5/23/13 - "Random Arrivals"
Blogger's Note: I've had an extremely busy week. So much so, that I really haven't had time to put much thought into this week's installment. We got bunk beds for Roman; we've got our room all prepped for Amelia's arrival; I finally got my yard mowed; I worked a 40 hour week; and, I'm trying to get my garden tilled and planted before the end of the week. So, I guess, I'm chest-deep in life at the moment.
Amid all the hustle and bustle, I tried to think of something to fill this week's "Parenting with Lightsabers" time slot, so I've pieced together a mosaic of randomness. Flipping through the topic possibilities, I came across several that are somewhat worthy of their own feature... ....but not quite. So, this week, I'll piece together all of this randomness and perhaps entertain you while I play with the loose threads.
I had charmed a dhalmel (a desert-dweller that might be described as the cross between a giraffe and a camel), and it was just barely keeping me alive after an unexpected encounter with a Goblin thug had left me barely breathing. I had been roaming around Buburimu Peninsula trying to enhance my skills as a beastmaster when Joanna stepped out of the bathroom.
She wore a big, excited smile when she simply proclaimed, "I'm pregnant."
"Oh my God!" I replied, caught up in all the excitement. "I'd better zone into Mhaura."
I ran into the small, river village of Mhaura, leaving the dhalmel to fend for itself and sought refuge in a jeweler's market. I jumped off the couch, tossed my xbox controller aside, and ran to hug my wife. Upon retrospect, I think it might have been a better idea to have just let the Goblin thug have his way with me and immediately embrace my wife; but, I had been completely caught off guard (by the news and the Goblin thug). But, who really plans for such an announcement? And, wouldn't it have been a less exciting story had I done it all proper and rehearsed? (you'd better agree with me, dammit.)
I then ran to embrace my wife and share in the excitement.
Later, after Roman was born, I would put away all my Vana'diel treasures and set aside the exciting world of massive multi-player role playing for good. I will remember all of my exciting adventures in Final Fantasy XI forever.
Beer and baseball go together like... (well, shit.. I could normally come up with fifty excellent similes to finish this sentence, but I'm in a hurry this morning and you get the idea.) On the night of April 17, 2010, the St Louis Cardinals were playing the New York Mets in what would turn out to be one of the longest games in many, many years. It lasted 20 innings. And I watched every minute. (....and the damn Cardinals lost). And I was drinking (as is my baseball-watching routine) a few beers and relaxing on the couch. Uncannily, almost exactly after the last out was recorded, Joanna's water broke. She was going into labor.
Well, shit. I had seriously been taking it easy on the drinking since I knew that Joanna could be delivering a child any day now, but couldn't the little rascal have waited for a better time? How was I possibly supposed to resist the siren's song of 20 innings of Cardinals' baseball? I wasn't a stumbling slob of inebriation (in fact, far from it); but, I'm sure I wouldn't have passed a breathalyzer. And the very last thing in the world I would want etched in my memory would be the shameful fog of a DUI en route to the transporting of my wife-in-labor to the hospital.
So, I called Amber.
Amber Winkler is one of our best friends (and the future godmother of Amelia, but that's a story for another day), and a character fantastically perfect for her exciting role in this story. She and Gina Gonzalez (another fantastic friend that's been a regular on the show) had just gotten off work, and they came to save the day. They were there in a flash and drove us both to the hospital. Amber stayed with us; Gina went back to take care of our dog, Fitz.
I caught a quick, hour-long nap before the fireworks started. Amber stayed at Joanna's side every (screaming) step of the way. With Joanna being away from her family in Poland, this camaraderie meant so much to my wife... ...and to me.
Roman Alan Edwards would be born the next morning around 10am. I think Dr. Mueller and the nurse that stuck it out with us rather liked the whole damn lot of us. I mean, who was this ragtag group of people? A now-sober, cheerleading father-to-be; a determined Pollack with a charming accent; and, some strange girl who regularly insists that "she's kind-of a big deal."
I suppose every parent has a "where-we were" story. And I'd bet that each and every one of them are interesting. But these are mine. These are the memories that I'll cherish for the remainder of my days, and I wouldn't change any of it. Not one fucking bit of it.
A few months ago, I had just fallen asleep after a post-shift shower to be awakened by (once again) a very giddy Pollack. It was around midnight. Joanna had worked a banquet that night and had gotten home unusually late. Still groggy, she said, "Guess what?"
"What?" I groggily opened my eyes as she blurred, bedside, into focus.
"I'm pregnant." And she was smiling.
I leaped out of bed, gave her hug, and didn't pause for a second. Grandiosely, I proclaimed several "HELL YEAH's!!!" and over-reacted every step of the way (to make up for my enthusiasm-hiccup upon Roman's announcement, of course). We stayed awake for quite some time: planning, dreaming, talking. I talked her into calling her parents in the wee hours of the morning in Poland to share the news.
And that was the opening page to this "coming-soon-to-you" baby book. I can't wait to turn a few pages and see how it turns out. But we'll get there soon enough. Just stay tuned....
Blogger's Note: I've had an extremely busy week. So much so, that I really haven't had time to put much thought into this week's installment. We got bunk beds for Roman; we've got our room all prepped for Amelia's arrival; I finally got my yard mowed; I worked a 40 hour week; and, I'm trying to get my garden tilled and planted before the end of the week. So, I guess, I'm chest-deep in life at the moment.
Amid all the hustle and bustle, I tried to think of something to fill this week's "Parenting with Lightsabers" time slot, so I've pieced together a mosaic of randomness. Flipping through the topic possibilities, I came across several that are somewhat worthy of their own feature... ....but not quite. So, this week, I'll piece together all of this randomness and perhaps entertain you while I play with the loose threads.
 |
| a dhamel |
She wore a big, excited smile when she simply proclaimed, "I'm pregnant."
"Oh my God!" I replied, caught up in all the excitement. "I'd better zone into Mhaura."
I ran into the small, river village of Mhaura, leaving the dhalmel to fend for itself and sought refuge in a jeweler's market. I jumped off the couch, tossed my xbox controller aside, and ran to hug my wife. Upon retrospect, I think it might have been a better idea to have just let the Goblin thug have his way with me and immediately embrace my wife; but, I had been completely caught off guard (by the news and the Goblin thug). But, who really plans for such an announcement? And, wouldn't it have been a less exciting story had I done it all proper and rehearsed? (you'd better agree with me, dammit.)
I then ran to embrace my wife and share in the excitement.
Later, after Roman was born, I would put away all my Vana'diel treasures and set aside the exciting world of massive multi-player role playing for good. I will remember all of my exciting adventures in Final Fantasy XI forever.
Beer and baseball go together like... (well, shit.. I could normally come up with fifty excellent similes to finish this sentence, but I'm in a hurry this morning and you get the idea.) On the night of April 17, 2010, the St Louis Cardinals were playing the New York Mets in what would turn out to be one of the longest games in many, many years. It lasted 20 innings. And I watched every minute. (....and the damn Cardinals lost). And I was drinking (as is my baseball-watching routine) a few beers and relaxing on the couch. Uncannily, almost exactly after the last out was recorded, Joanna's water broke. She was going into labor.
Well, shit. I had seriously been taking it easy on the drinking since I knew that Joanna could be delivering a child any day now, but couldn't the little rascal have waited for a better time? How was I possibly supposed to resist the siren's song of 20 innings of Cardinals' baseball? I wasn't a stumbling slob of inebriation (in fact, far from it); but, I'm sure I wouldn't have passed a breathalyzer. And the very last thing in the world I would want etched in my memory would be the shameful fog of a DUI en route to the transporting of my wife-in-labor to the hospital. So, I called Amber.
Amber Winkler is one of our best friends (and the future godmother of Amelia, but that's a story for another day), and a character fantastically perfect for her exciting role in this story. She and Gina Gonzalez (another fantastic friend that's been a regular on the show) had just gotten off work, and they came to save the day. They were there in a flash and drove us both to the hospital. Amber stayed with us; Gina went back to take care of our dog, Fitz.
 |
| Amber Winkler (left) and Gina Gonzalez (right) |
Roman Alan Edwards would be born the next morning around 10am. I think Dr. Mueller and the nurse that stuck it out with us rather liked the whole damn lot of us. I mean, who was this ragtag group of people? A now-sober, cheerleading father-to-be; a determined Pollack with a charming accent; and, some strange girl who regularly insists that "she's kind-of a big deal."
I suppose every parent has a "where-we were" story. And I'd bet that each and every one of them are interesting. But these are mine. These are the memories that I'll cherish for the remainder of my days, and I wouldn't change any of it. Not one fucking bit of it.
A few months ago, I had just fallen asleep after a post-shift shower to be awakened by (once again) a very giddy Pollack. It was around midnight. Joanna had worked a banquet that night and had gotten home unusually late. Still groggy, she said, "Guess what?"
"What?" I groggily opened my eyes as she blurred, bedside, into focus.
"I'm pregnant." And she was smiling.
I leaped out of bed, gave her hug, and didn't pause for a second. Grandiosely, I proclaimed several "HELL YEAH's!!!" and over-reacted every step of the way (to make up for my enthusiasm-hiccup upon Roman's announcement, of course). We stayed awake for quite some time: planning, dreaming, talking. I talked her into calling her parents in the wee hours of the morning in Poland to share the news.
And that was the opening page to this "coming-soon-to-you" baby book. I can't wait to turn a few pages and see how it turns out. But we'll get there soon enough. Just stay tuned....
 |
| me, Joanna, and then-there-was Roman |
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