tomorrow about possibly inducing V into labor later in the day. I’m all for meeting Alan as soon as possible–and of course I want V to have a more manageable delivery–so I’m definitely in favor. But we’ll make the final call tomorrow with the doctor at 3pm.
V’s Mom has been here with us since labor day. I picked her up in Detroit, where she entered the U.S., so she did not have to worry about transferring planes to Cleveland (she does not speak any English). She ended up getting through customs easily, which was a blessing. And it was a special moment to see her come through the automatic doors into the pick-up area, where she was so happy to see my grandma and me. V did not make the trip to Detroit, as we felt it was too much of a risk, so my grandma kept me company instead.
I’ve really enjoyed having V’s Mom around this week. She has helped tremendously to prepare Alan’s room, as well as the rest of the house, for Alan’s arrival. Because of her, Alan is going to return home to a very clean and organized house when he leaves the hospital. It’s her first trip to the U.S., so it’s also fun to take her to new places and give her a feel for life in the U.S. So far this week she visited Case, Downtown Cleveland, and went to her first American restaurant (Yours Truly). We’ll have 6 months to take her around to many more places!
Tonight we’re taking V’s Mom to my parents’ house to meet them and have dinner together. Then we’ll return home and pack our bags for the hospital! Can’t wait to meet Alan!
Until next time…wish V luck!!
Last night, as V and I flipped the calendar in our kitchen forward to September, I couldn’t help but get excited. The baby watch is officially on!!! V’s overnight bag is packed and I’ll make sure to have my cell phone and camera fully charged from here on out.
Tomorrow will mark the beginning of V’s 39th week of pregancy. Alan has already been considered full-term since the end of 37 weeks, so he really could come any day now. Though we are hoping he holds on until at least Tuesday, the day after V’s Mom arrives.
Stay tuned for the next update!
Today marks the start of V’s 36th week of pregnancy. Time is continuing to fly by. It’s hard to believe we’re coming down the homestretch of the pregnancy now! Here are some updates since my last post:
-We decided on a middle name/Chinese name for Alan. His full name will be Alan Haisheng Miller. V and her parents brainstormed a list of two-character names, and then I helped choose from that list. It was important to me to include the character “Hai,” since it represents “water” or “overseas” and it’s the same character found in Shanghai. “Sheng,” which means “outstanding,” was chosen because I liked how it sounded in combination with “Hai”–and because I’m sure Alan will be outstanding.
-V took the bar exam in Buffalo at the end of July at 33 weeks pregnant. I made the 3-hour drive northeast along Lake Erie with her to the 2-day exam–making it our first official Miller family trip with Alan included. Everyone at the testing site commended V for her strength and determination to study for and take the exam so late into her pregnancy. I agreed–not many people are tough enough to do what V did. She balanced studying, carrying Alan, working part-time, and running the house. She’s amazing.
-As we were driving back home from Buffalo, V found out that her Mom passed her long-awaited interview and was granted a visa and passport to come to the U.S. V immediately began looking for plane tickets and she got one just in the nick of time. V’s Mom will be flying in on Labor Day, 10 days in advance of V’s due date, and staying with us through February 17th. We’re very excited and relieved that Alan can be with his Wai Po. It will be great for us to have help in taking care of Alan as well.
-Last Saturday was V’s baby shower. My parents held the gathering at their new house on August 7th, 2010–almost exactly one year to the day they held our post-wedding reception party at their old house (August 8th, 2009). We had a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends and received a lot of great gifts for Alan (including the clothes pictured above). I will miss having these annual August celebrations at my parents’ house!
Happy Anniversary V!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/miller.family.photos.1121/BabyShower#
In my last post about the Cavs, I wrote how LeBron didn’t have enough left in the tank to beat the Celtics. To me it appeared something was definitely wrong with him. And to make matters worse, his lack of focus and itensity carried over to the teammates he was supposed to be leading. For the past two months, as Head Coach Mike Brown was fired and GM Danny Ferry quit, the mystery of what changed this once-dominant team became more and more puzzling. But with LeBron’s self-absorbed ESPN 1-hour special to announce his departure to Miami, it all became clear: LeBron quit in the playoffs after already deciding his Cavaliers tenure was over.
It’s all so obvious now. LeBron had been colluding with Wade and Bosh for months (if not years, dating back to their meetings at the 2008 Olympics) to take less money in order for all three to sign with the Heat in 2010. There’s just no way this was an overnight decision like Lebron wants everyone to believe. Superstars don’t decide overnight they’re each leaving $15-$30 million on the table to get the Heat under the salary cap. And then there’s this: Miami blew up their roster down to only 1 player before the trio’s annoucement this week, and the Heat weren’t even worried they were taking a risk! LeBron didn’t care about beating Boston. In his mind he was already gone.
LeBron is a disgrace, a fraud, and a phony. Not because he left town–any free agent has the right to do that. Rather, it’s because he took fans in Cleveland, New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Chicago, through his free agency spectacle despite knowing all along he was heading to Miami. It’s because he duped ESPN, the worldwide leader of shame, into paying him for his 1-hour scripted announcement. But worst of all, it’s because he quit on his teammates, coaches, and his own hometown in the middle of a playoff run.
Looking forward, Cleveland will be fine. It’s still a great city. And it’s survived much worse. And personally I’m thrilled LeBron is gone before Alan is around to see this. But I do still want my son to know about the story of LeBron. It provides a valuable lesson to kids on the importance of looking towards family and teachers, not spoiled celebrities, to find true role models. And it speaks to the importance of values such as community, loyalty, humility, and honesty. Because when you don’t have these core values, you’re not even welcome in your own hometown. Just ask LeBron.
Update time.
As an earlier post gave away, we’ve decided to name our baby Alan. It’s a name that V likes a lot. And it’s a good, solid guy’s name to me. It’s definitely very difficult to name a person we haven’t met yet, but we’re very pleased with our selection. His middle name will be a Chinese name that Alan can use as his first name when he’s in Shanghai–but we haven’t settled on it yet. It’s much harder to come up with a Chinese name (which we’re creating from scratch by combining Chinese characters), but we have been getting ideas from V’s parents and we should be ready to decide soon! It’s very important to us that we allow Alan to feel connected to his Chinese heritage as well.
Overall, as we now enter into the third trimester, V and the baby are doing well. The baby has been moving and kicking a lot recently, especially in the morning (which is quite fun to feel). V has cut back hours at work to rest and to study. We’ve recently purchased a crib and stroller, and we picked up several baby toys and a car seat from a generous co-worker of mine. We’ve also set up our registry at Babies ‘R Us and my Mom is mailing out the baby shower invitations for August 7th. And we’ve attended informational sessions at our hospital and taken a tour of the labor and delivery wing.
There’s a lot to keep track of and prepare for, but so far things are progressing smoothly and happily towards September! We can’t wait to meet our Alan!!
League Park in its prime. Image Source: www.ballparktour.com
This week I’ve found an important cause to support. And it involves one of my greatest passions–ballparks.
It all started last week when the Plain Dealer sports section ran a special series recapping the biggest events that occurred at League Park, the home of Cleveland Indians baseball from 1891-1946 and one of the original steel-based ballparks in the United States. After reading about the 1920 World Series–an Indians win which featured the first WS grand slam, home run by a pitcher, and unassisted triple play–as well as Addie Joss’ perfect game, Bob Feller’s MLB debut, Babe Ruth’s 500th HR, Tris Speaker’s 3,000th hit, Joe DiMaggio’s 56th [and final] consecutive game with a hit, and Cy Young’s first pitch to open the ballpark, I felt compelled to get in the car on Memorial Day and drive to the historical site to feel the nostalgia.
When I arrived at the site where the ballpark once proudly stood–at the corner of E. 66th and Lexington Avenue–I was surprised to see that at least portions of the ballpark’s original exterior are still standing (the right field ticketing building and the first base grandstand), as well as the original right field and left field foul poles. The rest of the site is a fenced-in public park. In the hour or so I spent there walking around and taking pictures, I imagined what the ballpark must’ve looked and felt like back in its prime–when it witnessed as much baseball history as any ballpark in the nation. Ever.
When I got back home I continued to look for more information about the ballpark online. And then I stumbled upon the website of the League Park Society, a chartered non-profit organization dedicated to working with Cleveland City Council to preserve, restore, and revitalize League Park (http://www.leaguepark.org/). The Society’s mission is to make League Park a viable and rich part of the greater Cleveland community, with the ultimate goal being to reconstruct a scaled-down version of League Park as well as a League Park Museum on the existing site to serve as a baseball center of excellence for kids.
This is a cause I can definitely get on board with. To me it’s a win-win situation all around. It combines community development with the preservation of one of America’s greatest ballparks. I then immediately filled out a membership application and began gathering signatures for the The League Park Society’s petition to City Council. If you have not done so already, please consider signing here: http://www.petitiononline.com/lp1891/petition.html. As a note, there is no requirement for donation.
I appreciate everyone’s help. This is obviously something I feel very strongly about. My hope is that one day fathers and sons will be able to play catch in League Park II. You can bet Alan and I will be among the first to take advantage of the new ballpark when that time comes!
Artist rendering of League Park II. Image Source: www.leaguepark.org
Aerial of the original League Park. Image Source: www.ballparksofbaseball.com
Yesterday the Cavaliers fell 94-85 in Game 6 in Boston to drop their best of seven Eastern Conference Semi-final against the Celtics 4-2. The Cavs had dropped Game 4 on Sunday in Boston 97-87 and Game 5 on Tuesday in Cleveland 120-88.
The team that showed up in these past three defeats was not the same Cavaliers team that we saw all season long. Something was off. Something was wrong. Whether it was LeBron’s elbow, the team losing faith in the coach, or whatever the case may be, it was disappointing and hard to understand. In the previous four postseasons in the LeBron and Mike Brown era, the Cavs always rose up and played their best basketball in the playoffs. A Cavs fan could always count on that. But this year, for the first time, the Cavs played beneath their capabilities.
The Cavs were so prepared to take on Orlando after acquiring guys like Shaq and Jamison, but unfortunately those two did not match up well against Boston. Mo did not live up to expectations for the second straight postseason. And Delonte had his worst postseason by far. All of that could have been overcome if LBJ was the super-human force we’ve seen in the past, but apparently there was nothing left in his tank this time around.
Now the franchise will inevitably face change. Mike Brown will be fired and some of the players won’t be brought back. But of course the biggest story will be whatever LeBron James decides to do. It’s hard to imagine him playing anywhere else but in Cleveland. Cavs fans love him. We will forgive him for one bad series. He’s given us so many fond memories in Cleveland–even including another outstanding 61-win regular season and 6 playoff victories this season. There’s still plenty of time for him to deliver that long awaited championship to Cleveland. Let’s just hope he feels the same way this summer.
Tonight the Cavaliers scored a 124-95 Game 3 blow-out victory over the Boston Celtics in Boston to go up 2-1 in their best of seven Eastern Conference Semi-final. The Cavs had won Game 1 on Saturday 101-93 and dropped Game 2 on Monday 104-86. Both games were played in Cleveland.
The Cavs responded to their first major dose of adversity in these playoffs like a championship-caliber team would. They took it personally and went out and annihilated the Celtics in Game 3. [Now Two-time reigning MVP] LeBron answered the critics who said he looked lethargic and let his injured elbow get the best of him by going for 38-8-7. Shaq answered the critics who said he looked old and slow by shooting 5 for 7 and playing great D. Antawn and Mo played up to their potential and contributed as well, scoring 20 points and 12 points respectively. It’s no secret that the Cavs need LeBron at his best and at least two of the other three to contribute for the Cavs to win games in the late rounds of the playoffs. And when all four are at the top of their games like tonight, the Cavs are just downright unstoppable.
Game 3 was how this series was supposed to go. Yes, the Celtics are former Champions playing with a sense of urgency to extend their run together. But the reason their core is about to be broken up is because they just don’t have the same skills that they had two years ago during their title run. I give them credit for playing with heart and a lot of guts in the two games in Cleveland. Any team who beats the Cavs at the Q deserves a lot of credit. But right now the outcomes of these games are all resting with the Cavs. When the Cavs put it all together and play with urgency for 48 mins, no one can beat them. When they lack focus and execution for extended periods, they open the door for a defeat.
Bascially nobody responds to a loss as well as these Cavaliers. All year long they rebounded from losses to put up huge performances. The next step is for the Cavs to channel that fight and desire in games following big wins as well. A win in Game 4 of this series would all but be the final blow to the aging Celtics.
Friday was such an exciting day. As V and I sat with the nurse and waited to hear the gender of the baby, we both knew we were in a win-win situation. Whether it was a boy or girl, we were prepared to celebrate. All that mattered was that the baby was healthy, which it has been. We truly had no preference.
And then the nurse said the words that every father dreams of hearing…”It’s a boy.”
At that moment I became wonderfully overwhelmed with joy. I had no idea it would feel so great to hear those words. I looked at V and she looked back at me, and we both just felt the same thing–that we were truly blessed in that moment. To think I will have a little guy to take to ballgames and play catch with in the backyard of our house. Amazing! Our “Tiger,” our little guy…I just can’t wait for his arrival in September!
And now the fun really begins. Choosing a name, buying clothes, decorating his room, planning a baby shower…fortunately we already have a bedroom painted in blue!!
P.S. This wasn’t our only good news recently. Turns out after a lengthy appeals process, I’m thrilled to say that V was at long last proclaimed eligible to sit for the bar exam. We always knew she met the requirements, but it’s been an uphill climb getting her transcript translated and approved by the state. V had actually been fighting the state ever since I’ve known her. But finally she now has the chance to show what I’ve known all along…that she has all the potential in the world to be an oustanding lawyer!
