A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

Our professional photos are in, so I thought I'd share some of my favorites- enjoy!

A day in the Life of the Daddy

There are really very few things that I wake up early to do. Every 6-7 years I'll wake up early to go fishing or kill something with my older brother. At least once a year my terribly inconsiderate father will make a 7:30 a.m. tee time, and I'll put up with it, just to spend that quality time with him. Both of these circumstances I will complain constantly. I am a night owl and firmly believe there is very little worth waking up early for. I have found one of those things, and it comes in the form of probably the cutest little girl that has ever graced the planet Earth... and I know some cute girls, so that is really saying something! I almost look forward to 5:00 a.m. coming around and am disappointed when Avery sleeps straight through. When I hold her in my arms, I am absolutely melted. Everything else in life seems almost monotone. I discuss how the last Bears game went and how Mike Martz should run the ball more, and she responds in squeeks and grunts, which by the way, I much prefer to Nichole's groans and eye rolls.
Then, I have to shuffle off to work. I still love my job and I have good students, but I sure look forward to 2:30 more than I ever have in the past, and when it rolls around, I don't have any problem leaving the stack of papers to grade on the desk and hitting the road.
When I walk through the door Nikki, being the good Mom that she is, has Avery all fed and wide awake to go straight back into Dad's arms. Nikki then tries to do all the things she hasn't gotten done in the day, while I hang out with Avery.
On the weekends, as Nikki stated in her last post, that is dual parenting nights. It really surprises me the whole gray area that sleep has become. There are times when I am rocking Avery in the rocking chair and it occurs to me, that I have no idea when I got there or how long I've been there. Or other times when I think I am rocking her and wake in my bed with Avery over in her wing sound asleep in the bassinet.
In case you aren't grabbing how much I enjoy hanging out with this girl I can give a frame of reference. I enjoy... yes enjoy changing her. Yes, I will wipe shitty ass just to spend the time with her. Even her cries are cute. Sometimes she gets a little la-la-la sound that gives a good laugh. Ten minutes ago I was holding her and she was crying and smiling at the same time. Speaking of crying, I am starting to decode this fairly well. Odds are there are only three things she wants if she is crying: #1; the boob, #2; poop, or #3; she wants to play. #3 is by far my favorite. #1 I can't really do anything about (although sometimes Avery thinks my bicep is a boob), #2 although, as stated before, it can be a pleasant exchange it is still ass-wiping. So playing is easily the best. This is a fairly new development. There are times when you are holding her or snuggling right in and she decides that she is done with that. I hold on to her and she stands right up, holds her head up really well, and smiles at me. I'm thinking she is gonna skip right by that whole crawling thing and start walking. I hope a little of this wears off so I don't end up over-babying this kid.

TGIF...

A few weeks ago I had no idea what day of the week it was nor did I care. Boy how that changed once Mark went back to work! I think I look forward to the weekends more now than I did when I was working. Friday and Saturday nights mean I get a little more sleep because I have somebody to share Avery duty with. Saturday and Sunday afternoons mean I can shower before noon (doesn't mean I do) and get stuff done around the house. Every other day of the week I have the best intentions of eating and showering at decent times and crossing one thing off my list of things to do, but it doesn't usually happen. It's amazing how quickly time flies when all you do is feed, burp, change, rock, and repeat!

Here are some other things that have changed in the past couple of weeks. We are starting to learn Avery's routine (or lack thereof). For example, we know now that if she stays awake all day that doesn't mean she'll sleep all night. In fact, it means just the opposite because she'll try to stay awake all night too making her overly tired and fussy. She no longer likes to nap in her cradle or bouncer. I used to be able to put her into one or the other when she fell asleep so I could get a couple things done (like eating or showering). Now, for whatever reason, she wakes up crying the moment I put her down. So, my choice is to either let her cry, which means she won't sleep (remember: no sleep during the day = no sleep at night), or let her sleep on me, which means I won't get anything done. She's become a much more messy baby. She used to wear the same outfit all day long, but now she goes through a couple changes of clothes because of slobber, spit up, or blow outs. For you lucky ones who don't know what a blow out is, it's when the poo leaks (or explodes) from the diaper. We have 11 diaper covers and she's had so many blow outs lately that I've had to wash them every couple of days.

The good news is that not all of the changes are bad. For example, at night we can now put her in her basinett while she's awake and she will fall asleep on her own. She's also becoming much more aware of her surroundings so she'll focus on something for awhile or grab for the animals hanging above her changing table. And she's starting to become more vocal. I guess being able to see these changes makes it all worthwhile.

Parenting is Easy

Just thought I'd throw that title out for the sheer irony of it. I can't even imagine my poor brother and Heather with twins! Turns out this is a tough gig, I mean I knew it was gonna be tough but holy balls! When this kid ain't pooping, she's crying. Moreover, it is absolutely astonishing that even at 4:00 a.m. when I am singing "Bear Down Chicago Bears" to her and she finally calms down and quits crying that it might be one of the most divine things that any human can experience. Every little coo, grunt, or squeak that she makes breaks me down to sheer bliss. On the other end of things, whenever she cries a bit too long or spits up a bit, I'm thinking she could be sick, and I want to fix it. I do my best to not be that over-analytical parent. But, this kid is so important to me, and I just love her so much. I am always worried about her. I have gone from being able to sleep through a freight train crashing into the house, to a slight change in her breathing jumping me out of a deep sleep. While I am on the subject of being the cliché parent, this kid has about 1300 pictures taken of her thus far. I am pretty sure Paris Hilton doesn't get this many shots during the day. In other news, every parent I know told me I would be okay with every poop, puke, pee, etc. that expelled from this little girls body, and sure enough, I was walking around with her on my shoulder and spit up running down my chest when I fully grasped that concept.
I apologize for this being all about me I am, after all, borderline narcissistic. The fact is the only thing I can't put into words about Avery is pooping, sleeping, and crying. Nikki covered the poop thing in great detail in her post, and as for the crying and sleeping all I can tell you is even that is is cuter than snot! Everything else just can't be explained. Really, how can I put into words the way she stretches out real big and lets this long squeal out that turns her reasonably rational parents into absolute mush? The best I can do is take lots of pictures, send them along, then open the house for a visit anytime. As for Avery's Mom, Nichole was like Clark Kent sliding into a phone booth. She became instant Supermom. Nikki was never real big on babies. When our niece Abby was born it took about a year for Nikki to bond, now Abby likes her Aunt more than her Uncle. Even Nikki was worried that she might not feel the motherly gig right away. Turned out to be not an issue at all, it really is different when it is your own. And as much as I love our little girl, it blows my mind that I can love Nikki Marie even more. Even when I walk into our living room and she has a boob hanging out and milk dribbling down, I realize, she is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I can't imagine raising a family with anyone else. I know.... sappy... right? Don't worry I made myself throw up a little too.

I Cook, He Cleans...

We have a rule around the house that whoever cooks, the other one cleans. Good news for me is that the rule also applies to feeding and cleaning Avery. Since I'm the one doing all of the cooking for her, Mark gets to do all of the clean up. Bad news for me is that after a couple days of explosive poos, he's now put me on a pretty strict diet. Who knew that tomato sauce and citric fruits cause a gassy baby.

Speaking of her explosive poos, she's not afraid to let them rip whenever and wherever. Maybe when she gets a little older we'll fill her in on some rules of etiquette, but for now we let her do her thing while we either laugh or look at her like it's the cutest thing we've ever seen. Anyway, her pediatrician's office offers classes before each check-up so new parents can meet one another and learn tips for caring for their new babies. We had the first class on Thursday and not only did she want to snack during most of the class, but then she let one rip in between her feedings- Mark doesn't have to worry about any of the boys in that class now!

That's probably enough on that topic, though it has become a major topic of conversation around our house. Two more things and then I should probably sign off- first is how lucky we are to have my mom around. It's fun to watch Avery play and cuddle with her grandma and mom has been a ton of help around the house. She cooks, cleans, does laundry, plays with Izabel, and comes up to get Avery in the mornings so Mark and I can get some extra sleep. We're trying to talk her into buying the house down the street or letting us remodel our basement into a nice little apartment for her, but apparently she likes having Tom around :) The other thing I wanted to talk about was something we learned in our class on Thursday. The pediatrician said to wear a shirt and then let her sleep with it because the smell will calm her down. Since I've been wearing my Montana sweatshirt almost every morning and night, we decided to try it. Mom turned the sweatshirt inside out and then put it over Avery when we put her down for a nap. When I went to check on her a couple minutes later, not only was she sound asleep, but she had pulled the sweatshirt all the way up by her face! We'll be thanking that pediatrician for a good night's sleep last night!

Parenting from a week long veteran

Turns out keeping a blog with a newborn is difficult work. First off, there is the very serious issue of sleep deprivation that impairs the creative thought process. Secondly, who wants to sit in front of a computer instead of hold the most amazing creature that has ever graced the planet Earth. The good news for those of you that enjoy reading the updates here is I have to occasionally share Avery with her Mom and Grandma. So, here I am.
Speaking of Avery's Grandma, Tina (Nikki's Mom) flew in on Friday and is spending about 3 weeks with us. Initially, I think the two gals had different ideas of Tina's role here. I believe Tina viewed the visit as quality time holding, kissing, and cuddling little Avery. Nikki viewed it as a live-in maid. My guess is they have landed right smack in the middle. Tina came in a got Avery this morning around 6 or 7 and by the time I rolled out of bed the dishes were done and Tina was vacuuming the floors.
Tina and I are also rolling out some great meals. Granted about half are coming from friends that drop by and bring food. By the way, I didn't know that was a custom when you have a kid... I apologize to those of you who've had kids and I failed to follow this tradition.

As for Avery's Mom, Nikki is built for bearing the babies! We have joked through the pregnancy that she probably was supposed to have 20 kids. She is already back up and running at nearly %100. She can fit into all her old clothes. (Notice I say CAN, because she hasn't really gotten out of Pajamas... she is on vacation after all!) She is so good with Avery too. Granted there is the whole Oxytocin rush that is influencing her, but looking into Nikki's eyes when she sees her little girl just amazes me.
And me, I have learned all those silly cliches that people constantly tell you when you are getting ready to have a kid are incredibly accurate. For example: "Your kid is the cutest." When Nikki was pregnant one of our chief concerns was having an ugly baby. Yes, having a healthy baby with 10 fingers and 10 toes was much more important, but you've all seen ugly babies and didn't want to say anything. Nikki and I are not afraid to admit some babies are ugly. We were absolutely thrilled to see how gorgeous Avery is. It took about 2-3 days for me to consider that maybe... just maybe... I could be slightly biased. Nichole will still not even consider it. She assures me that Avery is, in fact, a cute baby and she can say that without any shadow of a doubt. I'm gonna go with her on that regardless of rationality. Another cliche that popped up repeatedly was: "You'll never know you could love something so much." I am constantly enamored with every little coo, grunt, stretch, and smile that Avery does. I am a fairly grounded dude that likes to rationalize before being emotional, but I am nearly brought to tears every time I look at this little girl.
"It's okay when its your kid." This one is surprisingly poignant. Within 48 hours of being alive she pooped, peed, and puked on me. And I smiled!!! What the hell? I adore my niece and nephew but I ran like a screaming little girl when they pooped/puked/peed. Now I am laughing about it? Crazy things happen when you become a parent. I mean Nichole can blame irrational behavior on the oxytocin rush, but me... I am just another goofy parent.
And on one final note, the Bears are undefeated in Avery's lifetime... and we were talking after the game on Sunday and she doesn't see any reason why they don't end up winning the Super Bowl this year. Lock it down... Avery's early prediction!

Welcome Avery Ash Beddes!!!

The most amazing little girl in the world showed up yesterday morning at 2:37! After many long talks about scheduling she decided to listen to her Dad and wait until the Bears game was over. I am guessing she came immediately following for one of two reasons. Option #1 to kick Mike Tice and the entire Bears O-line right in the jubblies. Or option #2 to make her Dad feel better about the Bears loss. I'm gonna go with #2.
Speaking of her favorite football team, we were talking yesterday and she has already decided on the Bears for her favorite team. I was completely supportive of her choosing any team she wanted but turns out she knows football straight away. I know this comes as a shock because even I didn't choose my favorite team until 4-5. However, this girl is exceptionally smart (she'll probably be in the third grade within a couple months!). I apologize to my father-in-law who no doubt wants to talk her into becoming a Dolphins fan, her step father-in-law who wants to switch her into a Vikings fan, my Dad who would corrupt her into a Packer fan, and above all to my brothers who I may have had a bit of an influence in making all their kids into Bears fans (Tristen and Traden we'll talk in a few months).
Obviously not running on Ashworth time... Avery arrived exactly on her due date. Like I said right after the Bears game Nikki thought her water had broke, so she called the mid-wife to get some opinion and she set up an appointment for the next day (Monday) to take a look. At this point, Nikki and I decided a walk was in order. So, we made a few swings around the block and the contractions started coming. I whipped out the trusty iPhone and started timing the contractions (of course, there is an app for that). At 11:30 p.m. they seemed to be on schedule according to labor signs but they didn't hurt too bad, so Nikki called the mid-wife again and we decided to stick around a bit longer.
A little after midnight they were getting real bad so I called the midwife and waited for a response. Now we are 5 minutes away from the birthing center, which we thought very convenient, but the mid-wife is 30 minutes away. We gather up in the car and get over there at 1:10 and Nikki is feeling the urge to push and I am praying I don't have to catch the baby in the front seat of the Prius in the birthing center parking lot. Luckily the mid-wife came in about 5 minutes later and we headed in.
Nikki immediately jumped in the tub and starting getting our little girl out. Within an hour of being in the tub, our this cutie came out and said "hi". Uncle Nick and Aunt Cara were there to help us welcome this sweet, sweet, little sweetheart.
The mid-wife/birthing assistant ladies did their paperwork and checked little Avery out then left at around 5:30-6 am. Cara left for work around 6:30 and at about 7 am Nikki and I decided we might as well head home as well. So, the entire process took around 3 hours and we were home within another 6. Not too bad for Nikki Marie, my inside pick for mother of the week!
I am sure that this is a rambling blur, and I am not my usual witty self... but sleep deprivation can seriously impair one's ability to string sentences together. Stay tuned for something a bit more coherent (I hope).

Well we thought we were having a baby...

...but now I'm thinking that I just might be pregnant forever. I know I shouldn't be complaining since my due date is still a week away, but I really thought this baby would be early. It's funny how I went from worrying that the baby would be early to now worrying that the baby might be late. Although we're still not completely ready for the baby, we're ready enough and I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore! Overall the pregnancy has been smooth sailing, but my feet and ankles are starting to swell, I don't have as much energy at work as I need to deal with 150 pre-teens, and I'm really getting sick of wearing the same clothes over and over again.

Mark, on the other hand, seems to be pleased that the baby has decided to stay put. This does make sense since he'll actually have to share the responsibility once the baby is born! Plus, he's trying to get the addition finished (with the exception of the little finishing touches and touch-ups), which I will say is coming along nicely! However, he knows that eventually the baby is going to decide that it's time to experience the outside world, so he's been negotiating with him or her to not come during a football game- he has his priorities!

Well, hopefully the next time we post, we will be sharing pictures and adventures of the little one so keep checking!

Oh yeah we are having a kid!

Alright so the football coaching season has started, school has in full swing, we just got the kitchen finished (except for the 1930's wallpaper) and the upstairs add-on is winding down to the details. I have been so busy it was hard to keep focus on the much more important thing coming... leave it to Bear to remind us!
I know some tend to think I am exaggerating when I say Nikki has been a dream preggo, but it is the gospel. Aside from the occasional grunt and/or groan when she stands up, she has been fantastic. That is until last week, when Bear seemed to want to make a push on his way out. Then she was whiney, needy, and stressy (spell check is telling my stressy isn't a word, but I'm going with it anyway). I am certainly not complaining about her demeanor, if I had some little dude kicking me in the ribs all day long and woke up 4-5 times a night, I would've hooked a hoover up to the birth canal by now. And beyond that, we watched a horror show, I mean educational birthing video, in our last birthing class that I am pretty sure if shown in every public school, would cut teenage pregnancy in half. So, Nikki has bee great to say the least.
Speaking of our birthing class, we have now officially graduated. We even got a fancy piece of paper. Now I feel fairly confident that I won't hide in the corner and cry like a little girl when my child comes out. I have however decided that my focus will be directed primarily waist up, and the cord cutting process is something best left for a qualified professional.
We also did a newborn care class. This one was a bit unnecessary in my opinion. At least 30 minutes of time was devoted to how to put on a diaper. I am no diaper practitioner at this stage, but I have put one on and it seemed to hold the poop in. And my teacher was a 5 year old girl and it only took about 5 minutes. So, I think I should be solid on that end.
That is about it for now, I'm probably going to go sing a lovely rendition of "Bear Down Chicago Bears" to my wife's belly.

It's the final countdown...

...da na na na...da na na na na...Since the blog doesn't have music, I figure'd I'd try to get the Rocky song stuck in your head so you kind of have music while you read... You're welcome!

Well we're definitely down to the final countdown. Our due date is a month away, but we're thinking this baby is going to come early just to mess with us! At my doctor's appointment last week, the midwife said I was 80% effaced, dilated 1 cm, and the baby was at a +1. Since that was my first time being checked out, I was a bit shocked (freaked out might be a better description). Then, to top it all off, I started having contractions quite frequently, to the point that I didn't sleep well Monday or Tuesday night (the lack of sleep was not great for my emotional well-being, and for one of the first times I was a pregnant wreck). Fortunately the contractions were irregular, so it wasn't labor- phew!

Anyway, I guess one good thing about getting so close is that it's motivated us to get ready (comparatively speaking of course). We finally went and bought a carseat to bring the baby home. That was an hour ordeal at Babies'R'Us. First we had to decide whether to get a travel system (carseat and stroller combo) or buy the two separately. We decided to go with the combo, but only after we checked and priced all of the options. Then we had to check out the combos. We chose one cheap, one mid-range, and one expensive, and proceeded to push them around, fold and unfold the strollers, take out and put in the carseat, carry around the carseat, etc. We ended up buying the expensive model because it was so much easier to use (you get what you pay for) and we're definitely happy with our purchase- though it's currently sitting in the box in the garage! The crazy thing is that after all that, the one we bought is the one we registered for and that we've liked from the get-go. I guess we just needed to convince ourselves that it really was worth the price! Aside from buysing a carseat and stroller, we also registered for the diaper service (we're going with cloth diapers and the service takes care of all of the laundering), and started looking into insurance and pediatricians. Now all we need is a place for the baby to sleep and a place to change the baby and we'll be set!

PS- We took maternity photos yesterday, which was a ton of fun and the ones we've seen so far turned out great! Hopefully Mark will post some of them on the blog (the photographer posted them to Facebook and I'm not sure how to get pictures from Facebook to the blog). We went with a "Bellies and Babies" package, so we also get newborn pictures when the baby is born. Although it's a bit expensive, it's something we'll always have and never regret!

Bittersweet...

So I had an appointment last week and casually mentioned how I feel so much smaller than the other pregnant girls in our classes. Apparently the midwife took this as a serious concern of mine (that or she was a little concerned herself since I really haven't gained weight in this last trimester), so she scheduled an ultrasound to check on the baby's growth. Now I'm not one to turn down an ultrasound, especially since I haven't had one since my 20-week and my insurance pays 100%. It's always fun to see the baby and to finally figure out what body parts have been digging into my ribs and hips. Turns out the two lumps that I thought were the baby's head and butt are actually the baby's shoulders and butt, which means two things. First, the baby is much bigger than I thought if the shoulders and butt span my belly. Second, the baby's head is down either towards or inside my pelvic bone. We learned in our birthing class that this is what the good baby's do to prepare for birth. We've also learned what the good mommies and daddies do to prepare for birth, and let me just say that nowhere on the list was tear apart a house!

Anyway, back to the ultrasound. Using different measurements on the ultrasound screen, they are able to estimate the size and age of the baby. The baby is growing just fine, which means that my insides are just much more squished than the girls in class, and it seems the baby still has pretty long arms (makes me think monkey and makes Mark think quarterback) and legs. They also told us the baby is 5.5 lbs and measured at 33 weeks and 5 days. Here's where the bittersweet comes in. First, the baby was only supposed to be 33 weeks and 1 day. Now I know that 4 days might not seem to be a big deal, but remember, we're sleeping in the baby's room (which doesn't resemble a baby's room at all) because our room is under construction, and we start work next week, so we need each and every one of those 4 days. However, if the baby already weighs 5.5 lbs and gains .5 lb a week, which is average, and if I go full term, then this baby is going to be well over 8 lbs. This is an issue for two reasons. First, we've got a lot of really cute newborn clothes that say they fit newborns that are 5-8 lbs. I'd hate for the baby to outgrow these clothes before they're even worn. Second, we've talked about things and watched the videos in our classes and while I know it's the size of the baby's head that really matters, I doubt we'll have an 8+ lb baby with an itt-bitty head (and if we do it'll really look like a monkey). So while a part of me is hoping this baby runs on Ashworth time, the other part of me is a bit concerned that I'll end up delivering a large toddler rather than a small newborn.

The house and another birthing class

We two do not like to do things small or with much preparation. Sure, we think we are prepared, we research and discuss at length but at some point we decide: "What the hell, let's just give it a go!" We discuss things like "we should move somewhere crazy", then we end up on the other side of the planet. Or, whilst there we decide: "hey, we should just rent a van and cruise through the outback", then we end up dodging kangaroos for 4 hours and nearly run out of gas. Or, we decide: "hey, let's cut off the roof of our new house that we just moved into", then realize, one of us is 7 months pregnant and that 3 month teacher break is really closer to 2 months. Ahh the details.

Every single one these decisions and many more I could divulge all have been sound yet trying. The latest is mostly over the hard times and moving quite smoothly. But man, what we were thinking? I drew up plans for this addition long before we even owned the house and I was poised to deliver as soon as we closed. We were in the place about 6 days when the saws-all came out and away I went. We got the walls up and enclosed the outside within 4 days with a little help from a former student and one day from Zack Cleveland (who picked an unfortunate date to visit). Then we snuck out for a nice visit down to Cheyenne to see Nikki's dad and step-mom. Although it was tough to leave in the middle of the project, it was a great trip. Now the last few days, I have been squaring away some interior work to get the plumbing taken care of. We'll keep you posted if this actually gets completed.

On the topic that the blog is centered, we attended another special ed summer school... er... I mean... birthing class again. This time the girl with the baby-daddy who came late, left early, and didn't speak to baby-momma at the last class had her mom with her this time. She was an interesting one. The teacher of the class at one point asked her if this was her first grandchild. Her response was "I don't know fo sho, I was jus' tryin' to count them today, somewhere between 8 and 10". Reading the bewildered look on the teachers face she responded: "I'm not real sure, I got boys and you know how they lie" I should be rewarded a medal for keeping my composure and not breaking out in laughter. Later, the teacher was discussing kegels (which for those of you without pregnant wives and don't know, are basically a vagina push-up) and the same woman chimed in: "definitely! you girls need to take care of yourselves 'specially when you get older". The teacher explained kegels and how if you don't perform kegels you'll end up peeing yourself and the lady chimed in again: "oops, that wasn't what I was talking about". Again, reading the bewildered look on the teachers face, the lady responded with. "y'all know what I'm talking about y'all are pregnant". Alright, alright enough being a judgmental jerkface. Reality is the 13 year-old dad in the class (maybe I am a bad judge of age) seems to know more about the birthing process than me.
As for the class, I am finding the material interesting maybe not as interesting as the people but interesting all the same. For example, we were working on breathing techniques to keep your focus diverted from the pain. The teacher handed us an ice cube and timed us. I was whining in 30 seconds to which Nichole responded: "it is a good thing I am the one having this kid". Now, she is a smart girl but that might be the smartest thing she has ever said. Another portion of the class I found comical was during most of these exercises we, the dads, are supposed to comfort (i.e. whisper sweet nothings, and stroke hair/back/leg/etc.). This is really an odd thing to witness, I look up and there are 15-20 people slow dancing in a fully lit room with no music.
All in all, I am learning things that I can do to smooth this process as much as I can. I have been given important tasks such as: be in her face and talk sweet to her, hold the ice chip cup, monitor the breathing, and massage her. Although I find all of this useful I am pretty sure Nikki is going to tell me to go away, sit in the corner of the room, and don't bother her while she is busy.
Once again, I have realized I have rambled on for a bit and not really talked about Nikki being pregnant. Again, I just haven't got a whole lot to talk about on that front, she really is the same old sweet, sarcastic, gal I know and love only with a potbelly. And as for Bear, he is starting to slow the roll a bit... must be running out of room. And in case you haven't heard the kid's actual name will not be Bear (Nikki said no). We are however starting to narrow names down and as long as this kid stays on schedule we should be fine.

Birthing Class

Now I know I am an incredibly attractive and intelligent guy. I also know that I have and equally attractive and even more intelligent wife. This leads me to the conclusion that us bringing a child into the world will improve the overall gene pool. However, after spending 10 minutes at the birthing class I felt a need to turn Mormon and have me about 15 kids just out of moral obligation to the human race. My guess is that if you are reading this you know I am a somewhat self confident (arrogant if you want to be a dick about it) dude. However, if you were in this room you would agree with me. There was a chick that argued with the instructor that lifting heavy objects was okay because she had a friend that turned into "Hercules" whenever she got pregnant. Also, out of probably 20 or so people in the room I only saw two other wedding rings. Also, we were easily the oldest people in the room probably by an average of 10 years. Now it is certainly not my place to judge, and I will say that my parents had children very young and they turned out to be excellent parents. I will also say that the most informed dude in the room was probably 17 and listed his hobbies as track and field. So what do I know right?
On the other side of the coin, after watching some videos of this child coming out of the vagina (now called the birth canal(they call it this to sound like a bigger hole I'm guessing)) I felt really bad for what I've done to my beloved wife. And after watching the faces of the ladies in the videos I thought I should never do it again. So, here is the dichotomy of the situation... improve the human race or torture my wife. The jury is still out on this and I'll make up my mind after the birth of Bear.

Baby Bear likes Frisko Freeze...

My brothers were in town last week for a wedding and we had a great time hanging out with them. They got to check out the new house (and help us move in a new refrigerator) and a couple places around T-town. We also made sure to feed them well! We had lunch at Tacos Guaymas, which was Brian's first time eating a fresh super burrito (I used to freeze them and bring them to Billings for both Brian and Michael), and dinner at The Cloverleaf (known for the sourdough crust on their pizzas). We decided to top off dinner with a little ice cream, but we wanted something more unique than Dairy Queen or Baskin Robbins. Unfortunately we couldn't think of anywhere to go; then I remembered Frisko Freeze. I'd only gone once before, but it's a Tacoma landmark, so I figured it'd be the perfect place. I ordered a hot fudge and butterscotch sundae, which was delicious! When we got home, we decided to put on a movie. I laid down on the couch and pretty soon my belly was moving all over the place- I think that means the baby likes Frisko Freeze!

We're all moved in...

I'm starting to feel like I'm back in Australia with the move and having to go to a coffee shop for internet. Yes, it's true, Mark actually cancelled the internet at our old house before getting it set up at the new house! Fortunately there's a Starbucks with free wi-fi nearby (duh, we live in the Seattle area where there's always a Starbucks nearby).

Anyway, moving day was a bit chaotic because we had to wait for the official word that the house was ours, but thanks to Karl (who didn't do much due to a recent "procedure"), Josh, Mike Chapman, and Mike Ashworth (what a great guy to spend a day of his vacation helping move his sister), the move itself went well. I have to admit though, while it sounds good to get out of work on account of being pregnant, really it was a bit frustrating. I felt pretty helpless standing around as all the guys carried my stuff out of one house and then into the next. It's also been a bit frustrating unpacking stuff and having to call on Mark to lift a box that I know I could lift. Oh well, I know better than to overdo it (and Mark would quickly remind me if I forgot)!

I must say that it is a bit strange moving into a house and thinking about things like setting up a nursery (it'll be awhile before this happens), putting things that the kid shouldn't get into on the higher shelves, and building railing around the deck, driveway, stairs, etc. At least I'm thinking about these things though, because otherwise we'd have a dangerous house with a great sound and entertainment system!

Babies 'R Us

If you were to tell me a few years ago that there was a store with an entire wing devoted to boobs, I would've thought.... yeah that sounds nice. Turns out it isn't at all what a young man might envision. Let's just say Babies 'R us is an experience. The movie Idiocracy no doubt rings true after spending 5 minutes in that store. There are two types of couples shopping, one set is a clean cut most likely successful couple that is either pregnant or carrying around one cute well mannered kid. The other is 900 lb. Suzie Jean with her tramp stamp tattoo and her husband Jim Bob with the always classic business in front and party in the back hairstyle, and they have 5 kids screaming at the top of their lungs. Enough judging it isn't right anyway. Back to the topic of boobs. Is it wrong to say there are a lot of really big boobs hanging out in that store? I'm gonna go with no on that because if the boobs are hanging out in that store they have ceased to become the objects of a young men's every thought and have now become tools. Even Nichole said she felt like a milk cow as we were shopping for breast pumps.
On the other front we signed papers on the new digs today. I had to leave my golf game 3 holes early but I suppose that's okay. Word is we'll get the keys on Monday so we ought to have everything we own in a box by then and ready to go out the door. Our current house has gotten a pretty good upgrade as well. We sheetrocked the Bears room (I even taught Nikki Marie how to tape and mud sheetrock), replaced all the trim on the front deck, replaced the tub surround, and put in a new stove. And after we get our crap out of here this place will get a fresh coat of paint on the inside to top it off. We're thinking if we make it nice, hopefully we get better renters than the scumbags that rented from us when we were in Australia.
I suppose I should talk about the pregnancy a bit too. On that front it is a little harder to describe. I figured Nikki would be much more of a pain, but she really hasn't. Like she said in her post, it's been pretty smooth sailing for her. I have noticed that she needs to pee and eat a lot though. This is quick glimpse into my life. I have spent the better part of our marriage feeling a bit like a sissy because I have to pee so much more often than she does. Now, every time the kid moves left or right, she is searching for the toilet, and I'm rolling my eyes and thinking some chauvinist thought. And the eating thing is amazing, I mean she still hasn't caught up with me, but she is rounding the corner and gaining speed. Normally, when I cook dinner I figure whatever I'm gonna eat she'll have half. At this point I'm figuring close to even. If it wasn't for the eating, peeing and the belly I think I'd forget. The belly thing is weird though. I remember, a few years ago, talking about pregnancy and Nikki thought it would be strange to have some foreign body living inside her, and I would reassure her that it is a completely natural and beautiful thing. Then she grew a baby in her, and that is kind of weird. I'll be up next to her in bed and little bear gets to moving around, that is odd to me, and now Nikki thinks it is cool. I am growing more accustomed though, I heard somewhere that if you sing to the belly the kid will remember the song and it will calm them. I figure by the time the little guy pops out he'll (or she'll) be singing "Bear Down, Chicago Bears" on his own.

3rd Down, 10 to go...

I'm nearing the end of my 29th week, which means I'm into the 3rd (and final- yikes) trimester and only have about 10 weeks to go. It's amazing how quickly this pregnancy has gone, and fortunately, how easily! Aside from the 1st trimester, where I felt tired and nauseous pretty much all the time, things have gone well. I haven't had any strong cravings or major mood swings, and my calves, ankles, and feet still look and feel like separate entities! Even better, is that the baby also seems to be doing well. I feel a lot of movement, especially at the beginning and end of the day and anytime I slouch (apparently the baby doesn't like to be crowded). Sometimes I'll just lay in bed and watch my belly move. It's a really strange sensation, watching a part of my body move and knowing that I'm not responsible for the movements.

We don't know the gender of the baby, but we both feel like it's a boy. I think Mark would like a boy because then he could play football for the Chicago Bears (maybe the Bears will finally have a decent quarterback since our 20 week ultrasound showed long arms), and I like the idea of not having to do hair. However, we've both heard that girls are easier, and being that we're both pretty clueless when it comes to kids, easier would be better. Plus, I think Mark would like a girl because then she could be the first female to play football for the Chicago Bears, and I think a girl would be more fun to travel with as she gets older. Oh well, either way we're sure to be happy!

On another note, while it's been nice to have the summer off to relax and enjoy some quiet time, all that's about to change really soon. I'm not talking about when the baby comes either, though I doubt I'll get much relaxation and quiet time then either, I'm talking about next week when we move into our new house. Because we don't like to do anything the easy way, we decided to move in the midst of all of this. And, because we don't like to move into move-in ready houses, we have quiite a bit of work to do in the new house. Of course when I say we in all of this, I mean Mark, because the whole pregnancy thing gets me out of a lot of work! In addition to the move and work on the house, we have weekend trips to Coeur d'Alene, Missoula, and Cheyenne planned in August. Needless to say, the rest of the summer will be pretty busy and I'm sure will fly by, which means that school and then baby will be here before we know it!