July 30, 2003
Walkies
We took Ben out for a turn around the park yesterday. He slept through his first experience with the great outdoors.
July 28, 2003
Starting Early
Ben and his daddy share lots of interests:
...playing Martian Manhunter
...choosing cards for a new deck
...reading comics (Babies see B&W contrasts best, dontchaknow)
...and trying to figure out encumbrance rules!
Bathtime!
Ben's first spongebath wasn't his favourite...
...and the duck towel didn't make things any better.
Happy Almost Birthday, Ben (Pt. I)
If our son hadn't been so eager to meet us, today was the day scheduled for his birthday...
...but we much preferred the surprise!
July 26, 2003
Four Times His Weight in Citrus!
In an unexpected and delightful gesture, my office sent a tower of fruit to our apartment.
Ben weighs six pounds.
The fruit basket weighs twenty-four pounds!
Thanks, guys!
Ben's Weekly Birthday Party
The Bennetts, the Warks, Great-Auntie Ann, and Godmother Maggie gathered to celebrate Ben's one-week birthday!
Here's us at the dinner table.
The mothers.
The fathers.
The Warks
The Bennetts
Auntie Ann and Ben
Auntie Ann, Grammie, and Ben
Dina, Auntie Ann, Steve, and Ben
That's Not My Kid!
Of all the cats, Woody is showing the least disinterest in Ben:
Here's Woody in the co-sleeper.
Here's Woody on Lou's lap.
July 24, 2003
July 19, 2003
July 16, 2003
July 14, 2003
No Version Available
We went to the hospital today to have the doctor attempt an external version on our baby. Babycakes is in a frank breech position, and so far refuses to assume an optimal head-down position, so the doctor was going to attempt to turn the baby manually. This procedure can be painful and carries a risk of inducing labour and an emergency c-section, but it can be 65% effective in turning a baby.
When we scheduled the procedure, Dina had three of four signs that reduced the chances of success for the procedure: it's her first baby, her placenta is in the front rather than the back, and the baby's feet are in front of its adorable little face. Nonetheless, the doctor was willing to try the procedure because we asked him too, but he was up-front with his assessment of our chances.
This morning, we learned that we have the fourth sign. Her amniotic fluid is also lower than is optimal for the procedure. So, after consulting with the doctor, and judging from the reaction of the staff at the check-in ("You're here for a version? Really…"), we decided to give the baby another two weeks to turn on its own.
Of course, we'll help it along by leaning Dina on an incline, shining a light on her belly, playing music, and even placing ice packs to encourage Babycakes to seek warmer climes.
So, we're disappointed that we couldn’t turn the baby yet, but we're more relieved that we didn't require an emergency c-section.
The good news is that Babycakes is full of energy and in great shape. Everyone complimented us on the activity level on the heart monitor, which is very encouraging!
