Funny T-Shirts

I was at Urban Outfitters yesterday when I saw this T-shirt on sale.



Old-school hip hop fans may remember the original image:



It got me thinking about t-shirts with funny sayings and logos, and how much I loved them when their popularity peaked about five or six years ago. Back then I'd totally rock something like this Subway-esque shirt:



I believe I've graduated from this trend for the most part, which is probably just as well since Helen says I can't pull off wearing them anymore. She says it's the height of d-baggery for a nearly 40-year old man to attempt to rock a shirt with the Puma athletics logo that actually reads something else:



The good thing is, they have these kinds of shirts for babies.



And I'll totally be putting Norby in a shirt like this. She'll look so cute.

Contraction Action

Helen's felt some contractions recently, minor stuff that she says felt like cramping. However there were also times when she says it really hurt. Last night and the night before she wasn't able to sleep well because of the pain. As a result, her sleep schedule is out of whack and she sleeps during the day. I suppose this is what we can expect soon once the baby arrives - I just didn't know it'd start before she got here.

Does this mean it's nearly time? Is the baby coming in mere days? Or are these contractions just a sign of an active baby?

Note: We had a Dr.'s visit a few days ago and she said the average for a first baby being born is anywhere between five days before and five days after the due date.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

A Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family. I am thankful that you are all in our lives and are healthy and happy, especially Helen and the baby. Just a few more weeks and she will be here...

Norby's Real Name Is...

...going to be discovered by close friends and family in the coming days, regardless of when she comes. That's because Helen and I decided to include the baby's name in our Christmas cards this year.

This means some people might potentially find out her name before she's born, breaking the rule we set for ourselves. But what the heck, 'tis the season of giving, after all.

Due Date

As we count down the weeks until Norby arrives, we've resorted to amusing ourselves with timeless games like Twister and wagering on when we think Helen's due date will be. The guesses range from a few weeks early to one week late.

Helen has convinced herself the baby will be coming on the next full or new moon, which may be more wishful thinking than anything else, since she's remarked on more than one occasion that she'd like Norby to get out of her.

A colleague of mine mentioned this might not be the best mentality to have, since constantly thinking 'Today's the day' can get emotionally draining and make time go by slower. It's the baby equivalent of going to bed knowing you have to wake up early - then not being able to sleep because you're over thinking it. Or counting days the days til Christmas.

For those wondering, Norby's due date is 12/12/10. I have my guess but am taking other guesses. The person who guesses closest to the actual date gets to changer her 43rd diaper...

Snow Day!

A pleasant surprise to wake up to snow falling today. It took a little bit longer to get to work but it evened out since we got out early - they sent us home because it's supposed to be windy and cold tonight.

While I enjoyed having the rest of the day off, it also made me think about how hard it'd be to get to the hospital if Norby decided to come out today. Any interesting getting-to-the-delivery-room stories you know of?

BTW- here's the view from my office window when the flakes fell. Nice.

Dunzo

A whirlwind of recent baby stuff that included a hospital tour, one year old's birthday party and three hour baby class. That completes all of our the classes we've signed up for and gives us next weekend to do nothing at all. To paraphrase a famous young Laguna Beach lass, we are dunzo!



It's a nice feeling to know we are fully immersed in baby knowledge (until the baby arrives and it's revealed we actually know nothing), but a bit disconcerting since we're sort of a holding pattern until the baby arrives. It's sort of like waiting for a tidal wave to crash on you - only this wave will be small, cry alot and poop every two hours...and we're excited about this(!)

Ridin' Slowly

While in the car the other day, I was tempted to make a daring move, but refrained because of the precious cargo in the vehicle with me (Helen and the unborn baby.) Instead, I slowed down, got out of the passing lane and into the driving lane then proceeded with caution at a safe rate of speed.

It got me wondering: if I am making adjustments like this now, what I will be like when Norby is actually here?



Thankfully the ride from the hospital home is only about a mile or so because I'm pretty sure I'll be going about 15 miles per hour the whole way. Parents, what else should I expect to change in my life, besides everything?

Refocusing Priorities

For the last few weeks, I've been doing everything I've felt I needed to get out of my system before the baby arrives. Basically that has meant acting like a bachelor - sleeping a lot, playing video games and eating bacon (though I suspect that will not stop once I become a dad.)

It got to the point where Helen had to tell me to stop slacking off and start doing productive things like preparing my daddy overnight bag for the hospital, etc.

I have to admit that I did get a little obsessed with my new (old) lifestyle and playing video games for 2 hours a day was probably not the best use of my time. But in my defense, I did just complete a perfect video game football season without losing a game - something my real life favorite team came oh-so-close to doing in 2007. So you'll forgive me for going overboard a little bit. Or not.

Life or Something Like It

This past weekend was a glimpse into my future - visiting our friends in the hospital and meeting their new baby, then off to a birthday party for a two year old, then a class on how to properly install an infant car seat.

When I told my (single, male) cousin about what we did over the phone, he was silent for a long time. Then he said, 'So, this is what your life is like now, huh?' Pretty much - not that I'm complaining. In fact, I'm getting positively stoked about becoming a dad, sooner rather than later!

Fun Fact: The movie from which this post's name originates was shot in Seattle, parts of it at KOMO-TV where some of my friends work.

We Got Next

Big ups to J&J, who had their baby boy, Hudson a few hours ago! Don't know the deets (height, weight, etc.), but Helen is at the hospital to offer her support and congrats on our behalf, and will come back with a scouting report for me. I'll also get a chance to meet him tomorrow.

Of course, what this means is that we are pretty close to having our own baby soon, since Hudson's due date was a month before Norby's. We are heading into the home stretch, big-time. and the nerves and excitement are ratcheting up...

UPDATE: Ji's Facebook page says Baby Hudson was born at 10:19am. He weighed 7 lbs 15ozs and is 19 1/2 inches long.

Practice Makes Perfect

Funny sight a few mornings ago as I was getting ready for work - the results of Helen practicing her swaddling skills on a stuffed animal bunny the night before.

I laughed and left a note (which is actually in the picture but hard to read.) It says: "Great job swaddling, Mommy! Love, Baby."

Helen says I can try swaddling next...on the cat.

Halloween 2010

We decided to chill this Halloween, our last one before Norby comes. Instead of dressing out and collecting candy, we had a date night that consisted of dinner and a movie (I'm original like that.) We got to enjoy each others' company while also living vicariously through Facebook, seeing the little kiddies we know trick or treating. Our thinking was, we're going to be celebrating Halloween for the foreseeable future, so we should enjoy being a couple this year.

BTW no offense to those who do/did this, but when did kids start trick or treating in the middle of the afternoon at retail stores, no less? When we were kids, we walked around in flammable costumes without parental supervision to strangers' homes when it was dark outside, and the biggest worry we had were apples with razor blades in them or getting hit by cars. The fear of getting abducted only added to the overall excitement of All Hallows' Eve. Ah, the good old days.