The Mother In-Law has landed

Peggy arrived at the airport about 20 minutes early and we were there to meet her. Seth behaved well the whole time and even gave us a few smiles.

Now we have to decide whether we will stay up and watch the ball drop, or whether we will turn in early like the fuddy-duddies we are.

Auld Lang Syne

The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.

Robert Burns. 1759–1796

Auld Lang Syne

SHOULD auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to min'?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o' lang syne?

We twa hae rin about the braes, 5
And pu'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit
Sin' auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl't i' the burn,
Frae mornin' sun till dine; 10
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.

And here 's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine;
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught 15
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine;
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne! 20

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

New Years Eve

We are getting ready for a visit from the Mother in-law today. She arrives at the airport at 4:45.

Seth is having Nap 1, Debbie is scurrying around and I am getting in trouble for posting this note when I should be vacuuming the lamp shades! :o)

Ok! Now it looks like DC is really getting a baseball team!

Stadium Financing A Done Deal (washingtonpost.com):
Williams Signs Bill Authorizing Bonds
By David Nakamura
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 30, 2004; Page B01

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams signed into law a financing package for a new baseball stadium along the Anacostia waterfront in Southeast yesterday, calling it "one of my proudest days as mayor."

How 'bout that new hat?

Here is something to cheer you up. A cute baby! That is one dashing hat.

Days Like This

Days like this can be pretty frustrating. I spent the whole day, or a least a good part of it, working on stuff that isn't going to do anything other than give our customers another box to check on their lists of "things we have to have." I am writing a basic training manual for our new software, and the only reason that I am writing it, instead of someone else, is that I can get it done quickly. Unfortunately, I am writing instead of selling, which is a backward step for this company.

I have to focus on sales and figure out how to give the non-sales stuff away. There are other people who can handle the non-sales stuff that I do. So why can't I seem to get it off of my desk and out of my way? This is my great challenge for 2005.

Tsunami

It is hard to grasp the scale of the the Tsunami disaster. The photos of destruction all look about the same. The images of distraught survivors are all disturbing. Looking at this from half a world away we can't perceive the destruction in a personal way; we are detached, geographically and emotionally. I can only shake my head and say, "What a horrible thing."

The silence of thoughtful people creates a vacuum filled by extremism.

--Margaret J Wheatley

Better Than Coffee

This morning Seth and I read the paper while Debbie got an extra half hour of sleep before I left for work. He was very bright and active as he usually is. So far, he seems to be a true morning person.

I held him while I scanned the headlines and he was perfectly happy to look around and see what was going on. He doesn't want to miss a thing. I think he is beginning to figure out that there is more around him than he can see at any one time. He turns his head a lot to look at different things rather than just focusing on what is directly in fromt of him. Every day there is something new.

The Remaining Days of the Year

Christmas is past and this week I will be wrapping up the business for this year. It has been an ok, but not fantastic year. Uncle Sam held us up by not passing a budget on time again this fall. Our first quarter of next year will likely better than usual because the business that was supposed to come in now will come in January and February.

Boxing Day

We are continuing yesterday's festivities today. The jigsaw puzzle is well under way. Joe and Maureen are off to Philadelphia to visit her famiy.

It looks like we will have leftover turkey for lunch. Yum!

Merry Christmas

Christmas has been excellent this year. We spent the entire day at Mom and Dad's house with the whole family. Seth did very well. He tolerated the present opening like a real champ.

The rest of the day was spent trying out the new stuff and eating whatever we hadn't eaten already!

Christmas Eve - AM

Today is one of those magical days that happen once in a while. Christmas Eve. We had a little Christmas at home this morning for the three of us. It has been fun. Later in the day we will gather at the parents for the big festivities.

This is a good time to stop for a moment and think about all of the things going on in the world, and to pray for peace.

All Ready for Tomorrow

The presents are wrapped, the baby is getting a bath. Debbie and I are going to watch a movie this evening after Seth goes to sleep.

We are as ready for Christmas as we will ever be.

On Holiday

These are the days that it is hard to stay focused on work. Most of my clients are on holiday (either in body or in spirit) so the phones are quiet and the email traffic is slow. I always try to use these days to do the little things that I put off until "later." I guess later never gets here, but quiet days in the office do.

The whole family will be home for Christmas day this year. It has been a long time since that happened. Mom will be delighted.

I have to wrap a few presents this evening. That should put me in the spirit!

Another Quiet Evening

Christmas is just around the corner, I am looking forward to taking a few days off over the weekend.

Seth is sound asleep. He was quite a happy little guy when I got home from work this evening. All smiles and gurgles. It's really fun to come home and have the lights on and the family here. Positively domestic...

Snowman

Enough about Baseball! Let's see that baby again!

DC Baseball - For real this time?

D.C. Council Approves Deal to Finance Stadium (washingtonpost.com)
By David Nakamura, Thomas Heath and Barry Svrluga
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, December 21, 2004; 3:31 PM

"The D.C. Council gave its formal blessing to a deal to bring the Washington Nationals to the city today, ending two months of acrimonious debate by approving financing to build a baseball stadium along the Anacostia waterfront.

By a vote of 7 to 6, the council adopted a stadium package that contains several amendments to the deal Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) struck with Major League Baseball in September to move the former Montreal Expos to Washington."

The New Stadium - DC Baseball

Where will it be and what will it cost?

More Thrashing about Baseball

Accord Reached On D.C. Stadium (washingtonpost.com):
Williams and Cropp Negotiate Financing
By David Nakamura and Thomas Heath
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, December 21, 2004; Page A01

"D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams and Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp said last night that they had reached agreement on a stadium financing package that would satisfy Major League Baseball by guaranteeing construction of a permanent home for the Washington Nationals along the Anacostia waterfront.

Under the new proposal, which the 13-member council is to vote on today, the city will purchase insurance for potential cost overruns on the stadium and split the payments with Major League Baseball. Also, District officials will continue pursuing private financing for the project for several months. But Cropp said she will drop a requirement that 50 percent of the construction costs be paid for with private money."

Inconsolable

Last evening I kept Seth for a couple of hours while Debbie went out and did a little Elfwork. Usually Seth is pretty mellow in the evening and falls asleep while I'm holding him. Last night he was not. It is so unusual for him to cry for any length of time, that I was struggling a bit to figure out what to do with him.

After about an hour and a half I conjured up a scheme. He likes to have his diaper changed so, even though he didn't need it, I took him back to his room and changed his diaper. He couldn't stay angry for that, so he calmed down a little and I finally got him to fall asleep. He slept from 8 until 1:30 or so, which is a long time for him.

I suppose he was just tired after all. This morning he was his usual smiley self.

Odd Monday

This has been an unusual Monday so far. The power went off at 6:30, apparently it was a transformer failure. I heard the explosion when it went off. That gave me an excuse to stay in bed until I had enough daylight to take a shower, which made me a little late for work, but whose going to notice?

Seth slept a lot last night. He didn't wake up until about 7:45 or so.

Debbie tells me the power came back on at 9.

The Washington Nationals Saga Continues

WASHINGTON -- Two prominent politicians who will have a significant say in whether the Washington Nationals remain in the nation's capital plan to meet Monday to try to save the suddenly wobbly deal.

Mayor Anthony Williams will meet with Linda Cropp, chair of the District of Columbia Council, who earlier this week introduced an amendment that could endanger the move.

Full Story

Holiday Party

Today we have a holiday party in Baltimore. My Brother and his Fiance' are hosting a small gathering for family. There will be lunch and then a visit to the Hampton National Historic site for their Christmas open house. It should be fun. Christmas is just around the corner. Have you got your shopping done?

Mount St Helens Update

I have been checking in on Mt St Helens every now and then. It is still errupting and forming a new dome. Here is a photo from December 11. The new dome is about 400 yards long. It is the black blotch near the top-center of the crater.


Click here to see the Larger image at the USGS site.

Click Here to go to the photo gallery and see more pictures. The latest are from the 16th of Dec.

Here is a photo I took of Mount St Helens in July 2004

Home Again

It's good to be home again. Today started out in Hopewell, NJ, then Chester, PA, then home and back out Christmas shopping, then dinner with the parents. It is always good to go. It is always good to come home.

Off to Go Christmas Shopping

Debbie and I are off to go Christmas Shopping. We are going to leave Seth with Grandma for a little while this afternoon.

Battery Update

I changed the battery, the car is running, all is right in the world.

Dead Battery

Went to leave for work this morning, and my car had a dead battery. I knew it was failing so it was only a minor surprise. I drove the green car to work instead. Now I just have to find a new battery and install it. No big deal. I'm glad I didn't trade Debbie's old car when we got the new one!

Making Christmas Candy.

This has to get to 305 degrees before we take it off the stove! Eventually this becomes cinnamon flavored hard candy.

Good Doctor Visit

Seth had his two month doctor visit today and got a good report. He is growing well and gaining weight. The doctor thinks he is also getting ready to roll over because he is holding his head up and arching his back when he is lying on his stomach. He got 4 vaccinations, which Mom said he handled well.

Latest Vitals:
Length: 24 1/2 inches
Weight: 13 lbs 1 ounce

That puts him in the 95th percentile for his age. I can already hear the cash register at the grocery store ringing!

The Traveller - Part 2

We took Seth to Wilson NC to visit friends this weekend and to go to the office party in Raleigh. He travels really well. Most of the time he sleeps, which makes it really easy. Even on a 5 hour trip. We stopped once each way to feed him and change him. He does get a lot of sleep, so he is more wakeful in the evening than usual, but he recovered well the next day.

When we got home last night I think he was happy to be there. He seemed to recognize familiar things.

Survived the Christmas Party

We had a good time at the office Christmas Party last night. Seth handled himself admirably! He is growing in strength and wisdom.

Smile For Grandma!

It's nice to have this baby

I sat down to write a little about Seth and don't know where to begin. Most of the time I just think, and say, the same silly things about him. How nice he is, how cute he is, etc. I am not even really sure I can describe what I feel.

What I know is that when I hold him, it's good, no matter if he is smiling or crying. I really am quite happy to study his little face for long periods of time. I think that sums it up rather nicely.

I might have to get one of these

Washington Nationals

It's good to be home

I got home about 5pm this evening after an un-eventful drive from Williamsburg. It's good to be home with the family.

On the Road

Missing the Family

I have been travelling for about 16 hours and already I miss the family. Luckily this is a short trip and I will be home tomorrow night. I won't have a lot of time on my hands to think about things other than work, so that should pass the time quickly.

Sunday After Church

We went to 7:30 church this morning. Several of the old women made a point of telling us how good our baby is. (He slept most of the way through Mass)

Today Seth will go to his first art gallery show opening. Joe is showing some work at a gallery in Bethesda.

Baseball Comes to Washington

Well, it looks like baseball is back in Washington DC. The Major League Baseball Owners voted to approve the plan to move the Motreal Expos to DC. Here is the Washington post Article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31794-2004Dec3.html

"(Babseball Commissioner) Selig did not address the two remaining hurdles -- the desire of some District officials to renegotiate parts of a deal to build a publicly financed stadium, and a compensation package for Angelos (Owner of the Baltimore Orioles)." - Washington Post -

Baltimore is only 35 miles from Washington and Peter Angelos is concerned that he will lose money because there will be two baseball teams in close proximity. That same situation hasn't hurt New York, Chicago, LA, or San Francisco. All of them have two teams close together.

Click HERE for the Washington Nationals Site.

Baby Sitting

Debbie has gone out to do a little Elf Work so I am at home with the baby. He is sleeping so things are quiet around here. This kind of baby sitting is not too hard. Even a new dad can do it!

A little frustrated at the moment

Sometimes everyone wants everything yesterday. At least that is how it feels. I'm sure, that in reality, it is not like that at all, but when four or five phone calls with special requests land on top of each other it can be a little hectic. Meawhile, the people that I really need to talk to today are not at their desks. It's Friday after all...

I just needed to blow off a little steam.

Late Fall Days

Late fall days have their own kind of beauty. After all of the dramatic fall color you look up one day and notice this fantastic monochrome pattern of tree branches over your head. After several months of this it does get a little tiring, but in December it really is pretty.

2:30 am, then 4

Last night I sat with Seth for a while after his 2 am feeding. Debbie has not been feeling 100% the last couple of days so, as I was already awake, I held Seth for a while until he went back to sleep. After having his diaper changed he was wide awake for a while and the two of us sat in the rocker and gazed at each other for a while. Eventually he drifted off. If anyone else kept me up that long, that late, I would be pretty cranky.

My Happy Boy!

Wating for Spaghetti

It's the last day of a long weekend and I am sitting here typing this while I wait for dinner to cook. Debbie is feeding Seth.

It was a good weekend all in all. We saw my whole family, plus some cousins and frineds. We ate well and slept reasonably well considering that we have a six week old.

I could have done with a little more leftover turkey, believe it or not. But that might actually be a good thing because we will probably have more turkey at Christmas.

A visit to Grandma and Grandpas

We spent an enjoyable day day over at the parents house today. Seth did very well. He even took a little nap for a while.

Tomorrow we have to go to a funereal viewing. A friends mother passed away last week. These things aren't fun, but they are necessary.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Day! We are all thankful for the many blessings of this life. Family, friends, health, and happiness.

Happy Thanksgiving! Part 2

Foiled by Tripod.COM

I signed up on tripod.com to get some free web space today. They have some cool stuff like html resources and background images etc. I tried to use one for this page, but apparently they only allow you to host images that are for your tripod web site, which carries the obligatory adds. Oh well, the search for a cool background continues.

Rediscovering 4 am

It has been a long time since I was up at 4 am. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and read for a while, but I haven't done that in years. The last few nights the baby has not been sleeping soundly, so Debbie has been up with him a lot trying to get him settled. I sat with him from 4 to 4:30 or so and got him to sleep until 5:30, I think. It is kind of hard to remember.

My coffee tastes really good this morning for some reason...

Thinking about going to sleep

The baby is sound asleep and I am thinking about going to bed myself. It is nice to have this little person in the house.

Seth in the morning, Looking out the window.

Off on another visit

We are off to Woodbridge, VA today to visit some friends who haven't seen Seth yet. This is the beginning of the holiday season and they are already gathering for Thanksgiving so it is a good time for us to go see them. Debbie's best friend from high school has come up from Atlanta.

I'm sure we will be travelling around a lot over the next month or so.

The Trip Home

Mt St. Helens Continues to Erupt

I've been watching Mount St Helens lately through the Volcano Cam web page at http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/. Here is a photo of the new dome from November 12th.

Click for a larger image

More recent pictures of the dome can be seen here.
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/Images/MSH04/

Working At Home

Debbie had a doctor appt today so I am home babysitting Seth. I can work from home if I need to. So, while he is napping, I am taking care of business. Not bad. Right now he is sleeping in his crib and I am sitting next to him in the rocker "blogging." I suppose I should go finish the proposal I am working on.

Baptism Class

Today we went to the baptism class at the church. A couple of years ago they started this class to give parents an opportunity to learn something about baptism before they actually have the baby baptized. It was ok. I guess the best thing about it was the opportunity to focus on why we do this in the first place.

Another Saturday Outing

The three of us went on an antiqueing expedition today to north central Maryland. It was a nice sunny day and good for a trip in the car. Seth sleeps when we are driving so he was pretty relaxed all day.

I ended up buying some depression glass. A sugar and creamer and a coffee cup. They are all Block Optic pattern, the sugar/creamer are green, the cup is yellow. Yellow glass in this pattern is a little unusual, so I bought one of the cups as a specimen piece. (and also because it was cheap)

The New Belly Button

I've finally gotten around to uploading apicture of the new belly button. Looks like a perfect innie fo far!


It looks like another beautiful Saturday here in DC. I think rain during the week and sun on the weekends is a good idea.

Cord Free!

Seth lost his umbillical cord today! Hooray!

Boston A Success

The Boston trip went very well. I got done what needed to be done and also gained a little "political capital" with this group. The guy that I was seeing has some influence over the future of the project so I am glad it went well.

The flight up and back on Independence Air was really good. Unfortunately I heard yesterday that their parent company might file Chapter 11.

Boston set a record low temperature Tuesday night. It was about 25 degrees when I got there.

It's good to be home.

Ironing my shirt

I just finished ironing my shirt for tomorow. I have to leave at 5:45 in the morning to fly up to Boston (Cambridge actually) to visit a customer. It will be a day trip so I will be home mid-evening tomorrow if all goes well.

The forecast high for Wednesday in Cabridge is 42 degrees, so I will be taking my gray felt coat. That will be the first time this fall that I have needed it. It has been such a nice month here.

Art 101

Seth gets his first art lesson. He actually seems to focus for a short while on black and white images. I suppose the contrast is easy for him to see.

Click to enlarge

A Good Weekend

I had an enjoyable weekend. It was very Family oriented.

On Friday and Saturday we had dinner at Mom and Dad's. Friday the whole family was there. Sunday afternoon was spent in Old Town Alexandria wandering around shopping with Debbie, Seth and the in-laws. It was a beautiful, warm day.

My Birthday

November 7th in History
1872: The ship Marie Celeste sails from New York, eventually to be found deserted
1944: Franklin D.Roosevelt elected for a record fourth term as President
1972: Richard Nixon re-elected as the US president

November 7th birthdays
1867: Marie Curie, First woman to win the Nobel prize for physics
1918: Billy Graham, American evangelist

My Birthday Part 2 - Harmonic Resonance

TACOMA BRIDGE COLLAPSES:
November 7, 1940

Only four months after its completion, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State suffers a spectacular collapse.

When it opened in 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was the third-longest suspension bridge in the world. Built to replace the ferry system that took commuters from Tacoma across the Tacoma Narrows to the Gig Harbor Peninsula, the bridge spanned 2,800 feet and took three years to build. To save cost, the principle engineer, Leon Moisseiff, designed the bridge with an unusually slender frame that measured 39 feet and accommodated just two vehicular lanes.

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened with great fanfare on July 1, 1940. Human traffic across the waters of the Tacoma Narrows increased dramatically, but many drivers were drawn to the toll bridge not by convenience but by an unusual characteristic of the structure. When moderate to high winds blew, as they invariably do in the Tacoma Narrows, the bridge roadway would sway from side to side and sometimes suffer excessive vertical undulations. Some drivers reported that vehicles ahead of them would disappear and reappear several times as they crossed the bridge. On a windy day, tourists treated the bridge toll as the fee paid to ride a roller-coaster ride, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge earned the nickname "Galloping Gertie."

Attempts were made to stabilize the structure, but they were in vain. On November 7, with a steady wind blowing at 42 mph, the roadway began to twist back and forth in an increasingly violent fashion. Before closing the span, the toll keeper on the bridge's west side let one last motorist pass, Tacoma News Tribune copy editor Leonard Coatsworth. Halfway across the bridge, Coatsworth lost control of his car. When the roadway tipped so sharply that it seemed his car would topple off, he decided to flee on foot. He tried to retrieve his daughter's black cocker spaniel from the back seat of the car, but the dog snapped at him and refused to budge. Coatsworth ran to safety and called the Tribune, who dispatched a reporter and photographer to the scene.

Tribune photographer Howard Clifford was the last man on the bridge before the center span broke off at 11 a.m. and plunged 190 feet into the turbulent Tacoma Narrows. Trapped on the suddenly destabilized side spans, he narrowly avoided being thrown off and ran to safety. The sole casualty of the disaster was the cocker spaniel in Coatsworth's car, which fell into the Narrows and disappeared beneath the foam.

At the time, the engineering community was perplexed about how a bridge designed to withstand winds of up to 120 mph could collapse in a wind of 42 mph. Experts still disagree on the exact cause of the bridge's destruction, but most agree the collapse was related to resonance, a phenomenon that also comes into play when a soprano shatters a glass with her voice. In the case of the Tacoma Narrows, the wind resonated with the natural frequency of the structure, causing a steady increase in amplitude until the bridge was destroyed.

After the Tacoma Narrows disaster, bridge builders took care to incorporate aerodynamics into their designs and build structures with complex frequencies. Wind-tunnel testing of bridge designs eventually became mandatory. A new Tacoma Narrows Bridge was finally erected in 1950, complete with a wider roadway, deep stiffening trusses under the roadway, and other features designed to dampen the effect of wind. In 1992, the remains of Galloping Gertie in the Tacoma Narrows were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A Minor Injury

How 'bout that new background?

You have probably noticed that I have been playing with the settings on my blog template. I am trying out different looks from time to time, but don't worry, if it gets really awful I won't keep it.

The cool thing is that I am finally learning a little (very little) about HTML.

What a train wreck

I had to go downtown for a meeting today and decided that because of yesterday's Metro accident I would drive instead of taking the red line. Good Idea! Everyone else thought the same thing! Between that and the rain it took me an hour and a half to go 12 miles! Needless to say I was a little late for my meeting. It went well anyway.

Here is what the wreck looked like

An empty Red Line train crashed into a stopped train at the Woodley Park-Zoo Station in Northwest Washington. (Michel duCille -- The Washington Post)

My Web Gallery

I recently was granted a gallery to display my liquid emulsion prints at AlternativePhotography.com. The site is dedicated to alternative process photography which means almost anything that is not standard color or black and white photos. Most of these processes are antique ones that are being revived for their artistic value.

For the prints that I make, I hand coat paper (or other things like slate or glass) with a liquid photo emulsion that makes whatever is coated light sensitive. Then I make the prints using normal development techniques.

You can check it out by clicking here:


Check Out My Gallery

The Traveller

Seth got his first National Park Passport Stamp today in Rock Creek Park!

My sister gave Seth an NPS Passport and we decided that, even though he won't remember having been to these places for a few years, we would go ahead and stamp his book for him. So far he has four stamps. This is only the first one...

Click to enlarge

High Tech Swing Set

The latest baby contraption! We decided to try the swing today. Seth seems to like it. particularly the red dog that you can see hanging on the left.

Click the picture to see a bigger image

Dad as kid

This is my Dad on my Grandfather's first tractor in 1942. It is most likely a model 9N which is what Ford made from 1939 through 1942. I am guessing that it was not new. If it was new in '42, then it could be a either a 9N or a 2N which began production in 1942. Ford renamed the 9N to 2N because of some war-time production rules, but it was essentially the same tractor.

Waiting for Dinner

The chilli is warming on the stove, and Seth is just barely sleeping while we wait for dinner. Grandma C is banging around in the kitchen. All in all, a domestic moment...

2 Week Doctor Visit

Today was the two week doctor visit for Seth. He has gained back some of the weight he lost before coming home from the hospital, which is a good thing. It indicates that he is getting enough to eat. Larger babies require a little more food than smaller ones so they are watching Seth closely to make sure he is still putting on the pounds (ounces actually. About 1.5 per day)

He also had a blood test today. That was a little traumatic because they prick his heel to get the blood. He didn't like it too much.

When I got home from work this evening Seth was wide awake and looking around. His waking hours are getting longer everyday. Sometimes he even seems to fight to stay awake so he won't miss what's going on.

Sleeping well (all things considered)

I honestly thought I would be making a lot more light night posts than I have.

Seth is really doing well sleeping at night right now. Sure, he needs to eat a couple of times a night, but I can't help much with that yet. I do get to change diapers, which isn't bad. Debbie is spending more time awake at night than I am because of the feedings. It takes Seth 20 to 40 minutes to get enough to eat. He is sleeping more soundly between feedings than he was so we are both able to get back to sleep in the mean time.

For example, last night he ate at about midnight, 2:30 and 5:30. I'm only really sure about the 5:30 time because I know I changed his diaper then, but the rest is a little foggy.

Seth is also awake more each day. Last evening he was awake for a couple of hours after dinner. I think that is helping his sleep pattern also.

Almost Wintry

It is a gray fall day here, it is almost like winter. Actually it's 52 degrees out so it is not really like winter, but it kind of feels like it.

I decided to make our baby announcements myself, so I am in the process of printing them out now. I don't think I really saved any money, but it has been fun to do on a Sunday when nothing much else is happening.

Next weekend I will probably be raking leaves. That is something to look forward to...

First Outing

Seth's first outing in the Pram. We went for a walk with Mom, Dad, and all four Grandparents at Brookside Gardens. It was a beautiful fall day.

Script for a 2 am feeding

Cast
Baby - Star of the show
Mom - Food Supply and care giver
Dad - Gopher and care giver

Begin by putting the baby to bed while he is asleep. After some time the following happens:

• Baby grunts and squirms in cradle.
• Dad tries to quiet him
• Baby grunts some more
• Dad tries again
• Baby squirms and grunts some more
• Dad decides to change the baby's diaper
• Baby, now fully awake, tries to eat dad's shoulder
• Mom wakes up and feeds baby, Dad tries to snooze
• Baby falls asleep eating
• Dad puts baby back in cradle
• Dad tries to sleep
• Mom is now sleeping
• Dad is staring at the glowing red numbers on the alarm clock
• Baby starts squirming, dad tries not to notice

Repeat continuously with variations as needed from 1:30 to 5 am.

6:10 The alarm clock goes off

Pretty Comfy

I am typing this with one hand while I hold the baby. He is sound asleep, but I hate to put him down because he is all warm and cozy. It is pretty easy to put off paying bills while you are holding a nice little creature like this. That is what I sat down to do, but then I picked up the baby.

Hmmm...

My sleeping boy

One Week Old

Today I am back to work for the first full day since last week. I did come in for a bit on Monday, but yesterday I think the stresses of the week finally caught up with me and I ran a small fever and stayed in bed a good bit of the day.

Today, however I feel about back to normal and am off to visit a customer this morning.

Debbie's parents are going to take a day trip to the Eastern Shore today. This will be the first time she has been alone with the baby for longer than about half an hour. Tonight we go to my parents for dinner. That should be a big adventure. Mom is very excited about Seth coming to visit for the first time.

Every day seems to be a milestone. Yesterday Seth was one week old.

First Doctor Visit

Seth had his first doctor visit today. Everything is perfect. He has gained a couple of ounces since he left the hospital. That is a good thing. This was the first trip out of the house since we brought him home.

Day Two at home, Sunday

It has certainly been an eventful weekend...

Debbie and I are getting a little worn down what with the all night feedings and diaper changings and the normal daily routine. She is healling well and seems to be getting around better today than yesterday. Mostly I find that I am content to sit and hold the baby. It is an extremly satisfying thing. Even the dirty diapers and crying don't seem like a big deal. In the past I wouldn't have touched a dirty diaper for all the tea in china.

It has been fun to have visitors. Even our neighbors came over to check Seth out this morning.

He eats and sleeps and cries and that's about it. But that is perfect with me.

Quiet Saturday - Day Two at home

Today we are having a quiet Saturday at home with the new baby. It is currently about 2 pm and he has been sleeping for about 3 1/2 hours. It is really nice to have the baby here and to be settled in. It's good to be at home with the family.

Our New Baby!

Seth Robert - 10/14/2004 Taken in the hospital.

New Baby!

On Tuesday 10/12/04 at 11:56 pm Seth Robert was born. He weighed a whopping 10 lbs 11 oz. and was 21 inches long! Mom is well. We brought him home today. Pictures to follow.

We're Having a baby Today

Honda Crash Test Results

Honda Accord Crash Test Results - Just thought I'd do a little after the fact research. Looks like the Accord does well. Click on the image to see a bigger version.

You can check NHTSA's results for any vehicle that they test here: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/testing/ncap/index.cfm

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

As another week starts we are still waiting for the arrivial of the baby. The doctor told us that the actual due date was two days later than we thought, which would have made it yesterday. It seems like the baby isn't budging for the moment. All we can do is wait.

In the meanwhile, we bought a stroller over the weekend. This thing is pretty fancy. It's got more features than the new car. The most important part, at least for now, is the infant seat that has a base that you leave in the car. It attaches to the stroller also. So now we have the little infant seat in the new Honda and the big convertable seat in the trunk of old Honda. We are over prepared.

In the next few days the baby will come and things will change. The doctor tells us that she will induce delivery if we don't see him in a week or so.

Still Waiting - Part 2

Another week has gone by and we are still waiting. This week has just dragged by. I have been as busy at work as usual, but, in the back of my mind, I am just waiting for the baby. The due date is tomorrow, so technically we are right on time. Debbie has a doctor's appointment today. If there is any change I suppose we will find out.

I'm Wireless!

Wow, I just got wireless at home and is it ever cool. I'm sitting on a comfy chair in the living room typing this right now. Look Ma! No Wires!

2004 Honda

The New Car! The image is a little blurry due to the JPG compression, but you get the idea. :-)

New Car!

Last night we got a new car! It is a 2004 Honda Accord EX. Red. It was time to update the old Accord (I will keep still keep it for a while) This one has the latest baby seat attachment hooks, called LATCH. This was designed to make child seats more secure in the car. I guess all cars have them now, but this is the first one for us.

I think we got an ok deal on it because it was the outgoing model year and I bought it at the end of the month.

Still Waiting

The due date for the baby is now a week away. We are really in wait mode. Waiting for some sign of a change, waiting for labor to begin, waiting to see the baby. It is a strange feeling. It's almost like a wave that gets bigger but doesn't break. I suppose that when things finally do start they will move right along.

In the meanwhile I will fill my time with the normal daily stuff. It is like being in a holding pattern, circling the aiport. You know you are going to land, it's just a matter of when.

Changing Season

This morning I noticed that the leaves are starting to change. All of a sudden it is looking like fall around here. The weather is cooling a little and the days are shorter.

It feels like football season.

Progress - Part 2

Well, I discovered today that Gus's (The House Grille) was not closed. It was sold and has now reopened as The House. I stopped by today to check it out. Some things look different, a little new paint and some pictures, the people. I didn't buy anything. I just walked through. It's the people that make the place, and I don't know these guys.

I guess I might try it out some time soon. I can't expect the chicken salad to be the same.

Nine Years

Today is our Ninth anniversary. What with all of the baby preparations it sort of snuck up on me. In some ways it seems like we just got married a little while ago.

This year will be a milepost in our lives. I suppose that from now on we will refer to time as Before the Baby was born and After the Baby was born. We all have these markers, and before this ours was "Before we were married." With such a long period of "Before the Baby", I think we are both ready to start the "After the Baby" part.

It has been a very good nine years. Our home is comforatble, we have similar (and different) interests, we have been able to travel quite a lot and plan to continue traveling in the future.

I can't think of one thing I would have done differently.

Lost in the Translation

I was playing with Google's translator today and ran a little test. I translated a joke from English to German and then back to English. Here is what I got...

English
A Priest, a Minister and a Rabbi walk into a bar.
The bar tender looks up and says "What is this, a joke?"

German
Ein Priester, ein Minister und ein Rabbi gehen in einen Stab. Der Barmixer schaut oben und sagt "was dieses ist, ein Witz.?"

English
A priest, a Minister and a Rabbi go into a staff. The bar mixer looks above and says "which this is, a joke?"

It's close. I think it's a good thing I used a simple joke.

Asheville - Survived

Well, it turns out that Hurricane Ivan did indeed visit Asheville while I was there. The rain was heavy on and off all day Thursday. That night about 10:30 the power went off in the hotel where I was staying. It's a pretty strange feeling to be in a hotel with the power off. However, I figured it was about the best place to be duirng the wind a and rain.

I used my cell phone as a mini flashlight so that i could see to brush my teeth and go to bed. I may actually consider carrying a flashlight in my kit from now on! When I left this morning the lights were still not on.

Both the French Broad and Swananoa rivers were badly flooded and the town of Hot Springs, NC (NW of Asheville) was expected to have 1 to 3 feet of water in the downtown area.

I caught a 10:30 flight from Greenville, SC and was home by 1:30.

Asheville

Tommorrow I am off to Asheville, NC for few days to attend our user's group meeting. That normally would not be a big deal, except that it appears that I am heading into the path of Hurricane Ivan, which is expected to arrive some time Friday. I suppose the rain will actually start Thursday. Asheville is still recovering from the flooding from Frances last week.

I expect to have lots of rain and wind to deal with over the next few days.

A whole new meaning for Changing Rooms!

Baby's Room 2 - This picture gives a closer look at the border. Click on the picture to make it bigger.

The Baby's Room Unveiled

Baby's Room - Ok, here is what all of the hard work has been about. Notice the matching lamp and border! Very designer chic!

Car Seat

I finally bought a car seat for the baby. They won't let you take the baby home from the hospital if you don't have one, so I decided I'd better get one soon. There is, of course, the possiblility that someone will give us one, but two couldn't hurt.

I have to hang the wallpaper border in the baby's room this weeknd, That shouldn't be too bad.

Poaching Bandwidth

One of my neighbors (not sure who) has apparently gotten wireless broadband because I am picking up a connection in my kitchen. I learned this by accident because I left the wirless card turned on when I was working at home and suddenly I had a live network connection. It is intermittent and weak but it is good enough that I can get mail and browse the web.

As far as I can tell, the best connection I get is in the middle of my kitchen table which is right next to a big window. I suppose the window casues less interference than the brick walls.

Right now, my own DSL connection is dead. Verizon has been really slow about fixing it. We are now down for 3 days and, because this is Labor Day weekend, I dont expect it back up until Tuesday at the earliest. I did get them to give me 40 extra days of free service as compensation.

Anyway, thanks to my neighbor, I am still poking along online.

Baby Blog

This blog has really turned into a baby log of sorts. I never really intended to go in a particlar direction with this, but I guess "the blessed event" has been on my mind a lot lately.

I am starting to feel like we are really in the home stretch now. Roughly five weeks to go. Could be three, could be seven. The due date is October 8. Debie is getting more tired now than she has been and I think she is having more difficulty breathing. Although it is normal, I think it is a little bothersome for her. I am just waiting. It is sort of like waiting for the first day of school. You want it to get here, but you are not sure what to expect.

I have lots of things to do in the next few weeks at work and at home.

Getting ready to decorate

It is time to decorate the baby's room. I will probably be buying paint and masking tape tonight. We are going to put a wallpaper border around the room at chair rail height with darker paint below and lighter above. I am also going to have to figure out how to hang the border, but I don't expect much trouble there.

Pediatrician Visit - Before

Tomrrow we go to meet with a pediatrician for the first time. This is a check 'em out visit. I guess it is a good idea to get feel for how they do things.

Progress

I got a little sad news today. One of my favorite lunch places, The House Grille, in Silver Spring is going to close on Friday. It is one of the few homey places in town and I will miss sitting out back to eat. Not only that, it is a family run business that is losing out to the chains.

Officially the parents want to retire and the son wants to focus on his real estate business. I think that they are also victims of the competitive nature of the restaurant market.

Silver Spring is in the middle of a revitalization project and has attracted several name brand chains in the last two years. This has undoubtedly put pressure on the local shop owners that were here before the "revival." Even though the lunch crowds are larger than in the past, they are focused on the mall-ish area that has opened up recently and where the chain restaurants are. This has taken traffic from the older establishments.

Even though the new "Downtown" is good for the area in the long run, it is sad to see the local folks edged out by big guys.

Baby School - Part Three

Well, yesterday was the last day of baby school and probably the most interesting. The morning session was about the same. The afternoon session was on Infant CPR. That is a good thing to know. Overall I think these classes were a crash course in what to expect when the baby finally gets here.

I feel like I understand a little more of what is, and will be, going on.

Baby Doctor Visit - 33 weeks

Debbie and I went to see Dr. Doolittle (not her real name) today. Everything with the baby is fine. He has apparently turned upside down, which is a good thing. I recorded his heartbeat. See previous post.

Listen to the baby's heartbeat

Baby School - Part Two

Blogger is really running slowly this morning. I suppose there are a lot of folks down in Florida writing about hurricane Charley. The storm passed to the east of us so we didn't get nearly as much rain as was forecast.

Baby school on Saturday went well. We got an education about cesarean sections; why they do them, how they are done, etc. In most cases it looks like the decision to do a cesarean is made during labor because of one or more complications. For instance, any time the baby is coming out any way other than head first. As an interesting side note, the teacher told us that part of the reason more cesareans are done is because the lawyers want it that way. Apparently they think is it less risky to do abdominal surgery than to try turning the baby during delivery. This may be so, but do we really want lawyers making our health care decisions in advance?

We went to look for a carpet for the baby's room yesterday... no luck.

Mozilla - Firefox

I've been using the Mozilla Firefox browser lately and I like it a lot. It is fast, clean and no-popups! I also downloaded a new theme for it called Noia Extreme which makes the browser look good too. It gives Firefox a little flash with not too much clutter. It is reminscent of the MAC OSX browser in some ways. I only use IE when I have to because of some tools that I have that require active x controls that don't run with Firefox.

My Mom's family in 1942

Mom is third from the right.

My Dad's Family in 1938

Dad is the little guy on Grandma's lap. My grandfather is about the same age as I am now.

The Baby's Room - Part 2

Ok, now it's starting to look a little more like the Baby's room. My brother and I carried the big furniture to the basement last night. We are going to get some new roller blinds for the windows, and possibly put up a wall paper border at chair-rail height. I suppose if we do that I will have to paint the wall under the border as well. That will be fairly easy. Actually, I would paint first and paper after.

On to the next thing!

The Baby's Room

Last evening Debbie and I finished putting together the furniture for the baby's room. We got a crib and a changing table/dresser. Both items were flat pack and had to be assembled. The designers of this stuff are definitely creating better quality furniture than they used to. Both pieces are solid and feel pretty substantial when you move them around.

Having baby furniture in the house is ok. Debbie is happy that it is done. She displayed some of the things that we have gotten as gifts in the crib and put the rest in the dresser drawers. Now she is thinking about buying Pampers and baby wipes.

The Burger King - about 1968

My First Birthday

Novenber 7, 1967

My First Birthday. That's my Dad and my sister on the right. I appear to be lecturing, as usual. Probably about the origins of chocolate cake as a birthday tradition. Note the coffee cup behind the cake. That cup is still in my Mom's kitchen cupboard and I use it often.

Baby School - Part One

On Saturday Debbie and I went to the first session of what I am calling Baby School. It's actually a labor and Delivery/Lamaz class.

I was a little reluctant to go, thinking that the whole thing would be silly, but I never mentioned this to Debbie because it was really important to her. As it turns out I think the class will be a good thing for both of us and I would recomend that first time fathers should just suck up their fears and go.

The reason that I think the class is good is that it really covers the whole process from how labor begins to deciding when to go to the hospital to what happens when the baby is born. I am a little squeamish about these things, but it is really going to make a difference when the day finaly arrives. Most importantly, I understand more of what will be happening to Debbie and what the doctors will be talking about in the delivery room.

Part of the class is designed to teach fathers how to help get mom through the delivery. This is such a stressful process, and it lasts so long, that she really needs support and encouragement to manage it without coming unglued. The baby is coming whether I help or not, but if I support Debbie and help her through this it will make things easier for her.

I also had the idea that when you get to the hospital and the baby would come and we would stay for a while and go home. A one level it's that simple. However, the details are much more complex. I won't go into what acually happens, but suffice it to say it is quite a process. After all of the build up of the last few months it will be quite a relief to have the baby born.

This is sort of the ulitmate story. Introduction, character development, plot development, climax, catharsis and resolution. All of the pieces are there.

So It Begins

So it begins. A new venture. A new paradigm. A soapbox, a platform, a pulpit.

A place to drop thoughts, a place to spread news, a shift in thinking, a return to writing.

This is my BLOG and welcome to it.