Days 17-20

It is so hard to imagine that David is almost 3 weeks old. Everything with David's doctor visits are going so well, and this week David was able to go on his first date! (Sorry Joe, but I am proud of David for hanging out with "older" girls!)
Sarah was nice enough to bring over Maya and Elliot for a play date. David is such a lucky kid.

Hopefully I can be home the next time they come over! I miss hanging out with Maya and Elli.

We have spent so much time talking about changes in our life, but I sometimes wonder what our cat thinks about everything going on around her. Phoebe has always been skittish around new people. Whenever friends with children would visit, she would disappear. So far, she seems to be adjusting well. Phoebe does venture out from time to time. While she is not yet snuggling with David, she is at least cautiously interested in him. As of this week she even dares be in the same room with him when he is crying.

I wonder how much she understands what is going on around her? Cats do tend to be selfish creatures, but knowing how her personality can change depending on who is in our house I have to believe that she has some sense of family. Hopefully with time Phoebe will adopt David as part of our family.

2 1/2 Weeks!

Can you believe it? David is two and a half weeks old! Pete and I keep commenting that we can't believe that we have been parents for this long already.....but on the other hand, it seems like we have been parents forever! David is doing so great - he's developing a little personality of his own! We're getting used to all his actions, what his cries mean, and we keep laughing at all the funny little sounds he makes!

We had a fun weekend with Shane, Melinda, Savannah and Elias who made the trip to the Cities to see the new little one. We had lots of fun visiting and passing David around for everyone to hold! David enjoyed spending time with everyone!

It's week #2 for Pete back at work and I'm still trying to get into a groove with our daytime routines! I really don't plan for anything - I just basically go off of his schedule. It's nice when Pete gets home from work because all he wants to do is snuggle with David, so I actually have some time to do things with both hands!

David's doctor appointments have been going really well. He had his 2-week well check with the pediatrician on Friday and we were so happy that he had gotten back up to his birth weight - in fact, he surpassed it at 7 lbs 8 oz. Today at Gillette, he weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz! 8 pounds, here we come! And, David left his mark at Gillette today by peeing on the lady taking his height and weight! Serves her right for making him get completely naked in a freezing cold room! She didn't seem to mind and actually made the comment that all the babies were peeing on her :)

We're hoping to visit with Gina and Carson and Sarah, Maya and Elliott this week. Then, my parents are coming up for Labor Day weekend for some good snuggle time with David!

Enjoy the new photos!

Days 7-10

Hi Everyone - sorry it has been so long since our last post. Nicole and I have been attempting to find balance amongst constant change. David's wardrobe is now gender appropriate. We have completed many of the necessary returns and are now beginning to focus on establishing a more structured "routine" with David.

Yes, we recognize the folly of trying to structure anything with a one week old, but little by little we are beginning to recognize his cues and nights are getting better.

Nicole had her first day at home without Dad today.

My mom came to visit us over the weekend. It was great to have her here and introduce her to her newest grandson. As you can tell, David was very excited to meet grandma!

After having so many discussions about doctor visits and upcoming trials for young David, I think it is easy to lose sight of so many things. David is an incredibly healthy baby.

We all have different roles in life at different times. At work, we are expected to be professional, courteous team players and individuals. In school, we are expected to participate and learn. At home, we are loving sons, daughters, siblings, spouses or partners. David, for now, is expected to eat, sleep, cry, use his diaper, look around a bit and (most importantly) snuggle.

Everyone is right, this is a trial. It is scary to think that our son will undergo surgery in 11 weeks or so. That said, having a cleft palate does not define who he is or what he will become. Life is a journey, and David will be given every opportunity to create his own map. It is strange to think how much time and focus is directed toward an issue that (if everything works out well) will be almost unnoticeable before David is 1 year old.

So, for me, for now, I am going to focus on this. Our son - awake - not crying - and hamming it up for the camera.

Nice camera work Nicole!

Day 6 - First Bath

It is so hard to believe that our baby is almost 1 week old. Today, David had his first bath!

We were also able to snap some shots of David's toes...

Day 5 - A good (or better) night's rest

Here is a recap of day 4. Gillette Children's hospital was a great experience. The hospital is huge, but they do a great job of treating all patients. Quite frankly, after going there, we feel very blessed about our situation.

We met with a number of doctors and a nurse practitioner. Ultimately, they were all fantastic, and we left with the knowledge that our child will have surgery to reconstruct his upper lip around 3 months of age, a retainer, and a sense of relief that we have the best care possible.

Today, we met with our pediatrician, and David looks like he is doing very well. Below is a picture of the gear we use for the retainer and lip repair and a picture of David with the retainer and lip treatment. David is doing great, and we can't wait to hear from everyone.

PS - we will try post fingers and toes pictures tomorrow.

Day 3 - The Home Invasion

OK, everyone told us, "Your life will change forever after having a child!"

That is perhaps one of the biggest understatements we have ever heard!

We were discharged from the hospital a bit after 8 last night. David's brand new car seat is a mess, but he was very good for us and did not cry (much).

As soon as we got home, we learned that our son is quite the capable crying machine. Now, both Nicole and I have cared for other people's children in the past, but nothing prepares you for the feelings of helplessness that accompany not being able to comfort your own child. Worse yet, we didn't encounter this until we made it to our house.

That's right, you can ask David and Peggy, they were there in the hospital and the kid didn't even squeak! We have proof!

Get him home however, and it is just Nicole and I to figure out what's wrong. Truth is, we still don't know, but what ever it was, it seemed to "pass" quickly. Today, he has been nothing but eat, sleep and cuddles!

Thank you so much to everyone who called and to everyone who came to visit! Also, thank you so much to Joe, Sarah, Maya and Elliot who came up with a new name for the blog - DAC Attack!

We talked with Gillette Children's hospital today, and we have an appointment with them tomorrow morning! We have been communicating with co-workers, and as it turns out, a friend of a co-worker went through this with thier child a short time ago. After reading what this person had to say, we have no doubt this is the best place for David.

Nicole went to Babies R Us today. While their return policies leave something to be desired at times, they were very accomodating to our situation, and David might not have to continue to wear pink for the next year.

Hope everyone is doing well, can't wait to see and talk to you all. Here are some more pictures from yesterday and today!

Baby Arrives!!!

What an exciting day! Our baby is finally here. After months of preparing for a baby girl, we are now proud parents of a baby boy.

David Allan Carlson joined us on August 9th, 2008 at 11:40 am. David is 7 lbs 7.5 oz, and is 21 inches long.

Nicole came through the labor splendidly and both baby and mother are in great health! David does have a cleft lip and cleft palate. We will be meeting with doctors next week to figure out next steps. In the meantime, please enjoy these pictures. More will be posted tomorrow!

Still waiting...

We can't believe we have made it to August! We sure thought that the baby would come in July by how much she was advancing about 4 weeks ago! We had another Dr. appointment today and we are still moving along! With our due date on Wednesday, the doctor seemed happy with the progress made so far. He wanted to see us later in the week to see if there was any further progression. He also said that he is on call this weekend, so based on our appointment later this week, we can probably go in on Saturday morning and they will help to get things moving!

So by what it looks like now, we will be parents within the week! We will keep you posted!