Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Jasper is One Month Old!

Yesterday we were a little surprised to realize that we have been parents for one month. I took a few pictures of Jasper with this cute sticker on his shirt. I couldn't decide between two pictures, so I'll post both.


He has a funny look on his face here, maybe he is a little surprised at turning a month old too. Or is it apprehension? Being one moth old does come with a lot of responsibility you know.


Here is Jasper with dad. He is starting to look a little chunky, hooray!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Our Laundry is Cuter

 
We received a baby shower card that told us our laundry would get cuter and I must say, it was right.

Jasper will be three weeks old on Saturday. Here are some highlights from the past two weeks:
  • His bellybutton has been revealed, I'm thinking it's an innie.
  • Jasper has been smiling more and more. This may be a result of gas, but when he smiles after you smile, it's hard to know for sure.
  • Some newborn sized clothes have had to be retired. They are too short in the legs - that is a trait from dad for sure.
  • We have moved up to the next size in diapers. What can I say, this kid eats a LOT some days.
  • Jasper is getting better at holding his head up. This really pleases mom.
And now for some more pictures, check out the bellybutton:


This picture doesn't illustrate it very well, but Jasper loves to stare at the black and white patterns you see at the top. It's said that babies are drawn to high contrast. I bought this Crib Gallery at Barnes and Noble and recommend it. Jasper is often (but not always), distracted by it during changing time. It has a more complicated backside for the older baby.

I have also been showing him the book "Look, Look!" with black and white pictures. He seems to enjoy that too.

One more picture:

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Dad Goes Back to Work

Well, after two and a half weeks of hanging out at home with my wife and new little boy, tomorrow is the day--back to work.

This will be difficult.

On one hand, there is a part of me looking forward to getting back to my job and back to seeing the people I work with. And yeah, it'll be nice to get out of the house (though, I feel kind of guilty saying that, what with Anastasia staying home).

Mostly, however, it will be hard for me. It's been so great being at home, helping Anastasia and spending lots of time with Jasper.

I'm really going to miss my boy during the day.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Jasper's First Bath at Home

Our little man had his first bath time at home a couple of nights ago.We had to give him a sponge bath because his little cord jerky hasn't fallen off yet.

He was not very happy about it.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Little Milestones


This photo is a little dark, but I just had to share it. 


Here are the boys watching the Seattle Sounders beat the Chicago Fire on Saturday. Clearly, Jasper needs to build up his soccer watching endurance.


Saturday marked Jasper's first week! Highlights include: 

Being born.
Meeting friends and family.
Coming home. 
Mom and dad each getting peed on in consecutive diaper changings.
Mom and dad implementing "Operation Weenie Shield".
Using the stroller for the first time to take a family walk around the neighborhood.
Family nap time!

A few more pictures, starting with Grandma and Grandpa:

And a wonderful picture our friends took. I love the name tag.


And one last picture to assure you that Jasper does open his eyes. 


Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Going Home

We went home on the 4th.


Jasper Fell asleep during his first car ride. 


The pets appear to be adjusting well. Jack and I like to think we are adjusting well too.


Jasper isn't old enough to smile, but if you catch a rooting reflex at just the right moment, you get a very cute picture.



Sunday, April 3, 2011

On April 2nd, 2011...

Jasper James was born!

He weighed 8 lbs 7 oz and measured 20 inches.


"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies--'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'" — Kurt Vonnegut

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Monday, March 21, 2011

4 Days Past Due Date...

Well, we're now four days past our due date. Stasia is holding up remarkably well with few complaints. My only complaint is that I'm sleeping very lightly these days. Last night, Stasia blew her nose and I woke up saying, "What? Are you OK?!"

Everyone is getting anxious and excited to meet the little guy, but he's just not ready. I picture him kicking back in a hammock, sunglasses on, enjoying the attention, but not ready to show himself.

He'll be here when he gets here.

In the meantime, enjoy the following photo of Stasia and her friend:

Saturday, March 19, 2011

2 Days Past Due Date...

Portrait of me with my exercise ball in our kitchen. We make quite a pair. I have sat on this at work for the past two months or so. I brought it home because it may come in handy for early labor and calming the baby once he is born. 

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's my due date today, but I don't think our little guy is quite ready yet. While we are waiting, here is a bump picture...

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Seattle Baby Shower in Photos

We had a wonderful shower thrown for us in February. The hostess, our friend Tiffany, worked very hard. The event had it all....

There was fantastic decor handmade by Tiffany.

A wonderful diaper (and more) tower made by Jack's sister Molly. Jack loves "Where the Wild Things Are". Heather kept with our woodland theme and made a beautiful felt mobile. 


I think that Tiffany and Heather worked on the cupcake tower, complete with woodland animal toppers.

There was a good looking group of attendees if I do say so myself.


And we even had some good looking families show up to give us a preview of what we are in for.


The three of us were spoiled, such generosity!


There were three pretty cool games, only one was a "drinking game". We discovered who could finish their beer bottle first.

It was not Jack... Josh took the honor.


Thank you so much to our hosts, Ryan and Tiffany!

Friday, March 4, 2011

This Boy's Room

Save for some minor touches--like a valance above the window--the nursery is complete and we feel pretty ready for the little guy. Well, as ready as we can be.

We went for a woodland theme and we both love how it turned out. The tree is a vinyl decal we bought off of Etsy.

As much as we love the comforter and the bumpers in the crib, we'll have to remove them for the first six (?) months or so for safety reasons. 




Thursday, March 3, 2011

In His Mother's Belly, His Father's Mind

It's March now. That means a few things. It means Stasia's folks have arrived--they're renting a little apartment in the Wedgwood neighborhood for the month. It means in about two weeks the world will look a little different. It means we will soon not only be a couple, but we will be parents.

Stasia is doing well. Some sore hips and sore back, but she's strong and amazing and has a great attitude even with little sleep. We've both had trouble in that department lately. Nature's way of preparing us for baby? Thank you, Nature, it's mighty thoughtful of you, but I think I speak for both of us (especially Stasia) when I say, Can you maybe back off a bit? You know, just let us get an extra few hours before the little guy arrives? Much obliged.

We've finished our birth classes. Only one Centering appointment remains (if you don't know, "Centering" is a two-hour session that includes other parents due in March and the midwives from Ballard Swedish--in lieu of standard OB checkups). We've met with Deborah, our birth doula, in our home twice ("Deborah the Doula" I call her), and Stasia has been updating her on how she's feeling every few days.

And we've been nesting like crazy.

It's funny the different forms nesting can take. Getting the nursery ready is an obvious one, but then there are others: creating this blog for instance, buying a Flip HD video camera, purging our possessions, rearranging the furniture.

As for the nursery, it's pretty much done. A few final touches to go, but I'm very proud of it. I'll get some photos up here very soon, perhaps in the next post.

It's a strange, indescribable feeling, knowing that our boy will be here in only a couple of weeks. It's a sense, a presence that's always there. It's deep in my chest and it never goes away. It's an anticipation of a major change on the horizon. Like waking up every day wondering if today will be the day the sun rises in the west.

All that said, it's still kind of hard to believe. There is no baby yet, so I can't get my head around the fact that there will be a baby. Sound nuts? Oh well. I'd be lying if I didn't admit there is some anxiety mingling with all that anticipation.

A few steps further down the rabbit hole and the only thing you'll find is a whole lot of excitement.