Mommy on call...LET'S PARTY!

Well folks, it's going to be a short one tonight. Kelly was put on call, so a blog tonight doesn't fall under the  criteria. While it stinks that Kelly loses out on the money tonight, it is nice to have her home. To add to that, Addy always sleeps better, eats better, and is far less fussy, so in the end, we all win. My parents came down again this weekend. Always good to have them here. Mom will hold the baby for hours on end, so dad and I are able to head out and check things out around town. We went antique hunting today. No scores, but it was fun.

Today was much like the rest. Eat, sleep, poop, walk, bath and bed. It's a good little routine. Works well for Addy, and myself. Had some good home made fajitas and going to settle in for the night and watch a movie.

Better keep reading because thing are getting crazy!

Tomorrow is a new day, and no telling what Addy will have in store. So, until then, I hope you will keep reading.

Blessings,
-SH

Bed Time Baby!

Hello All.

One of the toughest challenges in my life that I have had to face is trying to get Addy to sleep. If you know me, you probably know that patience is not one of my best qualities. However, I have very quickly learned that patience is definitely a virtue.

I guess that Addy is getting to the age where she is starting to understand what is going on. Maybe she is still too young, but I believe that she knows. Take tonight for instance. I believe that Addy now associates her bed with bedtime. We went on our walk as usual, but for some reason tonight it did not work like it usually does. Addy was fine for the first mile and a half, then started getting fussy. So I bring her in and she starts getting heavy eyed and dozing off, so I figure a little nap wouldn't hurt. So I begin to rock her, and her eyes finally shut. I gently lay her down in her bed, and when her head hit the mattress you would have thought she had been wide awake because her eyes popped wide open and she started hollering. So I patted her and shooshed her and tried the binky, but nothing was working. After struggling for a while, I decided to for-go the nap and just go ahead and bathe and feed Addy, and put her down for an early bedtime. Things went well with the bath and feeding. She was dead asleep before she even finished half of her bottle. So I removed the bottle, trying to keep the nipple from brushing her lips too much that she may wake up. SUCCESS. So, I slowly got up and made my way back to her bed, and laid her down. Trigger same response as earlier. Her head hit the bed, and she was up-and-at 'em. I tried to soothe her and get her to sleep again, but it wasn't working. So I picked her back up, and she was out cold in 2 minutes. So I patted her and shooshed her, and this time I did it until she was literally dead asleep. And by that I mean just really passed out...not literally dead. Maybe that was a bad choice of words. Anywho, to see if she is "dead asleep", I have a simple test. If I can grab her arm, pick it up, and it weightlessly falls back down to her side, she is ready to be moved to the bed. The test showed a positive result, so I moved Addy to her bed, and she was finally down for the night. Success? For now.

On another note, Addy made her debut movie appearance earlier this week with me and Kelly. This blog usually pertains to activity that me and Addy encounter alone, but this deserves mention. My wife loves the Harry Potter series, and we needed to get out of the house, so we decided to go see the new one. It was good, and so was Addy...well at least for the first half of the movie. We meticulously planned this outing, feeding her at the last minute and having back up bottles on hand. Also, against my great ability of arriving early for things, we timed it where we would be right on time. So far, we had accomplished our goal. With Addy full, she was sound-asleep on Kelly, and the movie began. I was worried that it may be too loud for her, causing her to stay awake or seem scared. But at this point, she was doing well. This is where it gets good. Every parent learns their baby's cries. You have the "I'm Hungry" cry, the "I'm sleepy" cry, "I want to be held" cry, and the kicker, the "I'm really pissed off" cry. Needless to say, the cry that came from her at this point in our movie date was a new one. I have dubbed it the "I don't know where I am, it's dark, and I'm scared" cry. I laugh, and not being mean, but it was truly funny. About halfway through the movie, Addy woke up and let out the aforementioned cry. She sounded absolutely terrified. Kelly took her down and around the corner and she was fine. However, Kelly watched the next 45 minutes of the movie standing up. We laugh about it, and if you think about it, who takes a 2 month old to a movie? Have we turned into "those" people? I think not. Addy did very well considering, and we enjoyed our time out of the house. 

She is growing fast, and I don't much like that. You're always told when you are young to enjoy being a child, and your parents always teach you to treasure time with your children because they grow up too fast. I have learned this now for myself. I will cherish the screams, the laughs, and the cries, because one day I am sure that I will wish she was back at this time in my life. Until tomorrow, take care.

Blessings,
-SH

Isn't She Too Young for This?

Hey all. Gonna be a short one tonight. Addy had a really good day. We went for our walk and she had her bath. Now she is dreaming away. The night is still young though, and she has been known to pull out all the stops. Like they say, nothing good happens after midnight. To the point.

Two months is a long way from 13 years, or even 5 years, so I find myself asking, "Why am I already getting the no-eye contact silent treatment from my 2 month old daughter". And I know what some of you are thinking, and YES. She knows exactly what she is doing. It makes me laugh, but also wonder. Addy does this thing whether it is after eating or when we are just playing where she will not make eye contact with you. Seriously, I thought that her head was going to do a complete 360 the other day. I guess that I had made her mad, I know, what kind of daughter gets mad at her dad? Anyways, I was looking at her trying to get her attention and she was looking off to the right. So I slowly rotated her, trying to put myself in front of her eyes. However, as I moved her, she moved her head to keep her eyes from meeting mine. I thought I had several more years before she would do me this way, but let me tell you, it has already begun.

I know exactly what I am doing!

Also along with the no look silent, she has started to master "The Pout". You know what I am talking about. You are frustrated because it is 3 a.m., she already pooped on you, and you have to be up at 6 a.m., then she hits you with it. Cue the teary eyes and out comes the bottom lip. It works every time. She can't see 1 foot in front of her face, but she has already mastered getting her way. Again, I knew it would come, but I never knew it would be so soon.

I leave you with one final thought. Baby clothes. They seem simple enough. Over the head, arms in, button the little buttons and that's all she wrote. Well, she needs to keep writing because they are not as easy as they look. They didn't take into account how hard it is to button those buttons with flailing arms, kicking legs, and a screaming voice in your ear. You do all the work and get out unscathed only to see that the top button is still exposed. Uh Oh. Thank you to the inventor of the gown. If you can get it over their head and arms, you are home free my friend. However, I do love that my daughter has an entire wardrobe that cost a couple hundred dollars. I'm sure in the future at some point I will pay that for a pair of jeans or some shoes she just has to have (and probably wear only once). But, we will deal with that when the time comes.

Well, that's all folks. The weekend came and went, and we all survived. I hope you will continue to follow the blog. Thanks for all the support so far. Addy's out, and so am I. Until next time.

Blessings,
-SH

Blisters on my toes, and spit up on my clothes!

Hello all.

Tonight we will venture into the realm of spit up. I consider it its own entity because it takes on so many forms. Tonight, I found out first hand about the worst form of all, "The White Slime". Let us begin.

It was a long night. Addy went down about 9:30 p.m., and I settled in for "my time" watching a little TV and eating my dinner at 10 p.m. I have found out that it is just easier to get all the baby stuff taken care of such as bathing, feeding, diaper changes, and into the pajamas so that I can sit, relax, and enjoy my gourmet PB&J that I have been longing for. So, about 12:30 a.m. I decide it is time to retire for the night, all the while considering the past week where Addy has slept until about 5 or 6 a.m., taken her binky, and continued to sleep until 9 or 10 a.m. I don't know if she can smell that her mother is gone, or perhaps is a baby genius and plotted this against me as we stood watching Kelly drive away to work. No matter the cause, she was up wide-awake at 1:30 a.m., a short hour after I had went to bed. I fed, I changed, I paced and patted, but she wasn't having it. Finally she submitted to my great will at about 3:00 a.m., only to rise again at 6:15 a.m., and I swear she uttered her first phrase, "Gotcha'". Needless to say, Kelly arrived a short time later, worked her "mama magic" (if you know what I mean), and Addy was down for the count. So was Daddy.

Enough about the night, let us get to the greater issue at hand...Spit Up. It smells bad, looks worse, and simply just makes you turn up your nose and say "Gross". Of course you have the clear spit up which could just be considered drool, the white runny spit up that is more common, and the worst of all is what I like to call "The White Slime". It's thick, chunky, and smells far worse than the other kinds. So far into my fatherhood I have been peed on, pooped on, and drooled on, but somehow I have avoided the infamous spit up. Keep in mind the source of this spit up that Addy continues to douse us with. Needless to say, the day went on much the same. Kelly off to work, Addy sits for a bit, and then...We Walk. Two miles tonight. Usually the walk gets Addy good and asleep, but not today. She was crying and I had tried everything, so the last thing on the list was feed her. So I did.

According to the doctor, with babies, they do not really know how to stop, so they will eat and eat until you take it from them. Addy has been eating more frequently lately, as the doctor said she would do so at around 2 months because a growth spurt would hit. So, I thought nothing of it. Commence feeding. So we get through about half the bottle, I move Addy into the burp position on my shoulder, and start patting the burp out. She lets it rip, so I pull her down, and then I notice it. The White Slime is all over her face and clothes, so I wipe her up, get her changed, and start thinking. I lay Addy down and go to the mirror, and much to my surprise, WHAM! All over my face, chin, neck, and shirt. She got me. The White Slime that I had long eluded had finally caught up to me. And let me say, IT WAS DISGUSTING!! But amazingly, I didn't throw up, I didn't even gag. I simply wiped it away, checked on Addy, and went on about my night. I guess I'm growing up. Or maybe it is just because she is my baby. Either way, "The White Slime" is gross. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

So, until tomorrow. Beware of the spit up. It'll get ya.

Blessings,
-SH

Baby 101: Things I've learned over the past 2 months.

Well, it's that time again. The weekend. And so...our journey begins.

This blog is going to be a little different. It will contain several things I have learned during my short time as a father. I am sure that there will be plenty more to come, but these are a few I have found to be very important. Here we go. You can take notes if you like.

First things first. The burp rag. Never. Ever. Leave the burp rag. Kelly always told me (and still tells me) do not go anywhere without the burp rag. Do I listen? Sometimes, but not all the time. As a matter of fact I usually forget it. But hey, how long does it take to wash a tiny baby outfit? One thing I have noticed is that whenever you really need the burp rag, it is nowhere to be found. We probably own at least 8 burp rags, but when Addy spits up, drools heavily, or decides to officially welcome someone into the family (as in the previous weekend's events), it is like the burp rags have sprouted legs and run away. Sounds crazy, but just you wait. One day you will see. So, the lesson to be learned is Never Leave the Burp Rag. If you have to fold it up and put it into your pocket, keep it on you, or be prepared to improvise.

Secondly, plan ahead. Plan way ahead. And by this I mean having the essentials near you. Especially if you are putting baby to sleep, because after that hard work, moving too much or unnecessarily could rouse the baby, leaving not only the baby, but you in tears as well. By near you, I mean very near. As most dads would say, you learn to adapt when that sleeping baby is in your arms. Especially if you have no one to hand her off to. We learn to use our feet, one hand, and sometimes when absolutely necessary, our mouths. I have mastered the art of rolling my phone on to the top of my foot, or the TV remote, and then kicking it up in the air and catching it with one hand. Lets just put it this way, if it were an Olympic sport, I'd be golden baby. So below is a picture of what I like to call "Being Prepared". Check it out.

This is Me fully prepared. (Phone took the picture, so it's not there, but ALWAYS should be)

Another thing is sort of a mantra that I have come up with. It goes a little something like this.

"When in doubt, stroll about."

Yes. That is right. As I have talked about in previous blogs, any sort of movement in the stroller helps to get Addy to sleep. Therefore, I find myself sleeping good at night, and a little sore in the morning. Nonetheless, I have a sleeping baby. Score. I have found that this mantra only pertains to the streets of my subdivision. It does not seem to work other places such as H-E-B grocery store whenever we are there for our "big shopping trip" to get food for the next 14 days. All I can say is thank God for the moby wrap. Not on me of course. I don't think I am one for the wrap or the "daddy-pack". I will suffer the pain from my baby's huge head. Not dissing anyone, it's just not for me. 

One last thing to leave you with. I've pondered on this one for a while. I do not know if it is common in babies, or perhaps Addy is like the baby on the movie "The Incredibles" with super-human powers, but it amazes me every time I see it. Here it is. Addy can scream at the top of her lungs all while maintaining a fluid sucking motion on her pacifier, keeping enough suction on the binky to keep it in her mouth. No matter how tired I may be, or how fussy she is, it causes me to stop, take a step back, and marvel at this incredible feat.

So, although 2 months may seem like a short time, these are a few key things that I have added to my arsenal for taking on Addy. Addy is growing fast, her head faster than most, and I know that one day I will look back on these days and remember my fierce weekend battles with "The Beast". So I will cherish them. Until tomorrow, stick to your guns, and always be prepared.

Blessings,
-SH

Riding In Cars With...Daddy

Hello friends and fellow baby owners. Last entry for the weekend, and it is one that has been brewing for a little bit. We live in Waco, with the majority of our family living in the DFW area, which is roughly a 2 hour trip for us. Upon becoming a father, I also feel like I have taken on the job of first executive assistant to someone very important that has a busy schedule that has to be certain places at certain times scheduled around times of feeding and sleeping. To sum it up, it's hectic trying to leave the house!! With high maintenance dogs that went with us everywhere, we thought we had stressful traveling down. Were we ever wrong. To the point.

It is safe to say that Addy doesn't enjoy the car. She's good for about 1 hour, sometimes we can squeeze an extra thirty minutes, but after that it turns to chaos. I think she gets bored, maybe hungry or sleepy. But most of the time I just chalk it up to out-right mad. Tonight is an unusual night, as Kelly was put on call from work, so she is home with us tonight. However, I figured I would finish out the weekend trilogy because I know that you all wouldn't be able to get up in the morning if you didn't read my blog. Thanks by the way. Anyways, it was a fellow co-workers birthday at Kelly's work, so being the amazing person she is, Kelly baked cupcakes to take up to her work to help celebrate her friend's birthday. We had just completed our nightly run, so Addy was passed out in her stroller (works every time baby). Conveniently, she woke up right as we left to run up to the hospital to drop off the cupcakes. Let the games begin.

Car Ride? What you talkin' 'bout Daddy?

Bad planning on our part, we did not even bother to look at the clock to realize it was time to eat. Therefore, Addy was not happy about our little road trip. So, always thinking, I popped on the baby CD. Rainforest Music: Nature's Lullabies. Should have just thrown it out the window because my radio can not play loud enough to mask the baby's cries. As I turned it up, she turned it up. Pretty soon, we had a nice little jam session that sounded like Elton John was playing music for a local screamo band. Here I am trying to enjoy birds chirping and waterfalls flowing, but Addy is screaming a tune more equipped for a KISS concert. Needless to say, I ended up parking the car, taking Addy out of her car-seat, and ended up walking around the parking lot of the hospital. Don't say it, her finger is still exposed, but she is steadily wrapping me around it. All that said, we made it back to the house, got her fed, and then she decided she would give us one more fun event before she turned in for the night. Remember Bella our English Bulldog from the previous post? Like my parents before her, she was officially initiated into the family tonight. While she was here first, you can see where Addy would out-rank her. Bella stood looking up at Kelly while she tried to burp Addy, wondering what was going on. Then she found out. Addy threw up all over Bella's face. Ever seen a dog make bitter-beer face? I now have, or I guess more like bitter-milk face. Other than the funny face, Bella seemed to enjoy the thrown-up milk. Disgusting I know. Well, we made it through another weekend. We're all still alive, and a little less tired. Maybe I am getting the hang of things. We will see. Until next weekend. Keep it real.

Blessings,
-SH

Going to The Bullpen

Being a long time baseball player and baseball fan, I have picked up on the strategy that is used when a pitcher needs relief. Picture me as the ace (naturally), always dominating, putting little babies in their place. However, it's nice to have some relief. Enter Nonny and PawPaw. My parents came down today to hang out and spend some time with Addy and myself. Unfortunately Kelly had to work. Not that last night was bad, Addy up at 3 a.m. for the nightly feeding, then up for the day at 6 a.m., but it was nice to be able to get out while my mom watched Addy for a bit.

Dad brought the boat down, so we spent some time on the lake fishing and soaking up some sun. Too much sun in my case. We caught some good fish, but with the heat of the day and the game warden on our backs (good thing I bought that 1-day fishing license), we decided to call it quits.

I wonder if it is a sub-law or possibly the basis of Murphy's Law, but my child seems to be an angel with me and her mother, but when others are around, she turns it on. Remember "The Beast"? She was in full force today, and Nonny got to finally witness what she denied existed for so long. Below is a picture that sums up Addy's day pretty well. Where did I put those ear plugs?

Well, Kelly worked her magic with Addy (if you know what I mean) before she left for work, and she seemed to be in a nice milk coma. So, the parentals and I decided to take advantage of the time and hit up the Red Lobster. Great meal, or was it?

Why in the world today must everything come un-assembled in 13 pieces? It blows my mind. Take the easy invention of the bottle. I mean come on. You need the bottle to hold the milk, and the screw on lid with built-in nipple. Oh No. Not this bottle. Addy's bottle, while not 13 pieces, consists of 4 pieces. The most important piece is the one I forgot. Of Course. Who knew the little plastic circle was the key to the consumption of milk? Not this Dad. Needless to say, I will make certain all the parts are there next time. As she began to scream and people began to look, we decided it was time to eat. If Addy's chest could consume milk, we would have been money. However, all it made for was a milk-soaked, pissed-off baby. Remember the picture above. X 10. We managed to calm her down and finish our meal, all full and content. Especially Addy's onesie. 

All in all the most exciting part of the day was when Addy officially welcomed her Nonny and PawPaw into her life. Ever heard the saying "A baby don't love ya' until they throw up on ya'"? Probably not because I just made it up, but it would make its lasting impression today. With PawPaw all seemed good and well. She's talking to him (grunting and cooing), he's talking to her....then WHAMMY! She projectile spits-up all over his arm and hand. I don't know what was funnier, the fact that she managed a little smirk after the fact, or that my Dad had to do everything in his power not to throw up himself. Mmmmmm....breast milk.

After that we surely thought she had thrown up all she could hold. I mean come on, how big is a baby's stomach? Well, ding the bell cuz round 2 is coming up. Mom had her as we were getting ready to walk out the door. Addy looked all pretty in her little dress, ready for a night on the town. Mom was ready, but milk-colored throw up doesn't match with khaki I don't care what they say. Addy vomited, not spit up, not burped up, but projectile vomited all down the front of Nonny. I mean, even if I inserted a tube into her thoracic cavity, not stomach, entire thoracic cavity that houses the stomach, heart, lungs, etc., I didn't think that much milk could fit in that tiny body. I guess I don't think about a lot of things.

Well, while the bullpen was able to come in and provide some middle-relief, it looked as if Addy might have their number this go-round and come out victorious. We reached the 9th inning, and we were ready to go. We would come out the victors tonight. Could it be because Addy was only able to stay awake until inning 8? I like to chalk it up to our sheer skill and dominance. Get on our level Addy.

But when all is said and done I can't be mad. I can't be frustrated. I do feel like a hunter trying to slay the beast, but not to kill. More like tranquilize in the hopes that she will sleep until at least 5 a.m. and then wake up. In the morning when she opens those blue eyes up wide, all will be forgotten (that's why I take pictures). Until tomorrow, sleep well.

Blessings,

-SH

Don't Be a Dumbo! Use the Bumbo!

As I sit here writing, replaying the first few hours of mine and Addy's night together, I have a hard time concentrating. I am not tired. I am not hungry. And it is not due to lack of ideas or motivation. I have not forgotten the feeding schedule (as you can see below) or when bath time is. However, I am greatly troubled by something else. A NOISE. A noise that some of you may know good and well. A noise that may cause restless nights or ruined naps for many. The noise I am talking about is SNORING. And I know what you are thinking. Does Addy snore? No. If she did, that may be some kind of medical mystery or something. But take a look at the picture below and you will get a glimpse of the culprit.

WANTED!
Snoring-at-Large.

Got Milk?

Yes. A dog. That is my female English Bulldog Bella. And yes, she does snore like a 400 pound man whose tongue has fallen dangerously deep into the back of his throat. She even out-snored my male Biggie Smalls who weighed 80 pounds and was twice her size. He recently passed but I can still hear his low grumbling snore. 

R.I.P. Biggie Smalls

Anywho...since Big passed we have given Bella free reign of the house at night rather than sleeping in her kennel. However, she chooses to sleep right outside our door. I wake up more in the night chasing her into the living room than I do with Addy! I digress...

Addy is starting to (in my expert opinion) notice things further away from her. She likes to be sitting up and looking around. However, she was cursed with what I am dubbing "Hall Baby Head Syndrome" (HBHS), in which it takes the child until the age of 14 to grow completely into their head. I had it. My brother had it. And now my daughter has it. Anyways, she loves to sit up and look around, but there is no real comfortable position to hold her in for long periods of time, partly due to "HBHS"(see above) and the strain it puts on your arm, and also due to her "squirminess". So I decided that YES. A 7 week old can, and will, sit in this device they call..."The Bumbo." You can see below how the "HBHS" greatly affects her ability to sit up. That lasted all of 2:37 before she began to enter "beast mode". Needless to say, the Bumbo is back in the closet. Epic Fail.

She looks happy, but you aren't seeing 30 seconds after this photo was taken.

Addy also enjoys being outside. Walking, running, spinning in circles (all in the stroller of course). Maybe I enjoy watching her face when we spin in circles more than she enjoys it, but who says I can't have fun too. Based on all of this I have come up with the equation: 

Addy outside + Moving in any manner = SLEEP!

So, keeping in mind the aforementioned equation...WE WALKED. I am beginning to think that my desire not to hear my child scream may just be the "kick-in-the-pants" I need to get back on the workout wagon. I have walked/ran at least 2 miles every day over the past week. Between Kelly wanting to get back into shape after having the baby, and Addy falling asleep when strollin', I am liable to lose 50 lbs!

I am not upset at the fact that I must walk everyday. It is merely a means to survive. Kelly has the ultimate weapon...THE BOOB! Unfair? Some weaker men may think so. I have simply overcome my inability to lactate. I. Will. Walk.

Well, the walk went well. Addy actually slept through all two miles. So we get inside and I take the appropriately labeled "mini-bottles" of milk and mix them into the big bottle. And we eat. Addy is eating about 6 oz a feeding now, and at about 3 oz in it dawned on me. "She's falling asleep while she eats and I still have to bathe her and get her into her PJ's". Keep in mind the ultimate goal: A no-hassle sleeping baby. So I rethink my strategy. I pull the bottle, get the bath stuff ready, and scrub her down. PJ's are then put on, and we are back on the bottle before she knows what hit her. My logic: If she falls asleep while eating, I can simply place her in her crib and do not have to jostle her to change clothes or wake her with bath time. Genius, I know. So, as she starts to munch on her bottle, her little eyes start to close, and yet another victory is in my grasp. 

SUCCESS!!

Can I sustain my dominance through the wee hours of the morning, or will she counter-attack with first light? We shall see. But wait...I may not be out of the woods yet. There is a faint roar coming from the back room...time to go my friends. "The Beast" has woken from her slumber. Until next time.

Blessings,

-SH

Land Ho!

You know the saying "Sleep when your baby sleeps"? It is true.

After Addy and Daddy's first night came to its conclusion when Addy went down for the night at 9:00 p.m., little did I know that we were far from done. Addy would come back for her revenge in form of the "The Beast", and she would time it to her advantage. Was it the 3 mile walk? The butchered bath time? We shall never know. I believe that somehow she knew I vowed to myself not to lose to a 6 week old, and she would attack when I was at my weakest.

As 10 p.m. rolled around I simply thought to myself, "Addy is asleep. I'll enjoy this time to myself". Maybe I would continue to play through my season of MLB on the Xbox, or perhaps just watch some T.V. All the while I was helping to create what would become my demise.

Addy began to squirm around at about 2:45 a.m., a good little sleep for a baby so young. I thought to myself "Maybe she will just take her pacifier and go back to sleep". I think this was actually a dream I had dreamt prior to her rousing. I should keep dreaming. She took the pacifier and closed her little eyes and suckled away, so I began to return to bed. I flipped the pillow over to the cold side, and no sooner than my head hit the pillow, Addy began hollering at me. I rose again, walked over, and replaced the pacifier. I walked the ten paces back to bed, rustled into a comfortable position, only to hear the cries of my little girl. Was she messing with my mind? Was she slow-playing my downfall? If you answered Yes to yourself, I second your notion.

I got her out of bed, fed her the bottle that I had prepared prior to going to bed (I would forget to do this with the morning feeding making for a fun hour of screaming Addy) and she began to eat. If I could learn to do it, and had someone to feed me, I would love to master the art of eating my dinner while falling asleep that babies seem to have mastered. She was asleep again in my arms, but her head hit the pillow, and she kicked her plan into action. From 3:30 a.m. until 5:45 a.m. she would take her revenge. I eventually realized I would not sleep again any time soon. Then, when she had seen her plan to its conclusion, she took one last look into her Daddy's blood shot eyes, and she passed out at the drop of a dime (another art of the baby I would love to master). She would wake again at 7:00 a.m. ready to take on the day.

I sat on the couch, feeling as if trying to sleep had actually made it worse for me, and I watched Sports Center with Addy. The position she was in, I couldn't see whether her eyes were open, but she was quiet and happy. Given that last statement, I watched Sports Center through 3 times for fear of moving and arousing "The Beast" again.

Then, in the distance, a faint sound was heard. Could it be? Was that what I thought it was? YES! The garage door was opening. The car doored slammed. MOMMY WAS HOME!!!

I had survived the first night. The first night of many to come. Kelly will be working Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, so mine and Addy's story is far from over. She was still breathing when Kelly got home, so I felt that I had accomplished my task. She is alive, I am tired, but we both made it through.

Until next weekend, sleep well my friends.

Blessings,
-SH

The Maiden Voyage

I am Sam. She is Addy. And this is our Story.

Well, we all knew the day would come, and come it has. On this very night, my wife had to leave our daughter Addalynn, or as we like to call her Addy, alone with me, her father, as she returned back to work for the very first time. Before we begin, let me hit you with a little background info so one may understand the magnitude of this evening.

Bear with me. Being the first blog, and given the story that follows, this read may be a long one.

We prepared for our first child as any couple might. Anxiously awaiting doctor's appointments, picking out names, and myself trying every wive's tale known to man to try and predict the sex of my unborn child. In doing this, one would tell me boy, and I would rejoice in the moment, only to have the next clearly indicate girl. Needless to say, I gave up hope on the ole' wives and decided to wait on the science. Addy wouldn't prove to be much help either. She would have her heart rate in the 150's one visit, and the next drop it down to the 130's, and to keep us on our toes, she would steady it out right in the middle in the 140's, always trying to mess with us. Foreshadowing of what was to come? We shall see. However, while some dwell on the fact of boy or girl, and despite the fact that no man will tell you that they are pushing for a boy no matter what they say, I always prayed that our child would be healthy and happy as "it" arrived in this world. Everything seemed to move along as scheduled. Showers were thrown, gifts were received, and I gradually begin to grasp the idea of PINK. Pink would be the color that would adorn my house for this first child as we found out we would be having a little girl.

As I accepted the fact that my first child would in fact be a girl, the pink was steadily blending with another color. GREEN. Not a pastel green or lime green that may go good with pink in the nursery or for bedding, but a darker green. A green adorned with the faces of famous world leaders and historic monuments. It was inevitable, this child would break my bank. You can't shave a girl's head. They require make-up, and accessories. Is anyone hiring? The dresses and bows multiplied daily. Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and friends steadily bombarded us with tiny clothes and shoes. We were finally ready. We had the crib, the clothes, diapers and wipes. All we were missing was little Addy.

The due date was set as May 21, 2011, and we saw that day come and go. We walked, we lunged, we ate spicy food. Little Addy wasn't having it. My wife Kelly was set to be induced May 25, 2011, and that date quickly approached. So we packed our bags and all of Addy's essentials, strapped in the car seat, and set off to bring our baby into this world. We arrived at 5 a.m. awake and ready to take on the day. Labor was induced, and at 4:46 p.m. we witnessed the God-given miracle of life as Addalynn Daphene Hall finally graced us all with her presence at 8 lbs. 11 oz. and 22 1/2 inches long. From here, God would lift us all three into his arms, and for the next 10 days, he never let us go.

Compared to other births, Addy did not begin to scream when she was removed from the womb. Her skin tone stayed a bluish-purple, and it was obvious she was having difficulty breathing. Addy was born with fluid in her lungs that caused a severe infection. An infection we were later told that most healthy adults would not recover from as quickly as she did. We were transferred from Providence Hospital to another local hospital with a well-equipped NICU and great personnel. Addy would be placed on a ventilator within 4 hours of being born, and working in the hospital setting, her mother and I knew the severity of the situation. As I said before, we would be in the NICU for 10 days. For the sake of not typing a novel, I will be concise in stating that Addy would be taken off the ventilator after 3 days, weened from tube feedings after 4 days, and aside from daily doses of antibiotics, would resemble a healthy baby girl on day 5. After 4 days we held our child for the first time, mystified at the powerful healing hands of God, and the beauty of this life we had created. We would stay 3 days in the hospital in a "hotel-type" room, and finally, on Saturday June 4, 2011, we brought our baby home.

So, now that you have an idea of what we went through the first 2 weeks of Addy's life, we can progress.

Kelly returned to work tonight for the first time since Addy was born, leaving me and Addy ALL ALONE. I don't know who was more worried, her mother, or myself. I knew that I could take care of my child, but usually Kelly is there to take the hand-off when Addy starts to cry!! As I listened to Addy's schedule for the night laid out by Kelly, I felt as if I were cramming for a test. "Ok...feed at 4, keep up for a couple hours, feed at 8, then bath and to bed. Or wait, was it bath at 8, then feed and to bed...". The reality set in as I watched her drive away. The garage door closed slowly, then completely, leaving me alone with the child we have dubbed "The Beast".

"The Beast", a name that is totally more comical than true, as my wonderful Addy is truly a very easy baby (knocking on wood as this is written), was a joke between me and Kelly on a trip home when Addy began to wake up in the car and we realized we were still an hour out from our destination and it was feeding time. Needless to say, she became fussy, steadily more fussy, until she was hoarse from screaming. She became, "The Beast".

Things started out good tonight. I had the schedule memorized, and I was determined to make this night a success. About 15 minutes after Kelly had gone, I think Addy began to sense that her Mommy was not there. Commence screaming. Here I was, 6:30 p.m. on my first night alone with Addy, and I had already worked her into a screaming fit. So I thought to myself, she likes to be moving and looking. So the only logical thing to do, I did. The next thing I know I'm out in the heat walking, pushing a stroller adorned with lady bug and butterfly toys, gathering the stares from the neighbor as I walked by. And I walked. And I walked. And I walked. With Pandora busting out some good tunes on the Cross Canadian Ragweed channel, I thought to myself, "I will win". Here I am, a grown man, declaring to be victorious over an innocent 6 week old child. So, as I said before, I walked. At about 1 mile I looked down to see my sweet daughter's face in a slight smirk with eyes closed. However, I knew this trick. She was smirking as if to say, "Hit one bump, stop for 2 seconds, or listen to the wrong song, and I WILL wake up." So what could I do. I kept walking. At 2 miles the smirk was gone, but could she be bluffing? I continued to walk. At 3 miles I looked down, jingled her toys, and finally jumped the curb to the house. She was down for the count. I had won. 

Commence bath time. Had I won?

Baths are usually fun, but not this one. I am convinced that bathing a 6 week old requires 4 hands minimum, and sometimes a foot. As I struggled to make the smiling men on the thermometer read the right water temperature, I realized I had forgotten the towel. I got the towel, and all was well. Until I heard it. I said to myself, "No way." Yes way. With abs tensed, legs stretched as far as they could reach, and a face concentrated so intensely, Addy began to take the browns to the baby bath. Therefore bath time was centered around that clean up, then bathing Addy. Again. 

Score: Addy - 1  Daddy - 1.

Now it was feeding time. The bottle was ready, but was I? I cradled my beautiful Addy in my arms and she began to eat. Things were going well. About halfway through I even got a burp. Was she cooperating? We finished the bottle, Addy's eyes heavy with sleep, Daddy's heart jumping for joy. I put her to bed, tucked her in, put her binky in her mouth, and away she drifted to dream of incredible things. SUCCESS!

Overall, it wasn't too bad. When I think about the possibility that she could have left us before our lives together ever began, I tend to only see those big blue eyes staring back at me, and I block out the cries, the screams, and the squirms. 

Addy is a true miracle from God. She has endured more in her short life than many ever do, and we are all stronger for it. Believe in God, ask him to heal, and he will. I'm about to hold my constant reminder of that. Addy is my daughter, she is a blessing, and this is our story.

Blessings to all.

-SH