Jen and I are babysitting for a friend right now. The little girl we are caring for is quite a chunk! She is one of the cutest two-month-olds that I have ever seen.
It is really fun to rub her belly, sing to her, and make funny faces at her. She loves to watch my tongue wiggle around like a worm saying "Hi" to her.
After caring for 8th graders over the past few weeks at school, this is refreshing. I am definitely getting excited about Nolan joining us in our apartment. He is due to start breathing air around mid-December.
It's amazing to know that Nolan is a mini-baby inside Jen right now and that he will come out and smile, cry, and sleep just like all the rest of the human beings in the world.
I have successfully completed the MAX Challenge. I rode all ride-able tracks on TriMet's MAX. It was quite an experience, totaling 7.5 hours! Please check out the slideshow below, or view it larger here.
We found out our baby is a boy! We have decided to name him Nolan Zachary. We chose Nolan because it was a name that Jen and I both liked the sound of. We chose Zachary as the middle name because of its meaning: The Lord remembers. When we first discovered that Jen was pregnant, we were initially a bit nervous and surprised because I was finishing school, didn't have a job lined up (and still don't), and Jen just started her new job and was thinking about how to break the news to her new boss. We weren't sure how we would be able to provide for our new baby. But we realized that God is the one who provides and that He won't forget about us. The Lord remembers.
A week and a half ago we went to get the routine ultrasound checkup to make sure Nolan is the correct size and all that good stuff. It all went wonderfully. The thing that I keep remembering the most was how much movement we saw. We could see, on the monitor, his little heart beating. We could also see that he was kicking a lot, even though we couldn't feel it on the outside. Nolan was kicking Jen's bladder (which needed to be full in order to do the ultrasound) so much that Jen couldn't take it anymore, needed to stop halfway through and go the restroom.
It is most amazing, as a father, seeing this little being moving around inside of my wife's uterus. I have always been looking forward to this moment because I have always anticipated being a father. I always thought I would be joking around, saying stuff like, "Wow, that's my little alien!" But in this moment I am realizing that this is something miraculous. God created a life when my sperm met her egg and now he is the size of spaghetti squash. Pretty soon, he will be born, in school, learning long division, wanting to kiss a girl, and eventually making babies of his own. It's the amazing circle of life and I had better not screw it up! I am quite confident that I will be a good father, however, feeling the responsibility that lies ahead of me after watching a little kicking on an ultrasound monitor really helps me realize that being a father is a serious thing.
Since then, I have started to feel Nolan kick (which is totally awesome), I have been talking to him, kissing him, and cuddling with him and Jen. It is feeling more and more real as time passes, and once he is born it will seem extremely real. For now, though, I will be preparing by reading books (two books I have opened so far: "The Expectant Father" by Armin Brott and Jennifer Ash, and "The Birth Partner" by Penny Simkin), helping my wife, and praying for the baby.
I love TriMet's MAX. I ride it whenever I have the opportunity. I took it to work the past few months before school was out, I take it when we hang out downtown, and I have taken it many times to visit my parents in Beaverton. We live so close to it that it is easily the most advantageous form of transportation available to us.
When riding, I sometimes wonder about whether or not anyone has ever attempted to ride all of the MAX lines at one time. It seems very unlikely. I calculated that it would take more than 6.25 hours to complete this feat...a goal that most Portlanders would shake their head at.
But not me. I will take the MAX to the max.* I will attempt...
The MAX Challenge!
Here is the plan:
It is more complicated than it seems: I can't just ride all of the lines from end to end. I must ride them in a particular way so that I roll over every bit of track that is being used. Naturally, there will be many transfers along the way. So I'll have to bring enough reading material and music to keep me busy. Below is the line/transfer schedule, starting at the station closest to home...
E 148th Ave to Gresham (Blue line; 15 min)
Gresham to PDX Int'l Airport (Blue to Red line, transfer at Gateway TC; 50 min)
PDX Int'l Airport to Hillsboro (Red to Blue line, transfer at Beaverton TC; 1 hr 40 min)
Hillsboro to PSU (transfer from Blue line at Mall/SW 4th Ave to Yellow line at Pioneer Place/SW 5th Ave; 1 hr 10 min)
PSU to Expo Center (Yellow line; 35 min)
Expo Center to Pioneer Place/SW 5th Ave (transfer from Yellow to Blue line at Mall/SW 4th Ave; 30 min)
Mall/SW 4th Ave to Clackamas Town Center (Blue to Green line, transfer at Gateway TC; 45 min)
Clackamas Town Center to E 148th Ave (Green to Blue line, transfer at Gateway TC; 30 min)
I'm planning on attempting the MAX Challenge on a weekday. The reason for this is because I don't think my wife would ever go with me and I don't want to waste a precious day away from her over the weekend. If you are crazy enough to go with me during the week, then let me know! I'd love the company!
Stay tuned for a post following the big event!
This video was taken by the big nerd that I am, when the new Type 4 MAX trains were starting test runs a year and a half ago.
*"Take the MAX to the max" quote coined by Weston Ruter, a fellow Gwinn Challenge participant, TriMet enthusiast, and friend.
I laughed out loud when I saw these funny commercials (AdoptUsKids.org) when watching the Uruguay v. Netherlands game today. But then I realized what an awesome message was embedded inside these simple ads: There are many kids out there that aren't looking for perfection...just a parent.
The narrator at the end of the commercials stated, "You don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent." And another ad stated, "Because kids in foster care don't need perfection. They need you." That is so true. There are thousands of foster kids in the world who were just unlucky when it comes to family life. Lots of them would love a good family to adopt them, and it would be so beneficial for them as they prepare for adulthood.
Jen and I are planning on taking care of foster kids eventually. We are planning on practicing our parenting skills on two or three kids at first, and then looking into foster care. It all depends on how Jen's pregnancy progresses. We would love to adopt kids for a long time...until we get too old to take care of them!
A friend of mine has a great quote on her facebook page: "If you're going to be against abortion, you had better be willing to adopt some kids." I think that quote is just awesome. So many people in this country are against abortion, and yet, so few actually do something about the group of kids who survived pregnancy and end up in families that don't want them.
Anyway, just some food for thought. Enjoy these funny commercials:
We have been keeping busy this summer working on the Glenfair Community Garden across the street from us. We were very excited last year when we started it with the planning committee. This whole process has been very new to me and extremely educational. Now I am faced with another role that is unknown to me: Garden Coordinator. I was elected to be the one who manages the garden, gardeners, paperwork, and upkeep. I am excited about the role and am happy to volunteer my time to do it. However, since I don't really know what I'm getting myself into, I hope that I am not too overwhelmed with the responsibilities. So far, I'm pumped because I'm all organized and ready to sign people up!
If you are in the Glenfair/Glendoveer/148th MAX Stop neighborhood in East Portland and are interested in a FREE garden plot, then have them contact me or visit glenfaircommunitygarden.com and fill out an online application.
Here are a few slideshows to show you what we have been working on:
