Saturday, October 23, 2010

1 week

Jake gets cuter each day, really. Eyes open more, and I think he's filling out a bit more (after losing that first half pound). He also screams like a banshee - mostly at night it seems like. He loves walks in the stroller - quiets him up in an instant. He hates the nurse who takes the bilirubin blood samples, but I hope we're done with that. He's provided practical experience in several surprise ways that a baby can release bodily fluids during a diaper change: the leak; the flow; the fountain. Laurie and I have laughed so hard that the only thing keeping us off the floor was knowing we couldn't leave him naked on the table. But at the moment he's sleeping snugly on the floor next to me, swaddled so that he looks like a little bean (a much bigger version of that first ultrasound, with hair and jungle animal prints).

We can't say as he looks like either of us. In generic respects he looks like both of us, but otherwise he just looks like a cute baby. But I can proudly lay claim to his attention span and sleeping habits. Gobble, gobble, sleep. Gobble, gobble, sleep. Sleep, gobble, sleep. His tendency to leave things laying around (socks, hats, spittles) comes from Laurie, I think. She leaves different things laying around, of course. I think he's learning to make cute noises from the cat, but can't purr yet - actually, I'm not sure the cat has purred since he came home.



I could blather on about him, but what I've mostly learned is that folks really check the blog for the photos. So I've included a few more, and a special feature! The writing is, I suppose, just to entertain myself. I hope you don't mind.













special feature:

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Nurses are nothing short of genius saints

I'll start this post by announcing his new name: Jacob "Jake" Dean Tibboel. Yay!
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Those who say the day their baby is born is the best day of their life, are of suspect credibility to me. It is no doubt a very happy day, and a very crazy day. But there is so much uncertainty. And pain and blood. Thank goodness for the great kindness, patience, understanding, skill, and experience of the nurses.

The first full day after was wonderful, again thanks to excellent nurses (residents, assistants, even students). They've been teaching us as much as we're ready learn, but also have a way with babies (at least, with our baby). When we've exhausted our ideas for calming him down, a nurse will step in and invariably, within 30 seconds he's quietly sleeping or bobbing away. They calm him, and calm us, and ease our anxieties, and provide good news about his health (he can hear!), and make Laurie comfortable, and remind us how beautiful he is. In case we forgot (we didn't).

Tonight we all go home. The first crying spell without a nurse nearby is going to be a little bit tough. We'll get through it, and all the ones after, but we'll miss those wonderful nurses!

Monday, October 18, 2010

He's here!



A star is born! At 6:28 on Sunday, 17 Oct, Name TBD "Buttsy" Tibboel was born at St. Elizabeth's hospital in Brighton MA. At 21 1/4 inches, and 8 lbs 2.4 oz, he wasn't as big as his Mom feared (or thought during the delivery), but he's a healthy size. He came out "like a rubber chicken," (I won't attribute this accurate quote) but quickly took shape and color to look like the healthy baby boy that he is. And Laurie has been recovering remarkably well, too.



Just sitting around the hospital has been remarkably busy, but I'm finally managing to provide some photos. Enjoy! And if you want to see him live, feel free to Skype us (find "trail_junkie").

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Waiting . . .

17 Oct 2010. What would have been Grampy Lyle "Buttsy" Butts' 98th birthday. Grampy "slipped the surly bonds" earlier this year, just before we announced Laurie's pregnancy. So he never knew about this, his 4th, great grandchild (there would likely have been some confusion on the matter, in any case), but we still find ourselves very lucky that this will - Inshallah - be our son's birthday. Far luckier than if he'd been born on the more sought after, but ultimately more arbitrary, 10/10/10. Though perhaps not as lucky as Dawn and Dean's 8/9/10 11:12 coup!

Really, we've been lucky all around. Laurie's been healthy and, aside from cancelling her 2d trimester trips, had a good pregnancy. I got home in time to spend QT with her and witness the amazing bouncing belly. And even though she's now 9 days past the due date, she's been feeling well and even sleeping decent. Her new job has on-site day care. And lots of good people have been very kind (minus a few jockamo's on her bus route to work).

Now, we're on the final stretch of Mom-appreciation day (oh, what our mother's went through back in the day). Hopefully in the next 3-6 hours we'll be holding a healthy baby boy. In the next hour, if you ask Laurie - the Pitocin is tough stuff, and the epidural only goes so far. Name TBD. Size large. Lineage Euro-mongrel. Temperament calm (don't we wish).