Sweet Baby Elizabeth

More pictures and updates.

2007-09-13T14:03:00.000-04:00

So, Elizabeth is zipping at amazingly fast crawling speeding. She can get from one end of the house to the other in no time... Which is to say that the dog's bowl is in constant jeopardy of being tipped over. She also loves to play with the dog empty food bowl... it's metal and apparently makes a pleasing noise when it bangs and clangs on the floor. She also has said she second confirmed and repeated word. She now has ma/mom/ and hello that right hello. We had just gotten back from a trip to NC to visit relatives for Labor Day and she standing(with help of course) on the kitchen table playing with her light up duck when she turned to our good friend Amy and said "hello". Clear as a bell... Frank looked at me like I said it and I told him it wasn't me. So, the words are coming of course still no dad or da but since she calls Frank ma ma I told him at least she recognizes how much you care about her and mean to her.

Elizabeth also has a secret passion(although this maybe all baby's secret passion) she can not resist the call of a tower of stacked anything (blocks, towels, oneies) they must fall. Last night she was on the far end of the family room and I was staking up her blocks, she turned around and saw the stack and like a flash she had crawled across the floor and was knocking over the tower. She had a big smile and her face and a look that said Mom, do it again... (which we did for like ten minutes me stacking, I'd get about three blocks high and then bomb Elizabeth knocking them over again.)

What else, while in NC she got to swing alone in her first baby on the real playground and she went swimming for about an hour, splashing and kicking until her little heart was content. She also has started to get braver; she will pull herself up on anything really (including the leg of your pants) and is starting to let go (which of course leads to landing on the tush but she doesn't mind and does it again. She can also walk along a piece of furniture or the fire place mantel. She also has learned how to climb over/through things. She has learned how to climb over pillows on the floor and over/through her activity thingie.

What else do I know.... Everyday she amazes me and she is doing and learning her things all the time. She has four teeth now and she will bite hard if you try to put your finger in her mouth. She goes for her nine month check-up at the end of September... Hard to believe and yet exciting to see...

I am sooo ready to swim...

More Pictures and some updates.

2007-07-25T09:31:00.000-04:00

Okay, where to begin. In the last two weeks she and progressed into so much at once. Stage two food. A taste of bread. Standing (okay it was only for like 5-10 sec) by herself(by I have witnesses to the event) and trying really hard to crawl. Okay, she has "crawled" forward but only because in her bouncing on all fours her knees slid up and that moved her forward. So, I am thinking that we have to finish any last minute childproofing that we need to finish; and honestly she can already get to where she wants to go on her own by rolling anyway. Last night Frank sat her down on her playmat in the middle of his office and he watched her roll her way to the door of the room so that when I came out of the bathroom she was looking and me and laughing. Generally, she is still have happy baby... And for the most part is finally sleeping through the night. So, after seven months we have some form of mobility, real food(okay baby food but that still counts), and sometimes sleeping through the night. Not bad...

Elizabeth sporting the "cool look."

I thought that I would include a couple of pictures from Frank and I when we visited "The Rock" in June.

Don't I look tough... okay maybe not...

Elizabeth is growing like a weed/time flies

2007-07-04T08:32:00.000-04:00

Whose the monkey here?

Where to begin...

First of all, Elizabeth is doing great according to the doctor. Her last check-up (June 21st her 6 month check-up) she was 17.4 pound and her height and head were within the 50% percentile. So that is good news. She has been eating stage 1 foods for about 2 months now and soon we will be trying stage 2 food which include meats and mac n' cheese. She loves everything that she has tried so far except peas. But, I figure that we can try peas again when she can eat fresh peas because I couldn't even eat a spoonful of the stage 1 peas(yuck!)

What else.... Elizabeth got to spend a fun filled week with her Grandparents in the middle of June while we went to San Francisco for a wedding and vacation. When we got back she showed us the tricks that she was working on with grands. She no longer minds tummy time and about a week after we got back she learned that if she wants out of tummy time all she has to do is roll from her front unto her back. So, she can now roll either direction, front to back or back to front. Thus, making her very dangerous because now she can roll all around a room if you put her on the floor and there is something that she wants she will use a combination of rolling and pushing off on anything she can reach to get to what interests her. Which means its time to double check for baby proofing... She can also sit up by herself for a good long time unless she sees something that she wants off to the side then she falls over right away. What else, oh if you give her some balance she can stand in place and bounce for minutes (which she loves to do). She will stand anywhere you give her the chance the floor, the table or the top of the bed; it doesn't matter. We also think that she has accidentally said a couple of different words we have heard ma-ma(but when she is hungry she also says mmmmmammammmam ) but then the other day out of the blue it sounded like she said elmo. I'm sure that she didn't mean Elmo but two sounds happened to come back to back with each other.(so I don't know if it counts) What else she is trying to creep on the floor she just needs to figure out how to get her arms under her body while raising up on her knees. She is also trying to sit up on her own... She hasn't done it yet but she is doing some very convincing sit-ups in the process.

She has traveled to such wild and crazy places as Quad Cities(the Illinois side at least), Fort Wayne, IN and Columbus, Ohio. But we haven't gotten her over either the Ohio or the Mississippi Rivers. But she will take care of the Ohio when we travel to NC later on this summer so she can meet her Grandma Bertha, Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Tim and Jake, Jessica and Summer.

Memorial Day weekend she got to go home and meet her Aunt Theresa and cousin Rachel and she got to go her first zoo trip... She also got a build a monkey and to see her fish friends again. She loves the fish tank at her grandparents house. She also got to go on her first merry go round ride. She loved it...

She also got to attend her first graduation ceremony (no not for her) Her cousin Kris graduated from High School earlier this month and she got to see and experience the whole graduation celebration. (and yes, she was awake for the whole thing)

What else is going on? Since today is the 4th of July she has a special onesies with Uncle Sam on it that says "I want you to change my diaper!" I thought that it really capsures the spirt of the 4th. Hopefully, we will able to get here into swim lessons soon. Since she loves kicking on her little duck tub.

Dr. Updates and is hair style hereditary

2007-04-23T15:54:00.000-04:00

I did not know that hair styles are hereditary but apparently they are.
Like father like daughter.

Okay, Elizabeth went for her 4 month check-up/shots today. She was according to their scales and stuff she is reading 24 inches long(25% percential but I honestly think that they didn't catch her in fully stretched out and 14 pd and 13 oz.(75%) and her head is 16 1/4 cm.(50%) So, she is on track as far as that goes.

Elizabeth at one month.

We actually saw our friends one month old on Friday and just couldn't believe how much growing and changing Elizabeth has done in 3 little months. Elizabeth can sit on your knee and keep her own head up for like forever now. Her face has filled out and she's grown a whole foot since she was born. I'll try to dig a one month picture and let you compare. She smiles now all of the time; especially, if you stick your tongue out at her. She reaches out and grabs things now; hair, toys, the dog’s fur and anything else within her grasp. She studies everything around her. She no longer falls asleep in group settings anymore. I think it because she’s afraid that she'll miss something. She outgrown her cradle rocker and was given the green light to try solid foods. I'll let you know how that goes...believe me I am scared about the messes this will entail. She can sleep through the night and can dance (her form of dancing at least {think Elaine from Seinfeld}) when music starts. She loves to be sung to and is trying to talk to you (granted its still grunts) but to her they are important grunts.
Elizabeth a week ago.

Attack of the Killer Bunnies

2007-04-12T14:13:00.000-04:00

RUN ELIZABETH! A GIANT, MUTATED RABBIT IS TRYING TO EAT YOU! HE THINKS YOU'RE A PEEP! RUN!!!!!

Hippity, Hoppity, Easter has come and gone.

2007-04-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

Great-Grandma Dorothy(left) Great-Grandpa Charles (below) with Miss Elizabeth.

We all piled in the car for the trip back to Galesburg for the Easter weekend. I probably over packed but I didn't want to be in the middle of nowhere in Indiana and in need of something. It was a nice trip home. We got to spend some quality time with my parents and my sisters. My grandparents and Uncles and Aunts got a chance to meet and hold Miss Elizabeth. We got her baptized, and that was an interesting experience. She didn't cry when they were pouring the water on her head, but a minute and a half later she spat up all over her pretty dress. I told Frank that was the last of the evil leaving her. After the baptism, we had a lovely lunch and Elizabeth was spoiled with lots of attention, well wishes and gifts. The trip back, on the other hand, was not fun as all. On the way to Galesburg, it was dark and Elizabeth slept most of the time. On the trip back to Dayton she was wide awake and angry about having to be trapped in a car seat. We had to stop several times to try and keep her happy and Frank sat in the back seat with her from the Indiana/Illinois border to home. But, all in all, it was a great trip home and super great to see everyone again. I have attached a bunch of pictures . . . enjoy.

Father Joe blessing her with the oil on her chest.

The actual pouring of the new baptismal water on her head.

Final blessing after the spit up.

Elizabeth's New Tricks

2007-03-29T11:25:00.000-04:00

I just thought that I would add some new pictures and pass along some developmental process.

Good morning everybody...

First of all, this picture makes me smile because this is a picture of Miss Elizabeth sleeping all night(okay midnight to 5:30 am but close enough for me) in her crib by herself in her own room.

I also, think that she will be moving out of the pacifer phase soon because I tried offering her the last three nights when she has been sleeping in her bed and she doesn't want it. She just doesn't open her mouth to suck on it. So, I didn't force the issue and just let her go to sleep.
Asleep and loving it....

Secondly, last night she sat up(okay, leaning on her hands but still upright) and stayed up for at least a minute or two. It's very difficult to take a picture of that because I didn't want to get so far away that I couldn't catch her when she fell over. The next picture is dad helping her sit up.

Look mom I am sitting by myself...

Thirdly and finally, for today, she has started keeping her hands open more and actually grasping things. I put the rattle in her hand but she managed to switch it from her right hand to the left one. I don't know if she has made the connection that when she shakes her arm it makes the rattle make noise but she did seem to enjoy it.

I also, am including just a couple of pictures of her chillin' out on her back... She was smiling both right before and right after the pictures were taken apparently she doesn't like to smile for the camera yet.

Relaxing and thinking about tasting my fingers.

I want to roll over but my arm is in the way.

Fingers are soo tasty.

So, it's been a busy week but I have fresh pictures

2007-03-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

Good morning Mommy, what's for breakfast?

American Idol wanna be!!! Practicing her microphone holding at an early age.

Monday and Tuesday the weather in Ohio was beautiful, so Elizabeth and I went out for a couple of walks in her Super Action Combat Stroller. She loved it. She was awake a good long time, looking around seeing what there was to see before she hit the wall and fell asleep. It was a good walk. Wednesday night, while her mom and dad were trying to rehang a clock in her room (stupid daylight savings time), Miss Elizabeth was in her crib working on turning to roll over. She would pull her legs up and roll onto her side, and then she was bouncing in that position. As she was doing this, she accidentally rolled onto her stomach and then the screaming started. She did not like that at all. She may not have been happy, but her dad and I were. We tried telling her it was a milestone and she just didn't care all. She hasn't done it since then, but it was still super cool to Frank and I. Last night, while she was enjoying the sites and sounds of college basketball (which she loves to watch -- she smiled when Dook lost ), she was sitting in her boppy trying to do sit ups. It's like she wants to be able to sit up on her own, but she just can't get it down yet. She is also sleeping about 5 hours straight at night, so that isn't too bad. Now, if I could just sleep for those same 5 hours straight, she and I would be peachy. All in all we are all doing good. Looking forward to Easter weekend and getting to take her to Illinois to meet everybody there. However, I am a little concerned about how she is going to take a 6 hour car ride... but I'm sure she'll be fine.

More pictures.

2007-03-09T10:21:00.000-05:00

I can crawl I know I can just me a minute.
What's that over there? Seriously, what is that?
Working on the whole lifting of the head thing.
Look at how high I can lift myself. Seriously, anything to get me off my stomach.

Elizabeth updates....

We have officially retired the 0-3 onesies. She has just gotten too tall for them. Elizabeth has also moved up to stage two diapers. She is growing like a weed and already trying to do too much as once. I don't have any idea where she would get the multi tasking gene from. Last night she came super close to rolling over. Of course she was trying to crawl at the same time. She has the arm and leg movement down it's just a matter of getting her muscles strong enough to lift her body of the ground to go forward. I have attached a couple of pictures looking just thrilled to be on her stomach but showing how well she lifts her head up. Her head control is amazing (at least I think so but I'm not biased or anything). She is working on trying to figure out the whole sitting up thing. She can sit up in her boppy sort of. Okay, its more of lean in the boppy but it is still growth and development.

In other news, winter may finally be giving up the ghost in Ohio. The weather people are predicting 60 degrees for tomorrow and I can't wait. I have been dying to take Elizabeth out in her Super Action Combat Stroller (of doom) and if it's 60 we can enjoy being outside with her instead of the mad dash into the store with the blanket covering her the whole time. She will be able to look around and see the site and enjoy being out. I guess that is it for now.

Okay, I know I know

2007-03-05T13:48:00.000-05:00

You can dance if you want to... What are you talkin' to me? I don't see any other babies around here. You must be talking to me.
I'm happy. Super happy.

So, it's been like forever since we posted anything but we have been busy. Between me getting back into the work grind, the dog, the cat and keeping Elizabeth happy and well feed have been a challenge. Frank of course is a great help but even with his help finding time to sit down and blog. But I will try to be better. I have attached pictures taken last weekend. She was 12 pd 9 oz at her last doctor's visit and 22 3/4 of an inch tall.

Oh, Yes, There Will Be More Pictures

2007-01-07T23:06:00.000-05:00

I couldn't help but throw a picture of Marbury with Santa Claus...I think even the baby giggled a little at that one...

More Pictures

2007-01-07T23:02:00.000-05:00

As promised, more pictures

It's Been Two Weeks And All Is Well On The Ohio Front

2007-01-07T19:55:00.000-05:00

They say that the first two weeks are the roughest. You know what? They’re probably right.

Okay, I finally have the time and brain power to sit down and write about the last two weeks. First of all, Miss Elizabeth was born via c-section (with all that entails), but it wasn’t as bad as you may think. Since it was a planned c-section, I only had to recover from the surgery, which again for me wasn’t too bad. I would say at this point that I am almost 100% back to normal; of course, it still hurts to cough and sneeze, but hopefully that pain will fade with time. The c-section itself wasn’t too bad for me. They did a great job numbing me up, so I didn’t feel any of the pain of the surgery itself, but I did have the dry heaves during the surgery (which sucked in its own special way but I really wanted to throw up but there wasn’t anything to throw up). My mom was able to come into the operating room with us, so Frank was able to keep me from completely freaking out, and Mom was able to keep an eye on the doctors and actually see them pull Elizabeth out. She said that it took them a few seconds to get her going, but once they sucked the fluid from her, Elizabeth started crying so loud. They took her out to test her and to make sure she was okay, and since I had both mom and Frank with me, I sent Frank to go with Elizabeth and make sure that she was okay. I had mom come and sit with me while they were closing me up. Apparently, they felt that I needed a lot of staples, so I had like 50 staples to keep everything closed up.

After they got me all closed up, they wheeled me into a recovery room so I could rest while the epidural wore off. Frank and Elizabeth came in a little while later and I was able to hold her while we were waiting for a room to open up for us to stay in. The rest of the day was spent trying to breastfeed Elizabeth, waiting for them to give me permission to eat, and to free me from being trapped in the bed. Actually, that was the worst part of this day. I think that they forgot to schedule me for a lunch, so I didn’t get a chance to actually eat anything until like 5 pm in the afternoon.(and I kept feeling ill because I was hungry; when I finally got some food in me, I felt 100% better.)

The next day we were able to recover even more, and I was able to get out of bed and wander around the room. I wasn’t quite ready to run around the ward yet, but I was getting better. That night a number of our friends were able to stop by and say hi to Elizabeth, hold her and make sure that we were doing okay. It was great to see everyone and let them see the creature that I had been carrying around for 9 months. Elizabeth was great about the whole deal and slept through most of it. The rest of the hospital stay, until the last day, was pretty uneventful, as more family and friends stopped by and I got my confidence and strength back.

Christmas Eve…. So, early Christmas Eve the nurse comes in indicates that Elizabeth’s doctor had signed off on her release. We were waiting for my doctor to stop in and check on me. While we were waiting on the doctor, the nurse came back into the room and removed the 50 plus staples. When my doctor did come in around 8:30 he was a little upset by the removal of the staples. He had wanted them to stay in until Tuesday, but he was happy at how good the opening was healing. He said that I was going to be able to go home today. I was excited; Elizabeth was cleared and my doctor was working on clearing me so I would be able to take Elizabeth home and spend Christmas Eve with my husband, my folks and my sister. The nurse then brought Elizabeth back in after she had been taken off for weight check, and she mentioned that she had lost a pound. When Elizabeth’s doctor came in to check on her, he said that she was going to be able to leave soon. We asked him about the weight loss, and we could tell that no one had told him about it. He left the room, and when he came back he suggested that we start giving her some formula to supplement the breast milk that she was getting. He was also worried about her being a little jaundiced. He said that he was going to have her retested at 11 am and then we would go from there.

After the 11 am check-up her test results indicated that she needed to go under the bilirubin lights to help reduce the level of jaundice in her system. So, we spent the afternoon taking turns feeding her, changing her, and keeping her from pulling off her eye mask. They retested and weighed her again at 6 pm and the nurse kept saying that she was going to have to stay the night. So, we sent the folks home to bring back the delicious dinner that they had been making for Christmas Eve. Awhile after they left, the night nurse walked in and had the best news I had heard all day. Elizabeth’s weight was up two ounces and her bilirubin count for the jaundice was down. Her doctor said that she could go home. So, finally we all were able to pack up and head home. I was so excited and happy.

Christmas Day… We got to spend the morning with the family and Elizabeth got to open her first Christmas presents. She got a beautiful baby ring from Grandma Bette and Grandpa Wayne and got a super cute baby’s first Christmas outfit from her Aunt Susie. After that afternoon, the family had to leave and we were alone with Elizabeth. I think that we did a great job that second night home, and when we took her the day after Christmas for her visit with the pediatrician, he said that she looked good and to keep doing what we were doing. She was back up to 7 pounds 13 oz. and that we didn’t need to bring her back until her two week checkup.

On Friday, the hospital, as part of the follow-up care, sent a nurse to check up on both Elizabeth and my recovery. She said that we were both doing fine and that Elizabeth’s weight was back over 8 pounds (actually 8 lb 2 oz). So, she was well on her way. The yellow from the jaundice had left her eyes and her skin had lost its yellow tinge.

Things that we have noticed… So far, she prefers to sleep all day and likes to be awake at night. Hopefully, she will grow out of that. She equally likes the formula and the breast milk as long as you put it in a bottle with a semi fast nipple. It you try to put it in a bottle with a slow flow nipple, she either falls asleep or gets incredibly angry. Also, she doesn’t like to have a dirty diaper; if she soils her diaper, she lets you know right away. Of course, she doesn’t like the process of getting a clean diaper, so I am not quite sure how to solve the problem. But if we have time and can tag team on the diaper change, you can distract her from the process by feeding her at the same time you are changing her. She also loves to be held. I think that she would be most happy if we could hold her 24/7. We have been reading to her (Frank read “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” to her last night; he read poetry by Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, and Langston Hughes the night before), and we have been working with the black and white flashcards that the nurse left her. We also talk to her a lot. We know that she doesn’t understand what we are saying (thank God), but hopefully she likes the sound of our voice enough that it doesn’t matter.

New Year’s Eve: We took Elizabeth with us to a New Year’s Eve party at a friend’s house. She was the hit of the party. Everyone wanted to hold her, and since she loves to be held, it worked out well for her (for me too, honestly, because she had a ton of people looking out for her, so I felt like I could take a little bit of a break). Frank made a sash for Elizabeth that said “Happy New Year 2007” and one for himself that said “Old and Busted 2006”. Hopefully, the pictures turned out and I’ll be able to get them posted to the website.

She had her two week check up on Thursday (1/4) and she was back up to 8 lbs 7 oz, so hopefully by next Thursday we will be able to let her sleep until she is hungry instead on insisting that she wake up and eat every three hours day or night. I go to my doctor tomorrow and, hopefully, he will say that I am healing well and that I can drive again. This not driving is a hard thing for me.

What else to report… Frank is holding up as best as he can. I think the best thing about her being feed by bottle (whether it be the formula or breast milk) is that Frank can help feed her and get this bonding time with her too.

We’ll get some more pictures posted later tonight….

A Few More Pictures

2006-12-25T12:17:00.000-05:00

And now I'm going to go open Christmas presents that I'll have no time to play with for the next few years. . .

Happy Christmas (Hospital Stay Is Over)

2006-12-25T12:04:00.000-05:00

More pictures of Elizabeth. I'll eventually sit down and chronicle the last few days...because it has been a bit of a roller coaster...but I'm a little too exhausted to do so. Mama and baby are a-ok, though.

And, Lo, a Child Was Born

2006-12-21T21:09:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the world Elizabeth Caroline Holloway!!!

Measurements: 8 lbs., 9 ozs.; 19 3/4" long; brownish hair; blue eyes (that tend to change color depending on the light); time of birth was 11:04 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Mama and baby are doing just fine (baby has already pooped and peed her diapers several times, and Dad has had the unfortunate distinction of dealing with the really icky poops).

I'll try to post more pictures and details later, but I'm kinda spending time at the hospital and I have yet to find an ethernet connection there to work with. Anyway, pictures attached!

False Start. . # 1 on the Offense . . 5 Yard Penalty . . . Still Third Down

2006-12-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

A timeline of the events of Friday, December 15, 2006 and Saturday, December 16, 2006:

December 15, 2006, 11:30 a.m.: Chris has an ultrasound. The tech is concerned because she is reading the level of amniotic fluid around the baby as a 2. The doctor steps in and instructs Chris to go the hospital.

11:40 a.m.: Frank contacted, asked by Chris to come to the hospital and sit with her while they "monitor" the fluid levels for 30 minutes. Frank is skeptical of all of this, but wants to provide moral support; he rearranges his schedule (i.e., "gotta go the hospital, don't know when I'll be back, deal with it").

11:50 a.m.: Arrival at the hospital. Despite the fact that we had a nice form filled out for them called a "pre-admission questionnaire form," the receptionist manages to ask us every question present on said form. She also manages to get Chris's birthdate wrong (an error to be discovered later when all the forms, bracelets, etc., has the wrong birthdate). This should be an omen. We are told to wait in the lobby. This should be a second omen.

12:00 p.m.: Frank has a conference call to attend, so he uses his cell phone to attend said meeting (he puts it on mute).

12:02 p.m.: Frank wants to pound head into wall as a result of said meeting.

12:15 p.m.: Still in the lobby.

12:30 p.m.: Still in the lobby.

12:45 p.m.: Still in the lobby.

12:51 p.m.: Frank's cell phone battery grows weak; call cuts in-and-out, thus making said call even greater to listen to. However, Frank can't abandon said phone call without announcing it to the rest of the group. Silent tears begin to fall.

1:00 p.m.: Still in the lobby.

1:10 p.m.: The meeting ends. Angels we have heard on high...

1:15 p.m.: WHY THE HELL ARE WE STILL IN THE DAMN LOBBY?!?! EVERYBODY ACTED LIKE THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE GOING ON AND THAT THE BABY COULD BE IN TROUBLE BY THIS LOW FLUID READING, YET WE CONTINUE TO SIT IN THE LOBBY STARING AT THE SAME DAMN PICTURE OF A SAILBOAT. The front-desk lady comes over to us and tells us they haven't forgotten us (albeit the unsaid motive was "stop staring at me, weirdos")

1:30 p.m.: Huzzah...somebody will FINALLY take us into the triage area (i.e., the "you're not really in labor, so you're not going to get a nice room; instead, you're going to lay on a bed in a common area with a bunch of very whiny women who demand a room like it's the frickin' Ritz Carlton or something").

1:40 p.m.: Will the questions never cease?

1:50 p.m.: A doctor (not our regular OB) comes in and basically announces that Chris will likely give birth by Sunday due to the low fluid levels.

1:51 p.m.: Frank has a silent case of the vapors. . .

2:15 p.m.: Nobody has bothered checking up on us for awhile. The baby monitors are now registering nothing because they got knocked askew. Women next door plead for rooms. Frank pleads for sanity.

2:45 p.m.: A resident does a pelvic exam to see if there is any "leakage" and also to check out the cervix. No leakage, and the cervix is tightly closed. Hmmmmm.....

3:00 p.m.: Baby monitors finally fixed; things all good there.

3:45 p.m.: Frank finally figures out how to operate the personal TV for our curtain area. Dang it, where's the Jerry Springer. . . and why are the volume buttons missing?

4:00 p.m.: Nothing

4:15 p.m.: Nothing

4:3. . . let's skip a bit. . .

5:00 p.m.: The room is now empty. All the whiny women got rooms. But Chris got FOOD delivered to her by an orderlie. Considering she hadn't eaten anything since 9:00 a.m., this was well-received.

5:30 p.m. : Frank leaves to check on the dog (who has now been left unattended for over six hours).

5:32 p.m.: Chris goes off for a second ultrasound

5:50 p.m.: Frank returns. . . and Chris is gone. . . Frank finally convinces a nurse that he's not crazy, and she tells him that Chris went to ultrasound and will return to the triage

5:51 p.m.: Chris returns. . . and apparently the amniotic fluid level is now at 13 (which, apparently, is awesome). ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? HAVE WE BEEN HERE ALL DAY BECAUSE THE FIRST ULTRASOUND TECH COULDN'T FIND THE HIDDEN FLUID. DAMN COMMUNITY COLLEGES!!

6:30 p.m.: New nurse seems to float the possibility of allowing us to leave Friday night. Feel the excitement!!

6:40 p.m.: More questions (and they're the same questions. . . again)

7:00 p.m.: Blood work; if the blood work comes back okay, perhaps our doctor will allow us to go home. We'll have the results back in one hour (Omen # 3)

7:30 p.m.: Our room went from just us to having three more women complaining about not having rooms. Keep in mind that the maternity ward has had one of their busiest days ever, so the women who were, you know, actually giving birth kinda took precedent.

8:00 p.m.: Hey, it's that "1 vs. 100" show; I've been meaning to see this show. . .

8:05 p.m.: Good lord, who writes these trivia questions? Lenny from Of Mice and Men? The baby could answer these freakin' questions.

9:30 p.m.: Blood work is back; all was fine, except some enzymes on a liver test were a tad high (whatever that means). The doctor decides that we'll be spending the night for observation and some repeat tests, but if everything comes back okay, we can go home in the morning.

9:31 p.m.: Moved from triage to a suite. Oh thank god: Comfortable Chairs! A Private Room! A DVD of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days (what?)

9:45 p.m.: Chris is allowed to eat food; Frank makes a breakneck run to Chipotle to grab food

10:05 p.m.: Oh Chipotle, you are AWESOME (keep in mind that I haven't eaten since breakfast myself)

10:15 p.m.: Anderson Cooper is one handsome man.

11:10 p.m.: Time for Chris to have a saline IV. Unfortunately, the IV went in at the wrist. . . quite painfully for Chris. . . until the vein blew. A second attempt on the top of the hand did work, but Chris literally squealed in pain. Not a good sign for the impending birth (drugs on standby, por favor)

12:00 a.m.: One more quick check-up on the dog, then sleepy time. . . .

Saturday, 3:30 a.m.: TURN THE DAMN LIGHTS OFF, YOU SADIST! Time for a fetal heartbeat check-up. Unfortunately, the baby is a bit squirmy. 45 minutes later (oh yes, 45 minutes later), after several off-and-on attempts to find the hearbeat, the nurse gives up and finds another nurse to do it.

4:20 a.m.: The other nurse finds it and tells Frank to keep applying pressure to the probe (it seems that the more pressure applied to the probe today, the better it worked at finding the heartbeat). Now, this test is supposed to last for 30 minutes. So, for 30 minutes, Frank (standing) firmly holds the probe in place.

4:22 a.m.: Right foot hurts. Rest it on stool and put weight on left foot.

4:24 a.m.: Left foot hurts. Rest it on stool and put weight on right foot.

(repeat every 2 minutes or so)

4:35 a.m.: Frank makes the comparison of what he's doing to a reward/immunity challenge on Survivor for the 27th time; in her mind, Chris makes Frank's head explode

4:50 a.m.: Success; I can stop it. At this point, though, the tech shows up for blood draws. WHY WON'T YOU BASTARDS LET US SLEEP!

5:00 a.m.: Blood draw complete; blessed sleep returns.

8:20 a.m.: Frank heads home to check the dog (who now has not had a bathroom break in over eight hours . . . he has a bladder of steel, that dog) and brush his teeth.

8:22 a.m.: Doctor pops his head in the door and tells Chris to go home.

8:40 a.m.: Frank returns, told this, and curses that he misses all the fun stuff.

9:15 a.m.: Our prison sentence is complete. An ultrasound on Monday (maybe, if the doctor can get us an appointment) and a (previously scheduled) check-up Monday afternoon.

Dr's Appointment

2006-12-07T21:33:00.000-05:00

All quiet on the Elizabethan front. The updates are the good, bad and the ugly... The good, my blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat are all fine and within acceptable ranges. The bad, I have some swelling in my legs and may be retaining water. The ugly, well maybe not ugly but more like disheartening: I am still at less than 1 cm, so still some time (in theory) until the show gets on the road. Other doctor news is that next week he wants me to have one more ultrasound (I guess to double check the baby's size and to confirm that it is in the proper position for delivery). I go back again for another checkup on Monday morning so maybe I'll have some more interesting news by then. The doctor thinks the baby is ... well... a big-un. I tremble in fear (Frank wonders if I'm giving birth to a nuclear sub).

In work-related news, I work with a great group of people. Yesterday, we had our annual winter feast-a-paloza, and the team gave Frank, Elizabeth and I a number of incredible gifts, including a beautiful quilt, a couple of cd's of lullabies, a couple of Target cards (diapers and wipes, here we come), and a signed copy of a children's book illustrated by one of my coworker's/friend's nephew. I was so surprised, and the card that they gave us was super-sweet and homemade. I had to keep biting the inside of my cheek so I wouldn't start crying in front of everyone. I work with some really great people.

In other baby news, I have finally hit the stage where I am feeling really, really pregnant. I feel more "waddledly" when I walk, and if I sit in one spot too long, the baby lets me know about it when I stand up (to go to the bathroom again). Sadly, at this point all the studying for the test is over and it's the last five minutes before the final exam begins. So, you have the fear of the test and the bigger fear that you didn't study hard enough and the biggest fear of all -- failing the test. Granted, the test is an 18 year plus test, but that doesn't mean that the fear and apprehension are any less than a final test for anything; if anything it's greater because if you screw up a test, it's only your own life you're messing up. However, if I mess this final up, I am not only messing up my life, but also a sweet little baby's life too. Okay, I am going to stop writing now because the last line made me want to cry, and once I start crying, well stopping is hard.

(Frank -- in rebuttal to the final paragraph): Don't worry sweetie! I'll be right there for you for "the big exam," making sure you don't fall asleep again like you did during the Ethics Exam (Seriously, people, we're taking a Final Exam, and I'm dutifully writing away about legal ethics -- save your snide comments -- and I hear snoring beside me; sure enough, Chris had fallen asleep during the exam. I tap her in the ribs and remind her that -- hello -- you have an exam to finish. I still give her tons of crap about that to this day). We're in the test together, and I have a remarkable ability to bull**** through tons of things, so it's all good in the hood. So don't cry, or I'll force Marby to kiss you to death!

Doctor's Visit Today

2006-12-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Chris has a doctor's visit today at 4:30 (the "37 week checkup"); this one is in Beavercreek (15 miles away or so) because the local office is full. Of course it would snow today...but at least they're nothing more than flurries. Still, idiots around here automatically default into "Southern Driving" mode and forget how to function in such weather. Anyway, she'll provide updates about the visit tonight (I will pester her into writing an entry tonight detailing what went on).

D-Day is approximately 3 weeks. . . (but I mean that in only the most positive of ways; please, no hate mail).

BTW, it's Pearl Harbor Day. Sixty-five years ago today, we suffered the most devastating attack ever on American soil (at least until 9/11 came around). So, take a minute to say a silent prayer for all those lost on that terrible day, and if you see a WWII veteran. . . and there's not too many left anymore. . . thank them. I'm off my soapbox now.

Turkey Induced Meat Coma

2006-11-27T21:43:00.001-05:00

Okay, I had another's Doctor's appointment today and starting this week I'll be paying him a visit every week. So, I guess that means that I am now on the downward side. First updates from what we have been up to lately. First of all we survived all of the birthing classes and learned a lot. Now the real question is how much of this will I actually remember when I am in serious pain. Hopefully, I'll remember the important parts. We also started attending the birth care classes. The first one was very informative, and we got to see a bunch of pictures of babies that looked a little off from what you see on TV, but according to the doctor who brought the slides the babies were all normal. The weirdness that it looked like they had really wasn't odd; it was all normal and the babies were all fine. Tomorrow night, I guess we will get to learn about bathing (they apparently bring over one of the brand new babies from the maternity side and demonstrate). Also, we will learn the proper way to diaper a baby. We also have done a little shopping for baby girl clothing since they are sure that is what we are having. So, we got a few cute girly outfits and Frank has found a couple of cute daddy's little girl bibs. Although, one of my favorite bibs is the one that I bought that says "IRS Deduction," since if she is born when she is due we will get to take the deduction this year. Finally, to the doctor's visit today. The baby’s heart rate is a steady 136 beats/minute, which is what it was last time. Next, I had to have the not-so-fun part of the last 4 weeks doctor’s visits. I was at 1 cm, so that was all good (not fun but good). I also asked to him recommend a pediatrician, and he gave us the name of a Doctor that he likes that has his office less than a mile from our house, so that's a good thing too. My next visit is next Thursday afternoon; I'll update the blog again after that appointment.

Ultrasound now with 90% more useful information

2006-10-31T10:39:00.000-05:00

This one says girl.

Okay, this morning we had another ultrasound, and the tech said that she was 99.9% certain that we are having a little girl; so the name will be Elizabeth Caroline Holloway. In other news, based on the measurements that the tech was finding, Elizabeth is about 4.7 pounds with an average head and stomach size. The tech also thought that she could see some hair on the baby's head, but she couldn't get a perfect picture of that. The tech also said that we are still on track for the last week of December for a due date. I guess that's all I know at the minute, and I'll keep you up-to-date if I hear anything else. In other news, Elizabeth is in her first Halloween costume. Okay, I have the costume on covering her and keeping her warm, but she is a basketball. Considering the kicking she likes to do at night, I should have dressed her as a swimmer or a soccer player, but I suppose she is practicing her jump shot at 3 a.m. as all good shooters should do.

Cribs 2

2006-10-30T23:13:00.000-05:00

A Very Special Episode of MTV's "Cribs"

2006-10-30T22:02:00.000-05:00

An update...of sorts...

2006-10-17T22:49:00.000-04:00

Hello, and thanks for taking time out of your busy day surfing for videos of idiots lip-synching "SexyBack" on YouTube and stopping by. Your patronage, as always, is welcome.

Yes, the blog should be updated more. I know...I'm an awful person. Unfortunately, life gets in the way of online rambling, so what are you going to do?

Here's the baby update: Friday, another doctor's visit. This time, the doctor was concerned that Chris might be developing gestational diabetes (even though she tests several times a week with my own meter and hasn't really shown anything out of the ordinary). So, she had to take another test (drinking the sweet, sweet liquid.....I miss the days when I could drink a regular Fresca and turn my nose at society....well, at least I miss the Fresca). Unfortunately, she had to have blood drawn 4 times for this test, once before the drink, and then one on the hour for the next 3 hours. So, Chris basically spent her morning being poked for blood, then go run errands, then come back for more blood-letting. We find out the results of this second test tomorrow, so wish us luck.

I read about GD (heh -- GD) on WebMD, and the risks to the mom can be serious (basically, same risks as diabetics). If she does have it, the hope is that it would be temporary and not permanent. If it's permanent, at least I can hook her up with a spare meter. Anyway, the risk to the baby that seemed most prevalent is that it'll make it bigger when it's born. As if the head wasn't going to be big enough to start with... Luckily, the treatment is usually diet and exercise. Hopefully, the test will come back negative and all will be fine.

The next actual doctor's visit (since tomorrow is a visit with the nurse practitioner/daughter of Satan) is in two weeks. Maybe... just maybe ... we'll get a final answer as to the baby's sex. So far, we've been operating with "girl," but it would be nice to have that 100% confirmed rather than "well, we think it's a girl." Sigh...we can send unmanned probes out to Pluto and decide that its no longer a planet (a decision I wholeheartedly disagree with, and I sincerely hope that this issue is taken before the Federation or even the Galactic Senate....Pluto got a raw deal...and what about all those science fair presentations where some poor kid plunked down 20-40 bucks at Michael's for a Solar System diarama, and now they have an extra Pluto and nothing to do with it...I mean, will somebody PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!?!?!...but, I digress).

As for me, well, the fear is slowly starting to overtake the excitement. I've been running waaaayyy too many "what if" scenarios in my mind lately. For example, what if I'm giving a very important presentation for work and the baby starts shrieking? Obviously, I would excuse myself for a moment and investigate the noise. Then, I find the cause of the problem...the baby is shrieking out of excitement because the dog has obtained a dirty diaper and is currently playing soccer all around the house, gleefully slinging feces over the un-stainmaster protected furniture. Meanwhile, the cat has pushed the remaining container of formula perilously close to the edge of the counter. And then the doorbell rings, and the dog starts barking furiously (diaper somehow still in jaw), thereby changing the baby's shrieks from gleeful to terrifying, and the formula spills. What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?

So there you go: the baby is a gender-neutral, kicking machine, Chris probably can't have anything sugary for the next two months, and I'm periously close to needing a Lithium prescription. That about sums it up at the 29th week of pregnancy.

Doctor’s visit updates:

2006-09-27T17:18:00.000-04:00

He listened to the heart again and gave me an orange drink for a sugar test on Monday Oct. 2. He was happy with my fasting blood sugar but apparently they have everyone do the sugar tolerance test around this time. He also told me that wouldn’t schedule another ultrasound until after the 30th week. So, I have to wait for a few more weeks before we can check for Elizabeth or Patrick’s identity. (That is if he or she is willing to move the correct direction/position) Other than being told I’m going to have to wait, the rest of the visit was uneventful and no news was good news.

Some More Photos

2006-09-26T11:35:00.000-04:00

A couple of additional photos of the Pooh Room . . .

Pooh Room -- Version 2.01

2006-09-26T11:08:00.000-04:00

With extra special thanks to my best friend Stephanie for all her hard work. Without her help there is no way that the room would look this cool...

Presenting the new nursery. . . crib, rocker, toy chest (probably) still to come, but you get the general idea. . .

We Are Very Bad Parents

2006-09-25T15:27:00.000-04:00

We are such bad parents. I mean, Madison isn't even strapped into the safety harness for the Super Action Combat Stroller. . . OF DOOM!!! (copyright pending):

Someone should call children's services or something and warn them about our shoddy parenting. . .

Belated updates

2006-09-08T16:57:00.000-04:00

Okay, on September 1st I went to the Dr for a check-up. He said that the rest of the tests had come back and they were all negative (which is a good thing) he also said that he looked at the ultrasound and that he was happy with the images that he was seeing there as well. The nurse was able to find the heart beat fairly easily and the Dr measured my stomach and said that the measurement was within target. So, all in all a clean bill of health. My next appointment is September 21st bright and early in the morning so hopefully everything will go well for that visit as well.

Labor day Weekend was fun and busy-
My Mom and my sister threw a couple of different baby showers for Spawn. I was great to get to see friends and relatives that I don’t usually get to talk to. Spawn will be told when they are older that they were very very loved even before they were born. Actually, I almost cried but I bit my cheek a little so I wouldn’t start balling.(mainly because I didn’t know if I could stop. Hormones and all.) Both events went smoothly and hopefully everyone who came had a lot of fun. I know that I did.

Actually, I would like to personally thank everyone who came for coming again and I promise the “real” thank you notes will be in the mail by Monday.

That’s all the news that fit to print for right now

more pictures

2006-08-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

Some Ultrasound pictures 8/16/06

2006-08-16T19:47:00.000-04:00

And the Emmy for Gender Identity Goes To . . .

2006-08-16T12:02:00.000-04:00

Pop quiz, hotshots. What will Spawn be?

(A) Boy
(B) Girl
(C) Human
(D) Pod Person
(E) Tony Kornheiser
(F) Wait, we're having a baby? How come I wasn't informed of this? Damn interns failing to update my calendars. . .
(G) We think it's a girl, but we're not completely sure b/c (1) Spawn mooned us most of the time, (2) squirmed around waaaaaayyyy too much, and (3) even when we were able to get a view of the upper leg/torso area, Spawn refused to open its legs for anyone to peek, but the thought is that its likely a girl based upon what was seen, but we'll have to wait for another 4 weeks to get a more definitive answer.

If you answered "G," give yourself a gold star and a cookie. If you answered D, you watch waaay too much Sci Fi channel. If you answered E, what the hell is wrong with you?

For now, its probably 75/25 likely to be a girl, with a more definitive answer in a few weeks (as Spawn gets bigger... and maybe a little less squirmy...)

Chris will post pictures later. . . mazel tov!

Worst Cliff Hanger Ever

2006-08-13T22:17:00.000-04:00

Okay, so we went to the Dr's on Friday morning. Didn't learn anything new which was kind of a let down since when we went in July he promised an ultrasound when we came back in Aug. But he decided to have us go to a specialist next Wednesday to do the ultrasound. Not sure why but okay. So, instead of getting to find out what it was on Friday like we hoped we would we have to wait until Wednesday morning. So, for the next couple of days I am waiting out the longest cliff hanger ever. Hopefully, I'll know something on Wednesday morning. But the wait is killing me.

Dr. Visit 7/21/2006

2006-07-21T17:40:00.000-04:00

Well, I had a doctor 's visit this morning . It was rather uneventful. All the blood work that they did last time came back normal, so that's good news . No ultrasound , unfortunately, so no new pictures or other updates of that nature ("So, no, we don't know the sex yet. . . and the secret is killing Chris!" -- Frank). He did listen for Spawn, but he had a hard time actually getting to hear the heartbeat; every time he picked it up, Spawn swam away from the ultrasound microphone. The doctor did say that he could hear Spawn moving around in there, so that's a relief, but no heart rate measure this time around (if Spawn is this active in utero, this bodes poorly for the Frankovian household) . Then he sent me over for more blood work to test for anything and everything else that he didn't test for last time (such as birth defects like spina bifida, down's syndrome, or cystic fibrosis) . He said that he would call if anything came back troubling, so I am honestly hoping not to hear from his office until Aug. 11 (my next appointment ) .

What else is new? I think we are going this weekend to pick out baby supplies from Babies 'R Us . We've already put together a registry at Target; now we're going to go see about registering for things that we either couldn't find at Target or didn't like. That should be fun ("I like playing with the scanner gun; you don't know how much resolve it took for me NOT to register for an XBox 360." -- Frank) . We're going to figure out which car seat is the safest and which stroller is the best buy. My head is already spinning ("No dear, the Linda Blair spinning hasn't even started yet." -- Frank)

Let the Indoctrination Begin

2006-07-21T16:52:00.000-04:00

Because it is never too soon . . .

(when Chris saw this, she went "Awwwww....its got boo-ties....")

Spawn's First Tornado

2006-07-11T23:13:00.000-04:00

So we had a F-Zero tornado strike around the Dayton Mall tonight, only about a couple of blocks away from our house. Let's set the scene, shall we:

It's around 7:30 p.m. It was raining like cats and dogs, and it sounded like some hail might have fallen, but it had really started to calm down rain-wise. I'm in my office, Chris is in the family room with the dog watching TV. She hears what sounds like the civil defense siren (this siren is some distance from our house, and it's hard to hear it on a good day). I hear it as well, but I couldn't figure out why it was blaring: the weather had calmed down considerably and there was nothing on the TV warning us of a tornado (no watches or warnings had been issued). We both meet in the living room and confirm what we heard. We then step outside the front door for a look (yes, I know, exactly what they tell you NOT to do. . . so save the lectures, Nancy). For a couple of minutes, we see nothing. Then, I began to notice the clouds around us were swirling a little too much for my comfort. However, the clincher was that we then saw what appeared to be a debris cloud a couple of blocks southeast of the house. At that point, the TV started blaring "Tornado Warning! Tornado Warning!" No s**t, Sherlock!

The emergency house protocol # 3 went into effect: gather the pets and get the hell into the hall bathroom (no windows). Of course, by this point, the tornado had: (1) already ripped off part of the roof at the Wal-Mart complex a couple of miles away, (2) ripped off the roof of the Carpet Warehouse, which was behind the Dayton Mall, (3) destroyed the sign for Joker's Comedy Club, also close to the Dayton Mall, (4) twisted pieces of awning around trees, (5) smashed car windows at Target (to the immediate east of the Dayton Mall) and (6) knocked down some tree limbs in our general neighborhood. So, essentially, the warning issued was a wee bit too late to do any good.

In the end, nobody died, and the most serious damage was described above. Around our neighborhood, some tree limbs were down, but it didn't look like anybody suffered major damage to their homes. It was confirmed that a F-zero tornado did touch down briefly behind the Dayton Mall, but most of the damage apparently happened while it was a funnel cloud roughly 30-50 feet off the ground. I've attached a picture to the post; it was taken behind the Dayton Mall facing south by somebody's camera phone. When you look at the picture, it looks kinda scary.

Apparently, these storms blew up out of nowhere. Traditionally in our area, storms barrel in from Indiana (usually fueled by warm air) and you get to see them coming. Today, though, the storms popped up out of nowhere; it was cloudy and rainy all day. I was out walking at 7:00 p.m., and though it was cloudy, it hardly looked like a tornado was brewing. By 7:30 p.m., ol' twisty was a-blowin'. The storm literally blew up out of nowhere right on top of us and had the nerve to drop a freakin' tornado on us.

So, tonight wasn't so much scary as it was surreal. I imagine if we had been out shopping at Target or the Dayton Mall, it would have been much scarier (apparently, Target went into "Lock-Down" mode, which means they probably gathered up everybody and forced them to shop only in "The 1 Spot" or something). Instead, we were at home, scratching our heads as to what the hell just happened until we read more of the reports. Then we were like "Cool!!"

I guess this will be something for the baby scrapbook or something one day: Spawn's First Tornado. I'll recreate it by hijacking pictures of the cow scene from "Twister" and putting Spawn's head over that of the cow . . . just to freak him or her out.

Nurse visit 7/7/06

2006-07-07T10:29:00.000-04:00

Well, I went to go see the nurse practitioner lady today. I really didn't like her but I don't know why. It's a mystery. She didn't seem too . . . interested in me. . . I guess she talked a lot about herself and her kids(which are 13 and 20). I had to answer about a million questions (some of which we have already answered and should be in the file); about my folks and Frank's folks health, which hospital, family mental illness and bunch of other stuff. Then the whole other part of the exam that I so don't want to talk or think about (those females reading this will know what I'm talking about; if any guys are reading this, well ask a female -- maybe if you 're nice they will tell you... ) and then just for fun I then had to see a lab tech , who took five tubes of blood... But I got to hear the heartbeat again and that was cool... I have to go see the doctor again in two weeks.

pictures 2

2006-06-27T23:15:00.000-04:00

pictures maybe

2006-06-27T23:11:00.000-04:00

Doctor's Visit

2006-06-27T19:42:00.000-04:00

Today I had my 13 week check-up with the doctor. Everything is going fine Spawn's heart rate was 160. We got to see the hands, arms, legs and he showed us the ribs and both halves of the brain. For once I could actually make out what the ultrasound was showing me. I'm going to attach the scans of the picture for all to enjoy. . . if freakin' Blogger would let me do it (grrrrr). . . I'll try to attach later. . . .

Fun quotes

2006-06-23T15:21:00.000-04:00

Notes from Chris: Okay, Frank said that he got to rant so I am thinking that I should be able to include a few quotes I heard recently that made me laugh. "Only people from the extremes run for office . Moderates got too much stuff(paraphrasing) to do." Jon Stewart from the Daily Show. "We need a wall with a lava moat and lava proof alligators in the moot." Stephen Colbert orginially from the commencement address given at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill but he has used this quote on his show The Colbert Report a couple of times since then. "Goal!!! GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!!" Frank runing around the house everytime Carolina Hurricanes score a goal during the Stanley Cup. "Your password needs to have at least one number and one capital letter. No, you can't use your first or last name. No, you can't use your wife last name if it is the same as yours now if it is different and you add a number and a capital letter sure then you can use it. Yes, you can use your dog's name but you have to add a number somewhere in the password. Yes, you can use the number 1 and long as it is the number 1 and not number "o-n-e". Did that work? Yes, great is there anything I can help with." Overheard a call taker at work having to take a customer through the password process. The really sad part was that the customer was a Harvard grad. and working a large law firm making 6 figures. There really is no cosmic justice is there. I guess none of this was really about Spawn but I did pick up at a garage sale, today, a cute stuffed cow with pale blue spots and pale green horns and a "classic" Tigger. So, what's not to love.

Inaugural Blogging

2006-06-17T21:44:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the first post of Chris and Frank and baby "Spawn." Under intense pressure to maintain round-the-clock info about Spawn, we've decided to make a blog. Hopefully we'll actually figure out this whole "blogging" thing and include things like (1) pictures, (2) updates about pre- and post-natal baby life, and (3) Frank's mad rants about things like grilled cheese sandwiches (They're not actually cooked on a grill, so why do we call them grilled cheese sandwiches? C'mon people, WORK WITH ME HERE!!!!).

At any rate, the first post finds us one day after our 5th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe that Chris can voluntarily claim to still be married to Frank after 5 years (see the Grilled Cheese rant above), but she claims to "love and cherish" me. I think she's angling for a better anniversary gift, but don't tell her that. We decided to go to a bed and breakfast country inn to celebrate the big occasion in Cedarville, Ohio. How shall I describe Cedarville? Well, first of all, I have yet to see any cedars in this town. It is very troubling to me that you would name your city after a cedar tree, yet not have any. I would recommend an investigation into this, much like the grilled cheese controversy. How else shall I describe Cedarville? Hmmmm....... well ...... it is in America, and that's about it. It's a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Which is good if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. It has reminded me, though, that I particularly like the hustle and bustle of urban life and cannot survive five minutes without a Target and a Taco Bell.

Actually, the anniversary has been really great, and we've had a nice time getting away from Marbury (for anybody who will read this who isn't family ... and God bless you ... that's our one and a half year old puppy; he's part Cattle Dog, part German Shepard, probably a tinge of wolf or some other unusual lupine animal, and all insanity) and Madison (the four year old cat who wishes the dog would mysteriously vanish into a rift in the time-space continuum...she's been working on it, but she hasn't gotten her mind around Heisenberg's Principle yet). Although I would go insane with rurality, it's nice to spend some quiet, quality time with Chris and remember why we got married in the first place (the tax benefits).

Spawn has been doing well. For those of you wondering "Why Spawn?," I guess the image I have in my head right now is a Gremlin inside Chris furiously clawing at life or something (you try looking at the ultrasounds and tell me that it looks human). Spawn was the first name that popped in my head after I created that visual, so until we know the sex, Spawn is the name (sorry all you fanboys who thought this would be about the comic book character -- please slink back into your parents' basements where you belong). Currently, Spawn is at 11 weeks and holding steady. My emotions at this time are excitement mixed with abject fear at the thought of parenthood. I honestly have no idea what this whole concept is about. It really freaks me out when I think about it. In around six months or so, I'm going to have a lifeform dependent on me for everything, like food, shelter, and sports trivia. This is scary stuff. I tell myself that I'll have an "action plan" and a "blueprint for success" by the time Spawn arrives, but I don't think using corporate weaselspeak is really going to help me much here. So, bear with me when I go off on philosophical rants, like poop and why God couldn't make it smell like flowers or something. I'm just a scared new father who's going to do the best he can. Of course, I think the first time Spawn looks at me with nothing more than love in its eyes, all fear will melt away (remind me of this in 17 years when I'm ranting about the teenage years). Excitement and fear all mixed into one.

Okay, I think I've ranted enough tonight. I'll let Chris blog for awhile.

Go Whaler-canes!!

Frank

Greetings, people! Chris here. While I'm not as eloquent as my husband when it comes to writing, I can type so I guess I should add some stuff. So far, it hasn't been too bad yet. A little morning sickness, although never in the morning. I've found that if I don't let myself get too hot or too hungry, then generally it's not that bad. There are certain things that are on the banned list for now: cheddar cheese (which sucks, b/c I love cheddar cheese), KFC (I'm just glad I can type that today with no negative reactions), and chocolate (which sucks, but b/c of caffeine, I can't have it).

I too am both excited and scared. The thought of a lifeform being totally dependent on me (and me alone right now) for the next six months is a little intimidating. I have to go back to the doctor on June 27th, and hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to post a copy of the ultrasound picture by then.

I guess that's all I can really think of right now. Peace out from C-ville!

Chris