Eliot Spencer Quinn

Our spring blossom has sprung! It's a boy so I don't know how welcome the analogy is, but we'll go with it.

The labor went well, below are the cliff notes from my perspective, for full details you can call and chat with Sharon, she would love it.

Name: Eliot Spencer Quinn
Weight: 8 lbs. 15 oz.
Height: 20.5 inches



Tuesday April 3rd, 2012
4:30 AM - About the time early labor started, this is when Ira woke up and Sharon couldn't get back to sleep.
10:00 AM -We already had an appointment with the midwives so we went in for that, they said it could be labor, but contractions weren't consistent enough to warrant staying. Probably still early first stage labor.

So we went to Costco and stocked up on food and treated ourselves to a Costco lunch.

~ 3:00 PM - Contractions became more consistent at about 5-6 minutes apart, Sharon got more focused. Del and Mary Lou arrived from PA to help out with Ira. - Perfect timing.

~ 6:45 PM - Checked-in to the CT Childbirth and Women's Center - They are amazing! Sharon described it as 'Heaven'. The midwife was supportive as was the nurse on duty that night. - Dilated: 5 cm
~ 9:15 PM - Waters broke (literally burst) - Dilated: 9 cm
~ 9:30 PM - Second Stage Labor started - big pushes
~ 9:50 PM - His head came out slow and after a few pushes the rest of his body was not following. The midwife sternly commanded Sharon to flip out of the sitting position she was in and to get on her hands and knees. One of the babies shoulders was stuck against her pelvis, known as shoulder dystocia. We had an anxious few seconds, that seemed a lot longer, as the skilled midwife did a few maneuvers and the baby was born.

9:54 PM - Official birth time.

He didn't look good after coming out, you can see he is still getting all his color.
The flash didn't help either.

Cheers to mom! Sharon did really well.

Happy new father

We are all home, healthy, and happy.

Ira has been taking well to the new addition. He was a little hesitant at first, but he now affectionately calls it 'My(his) Baby' after some bonding time this afternoon.

Ira was his usual observant self when we first got home, not sure what
to make of the new baby.

He warmed up fairly quickly after he was able to get some alone
time with one of us.

A proud older brother.

Ira loves holding Eliot.

Some good bonding time...
may he always be so gentle and protective...

Thank You Mary Lou for being here with us! 

Ira and Eliot have taken well to Mary Lou.

Celebrating Eliot's birthday with a yummy cake.

She has been a huge help as we start to adjust our lifestyle for a family of four.

I don't know how Sharon is going to survive the three of us.

Laughing Babies

Sharon says she is embarrassed at how funny she thinks this is. One laughing baby is enough to bring a smile to my face. However, four laughing babies make me laugh out loud with them. Enjoy.

Mei Tai

Sharon made this cool baby carrier after a version of the Maya wrap called Mei Tai. She did a good job on it. I think it is supper comfortable.

Ira and the Orchid

Ira has been really cute lately. He has had this growing fascination, I call it a friendship, with the Orchid plant we have on his changing table. If he is crying almost without fail you can lay him on the table and once he realizes where he is and sees the Orchid flower he stops crying and within minutes will be kicking and cooing with joy to see the flower shake. I've noticed when I hold him in bed he really likes looking at this pastel painting above our bed of a field of flowers my Aunt made for us. I'm interpreting this as a sign that he will love and appreciate nature, I guess in reality it's still to early to tell.

 This is a typical interaction. He will stare at it for a long time.

This is the painting above our bed he likes and the original picture. I'm curious to see if I put the original up on the computer is he will look at it too.

I was giving him some naked time today and he kept putting his arm out like he was reaching for the flower. I decided to use it as a development opportunity, since he doesn't seem as interested in other stimuli we have tried. I put the flower down so he could interact with it more. He loved it.

Sharon and I tried to capture his cuteness on video. He was a little distracted by the camera and getting tired, but you get the idea.

Ira's Baby Blessing

We have rendezvoused with my parents in Williamsburg, VA. Sharon's parents came down from Washington, D.C. and we had Ira's baby blessing today. It was great to have both sets of parents present. We got together for a nice three generation historical photograph.

After much anxiety, anticipation, and proactive pursuit of the UPS delivery truck on our snowy roads, we procured out new camera before the trip. I'm hoping to figure our how to take some great pictures as we explore Williamsburg.

I liked this one of Ira living it up on vacation with Grandpa Quinn. I love how small he is. The most up to date pictures can be seen on the Ira Album.

Baby Quinn

Sharon started labor Wednesday around 12:00am and delivered Thursday at 3:10am. I thought I would send some initial pictures and stats out.

Gender: Male

Name: Pretty sure it will be Ira Quinn. We are working on the middle name, the two front runners right now are Tanner and Hinckley.

Weight: 7 lbs. 8 oz.

Height: 20.5 inches

I'm working on a written account of the birth that I will probably put up later.

Heartbeats

We just got back from the doctors and Little Quinn has a healthy heart beat at about 13-14 weeks. Sharon is healthy as well; confirmed by good blood tests, strong muscles, and a positive attitude. What a blessing! We are excited for our first child to be on its way. Little Quinn is due mid/late January.