There and back again

I think Ali's feeling ready to go at this point. Two weeks late and getting anxious. The night before induction. Saturday morning we went in and she was given medicine to help get things started. After a full day and mild progression, we were sent home for the evening. We got some Thai food and went home to relax. At 4:30 am, Ali woke up with contractions. Her labor had finally begun.

We went back to the hospital Sunday morning. Checking things out, Ali is hooked up to the monitors to time the contractions and keep track of the baby's heartbeat.

Taking a break from the bed and monitors, Ali works through the first stages of labor using one of the many methods she used.

Here's the tub where Ali would spend a good 7 hours (from around midnight till 7:00 am on Monday) getting through active labor and transition. There were some rough spots, but her strength and focus were incredible. She pulled through it like a champion. By 7:30 am, the "pushing" began and at 12:49 pm on Monday, September 14, 2009, Oliver Paul Bower was born!

Directly after being born he was placed on Ali's chest where they got him cleaned up a bit while he and Ali immediately began their bonding. It was remarkable how alert he was, lifting his little neck and opening his eyes to meet Ali's as she held him close. After about an hour or so, our nurse took Oliver to a table where he was measured and weighed.

He's a big little guy, weighing 9.74 pounds! He was 21.5 inches long.

Late that evening, after plenty of bonding time, Oliver was given a bath by one of the techs at the birthing center.

The enamored, awed, and tired parents holding little Oliver after his bath.

We had a two day stay at the Birthing Center after Oliver was born, while Ali recovered and the bonding continued. Having experienced 3 shift changes during the laboring and birth and many different folks during the following recovery-stay, we feel so confident in saying the place and people there are incredible. It was an exceptional experience. But we were still ready to go.

Ali holding the little guy while we get set to leave.

Oliver looking pretty unenthused about the fact that he's strapped into a seat that took us nearly 45 minutes to set-up and get locked into the car.

Napping at home. This little guy is so sweet. It's hard to stop looking at him. Here're some pictures to wrap this up and bring folks up to date. Thanks all for your thoughts and support.

1 cm & waiting....

Well the "eviction notice" has been signed and scheduled for this Saturday!


41 weeks & 4 days


If little Bower doesn't get out on its own, I will go in Saturday morning and get induced. Hopefully it won't come to that, but it probably will. I still feel great (except for the sinus cold I'm experiencing) and the doctors say I'm still only at 1 cm. Oh well, at least now we know we will be with baby sometime this coming weekend!!!

Baby Bower Update

39 wks and 4 days

No new news....baby doesn't want to come out! Mom is still feeling fine, sleeping well, walking around without problems and she even received her flu shot (now we need to convince the Daddy-to-be to get his).

Pictures are not accurately reflecting the SIZE of the tummy.

Pictures got hung in the nursery this week, and we finally got an area rug. Owl fabric for the nursery curtains has arrived, and a cute forest animal mobile is on its way!





We hung some neat J.R.R. Tolken water-colored prints (forest scenes) on the walls.


We framed some of the animals from this vintage Rummy card game and placed it above the changing table.

Getting There...

House organization is getting there...we have made much progress.

Wall shelving and nic nacs are not out yet...but at least things are livable.

We've decided to paint all cuboards white, and all kitchen walls Yellow to keep with the vintage kitchen look. We will start that project in the FUTURE.

We are thinking of taking that window in the dinning room, and converting it to French doors to the backyard. We may start that project soon.

Bedside cradle is ready...babies clothes are washed and ready to bring to the hospital.

And most importantly we got the nursery painted and organized for baby. It still needs to be decorated, but at least the important stuff is complete!

Instead of using a stencil, we just did our best to recreate my tree sketch by taping it freehand!

Looks amazingly close to the original sketch. We went through a lot of painters tape!

Painting over the tapped tree. This was scary.

I did participate "in shifts."

Here Jon is starting to peel off the tape to reveal our pretty tree.

Still peeling tape!

Baby's little tree house.

Baby bouncer is E.T. tested and Mother approved.

We will put books in the hutch and Jon wants to build the toy box. Mom and Dad Wever are giving us their dark wood rocking chair. Things are really getting there! Thank goodness.

O.k. baby Bower, you can be born now...we are ready!

Moving Phase 2

I now understand why people hire professional movers....MOVING IS HARD WORK...that seems to never end!!!! This Post is over 3 weeks overdue!!! WHY??? Because we have been and are still...





Cleaning and Unpacking...




Building furniture...

Ikea Pantry for our kitchen.

Deciding where to put the furniture...



Hanging new blinds so neighbors don't have to see us going crazy...



Replacing ugly orange bathroom carpet with ugly but temporary vinyl flooring...




Replacing ugly hanging lamp with new "nipple" lamp...




Painting...Wait...wasn't that Phase 1.....


And we also had to make time for a baby shower, which was lovely Thanks to James and Tracy!

We had just opened our Tod & Holly package...much to Dad's cat's chagrin. (The cat had made their package into a bed).

Top 100...

An old friend/band mate of Jon's just informed him that their old band "John Henry West" made Spin's "100 Greatest Bands You've (Probably) Never Heard" list in the latest issue. I bought a copy, and low and behold, there they were, tagged as "local hero's." Crazy! What a cool, and totally out of the blue thing.