The Top 5 Signs Your Wife Is About To Go Into Labor (Or You Pray To God She Does Real Soon...)

That's it.

I've waited long enough.

The way my wife waddles around the house like a penguin, the lack of any speck of dust in our house, and the number of trips I've taken to Goodwill this summer, tells me its time for this little girl to get here already.

There are many things I've experienced in these final days while waiting for the baby to get here.

So I've compiled these 5 signs that any new expecting dad can use to tell if their wife is ready to go into labor.

When you recognize these signs, there is absolutely no doubt that you are mere moments away from the birth of your child.

You HAVE to be, right??

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Copy them down.

Make them refrigerator art.

Put them in your wallet.

Share them with your friends.   

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So here they are...

1.

You have impromptu "hardcore" housecleaning sessions at 10:30pm, because the thought of having a dirty house, while she is in the hospital, drives her literally insane.

2.

She doesn't let you snuggle in bed anymore, because the thought of your leg, arm, finger, or hair follicle touching her while she sleeps, makes her want to murder you, while you are sleeping like a baby beside her.

3.

You have to pick-up after yourself every single night before coming to bed, because (refer to #1...)

4.

You've "Nested" to the point that your house could be host to the National Bald Eagle Convention for the next 3 years.

5.

The thought of having your parents and in-laws come and cook you enough food for 3 months, so you don't have too, is beyond glorious.

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I mean, I'm no expert on this.  This is going to be our first child, so I have no other reference.

But, this HAS to be true.  HAS TO BE.  

So, you other dads out there, let me know if I'm right.  Tell me your story, because I need to know how much longer I have to clean, nest, hang things on the wall, go to Goodwill, and just dream about the first time my kid smiles at me.  

I've dreamed about it for years.

I've gained a few pounds along the way. 

I just literally can't stand it anymore!!  

I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A DAD.

Tim

The "Us" Factor

Look at that Mexican mustache!!

At any moment in the next few weeks, my wife and I will no longer be just "us."  We've been a couple for 10 years and married for 8.  So the thought of adding another person to our dynamic, I have to admit, is gonna feel a little weird at first.

We met at probably the most unlikely place dudes go to pick up chicks.  I was the nerdy looking guy with glasses hanging up Hot Wheels on the shelf in the toy department, while she was selling jewelry to the busted looking mommas trying to impress that guy at the local bar.

You guessed it...  The hottest chicks hang out in the jewelry department at Wal-Mart.

Yep.

Wal-Mart:  WHERE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.    

Well, the rest did take care of itself.

10 years later, here we are waiting for the arrival of our first child.  For 10 years it been just "us."  We added 3 dogs along the way, but until now, its been just the two of us living our selfish little lives.

We knew that kids would, at some point, be apart of our lives, but we wanted to have time to be "us."  We admitted to ourselves that we were too selfish to have kids.  We went through plenty of back-n-forth moments of "let's try for a kid now" or "well... lets wait."  But now, our selfish moments are completely gone.

Eat your heart out Bill Compton and Sookie Stackhouse.

In the past 10 years, we've had plenty of moments to be "us."  We've done some awesome things together. Plenty of trips to great places in the states.






We've road tripped it to Georgia for some family time in a cabin.

Been to the southern tip of the US to Miami, Florida.

Canoed the Spring River in Arkansas.

Seen plenty of kick a$$ rock concerts together.

We've been to New York City...

And to Las Vegas...

(OUR NEW FAVORITE PLACE!!)

Me and "Lucille"
A bong's worth of tequila and fruity goodness.
Try drinking this and walking from the Mirage to the Mandalay without peeing...

This picture cost me $5.
Storm Troopers are feeling the financial crisis too, I guess. 

Hey...  were are all the pics of my wife in Vegas??

We love to just be plain goofy and weird together.

And now we live here, ready to start our family and start a new journey as the Miller family.

Louisville, KY Skyline
Taken by me on July 14th, 2011

Our fun times as "us" have been a blast, but we are so ready to complete our family and bring our daughter inside our dynamic duo.

We will never stop being us, and we look forward to the trips to Disney World, the zoo, the lake, birthday parties, family time and all the other fun stuff.

We have been trying to soak up these last few days of being able to walk around our house in our undies, watching all the "grown-up" shows on TV, going to bed when we want too, sleeping in on the weekend, eating out, going to the movies, and being lazy.

It still really hard for me to comprehend that we created the perfect mix of "us."  I mean she growing inside my wife's belly right now.

A real, true life, little Miller baby is about to show herself to the world any day now!!

Will she have my wife's nose?  My ears?  Blonde hair or brown hair?  Will she be a comedian, a writer, or a musician?

Its just daddy, mommy, your 3 dogs and your baby room, waiting for you to arrive.

Only one thing missing from this photo.  

Your family is ready for you Harper.  Come join the crazy and goofy family that is US!!!!

If you ever experienced this feeling before, I would love to hear your story in the comment section below!


Tim
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Have your joined the craziness here at Daddy Dynamics yet?  I would love to have you tag along on our wild journey!  Connect on Facebook and Twitter.

COMING SOON:  A cross-promotion post, including complete baby room photos, and links to where you can find the stuff!

Wordless Wednesday #4

Wordless Wednesday #3 (WTF??)

The Gummy Bear That Changed My Life Forever

I've been a little emotional lately.  I'll admit, I'm that guy that cried at end of Marley and Me.  I teared up when Goose died in Top Gun.  I cried during The Blind Side, Rudy, and I even cried when Teddy Duchamp, from Stand By Me, talks about his father storming the beaches of Normandy.

I am definitely an emotional dude, and I'm not afraid to show it.

But here lately, I'm emotional for a much different reason.

Fridays are my day to let it all out...  I'm off work, I can walk around the house in my boxers all day, I can stay in the AC all day, and I can cry like a baby all day if I want too, and no one has to see it.

It's become my favorite day of the week for many reasons.

It was Friday, December 10th, 2010, that my wife called me at 6:15am, while I was 100 miles away all week at school prepping for a huge exam, to tell me she was pregnant with our first child. 

The proof is in the pee.

This picture makes me cry and laugh, because I made my wife go buy the preggy test that had the words on it, because, even though she showed me the other 4 (with the double lines), this guy needed the hardcore proof.

I needed a WORD not a LINE.  Words speak louder than lines for me.


It was Friday, January 14th, 2011 when I heard our child's heartbeat for the first time.

I put together this little sample I recorded that day, so I could cherish that moment forever.  

Before we found out the sex of the baby, we chose a little pet name for it.  My wife loved the little Monchhichi pets when she was little, so we called our child "Monchhichi" for a while until the name evolved into "Cheech".  


Sorry for the "is" instead of "are" mistake at the beginning.  I did this really quickly, while trying not to lose it...


Here's a little video I sent to my wife one day.  (It was the first time, her "Monchichi" said hello to her.)

Yeah, we are weird, we know...

It was Friday, January 14th when I saw this gummy bear that changed my life forever. 

It's cute, right?

I've seen some beautiful things in my life, but this little Gummy Bear tops it all for me.  Who knew seeing a picture of a Gummy Bear could make a grown man cry, down right bawl really..., in a small room in a doctor's office.

From this moment on, Fridays would be Daddy's day and Cheech's day.  It's the day we connect and start bonding, even though she isn't here yet.

Most of our midwife appointments have been on Fridays.

I clean the house and continue working in the baby room on Fridays.

I read the new baby magazine on Friday.  And today...

I'm blogging on a Friday, about how a Gummy Bear changed my life forever.

A few emotional words for my daughter... 

(God, I'm crying for like the 3rd time already) 

As I write this today, I have teared up more than once thinking about how much more your mommy and could love this gummy bear more than we do right now.

We have about 4 weeks until your mommy is full term, and we are both antsy, crawling out of our skin, nesting, preparing, and just waiting for when you arrive.

You will be the most loved gummy bear that ever existed, and we both promise to try our best to be the greatest parents God could ever make.  We can't wait to see your face, little hands and feet, and to hear you cry for the first time.

Your daddy is a crier, so I will be right there bawling my eyes out as soon as you see us for the first time.

We truly can't wait for you to meet your sisters and brother (dogs..) Brady, Ellie and Sophie, your Mimi and Papi, Yaya and Papa, and aunts and uncles.  Your family has waited so long to meet you, and we all promise to do everything in our existence to raise you to be a beautiful women someday.

We love you so much Harper.

Sincerely,

Your Daddy

(Now to go cry some more...)  

Wordless (almost) Wednesday #2

An actual pharmacy about 20 minutes from my house.

Was I Invited To The 2010 Thanksgiving Baby-Making Party, And Didn't Know It?

Something really strange is happening around me.  The more I begin to network with new Dads, friends, and parents in the blogosphere, around the city, and in my own neighborhood, I've come to the conclusion that last year's turkeys had some "good sperm" genes in them, or something.

In our Bradley classes, 3 out of the 4 couples (including us), are all due on the EXACT same day.  August 18, 2011.  I just ran across another fellow dad blogger today, that is gonna be a "first-timer" in August too.  My wife's best friend, who lives 3 houses down from us... also due on August 18th.

If you count back, that makes the Baby-Making Party, somewhere around Thanksgiving of 2010.  I guess that thing in turkey that makes you sleepy, had the opposite effect on me and other "wild dudes" that night.  No...

We didn't want to sleep after filling our guts with mashed potatoes, ham, turkey, corn and green beans.

Our party didn't stop when every one left the house after our good social family reunion.

You could say our party actually "started" when Mom, Dad, Grandma and our 3rd cousin left the house.  :)

It was time to join the baby-making parade and work off those 6000 calories we just devoured in front of our closest peeps.  We came to the party without an invitation, and walked out with a new perspective on life...

The last time that happened to me was when I, along with a few friends, walked into a Sigma Pi party in college.  We were Sophomores, who thought we had experienced true "drunken" paradise.  Our new perspective?  We couldn't hang with the "big boys," so we didn't last long and left pretty quickly.

But now, fellow dads, we can know that our little party last year, was the coolest party we have ever been too.

It was a party that changed our life forever.  One that will go down in the history books.

No Budweiser needed to know that you actually populated the Earth with someone that will look like you, talk like you, and might even grow up to be even "cooler" than you.  (Admit it, its probably gonna happen.)

So, Here's to you fellow August 2011 new Dad...  Here's to you buddy...

I raise my glass to what God put us on Earth to do.  Eat a little turkey and make a few babies.  We can now say we are good at both.  (I never add my doubts about the first one, but the second...)

The wife and I live in Bourbon Country USA, so life around here, now always includes a little Woodford Reserve, Maker's Mark, and Buffalo Trace when celebration time rolls around.  So I want to share a great Bourbon Turkey recipe that I made before last year's party.

I will suggest not using your best bourbon like I did.  I'm kindof pissed now knowing I used half a bottle of Woodford for this at the time.  (My wife was too...)

Here's some pics of me making it.  Super easy and pretty damn good too.

The essentials

Cheese cloth to soak up the bourbon

Take a sip first... or 2 or 3.

Oh you can already taste it, can't you?

Soak it up.  Take another drink from the bottle.

Loosen the skin so you can help it absorb the seasonings.

My seasoning concoction.  Lots of rosemary!!! 

Wrap the turkey in the cheese cloth and let it soak for 24 hours, then take it off and put the cloth inside  the turkey while you cook it in the oven.

I couldn't find the finished product picture, so as soon as I do, I will post it.

UPDATE!!!  I found the final picture.  

Enjoy fellas...  Comment below, if you were at the Baby-Making Party, or if you have tried this recipe before.  I'm a guy that loves to cook, and would love to hear your favorite BBQ recipe or any other food you like.

Tim