Leaving On a Jet Plane

Recently we took a plane ride - Helen's first since being pregnant. There was some uncertainty on my part, since I had no idea what kind of effect flying would have on her or Norbit.

She ended up doing pretty well and as far as I can tell, Norbit was comfortable flying, too. Nothing really out of the ordinary. So proud of them both!

I know that a few months from now Helen won't be in a 'no fly zone' until the baby comes, so I wonder if we're going to try and travel as much as we can before that happens or stay home a lot more.

We have talked about continuing to travel even after Norbit arrives, since we want to expose him or her to new experiences. To that, some of our parent friends laugh and say, "We used to think the same thing, then reality set in." Lots of stories of crying, barfing and other kiddie misadventures in the air. However we noticed many young children who were well behaved during our flights, so I have to believe that some babies travel well, and have high hopes (get it? airplane pun) that our kid will be one of them.

Norbit's Revenge

Back from a wonderful week away on vacation. Hard to beat 85 degrees and sunny every day, especially when we came back to a cool 57 degrees and heavy rain.

The one less than happy time we had was when Helen and I went out to a fancy dinner. She was being unusually quiet and got up to go to the restroom. Once. Then a second time. When she came back, her eyes were a bit watery and she did not look well. She asked for the hotel room key and suggested that I meet her back there and get our dinner to go, which I did.

Turns out that Norbit decided to let us know s/he was there. Considering this is the first time that Helen got sick since she's been pregnant, I guess we can't be too mad that our little dude/ette ruined our dinner. Added bonus: Helen got back in the room in time to watch the end of 'Glee.'

Do Cats Get Jealous?

Earlier this morning our cat Jasmine jumped onto our bed and proceeded to come to rest right on Helen's belly. We had to shoo the cat off my wife and Norbit, just to be safe.

It got me wondering what, if any, feelings animals have when it comes to babies? I imagine, given her uncanny sixth sense that Jasmine can tell something's different about Helen these days. There are times when she seems more needy than before, acting like a dog and following Helen around wherever she goes - even into the bathroom.

I originally told Helen we'd have to get rid of the cat once the baby was born, to make sure there would not be any conflicts or problems. I read somewhere that back in the day, people feared cats would steal the breath of babies and kill them. I worry more about biting and scratching, or the cat hair in the air causing the baby asthma.

Since then I've softened my stance and can see there may be positive benefits to having a baby coexist with an animal. I wonder if Jasmine feels the same.

UPDATE: Helen insists that it's usually the cat who ends up suffering worse than the kid. Her case in point, from a website she found called sh*tmykidsruined.com:



From the person who took the photo - My daughter “painted” the cat with 4 different colors of nail polish. Cat is OK.

Hellos and Heartbeats

Today Helen and I went to meet her baby doctor. The doc seems very nice and took our questions, then talked about all the things Helen could or could not / should or should not do. Amazingly, zip-lining is OK in her book. She said that she recommends pregnant women only gain about 25 pounds total, which was a bit of a surprise since I know some moms who gained as much as 70 lbs when they had their babies.

The doctor also talked about all the things we as humans (pregnant or not) already know but hardly ever do, like eat healthy, exercise regularly, etc. She mentioned that how active the mom is while pregnant will have a direct effect on the chances of the baby becoming obese as a child. Additionally, she gave us a marathon analogy, basically saying that if one sat on the couch for nine months, then got up to try and run a marathon, the results wouldn't be pretty. Same thing with pregnancy - working hard when giving birth is all the tougher when you haven't 'trained' beforehand, though I'm not sure how much one can train for childbirth (I've heard the experience likened to taking your lips and stretching them over the top of your head. Ouch.)



The best part of today's visit was getting the chance to hear the baby's heartbeat. It was so cool. Norbit's tiny heart was thumping like crazy - it sounded like a horse galloping. I think I'll sleep well tonight knowing that baby and mommy are healthy and progressing nicely, and that we're in good hands with this doctor.

Funny Dads

My dad is the nicest guy you'll ever meet. He's also really funny and laid back. I think we have similar personalities and people say I look a lot like him (to which he normally replies, 'Lucky devil!' - told you he was funny.)

I wonder what kind of parents Helen and I will be. We've discussed it a few times and decided that she will be the loving but firm no nonsense-type mom and I will be the wanna-be-hip-but-am-actually-dorky, funny dad, like the guy on the TV show 'Modern Family.' Our friends tend to agree.

Of course if there are times I need to step up and protect my family, especially from outrageous cell phone bills or guys named Derek with moustaches who drive Mustangs, I'll be ready. That is all.



*UPDATE* If Norbit is a girl, this is what will happen when she's 16. Teenage boys in the year 2027, be afraid. Be very afraid.

Sympathy Weight

During this first trimester, Helen has naturally gained a little bit of weight. The temptation to eat what she eats, when she eats it is great, and I have found is that it is quite a challenge for me to maintain a healthy diet and continue to exercise portion control in meals. Since I don't have the excuse of/need to eat for two I know that if I followed Helen's pregnancy diet, it would have dire consequences to my waistline and turn my already-forming double chin into a quad chin.

In recent days, she's lost a bit of her appetite and says that food lacks flavor to her. As long as this is normal and she and the baby are OK, I will selfishly say it is a bit of a relief, since it prevents me from having to resist watching her snack multiple times during the day or eat larger-than-normal meals, and having my stomach say 'Dude, are we getting some of that action, or what?' I am sure many of you already know that it's really hard to not partake when someone else is eating something that looks. so. damn. good.

One thing I told her once we found out we were having a baby was that I would handle my own meals and she could be in charge of hers (before the pregnancy she would cook meals for the both of us, and I'd do the cleaning.) I knew that we'd each want to eat different things at different times of the day. So far I think it's working out, and I am getting used to having Lean Pockets and Morningstar Farms Chik'n Nuggets for dinner.

Food for Thought

So far Helen hasn't really exhibited any of the stereotypical characteristics of a pregnant woman- morning sickness, weird food cravings like pickles and ice cream, etc. In fact, besides a little soreness and fatigue, she's been holding up well so far.

The one thing that she has mentioned is that she cannot stomach grease. Can't stand the smell, the sight or the taste of it. That means no fries, cheeseburgers or any of the foods she used to love. I was stunned when we went to Red Mill Burgers recently and the only thing she had was a milkshake. That would be like going to the Louvre and only taking a picture of the men's room sign.

One of our friends told us being pregnant feels like having a hangover and food poisoning at the same time. That sounds pretty awful! So while I try to be sensitive to my wife's needs during the first trimester, I secretly revel in the idea that the next time we have a greasy meal, there will be more for me.

Moments Frozen in Time

I wonder what will be going on in the world when Baby Delen arrives? I am trying to figure out what kinds of things I'd want to collect for a time capsule on the day Norbit is born (assuming we decide to do something like that.)

Besides the old reliables like the front page of a newspaper, what would you recommend go in a keepsake box? An ipod with all the current popular songs? A shiny new penny with the current year on it? A pair of Air Jordans?

When baby gets old enough, they will be able to look back at what was cutting edge present day and laugh at what we currently consider cool, the same way we laugh at brick cell phones, acid wash jorts and mullets.

Comments Welcome

When I was a news anchor, there would only be four or five people actually in the studio during the newscast at any one time, so it was really hard to gauge whether the jokes we'd make during lighter moments of the show (known in the biz as 'cross talk' or 'chit-chat') were making people laugh or bombing horribly.

This blog reminds me of that. While I am mostly writing this to document the days and months leading up to Norbit being born, I have to admit I enjoy seeing what comments (if any) people leave. It's cool knowing that people not only check in from time to time, but also feel strongly enough about what I've written to weigh in with their thoughts.

I am hopeful that once we tell the masses the news, there will be more readers/followers and as a result, more comments. In the meantime, I'm counting on you to pick up the slack and leave comments. Then I won't have to ask 'Is this thing on?'

Baby's Sports Allegiance*

Recently, Helen was astounded (or maybe disgusted is the right word) that there was another game on TV I wanted to watch. I told her it was a great time to be a sports fan, especially one rooting for Boston teams, since the Celtics and Bruins were advancing deeper into the playoffs and the Red Sox are...well, the Red Sox. I have been spoiled the last decade at how well my teams did, and continue to do.

I find it kinda funny when people in Seattle ask me which city's sports teams I would root for if they were to play against each other. The answer is simple: Boston's.

It's not just because the teams from my hometown are doing better than their Pacific Northwest counterparts right now. It's also because as a loyal fan, I believe in 'sports monogamy.' Of course, when I am at Safeco or Qwest Fields, I will root for the M's and 'Hawks and not feel like I'm cheating on my teams.

I plan on eventually making Norbit a sports fan and taking him/her to as many games as possible. I'll be happy if he or she takes a liking to any and all sports and would be thrilled if Boston teams are Norbit's favorites.

The good news is that even if Wingbaby likes Seattle teams more, they have some of the same common enemies as Boston teams, like the Yankees. And I think it'll be easy to teach our child to root against teams with players like A-Rod. I mean look below- what a tool. How can you not boo a guy like that? He's more vain than I am!



*For sports fans who care- top photo was taken Oct 2007 at a Red Sox playoff game Jason and I went to. I am the dude stading in the top left-ish part of the photo, white hat, grey sweatshirt, arms raised celebrating Manny's home run.

Far From Perfect

So far most of my posts have been about the positive aspects of finding out we are having a baby. However, lest anyone think pregnancy is 100% fun and exciting, heartfelt moments and good times, let me be the first to assure you there are also rough patches. When Helen feels bad physically or emotionally, I sometimes end up receiving the brunt of her wrath. It's to be expected. But instead of getting too upset, I try to use these times as a learning experience, and transfer the lessons of my marriage to future child rearing.

Yesterday, Helen was about to take a nap, and called me into the bedroom. When I got there, she asked me to close the window and pull down the shades, actions I thought she should have been able to do herself, especially since she hadn't gotten into bed yet. Channeling my inner Spock, I'd say it was a completely illogical request and didn't understand why she asked that of me. (Feel free to let me know what you think, since I still don't get it.)

I told her I would do it, but there was a limit to the number of things like this (read: things she could do herself) that I would do for her. She got a little upset, so I closed the door, left the house and did my own thing for a while.

When I returned, I told her that when we get short with each other, I may take off for a bit to give ourselves some time apart to cool down. (Side note: my communication with Helen is quite good. For instance, sometimes when she's mad at me I'll ask her if she wants to be alone, or have me stay there so she can yell at me. It's kind of comical. For the record, her answer is usually, 'Stay here and let me yell at you.')

My main point- I think taking a self-induced 'time out' is a good strategy when you have a cranky baby, just as it is when you have a cranky spouse. People have told me when a baby is crying and you're at your wit's end, the best thing to do is go outside for a few minutes so you can regain your sanity and come back without doing or saying anything you might regret. I did that with Helen yesterday and thought it worked out well.

Bottom line- handling stress, anger, boundaries and limits are valuable skills that apply for all relationships, regardless of who the person is. Even your unborn child.

Young Forever vs. Forever Young

Just watched last night's SNL, hosted by Betty White. It was pretty funny. The musical guest was Jay-Z, who is an all-time favorite artist of mine. But I'm not sure if I love the remake he did of a 1980's techno pop song by Alphaville.



Jason and I first heard this version when we were up in Vancouver, BC last weekend and I immediately said I wasn't a fan. I think I prefer the original. Even though the video is a little cheesy and definitely dated, the song remains classic. Your thoughts or preferences?

Breakfast of Champions

Wolfgang Puck ain't got nothin' on me- Mother's Day menu for Helen:

French Toast (my mom's recipe)
Hash browned potatoes, lightly salted
Turkey bacon, extra crispy
Fresh fruit medley of black grapes and cantaloupe
Pink lemonade

Thanks, Hallmark

Here's the card I gave Helen for her first Mother's Day. I think she liked it ;)

(disregard the Junior Mints in the background - pregnancy craving)

Meet Norbit

Laies and gentlemen, may I present to you the world's first photo of Norbit (or 'Norbette' for those who think the baby is female.) This is the ultrasound we got when we went to the doctor's office last week. The technician told us Norbit's heart was beating at 170 bpms, which while fast for an adult is pretty normal for an eight-week old.

What a perfect Mother's Day gift. As our friend Keli said, 'This means the baby's real!' (Actually she said 'This mean's she's real,' since Keli is one of the many people hoping for a baby girl.)

At the OB/GYN, Helen lay on an examining table, and the technician squeezed some hot gel onto her stomach (insert your own inappropriate joke here.) Then she ran the machine over my wife's tummy and voila! we could magically see the baby. It was so cool. Seeing the heartbeat was amazing.

If you click on the image above, you can see more detail. The arrow is pointing to the baby's head, in case you were wondering. The first trimester is when major developments happen, and soon arms and legs, nose, eyes and ears and other vital body parts will start forming. This is why it's important that Helen eat right and not drink or smoke. We wouldn't want the baby to have a superfluous third nipple like Mark Wahlberg, or worse. Though a six-pack of 'baby abs' would be kick-ass!

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing all the moms out there a Happy Mother's Day! Mom, Yu Zhen, Po-po, Caroline, all our friends and family moms and especially to my sweetheart Helen, who I know is going to be the best mommy ever.

BTW, the photo above is of the Mother's Day gift I got for Helen. It is blue topaz, one of the gemstones for the month of December, when Norbit is due (props to Tricia for that great idea and for turning me on to Etsy.com.)

In case you're wondering, I think the necklace is resting against a rock and not a baked potato, though that'd be pretty sweet. And delicious.

Thank Goodness for the Guest Bedroom

Earlier in the week, Helen was not feeling very well and her temper reflected this. Once, in the middle of the night (or maybe it was early morning) I was awakened by a hard shove. When I groggily opened my eyes, Helen had a mad look on her face. I'm not sure what I had done, so she told me 'You have been snoring all night. You have to wake up now, and sleep in the other room tonight!' Then she rolled over in a huff.

That night I went to sleep in our guest bedroom, and slept like a champ (which isn't really breaking news since I can fall asleep anywhere, at any time.) When I asked Helen how she slept, she said she too had slept very well. That got me wondering if it was better for us to sleep in separate beds permanently. I think there are studies done on this that show on the one hand people sleep better alone, but on the other hand they feel more secure with someone next to them. What are your thoughts on this?

Blogging is Fun!

As I sit here and try and stay quiet while Helen naps, I find myself being drawn to this new blog. It's kinda fun to write random things. As a quasi-professional writer, it comes pretty naturally to me, and I have discovered that I have a lot of thoughts going on in my head and a lot to say.

I imagine at some point I will exhaust all the things I'm thinking that I have yet to write down, and these entries will not be as frequent. But for now, I'll be a writin' fool, and not all of what I put here will be about the baby.

As proof, here's something that I think is kinda funny and completely off topic. It's an oldie, but a goodie. Enjoy!

Babies, the Movie

In preparation for our NKOTB (New Kid on the Block), Helen and I watched this movie last night. It was pretty good and the babies in it were really cute. But I gotta say it was hard to justify paying $22 (yes, movie tickets where we live are now $11) to watch a move that was less than an hour and a half long.

Gratuitous Photos of Beautiful Children

If our child ends up looking like any of these kids, I will be over the moon. I'll also totally force them to be models and become a pushy stage dad ;)

(Photos courtesy of KLB Photography and Helen. Video courtesy of Microsoft. Children courtesy of their awsome parents.)













Helen's standards are slightly lower than mine- she says she'd be happy if our baby looks like Guillermo from Jimmy Kimmel Live. I suppose he's pretty cute, but not as precious as the kids above.

'The Unusual Suspects'

One of the neat things I've discovered about pregnancy is the friendships you make with other parents and soon-to-be-parents. For instance, we've got some friends who are also pregnant (due one month before us), as well as a couple who already have two adorable kids. I feel like we're all part of a special club (though Helen might say I'm special, period. And that wouldn't be a compliment.) We hang out, play board games, laugh a lot and call ourselves 'The Unusual Suspects' in honor of the time we were playing a board game and Helen mistakenly thought that was the name of the Kevin Spacey flick above.

We were already pretty good friends, but I have a feeling the new baby bond we have will make us all even closer.

Boy or Girl?

I will be happy regardless of whether Norbit turns out to be a girl or a boy. As long as the baby is healthy, I will be thankful. That may be the politically correct answer, but it also happens to be true in my case. However, after informally polling friends and family, I'm finding people have some pretty strong opinions.

My parents, as noted in a previous post, would probably love to have another grandson. The big difference would be that unlike Kevin and Davey, who are my sister's sons, our baby would be the son of their son and will carry on the family name. In our extended family, there are only a handful of Wing boys in the next generation, so another would bolster the ranks and help our legacy continue on.

Everyone else has said they want a girl. Like, EVERYBODY. Helen wants a girl. Her mom wants a girl, her friends think it'll be a girl. Keep in mind most of the folks who say they want a girl happen to be female, and my theory is that they just want a baby girl because there is a wider variety of cute little girl clothes, shoes, accessories and other things than for little boys.

Many people tell me that girls are easier at first, then get harder to raise as they get older, while for boys the opposite is true. So ultimately I guess it's a matter of when you want the hard years to come. As I said, I really don't care what the sex of the baby is as long as they have skills- like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills or these skills:

Reactions

This is how I felt after finding out we were having a baby. Equal parts fear and elation. (Off topic- apparently my life has been heavily influenced by movies. First 'Norbit,' and now pix of 'Home Alone' and 'Titanic.') I think Helen has been pretty psyched, too. We had lunch at a Vietnamese restuarant when she told me the official news after seeing her doctor and I barely remember what she said. It was a surreal feeling to know that something we had wanted to happen, happened (so quickly!) and that we would hopefully be parents by the end of the calendar year, whether we were ready or not.

The reactions of our family has been pretty much what we expected. My folks are happy, but with three grandkids already new babies are old news. The fact we live 3,000 miles away probably doesn't help matters. They are, however, excited their only son is going to have a baby, and I have a feeling in true Chinese fashion, they would be very happy if Norbit turns out to be a boy so he can carry on the family name.

Helen's parents are stoked since this will be their first grandchild, and they will see him or her quite a bit. I also think the parents of the mom-to-be may have a deeper bond with the grandchild for some reason.

We have also told some very close friends and other family members about the news, and all have been very happy for us. It's fun to see the reactions on peoples' faces when we tell them. Jaws drop, eyes get wide, and there are hugs aplenty to go around.

Despite all this elation, I sometimes wonder and worry about whether other people will think we're being boastful somehow, if are we being insensitive to people who do not have kids and want them or boring those who don't want to hear about our experience. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where the new mom kept telling Jerry 'you gotta see the baby.' I sure hope we're not like that.

Norbit

Even before we were pregnant, I'd taken to calling our non-existent future baby 'Norbit.' No real reason, other than I thought it was a funny name and that I knew at some point we'd be having a kid. I bought Helen the used Norbit movie DVD on Amazon.com for like $2.99 a few Christmases ago, but she threw it away after we watched it once. It was pretty bad, so I can't really blame her.

Anyway, once we found out Helen was pregnant and Norbit was real, I noticed some minor differences in my wife. She got a little fuller in both the 'chestal region' and the stomach (rubber bands on jeans, anyone?), got up to go to the bathroom five times a night and was *slightly* more emotional about things. Foods she usually liked were now unappealing to her and she was definitely a lot more tired than before. For me, the only major change was getting yelled at by Helen a bit more than usual- sometimes for good reason and others times simply because I was the only other one in the room besides our cat, Jasmine.

However, we have also been ecstatic about learning we're going to be parents, and have taken out books from the library, hit up friends with kids for their old baby stuff, and talked a lot about how much our lives are about to change. Those who are already moms and dads have especially told us how true that is. When someone I know found out we were pregnant he said, 'Congratulations. Your life as you know it is over.' I believe what he meant was no more 9 hrs of sleep a night, playing a full season of Madden on my PS2 when Helen is out, or being selfish in other ways. While that freaks me out a bit, I am also ready to be a dad, and am pretty optimistic I'll be a good one.

Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

...a very god place to start. Greetings, and welcome to the Baby Delen blog!

It is with great excitement that I announce my wife, Helen, and I are expecting our first child in December 2010. As of today, the baby is 8 weeks old and about the size of a grape. According to old school tradition, we're not supposed to tell anyone about our pregnancy until closer to 3 months/12 weeks, so if you're reading this, keep things hush-hush til June, ok?

It didn't really dawn on me to document this experience until now, but I realized that between today and when the baby is born, there will probably be some really funny, poignant and educational things that happen. Perhaps those who have never had a baby can live vicariously through us or learn some cool stuff, and those who are already parents can commiserate with what we're going through, reminisce about their own pregnancies or laugh at how badly we're screwing things up.

Since I just decided to start this blog, I'll have to catch you up on the first two months/8 weeks that led up to this point. Here's the condensed version-

The first few weeks didn't really count, since we didn't even know Helen was 'with child.' The medical experts/OB/GYNs tell us that the baby was conceived in early March. Looking back I think at the time my biggest concerns were how the Red Sox were going to do this year and whether I would be able to shed a few of the winter pounds I'd gained.

Once Helen missed her monthly visitor, we knew something might be up. We didn't want to get our hopes up too much since we'd be told by friends to budget anywhere from 6 months to a year when trying to have a baby. But after a few times of peeing on a stick (her, not me), it was clear Helen was preggers. The fun was just beginning!