Ryan's First Week Home

Ryan First Month 2011

We are home with Ryan and things are going very well, so far. He is feeding like an animal...we just got him up to 3 ounces and he was ready for more. He started to chew the pillow in the swing. Other than that, he has been great. We had family over on Monday and he hammed it up for the camera.

We took him for his first dog walk. Ryan was in the carriage and Puddles on the leash. Puddles did not seem to mind the extra guest on her walk. Both pooped.

We took him to the doctor today and he weighed in at 8lbs 3 ounces, no issues to report. Nice to have the Doctor down the block!!

Ryan met the neighbors today. Our neighbors sent us a card, which was very nice of them.

Will keep photos from this week posted here.

Mom and Ryan

Ryan had to be put "under the lights" to reduce the build up of Bilirubin and avoid Jaundice. Nothing of major concern, but means little (kinda big actually) Ryan has to spend most of his times in a little incubator with IV and lamps on him. Mom has not had been able to spend too much alone time with him until today. She was able to feed him for the first time and he did a great job. He finally had a chance to take a long look at the face of the voice he has been listening to for the last 9 months.

We are also keeping all of Ryan's pictures on Picasa, click here to view them.  We will keep updating Picasa and not bombard everyone with emails and/or Facebook updates.

Ryan James Duffy

Date of Birth: 5/26/2011 4:53pm
Weight: 8 pounds 7 ounces
Length: 20 inches

I can't find the right words to describe this yet.

The train has left the station....

Wednesday, May 25th 7:15pm:

Kari has been admitted to the hospital today and they have started the process of induction. This will be a long process, but should result in a healthy delivery. The first step has started and we wait 12 hours before the next step. Kari is doing great and trying to rest.

More updates to come...

Thursday, May 26th 1:30am:

Kari is doing well and things are progressing as planned. Next phase of induction to start in 30 minutes.

Thursday, May 26th 7:30am:

Kari continues to move along, doctor came in and did a quick exam. Things are looking good. Still expect a few more hours until Kari goes into "active" labor.

Puddles called us this morning...we forgot to feed her! Grandma Duffy is on her way over to feed her....the neglect of Puddles has begun, poor Puddles.

Thursday, May 26th 12:40pm:

Kari is still hanging in there. The next 2-3 hours will dictate how the baby is delivered.

Thursday, May 26th 4:53pm:

The Doctor did their last examination and Kari had not progressed as should should of. The decision was made to perform a c-section. Before we could really take it all in, Kari was in the operating room. About 20 minutes later Ryan was born. Amazing.

Bold Predictions

First it was the end of the world...that didn't happen, now it is the due date. We are now 1 day past the due date and Kari is feeling and looking so good, you would not think she is past her due date. We are anxiously awaiting for the delivery of the baby with a nice mixture of excitement and anxiety. I have to say that Kari is quite a trooper! I am more anxious that I thought I would be. But it is Puddles that we are worried about.

We broke the news to her that Kari was not getting fat, but was actually pregnant. Puddles took the news quite hard. She had taken comfort in the fact that she was not the only fat one in the house. Personal appearance is something that Puddles has struggled with for a long time. She knows that there is nothing she can do about her smooched face, but has really worked to manage her weight. Now that she knows there will be another family member competing for attention, she has been a bit more depressed than usual.

We promised her that we will only decrease paying attention to her by 35%, which is a step up from the typical 60-70% of attention drop off in a 1 dog family. In addition, we also committed to a 50% increase in dog biscuits and treats. This seemed to make her feel better, for now. Hopefully she will not eat the baby when it comes, as babies are high in fat and will not help with her weight.

We will keep you posted on the baby and Puddles progress!

1 Week to Go!

The baby room is all ready to go! We only have 1 week until the due date....will Kari go early or hold out and keep us all in suspense??!! :)

Jim grapples with life

I entered my first grappling tournament this past weekend at NAGA and had a great time.  I went along with 3 other guys from the MMA school.  Everyone had a great time.  Although I lost my 2 fights, I had a blast and am looking to sign up for the next tournament.  The video below was my second fight.