Month: July 2008

Time sure does fly

Happy anniversary to… us!

That’s right, on this day way back in the year 2006 Lisa and I tied the knot. Last year at this time our first anniversary was a big deal and foremost in my thoughts. This year we had trouble even figuring out what we could do, and then delayed the dinner plans for a couple hours while we made sure the little one was full. Thankfully my mother-in-law is staying with us this week which meant there was no rush to find a sitter for the couple of hours it took us to enjoy some fancy comfort food. Even though our usual Hoboken spot was pretty much out of the question, there are plenty of good eats in the area and Raymond’s made for a lovely substitute.

I know you’re all just waiting with baited breath for another Kayleigh update (I’ve had one half written for over a week at this point) but it’s not yet ready. At this point my “free time” at home has dwindled down to almost none thanks to the bizarre and twisted sleeping schedules of new parents. And to be perfectly honest, when I have the time and energy I’d rather spend it holding her than trying to score some more page views on ye olde blogge…

Enough about that. Tonight I just wanted to make sure that The Woman understood how much I love and appreciate her. Nothing fancy, just a timeout from our current hectic schedule – a much needed timeout for her. And it certainly seemed to have had a relaxing effect even if no chocolate was involved.

For myself, this was a time to remind me that I’m a very lucky man – although I now have 2 beautiful girls to perform that task on a daily basis!

Vacation time is over

So… what’s up with you guys? Everyone out there sleeping well? You know, more than 30 minutes a day? That’s good. Real good. I miss that.

Mommy, daddy and baby girl get ready to head home

We’re back from the hospital – actually we’ve been back since Sunday. I meant to post right away but… holy crap I’ve got a kid! When did that happen?!?! Yeah, I’m slightly out of it. The joy of heading home was rather short-lived when I realized that there was no NURSE button that would rescue us in the event of an unknown situation. There would also be no nursery at which to deposit our little girl to help us catch up on some much needed sleep. Instead, we would be on our own.

I spends some quality time with the newborn

Parenthood is scary.

There's quite a set of lungs behind that mouth, too

Obviously I know that this is a huge responsibility, and it will leave me exhausted in more ways than just physically, but suddenly we are faced with the very strong realization that “alone time” is gone. Everybody knows that once you have a kid going out becomes a far more rare occasion – especially in the beginning. But at this point she needs so much attention that there is almost no “spare time” for anything else. At least next week I’ll have work to break up my day, but The Woman will be unable to escape the constant companionship.

My two girls

Trust me, I’m not complaining. I’m not going to write “woe is me” posts on this site about the troubles of being a new parent. Sure, I’ve already collected my first sleepless night, funny poop, and scary hiccup stories to share, but no sympathy will be fished for here. Because even an hour of nonstop screaming with your last nerve just about to go is completely erased the moment she stares up at me with those beautiful eyes.

She already has me wrapped around her little finger

You all know when a sentimental fool I can be, so it should come as no surprise to you that I’m fawning all over my precious little girl. Every little look, every little noise, every little movement just grabs a hold of my heart.

So many special moments to capture

There’s still plenty more to share, but that will probably wait until another late night feeding session…

Sleeping Beauty

Kayleigh Sarah

Amazing. Really, it’s just amazing. Having now witnessed the birth of my own daughter I still can’t get over the fact that this process works. Lisa was incredible and pushed through a long labor to produce the most beautiful baby there ever was. Am I bit biased? Perhaps. But judge for yourself – introducing Kayleigh Sarah Slattery:

Close-up of a swaddled baby's face (Kayleigh Sarah) with her mouth open and tongue sticking out.
Kayleigh Sarah

That’s right, only a few hours old and already sticking her tongue out at the world. That’s my baby girl. She made her grand entrance at 11:25 this morning weighing 7 lbs and 13 oz even though she’s only 19 inches long! I love her with all of my heart even though we’ve just met, and I certainly am enjoying the “proud newborn dad” feeling. Lisa is still recovering from a rather long and difficult 20+ hours of work. Fortunately her bonding with Kayleigh is making that recovery a good process.

The full story, and lots more photos, will follow once I am truly back home. In the meantime, thank you for all of the congratulations that have already come in and will continue to come in.

From there to here

I have to admit, I’m really going to miss the belly. I know that may seem weird – honestly, I really look forward to being able to hug my wife closely once our baby girl comes along. But it truly is beautiful to see and hold:

39 weeks later...

As I sit here in bed wondering if today is the day I’ll meet my new daughter, I realize that it is time to begin shedding my inhibitions toward posting photos. I have several projects that are in the works, but it’s time that I at least start sharing. So while some more editing is necessary, here is a view of The Woman’s belly from about 4 weeks to 39 weeks. Just click on the right arrow and watch her grow!

Soon I’ll add music and dancing hamsters – you know, to class it up…

WALL-E

Holy crap… Me? Seeing a movie? While still in theaters? Who would have thunk it? The far more surprising fact is that it was me AND The Woman. I’ve at least caught a few of the more guy-friendly flicks in the couple years. She can’t even remember the last time she stepped foot in a theater. But today made for a nice change of pace as I had taken the afternoon off and we were both excited to see WALL-E.

So, the verdict?

Wow. Awesome. I’m truly impressed with the depth of the future dystopia they created for a children’s movie. Yes, I know these films work for adults, too (I’m a BIG Pixar fan), but this one had a truly bleak look for a good portion of time. And the minimal dialogue through the first half somehow does not hold anything back. Instead we get some impressive character development just by watching WALL-E go through his daily grind of stacking garbage broken up by his occasional find of a “treasure”.

It’s hard to judge this film in comparison with the rest of the Pixar catalog as it is a very different beast. While it contains many of your typical fairy tale/kid’s movie elements, the cold and inhuman environment and storytelling that is dominant in the first half separates it from the rest. But in spite of that and the odd, speech-limited characters, it is their first true love story. And it works surprisingly well in this context – I honestly started to feel a real connection with these supposed buckets of bolts.

I’m a big fan of Pixar’s work, and they certainly lived up to the expectations once again.