At least there was a little ray of sunshine

My wife and I had a long talk a few minutes ago. Tension has been building up for a few days now and we’ve been snapping at each other more than we really should. And in cases like this one she’s much better at defusing a rotting situation.

Since her father decided to make the trip from home to “help” his daughter, I did not understand when I would notice some things that went unchanged or neglected. It has been quite hard on me this week because I am still working my 8 hours and getting little sleep and yet having to hear about dishes and laundry. Anyway, I had confirmation of what I had noticed, meaning that her dad actually is not really helping that much. I mean, I understand that he is older and has health problems, but his visit was supposed to help around the house. Instead, it seems more like he’s on vacation and that is really posing a problem. But now, since we did talk and my wife filled me in on what’s going on, it’s just a matter of holding for 2 more days, until the weekend. Her dad will be leaving Sunday, so it’s a question of being very patient till then. And I’ll be off next week, so it should be a little calmer around here.

The major event of the day was the baby’s first bath. He was a real pro, crying just a little bit and I made sure that nobody was going to steal this moment from me. With my daughter, I was left out by my wife who thought it was her mother’s role to be there for the first bath.

Also, another nice thing is that the baby is sleeping more and crying less. We have been able to get some real stretches of sleep during the night and this less than a week after he was born. I just cannot fathom the idea of having 2 perfect children. Or for them to be this good until they reach their teens…

I was going through the list of people whom I sent an e-mail announcing the birth and there are some people I have not heard from and I find it rather surprising. I mean, I understand people are busy and might not find the time to call or come by, but no phone call or e-mail? Hmm…

Anyway, that’s enough b*tching for one night. I’d better take advantage and go to sleep right now.

Till then…

Published in:  on May 28, 2008 at 10:20 pm Comments (2)
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My bundle of joy

Still adjusting and still pressed for time but I figured it was about time to post a photo of the baby. Hopefully I will find more time to write soon.

Till then…

Published in:  on May 25, 2008 at 8:44 pm Comments (4)
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Parental bliss

I escaped from the hospital in order to drop my daughter and my father-in-law home before spending the second and last night away from home.

I have not slept much in the past 3 days and I know there are many other sleepless nights ahead. There is not much I can do about it, can I?

Baby is fine. Mommy is ok. And I have not been able to post anything because, well, I don’t have time but also because the Wi-Fi in the hospital sucks a max. At work, we offer a much better access and as far as I know, popular sites like Facebook are not blocked. But it’s their network and they are free to do whatever they want.

We should be home tomorrow around lunchtime and I should be able to write a little more and post a few photos, but right now, I’d better head back to the hospital before the wife starts calling…

Till then…

Published in:  on May 24, 2008 at 8:48 pm Leave a Comment
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It’s going to be a long night!

It’s 2:37am and we are at the hospital. Things went fast and were pretty hectic of course, but now we are settled in and are just waiting for nature to follow its course. It’s a little funny hearing the baby’s heartbeat, the A/C, the different monitors and Bob Marley singing in the background. It was the wife’s choice and it was actually a good one. She’s sleeping right now and I think I am going to do the same thing.

Till then…

Published in:  on May 23, 2008 at 1:41 am Comments (5)
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Close, but no cigars. Yet.

It seemed everything was speeding up last night and we were ready to head to the hospital. We all three ended up crashing in bed and falling asleep. But I really doubt we will have to wait until tomorrow for the baby to be born. I just hope I’ll have time to make it to the hospital in time!

Till then…

Published in:  on May 22, 2008 at 5:49 am Comments (3)
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So…

It looks like it’s going to be tonight!

My wife went to see the OB-GYN today and she’s at 3cm. It could still happen in a couple of days, but since after dinner, my wife has been having signs that the baby might really want to be with us to party on Memorial Day! Well, there will be no party, but at least if indeed he is born tonight or tomorrow morning, I will have a very long weekend to be home. Work will definitely suffer since most of what I was supposed to do today was postponed.  I just feel sorry for Jo, since her new computer is so messed up…

Anyway, I better go and get the last things ready and try to relax a bit before things get really more hectic later. Hopefully, next time I’ll be around here I’ll be able to post some photos.

Till then…

Published in:  on May 21, 2008 at 8:36 pm Comments (2)
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The last weekend

It hit me, a couple of hours ago as I was putting away my clean clothes that this is the last weekend we’ll be spending as a family of three. No matter what happens or not this upcoming week, there is nothing we can plan for next weekend. No quick getaway, no day at the beach and even less, having dinner with my friend Cha. If baby boy decides to extend his stay till the last day, then the weekend will be a chance for the wife to rest. But it did feel funny thinking about how imminent things are going to change around here.

This said, this last weekend of being 3 did not quite end up being a rosy affair. In my last post, I talked about some of the things on my mind and plate and one of those things was the crib. I must have come up with every lame excuse in the book to avoid assembling the crib, but Saturday I decided that was it: no more excuses. And the next thing you know, it took me about 15 minutes, 5 of which to choose the CD I wanted to listen to. Without instructions, I was able to remember how to do it and most important, the steps to avoid having to take the crib apart because I missed the right sequence and being unable to fasten all the screws properly. I took out the CDs too and I could not help think how in my many years of dating and living with someone, I was never able to find a woman who would share my musical passion and taste. The wife figures that since I have the music on my iPod, I should get rid of the CDs. Er… Backups??? (And she also works in IT…) So the CDs have been stashed away, waiting for better days and storage.

And while I had plans and hopes for today, it seemed everybody was cranky. Is it the stress? Is it that my daughter senses something going on and is being quite difficult? Or is it just that she is growing and really asserting her territory or independence? Who knows. But it was sure a day where I really wanted to get out of the house and drive somewhere far. Of course, it didn’t happen…

Anyhoo, we had a couple of close calls during the week. The first one was when the wife came back from the OB-GYN and she told her she was 1cm dilated. Whoa! Ok, it is not much and in theory she could stay like that for a couple of weeks but there was also the chance that the baby decided it was time for him to come out. Then on Wednesday, she started to complain about discomfort and pains and I really thought it was time but it was only digestive and there was no rush to the hospital. Thursday, she had a sonogram and found out the baby to be 8lbs 2oz!!! With 10 more days to go! So now, the question is v-birth or C-section? She has a last appointment with the OB Wednesday so I guess we’ll find out what’s going to happen then.

Today, I was talking to my Mother and she told me the moon will be full on Tuesday and pregnant women usually give birth 3 days before or after the full moon. That means that we are already in that window and it could happen before Friday. Lots of speculation and guessing. At least we are now much better prepared than last week, except for groceries since we didn’t have time to go to the supermarket. I am not too worried about that part because the only person who will be here for the birth is her father and he’s pretty cool and not too needy. Nevertheless, I will try to get that out of the way tomorrow so it won’t be bugging me anymore. I asked my Mother when she’ll be coming and unfortunately it won’t be until mid-July. The good thing is that she made plans in order to stay for my daughter’s birthday on August 5th and that really made me happy since my daughter does not see or spend enough time with my Mother. Really cool plan.

The baby is not born yet but he has his e-mail address! :D I have a domain name and so I set up an address for him. I need now to create the template and get his picture taken to send it to our families and friends. That cracks me up so much…

Work-wise, it is supposed to be a pretty busy one for me. I have been in charge of this project and the last leg is scheduled for Wednesday. In theory, it should be a quick thing, 2-3 hours tops, and hopefully it will not turn out to be the horror from the last time. As of last Friday, plans were being made and confirmations have been sent but I sense that I will have to let someone else take care of this one. Or maybe not. But my week from Monday till Wednesday is pretty full.

Well, it’s getting awfully late and I still have a few things to take care of. I wanted to go to bed much earlier, but once again it will not happen!

Till then…

Published in:  on May 18, 2008 at 10:00 pm Comments (3)
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Shaken, not stirred

There is a certain sense of urgency, knowing that May 26 is 2 very short weeks away. There are so many things to take care of and very little time but that will also give us a good lesson for having procrastinated so much on things that should have been taken care of months ago.

I can’t really blame everything on procrastination. Since the beginning of the year, I have been putting in a lot of overtime. Very nice paychecks but not enough time to do stuff around the house. And tonight, I am so sick it is not even funny. Strange, in a way because when my daughter was born, I was sick too but hopefully I’ll recover before getting to the delivery room.

We did manage to squeeze in a birthing class last Saturday. We’ve been through this once before, but I thought it would be a good idea to have a refresher. It was mostly a waste of time and very annoying since a doula came and was pushing her company’s services. I can understand how nice and comforting it might be for a young couple having their first baby, but quite honestly I don’t think we need a doula. Surprisingly, the wife thought so too. Therefore, we will just use some of the tips she gave us and really hope there will not be a need for a C-section.

One of the questions the doula and nurse asked was if we were nervous. Everybody’s hand went up except mine. I am not nervous about having a baby but I am very nervous because of all the unanswered questions that were raised all through the pregnancy. The wife and I were in bed last night talking about everything and she asked me the same question and if it was true that I was not nervous. And I did tell her the same thing. No, I am not nervous about the birth, but I am nervous about not knowing exactly how healthy my son is and will be. She said she was not worried about anything but started to freak out when I gave her my views. Hopefully, everything will be indeed ok and I would have worried for nothing.

My friend Dee baby-sat my daughter while we were attending the class and she said the wife was not ready yet to have the baby. Now, when the wife first went to see the doctor, she had calculated with a date one week prior to our copulation. To me, I did not understand how could she be so sure about her calculations since I know when we did the deed and it did not happen when she said it did. So to me, her date of May 26 was off by a week. But I went with her date anyway because it would be on Memorial Day, the unofficial first day of Summer. And so I was telling Dee about my theory and she agrees that the wife does not seem to be ready to give birth in just 2 short weeks.

Today, I was driving home from work and I had to take an alternate route since traffic was horrendous. Summer has kicked in with a vengeance, pushing temperatures in the mid-90s and thus igniting brush fires everywhere. One fire had a major highway closed during rush hour, making life even more miserable for the rest of us. I had left late, having had a last-minute meeting with the boss and although I was indeed running late, I did not expect a call so early from the wife. She had just gotten home from the doctor’s office and she proudly sang that she was 1cm dilated! Wha??? Yesterday, we were talking about this and how wrong the doctor was and how everything is planned on a May 26 birth and now I get this news? So 1cm is not much, but things can either follow their course or we could be headed to the hospital tomorrow. Well, maybe not tomorrow. But we have so much to do still! The crib is out of the closet but it still needs to be assembled. The CDs in the bedroom need to be moved. The house needs some cleaning, my work area is still a war zone and I just talked to the plummer today who agreed to come Wednesday evening to take care of the 2 second-floor bathrooms! My father-in-law is scheduled to fly in on the 22nd, but he may have to change his ticket soon. At least there isn’t anything major going on at work, so I should be able to get my week off without any major drama. And while I’ve been trying to type this entry, I was furiously chatting with my sister who is already making plans to see us for Christmas and still desperately trying to find out what the baby’s name will be.

Oh, I was indeed forgetting that part. The name!

Well, after much discussion, we had agreed on a name and I thought that was that. Except that yesterday at lunchtime, my wife asked me again about the name. Now, the name that I first wanted and that both her and my daughter had rejected, all of a sudden became an ok name with my wife. I convinced her to keep the name we had agreed on, knowing that I will call him by the name I always wanted to call him, even though it will be his second name. Poor kid; not even born yet and already so much confusion going on! :P

Another subject that was raised was the one about his baptism. A few weeks ago, the wife told me that she wanted her friend Clau to be the godmother and I agreed without any reserves. True, I had imposed Dee as my daughter’s godmother and my brother ended up being the godfather after the wife’s brother could not make it. The wife feels she has to choose both godparents, but I don’t agree about that since the only reason my brother was chosen over her brother was because he didn’t make it. I am very torn about the choice for the godfather because I really don’t have any real close friends here and the people who I really thought were my true friends back home have shown their real face, knowing how to get in touch with me only when they know they’ll be in Miami and have a few hours to kill or need a ride to the airport. So in the end, it might well be my brother-in-law who will get the honor. Unless I can get in touch with my friend Chris and have him and only him make the trip from Paris…

I took some medication a couple of hours ago and although my nose gave me a break, it is raw. The coughing also gave me a break so far, but I know it will be total hell in bed in a couple of hours. I really don’t want to use any more of my days off, so I do hope I’ll wake up in better shape.

Damn, this is going to be hard to manage… :)

Till then…

Published in:  on May 12, 2008 at 8:56 pm Comments (3)
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Life out of Balance

Koyaanisqatsi. So true and disturbing. You can watch the whole movie here.

Till then…

Published in:  on May 11, 2008 at 5:29 pm Leave a Comment
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Happy Mother’s Day!

Wising all Moms a very happy Mother’s Day!

Till then…

Published in:  on at 8:31 am Leave a Comment
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