Inside Offside (A Chronicle)

2008-03-02T09:19:00.006-06:00

We've Moved!

We've moved the blog to its new home! Weekdays with Alan is live! Please visit the link below and check us out. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed to keep informed as we post new entries and photos.

www.weekdayswithalan.com

2008-02-29T20:22:00.004-06:00

Alan's 2 Month Statistics

Alan is 2 months old!

We can't imagine time going by this quickly, but he's growing. We went to the pediatrician for his 2 month check-up and aside from the 5 immunizations he received he came away with these stats:

Weight - 9.2oz (10-25th percentile)

Length - 22.75 (50th%)

Head - 15.25 (25th%)

2008-02-27T16:55:00.005-06:00

On Knowing Your Child

A friend once said to me that there is no automatic love when your child is born. They are, after all, strangers.

My relationship with Alan has taken time to develop, and as his father I understand that when it comes to bonding I come second in line to Mom. But about a week ago we had a breakthrough. As some of you know, I like Phish....the band. A more true statement would be I loved Phish and spent a great deal of my 20's seeing them live and listening to them in the comfort of my car an/or home. But last week, Alan and I were wining down the day and I had him tightly swaddled and we were bouncing away on our exercise ball when a Phish tune came over the iPod, "Stash" to be specific. (A side note: this particular version of "Stash" has what Rolling Stone Magazine considers to be one of the Top 100 guitar solos of all time and is found on the album "A Live One").

As the song wore on, Alan began to drift away to sleep. Its hard to describe my feelings about the situation but I'm sure parents have these moments, just not with Phish. I got the usual chills when the guitar would reach those great heights and with my son's warm, tired body against me I just melted. I had that 'wow' moment that I'll always remember. I met my son that day, all thanks to my old friends Phish.

2008-02-26T15:35:00.001-06:00

Parenting Revelation #5:

If you want to see withdrawal take hold of a person you could either watch Celebrity Rehab, or have you child wait an extra half-hour for Mom to get home.

2008-02-20T11:34:00.003-06:00

Parenting Just Got A Whole Lot More Expensive

Alan is off soy, Mom is off dairy products, he's been put on medication for reflux...but his crying spells are still pretty intense. But lucky for me, a client of Good Neighbor Pet Sitting happens to be a pediatrician. While talking doggy care, we breached the Alan subject. One of the things that we still don't know much about is how much food Alan actually gets while breast feeding, so hunger could be a reason for his sleeplessness and/or fussiness. But supplements to mothers milk have always been of interest to me for when Angie goes back to work anyway, for emergency situations if anything else, so my client suggested Nutramigen. Nutramigen is hypoallergenic and very expensive. From what I can see, it costs almost $10 more per can on average. And for people that weren't intending on formula before Alan was born, its a rude awakening.

2008-02-18T16:45:00.008-06:00

Weekdays with Alan: Sneak Peek

I've started building Weekdays with Alan, the new website that will eventually replace Inside Offside (footballchronicles.blogspot.com). Click on the link below and have a look for yourself, and tell us what you think. Soon the web address will be www.weekdayswithalan.com

http://web.mac.com/aabraira

2008-02-18T16:14:00.004-06:00

You Know You're a Parent When:

A poop is a huge deal.

Alan had us worried, we’ve changed so much about his diet (Mom’s diet) that he got a little backed up. So, one day without a poop became 4 days and we were looking into ways of ‘encouraging’ a movement. (The mere fact that this is a blog subject makes me feel a bit too ‘fatherly’)

But today, Angie hit the high notes and declared a Eureka! moment from the changing table, thus ending the what must have been uncomfortable time that Alan has been having. A poop made my day...

2008-02-17T10:08:00.008-06:00

Good Neighbor Pet Sitting & Son

As some of you may know, I started a pet care business here in The Woodlands area when we returned home from Wales called Good Neighbor Pet Sitting. I started the business when we found out Angie was pregnant with Alan, and it was formed with the knowledge that I could continue the business and be a stay-at-home Dad. Now that Alan has arrived, and it being mere days before Angie returns to work, I thought it would be as good a time as any to get Alan out and start walking some dogs. So when one of my first clients, Sam (pictured above), came calling I knew it would be the ideal situation for us. Sam is a sweet little dog with a quiet disposition that just loves to walk, he's one of the best clients I have.

Here's how it went down as I worked a 7 week old into my work schedule:

12.35pm: Alan is pulled from his sound asleep position on the couch and placed (swaddle and all) in the car seat.

12.36-12.55pm: Alan remains sound asleep in the car seat until we get to Sam's house, where I remove him from the car seat and place him in the Baby Bjorn child carrier. He's still asleep.

12.55-1.20pm: We Walk Sam through his normal routes, all the while staying comfortably asleep.

1.20pm: Alan is removed from the Baby Bjorn and placed back in the car seat, where he promptly starts crying.

1.20-1.40pm: A very loud car ride ends with a reunion with Mom, from whom he gets some much-deserved nourishment.

Not a bad start to things, but it can pretty much only go downhill from here. Oh, and we have a preliminary agreement that Alan makes 5%. He's not such a good negotiator, yet.

2008-02-15T16:19:00.003-06:00

What About Fenugreek?

Alan has had his fair share of issues, and high on the list is laziness. It was diagnosed in the NICU and continues today, he's just not a good eater. That being said, he spends a lot of time eating, but just doesn't make the most of it. A suggestion from a lactation consultant led us to a spice called fenugreek, or as I like to call it: 'fen·u·stink' or 'fen·u·reak'. It is said to increase the supply of mothers milk, but such benefits come at a cost. Commonly used in curries, fenugreek smells just like it says, a curry spice, a pungent curry spice. And it emanates. It increases the milk supply by increasing sweat production and although Alan is benefitting, Angie, and those in close enough proximity, are suffering. Needless to say, curry is not on this weeks menu.

2008-02-12T00:01:00.000-06:00

The Changing Face Of Inside Offside

Since this is no longer a "football chronicle" as it was intended to be when I started this blog (see The Hypocrisy of UEFA), I've decided to change the web address, and perhaps even the name of "footballchronicles.blogspot.com" and "Inside Offside". So stay tuned for the upcoming changes. There will be a re-direct feature for the new web address so you won't get lost along the way.

2008-02-11T15:27:00.000-06:00

Parenting Revelation #4:

A 2 minute discussion with your pediatrician can lead to wonderful things and reassure you that parenting, although difficult, is not a new undocumented experience for human beings.

2008-02-11T15:15:00.000-06:00

What A Difference!

Alan (knock on wood) has had his best days yet, and a 180º turnaround from these first early weeks. The elimination of milk from Mom's diet, medication to help ease any reflux issues, along with the supplementing of Mother's Milk with soy-based formula has worked wonders. And just in time, too. We just had a weekend full of activity and old friends (our friend Sydney is pictured above with Alan), during which Alan was a mere shell of his normal, fussy self. We couldn't be happier to see him more comfortable and less irritated. We hope these changes in his routines will be the beginnings of a much happier Alan and the beginnings of a much more enjoyable experience for Mom and Dad.

2008-02-11T08:59:00.000-06:00

Awesomeness Looms Large In Austin

I am so very proud to announce that my very good friend Matthew has finalized the deal with his long-term girlfriend Tami (echemm, not pictured above) and the two will be married later this year. To try and describe my friendship with Matthew within the confines of this bloggosphere would be a complete injustice, but friendships that have comprised as much as 75% of ones entire life can do that. So congrats for now, Matthew, lets get to celebrating.

2008-02-08T14:24:00.001-06:00

Now That's Worth Blogging About

We love our Pediatrician. She's a great influence on our parenting and a great advocate for the ways her patients and their parents wished they could raise their children. We took Alan in for a check on a small lump on the back of his head, not an uncommon thing on Robert's side of the family, and came out having had a in-depth conversation about Alan's fussiness. He was in rare form at the office that day and our doctor was quick to alert us to some possible problems. Firstly, she doesn't believe in colic. Second, she narrowed his fussiness to one or both of these: an allergic reaction to cow's milk found in Angie's day-to-day diet and/or infant acid-reflux.

We did a run of tests and they came back positive for the milk allergy. The reflux is still to be determined. I guess you could say we're relieved, but as a friend of ours put it, "the hits keep coming". We're happy there could be a simple solution to make him happier and more comfortable, but he can't catch a break. So we've gone milk-less in Angie's intake and put him on some medication to help with acid-reflux. One way or another we're closer to putting more smiles on Alan's face and helping him get more sleep.

2008-02-07T09:48:00.000-06:00

Mom, Alan, and One Of His Favorite Noises: Chimes

2008-02-06T11:15:00.000-06:00

Alan and the Soft Green Frog

2008-02-06T11:12:00.000-06:00

Alan Finds Hair, Pulls Hair, Realizes It Hurts

2008-02-05T09:07:00.000-06:00

Parenting Revelation #3

Whoever coined the phrase "Babies just eat, sleep and poop." is wrong.

2008-02-04T17:23:00.001-06:00

Is Swaddling Selfish? Or Even Humane?

*The following are the opinions of Robert, not Angie.

My least favorite part of parenting has to be swaddling. Is it necessary? Absolutely. Is it fun to do? Absolutely not. Lets face facts: Alan has busy hands, period. If left to sleep on his own it wouldn't happen, he must be swaddled if sleeping on his back. But it doesn't seem right to me. When swaddled, he does quiet down, so I guess you could say it works. But is he silent out of shock? Is he saying to himself, "I have on very good authority that people committed for treatment of mental disorders are treated better than this. Even Brittany Spears has a free hand to down her hourly Caramel Macchiato."

But what to do? Nothing I guess, no sleep for him means no sleep for us, and in the end we can justify it by human beings not being able to remember this period of our lives. But as long as we're justifying cruelty, on however a minor level, can someone figure out a device or mild adhesive that helps keep pacifiers in mouths?

2008-02-02T16:28:00.001-06:00

Product Updates

We've been home about one calendar month since Alan was born. We've been using myriad baby-specific devices and methods learned from word-of-mouth, books and intuition during that time, and wanted to give you a look inside at what we consider useful or not so useful tools of the trade. We were very lucky to start with a great deal of help from friends and family and have had little need to purchase anything other than what we already had to satisfy Alan's needs.

Diapers (gDiapers, etc.) - Alan was born too small (and remains too small) for the smallest of the gDiaper line. Its a disappointing fact that they don't make models small enough to fit babies that don't weigh at least 8lbs. Instead of the gDiapers during this period, we've used Pampers Swaddlers (newborn size), and have found very little problems with them. Other than not being able to recycle them , they have no downside thus far.

Wipes - From the start, we've used our own wipes that we've made ourselves and have found the product rewarding to make and very easy to use. The only downside is portability, the container size is just too big to carry around. Alternatively, we've used the hospital-issue wipes when traveling with Alan until we can find another way to tote the homemade version.

Baby Bjorn - We use both the Baby Bjorn front-facing infant carrier and Baby Bjorn 1-2-3 Baby Sitter. We find them to be very useful and Alan seems to like them both. They're good for soothing and for sitting around when he is wakeful. We also use the Baby Bjorn diaper bag, but since we haven't used it on anything other than trips to the pediatrician and other very short trips, we'll reserve our opinion until we take an extended journey.

Baby Swing - Not the most popular item so far, the baby swing. The only speed we've used is the minimum and it has worked but a few times to extend a nap or to calm Alan. If anything, the baby swing is an agitator at this point, but we'll wait until he's a little older to make a final assessment of its usefulness.

The Pilates Ball - One baby item disguised as workout equipment that will forever change our view on workout equipment. The pilates ball is the single most useful tool in the house. It is Alan's favorite place to calm down. We simply don't know what we would do without it.

The Noise Machine - A friend of ours gave us a sound machine, one with sounds such as 'babbling brook', 'white noise', and 'waves crashing' (among others) has been a big help as well. A little noise in the room can go a long way to help get to sleep and stay asleep. The only problem is when it stops after about an hour; the silence can give Alan a shock in his sleep and could wake him up, foiling the time it took to get him down in the first place.

The Kick and Play Floor Gym (as shown in a previous video post) - The floor gym is a nice way to get the day started for Alan. He spends the first 10-20 wakeful minutes of the day in it and seems to enjoy it. The mirror especially gets a lot of attention. Its even been known to produce a smile or two.

There are other things we look forward to using, like the running stroller, but until he gets a little bigger we'll have to wait.

2008-01-31T08:16:00.000-06:00

Paddington: Gone But Not Forgotten

Our beloved cat Paddington (above, background) has been gone for over a month now. We refuse to eulogize him but offer this bit of remembrance: Paddy is a bit of a legend in this family, his disappearance is almost befitting of such a character. We miss him. He is and will always be an explorer and adventurer. We hold out hope for his return and will never forget his life with us.

2008-01-30T14:31:00.000-06:00

Grandma Facilitates Nap Time

2008-01-30T08:57:00.000-06:00

Parenting Revelation #2

Soothing is 50% endurance, 50% smoke & mirrors.

2008-01-29T16:57:00.000-06:00

2008-01-29T13:26:00.000-06:00

The Long and Short

It seems like we were not blogging for a while, but it wasn't that long. We do, however, have some milestones to share.

Alan's umbilical cord has healed
He's now making more and more varied sounds
He sleeps in the bed with us more often than not
He had his first 'blowout'!
We connected to his maternal grandparents via webcam
Angie eliminated caffeine and Alan sleeps a little better
We think he has colic

2008-01-28T13:33:00.001-06:00

Photo Highlights Of Our Time Offline

2008-01-28T12:14:00.000-06:00

iMac To The Rescue

Our life under the thumb of Microsoft has come to an end with the arrival of our iMac. With it, we hope our problems will be minimized and our enjoyment optimized. It's ready right out of the box for anything you may need if you are minimalist pc users like us. Back to blogging!

2008-01-23T20:05:00.000-06:00

Technical Difficulties
Our computer crashed once and for all, so we've been unable to post until we purchase a replacement. So please stay tuned for more news and photos of Alan and some parenting revelations we've learned...one way or the other.

Like Revelation #1:
Fatherhood is at least 78% easier in these early months than is motherhood.

2008-01-20T12:18:00.001-06:00

Alan's Nemesis
Hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup...hiccup

2008-01-17T10:13:00.000-06:00

The 8th Wonder of the World
I've had the pleasure of seeing the Grand Canyon with my own eyes (and the Welsh coast for that matter), and I thought nothing could compare. That is, until I saw Angie and Alan embraced last night. It hit me so hard, right in the heart. Wow. This experience, so far, has been a very balanced mix of fast-paced interventions (crying, diapers) and slow and steady absorption of Alan's every breath, sound, movement and emotion. Its everything you and everyone we know has told us and more. We're in love.

2008-01-15T13:06:00.000-06:00

Alan Update
We've pretty busy here babysitting. And we've had our fair share of issues with Alan. As noted in an earlier post, he's had some bouts with crying and we've not had an easy time figuring out the source. So we went back to the pediatrician Monday and had another checkup. We'd also been concerned that the reasons for his crying could be his eating habits. Is he getting enough? Is he gaining the weight he should be? So we went to the doctor not short on questions, and thankfully we're not the only parents who wonder if what they're doing is right for their child.
But as we were leaving for our appointment and getting him changed, we noticed that his umbilical cord was still not healing as well as it should and also needed attention. Needless to say, the pediatrician was not surprised to see us.
We learned a lot in that visit. Firstly, we were good to have come in. You can never be too careful with newborns. Second, his weight was perfectly on target. Angie is providing enough for him to eat and we could rule that out from the reasons he may be getting upset. So we're pretty much going to try to limit the number of dairy products in Angie's diet to see if Alan is having an adverse reaction. All good news so far.
His umbilical cord, however, is a different story. Silver Nitrate (AgNO2) is something we'll long remember. Silver Nitrate is a substance that coderizes, drys it and forces healing. (I'm no doctor, so forgive my explanation.) But Alan has had this done to him now 3 times, and it hurts. We had it done on Monday and it didn't take, so we went to a pediatric surgeon today to have it done again and it was awful to see him in such pain, he even made some tears.
So the long story slightly longer: Alan is crying a little less, sleeping a little more and is developing a fear of doctors.

2008-01-15T13:03:00.000-06:00

Alan Surrenders To The Sandman

2008-01-13T17:18:00.001-06:00

Alan Gets Mail
We call him "Stinker," but Alan Wyn is his government name. It's a pretty weird feeling to go to the mailbox and find a letter for your not yet 3 week old son. But today, as we savored a few moments of silence while he got some sleep, we checked the mail only to find Alan's Social Security Card! So now he's officially real.

2008-01-10T16:53:00.000-06:00

Alan Sounds Off
Alan has been home for a little less than two weeks, and its been great having him here. He's had more visitors than we'd imagined, and friends and neighbors have helped out by cooking meals for us and always offering help if we were ever in need. But is it too soon to call in a favor? Alan has his witching hours, we figured newborns can have rough times, but his low points are very loud and painful to him. We haven't gone so far as to say he has colic, but inconsolable, fitful crying that leaves him breathless and gasping for air (perhaps compounding the problem), bringing on tears that lasts for up to an hour or more has us officially worried. No one can help us with this one, but we're hoping not to find ourselves continuing this trend over the next two months.

2008-01-09T21:12:00.000-06:00

2008-01-08T13:22:00.000-06:00

Nap Time

2008-01-07T18:42:00.000-06:00

On Calling The Pediatrician (On A Monday Morning)
I remember the day(s) vividly. We were in Swansea, Angie was at work, and I was on the telephone with Liverpool Football Club trying to secure tickets for the New Year's Day match against Bolton at Anfield. To make a long story short, I was on the phone for hours, spanning two days, reaching busy signals. "The number you are trying to reach is engaged."

I had a similar experience this morning when we needed to reach the pediatrician to take care of what was left of Alan's umbilical cord. The area had become sensitive and milky and looked on the verge of infection. So there I was on the phone, imagining every other freaked out parent of a child that needs attention jamming the lines first thing Monday morning and shutting us all out. The situation was not unlike that of trying to get tickets for a match at Anfield, but we got through and got his cord area taken care of. Patience paid off. Oh, and we also got into Anfield that day and saw two fantastic goals from Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard: Link

2008-01-05T20:19:00.000-06:00

Hanging Up Our Sailors Cap
We tried, as Angie grew during pregnancy, to minimize our foul language. Lets face it, its a bad habit. But now that Alan is here, it seems our best efforts haven't had the desired effect. So perhaps if I post it on the blog, we could put a stop to our indiscretions once and for all. What the ~~hell~~ heck, here goes nothing.

2008-01-04T22:01:00.000-06:00

Baby Monitor: Complete With Furiousness Indicator

2008-01-03T14:38:00.000-06:00

Worth A Thousand Words

2008-01-03T12:15:00.000-06:00

"The Thinker"

2008-01-02T10:29:00.000-06:00

Alan's First Checkup
Today was Alan's first visit to his pediatrician, an event that surprisingly was less nerve-wracking than expected. With all of his troubles since birth, we've been anxious about this 1 week check-up. Have we done ok? Is he eating enough? Does he even look as healthy to a doctor as he does to us? He passed with flying colors and we'll go back in a week to reconfirm.

2008-01-01T17:17:00.001-06:00

Grandparents Get Some Alan Time
Alan's paternal grandparents stopped by today for their first visit since he left the hospital. He managed to stay awake and entertained the whole time, hopefully he'll be good and tired in between feedings tonight. We're not holding our breath.

2007-12-31T20:17:00.000-06:00

Not All Good News At Our House
Now than Alan has made it home safe and sound, we've had a great deal to be thankful for. But such is life, nothing is just right. Paddington, our enigmatic and extremely lovable cat, has not been heard from since we left for the hospital last Wednesday morning. He does live outside, so this isn't a situation that is dire...yet. Paddington spends a great deal of his time near our home and to not have seen him in so long does concern us.
In other pet news, Alan's introduction to our family and into our home has not disrupted anything as far as the pets are concerned. The curiosity is palpable, but nothing out of the ordinary to report, and we couldn't be more pleased.

2007-12-31T09:56:00.000-06:00

Alan Gets Some Rest After A Tough Week

2007-12-31T09:14:00.000-06:00

Home At Last
Alan has fought the fight and turned some heads in the NICU with his quick recovery. We spent last night in our own beds, and by spent the night I mean mostly awake as you parents know. Alan is pictured above before his first car ride.

2007-12-30T18:05:00.001-06:00

Alan's Ready To Go Home

2007-12-30T06:41:00.000-06:00

Some Roller Coasters Are Fun
Our moments of pleasure in the hospital are few and far between, but last night we were visited in our room by a nurse from the NICU who brought us news of a breakthrough. Alan has begun to process his sugars more consistently and has maintained levels satisfactory enough to have been disconnected from his IV yesterday afternoon and continued progress enough to be released from the NICU and spend the night with us for the first time since he was born. Everything is going very well, and all of his test results are further indications that he may very well have put the NICU behind him for good and we may even be released from the hospital today and spend the night at home!

2007-12-29T07:04:00.000-06:00

The Hits Keep Coming
Today marks Alan's fourth day in the NICU and progress has slowed. From what we can understand we'll likely be discharged from the hospital prior to his release from intensive care. Its a bitter blow for us, especially Angie, who in spite of her cool exterior is truly hurt to think we may be going home without him.

On Being A Parent
Becoming a parent gives you a true moment of clarity. It’s very lonely and isolating but its like becoming a different person and achieving a new level of growth. However, with Alan being in the NICU we feel detached, and in some ways, not parents at all. We sit in our hospital room by ourselves, resting and watching movies as if the whole thing never happened. We visit him every 3 hours for feeding and then start the process over again.

His condition is a fairly normal one for children in the NICU, but most cases are not for term babies. He is healthy looking, feeling and is feeding well but in the end he’s still just a few days old and his system is still recovering from stress in utero. His system is still growing and maturing and the organs that are used to process sugars are getting in line every day. It looks as if we’ll be leaving the hospital on Monday, but we’ll be leaving him behind if he does not make big strides in the next 24 hours. The nurse practitioner encouraged us and gave us a lot of positive energy, but told us that in the event we do leave the hospital without him it would be “the worst day of our lives.”

Being a parent has been wonderful but full of emotion and confusion. We can hardly sleep between times we visit him and nervously await his next progress report.

2007-12-28T20:34:00.000-06:00

Alan’s Story Continues
Today is Alan’s third day in the NICU. Progress is slow but sure and if not for all of the equipment he’s attached to he’d look healthy and happy. He’s feeding very well and controlling his own intake nicely. However, he’s not holding on to his blood-sugar as well as yesterday and looks to have had a step backwards. But we have definitive goals for him and are working really hard to help him to achieve them. His condition continues to baffle the nurses and we can’t help but get frustrated by the circumstances. Angie is doing a really great job and motherhood is coming naturally. She took a walk out of the hospital today for the first time since we got there Wednesday morning and she’s coping really well with the situation. Our stay at the hospital ends for sure on Sunday and we anxiously await every glucose test result, for which he has had countless pricks to his little heels. The tests are very tough for us to stomach, and there’s no telling what he must think, but he’s tough and we know when he gets out of this he’ll be stronger than ever.

2007-12-27T11:43:00.000-06:00

Alan’s Story (So Far…)
Oh, Boy! Alan Wyn did not come quietly into the world. Well, it depends who you ask. Angie woke up to what felt like water breaking at 4 o’clock on the morning of the 26^th and we headed to the hospital full of hope that it was finally the day we were introduced to our son. Upon entry to the hospital, we got a negative result for water breakage, but through the various devices she was plugged into, it was noted that in response to contractions, Alan’s heart rate would drop at a rate of concern to the attendant nurses. As it was early, we awaited word from our OB/GYN as to the next step to take. Pitocin? Patience? We were in no rush, but we were the only ones, and at 7.30am the nurses and our doctor determined that a Cesarean Section was needed to relieve Alan of this stress. By 10.30am, Angie was prepped and ready for surgery.

21 minutes later, Alan arrived. He has a full head of long, dark, straight hair and didn’t so much as utter a sound upon entering the world, but for a small cry. His quiet disposition led us to believe we may have a laid-back little guy, and we were happy to have him here with us in any case. He came back to the room with Robert as Angie was finishing up surgery and met his paternal grandparents while getting a run of tests. He weighed 6.9 pounds and was 19.5 inches long, but he was critically low in blood-sugar and as fast as he left the operating room, he was put in the NICU, where he remains today, trying his best to get back to a blood-sugar level that can set him straight and get him back with us where he belongs.

Becoming a parent is scary, no question. But there is no book or life experience that can prepare you to see your child hooked up to myriad devices and tubes before you can even put him into his mother's arms for the first time. It hurts, deep. But he’s tough as nails and has taken everything from a feeding tube down the nose, an IV, periodic pricks to the feet for blood-sugar testing and a number of different nurses attending to him all in stride, and with very little complaining. He’s our little hero and we know that sooner rather than later he’ll be here with us to share in his mother’s recovery and get the stores of love we’re ready to give him. But he’s here, showing us what it takes to have strength and have life. Nothing is easy and we all have our fights to fight. He’s winning his, and we’re having the time of our lives supporting him.

Alan’s Story (Part 2)

Alan continues to persevere in the NICU today, and Angie has recovered enough to join him from time to time. His blood-sugar is steadily rising and he’s getting a good deal of nutrition, even some from Mom herself. He’s taking slowing to breast feeding but is a quick study. By the end of today he will have gone from not opening his mouth enough to full on feeding in sometimes 15 minute intervals.

Angie has really bounced back from the C-Section and is walking on her own through the hospital and to the NICU regularly to spend more and more time with Alan. They’ve begun to form that wonderful bond; you can see it in each of them. Alan does sleep a lot, but you can tell that there is no place more comfortable for him than with his Mom. She’s much happier now that the numbness has worn off and she can begin to heal, and the smile on her face when she’s with Alan can light the whole building.

Alan has graduated from the heat-lamped crib to a regular crib this evening and is steadily getting through this difficult patch. His blood-sugar has risen from 13 to as high as 67. No concrete estimate has been given for his release date but we are ever hopeful he’ll be spending the night with us tomorrow.

2007-12-26T21:15:00.000-06:00

Alan Wyn

6lbs. 9oz. 19.5 inches

10.51am

2007-12-26T15:19:00.000-06:00

Perfect Timing
Great success! Angie gave birth to our son today at 10.51am via Cesarean Section. More to follow, much more.

2007-12-26T04:15:00.000-06:00

Right On Time?
"I think my water may have broken."

-Angie, 4.00am

We're going to the hospital to have everything checked out before we get ahead of ourselves.

2007-12-24T09:05:00.001-06:00

Mars At Dawn, Christmas Eve 2007

2007-12-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

2007-12-21T21:01:00.000-06:00

Angie's Quote of the Day
"I'm pleasantly plump. I'd want to cuddle me."

2007-12-20T21:46:00.000-06:00

Atari Misses Out On Pro Bowl But Gains NFL Honor
Our favorite Green Bay Packer, Atari Bigby, is still at it these days. He's a part of one of the NFC's best defensive units and part of a team that has already clinched a first round bye in the NFC Playoffs. This week, Atari was named the NFL Player of the Week. A great honor for a great guy, he's as hard working as they come and his efforts are being noticed. But it didn't hurt to have 4 tackles and 2 interceptions on national TV! Congratulations Atari!

2007-12-18T16:21:00.001-06:00

Why Not Try Some DIY
While we're waiting at home for AWM to show up, we decided to do something while we're doing nothing. So we've taken to doing some do it yourself projects. Our first project has been to get around buying the mostly overpriced and in some cases unnatural baby wipes. Thanks to our new online resource Z Recommends, we've found a nice recipe for homemade wipes that cost as little as .06 cents per wipe when compared to store bought brands that can cost around 2.6 cents per wipe. Score! We've made our first batch, and they're not only soft but smell very nice and contain no alcohol.

Our other project has been to make a homemade mobile for the bassinet in our bedroom. As we've crammed through books leading up to this delivery, we've learned some valuable lessons about the first few weeks and months of life. It's been noted that an infant's poor vision and awareness may be better suited for brightly-colored and simply-shaped items such as human faces. We've made an impression of our little family to which AWM can acclimatize in his early weeks.

2007-12-17T18:04:00.000-06:00

Scared Silent
Our communication with friends and family is approaching absolute zero. Any call originating from us gets people excited and anxious hoping for news of labor and/or birth. AWM is seemingly very comfortable, but he's the only one. Angie is increasingly on edge, never getting comfortable and with constant back and hip aches. We're ready to go with our bags packed and tanks full of gas, but it doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere right away. And we aren't calling anyone with no news, its disappointing more than anything. More to come later....we hope.

2007-12-17T07:44:00.000-06:00

No Vacancy

2007-12-15T11:48:00.000-06:00

Coming Soon?: Labor Play by Play
We'll be connected and hopefully be able to take you through step by step (text only of course) of our labor and delivery.

2007-12-13T17:04:00.000-06:00

Angie's Quote of the Day
"If it (labor) happens, I want it fast...as in right now, or held off at least until Monday. I can't miss this."

-Angie on needing to see Liverpool FC vs.
Manchester United this Sunday.

2007-12-13T12:13:00.000-06:00

The Lightening
Angie had her 38th week appointment today and learned that things are moving along surely. AWM has lightened and is engaged, meaning he's on the cusp of his 0th birthday.

2007-12-11T11:19:00.000-06:00

A Memorable Anniversary
One year ago today we left the comforts of home and family on a trip into the unknown of Swansea, Wales. The photo above was in one of our original blog posts (all of which can be found in the 'blog archive' section of this page, in the menu on the right) from our trip abroad and shows our marina home near Swansea Bay. Just writing of this experience brings memories flooding back, and lots of emotions. We found a bit of ourselves we didn't know in Wales, we discovered a passion for adventure and a hunger for all things not us, a new culture and new friends. We often think of our time in Wales and long for the days we'll be able to return, this time for a different sort of homecoming...for AWM, our little piece of Wales we brought home with us.

2007-12-09T22:09:00.000-06:00

Angie's Quote of the Day
"The feelings of anxiety I'm getting as I lead up to this delivery are quite similar to those that I've had as I've approached a marathon with minimal training."

2007-12-08T10:57:00.000-06:00

A look inside AWM's room.

2007-12-07T08:42:00.000-06:00

Like Sands Through The Hourglass...
So are the days of our lives as a couple, as in two. Things are changing around here. All the nursery needs is a baby and we love the smell of Dreft. What more is there to do? Oh, yeah...the birthing. What may have been Braxton Hicks contractions have begun and Angie is increasingly irritable and uncomfortable;
AWM should be here any day now.

2007-12-03T20:38:00.001-06:00

Angie At 37 Weeks!

2007-12-01T20:22:00.000-06:00

A Sort Of Homecoming
We took a break last week and headed up to Dallas. Since Angie's parents moved from Dallas a little over a year ago, we haven't had much reason to visit. That was until the Green Bay Packers came to town to play the Dallas Cowboys in the game of the season thus far in the NFC. Atari is now an established member of the Packers secondary and this would be our first time to see him play professionally. We met up with Angie's dad and had an amazing time watching Atari play in the biggest game of his young career. We had a great experience in the stands as well, sitting in the player's family section with kick returner and defensive back Tremon Williams' father and kicker Mason Crosby's sister.
Atari had a good game in spite of the narrow defeat (the Pack unfortunately lost 34-24) and we're grateful to him for giving us the opportunity. Thanks Atari!

2007-11-24T09:22:00.000-06:00

The Honeymoon Is Over
Angie continues to carry on, growing ever bigger and closer to delivery. With a little over a month to go however, things have gotten a little uncomfortable. Her bladder has become a bit of a trampoline of late, and space is at a premium in the belly. But as usual, she makes no complaints and keeps active. Things are close enough now, and the false-labor symptoms are becoming more apparent. We haven't packed the bag for the hospital yet, but the luggage is out of the attic.

2007-11-20T21:00:00.001-06:00

AWM Making Friends
Pinky has always had a keen sense of what will get him the furthest in this world. Be it kitty-catting his way onto Angie's heart strings, or just being cute and lazy, he's got the run of the house and the ultimate benefit of the doubt. Take for instance his latest alignment with AWM. Paws firmly wrapped around Angie's belly, Pinky is making it clear that he comes in peace and welcomes any new additions to our family, further cementing his place amongst the untouchables in the family hierarchy.

2007-11-15T09:02:00.001-06:00

Reader Interviews!
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Q&A we provided. It's been a blast combing through all of the answers and taking notes. Below we've posted the questions and a selection of answers from you and everyone else who responded. We can't thank you enough for your contribution and your friendship. To have people who have been through the process and emerged with crash-tested methods in our lives is truly priceless.

_____________________

1: Aside from strollers, diapers (the usual): What is one parenting "gadget" you could not live without?

The consensus pointed to the simple (or in some cases, vibrating) Bouncer Seat.
*or*
"Baby Bjorn" -Pete & Caroline B., Dallas, TX.

2: What is one "gadget" that is completely useless?

This question got a lot of varied answers,
among the most interesting were any kind of
warming device (i.e. bottle/wipe warmers)
*and*
"A changing table-much better to have a dresser and attach a changing pad-then the dresser is still useful for other things."
-Liz B., Chicago, IL.

3: If you could do it all over again, what would you change (if anything)?

We were happy to see that a lot of readers were satisfied
the way they've done it and wouldn't change a thing!
Three cheers for parental instinct!
*also*
"Read more, eat less." -Trudy W., Conroe, TX.

4: What is one thing you would take to the hospital
that isn't on the lists?

"Vanilla Lavender Aromatherapy Oil"
-Beth E., Denver, CO.

5: If you had one piece of advice for Angie, what would it be?

So many good and thoughtful answers!

"Don't stress out about putting him on a schedule
the first few months. I was freaking out because he wasn't
eating or sleeping at 6 weeks to two months.
It will happen." -Emily M., Houston, TX.

And I'd be a fool not to post this:

"Don't be too hard on Robert, although it will be difficult."
-Holly R., Baton Rouge, LA.

6: You are in the hospital, you have just given birth. What food do you most crave?

Some said thirst was more prominent than hunger,
but something greasy (cheeseburgers/fajitas)
got the most mentions.
*and*
"Sushi. And Italian subs, I ate one everyday in the hospital."
-Victoria N., Boston, MA.

7: What is the most difficult thing about newborns?

No surprise here, Sleep Deprivation was a
prominent answer.
*and*
"Getting the baby to latch on properly for breastfeeding.
The baby is starving and won't latch on and is crying and
getting all worked up because he is starving, their
little nails scratch their little faces.
Get some tiny mittens for his hands for the first 6 weeks."
-Kristine M., Spring, TX.

8: What is easier than you expected?

"Bonding with your baby....it's love at first sight."
-Joy S., Leeds, UK.

9: What about your newborn do/did you find most fascinating?

"It was the first smile, that first real connection,
that melted my heart, and it's just downhill from there.
You fall fast." -Christy S., Harrisburg, PA.

10: How long was your labor?

The shortest non-surgical labor was 4 hours.
The longest was about 36 hours!

2007-11-13T18:03:00.000-06:00

Z Recommends
Shuffling through Blogger out of curiosity can be fun and at times even frustrating, but recently I stumbled upon a real gem: Z Recommends. Z Recommends is a blog that goes in search of the truly kid-friendly, kid-accepted and kid-compatible solutions to your child's every need. From time-savers to time-gainers, from good things to downright dangerous things, Z Recommends keeps us in touch with what's hot and what's not, from the eyes and sensibilities of Z.
Z is the daughter of Jeremiah and Jennifer McNichols, who are obsessive product appraisers, invested online community members, occasional consumer crusaders, and tireless blog enthusiasts. Check 'em out!

ZRecs has just published their annual Gift Guide. So if you are ready to get out and do that holiday shopping, don't do it before you check out Z Recommends and see if it passed mustard with a real child first!

2007-11-11T19:46:00.000-06:00

Evil Clocks
Waiting around for the inevitable can get into your head. We have just 6 weeks remaining until we check into the hospital as a team of two and check out of the hospital as a gang of three. But time passes oh-so-slowly for Angie. The more time we have to wait, the more time she has to consider all of the possible ways labor and delivery will go. The way it has gone is as more time goes by, the worse it gets in the delivery room. Hours of labor, epidurals, episiotomies, Cesarean sections! The fear is creeping in and there is still a lot of time on the clock, the evil clock! How about a short, painless delivery? Not a chance.

2007-11-11T11:09:00.000-06:00

You Know That Your Spouse Is A Dork When....
She gets visibly excited when the FranklinCovey catalog comes in the mail.

2007-11-02T09:42:00.000-05:00

We're Not Good At Building Registries, But...
We're in the process of finalizing our baby registries. We've been encouraged to expand our options by adding Target to our original Babies "R" Us registry.

2007-11-01T01:05:00.000-05:00

Notable Birthdays In December and Beyond
Since we're fast approaching Angie's due date, I thought we'd (hastily) post some notable people with December birthdays that are on or around December 26th give or take 2 weeks.

December 12:
Daniel Agger
December 14:
Michael Owen
December 15:
Robert's Father, Matt
Gustave Eiffel
December 18:
Stephen Spielberg
December 21:
Robert's Maternal Grandfather, Dale
Paco de Lucia
December 26:
Ozzie Smith
December 27:
Angie's Paternal Grandmother, Maria
December 28:
James Blake
December 30:
Angie's Sister, Jill
Tiger Woods
December 31:
Henri Matisse
January 3:
JRR Tolkien
January 4:
Angie's Sister-In Law, Guerdy
Sir Isaac Newton
January 8:
Stephen Hawking

2007-10-30T21:47:00.000-05:00

"I Don't Need That Crap. I'm Not Broken, You Know"

2007-10-29T21:17:00.000-05:00

Alive and Kicking
AWM is alive and kicking...Angie's rib cage. While it's a positive sign that he may be moving in the right direction and out of his transverse position, Angie is finding that he being situated head down and feet up can have painful consequences. He's been nudging his appendages into Angie's lower ribs all day today, causing visible and audible pain. Much to her chagrin, she reminded herself there may be up to 2 more months to endure.

2007-10-26T17:58:00.001-05:00

Totally Phat!
Angie at 32 weeks.

2007-10-25T07:21:00.000-05:00

Choosing A Pediatrician
In the coming weeks, we hope to settle on a pediatrician for A.W.M. Since I know some of our potentially 11 readers have children and have gone through this process before, we'd like to know if there is any one thing to look for when choosing a pediatrician. You can comment anonymously to this post below.

2007-10-24T15:05:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
A swift breeze (leaves leaves) everywhere, a clear blue sky above. At home, 3.05pm. Summer is behind us.

2007-10-22T15:38:00.000-05:00

If I Had One Wish....
I need to preface this post by saying that we are by no means a divided household. I know all the words to "White and Gold" and "The Ramblin' Wreck", have traveled to Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta to see them play Notre Dame and have witnessed a Georgia Tech appearance in the Final Four in 2004. I even have a healthy dislike for all things UGA. We love Georgia Tech and all it represents but we haven't even stepped foot in the state of Arizona to see the mighty Sun Devils of Arizona State! So while the football team in Maroon and Gold are 7-0 and in the Top 4 in the BCS for the first time since it was created in 1998, I'd like some time to enjoy the moment (however short-lived it will be).
All things being equal, if I had one wish for our son it would be that he turn out like the kid in this video: Go Devils!

2007-10-21T17:07:00.001-05:00

Vote Atari Into His First Pro Bowl
Our brother-in-law Atari Bigby is having a dream season so far with the Green Bay Packers. The Packers have started the season 5-1 and the defense is 13th in the NFL in Total Defense. The polls are open for fan voting for the 68th annual celebration of the NFL's best players. Atari is second only to Nick Barnett in total tackles for the Pack, and ranks ahead of the Packer's 2006 1st round draft pick (5th overall) AJ Hawk in all defensive statistical categories. Not bad for an undrafted free-agent.

So log on to NFL.com (link) and cast your vote to send Atari to Hawai'i as the best Strong Safety in the NFC. He deserves it.

2007-10-20T16:08:00.000-05:00

"The Worst Feeling In The World."
It's not that dramatic. However, being pregnant can fray your emotions to their ends. Angie is a beautiful pregnant woman, I know that coming from her husband is more than expected. And I want to give a lot of credit to all of the women, especially our friend Holly, who have handed down maternity clothing and allowed Angie to relax in her own skin and dress beautifully at the same time. She's a wonderfully optimistic person and I'm so glad to be going through this with her.
As mentioned, were into the single digits as far as scheduled weeks to delivery, and Angie is on schedule to gain the appropriate and expected weight associated with pregnancy. But the pants are getting a little tighter and time and space is running out for the 'stretch' in the stretchy pants continuing to give. The pants without stretch are right out! As Angie described her last moments in her last remaining pair of pants without 'stretch': "It's the worst feeling in the world."

2007-10-19T20:53:00.001-05:00

9½ Weeks
We're into single digits! That's all that's left for our little guy in utero. Time is flying, and our Prepared Childbirth classes are doing a lot to relieve our growing anxiety. But watching birthing videos is strangely reminiscent of watching videos in drivers education: more scaring straight than educational. Expect the unexpected is the lesson and Prepared Childbirth is looking more and more like You Have No Idea What You're In For! But Angie is happy and healthy and AWM is as active as ever, ready for the world but content and comfortable for the time being.

2007-10-17T13:09:00.001-05:00

The Birth Poll: Results
With 11 votes in the "When will Angie give birth?" poll, we were surprised to see we had more than 4 readers as we originally estimated. Thanks! But its been on 11 total votes for some time now and since it was pinned to the top of the blog taking up space, we felt we should put it to bed and publish the official results!

When will Angie give birth?
0% said December 26th, "On Time"
9% (1 vote) said "More Than 1 Week Early"
18% (2 votes) said "Less Than 1 Week Late"
27% (3 votes) said "More Than 1 Week Late"
45% (5 votes) said "Less Than 1 Week Early"

Watch this space for the official birth date and time!

2007-10-16T16:22:00.000-05:00

A Very Ferry Foursome
Its difficult to fathom just how long you've known somebody when it stretches back into the decades, but I recently got together with some old friends to attempt to play a regular game of tennis. A quick calculation: between us we've know each other a combined ~64 years! It's a great way to keep in touch and to stay in shape.

Top: Robert · Will
Bottom: Ben · David

2007-10-15T16:33:00.000-05:00

Whatshisname Has Initials
While we're still holding his name close to the vest, we have decided that its only right to give a little peek into what were going to name our first child. As you may know, its a boy. But that's about as much information as we've given you. But with leaks here and there, Angie's family knowing his first name by virtue of a few ill-advised clues spread out between family members coupled with their excellent deduction skills, we sit with such a short time to hold on to the last ever secret! But secrets are hard to keep for a reason, and we're excited to know what his name will be and excited to know that spilling the initials won't do much harm. So here we go:

AWM

2007-10-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

Oldies But Goodies
This past Saturday, we went to our local library's Fall book sale. Slashed prices on children's books were the order of the day, and we made out with some real gems. 13 books for $6, like Peter Rabbit and Snow White. Most notably however, we came out with a 1976 printing of Curious George Goes To The Hospital. We also found good books to help teach diversity, religion and culture. One of our favorite finds was admittedly more suited to our taste, but with any help from us our son will come to love our discovery of A Middle Earth Album, published in 1979, that includes paintings by Joan Wyatt inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings book series. Thanks Montgomery County Library!

2007-10-11T09:37:00.000-05:00

No Pain, No Gain
Cold compress, check. Prescription pain medication, check. Silver bell for wife assistance, check. Dunce cap?
Who knows what will become of me after all 4 wisdom teeth are removed today. I'm already not the sharpest knife in the drawer, brightest light in the building, etc. Doesn't one need wisdom teeth? I need all the help I can get, a few concussions ago. Fingers crossed I'll get through this and still remember what it was like to have all my wisdom....teeth, that is.

2007-10-10T08:10:00.000-05:00

Sitting Sideways
As much time as we're spending with our little bump these days, we still don't know that much about him. The nighttime attention to his every move has revealed a few things including that his 'hiccups' are getting more and more frequent. Another thing we've come to learn is that he is positioned transverse, or sideways, in the womb. At this stage of pregnancy babies that sit transverse aren't at risk for any complications, however, the mother faces some discomfort from the child stretching the womb and its supporting ligaments. Thankfully for Angie, there are some exercises she can do to encourage him to move into the more traditional position of head down in the womb. The bad news is that if his position does not change within a few weeks of delivery he will almost surely be delivered via Cesarean Section.

2007-10-08T14:20:00.000-05:00

Anniversary #2
Today marks our second wedding anniversary! It feels like just yesterday we hosted friends and family in Colorado Springs for a wedding and brunch in the cool Colorado sunshine. The day of our wedding was a perfectly blue-skied day, and boy were we lucky. The following day, Colorado Springs was dumped on with 2 feet of snow! So here we are, two years down the line and never happier, a baby on the way and those same great friends and family to share our lives with. We'll never forget the lengths that some our friends went to to join us that day two Octobers ago, and we'll raise a glass for them today as we celebrate an unforgettable day.

2007-10-05T09:42:00.000-05:00

Word of the Day
Knalf (nâ·f), n., pl. knalves (nä·vz)
1. When the distinction between the knee and the calf becomes blurred, unnoticeable.

2007-10-03T09:59:00.000-05:00

Angie At 28 Weeks!

2007-10-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

Sleeping Softly
Updated Pillows-In-The-Bed Count: 9

2007-09-30T08:22:00.000-05:00

Barefoot (and Pregnant) Contessa
Angie has turned a new leaf in the bid to keep herself well fed and happy at home. Robert is the resident cook in the house, but Angie has taken over the kitchen in the past week or so. She's been baking her way to food bliss with: blueberry muffins, coffeecake muffins, pecan pie, chocolate soufflé and chocolate chip cookies. But the best was yet to come, a night of Ropa Vieja and tostones capped off a great weekend of indulgence. Best leftovers ever.

2007-09-28T09:03:00.000-05:00

Back To School
This week we started our Lamaze® Prepared Childbirth classes at Memorial Herman Hospital, where Angie will eventually be giving birth (hopefully before 2008...as of today, if you ask our pollsters, 44% say he'll come less than a week before his due date.)

In our class is a diverse group of parents, if we remember correctly there was a 6-3 expecting a boy to expecting a girl ratio. We were the first to introduce ourselves and held firm to keeping his name a secret, but all the other parents were more than happy to divulge the names they'd chosen. Among them are: Ella, Kason, Luke and Gabriella. There were some worried parents and some prepared parents but all of our classmates, like us, were expecting their first. Angie had the latest due-date of all (December 26th) and the earliest was October 27th! Not long! Next week, we may place bets on if that couple will make it to our last class on October 25th.

It was a good experience, its fun to share this time with others in the same situations. And since we're last on the due date list we can count on our classmates to help us along as the time goes by and they get a little closer than us to the big day. It was a great night for Angie, we practiced massage techniques and relaxation methods. But if you ask me, the women were more happy about the bathroom breaks and the free snacks.

2007-09-26T10:27:00.000-05:00

Heisman (1994-2007)
Today is a very sad day. Its difficult to find the words to describe the way I feel about the people and animals who have touched my life so soon after they're gone. But Heisman has a very special place in my heart and I will miss him very much.

Please read this touching Eulogy.