Baby Names

One of the best parts of being a new parent is choosing a name for your baby. Almost everything about the baby is out of your hands such as gender, IQ, or whether they win a state championship in the 200 meters but the one thing that you can control is the baby's name. Tisha and I usually go back and forth about this, however, we have made a few tentative decisions.

Boys:
Andrew Holden Brooks
(Andrew was one of the first disciples to be called by Jesus and Holden is from "The Catcher in the Rye" which was one of the first book I read at Tatnall. Also J.D. Salinger went to Ursinus College.)

Alexander Grant Brooks
Alexander Drayton Brooks
(Alexander is also a biblical name and one of my favorite boy names of all time)

Girls:
Hannah Marie Brooks
(Hannah is the mother of the Samuel in the Bible and is Tisha's favorite name for a girl. Marie is Tisha's middle name.)

Avery Elizabeth Brooks
(Avery is a beautiful name and is somebody from Tatnall who I saw a few years ago on Nantucket. That was a big moment for me because I soon realized that when people in your pass randomly show up in your life then your on the right path in life. Elizabeth was the mother of John The Baptist.)

Apple iphone

Check out this cool review of the next big thing from Apple. The iphone will change the cell phone game because it can do everything. I would love to have one but since I have a baby on the way, I have to settle for the work friendly profit driven blackberry. Click on the picture to see the review

Meet the Doctor

Last night was "Meet the Doctors Night" at Mount Auburn Hospital where Tisha and I will welcome our new addition to the family next year. "Meet the Doctors Night" is a nice way to become acquainted with the Ob/Gyns who will assist you in your pregnancy and a great way to choose a primary care giver for your baby. As we sat there surrounded by pregnant women and their proud husbands, Tisha leaned over and whispered, "I can tell right away which doctor I'm going to feel comfortable with." And sure enough, right away Tisha made her choice. Anne d'Avenas, M.D. won the lottery. Thus, as of today, this is the woman who is going to guide us through this next phase of our lives. Tisha called this morning and her first appointment is on July 17 at 2pm. As always, I'll keep you posted.

Brooks On Bonds

As Barry Bonds approaches the 755 home run mark (that would tie him with Hank Aaron for the all time record), I can't help but add my two cents to the hot debate of him tainting this sacred baseball record. Since popular music has been turning me off lately, I find myself listening to sports talk radio and NPR more and more when I drive to school. One of the sports talk guys made an interesting point the other day when he claimed that he only cared about steroid use until somebody starts breaking records. (Now I must note that as of June 25, 2007, Barry Bonds have never tested positive for steroids, thus all of this is speculative until proven guilty.) The thrust of the sports talk guy argument was, "If players want to inject stuff into their bodies to hit more home runs for the sake of filling seats in the stands, but later subject themselves to dangerous side effects and possibly death, then let them do it. Their lost is my gain." However, the sports talk guy was quick to note that once sacred records begin to be shattered, then he has a problem with steroid usage. As I was driving through Cambridge, I had to laugh at that comment and say to myself, "You can't have your cake and eat it too."

 

As with any child whose father love sports, my dad's favorite team and players became my favorite team and players. I don't know why this is true but it's pretty universal across the board. Maybe its because we love and admire our dads so much that we want to be just like them when we grow up. Which means that if a dad cheers for the team with the worst record in the NFL, then you can bet his son will be wearing a #1 finger foam right next to him. In my case, my dad was a Barry Bonds fans so I respectively took him on as my favorite player. I can still remember the day Barry Bonds was traded to San Francisco Giants, which clinched San Fan as my favorite city of all time (my  favorite football team was the 49ers). Therefore, since Bonds is my favorite player, I have to endure the onslaught of hatred and anger towards him as he approaches the record. My words to all of the Bonds Haters out there are "You can't have your cake and eat it too." Just as McGuire and Sosa brought excitement back to the game during that magical year of home run heaven, Bonds is bringing excitement back to the sport. Bonds is filling up the seats with fans who want a glimpse of greatness or who want a glimpse at greediness, but either way you put it, Bonds is filling up seats. Some people want an asterisk next to his name, after he breaks the record, but until he's proven guilty, I don't see a need for the little reminder that he might have cheated. That is not how our legal system work and that shouldn't be how our sport heroes should be remembered. Although, I once admit, Bonds is twice the size of his former self and while most players his age should be slowing down, Bonds  swing is better than ever. However, if the test came back negative then it came back negative.
In conclusion, let's enjoy the moment and celebrate the milestone. Ken Griffey Jr. (who was my second favorite player as a kid) will probably break the record in a few years, which means Bonds will fade into the background and out of the spotlight that he desperately wants to avoid anyway.

Getting Real

Tisha and I are really turning it up a notch this week as far as the baby is concerned. Today, we took our first trip to Babies 'R Us and was overwhelmed at the number of products out there. However, since Tisha did her homework, we quickly realized that they didn't have half of the stuff that is advertised on the Internet. Tomorrow is another big day because we are visiting the hospital where our baby will be delivered. Once a month on Tuesday nights, the hospital have a meet the doctors night, where people can have personal conversations with the doctors and choose the one that will be their Ob/Gyn throughout the pregnancy and the delivery.
Click on the picture for the mackdaddy of strollers

On a non-baby note, my good friend Devaka is back in town. We graduated from Divinity School together and now he his back at Harvard for his Ph.d. I'm really looking forward to hanging out with him and visiting jazz clubs just like the old days.

5 Year Anniversary

It's hard to top Napa Valley as a wedding anniversary gift, so I decided to take Tisha to the top of Boston. The Top Of the Hub is a great restaurant on the 52nd floor of the Prudential building. The service was great and the food was outstanding. Click on the picture to visit the website

Two Lines Are Better Than One

It's official!!!Tisha and I are expecting!!!We took the test last week in Delaware but I wanted to wait until I got the official word from the doctor's office before I posted the news on the ol' blog. Also, today is our five year wedding anniversary and I have a special surprise for my special mother-to-be.

Great News

Sorry that I haven't written in a while but I'm on vacation in Delaware (which means that I have limited internet access). Although, I have some great news to report; I'm not going to post it just yet. You just have to wait and see what it is!!!!