First night at home.

Our first night at home is finishing up and I would be lying if I said it was easy. K- and I had it fairly good at the hospital. The first night Liam was quiet all night. The second night we had a very nice nurse that took care of Liam in the nursery and brought him back for feedings. We offered to take her home with Liam, but she demurred.

Despite Liam's problems with sleeping, K- and I are starting to get a rhythm going, so that we can both get some sleep. It should only get better today. If you talk to K-, first tell her she is beautiful (anyone who says different is fixing for a fight), that she is the best Mom in the world (or fight again), and then tell her to take a nap.

As promised, here is the next installment of photos - the first, much appreciated visit at the hospital by Meemaw, Peepaw, Aunt L, Aunt J, and Uncle D.

From Liam Birth

From Liam Birth

From Liam Birth

From Liam Birth

From Liam Birth

From Liam Birth

We're Home!

It is with great pleasure that I can tell you that K-, Liam, and I are home. L.V. is of course ecstatic to have a new friend and Liam is happy with his new digs (despite the face he is making in the photos below - its only gas).

From Liam Birth

From Liam Birth

All is well and K- and Liam are doing great. However, we are still getting sorted out. More pictures are coming as promised.

Liam is here!

Short and sweet, because I have to get back to the hospital.

After 24 hours of labor and earning a lifetime of my respect, Kate gave birth to Liam at 9:20 Saturday, October 7th. He was 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 19 inches long. All are well and beautiful. Here are two pictures - more coming.

From Liam Birth

From Liam Birth

6 hours until Liam . . .

Reverse Psychology, Raspberry Leave tea, and the Full Moon all worked together to create a night of contractions for K-. It is 14 hours later, we are in the hospital and Liam is still holding on to the womb, but we are getting much closer. K- has been amazing, bearing some terrible pain and exhaustion with as much grace as is possible under the circumstances.

It has been a trying half-a-day for K, but K- now has the help of the epidermal and is able to sleep for an hour or two.

It is something that no one can prepare you for and that you can never really get used to - seeing a loved one feeling pain (even for a good cause) when you can do very little about. I think Stravinsky was right - birth is one of the most horrible and beautiful things.

6 days until Liam . . .

I know, I know, today is the due date. Forget about that. We got a call from the doctor today. If Liam doesn't get with the get go, then medical science will. In the mean time, K- and I have began an additional tact - reverse psychology. K- has been asking Liam not to come this weekend, because we have a big vacation to Vegas. Whatever he does, Liam, well, you should hold off until we play the slots at The Venetian. The only wrinkle is if he can hear us or if he has a GPS in there. Nonetheless, we are running out of rabbits in this hat.

Best laid plans . . .

K- had a doctor's appointment and, despite our best-laid plans, she did not have Liam. Our plan was that she was going to walk into her appointment today. After one look, the mid-wife was going to say, "You're ready." Upon which, K- was going to call me, walk across the street to Lakewood Hospital, wait approximately 30 minutes for me to get across town, and then have Lima. Instead, K- made a another appointment and we are back to the drawing board. One early favorite is K- drinking her weight in raspberry leave tea.

Liam isn't here, but already improvements to the nursery

Liam is one lucky kid. Already, before his arrival, K- and I have taken it upon ourselves to make his stay even more comfortable. Last night, Kate and I got this amazing new material we ordered off the TV (Fed Ex is fantastic. We ordered it on Monday and it was already here on Tuesday.) The materials is meant to help Liam grow bigger by focusing energy into his rapidly growing new cells. We laid the material last night in his crib (see below), his carseat, and the changing table. We are just waiting for him to see how well it works. Liam is obviously not coming Fed Ex. He would have already been here.

From Nursery

Disclaimer: We don't actually believe in the energy-focusing powers of aluminum foil. We were more hoping it had cat-frightening qualities. I can sadly report that L.V. was comfortable sleeping and rustling in the car seat. L.V. is no fraidy-cat. I do believe he is slightly larger than yesterday. Maybe there is something to this. . .

Pic of the nursery

Here it is - Hotel Liam. Open to the public for only a couple of more days.

From Nursery

3 days before Liam . . .

And still no joy. Much to K-'s confusion, I have taken to yelling at her belly, "you get out of there" and shaking her up and down like you would a stocking on Christmas day. Some might argue that this is trauma more than encouragement, however, I would suggest a different take. Tomorrow is K- and mine's wedding anniversary and I believe (due to the lack of shopping in K-'s stomach) that Liam is a little embarrassed that he doesn't have anything for us. Either that or the little man is very cheap. In either case, we are rapidly approaching the land of late.

7 days until Liam. . .

It has been 8 days since I sent the first post, and I can tell you in all honesty that nothing has occurred. K- has gone to the doctor and been told to stay the course. I have gone about my new hobby of collecting horror stories from other parents (still not as scary as when I snuck downstairs while my Dad was watching the Hills Have Eyes). The sun has risen in the East and set in the West.

In our boredom, I got art up in the nursery (pictures to come), so all that is left to do in the nursery is to fuss over it. I'm already putting time in on that project.

K- has been much more productive engineering a way to put the boy to work as soon as possible. Her plan is to follow the principled example of Tom and Katie and cloister Liam until we are offered our own cover of Vanity Fair (and the filthy lucre that follows).

As an aside and not to be gossipy, but I heard that Tom and Katie may have been concerned about Suri's infantile baldness and were waiting for a baby toupee. Mere conjecture, but how else can you explain it?

15 Days before Liam and the stockings were hung by the chimney . . . wrong story.

It is exactly 15 days from Liam's inexact due date of October 6, so I thought it was as good a time as any to begin collecting bits and baubles about Liam's delivery.

K- went to a doctor's appointment today and found out that all is well. Liam is right on schedule for his due date and is currently weighing in at 6-6.5 pounds (give or take a pound). The midwife said that based on how things are going Liam should come in around 8 pounds.

When Liam decides to join us, all is ready, except for the nursery's art. I hope he isn't waiting around for that.