Visit from Nana!

Nana just couldn't wait for Tuesday, and came down today to spend time with Xander. He was absolutely delighted (and so were Mommy and Daddy)! Nana helped out with the laundry and brought us a yummy dinner. Aunt Patti even stopped by and shared a delightful evening with us.

Uh oh! Here comes the double chin!

It's not quite a smile, but we'll take it. :-)

In the meantime, Daddy's still been showing signs of nesting, and having urges to do various domestic things, like bake banana bread...with a few extras, such as a 1/4 cup of cocoa, a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and a 1/4 cup of dried cherries...yum!

Xander == Sleepyhead

Xander slept through the night, much to the soreness and chagrin of his Mommy's over-producing milk glands, but it was quite peaceful, in any case. I suppose this is where I say, "Knock on wood." He's currently just into his 3rd hour of his afternoon nap, just starting to stir to the sounds of my tapping on the keyboard.

I shouldn't really complain. He's actually quite a good sleeper. He takes after his Daddy. :-)

Xander's footprints from the hospital (by popular request):

Happy 1 Week Birthday!

Time loses meaning for the most part with a newborn. Sure, the light of day waxes and wanes, but meals and naps, food and sleep, become somewhat abstracted, and life more or less boils down to reactions to primal urges. It is quite a surreal feeling, and the temptation to sit in front of the television and zone out is rather overwhelming. I've read through about half of "What to Expect During the First Year," and I'm feeling a bit more competent as a parent, but even the book seems to contradict advice from others, and even give conflicting advice at times. Sometimes the advice seems so outdated, I wonder why I even bother with the thing. For now, we're mostly just responding to Xander, and doing what he seems to want. The worst time of the day for him is having his diaper off, with a cold wipe dragged across his frequently poop-stained bottom. Otherwise, he's quite the happy little baby. He sleeps quite a lot, and makes lots of fun little expressions in sleep, and while awake, to keep us entertained. My favorite is the serious look he gets when he's pooping. I'll have to get a picture of that one for the record books...

In the meantime, a few more pictures from the hospital. Ah, how a week passes so quickly!

Quiet Days

I know that it sounds almost impossible, but it's been somewhat relaxing since Xander was born. This is my first significant time off work since I started working in the lab, almost 2 years ago, and it is nice to have a few days off, to get the house in order, cook, clean up, spend time with my darling family, and perhaps most remarkable of all, get some rest! Well, my idea of rest has changed over the years, but it is a nice change of pace.

I didn't want to disturb the little guy with a flash...

First Outing

Today was a big day for firsts, as we bundled up our little treasure, and went to our first doctor's appointment, and took our first trip outside since leaving the hospital. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and if anything, we were a bit warm. The sun felt great, and there was a pleasant breeze, so all in all, we were very happy to get out of the apartment. Everything went perfectly fine at the appointment, and all the doctor could say was, "Well, enjoy his beautiful complexion and his cheery disposition while they last...you never know..."

Personally, I think she was just out to prepare us for the worst, but I have a hunch that we will have a cheery, beautiful child no matter what she says.


Xander splayed out on Savta's quilt:






















Mommy kept telling us Xander was flailing all over the place in the womb...some habits die hard?

Tummy Time

Xander is making Mommy and Daddy very proud as he works his neck muscles and back muscles during his supervised tummy time. He actually propped up his head just now, and put his hands under his chin, while dozing on his Mommy's chest. What a cutie!

More Pictures!

Pic of the Day:

Nana and Xander:

Auntie E. and Xander's Savta:

Tres Generaciones:

Uncle Jon and G.G. Nana:

G.G. Nana and G.G. Papa:

Poop!

Well, we can belay any fears about troubles moving his bowels. Xander is quite the adept when it comes to rapid-fire attacks. So far, no major messes, but I was just a few seconds too slow in realizing that his diaper was a couple centimeters too low on his back this morning. It's ok, good ol' trusty laundry machine downstairs open for business 24/7. Don't worry, photos of messes not forthcoming. :-)

In other news, Google has once more stunned and bewildered in another symphony of synergy, synchronizing Picasa seamlessly with Blogger (see link on the left). We'll try to get more photos of the little guy posted soon (sans feces).

On Terms of Endearment

One of the subtle, yet profound, changes that go along with a new child is the very gentle shift in Daddy and Mommy's relationship. Suddenly, it is not quite so clear to whom "Darling," "Sweetheart," "My love," and other pet names refers. Several conversations include, "What was that Honey?" "Huh? Oh, I was talking to Xander..."

Just a preview of things to come, I'm sure.

Side note, for the fecally minded: His stool has changed from the sticky blackish green pudding to dark yellowish-brown soup. Mmmmmmmm...Daddy even had the fortune to change him serially as Xander promptly filled the second diaper before it had even been firmly closed (the fortune part is the fact that the yellowish-brown soup remained inside the diapers).

Who is the more tired in this picture:

Sunny-side up (Just Say No To Jaundice):

Family Time!

Xander got to meet some of his cousins today, along with his great grandparents and uncle Jon. He was very well behaved, and spent some time in just about everyone's arms. Everyone kept commenting on how beautiful our child is, and it is hard to argue with such clear, objective logic. From his toes to his nose, a beautiful little bundle.

Beautiful toes:

Beautiful nose:

So...Tired...

It's wonderful to be a father, after waiting many long months, and hoping and praying that things go well, and that we have a happy, healthy, strong, beautiful, bright baby...it's so emotional, and so exciting, with all our loved ones pouring out affection and support. It gives me so much hope and optimism for our future and Xander's future. Mommy and Daddy truly are grateful to all our friends and family.

We had Nana and bac Yen at the birth, and so many cousins and aunts and uncles already coming to visit. Xander is a very sociable little guy, waiting to go into fits and screaming spurts until after the guests have left. :-)


Saba hat:
Last night was very hard on Mommy. Xander just wouldn't go to sleep unless he was suckling, and as soon as he was forcibly detatched, he would start crying again. Daddy was absolutely worthless, as he ended up sleeping through the entire night, unable to move his limbs even when called. The night finally ended, and Daddy took over some duties. Mommy was served French toast in bed, and she was able to take a few naps during the day when Saba and auntie E came over to visit. Xander even slept in his Saba's arms while Daddy got beat badly at a game of chess.

A very tired Mommy and a very tired Xander say hello:

Happy Birthday, Dear Xander!

Alexander Binh An Reifler! Welcome to the world!



Born in Ann Arbor, MI

March 22, 2007

1:01 a.m.

6 lbs. 13 oz

20.25 inches

A very tired, but happy, mommy, and an ecstatic daddy...

Our little darling, not a minute old, and already charming...

An immensely proud daddy...

OMGOMGOMGWTFBBQ!!!1!

Water....broke.......

11:15...eep!...I was joking when I said how cool it would be if my son's birthday was 3-21...

:P


Bags...coat...ermmm....what is going on? what is my name?

Daddy's Musings

Work is almost impossible at this point. It's been a while since I've been totally focused on my experiments in the lab. Fortunately, I have so many projects going on, that even a little bit of progress on any one of them seems like a big deal. I've been daydreaming about what our little boy is going to look like, and whether he'll take after me or his mother more. We've been discussing names, and the list changes daily, although our top picks remain, as always, Alexander, Tristan, Gabriel, with other names such as Nicholas, Matthias and Patrick popping up occasionally.

Ba (my father-in-law) called the other day with an idea for the name to be Nguyen Viet Thanh. I can barely say it, and if that were to be his middle name, it would be longer than his mommy's name! Nguyen is definitely a possibility for the middle name, along with Binh An, and Thanh sounds nice to me, also. The bottom line is that we're going to wait and meet the little guy before we decide on anything.

OK, baby, it's your move.

In Utero

Here's a preview of what's to come:

Anticipatorologue

Mommy and Daddy have the bags packed, and the nursery all set. It's just a matter of time...

As you can see, Mommy is very ready...

Braxton Hicks contractions getting closer together, and words like "effacing" and "dilating" are starting to be bandied about by the nurses...












And as for Daddy...

Daddy?


Well, Daddy is ready, too. So we hope...