1.5 and going strong

Sep1

Guess what? Seriously, guess what? You did the most unbelievable thing since you were born during the last six months. It was something neither of us thought would ever happen. An action we had given up on long ago. But your surprised us, and in the most positive way possible.

YOU ARE SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!

I know it sounds dramatic, but going 14 months without a single night where we didn’t wake up take a bit of a toll. But you did it, and are doing it. We see the world differently. Everything is sunny and bright. Thank you!

You also did some other stuff worth noting. As a matter of fact, this is likely the most notable post yet. Let’s just list them out first:

First time sleeping through the night (covered that)
First steps (a big one as well)
First time to the beach
First time not breastfeeding
First time to an island
First time in a pool
First time hiking

Those are the major notables. Another thing happened that was nearly as exciting, as your skin finally cleared up. You have had terrible eczema the first year of your life but, as you can see from the pictures, your skin is finally clear. We think this might be the reason for your sleeping improvement, and believe that you not breastfeeding also contributed. Although your mom went gluten free, egg free, peanut free and tried a variety of other diets there was nothing that seemed to fix the issue. Regardless of what the reason really was it has taken care of itself now which is a huge relief.

Hawaii (Maui)

You took your first trip to Hawaii! We all went to Maui and stayed in Wailea for 2 weeks with Papa and Damian. We stayed in a condo about 100 feet from the water in the Ekahi Village (unit 20, I believe). Four of the seven firsts listed above happened on that trip.

Just a little note, I had never been to Hawaii in my life and you go the first year of yours. This, IMO, served as your official certification as a spoiled child.

You were incredible on the flight there. Although you didn’t really sleep, you were totally content just staring at people from mom’s lap. This is a favorite pastime of both you and your mother: staring at people uncomfortably. You will see a picture below that is you and mom on the plane as people are boarding…creepers. You read books, ate, and did take a short nap. You were still breastfeeding at the time so that helped. You did pop up from time to time to say hi to other people but mostly kept to yourself.

Maui was beautiful. You took to the pool pretty well, allowing mom and I to swim around with you for hours. The ocean, that was something different. You were not a fan of the waves, the noise, the sand on the beach or really anything about it. We did finally get to the point where we were able to play in the sand a little, but that was the extent of your beach going. In the condo you found the coasters extremely interesting, ransacked the books, enjoyed pineapple (surprisingly) and had a blast for the most part. Your sleeping was atrocious, as you would wake up every night between 11-1 and we would bring you into bed with us. You also woke up no later than 5am any day we were there.

The early mornings sound bad, but they were actually my favorite part of the entire trip. We would wake up around 4:30 every day, head out to the kitchen and grab a snack, and then go for a run along the beach. We did this every single day we were there. Mom came a few times, but it was mainly our activity. There is a boardwalk type path along the ocean that passes the beautiful beachfront hotels and allows you to go on the sand as well. I would pop you in the stroller turn on some music and we would head out usually for a 4-6 mile run. The sun was not up yet when we would leave, but it would rise during out run. At the end of the run we would stop at a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf next to the Hilton hotel so I could get a coffee, and then return to the condo. Sometimes no one would be awake and we would read books, other times everyone was up (not Damian) and the Harper show would begin. These were, by far, the best memories I have from the trip.

Another awesome time was your first hike. We hiked the Waihee Ridge Trail, a 5 mile out and back that goes up 1,500 feet. It was easily the most beautiful hike I had ever been on, and rode along in the hiking backpack on me. You also were awesome. On the way up you were all smiles, and on the way down you slept most of the way. You an I were along a lot of the hike as when I hike, I kinda have to go at my own pace with is pretty fast. We were the first to the top and the first back to the car at the bottom. The trail was incredible and the weather could not have been better.

Other things we did were brunch at the Grand Wailea, visited Kihei and Kapalua, spent much time at the pool, had bbq’s many nights, went to some incredible restaurants and did a lot of relaxing. Your mom’s 28th birthday happened while we were there and we got to go to dinner alone for the first time since you were born.

It was a killer trip, one that I will never forget.

Walking

Throughout the entire trip you were also on the verge of walking. You would get to the point where you would walk holding our hands, or even just one hand. You would also stand up by yourself and look as if you were going to take off at any moment, only to “realize” you were standing and get scared and fall down. The entire trip we were trying to get you to take your first steps, but you held out and didn’t go with the plan.

We got back from the trip late on a Saturday, recovered on Sunday, and on Monday I had to go to San Francisco to visit Google on business. I got off the plane and called your mom to check in on things. I could tell there was a little something different in her voice, but couldn’t quite pin-point what it was. I was getting out of an Uber at the Google campus and let her know I was heading into a meeting and had to run. She then laid it on me…you had taken your first steps. I was in shock, a mixture of joy/guilt/excitement/sadness. I think your mom felt guilty for some reason she couldn’t understand, but there was no reason for her to encompass that emotion. I had just spent 2 straight weeks with you, every day all day. It was the most time we had ever spent together, and then you walk when I leave. Thinking back on it now it is kind of funny, just one of those things in life.

You were not one of those kids that walked and then couldn’t walk enough. You were very calculated (as you always are) and wouldn’t push your luck. Writing this I still don’t think I have seen you fall once. You do not rush into it, you take your time and plan your steps. You are walking more every day, but in some cases still prefer to crawl. It is an incredible thing to watch, the learning that is happening and how unbelievable your brain is to enable the progress. As your dad it is also just cool to watch your kid grow like this, you are proud of it. I am proud of you.

The Rest

You are a reserved child. As you mature and begin exhibiting more social cues it is apparent that you are skeptical in nature, and prefer the safety of mom or me over branching out to others. A healthy level of skepticism is a good thing, and you are by no means chronically shy. You will get crazy and play with mom and me, and you are very comfortable with Mia as well. Outside of that group it is a crapshoot. I mention this because I think it will be really interesting to see how you turn out, and if this behavior is indicative of your social nature as an adult.

As far as everything else, here are some tidbits: you love swings and sunglasses; you hate grass and cats; you are getting really into painting; french fries are your favorite food; your eyelashes are long and your hair is crazy and blonde; you are making many attempts at words and making more sense each day; you won’t sleep without having books read to you and your highest aspiration is to make Layla your best friend. It is a fun time. Talk to you at 2!

Love you more than you will ever know,

-Dad

Made it a year!

Mar1

I am happy to report that we have made it to the year mark and you (and we) are still in one piece. The last six months were very different than the first. Let’s start with some of the firsts you have had over these last six months:

First crawl
First (and second) plane ride
First solid food
First time in the snow
First Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas
And of course, your first birthday

I am sure there are many more that I am forgetting, but needless to say it was an exciting times with a lot of memories.

One of the largest surprises was your sleeping, or lack thereof. You still have yet to sleep through the night, and normally wake up no less than 3 times during the night. You have pretty bad eczema which we believe is causing a lot of your discomfort and inability to sleep well. You are also not a fan of bottles meaning mom is breast feeding you around the clock. I could say you are an easy baby, but that would be a lie.

All that said, you are a happy baby! You smile and laugh, you attempt to talk and you are very active. Your hair is unreal and people constantly comment on your beautiful eyelashes. You are extremely meticulous and we find you many times taking items from one place and placing them neatly in another, only to then return them to their original location.

So let’s talk about some of your experiences. The first big one was your first trip to Chapel Hill, NC to see Uncle Matt graduate from UNC. Accompanied by mom and Mia (I had to travel for work unfortunately) you flew cross country. One thing about you is that you are a calm and, this might be an odd term but I feel is accurate, respectful baby. You were great on the plane, just looking around at people and sleeping.

You also took a trip to Palm Desert to visit Tita for the first time. Again, on the plane you were great. When we landed in Palm Springs we were stopped for about an hour on the tarmac because Air Force One was about to take off with President Obama. You watched as the secret service and the President rode onto the tarmac and he boarded the plane. We spent 4 days in PD, and even had a little early birthday party for you there with Tita, Aunt Kathi, Boppie, Papa, Charlene and mom (I had to leave to go to NYC for work, but I video-conferenced in to see everyone). Oh, and the best part, you had In-n-Out for the first time.

Christmas, you cleaned up. Never seen so many toys for a child (not that I have seen all that many Christmas’ with children). We had it in Sun Valley and got to see Mia, Nonnie, Papa and Uncle Matt. You went sledding and played in the snow.

As far as mom and dad are concerned, everything is moving along. Mom has been really busy with you, and is doing such an incredible job. You require a lot of attention because of your skin and the lack of sleep makes it extremely challenging. She is part of a moms group that does activities every week so you guys are very active. I am mainly working and traveling, but it is paying off. I go visit Google, SMG and other agencies frequently to show off our product. Any time I do have available I spend at home helping out. Our lives are very busy, but it’s fun!

I have included as much as I can recollect, but I am sure I missed plenty. Don’t worry though because every picture taken is being saved. You are a fun, shy, beautiful, skeptical, exploratory and sweet baby and we are lucky every day to have you. Cannot wait for your first steps, which should be coming any day now. I included a bunch of pictures in this post, so enjoy!

Love you more than you will ever know

-Dad

6 Months Gone By…

Oct1

I’m back! 6 months later and we have successfully kept you alive. Round of applause, please.

Just a quick housekeeping item, you can expect posts on this cadence. I thought that I might be able to keep it up on a more regular basis, but really with everything that happens in this size of timeframe it makes for some pretty robust posts. Not only that, finding time to put these together is a bit difficult (most of these are while I am flying for work). Don’t want to sacrifice quality for quantity.

That said, I might pop in here and there when possible and if something major happens. Also going to change the layout a bit to create some consistency. I will try to start each post with an update on your mom and I before jumping in on you. Think it is important that you get a clear picture of our lives at they evolve. Right now is an extremely interesting time for us in that we just started a family, own our first house, building a career and are still young enough that we haven’t figured it out.

Mom: Sleep is a commodity!

We are learning quickly that sleep may not be your thing. Mom is handling it like a champ (a grumpy one) and getting the hang of it. Breast feeding was a struggle out of the gate. Mom went to classes, met with specialists and read more than I have in the last year. It was a rough time for her, but she got it figured out and now loves it. She talks a lot about the bond it creates, and how happy it makes her. You are her light.

She has become really involved in some mom’s groups and made some new friends with children the same age. Being responsible for an infant is the hardest thing in the world (big statement, but believe it to be true) and having other to talk to is important. Your mom gives every second of every day to you. At this point her life revolves around you and leaves no time for anything else. She does a lot of it alone (which I will get in to) which makes it that much more impressive.

In summary: she is sleep deprived, always at your side, stressed, happy, anxious, proud and feels very lucky to have you. The life of a mom at this point is not glamorous but she handles it well just like she does anything put before her.

Dad: Work is picking up.

When I took the job at Balihoo I was brought in as the SEO Analyst (probably a profession that will not exist when you read this) and then moved into product marketing plus the SEO and analytics piece. In February of this year, just before you were born, I was promoted to Senior Product Manager. This basically meant that I was responsible for the direction/strategy that we build into our software. I am expected to be an expert in the digital space and be able to reflect the newest technologies in our product. I have two people that now report to me and I am under the VP of Product. I also know our software inside and out and demo it for clients/potential clients frequently. I will save the geeky details, but the point is more is on my plate. Went from working about 45 hours a week to about 55. Even with the added work, the first three months of your life I was around a lot. Then the travel started…

I traveled a bit for my last job, but in spurts and only made probably 15 or so trips over the 2 years I was there. As I mentioned I demo the product a lot and talk to the details, and most of the happens on-site. I have recently started traveling quite a bit. In June is when it really kicked off, and I have been taking 3-4 trips a month since then. This has made things hard on mom as she is alone a lot, and hard on me as well. I don’t have the bond with you that mom has (yet) simply because of the time and interaction I have with you is limited. You are still amazing to me in that we created this little creature, and you belong to us. It is overwhelming at times, and exciting other times. All I know is that you are a gift for which I am unworthy, but so grateful to have.

We got some professional pics taken 9 days after you were born. I added a couple here. I would add a link but fear that in 18 years from now wherever the picture is hosted will no longer exist, so just keeping it in the media library on this platform (WordPress). They turned out awesome!

So we brought you home, that is where we left off We successfully brought you inside, removed you from your carseat, and….said holy shit now what! Kidding (kind of). Mia came home with us stayed for 7 days. She was a tremendous help with things, and although we handled the sleeping and mom handled the feeding, she had great advice and definitely gave us a break once in a while. I took a week off work and then worked half days for another week. We basically spent those first two weeks learning how to be parents and trying to get in a routine (you will learn that I am a very routine oriented person).

Basically first few weeks you MUST eat every 2 hours. After a baby is born they lose a bunch of weight, so it is integral that you replace that weight. After 3 weeks you were back to you birth weight, which is actually expected. The hardest thing to do is when you have a baby sleeping, and you as a parent have barely slept in a couple weeks, and you have to wake the baby up to feed them. It is so counter-intuitive, but that is what you have to do.

You slept in our room the first three months, and then we moved you into your own room. You woke up every 3-4 hours every night that whole time. The first 3 months, after the initial phase of feeding every 2 hours, you actually slept pretty well. Not through the night, but close on some occasions. The fun began when we moved you out. Mom can’t bear to hear you cry so we used (and continue to use) a no cry methodology which basically requires us to tend to you anytime you are upset. Right or wrong, that is the approach and therefore we have resolved to the fact that we will never sleep again. I am talking a lot about sleep, but when you don’t get much it is all you think about.

You also have pretty bad eczema and we have gone to great lengths to figure out why. We are still trying to solve the mystery, but think it may be an allergy. We are taking you to an allergist in December and will hopefully get some insight.

You have also had some really exciting moments. You can support your own neck now! This sounds stupid, but trust me, when you don’t have to cradle a baby all the time it is pretty epic. You can also roll over. We literally hovered over you for weeks waiting/urging/begging you to do it. When you finally did, it is like experiencing a miracle first hand. Yes, it is that unreal.

The first month or so of your life there are many moments we shared that were awesome. The first time you smiled (you farted and then smiled) I was holding you. You fell asleep on me a number of times and I would just lay down with you and rest. There was a night during March Madness when we were playing and you were rocking your UA onesie and fell asleep in your swing in the corner of my office while I watched the game (we won). There were many other milestones like the first time you took a bottle from me, when we took you to the farmer’s market or to Sun Valley. All great memories.

But I will never forget the first time we were alone together. And since I am writing this, I am going to be selfish and share it (I know your mom has many moments she would like to share too, but she doesn’t know about our secret project here). It happened when one of mom’s friends, Laura Hamister, came into town from SD. They became friends in law school and she flew out to meet you. They wanted to go get lunch and see a matinee. This was literally the first time your mom was away from you unless I had you in the other room or something.

The Masters

It happened early April. There is something that happens every year in early April, and it is an event that my dad made special for me. Not because of the sport or anything unique to the event, but just that I remember watching it with him when I was little. The Masters tournament is usually the first weekend of April, and it is one of my favorite things to watch. Someday I want to go and take Boppie (maybe by the time you read this I will have done so).

Anyway, they left to go see their movie and had lunch and we had about 5 hours that would be just us. I was nervous, not going to lie. What if something happened? What if you cried and I couldn’t get you to stop? What if you wouldn’t eat? Everything ran through my mind. I also was not as comfortable around babies as mom was (remember, I had just held one for the first time a month ago) so there were many thoughts that ran through my mind. I remember, vividly, getting settled on the couch with a bottle and remote next to me and your mom handing you to me and saying bye. I always wonder if all the doubts I had about my ability occurred to her as well (I am sure they did). But, they left and it was me and you.

Nothing crazy or exciting happened that day. But for the net 5 hours we sat there, together, and just got to know each other. I fed you a couple times, you took a couple naps on me, you played with a stuffed animal and we watched the Masters. It was the first time that I felt like we really, truly bonded. You got to know me and I got to know you. We shared many stares and giggles. You didn’t cry once (although this was not uncommon, you weren’t much of a crier at this age). I loved you before this day, but that was when I realized how much more you meant to me than I even knew. I can’t explain why it happened then or what it was that did it, but I can tell you that I was different after that day. There will be times when I get frustrated with you and vice versa, where you hate me or I don’t make you the priority when I should. I am not perfect and really unsure of how I will be as a dad. But I (again) tear up writing this because that day was so special to me. It will not be anything you remember, but it will be a time that I will never, ever forget.

OK, now that the sappy part is out of the way, what else has happened these last six months? How about some pics to help illustrate…

A lot has happened, too much to remember, but it has been new in so many ways. Watching you evolve into a real little girl has been incredible (oh, and it looks like you will be keeping your beautiful blue eyes!), and we can’t wait to see more of your personality emerge. Now that you look at us, smile, laugh and do it all intentionally it is getting real quickly. The next post should be fun as you are going on your first trip (actually trips) and will have your first birthday!

I hope I can look back on this and be confident that I included the major milestones. I won’t remember everything but it has been an amazing six months. We are so excited to have you and as we work through learning how to be parents we ask for your patience. Just know that you are loved, so much.

I love you more than you will ever know

-Dad

Birth of Harper Mae Donegan

Mar1

You are here, and with quite a bit of fanfare! I made the publish time of this post exactly when you entered the world, but am obviously writing it after the fact. However, although this is not immediately after I remember it as well as anything in my life.

Harper Mae Donegan

Born 5:18pm; St. Luke’s Hospital; 5 lbs 12 oz

You were born healthy and everything went according to plan…almost. Let me back up a bit.

Your mom started getting contractions a couple days ago. She has read that if you can breath during the contraction, and that he threshold of pain was tolerable to about a 6 on your personal pain scale, that there is no reason to go to the hospital. This was of course spot on (knowing your mom this should be no surprise), but the problem was that the contractions lasted for over two days.

Besides this being really uncomfortable for your mom, it removed any chance that she would be able to sleep well before labor. As you will find out someday it is an extremely exhausting process and not just a painful one. By the time we went to the hospital she had slept probably 8 hours over the last 48. Finally, at about 5am on March 1, we decided it was time to head that way. We packed up everything and headed to the hospital.

This was taken around 10pm the night before you were born.

When we got to the hospital the first thing they do is check to see how dilated the woman is and if it warrants bringing them into the delivery room. When we arrived your mom was right around 4 cm dilated, which didn’t warrant bringing her to a room just yet (I believe 5-6 cm is when you are admitted). Being that she was progressing, rather than head home and wait the nurses suggested we go for about an hour long walk. We got on our jackets and proceeded out into the night (remember, was still about 5:30am).

Not to get too sentimental here, but this was an hour of my life I will never forget. When you read this I have no idea what will be happening in our lives, but I will tell you now that spending an hour walking around downtown Boise when no one was out and you about to be born is one of the fondest memories I have , and one that I will keep with me forever. We held hands, talked about how excited we were about you coming, talked about how much the next many hours was going to suckkkkk, and for the first time really realized that we would leave that day or someday soon with a child.

Sidenote: I forgot to mention that we had not completely decided on your name at this point. I had totally made u my mind, and I think your mom had as well, but neither had said without a doubt that it would be Harper. Your mom wanted to see you first and then decide, but in my head you were a Harper regardless. Anyway, when you came out I saw what I already knew and I think your mom did as well. You were totally a Harper.

After about an hour we went back in and took another measurement, and your mom had reached 6 cm and was moved into a room.

I wish I had taken some pictures of the room, but it was your normal room. Was actually pretty nice and good sized. We got in there and began to wait.

As I mentioned earlier your mom had not slept in a couple of days and was deliberating whether to get epidural. After some pushing (not too much, but some) she accepted it was a good idea to get one. This would help her relax and even sleep a little as she would need energy when labor began. The next 10 hours went by pretty fast.

We had been seeing a doctor throughout the pregnancy named Dr. West. He was awesome (dude wore Vans to all our appointments, plus he had gone to UA). Your mother and I both loved him. Unfortunately he had been on an all night shift the night before and was not available to deliver you, so we were given another doctor. As it turned out, she then got locked up with another birth and we were at the last minute switched to yet another doctor. This was obviously all a bit stressful.

Finally it was time for mom to start pushing, and this lasted about 30-45 minutes. After a long awaited arrival, you were finally here!

I mentioned fanfare. Well, when you came out you weren’t actually breathing. Nice work. What had happened was you inhaled meconium (I will let you read more on this if interested) just before you came out. When you were born was the first time the doctors knew that it might be a problem as none of the test showed anything. You were handed to your mom to hold, and then quickly brought over to a table in the room where NICU doctors rushed in to help. Your mother, even in her exhaustion, was immediately concerned and focused on you and your health. I was as well, to a great degree, but I also had not just gone through what she had.

The doctors had you breathing within about a minute, which was a great sign, but they had to take you over to the NICU for further observation. Hopefully you will never experience this, but having your child whisked off to an intensive care unit minutes after they are born is just about the last thing you are expecting or want to happen. There is nothing that can be done to prepare for something like this, so it leaves you in utter shock.

After ensuring your mom was ok and healthy, I headed off to the NICU to check on you. When I got there they had you hooked up to a number of machines and were checking everything about you. Your breathing, heart rate, fluid levels, brain activity, etc… Again, nothing you can ever prepare for. I brought my mom (assuming you call her Nonnie) with me while Mia stayed with your mom.

Luckily, after running a variety of tests, within about 45 minutes they deemed you were healthy and ready to be released. They commented on how fast they were able to ensure your state.

Something happened just after that caught be not only by surprise but frightened me to a great degree. I realized at that time I had never held a baby. I know. How does that happen? Well, it’s true. I think I may have held your cousin Abby when she was really young but that it is and I am not sure I even did. When you were born the doctor handed you to your mom, bypassing me and therefore it didn’t occur to me at that time. Now that you were fine, they turned to me with you in hand. As I hope by this time you know, I do not get intimidated easily…but in this moment I about shit myself. I turned to my mom and then back to the doctors and just came out with honesty “I have never held a baby.” Fortunately, the doctors did not judge but instead helped me through. Support the neck, hold against your body, rock her where some of the pieces of advice. I took it, and for the first time I was holding you and looking into your beautiful blue eyes. I cannot describe the feeling, and I tear up as I write this. I all the sudden understood how you can love something you barely know. It is a surreal experience, but looking at you knowing you were mine both in kin and responsibility was life-changing.

After this everything changed. Everything.

After I got hold of you I started sharing you among the others. Nonnie held you next as she was with me. I was surprised at how maternal she was, had never seen that side before but she was in love immediately.

Next I brought you back to the room where you were born, and where Mia and your mom could hold you. Mia for the first time and your mom for the first time since being cleared.

We didn’t get a pic of your mom the day you were born (which she apparently is thankful for) but we started taking many the next day. This one is my favorite.

Oh, and in case you were wondering what you looked like here are a few mug shots for you.

To be perfectly honest, what followed all this I do not remember. There were rooms we went into, paperwork filed, washing, training, sleeping, eating and a bunch of other stuff. We spent the next two days in the hospital pretty much learning how to not kill you (that’s a bit of an exaggeration). After two days there going over everything from breastfeeding to how to properly install your carseat (which will be hilarious to see this if it is anything like the difference between the one I saw in pictures that I used as a baby and the ones now, it will be completely different) we packed up the car and headed home. I have never driven so slowly and carefully.

Your birth went very much according to plan, but to us it seemed like a complete circus. In retrospect we were lucky to have it go as smoothly as it did. You are finally here and the fun begins now.

Love you very much…and am so happy to FINALLY have met you! Enjoy some pics from the time we were in the hospital!

Tomorrow!

Feb19

Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow.

You are going to be here anytime now! Due date, Feb. 20, is tomorrow if you can believe it which I cannot. That being said, we are as ready as we possibly could be!

Mom just left the doctor and she is still not dilated so looks like it will be another few days. She is handling it like a champ though.

Gotta run but wanted to check in. Love you and can’t wait to meet you!

Love,

Dad

Your Mattress is Here!

Jan15

Among the things that occurred today, your mattress did in fact arrive! There was a bit of scrutiny over which one to get you, as your mother (of course) wanted the most expensive and organic and everything below the sun in the mattress. I was a bit more reasonable, and we got you one in the 90th percentile, so to speak, as opposed to the ultimate, and most expensive, version. Here it is in case you don’t remember.

As a matter of fact if you do remember, I will be a little freaked out.

Anyway, wanted to extend the description of your nursery at the current time. Right now you have a crib, dresser, bookcase, picnic table (yes a picnic table), outfits that will fit you until you are nearly 2 years old, a glider chair and a bunch of creepy dolls that are from your mother’s childhood. In addition we have a bunch of presents from the baby shower that your mom’s friends threw for her.

The shower, which occurred just after Christmas, brought in some great gifts and just as many crappy ones.

Over the coming days we will get a variety of other items that we ordered off of Amazon and I will do my best to update as they come in.

Just for reference, your mother is 35 weeks tomorrow. As things stand that means that you could come at any minute. Any time from 34-37 weeks people have been known to deliver, although Dr. West says that she is right on schedule.

We also did a hospital tour last night so that I know where to take your mom when she goes into labor, so we are covered on that front. This is becoming a bit of a rant, so I am going to sign off.

We cannot wait to meet you!

Love,

Dad

Been Way Too Long

Jan15

Right now it is 12:33am on the 15th of January…and wow has time flown by. Let’s tackle this efficiently, and first let me list the developments and afterwards go into the details of each:

2014-01-14 19.21.53

You are a GIRL!!!
You are obscenely healthy (thanks to your mom who has been unbelievable during her pregnancy)
You are still expected February 20th (NEXT MONTH!!!)
The nursery has seen some major progress.
Your mom is 34 weeks along!

Let’s first start with the reason why I have not posted in so long. Work has been unreal. I recently got a promotion, which is awesome, but has lead to doing more than normal. The good part: I love my job.

Now let’s address the major items, like the fact that you are a girl!!! We could not be more excited. Let me throw this out now, no dating until 25. In addition, you will likely be spoiled simply because I spoil your mother and will likely accelerate that with you. Finally, I am hoping you will be a Daddy’s girl simply because, well, I love you more already than I can explain and can’t imagine not being close.

As far as your health, our doctor, Dr. West, is consistently shocked with how well you are progressing. There have been no issues with you in the least, and your mom is healthier than anyone I know. She is constantly thinking of you and what is best for you. I am doing the same but my decision son’t necessarily affect your entrance into the world. We hear your heartbeat every time we go to the doctor and each time it is strong and on par with the expected BPM. Your mom has has to get a variety of shots, provided a number of blood samples, had to drink some glucose crap and endure a variety of other uncomfortable things (outside of gaining 25 pounds which she carries all day every day of course) and has not complained in the least. She is a rockstar, and should be commended.

You are right on schedule. The doctor does this measurement thing where he basically measures from the bottom of the uterus to her belly button (I may have totally butchered that) and is has you right on schedule. He also projects that you will be around 7 pounds.

Dude, the nursery is looking sick! We spent a grand over the weekend buying adornments for the space but it is truly coming together. I also spent all last weekend painting the shelves, and the prior weekend painting the bookcase. Your mom spent about 2 days just cleaning the dresser (a bit over the top IMO, but you will learn about this). The majority of the items that are remaining will be arriving in the coming days, which is extremely exciting. As you can see it is still looking a bit plain, but I will add new pic very soon.

34 weeks!!!

At this point in the pregnancy you could come at any time and be perfectly healthy. The doctor projects that most first time mothers are around 5 days late, but really could happen anytime.

I promise to continue updating as frequently as possible, but the bottom line is that you will be here soon and we could not be more excited!

I love you very much and cannot wait to meet you

Love,

Dad

It’s been busy!

Sep25

Things got BUSY!

Work is kicking my ass, but at the same time we are doing a lot on the house in order to get ready for your arrival. Here is a quick synopsis on major happenings occurred and in the near future:

We find out your gender a week from today!
We are having a reveal party in Sun Valley for all of mom’s friends next Friday
We have a wedding next Saturday, my cousin Elizabeth is getting married
We finally got blinds in the house, it changed the whole place
I painted your room this past weekend, just primer, to get ready for when we find out
We are buying some furniture to help fill the house
We had another meeting with the doc earlier this month, you are healthy as can be
- Also had testing done for any mental or physical defects, and you are good to go
UA Football is 3-0, Dallas Cowboys are 2-1, Atlanta Braves won the NL East and are getting ready for the playoffs!

OK, so now that you are caught up, let’s move forward. The big piece of that is that we get to find out what you are next week! We have been taking guesses, and the high majority think you are a boy, including me. We picked out paints for either, one is blue the other pink, and have not really discussed names.

Mom is starting to show, and sears she has felt you kick a few times! Here is a pic of how she looks now, very cute if you ask me:

I promise to update more in the future. Cannot wait to meet you!

Love, Dad

My Friends Are Trying to Steal the Vote!

Sep6

It’s been a couple weeks since I have had the chance to update things, but to be honest not much is going on. We did have another appointment yesterday, which went extremely well.

The doctor took the heartbeat, no ultrasound this time, and your beat was at 160 BPM. This caused Dr. West to pull out the old wive’s tale that the fast heartbeat says that you will be a girl. We have exercised pretty much every old wive’s tale, and every other one says you are a boy. It is a crapshoot!

One thing exciting that has happened is that you started receiving (or we started receiving) gifts! My buddies Mike and Aaron each sent something, and, well, they are hoping that they may sway your college decision before you are even born. Here are the pics:

The top image is from Mike, and pretty damn cool. The bottom image is from Aaron, and is awesome as well.

This will be a fun game between your mom and I, and currently I am in the lead! Just for the record, I don’t care where you go to college as long as you are happy. You can go to UofA or USC or any other college in the world and we will be proud of you (as long as it’s not ASU, and your mom would say the same about UCLA but that is a great school so it’s ok). But you are going to have some awesome college gear, both UofA and USC, by the time you get here and probably afterward as well.

Switching gears, your mom and I are going to go look at some paint colors this weekend for your room. We still don’t know your gender so we are going to go choose colors for both a guy and girl in order to be prepared. Boppie is going to be here the day that we find out your gender, and that weekend him and I will be painting your room! After that happens, let the madness begin. Decoration in all ways will commence.

Cannot wait to know what you are, but even more so cannot wait to meet you. It’s getting closer every day!

Love, Dad

Mom & Dad #1: How We Met

Aug21

By the time you read these, I may be a bit old to remember the details of how your mother and I came to be. My memory is not bad, although your mom would argue this fact to the death, and I still have a vivid picture of how things went.

I am going to do these posts in order, and will span them out to cover different monumental moments. This is the first in the series…how we met.

How We Met

First, let’s get this out of the way, your mom was 15 when I met her and I was 18. This is not a practice that I encourage, so don’t ever use this as justification. It was December of 2002 in Tucson, and your mom was visiting with her best friend who happened to be Cousin Elizabeth. There were the same age, and went to school together in Sun Valley. It was just a few days before the new year, maybe the 29th, and they were staying through the 3rd or so.

I had graduated high school in May of that year, and was back in Tucson after attending Eastern Arizona University for a semester to play baseball. I was burnt out on playing and would be attending Pima Community College in the spring in preparation for UA. This was during winter break.

Elizabeth had already been down for a little while and mom was flying in just for a few days. She almost never made it actually. Mom and Mia were driving to Boise for the flight in winter conditions when their car spun out on the road and they hit a snow embankment. Luckily they were not hurt, but had to be towed out and mom missed her flight. They almost turned around, which possibly would have changed both our lives forever, but she was able to jump on another flight.

Now, this is going to sound really corny but I swear it is the truth. I was working at a restaurant at the time, Old Pueblo Grill, as a bus boy. Part of the job was also doing security in the parking lot once a week or so. That night, I came home as I had recently moved back and was staying with Boppie while looking for a place, and your mom was there. I swear, no joke, the minute I saw your mom I knew I was in trouble.

She was there in jeans and a cute shirt, I has been patrolling a parking lot and was in a grey sweater and jeans and looked like a bum. I met your mom at the kitchen table and knew instantly that we had a connection. She did not have the same strong feeling, although she definitely had an interest me, but we instantly hit it off. Your mom was reserved and smiled a lot, she was just perfect.

Here was the problem, I had a girlfriend. I was still dating who ended up being my high school sweetheart, her name was Annie. We had been together, on and off, for about 3 years and since I had moved back we had been together and moving pretty quickly in terms of plans. Annie was a year younger than me, still a high school senior, and was really my first love. We had been through a lot together and really couldn’t imagine our lives without each other.

When I met your mom, she changed all that overnight…

I know it sounds ridiculous, but there was a shift in my feelings immediately. All I could think about is your mom, all I could dream about was finding a way to get her, and being the person I am that doesn’t give up on something they want I began to court her.

How Things Progressed

The days leading up to New Year’s Eve we talked, but she was really consumed with doing stuff with my sister and Elizabeth. I did get to see her here and there. I actually blew off a date with Annie one of those nights, saying that I was going to a movie with my dad, and got caught as she saw him at the movie. I blew it off because I knew your mom would be coming home while I was gone, and I didn’t want to miss her.

Annie was a very intuitive person, and one of the few people in the world that could see through my bullshit. Perhaps this was because she had so much practice, but regardless she was never someone that it was easy to lie to. Annie knew from the moment she met Caroline that there was something up. She even told me that she knew I liked you mom the very first time she met her and saw me with her. Annie was not really the jealous type at this point in our relationship either, so this comment really took me by surprise. But she was right and I knew it.

The day before the new year I took the girls, not including Annie, up to Phoenix to go shopping. This was the first time I really got any decent amount of time with mom. On the ride back, everyone fell asleep. After a little while your mom woke up and we got to talk the rest of the way home. She told me about her family, where she was from, school and her ex-boyfriend. I was falling for you mom fast. That’s when new year’s eve came…

New Year’s Eve

On New Year’s Eve my best friend Mike was having a part that we were all going to. Now Mike is an awesome guy, was single at the time and a desirable dude. All week Elizabeth and my sister were working on fixing mom and him up as they were both single. Mom and Mike has a lot in common. Both came from wealthy families, both their dad’s were successful business men, both intelligent and shared a number of other similarities. On paper they were a great fit. That being said, their personalities could not be more different and they could not possibly disagree more on pretty much every social issue out there. Regardless, Mike is a smooth talker and mom was a beautiful girl.

Not mom’s best picture, but she was a little tipsy 🙂

Annie and I headed to the party a littler earlier than mom and the other girls. When they arrived, I remember this specifically, I was sitting on the counter with Annie standing between my legs and we were, well, flirting and such. Then I saw your mom. This is where any doubt about my feelings towards your mom in Annie’s eyes were put to rest, as I jumped down from the counter and went and gave your mom a big hug. This came to be known as the “prolonged hug” as Annie put it, and sent Annie into full defensive mode.

Meanwhile, Mike was working his angle on mom. Mom, and you can ask her about this as this is not just my opinion, was not really all about Mike and honestly I don’t think he was really all about her either. That being said, it was New Year’s Eve and decisions are not always thought through.

The night continued on, and midnight was approaching quickly. I had a pissed of girlfriend on my hands and couldn’t help but not care as I was focusing on mom too much to care. So when there was about a minute before midnight, and Annie and I were preparing to ring in the new year, all I could think about was your mom.

The moment came and went. I kissed my girlfriend, and your mom kissed my best friend. Oddly enough, rather than upsetting me or making me sad knowing that they kissed, it hardened my resolve. Annie was a a great girl and any guy would be lucky to have her, but it was at that moment I realized that things would never be the same between us. I thought over the previous days that perhaps this infatuation I had with your mom was just that, an infatuation, and that it would pass. After this night I knew that was not the case. After this night I knew that your mom and I had something, whether she knew it yet or not, and that I couldn’t rest until I either had her or gave it my best shot. My life literally changed that night, unknowing to me at the time, and things would be different from then on out.

Your mom was leaving in 2 days, and I had to see if what I thought was there actually existed…

2 Days To Go

Annie spent the night that night, and pretty much told me that she knew I had feelings for your mom. This was emphasized when I got up and went out in to the kitchen and found your mom there and talked to her for 30 minutes just to have Annie come out mad and call me back to bed.

Really didn’t get a lot of time with mom over the next couple days, until the night before she was supposed to leave. Everyone had fallen asleep and we stayed up talking, and flirting a bit. At this point I think we both knew something was going on, but with her in Sun Valley, me in Tucson, with a girlfriend and her in high school it seemed not just improbable but impossible.

That night though, and I never recommend cheating because it is bad, but your mom and I kissed for the first time. It was January 2, 2003, and it is was confirmed, for at least me, that I couldn’t just let this go. I had to pursue your mom no matter what that meant. Elizabeth wouldn’t like it, Annie wouldn’t like it, our parents wouldn’t like it and likely nor would any of our friends; but I could care less.

This is what sparked our relationship, and out of this a tremendous amount of effort, love, sadness, anger and a number of other emotions and actions would result. Your mom left the next morning without me knowing my next move, and left me thinking about if this was really feasible. I felt like I was in love with your mom then and there, a feeling I had never experienced before and definitely not this quickly. I pondered for days about what to do, and in the next post we will go into it.

Hope this gives you some insight into just how it all started. Can’t wait to tell you more.

Love, Dad

Story of Your Life

Author Archives: Father

1.5 and going strong

YOU ARE SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!

Made it a year!

6 Months Gone By…

Birth of Harper Mae Donegan

Tomorrow!

Your Mattress is Here!

Been Way Too Long

It’s been busy!

My Friends Are Trying to Steal the Vote!

Mom & Dad #1: How We Met

How We Met

How Things Progressed

New Year’s Eve

2 Days To Go