Hard To Tell

Don't think Adrian looks much like either of us at this point.

Though he definitely has my hair. And at least for now, Kate's blue eyes. Our doctor said she thought Adrian had Kate's lips. (Although Kate doesn't agree.) Even has these weird little toes that splay out like fingers. Again, Kate.

And the verdict on the thumbs ... not mine.

As you can imagine, Kate was very relieved. Unless, of course, it turns out to be a late onset sort of thing and they morph into disfigured little stumps later in life. Only time will tell.

Bath Time

Bathed Adrian for the first time today. We managed to get him clean, but not until after he shot a stream of urine across the kitchen. Coming inches from our faces.

Naturally, as parents, we decided the best course of action would be to wrap him up to look like a duck. Still not sure if we were rewarding or punishing him though.

Day Two

Apparently it's pretty exhausting to scream at the top of your lungs for an hour on end. For everyone really.

Job Well Done

So, in the end, Kate never had to have a C-section.

It was close though.

At one point she was completely whooped ... she'd been pushing for hours, was loaded with drugs and hadn't slept in nearly two days. Even threatened the doctors to walk out of the hospital with the kid still in her belly.

But, she took a break. Recharged her battery. And after another half hour (and the help of a plunger) she made it happen.

Pretty amazing.

And it was great to have her mom there for support. But, Carol did earn a "STOP ASKING ME FUCKING QUESTIONS WHILE I'M HAVING CONTRACTIONS!!" from the mother-to-be.

While I on the other hand, didn't get yelled at once. (Although I did get the "I can't believe you did this to me," look a few times.)

Healthy and Happy

Jake & Kate Plus 1

Adrian Adam Benjamin

June 23, 2009
7:50 pm
8 lbs 6 oz
19 1/2 inches

T Minus ... Hours?

So, here’s the latest …

Checked into the hospital last night because Kate got some lab results that showed she has cholestasis. In other words, her liver is being a pain in the ass (and the abdomen).

They wanted to bring her in and get things rolling …

After we checked in, they ran some more tests and found her blood pressure was high, her platelets were low and other signs that she has pre-eclampsia as well.

Which meant the baby needed to come out sooner than later.

And even though we scored the room with a spa tub and a window with a view, we had to move Kate to another area of the hospital so they could keep her closer to the heavy-duty equipment. Just in case.

They strapped on a handful of IVs, threw in a cathedar and inserted an epidural. Looks like she’s tangled in a spider web of tubing.

She’s in good shape though. More dramatic than scary. Just really drowsy and not at all impressed with our child’s behavior at this point. The doctor started inducing her this morning and as of right now her contractions are picking up and becoming more regular.

So, if things don't progress fast enough the doctor is going to schedule a C-section in a couple hours. And if things begin cruising along, she’ll probably deliver sometime later tonight.

One way or another, seems like today’s gonna be the day.

We've Arrived

Took a picture now because I assume this is probably the happiest she'll look for the next 24 hours or so.

Here We Go

Heading into the hospital tonight. In two hours actually. Some blood tests showed Kate's liver was acting funny, so the doctors decided, "Oh, what the heck."

They're gonna start the process of inducing her tonight. And if all goes as planned, there will be a new Benjamin introduced to the world at some point tomorrow. (Then we'll find out if all those books and classes actually taught us anything useful.)

And just for the record, I'm predicting a boy-type human.

T Minus One Week

Kate's due date is one week from today. But, so far, no signs of the baby wanting to pack it up and move out anytime soon.

Luckily, everyone seems to know a surefire way to get it going.

So, if worse comes to worse, Kate either needs to eat pineapple while having sex and running on a treadmill. Or wash the kitchen floor while eating spicy Indian food and having her legs rubbed.

It's coin flip really. I could go either way.

No More Work

Kate's last day of work was on Friday.

She's not scheduled to go back until sometime in late October. And I'm still not working full-time ... which actually makes for a nice last hurrah before the baby comes.

We've just been hanging out and getting everything ready. Enjoying our last few days of peace and quiet. And eating-out every possible meal before we're forced to become hermits.

I imagine this is what it must feel like to be independently wealthy. Minus the actual money and the his and hers hovercraft.

Belly Status (37 Weeks)

Whoa. Starting to wonder whether she's got a baby in there or a small horse. (Fingers crossed for baby.)

June 19th

Gonna put it out there now. Like Babe Ruth stepping up to the plate and calling the spot where he's gonna hit his home run.

Even though the baby isn't technically due until the 27th, we've set our minds on the 19th. A week from next Friday.

Mark your calendars.

We figure the baby has already been baking long enough. It was full term on the 6th, so anything past that just makes it bigger and hairier and more likely for us to become acquainted with words like episiotomy and perineal trauma.

I can safely speak for both of us when I say ... um, no thanks.

Not to get all new age on you, but I feel like we can will this to happen. And if that doesn't work, I can just start screaming a daily countdown to the baby through Kate's belly button.

Another Class

This one was called: Newborn Parenting. Or, in other words: What to do with that tiny mass of flesh once you get it back home. Or even: Holy shit. Okay, now what?

This class was way less interesting than our last one though. How to change a diaper. How to pick up your baby. How to comb your baby's hair. How to give a sponge bath. Boring.

Even though we had dolls to play with ... boring.

In fact, the most fascinating thing about it was the 65 year-old woman sitting next to Kate. We couldn't figure out what she was doing there. (She couldn't be ... could she?)

Especially curious since she was asking more questions and scribbling down notes more furiously than anyone in the room.

Turns out she was the mother of one of the women in the class. The gramma-to-be. And I guess if she's planning on babysitting, it's impressive that she took the time to learn about everything that's changed since she last reared a child.

Actually pretty commendable of her. Makes me feel kinda guilty about giggling at all the off-color jokes Kate made about her.