Saturday, December 25, 2010

Hi, Jack!!

I've decided to write another blog a little sooner than I expected. This is mostly about an observation I made/make whenever people see Jack.

"Hi, Jack! Hi! How are you? Hi, Jack. Hi, Jack! You're so cute. Hi, Jack!"

This is about the extent of people's vocabularies whenever they're talking to Jack. I admit, I'm guilty of doing this too. I just finally thought about how ridiculous it really is. As I observed Lindy talking to her family on Skype, every single one of her family members (well, all 4 of them) took turns saying the "Hi, Jack!" line. You can't help but wonder where Jill went, or whether there's an actual hijacking in progress. Regardless, I thought about how often Lindy and I do the same thing, and I started to laugh about it. Really, I see this kid every day, how many times do I really need to say "hi" to him? Imagine doing that at work. "How's it going Jane? Hi, Jane! You're so cute, Jane. Look at your fat little cheeks, Jane!" Repeat that line a few more times and I'm sure some kind of harassment suit would be in order.

With that said, I'm sure people will continue to do that until Jack finally responds with a "Hi" of his own. In the mean time, I will continue to say "hi" to the little guy every 5 or so minutes. I may say "hey" just to mix it up a little.

Friday, December 10, 2010

A Jump Start

So I guess it's been a while since I've written a blog. I don't even remember what I wrote on the last one. Although, I think I mentioned I was going to update you guys about Lindy's pregnancy. So I'll start with that...

Lindy had the baby.

That was easy. I will now rededicate this blog to my brand-spankin-new-one-month-old-little-boy-Jack. At the rate I write blogs, however, you may be getting a highschool graduation announcement before I write any kind of update. But let me regress back to the beginning:

The Birth.

When Lindy started feeling contractions, it was a very exciting moment. We did all we could to make sure she started labor that very day. We tried many scientifically proven methods...from the internet...to get that baby out. My favorite method was eating spicy food. Lindy hates spicy food, but I convinced her to go to Wendy's to get a spicy chicken sandwich. I never admitted this until now, but I secretly wanted her to just take a couple bites and say, "this is too spicy! you eat it!" Unfortunately, she only left me with one bite. It didn't even have any chicken in it. Don't judge me. I've eaten fast food about 5 times in 5 years. Guys have cravings too. Anyway, eventually she was in active labor. (P.S. I think the spicy chicken only gave her heartburn.)

Whoever said/says that the birth of a baby is a beautiful thing, has never seen a birth of a baby. It is absolutely NOTHING remotely close to being beautiful. AFTER the birth, perhaps, but certainly not during. There were fluids here, there, on the top, bottom, left and right. Lindy's face turned apple red with every push she made. My hand swelled up to the size of a grapefruit as she gave me a death grip. I guess I can't complain since she was pushing an impossibly large baby. Although, I do have delicate hands. Just saying.

When our boy (Jack Thomas Martin) came out on November 4, 2010, I thought "That's my boy!!! What in the world is all over him???" My gag reflex went away in about 2 seconds. It was followed by disbelief, joy, awe, and more disbelief. I just couldn't believe that Lindy and I had become parents. As I watched the nurses clean up our little boy, I couldn't get a stupid grin off my face. Yes, I cried too. It was the strangest feeling. You know how in those stupid sappy movies where people say, "When I first laid eyes on you, I knew I loved you."? I say it's "stupid" because it almost never ever happens that way in real life. You have to get to know each other first, then you grow to love. In the case of having your very own baby, it truly IS love at first sight.

I am so blessed and thankful to have a wonderful wife that could create this beautiful little creature. In just one month, he has changed out lives. Now, I can't imagine a life without either of them. Though the birthing process may not be beautiful. Though births happens everyday, it really and truly is a miracle.

I'm not really much of a poem guy. But there was a poem by Maureen Hawkins in Jack's pediatrician's office that sums up probably what most parents feel.

"Before you were conceived
I wanted you
Before you were born
I loved you
Before you were here an hour
I would give my life for you
This is the miracle of life."