As I stated before, I stress about money more than I should because most of the time it is completely unnecessary. My dad taught me a lot when it comes to saving money and only buying what you can afford. So a lot of the times I feel like I am broke but that is because I put more than I should have into my savings account and I just act as if it is not there so I stress when I only have $50 to spend for one week.
Of course everyone knows that a baby is not a cheap adventure in life. It is expensive and it is long, but before Ashley and I decided to try for a baby I played with the numbers and came to the conclusion that we could afford one. Then of course a month later my hours at work get cut and I start to freak out as if she is going to pop the TBD baby out within the week and I immediately have to by him/her a car. I mean I got nine months to prepare for this, right?
I decided to make some sacrifices that I knew I was going to have too make. I cancelled my monthly subscription to my satellite radio service, cancelled HBO/Cinemax, and stopped my monthly donation to the local gym. I almost thought about cancelling my XBOX Live membership, but noticed how I only almost thought about it. We also sold Ashley's two door pick-up truck and bought her a four door truck and are currently in the process of trying to sell my two door sports car for a four door sedan. All of this in only three months, whats next?
Tip #13: Make sure you have a plan already in place when it comes to money.
And this is when I had to sacrifice my first class seat for coach on my journey to, destination... dad.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Announcement: March 24th, 2011
Ashley and I decided to wait until after she finished her first trimester to make the full announcement to everyone. Before we told everyone there were only a handful of people that knew. We each told one person the morning the test came back positive, and we told our parents within a month.
When we told my parents, Ashley stressed out afterwards because she didn't think my mom was excited. I told her that she was but this is some big news to swallow. I think Ashley was expecting my mom to scream and run around like she had just won the lottery. When I talked to my mom later, she says she doesn't think she showed excitement when my sister told her she was pregnant with each of her kids. She said that it has nothing to do with having another grandchild because she has no problem spoiling him or her, she was just worrying about Ashley and I more than anything. My mom knows that I stress more than I need to when it comes to money so she just doesn't want to see me kill myself over this, figuratively speaking that is, I promise I am not suicidal.
When we told Ashley's dad, I was more nervous than when I asked him for his daughter's hand in marriage. Yes I played the traditional card. On the way over there Ashley said, "I hope he is excited. Do you think he will be excited?" My response was, "I sure hope so because I don't have very good life insurance yet!" Ashley decided to just hand him the ultrasound picture and wait for his reaction. He was definitely excited but did not want to get too excited because of what happened to his only other grandchild. Ashley's sister had a baby boy, Jonathan Wentworth Jr., in 2004, but unfortunately only three months later Johnny passed away from SIDS. So Ashley's dad already got excited about his first grandchild when tragedy struck. That is what made telling Ashley's dad so special to the both of us.
When Ashley and I decided to tell everyone we both posted Facebook status' at the same time. I mean what other way is there to tell a mass amount of people at the same time? I can't imagine what it was like in 1999, having to call and talk to everyone, that sucks. Ashley's read, "Roses are red, Violets are blue, on October 2nd our little miracle is due." and mine read, "So I know it's only March but Ashley and I already know what we are going to be for Halloween... PARENTS!" Ashley got more comments and likes than I did, that was disappointing because it's very clear that everybody likes me more.
Tip #12: No matter how hard it is to tell people, it is such an awesome feeling when finally everybody knows.
And this is when everyone found out that I was on my journey to, destination... dad.
When we told my parents, Ashley stressed out afterwards because she didn't think my mom was excited. I told her that she was but this is some big news to swallow. I think Ashley was expecting my mom to scream and run around like she had just won the lottery. When I talked to my mom later, she says she doesn't think she showed excitement when my sister told her she was pregnant with each of her kids. She said that it has nothing to do with having another grandchild because she has no problem spoiling him or her, she was just worrying about Ashley and I more than anything. My mom knows that I stress more than I need to when it comes to money so she just doesn't want to see me kill myself over this, figuratively speaking that is, I promise I am not suicidal.
When we told Ashley's dad, I was more nervous than when I asked him for his daughter's hand in marriage. Yes I played the traditional card. On the way over there Ashley said, "I hope he is excited. Do you think he will be excited?" My response was, "I sure hope so because I don't have very good life insurance yet!" Ashley decided to just hand him the ultrasound picture and wait for his reaction. He was definitely excited but did not want to get too excited because of what happened to his only other grandchild. Ashley's sister had a baby boy, Jonathan Wentworth Jr., in 2004, but unfortunately only three months later Johnny passed away from SIDS. So Ashley's dad already got excited about his first grandchild when tragedy struck. That is what made telling Ashley's dad so special to the both of us.
When Ashley and I decided to tell everyone we both posted Facebook status' at the same time. I mean what other way is there to tell a mass amount of people at the same time? I can't imagine what it was like in 1999, having to call and talk to everyone, that sucks. Ashley's read, "Roses are red, Violets are blue, on October 2nd our little miracle is due." and mine read, "So I know it's only March but Ashley and I already know what we are going to be for Halloween... PARENTS!" Ashley got more comments and likes than I did, that was disappointing because it's very clear that everybody likes me more.
Tip #12: No matter how hard it is to tell people, it is such an awesome feeling when finally everybody knows.
And this is when everyone found out that I was on my journey to, destination... dad.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Bellyband: March 19th, 2011
I always fear that whenever the season changes, whether I go from jeans to shorts or shorts to jeans, that they will not fit because I either gained or lost weight over the past season. Usually I never have to worry about losing enough weight for it to matter, but I can not imagine going through that crisis with the same pair of jeans that I just wore a couple weeks ago. However even though it is not happening to me, it is happening to me.
Ashley can't button any of her pants. The only thing she can wear is yoga pants. This puts a damper on everything because now she doesn't want to go anywhere because she has nothing to wear. When I come home from work on the weekends I find her laying on the bed with my basketball shorts on because nothing else will fit her. So now I am stuck in the house because she can't go out without wearing pants.
Thank God for my sister! She told Ashley she has a bellyband, which to me sounds like that belt you wear that jiggles your fat but it is supposed to be burning fat and toning your abs (I watch TV till the morning hours and get up to date on my infomercials). But it is actually a stretchy piece of fabric that goes over your stomach and the top of your pants so you don't have to button your pants but covers your zipper so you do not look like a pervert. Someone is making a lot of money off of this and I am currently in the works to create one for guys. Think about it.
"Is your wife yelling at you because you didn't try on your suit pants until an hour before her companies Christmas party? Now you don't have anything to wear? Don't worry, because that's what the Keg Cover is for! Don't worry about trying to squeeze into those pants that have shrunk over the past year. Order the Keg Cover and be comfortable all night with no worry about popping off that button if you eat too much. The Keg Cover is 100% polyester and is made to stretch. It can also double as a replacement for that tight under shirt you wear to try and minimize your over hang but at the same time won't increase your body's temperature like a full t-shirt does!"
Tip #11: You will get the sudden urge to become an entrepreneur when you have a child on the way. Because you are trying to think of a way to become a millionaire before the baby is born.
And this when I started to worry about how I am going to pay for the flight on my journey to, destination... dad.
Ashley can't button any of her pants. The only thing she can wear is yoga pants. This puts a damper on everything because now she doesn't want to go anywhere because she has nothing to wear. When I come home from work on the weekends I find her laying on the bed with my basketball shorts on because nothing else will fit her. So now I am stuck in the house because she can't go out without wearing pants.
Thank God for my sister! She told Ashley she has a bellyband, which to me sounds like that belt you wear that jiggles your fat but it is supposed to be burning fat and toning your abs (I watch TV till the morning hours and get up to date on my infomercials). But it is actually a stretchy piece of fabric that goes over your stomach and the top of your pants so you don't have to button your pants but covers your zipper so you do not look like a pervert. Someone is making a lot of money off of this and I am currently in the works to create one for guys. Think about it.
"Is your wife yelling at you because you didn't try on your suit pants until an hour before her companies Christmas party? Now you don't have anything to wear? Don't worry, because that's what the Keg Cover is for! Don't worry about trying to squeeze into those pants that have shrunk over the past year. Order the Keg Cover and be comfortable all night with no worry about popping off that button if you eat too much. The Keg Cover is 100% polyester and is made to stretch. It can also double as a replacement for that tight under shirt you wear to try and minimize your over hang but at the same time won't increase your body's temperature like a full t-shirt does!"
Tip #11: You will get the sudden urge to become an entrepreneur when you have a child on the way. Because you are trying to think of a way to become a millionaire before the baby is born.
And this when I started to worry about how I am going to pay for the flight on my journey to, destination... dad.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The App: March 10, 2011
Ashley had a Zach Morris phone ever since we started dating, it was actually a touchscreen phone but compared to my iPhone it was classified as Saved by the Bell material. So one day Ashley asked me, "I wonder what kind of apps they have for pregnancy." Since Ashley's phone didn't know what an app was I assumed she was talking about my phone. So I typed in pregnancy and downloaded all of the free apps for her to test out before she picked the right one. She came across one that she really liked, it gave a daily informational reading for the mother and occasionally had one for the father. So I deleted all the other ones and kept this app for her. When I introduced Ashley to the 21st century and bought her an iPhone for her birthday, the first thing she did was download the pregnancy app that was on my phone. This way she didn't have to keep asking for my phone to read it. It worked out perfectly until one day she forwarded me one of the daily informational readings for the father that read:
"With your partner's body busy building the placenta - your baby's life support system until delivery day - she's exhausted. So beat her to the vacuuming and dusting and the laundry and the toilet cleaning. (The cleaning product fumes will make her feel sicker, anyway.) Encourage her to watch your cleanup routine from a fully reclining position on the sofa. She (and her feet) will be thanking you."
You have got to be kidding me! Let me break down this entire paragraph one sentence at a time in a guy's head. "With your partner's body busy building the placenta - your baby's life support system until delivery day - she's exhausted." I like how they explained what a placenta was and then made sure to play the sympathy card by pointing out that it is for the baby. So now you are really cleaning the house for the baby not for her. "So beat her to the vacuuming and dusting and the laundry and the toilet cleaning. (The cleaning fumes will make her feel sicker, anyway.)" First they say the word 'beat' because we all know that every man loves some sort of competition, so by making it sound like a game he will agree to do it, wrong. We have evolved from the caveman stage of evolution believe it or not. Then they again play the sympathy card by adding in that the cleaning fumes will make her sicker, planting in the guys head that now he may have to clean up vomit along with the decreased chance of him getting laid. "Encourage her to watch your cleanup routine from a fully reclining position on the sofa. She (and her feet) will be thanking you." They say 'encourage her' as if she would argue with you telling her you are going to clean the house. Then they throw in the 'and her feet' part to plant in your head that you will get out of giving a foot rub later that night if you clean the house. This crap had to be written by a woman!
Tip #10: Stay away from the pregnancy apps and blogs written by woman. All the information and forewarning you need is written here in this blog.
And this is when I found that there were no flight attendants to clean up after me on my journey to, destination... dad.
"With your partner's body busy building the placenta - your baby's life support system until delivery day - she's exhausted. So beat her to the vacuuming and dusting and the laundry and the toilet cleaning. (The cleaning product fumes will make her feel sicker, anyway.) Encourage her to watch your cleanup routine from a fully reclining position on the sofa. She (and her feet) will be thanking you."
You have got to be kidding me! Let me break down this entire paragraph one sentence at a time in a guy's head. "With your partner's body busy building the placenta - your baby's life support system until delivery day - she's exhausted." I like how they explained what a placenta was and then made sure to play the sympathy card by pointing out that it is for the baby. So now you are really cleaning the house for the baby not for her. "So beat her to the vacuuming and dusting and the laundry and the toilet cleaning. (The cleaning fumes will make her feel sicker, anyway.)" First they say the word 'beat' because we all know that every man loves some sort of competition, so by making it sound like a game he will agree to do it, wrong. We have evolved from the caveman stage of evolution believe it or not. Then they again play the sympathy card by adding in that the cleaning fumes will make her sicker, planting in the guys head that now he may have to clean up vomit along with the decreased chance of him getting laid. "Encourage her to watch your cleanup routine from a fully reclining position on the sofa. She (and her feet) will be thanking you." They say 'encourage her' as if she would argue with you telling her you are going to clean the house. Then they throw in the 'and her feet' part to plant in your head that you will get out of giving a foot rub later that night if you clean the house. This crap had to be written by a woman!
Tip #10: Stay away from the pregnancy apps and blogs written by woman. All the information and forewarning you need is written here in this blog.
And this is when I found that there were no flight attendants to clean up after me on my journey to, destination... dad.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Crisis: March 8th, 2011
On your first day of school you walk around with your schedule repeatedly looking at the classroom number on the paper and the classroom numbers next to each door looking for a match, and that is OK because everyone else is doing it too. But come the second day you are walking down the hallway like you know where you are going with no paper in hand, cool and collected. When really you are doing nothing but repeating the classroom numbers in your head hoping you didn't mix two classroom numbers together and be that guy who walks into the wrong classroom, does the awkward stutter step, and walks out of the classroom hoping no one saw you even after you heard the laughter coming from the classroom while you walked away. That was me at the OBGYN for the second time. I walked in like I knew what I was doing, had the expression like "been here done that", knew where to sit, what magazines to pick up and read, but really in my head I was coaching myself through every step, even breathing. I was like a duck in a lake, on the surface everything is calm but underwater my feet are going crazy. But luckily 'The Crisis' is not about me this time, it's about Ashley not gaining any weight.
Yes, the crisis is Ashley did not gain any weight since her last OBGYN appointment, she actually lost a pound. Now why is this a crisis you ask? That is an excellent question, I do not know if it was necessarily a crisis for Ashley but she made it a crisis for me. That night after the OBGYN visit Ashley wanted to go to Sam's Club, and we bought over $200 worth of groceries! Ashley thought she wasn't eating right, she thought she was malnutrition since she had lost a pound. So we bought a cow, a pig, and a chicken coop along with a fruit and vegetable garden. I felt like we were starting Noah's Ark at home.
Tip #9: Cancel your membership to Sam's Club until after the first trimester is over.
And this is when I hit turbulence on my journey to, destination... dad.
Yes, the crisis is Ashley did not gain any weight since her last OBGYN appointment, she actually lost a pound. Now why is this a crisis you ask? That is an excellent question, I do not know if it was necessarily a crisis for Ashley but she made it a crisis for me. That night after the OBGYN visit Ashley wanted to go to Sam's Club, and we bought over $200 worth of groceries! Ashley thought she wasn't eating right, she thought she was malnutrition since she had lost a pound. So we bought a cow, a pig, and a chicken coop along with a fruit and vegetable garden. I felt like we were starting Noah's Ark at home.
Tip #9: Cancel your membership to Sam's Club until after the first trimester is over.
And this is when I hit turbulence on my journey to, destination... dad.
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