Random Thought of the Day

Ironic, isn't it?

The one item that is currently my most prized possession is also the one I am most eager to finally be rid of. It's the badge that lets me in to the NICU.

Sorry if I'm dwelling on this a lot, and I know that there are others in far worse straits, but dammit, I miss my kid. I was sick and in the hospital a LOT as a child, I now have a much deeper appreciation for what my parents went through.

Quote of the Week

Vinegar tastes sweeter to the Free Man than does honey to the Slave.

- A commenter on the Blog Free Iraq, reflecting on the elections

Indeed.

A Little Advice

If you're a new father, and your child is in the NICU, and your wife sends you to the pharmacy tp fill a prescription, do NOT kill time waiting for the medecine by perusing the Children's Books section of the store and reading Love You Forever.

Just saying, is all.

A Wee Bit of Doggerell

The following poem was written several years ago, long before The Lad (I like that better than The Wee Bairn) was even a twinkle. At the time, I fancied myself quite the poet. This poem was written in an attempt to be "influenced" by a more famous poet (I'll let you guess who), but soon took on a life of its own. It's a reflection on the how each of us, as a descendant of our ancestors, both receives and passes on their lineage. It seemed appropriate to post it now in honor of the biurth of my son. The original is stored away in a box somewhere, so this is from memory. It may not be as polished as I had it. In any case, enjoy:

Inheritance

I dwell within the cirle of the existence of my ancestors
and am both their heir and their heirloom.
I am the recipient of their legacy,
and I am the legacy received.
And some day, I will bequeath this inheritance to my son,
even as I bequeath my son to the world.

Overnight Changes in the World

Just a quick, random roundup of the few thoughts that have slipped out of the fog that is my brain these days:

So apparently, while I was busy being a new daddy and husband to a new and very sore mommy, Iraq gave birth too, to a democracy. I really can't find the words to express how happy I am for the people of Iraq. Congratulations. Let's hope the next step is to help you establish your own muscle to back up that democracy, so that our boys can come home soon.

TWB is eating on his own now, they removed the IV today. He's up to 33 cc's per feeding, and also nursing some. His Bilirubin is under control, he's been breathing on his own since birth and they took him of the O2 sat monitor on Saturday, and he's done a good job of maaintaining body temp from the get-go. We're hopeful he'll be home by this weekend.

Once he comes home, I'll be taking time off from both work AND Blogging. That's a warning, not an apology -- I'm not in the least sorry to put everyone else aside to get to know my kid.

TFR came home Saturday. She is still in pain, please pray for her recuperation. Her mom is in town for a week, so that's a big help.

I had to call a friend to make sure yesterday wasn't the Superbowl -- you lose track of time. Is it just me, or is there something very wrong about a February Superbowl?

UPDATE:
11:45 AM PST
Just got off the phone with TFR, and The Lad is out from under the UV therapy, his color is looking pretty good.

Meet the New Boss

(Held by the old boss).

Finally got some pictures of the Wee Bairn burned from memory stick to CD, and appropriately enough, the best one of him is when he's being held by his momma. Allow me to introduce you all to my son.

Now, Anchorman was, IMHO, a lame movie. But I was inspired to borrow from Ron Burgundy's introduction to the movie video found on the DVD.

If you don't agree that this is the most beautiful baby ever born, I will fight you. That's no lie:

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

Chay Baron B. was born last night, Thursday, January 27 at 9:26 PM PST. The Wee Bairn weighed in at 6 pounds, 9.5 ounces, and measured 18.5 inches. He's breathing on his own, his heart rate and O2 sat are good. Mom is sore but happy. Oh, and he's a damn fine looking kid, thank you for asking.

My deepest thanks to everyone who has prayed for TFR and TWB over the past week. Your prayers were felt and, obviously, heard. Please continue to pray for his continued development and mom's recovery. No details for her privacy, but suffice it to say it was a long, difficult labor.

Say Hello To TFR

I just learned tonight that the hospital where The Feared Redhead is staying has a service where they'll print out emails sent to a patient. I would encourage anyone who wants to send one. For security reasons, I would prefer to have them posted to the comment section here, and I'll ask my good friend Vulture 6 to copy & paste them into the form.

Thanks.

BS, PHD

At the U of O, That's Bull$#!*, Piled Higher and Deeper.

Thanks for the Memory to the Political Teen.

A few days ago I blogged over at Head West, Turn Right on the Yellow Ribbon Incident. This was the situation where the U of O ordered an employee to remove a yellow ribbon style "Support the Troops" magnet from the state vehicle he drives at work.

Apparently, the whole issue has blown up in the U of O's face, and it's not going away. According to a KEZI report, the school has been inundated with letters, emails, and phone calls. Their rationale is that "truth is, they're only against the ribbons (or anything for that matter) being displayed on state-owned vehicles (which is state policy)."

But as Kevin McCullough points out, that wasn't the original tune that was being sung by the President's office. In the original KEZI report, the rationale was, "Under state law... public employees can not use state resources to spread political messages." The U of O rationalized that the stickers were political. You can read my post at HWTR for my response to that.

Apparently, along with the public firestorm, a personal protest occurred. An anonymous U of O employee tied yellow ribbons up around Frohnmayer's offices. KEZI reported that the U of O would let them stand, but McCullough was contacted by the employee, who confirms that the ribbons have been removed.

This really saddens me. Since when was an appreciation for the sacrifices of those who defend our freedom a mere political statement? Furthermore, even if it WERE a political statement, McCullough mentions the UO employee pointing out the numerous bits of pro-Kerry paraphernalia allowed to be displayed on University property. Is it assumed that any yellow ribbon must be a sign of a certain unpopular political position? And if so, are they being selective in their enforcement of this policy? Or was the conservative UO student recently shown on thew school paper wrong when she holds a sign saying "Free Speech Isn't Just For Liberals"?

I've been a UO Ducks fan for a very long time, but I'm not sure I can be any more. I'm not sure I can proudly display my U of O beanie, or the shirt I bought when my late father and I watched them win the Holiday Bowl, if they cannot proudly display their support for our troops. If they decide a yellow ribbon and a yellow O can't coexist, I know which I must choose.

A Bit of Perspective

Over the last few days, I've been very preoccupied, understandably, with the complications surrounding The Feared Redhead's pregnancy. And while I've been overwhelmingly grateful for all the support and prayers that have been expressed by my readers, I've also become aware that I was in panic mode, and reacting perhaps far worse than the circumstances dictated. For that I am a bit chagrined.

What put it in perspective for me was following a link from Let's Try Freedom to a blog about a little boy born at 24 weeks. He died Sunday night after fighting for his life for three months. My heart breaks for his family.

It made me realize that as difficult as things are fro TFR and me and Baby B, they could be worse, and we are truly blessed to have good doctors, nurses, friends and family, and to know God is looking out for us.

So, to all of you who have been following the Baby posts on this blog, please, take a break from praying for us, and go extend your love and compassion and prayers to this hurting family. God Bless you all.

Will That Be Paper, Plastic, or W-2?

Thanks for the Memory to Darth Apathy.

I hadn't planned to blog much about non-baby issues for the next few days, but I have the time, it helps take my mind off of things, and my gosh, this was just too good to pass up:

San Francisco May Charge for Grocery Bags

Mon Jan 24, 8:23 AM ET Strange News - AP

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco may become the first city in the nation to charge shoppers for grocery bags.

The city's Commission on the Environment is expected to ask the mayor and board of supervisors Tuesday to consider a 17-cent per bag charge on paper and plastic grocery bags. While the goal is reducing plastic bag pollution, paper was added so as not to discriminate.

"The whole point is to encourage the elimination of waste, not to make people pay more for groceries," said Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste.

Environmentalists argue that plastic bags jam machinery, pollute waterways and often end up in trees. In addition to large supermarkets, other outfits that regularly use plastic bags, including smaller grocery stores, dry cleaners and takeout restaurants, could eventually be targeted.

Officials calculate that the city spends 5.2 cents per bag annually for street litter pickup and 1.4 cents per bag for extra recycling costs.

Grocers and bag manufacturers argue that many people already reuse their plastic bags, and that the use of plastic won't go down because people will purchase plastic trash bags to use instead. Other opponents call the plan an unfair and regressive tax on shoppers.

Talk about stupid and ill-thought-out. Let's not even bother for the moment to do any more than observe in passing that the proposed tax (17 cents per bag) is over DOUBLE the estimated cost to the city of disposing of bags (6.6 cents per bag). Let's not even focus, as Vic does, on the idiocy of taxing paper bags just to prevent the users of plastic bags from feeling that we're discriminating against them (we ARE, but at least they wouldn't be alone) Let's assume for a moment that San Francisco is stupid enough to enact this tax (it's not really much of a stretch to assume so).

So now, how will they enforce it? How are they going to make sure that each shopper is taxed properly? Will shoppers in San Francisco have to scan each and every bag they plan to use? What if they miscalculate how many they need? Will the cashier have to ring them up for more bags? reimburse them for bags unused? Completely impractical. Or maybe the baggers will have to count bags as they go, report the total to the cashier, who THEN rings up the groceries? Again, impractical, and rife with potential problems. Will people stop double-bagging, increasing the risk of spilled groceries? Will they instruct baggers to cram the groceries in even tighter?

What's more likely to happen is that they will impose a tax charged to the store for all the bags it purchases. You buy 20,000 bags, that's $3,400 please. So how do you recoup that expense? By spending even more money to implement the stupid measures mentioned above? No. You either eat it as a business expense, or you increase your prices to make up the loss. That means ALL your customers pay higher prices to cover this tax -- not just the people using plastic bags, but the people using paper bags, the guy who doesn't need a bag for his pop and candy bar, even the environmentally conscious shopper with the tye-died "Love your Mother" cloth grocery bag. So what happens? Prices for groceries go up in San Francisco, and suddenly for all those people living not too far from other municipalities, it seems unwise to buy your groceries in San Francisco. So the SF stores see a drop in sales, a drop in profits, and a drop in ALL the taxes they put into the coffers of the city (not just the bag tax). Not to SPEAK of the impact this would have on smaller stores if the city proceeds to tax them as well. In the end, this will prove to be nothing but a hassle to the people of San Francisco, and a boondoggle for the city. San Francisco needs to put this proposal back on the shelf.

Makes Brian Something Something

My phone beat my alarm clock by 45 minutes this morning. You can imagine how quickly I was awake. Sure enough, on the other end of the line was The Feared Redhead.

"Don't panic. I just need you to remind me how to deal solitaire to myself."

Oy.

Apparently one of the complications to which a patient in her condition is succeptible is cabin fever. The Feared Redhead is also the Bored Redhead.

Me, not so much. Between her and the baby, I swear they're plotting to put me in the psychiatric ward.

You Say Potato, I Say Potosin

Just talked to TFR on the phone, and her doctor has decided to induce on Friday. Just to keep everyone up to date.

Little Cat Feet

As a teenager living in the foothills of the Coast Range, only one type of weather struck me as characteristic of Southern Oregon as rain, and that was fog. We don't get it as much here in Eugene/Springfield, but when we do, I love it. This morning, I awoke to discover we had fog. Not the wispy mist that lifts up off the ground in some places, but a true fog, the kind where you can't see past your own back yard. It was just what I needed after this weekend's trials.

Fog has always reminded me of a security blanket, or a privacy curtain, just like rain, but it fills that role more quietly, more unobtrusively than rain. I used to love to go walking in the fog, listening to the stillness, feeling wrapped up in its cloudy folds, separated from whatever might be happening just beyond visibility, shielded from prying eyes. Fog embodied solitude. Not loneliness, solitude. All of those good memories of fog came back this morning. It was like a gentle shoulder hug from God.

Gotta Love Texas

Brian is attending to the pending arrival of his Mutant Love Child (AKA Baby B) and has asked me to comment from time to time.

You have to love Texas. I know things irks those people who were not fortunate enough to be born here, but I have some proof to offer that this is a place you simply have to love.

First off, I was driving in to work this morning and I passed a local hardware store. On their letter board out front they have the usual specials but also listed was the following:

“Valentines Day Special: Dear Rifles $189”

Where else can you say I love you with a thirty ought six and not get arrested?


The second piece of evidence I offer is this story:

Off-Duty Officer Hits Horse Walking On Freeway
Accident Traps Officer In Car, Instantly Kills Horse

POSTED: 7:29 am CST January 24, 2005
UPDATED: 7:47 am CST January 24, 2005
HOUSTON -- Doctors are trying to save the life of a Houston police officer, who hit a horse while driving on the North Freeway Monday morning, Local 2 reported.

Investigators said the officer, who was on his way home from work at about 3:30 a.m., struck the horse as it was walked in the northbound lanes of the freeway near Little York Road.

The impact crushed the car's roof and trapped the officer inside.

Emergency crews transported the officer to Ben Taub Hospital in critical condition.

As officials cleared the scene, the northbound lanes of the North Freeway between Little York Road and Canino Road were shut down. All lanes had reopened by 5 a.m.

Officials said the horse was killed upon impact. They are not sure where the horse came from or why it was walking on the freeway.”

I’m deeply sorry the officer was hurt, please offer a prayer of support for him and his family. I’m sad the horse died. It is a sad occasion and a tragedy.

This does beg for the following comment

“A horse is a horse, of course, of course,
And no one can talk to a horse of course
That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed.

Go right to the source and ask the horse
He'll give you the answer that you'll endorse.
He's always on a steady course.
But you can’t talk to the other horse, of course
be cause now he’s known as Mr. Dead.”

W Plus 44:30

I sm touched and overwhelmed by the volume and the quality of response I've received regarding the Baby Crisis. I pray that God blesses all of you the way you've blessed my. So I've decided to respond to all the comments on my previous post here instead of in the comments section.

Romeocat, that was the most beautiful prayer I've heard in a long time. Thank you. And thank you to all those who are speaking with our Father on behalf of my little family, as well as to those of other faiths who are making their own expressions of hope and encouragement.

To the fellow dads who chimed in, thanks for backing a buddy up. It makes me feel like a member of some secret fraternity. I'm convinced it's a girl, and my friend Brian (aka Lurch) has suggested a name for the 34" Louisville Slugger I plan to get myself for Father's Day: "Abner Doubledate".

And Vulture 6, my old friend, thank you so much for stepping in for me. I'll probably be able to blog for myself the next few days from work, but once labor starts, I'll be relying on you again.

Now for the latest details:
Almost 2 full days since TFR's water broke, and still not a sign of labor yet. No steroids, since 34 weeks is the cutoff for those. She is on antibiotics -- IV for the first 36 hours, oral since then. She's also still taking her Vistoril and Reglan for the nausea, and Pepcid AC to help with the indigestion (and, apparently, it helps hold off labor). Her doctor made the same call as Michael regarding how long to wait -- if she hasn't gone into labor by next weekend, they'll probably induce. I'm going to work until she starts labor, take sick days off for that, then work again until the baby comes home. Then I'll take a week off to spend with the two of them.

I was feeling better about the situation, thought I had my emotions in control, until we toured the NICU, and I saw the babies in there, including one that was born at 34 weeks. I know they'll be ok, but damn, he was fricking TINY!!!!!!! There was this rush of sadness, and a little fear, and... now here's the weird part.... some anger. It pisses me off that there's not a damn thing I can do about the situation my wife and baby are in. I can do my best to help with the external conditions, I gave TFR a pedicure today and have been making sure she gets everything she wants and needs from the hospital staff (who, by the by, kick ass. She's stayed in two wards now, and I've been there during a variety of shifts, and not once have I experienced anything but professionalism and a willingness to go the extra mile), but I can't put the amniotic sac back, I can't make the baby be developed fully, I can't do anything about the internal stuff expect wait. And it makes me want to either break something or break down and cry.

I'm doing my best to soldier on, and I think I've done well so far, but all of you who sent those words of encouragement, remember once you're done praying for TFR and Baby B, to ask God to grant me a little more courage. That's all I want for myself, just that he help me be a man for them.

Thanks again, everyone. God bless.

Baby B News

Brian and TFR are doing well, He asked me to let every one know that he will not be on as usual and that I keep you all updated on what is going on.

I ask that you say a prayer for TFR, Brian and the lil B if you you are of the praying kind. They are great people and need our help and support.

If you would like to send a gift, the baby registry is at Target. I don't think they have a lot of the stuf yet as the baby is 6 weeks from being due.

Brian Called me at 2 pm today and said that she is still not in labor but is doing ok.

I'll let you know more as I do.

Sitrep

I won't be blogging much for the next few days, except to post updates to the following:

Last night, somewhere between 11:00 and 11:30 PM PDT, The Feared Redhead called me in to our bedroom to tell me, "My water just broke". This was expected EVENTUALLY, but not last night, as last night put TFR at 34 weeks into the pregnancy on the nose. I assure you, we wasted no time getting to the hospital.

As it stands, she is not in labor -- no contractions at all, not even Braxton Hicks. However, because of the increased risk of infection, she will remain hospitalized until she does go into labor. This could be up to two weeks. Unless she shows signs of an infection or the baby shows signs of stress, they will not induce.

TFR's sister drove down from Portland and arrived at 3:30 AM, so I managed to get three hours of something akin to sleep. All things considered, I am functioning well, and will return to the hospital to take my shift as TFR's company as soon as I've picked up some DVD's for her to watch. I'm quite proud of myself, I managed to avoid breaking down in tears until I was nowhere near here. I know 34 weeks is fairly far along and the morbidity rate is almost nnil, but it's still a shock to the system, and a little scary to realize your child has decided to enter the world even less prepared than most other infants. But I know that I need to project an air of confidence in my wife's presence, neither she nor the baby need the added stress.

What also concerns me is practical matters. We had not come even close to completing the preparations involved in having a baby -- our church is throwing us a shower for the baby in February, it might also double as a birthday party. We haven't purchased a stroller or a carseat yet, and had to ask TFR's sister to bring a camera down, since we planned on buying one in February. Furthermore, those six weeks premature include at least 4 in which TFR planned to work, four weeks of income lost at a time we can ill afford to do without them.

All in all this is not my best day, but I am resolved to do my duty as a husband and father-to-be and support my wife. I leave now coveting your prayers and well wishes.

Just Remember....

The Left may oppose the war, but they still support the troops.



Yeah, right.

CAPTION: Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Due, right, a U.S. Army recruiter, is surrounded by protesters at Seattle Central Community College, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, in Seattle. After about a 10-minute standoff during which protesters tore up U.S Army literature, the protesters were successful in getting Due and another recruiter to leave their table under escort by campus security officers. Several hundred students walked out of classes at several Seattle colleges and universities to protest the inauguration of President Bush.

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades.

The Horror....

The horror....