Week 11 Day 2

   Control.  I’m a ‘go with the flow’ kind of guy so not having complete control is pretty much ok with me.  Maybe that makes me better suited for the coming months than someone who is a Type A control freak.  Maybe not.

   I’m pretty happy with my current lack of control and I pity the man who has a hard time giving up that kind of control.

   As Princess Leia once said, “The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.” 

   I choose a looser grip.  I may be wrong, but I think it makes me less of an ass.

Week 11 Day 1

   I know it’s hard not to be an ass.  But that shouldn’t keep us from aspiring to do the right thing.  No, I’m not always going to do the right thing.  I may not be willing to make one sacrifice over another.

   But the one constant I have in this universe is my partner.  We’ve been together for about 12 years and just decided in the last year to have our first child.  I wouldn’t give that time up for anything.  We are both completely different people than we were those 12 years ago and I really like the couple we’ve become.

   I also love that our family is going to increase by one next year.  But that won’t change the time we’ve had together and who we are because of it.

   I am fully aware that when the child comes, I may have to make sacrifices for the child that my partner will have to deal with.  And I will make sacrifices for my partner that my child will have to deal with.  It’s not one or the other.

   I’d rather be a little bit of an ass to everyone in my life rather than a total ass to some and ‘perfect’ for others.

Week 10 Day 7

   I’ve got nothing today.  My brain doesn’t really feel like it’s working to full capacity.  My partner has had a cold for the last couple days.  Coupled with the pregnancy, I’m trying to make her as comfortable as I can and keep my head on straight. 

   Maybe this will be good practice for when the kid gets here and is sick every other month.  I'll need all the practice I can get on not being an ass.

Week 10 Day 6

   I can’t say this enough.  Read birthing books.  Particularly books on natural childbirth.  It is nothing like what is portrayed in the movies and I don’t know why this information is not common knowledge for everyone.

   I have been pleasantly surprised time and time again by the facts and information I’ve garnered from the multiple books I’m reading.  I can’t even keep track of how many I’m reading right now.  I have a book mark in each one and I’ll just scoop one up and start reading where I left off.  They’re not all perfect but they all have some good information that makes me glad I picked it up in the first place.

   Even if you hate to read, don’t be an ass.  Just read a frickin’ book.

Week 10 Day 5

   So there is a generation of young adults out there now that belong to the “millennial” generation and there is quite a bit of literature written about them.  But there is a great article (Here) that I feel explains how they got to be the way they are.  It basically says that the last generation of parents were so protective of their children that they did everything in their power to keep their child from harm or discomfort.  The author argues that this makes the child insecure and unable to deal with issues as they arise because the issues were always handled for them.

   Makes sense to me.  But I know it’s easier said than done.  I just hope that when the time comes and my child falls down and skins their knee, I have the strength to acknowledge their pain without kissing it away.

   Side note, VonBebe (a nickname for our growing offspring) is about 2 ½” so I have a long ways to go before it skins a knee….  Right.  I suspect the next 6 months will disappear in a heartbeat.  Which the fetus now has and we might even be able to hear at our next appointment.

Week 10 Day 4

   I am not alone!!!  http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/16/pearlman.fathers.day/index.html

   I knew I wasn’t really alone but it sure is nice to see and hear other opinions similar to my own.  I look forward to doing everything this guy talks about.  Thank you for not being an ass and showing others how not to be an ass.

Week 10 Day 3

   You know what’s harder than paying for your college education?  Saving for your child’s education at the same time.  Some sources say that by 2021, a 4 year college education will cost $125k for a public school and $300k for a private one.  That is a big investment.

   But our child won’t reach college age until 2030 so the cost will probably be even higher.  There are good arguments for both paying for your child’s education and not paying for it.  We could give them as many advantages as possible or let them learn by struggling through themselves.  We’ll hopefully end up somewhere in between but regardless this is going to be expensive. 

   Time to buy a powerball ticket and hope for the best.  Or start saving money like mad and plan for the worst.