NOELLE MARINA

On Sunday Aug 29th 2010 at 6:06pm arrived the gift of Noelle. She was 5lbs, 6 oz, and was 18 and half inches long. At that moment my life became perfect. It is truly a miracle when you can instantly fall in love not once, but two times in just one moment. I fell in love my daughter, and I fell in love with her Mother all over again. In no way can I explain or tell anyone what to EXPECT when you meet your child for the first time. For me it was like in the "Grinch That Stole Christmas" My heart Grew and Grew and Grew and all for a girl named NOELLE. As soon as I saw her I immediately looked down at my beautiful wife and felt the tears of joy roll down my cheek.
This experience has enabled me to grow from a boy into a father. In these 9 months I experienced a crash course in patience, strength, laughter, and love. I learned that as we move more into adulthood your life and perceptions change into a more incredible feeling of joy. It's normal to miss the day's when you can party, stay out late, and only think of your own needs. learn and cherish the time during your significant others pregnancy to embrace this new and amazing chapter of your lives. Out of LOVE my wife and I have created a LIFE and that is a gift that you can never EXPECT, but one can only be grateful for. I will now get to start my life over again. I can now see the innocence of childhood through the eyes of my daughter, and hopefully I can GUIDE her through the journey of life.
I can't tell you word for word "What To Expect When She's Expecting" but I can tell you this...DO NOT SIT ON THE SIDELINES. This is your time to play the most important game of your life. Participate in every way you can with your wife during those 9 month's. Make your relationship strong and talk about everything important, to everything silly. I think you can see by my blogs that my wife and I are open with our feelings and how we communicate. I am so excited to start this next chapter knowing I have my wife to share every experience with. I can promise you one thing...the moment you see your child for the 1st time your heart will melt and your life will change for the better. Noelle is already one week and two days old and I wish I could bottle up every moment, dirty diaper, smile, and tear. This is a love like no other, and it's like nothing I ever EXPECTED.
To everyone who has followed and commented on this blog I Thank you. This forum has given me the opportunity to express myself and reflect and appreciate the most wonderful time in my life. I hope that some of my experiences have helped you relate and understand how a guy feels during this process, and a perspective into "WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN SHE'S EXPECTING"
Remember to cherish every moment and never forget to LAUGH.

Christmas Morning

This is the night before I will become a father. I have spent 9 months reporting this experience about "What to Expect When She's Expecting" The truth is, with a journey like this my advise is don't EXPECT anything. We can read all the books in the world, follow each day on some baby web site, or read some ordinary guys BLOG.....but NOTHING will prepare us for PARENTHOOD and the amazing ball of emotions I am feeling at this moment. the way I feel tonight is like when I was 5 years old laying in my bed hoping to fall a sleep, only because when I woke up it would be Christmas morning. I cant wait to wake up to my new Christmas morning and await the moment where I will meet my daughter NOELLE. This whole blog started as a way for me to share the experience of EXPECTING from a mans perspective. I feel this journey has actually showed how a man became a DADDY, and the birth of a family. We have dealt with false alarms, scares, and the many moments of joy, frustration, and laughter. I am so ready to hold my wife's hand, and support her as she brings our daughter into this world. I am so proud of my wife and all that she has overcome during these past 9 months, and I know she's going to make a wonderful mother.
Tomorrow night my wife will be induced and our little Noelle will meet the world. I pray for the health of my wife and child and I am so excited for this next chapter in my life.... and I EXPECT it to be AMAZING.

My Water Just Broke???

We are currently in our 36th week of my wife's pregnancy and the excitement and nerves continue to build everyday. Last Sunday was jenn's baby shower so now my house looks like a small version of Baby's R Us. The nursery is perfect, and my wife looks like she is ready to go at any moment. I have been spending all my free time putting together things and screaming at directions as if the manufacturer of GRECO could actually hear my cries for help. With that being said I am happy to say I am READY....everything is done and my wife definitely looks like shes going to explode at any moment. The thing is I have noticed that after the week 33 my wife gets tired doing everything. Getting dressed, walking, eating, talking, all earn a nap in this late stage of pregnancy...it's actually very cute. The other day I was bringing in the groceries and my wife started to help me put things away, within minuets she got winded and needed to sit down...and that's when she screamed "Sweetness my water broke" I would have thought I would have began running around the house looking for my keys, but ya see as we all know my lovely wife has a tendency to have FALSE ALARMS. I very calmly looked at my wife's slightly damp pants and said "why don't you go to the bathroom and check things out before we get all crazy". Within a few moments my wife exited the bathroom with her head down and said sorry false alarm...you see she sat in the chair and some water apparently spilled earlier and this was the cause for the alarm...I think she just pissed her pants, but we will never know. I was surprised by how calm I was...could it be I am finally just mentally prepared for the arrival of my little girl?
We have dealt with many false alarms throughout this experience remember the misread pregnancy test and the GAS? The truth is I have learned to take a breath with each moment and react accordingly...my god this experience has taught this man with A.D.D. a little patience...Holy freaking crap.
We are in the end stage of this experience of expecting, and we are embarking on a new experience called PARENTHOOD and both Jenn and I are very excited. The next time you read this blog the title will be "What To Expect When You Become A Dad" This father to be cant freaking wait.

The 7th Inning Stretch

We are now in our 32nd week of pregnancy and our 5th week of bed rest. The nursery is finished the books have been read and we are in the home stretch. The problem is just like when you where a child the night before Christmas its the LONGEST night EVER. We are at the time of the movie before the climax that we get up and go to the bathroom, or it's like the 7th inning stretch at a baseball game. With my wife being restricted to bed rest it makes the anticipation of my Noelle's birth just that much greater and I am starting to LOOSE my MIND. Every day my wife has cramps, or pains, or is bored and I just want my wife back, and my child to be safely brought into this world already. I use to NEVER drink beer, now I drink beer all the time with the neighborhood guys just to escape watching episode # 56 of a Baby's Story...my god how many C-sections, and screaming woman in stirrups can one man take? I am ready to be a father, and I am ready to kick this movie into OVERDRIVE already. The reason my blogs have slowed down is simply because we are in this slow anticipation portion of our journey. My wife doing cross stitch and getting high scores playing Bejewelled is simply just not very exciting. I will say that yesterday we went for a sonogram and Noelle is now 3 pounds, 11 oz and has her fathers chubby cheeks and her mothers full lips and is already breathtaking. I am like a child with ADD and patience has never been one of my strong points. I have to find something other then drinking beer to pass the time because a beer belly is not what I want to get out of this experience....any suggestions?????. Another thing to my guy readers...Try NOT to get your wife pregnant at a time when shes going to be 7 months in when its dead smack in the middle of the summer....TRUST ME a pregnant woman in a heatwave is NOT FUN. Soon we will be approaching the climax of our journey and I am sure this little boy with ADD will be occupied with plenty of action, but as for now we will be watching episode #57 of a Baby's Story...specfreakingtacular

Having A Moment

My wife has been ordered to bed rest for the remaining weeks of her pregnancy. It has been two weeks since she has been home from the hospital and it already feels like an eternity. My wife and I are a very ACTIVE team and with one member down I feel like I am running out of steam and I just don't want to fail in the home stretch. Every day I leave for work and it kills me to leave her alone stranded on the couch. I went to the store and bought her some crafts for the baby and our first family photo album for her to start constructing. I just know she is scared, lonely, and very bored. I get how my wife is feeling and I know I need to be patient, sensitive, and most of all supportive....but, and this must sound selfish, but who is gonna support me? The truth is my job is more stressful then ever with more and more responsibilities and expectations mounting, and now I have this crucial 2nd job. I come home from work and instead of decompressing I am cooking, cleaning, and trying to be a good husband and caretaker. I know this is a small price to pay for the wonderful gift my wife is carrying, but I guess even men can have a moment. The thing is I am also scared, concerned, and excited, but with work, all the Dr's appointments, and taking care of everything I just don't have the time to fall a part. I feel like it has been one long day since that 1st night in the hospital 3 weeks ago. This is the first post I wont let my wife edit because I don't want her to know her strong man is feeling overwhelmed, but this blog has become my outlet and it makes me feel like someone is listening. So I am going to take a DEEP breath and let this MOMENT pass, because nothing compares to what my wife has to endure. I applaud all woman because you truly are the strong ones and I aspire to take the lead for this short time and carry the team to Victory. The truth is this is just gods way of preparing me for fatherhood and it's a position that both my heart and body must train very hard for. My nights of decompressing, and relaxing are over and I never can put my own needs ahead of my family's. The day's will continue and very soon I will meet my daughter and on that day this will all just be a small memory. I would like to thank all the people, especially my Mother In Law for their help and support...and Thank the few of you reading this blog for allowing me to have my MOMENT.
Just like my wife's battles with GAS the MOMENT is passing...:)

Four Day's Of HELL

My wife is currently just reaching her 26th week of pregnancy, so at this time your really not thinking about the possibility of going into labor. We spent last Saturday buying a carpet and things to decorate Noelle's nursery. That night we went to dinner with our friend Steve and my wife excused herself to use the rest room because she wasn't feeling well. When she exited the bathroom I knew something was very wrong because she was walking like a 90 year old woman who lost her walker and had major a flare up of hemorrhoid's. We decided immediately to go home so she could rest in hopes that whatever she was feeling would pass. The next morning I woke up and my wife had already called the Dr. and was packed and ready to go to the hospital...all I could think of was OH NO THE GAS IS BACK. We rushed to the hospital and went directly to the 4th floor which was for delivery. My wife went into the bathroom to put on her robe and get ready to be examined...as she walked out of the bathroom all the nurses said "STOP", ya see in my wife's agony she did not button up the robe and she was about to show everyone in delivery her VA JAY JAY, and La tushela. Once properly dressed they set her up in bed and was hooked up to all these different monitors...this began our FOUR DAYS OF HELL.
A few hours later the Dr came in to the room and my wife was still in horrible pain, the Dr said ok lets do a full exam...I said "OK I'm outta here" The Dr said from behind the curtain "all the guys leave at this point" I said "That's because we like to remember things down THERE as they use to be" The Dr. said "very good point". The curtain whipped open and he was ready to tell us the diagnoses, he said " Your having contractions and they are 2 minuets a part" This is not what you want to hear when your only at 26 weeks. Within minuets they hooked my wife up to every machine and started giving her meds to stop the contractions. This by far was one of the most horrible 48 hrs of my life...the baby was just not ready for this world, and the fear that something could happen to my wife or Noelle was unbearable...and there was NOTHING I could do. Finally the contractions slowed down and things were looking better so she was able to eat real food. I knew as my wife took a bite of her cheeseburger that something would go wrong...why would you serve a woman who has been on an IV for 2 days a cheeseburger? Within minuets my wife was feeling cramps again and worse then ever, all I could think was oh no its the contractions again. My wife sat up in bed and said "I'm going to be sick" The nurse hands me a small bed pan and within seconds it was like a scene from the Exorcist...she started vomiting everywhere. I held the small pan under her mouth and it filled up so quickly I screamed for help and was about to puke myself..my mother in law grabbed the ice bucket and that filled up...she was like an erupting volcano of vomit. Within moments I saw the color return to my wife's face and with that innocent voice she said "I feel better now" I on the other hand was covered in PUKE. After the vomit incident we thought we where in the clear...but then we heard the nurses say the baby was not as active as they would like...I immediately felt my heart breaking, and saw my wife was about to break down. All I could think of was our pink unfinished nursery and how it needed to be occupied. For the next 2 days I spent every minuet by my wife's side as they monitored the baby's little heartbeat. it's times like this that you realise emotionally how already in love you are with this baby, and the woman who is carrying her...the problem is as a man you feel so helpless, and all you can do is try and be strong and not totally break down. After another 2 days of monitoring they decided to release my wife to go home for a few months of bed rest. I am soooooo excited to be a provider, husband,father, and now nurse...I would do anything to make sure Noelle stays put a little bit longer and that my wife stays healthy.
The past 4 days definitely was a short visit to HELL, however it was the 1st issue my wife and I had to survive as a family. Spending those days by my wife's side and seeing her courage and strength was truly inspiring. We definitely came through this experience stronger as a couple, and better equipped to be a family. My wife and I certainly do know one conclusion...our little Noelle is going to be one perfect, beautiful, impatient pain in the little ASS... and we wouldn't have it any other way.

I would like to thank all of our friends and family for all the support and prayers during the last four days...we love you all.

MEMORIAL DAY

In the past the preparation for Memorial Day weekend would start many weeks before the arrival of summer. The gym would be increased to 5 times a week, and the diet would consist of just protein and water. Memorial Day weekend for my group of friends meant you had to rock a tank top or bikini and party like a Hollywood movie star all weekend long. In the past about 20 of us would pack our best sunglasses and hitch rides out to the Hampton's to experience a beach side club called Neptune's. We would hop on line and spend a day in the sun drinking, and loving our youth...Those where the best days of my life...and then we step into that OTHER stage of life.
Memorial Day 2010
Friday night...Spent the night at home, my wife sleeping by 9:30pm.
Saturday...Went to Home Depot to buy paint and molding for the baby's room. Saturday night had people over to watch the UFC fight, my wife was sleeping by 10pm.
Sunday...went to our friends pool for a party...THE MAIN EVENT. My friends younger sister lives with my friends and is about 26...prime time. She had her friends over early and they where all pregaming before going to the Hampton's to party at Neptune's. I sat with them and we discussed all the crazy happenings of the Hampton's, and a part of me truly missed my crazy years of being young and care free and my only worry was how I would get home safe that night. My friends sister and her entourage left for the Hampton's around 2pm, and the rest of my friends guests started to arrive at our party...and it was like I stepped into a new and very different stage of my life...PARENTHOOD. By 3pm my friends yard was filled with baby's ranging from 3 months to 1 yrs old. Everywhere I looked I saw throw up, dirty diapers, strollers, and NOBODY was rocking their tank tops or bikini's...I looked at my very preggo wife and started to have a panic attack. I questioned weather I was ready to be a parent? While everyone was ooogling over these baby's I wanted to be dancing and drinking in a sea of drunks over looking the ocean...what was wrong with me???? I felt like I was stuck in between two stages of my life and I was having this internal battle trying to hold on to my youth. My wife saw me and grabbed my hand and said "I know how you feel, but it will be ok" Then I remembered, my wife use to be dancing and rocking her own bikini with me on that deck in the Hampton's. Now she is carrying something more beautiful then any sunny day, and I get to enter this new stage with the best woman in the world. The truth is watching all my friends juggle all their new families was overwhelming for the both of us and that's just normal. The reality is I spent many days partying it up like a rock star in many clubs and that was an amazing time in my life. Now I must look a head to a new future and family that I will get to encounter. I will be cleaning up throw up, and changing diapers on future Memorial Days..but I will still rock a tank top, and my wife will absolutely still rock her bikini, and Noelle will be sporting her own sunglasses...life will be just fine. One thing I will say is my daughter will NEVER be going to a club called Neptunes...because my wife and I wrote the BOOK she will be trying to read...NEVER :)
Happy Memorial Day Everyone