From the Masters

This past weekend Amy, Ryne, and I were visited by some of my family that we don't often see. I was asked what has been the most surprising thing that I've learned from parenthood so far. I thought, and I answered (the answers came to me quite easily, actually). There are two things: 1) You can not explain how great parenthood is to anyone who is not a parent - they'll never understand (I would have never understood prior to Ryne). 2) All of a sudden you regret all of the stupid things that you did when you were younger because you realize the enormous amount of stress it must have put on your parents to worry about you so much. The Masters also took place last weekend. I like golfing; I like watching golf when Tiger Woods is competing for wins. The Masters was just completed this past weekend, and it was entertaining on Sunday because Tiger was wearing red and he was in contention for another green jacket. Anyways, there has been a lot written regarding the Masters, and I wanted to share a couple of the things that I read. I came across the first article from a Scott Van Pelt (ESPN anchor) tweet. It is a MUST READ. It is about a son and his father, but it doesn't matter if you are a father, mother, son, or daughter - it is a wonderfully written emotional piece. If it doesn't bring a tear to your eye, questions will be raised. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=fathersday The following paragraph is from another Masters related story written by ESPN reporter, Bill Simmons - The Sports Guy (I LOVE the Sports Guy - he loves all teams Boston/New England - Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox - and he gets paid (a lot) to cover them). The Sports Guy is talking about Tiger Woods... "I am supposed to think that he's a poor role model -- that he's an adulterer, that he's selfish, that he's a phony, that he behaves badly on golf courses, that he's someone I wouldn't want my son to emulate some day. That's horses---. I want my son to know that people screw up, that nobody is perfect, that you can learn from your foibles. I want my son to watch "The Natural" someday, hear Roy Hobbs say, "Some mistakes you never stop paying for," and know that it's not just words in a movie. I want my son to know that you haven't lived until you've fought back, that you haven't won until you've lost, that you can't understand what it's like to relish something until you've suffered, too. I want him to understand that it's the 21st century, that we sit around picking our heroes apart all day, that we expect them to be superhuman at all times, that we get pissed off when they aren't, that it's hypocritical if you really think about it." Ryne has already watched "The Natural" with me, but I have yet been able to teach him Hobbs' lesson.

Happy Birthday Amy

Today is my wife's birthday so I dedicate this blog entry to random thoughts of her; even though I usually blog about Ryne, I haven't forgotten about you...Happy Birthday!

As I am applying for news jobs, and being interviewed...one of the most frequent questions that I am asked is name three adjectives to describe an educational administrator, or three adjectives to describe yourself. Well, here are my three adjectives to describe Amy: caring, kind, and nice. Amy, you might well be the nicest person that I know. You are the go to person for all of your family and friends when they have problems, and you help/listen to all of them. I hope that our son inherits these traits from you!

Ever since I moved to the Quad Cities, (Amy and) I have watched Mike & Mike in the morning on ESPN2 as we get ready for work. Anyways, one of the two Mike hosts, Mike Greenberg, tells a story about rapidly walking down the halls of the ESPN studios with the legendary college football coach, Lou Holtz (whom I do not like). Holtz asks Greenberg if he has children. Greenberg tells Holtz that he does. Holtz then tells Greenberg that the number one best thing that he can do for those children is to show them that he, Greenberg, loves his wife, their mother. I have heard this same piece of advice from another legendary football coach, Tony Dungy (whom I really do like). It is great advice. Amy, I love you, and hopefully my actions speak this to you every single day.

After watching them perform with Bob Dylan at the Grammy's, one of my favorite new bands is Mumford and Sons (thanks for their cd, Kyle). In one of their songs, Winter Winds, there are the following lyrics: "We'll be washed and buried one day my girl And the time we were given will be left for the world The flesh that lived and loved will be eaten by plague So let the memories be good for those who stay." I love those lyrics. And while it is sad to think about one day being gone, I think it leaves you with an excellent perspective. We, unfortunately, will one day be gone. Therefore it is important to leave those that we leave behind with the memories of us having fun together, loving each other, and being respectful towards each other. Amy, although our definition of fun may have changed over the years, I still have great fun with you (even when we don't do anything). I love you, and I respect you. (Here is the link to the Winter Winds video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCg_QEHtkY the verse that I mention begins at the :55 second mark.)

Amy, you are a great Mom. You are a natural Mom. You seem to know all (or at least most all) of the answers to questions that I have. You do your homework so that you can be as knowledgeable as possible in regards to child development and raising a child. Ryne is lucky to have a Mom like you. I am lucky to be raising a son with a Mom like you.

Happy Birthday Amy! I love you! I hope that you have a great day today, and I hope that you have a great time with your birthday gift...it is for all of those times that you have gone to sporting events with me; thanks!

Big Day at CHA

Prior to writing what I really am meaning to write about, I need to write two brief paragraphs to put this narrative in its proper context.

When Amy told me that she was pregnant, one of my (many) thoughts centered on the fact that our child's life would be beginning during one of the greatest seasons ever for the University of Iowa football team (I like many others was, unfortunately, wrong regarding this prediction). How lucky for Ryne, to have his birth year associated with the '10 Hawks (this is the kind of stuff that I really do think about...). Then we brought Ryne home from the hospital; that very day, the first Iowa game of his life, they lost a heartbraker. You know how the story ended for the Hawks this year; they lost close game after close game to finish with a slightly above average season. Not the type of season I had dreamed of for the year my son was born...

I sometimes have quite a bit of anxiety. I like to have things planned out well in advance. Because of the unpredictable outcomes of taking Ryne to an Iowa men's basketball game at Carver Hawkeye Arena for the first time, I was (while very excited) nervous. If it didn't go well, our whole summer plan of taking Ryne to multiple Major League Baseball games (three) was in serious jeopardy. Regardless, our biggest adventure with Ryne, to date, took place yesterday...

The Iowa men's basketball team has not had much success the past 10 years. They had not beat a ranked team since 2006. They were tied for last place in the Big Ten. Purdue was ranked as the number six team in the country, and they were in contention for a Big Ten Championship if they beat Iowa yesterday. Notice I used the past tense verbs: had, were, and was. Purdue did not beat Iowa. The Hawkeyes upset the number six team in the country yesterday when they beat the Boilermakers 67-65. Ryne's first ever trip to Carver Hawkeye Arena, his first ever Hawkeye game that he was in attendance for was a monumental victory.

But it wasn't just an outstanding day due to the outcome of the game. This game would have been great regardless of how it ended (although the ending was icing). This was the first ever athletic event (and a Hawkeyes game, nonetheless) that I was able to take my son to! I think I'll remember it forever (even though he won't). I can not wait to take him to many, many, many more throughout his lifetime (and especially when he can really start to enjoy them!)!

And Ryne did great while at the game. He did not cry once (not surprising). The loud cheering did not really seem to bother him, although he did not sleep through any of the game even though he appeared to be extremely tired. Ryne is a great little Hawkeye fan.

Three adjectives to describe the day: memorable, fun, and exhausting!

Four-Month Check-Up

We just returned from Ryne's four-month check-up at the doctor's office, and things are going great! Here is a little update on his well being...

Ryne's head is 46.5 cm around, which is in the 97th percentile for head size(meaning, out of 100 four-month old babies he would have a head bigger than 97 of them). He weighs 16.6 lbs, putting himself in the 75th percentile for weight. And he is 25.5" tall (2'1"), which is in the 60th percentile for height. The doctor said that these were all excellent numbers! He is a big, and rapidly growing young boy.

We lucked-out with our near-last-minute babysitter find! The sitter loves Ryne. The other kids that go there love playing with Ryne. And Ryne seems to be happy every morning that I take him there. I can't imagine us being happier with our service from Sharon.

Prior to the little stomach bug that he recently had, he is eating quite a bit. He usually eats seven ounces every three to four hours. I put his high chair together over the weekend, and it may make its debut tonight. The doctor just told us that we could start feeding him rice cereal, and in a couple of weeks Ryne can advance to level one baby vegetables (yum!).

Mom and Dad had their first weekend away from Ryne, and it went well. We missed Ryne, terribly, but we had a lot of fun. It was, however, unfortunate that Ryne was suffering his stomach bug the weekend that we were gone.

On top of the stomach bug that I speak of, Ryne had a little cold previously. In his four months alive those are the only two times that he has ever been sick. He is lucky; Mom and Dad are lucky. Even when he is sick, though, he doesn't get terribly fussy. Aside from his diarrhea and loss of appetite you would have never known anything was wrong with him. He is always such a happy baby.

Ryne is learning some new tricks that he enjoys quite a bit. Rolling over from his stomach to his back is done fairly consistently. He can roll from his back to his stomach, although he always ends up getting one arm stuck underneath him. But his favorite new trick seems to be wiggling his way (much like a clock) around on the floor. We will put him down with his head facing north (for example) and before we know it he will have turned 180 degrees. Ryne thinks that this is quite an accomplishment, as he is usually laughing and smiling all the while. Mom and Dad think it is terribly cute (because it is).

Four-months isn't that long, but I don't remember what life was like prior to Ryne. Life is great with our little family of Ryne, Amy, and me.

A Lucky Little Guy

For those of you who don't know, I work at a Title One school. A Title One school is a school with a large low-income student population. The school where I work has approximately 90% of the students receiving free and/or reduced lunches (and breakfast). Grooming and hygiene is a big issue for a lot of the students that I work with, and the clothes that some of these students come to school in is often depressing.

I digress...Amy and I each have too many clothes. We like clothes, and we like shopping for clothes; it is somewhat of an addiction. Because of this, we are often cleaning out our closets and donating a lot of the second hand clothes to students at my school. I often end up seeing students wearing clothes that once belonged to Amy and myself for days on end. It is sad. Our worst things that we are willing to depart with become these students' best things.

Ryne is lucky. He is loved. He has two educated parents. His parents each have jobs that allow them to go without want. He has parents that are advocates for him. He has an extended family that loves him. He has plenty of clothing. He has a stockroom of diapers. He always has formula to keep him fed. He has plenty of space for himself and his things in his home. He has a ton of toys to keep him entertained. I could go on. He has everything that he needs; furthermore, he has parents that are able to provide him with the things that he may need, but doesn't have yet.

I see a lot children on a daily basis that are not this lucky. They aren't ever exhibited love from family members. They don't all of their family members involved in their lives. Their parents are distracted by the negativity that occupy their lives. These children come to school hungry. They come to school early and stay at school late because school is a much better place than wherever they call home. They never want snow days because that means they don't get to come to school; school is guaranteed to have the heat turned-on. They are crammed into small living quarters with brothers, sisters, cousins, and others.

The disparities are depressing. I thank my parents for raising me to work hard, and be able to work for what I need. However, more than the ability to work hard is needed in most instances. Too many children are born into situations that lack the resources that will allow them to prosper. And for that I thank God. I was blessed to be born into a great situation, and I am blessed to bring my son into a great situation.

Weekend Away

This coming weekend is going to be both fun and sad at the same time.

It will be a lot of fun because Amy and I are taking a two-day trip to Chicago, our favorite city. We have not been to Chicago since August, which is a very long hiatus for us. While in Chicago we don't plan on doing very much at all. We will stay right downtown where we will do some shopping, try-out a wine bar on Michigan Avenue that we held-off of going to while Amy was pregnant, dine at Sunda (where we will probably run into more than a few of Chicago's "A-listers"), eat brunch at a trendy spot that Amy read about in one of her magazines, watch the Blackhawks game and Derrick Rose play in the All-Star game from our favorite Chicago sports bar, and probably get some deep-dish pizza. We can't wait to get away and spend the time relaxing, just the two of us. Very excited...

You might have noticed, in the previous paragraph I mentioned that, "we can't wait to get away...just the two of us." That is correct. Ryne will be staying behind. We are not going to be introducing him to the greatest city in the world until the weather gets warmer (we have a mini-trip planned for June to take Ryne to the Lincoln Park Zoo and his first Cubs game!). It will be the first time that we are away from Ryne overnight. I am sure that it will be difficult for both Mom and Dad. However, we are very lucky to have very good babysitters (grandmas) volunteer (beg) to watch Ryne overnight; thanks.

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is less than a week away. I'll admit it, previously this holiday has never been terribly high on my favorite holiday list. Actually, I'd probably categorize it with New Year's Eve and Halloween (ever since 2005 when I did not win the costume contest while dressed as an in-prisoned Pierre Pierce, I've been bitter) as my least favorite holidays. My question was always, what makes Valentine's Day so special? Shouldn't you show your loved ones love all 365 days of the year?

Anyways, I have a new respect for February 14th.

Last year, Amy and I decided not to get each other any Valentine's Day gifts; we were just going to take a little weekend trip to Galena, Illinois and fore go gifts. I, however, thought I was being: a) sneaky and b) a great husband by getting her a gift anyways. It was nothing major, just a lunch bag and matching water bottle that she'd mentioned at Von Maur. I was going to give her the gift while we were in Galena.

When Valentine's Day came, prior to going to Galena, Amy told me that she'd gotten me a gift! I was shocked (although not nearly as shocked as I was about to become). She brought me out a small little package that was very nicely wrapped. Inside was a book titled, The Expectant Father. I'm no dummy, I knew what this meant. I'd always wanted children, but we hadn't planned this. I was a little scared and trying to hide that as best as I could while exhibiting pure excitement as well. It isn't that I didn't want a child, I did, it is just that I don't always deal overly well with things that aren't routine. I had NO IDEA what to expect for the coming months.

As time went by, nerves turned to excitement and excitement turned to happiness once Ryne was born. Now, nearly one year after Amy informed me that she was pregnant, I look back at that moment as a great memory. How can she/we top that Valentine's Day? That gift? It is not possible. Finding out that Ryne was on the way is the best gift that I've ever received. I will always associate that memory with Valentine's Day, which puts Valentine's Day in pretty good graces with me. Therefore, Valentine's Day will forever be a day of ecstasy as that was the day that I first discovered that I was going to become a Dad.