Battin' a thousand

So it's official, I'm 2 for 2 on guessing the gender of unborn babies. I correctly guessed that my brother would have a boy three months ago and this past weekend I correctly guessed that Mama G and Papa Rob would have a baby girl! I'm super excited that Alli will have another girl "close by" to grow up with. Funny how a bunch of Damn Yankees from Ohio had their first-borns in the South.

It seemed like everyone else we knew was pregnant ended up having a boy - at least 4 or 5 that I can think of. The only friends we knew who recently had a girl still live in Ohio, which isn't exactly close by for Alli to meet and play with very often. But now that we have friends that are only 3 hours away, Alli will have another girl friend to hang out with when we see Mama G and Papa Rob.

Their baby girl was born Friday evening, and all weekend I couldn't help but recall the day Alli was born. Mommy B and I even pulled out the video camera and photo albums to remind ourselves how cute (and small!) Alli looked right after she was born. Now, I wasn't one of those dads that filmed the moment - but was able to get some good footage soon afterward. After they had taken Alli off to the nursery, bathed her and cleaned her up, got her swaddled and brought her back - that's when I started filming. It was so weird seeing her now (rolling over on the living room floor) compared to that day - she's about 6 inches longer and has doubled her weight. Crazy to think that she'll be 6 months old in just nine days!

It also made me think about those first couple of weeks we had Alli home. We had Alli on a Wednesday and I started a new job at my same company the following Monday. 4 days isn't really a whole lot of time to figure things out. Those first few weeks were really rough on everyone... and having to try and focus on a new job made it even more difficult for me.

But as time passed, things got easier - as I know they will for Mama G and Papa Rob. I know they are going through the tough phase right now, but just like I was told when I could barely stay awake any longer - "It'll all get better soon." All the smiles, giggles and wonder that I can see in Alli's eyes now makes all those sleepless nights worth it, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time. They are going to be great parents, and I'm so happy Alli will have a friend "right up the road" to play with soon.