Memory

No you are not seeing things...last week my wife was wearing her teal shirt, this week it is her aqua marine shirt! Really, as she says, "At this point only so many clothes are fitting, and this shirt is one of my longer ones, so it works!" And again, I learned long ago not to discuss wardrobe issues in the morning! As for the pregnancy, everything is still super. We had our weekly appointment on Tuesday, and thus far the baby's head is down, but not dropped. He is not in the pelvis yet, which our doctor says is a little unusual being we are two weeks out. He said that typically, babies are starting to drop by now, but ours hasn't really moved. He gave two reasons, one being that he simply isn't ready and could be late, second being he is large! Needless to say, Tara didn't like the second suggestion...but as I have been saying, I think that could be right on. Anyway, life is still good, a little surreal in that in two weeks, we will more likely than not have a baby. We still can't wrap our minds around this one. :)

As for the title of this post, on Tuesday, Tara washed most of our baby clothes in the free and clear detergent (so the chemicals don't react with his delicate skin). I chuckled when I saw a bag filled with teenie-weenie baby socks. I asked her how much fun it was to sort through them and match them up. She said it wasn't bad, but I think it took her back to her childhood playing 'memory' with cards, you know the game where you turn them all over and match them up by turning two over at a time? I can picture Tara, her grandma, and aunt with the socks laid out on the couch saying, "Here's one with a puppy with a baseball hat, where again was it's match? Nope that just has baseballs, this one is a bear kicking a soccer ball. That one is a basketball, oh wait, there is the puppy with the baseball hat, where was that again?" Yet another reason parenthood is so difficult. I'll take my 10 pairs of white tube socks any day!

Beginning Week 38

Create the Baby Pool(pool name watchoutworld)...Check. Register at Babies-R-Us...Check. Get the car seat...Check. Paint the baby room...Check. Organized baby clothes in baby room...Check. Realize how life is going to change FOREVER in less than 21 days...uh oh!

My friend Chris V. and I were walking home from work to our on campus living arrangements, and he said, "Dang it, you're having a baby!" I said, "Why dang it?" And he said (between breathes because we live some 500 feet elevation gain above our offices on Pepperdine's pristine campus), "Everything will be different for you..." and I said, "...and what's crazy is we have absolutely NO control over this decision at this point!"

'Ready or not, here he comes' is the motto I give to the next three weeks of our lives! Tara and I both like control...it is usually the sore spot in our marriage! However, at this point, we have "controlled" nearly everything there is to control with having a baby (even wanting to have one in April because it fits w/ our work the best...yes we are those people!), yet, that doesn't even get close to preparing for this. It is hitting both of us straight in the face now. We are having a baby! A student of ours, Jenna S. has been saying for months now every time she sees me, "You're having a baby!" It has been fun and cute, but now it is scary and unbelievable.

Our weekly doctor's appointments are going well. Everything is progressing nicely. We are simply in the veritable holding pattern waiting for landing. So many questions, so few answers. But one thing is for sure..."Ready or not, here he comes!"

Beef Jerky vs. Prime Rib

The United States of America is no longer in the World Baseball Classic. No, it isn’t over, they didn’t even reach the semifinals! Yes, even with a sport we supposedly created we couldn’t win.

My friend Rocky has posted about the globalization of sports in his blog, Not Prince Hamlet, and discusses the issue that other countries take global sporting events more seriously than our athletes do here in the U.S. I agree with this notion, but believe that there is a deeper factor at work here. Have you ever lost a game (Clue included) and played it off like you didn’t care as much as the winner, though deep down inside you know you got beat badly? I contend that is what is happening with this generation of U.S. athletes. The main problem in my opinion is that our Athletes are soft. They are not tough enough to compete on an international stage. It is fine when we are on our own soil competing against each other in a brother-in-law sort of way. But when it REALLY matters and we are playing against others who care about winning, we can’t cut the mustard.

You don’t agree? Let’s take a look at the recent trends that show the U.S., though superiorly talented (as many would say), still losing in the global arena.

Basketball – This began in the 2000 Olympics when we only beat Lithuania by 2 in the semis and France by 10 in the gold medal game! Then in ’04 we beat the same Lithuania team, but for the, ahem, Bronze. And don’t forget that we couldn’t win with amateurs so we created the ‘Dream Team’ to supposedly give us the advantage forever. How short lived that was. As for basketball outside of the Olympics, we struggle mightily there as well, we just don’t hear about it because we lose!

Baseball – We won Gold in the 2000 Olympics (the first time the sport was in the Olympics, btw). Then we didn’t even make the field in 2004! Now in the WBC, 2006 we can’t make the semifinals, with home field advantage (although Mexico could argue that playing in Anaheim is an advantage!)

Soccer – Outside of the women’s game (who I believe do take their sports more seriously and are mentally tougher than the other sex), we are pathetic on the international stage. Up until the last World Cup when we were underdogs and actually exceeded expectations, making a good run, our men have struggled just to get into the tournament! Given, this year, we should/could do better although we got a rotten draw in our pool.

Golf – (I know some say it isn’t a sport but it fits nicely in this column). Look at the Ryder cup. In the past ten years, we have taken 1 to Europe’s 4! That is with Tiger, Phil, Duval, Freddy, etc, who win week in and week out on the PGA tour.

All of these examples are team sports and that is also where I think we are lacking. I don’t think anyone would argue that Tiger Woods is the best golfer of the day, but on a team, I would say he is a liability! Looking at our U.S. WBC roster, we have more career home runs/wins top to bottom than anybody else playing, but we don’t make the semis. Our dream team features players who individually can do things the sport has never seen, but we struggle to win gold or even compete in the Pan Am games!

All this goes to show that we are soft! We have the talent, but don’t know how to use it as a team, and what to do when the going gets tough. At some point, U.S. athletes will have to wake up and get over themselves and realize that the excuses and lackadaisical attitudes when losing won’t cut it much longer. Maybe that will begin in Germany in June (where Chuck Strawn is rumored to be headed to watch Futbol). Maybe our guys will toughen up and win some games they aren’t supposed to on an International stage. It would be a breath of fresh air that we haven’t had in over 10 years!

Beginning Week 37

"I'm bigger than a basketball!" This is what Tara said tonight while I was taking her picture. As you can see she isn't stretching the truth. Week 37 is just more of the same. Tuesday's doctor's appointment showed that Tara gained nearly 3 lbs last week! Our boy is growing and with that pushing hard on his mom's belly. We had fun the other night playing with him. Typically, he pushes away anything that is crowding him (books resting on her belly, pants, hands, etc.) He likes his space. Also when he is moving and you touch him, he usually will go into stealth mode and act like he isn't there! However, a few nights ago while sitting on the couch I began to push on him while he was moving. I also was talking and he began to push back. I would move to another side and push, and he would move over and push. Sometimes he must have been jumping around or at least moving all limbs at once, as it looked like her belly had an alien in it!

Lately, Tara has begun to walk slower as it is becoming difficult. Also, she is more tired. The 9 months are starting to take their toll. We did have a great weekend of what I call "Showerpalooza"! We had 3.5 showers this weekend. The .5 being a guy night where I received gifts from my guy friends (but is wasn't a boy shower!) The theme of this night was "Get Michael something from sports teams he doesn't like!" We got a Kobe Bryant jersey, an USC and OU onesie, Kentucky Wildcat stuff, Seattle Mariners jogging suit, the other OSU jersey and shorts, etc. Very funny stuff, which our boy will wear one time so we can send a picture to those who purchased the items for us! Other than this however, our friends and family have been more than gracious and we have some great gifts. They all will come in helpful I know!

If you haven't yet, jump into the Baby Pool! Click the link and type in the name of our pool in the left hand column which is: watchoutworld (with no spaces), and happy picking! Currently people are picking him to come early and be a little bigger than normal. We'll have to see. This Thursday brings our first of two pediatrician appointments where we will pick our doctor. Then Tuesday brings our weekly doctors appointment. After this, we are classified as 'Term' meaning that we are in the normal window (Week 38 and on). As I said last week, March is flying by and April 12th or that exciting day will be here before we know it!

The Innocence of a Child

On Sunday, March 12, 2006, Dan Common, Chuck Strawn, and I attended two games of the World Baseball Classic at Anaheim, CA. On a number of levels, this was great fun! First watching competitive baseball live a month or so earlier than normal was a treat. Secondly, being in a stadium covered with Mexican/Korean flags and not understanding over half the chants and cheers felt like a mix between soccer and baseball. Thirdly, eating too many peanuts/sunflower seeds and other 'baseball snacks' always leads to a good time!

However, the title of this post relates to an experience we had in the first game (USA vs. Japan). We had good seats for the money. First row of the upper deck right above the on deck circle for Japan (first baseline). The stadium was two-thirds full and decently lively (nothing like the night cap between Mexico and Korea though). About midway through, as the adult beverages began to kick in, this guy down the row to our left began hanging over the bar and screaming obscenities , racial/ethnic epitaphs, etc, at anyone who looked Asian. It was disturbing to say the least. At one point he yelled something at the umpire about a pitch being a strike and this is what we heard over our right shoulders from a 6-8 year old boy with his dad, "Dad, do you think they can hear what he says?"

And thus the game went away, and I turned to Chuck and said, this needs to be a blog. First frequent readers of this blog know where I stand on the negative impact alcohol has on our society. However, this experience raised another question in my mind, "Why do people feel they can scream whatever they want at a very loud decibel at a sporting event, sober or not?" Even more disturbing is that this trend moves beyond stadiums to freeways, mall parking lots, street corners, etc. I know that it has something to do with crowd mentality or assumed anonymity, but I think that the movie "Crash" might be getting at the core of the issue. I contend that currently, people feel so isolated from others in our society that it is a form of release when situations like we experienced above happen.

The question I have is what is our role in this? I know my wife has been known to confront people in public who are being disrespectful around children or others (even though we don't have a child :)! The three of us were just about to the point of confronting this guy, then as some would say, 'Karma happened'. After ARod popped out with a man in scoring position, this guy's friend threw his half full peanut bag up in the air and over the rail, showering fans below with peanut shells. The ushers and security immediately moved in and quickly escorted this guy's friend out, and the proceeded to lecture the rest of the party about their behavior, thus issuing a warning. Later after another play not going the U.S. way this guy jumped up and hit his ball cap on the rail in front and losing the handle it dropped below to those same fans who were previously showered by peanuts!

Seriously, though, what this little boy said should be in our minds constantly because he was saying more than "Dad can they hear him?" He was saying, "Dad, if they can hear what he says, will it make them change anything?" Or, "Dad, if they can hear what he says, they will be hurt/sad." Or finally, "Dad, I can hear what he is saying and I don't like it!" Others definitely hear what we say, even when we don't raise our voice. This honest question should be a lesson to us all when it comes to civility and good will to others. I know it struck a chord with me, so I thought I would pass it on to you.

Beginning Week 36

This is it...one month to go. A student was asking me tonight how fast it was going, and I said that I felt February was a little long, but I can't believe how fast March is! Truly, this first week of March has flown by. Tara and I are getting the finishing touches done which include purchasing the infant carrier/car seat! Now I have to figure out how to secure it to the roof the safest way possible. Studies show that over 90% of car seats are installed incorrectly, but I saw some special securing fasteners and holes on our roof that should make it pretty simple, I hope!

We are also entering the baby shower bonanza! Two this weekend, with one, maybe two more to come! Craziness I tell ya. Again, in case you haven't checked and are dying to get us something, we are registered at babies-r-us. I'm actually excited to get some of the stuff we registered for! Some of it, though, looks like a lot of work :)

And no Houston pregnancy would be complete without the baby pool!! Yep, that's right it would not be March Madness without it! Simply click the link and type in the name of our pool in the left hand column which is: watchoutworld (with no spaces), and happy picking! It's free, but I do ask that you refrain from wagering, unless you include me. For those of you who don't know, I'll save you some shame in that we are having a boy (at least 2 ultrasounds have made that pretty conclusive). However, if you still want to pick the girl option it is your constitutional right...but it is also mine to make fun of you for doing so (after our boy is born of course)! Also the due date is April 12th, or 34 days away! YIKES!!! Me liking competition and all, there may or may not be some prize for the winner...we'll have to wait and see when that rolls around.

All in all, we are doing great. Tara is still getting bigger, starting to ache more, and waking up more at night. However, still, this pregnancy has been a GREAT ONE! She will kill me for saying this because she doesn't want me to jinx it and us (or her) have an 82 hour labor or something! We have been blessed and are anxiously looking forward to this birth. It is bound to be filled with joy, pain, excitement, and exhaustion to name a few.

Until next week...

Oh, the life we have!

For those of you that have been here, Malibu is unlike most anywhere else in the world! On many levels, Tara and I are stunned at times. Today is really no different. We woke up to a light rain, which is respite to our sunny weather (yes Brian, that was for you). Then I began reading a follow up article about an amazing car crash from last week.

Investigation Into Ferrari Crash On PCH Delivers Twists, Turns

This story is intriguing on a number of levels. One, it took place a few miles from campus, and I actually had students telling me that their parents were calling them asking if they and their friends were o.k. Now this sounds normal, but remember the car that crashed (in a single car accident) was a 1 million dollar vehicle! If my parents read a story about a used BMW crashing, they wouldn't even bat an eye thinking it involved Tara and I! Now if it was a 1970 Ford Bronco, people might be worried...but it can't really go 60 m.p.h. down hill with the wind! :)

Secondly, from the link you can see pics and see that the car was split in half! The only guy from the scene walked away with a busted lip and some bruises. 160 miles per hour, crashing into a pole, severing your car in half, and a bloody lip and a bruise? Again, CRAZY!

Then this story comes out today, and as it says, it reads like a James Bond story. Talk about weird! One question though...we watch CSI and it doesn't take them a week or two to compare the cotton swab of the mouth with the blood found at the scene. What are the investigators here doing? Oh I guess, they spend half their day at the beach or something like that!

All in all, another shallow day in the 'Bu. It is Spring Break for us, so we needed some excitement!

Beginning Week 35

35 days! What seemed so long as a child, is turning into something that is REALLY quickly approaching. Five weeks left (if Tara delivers on her due date), and we are filled with excitement, nervousness, anxiousness, and curiosity to name a few. Tara said last night, in 5 weeks our lives will never be the same. How true! We both are so excited, but a little overwhelmed by the changes that are charging for us, with which at this point we have no control. Like playing hide and seek and hearing "Ready or not here I come!"

We are registered at Babies R Us (click here), check that off the list. The baby room is put together, check that off the list. We are almost to the point of getting our jobs ready for our short leave, check that off the list. We took our final get away this weekend, check that off the list (more on that in a second). So we feel from one standpoint, pretty ready. But there are millions of other ways that we currently cannot even dream of that will hit us in 35 days, give or take a few!

As I mentioned, we got away one last time, just the two of us. A Graduate Assistant in my office was gracious enough to let us use her family's condo in Carpenteria. It was a very nice, peaceful respite for us, and was only 1/2 a block off the beach! This was a good time for Tara and I to simply just be, with no agenda other than finding food together and walking in and out of the cute shops and stores. It was, though, a little sad, knowing that for the next 20 something years, it will not be this way. We hope it will be better, but we have had a great 5+, almost 6 years together. We have traveled TONS, spent great weekend getaways together, had fun with friends and family, just the two of us. Now, we are going to have to acclimate all this to three! Again we are VERY excited, but the fear of the unknown is there as well.

As you can see, Tara is getting bigger each day. He is still moving and kicking and seems to be EXTREMELY active...hmm what a shock! Next week begins our last month of the pregnancy. Hopefully it continues on as good as the first eight. Next week also brings our first of 4 monthly doctors visits. If we didn't know it was getting close, that would be a telling point.