Bon voyage

Baby C is going on his first cruise this week. We were supposed to sail to Cozumel, but since the swine flu outbreak, the ports have changed and we are now going to Grand Cayman. An upgrade if you ask me.

Monster 104.1 will be on the cruise too. I don't listen to them, but it should make for good people watching. 

I"ll have a bunch of stories and pix when we get back. 

Oh Molly!!!

It's Memorial Day weekend, I'm feeling happy/silly, so I decided to share some of my Molly comics. Molly is our dog. She's a Boston Terrier and she is crazy. She's very hyper, but she is a good girl.

A few years ago I decided I should start a comic strip. I figured I could make some extra cash and maybe one day it could be my full-time job. Only 2 problems. 1) I'm not a good artist. 2) The cartoons are WAAAAAY out there...some need explanations.

Take a look at these and tell me what you think. Bill, let the cat comments begin.

One month today

So I've been at this blog thing for a month now. In this first month of blogging, there have been 22 posts. Who knew I had so much to say? None of it was very deep, but still, 22 posts is pretty good. I'm happy with myself.

History of ACs - Our Engagement - Behind the Scenes

This is the second installment of the History of the ACs. Three years ago today, Allison and I were engaged. Most of you have heard our engagement story, but this is a behind the scenes look of what I went through leading up to and immediately after the engagement.

I knew for a while that I wanted to marry Allison. I just didn't know when the right time to ask was. I knew no matter how I proposed, we would remember it forever, but I wanted it to be in a special place or around a special event. Something that would really knock her socks off.

So while I was trying to figure that out, I decided to focus on the ring. I went to Gems of the Jungle in Downtown Orlando. They custom made a hell of a ring for me. I sold some stock to pay for it and waited for them to finish the ring.

I finally got the call that the ring was ready. I gave Allison some excuse for why I needed to go to work early so I could get out of carpooling with her and then it was time to get the cash and pick up the ring. I had to leave work early, get to the bank before it closed and stash the cash before Allison got home. Sounds easy right?

Got to the bank. No problem. Cashed the check and was ready to go home. Then Allison called with a list of things for me to pick up from Publix. For those of you who don't know me well, I can be a little paranoid at times. I always think someone is going to steal my wallet or take Allison's purse. Maybe it's from growing up in NY, who knows. Anyway, now I am in Publix, with a few thousand dollars in cash in my pockets. It looked like Mission Impossible picking out the groceries. I'm looking at the cans, trying to find the right type of tomato sauce, puree and paste. An old lady comes down the aisle, is she eyeballing my pockets? Did she just see me at the bank? Keep it moving grandma. Nothing to see here.

I checked out of the store safe and now I'm heading towards the car. There are some girls asking for money for their softball team. I could but the whole team, put my picture on their shirts. Nah, better not. Driving home, checking the rear view, making sure I'm not being followed. Got home. No sign of funny business. I went inside, stashed the cash and waited for Allison to come home. The next morning, I waited for Allison to get in the shower, locked the doors behind me and transferred the cash to the laptop bag.

I took Steven with me and we went over to the jeweler. Checked the ring, loved it and brought it back. I gave it to Steven to carry just in case Allison saw us. We worked for the same company, but in different buildings, but there was an odd chance that we could bump into each other. It was safe, so I took the ring back. Didn't see Allison, but Juan from HR saw us and said "What's in the bag? Engagement ring?" I had to play that off really quick. It's a small, close knit company, I would have been pissed if someone spilled the beans. So I came up with a quick lie. Who knows if he bought it or not, but the surprise was still intact.

Got home stashed the ring and got back to the planning of the engagement. My original plan was to buy tickets to Disney for Steven & Stephanie and have them take pix of me proposing to Allison in front of Cinderella's Castle. I though that was a good idea. I called Disney and made a few dinner reservations to make sure I had a table. Then I called Disney to get a reserved spot during Wishes. They said "We don't do that" but they did have alternative options. I went with dinner and a glass slipper inside the Castle.

My birthday is June 3rd, we got engaged on May 20th. I had my mother send me a birthday card with an insert saying something like "enjoy dinner on us at Cinderella's castle" It didn't make much sense since I am a grown man and not a little girl, but I sold it well enough to Allison and she bought it.

Today's the day. May 20th. I secured the ring. Let me tell you how I secured it. I put the ring in a ziplock bag. I put bubble wrap around that. I wrapped a handkerchief around the whole thing and taped it to the inside of my pocket. I did say I secured the ring.

We're in the park. I make sure not to go on Space Mountain or any other dangerous rides, even though that ring was not going anywhere. We headed over to the restaurant. Now remember those multiple reservations I mentioned earlier, here is where they come into play.
Me: Anthony 2.
Disney: Sorry, don't see it.
Me: check again, I know its there.
Disney: Oh here you are, table for 3, on Wednesday.
Me to Allison: (slightly panicking) Go in that store over there, I'll figure this out.
Me to Disney: Dude, I'm getting engaged tonight. I have a reservation for 2 at the center table. Get someone and figure this out.
Disney: Oh sir. We'll work this out for you. Have a magical day.
Me to myself: Magical day my ass...get me a table
Me to Disney: Thanks.
Disney Manager: OK, we have a table for you, but your glass slipper isn't here. It's across the park and it has the wrong date. Don't worry. We sent someone for it. Come back in 30 minutes Everything will be ready.
Me to self: Holy Sh*t

We killed some time. Went on Philharmagic and came back. The manager told me to leave the table after I ordered and meet her to exchange the ring. Allison wouldn't suspect anything because I often leave the table, or used to when my stomach was really bad. When I took the ring out of my pocket, I swear the manager laughed at me. I tried to explain my hanky, bubble wrap contraption, but she was too far gone. She was laughing and wished me luck.

We ate dinner and I was kinda freaking out the whole time. In the weeks leading up to this night, I had told Allison a fib about a special birthday dessert. The normal Anthony would not have stopped talking about this dessert all day. So I forced myself to talk about this fictional delight. They cleared our dinner plates and about 30 seconds later they brought the ring out in a covered platter, put it in front of Allison and revealed the ring. I was on.

I got on my knee and started talking. I don't really remember what I said. I thought about it a few days before, I was going to jot down some notes, but I thought that would be cheesy. I knew when I was there in the moment, I'd come up with something good. She said yes, so I must have said something right. While I was proposing, I tried to get Allison's hand away from her face. She was covering her mouth in shock and her hand seemed like it was crazy glued to her mouth. In stead of getting mad and forcing it away, I decided to try the other hand.

It all went well, she said yes and the rest is history. I knew I did I great job, but got assurance from a redneck man in a Nascar t-shirt. "Classy man, really classy" Well thank you Mr. Nascar fan. If anyone knows class, it's a redneck in a Nascar t-shirt. I don't mean to bash him, I did appreciate the compliment, but I thought it was pretty funny.

We finished the night by watching Disney Wishes and buying some Disney wedding stuff from the shops. Our parents both knew I was proposing and were probably flipping out, because we didn't call them until the next morning to share the news. Baby C, little buddy, when you decide to propose...call us, send us a txt, or do whatever fancy new type of communication is out 20-30 years from now, but let us know how it went!

Hope you enjoyed the story & Happy Engagement Anniversary to you Allison.

Things that make you go hmmmm...

When Allison and I first moved to FL, there were a few things we saw, that we found a little unusual. Baby C will be born and raised in FL, so these things will seem perfectly normal to him. Below is a list of some of those things.

1) A man selling shrimp on the side of the road. I don't know why, but I just don't think it's the best shrimp around. They have big coolers, and I'm sure it's fine, but I still feel very uneasy about the whole thing and would never buy shrimp from the side of the road. Or from a gas station. (Kirkman Rd, MetroWest) One cool thing about the Shrimp man is his 'Shrimp on a stick.' He doesn't have it all the time, but every so often, he'll stand on the side of the road, with 4 or 5 shrimp on a stick. Gotta show off the goods. ****UPDATE**** Since I started writing this post, there has been a shrimp guy update. He is now accepting Visa/Mastercard!

2) Door to door meat sales. They must do business somewhere, but I am not buying my steaks or chicken off the back of some guy's truck. Ice cream, sure. Meat, sorry Charlie. Before one of the storms last fall, one meat salesman gave us a hard time. "I'm selling this meat at half price, why wouldn't you want to buy it?" he said. "dude, get outta my face"

3) Door to door palm tree sales. Dude, thanks, but no thanks. I'll take the 5 minute drive to Lowes or Home Depot. I'm not buying a palm tree out of your truck. Again, come back with some ice cream or Italian ices and we'll talk.

4) Guys and dogs riding in the back of pickup-trucks. I've seen it in movies and it's always fine for them, but this just seems like a very bad idea. I'm surprised I don't see more dogs jumping out of the truck bed or guys going flying when the brakes are hit. FL just passed a seat belt law. So you can't be in the front seat without a seat belt, but you can ride in the bed with no harness? Doesn't seem right.

5) The Appliance direct guy & girl. These guys are AWESOME. No, awesome does not cover it, they are Wakkie-NU-NU! They make the most ridiculous commercials and Appliance Direct Lady wears this horrible green and yellow outfit. I guess the commercials work though. You will be hard pressed to find anybody in Central Florida that doesn't know who they are.



6) To-go cups. The first time Allison and I went to lunch in FL, we went to NYPD Pizza in MetroWest. We paid the check and they asked us if we wanted a 'to-go cup." I said "what's a to-go cup?"The waitress said, you can take your drink to go. I said "how much is it?" At this point she was looking at me like I was crazy. She said "um, it's free" I said "Yeah we want to-go cups!!" I told Allison to hurry and get in the car before they charge us for the drinks. I thought we pulled off a fast one. Then the same thing happend a few days later at another restaraunt. I was very confused until someone explained the whole to-go cup to me. I still don't get it, but I'll take free anyday.

I'm sure there is more crazy FL things that I just cant think of right now, I'll be sure to update this list as they come to mind.

Feel those kicks? He's gonna be a soccer player.

This morning while I was brushing my teeth, I heard Allison yell from bed, "I just felt him kick." I said "that's great honey" she probably heard "hhmats grmpfht hommfry" (remember, I was brushing my teeth)

Then Allison said "no, I felt him from the outside." I ran to the bathroom door. "freawwly?" Brush, rinse, spit "Really?" Allison waved me over. So I jumped to her side of the bed and she put my hand on her tummy. I sat there for a few seconds and I felt like I had missed the show. Baby C must have had his energy kick (no pun intended) and is now sleeping like a baby (pun inteded that time, although I think the energy kick pun was better)

Then...WHAMMO! I felt him. Then again. And a third time. It was awesome. My little boy slapped me 5 three times this morning. It made my day. Monday I heard his heartbeat and saw him and today I feel him through Allison's belly. A truly great week!

People always say, "the baby's kicking" or "he just kicked." I don't think what I felt was a kick. Seriously, my hand and Allison's stomach must have move 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. He doesn't even weigh a pound yet. That is some powerful leg if it was a kick. To me, it seemed like he just realized he is trapped inside the womb and was trying to break through the walls. I pictured him in there running then throwing his shoulder into the wall. Similar to the way Shaggy and Scooby do it. Legs spinning, gathering speed, then WHAMMO! right into the wall. In the cartoons, Shaggy and Scoob go right through the door or wall, meet up with the Globetrotters and then eat a huge sandwich. Well, not today kiddo, but hang in there, 4 more months. Like James (John Travolta) says in Look Who's Talking "You spend the first nine months trying to get out and the rest of your life trying to get back in." Baby C, when you are older, you'll find that pretty funny.

It's in the game

Tonight the Magic forced a game 7. Game 7s are the most exciting thing in sports. Nascar has the 'green, white, checker', golf has sudden death playoffs, but you cannot beat a game 7. I have been to 2 game 7s in my life. Both hockey, both Devils' games, both wins. One vs Toronto in the 2nd round and one vs the Ducks for the Stanley Cup.

I've never had season tickets for any sports, so when I go to a game, I like to get into it. I cheer for every penalty kill, every free throw made, join the slow clap when there are 2 strikes on a batter in a September game. During a game 7, I cheered as loud for the defense clearing the zone during a penalty kill as I did for a goal in the regular season. Even at home, every out I yell that much louder at the TV. When Floyd & Beltran struck out looking to end a game 7, I yelled and threw things. I woke Allison up out of a deep sleep. Can't wait to watch the Magic on Sunday, but don't worry. I will not yell or throw things for fear of awakening "the beast" ;)

The point of all this, I hope I can share my love of sports with Baby C. I grew up watching the Mets with my dad in the summer and the Islanders with him in the winter. Friends will tell you, if they came over, the game was always on. I'd always watch the MLB All-Star game with my dad too. Up until I moved to FL, every season, I wouldn't go out that night. I'd watch the game with my dad. I would love to have something like that with my son. 

There is plenty of time to make our own traditions and I'm looking forward to it. I'm not going to force anything on him. I want him to enjoy watching/playing sports with his dad and not treat it as another one of his chores. One thing that will happen, Baby C will watch Game 6.  (Game 6, 1986 World Series, Mets vs RedSox) Those who did not know what Game 6 was should be ashamed of themselves.

Hello in there.

Today Allison had an appointment for her 20 week sonogram. It's the last time we'll see Baby C for approximately 20 weeks. I was really hoping he'd put on a show for us...he didn't disappoint.

Grandma Ellen and Poppy Hy came with us to Dr. Snow's office and we went into the sonogram room. There was a lot to do today. They needed to check the heart, arms, legs, boy or girl parts, kidneys, stomach, head size and I'm sure a few other things, but I don't remember what those were.

He was moving around a lot. He seemed like a very hyper kid. Not that there was any doubt that he was mine, but had there been any, this would have eased my suspicions. That's definitely my child in there. My mother will tell you I was a hyper little hellion, ask her to tell you about the time when we still lived in Brooklyn and I climbed the walls and had her looking all around the house for me.

Anyway, the sonogram tech took all the measurements and saw everything she needed to see and said everything was perfect. 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 hands, 4 chambers in his heart. The heart, by the way, was ridiculous! It was crazy to see it today. I'm struggling to find a fitting description for it what I saw today. The best I can come up with right now is, it looked like 4 Venus fly traps opening and closing very rapidly or maybe 4 baby birds beaks opening and closing rapidly. The space shuttle launched today, it's in outer space, it is traveling at 17,500 MPH and that doesn't hold a candle to seeing the heartbeat.

The whole sonogram experience was awesome, but the other standout awesome thing we saw today was Baby C moving around. He was moving his arms and legs. He was rolling over, we saw what looked like a yawn and he tried to suck his thumb. He is 10 inches long inside of Allison and we were able to see all that. I can't wait til he is here and we can touch him and watch him move without using a fancy machine.

Anyway, here are some pix from today's sonogram. For the mother's and the advanced users, here are the pix with descriptions. For those who have trouble seeing, look further down for the Sonogram pix for Dummies section.

Picture 1: This is a profile view of Baby C. Head to the left, and that is his leg to the right.
Picture 2: These are Baby C's legs from below. His feet are crossed and he is chillin in the womb. To the right is his baby booty and right between the legs are his boy parts.
Picture 3: This is a tough one. In the middle you can see his head with his mouth, nose and eyes. Above that he is giving a left handed wave to all his fans and to the right is his body.
Picture 4: This is even harder to see, it's another picture of Baby C's face.
Picture 5: This is another profile view of Baby C. You can see his head and nose pretty well.
Picture 6: This is Baby C's bottom from underneath. You can see his boy parts again.


And now for those who didn't see anything in those pix above.
Picture 1: This is a profile view of Baby C. Head to the left, and that is his leg to the right.
Picture 2: These are Baby C's legs from below. His feet are crossed and he is chillin in the womb. To the right is his baby booty and right between the legs are his boy parts. His bits and pieces. You know his twig & berries, wedding tackle, his meat and two veg, his frank and beans.
Picture 3: This is a tough one. In the middle you can see his head with his mouth, nose and eyes. Above that he is giving a left handed wave to all his fans and to the right is his body.

Picture 4: This is even harder to see, it's another picture of Baby C's face.
Picture 5: This is another profile view of Baby C. you can see his head and nose pretty well.
Picture 6: This is Baby C's bottom from underneath. You can see his boy parts again.

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears

If you don't know those lyrics, what rock have you been living under?

Today was Mother's Day. I took Allison and Baby C to Downtown Disney and to Disney's Beach Club Resort. Check out some of Baby C's adventures from today.

First stop, Disney's Marketplace. Baby C doesn't know who Stitch is, but is going to love standing in the Spit Zone and getting a cool spritz when he is a little boy. In the background, you can see the new hot air balloon ride. It takes you 600 feet up and you can see all of Disney property for just $16. We went to try it, but it was temporarily closed due to weather. (It was a little windy)

Baby C had his first Disney run in with Mickey Mouse. Mickey said "I want you...to come to my park!" We predict we'll take him by the time he is 2 and have season passes again by the time he is 4.

Baby C tried on his first set of Mickey ears today. They didn't really fit. Allison had to hold them and she wasn't feeling it. I mentioned trying staples, but she didn't like that idea either. We'll have to wait until he is born and is able to wear hats before he gets his first set of ears.

We stopped into the toy store in Disney Marketplace. I think it's called Once Upon a Toy. It's awesome. I can't wait for Baby C to be born and old enough to play with some of the toys in there. They had a voice activated R2-D2. I don't know what it does, but it was 2 feet high and voice activated, so it really doesn't matter what it does, it's cool...I want it.

They also had a GI Joe section and a Transformers section. I hope they are both still popular when Baby C is old enough to play with them and I hope he is into those kinds of toys.

Our last stop was the Cape May Cafe @ Disney's Beach Club Resort. It's a buffet style dinner with a New England Clambake theme. The food was good, so were the desserts. They have these Oreo Bon-Bons and they are awesome. Well worth the trip to Disney.

On a serious note, we are going to see Baby C tomorrow and hear his heartbeat. Allison has a doctor appointment and a sonogram scheduled. I can't wait. I want to see how he has grown and make sure he is doing ok in there. I don't have any questions for the doctor, but I am going to do some research tonight to see if there is anything I should ask him. I feel like I should have something to ask the doctor every time we go. Any suggestions? Let me know by noon tomorrow!

20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go

Allison is halfway through her pregnancy. 20 weeks have gone by really quickly. The first week seemed like a week, the 2nd week seemed like 3 days. I could to that all morning, but I'll stop there.

Allison has felt good for the most part. She got sick twice, she hasn't been all that moody and she is loving being pregnant. She drinks ginger ale and eats saltine crackers when her stomach starts to bother her. Her belly has grown but really nothing else has gotten bigger. I think she looks great. 

Mother's day is this weekend. Don't forget to wish your mom and mother's to be a happy mother's day.

Movies to watch - The Adam Sandler Collection

As you may have guessed, I just learned to do embedded videos and I may have celebrated it too much on my last 2 posts. I'm done with that for a while. Just words and maybe pix for the next few posts.

OK, OK...Now I'm done.

There are a bunch of movies my parents told me to watched but I resisted because "I don't want to watch those old, stupid movies." Well, once I sat down and watched them, I found out I missed out on years of hilarity. The Jerk, Young Frankenstein,  Animal House (not the TBS version) 

I'm starting a list of movies for Baby C to watch. Hopefully he will watch and enjoy them. I played golf yesterday. So that got me thinking about Happy Gilmore. So here is a list of Adam Sandler movies I'd like Baby C to watch, in order of my favorite to least favorite.

1) Happy Gilmore - One of my favorite comedies. It's a movie about a hockey player who converts to a golfer. Baby C, when you are older, remind me to tell you the story of the first time I saw this movie. It's almost as funny as the movie itself. Trying to figure it out yourself? Think Chubbs. Favorite Line: A lot to choose from, but I'll have to go with "What? Friends listen to "Endless Love" in the dark. " or " You're a lousy kindergarten teacher. I see those finger paintings you bring home and they suck!"

2) Billy Madison - Billy is a lazy guy who must go back to school, redo grades 1 - 12 to inherit his fathers company. He chases a 6 ft penguin and has some funny scenes with Chris Farley and Steve Buscemi. Favorite Line: "It's too damn hot for a penguin to just be walking around. I gotta send him back to the south pole"

3)The Waterboy - Adam Sandler plays Bobby Boucher. A water boy, turned college football player. Another funny story about this movie. The first time I saw it, I was just getting over mono. It was my first time out of the house in 3 months...and I passed out during 15 to 20 minutes during the middle of the movie.  Favorite Line: "Mama says that alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth but no toothbrush"

4)Big Daddy - Not as silly as the other Sandler movies, but still funny. Adam Sandler plays Sonny. A kid gets dropped off to him by child services and he takes care of him. Favorite Line: "I know you're gonna be missing me when you have that big, white, wrinkly, body on you with his loose skin and old balls....gross!"

5)The Wedding Singer - Awesome movie. Adam Sandler play Robbie, a wedding singer. He is left at the alter and falls for another girl. Hilarious songs in this one and he gets paid for singing lessons in meatballs. 

6)8 Crazy Nights - I don't really have to add this one to the list, but I will. It's an animated movie about Hanukkah. Since Allison is Jewish, you will be Jewish and you will see this movie. End of story. 

7)Mr. Deeds - Sandler plays Longfellow Deeds. He is a small town boy who inherits his uncle's company worth billions. He comes to the big city and all craziness breaks loose. Favorite Line: "I fear you underestimate the sneakiness sir"

There were some other good movies with Sandler, 50 First Dates, Bulletproof, Airheads, bu in my opinion, they are not must see movies. 

Is there a doctor in the house?

Because I ripped my pants!!! One of the best episodes of Sponge Bob Square Pants. C'mon!! I have to start watching the cartoons Baby C is going be watching! Have to make sure there is nothing inappropriate. Pretending to drown...NNNOOOO !!!!!!

Allison's doctor is Dr Snow. He delivered kids for two of her co-workers and we go to see him again on Monday for her 20 week sonogram. I can't wait.

Tonight Allison said she could feel Baby C kicking on her tummy. She said she actually felt it from the outside. I felt around for a good 5 minutes...and I didn't feel a G.D. thing. I know I willl be able to feel it soon, but I was really pissed that I couldn't feel it tonight.

Anyway, I was thinking. Sept 26 is Allison's due date. Right dead smack in the middle of hurricane season. What if there is a hurricane and we can't get to Winnie Palmer? Or what if we get there, but Dr. Snow can't?

Here is a list of substitute doctors I DO NOT want to deliver Baby C.

1) Dr. Dre - I don't need Baby C finding out about The Chronic any sooner than he already will.


2) Dr. Suess - "Sam will not eat it with fine China. Hey, Who's that coming out of Allison's..." WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!!! Slow down Dr. Suess. This is a kids blog. PG13 it right now buddy. Great for when he is older though. Team up with Andre Dice Clay and go on tour.

3) Dr Mephisto from South Park - There will be enough poop from Baby C, we dont need a 4 assed baby.

4) Dr. Carter AKA Lil Wayne - Great rapper, great song, but the only grills I want Baby C around are on cars and BBQs.


5) Dr. Evil - Hilarious yes, but I don't think they spent much time in Evil Medical School on childbirth.


6) Dr. Drake Ramore - Video speks for itself. Hilarious around 1:50.


7) Dr Doogie Howser - Was fine as a kid doctor, but have you seen what he turned into as an adult??


8) Dr. John "JD" Dorian - Actually JD you can deliver Baby C if Dr. Snow cannot do it. You are out of a job now, so you have some free time, but go easy on the wiener cousin stuff. So long JD. Scrubs will not be the same show without you.







Since I mentioned Scrubs, let me point out that this video is how most of the conversations I have with Allison go. We start by talking about something serious...then I go off on a tangent. Allison sometimes laughs, but mostly gets mad at me. She has to reel me in, calm me down, then we start all over again. Does anyone else have this problem? Anyone? Bueller?

Song as old as rhyme...Beauty & The Beast

Picture it: Sicily, 1912. A beautiful young peasant girl with clear olive skin....I"m sorry, I'm telling the wrong story. I'm not Sofia from the Golden Girls.

The Legend of the Beast goes back a long time...before any of us could even pick up a baseball, back to a place called Myrtle's Acres. Sorry, I'm also not Squints from The Sandlot, but this quote is closer to my story.

Last night, I awoke, The Beast. I have been warned not to get on a pregnant lady's bad side. Don't mess with it, you can't handle that kind of fury. I have been fine for 19weeks and 1 day. 134 days without incident. Then, the Rachael Ray Ruckus.

I"ll start off by saying Allison is an excellent cook and baker. I love most of her meals (look at my stomach, the proof is right there) and I appreciate that she cooks for me almost every night. I know a lot of wives out there don't do that.

You should also know that I do something strange while I eat. Allison pointed it out to me a few years ago, but I cannot seem to shake it. I have to have "the perfect bite" on each bite I take. It takes me a long time to eat most meals because I am picking my bites. I will dump a whole scoop of food if there are too many peas or not enough meat.

I also inspect my food before I eat it. I don't mean I give it a once over on my plate before I start eating. I mean every bite I take, I inspect my food from every angle. I will spin a burger, lift my fork over my eye line so I can inspect the bottom, unfold a slice of pizza to look inside even thought I just looked a minute ago and all was fine. Why do I do it? I have no idea? But it drives Allison crazy. Seriously she hates it more than anything else I do or have ever done. I hope I don't pass this on to Baby C.

Now that you know the back story, on to the rest of the tale. Allison got a Rachael Ray magazine from her mother and decided to make one of the recipes. It was a pasta dish with peas, mint and ricotta cheese. She flat out said "Eew, I don't think you are going to like this, but let's try it anyway."

I was not looking forward to this meal. Allison knows what I like and what I won't like. She is three 9s accurate. So I had a really bad feeling. When she sampled it and didn't really like it, I knew I was in big, big trouble.


Allison knew I wasn't liking my meal. She said "Can't you just eat it? I worked really hard on it!" In hindsight, I should have just sucked it up and forced the mean green down. It looked like pasta with peas and green slime from You Can't Do That On Television, and I imagine the taste wasn't that far off. But instead, what I did, was say "I think I'm going to play the I'm not a damn kid card and say that I'm not gonna eat something I don't like."

Well if you are wondering what you can say to trigger the raging hormones of a pregnant woman, that is it my friends. She got so mad at me. She yelled, cried, stormed off to the living room, stormed upstairs, stormed back, stormed off to the patio and didn't speak to me for a good hour or so.

I felt really bad. I didn't want to make her upset, I just didn't want to eat the green goop. How does this tie into Baby C? Well when he is older (after he is born of course) am I going to be one of those parents that say "Why? because I said so, that's why!" or "do as I say, not as I do." I'm sure there are legitimate reasons to use both of those lines, but is eating your veggies or a dish that is only a 2 out of 10 one of them? Will those lines lose some of their power if I throw them around at every meal? Crap! I'm going to have to eat meals I don't really like and all my veggies. Allison....honey...no brussel sprouts, collard greens or spaghetti squash! I'll try my best on the rest of the foods, for Baby C and of course, for you too.

Feelings of the day

I started this blog because I wanted to post my feelings and thoughts during the pregnancy. All I've been doing lately is writing notes to Baby C as a kid and grown up.

So I may as well post about my current feelings. Today Allison and I saw a family of cranes. The mom and dad crane were on the outside and the baby cranes were on the inside, being protected by their parents. Soon enough, we will be just like those birds. Taking care of our little one. 

On the 11th (next monday), we will see Baby C again. Allison has an appointment for a sonogram. We won't see him again until he is born. I love seeing him during those sonograms. If I could install a sonogram machine in my house I would look at him everyday. Is that safe, well only if it's safe. 

Oh, I went ahead and fixed the pesky little changing table. It won't be giving me problems anymore. This time, I went at it without the book and with help from Allison. Thanks. :)

How to talk to girls

It may be a little early for me to be talking to Baby C about girls, but he may not want to talk to me about it when he is older, so I'll give him some tips now for later use.

Tip #1 - The Sneak Kiss. I've never tried this and to my knowledge, it has never been done, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. If you are anything like your old man, you will fall for a friend and/or coworker. Once you are on a 'kiss on the cheek' hello basis, wait for her to lean in to kiss you on the cheek, then turn your head and WHAMMO - Kiss on the lips. Laugh it off, be charming and good luck. I'll let you know the results if anyone tries it from now until you are ready. Stand down until further notice.

Tip #2 - Don't assume, ask. There are tons of reasons out there for a girl to say no to you. Too tall, too short, too hairy, not hairy enough, I don't date Italian guys, I like girls, I just got out of a serious relationship, I just want to be friends, you hooked up with my friend so I can't be with you, you don't like cats, our friends don't get along with each other, your friends don't like me. The list goes on and on and on and on. 

Don't assume a girl doesn't want to go out with you. Ask her out and make her say no to you. Believe me. If she isn't interested, she'll tell you. As Wayne Gretzky says "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." (You'll learn who Wayne Gretzky is when you get older)

I think that's enough for now, baby steps.

If I could save time in a bottle

Before Allison was pregnant, before we were even trying and maybe even before we met, I had always thought it would be cool to make a time capsule for my baby when I eventually had one. A friend of mine bought his kid a set of baseball cards when his son was born and I thought that was the greatest thing I'd ever heard of.

Here is my rough draft of what I want to put in Baby C's time capsule and give to him on his 18th birthday. This list is subject to change and I am open to suggestions.

1. 2009 Baseball card set - Any superstars in this year's rookie class?
2. Newspaper from the day he is born.
3. Pix of our house, cars, family & friends from 2009.
   
4. List of prices of cars, houses, milk, gas, beer. From 76, 81, 09 to compare with 2027 prices. Holy cow! 2027 seems so far away
5. CD of top 40 songs the week he is born.
6. Playboy from the month he is born - This is what naked ladies looked like the year you were born. Maybe we should give him 2 or 3 months worth.
7. A hand written note from Allison and myself to Baby C.
8. Mets/Magic championship memorabilia (if they pull it off)
9. List of the top movies the week he is born.
10. 2009 money. Penny, quarter, dime, nickel, dollar.