As I promised a few days back, here are the first pictures of Bernard:

No Bernard, you’ve blinked again!

Note: He’s the Pepper and Salt one on top of the pile.

Bernard is only 10 days old in the pictures which means it’s going to be a while until we get to have him pissing on our carpets but it’s still very exciting.

With the Miniature Schnauzer book duly ordered from Amazon, could we be any better prepared? Hmm, maybe we should fence off our pond?

If there are any parents out there who also have dogs, which is harder to look after: the dog or the baby?

Probably like most men, I still feel about, ooh, 15 years old on the inside. I pretty much still enjoy the same things now as I did then and in my mind I still look the same. When you talk about kids you quite commonly use the phrase “They think their invincible” but I think the same can be said about men too. I definitely think I’m invincible. Not in a “I can’t be killed” kind of way but in a “I’m never going to die” kind of way. I can’t remember the last time I was sick. I’m still fit and *ahem* strong. And like I said I still look young…

Life expectancies are steadily climbing thanks to the advancements or medicines and technology making our lives so much easier. And, just like when you’re a kid you never think about dying, I still don’t think about dying. Except maybe when I’m doing the electrics in our house or when Mrs C is driving us somewhere. But apart from those times, I don’t think about it.

So I’ve been amazed at just how “human” I’ve started feeling over the past few weeks and it’s all down to Junior. When I stop to think about a new life growing inside Mrs C or when I see his head move across the front of her stomach I can’t help but think about my own life and death and what I want to do on the bits that I’ve got left in between those two book ends. It’s really put me back in touch with life and reality. Ooh, and it feels good.

So the first of our new arrivals was born yesterday morning; Bernard our Miniature Schnauzer puppy! He was one of a litter of 5 and is the only Pepper and Salt pup in the gang. Hopefully I’ll be getting a picture in a few days and as soon as I do, I’ll post it here.

I was in two minds about how sensible it would be to have a puppy so close to having the baby but I’ve come round to the idea. I think it will keep us grounded and prevent us from becoming complete baby bores. The only down side is that, if pushed, I’ll have to tell people I have a miniature schnauzer. It keeps the wife happy though, ya ha ha haa.

Here’s to Professor Bernard Armstrong (that’s his full name and would have been even if he were a girl). Hoorah!

It happens to every man I’m sure, but today I took a worrying trip into becoming my own father today. Here’s how it happened:

AM: Washed the car.
PM: Watched Grand Prix; fell asleep on sofa.

There are, of course, worse people to become but that doesn’t stop it from disturbing me deeply. The only solace I can take from this is the knowledge that one day Junior will turn into me. Mw ha ha haa!

You know, probably one of the main reasons there don’t seem to be many blogs about men expecting to become fathers is because not an awful lot happens.

Days go by and I don’t change. Sometimes I do start to think how dramatically our lives will change, but then a pigeon flies past the window and I think about something else.

For Mrs C things are a little different. She is into her third trimester now and is starting to tire of the pregnancy lark. She can no longer bend over to put on her shoes. She is pretty much sick of being kicked (mostly on the bladder whilst driving it seems). And good nights sleep are things of fond memories.

To help things seem like they are going quicker, this weekend we are feathering our nest. We’ve made a trip to Ikea and bought some “storage solutions” and then re-organised the “spare room” to make it slightly more officially the “baby’s room”. Little projects like this seem to make it a bit easier. We have the next one planned - redecorating the bathroom. That should keep us occupied for a few weeks. Then it will be back to waiting I guess.

Having to post “catch-up” entries can only be a bad thing as it can only mean I haven’t been blogging enough but here goes with a catch-up:

Holiday

Our holiday was great. We spent the best part of the week besides the seaside in Deal and, God, did I need the break. A lot of sunshine, a lot of fresh air and a lot of playing pool. Yes, our cottage had a full sized American pool table so Mrs C and I spent the week sharpening our hustling skills. I’ve won nearly £50 since I come back…

The Best Man Thing

Matt and Mary’s wedding was fantastic. The sun shone (even if the wind blew a gale) and Matt look suave and Mary look beautiful. I was so very chuffed to be there.

How did I cope as Best Man? I think “survived” is the best way to describe it.

Pregnancy

We into the 3rd trimester now and all is going swimmingly, so far. Mrs C is starting to feel a little more tired but it’s not bad enough for her to need afternoon naps quite yet. She has been complaining a little more about the kicking.

“He kicked me in one of my internal organs today that I don’t even know the name of.”

Apparently “I can see you tummy moving!” isn’t the correct response to that one.

Oh yes, and we’ve made it past 100 days to go….