I left the powder at home.
Man, this whole pregnancy experience, looking forward to it.
This process has been everything I've thought and more.
I have enjoyed it. And I want to thank my wife. And our doctors, also.
It's been an unbelievable experience, a real humbling experience to be even to be in this position...
No one knows our decision right now.
I think we decided this morning. I mean, we decided this morning. It went day to day. We'd wake up one morning, it's this name. We'd wake up another morning, it's that name. And it's a process that we felt was the best opportunity for us and our son.
No. We don't have any doubts at all.
In this fall, this is very tough, in this fall we're going to name our son...Ryne Bailey Ewald
That was supposed to be a parody of the Lebron James "Decision" that ESPN aired this past July. Lebron James was criticized a great deal for how he handled his decision, and therefore it has been mocked at great lengths. If you are interested in seeing Lebron's decision, I'm sure that you can find it on YouTube. So I realize that not many of you probably realized where I was going with this, but I really enjoyed it and thought that it was clever.
Seriously though, Bailey is a great middle name! It is my middle name, and it is my mother's maiden name. James was a front runner for Ryne's middle name until July. I really liked the name James, and so did Amy. James is my mother's father's name (whom I unfortunately was never able to meet). James is my brother's middle name. James is Lebron's last name. Lebron, before he made a fool of himself with his "Decision," was my current, favorite basketball player. If Lebron had taken his "basketball talents" to the Chicago Bulls, I would have pushed EXTREMELY HARD for our son to be named Ryne James Ewald. However, that didn't happen.
We are happy to announce, on this blog, that our son will be named Ryne Bailey Ewald.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Hope Springs Eternal
I like reading and writing of many different genres. Poetry is the exception. I don't like to read it, and I don't like to write it. I don't even like to teach it to my sixth grade students because I don't usually understand it very well. However, there are some poems that I do like. One line of poetry that I particularly like is Alexander Pope's, "Hope springs eternal." It is a pretty simple line that I interpret to mean that hope lasts forever in the spring. In the spring things are being reborn, there is a fresh start, and optimism is in the air. I take great liking to the line, especially as a Cubs fan; the season has yet to start, the team has yet to lose a game, and there is the hope and the optimism that this could be the year (although it never is) that they win the World Series.
But what about fall?
I love fall far more than spring. I love fall far more than any other season. It is a brand NEW school year with a FRESH start. Students going back to school are able to resume their friendships with their classmates that they may not have seen over the summer. Football is beginning! Playing football or watching football is and has always been (remembering back to kindergarten) at the very top of my list of favorite things to do. The weather is no longer blistering hot, but usually cool enough to be comfortable in jeans and a sweatshirt and sleep with the windows open. I could never live anywhere that did not experience the changing of seasons. I love fall.
Did I mention that this fall is going to be significant more so than most falls. And no, I don't mean that it is more significant than normal because the Iowa Hawkeyes are supposed to contend for the Big Ten Championship and possibly even the National Championship (although that is pretty significant!). This fall is significant because Amy and I are welcoming our first child into the world. Our first son is coming into the world. Ryne is coming into the world. And he is coming into the world during the fall (not to mention a fall when the Iowa Hawkeyes could be experiencing unprecedented success! Wouldn't that be great, Ryne born during a year that Iowa won a championship!). That has to be a pretty good sign of things to come!
But what about fall?
I love fall far more than spring. I love fall far more than any other season. It is a brand NEW school year with a FRESH start. Students going back to school are able to resume their friendships with their classmates that they may not have seen over the summer. Football is beginning! Playing football or watching football is and has always been (remembering back to kindergarten) at the very top of my list of favorite things to do. The weather is no longer blistering hot, but usually cool enough to be comfortable in jeans and a sweatshirt and sleep with the windows open. I could never live anywhere that did not experience the changing of seasons. I love fall.
High school football has started, college football starts in one week, and the NFL starts in two weeks!
Did I mention that this fall is going to be significant more so than most falls. And no, I don't mean that it is more significant than normal because the Iowa Hawkeyes are supposed to contend for the Big Ten Championship and possibly even the National Championship (although that is pretty significant!). This fall is significant because Amy and I are welcoming our first child into the world. Our first son is coming into the world. Ryne is coming into the world. And he is coming into the world during the fall (not to mention a fall when the Iowa Hawkeyes could be experiencing unprecedented success! Wouldn't that be great, Ryne born during a year that Iowa won a championship!). That has to be a pretty good sign of things to come!
Friday, August 13, 2010
The End of Summer as We KNEW It...
When I got my undergraduate degree a professor told my graduating class that the number one reason that teachers got into education was: June, July, and August. Fact. I have completed four years of teaching sixth grade at a school that could be classified as challenging. Every year, by May, I am ready for summer. I am ready to relax, rest, and recharge myself as a teacher. This is a much needed break. Most people talk about how easy teachers have it come the summer months. However, no other profession deals with such defiant and irrational people (adolescents) on a full-time basis. That being said, I love my job. And I love my summers.
Did you read my profile? I LOVE to travel. Over the past four summers, I have had the luxury to go to such places as St. Petersburg, Florida, Chicago (MANY times), San Francisco, Jamaica, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Austin and San Antonio, Texas, and Louisville, Kentucky. I have gone to approximately 20 Major League Baseball games in six different stadiums. I have had enough time to follow baseball so closely that it has become my second favorite sport (it however, has zero chance of ever passing football as my favorite). I have become a runner. I have been given enough time to pursue and receive my master's degree. I have had enough time to move residencies. I have had enough time to enjoy every minute leading up to my wedding, and not had to worry about missing work at the same time. I am very lucky.
For the past four summers Amy and I have had an agreement regarding our summer vacations. I pick where we go one year, and she picks where we go the next. If you know us, you know that our ideas of a vacation vary greatly. One of us likes to go somewhere and relax; the other one of us likes to go somewhere and do as many things as we can possibly do while we are there. Amy's choice is the first, my choice is the second. I picked to go to Texas; Amy picked our honeymoon destination of Jamaica. I picked to go to San Francisco; Amy picked Florida. Where will we go next summer? It is my turn to pick, and I have several places in mind. However, we are about to be thrown a curve ball. As much as I like to plan-out my days, weeks, months, and years that may no longer be possible.
I hope that we are still able to take our vacations - the two of us, but we will see. That being said, I look forward to my upcoming summers. I look forward to teaching Ryne how to swim. I look forward to being able to be home with Ryne throughout the day. I look forward to taking family vacations (all three of us). I look forward to teaching Ryne to play catch. I look forward to, possibly, coaching Ryne through tee-ball and little league. I look forward to taking Ryne to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes basketball players play in the Prime Time League. I look forward to taking Ryne to the Chicago Bears training camp to get autographs. I look forward to taking Ryne to the Iowa Hawkeyes football family day. I look forward to taking Ryne to Wrigley Field (and wearing our matching jerseys!). I look forward to all of these things, as well as the other things I am unable to predict.
Summer will still be something to look forward to at the end of the school year.
When I got my undergraduate degree a professor told my graduating class that the number one reason that teachers got into education was: June, July, and August. Fact. I have completed four years of teaching sixth grade at a school that could be classified as challenging. Every year, by May, I am ready for summer. I am ready to relax, rest, and recharge myself as a teacher. This is a much needed break. Most people talk about how easy teachers have it come the summer months. However, no other profession deals with such defiant and irrational people (adolescents) on a full-time basis. That being said, I love my job. And I love my summers.
Did you read my profile? I LOVE to travel. Over the past four summers, I have had the luxury to go to such places as St. Petersburg, Florida, Chicago (MANY times), San Francisco, Jamaica, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Austin and San Antonio, Texas, and Louisville, Kentucky. I have gone to approximately 20 Major League Baseball games in six different stadiums. I have had enough time to follow baseball so closely that it has become my second favorite sport (it however, has zero chance of ever passing football as my favorite). I have become a runner. I have been given enough time to pursue and receive my master's degree. I have had enough time to move residencies. I have had enough time to enjoy every minute leading up to my wedding, and not had to worry about missing work at the same time. I am very lucky.
For the past four summers Amy and I have had an agreement regarding our summer vacations. I pick where we go one year, and she picks where we go the next. If you know us, you know that our ideas of a vacation vary greatly. One of us likes to go somewhere and relax; the other one of us likes to go somewhere and do as many things as we can possibly do while we are there. Amy's choice is the first, my choice is the second. I picked to go to Texas; Amy picked our honeymoon destination of Jamaica. I picked to go to San Francisco; Amy picked Florida. Where will we go next summer? It is my turn to pick, and I have several places in mind. However, we are about to be thrown a curve ball. As much as I like to plan-out my days, weeks, months, and years that may no longer be possible.
I hope that we are still able to take our vacations - the two of us, but we will see. That being said, I look forward to my upcoming summers. I look forward to teaching Ryne how to swim. I look forward to being able to be home with Ryne throughout the day. I look forward to taking family vacations (all three of us). I look forward to teaching Ryne to play catch. I look forward to, possibly, coaching Ryne through tee-ball and little league. I look forward to taking Ryne to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes basketball players play in the Prime Time League. I look forward to taking Ryne to the Chicago Bears training camp to get autographs. I look forward to taking Ryne to the Iowa Hawkeyes football family day. I look forward to taking Ryne to Wrigley Field (and wearing our matching jerseys!). I look forward to all of these things, as well as the other things I am unable to predict.
Summer will still be something to look forward to at the end of the school year.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
An Introduction
There are several questions that I think need answered before I begin blogging.
Question one, why am I blogging?
Well, for starters, it is because, my wife, Amy, and I are expecting our first child, a son - Ryne, this fall so...Well, I thought that blogging would be an easy and fast way for people to follow the growth of our son from afar. I could upload photos to Facebook, but with this blog I can add narrative and video! I can think of several grandparents who will love that, probably a couple of aunts and uncles, and maybe even a couple of friends. Secondly, I love writing; little known fact that I've kept a journal of some form off and on since high school. And finally, I love being up-to-date with technology. Blogs are very common in the culture of the United States today so why shouldn't I have one? Eventually, I might (hopefully) expand the scope of my blog, but for now I will just use it as a method to communicate what my family is doing.
Question two, why is my blog titled Second to None?
Recently, while in Chicago with my brother, Kyle, I told him the title of my blog and he immediately thought it was an arrogant title on my part. It's not what you think...Growing up I had two favorite baseball players: Bo Jackson and Ryne Sandberg. The Cubs were and are my favorite baseball team, and that is where Sandberg played. (This is how Ryne Ewald got his name; Amy and I had a deal. If our child was a girl, she got naming rights and I got veto power. If our child was a boy, I got naming rights and she got veto power. I won! She chose Ryne instead of Adrian (Clayborn) and Nile (Kinnick).) I resume, in the early/mid nineties
Sandberg wrote an autobiography. For some reason I thought that his autobiography was titled Second to None. I really thought that that would make a great title for my blog; I would be incorporating Sandberg with his autobiography title and my son who will be second to none. I Googled the book title to make sure that it was correct...I was wrong, his book was titled Second to Home (Sandberg was a second baseman). Regardless, I liked the title Second to None much better so that is how it was decided (it has nothing to do with me, Kyle!).
Question one, why am I blogging?
Well, for starters, it is because, my wife, Amy, and I are expecting our first child, a son - Ryne, this fall so...Well, I thought that blogging would be an easy and fast way for people to follow the growth of our son from afar. I could upload photos to Facebook, but with this blog I can add narrative and video! I can think of several grandparents who will love that, probably a couple of aunts and uncles, and maybe even a couple of friends. Secondly, I love writing; little known fact that I've kept a journal of some form off and on since high school. And finally, I love being up-to-date with technology. Blogs are very common in the culture of the United States today so why shouldn't I have one? Eventually, I might (hopefully) expand the scope of my blog, but for now I will just use it as a method to communicate what my family is doing.
Question two, why is my blog titled Second to None?
Recently, while in Chicago with my brother, Kyle, I told him the title of my blog and he immediately thought it was an arrogant title on my part. It's not what you think...Growing up I had two favorite baseball players: Bo Jackson and Ryne Sandberg. The Cubs were and are my favorite baseball team, and that is where Sandberg played. (This is how Ryne Ewald got his name; Amy and I had a deal. If our child was a girl, she got naming rights and I got veto power. If our child was a boy, I got naming rights and she got veto power. I won! She chose Ryne instead of Adrian (Clayborn) and Nile (Kinnick).) I resume, in the early/mid nineties
Sandberg wrote an autobiography. For some reason I thought that his autobiography was titled Second to None. I really thought that that would make a great title for my blog; I would be incorporating Sandberg with his autobiography title and my son who will be second to none. I Googled the book title to make sure that it was correct...I was wrong, his book was titled Second to Home (Sandberg was a second baseman). Regardless, I liked the title Second to None much better so that is how it was decided (it has nothing to do with me, Kyle!).
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)