Countdown to a new start

So in exactly one week we start over. If everything goes as planned , closing for our house is scheduled for the 12th of January. We had a bit of a mix up in the last weeks leading up to now. Long story short, we have a lot of packing to do. The home buyer had an appraisal done long after the due diligence period had passed and to our surprised the house was appraised at 4 thousand less than what our final settlement price was, Our Realtor called me to tell me that unless we were willing to drop the price on the house the deal was a no-go. But since they waited until after the due diligence period we get to keep their earnest money deposit if they decide to back out. I asked a few Realtors I know for their opinion on what to do and most agreed to stay firm and keep the deposit if they don't come through. At the end of the day they did wait too long to have the appraisal done.

So this whole time I've been thinking it's a no deal, but I had doubt that the buyer would walk away from the house and lose the money that they've invested thus far, so I called my Realtor and asked him what would happen if the buyer did buy the house and we haven't moved out yet. So he kindly informed me that I better be out of the house by the 12th. Pretty much until we hear otherwise the deal is on. Now we're in a fenzy, packing and needing to put everything in a storage unit to empty out the house.

I think its all going to be very surreal until we turn in the keys. I'm sure we will feel some sadness to go but I'm really excited to have a new start. I have a few Zillow searches going and can't wait to start house hunting.

 I had a funny conversation with another firefighter that is also selling his house. He asked what size house we're looking for and I told him about 1500 to 2000 sqft. He kinda chuckled and said that was too small for a family. I realize it's not a mansion but how big of a house does a "family" really need? (Small rant ahead) I'm sure that 2nd family room and 3rd office really comes in handy but C'mon (sarcasm). If anything, I think that oversized houses are a huge contributor to crappy family atmospheres. I grew up in apartments where I had to share a room with one or both of my siblings at times and even though the lack of privacy was inconvenient but the small space forced us to INTERACT with one another. If we didn't like something the other did, We told them and we disagreed and we fought but then we made up and laughed about it.

 I saw a documentary about tiny houses that people are building over trailers. They live really simple, are debt free and have realized the difference between a necessity and a luxury. That's too extreme for me but I saw some interesting facts that made me think. The average american family has gone down in size while the size of the average american home keeps going up. Somebody they interviewed mentioned they remembered growing up, their friends had huge houses but their parents were never around because they were working to pay the house off. That's not what I want Micah to remember about us. Just to throw out another observation ; I get to work at many firehouses across the city with lots of different crews and I've noticed the closer knit ones are the ones that work in older stations that are alot smaller than the new firehouses that are triple the size and house half the people. We'll see what we come across when the time comes.

Speaking of a new start...... Laura is prego again. Yes you read correctly. She's 12 weeks right now. This one was planned unlike the first one. When we talked about more kids in the future we both knew we would have another but were undecided as to when. If we waited too long it would be like starting from scratch and if we waited too little we would have alot on our plates. Around the time that Micah was going to turn 1 we kinda knew we wanted another sooner then later and just let it happen.

It's funny how fast this pregnancy has gone by so far. With having a toddler to look after we sometimes forget that Laura is pregnant. Sorry, I mean I forget that she is Pregnant because according to her this one feels totally opposite than the first one. She is super tired and nauseous and always at the most random times.  I try to help, mostly by keeping Micah off of her. A few people I've talked to say that the difference in symptoms probably means that this we're having a girl but it I know it doesn't. We both feel a lot more relaxed this time around and hope we can keep the chillness running when we have to Babies crying at once.

Coming July 2015!

When Micah was sick for those few weeks I had read that babies that get those fever blisters turn really emotionally dependent after they recover since they're always being carried and cared to when they're sick. Micah is no exception. He hates being put down now and starts to throw down a tantrum. This is making it extremely hard to pack and finish what we have to do around the house. The funny thing is that when we leave the room he's in he stops crying and follows us to where we're at and then continues his tantrum. But we now have a secret weapon for when Micah is getting rowdy or at least needs a distraction. Baby Einsteins, I am fully aware that this is lame cop out and always told myself to I wasn't going be that dad that gives my son an electronic device to get him off my back he loves them! We do make sure to sit down and watch them with him and sign the animals and pictures with to make sure he is learning. 

Happy Baby

Hi everyone. Just want to take time to update everyone.

At the doctors office with that little smile.

Micah had been a little sick the past few weeks. First with a stomach bug that gave him the runs for a week straight. We didn't know if he had developed an allergy to something, but after switching up his foods repeatedly, a trip to the Doctors office pinned it to a stomach bug. Then the fever started. We don't know if it was related but a few days after he started to get better, we noticed he was getting warmer and warmer. That turned into fever blisters that made it hard for him to eat or drink anything. I felt so bad for my little guy. he would wake up and sign for milk but after attempting a few sips he would throw the bottle and cry. It was really hard to watch, knowing that there was nothing we could do and to top it off, he didn't understand why his mouth hurt and why it wouldn't stop. The blisters lasted for about 4 days and while he was tossing, turning and crying at night we stayed up and tried to soothe him back to sleep.

During one of his late night crying sessions, I had a Deja-vu moment of the first couple months when we couldn't get him to nurse. You really do find your role as a parent. Even though the crying and the powerless feeling was frustrating, Laura and I both handled it pretty well. Alot better then a year ago that for sure. Makes me think were ready for number 2 ( wink wink)

One thing that I love about Micah is how happy he always is. Even though he was sick he always managed to give off a smile when he could.

Off to Hunt!

A Butternut Squash!

 Hey everyone, Sorry it's been a while since I last posted. The pregnancy seemed to have taken a standstill for a bit but now has us busier than ever. Micah is now the size of a Butternut Squash and weighs somewhere around 3-4 lbs. We are pretty much counting down the days until arrives. The Baby Momma is doing good. Although she was having cramps running down one side of her leg, which she read was a common thing for women this far along in the pregnancy. Her midwife recommended some baby safe supplements and problem solved. This summer has been great to us. I've always heard that summer pregnancies suck and had this one been planned we would have tried to avoid the summer at all cost but there really haven't been many days over 90 degrees and hoping I don't speak too soon, summer seems to be on its way out. Here's an interesting piece of information, Studies have shown that the baby now has sleep cycles in which he could possibly even dream. Isn't that crazy? What does little Micah dream about? The strange and distant voices outside his little bubble?

The small baby bump that was easily covered and disguised is now here and making it's presence known. In about a months time, we went from people being surprised when finding out how far along my wife was to her not being able to find anything to wear. Which means several shopping trips to look for Maternity clothes. That's whole 'nother subject that I don't want to get into too deep, but Maternity clothes is ridiculously expensive!!! Maybe its just me because I'm used to finding my clothes in the clearance racks or in my brother's room when I casually raid his closet, but seriously guys! Talk about taking advantage of someone in a tough spot. At the end of the day it is business, but I still imagine a group of evil business men and fashion designers gathered around a large conference table, laughing hysterically because we all fall into their traps!

And then, Once they feel fat, bloated, and can't find anything to wear
they'll have no choice but to buy our expensive clothes!


Both the wife and I took some vacation days a few weeks ago and finally got around to painting the nursery. With a little help from my sister and her husband we knocked it out in no time. It's painted a gray color with red accents. All her ideas.... from Pinterest. Once we were done with that we could move all the baby furniture inside including a big red comfy couch that I previously had no place for. I think It'll be perfect in the nursery for those up all night time when you just need a place to crash.   Once I add a T.V., my Xbox, a mini fridge, a Man Cave sign and Oh wait, nevermind ; those times are gone.

  Here's a picture below, let me know what you guys think. All its really missing is the little guy.



With the nursery somewhat complete we went ahead and registered. My wife wanted to make a registry at Target which was cool with me. Once we were there I had flashbacks of making our wedding registry. I remembered how My wife was so detailed and did alot of research on every product. The baby registry was literally the same experience. When I got a hold of the scanner, I was just looking at colors and prices. My reactions were "Ooooh, this one looks cool!" or "Ouch, that ones expensive!" while my wife was overly prepared with cut-outs of product reviews and several parenting magazines and their recommendations for what every parent needs. It's a good thing she was there to balance me out because if not, Micah, you would probably end up being swaddled in some paper towels and napkins. They'd be cool napkins though. With little firetrucks on them.

There are alot of things that people say parents "need" for their babies. I guess it's been a while since I was a baby (24 years from my estimates) but I don't remember having or needing all the things that experts list as a requirement for babies. This led to several disagreements between my wife and I. Here go some, and parents help me out if I'm wrong :

1) Wipey Warmers. A Wipey is a moist, disposable towelette that is used to clean the rear end of a baby when changing their diapers. Apparently the Baby Union was not satisfied with the way they were being changed and cleaned and decided they wanted more. Wipeys themselves were simply not enough. They had to be warmed. The Baby Union fought hard to make sure the "parenting experts" made a Wipey Warmer a necessity for every with-child household. Seriously guys. No one from my generation had one and I think most of us turned out ok, with the exception of a few.


2) Shopping Cart cover. This one was tricky. I know that Shopping Carts are some of the dirtiest things on the planet. Putting your child in one is something I plan on avoiding. Some of you may say "But Fire Daddy, (yes, I will now be refered to as Fire Daddy.) didn't you ever ride in a shopping cart as a child?" Yes, I did. At my local family grocery store where people actually took pride in cleanliness and appearance. Most places and people cared about those things back then, but now all that's gone out the window. That's not all. Think about the people who touch the grocery carts. Never noticed them? Take a trip to www.peopleofwalmart.com and get back to me. I bet you won't touch one without sanitizing first. The wife and I didn't disagree on one but  just kinda looked it over as a product that makes your child's ride in a bacteria infested seat more comfortable.

Hey do you think after we leave the Walmart we can swing by the Pediatrician's? I'm pretty sure this rash on my leg wasn't here 2 minutes ago.

http://www.nationalreview.com/the-feed/261194/how-dirty-your-shopping-cart

3) Rectal thermometer. Because I love my child and that's why they make digital ear thermometers.

Hey Daddy, What are you doing with that?

 4) A Baby Bullet aka a super small food processor with cute designs on it. Because it's a super small food processor with cute designs on it.

We're probably going to make another registry at Babies R' Us for the variety, so I'm sure I'll have more useless products to review. 

While I have your attention, I'd like acknowledge and thank a few people. My family, The Jimenez, and Karla. Thank you so much for all the little baby clothes and supplies you gave us. Having a baby is a life altering event that we can never be fully prepared for but your contribution and help, reminds us that it's all going to be OK because we have good friends and family like yourselves. 

An ear of corn

Hello everyone, thanks for checking in. Sorry it's been a while but it's been an eventful few weeks since I last updated the blog. Little Micah is growing and letting his presence be known. He's now the size of an ear of corn and kicks like a little Maradona. I actually felt him kick yesterday. My wife and I were laying in bed and I put my hand on her belly to see if I could randomly feel anything. And a few seconds later there was a twitch. Now I know that sounds weird but I can't think of any other word to describe it. My wife describes it like little muscle spasms. This was pretty big for me. I'd been trying to feel Micah ever since my wife said she started to feel him move. She even woke me up a few days ago at 3 in the morning, grabs my hand and places it on her belly asking if I can feel Micah kicking. I said yes and turned back around. She then asked me "Are you just saying that because you want to go back to sleep?" And I said "Yes"...... and then went back to sleep. So the fact that I felt him was pretty exciting.

Like I mentioned before, these past few weeks have been pretty busy and eventful. To start of I got promoted to the rank of Firefighter II. I still ride the back of the truck and do most of the hands on work but now with more responsibility. On our dept. a firefighter II is kind of a jack of all trades. He pretty much jumps from one position to the other depending where he is needed. He may be assigned to drive, or even ride the seat which is a fancy way of saying "playing" captain of that company for the day. And because he goes where he is needed I got some unfortunate news. I would be transferred from my station to one across town where they needed firefighter II's. When I say across town I mean it. I'm going from a station less than 5 miles from my house to one almost 35. Depending on traffic it could be anywhere from a 30 to 45 minute commute. Needless to say I wasn't excited, especially with a pregnant wife at home alone. Just the proximity brought peace of mind that if anything were to happen I would be a few minutes away. But no assignment is permanent and eventually I can make my way back to "my" station or one closer to home. And at the end of the day, I still got the best job in the world wether I'm at a station by the house or be across town. 

We also had out first appointment with the midwife. Her name is Pamala and she's super nice. She definetley created a relaxed and chill atmosphere. The day after, we had a songram done and got a 3D picture of Micah. Alot of people told me that he looks like me. He pouted the whole time ....just like his dad. I've also fixed my car dilemma. The day after we got the 3D picture, I took a ride to a Toyota dealership in Concord to test drive a 4runner. I've always trusted Toyota's and love how they hold their value longer than other vehicles. Negotiations went smooth, and I got what I wanted from my truck as a trade-in and we made it happen. Hell, even Micah helped. I was talking to the salesman and asked him to go back and tell his manager what my requirements were and he said "I don't think he'll do that!" so I took out my phone to Micah's Ultrasound picture and said "Don't do it for me, Do it for the baby!" One thing I noticed is that the salesmen still use the "leave you at the desk while they go negotiate with their managers for extended periods of time" tactic. Sorry to break it to you guys, but in the world of smartphones with internet and apps it doesnt work anymore! I dont know if they were trying to test my patience but I was relaxed. Everytime they left to play their game, I played one on my phone, or watched a video on youtube. I ended up leaving that night with a 4runner. So I can check that one off the list.

At the firehouse there's a tradition that if you get promoted you have to buy steaks for the whole crew. It's a nice way to show your appreciation to the guys that helped you move up and shed some knowledge on you, it also sets you back a pretty penny. Kind of like saying "Hey, congrats on your promotion and the raise ! Now give us that first pay check so we can eat some steaks." We all have to do it, It's tradition. But at our station it's more of a contest to see who can buy the biggest steaks. I did good this year. We had so much meat, PETA and the vegans rallied up a protest outside the station! I knew I wanted to get huge steaks but was not counting on the size of the cut that I bought. When I went to Harris Teeter, I asked if I could get some Ribeyes cut but the lady said the butcher was gone for the day and all that was available was whatever was in the pre-packaged meat section or behind the display counters. I didn't even bother with the Pre-packaged section because I had a statement to make. So I asked how much one from behind the glass would cost me. She said "Oh you don't want those. That's the kind of steak that men buy when they want to show off to their buddies at a cook-out!". I looked her straight in the eye and said "I'll take 5." No kidding, each one was at least an inch and a half thick. I pretty much bought everyone their own cow Jk. Throw in some sauteed parmesan green beans, a sweet potato, and Oh were they delicious. I guess you could say it was my last attempt to get the Battalion Chief to pull some strings and tell me I could stay at my station. Tough nuggies, I'm still leaving. Once he thanked me and told me that it was one of the best steaks he'd had in his life, I told him there was another one in it for him if he got me back in the future!

Ain't that the truth!

Changing the subject and tone, I'm sure many of you have heard of the 19 firefighters that lost their lives in Arizona a few days ago. What a tragedy! Next to 9/11 that's the second highest firefighter LODD (line of duty death) in US history. I believe I read somewhere that their average age was 28. Most of them were husbands and fathers. One of them left behind a pregnant wife. She was 7 months pregnant with their first child. That one hit me pretty hard. It's always sad to hear and my condolences go out to all the families of the 19 firefighters and to those affected.

A Pomengranate

Little baby Micah is now the size of a pomegranate and weighs about a pound. My wife feels her baby bump but it's not really showing. We find ourselves having to show people a picture of the ultra-sound to convice them that we're not playing a joke on them when we tell them Laura's prego. But everyonce in a while something happens that lets us know there's still a growing baby in there somwhere. For example, the other morning my wife woke me up to show me her belly, it was literally bulging on the left, It was a little bulge but it was noticable. I guess she had slept to one side and her uterus creeped down and stayed there for a bit. It was pretty weird but kinda cool too. And guess who's had some foot swelling? Yea, it's Laura. It doesn't happen alot but we've noticed it especially after a long day of her standing at work. One of the Pregnancy forums I keep up with said the best thing a daddy can do is massage his baby momma's feet. So I guess I'm gonna have to go buy some scented lotions for the next swelling episode.

I'll just pretend these are my dog's ears.....Whose a good boy?!?!?

Here's the coolest thing that blew my mind. Today, June 20th, 2013, Laura felt Micah moving. She said she felt it around lunch time. Just a little wiggle, but it was out of the blue. It wasnt expected. At first she said it was random and kept doing what she was doing but she felt it again a few hours later. How awesome is that? I can't wait to put my hand on her belly and feel Micah kick.

I mentioned in my last post that we we're gonna take a tour of a Maternity Center. Well we did, and we we're definately impressed. First of all the Midwives had a extensive experience in the medical field. Most of the them got into Midwifery after long careers as Nurses in the delivery room or the ER. As Midwives many of them have delivered 400+ babies. They're trained to spot any signs of complications. There is a hospital nearby and an ambulance service at throwing distance if needed. Another thing we liked was the atmosphere of the rooms and facility. These weren't ordinary delivery rooms. They were all out suites with king sized beds, showers and tubs that just put me at ease. I've been inside hospitals hundreds of times and the rooms, the staff, and the thought of having my wife hooked up to a bunch of cables is frightening. I wasnt 100% convinced going in but talking to the midwives and asking ALOT of questions and doing ALOT of research I feel better about it. It seems like a great, natural alternative to the hospital setting. My wife loved the idea and at the end of the day its her decision and I support her. We go for our first appointment next Wednesday. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

An Avocado

This is week 15. Almost 4 months of pregnancy. In just a few weeks we will have hit the half way point and its all down hill from there! The baby is now the size of an Avocado. That means we can take some of the past fruits and veggies that the baby resembled like a small tomato, a lime, an onion, add a little olive oil, salt and pepper and make some guacamole!

So at this stage in the pregnancy, one can't help but wonder what the baby will look like. My wife and I had the funniest conversation thinking about all the possibilities. Our families and their facial characteristics vary widely from sibling to sibling and parent to parent. For example, my dad and my mother-in-law are light skinned. My wife's siblings have colored eyes while my family is dark eyed dominant. My brother has thick hair while I inherited my dad's thinning hair (why, Why, WHY?!?!). My family is taller (for being mexican) while my wife's family is a little shorter. I'm sure all of you get the point right? The baby's features can take a turn in any direction and the funny thing is that there's nothing we can do about it. Not that I would love the baby any less but the baby has already started forming all of his or her little features. Meanwhile the wife and I are left in the dark until the day comes when we can see and hold our little creation for the first time.

So until then, there are certain websites that claim to give you a preview of what your baby "could" look like (keyword: Could). I know its all fun and games but when my wife found one of them we literally spent about an hour uploading different pictures of us trying to see what the different outcome could be. So Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Micah and Leilah!!!

#TeamMicah

#TeamLeilah #TeamAbigail 

What do you guys think? I know that these picture are pretty much based on no science at all. They just  merge 2 pictures to see what they can come up with but I'll tell you what. The little baby boy looks EXACTLY like me when I was a baby. The resemblance is almost shocking. I have to find a picture of me as a baby so you guys can see for yourselve's but for the meantime trust me and Isn't that little girl the cutest thing you've ever seen in your life? Both of them are. Once we were done with our baby morphs as the cool kids call it, we started morphing pictures of other friends just out of curiosity. Some of you reading this blog were morphed. Don't worry all of your babies were cute except for one, but I'll never tell.

I'll just throw the final result up here and let you figure out who you are....

All of the babies were cute. Which made me think, this website would not be popular at all if it showed ugly babies and that led me to think, When parents have ugly babies do they know their babies are ugly or do they not realize it because of the love for their creation? Then I started thinking of a baby I made faces at, at a Grocery store earlier this week. Then I started thinking of Sweet Potatoes at the Grocery store and then I thought about fire trucks. Did I mention I have ADD? More on that in another post. (Squirrel!) But as I mentioned earlier we will love our baby no matter what!

So I finally found a happy place to blog. A place where my words and ideas come easy and flow without obstruction. The nursery! We have started turning one of the rooms upstairs into a nursery, complete with an awesome rocking chair and changing table! I was up there typing my fingers off, writing without stop when my wife calls me down because she wants me to Blog next to her. So being the good husband that I am, I came down to be beside her even though I explained that I had found a happy place. Well long story short, she just wanted me to see all the combinations of cases she can make for her iphone because that's not distracting at all. Love you baby!