Life is Good (with Dad around)

Well, I've gotten to have some time at home with Dad and it has been real nice. Dad started his two weeks of paternity leave this week, and it has been nice to have him around. I think it is a 3-way tie between myself, Mom, and Dad on who is happiest that he is here.






Last week (Memorial Day week), I didn't have a whole lot going on. Dad got to be here with me for a long 4-day weekend. The weekend was not very comfortable as on Friday the 23rd, the air conditioning in the house started to not work too well. We had some men come over to look at it and there goes my first semester of college. We luckily didn't have to replace the whole thing but it was going to be somewhat substantial. All the while, we had already committed to getting a new tree for the front of the house (planted around the same time that I came around) and Dad was having some issues with his car. When it rains, it pours. So, last week, I was just counting down the days until Dad could be at home with me.







Last Friday night, Mom had a wedding shower to go to, so by the ime Dad got home, I was here hanging out with Granddad Bo. And that was the first time that he got to see me in my fussy mood. Starting last week, I started to get real cranky in the late afternoon. I think it has coincided with the increased heat outside and the decreased effectiveness of our air conditioner. Mom and Dad have got to get out and get me some thicker shades so it can block the sun a bit more from my room. It gets a lot of late afternoon heat & light. But, I was a little fussy, and then we had the magical Wubbanub that helped to soothe me while I sat in my swing. Mom had been trying some new napping/sleeping techniques on me beginning last week, but Dad was trying to use them but he didn't fully know what they were. So, after Granddad left and before Mom got home (around 9 pm), Dad was up there, sitting in my room with me, it was completely dark, and he was talking to me. He didn't want to have the lights on so he couldn't read to me, so he was up there telling me the story of 'Lord of the Rings' and how Frodo got sent on his adventure; he got so far as "Is it secret? Is it safe?" before Mom came home and told him that he wasn't really following this new technique as he should (It helps to have someone in the room while I'm trying to fall asleep but I don't need anyone talking). But, we did fine for the evening so Mom could have an evening out with Grandma Patty and her friends.







Saturday was a big day for me as I headed up to the lake for Grandma's surprise shower. Her friends wanted to give her some gifts so that when I go over to her house, I have some things that I need. So, I get to meet a lot of her friends, many of whom have known my Dad ever since he was in high school. I don't think Grandma knew about the day at all because we heard her be so surprised when she walked in and saw all the gifts, and then even more surprised when I came out of the front room with Mom & Dad. But, it was a fun fun day. I got another day with Granddad. But, I did not get much time to rest, either on my own or with Mom & Dad or my grandparents. Those ladies just passed me around. I slept from pretty much 12:30 until about 3:30 or so, all the way not knowing that I was causing some strife there as the ladies were fighting over who got to hold me. It seemed like for the longest time that Grandma's friend Elizabeth was not going to give me up, but she did, and later Mrs. Lenise and Mrs. Beth helped to feed me my bottle. But, it was a super fun day, and I can't wait to go back to the lake sometime again and actually be able to get into the water. If I'm like my Mom, I'm going to love the water.



















On Sunday, we had a lazy day around the house as Mom was not feeling well. Monday started my time at home with Dad and we didn't do too much as we had some things to do around the house. Dad started to get a bit better understanding of my napping techniques. A few times in the last half of May, Mom would call Dad at work when it was my naptime and I was not cooperating. I showed him a couple of times on Sunday & Monday about why a phone call was necessary. Sometimes when I get out of my comfort zone while I am in that crib, I just like to let everyone know that I am not happy. Dad was able to completely understand why those times are challenging for me.







Tuesday was a big day for us as we got our air conditioning fixed in the house. I just slept through the early part of the day while they were working (Norman passed the day doing what he does when workers are in the house, hiding under a bed, since he is such a chicken). But, then as the day went around and it got hotter & hotter in the house (with no A/C on), Mom had enough and took me to Bless Your Heart. Of course, being there wasn't too relaxing for me because I got passed around there as well. But, I do love that store and I can't wait until I get a chance to shop there, but Mom said that I will have to do some work there, and I won't get my stuff for nothing. Can you ask my mom if she is familiar with the child labor laws in this country? But, they did get it fixed and it does feel better here now - although I won't be going to college until the second semester because we have to pay for it. After the workers left, Grammy came over and we hung out for the evening while Mom & Dad went to see 'Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.' They said that it is a bit violent & scary so it might be 7-8 years before I get to go see it (but I'm sure my Dad might be a bit flexible with that rule).






On Wednesday, we had a small little outing as they took me to the doctor for a weight check.......11 pounds & 6 ounces. That is two pounds in the last three weeks. I guess I'm getting to be pretty good with this feeding thing. It is a good thing that I am gaining because Mom & Dad started a diet and they are trying to not gain weight. Mom told me that they like doing the diet for the beneficial outcomes of it (i.e. losing weight), but that the actual experience of the diet is not fine at all (i.e. having to watch what we eat), and Mom & Dad got real cranky with each other the last time they did a diet. So, we'll see how this goes. Dad and I were wearing matching 'Life is Good' shirts today, and fortunately, I lasted in my shirt only long enough for a photo to be taken before I spit up all over it. Wednesday night, we headed to Community Group, but I was a bit fidgety through it, so Dad had to take me out and try to soothe me. I had a big advancement in my sleeping on Wednesday night. They put me down for good around 11 pm. They have been not setting an alarm at night and I certainly don't mind letting them know when it is time for me to get up and eat. Generally, it is around 4-5 hours. Well, this time, I lasted all the way until 6 am, so I got (and so did mom & dad) 7 straight hours of sleep!!!!! I am certainly trying to make things easy on them, so I'll have to find a way to get back at them at some later time of my choosing.







Yesterday, we had a lazy morning. Then, we headed up to Austin for my first girls day out (but Dad was there as well). We went to Aunt Emily's house, and I got to hang out with her varmits and then we headed out for Mom & Emily to get pedicures at Embellish (Lisa McQueen's store). I was certainly a hit when I got there, but I pretty much slept through the day. Afterwards, I got my first real dinner out, as we went to eat at Chuy's. Then, Mom did a little shopping for me at Janie & Jack's. As if I need this, but I did get another outfit.















We headed back to Emily's house for me to eat. I got to meet Norman's one-time lover, Phoebe; Mom and Emily had gotten Norman and Phoebe around the same time during college when they were rooming together. Mom said that Phoebe pushed Norman off a bed and broke his hip and that is why their friendship ended. But, whatever the case, Phoebe gave me the same disgruntled look that Norman gives me and was more bothered by me than happy to see me. Anyway, it was then time to head back home as Mom and I slept most of the way back to San Antonio, getting in around 11:30. I fed around 12:15 and then off to bed.







Finally, I got a chance to have a somewhat normal day. We didn't leave the house at all today. Mom & Dad were especially tired, so I had slept from around 1 am until 6 am; Dad got up to feed me, and then we all slept again until around 8:45 (Dad slept in a bit after that). He then did some lawn work and then I hung out with Mom. Tonight, Jeff, Robi, and Rix came over for dinner. I was a bit social with everyone at first but then I retired to my bed and slept pretty soundly. I am fussing a little bit, but I am a bit tired. It is exciting that I got to do a lot with Dad over this past week, and we have a whole additional week before he heads back to the work. This is so great!

The Big 1/12th (Part 2)

20. We had obviously been ready to get home to get our life here with Lily started but there is some measure of apprehension at leaving the care & comfort of the hospital. It is nice to know that you have so many capable hands just a call away, people can come in to help with the nursing, etc. One thing we wouldn’t miss would be the food but that is to be expected. But, either way, we were glad to be coming home but nervous. As we turned onto our street, it became immediately clear to us that while leaving the hospital, we weren’t on our own. We quickly recognized the cars waiting for us as those of our parents & Rachel. They had thrown together a little welcome-home Lily party. There was a big 4-5 foot tall wooden stork in the front yard, and there was all sort of pink decorations inside and dip, snacks, a cake, and champagne. That instantly told us that we would not be going through this alone—as if we should be having any worry. But, it was nice to have the reassurance. Plus, even with as tired as we were, it was nice that once the party started to end, we got to head upstairs and take an early evening nap, and let Grammy and Aunt Rachel watch over Lily (and change a tar diaper).
21. We will both always remember that first night here at home and Lily sleeping in the cradle. That cradle was such a nice gift from my parents (I slept in it myself when I was born); it had been built for me by Grandma Patty’s grandfather, so that would be Lily great-great-grandfather. But, we certainly have to admit that the cradle looked a lot better with Lily there inside of it than with Chewbacca in it, as it had been in the weeks leading up to her birth. Just like in the hospital, we didn’t get the best sleep because Lily is a loud sleeper and tends to grunt & groan throughout the night. With us being rookie parents, we don’t know what is normal and what is not, so we tended to jump at every little noise.
22. We came home from the hospital on Wednesday the 23rd. That dirty diaper that evening was the last one we’d see for a few days, so this worried us. All the baby books give you guidelines for wet & dirty diapers, with that being the best indicator of good & healthy growth. So, no dirty diapers did throw us off a bit. The doctor wasn’t too worried, when we tracked him down on Sunday morning. But, that still didn’t stop us from having a great celebration on Sunday night when Lily did have a dirty diaper. And she sure did make up for lost time. I have a feeling that will be one of the last times we rejoice over a dirty diaper.
23. Lily has done an incredible job of sleeping, especially through the night. However, we were not so sure a few days in. Beginning on Friday night (April 25), she would get up and be fussy in the late night/early morning and be somewhat inconsolable. One night it was from about 11 pm – 2 am. Then, from 3-4 am through 7 am. All the way through Monday morning, she was like this, and we had no idea what to do. I would pick her up and we’d walk around, but that gets old. You just have to be patient and understand that sometimes there is no solution. We tried to think of it as good bonding time, but I figure there are better ways to bond.
24. I remember how sad I was when I had to head back to work. Ernst & Young gives two weeks of paternity leave, but I decided to just take a few days of vacation at first and then supplement by two weeks off later on. My schedule really mandated this. It was especially hard because with everything going on, this was going to be going back to an especially busy time as well—not just the 8-hour a day version. The hardest part was knowing that I had been here with Lily for every bit of her life thus far, and I was going to start to miss things. So, I did head back to work, and I do remember coming home that first day for lunch and getting to see the little one and eat lunch here and see Kelly and Faith over her for a visit.
25. Part of easing with the adjustment was knowing that Katy was going to feel safe and well supported here with help from her mother. Grammy was over for most of those first two weeks that I was back at work, pretty much the entire day. That was so re-assuring to know she’d be here, especially with Katy still trying to get the feel or nursing and taking care of this little one. It was pretty funny because with that Monday being the first day for me back at work, and Lily had those few middle of the night wake-up times, Katy and I were extremely tired and asked Grammy to stay over the night that Monday. She, of course, was glad to, and of course, Lily did not make a sound at all that night.
26. That first week back at work, I quickly realized that I was going to be making an adjustment to not being able to totally plan my working day around what I needed to but working Lily in. In the past, I would often save work until Sunday night being a procrastinator. However, if I did that now—as I learned on that first Sunday after going back—Lily might not be fully cooperative and might need some attention, so if there was anything I absolutely had to get done, better focus on getting through it early in the weekend.
27. The first few weeks were a bit challenging trying to settle into a routine. It wasn’t so hard on me, but for Katy having to deal with everything at home. I cannot believe how diligent and persistent she was with working on the nursing. The books make it sound somewhat easy at times, but there is no one-size-fits-all. It has become a whole lot easier now for Katy, thanks in large part, to her patient and hard work during those first couple of weeks.
28. We finally had to relent and move Lily into her crib after one week. We had thought we’d keep her in our room for two weeks, but we went ahead and moved her over earlier, mainly for our purposes. This was Katy’s idea, and I would have supported her decision, regardless, because she is the one who has to get up and feed. I can handle a little whining, if it makes that feeding time easier. But, Katy was all for this. And, we instantly began to get better sleep—me more so than Katy since I didn’t have to awake in the middle of the night. There was a funny little story that happen sometime in the first few days after we moved her to the cradle. We had read so many of the books and talking to others that warned against co-sleeping, having the baby in bed with you, both for physical and emotional reasons. I was all about that because I am such a heavy sleeper and tend to toss & turn a bit that I would be so so scared of rolling over her. But, one night, after Lily was in her crib, Katy came back to bed, and I was not fully asleep but was convinced that Katy had brought Lily with her. I kept saying, “Move her, you are going to smash her. Don’t hurt her.” (and other things like that) Katy looked at me as if I were crazy saying that Lily was not here but was back asleep in her crib.
29. On May 1, I came home for lunch with my friends from the Clear Channel team—Marina, Jessi, Lyndsey, Joey, Ernie. Everyone at work had been so supportive during the pregnancy, working with me on the crazy schedule during that last month when we thought an early birth was imminent. I just wanted to share her with everyone. So, I was especially happy when I offered and they quickly accepted the invitation to come by during lunch. All the girls took their turns holding her, some longer than others (we know who that is).
30. Early in May, we figured out that we probably needed a nicer camera. With how many pictures we want to take of her, we figured that we needed a nicer camera. With the Kodak one we had (Katy gave it to me as a wedding present), it was a bit outdated, and we are always having to set it for indoor pictures, and it is too bright, too dark, if we don’t get it absolutely perfectly set. Lily is too important to have to worry about that. So, it was time to upgrade. We had a series of Best Buy coupons & gift cards, so we were able to defray the cost a bit. But, we really didn’t do the research that was needed for a purchase of this magnitude. We were at the computer and how bought something else (I think it was the birth announcements) and said to ourselves that we could probably use a new camera, so we knew we had the gift cards so we went to the Best Buy website, searched around a bit, and saw something in our price range, knew that Canon was a good brand, read a couple of nice reviews, and made the purchase. Probably, not the most in-depth decision we’ve ever made, but has worked great thus far.
31. It was completely appropriate that Lily’s first day at church would be on Mother’s Day-May 11. We got a particularly cute pink outfit for her to wear and got to go and show her off. So, not only was it Katy’s first Mother’s Day, but her first time to show off our little princess at church. We then spent most of the afternoon at Aunt Rachel’s house with the family—Uncle Andy had come into town as well. And it was really a perfect day.
32. Katy did a lot of this, but I got to join in a few times during that first month taking Lily for walks in the neighborhood; she pretty much slept through the whole walk but we all still had fun nonetheless. Exercise is a bit more fun when you have a little one.
33. Katy did a good job of keeping me involved even though I was at work. Occassionally, once or twice a week, Katy would send over pictures she had taken during the day. One day, I had called home being particularly stressed, and Katy had sent me a picture titled “Waiting for you at home” and there was a picture of Lily asleep and curled up in a ball and the meatloaf that Heidi had brought over for us.
34. On May 13, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling sick to my stomach and I tried to get ready to go to work but just was not able to. I ended up taking a rare sick day from work. It was really tough with our current situation and Lily being here. I had been so busy at work that I felt I hadn’t been able to spend the time with Lily that I had hoped for. So, it was a bit discouraging to be here with her and not be able to interact with her, since I was not feeling 100%.
35. On May 21, we came home from our first time back at Community Group and even though it was probably completely wrong for her, we fed her downstairs so we could watch the American Idol finale. Just before the show started, we set the recorder to go ahead and also record the show following American Idol just in case it ran over. We watched the taped episode. And when it came down to announcing the winner, Ryan Seacrest said, “The winner is…….” And then the show stopped as that first recording stopped as they ran out of time. Luckily, we had the subsequent show taped, so we found it was our favorite one, David Cooke. But, this was another time where we probably were focusing a bit too much on the TV than on Lily.
36. One thing we’ll remember and never forget are the Incredible meals that everyone brought over. Our Community Group has been a huge encouragement and help to us during the past three years, and it has been so fun to see the group transition from a bunch of young marrieds to married with children. When we started, Tucker was already around, but then Hudson came in late 2005. No babies in 2006. But, then in 2007, Carsen was born in March, Logan in May, Rix in September, and Hadasseh in November. Shortly after we heard the news that G & Nancy were pregnant, we found out that we were expecting. So, Xavier came a couple of weeks early during the first week of March. And then Lily was born late April. And even after Lily was burn, Brittany was almost due (with Hannah) and Nate & Amber were expecting their little one in the fall. So, it has been fun to see this transition, and all through these births, the group has been completely serving and wanting to do whatever it took to make the transition to having this baby go as smoothly as possible. Not only is it great to have the practical needs met by having the meals provided, but just as important, it is so nice to be able to share our little one with them. Everyone was so excited to see her, and since we were homebound for a few weeks, getting to share Lily with everyone is great as well.
37. We were obviously concerned at how Norman would react to his baby sister. As expected, he has been a bit reclusive towards her. It has been funny that he has really not changed too much of what he did before she came. He sleeps on the guest bed for most of the day. He is then asleep on the couch or in our room while we are sleeping, and then begging for us to give him water from the sink in the morning. Not much has changed in his room, except that Katy is home a lot more, and there is a crying baby to disturb his world.
38. We've obviously been blessed by having Lily come into our lives during this past month. But, Lily has had a number of friends born during this first month as well. Even the same day she was born, my friend James from work had their baby boy born. That was really weird because I remember being at our Christmas party and Katy and Missy talking about being pregnant at the same time, and that our due dates were the first few days of May. So, it was odd that we were pretty close back then but then we were actually born on the exact same day, and we both happened to be early. Then, there were some other work friends (Sandra & Jenny) who had their girls during Lily's first month. Hannah was born to Derek & Brittany Blough on May 10. That was especially fun as Katy and Brittany had shared a lot of their pregnancy together so it was fun to have those two little girls here together. Then, some friends who live in Dallas, Scott & Mari Rogers (Mari and I went to high school together in Mexico and Scott works at EY in Dallas) had their baby Mackenzie just this week (21st). And some longer distance friends—Chris & Lori Pooler, who live in Springfield, Massachusetts—had their second child, Emma Claire, on the 20th.
39. Lily has become such a great feeder. This is mainly due to Katy and her diligence. I know that it is hard on her, and I can see it in her every so often that it is hard. Especially those middle of the night feedings. But, it is working. Lily had finally got back up (and beyond) to her birth weight on May 13, weighing 8 pounds & 7 ounces. Then, she was over 9 pounds & 7 ounces on May 20. They generally say that during this first stage, you'd hope they would gain half a pound a week, so we're obviously quite pleased with a full pound in a week. I was so excited to hear that.
40. Knowing that this is but one month of many. We don't have to try and pile up everything into the first month. We've got a whole lifetime together and the fun is just beginning…..

The Big 1/12th

Lily turned one month today (i.e. her 1/12th birthday). So, I figured it would be a good time to share some of my reflections from this first month:

1. One of the days that was really fun was the day before Lily got here. We were here relaxing for most of the day. I went to church that day, and it was fun to see everyone and tell them that yes, in fact, Lily would be here on Monday. I got the opportunity to pray with Dave & Donna and with Jim & Barbara Massie. Emily came by in the afternoon, and we ate outside on the back porch, with some "friend-lings" that we got (country friend steak from Texas Roadhouse). Katy named it the Last Supper.
2. We headed to the hospital at 6 am on Monday April 21st. Little did we know that waiting for us would be Dave & Donna Williams (elder from Journey Fellowship). They were there for no other reason than to pray with us before we started our big day. That is exactly why they are the type of people that they are. And that is exactly why Journey Fellowship has become such a special place for us.
3. So, we got to the hospital at 6 am and were in the delivery room by 6:30 am. And that was about all the excitement we had for the day. I'll remember us being in the room, and it was kinda like those times where we go to the beach and we have down time in the room, playing games & watching movies. We watched 13 Going on 30, Legally Blonde, Mansfield Park, Anchorman, Napoleon Dynamite, and a couple of others. If it had continued for much longer, I would have had to send people home to get more movies for us. With the way the day played, thank goodness we had the DVD player in the room. But, as the day went on, nothing was happening with Katy's progress. She entered at 1 cm dilated and was like 2 cm by mid-afternoon. We played some cards during the day. Rachel and Emily and the family just kinda filtered in and out of the room during the day, and it was kinda like a relaxing day. I'd characterize Katy's condition as this time as being in mild discomfort.
4. As things had seemed to stall, Dr. Simpson came by around 6:30 or so to check on things. She gave us two options (and this was funny because Katy and I always have such a hard time making decisions). We could break Katy's water, and she'd probably have the baby in the middle of the night, but Dr. Simpson would be the one delivering her. Or option 2 would be that we'd not break the water until Dr. Simpson came into work the next morning, and then it wouldn't be until Tuesday afternoon when we'd have her. The second option was tempting because Katy hadn't eaten in 12 hours and was tired, but knowing we'd soon have Lily and that Dr. Simpson could definitely be there was equally tempting. We basically had Dr. Simpson make the call for us, and the clincher for me was when she kinda said she wanted to be here for us, and certainly wouldn't mind coming back up in the middle of the night. So, she broke the water and things started to progress.
5. With the way the day had gone, even after the water broke, we weren't exactly sure that it would be any different. So, after they broke the water, we watched "How I Met Your Mother" (another 'Robin Sparkles' video), and I figured that 9 pm would be a good time to leave because Rachel & Emily could come in and watch "The Batchelor" with Katy. So, I left and had my Johnny Carino's dinner and watched some basketball with my dad. I figured it would be as good of a time as any to take that break. I went in to check on how things were going, not thinking I'd be staying. But, the contractions had gotten bad while I was out; of course, after waiting around all day to be there with her when things got bad, it only got bad like that when I had taken off for a bit. So, I pushed Rachel & Emily out of the way, to let the trained coach come in to save the day (just kidding, they were doing a fantastic job with her). But, I couldn't believe how intense they were. They talked in class about their always being a break between contractions and we weren't really seeing that. I guess that potosin was making things worse. I was surprised to see how helpful those breathing exercises really were. It was hard for me to see her like that and no way to make it better on her.
6. Finally, Katy had enough and sent me out to ask for some medicinal assistance to her contractions. I was thinking she was after some temporary relief. I got the nurse to come in, and I was a bit surprised when she asked for the epidural (going all the way on the pain relief). But, she did great with getting the shot; I was a little bit concerned that I wouldn't be able to help her relax (telling someone to relax is easier said than done). But, she got that shot and was instantly feeling better (or better said: not feeling anything), so she was soon convinced that the epidural was one of the greatest inventions ever.
7. Post-epidural, Katy was up to 4-5 cm dilated. The nurse told her to rest so we go to sleep around 11:30 pm or so; In put on "Anne of Green Gables" for her and we tried to sleep. I fell asleep pretty quickly. Then, the blood pressure machine starting beeping fairly regularly so that woke me up. Then, Katy told me she couldn't sleep and asked me to get up (at home, I always tell her that if she cannot sleep, she needs to have me get up, and she never calls me on that, even when she has trouble sleeping; here she had trouble and called me on it, and it was obviously fine, considering the circumstances). So, around 12:30-12:45, we were up and the nurse checked and Katy was up to 9 cm. So, even though we were still wondering if this thing would ever more along, we then realized that this baby would be coming soon.
8. Dr. Simpson was called around 1:50 and showed up around 2:20. They didn't have Katy push at all in the meanwhile because they were worrying about her tearing. I think we were both surprised at how easy it was during the pushing phase. At the end of the delivery, there was probably less than 5 minutes of pushing and Katy did a great job with that stage. From the time Dr. Simpson was called and when she walked out of the room around 3:00, it seemed like a pretty quick delivery of under two hours from her leaving to come to the hospital to when she would have been back home.
9. Obviously, Katy is the one that did all the hard work and endured through a difficult medical procedure. But, I was surprised at how easy it was to observe the delivery. After getting a bit quesy during the birthing video, I didn't know what to expect. I kind of had this idea that I would stand next to Katy's head and then look towards her face or away and not have to see too much. Well, given that I was right next to her hip, it was hard not to see too much. But, it was obviously a lot easier to see it when it is your daughter than some random person in a video.
10. My first reaction to seeing part of Lily was that wow this is really happening. Before she was out, I could actually see a little hair sticking out, which was fun because we fully expected to have a bald baby (a dark hair at that). Then, I thought it was so fun and she was already looking so cute when she came out and it was just her head that was showing. She looked so cute, even with all that goo on her. Then, she came out and I was obviously so happy to see her but honestly, my first reaction was a huge sense of pride in Katy. I could not believe how great she had done with this delivery. She pushed her out just so easily and was so strong throughout the whole time that I couldn't help but love her even more. We both instantly were in love with Lily (amazing how natural that is to feel that way). But, I was just starting to understand already what people say that a child can sometimes bring a couple even closer together.
11. After Lily was born, I of course took starting clicking some pictures right away. I wanted to go out and share with the family to let them know she was here. There was a small waiting area just inside the Labor & Delivery area, probably about 50 feet from our room. So, I left the room getting ready to head down there, but then I quickly realized that everyone was right outside our room. We shared some hugs & excitement, and I showed them the pictures to give them an advance sneak at what they’d be seeing shortly
12. Then, it was fun to have the family come in see Lily. It was fun to see their first reactions and to pass Lily around. It was especially fun to see Emily’s reaction. We were so glad she was there with us. She has let Katy be there with her family during some of their family outings, so it was only appropriate that Emily was here with the family for this special occasion. She certainly enjoyed getting to see Lily in her first few minutes of life.13. After the family left, they took Lily to the nursery. This was a special time for me, even more so as I look back on it a few weeks later. With work being so crazy, I feel like I’ve missed a lot of times with Lily at home. So, being able to be there with Lily and just her and me (and Katy having to hear of that time from me) is a special memory that we have. And it was fun to be there for her first bath. She really didn’t like it at all, seemed to think of it as the worst possible treatment that we could have possibly done to her. But, I guess it wasn’t that bad, given that she passed out asleep shortly thereafter.
14. The other thing I’ll remember is being so alert there in the middle of the night. I can pretty safely say that there will never be another time in my life where I am as alert between 1 and 5 am, as we were that morning.
15. We were so happy to have our family there with us. But, it was still fun (despite being so tired) to take some time and share the news with everyone who wasn’t there. Katy sent out a text message to her friends and most of our church friends. I got out the blackberry and sent an email to all my work friends. 16. We did get some rest, falling asleep around 6:30 am. They brought Lily back to us at 7:45 or so. We were still tired but we wanted to have our baby back. It really hit us that she was ours when she came back to us. She looked just as perfect as when we first saw her last night.17. Then, it was fun to have the family & others come and see us the next morning. Our family was back in before lunch (with donuts). We were so grateful for all the people who came to see us in Lily’s first few weeks and especially those who came to the hospital. Duane & Nancy Whtfield (another elder at JF) came by in the morning. Later that day, Sylvia, Jeff (Robi would have been there in a heartbeat but was out of town), Todd & Candes, Steve & Emily Dye. Jenny came by the following morning. Everyone was great during the whole pregnancy, and after Lily came, it was no different. Knowing that our little princess would be so loved by so many people makes raising her feel not so overwhelming as it would be otherwise.
18. Later on Tuesday, Lily and I watched the original Star Wars (Episode IV) together. Even though she couldn’t probably hear me, I explained to her some of the intricate details of the movie. She seemed to enjoy this experience. 19. The first full night with her was hard. We kept her in the room with us, and it wasn’t until we were sleeping that we realized all the different whimpering & grunts that babies make and how disruptive those noises can be to first-time parents. We got ok sleep, but there was no way we were going to be letting them take her away to the nursery for the whole night.20. Wednesday afternoon, we took her home. I am a fairly cautious driver to begin with, but nothing compared to how I was on that drive home with Lily. I was so nervous and my palms were so sweaty. We even ran into a little bit of road rage between two drivers ahead of us, so we slowed down and stayed out of the way of them. But, we made it home fine.
20. Little did we know that waiting for us at home was the family. They had rented a giant wooden cut-out stork (or chicken as as Tucker Shewmaker would later call it) in the driveway, announcing the baby girl to the neighbors. The family was here and had decorated the house and brought over cake & snacks (champagne, sparking grape juice) to welcome Lily home. It was nice to know that even though we were leaving all the kind help that they gave us at the hospital we would not be going through this alone.

(We'll finish this up tomorrow)

Standing in your Truth

Mom and Dad tell me that "American Idol" has been kinda weird this year. Paula Abdul always has some pretty outlandish comments. Tonight was the first night of the big finale. We are all rooting for David Cook, but I think the other David will win. As they say on "The Soup", he'll be the most cuddly winner that the show has ever seen.

Anyway, I bring all this up to say that tonight, Paula outdid herself. After David Cook sang a great cover of the Collective Soul song, "World I Know", Paula told him: "There you are, standing in your truth." I am not even sure dad knows what that mean. She obviously meant something good by it, we just can't figure out what.

This has been a good past few days. I had met my Uncle Andy on Mother's Day, but then this past Saturday, I got to meet Aunt Bethany. I'm not quite as new to them as they already have a couple of babies on her side of the family, but I think they both really liked to see me. Dad had tried (a bit unsuccessfully) to put together my swing, so Uncle Andy and Grandpa Bo helped him to fix it, and I certainly do like it. With the six speeds, multiple musical options, and two speeds of vibrating seat, I don't know what more I need. Certainly seems like these things have come a long long way from the manual wind up devices that I hear Mom & Dad used to have to use when they were babies.

We had a good afternoon. I had my first shopping trip; Mom and Dad took me to Target. Mom told me that she especially likes that place, so I think it won't be the last time I am there. When I took a mid-afternoon nap, Mom & Dad slept some too. That evening, they headed out for dinner on the Riverwalk and Grammy and Pepar came over to watch me. I was really good for them. Grammy hasn't been over quite as often and for as long in the past week (she is letting Mom have some time on her own with me), so she was especially happy. Pepar was glad to see me as well and seems to be getting a bit more used to having me around.

Sunday, I went to church again. Mom & Dad are still getting used to the schedule of having to plan for me getting ready, them getting ready, getting a last feeding in, and then getting there by 9 am, so we were a bit late. But, I do have to say that it is pretty good that at least we are there so soon after me being born. I got to see Xavier while there, although I couldn't see Rix as he was a bit fussy during church and they left pretty quickly. That afternoon, I got to go out to another shopping excursion (Wal-Mart this time). I was pretty good in the evening and let mom & dad watch part of a movie before I demanded their attention some more.

Yesterday, Aunt Emily came down from Austin to see me. She was there right when I was born and she hadn't seen me since that first morning after. So, she was certainly glad to be down here and see me. She and Mom took me to the grocery store. Big couple of days, first time at Target, Wal-Mart, and HEB. Emily really loved holding me; she is trying to keep me modest and not tempt the baby boys too much by bringing me a bathing suit cover-up. They took turns holding me during dinner; dad was hungry as he had skipped lunch and ate 5 tacos for dinner. It was odd that Aunt Emily didn't have a camera with her, but that was probably for the best. First, she will definitely make up for that at a later time. Second, she and Mom would have probably conspired to dress me up in a lot of different outfits and shoot pictures of me if she had a camera. I know Aunt Emily can't wait for me to go up to Austin to visit her and meet my brother Norman's forsaken love kitty, Phoebe.

Today was a day of incredible news for me. Mom took me for a weight check. I had gained ONE FULL POUND in the past week!!!!!!!!!!!! I am up to 9 pounds and 7.1 ounces. Mom and Dad had been concerned for my weight, but hopefully it just a slow delay of the inevitable, and I am finally catching up a bit. That was just so great of news. I am really doing pretty good with the eating now; I know it is not the easiest on Mom but at least if it is a bit hard on her, we'd rather it be hard and me gaining weight than for it to be hard and me not to be gaining weight. Later that afternoon, I got my first tummy time. Mom said I enjoyed it because I was sleeping so peacefully. But, I'm not sure if I noticed; I was tired so if I were on my tummy or my back, I'd be sleeping.

Tomorrow is another milestone day for me on the shopping front. Enough of the grocery stores and discount retail stops.......we go to the mall tomorrow (La Cantera)!!! Shopping with Grandma Patty and Aunt Bethany.

3 week update

Well, we are back to give an update on Lily. Things have been busy for me over the past week. We had our first experience of me just not being able to do everything that I could to help out. I had a lot going on at work over the past week and was a bit distracted while at home. Then, yesterday, I had to actually stay home sick with a 24-hour stomach bug. I really hated not being able to help out as I would have wanted, and it was even harder given that I was here at home with her, and understandably, Katy told me to stay away from Lily. We certainly don't want to give her any of my germs at this point.

Yesterday, we had a visit from Grandaddy Brockman. Now, this is my grandfather, so that means for Lily it was her great-grandfather. And if Lily was happy to see them, we'll just have to take her word for it. She was completely asleep the entire time. Grandaddy and Virginia certainly enjoyed seeing her and were just so happy to be here with us. But, Lily slept the entire visit away. I hope we can get over to College Station to see them in the next month or so, and that she can be a bit more alert and interactive with them.

Lily (and Katy) had an exceptionally good day of check-ups on Tuesday as well. As of last Tuesday, Lily had still not been up to her birth weight (and she should have been at two weeks), so that gave us some cause for concern. But, then she finally did get to that weight (and beyond) yesterday, tipping the scales at 8 pounds, 7.5 ounces, over half a pound more in just one week. So, that made us super happy. Not only the visit there at Dr. Rodriguez' office, but also Katy's follow-up visit in the afternoon at the lacation center made us feel more confident that Lily is getting the food she needs from her nursing. She fed at the lacation center and they measured that she got 3.5 ounces during the feed, over 15% more than what she should be getting at this stage, and this was without supplementing the nursing with some pumped milk. So, between Lily's weight check and then knowing that she is feeding well, I think our little girl is doing exceptionally well, and there is nothing too bad that should be worrying us.

The rest of the past week was spent continuing to try and get her into a routine. We continue to be overwhelmed by all the help and assistance people have been providing for us. Yet again, we have to express our sincere thanks to the community group at Journey Fellowship for the way that they rolled into action with helping a new mom with their own food for the first couple of weeks. This has been such a a great benefit and help to us, with people being extremely kind to want to bring food to us. As much as the food, it was certainly nice to see everybody because we surely wanted to show off our new addition and couldn't really get out of the house, so everyone came to us. But, it is tough to describe just how much of a benefit not having to worry about an evening meal has been. It was especially grateful as I headed back to work, and things were a bit busier there than I would have liked so soon after Lily's birth. Yet again, without having to say a word, the group just took care of business with each other. It will be nice once Lily gets a bit more settled to get back into the routine of seeing everyone each week at Todd & Candes' house and then re-connecting monthly with the group from Jeff & Robi's.

Mugatu

"Tigre, Blue Steele; they are all the same look. Doesn't anyone else see this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills."

This was said by one of the greatest characters in the rich history of film, Mugatu, in the movie "Zoolander". He was talking about Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and all of his modeling looks and how they all looked the same.

The reason I bring that up is that we are starting to feel that way a bit about Lily's crying. Definitely not the part about being crazy but just that we are struggling to identify what type of cry means what. You read in the baby books that the baby cries one way for being hungry, another for wet diaper, another for sleepy, another for just being cranky, and then a more severe cry when something is truly wrong. Well, she is certainly starting to have more a time each day where she is a bit fussy, but they are all sounding the same thing to us. Of course, these fussy times never seem to match up when it is convenient for Katy and I. The other night, I had delayed in getting some work done that I needed to do over the weekend, so I started to work on it on Sunday night, but Lily wasn't allowing me to focus on that; I needed to be focusing in on her, she said. So, she won out, and we spent some time together and I had a late night on Sunday, into early morning Monday getting ready for my work week. But, it is all good because even these fussy times are with our little angel, so while I'd obviously prefer to be with her when she is not fussy, we still love her all the same.

We had a good weekend together. Grammy was happy to spend the time with Lily while we went to the church for a date night that Katy's Mentoring Moms bible study put together. It was nice to get away, we had some fun there (except for when we stunk it up playing the newlywed game). But, after being away for about 90 minutes or so, we starting to wonder how Lily was doing at home. I called home to check, and then we were back by 9:30 or so (we had left around 6:45). Grammy was just very happy to help out, even though Lily had spent a lot of time crying while we were gone. But, she has a bit of a different atttitude than we sometimes do, saying that "I loved every minute of it; Lily could have cried for three hours, and I would have loved it all the same." (Note - we make it sound like Lily cries and is fussy all the time and that is not the case; she is fabulous and perfectly sweet for about 20 hours a day; it is just irnoic--don't you think--that the other four hours where she is less than sweet just happen to be at times that are less than convenient for us.

Saturday, I got to sleep in a bit, after taking one of the nighttime feedings. We had some time to lazy around the house in the morning. Katy got a well deserved massage and some fun girl times with Robi. Some of our old friends from our Oak Hills single group days--Lisa Barnes and Jennifer Green--came by to see our princess. Jennifer likes to take credit for encouraging Katy and I to have started to date. So, although she didn't say anything, I can imagine that she was inwardly taking credit for Lily as well. To date, Lisa gets the award for the visitor who has traveled the farthest to see Lily, being in town for a weekend away from Minnesota. After they left, Jenny Hoffman and Erin Jackson--friends from Journey Fellowship--came over to see Lily in the afternoon (Jenny brought some excellent lasagna). We spent some time on Saturday night watching some episodes of "Arrested Development" and then we all went to bed early. Lily was up early (before 6 am) on Sunday and got some good time with me. Katy's good friends, Lisa McQueen and Perrin Wall, came to visit from Austin. Later on Sunday, my mom & dad came over to see her (they were having Lily withdrawals after three or four days without seeing her).

Monday was a rough day for me at work as I had a late night and didn't get home to see the little one until almost midnight. Lily and Katy got a good day together; Katy left her with Grammy and ran some errands. Aunt Rachel came by in the evening and got to hold Lily. When I finally did get home, it was quite funny as Lily was completely alert (while her mama was understandably completely passed out in bed). I relieved Grammy, fed Lily her bottle and we all were in bed relatively peacefully.

Here I Go Again on my Own

I have had a nice week here at home. On Wednesday, I got to spend some more time with mom and Grammie (formerly known as Grandma Dranselka). During the day mom took me on a ride to the lactation center at the hospital. I continue to buff up. Me & mom seem to really be getting this feeding down. I am now up to 7 pounds and 14 ounces, just 5 ounces away from birth weight. If I can get there by next Tuesday, then I am right on track with where I need to be. Mom seems so proud of me.

Afterwards, I just hung out with Grammie while mama slept the afternoon away. My friends, Jeff, Robi, and Rix White all came over on Wednesday evening to bring food for mom & dad. Dad was amazed at how huge little Rix was, but I think that his perspective is quite messed up at this point after holding onto little me for so long.

It was time for me to get out on my own on Wednesday. I think mom & dad are getting a bit exhausted with their lack of sleep so they allowed me the opportunity to fall asleep in my crib (and on my own) for the first time. I seem to be just a little peanut there inside that thing, but it sure is a cute bed. I've been staring at the brightly colored bumper pad while laying there. I can tell mom put a lot of thought into my crib and this room and Dad sure was nice to let mom do what she wanted to do with decorating that room. I did really good on sleeping that first night, making it all the way through the night, and letting mom & dad get some good rest. I like to sniffle, breathe heavily, and make other types of snorting noises while sleeping, and I think they are still a bit jumpy for me. So, this arrangement lets all of us win with having a good night of rest. I know mom & dad will come get me if that is needed.

Thursday, in the late morning, Uncle Roy came by (my grannie's uncle). I let him hold me, and he is such a sweet man, and really seemed to enjoy seeing me. He told my mom & dad that my birth was quite a mountaintop experience, and I think he seemed to really think it was a nice experience to get to see and hold me.

Then, I got to have my first pizza party. Dad came home with his work friends from the Clear Channel team - Jessi, Marina, Lyndsey, Joey, and Ernie. They were all quite excited to see me. They passed me around, although my friend Marina did not seem to want to share me too well. Jessi offered to babysit for mom & dad, if needed. I was asleep the whole time, but I did hear them having their pizza party. I hear mom & dad tell me that they like to eat a lot of pizza, so that will be the first pizza of many that I get to witness.

Thursday night, dad had to stay late at work, boo......:( But, then we got to have our Thursday ritual of watching The Office (Stanely: "Did I stutter?") and 30 Rock. We all fell asleep. Mom & Dad got delayed a bit in waking up to feed me, but I got up at 2:30 and 5:30 to eat. In that later feeding, Dad fed me a bottle while we watched the news to get caught up on the events of the day.

Today was a big day, lots of activity and another big step for us. I got to meet my good friend, Wimberly Hockart, today (she's only 16 months older than me). Her mom, Elizabeth, had not yet seen me, and was over with Aunt Sylvia & Jenny to visit with Mom. We had a good time together. Wimberly likes to love on Norman. She kept saying his name over and over again, and then say "Meow". Wimberly did have some drama of her own as she was playing with Norman's water, but then spilled it on the floor, slipped on it, and hit her head. I think she really wasn't hurt; she just wanted me to feel better and not be the only crying in the house today.

After the girls left, mom went back to the hospital. It was time for my follow-up PKU test. I got the first heel prick on my first full night and this was the follow-up. I certainly did not like it very much, but I did get a nice bandage on my heel. We came home and then Emily Dye came back to see me, with her mom. The big step for us today was that both mom & dad left me for the first time. They had a "date night" up at the church building with the Mentoring Moms program. They told me that they didn't do too well at the newlywed game. I was not very much at peace while here with Grammie. But, she said that she loved every minute and that I could cry for 3 hours and she wouldn't be bothered. I know Mom & Dad were really glad to get home and see me. They are both very tired but seem like they are really enjoying getting to know me and their roles as parents.