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.

Retro Tuesday

One of my favorite posts from my wittier days:

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Something that cracks me up: when people trip up the stairs. Not that I delight in their misfortune, but rather I smile at the fact that every person has the exact same response. We are such predictable beings. The immediate response upon falling all over ourselves is to jog up the next three or four steps as if to say, "Look! I can totally handle these stairs. Not only can I WALK up them, but I can RUN. Oh, yes, my friend, I am the stair master. I may have been defeated once, but it will not happen again!" It makes me laugh out loud (at least on the inside).

Retro Thursday

Friday, August 05, 2005

I was driving along tonight when I noticed three deer grazing in an open field. “Hadn’t they ever seen Bambi?!” I wondered. For if they had, they would know that open fields in the presence of humans means danger. But, then, maybe they have seen the tragic movie and merely chalked it up to Bambi and his mother living in the wrong part of town. Surely, where these deer were at, in a field right outside of a gated community, they were safe from the gun-wielding members of the general population. They obviously chose to raise their children in the suburbs for good reason. Smart deer.

7:42 PM

Retro Tuesday (Oooh, it's a Theme!)

Thursday, August 04, 2005

I drink from the milk carton. My favorite color is silver. I plan to name my first boy Macaiah (he will go by Cai). I love to dance. My dad wanted to name me Stephanie. I hate the way Butterfingers get stuck in your teeth. I like to speed (but I've been trying not to). I hate talking on the phone, unless it's been a long time since I've talked to you. I have a pile of clothes on my bed that have been clean since Saturday (it's Thursday) but never folded. There is a love triangle in my house wherein Lucy is the object of both Henry's and Wilbur's affection. Luckily they're kept in separate fish bowls. I love to organize, but it doesn't show. Last semester I was addicted to a Brazilian soap opera dubbed in Russian called Klon (clone, in English). I love getting and sending mail. Freshman year I had a snail named Jamie that attempted suicide by jumping the five feet from her jar to the floor. She succeeded the second time. I despise country music. I like flowers a lot. Lesson learned from the movie Intolerable Cruelty (as stated by my mother): "That's why, if you have allergies or asthma, you should never be a hitman."

Posted 8/4/2005 8:38 PM

(Back to Present Day . . .)

For the record:

I no longer drink from the milk carton (so fear not if I ever offer you milk - which I tend not to do because I'm stingy with my milk - but I probably won't turn you down if you ask - so just ask)

I think my favorite color is now purple. It depends on the object and the day.

We all know how the name thing turned out - Philip liked it better for a girl (and I totally spelled it wrong in the original post, but for journalistic integrity I did not change it).

Still love to dance but don't do so as often as I used to (mostly because I no longer blare fun dance music while I'm cleaning . . . maybe I should).

Yes, I hate the way Butterfingers get stuck in my teeth, but they're still my favorite candy bar.

I actually don't speed anymore, ever (as long as I'm paying attention).

Still hate talking on the phone - don't know if that will ever change.

I've been better about my laundry these days, although if I'm not going to fold them they stay in the dryer rather than on my bed. Although I do have a tendency to leave folded stacks laying around the house.

Still not a big fan of country, although "despise" is a bit strong.

Still a big fan of flowers although I never get them.

So interesting looking back to see how I've changed (and how I haven't).

Retro Friday

If I keep "Retro" in the title, it maintains that feeling of continuity which would have come from a scheduled weekly post, right?

Anyway, the next installment of, "I have nothing else to write so I must rely on my former blogging glory days instead."

"Saturday, July 09, 2005

I don't understand when they write on the road something like 'School X-ing Ahead' and they write it bottom to top so it reads 'Ahead X-ing School,' assuming you'll read it as you come across the words. Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I ALWAYS start at the top. So, even if I can't see the first word right away, I kind of collect all the words in my head so I can read them in sequential order. So it drives me NUTS when they write upside down. Especially when the words are spaced really close together, so you're less inclined to read them in the order in which they intended. Anyway, these are the things that really bother me. The world could be falling apart around me, and I get annoyed at the writing on the road. Welcome inside my head."

Retro Wednesday

I won't bother re-posting the totality of my entry for September 30, 2005, but I wanted to share this one part with you because of the complete irony and naivete involved . . .

"I must admit, I don't understand facebook. And before I get condescending comments telling me just HOW facebook works, let me rephrase, I understand how to USE it, I DON'T understand its appeal. Besides the fact that it's fun to see old high school classmates on-line, that's all we get to do: see pictures, read a few things and that's it. Okay, that was fun . . . Whatever."

Oh, how simple I was.

In other news, re-reading posts from days gone by is like re-living the whole beginning of my relationship with my husband - because that's where it all blossomed, folks, right there on our blogs. I have to admit, it kind of gives me butterflies all over again.

Too sweet ;)