Birthing Class Week 2 - Oh Baby!

Tonight we had week 2 of our 6 week birthing class. It was great. It was a lot better than week 1. This week we saw a video of a birth, a handsome man wore an Empathy Belly and we did some relaxation and breathing techniques.

Let's start with the Empathy Belly then we'll get to the rest. As you can see from the picture, the handsome man in the Empathy Belly was me!
I was selected by the teacher to wear it. It wasn't because she saw something special in me (so she says) it was simply because I was the first guy to enter the room. First up, the chest belt. This was designed to make it difficult for me to breathe. Simulating Baby C compressing on Allison's diaphragm. She had me take a deep breath, then push it all out. Once I pushed it all out. She pulled HARD on the strap and made it really tight.
Next up, I got a huge rack and a big old belly. It weighed about 20-25 pounds. Then she added two 10 pound balls to each side which would simulate Baby C moving and got the weight up to 40-45 pounds. Lastly, she added a patch under the belly that would rest/press on my bladder.

I had to wear it for 45 minutes to an hour. I was supposed to tell the rest of the class how I felt wearing it. We never got around to it, but I'll tell you fine people about it right now. The teacher untied my sneaker and asked me to tie it again before I got back to my seat. I tried, to just bend over but I couldn't reach. Then I tried to take a knee, that didn't work either. Some will say I cheated, but I did what I needed to do. I put my foot up on the TV and tied it there

It was difficult to breath. I could only take small shallow breaths. I was not able to take a deep breath at all. That was bad but not that bad. The worst part about it was the sack that was pressing down on my bladder. It wasn't bad when I was standing up, but when I sat down OH BABY! I had to go. I felt a little bit of pain and just wanted to go to the bathroom. It got used to it after about 10 minutes, but every once in a while if I adjusted...I felt the pressure on my bladder again and had to pee. I don't give Allison a hard time about going to the bathroom so much and after this experience I'll make sure I don't.

Another thing I noticed, I had a hard time figuring out what to do with my hands and arms. I couldn't put them down. Couldn't cross my legs and rest them on my knee. What to do with them? I just looked around to see what the real preggos were doing and just did that. the gold old hands interlocked under the belly.

The last thing she had me do was lay down on the ground as if I was in bed. It was tougher getting out of the chair than I thought it would be. I got on the ground and waited for Allison to take a picture. Funny thing, she was taking a video! I tried to get up. Couldn't bend. I tried again...and fell backwards. That's when I started laughing and just did the roll to my side and creep up technique. It was pretty cool. I'm sure this is nothing compared to what Allison is going through, but it was a nice experience.

Next up, we saw a video of a birth. I'll just say, it wasn't that bad. A few close ups of things I didn't need to see. I feel like I am a lot closer to the women in the video than I was yesterday and I should send them a gift. Gotta wrap this up. It's been another long blog post here. The breathing exercises were fun. We had some mood music and the teacher said some soothing things. I felt a little relaxed, but it didn't work all that well for me.

The last thing we did was the He-He-He-Hoo breathing. I get an F on this. I did it for about 20 seconds, then I started laughing. I was doing it wrong. I knew I was doing it wrong, but I couldn't correct myself. I laughed again and that was it. That got some of the other groups laughing and I thought I was going to be asked to leave the room. So, that's my homework, practice the He-He-He-Hoo breathing.

The Movies Baby C Must Watch

Hey guys and gals. When I first started this blog out I planned on doing write ups on some of my favorite movies. Movies that I needed Baby C to watch, for his own good. ;) So far I have only written about some Adam Sandler movies. Every time I write about other movies, I either give away too much of the movie or the post goes way WAY in another direction.

I decided it would be easier to just list the movies broken down by genre. I'll put a few comments as to why they made the list, and maybe some pix and vids. Take a look below and make some suggestions. One of the movies on the list was actually a movie I'd never seen until Audrey recommended it to me, so get your suggestions in.

Obviously the list will be a little censored. I can't put Pulp Fiction, Good Fellas, Donnie Brasco, South Park on the list because of the violence and the curse words. But when he gets older, then maybe there'll be another list.

Sports Movies - I love sports. I love movies. Put them together, it's a beautiful thing.

1. Rudy - I can finally watch it without crying, but I still tear up a little bit.
2. Rocky 1-4 - Yo Adrian
3. Remember The Titans
   
4. The Rookie
   
5. Necessary Roughness - Sinbad and Kathy Ireland...NICE
6. The Bad News Bears 1 & 2 (1976 & 77) - Let them play! Let them play! (sorry Billy Bob)
7. A League of Their Own
   
8. Field of Dreams
9. Miracle - Do you believe in Miracles???
10. The Cutting Edge - It's a chick flick, but it's pretty funny. Toe pick.

Movies that almost made the list - Cool Runnings, Kingpin, Bring It On, Slapshot, 8 Men Out, The Natural, Caddyshack, Jerry Maguire.

Horror Movies - Sorry Baby C, not until you're older, your mom will kill me if you get nightmares.

1. The Exorcist - Saw the re-release in the theater, got goosebumps multiple times.
2. The Ring - Freaked me out, bad
3. Scream - Funny and makes you jump a few times.
4. Friday the 13th series
5. Nightmare on Elm Street series
6. The First Power - The lady at the window almost sent me over the back of the couch.
7. Saw
8. Pet Semetary
9. Alien (s)
10. Poltergeist
    

Comedy - Impossible to have only 10, the top 10 changes constantly anyway. I will love to watch these movies with Baby C. I don't know what his laugh will sound like, but Allison and I both have great laughs, so I'm sure he'll have a great one too. These movies will give us plenty of chances to hear it.

1. Dumb and Dumber
2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Laughed so hard I had an asthma attack. I needed my puffer during the Black Knight scene.
   
3. Airplane! - Surely you can't be serious? I am serious and don't call me Shirley.
4. Weekend at Bernies - it's a dead guy pretending to be alive! It doesn't get much better.
   
5. Spaceballs
6. Austin Powers series
7. Big
8. Tommy Boy / Black Sheep - Farley and Spade awesome together...AWESOME
9. American Pie series
10. The Toy

Sci-fi- These are movies Baby C and I will most likely be watching without mommy.

1. The Matrix series
   
2. Star Wars series
3. Jurassic Park
4. T2
5. Independence Day
   
6. The Abyss
7. Armageddon
   
8. The Mummy
9. Superman
   
10. Lord of the Rings

Dramas - Allison has seen me cry 3 times since we've been together. Once when I found out my Grandmother was in the hospital dieing. The other 2, were from watching movies on this list.

1. The Notebook - I admit it now, I've seen it twice...and cried like a little girl both times. If you don't cry watching this movie either you are with the wrong person or you have no soul.
2. PS I Love You - Letters from beyond the grave.
   
3. Forrest Gump
4. Titanic
5. The Shawshank Redemption
6. A Walk to Remember
7. American Beauty
8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind
9. Ghost
   
10. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Animated flix - These are movies Baby C can watch right away. Straight out the womb. In fact, Winnie Palmer has DVD, VHS, Ipod jacks. One of these movies may actually be playing when he is born.

1. The Lion King - great movie, I have a funny story about seeing it in the theater.
2. The Little Mermaid - WHAT??? There are some good songs and funny scenes.
3. Beauty and the Beast - AGAIN...good songs and funny scenes.
4. Cinderella
   
5. Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs
   
6. Aladdin
7. Shrek
8. Pinnochio
9. The Land Before Time
   
10. Dumbo
    

Live Action and Cartoon Combo! - Who Framed Roger Rabbit really made me think of this new category, so here we go.

1. Mary Poppins
2. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
3. Space Jam
4. The Incredible Mr. Limpet
5. Blackbeard's Ghost
6. Scooby Doo
7. Pete's Dragon
8. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
9. Popeye - not sure if there is any cartoon in it, but it looks a lot like a cartoon and it's my list, so it stays.
10. Super Mario Brothers
    

80s - If you know me and know some of my favorite movies, you know up until this point, they have been absent from the list. Well wait no longer. I grew up watching these movies. There was a time I could do the movie line for line. Some I probably still could.

1. Back to the Future
2. The Goonies
3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
4. Adventure in Babysitting
5. The Karate Kid
6. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
7. Honey I Shrunk the Kids
8. Ghostbusters
9. Gremlins
10. The Naked Gun

Holiday Movies - These are not just movies about Christmas or other holidays, but it includes movies that are played on holidays.

1. It's a Wonderful Life - Honestly this should be movie 1-4 on the list, but I will only list it once.
2. Christmas Vacation
3. Elf
4. Harry Potter Series- Really nothing to do with Christmas, but they play it around Christmas.
5. A Christmas Story - It would be a much harder task to keep Baby C from seeing this movie than it will be to make him watch it. I'm sure they will keep doing the 24 hours of A Christmas Story for a few more years.
   
6. The Polar Express
7. The Santa Clause 1 & 2
8. March of the Wooden Solders
9. Home Alone
10. Jingle All the Way

Any Genre: I think you are starting to understand why I couldn't do this one movie at a time. I really should just start up another blog about movies, but I have a feeling my free time will become scarce soon. So let me finish up by putting my favorite movies, from any Genre here. Again...leaning towards kid friendly movies.

1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. Empire Records
3. The Notebook
4. Back to the Future
5. The Goonies
6. Napolean Dynamite
7. Clueless
8. Blue Crush
9. The Princess Bride
10. Rudy

Hope you enjoyed the lists. If you have any suggestions....feel free to comment or email them to me.

I’m feeling tired and a little delirious today.

I’m still feeling the effects of the long day of driving from Orlando to the Ft. Lauderdale and Jupiter branches then back. I won’t bore you with the work related details, but it was a good trip. The Ft. Lauderdale branch wins the award for nicest branch that I’ve visited, with Destin as a close second.

Since I was already in Ft. Lauderdale, I thought I might as well take advantage of it. I have been trying to find a Lobster Claw for Allison. She used to get a cake with Lobster Claw filling from Alpine Bakery in Smithtown…it was good stuff. We have been unsuccessful in finding them in Central Florida. I have called about 20 bakeries and most of them have never heard of them. It’s very annoying. If anyone in Central Florida knows where I can get one...let me know.

Ft.Lauderdalehas a lot of retired northerners. A lot of Italians and Jewish people, so I thought maybe one of the Italian bakeries will have them. I hit two bakeries on Las Olas Blvd and neither of them had ever heard of them. I already decided I was NOT going home empty handed. So I went to the old reliable, Kilwin’s. I picked up two chocolate covered Twinkies and a quart of Las Olas Mud! Now the problem….getting them home in the 95 degree heat while stopping for lunch with Grandma Millie and visiting the Jupiter branch.

They gave me a bucket of ice and sent me on my way. Long story short…I made it! The top third of the ice cream was a bit melted, but it froze back up just great. It was delish and a great surprise for Allison.

I left the house at 5:30 AM, so I was pretty tired. I had a good playlist going, had my Diet Dew and some Jolly Ranchers for my energy boost. The combo of being tired, all that sugar and caffeine and just being alone in the car for 7-8 hours made me a little nutty. Here are some of the things that went through my head. I’m wondering if anybody else has ever thought of these things…if you have, let me know. I’ll only give you two of them. Like I said in my first ever post, I’m here to share, not to scare.

• When your are driving and happen to be speeding, when you get close to 88 MPH, do you say to yourself...or sometimes aloud “Let’s see if these bastards can do 90?” OR when you hit 88 MPH, do you scream to yourself...or sometimes aloud “88 MPH!!!!!!” (like Dr Emmitt Brown )

• When you rip up a bunch of papers, do you ever say to yourself “ Dad! Dad, it's my marble bag. The Fratelli's forgot to check it. See, I emptied the marbles out and I put the jewels in. We don't have to leave the Goondocks” followed by “They’ll be no more signing today (grunt) or ever (grunt) again!!!” It goes through my head constantly when I rip papers.

Birthing Class Week 1

We signed up for a 6 week birthing class at the National Training Center in Clermont. Maybe I was a little too excited or was expecting too much, but walking out the door, I was a little disappointed with week 1. After having a day to think about it though, I guess it's best to start out slow and explain the situation first. I'm feeling better about the class now. Looking forward to week 2, we need to bring pillows and a blanket. Nice!

We started off the class by doing introductions. We had to say our names, due date, hospital, doctor's name and then we were asked what are we most looking forward to/what do we expect during labor. I was the last to go. I did a good job, kept it serious, kept it clean, gave a truthful, heartfelt answer and I even got a laugh. I really could have talked for hours about what I'm looking forward to during labor and delivery, but I was excited to learn.

We did a group exercise where we answered 20 questions about pregnancy. It was fun. Then we watched a video about some pregnant ladies. It was OK, they talked about their feelings, but no real education. What's going on here? Let's get to some content.

The last thing we did was talk about contractions and breathing. It's my job to assist and encourage Allison. We learned one breathing technique. We are going to practice in through the nose out through the mouth, nice and slow breathing.

That's all I really have to say, but if you are wondering what I'm most looking forward to/expecting during labor/delivery, then keep reading.

I picture Allison going into labor while she's at work. Usually I picture it happening before lunch. I am already telling myself to stay calm and just drive to the hospital or to Dynetech to pick her up. I'm no good to anyone if I'm a panicked mess. I'll just be a danger to myself and others on the road if that's the case. So, safety first, remain calm.

Once we get into the labor/delivery room, I already see Allison getting pissed at me for asking too many questions. Let me act out how the first minute in the room will go.

Me: How you feeling? Do you need anything? You moved, do you need the nurse or the doctor? Want me to push the call button? Do you think Baby C moved further into position? Can you feel where he is? What song do you want on? You want to watch TV? a DVD? Want some ice chips? Does it hurt anywhere? Are you ready for this, you're gonna be a mommy soon. You OK? How you feeling now? Do you need another pillow or something? a blanket? Does anything hurt?"

Allison: ARRRRRRGGHHH STOP!!!!! GET OUT OF HERE!

You think I'm joking, but Allison will tell you, that it's probably a pretty accurate representation of how it will go down. My part of it anyway. As it is now I ask her about 20 times a night how she's feeling, if everything's OK and if she wants water or anything.

It's my job to take care of my lady and the baby she is carrying. I love her more than anything and I already feel love for Baby C. I can see and feel the little dude through her belly. My attachment level is growing. Did I not mention that yet? When I see him bulging out on the left, right or center of her belly, I can feel him. I feel across her tummy. Soft, soft, soft, hard, hard, soft. What was that hard stuff...oh, that's Baby C. It's so cool. I think I'm feeling his back or butt, not really sure. It's about 3 inches across. If I put my ear to her tummy I can hear him moving. It's really awesome stuff.

Anyway, it's my job to protect them. Protect them and help them. How can I help if I don't know there's a problem? How do I know if there's a problem if I don't ask? I know she'll tell me if she isn't OK, but that's not good enough. If I just sit there and wait for her to tell me something is wrong, then I'm not doing my job. And by the time she tells me something is wrong, whatever is happening will probably have been happening for far too long for my comfort.

Back to the topic. I have seen tons of babies being born on TV and movies and I hope it's not like that. I don't want Allison screaming "I hate you, you did this to me!!!" or any of those other things you see on TV. I picture a team effort, I will count the length of contractions and help her breathe, maybe wipe away sweat or get a wet rag for her neck or anything else she needs or wants. This is her title fight, she's Rocky and I'm Mickey. (Rocky 2)

I won't even pretend to know how I'll feel after he's born, so I wont even try. All I know is that I want to remain calm so I can be a help to Allison and I want to be as relaxed as possible so I can remember every single moment of the delivery. Along with date, time, weight, length, I want to remember the whole story of the labor. Where it started, where we were? What we were doing. I want to remember what we were wearing, the song playing when Baby C came out (if we listen to music during delivery) I'll try to write it all down afterwards to keep the memory forever, but I hope that's stuff that I'll never forget.

Anyway like I said above, I could talk about this for hours. It's been a long day and I'm going to bed.

The last vacation before parenthood.

Allison and I booked a trip a while back, knowing it would be the last vacation we would have before Baby C comes along. We decided to use the timeshare points and pick a beach location someplace close. We ended up at Casa Del Mar in Ormond Beach. Not a 5 star place, but it was right on the beach and had a nice pool.

I’m getting head of myself, let’s backtrack a little bit. Thursday night we packed up all our stuff, clothes, books, towels & beach supplies. We forgot to pack a camera! Can you believe it? The pictures will be provided by Flikr or Google image search.

Friday morning Allison and I carpooled, I dropped her off downtown then headed to work. We used to carpool to work every day when we worked together and it was a nightmare. One of us would always be cranky and always drive the other one crazy. I was expecting the worst, but it was a good drive. A funny thing happened on the drive to work, the traffic guy on the radio Kevin Balldinger (for real, that’s his name) was going over the traffic in the different parts of Orlando and he goes “If you’re traveling from Clermont to Downtown, the coast is clear, no traffic what so ever.” Allison and I looked at each other like…whoa! He’s talking directly to us. Then he continued, “If your pregnant, have a snack.” Ok, ok…he didn’t say that, but I was expecting him to. (they never mention Clermont traffic)

The work day crawled by and we finally started our drive out to Ormond Beach at 5:00. There wasn't much traffic, so we checked into the hotel and headed to Stonewood Grill We met up with a girl Allison went to elementary school with. They found each other on Facebook recently and she lives with her husband in Daytona, so they met up with us. She is always reading the blog and making comments, so since Tuesday I had been calling our dinner date "Fan Fest 2009!" One night only, Friday, Friday, Friday!!! Fans of Baby C’s blog unite! It was a fun dinner. Steve the waiter was on top of his game and was a really close talker. We spent 3 hours eating, talking and just hanging out. We came up with a few inventions over the course of the night. The best, by far had to be the moth ball flip-flops. They protect your feet from deadly/painful rattle snake attacks. The kid’s version light up and have bells on them. Before you even ask…no, we were not drinking.

Saturday had its ups and downs. First up, we got to sleep in. Oh, the sweet glory of sleeping in! I slept until 8:45. I loved it. We keep being told to sleep while we can, so we did. We headed out to breakfast at IHOP. First down, 30 minute wait. After breakfast, back to the hotel. We got ready to hit the beach…lathered up with sunscreen, carried a few chairs, bottles of water, books and an umbrella to the shore. Got all set up, and decided to test the water. It was cool, but felt good. I looked back to make sure our stuff was good. I may have it mentioned in an earlier post that I have issues and I always think people are going to steal my stuff. So I look back and there is a kid and his father chasing our umbrella down the beach. The wind kicked up and pulled it right out of the sand…whoops.

So I get the umbrella back in the sand, get in the chair, book ready to read then….ka-boom! Thunder. Look to my left and right, the sky was darkening quickly. Ahh we have a few minutes…I don’t see any lightning. Then wouldn’t you know it…lightning out to our left. Ok…I think it might be time to pack up…We pack up, start to walk back and then the sky opened up on us. Why is it that people hate getting rained on? Half of these people were just in the ocean splashing around…and now they are running to get out of the rain. I understand if they were running from lightning, but they were running from the rain and covering their hair. Really? Is the rain water worse for your hair than the sea water you were just frolicking around in?

We sat in the room for about 20 minutes and gave it another try. We set up, sit to relax and read…then sure enough…MORE lightning, thunder and rain! ARRRGH, back to the room for an extended rain delay. We watched Babe and had some Pizza Hut. We decided the beach wasn’t happening today, so we hung around the pool in the light drizzle for the rest of the afternoon.

For dinner we headed down to Daytona and hit the Daytona Beach Pier Restaurant. It was a very interesting place. They had a ski lift from the boardwalk to the end of the dock. People were dropping their shoes and yelling down at people. The waitresses varied from cute 18-20 something girls to 40 something women, who looked like they spent too much time in the sun over the years. A bartender wearing a bikini and black knee high furry boots and a hostess that kept asking Allison if she wanted more chips & salsa. The food was really good. We headed to Pirate’s cove mini-golf where I beat Allison by 5 stokes. She would have had me beat, were it not for her two 7s in the back 9. Ouch. Then we had ice cream and called it a night.

It's probably a good thing I forgot the camera. I can't think of any safe way to get Allison's belly in that hole in order to take a picture of Baby C.

Sunday the weather cooperated and we spent the day on the beach until about 2:00. We headed to Friday’s for lunch…and wouldn’t you know it, more strange people. The table next to use had two couples and a 2 year old. One of the guys was blabbing away on the phone loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear him. Then when he hung up the phone…he was a know it all, a loud know it all with a truck driver mouth. We couldn’t wait for them to leave.

We ate then it was time to pay the bill. This is the last of the strangeness that happened on the trip. I saw the waitress walking by out of the corner of my eye and went to give her the check back. I didn’t realize her hands were full, she had just cleared the table next to us. She goes, “I’ll take it now, here…just put it in my apron.” And she stuck her leg and body out. I thought to myself, this girl used to be a dancer, exotic. I moved the straws out of the way and put the check into her apron. I felt the urge to cop a cheap feel and slip a dollar into her garter, but that must be her night job or maybe her day job a few months back, not that day and not at Fridays. I was glad to get out of there.

All in all, we had a great time. It was fun and most importantly relaxing. It was great being in our own bed last night. Birthing classes start tomorrow, bring it on!!

Test Results, Tour of WP and SYTYCD

Lots to discuss today, no time to be silly. Let's get right into it. First up, Allison's glucose screen. She got her results back and they were good. The doctor said they should be below 130. Her's came back with an 84 (I think, it was def 80 something) It was well within the doctors approved level. That was a relief.

Next up, tonight we took a tour of Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies. I had been there when Steven and Stephanie had their son, but this time I was really paying attention to the hospital and not to them and Jack. It opened in 2006 and is the third largest birthing center in the United States, basically, it's a baby factory. It's ranked in the top 10th percentile for patient satisfaction among all hospitals in the United States and it hosts ORMC's level 3 neonatal intensive care unit, the only one in Orlando. I'm not sure what that is, but I think I'd rather have it than not.Driving up the the hospital I'm faced with a decision. Do I valet park or self park? That's right, this place has valet parking! Allison went to the valet, I self parked. I met her inside, we got our visitors passes and filled out some paperwork. Allison is all pre-registered to deliver. Walking through the main entrance, you walk down a 10 foot tunnel with water cascading around you. The dome you see in the picture is the waiting room. It's a glass dome filled with TVs and couches. Also free wi-fi, so be on the lookout for updates that day.

Before the tour started Allison instructed me that I was not to ask any of the silly questions I had been thinking up all day. I gave her the "I have nooooo idea what you're talking about" look. Or you may want to call it the "who meeee?" look. Of course I had been thinking of stupid questions all day. For instance 1) Will we actually see where the storks drop off the babies on this tour? 2) Can we pet a stork today? How about when we come back in September? 3) Will there be a selection to test from the food court?

I did a great job. I didn't ask any stupid questions, but I did make a funny. I have to tell you about it, then I'll get back to the tour. We had just headed up the the 2nd floor. There were 5 or 6 pregnant ladies and 2 of them had to use the bathroom. One small problem, there was only 1 bathroom on the 2nd floor and it was occupied. They asked "Is there another bathroom up here?" they were told no. So I said "If you head downstairs to your left, just before the cafeteria, you'll find the main bank of rest rooms." They had just covered that on the tour. I guess maybe you had to be there...but trust me, it was funny.

Anyway, back to the tour. The first floor is the main lobby, front desk, cafeteria, gift shop, concierge (I'll come back to this later) and triage. We headed up to the 2nd floor where they had pre-op & post op section and delivery rooms. The delivery rooms were ridiculous. They had hardwood floors, marble bathrooms with a shower & tub, flat screen TVs and hidden medical supplies behind pictures. Have you ever seen one of those heist movies where the picture moves to reveal a safe? Well picture that, but instead of a safe, there were medical supplies.

Our tour guide, who was also a nurse, told us that we could make special requests during the birth. Oh boy! This set my mind racing. I was immediately thinking, I request that you deliver the baby as Yoda. "head crowning it is" or "push more you shall." She must have seen that look in my eyes so she then clarified what she meant. You can request to have dad cut the umbilical cord or have Baby C placed on mom's chest immediately after birth. Still cool, but not Yoda cool.

I really want to cut the cord. It's my first responsibility as a father. It's my duty as a man. I'm ready doc, show me where to cut. I want Allison to be the first one to hold the baby. She will have carried him for 9 months, she should be the first to meet him. I also want to tell the doctor & nurses...if I pass out, kick me to the side. Just go on without me. I'll be fine. Concentrate on Allison and Baby C. If I miss something because I'm a Nancy boy, so be it.

The tour then went up to the 8th floor to the...well I don't know what to call them...state rooms? guest rooms? These rooms are just as nice. In addition to Allison's bed, there was a Murphy bed in the room we visited. Also had a flat screen TV, VCR, DVD player, Ipod dock and a similar bathroom. This time only a shower, no tub.

We then went to visit the 8th floor nursery. I counted 4 babies, but I may have missed some in the back. There was one little baby that had jondus and he was under a fancy light. one baby was being swaddled in a blanket and 2 were sleeping. Those babies looked so small. I think it hit us. Holy sh*t! We are gonna have one of those in about 73 days. It definitely hit me.

We went back to the first floor to end the tour and meet with the concierge. They told us some of the options & packages available. You can upgrade your sheets, robes, baby blanket, get a manicure & pedicure, limo ride home from the hospital, a fancy steak dinner for 2, and much much more. For real at that point, I didn't even feel like I was at a hospital. I thought I was hearing a timeshare pitch. The steak dinner peaked my interest, but let's see how it goes.

Overall it was a good tour. I'm excited to go back there and to meet Baby C. I'm a little more freaked out than before I went in. I'm gonna have a baby. One of those little humans I saw laying there in the nursery is going to have my genes and is going to depend on me...for the rest of my life. I'm ready for it, but wow, that's a long time.

Driving home I was listening to the radio and Halo - Beyonce came on. Last week on So You Think You Can Dance, they did a hip-hop routine to that song. The girl was pregnant and she had just told the guy. It is now impossible for me to hear that song and not think of that dance. they are forever linked in my mind now. I'm sure it's because I have a baby due, but isn't it funny how when you are going through life stages how you are more prone to like something? I'm sure had I watched that same dance last season, I would have called it weak and said "That's not hip-hop"

While wedding planning, we watched all those bridal shows (Bridezillas & Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?) and I really enjoyed them. Now I find it as a form of light torture. Almost as bad as touching my toe nails or honking my nose. But baby shows and anything baby is really catching my interest. Strange right?

Anyway, here is that dance I told you about. Enjoy it. It has a dorky white guy and a cute girl. If you've ever seen me dance, I think you will agree, that kinda describes me to a tee.

Dad-chelor party!

I saw The Hangover last night and it gave me a brilliant idea. You may have seen it on my Facebook status, but if not, my idea is a Dad-chelor party! It’s just like a Bachelor party, but instead of having it before getting married, you have it before you have a baby. Genius! I’m very excited about this idea. Some might say, “Well, isn’t that what you get while the baby shower is going on?” I say NO! Although I’ll have fun, I don’t think watching the dogs at the neighbor’s house is quite the same as having a party in my honor. Maybe if it was football season I could maybe see it, maybe, but still my answer is no.

I’ll start off by saying I’m not a big drinker to begin with, but I think I will drink even less once Baby C comes along. It’s my responsibility to take care of Allison and Baby C. How can I do that if I’m drunk? You never know when something will happen to the baby. He could run a high temp or have a great fall. I’ll need to be alert and coherent at all times. I’m big on safety first. I’ve already discussed with Allison that if she goes into labor, during a hurricane, we’ll take the CR-V to the hospital so we can drive off road if we need to. If a tree is down across the road and we need to drive on the bike path, I think the CR-V is much better for that than my Civic. I think the worst part of that will be not being able to get out of the car and take a picture of us driving on the bike path. AHHH it will be torture. Anyway…safety first was the point here.

So since I’m going to cut down on the drinking (seriously I drink maybe once a month, if that. I think I still have Pumpkin beer from Thanksgiving in the fridge) a Dad-chelor party makes sense. One last night to go out with the guys to have drinks & smoke a cigar. But it has to be soon. I don’t want to get a call while out on the Dad-chelor party that Allison is in labor. I don’t want to end up like Ricky Ricardo showing up to the hospital with my bongos dressed like a tribal man w/ war paint on fresh from my gig at Club Babalu. Since Allison is due 9/26 the party needs to take place sometime in August. The shower is August 1, so that leaves 4 more weekends in August to choose from.

Ok, onto the guest list. I’ll need a designated driver and someone who will keep us out of trouble. You know who doesn’t drink? And is an all-around good guy? Dwight Howard! So we get Dwight Howard to be the designated driver. As an added bonus, who is going to start trouble with us if Superman is parting with us? Aside from Lex Luther, nobody will mess with us. Does anybody know Dwight? Put in a good word for me. Thanks. And since we have Dwight Howard…maybe he brings some Magic Dancers or Stuff (Magic Mascot) along with him.

What should we do? Well for my bachelor party, we went to a Magic game and then went to the bars in Downtown Orlando. It’s not basketball or hockey season, so we should either go to the dog track, maybe a Rays game, play golf or have a Texas hold’em tournament w/ 50% of the pot going to Baby C.

We get a radio show to sponsor the event. They can get in on the ground floor of this thing. It’s not like Sam Wainwright letting George Bailey get in on the early days of plastic, but still it’s something new. So we get Johnny, Jayde and Brian from XL1067 to sponsor this thing for us at Ember or Antigua. It’s simply coincidence that those bars are walking distance to Macos.

The dream. The dream is to get photos and/or autographed items from celebs for Baby C’s time capsule. The Hangover had Mike Tyson and Wayne Newton, but I’d much prefer Nelly Furtado and/or Alyssa Milano. I better start emailing them. It’s very far fetched, but lots of celebs do live in and visit Orlando. Tiger lives here. Allison actually has the same lady doctor that delivered Tiger’s cubs. Those celebs may be in town, who knows?? I don’t think they’ll come but that’s why it’s called the dream. A more realistic and obtainable dream is getting the Appliance Direct guy to come. How awesome would it be to take pix with that guy and get him to autograph something for Baby C to put in the time capsule? I’m not even drunk right now and I’m excited about the idea. Can you imagine being drunk and having Appliance Direct guy show up? That’s Wakkie-Nu-NU!


That is best case scenario. I’ll settle for a night out with a few of the guys, some beer and a cigar. Let’s see what we can make happen. Pix will be posted if it happens.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Yes, I'm a grown man. 33 yrs old,but I love the Harry Potter books and movies. I didn't read the first 2 books, but have read the rest of them. Each read took about 2 days. I am very excited to see this movie. The last one "Order of the Phoenix" was boring, but "Half-Blood Prince" should have a lot of action. In the book, there is a battle at Hogwarts, a very significant death and some action in a cave. Hope they do those scenes right.

I want Baby C to read these books, but seeing as how he isn't born yet, I'll have to wait a few more years before that happens.

To kill some time until he is old enough to read them or until the movie starts on Wednesday, I put together a list of my favorite TV/movie witches. I hope you guys enjoy these lists. I love doing them. Allison....not a big fan. Either way, here it comes, in random order.

• Sarah Jessica Parker - Sarah Sanderson - Hocus Pocus - "Amuck, amuck, amuck.."

• Michelle Pfeiffer - Witches of Eastwick - I don't remember much about this movie except that it had Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer.

• Samantha - Bewitched - I wasn't crazy about Nicole Kidman, I think I've only ever liked her in Moulin Rouge and Days of Thunder. So Cartoon Samantha it is.
• Another cartoon witch, from The Little Mermaid - Ursala - When she became human and used Ariel's voice. What can I say, I have a thing for brunettes.
• Alyssa Milano & Rose McGowen - Charmed
• Sabrina the teenage witch & Aunt Zelda (purple)- yes, Aunt Zelda is a little old for me, but cougars are in style now.

• The girls from The Craft - Robin Tunney made a big comeback for me in Empire Records when she shaved her head. Fairuza Balk, played a witch in Worst Witch and this movie too.
• Finally Hermine Granger. She makes the list twice. Once from the real Harry Potter movies.
• And also when Lindsay Lohan played her on SNL. This was a hilarious episode by the way. During the Debbie Downer skit the whole cast lost it and laughed. The Horracio was great as Hagrid in the Harry Potter skit. watch it if you can.

Well, have a good evening, can't wait to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I am re-reading the book again so I'm fresh when I see the movie. If anyone has any suggestions to get Baby C to read the books let me know. I was thinking of just leaving them at eye level and telling him, whatever you do...don't read these books! I think that will work. It would have worked for me, but more about the crazy things I did as a kid at another time.

Found the skit without commercials. check it out.

SNL - Debbie Downer Featuring Lindsay Lohan Video - Buzznet - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

What do you do when the baby comes?

Allison and I discussed where I should sleep the night Baby C is born. I had never really thought about it until now. Actually that's not true. I always assumed I would just stay at the hospital. Winnie Palmer has 2 beds in the room. One for me. One for Allison.

Why would I not stay there? No offense Molly, I love you and all, but my baby boy and my lady will be in the hospital, why would I leave? What could possibly be more important than that?

Well, here are some things that may be more important.

1. I'll need to drive Allison and Baby C home the next day. I should be well rested.
2. Allison will be up every few hours with Baby C to do feedings. Which will probably wake me up and again...see the well rested note from line 1.
3. I snore. Allison needs her sleep, if my snoring keeps her awake in the hospital, I think she might murder me in my sleep.
4. Once we get home, I think Allison will be exhausted. So I'll have to run things. I should be well rested. Again, I think murder is the result if I am asking her every 2 minutes "Honey, where is the yogurt? Honey, where are my sneakers? Honey, how long should I heat this for in the microwave? a minute? you think a minute is good enough? Honey??" Yes, pretty sure I will not last.
   

Those are the only reasons I can think of. My plan now is to stay for all of visiting hours and probably a little later than that, then go home and come back in the morning. Having said that, if there is a problem with Baby C or Allison, there's no way I leave that hospital. Fill me up with Vanilla Lattes, I'm not going anywhere.

Also, who knows what time she will go into labor or give birth. For some reason, I think she will be at work. Steven, Javan, other Dynetechers reading this...keep some plastic bags in your car so her water doesn't leak on your seats....and bring her to the hospital. I'll meet you guys there. If she gives birth in the evening, I'm sure I'll just stay at the hospital. Whatever happens, hospital or home, I'm glad to be in the position to get to make a decision about it. That means Baby C is here.

Some Pix from the 4th

I just remembered I took some pix of Baby C on the 4th of July that I haven't posted yet. My parents and Uncle Carlo came down from NY for a visit and these pix just slipped my mind.

First up, Baby C vs. a fire breathing dragon.
For those of you that don't recognize it, this is the Disney Electrical Water Pageant. The show came out in 1971 and I seriously don't think they've done anything to it except replace a few light bulbs here and there. It's very corny, but something about Disney & being on vacation...people love it.


Next up, Baby C shows his patriotism.
Disney had some odd musical selections for their 4th of July fireworks and the water pageant. I love watching 4th of July fireworks shows for 2 reasons. 1) the fireworks 2) the patriotic music.

I can't pick one favorite, but here is a list of my top few songs:

• God Bless the USA - Lee Greenwood
• America, The Beautiful - Ray Charles
• What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
• National Anthem
• America - Neil Diamond
• Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen

The culinary highlight of the weekend was a toss-up. It was either Allison's homemade pasta (w/ homemade sauce & meatballs), Allison's homemade sloppy Joe's or Allison's homemade ice cream cake. My vote...The ice cream cake. I couldn't have too much of it because of all the chocolate, but this cake was possibly the best dessert she's ever made. If you've ever had any of her desserts, you'll know how huge of a statement that is.


Seriously, Allison outdid herself. Pregnant, she was in the kitchen working up 3 masterpieces. great job!

Another trip to the Doctor

Allison went for a Glucose Screening today. They are testing to see if she has Gestational Diabetes. She had to drink an extra sweet orange drink filled with 50 grams of glucose. Wait an hour, and then have blood drawn. She’ll get the results in a few days.

While she was at the doctor’s office, they listened to Baby C’s heartbeat. He was at 137 beats per minute. According to the doctor that is right where it should be. Good job little buddy! Allison’s blood pressure, measurements and weight were also in line with where they should be. I’d love to tell you what those numbers were, but I’d love more to live to see tomorrow.

They warned her that the breezy 2nd trimester is over and it’s time for the rough stuff. The challenging, hormonal, emotional, painful, uncomfortable 3rd trimester is in effect. Wish me luck…I guess wish Allison luck too.

The Doctor is in.

We met the doctor yesterday and my worst fears were realized. At the reception desk, I found a basket of Dum-Dum lollipops. If that wasn’t bad enough…they were all root-beer flavor! NOOOOOO!

I got there first, so I sat and waited for Allison to arrive. There were a bunch of toys, a book about a cartoon lamb and some magazines. I didn’t see any Highlights Magazines. I wonder what Goofus and Gallant have been up to?
Then 2 police officers came in. Someone had called 911 from a cell phone from the doctor’s office. They immediately called to cancel the 911 call, but the police said they still needed to investigate it. That’s a good thing. Allison finally showed up and we started our chat with the doctor.

We weren’t really sure what to ask, but in spite of that, I think we still managed to ask some good questions. She seems like a nice lady. She took her time and explained all her answers. She comes recommended by a friend, so that is an added plus. How do you go about picking a doctor? How do you know who squeaked out of medical school with a 74 and who was top of their class? Does that even matter in real world situations? I was glad to have a recommendation. I think we’ll talk to another doctor just to make sure we’re told similar things, but I’m pretty sure we found Baby C a pediatrician yesterday.

Before exiting, I left a note the suggestion box. It simply said “One, two-hoo, three!”

Sleep now or forever hold your peace

Last night I was emailing on Facebook with an old friend from my days with Computer Associates. She has a child and she said to me “as you've probably heard from everyone who has a child... it's the most amazing and exhausting experience.” I started thinking to myself, you know what, I have heard that from everyone I know that has a child. I have heard that exact statement multiple times. How is it that everyone that has a child tells you the same thing? I feel like I’m being left out of something. Or there is a secret nobody is sharing. Do they give you a pamphlet with things to say when you leave the hospital? Although an interesting theory, I highly doubt that is the case. I know it’s a life changing event, but still for everyone to say the same thing. I guess it’s similar with falling in love or finding the one. People always say, “When you know, you know.” I didn’t really believe that until I met Allison. When I met her, I knew. And now I say that same thing to people. I’ll know all about it in about 80 days or so. I’m really looking forward to it.

Some of the other advice I’ve gotten is:
Get your sleep /Sleep now, while you can: I know I’m not going to get much sleep or it will be very broken sleep, but if I get extra sleep now, will that really help? It’s not like I can bank those sleeping hours and use them when Baby C comes along. I’m a more than a little worried about lack of sleep. I have an allergic reaction to caffeine, so coffee or Mtn Dew may not be the answer. How am I going to keep myself awake? And I am prone to crankiness to begin with. I may be a nightmare to be around. Co-workers beware.

I’ve also heard:
I’ll love like I’ve never loved before. A different love than you love your wife, parents, niece or nephew.
It will completely change your life.
An older friend of mine said to me “the day before your child is born is the last good night’s sleep you’ll ever get” He’s 66, his kids are grown and he said every night before he goes to sleep he’s worried about them.

The funniest bit of advice I’ve gotten is from my neighbor Tony. I don’t know if its advice, but it’s definitely funny. He said “You only have 1 penis to worry about...I have to worry about all of them" (he has a little girl)

It’s getting closer and I can’t wait for Baby C to get here. Tonight we are meeting with a pediatrician. She comes highly recommended, so hopefully this appointment goes well. I have my questions ready.
1) Do you give out lollypops or small toys?
2) If lollypops, how many are the kids allowed? I understand giving only 1 red or 1 purple, but if he wants 2 yellows or a yellow and a green, those aren’t popular colors…give them both.
3) If Dum-dum lollypops, what’s they deal with these little lollypops. Where are the blow pops or tootsie pops?
4) I have real questions to ask too. I’ll report back tonight or tomorrow on how the appointment went.

I played with Baby C this weekend

My parent's and Uncle Carlo came to town this weekend. They brought a toy for Molly, which she proceeded to destroy in under 10 minutes. The part that remained was the top part of a green dog. Allison has already sewn it shut once. The squeaker still works.

Allison was laying on the couch waiting for everyone to get ready. Yes, you heard me, a pregnant Allison was waiting on the rest of us to get ready! Shocking, I know! Anyway, she was laying on the couch and I went in to check on her. She told me that Baby C was moving like crazy and to look at her stomach.

At first glance, I could see a huge bulged on the left side of her stomach. The right side looked flat. Almost a pre-pregnancy flat. Then I saw Baby C on the move. It looked like he was riding a unicycle or doing the spin move that Homer Simpson does on the ground...



Then the bulge was on the right side and the left side was flat. It was pretty crazy. Molly saw us just chilling on the couch and decided it was time to play. I threw her toy a few times, then though, I wonder what would happen....

I put the toy right next to Allison's stomach and squeaked it twice. Nothing. Did it again in a different spot. Still nothing. Third time....slight delay...then..BAM BAM. Baby C kicked or hit twice. I squeaked it again and again after about a 2 second delay, another 2 hits from the inside. We did this for about 10 minutes. It was really cool. That was the most I'd seen him move and there was actually some interaction with him. Great day.

Allison has felt him with the hiccups a few times, I haven't seen that, not sure if I can see it from the outside or not. But I'm pretty excited to play some music or read to him and see if he reacts to it again.