A Novel Idea

Over a month ago while preparing myself for Millie's arrival a thought occurred to me. I couldn't recall a single instance for as long as I could remember where I would have had as many as two consecutive weeks of vacation with out having to go to some form of either work or school. When this realization hit me I took the time to ponder what that might mean. On the up side, it occurred to me that it would be nice to have that time to adjust to having a child to take care of, that the time off would be needed to provide care for Dana and Millie alike. Then another idea popped into my head. Dana would certainly be tired from the ordeal. Babies sleep a lot. This wasn't time that I was going to be able to get out and about because I would be needed regularly at home and so, with all that extra 'home bound' time on my hands, I went and stocked up on books to read so as to avoid boredom in the 'in between' times.

...and now that Millie has arrived and I see what all is involved, amongst all of the uncertainty that is new parenthood, there is one thing that is abundantly clear to me.

I was an idiot before.

Week 1 - Gram Central

Forgot to mention in the last post that we had Grandma Julie and Grandma Judy in for a visit today. It's been pretty cool getting to show Millie off to everybody and having their help will certainly reduce some of the tension that can come with having a lot of things to take care of while operating on only a few hours of sleep each day. So, it's a good thing they're around. I mean, I wouldn't want to get stressed and act like too much of a heel-prick or anything.

Week 1 - Home Girl

Amelie is home now. It took about 24 hours but we've settled back in. It's funny how difficult little things become when every three hours you've got to take a break to feed her. She and Dana are both doing well. Our first visit to the pediatrician today revealed a slight increase in her benihana so we're keeping an eye on that. They had to draw blood with a heel-prick (which come to think of it would be an interesting thing to call some one you didn't like and based on Mill's reaction to it, what ever it would mean in that context, it still probably wouldn't be good). They're supposed to call us with the results in the morning and depending on what the level is we'll either have to go back Tuesday or Wednesday. Otherwise she's doing well, she's getting the whole breastfeeding thing down and has even recently been awake for more than a minute at a time.

Week 1 - The Magic Carpet

It's looking more and more like we're going to get to take Millie home today. She passed her car seat test this morning. They make premie babies sit in a car seat for 90 minutes while being monitored to make sure their vitals don't do anything funny. Uncle Dave was around when Divya, one of our nurses (who we really liked), explained the process to us and she said that if Millie didn't pass the test that we'd have to use a carpet (she has a little bit of an accent). After she left, Dave said, 'that doesn't sound like a good idea, she'll roll all over the place. How is that better?' Dana explained that it was a 'car bed' and not a 'carpet.' Pretty funny stuff.

Week 1 - Does Suzuki Make Nurses?

Just wondering because last night we had the Korenza model. Just seem to recall Suzuki having a car with a name that sounded like that, the Forenza I believe. I don't think Korenza liked me much because I wanted her to explain to me why a small amount of condensation in the breast pump tube could so significantly reduce the suction. 'There's condensation in the tube' didn't suffice as an adequete answer for why condensation in the tube should reduce suction.

'Yeah, but why does that reduce the suction?'

'Because there's water in the tube.'

...never mind.

Last night seemed like kind of a long night. We had another couple of rounds of temperature problems and because we've had to keep her covered up and cozy as a result it's been hard to get her to wake up to eat. Her temperature is back into the 98 range though so maybe we'll be able to get her eating again soon. Talk about a Catch-22. Can't keep her body weight up enough to keep her warm so have to keep her bundled up at all times. Can't wake her up to feed her to get her body weight up because she's all bundled up. Silly Milly is just plain chilly.

Week 1 - Benihana Back to Normal

Millie's bilirubin levels have normalized for now and her temperature is closer to where it needs to be so they've moved her back into the room with us. She's eating a little better and is asleep in Dana's arms right now.

Week 1 - Less is More

'Dana's a bad mother because she made Millie throw up twice today.' Dana told me to say it. She's being a little hard on her self when really, at the least, episode two of Millie-vesuvious was my fault for force feeding her. Tell a parent that every bit you can get her to keep down gets her closer to being healthy and what do you expect. We're going to coax every Millieliter we can into her.

Week 1 - Mystic Tan Doesn't Cut It.

Hey everybody. Dana's doing fine. Millie has a little case of jaundice so they've got her in phototherapy until the morning. Until then we'll get to see her every 3 hours to feed but otherwise it might give Dana an opportunity to get some rest so, though we'd rather have her with us, it's not all bad. I'll post again in the morning to let everybody know how things are coming along.

Week 1 - Pictures

Click on Millie's photo to the left to jump to our shutterfly site for more pics.

Week 1 - Technically Challenged

Grabbed the wrong cable for the camera so no pics yet. Will make a run to the house at some point after Grandma Judy gets back to sit with Dana. Sorry. Just noticed she has a birth mark at the crown of her head. She's eating better now so things are looking good. More to come...

Week 35

She's Here!!! Millie decided she'd had enough of not being able to hang out with me so she woke us up at about 1:30 Wednesday morning and let us know she was on her way. I'll provide all the details along with some pics later this evening so stay tuned.

Amelie (Millie) Lynn Worrall, born 4:18 PM, December 3rd, 2008; 5 lbs. 0 ozs.; 18.5 inches... and her Dad's toes.

Week 21 - It's a Girl !!!

The Mustard Seed has gone pink!!! Exactly half of you were wrong (or right if you're the half full type) in our little poll. That of course is not counting Dan's vote who was kind enough to vote after hearing the official news... What is it with Dans and punctuality?

To the left is the latest sonogram of our little girl. The ultrasound went well on Monday (thanks to Shelly for straightening me out on the whole sonogram vs. ultrasound bit - for those of you out there that may also be in the dark, a sonogram is an image created through the use of an ultrasound). The Dr. that did the ultrasound said that he's given us as clean a bill of health as is possible. There was a moment during the procedure where he took interminably long looking at the heart without saying anything. As an expectant parent what probably took 30 seconds seemed like forever. 'Why's he taking so long looking at the heart?' 'Why has he stopped talking?' He narrates in a very low monotone through out the process (it's all I can do to not yell - for God's sake speak up man as I hang on every word leaning precariously closer from the edge of my seat! But Dana's got me on my best behavior with all of our doctors - so I wait it out and ask her what all he had to say after we've left). He eventually moved on to the next thing and eventually leaned back, turned off the ultrasound equipment and asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby, then if we were sure we wanted to know and finally he delivered the news. Perhaps the results would have been the same either way but I think given the reaction that Dana's claim to not have cared either way might have been one of those little white lies. There were tears aplenty. She then proceeded to drag me to the mall for the first in a life time of clothing purchases for our little girl. I'm thinking maybe I'll need another job on the side. I thought Dana enjoyed shopping before but this could definitely get out of hand.

...and so the lobbying has begun. We have a short list of names that I'll post for voting purposes but we are absolutely open to suggestions. Dad is issuing a scorched earth policy on one of our top candidates, having already compared the name to something that sounds like a brand of margarine, he's now enlisted the help of his Sunday morning breakfast crew which are a formidable group indeed. I shudder to think what they're capable of when properly motivated. A concession on this one may be in order and may ultimately be in the best interests of all of us. I'm leaving out which name it is so as not to skew the results of the poll. I also like that the poll will only allow for a vote in favor of a name and not 'agin-it' as Dad surely would take advantage of that option were it available. Let us know what you think and please if you have any suggestions send them our way and I'll add them to the master list.

Talk to you all again soon,

Luke

Week 17

Well, I'm back. Sorry to disappoint you. I do think an explanation is in order though (from all of you). I blog for over a month... no comments. Dana reluctantly provides you one update and BAM the comments start rolling in.

In response to the various comments we've received...

Tilda (though a respectable name in it's own right - you learn very quickly in this endeavor that criticizing names inevitably leads to injuring some one who has a family member or friend with that name) was never a real consideration. It was just a joke, again, not because there's anything inherently wrong with the name but because Tilda Worrall sounds not unlike Tilt A World. We similarly will not be considering Givita or Whatintha, sorry if there were any fans of Tilda out there.

To Diacritical Dan ~ we all know you looked that up and what I want to know is: How's that working out for ya? I was especially fond of the Worrall approximation comment. And yes, I did just use the tilde there on purpose.

To Aunt Aura and Uncle Cort: Please feel free to continue to point out that the baby favors me, I know that the baby would probably be better off it favored it's mother in all aspects but I can't help but smile when I read that. Maybe it's an ego thing, maybe a proud parent to be thing, or maybe it's that I'm out of town a lot and its reassuring. Joking. Easy Dana!

To Amy: Thanks for the comments. We're very happy to have such great friends to share this with.

...and now for an update.

Dana is doing well. She's starting to show now and has recently purchased a pair of jeans with this weird elastic stuff attached to the top (designer made of course). I think they're really funny because they don't have a zipper which shouldn't really be that big of a deal but still, there's no zipper or button. They're like the loafers of pants! How cool is that? And just like loafers, they probably would make it easier to get through security (no belt). It makes me wonder if they make maternity pants for men...

August 18th is the big day!!! We'll finally find out what the sex is. As soon as we know I'll get the word out. Don't forget to vote before then. Things are pretty neck and neck so far in the girl or boy voting department. I personally am starting to feel less sure that it's a boy. If it turns out to be a girl we're going to need everybody's help with a name because Dana and I haven't found any middle ground yet. I've actually started a spread sheet where we each rank the name from 1 to 10, take the composite score and only worry about the ones with a high number... it hasn't helped and really has only fueled Dana's belief that I'm a complete dork. If it turns out to be a girl I may try and find a way to add it to the blog. If you have any suggestions for names send them in (add a comment to the blog or email me at lworrall1@gmail.com).

Finally, congrats to our good friends the Camps. Jennifer gave birth to Jackson Philip at 1:26 pm on July 23rd (7 lbs 7 ozs and 19 inches long). He's got dark hair like his Dad and they keep him wrapped in crimson, as we would expect. Rammer Jammer!

I better go pick up before our company for the weekend arrives (my penance for not sitting through traffic to meet everybody in Grapevine for dinner) so...

Over and out,

Luke

Week 13

Luke is forcing me to write the blog entry this week even though it is 9:00 pm!! Way past my bedtime. I guess if I was going to contribute, this is the week to do it. There was alot going on... First we met the new baby doctor. I was right... she was as nice as she looked in her picture. Plus, she seemed like the kind of person, that in a difficult situation, would be good to have around. We also had another ultra sound. Here is one of the pictures (I think it has my chin). The doctor said everything looks outstanding! Even though it is only the size of a medium sized shrimp, you could really see alot of detail. Five fingers on each hand, spinal cord, legs--- amazing! Everything seems to be right on schedule. Luke will be back next week. I would like to leave you with one thought.. tell us what you think about Tilda as a girl's name... we are kind of "leaning" towards it.

PS- I was able to sit next to Luke tonight while he ate masaman curry and not feel nauseous. Maybe the night sickness has passed for real!!

Week 12

Here we are, 12 weeks in, a trimester down, and much of the worry of miscarriage behind us. Dana heard the heart beat for the first time last Tuesday, the 17th, and according to the doctor all is well. We meet the new doctor this Thursday but we apparently have nothing to be concerned about with that because Dana says she looks nice in her picture. She's surprisingly picky about some things... others apparently, not so much.

Dana's still feeling ill but we (or I) have started to have fun with it. In case you don't know this about Dana, she'll take just about any dare you throw at her (especially if you provide decent stakes - she'll do ANYTHING for a new pair of jeans). I seem to have a strong enjoyment for your more pungent foods so a new meal time game with us is daring Dana to smell my food. Yes, strange I know, but she'll inevitably yield to my cries of 'smell my food, do it, I DARE you.' The frito pie last night... not pretty.

Week 10

I know, I know, it's been two weeks. But there hasn't been a great deal to report. More sickness and sleepiness on Dana's part but other wise nothing new. We're about 2 weeks away from our next doctor's visit. In the mean time, Dana's email update she subscribed to has the baby at kumkwat size (3-5 cm long and 2-4 cm wide -> 1-2 in long and 3/4 to 1.5 in wide) and it apparently is developing finger nails. You'd think that would be one of the last things to develop. Hope he hasn't gotten my distaste for boredom, he might just end up scratching his way out. Worse than the boredom, can you imagine not being able to clip your nails for the next 7 months? I suppose he could bite them once he gets teeth but I hope he knows better than that because that's just gross. I guess that's all relative though. He is currently floating in someone else's bodily fluid and surviving primarily on peanut butter and crackers that the same someone else has already eaten. In that case I suppose gnawing on your own finger nails is the least of your worries. No wonder babies and young kids don't seem to notice when they've got runny noses or dirty diapers, after spending nine months suspended in some form of mucus or another, who cares about a little boog issue? Yes, I'm aware that mucus probably isn't the most accurate term, but I shouldn't really be expected to know any better. I didn't have to know anything to get into this. Well, maybe one thing, but otherwise there's zero qualification necessary for this in terms of knowledge. Oh sure, maybe we picked up something through observation of how we ourselves were brought up but that's got to scare the you know what out of you. I can't even watch some one tie a knot once and accurately reproduce the result ...and that's assuming that what I observed in my own upbringing was the right way to do it in the first place. I'd say there's a better chance of me figuring things out by just blindly trying them out. Which, by the way, is usually a good way to figure something new out. Like fingernails... SCARY!

Week 8

I hope everybody appreciates this because it only took me like 4 hours to figure out how to get my scanner working again after the apparently contrary collaborative efforts of Adtran's IT department and HP's software developers. Crimeny! I'm once again convinced that the limited expertise in working with PCs that I am sometimes attributed has little to do with any true understanding of their operation and more to do with a bovine stubbornness which I fortunately have an abundance of (whether or not that's fortunate is arguable, Dana might claim the opposite).

In any case, BEHOLD, our first photo of the mustard seed!!! On a side note, Dana now says it's the size of a small rasberry but I don't feel like changing the name of the site every week, so mustard seed it is. I've high-lighted both the date the photo was taken, Friday, May 23rd, and the approximate size, 14mm, based on the two hash marks you see in the photo (that's .55 inches... you're welcome). In case you've never looked at one of these the dark area in the center is amniotic fluid and the little blob in the middle is a little proto-human. It doesn't look like much as just a photo but it sure is a heck of a scene on that monitor when she finally orients her wand correctly and you see the flicker of the heart (as for the wand, for those of you guys that haven't done this yet, just a head's up... also, jokes are probably out of line, even when the doctor leaves you a phenomenal opening). The doctor, who, by the way, we didn't see until an hour and twenty minutes after our scheduled appointment time (GRRR), said that everything looked fine and that there was nothing to worry about at this point. Dana had a number of poignant question for her, the first of which was whether or not it was OK for her to get her hair colored. I think (though I'm not entirely convinced) that she was asking questions in reverse order of importance and she eventually worked her way around to things like nutrition and what medications could and couldn't be taken during the pregnancy.


Dana is doing well. She's still experiencing nausea (at random times through out the day - no idea why they call it morning sickness) and has been awfully tired (she goes to bed around 8:30 every night). I've gone ahead and added a few pounds. Just trying to do my part.

We've really enjoyed sharing the news with all of our friends this past weekend now that we feel it's official (post sonogram). It's too bad we'll never be able to hang out with those people ever again!

...and that's all for tonight.

Hasta Luego,

Luke

Week 7

Well, here we go. Thought we'd start sharing now. As we have news of the baby I'll post it here. Dana and I are about 7 weeks in at this point. The first doctor's appointment is this Friday so let's all keep our fingers crossed that all is well. There's no reason for anyone else to worry, Dana's got that covered for us all. Otherwise Dana is doing fine, though I've never seen anybody use the restroom with such a high frequency (I guess that will only get worse). I think the hardest thing for her is going to be start eating like an expectant mother though it seems her body is taking care of some of that for her (she actually said she didn't feel like eating pizza on Friday night, which is something I'm sure none of us ever thought we'd hear from her). That's all for the first post.

Over and out,

Luke