Baby Stuff

We went on a hospital tour Sunday afternoon for the birthing wing at Hoag. I was thoroughly impressed! The first thing that I noticed was Hoag does not smell like a hospital. Most hospitals have the same hospital smell, but Hoag didn't smell like anything. The labor and delivery rooms were huge! And the recovery rooms were really nice, too! I didn't get a picture when we were there, but the room looked something like this:



Also, we were informed that the hospital offers a final meal right before the new parents leave. Again, I couldn't get a picture, but I imagine it will look something like this:




Also, last night we had our last child-preparedness class. It was nothing like the first two. It was nice and pleasent and there were no surprises. We just went over pushing techniques and breathing techniques and it was done. So now that we have gone through the training, we are now legally allowed to have this baby.

To All the Coffee Drinkers Out There Who Brew Their Own Cup....

....always always ALWAYS remember to check the filter!!!

For All of You Naysayers!!!

...that means you Michelle McMurtry and Rebecca Wakeling! Click here





Also, click here

Secularization of Knowledge

Until the modern age knowledge was largely produced, controlled, and distributed by priests, monks, and clerics. These people read, thought, and wrote for themselves and for the people. They absorbed and produced knowledge. Most people deferred to the priests, monks, and clerics when it came to knowledge. They accepted the teaching of the priests, monks, and clerics with little opposition. There was little independent thought by ordinary people. Whatever the priest, monk, or cleric said was accepted as true and there was no need to think that it was un-true because they spoke on behalf of God. The priests, monks, and clerics could say whatever they wanted and it would be accepted as God’s truth.

Today the part of the priest, monk, and cleric is played by the university professor and the expert. University professors and experts read, think, and write for themselves and for the people. University professors and experts absorb and produce knowledge. Most people today defer to the university professor and the expert when it comes to knowledge. The teachings of university professors and experts are accepted with little opposition. There is little independent thought by ordinary people. What university professors and experts say is accepted as true and there is no need to think that is in un-true because the professor and expert speak on behalf of Science. University professors and experts can say whatever they want and it will be accepted as Scientific truth.

I am saying this as I am struggling with a class where my world view is diametrically opposed to the professor’s world view. I am being told that what I believe is wrong and that I believe it only because I have been indoctrinated. If I do not believe the same thing that the professor believes then I am wrong because I am opposing ‘Science’. The professor is always right and any opposition has to be corrected to fall in line with the professor. This is the most serious confrontation I have ever had with a professor before, but the most fair. The professor is giving me full credit on my assignments while constantly telling me that my opinions are wrong. Hopefully the rest of the semester will be as fair as the beginning.

Check it!

Look what I made with my own two hands! I chopped, planed, sanded, and stained the wood and then assembled it in the form of a changing table with two drawers. Actually, I took it out of a box and followed the simple instructions that were written in (I think) retarded monkey. The next phase of the nursery is complete.

Man Cub Is Almost Here!!!

Today Michelle's really awesome work put on a really awesome surprise party/baby shower for Michelle and I. They had been planning this for a couple weeks. They called me and said that they were planning this party and inviting everyone from the office and some of the regional managers to surprise Michelle with a baby shower. I was expecting a few people with a small cake and some punch and I thought we would walk away with a couple cute onesies. I severely underestimated Michelle's work friends. There were about 30 people there and there was a huge spread pot luck style and there were more gifts than I would have imagined. We walked away with a car-load of new clothes, blankets, washclothes & towels, toys, and tons of other baby stuff. Michelle has made quite an impression on her co-workers and there was a strong outpouring of love and friendship for Michelle and our little growing family.






The fact that baby (who I will from now on refer to as man-cub) is coming in a very short time is sinking in. I feel like it was Sept. 1 and I blinked and all of a sudden its the 23. Where did those 22 days go?? I feel like I'm going to blink again and I am going to be holding him. I am 95% excited, more excited and expectant than I have ever been with the exception of my wedding day, and 5% nervous that I am going to not be a good father. There have been many people in my life who have shown me how to be a bad father and many people who have shown me how to be a good father. I hope and pray that I am able to be as good of a father as those good examples in my life. I can't wait for my son to get here!

Child-Birth Preparedness Class, Part Deux

Last night Michelle and I went to the second session of our child-birth preparedness class. I thought last week was bad! This week they showed everything that will happen while the mom births the child. They showed crowning, they showed the doctor pulling the baby out of the mother, they had a still picture of a baby in mid-birth with head and one shoulder outside of the mother. Now, I have seen this sort of thing before on the show Baby Story, but they were always kind enough to blur out the 'active' part of the image. There was no blurring in this video. And they didn't turn down the sound of the video, so you got to hear the mother's agony while the baby was half-way out.
I am an adult about this and I know that child-birth is a beautiful and magical miracle from God. I also know that I will feel a lot different when I am watching my wife give birth to my son. But for crying out loud, people! Give me a little warning when you are going to show something like that!