Happy Birthday, Hank!

Happy 1st Birthday to Hank!!

It's rather amazing to realize that I've managed (with a lot of help) to get this little guy through his first year. He's cautious, sensitive and loves cuddling with Mom. He hasn't had much to say so far: "Dada", "Aah-Dee", a rather pitiful attempt at "Mama", though he has developed a rather loud tongue pop, which everyone finds greatly amusing and makes Dad proud.

Papa entertains Henry's foot while he waits for the, thus far unknown, joy of CAKE!

He was a little unsure at first when we gave him the cupcake. He seemed to be trying to glean from our expressions whether we were having him on! (Take note of his left hand through all the cake-eating.)

Hmm...

Not too bad...

OH YEAH!!

It was all about the frosting, which some would argue is the best part. :-)

Just look at that tongue!

This just about says it all!

Henry needed a lot of encouragement with the gift opening part of his birthday. He really didn't get why I stuck a blue box in front of him with an expectant look on my face.

It didn't take him long, however, to get really excited when he saw a TOY inside.

It was all about the hammer. A man and his first tool. Such joy!

(The one sad note is that Audrey was not in attendance at her brother's birthday. She, unfortunately, had a major meltdown at dinner and went to bed early.)

My take on Balding

I know that balding is a sensitive issue for men and so, I will try to give my opinions about this touchy subject in as delicate and kind a manner as possible.

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH! Whew! I crack myself up sometimes...

Ben can tell you that I have been encouraging of him whilst he has been going through his hair loss. I know that it makes him sad and so I sympathize with what must be a truly disappointing aspect of his genetics. Ben has been shaving his head for quite a few years but, occasionally, he tries growing it a bit longer to see how it looks. Each time, I sweetly let him know that it's not his best look but that he can do what he chooses with his hair since I do the same with mine. (Ben would prefer me with long hair.)

I've been thinking about men and their battle with hair loss and, I'm sorry, some men just need to give it up and embrace their baldness proudly. It would certainly be a lot better than what they choose to do in whatever state of denial they are living in. Seriously... it doesn't look good, guys!

Here we have a few examples of what men try to do to deal with their hair loss and my interpretation of what it would look like were they not bald.

Here we have the Bald Mullet:

Business in front, party in the back. Whether or not it's short in front on purpose, it's still a mullet.

And this is the Bald Pompadour:

Since this guy obviously couldn't shape his pompadour in the usual way, he compensated by having his pompadour start in the back.

The Bald Pageboy:

Now, this one is NEVER okay for a guy to wear, bald or not.

The Bald Emo:

Ha! Ha! I couldn't resist!

The Bald Monk Pate:

Really tall guys have the advantage of few people seeing this type of baldness, at least until they sit down.

The Bald Geographic Design/Picture Hair:

I'm sure the poor guy in the first picture was just as bemused as the rest of us with what was going on with his hair but, really, trying to part it didn't help.

The Bald Fauxhawk:

I just couldn't make up my mind on the two bald pictures on this one.

The Bald Mohawk:

Poor Jude, I love him so, but he's just not rocking this do.

The Bald Doublehawk:

You've got to be a special sort of crazy to pull off the Doublehawk. Well... I suppose both these guys are a special sort of crazy. You won't find the first guy on the cover of Rolling Stone though... small consolation though that might be.

I couldn't resist adding the beard combover. This is how I feel about all men who deny their baldness.

Guys: Bald is gorgeous! Bald is sexy! There is almost nothing better than a bald guy who owns his do. Whether your bald is 100% natural or assisted by a razor, I'm first in line to cheer you on!

Go Bald!

Welts

There is one thing that I suppose I will never understand about (some) men. Why, oh, why do they feel the need to injure each other in the name of fun? Wrestling in the backyard, headlocks, sports of any kind... I can't even think of all the ways manliness comes out in explosive bursts of testosterone. Like badges of honor, they come home smelling of sweat (and who knows what else) and proudly show off their latest injuries to whoever will pay a modicum of attention.

Ben and his buddy, Gabe, went paintballing today with a bunch of other guys (mostly from the ward). I suppose on some level, I understand why it would be fun to go out into the wilderness and play at war. I fail to understand, however, how getting hit in the head at close range by a paintball doesn't ruin it completely. For those of you who haven't either played paintball yourselves or witnessed the outcome of the carnage, you must be thinking, "What? A little paintball? Pffft!" Oh, you lucky souls who have been spared the awful truth.

A little anecdote: I used to subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine. Several years ago, Johnny Knoxville (of Jackass fame) graced the cover. This guy got famous for allowing his friends to do horrible, painful things to him. The cover of the magazine featured him tied to a bullseye, ready to get splattered by paintballs at close range.
Inside the magazine was a picture of the end result. I must assume that he was shot at VERY close range because those welts are some of the nastiest I've ever seen. (Sorry for the underwear shot.)


When I first looked at this article, Ben was not involved in a paintball group. I remember thinking, "What a complete moron!" Moron, indeed. As I said, those welts on Knoxville are some of the nastiest I have ever seen, but Ben has come home with some rather painful-looking ones himself. Arms, legs, hands, back, ribs, head... they've covered quite a bit of area on my mildly retarded husband. But, he usually comes home happy and well-relaxed. I say usually because there have been times he has come home steaming a little over some idiot who ignores the rules and shoots people at very, very close range or tries going into off-limits territory. And don't let me start on the terrible smell he brings home with him, somewhat like fresh air tainted with mildew and sour sweat.. I don't know.. whatever it is.. it's gross.