Getting Ready For Baby!!!

12/26/12

This baby stuff is suddenly becoming more real by the day!!!  Laura's baby bump is sooooo adorable...she is definitely one hot mama!!!  And...now that the baby room is painted, we're ready to start the transformation into a home with a baby!!!

 

 

Today was a pretty productive day for this daddy-to-be!  I'm on break from school for the next week, so I had planned for a while to get some stuff done to get ready for baby.  While Laura was working Christmas Eve morning, I put the first coat of paint on in the baby room.  Today, I finished with the final coat.  Of course, I'm a guy and wasn't thinking, but I forgot to take a "before" picture to compare once all the work is done transforming our old office into the baby room.  The huge corner desk is now gone.  The battleship gray walls are now tan, and the futon is now re-positioned as a couch and no longer a bed.

With the help of our family, we received some money for Christmas that will be used to help pay for the baby's crib.  Laura ordered it last night and we should have it in the next week.  It's a pretty cool crib with a changing table attached to it.  Underneath the changing table, there are some drawers and shelves to store stuff.  With any luck, this will be the last piece of bed furniture we'll need to buy our child; there are extra accessories to purchase that convert the crib into a bed for little kids and a full-size bed later in life!

To top off my productive day, I did some rearranging in our downstairs family room...all while Laura was back to work today!!!  For the first time since we bought our house, we now have a couch and TV in the main room downstairs...as we had planned to do for a long time now!!!  It's not necessarily going to stay in this arrangement, but for right now, the TV, VCR and DVD player are plugged in and we can watch movies if we want.  A couple of weeks ago, Laura found some fabric at a store and made some drapes/curtains (What's the difference, by the way?!?!) that I hung as well.  So...almost 4 years after moving in...our house, and our lives are taking shape in the way we had thought they would long ago!!! 

 

 

And my final idea for this entry...Christmas will be very different next year!!!  We had Laura's family over for Christmas...Grandparents, brother and girlfriend and their 2 big dogs, and her parents.  Next year, we'll have a little one that will take all the attention away from the 3 wild beasts...and with any luck, people will not spend as much money on us, and will spoil the kid!!!  By this time next year, baby will be almost 9 months old, so I'm curious where he/she'll be with their development?!  Will it be babbling and jabbering?  Will it be crawling all over the place?!  Will it also enjoy my experimental recipes over the holidays?!  The one thing I know will definitely happen at this time next year...Laura will be drinking champagne while helping host the family!!!

Thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary.  As always, we appreciate your thoughts/prayers/wishes you send us!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

12/18/12

Laura and I just got home from our 25 week check up, and we're happy to report that all is going well!!!  Both mom and baby are healthy and doing great!  The heart beat is very strong (and actually sounds more like a heart beat now, rather than quick "swooshes").  I've heard it several times now since we found out we were expecting back in July, and it's still the coolest sound in the world!!!  Farrrrrr better than a favorite song, friends laughing, gun shots on opening morning of deer hunting, a cold beer being cracked open after mowing the lawn, or sweet words from a loved one!!!

The decisions I referred to in the title is our decision on whether or not we still want to find out if we're having a boy or a girl.  Our doctor brought up the topic again tonight and asked us what we'd like to do.  She said if we want, she could order another ultrasound for us.  Previously, we were told there has to be a medical reason in order for this to happen, but judging by her comments tonight we feel she would be willing to order an ultrasound just to check things out if we'd like.  Then, indirectly, we'd hopefully find out what we're having.  I think I've mentioned previously how Laura has a moral road block in the way of taking this route simply because her previous job in neck and back rehab, she saw a lot of insurance companies covering BS medical procedures that weren't necessary.  So, now that we're getting towards the end of the time window of when it's easy to find out  what our baby is, we're forced with another decision to make.  Fortunately, all things being considered, this is a very easy decision and it's not a critical decision for us to make as new parents because our baby's health is not at stake. 

This new development tonight has me thinking and getting a little bit of perspective as a new parent.  I'm now making decisions about another life besides my own.  And like I said, this first decision we're making, is not too important in the grand scheme of things.  Some day, we'll look back on this "big" decision and probably laugh because it's very small in comparison to decisions we'll be making in the future!

On an unrelated note, to wrap up this post, I'd like to revisit my last post about the Sandyhook school shootings.  Everyone seems to be wondering what they can do to remember the lives lost and to memorialize them and so on.  Tonight I saw something that is apparently growing in popularity in the last day or so.  "26 Acts" it's being called, meaning perform 26 acts of kindness for others in honor/memory of the 26 individuals who lost their lives last Friday, Dec 14.  A former colleague of mine said that she is writing 26 individual letters to students she feels she needs to make better connections with.  She has half of them complete and delivered those today, and they were met with mixed responses from her middle schoolers; some confused, some grateful, some happy, and others frightened!!!  How can you find a way to complete your "26 acts?"  I'll keep you posted on mine...

Until the next posting, thanks for checking out my Daddy Diary.  And, as always, Laura, baby and I greatly appreciate your best wishes/thoughts/prayers you send our way!

School Shooting: Perspective from a teacher and dad (to be)

12/14/12

I'll start this post by expressing my sincere best wishes, thoughts and prayers to those affected by the school shooting today in Connecticut.  If for some reason you live under a rock and haven't heard, 28 people were killed in an elementary school, 20 of those were kids.  Info is still being gathered, but so far, it's been determined that the shooter shot his mom at her home early this morning and then went to the school where she taught and and went on a spree before turning the gun on himself.

I must say that I have no idea how I would've reacted to this news if my child were here already, and I how many hugs I would've given out today in appreciation for my child being home safe with me tonight.  Something like this always creates more questions than answers for everyone involved, not to mention all Americans tonight.  Things like this always seem to bring people together, but it always bothers me that it takes a tragedy to create new bonds and create changes in a system that clearly needed some changes made prior to this happening!!!

From a teacher perspective, I can only say that this is a staff member's worst nightmare!  My parents always get upset when I say that I want to be a cop or serve in the armed forces because of the dangers in those professions, but my response a week or so ago when I brought it up to them was that, "Hey...I could get killed in school...but at least as a cop, I might have a fighting chance!!!"  A teacher friend on Facebook posted a comment criticizing those that say teachers should be armed.  My response is that if I receive propper training and I arm myself, then I give my 30 students that are locked in my room with me the best chance of survival if something like this ever happens!  Pardon my French as we move forward with this post, but I'm sure you'll all understand...I'm very passionate about guns, but especially passionate about the responsible use and ownership of guns.  It pisses me off that all of these mass shootings take place where citizens are not allowed to be legally armed.(which, by the way, why don't we call them mass killings?!  Is it really the weapon used that makes a difference?!?  Would we react differently if it were mass stabbings?!)  These sick individuals go to such places where they know there will be minimal to no real resistance from those intended targets.  For example, this elementary school, the recent shopping mall in Oregon, Columbine, Virginia Tech, the Aurora, Colorado movie theater, and the Gabby Giffords shooting...at each location, guns were not permitted.  Clearly, if those signs posted on the doors of the locations did their jobs, these killers wouldn't have done their evil acts in the first place.  But posted signs banning guns only deter law-biding citizens from carrying their legal firearms onto the premises.  I feel those signs should read, "Attention: Legal and permitted carrying of firearms allowed on these premises.  All persons with evil intent, beware!"  These killings happen only at crowded places and generally where the public is not allowed to carry weapons!!!  If I were allowed to have gun with me as a teacher, it would be used and presented only on such an occassion, and students would not even need to know that teachers have these guns. 

My schools have all had "lockdown drills" in which all occupants of the building practiced the lockdown procedures for such an occurrance as happened today.  Generally, each building has different methods of locking down; a low-level in which staff and students remain in the classroom, but continue their normal activities (i.e. a threat is outside of the building like nearby police action, or there is a medical situation in the building in which it is best to keep everyone away from the medical concern), and there is a critical-level lockdown in which students and staff duck and cover.  Both scenarios require staff to quickly clear hallways near their classrooms and lock the doors of their classroom.  How would this killing today be different if the staff member of one of those classrooms had a gun and were ready to shoot when their door was opened by another person with a gun!?!  Could more people have gotten hurt?  Sure...but I feel the number could have been significantly less than what it was. 

Some of these statements may seem arrogant to some of you, or in sharp contrast to your belief...but, haha...this is my blog, so I get to say what I want!!!  Sorry...but gun control would not have prevented this tragedy today.  Criminal background checks when guns are purchased would not have prevented this tragedy today.  It's already tough for legal and good people to buy guns, so more laws would make it tougher for the wrong group of people to buy guns because evil people will always accomplish their goals if that is their intent!!!  What we need to do is look at how we can be more able to lock up crazy people and give cops/school officials/psychologists more leverage and benefit of the doubt when they feel someone is not stable and needs to be locked up, rather than making it nearly impossible to do so out of concerns for someone's rights...if someone is locked up and receiving additional and more scrutinous evaluations, that is time lost in their preparations for carrying out evil acts.

Back to the topic of today; the school shooting tragedy through my teacher and dad-to-be eyes.  I want my family and friends to know that my job is more dangerous that most people think.  Angry parents and students are a common sight in a school on any given day...and some of these individuals are frankly not right in their heads.  I'm also willing to bet that any teacher you may know is able to identify a student they know in the building that may be the one person that perpetrates these horrible crimes in their building.  It sounds bad... but humans are animals, and we have an animal instinct to fear and be uncomfortable around people we feel is a threat to ourselves or others.  But please know, that I am a caring teacher.  During my time at school, my life revolves around my students and I care deepenly for them, not just as learners in my classroom, but as young adults/children who I look out for as they grow up.  I am trained to hide my students away from the door during lockdowns and to never open the door until an "all clear" message has been relayed from school administration over the intercom.  But having said that, if someone comes through my door, I am the last line of defense for my students and you better believe that I'm going to put up one hell of a fight for them.  And, when the time is right, I'll share the dangers of my job with my child and I will explain to him/her what I may need to do.  But, if, God forbid, something like this ever happens in my school and I don't make it home...my child will know that dad put up one hell of a fight in order to save his students.

Until the next posting, which will be on a much more happy note.  Laura and I both appreciate your thoughts and best wishes you send our way as we await our baby's arrival next spring.  Thanks for reading my Daddy Diary!  Take care!

Registering for baby stuff, Part 1 and 2

12/6/12

Laura, 5 months Pregnant...isn't she beautiful!?!?

 

 

I love shopping...especially when I can use the little laser scanning gun!!!  It's the best part of spending over an hour in one store and not leaving with a single piece of camoflauge or box of bullets!!!

Several weeks ago, the evening after we found out our baby was too stubborn to let us figure out if it's a he or she, we started shopping/registering for baby things.  We were hoping the little devil inside Laura would've cooperated so we could've selected gender-specific colors as we registered, but instead, we're going for neutral-colored animals!!! 

That night we spent over an hour in Target, scanning the essentials...at least what we thought to be the essentials.  Thanks to some great advice (and awesome lists...thanks, Julie!) from friends, I went crazy with the laser!  Everything from alligator clips that attached pacifiers to clothes so they don't drop on the floor, to cups with funky tops that the baby can reach in for snacks but yet the snacks won't spill!  We also found what we thought could be a nice swing/rocker, but we didn't know anything about them so we skipped it for the time being...luckily we can find a million reviews on line to help in our decision-making.  We registered for bibs, socks, wash clothes, diapers, ass-wipes and sore ass paste, and other stuff that should be beneficial as well...or so we think?!?!  The most intimidating part was looking at the 1 row/shelf of car seats and a small selection of strollers.  We're not too smart about all of this stuff, but I felt we were ingenious with those things...we didn't take a chance on the teenage Target crew member that would just read the box in an effort to answer our million questions about car seats and strollers, so we waited to look at the safety/essential items until we went to a store that specializes in baby things...

...So tonight, we spent well over an hour at Babies 'R Us...and still no camo or bullets to show for it!  Anyways, we must've looked totally lost when we walked in because a staff member shouted "Hi, can we help you?!?" while we were still in the entry way, and we couldn't even see where she was!!!  Luckily, she didn't have much of an ego nor pride, so when asked about where to find strollers and car seats, she referred us to the most helpful sales lady I've ever worked with in any store!!!  She told us tons of things to look for and consider while selecting car seats, strollers, and cribs!  She clarified brand names and designs, and practical uses vs. cosmetics.  Luckily, we knew what sort of things we wanted going into the store, so she was able to narrow down our search to a few different models that would suit our needs:  The carseat needed to lift out of the base for ease of transportation, yet had room for the baby to grow into over a short period of time, yet also must be able to drop into a stroller that fits our active lifestyle of walking, hiking, an occassional jog, and general heavy use.  Thanks again to Heather for making our selection much easier and far less intimidating than we anticipated.  (Also, thanks to the couple that saw us struggling to figure out how to pop off the carseat from the base...we knew it had to be easier than what we were doing...because we didn't get it right over the course of about 5 minutes, while the guy just popped it off in a second!!!)  As Heather was walking us to the crib section, I asked her about a mysterious thing we had registered for at Target.  "Is that kinda like a baby kennel?!?!" This question definitely embarrassed Laura, but Heather reassured me the "pack and play" was essentially a baby kennel!!!  We knew they looked practical at Target, and I have seen them before and used them when I used to babysit...but never really understood the purpose of them.  Now, they have an elevated sleeper pad that is higher off the ground, yet can be taken off for later use when the baby is inside playing around in "the kennel!"

The cribs were awesome...I know...how is that possible?!  Well, let's just say the crib we registered can some day sleep any adult that comes to our house for the night!!!  This crib had a built-in changing shelf/table top on the side, and beneath that were 3 drawers, and behind the drawers and accessible to the side of the whole unit were a few shelves!!!  See...I told you it was awesome!!!  It's like a huge camo backpack that holds everything...or a holster that stores a spare magazine!!!  Yes...it's that cool!!!  Anyways...the crib can have the front wall/bars removed and have a smaller rail installed later as the child grows out of the crib and into it's first small-sized bed.  Once it outgrows that, the back of the unit can be swapped out and add a couple of side pieces and a new foot and it is transformed into a full size bed...all for less than a futon's price...well, kinda.  But, I thought it's pretty cool that it's not just a piece of furniture we'd look to pawn off on someone in 3-5 years or so once we're sick of looking at the thing!

And with our selections complete, again, I found the laser scanning gun and went to town.  Ironically, Laura wasn't accepted by the scanner, which confirms my beliefs that she is indeed priceless!!!  I still walked out of the store without camo or bullets, but I was able to see my wife pushing a stroller around, with a car seat/traveler in it...and she was looking pretty hot doing it too!!!  I'm the luckiest guy in the world because she is going to make a great mom, and I know she'll continue to be the best wife a guy could ever ask for!!!

Thanks so much for reading my Daddy Diary.  If you're still reading these things...wow!!!  I appreciate your dedication, and I hope you find some humor or entertainment in these postings.  I know some are more boring than others, but I feel compelled to share these stories with someone, rather than keep them all to myself and hope I remember to tell somebody at some point in time.  Until the next milestone/posting, we appreciate your thoughts/wishes/prayers you send our way as we continue to anxiously await the arrival of our little baby sometime around April 1st, 2013!!!

MOVEMENT!!!

11/27/12

I FELT MY BABY MOVE!!!!  Holy crap that is the coolest thing ever!!!  In an interest to avoid posting 2 separate entries within minutes of each other, the original post is below.  After writing and sharing the following post with Laura about her feeling the baby move...she's like, "Want to feel it?!?"  So she put my hand on her stomach and told me to push down firmly...and I felt it!!!!!!!!!  That is the coolest thing ever!!!  I tried again, and then she was giggling and her stomach was heaving, but after a few more tries and a few minutes later...I felt it again!!!  It was so awesome!  The first feeling was big/significant with the following tries being a bit more faint and more subtle.  I know I wasn't feeling it's heart beat, but it was just slow, slight movements!  I'm wondering now...was it an arm, leg, chest movement, head twitching?!?!  Regardless...I'm so pumped...and I'm suddenly making a habit of saying, "it's the coolest thing ever!" at each of these milestones!!! 

The following is the original post I wrote about 30 minutes ago before I felt the baby move...


THE BABY IS MOVING!!!!

Laura told me tonight that she's "feeling something moving inside there!"  This is super exciting for us!!!  I was thinking as I finished my post last night that they were getting pretty lame there with not too much excitement happening, and that I may be boring my large audience/followers away from my Daddy Diary...sarcasm...

...but now, we have movement!  At this stage, the doctor said it may just feel like butterflies inside or normal stomach feelings but that those feelings are actually the baby.  So, no kicks at this point, but we're feeling the little critter digging around in there!!! 

This is a fun milestone for me!!!  We're only half way there, yet there's been a good handful of feelings/moments along the way that let me know I'm going to be a dad soon!  I recall our first ultrasound and could see the tinest flicker of movement from the heart beating, to the first time we heard it's heart beat.  Wow...I never understood it until I experienced it for myself...there's nothing better, and words can't describe it!!!  Even though we don't know if it's a boy or girl, it's so cool taking these small steps on the path towards birth that let us know the baby is growing and developing...and it's amazing!!!

Laura's bump is getting bigger...she's not huge by any means, but you no longer need to squint or cock your head to wonder if she's showing or not!!!  I think she's absolutely gorgeous with her "glow" and everyone from my parents to some friends we met with this past week have all commented that she's looking great!!!  She's not happy with her weight gain, which I guess is natural for a woman, but the doctor has tried to reassure and I've tried to reiterate that she is doing great and that putting on some pounds at this stage of life is perfectly normal!!!

Another moment that reminded of us of how special it is to be preparing for a baby came from our 12 year old neighbor tonight.  I help her with her homework on occassion, and she sometimes brings treats over for us to eat while we work or just for Laura and me.  These treats range from Halloween candy that she didn't like, to cookies, to my favorite...beer!!!  Tonight, she brought a candy cane and a beer.  "The beer is for him and the candy cane is for you, Laura, because I know it's not easy being pregnant!"  We were laughing at this hillarious observation from her, while she tried to explain and reaffirm her viewpoint, "Well, I know I wouldn't want to be puking all the time!!!"  Ohhh the innocense of kids!  Our neighbor is a very outgoing and charming little girl, with a quick wit and fun personality...I have a feeling if we have a girl, her personality will be a scary blend of Laura and myself.  Regardless, the child will have no choice but to have a sense of humor and some tough skin for all the joking and jabbing that goes on in this house.  I heard from a co-worker a long time ago that, "it's just life...don't take it too seriously!"  Though there is a time and place for seriousness, I find myself living by this phrase often, especially in my line of work.  I could write up a million office referrals and yell at kids for saying crazy things and doing weird things each day...but I get a kick out of their randomness and their awkwardness that comes with middle schoolers...so I just laugh and shake my head!!!

Well, until the next milestone of our pregnancy, I'll leave you with a quote I've lived by and have loved since early in my childhood that I feel wraps up the special moment today of knowing my baby is moving around and Laura can feel it..."Yesterday is history, tomorrow's a mystery and today's a gift...that's why we call it the present!"

Thanks for reading my Daddy Diary and we appreciate your thoughts/wishes/prayers you send our way!

Busy Holiday Weekend...a preview of things to come!

11/26/12

Good evening family and friends!  What a weekend...and we didn't even have a kid to care for!!!  I can only imagine how it will be next year!!!

Before I get into the weekend itself, I have to fill you in on the night before our weekend when we went to the doctor for our ultrasound follow-up.  Everything went well, and we're continued to be very fortunate that both mom and baby are doing well as we are essentially past the halfway point of the pregnancy!!!  It was reiterated to us that if we really want to know the gender of our baby, she could look for a reason to order an ultrasound for us, otherwise we will not need another one if things continue to go well for us like it has gone so far.  Laura has come to peace with not knowing the sex of the baby, though I am slowly coming around to it.  She doesn't want to waste medical/insurance money on something that's not needed and have the system pay for it...especially because of all the BS she saw at her previous job.  Though I would still like to know for planning/shopping purposes...I'm excited to have the excitement and surprise of a lifetime!!!

As for the weekend itself...we could both use a vacation after our vacation!  It was very relaxing, we ate a ton of food and got a lot done!!!  We spent Wed-Sat with my parents at their lake home on Lake Superior.  Thanksgiving Day was beautiful!  It was in the high 50s and we spent the afternoon sitting around a bonfire hanging out and enjoying the unusually warm November...by the time we finished dinner and looked outside, it had turned into a blizzard!! We had 3 inches of snow over night, and the temps dropped 40 degrees!!! 

Friday was Black Friday...and boy did we shop...we came home with a car!!!  We had been looking for vehicles for the past few months and decided we'd probably be getting a Chevy Equinox due to it's size and gas mileage that will work for us as a growing family.  Laura was flipping through the car adds in the paper Thursday and saw an Equinox at the Two Harbors dealership, so my mom told us to check it out on Friday.  Well, after 5 hours of sitting in the car dealership (thanks for dog sitting mom and dad!) we drove the new vehicle home!  We traded in Laura's car (even though we didn't have it with us, so I will be returning this weekend to drop it off and pick up the new one!) for a bigger vehicle that better fits our needs! 

After our time at the dealership, the 4 of us packed into the new SUV and drove into Duluth for the night to have dinner at my favorite place...Fitger's Brewhouse...and catch a UMD Bulldogs hockey game!  It was a blast eating some food we have once in a while, and it was great reliving our memories of fun times at the hockey game.  The dogs beat St. Cloud State and it was cool to catch the game at the new Amsoil Arena...Laura didn't like it too much because it reminded her of the DECC, but I liked it for that same reason!!!

On our way home Saturday, we had lunch in Duluth with some friends and their cute, 5 month old boy.  It was fun catching up with friends we don't see too often and it was enlightening and informative to hear from new parents about the joys and challenges we'll soon be experiencing when we welcome our little bundle to the world next spring.  And it's for this reason that I was able to do some thinking...we had a great weekend!!!  It was totally relaxing and peaceful...and it's definitely going to be different next year!!!  By this time next year, we'll be "experts" at the parenthood thing, yet right now we have no idea what we're in for!!!  This year, we were entertained by Lexi and her shennanigans, but next year we'll be entertained by changing diapers and watching the little guy/girl roll around on the floor!

So, until next time...we appreciate your kind thoughts/prayers you send us.  And...I greatly appreciate you reading my Daddy Diary!

It's a .....!!!

11/20/12

I must admit...these past 2 weeks have been crazy, and I'm just now getting to this blog posting for our ultrasound from 11/8 to see if we are having a boy or a girl...

We left the appointment that night knowing that the child Laura has been carrying is definitely ours...it was too darn stubborn to cooperate and never moved for us to see if it was a boy or girl!!!  We were definitely upset that we weren't able to find out, but the mood was lightened knowing that he/she is definitely our child and is stubborn just like mom and dad!!!  We tried everything to see what it was too!!!  Laura was moving and shifting, we tried different angles with the camera/wand thing and Laura even did some jumping jacks in the exam room in an effort to get the little guy/girl to move, but it didn't!!!

I had anticipated this noteworthy event in our pregnancy would've been much more thrilling and, had it been thrilling, I would've posted this gender reveal much sooner than I'm doing now. 

We are happy to say that our baby is doing great!  All images/pictures/examinations of the baby showed it is developing normally and everything looks great on the ultrasound!  So, despite our disappointment and not knowing what it is, we are comforted knowing that he/she is doing great!

So, tonight, we'll be meeting our doctor for the first time since our ultrasound.  I'm not sure of what this check up is for, but I'm assuming it will be focused on the follow-up of our ultrasound.  With any luck, our doctor will order another ultrasound for us in an effort to identify our baby as a boy or girl. 

Until I have some more exciting news...thanks again for reading my Daddy Diary, and we appreciate your continued best wishes/prayers.