Christmas Time!

Holy cow! Another overwhelming onslaught of generosity directed at Santino this holiday season. Thank you all so much!

sometimes he's great, sometimes he's possessed!

Well, it was a busy week indeed. Let's see, on Sunday (12/23) the first round of grandparents arrived in the form of Bob & Barb. They were kind enough to babysit so that Lisa & I could run out for a quick dinner at a local Italian cafe. Then, Uncle Kofi & Aunt Hillary arrived and we all went to Chris & Jim's (second set of grandparents) for dinner on Christmas Eve with the rest of the family on that side plus a few friends. I don't seem to have any pictures from Christmas Eve, so please email me if you do so I can pay respects properly!

Sonny & Mom got matching sock-monkey slippers from Santa

Christmas Day was spent at home with the aforementioned Donnelly gang. After Christmas, we were treated to a night alone before Bill & Joni arrived from Michigan (third set of grandparents). This was the fist time Santino got to meet them, so he was on his best behavior and got a little more time in his favorite Christmas outfit. On Friday night, Aunt Sal & Uncle Damion graced us with their presence (and presents!) for dinner and Christmas was celebrated yet again.

J. Patrick, S. Patrick, & W. Patrick

Finally, Uncle Bruce & Aunt Al came to meet Sonny on Sunday afternoon. He was delighted to make such cool new friends and now gets to dress like a bear at bathtime!

Sonny's New Years resolution for 2008 is to learn a little more about life, parents, and spend more time outdoors!

More to come soon - it was all the self-control I could muster not to include about a dozen more pictures!

The Second Week

Lot's of changes this week - primarily diapers. Santino seems to enjoy eating, sleeping, and pooping. On occasion, he stays awake for a while after eating and just looks around... even though they say he can't see much past 12-15". I managed to catch this phenomenon on video - see below:

I (papa) went back to work this week, which wasn't easy to do. First, nobody likes leaving the family after such an intimate time together. Second, inconsistent sleep patterns make it tough to achieve well-restedness (not a word? too bad; you know what I mean).

On Saturday, we celebrated Christmas - just the three of us (and Walter) - before surrounding ourselves with the rest of the families. We had a nice fire in the fireplace and opened presents. Sonny even dressed up for the occasion. I've included some of the more choice pictures below:

The closeup shows the faux-hawk really well.

Merry Christmas Everyone.

The First Week - A full-time job for two

Oh my. What have we gotten ourselves into?!

I'm just kidding of course - with all the planning that went into having this child, we were actually fairly prepared to most of what the first week had to offer. We've been extremely lucky in that Santino's (or Sonny's) first week was much like the entire pregnancy - straight from the text books for the most part. Of course we've had mostly sleepless nights, some difficulty getting accustomed to the feeding schedule, and with Walter feeling ill we really had our hands full.

On that note, Walter seems much better. He must have stuck his snout somewhere it shouldn't have been and either had a reaction to whatever was in there or got bit by something. So, he swelled up with hives all over his face at first, then his whole body. Another delightful symptom was nausea - and lots of it. So, after several trips to the vet we have a heavily medicated dog who seems to be doing better today.

I was miraculously able to upload a short video, in which I ask Santino "what's the matter?" We now know that he was hungry, of course.

Here's a couple pictures from Week #1, with visitors and all!

The Arrival

Well. As you probably know by now, Santino Patrick was born on December 6th at 4:12pm. Lisa was amazing... I was truly in awe of her that day (and ever since). Childbirth is hands-down the most intense and wonderful experience I've had the privilege of being involved with. I could go on and on.

Anyway, all's well. He was a healthy 7 lbs. even and measured 19.5" long. We were in the hospital until early Saturday afternoon when we were released to return home. There's no place like it, although the hospital amenties and staff were terrific, really.

Since we've been home it's been a lot of feeding, changing diapers, straightening up, frantically reading, and a quick trip to Target for a few items we overlooked. What there hasn't been a lot of is sleeping.

I'm tired, gotta run - here are a few pictures of our new leader of the pack!

The 39th Week, Eeek!

Alright, we're ready.

Lisa's got an appointment with the doctor tomorrow, which should be very telling. There's a good chance that our next entry will include baby pictures!

In the meantime, we got ready for Christmas this week. On Saturday, we drove northwest and cut down a tree, brought it home, and trimmed it up.

I can't imagine we got the best deal in the world, but daylight was fading and they had a zoo! Bah-ah-ah!

When we awoke this morning there was snow everywhere, and the lights went up.

So, we're officially all set. The stockings are hung, the nursery is done, and the beginning is near. Eeek!

Week 38.5 - 1.5 Weeks Until Due Date

Lots afoot this past week and a half. My original intention was to update on Sundays, but this week I just couldn't squeeze it in. Apologies to all onlookers.

Last Tuesday night, we took an infant / child CPR course - not a bad idea for anyone who has children or will be babysitting. Check with your local hospital for a listing of courses offered.

Lisa's last day of work was Wednesday. She plans to return to work in late March / early April.

We chose to stay home for Thanksgiving and spend the day with each other - not the worst thing in the world if you can pull it off without upsetting family too much! We missed you all; Thanks- for -Giving us a little time to ourselves (corny? absolutely).

On Saturday, we picked up the crib Bob Donnelly made for the baby - a matching piece to the aforementioned changing table. And no crib would be complete without a home-crafted blanket ala Barb (also of the Donnelly variety). Very nice, very much appreciated. So, the nursery is now complete and ready for action.

Kofi & Hillary (and Zoe) were here for dinner on Saturday and graced us with fruit, cheese, and matching coats. We ate cheeseburgers and lounged by the fire most of the evening. It was perfect.

As you may know, we've elected not to find out the sex of the baby. Someone put it more eloquently than I can recall, but it was something like "one more amazing suprise on the greatest day of your life." We've got names all picked out, but we're not sharing them with anyone until it's inked.

Lisa's appointments with the OB are weekly now, and everything is right on schedule. I'll try to get to this again soon - keep checking back!

37 Weeks & Counting - Bags are packed!

This week, we put the finishing touches on the nursery - fresh paint on walls and trim, new shelves in the closet, stocked room with baby gear and clothing, moved in recliner and the changing table built by Mr. Bob Donnelly (who has all but furnished our entire house with his craftmanship).

The word on the street is that he just finished the matching crib, so we'll pick that up in the coming week.



Today, Lisa made lasagna. The plan is to freeze it so we have a few easy meals when we need them. Good idea from good friends. Her lasagna is delicious, she may need to make more next week.

Hey, thanks to everyone for attending showers, giving gifts, building furniture, indulging our questions, and wishing us well. We feel we're ready for the big change, and a big part of that is attributed to our friends and family.

Baby Hankes - Coming Soon!

Well, the time is near. Lisa is 36 weeks along in her pregnancy and, so far so good. Everything has pretty much been textbook to date, thankfully.

In September, we treated ourselves to a 'babymoon' in Point Pleasant, NJ.

We stayed at a cute hotel on the beach, took a surfing lesson, walked on the boardwalk, laid in the sun, and ate lots of seafood.

It was super.

... and we watched an old boat which ran aground overnight be "removed."

Other than that, we've just been trying to finish up renovations on the new house, which like everything else, have taken much longer than anticipated. Although, the result has been worth taking the extra time.

And Walter, the chocolate menace, has been terrific throughout it all.