Welcome to the World, Baby Emmett!

He's here!

At just over a week old, he's such a natural part of our lives already, it's hard to believe he was only in my belly two weeks ago!
For those curious as to the events which led to his actually entering the world, here's the Readers' Digest version (the unabridged version took a total of about 32 hours, and that's just unnecessary). I began having contractions about 5:45pm on Sunday, June 13. Contractions for me at this point were almost like hiccups, they occurred without notice, would stay for a little while and then would disappear just as unexpectedly. In fact, the day before I had 12 hours of contractions consistently 20 minutes apart, so I was a bit disillusioned by Sunday.
However, I noticed these contractions were coming much quicker than 20 minutes apart and after about two hours they were down to just 7 minutes. By midnight they had been at 5 minutes for over an hour so we followed our well-thought-out plan of action and headed to the hospital. 14 hours later we went home. I had dilated two cm (from my starting point of 3cm) and hadn't budged for 6 hours. Three days shy of 39 weeks they could not give me Pitocin to induce labor unless there was a danger to myself or the baby, which there was not.

In the next two days I had a total of two more contractions. It was at this point I had decided my uterus was just as lazy as the rest of me: it had got halfway there and decided that was good enough. Unfortunately, the rest of us did not agree.
As both sets of parents had, at this point, made the 8 hour drive from their respective homes to ours, expecting to have a grandson by Monday, we knew we couldn't send them home without seeing a baby. So, at a day over 39 weeks, I was induced. From that point on the story is pretty typical - there were no surprises or difficulties (beyond the typical delivery discomforts, to put it lightly) and at 4:15pm on Thursday, June 17 our baby boy was born, weighing 8lb 5oz and measuring 20 inches long. Welcome Baby Emmett :)

At a later date I shall detail exactly how we came to the decision of his name. Until next time . . .

Retro Tuesday

Okay, apparently I am pigeon-holing myself into a day, as Tuesdays seem to be magic. Ah, such is life. Anyway, another quality post from my wonder years . . .

Saturday, October 29, 2005

While reminiscing last night about Pre-School (or my lack of such an experience), I was inspired to think of certain life lessons I learned in elementary school . . . - It may be the job of the boy to chase the girl, but sometimes the girl has to make the boy want to chase her (such things as pulling hair and pinching work well in this situation). - When playing kickball, getting to base is most definitely more important than chasing after the shoe you just kicked off (therefore, winning comes before fashion). - Boys won't notice whether or not you paint your nails, but they will notice if you chase your shoe instead of running to base (again, winning comes before fashion). - If an object is stuck in one's nose, the best solution is to close the other nostril and blow (promptly wash your hands). - If you want to test if your scissors are sharp enough to cut a hole in your shirt, think about what will happen if, indeed, they are (be prepared for the consequences of your actions). - The best way to get rid of a bothersome boy is to karate chop his arm (my first lesson in self-defense). - Don't ask questions in class, because chances are it's a stupid question (I had a terrible fourth-grade teacher!). - There is a rank in the friendship system. Therefore, you may have a best friend, but then you can have a second-best friend and a third-best friend. And being second or third somehow doesn't make you feel like less of a person, as long as you're one of the best. and last but not least . . . - A parachute is probably the best form of endless entertainment anyone could imagine.