So sleepy.......Audrey did NOT want to go to sleep last night....can barely keep my eyes open.....must stay awake....fjkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

As I'm sitting here typing this, my heart is absolutely bursting with love for the two girls sleeping in my bedroom. Audrey, sleeping peacefully after a nice feeding, blissfully listening to some light tunes emanating from her bassinet. Natalie, catching a well deserved nap, hurting physically in ways I cannot even understand, bravely facing the challenges that lie ahead. I'm so proud, so amazed, so awestruck.

It's nothing that literally billions of other parents haven't gone through, but here is a difference. I'm 32. Here in the midwest, that pretty much makes me ELDERLY when it comes to the age to start having babies. Many of my friends already have kids older than mine, and even though I understood that they had kids, I didn't understand exactly what that MEANT. The pain, the anguish. My younger sister and brother both had kids go straight into the NCU unit (neo-natal care). At the time, I knew they were scared, but I didn't UNDERSTAND how deep they were scared, how frightened they were.

Now, I do.

Right now, I'm scared to death for my child. She is perfectly safe right now in my house, but I'm still scared to death.

As a teacher, I often gripe about how stupid I think some parents are, naively turning a blind eye to their child's transgressions or short comings. I've gotten furious with some parents who thought their child was the new messiah-on-earth.

Now, I understand it. I don't always agree with it, but now I realize how a parent can feel that way. Right now, my baby girl is perfect. She's not, but to me, she is.

I hope I can keep that in mind when I deal with parents in the future.

The single most amazing thing happened Monday- we had a baby girl!









Audrey Elizabeth
1:43 pm
21 inches long
6 lbs 7.6 oz

A head full of dark hair...and here's the kicker....

we have the same wierd pinky toe on her left foot! When the nurse took her footprints, only four toes showed up, same as what happens with me!



THE MISSING TOE!

I'll write more later, but needless to say, NOTHING can prepare you for that rush of emotions....tears, joy, IMMENSE pride.....when she came out I just wept, she was so beautiful. The doctor's first words after announcing that she was a baby girl (we already knew, but sometimes accidents happen!) were "She has no butt!"

She is so skinny! But perfect!

We just brought home about an hour and a half ago, and after Natalie nursed her, she's asleep in her crib. Just beautiful.

Sydney, our cat, doesn't seem to be taking it very well. He's completely wigged out, but he's pretty much left her alone.

Natalie is very sore because of some labor complications, but other than that she is a beautiful mother doing her best to take care of this child, who definitely knows how to wail!



I love Natalie so much, and I'm so proud of what she went through to have this baby. Every image of Monday is imprinted in stone on my mind....and nothing, NOTHING, will ever take it away. Here are some photos of Audrey! (the nurses took these, who by the way were outstanding, including Carrie Casey (Emmetts mom) and Deann Kellogg (Zane's mom) and lots of others, including Nancy, who helped guide us through the birth process....good grief, how do they do it?



Daddy and Daughter!

Well, here it is. The biggest day of my married life. Baby day!

It's 4:45 am, I've been wide awake laying in bed for what seems like FOREVER. Nat is taking a shower, and she popped right out of bed when the alarm went. So you KNOW she's excited.

I'm so excited it hurts to even think about it.

I'm gonna be a dad!

I won't be able to update this after it happens until we get home from the hospital, which could be Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll try, though.

For my students reading this, have a good time at school. Seniors, you're almost done. Congratulations, now make it down the home stretch in a good manner. I'm proud of you all.

PEACE!

Baby Watch, day 7.

Didn't get a chance to post yesterday because of the funeral and the fact that I slept in later than normal. It was my last chance FOREVER.

Audrey isn't here yet. She comes tomorrow. Hard to believe, the moment is here. I will probably obsess about it all day today, and I'm sure sleep will be at a premium tonight. I'll probably lie awake all night waiting for the 4:30 alarm to hit.

I can't wait!

In other news, there are only 4 people who can win any money in our pick 'em pool. 4 of us are tied with 40 points. I am guaranteed money if Villanova loses. (or Connecticut wins). If Nova wins, I'm out of luck. Of course, if Boston College knew how to defend inbounds plays I would have already sewn up first place in this pick'em and rolled out with $110. Stupid Eagles.

I won't post again until Audrey is here, and I'll have some pictures to help tell the story!

Say a prayer for us, and for Natalie, and especially little Audrey. Thanks.

Baby Watch, Day 5.

No baby yet. In fact, Natalie is doing so well you'd swear she wasn't 9 months pregnant at all. The plan is still Monday. I'm thinking of putting Natalie on a high impact aerobics schedule for the next day or so.

Yeah, she'll go for that.

In other news, I can't pick NCAA teams. I can barely pick my nose.

Last night I watched as 3 of the four teams I needed to win BLEW IT. West Virginia forgot how to play 3 point defense. Duke forgot that they were Duke and were SUPPOSED TO WIN. Bradley just got outclassed. So tonight, to have any prayer of winning the money, I need Boston College, Florida, and Connecticut to win. UConn is almost a given, and in fact, if they lose, doesn't hurt me at all because EVERYONE predicted them to make the final four. But Boston College is a MUST for me. Simply a MUST-HAVE.

I'm tied for first in both pick'em pools I'm in. However, I'm running out of chances to make points. Only 2 of my Final Four teams remain alive.

But you know what? Even if I don't win, it was nice to see KU LOSE in the first round AGAIN.

Baby Watch, Day 4

No baby yet. But we DID go to the doctor yesterday, and officially set the date for Audrey's arrival for Monday. We have to go to the hospital at 6 am. They will induce labor shortly thereafter if she hasn't come by then. So that is good to know. Natalie is still doing fine, I reckon- and she looks better than ever. I have a beautiful wife, who will make a beautiful mom.

Sydney came back as well. He's sitting on my lap right now as I type this. He was out all night and then came back yesterday morning as we were leaving. He hasn't moved from the sofa or his supper dish yet, except to sit on my lap. Silly kitty.

My uncle Fred died this morning after a long bout with cancer. I was thankful to see him go- he went out the way he wanted to, surrounded by friends and family in his sleep. He was a former state representative who served his country well. He used to be roommates with former Kansas Governor and Director of the National Archives John Carlin, whom I met in DC several years ago. What a treat that was. I wasn't that close to Uncle Fred, but my dad was, and he's pretty broken up about it.

ENough downer stuff. Let me talk to you about something that amazes me.

CAN THEY POSSIBLY MAKE KIDS' STUFF ANY HARDER TO PUT TOGETHER? It took both Natalie AND me to install our base in the car to Audrey's car seat. Incredible. Simply incredible. It was tougher than building a nuclear weapon.

LOST- I'm on episode 18 of season One. I'm hooked- incredibly hooked. I'm also 2/3 of the way through GRAY'S ANATOMY Season One. I actually like that show, except for the lead character, who is an emotional cripple who is VERY UNFIT to be a doctor. She has the knowledge, but the has the people skills of the Unabomber.

Hope you kids are enjoying Winter Break!

Baby Watch, Day 3

No baby yet. However, we go to the doc's at 9:45 this morning. We'll learn more then. Natalie is still feeling really good, she's just very stopped up with a cold she caught at school. She didn't get it from me!

Also, my cat went outside yesterday afternoon and still hasn't come back. He's never been outside that long, and since it was cold outside, I'm really worried. I can't find him anywhere.

Funny how a cat that I didn't want and didn't like at first can make me so upset. Stupid cat. I hope he comes back. I miss him.

On the plus side, I saw V for Vendetta. It was good. More on that later in class.

Baby Watch, Day 2.

Natalie is hanging in there with the grace of a true champion. I made her a BIG breakfast this morning of pancakes, eggs, and hash browns. No baby yet.

She's asleep right now- she's gotten to sleep in the last couple of days.

I should be soaking up all the sleep I can muster, but right now it is hard. I keep thinking about everything that will have to be done- everything that I need to plan, the people I need to call......wow.

Oh yeah, how about the weather?

Mid 80s all through February, and then now on our week off, as I write this, it is 36 degrees outside.

Remember my previous comments about Mother Nature?

Double that.

Baby Watch, Day 2.

Natalie is hanging in there with the grace of a true champion. I made her a BIG breakfast this morning of pancakes, eggs, and hash browns. No baby yet.

She's asleep right now- she's gotten to sleep in the last couple of days.

I should be soaking up all the sleep I can muster, but right now it is hard. I keep thinking about everything that will have to be done- everything that I need to plan, the people I need to call......wow.

Oh yeah, how about the weather?

Mid 80s all through February, and then now on our week off, as I write this, it is 36 degrees outside.

Remember my previous comments about Mother Nature?

Double that.

The Baby Watch is On.

We haven't gone to the hospital yet.....AND Natalie hasn't started the urge to clean or "nest" yet....but she's coming. I feel it. I know it. We're off to take back the last of the remaning double-gifts (diaper genie, etc.) Wal-Mart is our friend today- I will be there for a very long time!

She'll be here soon!

I did have a dream last night that a guy I used to hang out with was having a son....but the person carrying his baby was a MAN. He was pregnant with boobs and everything. That was odd.

Oh, By the way, who does KU play this weekend?

Oh that's right.

NO ONE!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

ps. Yes, I know OU lost....but OU fans knew we weren't going to make any noise in the Big Dance. So don't come taunting me with the same "OU lost too!" nonsense.

ROCK.........



CHOKE........



JAYHAWK.......



HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Bradley?

BRADLEY?!???

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

KU chokes away another one.....oh boy....

hahahahah.....

Bill Self should have his name changed to Bill Shelf, because
that is where his team is going to be for a whole nother year
after choking on the NCAA Stage again.

I hate KU.

How about some lame excuses why they lost?

Kansas coach Bill Self blamed his team's slow start in part on the late (9:40 p.m. EST) start time, the same broadacast window in which the Jayhawks lost to Bucknell in last year's tourney. "It's better if you can get out there early and get it over with," said Self. "But I guess CBS didn't think that would be great for their ratings." - cnnsi.com


WAAHHHH!!! WAAAHHHHHH!!!!

Crybaby Self whining about what time they had to play? Didn't Bradley have to play at the same time? WAAHHHHH!!!

What an embarassment.

Long time, no post!

Been a busy two weeks, lots of stuff on my mind and on my plate as we prepare for Audrey's due date. Just two weeks from tomorrow....and things are already happening! Woo hoo!

Last night something peculiar happened, and I can laugh about it now. At the time though, I was not happy at all.

At 1:10 in the morning Nat and I were awakened by a loud banging noise that was coming from our living room. I heard it once, and just thought the cat had knocked something over (he likes to do that.) But I heard it again, and then a few seconds later, again.

We thought someone was in our house.

I don't have a gun in the house- no real ethical reason, I just don't have one. I only own a shotgun that I keep at my dad's house because the only time it gets fired is when I go out with him. But I do have a kukuri- a Nepalese assassin's blade that was crafted by the Royal bladesmith of Nepal- and it is huge.

I don't know how to actually use the thing- but it sure as heck would scare anyone I ran into with it- very Crocodile Dundee-ish.

I told Natalie to stay in bed- she didn't- and I opened our bedroom door and flipped on the hall light. What was odd is that the noises stopped when I turned on the light. I moved down the hallway and Sydney came running out like he was scared to death. I held my breath, and heard another set of crashing. Things started going through my mind- was the thief trying to rip out my cabling system from all my home theater electronic stuff? Was he trying to get to the projector mounted high on the wall?

I shouted "Whoever's in here has three seconds to get out of my house!" (I actually said some non-school appropriate things here.)

It was silent. And then, wham, the sounds happened again, this time for like five seconds.

Suddenly, my brain awoke from its slumber and put two and two together.

A large mylar-metallic helium-filled baloon had gotten loose and been drawn into the ceiling fan and was getting beaten all about.

Whew.

Scared the tar out of me. Seriously scared me. Bad.

So there went my sleep for the rest of the night- my mind began racing with scenarios of what would happen if it were a real intruder? I have a wife and a child on the way- what will I do then? I know one thing I'll do- keep my freaking cell phone in the bed room, because we had no way of calling for help at that moment had the situation been real.

But here is what got me the most- at the moment that I honestly felt someone was in the house- my ONLY concern was to get them out because Natalie was in danger. The ONLY thing. I've never felt that complete sense of a lack of self-concern- I was perfectly willing to lay down my life at that moment, to let everything go to protect someone else.

It wasn't real, and I pray to God that nothing like that ever really does happen. I also hope that if that situation ever does arise for real, I'll have the courage to protect my loved ones.

"No greater deed does a man do than to lay down his life for a friend."

My back hurts.

It really, really hurts.

But sometimes you just have to take one for the team, I guess.

You see, last night I slept in the recliner in the living room, something I'd never done before.

No, I didn't get kicked out, ding dongs.

I went to bed at 10:30 only to find my wife, Natalie, who is 8 months pregnant, sprawled out all over my bed, so much so that I had nowhere to lie down and even if I did, I'd wake her up. She hasn't been sleeping well lately and had gone to bed earlier than normal last night. I don't know how a 5'6" woman can fill up an entire king sized bed. But she did.

So rather than wake her, I gathered up several blankets and slept in the recliner.

That was, until my cat Sydney deemed it necessary to do a sprawling leap from the sofa onto my crotch.

Ow.

But it was worth it. I didn't wake Natalie, and despite one cat that I sent flying across the living room at near-lightspeed, I kinda slept as well.