Wife tested positive for...Baby

Christmas Day | 1/09/2004 | Flightdeck

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Don't know the gender, so...

Congratulations

[redhead]

<"Thanks, and you know what parents say: "I hope you have a kid like you". God help me."

Heh! The curse works. My youngest is the father of TWO boys just like he was. I always told him I hoped he grew up to have kids JUST LIKE HIM. It really does a mom's heart good to hear her kids say repeatedly, "You were right, Mom!"

[redhead]

"Read Dobson. That wonderful man taught me how to be a mom. A good mom. Just the fact that you are even thinking about it makes the odds of you being a successful parent almost 100%"

A great big ditto here. Whatever you do, whatever you HAVE to do, you must get a copy of Dobson's "STRONG-WILLED CHILD." It will save your sanity when your child is older (especially a teen).

[armymarinemom]

Congrats!!! Don't worry so much, you have plenty of time to worry. It sounds like you will do a great job just by the way you realize what a responsibity rasing a child holds.

[Hildy]

Mazel Tov...This is the best vanity anyone can post!!!!

[Salvation]

May God bless you and your wife abundantly.

[Salvation]

**No love exists like that of a child to their parents. Drink it up cause it is a pure as the driven snow.**

And then remember this quote:

"Grandchildren are your reward for now drowning your teenagers."

From a mother of five!

[AndrewB]

As father of three I give this advice: For God's sake man! Don't let it out!

[WV Mountain Mama]

As the mother of a 29 month old and a 5 month old (both boys), I wish you the best of luck. My husband says that the first 6 months are the hardest, and I say that you just need to keep it in perspective. It is such a short time that they are babies, and you need to enjoy it. You won't be able to make every decision for your child forever, so make them count, and that will be the strong foundation in which your child will use to make all of their decisions. May God bless you, your wife and that precious little baby!

[SnarlinCubBear]

bttt...I KNEW it was you.

[kimmie7]

Congratulations!

2 pieces of advice:

...the 'sleep now' thing is true

...when the package says 8-10 pounds it's true. that's all they'll hold!

j/k

[kimmie7]

diaper package...should've said diaper package!

[FoxPro]

Invest in some valium.

After my dad had his fifth kid back in 1963, the doctor gave him a bottle of scotch. He has been in rehab a half dozen times by now.

[BlessedBeGod]

Congratulations! I'll keep you and your family in my prayers.

Good luck!

[pax_et_bonum]

"Deciding to have a child is choosing to have your heart walking around outside your body for the rest of your life."

I'm not sure where I read this, but it's true.

Congratulations!

[Triple Word Score]

Don't have just one. Someday you'll get to watch them play chess together, doing little chess-piece voices and making up all kinds of creative new rules. Cracks me up.

[cowgirlcutie]

You are starting an exciting and wonderful time in your lives, enjoy every second of your child being little, because it goes by faster than anyone can even tell you. God Bless you, your wife, and your new blessing.

[sauropod]

Welcome to parenthood. It is tremendously fulfilling and heartbreaking at the same time.

And raise them to be conservatives, pls ;-).

[slowhandluke]

Congratulations!

Here's a list of books to read to your child, it's what our boys liked, and what my wife found to be enjoyed by the kids in her pre-school class.

Children's Books We Like  -

Note - this list covers beginning books up to age 4/5.

Brown, Margaret Wise
	Good Night Moon
	Runaway Bunny

Crews, Donald
	Freight Train - anything else

DePaola, Tommy
	Anything he does is good
	Clown of God
	Strega Nona
	He has a book of fairy tales and one of Bible stories

Keats, Ezra Jack
	Snowy Day
	Regards to the Man on the Moon
	Whistle for Willie
	Maggie and the Pirate

Brett, Jan
	The Mitten

Favorites whose author I can't remember:

Owl Moon
Mama Cat has three kittens
On mother's lap
Father Fox's Pennyrhymes
Mean Soup

Waddell
	Owl Babies - available in several formats, include board book

Joosse
	Mama, do you love me?  - this is the approximate
                    title, it's a lovely Eskimo story

Aruego, Jose
	Whose Mouse are you?  - maybe Aruego is the illustrator, 
        in which case I think I have the correct title - cute book.

Ehlert, Lois
	Feathers
	Snowball (I think she wrote this one, it is a must!)

Marshall, James  (or some of these might be by Edward 
                Marshall, pics by James)
	Goldilocks and the 3 bears
	Look up all of his stuff at the library, 
               he's very talented and funny
	Three by the Sea  - and - Fox on Wheels are early readers
	Wings

Cohen, Miriam
	Will I have a friend

Curtis, Jamie Lee
	Now I am 4 (or some such title)

Asch, Frank
	Mooncake and all the other moon books

Baylor, Byrd
	Lots of beautiful books about the Arizona and its Indians 

Ahlberg, Janet and Allen
	Each Peach Pear Plum  (this one is a must!)
	The Jolly Postman
		
Lindgren, Astrid
	The Tomten and the Fox

Hoban, Tana - lots of books for earlier childhood that 
          teach color and shape with interesting photos

Hoban, Russell
	Bedtime for Frances  - and all the Frances books 

Wells, Rosemary
	Morris and the Disappearing Bag

Steig, William ( the child needs to be read this at 
               about age 6 unless interested earlier)
	The Amazing Bone
	Dr. DeSota
	Pete's a Pizza - can be read earlier

Van Allsburg, Chris (I don't remember the correct 
          spelling of the name, look under V)
	The Polar Express
	The Garden of Abdul Gasazi
	Jumanji - beware, this is scary if the child
                really gets into the story )

For first books, look for these authors
	Oxenbury
	Sendak  In the night kitchen
		Chicken Soup with Rice

Minarik, Else Holmelund
	Little Bear's Visit - and other Little Bear titles

On a different tack, there's a book by Ron Taffel, 'Nurturing Good Children Now' that is useful. It runs down a list of 12 characteristics or skill that need to be taught to children, e.g. both independence (being able to work alone, on task) and working in teams/groups. My wife reviews it from time to time to help understand what is goining on in her pre-school class, and to be sure she covers the whole range of things.

This isn't a Dr Spock type set of rules, but more a list of don't-forget-this things. It might be useful to help pick a list of books that covers a wider range of topics.

[carlo3b]

I KNEW it was you.

It's that sappy Italian father stuff that's a dead giveaway isn't it?.. yeah I know.. can't help myself.. :)