What the Heck is THAT!?

Really...this meeting went much better than it could have, let's be honest....

After a couple days of listening to me wail, and sniffing around, "Norma The Cat" finally ventured up onto Dad's lap with me, smelled my head, and deemed me "Fit For The Apartment"

Introducing....

S.W.P-G

My name is Samuel Wenceslaus Pellegrino-Grant.

Ah, you think my middle name is a little unique, eh? Well good! Because it's supposed to be!

The back story is as follows...The Christmas song "Good King Wenceslaus" was a favorite of my Mom's father (My Grandfather) The story goes that a king goes out to give alms to a poor peasant on the Fest of Stephen (December 26th) During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by the heat miraculously emanating from the king's footprints in the snow. The legend is based on the life of the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia.

My parents decided that my middle name would be Wenceslaus if I were born on December 26th, and lo and behold, I was, so lo and behold it is!

So far, I like it...Also, I have a rockin' Christmas song with my name in it! You can't beat THAT!

More later!

A Dot No More...

Today....is my birthday!

I am officially a baby...I have been born...

Dad, Mom, and Gramma Mindy went to the hospital, in the early Christmas evening, as Da Gramma and NotDaGramma hopped in a car and drove down from Connecticut...I refused to be a Christmas baby, so I kept Mom in labor until 5:31 on December 26...

I was 21 3/4 Inches, and weighed in at a whopping 8 Pounds 2 Ounces...Dr Keller was right...

My name is....::sigh::....I'm EXHAUSTED...that was a lot of work for me, too...I'll tell you all in the next post...with more news to follow...

To tide you over, here is my first picture. I was one hour old...

And, as requested, I am wearing an adorable little hat. My reign begins...

Off to the Hospital....

How exciting...we're all taking a little trip!

There better be a Teddy Bear, and some adorable hats waiting for me...

Merry Christmas!!

A very happy holiday to all of you who celebrate it!

To those who don't....HAPPY THURSDAY!!!

More contractions....a little stronger now...no escape for me, just yet, though...

I am also doing a lot of squirming around in here...no one ever thinks about the fact that contractions are essentially like tiny earthquakes in the only house I have ever known...

Yeah...NOW you're thinking about it...

All is calm....all is bright...

That's it for tonight...we have had a successful test of the Contraction Machine...the contractions are tapering off, and it's off to bed...

After about an hour of steady contractions, and a couple of hours of sporadic contractions, I have decided to call it a night....

Now that I know how everything works in here, expect more from me tomorrow...

Fast & Furious....

The contractions are rolling along in here...it's getting a bit bumpy...We're timing them, and keeping an eye on the sitch...I'll keep you posted best I can...but once I'm out, I have to count on regular access to the Internet to update you all...

Also, I had the hiccups again earlier today. I'm looking very forward to being on The Outside where these "hiccups" are a thing of the past...

Wait a minute...what do you MEAN they exist on The Outside?

A Tale of Two Showers Part II: A Surprise Daddy Shower!!!

So...There was a second baby shower...

Many moons ago (8 or 9 of them actually) my mom had some friends that were very forward thinking, and decided that they wanted to throw my Dad a "Daddy Shower" While my Dad was excited about the prospect (MANly diaper bags!! MANly baby clothes!! MANly adorable little hats!!) his schedule is such that getting people together for any type of party in his honor is near-impossible...

SO....they talked about it for months, and whenever they actually saw these friends, the friends would mention it, and Dad would honestly be game for the party, but scheduling would be a toughie...

SO...they decided to just plan it without him, and stage it as a surprise Daddy Shower...

SO...Mom tells him one night that she made plans for them on some random evening with these friends. Dad was understandably annoyed (And kind of a jerk) about the plans that the two had not discussed, not having any idea that this was a party in his honor.

They went there that night, and as they entered, Matt first saw a couple friends of his that didn't hang out with this other group of friends (One of which had brought along their baby) and when he stared at the room, mouth suitably agape, the host of the party announced "Matt....welcome to your Daddy Shower"

Dad was COMPLETELY surprised, and told the room the story about how he was understandably annoyed (And kind of a jerk) about the plans earlier that week, not having any idea that this was a party in his honor. He then apologized to my Mom in front of anyone...

My Dad's friend that had brought along his baby promptly handed the baby to my Dad (Who has held a total of 3 babies in his whole life). The baby looked back at his parents, back to my Dad, and started wailing...Dad attempted to sooth the child, but that only made it worse...

Throughout the evening, the baby would look at my Dad, look horrified and sad, and then grasp desperately at whatever parent was holding him...

The shower was a blast...the people that threw the party had a lot of kid-themed snacks (Like the Animal-Shaped chicken nuggets pictured above) lots of Cheerios cereal, cookies, etc...They also played a game of "Apples to Apples" (Pictured below) whose answers had been altered to be more baby-centric, which was awesome, and a LOT of fun....Dad was shocked, as there weren't any games at Mom's shower (Not that would have wanted them necessarily...) and this one was a lot of fun!

Gifts were plentiful...LOTS of handmade stuff (Hat, scarves, bibs, socks, an AMAZING sweater and scarf from the grandmother of the baby that hated Dad...) Lots of other stuff, too...countless gifts, books, two keychain digital picture frames (For Mom and Dad to show me off) and a gift certificate to Best Buy so Mom & Dad can buy a camera (To also show me off...)

Man....another batch of very generous people!

At press time, gifts are still trickling in...a surprise awaits us in Connecticut, Dad's friend's Mom knitted me an awesome blanket, and hooked me up with multiple sizes of diapers to last me the year...

As in the last post about Mom's shower...I can't thank everyone enough...Dad was flabbergasted, and VERY surprised, and he appreciated all the trouble everyone went through for the shower...

To The Alpha Delts (and their extended family), Matt's pals from the UPS Store, and those in Connecticut and the surrounding areas that couldn't make any showers, but still took the time to get me something...from the bottom of my heart (Which is actually currently upside-down right now, so it's kind of near the top) thank you all so much!!!

12.24.08

Today is technically my due date....

All bets are off after this...

Stay tuned!

Merry Christmas!!

FROM MOM, DAD, AND THE DOT...

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!

Sooner or later...

Day 270 of my incubation...

I have sent out several more warning contractions...and then turned them back off again.

Mother is annoyed...father is confused and antsy...Gramma Mindy is on pins and needles...my family up in Connecticut is excited and ready to head down here at a moment's notice...Other family and friends throughout the country (Virginia, Ohio...Indiana...EVERYWHERE!) are waiting with baited breath for the news...everyone hinges on my whim.

This is kinda fun...

Rumblings....

I sent out the first really regular contractions tonight...they were coming about every half hour for about 2 hours, but then I stopped...

I'm just testing the equipment down here to make sure it's all ready for The Big Show...

Soon, people....very soon...

My Womb Time is Waning....

Slowly but surely, I'm heading out into the big bright world.

The doctor says that Mom has been dilating exactly on schedule like she should be (There IS a bit more light in here than usual, I have noticed...) and Mom has been having contractions a few times a day. Nothing crazy yet, but I feel them in here, and it's gotten me to thinking...

Mom and Dad always talk about how nervous they are, and for the first time I'm thinking that I may be a little nervous myself, about coming out there... 

It's a scary place, but I think they'll do a good job...they kinda have to, as I am obviously destined for greatness...

Odds n' Ends...

Don't get too excited....but I am literally DAYS away from arriving, folks...

Obama's inauguration? That's NOTHING compared to the threat levels and planning that will be in effect in the next ten days...

Dad surprised Mom by building the crib. I now have a place to sleep!! He has thrown out the little cardboard box filled with shredded newspaper, and built my glorious little sleeping quarters. My parents have no room to walk around the apartment, but I do, now in fact, have a place to lay my weary head.

Mom packed her bags for the hospital, and can be called into action at a moment's notice!!

Somehow, Mom has found time for Christmas cards, and baby shower thank-you notes...crazy woman...

Dad went down to Children's Hospital to have my car seat checked. There is an organization called www.safekids.org that offers a free service to check to make sure your car seat is installed correctly. They also give a nice twenty minute lesson to people who want to learn how to buckle their kid into the seat correctly. It was a very helpful service, and Dad recommends it to anyone who will need to use a car seat.

Dad unpacked and assembled my "ride" (Or "Stroller" to the unhip) last night. It is folded up in the corner, and folds surprisingly well for such a phat ride. Don't play with me...I will leave you in my wake! Really, this thing is great, because I can off-road if necessary, and it is sturdy, hardcore, and ready for action...however, my parents got it mostly because it can fold down super small to fit into one of the corners in our place. Not bad, eh?

And before you ask...YES...That IS a steering wheel in front for me to take control of my own destiny...

I TOLD you it was hardcore!

A Tale of Two Showers Part I: The Belated Baby Shower Post!!

In my haste to discuss all things both Dad's birthday and Halloween related, I completely glossed over the baby shower that some of my lady relatives threw for my mom up in Connect-I-Cut (Yes...I actually have to sound it out in my head to spell it correctly...)

THEN November happened, and everything moved at this odd breakneck pace, where lots was happening, and it was all happening very fast, but nothing was actually getting done.

SO....let's discuss the baby shower!!

First off...it was a blast. Yeah it was! At the top of this post, you can see a "Diaper Cake" that my Aunt Stephanie made. It is actually made from diapers (Thus, the clever name) and ribbon, with small containers of baby lotion, baby powder, binkies and other such accoutrements. You can see from Mom's expression below, that she had such a good time....Our families really know how to throw a party!

People came in from all over...Aunts, cousins, grandparents, friends, and other assorted family all came out for the big shindig!

My Mom's Aunt and Uncle (My Great-Aunt & Great-Uncle?) hosted the event at their house, while my Gramma Mindy (Picture below) provided food and merriment...She did such a good job of snagging food that everyone (Myself included) thought was just superb...

She got a cake (Sort of pictured below) that turned everyone's mouth blue, but still managed to be delicious...somewhere there are pics of that event, but they won't come out until one of those blue-mouthed weirdos are running for office...

Da Gramma was responsible for favors...my Aunt Stephanie made some blue lollipops, and Da Gramma offered people a choice of either tea or hot cocoa with a little reminder of the baby shower on it...Examples are pictured below, however my Mom's name is not Katie, and these pictures merely represent the favors.

There were also little cookie cutter favors that had a little poem in them...I can't remember off-hand what the poem said, but it was super cool. 

My Dad felt bad, because he basically showed up, said "Hi" dropped my Mom off, left, drove around for a couple hours, came back, and picked up all the presents, ate some food and left. He felt weird, and tried to thank everyone he could, but thought it odd that he was essentially the one who showed up to collect the gifts and leave...

While he was eating food, he was being a weirdo and just walking around stabbing a fork into the big trays of food, and eating like some kind of animal...he was handed a plate by my Mom's Aunt Patty, and proceeded to immediately drop both a meatball, and stuffed shells on himself. He is obviously not meant to be eating like a civilized human being, and won't be of any use to me when I am learning manners. God, I hope Mom is better...

EDIT: I just received word that my Mom ALSO drops food on herself constantly...There is no hope for me!

Below, is a picture of Mom, Dad, Aunt Steph, Da Gramma and my cousins from North Carolina (Who now live in Pennsylvania) that surprised us by making the trip! They also helped Dad load all the gifts into the car, with what can only be described as military precision. They were a lot of fun for everyone to have around, and were a big help.

From Me, My Mom, and My Dad...everyone was so generous, and gave us so many gifts, and so much love...all we can do is be humbled by your generosity, and appreciative that you have been so good to us all...To anyone who helped plan the shower, contributed, attended, hosted, or thought about us enough to send a gift even if you couldn't come to the baby shower... 

THANK YOU!

SPOILER ALERT!

So....if you're watching Prison Break, and haven't gotten caught up yet, here is a major spoiler alert for you all!

(Unless you, like my Dad, has been watching Prison Break since Day One, and saw this coming from episode one of this season...) 

Ready? So...it turns out that Michael Rappaport's character in the show has turned against the Scoffield Boys and their gang, and has turned out to be "Someone that couldn't be trusted and never should have been in the first place."

And guess what? The only thing worse than Michael Rappaport's acting as a do-gooder FBI agent is Michael Rappaport's acting as a backstabbing turn-coat FBI agent.

Exhibit A- Below is a picture Michael Rappaport acting "Happy"

Exhibit B-The other picture is Michael Rappaport acting "Angry"

Blech.

Still More Clothes!!

So....some of my Mom's side of the family were generous enough to go through old clothes, once belonging to some cousins of mine...we received the boxes, and were pleasantly surprised at how much stuff there was! 

Highlights:

SO many shirts, and tiny little socks, that are jussst the right size for my tiny little feet. Some shoes, lots of onesies, which I will look very forward to soiling at the earliest opportunity...

I got some pants, a tiny Hawaiian shirt which will look just lovely next to my Dad's BIG Hawaiian shirt...sadly, there are no pictures of these things, since Mom & Dad basically just washed them and put them away, but I'm sure that many pictures of me in said outfits will surface online.

There is, of course, a humorous sporting theme carried though the clothing items...We got lots of stuff that implies that my cousin is the son of a "man" (and even a woman, as I believe that even his mom is into sports) who "enjoys sports", whereas I am the son of a theatre major, who ACTUALLY spells theatre with an "re" at the end instead of an "er"...

Obviously, the idea of me being into sports terrifies him, as he will then need to learn how to do basic things like throw and catch a ball without hurting himself or others...Now, he has sworn that he will make that sacrifice, but can't attest to how good he is going to end up at these tasks. 

Even more terrifying to him is the idea that I will end up on some sports team, and he will then be forced to do something he abhors...

Namely, Watch Sports...

Rollin' rollin' rollin'....

I have officially run out of room, and I am heading down towards the light!

Mom went to the doctor, and the doctor has informed her that I am head-down as they want me to be (Sometimes I can be accommodating...) and that she has begun the process of letting me out...

She has had some mild contractions a couple times a day (Don't panic just because you see the word "Contractions"...this is normal) and is having even more trouble tying her shoes and sleeping.

Sorry, Mom. 

I TOLD YOU SO!!

What did I tell you people? It says so RIGHT ON THE CANDY....

Baby...needs....chocolate!

I know that I seem to be constantly bringing this up, but there are some factions out there that seem to think that candy is going to be the death of me, but hey people...it's OB/GYN recommended! 

It says before...during...AND AFTER pregnancy! Now, I understand that it's for Mom, but you know....send some my way, man!

Wait a minute....BEFORE pregnancy? That would be a little odd to see a woman eating one of these before being pregnant...bizarre.

God, I'm starving...

I am my Father's Son....

Yes...I know I spelled "Spelling" incorrectly in my previous post...that was the whole reason for posting...

Dad noticed some misspellings in the blog, and was also told by others that there were some weird grammar issues.  

I took that to mean that I should respond with a smart-ass post. 

Tee hee...I am gonna a wacky kid when I'm out there!

Speling Issues

I have been told that I have had some misspellings and grammar "incidents" throughout my blog by several people. 

Face it...like my Mom says...I'm a growing fetus. Granted, she's my mom, and she's legally required to say that...but if I were you, I would still take her words very seriously, regardless of our relation to one another. 

The fact that I can type as well as I do, and am articulate in any way shape or form should be impressive. Don't make me start getting philosophical with you!

The goal of this blog was to be whimsical and informative, but if it takes throwing down some study and discussion of the nature of existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, justice, validity, mind, and language* to prove to you my intelligence, then SO BE IT!!

*Yes. I copied this description from Wikipedia. Does that make it any less valid? No!

Cupcake Cones...and rolling around...

So....here is a classic shot from Dad's birthday party that Mom threw for Dad, and that I never got around to putting up....Dad carved a jack-o-lantern (Which I look very forward to doing with him someday...) and he hadn't done so in awhile, leaving him quite excited about the whole experience...however, the most exciting part was the cupcakes that mom made...she literally put the batter into the ice cream cones, and baked them in the cones...

They were a big hit, and were absurdly delicious...quite a decadent snack for Dad's little bash.

Sorry the picture is a bit murky and blurry, but that just adds to the Halloween spirit... 

He called this pumpkin "The O Face" which I don't get, and I don't think I am supposed to...

In other news, I have run out of room in here, and have been doing much less kicking, and more rolling around...last night I played a delightful game, whereupon I kicked whenever Mom was touching her belly...when DAD came over however, I stopped...

Aren't I a GAS!? 

He did manage to feel me roll around a few times, since I thought I would throw him a bone here and there...Lately I have been getting hungry just before Mom does, she knows she gonna get hungry right after I start rolling around...

Isn't pregnancy a trip?

Ah...the crazy...

So...Mom is a little big.

I blame myself, of course, but let's face facts people. While Dad thinks that she's beautiful (and has actually managed to pull off some surprisingly fashionable outfits throughout the pregnancy, so YAY HER!) she DOES still HAPPEN to be pregnant...and she does actually look pregnant...not fat.

She relayed to me an incident when she had been walking down the street and this guy that looked perfectly normal at first (I stress the at first part) looked at her. Now, we live in Washington, DC, and as is is typically the case, Mom has garnered the attention of some homeless people (Maybe because her husband looks homeless, they figure they have an "in" with her...OH SNAP! NO I DIDN'T!!) She is used to people looking at her and saying stuff like "God Bless Your Baby" and what-not (and to those kind souls, I say thank you) but this guy looked at her weirdly, and started yelling at her...

He yelled that she was responsible for the way she looked, and that if she had eaten better, and gotten off her ass more, she would look better and be healthier...

My Mom, enjoying the absurdity of the moment since she looks SO....OBVIOUSLY...PREGNANT....just laughed and laughed. She couldn't even wait until he wasn't around, just because it was so absurd...hysterical.

I can't wait to meet people.

I am Not to Be Eaten....

Our good friend Teague sent along this link that I thought you all might find amusing/disturbing...

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2008/12/fetal-bites.html

Earlier in my blog, I mentioned that the baby DOES NOT go into the Tupperware container, rather the baby goes into a larger Tupperware-ESQUE container...as seen to your right...

Now, some nutbag has gone ahead and blurred the line between baby and foodstuffs EVEN FURTHER by creating this cookie cutter...

Now first off, as we all know (Heck, even I know, and I am an unborn baby, for God's sake...) that the cookies NEVER look like what what their molds intend...Christmas Trees tend to look like blobs with points on the sides, Snowmen tend to look like three cookies smooshed together, etc...

(An aside...why is "Smooshed" not in the Firefox dictionary? Lame.)

Even though the pictures of the cookies in the ads for these things always makes them out to look like they actually shape dough so it really looks like the stuff, we all know that this is not always the case.

Now, as many of the comments on that website have pointed out, the cookie barely looks like a fetus, but more like some kind of alien creature....AND THOSE ARE THE ONES IN THE PROMOS FOR THEM!! IMAGINE how the actual cookies would look if the PROMO for them looks this creepy. Unacceptable, says I! Plus, is it like a gingerbread man? Do you start by nibbling off the head? The cute little toes?

DO YOU KNOW HOW CUTE MY TOES ARE?!

Thanks to the "CakeWrecks" blog, and to Teague for pointing this out...I will be sure to keep an eye on Dad, as the act of buying these forms is just the type of shenanigans that he would engage in...

The Home Stretch...

So here we are, ladies and gentlemen, fans and detractors...

We are officially in the home stretch, folks...It is the beginning of December, and as Christmas decorations go up (OK...so some of them started right after Halloween, which terrified Dad, but for the MOST part, people have started to put up the bulk of their Christmas stuff.) the day I arrive creeps closer and closer.

Mom & Dad, much like when they got super busy  right around their wedding, are now trying to finish the last details regarding me (Cleaning the apartment, setting stuff up, figuring out how a car seat goes in the car, etc) in addition to Christmas shopping (A slightly scaled-down Christmas is to be had this year because of both the economy, and me...) and actually living their lives at work, and what-not....

I am currently head-down, and ready to rock n' roll...I have a few more weeks to cook, and then Mom is unleashing me on the world!

Right now, if you didn't know, Mom is due on Christmas Eve...she believes that she won't go past December 15, but we'll see whose right about that. Because do you people know who's in charge in this situation? ME! And do you people know how random these pregnancies can be? VERY! 

Gramma Mindy arrives in the big District on December 19th (And has gently encouraged me to  wait until she arrives) and my other Grandmother (Da Gramma) will set forth on her journey from a land called  "Connecticut" once Mom is in labor...Apparently, this "Connecticut" is something called a "State" with something called "Voting Rights" which our fair District somehow lacks. I don't know why my parents bother paying taxes...

These are the plans, of course, and we all know what happens to the plan when a baby is involved.   

As promised....The Dot Returns!!

So...first things first. An apology is once again in order...I disappeared for the second half of November. A little explanation...

Dad was taking part in NanoWriMo...What is NanoWriMo, you ask? 

Their website explains:

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

So, Dad was writing fast and furious for the month (and actually,  a majority of his writing took place during the last 12 days of November) and he took up so much bandwidth in the apartment, that posting became slow and tedious, like in the olden days of dial-up (And by "Olden Days", I mean, like, a few months ago....Yes...The Pellegrino-Grant family was on dial-up until A FEW MONTHS AGO...  ) So, I avoided the 'net like the plague, and caught up on some reading, and went through lots and lots and LOTS of baby clothes...

And he, in fact, "won" the month....18.5% of people that entered finished their novel. 119,301 authors signed up for NaNoWriMo, 21,683 finished, and my Dad was one of them. He actually continued a novel that he wrote 50,000 words of last November (So, technically, he is sitting on a very wordy 101,000 word novel, which is not even technically done yet...while he met his word count goal, he didn't finish the novel)

SO....that is the explanation of my absence...but I'm back, and I have a lot to say before I get out there....so STAY TUNED!!!