Oct. Video

9 Months...

Tekla had her 9 month check up today. She is really grown. Now she weighs in at 19.1 pounds and is 27 1/2 inches long. She is really animated these days but is always happy. We have truly been blessed with a happy girl.

On another note, we are now into the 2nd trimester with #2. Things are going well and we are getting more excited every day!

My day

Every Monday I'm off work and on "papa duty". Basically I spend the entire day with Tekla. This is a sample of how the day through Tekla's eyes.

6am, I am awake, but I'll just lay hear and talk to my mobile.... wait, no one is coming... so I'll talk louder! There's daddy, he changes my diaper and puts me in my bouncer chair, but papa isn't in here.... I'll talk even louder!!! There he is, why does he look so sleepy?? "PAPA Play with me!!"

6:15- 6:45: Play time. Papa is playing with me in my bouncer, and drinking something that looks hot and smells funny. Wait a minute.. what's that? My tummy feels funny.... "FEED ME"

7:00: Breakfast today is applesauce and rice cereal, my favorite!! Let's see how may different places I can get my breakfast... look on my hands... now I rubbed my ears... .oh papa.... it's just a little applesauce... it won't hurt my high chair.. btw... this high chair taste good! Look it is all over my hands again.... " Oh my eyes,,, I've got applesauce in my eyes! "

7:45: ALERT/ALERT:" AHHHHHHH PAPA I HAVE A DIRTY DIAPER!!"

8:00 - 9:00; YIppee.... more play time with papa... lets play on my play mat... wait, get me that toy over there..

9:00: Papa, I'm tired, but please don't leave me alone! I don't want to take a nap!

10:30; "PAPA I'm awake... come get me... and change my diaper again!!"

11:00: Oh look, Daddy's home... .someone else to play with. Papa went someplace so I'll play with Daddy. "DADDY FEED ME!!!" Oh goody, squash and cereal.... my favorite. Wait, I want a bottle too!

12:00. Papa is back home again... Yeah! I've got 2 to play with!! "Hey daddy, sometimes when I'm fussy, it means my diaper is dirty." Whew... good, Papa is changing me.. this thing was getting smelly.

12:30: let's play on the floor,

12:35: Ok.. I'm bored... read me a story with the funny voices Papa.. wait, where did Daddy go?

12:40: This book taste good papa, why do you keep taking it away from me? Ok look I'm rolling around on the floor. "HEY PAPA, MOVE THIS COUCH, IT IS IN MY WAY"

12:50: I'm bored again, come on papa, be creative, find some way to entertain me.

12:55: OK, enough with the nursery rhymes, I'm heard them all already, and by the way papa, you can't sing.

1:00: Wheeeee... I'm in my playpen... that plastic ring toy looks like it will taste good!!!

1:30: Ok, I'm tired again... please come get me... "WAIT, I DON"T WANT TO TAKE A NAP"!!

Baby Pics!

Melinda had another great visit to the RE on Wednesday. Everything has been going well and in fact she was released to start seeing her OB! We are really excited and thankful that everything is going well.

WHEEEEE!!!!!!

and the journey continues....

M went for her 1st Ultrasound yesterday. We had a bit of a scare a few days back, so we were a little apprehensive, but great news. We have a nice strong heartbeat!

Due date is set at March 13th. That means about a 16 month difference between Tekla and the "little one".

HAPPY DANCE!!

The Greatest Ponzi Scheme of all time.

Bernie Madoff recently was sentenced to 150 years for a multi billion dollar ponzi scheme. Others are still being invested and will probably be prosecuted. Similarly another Ponzi scheme has been unraveling here in Texas with Robert Allen Stanford at the helm.

With the economy being in the condition it is, it seems that the Government is zealously prosecuting financial fraud and the Obama administration is attempting to restructure the financial monitoring system.

In the shadow of all this, health care reform is underway... what's the connection??

The greatest Ponzi scheme of all time is and has been perpetrated by our own government in the form of Social Security and Medicare.

The only problem is, in this case, we would have a hard time prosecuting the offenders.

Keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times!!

2 weeks ago we transferred our remaining embryos. Then began the "2 week wait", which proved to be nerve racking. These were our only remaining embryos from our original egg donor and she currently isn't available to donate again, and we truly wanted Tekla to have a genetic link. These embryos also were not top quality, which also played a role.

Melinda began peeing on a stick and she got a positive result and we were elated, then it turned negative, then positive again.. finally HCG test on Monday proved that the positive result was real. The 2nd Beta test more than doubled, so we are now off to a good start... but like our 1st journey, this one is already starting off to be QUITE A RIDE!!!

We are holding on tight!

Something that makes me laugh

Bad Papa

I've been bad for now posting lately.... I know... I've been busy with Tekla... she's such a joy right now, really interacting with the world actively playing with toys, trying to crawl and fussing when I don't feed her quick enough!

Greg and I also have been preparing for our next Journey, complete with Melinda (we wouldn't have it any other way). We will be trying for pregnancy #2 in a few weeks. Send us good vibes please!

How I miss my baby.....

Thanks to the Pig flu, Greg made the decision that we should "quarantine" Tekla at the ranch for a few days. She has been spending quality time with Greg's mom since Wednesday night.

Greg deals with people with respiratory issues on a daily basis and certainly is at increased risk for being exposed to this flu bug. With Tekla being so young we felt it best to minimize her chance of exposure so we packed her up and took a small moving truck and headed to the ranch on Wednesday. Who would've thought we would have to transport so much stuff!! Clothes, diapers, bottles, baby food, car seat, toys, and we certainly can't forget her favorite bouncey chair!!

I'm sure this is a smart thing to do, but I miss my baby!!!

The return of sweet potato baby!

As many of you may remember, I called Tekla "sweet potato" right after she was born. She was small, orange and wrinkly. 

We have now begun giving her a few vegetables and so far are favorite are...

you guessed it, sweet potatoes! 

Turning of the Tide

As I was perusing CNN today I noticed something unusual, there were a number of articles on GLBT topics. One an editorial on "Don't ask don't tell", one horrific article on the trial of a transgender murder, one about gay tourism in Vermont and another about the "McCain's speaking at the Log Cabin republican convention.

It seems that GLBT topics are the new "hot" topics and most of them are in a positive light. It seems that Gay Equality is becoming "en vogue". Five years ago I would have had to look for weeks to find this many positive articles on GLBT topics.

Slowly, the tide is turning. This time I will say "ROLL TIDE ROLL".

Easter Bunny!

We had a great time this weekend. Greg's mom host an annual Easter gathering the day before Easter every year. Usually a very good collection of family and friends. This year my dad, step mom and niece made the trip, and of course this was Tekla's first year there. She was exhausted by the end of the day with all the different people holding her, but had a great time all in all. 

This is what Tekla thinks of the decision in Iowa

So Long Grandma

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, my grandma passed away last week and we traveled to Alabama for her funeral. Grandma was 92 and lived a rich, full life. She had been ill for sometime and my mom heroically cared for her for the past 6 1/2 years. Their relationship really flourished once Grandma moved in with my mom. Grandma was the happiest I'd ever seen her in the last 6 years. 

Mom was finally able to meet Tekla. Greg and I surprised her the day of the funeral with Tekla's arrival. We figured it would be a great way to cheer my mom. The expression on my mom's face when I walked up to her and said "here, hold this, " and put Tekla in her arms is a look I will not soon forget. 

My dad has also recently completed radiation for throat cancer which prevented him from traveling to see Tekla, he also got to meet her for the first time. 

Despite it being a trip to say goodbye, the trip was filled with "hello's". 

 

Good Morning....

This is what I found this morning....

Bright spot in a sad situation..

Second post for today....

As some of you may know, my mom has yet to see Tekla. She is at home in Alabama caring for my now 94 year old grandmother who has dementia, heart failure and is essentially bedriden. My mother has been her caregiver for about 6 years now. The job is 24 hours a day. She has only taken time off once and that was a visit here for a weekend. I admire my mom for the care she has given my grandma.

Grandma has been on hospice for some time now. Her memory is touch and go, but my mom has shared pictures of Tekla and told my grandmother about her. She often looks at my mom at her most incoherent moments and says "I wish I could see that baby". The last few weeks her health has been declining at a more rapid pace. Very confused and most times not recognizing my mom. She has been talking to long gone family members (when she can speak) and she has lost about 30 pounds because she can no longer swallow properly but has long ago stated that she did not want a feeding tube.

Yesterday was touch and go, her breathing was erratic and she would not rest and was essentially incoherent. They began giving her pain medicine because she was so uncomfortable from her shortness of breath. I called today and my mom was taking a break and showering, so I spoke with the nursing assistant that was there with her. She held the phone to my grandmothers ear so I could talk to her. She said a few things like she always does "I'm still making it" and a few other things that were indecipherable because her speech is so slurred. I told her goodbye and ask her to tell mom I called, she then tried to ask something and I realized she didn't know who I was. I told her "this is Phillip, I love you grandma" her reply was, "how's that baby?" It is amazing that through all of this she remembers about Tekla, I wish there was a way I could let her hold Tekla one time, maybe this is what she is waiting for.....

The exciting world

Tekla has been really becoming more aware of her surroundings in the last week or so. She is "talking" to us, responding with sounds when we talk to her. She has also been very attentive to things and those around her, she even showed the signs of recognizing a stranger over the weekend. The down side is, she becomes easily bored and lets us know this frequently. I find myself searching for ways to entertain her (even though I'm convinced she should be entertaining me). The weather was nice enough yesterday to finally try out her stroller through the neighborhood. She was so attentive checking things out and didn't want to go home even though it was time for her bottle.

I'll have some new pictures up soon.

Baptism

Despite some of the issues I have with the church at the moment, Greg and I wanted to have Tekla baptised and teach her our faith and let her make her own decisions later in life regarding faith and religion. We had a small ceremony yesterday with family and a few friends. Unfortunately my parents were not able to attend, they are in Alabama and have very pressing things going on that didn't allow them to make the trip, but all in all it was a very special day.

Tekla continues to amaze me on a daily basis. It seems like she gets bigger each time I look at her. This morning she weighed 8 pounds 8 ozs. 

ALso her physical abilities are really improving. She can now almost turn herself over. She has gained a lot of control of her head and neck and she is paying more attention to the world around her. All seems pretty amazing considering her adjusted age is just 3 weeks. 

When Greg came home from work yesterday he went to her and said hello, she immediately smiled. Seems like she is beginning to recognize us. All pretty exciting stuff as far as parents are concerned. 

Baby bath!!

Just a couple of pics we took after Tekla's bath last night.

Smile!

My morning as Dad

Everyday I find it amazing that something so small takes up so much time. So here is how my day has gone so far. 

• 2 am. Time for feeding, whew.. good I can now sleep until 6 am. 
  
• 4:30 am. I awoke to crying... someone has a dirty diaper and thinks it is time to eat... change diaper, try to get her back to sleep, finally at 5 am, I'm back to sleep, but in the chair in her room. 
  
• 5:45 am. Yep awake again, this time really time for her bottle. 
  
• 6:15 am. Time for a quick nap. 
  
• 8:30 am. Awake again, time to get her ready for 9am bottle, warn bottle, find bib. Turn on dishwasher to wash bottles, oops, diaper bucket is full. I learned a long time ago, don't open this thing in the house! It is like a WMD (maybe this is what GW was looking for). I'm gonna save all of these and propose we drop them on the Taliban. 
• 9:10 am- 10 am. A little time to hang the new decoration for her room. Oops.. gotta mix formula and prepare bottles, but first I have to empty the dishwasher. 
• 10 am - 10:30 am. Time for her bath. 
• 10:35 am. Finished bath, she spit up immediately and had to have another bath. 
• 10:45 am. Start her laundry, Change her clothes again because she spit up. 
• 10:50 am. Find more dirty laundry. Run around quickly, because I just realized I haven't peed all day long!
• 11:00 am. She is sleeping in her car seat... I can finally have some coffee.
• 11:10 am.  Greg is home for lunch and he brought more baby gifts, more clothes, which means more laundry!
• 11:20 am. YUCK, forgot about my coffee and took a sip, COLD! 
• 11:30 am. Start typing this....
• 11:45 am. She's awake again and wanting her noon bottle.  

and just think we want another one. 

Couldn't resist

I know... I've posted two times today, but I finally have some new pics to share. 

Freedom to Marry Week

This week is "Freedom to Marry" week. One week dedicated to education about why everyone should be allowed to Marry in this country, not just the Heterosexuals.

I could type a lot of reasons why we should all have the Freedom to Marry, but the take home point is simply that as Americans we should not have certain laws and privileges withheld from us simply because we are gay or lesbian. This is not a change in the definition of marriage, but the removal of a discrimatory barrier.

If you read back in my blog far enough, you will see where Greg and I traveled to Toronto this past year in order to get Married before Tekla was born. We wanted to set an example for her showing that we are in a committed, loving relationship and fully accept the responsibilities for that.

Spread the love, not the hate.

Shame on me...

I can't believe that I'm posting here without adding any new pictures....

Tekla continues to grow like crazy. She weighed in at 7 1/2 pounds Tuesday.

Our Nanny started on Monday. Hope is awesome. She is so patient with Tekla it is simply amazing. She is actually watching Tekla a little while on Saturday night so we can enjoy valentines day. Kind of odd going out to dinner with a "babysitter" at home for the first time.

We continue to talk with Melinda about a sibling project. She found a great RE in Sacramento that we are going to use. I'm not sure how he would feel about us asking to implant 6 embryos....LOL.

Currently we are just waiting for our egg donor to get things rolling again. Who would have thought that after the early arrival of Tekla we would be anxious to start all over again.

Perhaps be summertime we will be pregnant all over again!!

Unbelievable

Living here in Houston we've been bombarded every time the TV comes on with the "Baby Grace" story.  It is unfathomable to me how a parent could purposely injure a child, must less do what happened to baby grace. 

I admit it, some nights or days when she appears uncomfortable or stressed or can't sleep, I get very frustrated, mainly because I feel powerless to help, but for someone to feel the emotion necessary to harm a child I can not comprehend. 

back to work

I returned to work today after spending 2 weeks at home with Tekla. I missed her horribly (and Greg) while I was working. The pictures above is what I found when I got home.....  

Tekla is our first baby, so we have been learning on our feet. We've been reading and listening as much as possible. One book I've been reading is "The Baby Whisperer".  Great book. I recommend it to all new parents. While some of the authors tips are great, you have to apply them to your situation. We find ourselves having to take into account that Tekla is premature and shouldn't be here yet, but she is acting much like a normal 2 month old. 

Nothing..

...to post about today, just had to share this picture. 

Thoughtful

During this busy time and life adjustment, we (Tekla) has received lots of gifts. All of them very appreciated and put to good use. Two of the gifts that arrived really stood out, not because of the gifts, but because of the cards that were attached. Both were addressed directly to Tekla: 

First on was from Greg's uncle's brother:

Tekla,

Here is a little something to remember your first holiday season with your Dads, Greg and Phillip. Always remember how much you were wanted and how much you are loved and by so many. 

-Love Howard

The next is from a dear friend in Atlanta:

Tekla,

Congratulations on your arrival. You have two wonderful, loving and caring fathers. You are a very fortunate little girl. 

-oxxxx Ken

Needless to say, these made it directly into the scrapbook. 

Oh Happy day!!

Finally...

My daughter doesn't have to grow up in the world without knowing that this world can change. So much that a man such as Barack Obama, just a few decades ago couldn't sit at the same counter with whites, now he is president. 

Hopefully this day will be a day for all us to look back upon and applaud, regardless of who we voted for. A day where real change began and the vision for equality for all quickened its  pace. 

First visit to Doc.

Tekla has now been home 5 days. Most nights have been great. There have been a couple of nights where, for whatever reason, she was very restless, which made me restless, but overall she is a great baby. Although we have done our best to prepare our selves for her care at home, it seems we are still learning on our feet. 

Some of the things we've learned, and things we've questioned:

1/ She will tell us when we are not giving her enough in her bottle

2/ You can never have 2 many extra bottles

3/ I hope the dishwasher doesn't quit working

4/ How can such a little girl have so much laundry?

5/ Why does it take 2 grown men to bath one 5 pound baby?

6/ Where are we going to put all of these clothes? She is only 2 months old and she has more clothes than I do. 

Today we went to visit the pediatrician for the first time. Everything went great. Tekla enjoyed her ride in the car and visit, except the vaccination part, but she didn't even put up much of a fuss with 3 shots. 

She is now 19" long and 5 pounds 12 ozs. She returns in 2 weeks for weight check. 

Home again Home again,

Here's the wonderful news... 

Princess Tekla was discharged yesterday and is now at home. She was putting on a show yesterday in her going home dress as you can see from the picture. 

We are so excited!!  I'm on baby duty for 2 weeks, then it is Greg's turn. 

Now I need a nap....  

Parents, please don't let your children eat this....

Ok.. fun filled weekend. Our dear friends, John and Peter, Rob and Steve had a shower in honor of Tekla. The shower was originally planned back in December, but got postponed for obvious reasons. 

The party was great, featuring a terrific cake..

Fun, silly games including who could finish a "drink" out of a baby bottle the fastest... I hate to admit this, but my jaw hurt afterwards, and I didn't win. 

Another game we played involved tasting various flavors of baby food and trying to guess what they were. Some of them were tolerable (pears) but the absolute worse, the one that Greg called 'baby calf poop" was number 6. We discovered later that this was broccoli with carrots and cheese. I beg you... please don't feed this to your young... if you do, you should be investigated for child abuse. 

We loaded up with fantastic useful gifts and finished off the evening with my car be decorated. We got a lot of stares on the way home. 

Sunday we attended yet another baby shower. This was a combined shower with another physician that Greg works with.  Again, a great time, but a baby shower with a bunch of gay

 men can't be beat... I highly recommend them! 

Tekla is now 5 pounds 7 ozs and 17 3/4 inches long. We should have some big news tomorrow!!  I can't post about it or it will get jinxed!!

Disappointed

As I posted before we have begun to get ready to bring Tekla home from the hospital tomorrow. Unfortunately this is now on hold. Tekla began having bradycardia (slow heart rate) and apnea (no breathing) episodes Tuesday night. She has had these in the past, but usually corrected in just a few seconds (5 - 10). The last 2 nights she has required "stimulation" from the nurse to correct these. Both episodes have occurred about 4 am.

I've been heart broken the since yesterday. I so much want her home with us. Guess I'm being selfish. I know the best place for her is there in the hospital where she can be monitored closely, but I know all the risk of being in the hospital.

Looks like it will be next week sometime before she comes home.

What's wrong with these pictures???

... anyone notice the feeding tube is gone??  

I apologize for not updating sooner... but the last few days have been a whirlwind of activity. We started off by Tekla pulling out her feeding tube on Saturday. She is now totally on bottle feeds and doing great! She also had her car seat challenge on Sunday which she passed with flying colors. Today she had her head ultrasound which was normal (did I mention she passed her hearing test last week?) Greg has to take his CPR course tomorrow night (my certification is good, neener neener, neener.... ) and Wednesday is her follow up eye exam. 

All this is leading to one thing..... she will be coming home this week!!!  It looks like Friday is the tentative discharge date so keep your fingers crossed. 

oh... I almost forgot... she now weighs 4 pounds 12 ozs.