Saturday, February 27, 2010
Three weeks old today
It's three thirty in the afternoon and every other living organism in the house (at least that I am aware of) is asleep. As I type this, I am literally barricaded onto the couch by a sea of miniature furniture/electronics devices. Nobody, besides Reilly, has stepped out doors today. Someone in the house had a fecal explosion this morning that oozed out of the diaper and then soaked through a onesie, towel, sheet, and mattress cover. While the diaper was being changed, that same person spit up and peed on me simultaneously. However, I refuse to admit that my life has changed in the slightest. Mindy and I have been Saturdaying like this for quite some time now.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Cameron is a milkaholic
Cameron gained 13 ounces in a week. Apparently this is a lot. So needless to say, Cameron enjoys him some milk. This all is a beautiful thing because Cameron is now back over birth weight. Which means Mindy does not need to wake him up to feed him during the night. Instead, we can just wait until he wakes up on his own, which has only been once a night the past few days. Glorious!
Well, Cameron had his genitals trimmed this week. He seemed to love that. And I have to say contrary to what the baby book says, visually speaking, I prefer an uncircumsized penis. Well, at least on a newborn. And now every diaper change for the little guy has turned into a mini-medical procedure. There are ointments, vasoline, gauze, water, etc. Plus the warm water we have to sprinkle on his pecker makes him pee about half the time. So, somebody also has to be on point with the pee-pee teepee. I want to put a stop clock on it like a Nascar pit stop, but their aren't enough hands for trivialities like that.
We visited hobby-lobby today and I want to say something that I never dreamed possible. That is actually a pretty cool store. It blows Michaels out of the water. There are actually things of substance there. And the array of fake plants is awe inspiring. But, the real reason I bring this up is because I learned that middle aged crafters love my son. Seriously, people were coming out of the woodwork to stick their faces into his car seat. It was weird and I felt a strong sense of forboding. I didn't want to let my gaurd down around those crafters. I know they were looking at him with crafters eye and thinking to themselves about the craft they could make out of him (weird baby/flower calenders, nativity scenes, etc.) Your kind words and smiles don't fool me crafters. I'm on to you.
On a troubling note, Cameron seems to have a bit of a head tilt. It strikes great fear into my heart that this may be the warning signs of a future lazy eye. I always had a head tilt as a child and an optometrist once told me that the head tilt was related to my good for nothing eye that refuses to work as hard as the other. I will feel very guilty if I am genetically responsible for my son also enduring a lifetime of lazy eye jokes. I weep lazy tears as I write now. But there is a positive reframe. Cameron's strong preference for putting his head in one direction serves to really motivate head movement during tummy time (or as like to call it P90x neck plyometrics). He turned his head from one side to the other twice in his last opportunity on the mat. Another sign of phenom-like development occurred earlier today when he was clearly flipping off his mother while nursing. Who knew such a blatant sign of disrespect could be so adorable. Those little digits are just priceless. Those crafters should put a picture of that in their creepy calenders.
Well, Cameron had his genitals trimmed this week. He seemed to love that. And I have to say contrary to what the baby book says, visually speaking, I prefer an uncircumsized penis. Well, at least on a newborn. And now every diaper change for the little guy has turned into a mini-medical procedure. There are ointments, vasoline, gauze, water, etc. Plus the warm water we have to sprinkle on his pecker makes him pee about half the time. So, somebody also has to be on point with the pee-pee teepee. I want to put a stop clock on it like a Nascar pit stop, but their aren't enough hands for trivialities like that.
We visited hobby-lobby today and I want to say something that I never dreamed possible. That is actually a pretty cool store. It blows Michaels out of the water. There are actually things of substance there. And the array of fake plants is awe inspiring. But, the real reason I bring this up is because I learned that middle aged crafters love my son. Seriously, people were coming out of the woodwork to stick their faces into his car seat. It was weird and I felt a strong sense of forboding. I didn't want to let my gaurd down around those crafters. I know they were looking at him with crafters eye and thinking to themselves about the craft they could make out of him (weird baby/flower calenders, nativity scenes, etc.) Your kind words and smiles don't fool me crafters. I'm on to you.
On a troubling note, Cameron seems to have a bit of a head tilt. It strikes great fear into my heart that this may be the warning signs of a future lazy eye. I always had a head tilt as a child and an optometrist once told me that the head tilt was related to my good for nothing eye that refuses to work as hard as the other. I will feel very guilty if I am genetically responsible for my son also enduring a lifetime of lazy eye jokes. I weep lazy tears as I write now. But there is a positive reframe. Cameron's strong preference for putting his head in one direction serves to really motivate head movement during tummy time (or as like to call it P90x neck plyometrics). He turned his head from one side to the other twice in his last opportunity on the mat. Another sign of phenom-like development occurred earlier today when he was clearly flipping off his mother while nursing. Who knew such a blatant sign of disrespect could be so adorable. Those little digits are just priceless. Those crafters should put a picture of that in their creepy calenders.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
One week old...
And everyone is still alive. So, all and all, a successful first week. Things seem to be getting into a bit of a groove (read: sleeping more, screaming less). I have to say that newborns are really very boring. So far, I feel like he has brought nothing to our relationship. If I could go back in time, I would definitely add newborn babies to my list of most overrated people. You people who ooooh and ahhh over these things need to explain yourself. Are these expressions of adoration genuine or do you just act like that because you think it is the thing to do. I'm leaning toward the latter, but if you sincerely like newborns I would love to hear your reasoning.
Let's see, what has happened since I last posted? Well, Mindy has nursed about 86 times. Cameron has pooped about 54 times (we actually have both of these figures documented so I'm sure Mindy can provide a fact check later). I have taken to asking Cameron in a Jersey accent whether or not "we have a Situation" before checking his diaper. Cameron has sported about 6 different outfits. Mindy and I did a fantasy draft for Survivor. I did a fantasy draft for the entire NBA All-Star weekend (including a celebrity basketball game). Although I got destroyed in this draft (to hell with Terrell Owens and all Harlem Globetrotters not named Special K), I like to think that so far I have made good on my promise to re-double my fantasy efforts. My mother has returned to California. Mindy's family has moved in (including a 6 pound miniature poodle named Lizzy). Apollo Ohno lucked into a silver medal due to the selfish actions of one South Korean. Mindy hasn't seen the sun in 4 days. Cameron had day/night reversal (yeah, that sucks), so now we have every light in our house turned on full blast during the day and every light set very dimly at night. I've taken to simulating a sunset for everybody with my remote control dimmer. We've eaten at about every fast food establishment in the greater Austin region. As a family we think it is insulting that they are making the women Lugers now start from the Juniors staring location. Cameron has sampled his swing, car seat, stroller, bouncy seat, bassinet, etc. Dude has a lot places to chill out. Cameron tried to nurse on everything in his general vicinity. I get really emotional watching anything birth related (i.e. the birth scene on the bridge in Fools Rush In and Big Mike's touching saga on American Idol). Reilly loves the new blanket to lifeform ratio around the house. Every adult's speaking voice seems to have suddenly increased by two octaves. And Mindy just yelled out "oh my gosh" after entering the baby's room to change him. It sounds like more excitement is on the horizon...
Let's see, what has happened since I last posted? Well, Mindy has nursed about 86 times. Cameron has pooped about 54 times (we actually have both of these figures documented so I'm sure Mindy can provide a fact check later). I have taken to asking Cameron in a Jersey accent whether or not "we have a Situation" before checking his diaper. Cameron has sported about 6 different outfits. Mindy and I did a fantasy draft for Survivor. I did a fantasy draft for the entire NBA All-Star weekend (including a celebrity basketball game). Although I got destroyed in this draft (to hell with Terrell Owens and all Harlem Globetrotters not named Special K), I like to think that so far I have made good on my promise to re-double my fantasy efforts. My mother has returned to California. Mindy's family has moved in (including a 6 pound miniature poodle named Lizzy). Apollo Ohno lucked into a silver medal due to the selfish actions of one South Korean. Mindy hasn't seen the sun in 4 days. Cameron had day/night reversal (yeah, that sucks), so now we have every light in our house turned on full blast during the day and every light set very dimly at night. I've taken to simulating a sunset for everybody with my remote control dimmer. We've eaten at about every fast food establishment in the greater Austin region. As a family we think it is insulting that they are making the women Lugers now start from the Juniors staring location. Cameron has sampled his swing, car seat, stroller, bouncy seat, bassinet, etc. Dude has a lot places to chill out. Cameron tried to nurse on everything in his general vicinity. I get really emotional watching anything birth related (i.e. the birth scene on the bridge in Fools Rush In and Big Mike's touching saga on American Idol). Reilly loves the new blanket to lifeform ratio around the house. Every adult's speaking voice seems to have suddenly increased by two octaves. And Mindy just yelled out "oh my gosh" after entering the baby's room to change him. It sounds like more excitement is on the horizon...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Home Sweet Home
Well the new and improved Graves' family has made its way home. The jaundice is running scared and the sunglasses have been retired for now. We go meet with our pediatrician tomorrow afternoon so we'll get more information then. I also think the little guy is going to get his big circumcision (or Circ as they call it in the baby biz) tomorrow. We were all set to get his circumcision in the hospital on Sunday, until the nurse on call raved for about five minutes about how good our pediatrician is at Circs. So I have no idea what makes a circumsision amazing, but I'm expecting some sort of Edward Scissorhand type performance now. I'm hoping he can carve in a Lakers logo or something. We'll see.
Well Cameron seems to like his new home. He has raved with his eyes about how cute his room is. But, although he tried to hide it, I could tell he was a little upset that his bedding hasn't come in yet. He also wanted me to thank everyone personally for all of the gifts that you have bestowed upon him. His favorite so far is the striped swaddling blanket that he's been sporting all afternoon, because it has kept him very toasty and content. His least favorite so far is the changing table pad, as he made a point to pee on it at his first opportunity.
So far this entire process has been a rather large educational experience. I'm just trying to soak everything up. I followed around the lactation consultant (If I had this job I would definitely nickname myself the "Milk Man") with a pen and paper, stopped random women in the halls to inquire about their "wet secrets" (if you don't know what these are you need to pick up What to Expect...), and stayed up late to watch episodes of Teen Mom (I think Farrah needs to mature a little bit and spend more time taking care of Sophia). I think I'm starting to get the swing of things a little bit. It's a process.
I feel like at some point I'm supposed to make some sentimental statements about how miraculous the birth was, how much I fell in love when I first saw Cameron, how adorable he is, how I know all the sacrifices will be worth it now that I'm a father, etc. Well, I've made a conscious decision not to say these things to others. Instead, I want to say these things. Everybody better wash their hands immediately before they touch my son. If anybody purposefully hurts him or acts negligently in his vicinity, before he is old enough to defend himself, then I am going to attempt to kick your ass. I am going to act very laid back in your presence, but I want everybody to just know in the back of their minds that I am watching you. Now lets move on.
Really, that's about all for now. And even though I have a Y chromosome, I too am looking forward to Mindy's recap of the birth. I'm also looking forward to Reilly's account of this weekend (seeing how he spent most of it in a house alone with my mother). Although those two have had their differences in the past, I think that they have formed a bond. Actually, the two of them have quite a bit in common, one of which being that they both strongly value personal comforts in life. I wouldn't be surprised if our house was transformed into a sanctuary of pillows and blankets this weekend. I guess we'll just have to wait until one of them blogs to find out.
Thanks again to everybody for all of the support and well-wishes this weekend. We are truly blessed!
Well Cameron seems to like his new home. He has raved with his eyes about how cute his room is. But, although he tried to hide it, I could tell he was a little upset that his bedding hasn't come in yet. He also wanted me to thank everyone personally for all of the gifts that you have bestowed upon him. His favorite so far is the striped swaddling blanket that he's been sporting all afternoon, because it has kept him very toasty and content. His least favorite so far is the changing table pad, as he made a point to pee on it at his first opportunity.
So far this entire process has been a rather large educational experience. I'm just trying to soak everything up. I followed around the lactation consultant (If I had this job I would definitely nickname myself the "Milk Man") with a pen and paper, stopped random women in the halls to inquire about their "wet secrets" (if you don't know what these are you need to pick up What to Expect...), and stayed up late to watch episodes of Teen Mom (I think Farrah needs to mature a little bit and spend more time taking care of Sophia). I think I'm starting to get the swing of things a little bit. It's a process.
I feel like at some point I'm supposed to make some sentimental statements about how miraculous the birth was, how much I fell in love when I first saw Cameron, how adorable he is, how I know all the sacrifices will be worth it now that I'm a father, etc. Well, I've made a conscious decision not to say these things to others. Instead, I want to say these things. Everybody better wash their hands immediately before they touch my son. If anybody purposefully hurts him or acts negligently in his vicinity, before he is old enough to defend himself, then I am going to attempt to kick your ass. I am going to act very laid back in your presence, but I want everybody to just know in the back of their minds that I am watching you. Now lets move on.
Really, that's about all for now. And even though I have a Y chromosome, I too am looking forward to Mindy's recap of the birth. I'm also looking forward to Reilly's account of this weekend (seeing how he spent most of it in a house alone with my mother). Although those two have had their differences in the past, I think that they have formed a bond. Actually, the two of them have quite a bit in common, one of which being that they both strongly value personal comforts in life. I wouldn't be surprised if our house was transformed into a sanctuary of pillows and blankets this weekend. I guess we'll just have to wait until one of them blogs to find out.
Thanks again to everybody for all of the support and well-wishes this weekend. We are truly blessed!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Stay Tuned
Some of you may feel that Mike's account of Cameron's birth may be lacking a few details - those people all probably have two X chromosomes. A more detailed birth story will be coming soon, once I catch up on some sleep.
They Call Him Mellow Yellow
Well, just when I thought we were ready to go home from the hospital, we got the news this morning from the rounding pediatrician that Cameron's jaundice test came back with a high level of 11.3 (which is in the 94% percentile), so we couldn't leave after all today. The pediatrician ordered him to stay under phototherapy lights from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM today to try to break up the bilirubin in his system. For those of you who don't know, the phototherapy lights look like a miniature tanning bed, so check out Cameron getting a cool baby tan:
Cameron was under orders to stay under the lights at all times, except for 30 minutes while nursing, so we didn't get to hold him a lot today.
His 3:00 PM test came back high and his bilirubin levels still weren't improving to the pediatrician's satisfaction, so we are set to stay at Hotel Seton for one more night. (On a side note, the bonus about the overnight stay is another night of Blue Bell ice cream!) They are testing his levels tomorrow morning at 5:00 AM, so we're hoping for the best so we can all go home and Cameron can meet the last member of the Graves family, who is probably wondering if he's been abandoned once again.
Cameron was under orders to stay under the lights at all times, except for 30 minutes while nursing, so we didn't get to hold him a lot today.
His 3:00 PM test came back high and his bilirubin levels still weren't improving to the pediatrician's satisfaction, so we are set to stay at Hotel Seton for one more night. (On a side note, the bonus about the overnight stay is another night of Blue Bell ice cream!) They are testing his levels tomorrow morning at 5:00 AM, so we're hoping for the best so we can all go home and Cameron can meet the last member of the Graves family, who is probably wondering if he's been abandoned once again.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Cameron Eugene Graves
He is here. Weighing in at 7 lbs and 14 ounces, with 21 inches of legnth, and a full head of black hair. Mother and baby are healthy. More coming later. Let the adventures begin.
9 cm plus
Upon last measurement, Mindy was almost to the full ten cm. Mindy and nurse tried to push once, but decided to back off and let nature/gravity/burrowing baby do it's thing a little while longer. This is nothing I ever imagined because we are probably within 30 minutes of delivery and Mindy is fast asleep. She has been pretty much sleeping for the last hour. She has truly been blessed with the gift of sleep. It is amazing.
On a side note, I just set a new high score on the Scramble game on my phone (the score is a 172 for all those fellow Scramble competitors). I play this game all the time when I have some time to kill and I haven't set a high score in a couple of months. So this is no small feat. It also has some added significance because I seem to always set high scores on days of major events. On my wedding day I shot a 41 on the 2001 Tiger Woods. Mindy wasn't exactly excited for me when I informed her of this at the altar. But we'll see how she reacts this time when I break my big news as she begins to push. I think it is now fair to say that I perform extremely well at trivial unrelated games while I should be focused on life changing events. Some might call that clutch!
I'm guessing that the next post will probably be much bigger news than this. Maybe I'll score a 180. Or maybe we'll be parents. I'll keep everybody posted.
On a side note, I just set a new high score on the Scramble game on my phone (the score is a 172 for all those fellow Scramble competitors). I play this game all the time when I have some time to kill and I haven't set a high score in a couple of months. So this is no small feat. It also has some added significance because I seem to always set high scores on days of major events. On my wedding day I shot a 41 on the 2001 Tiger Woods. Mindy wasn't exactly excited for me when I informed her of this at the altar. But we'll see how she reacts this time when I break my big news as she begins to push. I think it is now fair to say that I perform extremely well at trivial unrelated games while I should be focused on life changing events. Some might call that clutch!
I'm guessing that the next post will probably be much bigger news than this. Maybe I'll score a 180. Or maybe we'll be parents. I'll keep everybody posted.
7 cm
I'm sure everyone is going to be huddled around their computers all day following these proceedings. I'll give you a brief recap of events. Mindy received the epidural around 7 a.m. this morning and has been pretty much sleeping since. She says that she has not felt a thing, but she is 3 cm more dilated right now then when she received the epidural. She is very amazed by the marvels of modern medicine and questions why anyone would decline such an elixir of the gods. Ed and Linda are here at the hospital with us and we are just waiting as G-Baby continues his decent toward our atmosphere. It sounds like things are progressing at a good pace now and the little one will be making his appearance sometime today. I am now going to turn this live-blog update over to Mindy and transcribe everything she says until she tells me to stop. And go:
"Oh. Um. I'll just write later."
And stop. I think she said a lot with a few words there.
The nurse just walked in and stated that we might be having a baby by lunchtime. It's 10:15 now and I'm starting to get hungry, so that sounds like it might be soon.
Here we go......
"Oh. Um. I'll just write later."
And stop. I think she said a lot with a few words there.
The nurse just walked in and stated that we might be having a baby by lunchtime. It's 10:15 now and I'm starting to get hungry, so that sounds like it might be soon.
Here we go......
Labor has begun...
I promised my readers some live blogging from the hospital and I have delivered (no pun intended; well that's not true). I don't know how long I'll keep this up, but since mother seems in pretty good spirits right now, I thought I'd take a minute to share these very intimate family moments with the cyber world at large. The waters have been broken. But, unless my wife is a total labor warrior and completely unfazed by pain, the contractions are still mild. Mindy is catching some shut eye right now in preparation for the long day ahead. Maybe the next post you read on this blog will be written by a new parent. Or maybe the next post you read will be written by a devious parent-to-be while another parent-to-be writhes in pain in the midst of a totally gnarly contraction. You'll have to stay tuned to find out. Wish us luck everyone (be aware that I use the us there very loosely and mean mostly Mindy). Here's to a healthy and relatively easy labor!
Goodnight for now,
Coach
Goodnight for now,
Coach
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Today's the day...or not?
Today is my actual due date...but unless there's a flurry of activity in the next nine hours, I don't know that G-Baby is going to arrive on his actual due date. I went to the doctor this morning, and he gave me a non-stress test, which just meant that I had to wear two monitors on my belly for a LONG time. The doctor was looking for spikes in the baby's heartbeat after he moved, and he also wanted to measure whether or not I was having any conractions. Apparently, G-Baby was a little sleepy this morning, so I had to drink some orange juice to get him to wake up and move a little. After a half hour or so, the doctor seemed satisfied with the results.
I have also progressed to 2 cm and 60% effaced. My doctor said that I should come in on Monday, unless I have the baby before then. At Monday's appointment, we'll pick a day to be induced next week. It is so crazy to think that this time next week, we'll hopefully be bringing G-Baby home!
I have also progressed to 2 cm and 60% effaced. My doctor said that I should come in on Monday, unless I have the baby before then. At Monday's appointment, we'll pick a day to be induced next week. It is so crazy to think that this time next week, we'll hopefully be bringing G-Baby home!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
"What to Expect: The First Year"
Mindy recently brought home the self-proclaimed "bible for new parents." I have perused this masterpiece and wanted to share some of my knowledge. Here are just a few of my favorite excerpts. These are actual quotes from the book (with some added commentary in italics):
- Three to six rompers (one-piece, short-sleeved, snap-at-the-crotch outfits without legs), for a late-spring or summer baby. I'm not exactly sure what this means, but it sounds like a baby who is ready to party.
- Wet regular tea bags with cool water and place them on your sore nipples. Note to Mindy, I think G-Baby would prefer a peppermint flavor.
- In more than twenty states, legislation has been passed stating that women have the right to breastfeed in public - that exposing a breast to nurse is not indecent and is not a criminal offense. Except in Texas where it is punishable by execution.
- Normal breast milk stools: Seedy, curdy, creamy, or lumpy; light yellow to mustard or bright green. Is this describing crap or a game of Clue? I'm not sure if I know what a seedy shit looks like, but I'm really looking forward to those curdy rainbows of joy.
- Don't put anything in your mouth if you don't know what it is. I was just confused about whom this sentence is directed toward. I'm assuming it's the baby. But, if they think any child within the first year of life is reading than I think I need a new book.
- Expressing milk by hand: To begin, place your hand on one breast, with your thumb and forefingers opposite each other around the edge of the areola. Press your hand in toward your chest, gently pressing thumb and forefinger together while pulling forward slightly. I have nipples Greg, can you milk me? Seriously, I feel dangerous with this knowledge. I think this is why God didn't allow men to nurse. You give me a weapon like that and I would walk around squirting everybody.
- Many experts concur that even the best that television has to offer isn't very good for one-year-olds. Clearly written prior to the creation of Jersey Shore.
- Do not permit anyone (visitors included) to smoke in bed or while falling asleep on the sofa. Huh? I am truly baffled by this statement. I like to think I would try to stop anyone who was falling asleep while smoking, but now I know to definitely stop them if they are visitors to my sofa.
- Appearance: Some feel removal of the foreskin makes the penis more attractive. And this is how we got into this mess to begin with.
Well, that's all the pearls of wisdom I have right now. And don't worry, I am fully aware that the tournament o' names has recently fizzled to a standstill. All I can say at this juncture is that the race is close, both opponents have fought valiantly, and as faithful readers of our blog you will be the first to know.
- Three to six rompers (one-piece, short-sleeved, snap-at-the-crotch outfits without legs), for a late-spring or summer baby. I'm not exactly sure what this means, but it sounds like a baby who is ready to party.
- Wet regular tea bags with cool water and place them on your sore nipples. Note to Mindy, I think G-Baby would prefer a peppermint flavor.
- In more than twenty states, legislation has been passed stating that women have the right to breastfeed in public - that exposing a breast to nurse is not indecent and is not a criminal offense. Except in Texas where it is punishable by execution.
- Normal breast milk stools: Seedy, curdy, creamy, or lumpy; light yellow to mustard or bright green. Is this describing crap or a game of Clue? I'm not sure if I know what a seedy shit looks like, but I'm really looking forward to those curdy rainbows of joy.
- Don't put anything in your mouth if you don't know what it is. I was just confused about whom this sentence is directed toward. I'm assuming it's the baby. But, if they think any child within the first year of life is reading than I think I need a new book.
- Expressing milk by hand: To begin, place your hand on one breast, with your thumb and forefingers opposite each other around the edge of the areola. Press your hand in toward your chest, gently pressing thumb and forefinger together while pulling forward slightly. I have nipples Greg, can you milk me? Seriously, I feel dangerous with this knowledge. I think this is why God didn't allow men to nurse. You give me a weapon like that and I would walk around squirting everybody.
- Many experts concur that even the best that television has to offer isn't very good for one-year-olds. Clearly written prior to the creation of Jersey Shore.
- Do not permit anyone (visitors included) to smoke in bed or while falling asleep on the sofa. Huh? I am truly baffled by this statement. I like to think I would try to stop anyone who was falling asleep while smoking, but now I know to definitely stop them if they are visitors to my sofa.
- Appearance: Some feel removal of the foreskin makes the penis more attractive. And this is how we got into this mess to begin with.
Well, that's all the pearls of wisdom I have right now. And don't worry, I am fully aware that the tournament o' names has recently fizzled to a standstill. All I can say at this juncture is that the race is close, both opponents have fought valiantly, and as faithful readers of our blog you will be the first to know.
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