Portraits

We spent much of yesterday (Connor's 1 week birthday) at home taking pictures of our boys….














...And no portrait session would be complete without the "wine bottle photo". Ryan is on the left, Connor on the right.

Connor: The 1st Week

We've successfully made it through Connor's first week. So far things have been uneventful. He sleeps 22 hrs per day, waking only to feed every 3 hrs or so.  I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but relative to Ryan, he's been a very mellow and easy baby. (Brooke thinks it's just because we're better prepared…and the amount of work and sleep deprivation is the same.)

By the end of Week 1, he is consuming approximately 15 oz of breast milk per day.  He is awake 3 - 4 hrs per day.  He's already outgrown most of Ryan's newborn-sized clothes, which Ryan wore until he was around a month old.



The following is a video of Connor sleeping.  That's all it is…Connor sleeping.  Don't expect a grand finale…

Connor's Birth Timeline

Monday 10/8
Brooke begins maternity leave earlier than planned due to sciatica.  (Connor's big head was pressing on both the left and right sciatic nerves causing Brooke extreme back pain).

Monday 10/15
The pregnancy is full term.  At a regularly scheduled OB appointment, Brooke's cervix was measured at 4cm and 75% effaced, but no signs of contractions.

Thursday 10/18 9am
Brooke has a few light contractions, approx 10 minutes apart.  She calls me to come home from work. By 10am the contractions seem to lessen.

Thursday 10/18 12pm
The contractions begin again, they are spaced at 5-7 minutes apart but are very mild, so Brooke is unconcerned.

Thursday 10/18 2pm
Brooke still isn't sure if she is in labor.   I convince Brooke that we're getting close to rush hour and, even if we don't go to the hospital, we should at least cross the 520 bridge and drive into Seattle.  Brooke finally agrees.

Thursday 10/18 3pm
As we're about to leave our home, the contractions are becoming significantly more intense.  We head straight for the hospital.

Thursday 10/18 3:30pm
We check-in at the hospital.

Thursday 10/18 3:45pm
A physical exam shows Brooke is already 7cm dilated and 100% effaced.

Thursday 10/18 4:00pm
The picture below shows Brooke in between contractions and still cheery...

Thursday 10/18 4:30pm
Brooke gets an epidural, but it has no effect and provides no pain relief.
By this time, the room was quite lively.  There were 3 doctors, 1 medical student, 3 anesthesiologists, 2 delivery nurses, 1 pediatric nurse…and the two-yr-old boy of Brooke's OB (she had to rush to the hospital on her day off).  

Thursday 10/18 4:50pm
Brooke is fully dialated (10cm).
The anesthesiologists have given up making adjustments and tell Brooke to continue giving birth without a functioning epidural.
The two-yr-old boy's father arrives at the hospital to collect him.
The doctors break the amniotic sac, allowing the baby to move down the birth canal, shifting the pressure on Brooke's spine, and immediately Brooke feels the effects of the epidural.  Just in time to start pushing.

Thursday 10/18 5:12pm
Connor is born….just 1hr 42 min after arriving at the hospital.

Brooke and Connor 3 hrs after birth...

Day 2...

And just before being discharged from the hospital, we finally decide on the name...

Happy Birthday Connor!

Connor Owen was born on Thursday Oct 18th at 5:12pm.  His stats were:

8 lbs 5.5 oz

21.5 inches long

13.5 inch head circumference

(we'll try to post more details & photos later today)

Swim Lessons

Ryan started swim lessons this September.  Ryan has never liked swimming, so we knew swimming lessons were going to be a challenge.  We were pleasantly surprised by how well his first lesson went.  The instructor picked Ryan up, got him into the water, and told us to go upstairs to the viewing area.  While he did cry a bit, and was obviously scared for a while, he eventually started to loosen up and enjoy himself.  By the end he was asking for more time in the pool.

Photos from the first swim lesson….





Then, during his second swim lesson, THE INCIDENT happened.  Since then, he's refused to go back to swim lessons.  And when we take him to the pool ourselves, he's hysterical the entire time...

Leavenworth & Stutzman

On Sept 2nd, we make our 3rd annual trip to Leavenworth and the Stutzman Ranch for U-pick fruit.  We got our usual fruits (nectarines, apples, pears) and for the first time, they had grapes!  The grapes were amazing.  The tasted like Jolly Ranchers candy…

Lu's visit

Here are photos from August when our friend Lu visited.  We were able to do many Seattle tourist things that we had never done before.  Our activities included:
- visiting the Fremont Troll and the Ballard Locks
- taking a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island just to get ice cream
- going to the first Starbucks store
- going up to the Columbia Tower Observation Deck on the 73rd floor (the Starbucks on the 40th floor also offers amazing views…and it's FREE)
- taking the Seattle Underground Tour

Baby kicking at 38 weeks

Ryan jumping

Here's Ryan jumping at 3yr 1mo old…