New Serna Baby

Christmas Pictures

So we had some fun today taking some festive pictures. You were fairly cooperative, all things considered. Now of course by cooperative I would be referring to the fact that you only peed on your mother twice today. One of those instances I was fortunate enough to catch on video. Yes, this is another opportunity to embarrass you.

Now I don’t really believe you’re actually going to be embarrassed. Well, maybe the first time you have a little girlfriend who has internet access. I’ll have to ask Angelo and Anthony whether they’d be embarrassed by a video like that being seen by a girl. I think you’re so young that nobody’ll care. Now if I were to catch you on video in the future when you’re thirteen years old and still wearing jammies with little booties built in - well then you might find yourself taunted just a bit.

So to fairly balance that little flick, here are your Christmas pictures to show the world how handsome you are.

Still Pictures

Since I couldn’t (and wouldn’t want to) have the video camera rolling continuously at the hospital, I thought I would post some of the still images Oma and I took while we scurried frantically hither and thither on your birthday.

Yes I realize it’s Christmas, and I’m just now posting these pictures. You’ve been a handful, kiddo. Don’t worry, I’ll get your Merry Christmas posted soon enough.

Digital Kid?

You will never know a world without internet. You will never know a world without cell phones and text messaging. You will never know a world without digital cameras and camcorders. You weren’t but a few hours old yet and I had already posted videos to YouTube.com chronicling your entrance into the world.

You and your cousin Rogan (not to mention little Kaitie and Liam, who shall be very special penpals) are going to have access to some of the coolest technology the world has ever seen. I was talking with Liam’s dad, Mr. Don, and we were discussing how kids in developing nations are beginning to have access to educational laptops that can be hand powered out in the middle of the desert, jungle, or whatever. Even kids in third world countries are going to be plugged in.

Suddenly there’s this huge responsibility to ensure you learn not to use a hammer to drive a screw in - electronically speaking. One of these educational laptops I was looking at had installed the first computer programming language I ever learned back in 1st or 2nd grade. Logo (better know for its Turtle Graphics) is kind of like a digital etch-a-sketch that we used to use to command a robot turtle. Admittedly I became somewhat nostalgic realizing that the basics I learned are still viable tools for teaching today. Then once the nostalgia wore off, I was struck by the idea that kids in third world countries are going to know more than kids in the United States about what makes their Xbox 360 tick.

Don’t misunderstand me, I’m no more worried about this than teaching you how to read or properly throw a football. I am just continually blown away as I look at you at just how pristine and unspoiled your little mind is, and how much fun it’s going to be to introduce you to all the hows and whys of the myriad of electronics you’re going to grow up with.

Speaking of YouTube, this seems to be the most popular of the videos I’ve posted so far - and probably will eventually be the most embarrassing for you, which is naturally why I posted it here:

(Of course, the other videos can be accessed by clicking the YouTube.com link in the first paragraph)

So what do you think of the world so far?

I imagine that right now, you’re feeling a bit like Alice. Hmm? Tumbling down the rabbit hole? Well, no blue pill is going to end this trip for you buddy. Welcome to the real world.

So here you are, my son. David Brian Serna is the name I give you. You are loved and you are strong. I will expand on the etymology of your namesake at another time, for now all you get is the paraphrased version. There was, however, a very long time ago, someone very special with the first part of your name. He was, among many other notable endeavors, a musician. Your mother and I are both musicians, but that’s not why I mention this. We both hope to see you grow loving music and perhaps be a musician yourself, but neither is that why I bring this up. I wanted to tell you about this particular musician because of what he did with his music.

David loved God with his music. His whole life, through all his ups and downs, David always loved God with his music. Now David was not a professional musician when he wrote most of his music, but even though he was not a professional musician, the largest book in the Word of God, Psalms, is attributed to works throughout his life. David was a lot of things during his life, even a soldier like your daddy, but he always loved music and always loved God with his music.

You’re probably going to be a lot of different things during your life. A builder, an artist, an explorer… so many possibilities in that little tiny body of yours. You may have dreams as you grow of being a cowboy or an astronaut. But through all the things that you do, and all the things you become I hope you can always remember to love God with your music.

Preparing for an eventful Christmas season!

Well, we’ve got the Christmas decorations up, the lights on the tree, the ornaments are hung, some shopping done… now we’re just waiting on baby! Which hopefully will be SOMEDAY soon! It is hard to believe we are already a week into December. We are doing our best to take it one day at a time, otherwise I am sure I would be going nuts with anticipation by now. But really the best news we received this week… the big question everyone has been waiting for… WE ARE COMING HOME!!! We finally got our official orders and to our complete shock and amazement, we are heading to Fort Lewis! It is still to early to really know what all that means. But at this point we at least know that sometime in early February we will find ourselves back in Washington.