Our Kid Library

We do love our books, and we were very happy to have a book themed (and read-aloud) pre-baby party, for boys and girls.

That wonderful gathering and a collection of literary friends have helped us amass a good library of books to read aloud to the little dude. You'll now see a Library listing on the right sidebar of the blog with our current list that we keep by the bed, expected to grow over time.

I especially like reading aloud, and I have been recently been reading through a non-kids book, What to Expect When You're Expected, which I highly recommend to any parent-to-be with a sense of humor. It's perfect for those who've already processed a little too much advice from baby books, articles and websites.

Daddy's Hands

'Twas the night before labor, when all through the house 
Came a call from downstairs, Max needed his spouse; 
Clean dishes were stacked in the dryer with care, 
One glass remained, with a crack fine as hair;
As Max got to washing, Lynn heard a loud yelp,
He called upstairs to her, he needed some help;
Two band-aids and gauze, tied in a knot
Stopped up the gash Max's finger had got.
A hospital trip would have been too ironic
But pressure and ice proved to be just the tonic.
Max felt pretty silly, he had to confess it
Between the contractions the nurse would redress it.

Then two weeks later, our food stores were low
So Max went out shopping, lest greens they forgo.
He packed up his bags and went to the car
He started to drive but he did not get far.
The wheels were making a terrible sound
When he took a look, a blowout he found.
A flat was not something that he'd had to fix
So Lynn and the baby entered the mix.
Working together they put on the spare
Lucky to have all the needed hardware.
Now that his hands had healed the scar
They ended up covered in dirt from the car.

Very advanced

Hunahpu already shows facility with very advanced technology.

Also, he's adorable when half asleep.

Clowns

We'd be very happy if Hunahpu lacked strange phobias or aversions. A child comfortable with dragons, murlocks, zombies and squid would make me very happy, and expand our storytelling repertoire copiously.

Sadly the pediatrician's office seeks to undermine our efforts with this Death Clown From Above mobile hanging in the room:

Seriously guys, this thing is totally freaky.

The clowns are not only descending ninja-style from the ceiling, they are dead AND SMILING!

Woah.

Birthday Picnic

To take advantage of a lazy Thursday and fine weather, we all went out to Old Campus to have a little trip and sit under the trees.

We brought our new Tuffo Outdoor Blanket, a handy picnic blanket that's water resistant and comes with its own carrying case.

We got to read aloud (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) and play a short game of Royalty. Some students were making bubbles that floated over us in the breeze and caught the sunlight perfectly.

Relaxation and outdoor time fit today's birthday perfectly, especially with our new buddy in tow in the Moby Wrap.

Earth Day Birthday

Today is my 30th birthday, and the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. To celebrate we're going to take a long walk outside, and will enjoy the trees and flowers blooming all around us.

Team Awesome

Before I post about anything else, I really want to give a huge shoutout to my labor support team, who were absolutely indispensable in helping me have an amazing birth experience. Max, Max's mom Ellen, and our doula Meg worked together as a fantastic team. I am tremendously grateful for their positive spirit and strong hands, and am amazed by their energy and endurance!

For friends who might at some point be thinking about a childbirth plan, let me heartily endorse considering a doula. I had a wonderful experience, and would highly recommend it. My feeling is that it's worth having as many people with you as you can trust and feel comfortable with (Yale-New Haven Hospital allows up to three, which I think is a good number). Meg provided informational, emotional, and physical support (including hours of powerful counterpressure back massage that I relied on for relief). For me, having a great labor team made all the difference in navigating a 26+ hour labor with a sense of empowerment and no pain meds.

For more on Meg, see Lucina Doula Services http://lucinadoulaservicesct.blogspot.com/


Future posts to be written:
-baby shower of books, with huge thanks to Kirsten and Kara
-labor and birth story in more detail
-first week reflections
-more pictures of Hunahpu as he grows!

Wraps

Conditions were perfect. The weather outside was great today... conditions were perfect.

We had a great pediatrician visit, and Hunahpu has gained a lot of weight, along with his very frequent food inputs and outputs. I might have to rig up some system to weigh him at home just to get more fun stats on his growth.

On our walk back we got to enjoy a burrito from the cart, something missing from our routine for a while. After all three of us had a long nap, to continue to enjoy the pretty day, we walked around a bit outside to test out the Moby Wrap.

Important to stop and smell the lilacs.

I gave it a test drive yesterday, just to get used to the system around the house. It's excellent in freeing up hands, keeping very close to the little one, and handling a wide range of infants.

We're really happy with this carrier, and look forward to using it more as we go on more outings together.

Eternal Struggle

This post is not about vampires, but instead about pirates and ninjas.

Some have theorized as to the nature of individual offspring, before their birth, and to which clan they will belong. The service to this higher calling is lifelong and VRY SRS.

There is no longer any doubt in our family.

Our little bretteur truly rocks the imported stylings provided by his beloved great-aunt, as he sleeps the afternoon away.

Aforementioned Felines

Neither of us was really sure what to expect from the felines when we came home from the hospital with our new roommate. Twombly always investigates new guests, and tends to be protective of people. Reinhardt is very snuggly and loves physical affection.

During labor they stuck true to character:
Twombly lay napping in the sun, but nearby

Reinhardt wanted to take care of Momma, since she was having a bit of discomfort. When labor moved downstairs, she found her spot to help out

Lynn was able to cuddle with her while I applied pressure to her lower back, and it all worked out pretty well.

Now that we're home with Hunahpu they have been wonderful. While formerly they spent all their time upstairs (where we kept our desks and would sleep) now they are downstairs with us all the time, in the chairs, on the bed or just flopped on the floor. Reinhardt frequently gets into bed to snuggle, and Twombly stands guard (when he's awake).

Happy 1 week-day!

It has only been one week, yet already I feel as though I've known him forever, and that this is the oldest and deepest relationship of my life. The word love is not quite sufficient. We three have been enjoying lots of relaxing and cuddling, staring into each others' eyes and smelling each others' smells. Bliss.

Typing one-handed while nursing is slow, so I'll keep it short. Here's an early picture from the hospital: