Stardate 59927.87 - Lonely New York City

I need a tripod. I was trying to capture the sliver of a moon, but without a tripod I cannot adjust the shutter speed and not have it come out blurred. So instead 3-4 pictures I took Sunday night just look kinda...eh. There is something about this picture though, flawed as it is, that struck me as lonely. Not sure if it is the fact that most of the windows are dark or what, but I thought it was interesting enough to post. I'm sure John or Vince (or my brother-in-law-Steve), my friends who are pseudo-professional photographers, will tell me what I should have done.

But I think the first thing I need is a tripod. Or a gift certificate to B&H. 

Stardate 59924.2 - On Cheryl's Lap

Here are some photos where Cheryl was trying to capture Loren's facial expressions. These are from Saturday before Cheryl's parents came over for a visit.

I feel like I should be discussing our eating habits in here, since Cheryl's brother Steve's blog is all about food. In case he (or anyone else) cares, last night we had Couscous with raisins and pine nuts, vegetable and tofu kabob, and chicken. Loren had breast milk.

We did take a trip out to Buy-Buy Baby yesterday (with the car) and purchased several items, to include a breast pump. I also got a foot rest that is supposed to be used to prop your feet up when breastfeeding but I'm going to use it in the "office" under the computer desk. It will replace the software box I am currently using.

Today it is snowing in New York, and we are expected to get 2-4 inches (last night they were saying one inch with snow turning to rain this morning...looks like they were off a bit). So we are glad we got our shopping done yesterday. We may not even leave the apartment today (are you reading this, John?). ;-)

Here Loren is trying to hug Cheryl...or maybe she is just startled. 

And here Loren is getting grumpy from all the picture taking. 

And here is a typical shot down the avenue from our building.

Stardate 59916.45 - More Testing of Image Uploads

Here is some additional testing. It looks like I can use Picasa in conjunction with Hello to post a series of pictures with captions. Of course, I have to do them in reverse order of how I want them to appear. Then I can create a "regular" post to appear before the pictures to unify them.

So here goes...these pictures are of "The Gates" exhibit, which took over Central Park for several weeks back in February of 2005. I know, I know. I don't have any recent pictures of Loren up here. We'll try to do better. Maybe we'll take some good shots over the weekend.

Hummm...I may have a timing issue here...this message is appearing after the last picture instead of before it....

If anyone knows of a good tool for managing posts and pictures to blogger, please let me know!! Post a comment!!

More from "The Gates" in Central Park, 2-2005. 

More of "The Gates" in Central Park, New York, February 2005. 

"The Gates" in Central Park, February 2005. 

Captain's Log - Supplemental

More testing of Picasa and Hello... 

Hummm. I'm still testing with Picasa and Hello. Trying to get multiple pictures to upload at one time. Maybe I should RTFM... 

Curt at the Eagle's Nest in Germany once the rain started. 

Stardate 59916.23 - Earlier Trip to Germany and Picasa Experimentation

I'm experimenting with Picasa to post pictures to this blog as I really dislike the native publication interface for pictures from Blogger. This picture is of one of my clients and another contractor who was also on this trip. They had coffee, and the beer is mine. I think it was about noon...at least it was noon somewhere. Of course, I came back from this trip 10 pounds heavier than when I left. It took the birth of Loren and not eating much in a sleep-deprived fog for 7 days to finally get back below 170. 

Stardate 59911.34 – Third-Party Observations on Breastfeeding

This picture is of Loren's Uncle Andy and Aunt Jen who visited the Saturday after Thanksgiving.









I’m only a passive participant in Cheryl’s breastfeeding, but I can see why a lot of women toss in the towel. Loren has been gaining an ounce a day for the past 10 days and she seems to be eating all the time. Cheryl starts one feeding, and anywhere from 30-60 minutes later Loren falls asleep and stops eating. She will then sleep for 30 minutes or so (unless Cheryl tries to put her down, in which case she only sleeps for 5-10 minutes). As soon as she wakes up she is ready to eat again. It seems like Loren has been permanently attached to Cheryl for the past several days. (Not being about to put Loren down to sleep is a relatively new development. We hope she gets over this pretty quickly.)

Needless to say, this situation is pretty stressful for Cheryl. If Cheryl is awake, she has Loren. I can sometimes get Loren to come to me for 45 minutes or so if I move around the apartment and keep her entertained, which is long enough for Cheryl to eat or shower but not long enough to get a nap.

Anyway, what I am saying is that the whole breastfeeding gig is tough. Cheryl feels completely tied down to the apartment so she is available to feed and I think she is getting a little stir-crazy. She even took Loren out today for a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood. After watching Cheryl be “on call” 24x7 I can see why some people switch to the bottle pretty quickly…just to have some peace.

We’ll keep toughing it out, however. Our goal is to continue to breastfeed at least until Cheryl goes back to work in late February, and depending on where daycare ends up being maybe even later.

Stardate 59907.8 - Plug for The Chinese Music Ensemble

The Chinese Music Ensemble is a classical Chinese orchestra that the parents of our maid of honor (and long-time childhood friend of Cheryl's) run and perform in. For the first time, they have a full concert at Carnegie Hall this coming Sunday. Tickets are only $8.

Chinese Music Ensemble Carnegie Hall Family Concert Sunday, December 4, 2005
1 p.m.
Silk, Bamboo and Chinese Music
Zankel Hall (57th Street and 7th Ave)
Tickets available at:
Carnegie Hall Box Office: 57th Street and 7th Ave.
CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800
www.carnegiehall.org.

Additional information is available here and here.

*****
Founded in 1961 by its late Director, Mr. Tsuan-nien Chang (1917-1997), The CHINESE MUSIC ENSEMBLE OF NEW YORK has grown from a few music lovers to becoming the oldest and largest Chinese orchestra in the United States. Its present membership of almost fifty musicians plays practically every type of Chinese musical instruments.

Recognized as the only full-scale Chinese orchestra in the Americas, the Ensemble maintains its standard of excellence through a program of musical exchanges with professional musicians from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Many of its award-winning musicians come from the Conservatory of Music of Shanghai, Beijing, Sichuan, Tienjin and Shenyang, the College of Chinese Culture of Taipei as well as several renowned orchestras in China.

The Ensemble performances range from small ensemble groups of 3-12 musicians all the way to the full orchestra using a wide range of Chinese bowed and plucked strings, wind and percussion instruments. Its repertory ranges from ancient classical to modern compositions spanning some fifteen hundred years of history, as well as folk music of various regions or ethnic groups in China.

One of the main objectives of the CHINESE MUSIC ENSEMBLE is to introduce the music of China to western audiences. Towards this end, the Ensemble has performed at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Town Hall, Asia Society, Carnegie Hall, Newport Music Festival, and Musikfest at Bethlehem, PA. It has appeared at numerous museums, libraries, colleges and schools throughout the Eastern seaboard. The Ensemble holds its Annual Concert in the spring at the Merkin Concert Hall in New York City and the fall Community Concert in Chinatown, free to the public as part of its social commitment.

Because of the importance of preserving and promoting Chinese musical heritage, the Ensemble gives lecture-demonstrations of Chinese music to schools and colleges, and gives free music instrument lessons to schoolchildren during the summer.

The CHINESE MUSIC ENSEMBLE OF NEW YORK is a non-profit organization partially funded by the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Stardate 59906.13 - No Pictures Today

I ended up working a half day today, much to my great annoyance. Therefore I have not had time to put anything up with respect to Loren. She has increasing periods of wakefulness where she is not hungry but instead is looking around and wanting to be entertained. I'll try to post more pictures later. Although I still have about 16 hours of parental leave left, I am going to resume working tomorrow, although I will have to duck out for Loren's doctor appointment. I am going to try to work only half days or so for the remainder of the month.

Stardate 59900.42– Reflections on Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving Loren crossed state lines for the first time and we went to NJ for Thanksgiving with Cheryl’s family (specifically her mother’s family). Loren slept most of the day, so she was starting to get a little cranky as we sat in a 15-minute backup for the Lincoln Tunnel on the return trip. We probably should have just stayed overnight in NJ rather than going out just for the day, but now we know for next time. As I was walking briskly back in the 15 degree weather (that was with the wind chill) from putting the car up, I saw a guy bundled up on First Avenue with a cup, begging for change. It sounds corny, but it made me realize that as much as I complain about things, I do have a tremendous amount to be thankful for. I have a terrific wife, a healthy and happy newborn, great family and friends, a nice place to live, fun hobbies and the time to indulge in them, and great health. It just made me appreciate what I have a little more. And now here are some Thanksgiving pictures for your enjoyment.

Stardate 59894.57 – Gearing up for Thanksgiving in NJ

I didn’t post anything yesterday, so I figured I’d better get something up today. Cheryl and Loren are taking a nap right now, and I have an appointment to get my hair cut in about an hour, so now is a great time to get something written. I tend to get my hair cut before holidays so that I look good for pictures. Or at least, as good as I can get. And that means short hair. In high school I had really long hair, and looking back at some of those pictures I look awful. But it was the 80s, so what can you do?

Loren did sleep 4 solid hours last night without waking, followed by 2 hours of being hungry and awake. Cheryl did not end up going to the breastfeeding group at NYU Medical Center yesterday because it was cold and rainy here in NYC and we don’t have a rain shield for the stroller yet. I think she is getting a little stir-crazy, however, so she may end up getting out today with Loren for some errands. Regardless, we’re off to NJ for the day tomorrow for Thanksgiving, so Cheryl will be able to get out of the apartment for the day.

I have quite a little set-up in the living room right now, so that I can check e-mail and do a little work while I am holding Loren (and the cats, as you can see from the picture). At my boss’ suggestion I purchased a program called NaturallySpeaking, which allows you to do voice-recognition for dictation and controlling programs under Microsoft Windows. It is pretty good, but I do have some complaints…mostly that learning all the commands takes a little time. And I think I am faster using the keyboard and mouse for pretty much every task other than perhaps writing. But it does permit me to have my hands full and still work the computer, albeit a little slowly.

Stardate 59889.16 – General Thoughts on Fatherhood

Now that Loren is 10 days old, I thought I’d post some general thoughts on the birth of our first child and the experiences of these first 10 days. While the last week has flown by, with the lack of sleep over the first few nights those first 3 days felt like an entire week. It was Monday, I believe, when Cheryl realized Loren had been home for only 2 days…although we both swore it was much longer than that. I knew that getting my normal 7-8 hours of sleep per night was going to be impossible with a newborn at home, but what I didn’t realize was how multiple days of sleep depravation wreck havoc with things like short-term memory. Those first few days I frequently found myself going into a room with no recollection of why I went there. Once things settled into a little bit of a pattern things were better, but it wasn’t really until Sunday (yesterday) morning (9 days after the birth) that I got up from bed and actually felt rested.

I greatly overestimated my ability to continue to get some work done during the first 10 days. I was able to skim e-mail, but the exhaustion made me not amenable to doing anything more than that simple task. I just could not focus – and still find that by lunchtime I am pretty much shot for the day. Yesterday I had to go to 4 stores before I could find newborn Pampers diapers, and once I got home it was like I had worked an 8-hour day…I was just useless for the rest of the afternoon.

I also find that I cannot read anything more deep than Entertainment Weekly. The Economist has been impossible to digest. So I have watched a lot of television. There is always a Law & Order on somewhere, so I have watched a lot of SVU and CI since I don’t regularly watch those shows (less chance of seeing one that I have already seen, although I am now starting to run into that with SVU). Even movies are tough…a 45 minute attention span is about all I can muster.

So back to my discussion on work – I have a fairly important couple of items that have to be taken care of by December 1 and I am finding it really, really hard to focus on them. I urge any new father to take at least a week if not two off from work after the birth of a child. I cannot help with the feeding, but I find that I am doing most of the other chores like kitchen cleaning, cooking, diaper changing, vacuuming, running errands, and taking out the trash. Cheryl really is tied down to Loren and her frequent feedings, so she just cannot do these other chores. People who know me know that I am happy to help out, but this past week would have been completely impossible if I had tried to work a regular day in addition to helping out Cheryl (and I have the advantage of working from home). The bottom line is that I am not getting the stuff done during my time off that I thought I’d be able to slip away and accomplish. Too many other things going on, and I’m just too tired.

We’ve also been doing a lot more laundry than I anticipated. We go through at least one changing pad cover a day, sometimes more. Loren seems to love to pee right after a poop when her diaper is off and I’m in the process of getting ready to get the new one on her. And yes, I do try to fold the old one under her as to absorb the pee, but it still runs down her back onto her clothes and the changing pad cover.

We also had a lot of visitors in the hospital and at home, which has been great. Our friends have been very supportive and all agree Loren is the cutest baby in this quadrant of the galaxy (until they go visit their next friend’s baby, I’m sure). But I’ve had to really work at not being overly protective of Loren, and specifically I have to force myself to realize that we’re not the only people who can hold her and won’t break her. I think you hear so much about all the low-percentage possibilities of harm that one tends to be paranoid. At least that is how I feel – a little paranoid.

We’re to a point now where Loren is eating a lot, and hopefully gaining weight as a result of all this eating. We’ll probably weigh her tomorrow to check on her progress. But this situation means that Cheryl is constantly feeding, or trying to nap when Loren naps. She is still quite exhausted, so I continue to try and help out where ever I can.

I guess the big adjustment for me is in realizing that things just do not go smoothly. We’ve had some worries about sleeping arrangements, breastfeeding, and number of dirty diapers (Cheryl has forbidden me from discussing dirty diapers in the blog, so this is as much as I can say). We seem to have lots of questions on things like humidifiers and air purifiers. Friends and family have been very supportive and helpful, and we have a great pediatrician whom Cheryl and I both like a lot, so we’re getting the answers and learning that we don’t have to panic at every little thing that seems to be a little out of sorts.

That is probably enough rambling. Right now I’m killing time while I wait for our groceries to arrive. Then I’m going to have to try and get a little progress made on some of this work, while Cheryl and Loren are napping.

Stardate 59886.96 - Nanna and Cracker Visit

The nights are getting a little easier, and we did have a quick visit from Mom and Judy this weekend. Loren and Cheryl continue to do well, and we continue to burn through diapers. Pretty much everything is normal. I have to get a grocery order placed, and we have more company coming any minute, so this is a short post. Enjoy the pictures.

Stardate 59881.06 - Check Up Good

Loren had her check-up today, and everything looks good. She is in the 75th percentile on height, but her weight and head circumference are something like 33rd percentile. So she'll be tall, thin, and have a small head, apparently.

We saw the glimmering of a schedule begin to form last night. She was up every two hours for feedings, we then would change her diaper, and she would then sleep until the next feeding. We went to bed last night at about 8 PM and this pattern continued until we got up this morning around 7 AM. So we got pretty good sleep last night, but with an interruption every two hours. Will it continue? We'll see. In the meantime, here are some additional pictures.

Captain's Log Supplemental - No, She's a Girl

It was very nice that the team I work for at the Consulting Firm where I am employed decided to send us flowers and a stuffed bear for our first child. I do appreciate the kindness of my fellow man (and woman). And while I don't want to appear ungrateful in any way, they did make a small strategic error in their purchase. As you can see from the little red wagon, "It's a Boy!".

Well...actually...no...it's not. Loren is a girl. Not sure how they got confused with Loren Marcia as her first and middle names...not many boys with Marcia as a middle name I would think. And while the name "Loren" may appear to be a bit masculine, I'm pretty sure the e-mail I sent to my team specified that we were proud to announce "the birth of our daughter". Oh, well. It is the thought that counts, and it will make for a funny story over the years.

I have not gotten to take a picture of Loren yet from today as every time I grab the camera Cheryl is feeding, and it seems like every time Cheryl is not feeding I am changing a diaper today. But I did put her down on the floor to play a little this afternoon, and once we were done Magic decided that it was his turn.

It sounds like Cheryl is finished in the other room so I should go see if she needs anything.

Stardate 59876.05 - Better Night Last Night

Last night was a bit better. I probably got 5 hours of sleep or so, and was able to take a nap this afternoon for about 90 minutes. Cheryl, of course, got a bit less. I did sit outside in the living room for about 2 hours last night holding Loren so that Cheryl could get a couple of hours of solid sleep. Cheryl and I, as usual, have split the duties into roles. Whereas Cheryl is the cook and I clean up the kitchen, Cheryl provides food for the Baby and I tend to change most of the diapers. And I bring things to Cheryl once she has settled in to feed and cannot reach/get to things like burp cloths, water, magazines, pillows, baby blankets, and food.

We put her in a little PJ outfit this afternoon and she looks quite adorable, if I do say so myself. I'll try to take a picture later tonight once Cheryl is done feeding and get it posted. (The picture of me changing her above is actually from yesterday...we have not actually taken any pictures today.)

The big news in NY is the weather. It was 65 or so today as the high, but by 7 AM it will be 39 degrees. Almost a 30 degree drop in 12 hours is pretty significant. And I think the high the rest of the week will only be in the 40s. So when we take her for her check-up at the end of the week we'll have to bundle her up!

One thing that has been great is having the car closer. We used to keep it out on Roosevelt Island where it was cheaper, but we keep it about 5 blocks away now and it only takes 15 minutes to go get the car and get back to the building now, whereas it used to take 45-60 minutes to get it. If it is too cold for her appointment we can easily just get the car and drive there now.

Stardate 59873.28 - Post from Cheryl Sawyer

Curt is catching up on some sleep. For the first time since we’ve been home, I am simultaneously baby-free and conscious enough to sit at the computer – not sure how, since I’ve had about an hour of sleep in the past 24. We had another long night last night. Loren had her first bout of intensive crying, likely due to the feeding difficulties we were having from my instant boob job (i.e. engorgement) yesterday. Today she and I went back down to NYU Med for the breastfeeding support group, and the lactation consultant straightened us out. With any luck things will go better tonight!

Yesterday we took advantage of the 70 degree weather to try our first outing: 3 blocks to the Children’s Place store at 68th and 3rd to pick up some long sleeve onesies. Loren is not yet doing well with clothes that have legs, rendering about 90% of her wardrobe – the footie pajama section – useless. If anyone is pondering a gift purchase from the Children’s Place, I recommend against it. Apparently all gifts bought from there are required to be returned by the receiver in a very laborious and time-consuming process. We got stuck behind two people returning gifts and buying new stuff, with only one person working the register. Meanwhile, it was about 90 degrees in the store and we had to listen to the two women in line behind us kvetching in typical Manhattan fashion about how the lack of cashiers was absolutely scandalous – only to then hear, as we were leaving, both start their transactions with “First, I need to return this one.” Here is a picture of Curt in Manhattan dad mode.

Finally, my sister-in-law pointed out that we have yet to post a picture of Loren with her eyes open. Here’s my mom holding Loren during their visit Sunday afternoon. As you can see, they carefully coordinated their outfits.


---Envoy-General Cheryl Sawyer

Stardate 59867.63 - Rough Night

We got home from the hospital around 1800 on Saturday, but it was a sleepless night. Loren wanted to eat, eat, eat and so Cheryl got only a couple of hours of sleep. Loren refused to go to sleep unless one of us was holding her (preferably Cheryl), so after each feeding I took her so Cheryl could sleep and I walked with her, rocked her, sang to her, watched Romey and Michelle’s High School Reunion with her on Starz!...anything to try and get her to sleep. I was only moderately successful, but since I cannot help too much with the breastfeeding (other than helping to arrange pillows and bringing drinks and magazines and stuff) I got probably 4-5 hours of sleep last night.


Regardless, we were both pretty tired this morning at 0630 when we finally got up for good. She has been sleeping for a couple of hours after her major feedings today (I think she has had 2 of these naps so far). Hopefully she will sleep a bit better tonight. And I tried everything…singing, wrapping her up tightly like they showed me in the hospital, letting her fall asleep on Cheryl after the feedings. But she just kept waking up. Hopefully tonight will be a bit better. (I know, I know, “Hope is not a strategy”, but I think strategies don’t work in the face of the assault of she who will not sleep.

She's worth it, however.

Today's pictures are of her in her bouncy chair from this morning and me holding her.

Stardate 59865.44 - Loren and Cheryl are Home

Since Cheryl and Loren checked out fine medically today, we were permitted to leave the hospital a day early. After a brief but intense struggle with the sizing of the car seat straps, the Sawyers left the hospital around 6 PM on Saturday. Cheryl is trying to do a feeding and then I think Loren, Cheryl, and I will all crash...at least until her next feeding in 3 hours or so.

Cheryl's parents are going to come tomorrow for the day, and we had Chris & Lisa and Su Ming & Kathy visit us in the hospital around lunch.
Speaking of lunch...we never really got any. This whole baby thing has really thrown off our eating patterns.

Too tired to write much (and I haven't really done much over the past 2 days compared to Cheryl), so I've posted a couple of pictures and then I am going to finish my celebratory Bass Ale and then I am going to bed.