Week 3

Just some random pictures before I head off to the kitchen to bake an apple pie for a cake/pie contest at the law school.

Does he look like he's growing compared to the alligator?



We google Cooper Grant and came up with Cooper Grant Commons, a housing development area "priced from the $180's" in New Jersey. Snazzy poster, huh?



Last week, we had a huge snow storm. The University of Illinois actually canceled classes, something I'm told they haven't done for 30 years. And they did it both Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. Alan waited until the snow was just right (or until he was so stir-crazy, he had to get out of the house), and then built an igloo in our driveway.

Faces my son makes

I'm telling you... I could watch this kid for hours.

New Friends for Cooper

A friend recommended that we take regular photos next to the same stuffed animal to monitor and share how big Cooper is getting. Here's the Week #1 photo with his new alligator (crocodile?) friend.



For Cooper's first Valentine's Day, his Daddy got him... wait for it... a rubber chicken. According to Alan, "It's never too early for gag gifts."

This weekend, more of my family came to Tuscola to see the new kiddo. And they must really want to see him because we're still in the middle of a bathroom remodel project that started the day before Cooper was born (he was 11 days early, remember -- we didn't plan this), so we have no shower in the house. They didn't seem to care, and were at least polite enough not to tell us that we smell.

Aunt Carmen with the bear she made out of fancy-schmancy polar-tec fabric.

Aunt Kelly

Uncle Toban

And, lest you think Cooper is always sleeping, here's a picture from our "awake time" yesterday.

So here's a second set of Cooper photos...

So Emily and I are now home with the little guy, and by all accounts it seems to be going well. Only one real set of tears (and they were Emily's, not Coop's, so they don't really count). The kiddo is eating well and at his first doctor's visit this morning he checked out fine.

Our friends Michael and Kristen from St. Louis drove up for the big event. They were the first folks to hold the little guy. They looked much better than Emily and I did that day; we're thinking about using their photo on the birth announcements...


And then family arrived! At 8:10 p.m., a new Grandpa and Grandma were born!

When you're seven pounds, everything is too big...

One thing that the little dude finds calming is being swaddled. Here, Cooper takes a nap next to what frankly is sort of a scary doll (or a cowardly lion, we're not sure). Burrito, anyone?

Cooper reads his first book! It's called "Guess How Much I Love You?" and it's about an insecure bunny called "Big NutBrown Hare" who always has to outdo his pal, "Little Nutbrown Hare." I think the moral of the story is that little boys can't get too much love, so we let it past the censors. L'il Coop loved it.

First bath!!! He hated the body-washing, but loved getting his hair done. Enjoy it while it lasts, kid--one look at pops should tell you what's in store...

One reason to have a kid is that new dads get to buy lots of fun toys. This is called a sling, and buried inside is sleeping baby Cooper. Look, Grandma, no hands!

Man, look at that hair! Dark brown with caramel streaks. Hope it lasts!

First doctor's visit, and ignoring a small episode where he emptied his little bladder all over the examing table (thankfully, he missed Dr. Lee!), he got two thumbs up!

Cooper has arrived!

Stats: Born on Tuesday, Feb 6 (11 days early, if you're wondering), 8:10 p.m. 7 pounds, 4 ounces, 20 inches. Named Cooper Paul Grant.

We made it home, we're adjusting to each other, all is well. Some pictures from the last couple of days:


Getting geared up for a full day in Labor and Delivery.




Bedside internet was a nice distraction.

We made it to the hospital before the weather got bad. This is how it looked most of Tuesday.

The "what shall we name him" conversation.

Holding his boy.

And trying to feed him Diet Coke, already.

Father-son chat. Apparently, during one of these conversations, Cooper told Alan he wants to be an engineer.

Ready to head home.

In the car.

Mexico, part uno

We left St. Louis on January 1 and flew to Cancun, Mexico. We actually stayed about an hour south of the airport at a resort in Puerta Aventuras. This whole stretch of the Mexican coastline is just one big string of resorts after another; I think we were at resort #34 of 43, or something like that.

We opted for an all-inclusive Apple Vacation, so one payment included our flight, our transfer to the resort, our resort stay, and all the food and drink we could consume at the resort (our particular resort had five different restaurants we could enjoy for free). It was easy to coordinate, but I'm not sure we'd do it again for any vacation over about three days. A couple of reasons why. First, the theme of an all-inclusive vacation really is quantity over quality. So, for example, you could have all the Corona you could drink, but if you wanted a nice glass of wine, you would have to pay extra. (Neither was particularly an issue for me, but you get the point.) And second, we tend to be somewhat active on vacation and so we wanted to go do things other than just sit on the beach or in the jacuzzi (which we did plenty of, don't get me wrong). But any excursion outside the resort cost extra money. A day of snorkeling, a day touring Mayan ruins, a day scuba diving -- all cost another $85 a person.

Anyway, I'll stop complaining now. We really had a great time -- the weather was warm, the sand was soft and white, the chocolate was readily available. It was a nice relaxing way to start 2007.

The view from the balcony outside our room:

The day we went snorkeling, we stopped at a sinkhole, formed by water erosion under the rock, eventually causing the surface to collapse and create this mini-lake.

One of the best meals we had on our trip was our lunch stop during the snorkeling tour--chicken, tortillas, homemade salsa, beans and rice. I think the guys managed to polish off an entire chicken by themselves!

We also snorkeled around inside a cave that was part of an underground river. Cold water, though our Mexican guide kept saying that the water was merely "refreshing."

My new favorite drug

I'm taking a water aerobics class for pregnant women. It's great. Buoyancy is a good friend to people with watermelons in their bellies. Plus the water is warm. And it's fun to share stories with other pregnant people. Alan gets tired of me rehashing the newest ache or twinge I'm feeling, so it's nice to compare notes with other similarly-situated women.

Tonight, we sort of sounded like a bunch of old men comparing prostate exam scores. "Do your fingers go numb and wake you up at night?" "Yes, what are you taking for it?" "My doctor recommended Tylenol PM." "My legs really bother me at night." You get the idea...

My contribution to the discussion was about my newest favorite drug: Prilosec OTC. For the last several months, I've had fairly consistent heartburn and acid reflux. I started by eating Tums, and then I advanced to Zantac. But still I had problems if I didn't take the Zantac soon enough. So my doctor recommended (ooh... I sound like a commercial!) Prilosec OTC. It's a preventative acid reflux medicine that you take every morning instead of whenever you start to feel the burning sensation. I've been taking it for a week now, and it's fabulous. I haven't had any heartburn troubles.

And today--get this--I could actually drink Diet Coke! I haven't had a Diet Coke for 7 months. The queasiness of morning sickenss prevented Diet Coke drinking during the first trimeseter. And since then, the bubbles in Diet Coke have upset my tummy. I know, I sound like a real wuss. Frankly, I felt like a disgrace to my family. I come from a long like of diet pop drinkers. My Grandma came to visit us here in Tuscola and, after noticing our constant guzzling of Diet Coke (Diet Pepsi for Alan) bottles, commented that we "ate and drank more than anyone she knows." When my Grandpa was living in a hospice center during the last week of his life, he could no longer take his medication or eat any food, but still requested a Diet Coke. We're hard core. And today, thanks to Prilosec OTC, I have redeemed myself and can stand proud again in the branches of my family tree.

In other baby-related news, we spent the weekend putting together baby furniture, rearranging the upstairs, and getting a nursery set up. At last, the baby has a place to sleep (and not just the cardboard box lined with an old towel and sitting by the radiator).

And, just for fun, here's me, as of last week (week 34 out of 40):

Pictures from vacations past

We just got back from Mexico last night. We had a fabulous time, and I'll get some pictures together soon. But for now, as I'm taking a break from piles of laundry and mail, enjoy some photos from our various summer trips.

When we were in Atlanta for a legal writing conference, we took a Segway tour of the city. It took a while to get used to driving them, but we covered lots of ground and saw some neat things. (And yes, I'm the nerd with the Segway "fanny pack" and her helmet on backwards.)



This is the end table Alan made at woodworking camp in Tennessee. Lovely, isn't it? (Better be, for what that sucker cost!)


After wood camp, we spent a day celebrating our anniversary at Dollywood. Super cheesy, but lots of fun. What was missing, though? Dolly impersonators! Calling all busty blondes -- you are needed in Pigeon Forge, TN.

In South Dakota, we participated in the Deadwood Mickelson trail marathon and half-marathon. Alan was lucky enough to run into (read: stalk all morning) Lawrence Block, one of his favorite authors! And even after race-walking the marathon, Mr. Block was kind enough to pose for a photo. (Or perhaps just too tired to get up and move when Alan and I accosted him.)

Another highlight from our South Dakota trip -- Alan got to drive a Bobcat. I'm not 100% certain of the allure of a Bobcat, but he was super-excited to learn that friends of the friends we were staying with actually had a Bobcat parked in his front yard.

Mexico pictures and stories to follow soon!

Today was a BIG day!

Today, we had our last sonogram. I was a bit nervous, but Emily, who knows the little dude is in there kicking all of the time, knew that everything was going to be okay. That's why she's got such a big smile on her face in the following picture!




And the little guy checked out fine. Our sonographer is super nice, so she spent a lot of time getting us good, recognizeable shots that we could take home with us. For example, check out how cute little Abercrombie is in the following shot. She was also nice enough to label the pictures for us so we wouldn't mistake the little guy's face for, say, well, you know...





So we did all of the major checks: spine (okay), head (about 1.5 weeks oversized -- Emily was not pleased), weight (3 lb. 13 oz, 51st percentile (our kid's above the median!)), kidneys (bean-shaped), heart (beating like a drum). And look, the little guy's got more hair than his pop! We watched his face for awhile, he yawned, and took a couple of drinks, and then when our sonographer got a bit more aggressive with the wand, little Otto raised one side of his lip and gave us his first (but I'm sure not his last) documented sneer. The little whippersnapper.



And look--the sonographer found a turtle in there for little Ignatz to play with! (Make of that what you will...) Who knew that kids came with their own stuffed animals?

Everything is on target for a February 17 delivery--we'll keep you posted!

Notable quotes from our childbirth education class

"Why do I need to go to class? I already know how to pace around the waiting room and hand out cigars. That's all I have to do, right?" -- Alan, on the way to the class*

"Men, I'd recommend you not say that 'we' are going to get through this. Your wives will be quick to tell you that there's no 'we' in labor." -- Laura, our lamaze instructor

"But if you use the British spelling of labour, it's got an 'our' in it. Can I say that 'our labor is going fine'?" -- Alan*

"During the first phase of labor, I was mostly just excited about what was coming down the pipe." -- Man in childbirth video [Note: He probably said "pike" instead of "pipe," but I certainly heard "pipe," which was pretty darn funny to those of us in the room from whose "pipe" something would be coming.]

"She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes..." -- Same man in childbirth video, now during the more intense stage of labor. I immediately vetoed the singing of campfire songs during the birth of our kid, despite Alan's insistence that he does a rousing version of "Coming 'Round the Mountain" and his offer to sing My Darling Clementine instead.

"That doesn't look like a baby." -- Woman in childbirth video, upon seeing her newborn on its way out. I felt a little sad for her, and I immediately prayed that I won't feel that way, and if I do, that I won't say it out loud on tape!


* Note: Smart ass comments from Alan were often followed by a threat of violence from me, usually predicting a carefully placed hit to a particularly sensitive area that might eliminate the need for any future childbirth classes.

Men don't have "showers" -- they have "parties."

I learned to play bridge when I was a teenager. My high school boyfriend's parents taught us to play, which was a stroke of parental genious, I think, because we spent most of our dates in their living room playing bridge. So even if it was midnight, they knew where we were and what we were doing. Brilliant.

Anyway, I didn't play much in college, but when I moved out here for law school, I signed up to take an adult education city recreation commission bridge class just for fun. At class, I met Mark and Wally, two friends who worked together here in Champaign. They played bridge with some coworkers everyday during lunch, and they invited me to join them whenever I could tear myself away from my studies.

And thus began a fun relationship with a group of guys at a publishing company in Champaign. (There was a woman who played back in the 1998 or 1999, but for the past 6 years or so, it's just been an assortment of 3-7 various menfolk.)

I've been joining them for bridge at least a day or two a week since February 1998, excluding the times when I left the area for various jobs. This group celebrated with me after Alan and I got married, made Clarice Starling/Silence of the Lambs jokes when I got the FBI job out in DC, applauded my law school graduation, emailed to keep in touch while I was living in Chicago, came to our going-away party before we left for Palau, and admired my tan when I returned.

In keeping with tradition, the guys threw me a baby shower yesterday, except they refused to call it a shower, adamently proclaiming that men have parties, not showers. Nomenclature aside, they ordered a cute baby cake (the wife of one of the guys is a professional cake-baker -- just my luck!!) and picked out a gift designated specifically for Alan -- diapers.

Talking with them yesterday, it hit me that the "baby boy" gene is somewhere in the water at that office. The five guys who were there yesterday have a combined total of 15 boys and only 3 girls. And they quite enjoy tormenting me about baby boys -- things about throwing baseballs into ceiling fans and mixing bleach with brake fluid to make smoke. Yeesh... what am I getting myself into...