Free Heather Locklear!!

Ok, this has nothing to do with Heather Locklear and her incarceration for a DUI in Montecito. I am just trying to keep the block current....and some show called TMZ is on and they just did a big story on it. So, FREE HEATHER. ATTICA. ATTICA....

It is crazy late and we are up because apparently Finn doesn't need to go to work tomorrow. Neither does Molly (Whoops, did I say that out loud?). Good news, Finn discovered how to express himself through crying. He apparently has alot to say. I want just the slightest sniffle so I can break out the Benadryl...for either Finn or us..doesn't matter. Just let the sweet sweet sleep come. Here are some bath pictures and some assorted stuff.

The visitation station

Phineas has been blessed with some great visits from friends and family members from near and far. Uncle Matt and his "special lady friend" Lisa came up from North Carolina for a visit. Kevin and the rest of the Brackens came together for a gathering. We had a bunch of folks from Princeton stop by for lunch, and then setting the time zone record, Rishi came in from New Delhi to give Finn some Taj Mahalian love. Check him out in the picture...he moves from uptight Greenwich and preppy Princeton out to Cali and then overseas and he becomes this hipster Indian version of Bono. He is getting married in a few weeks out in Michigan and we are really fired up for our first Indian wedding...we want the full Bollywood extravaganza. Not to ruin any surprises, but his entrance will be on horseback. We can't wait and Rishi managed to meet someone nicer than him...Anuja is an amazing person. We are looking forward to Grandma Jer Bear to head up to blue state land. Aunt Anne is going to drop some five child raising expert skillz on us as well. We are heading down to Virginia in October for a great family tour. We are so lucky to have such great family and friends.

Finn's first game....

A big moment for F-Dizzle and me. We shared our first BC game together. Enclosed is a picture of Finn celebrating a BC touchdown...you can see the unbridled enthusiasm written all over his face. He was so thrilled he kicked off the BC cleat-booties Rachel and Scott gave him. Now that is a SUPERFAN. He was fantastic all throughout Boston College's dominating performance...Aunt Cathy and Uncle Joe came down from the Nutmeg state for the big moment ( the picture above is Aunt Cathy and Hosana Bracken. While Uncle Joe does have a feminine quality in profile, he was downstairs getting a beer at the time of the photo and isn't pictured. Don't tell him our beer is still left over from our wedding reception...it is aged like a fine 2005 burgundy....smooth). Molly claims that Finn, like her, found the game boring and slept through most of it. I disagree...I know deep fan meditation when I see it. I noticed a definitive uptick in sucking sounds when BC had UCF in third and long situations. When Finn can talk I am sure he will share with me how much he loves a blitzing defense.

One Week...

Tonight we celebrated Finn's one week birthday (any excuse for a cupcake from the Bent Spoon). We have received so many beautiful gifts over the past few days that we decided to "re-gift" them and present them to Finn as our own purchases. He now thinks he has giving parents with impeccable and varied tastes. To top it next week we will have to buy him a pony...I can see how this can get away from you-- we will probably end up on MTV's "My Sweet Sixteen" in a few years if we don't get off this crazy train.

We truly have been profoundly touched by all the well wishes, generosity, and support everyone has given us. It sometimes makes it hard to write a mean-spirited blog based (loosely) on the arrival of an infant. God willing I will find a way. We consider ourselves very blessed to have such great friends and role models in our lives.

Dreams of Nautical Sheep

Can anyone explain why someone who sleeps all the time needs to eat every ninety minutes? Finn has been doing some serious REM (the sleep pattern not the band) the past two days. Molly's friend Anna gave us a great toy sheep which plays soothing ocean sounds (I guess sounds from a meadow or an Australian slaughterhouse, while technically more accurate for a sheep, wouldn't be as hypnotic as recordings of whales and the surf.) Finn absolutely loves it. I think that when Finn can finally stay awake on his walks, he will be disappointed to learn that we actually don't live by the ocean, and that deceptive little sheep has been lying all along. In the short moments when Finn is awake, he stares at a black and white circle patterned diaper wipes case..it makes him catatonic. His eyes get all big and he has the glassy, vacant look of a "raver"...we should add some Crystal Method to his baby CD.

So I'm Going Home....

Back to the Place Where I Belong...what can I say, Finn is a big Chris Daughtry fan. Apparently, American Idol is big with the pre born. That is a good demographic if you can land it. Finn says Archuleta lost his title due to those effusive "gosh, golly" interviews. Can't say I disagree. But I digress...after a few days in the hospital, we were released to our own recognisance. The staff at the hospital was amazing and turned down our repeated offers for them to move in with us. Apparently other people were having babies there too and they required the staff's attention. Not sure what that had to do with us and our need for assistance at our house but it seemed like a non starter for them.

So we packed up all our stuff out of our little studio apartment with the oxygen tanks hidden in the wood paneling and headed out into the big beautiful world. We didn't get more than two floors before the elevator opened up and who was standing there but English professor Jeff Nunokawa dressed like Jeff Spicoli from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Apparently he works shifts as a candy-striper at the hospital...it's not just for marching band kids looking for an extra curricular so they can eventually be pre-med somewhere. They do things like deliver flowers and transplant organs when the doctors get stuck on the back nine. Jeff actually sent us a beautiful bouquet, which as I type this makes me wonder if he had one of his candy-striper buds re-route flowers intended for someone else to our room and then take (repeatedly) the credit for sending flowers he didn't pay for. This is not beyond Jeff; he eats all his meals for free in a dining hall. Jeff made me include this picture because he says his "guns" look awesome. He calls them his Hawaiian pythons.

We put Finn in our car and we were off. The car seat was installed just moments before we left, which gave Molly the perfect opportunity to say "I told you so" since for the past few weeks she kept saying I needed to get the seat installed before we had to rush off to the hospital with the seat still sitting in the office. I love moments like this...I consider them the cornerstone of a solid marriage. I've never driven so slowly in my life...every car, paperboy on a bike, and crazy careless mother pushing a stroller while on a cell phone were potential sources of t-bone collisions. It was a white knuckle trip. Glad we live three blocks from the hospital.

Enclosed is a picture of Molly and I bringing Phineas into our house. (Before anyone in my office beats me to it....1972 called, and it want it's sidewalk with the faux colored stone back.) We had a great time with family and friends stopping by. We celebrated Kevin's birthday since Finn hogged all the attention on the 11th. I told him to get used to "Happy Birthday, little Finn!!! Oh, and Kevin too." He had a good thirty year run but time marches on. Kind of like Aaron Rodgers moving Brett Favre out of Green Bay. All the legends fall in time. As a birthday gift, we did allow Kevin to supervise Finn's pro football and baseball fandom...so he is now a Yankees fan and a Giants fan. The oldest Dunne cousin Harrison got to hang out with the youngest Dunne. Finn can't wait to meet the rest of the family on both sides--actually I don't know if he has any interest in meeting them as he can't talk yet. I don't even know if he can see yet. And I think he thinks we are all extensions of himself. A little self centered if you ask me...not sure how this outsized ego will go over with the rest of the family. Could make for some tense holiday gatherings. We have some great pics with the grand parents but I can't put their pictures up without a release since Mr. Bracken is a prosecuting attorney. With all the Brackens here I don't think Finn spent any time not being held...except when Finn was peeing on people. That tends to get folks to back off.

Lots of food has been coming our way which has been fantastic but on occasion also a little "spirited." Shelley (from my office) dropped off a lasagna dinner. When I remarked that Mr. Bracken makes great lasagna as well she replied "Oh, is that what he calls it?" She smiled a faint assassin's smile and trailed back to her car muttering something about "Stouffer's frozen crap." Surprised, I relayed these comments to Mr. Bracken over dinner. His eyes narrowed and he methodically stroked his beard. He finally asked "Jannos is a married name. What's her maiden name.?" "Jingoli," I replied. I have to admit he seemed a little knocked back by that on. And yes, they are in the construction business and she has an uncle called Jimmy the Hook. Undaunted, he called today to say he would be dropping off his lasagna this week. Nothing says lasagna like Jersey City Irish American! Let the lasagna wars begin!

Holy smokes this has turned into a long post. I have a child to raise people. Sadly, I learned today that maternity leave is only for the mother, which seems terribly sexist to me. Who do they think passed ice chips all day? And holding a leg for three hours? Think that is easy? My back has really been sore. I have to call HR in the morning. I am not ready to return...

Finally!

We are overjoyed to announce the arrival of Phineas "Finn" Robert. He joined our family last night and weighed in at 8 pounds and 6 oz. He is 21.5 inches long. I am so estatic that I am at a loss for words...a new experience for me. Molly is my hero. At the risk of getting Lou Gehrig on you all...I feel like the luckiest man in the world.

Molly must be voting for Obama...

Because she is in LABOR. Get it? Labor= democratic support... Heeeyyy oh! (Ed McMahon voice). Thank you. I'll be here at the Mirage all week...be kind to your servers they've been kind to you.

In addition to establishing that the baby is actually coming, we have also established that I am too immature for medical situations. Molly has put me in a "silent reflection" program which is how I ended up here updating the blog. She is really doing well...I am equally proud of how brave she is being and thankful that it is not my job to deliver this baby. I love how she politely declines from answering questions because she is having a contraction, and then apologizes for interrupting the story/questions from the nurse. The whole experience has been overwhelming and surreal. During the contractions, Molly hasn't had the highest appreciation for my breathing techniques. I keep telling her that jealousy has no place in the delivery room, but I do think she is threatened a bit by my command of the techniques. I also learned I am not supposed to be in her sight line during a contraction. Nor am I supposed to be eating a cookie. The contractions are actually quite a bit of work and concentration for both of us.

The baby is fine and everyone says it is beautiful....based on what I don't know since it is still inside Molly and no one is doing an ultrasound or anything. Apparently 145 heartbeats per minute passes for "beautiful" up here. It's just like grade inflation...rather than praising the specific heartbeat performance of the baby, we lavish the flattering term "beautiful" on the whole baby himself/herself. This of course will cause our baby to expect unearned praise throughout it's life and we will be stuck with him deep into his twenties, living on the third floor of our house surrounded by countless "participation" soccer trophies, while occasionally covering the night shift in a comics book store. Role playing games will undoubtedly be involved throughout his early adulthood. Maybe a pet reptile.

S/He needs to be Palinized...you know, go out and kill a moose with your bare hands and then move rapidly from cutting ribbons at Walmart knock off stores in (extreme) suburban Alaska to having sassy hockey-mom trade talks with V. Putin--all without having to remove your $800 everyday American mom designer glasses to wipe the sweat off your smooth, unnervingly worry-free beauty contestant brow. Oh, a dad can dream can't he?

Speaking of tough frontier women, when we came in to get a "look see" last night, they hooked Molly up to a monitor and looked at a graft that to me seemed to be replicating Bryce Cannon in Arizona. Apparently the buttes were contractions. They kept looking at Molly and then looking at the monitor and saying "You don't feel that? Nothing?" Molly of course was embarrassed by all the attention and starting talking to the nurses about their families, hometowns, etc...she wanted everyone to feel comfortable and not put out by the imposition of her apparent labor in the middle of the night. I thought she was going to break into an info session for Princeton. Other nurses came in to look at her monitor and marvel over the woman of steel. They seem less impressed with me (but they hadn't seen my breathing techniques or my command of the information given during the various birthing classes). Even now that it is getting harder, she is just stoically enduring the pain...she looks like one of those Dustbowl women in Dorthea Lange's photographs. Resolute to it all but somehow saintly in her misery. We will see....there is a Pakastani family next store and it seems like there are alot of extended family in there so perhaps I can get in on that action. My breathing techniques cross all language barriers...I will probably be asked to volunteer at the hospital. With the baby I am not sure if I will have the time, but I do love to be of service to mankind...

I will try and get a web feed going for the birth. I haven't talked to Molly about it yet but I think she will be thrilled as she has been very impressed with my new found computer skills.


Birthday shout outs to Kevin Bracken!!! He is kind to share the day with Baby Yoda. Kevin works for Budweiser which basically means you can tie one on for your birthday and put it on your corporate account. Pretty good deal if you can get it.

OK, Molly needs some of my support. She isn't asking but I can tell. I am going to wake her up and tell her to breath, focus, and that I am here for her. Wish me luck!!!

Hydroponic Hexes...

I've been under water dealing with water problems this past week. At the midpoint of last week one of my co-workers Debra H. stopped me in the hall and said she had a vision and Molly would begin labor that evening at 11:30pm. If my memory serves me correctly, she was holding a little "Molly stick figure" and was burning sage and swirling the smoke around the tiny acorn nut belly on the Mollydoll. A little creepy to be sure, but working in student affairs has made me accepting of all belief systems (Wiccan, Pagan, snake handling evangelicals speaking in tongues...I've given Princeton's money to them all.) Well, later that very night, Molly and I hear rushing water downstairs at the exact time of Debra's prediction...the back of our toilet tank has inexplicably shattered and water is gushing everywhere. A few days later our hot water heater went out. We are going broke cleaning up after Debra's misplaced spells... Speaking of cleaning up, my boss' husband was kind enough to come over and help me replace our toilet. What a great professional development moment for me, my boss watches her husband pull our toilet out of the bathroom while I ineffectually hand tools to him and basically feel like a 13 year old. While I was tempted to buy the new toilet with the gift cards we got at the beautiful baby shower my office hosted for us this past week (the baby will use the toilet at some point in the future so it technically would be a valid use of the cards) I resisted and instead bought a bookcase for the baby's room. More furniture to stain. I can't tell if we need all this furniture or if perhaps I have begun an addiction to the sweet powerful smell of polyurethane fumes. I do know I wake up in the middle of the night and go down for a quick clear coat hit...that can't be a good sign. Does Promises in Malibu have a furniture treatment treatment program?

The water associations was not all negative this week. We did get to Spring Lake to enjoy a great day at the beach. The waves were pretty rough so Molly and baby just went for a quick swim. I tried to ride some waves and it felt like I was getting caught in car crashes. It felt great to be outside all day and as the start of the academic year is right around the corner it was nice to have a quintessential Jersey summer experience. All we needed was to close the night out with a smooth ride home in a cherry Camaro blaring Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet", my proud brown mullet fluttering in the cool Jersey shore breeze. Garden State gorgeousity.