"I slept like a baby"

That saying makes absolutely NO sense ... unless you mean to say that you slept intermittently for very brief periods of time at the exact opposite time of day that the rest of the world was sleeping. If you use it in that sense, then I guess the saying is perfectly accurate and acceptable to use. However, any usage of this saying to imply that you had a nice, restful sleep at night is just plain inaccurate and, quite frankly, it is just downright mean if you continue misusing the phrase -- you are giving new parents around the world the false impression that babies are good sleepers.

Early Photos

Well, Jackson (and all his black hair) are finally here! We're SO in love with Jackson already, everyone is just going to have to indulge our feelings of self-importance as we begin to post VOLUMES of pictures of him. I'm not sure how long this phase is going to last, but hopefully you can bear with us through it.......



"LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY BEST FRIEND...."


TIRED, BUT HAPPY FAMILY


PROUD GRANDPARENTS

UPDATE: OFFICIAL EVICTION NOTICE ......

Dr. Raff, Indiana Univeristy Medical Center, hereby serves upon the unborn child soon to be known as Jackson Christopher with this EVICTION NOTICE. You are hereby given timely and proper notice that have until 8:00am EST on Thursday, February 23, 2006, to leave your mother's womb of your own free will, or you will be forcibly removed by induction at that date and time. You have no right to appeal this decision.

February is Here, Oh Dear!

Here are some facts about Jackson's birth month and year....

Birthstone: Amethyst
February Flower: Primrose

February is "Black History Month".

Famous (and not-so-famous) People Born in February:

Langston Hughes (2/1)
James Joyce (2/2)
Charles Lindbergh (2/4)
Babe Ruth (2/6)
Ronald Reagan (2/6)
Julie Tovey (2/6)
Charles Dickens (2/7)
William Henry Harrison (2/9)
Denise Cannon (2/9)
Thomas Edison (2/11)
Abraham Lincoln (2/12)
Charles Darwin (2/12)
Galileo (2/15)
Christopher Maples (2/18)
Richard Nixon (2/21)
Shirley Maples (2/21)
George Washington (2/22)

2006 is the Chinese "Year of the Dog". It is the 11th year in the 12 year Chinese calendar cycle. Other dog years include 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, & 1994. As the saying goes: "A man's best friend is his dog." People born in the Year of the Dog have fine traits and a deep sense of loyalty. They are honest, faithful, and generous and make good friends. They have a strong sense of justice and are crusaders of social justice and human rights' issues. They make great leaders and inspire others. Dogs are not materialistic, yet they always seem to have money and excel in business. Dog people are most compatible with people born in the years of the horse, tiger, and rabbit. However, dog people can be selfish, obstinate and eccentric. They can be critical, sarcastic, and known for their sharp tongues. Because of their introverted nature, many dog people appear to be cold and aloof in social situations. Privately, they tend to worry a lot and may become cynical.

Famous (and no-so-famous) People Born in a Year of the Dog: Elvis Presley, Socrates, G.W. Bush, G.H.W. Bush, William Clinton, George Gershwin, Benjamin Franklin (I used to LOVE his store!), Herbert Hoover, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Donald Trump, Steven Spielberg, Cher, Golda Meir, Winston Churchill, Confucius, Albert Einstein, Harry Houdini, Judy Garland, Sophia Loren, Shirley MacLaine (at least for one of her births), Patricia Laschober, & Maureen Laschober.

I know that Chris is happy with all of these references to U.S. Presidents being born in February and in dog years...the only problem is that they HEAVILY favor Republican presidents (Lincoln, Hoover, Nixon, Reagan, GHW BUsh, & GW Bush). There is only one Democrat on the list (Clinton). How tragic for Chris that if his son becomes President of the U.S., he will likely be a Republican! Chris must have REALLY pissed God off....either that, or God is a comic genius.

Any Good Movie Rental Suggestions?

So, Chris and I got a baby gift from some of my friends....a rental subscription to Netflix. Sounds like a great idea since frequent moving going will soon be a thing of the past! Only problem is trying to put together our list of movies to rent. If you have seen any good movies lately or see them in the near future, let us know so we can add it to our list of movies to rent.

YIKES!!

The final countdown is now LESS than 30 days.....scary.

Updated Photos of the Nursery

Although there hasn't been much interesting news to share, we actually have been very busy trying to put all of our shower gifts away and to finalize everything else for Jackson's arrival -- for proof, check out these updated photos of the nursery.