Meet the Pattersons

Grandma and Grandpa sent us this cool video camera to film their granddaughter. So, we want to introduce you to Claire's family. The only one missing is Rooster (the cat). The dogs are increasingly becoming interested in Claire, with Kayla giving her kisses. Still, we can tell the dogs are feeling somewhat neglected. That will change when we put a saddle on Kayla for Claire to ride around on. We will see if Claire can stay on for 8 seconds. And by the way, today (March 30) is Caesar's 15th birthday!

Faces of Claire

So many expressions. Reminds me of this vignette I saw on TV when I was a kid.

Is it live or Clairex?

Claire stars as a sleeping baby.

this and that...

I am not sure if you saw the latest report from the US Dept. of Agriculture, but the agency claims that raising a kid from 2007 to the age 18 will cost upwards of $300,000. And this doesn't include college!!! The summary of the report is here. We have been fortunate in that friends have given us a ton of clothes and diapers, and have brought us several dinners; though, one can never have too many dinners delivered, can one? FYI, Lynn is a vegetarian who does not like onions, mushrooms and cucumbers. I, on the other hand, will eat pretty much anything set in front of me.

Claire is growing. Her cheeks are filling out, as are her diapers. Lynn dilligently keeps track of the contents of Claire diapers, so she can inform the pediatrician of Claire's progress. Imagine if we measured progress that way (by the amount of poop produced) for more things. So if the economy is in the sh!tter, does that mean it is doing well?

We have been skyping the grandparents, aunts and uncles regularly. We use a webcam, so they can see and hear her. Grandma and Grandpa, email us regularly to inquire whether Claire is available for skyping. If you have skype on your computer and want to see and hear Claire-bear, send us an email or leave a comment.

That's all for now. Feel free to drop by with dinner.

The more things change...

... the more they stay the same. On the left, is Lynn, who looks a lot like Claire, except the ears. In case you have forgotten what Claire looks like, here is a photo. Also, I have been updating the photo website 3-4 times a week, so check back often.

It's been a while...

What a week. It's been 7 days since we came home from the hospital. Claire-bear, as I affectionately call her, is growing like crazy. At the doctor's appointment today she weighed in a 5-12, up 9 oz for the week. To put it perspective, last Thursday she weighed 83oz. She gained nearly 11% of her body weight this past week. That's like me gaining 24 pounds in one week. She is eating about 2oz 7-8x per day. Mom and I are slowly figuring out a system that allows us to sleep for about 4 hours uninteruptedly. It is still a struggle to wake her for feedings though. She is sleeping in my arms right now.

Yesterday we got the potrait taken at the hospital. It is amazing how much she has changed over the past 10-11 days. Today is Claire's 2 week b-day. Her eyes follow you (when they are open). She (kind of) responds to your voice. I think all babies are beautiful, some more than others, but Claire, in this humble father's opinion, takes the cake. We've already agreed that I will buy her a car when she turns 16 and she can start dating when she turns 30. Plus, I told her she could be any kind of medical specialist she wants. The world is truly her oyster.

Grandma and Grandpa skype us on a regular basis and we put the webcam on Claire. I think they will truly enjoy their new role as official spoilers of the child. They are coming down on April 9 to meet their grandchild. My mom, Lola Dely, is coming on April 13, so we will have a full house. Currently Auntie Kim from Dallas is visiting and help out around the house. Lynn and Kim are closer than sisters.

Lynn has been absolutely fabulous. I think if Diana Prince had a 2nd alter-ego, it would be Lynn. I know the adjustment of having a little one has been more taxing on Lynn as she is the primary care giver. It makes me appreciate her all the more - especially at 5am!

In addition to the bottle feedings and diaper changings, I too have benn busy. Today I started the paperwork to apply for a Canadian passport for Claire. But first she needs to have/apply for a certificate of Canadian citizenship, which requires in addition to her birth certificate, 2 other forms of ID ("such as a driver's license" - from the website) and a photo meeting passport specifications - meaning her eyes must be open - good luck.

Anyway, it's 11pm, and time for me to feed her. Until the next posting...

T I R E D spells tired

That's what we are. the ironic thing is Claire sleeps for 18 hours a day. when we are not feeding her 8-10x a day or changing her diapers 10-14x a day, there seems to be endless piles of laundry and dishes. Lynn has been absolutely the best. She truly is a natural mother.

Anyway, Claire was discharged from the hospital yesterday morning. Her jaundice is nearly gone and her temperature is back to normal. Her weight is up to 5 lbs 6oz, only 3 oz below her birth weight. But given how much she has been eating (2oz a feeding) she is sure to pass her birth weight this weekend.

Day 6...

After using the bili-lamp table for an hour last night (March 10), we took Claire's temperature and it had dropped to 94.5F. We used several thermometers and got the same results. Long story short, we ended up at Children's hospital at 4:30am. Claire is doing much better, her temperature is up to 96.5 from a low of 93.3 and her jaundice levels are down. I posted some photos of our blue light special. All three of us are exhausted. And on that note, I bid you good night. Details to follow on a later posting.

Day 5...

Claire had her first doctor's appointment today. It went well. Afterwards we took her to a lab to have some blood work done and turns out she has neonatal jaundice, which is common in preemies. The doctor said she would have a medical equipment company send over a bili-lamp for phototherapy, which is the most effective way of treating jaundice. An hour later, the doctor's office called back saying they could not find any company who would accpet our insurance (blue cross/blue shield from the University System of Georgia) for the lamp and that we may have to go back to the hospital for treatment (3-5 days). We should know soon if we need to go to the hospital.

What do you think would cost more, renting the lamp for 3-5 days or 3-5 day stay in the hospital? No wonder our healthcare costs are so freakin' high and the level of service so low.

Yes I am pissed off. I'll let you know what happens...

Update... the doctor's office was able to find us a bili-lamp, which is being delivered as I type.

Update... the bili-lamp was delivered and it is not as bad as it seemed. The guy who delivered the lamp said it is always harder on the parents than on the child. I posted some new photos. I think I know what Seinfeld went through with Kenny Roger's chicken.

Tomorrow a nurse is coming to the house to draw blood to check on the jaundice.

Until the next posting...

Day 4

Well, the three of us survived our first night at home. Kayla was most interested in what was making that crying noise - so much so, she tried to jump into Claire's pack and play with her. Our first night was a little frustrating as Claire is having trouble nursing - if she had it her way, she would sleep 8 hours a night and forego nursing during this period.

There was some drama today. I went shopping at BRUs to get some things we needed. The place was a zoo - 4,000 customers and 2 employees. The most traumatic part was looking at a 40' long wall of nipples, trying to find preemie size nipples for a particular bottle. I spent about 1.5 hours to buy 10 items.

The other drama was Claire's first bath. I am not sure who was traumatized, me or her. Ordinarily she is a very serene baby, but not tonight. We got it on video and will be sure to resurrect it at her wedding. As soon as we dried her, she was fine.

As you can imagine, Lynn and I are pretty tired, but I wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes, but especially to Kay and Dan for the dinner, flowers, balloons, chocolates and beer; and to Sandy and Edward (our neighbors) for multiple meals, letting the dogs out and tons o' baby clothes. We could not do laundry, or rather Lynn could not do for a month and we would still have clean clothes for Claire.

Anyway, in case you are interested, there are new photos new here.

until the next posting...

day 3...

I think Lynn has cabin fever. She is going around the hospital room, taking anything and everything that is not nailed down and packing it to go home. Why not, we paid for it, is her rationale. I am not sure what we are going to do with 5000 latex gloves and an EKG machine. We are due to be discharged at 6pm this evening.


Both Claire and mom are learning the art of breast feeding. It's actually quite rewarding for mom when Claire latches on starts feeding. Claire is usually sound asleep after 5 sucks, so half the battle is keeping her awake. She is down to 5 lbs, 5 oz, so every bit of colostrum helps. I am attending to diaper duty. So far, so good (I think I just jinxed myself). I remember thinking to myself that I would keep track of how many diapers I would change. Well, it's day 3 and I have already lost track.


I wish you could see her right now. She a little burrito. A little perfect burrito. A little sleeping perfect burrito. And on that note, I am going to try to get some sleep too.

One last thing. I have been posting photos here (no links to TVs, I promise) and have been adding photos too. Check back often.

What's in a name?

Ok, we have decided on a name. Claire Elizabeth. Want to meet her? Click here. Where did all that hair come from? And look at her perfect miniature hands and feet. She is so tiny. Here are more photos. Enjoy.

what a difference a day makes...

Yesterday morning (March 6) I was driving to work thinking about all the stuff I want to complete before the baby arrives. At 1:20pm, Lynn calls to announce her water broke. We get to the hospital by 2:40 and had to wait until 4pm to get into triage. By 5pm we were in our room. At 6:30pm the epidural was administered. Lynn started pushing at 8pm and at 8:12pm, out comes a baby girl! (the vote was almost 2 to 1 in favor of a girl).

Wait a second. On March 6 we were supposed to go to the baby basics class and on March 7 and 8 we were going to the birthing class. Having a baby before then was not part of the plan. The baby was not due until April 9 - 5 weeks from now. In retrospect it was probably a good thing that we were (are) quite ignorant. The whole process was quick and easy.

Ok, back to the baby, who is still nameless (March 7, 2:30pm). I got to watch her enter the world. It was awesome. She is so perfect. At 5 weeks early, she is on the light side, 5lbs, 9oz, but she is 18 inches long and absolutely beautiful. When I look at her, all the troubles in the world melt away. I suppose you want to meet her...

I'll post photos after we decided on a name...

Boobies

Today we went to a breast feeding class. At first I was the only guy there, among 6-7 women and I am thinking, "thanks for bringing the husbands, ladies". Fortunately, 2 other fathers to be showed up. The instructor started the class with a video, which she showed on this tiny picture tube TV (I am guessing 26"). While the video was showing the proper way to get the baby to latch on, i was busy pointing out to Lynn, how much clearer the video would look on a nice LCD TV, which no doubt would facilitate learning (for the baby).


Anyway, the room was nice and the chairs were luxurious. They were Adirondak chairs, with thick leather cushions and they glided effortlessly. All the chairs were occupied, when Laura Latecomer enters and looks for a place to sit. The instructor looks right at me and says, "OK dad, I need you to give up your chair". Crestfallen, I resigned myself to a chair that makes the pews at church feel comfortable. It was a long 2.5 hour class. Fortunately, I know exactly what I need to do to help with breastfeeding (click to enlarge image).


Tomorrow is baby basics, until then...