The First Christmas

For Christmas Santa brought the poop fairy as Quentin woke up at about 5 am on Christmas morning (probably like most kids) except he had a major blow out during the night and was literally covered from head to toe so he got an early morning bath to get ready for Christmas. It was funny to see him so wide awake and ready to start the day so early. He was great on both Christmas and Christmas Eve. We went to church on Christmas Eve and came home to open some family gifts. Quentin got tons of badger gear and a Favre outfit so he was ready for the final games this season. He spit up all over his and my badger gear yesterday but we both felt that was acceptable since it was an accurate portrayal of how prepared the Badgers were when they took an embarrassing whooping at the hands of local Florida State yesterday in the Chump Bowl, oops I mean Champs Bowl. The game was over early in the third quarter but like a good fan we continued to torture ourselves until the final whistle. And yes, it got much, much worse as they game went on. My Iowa fan in-laws got to watch me shed tears for the better part of two hours as our team fell apart. Hopefully, Iowa will play better here in Tampa on January 1st. Quentin did get one Iowa outfit so he has been granted permission to wear that only within the state boundaries of Iowa. His new Uncle Brett was the culprit. We might not allow him to give gifts in the future. We did have to place him on probation for the gross infraction.

Lucky made out like a bandit on Christmas and we have great video of him opening his two gifts. He got a giant plush bone that we thought he would rip into pieces within minutes but I think it's too big for him to get a grip on it. It has a squeak in each of the corners. Normally his goal is to rip those out as soon as possible but after a couple of days we think we might have to live with that thing constantly squeaking for the long haul. He opened it up, picked it up and immediately started prancing around the house like a proud little Luckster tail wagging wildly. He did a few laps around the living room and then plopped down on Carrie's lap (he does weigh 90 pounds) tail still wagging while posing with his new bone. He also got a 2 1/2 foot rawhide bone, which he hasn't made much progress on either. The toys should keep him busy when we need a breather in the coming weeks.

It was great to spend our first Christmas in Florida with Carrie's family who came down for 5 days. We kept the tradition of having oyster stew and chili for those not brave enough for the stew on Christmas Eve. We traveled to Sarasota on Christmas day to spend it with Carrie's Aunt and Uncle and their three kids. All the kids played video games for most of the day, which they got for Christmas while the adults got to socialize a little and gain pounds grazing over the assortment of hors d'oeuvres. We had a great time and had to leave to make sure Lucky wasn't destroying anything in our absence.

I have a ton of great pictures as Quentin got to model several santa outfits, a badger outfit and a packer outfit. I'll get them out here as soon as I have a breather. I'm catching up on some sleep as I had a late night teaching the Reiter boys how to play poker - the hard way. They ended up a little lighter in the pocketbook but we had to stay up until 5 am to complete the game. Even Lucky couldn't make it that long. It was a fun night and I think Uncle Andrew may have a future on the World Poker tour. I have offered my services as manager - for a fee of course. He has a few years to work on his game since he turns 16 in a few weeks. I told him to practice with his brother who had to buy-in several times sweetening the pot and single handily making it worth staying up until dawn to win the cash. I see allowances changing hands in the near future.

While the boys were here Steve offered up their muscle for any "honey-do" projects. I thought that was very well put; almost Jimmy Buffettish so we took them up on their offer and installed attic stairs. It should have taken us about an hour or so but turned into a two-day affair. I think there were too many foremen and not enough workers. It started with a scouting trip to both Home Depot and Lowes where Home Depot had a significantly better price (that seems to be the case a lot these days. We are definitely turning into Home Depot fans over Lowes). We came back home and decided to get the lawn mower blade sharpened since we do have to mow in winter down here. Well we got to the hardware store and realized we took off the blade but didn't put it in the car so we had to drive home and start over. We also forgot some packages we were supposed to mail so we grabbed those as well and then detoured to the post office. It was closed - on a Friday. Apparently, with the recent economic woes even the government is working holiday hours. So we then dropped the blade off and finally made it to Home Depot where we bought the stairs and a box of screws to install it. We got the stairs into my curiously enough, very capable Accord. We did however, leave the screws in the cart. This kid is making me lose my sleep and my marbles so there was $6 spent on the charity of choice - Home Depot. We, of course, didn't realize this until after we got home. For those of you counting at home we are now up to 4 trips to Home Depot to make two purchases (the stairs and the screws).

We huddled up, had a pow-wow and men being men grunted a few times and decided to skip reading the directions. Seriously there is like 150 years of genius between us. Anyone care to make a wager on how that worked out? We put Andrew up into the attic and then pushed the stairs up there with him so he was enclosed. (Hmmm, direction number one states - do not put stairs into the attic until step 2 is completed). Ya, that would be the part we skipped. We get him hammering away to put the straps on and what do you know, he hammers them in on the wrong side (step 2). So after much discussion we decide to lower the stairs back down (step 1) and we now have to get the straps and nails (4) out of the wrong side because carpenter Andrew put them on backwards and we proceed to look at the directions (Epiphany!!) and pound them into the correct side (step 2). So after 3 hours we have now completed the first two steps. We are out of nails, so another trip to the hardware store to pick up a mitre box (went with the manually one, which is not as much fun or efficient as having a power one) and some nails, screws anything to hold this in. A quick check to make sure the purchased items actually made it into the car - mission accomplished and on our way home to hopefully complete step 3 (trip #5 to the hardware store). We then toss Andrew back into the attic, hand him the stairs and ask him to "tack" the stairs into position. The mission is completed but it is now dark out and we have to adjourn until the next day. I was told the whole process would take 15 minutes from someone, who shall remain nameless, but shenanigans on that! There is no chance even reading the directions would get this accomplished in 15 minutes. Long story short (too late!!) we got the stairs up and I believe they will hold weight at least up to 250 pounds, which the way this holiday season is going I might be pushing. Gym anyone? Has anyone seen the gym?

So a quick thanks to the boys for "helping." We turned a one hour job into a two day family event. There is nothing like quality family time - a lost art these days. I can't wait to have these debacles with Quentin. Through it all everyone stayed in a positive mood and the swear jar stayed empty. In fact the whole process was pretty comical. We screwed up so many times it was hard not to laugh our way through it. I used a tank of gas going to the hardware store so many times. I'll get some pictures up soon. I need to watch the Packer game and hopefully the football gods will not let us lose to the 0-15 winless Detroit Lions. Come on fellas win one for the Quenster! He is yet to witness a win from the Badgers or the Packers since he's been born.

Am I capable of uploading video?

This is my first attempt of not only filming video but also editing and uploading video so please be gentle. I was just messing around with the video camera trying to get familiar with using it so it's not very provocative video. Don't get turned off. In the future I will shoot something more entertaining. I essentially just wanted to see if this was going to work. And for the record I did "cut" this video, or as they say in the biz trimmed it twice. I feel like a high school AV club geek fumbling around with all this software. I won't embarrass myself and tell you I've invested about 3 hours into getting this online. My employer hopes I can be more efficient in the future so they aren't paying me to edit 60 second spots of my kid on work time. Just kidding. I think a Mac would be more helpful editing video as I am finding my computer slow and difficult to work with making the whole process cumbersome. Way to go Windows. And since this is taking forever to upload I think I will need to keep the videos shorter in the future. Since we live in 80 degree land and have no interest in venturing to the north pole, I mean Wisconsin or Iowa in sub-zero temps, we are hoping the occasional G rated video (I signed a waiver saying I won't upload seedy material - It's art!) will hold folks over until we get back to the frozen tundra - hopefully after it's thawed. (Read a minimum of 60s!) In the mean time we encourage the eskimos up north to come down and get a reprieve from the cold. Thaw out and spend a few days in Tampa visiting with our new arrival, Quentin. If you're lucky we'll subject you to hours of home video.

Okay, so I have been attempting to upload this 55 second video since about 12 pm EST today. It's a little after 9:30 - PM!!! The answer is no, I cannot upload video to this blog. I'm going to have to get back to the drawing board. Santa is coming tonight so maybe he'll bring me some instructions on how to do this. Merry Christmas!

I am not a Nipple

I know I said I was going to update today's blog with some video. I did figure out how to work the video camera in theory, which means I read the manual but have not experimented with it yet. I will do so tomorrow to make sure we are ready for Christmas. Instead I will provide a story of Quentin's evening yesterday. Outside of the fact that he refused to go to bed and forced us to watch yet another Packer debacle he had a very entertaining moment last night. (Seriously could an NFL team play worse? My money is on winless Detroit next week. What a train wreck)! But I digress, when the little milk monster is hungry he's not really interested in who is holding him. If you have exposed skin he's making a move on it with hopes of delicious food coming out of whatever orifice he decides to attach to. At first we thought this was kind of funny and cute at the same time. I mean you would be holding him attempting to burp him with Quentin overlooking your shoulder and he would not be burping but instead trying to give you a hickey. Now it's been a while since I've flaunted a hickey but I'm pretty sure they aren't that cool and certainly the mini ones I would be sporting would bring some interesting looks at the office. He's not only working your neck and shoulders but whatever else he can attach to. Normally at this time you hand him off to your wife and the much anticipated feeding begins.

Well, last night Quentin wanted to pull an all nighter much to the agony of mom and dad who were very much looking for some much needed shut eye but so it goes with parenthood and the sacrifice is made. I'm told "get used to it." I lost an intense game of paper, scissors, rock and decided to stay up with him post 1am so one of us could get some sleep. As I was adjusting him in my depressed Packer sleepless state he latched on (that's a clinical term) to my NOSE! I mean full ingestion with hard rhythmic sucking on the tip of my nose. I have been overhearing some folks say that my nose is above average, but at no time has anyone said your nose looks like a nipple. So I was very very surprised this kid was going for dinner on my nose. Maybe he gets poked in the eye or something but he shouldn't be mistaking it for a nipple right? To be honest Carrie and I did joke throughout the pregnancy that if the kid had trouble coming out there was no doubt he would have a sizable nose and it would be beneficial to just grab the nose and pull him through the birth canal. The doctor got a kick out of that. Don't worry Doc I'm here all day to offer any medical advice you need. So needless to say I was dyyyyyying laughing and had to call Carrie to come out and see our genius boy going for dinner or a late night snack in this case of all places on my schnoz. So even at 1am totally exhausted, impatient as can be this kid comes through in the clutch with insanity laced comedy keeping me going for another hour or so. And if he was that desperate for a little milk I think the paper, scissor, rock game was rigged and the wife had to take over from there. Junior was obviously starving and needed a real meal. We'll have to get some flash cards for him so he can learn the difference between a nipple and my nose, which hopefully have little resemblance.

Carrie's family arrived today so I am sure we will have some good stories to tell throughout this week. Be on the lookout for more blow outs on less experienced family members and interesting new uncle stories as Brett and Andrew made their Quentin debuts this afternoon. Quentin was crabby last night and most of today so he's been a challenge. We'll see how they do when they get all day with him tomorrow. I've heard a lot of big talk about how "I'll change a dirty diaper." Uh-huh. Wait until the explosion occurs and you get a whiff of that tough guy. We'll see.

Hanging Out

I think we have all gotten into a bit of a routine now. As you can see by the picture of Quentin kicking his feet up and doing some loungin' he's figured out while on vacation you need to just kick back and do some relaxing. He looks quite content don't you think? His feet are so large you can't stop taking pictures of them. He's going to get older and ask us why we took 400 shots of his feet. I guess I just can't help myself. He's always doing his frog leg kick so it's impossible to keep them covered in a blanket no matter how tight you burrito wrap him. In the land of digital media it's so convenient to take numerous shots and delete later that we could start an art gallery with a fetish for feet. I myself think feet are gross but even big foot here has avoided the stinky feet syndrome so it's pretty cute. I hope his feet don't get that snagglefoot thing Brett has going on. That's one piece of heredity he doesn't need.

We also want to make sure he grows up with the all important education of the greatest philosopher this world has known. You know who I'm talking about - Jimmy Buffett. That's right, Quentin needs to know about all the songs and the right ways to react at the concerts he'll soon be attending so I have also put out here a picture of Quentin practicing "Fins." The caption reads, "Fins to the left!" I'm sure you all know about the parrotheads of the world so we don't need to get into it but we will be accepting all baby hawaiian shirts that we can get our hands on. This is Florida after all. If we can find a mini-grass skirt Quentin will be happy to sport that as well. He has a ways to go before we get him singing Margaritaville but no worries he'll have the words memorized before he's two. What more could you want to teach your son then beaches, babes and the occasional beer? We need to get him down to Key West!

I was really hoping to upload some video of Quentin swaying along to all of Buffett's favorite tunes but the video camera we bought is complicated! I mean who knew? I guess techologically keeps getting more advanced and I'm getting older. Is it too early to have Quentin teach me how to run the video camera? Don't you remember having to constantly teach your parents how to program the VCR? The manual for this thing is hundreds of pages. I think I could probably win an oscar if I could figure out how to use it. Now don't get me wrong I can record video and even play it back; just on the camera itself. Downloading it to my computer and then uploading it to the blog is going to be the challenge but I am bound and determined to have it figured out before tomorrow so I will post some sort of video no later then tomorrow. Whether you can actually watch it from a far is another story. Tune in tomorrow if you want to try.

Last quick story. We've discovered another Quentin talent - the sneaky pee. I am changing Quentin and think I'm doing great. I bring him back out to the living room and hand him to Carrie. She grabs him and says he's all wet. What? I just changed him. She says, "He's all wet. Sniff, sniff. It's pee!" Uh, huh. Me, "Well, why is my shirt all wet? Sniff, sniff. It's pee!" Yup, to this day I'm not sure how he did it but Quentin managed to wet his diaper, which I changed and still peed all over himself and me somewhere in that transition. It's kind of funny. You think it's pretty respectable to be changing his outfits 2-3 times a day due his making his own messes. The kid is three weeks old after all, what do you want, right? Well, no one tells you that you're going to be changing your clothes 2-3 times a day too. We're practically inventing a new cologne - pee for men by BaBy (long hard A). It will hit shelves in time for Christmas for that man that isn't quite ready for kids yet, to give him a taste.

Look a like?

A lot of people have said that Quentin looks like his dad so I have attached a picture of me when I was about six months old for comparison. I definitely had a lot of hair like Quentin does. His is getting long. We're hoping we can hippie him out by the time summer rolls around with a pony tail. It will be a good look for him. Lately, he has figured out how to pull his hair, which of course causes crying. We're hoping he figures out how to let go pretty soon because he does it often and he doesn't enjoy it. You have to take his paw off his hair for him to stop. He has even developed a hair pulling specific cry so when you are in the other room you know he's pulling his hair. He does it in the middle of the night too, waking everyone up. He won't keep mittens on so we have to put him in clothes that have the sleeves that pull over their hands so he can't accidentally grab on in the middle of the night. His hair is covering his ears so we are going to have to give him a trim pretty soon.

His cord fell off the other night too. We were worried whether or not he was going to have an innie or an outie. We hear a lot people with outies are upset about that. I specifically asked the doctor if he could work it out so he would have an innie but apparently you just have to live with where the cord falls. Fortunately for Quentin (nothing against people with outies) he has an innie. It's kind of gross so I won't go into details but with the cord falling off he can officially take baths. Up to this point he was only able to get sponge baths. We received a tub from Carrie's shower but when we went to put him in it it's way too big for him still so he is still getting sponge baths. Another week or two and he should be able fit in it better. He is liking bath time these days so he's a lot calmer through the process which makes it a lot more pleasant for mom and dad. He's not a screamer but I've heard that kids can go through those stages often. My boss was telling me his daughter went through sleepless nights at age two and he and his wife thought they were well beyond sleepless nights at that point. Not so fast say the little ones.

We had our family pictures taken so we can send out Christmas cards. They should hopefully arrive right on or after Christmas. Quentin did fine but Lucky refused to cooperate. We were taking them late in the evening and even with tons of treats bribing the dog he just wasn't having it. We probably shouldn't have forced him to wear Santa's beard. In the end the Luckster found his way to the cutting room floor. Next year we'll make sure he makes the cut. We also bought a video camera and I know we can post videos on this blog. Now the whole world can be subjected to family videos on the web. We just need to figure out how to work the camera and then figure out how to upload the videos. We'll keep you posted.

Quentin Made Weight!

...and in this corner weighing in at the heaviest weight of his short career, 8 pounds and two ounces with a height of 21 inches, the powerful punching pugilistic nightmare QQQQQQQQQQQQuuuuuuuuuuuentin Spiegelhoff. He made weight by being one ounce over his birth weight and he technically had two days to spare since he's supposed to be at or above his birth weight after his first 14 days. Tonight he'll turn two weeks old. He's been very fussy the last couple of days so we haven't gotten much sleep and are hoping he turns the corner tonight. Carrie says he's acting like me, staying up late. When Carrie and I met I was playing poker in the neighborhood regularly until 3-4 am. When she first moved to Florida she would try to keep up but couldn't last much past midnight. The late nights had to go if the relationship was going to move on so she broke me and we now go to bed at a reasonable hour. We'll have to see if she can break Quentin too. It's too bad he's not up playing poker or we could probably let Carrie go to bed and he and his old man could play some cards.

The doctor's visit was a success. Quentin received his first hepatitis B shot. We were given the option to get the shot in the hospital or one of the first visits to the doctor and we just opted for the doctor. You wouldn't believe how many times he was stuck with a needle in the hospital in his short life; 3 times in his foot for blood sugar, a shot shortly after being born and the circumcision. That's all in 36 hours so we figured we would save him one more stick for later. Carrie, of course started tearing up and doesn't want him to get any shots, or scrape a knee or fall down for the rest of his life. Mrs. Sensitivity is going to have to take it down a notch if she's going to live through childhood with a boy. :) Dad on the other hand handled it like a champ. That a boy. Take that needle like a man! He cried a little but wasn't too much worse for the ware. The doctor said it was the easiest shot to take with zero side effects and after we left Quentin was upset on the car ride home but was fine the rest of the day.

The Christmas spirit must be really going around this year. We got a Christmas card from our "sanitation workers" stuck in the garbage cans this morning. I went out to bring them in and there it was. Our garbage men, ahem, I mean sanitation workers have been prima donnas throughout the last few years being choosy about what they will take and what they leave behind. Who knew that garbage could be so subjective. One man's junk is another man's not so fast - that's not trash. So I was whining about how they only take certain trash and my neighbor was telling me the secret is to put out a six pack of beer once in a while with a bow on it (so they know it's not trash!). A few years ago he did this and they have taken everything from that point on. So periodically he continues to put some beers out there. I guess I just need to grease the wheel a bit. Do you think Tony Soprano is running the waste management business in Tampa? At any rate next Friday the fellas will get a couple of sixers to express our gratitude for our sanitation workers. Alright, alright, alright (read like McConaughey from Dazed and Confused).

Speaking of gratitude Miller Lite sent me a check on Thursday. I know right? It's about time. You know you are having a good month when the beer folks start sending you money. 15 smackers! Well, I must be on Miller's Christmas list too, because on Friday I received a Miller Lite T-shirt. All those years of loyalty are coming back. I wonder if they'll send us a onsie? I can't wait to get the mail today. At the rate I'm going I figure they should be dropping off at least a quarter barrel this afternoon. Maybe dad will get some sleep tonight.

The generosity has been spreading to Quentin too. Quentin has been getting tons of loot! He received 5 packages in the mail on Thursday and another two yesterday. We thank everyone for thinking of him/us. All the great clothes are so cute. He got his first Badger gear from one of Carrie's friends in Iowa of all places! It was pretty sweet. I can't wait to get him in the wiscowear. He has been getting tons of bibs. I think all the hilarious sayings must be appealing. Let me provide a few examples: "Thank heaven for little girls" Umm, ya, that may be true but he's not going to wear that one. "Ladies Man" That's more like it. "No, means ask Grandma" That sounds about right. "I just pulled an all-nighter" That definitely sounds like it. "Automatic sprinkler" Pretty good. "Chicks dig me" Of course they do, he is a Spiegelhoff. "Tax Deduction" Now we're talking! "Feed Me!! (and nobody gets hurt). That is also accurate. There are others. I need to get in the bib business.

A quick confession/plea. I don't know any nursery rhymes. I was trying to give the kid a little serenade action and I got, "Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder....ummm, lahteeedah, twinkle, twinkle..." So where does one get the words to nursery rhymes? I'm lost! We also need some kids books. I don't know where one goes to get those but I checked them out at Target and the average book is going for $10+. Forget that! Where is the used bookstore around here? So if anyone has used books they want to pass along the post office gives you a "media-rate" where you can send books and CD's at a discounted rate. I'm just throwing it out there if anyone wants to declutter their attic. Thanks again for all the great cards and gifts!

Rolling Over, Getting along with the Luckster, Making Weight

Today Quentin has to make weight at the doctor's office. He's been pigging out so we don't think there will be any problems. Any wagers? He has to be at or above his birth weight of 8 pounds, 1 ounce or we have to start putting him on formula (expensive!!) so we don't want to. Lately he has been making an awful lot of noise while feeding. I think he gets on there and then just starts goofing around. Yesterday he was on there and totally just motorboating. If you are not enlightened enough to know about motorboating you can google it but prepare yourself. He is motorboating while making growling sounds. From a male's/Dad perspective - attaboy! It's actually nothing short of hilarious. He'll keep it up for a solid minute just making all these growling noises. "Grrrrrrrr, give me that food. Grrrrrrr! Yummmmm! Grrrrrrr!" Pretty funny. All boy, that son of mine. I can't wait until we get to play in the dirt.

A couple people have asked how Lucky is doing with him and I am attaching a pic. Things have been going well. Lucky is starting to realize, grudgingly, that he is slowly becoming the second focus of our attention. He still gets plenty, though. He knows that Quentin is here to stay and has been nice to him. The picture is a good indicator he will be the protector. I hope they get to spend many a year being best friends, the title of the picture.

And just in case anyone needed confirmation, Quentin did roll over several times last night again from belly to back so I am going to have him show off for the doctor today so we can get a legitimate medical opinion and get confirmation this kid is a prodigy. According to the baby center this isn't supposed to happen until month 2 or 3 and can take as long as 5 or 6. They need to gain head control first, which he had immediately in the first couple of days. It also says he should be able to sit up at the same time, which he can't do so we'll have to start working on that. Interestingly enough, it did say we should provide him some treats for the accomplishment. Who knew that the $200 spent at Petsmart on Lucky would pay off so handsomely in parent training. We should contact them to let them know their is an opportunity for cross marketing. "Get your dog/parent training at Petsmart for $99. We have beginner, intermediate and advanced 6 week courses. You too can become a better parent or dog owner!" Good stuff.

Thanks for all the well wishes and cards. We are keeping the cards for his baby book so he can look back when he starts reading (month 4).

Quentin the Prodigy?

Before we get into boy-genius I wanted to provide everyone with my overflowing Christmas joy. When I worked at the University of Wisconsin, coincidentally where our son will go on a football scholarship, the Foundation encouraged employees to donate and was actively involved with toys for tots. The annual giving office, which consisted of 5 employees all got together and went shopping to buy some toys. We always thought it was kind of fun to indiscriminately buy toys for kids. Shopping is a lot easier when you don't have to buy "the right" gift. So since leaving the UW I've always tried to keep the tradition going. This year Carrie and I went down to our local ABC news station that partners with the Salvation Army to give children the Christmas they deserve. They had an angel tree down there with literally thousands of kids whose parents couldn't afford to give them a Christmas most of us are accustomed to. Now I know most of the people reading this know me pretty well and know that I would fall a little closer to Scrooge then baby Jesus on the holiday-cheer-o-meter. I figure all these people being nice to you for these three weeks are probably stabbing you in the back the other 49 weeks out of the year, but that's a whole other blog altogether. With Bush running the economy these days there are likely more children then usual getting the shaft when they deserve better. You wouldn't believe some of the things people were asking for. One of the most common gifts up there was toiletries. Can you imagine peeking under your tree and having soap and deodorant? Yikes. So we adopted a boy and a girl who are two year olds unrelated. I dropped off the gifts this morning and there was quite a stash of loot for the lucky little ones but there were still a good 100+ kids waiting to be "adopted." Carrie and I feel so fortunate this year to have Quentin, who is happy and so well adjusted that we just thought we would pass on the idea and try to spread a little good cheer since we've been so lucky. It will give you a little holiday-boost after standing in line at the mall for 45 minutes trying to spend $200 as well. So if you have some extra time this holiday season see if you can help a shorty out.

Alright, I'll get off my soapbox. So for the past two nights Quentin has decided that day equals night and midnight equals wide awake play time much to the chagrin of mom and dad. Monday night he didn't even settle into bed until about 2:30 am. On a solid Thursday night in 1999 on Madison's campus I would've been hitting the sack at about the same time. Pushing mid-30s in 2008, not so much. So we've been dying the last couple of nights. Last night as Quentin was sleeping through a sleeper of a Badger b-ball game Carrie was contemplating waking him up so we didn't have a repeat but he looks so cute and he makes all these crazy facial expressions that it's pretty entertaining to watch him sleep. Like the previous night he awoke with full force right around midnight so we decided to entertain him a bit. We laid him in between us on the bed, where sleep has been forgotten some time ago and it's now the couch on the "east wing" of the house, he did the impossible. Apparently we are supposed to be exercising him giving him "tummy time." This is supposed to be good for him working his neck muscles but he could pick his head up before we even left the hospital. Impossible you say? I say child prodigy. The big event last night? He rolled over on to his back. Now, I'm not familiar with babies so I'm not sure if a kid has to do a complete 360 turn to be considered an official roll over. I have an email into the olympic committee and will let you know what I hear. My initial reaction was, "Carrie, go get him a treat." Oops, that's dog training. You have to cut me some slack I've only been doing this for about 10 days. Carrie didn't believe it so we got him some treats to entice him for another roll. We placed him on his tummy and within about a minute he rolled over on to his back again. This kid's going to be walking by 2 months. He's already on his way to graduating college in two years saving dad a ton of money. We're so proud. A lot of parents probably say that.

I'm attaching a pic of when diapers go stinky. You have to hold out a little while after you feel/hear the squirt. If you don't what happens is you take the diaper off and unleash fate. Fate sometimes smiles on you but more often likes to stick it to ya. Mom found out the other day what happens when you take the number two diaper off too soon - you get projectile poop and that's not good for anyone. Incoming!! Here is a pic of me holding Quentin while waiting it out.

Quentin on the Outside

Quentin made his first visit to the outside today on a shopping trip to Target. He was helping mom and dad by some gifts for some other children and did a nice job picking out toys and clothes for the boy/girl two year olds. The shopping trip was an eye opening experience for dad who found out everything related to children costs a fortune. After a trip to the toy section college looks affordable. I don't know how parents do it. Even books cost a fortune. How can a kid's book cost $15? That's like a buck a word! At any rate Quentin will be spoiled rotten by everyone we know saving mom and dad a few dollars this Christmas.

Quentin handled Target like an old pro and even helped us shoplift a bit. The clerk stopped me on the way out smuggling a padded envelope to send a Christmas ornament to a friend. It cost 79 cents, with tax. I did buy the other $156 worth of stuff so clearly I wasn't trying to save that final 79 cents and she allowed us to pay for it - thankfully. I really didn't want to get Quentin arrested on his first trip to the outside. Next thing you know social services would've been contacted and we would've lost custody in all of 8 days of being parents. I don't think the judge would've accepted my certificate of parenthood as evidence of solid parenting to date so it was nice the clerk believed me when I said I didn't mean to steal the envelope.

Everything is going well. Quentin has had good nights and bad nights if you consider a good night sleeping for four hours in a row. (Which we do). You can tell he is putting on weight as he has grown a second chin this week. The wife says it was always there, but trust me he's growing Dizzy Gillespie cheeks as we speak. It's crazy, but you can see changes in only 8 days of hanging out with him. He has a great disposition rarely crying and being soothed easily. We've heard tons of horror stories of kids crying on end forever so we are thankful that he only has spats that can be counted in minutes instead of hours. We're also happy to announce that he has been poopin on the regular so we didn't have to fill him up with Karo sauce.

It was asked yesterday if I was changing diapers. I think if you are a male, have a baby in the house for more then a week and haven't changed a diaper it's safe to safe your wife has already filed for divorce and is seeking more then half for damages. Yes, I am an expert at changing diapers and was the go-to-guy for changing diapers in the hospital. Who knew I had such a talent for cleaning up messes. I guess all that experience at work is really paying off. Today Carrie handed the Quinster to me to watch while she hopped in the shower - soiled. Uh huh, payback is coming honey! Well, in the time that it took her to shower he pooped twice so she obviously planned that shower at a very strategic time of day. You know what they say about karma...I see a blow out coming your way.

Speaking of blow outs we had a good one that Grandma Reiter got a close up of. I was in the kitchen getting something to eat and Grandma R. was on the couch holding him and he let out an explosion that I heard, crystal clear, in the kitchen and wasn't quite sure if that was Grandma having a faux pas moment or if it was actually possible for Quentin to drop that much bass. It was Quentin and he went through the diaper, through his outfit, through his blanket and Grandma was emphatically asking for a towel. "I need a towel! I need a towel right now! It's leaking in here!" Fortunately for us Grandma R has been the only casualty of his blow outs. The earlier one happened in his crib. Interestingly enough the Tide bottle doesn't give instructions on how to get poop out of clothes. Hmmm, do you just chuck that in the washing machine? We probably want mom to handle this one. I do laundry but generally speaking my clothes are not soiled with people manure so that's a new challenge for me. I figured we just grab a five gallon bucket, throw some bleach in there, cross our fingers and see what happens. I don't know what happened but I assume mom took care of it. (The clothes are probably sitting in the garbage right now, which is what facilitated the shopping trip). We'll just let it go as the mystery of the day.

We took Quentin on a short stroller ride the other day just to see if the BMW of strollers really lived up to its cost. It was like driving the Cadillac of Hummers. It has the over sized tires for getting over the tough terrain (the hummer part) but drives smooth like Great Grandpa's caddy. Well, worth it. Quentin slept through it and the dog got a huge kick out of it. Lucky didn't know what to think. A new person he doesn't know very well tucked away inside that he desperately wanted to shove his snout into to get a better look but then the monster truck-like stroller itself looked like a fun new toy to bark/growl/eat the tires/jump on too. What to do? Plus he had to figure out how to do all this while walking because we were all moving. I'm sure the neighbors think we are the freaks on the block. Here Carrie is moving at a nice leisurely pace, because she just gave birth a few days ago grappling with a stroller while dad is in tow hanging on to a leash with a 90 pound dog attached doing circles around the stroller. I'm sure it was an interesting scene. It was nice to get some sun. This is the major positive of having a baby on the edge of winter but being fortunate enough to live down south. We've heard the snow stories already from up north. In a word BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Everyone we know is busting out their snow blowers. Well, that doesn't sound like too much fun so we feel good to be able to get some fresh air (of the 70+ degree variety). The sun is good for Quentin to keep jaundice at bay as well so it's a twofer.

Just a few final thoughts. Both Quentin and I agreed after watching the umpteenth Packer debacle this weekend that Ted Thompson (GM) should step down, they should hire me as the GM who in turn will immediately put Quentin on the short list of the draft board. Since the Pack are well on their way to a top 5 pick (for being atrocious {which could possible be an understatement} this year) they should have a good shot at getting him. I have been absent for the past couple of days so I will get back into updating daily. (I was mourning the poor showing in sports - Badger B-ball loss, Packer loss, Favre and the Jets going down hill in a hurry). I am recovered. It was interesting to hear Quentin's mouth after all the defensive mistakes. You wouldn't think he'd have such a potty mouth at his age. I guess they played that bad. I scolded him, but did agree so couldn't come down on him too hard. I am attaching a few pics. The first couple are an example of how picture taking with a newborn can quickly get out of hand. These pictures were taken in succession. So you have a nice baby posing wide-eyed and happy and then "enough...just FEED ME!!!" He was modeling one of his Christmas (Santa) outfits today and I have a pic of him in the stroller as well. Enjoy!

Sponge Bath

Quentin got his first sponge bath from mom and dad last night. Overall, we would give ourselves a B+. I witnessed the one he got in the hospital but they were working on Carrie so she got some great direction from dad when we were at home. Quentin screamed through the whole thing, just like the hospital so we must have been doing it right. They emphasized how we need to be fast because unlike the hospital we don't have heat lamps to get his body temp back up. We only have blankets and we don't want to give the poor guy hypothermia. So me, being all empathetic picked him up in my nice new sweater buck naked to warm him up while Carrie was getting his clothes and diaper out. Well, Quentin used that opportunity to whazzer all over the place, but mostly my sweater. Carrie stopped and enjoyed the moment. "He's peeing on you!" Yes, I feel that soaking my shirt. Could you hurry it up a bit with the clothes so I could put him down? Being peed on isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's a little warm, but after all it is your offspring so you let it slide. I think our dry cleaner is going to be seeing a lot more of us. He also made a sizable puddle on the floor so it's essentially like having a puppy all over again. We get to clean up pee on the floor all over again! Up this point we have done a good job evading the whazzer-machine but in the heat of the moment I forgot about how dangerous that thing is. Another reminder for the annals of parenthood.

When we went to the doctor yesterday one of the things we were worried about was how he hadn't deuced since leaving the hospital so the doc was concerned about him too. If he didn't get one out by today we were going to have to spoon feed him Karol syrup. I didn't think he would enjoy that too much so we were really putting the full court press on trying to get him to eat as much as possible. Well, that worked out - a little too well. Right around midnight the Quinster turned into the poopster. I mean every 30 minutes this kid was dropping another load. By 3am we still hadn't hit the sack because he was pooping, screaming through the diaper change, eating, pooping, screaming, eating, repeat, repeat, repeat. The kid went through 6 diaper changes by 6am. That makes for a rough night. He must have heard the doctor about the Karol syrup and decided he wasn't taking any chances. Overkill buddy. One would've been sufficient. Needless to say it was zombieville over here this morning. I made myself some breakfast and wandered into the bedroom where mom and baby were trying to catch up on some z's and looked over at the clock noticing it was past noon. Noon? Really? How is that even possible? In the real world maybe, but not in this house. Man, a clock has zero meaning with an infant. Zero, nada, zilch. No schedule. Everything is out the window.

I'm attaching a pic of Quentin trying out his new rocker from Grandma S. Check out the length on that leg!

Quentin Coming Home

Quentin came home late Monday night, which was great for him and Mom and Dad. We are all exhausted and just being able to lounge around in some space was enough to give us a boost of energy. Mr. Couch never felt so good. That sweet HD TV is helping dad quite a bit as well. Watching the NFL games (without the NFL ticket!) on a 19 inch television in the hospital on a chair that was invented in the 60s was less then ideal. They apparently didn't design the maternity ward thinking about dad. I did notice though, in all 3 rooms we were in the TV was not facing the bed so it was pointed towards the significant other. So apparently even the maternity ward knows who holds the remote.

We made it home without incident. It's amazing what a baby in the backseat will do for your driving abilities. Going the speed limit and not weaving in and out of traffic is going to be a new challenge for me. I have taken great pride in driving like Andretti the past 16 years so it's going to take a lot to slow down. I think Black Beauty (my sweet 01' accord) may need a baby on board sign. Too lame? No way, I'm a parent now. Macho got checked at labor and delivery.

Quentin slept through the drive in his new car seat. I've attached a pic with his going home outfit on in the car seat. (His feet are too big to get any of the socks on that came with the outfits). We introduced him to Lucky, who instantly started licking him from head to toe. Believe it or not I did actually ask that specific question to the doctor if it was okay. He gave me a goofy look like I was going to hold the kid out buck naked for the dog to lick up and down. But seriously if you own a dog and the dog can reach him, he's going to lick whatever is in front of him. The doctor's reply, "Well, I'm a dog person, so I think it's okay." That was very scientific. I feel much better. That's 10 years of med school? Maybe there is still time for a career change. Anyway the dog was fascinated but that could've partly been because he had been thoroughly ignored for the first time in the last year and was yearning and I mean seriously yearning for some attention. By today they are best friends - the Quinster and the Luckster.

Last night we had the whole family in our room. It was a giant sleep over. At this point we would've dragged the aquarium in there if I thought it would facilitate 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Quentin was doing his "up all night" routine while Carrie and I were desperately trying to sleep while the dog was periodically jumping his front paws up on the bed wondering who was making all that noise. For the first time ever, I think Lucky was begging to be put into his kennel. At least it's fair - no one is getting any sleep around here including the dog. It does make for quiet days. Quentin is definitely upside down sleeping all day and staying awake all night. The dog is officially on the same schedule, which means I haven't been walking him in the morning but we're both getting fatter for the lack of effort so I am determined to walk the dog today. Maybe we can get a wheelchair and I can sit in that napping while he pulls me around the neighborhood. Hmmm, not a bad idea.

We did go to Quentin's first doctor's visit today. He checked out okay but is apparently shrinking. He's lost a few ounces since birth and shrunk a 1/2 inch, but has actually put on some weight since he left the hospital. It takes about two weeks for them to bulk up. We have him on protein shakes in the morning and evening with some whole milk for lunch. He works the weights after breakfast and then throws the football for a few hours in the afternoon. He's really got a tight spiral down but his timing with the wide receivers is still a little off. It's only been 4 days on earth so I'm trying not to go too fast. He's got time to work on it. We did forget the diaper bag and realized it about two blocks after we left home. Me, being me, was like, "Ahhh, it's fine. What are the odds he's going to need a diaper change in the next 45 minutes?" Uh-huh. Obviously, a novice. Of course we get to the doctor's office and they want him stripped naked. What kind of doctor's office is this anyway? And the doctor wants to examine his privates and he's number oned his diaper. Fantastic. Excuse me doctor? Yes, how much is this visit and does it come with a complimentary diaper or do we have to wait for the first five visits and we get the free diaper on the sixth? Actually, they were very understanding and provided a diaper for a one year old. That will be perfect. No problems. The diaper goes up to his chin but that way if he has a "blow-out" he will still be A-okay. He checked out fine. We have a healthy baby boy and his parents now know "take the diaper bag every where you go." Right, got it. I'm sure there will be another lesson or two to learn throughout this parenthood thing. Funny, when I got my certificate (certifying me as a parent for at least one child) they didn't mention anything about bringing diaper bags. I guess we didn't attend the Harvard of baby preparation classes. Enjoy the pics!

Lucky's First Birthday

Today is Lucky's first birthday (or 7th if you're a dog and reading this) and even though there is a lot going on we wanted to take a time out and acknowledge the Luckster's first year with us. My birthday is June 2nd and because of that every graduation for me and my siblings got combined. So because of that we wanted to make sure Lucky got his own unadulterated birthday time. (I wonder if we can put birthday candles on a turkey for Quentin next year)? We were smart enough to take the time to go out and get him a gift a couple of weeks ago so we would have something on hand in case the baby came early. We got him 5 rawhide bones and one squeaky Christmas bone. Lucky loves the squeakers. He also loves to destroy anything plush. I am attaching some pics. I was only going to put a couple out here but after I went through the Lucky pictures I thought we needed to do a Luckyspective from the last year. I have included a picture when we picked him out, his first bath, learning to swim, his all important first beer, Easter, graduation (which means he was underage when he had that beer - but I won't tell if you won't) and his birthday today. I gave him the green bone today as a birthday gift and hopped in the shower. Twenty minutes later when I came out to the living room the remaining pics are what I found. He made short work of his birthday present but enjoyed it all the same. It's pretty exciting for Lucky with all the guests coming to the door, the new human making all kinds of interesting new noises and he is definitely wondering why he is no longer the center of attention. Even our fish was giving us the business when we came home last night splashing water all over the floor. You would've thunk we were gone for a month. It's already turning into a crazy house! Enjoy Lucky's birthday pics and he thanks everyone for the well wishes.

Sleep? Has anyone seen any sleep?

Ahh, Mr. Sleep, hello? Where are you? Umm, when people said take your naps now because you won't get them later I thought that meant less sleep not no sleep at all. We're dying here. Everyone said stay in the hospital for as long as possible but there are people coming in and out of the room every 10 minutes so we can't grab any sleep. They are used to working at 2am and they just stroll in all happy as clams being like, "Hey, how's everyone doing?" Well, if this isn't last call I'm sleeping right now! 2 am? Really? I think those days were pretty much behind us and after Quentin's arrival they definitely are.

The Quinster has it backwards as well. (Maybe he should hang with the nurses - he's such a looker anyway). He's spending the night crying and wanting to hang out while we want some sleep. During the day he's as quiet as, well, a baby. Carrie only clocked about 30 minutes of sleep the first night and I got a couple of hours. We didn't have a dog sitter so last night I ran home to attend to the dog and get some sleep. Carrie had a rough night. Quentin apparently was fussy last night so she only got about 90 minutes of sleep. I dealt with Lucky this morning and headed to the hospital to give Carrie a reprieve. I don't think she'll really get one though, until we head home. The doctors and nurses are checking on her regularly for this and that so she gets attention about every hour or so. Our nurse yesterday told us the key was to sleep in the mid-afternoon, since that's the quietest time. I think we will try that today.

The hospital staff has been a little less organized the last day or so complicating our schedule. We weren't allowed to feed him from 6-9 am the first morning so he could get circumcised and then they didn't show up, so our poor little guy was starving. They came in during lunch time and of course they couldn't do it then because he had eaten. Then we went through the same ordeal this morning and once again they showed up at 10:30 am, which of course was right after he finished eating after holding out for 3.5 hours. Don't they know Quentin needs to put on weight to fulfill his life long (all 18 hours of it) dream of playing quarterback for the Packers? Coincidentally they look like they need one right now.

Yesterday afternoon Quentin and I spent the late afternoon watching Favre and the Jets, honing our throwing technique. It's going to be great to have another football fan in the house. Carrie has been holding her own over the years but Quentin, with those big hands, long fingers and his height will really have an advantage to see over those tall linemen. I figure another 21 years or so and after winning the Heisman during his junior year, he'll graduate early and be a number one pick thanking his parents at the podium for laying the groundwork for such a successful career. At the draft in New York I'm sure the crowd will be chanting Quen-tin! Quen-tin! Quen-tin!

But I digress. We are hoping to go home this afternoon. Quentin has his glamourshots this afternoon so we are making him look pretty - ahem, I mean handsome. That hair is awesome. I think a little gel, mess that up a bit and he could model for Abercrombie. We'll pass out some pics soon. In the mean time here is a shot about 1 hour after birth still in labor and delivery.

Labor

The big day has arrived, November 29, 2008. At 7 am the water broke. Carrie woke up and I woke up shortly after and we had a quick discussion to see if that's what really happened. According to our class only 10% of people who go into labor have it start with their water breaking. Due to the risk of infection we are supposed to immediately get to the hospital. We got the dog fed, showered, packed and took off. We arrived and were admitted to triage at 10:15 am to confirm that the water did indeed break. We were questioned as to whether or not one of us wet the bed. We both looked at each other for confirmation and agreed neither of us wet the bed. We are house broke. We were in triage for about 45 minutes while they ran some tests and gave us some information about what to expect. It was pretty quiet being a Saturday on a holiday weekend. Fortunately our doctor was the doctor on call so Doctor Baker will deliver our baby, which is nice for Carrie.

At 11am we were moved up to labor and delivery and given lucky room #11. Carrie got comfortable in bed and an IV was started. I think the needle was the worst part. Her blood pressure fell a bit and she got a warm sensation, but then again so did I watching that needle getting poked around in there. I think the nurse was more worried about me. Apparently, a father-to-be earlier in the week took a header after watching that portion and broke his jaw ending up in the hospital across the street. I persevered and survived the initial IV. Carrie survived too. Carrie was hooked up with some antibiotics, pitocin because her water had broke six hours ago and she wasn't making as much progress as they wanted, and some fluids in preparation for the epidural. At about 3pm Carrie asked for the epidural. Surprisingly the epidural went through with out much fanfare. I wasn't watching the needles this time and either was she. The doctor was nice, cracking jokes, and was married to the attending nurse (sound familiar)? The procedure took about 10 minutes and the worst part according to Carrie was the weird sensation of "back cramping." From that point on Carrie was resting comfortably, or as one having contractions every 90 seconds can. At about 4pm she was dilated to 7 CMs and the nurse told us it wouldn't be long.

It's crazy seeing her hooked up to all the machines. She has 2 IV's going, a blood pressure cuff, a pulse monitor on her finger, a monitor measuring the contractions and a heartbeat monitor for the baby and she also has the epidural pump hooked up. The baby's heartbeat is actually really soothing and is making me sleepy. Carrie is on her way to taking a nap before the final rush to have this baby. "Move towards the light!"

The nurses have been great and we hope to have the baby before the shift change. Our current nurse, Penny, is the same one that checked us in in the triage area who happened to shift up to the labor and delivery section at the same time we were moving so we were able to keep her. I think anyone who has been in the hospital or known someone close to them in the hospital knows their quality of stay has more to do with the doctors and nurses then anything else. So far we've had a very positive experience with everyone. If you're having a baby come on down to St. Joe's Women's hospital conveniently located adjacent to Raymond James Stadium (which is where the Bucs take on the Saints tomorrow). We could potentially watch the game out of our recovery window depending on where they move us to next.

5pm and we just got checked again - 9 CMs. We are looking at maybe another hour or so before the "pushing" and the real fun begins. We just went over the baby names for one last moment of agreement. We agreed to continue to disagree. This kid still might be named Favrefour, we'll see in a few short hours. We have discussed Carrie's pushing abilities. Will she be a rookie or an old pro? She is a little nervous but is getting a lot of encouragement from the nurses and of course me. She just found the button that gives her a turbo boost of the epidural meds. Uh-oh. Does that thing have a fail safe stop button? Can you OD on epidural meds? She isn't too comfortable any more so I think this baby is coming sooner as opposed to later.

At 6:15pm we decided it was time to start pushing. The nurse came in and was very helpful and supportive. I didn't realize I was going to be such a part of the action. I am holding a leg and counting off the 3 10 counts per contraction. The doctor came in around 6:25 and was there for the majority of the pushing part so the three of us were in the room. Carrie did very well and hardly broke a sweat as she pushed our new bouncing baby boy into his new world. He was born at 7:20 eastern standard time on November 29, 2008. He weighed in at 8 pounds and 1 ounce, and was 21 inches and 1/4 long with long arms and legs and big hands and feet. He has a ton of long dark hair covering his head. I promise you this is the hairiest kid you will ever see. He should have a full head of hair for years to come. He is large and clearly going to be tall. His fingers and toes are so long. He's already sporting a size 6 for boys in shoes. I can already see the amount of shoes we are going to have to buy him as he continues to grow. He is above the 90th percentile according to the nurse that charted his height and weight. Due to his large size they are concerned about his blood sugar level being too low so he needs to be pricked in his foot every few hours to check it.

He has had a rude awakening after sliding down the tunnel of life. He receives medication for his eyes, a vitamin K shot in the thigh (with needle), the pin prick to his foot, some medication for his remaining cord to help it fall off and he's been rubbed down with towels to clean him up a bit. All of this while angrily screaming at anyone within ear shot. He then gets his first meal from mom, which is a learning experience for both mom and baby. Fortunately dad clocked 3.5 hours of breastfeeding class and has the certificate to prove it. I can coach from across the room. "No, you're doing it wrong. Use the "C" hold not the scissors hold!" Success after a few tries and the baby gulps down his first meal on the outside.

Once mom gets the use of her legs back long enough to be able to stand and walk around a bit they move us to a recovery room where we will stay for the next 48 hours. We are in room 220 and it's a smaller room then the delivery but we are looking forward to some shut eye. Carrie wants to name the baby so without further adieu...

We have decided to name him Quentin Joshua Spiegelhoff. We wanted to name him something unique and we hadn't made up our minds until a few hours after he found the light. Carrie likes Quinn for short and thinks we may call him that. We will figure it out. His middle name follows the tradition of the first name of the father being the middle name of the first born son in the Spiegelhoff family. I don't think too many people will be calling him QJ but we'll see. Q may be okay. He could be in the next Bond flick. Who knows? President Quentin Spiegelhoff? Take that foreign leaders!

It's been an exhausting, exhilarating, emotional day. Carrie did great and from the water breaking to son being born took about 12 hours. We're told that's pretty good. Carrie feels shockingly good but I think she will have a rough morning. We are getting some dinner for ourselves just after midnight and dying for a place to crash for a few hours. Baby Q is about to get his first bath. It's going to take a blow dryer to dry all that hair. Our kid came out a hippie! He whaled through the whole bathing experience and is currently trying to warm up. He'll get one more feeding before mom and baby settle in for the night. I, am hitting the sack. A great day and one we'll never forget. He came 13 days early and no one pegged a November due date in the baby pool but he was healthy and we are looking forward to being the best parents we can.

The Day has Arrived!

We are at the hospital. Delivery will happen some time today or very early tomorrow. We will keep everyone posted. A lot of leftovers in the fridge if anyone wants to come over. We also need someone to take care of the dog. Any takers? We're having a baby!!!!

17 Days to go

I thought we could have a little caption contest. How about, "Are we there yet?" or "Baby on board!" "It's getting crowded in here," and the clock is ticking. We only have 17 days to go. Favrefour is getting pretty rowdy these days doing a lot of kicking. Now you can tell it that's a foot or a punch beating Carrie up. Look at the size 12 that kid's kicking! (Takes after his dad). I guess he's going into management.

We spent the weekend getting the last details in order. We have the bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper disposal system that's supposedly going to help with the diaper stench. We've heard from some recent parents who tell us we are going to get peed on or worse. We won't go into the worse. Apparently we needed a little test. We went to the dog park over the weekend to wear out the luckster. One of us, who will remain anonymous, decided to go up to a strange dog (lesson learned) and "ohhhh, look at the little puppy, ohhh he's sooooo cute." Well, while that was going on one of us noticed, "umm, that dog is lifting his leg, and umm that dog is peeing on your bare leg and ummm, it's running down your leg into your sandal." Well, needless to say we will not be so anxious to go up to the "cute puppy" at the dog park any more. At least we know we can take a little getting peed on now and then. We are really getting this parenting thing down.

We only have 17 days to do. We hope we make it through Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. We did buy a ton of a food so our wish is for Fatima to hang on until after we eat our feast and maybe catch at least one of the football games. We would hate to pop the turkey into the oven and go into labor. Although, having a birthday on Thanksgiving would be pretty sweet. We'll keep everyone updated as we near the date! Gobble, Gobble!

Nursery Pics

This is the before. The room was originally Carrie's office. (We both work from home).

The second pic shows the Wisco flavor. It took us 4 coats of paint to get it Sconny red and we had the room that way for about a year so it was relatively painful to repaint it again in such a short period of time.

The third pic shows the color we chose. We of course don't know if it is a boy or a girl so we went with a yellowish color. It appears as a light green when the sun shines on it.

Here is Carrie's artwork and a partial shot of the dresser we picked out.

Lucky explaining how to put the crib together. I really don't know what I would do without all of his help. And the final product and the pattern for the bedding.

The Last Hurrah

I had my last hurrah with the fellas this weekend before the baby is due. One of my undergrad friends was tying the knot in Baton Rouge this past weekend and Carrie was too preggers to attend. We flew in a few days early to check out New Orleans. I have been down there for Jazzfest in the past (which is great by the way) and it was very different this time around. For one thing everything was significantly cheaper. I don't think they are seeing a lot of tourists this time of year. We visited the 9th ward and I would estimate one out of every 20 homes is abandoned. The people who are rebuilding, shouldn't be. They are rebuilding right on the levees again. I don't understand how the government is not coming in there, buying the land, making it a park and letting/helping these folks rebuild on higher ground. They are literally putting houses within 100 yards of the rivers/lakes. It's only a matter of time before it gets destroyed again. The French Quarter looked about the same from the last time we were there so where we were staying we didn't see much change.

The wedding was fine and I got the last of the "non-family" good times out of me with the boys. My friends that got married are both professors at LSU and the crowd was made up by about 25-30 PhD holders. So there was a lot of, "Dr.? Dr. Dr.? Dr." Maybe you've seen that in "Spies Like Us." Everyone was a prof somewhere in the country.

While I was gone Carrie tracked down a pediatrician who she will interview on Tuesday. She is also keeping up with her shopping. For those that don't know, me being out of town equals Carrie at the mall. She found a boy/girl outfit to take Favrefour/Fatima home in from the hospital. She continues to do artwork adding to the nursery. Apparently I married Martha Stewart. Now that I think about it HGTV is on quite a bit these days...The comfort level for her is decreasing but she's maintaining a positive outlook. We're not sure if we should hope for an earlier arrival or savor the last few days. A few recent parents have commented, "I wish for just a few hours I could shove him back in there so I could go to the mall solo." Okay, probably not the mall but maybe a football game for me. I'm sure it will be bliss. Tired bliss, but bliss all the same.

I got trapped in O'hare for 2 days last week. Not pleasant. It did afford an opportunity for me to catch up with another college friend who I crashed with in Chicago one night on my endless airport adventure. His advice (single, bachelor) was it's just another change no different than graduating high school or college or getting engaged. You really don't know what's on the other side but that's what life is all about. It was the best I've gotten to date. There really isn't any reason to be nervous, because that kid is coming and you're going to be a parent nervous or not.

We continue to decorate so I am attaching a few nursery pics. We did get the car seat installed. The hospital folks said it would take an hour. It took us like 5 minutes. Hmm, maybe I should go make sure that thing is actually in there right. I thought I was just a genius but I probably just did it wrong. Ya, I better go take care of that...

We're Certified Parents!

We graduated last night from parenting class. I took the survey, gathered my diploma and walked out of the hospital a new man; one fit for parenting - at least one child. As we took the elevator down to the first floor and began our walk toward the parking lot I felt a new sense of pride overcome me. That's right, I had just succeeded in changing my first diaper, on a doll. I also practiced using a bulb syringe and clearly will be a bulb syringing pro in a few short months. Look out mucous. I will admit I had serious problems taking off and putting a shirt on the baby - doll. I think it will be easier with something less stiff, like a human. We learned other things like how to cut the cord and keep one hand on the child at all times to prevent dropping on the floor. (Dropping baby is not good). Here is a quote from a new dad in one of the videos about cutting the cord. "It was the most fulfilling aspect of the whole process. For the first time it allowed me to be a part of the experience." I think the actual birth will be more fulfilling. We shall see. I hear the cord is like cutting a bungee cord. A little weird and car crash like at the same time. It's sort of gross but you just can't help yourself.

I did get major props from the teacher for making it to the breastfeeding class. That was great until she called on me to talk about what I learned. Umm, embarrassing. See, the dads show up for the parenting class so you sort have to be a little macho. Everyone in the class is having their first child so we are still in the "cool" stage of our lives. I deferred to the wife to save some face. People only made fun of me for the duration of the class. That's been happening a lot lately - go figure. I also learned there is a boot camp for dads. We saw the video and 20/20 did a special on it. It was about 20+ years old (VHS). A lot of mullets in the video but looked like it may be helpful. Several wives volunteered their husbands for the boot camp. Fortunately, my wife took pity on me and remained silent. She was probably too busy thinking about what she's going to wear for the father of the year ceremony taking place during the 3rd Sunday in June. Hopefully right!?!?

All in all it was a pretty good class. Most of it was gross and way too much information from a male's perspective. It will make me more empathetic to the birthing process and probably prepared us as much as possible. We had a good teacher, which made it informative and still pretty entertaining.

As of today we have 35 days to go. That would be five weeks for the mathematically challenged. Our baby currently enjoys mixed martial arts. The kid has a flair for punching and when that gets old moves to practicing its kicks. It's alien-like for me to feel it. It's painful and drives the wife nuts. The baby's current practice hours are generally near 11pm, which puts him/her into the not-convenient hour. Ah, it's only another 35 days. We'll be fine.

Baby pics

Here are pictures from 10/6/08. This is the last sonogram we have. Clearly this is an NFL linebacker. You can tell by the size of his paws. I see a future Packer but you be the judge. The sonographer, an actual profession (look it up & impress your friends and co-workers), says the baby has hair, will be tall and is a "fatty."

Halloween 2008

Here are some pics from halloween this year. We had a pumpkin carving contest and as you can see Lucky dominated. Down here pumpkins go for about $10 a pop. Yikes! We managed a better deal then that and I think due to the cost there weren't very many carved in the neighborhood, so ours were a hit.

Meow!

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr