The Last Waltz

Sorry for the drought in posting. So I think this is going to be the last post on Baby K. It’s been a great run, and your support has been tremendous throughout the whole process. I’ll likely be starting a new blog soon with not only baby-related content but also whatever else sprouts from my mind. In the meantime you can still get photo updates by using the link on the right over there. Alternatively you can just bookmark this link http://picasaweb.google.com/kofner or just ask me and I’ll add your email to a distribution list.  Once again, thank you for reading and writing along with us. It’s been a great experience. Click on the photo below for photos of Adam from his 2nd month.

Love, A³K

Month 1

Dear Adam,

Today you are one month old. It’s hard to believe that it’s only been 29 days seen you popped out and changed our life forever. Sometimes it seems like it’s been a few years but that’s only because you’re able to squeeze so much volume into such tiny lungs. Well, I wouldn’t call them tiny actually. Yesterday your mom weighed you and you’re already 11.25 lbs (born 8.5 lbs). As your Uncle Dan mentioned, ever so comically, you’ve finally reached your mom’s birth weight. ZING!!!

It’s been a big month of firsts for you. Not only was your first month filled with your first bath, first sunset, first hike, and first time peeing all over your mom, but it was also the first time you witnessed your grandparents getting drunk … and hopefully your last. It’s also been a big month of firsts for us. Being first time parents, this has been a little scary for us as well. I’m happy to say, that past the first week, we stopped asking each other if you’re still breathing. Now we just wonder when you’ll stop crying, though like everything else, the crying will pass too. Last night you (we) had a relatively great night of sleep. It seems like the persistent gas pains that have bothered you for half your life are starting to subside.

It would be hard for me to write this without giving props (yes, giving props) to your mom for the amazing job she’s done with you over the last months. I’m sure you don’t yet realize the grandness of this, but it’s been almost a year since she’s had even a sip of wine. Methadone yes, but not a drop of wine. And your delivery? Well, to go into too much detail might scar you way earlier than we had hoped, so I’ll just say that she was amazing. When she starts with the Jewish mother guilt in a few years, I might actually have to back her up; that delivery was not easy. Besides your doting mother and dolting father you have lots of family and friends who can’t wait to meet you. You might not realize it, but you were born into this world with an already established cheering section, although some of them can be hecklers too so don’t take it personally.

In the last 4 weeks, you’ve been increasingly alert, increasingly demonstrative, and increasingly adorable. You’ve started making eye contact with us and moving your head when we move and even smiling a little although I’m sure that’s just gas. Still, gas can be fun, so why not smile. You also make lots of noises. Lots and lots of noises. Most importantly though, you make us so happy. I never thought that parenthood could feel so amazing. Thank you for being so perfect.

Love, Dad

Choke

So, I was so excited to post a blog about our great hike today (Adam’s first) but I’m a bit tongue-tied after just watching Maryland lose to Clemson. At home. After leading. By 20 points in the 2nd half.

Enjoy the photos. I’m gonna go cry.

(Click photo to view the entire set)

(Insert Bris Joke)

Just getting around to posting photos from Adam’s Bris. I’ll spare you the detailed write up and instead give you this abridged sequence of events:

• Bris
• Naming ceremony
• Corned beef sammiches

Speaking of food, yesterday, with the help of some brave friends, we took Adam, but mostly ourselves, out to eat.  We had delicious Counter burgers, fries (both regular and sweet potato), onion rings, and a milk shake.  From the second he got into the carseat to the second he got back home, he was basically comatose.  It was awesome and totally made up for stupid Maryland blowing their game against stupid Miami.  Stupid.

(Click on photo to access entire set)

And In This Corner…

… weighing in at 9 lbs 10 oz, up from 8 lbs 8 oz at birth: Adam “Kobayashi” Kofner.Just got back from Adam’s 2 week doctor visit. Everything seems to be OK. In addition to his massive weight gain, he’s also 21 3/4″ long (tall?), up from a birth length (height?) of 20″.

So if you don’t already know, Adam’s developed this neat little parlor trick we call, ‘Old Faithful.’ It goes like this. He gets hungry. Anat feeds him. He displays additional signs of hunger. Anat feeds him more. He lets out a very wet sounding burp and proceeds to throw up a few gallons of milk.

We self-diagnosed this to be caused by either hyperlactation or plain old reflux. The doctor didn’t necessarily discount these but also suggested, based on Adam’s massive weight gain, that he just might be overeating (eat bubbele eat). For now, the doc suggested that maybe a pacifier will do the trick instead of milk for those times that he just wants a little comforting.

He also told us that we should expect Adam’s daily crying to increase until it peaks at about 3 months. Sweet.

The First Days

It’s been two weeks since Anat’s chundering initiated a chain of events that eventually culminated in Adam’s birth. In those two weeks much has happened including:

• Adam’s birth
• Our four night awesome hospital stay
• Coming home
• Our parents came to visit … and went home
• Adam’s Bris
• His umbilical cord fell off
• Plenty of poop, puke, and piss
• His first play date, first walk, first bath

We’re starting to feel like we’re getting the hang of this baby thing, but not really. Some days are better than others but all of them are well worth it, no matter what time of the night we’re washing baby poop off our sheets. Also, Anat is getting her energy back. I’ll let her share more of the details when she’s ready but for now I notice that slow short painful strolls have given way to regularly paced extended walks. Things that were quite foreign like diaper changing and feeding seem like old hat.

(Click on photo to access entire set)

Friday Night Folly

It’s funny what passes for entertainment these days. We just finished bathing Adam, put him into clean pajamas, finished our dinner, and were sitting there as Anat fed him before he went to sleep. All of a sudden I hear this explosion and I look over and he had completely chundered milk all over himself, and Anat. That’s my boy.

The Delivery

Please forgive the lateness of this. It’s been a hell of a first 10 days between the birth, Adam’s jaundice, and his Bris. Even now we’re finally quietly sitting down and we still have a massive to-do list to make our way through. So, without further delay, the delivery:

I Will Take You Home

 

I’ll keep this one short and sweet.  We’re home.  All of us.  And it feels great.

 

(Click on photo to access entire set)

 

1000 Words

FYI, if you click on the 2 pictures in the last 2 posts, you can access about 2 dozen other pictures in the set. Sorry for not making that clear enough at first.

Also, still in the hospital, hoping to get the results back any minute now.

UPDATE (1:30pm) -  Adam’s bilirubin (level of Jaundice) is still sorta high.  We’ve got him in the lightbox and he’ll have his levels examined again this afternoon and hopefully we’ll be at home this evening.

Not Really Sure What is Going On

I just wanted to send out a little note to thank you all for being so incredibly supportive over the last ten months, and especially over the last few days; the emails, calls, texts, and lots of love you have all sent have really been incredible.

It has been a crazy couple of days! I am not sure I remember how it all went down, but somehow at the end of it, Aaron and I have obtained a new addition to our family, and he is nothing short of perfect. I promise to return the calls at some point soon when I am not staring at my new son, but in the meantime know that I greatly appreciate all the love.

My Yellow in this Case is not So Mellow

Just wanted to send out a quick update. Adam and Anat are both doing well if not a bit fussy and tired respectively. We thought we’d all be coming home this afternoon but Adam’s developed a bit of jaundice so we’ve all moved to the pediatrics floor and will be staying at least another night while he gets some time in a lightbox. His case is rather mellow and when he’s swaddled, he sorta looks like an Oompa Loompa. I’ll put some pictures up soon now.

(Click on photo to access entire set)

Hello My Baby

It’s with great honor, a pant-load of pride, and extreme sleep deprivation that Anat and I would like to introduce you to Adam Dylan Kofner. He’s got the (in)famous Shahar chin, my freakishly long torso, one hell of a set of pipes, and an adorable everything. I’ll save the details of the delivery for another time but, by popular demand, here’s the first batch of family photos. Also, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all the love and support we’ve received over the last 9 months; it means the world to us.

(Click on photo to access entire set)

Day 281: Let’s Get This Show on the Road

After many hours of contractions we’re about to head out to the hospital. We’ve got a birthing ball, tons of music on an iPod, and a pervasive sense of fear and excitement. Check back for updates throughout the day, I think we might have a little football (get it, that’s a Superbowl joke) before tomorrow.

5:00 AM, Feb 4 update: No big news yet — still at the hospital. Anat’s being a real trooper (Posted by SS).

1630 EST ACTION UPDATE: Some very minor progress to report. Healthy baby boy born at 1147 PST, 8lbs 7.6oz, 20″ long. Mother and baby are doing great and resting comfortably. Father is bizarrely and atypically tranquil. More information to come, including name of aforementioned baby. Thank you (Posted by MS).

Week 40 Photo