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.

Some Like it Hot

First sign that my boy is a Texan... Nicole apparently can eat anything spicy without batting an eye. Maybe that's not necessarily old school Texan, but I think it is becoming a Texan thing. My favorite food is Mexican food, and I generally like my food spicy, but I can't necessarily eat everything hot. I definitely have my limits. Nicole used to be the same way, so I'm not sure exactly where Goose is getting it, or who's family this is coming from, but it is awesome nonetheless. In a weird way it makes me proud of Goose already. Kind of like how weirdly proud I envision myself being when he eats twice his body weight at one setting, or unloads in his diaper something awful for the first time. A strange type of proud, but still proud.

I would also like to take the time to inform everybody that my spray painting fiasco is over, for now anyway. 32 bottles of blue spray paint later, and the furniture is all set. Just saying "32 bottles of spray paint" does not do the whole thing justice. No, there was some drama in there. Here's what actually happened. Around spray can number 28, Nicole and I both agreed that we were done. Not because I gave up, no no, because I had finished the suckers. The blue looked marvelous, I was happy. Then I had a thought... maybe I should put one of those clear top coats on as insurance against Goose sucking all the blue off the rails. It sounded good in my head. I was being a protective father. I'd prefer him to not be the kid that ate paint chips as a kid. So we went out and bought ourselves 4 cans, and I sprayed it on... knowing full well that it would be cloudy in the beginning. Then, after 3 days hoping it would go clear, praying that it would go clear, and asking why this was happening to me... yeah... it was still cloudy. What the! So, long story short, we then had to sand off the clear coat and I picked it up where I left off... spraying more cans of blue paint. I think it was around spray can number 30 when the whole insanity thing popped into my head. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly but expecting a different outcome each time. I must have gone slightly insane because I seriously thought every can after 18 was my last one, only to find out that not much had changed from the previous can. What an experience. Live and learn I guess. Spray painting furniture always takes 3 times longer than you originally think, and it always takes 20 times longer than your significant other thinks.

Also, given the extra day to our weekend, we set out and successfully completed painting Goose's new room. And we installed moulding... and placed the furniture in there. Given the happenings in the previous paragraph, I know what you are thinking. I was thinking the same thing. I'm done already? 2 days to paint and install moulding... and no problems? It was craziness. I was more productive than I have been, probably ever. The only thing left to finish now in the room is Nicole's finishing touches. I updated the slide show on the side bar to show the progression. And for what it's worth, when we bought this house, every single room looked like the "before" picture. Who paints every room in the house a creamy yellow? What were the people before us thinking?

On the Goose front, he's still wreaking havoc in there. He's turned into a little bit of a billy goat. When Nicole lays on her side, he always has to be on top side. Then when he's up there, it looks like he's trying to fight his way out. Last night it looked like he tried to kick his way out. Nicole laid down and he started to get rowdy, like he usually does. So we stopped to watch the show and he did not disappoint. He stuck his foot (or one of his limbs) way out. It stuck out at least an inch or 2. It looked so crazy. It looks like he's very determined to get out. He may be the first baby to ever perform his own cesarean. Good times.

If you build it, he will come

Not a whole lot going on this week. Nicole missed her doctor appointment on Friday. Rescheduled it for today. I'm hoping for a sonogram this time around, but the doctor is working on her own "agenda", so it's probably not going to happen. I think Nicole grew more over the weekend. She's a hot pregnant lady... same size everywhere except for her gi-normous Goose belly.

Other baby news has the baby crib finally arriving. We bought a black one, knowing we would have to paint it. I put it together, with fingers crossed hoping Nicole would somehow like the factory coat of black, but my prayers went unanswered, as I am now more than 8 coats into a blue spray paint remodel. Only a few more to go. Woo Hoo! In all honesty, I don't mind the endless spray painting, or the laborious task associated with each coat of paint that rarely makes a difference in the color prior to painting, or the millions of brain cells that have lost their lives for each one of the coats. There's a lot of useless knowledge I don't need anymore... for starters... the pythagorean theorem is a myth. So for all I care, that can be the first to go.

No, my problem really resides with the fact that the word "blue" will probably not show up in Goose's vocabulary for the first year, "midnight blue", probably not for another 4 years, and his deceiving eye probably won't be able to see the small areas where daddy didn't paint or skimped on a coat for several years after that. And even then, he won't judge me for it until he is a teenager. Basically, as far as Goose is concerned, all 15 final coats of toil and trouble will produce one uniquely beautiful color of blue... for Goose to poop on. Pee on. And probably to drool on. But having said that, when I'm done, I will have accomplished 2 things that matter: 1. i will have a happy wife and 2. i will have something to hold over her head for the next 20 years. Score!

Above is a picture of my latest shame. It shows the current progress of the crib and it's buddy,the dresser. I probably don't need to point out the thick layer of blue powder surrounding them both. Not pictured would be the permanent blue tint I currently have. Why is it so hard to get the blue on the things you want blue and not on the things you don't? Spray painting sounds good, in theory. Survey says... I'm an idiot.

So, one thing I'm really looking forward to as a parent is all the little tricks that we will get to pull on Goose that will ultimately make him a better person. For instance, when I was a kid, if my mom wanted me to hurry, she would just time me. If we needed to go to the store and I was milling around, she would say, "Okay, I'm going to time you to see how fast it takes you to put on your shoes and get in the car." Obviously it was a trap. Internally, I knew it was... sure, it benefits her the faster I go, but as I thought about it, something happened to me... all of the sudden mom was counting, I was wasting time, why wasn't I running, then before I knew it, I was in a full out sprint to get my shoes. I would guess at what my time would be and then I would try to beat that. Ridiculous? Yes. But holy cow did it work. And so everybody knows, the records I have set will go unbroken. Probably because they are my own "personal" records, and timing me doesn't work anymore, but whatever. The point is that it worked on me then, and it accomplished something for my parents, getting me to do what they said and in a speedy manner... it might work on Goose.

So along the same lines, while I was looking at my yard and seeing the many baby oak trees sprouting up, my first thought was that I shouldn't have been so lazy in the fall when I decided that picking up acorns was for the birds/squirrels. Then, as I gaze at the massive amounts of tree-lings, the light bulb goes on in my head and I think, a few years from now, when Goose is able to both walk and be coerced, I bet I could get him to pick these up by telling him that it is practice for Easter egg hunting. The more he picks up, the better he will "probably" do on Easter. Key word would obviously be "probably". I don't want him thinking I'm a complete liar. Then, naturally I felt a little guilty about lying to my unborn child, but as the thought process progressed, I thought this is a great example of the end justifying the means. Plus, it will probably toughen him up, because to get them all, he is going to have to learn to play dirty. The squirrels in my neighborhood do not give up easily. They play for keeps.

Anyway, I bring it up because I thought this could be a good place for you to post some parenting tips for Nicole and me. All of the proven little tricks that people use to get their kids to do what they want them to do would be helpful to Nicole and me, especially considering that we can't even get our cat to do what we say without throwing up or biting us back. So the tips are always welcomed.

What blog?

Yes, we can all say it together... I'm disappointed in me too. Holy cow can time whizz by. My last blog was well over a week ago, okay 2, but who's counting. So, in the downtime between this blog and the last, (and the real reason for the delay), Nicole and I have been working way too much. Nicole more so than me. Her 1 week total for last week clocked in at 86 hours. That's more than an extra week of overtime! She's technically working for two. In her defense though, her company is really leaving her some stinkers. In business speak, she's training her fellow employees the ins and outs of the merger with another company, so that the collective synergy of both companies can be maximized. In Cody and Goose speak, she's on the business end of a poop slide. But hopefully her overtime will subside before too much longer. I don't think Goose particularly cares that he is being forced to work that much though, given that he has a knack of curling up on Nicole's right side and sleeping. It looks like a real bad cramp. Pretty funny.

Actually, I think his main goal in life, at this stage (7.5 months), is to try as hard as he can to keep Nicole from going to sleep. He's perfectly content when she's walking and moving around, but the minute she stops and goes still is the minute his alarm goes off. He has been kicking and dancing and flipping and twisting it out... you name it and he's done it. Our new thing, in what little spare time we have together lately, is to watch him move around her belly. Kind of like the movie tremors when you could see the ground heave up right before one of those things surfaced. She'll lay on her side and we'll stare at her bare belly waiting to see some movement. The movements are very pronounced and the whole thing is quite fun, but also, probably weird, but whatever. I would say there are some real similarities between this and sitting outside on your back porch at night watching bugs get zapped by a bug zapper. And surprisingly enough, the conversations are the same. Common quotes range from, "Wow, did you see that one?", to, "Whoa! That was a big one!" I guess a parallel to watching fireworks would also apply, but, where's the fun in that? Anyway, these times are as they say, good times.

The other reason I believe Goose is intent on keeping Nicole awake at all hours of the day is because of his refusal to lay vertically in Nicole's belly. For those of you that know Nicole, she is very tall for a girl. She's almost a 6 footer. Nicole says that with all the movements on the one side that I get to see and feel, there are equal movements on her other side. Basically meaning he intentionally chooses to move and jump across her belly, with less room, than lay vertically, and get much more room. So when Nicole is laying down on her side on the bed, and Goose starts ramping up, it is the equivalent of him jumping off of her side on the mattress and banging his head into her other side. So he's obviously in violation of several predetermined ground rules: 1. no jumping on the bed. 2. no head butting. 3. night time is for sleeping, not playing. I am keeping a tally of his infractions and let's just say, he will be grounded for quite some time.

Other quick news to share:

• We still don't have a crib to show off. Lesson learned: When somebody from Babys-R-Us suggests that you could have your order in 5 business days, in lieu of the contractual 10 to 14, they really mean 20 business days. I will adjust accordingly.
• Nicole's last doctors appointment went well, although they (the doctors) are going to start paying closer attention to Nicole's weight. They are worried that she hasn't gained enough weight. But, after measuring Goose, the doctor's concede he is the "perfect" size. I'm sure Nicole probably feels like she is one of the lucky ones, in that pregnancy doesn't always translate into tank-like status. So - Jackpot!
• One other thing I've learned is that Goose has given Nicole what we in the business call "BOBs Disease". To the lay-man, BOBs disease stands for Beetle On it's Back disease, meaning that her belly is so big that she now has a significant amount of trouble getting up off of her back. Thus rendering her very vulnerable to an assortment of sneak attacks, to which she has no defense. I would call it "Pearl Harboring" her, but I really don't think she thinks it is as funny as I do. So we will leave it nameless and just know to ourselves that she will think it is funny later in life.

So this is where I will end it this time. The naming of Goose is narrowing, but we still don't have one yet. The literal second that we decide, I will let you know. The crib should be in sometime before Goose graduates, so once that happens, and I paint it, I will post pictures for everybody. Other than that, I'm not sure what lies ahead. We're pretty much minute to minute people at this point. And again, sorry for the delay. Hopefully this 2 week nonsense was just a blip on the radar. If it wasn't, and you are really upset about it, keep in mind, I will have baby pictures, and I will withhold them!