Beard to Baby 2015

This morning, I put away my razor, tossed out my shaving cream and took my electric shaver off the charger. I won’t need them until the summer.

Today begins what I am dubbing “Beard to Baby”. I am vowing not to shave until our first child is born on or around June 28, 2015. I’m starting with a clean slate. Just last night, before heading out for New Year’s revelry (specifically, a lovely dinner and a beer with friends), I shaved the carefully-groomed, perma-stubble that Gawker once referred to as the markof a low moral character.   Today is the first day my face has been completely clean-shaven in a year-and-a-half. Sadly, I was not carded for buying beer this morning. So that theory is out the window. I guess I’m just old now.

Why am I doing this? I like to contribute. Physically, there is very little I can contribute to pregnancy at this stage of the game. Sure, I can pick up the slack around the house, be extra attentive to Lauren’s needs, go out of my way to make sure she is comfortable, etc. and of course, I plan to do all those things. But, the reality is while she is dealing with nausea, exhaustion and bloating, quite frankly, I feel fantastic. That doesn't seem fair. Obviously, a scratchy beard does not even come close to carrying a child. I’m not trying to pretend it does. However, it will leave me somewhat uncomfortable over the next six months thus allowing for at least minimal commiseration in the Holder household.

The last beard. Speaking to students at SUNY Oswego. In the academic world, beard = wisdom,

The bearded among you will say, “having a beard is awesome!” Not for me. I attempted “Beards to Boston” last year and hated every second of it. When I got injured and couldn't resume training, shaving that stringy, red hair off my face was the only upside to dropping the dream.  This time around I’ll again be training for a marathon  (Vermont City on May 24th)  but the beard doesn't go away after the race.

I’m not a beard guy.  So, if you’re a hipster, lumbersexual, truck driver, wizard or any other veteran wearer of facial hair, I’d appreciate any beard tips. As you can see, I have a long way to go…

Day 1