Gloria Guides my Life

September 6, 2008

I think I am going to plan on forgoing pictures on my journal for a while. It's just such an ordeal to take the pictures, download them, manipulate them in Photoshop (if I want them to look good), upload them to the server, and create links to them that actually work. It's really not that big of a deal but time is fleeting when you have a job, a wife (who is perfect), and a baby (also perfect) trying to stay active in drumming at church, maintain the house/yard, and finances. Then when I do get a breath of time I like to go mountain biking, pretend I'm a musician, pretend I'm good with computers, drive/hike in the mountains. My mind is spinning just realizing all the stuff I want to do. Forget about babysitting pictures!

As busy as I am, I want to do more. I hate sleeping. It's such a waste of time. I could literally double what I am doing if I didn't have to sleep. I may have mentioned that Beckah and I have pretty much cut television from our palette. We still watch DVD's (not my first selection on how to spend my granular time, but it does happen), mostly collections of The Simpson's (time tested best show of human evolution, period). In any case, life minus television is HIGHLY recommended. We moved out of the condo on Geralee Lane about a year ago and didn't pick up cable just to make sure our costs were covered. The TV antenna didn't pick up anything, which I intended to fix but never did. I remember that I missed cable the first month. Heck, I still miss Discovery channel and History channel. But I can live without it because I do so many other things. I havn't missed commercials, beeped out cuss-words, worthless chatter about nothing. Now that I'm used to not having it, I hear people at work talk about the tripe on TV. I've never liked most of the tripe on TV, but now it bothers me down to the core.

Like when people talk about American Idol (shiver). They talk about which talent is better, like they are some kind of choral expert. They just heard a talking head say something clever and they want to emulate the judging so they open their mouths. Proverbs says something about that. Something like, "If thou doesn't know anything about the subject that thou are yapping on and on about, shut thee uppeth." It may be from second or third Proverbs.

I digress. I will recover from my tangent. Where was I? Ah, yes, pictures. My wife, Beckah Elaine Greenwood, has a blog I have mentioned in the past. Go there. She has images of our lives. I'm not saying I will never post images again, but going forward, and taking cues from my friend Jeffrey, I am going to focus on text. That said, let's talk about a new toy I got!

I'm not one to buy a lot of toys, but I've talked about this one for two years or more. I consulted with Beckah hoping she would talk me out of it, but she didn't. She encouraged me to buy it. So I did. I am the proud owner of a GPS! I'm very excited. It's nothing fancy. Little screen, basic features. But it does everything I would want. I am looking forward to driving to a place where I've never been to see how it works. In fact this weekend Beckah and are going Geocaching. I hope it works, I hope we are successful. It's a little nerdy perhaps, but its free, (well, its free when you consider the cost of the GPS a sunk cost [look it up, its an accounting term]), and you know I'm a nerd. Shoot, I've taken to referring to accounting terms in parenthetical statements.

I mentioned my recent fascination with Wikipedia in past journal entries. I've been eating it up recently. I have explored many celebrities (of all things, said the guy who hates television) like the cast of movies Top Gun, Willow, Flawless and any other movie I watch now days. I've explored String Theory, mathematics, multiple space/time dimensions (there are as many as 12) and other science things I will never grasp. I've looked up and read many more things I can't remember now. It's a bizarre hobby equivalent to reading an encyclopedia. When I look up famous people (celebrities, artists, musicians) I usually compare what I find there with another Website, National Names Database. You can see who is connected to what, and then look that up on Wikipedia. It makes you realize how small and how vast the world is, all at the same time.

Beckah and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. If you took my advice and visited her Webpage you know what happened. Basically I surprised her with a trip to Logan, Utah. We stayed at the Anniversary Inn, did some things neither of us have ever done and had a great time. I feel like I've known Beckah all my life, like I don't even remember prior to four years ago. At the same time when I hear four years, it feels like such a short amount of time. Wake me up when we get to twenty years. I recently read about a famous Christian couple who divorced after eleven years of marriage. They even had a child. I am not privy to details, but what on earth happened?

The world needs more people who are committed and will not let go when times get hard. Even when they get really hard. Even when it hurts. Even when YOU are hurt. That's time to hold on tighter, not let go. Will Smith said, "Divorce is not an option." He took a lot of flack for it, but I totally get what he is saying. It's not that life is just roses, or that one should ignore bad times. It's like, we live on planet Earth. Leaving Earth is not an option. We still trash it and pollute, and litter. But leaving simply is not an option. I look at marriage the same way. That is commitment, it's why I don't pollute and it's why I will never leave Beckah. Times have never been hard because we work together to insure they don't get hard. Perhaps I am naive, but I stand by Will Smith's opinion here.

Laughing London

August 28, 2008

We have a few stories this time. I don't know where to start. Let's start with London. Beckah and I are very proud of our daughter. She weighed in at the doctor and was heavier, longer and had a bigger head than average. For some reason when you grow up those are bad things, but when you are an infant they are superior. I've always heard that its fun to watch kids grow up and see them learn new things. That always made sense to me and I totally agreed with it. But actually living around it is incredible. I saw (and take full credit for, by the way) London fully laugh, from her belly for the first time last week. We even got it on video. I shook one of her toys and she just erupted. Beckah's jaw dropped, it stopped our conversation. Small little thing, but it was a total show stopper.

Last night she kicked a toy and it played a little song. Then she did it again, and again, and again. We watched her learn about a basic action/reaction. It was phenomenal! When Beckah and I talk on the phone we don't ask, "Did London do anything new?" It's more like, "What new thing did London do today?" I am absolutley thrilled. We have a beautiful daughter that I am probably going to have to break some boy's legs over in about 16 years. I pray for her daily, that God will guide her mind to be wise and her legs to be strong.

All this talk about child rearing is a new thing for me. I read in a book the other day about a girl in Ukraine (not "The Ukraine", they changed that officially, its now known as "Ukraine", look it up) who is known as a feral-child. She was raised by dogs after her family neglected her. Her name is Oxana. After some research I found there is a whole group of people in the world, about 100, who are known to have been raised, or partially raised by animals. Usually its dogs or wolves, but also goats, monkeys, bears and gazelles. This is mind-blowing to me. How can this happen? I do not understand God's will in this. I know it's there somewhere. Many of the children are products of broken families, parents who don't care, or the result of war torn families. I can even see God's will in those things. But if a child is abandoned it seems better for someone (a person) to either take it and raise it, or for it to have been killed in the first place. But when animals raise a child, the child seems to become unable to learn speech, generally limited in their emotions and basically worse off.

Now, my summaries are very much from the outside. I have zero experience here, this is just fascinating to me. Obviously, God's will is life for these children. And at least some of the children have been able to be readapted to society at some level. Other's cannot and simply live out their days in varous assylums. Can such children still accept Christ as their saviour? If not, will such a child go to heaven on God's mercy alone? If they are more animal like than man, can they communicate and understand their animal parents on any level? Is there any intelligence in animals at all?

It's amazing to me that nearly all of the children can be taught at the very least the basics of communication. Even if it is only 2 word sentences. You simply can not teach another animal communicable speech (in other words parots don't count, nor gorillas who do sign language). There is obviously a difference between man and animal. A God given difference. We are still created in his likeness. There is something special about that.

I have always thought that when I get to heaven, there will be a class you can take called Life 101. It lasts 101 years, and there are no breaks (we wouldn't need sleep or food and we would have full concentration in heaven, right?). In that class you learn everything about the universe, earth, history, and questions like this about feral children. You can take the class anytime in eternity, because its heaven, remember? But I am taking the class immediately. I have questions that must be answered.

In other news, Beckah and I went camping for the first time ever. We were hosted by Eddie and Brittany, and we left London at Grandma and Grandpa's (hehe). It was fun. Beckah and I fished in the rain, and had a campfire and we stank and it was wonderful. I hadn't been camping in years. And Beckah was able to use her new camera to take really amazing pictures that I have to post on my journal even though she will post some of them on hers. These are the ones I really enjoy.

By the way London, Grandma and Grandpa all survived their night together. Thank you to my Mom and Dad for sacrificing. If they didn't London would have been bitten by mosquitos, risking the West Nile Virus, which I understand is prickly thing you don't really want.

History of the Planet

August 2, 2008

There are a few things I have to say. Things that I wouldn't normally waste the time on, but I'm trying to update my journal more often. This topic is not the forefront of my mind all the time, I am not losing sleep over this. This is intended for thought and fun. I am not saying I am an expert, nor have I done any scientific research. Reading this entry will ask you to temporarily forget what you learned in school, be imaginative, and then realize that I am only toying with this the same way a kitten plays with yarn. It's serious, but not life-changing.

I am talking about the planet earth. There are Evolutionary-based theories, there are religious-based theories, and everything in between about this planet and its inhabitants and its surroundings. Let's cover what I think most of us currently believe about the Earth. I think primarily you fall into one of two categories: The Earth was created by God (or at least formed by God) or the earth was basically here and life sort of evolved. I know when one tries to state such theories they are supposed to start unbiased, but I am a Christian and believe firmly that God directly created the universe and everything within, including the planet and all its corresponding life. At the bear minimum I believe that God certainly created life on this planet. I say that because we are about to discuss in greater detail what the Bible says in Genesis 1:2, "...the earth was formless and void...".

That last sentence is truly what this journal entry is about. What exactly does "Formless and void mean???". It implies that the plant was here and God came along and breathed life into it. I'm not saying that's what I believe, but the implication is there. But let's explore that aspect. On a side note I do feel very firmly that science and religion must agree with one another. I've said before that in my opinion religion states, "Here's what happened, and here's what you should do about it because this is what will happen, and this is why it is all happening." I think science attempts to answer, "How did it all happen?" At the end of time, I believe we will get a chance (or if you're not religious, SOMEONE will get a chance) to look back and see a new perspective and proclaim ever-so wisely, "Oh. I get it. That makes sense." (Which, by the way I think is the response to the answer (no matter what it is) to the ultimate question, "Why are we here?")

I've gotten off on a tangent all ready though. Back to formless and void...

Most of us are taught in school that at some point in history there was a parent continent called Pangea. It basically included all the land we know today mashed up together into one big happy island. Over time, for what ever reasons or causes you want to fill in, the land split, creating the continents we know and love today. I've heard it said that even an elementary student can see the similarities between the east side of the American continent and the west side of the European/African continents. I agree with that. I don't think God would create the planet with tricks to make us think something different happened. If God created the earth 6,000 years ago, (as in the classic Judeo-Christian belief) Pangea must have been involved at some point whether it was 5,999 years ago, or 6 billion years ago. Perhaps formless and void refers to Pangea (even though by definition Pangea had to have some kind of form) and when God started shaking things up it is a reference to him physically splitting Pangea up, which I personally can totally accept, if only we had definitive explanations.

In any case, such a theory (Pangea, one island continent, floating on an otherwise empty ocean) assumes the continents are fixed to the earth, and more specifically that the radius of the earth is unchanging. Most of us I bet never thought about the geometry of this. We must ask ourselves, is the radius (size) of the earth changing? It is at this juncture I would like to present exhibit A, a video on YouTube that first got me thinking about this topic. The video is about 20 minutes long, and it is all worth watching, but you really only need to watch the first five-ten minutes to get the gist.

This theory is FASCINATING to me. It suggests a further explanation that may define what "formless and void" means. If this is true (and I'm not saying it is, just listen) I can imagine God (or Moses) describing it as formless. If its true, then when God came and started, he started with a rock (If you're Christian, he probably created the rock) and split it, and introduced the oceans in Genesis 1:9. "And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear."

Imagine Mars--formless and void. Now add an ocean. Land appears, right? That's how I interpret that verse. One must then ask, "How? Where did the water come from, was it always here?" Let's consider the video you just watched. It proposes the earth was smaller, and then oceans were added, along with the sea beds, creating an expanding earth. Where can all this mass possibly come from? The easy answer is, "Oh, God did it. He created it, isn't he a chum?" Yes, yes, fine...but how?

I wish I had an answer for that. My question is, is it possible for this growing earth theory to fit with the Christian take of creation? I think it is. I think it fits better than the big-bang theory, I think it fits better than the Pangea theory. I'm not about to claim its perfect, or that there is no other explanation possible. I will say I would like to see an expert attempt to fit these two ideas together. I just can't pass up the fact that the west coast of the US fits perfectly (enough) with Asia to just dismiss it. I don't believe God would create faux-history to lead us down a path that is wrong and that never happened. Why would he do that? So he can cosmically laugh at us? Or so that he can test us? Everything I've ever studied says that, even though life in hyper-confusing at times, that it does all work out, and furthermore, that it works out for the glory of God. God doesn't exist so that he can play hilarious jokes on us.

I am preparing to conclude at this moment but I have a few more things to say. The concept of a growing earth is not new. Its old, and has been displaced by the tectonic plate theory that most of us were taught in school. There are problems with the growing earth theory. Where does the mass come from? It violates every idea in physics to just have mass bubble from nothing (what was that sound? Was that the big bang theory? Mass from nothing...what? How dare I say mass can't be created from nothing! That's supposedly how the big bang theory happened! How dare you suggest that.) (The point of the last parenthetical statement was to point out, that if you're a big bang theory supporter, you can't say "It's impossible to have mass come from nothing," because you all ready said it did.)

Back on track, I present exhibit B, an article on Wikipedia. This points out some of the history of this theory as well as its good and bad points.

In closing I draw three conclusions from my research. First, this can not be dismissed. I feel the evidence is too strong. Perhaps the theory needs tweaks and perhaps it can never be proved, but I think this is a better direction than other theories mentioned in this entry. Two, God did it. He knows how. We earthlings can kick around yarn and toy with ideas and research, but we must ultimately wait before there will be any form of light and revelation on this issue (Biblical pun fully intended). Lastly, it does not matter. It is useless information, but information nonetheless. At most it is interesting and I will gladly stand up and say "I am wrong," if someone can connect all the dots for me. I'm not trying to say I have it figured out. But for all the things we humans don't know there are some things we do know. The Bible says to love Christ and to love one another. These are the two greatest commands. If we do that, the rest is details.

Man, Myth, Legend: Fred Savage

July 2, 2008

It's no secret that the actor Fred Savage and I look like one another. I have been told this by strangers before. Before I go further I should point out that I'm not a stalker. If I was a stalker I would choose to stalk someone else, not Fred Savage. But throughout my life I admit that I check on the life and times of Fred Savage. I have since I was about 12 years old. I'm not talking intense research or anything. I just look him up on the Internet and read a bit about him.

Every time I do I find I learn something that shocks me all the more. Here is a summary of things we have in common:

I admit that four facts may not warrant Twilight Zone songs. There are smaller things that tie us together though. He seems to be a man of morals. I say that because he married, then had kids. I have seen him talk on talk shows and he seems very put-together and in control of his life. I can't say for sure because I don't know him. He also speaks very well. He has an actual vocabulary and thoughts. I saw him on the Conan O'Brien show a few years ago and I was instantly impressed with his interview. I don't even remember the content, it was just that he knew how to speak and maintain interest.

There are some things we differ on. His ancestry is Eastern European and mine is primarily English. His family is Jewish, mine is primarily Christian. He has a son, born in 2006 and I have a dog born in 2004. We were born in different states (but both states were in the midwest [Go Missouri]).

So what do I do now? I feel compelled to point this stuff out. Not much I can do with it. But going forward I might be able to draw conclusions like:

• If I have done it, chances are Fred Savage did it less than a month before.
• Where Fred Savage goes, there will I (probably) also go shortly thereafter.

I was talking about all this out to Beckah and said, "Fred Savage is smarter than me because he has starred in and directed movies and television shows and done voices for cartoons and is remarkably successful in entertainment." But Beckah said, "Yeah, but put him in front of a computer and tell him to make a webpage, or tell him to play guitar and drums." So now I am haunted. What if Freddy-boy is also a musician? Is he a gardener? Is he financially responsible? Is he a good father? Basically, what if there is a person who seems to be very similar to you, but you don't know some things about that person? It makes me want to find out. Nothing on a stalker-level, mind you. I just want to know if Fred can play music. Of all the questions about Fred Savage, that's the one I want to know for now.

The Passing of The Greatest Generation

June 25, 2008

Well, suddenly everyone has blogs. Ashli has one, Eddie has one, Brittany has one, Phyllis has one, Beckah has one. They have more pictures than I do though, but mine has more history, and I emphasize that mine is a journal not a blog.

London has kept us busy obviously. She is coming on 8 weeks old this Monday. It's tiring trying to balance all of life--chores, baby, job, the rest of life in general. But its worth it. I hold London and look at her and I can see the future in that girl. I imagine her growing up and me teaching her things and witnessing life from her perspective. Beckah is napping now and I just got London down for a moment at least. Naps have turned into pure platinum around here. I don't even want them. If Beckah gets a nap everyone is happier!

Another thing that happened recently is Grandma Tacker passed away. This was my last Grandparent. I regret to say that I was not as close to any of them as I should have been. Grandpa Greenwood died when I was away at college and really I didn't get much of a chance to know him as a person. Grandma Greenwood died after but not until after fighting dementia, which means I didn't really know her in an adult-to-adult relationship. Grandpa Tacker died when I was seven. Grandma Tacker has always lived out of state and in my adult years I only visited when family or jobs took me to Detroit. Now the chance to get to know them personally is gone.

One thing that affects me is the experience those four people must have had. I can read history and get a large-populace, history-book idea of what was happening, but I never sat down and had an in depth discussion of memories they had from decades that I will only be able to read about.

I'm sure there is more to say, but London is awake which means I have to be a dad!

Taking Care of Babies

June 12, 2008

London is now nearly 6 weeks old. I have learned alot about taking care of babies. One important thing for those that don't have kids is that children cry more and more often for no reason for the first two months of their life. Then it eases down. We are just after one month so the crying is getting progressively worse. Well, the crying isn't so bad, and it isn't even hard to stop. London just needs constant attention or she cries...period. You must either be changing her, feeding her, walking or driving her, holder her, or making her a bottle. If you are doing any of that she's fine. But if you want to put her down you better have a spouse on hand.

I don't know how a single parent would do it. One person simply cannot raise a baby and work full time and have a healthy baby. It can't be done. One of those three things would suffer. It's not all bad. There are the nice cute moments, and I expect those to increase once two months are past. Beckah is beyond excellent with London. Me, not so much. She is growing and that's all you could ask of a kid I suppose.She can currently hold her head up--not with the greatest control, but she holds it and looks around.

Life is moving in other directions too. Since April 14th, I have been working as a contractor at American Express. I am a methods analyst. That means I look at documents that other people create and publish them on their Intranet. The two things you have to know are "copy" and "paste".It's nice to work around Web pages, and I feel I am using my MBA. It's nice for just having a child because there is no stress or surprises or travel. I think there will be opportunity for growth, but we shall see. I am happy there for now, and the rest is details.

London is currently sleeping on my arm while Beckah naps, and most of this entry was typed with one hand, so I'm off for now. Sere you next time.

Details of London

May 11, 2008

What a week! London is finally here. I want to express what happened during the delivery and capture all of my feelings in this journal entry, but as I begin I realize there is no way I could ever do it justice. We have hundreds of pictures from multiple cameras and I want to show them all to you. I think I will type the story as I remember it happening and then fill in pictures once I am done. Those ones always make the best journal entries. Either way, hold on to your seat...this is going to be a long entry!

London's due date was officially May 7th and it has been that date since about half way through the pregnancy. Beckah's body didn't want to wait for that though. She dilated to three centimeters four weeks early. We were told the baby could come at any time. So we spent the last three weeks on edge, but no contractions worth writing about. Then on Saturday, May 3rd she started having contractions that were as close as 10 minutes apart! We were ready to head to the hospital but then they let up. Sunday was a similar feel, but they died down that evening. Monday finally came, which was the date we had scheduled for induction.

Now, a small aside. As a man, I have heard all these terms before, and even knew what most of them meant. But there is nothing like living through the experience to make the definitions of words come to life. Words like contraction, induction, epidural, push, wait, nurse, and many more. That morning we showed up at the Jordan Valley Medical Women's Center at 6:55 am in room 240. I looked at the walls, window and door. It was bigger than I expected such a room to be, which was a pleasant surprise. I thought we would be induced in one room, then wheeled to another to start labor and then wheeled to another to have the baby, then wheeled to another for post-partum. I found that this one room would be the room we used up to delivery and then we would have a room for post-partum. I liked that too.

At 7:00 am the nurse hooked up Beckah's heart monitor and took her blood presssure. Part of me wanted to log all of the nurses names, but then I thought that was a little too ultra nerdy, even for me. I'm glad I didn't because over the course of the whole thing we had about 1,500 nurses doing different things. At 7:20 the IV was attached to Beckah. The nurse missed 2 veins and blew through 3 others before finally finding a good course of blood. At 8:00 the drug called patosin was introduced. This is the actual labor inducing drug.

At 9:00 light contractions began and we were introduced to the monitor that measured the baby's heart rate and strength of the contractions. On the monitor we could see all the other mother's contractions in other rooms. We saw some of them had smoother rolling lines than Beckah, and all of them were more powerful (at the time). That would soon change. My mom and dad appeared at 9:30. By the way they were so helpful leading up to, during, and after the delivery.

At 9:50 the epidural was given. On another aside, The mood was very calm, even happy. Beckah was in no pain so we thought it strange that the epidural was given now, but then we realized if we waited until there was pain it would be of no use. This was actually one of the scariest moments of the day for me. I was terrified (and had been for months quite honestly) that when the epidural was given the doctor would burp or something and my wife would end up a quadrepalegic. Nothing dramatic happened though, other than Beckah was unable to move her legs shortly after!

At 11:15 Pastor Pat and Lori Moreno arrived. They prayed with us for a safe and healthy delivery. Pat left but Lori stayed because she works during the week as a nurse and she volunteered to stay and answer questions on her off-duty time. That was very nice because she could explain all the gadgets to us which I think was very helpful and took some fear out of the process. At 11:45 I was told that I, as the husband, could give the baby its first bath, which I had been unsure of before but at that moment I decided I wanted to do it. at 12:25 pm Brittany Greenwood arrived. She ended up being extremely useful because she filmed the delivery and she did a fantastic job, especially for being asked to do it at the last minute.

Finally at 1:05 Dr. Kimberly Moreland, our regular OB/GYN broke Beckah's water using a glorified knitting needle. It was wrapped in surgical plastic and probably cost $150. At that time she confirmed to us that the baby did have a full head of hair, which put a thrill through the entire room. The contractions were continuing to pick up and Beckah was dilated to a 4 and at this point it seemed like the induction was dragging a bit.

At 2:45 Holly, Tena and Hailee arrived from Tennessee and I think that made Beckah feel very releived to have her family there. I was very glad they came when they did because they got to see the labor and delivery of London and having Beckah's family there was magic for her. At 2:50 Eddie Greenwood arrived which was above and beyond compared to most people's families (I think). I bet most uncles do nothing and wait for a phone call. Eddie was there the rest of the day just to support Beckah and I and it was much appreciated by both of us.

Around this point they looked at the tools measuring Beckah's stomach and realized one might not have been adjusted correctly. We went from being dilated from a 4 or 5 to a 9.5 very quickly. The nurses told us to get ready to start pushing. It had been such a long day and suddenly it was go-time. A wave of stress and releif hit the room, tears were shed and then it was down to business. The room was full of nurses cleaning and prepping things and we all took our places.

I am amazed at what happened next. I thought labor would be Beckah screaming and blood spattering on the walls and people passing out (namely me). But actually it was very business oriented and focused. It was hard for Beckah and stressful for both of us, but it was not the unclimbable mountain that I thought it would be. The nurses had Beckah push 5 or 6 sets of 3 pushes and London was coming quick. They stopped the whole thing to wait for the doctor.

Another aside here, I thought that once the water was broken the baby had countable hours(or even minutes) to live without breathing oxygen. But the nurses stopped the labor and waiting like it was nothing, when the top of the baby's head was partially out. It turns out there is this miraculous God-given thing that happens when the baby is out. The chord is cut, which closes a valve in the baby's heart, which kick starts the lungs. How intense is that? How could anyone beleive in evolution? Something like that does not evolve! You don't have a species that kills 1,000,000 babies before a heart valve evolves by chance to solve the problem. God designed every square inch of my daughter from her heart to her toes, and I am thankful he did.

After much waiting Dr. Moreland finally arrived and suited up. She was very casual which was good because it helped releive some stress for us. I was holding Beckah's head during the delivery and watching from that point. When Beckah was told to push, I pushed with her. I was feeling as much stress as I could, in some effort to releive my wife.

When the baby came out I was watching and it was amazing. I saw her take her first breath, saw them cut the chord, saw them clear her lungs and throat, heard her first cry. This was the miracle I talked about before where she was dependant on the chord one moment and breathing and making audible noise the next. She was born at 8:18 pm, 8 lbs, 4 oz., 20 inches long. She looks perfect. Some babies have warts and little skin tags that have to tied so they will fall off. Not London! Every inch of skin was smooth and soft. She was healthy as could be. Her AGPAR test was the highest possible.

Another magic moment was watching Beckah hold her baby for the first time. The baby calmed down and just looked at her mommy. Grandma Phyllis was so HAPPY. I've never seen her so happy. Everyone was happy! I got to hold her next, and then the baby made the rounds. Grandma, Aunt Brittany, Tena, Holly, Grandpa Larry, Uncle Eddie, and Pastor Lori.

At 9:10 the baby fed from Beckah's breast. Another aside here. You know things are comfortable when you can talk about your wife's boobs in front of your mother! At 9:35 we moved to room 206 because we had qualified for post-partum! At 10:00 I gave London her first bath. The best moment was when I shampooed her head. She was crying and wiggling but when I rubbed her head her little body just went into a trance. I think she gets that from her father!

We went to bed after that. Many events occured that I'm sure I didn't capture but this is my memory of the day. London had a little bit of juandice, which is very normal for babies. London had to sleep on a blue light bed which emits ultra-violet rays which helps break down toxins. Its called a bilirubin light. We stayed in the hospital until Wednesday and we had our first pediatrician appointment on Thursday with Dr. Paul Lei whom Beckah and I both like a great deal (afterall his first name is Paul). We are struggling with insurance a little now because my recent job changes and Beckah's COBRA is all up in the air.But that should all settle in about a week and a half. For now I am enjoying my new role as a father and learning lots. As of this moment I have yet to change a diaper but I know that is coming very soon!

Next journal entry I will have more baby updates and tell you about my job, my garden and more exciting adventures! My family ROCKS!

London Enters

May 6, 2008

Pictures forthcoming tomorrow and for the rest of my life. Beckah and I are very tired right now and have been awake nearly 20 hours.

Landscaping

April 14, 2008

Well another few weeks has passed and it's time for an update. There is much to tell. Let's pick up where we left off with the yard, since I now have pictures. A few weeks ago Beckah and I planted some seeds. They have sprouted and will be placed outside probably tomorrow. As spring approaches I had to fill in the parking strips with tree bark that I think is looking good. I had some help from Grandpa Larry and from Uncle Eddie in placing the tree bark.

It has been a month of parties, namely baby showers for Beckah. I wasn't directly involved in the baby showers, but I certainly do benefit as a father from the gifts received. By the way, thank you to those that DID participate for the neat baby toys! Lots of baby toys also make for a happy Grandmother! Of course April is Eddie's Birthday. We went to the Mayan restaurant and then back to Eddie's for gifts and brownies.

Beckah and London are continuing to grow. In fact the impending birth is becoming more...well...impending. Beckah was told by the doctor that she is dialated to 3cm and has effaced (a new term for me) up to 70%. This basically means the child could drop like a bomb at any given breath. This is exciting and terrifying. As I have said, we are as ready as we can be but we realize life is going to dramatically change. That said, we wanted to get some pictures of expectant Beckah. Eddie, Brittany, Beckah and I went to Murray park for a nice photo shoot. We have about 40 pictures of each couple but only the best for www.CraigGreenwood.com! I tried to pick the ones that make Beckah look the most pregnant and cute and motherly while also giving myself credit for the ordeal. This picture says all that!

I am about done for this Entry. I know Sarah has been watching the Journal for pictures of her Aunt Becky, so I hope this makes her happy. The next Journal entry will probably be stock full of 1,000 pictures of newborn baby London, because, folks, we are countable contractions away!

Gardening Equals Control

March 31, 2008

As of tomorrow I will start my new job. I am working at a place called TeleSportsWear. We provide Advertising paraphernalia (primarily T-shirts and Hats) to businesses for the purpose of advertising, gifts, and more. My job is going to be sales and marketing. I am excited about it as there is an opportunity for growth. This company is owned by my friend Jaimyn Lund, whom I have known for about 2-3 years from church.

The baby is coming along and continues to be healthy. We are 6 weeks away from the scheduled due date. Beckah and I are very excited to get started on our parenthood. In fact, I think we are sick of waiting and want to get back to 100% healthy for all three of us!

I don't have pictures for this journal entry but next time I should have some. I want to get Beckah looking all pregnant. Also, we have started doing the spring landscaping and I want to be able to look at the yard as it progresses. One thing we did was plant seed flowers in a mini-greenhouse, which is really a glorified plastic shoebox. But they have all sprouted (except for the passion flowers) and soon will be growing outside. I am looking forward to having a vegetable garden. How weird is it that an American boy is looking forward to growing vegetables? I think it's a male thing--just like having an aquarium. I am responsible for the vegetable's universe; I have control over everything from water to fertilizer to harvesting. The plans are to have corn, pumpkins, tomatoes, cantaloupe and various flowers. Check back in the fall for results, but check back next entry for pictures.