Love Languages

A good rule of thumb: When you think you're doing a pretty good job at this parenting thing, that's when you are getting ready to learn something new or, in this case, re-learn something old. Such was the case with us Monday evening.

At bedtime, Ginny likes to ask our two big girls three questions: 1) What made you happy today? 2) What made you sad? 3) What did you learn? We could tell Nyla was feeling off Monday, just not the typical 5-year old she usually is. After some poking and prodding, Ginny was able to get a tearful Nyla to admit that she did not get enough hugs and kisses from Mommy. (Not what you want your child to tell you.) Nyla also tearfully told me that she wanted Mommy and Daddy to draw her pictures. You see, Nyla loves to draw. I mean, she enjoys it so much. I have at least a dozen pictures in my cubicle at work that she has drawn for me. And here she is, crying that we haven't drawn her any pictures.

We are proponents of the book The Five Love Languages. It's a great read and great way to find out how you feel loved and express love. For instance, my top 2 love languages are words of affirmation and physical touch. Ginny is quality time and acts of service. Nyla, we determined, was receiving gifts and probably acts of service. You see where I'm going with this, right? Her "love tank" was empty, because she didn't get any gifts! Here she was, drawing pictures for us, and we were ignoring that as a sign that she needs to get gifts, too! Thanking her for them and telling her how pretty they are weren't enough. Needless to say, Ginny and I felt terrible. I held Nyla at bedtime and told her that I was sorry for not drawing for her, because she draws many pretty pictures for us.

So naturally, I drew her a picture that night - a picture of Madeline (from the books) and three toys. I wrote a note telling Nyla I loved her and asking her what toy she thought Madeline should pick. As you can see from the picture, my drawing (and love) was well-received.

Yesterday, she was back to being our sweet, happy Nyla. Nyla, Naomi, and I sat down at the table last night and learned how to draw birds, a sailbot, a rocket, a bat, and an elephant. (Thanks, Pinterest!) The lesson here is to always, always, always be mindful of how your child (or spouse or family or friends) loves and feels loved.

-D

Suburbia [Board Game Review]

Remember the computer game SimCity? Remember trying to build up your city and become a megalopolis? Or, if you're like me, remember building up your city only to unleash disaster after disaster on it? What if there were a board game that captured the city-building of SimCity? What if you could build a city and interact with the cities of other players? Good news, board game geeks, there is a game like that, and it is called Suburbia - a wonderful game released in 2012 by Ted Alspach and Bezier Games.

Suburbia is a game for 1-4 players (with 2 solo variants available) and should take roughly 90 minutes to play. In terms of complexity, this is definitely a step above games like Acquire and Ticket to Ride. I would not recommend starting an inexperienced strategy gamer with Suburbia. It is a game that you need to build up to before giving it a go.

At its core, Suburbia is a tile placement game, with each tile being a hexagon representing a building or landmark for your city/suburb. On the right, you see your starting suburb, and you purchase additional tiles to add to the suburb. The catch? All tiles interact with each other in different ways. At the top of the purple board are numbers representing reputation (i.e. do people want to move to your suburb?) and income. Different tiles will increase or decrease reputation and income, and the interaction of the tiles in your suburb (and in some cases, your opponents' suburbs) can affect your reputation and income even more. For instance, for obvious reasons, building a landfill next to houses decreases your reputation; or building a farm in your town increases your income as other players build restaurants in their suburbs. As you progress more into the game, the tiles become more expensive and more complex in terms of interaction. On your turn, you purchase a tile, place it in your suburb, and resolve all effects of that tile, the tiles adjacent to it, the tiles in your suburb, and the tiles in the other players' suburbs. Then you collect your income and add/subtract your population based on your reputation. As always, this is not meant to replace the rule book (as you know by now), so be sure to read through it a couple of times before you play. I should also mention that at the beginning of the game, end-game bonus discs are revealed, and one is selected in secret. These goals award bonus population at the end of the game if you have the most/least _____. For instance, you can earn bonus points for having the worst reputation. That one is my favorite, because it means I get to make the worst suburb possible. Once the bonus points are added in, the person with the most points (i.e. population) is the winner.

So what do I think? I feel like a broken record, but this is another game that we enjoy. Each game will be different because you do not use every tile, so there is variability in what tiles appear. There are 20 goals as well, so there will be many different combinations of goals. Plus, it really does feel like you are building up your suburb. The tiles interact thematically as you would expect. Building parks cost money but improves the look (and reputation) of your city. Too many factories and no one wants to live there. We're really that this one is part of our collection. It's not a game for newbies, but if you're a serious gamer, you should definitely get Suburbia.

-D

Kingdom Builder [Board Game Review]

*Tumbleweeds roll across the wind swept plain, as a figure appears against the sun.*

Hello? Helllllloooooo? Is anyone here? (Squinting) Ah, yes, it looks like I've got a few of you here. I'm back to talk to you about a fun game recently added to our collection - Kingdom Builder. I'd like to thank Geek & Sundry, or more specifically, Table Top, for introducing me to this one. Similarly, Ginny would like to un-thank them. ;-)

Kingdom Builder is a game for 2-4 players and should take no more than 45 minutes. In terms of complexity, this is a fantastic gateway game - a game that you could introduce to board game newbies. The goal of the game is to score the most gold/victory points as you place your settlements across a board of various terrain types - fields, forests, deserts, canyons, and flowers. On your turn, you reveal your face-down card with a terrain type on it and then place 3 settlements on hexes of that terrain type as well as adjacent to any existing settlements you have on the board. The board is setup by choosing 4 of 8 smaller modules and combining into one larger board. This is great for replay ability. Each board contains at least 1 palace/castle hex, and 1 or 2 hexes of a different building. Building next to palaces scores you end game points, and building next to the other building hexes allows you to bend the rules in different ways. As I always say, please refer to the rule book for the full rules description. The end game condition is met when one player runs out of houses to place, at which point everyone gets one more turn (except for the start player). Points are awarded based on 3 cards drawn from a set of 10 scoring cards, each of which awards points for different scenarios (i.e. houses next to water or mountains). Each player then scores 3 points per palace to which they are adjacent. Most points wins!

What do I think of this game? It's easy, and it's fun. The modular boards and end game scoring cards ensure each game will be different. Nyla, now 5, and Naomi, closer to 4 than 3, both really like playing this game. They understand that building next to a palace is good. We haven't explained the 3 scoring cards as of yet - there's only so much they can grasp. Even still, they have a good understanding of the game and look forward to flipping over their card. Some serious gamers will find this one too light and too luck-driven (the terrain cards), and that's certainly understandable. For me, however, I have found myself enjoying these lighter games recently. The girls enjoy it; I enjoy it; Ginny enjoys it. This is a game that I think should be in your collection.

-D

My First Carcassonne [Board Game Review]

Hi, hello, and welcome again, my friends, to another board game. This one is going to be a special one, because it is the first game we have played that was specifically designed for kids and one that the girls got for Christmas this year - My First Carcassonne.

My First Carcassonne is a game for 2-4 players age 4+ and should take no more than 20 minutes. This is game that the junior version of Carassonne, which I previously reviewed here. My First Carcassonne is very similar to its parent, in that on your turn you draw a tile and place it on the table/floor/playing surface. Unlike its parent, every tile has the exact same edges - all roads. Once a road is completed, and by that I mean it starts and ends at a building or makes a complete loop back to the same tile, you place one of your 8 meeples on the road if your color person is on that road. (See the below picture.) The game ends either when one person places all 8 meeples on the board, or play all the tiles, in which case the winner(s) is (are) whoever placed the most meeples on the board.

As you can see in the picture above, the tiles all have roads at each side, but each tile has different things on it. We've found that the 20-minute playing time is the perfect length of a game for the girls. Any longer, and I think they would lose interest in it. Naomi, 3 years and 2 months old, does not understand the goal of the game. She likes drawing a tile, putting it on the board next to her, and placing a meeple. When we play, I try to explain that this road is not finished or that this one is because it starts here and ends there. She's still too young to grasp the gameplay right now, but I know that she will get it as we play more. Nyla, now 4 and a half, does somewhat understand how the game works. We try to coach her some on where to put her tiles, and why she should put it where we tell her. I try not to coach her too much, because I want her to explore and discover the game for herself. I think that as we play more, I will tell her why I am putting tiles where I am, and hopefully she will begin to understand more. So while the game box does say for ages 4+, you do have to take care to explain things clearly. 

In short, we really like this game and look forward to playing it more with the girls. I asked Nyla if she liked this game. "Yeah, because I do. It's fun."

Have a great day!

-D

The Last Great Game [Book Review]

Hello again, readers of the blog. As part of my "year of FOCUS" in 2015, I am wanting to read at least one book every month. I started off early this year by knocking out a book the week after Christmas. With that, I'd thought I would share my thoughts on the book and why you should read it. As always, no one paid me to write this review, and if they had, I would be writing more than 1 review every 6 months.

As you can guess, I am a big sports fan, especially when it comes to college basketball, and even more especially when it comes to the University of Kentucky. Living in Memphis, this is not a popular school, though in my defense I have been a fan for over 20 years now...

Which brings me to this book - The Last Great Game, the story of the 1992 NCAA tournament regional final between Duke and Kentucky, called by many the greatest college game ever. It was the first game I really remember watching from start to finish, and, sadly, the first (and only) game I ever cried over when it ended.

Gene Wojciechowski clearly did a lot of research for this book, interviewing the coaches, players, and even athletic directors involved in the game. The back story is what honestly makes the game that much better: Duke, a perennial Final Four team from the last 80's an early 90's that never could win the title; and Kentucky, a once-proud program stripped of its dignity by, well, not following NCAA law and getting caught. With a rag-tag group of Kentuckians and a star recruit Jamal Mashburn, Rick Pitino led his team from NCAA purgatory (and postseason bans) to one of the best teams in the country with a pressing defense and run-and-gun offense. Duke, meanwhile, was led its iconic Coach K and its star big man Voldemort Christian Laettner. It had been to 4 straight Final Fours, only to have their hopes dashed without a title. This book dives into the seasons of both teams leading up to this instant classic. Once you see the behind-the-scenes look, you'll have deeper appreciation for just how great the game really was. Even if you don't know the game, you've seen "the shot," which is only replayed every March, much to my chagrin. When reading the book, I found myself having a greater appreciation for the coaches, because both Duke and UK faced adversity during the year that could have easily derailed the teams. What you find is a great look at what goes on behind the curtain as 18- to 21-year olds get thrust into the spotlight of the national stage. What you see are two coaches who know what buttons to press and how to get maximum effort out of every player. Gene does a great job at diving into the players' backgrounds, personalities, and motivations to succeed.

This was a great, fun, easy read, even if the ending is terrible... ok, ok, I'll try to let it go. In all seriousness, this really was a great book to read. I enjoyed every chapter and every story. If you have a sports fan in your life, chances are they know this game, so buy them the book to see the story behind the game.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Daniel

2015: The Year of _______

Hi, hello, and welcome again, dear readers, to another fantastic edition of Daniel's writing. I know you have been waiting patiently for a new blog from yours truly. And, really, who could blame you?

*Crickets*

Annnnnyway, after a busy but fulfilling Christmas week, we turn our attention to the new year. With that, people will surely be posting resolutions for the new year. Lose a few pounds. Lose a few inches. Save a few dollars. Visit relatives. You know, stuff that people abandon on January 4... ok, January 2 The stuff that people think they accomplish... until they give up. Maybe I'm being too hard on people, but we all know or have been that person.

Instead of resolutions, what I did last year was pick a word to be a "theme" word for the year. That word was "Enjoy," and I think I did a pretty good job of enjoying the year.

My word for 2015 sort of came about by accident. I wasn't even necessarily thinking of a word for 2014. But I happened to be reading through Psalm 119 this fall, and one thing stuck to me about the author of this longest psalm. The author kept writing about being devoted to God's Word. About hiding God's Word in his heart. About it being a light to his path. And as I thought about that, my word for 2015 came to light....

FOCUS

Focus in 2015. When I thought about focus, I broke that out into different areas: Physical, mental, spiritual, marital, parental, financial, and professional. What do I need to focus on in those areas? What does it look like for me to be focused in 2015? I won't bore you with all of the bullet points for each one, but I will share a few things.

Physical - Exercise at least 3 times a week for >20 minutes.
Mental - Read at least 1 book a month; work a jigsaw puzzle once a quarter (I'm a sucker for puzzles)
Marital - Date night at least once every 2 months with Ginny
Parental - Date night with each girl once every 2 months

Rather than setting some resolutions, I challenge you to think of your theme for 2015. What's your word? What will you 2015 the "year of?"

Happy New Year!

-D 

The List of Our Games

A friend of Ginny's on Facebook made the comment that we play a lot of "unique games," and wanted to see a list of all of them. With that said, here is the list of games we have with some quick comments about each of them. I am also working on a post detailing how we can use many of these games in teaching. Without any further delay, here is our list in no particular order.

1. The Settlers of Catan - The game that brought the strategy games into the mainstream of America. A classic and one that everyone should play at some point. Player interaction through trading and an easily -described victory condition make this a great game to introduce to people.
2. The Seafarers of Catan - Technically an expansion of Settlers. I really enjoy it as well, as it adds some new dimensions and scenarios to play.
3. Ticket to Ride - One of the best "gateway games," or a game to introduce to new gamers. It takes the rummy element of set collecting and incorporates it into a cross-country game of building railroad routes between cities. Simply put: This one is fun.
4. Carcassonne - Another game that we've enjoyed for a while. A tile-laying game all about building up the French landscape. The game board changes with every play as you place different tiles together. Definitely one to play with newbie gamers.
5. Zooloretto - I would definitely consider this a gateway game, too. It will be on the first ones that I will teach the girls to play the correct way. A game all about putting animals in your zoo. Another set collecting game that is easy to grasp.
6. Airlines Europe - A step above Ticket to Ride (the same designer for both games) in terms of depth and complexity, but another game that will be accessible to many. A game that each time I play I enjoy more and more. It involves the route building of Ticket to Ride with the stock element of Acquire (see below).
7. Agricola - This one is probably my favorite game, and one that I have not reviewed yet. It's a game about farming. Yes, farming. Don't let the theme fool you though. This game has a lot of depth and complexity, so it is not one you would want to start out playing with new players. There are a lot different paths to explore and ways to win - which adds to the depth of it. Ginny and I really enjoy our 2-player battles.
8. Puerto Rico - Another game that is a few notches above Ticket to Ride on the challenge scale, but another fun that I enjoy. Definitely not a game for everyone, though. Some may find it dry and boring. There is some player interaction as you select different roles on your turn and build up your island of Puerto Rico.
9. Acquire - One of my favorite games, as it was one of the first "real" board games my dad and uncles taught me. Simple, elegant design with excellent gameplay. One that currently is readily available for purchase. You lay tiles to create hotel chains, invest in those hotels, and try to accumulate the most wealth through stock mergers and stock appreciation.
10. Stocks and Bonds - An easy-to-explain game about the stock market. Invest in stocks, buy low, sell high, and hope to strike it richer than your opponents. Like I said in my review, it's not a great game, but it is good to play every once in a while.
11. Power Grid - Of all the games I have and play regularly, this one might be the most complex, but it is right there at the top of the list as one of my favorites. Auctions, resource management, and network building all come together in this game of being the best power supply company. Again, do not start out with this right away, and when you do play it, take your time reading the rules. This game also has many expansions, of which sadly I own most.
12. Railways of the World - Network building and pick-up-and-deliver mechanisms meet in this game all about earning the most money and victory points through building your railroad network and deliver different colored cubes to cities of the respective cube color. I like this one a lot, too. The only downside (and what I didn't necessarily know at the time I requested it as a gift) is that it really is a better game with 4-6 players. Also, the board is ginormous.
13. Castles of Burgundy - A game that does play well with 2 players is Castles of Burgundy. A game about developing the countryside in medieval France, this game is about rolling dice and using those dice to collect tiles and add tiles to your board. It sounds like a lot of luck involved given dice rolls, but there are special tiles and tokens to manipulate the dice rolls. Again, a solid game that plays well with 2 players. And one you can play for free online at Boite a Jeux.
14. Macao - Another game that plays well with 2, Macao is another game with interesting mechanisms around dice rolling and resource collecting, with the goal of earning the most victory points as you deliver goods, build city spaces, and activate cards through cubes you earn through the dice rolls. Not a game everyone will enjoy, and not a game to start newbies on, but a good game Ginny and I enjoy. Her ability to plan better than me makes her the winner most games.
15. Alhambra - I realize I keep repeating myself, but this is another good 2-player game. In Alhambra, you are looking to build up your Alhambra in the Spanish Middle Ages. You buy buildings from the board and add them to your Alhambra with the goal of having the most buildings of each type when the scoring cards come. The money comes in 4 different colors (currencies), giving you choices to make when buying buildings and taking money from the bank. An award-winning game, and rightly so.
16. Pandemic - A cooperative game where you try to save the world and cure 4 diseases before they outbreak and doom the world. A topical game, too, given the events of the world right now. Ginny and I like this one a lot, even if we have a losing record at it.
17. Formula D - This was one of those games I bought somewhat on a whim, mostly because we have not actually played this one yet. Technically, I guess the girls and I have gotten out the cars and rolled the dice, but we haven't played according to the rules. As they get older, I can see this one being played often. 
18. History of the World - A 3+ hour game about world civilizations rising to power and being taken over by others. This is a popular game with my mom's family, and it has elicited many laughs and good times over the years. This game is NOT for everyone though, because, well, it's at least a 3-hour affair.
19. 1856/18TN - At minimum, another 3-hour-long game about investing in railway companies, growing their reach across the map, and trying to manipulate your way to the highest net worth. It's sort of like History of the World, but with trains and not civilizations.
20. Scotland Yard - You are either a detective hot on the trail of Mr. X, or you are Mr. X, seeking to elude the world's best detectives. This is a 1 vs. all game as Mr. X tries to move about London with being captured by the detectives. The big thing? Mr. X is hidden on the board and writes his moves down in secret; you only know what mode of transportation he took. I can't wait to try this one with the girls.
21. 7 Wonders - A card-drafting, set collecting game in which you take the role of the leader of a certain civilization and try to earn the most points and complete your wonder of the world. I've only played this twice - once as a play through by myself and once with 2 other players. It looks like a fun game that the girls can play fairly quickly.
22. Dixit - This one falls into the party game genre, but it's really quite clever. You have a hand of 6 cards with a picture on each one. Your job as the storyteller is to pick a card and describe it in one sentence. The other players then select one card from their hand that they think matches your story. Then everyone but the storyteller votes on which card they think you the storyteller played, and points are awarded based on the selections. 
23. Reef Encounter - Reef Encounter is the deep-sea adventure of combating corals. Yes, you read that right. The game is about growing your coral reef and having your fish eat the reef when it is dominant to score the most points. It's fairly abstract but a lot of fun. It's not a beginners' game, however. The rule book is not well written, and the game is fairly complex. It's still a good game once you graduate up to it.
24. Memoir '44 - There are a lot of war games out there that I find interesting but would have absolutely no time or reason to buy. For one, they take a long time to play. Second, I don't think Ginny would be interested. Memoir '44 is known here as Daddy's army men game, because the game comes with plastic army men. M44 recreates World War II battles but in a much simpler fashion. To date, I've only played solo games, but it is light and fun and a game I hope the girls will be interested in when we study WW2 in our homeschool life.
25. Qwirkle - A review will be coming soon on this one. This one is Scrabble with shapes and colors. It's easy to teach and easy to play. In fact, Nyla has actually been playing it with us with only some help from us. She understands what she is supposed to do. You play either a row of different shapes of the same color or different colors of the same shape. A fun game that the whole family will enjoy.
26. Small World - My latest game purchase. 
27. Party Games - I'm going to lump all of these together, because they fill that party game genre. We have Apples to Apples, Taboo, Scattergories, and Balderdash. I will point out that Say Anything is an excellent party game from the same people who designed Wits & Wagers. All of these fill that niche of just wanting to be silly and have a good time.
28. "Traditional Games" - Monopoly, Scrabble, Yachtzee, and Rummy Cube all fall in here. We rarely play Monopoly these days, although I'm sure we will once the girls get older. Same for the others as well. 

And with that, I believe that covers our entire list of games... at least until I get some birthday/Christmas money to spend. ;-)

-D

Parents, It's Ok...

Greetings, my fellow Americans, and welcome to another installment of this blog. As you can imagine, we have been busy around here getting used to another little girl in the house. We are doing fairly well now getting restful nights of sleep after several, well, not so good nights. In any event, I'm back with a bit of an advice column I'd like to call, "Parents, It's Ok," in which I share some things that it's ok for parents to do with a new baby in the house. Without further ado, let's get to this list...

1. It's ok to send them to the nursery in the hospital. It was 11:00pm that first night with Natalie. Ginny and I were tired. Natalie would sleep in her little box for short stretches, but she wouldn't settle enough for us to sleep a long stretch. So Ginny nursed her one more time, made sure her diaper was changed, and then pressed the nurse button on her bed. To be totally honest, it made me sad that we sent her to the nursery, because it felt like I was giving up on her trying to sleep with us. After a wonderful 2.5-hour sleep, though, I felt better. We sent her back to the nursery again around 4am and got another 2 hours or so of sleep. The lesson? Send her to the nursery and grab some sleep; because when you get home, there's no nurse button. 
2. It's ok to say no. Not to the baby of course, but to people coming over to visit, whether at the hospital or at home. You're the ones adjusting to a new life. Ginny told people bringing meals to not come or call between 1 and 4 in the afternoon. Why? So everyone could rest. It's ok to tell people to come at a certain time. If they don't get it, they clearly don't understand what being a parent of a baby is all about.
3. It's ok to feel helpless at times. Trust me, whether it's your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or heck even your 10th kid, there will be times when you have no idea what to do. And that's ok. You're not going to know what to do. But you will figure it out. 
4. It's ok to put a screaming baby in the crib. Again, trust me on this one. Ginny and I have had this discussion before. We go through our checklist. Is the baby fed? Is she changed? Is she burped? And we put her in the crib, crying and being loud, while we take 10-15 minutes to regroup, shower, eat, or close the door and sit in our bedroom. This does not make you a bad parent. Instead, it gives you a chance to breathe and gather yourself. I can't tell you the number of times Ginny or I have put a screaming baby in the crib, taken a shower, and come out feeling ready to go. 
5. It's ok to ask for help. Ask. Ask often. Ask someone you trust. 
6. It's ok to cry. I've cried more in the last 4+ years of being a father than I had in the last 14 years before that. Being a new parent (or an old parent for that matter) is an emotional experience. It's ok to cry. And cry while holding a crying kid. 
7. It's ok to wonder if it ever gets better. "The days are long but the years are short." It does get better, and it gets more fun, too.

Hopefully this should put your sleep-deprived, new parent mind at ease.

What would you add to this list?

-D

The Newest Member of the Family

Hello, dear readers, and welcome back to the blog. Your pal Daniel is a little sleep-deprived as I type this, though admittedly it could be much, much worse. The reason for my sleep deprivation is that we welcomed a new addition into this world.

We arrived at Baptist Women's Hospital at 5:30am Thursday morning eager to meet our new baby girl.

Side note: Ginny had reached her pregnancy limit before this of course, so she was ready - so much so that she was trying to encourage Natalie to come early. I was not in favor of this. I wanted her to wait until the scheduled date, for whatever reason I did not immediately know. Until Labor Day. When I was sick from about 4:00pm through 8:00am. And when I mean sick, we're talking stomach bug sick, as in the worst thing that someone 3 days away from having a newborn could have. By the grace of God, and I do not use that term flippantly, no one else in the house got sick. I quarantined myself and used more disinfectant spray than most hospitals.

In any event, we arrived in the hospital, and soon enough Ginny was getting prepped for surgery. By now, we were used to the routine, and I had no trouble waiting around to see her... until of course they actually wheeled her away for surgery, at which point the nerves ratcheted up. Still, the time passed quickly, and I was next to Ginny in the operating room, awaiting the arrival our sweet Natalie.

The anesthetist not long after motioned and practically dragged me to peer up and watch Natalie be pulled out. The fact that I did not pass out is amazing. Everyone of course exclaimed that was a big baby (as if we would have a small one!), and soon she was fully in this world and letting everyone know how unhappy that made her. The nurses cleaned her up and placed her on the scale, where she weighed 5,240 grams, which made no sense to me because my metric to American conversions are a bit fuzzy these days. I'm sure yours are, too. Fortunately, I've taken a picture of "our" measurements...

Yeah, 11 pounds, 9 ounces. My baby could and probably did eat your baby for breakfast. As is the case with big babies, her blood sugar was low. Fortunately, the nurse attending to her was far better and nicer than when this happened with Naomi. Poor Naomi only saw us for a few minutes before being whisked away to the nursery for a bottle. This time, the nurse actually let me hold her and show her to Ginny. That made parting with her a lot easier. I followed the nurse to the nursery, where Natalie would get all of the love and good stuff she needed.(By the time I checked on her an hour later, her blood sugar had come up, and it stabilized at a good level the rest of the time.)

Meanwhile, back in the surgery room, Ginny was being sewn up and off to recovery. With Naomi, her recovery was difficult. Without grossing you out too much, with Naomi, she had a lot of bleeding that did not stop for a long time. Thankfully, this time there was no issue, and the three of us were all united in a room before lunch! We are so thankful that we were in a room quickly to snuggle with and love on our baby girl.

Here is our beautiful new girl, just hours old, resting in Mommy's arms.

Natalie, we love you and are so thankful you came into our lives!

-D

A Plethora of Pictures

As you can imagine, we have been busy around here getting things ready for Natalie's arrival in just 23 days. But we have still had lots of fun!

Post-swimming play time at Gigi's

Another fun afternoon at Putt Putt for Nyla and me. She got 3 holes-in-one!

Face-painting at church block party! A crown for the princess!

And a smiley face for the mostly happy blonde spark plug!

Naomi rode a horse at the block party!

Poor, pitiful, tired Naomi

A Sunday selfie!

Fun at Cookie's church's playground

Ny's Birth Story - Daddy's Perspective

This is a special "From the Vault" post. I wrote this on Novmeber 1, 2010. Being that today our precious Ny turns four. I thought it very appropriate to post this recollection of the day our lives changed forever. Enjoy...

File this post away as "the one that got away" - or that I have been meaning to write for a long time but never got around to it. I would normally blame procrastination but actually have a much better reason.

Fatherhood is one of those things that, at least for me, you can prepare for but in the back of your mind know that you're not even remotely ready for. We found out a year ago that we were going to be parents. We found out 8 months ago that we were having a girl. Then in the middle of July, our little girl entered the world.

So how did that day go? I'm glad you asked, because you're about to get an inside look at what was going through this guy's mind.

The best place to start would be back in June, when G and I made two "trial runs" to the hospital because she had intense back pain which we thought could be back labor. I'll direct you here to get all the details. That experience helped us better prepare for the real thing - what to pack, where to go, layout of the hospital, and, for me, how much wi-fi there would be. A word of advice for fathers-to-be: take a comfortable pillow and blanket, because the hospital sofa is anything but.

Fast forward a few weeks later to a Sunday night/Monday morning. I was having some trouble sleeping, got up, and checked out the weather (shocker), which showed a line of thunderstorms approaching our area. After I finally fell back asleep, I awoke at 6 to get ready for work. There was one hiccup though. G was already awake and told me, "Babe, I'm having contractions." "Um.. what?!?" "I've been having them since 3:45 this morning." At that point, plans to go to work were abandoned (which turned out to be a good thing, because it rained ridiculously hard that morning), and I opted to work from home in the event of, well, you know. The day went on; the contractions continued every 15-30 minutes; and both of us went about our day as best as possible. Needing to get out of the house, both of us decided to head out to Sam's - just to walk around and enjoy what could very well be our last night with only two of us. We got back, ate dinner, and were going to play Mario Party 8 on the Wii... when we decided to go to Target. Again, another nice time for both of us to (slowly) meander around one of our favorite places.

By the time we got home, it was getting late. We were getting ready for bed when G expressed concern that her water may have been leaking. Not wanting to take any chances, we got our things together - calmly I might add - and made the 15-minute drive to the hospital. Another bit of advice for fathers-to-be: they're going to take your wife back for 5 hours 20 minutes to ask her some questions and make sure she feels safe with you; just be prepared to wait and be nervous. When they let me back to see her, she had progressed nicely, but the water had not broken, and our little girl was still not ready to arrive. After an hour, the nurse told us that, while we would have a baby in the next 24 hours, it was ok to go home, as nothing was really happening. We made the drive home, left all of our things packed, and climbed back into bed.

2:00 AM. I had been asleep for about an hour. My wife wakes me. "Babe, my water broke." Ok, time to go again. Now before I go any further, let me say that break does not even begin to describe it. It was a flood that soaked the sheets on her side of the bed. So again, we climb in the car (bags still in the trunk) and arrive back at the hospital. One of the nurses that saw us earlier happened to be walking by as we were checking in again. G was showing me more water that was leaking. Said nurse saw said water running down G's pants and uttered, "Oh yeah, her pants are soaked. Admit her now." More waiting on my part. Phone call to both of our moms. Update facebook status to "Water break does not even begin to describe what just happened." Come back to room to see my wife.

The morning went on. The contractions got stronger. G was in more pain. The epidural was given. G was not in pain anymore. Our moms both arrived within 30 minutes of each other, claiming they couldn't sleep. That was ok with us. Their being there helped pass the time quicker. They also rocked the cafeteria and scored me some bacon and chocolate milk. Yes, I am 11 years old. Around 9:00, the nurse checked G and said it was time to start pushing. The moms left. And I tried my best to avoid passing out for 30 minutes while G started pushing. More advice to dads-to-be: be ready to use a cold washcloth for your wife... and yourself. Of course, you probably do hospitals better than me.

The pushing passed the one-hour mark. At that point, G's doctor came in to assist. G continued to push, but that little girl just would not move past one tight spot. The doctor laid out our options: keep pushing for an hour and hope she moves OR have a C-section. Neither one of us wanted option 2. But at this point, with little progress made in 2 hours, we both agreed that the C-section was best. I notified our moms of the situation, got dressed up in some scrubs, hat, and mask, and walked with my wife to the surgery room...

Or not. It turns out I had to wait out in a hallway before being let in to see her. Longest. 15. Minutes. Ever. The thoughts are running through my head a mile a minute. Is everything ok? Is Ginny ok? Is our baby ok? Why am I waiting out here? I took a deep breath, said a prayer, and looked up to see one of the doctors coming to get me. Once in there, I sat by Ginny as they had the sheet up, working to get Ny out. One of the doctors told me to get the camera ready. I stood up, watched as they struggled to yank Ny out, and then smiled as we heard the most beautiful cry ever. She was finally here!

I walked over to the nurse's station while they cleaned Ny up, gave her a vitamin K shot, and cleaned up the poo that Ny took all over the equipment. That's my girl! She was still upset, as one would expect when being yanked into a cold room. I started talking to her, and, in an effort to secure an early pony promise, she immediately stopped crying and actually turned her head toward me. (There's a picture a nurse took of me with my hands in a position that shows how much I wanted to hold her.) Oh, man. She had me from that point on. They checked her length - 21 inches. They checked her weight - 9 pounds, 8 ounces! Then they swaddled her up tight and gave her to me. Let me tell you this - nothing will EVER prepare you for the moment you hold a new life that you created for the first time. I think I spent the next 10 minutes just staring at her. I brought her over to a now-sobbing G, who was getting sewn up. Little Ny just laid there in my arms and looked up. Once G was patched up, off we went to recovery.

That was the first time G got to hold Ny, who was still alert and looking up at us. I took pictures with the camera and cell phone, preparing for the exclusive facebook photos. We both sat there, exhausted from a long night but in awe that our baby girl was finally here. This little life that grew in G's tummy finally entered the world in all of her beauty and innocence. Even today, I am still blown away by holding her or rocking her or feeding her or just staring at her. From one single cell to a now 15-week old, healthy girl. What a blessing she is.

Daddy loves you, Ny.

-D

Interview with Natalie

Long-time readers of this blog - all 2 of you - may remember that I have mastered telekinetic abilities and inside-the-womb communication. I was fortunate enough to interview both Nyla and Naomi prior to their grand entrance. Now that we are less than 4 months away from Natalie's arrival, I decided to dust off the skills and see what the sweet girl is up to these days...

DCG: Natalie, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. I know you have a lot going on.
NGG: No problem, Daddy. Anything for you.
DCG: I'll remember that in 13 years when you pretend as though I don't exist. First question, how have you been feeling?
NGG: It's nice in here. I can feel myself growing stronger every day. Mommy eats good stuff for me to try.
DCG: I'm glad. No doubt you've had a chance to hear your older sisters the last 24 weeks. What are your impressions of them?
NGG: Most of the time they seem to be well-behaved. Nyla really likes coloring and crafting. Naomi really likes being loud.
DCG: I'd say that's a fairly accurate description. How do you think you'll fit into the family dynamic?
NGG: As long as everyone knows that I'm the baby, we'll all be good.
DCG: Hmmm. Naomi will beg to differ on that one...
NGG: She'll just get over it...
DCG: I think you underestimate her powers. But anyway, do you have any questions for me?
NGG: Yeah. Why did you almost know name me Erin Harrison?
DCG: I'm sorry. What?
NGG: You told Mommy that boy or girl, you wanted to name me Aaron/Erin Harrison. Why?
DCG: This.
NGG: Yeah you got loud during that.
DCG: You will learn the ways of the Wildcat, little one.
NGG: I look forward to it.
DCG: Ok, let's play a little word association. Tell me the first word that pops into your head when I say these things.
NGG: Got it.
DCG: Honest Toddler.
NGG: Role model. I hear what you and Mommy read each other.
DCG: Unfortunately, that's probably true. Next. March Madness.
NGG: You stay home from work and are loud.
DCG: Favorite activity with Nyla and Natalie in a few years.
NGG: Beating you at Ticket to Ride.
DCG: Unlikely.
NGG: Carcassonne.
DCG: Doubt it.
NGG: And Agricola.
DCG: Awfully confident I see.
NGG: Well, yeah.
DCG: Well, Natalie, my head is starting to hurt from all the brain power I'm using. Any final thoughts?
NGG: Yes, Daddy. I'm glad you asked. When I turn 16, I do not want a hand-me-down car that Nyla and Naomi drove. Let's work on that, ok?
DCG: ... you're dreaming... but I love you.

And with that, the interview was over. As always, it is great to hear from the baby before birth to prepare myself for her little personality. Have a great weekend!

-D

My View Thursday

Thursday after work I played golf with a couple of co-workers. We could see the storm moving toward us as we teed off on #1. By the time we teed off on #3, the downpour hit. 15 minutes spent under a tree. Then we were treated to one of the best rainbows I've seen. Awesome view.

Throwback Thursday

Nyla, circa June 2011. Even then, she wanted to stack and pack and carry things around.

-D

Andre the Sea Lion and Nyla

At our local zoo, we love the sea lion show. Yesterday after the show, we went to the viewing window, where Nyla got a close look at 630-lb Andre.

-D

Coming Soon...

September 2014 to be exact...

BIG SISTER!

Stocks and Bonds [Board Game Review]

Courtesy user Andre_g54 geekdo.com

Well hello again, dear readers. I am back once again with another game review for you. Today, we are going old school. Like really old school. As in, "this game first came out in 1964" old school. Don't let its age fool you, though. It's actually a fun game when you accept it for what it is.

Stocks and Bonds is a game about... no, not that. It's a game about the stock market. The game is for 2-8 players, but in reality, you could play with more, as long as you have enough score sheets, pens, and stock certificates. The goal of the game is very simple: Accumulate the most money at the end of 10 "years" (turns) by buying and selling 9 stocks and 1 bond as prices fluctuate during the turns. Some stocks are set to be more volatile than others, just like the real-life stock market. The flow of the game goes like this: You draw a card to set the market conditions (bear or bull market); roll the dice and adjust the stock prices according to the dice roll; then buy and sell stocks into and out of your portfolio. You'll want to read the rules (as if I would say anything else) to get the complete flow of play.

Now what do I think of this game? Well, I like it. It would be an excellent game to teach math skills and basic (very basic) ideas of the stock market for children. Once the girls are older, we will definitely play this game for those reasons. It's a simple to learn, fun game. However, compared to the games I've previously talked about, this one is low on the strategy level and high on the luck level. Stock prices are determined by the roll of the dice. While some would argue the current market is random like rolling dice, this can lead to games where the stocks generally plummet and you're left with little cash. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy this game, and I will play it if in the mood or if Ginny wants to play it. This is not, however, a game I will pull off the shelf right away when we play games. If you take the game for what it is, a fun, light, random game about the stock market, I think you will enjoy it. Even with it being 50 years old, you should still be able to find some copies available on the interwebs. I rate this game a 5.5 out of 10. (By the way, below is a look at how geekdo.com presents their rating system.) As I said, if I'm the mood for it, I will play it.

I hope everyone has nice, extended weekend!

-D

Pandemic [Board Game Review]

Hi, hello, and welcome, fellow users of the Interwebs. It is I, Daniel, back to invite you, the reader, into the wonderful world of board games that don't involve putting money on Free Parking. This time, we will discover just how much fun disease outbreaks and the CDC can be as we look at the newest game in my collection - Pandemic.

Image courtesy geekdo.com

Pandemic is a game for 2-4 players, although really you could get away with 5 if you really wanted to. The game should take about an hour. What makes Pandemic different from most games, and, in fact, all of the games that I own, is that it is a co-op game. In other words, all players are on the same team, meaning that at the end of the game, you're either all winners, or all losers. And you want to win, because not winning means the world gets overrun by up to 4 diseases that wreak havoc on the global population and cause mass... um... deaths hospital visits.

After I give you the regular spiel about not relying on this for a rules description, the game essentially works like this: To start, you will shuffle the infection deck (a list of world cities) and "seed" the board with diseases - placing 3, 2, and 1 disease cube respectively on a few starting cities. You then hand out a role for each player, and this is what gives you a fighting chance to win, because each role has a special action or ability that allows you bend the rules on your turn. After roles are handed out, you deal out cards from the player deck. These cards are either city cards, special event cards, and the dreaded epidemic cards. (More on this in a moment.) 

On your turn, you have a limit of 4 actions you can take. Your options include treating (i.e. removing) 1 disease cube from the city you are currently in, traveling to another city that is connected to the city you are currently in, using city cards from your hand to fly around the world, discover a cure for a disease, and share knowledge (cards) with another player in the same city as you. Again, please take time to read the rule book, because this is the basics of each turn. After your turn, you will draw cards from the player deck, hoping against hope that one of them is not the EPIDEMIC card - this is really bad. Then you will draw 2, 3, or 4 cards from the infection deck, spreading disease around the world. If a city with 3 cubes in it gets a 4th, an outbreak occurs (this is bad). The game ends either when you cure all 4 diseases (yay!), run out of cards from the player deck (boo!), suffer 8 outbreaks (cough, hack, sneeze, die!), or run out of disease cubes to place on the board (global doom!). Players can and are encouraged to discuss moves with each other in order to coordinate resources and attempt to keep the world safe from whatever you decide to name the diseases (and you will wind up naming them).

Image courtesy user nnjed on geekdo.com

So what do I think of Pandemic? It is great! Ginny and I have gotten it out to the table several times since I got it, and we both enjoy it. It's nice to have a game where we are working together rather than against each other. The game length of just about an hour makes this easy to play after the little ones go to bed. In full disclosure, I have not played a 3- or 4-player game, but I know it would be good fun. For a really good video of game play, you should check out Wesley Crusher Wil Wheaton and the Table Top series Pandemic episode.

I think if you can add this game to your collection, you definitely should. It readily available on Amazon, or your favorite game store/website.  Easily an 8 out of 10 for me.

Happy Saturday, and happy gaming!

-D

Naomi's Vocabulary

This is very funny indeed. Daddy and Naomi practice their enunciation. (Hint: Naomi wins I think)

Basketball Kids

So this video was from March, but it's very funny to me for several reasons:

1.) Naomi STILL talks all the time like this, only now we can understanding almost all of what she is saying.

2.) Notice Nyla and how she gets herself lined up to shoot. We didn't teach her that, and she still does it today.

3.) 2 minutes of basketball is enough for them, and they move to something else.

-D