Atticus Has Arrived

Just over two weeks ago our sweet little Atticus James came into this world. He came 10 weeks earlier than expected; my body just couldn't hold on to him anymore. Despite his early arrival, however, he is healthy and strong. My dear BFF Wendy has more of the details of these first two weeks on her blog here and here, so I won't repeat it all.

Atty gave us a scare last week. On Thursday his nurse noticed that he just wasn't doing as well as he had been before, and when he didn't seem to be digesting his formula and showing signs of gas, they jumped into hyper-cautious mode and started treating him for an infection. They stopped feeding him formula and put him back on IVs and antibiotics, and poor little guy got poked and prodded and x-rayed for several days. They never found the infection, but based on how he was acting and the marginal results of some of the tests, they're pretty convinced he had one somewhere. He's been a lot spunkier since Saturday night, so we feel he's on the mend. If all goes well, they'll start him back on formula today.

It's still an emotional roller coaster. This possible infection really scared us both, but we talked to another mother in the same NICU room as us, and she helped put things into perspective. Her baby has been there for four months so far--she was born at 23 weeks and weighed just over 1 lb. We told her about the infection, and she said they'd been through the same thing three times. "The first time is the hardest," she said. But her baby continues to grow and get stronger, and so will Atty. I have to say, though, it's one thing to hear the high recovery rates and know that a baby has the best chances of coming home and leading a healthy life, and it's another thing entirely when it's your baby.


These pictures were taken last night (30 March). They're kind of dark because the room was dim and James didn't want to startle Atty with the flash. He was sleeping peacefully, and we hate to disturb him too much when he gets the chance to rest. But he had fewer tubes and wires attached to him than we've seen in a week, so we had to take some pictures. One of these days we'll catch him with his eyes open. He'd been more alert during a couple visits last week before he got sick, but we didn't have the camera with us. I think I'll keep it with me all the time now, just in case.

He's such a beautiful little boy, and we are so grateful for him. We love him dearly and miss not being with him. We are so grateful for all the love and support we've received from friends and family and even relative strangers. We truly could not make it through this without you.

The Wisdom of Michael Pollan

**I started this post on the day Atticus was born, so it never got finished. You'll just have to listen for yourself and imagine my commentary. It's worth your time (the lecture, not my commentary).**

If you'd like to hear the podcast of his lecture and Q&A session, click here.

Stuff White People Like

Check out this blog for a good laugh at yourself. It's frighteningly on-target.

And Yet More Birds

I stumbled across this beauty here. It's screenprinted, but it would also be cool as a papercut in a frame. Actually, all of their patterns are papercut-y. The frustrating thing is the website doesn't say anything about where you can buy them or how much they cost, though I'm sure it's more than I'd want to pay. Maybe I need to start thinking more seriously about getting into papercutting.

Age Is Just a Number?

So I turned 35 yesterday. Birthdays don't normally bother me, but 35 sounds so much older than I feel. I've actually felt that way about every birthday since 31. Turning 30 was fine, but I wasn't ready for 31, and I haven't caught up yet. It's like time is going faster than I am now. (Better that than the alternative, I guess.) And it's kind of an odd feeling to realize that I'll probably feel like this for the rest of my life. I remember my grandma freaking out when she turned 80. I think that's about when she caught up with her age and seemed to age 20 years practically overnight. So odd.

In any case, it was a good day. James and I both had the day off, and I slept/lounged in bed until about 11:00. When I finally got up, I actually had my ankles back! My feet were still puffy, but I had real ankles. I was so excited, like it was my body's birthday gift to me. :)

We went to lunch and to IKEA for some drawers for the nursery. I was feeling hugely pregnant, so we got a wheelchair for James to push me around in. We found what we wanted, and James put them all together when we got home. Later we went out to dinner at Trio and stopped by the chocolate store for fancy chocolates. There was a Relief Society activity that night, but I just wanted to put on my nightie, lie on the couch, and watch American Idol. So that's exactly what I did. Not very exciting--no fireworks or parades or anything--but perfect.

Six Things Everyone Should Accomplish Before They Turn 18

So Kathryn tagged me to respond to this prompt. This is my first tag, so I hope I'm doing it right. Other people talked about building character and defining priorities and morals, which is definitely important, but I don't want to just copy their ideas. So here are some more temporal things to consider:

1. Learn to drive a stick shift. Sure, most cars these days are automatic, but you never know when you'll be left with no other option but standard transmission.
   
2. Pay attention to the issues and candidates in at least one political campaign. I don't care if it's local or national, and you don't need to watch every debate or read every article, but you should at least know who's running, what they stand for, and what the difference is between the main candidates. Pretty soon you'll be voting, and it's so important to know what you're voting for.
   
3. Study at least one foreign language. You don't have to be fluent, but you should at least be able to wrap your mind around the idea that English isn't the only true and living language and that putting the adjective after a noun isn't "doing it wrong." (And if you get the chance to travel to a non-English-speaking country, don't just assume "they all speak English anyway." Learn some basic phrases and bring a translation dictionary. It will get you far.)
   
4. Plant something. It could be anything from flowers in a window to a full organic garden. Just get your hands in the dirt and watch something grow.
   
5. Learn basic urban survival skills: how to change a flat tire, pump your own gas (yes, I had a roommate in college who had never done this before), use public transportation, find books in a library, cook a full meal that didn't come in a box, do your own laundry, iron a shirt, stop a toilet from running all night, etc.
6. Spend at least one day "unplugged": no computer, tv, radio, ipod, cell phone, etc. Go outside and lie in the grass and watch the sky and the trees and listen to the birds. Repeat regularly.

So there are my six. Susan, Erin, Wendy--consider yourself tagged. :)

Elephant Ankles

The pictures don't really capture the magnitude here, but my ankles have been huge this week. I'm kind of vain about my ankles and feet, so this is yet one more insult of pregnancy. I knew it was coming, but I didn't think it would be so soon. And I didn't expect to feel swelling in my hands and arms and face and thighs. I've been craving salty foods lately, but maybe I need to cut back on the sodium for a while. Some days I wonder if I'm going to make it through the next three months. Not that I have much choice....

I'm No Guitar Hero

Our good friends the Biddulphs invited us over last night for dinner and Wii, and I have to say I really suck at Guitar Hero. I got booed off the stage both times I tried. I just couldn't get my left hand to coordinate with my right or remember which order the buttons were in, even though it shows you right on the screen. James of course did really well, rocking Iron Maiden and the whammy bar like he was born to it. And Linwood was a lot of fun to watch--he could play on the "hard" level, and I just marvel at people who can keep up with those complicated moves.

I didn't leave feeling like a total loser, though. I scored some serious points on the Wii trivia game Smarty Pants. I was a little disappointed that the game made my cartoon persona wear ankle-strap heels, though. Brook got to wear Keds, and there I was with my swollen pregnant ankles in strappy heels. They looked pretty good on screen, even though I know they'd look horrible on my body. Oh well. No use getting vain over a cartoon persona...