Virtual Wedding Guests

This last weekend, my brother Stephen got married to Jenn!  Unfortunately, we couldn't be there.  I was really disappointed.  They offered to postpone the wedding till we could be there, but that wouldn't have been until Summer 2012.  No one wants to wait another year to get married!

HOWEVER, we were still able to 'attend' via Skype!  That's right, my dad set up a computer in the wedding hall (that already had wireless) and Alison and I got up at 1:30am to watch the festivities.  I was able to connect the computer to the TV as we stumbled out of bed and headed for the couches.  The computer on the other end was set up so we could see the bridal party and, most importantly, the bride and groom.  As Stephen and Jenn walked out at the end, I think they could see the computer.  I gave them a thumbs up, though I'm not sure that they could see it.  I didn't stay up for the rest of the festivities (I still had to be up for work the next day).

It's only been a couple of days since the wedding, so there aren't very many photos. In fact, this one is the only one I could find.  I'm sure more will pop up.

Congratulations, Stephen and Jenn! 

Christianity in the American Constitution

I like politics, Christianity and the biting humor of comedy news such as The Daily Show with John Stewart.  Below are three videos which comprise the full, unedited interview with John Stewart and David Barton, a constitutional scholar who works as an advocate in protecting religion.   He is conservative (and Stewart is certainly liberal), but the interview is really good.  I liked it for the following reasons.

• Steward doesn't play the 'gotcha' game.  He's quick to bring the discussion back to the relevant point and make sure he understands what Barton is saying without trying to take Barton out of context.  He allows Barton to clarify points of confusion.  Pundits, both liberal and conservative, often seem more intent on scoring quick points.  This is why I believe I am better off without cable news in Bahrain. 
• Both are polite, focused on the discussion and are genuinely kind towards each other.  So often interviews with opposing sides seem to turn into scoring points with cheap shots.  Neither do this. 
• Barton is extremely knowledgeable. He's also extremely consistent (which Stewart points out towards the end of the last video).  He's knowledgeable about the constitution and thousands of documents surrounding the constitution and the founding fathers. 
• Stewart is humble.  As Barton deconstructs some of the mis-characterizations that The Media has (based on the questions Stewart has for him) and Stewart is savy and humble enough to recognize that his own ideas about Barton were wrong and he needs to readjust his schema.
• Barton is genuinely polite.  Whenever Stewart presents a mis-characterization of Barton's ideas, or has a wrong idea about the constitution (see the third interview and the Treaty of Tripoli), Barton is quick correct what he believes is wrong, but in a kind and helpful manner. 

The videos are long, but they are really interesting. 

The Daily Show - Exclusive - David Barton Extended Interview Pt. 1
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show - Exclusive - David Barton Extended Interview Pt. 2
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show - Exclusive - David Barton Extended Interview Pt. 3
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Ethan Coombridge Photography

There is a teenager in our small group, Ethan, who has taken up photography.  He and his dad came to the hospital to visit (with a fantastic gift for Eva, I might add!) and he snapped a couple of really great photos.  Below are my two favorite of Gabe and Eva.  You can see more of his work at his website: Ethan Coombridge Photography.  It also has great back ground music, so browsing his pictures is perfect for a lazy afternoon while your children and spouse take a nap. 

Ethan printed this photo and framed it for us.  It's sitting in our living room.  Absolutely fantastic picture. 

This one of Eva is also really great.  Such an innocent look for such a mischievous child!

Gabriel and Eva - the first momments

Alison has a reputation of being a tough big sister.  She is particularly fond of a picture of herself pouring a bucket of water on her little brother, Brian, when they were little kids.  One of my favorite stories is when she and her friends went into the kitchen to concoct various drinks made of random ingredients - pepper, sugar, various juices, random pieces of food - and made Brian drink it.

I'm sure Eva and Gabe will have a great relationship (or, I hope they do).  Already, we've seen various sides to their friendship.  Eva has been very kind and gentle with Gabe (in a 16 mo old sort of way)...

...and has already started giving Gabe kisses.




But she also asserts her dominance.




But you can see that she generally likes him and will grow to love him.

Pictures of Gabe!

Here are some of the pictures, I'm sure there'll be more to come!  If you are on FB and can't see the pictures, you'll need to go directly to my blog.  I'll also post a couple videos later on.

Gabriel Paul

Gabriel Paul was born on Tuesday at 8:30 am.  He is 2.6 kg and 42 cm.  He's small, but he's doing well.  The doctors have him on antibiotics and want him to stay till Thursday.  If he's showing no signs of infection, we'll all head home.  If he's showing signs of infections then we'll stay in the hospital for a couple more days.  

Gabe's due date wasn't until June 15, so this is a big surprise for us.  Alison's water broke last Friday, so we have been concerned since it was so early.  However, we think that Alison was further along than the initial scans indicated anyway, so the actual due date may have been earlier.  Either way, he's healthy and doing well, which is what we hoped for. 

Good news:  We, and some friends, have taken plenty of pictures. 

Bad News:  The camera is at the hospital with Alison - I forgot to bring it home with me.  

We also have a couple of videos Gabe with his big sister.  One of Eva giving Gabe kisses, and one of Eva slapping Gabe on the head.  A harbinger of what will most likely be at once a volatile and loving relationship between the two.  

It is a little strange with the second one.  We feel like we don't know Gabe at all.  How he works, what he likes, etc.  We know (or are learning) all those things about Eva.  I don't remember having these feelings with Eva, most likely because we had no other child relationship to compare her to.  

But it also makes us excited.  What will he like?  Will he be spunky like Eva or more chilled out?  Will he want to play paintball with me?  Will he want to read science books with Alison?  Will he want to chase cats with Eva?  Will he be completely different than all of us?  My favorite Pixar movie is The Incredibles, a story of a family of superheros, each with their own power.  The baby has a whole bunch of powers, which the writers talk about as representing the potential that the child has.  That's how I feel with Gabe.  Excited to see what he becomes as he grows. 

First Law of Perkins Dynamics

The first Law of Perkins dynamics:  the Perkins move with acceleration.  


Alison and I have already known this.  We started dating a month after we met, got engaged three months later and were married about 8 months after that.  We had our first child a mere 18 months into our marriage, and were pregnant again 9 months later.   This is all faster than I would have ever imagined.  But such is life.  It is a law of our family that we are learning to cope with. 


Now, even though Tiny Tiny is due June 15, s/he has decided to start making his/her way out.  What?!?!  We're still almost five weeks away from go time!  On Friday, Alison's water broke, so we went to the hospital to make sure everything is alright.  She stayed the night, got an ultrasound, and left the next day with orders to drink lots of water and wait for the actual contractions.  


Fortunately, it looks like our little buddy will start sometime this week!  We're hoping, at least.  According to our counter, Alison is 35 weeks 4 days (though we have a sneaking suspicion that we are further along).  Here is an update of what our little buddy is doinog inside the womb: 

• Tiny Tiny doesn't have much room to maneuver now 
• He's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon)
• His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products
• Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.