It's hard work building a baby...

...it takes a lot out of Courtney. But she has assistants who are constantly at her side trying to help comfort her. In this picture Courtney's assistants are helping her take a nap...their specialty.

And yes, Court is 6-months along in this photo.

Courtney's First Post

Well, here it is. My first post. Mike has been asking when I would post so I suppose now is as good of a time as any. Now granted, my posts aren’t and won’t be nearly as entertaining as Mike’s…who can compete with his blogging talents. And sorry folks, you won't find any Simpsons references here.

So we’re embarking on this journey of parenthood and all I can say is this is one lucky kid because he gets to have Mike as his father. Mike goes to town downplaying his assets and emphasizing (or exaggerating) his lack of knowledge when it comes to babies. But if he’s anything of a father like he is a husband, this kid has won the lottery. Baby boy Glynn has no idea what a joyous adventure awaits him with a dad like Mike. I am sure I will do o.k. by the kid, but anything I manage to screw up, I’m certain Mike will be there with a net. He always is!

And not-so-secretly, I really hope he looks like his dad did when he was a baby too…


Even the drool is cute.

I’m thrilled beyond words that we are having a baby and being able to watch Mike prepare for it just adds to the experience. We’re already gearing up to program the baby to appreciate the comedic talents of Eddie Izzard and every line of the movie Dodgeball. Now if only I could figure out a way to avoid the 1983 afro…


Well that's all for now....I'm sure Mike will be entertaining us all soon!

The Baptism and The Awakening

The Human Glynn Project visited Portland, OR last weekend... more specifically Camas, WA. Our dear friends, "The Stallbaumers," recently added a 3rd little bundle of joy to their family... Jacob Steven Stallbaumer, born July 6, 2007. Court and I were presented the honor of being Jake's Godparents a while back, and we wholeheartedly accepted. So on the weekend of August 10th, we hopped a flight to Portland to attend the event.

The Baptism

For Jake's big day, the Stallbaumer family had gathered. Grandparents Jan & Steve Farber came up from Phoenix. Jake's Aunt Alana & Uncle Bret drove up from Salt Lake City with their two kids, Maddie and LeeAnn. Add in Court and I, and the house was pretty full. Then add in the local Stallbaumers (Phil, Becky, Ryan, Kate, and Jake)... Lots of people, lots of food, lots of fun!

The Baptism was exactly what you would expect. Jake did a superb job, and didn't fuss too much for having cold water dumped on his head. He had to share the spotlight with another little tyke but didn't seem to mind...or at least he didn't let on if he did.

Jake's big sister Kate (2-years old) and big brother Ryan (4-years old) seemed to be entertained by the ceremony...much to the relief and delight of Stallbaumer Parental Units. Kate kept her dress on, Ryan didn't wander off, and Phil paid attention.

As for the Godparent's, we couldn't have been happier! I've been a Godparent before (Hi, Sarah!), but I think I was too young to understand and absorb what it all actually means. I now understand the true meaning behind being a Godparent and what kind of honor is being bestowed upon you.


Rebecca, Phil... Courtney and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for allowing us the honor and privilege of being Jake's Godparents. We are thrilled and will surely do the right thing for Jake...send him presents.

Hey! What a great looking suit!


The Awakening

If you've read any of the posts in this blog, you've probably gotten the idea I'm not 100% certain of what I am doing when it comes to babies, especially newborns. I view these new entries into the world as porcelain dolls that can break at the slightest touch. I want desperately to look all relaxed like Court does. See how calm little Jakey looks?

So I spent the weekend observing the current moms and the mom-to-be...watching how they handled the kids, especially Jake. I also made sure I actively participated in taking care of Jake...nothing like learning "hands on" and having qualified help nearby. Court coached me in a lot of areas. Becky coached me in a lot of areas. So did Jan, Alana, and even 8-year old Maddie. I came away with three key "awakenings:"

1. Not one single decision will make or break a baby. (Within reason, of course)
   
2. Taking care of a wee one is a lot of guess work: Why is he crying? Is he hungry? Does he need changed? Burped? Attention? Trial and error...trial and error.
3. Court will make an amazing mother. She's just good at it, it seems natural to her. I can't wait! Not that I had any doubt, mind you, but seeing her in action was a wonderful thing to watch.
   

So where do I stand now in regards to my confidence? Check out this photo!


The weekend was fabulous. Court helped me by giving me advice, coaching me, making sure I didn't do anything horribly wrong. After a while I became comfortable handling the little guy, which was really cool. I picked up all sorts of advice and bits of wisdom (Pee-pee Teepees!). When I announced I felt like I was ready to have a child, Becky and Court laughed at me...and it was one of the "we know something you don't know laughs." Hmmm...

So in summary, my confidence level has elevated quite a bit...TAKE THAT, BABIES-R-US!


SHOUT OUT: "Thanks George Zimmer!"

You ever hear those Men's Wearhouse commercials where someone calls Mr. Zimmer and tells in great detail how George's company saved the day? It's always about some some poor oaf who got himself into a pickle and needed George to bail him out.

May I present....


Exhibit A - Mike Glynn, playing the part of the "Poor Oaf" in tonight's Geek Tragedy.

The Pickle - About 30 days before we were to go to Portland for the baptism, my dear wife turns to me one night and asks the fateful question, "Will your suit fit? You haven't worn it in a year?" The Poor Oaf: "Oh yeah, no problem. It'll fit just fine." Lovely wife: "Are you sure?" Poor Oaf: "Yes, completely sure."

Right. I'm sure you can see where this is going. Fast forward 28 days...it's late Wednesday night (10:30pm-ish) and the Poor Oaf suddenly decides that maybe he should try on his suit. Of course, it doesn't fit. Panic sets in. The one saving grace for the Poor Oaf is that his wife is asleep and thus cannot be told the horrible news.

The Save - So the next day the Poor Oaf calls Men's Wearhouse to discuss the situation. The Poor Oaf starts off the conversation like this: "So tell me, are those commercials true? Can you really get me a suit in one day?" Why "Yes," replies the helpful salesman, "Just come right in IMMEDIATELY!"

So with this reassurance from the salesman, the Poor Oaf then break the news gently to his wife...via instant messenger. You see, the Poor Oaf knows it is really hard to get yelled at through his computer! This Poor Oaf is no dummy! The wife is unhappy but decides there isn't much she can do but mentally kick the Poor Oaf's hindquarters and hope that the Men's Wearhouse can come through.

Well, since the Poor Oaf is still alive to screw up again some other day, you've probably figured out that ole George Zimmer's minions came through and saved the day! Everything turned out well, the suit looked great, and the Poor Oaf skated by again.

HUZZAH!

The end.

PLAY BALL! - Our son's first vacation.

We're back from vacation! On July 26th, mom, dad, Pop Cloman, Uncle Gar, and of course, the little guy went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY to attend the induction ceremony of Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr. Ok granted, our son might not remember this trip but mom and dad sure do!

It was important for us to know if we were having a boy or girl BEFORE we went on this trip...I mean, how else were we to know what to buy! So I am glad we found out a week ahead of time. We picked up a few baseball outfits, some baseball building blocks, a soooooooooooft Hall of Fame blankie, and a few other odds and ends. Mom focused on things for the baby while dad was off in his own world getting stuff for himself. Lots of stuff for himself. Shame on dad. Shame. Shame. Shame.

But the good news is that our son got to see up close HoF's Bob Feller, Whitey Ford, Mike Schmidt, Harmon Killebrew, Orlando Cepeda, Steve Carlton, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Monte Irvin, Fergie Jenkins, and a few others. We saw a whole bunch from far away though...I took pictures and if you squint at the photos you can almost see them. I even got a picture of Denny McClain (back-to-back Cy Youngs) eating a hotdog. He's the last player to win 30 games in a season. His playing weight was 185. His autograph weight looked to be 350. We did have some success getting autographed balls from Bob Feller, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Gwynn, and Mike Schmidt. We could have gotten a lot more signatures but there was so much to do that we simply ran out of time each day.

The crowd at the induction ceremony was INSANE!. The previous record for an induction ceremony was 53,000. For the Gwynn/Ripken ceremony there was over 75,000. We were probably 50 yards from the stage and we could barely see who was speaking...and there were people sitting 200 yards behind me. I have zero idea what they were looking at or able to see. Here's a picture of the crowd behind me.



Here are some photos of us with some Hall of Famers...

Harmon Killebrew

Bob Feller

Mike Schmidt

Tony Gwynn


Much love and appreciation to my wonderful wife who planned this whole trip, and nailed each detail perfectly. It was a wonderful surprise last year when I got to go on the first part of the trip, and even more wonderful this year for the second half! I can't thank you enough! You were a trooper the whole trip! You see folks, we weren't pregnant when Court planned this trip. Think about that.

Dad...we missed you.

tHGP - Extended Gene Pool

Here are a few pictures of the extended gene pool of The Human Glynn Project (tHGP). The little one in the pictures is our niece, who is a little more than 2-months old.



Brady Lauren Glynn

DOB: May 23, 2007

Weight: 8 lbs, 3 ozs

Inches: 20.5 inches

Description: "Cute as a button"






Now these next two pictures have our nephew Chase in them. He's 5 years old, likes Spiderman, all the other superheroes, pirates, and drawing stuff. But Chase really, REALLY, REALLLLLYY likes his Uncle Mike & Aunt Courtney!


(Notice the Spiderman PJs!) He's a pretty cool kid who adores his new sister. Which I figure will last about 2-3 years before he then complains how annoying she has become. Kind of like his dad was to me when we were little! :-)




And if Chase reads this, he should call his uncle because Uncle Mike & Aunt Courtney just got back from vacation and brought him back a present. Chase should also ask if Uncle Mike and Aunt Courtney got a gift for Brady too.

So as you can see, a couple of pretty cute kids...so I think "tHGP" should in good hands as our son continues to grow.