So Sue Me

I'm back. Just not very motivated.

Parenthood, Paintball and Peter's Query

I'm tired and I desperately need to get some sleep, but I feel obligated to write something since it will be the better part of a week before I get another chance.

Life at the homestead has been exciting but tiring as the wife and I explore parenthood. Luckily we've had live-in help for the better part of the month (thanks moms) which has made the transition a little easier. It's amazing how fast the day goes by when you have a little person to take care of.

That being said, I did manage to weasel out of my fatherly responsibilties yesterday morning to go spend a few hours playing paintball with a couple of the old high school chums. That makes one outing this year and once last year. I definitely need to increase the frequency, because it was a great time (as usual).

So high school chum Peter says to me, "Hey Dave...nice blog. What's the deal with the chick you're promoting?" The question sounded a bit familiar. I believe that he is talking about Jessica Stover. I gave him the two second response before we were interrupted by someone or something (probably Darren barking orders about filling loaders or something). In any event, Jessica recently did and interview with Eventful that explains a lot about her project. There is also an interesting thread being discussed on her site about the new television show Heroes and movies and other such business. Check it out. Perhaps when I get back I'll write something more about why I support Jess' projects and how I got involved.

In the meantime, enjoy a picture of Alexandra (with a few more added to Flickr).



Later, skaters. (no funny business while I'm away)

Fatherhood: Week 1

It's little wonder that my readership is so small, given my frequency of blog entries.

I suppose I have a bit of an excuse of late (who would have thought having a child was so time consuming?). Regardless, perhaps it's time for an update.

As per my previous post, Alex was born at 2:49 a.m. on October 5th. We actually went in to the hospital at 7:30 a.m. on October 4th for our induction, but it turned out to be a long process. Gels were applied at around 8:45 a.m. and again around 1:00 p.m., but it wasn't until about 6:00 pm. that Tam's water broke (a messy affair in the birthing unit hallway as we were out for a stroll). Then the labour began. She was in a lot of pain. I did what I could to comfort, but there wasn't a lot of fun to be had. Around 9:00 p.m. they decided to give her an epidural. This lessened the pain significantly (or so I'm told). Things didn't progress quite as well as hoped, and the doctor decided in the early morning hours of the 5th that it would probably be best to proceed by way of a Caesarian section. I called home as they got her ready to be wheeled into the O.R.

Once they were prepped and had started the surgery, I was allowed into the operating room. Tam was shaking uncontrollably from the epidural, which is apparently a normal side effect. I kept her company as the docs did their work. Around 2:49 a.m., I heard a cry, and we were soon treated to a view of our daughter before they whisked her away to clean her up and so forth. Shortly thereafter, I was given our bundle of joy to hold as they needed to stitch up the wife and monitor vitals for a while. We proceeded to the special care nursery where they did a "heel prick" to test the blood. Alex's blood sugar was low, so they supplemented her with some formula and would have to monitor her overnight until they had 3 tests over the acceptable blood sugar levels. She had a quick visit with the grandmothers and her great-uncle Bebe who had come to the hospital to say hello. Mom didn't get to hold her daughter until a couple hours later until she was back in her room and the effects of the epidural had started to wear off a bit.

Due to the C-section we had to stay in the hospital until Sunday afternoon. Alex spent a while on the "tanning bed" as she was showing some signs of jaundice. We had a number of visitors from both sides attend the hospital to meet the newest addition to the family. As we had a private room, someone was able to stay overnight with mom and daughter. I did so on Thursday and Saturday night, with the mother-in-law assuming the duty on Friday night.

Things have gone relatively well since being home. The pets, while perhaps a bit jealous, haven't tried to attack the little one, and mostly ignore her. Alex sleeps a lot, and through just about any noise. However, she seems to get extremely aggravated around 11:00 p.m. (gas?) and persists in her cranky state until usually at least 3:00 a.m. Thankfully, after that she seems to sleep fairly well.

She's absolutely adorable, and I'm in love. Taking care of her takes so much time, but it seems well worth it. Overnight, it's as if priorities have shifted. It is incredible how one little person can have such a profound effect on your life. I'm sure there will be many more stories to tell in the days, weeks, and years to come.

Keep checking My Flickr page as I will update new photos there with some regularity.

Daughter

It's official. My life has been forever altered.

At 02:49 a.m. on October 5th, 2006, my wife and I welcomed into the world our daughter, Alexandra Emery Ruth Grant. Delivered by Caesarian Section at 37 weeks, she weighed in at 7 lbs. and 14.9 ounces and measured 21.5 inches long. Both mom and daughter are doing well. If all goes well, both will be home by Sunday. Here's a picture of our little "Alex". More to be posted (check Flickr) as time permits.