Ben's First Christmas

Hey everybody. I hope you all had a great Christmas, Hanukkah or anything else you celebrate. I had a wonderful Christmas. Aside from all the dishes that had to be washed, I loved everything about Christmas this year. I think a Christmas Eve pizza sounds good next year. There's a lot less dishes to do and a lot less prep work. It's getting my vote, I'll tell you that right now.
Everyone told me that Ben's first Christmas would be something special. I played it off, I honestly didn't think this Christmas would be different from any other Christmas because Ben is only 3.5 months old. He isn't able to open his gifts, he doesn't know who Santa is and it would just be any other day. I was wrong. It was an awesome day.
I'll try to describe how I felt, but I won't do it justice. I had a happy and warm feeling inside my chest and top of my stomach all morning. It was a little bit like butterflies, but different. All I know is that I'd never felt better. It was an incredible feeling. I felt great when he opened his gifts. When he smiled at Glow worm, that was awesome and it made me feel even better. Then he was able to play with some of the animals from the Zoo toy he received. That was awesome too.
Here's a question, a little off topic but anyway, why is it that everything Ben picks up he puts immediately into his mouth, but when his pacifier falls out while he is falling asleep he screams bloody murder? Pick it up and put it back in your mouth buddy. We'll work on that.
My in-laws spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us. Uncle Steven, Aunt Stephanie and cousin Jack came over for Christmas. We all had a fun time until Ben got cranky and started screaming then Jack got sick. It went downhill very fast, but it was great up until that point. It was our first holiday interrupted by poop and puke, and I'm willing to bet it wont be the last. Kids yell, kids puke, kids poop. That's our new reality. No use fighting it, just gotta accept it and move on.
I spent a lot of time with Ben this weekend. It was great but exhausting. I'm not used to entertaining a 3 month old. If this is how tired I get after 2 days with a stationary baby, what's gonna happen to me once he's mobile? I just gotta keep up my running training, take my vitamins and cross my fingers.
That's all I have for now. Stay tuned for my 2009 year in review, time capsule update and list of goals for 2010. They are not resolutions, but goals to work towards.

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.