Somewhat Unexpected Happenings

Well, it's been a couple of months since I've posted anything. Nate looks like he has doubled in size, so good for him, that won't always be acceptable, so he should enjoy it while he can. So what are some things that have happened that I wasn't totally prepared for? Plenty.

1) The child spews liquid like a sprinkler at a summer birthday party. I mean, after a bottle, be careful not to shake him because you will pay dearly for it. I guess he always feels better afterwards, which is good. I hope he grows out of this stage, because you hit a point in life, where spewing your meal after eating too much, is no longer "cute." Nobody is going to walk up to me at the Mexican restaurant and say, "Poor Baby", because I spit up my chips and salsa all over myself. Enjoy it while it lasts buddy.

2) People told me my days of peaceful, sleep filled nights were over. I didn't believe all I heard, it couldn't be that bad..... I'm tired. I'm tired and I don't even get up at nights to feed or change him. The kid needs to learn how to sleep 8 hours straight. We would be more than happy to teach him this valuable skill.

3) I don't have a weak stomach. I am not a very squeamish person. But I was changing a diaper the other day, and I about couldn't make it through the process. Have you ever smelled something that just made the back of your eyelids burn? It's a tremendous sensation, you should try. Just let me know when you want to experience this, and we'll feed Nate some applesauce.

4) On a more serious note, it's hard to fathom just how much I love that kid. He always seems to be smiling (mostly), I can't wait to get home every day to see him, and Ashley too of course. I can't even really remember what life was like before Nate, I do remember it was quieter. But I wouldn't trade this for anything.

The Hidden Talent of the Giant among... Most Babies

Well, Nate is now past the two week old stage. His two week check-up was good, slightly traumatic for Ashley and I since he had to get his tongue clipped, but all good other than that. The doctor said Nate is in the 90th percentile in length, they just grow up so fast don't they? He was pretty much average in all the other measurements so I don't feel the need to mention them. But in length, he's a giant among babies.... Or at least among 90% of all babies.

Of course as he grows older, I won't care about his height as much, until he either 1) grows to my height or 2) grows to be about 7 feet tall. Then we may be looking into basketball a little more. But until then, he can stay little as long as possible.

As I sit here and type this, he's sitting in his rocker next to me and 'm pretty sure he's working on a dirty diaper. Not positive, but it would not surprise me because this kid is a machine. I never would have thought a person this small could have that much stuff in them. He seems to have a hidden talent, that's not so secret anymore.

While he's in here I usually sit and watch baseball, if I'm watching anything. Maybe in a few years he will be able to sit here and enjoy watching baseball with me. Or, maybe he will still be taking naps during baseball games. Or even more likely, I will be napping. But for now, baseball seems to be a great nap generator....

Sleep good little guy, won't be much longer til the next diaper change gets that little temper of yours going again. Maybe Momma will do it.

Finally.... Nate is here!

Words cannot express the level of relief and joy I felt when I heard Nate cry as they removed him by C-Section. I wouldn't say that I was worried, but it was the knowledge that the two people I love most in this world were about to undergo a surgical procedure, which always has it's risks. Thankfully, it wasn't an emergency, but still, it was surgery. The whole process was difficult for me because I wanted to be able to do something to help. There wasn't anything I could do, outside of prayers, that would help. Sitting by and waiting is a very hard thing to do. I am so thankful to God that Ashley and Nate both came out of it safe and sound.

On the plus side, I did not pass out at the C-Section. I just chose not to look because, "Why risk it?" I figured I had made it this far without feeling lightheaded, I didn't want to fall out in the floor right at the finish line.

Nate arrived at 9:54 PM weighing in at 8 pounds and measuring 21 inches long. The weight and measurements for Ashley and I are unimportant to this article and therefore will be withheld until further notice.

Nate, we love you very much. You were well worth the wait, we hope to give you everything we can to help you become the man God wants you to be. After all, you are a gift to us from God, and we love you with all our hearts.

Just for reference purposes, I have currently changed not one, but TWO dirty diapers. Just for the record.

The Baby Birthing Week

Well, one way or the other, they tell us this is the week Nate will be making his first appearance. These 9 months have seemed so long, but at the same time, they have flown by. My wife may think it's been a little on the slow side. We've seen some of the 3-D pictures they can take and let me tell you, he's got some big ole cheeks. Looks like he may be a little on the chunky side, so he should fit right in at our house. (I am referring to only myself of course)

We like to laugh and joke about Nate and how fast he will be doing things. I think the latest goal was to have him running laps by about 6 months. Pretty sure he's going to be playing catch with me within the next couple of weeks. I figure he won't start mowing the yard until he's at least 4 or 5, I mean, gotta let him stay little for a while right? All kidding aside, I'm sure he will grow up wayyy too fast, but I'm just glad I get to be a part of the experience.

Ashley insists Nate will never play soccer, ever. I believe the plan is to avoid all things soccer like the plague. So, if y'all really want to make things interesting, introduce Nate to soccer. Just don't let his mom know.

Ashley has also decided that Nate and Carrie Underwood's baby are clearly future BFF's. Apparently his name is Isaiah Michael Fisher, for those of you who enjoy random factoids. We shall wait and see, but I have my doubts about this plan.

Because I haven't said this enough I shall say it again, We cannot wait for Nate to be here! I really don't fully know what to expect, but I'm sure I will quickly become very informed. I just pray that God keeps Nate and his Mom safe and healthy through everything to come.

They tell me that the father doesn't get drugs during delivery, hopefully I don't become the exception  to the rule.

Lessons for Nate from Cinderella.... (Yes, you read that right)

My wife asked me today if we could go see the movie Cinderella as our final pre-child date. Well almost the final, we were planning on going grocery shopping at some point over the weekend, but I'm not sure if that counts.

The movie was a total chick flick so it would not have been one of my first choices under normal circumstances, such as if there was another option to watch anything else. There was even a short of Frozen played. I have never had so much testosterone drained so quickly from my body in all my life. But, my wife enjoyed the movie, so that's what is important to me.

The movie did have a recurring theme that I was impressed with, Have Courage, Be Kind. As I was thinking about this post, I thought those are two things that I hope Nate will learn to have in his life.

I hope we can teach him to have the courage to stand for what is right, even when you feel like you may be standing alone, like Elijah. I hope he will have courage in situations, even when he may be afraid. Courage doesn't mean not being afraid, courage means doing the right thing, even when you are afraid. Courage is something that is severely lacking in our world today. Too many people make decisions that aren't right, they choose the easy path. Having courage means that you will take the path less traveled.

Being kind is something that is not very common today, even among Christians sadly. I have seen Christians far too many times react in a less than kind way to a matter that was inconvenient to them, not even a major issue. I am sure I have acted in a less than kind way many times myself. Being kind can be a daily struggle. I hope I can teach my son that we as Christians, are to be kind to others, even the people who don't treat us the way we would like to be treated, or they didn't fix our car the right way, or they messed up our order when they brought out our food, whatever the situation may be.

Nate will hopefully be born very soon, we can hardly wait for his arrival. If he could be born and have his mother's ability to sleep, that would be absolutely fantastic!

Nathaniel Reeves Steward: What's in Your Name

For my son,

Nathaniel Reeves Steward, long name for a little guy. We decided just to call you Nate when you're little but who knows, you may never outgrow it for your Mom and I. More important to me than your nickname, I want you to know what is in your name. By that I mean, your name is something to be proud of, I just want you to know what it means and why we chose it.

"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold."
Proverbs 22:1

Nathaniel: To be honest, I think your mom just really liked this name so that's what we decided to name you. But I looked it up and it means, "Gift of God." Son, you have been given to us by God as a gift. We are blessed to be able to love you, raise you, and to prepare you to serve God because after all, you are His. God has seen fit to bring you into our lives at this time and that is something that I am truly thankful for. Never forget that you are a gift given by God Himself, I pray you will always live you life with this in mind.

Reeves: This one is a little harder to talk about. I had a cousin growing up who was just a few months older than me. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, we would always be outside playing football, begging someone to come play with us, because after all, it's hard to play football with two people. He was always smaller than I was but he was a lot faster. Man, that Reeves could run, if he burnt me deep, there was no way I was going to catch him. One day, my Mom told me that Reeves was really sick. I couldn't believe it because Reeves and I were practically the same age, we weren't supposed to have this happen to us. I saw Reeves quite a few more times but I could tell he didn't feel good anymore. Sadly, when I believe we were around 11 or 12 years old, Reeves passed away. Reeves was so young, he wasn't supposed to get sick like this. We named you for Reeves because I have never forgotten about him. Always remember that we live to honor God, but also so that we remember our loved ones who have gone on before us.

Steward: I hope you are proud of the last name you will have. I have always done my best to live up to it and I couldn't ask for a better family to be a part of. To be a Steward means you are honest with others and yourself. It means you will look out for others. It means you will do whatever it takes to help someone else in need. Be a humble servant, not only to God, but also to the people around you. That's what a Steward is, a servant. I don't expect big great things from you in your life, I don't expect you to be really important, or to be a holder of enormous wealth. What I do expect, and  hope you come to expect from yourself, is to be willing to serve others. It is very often, not easy. We don't do it for the praise of others, but we do it for the glory of God.

So Nate, I hope maybe one day, when you can read, that you can read this and let it sink in. I am still learning all of these things myself. Maybe as I continue to learn, I can help show you some things that will help you learn quicker than I did. Can't wait to see you son.

Baby Birthing Class: Night Two

Night two of birthing class was not NEARLY as eventful as night one, sorry to disappoint all of you. We did get to learn about some wonderful things though, such as all the drug options Ashley will have available to her. Sadly, there are no drugs for the father.

One of the options available is an epidural, which is basically a large needle (which we will get to shortly) is inserted into the fluid in the spine and helps her to deal with pain. As lovely as I'm sure this is to witness, I am not looking forward to seeing it happen.

The needle..... Where to begin. Have you ever watched Animal Planet? Have you ever noticed when they have to capture an animal, what they use to put it to sleep? The word of the day: Tranquilizer Dart. That's basically what this is. Now, I seriously doubt they are going to sneak up on Ashley and pop her in the back with a tranquilizer, but you get the idea of the size of the needle. I'm sure all of you who don't like needles are as comfortable as can be right now. You are most welcome.

Just as a side note, I googled images for an epidural needle to add here. I don't advise looking that up. Most unpleasant sights in your near future if you do.

It was a good class and informative and I'm sure Ashley and I will be able to take what we learned and use it. Ashley mentioned to me yesterday that this is the month that Nate could make his grand appearance. He could, or he could wait around another month or so. She doesn't like that as much though. But I'm sure that he will show up when he is ready..... We are sure ready for him to be here!

Baby Birthing Class: Night 1

Tonight was the first night of our birthing classes, in case you're wondering, no, this wasn't my idea. It was.... an interesting experience to say the least. I wasn't really sure what to expect going in, but I quickly learned some things that I would say are burned into my brain.

Speaking of something being burned into your brain, try this out:

Ah, the joys of learning how to become a mother.... I mean father! All kidding aside, I couldn't imagine walking around like this all the time for months. It really helps me appreciate being a male.

Some things we learned were common sense, like if fluids start to leak, it's time to head to the hospital. I generally try to follow this advice in my own personal day-to-day life so that made sense. There were quite a few other things as well but I will spare you the details.

We got to take a test of random pregnancy facts, I believe we made a solid 20%. Which the couple sitting next to us made them same, so at least we will fail together. We did positively identify what a bed pan looks like so if there is ever a situation where you need a bed pan identified, I'm your man.

Then we got to watch a lovely video about the labor and delivery process. I went into tonight never having witnessed a birth, I have now seen four. I think they could go ahead and hand me the diploma for this class because there wasn't much left out.

Tonight also made me aware of my primary job in this process, time keeper and cheerleader. I feel fairly confident about my role thus far. But after next week's class, my confidence may begin to sway.

Overall, I can't wait for Nate to get here. We've been waiting for what seems like forever now, but I guess he will show up on his own time. But I hope it's soon, Mama is starting to get a bit cranky at times..... Hurry up Nate! Your parents can't wait to meet you!