New Pictures

My parents have told me that they do not want to see pictures of Emily and I. They want pictures of Isaac. Last night, I removed all pictures of them from the house, but I am slightly afraid of not providing them more pictures. This is his halloween outfit, not that he's going trick or treating.
This week has been hectic. I've had my actual chaplain responsibilities along with having to draw more gear for deployment and going through another round of medical exams and vaccinations.

I'm at home with Isaac today, and Em is at work. Its kind of an interesting change from the last six weeks. Isaac is going to be waking up soon, so I need to finish this up so I can fold laundry.

Well, he does live in TX

OK, this picture really doesn't do justice to what I'm going to talk about. Isaac has a mullet. In case you don't know what a mullet is (Mom)...a mullet is a haircut that is longer in the back, but short on the top and front. Isaac's hair is noticeably longer around his collar. I'm guessing this is because he moves his head around a lot while sleeping, but it could also have something to do with the fact that his mother liked Billey Ray Cyrus circa 1994. For those who have no idea what that means, google it.

Otherwise, today was a large step in Isaac's life. Emily returned to work, and he had his first day at the babysitter's house. She said all went well. Emily seemed to enjoy her new school, and she handled her first day apart from Isaac fairly well.

Sick of being sick

We're home from the hospital...again. After approximately 3 days of Isaac being a little fussier than normal and a little less playful, he got sick. He'd been sneezing for a while, but Monday afternoon/evening, he began to run a fever. At the advice of the emergency room nurses, we took Isaac in late Monday night. The poor little guy had to go through all kinds of tests, including a spinal tap. All of the tests, except for one that got sent to the wrong lab, have returned negative. We were able to bring Isaac home today and were told to keep a watch for fever, appetite loss, etc. Your thoughts and prayers will be appreciated as baby (and parents!) recover.

New Pictures

OK, I finally got around to it. Everyone can take a break from griping about no new pictures of Isaac. No, he does not sleep in the bed with Emily and I. I fed Isaac his early morning bottle, and we both fell asleep while Em was in the shower. There is another picture of Isaac witnessing yet another Ole Miss loss. I should be ashamed of myself for trying to teach him to be an Ole Miss fan. Another picture is after Isaac's first day in the nursery at church.

Comparing Experiences

Much to the disappointment of some friends, and at least one family member, I've not done a great deal of gushing about Isaac. At least one of the reasons is that so many people I know speak as though no one else has ever loved a child like they have. I just don't want to be that guy. There is one comparison that I realized this week. When my wife and I began dating I bored everyone I knew with descriptions of her. I described her personality, appearance, goals, personal history, and every other little thing about her. Isaac's arrival has actually had the opposite approach. When people ask about him, I normally just say that he eats well and sleeps through the night. I don't mind the questions. I appreciate that people want to celebrate along with us. For whatever reason, I just don't find myself as verbose about Isaac. Its not that I am not excited, moved, or any of those things. Perhaps those are just the differences between the two types of love. Maybe its just a different point of life for me. OK, I think that should complete my rambling for the evening.

Getting busier.

If I don't update on the baby, I'll get all type of nasty emails asking for another picture of Isaac, so here we go...This picture was taken last weekend when Mom and Dad came to visit. They don't even claim to have come to see Em and I. From the very first mention of coming, they readily said they were coming to see Isaac. Some nights he wakes up for a feeding, but most of the time he sleeps all the way through the night. He's adjusting well to the schedule. He had his two week appointment yesterday and has gained almost a pound and 1.75 inches. I think the length is a little much. I tend to think his first measurement in the hospital may have been short.

My battalion is mostly back now, which I'm excited to see. I'm trying to get to know the companies right now. My assistant's flight came in yesterday afternoon, so I finally have meet the other half of my Unit Ministry Team. He seems like a really great guy. I'm now back to doing PT with a group instead of alone. This Monday should be an experience. I'm doing PT with my commander. He ran track in college. This could hurt a little.

I need to go. Emily has someone coming over to see the baby, and I suppose I should shower and shave (Yes Mom, I mean my head when I talk about shaving).