Field Trip

I joined Piper on her field trip to the local pizzeria. The students at Piper's school were all invited to make their own pizzas, just like the pros! I'm proud of my big sister.



Piper's pizza

The After Bath

waaaaaah...

I woke to the sounds of Harrison calling out for his 5 am feeding this morning. Groggy headed, I aimed for the fuzzy view of the bassinet. As I picked him up, I heard a soft thump hit the carpet. His little umbilical stump and clamp had come off and made their way out of his night gown to the floor. The plastibell from his circumcision followed shortly at about 8:00. It was nice to be able to give him a real bath; which he needed! I think he approved, though the only signs of appreciation were received after the fact.


ahhhhhh

Special Visitors

Don't my grandparents look proud?



Grammie and Grampie made special arrangements to be here for my birth. After all, breaking the sound barrier in my travel into this world was not my only record breaking feat. I am the first grandson in a long line of eight Gardner grandchildren.

Picture Up!

"And now, the star of our show..." Just kidding, finally got a little sleep.

Sibling Responses

All of my brothers and sisters came to see me on the day I that was born,Thursday, February 10, 2005. Stefan, was the first of my siblings to hold me. He was very gentle as he smiled down at me. Christian told my mommy that he now understood why she had some many babies. He said it was because we just keep getting prettier. Piper wore her nurse in training scrubs and Bailey brought in a large gift basket of goodies for us all to share.

Welcome Harrison Cubby Gardner!

Finally! I'm sorry for taking so long to get to posting, but as you know, it has been one wild ride. First, I'm sorry if I didn't contact everyone earlier. This is my first break in the flurry of activity since leaving the house more than twelve hours ago.

Welcome to Harrison Cubby Gardner! Born at 12:03 pm today. 7 pounds, 0 ounces, 19 3/4 inches, Baby and Mom are doing great. As you know, we were admitted for induction, but once Jennifer's membrane was ruptured the birth process shifted into warp speed -- 4cm to delivery in 13 minutes! I'm still shocked and amazed at Jennifer’s performance. There was no time for any pain meds. She handled it with the utmost grace and resilience. Although the hospital staff was incredibly busy, their handling of our case was outstanding! They were extremely sharp, professional and courteous. Kudos to them as well.

No time to upload pictures now, I have to study for an exam. I'll post some soon. Thanks for visiting.

On The Way, Still

Baby is still on the way. It's just a slow pace. Jen reports a pretty good rest so we should have a baby by this afternoon. Stay tuned!

Almost There

"Hurry up and wait"! We finally made it into the hospital and we're still waiting on a room.

In a holding pattern

The maternity ward is full and being that our baby was scheduled to be induced, we have been placed on hold. We are awaiting a call from the hospital to notify us when there is space to be admitted. I guess this means that We are flying stand-by.

We are left wondering what will happen should the labor process begin spontaneously.

Baby On The Way!! It Won't Be Long Now...

Just finished our visit with the doctor...we will be admitted to the hospital tonight. Dr. McDonald will start the induction first thing in the morning. Jennifer is doing well, the baby sounds great and is occasionally active.

First, thank you to all who have been following our story and have expressed well wishes. Hopefully, this is the moment everyone has been waiting for, and though we are excited to share the experience with you we would really like to preserve the intimacy of the labor and birth process. We'll post as soon as we have a moment to get acquainted with our new blessing. Thanks and stay tuned!!

The queries are dwindling

It seems that co-workers are speechless, lately. As I approach others in the halls, I am met with looks of awe and amazement or simply an exchange of empathetic glances. One person told me today that she expects me to come out of my room at any moment holding my baby out for introductions. I am scheduled to work one more week. It looks as though wee may make it!

I suppose the question has changed from "When?" to "WHY NOT?"

Can we hang in there two more weeks?

Huh? Excuse me doc, but I thought you said that February 12th was the due date. Isn’t that less than two weeks? When your waistline has reached 45 inches, two days makes a big difference! I guess we can disregard the count down on the right side of the blog.

So when will he get here? Your guess is as good as mine. As life has a way of producing humor that we can only learn to appreciate later in life; pick the seemly most inconvenient date and that will be the day. We are expecting snow this evening. I was thinking this morning that snowy weather would be prime delivery weather; after all, Christian was delivered on a snowy day in May! However, there’s NO change in dilation. Let’s see, Cubby has labs on Friday; that may be the day. Dr. McDonald will be out of town this weekend, so the odds for a birth this weekend increase exponentially. Of course, the fact that Grandparents are due in next week and their visit ends on the 13th insures that we will be having a Valentine’s Day baby after all, as Bailey once predicted.

If a raging sinus infection doesn’t add to the stress caused by uncertainty of arrival, perhaps the completely flat tire that I drove home on, in the chilly rain, while accompanied by an irritable four year old, is the perfect icing on the day.

Okay, I am finding my center. Having had the opportunity to hear the baby’s heart and knowing that while I am seeking to place myself under undue stress, our baby is doing fine and all other vital signs are wonderful is my greatest calming influence of the day. I also owe thanks to Cubby, who after silently listening to me vent, said that everything would be okay.