Friday, May 30, 2008

I am definetly in the wrong business!

I have come to the conclusion that I am in the wrong business. What a great amount of profit I could make in the infant diaper industry! I have been giving Georgette a hand with Andrew and his profound ability to mess up a diaper. I was cleaning him up and ended up consuming 3 diapers just for one change. Needless to say, I was a little shocked...

I had finished cleaning him up and had a new, clean diaper underneath him, when low and behold, more cleaning up to do! Then when I get him cleaned up again, he decides that there is a fire somewhere that needs to be extinguished NOW! Luckily, I brought my trusty, handy dandy, hand shield! Duh Duh duh DAAAAAAH!

I have been a participant in his random testing of his fire extinguisher system. The latest count of the safety testing was around 4 times. Man can that boy lay down a spread like nobody's business! Perhaps if I stuck his hand in something cold before changing... it would give me better timing than a random testing.

There sure are a bunch of adorable things he does. Right after he finishes eating, he will smile a little sly smile with his eyes closed. It's as if he is smiling because he has a full tummy. Anytime he sleeps is really peaceful and wonderful. I also like it when he stretches with one or both arms. There is a look of serious concentration when he does that.

Here is Andrew over at Georgette's brother's house. His wife had her baby 5 days after Andrew was born.

Here is Andrew and Gabriel. Evidently Gabriel is jealous of Andrew's cool pacifier and upset... Just kidding, he was just fussy because he likes to be held.

Another picture of Gabriel and Andrew. It was kinda funny... Every time Amber went to take a picture of the two, Andrew would throw his hand in front of Gabriel like he wanted all the spotlight to himself.

Here is the most famous pose of his. It's the I am getting hungry and you better feed me soon or I will start to fuss and cry.


Here he is asleep in his car seat. I was trying to get a picture of him with his pacifier hanging just outside his mouth with it still in his lips. He moved. He looks so tired and I still can't get over his red hair.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

One Week Old!

It is truly a miracle. Andrew is now one week old, and is in good health and seems to be gaining weight at a good rate.

Georgette is getting less and less sleep now, because she is feeding him. His sleep is pretty good and consistently sleeps around 3 hours before he wakes up to order some dinner at the Mommy Drive Inn.

I was holding Andrew and talking to him while he was awake and he was able to look at me and follow my movements. He is alert and able to focus on objects. There's also a picture of Christ behind where I was sitting on the couch, and he looked up at it for about a minute or two.

As I watched him look at the picture, I wonder what his memory is of our Savior. I wonder what he is thinking and what parts of the veil are still there and which are fading. (I also wonder why it is, when I am typing, it's the perfect invitation for Hobbes to jump on the desk and lay on top of the keyboard. Cat social norms sure are a mystery to me...)

Here are some pictures of him at one week old.












Sunday, May 25, 2008

AT LAST!!!!!!

After a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, (pauses to take a breath) long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long time and through much tribulation and happiness, Andrew was finally evicted from his comfy abode in the womb.

After our appointment with our doctor, we had a strange hankering for some carrots... Ok, not really... We did talk to the doctor and she seemed in favor of the decision to start to induce Georgette. We had decided to wait a week for Andrew to join us on his own, but he enjoyed it too much in there to leave his comfy abode.

We went out to dinner with Don and Georgenia and then came back home, picked up our hospital supplies, gave Georgette a blessing and headed over to the hospital. After checking in, they took us to room 236. She changed into those comfy gowns and started the barrage of vitals that would last the duration of the hospital stay.

We started the induction process at around 8:30pm, then started the Pitocin at 12:30. Labor continued really well until she reached around 5cm. That lasted a few hours before we decided to go for an epidural. Bringing Andrew into this world in the hospital was a pretty long ordeal, but things went really really smoothly considering certain events. After the epidural, it was recommended to go with a cesarean. His head just wasn't engaging like he should have.

They wheeled her into the OR and within 15 minutes had delivered Andrew. He was born at 5:52pm and was 8lbs 3oz and 19 inches long. I think his head weighed in at around 3lbs because it looked so big. They had trouble pulling him out by hand and he slipped out the first time with suction. I was so amazed that he was so alert and awake when he finally came out.

They started to clean out his lungs and mouth which he really thoroughly enjoyed... So much that he would scream about how much he liked it. I went over and started to talk to him. It was so amazing that as soon as he heard my voice, he looked right at me and calmed down instantly. I think my heart melted right then and there because he recognized my voice.

It really was a huge roller coaster of emotions for us both. It was so surreal to me when I heard him cry. I remember looking over the drape and seeing him come out. One of the first things I saw was his nose, it looked exactly like Georgette's and his strawberry blond hair. That hair comes from grandpa Harrild! I remember his hands were HUGE as well as his feet. Every time he cried, his whole body would turn a deep red with an orangeish tint to it.

After they finished with Georgette, they took us back to 236 where we waited there for a post-par tum room. The rest of the week was a huge blur for the both of us. Part of it still doesn't seem real. I remember thinking this is incredible, a new person has joined us and we are completely responsible for his wellbeing.

His temperature was difficult to maintain at first, but by the time we left, he was able to keep it up. The left ear failed the hearing test twice, but the third time he passed with flying colors. He really is amazing and in great health.

I am really amazed at how well that went. I truly felt the presence of our Heavenly Father and Savior with us the whole time. I don't know that I have ever felt so calm until we came home with him.

That first night was just too stressful. I had a hard time feeling comfortable with him sleeping on his own because of his difficulty of maintaining his temperature while we were in the hospital. Georgette was afraid she was starving him to death because he doesn't like to nurse very much at this time.

That's about all I remember at this point because of all that's happened, I'm still waiting for everything to catch up. And now on with the pictures!

Here is Georgette and I before we went to the hospital. Notice the round pregnant looking belly.

Here is a picture of Andrew shortly after he was cleaned off in the OR. Notice his look of extaticisim!(Is that even a real word?)

Here is a picture of his hand in comparison to mine. So tiny, yet so big.

Here is a picture of mommy holding him after her recovery. What a beautiful woman she surely is! I love you beautiful!

Here's a picture of daddy holding Andrew. Notice the weather system around Andrew's head. It's practically a planet!


Here is Auntie Tricia enjoying her aunt-hood!

Here are some random pictures of Andrew.







This is the after photo of Georgette. Notice the lack of round belly!

Andrew in his take home outfit on the day we left the hospital on Saturday morning to come home. Notice the remarkable resemblance to him being the most adorable kid ever.

The new family picture. It sure is amazing what's transpired in the past year.

Andrew, who once looked large at the hospital, in his crib. He is so tiny!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

What a wonderful world it is.

I have been thinking the past couple of days about quite a bit of things. I know it's a shocker that I actually think, but it is true!

I was at Mimi's with Georgette on Friday visiting her sister that works there. We were sitting down sharing a meal together and the thought popped into my mind that it is a tremendous blessing to live in a country where we can choose to go eat food and have it served very quickly. That we don't have to worry about going hungry and we have ample clean water to drink.

That in this country, when there is a natural disaster, the casualty rate is so low compared to other places. I look at the cyclone that hit Myanmar. The many people who didn't survive the event and all the aftermath. The earthquake in China and its aftermath.

That there is an overabundance of housing, despite the market. There are shows on TV of how people's lives are changed by a group of people that rebuild or build anew houses of people who may not have enough to do it themselves.

There is the the opportunity to go to school and become educated in whatever we want to learn. That there is SO MUCH to learn and has been revealed. Like Astronomy! There are so many cool things in space that we know about, and I can't even begin to imagine what we don't know about. I feel like a kid in a candy store almost all the time...

We can find a job with that career and for the most part, it is equal employment. That we aren't limited by censorship and propaganda.

Despite how much I may disagree with some people, I have the freedom to choose to agree or disagree and not worry about any political repercussions like jail. That we can disagree however heated it may be.

There is the freedom to move about when and where we want and not to have to account to anyone outside our sphere of responsibilities.

We have the freedom to practice our religion when where and how we may. We have an abundance of temples to go and worship in. There are a plethora of churches to go in and worship. There are people in this world that are genuinely doing good to all men.

One of the biggest things I'm grateful for though, is my wife. I am grateful for:
  1. Her way of making me laugh hysterically.
  2. For her support to me when things seem dark and dreary.
  3. For her beautiful smile that gives me so much motivation.
  4. For her support to me in going back to school, that is something I've really struggled with.
  5. For her laugh, it seems to have a way of soothing me.
  6. For waking up every morning to cook me breakfast and makes sure I have a lunch.
  7. For her kisses!
  8. For all the times she holds my hand.
  9. For all the times she goes out of her way to make sure I'm not overheating.(Dumping cold water down my back! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!)
  10. For her sensitivity and thoughtfulness that has been a great lesson to me when thinking of others.
Those are just a few things I have words to describe about my gratefulness for her.

Last but not least, I am grateful for my knowledge of the Atonement, for the testimony I have and the faith that has been built in Him who gave all He had for my eternal happiness. For a loving Father in Heaven who cared enough to institute the plan we follow now. For the priesthood and the opportunity I have to spend eternity with Georgette. I am grateful for the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I feel I could go on forever in gratitude, but I wouldn't get to spend time with Georgette if I sat and wrote for years and years of the things I'm grateful for. I guess I get to live my life to express that gratitude.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Day 1 of the Hostage Takeover

This is the first day that Georgette is past due. It was a fairly difficult decision, but we decided to wait until Tuesday to see if Andrew will come on his own or if we will have to smoke him out(induce him). We spent most of Thursday discussing and talking about what we should do. After discussing the contract with our lawyers, we decided to give him another week's notice on his eviction. I am sad that it had to come to this, but there has to be boundaries.

We also went to a ring ceremony for our upstairs neighbors. It was a good time, and we even walked right in on the festivities. There was a door that came into the reception hall. The main door that is. Well, we were a little late and when we went to open the door Meggane, the bride, was walking down the stairs with her father and a bouquet. We had almost crashed their ring ceremony, and not to mention that everyone was looking right at us, including the bride. Otherwise, the rest of the evening went uneventfully. We watched them dance to the Rascal Flatts song "Broken Road". Then the father daughter dance with the song "I loved her first". There was many a moistened eye in the audience.

It is almost the weekend and I work tomorrow. I wish Andrew would hurry up and give me an excuse for me to take some time off of work... How silly is that? Then we can join the cool club of people who have babies. Yea, yea... Perhaps our next blog will have some cute pictures, even if we have to evict him from his living space. Silly freeloaders...

Alas, it is the end of this post, on this blog. Stay tuned till next time. Same blog time, same blog channel!

Friday, May 9, 2008

Fun in the Sun!!!

This is a picture of 9400 S. The reason we took this picture is the contrast in the two types of tree's. The tree's on the left have no green foliage yet, while the ones on the right are sure happy it's spring time.


This is a picture that was taken by Georgette. She sure is a natural! This was also taken on 9400 S.


Here is a beautiful white looking tree that we saw just across the street from the flag in the previous picture. I just love spring! Everything smells so good.... and looks so beautiful.

The results are in..... After many torturous days of waiting for the grades to come in, the points have been tallied and it's a resounding finale for the spring. I am not quite sure how it all came about, but I ended up with a 3.6 GPA for this semester...

Undergraduate Course work
CRN Subject Course Section Course Title Campus Final Grade Attempted Earned GPA Hours Quality Points
20374 ENGL 1010 032 Intro to Writing (EN) Taylorsville Redwood Campus A

3.000

3.000

3.000

12.00


22617 HIST 1700 031 American Civilization (AI) Taylorsville Redwood Campus A-

3.000

3.000

3.000

11.10


20161 MATH 1010 022 Intermediate Algebra (QS) Taylorsville Redwood Campus B+

4.000

4.000

4.000

13.60


22416 PHYS 1040 005 Elementary Astronomy (PS) Taylorsville Redwood Campus B+

3.000

3.000

3.000

10.20



Undergraduate Summary

Attempted Earned GPA Hours Quality Points GPA
Current Term:

13.000

13.000

13.000

46.90

3.60

Cumulative:

13.000

13.000

13.000

46.90

3.60

Transfer:

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.00

0.00

Overall:

13.000

13.000

13.000

46.90

3.60


The most amazing part.... I earned a better grade in history than I did in math. I did all my assignments and homework for math and barely cracked open my history book. I was awake all the time in math and fell asleep in almost every class I went to in history. I guess that means that I can b.s. my way easier in history than math.

Yesterday, Georgette and I had a rousing time at the park with our ever loyal and faithful Frisbee fetcher, NILSON! No matter how many times we tried to rid ourselves of that contraption, he promptly returned it to us. How thoughtful is that? Here is some evidence of this event.


He looks so happy, No?


Here are a couple of guests that joined us at the park.


Here is Nilson making sure they are staying out of trouble. You know how mischievous ducks can be, especially in the spring.... erm ok, maybe not...

Sunday, May 4, 2008

What month is it again?

Last week, it was the first of May. Subsequently, there was quite a bit of this substance that was light in it's descent. Having the characteristics of crystal and also made of the most abundant substance known here on planet earth, H2O. I'm not sure how this happened, but here are a couple pictures of its reality. Please, if you have children or those of a faint heart... let them leave the room now.

Here is the image of the white substance that was encountered on May 1st. Believe it or not!


This is the terrified chauffeur Nilson who was obviously scared to be driving in the "snow" again.

School is finally finished for the semester and I probably have around a B, B+ average in my classes. It feels good to not have to stress about what I'm not able to read and study for, but now I have reached a new quandary. What to do with the spare time I have now...

Georgette is enduring pretty well with the last part of the pregnancy. She is definitely ready to have Andrew on the outside. We cleaned out the car on Saturday and installed the car seat on Sunday. We did a test run with it and it is pretty stable. I don't think it will go anywhere with the straps and seatbelt securing it down. It looked really strange and in a way really good to see it, like a dream that is finally starting to come true.

Also, on Thursday, there was a baby shower thrown for Georgette by the ward. It really was a miracle to see. So many sisters pitched in and came together to do so much for her. She felt really awkward because she is usually so invisible at church. We go, say hi to a few people and then retreat home. Not this time... It was really amazing to me because it seems that normally in this ward, the people who live in the apartment complex are kind of a separate entity. The neighborhood families are also a separate entity, as well as the Villa's. The part that was amazing was that the whole ward came together to do something for someone living in the apartments.

Today in Sacrament meeting, I sang itsy bitsy spider to Andrew and after I was done, Georgette felt him turn or move when I stopped. Perhaps this is a way we can coax him out. Sing part of a song or read part of a book and then promise to finish it when he decides to join us outside the womb.

Here are some of the last pictures of Georgette and her belly before Andrew joins us.


Please notice her belly and not the dog in the background. He was just looking for 15 minutes of fame and petting.


I must admit, she is the most beautiful woman on the planet to date! I am grateful for her and every morning that she wakes up with me to make breakfast. For all the beautiful smiles she gives to me. For the many times she holds my hand and scratches my neck. For the encouragement she gives me with school. The list could go on and on...