My little model

Ava got her first professionally done pictures a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, some of the poses and props are a bit cheesy but she's so flippin' cute in them that it's easy to overlook the cheesy-ness. Check them out:

In just two short months of life, she's already got me wrapped around her little finger. Imagine what it's going to be like in two years...or when she's a teenager! Yikes!

I know I'll enjoy every minute of it :o)

Been a dad for almost two months!

I gotta say, so far this dad thing is AWESOME! I can't stop holding and touching and kissing Ava. She's so friggin' cute! Of course, I'm just a wee bit biased.

Ava's been sleeping through the night the past couple of nights (how lucky). We usually put her down for the night at around ten or so and she's out like a light until 6 in the morning! Because she sleeps like daddy - arms up, hands near her head - when I go in to check on her and touch her hand, it's cool! Of course I automatically think the worst "Oh no! She's dead!". Then I touch her warm cheek and relax. She gets me every time that girl! It's not nice to do that to daddy...he's getting old and his heart can't take that kind of stress.

My brother is coming to visit this summer. I can't wait until he meets his little neice. He's coming up at perfect time too because she's just starting to coo and smile. The giggles will come next and I can't wait! Erin and I laugh at her now when she's asleep because she makes the funniest little faces. Imagine when she's giggling along! There's going to be alot of laughter in our house over the next few years...now that I have someone new to try out all my old jokes on. Look out, Ava!

PS: My Mom was up visiting a couple of weeks ago. It was the cutest thing ever. When she finally got to hold her granddaughter for the first time, she cried tears of joy. Yeah, I welled up a bit too. It was one of those moments I'll never forget.

Pictures coming soon!

How lucky are we?

I really hate to jinx thing good thing but as everyone makes wise-cracks about lack of sleep with new baby, Erin and I just smile and nod because we're not experiencing that at all. We're almost a month in to this parent thing and already going against the grain. Ava is a quiet baby who enjoys pooping, drooling and sleeping! Of course she has her moments where she screams like we're holding her over hot coals but those moments are few and brief. In general, I think we got what one can term "a good baby".
Now, that strikes fear into my heart for a couple of reasons: Does this mean she'll be a terrible todler? Does it mean I'm in for it when she's a teenager? Does this mean when/if we have a second child, it'll never sleep, always cry and drive us over the edge faster than Entertainment Tonight Canada? Unanswerable questions but they plague the parental mind.

Erin is doing wonderfully after having a c-section. She basically took the couple of days in the hospital to recover and got right to it when we got home. The first couple of days she was a little slower than usual but she's up to speed now....out shopping or visiting friends. She says she never realized how many things you can get done while holding a baby in your arms. It makes me feel like a total tool when I'm holding Ava and can't even pick up the tv remote! I'm really proud of her.

The grandparents are over the moon about their first grandchild. Erin's parents have seen her a couple of times and it's really funny to see their reactions to the baby. G Papa (Jamie) is happy to be in the same room as the kid as long as he doesn't have to hold/change/burp her. While Grandma (Pauline) can't get enough time holding/changing/burping her. I guess they compliment each other perfectly! My mom hasn't seen Ava yet but is coming to visit at the end of the month. I can't wait until she meets her. I just know she wont be able to keep her hands off of her first granchild...and who could blame her? Ava's a doll!

Week one

Wow. What a week it’s been. We’ve got a baby in the house…a baby! It’s still kind of surreal and every once in a while Erin and I look at each other and say “We’ve got a baby” and smile.

It was hard to know what to expect this first week. Lots of people were saying that we’d never get any sleep so we asked family to stay away and give us a few days to get into the swing of things. AKA: Stay away because we’ll be wicked cranky. But so far, we’ve found Ava to be an easy going baby who’s pretty quiet and loves to sleep. We know a couple of families with babies who didn’t want to sleep and they had a tough time so we know how fortunate we are. Very fortunate.

This week I’ve been barfed on, pooped on, peed on, changed poopy diapers, wiped a baby poopy butt, had a baby burp right in my face, had to change my shirt three times in a day, changed Ava’s outfit four times in 2 hours, changed her diaper 3 mintues after I just changed her…sigh. Ordinarily I’d be grossed out but somehow it’s all ok. It’s my kids poop. As a matter fo fact, she peed on me this morning and I just smiled and changed her knowing that Erin’s going to get peed on next. It’s a wonderful life.

Baby pictures!

Enough talk - time for baby pictures!

Just a taste of things to come!

We're very fortunate that Ava is a healthy and happy baby. She loves to eat and loves to sleep much to the delight of mummy and daddy! We love her to pieces.

So far, being a dad is AMAZING!

She's here!

The story goes kinda like this...


After 41 long weeks of pregnancy, we finally had an induction date - Friday March 27th. But life being as unpredictable as it is, things did not go as planned!

That Thursday night at around 11:30, labor began. We went to the hospital, they confirmed that labor had begun and sent us home. We went to bed excited (it felt like Christmas Eve) knowing that we'd have a baby sometime within the next few hours. All was well until about 5:15 AM when Erin's water broke.

Now, for the whole pregnancy she'd been saying the one thing she didn't want to have happen was for her water to break while she was in bed. Outside, fine. In a shopping mall - so be it. But in bed? At the expense of a new mattress? No freakin' way!

So early Friday morning around 5:15, Erin feels her water breaking. She springs out of bed faster than I've ever seen her spring (pregnant or not) and zips to the bathroom where her she politely expels the waters. "At least it didn't break in bed!" she yells victoriously.

It's off to the hospital we go. Erin is in full-on labor and I'm trying not to drive like a madman. We manage to make the two minute trip in 47 seconds. After we're checked in, we're whisked off to the labor room, Erin gets hooked up to monitors and we wait. Erin's labor is progressing well at this point. Regular contractions and the baby seems fine. But a few hours later, the doctors feel while Erin's contractions are normal, the baby is under some kind of stress. Every time Erin has a contraction, the baby's heart rate dips. A sure sign of the umbilical chord wrapped around baby's neck. They decide to perform a c-section while the baby is still doing well as opposed to waiting until she's having trouble. Smart move. That's why they get paid the big bucks.

Erin's off being prepped and I'm in the recovery room waiting...waiting...waiting...trying not to be stressed. Finally, a nurse comes to collect me and I'm escorted into the operating room. This is it! The baby is really coming! I take my place at Erin's head, hold her hand and before long the doctors remove little Ava Lynn Graham from the womb. From the quick glimpse I get of her as she's passed off to the paediatrician I can tell she's a beauty. 8 lbs 13 oz of pink, pudgy gorgeousness! The doctor and nurses clean her up and ask me to follow as they put her in a plastic bassinet to roll her out of the room to the "special care" nursery. I know Erin is in the capable hands of the doctors so I go with the kid.

Ava is in the "special care" nursery because she was stressed during labor. It's tough not to hold her right away and see her go through a battery of tests but I know she's better off than some of the kids in the nursery. Luckily the nurses and doctors at the Queensway Carleton are fantastic and it's not long before they determine Ava is a picture of health and is ready to spend time with mom and dad in their hospital room.

I just wanted to mention the incredible job done by the amazing nurses we had during our stay at the hospital. They were the most caring, nurturing and positive group of people. We were very lucky to be under their care. They treated us as people not as numbers and took the time to answer all of our questions no matter how silly. There were a couple of nurses who specifically took care of us and our biggest thanks go to them. You guys are the best!

After a few days at the hospital, we've made our transition home and to our new life as a wee family. Mom and baby afre doing great and I feel like the luckiest man alive. Overjoyed to have such beautiful girls in my life. Ava's birthday was definitely one of the best days of my life.

This is it!

I can't believe this is it! It's really baby time!

Tomorrow morning we'll check in with the hospital at 6:30 to see if they have a bed available for our induction. If they do, we go in. If they don't, we wait and they call us when they have one. But, the chances are real good that we'll be at the Queensway Carleton tomorrow waiting for our little bundle of joy. I'm totally going to bawl when she's born too. I couldn't keep it together at the ultrasound when we found out she was a "she"! Happy tears, happy tears (welling up now, dammit!).

Big thanks to Dr. Sunita Lal and her wonderful staff. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better OBGYN. She took he time to explain everything to a couple of newbie parents and was very friendly and caring. She's a real human being not just a "doctor".

Wow.

I'll be a dad by the weekend. Cool.

Me? A parent?

"Parent" still isn’t a word I can use to comfortably describe myself. It really hasn’t technically happened yet but being a few days off from becoming a "parent" feels a little surreal. I mean, My mom is a "parent"! "Parents" have toddlers to chase after or teenagers to keep an eye on. "Parents" get up early on a Saturday morning for hockey practice. "Parents" help their kids with their homework. "Parents" offer unsolicited advice. "Parents" never really fall asleep when their kid is out at night. "Parents" are a shoulder to cry on after a skinned knee or a broken heart. "Parents" change poopy diapers. “Parents” are the ride into school after a missed bus. "Parents" sacrifice everything and would do anything for their kids - no matter what and no matter when. "Parents" are unconditional love.

Y’know, I may not be a parent yet…but I can’t wait to become one!

Finally...PICTURES!

Ok! Here are some long promised pictures of the baby's room. We went with a pale green on the walls with an Espresso dark wood finish on the crib and change table/dresser. We've got a ladybug theme running through the room but it's not over-the-top. Not shown in the picture are a huge cabinet (also Espresso finish) and one of those cool Ikea Poang chairs. Erin and I aren't professional designers but I think the room turned out great! Exactly the way we wanted it. And in the end, that's what counts, right?

I couldn't resist taking a few pictures some of her clothes. She already has a better wardrobe than I do and she's not even born! Apparently that's something I'll have to get used to. Just check out those bunny slippers and the little shoes! Too precious! How could we not buy them?

If the amount of clothes in this closet is a sign of things to come then I think I might have to adapt to being "financially under-burdened" - aka "broke". Thank goodness I have the kind of wife who has the talent to seek out and lock onto the best deals in town. There ain't nothing wrong with cutting coupons to maximize your shopping experience. You go, girl! Every season is deal hunting season.



Love those Jeans! We went the cloth diaper route too. We hooked up with a great service called The Diaper Sevice Company and it's like magic! One day you put the soiled diapers out and next thing you know, clean ones are in their place! I can't imagine someone washing poop-filled diapers for a living but hey, who am I to judge? I just know there was no way I was going to wash those poopy diapers. No-freakin'-way.

An added plus of cloth diapers (besides the whole environment, hug-a-tree thing) is that the covers are real cute. They come in all sorts of patterns and colors. I figure if you're going to crap your pants, you may as well look stylish doing it.

Pictures coming soon!

I know it's been a while since I updated the blog...let alone promised baby's room pictures...but they'll be up soon! I took them last night myself and I'll put them up tonight. At least I hope to.

It's been very busy at work lately. Sadly, because of the current economic climate and the nature of the business we're in, we've recently let a couple of people go. So that means extra work for everyone...including lazy afternoon announcers. I'm now acting Music Director at Kiss FM - a job I'd like to make permanent so I basically have a few months to prove myself and not screw it up!

Wish me luck!

What is it with cats anyway?

I know people mean it in the nicest possible way, but why ask an expectant mom or dad if they are excited? Do ya think the answer is going to be "no"? Can you imagine when someone asks a dad-to-be if they're excited and the guy says "Naw, not really. Kinda disappointed actually." Oh, the look on their face! Maybe I should try it sometime :o)

I really do plan on taking pictures of the baby's room and posting them here. I really do. Procrastination is getting in the way though. I'm definitely a pro at crastinating.

I've become protective of that room too. It's like a sanctuary. The poor dogs, who are used to getting whatever they want, now find themselves under incredible scrutiny when they wander into baby's room. And the cat...forget about the cat. He's banned! We put tin-foil down on the crib and change table to discourage him from jumping up but did it work? Nope. He jumped up on the tin-foil, sniffed it and sat down anyway. Water doesn't work either. We tried that when he used to scratch the couch but he'd just sit there and take it. He's either really dumb or really tough.

Anyhow, my goal is to get some pictures of the room up this week. Until then, enjoy a couple of 3-D ultrasound pictures! Cool...but a little creepy too!

Getting excited!

It seems to be building everyday! We're still a few weeks off the due date (March 20th) but after 34 weeks they won't stop delivery so technically it's possible she shows up early. Althought it's kind of scary to think that she could be born premature, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be happy to see her. I'm not impatient yet but I WANT MY BABY!














It's like we're saying "Are you ready yet? How about now? NOW?" Man, that kid'll have some goofy-ass parents!

What's in a name?

At this point everyone is asking us what we'll name the baby. Hell, they were asking as soon as we announced we were expecting. I'll put this out there now so there's no mistake:

- We have a name.
- We're not telling you what it is.

If you need to call her something, make something up. Use your imagination. Just try to avoid calling her "it". The baby doesn't like that and the closest person to take her frustration out on is Erin. And I'm pretty sure being kicked from the inside isn't all that pleasant.

And now, we wait.

The baby's room is finished. Erin and I hung up the last of the pictures yesterday and I gotta say...it looks pretty darn good! I mean, I'm no designer, no "straight guy with a queer eye" or anything but I think we can be proud of putting together a nice room for our wee bairn. As soon as we take some pictures to put up on the blog, I'll prove it.

Speaking of pictures, Erin and I had some done by a friend of ours looking to become professional. I think she did a great job. Check out her website here .They really showcase Erin's pregnant beauty and wonderfully round belly! I love it! I'll be almost sad to see it go but knowing what we'll be getting in return...I'm sure I'll get over it.

It's almost time!

It's hard to believe that in a couple of months, Erin and I will be parents. Sometime in March, our little girl will be experiencing life outside the womb for the first time. It's pretty surreal. I mean, I know the baby's coming because I can see the progression of belly growth, I've seen the ultrasounds (even that semi-creepy 3d ultrasound) and I feel the excitement of fatherhood. But the knowledge that I'll be someones father is a little weird. It's not so much the lack of sleep or changing diapers but more a having a responsibility that trumps all other responsibilties - the nervousness of being fully and completely responsible for a life. A life that Erin and I created and a life that I can't wait to see develop and grow. It's a life that's not a dog or a cat. And a life that certainly won't be named after beer like the pets are. I know. I tried. Although "Carlsberg Graham" has a nice ring to it.