Gavin's Many Faces

We have been discovering many faces that Gavin has in his arsenal of self-expression. Here are just a few of his facial expressions that he can offer to let us know how he feels.



From left-to-right: overwhelmed, extremely concerned, "Talk to the Hand", thoughtful, and skeptical.

One Week Old

Gavin is one week old today. When asked how it felt to hit the big 168 hour mark, his one word response was "Hungry."

We celebrated today with many feedings, a trip to the doctor for a weight check, a visit from Grandpa, and now we are going to top it off with a car ride to Babies-R-Us and Target, his first car ride since coming home from the hospital. This will also be Gavin's third stroller ride and his debut on the retail store scene. I don't care if he eyes the Cocoa Puffs, I'm not buying any!

On side note, the parents are quickly feeling the effects of waking up every three hours. I have almost taken a few showers today because I forgot I already took one, and Kiersten has tried performing multiple, consecutive diaper changes. Fortunately, we are serving as each other's surrogate memory and have been able to catch each other before repeating unnecessary tasks.

A Day of Firsts

After holding yesterday to one first -- the first day at home -- today we expanded his repertoire and introduced Gavin to a few new experiences.

The first of the firsts was a walk around our neighborhood. As you can see, Gavin is ready to go in his stylin' stroller. It was a fairly short walk, thirty minutes tops. We passed a few people that I know in the neighborhood and stopped for quick introductions. He, of course, charmed them all.

His next big event was the first ride in his cradle swing. It was not a very exciting experience. In fact, the whole purpose of this contraption is to keep him in a quiet, peaceful state. He's been in it twice today and slept like...well...a baby.

Because Gavin was so tired from his other two pioneering adventures, the last first we attempted today was giving Gavin his first bath, in hopes of waking him up for a feeding. Technically, it was not his first bath since I gave him his very first bath in the hospital. This was Kiersten's first time bathing Gavin and it was his first time at home, so I think it qualifies as a first. As a method of waking up Gavin, it worked flawlessly and he smelled great afterwards, too! There he is all fresh and cuddly which makes Kiersten happy.

Gavin Arrives Home

The results are in -- Gavin passed his final serum bilirubin test this afternoon and was discharged.

Gavin arrived home at 6:42 PM, escorted by Dad. What a relief! I cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled I am and how relieved Kiersten is. Now the work begins.

The carefully arranged and planned organization of the apartment was totally dismantled upon our arrival. The gifts, supplies, documents, pamphlets, and suitcase are scattered all about. We decided our thoughtfully, practical layout of the bedroom, including our standard sleeping arrangements, had to be rearranged. The veteran parents are probably snickering, but probably not as much as I did when Gavin peed on Kiersten during his last diaper change at the hospital. That's my boy!

Is that a Tan?

Unfortunately, that is not a tan. Gavin tested Coombs positive at birth, so the pediatrician kept an eye on his serum bilirubin levels. His levels rose too high and Gavin has become jaundiced.

I won't even go into the Coombs test...I certainly do not understand it -- even some of the medical people we spoke to are confused by it. The simple explanation is the Coombs test is an indicator that flags a predisposition to jaundice. While jaundice is common for newborns and not a serious condition if monitored or treated, Kiersten and I were disappointed that we could not come home with Gavin. It was particularly upsetting for Kiersten to be separated from Gavin. On the upside, she was able to stay an extra night to continue feeding and to be near him.

He went under the bili lights last night. We saw an immediate change in his alertness after his first three hours under the lights. He was so awake, hungry, and he began opening his eyes much more than earlier in the day. The first serum bilirubin check came back this morning and his levels have dropped, so we are hopeful that today is Homecoming!

Gavin is One Day Old.

I am happy to report that Kiersten and Gavin are doing well. They have had some good feedings today and Gavin was visited by more family and friends this afternoon. He was on his best new-born behavior and instantly won the hearts of all who dared to try resisting his charm.

He has requested that I issue a formal press briefing detailing his accomplishments thus far. Hopefully, I will be able to get the draft approved by Gavin tomorrow amidst his hectic schedule of feeding, pooping, and making family introductions.

Mini-Muff in the Flesh

Our son, Gavin Gray, was born at 12:08 PM weighing in at 8 lbs 7 oz and measuring 21 inches. Mom is recovering and Dad is busy covering the communication channels.

It's Go Time.

The bags are packed, the gas tank is topped off, and we are darn ready to meet our kid.

We have been given the green light to head to the hospital for Kiersten's induction. It has been tough to concentrate on anything today except for this moment. Thanks again to everyone for the messages and phone calls. I know Kiersten is ready to get the pregnancy behind her and move into motherhood. In less than a month, she will celebrate Mother's Day from a new perspective.

Now, I need to take a time-out here and ask all the veteran parents out there...do you all work off a script telling new parents-to-be what to expect on the day before they deliver? I been told to kiss sleep goodbye no less than seventy eight times since last evening. Is this a right of passage, a ritual hazing so-to-speak, a final test of will? I always thought sleep was overrated anyway. ;-)

I expect the next post will be a fresh photo of our new child complete with stats and unveiling of the name. Talk to you on the other side...

It's Unofficial...Baby Due April 19th!

You heard it here first! Or, maybe you heard it through the grapevine. The baby is going to be delivered by April 19th or earlier, so get your mopeds, hang gliders, and other personal travel modes ready.

On Friday, Kiersten's doctor called us back into the office. She wanted to do another checkup and round of blood work on Kiersten to make sure she was doing well on the new dose of meds. She also talked to us about delivering in the coming week since Kiersten's BP was high and the baby turned out to be a normal size.

The doctor's office is still working on the scheduling details and we still have a couple checkups early in the week. At any rate, this is our last childless Sunday. What did we get into!?!

We will let you all know as soon as we know the details...stay tuned to this channel.

Read All About It...Baby is not Mammoth!

We visited the hospital today for the fifth NST and second EFW.

The NST led off this round of testing. The baby looked healthy and was very active. The poor bugger even got the hiccups during the exam and I was able to experience the baby's hiccups in a new fashion. The heart rate monitor picked up the movement of each hiccup and produced a similar sound that a child or adult would make. Although the baby passed today's test with flying colors, Kiersten did not pass the BP check. Her BP has crept up and the concerned nurses called her doctor. Kiersten's meds will be adjusted and an induction could be in the near future if the new dose is not effective or loses its effectiveness over the next week.

Fortunately, Kiersten's doctor did not have her check into the hospital. I mean, we got totally prepared...suitcase is packed, car seat is installed, daddy-hospital-snacks are in the cupboard...it would have been a real shame for all our plans to be thwarted! Instead, we apprehensively continued with our appointment schedule and walked down the hall to get the EFW ultrasound.

This was the big appointment. Would the baby be a ten-pounder at 37 weeks? It was anybody's guess. Again, another fortunate turn of events! After several minutes of furious measurements, the sonographer announced the baby's weight to be estimated at 6 lbs 13 oz +/- 13 oz (6 lbs - 7.5 lbs). We were relieved. The baby still appears to have 10 fingers/10 toes and such AND it was in the correct position, head down/head facing down. Looks like we're ready for launch, Houston.


The sonographer also made several jokes about this body part looks like dad and this one looks like mom, etc. Then she snapped a shot of the foot (left to right: the heel, the big toe) and I said "Oh, that's definitely dad's." You be the judge.

More Checkups

If you are counting, yesterday's NST was the fourth round for Kiersten. The baby is still looking healthy and doing what babys do best. The baby has definitely grown to a point where it is running out of room. When it moves, you cannot miss it...even if your are standing across the room. It looks more and more like a movie stunt and I just cannot imagine what it would be like to be Kiersten!

Kiersten also had a checkup with her doctor. When the doctor examined Kiersten, she asked if she really wanted to know her fundal height measurement. Keep in mind that the baby is about 36 1/2 weeks...Kiersten measured 41 weeks! Oh, big baby...

It is still a wait-n-see game. Hopefully, Kiersten will deliver within the next week and there will be either no or few complications. In addition to the NST later this week, she will also have an ultrasound to estimate the baby's size and check the amniotic fluid level.

The poll results have surprised us over the past couple weeks. The Boys are in the lead 8-6. We hold true to our prediction of having a daughter. I assume recent votes might have been influenced by the news of the big baby. We still do not know and we will not sneak a peak at the next ultrasound!

Third NST

There is not much to report this time except both baby and mom are doing well.

I did accompany Kiersten to the NST session this time. I had looked forward to it since I was able to see how Kiersten would be hooked up to monitors when the Big Day arrives. It was also the perfect atmosphere to get a quick primer on how to read the Fetal Heart Rate Monitor, as well as get a few pointers on the various resets and other features. No, I do not need to operate the machine, but that's just the kind of geek that I am.

Today we made a preliminary appointment with a pediatrician. The office is close by and is incredibly convenient. We liked the doctor we met, asked a few questions, and decided that we felt comfortable with our choice. This is a perk of living in our neighborhood that I know we will miss when we leave.

Next week will be a busy and possibly momentous week. Kiersten has a checkup, two NSTs, and an ultrasound for an Estimated Fetal Weight, or EFW. I assume things will be quiet at most of the appointments. I am told that Kiersten will not be induced based on the EFW results, but "The Rules of Engagement", so to speak, are unclear if you consider the PIH condition along with macrosomia, or as I say, Big Baby.

Second NST and Checkup

Today, we had another one of those precious communication moments. I received the following text message from Kiersten this afternoon followed by 35 minutes of radio silence:

"I am 1 cm dilated!"

Although I know that this in itself is only a milestone and not an indication that the Big Day was indeed going to start in just hours, I think you can sympathize with my distress -- born of the inability to obtain additional details on the quoted teaser. Playing the role of worried husband as well as any first-time dad-to-be, I called the doctor's office that Kiersten had visited earlier in the day. I thought it prudent to make absolutely sure she had not been whisked of to the hospital and, through some misfortunate mix-up, I had not been notified. (In my world, I should probably be medicated.) The doctor very calmly explained that everything was normal and she was on her way to the hospital for her scheduled NST.

Oh yeah, sure, I knew that.

So the checkup revealed that Kiersten's high BP is still an issue, all other lab tests were normal, and she is 1-2 cm dilated. While this is not a definite indication of an accelerated time table, this is a milestone -- Kiersten's cervix has changed in preparation for the birth (her body's got a checklist something like our baby checklist I suppose) and the baby is sitting low, very low. These are good things that we want to see happening.

The NST went equally well and showed the baby moving and bopping along. Kiersten will have her third NST on Thursday this week. I will accompany Kiersten to the appointment for the first time. It will be blips, bleeps, and charts...but when you are an engineer at heart, what better way is there to experience your unborn kid?

Although Kiersten has her share of problems -- sore muscles, exhausted, be-bopping belly -- she is doing well and I am hanging in there. We cannot wait for the Big Day and are settling into the home stretch.