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Text Box: HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! If you all read the newsletter last year, then you knew we were expecting a baby girl. Well, at my 34-week ultrasound, they discovered a little… um… well, …. it’s a boy! Good thing I didn’t have the room done! When we found out she was a HE, Greg knew what he wanted to name him — Dayton Andrew Gately. He was born on May 2, 2007, at 1:33 a.m., weighing 8 lbs. and 4 oz, 20 1/2 inches long. His first name was obviously derived from our favorite hobby, the ham radio HamVention in Dayton, Ohio. His middle name is to honor Ann’s father’s first name, and Greg’s late father’s middle name. Dayton was a little jaundiced at birth, but a couple days of biliruben treatments got rid of that (a picture shows him with the necessary sunglasses on). Dayton looks like a Greg Mini-me with his cleft chin, his feet and toes, even the skin on the knuckles of his fingers, and their passion for gadgets and doo-dads! He likes to manipulate things and figure out how they work - having a phone conversation is tricky when he is jerking on the phone cord like a jump rope - and hide the remotes. He has a lot of similarities to Sissy (Emily) too, they both have Daddy’s feet, they close their eyes just before taking a bite of food, and they are growing off the charts in height. Dayton has been seeing an eye doctor because one pupil is consistently smaller than the other - no indication of problems thus far. Dayton began his worldly travels at the age of 2 weeks old to (1) Dayton, Ohio to see the HamVention first hand (Yea, call me crazy, but I had lots of help there), then several trips to (2) Wisconsin at the Dells, the Bahr’s cottage, Lake Puckaway, and Door County. Then to (3) Bull Shoals Arkansas with a stop off in (4) Missouri on the way home. Including Illinois, that makes 5 states total before the age of 5 months old. At almost 8 months old right now, he rolls over (and over and over), sits up on his own, has 4 (sharp) teeth with 4 more popping out, starting to crawl, can stand holding on, is generally active and smiley, and showing a bit of separation anxiety. Emily has been the BEST Big Sister a little brother (and Mommy!) could have. She has been helping in so many ways with chores, and helping take care of Daytie by making sure his bottle stays in his mouth in the car, and always entertaining him with her silly self. She likes to sing to him and he listens very carefully. They made up a game called “The Following Game” - I walk holding Dayton, he looks for Sissy over my shoulder, and she works her best antics as Daytie laughs and kicks in my arms. Em turned 7 and has been busy with her usual activities including CCD, many visits to the zoo, movies, bike ride picnics with her new bike, and playing with Webkinz on her laptop. She LOVES Brownie Scouts, and she had an awesome time at Summer Camp with cousin Taylor. Em has really taken a liking to baking too, from cookies to biscuits, any breakfast, and even helping with dinner - a good mom in the making! Ann started the year with 2-3 weekly pregnancy doctor/hospital visits with gestational diabetes monitoring and NST/AFI’s until the baby was born (since being 37 puts you in the high risk range). We reorganized our “guest room” into Dayton’s bedroom, and Ann’s mom has been coming over quite a bit to help with Dayton while she puts the house back in order - thanks MOM! Since we had NO boys clothes, Ann was really working those garage/clothing sales. Her usual Girl’s Labor Day Weekend to Door County with her friends included Dayton and Emily this time...not the usual crazy things went on, but still much fun. Ann’s work at a preschool/daycare did not make it easy for her to bring Dayton to work (go figure), so she hasn’t gone back to work, and has been volunteering a lot at school. At the age of 48, Greg finally got what he has always talked about - in August we bought a little “cottage” of our own on a resort in Marquette, Wisconsin off of Lake Puckaway. A quaint town just 40 minutes North of Greg’s parent’s cottage in Fox Lake. With Greg’s rotating work schedule, we are able to have a mini vacation there at least once a month. Also this year, Greg took his first long distance motorcycle trip to beautiful Brown County, Indiana. He attended a Bike Rally there with Will and brought Emily with him in his side car. They got to see all the covered bridges and gorgeous state parks in their autumn glory. Paul, now 28, is still working at Karnak as a batchmaker - that is over a year now, and he is reaping benefits he hasn’t had for a long time. He has expanded his hobbies from computers and gadgets ‘n things, to going out to Anime conventions with friends, and he has even sewn his own costumes to enter contests with them. He has gotten used to having another little sibling around, and doesn’t even complain (much) about all the noises that come with it… but the pitter-patter of feet on his ceiling is a different story. Obviously a blessed year for the Gately’s and hopefully one for your family as well. We hope the holiday cheer is in all of you as it is in us. Happiest of Holidays. The Gately Family - Gregory, Ann, Paul, Emily, Dayton, and Max & Rufus Text Box: The Gately Family 2007 Text Box: Holiday Newsletter