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Saturday, November 14, 2009

post://1716793609455492187/

I woke early this morning, a cold rainy November day. It wasn't out of preference, there's a big change to the phone system at work today. It was still very dark, cold, and I could hear the rain pouring down outside. I didn't have to go into the office, which is great, a much better way to do work on the Saturday. Besides, making important business decisions in pajamas and disheveled hair always makes me feel good.

I'm scheduled to stop by Bryans to assist with the brew today and hoping we can resolve this issue in enough time to get there somewhat early. I often miss the first stages and really want to practice so I can do it on my own. Nicole always enjoys the social time and I'm pretty sure the guys like her around as well, so Nicole and the baby are coming along as well. They're actually still in the process of getting up but based on how things are going so far, I don't expect we'll be leaving on time.

I realized the other day I hadn't written anything much about the baby. It's a completely new experience and I'm probobly set to forget the idiosyncracies soon enough, and certainly before he gets around to asking me what it was like when he was a baby. I'd like to be able to tell him, and even later on, have him see for himself. I started this blog long ago for the purpose of being able to review my own life, and remember things previously forgot, but it has evolved into stories and their lessons learned. One is much more apt to learn from example then by simple advice. I am planning on trusting my child to make the right decisions on his own, and providing him sufficient information to make an educated choice is my goal. There's quite a few things that could be misconstrued until he's old enough, it probobly won't be for a long time. Time to backup the site, now that I think of it ;)

It's been interesting, and I don't think I could do it alone. Nicole's home right now, at least until January, and I've been working regularly and even longer lately. Things should level off once the year end projects are wrapped up, it will take some time for things to ramp up for next year. That means I often get home late and exhausted. It's still great to see him smiling, he just recently started doing that at things he sees. It's a great feeling to see him excited to see me.

We haven't been doing too much out on our own but that's more of a consideration for money rather then baby. We've gone out to dinner a few times in fact and he's been great. He is normally asleep from the ride over so he just sleeps all snug in his bucket. We said we wouldn't be bucket parents, but the alternative is a screamy baby in public, and in almost all cases we take him out and bundle him in the wrap if we're going into a store. So it's taken some getting used to, but it comes naturally. You get the jiggle, you understand the coos, and if all else fails: change, feed, or burp :)

Lately at work I've been working on phone skilling, routing, and strategy inbetween day to day operations in preparation for today and among all the other things that needed to be done by today, I've been very very busy.

It's not the best time for it, but I took on some extra computer work on top of everything. At the time I set it up I had this on the horizon but was pretty sure we had a good head start on everything. I hadn't anticipated changing everything at the last minute and spending hours in meetings for managers to mull over simple changes and attempting to make them as complex as possible. All in all the complex changes were too complex to do last minute so they weren't entered afterall. It may do well to run on a simplified design first "due to technical limitations". I'm hoping they'll find it's actually much simpler then they made it out to be and will work quite well how it was originally designed.

So back to the computer work. There is a guy at work who started his own business a while back. He's got a generic "computer fixing company" website, ticketing system, and a surprising volume of business. I never went the professional route with my website, pushing traffic, embedding items to maximize my search potential. I had see site, call me. I don't think I've ever gotten a lead off it, but don't really need it, it was more of a reference for someone who met me in person. There's so much overhead in dealing with customers - questions, time, coordinating, pick up, drop off. It's hard to charge for questions, and if they're a customer I have no problem answering questions to maintain loyalty and knowing they'll go with me, but it always eventually ends up where they go to me for my knowledge and pay someone new to do their computer work. I don't do a bad job, I'm actually very thorough, which can delay a machine from being returned. I'm not going to replace a blown cpu fan without regreasing it and burning it in with a heavy 3D test for at least 24 hours.

That's what makes this situation so great - he deals with all the customers, face to face or on the phone. I may update a ticket with a necessary part number here and there but otherwise I'm just receiving, fixing, and returning. None of the headaches that he has to endure. It also helps supplement the income until Nicole heads back to work.

Labels: 2009, baby, update, work

posted @ 07:36

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Saturday, August 15, 2009

post://563346954539740788/

Those 4 days went by slowly. I went to work on Monday but that night had Nicole feeling very anxious about the baby's arrival. I worked from home on Tuesday expecting we'd be going in at any time but I worked through the entire day without much incident. Nicole was tired, very pregnant and a couple days past her due date so anything seemed like it could be the time. We went food shopping because we finally had to. We had been avoiding because we didn't want things to spoil if we had the baby and didn't get back to the house right away. We made dinner, sat down to watch some TV afterwards and sure enough her water broke.

We went to the hospital about 9:30 or so, got into an admission room about 10:15. We sat there for some time waiting, heard a few other expectant mothers be told they should go back home and wait, but after a few double and triple checks they were able to admit us. I was glad, I didn't want it to all be for naught. Nicole was having very minor contractions at this point - possibly one every 10 minutes or so. We finally were admitted to a room about 1:30am. The contractions still weren't all that severe so they advised us to get a good night's rest for the full day ahead. We had sent texts or called the major people to relay the message and we settled in for the night.

The next morning I woke roughly 8:30. They had already woken Nicole up, gotten her breakfast and started her on a steady drip of Pitosin. Eventually family started trickling in, Nicole's mom and step father, my mother, and her sister. Nothing much was happening, they visited for a while and left for some lunch. The contractions had started ramping up at that point and it was mainly me in the room. Her mom and sister popped in once or twice after but once the contractions really started hitting her, there wasn't much visiting to be done. Nicole had wanted to try it for as long as she could without an epidural and she did very well, but it was really starting to hurt. She tried the birthing ball, but it took so long for them to get it to her she was a bit out of sorts for it by the the time it arrived. She was going to try the shower as well, but considering how long it took them to get the ball, we were both concerned with how long it would take someone qualified to inject something into her spine to get there so we ordered it.

It took them another good 30 to 45 minutes but they arrived, an anesthesiologist and a medical student I gathered because she was so young and full of inquiry to the seasoned one. They placed it and Nicole began to feel the numbing. There was one key misunderstanding though. They had the tube in and they asked where Nicole felt it, she understood the question to relate to their finger, not to the tube. The finger was right in the middle, the tube, as it turned out - was a bit to the left.

Nicole felt into an instant calm, a little too calm. She relaxed, smiled and laid back as they asked her questions about how she felt. She said she felt good, but her chest was a little tight... right before the pulse monitor measured a severe drop. Her heart rate plummeted and she was breathing very slow. They immediately stopped the epidural drip and let it ease off. She continued to have minor contractions during this time unbeknownst to her. Family came in again for a quick conversation, she was very upbeat, and a tad loopy but happy. She had decided to forgo any narcotics for fear it would interfere with the baby's health and her ability to participate in the experience, I attributed it to relief and fatigue. She recalled a very amusing story about her young nephew having a blast with his Massachusetts accent and one particular phrase.

The relaxation went by the wayside once the epidural was started back up, as the large initial dose they had provided her subsided she began to feel a "window" were the contractions were hitting with full force. They kept asking her to give it time, moved her around a little to try and move the numbing to the area to no avail when the anesthesiologist was called again to assist. The original two had left for the day but a new one was on. He made an adjustment, pulling it out a little bit but that too proved to be too little. After about 2 hours or so of resumed full pain he came back yet again to redo the epidural. Thankfully, as he was very careful and sure about where the needle was placed, it did what it was supposed to do and the pain subsided.

About 7pm or so Nicole was finally able to get some rest, I went down for a nap as well since I had been helping the entire time. I kept thinking how I knew this was going to be difficult for Nicole but never imagined it would be so much work for me. Little did I know that was just the tip of the iceberg. I woke up about 9pm and she was still sleeping. I went out to the waiting room to reconnect with family while she got a little more sleep. I hung out there for about an hour or so and I must say that was probably one of the longest hours of my life. America's Got Talent was on the TV, we weren't really watching it but no one was in too good a shape for real conversation so once I had relayed the major information - that was what I focused on.

About 10pm a nurse came to get me, Nicole was up and asking for me. I went in to see how she was doing. The contractions were closer, more regular, and it seemed like it was going to happen. We were really shooting for the 29th because that was our friend Heather's birthday and it looked like it just might happen. She went through the contractions much better with the epidural, she could still feel them, but they wasn't the pain she had before it. Nicole kept wanting to converse, but based on the feedback from the machine measuring her pulse it was best when we were both quiet. Whenever she would start talking her pulse would drop and the alarm would go off, I advised her to stay calm and relax, but our short purposeful conversation continued as she kept working through the contractions. In hindsight, Nicole had a somewhat low nominal blood pressure anyhow, the machine was just picking up a slight drop so overall it wasn't something to be concerned about but I couldn't help feeling concerned watching the readings dip into the red whenever she'd start talking. I just tried to keep us both calm and working through the contractions.

Finally around 11pm the midwife decided she should start pushing. The average was 1 to 2 hours, I was hoping for less - that didn't happen. A good hour... then close to 2 and the baby was finally starting to show. Nicole was tired, I was tired but just trying to keep her going. The midwife was great, kept her counting and pushing and finally we were making headway (ha!). About 2 hours and Nicole was really feeling it. Finally, the midwife told her to feel the head - she did and realized it was almost there. A few more minutes and finally the baby came out.

The head was very long, oblong and alien like in it's shape. All purple and bloody, wrinkled like he had been in the bath for 9 months or so. The baby was lifted up and I looked on in anticipation, I didn't even see the cord around his neck because the midwife was so good. As she was lifting him out she had already begun unwrapping so by the time he was all the way out, it was off. I then saw it was a boy and made the announcement! They put him right down on Nicole as they cleaned him up. He was crying by this point after they cleared his mouth. He looked so small and just as tired as his mother. It really was beautiful, my new son.

They brought him over to the corner of the room to examine him, weigh him, and we hoped to have him back shortly. He was crying a bit more anxiously now, with short quips of breath. The doctors started conferring with each other in hushed tones. I was concerned, but they spoke to us as soon as they determined what they were going to do. Since they had concerns with his breathing he needed to go up to NICU (newborn intensive care unit) but we could come see him within an hour.

I had minor concerns because I wanted our baby to be with us, and have as much skin to skin contact in the first few hours as possible, but knew that I had a brief period in the ICU as a newborn as well so knew it could still be alright. It was alright after all - he was wonderfully healthy, and I will continue in pt 2.

Labels: 2009, baby, update

posted @ 16:48

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

post://751856176805052483/

So the baby is on the way, 4 days until the due date. The baby's room is finished, floor sanded, resealed, walls painted, and furnished. Nicole and I both wanted a braided rug as we both have fond memories of racing matchbox cards along the braids. It's a built in racing track. I remember setting up my blocks in a track shape and using the braids as built in lanes. We settled on a nice braided cloth one from Thorndike Mills in Palmer. I'd say they're the de facto manufacturer of braided rugs mainly because they are the only ones I've ever heard of.

Since the room's been done I've gotten into the habit of looking into the room at night time and the morning, opening the door which has been closed to keep the cats out, just getting used to the image. I can imagine the baby there in the crib, all snuggled and peaceful in a warm loving house. It's a nice thought, but never thought I'd get to this point.

There's the usual concerns about how to change them, settle the crying, alleviate the gas bubbles, and hold the baby securely while trying to do things with one hand. I've always handled babys well (I think), but I never got all that much face time with any given tiny baby. I'm really looking forward to holding my son or daughter in my arms, looking at them and knowing they are part me.

I'm sure they'll run into the same issues I did growing up and I hope I can help them through it. Not to say my parents didn't try but they just didn't seem to have much of a clue. They were so old by the time they had me, things had been much different when they were children. Generations had gone by since, and their childhood memories didn't really give me much to work off of. I hope I can provide some insight to help prepare my child for the life that lies ahead.

Nicole and I both agree on the same rearing theories so I'm hoping that we'll be a good team.

Labels: 2009, baby, status

posted @ 14:25

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Wednesday, June 03, 2009

post://2302350923508456804/

The baby is coming in two months (give or take) and I'm feeling a bit... stressed?
I'm excited for the actual situation, but how I'm going to turn everything around in that short of time is a bit daunting.

I have until the beginning of July to finish everything for school. Once class is done and I think I'm in good shape there but the other one I've fallen quite a bit farther behind. I'm just starting on a paper that should have been done a week or two ago and I don't even know where to start.

We've got the baby's room started. It's primed and painted but needs another coat of paint and then I've still got to do the floor. After we pulled up the carpet there was a nice wood floor underneath, but the previous owners went all fuckall with the ceiling popcorn so it's got to be sanded and refinished and since I was going to rent a sander for the occasion I figured I might as well do the office too while I'm at it, since that floor has certainly seen better days.

On top of all this the bathroom is still being redone downstairs. At least we've got the upstairs one so we're not without during all this, but it's taken some time. They're doing good work thus far so I'm not complaining but there are additional concerns and decisions to approve as far as things we need to replace now they've got everything apart or the allotments for improvements to the items we've budgeted for.

I'm worried I can't get everything baby-ready in time, and in order to do all these pending items I kind of need to be home but we keep making ourselves busy. VT was last week, and NY this week - Pregnancy: Get it While it Lasts! (The Mom Tour)

I'm currently ready to head to our last birthing class, so once Nicole's lab is done at school we'll at least have Wednesdays back to normal. I might not be able to squeeze all the house stuff into a weeknight, but it might help me catch up on my school assignments. It's a great class, really interesting, but I'm so not getting what they apparently think I should be getting out of this because I read the materials but have NO idea what they're talking about in the writing assignment that's based on them. "wait... what do you mean 'all the different views?' I can name one... I think"

It all builds on itself so I'm starting to get a little tense. Work has been well, at least. Everything finally settled down, but apparently today was "nothing based on Access will work properly and needs to be fixed" day. There's a potential good thing coming up in the prospect of a trainee at work. They shuttle college graduates on a "fast path" to management - sending them to various areas a few months at a time to get as broad of a perspective as possible. We're getting one in my area and I'm going to be the mentor, so it'll be a little practice and I'll see how I do. I don't really want to get into the management side, but I'm thinking that might be the only route that'll get me any more moolah in this area and I would like to think my background would mean I could recommend and deligate well.

Ultimately I'd like to do full time programming, hopefully it'll be varied enough to keep me interested. I'd need more official training and if I can ever get to it I've got some additional programming classes coming. My development plan - read: list of classes for a degree - is fairly intense and involved so I might not really get to the actual programming classes until later. I know .NET but I've only been through official VB6 classes so I'm really looking forward to it for the best practices end of things.

Labels: 2009, baby, school, status

posted @ 18:13

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