More pictures of Ammon

I think these picture of Ammon are some of the best ones yet! These were taken at a wedding we attended, by one of my good friends who also happened to be the photographer at the wedding. It was kind of funny to see her spend as much time as she did taking pics of Ammon instead of the wedding party. I'm not complaining at all though.

Our First Date

Tonight, Rachel and I left Ammon with someone other than family for the first time. She knows them real well, but I don't. They seemed to know what they were doing though. I called my mom to ask her what the going rate for babysitters is since my youngest sister is frequently called upon to do that sort of thing. She said $3.50 an hour for just one kid. I don't know if that is high or low or average. Anyway, for our first night out together without Ammon, we went to a movie and dinner. We saw Meet the Robinsons in 3-D and that was pretty neat. I enjoyed how the special effects didn't really detract or take away from the movie story at all. I have seen a few other 3-D movies and they always try to wow you with the effects at the expense of the story. But not this one, I was pleasantly surprised. I will probably end up buying the movie when it comes out on DVD.
Then for dinner we went to Billy McHales and I had a rib-eye and Rachel opted for soup and salad. She got a weird soup that she didn't like and also didn't eat. She also decided to go sing in the karaoke bar, so I ended up eating most of my diner alone. Sad. But it made Rachel happy, since our karaoke system has been down since out stereo blew up. She enjoys singing very much, so I am going to have to do something about getting a new stereo pretty quick. That and it's no fun watching movies with the sound coming through the TV.

A Week Later...

As our story continues, there is nothing new to report. Rachel has started her new job, and she seems pretty happy with it for the most part. I am almost finished with Ammon's crib, and have started on the dresser, but with the way the schedule is working out, I don't see that getting done any time soon. Ammon has started to laugh more regularly, and be more interactive instead of reactive. He also slept through the night for the first time on Wednesday and that was great, let me tell you. Getting a full nights sleep is something I've needed for a while now. Hopefully it's something we can expect a little more regularly from now on.

I Don't Have A Title

Today I don't have a title. There are a few things I would like to talk about. First: overly emotional cousins. I just don't understand sometimes why people act the way they do. I asked one of my cousins today if her brother was going to show up at the event we were at, and she said no. My brother who was standing right beside her said that no he wasn't going to be there because he was working. I said "That figures" and then she got mad and said something to the effect of "whatever, I don't want to hear any of your negativity toward members of my family" or some such nonsense and I was totally blow away by the hostility in her attitude and voice. My cousin is always working, and doesn't make it to a lot of family functions, so it figures that the reason he was not in attendance was that he was working. Anyway, I didn't quite know how to respond to that much negativity, seeing as how I really didn't understand where it was coming from. Maybe she thought that I was criticizing the her brothers absence or something. So I said that one of my brothers was not going to be there either, that he was at a Mariners game instead. I don't know, maybe I was trying to level the playing field or something. Anyway, I turned away before I could say anything more that I might regret later. She just has problems with me and I am tired of it.
So that was a real positive start to the evening, but things got better when I saw Wendy. I didn't even think that she was going to be there. But I should have guessed, since she has been the photographer at all the other events. I have been trying to get her to come over to take pictures of Ammon for weeks, but she hasn't made it yet. She's hasn't been at the top of her game lately. Anyway, it was good to see her and catch up on life and her kids lives. She did manage to get some very good shots of Ammon while we were there though. I'll have her send me the files so I can post some of them. She just seems to have a way of taking the perfect picture. I guess that's what makes people good photographers.
I was also able to catch up with some other cousins that I don't see very often and was able to confirm that indeed Dale and Jen are pregnant. My grandmother is going to have a new great-grandchild to brag to all her friends about. I have a feeling that they are going to start coming more quickly now. Three of my brothers are married and three of the Curfmans are married, so that makes eight married grandchildren, including me. Anyway, Jen is seven weeks along. I remember when Rachel was seven weeks along. She was always worried about getting morning sickness but never did. Apparently Jen is having the same luck so far, so good for them. Seven weeks and you are still trying to get used to the idea that you are going to have a baby. It's pretty exciting, and kind of nerve-racking and scary at the same time. Dale said something funny though; he said, "We had been trying to get pregnant for a while now, and we were starting to get worried that there was something wrong with one of us." I looked at him with a wry smile and said, "A while huh. Rachel and I were married five years before we were able to have a baby, so don't give me a while. Five years is a while. a few months is a drop in the bucket." But I guess from his perspective a few months was a significant portion of their marriage; they have only been married for about a year now. But we had a good laugh about it. I wish they lived closer, Dale and Jeff and their wives. I like them and would like to see more of them.
Then with some other cousins we started talking about women in high heels. I just don't get them, at least for the girls. For the guy, high heels push the girls' butts up and their chests out. So heels=good for guys. But on the other hand, for girls, they are uncomfortable to wear and the shoes distort their posture and their feet. So heels=bad for girls. And yet women always wear them whenever they dress up for any occasion. They just can't really be comfortable in those shoes. The things people do...

Inspiration

It seems like the only time I have to do this is when Rachel and Ammon are sleeping. That is really the only time I get to myself anymore. Not that I really regret it, but I find I can't get through books like I used to, or get stuff done around the house or in the shop anymore. I guess that is what happens when you have a kid... your life ceases to be your own. I think that's ok though. For the most part.

I think that another good thing about having to do all my own stuff after everyone is asleep is that I have a whole day of things to choose from to write about. A whole day's worth of inspiration, if you will. Today I think the most exciting thing is that Ammon has really started to use his hands for grabbing, not just hitting. Not hitting, but like he didn't know how to grab at things when he wanted to interact with them, so he had to bonk them around with closed fists. Not much you can do if you can't figure out how to open you hands and grab things. And it's not just the clutching reflex either....
He also has started to giggle. He has always been a very happy kid, smiling all the time and making happyish sounds, but just recently he has started to giggle. It's cute. And exciting at the same time, to see him growing and progressing like he is.
Ah, the joys of bing a father.

Today the Second

So I just got home from work, and my back is killing me. Tonight during the package re-load, I was assigned to work in the cans. The cans are bad. They make me mad. I was not glad. The cans are about 8'x10' and packages come down the belt too fast for any one person to scan them AND load them at the same time. Especially when you get ten or more in a row that weigh 100lbs or more. That is what I hate most about working for FedEx Express. Working in the cans. I can hardly believe that we hire people to just work in the cans. They come to work for about two hours and just work in the cans. Maybe tomorrow I will take a picture and post it so I have proof as to how bad it really is, just in case someone out there doesn't believe me.

Now on to happier things...

I was able to mow the lawn today. That made me feel good to get out and work in the yard. It was pretty nice today and I got the lawn all mowed nice and pretty, I whacked away at the photinias today and made some good progress there. They have been so out of control lately. But they make for a great hedge. I also did some repair work on the stream/pond I built in the backyard. Al in all, a productive day. Also, the stain has dried on the crib parts so tomorrow I will try to find some time to go out and treat them with some polyurethane and finish that project up so I can start on the changing table/dresser. Ammon is three months old and he still doesn't have a real crib yet...
That's ok though because Rachel still doesn't let him sleep on his own. She will put him in the travel crib we have and then put that right beside the bed, but as soon as he starts fussing, she picks him right up. I think he has her trained. But all that will change once the crib is done.

Today the First

Well, I guess it's actually the 8th and it might be the 9th by the time finish, but it is my first official post to my new blog, so I think the title is appropriate.

A little about me and my family: My name is Nathan, I am 27 years old, my birthday is in January and my SSN is #########. Can I also interest you in bank account numbers or credit cards? Anyway, I currently work for Fedex Express, and no I can't get you any really good deals. So don't ask. I am also trying to get up the nerve to go back to school and finish Calculus so that way I can stop working for Fedex Express and get into a job that I might actually like to do...

My wife's name is Rachel. She is also 27, older by 1.5 months. She works for US Bank and yes, she can get you some good deals. That is her job, and she is really good at it. She enjoys singing, chick-flicks and dumb movies, and being a mom. And shopping.


My son's name is Ammon. It is is pronounced like hammond, but without the h and the d. He was born 3 months ago, and is growing up very quickly. I can hardly believe how fast it's going by. He doesn't fit into the same clothes he fit into last week, but I still see him that small and so I still try to put him into those clothes.


Well, that's my small family (so far). I am not sure what else to put into this post since I don't know exactly who is going to be reading it. I just thought it would be nice to put some thoughts down once in a while and I am not much for writing in a journal. I am however on the internet, and so maybe this blog will inspire me to be better at the whole journal thing. I don't know. What ever.