Sympathy Pain

What’s Halloween like in the Comer/Brown House? Well, this year it’s on a Wednesday. That’s my day with Jack. So, I offered to get his costume and get him ready for the evening. I picked him up after school, around 3:15. We stopped by the store to get safety pins and a trick and treat bag. Then on to the house to do homework and eat. Sarah got home, and we began the transformation. My little freckled face, blond haired boy became Jack-ula, the undead.

We went to the Baptist church up the street, to their Trunk-or-treat. This was Sarah’s first experience with the boy on Halloween, and her first Trunk-or-Treat. This church does it up right, with 5 inflatable play forts/slides. They also had about 20 cars decorated and giving candy out at each. It’s a great option for the 8 and under crowd. It’s a great way to enjoy Halloween in a safe, controlled way.

I do have to say at this point, some people should have a personal costume cop at there house. One lady, at this church function, showed more breast than I saw at my bachelor party. I’m not really sure who or what she was supposed to be. But nice ta tas. And…Super Girl, without the super abs. I wanted to buy her a body suit.

After 45 minutes, we traveled to bio-mom’s house. She lives in a sub division that does Halloween right. People park at the mouth of the sub division, and but the dozens, walk through. Some have flatbed hay rides. A bunch of the house are decked out with Halloween decorations. Jack was off with his friend to finish the trick or treating…without me.

Sarah and I went home, tried to give out some candy, and plopped on the coach to watch Gordon Ramsey tear an Indian restaurant to shreds.

Not very “Leave it to Beaver” but Jack had an awesome night. It would have been easy to just let Jack hang with his mom, but I really enjoyed having Sarah help get him ready then see the “crazy boy” at Trunk or Treat. I think he also was able to get the best of both houses.

I’d love to say that every holiday in a split family is this easy…but it’s not. Just read Kimberly’s site.

I’m sure that you’ve seen these rules before and really, they’re just common sense. But since we’re coming up to that time of the year, I think it’s wise to review them. Something about this time of year can play havoc with otherwise sensible people.

Just in case you have forgotten the rules for a safe and Happy Halloween.

1. When it appears that you have killed the monster, NEVER check to see if it’s really dead.

2. Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.

3. Do not search the basement, especially if the power has gone out.

4. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they should not know, shoot them immediately. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. However, it will probably take several rounds to kill them, so be prepared. This also applies to kids who speak with somebody else’s voice.

5. When you have the benefit of numbers, NEVER pair off or go it alone.

6. As a general rule, don’t solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.

7. Never stand in, on, or above a grave, tomb, or crypt. This would apply to any other house of the dead as well.

8. If you’re searching for something which caused a loud noise and find out that it’s just the cat, GET OUT FAST!

9. If appliances start operating by themselves, do not check for short circuits; just get out!

10. Do not take ANYTHING from the dead.

11. If you find a town which looks deserted, there’s probably a good reason for it. Don’t stop and look around!

12. Don’t fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you’re sure you know what you’re doing. And even if you’re sure you know what you’re doing, just don’t fool with it!

13. If you’re running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it’s still moving fast enough to catch up with you.

14. If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, and so on, kill them immediately.

15. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (you’re in trouble if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine.

16. If your car runs out of gas at night on a lonely road, do not go to the nearby deserted looking house to phone for help. If you think that it is strange because you thought you had half a tank, shoot yourself instead. You are going to die anyway, and dying by gunshot is most likely more pleasant than being eaten.

17. If you find that your house is built upon a cemetery, now is the time to move in with the in-laws. This applies to houses that had previous inhabitants who went mad or died in some horrible fashion, or had inhabitants who performed satanic practices in your house.

Just follow these rules, and hope you have a safe Halloween!

Here’s a link to some of the history behind Samhain

A new family!!! Congrats all. Check out her Myspace to see more pics.

Everyone,
(I know there are some I have left of the list above so please forward to those I am forgetting.)

I just wanted to share a few more pictures of brian and my new little one. As you all know she was born Oct 23 at 12:12 am. Her little skinny butt weighed 6.6 pounds and was 19 inches long. And seeing her all balled up now I know right where she layed those last few months. The labor was long but, I did it! How, only God knows. But, with mom telling me you can do it baby and brian saying come on push she’s right there I guess I had no choice. Both mom and brian hung in there watching the entire thing. Which for both of them was very surprising. But, seeing a new life that is part them come into the world I guess it was actually amazing. I just wanted her out! The only thing that was missing was mark, poppi. But, he heard the entire delivery by phone.

Mom, nene, was so great. You all know that already. She was the strength that held us all together those long 4 days. Well, she was the strength that held me together. I couldnt have done it without her. I hope I am as GREAT of a mom as she is.

But, madelyn is doing great. I am doing good. The swelling in my feet and legs is quite uncomfortable but besides that and being anemic we are doing just fine. Learning as we go. Not much sleep going on these days. She is up every 2-3 hours wanting food and a new diaper. I am exhausted but, looking at that little face at 3 am well, its all worth it. Brian is doing as well as to be expected. He cant stop kissing on her!

So, to all of you thank you so much for all the thoughts and prayers during those long hours. It is amazing to see all the emails and the phone calls that were made passing on how we all were doing. I feel loved so much. And I am, we are, so lucky to have such good friends and family.

I am going to start posting pictures of her on myspace that way you all can see the most recent ones as they are taken.

Have you ever taken the time to think back along amnesia lane and see who most affected your life? With all the talk about homeschooling, and the latest saying that…

the purpose of public schools is not to teach social skills, and in fact they aren’t good at it…

I began to think about it, and I agree.
(more…)

I believe that parents need to…Parent. I believe you should pay attention to your child. You should take precautions. You shouldn’t let them ride without a car seat. You shouldn’t smoke around them. And you shouldn’t put them on a table. Now, that’s just me.

I should state this comes from the recent recall of the Bumbo.
Yes, a baby can arch it’s back and actually tumble from said set. There was 28 incidents of babies being injured, 3 seriously. You can watch the news article here…
The 3 were from falls from table tops…table tops. These Bumbos do not have a strap, or any other restraining device other than friction. Why in the hell would you put your baby in a molded plastic seat on a table top? This is like an unfortunate Darwin moment.

The baby seat is designed for infants who are six weeks old or able to support their own heads, up to an age of about 12 to 14 months or about 22 pounds.

This is according the Bumbo. So who reads this and thinks, “I’m going to place my infant on the edge of a table and make dinner.” We received that as a present and I read the directions…which clearly warns about placing this on a high surface.

Be responsible. Read directions, or just use common sense. And if you don’t have common sense, use a condom.

And, because they are concerned about safety, they have an entire page on safety and their product.

This from a man who takes safety seriously.

bumpo

It really didn’t hit me until last night. I’ve been planning on going out of town on business for months. This is just one of those things you do as a sales person. But, last night, I really had that moment of…”What if…”

Now, I’m only about 2 1/2 hours away, so I could easily get there …but that’s not the “idea”. I would be there when she started. I’d be there when the water broke. I’d be the time keeper. I want to be the one to make sure we get to the hospital and in ok. I want to be the calming one…if that exist. That’s how this is going to go down…unless I’m here.

And, through her doctor visit, we found out that she is “progressing faster” than the doctor thought. What the hell does that mean? Is that a bad thing? Does that just mean that we are going to have a thanksgiving baby instead of a dec. 1 baby? Or does that mean she’s going to drop sooner? By measuring the fundus he seems to think that she is “progressing faster.”

So, here I set, on the ninth floor of a nice hotel in my home town…with our rental manager, S-annon taking a shower and jonesing for a cigarette, wishing I could be at home, playing with my wife’s hair and planning out route to the hospital.

On a different note, over at “Inside Fatherhood“, I have found someone who shares my views on Graco’s motto.

Maddie Is Here!

Here she is, I experienced this birth on speaker phone last night. Sandra (the proud grandmother)was just overwhelmed with emotion. Tears of joy!
She was born at 12:12 am on 10-23-07 6 lbs 6 oz.

Mark

Jack and I went to Pizza Hut last night. We have been playing the “blow the straw paper” game at restaurants all around town…What? Unfamiliar with this game? We made it up…

Well, you use your glasses, cups, mugs…whatever you are using from for the “goal”. Place it directly in front of you. Then, put the balled up straw paper in the middle…then start trying to blow the paper and hit your opponent’s cup…both blowing at the same time. It usually ends up with him laughing to the point of not being able to blow. And when the food comes…game over.

Last night, I taught him to play paper football and quarter basketball. Most people have played football. We used a napkin, which didn’t last long, but he got the jest. Coin basketball isn’t as well known, so here are the basics:
Using a coin…a quarter is preferred, you start with the quarter close to your body and thump it toward the other person so it spins. The closer to them, the better. They will create a “goal”, by shaping both hands, on the table, in a tunnel shape, using their body as a backboard. You catch the quarter, as it is spinning between your thumbs. You have to keep your fingertips on the table, and either slam or shoot the quarter to the goal. If you make it, 2 points. If not, 2 bad. The other side gets the ball either way. It sounds harder than it is…

We had a blast. It was a fun evening. And I got to teach my son some games that will get him through many a lunch at school.

Speaking of games…Eliza does a great job of reviewing “real” games and toys. Check it out.

Me:” So, A__ at work was talking to the guys in the back about cheating. She ask them if they would cheat on their significant other if they KNEW they would never get caught.”

Her:”oh…”

Me: “Yeah, I most of them said they would…if no one else would ever find out”

Her:”oh…”

Me:”Yeah, and I was like, ‘I would never. Stupid guys…if you have an affair, simple logic tells you that their is already someone else that knows…the person you are having the affair with. That means that they can come back to out you. Dumb guys…they don’t think that far ahead.”

Her: “The right answer is ‘No I would never cheat because I love her…”

Me:” I mean, yeah, that’s my real answer…but…um…Hey…I sure do Love you…”

Before I start…I have to say that I never new they went away…Sock Monkeys…

Anyway. I love the updates I get from a few sites about the development of the baby. They all give approximate weight and length, but then they differ slightly in the rest of the information they send. Here’s a few things I learned with this weeks update…a sample, if you will, for those who don’t use them. (more…)

Cody Update…Week 5…

For those of you unfamiliar with the Seussian characters know as “The Sneetches“, here’s a little information thanks to Wikipedia…

“The Sneetches”
By Dr. Seuss

Sneetches are a race of odd creatures who live on a beach. Some Sneetches have a star on their bellies, and in the beginning of the story the presence or absence of a star is the basis for discrimination. Sneetches who have stars on their bellies are part of the “in crowd”, while Sneetches without stars are shunned.

In the story, a “fix-it-up chappie” named Sylvester McMonkey McBean appears, driving a cart of strange machines. He offers the Sneetches without stars a chance to have them by going through his Star-On machine, for three dollars. The old star-bellied Sneetches are furious until McBean tells them about his Star-Off machine, costing ten dollars. This escalates, with the Sneetches running from one machine to the next,

“until neither the Plain nor the Star-Bellies knew
whether this one was that one or that one was this one
or which one was what one… or what one was who.”
This continues until the Sneetches are penniless and McBean leaves a rich man. In the end, the Sneetches learn that neither plain-belly nor star-belly Sneetches are superior, and they are able to get along and become friends.

The story is an obvious parable for the cycle of fashion and how snobbery and insecurity drive consumerism to consumers’ own detriment. It contains the messages that all people regardless of race, class or clothing, are equal, and that the human temptation to judge people by their appearance or by the company they seem to keep is full of pitfalls. It may also have deeper connotations of racial discrimination.

There is a reference to The Sneetches in the Dead Kennedys song, “Holiday in Cambodia”

“You’re a Star-bellied Sneetch,
you suck like a leech.
You want everyone to act like you.”
“The Sneetches” is written in anapestic tetrameter, and – as is typical for Seuss books – follows the rhyme scheme and meter very strictly.

This story inspired The High-in-the-Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

This is a great story and book. It’s a lesson for both children and adults. Sometimes I, after dealing with an unbending person, have to visit my inner Seuss and think…

“No you can’t teach a Sneetch…”

sneetch, Dr. Seuss