Stardate 63825.34 - Halloween Parties

Last weekend we had two Halloween parties to attend. The first was at the YMCA where Loren has taken a swim class and a ballet class. Her ballet teacher was the organizer of the event. We snapped one picture of Kate in her costume before we were chastised for taking pictures. Apparently it was a "no camera" event. I guess they didn't want people taking pictures of other people's kids, but this meant we ended up with no pictures of Loren as a pirate.

On Sunday we went down to Long Branch to walk along the boardwalk and eat at Windmill. Windmill holds a special place in my heart as it is where I ate two huge chili cheese dogs for lunch on the day of our wedding. People say you are too nervous to eat, but I was hungry! After lunch, we walked along the beach and Loren even found a playground set on the beach to explore.





I like the juxtaposition of little Loren against the enormity of the ocean.



Loren, unprompted, wrote her name in the sand. She has really been working on writing her name, although it is usually more clear on paper than in the sand.




The second Halloween party was at the Yacht Club, where Kate went in the famous strawberry costume and Loren switched to Cinderella. They really went all out at the club, with lots of decorations, a fog machine, and of course the bar was in service for the adults.



I think this cat is saying, "Mine!! Mine!! This candy is all mine!!!" I may have to post this to LOL Cats.


Here Loren plays the Halloween version of Twister with some older girls.


We had a nice time although something I ate over the weekend really did not agree with me and I was not well at all Monday and Tuesday. I suffered through work on Monday but worked from home Tuesday. By Wednesday I was better and went back to work but I've still had headaches and am not at 100%. Also, Kate ended up with a fever Monday night and stayed home Tuesday through Thursday, although she seems well enough to return to school today. In general, it has been a crappy week for everyone but here's hoping the weekend marks a turn-around!!

NYC

Stardate 63072.39 - Daddy, my tummy hurts!

Not only did Kate have some trouble falling asleep last night which kept Cheryl and me awake off-and-on for a few hours, but at 2 AM Loren called out a few times and when I took my turn to check in on her she said, "Daddy, my tummy hurts!" and then proceeded to vomit all over her pillow, her sheets, her comforter, and herself. She then threw up 2 more times, spaced about 30-60 minutes apart. Needless to say, we're all pretty tired this morning. Luckily, Cheryl, Kate, and I do not seem to have caught whatever virus Loren has; although Cheryl is running a fever and not feeling great, so our fingers are crossed it is something different.



So we're all home today, doing laundry and trying to make sure everyone is well. And best of all, tonight we're supposed to get snow and ice!



NYC

Stardate 63048.98 - The Story of Kate's Birth

Cheryl's due date was estimated as this coming Tuesday, January 20th, and even though Loren was born 2 days early we were not expecting a Friday night birth. Cheryl had seen her doctor in the afternoon, and nothing imminent appeared to be happening. We were just sitting around the living room around 7:15 PM getting ready to start Loren's bathwater when suddenly Cheryl announced, "My water just broke!"

A little history is in order. While Cheryl's water broke quite suddenly with Loren, her contractions never really started on their own and the doctor induced labor about 3 hours after the actual water break. So we figured we had some time and spent the next 15 minutes making phone calls to Lisa (who had agreed to take Loren to her place if anything sudden happened), Cheryl's parents (letting them know we'd probably need them on Saturday), and Cheryl's doctor (obviously) as well as packing up a bag for Loren and tidying up around the apartment. But around 7:30, while Cheryl was sitting on the floor helping Loren to get her coat on (or something similar) a contraction hit. Since that was different than last time, Cheryl urged us to get to a taxi.

We caught a taxi right in front of our building as soon as we stepped outside (which doesn't often happen). Meanwhile Cheryl had another contraction in the elevator and another one as soon as we got into the taxi (they were about 2 minutes apart). Originally the plan was to get her into the hospital and checked in, and then I'd run Loren up to Lisa's place and return in plenty of time for the birth. Once in the taxi (at 7:40 PM) Cheryl called Lisa to have her meet us at the hospital and I posted to Twitter (at 7:42 PM) and the blog (at 7:45 PM) that we were en route to the hospital. Cheryl's contractions continued to get stronger and closer together and they were 90 seconds apart as we walked through the front door of the hospital.

It is not a short walk to get to the elevators and in retrospect maybe we should have asked for a wheelchair but at the time neither of us thought we were so close to delivery. Cheryl made it as far as the elevator and as I pressed the button she grabbed the wall and yelled through another contraction. At this point she began to say, "The baby is coming now! The baby is coming now!" as she crossed the hall and slid down onto the floor she began yelling through yet another contraction. Loren began yelling at this point, and a group of nurses waking down the hall dropped their dinners and came running over. They thought Cheryl had fallen. I yelled at them, "The baby is coming now!" and they scrambled for a stretcher. We were there for maybe 5 minutes, and during this time Lisa appeared and we completed a 10-second hand over of Loren and her luggage and got her out of the drama.

Once they got Cheryl on a stretcher they wheeled her around the public elevators to the staff elevators and it was a quick trip up to maternity. They told me not to follow her into the room, but to go quickly to the front counter on the floor to give them Cheryl's name and insurance information. I only had time to hand the piece of paper with the photocopy of her card to the nurse when they started yelling for me from down the hall, telling me the baby was coming now!

I quickly entered the room and the baby's head was already half-way out and at 8:05 PM, fifty minutes after Cheryl's water broke, Katherine Orrock Sawyer was born!


Early Saturday Lisa brought Loren over to meet her little sister, and then I took Loren home while Cheryl's parents drove into the city.


Once they met Kate, they came to the apartment to watch Loren while I went back to the hospital. That night I came home in time to put Loren to bed, and then went back to the hospital Sunday morning. Luckily everyone was healthy and everything went smoothly so we were discharged first thing Sunday morning and were home by 10 AM.



I'm now surrounded by women at home! As I have been for almost all my life...



NYC

Stardate 62973.63 - Why me?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

"Why me?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

That was what I exclaimed when I was a child and during a mock sword-fight with my cousin Justin I backed up, lost my balance a bit, and set my hand down on top of a very hot wood stove. You could see a hand-print on the stove for months afterward, as I believe I lost a very thin layer of skin. I repeated this mantra for hours (days if you believe my cousins). Well, on Sunday we decided to get out of the house, run a few errands, take Loren to Grand Central for the laser show, and swing by Cheryl's office to move the last few items out of her old office and into her new office (right next door to her old office). Well, 2 out of 3 got accomplished.

First, we went to the AT&T store where (for Cheryl's birthday) we got her an iPhone. We thought we'd lost her phone Wednesday night at my company holiday party, and between the time we realized we couldn't find it and when we actually found it 24 hours later, Cheryl had done some research on line and had decided that she'd really like an iPhone to replace it. I think she was a bit disappointed when we found the phone, so we decided that for her birthday (I had not gotten a preasent other than flowers for her yet) we'd get her an iPhone. So we did, and she loves it! I'm having some gadget envy right now, I must confess.

Then, as we were walking down the wet, slushy stairs to the 4/5 train I had Loren's hand in one hand, and 2 umbrellas plus the iPhone bag in the other hand and suddenly slipped. I was wearing ankle-high snow boots and I'm not sure if they helped or hurt but I slid down several stairs as I tried to quickly release Loren's hand (successful), grab hold of the handrail (partially successful), keep from smashing the AT&T bag (successful), and keep my foot from folding under my leg (partially successful). As I stood up I realized that my ankle hurt like hell and I couldn't put any weight on it. I hobbled down the stairs and after a few minutes realized it was not getting any better.

So Cheryl and Loren went on to Grand Central without me as I hobbled back up the stairs and hailed a taxi to take me home. It turned out that there was also a train display there, and Loren fell in love with it.


Meanwhile I elevated my foot and watched New England crush the Cardinals while I tried to figure out if my ankle was broken or just horribly wrenched. I'm going to call the doctor today to see if I need to come in to have it checked out. I can move around the house slowly today, and the swelling has gone down, so I'm hoping it is the same basic injury I did to my right ankle about 10 years ago or so playing racquetball. It hurt less this time (left ankle this time), and the swelling was less so I'm hoping it is just a bad sprain.

So I'm working from home today. What a great way to start the holiday week.

Why me?!? :-)

NYC

Stardate 62885.83 - Medical Report

As many of you already know, I had surgery last Wednesday for a Right Inguinal Hernia. This is something I'm pretty sure I've had for over a year, but as the doctor told me, "Hernias never get better, they can only get worse." So I finally scheduled the surgery at NYU Medical Center (same hospital where Loren was born).

I know some of my friends and co-workers have already had this procedure, but for anyone else who may need it now or in the future I wanted to briefly talk about my experience. People with no interest in this type of thing can stop reading and hope for a new picture of Loren tomorrow. Some people may feel this is too much information, but I found it very helpful to talk to people who had already been through the procedure so if my experience can help set people at ease who are anticipating this procedure then that is what I want to do.

I had to go in 10-14 days in advance for a pre-surgery screening and other than a 2-hour wait that was uneventful - drawing some blood, an EKG, and a lot of questions. The day before the surgery I received my instructions and my time - no food or drink starting at midnight Tuesday and report at 0730 Wednesday morning. After meeting with every single person who would be working on me (and even the people who clean the room, I think!) and answering the same questions over and over I was finally ready for the procedure. The doctor was running about 30 minutes late, but I was quickly taken into the surgical room around 0900 and climbed up onto the table. There was some small talk, I was given an IV and oxygen, and then I don't remember anything until being woken up post-op and asked to help move off the table onto a gurney.

I was wheeled into recovery and asked if I wanted anything to eat or drink. I was very tired and groggy, so I asked for some decaf coffee. As soon as I drank a sip, I realized I was very nauseous. After lying on the bed for 30 minutes or so they moved me into a chair. They asked me about the pain - on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the worst pain ever (the time I broke 3 ribs and the morning after when I sneezed both came to mind). I replied the pain was a 2 or a 3, but the nausea was overwhelming. They gave me something in the IV for that (along with a lot of fluid), but it didn't help. Later they gave me a shot of something in the leg that was supposed to help. It helped me enough to get into a cab with help from Cheryl and get home around 1330, but I felt like I had the stomach flu. I went to bed and didn't get up until the next morning. I would sleep for 2 hours, get up to use the bathroom, and go back to sleep.

The nausea didn't dissipate until Thursday afternoon, and I didn't completely get my appetite back until Sunday. The entire time from the surgery through today the pain has been around a 1-2. The pain was completely dwarfed by the nausea, which I understand can happen from general anesthesia. In fact, the pain was so low I didn't even use the Percocet they prescribed for me and instead just used over-the-counter ibuprofen. In fact, I haven't even taken an ibuprofen in more than 24 hours as I write this post.

My friend Brian Hampton told me that the worst part would be getting up in the morning, and he was right. Everything is just sore and it is hard to get out of bed, but once I am up I am fine. I have an appointment this Friday with the doctor for a follow-up and I'm hoping the dressing gets removed--think about having a few napkins held on you by plastic wrap. Lets just say the itching really started kicking in yesterday.

So I spent Thursday and Friday off of work and watching nearly an entire season of Star Trek: Voyager (most of season three and the start of season four). Saturday I took it easy with the family, and on Sunday Cheryl took Loren to New Jersey to her parents' place so I could have another day with minimal activity. I worked a half-day from home on Monday and was back up to a full day yesterday (I'll be telecommuting through the end of the week). I should be able to go back to work in person the Monday before Thanksgiving.

Overall, it wasn't too bad. The pain was a lot less than I anticipated but the nausea was much, much worse. Apparently being under a general doesn't affect everyone the same, but for me it was so much worse than any other part of the procedure. I also recommend people really listen and take it easy for several days so that you have time to recover and heal up -- I was pretty tired for the next few days and was in bed by 9 PM for a few days afterward.

NYC

Stardate 62646.78 - Summer Cold

Loren and I are fighting off a cold. She had a snotty nose yesterday, and we both have sore throats today. Consequently, we stayed in the apartment all day. Cheryl took this picture as I read Sam and the Firefly (c) 1958 to her in the living room.

NYC

Stardate 62493.38 - Post Shortage

A lot has been going on recently, but we haven't put a lot of posts up. Losing the hard drive in the home laptop has been the primary reason, and we finally got a replacement from Dell and are now back up and running. Since the laptop usually sits on the bar counter, it is more convenient to do posts from the center of the action, rather than going back into the bedroom on the old desktop to do so.

First, Loren has been helping out more and more in the kitchen. While it is good that she is helping and interested in cooking, sometimes it slows down the process. We have to assign her tasks that are not dangerous and sometimes have to distract her with something (like the salad spinner) while Cheryl finishes things up.

Second, Cheryl went to Germany for a week on business and I was on Loren duty the very first week that I reported to work at the client site for my new job. Luckily I could drop her off in the morning and we could arrange for a couple of her teachers to bring her home as daycare closes before my work day is normally through. Also, Mom and Judy were coming up the weekend of the 14th - 15th, so they came up a day earlier (Thursday) to help out. It was great to have them be able to pick up Loren and entertain her, and it was great to be able to show them the new place. Apparently I was so busy with entertaining and Loren that I never took any pictures! Luckily my Mom was busy with her camera so hopefully she got some good ones.

Third, Squirt has been sneezing and wheezing a bit so we took them in for their regular annual appointments and while Magic is fine Squirt does have an infection so she is on medicine for at least a week.

Lastly, Dad and Valerie came up this weekend for a visit. I did remember to take pictures this time, and will post some soon.

NYC

Stardate 62250.09 - Stomach Bug

Loren and I were knocked out by some type of stomach virus starting Sunday night. She woke up vomiting between midnight and one, and continued on and off for the next few hours. I was ok until Monday morning, and for the next 16 hours I felt like I was constantly on the verge of throwing up (although I never actually did). I didn't have anything to eat or drink all day Monday, although Loren was pretty much recovered by mid-day Monday (was asking for food and milk). I'm still not at 100% today, but I am much better than yesterday.

Poor Cheryl had to stay home from work all day on Monday and take care of two sick babies! ;-)

NYC

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Stardate 62154.10 - Getting Old

Genetics are finally catching up with me. I had my annual check-up a couple of weeks ago (which I seem to get around to every 2 years) and my Cholesterol has shot up 40 points since 2006, mostly the bad kind. So my doctor has me on a low cholesterol diet to see if we can bring it down from 230 back below 200 over the next three months.

I also realized that I have not had a gym membership in about a year and a half, so Cheryl and I checked out a new gym only a couple of blocks away and will be joining it later this week (once our free sample week ends). I'm not terribly out of shape (161 pounds, 5'10", 34" waist) but I need tone. Walking as much as we do living here in NYC helps keep me fairly stable on weight, as long as I don't go overboard on calories. Where I run into problems is when I'm on travel for work - too much fish and chips and burgers and beer!

Hopefully the exercise (I went yesterday morning and this morning), coupled with the low-cholesterol diet Cheryl is now cooking will get it back under control. Both my parents are on cholesterol medication, so I may just be doomed. I plan to stick to the diet, however, so we'll see if that helps.

Getting old sucks.

NYC