Allison's Arrival...

I am actually writing this three days after the fact - on Friday, June 25th - the first time I can really sit down and journal like I mean it...

So, we've had a wonderful experience in these first four days with Allison, but we'll always want to remember that surprise trip to the hospital...

MONDAY, JUNE 21ST

11:00 PM - Continuing to enjoy our last days before Allison's arrival, Jennie and I were up a little too late once again. Jennie, fortunately, goes to sleep just around midnight, but Gary is still awake. I had just started finally reading The Da Vinci Code, and it is very, very interesting. Since she can't sleep while I'm awake, I went downstairs to read Dan Brown's heresies and watch a little SportsCenter. For whatever reason, I cannot sleep, probably my unconscious grasping at a few last moments of "freedom" before being dominated by babyworld...

TUESDAY, JUNE 22ND, 2004

After falling asleep for about fifteen minutes downstairs, Gary finally returns to bed and is ready to sleep for real. As I got back to bed, Jennie was slightly awake, just enough to hear me say, "Man, it's a good thing Allison didn't come tonight, because I totally couldn't sleep..."

3:27 AM - I wake up to a lighted bedroom and a noisy hallway, and ask Jennie how she's doing. Response: "Ummmm... I think my water broke." I sigh and roll over, as if I'd heard that one before. We were both mentally and emotionally prepared for our baby to be born two weeks late, and acted sometimes like she'd never come at all. That was getting easier to do, instead of acting like every minute or every phone call might be "THE CALL!"

Anyhow, on her way back from the bathroom, Jennie exclaimed, "Yep - that's my water breaking -" as more water escaped. Pretty shocking moment at 3:30 in the morning, and the excitement woke both of us up, at least as much as possible... Once we realized it was actaully happening, we both cried and were fully awake with anticipation and joy.

4:00 AM - We call the nurse on-call at our Paragon Health Services, and she gives the following diagnosis - "Congrats, guys - you're going to have a baby today!" Apparently, once the water breaks, the clock starts ticking, and the baby should be born in no less than 24 hours. She also added that, unless Jennie feels strong contractions around 5 minutes apart, that we are in no rush. "You guys get some sleep, you're going to have a big day tomorrow. Call us if you need to." Gotcha.

4:13 AM - "Whoa.... CONTRACTION!" And this not just your average pressure-filled, breathe it out, early labor contraction, this was the strongest Jennie had felt in six months. And this was only the beginning. Over the next 45 minutes, contractions came, and about every five minutes, Jennie was hunched over, saying something like "Ohhhh!" - or - "Can you rub my back?" - or "Whoaaa!" In other words, it's time to call the doctor again. I took a shower, started packing my bags (of course I put that off till the last minute, and made Jennie some toast.) Jennie also got a shower, made sure the bags were ready, and didn't eat the toast.

5:30 AM - Contractions coming fast and furious, and we called our parents to let them know what's going down.

5:49 AM -





(more later, as I get time to finish... hate to leave you hanging... =)

New Home for Mutterings?

That's right, I found this terrific site called Blogger.com. Well, I didn't find it, Josh Smith found it. Josh has a site called www.Gitgan.com, and he uses Blogger.com for his online journals. If you haven't heard of a "blog," it is the term for "web log" or "journal" online. Just like the mutterings I have been writing and will continue to do.

I'd like to eventually move all the mutterings files to this site, because, well, it's FREE! Our garyandjennie.com is at a good price, but I'd like to use most of that space for pictures and videos, if you couldn't tell. Plus, I really like the look of this blogger.com thing. IT also sorts and archives my journal entries for me - saving me time and yes, money!

I think this blogger.com journal actually works FASTER than the program I currently use, so I will probably be able to update the MUTTERINGS more often, and from anywhere I can get online. Currently, I have to have my iBook (MAC) with me to do it, and be online to upload the file to my server.

(Whatever, Gary, just say something funny! Don't you know that's why we read this stupid journal blog or whatever in the first place?)

I'll get to the funny stuff later, I promise. Jennie and I had a great time at Giant Eagle tonight. You know you married the right girl when you laugh for 45 minutes straight at the stinking grocery store.

Kudos to Juicy Juice - that stuff rocks!

NBA Draft Preview...

I wonder what the Cavs will do this Thursday. Our baby could be born any day of the week, but I hope it is not Thursday.

My ideal Cavs' draft would probably be for 6-7 high school PG Shaun Livingston to fall to the Cavs at #10. We'll see - many people have Livingston going in the top four. The Cavs are not going to trade up, that's for sure. If they did, it would be with Charlotte at 4.

Then again, who can believe any of the rumors you read.

I also like Ben Gordon, Devin Harris, or Jameer Nelson for the Cavs at 10. Jameer Nelson, underrated again, will probably turn out to be a very solid NBA point guard.

No, Not Yet

Sunday, June 20th - "No, not yet..."



Jennie is feeling some contractions, but not enough of them to mean labor. In other words, we're going "late" - or at least past the due-date with Allison. I am all about being patient, and think that patience is a valuable sign of one's personal maturity. But patience is currently in short supply at the Underwood household.

Of course, we heard all the "Allison will come in God's time" comments today - and that is so true. Meanwhile, I'm going to be honest here on-line, and say we'd be glad if "God's time" would hurry up. Just because patience is a virtue, doesn't make it easy.

Last week, I got to hold a two-month old baby boy. I am getting better at actually holding a baby, and I'm starting to like that idea a lot. When I locked eyes with that 2-month old, I honestly felt goosebumps! I cannot even imagine that moment when we meet Allison face-to-face.

Guaranteed, though, that there WILL be some sort of CLEAR announcement on this webpage about the birth and all the details. I plan to have our camera and camcorder on hand. We are also the kind of people who love to have friends over, or have people visit at the hospital. Not a bad idea to call ahead or hear from us first, though, but we'd love to see you guys!

Jennie is really enjoying the break from work. Let's just say it's really good for her (and the baby) to have more time to rest, prepare, and not strain her back and lungs by working all day. Her workplace and friends have been very encouraging, and everyone is telling her and me to "get sleep now" - consider it done!

We saw "The Terminal" with Tom Hanks on Friday. Very good movie. I had read that it was a good statement by director Steven Spielberg on a lot about American society, and about people that are stuck in a certain place or situation in life. Tom Hanks is awesome, in case you didn't already know. Sometime, I'll do a top-ten list of movies or something. I probably wouldn't have any Tom Hanks movies on my top ten list, but he is a fantastic actor, and The Terminal is one of this year's best, at least that I've seen.

Zac & Hilary Derr were over last week, and they brought shish-kabobs. Not even sure if I spelled that right, but it was my first time doing shish-kebabs (note alternate spelling) on the grill. VERY good stuff. Zac is interning at The Chapel with Pastor Knute Larson, and looks great in a baseball helmet. Hilary is currently helping lead a youth missions trip to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, as we all know, is a town that really needs God and also more Browns fans.

Speaking of Browns fans, Dan & Jill Bahry are huge C-town crazies. Dan's basement has more orange and brown than Cleveland Stadium itself. He has Browns bobbleheads, jerseys, mugs, football cards, newspapers, programs, and autographed helmets. Dude is sold out, and actually used to work in Berea for the Browns.

Okay, now it seems like I'm name-dropping. "I know this guy who used to work for the Browns, so I am actually pretty cool myself." Ever wish that Butch Davis did NOT work for the Browns?

Anyhow, Dan & Jill are proud graduates of Green High School, and have the yearbooks to prove it. They also introduced us to "Juicy Juice" (an all-natural juice that is now half-price at Giant Eagle), and entertained us with Green High yearbooks from '92 to '95. Funny how much the hairstyles have changed since then. Especially the girls' hair. If you didn't have the "poof" in front, might as well not be in the yearbook.

Every few days, Jennie and I sit down and share some thoughts that might be good to "mutter" about. Anything else exciting this week?

Protecting my family...

Nine months can feel like a long time. We would be the last people to complain, for Jennie has had a pretty healthy pregnancy, and we know every day with Allison is a true gift from God.

If reading our website has ever made you ask, "I wonder what it would be like to be a fly on the wall in the Underwood household, and hear what they really talk about in there?" Let the following story be both a reality check and an answer to your insect-on-our-walls inquiries.

Today I mentioned the 10 Commandments in our young marrieds class at The Chapel. Many of you know that "Thou shalt not kill" is indeed one of God's ten commandments, and is thankfully a part of our legal system today. We are also grateful that such a commandment does not extend to other species of biological life. Take, for example, members of the insect world.

At left, you see a picture of a wasp that invaded our home about a half hour ago. Jennie, in the midst of a conversation with her mom, blurted out, "Honey, there's a huge insect that just got in!" (Click to enlarge)

Naturally, the protector-hunter-defender-of-my-home instinct overcame me. As you can see, the photographer tendency in me was also at its artistic peak. For a few brief moments, this wily invader hid behind the blinds in an attempt to plan his clandestine appraisal of the Underwood kitchen.

Eventually he resurfaced, just long enough to get a pose on the internet, and now you are benefactors of his foolishness. With my "capture the image" appetite satisfied, I went in for the kill. For a brief moment, I thought back to the book of Exodus, chapter 20, and the immortal words of God and Moses, "Thou shalt not kill."

As I looked at the newspaper clenched in my fist, the guilt almost overcame me, before the fact. At just the right moment, the thought occured to me that in Genesis chapter 1-2, God called Adam (and essentially all of humanity) to take charge and rule over all the other species of living things on the earth. Since part of my God-given responsibility as a human being is to exert leadership over other living species - and my responsibility to protect my family... I introduced that black-winged stranger to the Business section of the Akron Beacon Journal.

About now, you could be wondering about the sanity of a guy who posts his wasp-killing exploits on the internet. Quite frankly, I would question if you have ever been stung by a bee or wasp. See, these insect-attackers not only sting you - they ruin picnics, poison sandwiches, drink your soda, and embarrass whoever or whatever is in their path. I not only killed this one, but I now subject him to public humiliation on the World Wide Web. Dude deserves it.

(As I read this, I am wondering, "Now, who all knows about this website? They might think less of me after they read this. I mean, I not only posted an article about killing a wasp, but I tried to make it a moral issue, quoting parts of the Old Testament and such. Are they thinking "this Gary guy really does have some issues" or "I'm not sure Gary's really ready to be a father - he can't even do a webpage worth reading. If he's the kind of person who puts pictures of dead wasps online, I'm not sure I'm going to return to this website or even sign his guestbook." Then again, maybe you're not thinking that. )

Maybe you're quite thrilled for me and Jennie now that our house is pest-free. Like I said, nine months can be a long time. I promise that the next month will include cute articles, updates, and pictures of Jennie and Allison. But I want to remind you that God has called me to protect them against even the smallest of foes. Needless to say, I am ready to protect my family.

What's up?

Tuesday, June 8th, 2004 - "What's up?"



Hey, how's it going? For so long, this has been a one-way conversation, and for that - I apologize. I hope you know that we'd love to hear from you on email sometime, and hear your side of the story. If the idea of doing your own online journal intrigues you, you can do one for free at Blogger.com. A "blogger" is what you are reading now - an online journal that other people can read if they feel like it.

Did you hear about Smarty Jones? He was supposed to be another Seabiscuit - a triple-crown winner in horseracing. If you didn't see Seabiscuit, you should. I kept putting it off, cause I was like, "uh, it's a movie about a horse - don't we all have better things to do with our time?"

Actually, no, "we" don't. Especially when you watch television on a weeknight. Seabiscuit is better than that. Quality time with your spouse or a good friend is better than that.

I loved Ronald Reagan, and think our nation and our world is a much better place because of his leadership, personality, and love for people of the U.S. He's pretty much the first president I knew much about and grew up with. I heard the news of his death last week at a party where there were a bunch of kids, and thought, most of them don't even know who he is. But they benefit from his leadership decades later...

For those of you following the "countdown to Allison," there's just 12 days till Jennie is due, and of course I'm already dreaming up her next video. I did a web-search of songs with the name "Allison" in them, and let's just say Allie will have a "greatest hits" DVD by the time she enters pre-school. One of our friends recently wrote that "Allison is going to be one well-received child!"

So true, unless she begins to root for Michigan someday. But maybe that will be God's way of teaching me unconditional love. Love without conditions, requirements, bias, or expectations. I already love her like that.

But true, selfless "love" also implies that you want the best for someone. In other words, while I realize that good parenting involves more than just helping your children root for the correct team, I promise not to neglect proper guidance in that area. The total number of Ohio State outfits currently in Allie's closet? NINE. NINE!!!

We do have family members who inquire, "When is she going to get a Packers or Badgers outfit?"

Answer - "when you buy one for her."

We'll be glad to let her wear these things, of course, but so far the gifts are a plus-9 in favor of the Buckeyes.

(Note: this is the end of today's "blogger." I hope you enjoyed our "mutterings" as much as we enjoyed writing them. Meanwhile, the Lakers stink, and it's fun to watch.)

Meander

So I took the week off. I wanted one last breath of life as a mere guy with a wife. I know that in approximately 2.3 weeks, life will change exponentially. I suppose we have heard our fair share of cliche's, and how "you can't really be prepared," and "enjoy your time together while you still have it," and "(insert whatever cliche' is coming to your mind right now, cause we've probably heard it)."

I am tired of cliche's. Why do we say all the same things to each other? Are we trying to put people in our little box of how the world is supposed to work?

Several women that Jennie met yesterday INSISTED that she is "too tiny" to be almost 38 weeks. Let me get this straight: Every woman is different. Every body is different. Every baby is different. Every pregnancy is probably different too. And yet these "ladies" get to INSIST on the proper size of a 38-weeks-pregnant Jennie, who they barely know.

I would love to be there, just once, to speak up for my wife and tell them to mind their own business. I think she's just the right size, and can you tell I'm willing to defend that?!

Yeah, she's 37 weeks-plus, and 1 centimeter dilated.

We're pretty excited, and waiting in suspense. This is not one of those things I can schedule or plan in advance for. "Hey honey, why don't we go ahead and have that baby Friday night? We don't have any plans for Friday - that would work great. We could do dinner at Applebees, maybe relax at Barnes and Nobles for a while, and then drive on over to City Hospital and settle in for the main event!"

Wouldn't that be nice.

Actually, all we care about is a healthy baby. That's what we're praying and hoping for. Jennie adds, "We feel like we know her already, but we can't wait to meet her face to face." Then, after seeing that I'm typing what she's saying, she says, "No, I don't want it to be me (talking)."

"Seriously, can you erase that?" added Jennie.

"Sure, honey!" I responded without delay.

Meanwhile, it is nice to have a few days off to reflect on the world as I know it. I've relaxed a lot, cleaned out the garage (finally), and helped Jennie with the garden. You'd be proud to know I didn't see a movie this week, but I did eat at Red Robin again. The A-1 Peppercorn burger is a huge hit. Add Tabasco and you're in for a whole nuther world of fun.

So I'm writing out my personal journal at Red Robin, steak fries and all. It began something like this, "I'm thirty years old. What ten things am I most proud of about my life?"

Of course, I had to follow that up with "what things am I least proud of about my life?" It was a very revealing exercise. I dare you to do that about your own life. Usually, when you read the mutterings, it's all about getting a few updates and maybe laugh at something silly Gary says. But maybe this time you're supposed to learn something about yourself, and do a self-evaluation like I did. So rarely do we come face to face with reality, and I dare you to consider those questions.

I think it was Socrates who said that "the unexamined life is not worth living." It is hard to imagine Socrates "examining" his life while downing a peppercorn burger with steak fries and onion straws, but that's what I did.

I also dare you to eat at Red Robin. Did you hear that story?

I have other friends who do an online journal like this, and they usually say things about how it's such good "therapy" to get their thoughts out like this. Sometimes, though, it's just fun to let your thoughts meander for a while and have friends bring them up on the phone a few days later. For example, I bet one of you will say, "I can't believe you used the word "meander" in mutterings the other day." Call me crazy, but I bet one of you will bring it up.

I am running out of things to sell on eBay. It can be quite a hassle, but fun if you can buy something cheap at a neighbor's garage sale and then auction it off to the world. However, if your neighbors only peddle their junk, you're toast.

We miss Becks and Lee in Oregon. Then again, who doesn't. Wish they'd visit again and we could do Friday's or something.