Max-A-Million

What a great son Nicole and I have. But before I get into that, let me be the first to apologize. Over the past few weeks, my work world has been mixing a little too much with my family world. I'm not exactly sure how the chemistry works, but I do know that it will always produce the most perfect crapstorm you've ever seen. I would definitely say I've been tested the past few weeks. Nicole also. Working late in to the night and stressing about work doesn't usually sit well with anybody, especially when you combine that with a bulldog for a son experiencing his 8th, 9th and 10th weeks in the world. But he has been handling it well. Nicole too. I am sorry people aren't up to date... hopefully this will resolve all of that.

Let me first start with Max's 2 month doctor visit. Here's the measurements from September 9th... 12 lb - 12 ounces, 24.5 inches long. Length puts him squarely in the 95th percentile for height. Weight was right in the 75th percentile (he's all muscle), and if there was a measurement for tenacity, well... he'd set the bar on that one.

The best tidbit from the doctor's visit, for me anyway, was that we discovered from the doctor, that my gene's are dominant. He looks a little more like I did when I was a baby, and he's got sensitive skin just like his daddy. So, naturally, after finding out that my gene's dominated Nicole's, I did what any humble husband would do... I rubbed it in. Only it back-fired a little. Here's the conversation as it played out in our car ride home:

• Me: "So, interesting what the doctor said in there, huh?"
• Nicole (unsuspecting of what is to come): "What part?"
• Me (beaming with joy): "MY DENES ARE GOMINANT!!!"
• Me (puzzled and a little stunned. sort of like a deer caught in headlights right after accidentally farting in front of a date): ......
• Nicole (unbelieving of what just happened): "What?"
• Me (now realizing what just happened, but trying to play it off): "Yeah!! Scoreboard!"
• Nicole: "Wow."

It was a good time. Hopefully he didn't get the gene that caused that meltdown. But, as happy as I am that he's my son and I can see myself in him, I'm more happy to see Nicole in him too. It's not like he's completely me. I look at it more like he's me but with upgrades from Nicole's family. Like his thunder thighs are definitely from the Bishop side. The fact that he's practically all muscle is from Nicole's side. He's got her eyes. And, I think he's got some Navy Seal blood running in him. He tried to kill me last week. No lie. He bit me on the neck. Side note: he might need to be muzzled once those teeth come in. We'll play it by ear.

Other than that, his first day of daycare is rapidly approaching. October 1st was the scheduled dooms day, but they are filled to the brim with babies at the moment, so chances of him getting in are running low. But he will definitely find his way to daycare sometime in October. Nicole and I are really dreading it, but are also quite convinced it's for the best. It will be hard for us and probably him, but I really think it will do more good than anything.

Okay, so other Max breakthroughs since last time:

• He has discovered his voice and has learned that it is actually him creating the noise. He coos a lot and smile screams and shrills like a baby whale. It's really funny. I'll try to catch it on video and upload it.
• He has also discovered his hand for the first time. (just this week). He looked at it really puzzled-like, moved his fingers while his hand was in front of his face, then a few seconds later, when he took his eyes off of it, he lost it on the other side of Nicole. He was really searching for it, then saw it and brought it really close to his face again. Then, after a few intense seconds of making sure him and his hand were cool, he let it go back to where it was. Easily one of the best moments to date.

Oh, and one other thing I thought everybody would enjoy. And in list form, since I seem to be in the mood. Here's a few of the creative ways Max rids himself of gas:

• Hiccup-burps
• Cough-farts
• Sneezing poops
• Kicking-crying-farts
• Kicking-crying-burps
• Puzzled farts (when he puts his index finger on his chin, like he's thinking about something, then farts)
• And Hiccup-farts. (Probably the best of all).

Okay, so I think this should get everybody up to speed. I'll upload some more photos so that everyone can bask in my son's magnificence.

7 week stretch

Wow has time flown since the last time I posted. Can't believe 20 days could go any faster. Nicole and I have been hanging on for dear life. Maybe not Nicole so much, but it really feels like I have. Wanting to spend time with Maddox is so hard when I also want to spend quality time with Nicole and when I need to spend some quality time with my job. Why can't there be 3 of me. Well... 4 if you count that one of me needs to do some yard work. Probably 5 if you add in that somebody needs to discipline our cat on the "new" house rules. 6 of me is out of the question... even though I could use the extra body to help cook and do the dishes. But lets be honest... 6 of me would be too much, especially when we all know it only takes 1 of me to get on Nicole's nerves... and only 1 of me to make Max cry. Such is my life though.


On the Max front, he is turning out to be the coolest thing that has ever happened to me. He is starting to gain control of his head, which, believe it or not, is one of the first steps toward world domination. Granted, his head isn't always steady, but he is moving it where he wants to. He follows me around the room, and the other day, decided he was tired of moving his head to follow me, and instead opted to just move his eyes. So smart! Now, if you balance that brilliance with me jumping around on either side of Nicole making weird shrill like noises to get Max's attention, you can easily see that he doesn't get this intelligence from his daddy alone. At least not with the display I was putting on. Sure, the shifty eye thing could also have been more about him being embarrassed than anything, but for now, I'm opting for smart.


He's also started to smile. And let me say, if there is something more moving than seeing your child smile for the first times in his life, I'd like to see it. I've never been more happy. It's so infectious and handsome. It's almost indescribable. It really lights up the whole room. He's going to be a lady killer.

This past week brought Max's "Granny, You" (aka Nicole's mom) out to see/visit her grandson. The "Granny, You" title was given to her as an idle threat by me... I think that she was getting out of line something awful, so I calmly introduced the idea of her grandmotherly name being just "you", if she didn't straighten up. Much to my surprise, it didn't really scare her off so much as spurred her to embrace it. All my power is lost. I really have my fingers crossed that stubbornness is not inherited. But no, having Nicole's mom out was great, especially because she brought gifts. I'm happy for Max. Nicole and I were both really excited for her to meet him. Equally as excited as when we got my parents and family to see him the first time. You want your parents and family to be impressed, but you also don't want them to fake it, you truly want them to be proud. It's funny. The excitement is more of a "Look at what we did"... almost like when you are a kid and you dress yourself for the first time. Looking back, sure, you might have just been wearing your underwear with a pair of mismatched shoes and knee high tube socks... but you know what, you did it yourself, and that is all that matters!

Max's next doctor appointment is right around the corner (September 4th). We couldn't wait... according to our measurements he's up to 24 inches long. Not sure about the weight yet, but he's definitely heavier. He has moved out of the 0-3 months clothes and is now somewhere between 3-6 months and 6-9 months. Mostly because of his length. He's still got some growing "out" to do. Also, in the tradition of all things parents, I have diagnosed his genius when it comes to eating and I think I caught him doing calculus between translating this blog to Latin and male modeling. He'll probably be the President...

Hair Raising

Yes, this is a picture of my son's "bed head". He probably has the worst case of cow-licks I've ever seen. Well... next to his dad's. Unfortunately for Max, that unruly hair is an heirloom. My hair grows in all directions in the back and is unnecessarily frizzy... just like Nicole's. He really had no chance. Poor little guy. Here's to some girl thinking it is endearing.

So a lot of time has passed since the last update. Last Thursday was his 1 month doctor appointment and he gained a whole pound in 2 weeks. He's now up to 8 pounds 13 ounces. Length wise, well some how the doctor's office still measures him at 21.5 inches, but I've seen how they measure angry kicking babies... they kind of "eyeball" it. They may say 21.5, but we all know he's a little longer. Nicole can't even feed him without putting a pillow beside her to catch his feet. So 21.5 shmenty-one-point-five.

Even if you don't consider the changes in size, he's still changing so much and so fast. He's starting to smile now... at Nicole mostly. I get a smile every now and then, but most of the time I get the angry face. He's starting to flail his arms and legs around a lot and his gaining control of his hands. He's starting to grasp things. In fact, I was trying to console him the other day by carrying him around... long story short, if his grip were any stronger, he would have given me a purple-nurple. There really isn't many feelings in the world better than the relief you get when you realize you are about to get hurt and then you escape. In this case, about the time I felt his hands go from flailing around my chest to zeroing in on the nurple, shock hit me, then the relief came when we found out that he isn't strong enough to deliver the full purple-nurple. Not many feelings better in the world. And he still continues to be the noisiest baby ever, even when not crying. All the grunting and smacking for no reason. All the farting and burping. It is the funniest thing ever. Sometimes the noises he makes, and the magnitude with which he makes them, sometimes I laugh so hard that I get all teary eyed. It's kind of rare for me, but there are a few things in life that really get to me, and this happens to be one of them. Who knew? Just talking about it now makes me laugh. We are really lucky he's a boy.

Oh, and yes... now let's bring the mood down a little. Let's talk about his "tummy times". Our pediatrician has prescribed 15 minutes per day of tummy time. For those unaware of what this is I will briefly describe. Since Maddox stays on his back most of the time to help prevent SIDS, he allegedly needs some help developing his back muscles and his neck muscles. So, tummy time basically means you put him on the ground on his stomach with his arms in front of him, to kind of force him to use his back muscles. So we've tried it and let me just say that there is nobody in this house that likes it. Nobody. We have yet to make it the full 15 minutes. We actually only make it about 10... with breaks. It's not that we don't believe in tummy time so much as not believing in baby abuse, which is basically what it is. He doesn't understand, he screams and yells and cries and whimpers and looks at you like, "Why are you betraying me? Why are you doing this to me? Et tu papa?" Oh man is it hard. To date, it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Not sure where we stand on keeping this torture going... hopefully it doesn't last much longer.

Other parenting news... we (Nicole) have started pumping the "good stuff" (i.e. breast milk) to bottle up and give Max later. What an interesting stage of life this is. It's one of those ideas that sounds great on paper, then when you actually get down to doing it... maybe not. Nah, Nicole and I both agree it is a good idea, it's just so odd and uncomfortable for everybody involved. There's really not a lot you can do except for joke about it. For instance, here's our latest running joke: Nicole's pump is one that has to be plugged into the wall. She wants to sit on the couch, so we need an extension chord. Naturally, the only one I could find was the big orange one that is typically used for lawn equipment. So whatever... we hook it up to the pump and as I go to plug this orange chord into the wall in our living room, I think (honestly), does she need a surge protector for this? Then it's like, really? Did I just think that? It's an honest question. (Surge protectors are the things that keep your tv's and computer's from frying when lightning hits the house and shoots too much electricity through the lines.) What would happen if she didn't have one and a storm blew through and lightning hit the house. Would it blow Nicole's boob off? Funny or not, we've been laughing at this for the past week or so.

I DON'T SLEEP!!!

"I DON'T SLEEP!!" would be an appropriate caption to this picture of our boy. Let's just say that he was none to happy at his current situation. He was tired and very upset.

It wasn't always this way though. Young Maddox had such a good start to life. Sure, he woke up every 2 or 3 hours to eat, mostly because his stomach was too small to eat enough to sustain him through the night. But even then, he would go right back to sleep. Now? Well, now he has adopted a lifestyle that allows him the freedom to eat and hang out for awhile. In this lifestyle "hang out for awhile" is usually demonstrated by either quietly scoping out the room, or more frequently, violently screaming baby insults at his father for being a complete idiot. Note to self... figure out how to determine if a diaper is wet without taking him to his mother and asking, "Is this a wet one?". This method of checking if a diaper is wet always results in 2 people being pissed. This is my next step in life. Finger's crossed I get this figured out before I am an old man and need the skill on my own diapers. But seriously though, Nicole can pretty much tell across the room if it is wet. I have to feel of it on the outside (lesson learned here... checking it on the inside is a bad idea... see picture of Max above. Plus, if it is wet, not only do you get that face in the picture, you've also just given yourself a pee finger). So yeah, here's my progression: I have to feel of it on the outside, think about it, feel it some more, think about it, make a decision, realize who am I kidding, I'm actually just guessing, then devise a way to get Nicole to offer an opinion without letting on that I have no clue. It's a delicate dance. Usually Max calls me out early. He hits hysteria at about the "thinking about it" stage. I'm pretty sure he can smell the indecision on me. He's what you would call "relentless". I will figure it out soon son. Hang in there.

So, including the above problems, the first 2 weeks of Max's life have been incredible. I really like having a kid. More specifically, I really like having a boy. All the grunts and gas are unbelievably entertaining. One of the first nights we had the baby monitor going, we had our ears perked for any noise he would make. Cries or whimpers or whatever case would arise, we were listening and we were going to help him out. Only it's a little hard to help him out when loud noises come through the monitor, erupting not from his mouth so much as his butt. And for the record, it is equally as hard to go back to sleep after this noise as any other. These noises usually keep me laughing for awhile.

Also, it should be noted that young Max is completely turning into a "momma's" boy. Up until about a few days ago, Max would tolerate, and sometimes enjoy, me holding him for all of the time between feedings. We'd play together. I'd make him act out funny skits. He'd act like he liked it. The times were good. Fast forward this a week and now, his tolerance of my antics is limited to a much more part time role. He usually grants me a few minutes to hold him until he hits the wall. I'm guessing I'm afforded a few minutes because I'm his father and he's going to conduct the "wait and see" approach before severing ties. And to be honest, I can't say I blame him. I was a momma's boy at one time. What do dad's really offer at this point anyway? I'm slow at changing diapers. I don't produce anything he can eat. And him and I aren't exactly on the same page when it comes to soothing. Now, when he needs to learn how to throw a curve ball or how to tie a tie, well... we'll see who's on the part time list then. Nicole's days just might be numbered. Enjoy them while you can babe!

One final note... Sunday marked his 2nd church service ever. It also marked his first time to be removed from a church service. It's not that he was screaming, he was just making little man-baby noises. Church was really quiet during the sermon. Max wasn't. He was grunting just enough to be a distraction to everybody within a 10 foot radius. Plus he wanted a tour of the church. So I granted it to him. Incase you can't tell, my favorite things about having a son, up to this point, are that he makes funny faces and he is kind of noisy. We're having such a good time with him. I'm sure it won't always be this way, but here's hoping.

Maddox, My Boy!!

7 pounds 11 ounces of rugged manliness! 21.5 inches of handsome devilness! He has finally arrived. I do apologize for the delay in posting, but apparently babies don't just come out and expect you to blog. They actually require attention... what the? Lucky for him I was planning for this all along, otherwise I might be trying to figure out a way to shove him back in there. The days since he arrived have absolutely flown by. We've had visitors and late nights and crying and some soiled sheets/undergarments, and that was just me. Good times. But seriously, time has been crazy, but it's starting to slow down as we each feel each other out. Where feeling each other out means we adjust to Max, he doesn't really adjust to us. So it has been trying but more than that, it has already been rewarding. But to back track a little... here's how it happened.


So it all broke loose on Saturday, July 7, 2007. A day and possibly a child that will live in infamy. We stroll into the hospital around 8:30 in the morning, nervous and thinking we knew what to expect. Around 10am I realized I was nervous for good reason and was way wrong about what to expect. From that time on, we'll just say that some stuff happened, and then around 4:45pm, Max arrived. I will leave it at "some stuff" for now because I think Nicole would prefer it that way. 2 life lessons from the "some stuff"... 1. epidurals are freaking awesome and 2. man am I glad I'm not a woman. I have a new found respect for Nicole after that day. She's such a beautifully tough woman. Basically, what we thought was going to be an induction turned out to be just a straight up child birth. They didn't give Nicole any of the putosin or whatever it is that starts labor. It was all on her and Max. A couple of cool notables from the actual birth and moments after: Before the epidural, seconds before Nicole's obviously painful contractions, Max's heart rate would race, as if he were worried about Nicole and her contractions. Then after she got the epidural, he could have pretty much cared less when her contractions were. His heart rate was steady from then on out. It really was like he got stressed out for Nicole, but once things were good on her end, they were good to him too. Another notable, Max only cried after he came out for one reason... he didn't like a certain nurse touching him. He didn't cry when he received a vitamin K shot in his leg or a heel prick to test his blood. It was pretty amazing. I cried during his shot and heel prick, but not him. The moral of the two stories; however, is that Max is equal parts lover and fighter.


He's been a good baby up to this point. Well... let me revise that... he's been a good baby up until about 2 days ago. Now, I think he has his days and nights confused, and has become too stubborn to admit he might be wrong. He sleeps all day (like 2 or 3 hours between feedings) but when night rolls around, he is either eating, crying or playing, but never sleeping. So like I said earlier... Nicole and I are adjusting. And by adjusting, I mean hanging on by a thread until he figures it out. I've never been more tired in my life. Lack of sleep + stress that I'm going to break him = basket case. But it really helps that we have family out helping us. Nicole's sister Jessica is out from Florida. She's been with us from the get go. She's been doing incredibly well at keeping Nicole entertained and keeping us both well fed. I'll be eternally grateful to her for her sacrifice. She's busier than anybody else I know, and for her to put a week or more on hold for Nicole and me is unbelievable. (Thanks Jess!). And also with us is my mom. This was a no brainer, I knew she would be her if we needed her. She's supposed to be playing the roll of the "been there and done that" lady. When Nicole and I have no clue what to do, she's there to do something that usually works. But she's also giving us crazy amounts of confidence, and that is irreplaceable. (Thanks Mom!). And basically, with all this help, Nicole and I are still both at a moments notice from either falling asleep or crying. But I know this is the hard time, we knew it going in. But, from what I hear/force myself to believe, things will be all puffy clouds and lollipops once these next 6 weeks are up. I know I'm right on this one.


So Nicole and I have been trying to figure out exactly which one of us he looks like most. At first, he didn't look like either one of us. He actually looked more like my dad than anybody. Kind of odd, but kind of funny to see your father figure for 30 years in baby form before your eyes. But something about Max will change everyday now. He looks a little different every time I see him. His nose is different than it was when he came out. His forehead is a little different now. I think his legs are bigger than mine are now (so luckily for him, he got Nicole's legs and not my skinny chicken ones).


There's no doubt things in my life have changed, some for the better, some I could have probably done without. For instance:


Could have done without:

1. Being peed on already. It was day 4 into his life and my hand and jeans became the first of many casualties.


2. Now that I've been baptized into the number 1, I live in fear of the day the "dirt" part of dirty diaper comes flying my way. It's going to happen I'm sure, but when?


3. The constant fear that one of my dumber decisions in life might tragically alter Maddox's life forever. For instance, when is it too early to teach him how to play catch with a real baseball? I'm ready today if he is. Just give me the nod Max.


4. Having to eventually have the "sex talk" with him. I'm sure this is on his list as well. But I'm already dreading it.


5. Seeing Nicole in pain during the delivery was NOT fun. Granted, it did ease my comfort level knowing that it was her and not me in pain, but still, it's no fun seeing that.

Couldn't do without:

1. Watching him make different faces. Honestly one of the funniest things I've ever seen. He goes from what I will call "The Elvis", to a near bright white smile, to a frown, to surprised, to pouty bottom lipped with a surprised forehead Max, to the shifty eyed suspect in a thriller movie, to playing dead... all within like a few minutes. Easily one of the best moments of my life.


2. Having the instantaneous ability to ground people. Before I couldn't because I wasn't a parent, but now that I am, I now have the ability to ground people. If it's not a supernatural trait, it has to be very close. I've already grounded Jessica a few times, just to try and harness the power. I've got it down now though, so Nicole will probably be next on my list. I'll let you know if and when it happens.


3. I now have somebody new to share A&M football with. Especially with it right around the corner. Max and I will enjoy several games together this season. Obviously, should he show an affinity for UT football or even, dare I say, Texas Tech football... I guess I will be forced to disown him. But that is a long way away. He'll choose correctly, I know it. I believe in him.


4. Games I get to play with him that he doesn't realize he's playing. I can pretty much make him dance or do anything I want. I'm sure it will be a wedge between us in his teenage years, mostly because I will video tape us playing and I will show it to his girlfriends. The latest game is a little something I call "Max Cat". I'll leave it at that. He really doesn't like it now, but it's very entertaining to me, and will be very entertaining to his future girlfriends.


5. Couldn't live without Max. Don't know what I did before he came. He's my boy now and I am unbelievably proud of him already. He hasn't really done anything yet, but he's mine. I see parts of me and Nicole in him already, and I also see things that are already distinctively him, and it is the best feeling in the world.

To everybody that has prayed and stressed over Nicole and Maddox the last few months, I am truly grateful. For me, it's humbling moments in life like this one where God's hand becomes all too visible. He has blessed me immeasurably this week with a healthy wife and a healthy son. I hope I never take this blessing for granted.

Induce Yourself

Yes, the title is correct. We have decided to force young Maddox's hand... we are calling him out. It's time for him to head on out of the womb and into the world. I'm sure he's not happy about it, but realistically, what's he going to do about it... cry?... we are already expecting that. Now, if he comes out of the womb with a hand gun to go along with his unhappiness, we might be in trouble. That is probably unlikely, but given that Nicole and I made a little person in there, can we really rule out the possibility of creating a handgun too? I think not.

But anyway, we have decided to shoot for a July 7, 2007 birthday for him. (i.e. 7/7/07). Nicole's doctor is going to get the thing started on July 6, to help us get the coveted July 7 birth date. It all starts on July 6, mostly because the hospital we are going to said that they don't allow inducing on Saturday's. Since Nicole's doctor is already on call that weekend, she's going to "override" the hospital slightly to make it happen. It's really best for everybody. This way Nicole and I can plan for it, we can get the birth date we wanted (7/7/07) and Nicole's doctor doesn't have to worry about when Nicole may or may not go into labor. So it's a win win for everybody. And it's kind of cool that our doctor is doing it. It kind of gives her an edge. In some ways, she abides by the same rules as a professional wrestler... the only rule is that there are no rules! I've also updated and upgraded the countdown clock. 10 days... are you serious!??

Nicole and I are finally finished with the baby room. I have sprayed every blue can of spray paint available in the Metroplex, thus completing the chore Nicole had set out for me. We've painted and hung some things to go on the walls, so we are all set in that regard. And we've also finished some remodeling around the house. Only thing left, house wise, is a good cleaning, and we will be ready for Max and all his visitors. I've updated the blog with a slideshow of our happenings. Hope you enjoy.

The only other thing that has really been on going the last few weeks, and is still on going, is that we are starting to buy everything we see baby related. He needed a mobile for his crib. (Mobile = crib thing that spins around funny objects and plays music. i.e. something for him to stare at while laying on his back in his crib). So, given that this is our first born, we went all out. What we bought is pretty cool. It spins these funny looking farm animals on a weird axis that allegedly helps develop his spatial something or other. It plays 3 different kinds of classical music and I'm pretty sure there is a 50:50 chance it will make him go cross-eyed. Fingers crossed luck goes our way on this one. But seriously, this thing is pretty awesome. And, I do realize there is probably a better than 50:50 chance that Max could care less what's up there. But at least we tried.

Other than the crib mobile, we are starting to buy some/a lot of developmental toys for him. Toy shopping for a new born that we haven't met is really kind of a funny thing. It's surprisingly easy to get caught up in all the different types of toys out there. Then when you step back and really look at what's going on, you find yourself stressing out over whether you should buy the vibrating cow/horse type thing that giggles or should you buy the furry duck/penguin with the abnormally large head that quacks and has crinkly feet. Then it really hits, am I really asking myself which one of these things would make Maddox smarter? A vibrating cow or big headed duck? What have I become? It's a harsh reality. But it's fun. I've enjoyed it so far.

It's been fun. I can't believe we are only 10 days away from this thing starting. This whole time I've been real relaxed about it all... now that I see the clock getting real small and have been talking about "the day" as "next Friday", all of the sudden I'm starting to get a little nervous. What happened to the good ole days when the countdown clock was in the 80's? Used to be so far away then. Now I'm down to my last Saturday. But, as nervous as I am about it all, and as worried as I am for Nicole and Max, and as leery as I am of the changes it will bring, I know deep down it will be a great time. It's just the few days leading up to "next Friday" that are going to get me.

And we shall call him....

Maddox Reed Bain.

Our biggest decision to date, outside of actually deciding to have him, was deciding what to name him. We'll, that is probably debatable. Deciding to have a kid now seems like it went without much of a thought. Sometimes the biggest decisions in life often don't generate as much thought as you would think they would. And that is probably a good thing. So here's how it feels it went: Hey, want to have a kid? Hmm... okay. 8.5 months later: What just happened? But I'm glad we decided to have him and am really pumped about him getting here already, it's just funny though, because I really don't remember giving the idea as much thought as it probably warranted. But I digress... back to the name game. Maddox Reed Bain it is. If you go by the book we bought, and the internet translations, Maddox is Welsh for good and generous. Reed is English for red. And Bain is apparently Texan for Bad A**. And, if you go by initials... he will be Mr. B, or better yet, Mr. Bad A**. And actually, we might decide to go by that translation. Only time will tell I guess.

So today marked the first doctor appointment that Maddox had that involved a sonogram in a long time. The first sonogram in months. The nurse freaked us out because having a sonogram at this stage in the game means either somebody screwed up, or that your baby might be sick. Nice of the nurse to point this out to the both of us, but as it turned out, it was the former... Nicole's doctor put us in for a sonogram a long time ago and forgot about it. So long story short... we got a sneak peak look at our unborn son. And it didn't take a long look to realize there is nothing wrong with that boy. He was having a good time. We got to see his face, his feet with all 5 toes and way too much of his man parts. So much so that the nurse admitted she was having trouble getting a good picture of something without them getting in the picture. Quite embarrassing really. We were all... "C'mon Max." To be honest though, the embarassment was met equally with fatherly pride. That's my boy!

The other strange thing from the sonogram was that when he wasn't putting on a fetal cabaret show, he spent the majority of the time/all of the time sucking on his wrist. It was really crazy. My assessment, either he is a vampire, or he's going to suck off all 30 coats of paint I put on his furniture. And given my inadequacies at spray painting, I'm going to hope for a nice baby vampire.

Oh, and one other piece of info... we actually saw him practicing his breathing for when he comes out. How cool is that? The nurse said that all babies do it. Very crazy. Of course, this is the same nurse that lead us to believe that something was wrong with our baby, so she might not be completely up to par. With our luck lately, he was practicing his crying. And if this is indeed the case, I will be the first to let him know that I am also practicing... only I'm practicing my ability to not care. And I play for keeps!

I've included a recent photo (yesterday) of Nicole for those that haven't gotten a chance at seeing her lately. She has really ballooned up. I'm sure she appreciates that analogy, but in all seriousness, she's kind of a big one. I don't think her belly can stretch out anymore. It looks painful. The only bright side is that Goose has taken to low rider status rather than living up around Nicole's rib cage. I guess a lot of babies start riding low in the womb at this stage. It's kind of making me think that Max might show up a little earlier than we all think. July 13th is the due date, but if I were a gambling man, I'd put money on the first week of July.

Also... two more quick things. 1. I did just nickname him Max. Feel free to call him whatever you would like though. 2. I have 4 sonogram pictures that I will try and post for everybody sometime this weekend.