Xbox 360 & ...

Well there has been a lot of "Baby Talk" up here on the blog lately. It's probably time I get back to some geek subjects, such as the Xbox 360 and Harry Potter. So here is the first of what I hope to be several more posts regarding some of my interests, other than Hailee.

First of all, I was asked about my thoughts on the Xbox 360. If you haven't heard about it, you will. The Microsoft hype machine is at full speed promoting this thing. Initially I think the 360 is cool, there is a lot of new functionality that I think is awesome, like selecting your own MP3's from your MP3 player to play during your games, sweet. I think it was released a little bit premature though, the original Xbox hasn't really been out that long and I think it would have been to their benefit to wait and release closer to Sony's upcoming PS3. There is just some technology about the 360 that is "almost cool", a few more months in design and production could have made it more cool, like a Blu Ray or HD DVD drive and better backwards compatibility. Microsoft is doing cool things integrating it with Media Center PC's but does anyone really own one of those, I don't know anyone who does. I don't see myself streaming content from my PC to my Xbox, only major geeks are smart enough to do that stuff anyway. As far as gaming goes, I have been a Sony supporter for a long time, Playstation, PS2 and PSP. So I think I will wait and see what they offer with the PS3, it should be really exciting. I am glad to see Microsoft and Nintendo still in the game though, healthy competition is good for consumers and I think the Xbox 360 will push Sony to make the PS3 great. Video games and consoles are a huge business, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all have a lot to lose or gain in the next couple of years. I find it interesting to follow, there is a lot of trash talking between the companies. For some good resources, check out Engadget or Joystiq, both great blogs for people into electronics or gaming.

Now to Harry Potter, well I haven't seen the new movie yet and I am really anxious to get out there and see it. I am sure once we get things settled down at home with Hailee I will go and see it, I will be sure to post a review online. I know a lot of you out there have seen it, post a comment and let everyone know what you thought.

Hailee's first Thanksgiving, Stones and Santa

This weekend we celebrated Hailee's two week birthday as well as her first Thanksgiving. She was even able to kick off the holiday season with a visit from Mr. And Mrs. Claus. We are all three doing good, Hailee is becoming a little more like a normal baby and keeping us up at night more than she has been. She is growing already at 7 pounds 7 ounces, up from her birth weight of 6 pounds 11 ounces. The Dr. says she is doing great. Here are some pictures we have taken the past week, including Thanksgiving.

The Stones drove all the way from Phoenix to see Hailee, (and for Thanksgiving)

We had her all dressed up nice for the holiday.



Her first visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.



Must be the turkey.

Update on Hailee

Well, now that Hailee is a little more than a week old and I have a few minutes I figure it's time for an update and a few more pictures. Brooke and the baby are both doing really well. Surprisingly, all three of us have been able to get a decent amount of sleep the past week and everyone is feeling good. Hailee had her first check-up with the Doctor and is doing great, she is gaining weight and as far as we know, enjoying life. She loves to sleep and go for a ride in her stroller but hates to have baths. Brooke is feeling great and taking to being a Mother wonderfully. We are both really enjoying spending so much time with her and each other.

Many of you had heard that out of all three of us, I was the one who was the worse for wear. Just the day after Hailee was born I was feeling some really intense pain in my stomach. I tried to treat the symptoms as much as I could, but ended up in the hospital myself. After several tests and some refreshing morphine, they diagnosed me with a stomach ulcer. I am sure it will come to no surprise to many of you who know how "high strung" I am. But I am taking medication and feeling much better, hopefully I will have a full recovery within a couple of months.

If any of you think the births they show in the movies, where the husband is speeding to the hospital, are fake. Well there is some truth to it. Brooke and I had a pretty crazy experience. Brooke was only in labor for a total of 4 hours, only 2 and a half of which were at the hospital. It all happened so quickly that by the time I called everyone to tell them we were at the hospital, I had to call back and tell them to get up there or they would miss the big event. But it was good for Brooke, because she wasn't as miserable as she could have been. In fact, it was good for Hailee too, she looked great even as soon as she was born. No misshapen head or anything.

I want to thank our families, friends and neighbors who have all been so helpful through this experience. We have had many dinners brought to us, gifts given to Hailee, people running us around and much support.

For your viewing pleasure, here are some other pictures of Hailee. Click on any of the pictures on this blog for a bigger version. Once you get the bigger version you can even "right click" on the picture and save it to your computer. Select "Save Image/Picture As" to do so.

"The Cutest Thing You Have Ever Seen"

It's official, The Cutest Thing You Have Ever Seen.

Hailee Brooke Gibson
Born 11:20 a.m. November 10th 2005
6 Pounds 11 Ounces
20 Inches