Hello all! It’s been a quick month since the birth of Avin and I have to say, It’s been a wonderful first month! A big change has happened and Adrienne and I are taking it in with open arms.

I was a little apprehensive at first about how I was going to handle a newborn baby, but as soon as I held him the first time, none of that worry mattered anymore. Parenting seemed to come so naturally that I never needed to double check myself about holding him, changing him, or feeding him. Our family was incredibly wonderful and made sure to help us out when we needed and also give us the space to relax during the chaos of it all.

Avin has been doing extremely well, and we couldn’t have asked for such a perfect boy! Everyone keeps telling us that we’re lucky to have such a calm and alert baby, so we must be blessed. Thanks to the book my sister recommended to us, Babywise, we’ve been able to keep a pretty good schedule of parent directed feeding which allows the entire family to be happy and get enough sleep to make it through the day.

I may be getting ahead of myself when I say this but, taking care of this baby isn’t half as hard as everyone makes it out to be! We figured out a comfortable controlled chaos atmosphere where everything important gets done and everyone stays happy, including baby. We’ll see what becomes as he gets older, but I doubt Adrienne and I will have any problems with him since he’s so amazing already!

BULLY!

This day will be a day Adrienne and I will forever remember. An amazingly beautiful yet terrifying day. I’m not sure I can even think of the words that would come close to describing the emotions that were flowing through all of us yesterday.

The Thursday before we had decided to induce labor because it wasn’t looking like her cervix was going to be opening anytime soon, and the baby being 4 days late already, he really needed to get out of there! We arrived at the hospital at Monday morning at 5AM. Neither of us had slept the night before because of the anticipation of what would happen the next day. Early in the day they decided to give her (drug escapes me now) which is just a gel tablet placed inside to help the cervix to open. While waiting for this drug  to work they drew some blood to make sure everything was looking a-okay. Unfortunately they weren’t. Adrienne had an abnormally low amount of platelets in her blood, and on top of that her blood pressure was starting to rise. During the course of the day they ran 3-4 more blood test which all revealed her platelets sinking lower and lower. At this point our doctor had told us that she indeed had preclampsyia and could become a serious problem if her platelets kept dropping. Since the platelets were so low they decided upon not allowing us to induce with pitocen, and also not allowing the use of a epidural.

Considering the size of the baby and not being able to use an epidural, or any other drugs because of her high blood pressure, the only other option was a c-section, and the doctor made it clear that it had to happen now. My subconscious must have known something because that uneasy feeling I felt on the way to the hospital that morning was now justified.  Adrienne had been poked and prodded, wires everywhere, machines all over the place, and now had to go into surgery to make sure our son was able to get out there and take his first breath!

I wasn’t able to join her in the surgery room, which was horrible, because I couldn’t imagine how scared she was in there, and her parents and myself were stuck in her labor room waiting for the word. The word came, about an hour after she left the room and we immediately ran up to the nursery to make sure everything was well. And indeed it was.

The moment I saw him was surreal to say the least.  I kept telling myself, “This is your son, this is your son!” but my brain never replied back. I couldn’t stop staring, i couldn’t take myself out of the moment, and it lasted forever.

I was still worried about Adrienne’s condition and left my son in the nursery to see how she was doing. She was in an immense amount of pain as anyone can imagine, and it was horrible not being able to do anything about it. And through all of this pain, she still managed to smile for the rest of us.  At this moment she is now anemic, but making a speedy recovery. Her blood pressure is getting better and her platelet count is almost back to average. The doctor is letting us go home tomorrow (wednesday) after they take out the staples and glue the incision, OUCH!

There are so many things I’m feeling right now, and so much I wish I was able to say and express because I’ve never felt as alive as I do now in this very moment. I want to say thanks to all of our family and friends who supported us through the ridiculously long 9 months of anticipation. I know that all of you will still help and support us through Avin’s life and that is more than we could ever ask for. We love you all!

Avin Koan Keller, born June 2, 2008 at 3:46pm. 9 Ibs!!!!!!! 

My wife never ceases to amaze me. She’s 39 weeks pregnant and still goes to work full time, and will continue to go to work right up until her due date on the 25th. Through all the back aches, ankle swelling, and having to use the bathroom every 5 minutes she still manages to get up in the morning and deal with the grind of a 9-5 day at work, and I love her for it.

I took this photo in hopes that it will be the last photo taken during pregancy. She hates it, so of course I had to post it!

It’s amazing to think how my wife has been able to handle carrying our child for 9 months now. It’s even more amazing to think that he will finally be here with us any day now. Thinking about all this has made the last couple weeks move the slowest since we first found out she was pregnant.

I really don’t have much to say and my mind is all over the place gearing up for his arrival, and I hope that the next time I update this blog will be the announcement of his birth.

With that said, hurry up Avin!

To further my quest to be consciously aware, I decided to look into what kind of products I could purchase that not only serve as toys for Avin, but also as a lesson he can learn later on in life about living consciously. I don’t want him to grow up and take what he has for granted, and I also want him to understand that there are many people in this world who have much less than he does. I want him to know that there may not be much we can do to change what happens in this world, but that shouldn’t be a reason for us to do nothing at all. Sometimes the little things, like showing support and being aware, can make a big difference in the long run, and that’s why I chose to buy this product.

If you read my previous post about Going Green With Your Baby you may remember this awesome little leopard I mentioned. I initially decided to purchase this product because it was made from sustainable materials and I’m always a sucker for going green. It wasn’t until I actually received him in the mail when I realized there was more to it than that. The story behind this little guy made me appreciate him way more than I would if he was purchased at a department store, regardless of price.

He came from an organization called Kenana Knitter Critters, whose primary object is to help rural women find some much needed form of income utilising their spinning and knitting skills, in Kenya. Here is some info from their website which can explain much better than I can.

Njoro is mainly a farming area - agricultural work for the men is easier to come by than for the women-folk, yet agricultural wages are insufficient to support large and extended families. This group generates two forms of income, buying the wool, then creating more work by turning the wool into a marketable product. The money goes direct into the hands of the women who are thus able to improve the quality of their lives.

Kenana Knitters group enables its workers to directly benefit from their efforts. Knitting is ideal. it requires minimal equipment, can be done in snatches when time permits. When the rains come and the family crops and vegetables need tending not much knitting gets done, but in times of drought and crop failure, when the family garden is bare of supplementary vegetables, money can now be earned to purchase the necessities of life.

You can read more about this organization at their website here.

The person who created this particular product even signed her name on the tag, how cool is that! It’s one of a kind.

I purchased the product for $24.00 from Branch, an online store that sells a lot of cool sustainable products. Some may say that’s a hefty price to pay when you could easily get something similar for half the price from Wal-Mart or Target. This is true. However, knowing that I can make even the smallest difference by helping someone who really needs it and get an awesome toy for my son means way more than the price I paid. Wal-Mart doesn’t need my money, nor does Target, but Josphine does. And that is why I pay $24 for a stuffed sustainable standing leopard for my son.

This is coming from a dad’s perspective, so I can’t really speak for anyone who’s pregnant, obviously.  9 months of pregnancy is a hell of a lot harder for the moms than anyone else, but since I consider this a team effort between mom and dad, we try our best to be on the same page about certain things. Don’t get me wrong, we love hearing advice from anyone with experience raising children. I’m always up for hearing someone’s perspective, and learning from it. But sometimes the majority of advice that is given to us becomes repetitive, and is only said because it feels like the right thing to say at the time, because we’ve all heard it many times before. Not only does it come from family and friends, but strangers as well. It’s not that I would rather everyone not say anything at all, far from it. What I wish to happen is that people remember it’s not always what you say, but how you say it. In other words, teach not tell!

1. “It’s not going to be easy!” - The problem with this response is, not only that it’s obvious, but that it’s usually used with a negative connotation. Using a negative connotation with any response is not an effective way to show support for a situation. This response implies that everything having to do with a baby is complicated, challenging, and disheartening, and will probably cause you more suffering than you’ve ever felt in your entire life. At least, this is what I felt from the wave of dread that passed over me the first time someone said this to me. Say for example, a friend of yours is about to take a final exam for a really tough class he’s taking. He comes to you asking for insight and reassurance that he will do okay, but all you can come up with is, “It’s not going to be easy!” The situation is different, but the context is the same. Hearing this response when looking for support and reassurance about a situation will only cause someone to worry more. People who say “It’s not going to be easy” when referring to having a baby usually have good intentions, especially when it comes from family and friends, but the problem is that they say these things out of impulse because it’s something we’ve all heard many times before.

2.  “Your life is going to change.” -  Also obvious. In fact, I’m counting on it! This response sort of goes hand in hand with the one above. It will most likely come from your parents, and also brings with it a negative connotation. I say this because if the person speaking was attempting to use this response with a positive outlook, they would have probably added a positive word within. It would probably sound more like, “Your life is going to be amazing.” Or, “This baby is going to bring joy into your lives.” For example, someone you know is trying to earn their degree after many years of being in school. It’s challenging and causes a lot of frustration, but they still go through with it to accomplish their goal. Would you tell that person, “Your life is going to change.” because of it? Not likely, because using a postive outlook response would be more appropriate. The same would apply for pregnancy and raising a child. It takes a long time, is extremely challenging and frustrating, but if you reach that goal you were aiming for, it becomes a wonderful thing. Not to say that you couldn’t use this response with a positive outlook, because you can. But for the most part it is said out of impulse because the person saying it usually assumes that the person they are speaking to is taking the situation lightly, which is untrue in most cases. I say this because I’ve never met anyone who actually believes having a baby is going to be a walk in the park, but who knows.

3. “Are you excited?” - I don’t necessarily hate this one but it does become a little annoying at times. I usually assume that it’s a rhetorical question, considering the obvious answer one would usually give, but somehow people still ask me as if they really don’t know the answer. And I get asked this question a lot. A stranger recently asked me this, to which I replied, “I’m past the excitement part, I’m ready for him to grow up and move out already.” Her blank stare told me she failed to see the humor in my response. I don’t mind when people ask me whether or not I’m excited, it shows they are attempting to be involved in that excitement, which is a good thing. The problem is that it feels like most people ask this as if they are first person to do so, when in fact the number may very well be in the triple digits. It’s almost as if my mind has been building up an immunity to this question and every time I hear it, the excitement level drops a little less.

4. Sleep now because you won’t be getting any!” - This usually precedes something like, “You’ll be waking up every 2 hours! At 3 or 4 in the morning!” It’s told more so as a warning to new parents, instead of a general tidbit of knowledge. I wish that I would just speak up and say, “So?” So what if it’s 3 or 4 in the morning, because the second I look at my son I’ll realize this little thing is the best thing in the world and I’ll be nothing but happy to see his tiny face no matter what time it is. Besides, I don’t sleep as it is now, but that’s besides the point. It feels like people only say this so when you do have to wake up early in the morning because of the baby, you’re going to feel some sort of regret about having a child in the first place, which is probably not their intention to do so. But why else would someone say that for? Have you ever heard anyone say, “You’ll be up all night!” with an excited tone? I haven’t either. The baby could keep me up for a week straight and I still wouldn’t feel regret for having him, because being there for your child, no matter what time, is what being a parent is all about. Isn’t it?

5. “Just you wait!” - This one pretty much applies to everything I’ve said above and more. It can be used in any situation, and most people love to use it.  It’s a good ender to most arguments because it ensures the person saying it that they will be able to follow up with an “I told you so” if that time ever comes. I don’t personally hear this one often, because I’m not one to get into arguments regarding parenting, but the few times I did hear it I would just reply, “What else am I going to do but wait?”. I can understand the reason why people like to say this. Most young parents can have pretty strong opinions about raising a child, but the truth is that, we really won’t know until that moment happens. And you can’t argue with someone who is stuck in their ways, which is why “just you wait” is such an easy way to end a conversation. In actuality, no one wants to hear, “I told you so”, which is why teaching, not telling, someone about what they know nothing about is so important. It’s also important to remember that being stuck in their ways stands true for both parties involved. Keeping these aspects in mind, in most cases, ensures that the “just you wait’s” and the “I told you so’s” aren’t necessary.

I’m sure most of that just sounded like rambling from a young first time father. Which is probably true. But, the one main point I was trying to get across was that the most important thing anyone could give to first time parents is support. That’s really all anyone needs. Stand behind us through this frustrating time and give us the independence and responsibility we need to learn how to be great parents. And by instinct, we will become great parents. Not because of any impulse advice or warning signs, but because of the support that is shown to us by our family and friends.

Our friend Karen was awesome enough to take these photos you see before you at our recent baby shower, thanks Karen! A big thanks also goes out to Maya and Beth who organized the shindig for us. And of course, thanks to all our friends who showed up bearing gifts in preparation for Avin. Everyone’s support has given us the confidence we need during this crazy 9 months of anticipation. It’s all more than we could ask for. Enjoy the photos! For the complete set, check the gallery, or my flickr account and leave some comments!

Check out the entire gallery here!

It won’t be long until Avin is consuming our lives and being the greatest thing to ever happen to us without even trying. It’s making me more impatient than ever. 60 days might as well be 60 years. Nonetheless, I’m sure he’ll be here before we know it, and I won’t even remember how I’m feeling at this moment.

I wanted to update on what’s being going on lately because it’s been awhile since I actually wrote something. I’m sure after Avin is born I’ll have a lot more to talk about, because as of now, It’s nothing but anticipation.

Anyway, we went to  our last ultrasound recently, and found out the “echogenic bowel”  the doctor was so concerned about turned out to be nothing.  It went away on it’s own.  I’d like to go back in time and tell that doctor to shove his foot in his mouth.

We aren’t out of the blue yet, however. Her glucose test results came back a little high, and she now has to go back and do another 3-4 hour glucose test with double the amount of the orange stuff (yummy). If 2 of the 4 results come back high, then we’ll have to be referred to a nutritionist to make sure she’s watching her blood levels and eating the right foods.  I’d like to note that it’s not easy telling a pregnant woman what to eat and what not to eat, so I’ll leave that to the nutritionist.

I haven’t scanned in the new 4d pictures of Avin yet, but I will soon because baby pictures are always a good thing!

Until then, more anticipation.

Today the UPS guy graced us with his presence holding a package containing graphics we ordered from Blik! The graphics were exactly what we were was looking for and a more unique than going with the traditional framed wall decor, or cutesy wallpaper. Of course, cutesy wallpaper isn’t a bad thing, we were just looking for something a little different.  The cost for these graphics were around $60, and well worth the price. They covered a lot of wall space and gave the entire room a calm and moving feel of nature, and I’ve always loved the idea of bringing nature into your home. However, bringing in actual branches would be pretty complicated, so we did the next best thing, vinyl tree branches! Before I found out about Blik I had envisioned myself painting the branches on myself, and thankfully I didn’t have to spend any time painting on the walls with these. I did this alone so the whole ordeal took me a little more than an hour to finish, and the only hard part was keeping the bigger pieces from folding and sticking to each other when you are placing it on the wall. A second pair of hands would have made it easier to apply, but it still was still pretty easy without. I plan on getting some more graphics from Blik for my office, and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking to spice up their wall with something unique.

Enjoy the pics, and check out the gallery for more!

Almost complete, is actually more like it. We still have a shelf to put on the wall, and a rocker chair which is coming from Adrienne’s mother. After those items are completed, then I believe the stage 1 (furtniture) of our nesting phase will be over. Phase 2 involves decorative aspects of the nursery, and phase 3 would be finalizing with smaller details, and making sure everything is 100% ready for a baby.

This nursery set comes from Ikea. We pretty much loved this set since the first time we saw it. We decided to finally go with it when we realized every other nursery set we liked was almost twice the price and half the pieces of the one we bought. The entire set cost us around $750, and only took us a few hours to put together and set up. We also had the help of Adrienne’s parents to help make the process go even quicker. They also helped us bring home the furniture since none of this stuff would have fit in either of our cars.

The entire set includes a crib, dresser/changing table combo, an armoire, and a storage shelf. Not a bad deal at all! The crib also converts into a toddler bed, and the changing table detaches from the top of the dresser which can be used as he gets older as well.

The crib bedding, believe it or not, came from Wal-mart! I had a certain feel for the nursery I wanted, which included a natural/modernish looking bedding, with light greens, browns, and natural looking colors. I had found exactly what I wanted, the problem was that the bedding I found would cost a stupid ridiculous amount of money, and definitely not worth it. I never found another set I liked and decided to leave the choice up to Adrienne. And she delivered! (suprisingly… just kidding!) At first I wasn’t to sure about the brighter constrast, but I think it works just fine, and there’s nothing wrong with a little color. Adrienne’s mother was also nice enough to get the bedding for us as a gift!  We love gifts!

Hayden seems to love the new nursery set as well. Our cats believe all this incredible stuff is all for them. Oh, they are in for a huge surprise!

 That’s all for stage 1 of the nesting phase. Stay tuned for phase 2 when we add some decorative aspects, and check the gallery for more pictures!