Cool Baby Room

So...with one day before we leave...we finally got the Space Invader wall prints for Beckett's room. They're better than I expected. Will they frighten the piss out of him? Probably. But he'll learn to welcome and love our new alien overlords.

Seriously though, I've got to thank Jessica for agreeing to my vision...she even likes it now that they're on the wall and look so good.

Here's a photo....

Advice...

I've been getting a lot of it lately (including tow books today from Jessica and my mother).

Here are some posted on MSNBC.com a while back...I'd been saving the link...

Things a Man Should Know

1. Don't worry, your dad didn't know what he was doing, either.

2. No, no--not that Spock!

3. Second thought, maybe you should worry.

4. Never tell anybody that you and your wife are "trying."

We really don't need the visual, that's why.

5. Never tell anybody where your child was conceived, how long it took, or what song was playing.

6. Do not name your baby after cities, geographical points of interest, features of the solar system, seasons, plants, animals, or current television stars.

7. Your child, at birth, already has a deeply complicated relationship with his mother, and, for the first year, you are only a curiosity. For a couple of years after that, an amusement-park ride. Then, a referee. And finally, a bank.

8. If you want to subject your son to the unkindest cut, insist on a local anesthetic, since many pediatricians don't bother to use one. The anesthetic is for the kid.

9. Baby gas is lessened with a good nipple connection during feeding, which decreases air intake. Assuring that his lower lip is flipped out, not pursed, helps.

10. There is nothing wrong with thumb-sucking, which helps ease the pain of teething. Nonetheless, it probably ought to stop by kindergarten.

11. Diaper-rash remedy: Expose baby's hydraulics to the air until dry. Soak baby's bottom in tepid water with a half cup baking soda. Then, Balmex. Or Lotrimin. Rediaper.

12. You know how they say you'll get used to diapers? You won't. Unless you wear them a lot.

For the the rest of the list... http://men.msn.com/articlees.aspx?cp-documentid=702593&GT1=8784

Totally not Beckett related...but I really like this new song by Sir Paul McCartney. It's simple and fun. Kinda brings a smile to my face and I'm sure that this will be my reaction when presented with Beckett. So...Dance Tonight.

Exit old Reality...Hello new Reality..

I've not really had the interest in posting recently. There's been a lot going on and I haven't felt very much like sharing. Still, I need to provide a bit of an update.

We're off to Vietnam in a few days. Time for parenthood. At this point I don't have anything sublime or terribly witty to add to the record on what it's like to anticipate fatherhood. Better souls than mine have said it better.

I just want to have a safe trip and bring Beckett home. I know the caregivers in Vietnam are doing their level best for all their charges. I want to hold him and pass on the little bits of wisdom I've acquired (and how to troubleshoot a broken lawn mower). For me it's a frightening thing to become a parent. I temper that feeling with the fact that most people end up as parents at some point, and even find success at it. Jess and I are lucky to have the support of family and some financial standing to provide for Beckett. I hope he turns out to be a strong reflection of his very loving parents.

While away we'll primarily blog updates on the other site (www.bringinghomebe.blogspot.com) but I'm sure I'll post some updates and photos here as well.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and support as we've gone through the adoption process and as we move from prospective parents to actual parents.

Woo hooo!

Chillin in South Park

So...my lovely wife built this South Parkian version of me...

You can do it for your loved ones here: http://www.sp-studio.de/

I think it's a fitting likeness. Jess posted her version on her site...Bringing Home Be. I guess we need these distractions to keep our thoughts off of the seemingly never ending wait for news from Vietnam.

Lots happening...

I don't talk about the adoption very much but it's on my mind constantly. Jess and I are very lucky people. We have the loving support of family and friends who have made this process much easier than I could have ever hoped. Is the wait terrible? Yes. Do I hate not having Beckett here so that we can make our family whole? Yes.

We still don't know when we're traveling but we truly believe that we'll know soon. It's been a great Beckett week though. Lots of fresh photos. I know I'm biased but he's clearly a good looking kid. And he has teeth! He's only 10 months. We're missing so much.

New photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/JJOHNSTONMYERS/BeckettLongMyers?authkey=tafaGNM6vDI&pli=1

Adoption Blog here: http://bringinghomebe.blogspot.com

My Favorite:

Polar Bear - St. Louis Zoo

The St. Louis zoo has a fascinating dome full of butterflies. They are everywhere. I had never seen anything like it. One had landed and was riding around on someone's hat. As you exit the dome there are a series of mirrors so that you can check yourself out. Not for vanity, but for lingering butterflies.

So...Grandma Myers passed last week.

To say she was beloved is an understatement. She was a valuable member of the community who leaves a rich legacy of Faith and acts. She raised 5 children was the matriarch of the family. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit to being an absent grandson. I had not seen or talked to Grandma in a long time. The fault lies at my feet and any excuse is hollow at best. Do I feel the loss. Yes, I do. She is in my thoughts and prayers.

Jess and I traveled to St. Louis for the funeral. It's sad that it took a death in the family to bring me back in touch with my aunts and uncles. Naturally Dad was there and it was good to see him. Heck, it was good to see everyone. It's the circumstances that sucked. (I know, very eloquent.)

Jess and I spent Thursday driving and attending the viewing.

Friday was the funeral, cemetery, and more family time. The family went back to Grandma's house for food, fellowship, and poker. A place was set for Grandma, along with her favorite beer, and she watched over the gaming. I managed to finish with some winnings after a full day of poker. The photo is a great little shot that Jessica sneaked. It's my cousin Matt and Aunt Carol. This is special because 1) she's smiling and 2) she usually doesn't like being photographed. I saw my Uncle Tommy and Aunt Lena for the first time in probably 17 years. They have two grown daughters. I feel old. However, I did take the opportunity to eat way too much of Lena's pasta. So very tasty. So long since I had truly good Italian cooking.

Saturday, Jess and I went to the zoo very early. One of the best zoos in the country. Then we met up with Dad. He took us around the old neighborhood and we went to White Castle (none in Arkansas). After the sublimely tasty sliders, we hit the Anheuser-Busch brewery for the tour and free beer. Jess and I the headed to a big sculpture park that contains a number of modern sculpture pieces. Lastly, Jess and I had dinner with a couple who we might be traveling to Vietnam with. It was a good match and i hope we do travel with them. It's nice to know we're not the only ones going insane with the wait and stress. I'm ready to go to Vietnam now.

Sunday, we traveled home. It was a sad, but ultimately very good trip. I hope we can springboard into better contact with Dad and the family. Since St. Louis is actually only 6 hours away...we might be able to make trips on occasion...and the family will want to meet Beckett. (I'll have to share the Beckett/Grandma story soon.)

Anyway...I now have a bunch of photos that I'll be posting over the next few days. Hope you enjoy. All of them are here.

Is that a Peter I see before me?

Jess and I finally got Peter (http://geekhorde.blogspot.com/) in front of the mural at DamGoode Pies. We went there specificallty to see first-hand whether it looked like him or not. We suspected but memory can play tricks...

You be the judge...I tink it's a fair likeness and perhaps Peter needs to be compensated with some kind of free pizza deal. I've never seen Peter in a tu-tu, and he's not pudgy like that, but I think someone was channeling Peter while painting.

More details and some photos from this past weekend...tomorrow!

New Additions....

I've added links to some of my favorite (and friends') photo pages. Check them out on occasion.

Jess' Birthday - Delayed

All -

Last Monday we celebrated Jessica's ongoing 29th birthday. A wonderful mix of friends visited to wish her well and eat some cake.

Photos of the event are here: http://www.thehaddocks.net/jess30/jess30.html
Or here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7651708@N04/sets/72157600054372909/

My favorites:
Lukas being cute...
and this one with Hester....(we're slapping five...it's not an abuse situation...that's Mom smiling in the background)

Happy Easter, Part II

From Growing Up Found another photo...from sometime in the early 1980s. Looks like I may have been too old to compete in an egg hunt with those kids. Oh well.

Happy Easter

(Yeah...I've posted this before...but it's the only rabbit photo I have...)

From the Archives

Canoeing a few years ago with Frank, Leigh, and Chet. Jess couldn't make it so I spent a day on the Mullberry River with Chet as my canoe-mate. It was a great spring day. We stayed afloat...unlike other members of our little fleet.

Chet had the foresight to bring in a camera. However...his nimble little fingers managed to drop it in the river. The camera was snatched from the water with little damage and this is one of the surviving shots.

Abandoned Pump

Again with an old Syracuse photo. This time it's a water pump from an old farm that's now just another sprawling subdivision. If I can find a negative scanner I'll get all my old film from my photo classes in high school transferred to digital...

So when my mother was visiting a few weeks ago, I learned something about my family I heretofore had not known.

My grandmother was a professional bowler.

Now I realize that no one else really cares much about that but I think it's fascinating. I wish she was alive to tell me stories from her time as a bowler in the 50's and 60's. I'm told she was quite good. From what little I remember of her it's easy for me to fit a bowler persona into the person I knew (don't ask...I'm not going to try and defend that statement).

It seems clear to me that bowling isn't an inherited characteristic since, while I can bowl, I'm only average. My average tends to hover in the 140-160 range. One of the many things I miss about F'ville is the bowling league. I guess if I really wanted to I could sneak into a league here in Little Rock.

With the baby on the way, I should probably just stick with my weekly soccer game and hiking. I know that personal time will be a rare commodity when after Beckett gets here.

I took this photo near my house in Syracuse in 1990/91. I was taking a photd class at the time and made a print in sepia tones. It's always been a favorite photo of mine.

Lots of fun on Pinnacle Mountain last Thursday. I managed to walk into a low-hanging tree branch, smacking right across my face. Thankfully I was't wearing my glasses or I'm sure I'd have needed new ones. Anyway my buddy PJ and I posed for photos. Our other buddy Kent thought it would be fun to imply that PJ decked me. Here are the results.

As you can see it was a beautiful afternoon for a hike. My office is close enough to Pinnacle Mountain State Park that we can head there every couple of days after work. It's a refreshing hike; 1.5 miles with some bouldering and great views. We generally make a round trip in about 40-45 minutes. The best thing about going after work is fewer people than the weekend. The park tends to get kinda crowded on nice weekends. As we all know...crowds are bad.

Full photo series here.

Wonderful Weekend

So my mother came to visit this past weekend. It was a great time and very productive. She brought a whole bunch of gifts for Beckett as well as a some orphanage gifts. Very nice. One of the books she brought is A Child's Book of Art. I love it. This is the kind of children's book I can get behind.

Also, thanks to some inspiration at my soccer game (we won!), she purchased a fancy Radio Flyer Tricycle that allows parents to take control. In some circumstances it can replace a stroller...like on a walk in the park, or a trip to the Big Dam Bridge.

Beckett has clothes! We also got a whole mess of clothing from Jess' mother and my mother. Thanks!

Lastly...Beckett's room is probably 85% complete. My mother added some much needed inspiration and effort that brought the room project home. Photos of the completed room are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/JJOHNSTONMYERS/BeckettSRoom?pli=1

Terrific Weekend. I'll address the comments on the previous post tomorrow. It seems there are some things to discuss.