Jericho is being a baby.

OK, so being a parent of a new born is pretty hard sometimes. Jericho has been having a bit of trouble going to sleep at night. He eats right before we go to bed and looks like he's going to fall asleep and then, "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh..." I joke and say, "Why are you being such a baby?" The obvious answer: Because he IS a baby.

But seriously, it's been a great experience so far and I look forward to the future with my little family. When I came home from work today, Brynn and Jericho were in our bed playing and talking--well on the level of a 3 week old. When I talked to him, I swear he smiled; Or at least, he tried to. I'm pretty sure at least. I mean, I realize that sometimes babies just look like they're smiling when really they just have gas. But I really think he was trying to contort his face into a smile to match mine. And, what's more rewarding than when your kid cuddles with you while you're both falling asleep in front of the TV, late at night--or anytime for that matter. I love that part of being a dad.

I know that these last 3 weeks have been so tough on Brynn. She probably gets like 2 hours of sleep at night--so she can't even get into the good, deep sleep her body so severely lacks. Luckily, she's started pumping a bit of milk and Jericho is fine to eat from the bottle. So, soon he can bottle feed all night and she can sleep. I wish I could help her more. How do moms do it, really? Anyway, my wife is amazing. I love her more than anything and my feelings for her have only intensified since adding Jericho to our mix. We don't live in a mansion, I don't have a million bucks, my f-ing work van won't start right now and my hair gets thinner every year. But I'm living the dream.

To Brynn and Jericho, what more can I say? I love you both.

Building up aggression...

6 weeks. Are you kidding me?!?! 6 weeks!!!!!

2nd Installment of "Short Stories by Wade; Now with pictures."

The first picture is one of Brynn--love of my life--with 2 kittens; one a black panther and the other a tiger. (I guess they call them cubs--not kittens). Anyway, this was taken while we were on our 2nd cruise. We went to the Mexican Riviera, which included Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. This shot was taken while we visited the Puerto Vallarta Zoo. It was different from most zoos in the states. We never saw the zoo keepers. There was no pavement; it was all dirt. But it seemed quite authentic, especially since we rented a 1970 VW Beetle Convertible to get us there. And the zoo was at the end of a dirt road, past some shanties and the tequila factory. Anyway, there was some guy--not a biologist or zoo keeper--who had a little booth at the zoo with these several species of baby cats. And, for like ten or twenty bucks you could hold them and take pictures. It was a fun cruise.

Next is a photo of me making an ass out of myself trying to do the "Flowrider." This is this awesome surfing machine--it's huge--on the back of the Royal Caribbean "Freedom of the Seas" ship, which was the largest passenger vessel on the ocean at that time--2007. I'm not sure if the current largest ship is actually sailing yet, but I know there is one being built at least. Anyway, you could either stand up and try to surf or you could lie down and boogie board. Both were a lot of fun though I never got very good at either. (Imagine the boy raised in Haskellville, UT not able to surf). Well, this was our first cruise and we went to the Western Caribbean. The ports of call on this one were Cozumel, Mexico (amazing snorkeling there); Georgetown, Grand Cayman; somewhere in Jamaica (can't remember), and Labadee, Haiti, Royal Caribbean's private island and my least favorite. It was far too commercialized and there was nowhere to go. It was a fun vacation though.

The next one is a photo of the Lake Louise Hotel, near Banff, Alberta Canada. A day after Brynn and I were married, we moved to Alaska--for a short 6 months. (I had previously lived up there before I met her back in Utah). Anyway, I've driven the Utah to Alaska and back routes several times. And I'm convinced that the best way is skipping Calgary and Edmonton, and turning west through Banff and Jasper National Parks. Honestly, the scenery in these 2 parks rivals anything I've every seen in Alaska--and I LOVE Alaska. I hiked about a mile or so from a parking lot in Lake Louise and this picture was the rewarding view. I haven't stayed there yet but I plan to. Beautiful.

Lastly is a photo that Brynn took. When we drove back home from Alaska, we wanted to make the trip as scenic and wild as we could, which would mean camping instead of hotels incidentally. A side note: We camped in the snow, down a logging road, just north of Jasper and had a coyote come in and bark and howl all night. What an experience that was. Well, we tried to hit Waterton and Glacier National Parks as well but were turned away at the border crossing by the Canadian Mounties because we reached the gates at 6:02 PM. (They closed at 6:00 PM at that particular crossing). And there was nothing we could do but drive east about 70 miles and cross at Carway. We got into Montana and decided to go into Yellowstone at Gardiner, MT. Somewhere in the park, we came across this picture. Since it was October, it had already begun snowing and there was plenty of fog. Brynn took the picture, though I've tried to take credit for it several times. I'd say it's worthy of any Yellowstone calendar.

And this concludes the 2nd installment of "Short Stories by Wade."

Wade's short stories...

OK. So I've blogged about politics. Obama won. I'm content to give it a rest for now. I've blogged about having a baby and being parents. There will most certainly be more of that to come. I've blogged about nothing at all. There were my installments of "Quote of the moment." And now, I'm adding some pictures...just pictures at random...and telling you about them. Going to call it "Wade's short stories; now with pictures."

The first one of a picture of me after my first MMA fight. Pretty brutal. I was in no kind of shape for what turned out to be a 9 minute fight. (3 Rds x 3 min.) As it turned out, neither was he, though he seemed to be able to stand on his feet after the fight. I had to be helped out of the cage by my two corners. My opponent had a very solid chin. I couldn't knock him out, though I tried quite a few times. I ended up out pointing him throughout the fight and pulling off a decision. Fighting has just been a hobby for me--a release. I've been training for about 2 years, off and on. I use wrestling, ju-jitsu, mui-thai kickboxing, and just plain boxing. It's fun, though finding the time to train is proving difficult. I'll probably take 2 more fights before I give it up for awhile, if not for good. My next fight will likely be the end of this month or maybe not until December.

The next picture is of me and my dog Jake. He's an Alaskan Malamute. I've had him for 10 years, since he was a puppy. Jake has truly proven to be my own "man's best friend." I got him during my first marriage. (A topic for another time if requested). After the divorce, it was just me and Jake. He was the only thing in my life, at that time, who/that was always there. We know each other well. He knows when I'm happy. He knows when I'm down too. I know when he doesn't feel good, or when he needs some attention. I adopted a companion for Jake last year. She's a 4 year old Siberian Husky mix. We'll showcase her in another blog down the road. I got her, mainly to keep Jake feeling youthful and alive. It's worked so far, though he can't stand her. When I take them out for exercise, they are a team, though he hates her. Anyway, I love Jake. He's getting into his doggy sunset years and I can barely gut the thought of him not always being around. I love that dog. Hopefully we still have a couple of years together.

Next, we have a picture of "Ol' Betsy." Kidding. I haven't actually named my bike. And if I did, it's name would be more like, "The Hulk," or something to that effect. It's tough as nails and has taken plenty of abuse. For any bike enthusiasts reading this, it's a 2003 Santa Cruz Bullit. It's a great bike, mostly for downhill. I'm used to keeping a bike for 2 years, selling it an getting a new one. But times are tight and a new bike isn't my first priority--though it's not my last by any stretch. I think my first bike was a Murray Moon River or something. A fifteen speed, it was pretty awesome at the time. My second was a Specialized Rockhopper, in 1991. It was better, but not by much. The parts broke down all the time. I was glad to upgrade to my next bike, which was a Giant ATX 770. I actually still have that one, though I turned it into a touring bike for the road. After that, I wanted a nicer mtn. bike and bought a Kona Pahoehoe. It was a hard-tail, which weighed 23 lbs. (I no longer care about weight). But it was awesome, until I crashed into a tree, off a jump, and bent the frame. Kona warrantied it but with a different color that I didn't like. I soon realized, if I was ever going to keep up with the friends I rode with, I had to get a full-suspension bike. So, I sold the Kona, and bought a Specialized Enduro Expert. It was great. I raced it once at Sundance. I rode it for two years, at the end of which I had decided I wanted to go bigger, heavier and more DH rated. So, I bought the Bullit I have now. I love it and it'll be around for another season.

April 29, 2006......one of the happiest days of my life. A day I once never thought I would see. My wedding day with Brynn. It was a very happy day. We were married in Vernal, UT in her parents' backyard. The day was beautiful and we were surrounded with many friends and family. (By the way, the other couple is some of our best friends, Joel and Angela Thomas---I don't have any of our professional pics on here yet.) Brynn is amazing, in every way. I know I am inadequate as her husband, but she continues to make me better and, I guess, sees something in me that I could never see myself. She's my best friend and now, the mother of our child. I'm in love with her.


That concludes today's installment of, "Wade's short stories." Look for future installments, which will be coming up soon.

Blessed/lucky/fortunate/what-have-you...

Today was our first full day at the house with Jericho. It went pretty well, though he had a tummy ache last night and didn't sleep as well as we had hoped. Brynn is so good to know what to do. She has been my only source of confidence that "yes we can," when it comes to raising a baby. But, that's what 6 or 7 years of nursing experience will do for you. She was also very kind and took Jericho out of our room and didn't even wake me to help. (I'm feeling kind of guilty for that one). But, I did get caught up on sleep and was ready to spend today being the lucky dad.

We are truly indebted to my mother-in-law, who has, so far, been with us every step of the way. (I must admit to feeling special for being the only one allowed in the operating room during the birth). Grandma Ellie is a pro at EVERYTHING. There is literally nothing she doesn't seem to be able and/or willing to tackle. I don't know if that's always been her nature, or if it can be attributed to her being a tough-as-nails cancer survivor. I feel fortunate though to be getting to know her so well and we can all attest that it's certainly more productive to get along with our in-laws than to be at odds with each other. She has taught us the how-to's of diaper changing and baby sponge baths. And she's tirelessly been cleaning our house. Again, I don't know who keeps messing it up, but my eye is on Frank, our cat. At any rate, I love her dearly and will be forever thankful to her, for being here, allowing me to spend this very short time bonding with my son.

Our friends keep dropping by, wanting to see the baby and offering their support, advice, and even food. Keep it coming guys. And we sure love seeing you. Thank you for all you've done and continue to do for us.

I have to thank my boss, even though he'll not likely read this, as he's really not a blogger. A few weeks ago, I had been wondering how much time to take off---how much I could afford. I was wondering what it was going to be like, and worrying about how tough it was going to be on my wonderful wife. Well, out of the blue, as Rich (my boss) and I were building a railing, he said, "When that baby comes, I want you to take that entire week off and I'm going to pay you for it." And then he continued on about how a boss once did that for him and how much I would appreciate this time. Well, he was right. This has been an amazing, irreplaceable time. My son and I have become friends. We know each other. I know what his cries mean--so far. I know when he's happy, tired, or uncomfortable. And he knows my voice, my blurry appearance, and my scent. (Don't worry--I shower and wear cologne--it's a good scent). And I can't get enough of him. I don't know what I would do without the kind people in my life--the genuinely great people like Rich. Thanks Boss.

Well, there are still some of you who we'd still love to see, but haven't because of illnesses or because you live far away. Get feeling better and when you can make it to our house, please do.

I hear the cooing of my strapping young son. Until next time, Cheers!

My heart is fragile...

Well, we have finally made it home. And our life is changed so dramatically already. On the trip home, a guy in a big truck was being awesome--as a lot of guys in big trucks are--and tailgated me for a ways, before speeding out and around me and giving me a dirty look. Normally, I do have a short fuse and would've sped up and gave him his look right back. But, I was quickly telling myself, it's not worth it; I have a little life to protect and that's all that matters. So, we drove home peacefully and we're happy to have our bed back and our privacy.

Jericho is doing well. He's eating a ton. He gained 6oz. yesterday! And he's been wanting to eat about every 90 minutes instead of every 2 hours. He's such a cute baby. And he's already showing his cranky personality. I'm trying very hard to be mature and to not get my feelings hurt. It sounds so lame. But now that he's eating so well, whenever I pick him up, he quickly realizes that I don't have anything he can use and so he starts fussing until I give him to Brynn. For the first couple of days, he seemed to love when I'd pick him up and hold him. Now, I've either got to hope MY milk comes in too, or just be OK with him doing some extra bonding with Brynn and a little less with me. I am happy that he's healthy. And, people have told us we're so lucky that he came out knowing how to eat and that he's already putting on weight. (Not that he didn't have a pretty great start on the weight, being born at 9lbs. 1oz.) Who'd have thought I'd be cherishing changing his diapers?

We're so lucky to have Brynn's mom staying with us for the week. And she is more helpful than we could hope for. She'll be such a great grandmother to Jericho. He is a lucky boy. She's also cleaning our house, non-stop. The thing is, the house was clean when we left for the hospital on Monday. So, who has been making a mess? Our cat, Frank?

We're looking forward to sharing our new experience and new addition to our family with all of the rest of our family and friends.

P.S. We're also pretty excited for my sister, Chelsey and her husband Jared. Their first child was also born this week, just last night. He seems to be healthy and doing well. We're so proud of Chelsey, as she never gave up on getting this sweet little boy here. We know she'll make the greatest mom and we're excited that Jericho has such a cool aunt.

It's cot heaven for me tonight.

Well, after spending 3 nights in a chair, I lucked out and our nurse has brought in a cot for tonight. It's about time! My back is screaming at me right now. I'm going to need a massage soon.

We were hoping that we'd be going home today but it looks like we're here until tomorrow. Jericho is doing so great. He eats really well. And, according to my diaper count--20 to this point--his digestive system functions just super. He seems like a really good baby; He's usually content and we already have established that when he won't keep his binky in his mouth, it means he's hungry. And when his binky does do the trick but then he cries, it means his diaper is ready to be changed.

Unfortunately, Brynn's red cell count keeps testing a little on the low end. We even had our fingers crossed for this last test but it still tested low. If we really wanted to press the issue, I think the doctor would release us. But he's recommending sticking around for another night, just so we're a little closer to treatment if any is needed. I have to say, the first time I met Brynn's doctor, I was a little unimpressed. He seemed too new; maybe not enough experience. But, he's proven me wrong. He seems very good at his job and he's very personable and easy to talk to. Maybe it's his Payson roots.

So, we're here for another night. We certainly are appreciative of all of your emails, phone calls, and visits. We feel incredibly fortunate to have so many generous and loyal friends and family. It has made this wonderful experience even better.

Jericho is here!!!

My son, Jericho, was born at 12:20 AM, November 4, 2008. He was born via c-section, and it's no wonder; He weighed in at a whopping 9lbs. 1oz.----and 20 inches long. We haven't yet decided on who he got what characteristics from, but we agree that he is one good looking baby.

Brynn is so tough. It was a stressful pregnancy, mostly due to pre-term labor at 6 months along. After a month of bed rest, Jericho seemed a little more content to stay in until closer to the due date. Brynn continued to have contractions--strong contractions--though at every check up, there was no change in her cervix. Our due date was Oct. 31st, which came and went but didn't worry us. She finally went into labor on Monday afternoon, and we were at the hospital by 7:45PM or so. Within a couple of hours she was dilated to 8cm. We were so happy. After 3 tries, an epidural finally eased Brynn's pain and put us at ease. An hour later though, she had digressed and was dilated only to 5cm. The doctor was pretty sure that the baby wasn't going to fit through her pelvis. So, we agreed to a c-section. And, at 12:20AM, Election Tuesday, Jericho was born.

I had imagined how cool it might be if Jericho was born on the same day Barack Obama became elected President of the USA. And, that's what happened. Such a thrill. I feel so great about our future progress as a nation and as cohabitants with the rest of the world. I truly think Obama is going to do great. He may not be able to solve our every problem, but I think he's going to change the way we think, change the way politics are done, and forge good, much needed relationships between America and our friends around the world. Could a more peaceful world be in our future?

Anyway, Brynn and I feel so fortunate and blessed right now. What a wonderful day our son's birthday was. What a wonderful feeling to have a baby. I was thinking today; The way I felt about Brynn, back when we were dating and just giddy every moment, wanting to spend every second with her, extremely "whipped," is the way I feel about Jericho. I love him to death and this feeling came instantly, the moment they put him in my arms. Brynn is going to be an amazing mother. Of this I have no doubt. And, she'll show me the way and will make up for my inadequacies as a new dad. Ten years ago, I wouldn't have thought my current situation to be possible. Now, I am a husband--a dad--a part of my own family.

Lastly, I have to say thank you to our families. We totally appreciate your help and encouragement. To all of our friends--all of you--thank you for your friendship, your gifts, and your advice; I will be calling many of you in the future to ask why my baby is crying or why the poop is yellow this time. To those who can, please come see us. You mean so much to us and we of course want Jericho to know you.

Randomness

I love the rain. I LOVE the rain. It makes me feel like everything is going to be OK; like there will definitely be a tomorrow, because with rain comes new life. Plus, it smells good. Our roof has leaked since last spring. I really cannot afford to redo the whole thing right now with the baby coming. I finally got up there a few weeks ago and patched it good. Today, it's been raining like mad but we're nice and dry in the house. Praise Jesus for the technology of roof patch.

Halloween was a couple of days ago. Isn't Halloween strange? You put on a mask to hide your identity and then you go knock on random doors and you're like, "Yeah, this is my mask. Do you have any candy?" Isn't that bizarre? I decided to research the history behind Halloween. While I couldn't find any connection to the candy, I did find out a bit about the scary masks. Originally, Halloween was a Celtic tradition--and wasn't called Halloween. But it happens when it does, Oct. 31st, because that is generally when the Summer and Fall Harvest turns to the dead of Winter. And, traditional belief was that, at this time, the "veil" between the dead and the living is at its thinnest. Anyway, it eventually spread to other regions and evolved into holidays like All Saints Day, Day of the Dead, and Halloween. So, I get it. But the current tradition, while fun and fine with me, is bizarre.

Was cleaning out the garage today, in order to make room for my work van, as well as my wife's Subaru. I think I'm a pack rat. I've brought home so much in left over finish materials from various job sites, that half of the garage was useless until today. I finally moved it all out to my shop. I also hung up our bicycles--3 of them--which made more room. Our "2 car" garage is sort of lame, though it's the only garage I've ever had. Even when it's tidied up a bit, it BARELY fits 2 vehicles. Well, I'm thankful to have a garage anyway. Certainly better than nothing. And my van appreciates being kept in a warmer, drier environment.

What's with our unborn child? I mean, what is so great about my wife's uterus that he doesn't ever want to leave? Doesn't he know that he's going to have a lot more square footage on the outside? Also, there are a few people who really want to meet him, not the least of which are me and my wife. (Well, technically, she knows him pretty well by now). I wonder what he'll look like. If he has my wife's curly hair, I want him to grow it pretty long--like a big Napoleon Dynamite afro. My wife hates the idea. But I always wanted long hair and my mom was always trying to sneak up on my mullet with her scissors. So, I think I'm going to let this kid have all the hair he wants. I wish I still had lots of hair. I hope I still have a few strands of hair on my head when our kid graduates from high school; I'll be 51!

Went on a bike ride yesterday; likely the last one of the season up Payson Canyon. We're so lucky to have such amazing trails a mere 30 minutes away. It's been a great year for riding. I didn't make it to any of the races I had planned on doing. But I feel like I've added a few more skills and gained some more confidence in my riding and in my bike. My bike kicks ass. I think I should post a picture of it.

I love this time of year. Fall. Leafy. Cool. Colorful. Not dying. Just going to sleep for a few months. As the foliage and trees shed their leaves, we can also shed some old, unnecessary part of ourselves. Simplify ourselves making ourselves better, more efficient. Our country is shedding some old things, hopefully some old ways which only weigh us down now. Here's to hoping America's future will be brighter, more colorful, more joyful, more honest, more loyal to her people, more American.