"Hello again, hello" (Neil Diamond)

Not that anyone probably checks this thing anymore but here's why I haven't been blogging in 2 months:
June & July

Ran summer camp for 9 boys for 2 months.

Jack got sick.

Road trip to Miami.

July

Visited Dee in hospital in NC drove up and back with screaming almost 2 year old.

Mother-in-law died (a great, great woman and a tragic, quick ending to her life)...think of her everyday still and I didn't even know her that well. I simply know she made everyone feel loved that she knew including me in such a very short time.

Back to NC for Dee's funeral

Aunt Jane...the favorite of all favorites was diagnosed with stage IV cancer the same day Dee died...she's doing as good as she can and fighting hard.

August

Visited Aunt Jane in Miami with family in tow.

Had a flat tire with a flat spare.

School started/Homework Club reopened

Susie interviewed and got a new job...stressful and exciting all at the same time.

Jack daycare search begins...stressful and less exciting all at the same time.

Had skin pre-cancer removed from head by cryogenic freezing AKA burning the hell out of my face.

Had 3 seizures in the midle of the night (hence ambulance ride), broke hand (hence typing errors ), hit head (hence concussion and short term memory loss, cut chin and lip (hence 10 stitches already removed and healed after Susie found me in a puddle of blood face down in the bathroom, started seizure meds (hence dizziness and nausea). All of which lead to general fear of bathrooms.

September

1 cast put on hand to be removed 9/13, 1 lab workup to check med levels, 1 MRI on head (in the tunnel), 1 neuro doc appt., 1 surgeon appt. to remove facial stitches, 2 appts. with primary care later and still 1 EEG, 2 ortho appts., 1 primary care visit, 2 dermotalagist appts., several neuro appts., several blood/lab test to go.

Back to work after 2 week hiatus.

Oh, and Jack's sick...the cherry on the top I suppose.

Not the summer I planned on.

Poor me...actually, I feel quite fortunate to have so many people that helped me/us through all of this. I feel especially lucky to have Susie as my wife. If I created the perfect wife for me I still couldn't come close to her...Thanks Susie and, of course, thanks Dee!

A week in the life of Jack

Bicycle lessons begin with our new bike and seat (He loves them)

Swim lessons with our new teacher (He tolerates them)...he can already find the side when put underwater within reach and float all alone on his back...We're proud of the little waterbug!

We ended up at Disney World this weekend after someone was supposed

to let us in for free to MGM but did not show. As it was Sunday morning and we had already

gotten Jack all excited and were sitting in the parking lot while singing the Mickey Mouse Club song, we decided to pay to go to Magic Kingdom ($140).

5 Hours after arriving at Magic Kingdom

(we weren't leaving after dropping $140 on tickets),

Jack was pooped out...the temperature on

his high tech stroller read 105 degrees!

Later that evening, Jack says "Mickey, Magic" while showing off his mouse ears!

The Disney bug has struck!

Rocky (The story of MY pregnancy)

This is a survey my wife and her friends are filling out and I felt left out...so I decided to talk about MY FIRST BABY!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? No... it was immaculate!



2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes...about two months.



3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I was in severe pain.



4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? If I could have, I would have.



5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 31



6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? MRI



7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? I told my wife that my side hurt...then I told the doctor who acted as if I was just having a sympathy pregnancy as my wife was pregnant at the same time.



8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? I knew from the start that my baby was assexual.



9. DUE DATE: Noone seemed to know!



10. DID YOU DELIVER EARLY OR LATE? I'm not quite sure when I delivered...I just knew it was gone because the pain went away and the doctor who read my results told me it was gone.



11. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? No, but I did get Vertigo at the same time I was pregnant which made it very difficult for me to stand for about a week but antibiotics finally zapped that as it was due to an infection in my ear. I also had an extremely low temperature...around 95 for a few days and extreme pain in my back.



12. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? I drank Cranberry juice trying to get rid of the pain but basically I just craved sleep as I lay in the bed shivering a great deal of time.



13. WHO IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? The doctor who acted as if it was simply sympathy for my wife...who was also prego!



14. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? It had no sex.



15. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Rocks have no sex organs.



16. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? Unsure.



17. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? No...noone cared to give my baby anything...although we did have 4 for my wife's simultaneous pregnancy.



18. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? See above comments about noone caring!



19. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? It was awful...I thought I was going to die from the pain as I was shaking throughout...it irritated my kidney but other than that, no.



20.WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? In my studio apartment I think but it's hard to say for sure!



21. HOW MAY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? It seemed like a week straight!



22.WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? No hospital, although Susie drove me to the dr. office and outpatient clinic for the MRI



23.WHO WATCHED? Noone watched the birth I hope as it was a very private moment!



24.WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? It was not a C-section but I don't no that natural is the right word either!



25.DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? I took nothing!



26.HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? Not sure as I couldn't find it.



27.DID YOUR CHILD HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS? Not sure of this one either.



28.WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Rocky, because he was a Kidney Stone!!!



29. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? He is approximately 2 years old next month!

North Carolina...Paris & Tuscany???

June is here! Homework Club is closed...yippee!

Summer plans include: Running a grass roots summer camp for at-risk kids...yikes...during the month of June. Then, in July, we will take a family road trip to North Carolina where we will rendezvous with Susie's family. On the way up and on the way back we plan to stop in at Amelia Island and enjoy the beach. After that, we've got no plans...yippee!

Best of all though is our plan to go to Paris and Italy in May of next year. There, I said it. Now we have to do it! Sorry Jack but Mommy & Daddy must go! Grandparents beware...for 10 days you will be under the Sultans direct rule! Don't worry Jack...I promise to bring you some chocolate and wine from abroad...oh, you don't drink wine...well, what shall we do with 6 bottles of fine Chianti from Tuscany?

Miami con Jack

We had a great weekend!

Somewhere around Tuesday of last week, Susie and I decided to trek down to Miami with the boy to practice for planned upcoming trips to North Carolina (July) and Tennessee (October). Plus, Jack has progressively become better about the car so we figured we should test him out on a 4 hour road trip.

Little did we know that he not only loves road trips, but he now loves sleeping at other peoples houses as well. Each night, after days full of car driving, hiking in the hammocks, petting zoos, bon fires, meeting with strange and unusual relatives (my family), and only a couple of very short naps, the boy slept like a rock. In the car, Jack was content to sit and look out the window, take short naps, and sing along with the music.

In short, Jack was the perfect angel this weekend. He actually made the drive seem shorter than normal as he was quite entertaining most of the time.

One things for sure, my kid is the best! He was so sweet to all his relatives that he doesn't know very well, dropping, "thank you", "I Love You", and giving hugs to everyone. Despite his being an introvert it was clear that he knew how to be sociable when he has to.

Way to go Jack. I'm proud of you and you made your mother happy too on her second Mother's Day!