Confessions Of A Rookie Dad #4

Confession #4 - I Love To Burp!!

Babies that is... mine in particular. Having Jett has reminded me just how fulfilling getting a huge ole belch out of such a little person can be. You know the drill. Baby is fussing right after eating so you lay him/her over your shoulder and give'em a few good whacks on the back (don't go all mall massuese on your baby though). And then, if you are a little skilled and a whole lot lucky, your child will momentarily turn into a grown man while he/she expels pent up air in a loud reverberant fashion. There have been a couple of times recently when even I have turned my head to make sure my child hadn't suddenly grown a beard.

Now, there's a difference between needing to burp your child and loving to burp your child. Don't be confused or beleaguered by this statement. It actually boils down to two things: Competitiveness and Mutuality. The competitive nature in us wants to get that burp out and when the burp comes it is mutually satisfying for baby and burper. It's really a win-win situation! But woah to you who are chomping a the bit to grab a stranger's baby and commence burping. There are a couple of things you need to know.

#1 Spit-up is the enemy. One should never attempt to burp without a burp cloth, which in my opinion, would be more accurately named a spit up cloth. Don't be too confident or just lazy because at that very moment it is guaranteed that you will feel all kinds of warm goodness running down your back or shoulder...Mmm Mmmm... or on your nice shirt. It's not worth the risk. Listen, in the words of an old DC Talk song, "I had to learn the hard way. I guess I'm the type of guy who has to find out for my self."

#2 Positioning is key, but it is different for every child. Some like the over the shoulder, others prefer the choke hold or the lap lying positions. There are inherent pros and cons for each, but you've just got to try'em all! The perfect mix resulting in baby happiness and both parental and clothing cleanliness will come to those who work at it. Soon, you too will love to burp.

This is just to get you started with your new burping love affair!

What are some of the finer things you have learned while burping?

~A

P.S. Do not attempt without a burp cloth! Pride cometh before a fall!

Month one... did I just say month?

Wow! Our little Jett-man has crossed his first major milestone. He is now a 1 month old. I'm not sure how long you can still call him a newborn, but, considering he's gained almost three pounds since his debut, I think newborn is a fading memory. Here are some pictures and a little welcome home video from Grady!

Welcome Home Jett from AUBREY MCGOWAN on Vimeo.

Grady welcomes little brother home!

~A

Arrival: Terminal L&D Gate 14 - Part 2

Flight Information:

Airline: Little Miracle Airlines
Flight: Jett Aubrey McGowan
Departure Airport: HVN
Arrival Airport: JAG
Arrival Time: 11/5/09 1:31 PM
Terminal: L&D
Gate: 14

Let's continue:

2:oo AM - Jen had three contractions in a row and almost woke me to head to the hospital. They didn't continue, but it was an encouraging sign that her body and baby were ready.

5:15 AM - Wake up call! Of course, the reality was that we both woke up multiple times during the night staring blurrily through one squinty eye at the clock to make sure we didn't oversleep. That coupled with nerves made it a broken night of sleep. Let's just say that in our lives we've been late a time or two, but we didn't want to be late for this.

6:00 AM - Dang! We had the McGo-Van loaded up and were on our way! Per my friend Patrick's suggestion, I brought a camping cot for myself to sleep on, because you know they just don't care about dad's in these hospitals. I mean, you would think that we were invisible! What happened to patient's rights... or patient's helper's rights? I demand at least a pull out couch at a minimum! I demand more than just one complimentary meal! I demand more than one squeaky rubbery pillow to lay my head on! Oh wait... Soooooo...

6:25 AM - Booyah!! Overacheivers!! Or just nervous. We arrived early at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Allen. It felt a little weird walking in the hospital not feeling or breathing or contracting like you're on the verge of having a baby. It was comical to walk to the nurse's desk and say, "Um... yeah... so... we're scheduled to have a baby today." It felt like checking into a hotel, except it was 6:30 in the morning and it was more like an Econolodge than a Ritz... and it had spot lights on the ceiling... hmmm... and a VCR... and a single bed that resembled the Craftmatic Adjustable ones you used to see on TV (they must've done a deal with them... you know, instead of the Westin signature "Heavenly Bed" or the "Ramada Sleep Number", it was the "Econolodge Signature Harder Than Hell Make You Want To Leave Soon Craftmatic Adjustable Bed" with built in speaker, wired remote, and room service call button. The future is now!) Weird.

But hey, our friend Leslie, who works at the hospital, had left us some pumkin bread in our room as a welcome gift. So, I partook... it was good!

6:30 AM - We encountered one of the uncanny, but cool moments of the day when we were escorted to our room by our attending nurse named KC. I immediately noticed that she looked familiar, but are you ready for this? Turns out that she was one of the nurses who assisted during Grady's birth. Wow! She was in training the day the G-man was born at Plano Presby and now she was with us for Jett's birfday! She ended up being our daytime nurse the whole time we were at the hospital too! Pretty cool!

8:15 AM - After various blood pressure things, hep-locks, paperwork, and other formalities over the first hour or so, Aliza came and it was time to "break the bag of waters." Ha! She just took "breaking your water" to the next level. For some reason, the only thing I could think about when she said "bag of waters" was one of those cooking bags that Mama uses when she cooks a turkey in the oven. It keeps all the juices contained and when it's done you pull it out and break the bag.... of waters. You see the correlation? And I'm sure that Jen is so glad that I just compared her to a turkey baking in an oven contained in a placenta-like Ziploc bag. Uh, so, strike that last mental picture. It was nothing like that. So, all that to say, the water or the bag containing the water was broken around 8:30 and the contractions soon commenced.

8:30 - 11:30 These few hours were comprised of a lot of ramping up. We walked the halls and entertained a few surprise early visitors. We summoned Gigi and she arrived to help us along. Jen was really committed to going natural again this time, but was a bit more nervous. In her words, "This time I didn't just THINK it was going to hurt, I KNEW it was going to hurt!" I, on the other hand, felt a little less nervous because I had done this all before. In fact, I was a professional L&D assistant. I just didn't have a degree or a badge on that cool zippy retractable clippy thing. Oh and Gigi and KC were there too... and Aliza was virtually a Nobel Prize winner for natural births. Aaaand we had one of these "birthing balls", which looked like two big exercise balls that collided in a nuclear particle accelerator. It wins the award for birthing tool of the day!

As the contractions grew more intense and frequent, my confidence began to wain though. Aliza was my ace in the hole, but I hadn't seen her in a couple of hours. Jen was facing an increasing amount of pain and I was out of tricks. It turns out that Aliza was in the final stages with another patient who had been in labor for over 24 hours! Oh my! At this point, I was prayin hard for that lady to just pop that baby out, if you know what I'm sayin'! After all, it's what's best for all of us, Laboring Lady. You get out of labor and get to see your new baby and we get Aliza. Sounds like a deal to me.

What else could we do? Where could we turn for answers? Well, I did what any other resourceful modern-day husband would do... I turned to my iPhone! After a few minutes of Mindy Smith (soothing but sad), in a last ditch effort, I selected a Jim Brickman playlist from my Pandora App. I wonder if it's developers had this in mind when they began their streaming dreaming. Regardless let it be said again, music does wonders to sooth, but when you have a world of music at your fingertips, the possibilities are endless.

11:30 AM - With the end of the "War and Peace" of labors realized, Aliza arrived just in the nick of time. I don't know that there are many times in my life that I have been so excited to see someone! And the wait was well worth it. She is a pro! She was so calm and kind and I could tell that Jen was topping the hill. She was feeling much better with Jim and friends in the ears and Aliza, Gigi, KC, and I at the hands... and rubbing on the back... and shoulders... and doing whatever it took.

1:10 PM - With one journey coming to an end and another about to begin, it was time to get this Jett landed! Aliza gently guided, while me and KC manned both sides of the bed. Gigi was right by Jen's head. At one pivotal point, I caught her with tears in her eyes, and I nearly broke down myself. But I didn't. I stayed strong.... Ok so Jen was really the one who stayed strong! I can't explain to you how I felt about her in that moment, how much my love for her grew, and how proud I was of her. A true side of beauty that I had never seen. I was amazed, honored, humbled, and thankful all at the same time.

1:31 PM - Finally, we got to see our little man for the first time. He stuck his head out with one arm soon following and Aliza turned to me and asked, "Do you want to catch him?" I was floored, but absolutely up for it! What an awesome opportunity! I grabbed him and laid him right on Mommy's chest. It was a very sweet moment for all of us, but especially for mommy and Jett.

We were a little disappointed that we had to have the induction, that it didn't happen in our perfect timing, but we knew that this was God's timing. When Aliza broke Jen's water, there was some myconium already in it, which means that he had already gone to the bathroom in the womb. This can be very dangerous, even fatal if it isn't caught soon enough. If we had waited even another day or two, the levels might have been at a point that would've warranted an immediate C-section. Thank God for His timing and his hand on our precious baby Jett!

For this reason, they took extra care to suck out his chest and nose and stuff. They wanted to get all the fluid out so she stuck the tube in a second time. At that point, Jett grabbed the tube, pulled it out of his nose and rolled away from the lady doing the procedure! I was so proud that I laughed out loud! I'm sure it's a sign of things to come and it won't be so funny when it's me, but hey...

A few hours later, our BIG boy Grady came to meet his little brother for the first time. He took one look at him and gave him a kiss and then tried to honk his nose... it has begun! Our two boys! We are so excited about our family of four!

If you've come to this point in the story, thanks for hangin in there! You are our real friends. Thank God for our little miracle!

Just before Aliza arrived.

M..M..M..Mommy and the Jett

Daddy and Jett-man!

Our Family of Four!

Making our victory lap!

Team-mates! Me and KC!

Jen, Jett, and Aliza!

~A

Arrival: Terminal L&D Gate 14 - Part 1

Flight Information:

Airline: Little Miracle Airlines
Flight: Jett Aubrey McGowan
Departure Airport: HVN
Arrival Airport: JAG
Arrival Time: 11/5/09 1:31 PM
Terminal: L&D
Gate: 14

Yes! He is here! The Jett-man has arrived and we are so excited to meet him!

I can't believe that he's already over a week, but it's been full of many cool moments. I'm just now getting a chance to sit and write this down, but I didn't want to wait any longer because I tend to be a tad forgetful where details are concerned anyway. But, in consideration of our faithful readers' time, I've chosen to split this into two different posts. So hang tight! This flight is about to take off!


Why Nov 5th?
When we began this journey with Jett, we made a decision to switch lady doctors because Jen felt she wanted someone who was more encouraging and natural friendly. The hospital where Grady was born sees about 2% of women deliver naturally so we were looking for a more suitable climate for our plans. We found our midwife, Aliza, through some friends who had used her and sung her praises. She was able to deliver at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Allen, otherwise known as Allen Presby. It just so happened that this hospital is the best in North Texas for people choosing to deliver like us. Wahoo!! Aliza was so awesome during the whole pregnancy and we knew that we had made the right decision. There was only one problem. She had to go out of town on November 8th.... Jett's due date was November 10th.... Uh-oh! But we did not want to have this baby without her. Thankfully, Jen was progressing very quickly toward an early delivery anyway. By the time of our last appointment on October 29th, Jen was already dilated (I just realized that "dilated" is not "dialated"... wow! thanks spell checker) to a 4 and Aliza felt confident that if she broke her water that Jen's body would pick up the cue that it was go time! So our "Rupture Induction" was scheduled for November 5th at 6:30 AM! It was kind of crazy to know that no matter what Jett would be here by November 5th.

The birds

The day before we had Grady while taking a "get this baby out" walk, Jen and I spotted a Blue jay and a Cardinal. We took it as a sign that he was coming soon and indeed he did. As we drew closer to Jett's arrival, we joked that if we saw those two birds again, then we'd know he was coming. Well low and behold, while out on Wednesday 11/4 on just such a walk, Jen saw a Blue jay wisp by as she was pushing Grady in his famous Red Car. Crazy, yes, but uncanny, no! All we needed though was a Cardinal sighting to seal the superstitious deal. And as crazy as it sounds, while Jen was feeding Grady lunch, he began pointing and grunting loudly. This was nothing unusual of course because his language skills remain at the intelligible only on occasion stage. On this day though, he insisted even more than on most days that mommy turn in the direction of his singular appendaged indication. And what to her wondering eyes did appear? Why, it was a cardinal sitting on our counter staring back at them with its beady eyes. Albeit its eyes were ceramic and the bird itself was a small candle holder. What's so crazy though, is that neither of us had even noticed it being on the counter until he pointed it out! I'm sure I put it there, but just forgot about it even though it was in plain sight. Anyway, we took this as proof that Jett was coming and a sign from the Lord Himself. You know that always feels good.

The Night Before Jett-mas

And all through the house, the world has never seen such hurried nesting! Instead of having to tackle huge projects though, we were only putting the final touches on a number of things thanks to Jen's thoughtful planning. Somehow she knew this day was coming... I don't know what tipped her off. Anyway, we were finishing up our focal point board and getting ready for Gigi and Aunt Kim's arrival. By midnight all was quiet at the McGowan house awaiting our 5:15 wake up call. Jett's birthday was finally here!

To Be Continued...

~A

Grady Meets Jett!

I am working on a post to tell you the whole story, but we've been a little busy the past few days. We are so excited that Jett has arrived and so is his big brother, Grady!



What a pair they're gonna be!

~A

Tour de Jett

Ready for Jett's final approach!

Tour de Jett from AUBREY MCGOWAN on Vimeo.

Getting ready for Jett's arrival. We're preparing a place for him!

trick or treat & 38 weeks!!!

We had our 38 week appt. on Thursday and I'm dilated to 4 and little Jett man has dropped even more! My mid-wife is going out of town on the 8th (2 days before my due date!!!), so if I haven't gone into labor by Thursday she wants to break my water, which she thinks will send me straight into labor!? So...it looks like by Thursday, little Jett man will make his grand entrance!!! CRAZY!

We have been nesting, cleaning, walking, eating spicy food...you name it! No luck yet! This little man is comfy cozy where he's at!:-) Instead of sitting around, waiting on him...we decided to go to a halloween party tonight & then trick or treating w/ Grady man! He was absolutely adorable in his monkey costume...seriously the cutest kid I saw!:-) He would walk straight up to the door, take some candy out of the bowl and then try to walk into the house!:-) SO cute! After about 7 or 8 houses and some scary cat lady...he was done! He's never had candy and didn't seem too interested, so I didn't push it! Soon enough he'll understand!!! Here are a few pics...

the fam...

the monkey & the deviled egg!

We also took our little monkey to the fall festival at church last Sunday which was a-ma-zing! Here are a few pics...

~jen

Photographs

Here are some recent shots taken of our growing family. Thanks to our good friend/photographer Kevin Hail for his time and talent! To see the rest of our pictures and some other cool pics that Kevin has taken, visit his Flickr Page.

~A and J

Up up and away!

It is perhaps one of the cheesiest and/or trippiest songs played on oldies stations across the universe, but yet it is so catchy. "Up up and away in my beautiful balloon." While it is unfit as a theme song for life, it is quite fitting as a theme song for a balloon festival. Needless to say, it was definitely bouncing around in my head a couple of weekends ago when we visited the Plano Balloon Festival. We didn't know what to expect, but we had heard from friends that it was pretty cool.

It was a beautiful day and the people were out in droves. Of course, Mrs. McGowan in her pregnate state and I in my sympathetic nature fell victim to the Super-sized Corndog stand right off the bat. I mean... uhh... good! Seriously, doesn't everybody like corndogs? Grady and I tag-teamed one. I ate the dog while he had the corn. He then proceeded to mooch some off of Mommy too. I was proud. It was a team effort. Go Team McGowan!

A little word of advice when visiting festivals, carnivals, and other -ivals of the like. Please do yourself a favor and bring your most off-road ready stroller. I decided to bring the cheapy umbrella stroller whose wheels were so small that it made it almost impossible to roll it through grassy areas. There were a couple of times that the tiny wheel dug into the turf and I nearly vaulted over the stroller or suffered a cheap shot to the gut by the poorly padded handle. Next time I'm bringin the sidecar!

Anyway, Grady loved the balloon "glow" as they called it. After dark, the balloons all burned their torches in unison which resulted in an amazing display. Little man was clapping and cheering them on as they counted down to each glow.

Here are some pics from our adventure!

~A

A boy by any other name would smell as stinky.

The pressures of parent life are too many to number. Worries about what on earth we'll feed this kid, he's a trash compactor... or about how many close calls he will have between the fire place and the face before our first ER visit... or about how long before your child has one of those meltdowns in a restaurant that is completely uncharacteristic of him and you are completely surprised ;) (you know the ones where everyone looks over at you with this "you and your child are the bane of our existence" glare.) But all of these pressures are preceded, superseded, yea anteceded by this: the responsibility of choosing a name.

With such a weighty decision at hand, we at the McGowan Consortium have chosen not to leave it to the powers of chance, Aquarius, or the 5th dimension. Neither have we chosen the flip and point in the baby book, the casting lots, or drawing straws method. No, in fact we have come up with a three step process for selecting the perfect name for any child.

1. Forsake all baby name books and websites. Yes, you must resist the urge to purchase 10,000 Obscure Baby Names That No One In Your Neighborhood Has Considered. You must also avoid the temptation of staying up 'til the wee hours of the mornin' scouring every baby website for that perfect name. **The only baby name book you may purchase is The Baby Name Wizard, which is an intriguing statistical analysis rather than a compilation of meaningless fabricated mashed-up monikers. ***If you do not heed this warning, you may end up in a mental institution.

2. When you find a name that has potential, use it. Call the baby that name. Moms talk to your baby saying things like, "Gertrude, wouldn't you love to have some ice cream? I know mommy would." And dads, listen carefully! Talk to mommy's belly in the best baby talk you can muster saying things like, "Hey little Gawain, I can't wait to change your first poopy!" **Additional note to dads: If you feel like the bless-ed child is not hearing you, feel free to use your wife's belly button as a microphone therefore increasing the vocal resonance in the uterus. ***The "use it" method will tell you very quickly if the name "Quincy" is the right name for your child or for a late 70's detective television series.

3. When you find a name that works, stick with it. Get ready for people to love it or hate it. It's inevitable that Aunt Maude will feel the need to point out that, in her opinion, "that's not even a name", but stay strong and stick to your guns. After all, it's your child anyway, right?

That having been said, after employing this method judiciously over the past few months, we have finally come up with a name for our little man-to-be. In just a few short weeks or maybe tomorrow, little Jett Aubrey McGowan will make his grand entrance into our world. We are so excited to meet him. The journey to his name has been longer than expected, but well worth it. One of our late favorites was Landry, but after step 2, it was clear that this wasn't a fit. Jett kind of came out of nowhere as a surprise winner, but after step 2, it was the clear choice. This kid is surely a Jett. Sometimes we stop and think, "Are we crazy naming our little boy Jett? He's probably going to be wild already, but now he's guaranteed to be over the top." But hey, the method is tried and true. As for his middle name, that was Mommy's idea, not mine. But I can't say that I don't like it! :) We can't wait to meet him!

~A

P.S. It also bears mentioning that his initials will be JAM! Ha!

30 weeks!

We are seriously more than behind w/ our updates...life has been a little crazy this month!!! But I wanted to give everyone an update on our new little man! I had my 30 week appt. today and it went great...bp was 120/78 and I've gained 16 lbs. to date, which she and I were both thrilled about! He is already head down and she said he probably won't turn back now! He is posterior or "sunny-side up," just like Grady was which is why she said I am feeling SO much movement (and back pain)! His heart rate is still in the 140's and was so strong, though she had to chase him around to hear it!:-) We have almost decided on a name, so...stay tuned!

~jen

The Big 5

Yesterday marked the fifth year of our marriage and, being the milestone that it is, we decided to do something special. We went to Mooyah Burger! :) Haha... actually, Grady hasn't been feeling too well for the past few days (we turned the corner from spit-up to throw-up) so we have rescheduled our anniversary celebration. All that being said, it was a great day in the life of the McGowans. We even had a conversation yesterday about what a day in our lives looks like and how it is similar or different than we thought it would be.

It's interesting to think about the statements you make when you first get married:

Well, we want to wait five years until we have kids or Yeah, we want to do some traveling before we do or We want to buy a house right away or We don't want to buy a house right away or We are going to work out together every morning and study the Word together every night. Oh, and we will never own a minivan (not said by the McGowans).... and the list goes on.

The point is that on the starting line of five years everything seems so far off. Early on in our marriage, we did this chart called "our 5 year plan" and on it we listed all the things we wanted to accomplish/do in the next five years. It was so crazy to even write "2009" or "2010". It felt so futuristic as visions of flying cars and lunar colonies flashed through our heads... well, my head anyway.

We've ended up hitting a lot of the goals thus far. In some categories, such as baby-making, we have been early over-acheivers! In others, like vacations and travel plans, we are a little behind. But, in the end, now that we are at the finish line of this many years, it has more than flown by. I am so in love with my wife and our little family and I am hoping beyond hope that the next five years will slow down so I can stop and hold them and hug them and soak in this love in every moment. But you and I both know that it's not going to slow down. It's going to go even faster.

So standing at the starting line of another five years and having a little perspective now, what do we do? I say this. Life is going to go faster without a doubt, which means that I need to take advantage of every moment and with everything I have love my beautiful ones with all I have. There is no time to get stuck in my pride or to spin my wheels searching for God knows what. I could spend the rest of my quickly passing life pursuing things that do not matter, all the while missing the greatest gifts that I could ever be given; the love of my wife and boys and precious time with them.

Time is free, but it's priceless.

You can't own it, but you can use it.

You can't keep it, but you can spend it.

Once you've lost it you can never get it back.

~Harvey McKay

Here's to as many years as God gives me with this beautiful woman.

Jennifer, I love you!

~A

23 weeks...

I had my "24 week" appt. on Monday...we're about a week ahead of schedule b/c of so much traveling! It was pretty uneventful but hey, that's a good thing right!? I've only gained 6 lbs. which is crazy b/c I'm pretty sure this belly is growing by the day!:-) It's probably due to 2 things...this awful Texas heat & chasing a certain little wild man around!


The baby's heartbeat was so strong and he kicked the wand every time she moved it...he's a very active little guy! I have definitely been nesting...I think I've cleaned out every closet & cabinet in this house! Crazy, I know! Here is a picture that Aubrey made me take at the restaurant last night since we have very little belly documentation this time around!:-)

~jen

Grady's 1st B-day Party!

We drove to Nashville last weekend for Aubrey's 10 year reunion and decided to celebrate Grady bug's big day too! What a weekend!:-) My sweet sister opened up her home for the party & it was perfect!!! Here are a few pics...

the birthday boy w/ Mom & Dad...

showing off his age!:-)

opening presents...Grady was SO into it

(I was pleasantly surprised!:)

Grady was all smiles during his b-day song...he didn't

mind being the center of attention one bit!

He turned into a giggle-box w/ the cake in front of him...he kept

looking around like "are you sure this is okay!?"

Grady LOVES the water & has no fear...scary!

crawling out of the baby pool!:-)

more to come soon...

~jen

Confessions of a Rookie Dad #3

Confession #3 -

I use the word beautiful to describe my son(s).

I know it's against man law or something to use words other than "handsome" or "rugged" when referring to your male progeny, but I'm just being honest. There is something beauiful about this little man. And already, I can tell that our new little man-to-be is going to be beautiful just by looking at the sonogram pictures.

Yes, someday they'll be "extremely good looking", "sharp", "smooth", or "dashing" like their dad, but for now... they're just plain beautiful (in the manliest sense of the word).

~A

p.s. this pic is from here

This Just In!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!

Mom, Dad, and Grady are so excited!!!

Here is one of the pics from today!

Confessions of a Rookie Dad #2

Confession #2 - My hands are dirty

For 27+ years of my life I put a low value on the importance of clean hands. What I mean by that is, well... I didn't wash my hands very often. OH COME ON! Don't sit there in your self-righteous hand-washyness as if you really follow the full FDA instructions. Oh and I'm sure that you say your full ABC's while scrubbing the soap from your ultra-hygenic appendages. I'm not saying that I didn't wash at all. I mean I'm not completely disgusting. But my confession is that, since Grady has come along, I have become acutely aware of the dirtyness of my hands. Whereas it never used to bother me to go directly from cleaning the bathroom to eating a nice juicy sub sandwich, now I am incapable of doing so. I have this unavoidable urge to wash my hands before and after every meal and even after working in the yard. I don't know from whence it hath cometh, yea but it hath cometh. I am truly a changed man with clean manos. I have even begun to enjoy something that I have missed out on all of these years: the joy of scented hand soaps. Two of my favorites are Mrs. Meyers Lavender and Bath and Body Works's's' Dancing Waters!

This is my confession. I feel so fresh and so clean clean.

~A

Confessions of a Rookie Dad #1

For quite a while now I've wanted to post about something that is near and dear to my heart, Dadhood. My knowledge on this subject pales in comparison to many other dads that have more/older/nutsier kids than I do, so I'm calling this "Confessions of a Rookie Dad". (btw I get so confused with quotational rules... period before or after the quote?) I don't claim to know a whole lot, but I figured that, before our next little one arrives and I'm up for promotion to the intermediate dad level, I should jot down a few things I've learned.

Confession #1 - I am not Mom

This may appear at first glance to be an obvious statement. That's due, in part, to the fact that it is. But for me the reality of this hit quickly after Grady came along. There is some glaring evidence which proves that I am indeed NOT mom:

I did not endure pregnancy and childbirth. - CHECK

I cannot produce milk. - CHECK

I absolutely do not have a motherly instinct. - i.e. Tossing Grady in the air while lifting him from his chair after eating - CHECK

I do not have a motherly touch. - i.e. diaper changes are strictly function over form... just remove most of the poop and slap a new one on while challenging myself to use the fewest wipes possible. None of this pamper the booty stuff - CHECK

I am not the preferred consoler - Tears instantly turn Grady into a Mama's boy - CHECK

There are so many other things I am not, but that's not to say that I am nothing. I mean come on, I'm the dad for pete's sake! Oh yeah, hooray for dads!!! But definitively, I must confess, as the evidence suggests, that I am NOT mom! And thank God for making moms the way they are. Grady has a rockin mama who has been perfectly fashioned for the job! In fact, knowing this only makes her that much more hotter! Who knows? Maybe there's some direct correlation between my extreme attraction to her "mom-ness" and her present precipitous pregnant state. Wise guys keep asking me if I know how this baby thing works. Hardy har har. Listen here.

Not the Mama!

~A

Grady's 1st Baseball game...

We were given tickets to the Roughriders game on Monday night (for you Nashville readers...that is our local AA team). Along w/ the tickets, which ended up being on the 3rd row, right behind home plate...we had a free parking pass and little pink bracelets that allowed us to eat free!!! Grady thought Deuce (the mascot) was hilarious and got to give him a high-five! He danced every time the music came on and of course got to know everyone around us!:-) We had such a fun time...thanks Evans family!!!

~jen

"look what I found, Mom!"

Grady was crawling around in our bedroom (which was, to my knowledge pretty well child-proofed!:) and I had run into my closet to grab some flip flops when I heard a loud "BOOM!" I ran into the room to find this... Take 2: the next day Grady crawled into my bedroom and straight to the guitar! We've decided it is definitely not off limits! Oh, and his new nickname is August Rush b/c he likes to play some harmonics action!:-)

I mean, seriously...have you ever seen a sweeter smile!?

My boys...my everything!!!

~jen