Growing so fast

Ada has been gaining weight steadily for the past few weeks. She's getting so big! I'm starting to see the little "Michelin tire man" fat rolls on her arms and legs. I love to squish em! We've started to get into a pretty good routine (on the days she'll allow it). We wake up at 7 and Robert feeds her. This is her SUPER awake time. She talks to us and laughs and smiles for a good hour. Then about 8:30 she goes down for a nap. She normally will sleep until her next feeding at 11, but there are days when she wants to just scream for a couple of hours. This is my time to wash and prepare her bottles for the day, eat breakfast, drink some coffee, etc... Then I get her up at 11 and feed her. We sit and chat for a while, then she goes back down for a nap at 12 or 12:30. I have lunch here. Then I get her up at 3 for a feeding, and she stays awake until daddy gets home (when he goes in to work). She'll take little cat naps between this feeding and the next one...I might also do some tummy time here. Then she eats at 7 and she sits and talks to Daddy for a while, then we get her ready for bed. She goes down at about 8:30, if not before. I wake her up again at 11 to feed and then she's down for the night. She is so chatty now...definitely a little girl. Here's some pics of the last few weeks...

Chillin' with Butter...She had already had a bath, but Butter gave her another one.

Ready for my close up...

Trying to smile...everytime I grab the camera, she quits.

"So you see, Daddy...that's what I think"

One Ada smile helps get me through my day...

That's all I wanted to say.

One Month Old!

***UPDATE*** - a few of my favorite pictures by dreamworks photography!

Ada was one month old yesterday. We didn't have time to post a blog. We went to have professional pictures done. It was so much fun, and we found out the Ada LOVES the camera! She stayed awake the whole time and was quite the little model. Robert and I swear we caught her posing several times. I was a little disappointed that we couldn't get any sleeping baby shots, but she just didn't want to miss anything I guess. I will try to post a couple of pictures tonight of my own. The pro ones won't be ready to view for about a week. I can't wait to see them. Thanks to Mike and Rhonda of Dreamworks Photography. Check em out... www.dreamworksphotographyonline.com

We gave Ada her first "real" bath today. She screamed at first and then started to like it. Then she screamed again cause she was getting cold. Oh my GOD, she smells sooooo good. I had to crop out the parts that would embarrass her as a teenager...I kept the real copies for myself, though. Blackmail material...ya know.

Growing...Growing...Gone...

And so...we are now on formula full time!

We took Ada back to the pediatrician (henceforth known as Ped or Dr. Colon [read Cologne] to keep me from having to type pediatrician 900 times) on Friday and she had gained 5 ounces! So Robert and I made the decision to keep her on formula full time. And what did I do when I saw that she had gained weight? Did I leap for joy...nope, I cried like a baby because I knew that I would be giving up nursing her. It broke my heart, but it was and is the right decision for us. There was no way I was going back to breastfeeding and then in a week go back in for a weight check. If she had lost weight again, I would have truly lost my mind. So, tomorrow will mark one week of feeding her formula. It has been going really well and we have been able to get into a better routine. She has less tummy problems now, and Robert and I can share the feeding responsibilities. I feel a lot less stressed...mostly because I have made peace with our decision to keep her on formula. I would have been doing her a disservice by going back to nursing. Robert had to all but shake me to get me to understand that SHE WAS NOT GROWING when I was nursing, so it couldn't be the best thing for her. She weighed a whopping 7 lbs 2 ounces on Friday. She's still wasn't back to her birth weight, but may be now.

On another note, we took our first trip to Nina and Grandpa's on Saturday. We had a good time and Nina got to feed her (another up side to formula).

Today, we went to see Robert at work. I told Ada on the way over that she was going to meet all Daddy's nerdy little friends...lol. Of course, everyone doted on her and just thought she was the most beautiful thing. She stayed in her carseat the whole time. No one even asked to hold her, which was fine with me, since I didn't want everyone pawing all over her anyway. She'll get plenty of that on Thursday when I take her to my job...but at least I know those pawers. We also went out to lunch, and she slept the whole time. She's such a good baby!

I realize that we did not post 3 week pics, so here's some to hold you over til Thursday when she will be 4 weeks! I'm saving the "one month" term for when the 23rd rolls around. We hope to be getting professional pics soon and then I'll be sending out announcements.

Daddy is super cozy!

Feeding time with Nina.

Hanging out with Grandpa.

Tummy Time..."I'm gonna eat that dragonfly!"

This has been deemed "The Monkey Baby Picture." Check out those super long arms and fingers! And, oh, the poor child has mommy's ears...alas. This was taken before she started gaining weight. All the others were from this past weekend...You can really tell a difference in her face.

And so begins the slow, painful decision to switch to formula...

We went to the lactation consultant today and when they weighed Ada, she had AGAIN lost weight since the last time we were in. This came as a complete shock since for the last 4 days or so I thought that we had gotten into a good feeding routine and Ada was actually feeding well and acting content and happy after feedings instead of fussy and hungry. This whole thing has been a mystery for everyone, because she seems to have all the signs of a well fed baby...correct number of pee and poop diapers, being alert, acting content, etc. The lactation consultants decided that it must be my milk production and gave me the instructions of feeding her every 2 hours (calculating from start of feeding to start of feeding) and then pump for 10 to 15 minutes after feeding her, and supplement that pumped milk at the next feeding. All of this would give me roughly ONE whole hour in between feedings. My first thought was...How am i supposed to eat, sleep, take a shower, do laundry, cook, clean, basically do ANYTHING except feed the baby? Well, they were so concerned with her weight, that the LACTATION consultant actually gave her some formula when she was finished eating there. They also called her pediatrician to see what she wanted to do.

When we got home, the nurse from the pediatrician's office called and said that Dr. Colon wanted Ada to eat ONLY formula until Friday at 9:30 when we go in to weigh her again. They want to make sure that she is capable of gaining weight. So now we are feeding her 2 oz of formula every 3 hours. I have to pump every 3 hours to (i guess) keep my milk supply up.

I really hate this whole situation, because I really wanted to breastfeed. It's really hard knowing that you are doing everything humanly possible to provide for this little life and it's just not working out. However, in the 3 times that I have pumped in the last few hours, I have noticed that I am getting twice as much milk out of my left breast as my right one. Also, it seems to be richer and whiter...the right one's is more watery. This could have been the problem all along. My right breast just isn't performing. They also wanted me to start a medication that would increase my milk supply, but I see no need in taking that at the moment since we are just feeding her formula for the next 2 days.

My biggest concern with all of this is that I will find formula so convenient that I will not want to go back to breastfeeding. And why wouldn't I...formula takes 10 minutes to feed to her...breastfeeding, 40 minutes. Formula is every 3 hours...breastfeeding, every 2 (but really every hour...see above). With formula, I get to have my body back and feel like myself again...breastfeeding, I still belong to this little being as if I were still pregnant.

I feel like if I switch to formula, I am doing so out of pure, utter selfishness. I am saying "I don't care enough about you to give myself completely to you for your betterment...I would rather do what's most convenient for me." I know you are all going to tell me that I'm being ridiculous, but that's how I feel...and please don't think that I think that way of every mom who switches to formula, because I don't. I am a big advocate of do what's best for YOU and the baby will be fine on formula. However, I guess it's different when it's my baby and my feelings.

I really don't know what to do. Every time I even think about giving her formula from here on out, I start to cry. However, I just don't see how I can keep breastfeeding and not knowing whether she is gaining or losing weight...I mean, will we have to continue to go to the doctor 3 times a week the whole time I am breastfeeding?

Ugh...just pray that I make the right decision and that whatever that may be, I make peace with it.

Sunday...Funday

Today mom (Nina) came over and brought food! Enchilada casserole that we can eat off of for like a week. We gave the baby girl a little sponge bath...still can't give her a real bath because her belly button is still a little oozy. Ada was really quiet today which means that tonight is going to be not so quiet, I'm sure. She took a little nap with Nina, too. I like it when mom comes over, because I can grab the camera and start snapping away. Here's a couple from today.

Ada's Umbilical Cord Stub Just Fell Off...

And it looks like a little hard raisin. I thought about shoving it in a box of raisins and playing Russian Roulette with Stephanie. Whenever you feel the hard crunch, you lose.

2 Weeks...

Ada is 2 weeks old today! Here's some pics...

Breastfeeding Sucks...

So we took Ada back to the doctor today and she has not gained a single ounce since Monday. The pediatrician sent us to a lactation consultant at Kennestone. We met with her and she didn't seem to be able to put her finger on the problem. We bought a breast pump with the instructions to pump after every time I feed her and hopefully this will increase my milk supply. No one seems to be able to pinpoint the problem...the pediatrician seems to think that i need to increase my calorie intake to make my milk richer. I'll try that, but it's kinda hard to get into a routine when we have to spend half the day at the doctor's office every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Everyone always talks about breastfeeding being hard because of the sore nipples (which I don't have...yet), but the emotional toll that it takes on you is a much bigger problem. I have cried more in the last week and a half than I have ever cried in my life. Why isn't my baby gaining weight? Why does she eat for a HOUR and then immediately feel hungry again? Why does she scream for 30 minutes right after I feed her? Why is she having the correct number of poop and pee diapers, but doesn't seem to be getting enough nourishment? Why? Why? Why? I know it's frustrating for Robert to watch because he is basically helpless in this situation, but I have the added bonus of feeling like it's my fault, or that I am doing something wrong. I really want this breastfeeding thing to work out, but I really don't think there's anything else anyone can tell me that I haven't already heard. All I can do is keep doing what I'm doing. Which obviously isn't working. Ugh...for something as "natural" as breastfeeding, this sure is difficult.

I went back to work today...

After taking baby Ada to the pediatrician. She still isn't gaining weight like we'd want, but she is on her way up. The doctor told us we could take her off the formula supplement, and sent a lactation nurse in to give us a few pointers on breast feeding. We go back to the doctor's on Wednesday to check her weight again.

As for work, it was good to start to get back into the swing of a routine. Stephanie did a good job today handling everything on her own for the first time.

So fresh and so clean...

Today was sponge bath day. I had been putting it off because I was nervous about doing it...I don't know why, it was actually pretty quick and easy. Plus, there's nothing like a squeaky clean baby! Ada did not appreciate being cold and wet, but she calmed down pretty quickly. Check out her awesome curly wet hair!









We had a great weekend overall. Last night we had our pals over and hung out just like old times. The boys played video games and the girls chatted and made dinner (not me, I was feeding the baby). It was comforting to know that we can have a baby and not have to forfeit "friend time." We don't have to be hermits just because we have a little one. I also got my kitchen cleaned for me...thanks Lisa! Ada was a little fussy tonight, I think her tummy is bothering her. We got some gas drops to give her, but I don't know that they are helping all that much. She just now fell asleep and I have to wake her up in about 45 minutes to feed her AGAIN! Robert and I have to be up early tomorrow to take her back to the doctor for a weigh in. She feels heavier to me, so cross your fingers that she has gained a bunch of weight and we can stop supplementing with formula.

July 31st, 2009 Recap

Nothing important happened today...

We went to the doctor today for ANOTHER weight checkup. She's gained about an ounce and a half, but still not enough to take her off the formula.

Nina came over for a bit and hung out with Ada for a while. Unfortunately, Ada was being a piggy piggy piggy, and only stopped eating for long enough to load up her diaper for Nina to change.

Like I said, nothing important happened today.

A Very Merry Unbirthday, Miss Ada White!

Today is Ada's one week unbirthday, and in order to celebrate it, we had a mini photo shoot:

In other news, Stephanie got her staples taken out today. The doctor had a gnarly looking tool that looked like something the sadistic dentist from Little Shop of Horrors would have used. However, the entire process ended up being quick and relatively painless. She says she is now much more comfortable, and doesn't have as many problems moving around.

Past Few Days Rewind

OK, I was able to take a 1 1/2 hour nap today, so I'm finally feeling well enough to try to summarize the events that have happened since Sunday.

Sunday:

Sunday began after an OK night where Ada was a bit fussy, but I think the thought of us going home kind of spurred Stephanie and I on. Outside of Ada's fussiness, there were a couple of minor problems that night. For one, Stephanie's staples were really beginning to bother her; fortunately the nurse came through with a cocktail of Percocet and Motrin that helped her get some sleep (her doctor ended up prescribing her this same regimen to go home with). On top of that, I couldn't get in contact with Stephanie's brother who was supposed to be taking the dog out for us that night. So I ended up having to go home at 1:00am Sunday morning to walk the dog. But it was still better than the previous night.

Sunday morning came and we tried to bridle our excitement at the prospect of going home, but we couldn't hold back our joy. The only problem is that neither Stephanie nor Ada had been cleared for discharge. We didn't think that Stephanie getting clearance would be a problem (and it wasn't), but we were worried about Ada. She was still borderline jaundice and the pediatrician had to come in and check her levels before she would discharge her. We tried to keep her in the sun as much as possible, but we knew in the back of our head that there was the possibility that the pediatrician could come in and tell us that she wanted to hold Ada for another night. But fortunately for us, she came in and told us that, while she had some concerns, she was discharging Ada, although we had to schedule an appointment Monday, 9:30am. The reason for the concern surprised us: Ada had lost 12 ounces since she was born and they were concerned.

The trip home was exciting, but uneventful. I drove about 30 miles an hour all the way home, trying to miss all the bumps so that Stephanie's staples wouldn't hurt.

That night, however, was hell. Ada wouldn't stop screaming, and we didn't have a routine on how to handle her feeding and changing yet, so that made the situation worse.

Monday:

Monday morning began with the trip to the pediatrician's office. It was the first time we'd been there, and we immediately liked the place. Everyone was personable and helpful. The doctor came in and checked Ada's weight and told us something even more concerning: She had lost even three more ounces since Sunday and was down to 6pounds 10 ounces. She decided to put us on a regimen of supplementing Ada's regular breast milk feedings with 10 ounces of Similac formula and scheduled us to come back on Wednesday at 9:30am to check again.

Nothing really exciting happened for the rest of the day, except for some diaper changing fun. I went to change Ada's diaper and during the time it took for me to remove the diaper and try to put another one under her, she pooped all over the place. And then, to add insult to injury, while I was cleaning that up, she peed on me. Good to see she already has a great sense of humor.

Monday night went great. We started to find our routine and while it was annoying getting up every two hours to go downstairs to get a shot glass full of formula for supplementing, Stephanie and I both got a total of 6 hours of sleep that night, the most we had gotten since Ada was born.

Tuesday:

Nothing really exciting happened on Tuesday. I picked up Stephanie's prescriptions and a couple of Granny-gowns from Walmart for her to wear around the house. We did have an issue with Stephanie getting some baby blues, though. It was the first time I had left Stephanie alone with Ada for any length of time, and when I got home from Walmart I was greeted with a screaming baby and a crying wife. Apparently Ada started crying shortly after I left and Stephanie was unable to console her. After calming both of them down, I took care of Ada for a while while Stephanie napped.

The rest of the day went well. Grandpa even came by for a little bit that afternoon.

Wednesday:

We had some good news today. We went back to the pediatrician, and Ada had gained two ounces since Monday. While not great, that means she's on her way back up. We still have to supplement with the formula, however if she has gained more weight by Friday, then they will take her off of the formula.

Other than that, it was a quiet day. It was our first day without any visitors and, while we love it when people come visit, it was nice to have a quiet day as a family.

So that is what happened the past few days. I'm too tired to end this post gracefully, so I'll just...

Sorry for the Delay

Sorry for the delay between posts. Bringing Ada home and trying to get on a schedule was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I'm going to try and write up a summary of the past few days tonight, but if I don't get a chance to, I wanted to leave you with a little something special.

Ok, so last night was horrible...

Ok, I wrote this on 7/25 (Saturday), but just now realized that it never got posted. Stephanie encouraged me to go ahead and post it, so that you guys can see where our minds were at during this point in time:

Miss Ada had a bad night last night (and consequently, so did mommy and daddy). She woke up last night at about 7 in the evening, right after I posted the recap, and decided she wanted to be fussy. For the next 7 hours, we played detective to her game of "Whatdoneit?". We tried to feed her and she would feed for thirty minutes and then she'd stop. So we'd go and try and put her down, and she'd start acting like she was hungry again. So mama got ready and she ate for another thirty minutes and then stopped. When we went to put her down, she started rooting and crying again. So we tried to feed her YET AGAIN, but this time she'd hold her mama's breast in her mouth and try to fall asleep, rather than eating. After a bit of us trying to wake her up and her not complying, we decided to put her down with a pacifier (something Stephanie and I swore we'd never use).

She stayed down for a little bit before she started crying again. Steph tried feeding her, but she refused to take it, even though she was acting like she was hungry. By this time, Steph was in tears because she didn't know what to do. Then we heard Ada's tummy grumbling and she let out a loud fart. We hoped that this would fix the problem, but it didn't. Her tummy kept hurting her.

By this time (around 4 am), it had been nearly 24 hours since Steph had gotten ANY sleep. So I made an exectutive decision to send Ada to the nursury for 2 hours so that Stephanie could at least get that much sleep. It killed us to watch her go (Steph cried for a bit), but in the morning, we both felt like it was the best decision.

And now, she's being fussy again. It's funny how she wasn't anything like this on the first day. I thought Stephanie birthed an angel. Now I'm begining to wonder if she isn't the anti-christ.

And if I have to tell you I'm joking, then you don't know me that well.

End of day recap...

Miss Ada did very good today; all her tests came back great except the one for jaundice - but even that one wasn't too bad and was to be expected given the fact that her mother has O+ blood.

She had a great time today visiting with Nina and Grandpa (the name Stephanie's parents want to be called) and Aunt Lisa. Looking forward to a good night tonight.

Mama can eat solid food again and has been taken off the I.V. ...

Good times for all.

Now that I've got a few minutes...

I'd like to post Miss Ada Louise White's vitals. She was born at 4:56pm on Thursday, July 23, 2009. She weighed 7lbs 9ozs, and was 18 3/4 inches long. Her apgar was 9-10, and she was bright eyed from the get go.

Oh, and she looks so much like mommy, that daddy doesn't think he was involved in making her in any way.

Wove..... Twooooo wove.....

As I watch mom and baby bond in one of the few moments when they're both awake and feeling OK, I feel sort of like I'm watching some private event that I wasn't invited to. It feels almost voyeuristic to watch two people fall so madly in love with each other. And me? I love the fact that I can watch it from my corner, where I'm eagerly waiting for my chance to hold her again.

Just had her first poo...

And was not expecting how black it would be. I'm talking darker than the heart of Ebeneazer Scrooge before those stupid ghosts "redeemed" him.

Recap of the day...

I 've got to get some sleep, so this will be necessarily short. Ada's here and she beautiful. She's the most bright eyed and beautiful baby girl anyone's ever had. And I don't care if I'm being a bit biased.

I was hoping I'd feel well enough to post her vitals and pictures online; however, I'm beat and going to try to catch a few zzzzz's before the next feeding.

Oh, I probably should have mentioned that she had her first good feeding at 9. She's moving right along. Not long now before she is a teenager hating me for not letting her get her belly button pierced.

She's born...

Ada Louise was born at 4:56 today. Vital details to follow.

They're having to do a C-section.

More info later. Baby will be born in a little while.

Ok, so Dr. Street just came by...

And they put her back on the minimum of the Pitocin. She's still at 3cm and 90%.

The doctor said that they are a bit concerned about the baby, but not too much. They are a bit worried about the fact that occasionally the baby's heart rate dips when Stephanie has a contraction. She said that if that were happening on every contraction then we'd have to perform a C-section.

So keep us in your thoughts. Everything is fine right now, but Daddy has almost broken down a couple of times from stress.

I shouldn't watch the fetal heart rate monitor...

It tends to make me worried.

Time for a breath...

Stephanie is asleep on the bed and dialating, and her dad is asleep on the cot and snoring. Her mom is watching the Game Show Network, and I'm sitting in the chair.

Oh and they still haven't put her back on the petocin. I don't know if I told you that they took her off it or not, but they did around the time the doctor came in to do the second exam. They haven't put her back on it because they are a little nervous about the baby's heart rate whenever she has a contraction. So the doctor is on her way back over here to check the monitor, to see if they should put her back on.

Dr. Street just came back in...

Stephanie is now at 3cms and 90% effaced. They just put an internal contraction monitor inside to help monitor the baby's reaction to the Pitocin. Apparently, the baby doesn't like Steph to lay on her right side (heart rate dips a bit on that side), so we might have to flip Steph back over to her left side (heart rate is fine there). The only problem is that she'll have her back to her parents and me so it'll be harder to talk. That's not a bad thing as she needs to rest up for the birth.

The grandparents are here!

The not-yet-born Baby Ada's grandparents have arrived to offer their support. Stephanie is extremely happy right now.

And the 0-1 pitch...

Looks like it was knocked out of the park. The second epidural went waaaaayyyyyy better than the first, and I think I may have even seen a smile on Stephanie just now.

They're going to have to redo the epidural...

Because they apparently missed the first time. It's killing me to see how much pain she's in when she is supposed to be virtually pain free.

Stop, needle time...

She just had the epidural put in, but like everything else in this pregnancy, there are some complications. Steph is completely numb on her left side, but not anything on her right.

Chick-fil-a at the hospital for the win...

Headline says it all.

And the contractions are coming harder...

Since they broke her water, the contractions are hitting her harder and harder. She says it feels like a kidney stone, hitting her especially in the back. She's got to breath through them for now, until they give her the epidural at 9am.

Update on things...

The nurse just came in and said that they are going to start Stephanie on Pitocin at 9am this morning. So she and Stephanie agreed that Stephanie will get her Epidural started shortly before that.

Dr. Street just came in for the first time.

Dr. Street just came in and broke Stephanie's water at 7:30am. She says that was the weirdest sensation. She said she feels like she's leaking uncontrollably.

As for me, I didn't sleep that well last night. I kept having funny hospital nightmares. One of those dreams was that I had somehow managed to sleep through the hustle and bustle of my baby being born. So, I woke up, and there Ada was... Imagine my suprise!

I know I'm a heavy sleeper, but not that heavy.

Oh, and they didn't have to come give her any insulin last night. Her blood sugar was 96 when they checked it again.

Ok, it's bed time...

The nurse has given Stephanie Ambien to help her sleep through the dilation. So, while she's nodding off, I'm taking a few minutes to recap the day.

First of all, I had to end the Facebook/Blogger crossover, because it was getting everything out of order and confusing more people than it was helping to inform. So, I'll stick with Blogger for now, because it creates a more permanent record. One benefit to anyone who was reading on there is the fact you won't get multiple posts from me anymore, and the other one is, if you really didn't care that much to know the every minutia, you can now check it at your leisure, instead of having it slammed in your face every time I post something.

The night started with us heading to the hospital shortly after 8 o'clock pm, because the hospital called us and finally told us that a bed was open. I say "finally" like we were waitng forever, when in reality it was only 2 hours. But those two hours sure did drag out.

We got here and got checked in and everything was fine - except for the fact that when they went to take Stephanie's blood sugar it was at 148. This is extremely high for the fact that it had been 4 hours since the last time she ate. For those of you who are wondering, for it to be considered good, it should be under 120 two hours after you eat. So as you can see, she had twice as long to get it down, but couldn't. And when they checked it again 20 minutes later, it was still at 144. They say it could just be stress, but if it's 150 or over when they come in to check her at 2am, then they are going to have to give her an insulin shot to bring it back down.

They started her on Cytotec at 9:45pm to get the contractions going to help her dialate. They also gave her Ambien then, because they wanted to let her dialate as she slept. She'll be taking a half dose Cytotec every 4 hours, until her contractions are every 5 minutes apart (sometime tomorrow) or she has taken 4 half doses. If she hasn't dialated after that, they are going to have to put her on Pitocin. (Note to self, do not ever again look up the medication your wife is taking to help her give birth. It only causes you to worry even more.) (Second note to self, thank you Wikipedia for balancing my viewpoint. Still shouldn't have looked it up to begin with.)

I'm about to call it a night, but before I go, a picture for you:


"Damn hospital, keeping me waiting..."

I was going to upload more, but the hospital, Flickr, and Blogger have all conspired against me.

At 9:45 they gave her the induction medication...

called Cytotec. They'll keep giving her it once every 4 hours until her contractions are 5 minutes apart or until they give her a maximum of 4 half-doses. If she's still not ready at that point, they will switch to Pitocin. So the rollercoaster ride has begun.

We're here...

And checked in.

Worst. Hotel. Ever.

The hospital is full of liars...

There wasn't any room 30 minutes ago, but now there is? Sounds like someone just wanted to finish their dinner.

Oh, and we're headed to the hospital. It has begun!

Still no room at the hospital...

Sigh. Pregant women need to hurry the heck up. Still no room at the hospital and there's one women ahead of us on the induction list. It might be after midnight before we get a chance to go to the hospital.

Ok, so our baby is sort of like Jesus...

No room for her (at the hospital) right now. We're calling back at 7:30 to see if some of those slowpokes have pushed their babies out. Maybe someone needs to get a plunger in there.

Eating our last meal...

Before our little twosome becomes a threesome. And did we pick the perfect place to do it.

If you find yourself in Kennesaw and dig sushi, you've got to try Sushi Bites off Barrett near the AMC theater. Good sushi for a good price.

I promise this isn't an advertisement. Just thought you'd like to know.

Introductions are in order...

So. Yeah.

I'm about to be a father. Scary thought.

But the more I got to thinking about it, the more I began to realize that this is going to be a fun journey. A journey that thousands of people have gone on before me, but a completely new trek for me. So as I'm traveling down this well-worn road, I've decided that I might want to take a few notes about the trip.

So the purpose of this blog isn't really to entertain you with the stories of child birth and fatherhood. It's to help me gather notes for myself and to collect all my memories in one place, so I (and hopefully my kids) know where to go for reference in the future. However, if anyone reading this gets any enjoyment out of this blog, then that is a bonus.

So here's to the Journey! For me, it's about to begin in an hour and a half.

And yes, before you ask, I will be live blogging my baby's birth, as much as Stephanie will allow. I wouldn't be happy any other way. So you can watch this space for an update.

For those of you viewing on Facebook, this is actually hosted on Blogger and being imported into Facebook. Blogger address is: http://mylifewithada.blogspot.com