I hope this kid likes Monkeys

We had some Babies R Us coupons that we needed to use, so Allison and I went to the store Saturday and picked up some monkey decals & a hamper. 

We decorated the wall, but it was not without incident. No, it's not "the story of the changing table part 2," this incident was between Allison and I.

Here is a photo of the finished project.

Allison and I had creative differences. Allison wanted to decorate one way, I wanted another. Allison set her first monkey and I said "No, that's ugly" to which she replied "You're ugly." I set up one of my monkeys. Allison said "No, that looks horrible" to which I maturely replied "You look horrible" One of us said, "No, that's stupid" any guess on the reply? That's right..."you're stupid!" This continued for a good five minutes.

I tossed around the idea of each of us setting up the wall our own way, then posting pictures and taking a vote, but I'm glad we decided to work together and compromise 

It was fun setting them up, but seriously, I hope Baby C likes monkeys or animals. They are all over his room. This last monkey was my idea. It was non-negotiable. Yes, that's right, I used up a "non-negotiable" on a stick on monkey decal. This is why I don't have nice things. ;)

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.

What to expect the first year

So Baby C will be here in about 4 months. There are all these books out there on how to take care of babies, but I haven't read any of them. There are so many parents out there that surprise me that they can get themselves through a day, let alone be responsible for the life of another being. If they can do it, how hard can it be?

Well, me being Mr. Safety First, I decided to read a book. I started reading 'What to expect the first year.' So far, I have read all about the benefits of breastfeeding. Not much for me to do there. Yes, I have nipples, but I'm not so sure Gaylord Focker was right about being able to milk anything with nipples. Either way, I don't plan to experiment. I have already seen the results.


I'm starting to get even more excited. I can feel Baby C moving more and more. I am even starting to see movement. It has flown by so far and I'm sure he'll be here in no time.

They strip off my clothes and tell me, "Get in my belly!"

Well I'm a little late for my monthly weight in. I needed some extra time to recover from the cruise. Last month my stomach at it's roundest point was 39.5 inches around. This month 38.5 inches!

NICE!

I started going to the gym at work. Doing hard core abs and working out. I need to get out there and start running on the days I don't work out, but I'm getting lazy.

Looking forward to losing another inch soon.

Cruise update - The Galley

Ellen, Hy and David took a tour of the Galley. They said it was awesome.
Here is their weekly grocery list:
10,000 pounds of beef
8,000 pounds of chicken
6,000 pounds of fish & seafood
3,000 pounds of pork
12,500 pounds of fruit and veggies
4,500 pounds of flour
1,400 pounds of sugar
1,000 gallons of ice cream
900 gallons of juice
1,200 gallons of milk
48,000 eggs

I feel better now. That's a lot of food. I hardly made a dent in that.

sip Bacardi like it's your birthday

Everyone I know who has kids says the same thing when I wish them a happy birthday "Thanks, but it's no big deal. Just another day." I always thought they were crazy. It's a day a gifts and cake and it's all for you. What can be better?

Well, Baby C isn't even here yet and I can already see that happening. Tomorrow I turn 33 and I am just barely in birthday mode.

Since Allison met me, she started hating spring. Not because the flowers are blooming or because of the April showers, but because that's when I usually start my birthday countdown. I have my cake request and my birthday list published by at least April 3rd. Not only that, but I will send store fliers or coupon codes to people, just to make sure they know what I want and where they can get it.

Well this year I haven't done any of that. No birthday list, no meal request, no cake request, no party plans. I only mentioned the cake for the first time today. The only thing that's different this year is that we are expecting Baby C, so that must be it. Either way, tomorrow will be a good day. I already got a great gift from Allison & her parents, a nice card and gift from my parents and I'll be enjoying Tijuana Flats for dinner (we got a coupon in the mail) and a strawberry cake that Allison is whipping up at the moment.

Baby C Does Grand Cayman

We're back! We took Baby C on a cruise to Grand Cayman. All of Allison's side of the family came with. There were 10 of us in total. We celebrated Grandma 80th Bday, David's 30th Bday, my 33rd Bday and Erica's college graduation. It was a 5 day cruise. We were supposed to go to Cozumel, but because of the Swine flu, we were rerouted to Grand Cayman. There were a few clouds, but mostly sun, fun, food and relaxation.
If you like to eat, cruising is for you. Remember that whole losing my tummy thing before Baby C comes along? Well, I think all the work I've done to this point has been lost and then some. I didn't have the heart to measure my stomach today, but I'll do it tomorrow. I ATE!!! Breakfast was buffet style and I usually filled 3 plates. Same goes for lunch. Then for dinner I would usually have 1 appetizer, 2 entrees and 2 desserts. I love cruising!

We had an inside room but they still gave us a pretend window. It took me until day 3 to stop looking out. Not sure what that was all about.

They take lots of pictures during dinner. I don't mind it when they get there before the food comes. I'm not really doing anything, I'm just waiting around...but when there is food on the table? C'mon people get those cameras out of here. And the sombrero pix? I don't want a sombrero on my head that has been on a thousand other people. I think I'm becoming a germ-a-phobe.

They did group us together for a nice table picture. We weren't going to buy their pictures for $11, so we asked the waiter to take the pic with our camera.
We had a pretty funny matradee. He called himself Joseph, the supercharged matradee. Then he would whisper "ladies and gentlemen, it's a shhhhowtiiiiime." Papi Hy got into the conga line, but the rest of us didn't. I had to look after you and your mother. That was my story anyway.

The last night, before dinner, the guys got together for a cigar. I won't tell you on here, but when you are older, I'll tell you some of the stories during our smoke. There was a radio station cruising on our ship, Monster 104.1 and they like to party.
Well, I'm already looking forward to the next cruise. I promised Allison (mommy) we would go on a Disney cruise for our 5th wedding anniversary. As long as you don't have a brother or sister on the way, I think we can still do it. You'll be 2 1/2 years old, so get your snorkel and water wings ready.