Some Random Sage Shots

Just some random Sage shots. We have taken hundreds of pictures and it is only the second week! Are all new parents this crazy? (course having a digital camera does come in handy indeed)....


The Wide Awake Sage



The Sleepy Sage



The Full-of-Wonderment Sage



The Long Leggy Sage



The Bruce-Lee-Kung-Fu-Master Sage




The Stop-Talking-Pictures-of-Me! Sage



The Supposedly-Content-and-Tied-Up-Like-A-Gift Sage



The Clean-Yet-Unsure-If-Baths-Are-Fun Sage



The Clean-Yet-Heavily-Leaning-Towards-Not-Fun-At-All Sage



The I-Love-Daddy-But-Not-His-Chesthair Sage

Well, There are so many kinds of Sage! Which one do you like?

Reading with Dad

If it one thing that I will love to do, it will be reading stories to him (and making them up - or better - playing role playing stores with him). I truly can not wait.

That is why whenever someone asks what we need, I seriously and honestly say I don't really know (what new parent really knows?), but I do mention that I am trying to build a huge library for him, so any books or games or art stuff is what we would 'like' not really need.

Anyway, I wanted to get off on the right foot, so we started reading the other night. Of course, it was The Knights of the Round Table!








Afterwards we discussed the finer points of Merlin and how magic works.....



God, I am loving this!

Sage's First Bath

The title is not exactly accurate since Sage was bathed almost everyday in the hospital, but this is the first one BY DADDY, so it is the most important one (imho).

Boy, was I a scared baby! But I think we both did alright....


This is Dad giving Sage a pep talk before we go for a dunk...



Oh, does not seem to like that!



That's a wee bit better...



Dad! I give up! Get me outta here!



Nope, not until we clean your legs and Willie....



...and your butt. There we go - we are done!



Ok, you can rest now! (and so can Daddy!)

The First Week

Whew!

We are making it through our first week with Sage, and I think we are doing great.

We are nervous, frazzled, happy, frustrated, exhausted and yet totally alert, and I think that is par for the course (as our friends and family who are parents can confirm). We are learning as we go and we both seem to have a knack for this - course this may just be the information we have absorbed (since we are older) or that we are just easier to get used to things now.

Course, as my sister told me very clearly, when your kid develops a pattern or a rhythm, it will soon change and then you have to start all over again (to get into a groove). We shall see.

Here are some pics of Sage's first few days with us. We had to rush and get a new camera, since our other one broke, so now we also have a brand new camera to take pictures of a brand new baby...


Here he is relaxing and sleeping in his sleeping box....




Oh! Mommy woke him up and took a good one! I am not sure if this was a yawn or a whistle....



I am so happy he likes his sleeping box. He looks content! Do you know why? Since he is already a board game geek. Daddy tried to use our crib bed for him to sleep with us, but it was too big to sleep the 3 of us on the bed together, so we had to look for alternatives. Mommy suggested a picture frame with a blanket over it, but when we tried, that was also too big. Then we thought about it for a bit and it dawned on us: what do I have in abundance that a baby could sleep in? Yes, a board game box! I quickly looked through my 100 games to find a suitable box and took out the pieces and board. There ya go! A perfect bed for a soon-to-be gamer geek - just like his dad! We are so happy, and it looks like he is too!

(by the way, the game box is from the game Hotel. When he gets older, we will change to my Descent board game box which is even bigger!)



Here is his 'serious' look - I think he is seriously pooping...



Sage seems to like Daddy's burping position and almost without fail, he stops crying when I hold him like this. We do know that he is like Daddy and has lots of gas though, so Mommy is continuously rolling her eyes whenever Sage burps or farts and Daddy looks so proud....



Ok, have to go back to checking in on Mommy and Sage....More to come later.

The First Night

We made it through our first night with Sage and thankfully, it was not as bad as we thought. Not that good - as all new parents know - but not that bad.

I have told myself that I just have to revert back to the time when I used to go to sleep at 4 or 5 am, sleep til noon and then start my day. I used to love to work (and play) late at night and also see the sunrise. In fact, I have often wondered if it would be possible to stay up indefinately - just image how much stuff you could do - but I do love sleep as well, so there is that conundrum.

I have heard the Leonardo DaVinci slept 15 minutes of every hour, so that he could stay up all day as well (if you add up 15 min x 24 = 8 hours of sleep) and indeed doing that perhaps made him see things ahead of his time....



....but I imagine I will start to look like this soon enough if Sage keeps having his way of eating every 2 hours. I am tired, but Mom is super exhausted and I have to say, I respect her (and all mothers) much more, now knowing what the experience is like.

So, from the books that I have read and the people that I have talked to, this situation of sleep deprivation will last awhile, so I am off to take a cat nap.

Happy Siesta!

Jeff, Jo and Sage

Sage's New Home

We brought Sage home today right after lunch (and his lunch feeding) and we are officially "parents."

I say officially now, since during the stay in the hospital, having a kid seemed cool and exciting, but we were still too frazzled I think to fully comprehend the enormity of something so small....and plus the fact that if we had any problems, a nurse would come and help.

All in all, it seemed like a stay in a strange hotel for 6 days and while not relaxing so much, was not that stressful (for me at least - granted, Jo's situation was a LOT more intense....and draining, not only physically, but mentally. But she is a tough cookie and is going through it like a pro).

BUT NOW WE ARE ON OUR OWN - or so it seems....and that is hammering home the point that we have a heck of a responsibility now.

Sage made the transition well and he got his first glimpse at Taiwan life as we walked to the car and drove home. Then he ended up at these weird people's home and has been enjoying our bedroom's ambiance ever since. I mean, it is nice and cool (but not too cool - for all you worry warts out there), 'romantic' lighting and a 24 hour milk dispensing machine almost right beside him (well, that machine might not agree or like the fact, but that is the truth).

We have a lot to learn and we are looking forward to learning, loving and living with Sage now....

.....as parents!



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Oh, and Happy 4th of July to all of you in the States! We had our own little celebration here....

Please Welcome Our Newest Addition To Our Family!

It is our honor and privilege to welcome the newest, coolest, superest member of our growing household:

Sage Angelovich



I do not have many pictures up yet, but you will have to wait - and trust me, this blog will need to be changed to "Sage's Blog" since we are going to put so many of his things up....but I digress (I am still a little shocked).

Sage was taken out of his mother's uterus at 11:48 am on Tuesday June 30th, 2009, making him a Cancer Cow in both Western and Chinese zodiac signs. He was healthy and cute and....oh hell, who am I kidding - he is the cutest damn baby in the world.

I could not go into the operating room with mom, but I did manage to convince the doctors to let me have the baby at about 11:58, which I then held for about 4 hours, talking to him and telling him stories and secrets. Unfortunately he does not like my singing voice since he whined a bit at one point, but I will put that down to the words of "Fuzzy Wuzzy" was not so popular with him - since he has quite a bit of hair....



Also, Jo and I were surprised at how big his feet, hands and head were - but again, we are in shock and Jo is loaded up with drugs.... But he could tower over me....hmmm.





And I am also surprised at how big a first poop he made (that looked like chocolate pudding) since he did not drink much of mom's milk, but had fun cleaning it up (yes you heard me - fun - I am still in shock).

I did shed a few tears when he opened his eyes at me (even though I know his vision must be pretty bad), and I have been happy as a clam. Mom is happy too, but tired.

Anyway, I just wanted to write a quick note about Sage Angelovich.

We wish you were here!

I wish I was there with him, now, so I am heading out!

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Oh, and if you are interested, here is a horoscope reading for him....just for fun:


Name: Sage
June 30 2009
11:48 AM Time Zone is AWST
Taichung, TAIW

Rising Sign is in 05 Degrees Libra
Very attractive and popular, your charm helps you to get your own way and prevents others from getting angry with you. "Peace and harmony at all costs" is your battle cry. You always try to ameliorate or to cosmetically hide any physical ugliness or any angry feelings between people. Flashy, but not gaudy, you prefer to dress elegantly. You generally have good taste in music, art and literature. Beware of the tendency to compromise yourself in your attempt to be agreeable at all times. A bit of a social butterfly, at times you can be vain and lazy. For the most part, however, you are gracious and affectionate, and your refined and aristocratic demeanor serves as a role model to others.

Sun is in 08 Degrees Cancer.
Very emotional and sensitive, you have an intuitive understanding of the "vibes" around you. You tend to be quite generous, giving, loving and caring, but only when your own needs for emotional support, love and security have been met. If they are not met, you tend to withdraw into yourself and become very insecure and selfish. Your home and family (especially your mother or the person who played that role for you early on) represent security for you and thus assume a larger-than-life importance. Very sentimental, you have vivid and long- enduring memories of the past. No matter how well adjusted you are, you will always need a secret quiet place of your own in order to feel at peace. Feeding others can give you great pleasure you would enjoy being part of a large family.

Moon is in 16 Degrees Libra.
Affectionate, warm and friendly, life must be a "beautiful" experience for you. Unpleasantness should be avoided at all costs. You tend to overlook other people's faults and you would rather give in than fight. You are uncomfortable with strangers, but at ease and sociable with friends and associates. Indeed, you would rather socialize than work -- you can use your prodigious charm to avoid unpleasant tasks. You need the support and assistance of another in order to get you started on any new project -- you are not a self-starter. Be careful of a tendency to be overly self-indulgent (i.e., lazy). Your refined aesthetic sensibilities attract you to music, dance, art and any other cultured activity.

Mercury is in 22 Degrees Gemini.
Your mind is active, quick and agile. You are very restless and you get bored easily. Unless you receive constant mental stimulation, you become extremely nervous and begin to act in an unstable manner. You are probably a good student because of your natural inquisitiveness. You also love to travel. Your learning tends to be superficial, though, because you have a relatively short attention span. Try to develop the mental discipline to finish what you start. Also, you tend to talk on at times seemingly just to fill space -- make sure that your conversation has some substance to it or others will start avoiding you.

Venus is in 24 Degrees Taurus.
You are known to be a warm and affectionate person, and you tend to form long- lasting attachments. The reverse of this is that you can also be quite possessive once you have made a commitment. The beauty, luxury and comfort of your surroundings are important to you and you will devote much time and energy to making your home just right. Beware of your tendency toward self-indulgence, especially with respect to eating incorrectly. You also need outside stimuli to get you in gear When things come too easily for you, you can be lazy and indolent.

Mars is in 21 Degrees Taurus.
Careful, slow and thorough about all that you do, at times you are also willful and stubborn when others try to alter your course. You are definitely not a quitter -- you will work long and hard to get what you want. Your possessions are very important to you. One of your continuing problems is that you tend to regard the significant people in your life much the same way as you do your possessions -- you become overly attached and much too jealous. You repress your anger when you get upset and that is not healthy. Try to learn to show your anger immediately in order to avoid painful explosions later.

Jupiter is in 26 Degrees Aquarius.
Your personal growth occurs when you have the freedom to do things in new and interesting ways -- this brings out your natural inventiveness. You are an individualist, but you are also attracted to mass movements that emphasize social betterment and you will devote much time and energy to their efforts. Very fair- minded and objective, you have extraordinary skills at organization and administration.

Saturn is in 16 Degrees Virgo.
Your life must be orderly and practical and full of known and familiar routines in order for you to feel comfortable with yourself. Be careful, however, not to let "order" become the be-all and end-all of your life, or you may become cold, crass and unfeeling. Doing useful, practical things boosts your self- esteem. Abstract concepts and reasoning seem frivolous and a waste of time to you. You are very critical of yourself (and others), indeed at times quite self-deprecating. Try to relax a bit and allow yourself the freedom to fail once in a while. However, you probably won't fail very often because you are such a perfectionist.

Uranus is in 26 Degrees Pisces.
You, and most of your peers, are extremely idealistic and want to change society by completely reorienting its highest religious goals and aspirations. Just be careful to make sure that your new goal structures are properly grounded in reality so that they have a chance of being accepted by the majority.

Neptune is in 26 Degrees Aquarius.
You, and your entire generation, will idealize and even venerate the ability to remain detached as well as the ability to objectively analyze any given situation. There will be a concerted effort on your part to cure the ills of society as a whole. But be very careful to continue to maintain and protect the rights of individuals in the midst of these potentially far-reaching changes.

Pluto is in 01 Degrees Capricorn.
For your entire generation, this is a period of intense changes in the very fabric of society. Many accepted institutions may pass away or be born anew. The good of the community as a whole will be stressed and individual rights may come under attack. This will possibly be a period of decay that will lead to a new order.

N. Node is in 00 Degrees Aquarius.
As long as someone else (or a group or organization) appeals to your intellectual sensibilities, you'll try to ally yourself with them in some way. You may find that you always seem to get involved with many wide-ranging groups -- so much so that you find it difficult to fit them all into your busy schedule. Your many friends and acquaintances provide you with needed stimulation. You're loyal and fair-minded -- you try to spend time equally with all your friends, never concentrating on just one or two for any length of time. Although probably quite conservative yourself, you're attracted to those who are a bit offbeat or eccentric -- you enjoy watching their minds work.


And if that were not enough, here is another one.

The Tip of the Roller Coaster.....

I have always been proud of the fact that the life I have been living has had quite a few roller coaster worthy moments and adventures. I assume there will be many more, but not as exhilarating as the one little hill coming up....



...so both Jo and I are ready to hang on and enjoy the ride. At this point that is just about all we can do....

Here he comes!


I just hope that when our Lil' Roller Coaster does pop out, it is not as dramatic as this.

Last Minute Thoughts

Ok, every parent has had his/her time of fretting for the good of the child and I am feeling that more and more now as the clock ticks towards his 0-st birthday.

I feel as if my reason for being 'here' (as in on the earth) is to be a great dad, but in saying that and in realizing that puts a lot of stress on my shoulders. Sure, I breath in and out and think good thoughts, but I still have the doubts and worries if I will live up to 'my' expectations of a good - no great - dad.

I guess we will have to wait and see.

I am so lucky though to have Jo, who will make a great mom, as well as a comfortable home, good friends and good jobs.

Not only will he be pulled into the world kicking and screaming (I hope his lungs are good - they should be, since Jo's voice can be quite loud), but I will also be pulled into another world as well, with much less kicking and screaming (but still a little since our lifestyle will change dramatically).

Anyway, that is the way of it and I am so excited.....

...deep breath....

and here we go!

Gamer Geek Babe Birthday Presents

Jo and I talked a bit last night about presents. In Taiwan (well, most of Asia, actually), it is common to do a variety of things for a babe's 0-st Birthday.

One of them is to buy a gold necklace or bracelet and another is to make a calligraphy brush from his/hair (if they have enough).

While both are interesting and potentially geeky enough, I mentioned that gold prices are not the best now and making a calligraphy brush from his hair - while cool - is a little impractical at this stage. Heck, he can make one from his massive amounts of chest hair when he is older, if he wants.....

I was just thinking of something simple like a book or a chew toy. But then I saw these....

...and I can not wait to get some. I can understand if you do not appreciate the sublimeness of these gifts since you have to be a gamer to really appreciate it, but nonetheless, these are priceless (actually, they are stupidly expensive....haha).



For those of you who don't know, these are stats for a character in the D&D world. Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma are from 1 to 18, which is the highest starting statistic. Also, there is AC, which is Armor Class, Hit Points, and Experience. Ah, makes a Geek Father proud...




....but not as proud as this one!




And of course, the truth about his future....





...and truths about the present....





...and about his 'special' abilities...





But this is probably my favorite one (mostly since my favorite character of all time was my Wise Barbarian....

Ah, good times to come....

Less Than 100 Hours From Now.....

Jo just went to the doctor one last time before the big day comes. We have a date and a time and a hopeful idea about the little guy.

So the Final Week is beginning....in fact, in less than 100 hours, our world will have changed (for the better).

Date: June 30th, 2009 (Cancer, Cow Year)
Time: 10:30 am for a c-section
Place: At the China Medical University Hospital

Poor dad will not be allowed inside during the operation, but I will do my best to sneak in and take a few pictures of our new babe (as well as my wife's internal organs).

And as for pics, since mom will be resting in the hospital for a week or so, it will be up to me to get the pics ready for the blog, which may take longer than expected....

...so I am sure you will be anxiously waiting.

5 days to go!

Some Stupidstitions

With any culture, there are things that are taboo or revered, avoided or maintained through customs, stories and traditions. And when one culture looks at anothers' superstitions and ways of doing things, it is easy to scoff or roll your eyes and say they are stupid.

However, each of the superstitions and traditions came from somewhere or someone's logic and persisted since most people do not like to change. Even in the states, we have a load of superstitions that many other people would find silly, strange or stupid (just think of all the things we do to prep for each holiday - Xmas to name a biggie and those are based on stories and superstitions...)

So with that said we can take the next with a grain of salt (or a gallon...).

In Asia, whose strength comes from its past and roots in traditions and stories, there are tons of Stupidstitions....no, I mean superstitions. Too many for a foreigner like me (however long I have been here - I am still on the outside) to know.

So when it comes to holidays here, there are many things that people do (not necessarily us), and when it comes to important days like weddings, deaths, and births, there are so many things to DO and NOT to do the list is staggering.

One of the things that is a common practice here is called "Zuo Yue Zi", which loosely translated means "Sitting for a Month." This is done after a mother gives birth and the basic rules are:

1) She has to stay in bed as much and as long as possible without moving (within reason) for a month after birth.

2) She has to eat a specially prepared diet for each of the 4-5 weeks after birth, mainly consisting of duck, goose and fish steeped in Chinese Medicine.

3) She can not touch cold water - at all, and she is recommended to not touch water at all during the whole month (she drinks the soup from the dishes for water).

4) With #3, she can not get her body wet, thus a shower or bath is out of the question for the month.

5) Also, since reading, watching tv and looking at the computer are stress related, any of those are out of the question for the month.

6) Each day, starting at 8:00 am and going to 10pm, for every 2 hours on the hour, she has to yell at her husband for 30 minutes, saying that he is not doing enough and should stop complaining at her complaining.

Ok, that last one is optional, but most women do that here anyway.


So, with the stress of childbirth finally gone and the REAL stress comes, there is a whole regiment of (stupidity) that most Taiwanese - if not Asian - women need to deal with right after birth.

To this end, Jo's hardest part will be the not showering for a month, since she is Ms. Clean. I don't say Mrs. Clean, since that would imply that her husband is clean as well and - well....that is not accurate.

So we are gearing up for the baby and the crap that we will have to deal with: both from the baby himself and from the culture here. Now, I am sure there is precedent and reason why these things worked in ages past, since Taiwan is a very humid place. Plus, there are many modern women who not only accept these practices, but swear by them as well, saying that while they sound weird and are difficult, do indeed help the woman's body recover much faster. So, Jo (and her poor husband) will try our best to follow these stupidstitions....damn! I mean traditions....

Here are some of the things that we have prepared for the ordeal....



This is only a fraction of the Chinese Medicine (Herbal Medicine) that we are going to be using. Peter, our live-in tenant is going to be Jo's personal cook for the important month of her "Zuo Yue Zi." His family almost entirely are cooks and he has learned from an early age. Usually the mother does this, but this arrangement makes it much better for all of us...




Those two big casks are full of pure grain alcohol. No, not for drinking, but for cooking. Instead of water, Peter will be using alcohol to cook, which will be infused with all the herbs (and meat) in the previous pictures.




And alas, those are not beer bottles (as much as I will need them myself), but are specially made 'rice wine water' especially for "Zuo Yue Zi." Worse comes to worse I may down some if the stench gets too strong or I am sick of eating Jo's leftovers.

But, that is all part of living in another country - and hell, not only living, but living with another person who cares about these traditions. She has to deal with our silly xmas traditions and perhaps even Halloween ones, so I can deal with some as well.

Mocha Knows Somethin's Up

Mocha is smart - sometimes too smart (if you catch my drift), so he is aware that things are weird here, and will continue to get stranger. So you can see it in his eyes that he knows that we know he knows...






He will soon know much more!

Another BBQ (while the goings good)

We were lucky to squeeze another quick BBQ into our soon-to-be-VERY-hectic lives, so that is great. Time to relax and eat is always good (and I feel those kinds of times will be coming in short supply soon...)

So here are some pics..



Here, Peter, Jia Yi and myself are making sure the coals are hot and there is enough food on the teeny grill we use. Just to give you an idea of the kind of BBQ we do up here, we have mushrooms and clams wrapped up in the tin foil, have some pork and beef fillets, and some dried tofu (which is much better BBQ'ed up. We also had peppers and onions and a whole host of other veggies. It is not like the kind you see in the States, but much healthier!




We are just relaxing, letting Peter do all the work......




Someone else is very interested in the BBQ as well...although he made out pretty well indeed.




After the first 'round' we decided to take a rest to let things digest, before we started the next 'round.' And what better way to rest than to hang out here, right at sunset?




I still have to finish painting the mountains that our previous tenant started, but that will come in time.




Well, if no one else will rest, I will have to....you know - to save up strength for the upcoming round...




Ah, here we are, getting the night round underway....



And even Mocha is bearing having his ears played with for more morsels....which he got....



And even Jo is tired now and needs to rest up on the sofa we brought up to our 'second' living room.

All in all, a good EAT!

Father's Day 2010

It is Father's Day today, however, I missed it by a couple of days by our count. We are planning to have a c-section at the end of June - 29th or 30th, so it will have to be next year - 2010 - that I can officially celebrate my first Father's Day.

However, that does not mean I can't say Happy Father's Day!

So, Dad, Happy Father's Day!

I am sure you will be thoroughly enjoying the next few years as I learn the ways of fatherhood.

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And I will look forward to my own special Father's Day in 2010.....

Mom and Babe's Progression

Well, we are taking that deep breath before the plunge as it were. Mom is resting a lot and dad is trying hard to finish his new computer game before the babe pops, since he knows there will be no time for that once he is doing baby things.

So we might as well look at the Lil' Guy in mom's stomach.

Here are some pics of the progression we have been watching:













(I like the look in her face on this one...it says...Holy Crap!....)


I was going to write in what weeks they were, but I am oblivious, alas. Just know that he has gotten bigger - which is normal I hear.

Anyway, he currently is leaning on mom's right side so mom looks like she is lopsided at the moment.