Conner's First Solid Food

Dressed and ready for my dinner.

Hey wait a minute. This isn't what I ordered.

Wait a minute. This might not be too bad.

Oh no, its pretty bad.

Ok...just get this over with... try not to throw-up.

Conner is Already Diving with Dad

This summer I started volunteering at our local Flint Riverquarium as a diver. The aquarium is unique in that it is open to the elements and is designed to simulate the Blue Hole Springs unique to FL and South GA. Anne and I dive in many of these springs.

As a member of the volunteer dive team, I get to put on dive shows for visitors, feed the fish, and do routine maintenance. It has been a lot of fun, and a way I can use my interests and experience to give back to the community.

At one of my first dives, Anne and Sho sho brought Conner to the aquarium to see the show. This was hopefully one of many dives that Conner and I do together in our life time.

I am not sure if his little eyes could focus through the glass distortion, but I would like to think that childhood memories like seeing dad diving at the aquarium will inspire his curiosity and sense of adventure.

Don't be sad. See I'm happy again!

For the most part, Conner is the happiest baby I have ever met. He only seems to fuss if he needs changed, is hungry, or is tired. A friend of ours who has young kids said the best advice he could give for when your kid is crying was to, "Check both ends."

Anne said, "That sounds like a great title for a book." Kerry responded with, " I don't know what would be in the book, that's really all of it...check both ends."

Conner not Giggling

He just got a series of shots. Mommy couldn't bear to hear him so sad and man can he work a bottom lip quiver.

Conner Giggling

Shosho's Visit

When Lois (aka Shosho) arrived, Conner was so small to us. I guess small is a relative term though because in reality he was a really big baby. When we would tell people how old he was they always looked surprised.

When Lois arrived, she expected the brutal heat Anne and I always complain about, but instead she found a baby all bundled up. To our surprise, the weather was beautiful until the last day of her stay with us. Driving her to the airport, we hit the upper 90s for the first time this season and the high humidity made the heat index well into the 100s.

During the majority of her stay, it was beautiful. It even got cold enough on a few days that we made a fire! It was very cozy.

We really love our old fire place and get a lot of use out of it in the winter. Anytime its cold enough, I light it up. Sometimes I light it and we need to open the windows so it doesn't get too hot.

For some reason I always equate a burning fireplace to family time and a sense of home. I guess it's because I grew up in a house with a fireplace. I remember laying on the floor in the living room next to the fire, watching TV or playing with toys. It's one of my very vivid and warm childhood memories I hope to pass on to Conner.

While Shosho visited, Anne and I both went back to work. To help us out, she slept in Conner's room and helped with the feedings. This gave Anne and I an opportunity to get some sleep. And no, Conner didn't sleep IN bed with Shosho, this was just a cute little nap.

During her stay, we took advantage of the mild weather by having a few meals outside. There was a little more rain this year so the garden was very lush. It was also cool enough that we would put on sweaters and could make a little outside fire. The nightly chills kept the mosquitos and gnats to a minimum.

We also made a point to give the dogs some affection, We were worried about their reaction to Conner but for the most part they just ignored him. One noticeable change was that Sid became much more aggressive towards Wiggles. I wonder what Cesar Millan would say about that?

Our two months with Shosho was such a blessing. She cooked, cleaned, and nannied Conner. We could never thank her enough for her help. We could never thank Mark enough for giving up his wife for so long.

When the time came that she had to return to Kenya, Conner was much larger then he had been when she arrived. Although he didn't seem to know what was happening, we were all too sad to bear her departure. With a pit in our stomachs and tears rolling down our cheeks, we dropped Lois off at the Atlanta Airport. As we pulled away, Anne sat in the back seat with Conner. Looking up at his emotionally devastated mother, Conner got a huge grin on his face and and began to squeal with excitement...

And that was our first sign that our sweet little boy has an ornery sense of humor!

Binge Blogging is Dangerous!

You may have missed some entries as we are binge blogging. Be sure to scroll back until you reach the last blog you've read. We are trying to keep this somewhat chronological but we are very behind. Conner will be graduating from college next month....

The Arrival of ShoSho

After our week alone with Conner, the highly anticipated visit from ShoSho was upon us. For those of you who don't already know, "ShoSho" is Grandmother in Swahili and is what Lois will be called by her grandchildren.

ShoSho would be staying with us for about two months to help with Conner. It was a blessing that she would have such a flexible schedule and that Mark would part with her for so long. When Anne and I first started talking about a baby, Lois had one request, "Don't have a baby in the Spring of 09. " and surprise March 18,2009 !

In the Spring, WOW Safaris (Lois's company) was completely booked with tours and service projects and Mark (Babu) had just started his 5 year appointment as the Dean of Doctoral Studies at NEGST (http://www.jpafrica.com/negst/) in Kenya. If you are not familiar with Lois's organization, you'll want to check out her website: http://www.wowsafaris.org/. They are doing some amazing things.

Mark will have to wait until Nov of 2009 to see Conner in person and Lois wouldn't be able to depart until April. Although I know that was heart wrenching for ShoSho, it all worked out in the end. We really needed the help as long as we could get it. It also so happened that her visit just overlapped when Conner could start daycare and Anne could start back to work.

Of course when Lois arrived at our tiny little airport, she was without luggage. At one point we were told it had been directed to Albany, NY instead of Albany, GA. The next day Jonathan called from Newport News, VA to say he had received a call that the bags were in Richmond VA for pick-up? Apparently Lois's permanent tags have the NN, VA address and number...it was quite a nightmare. It took days to sort out.

That night, despite her 1000 hrs of travel, we took ShoSho to the most cultured dinning experience Albany, GA has to offer...

...the International House of Pancakes. And so began her indentured servitude in the Mzungu Cottage. She would spend the next two months working as a nurse maid and house keeper, for which we will be forever grateful.

The Last Cherry Blossom

In Japanese culture, the cherry blossom has come to be a metaphor for life.

Artist Unknown

As I cut away branches and stacked the logs of our old cherry tree, I couldn't help but reflect on it's life. Many years ago, someone planted a small cherry tree at the back corner of our lot. At the time, I am sure they were very excited about it. Considering our climate, they must have watered it daily until the small tree had taken root. Over the years it grew. It watch many families live in our home. Children no doubt climbed on it and played under it for hours. It provided shade for the ever changing cars that had been parked under it. A witness to progress. Couples had returned home only to fight under it. An hour or so later that very same tree would provide a flower covered branch as a peace offering. It weathered many strong storms, and a couple of resident wood peckers over the years. An occasional drought left it withered and weak. And yet it remained unmoved. A silent observer of the world around it.

In its life it provided shade and shelter to our home. In its old age it continued to produce beautiful blossoms yet no longer produced any fruit. Hollow and weak its limbs began to fail it. With each storm more branches lay on the ground. Molds and vines began to find it easier to live on the old tree. Insects and disease began to set in. However, even when it had become too weak to withstand the harsh weather, too old to make it to another season, it still managed to produce one last beautiful gesture.

The last cherry blossom. MSW 09

This sprig of cherry blossoms was picked from a small branch left on a log in our wood pile. Even after death there was beauty in this old tree...and later next winter when we are huddled around the fireplace as a family, I will wonder if I am burning the last of the cherry tree.

"I think there's a branch on your car...."

From the moment we came home from the hospital, members of our church began to bring us dinner each night. It was amazing. Everyone was so generous and the meals were excellent. We weren't sure how long it would last, but it did for the better part of a month. One evening one of our friends brought us a meal, and when I let her in, she said, "I think there's a branch on one of your cars?" She didn't make much of a deal about it so I figured when she left I would go out and check.

It's but a scratch...MSW 09

Well it was a little more than a branch. Half of an old cherry tree had broken off in a storm and fell on Anne's car and my boat. The roof of the car was smashed in pretty good, which actually protected most of my boat. The only thing on the boat that was broken was the foot pedal for the trolling motor (that I would later find during a fishing trip.)

What was left was a large part of the tree teetering over my neighbors house and fence on one side and a power line on the other. With a new chainsaw, some old climbing rope, a buddies truck and a lot of prayer we were able to pull that part down without incident.

We had the roof of the car fixed a month or so later when we returned from a road trip. You know its always something. Conner is only two weeks old and a tree falls on his mommy's car!

Please scroll back to be sure you didn't miss any entries.

We are trying to catch up somewhat chronologically, which means that we binge blog. When we go on one of these multi-day benders, we tend to update three or four entries at a time. Be sure to scroll back and read the previous blogs to stay up to date.
Thanks,
Team Mzungu

Our first week alone!

After working in the garden, daddy and Conner just chillax on the couch. ABW 09

As much as we hated to see everyone go, it was nice to just be us for the first time. It gave us some time to let it all sink in. It also gave us some time to just chill.

"Pimpin' ain't easy..." ABW 09

This boy is so mellow it's hard to believe. Check out how he sleeps. Some of the books we've read say that when babies sleep with their hands above or behind their head it is a sign of confidence and security. Personally I think it looks a bit cocky. " Yeah wasup...I'm just naaaappin'. I'll drink some milk a little later...then poop my pants...then I think you'll clean-it up for me. That's what I thought!"

Conner's first Easter bunny picture. MSW 09

Conner was invited to his first birthday party by my friend Eric. Eric's son Slade was turning one. They had an Easter bunny there for all the kids. It was fun. We posed these pictures and I think they came out better then the ones you buy at the mall.

The guy in the suit was a real sport because it was hot! MSW 09

It was nice to get out around other people with Conner. In his short life, we've had him out and about now a couple of times with no problems. I hope this is a sign of things to come.

Grandma pays a visit...

At the tail end of his Billy Blanket treatment and just after the Shaws departed, my mom came for a week long visit. This would be the first time she would see Conner in person. As I may have mentioned, he was named in honor of her father, Harold J.Conner. What I had not realized until my grandmother (Peggy Conner) mentioned it, his birthday was very close to the date my grandfather had passed away.

Wigs tries to sneak some love while grandma was holding Conner. ABW 09

Mom was so much help. We couldn't have done it without her. Just in the few hours between the Shaws' departure and mom's arrival, we just kind of stared at Conner.

Mom feeds the little man a bottle. ABW 09

His appetite , skin color (or lack thereof), and personality really returned once the jaundice had passed. He was so chill and happy. Conner's pediatrician said not to count our eggs until 14 days had passed because that was when the baby should assert his real personality. He said they fall between very high strung, 50/50, and super mellow. So far we are thinking, hoping and praying: "super mellow...super mellow...super mellow..." But we'll see.

Not quite an update but a continuation!

Our very own live glow worm. This picture was taken when he was having his billy blanket treatment for jaundice.

Our baby's done got the jaundice!

As many of you may know, Conner was born big and healthy. After we brought him home though, he lost 19oz. He was very sleepy and it was hard to keep him awake to feed. At his first Dr. visit, we were sent to have blood work done at the hospital. We also needed to start feeding him formula between breast feeding sessions to help get his weight back up. The next day the nurse called to tell Anne he was negative for jaundice. Anne was a bit confused and asked if that seemed right. At this point Conner looked like an Oompa-Loompa.


The nurse asked the Dr. what he thought. He was not convinced by the lab work and had us return to do the test again. And yes, the first test was wrong.

Photo by Jonathan Shaw 09

Apparently his "count" was 16. Anything above 10 required UV treatment and anything above 20 was a hospital stay. We were given an in-house treatment known as the billy blanket. It was a machine that plugged into the wall, then had a thick cord attached to a glowing pad. Conner had to have it on 24-7 and it needed to be rotated front to back every two hours. This wasn't that hard as he needed to feed every two hours.

Our little glow worm. MSW 3/09

In addition to being swaddled up with this glowing thing, he had to wear these foam goggles to protect his eyes. That was the hardest part of the whole thing. He couldn't see for two days.

Why so sad Batman? MSW 3/09

I must admit though, he definitely looked the part of a son who's dad watches too much Scifi. He was glowing with goggles, with a cord running from him to this big machine...it was more comical than scary. In two days his color was normal and his apatite returned.

Anne and I were a little disappointed for him. We thought he may be olive complected like his grandfathers, but instead he is pasty and pale like his parents! We better buy stock in sunscreen.

Me llamo Conner. Me gusta el alimento mejicano.

Conner come en restaraunt mejicano. Su madre ama el alimento mejicano. El nombre del restaraunt era San Joe's.

Conner y su papá en San Joe's.

Él durmió la mayor parte del tiempo. Pero no su primo. Graham parece al conejito energizer. Él sólo sigue yendo y yendo y yendo.

Kate que alimenta flan de Graham.

Mamá de Graham trys para engañarlo en comida de flan. ¡"No hágalo Graham! ¡Esto es el grueso!"

Esto era un día de diversión.

Por favor perdone mi español malo.

Just a little preview of years to come....

Graham educates us on what little boys like to do....

Mmm...some leftover cheese from lunch...I like cheese!

Oh! Hi doggy....Do you like cheese as much as I do?

Hey, wait a minute! Where did all of my cheese go?

Giant Monkey Feet!

When they were taking Conner's foot prints in the delivery room, they had to turn his feet to the side to get them to fit on the page. They also pressed his foot prints on my scrubs.

Big Foot baby spotted in GA! msw 3/09

I didn't realize just how big his feet where until I took this picture on the the car ride home! He also has an amazing grip with his toes and look at the space between his big toe and the rest of those little dactyls?

Going Home with Baby!

Nothing prepared us for leaving the hospital with a really real live baby. I mean, lets be honest here, who would give us a baby to take home? It all seems very irresponsible on the part of the hospital.

You know you're going to "have" a baby but I guess you just don't realize that you are actually going to have to take it home. Its like a surprise at the end an event, when they tell you, "and you can keep this". You smile and thank them, but in the back of your mind your not really sure what your going to do with it.

We were able to check out at around 6 PM on Friday since Anne and Conner were doing well. It all seamed a bit like a dream. It also felt like we had been at the hospital forever.

Conner wasn't too happy about all of the bright light or the car seat. His voice was very small so his cries were more of a dramatic facial expression with very little sound.

Driving out of the Hospital parking lot I was overwhelmed with a sense of contentment. I was driving my wife and new baby home. A car seat and diaper bag would replace the backpack and random camping gear that normally occupy the back seat of my jeep, but somehow that felt right.

Waiting two blocks away at our house, Jonathan, Kate , Graham, Sid and Wiggles awaited our arrival. It all became very real. Conner was now an actual member of our family and of Team Mzungu.

8.8 lbs, in the next hour, vaginally? I don't think so!

We begin where we left off...March 18 in the early AM Anne had had no change. When Nurse Talley gave her the exam she broke Anne's water. It looked horribly painful. She didn't warn Anne so she would be as relaxed as possible.

They started Anne on the second half of the induction drugs. Shortly after Anne began to experience severely painful contractions about twice a minute. They seemed to come in twos. I could see them start on the monitor then Anne would begin to tense up. After about 45minutes, it was obvious she would need an epidural. We had talked about natural birth but when they said Conner might be 9lbs + we rethought that idea.

Its interesting what pain will do to you. Anne had in her mind that the pain was somehow caused by being in the hospital. She would very clearly and very seriously say,"I'm sorry, I just can't do this." She would then say,"I've got to go." and would try to get out of the bed. One of my hands was being squeezed off while the other was trying to gently hold her down. I don't think she would have actually left the room but I think she would have gotten out of the bed dragging all of the IVs and monitors with her.

Once they administered the epidural, her pain subsided and she dozed off. We both slept for a couple of hours. It was a great calm before the storm.

After a while Nurse Talley came in and gave her an exam and said that she was progressing well. She told the other nurses to set Ann up and get her started. She was then called away for a set of twins being born next door. So begins the pushing process that lasted about 2 hours. About an hr and a half into it, one of the other Dr.s from the practice came in, looked at Anne and said, "I predict an 8.8 pound baby to be delivered in the next hour vaginally!" then he walked out. We were very excited not to need surgery. Anne continued to push. You could actually see the hair on top of Conner's head.

About 20minutes later, Nurse Talley returned. She spoke with the nurses who had been helping Anne. When she heard what the Dr. had said she looked a little confused. She gave Anne another exam and then asked if the Dr. had just looked or "put his hands in there." When the nurses said ,"he just looked," she laughed and said , "go get him, he needs to do an actual exam." A few minutes and an exam later he was apologizing. He said he misunderstood the nurses and thought Anne had only been pushing for 30min. He then explained that there was no way that baby was coming out that way. Anne was amazingly calm about the whole thing.

Then things got a little surreal. We were told someone would come in and bag up our stuff and take it to our recovery room and that we would never be separated. All of that went right out the window when they decided to do a C section. I was told I just had a few seconds to gather all of our stuff that was spread all over the room and give it to our folks waiting in the lobby...

...but we don't have anyone in the lobby? I quickly called Penny and Gretchen who were there in a flash. They had me run to the surgery room suit up then wait in the hall for what seemed like an eternity.

A nurse came out and said, "Lets go there daddy, mommy needs you!" and she rushed me to the surgery room.

When we entered, the nurse put her hand on one side of my face I am assuming to shield me from what was happening to Anne. She led me to her head. I guess they had started cutting and were not sure how I would react. Once at Anne's head I realized she was a bit out of it. There was a curtain up so that Anne and I could not see what was happening and there was an anesthesiologist at her head as well.

After a few minutes the Dr. said,"Mike...come over here. Just as I stepped around the curtain, a head popped out of an incision in Anne's belly. There were about 6-7 people standing around and everyone acted surprised. Someone yelled out, "Look at the size of that head!" Another said, "Well I lost, I said 9.1". It all happened very fast. I don't even remember seeing the umbilical cord. He almost immediately let out a little cry. I looked back at Anne and she heard him too. She kept asking, "Is he alright?" and finally the Dr. said, "he looks great." I don't think Anne heard him so I walked to her head and said he was perfect. They took him to a little station and a few people worked feverishly to clean him up and get all of the fluid out of his nose and mouth. He peed on one of them.

Once clean they brought him for Anne to see. She was trying to kiss him but couldn't really move.

I was told to go with the baby and that "mommy would be along shortly." When I looked over at Anne, she was getting sick and they were starting to put everything back in where it belonged. If you are faint of heart, it was not a sight you would want to see. There was a nurse who was counting bloody gauze pads that were hanging from a rack. I guess to be sure none were left inside? Anne started to cry and asked me to make them stop. It was heart wrenching. I was so torn, I didn't want to leave my wife on that table, but I had an new responsibility as well.

When they weighed him, everyone was surprised. 9lbs, 14.5 oz. That's a far cry from the predicted 8.8lbs!

The next few hours were a bit of a nightmare. I went with Conner to the NICU. They took him into a windowless room and said that he would be back in a couple of hours. They were going to need to monitor him and give him some glucose because he was so big. I guess big babies have a tendency to lose a lot of weight after birth which can be very bad. I wasn't sure where to go but a nurse finally showed me to the recovery room. They said Anne would be up in about 30min. She had to go to OR recovery for a little while to be sure she was stable.

3 hrs and a couple of visits to the nursing station later, I still had not seen my wife or baby! I was getting really worried. Penny and Gretchen came up to the room to wait with me. Sitting in the room I hear a familiar voice and it didn't sound happy. When I stepped into the hall, Anne was being wheeled along and she was furious. Apparently she had been left in a scary OR recovery room by herself for three hours. No one was checking on her, no one was comforting her, or telling her where her baby was. At one point the "transportation" person said, "Well ma'am... you're jus gonna have to get over it." Nice... there's some real customer service for you.

Once in the room the nurse was quick to get Conner to us and then all was well in the world.

It just so happened that Anne's brother Jonathan , his wife Kate and their son had just arrived. Anne had had her fill of strangers poking and prodding her. We asked that Kate (who is a nurse) come in to help Anne start breast feeding, instead of the nurse on call. It was nice to share that with family instead of a total stranger.

Anne was pretty tuckered out...although I can't for the life of me figure out why. The nurses were great. They would check in and take vitals on Anne and Conner every so often. I was able hold Conner all night except for feedings. I was also blessed with the opportunity to change his first few diapers (which isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be). He was absolutely beautiful.

I didn't think it possible that I could love anyone else as much as I love Conner's mom; until the first time he gripped my finger. At that very moment, nothing else in this world seemed to mattered.