1.30.2006

Playtime! 1.30.06



Who is Who?



Did you guess correctly? (And did you rely on the outfit or could you tell by comparing their looks?) (1) Collin at almost 2 months. (2) Owen at 2 weeks.

Two Weeks Old Already!




I can't believe he's already two weeks old! And such a charmer! Check out the dimple in Pic #2 and witness the labor of "tummy time" in Pic #3. Note: He can actually raise to a full 45 degree angle already and look forward when on his tummy!

1.17.2006

He's Here!



Owen Howard Tepker joined our family at 12:09 PM today. He weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20.75 inches long. He has lots of dark hair and gray-blue eyes. Mom and baby are both healthy and happy. Owen has taken well to nursing. Big brother Collin met Owen and they had their footprints taken together. What an exciting time!

Hours Before

It's 6 a.m., and I can no longer even pretend to sleep ...

What do you do the day before you welcome a new child into your family? Besides the basics like repack all your bags, double check all your batteries, take a final inventory of your supplies, etc., play all day. We spent the day - our last day as a family of three - playing!

What do you do the night before? We made lists for Grandma, who's watching Collin while we're in the hospital, watched the Golden Globes, talked to the myriad well-wishers on the phone, and jabberred on and on about the upcoming arrival and the differences about to happen!

What do you do as you lay awake at night? Think of every little thing that you possible could need to do before you go to the hospital ... could drive you insane! Then you imagine the surgery ... I can hardly believe they're really going to cut me open! Holy moly!

What do you do the morning of? Get up and start typing. Then Collin awakes and your morning begins.

And off we go!!!

1.14.2006

2 Days Left

Wow. Planning a C-section is so different than anticipating labor ... you really can be certain that everything that you wanted to get done gets done! Over the past two days, we've stocked the cupboards and the fridge, Kevin's vaccuumed the house and scrubbed the bathrooms, we've changed all the sheets on the beds, washed all the clothes, set up the bassinet, packed the bags, bought diapers ... we are so ready. We're down to twiddling our thumbs ... just kidding!

It's like planning a vacation ... you pack clothes and stock up on food, you clean the house so that it's nice and orderly for your return, you wait in anticipation ... except our "vacation" does not include relaxing moments on the beach and margaritas in the sun ... it involves surgical procedures, tired baby wails, and ... what am I saying? It involves the greatest thing ever ... the miracle of life! And he's joining our family any day! No matter how much he may cry or how "difficult" it may be the first few weeks, there's no "vacation" better!!! I simply can not wait for Owen to join us!! I can't believe the big day is really almost here!! Woohoo!!!!!!!

Oh ~ we do have to wait two more hours before we meet Owen because we got bumped ... we're now scheduled for an 11:10 a.m. birth, rather than a 9:30 a.m. birth, so we have to check in at 9:10 (instead of 7:30). No biggie ~ the hospital apparently had double-booked.

He's almost here!!!

1.03.2006

2 More Weeks!


The countdown is really on now! In two weeks and 22 minutes, we roll into the surgery room for Owen's delivery. I can hardly believe it! We are anxiously preparing for his arrival ~ washing his little clothes, packing the hospital bag, rereading the baby books, etc. We also set up the "big boy" room for Collin with bunk beds, a toddler desk, toy box/puppet theater, and toy shelf. (His transitional bed/toddler bed will be arriving soon too). I've also moved many of Collin's clothes into the new closet! It's so sad to see him moving out of his nursery, but so exciting to be getting the nursery prepared for Owen!!! What a catch-22!

Pic: Take a peak at Owen's current home, growing ever more crowded as the big day approaches. Boy what an adjustment birth will be! 1.1.06

Happy New Year!



Jacqui brought in the new year with us and had fun "breaking in" her new digital camera. Enjoy a few pics!

(1) After we removed a very drool-drenched t-shirt, Collin danced till he dropped on his cardboard box stage. 12.31.05 (2) Collin and Jacqui pose for their self-portrait. 1.1.06