End of One Journey, Beginning of Another.

We have a...toddler!!! William Christopher came into this world at 9:56 pm on March 20, 2006. Vitals are 9lbs, 8oz, and 22in long! He is a beautiful little boy with long feet, large hands, and wispy blondish-brown hair covering his entire head. For the sake of our OB, there's even a tinge of red to it (he predicted a red-haired Irish boy, if you remember). In the vernacular used when I was born, "He's a keeper!"

Mommy is doing fine. She has a wee bit of recovery ahead of her following 18 hours of labor, which included an intense and lengthy span of Pitocin amplified contractions and 2 hours of hardcore pushing. She handled herself with grace and poise and dignity during an experience that, once started, is fundamentally out of her control. I was amazed by her, and fascinated and inspired by the entire process, and grateful for the opportunity to help her bring our son into this world.

William's (we plan on calling him Will or William) birth brings about the end of the journey we started sharing with you nearly 10 months ago, and ushers in the start of a new journey of discovery as we nurture a new little soul in this experiment called life. And so, with that, let us begin the journey with a few photos of William's first few days of life.

"Hello Everybody. What a rough ride!"

"What does a guy have to do to get back to his Mommy? And who is this silly fellow with the camera?"

"That's better...I like this Mommy person."

"ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..."

"Hanging with Dad, talking sports and stuff. So do you think Bradley has a chance in the tourney?"

"Resting up for Spring Training & the big trip home."

"My first car ride. Not sure what the big fuss is about 'cause it put me to sleep."

"Wanna play catch? Oops, gotta finish eating first."

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Finally, a couple of notes.

First of all, I just wanted to say "Thank You" to all those that assisted with labor and delivery, and in maternity. The staff at the hospital was oustanding and the entire experience was made significantly better due to their efforts. We were truly blesssed by their support.

And secondly, thanks to all our family and friends for patience in waiting for the update, especially since news of William's birth spread quickly, and photos have been slow in coming. Needless to say, it's been a busy week. Stay tuned for more.

Lastly, check out William's hospital nursery photo.

Chris and Heather and William

Are We There Yet?

To answer the aforementioned question in a word, "no." The doctor's visit went well. We have a healthy baby & Mom's amniotic levels look good. We even saw a chubby little face looking back at us through the ultrasound. Despite all the good news (and don't get me wrong, it was great news), we did hold out a shred of hope that our next stop following the doctor's office would be the hospital.

I am sure you all have at one time or another envisioned the circumstances surrounding an event and have played them out in your head to your preferred end. In this case, that's exactly what we did. I think we had ourselves all but convinced that the amniotic level would drop just enough that the doctor would recommend inducing labor. That was the "plan." The allure of this option was one of preparedness. We were ready for the event, anticipation built up, bags packed, and so on. Ultimately, we had control, or so we thought.

I thought about giving this entry the subtitle "A Lesson in Control." Control is something DINKs (Dual Income No Kids) like Heather and I enjoy aplenty and have for some time now. Married for six plus years without the responsbilitiy of children gives you lots of opportunity to contemplate and follow the path of your choice. Basically, you have a lot of freedom, and complete control over how you use that freedom. And, you get used to it being that way.

Not so much anymore.

I have said it before and it appears it did not stick too well, so I will say it again, "He is the boss." Now repeat. Baby H will be the new center of the universe. Better get used to it and fast.

Granted, everything is not as black and white as I am presenting it to be here, but the reality is that the field of choices in front of us is shifting, and with that comes the realization of a little less control. That epiphany can be frightening and scary if you let it be, but I do not think that is the choice we intend to embrace.

Actually, we are both looking forward to meeting our little guy, so very much so. Sometimes with anticipation comes frustration when you are so very close to the end. Add that to the fact that the "plan" did not hatch the way we hoped it would and you have a couple of naive kids leaving the doctor's office a little disppointed.

But Heather put it into perspective best when she said, "We've waited 39 weeks to meet him...we can wait one more." The reality is that this new little x-factor will undoubtedly throw us some new twists and curveballs that never came into play during the DINK era and we will have to learn to deal. And that's okay.

As for the impending arrival, which formed the basis for this exposition, well...the matter is out of our control. For me, its just a matter of reaction. Something happens, I react. Along those lines, we are prepared in the traditional sense like packed bags, car seat, labor aids, etc.

For Heather, its an entirely different matter, one of interpretation. And for that, I am not sure that I envy her position. I do greatly admire her. And I place in her all the confidence in the world.

So, we wait and see, and hope that the blessed event will happen soon, and ask ourselves with every contraction, "Are we there yet?"


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By the way, I have to ask, what comes after DINK? Dual Income One Kid? DIOK? Isn't that the sound made on "Law & Order?" Diok Diok! Drop me a line if you do know. Nothing like adding an extra label to the pile.

A Little Teaser.

There is not a whole lot to report...yet. But I thought it was about time I let everyone know that not much has happened so far, rather than keep you all guessing. Heather is having contractions, little ones here and there, and then a whopper every once in a while. As I'm writing now, she has been having small contractions for the last hour and a half. We'll see if they continue on into the night.

I think we're ready, or at least as ready as we well ever be. The nursery is complete, save for a couple of shelves and wall hangings. I have posted a couple of teaser photos below. Later on, when all is done, I'll provide wall by wall coverage.





Heather and I both feel that the birth will happen soon. We have our weekly appointment tomorrow morning and would not be suprised if we are directed to the hospital to be induced. Everything continues to go well with the pregnancy, but Heather's amniotic level has dropped. Reduction in amniotic level is a natural progression as the pregnancy nears completion. As long as the level does not flirt too much with the lower threshhold, especially at this point, we wait for events to unfold naturally. If not, then nature will need a little assistance.

Further evidence to the proximate arrival of el bambino, I had a dream last night from which I awoke saying to Heather, "I think I'll put the car seat in this morning." And so I did.

Check back often this week. Not sure I'll have many posts, but really, we are all only looking for that one special post these days.