7/9/11 6.6875 lb. 20.25 in.

Yup, those are the vital stats on my baby girl! She is here, and she is perfect. I'm so excited to have this new little addition to my home. She cries, she grunts, she yawns and she even smiles right before she falls asleep, and it is all wonderful! Let's leave the birth story at this: my lovely wife woke me up at around 6 on Saturday, July 9th (her birthday) to say that her water had broken! We had breakfast, and opened her birthday presents, and loaded up the car for the hospital. Check in was smooth and we went and my wife labored from around 8 am until around 12 noon, when she decided that she was ready for some drugs. They gave her a quick epidural, and I went for lunch and chatted with my mother-in-law and my mom and dad. I went back in around 1:45pm, and they said "we were just coming to look for you, she's ready to push!" What?! That was fast! After a little prep and an hour or so of pushing, our baby was here, at 3:21 pm! I cried, my wife cried, and we had a few special moments together and then brought some family in.

It's been a whirlwind week and a half, but I love being a dad already. I love bathing her, changing her, holding her, and watching her sleep...I only wish I could do more! I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father for entrusting me with the care of one of His precious little ones!

Chivalry, a lost art?

Last week I was out with my wife, who is 39+ weeks pregnant. One of our favorite dates has always been to go out to Barnes & Noble and peruse the books and magazines, sit an read, and possibly buy something. We wanted to go one last time before the baby comes. So we walked around and looked at the patriotic displays and of course the children's books and then made our way into the sports section where my wife found a book she wanted to test out. We spotted an empty seat and she headed toward it and I continued to check out the titles on the displays. Suddenly, I hear my wife say, "oh, your saving that for some one? Okay." I turn around and my pregnant wife is walking away from an empty seat, denied her by some uncivilized 20 something man. I was pretty ticked! To top it all off, by the time I realized what was happening, this guy and his friend, who also happened to be a 20 year old dude, walked away from the seating area! (I decided not to confront because that makes my wife uncomfortable, otherwise, I would've had no problems telling that dude off.) So, what gives? Was this guy just an idiot? My wife is clearly pregnant, and the seat was open - pretty sure you can't reserve seats in Barnes & Noble unless you are eating at a table in the cafe area. When did men stop giving up seats for pregnant women, women, and old women? Ridiculous! I will resolve to be more chivalrous, to open more doors and give up my seat. That's part of what being a better man is all about.