You can't catch me 'cause the rabbit gone died'

Another anniversary for Team Tinsley. Rest easy, a rabbit' didn't die in the literal sense. I'm talking bun in the oven.

We've never owned a rabbit. We babysat one back when Carter was teaching at Dover. Floppy?!? Dog Dog fell in love with him. I didnt' care for him that much. He was kind of nuts, and shit everywhere. He later attacked Carter (living up to the crazy as a march hare expression) in some sicko sex crazed bunny fit. But, as usual, I digress.

To the point.

One year ago, to the day, we found out that Carter was pregnant with the fetus that would become the Little Warrior. It came as a surprise. For those who've read Beat It you know that we were fertility challenged the first time around. Took us a very long time to have Boy #1. We had to get help in the medical sense. Based on that, we were under the impression that propagating would still be a struggle. Our plan (if you haven't figured it out by now, we're pretty uptight, us Tinsleys), was to start 'trying' in April and throughout the Summer and if nothing happened by September, go see Doctor Cohen (Female Fertility Doc in Dallas, if you are having fertility issues - go see this man - he is good.)

As I often say, Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.

The rabbit died pretty much the first try. Cart didn't really know she was pregnant for sometime, because, who would have thought it would be so easy??? After two or three Pregnancy Tests, she realized, it was probably really positive.

Thus, I came home one year ago, and on the dining room table, in my 'spot' was the EPT test, showing positive.

My first thought, "Hey, don't you pee on that stick? This is where I eat!" (insert laugh track.) Seriously, I didn't believe it. Made her show me the other two tests, and then we had to go buy (EPT got a lot of our $cratch) more tests and do it again. All positive. Doctor later confirmed that she was pregnant and the due date was January 4, 2004 (Wyatt arrived on December 28, 2003.)

That's the reason we have two beautiful Boy(s) who are less than two years apart. We're not crazy. Or gluttons for punishment. We're two lucky planners - kept on their feet by the craziness that is life.

Until I BLOG again...Boo.

Dig if u will the picture...

Actually, pictures. I uploaded a bunch of pics recently, poke your finger 'here'', if you want to look see.

Cuatro Meses

The Little Warrior is FOUR months today. Had his wellness check-up, and got some shots. For those playing along at home.


Four Month Stats
15 lbs. 7 ozs - 75 percentile.
25 1/2" long - 75 percentile.
16 7/8" ø head

compared to three month stats.

14 lbs. 9.5 ozs - 90 percentile.
25" long - 90 percentile.
16" ø head - 50 percentile.

Until I BLOG again...Be cool.

Beat It

April 25 is, for me, the unofficial anniversary of Team Tinsley. Sure, July 30 is the higher profile anniversary. It is the day that Carter and I were married. Then you have the Boy(s) birthdays (January 17 and December 28 for those playing along at home.) But, for me, April 25, 2001 is just as important - It has a special place in my heart. It is the day, when Team Tinsley began.

I'm getting ahead of myself.

As I mentioned, Carter and I were married on July 30, 1994. Being planners by nature (read: uptight) we had always been in agreement that we would wait a few years until we started our family (read: Team Tinsley.) She was completing her eduction to become a teacher. I was slaving away at BusyBody. We both felt when the time was right, we'd know and then we'd start having kids.

So, fast forward five or so years, everyone in Prince mode, partying like it is, because it was, 1999. The time was right. We promptly quit copulating and started propagating. Time to start the family. Kids. Hey Ho, let's go.

Only problem - Nothing happened.

Well, something happened, but not pregnancy.

So we kept at it. And at it. At it. At it. At it. At it. At it, so on, and so forth. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to years. Nothing. After trying for some time, It became evident that we had wasted a lot of $cratch on birth control over the years (insert laugh track.) Seriously, it hit us that we were having issues and it was time go to the Doctor(s).

Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.

I won't bore you (today) with the many details of our quest to reproduce. It was long, hard, expensive, sad, and at times, funny. We made progress, had set backs, progress, etc. until we arrive at the date, April 25. Three years in the rearview.

On this day I beat it (read: masturbated) with the end result being ejaculation into a 'medical' cup. I had to then put that cup in my shirt (to keep it warm), and drive to Dr. Bush's office. Dr. Bush is a urologist who specializes in male infertility. Ironic name, isn't it. I dropped off my, um, essence. They did their magic (they spin it or something.) Carter picked it up at 10am and drove (along w/ the cup of spunk in her clothes to keep it warm) to Dr. Cohen's office (he a female infertility doctor) where she had an IUI. Wham bam, Thank you Mam. Not that romantic, but you know what...it got the job done because we had conception.

In fact, Ethan Gentry Tinsley, Boy #1, lived up to his Tinsley-ness (read: uptight) and came into the world 40 weeks to the day of the IUI. Punctuality, it is, so important.

So, Dear Reader. Now you know why April 25 is important to me.

April 25, is without a doubt, the day my Lovely Bride became pregnant with our first child. Ethan a.k.a. Boy #1 (chronological distinction only.) It certainly wasn't a traditional impregnation, but then again, how many people know exactly when conception happened?

For those wondering about our newest member, Wyatt Carter Tinsley a.k.a. Boy #2. The Little Warrior was conceived the old fashion way - by accident. Kidding. But, it is another story. Another time, another place.

Until I BLOG again...Peace.

Brother Bear = Tootsie

The Elder Boy has been wanting to buy Brother Bear. Buy is the same as renting as far as he is concerned. We've been hearing the following for weeks.

"Brother Bear please."
"Buy Brother Bear."
"Me want Brother Bear."
"Brother Bear, Please"

Over and over and over and over. We attempted to buy it this past Saturday night, but there weren't any VHS copies at Blockbuster.

We interrupt this BLOG to bring you a tangent rant: I realize the future is NOW, and that I probably should buy a DVD player. However, it pisses me off that a large corporate entity such as BlCockbuster is forcing my hand by only offering a handful of VHS copies on new releases, while stocking tons of DVDs. They had a wall in the kids section dedicated to Brother Bear. My guess would be 50. 45 DVDs, 5 VHS copies. Join me in giving a collective finger to BlCockbuster!

We now return to my original point...Back to Saturday night, I'm standing in a crowded BlCockbuster (Cart and The Little Warrior are in the car waiting) with my eldest Boy in front of the Brother Bear wall, trying to explain to Ethan that there aren't any Brother Bear movies to buy. 50 cases on the wall would lead you to believe otherwise, but, as you probably know, at BlCockbuster they don't rent movies in their original jackets. Ethan wasn't getting this though, and thought I was ignoring his request. As you can imagine, it wasn't a good scene. After asking one of the BlCockbuster(s) if they had any (just) returned VHS copies of Brother Bear (answer: "NO, but we got 30 DVDs ready to rent!"), I quickly appeased the Elder Boy with a gum ball, and bought Scooby Doo and the Legend of the Vampire.

Fast forward to Wednesday, and every member of Team Tinsley has viewed Scooby multiple times. I for one, have seen it so many times, I think I could star in my own one man production. Not that I'm complaining. We've had some good times watching it. The gripping mystery centering around the kids going Down Under, and getting entangled in a mystery involving the Yowie Yahoo. You haven't lived until you've seen the "Meddling Kids" perform the Scooby Doo theme song at a Lollapalooza-esque concert at Vampire Rock. Speaking of the theme song. Ethan has the curious habit of dancing everytime he hears it. As soon as the song begins, he stops whatever he is doing (he multi-taks, it is a rare occasion to find him just watching tv) and runs in front of the TV and dances. Dances his ass off, actually. Exaggerated arms, hopping around, dancing. As I've BLOGGED before, Dog Dog's bed is pretty close to the TV armoire. Thus, when the Boy starts his clod hop dance, she becomes agitated, and gets up from her bed, and starts to pace around him. From the vantage point of the Sectional, it appears they are dancing together. Funny.

Back to Wednesday. Even though Ethan has enjoyed the Scooby video, he has continued to ask to buy Brother Bear. I decided to swing by BlCockbuster on my way home that night and see if could buy it. Victory was mine. Aside from being a 1st class Dad (Don't forget June 20th Day is Father's Day), I had ulterior motives. Wednesday was BDrunco for Carter. I had Boy(s) patrol. I figured Brother Bear would make my watch a 'bit' easier.

For those sans kids, Brother Bear is a story about three brothers. They are Intuit. World is just coming out of the Ice Age. After a bear takes the life of the oldest brother, impulsive youngest brother Kenai kills the bear in revenge, only to be transformed into a bear himself. Denami, the middle brother, comes upon this bear and, thinking it killed Kenai, vows revenge. Now brother hunts brother and Kenai's only hope for survival is to befriend his own worst enemy, a grizzly cub named Koda. Koda's main goal is to show Kenai the real meaning of brotherhood. It is a story of a boy who becomes a man...by becoming a bear (their line, not mine.)

Didn't I see/hear that somewhere before? As I pondered that thought, duty called; bottle, bath, night night for Boy #2, bath, hot chocolate, books, night night for Boy #1.

Much later, as I lay in bed, drifting off to night night, it hit me.

Brother Bear is essentially the same story as Tootsie.

For those who never seen Tootsie, it is a story of a extremely difficult actor who becomes a woman to get work as an actor. While a woman he falls in love (with a woman) with one of his co-stars, this woman also falls in love with him, but since she thinks he's a she, well - comedy ensues. It is the story of a man who became a better man... by becoming a woman (my line.)

Regardless if you agree or disagree with my Brother Bear = Tootsie summation (chime in Dear Readers, comments are lovely), I think we can all agree on this: I need to buy a DVD player.


Until I BLOG again...Peace.