Happy December all

Just got back from Las Vegas for Thanksgiving this weekend. Visiting the relatives was great: Karl and Leslie came over from Denver and we stayed at Auntie Michelle, Uncle Andrew, and Cousin Kash and Cousin Haze's house in LV. We flew over on Thursday morning so the airport was rather dead. Hadden was fine on the plane ride down except that he crapped himself twice. Not a big deal except that this particular Southwest Air 737-700 did not have any changing tables. So, we had to take him into the micro-bathroom, put the toilet lid down, cover it with a blanket and try and do it there. Not nearly enough room. The first time we rather well (I got lucky with that one) but the second time he apparently peed all over his clothes while being changed. After some time in the lavatory, the door opens and two hands pass out a near-naked baby with just pampers on. Yvonne cleaned up the mess best she could and Hadden switched to the backup clothes, which unfortunately were not as cute as the starting team clothes. Not surprisingly nobody sat next to us in our row.

The above picture is from a vigorous 1.5 mile "hike" we did on Friday in Red Rocks. It was sunny but very windy and, thus, quite cold. Mom and dad brought lots of warm clothes for Hadden except forgot that his hands might be cold. The make-shift "gloves" he's wearing are actually Uncle Karl's extra socks - they're a bit big. At least someone was prepared. Thanks Uncle Karl.

Hadden loves his relatives and especially likes watching his cousins motor around the house. Nothing more entertaining that watching Kash get into trouble. Haze really enjoyed saying "baby" and pointing to Hadden. It was more like, "bay-bee" in a really cute baby way. Kash also still calls him "Baby Cheese" but now can also recite his name, "Hadden". In case you missed an earlier post, "cheese" came about from when Kash was in Hawaii and saw me on a visit and called me "Uncle Cheese" (closest he got to "Uncle Steve"). That made us the "Cheese" family with Uncle Cheese, Auntie Cheese and Baby Cheese (or "Baby Queso" as Gena likes to call him). Uncle Karl was also a big hit in the Sasson residence as Kash found out how much fun Uncle Karl can be. Uncle Karl?

On Saturday the gals (Yvonne, Michelle and Leslie) went for a spa treatment at the Bellagio so the boys went to...Hoover Dam (now who could have chosen that destination?). Karl, Steve and Hadden drove down to the dam (about 1 hour counting the traffic jam the last 4 miles) and walked around. There was no Michael Jackson moment with Hadden dangling over the side - we experienced Hoover Dam as safely as possible. Below...the boys in front of the new Hoover Dam bypass bridge being built.

The flight home was relatively uneventful and we started the new week with our new Nanny - Angela. She's great, from Peru and speaks Spanish. Anglea's been doing fantastic with Hadden - took him to storytime at the local library today. Yvonne's new job is going well so far (Microsoft) and Steve is still teaching/researching (in the proper ratio to obtain tenure) away.

Tonight we went to a volleyball game - the Huskies were in the the NCAA tournament and play their first 2 games at home. They won tonight 3 games to 2 (VERY close) over Missouri and Hadden slept through about 2/3 of the match. Thanks to Mommy for holding him almost the entire time. He even stayed asleep as Dad yelled quite loud at a couple of bad referee calls and match point.

Hadden's sleeping, Yvonne is fixin' to so I'll sign off and join them.

TTFN,

steve

Manly man...boy

Well, here Hadden is at month 7. Hard to believe he was born 7 whole month ago. As our friends Dave and Jenny say, "they grow up so fast but each day is an eternity".

(Hadden looking like a manly "fisherman" after a jog with dad)

Lots has happened since October (last blog post). New skills:

• "B" sound. At first this was an unsophisticated full bottom lip sound but it's progressed to an adult "B" sound that requires little effort. We think he' gifted. :-)
• Sitting. Can sit with relative ease. He falls over infrequently when his big head gets going too fast in one direction.
• Peek-a-boo game. Hadden's been doing this for a while but now it's hilarious. At first I was hiding my whole body but then I realized that just hiding my face with my hands was just as funny. Apparently, dad has some peek-a-boo learning to do.
• Eating solid food. Mom has been making various purees (squash, peas, pear, carrots, millet, quinoa, yams) and Hadden LOVES them. He can't seem to eat fast enough. On the down side, this has made crapping a bit more difficult (if we were to spin it I guess I would say it's now more "rewarding").

Hadden's also gaining dexterity. It's fun to watch him play with objects now because he tends to twirl them slowly in his hands to see all the different aspects of a 3-D object. We got him a set of rubber blocks that I can stack (he knocks them over) and he can chew but his favorite toys are still kitchen related, including spoon (both wooden and regular flatware spoon), whisk, spatula and anything else out of the utensil drawer.

(Hadden being manly and driving a tractor with dad)

Today we went to a baby show put on by something like the Northwest mother entrepreneur association. They had baby legs (http://www.babylegs.net/) and other stuff there including some cool blankets and bags. Hadden slept through the whole thing (a good thing) but mom and dad spent some $. I am amazed at the engineering and art that goes into modern baby things. I doubt you could find anything this cool at Babies R Us. I was one of the few men at this event but that's not totally unusual.

In 2 weeks we will all be heading down to my sister's house (auntie Michelle) to see cousins Haze and Kash over Thanksgiving. Bonus, Leslie (Yvonne's sister) and Karl (husband, uncle and great guy) will be there too. Should be fun.

steve

Almost 1/2 a year (by Hadden)

Well,

You may be checking here because you are wondering how I'm doing 1/2 year into my life. Not bad, I must say. Dad recently went to South Africa and got me the national rugby team shirt (they're the Springboks). Everyone seems to agree I'm a rugby looking guy right now.

I hear that my English relatives are big rugby players/fans. Others tell me that all the good rugby national teams are south of the equator.

As you can see, I've gained lots of weight in the last few months. Mom and Dad have not had me officially weighed yet but I'm about 19 lbs and 28 inches - a chunk. My head's big enough that it's still difficult to sit up for long periods of time because once that head gets going in a certain direction it's tough to arrest it. I have gained some new skills recently:

• Saying things like, "da, da, da, da..." and other basic jibber-jabber
• Sitting in my stroller without the baby bucket (like a big baby)
• Sleeping in my car seat (I did several hours on the way back from camping at Icicle Creek near Levenworth, WA)
• Bulking up (just look at my 'Boks photo). My Aunt Michelle says I should go on the Atkins program.

Despite the numerous baby play toys I have my favorite things to play with are hair, newspaper, spoons, plastic chip bag clips, straws, beer bottles and pretty much anything else that isn't mine. I'm also a pretty big sports fan but I'm not sure I've had a choice in the matter so far. I've been to 1 Mariners baseball game, 2 Husky football games and 2 Husky volleyball games. I also like going for walks because I love being outside and there is so much to look at there. Shopping is also great - especially at the open market, which is sadly done until next Spring - because there are also many different things to look at.

Finally, Dad got out his old sweater and hat because it was getting cold out and was a bit small for him. Mom dressed my up in it (originally made by Grandma Jane) and I'm wearing it today as Dad writes this - yes, Dad is writing this, not me. I can't type yet. I can bang on the keyboard and send e-mail but there's really no structure to my computer skills yet. That said, I can't wait to buy my first thing on ebay or do my first Google search. Perhaps I'll look for "chip bag plastic clips" or "endless baby formula".

Mom and Dad both think I'm doing pretty well although they both wish I'd sleep on a more regular schedule and for longer periods of time. When I do, I'm very good at auto-entertaining. Right now I usually last about 5 hours in my crib at night (not bad) but my daytime naps are too short. Dad keeps saying duct tape would help but I'm not sure what that means. The way I see it, there are just too many things to see and do on this earth and I'm not sure I've got time to waste sleeping.

TTFN,

Hadden

Hawaii

Hello all,

Hadden is back from Hawaii and everyone had a great time. Hadden got to meet his great grandmother (Nana), his auntie (Michelle), and his two cousins (Kash and Haze). Thanks to Michelle for putting up the "cheese family" (more on that later) at her place near Kailua Beach and thanks to Mom and Dad for the time at their place and thanks to everyone for coming over multiple times to "share in the love". There certainly was a lot of love to go around with three small, vocal children all under the age of 3.

Above: Four generations of Muench folks (the youngest of the fourth is NOT happy while the other 4th is eating yet another banana).

The plane ride over was fantastic as Hadden slept for 3 of the 5.5 hours and allowed us to watch two crappy movies (Epic Movie and Smokin' Aces). He was even quiet (for the most part) on the car ride to Kailua. My sister, Michelle, and her two kids (Kash - 2.5 and Haze - 1) along with Geena are staying the summer in a beach rental across the street from Kailua Beach and offered to put us up while we were in town. Each morning we would all pile in the vehicles and drive over to grandma and grandpa's house at about 7:15am. It seems early but we generally got up with the kids at about 6am anyway.

Apparently we have become the "cheese family" because Kash, back in June, referred to his "uncle Steve" as "uncle cheese" (which is pretty close, really). That then made Yvonne "Auntie Cheese" (Kash's idea), which obviously made Hadden "Baby Cheese" (G's idea). Baby Cheese did wonderful in Hawaii - most nights going to bed between 7 and 9pm and getting up at the crack of dawn. He got to go swimming in the ocean, go swimming in the pool, get pushed (in a stroller) in Kailua Beach Park and see grandma and grandpa's house. I must say that the overprotective parents made sure Baby Cheese was in his UV protection suit (quite cute) with sunscreen when he was in the sun. Michelle was wonderful, offering to babysit BC (Baby Cheese) one night while we went out to Alan Wong's restaurant. He slept like a champ while we were out. Nice job G and Michelle!

Seeing everyone and playing with Kash and Haze was fun and gave us a glimps of the joys (and issues) to come with Hadden. Kash, "Kashito Diablito" loves lizzards and helicopters, which is an interesting combination. Haze, "Bonita Flower" is all about the flowers. She also started walking in July.

Our six days in paradise were over sooner that we would have liked so we headed back to Seattle on August 9th. Hadden was "OK" on the way back - much more bouncing in the back of the airplane than on the way over but we did all right in the end. Yvonne thinks he got a B+ on the way back but I think that's a bit high, however I can understand the high grade coming from his mom.

After being in a house full of children for a couple of days it amazes me how much their lives are driven by learning - Kash and Haze seem to spend their waking hours figuring out the universe one tinker toy at a time. It's what drives them to get up and what makes them happy. I see it in Hadden too when he does something like figure out where his feet are (BIG smiles for that one). People often call me "childish" or "still a little kid" and I guess I'm fine with that because kids play, cry, eat, make messes, etc. but central to it all is learning. Not a bad day's work.

steve

Back from Denver (from Hadden - sort of)

Hi everyone (or at least the 2 or 3 that read this sometimes),

I'm back from my first trip on an airplane. Mom and I and Grandma Wendy went to Denver for 10 days. I went over with Mom and Grandma and came back with Mom and Dad (he had another conference to go to in Austin, TX beforehand). Everyone wants to hold you and as you can see by my expression in the photo - I'm not always focused on the joy of the moment.

I got to meet all the Lush folks - quite a clan. I got to meet just about everyone - I've got lots of cousins including Derek, Evan, Anna Rose, Jack, Culley, Max, Alec, Sophia, Erica, Greg, Torey and Daisy. What do my Lush Aunts and Uncles do all day? Auntie Leslie and Uncle Karl shared their house with us and I got to stay in what I call the "Hadden Room" (first floor, next to the bathroom - if you get to stay there in the future, request the "Hadden Room"). Uncle Karl eats a lot but only once a day and no sweets to speak of. Aunt Leslie (I hear Max used to call her "yea-yea") looks a lot like my Mom (especially given my eyesight) and lives in a great place with Uncle Karl. They do, however, need a new car.

I was given a grade of "A" for my trip to Denver because I didn't really fuss too much. I must say that perhaps your Mom and Grandmother don't provide the most objective grades. While there it was really hot so mostly I ran around in a diaper only (actually it's a Pamper). I got lots to eat but on Friday I decided I didn't like bottles any more. Dad and Mom have no idea why but Dad did go out to Safeway at midnight on Friday night to get another brand of formula and new bottle nipples thinking that was the cause - nope. Once I got back to Seattle I decided to like bottles again. Dad thinks it's the Denver water. I'm not telling.

Some of my accomplishments this last 10 days:

• Made it to Denver and back.


• Took a huge dump in the Seatac airport before I left (my parents consider big dumps "accomplishments" - should not be too hard to impress these idiots)


• Screamed every time I got put in my car seat; affectionately known as the "bucket".


• Kept Mom up late on several occasions. Actually, that's too easy to really be considered an accomplishment.


• Grabbing stuff. I'm getting pretty good at grabbing stuff. Mom say's I do it mostly with my left hand (my right hand pretty much stays in a clenched fist no matter what I try). Also, she thinks it's funny that I raise my right leg when I'm concentrating. I see no problem with this.


• Went to 2 outdoor concerts. I've already been to 3 concerts in my life and I'm only 3 months old. I'm such a music person although I think it's okay to scream in the middle of the concert if you feel like it.

Everyone totally looked at me in the Denver Airport - I guess because I was getting a carriage ride to the gate. Mom and Dad say I was a good baby on the way back to Seattle. Although, I suspect that their rating of my behavior is more a reflection of their ability to deal with my needs rather than any concious decisions I make about my behavior. If they want to project their ability to deal with a baby onto my "behavior" I say, "whatever floats your boat". Give me some milk.

I am looking forward to my trip to Hawaii in August and am trying to get a tan and some new swimwear before I go.

-HTM

Closing in on 3

It's been two weeks, which is about 1/6 of Hadden's life, since the last post. Hadden will be 3 months old next week (July 12th to be exact). He's gaining weight well now - yesterday he was 11 lbs, 13 oz at the doctor's office. That's still light for his 25 inches of height but getting better.

Recent happenings:

• Went to his first baseball game - saw the Mariners win (figuratively - he probably didn't see them at all - but he did see a bunch of folks in his immediate vicinity).


• Went to a Madaleine Pereoux concert at Chateau Ste. Michelle. Not bad, we got there just before she started and he was pretty good for the whole thing. Again, don't think he saw Madaleine but perhaps he heard some of the music.


• Hadden laughs. He can laugh now...or at least chuckle. That helps mom and dad.


• Hadden goes out to dinner. He's been to a variety of baby-friendly restaurants including the Barking Dog, Gorgeous Georges, and a pizza place in Wallingford.

So this stuff seems to be more about mom and dad but that's okay. Usually we know what he's on about when he's crying now (or at least we make up good reasons, e.g., he's tired, he's hungry, he's bored), which helps. Top three things used to stop Hadden fussing:

1. Eating. Obvious, enough said. Although sometimes he fussed while eating.
2. Crack ball. The exercise bouncy ball that we got from Sandy and Peter (our neighbors with 1-yr old twins) is so effective Yvonne calls it the "crack ball".
3. Walking up and down stairs. Perhaps he enjoys the thrill that mom or dad could tumble down the stairs at any time. Or, perhaps he likes the bouncing motion (see #2).
4. Walk around the neighborhood. You must carry him (placing in the stroller doesn't work).

Other Hadden features: he doesn't like his car seat and doesn't particularly like riding in the car, likes to face out when held, enjoys staring at himself in the mirror (is it narcissistic if he doesn't even know it's him he's staring at?), usually dislikes diaper changes, has a small bald spot on the back of his head, likes to 'boobie sleep" (sleep right after feeding very near to mom).

Next week - Denver! (and then a visit in August to Grandma/Grandpa and Aunt Michelle and cousins Kash and Haze in Hawaii).

TTFN...

The Smorgasborg of Life

Well, it's been a couple of weeks and everyone seems to be doing fine. Hadden has gained some weight - he's gone from 10 lbs to 10 lbs 12 oz in a matter of about 10 days. That's good. The secret? We're cheating...sort of. He gets 4 oz. of formula in the evenings every day. The rest is from Yvonne.

We bought tickets for Hadden's first airplane ride - to Denver in the middle of July. We'll see how he does. His will be the first generation that grows up with domestic airlines lack of service being the norm. Perhaps Hadden will someday recall with fondness the one pack of fake butter flavored pretzels he got on his first airline flight.

Status of skills:

• Smiling continues at a greater pace
• Looking at himself in the mirror and smiling (can babies have "vanity" yet?)
• Hiccuping (all babies manage this one)
• Watching TV - it's bad but if we're in the TV room and he's there he usually turns his head as much as he can to see the TV. Haven't figured out any favorite programming but we're hoping for Hawaii Five-O and ESPN.

Father's day was good all around. First, Yvonne made a coffee cake for breakfast and both Hadden and Yvonne got me shirts. Then, I got to play softball and come home to have a dinner from the barbeque. Despite it being Father's Day, it was still mostly about Hadden. I'm sure Yvonne can attest after her first Mother's Day.

My Struggle (again, as told to Steve)

Hello all (or perhaps no one),

It's been a couple of weeks since the last post. I'm now 7.5 weeks old (52 days). That's a long time in baby weeks and even longer in dog years (I think).

Check out my new "group" at Snapfish. All my photos are at: http://scootermuench.snapfish.com/snapfish

Dad says you can go there and view all my pictures, post comments, upload pictures of your own, and waste more time than you mean to. You need this password to get in: "scooter".

Of significant note, I met my grandparents on Dad's side last week. Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jane flew out from Hawaii to see me over Memorial Day weekend. I gave them the full repetoire; some fussing, some smiles, some pee/poop and some sleep. I seem to be losing my touch because while they were here they got the back and front patios weeded, a bunch of new plants planted and the planter strip on the curb weeded. Normally, I pride myself on preventing folks from getting stuff done. I am anti-productivity in general. Anyway, I love my grandparents and I hear they live in Hawaii. They also told me about my cousins in Las Vegas - I've got to get me down there and roll some bones with the extended family crew. Hey, Haze is 1 year old today! Shout out to Haze and keep on truckin'.

An inventory of my life to date follows. New skills:

• Drooling (not sure it's a skill but I can do it now)
• Hand sucking (ditto the above comment)

Other items of note:

• Smiling: frequency is up - I smile more now - just not for the camera that often.


• Bodily functions: consistent, although Dad gave up tracking them on Trixie Tracker.


• Sleep: about the same. I still don't like my crib or even the co-sleeper next to Mom and Dad's bed. At this point, they should really start calling it the Muench family bed...because that's what it's become.


• Height: taller now. Something like 24 inches - the 2-ft milestone!


• Weight: Issues here. I'm still only a feather over 10 lbs. Should be more, like 11 or 12 lbs. Mom and Dad are trying some things in concert with Molly (my ND) to bulk me up. People think I'm either (1) a newborn - which I resent...hey, I'm 7+ weeks old, don't lump me together with those rookies, or (2) a premie - hey, I wasn't born early; I was born late. Stay tuned on this one. Gotta gain some weight some how. Perhaps M+D will need to supplement for a while, perhaps not. We'll see.


• Fussiness: consistent, about 3 units/day. Perhaps a bit down. I think M+D found out some of that fussiness was related to the weight gain (or non-gain) issue. Hey, I've got to sumo up here.


• Baths: more frequent now. I like the bath or shower part. Really dislike the getting out and drying off part.


• Baby wipe warmer: Good gracious, I never thought M+D would buy one but they did. It's a bit nicer on my bum during a change but hasn't really changed my attitude about changes like they'd hoped.

I'm sure there's more but I've got to eat.

TTFN,

Haddy

Hadden's Memoirs (as told to Steve Muench)

Whoa, last post here was on May 5th - the old man is slacking off. Since then I've experienced 40% more of my life - so much to talk about. Life goes by so fast when you're eating, sleeping, pooping and crying. Well, where do I start? Recently, I've taken to dropping "fuss bombs" and the most opportune times. A "fuss bomb" is where I wait for mom and dad to get comfortable and give them the idea that they can do something for themselves and then I start fussing...a lot. It's really fun, like I'm in total control of the situation. Mom and dad think it's a lot like that amp'd mobile commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLwrsuqbmxg&mode=related&search)...., "you shake your junk!"

I must also confess that I do sleep for long periods of time too. You can check out my current record at my Trixie Tracker site (http://go.trixietracker.com/site/hadden/sleep?stats). Dad has far too much time to keep updating this every time I go to the bathroom. It's going to be so embarrassing when I get to be a teenager.

I am now over 10 lbs based on my growth trend and the weight at my last doctor's checkup. My doctor is Molly Litton at Emerald City clinic. Her place is close by and mom and dad already know her, which is good. She's an ND (naturopathic doctor) vs. and MD so I get more exotic stuff that's, in general, less harmful to me. Currently, I'm taking acidophilus and mom's taking cod liver oil and some other stuff.

Mom and dad tried cloth diapers on me but I soundly defeated them by blowing out every diaper they put on me. After about 3 or 4 days of this they got tired of changing all my clothes every time I peed or pooped. I'm back in Pampers now (which, blow out much less than the Huggies equivalent) but they said they are going to try cloth again later on when I'm bigger although I can't imagine getting much bigger than 10 lbs. That's huge...I've got to start working out more. I hear flailing your arms and legs around while crying is a good low-impact arobic workout. Similar to swimming - especially if you don't know how to swim.

Ta-ta for now,

HTM.

3 Weeks

Hadden is just over 3 weeks now. Things are still going great - he gets all the milk he wants and gets to sleep whenever. Honestly, his parents are pretty happy when he sleeps and will not take to calling him lazy until he enters high school and sleeps this much. Outfitted him in his proper British jumper the other day as a shout out to the English Reids. Well done and top drawer. Not to be outdone, the French have made an appearance as well with Aunt Karen and Uncle Stan's Petit Pompier (little fireman) outfit. So add to Hadden's many nicknames (Scooter, Buster, Chi-Chi, Frogger, etc.) "Le Petit Pompier", which is really fun to say.


The photos above are on the Snapfish account. You can download these two and a shot of him in his pampers and you've got a kind of an "I see London, I see France, I see Hadden's underpants" collection.

Today, we went to a baby wearing class to get some badly needed instruction on how to "wear" Haddy in slings, packs, etc. After class we bought a Moby D (http://www.mobywrap.com/) and wrapped him up. After a trip to the coffee shop (Yvonne's request) and a trip to REI for their annual sale I must say he's done well in the Moby. 3+ hours and not a complaint!

Right now he's just finished looking at something out the front window again (I think it's just the light and the contrast it creates) and is now eating again. I am thinking that because he slept all day he may not allow mom and dad to watch a movie tonight in the basement. We'll see. He's got a doctor's appointment on Tuesday (routine) so perhaps more drivel then.


steve

More of the Everyday

Well, Hadden is about 2 weeks old now. He is twice as old as he was last week. Still, his major talents are eating, pooping/peeing, crying and sleeping. No matter what we dress him in it seems it's only a matter of hours before he either soils it or pees on it. Yes, we are using pampers - I guess we're just working on our pampering/diapering skills. We've signed up for a diaper service and are going to try the sustainable route (altough there is a fair amount of controversy over this).

Yvonne is doing better now but is still recovering from the C-section surgery - still not allowed to lift anything heavier than a baby in a baby carrier. Leslie (her sister) is here this week so they are doing work and taking care of Hadden during the day while I go in to school to try and catch up on all the stuff that's passed me by the last couple of weeks. I'm trying to stay home on Tuesdays and Thursdays (I teach the other days) and so far I think it's doable.

We are thankful Hadden is a good sleeper. Typically, he'll hit the sack between 11pm and midnight and sleep until the 3-4am hour. Then he'll go down again until about 8-9am. That gives us enough sleep to carry on...usually.

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by, helped, given us food or baby clothes or extra pampers or baby toys. It's all much appreciated. We are still working through all the food and it's great. Tonight was enchiladas from Cathy, last night was chicken in a tomato sauce with potatos from Sara and the night before was pulled pork sandwiches from Bill and Anne. We have stockpiled a few frozen casseroles ourselves and will begin working through the remainder of those too. We have a great baked bean recipe frozen but are a bit afraid of eating it all and then watching Scooter get all "windy" on us. Some of his farts and poops are quite impressive - no pictures, I promise. Right now he's sleeping with mom upstairs and I just got home from a soccer game and finished dinner. Grandma Wendy says he changes every day and I'd say she' right. Can't wait to see him tomorrow.

steve

1 Week Old

Hadden is now one week old and doing well. I'm writing this with Hadden in the baby sling sleeping. He's pretty tolerant of movement/noise etc.(unless he's hungry). It has been a joy having him at home these last few days and Wendy (Yvonne's mom) has been a tremendous help since we got back from the hospital. All that and she didn't even take the "grandmother class" that Swedish Hospital offered.

I do get some sleep (see Trixie Tracker for Hadden's sleep patterns - web address is in the 17 April post or below Hadden's picture on the right) and he's quite the attraction around here. I can't remember the last time I crapped my pants and had everyone in the house come running to see it. Actually, I'm not sure that's ever happened. Currently (if you're interested) it's about like honey mustard barbeque sauce. That's normal.

Leslie arrives on Monday and Wendy will be back this Saturday so Hadden is busy getting ready by sleeping, eating and going to the bathroom (his only three talents if you don't count being really cute). Personally, I am falling further behind in work because I'm taking as much time off as I can to help out and be with Scoot but it doesn't seem to matter too much. I'm teaching 2 classes in person and 1 online this quarter so at a minimum I have to go in MWF when I teach my classes and have office hours. I do tend to do the online class from home and I can answer lots of questions from the other two classes via online discussion boards.

Well, that's all for now.

steve

Some Fun Links

Quick entry before I go to bed tonight (I'm sure only to be woken soon). I've started a photo album area for Haddens' stuff at Snapfish:

Birth stuff: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=159917736/a=19125389_19125389/t_=19125389

First month: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=159917738/a=19125389_19125389/t_=19125389

Also, I've started a trial of Trixie Tracker, an online service that tracks mindless stuff about your baby. Actually, as you may know, it's useful to track these things early on. Anyway, take a look at: http://go.trixietracker.com/site/hadden

The password to get in is "scooter". How many poopy diapers has Hadden had in his life? Eight so far (out of a total of 24 diaper changes). You get the idea.

steve

The rest of the birth (part 2 of a 2 part series)

So...we had a couple more pelvic exams and dilation was going nicely and finally, in the early evening hours (something like 8pm) the baby was at +2 station and we were ready to start pushing. However, we had noted decels when Yvonne switched to certain positions and the doctor was concerned that the pushing, the most traumatic part of labor for the baby, would probably cause more. We tried a serices of pushes that seemed to go okay but then the doctor noted that the baby was OP (occipent posterior - face-up, not the preferred position but acceptable).

We talked about the distinct possibility of a C-section if the baby's heartrate went down and didn't recover and the timing of it. In the end, we decided to go into the operating room and push there. After a couple of tries, the baby was doing okay but it just seemed like we were in a position where a C-section was the better option. In my mind I was pretty sure that was where we were headed when we talked several hours ago. I give the doctor credit for trying for a vaginal birth.

The procedure was over quickly - it's very cold in the operating room (OR) and I hung out with "upper Yvonne" while the doctor worked on "lower Yvonne". We were separated by small curtain. Hadden came out fine and I got to hold him a moment later. They stitched up Yvonne with hadden lying by her face and we went back to the labor and delivery room where Wendy (Yvonne's mom) and Sara (cousin) visited for an hour or two. We are now in the post-partum wing of the hospital and will be here until Sunday as Yvonne recovers from the surgery. Everyone's doing well and sleeping a lot. Yvonne has graduated from ice chips (post surgery) to orange juice and graham crackers, Steve has graduated from bench to roll-away bed. Both good things. The cats (Kent and Adele) have no idea what they are in for...

Vital statistics:

Name: Hadden Thomas Muench (not "Scooter")
Birth time: 9:26 p.m., April 12th, 2007.
Birth weight: 8 lbs, 6.2 oz.
Height (I prefer to call it that although most say "length"): 20.5 inches

Love to everyone and thanks for the support and love back. It's all appreciated and makes me thing Hadden will grow up in a world that has a hell of a lot going for it - despite what you may read in the newspapers from time to time. People are, in general, good, love is alive and human life is a great thing. Especially when it's your son.

Love, steve

My delivery story...so far (as interpreted by Steve)

So, morning of April 11th we had an ultrasound at 7:15am. Everything looked fine except the anmiotic fluid level was low (it rated a 6, normal being something like 10-11 or so we are told). It wasn't REALLY low (some have a 1 or 2 score) but low enough that we had to go to the Doctor's office when she opened at 8:30am. There, Dr. Harvey said that "scotter" (we'll call him that until he's named) needed to come out based on the low fluid level.

Nothing was happening on the labor front so we checked in to Swedish First Hill and were set to get a Cervidal supository (it's got proglastigens) to help ripen the cervix. Proglastigen is the hormone thought to help with this ripening. This was going to happen in the Triage area but that area (where all check-ins for births go first) was full so we went to an antipartum room (before labor). While there Scotter had a deceleration ("decel") where his heart rate goes down at the end of a contraction (these contractions were really minor - Yvonne only felt mild discomfort). That immediately got us into a "labor and delivery" room, which is much nicer.

In the L&D room Yvonne got the Cerividal, which is supposed to take 12 hours to work. So we waited 12 hours, which put us at 1am. When done, nothing much - still at 1cm but ripening. During those 12 hours we had a couple more decels, which prompted the doctor on call to suggest Pitocin (an artificial form of oxytocin - the hormone that causes contractions and other stuff like "love") to start contractions and see if Scotter could tolerate them. If not, C-section. Well, contractons started and he was fine during them. It just seemed to be certain positions that caused the decels so Yvonne avoided those positions.

Fast forward to 12 noon on April 12th. Contractions were 60-90 seconds long and 2-3 minutes apart - and they hurt like hell (contractions, and especially ones from Pitocin, are known for that). After a few barfs from the pain (REALLY not pleasant) and Yvonne's water breaking after a Doctor check of her dilation (disappointingly still at 1 cm) we ordered an epidural, which was adminstered at about 1pm by a nice English anesthesiologist. Worked great. Yvonne's feeling better. Currently, we've got something in to spit back some clean saline solution into her uterus to provide Scooter with a bit of a cushion as well as all the usual monitors.

So here we sit, waiting out contractions and dilations. Where do we go from here? Tune in soon. So far the only part of our birth plan that we followed is that we want to have a birth. I guess that's the important part. We are, however, realists so we're doing fine right now.

steved

Happy Easter - still no baby

Well the April 3rd due date came and went - uneventfully. Scooter isn't showing signs of making his move for the outside world. In addition to passing the time with general nesting activities, which has prompted Steve to ask if he should just connect the vacuum cleaner to my hip, I have also mailed off our taxes and got a pedicure - so clearly I'm ready! And with the exception of the back-ordered crib, the nursery is ready too. Here are a few pictures of that.

- Yvonne

P.S. Thanks so much to everyone who has called and emailed checking in! It makes me feel very special, and I also get a kick out of your reactions if I don't call back in a timely manner. Leslie get's the prize for perserverance i.e. calling the most (apparently my lack of response made her wonder if she'd somehow been purged from "the call list" despite being my sister...) But Sonja get's the prize trying another tack. She Steve instead - while he was giving a lecture, causing his students to momentarily think he was getting "THE call".

Outie

Scooter is waiting patiently to make his entrance into the world.