This is a video I shot of Tyler two months ago. It is one of the cutest videos on the planet, so I demand that you spend four minutes to watch it.
Thank you…
The wait, the emotions
- 1 -
Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Time: 5:45am
When the alarm went off, I opened my eyes, saddened. For the second night, Sarah hadn’t slept in the bed with me. With a sigh, I swung my legs off the bed and walked downstairs. Sarah slept soundly on the couch. I took a deep breath, continued my morning routine, and left for work an hour later.
- 2 -
Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Time: 7:30am (approximate)
“Hello?”
Sarah’s voice answered through my phone’s speaker, “Hi.”
“Why’d you sleep downstairs again?”
I listened as Sarah explained. After some discussion, we both confirmed that we were still in love with one another, exchanged goodbyes, and disconnected the call.
- 3 -
Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Time: 10:30am (approximate)
My phone rang three hours later. Sarah’s picture flashed onto the screen. I pressed the green button and waited for the tone in my headset to signal that the call was connected.
“Hi, honey,” she said.
“Hi, what’s up?”
“Well,” she started. I listened as she explained.
“How long?”
“A week,” she said.
Recalling her reasons for sleeping downstairs the night before, I replied, “Well, that would explain why you threw up last night.”
“Yeah, and why I felt like a furnace the night before that. So I was thinking about buying a pregnancy test when I go to the store today.”
- 4 -
Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Time: 4:00pm (approximate)
She took the stick into the bathroom, while Tyler helped me in the kitchen with dinner; we were preparing corn on the cob and some meat for the grill. The instructions for the pregnancy test clearly stated to wait three minutes for a result. When Sarah returned from the bathroom, she set the timer on the microwave to three minutes and pressed the “Start” button. Over the course of the next 180 seconds, we caught each other sneaking into the bathroom to look for the blue line. We were simultaneously giddy and anxious for the results.
Ten minutes later, Sarah caught me sneaking into the bathroom again to look for the blue line we still had yet to see.
Barely loud enough for me to hear in the other room, Sarah said, “The instructions said not to trust it after fifteen minutes.”
I looked at the blank window on the stick for just a moment longer. I lowered my head, disappointed, then walked back to Sarah in the kitchen. My eyes flicked to the box for the pregnancy test. I picked it up and read the front of it.
“99.9% effective,” I mumbled, reading the box. Just about as accurate at detecting a pregnancy as a condom, birth control pill, or IUD is at preventing one. Sarah had her IUD removed two months ago, in the hopes of us adding one more to our family. We timed and planned it so that we wouldn’t have another summer baby. As much as we love, cherish, and adore Tyler, Sarah was miserable in the summer heat of her ninth month of pregnancy. You always hear of people that take pregnancy tests, scared of possibly getting a positive result, because the condom broke, or she forgot her pill “just that one time,” or from pure foolishness. We planned this; we wanted a positive result. A little more hopefully, I continued, “Maybe we’re the 0.1%.”
“Yeah, maybe. Even the test line didn’t turn blue.”
We then concoted myriad reasons we didn’t get a positive result, from the fact that she probably should have taken the test with her fist pee of the day, to maybe she held the stick crooked.
We decided to try the second test in the morning.
- 5 -
Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Time: 7:00pm (approximate)
“I need to pee.”
It had only been a few hours, but I couldn’t resist. I told her to do it. So what if it was negative again? I’d just go buy another test for the morning. Damnit, I’ll just keep buying them until it gives us the answer we want!
Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself. I was too hopeful for a positive, and too worried about a negative. I took another deep breath as the bathroom door opened.
“Three minutes, my ass! It lit blue in three SECONDS!”
We high-fived and hugged and kissed each other.
Sarah asked, “Tyler, do you want to be a big brother?”
He answered without hesitation, “Yeah! Bruhver.”
- 6 -
We are overjoyed to announce that we are expecting our second child on, or around, February 15, 2011. As of the posting of this entry, we are nine weeks along.
I pity the fool
When we first found out that Tyler would be a boy, two and a half years ago, I couldn’t wait for him to get his first Mohawk. Sarah was fully on board, saying that all boys should have a Mohawk at least once in their lives. But, there was one stipulation… Sarah would not allow our child to get such a cut until he was, at least, two years old.
So, one week after Tyler’s second birthday, we went from this:
Through this:
To this:
Sarah didn’t like it for one single reason. It completely erased his little boy looks, and made him look much older. It was sad for her, but we both absolutely love the look!
Two Years Old
On June 28, this year, my beautiful little boy completed his second trip around the sun and clicked his counter over to two. I, however, was not at home for this event. A work-related project had me a few states away for that particular week. But, I was home for the birthday party two days before his actual birthday. It was a very good day.
Tyler has recently developed an affinity towards Toy Story, and its characters, so we (let’s be honest, Sarah’s the event coordinator of the household, so I use the term “we” loosely here. To be even more honest, it’d be more fitting to say “Sarah and her BFF, Mel”) decided on a Toy Story themed party for Tyler.
Cupcakes, decorations, and games all oozed Woody and Buzz goodness. Sarah and Mel craftily made games and activities to keep the children happy. I did my part by putting up said decorations and making Toy Story-themed signs, directing people to the lemonade and the bathroom.
Tyler, the other children, and the adults all (presumably) had a really good time. When it came time to sing the “Happy Birthday” song to Tyler, the only thing bigger than the unflappable smile on his face was the garage we used as shelter from the blistering heat. The kids – and a couple adults – used the sprinkler.
And myself? Happy. Truly happy. I stuggle with some demons in my life; depression being the primary shadow that clouds much of my sky. That’s not to say that I’m never happy, because I am, quite often nowadays. At any given time, though, I feel a sadness/numbness/depression stalking me, always keeping its presence in my peripheral. But on this day, being with family and friends, playing with the kids, and watching Tyler have such a good time… Well, it made my heart warm. Whatever door Tyler has been pushing open within me over the last two years opened a little wider on June 26th, 2010.
Of course, I can’t discount the fact that Sarah has been instrumental in helping me to feel more balanced and comfortable in my skin. She has helped and supported me through all of my dark periods. Just the simple fact that she has put up with my crap for seven years – and counting – should speak volumes to her character. Or to her foolishness.
I suppose that’s enough of my soapbox rambling. Let’s take a short journey, through pictures of Tyler’s birthday party.
recent videos
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2010-05-15 - The Army Crawl, and Rock on.mpg -
2010-05-09 - Happy Father's Day, Grandpa -
2010-05-07 - Tyler Reads Books -
2010-05-07 - Tyler plays with Luci and says Muffler -
2010-05-07 - A Mile in Daddy's Shoes -
2010-05-04 - Swinging and Getting Attacked by Delilah -
2010-04-27 - Tyler does Shapes and Objects -
2010-04-11 - Attack of the Tyler Monster -
2010-05-29 Tyler and the snake -
2010-05-09 - Happy Mother's Day, Grandma
View my full YouTube channel by clicking on this link. There, you can view all of the videos I have uploaded, as well as some other gems that make me laugh.
other stuffs
