Merry Christmas

Whether you have been naughty 

Or nice,

We hope you have a Merry Christmas.

Ear Tubes part deux

When the pediatrician first told us Sophie would need tubes put in her ears, we were not overly concerned. This was a procedure I had heard parents mention before. Over the next week or so, I found out just how common it is. Almost every parent I spoke with that has a child under the age of 10 has had this done. The discharge papers from birth should include a coupon or something.
We were fine with the idea of tubes. What worried us a bit was that Sophie is a bit younger than the average child that has this done. Christie and Sophie went to see the surgeon, Dr. Shirley, about a month ago and he made a follow up appointment for last Thursday, December 2nd, when the actual procedure would be scheduled. I was at school when Christie called and said, "They want to do it as soon as possible, like next Friday."
One thing that always raises my pucker factor is when a doctor tells me they want to get something done as soon as possible.
When I got home from school last Thursday, Christie said the surgeon told her that he had really thought long and hard about whether or not he should go ahead and put Sophie's tubes in now or wait a few months. She is not the youngest baby to have tubes put in, but she's under the curve by a good bit. We knew there was a great deal of fluid in both ears, and while it had not gotten infected yet, that first ear infection would only be a matter of time.
So all went well yesterday.
Sophie slept a bit more than normal, but ate just fine and smiled almost nonstop.
At some point yesterday afternoon, Christie said something about Sophie seeming happier and I agreed. Maybe her head felt better without all of that fluid in it. Who knows.
What I do know is I was a lot more nervous about the entire episode than I realized during any of the doctor visits or yesterday's trip to the hospital. Here was my best chance in life to channel the recently departed Leslie Nielsen's role of Dr. Romack from Airplane, and I didn't do it.
It isn't even so much that I did not work some pun into a conversation with the surgeon, or his resident, or one of the nurses, or even Christie or her parents.
No, the real sign that I was a lot more worried than I thought was that I didn't even think about making such a comment.

Tubes are in and all went well! Will write more from the house later.

We are at the hospital for the seemingly omnipresent ear tube procedure, yet we are still a bit freaked out. Sophie was strong as she was taken back to the OR. Of course that could be because I told her the nice lady was going to feed her.

It has been a busy few weeks

We were out of school for five days at Thanksgiving and I thought I would be able to get a few things up on the blog during that time, but 'twas not to be. Then I thought I could get something cranked out earlier this week, but again, the stars did not line up.
The short version of the story is as follows: local friend we were going to spend the holiday with got hit by a car while riding a few days before Thanksgiving and was released from the hospital yesterday, 30 hour trip from B'ham to Live Oak and back on Thanksgiving/Black Friday to pick up a new car, Roger and MaryAnn came through town to see Sophie, work, Sophie's third cold, and a there was also a good morning of fishing out at Ralph's lake.


Napping after a big feed in Live Oak



Sophie has developed this "praying hands" habit over the last week.



I think this may be my favorite picture- ever.



Here are some pictures from the last week. They include Christie's Mom holding Sophie, Roger doing the same, and Sophie doing a little self managing of the pacifier.

Away from home

This is my last trip of the school year. Seven students and I left Birmingham Friday evening for a Model UN conference in Chattanooga. The trip itself has been fine. The boys have behaved. The conference has been well organized and downtown Chattanooga is really nice. Southern cities that can only seem to talk about or plan how to revitalize their own downtown areas should come here for a visit. They have it figured out around here.
Back to the Sophster.
This trip has been much harder than the five days in October when I was backpacking with the students. I think part of that is I am not cut off from technology on this trip and have had regular updates regarding Sophie's exploits and sundry developmental milestones. Tangential to those frequent updates is that there are things to actually update. She is nine weeks old, as opposed to three weeks old on my first trip, and there is a bit more to the routine than sleep, change diaper, eat, repeat.
I'm really missing some stuff.
Sophie is smiling and laughing a lot more these days and while I have heard a sleeping laugh or two, apparently this weekend she decided to do so while conscious. Several of these were while visiting with tea Lola on Sunday. Cameron and Addison got their share of smiles and laughs as well.
Then there was the first display of a temper. Christie has been putting Sophie in a play chair for a few weeks now and has regaled me with tales of Sophie's very deliberate playing. To me, it looked more like a turtle on its back trying to flip itself over.
While on the phone this weekend, Christie began another tale of Sophie's deliberate playing while in the chair. I was half listening until I was told she had been heard laughing and cooing several different times. When Christie went to take her out of the chair for a diaper change, Sophie loudly voiced her displeasure.
I have had to rethink my turtle thesis and can't wait to get home tonight so I can do several hours of research. As a matter of fact, I will be able to do several months of research because I'm not leaving them again. I just miss too much and miss both of them too much.

You play to your strengths

A few weeks back I wrote a blog entry about how much I enjoy having Sophie sleep on my stomach. She must enjoy it as well because it has become an almost daily occurrence around the Parke household. Christie taking pictures of Sophie and me passed out on the couch has become just about as common. I submit to you the following photograph.
There are some other photographs out there and they are all pretty similar to this one. Christie thought this one was so photo worthy because Sophie is hugging me in her sleep.

While we all three of us like this napping arrangement, there are a few drawbacks to it. Christie is worried about Sophie not sleeping well when I'm not around. I am going to Chattanooga this weekend and there is some genuine concern at the house that Sophie may not sleep as well the three nights I am gone. The girls have been practicing during the day while I am at school and Christie thinks she has found a position where Sophie can veg out on her tummy as well as Daddy's. We will see about that.

There is also the effect it has on me. I really enjoy laying on the couch in the evenings and catching some hockey or Mythbusters or Top Gear on the tellie while enjoying a nice adult beverage. All of that has just gone out the window since Sophie has been napping on me. It puts me to sleep just about as quickly as Sophie. We lay there for a few hours, both of us snoring and my half drunk beer getting warm. When it is finally bed time for everyone, Christie has to spend ten minutes or so getting me awake enough to get me to bed. I'm sure it's like having two kids for her each night.

And we never know how Sophie is going to respond to being moved off Mt. Daddy. Most times the extraction goes well, but there have been a few times where it got ugly fast. Last Saturday afternoon Sophie was in the middle of a good nap when Christie picked her up, at my request I might add. Sophie was, shall we say, less than pleased. I, being from a two-child home, sat there quietly and let Christie take the heat for Sophie being moved. I may have even added a comment like, "Mommy did it. Daddy was fine with you sleeping there all day." Yep, I'm an evil man.

Gizza is not happy about the arrangement at all. He was, and always is, up for some good cuddling on the couch and having Sophie passed out on top of me, don't forget that I am also passed out, leaves Mom some time to get some work done around the house. All of which leaves the dog to suffer alone. He works the extra treat angle to assuage Christie's guilt, which seems to be working out pretty well for him.

It's my version of the American dream.  There's my wife that I love more than life itself, my daughter who rivals my wife for a place in my heart, and the quintessential family dog. And there I lay on the couch, relishing every minute of it.

Grandparent alert

Christie's parents are due in town tomorrow for a few days. This will be the first they have seen Sophie and everyone is really looking forward to it. Sophie's parents are really looking forward to it/
Sophie is always on her best behavior for company, so we have been paying the "fussy baby" piper all weekend. I just hope she is getting all of it out of the way now and not saving half of the bill for after Lawrence and Lucille leave on Wednesday.

We've got smiles

Sophie was one of those easy newborns who pretty much ate, slept and pooped. She probably slept for upwards of 18 hours a day at the beginning. In a way it was nice, but at the same time, there was a gnawing at the back of my head, a desire if you will, for a little more interaction.
She has always had many facial expressions, but honestly, the first six weeks of those were more tied to gas than anything else. It didn't seem to matter who was holding her or whether she was awake or asleep. Invariably we would be told, or say it ourselves, "Oh look, she's making a face at me," which was inevitably followed by a rather loud episode of gas.
Christie and I got used to it.
This week, we went interactive.
I came home from work early this week to be told Sophie had smiled at Christie. I got all excited and tried to elicit a similar response. Sophie, much like Michigan J. Frog in the old Warner Bros. cartoon, only shared her abilities with an audience of one- and I didn't have a ticket.
This went on for a few days. It finally happened Friday night.
I was holding her and pointing out her nose, eyes, ears and mouth to her when she finally deigned to smile for me. She broke into a big toothless grin that forced her little eyes to go shut and then continued to smile for a few more seconds after closing her mouth.
Now she smiles for us a lot. They are much more common than they used to be, but they are still very special events.
I'd love to show you a picture of her smiling, but she seems to know when I have the camera ready and just lies there all stone faced. It's Michigan J Frog all over again, but this time it's okay. There was a ticket for me at will call.

Nothing like it under the sun

Sophie has her first cold. It does not seem to be a very bad one, but it is her first one and she wasn't quite six weeks old when she got it. Last Saturday morning's doctor visit went well, but we were told to keep an eye on her slight temperature. The conventional wisdom these days is that a baby under eight weeks of age with a temp of 100.5 needs to be in the hospital. Sophie ran a slight temperature for a few days, but the bigger issue was the congestion that accompanied the cold.
Christie did the lion's share of taking care of her during the bad times during the week, which always seem to occur around midnight. I slept blissfully on and was able to leave the house each day to go to work.
I came home Thursday afternoon to an unhappy camper. Sophie wasn't doing so well either.
The baby hadn't slept and her head was all congested so she just did not have a good day. Christie had tried just about every trick in the book, but none of them worked very well.
Christie told me she thought Sophie would settle down if she could lay on my chest. So I threw myself on the sword and grabbed the remote control and got comfy on the couch. Within seconds on being laid on my chest, she went to sleep- and stayed that way for the next three hours. I'd like to think that I have some special something that makes my chest suitable for naps, but I think it's just basic topography. I make a nice level platform for napping.
I can not express in words how special those hours were. When I first put her on my chest, she was kind of tense and a little worked up, but within seconds I could feel her relax and her breathing get deeper and more regular as she slipped into sleep. Having my daughter sleep contentedly on my chest for most of the evening is unlike anything else I have experienced. I know there will be a day when she is too big to lay on my chest, but until that day arrives, I'm going to treasure the days when she can.

And then it's all better

Some days you just don't feel very competent when it comes to parenting.
You remove a wet diaper right before it should have become a dirty diaper which now necessitates changing the sheet on the changing table in addition to changing the diaper.
The bottle leaks everywhere or the nipple is screwed on so tightly that nothing can get through.
The snaps on the onesie just refuse to line up so you can get the baby dressed after she got poop on one outfit and then formula on another one.
And then it's all better because a friend passes along these pictures via email.

I may make some mistakes as a parent, but I will never be Keith Richards in a Brussels hotel room while on tour with the Stones in 1976.

And for that, I am truly thankful.

Getty Images has the shots of Keith at what many would consider rock bottom. They can be found here.

On food and poop

A close friend of ours told me that once Sophie arrived, we would never really look at food the same again. I thought she meant that we would be so busy that we wouldn't have time to eat.
I only wish that had been the case.
She was referring to the fact that everyone, and I mean everyone, talks about baby poop in food related terms.
Even the baby books do it. We have one that states following the meconium, bowel movements begin to resemble cottage cheese.
Technically, that's correct. For the first few days, Sophie's diapers were full of a substance so black and sticky, I was pretty sure I could have used it to repair a leak in a small boat.
The cottage cheese era soon arrived. The color was off a bit, but the description fit well enough I really can't walk down the dairy aisle in the grocery store anymore. If Breakstone's still advertised on tv, I'd probably have the cable service cancelled.
After I returned to school when Sophie was two weeks old, Christie called me a bit frantic. Apparently, Sophie had a diaper deposit that didn't just seem right. Most of it was normal, there was just a little something extra. Thankfully, I didn't ask for a description.
Unfortunately, the pediatrician asked for just that at her two week check up the next day.
"You know that veiny thing you remove from a shrimp," my wife replied. "Well, it looked just like that but was the color of asparagus."
Scratch the produce and seafood sections off the grocery list.
The pediatrician asked if any subsequent bowel movements had any abnormalities.
"Nope, the next one was fine, kept right on coming out- just like hummus in a self serve ice cream machine."
I'm not complaining though. There are a few things I can still eat and not visualize the contents of the last diaper I tossed.
I'm living off red meat and beer and liking it. My arteries may complain in a year or two, but by then I'll probably be able to go back to a normal diet. I'm sure I'll be giving up Baby Ruths in the future, but that's okay. I was never a big fan of those anyway.

The ideal gift

If I could, I'd spend a lot of money through the Orvis website. As it is, I just spend a lot of time on the Orvis website. I can afford that.
So while doing some digital window shopping earlier today, I found this Sophie's Dream Gift and have ordered one. It should arrive by the end of next week.
I can't help but think that it is the perfect first Christmas gift. Granted, the copy claims this is for ages 13 and up, but I must admit, my daughter is pretty advanced, and I think I should get her into tying while she's young.
This is the way I look at it.
During her first three to six years, her eyes are as good as they are going to be in her entire lifetime and with her small, dexterous hands, I'm sure she will be able to churn out size 24 midges by the hundred. No, I am not interested in pursuing this for economic gain, though I can probably be persuaded to part with a few dozen of Sophie's creations for $20 plus the cost of shipping and incidentals.
My main motivation is much more pure than mere profit. This is being done for the love of piscatorial matters and the desire to share one of my passions with my daughter. Sophie may end up like her mother and banished to the bobber bin while accompanying me to the fishing shop, but that's okay. It'll still be fishing related and she'll hopefully remember those times with a smile after she grows up and might even tell her husband about them one day. She may even be willing to take her children to the local bluegill pond or maybe just sit them down in the bobber bin aisle to play for a few minutes once in a while. While they are admiring the various sizes and colors of the corks she can tell them about their crazy grandpa and the first Christmas gift he bought for her.

Start 'em young

I fully realize that Sophie will develop her own interests and hobbies as she grows up, but I can't help but hope that she will develop a taste for a few of my favorite hobbies: cycling and fly fishing. In that vein, I fashioned this mobile over the weekend.
Sophie may not ask for a pair of waders for her seventh birthday, but it won't be for a lack of trying on my part.

Sophie's Lullaby

It was just for four nights. How bad could it be?
As it turns out, pretty damned bad.
I went backpacking with a group of students from school this week and was could not believe how much I missed my family. The trip itself was great, but those experiences were tempered by not being with Christie and Sophie. Not only was I not with them, I couldn't even talk to them since the Pisgah National Forest has less than spectacular cell service. One night we camped near some buildings with electricity and flush toilets and other aspects of a civilized society so I hedged my bets there would be a pay phone and hiked out to try and get in touch with the family. There was a phone, but it wasn't functional and lacking any cash, I also didn't get a nice cold carbonated beverage out of the vending machines.
I finally got home yesterday afternoon and it seemed like I was coming home to an entirely new baby and I didn't know squat about her routine. She was eating more, at different times and had a different sleeping pattern. I had felt confident as a new father when I left Monday morning, but felt completely inept last night. Christie kept having to pinch hit on just about every aspect of parenting Sophie with the exception of changing diapers. I still knew how to do that, but even in that area there had been some change. I left her wearing newborn sized diapers with the occasional size one way too big when we tried them out to see how they fit. I returned to find the size ones fitting just fine.
Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
Then I discovered Sophie's lullaby. I was holding her this morning and she started crying. Rocking her didn't seem to help much and she had just been fed and changed. So I starting singing "Wish You Were Here" to her. She calmed down and went to sleep by the time I finished the first verse. It was a magical moment for me.
I don't have much of a singer's voice- some would say I am without any musical ability. I would agree with them. I am completely tone deaf and have a range of about three notes.
But there is something about that Pink Floyd song that strikes a chord with me and my little girl. I certainly can tell Heaven from Hell, I was holding the former in my arms.

Big days ahead

We would like to share the news that all of the potential adoption deadlines have passed and Sophie is now our little girl!
There are still some legal hearings to finalize the adoption and she has two or three different names depending on who you ask, but she is our daughter.
The second date we had to get through was 14 days after the papers were signed in the hospital. We were much more concerned about the initial five day period, and to be honest, we did not fret the second date at all. Christie actually pointed it out to me a day after it had passed.
Sophie of course did not seemed worried at all. She just kept on being precious.
I finally know what everyone meant when they would tell me, "You'll see when you have one," because I would always point out the loud, smelly and time consuming toddler close by- whom I was often related to. I have to admit, everyone was right. The crying isn't as shrill, the hours not as long, nor the diapers as stinky as I would have thought they would be.
While the diapers are not smelly, I must admit that I am amazed that so much poop can be held in such a little body. It truly defies some pretty fundamental laws of physics. While I know she is not discharging more than her body weight, I may have to conduct some experiments on the mass of her daily intake vs the mass of her daily output. I can't figure out how she has any calories left for gaining weight.
I'll be out of town next week taking a few dozen students backpacking in the Pisgah Natl. Forest. I always miss Christie and Gizza when I go on these trips, but this year will be different. I really don't want to leave thiws year. And apparently, babies change so fast when they are this age, I may not recognize Sophie when I get home Friday. While I doubt that will be the case, I'm not supposed to act too surprised if she drives up to school to pick me up.

It's been a busy week

This week has been non-stop. I came back to work on Monday and Christie and Sophie have been great about helping ensure I get enough rest each night. I'm coming to school pretty rested but I'm pretty cooked by the time I get home. Seeing the girls each evening helps perk me up again. Picking up Sophie has certainly replaced my afternoon espresso habit.
We also had our two week check up yesterday. Sophie has not gotten any longer, but now weighs four ounces more than she did at birth which puts her at nine pounds, six ounces. She has almost started to outgrow some of her clothes! She really seems to like some side snap t-shirts we found, but has gotten so big, especially right after eating, that they have become bare midriff tops that would never meet the dress code at school. What's a father/former dean of students to do?
After yesterday afternoon, clothes should not be an issue. Just about the entire 9th grade at school threw a surprise baby shower for Sophie. It was right after school and I was completely surprised by it. It was very sweet and meant a lot to Christie and me that our students and their families wanted to do something to share in Sophie's arrival. Altamont has always been a very familial school and events such as this just really show how special it is.
I would also like to name our Best Support Restaurant in the Lives of Parents of a Newborn. There were some great nominees in this category, many of which are places we have frequented for years. The clear winner is a relative newcomer to Birmingham and is the Sitar Birmingham. This Indian restaurant at the corner of University and 20th near UAB has just been wonderful to us. Once the owners realized someone with the very Anlgo name of "Carl" would not only like, but relish the spiciest item on the menu, they have gone out of their way to help keep us nourished over the last few weeks. If you're feeling brave, give them a call and tell them you want the chicken vindaloo the way Carl likes it. They'll know what you mean. Just remember to sop up the sauce with your naan.

I know pride goeth before a fall, but

I pulled off a major coup this morning and I'm pretty damn excited about it.
My Sophie shift began at 4:30 and I was pleasantly surprised to find that she had decided to sleep in. This allowed me to read the paper and take Gizza for his morning walk without trying to juggle her diaper change and feeding with the dog's walk. I hustled him out of there and hoped we would find the house just as peacefully asleep upon our return. The Sandman smiled on us as we returned home to find Sophie and her mom still sacked out. Apparently Sophie had a big meal at 2:40, so I decided there was the possibility that I could quietly get dressed and out the door before she woke up around 5:45 or so for her morning nosh.
So I church moused my way into the shower and emerged clean to find two girls and one dog all passed out in their respective beds. I got dressed and was giving everyone goodbye kisses when Sophie began to stir. She has this waking up ritual where she stretches for about a minute as she gains consciousness and then opens up her eyes to see which member of her adoring public is there to greet her.
It was me, all dressed for school in a nice light colored shirt and tie- both of which would show poop or formula really well. I thought about ditching the shirt and tie for the diaper change and feed ahead, but figured- he who dares wins- and scooped her up before she started crying. The last thing I wanted her to do was to wake Christie who has been doing the lion's share of night duty since I have returned to work.
First item on the agenda, diaper change. Having never changed a diaper before Sophie was born, I have gotten the hang of it and felt this part of the morning would likely go well. It did. I managed to keep my cuffs and Sophie's feet out of the poop.
Next was the feeding, which I didn't feel as confident about. She's a good little eater, but you never know what might happen while burping a two week old. About twenty minutes later, she had three ounces of formula down and I held her as she nodded off hoping all three ounces of formula would stay down. She dozed off and on for a few minutes and then seemed pretty content and asleep so I put her back to bed. Kisses for everyone and I was out the door.
I know I have jinxed myself for ever and always with regard to both poop and spit up, but that's okay. I pulled it off this morning on the first try.

Demoted again

It is no secret to those that know my family that my Mother is pretty sure I can do no wrong. Just ask her, she'll tell you. Actually, ask my sister Kelly. She is the one who has spent her entire life in my walking on water capable shadow.
I used to actually try and dissuade my Mom from these sentiments, but she would not hear of such heresy, even from the Anointed One. After a while, I just gave up trying to prove to her that I was not perfect. In all honesty, divinity is not a bad gig if you can get it and in my case, it is pretty harmless. I tend to get my grapes peeled and my olives pitted whenever I go home, but I know that such treatment does not extend beyond my mother's door, so I behave myself elsewhere. That wasn't always the case. I could tell you stories, but I'm not sure what the statue of limitations are on second degree felonies in a few Southern states, so I shall just leave that to your imagination.
My Mom and her sister Margaret came to see Sophie while we were still in Opelika. They did not stay for very long because they did not want to intrude on Sophie's birth family and us as we moved through that phase of the adoption. Those few brief minutes were pretty pivotal though. I thought I picked up on it, but wasn't certain so didn't say anything to anyone. The next day, Sophie's birth grandmother looked at me and broached the topic. "I don't mean to burst your bubble, but you've been demoted." Christie and I agreed with her. Mom had proclaimed that Sophie was perfect, and by implication, I no longer was.
Sophie's status as the Newly Anointed One is interesting. She isn't the first grand child. My sister has three boys and they are great kids. Part of it is because Sophie is the first grand daughter. And I think the fact that she is adopted plays a part in it since Kelly and I are both adopted as well. Then there is the inheritance factor- the child of the Anointed One shall be the next Anointed One.
And then on Friday, Lola came to see Sophie.
For those of you without a program, Lola is the Mother of Christie's best friend from high school. She is from Spain, but has lived in Birmingham since the 50s and one of a kind. She loves Christie like she was her own child and still refers to her as "my blond daughter". At the same time, she is a fairly harsh critic and not the person to ask, "Does this new haircut look good?" or "Do I look fat in this?" because she is likely going to tell you "No," and "Yes," respectively. I met her while Christie and I were dating and we were a bit apprehensive about it. Lola had verbally dissected some former boyfriends of Christie's, and well, everyone was pretty certain she would do the same with me. That was not the case. We hit it off wonderfully. I had been anointed again.
So back to Friday. Lola was smitten with Sophie and declared at one point, "This is the most beautiful baby in the world". Nothing more could be said on the subject. It had been uttered. It had been done. Sophie had been anointed again.
I had been demoted twice in two weeks by two of the most important women in my life, but I'm fine with it. One of the other most important women in my life was the one who pushed me aside.

A new activity

Sophie spent some time this afternoon in a play center a friend gave us. I'd credit whoever it was, but we've had so many kind friends pass along so many toys, I'm not sure where this one came from. If it was yours, let me know, and I'll edit you in.

Since we already know she is going to be a future cyclist based on her appreciation for Vittoria tires, I was eager to see which college mascot she would find most interesting while in the play center. Christie joined Sophie on the floor to help supervise this very important step in any young academic's life- choosing which college to attend. After just a few minutes of deliberation, Sophie made her decision.

I'm pleased to announce Sophie will be matriculating at Louisville. If you look closely at the picture above, Sophie is taking a look at the Cardinal, Louisville's mascot. She did not show much interest in the Duck, Oregon's mascot. She showed absolutely no interest in the ladybug, which as far as I know, is not the mascot for any college or university. The University of Arkansas at Monticello has a boll weevil as a mascot, but they don't look like ladybugs, so we are good there.

Over the next few weeks, we think Sophie will spend more and more time in this play center. Gizza doesn't mind sharing it with her.

Sophie's big brother

Gizza has taken his responsibilities as Sophie's primary protector and overseer very seriously. As a matter of fact, he is probably the most exhausted member of the Parke household these days. While Christie and I take turns getting up in the middle of the night, Gizza feels it is his duty to get up with every feeding. Christie likes to think he feels a commitment to Sophie and that is why he is on duty 24/7. I feel he may have ulterior motives. I've gotten into the habit of standing Sophie's bottle up between the couch cushions while I burp her and he seems pretty interested in the "abandoned" bottle right there beside him on the couch. Half empty bottles on the coffee table are equally intriguing to him. I'm sure it is just a matter of time before he tries to abscond with one.

We are actually pretty happy with the way he is acting because he is doing much better with her here than he did before she arrived. For example, Gizza is a creature of habit and loved to eat his daily treats in the only carpeted room of the house, a little sun room that was converted into the nursery. The carpet came out and hardwood floors went in as part of this conversion and he was a little put out about losing his carpeted treat eating facility. Then new furniture started arriving and he became really possessive of both Christie and me. He used to enjoy laying beside us on the couch, but in the last few months before Sophie was born, he started laying on top of us, or at least laying his head in a lap. We weren't really sure how he would act once she got here, but we knew his previous family had children and he has been around some of our friends' babies, so we weren't concerned about it too much.

When she came home, he initially could not have cared less and barely noticed her, but there were some subtle differences in his behavior. He has always run to the backdoor and barked loudly to greet one of us who is returning home from some errand. He often picks up on the sound of me riding my bike up the driveway and comes to meet me at the backdoor, jumping and barking like there is no tomorrow. Once Sophie arrived, he still runs to the back door and jumps, but the barking stopped. He might offer one soft bark right as the door is opened, but for the most part, family members coming home has become a quiet affair.

When visitors arrive however, he makes sure they know that Sophie has a canine big brother who is on the clock. The day when she is old enough to start dropping Cheerios is rapidly approaching and he is not about to let anything get in the way of that glorious event.

Over a big hurdle

One of the biggest fears an adoptive parent faces is the very real possibility that the birth mother might change her mind and decide to keep the baby. In Alabama, a birth mother has five calendar days after she signs the adoption papers to change her mind- no questions asked. While Sophie was born last Monday, September 13th, our five day period ended last night at midnight. Since Sophie was delivered by c section and and her birth mother was on some pretty serious pain medications for a few days, the final adoption paperwork was completed on Thursday, the day everyone left the hospital.
As happy as we are about getting through yesterday, we are still not technically out of the woods. Today we start counting down nine days when the birth mother has the right to petition the court to halt the adoption process. I feel really good that since we got through the five day waiting period, the nine day one will go smoothly and hopefully with a bit less apprehension on our part.
We felt pretty good about the upcoming five days as we drove home last week because we had spent so much time getting to know Sophie's birth mother and we were pretty sure she would stand by her decision to give her up. As the hours and minutes ticked down though, our anxiety levels seemed to rise in an inverse exponential proportion to the amount of time left before the clock struck twelve.
As the hours wore on, Sophie was above it all. She kept herself busy eating, napping and just being cute. I think her placidness affected us some because I was able to fall asleep around ten last night and smiled as I woke to her cooing in the middle of the night. I wasn't sure what time it was, but I just knew in my gut that it was after midnight. And it was, 1:07 a.m.

Future endeavors?

My father-in-law, Lawrence Stranch, is a somewhat infamous optometrist and of whom is has often been said, "Doc Stranch is a legend in his own mind." In addition to these accolades, he can truthfully claim that he changed one, uno, yep- just one single solitary diaper while Christie was a baby. Yet, he was also a man ahead of his time with regard to some ways parents could stimulate their child's brain development. In the 60s, he was an advocate for breastfeeding when EVERYONE used bottles because Science was so much better than Nature. He also felt that a baby's crib should be positioned in the middle of the nursery so baby could see things in more than one direction, nursery in the round if you will. Then there are the rules about using contrasting, primary colors of red, black and red as much as possible around the nursery.
While I think there may be a little something to the contrasting color rule, I think Sophie's fascination with this t-shirt is more indicative of where her future recreational interests lie.

Even when she looks at her primary color shapes while on the changing table, she prefers the bicycle wheel shape to the square or triangle.

I don't know if a father has ever been as proud.



Notice the trend

Since we got home last Thursday, Sophie has had several visitors. It has been really nice to see our friends and coworkers want to celebrate and share in this precious time with us. We have been waiting so long for a baby and are such proud parents, it has been wonderful to begin the process of introducing her to those we know and love.

I've tried to get pictures of people as they have come by to say hello, but didn't get everyone. I was looking through the shots I have this morning and noticed a few themes. See if you can pick up on them with me.

Look at the pictures first and then back up at the themes. I haven't mastered blogger's layout yet and can not get the text to drop beneath the pictures.

• One theme is a quiet, content baby.
• Another theme is the smiles on the adults' faces.
• The third theme is a bit harder to pick up on, but it is there. Look at the amount of ambient light in the room. Notice the sunlight coming through the windows in a few pictures.

Apparently, mid afternoon is prime visiting time. Sophie's pretty content most of the time anyway, but during the afternoon, she's really sacked out and ready to be held and loved. There really is no witching hour with this one, but between noon and three have been peak times for her aunts and uncles to drop in and meet her.

I don't want everyone to feel that visiting hours are restricted to the afternoon. In case anyone wants to come by in the middle of the night and do some feeding and holding, that'll be fine. Just let us know you are coming by and we'll leave the light on for you.

Bathing 101- if you can't wash 'em, team up on 'em

I've always heard that wet babies are about the slickest thing on the earth and that a new parent can never be too careful when it comes to bathing a little one. Therefore, the mere idea of bathing Sophie for the first time stressed Christie and me about as much as leaving the hospital had.

We decided to give Sophie her first sponge bath tonight about an hour after she had been fed. As one could expect from educated, first time parents in their early 40s, we hit the books- all of them, as well as pulled out a page of notes from the new parents class we took at a local hospital. Thankfully all of our resources agreed on a few basics. They were: 1) bathing was not only good, but necessary, 2) no immersion bathing until the umbilical cord fell off and 3) gather between 35 and 50 items(this is where the sources tended to diverge) and proceed with the 15-20 steps of the bath.

One book even stressed that we should not stop mid bath to do something like answer the phone and should just let the machine pick it up. I'd love to meet the parent who could extricate themselves from all of the plumbing, towels, bowls, jars, combs, extra diapers, extra clothes, as well as the baby to pick up the phone before the machine got to it anyway. The only person I can think of that could pull it off Dr. Octopus, and he's a fictional evil genius who could probably afford a nanny, so he wouldn't be doing it anyway.

So once we gathered our 75 items, we decided the best approach to getting Sophie safely bathed was to tag team her. It only seemed fair. In one corner was Sophie, weighing a whopping nine pounds with five days of life experience. In the other corner, two adults who outweighed her, as well as had a bit more experience in life.

In the end, we prevailed, but I must admit, it was a pretty fair fight.

She was very calm for the whole thing and didn't thrash around or scream and wasn't even all that slick when she was wet.

We were just terrified we would do something that would hurt her. The water was too hot, then it was too cold. It wasn't soapy enough and then it was too soapy. We kept mixing up the soap rags and the rinse rags and before it was all over, we went through about 85 items instead of the suggested 35-50, but in the end, she got her first bath. And everyone lived through it.

The whole process pretty much wore her out. This was her about 15 minutes after her bath was finished. Don't feel sorry for her though, you should the see those other two she tangled with.

A bit of an update for everyone.

Sophie was delivered by c section at 10:10 p.m. Monday night. Her birth mother went into labor around 7:00 that morning and did a stellar job, but Sophie seemed pretty content to stick around until her lease expired on the 16th and the doctor decided it was best to go with the c section around 9:00.

Sophie came through it all well, but was still a little nappish after being delivered so she went to the medium level nursery for about 20 minutes to be sure her pulse ox and temperature were good.

Her birth mother did a great job with the entire process. She was a very brave young lady throughout the entire labor and delivery. Christie and I were very proud of both of them.

Sophie weighed nine pounds and two ounces at birth and measured 21.5 inches in length.

While I know just about every new father thinks he has the most beautiful baby the world has ever seen, the difference is I KNOW Sophie is the most beautiful baby the world has ever seen.

The next few days in the hospital went well. We got to spend a lot of time with Sophie and had a wonderful opportunity to say anon to her birth mother, grandmother, and great grand parents. They are some very special people who have given us a very special gift and Sophie will always know how much they mean to us.

Mom and Margaret came by for a few minutes and everyone there who saw it is pretty sure that Mom has now decided that the sun rises and sets on someone other than me. I happen to agree with her about it.

We left for home around 3:30 yesterday afternoon and she did a great job on the two plus hour drive home. A diaper changed was required and we never noticed how desolate it is north of Opelika, but the shady side of a liquor store served our purposes well.

We all got some sleep last night and her first doctor's appointment went well this morning. She's napping right now and is still just about perfect.

I hope you all enjoy keeping up with the blog. It's as much for her down the road as it is for all of us right now.

Carl

4:24 CDT
We have reached seven centimeters.

2:00 CDT
We have reached the big rollers that indicate we are getting closer to the summit finish. Epidural process underway.

1 10:34 CDT
The pace has steadied as everyone waits anxiously for the flurry that will soon develop. The doctors think we'll be fully into the thick of it by noon. Dilation is about halfway there. Sophie must not be too worried about everything. The doctor just told us she is taking a nap through everything.

9:17 CDT
Sophie is all wired up and I can see her pulse jump up upwards 150 bpm during a contraction and then drop back into the 120s where she can get some recovery.

8:50 CDT
Team support now heads for tennis balls to help with back pain.

7:17 CDT
The team support car(me) has been sent to get some videos to watch while everyone gets through the early rolling terrain.

7:14 CDT
The neutral start is over and we are on the way with some contractions already starting.

5:52 CDT
Everyone is at the hospital and back in the delivery room.

+ Hello all and welcome to Sophie's birth. It's a beautiful day in Auburn with no clouds, temps starting off in the 60s and expected to rise to the upper 80s, though thw eather should not be much of a factor since today's action will all be indoors.