Thanks to our wonderful friends and family, we received many great gifts!  We got some great gifts including the Pack and Play, a ton of diapers, some baby clothes, and other baby items.  Our baby is going to be spoiled!  That is all great, but on top of those great gifts we went to Toys ‘R Us and got a whole crib bedding set for only $20!!!  Originally it was $250!!!  For some reason it was on clearance, but we couldn’t find anything wrong with it!  So it was a great weekend for baby gear, and we only have a few things left to get.  Now we have a lot of thank you notes to write!

Funny story… we are going to have another baby shower!?  Well, sorta.  We’re going to have another little get together back in my home town for my older relatives that weren’t invited to this one.  We didn’t mean to leave them out of this one, but I think it is better this way!  But here is a tip for future mothers and fathers out there: Make sure you invite people even if you know they can’t come! (Oops!  Sorry Mark!)

“Before he was like a fish swimming, and now he is a big bird flapping his wings.”

Maybe he was practicing dragon style kung fu, and now he is practicing crane style?

What I said a few nights ago while sleeping:

“**mumbling**… I’ll have a cobb salad…”

We had already bought some clothes from both of those stores along with some small things from Baby Gap.  Adding the new stuff to what we already bought, we have the first 6 months of the baby’s life “covered” plus some 9 and 12 month clothes.  I don’t know if we’re going to buy more before the baby comes, or get more when we need them.  What do you think?

So we ordered the crib, dresser, and changing table from Babies “R” Us.  Now we just have to go pick them up.  We also have a bouncy chair and swing coming from a friend.  We’re still thinking about the stroller and some of the other big things.  The rest of the baby gear is on the registry at Babies “R” Us, and the baby shower is in the works.  I think it’s going to be in March sometime, but maybe a little sooner in case my wife starts feeling more tired around that time.  If you have any shower planning tips, let us know!

I think we’re nearing the end of the “easy” phase, and soon things will start to get harder.  My wife is going to get more and more uncomfortable leading up to the big day, and thereafter our life is going to be pretty hectic.  I’m trying to think of anything I need to get done before that time.  Hopefully I’ll still have time to do some blogging after that!

It’s a boy!

It's a Boy!

See that arrow in the picture on the left!  It should actually be pointing a little lower, but check it out!!!  The ultrasound went great and everything is normal and the baby is healthy.  Supposedly he is in the 43 percentile weight/height wise which is good!  Hopefully he’ll be a little taller than his Dad (and a lot taller than his mom!).  Judging by the intelligence of his mom and dad (or at least his mom), this kid is going to be smart!  Check out this huge noggin!

What a big noggin'!

My wife and I are both thrilled, and I think our families are even more thrilled!  Now we finally know what type of name to pick, and what color gear we should be buying.  So far, the only thing we’ve bought is the baby monitor, and my wife has knitted some gender-neutral hats and socks.  Next up on the list:

1. Stroller/car seat (can be bought in a set)
2. Crib
3. Changing table
4. Pack n’ play
5. Bouncy chair
6. Swing?
7. Diapers
8. Special diaper trash can to trap the odor.
9. An infinite number of other toys, clothes, necessities,  and accessories.

For the most part, I think we are going to go with the Eddie Bauer collection for the big ticket items.  Yeah!  I didn’t know they made Eddie Bauer baby gear either???  But anyway, that brand of products look and feel really solid.  The price is on the high end of the “normal people” range, but I think it’s worth it.  Assuming this kid doesn’t drive us completely insane, we’re going to get him a brother or sister, so all the baby gear will be used twice.

Then we have the baby shower to plan, and we have to reorganize our current office/guest bedroom.  Then there is all the financial planning that goes into this whole adventure, and we’re probably going to need more insurance, as well as some life insurance!  On a side note, I also have some important stuff coming up at work that will have me stepping a little bit outside my comfort zone, but it’s for the best!

All in all this is probably the most exciting time of our lives.  Wish us luck!

So what are we going to name the first new member of our new family?  For a long time, Tiffany has liked the name Jasmine, but we couldn’t think of a Boy’s name that we both liked.  Then all of a sudden, Tiffany had a dream that we already had the baby, and his name was Gabe!

According to a bunch of different websites, Gabriel has a very strong meaning.  From Think Baby Names Gabriel means:

God’s able-bodied one; hero of God

It has Hebrew roots, and was the name of an archangel in the bible!  Pretty impressive, and I’m sure our baby will live up to the name Now to think of a middle name…

It’s especially hard for me to get involved in everything since I am VERY disconnected from the whole situation.  We’ve had a lot of talks about the baby, went to some doctor appointments, and even had a preliminary ultrasound.  But unlike my wife, I haven’t had morning sickness, my belly hasn’t been getting bigger, my clothes still fit, and I haven’t been hungry all the time with cravings for specific foods.

Actually, I have gotten sick twice in the last month and I have put on weight!  The weight is due to the fact that I have to eat all her left overs, due to her strange appetite.  However, it was very strange that I got sick twice in such a short period of time.  Normally I’m very healthy, and rarely get anything more than some sniffles or a cough.  But these 2 incidents I got quite ill, and once I had to leave work in the middle of the day!

Luckily, I have this book called The Expectant Father.  The book isn’t only about the man though.  On the contrary!  This book is written by a man, along with insights from women.  it discusses the man’s role during pregnancy, as well as the different things the man will experienceduring the pregnancy.  Naturally, in order to relate the man’s feelings, it also covers what the woman is going through.  If you’re an expectant Father, I would highly recommend the book.

One of the things the book mentions is morning sickness for the man!  Yes!  There is such a thing!  I thought it was strange when I got sick immediately after learning we were pregnant, but it turns out there may be a reason !  No, it wasn’t just the shock!  Unfortunately this isn’t quite a scientific fact, but according to the book these types of occurrences seem to be well documented, although somewhat unexplained.

That is all for now.  Next time you hear from me, our baby will be bigger than a peach (right now it’s like a plum)!