Baby's Arrival at Home, and some thoughts on the process of birth...

Great news is that we're all done with the "labor and delivery" process! (though some moms I've heard say that their "labor" doesn't really begin until the teenage years with some kids...) Baby David came home last night, and his daddy finally got his computer hooked up for the first time since the delivery.

So now we're home, and David's doing well and Amy's doing well and I'm doing well and Grandma's doing well... (and the second wave of family arrives tonight, and we've had all sorts of friends and visitors over the last couple of days...) This is all wonderful news. But it's funny the stuff you reflect on once a great event in your life has taken place - the color of the floors in the delivery room; the feel of the bleached-beyond-all-possible-shred-of-a-bacteria "dad's bedding kit" that I slept on for a couple of nights; the constant hum of activity in Amy's room (nurses; techs; nutritionists; the auxilliary volunteers; the lactation specialists; the baby's doctor; Amy's doctor; the "environmental" crew; the food services staff...); and how much sleep I would like to get now vs. how much I have actually gotten in the last four days. I think I will always remember taking David outside to watch his first sunrise while Amy got an hour of much needed sleep (since she'd let me sleep all night, which is amazing.) I think that nurses in the regular post-delivery nursery might have the best jobs in the whole world. I know I've never driven so slowly as I did when taking David home from the hospital (and I swore up and down that I would never change my driving habits just because a kid was in the car.) And I know that today is one of the hottest days ever and I will not be going outside for the forseeable future.

More annoying ruminations later. Amy and David need some sleep. Enjoy the pictures below.

David Michael Bowman - Born June 5 2008, 5:10 p.m.
8 lbs, 10 oz.; 22 in. long; 14 in. chest; 14 1/2 in. head
Mom is a superhero
Dad is very grateful
Grandparents and friends are blessed

10 Centimeters Dilated and Starting to Push!!!

Things are progressing...

Hey there everyone! it's about 10:00 here in Atlanta on the 5th. Amy is doing GREAT!!! She's a total trooper... I think it's safe to say that I agree with most of the books out there that say "If men were responsible for childbirth, our species would cease to exist." There is no way in heck I would be strong enough to deal with these contractions she's having, even if I had the epidural anesthesia that she's gotten.

Basically we're still on track for an afternoon delivery, as the doctors thought we'd be in for earlier this week. HUGE knock on wood here. We've still got a long way to go. She's dilated a bunch in only a couple of hours; her bag of waters has been broken since about 7:00; and the contractions are coming on nice and strong and regular (though she can't feel a thing with the epidural...)

No new pictures to share (Amy's got edit rights on everything, and no picture evidence is going to exist of her in her current condition. heh heh...)

Keep sending thoughts and prayers!!!

In Delivery Now... getting started!!!

This room is MUCH nicer than the room we were in last night, that is for sure. We're getting very excited now, as the IV is getting started now (5:30 a.m.) and the Petosin will start in a few minutes. Woo hoo! More soon!

Photos

First "sleeping room" pictures... including the first graphs of Amy's contractions and the baby's heartbeat; Amy's luxurious bed; and Kenneth's bed-chair.

Checked in and ready to roll

10:30 p.m. (eastern) June 4, 2008
So baby time is here. The littlest Bowman in on his/her way. We just checked in to Northside Hospital, and have gotten all the pre-work done. About five thousand forms filled out, measurements taken, and logistical stuff taken care of. Amy's already having contractions (even though she doesn't feel anything but "heavy pressure" yet) but her water hasn't broken yet.

The funny thing is that we're in the crazy-ugly part of the hospital. The part they don't show you on the tour and would like you to think doesn't exist. heh heh... We've got a room about the size of my closet, with a sink and a chair and a bed for Amy. Bathroom is about fifty feet down the hall, and there's a giant stain on the floor. We were like, "um, is this the room we're going to have the baby in? It's not really anything like the room on the tour..." They said, no, this is just the sleeping and pre-delivery room. We're going to be moved to our delivery room (complete with bathroom and a few more feet of space) at about 4:30 in the morning. Petosin will start at about 5:30, and baby soon thereafter.

Everyone seems healthy (enough so that they took the monitors off both Amy and the baby) and Amy just got a good dose of Ambien to help her sleep.

Unfortunately husbands are relegated to chairs next to the bed with no drugs to help them sleep. I'll just tough it out I guess. What can I say? The women get all the easy parts of pregnancy.

As I write this I've now been relegated to the floor because of that last comment.

Well, I'm off to sleep now. Pictures soon.

JUNE 5TH!!!!! THE END IS NEAR....

Or more accurately...the beginning!

It is very likely that our baby's birthday will be this Thursday, June 5th. YAY!!!!!!!! I went to the doctor this morning and he was very agreeable to the idea of inducing the baby this week. The doctor wants me to have an ultrasound this Wednesday morning and then go to the hospital Wednesday evening to start the induction process. The birth will most likely be Thursday!

I asked the doctor if the ultrasound was to make sure that the baby was big enough, and his repsonse was...."It's not a question of big enough...I just want to make sure we're not having the son or daughter of Hercules." I couldn't agree more!

Kenneth and I are SOOOOO excited! Now I feel like I should clean the whole house or something to get everything all ready. What fantastic news!! Wish us luck and keep us in your prayers!

38 Weeks....Any Day Now

I have been pestered for the past month to update my picture so I'm finally getting around to it. Sorry for the delay.

Only two more weeks to go (technically) but the doctor says it could be any time now. The baby has dropped and I've been two cm dilated for a week now. I feel great. No major complaints so we're pretty lucky. We're just playing the waiting game now. Kenneth is going to try and use his master sales skills to convince the doctor to induce me this week. I have an appointment on Tuesday so we'll see how that goes. Wish us luck.

Everything else is going well. Kenneth is working a lot, per usual, and our dogs are doing wonderful. Abbey; however, did just eat an entire plate of bacon and FIVE hard boiled eggs. Yup, that's right. What a genius. She is gonna be SICK tonight! That should be fun. That's what we get for leaving it out on the counter unattended. Whose to blame is currently being debated, but all signs are pointing NOT at me.

Some people have no tact

It absolutely amazes me at some of the things that total strangers (or even not so total strangers) will say to a pregnant lady. So far, on multiple occassions, I have faced the following comments regarding this fabulous blessing:

-"But why are you so big? Is everything okay?"
-"My friend is the same number of months, and she's MUCH smaller than you"
-"Wow, from the back you sure can tell you're pregnant"
-"You have HOW many more months? Oh. wow. You're gonna be REALLY uncomfortable"
-"You look like your ready to pop...any day now right?"

And then there's my personal favorite:

-"Are you SURE you're not having twins?"

Oh...no...actually I'm not sure. Gee...maybe I should ask about that. At the risk of sounding like one of those crazy hormonal women...What are these people thinking??? Honestly!! Who says things like that..and more importantly...what kind of response are they expecting?? I'm a fairly low-confrontational person. I've gotten very good at smiling and laughing it off..but honestly now, it's starting to amaze me.

Even if you're thinking it.....that doesn't mean you're supposed to SAY it. Everyone knows that when it comes to telling a pregnant lady how she looks...you LIE through your teeth! The answer is ALWAYS...wow, you look GREAT! NO EXCEPTIONS!

I'm open for some new responses to the less informed members of society. Any suggestions?

Last Trip Before Fatherhood

Not to jump back on the fatherhood bandwagon or anything (for those of you who are bored by this talk, please excuse my constant expressions of excitement and fear... writing about it keeps me from driving Amy totally insane) but I am back on the topic for this post.

This weekend was the best ever. My amazing wife conspired secretly with two of my best friends and former roommates from college to send us on a trip to Miami Beach for a long weekend. So she dropped me off at the train station, handed me an itinerary and told me that I was meeting Pete and Sargon at the beach. WOO HOOOO! We basically went to bed at 3:00 or 4:00 every night and sat on the beach each day. 80 degrees; breezy; and beautiful water. And all that came complete with even better people-watching than Las Vegas. I felt woefully out of place due to the fact that I don't have tattoos covering half my body; was not wearing a speedo; and had not had at least three plastic surgeries. But we had one of the more amazing dinners (a Cuban restaurant over in Coral Gables named Cacao) I've ever had in my life; got a good amount of sun; and enough going-out time to last me until next year when the three of us meet up again in France for Pete's wedding.

Which brings me back to the fatherhood thing. As much as I enjoyed this trip, I couldn't help but think how awesome it is going to be in a couple of years when we take "family vacation" and I get to chuck my kid around in the waves instead of just randomly people-watching. I'm sitting here in the airport waiting for my flight back to Atlanta surrounded by three families with small kids, and I think Amy and I (and my brother Mark, and my buddies Pete and Sargon) will enjoy that kind of vacation probably just as much. It'll be a bit different, in that we probably won't eat as much or as fancy of food, and most definitely won't be out until 4:00 in the morning... but fun city tours; hotel pools; and "exotic" kids meals will be a whole new adventure.

I can't wait.

-kb

Wish I was a rockstar...

This post is for my buddies in California, D.C., N.Y., and Charleston who appreciate a good guitar solo. If you are not a fan of the heavy metal and/or punk, or if you are easily offended, no need to look at the videos below. I took a few minutes tonight to look for some live performances of some old songs. I was AMAZED that these videos were out there. This may become a regular thing for me... if I feel like hearing a song, I'll just got find ten live versions of it to see which one I like the best.
METALLICA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VMh0-grQQY&feature=related
Early Metallica. No lights, no effects, just four guys and one of the greatest songs of all time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d9VjVQbMnw&feature=related
For any ooooooldschool fans of Metallica, this will be amazing for you. I didn't know they even had video cameras back then...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCE1NnvonF0&feature=related - One more Metallica (one you're not expecting)
THE NEW BREED OF METAL ROCKGODS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdMIQ1jfJm0 - Dragon Force
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxY_OK-xQ4A&feature=related - Bullet For My Valentine
CLASSIC PUNK ROCK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKKA6VNb0Qs&feature=related - Social Distortion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRJNtitCW7Y&feature=related - Face to Face (my second favorite band of all time)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abczlQeGTF4 - Listen to these lyrics. Seriously. Some of the saddest and most moving, yet most inspirational, that you'll hear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuKOc_Mpumc&feature=related - Social Distortion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrRLGNe5eGg&feature=related - Face to Face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0ke5j5WM4g&feature=related - Pennywise

Music wishlist

Today I rant about something totally unrelated to kids, work, owning a house, or other "adult" concerns. Today I want to talk about something that most of you (if you've seen me after a few beers) are familiar with- my secret burning desire to be a rockstar musician.

Now I'm not talking about the desire to have that lifestyle. I have no desire to be on the road or deal with the crazy aspects of the road... although I will grant you that, for most teenagers, "the road" is the reason that they want to be roskstars. No no. The reason I have a desperate desire to be a rockstar can be summed up in two words- GUITAR HERO.

Check this out -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9ao_vOsZkg !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll let you all contemplate the greatness of this video. And then I will blog on the awesomeness of certain real guitarists and real bassists and real drummers out there... but this video needs to be appreciated for a few days before I do that.

more later,

kb

26 and a half weeks...

"Look at me from the side....do I look bigger to you?" (major props if you can name the movie that quote comes from)

We're officially entering the third trimester now...we're into the home stretch! Here's the latest "tummy watch" for those of you who have been requesting it. The doctor says my growth is right on track...so I feel great about it. I should expect to add one centimeter every week I have left...which should be about 14 more cm. We shall see.

My new favorite song

It's always been hard to answer the question "What is your favorite song?" I have many "favorite" songs depending on what mood I am in. However, this past week, while watching American Idol, I was reminded of how much I love the song, "Hallelujah." (despite the fact that I did not particularly like the contestant who sang it.) I have spent the past few days downloading the lyrics and their various interpretations, as well as sampling the myriad of versions out there. The song (originally written by Leonard Cohen in 1984) is most well known by the Jeff Buckley version and has been performed by just about everybody from Sheryl Crowe to Bon Jovi. After much research....I have decided that this song is my official "favorite." In addition to my new revelation, I have concluded that the BEST version is that performed by K.D. Lang. Check it out when you get a chance....I think you will all agree that it is a beautiful song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE&feature=related

-AEB

Yeah....right...sure...

The sad part is....he insn't even joking with the majority of that list. No lie. It will just make it even better when that baby comes out and the doctor announces, "It's a Girl!!" That's a face I can't wait to see!

-AEB

darn right it's going to be a boy

Allow me to retort:

-I've begun reading football tutorials to the kid in utero.
-I've begun strategically kicking soccer balls when Amy's walking by to get him used to the sound.
-I will be broadcasting Braves games into Amy's belly while she's asleep during the months of April and May.
-I am seriously considering investing in a kids' electric guitar and drumset, as well as a child's membership at one of our local golf courses.
-While Amy's gone to California for the Baby Shower in a month or so, and I'm supposed to paint the nursery soft yellow and sage green, I will actually be painting it bright Dodger blue... with racing stripes and flames on alternating walls.
-Instead of lambs and bunnies and frogs decorating the walls, his room will be covered with surfing montages, deep-sea fishing scenes, and several images paying homage to the greatness of John Elway, Cal Ripken, and ESPN's College Gameday broadcasts.
-I am encouraging all my friends, family, and coworkers to assist me with the child's mental development - does anyone have a baseball rule book translated into Baby-Sign-Language?

I have already invested in a couch to sleep on for the next few months while I'm in the dog-house for having written this post.

-kb

Better late than never

Okay, so we were a little late at getting these scanned into the computer...but here we go. The picture of the foot was taken at 20 weeks (when the little darling would not cooperate) and the nicer, profile picture was taken at

25 weeks (which was last week). All of my other tests have been coming back great. I'm right on track with weight gain and belly growth, and all that fun stuff...so far so good. In two weeks I go back for the diabetes test.

Kenneth SWEARS that the baby will be a boy...he won't even consider the posibility that it could be a girl....which sorta makes me want it to be a girl, just so he will be wrong. Plus then I wouldn't have to hear "I told you so," and "I knew it all along." Does that make me a mean person?? Oh well.

I am feeling wonderful. Just some bad heart burn when I sit for too long. Other than that...no complaints at all. The doctor says this is the "honeymoon" period and I should enjoy it while it lasts. That's the current plan.

More to come soon!

Apparently we've got a stubborn one!

We had the ultrasound last week and everything looked great, but unfortunately we weren't able to get any good pictures. The baby simply would not cooperate. (Apparently, he/she is very camera shy) The technician kept prodding my stomach trying to move the baby around because it was facing the wrong way....then she had me drink a soda and walk around for 15 minutes to try and move the kid. Every time she got a good face shot, the baby would put it's arms in front of it's head blocking the view.

She saw everything she needed to see, and said it all looks great, but nothing came out in pictures except one blury picture of a foot. Hopefully this is not an indication of the stubborness to come.

The nurse was great at keeping a poker face about the gender and she turned the screen away from us when she was down in the sensitive zones. She didn't even write it on our charts, so not even our doctor knows. I still think it will be a girl, and Kenneth is convinced it's a boy, so we'll see.

We had a great weekend in Charleston. The South's threw us an awesome 'lowcountry boil' and it was great to see everybody. I got to visit my old students and we thoroughly enjoyed watching the super bowl with Mom and Dad. (especially since the Patriots lost)

More news to come soon. I'm off to go rescue our dogs from the kennel.

Big Day Tomorrow

We've got a big, big day tomorrow. Amy goes in for the first ultrasound since November. We're going to see if everything's in the right place and if things seem healthy in both baby and mommy. Say a prayer for us, and hopefully we'll have a new picture of the kid tomorrow afternoon!
-kb

Oh, Oh...We're Half Way There....

Today is the official "half way" mark of the pregnancy. The "hump week" if you will. I am 20 weeks and already I feel enormous. If this is the half-way size, I'm terrified to see where it goes from here.

Other than the occasional heart burn and sinus congestion, I'm feeling fabulous. The second trimester has been a breeze compared to the first. I havn't felt any movements yet, but the doctor says it should be any day now. We have a big ultrasound coming up next week. I'm very anxious.

In other news, we are looking forward to visiting friends and family in Charleston next weekend. We will be there for a big super-bowl bash. At least with good friends and good food...I'll have something to distract me from the game. : )

only one more football game left

that's it. the title is all i've got. i thought you should all share in my sorrow a little. if you have any consoling words of wisdom please send them my way.
-kb

snow #2

since it snowed during the day today we were able to actually get some pictures of something other than the dog. It's amazing this is Atlanta and not the mountains someplace... pretty neat, eh?

also, amy took some pictures of me and Flopsy (the smaller of our dogs; the one with gigantic ears) working yesterday evening (yes I was working on a friday night... let's not bring it up) We thought this picture was especially cute, and believe it or not it wasn't even posed.

The loss of football...

As we approach the end of the football season I am reminded how lame weekend television really is. It kills me. For the months of August, September, October, November, and December (and some of January) I am completely immersed in football. Starting at 10 in the morning, my programming choices are made for me. The biggest question is which conference to watch and whether to start drinking at noon or at five.

But now, with only three football games (pro, no less) to go, I see my Saturday blues ahead of me. I have Georgetown basketball to watch (sometimes) and March madness on the horizon, and soon after baseball season will start... but there's not a regularity to it the way there is to football season. I have my weekends already planned, whereas now I have to start checking schedules and programming options (is G-town playing on Saturday, Tuesday, or Thursday? during the day? night game? is it even televised in Atlanta?) to find out when and where to watch stuff.

I'll have a kid during the next football season, which will probably make it the most special season ever. But I have to wait at least four more months for that to even happen... oh what to do what to do in the meantime... I suppose I could "read" or "go outside" or "work out" but who the heck wants to do that?

I need therapy.

-kb

SNOW in Atlanta!!!!

It's a normal Wednesday. Other than the fact that t has been snowing ALL night!!! It's amazing. Besides the fact that it's real snow that has stuck all night, it's the first time the dogs have seen or been in snow.








I thought the house looked pretty great and thought these pictures were pretty cool.

If we're taking this many pictures of the dogs, god help us when we have children.

TV or Baby Clothes

We get a rebate from American Express each year. It's like a great little bonus that you don't think about until it comes in the mail. And then it's there, and you're like, "wow! this is great! i have a few hundred bucks!" Since we are just about the only people we know without a 23729875 inch ultramegasuperduperflatpanelprojectionlcd television, it had been our thought that we could use that money as a chunk of a Television. MAAAAAJOR keeping up with the joneses urging.

But we decided, for the good of our moral health and for the future of our kid, that we are going to use the money to get baby stuff instead. A good decision that will allow us to sleep at night... but nevertheless the first indication that we are "grownups."

High-def athletics and movies, or kid safe in a stroller with some toys? The decision was the right one, but a little part of me is still very sad.

I'm sure there will be many posts on this subject during the months to come. Stay tuned.

-kb

preparation for parenthood

First of all, we're going to try and be diligent about this and publish a picture of "the kid" every week (ie- amy's tummy as it grows.) Since ultrasounds are few and far between, there won't be too many, but we can darn sure take a quick photo of the developing mommy.


on another note, our dogs are like two-year-olds. seriously. they woke us up yet again this morning by pulling things off the bed and trying to claw their way out of the second story window to get at a dog that was passing by on the street below. We haven't really "slept" past seven o'clock in a few years now I think, and from what I hear that's a pretty good start towards parentood. I just wonder what it's going to be like when we have both the dogs and a kid. will it be like having three two-year-olds? I really wonder when the dogs are going to chill out and grow up like they're supposed to... we've been told they're very much like hyperactive teenagers until at least the age of 4, which is coming up soon now. in the meantime, Abbey (the younger, bigger one) continues to eat charcoal she steals from the fireplace each morning; and Flopsy (the smaller, older, one who jumps fences) barks at any and all dogs and people that she hears. ever.

It'll be an interesting few years (20+) of our lives coming up, that's for sure. I'll get the baby a t-shirt that says "my daddy cries because I cry" and the dogs little vests that say, "my owner cries because I steal the butter off the kitchen counter." Those will be coming soon to a store near you.

-kb

Embracing Technology

So today I embrace the technology I purport to sell every day. I am Bowman2.0, and have embraced the buzzword bingo of today's market. I promise to blog, wiki, rss, collaborate, and think outside the box from now on.

Oh wait. I have stuff to do. A job, a wife, two dogs, a house, a yard, neighbors, and a baby on the way. I will not have nearly enough time to do all these great things. But I will make an effort to communicate on a semi-regular basis, especially with baby Bowman on the way. Pictures, trip information, cool ideas, venting, and general ramblings will be posted over the coming months and years... and I hope that you and your friends will be part of it.

Here's to technology! And the cool people who (attempt to) use it.
-kb