Hol and I (and BBG!) have been very fortunate that we’ve been able to spend just about all day, every day, together for the past three months. But, like all good things, our Summer of Joy has come to an end. Hol has returned to work this morning and I have become a SAHD for real.
I do, however, get to ease in to my new role — on Wednesday Frankiereturns (this time with Grandpa Andy!), then the day Frankie and G’pa Andy leave cousins Isa and Joaquin show up with Uncle Diego and Aunt Annie to visit us and Annie’s family here in the STL, and about a week after that Aunt Kelly (aka Joshua’s Mama) shows up to stay with us for a couple of days. So, I’ll be a stay-at-home-but-not-alone-dad for a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, Sabine, though she will certainly miss having Mom at her beck-and-call, will continue to keep busy refining her whole “Cute? Who? Me?” act throughout all this.
File Under: Things Not To Say Out Loud In Front of Your Pregnant Wife.
Mind you, I wasn’t talking about the late stage, birthing part. I was talking about the stage we covered in last Thursday’s class. Yes, we had our second Natural Birthing Class last Thursday. It covered the stuff that can be done by both the mother – and the father – to help the mother manage the discomfort of her contractions and to make sure the baby is heading for the exit.
And, it’s not the stuff I would be doing to help Hol through the early to middle stages of labor – mostly massaging stuff – that I find found amusing. That would be too easy. No, it’s the stuff the mothers in the video shown were doing. The grimacing, the squatting, the kneeling on the floor with head on bed, the puffing, the slow dancing, and the Captain Morganing that taken as a whole provided the hilarity. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a Natural Birthing Class.)
I was sitting there at lunch on Saturday lost in a reverie where all of this played out on a continuous loop – Hol in constant motion – grimace, squat, Captain Morgan, puff, kneel, puff, slow dance, squat, grimace, repeat. Of course, it didn’t help that apropos of nothing we’d been talking about I blurted it out: “Labor is going to be hilarious!”. Then proceeded to fall apart laughing uncontrollably almost to the point of tears. Followed quickly by frantic, apologizing, of course. (I may be insensitive, but I’m not stupid.)
It might help to know that I was also the guy that almost had to leave the room during our Early Pregnancy Class for fear of embarassing myself, Holly, and the rest of the room with an uncontrollable and admittedly immature guffaw when the instructor said very earnestly, “Some women have huuuge breasts”. (Ladies don’t hate – we’ve each got our coping mechanisms.)
Labor. Hilarious? Discuss. A Baby Grrl! Labs™ Delivery — Credits
Update on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 11:06AM by
Editor
After re-reading this post this morning, I realized that I won’t always be the awesome dad I am now (the kind without an actual kid yet). So, I’ve chosen this post as the first to document the abundance of questionable thoughts and actions I’ll very likely be responsible for as a parent over the next 20 to 60 years. The first “Bad Dad” post. To clarify – and twist the immortal words of Run-D.M.C. – it’s “‘Bad’ meaning ‘bad’! / Not ‘bad’ meaning ‘good’!”.
Promoter Wrath66 is seen here in his new venue getting ready for move-in and the grand opening of the hottest night (and day) spot in the hizzouse, the place to be (whenever BG! cries), the crib in our crib… Club BG!
NOTE: For a slightly better viewing experience, after starting playback, I recommend clicking the “HQ” button that appears above.
Thanks for visiting and an especially hearty “thanks” to everyone who’s made the trip from WTF. I appreciate it. After you’ve enjoyed the opening number, I hope you take a look around the new space and let me know what you think.
In addition to featuring more of my art, Wrath66.com, will have a more focused selection of things that inspire and have inspired me as a person and, dare I say it, as an artist. The above performance from Cabaret, the 1972 musical set in Weimar Republic era Berlin, is one such inspiration.
When my mom took me to see it at six years old1, that performance was the most decadent thing I’d been exposed to by far. Men in makeup! Scantily clad women! Innuendo I didn’t get! Innuendo I did get! Though I may not have been able to intellectualize it at the time, I believe the scene had a powerful impact on me as a “creative in the rough”. Undeniably charged with unbridled creative expression, the joyously lascivious Willkommen, has – when I have cause to think about it – come to represent for me a sort of irreverent anthem for individualism and, to some degree, perseverance in the face of adversity (or at the very least, mild discomfort). And, with the slightly sardonic undercurrent of barely conceled defiance that runs through the performance, I couldn’t think of a more fitting number with which to officially open Wrath66.com.
Willkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome! / Fremder, étranger, stranger. / Glücklich zu sehen. Je suis enchanté. / Happy to see you, bleibe, reste, stay.
I’ve got a backlog of new work to post and talk about and a renewed focus on the sorts of inspiration I’ll be posting. So, while you’re here, why don’t you subscribe by RSS or email – it’s quick and painless – and I hope to see you back here soon.
Your host,
Chris
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1Note to Child Services: After an extended slog along my own decadent path during my twenties, I think I’ve turned out reasonably fine – only lightly scarred by that formative PG experience.
Monday, July 26, 2010 at 8:52AM 
returns (this time with Grandpa Andy!), then the day Frankie and G’pa Andy leave cousins Isa and Joaquin show up with Uncle Diego and Aunt Annie to visit us and Annie’s family here in the STL, and about a week after that Aunt Kelly (aka Joshua’s Mama) shows up to stay with us for a couple of days. So, I’ll be a stay-at-home-but-not-alone-dad for a couple of weeks.
Editor
