**As always, this is Daddy translating what he is hearing me say, and I haven't proofed it because, well, I can't read**

So much has happened since the last time I wrote! I've had my first Christmas, seen my first snow, been on my first two trips (Boise and Hawaii), felt the sting of my first Seahawk playoff loss, and even said my first word ("Madamamagaaaaaaaa"). For those of you keeping tabs on me I can sit up on my own and will soon be out exploring on my own without the need for Mommy or Daddy to carry me. And its a good thing too. I'm my own man, I need to see the world and cruise for little girls, and its hard to look cool packed under Daddy's arm like a football.

I also have recently sprouted two teeth (that my Daddy has dubbed "the razors") that were quite painful, but are thankfully allowing me to expand my menu from pure liquid to crunchy things like rice cakes. Mmmm, rice cakes.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of Mommy and Daddy's friends for having so many girls lately! Two pudgy thumbs up! Until next time...

Football season is finally here! I love this time of year. It is still a little bit warm, and how can you not like football ! The 'Hawks started out the season with a win that wasn't very pretty, but was a win nonetheless. The Huskies finally have a quarterback that can win games for them after having several that could only lose games. I will always be a bigger Seahawk fan than anything else, but I don't think there is anything quite as exciting as good college football and basketball (and nothing quite as boring as bad). And the Huskies, riding the Jake Locker bandwagon, look like and exciting team.

The Seahawks I am a little worried about, but not too much. Other than the O-line they are a stronger team than the SuperBowl team. You could make an argument that the WR corps is much weaker, but I don't think it is that much. People forget that during the Super Bowl year, our two best receivers were hurt 10 games. I think this year is going to be steady and professional, winning most games. You can't expect any team in the NFL to be absolute juggernauts, there is just too much parody. Can you name the only teams in the NFL to make the playoffs the last 4 years in a row? The Patriots, Colts, and Seahawks. That's it. I'll take that any day of the week after all that went wrong last year.

Wow, has it been 3 months already? Our little Jack is 3 months old today. He has grown so much developmentally in the last week or so, he is almost a different kid. At the risk of jinxing us he has started to look around, sleep in his crib, take a bottle, tolerate being left with others, rolled over, picked his head and chest up while on his stomach, and started talking (ie grunting) constantly. It is really something to see. He is turning into a little boy before our eyes! I updated the photos with some new pics so everyone can see him as he is now. I expect Jack to have his next blog entry soon...

Almost a month into the fatherhood gig and I have to say it has been pretty dang fun so far. Sure, he really only poops, cries, eats, and sleeps, but the thought that we actually made him is really cool. Of course, this is the male point of view on the subject. I don't have something clinging to my breast day and night, depriving me of sleep and the ability to participate in ANY activity. Sorry honey...

In other news, major congratulations are in order for my Dad and Kathy who retired last week! I can't imagine putting in 41 years at the same job, much less something as generally repetitive as the post office. Have fun Dad, you definitely deserve it.

I thought I would celebrate my one week birthday by writing my first blog entry. Since I still cannot see more than about 8 inches, or communicate with much more than grunts and cries, I'm having my Dad paraphrase my initital impressions. First, this world is really bright! It's making me sneeze constantly. Second, why is it so quiet and cold everywhere? I'm used to lots and lots of noise and warmth in Mommy's belly. The silence is kinda unnerving and the lack of heat is downright annoying. On the bright side though, there is a lot more room to stretch out now, so I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

Well, nice talking to everyone, I think I'll go poop now. Then I'm going to eat and sleep for awhile, before I poop again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Weeeee!

Sorry, I have to vent about this for a little bit. I agree that cell phone headsets serve a good purpose, leaving our hands free so we can do necessary things safer like drive, and make other activities easier that may require the use of two hands. For those reasons I am willing to excuse the Star Tek look of most Blue Tooth headsets and the (now almost extinct) wired headsets that make us look like we're listening to grandpa's mono radio and talking to ourselves. But why (!) do people, men most frequently, insist on wearing their headsets while they are just walking around doing normal things?! When I actually use the stupid thing, I take it off immediately so I don't look like a dork, believing I look like enough of a dork a) normally and b) wearing the Borg implant. Last weekend I was in Home Depot and saw 5 guys, and in Babys R us saw 3 guys, walking around with their headsets on. Were they talking to someone? Uh, no. Where they geting ready to make a call? Uh, no. Were they looking like attention-craving, self-important, dorks? Uh, yes. A tips fellas: it doesn't make you look technocool and hip. Everyone has them, it's not that big a deal.

I understand if you are waiting for the president to call on national security, you might need to be available to answer the phone in 5 nanoseconds, but otherwise the distance between your pocket and your ear shouldn't be so prohibitive a distance that it requires you to wear a second portable receiver for your phone at all times. I certainly don't hold my phone up to my ear all day in case it rings. Why not rubberband our phones to our ear? Because it would look silly if we did. Although if you slapped a Motorola log on the rubberband and maybe a blinking light, I'll bet you could get a few people to walk around Costco like that.

So people, please take your headsets off and stop taking yourselves so seriously. It's only a phone call and can be answered a few seconds later. And if the president IS calling you just let it go to voicemail...

Well here goes the first blog entry of the website. I have been meaning to create a website for a long, long time but I have never gotten around to it. It's funny that I did web stuff for a few years, yet never found the time to make my own don't ya think? Maybe it was just a need to get as far away from work as possible once I got home. Whatever the reason it's here now in all its, maybe lack of, glory. Not really sure what to say. I guess I'll get the hang of this blog stuff the more I do it. Oh well, check back later...