This past Thursday marked a major milestone for Karen and I. Sadly, that milestone was going out. Too bad I suck at going out.
Ever since our daughter (Briana) was born prematurely on St. Patty's Day, Karen and I have done nothing but shuttle ourselves to and from our house to the hospital for Briana's feeding. In between visits to the hospital, we have done nothing but eat (for Karen it's been more like eat, sleep, pump... and not necessarily in that order). And by the time we are done with our tasks at home, it's time to go back to the hospital and repeat the cycle.
Yes, it's a vicious cycle.
On Thursday, however, we decided to spice things up a little and go out in between Briana's feeding period. Granted, our going out consisted of a trip to Staples, Babies 'R Us, and dinner Not Your Average Joe's. It does seem like a lot was accomplished in such a short time frame. Luckily, two of the stores were right next to each other.
Always one for recycling, Karen and I stopped off at Staples to recycle our old Panasonic phone and a laser computer mouse. Staples took it with no problems. I love Staples for that. I wish more companies would recycle old electronic waste. In addition to the phone and mouse, Karen and I also recycled our old computer printer which Karen had gotten a long time ago while she was in college. The printer had been sitting in Briana's/my BFF's (Kerry) room for years. With the birth of Briana, we had decided that it was time to clean out the room.
And of course, with the recycling of the old printer, Karen and I decided to actually get a new printer that prints, scans, and copies. Sadly, the new printer does not fax, but since we hardly fax anything... we thought it would be okay.
As for Babies 'R Us, we stopped in to update our baby registry. The doctors and nurses at the hospital suggested that we get a car seat that can handle babies from 4 pounds (and not the standard 5 pounds) and up because Briana is... well... simply tiny. Thus, they thought that a car seat that could handle 4 pounds would be a better fit for Briana. As we had originally registered for a car seat (and stroller) that was for a 5 pound baby, we decided to pop in the store, look at the other options around, and update the registry.
And to top off the whole going out excursion, Karen and I then grabbed a bite to eat at Not Your Average Joe's located in Norwell. Having to trek back and forth to the hospital can sometimes make preparing meals difficult. So it was a nice break to actually not have to worry about making dinner and all of that for a while.
All in all, it was a good night out.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
I Suck At Blogging
It's been about a week since my last post. So I guess it's official: I suck at blogging. Over the past week, I have simply found myself with very little time.
One week ago, my daughter (Briana) was born prematurely on the great holiday known as Evacuation Day (here in Massachusetts). The rest of the world knows that day better as St. Patrick's Day. It's the luck of the Irish!
Since that time, I have pretty much been... well... tired. When Karen was pregnant with Briana, she used to always tell me how tired she was. "I'm so tired..." "Mike, I'm so tired"... "You know Mike, I'm so tired." I now know what she's talking about. And the sad thing is, our daughter is not even home yet from the hospital.
While Briana has been at the hospital, I have been trying to multitask. Unfortunately, I think the lack of sleep is catching up to me. (Luckily for me, as I write this, I have a bunch of caffeine going through my system... thanks to good o' Mountain Dew. Do the Dew!)
Opting to save my vacation time for when Briana actually comes home, I decided to work during the hours that I am not at the hospital visiting Briana. The general schedule for the day is that in the early morning, Karen and I go to the hospital to spend some time with Briana. We both come home: Karen to nap and pump; me to work. From there, Karen and I return back to the hospital to spend more time with Briana. When we get back from the second visit, Karen pumps again while I finish the rest of my working day. It makes for a very long day that way.
Unfortunately, I think I am having trouble thinking clearly when it comes to work. I've been trying to diagnose the same application error for quite some time now. My boss thinks I should simply take a couple of days off or so to recharge my batteries. I may be inclined to agree.
So to quote my wife..."I'm so tired". I may need a ghost writer for this blog. I am hoping things will get a little easier once Briana does come home from the hospital. After all, the trips back and forth to the hospital will be gone... which means there will be more time... and time is really what I need right now.
The doctors are hopeful that Briana can come home in a couple of weeks. They have not given us a date yet, but things are looking good for Briana. Apparently, Briana has my appetite, which is good for a premature baby trying to pack on the pounds. She guzzles milk like there's no tomorrow.
And in case people are interested in seeing pictures of Briana, I did manage to create a photo album for her. The link is as follows:
http://picasaweb.google.com/yee.olde.english/Briana?feat=directlink
I have been trying to update the pictures periodically with each visit at the hospital. Unfortunately, sometimes the lighting is too dark in the nursery (because babies need to sleep after all).
As much as I would have liked to have taken a picture of it, I don't have any pictures of my first diaper change with Briana... or any baby for that matter. Originally, I was hoping to change my first diaper with my son (Braden). Unfortunately, since he passed away after only one week, I had to wait a little longer.
And I must say... changing diapers is an interesting experience. Baby poop is definitely not what I expected. As I had mentioned to a few friends of mine... imagine lifting a baby's legs and getting the bum to stick up in the air. Then imagine a volcano erupting. It's almost like that... except instead of hot molten lava... you get baby poop. It's really cool!
Anyway, fatherhood has been awesome. Even though I am thoroughly exhausted, I am digging it.
One week ago, my daughter (Briana) was born prematurely on the great holiday known as Evacuation Day (here in Massachusetts). The rest of the world knows that day better as St. Patrick's Day. It's the luck of the Irish!
Since that time, I have pretty much been... well... tired. When Karen was pregnant with Briana, she used to always tell me how tired she was. "I'm so tired..." "Mike, I'm so tired"... "You know Mike, I'm so tired." I now know what she's talking about. And the sad thing is, our daughter is not even home yet from the hospital.
While Briana has been at the hospital, I have been trying to multitask. Unfortunately, I think the lack of sleep is catching up to me. (Luckily for me, as I write this, I have a bunch of caffeine going through my system... thanks to good o' Mountain Dew. Do the Dew!)
Opting to save my vacation time for when Briana actually comes home, I decided to work during the hours that I am not at the hospital visiting Briana. The general schedule for the day is that in the early morning, Karen and I go to the hospital to spend some time with Briana. We both come home: Karen to nap and pump; me to work. From there, Karen and I return back to the hospital to spend more time with Briana. When we get back from the second visit, Karen pumps again while I finish the rest of my working day. It makes for a very long day that way.
Unfortunately, I think I am having trouble thinking clearly when it comes to work. I've been trying to diagnose the same application error for quite some time now. My boss thinks I should simply take a couple of days off or so to recharge my batteries. I may be inclined to agree.
So to quote my wife..."I'm so tired". I may need a ghost writer for this blog. I am hoping things will get a little easier once Briana does come home from the hospital. After all, the trips back and forth to the hospital will be gone... which means there will be more time... and time is really what I need right now.
The doctors are hopeful that Briana can come home in a couple of weeks. They have not given us a date yet, but things are looking good for Briana. Apparently, Briana has my appetite, which is good for a premature baby trying to pack on the pounds. She guzzles milk like there's no tomorrow.
And in case people are interested in seeing pictures of Briana, I did manage to create a photo album for her. The link is as follows:
http://picasaweb.google.com/yee.olde.english/Briana?feat=directlink
I have been trying to update the pictures periodically with each visit at the hospital. Unfortunately, sometimes the lighting is too dark in the nursery (because babies need to sleep after all).
As much as I would have liked to have taken a picture of it, I don't have any pictures of my first diaper change with Briana... or any baby for that matter. Originally, I was hoping to change my first diaper with my son (Braden). Unfortunately, since he passed away after only one week, I had to wait a little longer.
And I must say... changing diapers is an interesting experience. Baby poop is definitely not what I expected. As I had mentioned to a few friends of mine... imagine lifting a baby's legs and getting the bum to stick up in the air. Then imagine a volcano erupting. It's almost like that... except instead of hot molten lava... you get baby poop. It's really cool!
Anyway, fatherhood has been awesome. Even though I am thoroughly exhausted, I am digging it.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
I Suck At Being A Parent
Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Happy St. Patrick's Day! As the luck of the Irish would have it, yesterday was also the day I became a the proud parent of a baby girl. Too bad I suck at being a parent.
(The picture below is my daughter, Briana. She's actually lying down in an Isolette... a.k.a. incubator in the NICU, so you may need to tilt your head to the left.)
Briana was born yesterday, March 17 2010. She weighed in at 4 pounds 14 ounces. As well, she measured 18 inches, which is pretty comparable to a full term baby. (For anyone curious, Briana was born prematurely at 33 weeks.)
Also of note is the fact that Briana received a 9.9 Apgar score. Previous to Briana's birth, I had never heard of the Apgar score. The Apgar is a health assessment test for newborns. The maximum score is 10. So apparently Briana scored extremely well considering she was premature. I was pretty impressed.
Hearing that she scored so well was definitely a relief. After everything that happened with my son (Braden) and how he was born extremely premature which unfortunately allowed him to only survive a week, the actual stress to make it through the actual birth of Briana felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Rather than worrying about whether Karen and I would lose another child in the same fashion, we can now worry about actually taking care of our child.
Of course, Briana is not out of the woods yet. As a premature baby, she is still being monitored in the neonatal intensive care unit. Her chances of survival, however, are quite good because she was delivered further along than Braden (and she also scored so well on the Apgar.) Although Karen and I still won't be able to take her home from the hospital for several weeks, just knowing that she was born and has a great fighting chance to survive is fantastic.
But, I am hoping for the best. And I must say, Briana's birth was simply amazing. I don't mean that because she is now "Daddy's little girl". The entire experience was awesome and nothing like that movie "The Miracle of Life". After Briana's birth, I would love to be a labor coach. Of course, the other expectant mothers probably would not like that as much if I were in the room with them... but I think that would be fun.
Karen's labor was quite the ride. After her water broke, the doctor's simply kept a monitor on her to check her contractions. Since Karen was at 33 weeks, there was a decision made by the doctors to administer a steroid to help Briana's potential lung development. The steroid process consisted of two shots given 24 hours apart. (Unfortunately, Briana only received one of the two shots.)
The reason why only one steroid shot was received was because Karen started having contractions. As Karen started having contractions, the doctors soon prescribed Nubain (Nalbuphine) for the pain and discomfort. Eventually, the pain proved to be too much for Karen (even after a second dose of Nubain) and consequently, she was given her epidural.
After the epidural, it was pretty much a given that Briana would be born that day because dilation was inevitable. And so, Karen began the active portion of her labor. That was the part on television where the expecting mother generally screams and yells at the father or whoever is around because she is pushing the baby out. Interestingly enough, real life is nothing like television. Granted, Karen and I actually had dedicated hands-on training with the child birth by professionals. (We never had taken the child birthing class offered by the hospital because... well... each time we registered for the class our child was born prematurely before the class.) So nope, there was no screaming during the active labor portion.
The pushing of the baby was wild. Karen did a fantastic job. Always the curious one, I even got to see probably more than a normal person should. On television, the father generally stays by the wife's side near the top of the bed... if he doesn't pass out. At least... that's television. I got to actually help lift Karen's legs, hold her head up, hold her hands... everything.
It probably goes without saying that I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. And okay, I'll admit, I even almost teared up during the whole labor portion. After three hours of pushing, Karen was simply exhausted. She simply looked spent. I could see it on her face that she looked like she wanted to give up. It was at that point that the doctor gave a little "rah-rah" type of speech to Karen about fighting through the pain and about how if she can overcome that one moment of pain, she would be forever happy that she did so.
I have no reason why it almost made me tear up. I guess because 1) I've possibly become a softy with parenthood and 2) I think the message made sense to me on a personal level. In particular, I had thought about Braden at that moment, and how losing him was extremely painful. And then now, there was this opportunity to have the world make sense again in my life with the birth of Briana. For me, the doctor's message seemed to be not only for Karen and her labor, but for me as well. And truth be told, I think the nurse (Patty) who was there with us with Braden and now also there with us for Briana somehow sensed that too because she looked at me after the doctor said those inspiring words.
Sure enough... Karen reached down deep inside and did it. She was simply amazing. Seeing Briana's head pop right out was great. I remember at the time too that while Briana was being pulled out I had thought... wow, that's a long baby. Little did I know, she would measure 18 inches.
The NICU were also on hand during Briana's birth. After all, they were there to take Briana to the NICU as soon as possible to begin their treatment for me. As they were attending to Briana, the other doctors were helping Karen pass the placenta (and all the other after birth stuff.) Everything was pretty hectic after the actual birth.
Luckily for me, the NICU allowed me the opportunity to cut the umbilical cord. That was also a great experience. For anyone curious, cutting through the umbilical cord is like cutting through a rubber hose. Hopefully, Briana will end up with an "innie" instead of an "outie". And for those still curious, doctors have no control over that belly button feature. I asked. The way the cord eventually falls off determines that.
All in all, St. Patty's Day was a wild ride with the birth of our daughter Briana. Karen mentioned that Briana's 21st birthday will most likely be quite the party. I have not thought that far into the future yet, but it would definitely be quite the party for Briana.
Happy birthday Briana! And Braden, it looks like you now have a little sister to look after too!
(The picture below is my daughter, Briana. She's actually lying down in an Isolette... a.k.a. incubator in the NICU, so you may need to tilt your head to the left.)
Briana was born yesterday, March 17 2010. She weighed in at 4 pounds 14 ounces. As well, she measured 18 inches, which is pretty comparable to a full term baby. (For anyone curious, Briana was born prematurely at 33 weeks.)
Also of note is the fact that Briana received a 9.9 Apgar score. Previous to Briana's birth, I had never heard of the Apgar score. The Apgar is a health assessment test for newborns. The maximum score is 10. So apparently Briana scored extremely well considering she was premature. I was pretty impressed.
Hearing that she scored so well was definitely a relief. After everything that happened with my son (Braden) and how he was born extremely premature which unfortunately allowed him to only survive a week, the actual stress to make it through the actual birth of Briana felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Rather than worrying about whether Karen and I would lose another child in the same fashion, we can now worry about actually taking care of our child.
Of course, Briana is not out of the woods yet. As a premature baby, she is still being monitored in the neonatal intensive care unit. Her chances of survival, however, are quite good because she was delivered further along than Braden (and she also scored so well on the Apgar.) Although Karen and I still won't be able to take her home from the hospital for several weeks, just knowing that she was born and has a great fighting chance to survive is fantastic.
But, I am hoping for the best. And I must say, Briana's birth was simply amazing. I don't mean that because she is now "Daddy's little girl". The entire experience was awesome and nothing like that movie "The Miracle of Life". After Briana's birth, I would love to be a labor coach. Of course, the other expectant mothers probably would not like that as much if I were in the room with them... but I think that would be fun.
Karen's labor was quite the ride. After her water broke, the doctor's simply kept a monitor on her to check her contractions. Since Karen was at 33 weeks, there was a decision made by the doctors to administer a steroid to help Briana's potential lung development. The steroid process consisted of two shots given 24 hours apart. (Unfortunately, Briana only received one of the two shots.)
The reason why only one steroid shot was received was because Karen started having contractions. As Karen started having contractions, the doctors soon prescribed Nubain (Nalbuphine) for the pain and discomfort. Eventually, the pain proved to be too much for Karen (even after a second dose of Nubain) and consequently, she was given her epidural.
After the epidural, it was pretty much a given that Briana would be born that day because dilation was inevitable. And so, Karen began the active portion of her labor. That was the part on television where the expecting mother generally screams and yells at the father or whoever is around because she is pushing the baby out. Interestingly enough, real life is nothing like television. Granted, Karen and I actually had dedicated hands-on training with the child birth by professionals. (We never had taken the child birthing class offered by the hospital because... well... each time we registered for the class our child was born prematurely before the class.) So nope, there was no screaming during the active labor portion.
The pushing of the baby was wild. Karen did a fantastic job. Always the curious one, I even got to see probably more than a normal person should. On television, the father generally stays by the wife's side near the top of the bed... if he doesn't pass out. At least... that's television. I got to actually help lift Karen's legs, hold her head up, hold her hands... everything.
It probably goes without saying that I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. And okay, I'll admit, I even almost teared up during the whole labor portion. After three hours of pushing, Karen was simply exhausted. She simply looked spent. I could see it on her face that she looked like she wanted to give up. It was at that point that the doctor gave a little "rah-rah" type of speech to Karen about fighting through the pain and about how if she can overcome that one moment of pain, she would be forever happy that she did so.
I have no reason why it almost made me tear up. I guess because 1) I've possibly become a softy with parenthood and 2) I think the message made sense to me on a personal level. In particular, I had thought about Braden at that moment, and how losing him was extremely painful. And then now, there was this opportunity to have the world make sense again in my life with the birth of Briana. For me, the doctor's message seemed to be not only for Karen and her labor, but for me as well. And truth be told, I think the nurse (Patty) who was there with us with Braden and now also there with us for Briana somehow sensed that too because she looked at me after the doctor said those inspiring words.
Sure enough... Karen reached down deep inside and did it. She was simply amazing. Seeing Briana's head pop right out was great. I remember at the time too that while Briana was being pulled out I had thought... wow, that's a long baby. Little did I know, she would measure 18 inches.
The NICU were also on hand during Briana's birth. After all, they were there to take Briana to the NICU as soon as possible to begin their treatment for me. As they were attending to Briana, the other doctors were helping Karen pass the placenta (and all the other after birth stuff.) Everything was pretty hectic after the actual birth.
Luckily for me, the NICU allowed me the opportunity to cut the umbilical cord. That was also a great experience. For anyone curious, cutting through the umbilical cord is like cutting through a rubber hose. Hopefully, Briana will end up with an "innie" instead of an "outie". And for those still curious, doctors have no control over that belly button feature. I asked. The way the cord eventually falls off determines that.
All in all, St. Patty's Day was a wild ride with the birth of our daughter Briana. Karen mentioned that Briana's 21st birthday will most likely be quite the party. I have not thought that far into the future yet, but it would definitely be quite the party for Briana.
Happy birthday Briana! And Braden, it looks like you now have a little sister to look after too!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
I Suck At Breaking Water
It seems rather fitting in a way. After a few days of torrential downpour, the sun came out today. Also breaking the water... my wife. I suck at breaking water. Unfortunately Karen... not so much.
Today, Karen had one of her many appointments with the doctors. Being 33 weeks pregnant, Karen has had many appointments with the doctors. It just so happens that today's appointment was a big one in terms of being pregnant.
As I was driving Karen to her doctor's appointment, Karen mentioned how she thought her water just broke after the train ride home. Naturally, I was quite alarmed, in part because the baby is still not full term yet. And so with reckless abandon, I drove as quick as I could to the doctor's office.
While at the doctor's office, Karen noticed more fluid. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity in which there may have been panic and anxiety over the birth of our child, the doctor came in to examine Karen. Sure enough, the doctor confirmed that indeed Karen's water broke. (For anyone curious, there is this neat test: it's a pink cotton swab... that apparently turns black when mixed with amniotic fluid. I thought that was simply amazing.)
Needless to say, the doctor told us to go home, pack some clothes, and head to the hospital because the baby is arriving soon. I may have let my guard down a little as I excitedly told Karen that we're having a baby! Up until that point, I have been a little guarded in my feelings because I did not want to get my hopes up. After all, I was pretty ecstatic when Karen was pregnant with our first child (Braden) who unfortunately was born extremely premature and passed away after living only a week.
I did not want to jinx things and have the same outcome. Hence, I tried not to get too excited about the baby this time around. As it was, I may have jinxed things last night. Last night, I got to feel the baby move around.
For awhile, Karen has been trying to have me feel the baby move. Every time the baby would move, Karen would tell me and I would place my hand on Karen's belly. Unfortunately, every time I placed my hand on her belly, the baby never moved again. I naturally assumed the baby did not like me.
Last night, however, Karen had joked that the reason why the baby did not move around when I had my hand on her belly was because the baby knew that I was not going to let our child have a video game console until later in life. In response, I caressed Karen's belly and told the baby that if he or she moved while my hand was on Karen's belly that I would rethink the whole video game console idea. Perhaps I could knock a year or two off of my age restriction. Sure enough, the baby moved... twice.
Anyway, with Karen's water breaking, I wonder in the back of my mind if the baby really wants that video game console and just can't wait to play with it. Sure, it sounds ridiculous, but when you're told that the baby is coming early... not many things make a whole lot of sense.
Needless to say, Karen and I arrived at South Shore Hospital. Karen was admitted... and we are still currently awaiting for the arrival of the baby. Knowing that there are so many things that we have still yet to do in terms of preparing our house for the baby is extremely daunting. Again, in an effort to not get our hopes up too much, we had delayed getting a lot of the necessary items required in bringing a baby home... and even taking care of a baby in general.
Our hesitation was due to possibly repeating our experience with Braden. This should go without saying: the experience with Braden was by no means totally awful. It was great to meet my son, if even only for a week. It's the incredible high of being a parent followed by the quick plummeting lows of seeing your child pass away that wrench your heart. As it was, Karen and I are canceling birthing classes again... like before with Braden... because the baby is apparently going to be born before the class. I guess we are just not meant to take a birthing class.
Despite the anxiety and panic of repeating our experience with Braden, it was nice to see some familiar faces while at the hospital. One of the nurses (Patty) came in to personally visit us, as did the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit doctor from before when we had Braden. (For anyone curious, our baby... when born after 33 weeks... will end up in the NICU and will most likely stay there until he or she is able to do certain "normal" tasks.) It was definitely calming to see them again.
Anyway, right now Karen and the baby are doing well. Karen was given a steroid shot to help the baby's lung development. Hopefully, the baby will wait a little longer before arriving so that the second steroid shot can be administered tomorrow and take effect. Prior to the steroid shot, the doctors removed the cerclage from Karen's cervix. The doctor must have thought I was crazy because I was intrigued and wanted to see the actual removal of the cerclage. (For anyone curious, I did not watch the removal. I opted to help Karen during the removal instead. And interestingly enough... the cerclage... not as big as I imagined it to be.)
Aside from that, Karen is simply resting and being monitored by the doctors. I am hoping she can get a lot of rest. Of course, I was hoping that she got a lot of rest weeks ago, but that apparently never happened. Hopefully things will turn out okay this time around. The doctors seem to think so. In fact, they have said that on paper the baby looks great. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.
Today, Karen had one of her many appointments with the doctors. Being 33 weeks pregnant, Karen has had many appointments with the doctors. It just so happens that today's appointment was a big one in terms of being pregnant.
As I was driving Karen to her doctor's appointment, Karen mentioned how she thought her water just broke after the train ride home. Naturally, I was quite alarmed, in part because the baby is still not full term yet. And so with reckless abandon, I drove as quick as I could to the doctor's office.
While at the doctor's office, Karen noticed more fluid. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity in which there may have been panic and anxiety over the birth of our child, the doctor came in to examine Karen. Sure enough, the doctor confirmed that indeed Karen's water broke. (For anyone curious, there is this neat test: it's a pink cotton swab... that apparently turns black when mixed with amniotic fluid. I thought that was simply amazing.)
Needless to say, the doctor told us to go home, pack some clothes, and head to the hospital because the baby is arriving soon. I may have let my guard down a little as I excitedly told Karen that we're having a baby! Up until that point, I have been a little guarded in my feelings because I did not want to get my hopes up. After all, I was pretty ecstatic when Karen was pregnant with our first child (Braden) who unfortunately was born extremely premature and passed away after living only a week.
I did not want to jinx things and have the same outcome. Hence, I tried not to get too excited about the baby this time around. As it was, I may have jinxed things last night. Last night, I got to feel the baby move around.
For awhile, Karen has been trying to have me feel the baby move. Every time the baby would move, Karen would tell me and I would place my hand on Karen's belly. Unfortunately, every time I placed my hand on her belly, the baby never moved again. I naturally assumed the baby did not like me.
Last night, however, Karen had joked that the reason why the baby did not move around when I had my hand on her belly was because the baby knew that I was not going to let our child have a video game console until later in life. In response, I caressed Karen's belly and told the baby that if he or she moved while my hand was on Karen's belly that I would rethink the whole video game console idea. Perhaps I could knock a year or two off of my age restriction. Sure enough, the baby moved... twice.
Anyway, with Karen's water breaking, I wonder in the back of my mind if the baby really wants that video game console and just can't wait to play with it. Sure, it sounds ridiculous, but when you're told that the baby is coming early... not many things make a whole lot of sense.
Needless to say, Karen and I arrived at South Shore Hospital. Karen was admitted... and we are still currently awaiting for the arrival of the baby. Knowing that there are so many things that we have still yet to do in terms of preparing our house for the baby is extremely daunting. Again, in an effort to not get our hopes up too much, we had delayed getting a lot of the necessary items required in bringing a baby home... and even taking care of a baby in general.
Our hesitation was due to possibly repeating our experience with Braden. This should go without saying: the experience with Braden was by no means totally awful. It was great to meet my son, if even only for a week. It's the incredible high of being a parent followed by the quick plummeting lows of seeing your child pass away that wrench your heart. As it was, Karen and I are canceling birthing classes again... like before with Braden... because the baby is apparently going to be born before the class. I guess we are just not meant to take a birthing class.
Despite the anxiety and panic of repeating our experience with Braden, it was nice to see some familiar faces while at the hospital. One of the nurses (Patty) came in to personally visit us, as did the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit doctor from before when we had Braden. (For anyone curious, our baby... when born after 33 weeks... will end up in the NICU and will most likely stay there until he or she is able to do certain "normal" tasks.) It was definitely calming to see them again.
Anyway, right now Karen and the baby are doing well. Karen was given a steroid shot to help the baby's lung development. Hopefully, the baby will wait a little longer before arriving so that the second steroid shot can be administered tomorrow and take effect. Prior to the steroid shot, the doctors removed the cerclage from Karen's cervix. The doctor must have thought I was crazy because I was intrigued and wanted to see the actual removal of the cerclage. (For anyone curious, I did not watch the removal. I opted to help Karen during the removal instead. And interestingly enough... the cerclage... not as big as I imagined it to be.)
Aside from that, Karen is simply resting and being monitored by the doctors. I am hoping she can get a lot of rest. Of course, I was hoping that she got a lot of rest weeks ago, but that apparently never happened. Hopefully things will turn out okay this time around. The doctors seem to think so. In fact, they have said that on paper the baby looks great. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.
I Suck At Saw VI
Last night, I watched the latest movie in Karen's Netflix queue: Saw VI. Now I suck at Saw VI. Okay, Saw VI was definitely not in Karen's queue because Karen is not a big fan of horror movies. So needless to say, the movie was more in my queue.
(The video below is a trailer for Saw VI.)
Having seen the other Saw movies, I felt that I had to watch the latest installment. After all, I like completing things even when I know I probably shouldn't (like the whole Twilight series... which I still have not made up my mind yet on whether to complete it or not).
For the Saw series, I will admit... I found the first movie rather intriguing with its concept. The subsequent sequels thereafter were decent. One of the movies even featured Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block fame. But the movies are what they are... an entertaining way to kill a couple of hours. (No pun intended.)
Saw VI is no different. I am actually quite surprised that the Saw franchise has been able to keep going. After all, the main villain of the entire series died in the third movie. Of the six movies thus far, I will probably say that Saw VI is the worst of them, but it was still entertaining.
And naturally, the movie ends with the possibility of a sequel. So we'll see if there will be a Saw VII soon.
(The video below is a trailer for Saw VI.)
Having seen the other Saw movies, I felt that I had to watch the latest installment. After all, I like completing things even when I know I probably shouldn't (like the whole Twilight series... which I still have not made up my mind yet on whether to complete it or not).
For the Saw series, I will admit... I found the first movie rather intriguing with its concept. The subsequent sequels thereafter were decent. One of the movies even featured Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block fame. But the movies are what they are... an entertaining way to kill a couple of hours. (No pun intended.)
Saw VI is no different. I am actually quite surprised that the Saw franchise has been able to keep going. After all, the main villain of the entire series died in the third movie. Of the six movies thus far, I will probably say that Saw VI is the worst of them, but it was still entertaining.
And naturally, the movie ends with the possibility of a sequel. So we'll see if there will be a Saw VII soon.
I Suck At Home Improvement
My friend (Carlos) stopped by on Saturday. Knowing that I was still in the midst of working on renovating the bathroom on the first floor, he offered to help. Naturally, I suck at home improvement. So I gladly took Carlos up on his offer.
Of course, if the home improvement project involved getting absolutely dirty, then I would most likely not take Carlos or any of my other friends up on their offers to help. I would feel pretty badly asking a friend to get covered in dirt... unless that friend were a buxom blonde and the dirt were mud. Just kidding.
In case anyone is curious, I find plumbing to be very dirty. Even when you clean the pipes to solder them together... it's dirty. Luckily for Carlos, I had finished most of the plumbing for the first floor bathroom. (I still have to tie the drain in to our existing system, which requires getting dirty in the crawlspace.)
Anyway, apparently Carlos is new to the whole working-on-the-house thing. Home renovations had never interested him. So it meant a lot to me for Carlos to offer his help for a home improvement project. Hopefully I did not scare him away from future home improvement projects.
After all, Karen... and probably some of my friends... think I'm ridiculously anal when it comes to home improvement projects. In my defense, it's not about being particular about things. Like Mike Holmes from television would say, It's about making it right the first time so that you don't have to come back and fix it at a later time.
Needless to say, with it being Carlos's first time doing a home improvement project, I had him start with the simple things: insulation. While Carlos insulated the walls with the environmentally friendly denim insulation, I was measuring and cutting the drywall boards used for the walls.
I think the highlight of the day was seeing Carlos's amazement when we actually installing the drywall. Carlos had doubts about how we would install the drywall over the plumbing pipes that stuck out from the wall. Needless to say, with some fancy math, I was able to drill precise holes for the pipes.
In my resourcefulness, I also used some makeup to help outline the location of the pipes. In case anyone is curious, the makeup was not Karen's (because she doesn't wear any). And in case anyone is still curious, the makeup was definitely not mine. The makeup was a leftover from the second photo scavenger hunt that I organized. The makeup was used to make our team look like the members of KISS. (Yes, we were part of the KISS army for one brief moment of time.)
Regardless, seeing Carlos's surprise when the piece of drywall went in was memorable. His amazement almost made me feel like I knew what I was doing. Carlos and I eventually ended up installing drywall for the entire wall.
All in all, Carlos did a good job for his first time doing a home improvement project. I'm glad that he offered to help out. I haven't really hung out much with Carlos of late, so it was definitely good to see him. Plus, it turns out that Carlos is now a big fan of Freschetta pizza after we had some during lunch. Having never had Freschetta frozen pizza beforehand, Carlos absolutely raved about the taste. Who knew?
Anyway, thanks again Carlos for the help.
Of course, if the home improvement project involved getting absolutely dirty, then I would most likely not take Carlos or any of my other friends up on their offers to help. I would feel pretty badly asking a friend to get covered in dirt... unless that friend were a buxom blonde and the dirt were mud. Just kidding.
In case anyone is curious, I find plumbing to be very dirty. Even when you clean the pipes to solder them together... it's dirty. Luckily for Carlos, I had finished most of the plumbing for the first floor bathroom. (I still have to tie the drain in to our existing system, which requires getting dirty in the crawlspace.)
Anyway, apparently Carlos is new to the whole working-on-the-house thing. Home renovations had never interested him. So it meant a lot to me for Carlos to offer his help for a home improvement project. Hopefully I did not scare him away from future home improvement projects.
After all, Karen... and probably some of my friends... think I'm ridiculously anal when it comes to home improvement projects. In my defense, it's not about being particular about things. Like Mike Holmes from television would say, It's about making it right the first time so that you don't have to come back and fix it at a later time.
Needless to say, with it being Carlos's first time doing a home improvement project, I had him start with the simple things: insulation. While Carlos insulated the walls with the environmentally friendly denim insulation, I was measuring and cutting the drywall boards used for the walls.
I think the highlight of the day was seeing Carlos's amazement when we actually installing the drywall. Carlos had doubts about how we would install the drywall over the plumbing pipes that stuck out from the wall. Needless to say, with some fancy math, I was able to drill precise holes for the pipes.
In my resourcefulness, I also used some makeup to help outline the location of the pipes. In case anyone is curious, the makeup was not Karen's (because she doesn't wear any). And in case anyone is still curious, the makeup was definitely not mine. The makeup was a leftover from the second photo scavenger hunt that I organized. The makeup was used to make our team look like the members of KISS. (Yes, we were part of the KISS army for one brief moment of time.)
Regardless, seeing Carlos's surprise when the piece of drywall went in was memorable. His amazement almost made me feel like I knew what I was doing. Carlos and I eventually ended up installing drywall for the entire wall.
All in all, Carlos did a good job for his first time doing a home improvement project. I'm glad that he offered to help out. I haven't really hung out much with Carlos of late, so it was definitely good to see him. Plus, it turns out that Carlos is now a big fan of Freschetta pizza after we had some during lunch. Having never had Freschetta frozen pizza beforehand, Carlos absolutely raved about the taste. Who knew?
Anyway, thanks again Carlos for the help.
Monday, March 15, 2010
I Suck At The Celtics Game
I had a great time Friday night.
On Friday, my friends (Cass and Marc) and I went to the Celtics game. Now, I suck at the Celtics game.
For my birthday (in December), Cass and Marc got tickets to the basketball game. In fact, they also got me tickets for a basketball game the year prior as well. So I guess you can say going to a Celtics basketball game for my birthday is almost like a tradition now.
Needless to say, the experience was great. The Celtics were playing against the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics absolutely destroyed the Pacers by a score of 122-103, which really was not much of a surprise because the Pacers are not that great of a team. Truth be told, I don't think I can even name a player on the Pacers... even after watching them on Friday night. (And as proof that the team is awful, the Pacers have about five white guys on the team...)
Anyway, it was fun just hanging out with Cass and Marc. We met up for dinner before the game at Hurricane O'Reilly's, which also seems to be a tradition now before a Celtics game. It turns out that Cass is planning to do the deck project that he has had in the works for a while this year.
Speaking of Cass, we had a little scraping of paint incident involving his car when we left the game. The incident was almost reminiscent of the time when we were in high school and a bunch of us were crammed in his car. Unable to see through the back (due to everyone being jam-packed in the car), Cass had the car in reverse. At the time, my friend (Nhut) assured Cass that everything was good while he was backing the car up, even boldy proclaiming "we'll be your eyes." Those words proved to be a memorable phrase because shortly after Nhut said them, Cass hit something.
On Friday, it was just Marc and I in the car. But Cass accidentally hit something while backing his car out of the his spot in the garage... which of course naturally made all of us think of the "we'll be your eyes" incident. Of course, the difference this time was that neither Marc nor I made that claim.
All in all, I had a blast on Friday. Thanks again Cass and Marc for the present. It was great.
On Friday, my friends (Cass and Marc) and I went to the Celtics game. Now, I suck at the Celtics game.
For my birthday (in December), Cass and Marc got tickets to the basketball game. In fact, they also got me tickets for a basketball game the year prior as well. So I guess you can say going to a Celtics basketball game for my birthday is almost like a tradition now.
Needless to say, the experience was great. The Celtics were playing against the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics absolutely destroyed the Pacers by a score of 122-103, which really was not much of a surprise because the Pacers are not that great of a team. Truth be told, I don't think I can even name a player on the Pacers... even after watching them on Friday night. (And as proof that the team is awful, the Pacers have about five white guys on the team...)
Anyway, it was fun just hanging out with Cass and Marc. We met up for dinner before the game at Hurricane O'Reilly's, which also seems to be a tradition now before a Celtics game. It turns out that Cass is planning to do the deck project that he has had in the works for a while this year.
Speaking of Cass, we had a little scraping of paint incident involving his car when we left the game. The incident was almost reminiscent of the time when we were in high school and a bunch of us were crammed in his car. Unable to see through the back (due to everyone being jam-packed in the car), Cass had the car in reverse. At the time, my friend (Nhut) assured Cass that everything was good while he was backing the car up, even boldy proclaiming "we'll be your eyes." Those words proved to be a memorable phrase because shortly after Nhut said them, Cass hit something.
On Friday, it was just Marc and I in the car. But Cass accidentally hit something while backing his car out of the his spot in the garage... which of course naturally made all of us think of the "we'll be your eyes" incident. Of course, the difference this time was that neither Marc nor I made that claim.
All in all, I had a blast on Friday. Thanks again Cass and Marc for the present. It was great.
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