Petrograde Jr.?

[Petrograde]

Holy Crap! I just found out my wife is pregnant!!! Wow,.. I'm gonna be a Dad?! I'll be 30 in March, this is (as far as I know) my first child. So, this is pretty weird for me!

My little Marauder:rolleyes: is due around the middle of August. So,.... I guess I better get my Kook's exhaust soon! lol

Wish us luck!!!!

Tom

***Note the date,.. Updates follow! :)

[MMM2003]

Congratulations to you and your wife !

[PhastPhil]

Congratulations to you and your wife! We'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

[Haggis]

Congratulations Petro,
On the new addition to the family, your very own Rugrat. Just remember Jr can not drive the Marauder until he or she at least learns to pronounce it and no spitting up in the car. Best wishes to you and your wife.

[Petrograde]

Thanks guys!!!!:D

[Paul T. Casey]

Congrats!

[cruzer]

Congratulations, Tom. Welcome to the REAL world---nothing like it. Hope you wife has an easy and happy pregnancy. We'll all be watching for progress reports. Had our last baby when I was 41---been a blast bringing her up----Enjoy. , Maury

[jgc61sr2002]

Tom - Congrats and best wishes..:D

[LincMercLover]

Sweet! :up: Good luck bro!

[TAF]

Hey Tom...CONGRATS, MAN!!!

Being a Daddy is the best....'cause...you get to say "Cause I'm the Daddy"....and it justifies a LOT!

"Mom, why does Dad get to eat in front of the T.V. watching football"
- "Cause I'm the Daddy"

Best wishes to you and the Mrs.

Pssst...better get ALL your mods done NOW!!!!

[MM03MOK]

Congratulations, Tom. Best wishes to you both and your new "family mod."

[SergntMac]

Congrats, Tom. Best wishes to "y'all"

[Marauderer]

Well, your life will never be the same :) In a good way!!!!!

[Bigdogjim]

Congrats!!

Well done!

The fun has yet to start!

[Alan]

That's awesome news, Tom! I am happy for you. Make sure your wife takes her folic acid each day.
Congrats!!!

[bigslim]

Congrat Petro. That will keep you honest.

[RCSignals]

Way to go Tom and Mrs Tom!
Yup, get your upgrades done now... :)

[martyo]

Deny liability and responsibility. It's worked for me for 41 years!


J/K! Congrats Tom!!!

[JGaignat]

Someone once told me......"she took seriously what you poked at her in fun."

Congrats to you and the Mrs!!! Being a parent is the best!!!
I hope your wife has a smooth pregnancy, labor and delivery.......and with the Marauder.....you can get her to the hospital in record time!!!!

Good Luck!!!!

[Petrograde]

wow,.. thanks everyone!

I found the child seat anchors in the back seat. mmm,.. If there are any cool child seat mods let me know lol... I was thinking about chroming or powder coating it Ford Blue! :lol:

Tom

[CRUZTAKER]

Good deal Tom, hopefully you are good with this. And foremost, hopefully ready to go the length. The birth of a child, your very own, and wathing and helping it grow up is by far the most awesome thing I have experienced so far. And for me, and Jessica, it's for life. Gage isn't gonna end up like I, with broken up parents by age 6. We are a team, and a team forever, and man oh man, what pride one gets showing off their heir!!

This child is gonna feel that you are god, and that attachment is uncomparable.

When Gage was about 24 months, his teaches helped him make finger paints of his hands, attached a photo, and a real tear jerker of a poem. It hangs in my room near my side of the bed. Check this out:

'MY HANDS'
Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints,
on furiture and walls.

But everyday I am growing...
I'll be grown up someday
And all those tiny handprints
Will surely fade away.

So here's a final handprint
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked
When I was very small.

[Heavy351]

Congrats! life as you once knew it are over. You will find your driving habits changing soon.

Look for one of those smaller baby carriers with a base that stays mounted in the car and the "cradle" part detaches. The anchor points are really nice and allow you to really clamp the seat down.

I found that putting the seat in the middle was too much of a reach and also dented the leather fairly badly (If I had left it there mre than a day I fear the damage would have been there for good) Moved it to the passenger side after a day and found the carrier fit into the seat much better. (anybody know any stats on the tradeoff on the safety?)


Find a semi rigid pad for underneath and a thick towel for behind. No marks in the seat sofar.

You will find that puke and milk cleans up pretty well on the leather.

Awesome news about your new family and feel good that the MM is near the very top in safety ratings...

oh and one more thing, get one of those fleece zipper things that goes inside the baby seat, you just plop the rugrat in there, buckle him up then zip! great for the cold weather...

[Dr Caleb]

Congrats Petro! I hope it looks like me! :)

I think Simpson makes a really cool car seat. If i could only find the link. . .

[Heavy351]

Simpson does, Im going to get one, but.... he has to be at least able to face forward and you cannot do that till he is 1 year old...

[MAD-3R]

Here ya goCar seat (http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=4035&prmenbr=361)

[jefferson-mo]

Congrats Tom!

check this out


http://www.teamsimpson.com/catalog/racefan/childseat.asp

[CRUZTAKER]

I use a 16X24" piece of 1" thick dense rigid packing foam from a large circuit board container on the seat. I place a towel over the rear seat back as well. My seat is located in the center of the the back seat. This is the safest location, no matter what ANYONE tells you, it's obvious. My child seats have never left a mark in my seats, nor the LS seats with the way I did it.

[Mad1]

I'm very happy for you Tom.

Enjoy those early years, because eventually all children become teenagers. :)

Jeremy

[woaface]

Great news! Hope everything goes well between now and August!

[Petrograde]

hehe,.. thanks guys!

Oh Yeah,.. I'll be getting the Simpson seat as soon as the baby is big enough! ...and thanks for the mounting tips! I had no idea about that, I guess it's one of those things you never think about until the time comes.

man,.. ya know I'm not sure if the news has really sunk in yet,... hmmm,.. I figured I would've panicked! lol Well,.. I guess I have 8 1/2 more months to panic! lol

Thanks Again!!! :up:

Y'all are the poop! :lol: oh no,.... poop .... I just thought about that....:rolleyes: lol

Tom

[Smokie]

Tom, nothing better than a good wife and a baby, you are blessed. I wish you all good health, that is better than anything else, Javier.

[Heavy351]

Poop? you will know quite a bit about poop about this time next year.

A certified authority!

[rumble]

Congratulations Tom .
As Carl Sandburg said
"A baby is Gods way of saying the world should go on"

[woaface]

Hey Tom! It's all coming together? Only difference I can see between you and my brother so far is he's navy:D
He is also expecting a child at the end of January. Weird:)

[teamrope]

Congrats Petro!
It will finally seem real the first time you feel the baby move. That is going to be the first of a lot of awsome moments for you. Good luck to you and Mrs Petro!:up: :up:

[Petrograde]

Well,.. My little kid stands about 3 1/2 inches tall, and has a strong heartbeat. :up: The due date it 7 Sept 2004. woo hoo! I can't wait to have a playmate! :lol:

Tom

btw- he is waving in this I think.

[TAF]

Congrats Tom!! Fine lookin kiddo you got there...as he matures inside mama...he'll look less and less like a godhead steeringwheel badge...I promise.;) :lol:

[jgc61sr2002]

Tom - Congrats and best wishes. :up: :beer:

[MARAUDERCHICK]

Congratulations Tom!!

Remember....children are gifts from God!! Always treat them like the little angels they are!!

Many prayers and blessings to you and your wife.

Kathy~

[teamrope]

btw- he is waving in this I think.

No Tom, I think he's practicing for when he gets the keys to the MM.
Va-ROOOM:D

[woaface]

Aw Tom! That's great!

But maybe Todd is noticing a family trend, one day you'll age and look like old man god's head:D

That's really awesome that he's healthy...

[CRUZTAKER]

woo hoo! I can't wait to have a playmate! :lol:

Tom
Oh yeah! But let me tell you how my (2 1/2y) playmate's evening has gone.
Wouldn't eat dinner, threw in the trash when I turned my head. Had a melt down when I said no TV because.....
Wouldn't stop whining so mom caved and let him watch tv....in our bed.
Wouldn't go to bed. Went to bed, but had another melt down when spider man scared him. Went back to bed. Big thump upstairs, wailing....tried to get out of bed and navigate a dark room and tripped over tricycle. Went back to bed....hold on....I hear something funny going on up there....BRB:rolleyes:

EDIT: Forgot to mention kicking the bowl of dry cat food across the kitchen floor, over flowing the sink while washing hands (found stopper lever last week), and feeding the cats the leftover chicken wings he found in the fridgerator. (very handy with stools now)

[woaface]

Cruztaker...dude...that's NOTHIN'!:lol: That's even cute!
I may tell you a story or two of mine sometime:D

[BUCKWHEAT]

Life is going to be much different. The first is special. The second is a joy, but not much different from just having one. The third is another story, a big step...can we say minivan? And the fourth you don't even notice until (s)he is a teenager. Best of luck. John & Gina

[Petrograde]

Oh yeah! But let me tell you how my (2 1/2y) playmate's evening has gone.
Wouldn't eat dinner, threw in the trash when I turned my head. Had a melt down when I said no TV because.....
Wouldn't stop whining so mom caved and let him watch tv....in our bed.
Wouldn't go to bed. Went to bed, but had another melt down when spider man scared him. Went back to bed. Big thump upstairs, wailing....tried to get out of bed and navigate a dark room and tripped over tricycle. Went back to bed....hold on....I hear something funny going on up there....BRB:rolleyes:

EDIT: Forgot to mention kicking the bowl of dry cat food across the kitchen floor, over flowing the sink while washing hands (found stopper lever last week), and feeding the cats the leftover chicken wings he found in the fridgerator. (very handy with stools now)

Yup,.... I've thought about that. :( I know they'll end up like me, little hellions. :rolleyes: It'll be payback for when I was a little $h!t!

Thanks for the good wishes y'all!! :up:
Tom

[CRUZTAKER]

I was showing the lighter side. In reality, on the good days, and yes we have alot of good days, he makes me so proud I could just bust!

The feeling I get, when he gets....the feeling of accomplishment, and the grin on his face. Everyday it's something, and I save that stuff like lint in my pockets!

[2003 MIB]

This is a great thread, Tom!- I'm not sure how I missed it the first tiime around but Congratulations and I'm glad all is going well. You make me smile.

[VERN]

Congratulations!!!

All I can say, after being a father for 6 months, is that nothing will be the same - pick a name, furniture, paint, bedding theme, etc.....

Vernon

[Dr Caleb]

Man, Congrats!

I'm a little older than you, and haven't got any revisions (Dr. Caleb 2.0) yet. Guess I'll have to work on that :)

Just hope he looks like me when he gets older :)

[Petrograde]

well,... no Junior for me yet. My wife had an ultrasound the other day. It's a girl!

Which leads me to a dilemma,... Remmington or Mossberg? :lol:

I'm not disappointed that it's not a boy, I want both and I don't really care what order they come in!

[woaface]

August sometime right? Aww, kids are so cute! I want kids but...uh, that wouldn't work right now...haha!

We're real proud for you man. We know you love your wife very much when you don't tell her to sit in the corner for not having a boy:P

[FiveO]

10 fingers, 10 toes.

Here's hoping its healthy.

Women can drive Marauders too :)

[MM03MOK]

10 fingers, 10 toes.

Here's hoping its (she's) healthy.

Women can drive Marauders too :) :D AMEN!!! :up: :banana2:

[jgc61sr2002]

Petro - Congrats. :up: :beer:

[Petrograde]

thanks guys! :up:

the due date is 7 Sept. but the Doc said we can expect her to come up to 10 days earlier! She's a big baby! Which would explain why she says she feels 'puffy' :lol:

[Marauder386]

Congratulations Petro-Tom and soon-to-be SuperMom ! Now, to have MarauderChick get her lesson plans together for some schoolin' on modern day MM cruzzin.....hehehehehe....

Thoughts,Hopes and Prayers to you two <sorry...three> ! !
:up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up:


M386

[Bluerauder]

well,... no Junior for me yet. My wife had an ultrasound the other day. It's a girl!

Which leads me to a dilemma,... Remmington or Mossberg? :lol:

I'm not disappointed that it's not a boy, I want both and I don't really care what order they come in!
Congratulations to you and your wife. I see a Minivan in your future especially with all of the baby gear that you will need to tote around.

[CRUZTAKER]

Gettin' short....alrighty then!

And as far as your choice...girls with pump action action rifles are really hot...err umm...

Sorry:nono:

[duhtroll]

Carseats fit very well in Marauders.

Watch out - our Lucy was due June 7th and showed up May 7th. Of course they had the due date wrong, as there was nothing "preemie" about her.

We didn't quite have the hospital bag packed yet, though. They told us we had enough time to take a shower, etc., and come in "in an hour or so." I go into the kitchen and my wife is making me sandwiches (because her hospital food is free while mine would not be).

The drive there was very fun - the BEST excuse for going fast and not getting a ticket!

Pack early and have the carseat in the MM and ready! I was sitting on the hospital room floor reading installation directions. :o

Good luck to you and your family,
-A

[Petrograde]

I see a Minivan in your future especially with all of the baby gear that you will need to tote around.

Minivan? :eek:

I think the Marauder will work just fine for toting kids and strollers around. In fact, I thought about that when I bought it.

Luckily,... I live about a mile away from the hospital!

[cyclone03]

It takes a real man to put the plumbing on the inside!


Congrats.

For converting the Marauder to baby duty go get some BIG THICK bath towels,I think the big ones are called sheets,You can sew them together and make some big ol slip covers.Those towels come in dark grey too.

I still have one of the towels I bought 15 years ago when we brought our oldest home in the Mustang.

[Petrograde]

I'm happy to report that Alicia Ann was born on 8 Sept 2004 at 9:21pm cst. She weighed 8 lbs 7 oz. :baby:

I'm happy to report that both Mom and Baby are doing very well!

They gave her Petocin to induce the labor. She went from zero dilation to 10 CM in 3.5 hours! :awe:

I was there the whole time,.. but I didn't really look.... cause I didnt wanna :puke: :lol:

She will take her first ride in the Marauder this evening!

Wow,....... I am a Dad :P

[2003 MIB]

Wow,....... I am a Dad
I think you'll be a good one! Congratualtions to all!! Post pics.

[MAD-3R]

Congo Rats!!

[TAF]

Congrats Tom!!! Such GREAT news...and blessed with a girl. Glad to hear things went well...get your rest now, you'll need it!

[Bluerauder]

I'm happy to report that Alicia Ann was born on 8 Sept 2004 at 9:21pm cst. She weighed 8 lbs 7 oz. :baby:

I'm happy to report that both Mom and Baby are doing very well!

I was there the whole time,.. but I didn't really look.... cause I didnt wanna :puke: :lol:

She will take her first ride in the Marauder this evening!

Wow,....... I am a Dad :P
Congratulations to you and your wife and a big MM welcome to Alicia Ann. At 8 lbs 7 oz, she seems very healthy. Way to go, Dad !!!! and Mom !!!! :2thumbs:

You should have looked ... the entire process is the most amazing and fascinating experience. I was fortunate enough to be there for all 3 of my kid's births with a seat in "The Front Row". :rofl:

[Bradley G]

Congrads, Your life has been blessed with the greatest gift ever!!My daughters turn 15 this mo. I remember I used to "palm them in each hand and stick em up to the cieling drove my Mo in law crazy :loco: savor every moment You'll be fine.:baby: Alicia Ann is gonna have fine taste in automobilies.:cheer:

[cyclone03]

Congrats! :party:

[CRUZTAKER]

Congrats daddy Tom!

Enjoy these times while she's small....cause they grow sooo fast.

Gage, at 3, just got his first bike, and is already free swimming and diving unassisted.

What happened to my baby???:dunno:

[Patrick]

:2thumbs: :2thumbs: :2thumbs:

[duhtroll]

Congratulations!

It's the best feeling ever . . .

-A

[cruzer]

Congratulations to you and your wife--bringing a little girl into the world :welcome: completely changes your life forever. With 3 daughters, 2 grand daughters and a new great-grand daughter I have experienced the pride it brings. So, love her, enjoy her and protect her--the happiness she brings increases every day. Best wishes from great-grandpa, Maury :party:

[Silver_04]

Congrats. Great name for the little one too BTW.

[Petrograde]

Thanks for the kind words all!

Ya know,... I really must love my wife and baby, cause the Marauder is no longer mine. It's theirs. I'll have to commute to and from work in a freakin' H***a Civic... :(

....for now...

[jgc61sr2002]

Congrats to you and your wife on the birth of your daughter. :beer:

[UAW 588]

I'll have to commute to and from work in a freakin' H***a Civic... :(

....for now...

Oh, the shame, I feel for you brother. :puke:
Well, congrats anyways. You'll have to get with Slowpoke, and ask him where to get your very own GPS unit for your stroller. :up:

[teamrope]

I'll have to commute to and from work in a freakin' H***a Civic... :(

....for now...Tom, I am so sorry for that. I hope you park it as far away from the MM as possible...(Like around the corner from the house) I've heard Hondas get real jealous of MM's and try to ad dents.
<FONT color=black><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com /><o:p></o:p></FONT></P><P style=
Congrats on Alicia's arrival. Enjoy the first 10 years. They are the best.

[MM03MOK]

http://www.bloomingbritain.com/webcat/pics/congratulations.jpg

Elsa & Tom!



Welcome Alicia Ann

[Petrograde]

again,.. thanks everyone!

Fortunately, I won't have to drive the H***a for very long. I'm about to buy a '78 Jeep CJ-7 360 cid w/fuel injection, (somewhere around 350 RWHP)36" BFG's, 6" of lift, full body roll bar, and a bad a$$ sound system. :rock:

Alicia will only travel in the Marauder,... I know she'll be safe!

Thanks for everyone advice. I really appreciate it! :bow:

Tom & family

[Bradley G]

Be carful in that bad jeep u mentioned. thier not big on safty features we'er bankin on u ( so is mommy & Alicia);)
again,.. thanks everyone!

Fortunately, I won't have to drive the H***a for very long. I'm about to buy a '78 Jeep CJ-7 360 cid w/fuel injection, (somewhere around 350 RWHP)36" BFG's, 6" of lift, full body roll bar, and a bad a$$ sound system. :rock:

Alicia will only travel in the Marauder,... I know she'll be safe!

Thanks for everyone advice. I really appreciate it! :bow:

Tom & family

[woaface]

TOM! CONGRADS! That's awesome! We know you'll be a great father. Amazing stuff!

[Joe Walsh]

Congrats!!! Hope all is going well with the "UTE"! :rock:
Just make sure that she doesn't end up in an 'office job'..... :rofl:
P.S. How far is it to your work??? I would consider walking vs. driving the Honda...

[teamrope]

Congrats!!! Hope all is going well with the "UTE"! :rock:
Just make sure that she doesn't end up in an 'office job'..... :rofl:
P.S. How far is it to your work??? I would consider walking vs. driving the Honda...
Ft Hood....That COULD be an all day walk. :lol:

[Petrograde]

Ft Hood....That COULD be an all day walk. :lol:

:lol: yup,... it would much too much like Air Assault School! I'm never walking that far again!

I live about 10 miles from work, and the Jeep gets about 13MPG.

As for safety: it has a 6 point roll cage, and wide track axles,.. it's actually wider than the Marauder. Thanks for your concerns! you guys are da bomb! :up: :2thumbs:

[MarauderMark]

Congrates dad!!
Welcome to the dad club!Heres where you start taking care of your baby(not the mm anymore).Did you check to make sure its not twinns or triplets.Just kidding .I'll tell ya when my wife told me she was pregnant it really did'nt phase me much .But when she was having the babys , Now thats a great feeling and something to see..Be there if you can .

[Petrograde]

well,.. Alicia is 3 months old now. She's trying to crawl, she doesn't really move,... but she sure is trying like hell! :lol:

here's a few pics..

http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/500/1111DSC01856-med.JPG

http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/500/1111DSC01851-med.JPG

[Haggis]

Tom she is a very cute baby...I remember when you started this Thread, it has been a year already. Congrats again and Merry Christmas this one will be special.

[CRUZTAKER]

I've been waiting for pics Tom. What a cutie....life is good ehh?;)

[Patrick]

Awsome Tom!! Becareful she"ll be up and running before you know it!!!

[HwyCruiser]

Tom,

Awww, she's a cutie.

The clock is ticking to child-proof the house... you've only got a couple months to put everything up or bolt it down.

A friendly word of advice: The sliding rocking chair... big owie. Take it from me, they are a finger biter. My girls managed to get their fingers pinched in just about every hinged device in the house that wasn't tie-wrapped into a fixed position. Oh, and see that x-mas tree over there...

:)

[Bradley G]

Thanks Tom,

I was told this until I was sick "Enjoy them while their young" those words I could have Payed better attention to. My first were twin girls who want their drivers permit this year.My son will be up next year.They all want to take lessons in the big Bad Merc. She will be askin you for the keys before you know it
Bradley G

Have A Great 1:baby: :wreath: 1st Christmas!:woohoo:

[Petrograde]

Thanks for the kind words and advice y'all !!

A few days ago I put her front of the mirror, that was worth almost an hour of entertainment! Last week she discovered her feet. She spent an hour watching them move. :lol: Every day she does something new.

I'm looking forward to the next one!

Thanks again y'all! I'll post a few xmas pics next week.

[Petrograde]

well,. my daughter turned one this past week!! How the time flies! She's starting to walk, and she can speak in full sentences! I just not sure what language is it,.. it's not English or Spanish. :P

here's a pic!
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=75 35&stc=1

[jgc61sr2002]

What a cutie. :D You are right time sure does fly. She will be running before you know. Happy Birthday :birthday: :party: :cake:

[Smokie]

Tom she is gorgeous, she speaks in "girl talk" dude...you just nod your head yes, smile and give her what she wants.:lol:

[Bluerauder]

well,. my daughter turned one this past week!! How the time flies! She's starting to walk, and she can speak in full sentences! I just not sure what language is it,.. it's not English or Spanish. :P
Terrific pic. :up: Start saving for the wedding Tom .... you just have about the right amount of time left. :rofl:

When I opened this post ... I read the first one and thought that #2 was on the way. :rolleyes: I gotta check the post dates closer. ;)

[huot5]

congrats on the b-day. she's a doll. and put her in some MM.net gear.

[ckadiddle]

Congratulations! YOu still got two more seats to fill in the Marauder. :)

[Petrograde]

Thanks y'all! :up: she really is something else. she's trying to get at thr keyboard right noewfgh nnnnnnnnn hgfb6 g ff;kl;

[Haggis]

Tom you are one lucky man. Take care of that little Doll, all the best for the future. Oh, yea and HAPPY 1st Birthday!!

[Bradley G]

Happy 1st B-Day to Alicia!

I'd advise you to spoil her rotten, But I see it's too Late!:P I got the Sweet sixteen X 2 on the 30TH

[RoyLPita]

What a cutie. :D You are right time sure does fly. She will be running before you know. Happy Birthday :birthday: :party: :cake:


What he said^^^^^^^^^^^^.

[MarauderMark]

Tom you are one lucky man. Take care of that little Doll, all the best for the future. Oh, yea and HAPPY 1st Birthday!!
I couldn't say it any better than that..:up: