International hold two babies day.

Sunday was International Hold Two Babies day and was celebrated in two incidences at our house. The first was by good friend Anne, holding Adeline (of the Steven and Jenny family) and later by Uncle John with Cousin Claire. It's supposed to bring you luck through the end of the current year.

Mojo's doctor visit.

Here are the results of today's doctor visit:
1. She is in the 75 %ile for weight and head circumference.
2. She is in the 90 %ile for height.
Bottom line, she's a hoss. She weighed in at 13 pounds, 4 ounces.
Maureen is at home resting comfortably after a traumatic 4-shot doctor's visit.
Poor baby.

12-2-06 update.

I realize I haven't written anything in a while, so wanted to give you the update. Yesterday I had no electricity at work due to strong wind. Without electricity, our phone system was down, not to mention our computer system. I spent a half day at the office without being able to do anything - it's amazing how crippling it is without electricity. Not a typewriter in sight. I went home for lunch and decided I could get more done from home than if I was in the office, so I stayed home with Kristin and Mojo. I could check e-mails from our laptop, and return phone calls on the cell. Ah, technology! It was kind of nice being home - and with me here, Kristin was able to do some projects she had on her list. I don't think my boss would ever let me work from home full time, but it would be nice right now.

Granny D was nice enough to come over last night to watch Mo while we ran off for a bit of happy hour merriment. With babysitters we now have high expectations for fun: "We better enjoy this while we can." We were only gone for a couple of hours, and when we got back, we all watched the Da Vinci Code together before GD went home. It was a nice visit - and it seemed like Mo had fun with her grandmother.

Today is Saturday, December 2 and we're off to buy a Douglas Fir from troop 42 over at St. Raphael (pronounced Rafe-yell in these parts.) My brother John was an Eagle Scout with this troop and my parents suffered through many freezing nights pushing fir, so I feel some sense of obligation to them. I was a boy scout too, but had to quit by the time I reached Tenderfoot status for my football career. Ha! Speaking of brother John, he is selling his house and Kristin is the realtor. She has an open house tomorrow and I'll be spending time with Moj. It's cold right now, but if it's nice we may head back to the zoo and try to get our money's worth out of our membership.

Next weekend will be a huge step in parenthood for us, as we are taking a day trip without the babe, to Chicago for Kristin's birthday. We are flying up and back same day to do some shopping and to hang out and have fun. I hope Kristin can enjoy it, knowing that Maureen will be in good hands while we are away. I'm sure Moj won't miss us.

Virtual Hug.

Kristin just sent me this Virtual Hug from Mojo, and I am passing it along to you. This made my day - I hope it makes yours.

Wow.

I just can't believe this photo. It makes me realize this is not a cute little game we're playing here - she's an actual person and I really need to be a responsible father and try to provide to the best of my ability for her. No fooling around. I've never had something in my life that scared me so much but filled me with such joy at the same time. It's 1:19am and I can't sleep. Can you tell?

Four-day Weekend.

It's been great having a four-day weekend from the salt mines. Thursday was a long day indeed. We made our first long distance day-trip with Mojo and she handled it like an old pro, sleeping through most of the car ride. We rode up to Indianapolis with Mo's Aunt Chrissy, caravanning with Grandpa Joe, Uncle Joe and Aunt Erin (who also slept - talk about a professional sleeper) in the other car. This was the official introduction to my side of the family, once we finally arrived at my Aunt Kathleen's. Due to sickness and other commitments, Maureen was the only munchkin present and, by default, was the center of attention. She worked the room like she knew what was expected of her, smiling and cooing like she was in a Huggies' commercial (BTW: we are not fans of Huggies; we prefer Pampers instead - Huggies leak!) We played the resemblance game, and I think I'm leading right now. Personally, I don't think she looks more like me or Kristin. Maureen looks like Maureen.

We spent a couple of hours up north and made the return trip home. Once we got back to the car, it was off to Kristin's Aunt Linda's house for another dose of introductions. Again, Mo worked it and melted a few more hearts, though she had a little more competition - but then again, who's keeping score? Finally, exhaustion set in - for Papa Sparky. It was time to go home before I had a total meltdown.

Yesterday the family unit went to the zoo for the first of many walks to come with little Mo. She slept through the lemurs, elephants, giraffes and lions but regained consciousness by the time we hit the gorilla exhibit. I'm not sure how many animals she actually focused on, but the 60+ degree weather was more reason than we needed to have her out and about. She really hasn't had too many outdoor days and I believe she enjoyed the light breeze on her chubby cheeks.

I've included some photos of Maureen's Thanksgiving outfit - the only shots remembered to take that day. Talk about bad parents. If anyone out there reading this took photos on Thanksgiving day, we'd appreciate a few e-mailed shots. We did, however, want to make sure we took photos of her funky turkey booties. We also have some zoo shots.

I have one more day of my Thanksgiving Holiday before heading back to the mines. Before you know it, I will be writing about our Christmas experience. Hard to believe.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Today is Maureen's first thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for. To start, we are thankful that Maureen is with us, that she is healthy, beautiful and is a joy to behold. We are thankful to have a nice new house; friends that we enjoy and can count on at a moment's notice; and, most of all, a loving, supporting family. Maureen is so fortunate to have grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who love her and are involved in her life. I love the fact that she is able to get to know her great grandparents Betty and Doc (pictured here). We will enjoy this day with our families, stuff ourselves and watch a ton of football. We start our holiday by trekking to Indianapolis to my aunt Kathleen's house to spend time with my extended family. Then we will drive back and make it in time for desert at the home of Kristin's aunt Linda. It will be a very long day for Maureen, but we hope she will sleep through the four hours spent in the car. Wish us luck.

We wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving, especially to Aunt Carrie and her friend Gabe in Alaska, and to Uncle Dolberry, Aunt Kristy and cousin APD in NC. Also, we'll miss Uncle John, Aunt Mickey and cousin Claire Bear who are spending Thanksgiving with Mickey's family. We'll miss you today!

Say Cheese, chapter 3.

Our friend Melissa came over to shoot some shots of the baby and of the family - we hope to be able to be organized this year and send out X-mas cards. It's so funny what three grown adults do to get a little baby to smile for the camera. Mo really wanted nothing to do with the photo session. She just wanted to eat, fuss and sleep. I think we got some keepers though.

Other events this weekend included a happy hour jaunt to Za's Pizza, dinner at our friends Patrick and Amy, and today we will see Grandpa Joe and then off to Great Grandma Betty's house for dinner. All in all a busy weekend.

Great Grandpa.

I just got this photo of Maureen's Great Grandfather Joe at age 14 from cousin Dan. It apparently documents his becoming a golf pro. Very cool.

Don's Ducks at the Club.

Last night was Maureen's introduction to dartball with our team, Don's Ducks, at the Bonnycastle club. Dartball is dart baseball, you know, the flip side of any standard dart board. However, at the Bonnycastle Club, the boards are 4' square - much bigger than your run of the mill dart board. Before we started playing with the Ducks, Kristin's parents were considered the youngsters on the team. The majority of our teammates are well into their seventies, and all of them are better at throwing darts than yours truly. We experienced the loss of two of our team mates last year to cancer, one being Don himself. Very Sad.

There are three boards at the Bonnycastle club, two downstairs and one upstairs, and they play 2 nine inning games every other Wednesday. We've missed the majority of the season due to Mo's birth, and though I am still on the team, we doubt we will make many games.

We dressed Mojo up in her little duckie hat and took her to the upstairs board to watch a devastating loss to the Board Busters (Board Busters 7, Don's Ducks 5.) I've got to say, the team was appropriately excited to see little Mo, and Mo did her best to cheer the ducks on. She was all smiles. She was a bit perplexed when everyone stood for the seventh inning stretch, singing Take me out to the Ballgame, but I always thought that was weird too, to tell you the truth.

We cut out after the first game of the double header because of the smoke, and heard that the Ducks suffered another loss. This time it was the Socks & Jocks (10 to 8). A very disappointing night indeed for the Ducks.

MoJo TV.

A big shout out goes to cousin Jenny and her husband Chris for the Summer video monitor they gave us as a shower present. Though the thought of baby surveillance at first seemed a bit too much, it has helped as Mo is sleeping later into the mornings, while I'm doping up with my first few shots of caffeine. I'm just wondering how to use it once she's too old to monitor (or is she ever going to be too old?) Maybe we'll hook it in to the doorbell system, though I haven't seen too many ax murderers or Jehovah Witnesses in the area. Perhaps we could set up a TV studio for MO and push her into the weatherman profession like uncle Pat - isn't that what he does? We could keep an eye on the neighbors? I'm sure it has other applications than baby watching.

Granny.

Zzzzzzz.

I haven't had much to write about lately because Mo has discovered the power of sleep. She is the laziest baby I've ever encountered. She's been sleeping so much Kristin called in to the doctor's office to see if it's normal. A nurse called us back to tell us to enjoy it while we can. For all we know, she could have been the cleaning lady on duty at the doctor's office telling us this. I guess we should enjoy it, but it's hard to interact with a sleeping baby. When she's awake she is sharp and smiling and super cute - and she is eating a healthy amount. She doesn't seem lethargic or sick. We are guessing she's hitting some major growth spurts and this is how she copes. Today Mo is going to a baby shower being thrown by Kristin's side of the family at her Aunt Linda's. We are hard pressed to figure out what we still need; it seems like we have so much already, and so much we are not using. She'll most likely sleep through the whole party; and her mom should just sit back and enjoy it while she can.

...and speaking of Cheesy.

Maureen says "Happy Birthday Uncle Joby!"

Say Cheesy.

Kristin took Moj to another annoying PC Penny photo session yesterday - for her one month birthday photo. Apparently they don't manage their reservations very well. Like the Seinfeld rant goes, "You know how to take reservations, you just don't know how to hold reservations." Kristin asked a sales person what the heck? She said they usually run a half hour late. Here's an idea, tell the customer to come a half hour later than the reservation time. Any way, she was a very frustrated mommy, and Mojo was fit to be tied. And the photo proofs weren't great. They had her pose like Ingre's La Grand Odalisque, another like Manet's Olympia (I knew my college art minor would be useful in adult life.) I'm not sure who the Artiste was at the JCP, but these poses were a bit too Artsy-fartsy for old dad. Kristin ordered a more age-appropriate pose, with clothes on, but was a bit put out by the whole experience.

I want to apologize right now to our yet to be born second child. I'm sorry that we will not have as many photos of you - it doesn't mean that we won't love you just as much.

More photos, less talk.

The above-mentioned title comes independently from both of my sisters Chrissy and Erin. I will abide this time. This photo was taken just minutes ago and documents the last wearing of the cow pjs as they are already becoming too small for Mo.

Repetition...Repetition...Repetition

Maureen loves her Fisher Price Aquarium Cradle Swing (on loan from the Boese/Koch Foundation for Soothing Infants). It really is a nice contraption; a plush-pillow top seat, a mobile featuring stuffed, Nemo-like fish circling overhead, an aquarium globe hub inside the circling Nemos, a swivel function that allows either side -to-side or head-to-toe swinging, and your audio choice of waterfall effects or a musical medley. Herein lies the problem - not a huge problem, maybe it's a slight irritation, like one of those pimples on the side of your nose. Though the musical medley offers a nice variety of soothing tunes, they still bore into your brain and feed on you cerebellum. The other day I got out of the shower and Kristin asked, "Did you realize you were singing track number three from the Fisher Price Aquarium Cradle Swing (on loan from the Boese/Koch Foundation for Soothing Infants)? Keep in mind, the songs that play on the Fisher Price Aquarium Cradle Swing (on loan from the Boese/Koch Foundation for Soothing Infants) don't have words. These songs are so much a part of my every day life that I am visualizing lyrics, picking out wicked ukulele solos in time, even scatting in harmony (at least my ear recognizes it as harmony) to the Fisher Price Aquarium Cradle Swing (on loan from the Boese/Koch Foundation for Soothing Infants). Bottom line: it relaxes Moj (in accordance to the Boese/Koch Foundation's mission statement) and is worth any torture her parents must endure. You just apply a little dab of butt paste and move on.

Addendum: After writing this entry the author learned that the Fisher Price Aquarium Cradle Swing is not on loan from the Boese/Koch Foundation for Soothing Infants. It was purchased from the Boese/Koch Foundation for Soothing Infants (final sale price undisclosed.)

Go Cards!

We are big Cardinal fans here and enjoyed the heck out of the game last night, though Mo slept through the whole game and Kristin fought off the Sandman throughout the fourth quarter. My only complaint is with the media trying to push this National Championship hope down our and the player's throats. Both the national and local reporters kept prodding the players about their chances to take all the marbles, and the players, God love them, kept saying their focus is on their next game against Rutgers. They still have a rough season ahead of them and they cannot spend any time getting lazy, over confident or cock-sure. They need to stay the course (grin.)

Anyway, back to Maureen. She is still awesome and we've decided to keep her. I believe our warranty is up anyway. We are looking forward to another weekend together. We are going to be focused and get something accomplished in the house - perhaps a new bed and some blinds for the house. We'll see how it goes.

Rainy Halloween.

We ordered pizza last night thinking we would be too busy tending to the multitude of trick-or-treaters we would encounter at our new home. Instead we got rain and 4 kiddos, plus two college students collecting canned food for a charity. I picked up the pea pod costume from brother John earlier in the day, but we wound up not using it because of the weather. We also had some other costume options - pumpkin wear from good friend Julie M. and a cowgirl outfit from Aunt Kathy and cousin Abbey - all cute and appreciated, yet unused. After a while we loaded the Mo-nster up and went to Grampa Joe's for a quick visit. It was a fairly uneventful first Halloween, though Mojo Filter won't remember. We did get a cool little outfit from our good friend Watt-sy. Here are some photos from Halloween, and from the past weekend. Enjoy.

Pass the butt paste.

One of my favorite products we've discovered while tending to Mojo is Boudreaux's Butt Paste. Not because it's a miracle product and our lives have been greatly changed because of it; its the fact that, at a given moment, I can say, "Honey, where's the butt paste?" I can also call people Butt Paste as a nickname. It's fun. Try it!

We've also discovered a great children's CD, They Might be Giants' Here come the ABCs. Though it may be a bit old for Moj, I've really enjoyed the heck out of songs like Who put the Alphabet in Alphabetical Order, and the Alphabet of Nations. They go places Sesame Street never went. Its kinda cool hearing this music from a band that I liked during my High School and College years.

Tonight is Halloween - I have to pick up a pea pod costume from cousin Claire Bear before the end of the day. I hope to post photos tomorrow.

Big weekend.

This weekend, Pat, Kristy and APD came to town and met Mo for the first time. These folks are Kristin's brother and family. Saturday we loaded all the kiddos and took them to JC Penney's for a photo session - all the grand kids with their grandparents - APD, Mojo and the monkeys. We had a reservation for 12:20, but were told when we got there it would be another fifteen minutes. I'm not sure they give these people clocks because I could have sworn the fifteen minutes took an hour and change. The waiting room was a vortex of germs - I guess my OCD is getting the best of me with this germ thing - she's eventually going to get sick. I may as well suck it up and let go a bit.

Anyway, I ran into my brother Joe in the JCP bathroom, he came over and stood with us in the girls clothing department outside the photo studio as we awaited the photo session. It went without a problem and once that was over, we took a stroll down to the food court for some Chik-fillet. It was a mad-house. Mo was ok with it, but it made me antsy to get out of there.

The rest of the weekend was visiting with Kristin's family. Dinner at the in-laws, brunch at our house on Sunday morning, a quick stroll to the middle school field down the road for some Frisbee. We broke up the day with an awkward neighborhood gathering on our street then back to the in-laws. Mo did a ton of smiling and cooing for the grandparents. All in all, it was a nice but tiring weekend. I'll try to write a more exciting entry next time. I promise.

Oh yeah, this is a special message for Betty - click on the word comments below. Type in your comment and make sure you select anonymous before hitting the post button. This should allow you to post comments to the blog. You can sign your name with your message. E-mail me if you have any questions.

Up to date photo.

Photo taken at 6:49 a.m. after 2 oz of Similac, one diaper already changed (1&2). The O'Jays For the Love of Money playing in the background; temperature is 52 degrees with light rain (according the our Local on the Eight.) Kristin is asleep. I have one cup of coffee in me - I am out of espresso, so a half pot of Italian blend will have to do. Thank Allah it's Friday (TAIF?) Sorry about the little political plug in the last entry - I don't want to drive away the two people still reading this blog. I'll work on keeping religious comments out too.
Have a good day everybody.

Observation of the day: the word Blog always comes up as incorrect when spell checking on blogger.com.

A good morning.

We had a good morning. Mo was alert and we were communicating by sticking our tongues out at each other. She smiled more than she ever has. I think she likes me. We also had a big talk about the evils of the Bush administration and how America was duped into going to war in Iraq. I think she understood. She's going to grow to be a great democrat!

I believe Kristin is a bit anxious to get out of the house, but by the time I get home its dark and she doesn't feel like getting out anymore. I believe a trip to Target is in store (no pun intended) for tonight. There are plenty of things we still need to get done around our new house: we need to get and install blinds throughout the house, we need to paint more (at least two more rooms), and we need to get a bigger bed (for starters.) We have a challenge in getting a king sized bed up our narrow staircase, so we've been looking into a latex mattress - with no springs. Apparently you can fold it like a taco, and it doesn't loose its shape. The full bed just isn't cutting it anymore, and we need to have a bed in our guest room, off the baby's room.

We also need to get the house in order because Uncle Dolberry, APD and Kristy (we need a nickname for her) are coming in this weekend. They have not met MoJo yet - we are looking forward to showing her off.

Today I am off to to the race track for the day with the local cable company's advertising department. Its a nice chance to get away from work for the day (and its still considered work!!)

Guest blogger.

Standing for Tim this morning is our guest blogger, Jezebel the cat:

Meow. Mew, meow, yow. Meow.
(Translation: "Someone scatch behind my ear. I'm hungry. I think I'll take a nap...oooh, string!")

Is there a prollem ossifer?

Here's a photo of Maureen after tying one on this weekend. Lesson number one, Long Island Ice Teas may taste really good, but you probably shouldn't drink ten in one night. Boy, was she hurting in the morning.

Autumnal walk.

Mall rat.

Last night was our first trip to the mall; we met Kathy, Scott and the monkeys at California Pizza Company for dinner. They do not allow strollers in the main portion of the restaurant, so we had to park it in their stroller "parking lot". I proudly pushed our Fisher Price Rolls Royce up next to the other Pacers, Dusters, and Novas already there. We are so cutting edge its not even funny. I guarantee all those east end soccer moms left the restaurant and headed to Baby's R Us right away to upgrade their crappy Evenflows. We are the Joneses.

Maureen was a champ through this new experience, in other words, she slept right through it. Kristin surprised the heck out of me as we went to Sears after dinner and we purchased a new 10" miter saw with a laser guide as a belated birthday present. With this new power tool in my hands, nothing will stop me now, except for a severed finger or two.

Last night brought a stressful mess we wont go into right now. It just amazes me what a little baby can produce to thoroughly disgust a grown man. We made it through just fine though.

Latest poop.

Just kidding with the title of this segment. I won't go into that again, for now. No big news to tell right now. Grandma Karen and Grandpa Paul got to visit an alert Maureen yesterday afternoon. I believe this is their first visit where Mo didn't fall asleep. Grandma seemed particularly pleased with the interaction. They brought over some really good smoked pork that Paul made in his new smoker. I'm looking forward to borrowing that bad boy.

Our routine seems to be that I get to take Mo downstairs in the early morning hours before work while Kristin sleeps and/or showers. I like this time together because Mo seems awake and pleasant - she's a morning person like her parents. We usually turn on the Singers and Standards music station on digital cable - Frank Sinatra, Keely Smith, Mel Torme, Dinah Shore and the likes. It seems to calm the both of us down before we start our days.

And speaking of music, MoJo seemed inconsolable last night, so we turned on her new favorite song, Upside Down (Curious George song) by Jack Johnson. She hushed right up, and even smiled as she and her daddy (I) did our monkey dance. The monkey dance is a keeper, I may even try it when her date comes to pick her up for prom in 2024 (groan.) This is not to be confused with the Gorilla Stomp -that's a different dance all together! I'm saving that for the really big tantrum.

The splat heard around the world.

I don't want potty stories to dominate this blog, but I have to tell you that Mo successfully shat on her father twice now. Not only did she do the deed on me last night, but she also hit the wall behind us, nearly four feet away. I have the mixed feeling of disgust and pride! Funny that she hasn't done this to Kristin.

Sans cord.

Today was a landmark day - a two week birthday, the umbilical cord fell off, and Mo and Kristin took their first walk down the street in the stroller. Here are those pics I promised.

Cottage cheese and mustard.

We went to the doctors today and Maureen's weight is on the plus side again. She lost close to one and a half pounds off her birth weight, but is making her way back up. It's been hard judging just how much she has been eating, how much she should be eating, and how much food Kristin is producing. Mo grew a 1/2 inch since the last appointment, her head size has grown, and she is exhibiting all the normal behaviors the doctor listed. The poop is the right color and quantity too. You didn't think I could make it through this blog without mentioning poop, did you? I will try to shoot and post an updated photo tomorrow (of MoJo, not of her poop.) For now, it's back to work.

Two thumbs up.

My daughter is a thumbsucker; we could tell by day one (almost two weeks ago.) We knew Mo had an oral fixation out of the womb, but her brain had a tough time telling her hand, "a little to the left; extend the thumb; now, slowly bring it back." Early result might bring a brushing fist to the mouth, a gouged eyeball, or a scratch down the side of her chubby, little cheek. She would get frustrated and let out a yowl. She still doesn't have it totally down pat - latest efforts involve her whole hand covering her face like Michael Jackson emerging from a courtroom. But for now we happily welcome the thumb-suck; she is learning to console herself. Plus, it's freakin' adorable. It may not be so adorable when she's preparing for her driver's permit test at 16, but we'll bridge that cross when we come to it.

11 days old.

Maureen is 11 days old today and doing well. She is still sleeping quite a bit. We've noticed she's not gaining the weight we expected, so we took a trip to the pediatrician office yesterday to see for sure. She has dropped a few ounces, but nothing to worry about. We are supplementing some formula after her regular feedings to see if that helps, and have upped our next doctor visit to better monitor this minor concern.

Otherwise, we are still doing well and are madly in love with our daughter. We've had a steady stream of visitors this week, including Aunt Chrissy, who missed the birth due to a company meeting out in Cali. Aunt Chrissy and Grandpa Joe were a big help yesterday as they sat with our sleeping beauty while Kristin and I took a much needed nap - together. I think that two-hour nap was the longest time spent together asleep since the birth. It was very refreshing! Grandpa Paul and Granny Karen have also been steady visitors, as well as Aunt Kathy, Aunt Erin, Aunt Mickey, Uncle John, Uncle Joby, Uncle Scott and Cousins Abbey, Gus and Claire.

We are trying out all combinations of nicknames right now, including Mo, MoJo, Moj. My favorite right now is Mojohowitz - a nod to the Barney Miller show. We do not encourage any form of the reen portion of her name (definitely not Reenie!) Mo seems to be the most universally used name so far - we live in a society of convenience! We've already encountered the worst imitations of Curly Howard: Hey Mo, Nyuck, Nyuck, Nyuck!

We just unwrapped a present we received some time ago from our friend Melinda - a Wiggles DVD featuring Steve Irwin, crocodile Hunter and his family - Crikey! Steve seems to be having a lot fun with this sexually ambiguous quartet; little does he know the fate that awaits him. All I want to know is if the Wiggles got their uniforms from the original Star Trek series? I know Mo has no interest in this DVD, but we want to get used to such programming now so we are better prepared (Kristin knows the truth is that I really like the Wiggles. They are quite musical!)

Our cat, Jezebel, is moping around the house now; it's hard being demoted to #2. On the day we brought Mo home, we noticed a small flea problem and immediately whisked Jezebel to the "spa" for four days until she was flea-free. Now that she's back, and notices someone else in her place, she's become very sullen, though very curious about Mo. She seems particularly distressed when Mo cries - it looks like she wants to help, but doesn't quite know how.

This birth has definitely changed all of our lives - it will be a matter of time before we are all used to the new routines.

New gift from my boss.

I lied.

Since I'm up, I thought I'd write another entry and maybe see how long we can keep this thing going. This blog will change from a somewhat self-absorbed information source to a selfish rant about how wonderful our child is. If I were you, this would be the point where I'd stop reading.

Let me start the gushy ball rolling by saying that helping create Mo is my best accomplishment to date. How's that for total new-father babble? I am turning into something I used to detest - but she really is the best baby ever. Here cheeks are chipmunk-chubby, she has a distinct swirl at the start of her hairline, and, for a week-old, she has more expressions than Hugo, the Man of a Thousand Faces (how many of you picked up on that Reference?)

Yesterday was my first day back to the office and it was very tough to get my mind wrapped around getting work done. I had to keep checking e-mailed congratulations, seeing how many "she's adorable"s we collected. When they started to slow, I sent off more e-mails announcing her birth so more people would realize just how wonderful she is. Of course I had to print off some photos of her best poses, and then check the hospital baby site to see how many people commented on her excellence. It was hard to be away from her and from Kristin.

I felt bad that I had to leave Kristin all alone with Mo. I guess we need the salary. The last two nights were still rough, Mo is a night owl; Kristin and I are not. Kristin has been facing the brunt of the long nights because I have to go to work, but I've done a lot of early morning rocking too. Either Mo will get used to our routine, or we will for hers. Each time I look down at her innocent little face, it more than makes up for the loss of sleep.

Well it's way past morning shower time - I'm trying to hold Mo for as long as possible to give Kristin a chance to sleep as long as possible before I have to leave for work.

Now What?

We brought our new little bundle home on Saturday. I'm attaching her photo from the hospital here. According to our pediatrician, she is an exceptional baby - Maureen smiled for him and he said babies usually don't smile for a couple of weeks. Maureen lost 14 ounces off her birth weight, but she has plateaued on the losing and working her way back to her fighting weight. Right now she prefers to sleep through the day, and cry through the night - but she is so sweet it is not an inconvenience (yet.)

This will be the last entry of the blog. We just want to take this time to thank everyone who have helped us with well wishes, happy thoughts and prayers through the marvelous experience. We welcome visitors - Maureen is anxious to meet you.

Introducing Maureen Josephine - "Mojo"

Born October 4, 2006; 10:12 a.m.
8 pounds, 14 ounces
19.5 inches

How'd she do that?

The scene is set.

Mark your calendars, we will have a planned c-section on Wednesday at 9:30 am. The ultrasound, though fuzzy, yielded some important information:

1. She is definitely a she. I would post the ultrasound photo of this, but there are certain laws that forbid me to do so.

2. She's a whopper. The ultrasound estimated 9 pounds, eight ounces. Though these are rough estimates, the doctor did say she is definitely 9 pounds or over.

The ultrasound detected additional liquid, but the doctor was not concerned. She had a huge belly that filled the screen - she's definitely mine!! We will be at the hospital at 7:30 am - 2 hours ahead of time, like taking an international flight. So that knocks one middle name out of contention (sorry Carrie).

Please note, many people are getting confused on the comments procedure. You have to click on the word Comments to leave one. There is also an e-mail option (the envelope) - the e-mails will not be posted on the blog. Thanks!

Chili and Ice Cream.

I made a big pot of chili in the hopes of gassing the baby out. The inlaws, Paul & Karen, and Scott, Kathy and the monkeys came over for dinner - we even served a special treat with the chili - braunschwieger and crackers. The gassing didn't work so we took a walk up to Graeter's, we hear walking helps. Still no action, but if you get a chance, try the pumpkin ice cream, it's seasonal so you have to go soon. Anyway, tomorrow is the ultrasound - we should have a better idea of what to expect. For now, good night.