She's a happy baby!

I can't explain how I'm feeling. Today I saw Natasha smile for the first time. I mean really smile. Not one of those gas-inspired facial ticks. Not one of those yawning have smirks. Not one of those things where her upper lip kinda quivers like a baby Elvis. I mean she really smiled. She smiled in response to high pitch sounds and other smiling faces. Wow. That was really cool.

Lots of news....

Well it's been an eventful week. I celebrated my birthday, got a ton of cool stuff from friends and family, have watched Tasha grow to an impressive 11.5 pounds, my parents came back from Portugal and I went partyin' on the weekend. Woo hoo.


On Saturday night, I went out with Amy (who has the same birthday as me) and a bunch of friends to a bar. Good times had by all. Dan-e-o came along for the ride and split about 4 plates of fries with me. Nice.

My boy Darkside launched his new site / business. AllNewComics.com. Think New. Think Comics. Think Canadian. If you need a hook-up for comics, go see Darkside - he's got your back.

The Dark one and I are also working on a little side project of our own that will be a lot of fun. Stay tuned.

I was disappointed to hear about Don Adams today. The star of "Get Smart" passed away at the age of 82 yesterday. He had broken his hip last year and never fully recovered. He died officially from a lung infection - 65 years of smokin' will do that to you! He was seriously funny and one of my favs as a kid. Damn - first Gilligen, now Maxwell Smart. Who's next? Captain Kangaroo? He's DEAD?? Oh geez.

Goodbye sweet youth!

My twenties are officially over. To tell you the truth, I couldn't be happier. I've accomplished more than my share in the last decade. From my work with St. John, to my career in broadcasting, becoming a teacher, meeting my bride, getting married, buying a great house, having a beautiful baby girl... Hell I think I've done pretty well for myself!

All I've heard is "Dude, the big 3-0!!". I've maintained a theory for many years though. I was never a typical guy for my age... I always had older friends, and tried to carry myself accordingly. I've had so many amazing life experiences, some have suggested I write a book. When a guy in his 20's tries telling someone pushing 40 that they have experienced a lot and have a pretty good understanding of the world, they are often laughed at. "Oh you're just a puppy!" Turn 30 though and instantly you move up on the respect ladder. Deny if you like, but it's damn true. The same paradigm applied when I chopped off my waist length hair at 22. :)

Sarah and Natasha came to visit me at school today and it was awesome. The kids were thrilled to meet her, as were the other staff members. Mr. H took some pics so we'll have them posted some time soon.

Tonight I'll be having dinner with my in-laws (mmmmm what's in David's gourmet kitchen????), my sister, both brothers-in-law, my Baba, my girl, my baby girl and probably the Garside clan. Should be fun.

Looks like i'll be going out this weekend to do a traditonal b-day type blow-out. Nothing to crazy though. I'm not a kid anymore!

Pictures of Tasha from the weekend

You're growin' up right before our eyes....

Where has the time gone?

I haven't posted anything in a week and time is just sort of racing past me. Tasha is getting so much bigger. She must be well over 9.5 pounds (that's my guess-timate) and she's definately grown a full 3 inches in length since birth! She's 25 days old now and really starting to take on her own features. She really is amazing.
I took a bunch of pics of her this weekend, but haven't had a chance to download them yet. I'll do that tonight and post them here.


I started mu university course last week. I must admit, I didn't hate it; Quite the contrary - I almost liked it. Almost. The prof seems a little whacked out, but appears to be a good guy. He's got his PHD in english or education or some damn thing and he's only a few years older than me.

He gave us an online test to do - to evaluate our "thinking styles". The idea here was that we would be places strategically into seminar groups based upon our divergent thinking styles. Can't I just tell them straight up that I'm a power monger who leads each group with an iron fist? Try the test yourself...

Dan-e-o came over last night and we had another round of the WWE DVD board game after watching the Unforgiven PPV. I swear this guy has loaded dice. NO ONE is THAT lucky!

The open house has officially begun

To all our beloved friends and family: Tasha has been asking Sarah and I when she was going to get to meet all of you. If you'd like to come by the house for a visit, the princess will be waiting! The mandatory 2 week waiting period is over.

Give us a call at home to let us know when you'd like to come by, or if you need directions to our new place. Can't find the number? Just email me at canadastallestcoach@hotmail.com.

New Tasha Pics..........

A bunch of pics in this post. We have shots of Tasha chillin' out (something she's very good at) hangin' out with mom and dad, with Khiera, Andre, and in her funky stroller.

Yes I know, she really is the most beautiful baby in the history of babies. You know it...

Gilligan dead at 70.

Yes I heard the news this morning that Bob Denver, best known for his starring role in that old TV classic died on Friday. Uncomfirmed reports state that Denver died of embarrasment after having been forced to watch the "Real Gilligan's Island" reality show. Gilligan's Island was one of my fav shows as a kid. I loved the episode where they almost got off the island, and then Gilligan did something stupid to screw up the plan. That one was hilarious.

Click this link for the full story from the NY Times.

See ya 'round little buddy!

Tasha, I think you dropped something!

It happened today. That little stump of an umbilical cord fell off. How exciting! The sad part was, I was at work when it happened and missed the entire ordeal. Sarah phoned me during a break to share the news. Then the conversation turned to, what the hell do we do with that shriveled little stump?

One of my aunt's has shared the old portuguese belief that you must incinerate the little nub. Light it on fire and watch it burn. Apparently, the common means of disposal, just tossing it in the trash is bad news. Neighborhood rodents are attracted to the scent and should they happen to chew it up then bad luck shall come to baby.

Some people have suggested we should ziploc it and put it in baby's book of memories. Realistically though, will Tasha ever want to see her stump? Especially 10, 20 or 30 years from now. That'll be one nasty, stinky little stump. Would I want to see my stump if my parents had it?? Hell no.

I have a feeling this little sucker is getting chucked with Monday's leftovers and the used diapers.

Any thoughts?

oh Mike Tyson, how I missed you!

One of my favorite video games as a kid was an old Nintendo boxing game called "Mike Tyson's Punch Out".

This game was released in the late 80's when Tyson was world renowed as "Kid Dynamite" the youngest Heavyweight champion in history - and not as a woman beating, children eating, ear chewing, face tattooing, b.s. talkin', convicted rapist he is today. Man that was a GREAT game! Well, I FOUND IT! I was poking around and found a site where you can play it for free! Ain't the Internet GREAT?

All the usual suspects are still there, Glass Joe, Soda Popinski, Don Flamenco, and of course Mike himself. I remember beating Mike twice as a kid. Once with a witness and once on my own (which none of my friends ever believe).

Yes, the graphics are crude by today's standards - outstanding back then mind you - but this game was just so memorable. The little cut scenes of Little Mac jogging as he prepared for his next big fight, the horrible midi tunes and the fighters trash talking you (really they just sound like every adult on a Charlie Brown special).

Maybe between wife, baby, work, school and life in general i'll find an hour to challenge Mike again!!

Here's the link so you can go check it out yourself.

Meet The (god)Parents

Tasha's baptism hasn't been finalized just yet, but her godparents have been. Sarah and I actually made the decision a couple of months ago. We are thrilled to let you all know that my cousins Serene and Adam have happily agreed to take on these great roles in Natasha's life. As you can tell by the look on Serene's face, she's pretty excited. Tasha is too!

Serene was a junior bridesmaid at our wedding (walked down the aisle with Andre) and will be starting the 6th grade in a couple of days. Adam is a highschool freshman. Both are the children of cousins who have always been very close to me. My cousin Lina changed a lot of my diapers and helped raise me. She was named godmother to my sister, just as Diane was godmother to Serene. I know that Serene has a firm understanding of what it takes to be a good godparent and with Lina and her terrific dad Berto guiding her, we know that she'll be a wonderful role model for our daughter for life.

Adam lives in Pennsilvania. His mom is my loving cousin Isabel (who has posted on this blog several times) and his grandparents are my Godparents. Adam is a soccer standout (he was named a starter on his high school varsity team last week before being injured) and an outstanding young man.

Adam and Serene are younger than what most people envision as typical godparents, but that was by design. We believe that the smaller age gap between them and Natasha will be one of many factors that will help forge a deep bond. Both are exceedingly mature for their age and have had a hard time containing their excitement regarding our little princess.

Thanks again to Adam, Serene and their families for accepting.

Back to school(s)

Well here we go. Tasha's home, Sarah's recovering, the house is in order guess I might as well go back to work. Usually at this time of year "Back to school" just means "Back to work" for me - but not this year.

I've finally taken the first step in fulfilling a long time goal of earning a degree in english. I was accepted to a local university last december and begin my first course (Eng Lit) on September 12. Nervous? Me? Duh.

I do think that being a teacher has made me a better student (evidenced by my grades in the webdesign course I took at Seneca 3 years ago) but sometimes I still wonder If i've bitten off more than i can chew. Sarah is so supportive and really believes in me. She wants this for me so bad. She refuses to let a little thing like my own trepidation get in the way

With marriage, baby, family (beyond household), work, school and the dream of coaching this season, I may have finally put too much on my plate. Luckily, I have two life preservers that won't let me drown.