Graham & Brannock

We've had a lot of questions about how Brannock is reacting to the new addition to the family. Well, he's certainly a little jealous of the attention. But, mainly, he thinks Graham is... well... delicious. LOTS of kissing the feet and hands! They're going to be best friends! Enjoy the photos and video below!

We also had a great visit by Aunt Erica and Grandma Frank this past week. Graham had some delicious Indonesian food (via Mom) for the first time. Fortunately, a non-spicy version was available for Dad. :)

Bath and Hiccups

Graham is growing every day, both physically and mentally. His early jaundice is slowly receding, and he had nearly returned to his birth weight in less than a week. Graham's still feeding every three hours or so, and is mostly sleeping between feedings. However, over the last couple of days, Graham has begun opening his eyes for longer periods of time, and enjoys taking in the sights quietly in his swing.

As he was want to do often in the womb, Graham hiccups rather frequently after feedings. We've captured some of those hiccups in a video below! Also, please enjoy the pictures of Graham's third bath.

Graham's Auntie Erica and Grandma Nancy will visit in two days - We're excited!

Stanley Cup CHAMPS!

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup last night in overtime! Don and Ellen were in Colorado visiting their first grandchild and got to share the experience. Don, a lifelong Blackhawks fan, last saw Chicago win when he was 6 years old, 49 years ago. Alex, a lifelong Blackhawks fan, erupted as the 'Hawks won for the first time in his 26+ year life. Meanwhile, it took Graham less than five days to witness the event! (Well, sort of witness... he was asleep in Mom's arms until Dad started making loud horn noises and running around.)

Here's our happy 'Hawks family! More pictures of the visit by Grammie and Grandpa Clark will come in a bit once Grammie gets home to pass them along.

He's Here!

Graham is here!

At 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, Lorri made the following off-hand comment to Alex with a smile on her face:

"I think these contractions may be starting to hurt!"

By 8:30 a.m., Alex had the Contraction Counter iPod App in hand, and Lorri was no longer smiling (even at some of Alex's wittiest jokes, which he began to sense may not be appropriate).

Clearly, Alex's bad habits have began to rub off on Lorri, as the parents-to-be had not yet packed their overnight bag. So while Lorri was up in the bedroom working through the contractions (already about 5-7 minutes apart), Alex was running around the house like a madman. Thankfully, Lorri HAD made a list, which Alex more or less followed. (He knew what he was doing... why did he need a list?)

Our first stop was the vet, where Brannock will be staying for the next couple of days. Then it was on to the hospital. Lorri was saying very little, and was even near falling asleep between the painful contractions. A quick stop at triage confirmed what we had suspected... we were going to have a baby!



We were moved into our birthing room which had a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains (which Alex noticed immediately but was lost on Lorri for the time being.......). After a few more vitals were taken and sensors were attached, the anesthesiologist came in to administer the epidural. Within five minutes, Lorri was smiling, talkative, and expressing her deep gratitude for the (wo)man who invented epidurals in the first place.



At that time, Lorri was measuring five centimeters dilated, but quickly moved to nine centimeters within the hour. The nurse and doctor held off on delivery since Lorri wasn't getting a huge urge to push. She could still feel some slight pressure with each contraction and could shift her legs, which was a good sign for pushing in the future. The other determining factor? Our hospital ended up delivering five children in 40 minutes, all to the same on-call doctor! Props to Dr. Weary for his time-management skills.

At 3:36, Lorri began pushing. Graham moved well early, but his heart rate was dropping below 100 after each push. The doctor suggested the use of forceps, with the only risk being potential temporary bruising to Graham's face. We gave him the go-ahead and, at 4:13 p.m. MDT, Graham arrived!



Both of us noted how the eight hours of labor (THANK GOODNESS!!!) seemed FAR shorter. And the next few hours went by in a whirlwind. Mom was monitored and cared for following her episiotomy, while Dad watched as Graham was weighed, given his APGAR test, etc. Graham made his first effort at breast feeding, and then was off for his first bath.



Following the bath, we were sent to our in-patient room to rest. Dad made a run to Subway while Mom held the fort... and the baby! The night went well, with Graham spending the night in Mom and Dad's room as per the hospitals AND parents wishes. Mom didn't get much sleep... not because Graham was fussy, but because she just couldn't keep her eyes off of him. :) Enjoy a brief look at Graham, including a video below!