Dear Santa

Leighton’s Xmas List,
More diapers with the wetness indicator. Sometimes my wetness goes unnoticed. And that makes me feel wet. And I don’t like being wet.

New PJ’s. I accepted the fact that my wardrobe consists of a few animal themed outfits. And I have also accepted that since I sleep all the time I must wear sleeping attire. But how about a tutu once in a while? Or a skirt? Or a bikini when I bathe? I don’t know why it has to be all (PJ’s) or nothing (bare hinny).

A baby talk translator. Sometimes I cry when I’m wet and you swing me around the room. Sometimes I cry when I am sleepy and you change my diaper. Sometimes I cry when I have gas and you sing me a song. Even though you are right most of the time, I think we should work on those “other” times.

More visitors. Luxy dog is definitely good company. She makes me smile every time I see her goofy face try and jump in the photo. But I really like the family visits. Family time changes the channel to “The Leighton Belle Show”, directed by Leighton Belle, starring Leighton Belle.

Learning

Imagine this picture as a pie chart- what you see is a close depiction of the emotional measures of Miss Leighton. Alert, cheery and perky 2/3 of the time and milk induced comatose for the remainder. I would love to say that Ashley and I found our grove, but every once in a while LB throws the 12-6 curve and leaves us speechless. And to add a little more spit on the ball, we have Lux- who refuses to relinquish the role as the “favorite”.

All the books and preparation did not prevent the insurmountable feelings. We felt like the Hickory High School basketball team attempting to take down South Bend in the Indiana state championship. The good news is that LB’s needs turned out to be relatively basic; Dry diaper, full belly, adequate sleeps, gas relief and a regular dose of TLC.

So Ashley and I will continue to fill these voids, catching the occasional poop (mustard) fastball on the hand. Most of which turns out to be great fodder for the blog. So stay tuned, this can only get better.

Follow-Up to Birthing Gift

Evidently a stuffed doll is better suited for dog chewing, so I had to follow-up with some jewelry. I am still not exactly sure how the doll ended up in the dog's food bowl. This will be one of the great unanswered questions of our lifetime.

Birthing Gift

Tradition says that you should reward your wife with something special. A treasure or keepsake that says "thank you" for the 9 months of pregnancy and the pains incurred during labor and delivery.

After thinking long and hard about this, I decided to focus on the day our daughter was born. I thought a photo was a good idea, but I never came across an image that captured the beauty and happiness for each moment.

So once again, I hired someone. It wasn't a child this time (see July entry "side effects") rather a seamstress. I think she did a pretty decent job even though she ran out of yellow twine.