desmond on arrival

The first family picture.

Graham Crackers for everyone!! These were provided by the hospital, not us. This is Mary Wilkerson, the doctor that delivered Desmond.
The Team. Gavin, Penny (our doula) Robin, Dr. Wilkerson, and Desmond in the middle.

Des with Daddy.

Robin's parent meet their grandson.

due date in the park

Well, our due date (yesterday) has come and gone without *too* much excitement. We actually had a doctor's appointment to check things out and do a "Non-Stress Test" to make sure the Graham Cracker is still moving around as much as he should be (he is) and that things are progressing in terms of dilation, engagement of the baby's head, etc. (they are -- though maybe not as rapidly as we'd like)!

We have an ultrasound scheduled for Thursday to check the level of amniotic fluid, and then a doctor's appointment the following day to see where everything stands at that point. Obviously, we *really* want things to take their natural course (as opposed to going the induction route), so please send us good vibes, thoughts, prayers...whatever you like...that this little guy will decide to make his big debut very soon! We're definitely taking measures to encourage him...among other things, we took a long walk in gorgeous weather yesterday afternoon, and Robin has NOT been avoiding spicy foods in any way.

-G

my very first friend

**While we are patiently waiting for the Cracker to make his arrival, I thought I would try to get caught up on some of the posts we meant to get online over the past 9 months.**

This happy, little guy is Dr. John Hobbins. Today, he operates a perinatal clinic here in Denver that specializes in early fetal testing and high-end ultrasounds. After our first ultrasound at Platte Perinatal, we got the insurance statement and Robin noticed Dr. Hobbins' name. She thought something sounded familiar and asked me. It took a minute, but I realized why the name stood out.

My mom has a great knack of keeping up with where old friends and acquaintances wind up. Forty years ago, Dr. Hobbins was an Air Force doctor at Otis Air Force Base in Massachusetts, the same base where my father was stationed at the time. You guessed it...John Hobbins was the doctor who delivered me.

On our second ultrasound visit, I got to re-meet him, shake his hand, and thank him for helping me out so long ago. I also let him know I had a little bone to pick with him. It seems he is also responsible for me very first (and longest standing) nickname. As he presented me to my mother in the delivery room, he let her know that he thought I looked a bit like Mr. Magoo. Uhhh...thanks Doc.

-G

it's a...goofball!

Yes, it's true. We went for our 21.5 week ultrasound last Wednesday and are now ready to share the official "flavor" of our baby-in-waiting...let's just say it ain't no Cracker Jill! How do we know for sure? Well, as you can see from the these (slightly squished) sonogram images, the evidence is quite clear. Once the ultrasound tech had located telltale signs of testosterone, she used her handy arrow cursor to point out the somewhat obvious peninsula shape that kept finding its way into the shot. Here we have a good, clear image that could be equated to the angle one might see if the fetus had plopped himself on top of a copy machine for a nice "shot from below."

Poor little guy isn't even out of the womb and we already have some embarrassing photos ready to show during his teenage years. If you squint a bit at the other two images, you can see him: 1. sucking on his thumb (in profile); and 2. facing the camera (starting to look a bit like his dad here). Gavin even provided some helpful tracings to aid with visualization. Needless to say, despite (or maybe because of) all the giggling, we are very excited to meet this little guy...only 4 months left to go!

-rhr %:-)