My Nest

I like to have all my birds in my nest. When I hit the bed at night, the very least of my worries is where my wife and daughter are. When they're out of town or something, I worry. None of that compares to my worry tonight. Alex, who is all of 42 hours old, is in the NICU at the hospital. I know its for the best, and he's getting good care, but when a mother comes home, so should the baby. Tonight, that's not the case. He's apparently having trouble breathing since he was 4 weeks early, and his little lungs aren't fully developed. Making my heartbreak worse, they told us he'd probably come home today, and even had us bring in the car seat so they could make sure he could breathe OK in it. He's fighting to get well, and there's not a damn thing his father can do but wait and pray. I keep telling myself its much much better that the doctors are in a prevention mode rather than a reaction mode, and I know it'll all turn out OK, but I want my nest complete.

Here Comes The Son

The Welch name will live on. Alexander James was born at 4:31 am, weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds! He was 4 weeks early, but he wanted to come out. He's obviously headstrong like his uncle with the same middle name! Mom and Big Sis are excited, Dad is elated. I can't wait to teach him about Star Wars, Prince, how to build a computer, dick-n-fart jokes, and about how if a gadget is good, but the newer, faster one is better.

Too Fat To Fish

[Listen] What music did your family listen to as you were growing up, and did that music end up influencing you in any way? My Dad always had Beatles playing. I still love all their music. We just went and saw Paul McCartney last weekend, so I guess it influence me.

[Watch] What is your most quotable movie? And if you want, share a couple quotes from it. Coming To America and the Austin Powers movies.
"His mama call him Clay, I'mma call him Clay."
"This ain't my first rodeo, Cowboy."
"Brooklyn Heights own Mister Randy Watson and Sexual Chocolate"
"That ain't no woman, it's a man, man."

[Read] Think about the last book you read. In what ways were you similar to the writer or narrator? I read Artie Lange's book "Too Fat To Fish." I'm similar to him in many ways. The most obvious: being a fat Italian guy. The book is both hilarious and sad at the same time. Like me as well.

Best concert: Prince, 2002, MPLS. 7 days in a row, at his house, with nothing but hardcore Prince fans in the house, and chilling with my home skillet Bino. He laughed incessantly when I wound up on my ass in the middle of the street in front of Paisley Park.
Song you can listen to over and over and not get tired of: Too many to list!
Band/artist you never thought you'd like but you do: Jimmy Buffett. He's too country and kinda cheesy, but I enjoy his concerts, and I'm not ashamed to say I only listen to his hits. :) Also, in my old age I don't mind Duran Duran. I hated them with a passion in the 80s, but now I sing with the radio when their tunes come on.
Worst movie music soundtrack or score: Full Metal Jacket. Crappy 80s synthesizers over a movie set in the 70s doesn't sound right.
A song you wish wouldn't get stuck in your head but always does: "There is always something there to remind me..." and any song that's on a kids show that Abby watches. Why yes, I have hummed the Dora theme song while not watching the show.

Milestones

Today my daughter hits a milestone. She goes to school. I'm blown away by the whole situation. A mere 4 years ago, Abby was this little thing I could hold with one arm and prepare a bottle with the other. I know it's just Pre-K, but it's at an actual elementary school. Now she has a backpack, a bus number, and a teacher that's addressable by a last name. When did my baby become a little girl?
I have no issues with separation, she's been in day care since she was a baby. I have no worries about how she will interact socially with classmates, since she's been in day care and has gone to play dates all her life. I have no worries about how she will do academically. Abby can count to 100, backwards from 10, and to 10 in Spanish... and can read books above her age.
Maybe I'm just taken aback by how proud I am of her, and how excited I am to see her take the first step in to a much larger world.