Stars and Bars

Jack is not yet three weeks old, but he already is showing signs of being a true patriot. Here he is, proudly wearing red, white, and blue (actually, this outfit was completely unintentional -- Peter noticed the coincidence long after Jack was dressed).

Not your standard contrived baby with a beer shot..

...conspicuously missing are the big cheesy sunglasses. Believe it or a not, this was a candid shot.

Our doctor told us that a beer a night can increase milk production, so that's what was happening here. Updates on milk production are forthcoming.

Another doctor visit down. Jack's no longer in the 95th percentile for height, so we're cancelling his newborn basketball class. We're behind the curve on other sports already- Tiger Woods' dad started training before Tiger's umbilical cord was cut.

Home Alone

After a flurry of activity this weekend, Patty was all alone with Jack for the first time, as Peter returned to the office. She did a terrific job, keeping Jack entertained from 7am to 2pm (yes, the little rascal was awake that whole block of time), changing his diaper about 36 times, and fielding 20 calls from a homesick dad, all while maintaining a positive attitude.

It's Time for Bed!

And Jack's never stared so defiantly into the camera phone before. His arched eyebrows scream, 'Sleep ain't happening!', while his hands feverishly wriggle towards any weaknesses in his swaddler.

Jack and the Cats

So, what do Ozzie and CC think of Jack?

CC can't really be bothered by him. She keeps her distance, unless it is time to eat (when she appeals LOUDLY for food to anyone and everyone in the house). She may have gotten marginally more creepy since Jack's arrival, which is saying a lot. She already was pretty weird -- in a loveable sort of way, of course.

Ozzie, on the other hand, is curious. He doesn't seem to like the way Jack smells (can you really blame him?), but he wants to be part of the action. Here he is, checking out Jack in his stroller...

Or, maybe he's concocting some sort of evil plot. We can't be sure.

Wide Awake

After a day of lots of long naps, Jack is now wide awake -- at 10:30 p.m. And we have a busy weekend ahead! His aunt Katie, as well as his great aunt Pat will be in town. And lots of friends will be stopping by, too. However, if tonight is any indication of what's to come, he'll sleep through everyone's visits, but he will be completely alert when it's time to go to bed.

Speaking of visitors, Jack already has met his Grandma Chris and Grandpa Steve, his aunt Jeannie and uncle Tony, his uncle Paul... and, of course, his aunt Margie, who was there when he was born (RIGHT there, in fact... and she may never recover:-). He is a pretty lucky kid.

The Calm Before the Projectile Vomit

Jack hung out, flashed some gang signs, did a little bit of the YMCA (in a nod to Peter's Native American heritage on his mother's side, he was the Indian Chief), and pointed to the bleachers in the back of the outfield in this video. Five minutes later he vomited all over our bed.

The Thinker

We have posted a bunch of photos in which Jack's eyes are closed -- this is Jack when he's wide awake!

Check out that sweet widow's peak! That's a Hoffmann trait...

We have fixed the blog photos, so hopefully, you all can see them a bit better. We are working on posting a video sometime soon, as well...

Professor Jack

This is what happens when two moderately productive people spend all day at home without much adult interaction...

Tough Day

Jack happily slept through the 45 minutes at the doctor's waiting room. Things changed when we moved to her examination room.

To get an accurate weight, the nurse asked us to change Jack's diaper. We began this process, prompting Jack to decide to urinate with the force of a popped fire hydrant. The urine arched back, towards his head, hit Patty and me, soaked his new outfit while obliterating the paper on the exam table. Jack's urine soaked lip began to tremble as we scrambled to clean up the mess.

We finally got things under control before the doctor made it to the back room. Jack was feeling at ease, as evidenced by his repeatedly passing gas - not once, but about a dozen times. They sounded wet, and a quick check confirmed he'd defacated in his new diaper.

The exam went well. Completely healthy, 95th percentile for height, 75th for weight, 50th for head size, and 100th for urination pressure.

First doctor visit. Jack is stressed.

Everything tastes better in frog jammies...

Another night of limited sleep...

...thanks to baying felines, a urination session that seemingly moistened Jack's whole body, a huge deposit of fecal matter, and inexperienced parents, but now it's almost 10am, the perfect time for a long baby nap.

Drunk on Formula

Mom and Dad shared a beer while Jack got smashed on Enfamil Premium.

He's a big eater...

Don't know where he picked up that trait. Never mind the nasty, brown belly button clamp.

Jack spent a lot of the day sleeping...

So it should be another crazy night at the Babb household, but it's never as wild here as it is at our neighbors' group houses*.

One set of our more recently graduated group house neighbors gave us an airplane-sized bottle of Jack Daniels (1) to celebrate the birth of our son and (2) to thank us for letting them use our hose and carpet shampoo last weekend after one of their friends barfed in the back of another friend's car.

*for those outside DC, high apartment rental rates in our section of Arlington (no less than $1,500 for a train-accessible, nicely maintained place) prompt recent graduates to band together to rent houses, rather than individual apartments, resulting in per head costs closer to $1,000. This means people with nice houses and massive mortgages in great neighborhoods frequently find Solo cups in their yards, and have deal with occasional raging parties.

A Faulty Equation

As it turns out, first night at home + duck jammies DOES NOT equal a good night's sleep...

I woke up this morning and said, "I feel like someone beat me up last night." And Peter said, "Someone kind of did." Jack definitely won the first round -- it was a tough night/early morning.

We want to post some pictures, but they all sort of look the same at the moment. We will post something soon, though -- keep an eye out.

Speaking of eyes, we are trying to get Jack to close his -- so we can close ours, too.

First night at home + duck jammies = good night of sleep?

Jack's home!

He likes his special swaddler (baby straight jacket) and looks so tiny in our Play Yard bassinet.

Quick nap before departure!

Getting ready to go home... First outfit!

After a satisfying meal...

Checking things out...

Jack just had his first bowel movement.

Mom's exhausted but fine, Jack just ate!

Patty had a little difficulty with dizziness after the birth, as she had nothing to eat all day, and lost a fair amount of blood, but two granola bars and a Clif bar helped get her back into shape.

8lbs 6 ounces - 21 inches long

And screaming like a banshee!

All strapped in!

We arrived at the Virginia Hospital Center this morning at 10:30am to prepare for the induction.

Pitocin was just added to IV!

At 6:45pm the epidural started flowing, and Patty saluted all of the mothers who successfully produced offspring without the aid of pain medication. Seeing her in such rough shape prior to the epidural gave me a much greater appreciation for modern medicine.

Contractions are close together, but are still not what the nurses would call 'regular', so we're not yet starting the countdown!

At 8pm I was using a foul term to describe a body part when the new charge nurse walked into the room unannounced. Patty and her sister, Marge, were mortified and I was definitely embarassed.

As of 8:35pm, Patty is 7cm dialiated and napping comfortably. She looks like an angel with IVs attached to her wings and a basketball hidden conspicously under her flowing gown.

At 8:45, Patty woke up and proclaimed she's feeling some rectal pressure (another signal that things are progressing). She'll probably delete this detail from the blog later this week.

Totally dialated at 10:20. Pushing will commence! The next time we post there will be a new Babb!

Breakfast of Champions

In anticipation of the big day, I woke up at 4 a.m. -- I haven't been this alert so early in the morning... ever.

I am feeling excited and nervous... and as ready as I imagine most first-time moms feel:-).

I kicked things off with a not-so-nutritious but totally delicious breakfast -- two Toaster Strudels. I rediscovered these fabulous frozen pastries during my pregnancy, and I love them. Love them so much. I mean, just look at those frosted delights.

After all, today doesn't simply mark the beginning of Baby Babb's arrival. It also is the start of the post-baby diet. Once the baby is here, Peter and I have agreed to say goodbye to pregnancy indulgences, at least for a while. No more Girl Scout cookie binges.

So, goodbye Toaster Strudels... hello Baby Babb!

P.S. The induction process could take quite a bit of time. Please don't worry! We will post news and pictures as soon as we can. Thank you for all the good wishes!

Fraternity Row

Despite my premonition that Baby Babb would arrive last night, he has not yet made an appearance. I think he is waiting until Monday.

So, we spent our last free Saturday shopping at Wegman's (love that place), buying a lamp for our den, putting together our new stroller...

Oh, yeah, and helping our neighbor clean his vomit out of his friend's car.

Have we not mentioned that we live on Fraternity Row?

Living in Arlington is great -- our commute to work is very short, and our house is close to lots of great bars and restaurants. It's a little like living in D.C... only less hip, but with terrific public schools and much less violent crime:-).

However, sometimes, living in Arlington is not-so-great, because it attracts recent college graduates in denial. Including our neighbors.

On any given Saturday night/Sunday morning, on either side of our house, there likely is a beer pong tournament underway (nothing lulls you to sleep quite like thumping bass). Flip cup anyone?

And sometimes, our neighbors puke in their friends' cars, and they need to borrow our hose and a scrub brush.

Are we just getting old?

Baby Room

T minus 3 days until induction! Actually, if I don't count today, it's only two days away! Hooray!

Lots of you have asked about Baby Babb's room, so I thought I'd post a couple photos for you. It basically is finished, though we don't have much on the walls... yet. I am sure we'll have tons of photos to hang once Baby Babb arrives.

By the way, how sweet is that diaper "cake?" Our friends Merissa and Jon made it for us. We can't bring ourselves to take it apart.

My favorite thing in the entire room (which is filled with cute stuff from friends and family -- thanks to everyone for so many wonderful gifts and hand-me-downs!), is the rocking chair from my mom and dad. It is really pretty and, equally important, very comfortable!

I was considering publishing a photo of myself -- prominently featuring my belly, of course -- today. I stumbled across a "photo booth" application on Peter's computer this morning, which allows you to take a photo of yourself as you are typing on the computer.

But oh boy... computer cameras are brutally honest. I think it's better for all of us if I avoid posting a self portrait. Trust me:-).

Inducing Labor

It was an uneventful trip to the doctor today -- my situation really has not changed. I am 2 centimeters dilated, and, though the baby has dropped a bit, he hasn't made much progress since last week. So, happily, we scheduled an induction for next Monday at 10:30 a.m. There is light at the end of the tunnel!

Though I am ready for the baby to arrive, the thought of one last free weekend is appealing. Still, this baby has surprised us before, so he may choose to make his debut sooner. We will keep you posted.

In other news, my quest to find a shirt that covers my entire belly remains a failure. Within the last week or so, everything I own has become too small!

Finally, it's officially allergy season in D.C. EVERYTHING -- inside and outside -- is covered in a layer of green pollen. If you are planning to visit within the next few weeks, pack your allergy meds!

The Before Baby Brood

Welcome to our blog!

We thought this would be a great way to share baby-related news with friends and family. Once Baby Babb arrives, please check back often for photos, videos, etc.

As of today, we are three days past our due date. What better time to get our blog up-and-running? It is another HOT day in D.C. (almost 90 degrees -- what is the point of having an April baby if you have to endure August temperatures?!?!)

Here's CC, doing the only thing she can do to stay cool today -- laying flat and still...

Tomorrow, we visit the doctor again to determine if/when to be induced. Yesterday's tests (nonstress and amniotic fluid index) went really well. Basically, Baby Babb remains very happy and comfortable in my belly. He probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

For now, I am working from home, eating (relatively) spicy food, and taking walks. Oh, and I am trying to explain to Ozzie that he won't be the baby for much longer.

Here he is, in the Pack n' Play. I swear, I didn't put him there.

Hoping we have exciting news to share very soon!