By Brendan Loy
Over on my photoblog, I've posted pictures from my trip to Phoenix and Denver.
We're back safe & sound in Knoxville, by the way. Loyette was once again a champion flyer -- though I think we'll be paying for the disruptions to her schedule in the form of weekend fussiness.
By Brendan Loy
We're safe and sound in Phoenix, having flown in from Tennessee yesterday with no Friday the 13th complications. :) Loyette was amazing; she didn't cry or fuss at all during takeoff, and she literally slept through landing. At one point in the middle of the flight, she woke up and cried for about 10 seconds -- but that was it. Otherwise she was completely calm for the entire flight. She's an amazing baby. :)
Also amazing: the view out the left-hand side of the plane, where we were sitting, looking south directly into a thunderstorm over west Texas. Neither the photos nor the video that I took remotely do the sight justice, but just for a taste, here's a photo:
It was really, really cool to see -- the second time in a week that I've been treated to a great lightning show. This time, of course, we were watching it from 36,000 feet, so it was a very different sort of view. There was lightning every couple of seconds, flashing across the sky and lighting up the clouds in all sorts of awesome patterns. Absolutely incredible.
Here's an archived radar image of what I believe is the line of storms that we were looking into:
By Brendan Loy
The remarkable Democratic primary and caucus process of 2008 -- the "campaign that wouldn't end" -- finally ends today, whether Hillary Clinton likes it or not, with primaries in Montana and South Dakota. After tonight, there's nothing of any significance left on the calendar until the convention begins on August 25.
There's been a lot of talk about what a long, drawn-out campaign it has been. (Remember when it seemed exotic to look past February 5?) I have a unique perspective on that, as the Iowa caucuses occurred the day after Becky and I came home from the hospital with our firstborn child. So we barely remember what our lives were like before this election began.
For Loyette, the situation is even more extreme. This campaign has literally been going on for her entire life. :) She was three days old when the first votes were cast; now she's five months and three days. She's more than doubled her weight, gotten five or six inches taller, and has changed from a tiny, dazed and confused newborn into a vibrant, happy, bouncing baby girl with a distinct personality and an ever-increasing set of skills. And all the while, the Democrats have been fighting over who'll be their nominee. Remarkable.
Anyway... what are your predictions for today's election? And when will Hillary drop out? Tonight? Tomorrow? Thursday? August 28? January 21? ;)
P.S. Remember how Mitt Romney dropped out, and endorsed McCain, at a speech in front of CPAC? Well, is it possible Hillary will drop out, and endorse Obama, at the AIPAC convention tomorrow? She and Obama are both scheduled to speak there tomorrow morning.
By Brendan Loy
Becky, Loyette and I spent Memorial Day communing with nature, as we hiked the Porters Creek Trail, a roughly 7-mile walk through the woods in the Smoky Mountain National Park.
It was very fun, if somewhat exhausting. (The hike to the campsite at the end of the trail was relentlessly uphill; the walk back was, naturally, downhill, and therefore mercifully less tiring.) We carried Loyette in her Kangaroo Korner slings, Becky using the fleece one and me using the mesh one, as we always do. We passed her back and forth throughout the roughly six-hour hike, and whoever wasn't wearing the baby would wear the backpack. So that worked out pretty well.
Loyette was amazingly tolerant of the long day. She got cranky exactly three times -- twice just before taking a long nap in her sling (i.e., she was tired), and once just before lunch (i.e., she was hungry). She's a great baby that way. :) Throughout the vast majority of the hike, she was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and seemed very interested in all the new sights, sounds and smells. Of course, that meant not just the natural wonders of the forest, but also the more mundane "wonders" like the feel of cold condensation on the outside of our water bottle, and the way a plastic bag full of peanuts (a handy trail snack) changes shape when you grab the outside of the bag. To a baby, everything new is exciting and wondrous.
Anyway, the trail we hiked is renowned for its beautiful wildflowers in early spring. Since it's late May, there aren't as many wildflowers now, but there are some, and they're pretty. Here are a few that I photographed:
See also this one and this one.
Oh, and the trail also has a somewhat scary bridge, quite reminiscent of the Bridge of Khazad-Dûm (although with a railing, admittedly):
It's hard to tell from the photos, but there's really quite a steep drop-off; the water is maybe 15 feet below you in the middle. And given the narrowness of the bridge, it's legitimately somewhat nerve-wracking to walk across.
I really wanted to find a large stick, hold it up, and proclaim, "You cannot pass! I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. Dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udûn! Go back to the shadow! You shall not pass!!!"
But alas, there was another pair of hikers sitting on a rock nearby, well within earshot, so I had to contain my weirdness. :)
I did, however, do what my dad and I call the Indiana Jones pose -- notwithstanding the fact that, to my knowledge, Indiana Jones never did any such pose.
Anyway, I'll upload some more pictures of the hike to Flickr shortly, and link to them here when they're online.
P.S. I think this photo is cool:
UPDATE: As promised, here's the Flickr gallery. It's two pages long. Enjoy!
By Brendan Loy
I neglected to mention it at the time, but this past Tuesday was the one-year anniversary of my graduation from law school, and Wednesday marked one year to the day since we moved to Knoxville. Wow!
It's hard to believe it's been that long. Time flies, I guess, particularly when we're talking about a year that began with Loyette being the size of a kidney bean and ended with her approaching five months old, growing and learning and changing every day -- so much so that it sneaks up on you, and you're amazed when you ponder memories or look at pictures from even a couple of weeks ago, let alone a couple of months. At this point it's hard to remember what my life was like in February, never mind December... and as for May? Fugghetaboutit.
Anyway, I guess this milestone means I've now officially concluded my first year in the "real world." And wow, what a year it's been. I know I don't talk about my own life in this space as much as I used to; I guess the combination of having a baby and starting my career have caused me to show a wee bit more discretion in terms of what I blog about. But suffice it to say that, on all fronts, things are going very well, and I'm really, really happy. And the anniversary of my graduation seems like a good moment to stop, take stock, and give thanks for all my blessings -- most especially the one who is currently sleeping soundly in the other room. :)
By Brendan Loy
Loyette, Becky, Casey (visiting for the weekend from Rochester) and I went on the March for Babies this morning on UT's campus. It was fun!
That's Becky pushing Loyette's stroller above, and Casey next to her. Here's a photo of Loyette and me, relaxing after the walk:
My t-shirt, if you're wondering, says, "Fatherhood: the toughest job you'll ever love."
Anyway, thanks again to everybody who sponsored us! We ended up exceeding our goal, with $620 in donations!
If you didn't sponsor us, but would still like to donate to the March of Dimes, why not sponsor the Neudorffs? They'll be marching next weekend in Rochester.
After the jump, some more photos of today's march here in Knoxville.
UPDATE: Welcome, No Silence Here readers! If you didn't know, "Loyette" is our baby's blog nickname, not her actual name. :)
By Brendan Loy
I linked yesterday to a YouTube clip of Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy singing "Rambles of Spring." That's just one of a whole new treasure trove of Clancy/Makem video clips that have been recently uploaded to YouTube. You might recall that I posted a bunch of clips last August, after Makem's death, but a lot of new videos have appeared since then. Here's another one, a real oldie but goodie, showing a much younger foursome singing "Brennan on the Moor" in 1963:
That, incidentally, is -- like the Kingston Trio's "M.T.A." -- one of my favorite songs to sing to Loyette. Hey, just because I'm a lawyer doesn't mean I can't teach my daughter a "good, healthy disrespect for law!" Hee hee. Actually, I just like singing it to her because it's fun, bouncy and repetitive. No doubt I'll regret this when she gets a little older and, just like I did when I was little, starts bursting out in bawdy Irish songs at inappropriate moments. :) History repeats itself in the new generation...
By Brendan Loy
In an e-mail this morning about possible travel plans for the Fourth of July, I referred to Loyette as "a six-month-old," then added: "OMG, she's going to be six months old!! That's DOUBLE her current age!! She'll be going to prom and heading off to college before I know it!! AAAAHHH!!!! :)"
This brings to mind the Blue Plate Special last Friday, when I was holding Loyette in the back of the room, "dancing" with her to the old-timey bluegrass music -- and a vision popped into my head of our father-daughter dance at her wedding someday. Argh! Why must I think these things?? The pre-nostalgia is killing me! :)
By Brendan Loy
As a follow-up to my dad's post, Loyette and I would like to wish you & yours a very happy St. Patrick's Day:
Awww. :) Cutest. Leprechaun. Ever.
By Brendan Loy
Heh:
Actually, that photo was taken on Thursday during the Pac-10 tournament. But I have a feeling it will be a common scene both tonight and throughout the next few weeks. :)
(Just before the picture was taken, Loyette was actually staring straight at the TV screen for several minutes. It was really cute.)
Oh, and yes, we realize our entertainment center isn't remotely baby-proofed. But we should have a little while yet before she starts crawling around and that becomes an issue...
By Brendan Loy
Back in December, as I pondered what to buy Becky for our second wedding anniversary, I had a brainstorm: wouldn't it be cool to get her (er, us) tickets to the Ron White comedy show on March 8 in downtown Knoxville? Becky's a huge live comedy fan generally, and a Blue Collar Comedy fan specifically, so I knew she'd love it.
There was only one problem: by March 8 we'd have a two-month old, so we'd need a babysitter. And I figured new mom Becky wouldn't want to entrust our brand-new little one to just any old babysitter. But I knew Loyette's SHA-girl "aunties" all wanted to come visit at some point, so I figured maybe I could get one of them to come out that (i.e., this) weekend. I e-mailed Kristy, she enthusiastically agreed to come visit, and long story short, yesterday she flew in from Denver, and tonight she'll be babysitting Loyette while Becky and I go out on out first real post-baby date.
You know your friends rock when they'll fly in from 1,500 miles away to babysit. :) Anyway, here's a shot of Loyette and her Aunt Kristy at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame this afternoon:
Awww.
P.S. Here's a photo Kristy took of me blocking Becky's shot at the Hall of Fame's court:
By Brendan Loy
Shannon's visiting us this weekend, and today we drove out to the Smokies. Here we are in Cades Cove with a sleepy Loyette:
Shannon, incidentally, sat next to Lady Vols star Nicky Anosike's 6-foot-10 brother, Ifesinachi (a.k.a. "E"), on her flight into Knoxville on Thursday. (He had requested to change seats because he couldn't fit well in his original seat near the back of the plane, and being next to 5-foot-3 Shannon worked well.) She said he was a really nice, friendly guy, and they had a nice time chatting on the flight. Their flight ended up making the news, in the lede of the AP article about Tennessee's senior-night win over Florida on Thursday:
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Nicky Anosike's family arrived just after halftime to see her play in her final home game at Tennessee on Thursday night.By then she and the third-ranked Lady Vols had already taken care of business.
"They are always late. I expected that, and I was prepared for it," she joked after her family's flight from New York was delayed.
Heh.
Anyway, back to today's trip to the Smokies... I also got a couple of nice photos of deer:
By Brendan Loy
Fight on Trojans! Beat the Bruins!
(Onesie and blanket courtesy of Keri and Jake. "Fight on" socks courtesy of Papa & Nana.)
P.S. Of course, Mike Tran is hoping the Trojans lose tonight... which just proves that Mike Tran hates babies. :)
Freakin' baby-hating Bruins. Have they no decency? ;)
By Brendan Loy
We went to an Obama rally, and a Lady Vols game broke out!
Becky and I decided to check out the Obama rally outside Thompson-Boling this afternoon. We figured it would be a good excuse to get out of the house with Loyette, and I wanted to take some pictures of the festivities. So we drove over to UT, tucked Loyette snugly inside her kangaroo pouch (which I was wearing), and ventured out toward the arena. We ended up getting free Obama signs of our own...
...and struck up a few pleasant conversations with Obama supporters heading into the arena. Several people were curious to see the baby inside the pouch -- the "youth vote," we said. :) Then one of those conversations took an unexpected turn: a middle-aged couple was looking for someone to give their tickets to, and asked if we'd like them. We figured, what the heck? If Loyette didn't do well with the crowd, we could always leave. So we accepted the tickets, and thus ended up unexpectedly taking our baby to her first basketball game.
And she did great! She was sound asleep inside her pouch for pretty much the entire affair. The crowd noise didn't seem to bother her at all, and after flinching the first few times the P.A. announcer yelled, she got used to that, too. At one point, with my hand on the bottom of the pouch, I could actually feel her snoring -- out like a light in the midst of a crowd of 19,259. Heh. She's a sound sleeper! We ended up staying till the final buzzer, much to our surprise.
Tennessee won the game, by the way, routing overmatched Kentucky, 79-51. And Candace Parker dunked!
Oh, and lest my Connecticut readers be concerned, I sang the UConn Huskies fight song to Loyette during the car ride home. Wouldn't want her to get too indoctrinated with this Lady Vols stuff. :)
By Brendan Loy
I almost forgot to mention: today is Loyette's one-month birthday! In some ways, it's hard to believe it's been that long, and in other ways, it's hard to believe it's only been a month. It already feels like the little one has been a part of our family forever.
As I write this, Becky is sitting on the other side of the couch with Loyette in her lap, reading aloud the epilogue of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment -- which Becky checked out from the library as part of her quest to read the 100 greatest novels of all-time. (UPDATE: Becky points out that Crime and Punishment isn't actually on that list. She is planning to try to get through the list, though.)
Loyette seems to be enjoying hearing about Raskolnikov's adventures more than she enjoyed herself the one time I tried to read her the Balrog scene from Lord of the Rings... though I maintain that she was just coincidentally fussy at that particular moment. :)
By Brendan Loy
In honor of President Bush's final State of the Union address (which is now underway; liveblogging below), Loyette wore a very Republican-looking outfit today:
I'm not sure she likes President Bush, though:
Don't worry, darlin', most Americans feel pretty much the same way. :)
P.S. Loyette is four weeks old today!
By Brendan Loy
Two weeks ago tonight, Becky and I were sitting on our couch, watching Law & Order reruns on our TiVo, and joking about the meaninglessness of due dates. Loyette's "scheduled" arrival was the next day, yet there was no sign of imminent labor -- which is, of course, quite typical. Only about five percent of women actually give birth on their due dates, and first babies are often late. Becky had actually published a post about due dates on her new Happy Housewife blog earlier that day, suggesting that a "due range" would be more realistic, and that "the person who invented the Due Date should be tied up while a bunch of outraged, very pregnant women throw rotten vegetables at him."
At a few minutes after midnight on the morning of December 31, as our last Law & Order of the evening was wrapping up, I noticed the time on the clock, and I said to Becky: "Hey, they say pregnant women have a 'bun in the oven,' right? Well, shouldn't you be going 'ding!' right now?" But of course, the odds being what they were, neither of us really expected anything to happen that night or day. We went to bed around 12:30 AM, fully expecting a peaceful New Year's Eve and a continuation of the "waiting game" into 2008. I had pretty much given up on getting that tax deduction.
The rest is history, of course. Barely two hours after my "ding" joke, a few minutes past 2:00 AM, Becky woke me up with the fateful words: "I think my water might have broken." It had. She marvels at how quickly I -- the normally groggy, grumpy, slow waker -- jumped out of bed, wide awake, and sprung into action. Less than an hour later, we were checked into the hospital and settling into our comfy labor & delivery room. Twelve hours later, our beautiful baby girl was born. And now, a few hours short of fourteen days later, I'm sitting on that same couch where we watched those Law & Order episodes... but I find myself inhabiting a whole new world, one in which everything revolves around the little angel who is, even as I type this, snuggled up against my belly, listening to my continuing efforts to "shush" her to sleep.
It's hard to believe it's only been two weeks. It seems like everything before December 31, 2007 was a lifetime ago. And I suppose, in a certain sense, it was -- if we measure "lifetime" on the time scale of the completely adorable creature in the fuzzy pink sleeper who is now sucking adamantly on my right index finger while I try to finish typing this sentence left-handed. :)
Happy Two-Week Birthday, Loyette.
P.S. As an aside about the events of December 30: a few hours earlier, before watching those Law & Order reruns, we watched the movie Knocked Up on DVD after dinner with Becky's parents, who had arrived in town earlier that day. We saw Knocked Up in the theater just a few days after learning we were going to have a baby, and, as it turned out, we watched it again less than 24 hours before said baby's arrival!
By Brendan Loy
We're home from the hospital. All is well.
A few quick observations from the first 52 hours of fatherhood:
• Has it really only been that long? I never would have thought it was possible for one's life to change so completely in just 52 hours.
• Anyone who ponders the question "Does 'love at first sight' really exist?" has clearly never had a baby. Of course it exists.
• Singing to your baby is one of life's underappreciated joys. (By the way, Brennan on the Moor is a great diaper-changing song.)
• It's amazing how quickly you come to think of two-plus hours of consecutive slumber as a "decent night's sleep," and anything over three hours as downright luxurious.
• Speaking of which: everyone who knows me knows that I tend to procrastinate, dawdle and waste time. However, suddenly I find myself overwhelmingly concerned with efficiency. That's not to say I'm actually efficient yet, but I'm always thinking about how to be efficient. If you want to get any sleep at all, there is simply no time to waste: you've got to plan out everything you do, and make sure you're doing things in an order that makes sense. You're also acutely aware that anything you do with your waking hours is taking time away from potential sleep. So, for example, activities like writing blog posts, responding to e-mails or watching bowl games must either be accepted as taking priority over sleep (a concept that has a way of very quickly reshuffling your priorities), be done simultaneously with other necessary activities, or be squeezed into brief pockets of "in-between time" that are too short for a worthwhile nap. (And really, is there any such thing?)
• When you're growing up, you think your parents are total dorks for getting all emotional about the milestones in your life, particularly the ones that involve greater separation between you and them. Then you have a baby, and you completely understand where they were coming from; in fact, you suddenly don't understand how they could possibly have handled it so well. The concept of this little one deciding, seventeen years hence, to move across the country for college, is completely incomprehensible. A father-daughter dance at her wedding someday? Don't even get me started. Nope. She'll be my little girl forever, I decided.
• Some concepts sink in more easily than others, even when they seem synonymous. The fact that she's my daughter -- that Becky and I created this life -- has already pretty much sunk in. I look into her eyes and I get it: she's mine. But at a totally different level, the fact that I'm her father still baffles me. I look at pictures of myself holding her, looking into those eyes, and I think: Holy s**t! I'm a dad?!? When did that happen?? Somewhere deep down, I think I still had this mental picture of myself as a dorky teenager who brings his camcorder everywhere and writes a newspaper on his home computer. My senior quote in high school was from John Mellencamp: "Hold onto sixteen as long as you can." Finally, however, I can't. I'm really, really not a kid anymore. I'm a dad. Me -- a dad. Wow.
P.S. By the way... the blogged baby pictures won't be coming as fast and furious henceforth as they have in the past few days. I'm sorry if that disappoints people; I know baby pictures are adorable and everybody wants to see them. But we want to avoid having every detail of Loyette's entire childhood play out in real time, in living color, on the Internet. So while there will be occasional baby-picture posts, there won't be nearly as many as you might think. Just so you know.
By Brendan Loy
Loyette and I are watching the Rose Bowl in the hospital (well, she's asleep, but she's sitting on my lap while I watch it, anyway), and so far, we like what we see: the Trojans lead 21-3 at halftime.
UPDATE: USC 49, Illinois 17, final. w00t!
Meanwhile, Georgia and Hawaii are underway in the Sugar Bowl. Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis -- the same announcing team that called last year's Boise State win in the Fiesta Bowl and this year's Appalachian State upset of Michigan -- are calling the game. I sense an upset!
UPDATE 2: Or not. Georgia 24, Hawaii 3 at halftime.
UPDATE 3: Nope, definitely not. Georgia 41, Hawaii 10, final.
Remember how everyone wanted to see USC vs. Georgia instead of putting them in separate bowls? Tonight pretty well demonstrated why, no? It's not the Rose Bowl's fault that a Trojans-Bulldogs matchup didn't happen, but man, it would have been pretty awesome. The BCS sucks.
By Brendan Loy
A new year, a new baby, the miracle of new life, and a new chapter in our lives. Never has the turning of the calendar's page meant so much to us. What an amazing day.
From our family to yours, have a very Happy New Year!!
UPDATE: Welcome, InstaPundit readers! My earlier post announcing the birth of our New Year's Eve baby, with pictures, is here.
By Brendan Loy
Our bundle of joy is here!! She was born at 2:13 PM, weighing 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and she's 21 inches long. She's got a full head of brown hair, and she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. :)
:)
UPDATE: Here's a photo of me with Loyette:
P.S. For anyone who may have missed my earlier posts on the topic, "Loyette" is the baby's blog nickname. She has a real name, obviously, but we're not revealing it on the blog because we don't want her to be easily and instantly Google-able from birth.
By JLR
With the arrival of Loyette at 2:13 PM on December 31, 2007, I can now proclaim the winner of the first ever Irish Trojan Baby Pool to be...
me.
All of you people who scoffed at picking Loyette's actual due date must feel pretty silly right now.
After the jump are the predictions, which show me to be the winner; the prediction was today at 11:59 PM, a difference of 9 hours and 46 minutes. In second place was Mike's brother Matt with a prediction of 12:11 AM tomorrow; he missed the actual mark of 2:13 PM by just under 10 hours.
So, congratulations to our winner, but bigger congratulations to Becky (& Brendan, I suppose) for the birth of their little girl. From the Jewish contingent of the Loyosphere, I wish you a hearty Mazel Tov, and wish you all the best in the coming years.
And if I may editorialize briefly, that baby has got to be one of the cutest things I have seen in a long time (I'm actually writing this post later than the time stamp, so that Brendan's announcement stays on top of this post). But brown hair? C'mon, Becky, you can't let your kid have the same color hair as her daddy? Seriously, though, she's absolutely precious.
Continue reading "Loyette proclaims, "The winner is ... JLR"" »
By Brendan Loy
No, the baby's not here yet, and yes, I did deliberately choose that headline in order to momentarily startle my readers into thinking this is the announcement. :)
In fact, this is a comparatively minor announcement. It concerns the issue of the baby's blog nickname. In spite of her initial objections, I have managed to convince Becky to go along with the super-cute moniker suggested by Nadine. Thus, Baby Loy will henceforth be known on the blog as "Loyette."
Er, that's assuming she's a girl, as expected. If not, a) we're going to be severely annoyed at our ultrasound techs; b) we're going to have to figure out what to do with all these pink clothes; and c) the baby will need a new blog nickname. :)
In other news, Becky's bored, and wants some advice from other mothers who have gone through the "waiting game." You know: you've gotta get everything ready for the baby by Week 37, so you do, and then Week 38 comes, and Week 39, and even though you're not even technically due yet, nevermind overdue, you feel like the baby oughta be here by now -- and you don't know what to do with yourself in the meantime. Any suggestions for how to pass the time? We're both a little sick, and she's a lot pregnant, so we're not in any particular mood to go out... we've watched about a zillion Law & Order reruns on our TiVo... the entire house is clean and organized... Becky's read like ten thousand baby books... and, well, we need ideas. Specifically, she needs ideas. I've got some work-related stuff I need to do, but Becky's going increasingly nuts with boredom. Thoughts, anyone?
By Brendan Loy
Back in June, when I announced that Becky and I are expecting a baby, I wrote:
One thing we will probably do is follow the lead of Glenn Reynolds and many other prominent bloggers who, when they talk about their children on their blogs, don't use the kids' real names, but instead use some sort of nickname. Glenn, for example, calls his 11-year-old "the Insta-Daughter." I haven’t thought of a catchy blog-nickname yet for the IrishTrojanSon or IrishTrojanDaughter — suggestions are welcome! — but I think I will probably go that route, just to prevent the kid from being easily, instantly Google-able starting at infancy.
That "probable" decision has become a definite plan, and I wanted to mention it again, so that it's clear to everyone as a statement of blog policy. Many of my readers will, of course, know the baby's name in due course. However, I'm asking everyone to respect our wishes and please do not mention the baby's name on the blog -- or in any other publicly accessible Internet space, for that matter. Obviously, friends and family spreading the word via e-mail is fine. But if you're going to put up an announcement on your MySpace or whatever, please leave the baby's name out of it.
Of course, we need something to call her on the blog. We've got a couple of ideas, but I thought we'd open it for suggestions again. (Criteria after the jump.)
By Brendan Loy
If you have any sort of pre-emptive strategies for preventing yourself from coming down with a cold/flu/fever, and your wife is getting into the latter stages of pregnancy, employ those strategies, immediately if not sooner.
There is nothing more miserable, I have learned, than being sick while your wife is super-pregnant. I've had a severe sore throat and a wildly fluctuating fever (as high as 101.3°, as low as 97.4°) for the last three days, and it totally sucks. I mean, being sick always sucks, but it especially sucks right now, and it sucks for both of us. Why? Because 1) I can't dote on Becky as much I normally would when she's 38 weeks pregnant, and 2) Becky can't dote on me as much as she normally would when I'm all sick. Oh yeah, and 3) I have the added stress of worrying that 3a) I'll still be sick when Becky goes into labor, which technically could happen at any moment, and/or 3b) Becky will catch what I have, won't be able to take the medicines I can take, will be totally miserable, and it'll be all my fault.
As it is, we're both basically sitting around the house in a somewhat zombie-like state, each trying to do what we can for the other, then periodically stopping to wallow in our respective islands of discomfort: my stuffy nose, hacking cough, eyes that feel like they're on fire, chills trading off with hot flashes, and oh yeah, the horrible pain whenever I swallow. Becky, meanwhile, gets to deal with getting kicked in the ribs, feeling stretched, smooshed and crowded all over, and being exhausted... all... the... time. (And so forth.)
Actually, Becky has been a saint through all this. Despite my efforts, I daresay she's been doting on me more than I have on her, and with very little complaint. Personally, I see this as further evidence in support of my longstanding theory that Becky is the most awesome wife in the world. Here we are, at this unique moment in our lives when I ought to be waiting on her hand and foot, and instead, she's trying to nurse her sick hubby back to health. (For example: homemade chicken-noodle soup tonight!) Becky rocks.
Oh, and one other piece of advice, albeit perhaps of the somewhat more obvious, damn-Brendan-you're-a-dumbass variety. If you wake up with a fever of 100.8°, and you still have ambitions of going to work, and you decide to take a shower in pursuit of those ambitions... don't take a hot shower. I had chills when I got in, so it felt good... for about 30 seconds. Then I started to feel very nauseous, which in retrospect I realized was because (duh) my body temperature was starting to spike. I got out after about ten minutes, and after maybe five minutes of evaporative cooling, my temp was at 101.3°. Who knows how hot it was when I first got out. In conclusion, I'm a dumbass.
P.S. For any worry-wort fathers and ex-medical-professionals-in-law who may be reading this, rest assured: I went to the doctor, got a strep test, and it was negative. I was told it's just a run-of-the-mill upper-respiratory virus, and that I just need to take it easy, drink lots of fluids, and get plenty of rest. So that's what I'm doing.
By JLR
As Brendan noted earlier, Baby Loy is now a "full term" baby. In recognition of this milestone, I am taking this opportunity to post everyone's predictions in the Irish Trojan Baby Pool.
It's interesting to note--only one person (me!) actually picked the baby's due date! To quote Brendan (in an e-mail to me):
You're the only person who predicted the baby will be born on her actual due date? LOL!
I wanted to point out that, yes, I am the only one to pick 12/31. You'll also note that I picked 11:59pm--a nod to the fact that Brendan and Becky get a tax break for all of 2007 even if Baby Loy comes a minute before the year ends. I'd probably have picked this date and time even if Becky was due on 12/25 or 1/5 :-P
And just a reminder: we're not playing The Price Is Right--whoever is closest to the actual birth time will be declared the winner. So, if the baby is born at noon on 12/31 or midnight on 1/1, I still win the pool by virtue of the fact that I'm closest to the right answer.
You can see the actual guesses after the jump. Some people have the baby being born as early as next week, and others say it won't happen until the middle of January. Again, to quote Brendan:
someone needs to familiarize Alasdair, Wobbly and Sandy with the concept that most doctors will not let a woman go more than a week past due before inducing labor...
There, Brendan, it's done. Congrats again to the two of you, and we, the entrants in your pool, wish you both (and Baby Loy) all the best of luck in the future.
By Brendan Loy
Baby Loy is officially full term!
That's right: as of today, Becky is 37 weeks pregnant, so although her due date is still three weeks away, the little one wouldn't be considered premature if she were to decide that today's the day. (That said, can we please wait at least until tomorrow, baby? Today would be kind of inconvenient. ;)
Anyway, today's what-size-food-is-the-baby fun fact involves not a fruit, as in most previous weeks, but a vegetable:
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard).
Here's the Wikipedia page for Swiss chard, if you were wondering.
P.S. The earliest predicted arrival date in the baby pool is December 19, by Nadine. Maybe we should mark our calendars; Nadine's clairvoyance in such matters has already been demonstrated. And that'd be just about as early as I was...
By Brendan Loy
That means I might become a dad this month.
(Or it might be next month. But it could be this month.)
Holy crap.
As Johnny Carson would say: that's some pretty weird, wild stuff.
By JLR
Now that Becky is entering the last month before her due date, I am calling on her friends and family who have not already done so to enter the Irish Trojan Baby Pool today! I am cutting off all entries at 12:00 midnight (Eastern) tonight.
Why am I doing this? Since the due date is usually only a "best guess," the baby is most likely to arrive a couple of weeks early, a couple of weeks late, or anywhere in between. After talking to Brendan a month or so ago, we agreed that today would be the LAST day for entries.
Also note, guesses placed on this entry's comments will not be counted. Please click here (again, that's here) to enter.
[NOTE: This post will stay on top of the homepage for the rest of the day. New posts will appear below it. -ed.]
By Brendan Loy
Becky and I learned two very important things at our childbirth class tonight. One, the hospital has Wi-Fi. And two, the TVs there get ESPN and ESPN2! :)
Hey, just because we're having our firstborn doesn't mean we have to miss the Holiday Bowl (Dec. 27), the Gonzaga-Tennessee game (Dec. 29), the Outback Bowl (Jan. 1), or any of the other ESPN Family of Networks games that we might want to watch! And yes, I do mean "we." Believe it or not, it was Becky who initially asked the question! This is why I love being married to a sports fan. Though somehow, I don't think she'll take it too well if, when she tells me she's starting another contraction and needs me to breathe with her, I respond, "Just a second, honey, it's 4th and 3!"
Anyway, it has been pointed out that I've been lax in my what-size-fruit-is-the-baby updates recently. Far be it for me to deprive my readers of this crucial information, so here's a lightning-round update: four weeks ago, she weighed about as much as a head of cabbage; three weeks ago, she was the equivalent of four navel oranges; two weeks ago, a large jicama; last week, a pineapple; and now, as of today, a cantaloupe.
Aw, it almost looks like she's smiling! ;) Anyway, here's a bit more from the BabyCenter article:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.
Everything is going fine, by the way. I know I haven't been posting as many baby updates recently, but y'all shouldn't read anything negative into that; it's the result of both my limited free time and Becky's and my mutual choice not to blog about every little thing. That's something to remember going forward, too. I have no idea how much, if at all, I'll blog when Becky is in labor, or when we'll post any sort of announcement here once the baby is born. That's something Becky and I will decide between the two of us, but in any event, you definitely shouldn't assume that no news is bad news, nor worry about any abrupt halt to updates that might occur. Needless to say, the blog will not be my top priority, so please don't assume that any deviation from my usual pattern of minute-by-minute posting is cause for concern. Just stay tuned; when the time comes, you guys will get the good news. And the baby pool result. :)
By Brendan Loy
Two questions for y'all. First off, does anybody know of a consumer-level (let's say under $400) digital camera that has a maximum exposure (for low-light, long-exposure still photos) of greater than 15 seconds? Like, 30 seconds, maybe? I love the Canon PowerShot line, but they all seem to max out at 15-second exposures, and for Iridium flare photography, I really wish they could do 30. I'm probably not immediately in the market for a new still camera, but I'm just wondering.
Second, more important question: I need a new video camera. My Sony DCR-TRV140 is out-of-warranty and broken (it gives me the dreaded C31:23 error, and the Internet home remedy of "whacking" the camera doesn't work for me), and I want a functional digital camcorder before the baby arrives. So I'm wondering if y'all have any suggestions.
To be clear, I'm looking for a reasonably inexpensive consumer-level camcorder -- not some sort of super-advanced, super-expensive pro-level monstrosity that has eight thousand features I'll never use. Also, if my new camera were a Digital8, that would be ideal, since that's the format that all my previous tapes are in. However, I realize Digital8 is a proprietary Sony format and thus limits my options considerably, so I'm certainly willing to consider a switch to MiniDV or some other format -- though then I'll have to figure out how to play my old Digital8 tapes (maybe by buying something old and cheap off eBay?).
I don't demand a lot from my camcorders, in terms of bells & whistles. For instance, I don't care at all about digital zoom (only optical zoom matters), and razzle-dazzle digital effects do nothing for me. I just want something relatively cheap that works well. That said, one feature I actually do care about, which most camera manufacturers seem not to care about, is the ease of manually focusing when necessary. I used to have a camcorder where there was a simple, physical button up front, near the lens, that served as both 1) the toggle switch between auto & manual focus and 2) the focus wheel. That was ideal. By contrast, some camcorders these days require you to navigate a lengthy menu and press buttons four or five or six times, just to make the camera focus on something in the foreground instead of the background. That's ridiculous. I want a reasonably intuitive interface for that essential camera function. Other than that... um... I'm not sure what else I really need in a camcorder. It doesn't take a lot a fancy-schmancy digital wizardry to take cute videos of a baby. :) But you tell me. What should I be looking at? I haven't been in the market for a camcorder for like six years, so I don't really know what's out there in any detail or depth. Suggestions? Thoughts?
By Brendan Loy
I took this picture in Denver. Now I'm in Kansas City, where the plane has a stopover before continuing to Nashville. Sitting near a mother and two little kids, I realized: this is very likely the last time I'll travel when I'm not a dad. Holy cow.
By Brendan Loy
...be sure to enter the Irish Trojan Baby Pool!
(This post will stay on top all day. New posts will appear below it.)
By JLR
As loyal readers of the Irish Trojan, we know that he is soon to become a daddy. In fact, mommy-to-be Becky officially starts her third trimester today! So, in the spirit of the Brendansphere, it's only reasonable that we have some sort of contest. (And yes, I have permission of the mommy- and daddy-to-be to do this!)
Here's how it will work. Submit, in comments on this post, your guess for when Becky will have the baby. (Remember, she's due on New Year's Eve.) The winner will be selected based on whomever is closest to the exact day, hour, and minute. If there is a tie, the tiebreaking categories will be weight and length of the little one (weight is the first tiebreaker, length is the second tiebreaker).
In other words, just submit your guesses like this:
Date:
Time: (hour & minute)*
Weight: (in pounds)
Length: (in inches)
*Please note: "Time" is based on wherever Becky is when she has the baby--the local time of the city that the kid is born in. You pick the time, the mommy (or the baby) chooses the time zone.
Please include a name or at least a pseudonym, so we know whom to congratulate once the baby is born ... other than the parents, that is.
Naturally, if we're going to have a contest, it's only right that we give the winner something. Therefore the winner will get the exact same amount that s/he would get from any other pool on this website: bragging rights. :-)
Good luck!
PS: This post is for well-wishers only. If you have something else to say, or perhaps something negative to say about the baby, your post will be deleted and you will be removed from the site. This is your first, last, and only warning.
By Brendan Loy
Becky's third trimester officially begins today. Yay! According to BabyCenter.com:
By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures almost 15 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.
The "she" is definitely correct, by the way. Becky had her second ultrasound last week while I was in Denver, and it confirmed that little Baby Loy is indeed a girl. Which is good, because otherwise I'm not sure what we'd do with all the cute, pink, frilly clothes that we got at the baby shower. :)
Anyway, preparations for the little tyke's arrival are continuing apace. Over the weekend, Becky set up the Pack 'n Play in what will eventually be the baby's room:
Aww. There's gonna be a baby in there!
Incidentally, I believe Josh will be posting something about a "baby pool" soon, so stay tuned!
By Brendan Loy
I'm at the airport waiting for my flight to take off, and Becky just e-mailed me from home with this cell-phone photo of a baby gift that she just opened. It's from Lisa:
LOL! Awww.
By Brendan Loy
WARNING: Clip contains profanity!
From Knocked Up:
Heh.
A very funny movie, that is -- especially when you're expecting. :)
By Brendan Loy
If this is what clothes-shopping with a pre-teen girl is like now, I shudder to think what it'll be like in, oh, 12 years or so. Excerpt:
Limited Too was awash in shimmer; virtually every item was encrusted with rhinestones or sparkling with glitter. Most of these clothes provided sufficient coverage, but my daughter doesn't like ostentation, so we looked through the T-shirts for something more subdued. There we discovered what I have come to think of as Nitwit Wear. These are T-shirts with slogans such as: "I Left My Brain in My Locker," "I Only Shop on Days that End in Y," and "Spoiled and Proud of It." (At least you only want to shake your head at these. Making you believe in corporal punishment is the Happy Bunny line of clothing, available online and at various department stores, which features phrases such as "Wow you're ugly," and "It's cute how stupid you are.") It's a comfort to know that if your child can't come up with her own insolent remarks, clothing manufacturers are there to help.
Of course, there's that extreme, and then there's the other extreme. Money quote: "Mom, I'm 11! I'm not Harriet Miers!" (Hat tip: Becky.)
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