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.