Well, this post has been four months in the making for several reasons: 1.) I just haven’t made it a priority to post and 2.) I wanted to let some time pass and write about it after the newness and excitement had worn down.

Sarah and I began taking the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth classes at Sarah’s request. At first, I was skeptical and not really enthusiastic about going to the classes because I thought, “Well, we’ve already had 2 kids. Why start something new on #3?” I’m so thankful that we ended up going.

We took our class from a local certified Bradley Method instructor in Monroe, Louisiana with two other couples who were both having their first child. The classes were a great time of encouragement and group awareness of things that we could do to prepare ourselves for the birth. The classes provided a venue to purposefully set aside a time each week to talk about the expectations of the birth and the things that we needed to decide. It brought Sarah and I together and allowed us to really feel like a team.

The class was a great encourager to me as a third time father-to-be. On the previous two births I felt that I was at the mercy of the nurses and doctors to tell me what was happening at the births of our sons. I didn’t know what stage we were at or what to expect. I often thought when things happened during the lengthy delivery, “Is this good, bad, or expected?”. The Bradley Method trained and educated both of us to know when and how things would happen, so that I could be more than a confused bystander during the birth, but an educated coach and advocate for my wife.

The actual birthing method put forth by Dr. Robert Bradley in the 1960′s was to view the birthing process in a natural way that focused on healthy moms and babies coming into the world in due timing without the use of medicines and imposed timing.

This is exactly what happened for us. We were able to have a healthy baby boy despite going in to the hospital with our son in a breach position. Our wonderful OB was able to turn the baby by procedure of “external cephalic version.” That’s just a fancy way of saying she  moved the baby with her hands  similar to kneading bread.

Elias Warren Richey was born almost 24 hours later without the use of any pain medication or epidural. It was due to the preparation and the thinking behind the Bradley Method. I’m so glad we took the class and I highly recommend the class to first, second, third, or 5th time moms AND dads.

On inauguration day, I watched the outgoing president’s website and then watched the 44th President’s website rollover even before he was even sworn in as President. I was stunned immediately at the noticeable upgrade of design and functionality. I am not a democrat and didn’t vote for Barack Obama. That withstanding, I think that he only helps his presidency by keeping the official website of the President looking modern and user-friendly. It continues to impress and improve.

I am very impressed with the new White House App for the iPhone. It publishes the weekly addresses and the daily press briefings. You can watch the photos that the official photographers take of the First Family. It does so in a clean and professional way. On the whole, I wish I could train and pick the brains of some of the men/women who are responsible for the graphic design and back end building of the this site.

It is not easy to do and to do it where any goof or mistake is noticed and reported is really all the more impressive. If you haven’t looked at the website or the iPhone App, check it out when you get some free time.

The Saints are headed to the SuperBowl after a very close, nail-biter of a game yesterday evening. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, it is really still surreal to think that the Saints, not Cowboys, Eagles, Cardinals, Seahawks or some other NFC team will be fighting for the Lombardi trophy. It is just hard to believe that the former “Aints” are now ready to give it a go at a SuperBowl title.

Some questions that linger in this arm-chair quarterback’s mind are:

• Can the Saints stay focused through the hype and excitement of Pre-SuperBowl? The Colts have been there and done that. Ironically, the last time they were there, the Saints had just lost in the NFC championship to the Bears.
• Can Reggie Bush continue to play physical and upfield in his running style? They say he is healthy and he is obviously playing a more pivotal role in these last 2 games.
• Can the Saints convert on 3rd and short? If they run the ball will they run side to side or pound it up the middle. Will the Saints make good play calls on 3rd downs. It seems like 3rd and short has been more tricky than third and 9 as of late.
• Can the Saints convert turnovers into touchdowns and not just field goals? If you get turnovers against a Peyton Manning-led team, you better make them count. Couldn’t notch all those Vikings turnovers into points in the NFC championship game.
• Will the Saints fall on fumbles and not try to pick them up? Also will they not bail out the Colts with pass interference or roughing the passer calls after seemingly a 3rd down stop.
  

I am very excited to watch this game. I think it is a great marquee for a Superbowl. These teams are good for ratings. It will be weird to actually have a “dog in the fight” and not just to be watching and rooting for the perceived underdog from some other city. I hope Drew Brees gets it done and that it is franchise re-defining game. I just don’t know if I can take a close game like that in the Superbowl too. The Saints would need to be ahead 14-17 points with 2 minutes left for me to feel semi-comfortable. They Saints have good fourth quarters and finish halves strong, but so do the Colts. Here’s hoping for an even more exciting superbowl than last year.

Jamie Soles and his family came back to AAPC for a concert during the 2010 Auburn Avenue Pastors Conference. Jamie Soles music is saturated in the stories of the Bible from both the Old and New Testaments. His music narrates biblical stories and themes in catchy and connective ways. Some have called him, “James B. Jordan put to music.” As a young parent, I’m finding them a nice resource as we train our kids in the nurture and admonition in the Lord.

Anyway, here’s the list of the songs he did on January 5, 2010:

1. Psalm 1
2. The Way My Story Goes
3. The Patriarchs
4. Follow the Line
5. Keep the Feast
6. Land of Canaan
7. Nadab and Abihu
8. Korah, Dathan, & Abiram
9. How to Catch a Wife
10. Jerusalem
11. Weaned Child
12. Man Next Door
13. Chariots
14. Bethel
15. Bad Guys, Part 4
16. This Old Man (Revised)
17. Kings of Israel
18. Still Awake in Nazareth
19. Apostles Creed

I like to keep a record of who sang what at the concerts that I go to. Maybe you do to. That’s the reason I thought I’d post this. You can download some of his music on iTunes or order his CD’s from http://www.solmusic.ca

Sarah and I both prefer to see The Tonight Show being hosted by Conan O’Brien if it were up to us. Growing up I would watch Jay and David Letterman just before going to bed, but started watching some Conan O’Brien in college during those years of later nights and later bed times. For a time we would watch Stephen Colbert’s Colbert Report and then watch some of Late Night with Conan O’Brien before hitting the hay. We both think that NBC would be better off in the long run to keep Conan and not Jay, but that is a moot point. I just hope that he is on FOX or another network that puts their episodes online for free so we can follow whatever he ends up doing come this September.

I thought he was very classy in his exit and made some appropriate quotes to my generation’s high level of cynicism when things like this happen: