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.

History of ACs - Our First Date

I'm having a hard time being creative lately. Actually, I have been too creative for my own good. I wrote 2 posts in the last few days, but can't use either of them. So here is a recap of our first date. If you were at my wedding, Steven covered some of this in his speech, but I'll fill in the gaps.

It was an impromptu date. I spoke to Allison earlier that day. She said she and some girlfriends were going to a bar in Port Jeff. She told me to call her when I got out of work and I could meet up with them if I wanted to.

So I got out of work, I was pretty tired and just wanted to go home and play video games, but this was the first time Allison asked me to hang out since I told her I was into her, so I had no choice but to go out. It was close to 10:PM when I called her. Her friends hadn't called yet to go out. She said she was getting tired and was probably just going to go to bed.

I said, "well I'm pretty hungry, want to meet me for a bite to eat." She agreed and we met at the most romantic restaurant in Smithtown...Applebees! We started with appetizers. She got a Veggie Patch pizza and I don't recall what I ordered. The reason I remember her veggie patch pizza, was because that was the beginning of her trying to get me to eat veggies. I took a bite, it was pretty rough, but I survived. The things you do to impress the ladies!

I don't remember what we ordered for dinner, but once dinner was done and we decided to go back to her place to watch a movie. She was a member of the Blockbuster unlimited rental club. She had Deuce Bigalo, Male Gigolo at her apartment, so we watched it. It's not a much watch movie, but it has it's funny parts.
We were sitting on either side of the couch, nothing happening, but it was a good time. Once the movie was over, we started to play Family Feud on the computer. I think she whooped my butt, but that was only because I was trying to figure out when and if I should make a move. It was also possibly the last time she beat me in a trivia style game.

At some point, I thought it would be a good idea to thumb wrestle. I really don't know what I was thinking, but the ice had been broken, we were now holding hands...I know, I know, I'm a huge dork.

Anyway, it was getting late and it was time for me to go. I knew I wanted to kiss her and should kiss her, but I couldn't make myself do it. I was pretty nervous. This kiss would change the rest of my life. So I just said goodnight and turned to leave. I stalled at the door, taking my keys out of my pocket. Allison will tell you that I waited for 5 minutes, but it really was only about 5-10 seconds.

I took a deep breath, said to myself "OK, this is it" and turned around to kiss her. I may have actually said it out loud because as I turned around, Allison said "What? I didn't hear you." I said "Oh, I didn't say anything." Then I kissed her. It was a great kiss, best one of my life. That was the beginning of our time together. Since then, I don't remember a day where we didn't talk and the only time we don't see each other is when one of us travels for work.

Our first "real" date happened a few days later. We went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Allison fell asleep in the theater, but it was still a good night. We worked together at Maharam and we decided we'd keep our dating a secret. That lasted about 2 hours before Allison spilled the beans.

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.