Baby Stuff

From the moment I saw the image above in Denver Valentine's Day weekend, I have been both looking forward to, and fearing what we did this past Saturday. Emily and I took our birthing class. Basically we went to the hospital at 9 am, watched some videos, learned how to breathe, watched some more videos, and 7 hours later, we were ready to give birth! Well, according to the lovely nurse, Peggy who taught our class, we are ready.I'll take her word for it, she's a professional.

For those of you reading this blog who have not gone thru this experience, I have to say, it is worth it. I learned a lot and feel pretty confident about how Emily and I are going to do when this baby is ready to come out. That being said, there are some things that go down in these classes that are, shall we say, a bit jarring. First, we did watch some actual birth videos. Yes, we saw EVERYTHING! While this is the biggest miracle that can ever happen, it is not pretty to watch complete strangers experience this miracle in surround sound. If you have a weak stomach, eat a light breakfast. Also, most of the husbands in the room were like me. We came to support our wives, learn some helpful lessons, and basically stay out of the way. Well, that is not how it goes. We were all very involved and hands on for the class. At one point we did some roll reversal. So I got to practice breathing while Emily told me how great I was doing. Oh yeah, it was entertaining, to say the least. Finally, the class was 7 hours long on a beautiful Saturday, but as I said, I am glad I took it. I would recommend doing the one day class over the 6 week classes. We covered everything and it did not feel rushed. The nurses were great and knew their stuff.The 7 hours really did go by pretty quickly.

This morning we saw the doctor for a routine checkup on Mom and Baby's progress, and everything was moving along great. We are down to the last 8 or 9 weeks. Things are moving at warp speed now.

Good Times With These Links

I have been just swamped at work this week with the extremely hot weather. So the blog has suffered because of the heat. I blame the sun! It may give Superman his super strength, but sometimes it gives me a super headache. Anyway, not much really going on here. Emily has another doctor's appointment on Monday, then it is her birthday Tuesday, and finally she goes back to school on Wednesday. So next week, the blog will be full of good stuff. For now, I will have to go to the old standby of funny/weird links to entertain you. So here they are:

• One of the best shows on right now is Flight of the Conchords. If you like off the wall humor by a folk singing duo from New Zealand, this is the show for you. It really is hilarious, just watch some of the clips on the website.
• This guy is the king pimp of credit. The best part, the free plasma TV with the note saying, "fo real yo!"
• This is not really funny, but it is educational. If you want to see where Baby A is, in terms of development, check this site out. This is based on the original due date of October 23rd.
• Finally, I really don't think you could sum up the 70's any better than this video. And for a slightly more modern version, my main man the Fresh Prince!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Fun Weekend

Emily and I had a very busy, yet fun weekend. We hung out with some people that are sure to make a few appearances in this blog, so let me introduce you to them.

On Friday we grilled out with Mary Ann and Brian. Emily and Mary Ann went to the Art Academy together and became very good friends there. Mary and Brian got married the week after us and we all have a lot in common. Whether it is grilling out or camping, going to a bar, or celebrating New Years, we always have a pretty relaxed and fun time with them.

On Saturday we met up with Tom and Sarah at Deweys in Clifton. We ate a good amount of pizza then headed downtown for a surprise birthday party at a bar. As always, it was such a great time catching up with Tom and Sarah. Besides being the inspiration for this blog, Sarah is one of Emily's best friends from college. They have done a ton of road trips together and the stories from these trips are legendary. Sarah and Tom got married this summer and Emily and I always look forward to hanging out with them.

Finally on Sunday we met up with Matt, Heather and their little girl Jordan for breakfast at Mokka. I have known Matt since freshman year of high school. We played soccer together at St. X and in the summer for the Classics. We worked a Summer at Coney flipping burgers and we drank a lot of beer. Basically we have watched each other go from immature high schoolers to immature adults. It has been a fun ride so far. Matt and Heather met at UD and got married a few years back. Heather then decided to run a marathon and started training with me. She made it through that one and has done another one since then, as well as had a child. Matt and Heather are always a blast to hang out with and Jordan is so much fun to watch grow up.

A little late with this one!

So I am about 3 weeks late on this one, but in case you did not hear, Emily's brother John got engaged a few weeks back. Emily and I are very excited about this. We love Tricia and think they are a great couple. They are planning on walking down the aisle this December, right after Christmas. I'm sure there will be plenty of details I will post as they plan their big day. Congrats to John and Tricia! Have a great weekend, everyone.

Is there a baby in there or are you just happy to see me?

Emily amazes me all the time. She told me she was going to take a few pictures of herself so that we had a some shots of her in the third trimester. If it was me, the shots would all be of my head or feet, out of focus, and not very good. Well, she sent me her pictures this morning and as you can see above, they are wonderful. This one was my favorite, but believe me, the other shots are just as good. It takes a special eye and a lot of talent to get these kind of pictures. Emily definitely has both.

As for the preganancy, everything is going great. We are at 29 weeks now, so the thrid trimester is well on it's way. Emily is getting tired more often and Baby A (or Flipper as I call it) is apparently going to be trying out for the US Gymnastics Team. I had no idea how much babies move around in the womb. It is very exciting, creepy, cool, and weird all at the same time. Nothing like feeling your unborn baby's butt through your wife's belly. Talk about surreal.

This week's weirdness

A few weeks back my friend Chris Gaede started an email exchange that went on for a few days. The topic was "the worst video ever" and it was a very popular topic. Out of all the videos sent, this one really stood out for me. The best part about it......the guy singing this song, Michael Nesmith, was in the Monkees. As in the "hey hey, we're the Monkees" group from the 60's and 70's. This song and video were quite a departure from what the Monkees did. The best part for me is when he goes into his solo mosh pit and then spits out the water. I think there is some symbolism in there somewhere, but I have no clue what it means. Anyway, get your rollerskates out and enjoy this very entertaining video from the 80's.

My Niece and Goddaughter

Here is a video my brother-in-law shot of their daughter and my niece, Francie Goff. She is getting baptised this Sunday, and I am the Godfather. Yes, I will be wearing a ring for all to bow down to and kiss.