From dad: 11/30/11

11/30/11 - 5 ½ months

I skipped a month, OOPS.  The big oops is because shortly after writing my previous entry, I tossed you for the first time and you LOVED it.  And you were strong enough to hold your body straight (there was a very unfortunate fad at the time called planking, look it up and you’ll know what you were doing), so I could do “airplane” with you (even though you weren’t really putting out your arms).  I would hold you above my head, make the airplane sound, then I’d do a machine gun and lightly shake you.  You loved that machine gun too; you’d squeal when I did that.  But I would also toss you above me.  As of the time of this writing, I haven’t banged you against the ceiling, or any other object yet; I barely let you out of my hands, just enough to give you a moment of free fall without being what I consider too risky (e.g. if you balled up when I let go of you, I could still catch you, but I might not be able to if I tossed you too high).

You still love your baths (usually), still love to stand, you love to smile... like, a lot.  Grandma Jeanie came to visit you during Thanksgiving.  We went up to Estes park and actually had our big dinner on Wednesday.  Grandma Jeanie was very relieved to see you weren’t fat.  From the pictures she gets every day from Grandma Judy and the video chatting, they saw your cheeks and were worried you were one of these blobs of a baby; but she was glad to see it was just the cheeks, the “biggest cheeks in the world” she said.

In Estes park, you hit two big milestones.  Your mom and I were slightly worried that you hadn’t gotten the hang of rolling over; the only times you did was either with a little bit of help or out of pure frustration.  But in that condo we stayed in, you rolled over, and you did so every time we put on your stomach.  You rolled over both ways; you didn’t always immediately roll over and you still would get somewhat upset because you just don’t like being on your stomach for the most part.  I was a very late walker, Grandma and Grandpa Powell were worried something was wrong (they’re still worried... they’re pretty sure actually, but not about walking), but when I did start walking, I was very good at it; Grandpa Jerry seems to think I was practicing in my crib.  I say all that to say, maybe you were practicing too, though I don’t know when; Grandma Judy watches you during the day, you’ve got us in the evening and your “crib” is in the bedroom with us.  But once you started, you were doing like you’ve been doing it for month.

You also got your first tooth on this day.  Between the last writing and this one, you enjoyed chewing/sucking on my finger occasionally, with gusto.  Sometimes you’d be fussy and we couldn’t quite figure out why, thinking maybe you were teething.  So at Estes park you seemed to be a little in that mood so I offered my finger and you greedily took it.  That’s when I felt it; the inside of your mouth used to be all gummy, now there was something sharp.  So, it was mom who put you on the floor and was paying the most attention to you when you rolled over (I saw it out of the corner of my eye), and it was me who discovered you got your first tooth.

Grandma Judy had mixed feelings, vastly joy.  But, there was a twinge of sadness because she had been working so hard with you, especially rolling over.  That sadness was overcome with happiness because Grandma Jeanie got to see not one, but two firsts.

In case things have changed, your mom and I have a deal with Christmas.  She likes white lights, with red decorations, especially outside,but also inside, and a fake tree.  I like colors everywhere, silly ornaments, and a real tree (I want things to be as festive as possible).  So, we decided that every year, one person decorates the outside, the other gets the inside.  So, this year I got the inside; since I got the inside, I decided to get a train to go around the tree.  I set up the train because this was my first train and I had just bought it; I wanted to see how it works and whatnot.  During the test, you were entranced by it; it could’ve just been a moving object that moved in a repetitive path, or maybe it was the choo-choo sounds it made, but you could barely take your eyes off it.

Grandma Jeanie is absolutely over the moon about you.  Everyone says how lucky I am because you are such an easy baby and happy guy in general.  You being my first and only, I can’t truly be grateful since I have nothing to compare it to, but I am as much as I can be.

From Dad: 09/21/11

09/21/11
Three months old, fourteen weeks tomorrow.  You are smiling a lot, and you’re starting to actually laugh, vocally; your mom loves it when you do your fast breathing thing because you get so excited.  You really love bath time now; you didn’t initially like it too much.  Some of that may have been because A) it was a new thing, and 2) we may not have had the water temp very good.  You’re still too small to really be in the big tub without constant supervision, but you’re almost too big to be in the baby tub.  You love to splash your legs alot, maybe you’ll be a runner or something.  Since you can’t sit up on your own yet, we can’t really put you in anything that’s too big or deep.  I can’t wait until you can really start “playing”.

Your Grandmother Judy has been doing a wonderful job taking care of you while we work.  I can’t predict what kind of relationship you’ll have with her when youlre older, I hope it’s an excellent one; but regardless you should always be thankful for the love she so freely pours out.  I’ve seen you reach for an object which is a pretty decent milestone.  There’s more form when you try to roll over, but you seem to be forgetting about your arms, or maybe they’re not that strong.  Maybe all your strength went to your legs.

When you try to roll over, you seem to try rolling over your right arm.  You’ve got it straight and pretty much under your head, and you’re twisting your legs to try and get your center of gravity moved, but you’re not pushing with you left arm.

We can’t quite figure out if you’re left or right handed yet.  A few weeks ago, we both agreed you’re probably right handed, but I’ve seen you do things recently that’s given me pause.  I can’t give any specific examples.  Maybe you’re ambidextrous, or maybe your mixed handed like Promise.

I think I’ve found two “magic” spots that help you calm down and/or go to sleep.  One is when your car seat, you love to be swung; oddly the swing chair doesn’t have nearly the magical effect.  I don’t think I’ve ever had you cry if you’re being swung; maybe you’re just too busy dealing with that funny feeling in your stomach to cry, or maybe you just really like it.  When it’s too difficult to get you in your car seat, you like to be held as if your breast feeding, even if it’s me holding you (and no, as of the time of this writing, you haven’t tried latching on to me).  I can’t tell if it’s because maybe I hold you slightly differently when your head is in my right arm or if it’s because you prefer to be on your right side, but you seem to prefer to being held in my left arm.  Both your mother and I prefer holding you this way, so maybe it’s a consistency thing.

This past month, you’ve been doing this thing where you constantly look back and forth.  The first time you did this, your mom and I had you on the bed and we were on each side of you, so we thought you were just looking back and forth between the two people who love you the most.  But you do it every so often even if I’m on the only person anywhere in your vicinity.  I’ve said that, for all we know, babies can see different wave lengths, or on a different plane than we do; so maybe you’re seeing the angels fly around.  Your mom thinks maybe they’re playing tennis, I say it’s ping pong ‘cause you can’t fit a tennis court in our house.

Back to school

School Time Blues
Sadly,  the summer has come to an end and I have to start back to school.  Lucky for you though, Grandma Judy is taking care of you at our house.  She stays in the very upstairs of our house all week and then drives to her house in Elizabeth on the weekends.  It's a long drive, but you're worth it!  She also sends me photos and an email from you every day.  It's so nice to get email from you when you can't even talk or type yet!  We knew you were an amazing kid.  One day, I'll put all your emails and the photos she sends with them together in a book for you.  

In the mornings, I feed you before I leave for school, and after school, I get home as soon as I can to feed you again.  You're taking a lot of bottles, so nursing will probably have to stop soon.  But, for now, anything I can do to help you out more is good.  You're a really healthy baby though!  You're growing and changing every day.  When Grandma sends pictures, your hair looks red to me.  I can't tell if it's going to be red or not.  I kind of hope so and I hope you keep your bright blue eyes!

Your brother, Caleb, and your sisters, Charity and Promise, love to hold you too.  Sometimes I feel like I need to set a timer just so everyone can get a turn holding you.  Right now, you're very content to be held and to gaze up and whoever happens to have you at the moment.  I know soon though, you'll want to be moving all around.  I try to take every chance I get to just sit and hold you and rock you.  I know these days will end too soon for me.  ~ Mom

From dad: 08/12/11

08/12/11
You’re eight weeks old yesterday, but not quite two months ;-) (Don’t you just love the Gregorian calendar).  You’re definitely smiling more, and at appropriate times, but not as often as I’d like to see, though I’m sure you’re still deciding whether you like it here.  You seem to like to stand a lot, but that could be a discomfort thing and you’re just flexing your legs.

One of the new things you did around this time was you started to “squeak”.  I don’t think that’s the most accurately descriptive word, but it’s how your mom and I refer to what it is you’re doing.  You just sort of do this... thing where you’re not quite whining or crying, it doesn’t even seem like you’re trying to get any one's attention (though you do because we do our best to be attentive to you, especially your mom).  You’re just sort of saying “Eh, eh eh, eheheh... eh.”  Maybe you’re practicing your vocal chords; maybe you are in some kind discomfort but you don’t want to bother anyone (that would truly prove you’re my son despite your dashing good looks).  My vote is that you’re in discomfort for being in a body smaller than you want so you’re trying to make it grow, and maybe you’re a little frustrated because you don’t have control over this too small body.

It feels to me like you’re trying to go somewhere or do something, but you’re limbs aren’t cooperating and your muscles tire out way before you want them to.  That’s just the impression I get.

You’ve rolled over from your stomach twice since last time, one time was pretty official (every time before this, you were on a cushion-y object that someone else was on too, so you could’ve just been rolling “down hill”).  I think you rolled over out pure frustration and possible spite.  Whatever the reason, it wasn’t pleasant, and you haven’t regularly and calmly done it since.

You’re still waking up 3~4 times a night, but your mom was doing such an amazing job of not only giving you what you need, but also being considerate of what she thought I needed too (i.e. sleep), so you might be waking up more than that.  For about a week before this writing we had started a night time routine of giving you a bath and putting you in PJ’s.  This has helped me get more of a routine as well, which I desperately needed.  Once school starts for your mom, I hope to get into even more of a routine in the morning.

Summertime

As close to a smile as we're gonna get.

Great-Grandma Shue

You've had a busy first month and a half little boy!  When you were just 10 days old, we took you to the Colorado Renaissance Festival.  I carried you around in a snuggly pack, and we managed to make it through the day.  You are such a patient baby.  We also took you to your first drive in movie.  We saw The Green Lantern. You and I actually slept through most of it.  We visited friends in Broomfield on the 3rd of July, and then your Grandpa Bill and Grandma Dona stopped by to see you.  We drove down to Pueblo to meet your Great-Grandma Shue and then a few days later Grandpa and Grandma Powell and Uncle Kevin came to visit you for a week. We went to Greeley to pick Caleb up from his summer camp (that was your first night in a hotel). Our traveling isn't done yet this summer, so I'm glad you're an easy guy

Out for a Stroll with Grandpa Powell

Uncle Kevin thinks you're pretty cool, for a baby.

Grandpa and Grandma Powell can't get enough of your sweet face!

At Caleb's summer camp

exhausted after all that visiting.

.

From dad: first entry

07/13/11
On Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 your mom went in for her weekly check-up.  I had been telling people she was prepared to take Dr. Uyemura by the lapels and threaten his life if he didn’t induce by the following day.  Your mom says she didn’t have to convince him at all, that he wanted to induce that day, but whatever happened in office I got a call around 10 o’clock that day from your mom saying she was being induced.

We talked a bit about what I should do, if I should continue working or head over to the hospital right then.  We decided it might be some time before the drugs even took effect, let alone when you’d actually arrive, so I finished out the work day.  Grandma Judy was contacted and immediately headed to our house.

It wasn’t until 4:30 pm that the Dr. said your mom “entered” into labor; I arrived shortly after labor begun then.  So then we waited; we watched TV, I did my best to make sure your mom got anything she needed, the nurses did the same (arguably better) including getting the room ready for your inevitable arrival.  For the next 5 hours we waited patiently and at around 10:00 pm your big sister, Charity, got there where we waited a couple more hours.  Between Charity getting there and the epidural, the Dr. broke your mom’s water.

At around midnight the epidural dude arrived and 20 minutes later you mom started feeling tired and was pain free enough to get some sleep.  It was suggested by everyone that we all try our best to follow suite.  The room had a chair that could pull out into a bed of sorts; I thought it was best for Charity to have that since it fit her better than myself.  I headed down to the end of the hall where there was a family lounge that had a too-small couch.

Some time shortly after 3:00 am, Charity walked in and woke me up.  She says she was very surprised by how immediately awake I was.  We headed back to your mom’s room where she’s fully awake and experiencing some much more intense contractions.  The Dr. had been called but he was still about 15~20 minutes from arriving.  After about 15 minutes after my arrival, your mom announced that she felt like she had to push.

It seemed like she held off a little bit since the Dr. wasn’t there, but 2 minutes later she couldn’t hold it anymore.  Right then the Dr. walked in, quickly assessed the situation, your mom said she had to push, the Dr. said, “All right, then push, let’s get this baby out.”  A new look came on your mother’s face; I had been watching her go through bouts of pain for the past 11  hours, the worst being when her water was broken.  But this look, this was new, and probably a look I’ll never see again.  It could be a look God reserved specifically for birth.  It’s indescribable and it scared me a little only because it was a look I had never seen.

Your mom is the only one who can tell you whether the breaking of the water or pushing you out hurt more, but based on her face and the sounds she made, giving birth was at the very least a unique pain.  She didn’t scream, I would say she wailed.  Of course, I’ve never really heard her scream before either; I’ve hear her “yell” at your siblings (as you’ve probably witnessed first hand by now ;-) ), but not scream.  So maybe a mommy scream is what I call a wail, I don’t know.

But it took three or four good pushes and at 3:41 am 06/16/2011 you were out.  From the time Charity woke me up to the time you arrived was less than 30 minutes, so it happened pretty quickly.  The nurses didn’t even have time to properly break down the bead to make way for a proper catching.  The Dr. pulled you out and used the aspirator to clear your airway.  You gave a little cry, just letting us know that “yeah yeah, I’m here, can you get some clothes on me or something?”  They took you over to the warming table and cleaned you up, the whole time you were very quiet.  I wouldn’t be surprised to find out your part reptile; the whole time you were on the warming bed and regularly for the next week or so, you stuck out your tongue a lot as if you were smelling the air with it or something.  There’s video of this, so if you haven’t seen it already, be prepared to be embarrassed by it in front of your wife or something.

I was fully prepared for you to be ugly.  I don’t mean an ugly baby, as some baby’s are, I mean I was ready for you to be this gooey, deformed, wriggly mass of bones, blood, and flesh.  But you were surprisingly clean, other than some stuff I call cheese, and the only thing about you was that you had a bit of an Alien head.  I’m talking about James Cameron’s Alien; it tapered in the back.  So much so, we had a hard time keeping a hat on you, it would just slide off very easily.  One of the things I really loved about you was the sound you made when you did your tongue thing.  Don’t ask me, it was just a pleasing sound.

Hopefully, by the time you read this, one thing you’ve learned about your dad is that I’m fairly easy going.  I know I may harp on you from time to time, but it’s only because I want you to be the best person you can be; much better than me at least.  Also, if we hadn’t already mentioned at some point in your life, we didn’t have any Lamaze classes.  The most we had was a 1 day class encompassing everything about childbirth.  Your mom indicated to me shortly before I started writing this that she noticed how quiet I was during your birth; A) as you should already know, I’m pretty quiet as it is, 2) this was her 4th time and my first so I was somewhat at a disadvantage, III) the nurses were awesome.  I’m saying all this because mainly I don’t want you thinking I wasn’t excited for you to join us out here.  I pray you’ve already come to realize that I tend to show my love mostly through works (providing you with a  good home, taking you to places, letting you do the things you enjoy, etc.) and to a lesser extend giving you gifts.  I’m sure I’ve told you I love you from time to time, but I hope I’ve more than shown you that.

Over the next few weeks, your mother and siblings have said many things; you like this, you don’t like that.  I get the impression that your mom thinks you cry more than average, I don’t know what’s average so I don’t know.  She seems to think you’re hungry ALL THE TIME, I think it’s just kind of what babies do.  I’ve seen some smiles from time to time, but they don’t seem to be on purpose; I’ve seen you roll over from your stomach three times, but every time could be attributed to you being on an incline.

You seem to have a really good grip; I can almost pick you up just from you holding onto my fingers.  Your legs are strong enough to hold your own weight; particularly when you cry, you straighten your legs and if I put you vertical, you actually stand up (though you have no balance).  I was impressed by how soon you were picking your head up, but for all I know that’s normal.

There are a lot of things that your mom and siblings are attributing that I’m not comfortable doing yet.  You always cry when you take a bath... but you’re always crying before you start.  Your mom says you just like to be around us, that you start crying when we put you down.  But you’ve screamed your head off while we’re holding you, and you’ve been quiet as a mouse when we put you down.  Your mom feels like you’re hungry all the time, I’m open to it being any number of things (e.g. gas, allergies, ready to poop, etc); I think feeding you either takes your mind off those other things or at the very least suppresses them.  Either way, it doesn’t change that you might be crying for something other than you want to eat.  But, your mom is around you 24/7, and I’m gone for 9 hours out of the day, plus she’s done this three times before, so what do I know.

Welcome

Welcome To the World!

3:41 AM
7lbs 5oz
19 inches long. 
Our journey together begins.

At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.                                                                ~Jean Houston

Today is your BIRTH day!! I've waited a long time to meet you Isaac Shaun, and I'm glad you're finally here. I was pretty relieved when you finally arrived, and very hungry! Labor is hard work! It must have been hard for you too, because you slept a lot as soon as you'd been cleaned up and had a little snack. 
 
Dad pretty much has all the gory details down there, so I guess all that's missing is my perspective and what I was feeling. Mostly, I was tired of being pregnant and anxious to get you out where I could get a good look at you. I was so excited to finally see you, the little guy who had been keeping me company for the last 9 months.  There was a lot of pain involved in the water breaking, and in the actual getting you here, but typical of moms, we forget that stuff as soon as we see our baby's sweet face.  Not that I'm ever doing this again, mind you, but you were definitely worth all the long months of pregnancy and the process of labor.  Mostly, I loved watching your Dad as he held you.  He's not much for words, but I'll never forget the look on his face when he held you for the first time.  I knew right then that God had put you in our lives, maybe not so much for us to teach you, as for you to teach us a thing or two.  Your name means laughter (Isaac) God is Gracious (Shaun), and we pray that you will not only bring laughter to our lives, but that others' lives will be blessed by knowing you, and that you will bring joy to everyone you meet. I feel that God has indeed been gracious to us in giving us you, this amazing, healthy little man.  Welcome to the world, son.  It's going to be a fun journey.   ~ Mom