Jill, McKenzie and I struggled to get McKenzie to feed from the breast for the last three hours. Signs of jaundice have begun setting in, and, to tell you the truth, scares the shit out of me. McKenzie has also lost eight percent of her body weight. Some weight loss after birth is expected. Ten percent is the warning level. McKenzie also has not had a bowel movement all day today and only had a slight one this morning. Fear is a great motivator, and both Jill and I have become sponges for information and no longer afraid to ask questions or for help as soon as we don't know.

McKenzie's feedings are actually becoming easier for me. Last night, when I didn't know what to do, I quickly became bored and extremely tired, falling asleep as I tried to "help" Jill. Now I have clear and defined functions during the entire process, which I can focus upon. Lord knows that I have plenty of experience of working under sleep deprivation most of my career and have actually learned to thrive on it. In some sick and twisted way, I actually look back upon particular stretches as badges of honor.

One particular instance was during my tenure at the Bradley Center. I had worked the Admirals hockey game and converted the building over for the Rolling Stones concert the next day. Concerts are an long all-day (20 hours all day) affairs. After the concert, our crew had to convert the building for an afternoon Wave indoor soccer game and then quickly convert (less than two hours convert) for an evening Bucks NBA game. After the Bucks game, our crew then converted the building for a Marquette men's basketball game the next day. The Bucks and Marquette each have their own basketball floors. Needless to say, those had been a long and intense three days.

McKenzie is my greatest badge of honor.

Kiet

Mother and child are doing well. Jill is starting to move around much better. Her drain was removed this morning.

Together we had a heck of a night learning how to breast feed. In my last entry, I spoke of mother and child learning together. I quickly realized that I need to play a role also. While Jill struggles with positioning, I need to keep McKenzie awake during feeding and be supportive for Jill. Jill is worried that her milk isn't coming in fast enough and that McKenzie is suffering for it. She asked the nurse to give McKenzie a fourth glucose sugar test just to be safe. They stop testing if she passed her first three test.

After McKenzie's 4:30 AM feeding, together we walked the floor and allowed Jill to catch up on her sleep. I am bushed.

A short dispatch, as I am home, cleaning up and taking care of Koda. I want to get back to the hospital as soon as possible.

Happy New Year.

Kiet

Today Jill is doing much better. She still struggles with the pain, but no longer experiences the nausea. She is now able to get up out of bed and, though limited, walk around.

Jill and McKenzie are progressing well with their breast-feeding lessons. Though Jill offers assistance, McKenzie has made it quite clear that she is fully capable of doing it on her own. While Jill sleeps, she and I practice with my pinkie.

Apparently there is a rumbling about the frequency of my dispatches. Unfortunately there is no internet access in the room, and I am reluctant to leave mother and child. As they sleep, I have been writing my entry and later tonight will try to sneak out and post it to the web.

I also managed to gather the photo from the last couple of days and have posted the photo album. Just click on the image above or the Photo Albums button in the side bar.

Happy New Year, All and One.

Kiet

This morning, at 9:55 AM, McKenzie Katherine Callies came into this world at 8 pounds and 14.8 ounces, 20 inches long with an Apgar score of 8-9. She is the jewel of my eye.

Despite the pain associated with major surgery, Jill is doing well. Now she is experiencing pain whenever she moves and hasn't been able to hold McKenzie as much as she would like to. At Jill's expense, I have been lucky.

After the nurses cleaned her off, I was handed McKenzie, and together we sat at Jill's head as the team sewed her back together. In those first ten minutes of her life, I watched her open eyes to the world for the first time, felt her strong grip on my index finger and wept. For the first time, I understood fatherhood as I watched McKenzie practice her tongue-eye coordination.

After post-op recovery, and when we finally got to the room, I gave my daughter her first bath, changed her first diaper, witnessed her first pee, put on her first shirt. It is a day of firsts.

Kiet

Jill had another ultrasound today and a doctor's appointment afterwards. The baby continues to develop beautifully, weighing in at about 8 pounds.

However, there is concern about her not dropping down far enough into the pelvis at this stage. The size of Baby Callies and Jill's age are also key factors. An option is to induce labor, wait six hours and see where that leads, with no guarantees that in the end she will be delivered vaginally. Together, we decided to skip the middle part and have her delivered via C-section. Delivery is scheduled for tomorrow, and we arrive at the hospital at 7:00 AM.

At this point in our journey, I am beginning to wonder if I am enough for Jill. Though she says that I am all she needs, I can see it in her eyes that she feels so alone and isolated. I fear that she follows too closely in my footsteps, keeping a stiff upper lip in the face of whatever life pitches our way. She pretends that the distance, and the inevitable drift, from friends and family doesn't bother her, but it does. Though I happily carry water for her, it hurts to think that it's not enough.

Kiet

Jill had a doctor's appointment on Thursday. Every day she is relieved that it is a day closer to having her out and wishes for that trip to the hospital every morning. She is dilated one centimeter and 50% effaced. The baby's position is -3 in the birth canal.

Since the last nursery entry, we have been quietly and slowly plugging away at the details of the baby's nursery. We continued stenciling; this time, we added flowers - sunflowers and daisies - to the wall panels.

Then we added the flower details above the panels, using green pipe cleaners as stems.

I added two more Curious George vignettes, flying a kite and going fishing (see the Baby Nursery under Photo Albums).

Today in History:
12/23 Joseph Smith born, 1805
12/23 Sean Chittenden born in Seattle, Washington, United States, 1979
12/23 Emperor's Birthday in Japan
12/23 Victory Day in Egypt
12/23 First G&S collaboration, Thespis, 1871

Kiet

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Today Jill asked me to tie her shoe laces. She is now too big to bend over and reach her toes.

Today in History:
12/21 Benjamin Disraeli born, 1804
12/21 Phileas Fogg completes his trip around the world in less than 80 days
12/21 Women gain the right to vote in South Australia, 1894
12/21 Women gain the right to hold political office in South Australia, 1894
12/21* Parashat Va-Yechi
12/21 Frank Zappa is born in Baltimore, 1940
12/21* Winter Solstice

Kiet

This last weekend, we continue to add the additional touches to the nursery. One of the details we added was Curious George. From her library, I scanned the famous illustration of Curious George hanging from balloons into the computer. Then I touched it up with Photoshop and printed it out onto a transparency. Then we adhered it to the wall, overlapping the cloud above her changing dresser.

Throughout the room, we also plan to add Curious George with a kite, Curious George fishing and Curious George in the tree at the zoo. The images are not so big that they overwhelm the room, just interesting details to catch the eye and imagination.

We also found a variety of whimsical insects and flowers to add the room: bees, ladybugs, dragonflies and butterflies. Her room is really starting to take shape.

Kiet

Today in History:
12/17 William Safire (Safir) born, 1929
12/17 National Day in Bhutan

Kiet

I'll post the answer in the next couple of days. :-)

Today in History:
12/14 George Washington dies, 1799
12/14* Parashat Va-Yiggash

Kiet

Jill had an ultrasound today, and Baby Callies weighs about 7 pounds, give or take a pound. All of her measurements point to her development being two weeks ahead of schedule. Another ultrasound, probably the last one, is scheduled in three weeks. Until then, we wait; however, Jill is ready for her to be out now.

Today in History:
12/08 Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) born in Venosa (Italy), 65BC
12/08 James (Grover) Thurber born in Columbus, Ohio, 1894
12/08 First Ph.D. awarded by Computer Science Dept, Univ. of Penna, 1965
12/08 Blessing of the Water in Uruguay
12/08 Mother's Day in Panama
12/08 Our Lady of the Cacupe in Paraguay
12/08 Jim Morrison is born in Melbourne, Florida, 1943
12/08 John Lennon is shot and killed in New York City, 1980

Kiet

After Jill's doctor appointment (the baby continues to develop well), we stopped and picked up the baby's furniture from Babies 'R Us. As soon as we got home, I hauled the furniture upstairs and immediately assembled her new crib and dresser. This furniture matches well with the Pottery Barn furniture.

Jill also finished up the geese stencil.

Today in History:
12/01 Woody Allen (Allen Stuart Konigsberg) born in Brooklyn, NY, 1935
12/01 Hajimu Umemoto born in Nara, Japan, 1961
12/01 First national corn-husking championship, Alleman IA, 1924
12/01 Martin Luther King Jr., leads black boycott of Montgomery buses, 1955
12/01 Rosa Parks refuses to move to back of the bus (Montgomery, AL), 1953
12/01 Anniversary of the Restoration of Independence in Portugal
12/01 Independence Day in Central African Republic
12/01 World AIDS Day
12/01* Hanukkah (Second day)
12/01* Light 3rd candle

Kiet

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After dinner, I decided to start trace cutting the first stencil, geese, into the stencil material we bought at Craft Warehouse. The stencil material is a thin white flexible plastic sheet, similar to those lightweight disposable cutting boards you find in the kitchen supply aisle.

The key to getting this project done is to keep plugging away at it, breaking a large project into smaller, more manageable projects. The geese stencil is just one of those smaller, more manageable projects.

I did the cutting, and Jill, the painting. The nursery continues to take shape. This is the first of many small details to be added. The room will probably never be completely finished, a continuous work in progress which will eventually drag Baby Callies into the fray of artisans working on this project.

Today in History:
11/29 John Mayall is born in Cheshire, England, 1933
11/29 King Tut's tomb opened, 1922
11/29 Day of the Republic (2 days) in Yugoslavia
11/29 Goodwill Day in Liberia
11/29 Liberation Day in Albania
11/29 National Day in Burma
11/29* Erev Hanukkah
11/29* Light 1st candle

Kiet

Well, over the weekend, I finished the wall panels, and even I am impressed with the results. The green turned out well against the blue walls, and shape conveys rolling hills. Often I find Jill sitting in the middle of the room, admiring the design. Baby Callies will probably end up bunking with me, and Jill, moving into her room.

The baby's furniture has arrived, and sometime this week, we'll go and pick it up. Before we do this, we'll need to do some significant rearranging of rooms. The effect cascades throughout the house. Things will move from her room into the other spare room; from the spare room, things will be forced out into our bedroom, the living room and dining room. From our bedroom, the living room and dining room, we don't know where to go. We have found ourselves in a temporary rut.

The next step, details . . .

Today in History:
11/28 Nik Clayton born in Peterborough, United Kingdom, 1973
11/28 Independence Day in Albania and Mauritania
11/28 Independence from Spain in Panama
11/28 Proclamation of the Republic in Chad

Kiet

Last night I picked up some sheets of 1/2" MDF for the interchangeable wall panels. I managed to cut the sheets into thirds along the width, about 32" by 48". The bottom third of three of the nursery walls will be covered with these panels, and each wall will use three of these cut thirds. I started on one of the walls.

On the garage floor, I laid three sections side by side and sketched rolling terrain across them. I then rough cut the three sections along my sketched lines with a orbital saber saw. Before hanging it up for the night, I routed the edges of one of the sections.

Today I finished routing edges of the other two sections. I made the cutouts for the the wall outlets and temporarily mounted the panels onto the nursery walls. Jill really liked the results.

Next step, paint the panels . . .

Today in History:
11/23 Josef Lawrence Karthauser born in Pembury, Kent, United Kingdom, 1972
11/23 First broadcast of Dr. Who (longest running TV series), 1963
11/23 Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan
11/23* Parashat Va-Yishlah

Kiet

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Well, we finished painting the sky. The darker blue on the ceiling and the lighter blue on the walls worked out well. At the last minute, I decided to spill the darker blue off the ceiling and onto the wall and think the effect worked.

Then we worked on the clouds on the ceiling and walls and again were happy with the effect. We did have to temper our desire to over do it with the coulds. It is always eeasier to add more later, if needed. We'll reexamine it after we install the custom bottom border panels and some of the other fixtures.

Our idea is to create custom interchangeable panels made out of 3/8" material (particle board or plywood) installed along the bottom third of the wall. It will give the design some dimension. The initial panels will probably be rolling green grassy hills. Later on, we would make different panels with a different design or theme and change them out on a regular interval. My thought is four different sets, one for each season.

I cleaned up the painting supplies and moved in her new Pottery Barn Kids furniture up into her room.

Next step, panels . . .

Today in History:
11/20 Robert Francis Kennedy (RFK) born in Boston, Massachusetts, 1925
11/20 Revolution Day in Mexico
11/20 Duane Allman is born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1946
11/20 Joe Walsh is born in Cleveland, 1947

Kiet

Today Jill and I started the baby's nursery. We cleared out the room and began with painting. We painted the ceiling Acre Sky and the walls Mickey Sailor, part of the Behr Paint's Disney collection. I finished the ceiling and most of the walls. The last three inches of wall near the ceiling were covered with painter's tape, and I didn't want to remove it yet with the ceiling and walls wet. I'll finish after the paint dries.

Next step are clouds . . .

Today in History:
11/13 Robert Louis Stevenson born, 1850
11/13 St. Augustine of Hippo born in Numidia, Algeria, 354
11/13 John Baldwin born in Stuart, Virginia, United States, 1977
11/13 Paul Simon born, 1942

Kiet

Today we started fetal heart monitoring, to be done twice a week.

also available via

Kiet

Last night, Jill and I went to the Paul McCartney concert where we had front row seats, right up against the barricade. Throughout the concert, Baby Callies kicked and moved, as if dancing.

Kiet

Today, I have seen confirmation that our little girl is a little girl as the ultrasound technician was able to explain to us our daughter's female anatomy. For the longest time, unable to recognize or comprehend what I was looking at on the monitor, I just assumed that the logic behind the determination of our daughter's gender was due to the visual absence of a penis. It is now very official; it's a girl.

She now weighs 4 pounds and 11 ounces. She is going to be a big baby and has stretched out and taken up residence in Jill's womb. Her head is tight against Jill's cervix, and her feet are just under Jill's diaphragm. She is also long.

Kiet

Jill had a doctor's appointment today. Everything continues to go well for her and the baby. The latest ultrasound shows that our child has hair. This surprises us as both Jill and I were bald babies.

Kiet

Jill had another ultrasound today, and the baby is healthy.

After hearing tales of wrong gender prognoses, Jill asked the ultrasound technician to double check the gender. She is still a girl for now.

She weighs in at 2 pounds and 11 ounces, within the 75 percentile. There is concern about her being too big for a vaginal birth; 4500 grams, or 9.9 pounds, is the cut-off point. The doctor did inform us of a benefit of having a larger baby. Once babies reach the 14 pound weight, they can sleep for longer stretches of time.

The doctor was also happy to see her breathing on her own, a good sign and well advanced for her development.

Kiet

We would like to thank everyone for the wonderful baby shower this afternoon. We are both lucky and blessed to have such family and friends.

Kiet