Colic Christmas?

Well, it's been almost a month since I've posted here. You know the saying: There's no better time than the present! Mom is upstairs having a nap, and Wee-man is in his crib right next to me. We've got the tunes going and the conditions outside make being down here in the basement about the coziest place on Earth.

Sadly, (but fortunately) for me I've had the pleasure of being on the rig for the last 3 weeks, while Ethan drives both Anni and my mother in law to the brink of madness! Seemingly he has been very colic-y from the day I left. It's a truly sad, (& amazing) feat to hear the banshee like roar of a 8 pound ball of fury that is TOTALLY a product of the two of us. With each passing day it becomes easier and easier to see that
#1. He is my son
#2. There is no denying it.

With me being away at work I've missed a a few milestones already. He's more than doubled his weight since i've last seen him. He's 9 lbs now and he smiles. Although I seriously wonder if he does that because he's genuinely happy, or that he's just filled another diaper... Maybe it's a combination of both.

We're all ready for Christmas over here, his first one of course, and most likely the cheapest one we will EVER know. I'm not complaining everyone hears that "having a baby will change your life" but most people will just brush it off as a load of crap. Once you actually have him in your hands, and the reality has sunken in, no wait, after childbirth,  reality doesn't really "sink in," it smacks you upside the head with a 10 pound hammer when you're up at 3 am feeding him. Yes it's rewarding, but in the beginning it completely turns you into one of the walking dead, (just with more excitement) & it kinda makes you somewhat jaded to the goings on in the rest of the world.

I guess regardless of whether or not i have more to say Wee-man says that is all the sleep i need until lunchtime.

Merry Christmas everyone,

-DKT

Problem birth stories..

9 Amazing Child Birth Stories - Oddee.com

1 week old today!

So,  our newborn baby is officially 7days old today! Which,  ironically is the exact number of hours of sleep we've had since his birth. He's gaining weight every day, which is also important seeing as he "showed up" almost 2 weeks ahead of schedule. So far he's proving to be quite predictable in his schedule between eating, pooping, sleeping and crying showing up like clockwork every 3 hours. Oddly enough there's a brief moment of silence somewhere in there too. That must be the moment when we close our eyes. Sleep deprived? Yes.  But oddly enough happy as well. Both of us.  And no,  I wouldn't trade any of it for anything.

-DKT

Another day at the hospital.

Well, our premature baby is in good spirits, eating more and more every day, and were unfortunately seeing that me and little Ethan have more in common than just our good looks.

Seem like if he doesn't "latch on" immediately he just goes nuts! I guess patience is something that took me almost 40 years to learn as well!

The biggest problem we've got us because it little guy was born by caesarian, milk production is not yet ready. And they will not let us take him home until the milk is flowing....
-DKT

Todays the day!

Good day everyone! Well it's been a long time coming to this point. We're at 38 weeks and 2 days, and our son is on his way out today. After our scheduled scan at Kolding Syghus we found out that little Ethan was remaining "little."

Seems that he hadn't gained any weight since the last scan we had, so Anni was checked in immediately. That was at 900hrs. As I'm writing this it's 2300 hrs and she's dilated 3 centimeters.
At this rate it looks like were going to be parents in the morning. I'll keep writing as things happen.

-DKT

channeling Bruce Lee

The time is near

When patient stories leave the hospital room

Getting closer!

34 Weeks Pregnant - Week by Week Pregnancy Calendar

Winning fathers:

15 Amazing Photos From the World's Best Fathers - Oddee.com:

'via Blog this'

a sign of things to come?

Baby shower gifts

How to Make a Diaper Cake

Just in time for Halloween!

12 Craziest Pregnant Costumes

Not good news

Women born preterm at greater risk of pregnancy complications: Study

Entertaining mayhem!

'Borderlands 2' familiar but fun

Ugly nature

12 Creepiest Looking New Species

Strange mofo

Pennsylvania Cops Arrest Dope, 20, Who Held Woman's Lost iPhone For Ransom

For my wife:

Dos and don'ts of working out during your pregnancy

Nice turn on the catwalk in Milan

Not News: Smoking hot 24-year-old model struts down runway. Fark: Six months pregnant (w/pics) [Spiffy]

A fashion statement?

What a sight: Google Glasses adorn models at NY fashion event

Too soon?

Toys 'R' Us takes on tablets with Tabeo

A better life for all:

Forget Passwords: How Playing Games Can Make Computers More Secure

alone?

Security FAIL:

10 Funniest Examples of What Happens When You Forget to Log Out - Oddee.com:

'via Blog this'

Bic pens & the reviews:

Bic pens 'for her' unite women and men in snarky Amazon reviews - Digital Life:

'via Blog this'

Sad news from NY:

Missing girl's body found in trash, teens charged - Crime - Canoe.ca:

'via Blog this'

But who's got that patent?

IBM's Watson makes Siri look, well, elementary | Business Tech - CNET News:

'via Blog this'

From the "no shit" category:

Psychopaths not mentally ill: Study - Crime - Canoe.ca:

'via Blog this'

Evolution of air travel?

FAA may change in-flight gadget rules | CNET Update - CNET News:

'via Blog this'

Meanwhile in Iceland:

Missing woman unwittingly joins search party for herself - Weird News - Canoe.ca:

'via Blog this'

No lolz for LulzSec:

Second accused LulzSec hacker arrested in Sony breach | Security & Privacy - CNET News:

'via Blog this'

too cute:

No shit?

Average drinker spends a year of their life at the pub. The Sun is there, outside, or so I hear [Spiffy]

Watt to go grandma!

5 armed thugs try to rob a jewelry store. Unfortunately for them, grandma was packing some heat [Hero]

If you're into that sort of thing:

How to Make Your Own Diaper Cream

We've got a problem

Fluoride shown to lower IQ. Tin foil stock skyrocketing [Unlikely]

High tech stuff!

3D-printed baby fetus is more impressive than an ultrasound

Mail fail:

Aurora shooter mailed notebook detailing his plans to psychiatrist before shooting, but they sat in the college mailroom for over a week without being delivered [Followup]

In poor taste.

Oh, the comics will take our mind off of spree killer Sideshow Bob.... Let's see what Broom Hilda is up to today... OMFG [Sick]

Good question:

Why Is Everyone on the Internet So Angry?

Good need for older moms:

Giving birth after 30 lowers cancer risk: Study

Fuck tha police?

California police kill a fleeing man, then shoot beanbags and rubber bullets into a crowd of hysterical women and children, and cap it off by trying to buy up eyewitness cellphones [Stupid]

What kind of food comes on a stick? The best ones!

The twenty-five greatest representations of why food on a stick is just awesome [Spiffy]

WTF?

Last week: Moderate alcohol intake prevents dementia. This week: Moderate alcohol intake increases dementia. Give me a drink, these people are driving me crazy [Asinine]

MS boob fail?

Microsoft apologizes for sticking "big boobs" where they don't belong (SFW) [Silly]

Homophobic cake boss?

Masterpiece Cakeshop refuses to bake a wedding cake for gay couple (because using two grooms would totally mess up their inventory numbers) [Asinine]

Dark night is rising...

The Dark Knight Rises reportedly pulls in roughly $162,000,000 at the box-office over the weekend, meaning there are still about 18,000,000 people in this country who won't be intimidated by domestic terrorists [Cool]

JD Copycat

Jack Daniel's shows the world how to do a cease and desist letter right [Cool]

The tablets are coming!

Staples retail chief outs 'five or six' Amazon tablets

Bad news from Africa:

Drug-resistant HIV on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa

Cool new tech:

Patent Watch: Ultrasound Guide Probe Device

Too late for us..

12 Totally Awesome Cribs

Week 20 scan:

All finished up at the hospital for another month or so! (Thank god) And we just got the best news either one of us has heard to date. Strong, & healthy with 2 arms and 3 legs!! A boy, just in case you didn't get the joke... :)
The old girl running the ultrasound machine was nice, just not much of a photographer. If it was up to me i would've printed off one of the other ones i'd seen while we were there, but i know, she's got to take measurements, and count body parts etc. so i wasn't going to go too hard on her. And yea, there'll be a whole lifetime to take pictures anyways, right?

Luckily for us Anni is on shift work at the airport, so we're getting used to the idea of being up at strange hours all of the time and functioning on very little sleep. Took care of some more shopping yesterday, in addition to the baby carriage, and making sure it fits in our little car, we picked up the Hauck combi-vogn from Bilka's online store for 3000 DKK. Must have been a one-day thing because when i went to their website it was back to 4000 today.

Looks like a decent starter pack, and it's received great reviews from the testers. IF they're even tester at all, and not just company spokespeople trying to plug their products..

At least i know for sure this'll be easy to take in and out of the car. :) Well, that's it for today, have a good one everybody!

Shopping again:

Another big money day for me and the wife. Picked up the Odder baby carriage today. A small price to pay, at a cost of just over 6000 Danish kroner!!! And the best news of all: you've got to take the wheels off the thing before you can got it into the hatch. I know a few modifications are in order, and luckily I'm just the guy to do it. Does a baby carriage really need 2 pairs of brakes anyway? The set on the front axle do nothing but get in the way and it makes sitting in the back impossible. Anyways I'm just venting, seeing as we're at the hospital right now, and they're running an hour behind schedule as it is. Shut up and wait your turn eh? Alright then, but I'll be sure to mention this in my blog then... Lol

Luckily, not. :)

it's that time again:

Hey everybody!

I know it's been awhile since i've last posted, and i do try to keep it up, but of course, like all of you, i have a job & a lot of duties / obligations i must also keep up.

At last, i'm off schedule for the next 2 weeks, with no phone calls from work requiring my services! So the first thing we did was celebrate birthdays, (my father-in-law & mine) seeing as we're born 10 years & 5 days apart. This one was special, for both of us. Living in Denmark, they're called rund-fødselsdagen ( round birthdays) ie: in multiples of 10. 10, 20 30 40 50 etc.. So it was a great night for all! The biggest problem we faced was finding a good combination of rock from the 60's with Danish artists, and my love for metal & rap... but that's another story all together..

Anni is now at week 18, and yes, you could say she's showing! :) We're due back out at the hospital for the next scheduled scan on the 27th of June, so soon we'll have another new picture of our baby. This time, we're going to find out the sex! I know there's this endless debate about whether or not people need to know this, and of course it's not REALLY necessary, it adds to the excitement, right? Nope, not really. The excitement of having a baby is enough for both of us. I've never been much of a gambler, more of the "hungry for knowledge" type. So if it is possible to get all the facts before going into any type of situation, that would be me. Leave nothing to chance. At the very least, you'll be able to find out what color to paint the nursery, as well as start picking out some gender-specific onesies for the little one. :)

We've slowly been taking care of the nursery, an accomplishment we both take a lot of pride in, it's almost completely stocked with the essentials.

Been out shopping for a baby seat that will actually fit nicely into our 120D, which is no small task either. When you think of the size of a baby, and the amount of gear that's required to pack along with you, i'm amazed there aren't a lot more armored troop transports on the road today!! In other news, our second car, a VW Lupo IS NOT A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE. That little fuel-miser barely holds my rig bags...

It's a strange time for me, seeing as i'm turning 40 tomorrow, technically i should be just about ready to hit my mid-life crisis, which, as history would dictate, i should have my eye on a classic 911, instead i'm looking into Audi's and BMW's with four wheel drive & TV's for the back seats?? WTF?!

Anyways, big sale on tomorrow at the baby store, now all we need to do is find a stroller that'll fit in the poor excuse for a trunk... Stay posted everyone, and i'll talk to you soon.

-Dustin

a busy week.

Well, just thought i'd say hi to everyone out there who actually reading what i have to say. It's been extremely hectic here at the house, because from the moment I've arrived home from the rig there was 2 new windows waiting to be installed, as well as some new baby gear from amazon.co.uk

Managed to get the windows installed, (thanks Reinhard!) As well as build this really cool chair. (Stokke) in case anyone was wondering it's a Danish designed item, and being on sale for 1100 DKK a real bargain, as it's adjustable, so it'll last well into our little one's teen years!

I can only sympathize with what my wife is feeling, because it's impossible for me to relate, no matter what I say! Yes, she's getting bigger, and is extremely tired, but that's also in part due to the schedule she's working. Shift work will kill us all on a long enough time frame...

Here's another first for both of us: another hour from now we'll be going to IKEA, to start filling up the baby's room with the essentials. Now i know a trip to Ikea is nothing new to almost anyone on the planet, but here's the funny part: normally we'd shortcut AROUND the baby/child section of the store, this time we're definitely ALL IN!!

More to come soon, and thanks for tuning in.

-Dustin

First post!

Here's the first post, from a first time dad.

Technically I'm not a dad yet, but my time is coming. And to answer the burning question: YES I am excited, filled with joy, concerns, a little fearful, but an all around sense of anticipation of what is to come. Not just for me, for both of us, no, correction, the three of us.
I thought this would be a good idea, to write down my thoughts, the things running through my head, and how i can be a good father. The more I think about it, it becomes a dizzying culmination of emotions.
The Hospital has told us the "immaculate conception" was on the 10th of February, 2012. Which makes perfect sense, because it timed perfectly with the day after I had arrived home from my Offshore schedule. Any other day, and it would make a guy wonder...

So, by doing the math, that makes our due date the 18th of November. A Scorpio. Not that I put a lot of faith into the alignment of the stars, and how that makes you what you are, it's nothing more than a curiosity.

Anni has gone to her second ultrasound. The first one was after she has missed her monthly twice. 2 pregnancy test later, plus a visit to the hospital confirmed her suspicions. Yes, there's definitely a "bun in the oven." The ultrasound on the 11th of May 2012 has shown us that "It" is now 11cm long, we've got no idea what the sex is yet, and yeah, of course we both want to know, if only to determine what color we paint the nursery.

Let me give you a little background: I've been working in the oilfield for almost my whole life. I did manage to get a degree in Networking, and a second year apprentice carpenter. I've always been a hard worker, and I know having a baby is going to double up on the workload, as well as expenses. My heart goes out to my lovely wife, who has put up with me for so long, with me being away at work, for what seems like an eternity.

I only hope I can take the best of both my parents, as well as the best of the two of us, and give our child all the tools needed to survive in this "jungle" that is the 21st century.