What is Love?

Baby don't hurt me ... don't hurt me ... no more ..

Ahem... sorry , got a little sidetracked.
Anyway, since I am a sucker for peer pressure, I too did the following:

midnight oil is love
brought to you by the isLove Generator

Normally, I wouldn't do something like this, but Midnight Oil is one of my favorite bands so I got a little nostalgic. Though, I am confused as to why a tall, bald, scary looking Australian would be considered love ...

Added 30-NOV-04 14:22
Duh! It looks at my LJ hobbies and interests. Only took me 2 tries to figure that one out. I need sleep!

How was your Thanksgiving?

We had a very nice Thanksgiving this year, as the album shows. Both my and Debbie's parents stayed at our house and joined us for the festivities. It has been kinda nice with the extra helping hands. Everyone is very eager to hold Lauren which made life a little easier on us. Also, a huge thank you to Jewel-Osco for providing the Thanksgiving feast. All we had to do was heat everything up. And it appeared the portion sized were perfect. We have very few leftovers which, at least this year, is a good thing. The turkey was succulent, the mashed potatoes stupendous, and the jello wobbly.
Now, we need to get ready for the baptism. There is a feast ready to be picked up. We ordered Portillo's because getting anything like turkey or chicken might cause people t vomit. And I'm in charge of clean up so I'd like as little vomit as possible.

More pictures

I received a request from "the internet" that I get more pictures of Lauren posted. Well, I uploaded some more and did a little rearranging of her album. Enjoy!

She didn't do it on purpose!

Well, it's been 3 days since I mentioned the foreboding calm and no storm has arrived. That's not to say Lauren hasn't had her little fits. She just hasn't had one like we saw last week. We're counting oour blessings for that!

In my head, I know that Lauren doesn't have much control over her movement or expressions. She doesn't prefer one parent over another. She loves us both just as much as we love here. Still, it's hard to remember that when she stares at me with her big eyes and shows the faintest of smiles. I know that's gas, but still, my heart says she's smiling at me. Similarly, if I take her from mommy and she cries, it's not that she hates me, she just liked where she was and didn't want to be moved. Now, if it were just smiles or cries, I probably wouldn't mention this, but Lauren has repeatedly done something recently that makes me have to remind myself most of her actions are not the result of any conscious thought. You see, she likes to open and close her hands, stretching her cute little fingers and then balling them up again in a fist. Sometimes, not all the fingers go back into that little ball. So ... lately ... a particular finger appears to be the one not making it back into the fist. You guessed it ... THAT finger. There I am, holding this sweet little angel, rocking her to sleep, and then BAM ... "Look at my finger daddy!". *sigh* What's next? Colorful metaphors?

The calm before the storm

Actually, I hope there isn't a storm, but I fear a nasty one is on the way. Lauren has been an absolute gem today. When she has woken up today, I fed her while watching TV (trying not to curse during the Michigan-Ohio State game). After eating, she falls asleep in my arms. No Mrs. Fussy Pants, no Squirmy McSquirm. She's just been great!
I fear that means tonight is going to be an absolute nightmare. I tried to lay claim to the day shift telling Debbie she had to cover the night shift. She didn't find that idea to appealing. I haven't figured out why. :)

There is nothing worse...

than where there is nothing you can do to console your crying child. Last night (pre-midnight), Lauren just did not stop crying despite everything Debbie and I did. We changed diapers (she was pooping and peeing); we tried to feed her; I even took her temperature. She did calm down a little bit when I handed her off to Debbie, but not too much. We, of course, put a call into our pediatrician (not bad ... 1st time parents and our 1st panicked call is 10 days old). I felt a little better when our doctor told us that, given all the stuff we had already determined, Lauren was just in a crying mood. Come around midnight, Lauren was finally asleep. She woke up once during the night, but overall, let us sleep. YEAH!!!

At least someone at CBS has a brain

If you are a fan of CSI: NY like me, then you too must have been furious at CBS on Wednesday when they interrupted the last 5 minutes of the show for the "breaking" news that Yassar Arafat had died. Well, the idiot who made this decision has received his come-uppance.
If you're not sure why this is a big deal, you have to understand how CSI episodes are delivered. The last 5 minutes of the show is the big wrap up. Who did it, why he did it, how he did it. So, the entire episode was ruined when this one guy decided to break in with this non-story. That isn't to say CBS should never break in like this, but I had 3 problems with they way CBS handled this particular news story.
First, Arafat had been on his death bed for weeks. There was one point when everyone though he was already dead and the French hospital where he was had to send a guy out to say that "Mr. Arafat is, in fact, not dead." Who in their right mind could possibly think this news was worthy of interrupting your top-rated new show.
Second, if you're going to break into your hit new show, I WANT DAN FREAKING RATHER THERE!!!! Instead, they had some substitute woman anchor there. I don't care who she is, she's not Dan Rather. Oh .. and this applies to ABC and NBC as well. If you're going to break in to a hit show, it had better be Peter Jennings/Tom Brokaw respectively. I'm sure she is a qualified and capable individual, but I DON'T CARE!!! YOU PUT DAN RATHER IN THAT CHAIR OR YOU DON'T INTERRUPT ... GOT IT?!?!?!
Finally, IT WAS 5 FREAKING MINUTES UNTIL THE DAMN NEWS!!!!!!! They couldn't wait the extra 5 minutes to tell us this? When CBS returned from the breaking story, there was the local news guy teasing the story everyone already knew.
Well, CBS fired the moron so I can rest easy now. Kudos CBS!

HALLELUJAH!!!!!

Our daughter is absolutely wonderful. For the past 2 nights now, she has slept from around 12:00 am to 6:00 am!!!! That's right folks ... 5 to 6 solid hours of sleep from a 1 week old!! Now, I wish I could say I slept all 6 hours the second night. I kept scaring myself awake for a really odd reason.

I kept having this nightmare that I had gotten up to feed Lauren, but rather than go to the nursery, I just laid in bed with her at my side and fed her that way. Whenever this thought appeared in my head, I became panicked because I thought she was still lying next to me and I had fallen asleep on top of her. At one point, I distinctly remember being convinced I was holding Lauren only to realize it was a bunched up corner of the comforter in my arms. Now, those of you who understand this fear probably have something in common. YOU'RE ALL WOMEN!!!! Why in the world would I be feeding Lauren from bed? This is typically done when there is "equipment" involved that I do not possess. *sigh* I don't know ... fears aren't rational. But everytime this thought hit me, I jumped out of bed to make sure she was still in the bassinet.

I blame all of this on Without a Trace. They had this exact plot line (though it involved a mother who liked mixing alcohol with prescription drugs) and it's now trapped in my head, ready to strike whenever a moment's peace comes over me. I fall asleep; get real comfortable; and *WHAM*Did I just suffocate my daughter?!?!?!?!?. Stupid writers!

The Big Question

Who does Lauren resemble the most? That is the burning question on everyone's mind. Well, rather than give you our opinion. You can decide for yourself.

Here's Lauren:


This is Debbie's picture:


And here is mine:


So ... who does she look like? Let us know!

Are you ready ...

to meet the newest addition to the Brown household?

Welcome to the World

Our new addition to the family has arrived: Lauren Elizabeth Brown. Born 6:46 pm; 7lbs 4 oz; 21 inches.
Mommy and baby are doing wonderfully. They're still at the hospital. I decided to run home so I could clean myself up a little bit. Thought I'd make a little post before I collapse. Pictures will come probably tomorrow.

Last Weekend as DINK's

Well, my dear loyal reader, it's a pretty good bet that, as you're reading this, I am at the hospital dealing with my wife calling all me sorts of names, maybe questioning my parent's marital status at my birth, and other pleasentries that accompany the wonderful and miraculous experience that is child birth. The baby is now 2 weeks past the due date and the doctor wants to induce. So, we have to be at the hospital tomorrow at 6. Let me rephrase that ... the doctor wants us AT the hospital at SIX IN THE FRICKING MORNING!!!! She obviously has no regard for the schedule I keep. The nerve of this woman!
The one nice thing is that we know that by tomorrow (or early Tuesday morning), we will have a child. It's an odd feeling knowing with absoulte certainty that this was Debbie's and my last weekend as a DINK couple. With that in mind, we decided to have a fun relaxing weekend (or ... as much fun as you can with a 9 lb bowling ball strapped to your stomach).
We toured the new Algonquin Commons on Randall Road Saturday and found a really neat store. There is this little place called Kirkland's that had a ton of really neat and really cheap stuff. We bought a cute placard for our house, but you're going to have to come see it because it is part of an "effect" thingie I got going here. We walked around a lot of the mall (really, we were hoping all that walking would have a side effect that, alas, did not occur). There was also a stop at Springhill Mall so we could check out the stores there for some items and to get our wedding rings checked. Debbie's was fine, but they confiscated mine so they could repair a loose stone. I hope our child isn't confused when (s)he comes out and doesn't see a ring on my finger. "No really ... we're married my son/daughter ... my ring's in the shop" If my child has inherited my sense of humor, I would expect a response like "Suuuuuuurrrrreee it is."
Sunday was spent doing little things around the house to make sure eveything is in order. I even installed the sign we bought ... you know ... the one I JUST mentioned ... geez ... can't you people follow one simple train of thought? ... oooh ... shiny object!.
Deb's parents are now here as well. I have to say this whole planned birth thing does have its advantages. They drove in today from Detroit so they could be here to help. I know Debbie really appreciates having the extra hands around here for a little while. We did the dry run to the hospital for them so they knew where they were going. Then had a nice dinner. One lovely lady at the restaurant noticed Debbie and just had to remark "Wow ... you LOOK ready to give birth!" When Debbie mentioned the baby was going to be about 9 lbs, the lady responded "Yeah .. it looks like it!" Debbie really enjoyed that.
Debbie needs the computer now, so I shall leave you. I wouldn't expect any updates here for a couple days as I will be at the hospital coaching, cheering, and trying to keep my limbs attached to my body. If I had to guess, I'd say Wednesday is probably the first chance I'll get to post an update, but you never know. Pictures will also follow shortly (obviously)! When I return, I shall be a father ... whatever that means!

Raise the level of discourse

Have you ever want to insult someone, but don't like using foul language. This site has your answer. Insult your friends (and enemies) using the gifted pen of Shakespeare to convey your anger/disgust/shame. So, to you my loyal reader, I say:

Thou loathed issue of thy father's loins!

And for my next impression...

I'd like to do my impression of Yassar Arafat: "I'm not dead yet!"

HA! I kill me!

Shake things up

I think, with the outcome of the recent election, its time to shake things up a bit.

[Image courtesy of letsriot.com]

Amen brother ... Amen

Ponderments

I've been pondering something in the past few hours and wanted to run this idea by you, my loyal reader. I have a friend who works in the gaming industry. He and another friend are currently taking classes at the Game Institute. I'm not in the gaming industry. I don't know if I'll ever work in the gaming industry. But these classes look really cool. The cost isn't prohibitive and this is something that really intrigues me. I play games that use this technology all the time. If something were to happen at my current job, I would love to move to the gaming industry as my next career. Not that this certification would guarantee my ability to switch careers, but I think this would be fun. What do you guys think?
I also realize this is not the best time to initiate such an endeavor, but it may not be that bad. The courses are self paced so I can take as little or as much time as I would like. I also know that, if I were to do this, Debbie is awesome at making sure I follow through. When I was going for my Master's degree (in Telecommunications and Software Engineering) she provided TONS of support and kept me focused so that I would reach my goal. And now, I can check that box on surveys that say "Post-graduate degree" thanks to her.

How was your Halloween Weekend?

Debbie and I had a pretty good weekend, considering it didn't include a new arrival :( On Saturday, we went to a party at a co-workers house. I dressed up like a tourist. Loud Hawaian shirt, blue dress shorts, block socks and sandals, and a big floppy hat. Debbie pinned the cap to a strawberry outfit we had for the baby in case (s)he decided to arrive by All Hallow's Eve to her shirt. We told people that Debbie didn't want to dress up in a costume, but the baby did, thus the cap pinned to the shirt (right around the stomach area). Sunday was spent at home watching Tivo and handing out treats. We had 115 Trick-or-treaters stop by. How do I know this? Because Debbie counts all the candy we bought and requires that I keep track of what I dispense to the young 'uns of the neighborhood. Not that she's anal or anything. Other than that, it was a disappointingly unexciting weekend.