Cameron's Thoughts

Just a quick update on Hailey. She is now riding a bike with just two wheels. And she rides it pretty fast. She is about to loose her first tooth. It's going to come out at any time now. Tomorrow is her last day of kindergarten. She is also having a birthday party on June 13th.

I've uploaded a number of pictures of the kids and such recently to Facebook. I plan to update their picture album websites and combine them into one, but I haven't gotten around to doing that. Once that is done, I will get more pictures up on there as well. Facebook is just so much easier though. Anyhow, here are the recent uploads from the past couple months.

Visit to Grand Haven

Hailey's First Day of School

Hailey's First Soccer Game

Brett's 4th Birthday Party

Hailey's Artwork

Other Various Soccer Pictures

Yesterday we celebrated Hailey's 5th birthday party. There was quite a turnout of family members. My mom actually came this time and a lot of Nickcole's family that I haven't seen in quite a while were there. Hannah and Hailey's cousin were also there, so thankfully there were more kids than just her and Brett. I posted pics on Facebook for this event also:

Hailey's 5th Birthday Party

Kinda behind on posting, so I will be writing a couple entries today. Last weekend, Hailey, Brett, Kim and I went up north and stayed in Mackinaw City. The trip was pretty exciting. This was the first time I had ever taken the kids on such a long car ride. Amazingly, they never slept the whole way up and there were really well behaved in the car. The first day there, we didn't do a whole lot beyond settling in the hotel and doing some swimming. We ate dinner at the Dixie Saloon. It was very delicious though a bit on the pricey side.
Then on Sunday we made it over to Mackinac Island. We spent pretty much all day over there. Took a carriage tour around the island. It started to rain during that and it was really cold. Midway through the tour we stopped and visited the Butterfly House. The kids seemed to enjoy it. I envisioned it would have way more butterflies, but it was still interesting. The carriage tour continued through the woods and to the cemetery and some other random sights. We got off at Fort Mackinac and walked around there for a bit. Got to see a live firing of a canon. After that we walked around the island, browsed the shops, bought fudge. We had another great meal at the Village Inn. There was a parade going on, so we watched that. That pretty much concluded the second day.
The third day we pretty much just did random stuff. We went to Pirates Adventure water park first. Hailey was bugging to go to this the whole time we were there. It was pretty much like a McDonald's playland, but with water. At first the kids were okay there, but then this huge bucket of water dumped over the whole thing, and Hailey freaked out. She then refused to play there anymore. So, we had some lunch at Big Boy and then we went and played mini-putt putt at this course in Mackinaw City. After that, we headed across the Mackinac Bridge. We went to the Mystery Spot, which the kids really seemed to like. Next to that was the Weird Michigan Wax Museum. This was the stupidest thing of the whole trip. I was picture realistic wax figures like you see of movie stars. Instead, it was people that looked like they were made out of clay. And, it was just depicting events I had never heard of. We were there for about five minutes and saw all the exhibits. I wish I could get my $14 and my five minutes back. We then went to a scenic lookout for a bit to have a nice look at the bridge, and then we went back to the motel for pizza and rest.
On the last day, we got up early and checked out of the hotel. We then made one final trip over the bridge so we could buy some pasties. We also stopped by Castle Rock and climbed up that. The kids barely made it up there. We then departed for home. I was really happy to get away from work and just the generally day to day schedule that I have to live by. It was exciting to be able to just do whatever and whenever. Since most of the trip wasn't really planned out, there was lots of time for just being spontaneous. I hope I can get some money together and do something like this again in the near future.
Also, I have pictures of the vacation. They are currently up on Facebook.

Day 2 on the Island

Day's 3 and 4

Last weekend was pretty eventful. Got to do some of the Christmas festivities with the kids. On Sunday, we went to the Wonderland of Lights event at Potter Park Zoo. The whole place looked pretty cool, the kids loved it. It was really cold though, and the only animal that was out and about was the owl. They did have an inside event going on where you could pet a possum and a rabbit. Also, they had a face art thing going on, there are pics of that in the previous post.
On Monday, we all went to the mall to go see Santa. This is the first year both kids sat on his lap. Hailey did when she was 1, but had been afraid since. This year, Hailey got scared again as we approached Santa, but Brett ran right up to him and gave him a five, then Hailey got more comfortable. I decided to get the kids some nice outfits this year for when I take them to the family events. They also wore them to see Santa. The kids picked the clothes out themselves, and I'd have to say they have some good taste. Hailey chose a nice white and red dress with bows and such. Brett got a nice button-up shirt with a black velvet vest with some pinstripe dress pants. He looks like a little man in that outfit. I have a pic of them with Santa, but that will have to wait until I feel like tackling my scanner.
We don't have any further Christmas events going on family-wise until the weekend prior to Christmas. This Friday, my work is doing a holiday party, and in Liquid Web fashion it will likely be over the top, so I am looking forward to that. There also seems to be a hookah night coming up on Saturday. Those used to be pretty regular, have been happening much less frequently, especially after I left Corecomm. So, that is another thing that should make this upcoming weekend also be nice.

Yesterday was Hailey's birthday. She is now 4 years old. I can't believe how quickly this has passed. Her mom and I had a party for her at Chuck E Cheese's. Got her a Cinderella cake that she picked out. Her and Brett had a lot of fun playing all the games at Chuck E Cheese's. Unfortunately they were the only kids in her group as her friend Hannah couldn't make it. This did have the added benefit of Nickcole's uncle/boyfriend not making an appearance as I really didn't want to deal with that shit.
For the gifts Hailey got, her mom got her a bicycle. I got her some dresses, a new game for her V.Smile, and an Ariel doll. She also got some Dora stuff, and some princess dressup stuff amongst other gifts.
In other news, this also means that this website has been up and running for 4 years now. I have some upcoming features I plan to add such as a user login system.
Also, I quite ill. I'm not sure what the deal is or how serious it is and I have no medical insurance, so seeing a doctor is out of the question. For over a week now I have felt constantly drained of all my energy. This started one night with an extremely sore belly and suspicions of food poisoning (as my brother who I ate dinner with also got sick). On top of that, I seem to have to work hard to breath and my throat has been sore. About two days ago I started to taste blood and that has been pretty regular now and hasn't stopped. Vitamins seem to be no help in this battle. Hopefully I get better soon.
This illness has meant that I have mostly avoided drinking this past week, but I started to feel a little stir-crazy since I hadn't been out doing anything, so I finally went out to the bar on Saturday night. I think that was a good plan and I felt much better that night at least.

After much pain and suffering, I have finally repaired the photo galleries I set up for Hailey and Brett. If you go to http://hailey.bulock.com or http://brett.bulock.com you can now see all the previous photos that were up. I will now have to go back and add newer photos.

If you use the Google Personal homepage, I have created my first custom modules for that. Just random pics of my kids, like the ones that show up on the side of this site.
If you want to add the modules, just click on the 'Add content' link in the top right corner, then under where it says create a section, you can add the following addresses:
http://www.cbulock.com/google/hailey.xml
http://www.cbulock.com/google/brett.xml
It's not much, but, I just wanted something to start with to experiment with this.

Well, in case anyone reads this site, and knows me personally, you should probably know that Nickcole and I are no longer together. I guess we really haven't been a couple for a long time, and I moved out to live with my father over a month ago. I was hoping there was a chance that things could possibly return to the way they were. But, as days go by, I have realized that they won't. Nickcole has already filed the divorce paperwork and on Wednesday I have to go to a Friend of the Court hearing for the kids. Don't worry about me, I have been okay, some days not so much, but overall I am fine.
Anyways, that's all I am really ready to say right now. I haven't been ready to post this on the Internet for everyone to see, but I feel that at least this much should be known so people aren't too clueless as to what's been going on with me.

I meant to post this for a little while now. Brett's actually been walking for about a week and a half now. He didn't start this weekend, but the weekend before that, the end of my vacation. He has also been eating more and more solid food. He only has four teeth, but the other day he ate a whole French fry.

Last night, Nickcole and I took Hailey and Brett to go see the fireworks show in Eaton Rapids. It was a lot of fun, Hailey really loved it. I was also surprised that she really enjoyed playing with the sparklers and wasn't afraid of them. She is growing up really fast lately. She just had her 2nd birthday a little over a week ago, and she has already started potty training. This wasn't something Nickcole or I had tried to push on her. One day, she said she had to go pee, so we walked her to her potty and she just went. She has done that once again since that first time.

Yesterday, Nickcole and I took Brett back to the neurologist after he had some CAT scans done last week. The neurologist said that everything looks normal and his development is completely fine. That is good news. We didn't notice anything wrong, and it looks the the way his skull is developing is okay.

Yesterday we took Brett in to get his latest shots since he is now four months old. When we were there, it was brought up that the back of his head was flat. We were kind of afraid that maybe he had been laying down too much, but since he has a pretty big head (his head size in the top 90 percentile), he didn't like to sit up, because it was hard to hold his head up. He is doing a real good job holding it up now, but that has just been in the last couple of weeks. Dr. Randall, his doctor, didn't seemed too concerned about it, but said we could have him see a neurologist to have him look over the situation as he might need a corrective helment to make his head grow properly.
Amazingly, they were able to get us in the next day, so today we seen the neurologist. He thinks there could another issue. He said that it's possible that the bones in his head aren't fusing together properly and weren't growing the way they should be. He said that a flat spot can sometimes be caused by lying down in one spot, but what normally happens is that the ears won't be even on each side as one side will grow differently. So, he wants Brett to have some tests done as he won't be certain without those.
I know Nickcole is really nervous about this, but even I am a little bit. He wants Brett to have a CAT scan done on his brain to make sure it's growing properly and to make sure things are connected. I don't remember the exact wording he used. Then, he also wants a 3D CAT scan done on his skull. This is going to be something that will start around noon, the first test will be at 1:30, and the second test will be at 3:30. The whole time they will have to put Brett under anesthesia since he can't move. I've never gone under full anesthesia in my entire life, and he is only four months old.
But, hopefully, if there is some problem, we can catch it soon and get it fixed. Otherwise, at least we will know that he is fine.

Finally got around to updating Hailey and Brett's pics on their websites. It's been a long time coming, since before Christmas. But, now, all the latest pics are up ready to view.

Brett's Pics
Hailey's Pics

In case you haven't looked at Hailey or Brett's photo albums recently, they both have some up-to-date pictures.

Hailey's Album

Brett's Album

Check out pics of Brett at his new website: http://brett.bulock.com

Last night Brett was born at 8:34pm. He weighed 6lbs 15oz and was 19.5 inches long. Pictures and more info soon.

Looks like tommorrow will be the big day of having our next baby. Nickcole has been having contractions for over a week now and has had a couple of false labors. But, today her doctor said that they are going to induce labor tommorrow morning since she is almost dialated to 3 and everything else is all set for a good delivery. Plus her contractions are only like 4 minutes apart. She has been very miserable recently, so she is really looking forward to getting this pregnacy over with.
So, I will now be the father of two childern. I am becoming an old man.

Today I had the exciting job of taking care of Hailey on a sick day of hers. She wasn't miserable or anything from what I could tell. But, I couldn't believe how disgusting milk can smell after it's been thrown up. I had to give Hailey a bath, wash her hair twice with baby shampoo, then I also gave her a shower, and used apple scented Suave, just to get the smell out of her hair. I almost barfed a couple times. Basicly, when she woke up, she had puke in her hair, and diarrea in the bed that was leaking out of her diaper. After giving her both a bath and a shower, the diarrea doesn't stop, it just get's runnier, and decides to leak out of the diaper when Hailey is sitting on my lap.
Oh, the joys of fatherhood.

We took Hailey on her first trip to the zoo today. We went to the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing. My sister Teddy also came along. We had quite a bit of fun. I'm not so sure if Hailey really knew what was even going on. We took some pictures, but Hailey isn't really in most of them. I will try to get them on her website soon though. We got to see a tiger up real close, only inches away with just glass between us, we also got to see the tiger get fed. Hailey also seemed pretty interested in the penguins and got to chase a peacock around for a bit. She called all the animals 'dog' or 'doggie'.

Yesterday was Hailey's first birthday. We didn't do anything to celebrate as we had a party on Saturday. I guess my dad came over and saw Hailey in the evening. We are still going to make a cake and let Hailey have fun feeding herself that. Maybe we will do that tonight. Those pics should be interesting.

Yesterday we celebrated Hailey's first birthday by having a party at McDonald's. She got a lot of gifts including books and dolls. She seems to like everything she got. A number of people came including many of Nickcole's family members and my parent's and siblings. There are more picture's of Hailey's party in on her website.

Hailey's first birthday is soon approaching. This Saturday we are celebrating it at McDonald's at 1pm. Her actually birthday is the 24th, but this was the most convenient time to celebrate it. We bought her gifts the other day. One of them she already has, a red plastic bouncy ball. She loves that. He also got her a doll for the bath tub, a duck for the bath tub, and a couple of other things that I can't remember. She won't get those until Saturday.

Just found out earlier today that our next baby is gonna be a boy. Got to see the ultrasound first hand and it was pretty cool. The due date is still the same as before, Oct. 9 so everything is going how it should.

Haven't been up to much recently. Yesterday was Nickcole's first Mother's Day. We had lunch with my mom. We went to the Eaton Place, a little hometown restaurant. My brother and sister were there, and Nickcole, Hailey, and a friend of my brother's were also there. My mom is kind of funny cause she spilt her iced tea twice and then got gravy all over herself.
After that, Nickcole, Hailey and I went to Sparrow Hospital since they thought her dad might have had a heart attack. I guess they got him there before anything happened, so he was fine.
I then got the grill out for the first time this year and was gonna make hamburgers on hot dogs, but just as I started to cook the food, a storm came in with lightning and then it just poured like crazy. That wasn't planned too well.

Hailey is now officially walking. She is now taking five or more steps. Yesterday she walked all the way across our living room. She still seems to prefer crawling as it gets her around quicker, but I think that she knows that walking is what makes her grown up.

Hasn't been much going on recently. Took Hailey to the doctor today for a checkup. She was 30 inches tall making her in the 97 percentile for height for her age. I have no idea where that comes from. She has also now reached the 20 pound mark too. Everything was perfect during the checkup and she actually didn't need to get any shots this time.
In other Hailey news, she is going to start walking soon. Yesterday and maybe the day before, she was letting go and taking a step or two before falling over.
Well, going to meet Nickcole for lunch at noon, so that's all for this post.

I uploaded a picture of Hailey as a candidate for a future Jones Soda label. My friend Neil told me about this after he uploaded a picture there. You can see Hailey's and vote for it by clicking here.

On Monday Nickcole and I went in for Nickcole's ultrasound. We could see the heartbeat already. Nickcole's stepmom Wendy found out for us from the radiologists that the baby was 7 weeks and 4 days along from the ultrasound. That puts the due date at October 9th. So soon.

Just testing a video posting. This video (and any other I post here) requires Quicktime 6.5 to run. It was taken on my Nokia 3650.

Today Nickcole found out she is pregnant again. She had a home test taken, and then one at the hospital. The one at the hospital said that not only is she pregnant, but she is about two months along!!
I'm still kind of shocked over this. I wasn't planning on having another child so soon. Hailey and this new baby will only be about a year and three months apart. More info to come...

Tonight me and Nickcole took Hailey and my sister Teddy to the mall to see Santa. Teddy also had to do some shopping for our mom.

Hailey didn't cry or anything, I don't think she had a clue as too what was going on.
Also, a funny thing; they were taking pictures there for you as they always do. I looked at the prices and it was $13 for a single 5x7. We were going to bring our digital camera but forgot. I said screw that, and we were thinking of just using the camera on my phone for the pic (the pic above was taken with my phone). But, then I decided to buy a disposable camera and I am glad I did. A camera with 27 pics only cost $5. But it took a lot of walking around the mall to find one. All the stores have been moved around since I was last there, and I thought Radio Shack might have a camera, but Radio Shack wasn't even there anymore. I did find a one hour photo place though that had some cameras.

Today I have become a father to a beautiful little girl named Hailey Mae. She was born today at 2:12 PM. She weighs 7 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long. The delivery didn't take very long at all. I will post more delivery details and pics soon. I'm exhausted today as I got about 2 hours sleep last night and just came home from spending about 15 hours at the hospital.

Today was a fun day. We originally thought that the doctor was going to induce my wife on Thursday of this week, but instead found out it was going to be Tuesday. (Well, originally they said Monday, but then changed it to Tuesday because Nickcole's cervix was too thick (I think thats what they said??) so she has to have some thing to help thin it and to start having her dilate. Well, now she's starting to have some contractions, but the nurses at the hospital said she was okay to go home for the night. They said most likley she will start going into labor on her own by tomorrow morning, and if not, they will induce the labor. So, now I have to get up bright and early tomorrow and I could soon be a father. At least I get out of work tommorrow.

Found out that my wife's labor is going to be induced today. So that means that I'll be a dad within a day or two. Pretty exciting and scary at the same time. I better hurry up and become responsible.

Well, on Thursday my wife Nickcole is due with our first baby. It's going to be a girl and her name will be Hailey. I will be posting some pics once I get them.