His Daddy's Timing
[jordanna]
I change him (a massive poo which required no less than 4 wipes and a good spray down to clean up), clean my hands, clean his hands, then take a washcloth and clean the dried milk off his face. He grins up at me and spits up all over his face and neck.
It's more than just a name...it's a lifestyle.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
11 Days Down
[jordanna]
Well, Cayden is 11 days old and still kicking. We have been claiming for months that we couldn't wait for the baby to come so that life could calm down. Many people laughed in our face at this statement, but I have to say we were right. Chilling out with the babe is a far more relaxing day then painting, tiling, cutting and installing base boards, putting in flooring, plumbing, or the other myriad of activities that have occupied all our free time for the past 9 months. We are officially on a break from the remodel. We have some trim work remaining, and with cool weather in the fall we will start to attack the outside. Right now our only job is to get to know and enjoy Cayden. Not that it is hard. So far we are ridiculously lucky. Cayden is a really easy baby. Right now I am sleeping about 7 hours a night (I kick Tyson out of bed once a night for diaper changing duty). Not all in one chunk, but he goes for 2-3 hours twice a night. He cries, but not hysterically and rarely without cause. Even better, when we figure out what is bothering him he calms down rapidly. I don't know how long this will last, but we are enjoying it immensly. I personally will be ecstatic if this behavior holds out until my stitches heal. Tomorrow marks my return to work, and by that I mean the start of my work at home month. I have been saving all the high speed video digitizing I need to do for this month (which consists of clicking dots). This is something I can do from my lazy boy with Cayden in his chair or my lap, at least until I am sturdier on my feet (hopefully in another week or so). In addition to digitizing I have plenty of writing and planning for field season to do.
I would say all in all we are doing well and enjoying the new fam. Here are some new pics for your enjoyment:
Cayden in his cute red G-Diapers (which he has already outgrown) and wearing the t-shirt Kendra sent him
On his mattress in between our pillows
The chair from Missy and Mike that he LOVES
Daddy picks out a going to the store outfit
Daddy kicks back with some soccer, Pelligrino, and a cuddly sleeping baby
[jordanna]
Well, Cayden is 11 days old and still kicking. We have been claiming for months that we couldn't wait for the baby to come so that life could calm down. Many people laughed in our face at this statement, but I have to say we were right. Chilling out with the babe is a far more relaxing day then painting, tiling, cutting and installing base boards, putting in flooring, plumbing, or the other myriad of activities that have occupied all our free time for the past 9 months. We are officially on a break from the remodel. We have some trim work remaining, and with cool weather in the fall we will start to attack the outside. Right now our only job is to get to know and enjoy Cayden. Not that it is hard. So far we are ridiculously lucky. Cayden is a really easy baby. Right now I am sleeping about 7 hours a night (I kick Tyson out of bed once a night for diaper changing duty). Not all in one chunk, but he goes for 2-3 hours twice a night. He cries, but not hysterically and rarely without cause. Even better, when we figure out what is bothering him he calms down rapidly. I don't know how long this will last, but we are enjoying it immensly. I personally will be ecstatic if this behavior holds out until my stitches heal. Tomorrow marks my return to work, and by that I mean the start of my work at home month. I have been saving all the high speed video digitizing I need to do for this month (which consists of clicking dots). This is something I can do from my lazy boy with Cayden in his chair or my lap, at least until I am sturdier on my feet (hopefully in another week or so). In addition to digitizing I have plenty of writing and planning for field season to do.
I would say all in all we are doing well and enjoying the new fam. Here are some new pics for your enjoyment:
Cayden in his cute red G-Diapers (which he has already outgrown) and wearing the t-shirt Kendra sent him
On his mattress in between our pillows
The chair from Missy and Mike that he LOVES
Daddy picks out a going to the store outfit
Daddy kicks back with some soccer, Pelligrino, and a cuddly sleeping babyMonday, April 23, 2007
Cayden Hoyt Henry Sprayberry's Arrival
[jordanna]
** Warning: these are the down and dirty birth details, which may not interest you at all **
Some of you may recall my post that we would be induced on Thursday night if we didn't go into labor naturally, as we were getting farther past our due date, which tends to make doctors nervous. It is standard procedure to go in for a 'Non Stress Test' (NST) twice a week after your due date to keep an eye on the kid. I stopped by the hospital Tuesday afternoon for one of these on my way home from work. My plan was to go from there to an acupuncture clinic, and have them load me up with baby bringing needles. This was not to be. I thought that there might be something wrong when the nurse running my NST said the baby looked fine, and she was paging our doctor. Now, last time I had this test and the baby looked fine they let us go home and just filed a report with our doctor.
I could hear her on the phone with Barbara, the best doctor ever, telling her that they saw all the technically good things on the NST, but they were also getting a couple minor red flags and did Barbara want to look at the trace herself. She happened to be on shift in the hospital that day instead of in our clinic. Five minutes later Barbara was at my bed telling me that she was bringing someone in to measure the level of amniotic fluid. We had this test done a couple weeks ago, because my belly was consistently measuring short. they found that we had a good amount of fluid ('9' random units) and sent us home. On Tuesday we measured in at 5.8. At a level of 5 or less they will automatically induce labor. Our doctor's opinion was that my body wouldn't really be any more ready for labor in two days, and that 5.8 was within range of error of measurement. She was willing to send us home, but she recommended that we check in that night and be induced. I called Ty at home and told him what was going on and he agreed with Barbara and said he would be there soon. We were settled and checked in around 8:30 and they started me on a prostoglandin gel treatment. I had to stay in bed for an hour after that, and since the contractions weren't so strong yet we decided to catch some sleep. They put me back on a fetal monitor at midnight to see if we were ready for another gel treatment, but I was contracting too frequently (every 3 minutes). Contractions had to be at least 10 minutes apart for them to do another treatment. We got out of bed and walked around for an hour, which made the contractions come stronger. At 1 we decided to try and catch a little more sleep. The nurse was supposed to come back at 2 and put me on the monitor again, but they got very busy and we didn't see anyone until 5, at which point we were passed off to a different nurse, Tracey. Tracey used to be a doula and was wonderful. She determined that my contractions had become very sporadic and started us on another gel around 5:45. At 7 we got out of bed and headed off for a walk. It was a really beautiful morning and we meandered around the patios and gardens, stopping to rest when contractions hit (which were coming in 2-4 minute intervals). After around an hour of walking we headed back up to the room. The walking definitely made the contractions stronger, but it also caused each contraction to charlie-horse my right hamstring so I was ready for a rest. When we got back, the nurses had changed shifts and Tracey had gone home (wishing us well before she left and saying she hoped not to see us that night). I got back in bed and we waited for our 4 hour gel treatment window to finish up. At 11 our doctor came in to talk options. The contractions were petering out again, and she wanted to know if we wanted to try Pitosin or another gel before moving to Pitocin. We opted to get on the pitocin, as that is the hormone that directly causes the uterus to contract. The contractions had been painful and strong for several hours but I had only dilated from 1 cm to 2.5 cm.
We decided to take a walk and get lunch before starting the pitocin drip, because I would have to stay in bed once we did that. This turned out to be a poor idea for several reasons. First, the contractions were now painful enough that I really couldn't handle being around people. Everyone kept asking if I needed help or a wheelchair when I stopped to streatch my hamstring during a contraction and it was all I could do not to snap at them. Plus, during our hour out, the delivery room got slammed. By the time we got back, they didn't have enough nurses to assign us one and we couldn't start the pitocin. By 3:00 I was 3.5 cm dilated and they were ready to start us off. They hooked up the I.V. and withing 10 minutes my contractions were regular and less painful. They felt much more coordinated, more like a strong tensing then general cramping. By 5 they were quite painful again, but still relatively easy to manage. At that point they told us we had dilated to 4 cm. They called our doctor and updated her. By 7 things were getting pretty gnarly. We had turned off movies and TV and Ty was talking me through each contraction. My sister arrived at 8, having landed at the Tucson airport at 7:35 and being driven to the hopsital by our good friend David. Around 8:30 I thought I could feel some fluid leaking and by 9 we were certain my water had broken.
Interestingly, me breaking and my water breaking more or less coincided. By 9:30, my ability to relax through the contractions was more or less shot. I started yelling obscenities during every one and couldn't seem to find a position to get comfortable or make the contractions bearable. I feel bad for everyone else in the room at this point. I have few coherent memories of this stage, but most of them center around me telling people to shut up or stop touching me. At 10 they checked me and said I was 5 cm dilated. I had been mentally prepared for 36 hours of labor. At that level of pain, I really thought I could only handle another 2 hours. My doctor started talking to me about an epidural. She knew I didn't want one, but at our birth plan meeting she said that her only request was I not back myself into a corner during labor and keep my mind open about one. My main fear of an epidural at this point was that it would extend labor and I wouldn't be able to push well when the time came. Barbara also mentioned that they could give me morhpine. She said that as long as it wasn't administered within 30 minutes of delivery (and promptly assured me I was NOT delivering in the next half hour), my body would clear the drug and the boy would come out clean as a whistle. She said it wouldn't remove the pain, but it would help me relax. Now, in all the labor pain management I read, nobody mentioned that the narcotic used was morphine. I LOVE morhpine. I typically hate the feeling of chemically altered state. It is why I rarely drink to excess, I am rarely in the mood to feel like that. I have had morhpine twice before, and been thoroughly grateful each time. Ty sent everyone out of the room as asked if I really wanted to go with the morhpine. I had told him to check in with me if I asked for drugs. I asked if he was okay with it, and he said that since it wouldn't hurt the baby and I wanted it, he was fine. Five? ten? minutes later they injected the morhpine and it took hold. Then commenced one of the strangest 90 minute periods in my life. Ty would ask how I was doing as I lay propped up with my eyes closed. I would quietly murmur, "I have never been in this much pain in my life. " The edge had been taken off,and I was in a very zen-like pain trance. I had hoped to hit that point with mind power alone, but not so much. I could feel the contractions in my toes and it started to feel like they wouldn't end so much as vaguely oscillate in strength. Turns out that they jacked the level of pitocin as soon as I slipped into torpor (with Tyson's consent). Once my water was completely drained they were worried about getting Cayden out in time, since I had been low on fluid to begin with. At 11:15 / 11:20 I started to really want to push. This worried me, because I had so far to go. After four contractions of wanting to push more each time, I told the nurse. She asked if I wanted to be checked and I said no. I didn't want any more bad news. The next contraction came and when I tried not to push my body involuntarily spasmed, so I let her check me. At that point all hell broke loose. The nurse started calling for people, and had Tyson and Clarissa get me into an upright postion. She told me to start bearing down during contractions and called in the doctor. They started morphing the bed, pulling off the end and pulling out pushing stirrups. My doctor came running in with her attending and setting up the 'birthing bag'. I later realized this was a chute and the end of the bed to catch all the mess. Once she was set the pushing began in earnest. A friend of mine pushed for 11 hours last year delivering her son, and I was determined to push as hard as I could to make sure this wouldn't happen. For the first 60% of the contractions (starting as I could just feel them ramping up) I would hold my breath and push like a mother, just like the bradley method book told us. After 3 or 4 of these I would start to get out of breath, so I would breath in and push while yelling. And I mean yelling. Clarissa told me to drop the sound lower in my diaphram and boy did that make a difference. Both in volume and efficacy. Nothing takes away pain / tension for me lile a deep throated yell. Boy do I feel sorry for any mothers in nearby rooms beginning labor, because I am sure I made that sound like the most miserable experience ever. But I can definitively say it was the best part of labor. Uncomfortable yes. Every contraction he wasn't out I dreaded the next one, but it was the most cathartic experience I have ever had. When he crowned and slipped out I have never felt better in my life. Until I popped out the placenta. That blissful feeling of emptiness and ending is phenomenal. My zeal for pushing resulted in a baby in about 10-15 minutes. Unfortunately you don't have much time to stretch when things move that fast, so it also resulted in a fair number of stitches. But hey.When the doctor showed Tyson the placenta, she told him to take a glove and touch it. We had both played with Kell's (our nephew) placenta, which was this marvelous, soft, life giving organ. Cayden's was calcified over significant portions of the surface. Seeing that placenta removed any doubt that we had done the right thing. One of the major risks of delayed birth is placental failure. If we ever do this again, I would much rather not be induced but I will not hesitate if it seems like the right thing to do.
This has unexpectedly been a difficult post to write. I started a couple days ago and have worked a little each day on it. It was such a crazy emotional exprience, I wanted it recorded for posterity. That said, I think I needed a little distance to understand it a bit better. It has also been nice to be lazy at home together getting used to our newly, and wonderfully, expanded family.
[jordanna]
** Warning: these are the down and dirty birth details, which may not interest you at all **
Some of you may recall my post that we would be induced on Thursday night if we didn't go into labor naturally, as we were getting farther past our due date, which tends to make doctors nervous. It is standard procedure to go in for a 'Non Stress Test' (NST) twice a week after your due date to keep an eye on the kid. I stopped by the hospital Tuesday afternoon for one of these on my way home from work. My plan was to go from there to an acupuncture clinic, and have them load me up with baby bringing needles. This was not to be. I thought that there might be something wrong when the nurse running my NST said the baby looked fine, and she was paging our doctor. Now, last time I had this test and the baby looked fine they let us go home and just filed a report with our doctor.
I could hear her on the phone with Barbara, the best doctor ever, telling her that they saw all the technically good things on the NST, but they were also getting a couple minor red flags and did Barbara want to look at the trace herself. She happened to be on shift in the hospital that day instead of in our clinic. Five minutes later Barbara was at my bed telling me that she was bringing someone in to measure the level of amniotic fluid. We had this test done a couple weeks ago, because my belly was consistently measuring short. they found that we had a good amount of fluid ('9' random units) and sent us home. On Tuesday we measured in at 5.8. At a level of 5 or less they will automatically induce labor. Our doctor's opinion was that my body wouldn't really be any more ready for labor in two days, and that 5.8 was within range of error of measurement. She was willing to send us home, but she recommended that we check in that night and be induced. I called Ty at home and told him what was going on and he agreed with Barbara and said he would be there soon. We were settled and checked in around 8:30 and they started me on a prostoglandin gel treatment. I had to stay in bed for an hour after that, and since the contractions weren't so strong yet we decided to catch some sleep. They put me back on a fetal monitor at midnight to see if we were ready for another gel treatment, but I was contracting too frequently (every 3 minutes). Contractions had to be at least 10 minutes apart for them to do another treatment. We got out of bed and walked around for an hour, which made the contractions come stronger. At 1 we decided to try and catch a little more sleep. The nurse was supposed to come back at 2 and put me on the monitor again, but they got very busy and we didn't see anyone until 5, at which point we were passed off to a different nurse, Tracey. Tracey used to be a doula and was wonderful. She determined that my contractions had become very sporadic and started us on another gel around 5:45. At 7 we got out of bed and headed off for a walk. It was a really beautiful morning and we meandered around the patios and gardens, stopping to rest when contractions hit (which were coming in 2-4 minute intervals). After around an hour of walking we headed back up to the room. The walking definitely made the contractions stronger, but it also caused each contraction to charlie-horse my right hamstring so I was ready for a rest. When we got back, the nurses had changed shifts and Tracey had gone home (wishing us well before she left and saying she hoped not to see us that night). I got back in bed and we waited for our 4 hour gel treatment window to finish up. At 11 our doctor came in to talk options. The contractions were petering out again, and she wanted to know if we wanted to try Pitosin or another gel before moving to Pitocin. We opted to get on the pitocin, as that is the hormone that directly causes the uterus to contract. The contractions had been painful and strong for several hours but I had only dilated from 1 cm to 2.5 cm.
We decided to take a walk and get lunch before starting the pitocin drip, because I would have to stay in bed once we did that. This turned out to be a poor idea for several reasons. First, the contractions were now painful enough that I really couldn't handle being around people. Everyone kept asking if I needed help or a wheelchair when I stopped to streatch my hamstring during a contraction and it was all I could do not to snap at them. Plus, during our hour out, the delivery room got slammed. By the time we got back, they didn't have enough nurses to assign us one and we couldn't start the pitocin. By 3:00 I was 3.5 cm dilated and they were ready to start us off. They hooked up the I.V. and withing 10 minutes my contractions were regular and less painful. They felt much more coordinated, more like a strong tensing then general cramping. By 5 they were quite painful again, but still relatively easy to manage. At that point they told us we had dilated to 4 cm. They called our doctor and updated her. By 7 things were getting pretty gnarly. We had turned off movies and TV and Ty was talking me through each contraction. My sister arrived at 8, having landed at the Tucson airport at 7:35 and being driven to the hopsital by our good friend David. Around 8:30 I thought I could feel some fluid leaking and by 9 we were certain my water had broken.
Interestingly, me breaking and my water breaking more or less coincided. By 9:30, my ability to relax through the contractions was more or less shot. I started yelling obscenities during every one and couldn't seem to find a position to get comfortable or make the contractions bearable. I feel bad for everyone else in the room at this point. I have few coherent memories of this stage, but most of them center around me telling people to shut up or stop touching me. At 10 they checked me and said I was 5 cm dilated. I had been mentally prepared for 36 hours of labor. At that level of pain, I really thought I could only handle another 2 hours. My doctor started talking to me about an epidural. She knew I didn't want one, but at our birth plan meeting she said that her only request was I not back myself into a corner during labor and keep my mind open about one. My main fear of an epidural at this point was that it would extend labor and I wouldn't be able to push well when the time came. Barbara also mentioned that they could give me morhpine. She said that as long as it wasn't administered within 30 minutes of delivery (and promptly assured me I was NOT delivering in the next half hour), my body would clear the drug and the boy would come out clean as a whistle. She said it wouldn't remove the pain, but it would help me relax. Now, in all the labor pain management I read, nobody mentioned that the narcotic used was morphine. I LOVE morhpine. I typically hate the feeling of chemically altered state. It is why I rarely drink to excess, I am rarely in the mood to feel like that. I have had morhpine twice before, and been thoroughly grateful each time. Ty sent everyone out of the room as asked if I really wanted to go with the morhpine. I had told him to check in with me if I asked for drugs. I asked if he was okay with it, and he said that since it wouldn't hurt the baby and I wanted it, he was fine. Five? ten? minutes later they injected the morhpine and it took hold. Then commenced one of the strangest 90 minute periods in my life. Ty would ask how I was doing as I lay propped up with my eyes closed. I would quietly murmur, "I have never been in this much pain in my life. " The edge had been taken off,and I was in a very zen-like pain trance. I had hoped to hit that point with mind power alone, but not so much. I could feel the contractions in my toes and it started to feel like they wouldn't end so much as vaguely oscillate in strength. Turns out that they jacked the level of pitocin as soon as I slipped into torpor (with Tyson's consent). Once my water was completely drained they were worried about getting Cayden out in time, since I had been low on fluid to begin with. At 11:15 / 11:20 I started to really want to push. This worried me, because I had so far to go. After four contractions of wanting to push more each time, I told the nurse. She asked if I wanted to be checked and I said no. I didn't want any more bad news. The next contraction came and when I tried not to push my body involuntarily spasmed, so I let her check me. At that point all hell broke loose. The nurse started calling for people, and had Tyson and Clarissa get me into an upright postion. She told me to start bearing down during contractions and called in the doctor. They started morphing the bed, pulling off the end and pulling out pushing stirrups. My doctor came running in with her attending and setting up the 'birthing bag'. I later realized this was a chute and the end of the bed to catch all the mess. Once she was set the pushing began in earnest. A friend of mine pushed for 11 hours last year delivering her son, and I was determined to push as hard as I could to make sure this wouldn't happen. For the first 60% of the contractions (starting as I could just feel them ramping up) I would hold my breath and push like a mother, just like the bradley method book told us. After 3 or 4 of these I would start to get out of breath, so I would breath in and push while yelling. And I mean yelling. Clarissa told me to drop the sound lower in my diaphram and boy did that make a difference. Both in volume and efficacy. Nothing takes away pain / tension for me lile a deep throated yell. Boy do I feel sorry for any mothers in nearby rooms beginning labor, because I am sure I made that sound like the most miserable experience ever. But I can definitively say it was the best part of labor. Uncomfortable yes. Every contraction he wasn't out I dreaded the next one, but it was the most cathartic experience I have ever had. When he crowned and slipped out I have never felt better in my life. Until I popped out the placenta. That blissful feeling of emptiness and ending is phenomenal. My zeal for pushing resulted in a baby in about 10-15 minutes. Unfortunately you don't have much time to stretch when things move that fast, so it also resulted in a fair number of stitches. But hey.When the doctor showed Tyson the placenta, she told him to take a glove and touch it. We had both played with Kell's (our nephew) placenta, which was this marvelous, soft, life giving organ. Cayden's was calcified over significant portions of the surface. Seeing that placenta removed any doubt that we had done the right thing. One of the major risks of delayed birth is placental failure. If we ever do this again, I would much rather not be induced but I will not hesitate if it seems like the right thing to do.
This has unexpectedly been a difficult post to write. I started a couple days ago and have worked a little each day on it. It was such a crazy emotional exprience, I wanted it recorded for posterity. That said, I think I needed a little distance to understand it a bit better. It has also been nice to be lazy at home together getting used to our newly, and wonderfully, expanded family.
Cayden's First BBQ
[ty]
Jordanna determined that 3 days of rest was sufficient to get her social life back on track so we went to a BBQ on Saturday.
The baby was a big hit, as babies always are. The resident cat was entranced with him and spent the entire evening trying to climb into the car seat.
Aunt Clarissa shows off her new nephew
He's getting ready to fend off the Paparazzi
Don't drop the baby, don't drop the baby, don't drop the baby...
[ty]
Jordanna determined that 3 days of rest was sufficient to get her social life back on track so we went to a BBQ on Saturday.
The baby was a big hit, as babies always are. The resident cat was entranced with him and spent the entire evening trying to climb into the car seat.
Aunt Clarissa shows off her new nephew
He's getting ready to fend off the Paparazzi
Don't drop the baby, don't drop the baby, don't drop the baby...
Saturday, April 21, 2007
More Baby Videos
[ty]
I just put two new baby videos up. The first one is larger than the second and they were taken no more than 30 seconds apart to demonstrate how quickly the little bugger settles down.
Everyone here is doing well. He had a bit of a rough night last night. We think it was because his digestion was switching from colostrum to the milk that JD has just started to produce. Our original plan was to have him in a bassinet right next to the bed but last night we ended up putting him between us and he seemed to calm down (and JD certainly did). So we'll stick with that and see how it goes.
Before video
After video
[ty]
I just put two new baby videos up. The first one is larger than the second and they were taken no more than 30 seconds apart to demonstrate how quickly the little bugger settles down.
Everyone here is doing well. He had a bit of a rough night last night. We think it was because his digestion was switching from colostrum to the milk that JD has just started to produce. Our original plan was to have him in a bassinet right next to the bed but last night we ended up putting him between us and he seemed to calm down (and JD certainly did). So we'll stick with that and see how it goes.
Before video
After video
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The Alien Has Arrived
[ty]
At 11:35pm last night Jordanna expelled our son, at great velocity, into the waiting arms of the UMC staff. She did it without an epideral, with myself and her sister by her side, and as we would expect from her, with a great deal of vulgarity. Both Mommy and Child are resting happily in the maternity ward as of this morning. With the exception of a bit of tearing during birth and some resulting stitches on her more sensitive parts everyone is happy, healthy, and on a nap-eat-nap-poop schedule.
We also filled out his birth certificate information this morning. Cayden Hoyt Henry Sprayberry. Cayden is an Irish name and it means "Spirit of Battle". We're both mutts but when you do the math he's certainly more Irish than anything else. Plus his cousins are named Kell and Rowan so we might as well build an American-Irish Futbol team.
Mommy and son
The placenta was very calcified (b/c he'd beenin there awhile) so it wasn't edible. Dammit.
Somebody clearly has daddy's skin tone.Click here for a video of the little tyke and his mommy.
So all is well and we're hoping to spring them from the hospital around 5pm today. Thank you to everyone for the love and support we've received. More exciting info and pictures to follow.
-Papa Spray
So all is well and we're hoping to spring them from the hospital around 5pm today. Thank you to everyone for the love and support we've received. More exciting info and pictures to follow.
-Papa Spray
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Large and Cranky
[jordanna]
Yeah, still pregnant. We met with the doctor yesterday and are scheduled to go into the hospital for induction on Thursday night. I am now having some second thoughts about this decision. Maybe Twitchy will make all this indecision go away by showing up! Then again, maybe not...
[jordanna]
Yeah, still pregnant. We met with the doctor yesterday and are scheduled to go into the hospital for induction on Thursday night. I am now having some second thoughts about this decision. Maybe Twitchy will make all this indecision go away by showing up! Then again, maybe not...
Monday, April 16, 2007
The knitting was not an idle threat
[jordanna]
Well, I have finished the last of the bamboo diaper flats/ inserts (for those who might actually care, I will be putting together a diaper section of our website at some point detailing pros and cons of the various products we are trying), made contoured inserts for our two swaddlebees diapers, and finished the two waterproof crib sheets. This leaves me with only decorative, frivolous sewing left to do for Twitchy's room. And so I started knitting. I finished up two pairs of cute wool soaker shorts over the weekend. They were first knit into shorts, partially felted in the dryer (just enough to make the stiches tight) and then lanolized to make them waxy and water resistant. They idea behind wool soaker shorts is that they will slowly absorb liquid, but not wick it on to anything else. Because the shorts are wool, they breathe really easily and are good at helping babies thermoregulate properly ( cool in summer, warm in winter). We will see how these work. Right now we have all inegral waterproof covers for our diapers, but rumour has it the soaker shorts are a good additional layer for those famous newborn blowouts. If the kid doesn't show up soon, our house will be filled with very small handicrafts. Apparently my nesting instinct has manifested as spending every moment I am not at work making something for Twitchy. Or sweeping up the endless piles of dog hair donated by Roland.
[jordanna]
Well, I have finished the last of the bamboo diaper flats/ inserts (for those who might actually care, I will be putting together a diaper section of our website at some point detailing pros and cons of the various products we are trying), made contoured inserts for our two swaddlebees diapers, and finished the two waterproof crib sheets. This leaves me with only decorative, frivolous sewing left to do for Twitchy's room. And so I started knitting. I finished up two pairs of cute wool soaker shorts over the weekend. They were first knit into shorts, partially felted in the dryer (just enough to make the stiches tight) and then lanolized to make them waxy and water resistant. They idea behind wool soaker shorts is that they will slowly absorb liquid, but not wick it on to anything else. Because the shorts are wool, they breathe really easily and are good at helping babies thermoregulate properly ( cool in summer, warm in winter). We will see how these work. Right now we have all inegral waterproof covers for our diapers, but rumour has it the soaker shorts are a good additional layer for those famous newborn blowouts. If the kid doesn't show up soon, our house will be filled with very small handicrafts. Apparently my nesting instinct has manifested as spending every moment I am not at work making something for Twitchy. Or sweeping up the endless piles of dog hair donated by Roland.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
5 Flights of Stairs
[ty]
JD is still quite pregnant. We were really hoping the kid would make his appearance late this weekend. I took my State Certification Biology test Saturday so now we're actively trying to initiate labor by making JD do jumping jacks, sit-ups, and this afternoon 5 trips up a big outdoor mall staircase. Each one followed by a trip back down the escalator. Coincidently enough the first one kicked off a contraction but alas, no baby.
In other news I threw Roland into a pool Saturday. Turns out our dog doesn't know how to swim. I had to hold him up and talk to him soothingly like teaching a 3 year old to swim. Despite the relatively traumatic experience it cooled him off significantly and he spent the next hour prancing and galavanting around like a fool.
[ty]
JD is still quite pregnant. We were really hoping the kid would make his appearance late this weekend. I took my State Certification Biology test Saturday so now we're actively trying to initiate labor by making JD do jumping jacks, sit-ups, and this afternoon 5 trips up a big outdoor mall staircase. Each one followed by a trip back down the escalator. Coincidently enough the first one kicked off a contraction but alas, no baby.
In other news I threw Roland into a pool Saturday. Turns out our dog doesn't know how to swim. I had to hold him up and talk to him soothingly like teaching a 3 year old to swim. Despite the relatively traumatic experience it cooled him off significantly and he spent the next hour prancing and galavanting around like a fool.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Because I'm STILL PREGNANT...
[jordanna]
I thought to myself, "We should go to a movie tonight before the kid comes". So I am poking around the three dollar theater listings and came across this gem of a plot synopsis:
"Jim Carrey plays a man who becomes fixated on the number 23 and begins to notice that it appears everywhere around him. He also starts losing his mind and threatening his family with a large butcher knife."
Maybe we will just stay in tonight.
[jordanna]
I thought to myself, "We should go to a movie tonight before the kid comes". So I am poking around the three dollar theater listings and came across this gem of a plot synopsis:
"Jim Carrey plays a man who becomes fixated on the number 23 and begins to notice that it appears everywhere around him. He also starts losing his mind and threatening his family with a large butcher knife."
Maybe we will just stay in tonight.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Things I find strange
[jordanna]
Having prolonged phone conversations while pooping in a public restroom. At first I thought this was a fluke, but I have now born auditory witness to at least 4 such phone calls in my work bathroom. Talking while peeing at home, I get. Because you can leave the bathroom without flushing and no one is the wiser. In a public restroom, there are many people flushing. And while pooping! That seems like something that just doesn't need to be shared over the phone.
[jordanna]
Having prolonged phone conversations while pooping in a public restroom. At first I thought this was a fluke, but I have now born auditory witness to at least 4 such phone calls in my work bathroom. Talking while peeing at home, I get. Because you can leave the bathroom without flushing and no one is the wiser. In a public restroom, there are many people flushing. And while pooping! That seems like something that just doesn't need to be shared over the phone.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Trick Question
[jordanna]
What is more terrifying than a tiny, ancient white-haired man driving around his tiny, ancient white-haired wife in a gargantuan white buick? A tiny, ancient white-haired man driving around his tiny, ancient white-haired wife in a gargantuan white buick on a crystal-clear sunny day with the windshield wipers on.
[jordanna]
What is more terrifying than a tiny, ancient white-haired man driving around his tiny, ancient white-haired wife in a gargantuan white buick? A tiny, ancient white-haired man driving around his tiny, ancient white-haired wife in a gargantuan white buick on a crystal-clear sunny day with the windshield wipers on.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
sigh...still pregnant
[jordanna]
Just in case anyone was curious. We are getting very anxious that we will go into labor on Friday or Saturday. This will cause much mayhem and annoyance, because Ty has to take a test on Saturday to prove that he is cool enough to teach Biology in Arizona. Scary Statistic: Arizona loses 50% of new teachers within 5 years. We think this is because of the ludicrous hoops you have to jump through to be phenomenally underpaid. I am all for increasing rigor and quality, but you can't convince me that taking a 4 hour test is a better indication of knowledge than having completed a Bachelor of Science in biology. That's right, B.S. not good enough for the state, but a multiple choice test will do the trick. Anyway, send all good thoughts and karma our way in hopes that Mr. Twitchy doesn't make a grand appearance between Friday and Saturday afternoon.
[jordanna]
Just in case anyone was curious. We are getting very anxious that we will go into labor on Friday or Saturday. This will cause much mayhem and annoyance, because Ty has to take a test on Saturday to prove that he is cool enough to teach Biology in Arizona. Scary Statistic: Arizona loses 50% of new teachers within 5 years. We think this is because of the ludicrous hoops you have to jump through to be phenomenally underpaid. I am all for increasing rigor and quality, but you can't convince me that taking a 4 hour test is a better indication of knowledge than having completed a Bachelor of Science in biology. That's right, B.S. not good enough for the state, but a multiple choice test will do the trick. Anyway, send all good thoughts and karma our way in hopes that Mr. Twitchy doesn't make a grand appearance between Friday and Saturday afternoon.
Monday, April 09, 2007
And some more sewing...
[jordanna]
We had a ridiculously industrious weekend. Saturday I (mostly) painted the hallway while Ty painted and tacked up the base boards he had cut a couple weeks ago. We figure we aren't really going to finish that project until, oh, labor day so we should probably install the already cut pieces to prevent them from getting completely trashed. Then I continued the sewing mission of 07.
When I finished my PhD, my parents gave me a graduation present that was so generous my mind went numb and I could barely stammer out my thanks: a brand new Bernina sewing machine and a fantastic used Singer serger. I have used these gifts many times, but the last month has been filled with sewing the likes of which god has never seen. This weekend was a marathon in which I finished the crib mattress (long story that starts with 'toxic and bad for baby' and ends with 'all natural wool batting cover for spring mattress that I stripped of PVC and foam'), two laundry bags for the diaper pail, the remaining diaper soaker pads, an extra water-proof bassinet sheet (yes I replaced the foam mattress with a home-made cotton one), and two wet bags for to stuff inside a diaper bag. I still have two crib sheets and 4 bamboo diaper inserts to make, but all the vital stuff is done! We have anough diapering stuff to keep the kid's bottom dry and he won't be sleeping in the crib for at least the first month. I am sure that won't stop me from continuing to sew every night until the kid shows up, but hey. Once I run out of sewing projects, I can start knitting......
[jordanna]
We had a ridiculously industrious weekend. Saturday I (mostly) painted the hallway while Ty painted and tacked up the base boards he had cut a couple weeks ago. We figure we aren't really going to finish that project until, oh, labor day so we should probably install the already cut pieces to prevent them from getting completely trashed. Then I continued the sewing mission of 07.
When I finished my PhD, my parents gave me a graduation present that was so generous my mind went numb and I could barely stammer out my thanks: a brand new Bernina sewing machine and a fantastic used Singer serger. I have used these gifts many times, but the last month has been filled with sewing the likes of which god has never seen. This weekend was a marathon in which I finished the crib mattress (long story that starts with 'toxic and bad for baby' and ends with 'all natural wool batting cover for spring mattress that I stripped of PVC and foam'), two laundry bags for the diaper pail, the remaining diaper soaker pads, an extra water-proof bassinet sheet (yes I replaced the foam mattress with a home-made cotton one), and two wet bags for to stuff inside a diaper bag. I still have two crib sheets and 4 bamboo diaper inserts to make, but all the vital stuff is done! We have anough diapering stuff to keep the kid's bottom dry and he won't be sleeping in the crib for at least the first month. I am sure that won't stop me from continuing to sew every night until the kid shows up, but hey. Once I run out of sewing projects, I can start knitting......
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
This bodes ill
[jordanna]
We had a family insomnia fest last night. Me because I kept waking up hungry, with a full bladder and an obsecenely active baby. Tyson because this dry climate disagrees with his nose and he periodically awakens to the craziest nose bleeds I have ever seen. Despite the intense lack of sleep (and by intense I mean twice as much as we will get once twitchy arrives), I was totally chipper and energetic this morning. I thought to myself, maybe I am prepared for this whole baby thing. Maybe the lack of sleep won't be that bad. Turns out that burst of energy lasts exactly 4 hours. Now I am drooling on my desk and trying to sum up the energy to walk to the bathroom (guess who has a full bladder again). Despite my increasing sense of forboding, I really can't wait to meet twitchy.
[jordanna]
We had a family insomnia fest last night. Me because I kept waking up hungry, with a full bladder and an obsecenely active baby. Tyson because this dry climate disagrees with his nose and he periodically awakens to the craziest nose bleeds I have ever seen. Despite the intense lack of sleep (and by intense I mean twice as much as we will get once twitchy arrives), I was totally chipper and energetic this morning. I thought to myself, maybe I am prepared for this whole baby thing. Maybe the lack of sleep won't be that bad. Turns out that burst of energy lasts exactly 4 hours. Now I am drooling on my desk and trying to sum up the energy to walk to the bathroom (guess who has a full bladder again). Despite my increasing sense of forboding, I really can't wait to meet twitchy.
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