Wahe's World

Baseball

One of the things I am trying not to do is anticipate all those things a father will want his son to do and be. For example, I am trying to stay away from thinking that Alex will be the best student ever. However, the one thing I do admit, I hope he likes baseball. I grew up going to baseball games with my father. We would drive up from Illinois to Milwaukee, WI to see the American League Brewers face my favorite team, the New York Yankees. We would usually take in two games of the series. Eating brats as we watched baseball. Besides Milwaukee we would go to Wrigley Fields to see the Cubs, Minneapolis to see the Twins and we went to our fair share of Quad City Cubs Games in old John O’Donnell Stadium. The reason I bring this up is that it is a hope of mine that I will me able to share my love of the game of Baseball with him. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to keep the tradition of the going to games with my Dad. We attended the first game of the Brewer-Cub series in Milwaukee. It was actually the first time in many years that we got to the ballpark early enough to sit and watch batting practice. In my younger years I would get to see players like Willie Randolph, Dave Winfield and Don Mattingly take their cuts while visiting the old Milwaukee County Stadium. So this time around we watched Cubs stars Alfonso Soriano and Derek Lee take their cuts in the more modern Miller Park. This game was actually special for a few reasons. First and most obvious is that this one of the few years that I got to go to a Cubs game with my Dad during a season where there is actual potontial of hanging the first World Series ever in Wriggly Field (the last Cubs Championship World Series was won at The West Side Grounds in 1908). The second is that this was probably the last season that Dad and I would attend a game alone. Next season I hope to be able to take Alex to his first game. And finally, the best experience at the ball park, Dad caught his first ever foul ball. Kind of an amazing fact since he has been going to ballgames since 1948. Unfortunitly I missed the big event since I was running to the concession stand. But when I got back there was Dad hold a ball that Mark DeRosa knocked foul. So some time I do hope that I can catch a ball with Alex at a big ball game.  By the way, I have revitalized by Baseball Blog, A Pitch in Time, at https://wahe.us/baseball/.

Babies-R-Us

So this might be a boring post, but I do want to give a thumbs up to Babies-R-Us. Michelle and I went yesterday to create our registry there (that’s right we are registered at both Target and Babies-R-Us). I wanted to pass along to those interested that we had a very positive experience. Tammi, the associated who got us kicked off, was friendly and engaging. She was familiar with the adoption process. So we did not have to explain not needing all the paraphernalia that is needed for a newborn. She also helped us with car seats. Another associated helped us with select a pack-n-play. Neither of them really tried to up sell us. They spoke from their hearts as mothers. They identified what worked for them and what they hear worked for others. We have already purchased our crib, dresser and a few other items from them and hope to continue to have positive experiences with their store.

While we were at Babies-R-Us we ran into another couple who is adopting from Korea. We knew them for your adopting parent education day a few months ago. It was great to run into them and see pictures of their little guy. The cool thing, the associate that was working with us, sat and listened patiently as we got caught up.

Car Seats

Granted I am not that old yet and I know the world has become a more dangerous place that requires a lot laws and rules for the good of public safety,  but I do have to ask the question, will Alex have to sit in a car seat when he drives his date to the senior prom?  As a kid we were lucky if we were strapped into our seats with the standard seat belt.  With more cars on the road today, driving at greater speeds and with more distractions, I want my son to be in a car seat.  Actually I find them kind of cool.  Some of them reminded me of the belts used in fighter jets.  Some had padding that is used in bike helmets.  Some had special belts to hold the tightly to the seat.  All a good features.  But, once again, showing my ignorance on child rearing, how old is a child when they hit the 100 pound mark?  I know my freshmen year of high school I was a lean 125 lbs at the hight of six feet.  I hope that Alex will be able to meet the requirements to graduate from the booster seat before he turns 16 … Always remember, safety first!

Off to Target …

So Michelle and I went to Target to register for our baby shower this past Thursday. However, as first time parents, we needed some expertise from well versed parents. So our friends Ryan and Tracy volunteered for the excursion. They have a six your old daughter and a three year old boy, so their advice went a long way in our book. It wasn’t the big things that we needed help with. Of course Ryan identified the key qualities of a car seat. He pointed our that the hand crank was easier than the pull belt to tighten the seat. Michelle caught onto things more quickly than me. She and Tracy worked well together to identify over 100 items that we would need to build Alex’s home with us. Out of the four of us, I was clearly the one lacking in any of the parental instincts. Of course I did well with picking out toys. Anything with wheels good, anything with legos have to wait a few years (even though there was a great Star Wars set). Where I demonstrated my ignorance was the aisle of all the things related to baby bottles. As Michelle and Tracy talked about the best bottles for a 10 month-old, I apparently wandered too far down the aisle. I thought I heard Tracy say something about nipple covers. I looked up and hanging infront of me was a product with the label “nipple covers”. Ryan looked over my shoulder and discovered I was holding a product more well suited for biological mothers than a product to cover a bottle. As I said, I’m kind of ignorant of those things. But I made up for it today by buying Alex a toy work bench.

And we have a name! Alexander Wahe

So we have been asked many times over the last several weeks if we have an American name for Soo Min. But now we can finally answer the question. We have decided on Alexander Wahe. Obviously, Alex for short. We did all the logical things with name iterations. We thought about how the name sounded (Wahe is pronounced Way). We thought about the uniqueness of the name without being too unique. We thought about how the name would look like at the top of a resume. We thought about how other kids may make fun of the name. We thought about how many other people his age may also be named Alex. There was a lot of thinking and too much logic. In the end it just came down to our gut and the name that he would embrace.

I’m a small spotty jungle giraffe …

I’m a small spotty jungle giraffe and I currently share a bed with a married couple.  They talk about shipping me to South Korea to meet some cute little boy.  I guess I am kind of an ambassador for them before they get to meet him in person.  They bought me from a little toy store in Milwaukee back in March.  They were kicking about for the day and thought they would get me as a gift for their future child.  I guess that is all becoming a realization for them now.    I do hope I get to go on the trip in a few weeks. But I do dread that long plane flight. Keep your fingers crossed.