Nolan Sees the Pacific

Friday night I came to the realization that even after a hard day's work, "the weekend" is a concept too obscure for a 3-week old to grasp. As we watched The Book of Eli Nolan wailed, and as we ate dinner Nolan wailed. Friday nights will return someday, but as for now, they're just another night.

Saturday, though, was in fact a weekend day! Not working, it turns out, makes for wonderful times as a family. Gavin has been such a patient dog this whole time, so we decided to reward him with a trip to his favorite dog beach, Ft. Funston on the south coast of SF. We took Nolan along in his BOB and it did amazingly well pushing through sand-covered sections of the paved path.

-Chris, from the rocking chair

Fairly Fair

It was another pleasant day today! We tried switching up Nolan's feeding so that he just slept until he woke up, and then we fed him......but yeah, we're going back to the scheduled feeding times. It wasn't quite the magical exilir we'd hoped for. :-)

Just a quick pic from Uncle Bob and Aunty Sandy's visit earlier this week. They brought some wonderful socks for Nolan that look like checkerboard slip on Vans; pretty great!

As well, here's Christine with our boy asleep on his belly, still looking quite fantastic in his Myra-brand Jeans!

Christine's Dad will be back up here next week, accompanied by Jeff, they can help Christine out while i'm on campus all week (SFSU starts and the chaos is of chaotic proportions! She'll need all the help she can get while i'm off starting a new year of ministry.

A Pleasant Day!!

Well, it's been a pretty great day! Nolan got his longest stretch of sleep last night (Tuesday night) from 10:00pm to 2:30am! Oh, the wonders of 4+ straight hours of sleep!

Let's see, the big adventure for the day entailed the first use of our BOB stroller/runner. To give Christine some nap/rest time I threw Nolan in the carseat, dropped it into our stroller, lasso-ed Gavin and hit the pavement for a nice 4 mile run down to UCSF's campus near the ball park. We've learned the only near-failsafe way to keep Nolan quiet is to keep him in motion: walking, driving, running, whatever......just keep him moving!

The two other pics are Nolan's first attempt at a mid-sleep nose pick, and my nightly routine of camping out with Nolan (usually asleep) in the living room so Christine can get some undisturbed sleep until his mid-nighttime feeding. Usually I'm blogging or reading with the last bit of a 2 Buck Chuck in a glass. Tonight I'm reading "The Search for God and Guiness," an amazing read for several reasons...I highly recommend it!

-chris, from the paper-lamp lit corner

All Quiet on the Nolan Front

Well, yesterday was a bear of a.....for Nolan and us. Not sure exactly what changed, but poor Nolan had one heck of a fussy day! He absolutely wailed for hours on end and it was sad to see our boy in such misery. It was also rough on us, enduring the restless disquiet of our apartment.

However, all things settled down once I broke down and sold my soul to battery-powered child devices. Nolan has a fun loungy chair he really liked the first couple sitting, but then whined at furthur encounters. So, yesterday's desperation let me to pick up 4 C batteries (when was the last time something ran on C batteries?) and engage the vibration feature of the loungy chair. It was beautiful! Not only did it quiet Nolan down while he was awake, but it also lulled him to sleep!

So after a good night's sleep last night we headed to a doctors appointment for Christine and I took Nolan and Gavin to Crissy Filed and introduced our boy to the GG Bridge.

-chris

-chris, from the road

Recent Fun

Well, it's been a busy last few days, but we were able to sneak a trip out to the neighborhood farmers market on Thursday. Here's us with Nolan in his chest carrier. Man, he konks out in it, but when we put him back in his car seat he gets that gurggly low pitch scream that just kills us.



-chris, from the road

A Full Day

This'll be a short post because I'm tired, but here goes.

It was a big day for Nolan as he took his first trip out in a Baby Bjorn, had his second doctor's appointment, visited his first dog park and was introduced to Jack Bauer. Luckily, Nolan had a great night of sleep Tuesday night/Wednesday morning that enabled him to charge out with me, bouncing with every step as we tried out our Baby Bjorn child carrier. All in all, it was nice to know it worked, but I hope Nolan doesn't get Bjorn sick, with all the bouncing. :)

As well, it was Nolan's second trip to the pediatrician, and he checked out quite healthy. He grew about a1/4 inch and put on quite a bit of weight, as we suspected. The doctor said she hoped to see him put on about one ounce a day, but in reality he'd loaded up two ounces per day, equaling a 1 lb 2 oz gain in just 1 week!!

This evening before dinner Christine needed a trip outside so we drove over to the dog park to let Gavin romp. Christine sat with Nolan (in his car seat) on a bench off to the side of the ruckus area while I watched our fearless pup romp with other 4 legged friends. It was a really interesting experience as Gavin would play and sniff around for a bit, but then go back to Christine and Nolan, keeping watch to make sure they were safe. At one point he even growled at an 85 lb german shepherd who'd evidently gotten to close to Nolan!

After the park we headed home to eat dinner and ended up watching a couple episodes of 24, but Nolan seemed completely unimpressed. Glad we didn't name the kid Jack.....it seems like he may be a bit tougher than the show's hero!

Currently Nolan is an hour into his second good night in a row (a record; usually every other night is rough). I'll quit type so as not to disturb him.

Good night!

For more pics, check out: www.picasaweb.google.com/sfkernaghan

Finishing What Was Barely Begun

Well, I'm sorry I couldn't get to all the topics mentioned in my past title.....Nolan's necessity for attention and ability to scream both increased as last night dragged on. If I swore or said anything inappropriate or hurtful, I apologize; I can't remember much. :-)

Anyways, the threshold mentioned in my past blog title was in reference to our previous afternoon's outing. We went out to meet some friends and their two little ones at a local playground, and as Christine crossed the threshold of the gate into the chaotic land of playing children she had a thought: I'm no longer entiring as an outsider, this is my future as I carry my child into this new stage of life. It was a fairly monumental step!

Moving on (I'm still a bit tired), here are a couple pics of Nolan from today, one of him staring down the bee in his loungy chair, impersonating Derek Zoolander's La Tigre (hasn't stopped anything yet to be considered Blue Steel). The second is him giving his middle figure to his mouth, by sucking on it. :)

It was a pretty rough night last night, but

I'm happy to say he's been quite the angel today!!!

Fun Nolan Fact for the Day: Whenever he sneezes (usually 3 or 4 in a row) he hits himself in the face with both hand.

-chris, from the road

Legal Crack, a Threshold and a Blowout

This will just be a brief blog because I can't focus....pretty tired and don't want to lead my readers down a wandering path to nowhere. :)

As for today, its title could be grandparental weening, as Christine and I took a step toward having BePa and MeMa around a little less throughout the day. As kids try to establish their independence from parents, so too apparently do parents move out from the wings of grandparents (though w/o the rebellion and oft-nasty words).

Our events for the day included a morning with Rob & Brenda, followed by LOTS of diaper changes and a one-handed pee-containment block while Nolan was being changed. It seems his preferred schedule of urination is precisely between diaper applications. Not joking, i just went over to change his poopy diaper and he peed while I was putting his fresh diaper on.

Also, we're kinda scared, as any parent whose child is suspected of dabbling in risk taking behavior would be, that our son may becoming addicted to his pacifier. Here's a video of him working his "kong".

Also, as we were changing him earlier today, he couldn't keep his eyes off the lion Grandma Myra made for him. He stared at it for at least 5 minutes, dead on.

One final video for the night. If you listen, you can hear Nolan's hick-ups. They're especially loud after a big meal.

Dinosaurs and Drinkin'

Once again, a hiatus from blogging has occurred as Nolan's sleeping schedule has dissolved. Okay, maybe 'dissolved' is a strong word, seeing as he really hasn't hit stride with anything accept eating times. He seems to nail those dead on.

As you may be able to tell from the picture updates, Nolan seems to be a heavy drinker. He appears to be developing a double chin and a milk belly! Our next doctor's appointment is Wednesday, but I don't need to a professional to tell me that he's putty on weight fast! Here's what he looks like after a binge.

Aside from meal times, Nolan is still enjoying BePa and MeMa (Rob and Brenda) while Christine and I wander in between naps, errands and eating. It's nice to have grandparents around to keep us company, give pointers, prepare meals and run loads of pee/pooh-soaked clothes (all Nolan's so far) among other chores. :-) Apparently childcare is tiring for grandparents too, and Nolan knows it. Earlier this afternoon Nolan pooped so loud it woke BePa up out of a peaceful nap!! Of course Nolan slept through his explosion.....that's my boy.

After a changing-pad-soaking diaper change today, we decided to turn Nolan into Nolasaraus, dressing him up in a great set of feeties from Jake and Jamie.

Yesterday the 5 of us took a trip to Mission Creek Park to get Christine out of the apartment. After 5 days of staying inside all day, Christine was getting stir crazy, so we decided to introduce Nolan to one of our favorite parks in SF. It's just west of McCovey Cove, on the same little inlet from the bay......so quiet and serene, when the Giants are out of town. Unfortunately it was quite windy, so we didn't end up with any pics of the little tike as a blanket blocked the g

usty weather from entering his stroller the entire trip. In fact, I don't think he was awake for any of the trip. So far he's done a grea

t job in his car seat/stroller, and by great I mean that he simply sleeps the whole time he's in it.

That's it for now! Again, if you'd like to visit the Nolan online picture albums, use this link:

picasaweb.google.com/sfkernaghan

-Chris, from the night shift

The Boys with Their (chocolate) Cigars

I'm trying to do a post from Picasa, Google's photo program.

If you'd like to see Nolan's web albums and they arrive, use this link:

picasaweb.google.com/sfkernaghan

Looks like it worked! Malatov!

Nolan Comes Clean, Again

Well, I awoke this morning to stories of Nolan sleeping well throughout the night, but his diapers leaking at every chance they got!! I've taken over the pre-bed night shift and the early morning shift, while Christine does the mid-night through wee-hours shift. Apparently I got lucky and Nolan's bladder released only under Christine's watch, and boy did it ever!!! He wet his way through all our bassinet sheets, 3 sets of PJ's and 3 swaddling wraps, in a matter of 6 hours.....apparently he's well-fed.

Just after we got going the Richey's dropped in to say good-bye. Quite the sad moment as life-changing events had been shared and much help was lent by Myra! But we really appreciated the baby-sitting, cooking, clean, pain-au-chocolats and especially the wisdom & company she

imparted!

Around noon Rob & Brenda showed up and we gave Nolan his second bath, but this one was new and exciting because his umbilical cord fell off last night so we were able to give him a little better washing this time. As soon as Christine wrapped him up in his bathrobe and gave him a big hug, Nolan decided it was time to water the plants and soaked himself and his enduring mother......so Nolan went under the facet for a quick re-rinse.

Following his second drying session Nolan was quickly dressed to kill in a wonderful long-legged onesie bestowed upon him by our friends Josh and Alex (big thanks!).

Currently Nolan is farting up a storm and hearing about the Three Little Pigs from Be-Pa (Grampa Rob).

Seeing as it's Friday night, we'll continue on the tradition of home made pizza with Rob and Brenda, feasting on buffalo chicken and carmelized onion, sausage and tomato reduction sauce varieties.

Kernaghan Family Pics from the Hospital

Just got these pics from my mom. Some family fun on Nolan's 2nd day of life.

Nolan Comes Clean

Well, I'm sorry for the lack of postings yesterday....it's tiring to be a parent at times. :) It's amazing how quickly time goes by; we generally get going around 11:00am each day, and somehow it's dinner time before we know it.

As I look back on yesterday's happenings, it's honestly hard to remember all of what's transpired. I guess I'll start from the evening and wo

rk my way backwards. Grammy R made us a delicious potato soup for dinner, which was paired very well with the winter-esk we

ather and a nice bottle of VINTJS wine. Family and friends have faithfully provided lots of easy meals for us, and we feel very cared for!! Prior to that, Nolan got his first bath! Boy, what a fun experience that was.....for us; poor kid hated every sponge stroke and towel rub. That is, until he got loungy in his paw-printed bathrobe!

Earlier in the afternoon we learned that Gavin actually does have a little guard dog instinct in him (despite any previous showings, even while Christine was very pregnant). I was napping at the time, but the story goes that a cousin Christine hadn' seen in years came by our place and, after hanging out for a

while went over to see Nolan, but was greeting instead by a 65lb growling pit bull. Apparently Gavin doesn't like strangers getting near li'l Nolan. Everything worked out fine and the cousin got her peak at the babe, but it was nice for us to get a peek at Gavin's protective nature as well. :)

Aside from that, it was fairly mellow day. Christine's body still isn't allowing her to venture far from the couch or bed, so I (chris) push off to the dog park, store and such on my own; I'll be very glad to have her company again on our normal routines, with the added bonus of Nolan's smiling face.

Big Day for Nolan

The last 24 hours have held many new experiences for this young Kernaghan family. Gavin was much quieter than last night, but no less compassionate, of course. Unfortunately Nolan's rear compensated for our pup's silence. According to Christine, Nolan rip-roared his way to 3 diaper changes between 11:00pm and 6:00am. I did one of them, but don't really remember the other two.

After we got going this morning we hopped in the car and headed to Nolan's first doctor's appointment, which he endured as well as a 5-day old could. He's officially started regaining weight, has little-to-no jaundice and is quite healthy! From there we dropped Nolan off with Gramma Myra and begain our disappointing trip to Target and Babies R Us. Not only could we find 0% of our shopping list, but apparently Christine isn't quite healed enough to endure short public visits. She quickly began to feel super warn out and achy, returning to the car before I could finish checking out.

Otherwise, Nolan's eating well, sleeping much better and moving right along.

Fun new facts about Nolan:
1. He doesn't like getting his photo taken while sleeping
2. He, like Gavin, loves covering himself in his blanket (note: Nolan's blanket is super thin and not a choking hazard)

Thanks to Alexis and Ryan for bringing us a delicious Eggplant Parmessan with fresh zuccini and a delightful fruit salad!!

-chris, from the verge of sleep.

Gavin, say hello to Nolan

Well, we've been home for just over 24 hours and parents for about 76 hours. Nights so far have been a ridiculous mess of dreams, poop wiping, yelling at the dog out of disorientation, and even a little sleep.

When we brought Nolan home last night we did a good job of making sure our fearless pup felt cared for and in the circle, but man, a little person screaming and crying sure knocked him off his game. He still isn't quite sure what to make of Nolan, but he's so far been very safe and even concerned for the babe. In fact, Christine called him "the most compassionnate pitbull ever" as each of Nolan's cries and whimpers last night brought Gavin running to my side of the bed as if to wake me up and say, "Hey! Somebody's having a bad go at things and you need to help."

In reality, Gavin's had three major responses to Nolan: 1. VERY intrigued and needing to sniff everything that's touch him, even going so far as to lick his feet once, 2. VERY concerned for the well-being of the new baby and the sounds of distress heard during normal sleeping hours, and 3. VERY needy, often dragging each of his toys and blanket systematically into the center of the room so that everyone present can see how cute and playful he really is.

The above pics are of Gavin's #1 & 3 responses to Nolan, separated only by a few seconds. As well, Nolan reclining for the first time in his new loungy chair, mid-poop.

-chris, relaxing with the fruit of the vine

Nolan Judah Kernaghan is Home!

After a long and tiring day at the hospital I can look back on the day and feel like we've accomplished something. First came the hearing test: A+. Next was an ultrasound to revisit an issue within his left kidney: looks like it's nothing too serious. Then......his first (and hopefully last) circumcision. As mentioned before, I'm glad it happens so early in life!

Intermitment within all activities today were phone calls and visits from the Social Security people, kindly reminding us the baby needed a name before being discharged. Aside from labor/birthing, this may have been the most difficult parenting experience for us so far. We wrestled the whole time we were in the hospital, spending a couple hours calling our baby one name and then trying out the other option. Finally a coin toss later and discussing all possibilities of nicknames for each option led us to Nolan Judah. The paperwork is in, but hey, Prince couldn't figure it out forever, so I guess we still have some time if he doesn't seem to be a Nolan.

Included are some pics from us leaving the hospital while Nolan sports some jeans knit by Christine's mom. Also, it turns out the Giants' trouncing of LA surrounding his birth convinced him to cheer for the orange and black....making me proud!

-chris, from my armchair

Well, it's a cold foggy morning, but it was a relatively easy night, for me (chris). I think (but could be wrong, as i was fairly drowsy) Christine got some decent rest for the most part. Apparently the first time the nurse brought our baby in at 1:00am for feeding Christine looked at her and said, "We put the baby in the nursey so i could sleep tonight, but he (looking at me) has been snoring this whole time." CPK said I stopped after that.

As for the babe, he's with Christine's OB, getting his little wee-wee unhooded. Poor guy, but it's better than being Jewish (on the 8th day) or Muslim (when he's 13 years old).

Time for some rest.

-chris, from the hospital

Endurance Parenting

So, there are endurance athletes who compete for 24 hours at a time, but our first day of parenting has had some runner's highs and a couple big bonks.

I (chris) had no concept of time last night as this new member of our family kept crying and eating and getting his diaper changed. Christine's energy was amazing! I didn't got through 16 hours of active labor, nor did i push with all my might for 2 hours, but she still managed to tend to the little one like a perfect new mother.

Once we got our footing mid-morning we found out that our boy farts like none other. (the nurse just walked in the room and mentioned the lingering smell) After eating he generally gets a little cranky and then, ka-pow!.....his diaper is filled and so is the air!

On another topic, my parents and brother flew up for the day to meet the newest Kernaghan. Both sides of Christine's family arrived before birth, but as is standard, my dad was about to leave the country just as a major event was to occur. Luckily he, my mom and Darren were able to swing up for 1/2 a day to partake in family photos, chocolate cigars (pictured above) and a shared meal.

It's now 11:00pm and we just dropped the little one off at the nursey (it's our last night to have nurses change his diaper). Tomorrow we'll lounge around for awhile and eventually make our way back home. I hope Gavin enjoys the stinkiness competition!

-chris, from the road