Santa

Hysterics!

Check out this short video of William. Thank goodness Mommy kept Daddy out of frame as he was making a fool of himself.

We're Back!!!

Hello again. Long time no blog. Hopefully there a still a few of you out there who have been checking up to see if any updates ever get posted. Well, we're back and this time we've brought more photos. To the side you'll see a new section for Albums. Here we pare down the 1300 some photos taken of William into a few albums for you to enjoy with us. You wonder what the technical difficulty was in getting the updates....try sorting those photos!!! Digital cameras are great, but it is so easy to get carried away.

Fortunately for us, William is very photogenic. Guess he'd have to be to be born into this family. Our little guy can be frequently found wearing a smile, so he's used to staring at a lens and seeing a flash of light.

In general, things have been going well. William is growing like a weed and is incredibly interactive. At his 6 month checkup, he was off the charts for height, coming in at just over 29 inches and weighing 20lbs 9oz. Those stats put him already at his Daddy's size at 9 months. To reiterate, we have a toddler.

As for his personality, William is a very easy-going baby and tons of fun. He is very alert, quite vocal (takes after Mommy), and is trying to get into everything. Crawling is beyond him at the moment, but that's not stopping him. A few rolls, a little twisting, some scooting, and before you know it, he's got it.

He's also quite a flirt.

Mom and Dad are doing well. We are keeping quite busy between William and work. Heather's return to teaching after spending 5 months off with William has been quite an adjustment for all of us. With her return to work, William entered daycare.

Daycare has been an adventure for us thus far. Through no fault of her own, our provider informed us that she could not continue to watch William due to the increasing needs of her own daughter who has a severe case of reflux. So a month into a situation that was working very well for Heather, William and me, and one where Heather and I were very comfortable with the decision that we made, we found ourselves forced to begin the search again and find a solution for the interim. Needless to say, the news was very disappointing.

The initial search for a provider started last fall. Heather spear-headed the search throwing herself completely into finding the right provider. We interviewed over half a dozen candidates together in person, and Heather screened even more over the phone. Heather and William met our chosen provider while I was away on business. When I talked to Heather shortly thereafter, you could hear that she just clicked with the lady. After my return, we met the provider and her family again so I could see for myself. I was in complete agreement and the search was over.

It's just unfortunate things did not work out.

In the meantime, Grandma and Grandpa Hardwick are providing William's primary daycare services throughout the week, and Grandma Peggy is picking up and caring for William a few days a week. Even the aunts have gotten into the picture now and then to help out. It is working out well for the time being, and of course, William is taking things right in stride and maintaining his schedule. For that, and for the support of our families, Heather and I are extremely grateful (Thank You).

Well, it's about time for William to wake up. We'll be in touch.

Chris

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.

Top Ten.

Before this pregnancy comes to fruition, Heather and I thought it would be fun to share our Top Ten favorites things about being pregnant. So here goes,

10. Timing. Man, did we luck out! All went as planned (whatever) and Heather will enjoy taking the rest of the school year off and have the entire summer with our little guy.
9. Dining out savings. Mama likes the wine and now she's off the sauce.
8. Sharing the same clothes. Not sure which one of us that makes feel worse!!! And no, I'm not donning maternity wear!
7. String Cheese, or any cheese for that matter. Heather loves cheese. She has a book about cheese. Nuff said.
6. Morning lube sessions. Heather's morning rubdown with Palmer's Cocoa Butter successfully fighting the good fight against stretch marks. And she thought I was sleeping!
5. 3-D Ultrasounds. The underlying concern that resulted in the generation of the 3-D shots was not so much fun, but how cool is it to see renderings of your unborn child!!!
4. Baby Bargains. The Consumer Reports of baby gear. Oprah endorsed this book, and those of you who know me well know what I think of Oprah, so the fact it made this list means something.
3. Discovering the Snoogle. Have to admit, we both fight over this one. Heather usually wins, but it is 2-1, so the odds are in her favor. As feminine as this product may seem, I do have to say to the guys that the snoogle doesn't fight back.
2. Tummy time. Spending time with junior while he kicks, jabs, squirms, and hiccups his way around Mommy's belly.

And finally,

1. The shared experience of starting a family and the fun we've had bringing you all along the journey.

We'd love to hear from you all about some of your favorite pregnancy experiences.

All for now.
Chris & Heather

I Hear the Freight Train Coming....

Well folks, I thought it was about time to dust off my keyboard and get back to updating this blog. After all, I left a cliffhanger a couple of posts ago. What is under the little yellow dot? Well, by now a good portion of you all know the answer to that mystery , so it's not much of an unveiling. But for those who do not yet know, and for sake of embarrasing my unborn child for the first time, and most certainly not the last, here it is.


Ultrasound 101...always look at for the little arrow or words that tell you what you are looking at. Otherwise, its easy to think you're looking at a Rorschach inkblot test.

Got it? No, it's not a nose! Okay, for those that still need a little help...IT'S A BOY! Mystery solved.

Yes sir, a little boy! Now Heather has two trouble makers to deal with, and I have a little partner in crime.

So far the pregnancy has been really quiet and at the same time, exciting. Aside from the testing last November, there really has not been much to report until recently. Heather has been a real champ through everything and taken to pregnancy very well. It has been really enjoyable to watch her enjoy the pregnancy so much and it makes me very proud of her.

As for the excitement over the last few months, I am referring to those little moments of discovery as the baby moves and reacts as he continues to grow and develop in the womb. To anyone other than an expecting parent, this must seem like a pretty lame concept. But is is not. To feel him move and react to the stimulus of my voice, or feel him get the hiccups, or when he gives Mommy a swift kick to the ribs if she's been sitting too long...these are the beginnings of a little personality which we are anxiously waiting to meet soon.

Now you are probably wondering what I meant by the title of this entry "I Hear the Freight Train Coming..." Well, the clock is ticking with less than six weeks to go. The "Freight Train" is our little guy. Heather has started her weekly visits to the OB. Each consists of an ultrasound, a non-stress test (NST), and then the consult with the OB. At our first visit, the ultrasound revealed how big the freight train is with six weeks left to go. Have a guess? Try 6lbs on for size. The average pregancy will see the baby gain about one-half pound a week until delivery. Do the math. 6 + .5(6) = 9 lbs. Hence our little (not so little) Freight Train.

As for hearing the freight train coming...at our last appointment (yesterday), Heather had contractions during the NST (the test measures uterine activity and the baby's heart rate response). I think she had four to be exact, in about twenty minutes. They were subtle contractions, nothing painful, but rather just her uterus doing a light workout. BUT, they were not there before, at least nothing that she noticed.

So things are moving along. The contractions have my mind spinning on all that yet needs to be done before the little guy arrives. We are in pretty good shape, as long as he waits to show up until March. Otherwise, it could be a race. But no matter, we will take him when he comes (he's the boss) always hoping he will be healthy, and the rest, well, the rest will just fall into place.

Chris