Sleeping with Daddy

Two Babies, One Daddy
Originally uploaded by lidowski_baby.

Here I am helping daddy with his homework. I hope he can type ok with one arm...

Sleepy, sleepy, sleepy...

Hey everybody! We went shopping for a coat for mommy at the mall today. I was a very good boy, and I fell asleep in the car on the way home. Here's where daddy put me so I wouldn't wake-up...

I'm a Chubby Baby!

Check out my double chin.

Grandpa Joe and Grandma Debbie Came for a Visit!

I'm in love! And with the cutest redhead. I've already made reservations for my next visit in January.

-Debbie

Joseph Finds Favorite Eating Time!

Here we are at 0330 in the morning again! We didn't tell you about the first time, since we were really, really tired. The first time we up stayed for family time, Joseph woke up almost every hour and didn't eat much. Now he eats, eats and eats from 0130 to about 0400. Well, that's not entirely true--it's more like eat, poop, eat, spit-up, poop, eat... and now:

Joseph Goes for First Walk in Stroller

Check out photos of Joseph's first walk! (We'll post mostly photos from now on... Joseph doesn't give us a lot of time to write long posts!)

First Walk in Stroller Photos

Joseph Hayden Lidowski is Born!

Heather gave birth to a healthy 7lb, 4oz boy. We named him Joseph Hayden Lidowski. Here are some photos to enjoy:

Nefarious Plans are Complete!

Really, it's just the baby's room. See the photos below of the recently completed nursury:

New Baby Looks Like ELMO

LEFT: We tested the baby carrier on Elmo.


We've been busy getting ready for the baby. The weekend birthing classes are worth a special note. We saw some gross videos about childbirth, afterbirth and C-Sections. Heather won a prize for answering quiz questions (the answer was Oxytocin... you find the question).

Now we hope the baby comes before we forget all of the stuff we learned. Plus we're tired of Elmo (I don't think he's my baby. -Rob). We're ready for the real thing.

Spiffy New Shirt Arrives / Baby Room Coming Along

1st Order of Business: My Spiffy New Shirt arrived today. I wore it to the movies the day I got it, then I wore it to George and Ashley's wedding reception. Here are some GQ poses of me in my new shirt:


My sister got my shirt for me, and I LOVE IT!

Photos of the wedding reception will appear soon on Flickr.

ALSO, the baby's room is coming along great. The area rug is on the floor and the bibs are in the box. Maybe if Grandma Joyce and Mom are good they can help decorate the room... only if they're good :-)

FLOOD OF THE CENTURY!

I flooded the house twice since the last post. My first shower directly resulted in the first flood. The second resulted from... well, I blame Heather for not telling me to hook up the waste water tube.

So far, everything at "work" is really easy. They gave us just about 3 weeks to "settle in." The doors lock before five and the gate closes at six. Of course, for the last week I've been home at one most days. I'm enjoying the break, but last night I dreamt a Marine LtCol was yelling at me while I washed dishes. It didn't matter how fast I washed, he just screamed and screamed. I think I might be anxious about the up and coming work load. Or maybe I'm afraid the baby will make a lot of dirty dishes.

Perhaps settling on a baby name would make me less anxious... so far, the families have put forward two favorites:

From my father: "Baby Joey"
From the Haydens: "Heather's Little Bob"

I recently voted for "Basil Hayden Lidowski." Heather said I can't name our child after a brand of bourbon.

To see pictures of Heather, the baby shower, our trip to Ohio and some gross stuff we found in a grocery store, look at our recent Flickr Updates.

We are Arriven

We arrived in Ohio on Sunday after hugging everyone goodbye. The trip was extremely easy and we made it in time for dinner. The air base sports about a hundred gates, but it seems that only three are open at once. Considering there are at least three distinct/separated parts of base, three open gates stinks.

Our new house stands near one of the part time gates, which is convenient. The leasing office assigned us a 3-BR duplex in renovated base housing. The space is adequate, and we like the location. I wish the floors were nicer, but Heather looks forward to rug shopping later today. The neighbor's duplex looks really nice with all the floor coverings they put down.

Despite running their business in a lot adjacent to my backyard, the silly cable company won't activate network services until next Wednesday. We'll post some photos from Kentucky and our trip then.

Last Blog for a While

We roll out tomorrow for Kentucky, where we'll stay with Art and Marylon for about a week before we move onto Ohio. We may or may not have internet access, so I'm billing this as the last blog entry for a few weeks. We'll make updates sooner if we can.

Baby Lidowski has been kicking a whole, whole bunch lately. He's kicking so much, we think he might be trying to escape. Or maybe it was the extra spicy chili Heather ate the other day. The baby doesn't like chili--I think we angered him.

We went to "Bullnanza" Friday night, but I don't think the baby much cared.

Moving, moving, moving...

We hope everyone enjoyed the pictures! We'll let you know when we post more. The week of the 31st starts our last week at work. We've been working fairly steadily to get ready for the packers, cleaning the housing, and wrapping things up with our employers. The cats remain adorable and persistent--especially when food or scrathes-on-the-bum are involved. Here's a photo to tide you over:
Above: Livia contemplates a bug (Flickr.com).



Above: Livia in the style of "Rhea's Eye."

Flickr Photos are Available

Everyone should go check out all of our photos available on-line:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/80138188@N00/

FLORIDA!

Hey all,

I had a great time in Florida with the family. We spent some time with Granny Cody, and took her to the store. She picked out an adorable outfit for Baby Lidowski (or as my father says "Baby Joey").
My cousin Eric celebrated his 10th birthday in style and, of course, a full Italian buffet. It was a good shin-dig.
I'm opening up a flickr.com account later today so I can post pictures more easily. I'll post when the photos are ready.

Love,
Robert

Target Registry

We set up a registry at Target this weekend. We tried to pick out the "must haves" and a few fun things. If any experienced parents out there see something that we left off and really need, please let us know. You can see the registry on-line or at the store.

Hard Follow-Up

For those who've seen the video, following the ultrasound video post is hard business (for a baby blog anyway). I decided to post some still shots for the dial-up crowd--and in case anyone needs a new desktop background.


1. A view from between the legs


2. Little Legs


3. Arms around knees


4. Heartbeat Monitor


5. Baby Face


6. Fossil Baby

ULTRASOUND Video (What's the sex?)

Click here for a video of the ultrasound! We're not telling you what the sex is--you'll have to watch the video or call us to find out.

Love,

Robert and Heather

Taking Wagers on S-E-X

1:1 Odds on "Boy or Girl"

I'll offer 1:10,000 on "Other" Any takers? Anyway, we'll have an ultrasound on Monday to see what the baby is up to and.... maybe take a peek at the peepee. We'll post whatever we find.

Yesterday we went to another OB/GYN appointment. The nurse detected a loud, rhythmic beating from the baby. A heart beat, or was the baby playin' a little b-ball? Hmmm...

Heather says she doesn't get it. Baby's can't play basketball. That's why it's funny.

Also, she points out that I misspelled "babies." I did that on purpose...

Ultrasound Scheduled

We've scheduled an ultrasound for sometime next week. Photos will be posted as they become available.

Everything About Having Baby (except baby) is Nasty

We saw a new video today about giving birth. There are at least five things that come out during and after birth. Apparently, only one of them is a baby.

Why did I have to wait for the DVD to find this out? This news comes only two weeks after finding out that the baby's first poo will be black and tar-like. Tar-poo, as I call it, would have warranted a call to the ER had I not been warned.

Family and friends with Children: this is important information that you should share. Women call the women. Men call the men. Tar-poo should not be a surprise to anyone.

At a certain point in the DVD, I started laughing. The list of things that happens to a woman's body during birth is long and frightening ("You can develop varicose veins where?). The furrows in Heather's eyebrows tightened as she watched. She started laughing too as the DVD-doctors delivered the body-altering news with a Katy Couric smile and bounce ("Don't worry, it's totally normal for centipedes and jelly beans to shoot from your nose during birth!").

When we were done watching the DVD, I gave Heather a few affectionate words, and quietly thanked God for making me male.

George, if you're reading, I found you the perfect wedding gift...

Calling All Moms: Side Splits

Did you get side splits? Heather's getting side splits, and not because she's laughing at my jokes. My very clever jokes.

Nothing Going On

Sorry for not posting for a while. We're just sitting around trying to figure out if Heather's feeling kicks or just tummy rumbles. We bought a device to listen to the baby's heartbeat... but nothing yet. Silly thing.

Diaper Registry Information is Available

Diaper registry information is available in the links section on the right side of the blog. Please keep in mind that the website is a "mom and pop" operation as far as web-retailers go, so the registy process is manual. If you'd like to help the baby in the diaper department, your best bet is to print out the list (it's short) and order via telephone. I know, that's so 1990. A Target registry will be available in August.

-Robert

Baby Business Class: Extreme Breastfeeding Edition

We finished the third and final parenting class last night. It covered everything about breastfeeding... and so far it's the only thing about pregnancy that's made me physically uncomfortable. I didn't think much bothered me, but the cut-away diagram of the breast is right up there with fingernails on unglazed pottery.

Heather made a few faces as well when the "physics of breastfeeding" computer simulation played. I think she leaned over and confided, "Robert, I don't think that will happen to me."

You'll have to watch the video... yuck!

-Robert

Baby Check-up Part II

Heather and I went back to the baby doctor today for our monthly check-up. I almost missed it because of meetings, but I showed up a little late instead. The nurse thought Heather looked a little larger than normal for the stage of pregnancy. She checked all over for a second heartbeat, but no luck. I keep telling her there are three hearts beating--in unison!

Baby Business Class

We went to another Baby Business class last night. In addition to more safety and resource information, we watched a film on a technique used to calm crying babies down. It was amazing! Babies who were swaddled, held a certain way, moved a certain way, and exposed to calming sounds stopped crying almost instantly. The doctor on the film showed several couples how to use the technique and it kept working. Of course, the editors probably only included the times that worked, but it was very convincing. We'll see if we remember all the steps when our baby cries for extended periods.

Heather and Robert

New Parents? Certified!

Heather and I took a "Baby Business" class at the base clinic. We are now fully certified parents. Not really, but the session on infant massage made me want to be a baby again. The little baby doll the instructor demonstrated on sure got the once over! It looked like it feels good.

The other half of the class covered baby-proofing our house. Sharp sticks should not be stored near babies. Well, they didn't really cover sticks, but apparently most things harm babys: small things, big things, sharp things, dull things... and, uh, things.

We have two more classes to go. I'm already shopping for a class ring.

-Robert

OKC Marathon Relay Photos Available

It has nothing to do with the baby... but here are some finish line photos from the OKC marathon. I ran a 10K leg of the relay with my flight this Sunday. We came in 3rd for the Military/Firefighter/Police devision. HUAH!


Above: I outleg someone at the finish line. Ok... so he ran the full marathon! (click on photo to enlarge)



Above: An action photo from right before the finish. Notice the wheelchair runner catching up to us to the right. (click on photo to enlarge)

New Media Available

Heather and I figured out that we could post audio too. This is a silly file we made after unsuccessfully trying to record the baby's heartbeat with a computer microphone.

http://www.geocities.com/gloopy21/baby_interview.mp3

Heard the Heartbeat Today

Heather and I went to the doctor's office today for her monthly check-up. It was the first time either one of us heard the baby's heartbeat. The heartbeat was really fast and strong. I couldn't help but smile when I heard it, and it made the pregnancy real to me.

Afterward, we asked the doctor about moving during the third trimester. She said there wouldn't really be a problem since our existing move date is right at the beginning of the trimester.

Heather and I talked about getting a sonagram to determine gender in month 5. She wants to keep the gender a surprise until we have the baby. I promised I would keep it a secret when I found out. Of course, she would have to stop blogging once I posted the results...

-Robert

Name Time

We're taking suggestions for names. You can pick a new one or vote for the ones we've already considered:

Boy
----
Hayden
Landen
Augustus

Girl
----
Rosa Leigh
Vivian
Lilian

Spank 'em Once and Make It Last!

At a recent dinner party my at my boss' house, I noticed how well behaved his children were. The one time his older son (4 yrs) threw a spat, his father took him aside, calmly said something we couldn't hear and that was the end of bad behavior.

All I wondered the rest of the evening: what did he say to a 4-year old, without shouting, to guarantee good behavior for hours?

I asked him a few weeks later about his technique. The answer: Spank 'em Once and Make It Last!

It sounds worse than it is, but here it is...

1. Start with "nose in the corner" (time out) to enforce immediate obedience
2. In public, when nose in the corner is not available, take the child to a quiet place
- Explain why they're receiving the punishment
- Spank 'em
- Explain which behavior is desired
- Continue with activity
OR if you've spanked them in the last 5 months
- Ask them if they want to be spanked
- If they continue behavior, go to step 1
3. Only punish for disrespect/disobedience, never for being annoying

I've met a lot of people who think spanking does long term damage to their children. From personal observation, children that were moderately disciplined seem to turn out much better.

Any advice from the blogsphere? What did your parents do to keep you in line? How do you discipline your kids? (I think my mom's technique was "Spank 'em, then spank 'em again... :-) )

-Robert

Check-Up

We had a doctor's appointment this week. The chart said on Friday that the baby was eight weeks and three days old. The due date is November 7th or 8th.

Outgrowing Clothes

I had to try on three pairs of pants before I found something to wear to work the other day. So, we went shopping last night for some maternity clothes. Why do most maternity pants have tapered legs? Someone who is getting big in the middle doesn't need pants that come to a point and emphasize body proportions. Robert did pick out a pretty green dress that leaves room to grow.

Waiting for Baby is Boring

It takes a realllly long time. Humans should have a gestation period of three months. Tops.

-Robert

The baby is six weeks along.

Right now, the baby is developing little nubs that will become arms and legs in a few more weeks. The nervous system and the heart are becoming more complicated. At the end of this month, a heartbeat may be loud enough to be heard at our doctor's appointment.

Question: How Long Did it Take You to Feel Pregnant

A question for all the mothers in the family...

Heather wants to know: How long did it take you to "feel" pregnant?

Moving to Ohio

Heather gets to go to a military briefing on birth (fun!) and she's reading _The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy_. Besides that, Heather said I couldn't talk about her body in detail on the blog, and the baby is still cozy *in her body*. So I'll just talk about what's going on with us:

We'll move to Dayton, OH, late this summer for my next assignment. I'll be attending the Air Force Institute of Technology for an advanced degree in Software Engineering. Heather finished her masters in English last year, but she might teach classes part time. The baby should come in November, which is good since Art and Marylon (Heather's parents) will be fairly close by.

-Robert


P.S. - I am being treated very well, and my comments are not being censored.

Heather found Out We're Having a Baby

Heather and I started trying for a baby in February, and by the end of the month she started buying pregnancy tests. She paid something like $4 for the first test set, and when she used it the two faded lines showed positive results. I made her go back to the store for a better test.
The $6 test actually spelled out "p-r-e-g-n-a-n-t." So.... I asked her to make an appointment to have blood-work done at the clinic. The nurse called back to tell us that Heather is pregnant with our first child!
She asked me if I was excited. I said I was excited about the baby, but not so much about the process of HAVING the baby. She didn't care for that, but the guys at work seemed to feel the same way when they had their kids.
Right now the baby should be about the size of a pencil eraser. Heather sent a card to her parents with the estimated size drawn on the inside. I called Granny Cody first, then my parents. I figure telling mom is like telling the whole family (sorry mom, but it's true).

Love,
Robert and Heather