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

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)

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)

Day 143: Swimming Weightless in the Womb

Today we had a targeted ultrasound. The point of this ultrasound was to look more closely at the heart, brain, and other important parts. We’re happy to report that according to the ultrasound doc, the baby is “normal.” The doctor also said that based on the baby’s weight (~430 grams) we’re still on schedule for a Feb. 2nd delivery.

So this time around, instead of sharing pictures, we have video footage. Click on the image below to get the show started. Things you’ll see in the video include the skull and brain, the heart beating with all four chambers visible, as well as the spine and both hands and feet.

Day 95: Virtual Planetoid

Anat had her second ultrasound yesterday. Sadly, I couldn’t get out of work in time to join her, but her excitement when she came home was palpable for both of us. The scans below aren’t the greatest but in the original you can better see the kid’s right arm along its side, legs crossed over its belly, and left arm on its large head (takes after me). S/he’s got a CRL (crown-rump length) of 3 inches; that’s 8 times its size from last month. A few more weeks and s/he’ll be able to dunk (like me). Oh right, Anat said that the ultrasoundista said that the baby is sleeping but c’mon, isn’t the baby always sleeping? Lazy freeloader.

 

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

 

PS – Happy Birthday Jerry!

Day 48: Seeing Its Shadow

Today was our first appointment with the obstetrician, Dr. Matsunaga. He’s knowledgeable, well recommended, and had many framed pieces of paper with his name on them on the wall, so he must be smart.

Apparently not only is his practice highly recommended, accepting of our insurance, and close to home/RAND/UCLA, but he’s also an ‘Obstetrician to the Stars’ so maybe we’ll get to share a Lamaze class with someone awesome like Brangelina or TomKat or some huge waste of mental space.

First he met with both of us and answered a bunch of questions like what Anat can and can’t do, what she can and can’t eat, and whether God created this baby or if it’s one of those dinosaur-evolved babies we keep reading about.

After she pissed in a little cup (commemorative samples available upon request), I waited in the waiting room while the doctor did things to her that are probably illegal in Utah and Iraq. Nonetheless the doctor said everything was working just fine and then sent us downstairs to get an ultrasound.

We got to the ultrasoundista’s office and were seen immediately. Without going through the gory details (see: Knocked Up), let’s just say that before we knew it, we were watching a monitor with the insides of Anat in view. The doc swore to us that the large chickpea-sized (9 mm) mass in the center of the screen was our kid but I didn’t see the resemblance.

(Click to enlarge: Blob on the left of uterus is the baby,
the smaller blob in middle of uterus is the yolk sack)

All kidding aside, at this point, this whole thing started getting really amazing for me. The ultrasoundista focused on the heart and at this point we could see this tiny ball beating like it had just won the 100-yard dash. The ultrasoundista said it was beating at 124 beats per minute and even amplified the sound so we could hear it as clear as day. She printed up a few pictures for us and sent us on our way.

We left feeling excited and reassured that except having a 50% chance of looking like me, both the baby and mother were in great health.

BTW, for now, the expected due date is February 2nd. It’s a few days shy of Bob Marley’s birthday, but at least there are plenty of opportunities for Groundhog Day jokes.