Grandma Shirley Vivian Pictures, Oct. 12th

Holy crap it's been a month since we last posted here. Sorry folks, we're working on it honest. We're a patch cord away from being up with our new (graciously gifted -- thanks Mr. Pitts!) camera.

Grandma Shirley is visiting right now, and came bearing gifts. I'll get right to the pictures:

10/12/09 Viv in her chair



Vivian loves this chair. It came graciously via our neighbors, and is called a Prince Lionheart Bebe Pod. She loves the ability to sit up and be on her own. It holds her in wonderfully well, and is supposed to be really good for her muscular and neuro development. She also likes drumming on the little foam pad-thing in the middle. It's been great.

10/12/09 Viv's Toy Chest



Grandma Shirley, my sister Tammy and step-dad RJ all worked on this toy chest for Vivian. Mom delivered it on this trip. It's customized with not only snazzy paint and murals, but has a pinch-proof gap cut into the front and a nice hinge that will keep it from slamming up or down. It's going to be a real treasure.

10/12/09 Viv's toy chest - side bee


10/12/09 Viv's toy chest - side


10/12/09 Viv and Boris1



Mom got these pictures of Vivian and Boris sharing a cubey toy. Boris is going to be "that cat" for Vivian, I suspect. I predict being dragged around unceremoniously, and playing dress-up in his future.

10/12/09 Viv and Boris2


10/12/09 Viv and Boris3


10/12/09 Viv and Boris4



There ya go people, sorry to starve out the Vivian Fan Club for a full month, we'll endeavor to do better in the future,

Bp

Daily post stream #2 -- Seating Capacity

First off -- no Bebeh yet folks. A good nights' sleep, a sunny day to enjoy, some futzing around, but no eviction for The Tenant.

The calls for Bebeh arrival are now coming in on a daily basis. There is some serious pressure from The Palouse region of SW Washington for an arrival after midnight tonight and before midnight on Sunday night. Seems some local color near Walla Walla has a birthday tomorrow...

As for seating capacity. Our kind neighbors gave us a loveseat and chair, which makes 3 comfy chairs and a 2-seater couch for folks to sit on when they arrive to visit The Munchkin. In addition to the awesome rocking chair that Kt's office gifted us at the Baby shower.



This may not sound like news to most, but our staggering lack of seating capacity was noted when we had elders of both clans in the house over the last few years. We just sat on the ground and didn't think much of it until soon-to-be Grandparents stood around, looking for someplace comfortable to sit other than the carpet. Well, we got you covered now.

Ps: Rach -- that's the rocking chair. I don't know where it came from but I can post more pictures later.

Enjoy the wait,

Bp

Baby Moccasins, by SJJ

Here is a picture of the lovely and talented Auntie SJJ, holding the deerskin baby moccasins she made for The Tenant. They are beaded, lined with fur, and made with traditionally-tanned leather (called "Brain Tan"). Due to the way it is processed, it is soft and light, and smells of woodsmoke permanently. Wonderful stuff.

[I've uploaded a large picture so this is clickable for even more detail]



Nothing like talented friends with love for your unborn,

Bp

Big Weekend

Whew! What are those two smiling about!?

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. It was a pretty big weekend with the Baby CPR class Saturday the 28th, then the Baby Shower Saturday the 28th, the 2nd home birth class Sunday the 1st, my birthday on Monday 2nd and the BBdr visit last night on the 4th.

DANG!

We'll take 'em in order since my little mooshey brain isn't so great at non-linear organizational thought referencing at this stage of the game. Thankfully, I can still organize a individual tax file with the best of them but balancing a corporate balance sheet has been eluding me this week. QUIET with the obtuse accounting speak woman (insert Brandon's voice here).

Baby CPR: Yes, you really CAN push that hard on the little scuppers, Virginia.

It was great to have a refresher course on CPR. Though they have really changed things since I took a CPR class (*cough, with my driver instruction course at 16yo...ahem*). Apparently it's all 30 compressions and 2 breaths for everyone. Just on babies you do 5 sets of 30 and 2 BEFORE calling 911 (if alone...or while someone else is calling 911) and with adults you call 911 THEN start CPR. I also feel better knowing the "flip 'em over and wack 'em on the back properly" choking technique. Makes me feel like I can at least address a severe situation, if not come out ahead.

There was minimal scoffing and eye rolling by the 25 year Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse over the home birth / co-sleeping / attachment parenting we are doing. That was nice. She was a plump, dedicated lady that really has the best interest of babies at heart, as I think most NIC U nurses do. And there really wasn't that much fear and doom espoused during the whole presentation, very nice.

Then...OFF to the Shower. I must admit, having the baby shower at a brew pub was FRIGGING GENIUS (applause to Heidi Mann, coordinator and preschool teacher extraordinaire). The old masonic building was cool, the staff was ON it with the pizza and beer (what little was consumed to their great dismay) and the space was perfect for the 57 folks that eventually came and gave a blessing to the belly. The BBdr [the fantabulous Dr. Sara Ohgushi, ND and Midwife] even showed and was a trooper, hanging with the tattooed, pierced, alternative crowd to the bitter end! I have photographic proof of her existence now!



Redwind (spiritual community par excellance) kicked down HARD with the cupcakes. If anyone has a shot of the overladen table filled with at least 10 different kinds / flavors of cupcake I would sure appreciate it. It was awesome and many a sugar rush was had by all (tho yours truly abstained from all cupcakes as the sugar terrorists were lurking about the room). We had a great haul of things and a remarkable dent put in the diaper fund of about 7 months able to be prepaid (THANK YOU EVERYONE!!). The highlight for me (by far) was getting to go through the pictures that folks had drawn for the baby. If you still want to draw a picture that we'll put in a book for the baby I have lots of paper left! I would be happy to mail one to you or feel free to drop by and do one. There were such sweet and hilarious sentiments memorialized!

More random photo's from the Shower ahead. BP also has a few he'll post from his camera.




Sunday continued the "all baby all the time" feeling with the 2nd Home birth class. We met up with the other 7 couples having their babies between March 15 and Mid June (we're couple #2....except we're so ridiculously on time for EVERYTHING, I think we might be early...bah). Went over specifics of breast feeding, diapers, immunizations and circumcision. I have to hand it to the BBdr...she's not a wilting flower when it comes to controversial topics (which I respect IMMENSELY) and we had quite the adult conversation on a range of topics that most folks just fight about. It was rad.

Monday I worked and came home, put my feet up and treated myself to a birthday "let's go to bed at 8pm". The right present for the right time, that's my motto! AHAHAHAH!

Last night we had the crack baby delivery team over to the house so they could check out the digs and find the house in the middle of the night (if needed). It kind of sunk in that the baby could be like 3 FRIGGING WEEKS AWAY for both BP and I. A bit of stress was had last night and we both decided that taking some serious action on moving things around downstairs to make the birth more comfortable and feasible MUST happen this / next week. So if you're feeling like moving stuff around and / or balancing things on the 39cm belly while I direct (and don't pick stuff up) gimme or BP a call! We need to get ON moving the guest room downstairs (next to the bathroom) since the BBdr's want me in it for 3-5 days after the birth (no stairs please, thank you). It will be a bit logistical, but should be fine with a couple of hands.

In other exciting news, we're getting a dishwasher FINALLY! YA! I am so friggin psyched! It goes in this weekend! Thanks to the old cranky attorney for his stellar donation to the cause.

And...well, other than that, lots of movement and kicking going on. I'm getting professional with this waddling thing and I think if BP doesn't die from having to wait on me hand and foot (what a trooper) we should be excellent. T. is off this week to California for a visit so we're going to try to rip the house up and reassemble it before he gets back.

Oh, and work some.

Speaking of work, my new teak awesomeness that is also known as a rocking chair will be exhibited in it's own post. My work folks are the best!

Wow, I guess I did have lots to post. I'll get those other shower photos up this evening if not totally wiped out. Off to the BBdr today for a quick check to make sure I don't have Group B Strep and to have a gallon of blood re-taken to test the anemia and Vitamin D levels. Yipppeee!

Love to all!

KT and Tenant

In case anyone's curious why we are using glass baby bottles

Here is a documentary called "The Disappearing Male" by the CBC. I'll post their own write-up below:

The Disappearing Male is a CBC documentary about one of the most important, and least publicized, issues facing the human species: the toxic threat to the male reproductive system. The last few decades have seen steady and dramatic increases in the incidence of boys and young men suffering from genital deformities, low sperm count, sperm abnormalities and testicular cancer. At the same time, boys are now far more at risk of suffering from ADHD, autism, Tourette's syndrome, cerebral palsy, and dyslexia. The Disappearing Male takes a close and disturbing look at what many doctors and researchers now suspect are responsible for many of these problems: a class of common chemicals that are ubiquitous in our world. Found in everything from shampoo, sunglasses, meat and dairy products, carpet, cosmetics and baby bottles, they are called "hormone mimicking" or "endocrine disrupting" chemicals and they may be starting to damage the most basic building blocks of human development.

Here is an online petition supporting the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act. It will only take a second.


Bp

Gift emergency! Video camera

I just realized, with a start, that we don't own a video recording device of any kind.

I'm pretty sure there is a gulag someplace full of Dad's that failed to record moving pictures of their first born.

If anyone is stuck on the gift thing, a video camera (Flash type
or otherwise) would be a real, real good idea.

Thanks a ton,

The Incipient Father