Final Thoughts on Our Delivery (Part 2 of 2) - Family

I have had a deep ambivalence about the concept of family ever since I was a kid. I grew up in a family environment that provided a lot for me- from material and logistical needs up to and including many emotional needs. That environment, despite all of the people in it, also had many important emotional elements lacking. 

My childhood family. I wasn't as happy back then.

When I left for college my ambivalence came with me. People told me I was bitter about family and at times my pessimism about that social group made it so wouldn't want children. I felt like I was on my own and I developed an independent streak to adapt. I did what I could to avoid my own family environment- not because I was ungrateful but because I found it to be miserable & emotionally suffocating at a time when I needed so much more. I did find an important social network to replace that loss of family: another family. This first happened with my friend Jen and her family. However, I found even more support elsewhere.

I was fortunate at the end of high school and throughout college to immerse myself in another family environment- that of my best friend and his cousins- and it was wonderful. Holidays were times to have fun & to laugh. Quieter moments together with them could still be so meaningful. 

Thanksgiving 2004 with the Klages & Mariano Families

To be sure, this family is composed of individuals that have their strengths and weaknesses. But what they showed me was something so important: a demonstration of loyalty, openness and love that is just so critical to a family's success. It wasn't until I saw these elements play out with my adopted family that I knew what was lacking in my actual family environment. That lesson has stayed with me to this day.

That experience started me on a path from ambivalence to real excitement about what a family could be. It taught me that when the right principles are introduced- honesty, emotional openness, happiness, respect, loyalty- the family culture has the highest chance of being successful. The unhappiness my parents experienced with each other prevented a lot of those values from taking hold in our home while I was growing up.

I am pleased to say that after leaving home I was able to remain close with the elements of my family that are building these values- my siblings. The relationships I have with them now in my adult life strengthen me as Alice and I build our new family.

My uncle, cousin and some of my siblings in June of 2013

Our youngest brother is also the tallest

I have learned in the last two weeks that having a child can elevate pre-exisiting familial bonds. The best example of that is with my wife's family. While I've felt close with them before the baby showed up the outpouring of love from them in the last week has helped me realize that this concept of family can do so much more. Their support and warm wishes have made me more relaxed and feel so much closer to them- whether it's shown next to me in the living room or sent from Utah or Indiana.

Aunt Ellen & Uncle Jack

Nana Lou and Alice

Even more family!

I am lucky I was given the exposure to all of the family environments I have detailed above. Each one has taught me important things about what Alice and I are about to build. My childhood family taught me through an absence of important traits. The families I have identified with since leaving home have taught me through example & expertise- and that's where my real education began. The tool kit these families have provided, along with the ongoing support of our friends past & present, has given me the ability to be successful as a dad. It's now on me to put that knowledge to good use & to always keep it in sight.

Thank you for reading.

The author in deep thought on how to build a successful family environment

The author role modeling family culture through the Koala Method

Final Thoughts on Our Delivery (Part 2 of 2) - NOT EXACTLY THE POST I WAS PLANNING ON

I had every intention of writing a final post as a compliment to Part 1 but those plans will have to wait a little longer. I am typing this all out with one hand because a sleeping baby occupies the other in these wee morning hours.

The England family is happy and healthy. We had our 1st pediatrician visit today and everything is looking good. Alice is recovering well and we've started taking our daughter for walks. We are grateful for the time we have together & with Alice's family now visiting us.

Even though I can't offer up my usual ranting I did promise pictures and I have a bunch below. I got some great shots of her sleeping today and those are my favorite so far. 

The First Days of Family - 29 photos - album here

Portraits of Daphne - 5 photos - album here

The Beauty of Sleep - 31 photos - album here

Daph Punk - Video (30 seconds) - here

Happy baby!

Final Thoughts on Our Delivery (Part 1 of 2) - Friends

It has been just over three days since our daughter arrived and I am writing this while Alice and she are sleeping in the nursery. The whirlwind we've experienced since Tuesday has been exciting, life-altering and... reassuring.  That last adjective may be surprising and it is the one I want to focus on for this post.

I don't know how often child birth is described as reassuring but that word very much applies to the last five days of our lives. This occurred in many forms but can be summed up in the example shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Homo sapiens arminius greets his new housemate

The above photo is merely one example- albeit an important one- of what Alice and I are so excited about. Our families live hundreds of miles away from us and that creates a gap in our lives. There are important ways to close that gap: the strong friendships we've developed far & wide but [most critically in today's example] mainly here in town. Figures 2 through 7 further reiterate this point. To be sure, the below are perfect examples but there are many, many more not represented in these figures. We are lucky to be able to write that.

Figure 2: The Clare Family

Figure 3: The Kumar-Vatsals

Figure 4: Ain't Nuthin But a Piet Thang

Figure 5: Reken & Jessica

Figure 6a: Some of the Kammers

Figure 6b: The other Kammers

Figure 7: Sergiooooooo!

The promise of parenthood has cast new perspectives on all of our friendships but in particular it's illuminated the benefits of the ones here in town. It is those friendships that constantly reassure us. I don't want to break out once again into my It Takes a Village knock off speech but I will tread perilously close. 

It's not that I think it takes a village of trusted friends to raise a kid. It's that if you are lucky enough to live in that village you can really add value & warmth to your parenting experience. My childhood knew of the absence of that. We grew up not knowing our neighbors and not have those extended quality relationships that other families had. 

The transition from that absence to now what can only be described as an over-abundance of warmth from friends here in Portland & elsewhere began to strengthen my resolve to be the best dad I could be long before Wednesday's result. And now that she's here the benefits I continue to collect will increase exponentially. It's in the advice people give us. It's in the time they share. It's in the unspoken but understood commitment to a social group that every friendship inevitably gets defined by as it becomes a reality.

As I jump off my soap box I want to state clearly that the friendships are not an insurance policy against me turning into a deadbeat or detached father. That needs to start in my own head and heart and will be a constant cycle of introspection. Maybe I can best sum up what I'm trying to say with these final sentences.

The overwhelming support we've gotten from our friendships in these last few days has made all the difference. These already proud parents are humbled, grateful and ready to raise our daughter in a warm & enriching world these friends have helped us create. Thanks for reassuring us & building up our confidence to take this on.

I will drop the second & final post on Monday (7/13). There will be pictures.

My dad writes way too much. This post bored me.

Dispatch from Room 26 - One Day Later

Quick summary:

• Everyone is tired, happy and healthy.
• Alice is recovering nicely.
• Daphne is doing really well with feeding. 
• I am four diaper changes wiser than I was yesterday.
• We leave the hospital late tomorrow morning.

I could spend paragraph after paragraph filling in the details of Daphne's first day but nearly all the requests we've gotten are for pictures and not for my insomnia-assisted rants. Besides, readers even with the slightest knowledge of newborns would have helped you guessed what the description consisted of: eating, sleeping and pooping- and that's just my last  24 hours.

For Alice and Daphne they had a similar cycle also includes periodic visits from the nurses & occasional doctor. Each time there is something different measured but the only correlation I can find for when the appointment occurs is that they wait for the most inconvenient moment, such as when Alice finally falls asleep.  My favorite so far (and it's happened twice) is when they knock on the door just to say hello & to ask if Alice needs anything. The funny thing is the only thing she needs at that point is the sleep that was interrupted to answer that question.

Look at how tired everyone is!

Anyway, our audience is just ravenous for pictures. Pictures, pictures, pictures. Despite my lifetime membership to the United Autoworkers & Shutterbugs - Local 88 union I only have a few to share right now. I know. I'm surprised, too. 

Before I get to those one thing I'm already miffed I didn't start was a photographic progression of the baby's head shape and facial profile. Babies come out with such pronounced cranial deformation that periodic documentation of that would have been valuable for its entertainment alone. It would be like watching this cartoon dog's face recovering from that punch in slo mo:

This is kind of what a baby's face experiences in the birth canal

Anyway, I think it's already too late because the most pronounced changes have already happened. In the last 24 hours our daughter's face is looking less like the Swamp Thing & more like one of those perfect babies from an Anne Geddes portrait- minus the durian or other produce. 

I will send out a more proper collection of shots by the start of next week. I'll make sure the album is properly curated- which is code for saying I won't post more than 25 - 30 shots. My paternal love & third day of poor sleep puts me in danger of posting so much more. I gotta keep that impulse in check. Enjoy these in the mean time.

This is the sight I woke up to. So it all wasn't a dream!

This was taken a second time because Alice wanted at least one of us to smile. I still wasn't successful.

And to save the best for last... The one below. Alice must be in love with our daughter. I have never seen my wife this happy to be up at 6:15 in the morning- and we've had over 3,000 together!

I love this picture & what it means for my future.

Introducing our Baby Girl!

We've crossed the finish line! Alice and I are excited to introduce you all to Daphne Gray England- all 8 pounds and 12 ounces of her! Big baby alert! She was born at 2:04 pm PDT on 7/8/15- exactly eight years & 49 weeks since Alice and I first started dating.

Our daughter. 

Mom & baby are tired, happy & healthy. We have never felt more lucky & in love than we do today. This has been the most wonderful day of my life. 

Thank you to everyone for your warm thoughts & wonderful support. It means so much to our family.I will likely post a few more times this week. We truly have been overwhelmed with the texts, emails, comments and acts of generosity. I never would have expected this level of love sent our way.

Thank you for coming along for the ride. Our family is eternally grateful.

Alice, I love you.

Ha! Push it. Puh-Puh-Push It Reeeeal Good!

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Good.

That's pretty much the only thing I've been saying for the last hour.  Alice still has more pushing to go as she finishes this second stage of labor. Everything is looking great and the baby is lined up. Not sure when she'll arrive but chances are it's somewhere between the Arcade Fire & Miike Snow playlists. Might take some time thought. I ended up not playing my labor playlist because the only thing it has on it is Salt n' Pepa's 80's classic Push It played on repeat (link).

I can give one more piece of interesting news: she has a full head of hair!

Update to Our Timeline - Rest for another hour or two

Looks like we're delayed another hour or two. When we checked in yesterday Alice was approached about joining a research study on pain management in the second stage of labor. As part of that study she was randomly selected a little earlier to delay pushing until after a period of rest. This is where we're at now.

Hey Millennials, check this out. They still plot data on paper on this ENIAC Shuffle (w/o the track wheel). 

A key change in our plans happened this morning between 7:30 & 8:30 when the pain was consistent, intense and unbearable for her. She decided on the epidural at that point - possibly because she saw the tears in my eyes were fogging up my glasses and she didn't want her daughter to think her dad was a sobby, emotional mess (which he is!). Since she chose the epidural she then was given this delay. The doctors have let us know that Alice is expected to start pushing for the final stage between 11 am & 12 pm PDT. Check back then!

How should you pass the time until then? Did you know Alice [and I] starred in an rap video a few months ago? Click on this link. She shows up throughout but breaks out the Hammer dance at 2:16. Look at that second trimester twist! That's amazing! If we get another 9,999,800 views Al Roker promised me our friends and us can perform that live on the Today show. Help us get there!

The Second Trimester Twist

While we wait...

Looks like Alice just dipped in to a little snooze. While we wait I wanted to share the progression of the pregnancy up until this point. Those not on Facebook may be new to the above shot. It was done over 29 weeks of her term. I think the sequence really shows just how incredible and comprehensive a transition like this is for a new mom. You can download a higher (but not highest) resolution copy of this here: link

Entertain us!

Here's a final assignment for all y'all. I've set up an editable Google doc for any & all of you to add some last minute naming suggestions. We already have our choice but if any show up that we deem superior or more hilarious we might have to reconsider. :)

That document is here: link.

Quick Pic - 22 hours after arrival & maybe 60 minutes of sleep for Alice

More tired than a Goodyear plant. This feels completely surreal to me.

Update

Alice was at 9 cm half an hour ago. It's almost time to push. They've got the baby table set up now. Alice's tolerance for pain is far, far higher than mine will ever be.

My wife is amazing.

Update

This is going to be quick.

Alice was dialated at 7 cm an hour ago. Judging by the increasing intensity of her contractions our little girl is on her way. Won't be long now. We're in the home stretch!

Finding N.E.M.O

Key take-aways:

• Alice is now in active labor
• Her contractions are regular and the discomfort is higher but “still manageable”
• Dr. Michael Q. England’s non-medically binding forecast is still predicting a later morning delivery [7 am - 11 am PDT].

Alice and I tried to pass the time with one of the pre-loaded movies on the hospital network. She chose Finding Nemo because that forgetful Ellen Degeneres fish gets her every time. When the time got to me I promptly fell asleep soon after we started it. This may prove to be an all-too-honest metaphor for what lies in the weeks ahead. I told her that I wasn’t going to fall asleep if she wasn’t going to and then I promptly broke that promise while she was left behind to do all of the effort on her own. As I woke up periodically and half-heartedly offered to help it was obvious to me that even though the movie was paused at an early scene that Alice found NEMO alright – if N.E.M.O. stands for what feels like a Never Ending Maternal Ordeal.

Finding N.E.M.O.? Found it.

I woke up at 4:15 to learn that the doctors were about to hasten the process along with a little poke to break her water (link). Since that time her contraction intensity has increased and she is now considered to be in active labor. She was at 5 cm dilation before this  and they expect it to increase 1 cm per hour until she reaches that magic number of 10 – maybe 10.5 cm considering that my head is big for my body and that may carry over to our daughter (link).

Here we go!

• Phase 1: Check in & set up – DONE
• Phase 2a: Drug #1 Misoprostol - DONE
• Phase 2b: NEW - A Foley Balloon is inserted to hasten dilation – CANCELLED
• Phase 3: Drug #2 Pitocin – SKIPPED
• Phase 4a: Early Labor – Continued from midnight – 4 am PDT - DONE
• Phase 4b: Active Labor – Started ~4:30 am PDT
• Phase 5: Delivery - Projected for later this morning
• Phase 6: Back slaps, cheers & bewilderment

Night Time is the Right Time.... for Pre-Labor!

Key take-aways:

• Alice’s contractions occur every 2-3 minutes & without discomfort.
• Doctor check prior to the balloon insertion showed more dilation than expected. Alice is progressing very well on her own.
• Alice may not need Pitocin as she continues into labor.
• No one asks me how my abdominal nor pelvic area is feeling.
• Dr. Michael Q. England’s non-medically binding forecast is now predicting a later morning delivery [7 am - 11 am PDT].
• Unofficial nurse count across all hospital shifts: 23
• Unofficial nurse count whose names start with J: 4

The view from our room. Note: Enrique Inglesias was playing in the background when I shot this.

There’s been an encouraging change of direction since our last post. The doctors checked Alice and it appears she is further along than they were estimating. This information immediately deflated the balloon option and now we’re moving out of Phase 2b, potentially skipping Phase 3 (Pitocin) and heading soon into Phase 4 (labor!). The doctors are surprised and encouraged that she is progressing as she is without the drug. The trade-off is this development may extend our projections for when our little girl will show up. The less chemical & mechanical intervention we have in this process the happier the three of us are.

• Phase 1: Check in & set up – DONE
• Phase 2a: Drug #1 Misoprostol - DONE
• Phase 2b: A Foley Balloon is inserted to hasten dilation – CANCELLED
• Phase 3: Drug #2 Pitocin – SKIPPED?
• Phase 4: Labor! - ON DECK
• Phase 5: Delivery
• Phase 6: Back slaps, cheers & a Youtube crash course of basic parenting skills (link)

Balloons!

Key take-aways:

• Alice’s misoprostol-assisted contractions are occurring every two minutes
• There is almost no discomfort for her with these contractions
• Next step in the procedure is likely to be the use of a Foley Catheter Balloon (link)
• Dr. Michael Q. England’s non-medically binding forecast is still predicting an early morning delivery

I didn’t plan on referencing balloons for a second consecutive post in this blog but our latest medical update calls for it. There’s a bit of irony here because I reserved my harshest criticism for a balloon being used in Perfect Strangers to help a woman induce labor. As soon as I hit that little orange “Publish” button the night shift doc came in and informed us our success in the next round of treatment is tied to a balloon as well. Gaah, universe! I feel once again like I’m being used for your amusement.

The device in question is called a Foley Catheter Balloon (link) and I will leave the explanation for the reader to find. 

Two kinds of balloons. The one on the left is used to romance the ladies. The one on the right, a Foley Balloon, is used if the one on the left is successful.

We’re using this inflatable wonder machine to facilitate cervical dilation. Nurse Suzanne tells me that this could take, “anywhere from 3 hours up to 12 hours.” After the balloon is removed the Pitocin is administered and the real effort for Alice begins.

So far it’s been a long, slow journey. Thank you for all of the comments and warm wishes. They keep us going throughout the down time in this experience.

• Phase 1: Check in & set up – DONE
• Phase 2a: Drug #1 Misoprostol - DONE
• Phase 2b: NEW - A Foley Balloon is inserted to hasten dilation – IN PROCESS
• Phase 3: Drug #2 Pitocin – Unknown start time, probably no earlier than 11pm PDT
• Phase 4: Labor!
• Phase 5: Delivery
• Phase 6: Back slaps, cheers & alternating flashes of anxiety and pure joy

Sitcom, Sit Calm & Carry On

Latest update: We have ordered dinner! We have ordered dinner! And also... Alice's contractions are still minor in intensity but have picked up in frequency (a good development). The Dr. Mike England non-medically binding forecast for delivery is some time between the hours of midnight and 3 AM.

The first pregnancy & the birth of that child may be the most transformative event a couple can experience together. It feels that way for me as I sit here in the delivery room while my wife busies herself with an article on Channing Tatum in this week’s People magazine.

In preparation for today Alice and I both read some [non-Channing Tatum featuring] baby books & quizzed our previously procreatin’ pals on just how to prepare. But those aren’t the only sources of inspiration each of us had. It's true that Alice looks to her trademark even-keeled demeanor and the escape provided by a poorly-reported movie review on Magic Mike XXL to steer her ship to calmer waters. For me, my parenting preparation started with television & all of its saccharine sitcom-y delights. I thought I’d take a break from binge-watching the charts on the flat screen above Alice’s bed to reflect on that education. 

Television writers during my childhood used everything from snowstorms to hot air balloon rides to educate us on just how inopportune, rushed and just plain wacky delivering a baby is going to be. Something outlandish has to happen. If it doesn't you won't succeed or grab a respectable share of the Nielsen ratings during February Sweeps. There are dozens of hazy story lines blending together in the part of my brain that television rotted irreversibly. I’m picturing Screech in scrubs. I’m picturing Steve – make that, Stephan-  Urkel & Laura looking at a pregnancy test. Unfortunately, I made those events up. Here’s a smattering of what TV really did teach me on what to expect when delivering a baby:

Full House - Season 5, Episode 24 - 1991

It is Michelle “You got it, duuude!” Tanner’s  fifth birthday party & this means all of the adults decide to dress as the Flintstones. Just as Jesse plans to go downstairs to celebrate Becky goes into labor and he immediately contracts appendicitis. Michelle has to cut her birthday short.  Hijinks ensues.

Home Improvement  - Season 6, Episode 9 – 1996

The Tool Man Delivers. This ridiculous one involves a snow storm and a varsity jacket.. at least I think it does.  Tim is to receive an award from the Tri-City HotRod Club. As Tim, Jill, and Heidi drive to the banquet, the car runs out of gas and Heidi goes into labor. Tim & Jill help with the birth at a nearby gas station.

Murphy Brown - Season 4 Episode 26 - 1992 

This one was worthy of vice presidential attention. While doing the last show of the season, Murphy starts going into labor. Everyone panics since they're in the middle of a live national broadcast. Hiji---- this is getting tedious. You get the idea now.

Perfect Strangers Season 7 into Season 8 - 1993

We're hours away from the Dance of Joy!

Ding ding ding ding ding! We have a winner for the most gimmicks & forced plot details. Larry & Jennifer and a pre-Mypos-debt-default Balki & Mary Anne are navigating pregnancy contemporaneously. In the series finale a very overdue Jennifer will stop at nothing to finally have her baby...even if it means inducing labor by taking a hot air balloon ride! Contractions start at 3900 feet in her 39^th week. Hijinks, as always, ensues. 

This final entry wins for most outlandish plot, stretching the story over a two parter and for the tandem deliveries. To my knowledge no sitcom has forced more gimmicks into its pregnancy plot.

Every sitcom writer between 1985 and 1998 seemed determined to squeeze in a pregnancy story line when their fountain of creativity began to dry up. And I didn’t even get to the Cosby Show, Friends, Step-by-Step or [insert UPN sitcom title here].

The above list kind of throws you off when you’re first experience is an induction. The procedure is scheduled weeks in advance & doled out over many hours- the latest estimates are for an early morning delivery. 

Without the hijinks how will I know our daughter is ready for prime time? Unless a marching band shows up accidentally or Mount Saint Helens erupts at that exact moment Alice gives that final push I will start to suspect that television wasn't the best way to prepare for adulthood.

Did you actually read this far? Thanks for indulging me! I promise future posts will have less words and stay more on the topic at hand.

Induction Reasoning

This morning's excitement has given way to an afternoon malaise. This is to be expected for any sort of hospital stay. It's easy these days, though. We have our wifi. I brought our home stereo & an iPod with over 28,000 songs - 27,600 which are not N'Sync or Backstreet Boys, thank you very much.

There was a delay while we waited for the doctor but as of a half hour ago Alice has been administered misoprostol as part of phase two. I should note that before anyone asks misoprostol (link) is not the main ingredient of miso soup- in fact, Nurse Jackie informed me that it's not even in miso soup at all! Nurse Jackie's body language told me that my jokes aren't even a tenth as funny as I think they are.

My pregnant partner (aka withchild wife) has been told to expect some cramping over the next 3-4 hours. This brings us to 6pm PDT. At that time the doctors will check on her and decide our next steps based on those observations. It's kind of like those Choose Your Own Adventure books (link) but with even more mentions of the word uterus. If things* look ready at 6 then it'll be "all aboard!" the Pitocin Express (link) to the land of labor.

Here's a rundown for our experience with labor by induction:

• Phase 1: Check in & set up - DONE
• Phase 2: Drug #1 Misoprostol - IN PROCESS
• Phase 3: Drug #2 Pitocin - est. 6pm PDT - ON DECK
• Phase 4: Labor!
• Phase 5: Delivery
• Phase 6: Back slaps, cheers & bubblegum cigars
• Phase 7: Open up one of those 529 college savings plans & a gofundme campaign for our parenting fund even before the cord is cut. Kids are expensive! More on that later...

Alice getting her game face on for Phase 4

*Footnote: On the use of the word "things": I have come across a challenge as we delve deeper into our little experiment of live blogging our delivery - something so inherently intimate & private to us - to our many friends and family. How do you balance being informative and educational against topics & labels that may be too personal? My first and foremost concern is that I only post elements that Alice is comfortable with- and she is OK with an above average amount. The other concern comes in for the many different personalities of our audience. In a world where oversharing is becoming all too common discretion is a virtue that I would benefit from developing further.

What will she look like?

Let’s bust out those 9^th grade biology textbooks & long forgotten Punnett Squares. I want to know what my daughter is going to look like and I don’t want to wait another ??? hours until she’s here.

But getting down to business… what are our best guesses for how she’ll look?

Maybe like this?

• Eye color: Alice has blue eyes (recessive, homozygous) and I have brown eyes (dominant, heterozygous because my mom has blue eyes). UPDATE @ 4:10: I meant to write here earlier that there is a 75% chance she'll have blue eyes. All the better to navigate glaciers in a European Ice Age. (link)
• Hair: Big open question. We expect it to be curly. There’s a fair chance it’ll be red. It shouldn’t be straight & black.
• To run through the rest of my hazy AP bio list:
• Widow’s Peak? No!
• Hitchhikers Thumb? Nada.
• Beautician’s Knee? Mortician’s Clavicle? Zookeeper’s Philtrum? No, no, no!

But I want to know now! I’ve employed the help of not-so-sophisticated facial generation software to cut to the chase. Here are two admittedly horrendous composites of Baby England in the year 2045.

Composite #1: Not the worst

This version of our daughter looks less feminine than I was hoping for. She appears to be best suited for an Alice in Chains cover band.

Composite #2: A result so grotesque she makes me cringe

I don’t know what to say about this one aside from it seems to produce audible revulsion in 50% of those who view it. You've been warned!

It is really hard to shake that image. Maybe it’s best just to wait until she’s here.

Checked in!

Greetings from Delivery Room #9... #9...#9

Hello, everyone! We have made the drive, braved the subterranean parking, rode two sets of elevators and at last moved in to our delivery room. It was all very routine, actually. 

We met a few nurses- all very informed & friendly. One nurse seemed a little put off by my decision to bring along my gigantic metal Manfotto tripod (12-14 lbs.). It appears to be the talk of the floor because Nurse Jasmine just asked about it, too. 

Alice answered a whole series of questions & they gave her the belly bands needed to register the fetal heart rate. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. We're at 140 bpm's, people! Alice was unaware but during the initial ten minutes some very minor contractions were registering on the machine.

Fetal & Maternal Vitals on what appears to be the original Fitbit

The next step is to do a few more physiological checks and that will be followed by the induction. 

We're in great shape!

And we're off!

Ellen, Alice & me - 6/6/15 in Portland, Oregon

Welcome to our baby blog! Alice, her mother Lou Ann and I are off to the hospital later this morning. Our induction is scheduled for 10 am (PDT). We hope to share fun details throughout the big day & first week. If we have down time & the hospital wifi cooperates expect me to post nerdy parenthood related charts & trivia. This is my first blog and I may run wild with it.

Thank you to everyone for your support. It means a lot to us!