Profile of a Cracker: #6

LIKES: Golf, Guinness, Barbecuing, Beating my husband at Tiger Woods Golf '07
DISLIKES: Losing to my husband at Tiger Woods Golf '07, running out of beer
AWESOME RANDOM FACT: When told about "Crackerness," asked if he could be Cracker #1

Cracker #6 is truly a special guy. Where others spell their name with an "I," number 6 uses a "Y." #6 is totally comfortable in his own skin (and his own Crackerness), something we should all aspire to.

We met #6 in the NICU, where our boys were roommates. #5 and #8 shared a room for two weeks, the longest we had ever roomed with anyone. #7 (#6's wife) and I had been getting to know each other during the day. When our husbands came that night, #6 was ready to make some new friends. We found out that we lived fairly close to each other, and when I said that we didn't have any friends in the area with babies, #6 said, "Well, you do now!"

Awesome. Just awesome. There weren't that many couples like us in the NICU -- on the younger side, able to have Mom at the hospital all day, having a "wimpy white boy" -- and the one other couple that was like us (and had also been a roommate), wasn't friendly at all. In one small gesture, #6 formed a bond that will last a lifetime.

It is a very tough experience to have your (first) baby in the hospital for weeks on end. It is an experience that is impossible to describe to someone else -- the feelings, the worries, the setbacks -- and to have friends who went through the same thing makes getting along in the world OUTSIDE of the hospital SO much easier.

Little Man was VERY lucky. He was born at 32 weeks and "only" spent four weeks in the hospital. #8 was born at 27 weeks and spent TEN AND A HALF WEEKS in the NICU. The strength and courage of #'s 6 & 7 truly amaze me to this day.

#8 came home from the hospital two and a half weeks after #5. Those early months home were made much more enjoyable by our friendship fostered by #6. We understood the limitations and "corrected age" expectations of our boys, and our complete germ-phobia from what we call "The Fear of The NICU." So we were free to socialize with each other, when we were all too afraid to socialize with anyone else. Or the world in general.

#6 is the one who suggested we finally (GASP!) take our boys out in public for a ball game. He is also King of the Tailgate, coming fully prepared with BBQ, beers and chairs. He can make anyone feel welcome at his parties (tailgate or otherwise) with his open smile and friendly demeanor.

I haven't fully been able to point out #6's specific examples of Crackerness, in fact this profile has been a bit of a love fest, but rest assured, #6 is a TOTAL and COMPLETE Cracker. We like him that way. Thanks for joining the crew, #6.