Barnabas Monkeypants

A few clarifications and updates on previous posts. Yes, there’s a good chance we’re going to try and have a second child. Kristen and I love  Henry, and even with all the “cons” out there, the “pros” definitely outweigh them and we’re leaning heavily toward making him a big brother. It’s just that I don’t [...]

Henry was born at Prentice Women’s Hospital, which is affiliated with Northwestern University. It is a very, very good place, and we received nothing but excellent care there. (They, in turn, charged us and our insurance company an inordinate amount of money, but who’s counting?) However, if I had known about this hospital in Taiwan, [...]

I’m in Seattle — flew in Tuesday afternoon and am getting on a plane in another four hours to come home. I was able to walk around the downtown area for a bit yesterday evening, and it’s a fine city. As I’ve said before, when I travel for work, I rarely get a chance to [...]

My job entails that I sometimes travel. Over the past year, I’ve been to Phoenix, San Francisco, Tampa, New Orleans, and several other places. For the most part, I fly to my destination, get into a waiting SUV, go to a hotel, work, sleep (for not very long), work, get into an SUV, and back [...]

“I don’t think I’m the kind of person who can stay at home all the time with a baby.” That was Kristen’s mantra for all the years we’ve been together, up to and including her pregnancy. “My God, how am I going to be able to go back to work with this baby here? I [...]

Every parent thinks that their baby is not just cute, but the cutest kid on the planet. And that’s completely justified. I mean, when Kristen and I first saw Henry, all red and crying and covered in his own poop, we fell madly in love with him and immediately proclaimed him the most amazing thing [...]

Here’s a somewhat crazy comment, but I’m in a mood, so I’ll make it: Infants all tend to like the same thing. There, I said it. I think a lot of parents would immediately start saying I’m full of it and their baby is nothing like their neighbors (okay, if I had more than 20 [...]

I had a really long post I was ready to put up yesterday afternoon (about super heroes no less) when I got a call from Kristen. She asked me to come home on the earliest possible train because Henry was in his crabbiest, fussiest, most unhappiest mood ever. And she needed help. For the past [...]

A few exciting things happened this weekend. First off, we had our first overnight guest since Henry was born. Kristen’s father graced us with his presence and was immediately smitten with our son (who my sister is now referring to as Prince Henry, a name that certainly fits). The thing is, Henry knows how to [...]

I do not have breasts. Well, let me clarify. I don’t have working breasts. And, for the most part, I’ve been happy with that. Through my life, I’ve had enough points of ridicule hurled against me (my glasses, my lack of any athletic ability, my propensity to bring up Green Lantern in any conversation), and [...]