And the winner is....--Jake

I would first like to apologize to anyone that was expecting to hear/read if Melissa and I were having a boy or a girl on Tuesday.  In true daddy form, I totally mixed up appointment dates.  The big reveal will be later today, around 11:00 am.  Big news will be read here as soon as I get home, til then feel free to comment and guess who will be joining us in January, Ethan or Emma. 

On another note, Operation: Healthy Dad has been underway for almost two months now and I'm still going strong.  I've missed a few days here and there, but I usually go to the gym about five days a week.  I regret to inform that I didn't hit my target weight to this point in the op, but I'm feeling great and eating better than I have in a long time.  Needless to say, when we go to Pensacola this weekend for a last minute summer get away, I'll need to stay on point and not get carried away with the delicious foods I'm sure I'll be around.  Enough about that.

I do, however, want to get into why I even started Operation: Healthy Dad.  The biggest reason, of course, is to be a healthy dad.  I know I'm not going to be the first 31 year old to have their first child at, well 31 (Ryan is beating me to it, BTW), but the thought of being the "older dad" when school functions start up for my tyke made me realize I'm going to be doing a lot of things that most people start doing in their 20's and even earlier in some cases (mom, you had your hands full with us, and Cindy you told me some stories, and I think you both did a great job).  I feel, and hopefully Melissa feels the same way, that this isn't going to be our only child, so already there's going to be at least one, if not more, to come after baby E and hopefully, all before the age of 40.  I need to be able to keep up with the herd, therefore, I'm buckling down and getting things under control.

Another reason is to be healthier for Melissa.  Again, this goes into being able to keep up with everyone and everything, I don't want to be the dad that tuckers out and leaves most things to mom to take care of.  This is a full on partnership and it's 50/50, not 70/30, or even 60/40.  I know there'll be times when one of us needs that extra rest or long hot shower to relax and I just want to be ready to pull my weight.

And then there is a selfish reason to this healthier dad kick I'm on.  I'm doing it for me, I want to be around as long as I can to be able to see all that I can in my children's lives and to grow old and grey with my love.  I've done some stupid things in my life that weren't healthy at all, such as smoking amongst other things I won't get into.  I always heard smoking takes so many years off the end of one's life, and I always said, before marriage, that I was fine with that, those are the worst years anyways.  Well, I've had a change of heart, and I'm trying to quit smoking all together, although I still have the occasional square just to indulge myself.  Plus, a healthier me means a better me.

That's all I've got this time around, until tomorrow afternoon when I get to let you followers know what types of baby stuff you guys get to send our way.  Kidding of course, unless you feel moved to do so, joking joking joking, no seriously, send us stuff...