Normal Rockstar

Liam's Dedication Ceremony

Thanks to Harry and the crack media team at Rolling Hills Community Church, we already have video of Liam's baby dedication ceremony today. Enjoy!

Obama, Leno, and the Special Olympics

Four months ago I don't know that I would have given this story a second thought. Today, as the proud new father of a son with Down syndrome, I am unable to overlook last night's "offhand comment" spoken by the most powerful man in the world on late-night TV.

President Obama made history last night by being the first ever sitting President to appear on a late-night television show as a guest of Jay Leno. I understand his attempt at self-depreciating humor (in case you didn't watch the video clip, go here for the transcript [HT: Huffington Post]) - generally that's always a safe bet for a good laugh. I'm sure it wasn't mean-spirited or meant in an offensive way. I know he called the president of the Special Olympics and apologized even before the show aired; I know he has now extended an invitation to Special Olympics athletes to the White House to bowl and play basketball (I'll keep my opinion on that to myself... you do the math). The fact of the matter is that "off-hand" or not, I expect more of the American President.

Being is a position of such visibility and responsibility is a tough task - people hold such people to a higher standard and rightly so. By accepting such a position one agrees to live by that higher standard. I am personally learning the power of words all over again - whereas just a few short months ago it would not have been uncommon to hear me call myself "retarded" when I make a silly mistake, now as the father of a son who's mental and physical development is technically "retarded" (i.e. slower than normal) I start to see red whenever I overhear someone make such an "offhand" comment even though I know the intent is most probably not harmful or derogatory.

I really don't have much more to say. There's plenty more that could be said and IS being said around the blogosphere - many are turning this into a political "look what we've gotten ourselves into!" thing - my intention is not that. If anything, may this simply serve as a reminder that it really doesn't matter who you are - the President of the United States, Joe the Plumber, a rockstar, a housewife, a blogger - think twice about the words you speak. They have the power to wound or to heal. And once they're spoken, there's no taking them back.

Rockstars Change Diapers Too

At a shower the downhere family threw for us before Liam was born, they took a bunch of diapers and wrote messages on them for our future entertainment when we changed Liam. This one showed up the other day - it was too good to pass up! And is very true... one of the first things I did when I got home yesterday (after kissing my wife and child) was change his diaper. Funny the things we look forward to, isn't it!

Gene Stallings Discusses His Down Syndrome Son

If you have 20 minutes and are in need of a good cry, click here to listen to this recent Focus on the Family broadcast (I listened to this while trying to eat lunch and choked on my food multiple times!). The featured guest is former coach Gene Stallings, and he shares his deep love for his son Johnny who recently passed away at the age of 46. Gene served as the head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, the Texas A&M Aggies and the St. Louis Cardinals. Stallings was also an assistant coach for the Dallas Cowboys for 14 seasons. But his biggest and proudest accomplishment was his son Johnny who was born with Down syndrome. His love for Johnny is so obvious in his voice when he talks about him - it is a wonderful encouragement to parents like my wife and I who are just starting on this journey of raising a child with Down syndrome.

If you don't have time to listen to the broadcast, here's one of my favorite quotes from it (paraphrased): "If the Lord took me back and gave me the option of having either Johnny or a normal healthy child, I would choose Johnny every single time."

Liam's First Photo-shoot

Saturday afternoon Liam endured his first official photoshoot. Well, his father endured the photoshoot - Liam didn't seem to mind at all! (I make it sound painful - it really wasn't, I'm just not a photo taking kind of guy. My wife, on the other hand, is extremely photogenic and would look fantastic with a paperbag over her head!) Our friend Sara came up from Atlanta and spent a little over an hour with us, shooting over 1600 pictures. Click here (or on the image above) to watch a slideshow of our pictures. Thanks, Sara!

Liam Rolls Over!

Yeah, I know - it's been nearly a month since I've updated my blog. These days if you want to stay current on what's going on with me you'd be better off keeping tabs on me via Twitter. A lot has happened in the last month and I'm going to get that updated here soon.

In the meantime, here's a quick video that just happened today - Liam rolled over for the first time (and second and third times) and we caught it on video! He's only 6 weeks old... pretty remarkable. So enjoy - and come back in a couple of days for a breakdown of the last number of weeks (since the big 3-0).

Baby Rockstar, Momma, and Registeries

It's been a little while since I've updated you on Baby Rockstar, so I thought it was about time. Momma Rockstar (Erin) is looking as cute as always, and DEFINITELY pregnant. Most people think she's due imminently - when she tells them she still has 11 weeks they can't believe it! I'm really proud of her - she has done a fantastic job of eating well, exercising, and just being healthy all the way through this pregnancy. She was beautiful BEFORE being pregnant, but it's no wonder she continues to glow!

Our baby boy is doing well too. We are due on December 26th, but he's measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule, so we're hoping he comes early so that we can be home on Christmas Day (the last show of our Christmas tour will be the week of December 14th, so if he's anything like his father he'll pay attention to the schedule and come somewhere in that window).

We haven't been home long enough to start nesting yet, but that will all change this month. Next weekend we are having a painting party, inviting a number of friends over to help paint the nursery (which means I've got to get my desk cleaned up and papers all filed before then - good times!), and in the next month or so Erin will be the guest of honor at a baby shower or two.

Speaking of showering Erin with gifts, I thought I would post a link to our gift registeries to make them more accessible for our friends and family. We are registered at Babies 'R Us, Target, and NurturedFamily.com (we're doing the cloth diapers thing). If you get the urge, feel free to stop by and check things out!

Baby Rockstar is a...

...boy! We're thrilled - God is good! It was pretty surreal to see the ultrasound on Thursday and have the technician point out his "stem" (you can't see it in this picture - that's the umbilical cord). He was very energetic during the appointment - it took longer than usual because the lady had to keep chasing him around the womb (that's my boy!). Erin was crying for joy despite the fact that she's going to have to wait a little longer for her little princess. I KNEW it was going to be a boy (although I started second-guessing myself watching the poll results come in thinking everyone else knew something I didn't - the results were 40-23 in favor of a girl). It was a very sweet "I told you so!" moment. :)

So now the naming process begins - we've been waiting until we knew whether it was a boy or girl so that we could eliminate half the work. Sorry - you don't get any input on name selection and we won't be announcing it until our son is actually in our arms, so you'll just have to be patient for the next big reveal. Thanks for your prayers throughout this time - we're almost at the halfway point so there's lots of growing and developing to do yet (both for our baby and for Erin!), so please continue to pray for us all. Thanks so much!

Baby Rockstar's Sex - Cast Your Vote!

**UPDATE: We changed the announcement date to Monday so that we can tell my parents in person. Sorry - we'll announce it late Monday morning.**

Today we celebrate 18 weeks of pregnancy, and Erin is feeling (and looking!) fantastic. We went shopping for maternity clothes for the first time yesterday and she has started feeling the baby kick in the last few days (I have yet to feel it). Tomorrow (Thursday) we go in to find out whether Rockstar Baby has a stem or not (yes, we're going to find out if it's a boy or a girl). What do you think? Take a second and fill in the following poll to cast your vote. Here are some thoughts to muddy the waters:

• if you believe the old wive's tale which says that the baby's heart rate dictates the sex, we are having a girl.
• Erin likes cereal - therefore, according to recent studies, the chances are higher that we are having a boy.

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Happy voting - check back here on MONDAY to find out if you were right or not!

Baby Rockstar Coming Soon!

It's official - Baby Rockstar is on his/her way! Above is the first picture we have from our 8-week appointment - it looks like we're having a seahorse! Yesterday we went in for our 12-week appointment and got to hear the heartbeat (you can listen to it below) - what a completely surreal experience. This means we're through the first trimester which is a huge hurdle - and our baby is already at least three times bigger than it is in the above picture.

So all of this means that we are due on December 26th... which means it will be a Tennessee Christmas this year! I am going to do my best to make sure this blog doesn't turn into a parenting blog... but, as I'm sure you can imagine, I've been spending a lot of time over the last number of weeks reading baby books, researching strollers/running strollers, etc. The purpose of this blog from the start has been to share with you what's going on in my life - and you can bet my life has changed already and will continue to do so drastically in the next number of months and years!

We would appreciate your prayers as our baby continues to grow and develop. Erin has been feeling great so far - no sickness, just an increased appetite and need for sleep/rest. We've got a lot of travel ahead of us this summer, so your prayers for safety would be appreciated.

Thanks for sharing in our excitement - stay tuned for more updates on Baby Rockstar!