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Saturday, September 4, 2010
Home again, home again.....
Moving Day
Night 2 was much the same as night 1; sleep, eat, sleep, eat, sleep, eat...... He did have a few moments but overall he has been a great baby during the night. We are getting released today so both Charlie and Mon are being run through a battery of tests. Charlie also will under go his first major surgery, circumcision! Just the word trips me out but the alternative is, well, you get the idea (hopefully without the mental picture). We also got back his Billy Rubin counts from a second test this morning and his counts are elevated but still within a good zone. Because of our ordeal with Avery this has been hard news for Mon. Please send prayers and positive thoughts about this, we would love to avoid the bed of lights this time around. Beyond this news Mon is looking and feeling better and better all the time. She is up and around despite the pain; I'm super proud of her for fighting through and getting on her feet. We hope to be home early this afternoon so I'll keep you posted on our escape from the hospital. Charlies just turned 3 days old or third day of life as they call it in the medical world. Happy 3rd Day Mr. Charlie....
Friday, September 3, 2010
The Nurse with Squeaky Shoes On
When you spend this much time in a hospital you notice some pretty strange and alarming things. For example why at this hospital is the smoking section right below the cancer wing?!? I kid you not, you walk through people who have obvious scares from their bout with cancer only to leave the front door and be hit with pungent smell of cigarette smoke. Even more amazing was the conversation I over heard while following a couple out of this wing. By her hair you could tell cancer was an ongoing fight and she was telling the man, "wow, after talking with him today I feel there is a chance at a normal life". Just then we crossed the threshold to the outdoors and as she finished her statement she whipped out a cig and lit up. Are we really this stupid as a human race?
But I digress back to the title of this blog; last night we had two nurses. One dressed in the usual blues and then a second who was dressed in the sportiest nursing outfit I have ever seen. No lie, the getup had racing stripes. Additionally, nurse 2 also wore a jacket complete with fur trim. This was all acceptable because lets face it, it's the middle of night and Mon and I are trying to get any sleep we possibly can. But then came the realization that her shoes were an early warning system for the entire Pacific Rim. Have you ever had a pair of shoes that got soda on the bottom and then walked around to hear the sticky/squeaking sound with every step? Well she either ordered these bad boys directly from Coke or soaks them nightly. As the night progressed you could hear her coming from five minutes away. When she entered the room it sounds like a chorus of Coke stained dancers had entered the room. This would not have been such an issue except for the fact that they insist on coming in every 1.5 hrs to check on mom and baby preventing any normal type of sleep a person in our state craves. For those in the nursing industry please do not repeat this ladies insensitive fashion sense. If you have a colleague who wears a shoe with an early warning system please pass along this blog link. There is enough going on without having to hear your every move. So to the nurse with the squeaky shoes last night, thank you for forever changing my sleep patterns with your footsteps. I had no idea I could exist on such little sleep until you decided to show up. My only remaining question (coming from a guy who can't stand the sound of change in his own pocket) is how in the hell can you not notice this? I'd cut off my own feet is my shoes made this sound!
OK enough with the fashion critic of the over night staff. Mon is up and around feeling much stronger and better this afternoon. Charlie continues to frequent the buffet line like Baptists at a Golden Coral for Sunday lunch. All his tests and counts are coming back great so fingers crossed we will be able to head home tomorrow. Thanks again for all the messages, emails, and phones call; your support is incredible! Thank you!
But I digress back to the title of this blog; last night we had two nurses. One dressed in the usual blues and then a second who was dressed in the sportiest nursing outfit I have ever seen. No lie, the getup had racing stripes. Additionally, nurse 2 also wore a jacket complete with fur trim. This was all acceptable because lets face it, it's the middle of night and Mon and I are trying to get any sleep we possibly can. But then came the realization that her shoes were an early warning system for the entire Pacific Rim. Have you ever had a pair of shoes that got soda on the bottom and then walked around to hear the sticky/squeaking sound with every step? Well she either ordered these bad boys directly from Coke or soaks them nightly. As the night progressed you could hear her coming from five minutes away. When she entered the room it sounds like a chorus of Coke stained dancers had entered the room. This would not have been such an issue except for the fact that they insist on coming in every 1.5 hrs to check on mom and baby preventing any normal type of sleep a person in our state craves. For those in the nursing industry please do not repeat this ladies insensitive fashion sense. If you have a colleague who wears a shoe with an early warning system please pass along this blog link. There is enough going on without having to hear your every move. So to the nurse with the squeaky shoes last night, thank you for forever changing my sleep patterns with your footsteps. I had no idea I could exist on such little sleep until you decided to show up. My only remaining question (coming from a guy who can't stand the sound of change in his own pocket) is how in the hell can you not notice this? I'd cut off my own feet is my shoes made this sound!
OK enough with the fashion critic of the over night staff. Mon is up and around feeling much stronger and better this afternoon. Charlie continues to frequent the buffet line like Baptists at a Golden Coral for Sunday lunch. All his tests and counts are coming back great so fingers crossed we will be able to head home tomorrow. Thanks again for all the messages, emails, and phones call; your support is incredible! Thank you!
Night 1: In the Books
Night one is in the books and I have to say Charlie was much easier going than Avery. His appetite has only increased, he is big into his bink, and enjoys a good hour or two snooze on and off pretty much all night. The doc has been into see him and thinks he looks great. She said he did not look jaundice at this time so fingers crossed we make it through the next 7 days without that flaring up.
Mon on the other hand is still in a lot of pain. Her incision and abdomen are very sore but as I remind her all the time, did you have major surgery. We hope that she can get some relief with the new pain meds. She is pressing hard to get up and around but as of right now its very slow going.
That's the update for now, more to come later today!
Mon on the other hand is still in a lot of pain. Her incision and abdomen are very sore but as I remind her all the time, did you have major surgery. We hope that she can get some relief with the new pain meds. She is pressing hard to get up and around but as of right now its very slow going.
That's the update for now, more to come later today!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Some Final Thoughts & Lots of Pics
The night has fallen here in Seattle and the view is something to behold. Mon is feeling great, actually got to eat a chicken salad sandwich tonight, but is worried about what tomorrow may bring after her experience with Avery. Charlie has finished eating for a zillionth time tonight and is resting fast for the moment. When I got back from the house this evening he and Mom were sizing one another up. He has taken to eating like a duck to water and seems pretty alert for a little guy.
Watching Avery with him today was a real trip. I'm not sure what was running around in that small dome but I'd have paid good money for a window. You can tell she is getting the idea but not sure how stoked she is with this "baby Charlie" thing. I'm sure she'll be great, she has been with everything else to this point. Putting her to bed tonight was filled with questions and comments about the entire day. For 2 she does not miss very many details.
OK, I know most of you have skipped right past all of this written content to the pics so I won't bother you with more ramblings. Here are a few moments from Day 1:
While we're both exhausted from the big day both Mon and I are super excited to add Charlie to our little family. All your comments, well wishes, thoughts, and prayers as much appreciated. We are lucky to have two great healthy children and a giant community of friends and family. We truly are blessed!
Watching Avery with him today was a real trip. I'm not sure what was running around in that small dome but I'd have paid good money for a window. You can tell she is getting the idea but not sure how stoked she is with this "baby Charlie" thing. I'm sure she'll be great, she has been with everything else to this point. Putting her to bed tonight was filled with questions and comments about the entire day. For 2 she does not miss very many details.
OK, I know most of you have skipped right past all of this written content to the pics so I won't bother you with more ramblings. Here are a few moments from Day 1:
While we're both exhausted from the big day both Mon and I are super excited to add Charlie to our little family. All your comments, well wishes, thoughts, and prayers as much appreciated. We are lucky to have two great healthy children and a giant community of friends and family. We truly are blessed!
We Have Moved To The Penthouse
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3 Happy Campers.....
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Twin Sisters Sharing a Moment
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First peak at Charlie
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Charles Lawrence Dirks
Monica and I are happy to announce that Mr Charles Lawrence Dirks joined us at 10:02am today. He was 8lbs 1oz and 20" long. Both mom and baby are doing great. Will get pics up soon!
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Booted, Suited, and Ready for Action
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One last prego pic....
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Couple of quick points
Charlie was just on the monitor for 20 mins and sounds great. He was a little hard to find at first but the nurse said it was b/c he knew it was eviction day. :-)
Also quite bullish on having a son on the first day of the college football season....
Nurse just told us that it does look like we'll be on time so 930 looks to be a go.
Beyond that we have officially entered the hurry up and wait stage. Any last minute guesses on weight and length?
Also quite bullish on having a son on the first day of the college football season....
Nurse just told us that it does look like we'll be on time so 930 looks to be a go.
Beyond that we have officially entered the hurry up and wait stage. Any last minute guesses on weight and length?
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We have arrived
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Last pictures of pregnant Mon
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The big day is here.....
Well the big day is finally here..... Mon and I have to be at Swedish at 7:30 this morning and the c-section is scheduled for 9:30. However like with Avery we can always be bumped for emergency needs. Since Mon can not eat or drink anything we are hoping for an on time procedure but either way we're both just plain excited. Can't wait to meet him and introduce Avery.
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Monday, August 30, 2010
Due date passes without Charlie
Today was Monica's official due date and still no Charlie..... Not even a sign. So we'll keep on waiting. Monica and Jonna are keeping themselves busy and Avery is running around oblivious to the world that is about to change around her. I'm attempting to work and juggle my ladies. All in all we're hanging in. We appreciate everyone checking in on us and will keep posting as we get closer to Thursday. If you have any other old wives tales you want to try out let us know. We're happy to put them to the test at this point. Till the contractions start in earnest.....
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Avery turns 2 and Charlie holds on
Yesterday we celebrated Avery's 2nd birthday and crossed our fingers that Charlie held out one more day before making his grand entrance. We got our wish and Avery had a big day of fun. We started with breakfast at a local place in West Seattle that serves Mickey Mouse pancakes on their kids menu. Lets just say that kid are not so keen on eating their childhood heroes. While a good idea in theory she did not dig the pancakes.
From there we made our first adventure to the Seattle Aquarium. While initially overwhelmed Avery quickly warmed to the environment and had a great time. Mon and I were both a little disappointed with the whole experience, $18 for adult admission an no sharks!!!, it was once again fun to watch Avery take a whole new experience.
After the aquarium Mon and I executed plan: get the big birthday gift bought and built by 4:30 so we could pick up Jonna on time (Jonna has been kind enough to come hang and help us as Charlie arrives). Thanks once again to the incompetent and inept baggage handing service we Seattle tax payers fund through the nose both goals were accomplished. Once we arrived home it was time for the big reveal:
Ah to be 2 again! Man are we lucky to have such an amazing little girl.
The evening was spent feasting on homemade fried chicken, baked red potatoes, a tomato basil caprice salad and mixed berry angel food cake to finished it off. Despite Jenn G's ominous warnings about basil as a labor inducer Mon enjoyed her fill of basil; think this is one wives tail we can put in the no pile. All in all it was an awesome day and we are now ready for Mr Charlie whenever he would like to join us.
Mon is feeling strong, her and Jonna went to several garage sales this morning, and is in turbo nesting mode. Now that we have the extra hands and Avery's b-day out of the way I think we're in order..... guess we'll find out soon enough. I'll continue to try and update the blog his week. If he does not join us by 9/2 then he does have an extraction appointment already set so keep a close eye out Thursday if you have not heard he is here. Thanks to all of you for your support and kind thoughts. We're excited about this next chapter.....
PS I also added a few recent pics of Buggy in case you have not seen her recently.
From there we made our first adventure to the Seattle Aquarium. While initially overwhelmed Avery quickly warmed to the environment and had a great time. Mon and I were both a little disappointed with the whole experience, $18 for adult admission an no sharks!!!, it was once again fun to watch Avery take a whole new experience.
After the aquarium Mon and I executed plan: get the big birthday gift bought and built by 4:30 so we could pick up Jonna on time (Jonna has been kind enough to come hang and help us as Charlie arrives). Thanks once again to the incompetent and inept baggage handing service we Seattle tax payers fund through the nose both goals were accomplished. Once we arrived home it was time for the big reveal:
Ah to be 2 again! Man are we lucky to have such an amazing little girl.
The evening was spent feasting on homemade fried chicken, baked red potatoes, a tomato basil caprice salad and mixed berry angel food cake to finished it off. Despite Jenn G's ominous warnings about basil as a labor inducer Mon enjoyed her fill of basil; think this is one wives tail we can put in the no pile. All in all it was an awesome day and we are now ready for Mr Charlie whenever he would like to join us.
Mon is feeling strong, her and Jonna went to several garage sales this morning, and is in turbo nesting mode. Now that we have the extra hands and Avery's b-day out of the way I think we're in order..... guess we'll find out soon enough. I'll continue to try and update the blog his week. If he does not join us by 9/2 then he does have an extraction appointment already set so keep a close eye out Thursday if you have not heard he is here. Thanks to all of you for your support and kind thoughts. We're excited about this next chapter.....
PS I also added a few recent pics of Buggy in case you have not seen her recently.
Monday, August 16, 2010
.....And we're back just in time!
WOW, so leave the blog to Monica and everything goes to hell in a hand basket….. Come on, you know I’m kidding! As the last blog title clearly states, “Avery is Crawling”, and with this development so did every other free moment of our lives. To compound matters I left my job at Entercom Communications and started a Social Media company, Social Creature Media. SCM has enjoyed great success early and we are very bullish on the prospects ahead. We have been blessed that Monica has been able to remain at home and help Avery grow into an amazing little girl.
At this moment Avery is fast asleep but from dawn to dusk she amazes. She talks non-stop but she is Monica and I’s daughter, what would you expect. It’s amazing each day to watch the changes in her and new habits form (She doesn’t say “Yes” she says “Oh, fine”). Mon and I have been truly blessed to have her as our first, she has been a dream kid (which I’m praying doesn’t mean she is hell on wheels as a teen).
In late December, Mon informed me that we were pregers with #2, well technically she was but you get the drift! As with Avery, Monica was dead set she knew the sex of baby #2 and once again Dad was right, we are having a boy! And has fate would have it he is due on the same day as Ms Avery, August 30th (There is a joke here but I’ll error on the side of judgment for once in my life). Unlike with Avery, we have decided to let him come when he decides to come so we are now entering the go zone. Once again Monica has been a champ and the pregnancy has been as easy as a pregnancy can be for the most part. We are both very excited by his addition.
Due to great demand and because it’s what I due for a living I’ll be utilizing this blog to keep you up date on the changing conditions. This year I also own an Evo so the updates could also include video and pictures so strap on your seat belts kids this could win a Webbie! We also would like to play a little game of closest to the pin on a few key numbers. To participate leave your guess below for: his birth date, time, weight, and length. Look forward to naming the “winners” when he decides to join us. Thanks for putting up with our flakiness…… Monica’s I mean…….. Ha, now I’m really going to get in trouble! Got to go……
At this moment Avery is fast asleep but from dawn to dusk she amazes. She talks non-stop but she is Monica and I’s daughter, what would you expect. It’s amazing each day to watch the changes in her and new habits form (She doesn’t say “Yes” she says “Oh, fine”). Mon and I have been truly blessed to have her as our first, she has been a dream kid (which I’m praying doesn’t mean she is hell on wheels as a teen).
In late December, Mon informed me that we were pregers with #2, well technically she was but you get the drift! As with Avery, Monica was dead set she knew the sex of baby #2 and once again Dad was right, we are having a boy! And has fate would have it he is due on the same day as Ms Avery, August 30th (There is a joke here but I’ll error on the side of judgment for once in my life). Unlike with Avery, we have decided to let him come when he decides to come so we are now entering the go zone. Once again Monica has been a champ and the pregnancy has been as easy as a pregnancy can be for the most part. We are both very excited by his addition.
Due to great demand and because it’s what I due for a living I’ll be utilizing this blog to keep you up date on the changing conditions. This year I also own an Evo so the updates could also include video and pictures so strap on your seat belts kids this could win a Webbie! We also would like to play a little game of closest to the pin on a few key numbers. To participate leave your guess below for: his birth date, time, weight, and length. Look forward to naming the “winners” when he decides to join us. Thanks for putting up with our flakiness…… Monica’s I mean…….. Ha, now I’m really going to get in trouble! Got to go……
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