a million little moments

A week of firsts

2007-09-14T17:07:00.000-06:00

We had two firsts this week that I would have been happy to avoid altogether. Oh well, they won't be lasts, either.First, Kiddo got sick.I felt so bad for him. He felt lousy, lousy, lousy. This was evidenced by the fact that he simply lay on my chest without moving for hours at a time.Second, Inexperienced Dad and I both got sick, along with a house guest of ours. Somehow we missed the memo that

Waxing Nostalgic (already)

2007-09-12T16:48:00.000-06:00

By now you know that kiddo is going to be a big brother. I keep looking in stores for a cute t-shirt or onesie that says "big brother" but I haven't found it yet. Probably because Kiddo is still wearing 12-mo or smaller clothes. Oh well. Maybe when Baby2 comes along and Kiddo is 15 months old we'll be able to find something in his size.They say that kids grow up fast. You see the commercials

What secret?

2007-08-27T11:15:00.000-06:00

Last night I inadvertently shared a secret with my whole ward (i.e. church congregation). Me and my stinking big mouth.We had a ward fireside and the speaker asked for a volunteer to help read a scripture. C and I were sitting on the second row, and she raised her hand. The speaker had her come up and stand next to him so she could be heard by the whole congregation. It became apparent that he

Off to the Big Apple

2007-07-06T10:11:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I sent C and Kiddo off to the Big Apple. It was an interesting experience. They have gone places before (most notably twice to see C's parents in California), but this time was different for me.Maybe Kiddo and I are more alike than I realized: I think I had a bit of separation anxiety.C needed to go to New York for job training. She got a new job where she will be rating English oral

A new era begins

2007-07-04T19:59:00.000-06:00

A new era begins in Kiddo's life today. Okay, that's maybe a bit melodramatic, but I've been saving up .Today we discovered that Kiddo's first tooth has broken through the gums.C noticed it after the barbecue we had at my mom's house. We were standing around getting ready to leave when Kiddo grabbed C's finger and shoved it in his mouth, then bit it.I tried to take some pictures, but Kiddo

Would you like some advice with that salad?

2007-06-15T20:31:00.000-06:00

So today I was out for lunch with a friend and I forgot to bring any toys for Kiddo to play with. I'll chalk that up to being new at the "busy boy" stage.Anyways. I gave Kiddo a napkin to tear and chew (which if you asked him, he would prefer to the toy any day). I am chatting away and the man from the next table came over to me and told me that Kiddo was going to choke on the napkin if he tried

Job Satisfaction

2007-06-14T08:42:00.001-06:00

I love being a mom! I really do. I always thought I would love being a mom, but I am still somewhat surprised that the whole thing hasn't overwhelmed me. Of course, I'm only six months and 1 kiddo into the process, so maybe I'm just naive... On the other hand, I am hopefully learning things at a pace that will keep up with the challenges in parenting.Some of the things that have allowed me to not

Home Sweet Home

2007-06-08T14:52:00.000-06:00

We just returned from a week long trip visiting the relatives. It was an 11-hour drive each way so I was a bit nervous to see how Kiddo would do. He did great.On the way there we drove much of the night and then slept in the car for a few hours before completing the last bit across the border. While Kiddo didn't love sleeping in his car seat, he did sleep quite well in our arms! =)He took the

He IS a cute little boy

2007-05-28T10:54:00.001-06:00

Check out this video of our adorable little boy...

Catching up

2007-05-25T23:30:00.000-06:00

I know, I know! I am not behind, I am just getting started. But still... it is easy to feel a bit behind when you can't figure out what to eat or wear because grocery shopping and laundry haven't been done in at least forty-eleven weeks.So, to catch up, I ...Went shopping for two hours in three stores (sans dh and kiddo) to buy ingredients for 7 recipes, each of which is at least doubled for the

Reflections of a Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T20:52:00.000-06:00

As you know, today was Mother's Day. I wanted to write a great post in advance that would be posted on Mother's Day morning. But, as has been characteristic for me lately, I didn't get it done. Happy Mother's Day anyway, sweetheart! (However, bloggerland, rest assured that this is not my first such profession today...)I know I've been conspicuously absent recently. I guess it is even more

The Million Dollar Smile

2007-05-10T14:11:00.000-06:00

Kiddo smiles a lot. At everyone he meets. It appears that he likes to smile. I would go so far as to say that he loves to smile. But in all reality, it is my opinion that what he loves is the reaction he gets from people when he smiles. He seems to have learned that smiling at people universally results in a return smile.What is especially cute now is that he seems to be differentiating between

It is beginning....

2007-05-09T20:22:00.000-06:00

Today I left Kiddo on the floor while I worked on a project a few footsteps away. I looked up after just moments and he had moved about 3 ft. to go after a container of wipes.I'm not sure what the allure of wipes is, but I believe it is the belief that wipes belong to the set of objects called Not Toys. Did Kiddo roll from back to front the first time for a toy? No, it was for a plastic bag. Does

Graduation

2007-04-26T21:49:00.000-06:00

Sorry we've been a bit quiet over here. Things sure aren't quiet in real life!Today I graduated with my Master of Arts degree!!!!!!!! I am so excited for this milestone. It has been a long road (sometimes quite bumpy), but one I would not trade for anything.I am so happy and proud of the things that have happened these last few months. I think this picture about sums it up for me...

Matters of the Head and Heart

2007-04-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

Some things I know with my head but don't always know with my heart (or show by my actions)...1) Things always look better in the morning (though lately a few hours of sleep will do the trick).2) I always feel better once I have gotten out of bed.3) I am always happier when I do the chore instead of avoiding it by taking a "much needed" break.4) As a parent, I can only influence by my actions

The Physical and Spiritual

2007-04-18T08:08:00.000-06:00

I've been reading the most recent issue of Segullah, which is dedicated to the topic of our mortal tabernacles. The essays are thoughtful and inspiring. And so I have been thinking about bodies.One of the things I think is most amazing about my physical body is what it has taught me about my spirit. I am able to understand the spiritual concepts that run parallel to hunger, feasting, being filled

The Power of Example

2007-04-17T11:17:00.000-06:00

Last night as we watched the news, a local news story showed store surveillance camera footage of a purse snatching caught on tape. Typically, such an occurrence wouldn't make the 10 o'clock news, but this one did because as the thief stole the purse, she was reprimanding a young child saying, "Get back here Chrissy! No. That is not yours."Do as I say, not as I do, eh?The video is astonishing,

Do you ever stop wondering...

2007-04-12T16:23:00.000-06:00

Do you ever stop wondering if your baby is breathing? Am I more paranoid than most parents, since Kiddo is now more than four months old and I still wonder if he is breathing in his crib?Am I weird?My guess is that this is still pretty normal for a first-time-dad of a 4-month-old. Then again, maybe it isn't and I'm an irrational freak. I can live with that.In any case, my feelings of discomfort

How Hypnobabies Worked for Me

2007-04-09T21:15:00.000-06:00

The first post in this seriesThe second post in this seriesI started into labor on a Thursday evening. DH and I taught a class that night together, which turned out to be really handy. First, it kept my mind occupied for a couple of hours. Second, there was a clock in the back of the classroom and that made it really easy to keep track of my contractions. By the time we left for the 40 minute

Preparing for a Hypnobabies Birth or How I took a 35 minute nap each day and counted it for practice in labor

2007-04-05T12:16:00.000-06:00

The first post in this seriesNo joke -- just as finished my last post, the CD player (set to random) flipped over to a Hypnobabies CD left in there from before Kiddo's birth. In an instant, I was transported back to the weeks before Kiddo was born...I decided rather late in my pregnancy to go the hypnobabies route, so my CDs came with the instruction to do two exercises a day. Each one lasted

The Hypnobabies Choice

2007-04-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

At our first pre-natal visit for Kiddo, the Dr. asked three questions,"Are you planning to breastfeed?""Are you planning on an epidural?""What are you plans for birth control after the baby?"The third question really caught me off-guard. I mean, how far was that from my mind?I had already decided to breastfeed if I could, but I wasn't really sure about the epidural thing. I had heard so many

Assumptions, false and true

2007-04-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

We make a lot of assumptions about the people around us. Based on available information, we try to "figure out" the people around us. Last week, I was looking at our car through the eyes of a stranger (don't ask), and I saw some interesting things. I imagine that people make assumptions about us when they see our car.The problem is, I bet that in many cases those assumptions are actually

Race for the Cure for breast cancer

2007-04-03T10:18:00.000-06:00

On May 12, your "Inexperienced Parents" are taking Kiddo and together are participating in the 2007 Race for the Cure in Salt Lake City. Race for the Cure is a fundraiser to support finding a cure for breast cancer. One in seven women will be stricken with breast cancer in her lifetime and the more we raise, the more the Komen Salt Lake City Race for the Cure® of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer

Event Planning with a Baby

2007-03-31T21:12:00.000-06:00

This weekend I was on charge of a rather large event. It involved quite a bit of planning and quite a bit of work as the day got closer.Last year I did a similar event and worked like crazy. I remember coming home tired to the bone and crashing. It was the next day we found out I was pregnant.This year I recognized that I would not be able to keep up the same pace in preparation. For some

Cute as a puppy

2007-03-28T19:10:00.000-06:00

When I was almost 8, my only sibling was born: a brother. And he was adorable!I think my mother did a good job of preparing me for the change and for helping me cope with the new challenges that came with no longer being an only child. When I struggled with not being noticed anymore in favor of the cute new baby, she told me "The day will come when only you and I and dad will think he is cute.

Shrinking Cabbage Patch Doll

2007-03-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

Do you remember my post in February where I showed a comparison picture of how Kiddo had grown?It turns out, I think the Cabbage Patch doll is shrinking. They just don't make them like they used to. Check this picture out...Can you believe how the doll is shrinking over time? It's amazing, isn't it? :)(And because of the way the images are cropped--to Kiddo's size--it does seem that the doll is

Making it Look Easy

2007-03-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

For my birthday (yes, I had one of those recently) we went out to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner. We decided to take Kiddo with us, in part because I couldn't imagine celebrating my birthday without him.He was so good he made being a parent look easy.First, he was cute and smiley to all of the table neighbors. Then he got a bit fussy and I nursed him right there at the table thanks to my Bebe

The Psychology of Sleep

2007-03-24T15:59:00.000-06:00

Last night Kiddo slept for another 6 1/2 hour stretch. The great news of the day? I slept through 5 hours of it. Now, kiddo did wake up three times; and three times my DH (and I mean dear) got up and put the plug back in and Kiddo went back to sleep. What is weird is that I never heard him cry...It turns out that even though the monitor is right over my head and I am very attuned to his noises

Daily dose of antibodies

2007-03-23T08:44:00.000-06:00

When C and Kiddo came back from California, they came home to:A clean bedroomA straightened kitchenA cleaned bathroomA kiddo-ready crib and bedroom ANDA sick husbandWelcome home.I was actually feeling fine until about 2 hours after they got home, when I started to get a sore throat. I wondered for a bit whether or not it really was a cold, but by Tuesday morning, it was abundantly clear: I was

Getting in touch with the inner Hawaiian

2007-03-22T09:28:00.000-06:00

I never believed people when they said you could see a baby start to demonstrate individual personality before the first birthday. As far as I was concerned, babies were just babies, and they were all alike. I was wrong.Kiddo definitely has personality. In fact, one of the funniest things about him is his love for Hawaiian music. I know this sounds crazy, but it is true: when Kiddo is crying (

A great night

2007-03-21T08:46:00.000-06:00

Last night Kiddo slept for 6 hours straight. Well, he did kind of wake up and DH went and put the plug back in. And then he fussed and DH carried him in to put him back in the bassinet.But then he slept without getting up for his 2am feeding. Wonder if it'll ever happen again! Ok, it'll happen again; he won't be getting up to eat at 2am between the ages of 4 and 14 for sure. But I wonder if it

Back from California

2007-03-20T14:02:00.000-06:00

Kiddo and I had a great time in California visiting the grandparents. We...-ate yummy Chinese food (well, I did, Kiddo had it on the delayed menu)-took long baths (true for each of us in our relative spheres)-slept in uncle J's room-planned our trip this summer to pick up uncle J from his mission-napped at odd times and got up lots of times at night-went on lots of walks in the warm California

The bi-annual interview

2007-03-18T10:12:00.000-06:00

Since C and Kiddo are still out of town, I don't have much "daddy-related" stuff to write about, but I thought I'd share a funny experience that happened to me this week.It was time for my bi-annual temple recommend interview this week, so I made my appointment with the stake and even showed up on time. I serve as the EQ president in my ward, so I'm very familiar with the Stake Presidency. The

Home Alone

2007-03-16T19:56:00.000-06:00

I've been left to my own devices for 10 days while C and Kiddo are in California. For the most part, I'm doing okay. How do I cope? By keeping busy. Very, very busy.C left last Friday. I had a big deadline at work, so I stayed late on Friday (something like 9:30 PM). Saturday I got up and went to my Presidency meeting, then in the afternoon went with my mom to a movie (we saw "Bridge to

A question of heat

2007-03-13T10:27:00.000-06:00

Greetings from sunny California! We are having a great time with thegrandparents and loving the sunny weather. Which brings up a question...Kiddo has been nursing much more frequently since we arrived. Back home hewas eating every 3 hours or so. Here it has been every two. My momthinks that may be because it is warmer and he is sweating more. Anyonehave any experience with this or ideas? Thanks!

To Grandmother's House We Go

2007-03-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Kiddo and I are off to visit the California grandparents today. DH is being left behind as Daring Young Mom says, to "earn ye olde family dollar."Wish dad luck as he fends for himself for 10 days, and stay tuned for updates as I visit the land of my ancestors. (Parents are ancestors, right?)

An open apology to all geese everywhere

2007-03-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

So it turns out that geese in general aren't pigs. It seems to just be a particular goose. Kiddo and I went to feed the ducks geese yesterday. Our duck pond is slowly getting taken over by a flock of Canadian geese. The goose I mentioned earlier is still there, but he (or she? How do you know?) has been joined by about seven other geese.Well, when we got to the pond, I tried to avoid the geese

Terms of Endearment

2007-03-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

So I have never been big on using terms of endearment like dear, honey, snugglebuns, etc. DH and I even have a standing joke about "darling" since for the first couple of years we were married, he inadvertently would only use the term when he was slightly annoyed with what I had done or was gently teasing me about something brainless I had done. In fact, we really only use one term of endearment

Leaving the house

2007-03-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Leaving the house in the morning has never been easy for me. Not that I don't like my job, because I do. Its just that I really like being with my wife. Having a baby has only complicated the situation.We were married for almost four years before Kiddo came along. C and I met at work, so for the first year and a half of our marriage, we were able to get up and go together in the morning. Then I

Public Parenting

2007-03-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

I have learned the secret! No more judgmental stares when your kids are out of control. Just explain your parenting philosophy to your child in a very loud voice, speaking of yourself in the third person so that everybody knows why you are torturing your children in this particular manner.This weekend we went to the local Expo center for a Baby Expo. We had a good time, were suckered into only

What are you going to do with that?

2007-03-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

At this moment, the boy is asleep and I am sitting at the computer making final changes on my Master's thesis. Well, technically I am taking a break from working on the thesis or I wouldn't be typing this...Needless to say, I am very excited to be completing this phase of my schooling and proud of the work it represents. I tried very hard to finish my thesis before the baby came and I got this

Feeding the ducks

2007-03-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Kiddo and I went to feed the ducks tonight while C was at work. We had a fun time. Well, at least I had a fun time. Kiddo slept through most of it. I don't know that I've ever fed ducks before.One of C's ideas to keep Kiddo happy while she was gone was to put Kiddo in the front pack and go for a walk. I thought that sounded fun, so when Kiddo started to fuss a little bit, I put him in the front

A problem of terminology

2007-02-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

C (known on Million Moments as Inexperienced Mom) works for about 6 hours a week at an after-school tutoring center. My work is flexible such that I'm able to leave early the two days a week that C works. I come home so she can go to work.The other day, while C was at work, my mom called."Oh, you're home already, huh?" she asked."Yeah. C starts work at 4, so I have to be home in time for her to

Snooze

2007-02-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

To say you get less sleep with a new baby is like saying it's windy during a tornado.I am lucky though: most days (and nights) are really not all that bad. N is a good sleeper at night and I am lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom who can nap with him if the night was less restful than usual.That being said, those first few moments of waking up to a fussy baby are the hardest for me. I woke up

Introductions

2007-02-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

I've certainly enjoyed reading my husband's perspective on this whole parenting journey. I think he chose an apt title for the blog as life in general, but especially with a small child, is made up of a million little moments. After putting in about 7,481,940 of those moments, I have decided that I have a few things of my own to share. Hope you don't mind. Hope DH doesn't mind!

Blessing Day

2007-02-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Author's Note: I wrote this post back in January, and then saved it to my computer. I just found it today, and decided to post it as-is.On Sunday we blessed Kiddo in Church. If you aren't a member of the LDS Church, when we use the term "blessing" in the context of a blessing in church, we are generally referring to an event that is somewhat equivalent to the christening of a child that is done

They say they grow fast...

2007-02-08T16:14:00.001-07:00

... and they aren't kidding. Take a look:

A New Convert to...

2007-02-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

Reading!!!

The proof is in the video

2007-02-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

I told you last week that Kiddo is watching his hands and feet, right? Here he is after discovering his right hand:

FOUND: Two hands and two feet

2007-02-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

The boy Jr. has found his hands and feet. It's pretty adorable, actually.He discovered his hands earlier this week, and has since decided that sucking on his hand is sometimes better than sucking on the pacifier. It was pretty amazing to watch him look at his hands as he moved them from side to side.Then this morning he seems to have found his feet.Our little boy is growing up. Already! Dang....

Off-topic rant

2007-01-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

Will you permit me a short off-topic rant?I'm bewildered by the Deseret News's (hereafter DN) stubbornness and hardheadedness in not allowing Utah readers to purchase a separate subscription to the Church News (hereafter CN).The president and publisher of DN explains on-line why Utah readers are coerced into purchasing the DN in order to get the CN.Reading a bit between the lines of Mr. Wall's

Friday thoughts

2007-01-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of thoughts for this Friday afternoon, in no particular order:Ticker math?The logic of the ticker math defies me. OK, it doesn't defy me, but we don't count the same way. By my count, Kiddo is seven weeks old today. That count is based on (oddly enough) it being exactly seven weeks since he was born. He was born on Friday, December 1st. Today is his 50th day of life, which means today

Car seat safety?

2007-01-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Did you hear the report that Consumer Reports published in early January (technically in the February edition of their magazine)? The report claimed that of 12 infant rear-facing car seats that they tested, 10 of them catastrophically failed when subjected to the same side-impact tests that cars must endure. Apparently car-seats must withstand 30 mph frontal crash tests. However, a car must be

A full-night's sleep

2007-01-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

My BW (Beautiful Wife) and Kiddo went to California to visit my in-laws. They've been gone for 4 days now, and have 4 days left to go. A happy side-benefit of their trip is the opportunity to sleep, uninterrupted throughout the night. As fate would have it, though, I can't really sleep uninterrupted. My body keeps waking up at the times Kiddo would be getting up. Last night was the first night

Drop everything: kiddo is calling!

2007-01-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I've been able to update this blog regularly. Sorry about that. Everybody who has kids told me how all-encompassing having children was going to be, and I won't say that I didn't believe them -- because I did -- I just didn't totally understand what "all-encompassing" really meant.Anyway, Kiddo is doing great. He is a joy and we feel so blessed to have been able to share

The Name Game, revisited

2006-12-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Since Kiddo was born a boy instead of a girl, we didn't have the same amount of time to consider what his name would be. I posted a couple of times about the name decision; for a while we were going through the alphabet a day at a time thinking of all the girl names we knew with those letters. In the end, we thought of a few girl names we liked, but were waiting for the baby's birth to make a

Home at last

2006-12-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

We came home from the hospital!!Here is a picture of our little guy in his car seat, getting his hospital tags cut off.We came home yesterday afternoon and its starting to sink in that this is real. I didn’t get to post last night because we had visits from two different home health agencies (Kiddo is on oxygen, and has to have IV antibiotics every 12 hours), so life got a bit harried. You can’t

In-hospital update

2006-12-06T00:12:00.000-07:00

We are still in the hospital. Officially C has been discharged, so we are doing a "hotel stay" so we can stay close to Kiddo who has not been released. Kiddo has pneumonia, and needs oxygen to help him keep saturated. I'm hoping that maybe tomorrow the pediatrician will allow us to take Kiddo home, even if he is still on oxygen. There isn't much that is happening at the hospital that we couldn't

A Gift from God

2006-12-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

OK. Finally a chance to breathe. Which means a chance to update the blogging world on our exploits.I know this is going to be long. Bear with me.Thursday I went to work for a while, but came home early in the day for a conference call that was late in the afternoon. It was good to be home, because I was able to be with C, who had contractions that were starting to come more regularly. We teach an

A late post again...

2006-12-03T00:58:00.000-07:00

Its late again, and I only slept four hours last night, and its going to be few again tonight. I'm still promising a longer post later. But good news: we have a name: I'm reticent to post it here to keep the search engines away. I'll tell you this: it starts with N, is one of the original 12 disciples, and the name means "Gift of God", which we truly think fits this beautiful baby boy. Hopefully

First pictures

2006-12-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

My images aren't working properly. I don't see my toolbar. Let me see if I can get around it here....

HOLY COW!!

2006-12-02T02:38:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. It has been an interesting day. I'm exhausted and can hardly think straight. You aren't going to get the details yet, because I can't handle it. But WE HAVE A BABY! And the biggest surprise of it all is that it is a baby BOY, not the baby GIRL we were promised!!C is doing great. She had to have a C-section. Baby very nearly almost didn't make it. But is doing much better tonight.

Guess we'll go see

2006-12-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

We're going to go get checked out at the hospital. I'm not so sure that it is the time yet, but we'll go find out.Wish us luck!!

Is today the big day?

2006-12-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

So last night the contractions started at much more regular intervals. I was able to sleep for the majority of the night, but C couldn't sleep until after 4:00 because of the contractions. Now they are ranging from 3 to 9 minutes in duration. How do you know when to go to the hospital? How do you know when they are strong enough or close enough? I mean, at 4 minutes, but irregular, is it often

Still hanging out

2006-11-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update to let you know that we are still hanging out. No real substantial news since yesterday. Well, I guess I could mention that C passed the mucus plug this morning. But that doesn't give any real timing indication yet. We could seriously still be three weeks away.Part of me says, "Whew! Three more weeks would be great! There is so much to do." But another, louder part of me says,

The one week countdown

2006-11-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

So we're on the one week countdown. Okay, maybe not officially, since C isn't due until a week from tomorrow, but I'm anxious eager for the baby's arrival. Well, come to think of it, I'm anxious and eager.So we went to the doctor today for the weekly checkup. C is 70% effaced and 3 cm dilated. I've read the books and done the prenatal class, so I'm at least familiar with these terms."So," I

Bad Example

2006-11-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

I was in Super Wal-Mart the other day, walking through the baby section, which happens to be right next to the frozen foods section when I overheard an interesting conversation, of sorts.It happened about four aisles over, so as you can imagine, it wasn't the quietest of conversations. I heard a young child crying. What he was crying over, I'm not sure, but his dad was having a hard time soothing

Just two more weeks!

2006-11-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

This is getting so close that I'm getting giddy. I can't wait for this baby to come. I'm so excited to be a dad -- even if it means sleepless nights and poopy diapers and baby spit-up.I have this aversion to all bodily fluids (and solids, too, for that matter), so the fact that I'd be excited about changing a diaper is kind of funny. But I'm excited for all of it. I'm ready for the whole shebang,

A graduation of sorts

2006-11-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

So last night we had the final "Lamaze" class. I put it in quotes, because at the end of it, I'm not sure why it was categorized as a "Lamaze" class. Really, it was a third-trimester class. We discussed Lamaze only on the first week, and only for part of the time. That was a disappointment for me because we were hoping to get more information on natural birthing options. As it was, all I could

Five Weeks to Go

2006-11-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

This week we had our second (of four) Lamaze classes at the hospital where we expect our little girl will be born sometime in the next five weeks.I was proud of myself. This was the class where we had to watch "the video" and I think I handled it amazingly well, thank you very much. It will be interesting to see what actually happens, but I'm thinking that this will be a good experience all the

Breathe in -- breathe out

2006-10-24T08:46:00.000-06:00

I survived our first prenatal class.It wasn't that bad, actually, except for the part where the woman behind us kept talking about how she is on blood thinners, and she has to give herself shots, and she just jabs the needle straight into her belly, and she is worried that she might puncture the sac and start spewing forth amniotic fluid, which she thought might have happened earlier today

Pushing 8 Months

2006-10-18T17:26:00.000-06:00

Maybe this post should be called "8 Months and Pushing." It kind of works either way.Here's the story. Yesterday BW (Beautiful Wife), who as you remember is in her 8th month of pregnancy, was driving our truck. She parked it in front of our condo, but forgot to turn off the lights. When she went back out at 3:15 to head to her 3:30 appointment, she realized she couldn't start the truck because

An impatient daddy's ramblings

2006-10-13T09:43:00.000-06:00

We have started the 33rd of 40 weeks. It might as well be 400 weeks. Those who have been there recently tell me that the last month can't go by fast enough. I am wondering about the last two months ... :)I'm so ready for this baby girl to get here. In fact, I'm impatient for it to happen.I know, I know. I should have learned patience right now. I remember that while serving as a missionary,

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

2006-10-09T07:55:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my beautiful wife (BW for short) said to me: "You're the best thing since sliced bread," an idiom that I've heard before, but never applying to me.This set me to thinking. If I'm the best thing since sliced bread, does that mean I play second fiddle to an overgrown yeast reaction cut up into thin pieces? I thought about all the possibilities. Maybe it was just a hyperbole wherein the

Empty your pockets!

2006-10-04T09:06:00.000-06:00

My wife has a purse. In it, she gets to carry about anything. This isn't news to most of you; I've seen other blog posts where women empty their purses on the table and list everything they find in it. So I know that a lot of women carry a lot of junk in their purses.I thought that being a man, I was somehow above this encluttering practice. See, I don't carry a purse (big surprise here, I know).

The attitude of a two-year old

2006-09-21T13:54:00.000-06:00

I was listening to my iPod the other day on my way to work, and one of the songs in my playlist begged to be blogged about. We negotiated, and I lost. So here I am, bending to the will of the song and writing about it.There is a very funny song by Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband. It's called "Two-year Old Attitude." (See end of post for help on finding the song online.)This song cracks me up. If

Preparing for Pre Natal

2006-09-20T15:52:00.000-06:00

You might think that it doesn't make sense to prepare for prenatal. I mean, isn't that what the prenatal phase is for? Preparation for the natality of your child? Is natility even a word? My dictionary says no, but I'm going to be descriptive here and use it anyway.But that is the phase we are in, right now. We are preparing for prenatal classes. Third trimester prenatal classes to be specific.

11-ish weeks and counting

2006-09-19T15:19:00.000-06:00

Well, with delivery planned in just over 11 weeks, things feel like they are finally picking up in pace. Eleven weeks sounds like forever, but I think it is going to go by very quickly.Now C is in the third trimester, and things are going great. There are currently no signs of any complications and our little girl seems to be doing great. She keeps C up at all hours of the night, probably helping

Rambling, Jumbled Thoughts

2006-08-25T16:18:00.000-06:00

Well, we made it through the rest of the alphabet. We came up with some interesting names, and I think that there are a couple that we really like that we'll keep thinking about. We'll see.The delivery date is starting to loom. In some ways, December sounds SO FAR away. Then, in others, it seems that there is so much to do that at the pace we're going, none of it is ever going to get done. I

The Name Game, an ABC exercise

2006-08-03T14:03:00.000-06:00

As you know, we are expecting a baby girl sometime in December. About a month ago, we went in for the twenty-week ultrasound appointment. The ultrasonographer and C's doctor were both almost certain that the new addition will be a girl.Because we now know the gender, apparently we are supposed to be thinking of names. Everybody we meet asks us if we have picked a name yet."Can't you give us a

Seeing is believing

2006-07-17T16:41:00.000-06:00

Do you have any idea how many babies there are around? And how many baby girls? A ton! Everybody, it seems, has a baby girl. And do you know what? Baby girls are adorable! Simply adorable, I tell you. And did I mention that they are everywhere? In every restaurant, at funerals, walking down the mall near my work, riding the train, at church. The list goes on.How have I not seen this before?This

It's a .....

2006-07-14T08:19:00.000-06:00

We went in for the ultrasound yesterday, and I have to tell you it was an amazing experience. I kept wondering to myself if the ultrasonogropher ever gets tired of her job. I can't imagine that she would. We got to see the baby moving and kicking and it was amazing.Oh, and by the way, they tell us that it is a girl. We are way excited. :)

Movie Ratings

2006-07-11T12:00:00.000-06:00

I don't go see a lot of movies. The most recent movie we saw in the theater was Cars, which admittedly wasn't that long ago. But we maybe go once every three months or so. All of this is just to say, we haven't been to see any of the new movies recently. All my intelligence on new movies has been gathered from a variety of sources, including my friend D.I'll be honest. I don't think D is a very

Developing a Taste for Good Food

2006-07-07T15:13:00.000-06:00

According to the books we've read, by now little C Junior (or Paul Jr.; we hope to find out on Thursday) has developed taste buds, and is adjusting to the types of food that C is eating. Apparently this affects the baby's food tastes for years to come.C told me this today at lunch while she was pouring on the vinaigrette dressing that I detest. "Stop!" I wanted to cry. "Don't train the baby to

Realistic Consequences

2006-07-06T16:46:00.000-06:00

As a married couple without children, C and I have spent the better part of 3.5 years watching how other people parent. One thing we've learned from observation and personal experience (from when we were kids) is that when parents are warning their children of the consequences of an action, those consequences must be realistic and actionable.For example, let's say you live in Salt Lake, and you

A historical look

2006-07-05T13:15:00.000-06:00

So that you might understand us better, I thought I'd give you some historical context surrounding our family. C and I have been married for three and a half years. A little over a year and a half ago, C found out she was pregnant for the first time. Twelve weeks later, we were at her second doctor's appointment and the doctor was unable to find the baby's heartbeat; it was a missed

A nudge from within

2006-07-03T12:08:00.000-06:00

As you can guess from the title, C has experienced the first baby kicks. We're very excited. Here's how she tried to explain it to me. She said it felt like being tapped by one of those little rubber reflex hammers, but from the inside of her abdomen. Its only happened a couple of times, and never when I could feel it, but this is exciting. I think C is finally starting to believe that there

Manly Men and Daddies

2006-06-30T12:02:00.000-06:00

Being a dad changes a guy. No doubt about it. Fatherhood has the power to take even a manly-man's man and turn him into a tender, playful, silly creature we call "Daddy." Now these manly-man's men won't admit it, but deep down, guys love the Daddy role.Mind you, I'm not speaking from experience, yet. For now, I just have joyful anticipation of the blessed event. But I speak from observation. (

A struggling friend

2006-06-28T17:10:00.000-06:00

I have a good friend who is a new dad, and who recently purchased a home. D's wife and he were both working in order to afford the house they purchased, but D's wife lost her job last week. Now they are lost and confused. They felt that they had been guided by the Lord to help them make the financial decisions they'd made, but now they struggle with feeling abandoned by the Lord as everything is

Tone, Topics, and Theme

2006-06-28T15:00:00.000-06:00

As I've contemplated what I want to cover on this blog, I've had to make some editorial decisions on what kinds of things I want to say, in what tone to say it, and what themes I want to stick to.For example, do I want to share my religious affiliation, or do I want to be more neutral? How much information do I want to give about myself and my family? I already maintain a hybrid personal/

Welcome to A Million Little Moments

2006-06-27T12:48:00.000-06:00

So you found my blog. Welcome.The idea behind A Million Little Moments (AMLM) came from a comment my wife made while we were driving home from my mom's house. My wife is about 17 weeks pregnant with our first child, and we were talking about children and how its the little things that seem to bring the greatest joy. Then C, my wife, said, "Its just a million little moments that all add up."I