Showing posts with label parents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parents. Show all posts
1 year ago today (Keira)
1 year ago today Crystal and i learned the most amazing news... we were having a baby!
1 year ago today we found out that Keira was on the way.
i was actually on the phone up in my office when she came to talk to me with an extremely stern look on her face. she said "i need you to come downstairs right now." i figured either i was in big trouble or the dog, jack bauer was. i weasled out of the phone conversation i was in by saying "whoa, something is up. my wife needs me right away." i was hoping that person wouldn't remember and ask me later what had happened.
these pics capture our emotions through the expressions on our faces that night.
i remember we stopped right there immediately in the middle of the kitchen that night and PRAYED. couldn't think of anything else to do. i remember praying... declaring that we desperately needed God's help. and THANKS for this amazing blessing!
i remember thinking that i SOOOO wasn't ready. i seriously thought we had a solid 1-2 years at least before we would get pregnant.
we had just come home from Kenya and the malaria meds had JUST gone out of our system. i think we had literally come off birth control like the day before this. i seriously just figured we would get pregnant in a year or 2.
i could be ready in a year or 2, but not today.
i always said i wouldn't mind waiting til i was 30 or after to have kids, but i didn't make it. definitely for the next one though :)
oh, and here was the proof Crystal gave me that she was pregnant.
pretty convincing to me.
i'll always remember that moment. stunned and shocked. freaked and excited. overwhelmed.
our lives have not been the same since that night 1 year ago.
they have never been better. Keira is the most amazing source of joy over the past year. this is nothing like i ever imagined. it is so much better.
crazy thankful for that night 1 year ago. i feel way different about it today than i did that night. Keira is the most awesome baby ever. i'm crazy proud to be her daddy.
1 year ago today we found out that Keira was on the way.
i was actually on the phone up in my office when she came to talk to me with an extremely stern look on her face. she said "i need you to come downstairs right now." i figured either i was in big trouble or the dog, jack bauer was. i weasled out of the phone conversation i was in by saying "whoa, something is up. my wife needs me right away." i was hoping that person wouldn't remember and ask me later what had happened.
these pics capture our emotions through the expressions on our faces that night.
i remember thinking that i SOOOO wasn't ready. i seriously thought we had a solid 1-2 years at least before we would get pregnant.
we had just come home from Kenya and the malaria meds had JUST gone out of our system. i think we had literally come off birth control like the day before this. i seriously just figured we would get pregnant in a year or 2.
i could be ready in a year or 2, but not today.
i always said i wouldn't mind waiting til i was 30 or after to have kids, but i didn't make it. definitely for the next one though :)
oh, and here was the proof Crystal gave me that she was pregnant.
pretty convincing to me.
i'll always remember that moment. stunned and shocked. freaked and excited. overwhelmed.
our lives have not been the same since that night 1 year ago.
they have never been better. Keira is the most amazing source of joy over the past year. this is nothing like i ever imagined. it is so much better.
crazy thankful for that night 1 year ago. i feel way different about it today than i did that night. Keira is the most awesome baby ever. i'm crazy proud to be her daddy.
i will NOT miss these moments (Keira)
i refuse to miss any of these moments with my daughter.
these amazing moments with Keira.
no matter what.
i may miss out on other stuff.
but not this. not these moments with my family.
this is just the choice i'm making. not saying it's what everybody should do... just what i'm committed to doing - in the middle of a crazy busy season (and recognizing that life will never be slow...) i'll have to miss out on some stuff. and that's ok. but i won't be missing out on this family stuff.
i'm trying to finish my master's degree - some things might just be late or not get turned in at all.
in my job - some things might drop. and that's ok.
with my dreams and visions and goals for the future - they may not move along as fast as i had hoped.
in all kinds of areas of life i may begin to miss out on all kinds of stuff, but that's the choice i'm making. and it's OK.
but i REFUSE to miss out on these moments with Keira.
i'm going to spend time with her every day.
look into her beautiful eyes in the morning.
smile at her and see her smile back at me.
talk to her and tell her i love her.
i won't miss these moments of her grabbing my finger
or dancing with her in the kitchen
or reading her a bedtime story every night
or playing with her during bath time
or Crystal and i praying over her every night...
i don't even want to miss these amazing moments of seeing my wife come alive in ways i've never seen before. it's crazy that she's such a natural at this whole "mom" thing even though she's never done it before. it's crazy that she's this good - it's like this is what she was made to do.
i don't want to miss watching her do that.
and i know more and more moments are coming - i won't miss those...
1st steps, 1st words, 1st day of school, 1st soccer game, homework, friends, etc... etc...
i have to CHEAT somebody, so i choose to cheat everything else before i cheat my family.
and i am THANKFUL to WORK for an organization that agrees! i know i am blessed and that's not normal. so i'm crazy thankful to work in an environment that backs me up and encourages me to choose to cheat work instead of cheating family.
AND i'm thankful that Crystal and i both had great models for "NOT missing moments".
my parents & my wife's parents intentionally chose NOT to miss the moments with us and that spoke volumes to us. they had to make sacrifices and give things up, but we think it was worth it.
so i make the promise to Crystal and Keira both -- i won't miss these moments with you guys. promise :)
these amazing moments with Keira.
no matter what.
i may miss out on other stuff.
but not this. not these moments with my family.
this is just the choice i'm making. not saying it's what everybody should do... just what i'm committed to doing - in the middle of a crazy busy season (and recognizing that life will never be slow...) i'll have to miss out on some stuff. and that's ok. but i won't be missing out on this family stuff.
i'm trying to finish my master's degree - some things might just be late or not get turned in at all.
in my job - some things might drop. and that's ok.
with my dreams and visions and goals for the future - they may not move along as fast as i had hoped.
in all kinds of areas of life i may begin to miss out on all kinds of stuff, but that's the choice i'm making. and it's OK.
but i REFUSE to miss out on these moments with Keira.
i'm going to spend time with her every day.
look into her beautiful eyes in the morning.
smile at her and see her smile back at me.
talk to her and tell her i love her.
i won't miss these moments of her grabbing my finger
or dancing with her in the kitchen
or reading her a bedtime story every night
or playing with her during bath time
or Crystal and i praying over her every night...
i don't even want to miss these amazing moments of seeing my wife come alive in ways i've never seen before. it's crazy that she's such a natural at this whole "mom" thing even though she's never done it before. it's crazy that she's this good - it's like this is what she was made to do.
i don't want to miss watching her do that.
and i know more and more moments are coming - i won't miss those...
1st steps, 1st words, 1st day of school, 1st soccer game, homework, friends, etc... etc...
i have to CHEAT somebody, so i choose to cheat everything else before i cheat my family.
and i am THANKFUL to WORK for an organization that agrees! i know i am blessed and that's not normal. so i'm crazy thankful to work in an environment that backs me up and encourages me to choose to cheat work instead of cheating family.
AND i'm thankful that Crystal and i both had great models for "NOT missing moments".
my parents & my wife's parents intentionally chose NOT to miss the moments with us and that spoke volumes to us. they had to make sacrifices and give things up, but we think it was worth it.
so i make the promise to Crystal and Keira both -- i won't miss these moments with you guys. promise :)
(below is simply Keira smiling at Daddy)
how can YOU be the change? (Keira)
How can YOU be the change?
i think that's a phrase my kid(s) are going to get SICK of hearing me say. i'm thinking a lot more about parenting these days... since i am one of those now. Crystal and i are both thinking a lot more about it. we're talking about it all the time -- what kind of parents we want to be, what kinds of things we want to do for our kids, WHO we want them to be, etc...
and it's real now because Keira is here. so it's not just a nebulous idea.
but i think Keira will get sick of hearing me say to her "How can YOU be the change?"
let's say that she comes home from school & there is a kid that EVERYONE is making fun of/being mean to. the teacher didn't really seem to even care. Keira is bothered by it. i'm going to ask her - "How can YOU be the change that needs to happen?"
or maybe our neighbor has surgery and their yard is a wreck. Keira complains that it looks so ugly. "well, how can YOU be the change?"
and there are a million other examples.
EITHER:
she will get so sick of hearing me say this phrase that she will stop complaining about anything or talking about anything that isn't right in the world for fear that i will prod her to think about changing it...
OR:
she will change the world.
i hope it's the 2nd one.
and the below isn't all that related to the above but it's just a thought that i resonate with and agree with wholeheartedly. it's how i want us to parent Keira and any other kids God blesses us with...
i think that's a phrase my kid(s) are going to get SICK of hearing me say. i'm thinking a lot more about parenting these days... since i am one of those now. Crystal and i are both thinking a lot more about it. we're talking about it all the time -- what kind of parents we want to be, what kinds of things we want to do for our kids, WHO we want them to be, etc...
and it's real now because Keira is here. so it's not just a nebulous idea.
but i think Keira will get sick of hearing me say to her "How can YOU be the change?"
let's say that she comes home from school & there is a kid that EVERYONE is making fun of/being mean to. the teacher didn't really seem to even care. Keira is bothered by it. i'm going to ask her - "How can YOU be the change that needs to happen?"
or maybe our neighbor has surgery and their yard is a wreck. Keira complains that it looks so ugly. "well, how can YOU be the change?"
and there are a million other examples.
EITHER:
she will get so sick of hearing me say this phrase that she will stop complaining about anything or talking about anything that isn't right in the world for fear that i will prod her to think about changing it...
OR:
she will change the world.
i hope it's the 2nd one.
and the below isn't all that related to the above but it's just a thought that i resonate with and agree with wholeheartedly. it's how i want us to parent Keira and any other kids God blesses us with...
“I want my children to grow up understanding that life with Jesus is more than just being nice, or trying not to cuss and get drunk because 'that is what good Christians do.' I want my children to be so compelled by the real Jesus that they are willing to stand with him, giving their lives to his revolution, not in order to be religious but because there is simply no more exhilarating way to live. I want my kids to see my wife and me as revolutionaries who subvert the dominant belief systems of the world, not out of religious obligation but in wholehearted response to the person of Jesus.”
– Mike Erre (from Jesus of Suburbia)
YES! That's what i want!
need to feel like a better parent? just read this
My wife's grandmother from New York has had the privilege to stay at our house and hang out with Keira twice since she's been born. and in that time i've probably heard this story about a half dozen times.
just letting you know up front that this is a true story! i didn't make it up and i didn't just steal it from something i saw on Tosh.0 or Ridiculousness.
here you go:
back in the day when my father-in-law was a baby, his mom (my wife's grandmother) was driving through town and made a U-turn...
out of a moving car!
she got out of the car, threw him back in the back seat, and kept driving.
wow.
hard to top that one.
and he turned out just fine (you know, for the most part). she seems like she was a wonderful mother & of course this kind of thing wasn't the norm.
but hey, stuff happens. we're all going to make mistakes. i'm sure i'll make TONS. thousands. i'm trying not to, but i'm sure i will.
but when i make those mistakes i'm going to remind myself of this story and say to myself "at least i didn't eject my baby onto the street from a moving car."
hopefully i never top that one.
just letting you know up front that this is a true story! i didn't make it up and i didn't just steal it from something i saw on Tosh.0 or Ridiculousness.
here you go:
back in the day when my father-in-law was a baby, his mom (my wife's grandmother) was driving through town and made a U-turn...
the back door of the car came open and the baby FELL OUT!!!
he straight up fell out onto the street on his head!out of a moving car!
she got out of the car, threw him back in the back seat, and kept driving.
wow.
hard to top that one.
and he turned out just fine (you know, for the most part). she seems like she was a wonderful mother & of course this kind of thing wasn't the norm.
but when i make those mistakes i'm going to remind myself of this story and say to myself "at least i didn't eject my baby onto the street from a moving car."
hopefully i never top that one.
she's amazing
yesterday i just sat and held her for about 3 hours. i didn't do anything else. just looked at her. talked to her. watched her. it probably sounds boring and unproductive to you. unproductive? maybe. boring? nope. just the opposite. I LOVE THIS!
(i want to start video blogging all this a little more again...)
she is so WIDE EYED with wonder. all the time. i love that.
her eyes are so full of life and expectation. & i have this strong feeling inside of me of not wanting her to be disappointed. i want life to live up to those expectations.
she's always looking around everywhere at everything so interested. she's seeing and experiencing everything for the 1st time! it's crazy. and i'm getting to watch her see and experience everything for the 1st time. i look forward to doing that for years and years.
she's turning her head on a swivel. if she could turn it around backwards to look back there she definitely would.
i want her to explore that curiosity so bad - so i turn her around to help her see what's behind her.
it seems like she will have a lot to say when she is able to talk. i can just see it in her eyes.
she looks up into my eyes these days. and when she does, my heart does something it's never done before. it feels like it's never felt.
and then she just falls asleep on my chest. and i just look at her. sometimes her arms and hands are draped around me.
and i just watch.
kiss.
pray.
she's amazing. even her little fingers are amazing. yesterday i teared up just looking at her fingers. i know, i know, i'm a sap. but i couldn't help it.
she's just so amazing.
worst parent i've ever seen
This is the most disturbing video i have ever seen.
This is the worst parenting i have ever heard of in my life. what a POOR POOR kid. my heart BREAKS for him. i want to call social services!
we're figuring out our parenting philosophy with Keira and we don't have it all figured out but we will be the EXACT OPPOSITE of this parent!
(you can see our parenting philosophy on this subject HERE)
just watch this video and i hope it makes you as angry as it makes me.
i will be just the opposite of this horrible dad. Keira will LOVE the Yankees. she will HATE the Red Sox. Because the Red Sox is a horrible organization. they suck. they don't deserve to exist on earth. & because that's what Jesus would do. there is no other option.
we will make sure we parent better than that guy.
This is the worst parenting i have ever heard of in my life. what a POOR POOR kid. my heart BREAKS for him. i want to call social services!
we're figuring out our parenting philosophy with Keira and we don't have it all figured out but we will be the EXACT OPPOSITE of this parent!
(you can see our parenting philosophy on this subject HERE)
just watch this video and i hope it makes you as angry as it makes me.
i will be just the opposite of this horrible dad. Keira will LOVE the Yankees. she will HATE the Red Sox. Because the Red Sox is a horrible organization. they suck. they don't deserve to exist on earth. & because that's what Jesus would do. there is no other option.
we will make sure we parent better than that guy.
Keria's intro to the world (video)
i thought i would take a minute to introduce my brand new beautiful daughter to the world...
i hope you enjoyed that. she is not even 2 weeks old. the tiniest thing i have ever seen. amazingly beautiful.
and i love her more than i ever thought i could.
i hope you enjoyed that. she is not even 2 weeks old. the tiniest thing i have ever seen. amazingly beautiful.
and i love her more than i ever thought i could.
what will our baby BECOME? (repost)
(This was originally written and posted to renown on August 25, 2011. Now that Keira is born we're starting to put the plan into action.)
crazy stoked our 1st child will be here REALLY soon. in just a couple months.
one of the things i'm probably MOST excited about in the next couple months before it gets here is that Crystal and i are gonna write what we want our child to BECOME and always focus our parenting for the next 18 years on those things.
Just 5-8 simple words like "Generous" or "Revolutionary" and focus our parenting and the experiences we provide on helping our child become that type of person.
this was an awesome suggestion from a tool we give new parents at Ridge Church in an attempt to partner with them. really thankful for that.
so, here's our rough draft. it's just an initial brainstorm list. a lot of them probably bleed over into each other. really wanna narrow these to 5-8 or even less. and would like for them to all be summed up in 1 word. would LOVE any of your thoughts!
LOVE - start with knowing he/she is LOVED by me, by Crystal. then be overwhelmed with the amazing love of God. then pour out love to ALL. no matter who it is = friend, family, all ethnicities, all lifestyles, the OUTCAST, an ENEMY. live their life with the belief that LOVE WINS.
REVOLUTIONARY - radical. never satisfied with the status quo or the normal way that everyone else lives. a world changer. never worry about trying to "fit in" to an apathetic culture, but not be afraid to shake it up.
GENEROUS - i would really love our child to be a person who will GIVE, GIVE, GIVE all their lives. and if they give away too much [oxymoron]... oh well.
STORIES - i would love for our child to - from the very beginning - live a life worth telling stories about. to just GO FOR IT. go for the adventure. go have the experience. don't be timid. don't be SAFE. take RISKS. have some stories to tell.
POSITIVE - this will be a really fun challenge with the balance of power in our house with 1 eternal optimist & 1 "realist" [spelled "p-e-s-s-i-m-i-s-t"] :) haha, this will be fun. we'll see if it makes the final list. i would love our child to always believe the best... about every situation, every person, etc...
TRUST GOD - trust God no matter what. unwavering faith in a God who loves them more than they can imagine. live a life based on that radical trust.
JOY - unashamed and unbridled JOY in God. a radical pursuit of JOY in God's glory with a reckless abandon. + just a straight up enjoyment of life. it's just too short to not enjoy it. that would be silly. why do you think we're here? All about FUN all the time!
LIVE IT - authentic. just be. live. live what you believe because what you live IS what you believe. don't just talk about it, because talk is cheap. anybody can do that. live it.
THANKFUL - it's a destructive thing to not be thankful even for 1 minute. this child will have so much to be thankful for from its 1st minute on earth on... it will never catch up. it can spend a lifetime being thankful and never be thankful enough.
DREAMER - Dream BIG. not small. big vision. big goals. have a freedom to dream big and not listen to "naysayers".
RESPECTFUL - to us as parents starting out... to everyone though really.
UNIQUE - you be you. be who you are. whoever that is. i don't care. be the way God made you. Find your IDENTITY only ever and always in who God says you are in HIM.
WELCOMING - of all people all the time.
HUMBLE - this is a biggie and a toughie. i would love to help my child eradicate pride from its life. maybe it can help me. i want them to be Open Minded and never so arrogant that they think they have it figured out. i hope they never one time in life think they are "better than" anyone.
CORAGEOUS - do the right thing even if no one else is. don't back down on what you believe in. Risk! don't be afraid to FAIL. it's ok, just try it again.
SELFLESS - it's a great big world out there. lots of countries. lots of people. lots of needs. you are just one person. life is obviously NOT about you. how could we ever think that for even 1 second?
WISE - if they could somehow learn to make wise choices early on... wow.
PASSIONATE - i can't figure out another reason to wake up in the morning unless i'm passionate about something. i guess i really don't care what they end up being into - what the pursue, what activities they're involved in, what career they choose, etc.... just do whatever it is with PASSION!
RENOWN SPREADER - grow up to be a supporting cast member to the 1 renown that matters. have a desperate desire to be used by God. whatever that might look like for him/her individually.
BLESSING - we are BLESSED to be a blessing! we are so blessed & it is for no other reason than the grace of God that we are not a family living under a bridge with no food. only grace and the fact that we are blessed. so, if the reason we've been blessed so much is clearly to BE a blessing to others... why would we ever go through a day without being a BLESSING?
well, it's just a start, but we obviously have some trimming of the list to do.
crazy stoked our 1st child will be here REALLY soon. in just a couple months.one of the things i'm probably MOST excited about in the next couple months before it gets here is that Crystal and i are gonna write what we want our child to BECOME and always focus our parenting for the next 18 years on those things.
Just 5-8 simple words like "Generous" or "Revolutionary" and focus our parenting and the experiences we provide on helping our child become that type of person.
this was an awesome suggestion from a tool we give new parents at Ridge Church in an attempt to partner with them. really thankful for that.
so, here's our rough draft. it's just an initial brainstorm list. a lot of them probably bleed over into each other. really wanna narrow these to 5-8 or even less. and would like for them to all be summed up in 1 word. would LOVE any of your thoughts!
LOVE - start with knowing he/she is LOVED by me, by Crystal. then be overwhelmed with the amazing love of God. then pour out love to ALL. no matter who it is = friend, family, all ethnicities, all lifestyles, the OUTCAST, an ENEMY. live their life with the belief that LOVE WINS.
REVOLUTIONARY - radical. never satisfied with the status quo or the normal way that everyone else lives. a world changer. never worry about trying to "fit in" to an apathetic culture, but not be afraid to shake it up.
GENEROUS - i would really love our child to be a person who will GIVE, GIVE, GIVE all their lives. and if they give away too much [oxymoron]... oh well.
STORIES - i would love for our child to - from the very beginning - live a life worth telling stories about. to just GO FOR IT. go for the adventure. go have the experience. don't be timid. don't be SAFE. take RISKS. have some stories to tell.
POSITIVE - this will be a really fun challenge with the balance of power in our house with 1 eternal optimist & 1 "realist" [spelled "p-e-s-s-i-m-i-s-t"] :) haha, this will be fun. we'll see if it makes the final list. i would love our child to always believe the best... about every situation, every person, etc...
TRUST GOD - trust God no matter what. unwavering faith in a God who loves them more than they can imagine. live a life based on that radical trust.
JOY - unashamed and unbridled JOY in God. a radical pursuit of JOY in God's glory with a reckless abandon. + just a straight up enjoyment of life. it's just too short to not enjoy it. that would be silly. why do you think we're here? All about FUN all the time!
LIVE IT - authentic. just be. live. live what you believe because what you live IS what you believe. don't just talk about it, because talk is cheap. anybody can do that. live it.
THANKFUL - it's a destructive thing to not be thankful even for 1 minute. this child will have so much to be thankful for from its 1st minute on earth on... it will never catch up. it can spend a lifetime being thankful and never be thankful enough.
DREAMER - Dream BIG. not small. big vision. big goals. have a freedom to dream big and not listen to "naysayers".
RESPECTFUL - to us as parents starting out... to everyone though really.
UNIQUE - you be you. be who you are. whoever that is. i don't care. be the way God made you. Find your IDENTITY only ever and always in who God says you are in HIM.
WELCOMING - of all people all the time.
HUMBLE - this is a biggie and a toughie. i would love to help my child eradicate pride from its life. maybe it can help me. i want them to be Open Minded and never so arrogant that they think they have it figured out. i hope they never one time in life think they are "better than" anyone.
CORAGEOUS - do the right thing even if no one else is. don't back down on what you believe in. Risk! don't be afraid to FAIL. it's ok, just try it again.
SELFLESS - it's a great big world out there. lots of countries. lots of people. lots of needs. you are just one person. life is obviously NOT about you. how could we ever think that for even 1 second?
WISE - if they could somehow learn to make wise choices early on... wow.
PASSIONATE - i can't figure out another reason to wake up in the morning unless i'm passionate about something. i guess i really don't care what they end up being into - what the pursue, what activities they're involved in, what career they choose, etc.... just do whatever it is with PASSION!
RENOWN SPREADER - grow up to be a supporting cast member to the 1 renown that matters. have a desperate desire to be used by God. whatever that might look like for him/her individually.
BLESSING - we are BLESSED to be a blessing! we are so blessed & it is for no other reason than the grace of God that we are not a family living under a bridge with no food. only grace and the fact that we are blessed. so, if the reason we've been blessed so much is clearly to BE a blessing to others... why would we ever go through a day without being a BLESSING?
well, it's just a start, but we obviously have some trimming of the list to do.
the birth story
1:37 AM = "my water just broke!"
NOT the words you want to hear in the middle of the night on a Monday morning.
you see, Keira was due on 11/8 (but she was born on 10/17). i had big plans for last week - beginning on Monday (a few hours after 1:37) i was going to get so many things out of the way so i would be good to go when she decided to come. haha... nope.
and i had only gone to sleep around midnight... i knew it was a long day ahead on an hour and a half of sleep.
oh yeah - and i was on crutches. i had a jacked up ankle that until that moment i couldn't walk on. got over that really fast and started hopping around because it was GO time. even manned up and drove Crystal to the hospital! (i put the car in park at each stop light, but i definitely didn't wanna be the husband whose wife had to drive her own self to the hospital!)
the water breaking itself was pretty nasty. totally covered our huge bed... dripped all on the carpet and then i heard it when she got to the bathroom floor - sounded like somebody dumped out a 5 gallon bucket of water on the floor! crazy.
it was pretty cool that we had just packed our "GO" bag for the hospital, walked through a list of what else we needed, hooked up the car seat, etc...
+ i had just been to "Daddy Boot Camp" on Saturday. good timing.
we got to the hospital around 3AM and were greeted by some amazing nurses! they were all Crystal's friends that she works with and they were awesome. cheering with big smiles on their faces as we walked in.
[and throughout the whole experience, our nurses were AMAZING! they went overboard and i seriously felt at home instead of in a hospital. EXTREMELY impressed.]
we got hooked up with the VIP room. cool view. decent bed for me.
about 5AM we were finally trying to get some sleep when a Doctor & 2 Nurses came busting into our room... turned on all the lights flipped Crystal over and slapped an oxygen mask on her face while pushing all kinds of buttons and talking amongst themselves.
when i sat up sleepily and tried to ask what was wrong nobody answered me... not a cool moment.
turns out our baby's heartbeat was simply really low for a little bit. they all came sprinting down the hallway. it turned out to be all good of course.
after lunch it all started happening so fast. we went for a walk. Crystal's contractions started getting pretty bad. then all the sudden around 3pm she was pushing.
i donned my "Baby Daddy" shirt, our Doctor came over from the office just to deliver Keira (very cool), and i think i counted about 12 nurses in the room and asked if we were having a party? they were all so excited. 12 women shouting "C'mon Crystal! good job Crystal!" with every push.
Crystal is a hero and pushed for 15 minutes and Keira Brielle Mitchell was born! it was the craziest thing ever watching it all go down. i know now why they call it a miracle.
of course, we never found out the gender ahead of time so i got to make the call as she was born.
NOT the words you want to hear in the middle of the night on a Monday morning.
you see, Keira was due on 11/8 (but she was born on 10/17). i had big plans for last week - beginning on Monday (a few hours after 1:37) i was going to get so many things out of the way so i would be good to go when she decided to come. haha... nope.
and i had only gone to sleep around midnight... i knew it was a long day ahead on an hour and a half of sleep.
oh yeah - and i was on crutches. i had a jacked up ankle that until that moment i couldn't walk on. got over that really fast and started hopping around because it was GO time. even manned up and drove Crystal to the hospital! (i put the car in park at each stop light, but i definitely didn't wanna be the husband whose wife had to drive her own self to the hospital!)
the water breaking itself was pretty nasty. totally covered our huge bed... dripped all on the carpet and then i heard it when she got to the bathroom floor - sounded like somebody dumped out a 5 gallon bucket of water on the floor! crazy.
it was pretty cool that we had just packed our "GO" bag for the hospital, walked through a list of what else we needed, hooked up the car seat, etc...
+ i had just been to "Daddy Boot Camp" on Saturday. good timing.
we got to the hospital around 3AM and were greeted by some amazing nurses! they were all Crystal's friends that she works with and they were awesome. cheering with big smiles on their faces as we walked in.
[and throughout the whole experience, our nurses were AMAZING! they went overboard and i seriously felt at home instead of in a hospital. EXTREMELY impressed.]
we got hooked up with the VIP room. cool view. decent bed for me.
about 5AM we were finally trying to get some sleep when a Doctor & 2 Nurses came busting into our room... turned on all the lights flipped Crystal over and slapped an oxygen mask on her face while pushing all kinds of buttons and talking amongst themselves.
when i sat up sleepily and tried to ask what was wrong nobody answered me... not a cool moment.
turns out our baby's heartbeat was simply really low for a little bit. they all came sprinting down the hallway. it turned out to be all good of course.
after lunch it all started happening so fast. we went for a walk. Crystal's contractions started getting pretty bad. then all the sudden around 3pm she was pushing.
i donned my "Baby Daddy" shirt, our Doctor came over from the office just to deliver Keira (very cool), and i think i counted about 12 nurses in the room and asked if we were having a party? they were all so excited. 12 women shouting "C'mon Crystal! good job Crystal!" with every push.
Crystal is a hero and pushed for 15 minutes and Keira Brielle Mitchell was born! it was the craziest thing ever watching it all go down. i know now why they call it a miracle.
of course, we never found out the gender ahead of time so i got to make the call as she was born.
"It's a...
GIRL!"
it was awesome to be the 1st to announce Keira's gender to the world.
everybody was cheering. i cut the cord which was very cool. (way more spongy and harder to cut than i was expecting.)
Crystal and i just got to hold her for a while right after. I was just so amazed. She was so beautiful (even with the weird white vernix stuff all over her). she was so real finally.
i fell in love at 1st sight.
it was really cool that Crystal's parents and my parents got to come to the hospital and hang out with Keira that 1st night. both grandparents for the 1st time. (so, Keira probably won't be spoiled, right?)
it was really a perfect day. it was an amazing experience. i'm thankful that we have tons of pictures and video from the experience to save those memories.
i would be up for doing it again... some day.
but of course this one was our 1st. very special. Crystal was amazing. i was so proud of her and thankful for her. PROUD that she is my wife.
our daughter is amazing. we are just soaking in every single second with her.
right before Keira's 1st night out (video blog)
OK, so i was slacking just a little on the Keira video blogs the last couple days. i've been a little busy just staring at her, holding her, kissing her, etc...
here's a quick vid i shot right before we took her out for the 1st time the day we got home from the hospital.
(and i guess i was a little more tired than i thought because i said Keira was almost "48 years old" instead of 48 hours...)
still got a vid coming soon to intro Keira herself to the world. probably tomorrow. stay tuned.
Keira's birth morning - video blog
some people have been saying i need to do some video blogs tracking these early days of parenting, etc... so, here's a few cracks at it.
i will introduce Keira Brielle (our new daughter) to the world via video blog one day soon, but for now... here are a few videos from the day of her birth! (Monday, October 17)
This 1st video is the moment we walked into the hospital early on Monday - around 3AM.
This 2nd video is us coming off the elevator up to our room. Crystal wanted to make sure she got my crutches in the video. unfortunately i was still walking on crutches when Crystal's water broke! adrenaline carried me through the whole day hopping around. by the end of the day it was killing me :)
it was pretty awesome to be greeted at 3AM by all those excited nurses above. and for 3 days it was a straight up party with about 30 nurses constantly loving on Crystal and Keira. it was amazing. Crystal works at an awesome place with some great friends.
This next video is when Crystal was starting to push (don't worry, it's G-rated). i was showing one of our nurses how to use the video camera so she could video the birth. i just shot this quickie...
...and about 15 minutes after that video Keira was born!
we got home from the hospital just a few hours ago and are taking Keira out for the 1st time! headed to Fox & Hound first... but if it's crazy tonight we'll go over to Bravo! just across the street.
i will introduce Keira Brielle (our new daughter) to the world via video blog one day soon, but for now... here are a few videos from the day of her birth! (Monday, October 17)
This 1st video is the moment we walked into the hospital early on Monday - around 3AM.
This 2nd video is us coming off the elevator up to our room. Crystal wanted to make sure she got my crutches in the video. unfortunately i was still walking on crutches when Crystal's water broke! adrenaline carried me through the whole day hopping around. by the end of the day it was killing me :)
it was pretty awesome to be greeted at 3AM by all those excited nurses above. and for 3 days it was a straight up party with about 30 nurses constantly loving on Crystal and Keira. it was amazing. Crystal works at an awesome place with some great friends.
This next video is when Crystal was starting to push (don't worry, it's G-rated). i was showing one of our nurses how to use the video camera so she could video the birth. i just shot this quickie...
...and about 15 minutes after that video Keira was born!
we got home from the hospital just a few hours ago and are taking Keira out for the 1st time! headed to Fox & Hound first... but if it's crazy tonight we'll go over to Bravo! just across the street.
IT'S A GIRL!
wow! this is so crazy!
a little girl!
i am so crazy in love. i didn't know it could feel like this.
welcome to the world!
you heard it here on renown 1st...
KEIRA BRIELLE MITCHELL
was born at 3:20pm today! our 1st kid!!! a daughter. this is crazy!
she and mom (Crystal) are perfectly healthy! we're crazy thankful to God and so blessed. God is amazing.
Keira was 6lbs & 8oz + 19.5 inches long.
she is the coolest, most awesome person i've ever seen. wow. never new my heart could feel this way.
welcome to the world, Keira... your dad loves you like you will never be able to even imagine.
superhero
sometimes i like to just sit and watch the world... watch life happen... and write about it as i see it. it's just a good thing for me to do sometimes.
i like to simply watch and then process what i'm seeing by writing about it.
i rarely ever put that stuff anywhere else besides my "thoughts" file. but i was cleaning op some "thoughts" recently and one of those random musings caused me to think more about becoming a parent soon. so i thought i would thought i would post it here to renown.
The following is what i wrote the week of this past Christmas (2010). i was in New York with my wife's family and i stole away to a Starbucks inside a Target for a little while. here is what i saw and wrote:
I'm watching a mom walk into Target…
in the snow.
Deep snow.
With 5
kids.
5 kids.
Tugging 4 across the street all holding hands & carrying one in a
carrying car seat thing.
Until one of the littlest walking boys dropped his zip lock bag of
gold fish & had to run back and get it. Then the chain was broken only for
a few moments.
This mom looks really tired.
It's really cold outside and
I have been being a baby about how cold NY is in December.
i've had a revelation sitting here drinking my coffee and watching this scene. maybe one day i'll find out if this "hunch" of mine is actually true:
When you go to the store with 5 kids – you don’t have a good
day.
Another mom is sitting beside me sipping her Starbucks with her 6ish
year old. She just said to him in a very admirable tone – “wow. 5 kids. She must be a
superhero!”
haha - her little boy just said “she must have been like this big around
(motioning with his hands) when she had all of them!”
mom said “well, they’re
not all the same age. [as if that explained it enough] She must be a superhero though.”
And superhero she is indeed.
that time thought by me also in a very admirable tone.
Then a guy with a hard core mullet and a huge bald eagle on the back
of his jacket walked by.
wow.
couldn't get my camera open on my phone fast enough though. the sight sufficiently disrupted my thoughts about the world at this moment.
we want YOUR advice on parenting!
i've been writing lately about the fact that Crystal and i are having a baby soon! we are stoked!BUT WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING!
So, that's where YOU come in. i know a lot of you out there are WISE and EXPERIENCED parents & we want YOUR advice!
please just send me 1 piece of advice that you feel is MOST important. (& i'm open to more than 1 piece of advice of course!) i want to hear from you because we (or at least i) don't even know where to begin!
you can leave a comment on this blog or shoot me an email if you would rather. a couple ideas to get you started:
what's the BEST thing you have learned about parenting?
what should we be doing NOW? like what do we do NOW to prepare in the next 16 weeks before the baby comes?
what should we NEVER do?
stuff like that.
ADVICE WELCOME!
we're having a baby!!!
it still seems like some people don't know yet. they're gradually still finding out, so here's 1 more way to go public...
it's wild, i know. i'm still dumbfounded a little bit.
CRAZY EXCITED and FREAKED OUT still sum up our 2 main emotions... just as they did on that day we found out.
in fact here are a few pics from that day we learned the news ourselves. Crystal made darn sure with the pregnancy tests... 3rd time is a charm i guess.
i was actually on the phone up in my office when she came to talk to me with an extremely serious look on her face. she said "i need you to come downstairs right now." i figured either i was in big trouble or the dog, jack bauer was.
i guess i was kind of in big trouble! but in a good way. here is the 1st couple pics of us after we learned this news that will radically change our lives.
i remember we stopped right there immediately in the middle of the kitchen that night and PRAYED. couldn't think of anything else to do. i remember praying... declaring that we desperately needed God's help. and THANKS for this amazing blessing!
we're trying to pray together for this baby every single night. and we also try to pray for him/her constantly too. we pray that God use this baby for His renown to change the world! we pray that God would keep Crystal and the baby SAFE and healthy.
and we pray for wisdom because we have no idea what we're doing!
thankfully we each had awesome parents who modeled a lot of great things to do in parenting.
let the journey begin.
WE'RE HAVING A BABY!
there. in all caps :)it's wild, i know. i'm still dumbfounded a little bit.
CRAZY EXCITED and FREAKED OUT still sum up our 2 main emotions... just as they did on that day we found out.
in fact here are a few pics from that day we learned the news ourselves. Crystal made darn sure with the pregnancy tests... 3rd time is a charm i guess.
i guess i was kind of in big trouble! but in a good way. here is the 1st couple pics of us after we learned this news that will radically change our lives.
we're trying to pray together for this baby every single night. and we also try to pray for him/her constantly too. we pray that God use this baby for His renown to change the world! we pray that God would keep Crystal and the baby SAFE and healthy.
and we pray for wisdom because we have no idea what we're doing!
thankfully we each had awesome parents who modeled a lot of great things to do in parenting.
let the journey begin.
