Friday Photo - 10/02/09

Top 10 ... Baby Style

The Top 10 Most Unglamorous Things About Having a Two Week Old Baby

10. Having your daughter pee a stream directly at you in the middle of a diaper change. (I thought only boys peed like that.)

9. Sucking boogers out of your baby's nose with a rubber suction bulb.

8. The stench of a rotting umbilical cord stump.

7. When said umbilical cord stump comes off on your wife's bare belly while nursing.

6. A poopy diaper that squirts out the diaper, up her back & soils her onesie.

5. Trying to decide if your bedroom smells more like dirty diapers or spoiled milk.

4. Struggling to remember the words to lullabies that you haven't heard in nearly 30 years ... at three in the morning.

3. Having your wife stop you on your way out the front door - not to kiss you goodbye, but to tell you that you're about to leave with a burp cloth on your shoulder.

2. Cleaning dried breast milk out of your baby's hair.

And, the number one, most unglamorous thing about having a two week old baby ... (drum roll)

1. Cleaning dried breast milk out of your WIFE'S hair.

Friday Photo - 09/25/09

Happy Birthday, Baby!

A couple of weeks ago, as Anna's due date approached, I started to contemplate the blog post that would be her birth announcement. I run most days at lunch and I allow my mind to wander in a million directions to distract myself from the fact that my thighs are about to explode & my lungs are quickly collapsing. One particular day, I penned the complete "birth announcement" blog post in my mind. Even though I didn't know any of the details of her birth, I was sure that I knew exactly how I was going to feel & what I would want to say. Boy! Was I ever full of myself!

Since the big day, this blog post has loomed over me. I've enjoyed blogging & am anxious to keep it up. I know at least a few family members (*cough* Aunt Betty *cough*) are following along, so that's some incentive as well. But, I'm stuck. It's not right to move on to tell you how adorable Anna is and how little Traci is sleeping without some mention of her birth. After all, it was a life changing event for her. (For the record, it was pretty life-changing for me & Traci too.)

It's been one week since her birth and all that I can really say is that I have absolutely no words to describe how perfect & beautiful both she & Traci were in that very moment. We all know by now that I'm a big ole sap & a complete sucker for an emotional moment. But, truly, I've never experienced anything as happy & beautiful as what I witnessed that morning. Traci's labor through the night & work to bring Anna into the world, Anna's loud first cry, the bustle in the labor room, the excitement when you realize they're both okay, & then the joy when you see her placed on mom's chest ... there are simply no words to express it all. For all our technological advances, there's still no way to post, text, or tweet pure love. And that's just the way it should be.

For the statisticians amongst us ... here's the wrap-up

Anna Genevieve Hinshaw

Born: 09/15/09 at 8:42 a.m.

Weight: 6 pounds, 10 ounces

Length: 19 inches

Overall: Absolute perfection

Nesting

According to wikipedia, the nesting instict refers to an urge in pregnant animals to prepare a home for the upcoming newborn(s). The nesting instinct is found in a variety of animals, both mammals and birds. Wikipedia says that in rodents, the instinct is characterized by the urge to seek the lowest sheltered spot available. Dogs find a place like a box and smooth out the bottom. Domestic cats often make nests by bringing straw, cloth scraps, and other soft materials to a secluded nook or other small space.

Wikipedia doesn't mention Traci. Though, today's activities make clear that she's nesting. I've always known Traci to be fairly tidy. She will occasionally go through a pretty fierce cleaning spurt. Though, I've never seen anything quite like today. Our entire home is now clean, but our kitchen is, well, let's just say you could do open heart surgery on the kitchen floor if you needed to. The kitchen walls are scrubbed. The base boards are scrubbed. All of our dishes are clean. The dog bowls sparkle. And, then, there's the kitchen floors. To say that the floors have been scrubbed seems inadequate. I'm not sure which English verb means "cleaned meticulously with a three-bristle tooth brush & a gallon of elbow grease", but that appears to be what's been done to our kitchen floors. I could simultaneously eat off of them & comb my hair in the reflection.

Seems like it might not be long now ....

16 Days & Counting

Wow. Just wow. Baby's due date is just 16 days away. And, I've been wondering ...

Will she come late, making a grand entrance? Will she make a surprise early appearance? And, what will she look like? Will she have Traci's cheek bones? Will she have my thick crease across her forehead? Surely she'll have dimples, won't she? Will she be dark or fair? Tall - of course, she'll be tall. Maybe she'll be thoughtful & compassionate like her Mom. Maybe she'll be a sentimental slob like her Dad. Maybe she'll like to play with dolls, or maybe she'll rather play with army men in the mud. Maybe she'll love to ride her bike with playing cards in the spokes. Maybe she'll enjoy pulling the dogs tail. Whatever she'll be, we can hardly wait to know her. Whatever she'll be, we can hardly wait to love her more.

Her nursery is ready. Her bed is made. The stroller & car seat sit in the corner of her room. A pediatrician has been picked. Her Mom's hospital bag is packed. And, we wait.

30 Days and counting ...

Not much blogworthy on the baby prep front. Just waiting. Due date is just 30 days away. Holy mackrel! Where did the all those months go?