My Son, Logan

It's only been 2-1/2 weeks, but it seems like 2-1/2 MONTHS! I hear it's that way. It feels like an eternity, but when you look back, you're amazed at how time just flew by.

On March 17, 2008 (St. Patrick's Day!) my son Logan was born. Weighing in at 6lbs. 14ozs, and arriving at 5:49 pm, he sent tears of joy down my face when I saw him for the first time. I can remember the look of utter exhaustion on my poor wifes face as the doctor laid him on her chest. Finally we got to meet our little boy.

The first night was a blur. We tried so hard to wrap our minds around it all. This infant, still a fetus in a sense, sleeping in the crib at the base of the bed. What now? What do we do? what was that sound? What would we have done without that nursing staff? Those ladies were the best. Oh how we wanted to just take them home with us! To hand them our son for the night so that we could sleep...priceless.






Now, two weeks later, we have a much better handle on things, but I have to admit, we're still making it up as we go along. We ask a lot of questions, and research as much as we can, but there never seem to be enough "answers". A lot of suggestions and a lot of theories, some better than others, but we try them all. In the end, we take it one day at a time.

Amy holds it down. She is queen bee. She works night and day to take care of the little guy, and I know he pushes her patience to the limit. At night, he is inconsolable. I do what I can, but I have work to focus on. I come home at lunch to give her a break, and I do what I can around the house so she doesn't have to. I am very proud of what she does and I think she is doing a wonderful job.

Let me add this: A million thanks to all of you who have helped us out over the past two, almost three, weeks. The food has been the biggest help. Not having to cook makes a world of different. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

What? Wait a Minute....

Tests are done. Not sure how I did. You never can tell. You just have to wait 4 weeks for the result and hope for the best. Since September, I've spent my time focusing on the tests and hoping the baby wouldn't come before or during. Now that those are behind me, I've been hit with the realization that "holy crap, we're having a baby". It was always on the horizon, AFTER my tests. Now, it's right now.

Though the baby is not due until March 26th, it doesn't look like we are going to make it to that. This weekend, the baby will be 38 weeks which is safe for delivery. With Amy having high blood pressure, the doctor is concerned with the onset of preeclampsia. For that reason, they will induce labor on Monday. Looks like we are going to have a St. Patrick's Day baby. Fitting then that his name is Logan.

Stay tuned...

Throw on Your Game Face!

Okay. Here we are. March. Time to put your game face on. This time next week, I will hopefully be taking sections A&B of the LARE, and section D on Wednesday. I say "hopefully" because we have entered the realm of "it can happen any day" in terms of the arrival of our little boy. Amy is now 1 cm dilated, and 80% effaced. She can have the baby in a week, or she could go past her due date and have it in a month. You just don't know. So, let's cross our fingers that little Logan waits until after the 13th. I'm game for any day after that. It won't be long folks! He's almost here!

(Wish me luck on the tests! )

Mug Shot

Once again, Amy and I met the whole family yesterday at Clearview Ultrasound to take another gander at 'ol Logan. Last time we took a peek, Logan wanted nothing to do with it. Said Sandi, the woman who gave the ultrasound, "you know, if they don't have a name yet, they often don't show their face." With not one glimpse of his face, Amy and I decided to give him a name before our next visit. His name: Logan.

When we first took a look during our second session, he was in exactly the same position. We were afraid that, once again, he wouldn't show his face. What's more is he wasn't moving around; He was asleep. Go figure, we ate turkey for lunch. So, to get the baby moving, Sandi gave Amy some chocolate (sugar) to get him going...and it worked. For the rest of the session, he kept his hands out of his face. What we saw next was the face of a baby that looks so much like me it's unreal. As my sister said, he's an Amy version of me. But enough. What do you think?...









My nose maybe? Amy's eyes? Whatever the similarities, it's amazing to see his face already. To be able to see facial expressions....wow. In a way you feel like you're cheating. In the same way some people don't want to know the sex of their child until their born, I guess some wouldn't want to know what the baby looks like until they arrive. Amy and I on the other hand are all about it. We are excited at having the technology available to us. It was a surprise when we saw him yesterday, and when he finally arrives in a few weeks, we'll be able to see him with even greater clarity. Through the various ultrasounds, we've been able to see him with just a little more clarity each time. Like a variable lens scope, the distant object gets closer and closer with each adjustment. 1x....2x....4x....8x.....birth. It's exciting and Amy and I can't wait to hold him in our hands.

Looking Back on 2007

Rolling into 2007, I imagined that the year would bring many great things. Sure, in the whole cosmic theater of life, 2007 is probably no different than any other year, but to me I felt it to be "special", whatever that means. Lucky number seven I guess. Rather than set my sights on any specific resolution (since most resolutions fade after a month or so), I set forth with the notion that this year I would make the most of everything. The problem with such a broad focus is that there really is no measure of whether you succeeded or not, especially if you are an overly critical person such as myself. I'm sure I could beat myself up and say "damn, if only I pushed a little harder". But in the end, would it have made for any better of a year? That being said, I think it's more important to focus of what I did accomplish, rather than what more I COULD have accomplished.

The year of 2007 did indeed prove to be a very special year. I think it goes without saying that the highlight of the year was the conception of our little boy. With 3 more months to go, the joy of birth will actually fall in 2008, but so much happens in the "9 months" leading up to that special day. Thanks to such modern technologies as 3d ultrasound, I feel as though I already know the guy. That and he kicks my arm at night when I rest it on Amy's belly as if to try to knock it from atop his very cramped quarters. So, Logan alone has made my year very very special.

So much more has happened, however small they may appear in comparison, that have also made 2007 s great year. For example, I started taking the LARE. Yes, if I had pushed a little harder, I probably could have finished this year, but would I have had the time to do the other many great things I did this summer? The important thing is that I started, and the sections that I DID take, I passed with flying colors.

Right around the time I was testing, and perhaps this is the reason I got distracted, I found a couple of canoes on Craig's List. I had been looking for a deal on Craig's List for some time, so needless to say I was excited to finally have them ("Them" strikes me as funny because I really did not set out to get two, but I'm glad I did). Living in Austin, it is almost essential to own a canoe if you spend as much time outside as I do. Whether fishing with my dad or taking a leisure paddle with Amy, those canoes gave me access to many places I had not yet explored.

All in all I spent more time hunting and fishing this year than I have in a long time. Much of that was valuable time spent with my father. In fact, I spent more quality time with my family in general this year. I think it's the revived sense of family Amy and I have obtained since she got pregnant....yes I said "she". Let's face it, even though we are in this together, I'm not the one who has to shove a baby out of my crotch. She alone will hold that over our son's head when he lacks gratitude...

...Family. Perhaps that is the greatest accomplishment of 2007. Whatever the reason, I've seen my family, and my extended family, grow closer together over these 12 months. Above all else stands the bonds you share with family. So important are those ties, especially when family gets placed on the back burner in modern politics and pop culture. Of course, much of this may stem from the start of my own immediate family, but I think all of us will agree that this has been a good year for growing closer together.

With that being said, I think my New Years Resolution for 2008 is to just be the best father and husband that I can be. Anything that I accomplish beyond that is icing on the cake.

I Spy Baby

Last Friday our families gathered to see something they've never seen before. Our little tiger squirm around in Amy's belly. Not only that, they got to see it in "3D". No, there were no blue and red goggles involved, and no, the baby did not jump out at you resulting in a room full of spilled popcorn. There was, however, a large screen on the wall so that everyone in the room could see it all. In the end, we all walked away feeling as though we know a little more about the little guy in question.

Our hour long session was at Clearview Ultrasound. During the session we were able to see our baby move around, and for the most part, hide his face. That's right, he wanted nothing to do with us and was determined to keep his face hidden. You'd think that after seeing his balls on the big screen that showing his face wouldn't be a problem. But I guess he figured we had seen enough for that day. So instead we focus on the rest of him, all the while trying to get him to roll over.









The picture, like the regular ultrasound, took a minute to get used to, but once you were oriented, you could see muscles flex (and he's got guns), folds in the skin, and even hair. But as I mentioned before, it's the face you're after. The doctor said to us, "you know, it's usually the babies that don't have a name yet that refuse to show their face." Maybe next time then he'll show us his face. What do you think Logan? Will you throw us a bone?

RC-102

This past summer my father and I were selected for a management hunt at the Richland Creek WMA. These selections are based on drawings conducted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife and allow for a fair method of selection for which the general public can participate in wildlife management hunts within various State Parks and Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). The hunt in which my father and I participated was last week, and was the first deer hunt I have ever been on. Though I've been hunting before, this was the first opportunity I've had to hunt deer. Let me tell you, I'm hooked.

Leaving Austin around 2pm on Monday, the drive to RCWMA was nice...once you get off I-35 in Waco....oh yeah and get out of Waco for that matter. The sun was low on the horizon when I finally got to camp, and as I drove up the dirt road to the camp grounds, I could see my father talking it up with another hunter who came up from the Lake Jackson area. I joined the conversation and as the sun began to set you could feel the cold damp air coming from the lake which was about 1/4 of a mile away and 30' above us in elevation. My father and I soon rushed to set up camp before it got dark, and by the time the stars had revealed their position and the orange moon peaked through the bare branches of the trees, we were enjoying a cold beer and talking about the next days hunt.

With a check in time of 11:30, we had plenty of time to get everything together before orientation. None the less, my father and I were up and moving with the rising sun. Dew hung heavily on every surface and the sky was clear and blue.
By the time all the hunters gathered for orientation, the day had warmed to a comfortable 72 degrees. The order of business in the orientation was simply to go over the procedures of the hunt and explain what was a legal harvest and what was not. Added to the list of legal harvest were hogs and coyotes, though neither would ever make it into my sights. By the time all the paper work was signed and we were shown to our compartments, it was mid afternoon, giving us just enough time to scope out the hunting grounds and get ready for the evening hunt. I ended up setting up a temporary blind (using camouflage netting and underbrush) on the edge of some heavy thicket that gave me a couple of choice lines of sight. My father on the other hand worked a game trail on the other side of the compartment. As the sun moved lower and lower in the sky, I began to see what the bulk of deer hunting involves....waiting. To sit still and quietly wait is hard, but once you get lost in thought, time seems to slip by. I didn't see much that evening, though a Bobcat trotted by about 15-20 yards away. As the sun set, signaling and end to shooting time, I packed my bags and walked towards the truck.

Rising early the next morning at 5 am sharp, we heated up some water for coffee and oatmeal and were off and to the blinds by 5:30. After arriving at our compartment and heading our separate ways, I walked lightly towards my blind using the available moonlight. The air was cold and damp and after getting settled and beginning the wait, I could feel it seep through my clothing. Luckily the sun rose quickly and the mourning doves that had spent the night roosting in the trees behind me took off in search of food. Time went by and it wasn't until about 7:20 that I saw the first movement. Two doe emerged about 350 yards away walking into the opening. They were there for only a moment and soon disappeared into the brush. Again, 10 minutes later, they emerged to feed for a moment, and just as before, dipped back into the brush . I began to see more movement not far from where I saw the first two doe. Frustrated at being so far out of range, I began to check my watch and question whether or not I should stay put or try to work my way towards the crossing. The time was now 8:45 when I finally decided to leave the blind. Leaving everything behind except for for my sidearm and and extra magazine (thought I might get lucky with some hogs even though it was solid daylight) I carefully started to make my way out of the blind. Right then two doe jumped out about 40 yards away. I froze then slowly set might sights on one. As my finger slowly pulled on the trigger, I heard the most frustrating sound: "click". No, I had not forgotten to load the chamber. One problem with my semi-auto rifle: when releasing the the slide, it doesn't always slide all the way closed. Right then, the deer flared their tails and ran off into the brush. With my position compromised, I headed on out of the blind and quietly made my way 20 yards up. Right then the two doe out at 350 yards popped out again. I froze. They lingered for about 15 seconds and walked back out of the clearing. At that point I again moved my way forward. This repeated for the next 30 minutes as I slowly made up 150 yards. The morning dew had soaked the leaves under my foot silencing my advance, and the wind blew lightly in my face. When I finally made up an acceptable distance, I slowly got down on my belly and leveled my rifle. The two doe I had been working were now 150 yards out and closing. Patiently I waited as they got closer. The time was about 8:45 by the time the two deer got within accurate range of 110-120 yards. As I set my crosshairs on one of the doe, a group of 4 popped out at about 50 yards. I quickly changed targets and and fired on a doe in the closer group. Unaware of my position, one of the does from the original group sat nervously on the edge of the brush, but as I leveled my crosshairs on her, she finally decided to make a break. Since she was facing me, I was never able to get a clear broad side shot. I quickly walked to my deer to make sure she was down, then once again took the prone position beside her and waited. I waited for about 15-20 minutes, though I should have waited longer. Sure enough, as I set down my rifle and stirred to move the doe out of the lane, the group she had been with returned to check out the scene, and just as quickly as they came, were gone with white tails flared.

My father soon arrived after flushing a buck my way. A nice buck he had seen in his section, and since they were off limits, I pretended to level my rifle and take a shot. Wish I had my camera on me.

With my knife in hand, my father coached me through field dressing my deer. I must say that it is not so much the smell (which isn't pleasant), but rather the steamy smell that rises up into your face. Nothing quite like it. The whole process took a few minutes and when it was all done, my father congratulated me and smeared my face with blood. "That's tradition", he said, "Now you're officially a deer hunter."







With buzzards now circling, and my zone now clear of activity, we took the deer back to the check station to get it registered. Back at the station, they aged it (a young one of about 1-1/2 years....good tender meat), weighed it, and put it in the walk in cooler so that we could go back to hunting and clean it that evening.

After lunch, my father and I went back to hunting, though we didn't see anything that evening. I had set up in a different location but didn't see a thing. Around dusk I could hear the hogs squabbing with each other and headed my way. Right then the bobcat emerged once again about 20 yards away, though this time he had no idea I was there. The sun set before the hogs ever came, so I loaded up and headed back.

That evening, my father again coached me through the steps up skinning and quartering the deer. We took our time so that we got a good hide (had to tan the hide of my first deer), and got everything into the igloo and back into the walk in cooler.

The next morning started out just as the day before, but noon soon came and we did not get any other deer. I had seen a few out or effective range, and not wanting to gut a deer, I refrained from shooting. Earlier that morning, however, I had again seen the bobcat. It emerged from the brush and immediately saw me a took off. Rather rare to see a bobcat, but to see the same one 3 days in a row was awesome. At noon we headed back to camp, broke camp, then headed to the check station to grab my deer.

On the way back home I thought of the trip and I couldn't help but be sad to leave. Yes, because that meant back to work, but more because I was really having a great time with my dad. Just as he had been there for my first fish, my first duck, etc, he was there for my first deer. That means a lot to me. There's nothing better than your father showing you the ropes.

When I got home that evening I started processing the deer, though I would have to finish the next morning. By noon the next day, I had everything processed into hamburger meat and chili meat, with the back strap and tenderloins set aside for special meals. It felt good to "bring home the bacon" in more of a literal sense. And, to celebrate, I threw two burgers on the grill and chowed down. Good eats!

So, thank you Pop for being there for my first deer hunt. I really had a great time and I hope we can do it again soon. Maybe one day when my boy is old enough, I can share the same memories with him.