Booboo Birdie (yes, that was his name) was always The Woman’s pet, just as the guinea pigs have always been considered mine. And, to be honest, we had a rough relationship early on. For those of you who don’t know the story, she did, in fact, find him on the streets of Hoboken. I wanted to find the original owners or give him to a good home, but The Woman was smitten quickly and I had no chance. When we moved in together it became difficult as he took to screeching anytime I did… well… anything.

But after a few threats about throwing him out a window or something else equally irrational, he finally learned that just warbling along with the world around him was far more endearing. And he certainly endeared himself to me after that.

Booboo was a sweet bird and, I dare say, one of a kind. You might think that a plain white parakeet with a blue streak on it’s back would be more common - but the more parakeets I saw the more I realized that there weren’t many, if any, like him. And any other parakeet owners would look in amazement as Booboo would allow us to reach in and simply pet his little belly. He developed a wonderful disposition, which made his silent suffering these final weeks so much more difficult.

This has been very difficult for Lisa, as she had little time or energy to take care of him with her new found motherly duties. She had saved him once and to let him go this time was very painful. Thankfully Kayleigh distracts us enough to keep our spirits up, but burying another pet dampened the mood of this holiday weekend.

Goodbye Booboo, we’ll miss you.

That is probably the best shot out of a group we took featuring an adorable outfit provided by a co-worker. Next time I want to do some of these outside. Normally I am totally opposed to these overly cutesy photo ops, but now that she’s my baby glamor shots may become par for the course.

And you’re probably asking, where the hell have I been that I can’t even update people with wonderful photos of Kayleigh. Actually, anybody who knows me is probably shocked at the few that I’ve already posted. But at the very least I’m sure people have expected more updates. Well, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?! I’ve got a freakin’ newborn at home. How much time do you think I have to play around on the computer?

Like I’ve said, I’m not here to complain. But when I get home from work in the evening, there’s about 2 hours during which I have to eat dinner, take care of any chores, and give The Woman a break from the little bundle before the night time ritual of trying to sleep in shifts begins. In other words, I’m lucky to have time to take photos let alone post them. And, at least for the first month, if I’m not posting about Kayleigh, I’m not posting. So maybe that’ll change tomorrow…

Of course the main question everybody has is how is the baby? And my answer is, “She’s great! She’s a baby. She doesn’t care if she’s eating and sleeping on our schedule or pooping in her pants. As long as she’s healthy and comfortable, everything is great for her.” And that’s the truth. Everybody says that it’s just gas or reflexes, but I think the look on her face shows that she really is happy with life.

And as for us? The funniest thing happened. I don’t really care about anything else that much. I’ve missed parties, concerts, movies, etc. and it doesn’t bother me in the least. All that matters to me is that our precious little girl is happy and healthy and that I get to spend time with her. Whether it’s a calm evening of watching her curled up on her own or an hour of rocking her to sleep at 3 AM - it’s all worth it. I don’t mean to gush, but it really is the most amazing experience and well worth the “minor” trade-offs in lifestyle.

I feel like I’m still getting my “writing legs” back. Not that I haven’t neglected this site even longer in the past, but my mind is all over the place these days. Kayleigh makes it difficult to concentrate on anything else. But that’s okay, she wouldn’t have it any other way…

That’s right, on this day way back in the year 2006 Lisa and I tied the knot. Last year at this time our first anniversary was a big deal and foremost in my thoughts. This year we had trouble even figuring out what we could do, and then delayed the dinner plans for a couple hours while we made sure the little one was full. Thankfully my mother-in-law is staying with us this week which meant there was no rush to find a sitter for the couple of hours it took us to enjoy some fancy comfort food. Even though our usual Hoboken spot was pretty much out of the question, there are plenty of good eats in the area and Raymond’s made for a lovely substitute.

I know you’re all just waiting with baited breath for another Kayleigh update (I’ve had one half written for over a week at this point) but it’s not yet ready. At this point my “free time” at home has dwindled down to almost none thanks to the bizarre and twisted sleeping schedules of new parents. And to be perfectly honest, when I have the time and energy I’d rather spend it holding her than trying to score some more page views on ye olde blogge…

Enough about that. Tonight I just wanted to make sure that The Woman understood how much I love and appreciate her. Nothing fancy, just a timeout from our current hectic schedule - a much needed timeout for her. And it certainly seemed to have had a relaxing effect even if no chocolate was involved.

For myself, this was a time to remind me that I’m a very lucky man - although I now have 2 beautiful girls to perform that task on a daily basis!

That’s right, only a few hours old and already sticking her tongue out at the world. That’s my baby girl. She made her grand entrance at 11:25 this morning weighing 7 lbs and 13 oz even though she’s only 19 inches long! I love her with all of my heart even though we’ve just met, and I certainly am enjoying the “proud newborn dad” feeling. Lisa is still recovering from a rather long and difficult 20+ hours of work. Fortunately her bonding with Kayleigh is making that recovery a good process.

The full story, and lots more photos, will follow once I am truly back home. In the meantime, thank you for all of the congratulations that have already come in and will continue to come in.

As I sit here in bed wondering if today is the day I’ll meet my new daughter, I realize that it is time to begin shedding my inhibitions toward posting photos. I have several projects that are in the works, but it’s time that I at least start sharing. So while some more editing is necessary, here is a view of The Woman’s belly from about 4 weeks to 39 weeks. Just click on the right arrow and watch her grow!

Soon I’ll add music and dancing hamsters - you know, to class it up…

So, the verdict?

Wow. Awesome. I’m truly impressed with the depth of the future dystopia they created for a children’s movie. Yes, I know these films work for adults, too (I’m a BIG Pixar fan), but this one had a truly bleak look for a good portion of time. And the minimal dialogue through the first half somehow does not hold anything back. Instead we get some impressive character development just by watching WALL-E go through his daily grind of stacking garbage broken up by his occasional find of a “treasure”.

It’s hard to judge this film in comparison with the rest of the Pixar catalog as it is a very different beast. While it contains many of your typical fairy tale/kid’s movie elements, the cold and inhuman environment and storytelling that is dominant in the first half separates it from the rest. But in spite of that and the odd, speech-limited characters, it is their first true love story. And it works surprisingly well in this context - I honestly started to feel a real connection with these supposed buckets of bolts.

I’m a big fan of Pixar’s work, and they certainly lived up to the expectations once again.

And, of course, the theme for the nursery:

It’s hard to believe that after 2 years this house is truly coming together…

Of course the fact that we’ve got a baby girl heading our way soon is bringing out The Woman’s inner princess. Not that she hasn’t always loved the color pink, but the nursery has given her an excuse to really use it as a primary color. Her last attempt was in our stairway. She didn’t even get halfway through by the time I got home and could only tell me, “It’s really pink.” I concurred and eventually covered it up with a somewhat burnt orange color that I originally wanted (win for me!).

Since she is currently limited to painting in 2 minute increments, the task of “pinking” the nursery fell to me the other night. It’s a rather emasculating task - even for a closet metrosexual such as myself. I have a love/hate relationship with the color. On one hand it can look absolutely fabulous when used right, but on the other hand it isn’t used right 95% of the time. And let’s face it, I’m not necessarily manly enough to pull off pink (and a skirt) like some guys. Thus I remain torn on it’s use.

Thankfully Boris’s Pink was recently added to eMusic, and was readily available to ironically get me through the process with gusto. And if you don’t understand that, you are neither as metal nor as wannabe-hipster cool as I am…