Coulter Chronicles

The Great Pumpkin

2009-10-18T06:03:00.000-07:00

This was the best looking pumpkin in the patch! This little pumpkin is quite the talker, so watch what you say, you just might hear it repeated back to you :)

Coulter's First Steps

2009-09-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a really big day at the Seidell house. Coulter took his first steps. He surprised us yesterday on the deck by standing up and wobbling for the first time. He'd stand up, wobble, and fall down on his bum. Then he'd repeat it again and again. Then something else happened, he decided that he'd also walk. I thought the standing was pretty significant so I grabbed the camera and took a video of Coulter. We felt very lucky that we got to be there, but what's even more amazing is that we have his first steps recorded so you can see them too.

Elle Zober Photo Shoot

2009-09-24T20:44:00.001-07:00

Closing in on Summer 2009

2009-09-06T17:20:00.001-07:00

This summer has been full of excitement. It started in May with a visit from the Philly Grandparents and continued with a visit from the California Almas in July and then in August Sean and Nichole went on a romantic 4 day vacation in New York and Vermont while Coulter was spoiled by Grammie and Pop C.

We have frequented Forest Park, the Children's Museum, OMSI, the farmer's markets, the library, and of course the pool. It has been a wonderful fun filled summer with lots of changes. Coulter is growing by leaps and bounds. He has started singing the alphabet tune, loves his "melmo" (aka Elmo) toothbrush and has also had his first encounter with the potty. Mom, dad, dog, Jay, bubbles, baby, Alma, Elmo, bama (aks Obama), sit, more, done, "shhh", circle, apple, poop, ba-ba, shoes, no, yes, up, me, eyes, nose, flower, tree, leaf, and penis are now part of Coulter's vocabulary.

We are looking forward to a fun fall when Coulter can walk (still working on that one) and we can explore and discover even more of the world through his eyes.

Happy Labor Day Weekend and I will post again soon!

Move over Hemingway!

2009-08-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

...this child has things to say!!

Coulter is starting to talk..this is so much fun. He can communicate with us now in ways that he couldn't just a few weeks ago. He points to the sun in the book and says "circle". He also likes to say Elmo, momma (this is not new), bird, tree, Jay (our neighbor), up, hi, yeah, poop (so proud), alma (grandparents), and apple...still waiting for dad to become obvious. Today Anne told me that he said Grover...he has a cute shirt with Grover on the front.

I am not surprised that a child with our genes likes to talk! I am looking forward to more new and interesting phrases and words...!

Coulter in Action

2009-07-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Gramps (aka Almas) Visit

2009-07-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

Coulter spent a few days entertaining his Almas (which is what he has taken to calling Sean's parents) this past week. Anna and Steve drove up from Modesto and were a huge help in watching Coulter while Anne is on vacation. Here are some fun photos from their adventures, which included many hours in the water, reading books, dancing, riding the zebra (the latest addition to Coulter's toy collection from the Almas), and chasing the dogs around the house. Thanks Anna and Steve for everything!!

Fun in the Sun!

2009-06-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

We have been totally enjoying this amazing weather. Coulter is so focused on learning how to walk and he wants to explore every square inch of the house and the dirty laundry basket and the dog's water dish...so, being able to take him on weekend adventures allows us to tire him out and keep him from playing in the silverware drawer.

Here are a few photos from Sunday at Jamison Park in Portland and a few of Coulter and dad watching Sesame Street on YouTube.

Enjoy!

Le Petit Gastronome

2009-06-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Coulter has been introduced to some new and exciting foods lately. His favorites so far include duck egg and blue cheese omelets and blueberry/banana smoothies a la Anne and Daddy's homemade pesto pasta. Mom seems to make some pretty good toasted sunflower butter sandwiches (but we all know Mom isn't really the cook in this house). He has moved from cow's milk to goat's milk, which seems to agree with his belly. As always, sweet potato french fries and veggie nuggets are staples.

Coulter's taste buds seem to be changing almost daily...as does his emerging personality. He has become much more assertive (I think that's what they call it now..) in the past few weeks. Letting you know when he is done or when he wants more...very clearly..the sign language is a big help here. He also wants to walk on his own, but isn't quite there yet which I think he finds frustrating. We have had a few head bonks around here and I know as Coulter learns to walk, we will have many more slips, trips, and falls.

Garden...SUCCESS!

2009-06-20T12:12:00.001-07:00

It's summertime...

2009-06-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

..and that means bare buns are ok!

and strawberries are being consumed in the Seidell house by the ton!

2009-05-31T08:16:00.001-07:00

We set off for a short hike in Forest Park this weekend.

Hiking is EXHAUSTING! I need to take a quick snooze.

Also, we picked up the Radio Flyer wagon that the Casey's purchased for Coulter's first birthday.

Hey, I wonder what's inside this box...

Oh, the box is more fun than the wagon....or IS it??

Coulter settled right in...with the help of an apple juice bottle, of course.

We headed out to the Portland Farmer's Market and enjoyed some fresh strawberries....

Overall, a fun but tiring day...again, Coulter takes a snooze.

Sean and Coulter Being Cheeky

2009-05-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

Grammie and Pop Visit from Philadelphia

2009-05-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

Nichole's parents came out this past week for a visit and got to spend a lot of time with the Bug Man. Coulter loved Pop's singing and Grammie's constant smooches! We went to Sauvie Island, OMSI, and Forrest Park. We also spent a lot of time hanging out on the back deck watching Pop prep the backyard for our garden this summer...thanks, Pop!!!

Here is one silly video from the visit...photos to follow.....enjoy!!

More Drumming!!!

2009-05-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

Coulter and Annika

2009-05-12T21:19:00.000-07:00

The Seidell Family visited Kent and Cara's baby girl, Annika this weekend. It was a quick trip but it was so nice to meet Annika. Here are a few shots of Coulter and his cousin. Coulter loves other babies and likes to point and laugh at them. He really wanted to get his hands on Annika....but we held him back!

Drinking from a Cup

2009-05-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

Baby Blues

2009-05-06T20:28:00.001-07:00

I have my suspicions that these gorgeous blue eyes will get Coulter in and out of trouble throughout his life. I can tell you that his Dad's baby blues captivated me from the minute we meet (well, ok..the SECOND time we met...story too long to type...)...the sense of humor and overall dynamic personality didn't hurt either!

We have received many requests from family and friends for more video footage and I promise to post more videos this week.

2009-05-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

2009-05-03T22:30:00.001-07:00

2009-05-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

We have Crawling

2009-05-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

We have crawling. This morning Coulter took his first "steps" and is now independently mobile. It was in his room going for a Tigger book. We are very proud parents right now. I was going to take a video, but the memory card on the camera is very very very full. We will have something up soon, including a video of a rock and roll drum solo by Coulter.

Stylin'

2009-04-26T11:21:00.001-07:00

More Spring Photos

2009-04-22T15:57:00.001-07:00

Spring Has Sprung

2009-04-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

Coulter loves the outdoors and is happiest when the sun is shining, so these past few days have been a welcome break from the rain! Coulter received some musical instruments for his first birthday and the drums are a huge hit!! We also got together with Olivia for lunch at the French Bakery...Olivia is about 4 hours older than Coulter, so it is fun to see them together...I think he likes older women.

Sesame Street Rocks, Mom!

2009-04-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

First Birthday Cake!!

2009-04-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Check out the amazing cake Sean made for Coulter. Coulter immediately went for the rice crispy treat canon on the pirate ship.

Big Birthday!!!!!!!

2009-04-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

We are hoping Coulter starts to feel better soon...he has had a high fever since Wednesday. Sean is also hacking and sneezing like crazy. The doctors don't seem worried about Coulter (we have had him in once and mom calls daily...imagine that) so we are just going to keep him cool and comfortable until the fever breaks. Despite the fact that Coulter has been sick most of the week, Sean and I insisted that he have a small celebration today so we took him to have his first cupcake at Saint Cupcake in NW Portland.

We picked out four different types of cakes...German Chocolate (mom's fav), hot fudge, vanilla buttercream and chocolate cream cheese. Coulter took absolutely no interest in eating any of the cakes. He was, however, quite intrigued with the candle and tried to poke all of us in the eye with it.

In other exciting news, the Casey Family sent a balloon-a-gram today. Coulter got a kick out of the colorful balloon..thanks Caseys!! Anne took Coulter for a walk at dinnertime so Sean and I could have an adult dinner (THANK YOU, ANNE!!)...Sean made an amazing meal of blue cheese stuffed bacon wrapped chicken and garlic mashers.

All around a wonderful day...even if the boys were a bit under the weather.

364 Days Ago...

2009-04-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

..I had no idea how much I could love another human being. I really thought I understood parenting...I knew it would be challenging and tiring at times and that I would need to dig deep to find patience during a 4AM screaming session. I also thought I could envision the love and pride I would feel every time I looked at this child. I have come to realize something that all moms know...there is no love in this world greater than the love you have for your child. No matter how much spit up or how many dirty diapers, or midnight crying jags you deal with...it all seems to be worth it when that toothless grin greets you first thing in the morning and your child plants a wide open mouth "kiss" on your cheek.

This has been a wild year...filled with highs and lows and I couldn't imagine it any other way. We had a bit of a rough start, true...and that experience changed me forever. I have had many titles in my life...but being Coulter's mom is by far my favorite.

Happy "almost" birthday, to my beautiful baby boy...you have made our lives complete.

Photo Shoot

2009-03-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from Coulter's first shoot at Sears. The industry asks a lot of kids these days....he was exhausted from holding the poses for so long.

The Music Man

2009-03-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

Coulter was at Sam's house yesterday for Sam's first birthday party and had the chance to sample all of Sam's new toys. We found he loved the drum and the music station, so we came home and created a free version of the toys based on what we had available in the kitchen cabinets. Coulter didn't seem to notice the fact that we swapped the drum stick for a metal whisk!

Bath Time!

2009-03-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

2009-03-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Almost one!

2009-03-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

11 Months Old!

2009-03-07T14:17:00.001-08:00

2009-03-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

Finally! Something new

2009-02-24T06:19:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post that something new and exciting has happened here at the Seidell household. It's happened twice already and it may be the start of a trend (and hopefully this post doesn't jinx it)... Coulter is mostly sleeping through the night! He is only waking up a few times in the night instead of almost hourly as he has done for most of his life.

This means that Nichole and Sean are starting to get some sleep. This is huge. We've conditioned ourselves to be productive members of society on a minimum of 3 hours - not bright eyed or bushy tailed members but productive (as measured on a subjective and sliding scale). For months, we've begged and pleaded for more sleep but our request have not been heard, or understood, by the 20 lb task master.

Coulter is showing signs of development by the day. Not just the sleeping, but also in verbal (he now says "Momma" and "Dadada") and in recognition (he claps wildly when he sees someone he knows). He makes signs for "milk" and "pick me up". He has one confirmed tooth and two more suspected teeth. He rolls like a champ. He can sit and wobble. He can stand and wobble. He jumps around like a wildman in his Johnny Jump-up and in his Evenflo "Bouncy Play Saucer" (is there a real name for that thing?). He's eating more and more solids such as Soy Chicken Nuggets (aka Fuggets = Fake + Nuggets), Cheerios, Soy Beef Patties (Fatties?), and every self-feeding toddler Graduate food product known to the Universe.

He's turning into a real boy. It's pretty amazing to watch Coulter develop and mature by the day. Recently we've been revisiting photos and blogs of Coulter's early days in the NICU as we've been getting involved in fundraising for the March of Dimes, and are surprised to see just how far the little guy has come from his humble 2lb 15oz beginning to now.

It just never seemed like we'd get here. However I know that I'll be saying the same thing again when he takes his first steps, goes to his first day of school, rides a bike, gets braces (it's in the genes), shaves, drives a car, goes to college, etc.

Little guy is not so little anymore :)

2009-02-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

So Coulter has developed a voracious appetite...I think we may take the money we put in the 529 account and invest in some stocks so we can afford to feed him as a teenager. Note to self: consult hubby on stock idea. Anyway, we are having a great time watching Coulter explore new foods and express himself verbally and physically. In the past two weeks, he has:

-learned to clap
-started dancing when he hears music
-started using "mama" and "dada" fairly frequently
-developed a taste for "fake" chicken nuggets...which we now call fuggets
-made a few new friends- Sam, Rosie, and Aly
-started shaking his head "no" to every question you ask him
-begun to raise himself up and scoot backwards to get where he wants to go
-grown a tooth!!!

This momma is tired, to say the least :) I can barely manage to return a phone call and issue an invoice in a two week period!

The Men in My Life...

2009-02-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

Like father, like son...the two guys that stole my heart :)

March of Dimes Walk!

2009-02-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

Sean and I are planning to walk in this year's March of Dimes Walk in Portland on April 25th.

We are walking on "Team Coulter" in honor of our guy's first birthday. We would appreciate any donations to the cause.

Check out the link here:

http://www.marchforbabies.org/teams/633500

Thank you!

First Words

2009-02-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

It's official, Coulter says, "Da Da"...I of course had visions of Coulter's first words (or sentence) sounding more like, "Hey Mom, you look fabulous.." However, I suppose Da Da is good too :) Life is exciting here...so many changes on a daily basis. Rolling over, starting to belly scoot, "talking" like crazy....and that's just Sean's progress. Coulter is also developing at a rapid pace. Here are some recent photos.

Coulter goes to Philadelphia

2009-01-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello from Philadelphia. Where it's cold and sunny, the architecture is beautiul and historic, President-Elect Barack Obama has been passing through (yay!), and Coulter is visiting for the very first time.

Coulter has a really big family on the East Coast. So far he's visited with his grandma and grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins (Hi Catie, Beth, and Kevin!), friends (Hi DK and Ali!) and both of his great-grandfathers Pop Haggerty and Pop Coulter. We have video of Coulter meeting his Great Granddads to post, but that will have to wait until we return to Portland.

The flight out for Coulter was "good" as airlines go these days. We were worried that his ears would bother him and he'd be a screamer but he was perfect. He laughed, he looked around, he "talked", and he slept. There was a woman on her way from Portland to North Carolina to visit her grandkids sitting across the aisle from us who gave us another set of arms to hold Coulter during the 4.5 hour flight. We think that Coulter she wanted to hold Coulter as a just a warm up for her visit. It's a lot of holding and the help was welcome.

Sean was in the exit row and held sleeping Coulter for about 2 minutes when a flight attendant ran up to him and started shouting FAA regulations prohibit you from holding an infant in your arms at any time during the flight while seated in the emergency exit row... it went on. From that point on we just switched seats entirely when we needed to trade holding Coulter.

Coulter has loved visiting the grandparents. He's received a non-stop supply of love and affection for the last 3 days. All through the visit he has laughed, slept, and drooled. He's a real charmer.

Tomorrow night we fly out and back to Portland. I'll try to get the videos of Coulter's visit up during the week.

Seidell Family Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T20:07:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from Christmas morning and our trip up to Seattle to see Cara, Kent, Steve, and Anna. Coulter was showered with gifts (as were we) and we had a great time seeing everyone.

Cara is showing (due on April 10th with Baby Girl Channing) and looks so cute with her baby bump. We played some intense games of Wii bowling...with all but Nichole hitting pro status....I guess I should have stayed up until 3 AM trying (ahhhem, Sean).

Snow Days and Binge Eating

2008-12-24T21:02:00.001-08:00

We all have a tendency to overeat when stuck in the house during the holidays. Coulter figured out how to call Pizza-a-Go-Go the other day and helped himself to a large pepperoni pizza! Mom and dad had the beer that must accompany pizza :)

Coulter's First Typed Words

2008-12-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

Coulter got on the computer today and wrote some of his thoughts in a word document. As parents we are beaming with pride. Coulter says:

T d wa., ;m, mmnb tfv hnmh gvbgsdr67ju6cad
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
crtb vn

Vecv z jhvh

And a Merry Vecv z jhvh to us all!

Arctic Blast- 2008

2008-12-21T15:06:00.001-08:00

Oliva and her bodyguard

2008-12-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

Love this photo of Coulter with Olivia (Jen's baby born the same day as Coulter). If I were being artistic I would call the photo "Fire and Ice".

I have no idea where Coulter got that tough guy glare, but I want to caption it with, "What you mean the tooth fairy isn't coming? Maybe I need to knock out some teeth... know what I'm sayin' Guy Smiley? Hey Olivia, this date's on me."

Coulter Meets Santa

2008-12-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

Coulter was a total champ...he gave us a brief smile so we could capture this photo for this year's holiday cards (you may get them as an after Christmas treat..sometime in '09).

I can't believe that the little guy we first met on April 4th of this year has grown into this boy. I love watching him become his own person and experience the world around him in a new way every day. Eight months ago I wasn't sure how things would look for our family by Christmas...I just didn't think it could be this good.

Sean and I were just saying that now that Coulter is here, we can't even imagine a time when he wasn't. He was meant to be our kid. I am sure of that...and I feel so fortunate that he is a healthy and happy baby. 2008 has been a challenging year....bring on 2009!!!

It's going to be a great year!

Winter 2008

2008-12-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

A few fun photos of the C-Bug from Baby Gym with Anne, play date with Oliver, and trying out the Johnny Jump-up.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

There is so much that Sean and I have to be thankful for this year....but the main character is about 18 lbs and stands 28 inches tall....here are photos from Coulter's first Thanksgiving. We spent a wonderful day with Danielle, Tim, Adrien, and Cole at their house. We had a delicious meal and spent some quality time with Cole and Adrien.

Thanks Duvall-Weathers Family!!!!

2008-11-25T20:05:00.001-08:00

This week Coulter, mom, and Dad went to the park to play on the swings...this is a huge hit. I think Coulter likes the swings because he can sit comfortably while looking at all the other kids running around the playground. He always needs to know what's happening...it's funny to watch your child have so many familiar idiosyncrasies... :)

Anne and Coulter went to the Art Museum this week too! Coulter is a real man about town on the days he is with Anne! Coulter's friend Avery came over to play on Saturday and we broke out the old school Sesame Street playhouses that were Mom's when she was a kid.

2008-11-21T14:46:00.001-08:00

7 Months Old

2008-11-15T23:31:00.000-08:00

Coulter Addresses the Nation from his Exersaucer

2008-11-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

Coulter has been finding his voice by watching reruns of Flipper and would like to share some words with you.

Going Mobile...

2008-11-07T13:10:00.001-08:00

Coulter loves being on his tummy and is starting to roll and reach for things within his view...I suspect we need to start preparing ourselves for the days of crawling. He has also started "talking" quite a bit...at this point it is a high pitched scream that makes Morgan run from the room.

Pictures with the New Camera!!!!

2008-11-02T20:36:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos taken with the new camera Sean's parents got me for my b-day!

I was asking him the sign for "dog"...this was not the response I expected....

Coulter looks so much like his daddy in this one.

Sweet potatoes are DELICIOUS!!!

...and the Bee Goes Buzz Buzz Buzz

2008-10-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

Go Phillies!

2008-10-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

What's that you say, the Phillies won???

Coulter is rooting for mom's hometown team this year.....

Coulter Visits the Great Pumpkin

2008-10-13T14:48:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa (aka "Nibor") are visiting from California this weekend and helped Coulter pick out his first Pumpkin at Sauvie's Island this weekend.

Coulter's pumpkin is 25lbs. Coulter is 14lbs. Joined together they create a 39lb, two headed, festive microlith of Halloween goodness.

Coulter, Nichole, and G-Mom at the Pumpkin Patch U-Pick Flowers.

G-Dad and Coulter displaying the day's flower harvest.

Riding the hayride to the Pumpkin Patch was a highlight for Nichole who could barely contain her excitement.

Coulter and the new toys

2008-09-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

Enter rattle and exersaucer into the picture...Coulter is a happy man!!!

Weekend in Newport, OR

2008-09-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

We took Coulter to see the Oregon Coast Aquarium last weekend. It was about a 3.5 hour drive south to Newport....Coulter tested his lungs for most of the trip....he and Morgan had a choir going in the backseat.

Once we arrived at the beach, Coulter calmed down quite a bit. It must be the sea air....all three of us were able to relax, we even slept for 8 hours each of the nights we stayed at the beach!!!

Coulter loved the fish at the aquarium, he was particularly enthralled by the jellyfish.

Summer Fun!

2008-09-15T10:15:00.001-07:00

These past few weeks have been filled with fun activities....Aunt Dani visited from Philadelphia, we attended several weddings, Anne took Coulter to the Zoo to meet the new baby elephant, and we spent the day at the Edgefield with Aunt Cara and Uncle Kent.

Coulter is almost 13.5 pounds, he reaches for toys and grabs them. He also loves to be sung and read to....an all around healthy 5.5 month old! We fall in love with him more every day and can't believe how far he's come since April 4th!

Coulter at the Zoo looking at the fish

Reading "Horton Hears a Who" with Aunt Dani

Meeting the bunnies at the Sauvie Island Farm

Learning to sit up on the sofa

Hanging out at Peninsula Park

QT with Daddy

Sauvie's Island

2008-09-02T08:58:00.001-07:00

Coulter really liked Reeder Beach and Berry Picking at Sauvie's Island. He got to see chickens, pigs, and llamas. We picked berries and flowers and wandered around the Pumpkin Patch and the Sauvie Farm Berry Farm. It was a great Monday afternoon.

We finally have a photo of Anne. Coulter is pretty smitten with her and we are really really really lucky to have her. She's wonderful.

Little guy can finally look out from the Baby Bjorn. He's got great neck control and is on the verge of talking.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

2008-08-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sean and I have been enjoying watching what makes Coulter laugh. You have to have a sense of humor to fit into this family....laughing at daddy's political jokes and mommy's bad rendition of Broadway show tunes is a must! Also, discovering his own hands and feet has proved to be wildly entertaining.

Coulter is developing a really lively personality...he is a tremendously happy baby!

2008-08-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

A Sheyn Ponem!

2008-08-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

I got a photo of Anne and Coulter!!

2008-08-09T10:45:00.001-07:00

I'm staying in my slippers today

2008-08-06T09:43:00.001-07:00

We had a rough night of sleep (no sleep) last night. Coulter has decided that we need to lounge in our slippers this morning, I think Coulter is brilliant!

I fell off the wagon....

2008-08-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

We haven't posted for a while and we've been receiving lots of complaints about the lack of photos....the last 2 weeks have included a trip from Gramma Seidell, Coulter's first belly laughs, and lots of bonding with Anne (I have yet to get a photo of Anne and Coulter)!

I start back to work this week...which I think will be good for me. I am looking forward to going 8 hours without someone spitting up on me.

Here are some photos of our adventures over the last few weeks:

First Trip to the Oregon Zoo

2008-07-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderfully relaxing weekend....no work on the house!! We spent Sunday at the Zoo....here are a few photos.

Just a few photos...more posting later

2008-07-19T14:28:00.001-07:00

I've found the WMDs

2008-07-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

In my spare time, I would love to write a book for new parents that describes in detail what the lovely and polite "What to Expect.." series fails to tell you.

It turns out that if left to grow on their own, baby fingernails and toenails can act as weapons of mass destruction. There is nothing quite like being woken up at 4 in the morning because you are having a nightmare that you are being attacked by a bobcat only to find it is your dear sweet son cuddling up next to you and scraping you to bits.

In other news, Anne moved in on Wednesday. We got the downstairs ready just in time for her arrival. It looks great!! Anne will start staying with Coulter in August when I go back to work.

Here are a few photos of the downstairs. For those of you who have been here and remember the "walk in closet" room, we have done away with that and created another sitting area.

Milestones...

2008-07-15T11:58:00.001-07:00

Coulter is starting to do lots of fun things...he is very expressive and smiles and talks to us all the time (day and night). He has started rolling from side to side and when he is on his tummy he lifts and turns his head!! This is all wonderful news since preemies can sometimes have issues with motor skills....we are very much enjoying his daily developments!!

Words of Wisdom from OshKosh B'Gosh

2008-07-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Coulter has these adorable overalls that finally fit him. Now I know that we all teach our children the basics....be kind, show compassion, respect one another, don't run with scissors, and so on....but here's one that was new to me, "always smile at a crocodile.." it's short and catchy, it rhymes and who knows...maybe it'll come in handy some day. I'm thinking the same advice might not work as well with a gorilla....must remember to clarify this lesson with Coulter in a few years.

What a Face!

2008-07-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

There are many days when it is hard for me to believe just how lucky I am to be the mother of this incredible little baby who looks almost exactly like my adorable husband....

Then I catch a face like this and I remember that Coulter gets half his genes from me....

Holiday Weekend Photos

2008-07-07T10:45:00.001-07:00

This weekend we had loads of fun. We hung out in the Pearl and took Coulter to his first "First Thursday" event (note: restaurants in the Pearl do not cater to newborns....changing diapers became a real challenge). We had a great time at happy hour and playing in the fountain at Jamison Square. On Friday, we took a hike with Morgan...she was a happy pup.

We headed up to Seattle to see Aunt Cara and Uncle Kent and their brand new kitchen. We also got to see Jeff and Fumi while we were there. Cara took on diaper duty for 2 full days...that was a real treat ;) Coulter got lots of love from his aunt and uncle....looking forward to another trip!

Such a wonderful and relaxing weekend!!

Cute Stuff

2008-07-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

Lots of Pictures, Few Words

2008-06-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of our favorite photos from this weekend (trip to Ikea, beer fest, and lounging in the air conditoned house)!

Coulter and Olivia at the French Bakery

2008-06-26T11:59:00.001-07:00

Coulter and I spent a lovely day with Jen and Olivia (Olivia and Coulter were born on the same day!) yesterday. We went for a long walk in the park and then ate at the French Bakery. All of this socializing made Coulter very tired!

Sunday in the Park

2008-06-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the City of Portland sponsored "Sunday in the Park"- local roads in North Portland were closed to cars and were open for running, walking, biking, and strolling. We had a great time listening to the music and watching hoola-hoopers, dancers, and stilt walkers at the local parks.

In other news, Morgan may just be able to live with Coulter afterall.....

The Happiest Mommy on the Block

2008-06-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

I got 11 hours of sleep in the past 24 hours! Mind you, not 11 consecutive hours...more like bits and pieces of sleep, but either way,I'll take it! I haven't felt this awake since....hmmm...I'm going to say October? Between the intense morning sickness and the early labor and the NICU, sleeping well hasn't been in the cards for me...but this morning, I feel like a new person!

Sean and Coulter also slept in.....

We are all so well rested today...

Coulter met some new friends (Rick and Nedra) yesterday....Rick, I hope you are recovering from the massive amounts of baby exposure you received last night!

Getting so big!

2008-06-18T10:19:00.001-07:00

Due Date Tomorrow...

2008-06-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

As Coulter's due date approaches, I am thinking about how much he has grown in the past 11 weeks....take a look-see.

April 4th- Coulter's Birthday (2lbs. 15 oz. and 15 inches)

One Month Old (4 lbs. 5 oz. and 17 inches)

Two Months Old (5 lbs. 11 oz. and 19 inches)

Due Date (~6 lbs. and 20 inches)

The Dog, Sleeping, and Pools of Blood?

2008-06-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

Things are starting to suggest "normal" now that Coulter is out of the NICU, living at home, and doing great. There's been a thousand small adjustments over the past couple of weeks, but they all are becoming part of the routine and it's working out just fine.

Things that have been part of the adjustments:

Morgan Morgan was not a fan of the little guy when he came home - she didn't growl or anything, but she was just terrified by Coulter. She must have been thinking something along the lines of, "What is it? What is it doing here? Why are you paying so much attention to it? Why am I not getting my walk yet?" She's been hanging out in our peripheral vision for the past couple of weeks, and is just now starting to get used to Coulter being home. Last night she came over and gave Coulter a few soft licks on the cheek and then jumped on the sofa and burrowed in next to my thigh. Once Coulter gets on solid food and starts flinging it in the kitchen I'm sure that Morgan will have a new best friend in him... especially licking his hands when covered in food.

Sleep
There is a great trait that Coulter picked up at the NICU - he's oblivious to noise. He can sleep through anything. Noise has no affect on him when he's sleeping. At the NICU there'd be beeping, alarms, talking, babies wailing all hours of the day, so now when he sleeps nothing bothers him. We talk, watch movies, have music playing, and none of this phases the little guy. He's a trooper. Even when he's next to another baby who's crying he falls asleep and tries to snuggle into that baby. At first we were getting very little sleep when Coulter came home, but once we learned how he likes to sleep, we are now getting 4 and 5 hours stretches of sleep at a time.

Diapers
We just aren't having success with the cloth diapers. We tried and they just aren't working. It might be that there isn't enough cloth to contain all the urine. It might be that the outwear isn't waterproof enough. It might be that Mercury is in retrograde. Whatever it is the cloth diapers aren't working out. We're using 7th Generation diapers 90% of the time now. We're planning on giving the cloth diapers another go once he's bigger and has more cloth to absorb the wetness. What's for certain is that he's a lot more comfortable in 7th Gen diapers than he is in the cloth ones.

Vaccinations & Pediatricians
We've so far had two pediatricians. We'd been faxing over daily reports to the first one while Coulter was in the NICU and when we went in for the first Well Baby check up she hadn't a clue what Coulter had been through... she hadn't read a thing that had been sent for the past several weeks. When Nichole brought up that we didn't want to do the all-in-one vaccination or the Hep-B due to the mercury in the shot and the possible autism link, she said that there's no evidence to support that mercury is linked to autism and dismissed the concern. Also the doctor felt that the baby should have his Hep-B vaccination in case he's exposed to "pools of infected blood on the playground". First, Nichole, as you know, is as sharp as a tack and really knows biology, so this didn't fly....what about the extensive studies that were done on a medication called Thalidomide to aliviate morning sickness and babies that were being born without arms because of the medicine? In short, the "extensive studies" explanation didn't put any concerns to rest. Second, I don't know what hell-hole playground features "pools of blood" but I just don't think that's the one that we're going to be frequenting. In addition if he's going to be at risk for Hep-B due to sharing needles or having unprotected, rough sex, then we've failed as parents... especially if he's doing these things as an infant.

The second pediatrician is great. She's up at OHSU. She knew everything that had been going on with Coulter. She concurred that the mercury-autism link concern is valid and agreed to give him his vaccinations over a series of shots, rather than an all in one with a mercury preservative. She also didn't think that he was at risk for Hep-B as long as Coulter stayed away from sharing needles, unprotected sex, and playgrounds featuring Pools of Infected Blood.

So Coulter is home. Nichole is home until August 1st, when she goes back to work. Our awesome nanny, Anne is moving in July 15th. The downstairs apartment is almost done. We're putting bamboo floors and new lighting fixtures in this weekend. It's going to be the best looking space in the house... next to Coulter's room. The sun is finally out in Portland (Seriously this has been the longest winter ever! We skipped Spring entirely.) Not to jinx anything, but things are good right now. Coulter is healthy and home - and that's good enough for us.

A Beautiful Sunday in Portland....

2008-06-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

Finally, we got a bit of sun yesterday. We tried out the BOB stroller in Forrest Park and stopped for a bit of a nosh at the French Bakery. Coulter loves the sunshine!! Wait until he figures out that we live in Portland...sorry, little guy!

I will call him, "mini-me"

2008-06-06T09:52:00.000-07:00

Where does the day go??

2008-06-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Pre-Coulter, I naively believed that once the baby was home and napping peacefully in his crib, I would have loads and loads of time to catch up on some reading, organize the filing cabinet, and have all the laundry done. Once the nap was over and Coulter was well rested, I envisioned myself taking long walks on sunny days with the dog and the baby in tow while I drank a latte and ate French pastry (afterall, I was supposed to drop every ounce I gained during pregnancy by this point, right?)...here's the reality...

We wake up and bathe...

Mom decides on adorable outfit and carefully chooses hat and socks to match...

Coulter pukes on said outfit...we change again..

..and again after a brief nap...

...and one last time (sure) before dinner...

It's my own personal night at the Oscars around here...."Coulter, Coulter...who ARE you wearing.."?

I am hoping to leave my pajamas today.... ;)

All that being said, I wouldn't trade one second of my life right now for anything else in the world. I love being Coulter's mom and I am so happy he chose me for the job.

Fatherhood Day Five

2008-06-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

You humble me
with a downy cheek

resting on my chest.

Listening

to your rapid grunting

breath
gives direction to my own -
deeply quiet.

Today

the world is
5 pounds 8 ounces.

Your world is
patiently waiting for you

to wake up

and grow.

It's late

Sunday Morning
and we are both still
wearing our pajamas.

Photo Slide Show of Coulter now Online

2008-05-31T10:33:00.001-07:00

Elle, our awesome wedding photographer [link to wedding photos - no password needed] (who is hugely talented, but refuses to properly market herself and should be hired by everyone for weddings, births and bar/bat mitzvahs), came over yesterday and gave Coulter a photoshoot. She already has the photos up online in a photoshow featuring the tunes of Randy Newman. We just watched it several times in a row. It's amazing.

http://www.zoberbabies.com/coulter/

Shameless endorsement and plug for Elle: You can purchase prints of Coulter from Elle on the website. Just email her telling which photo you would like, such as "Coulter dsc_0301" and she'll have them printed and sent to you.

First week at home with Senor Fussypants....

2008-05-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

We have come up with many many nicknames for Coulter....this week he is Senor Fussypants....

Sean and I are completly in love (and we like the baby too... :)

Here are some recent photos....hope you enjoy!

Photos from the Homecoming.....

2008-05-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

I'm 6 years old again and its Christmas Eve...

2008-05-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

.....that's how I feel right now as I prepare for the last full night of sleep we might get for a few months (years?). I can't believe we get to bring Coulter home tomorrow. I am excited and anxious and so in love with this little peanut. I can't wait to be a mom....here...in our house...with our baby...it's all going to be ok...and I can say that now.

Oh boy- now the fun begins! Stay posted!

53 days to Tuesday

2008-05-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

A photo from Mom's Sleepover Last Night with Coulter in the NICU

Coulter is coming home on Tuesday. He's healthy. He's nearly 5 and a half pounds. He's feeding on bottle or breast without any gavage assistance. He's on room air. He's pooping like a champ. All systems are go. Only a brainscan and a car seat challenge stand between him and the exit. After 53 days in the NICU he's finally coming home.

These have been the longest 53 days Nichole and I have ever experienced. Years have passed in less time than these 53 days. Finally the emotional roller coaster of the NICU is nearly over. The routine of getting to the NICU by 8 AM everyday for feeding and changing is almost done. Wearing green wrist bands signifying NICU parent. Eating at the Emanuel Heartbeat Cafe. Picking up the phone outside the NICU and stating that we're not currently infectious with any disease or illness so we can come in. Waiting outside the NICU with other NICU parents until 8 AM or 8PM when the NICU opens so we can enter and see Coulter. Being asked if we've seen the film Period of Purple Crying about how to avoid causing shaken baby syndrome. Scrubbing-In every time we enter the NICU. Being continually interrupted by people and noises as Coulter learns to breastfeed. Being given a time limit for how long Coulter can learn to latch-on before a gavage is used for his feeding. Wrangling chairs from around the NICU to sit next to Coulter's crib. Neonatal monitors with alarms and warning lights. Wires and tubes that have to be negotiated every time Coulter is moved or held. Wrestling with medical staff over use of fortifier supplements in the breast milk. Discussing the link between Autism and the Hep-B vaccination and how people think that he's going to be exposed to "pools of blood" so he'd better get the shot now while he's an infant. Temperature probes. IVs. PICC lines. Being suspected of doing street drugs which may have caused early labor each time we get a new nurse and later getting the, "I didn't mean to talk down to you, it's just that we get a variety of people in here" talk. Getting a heart pang every time a phone number starting with 413 calls to let us know how Coulter is doing (sometimes good and sometimes not so good). The frustration. The lack of control. The lack of privacy. The heart ache. The emotions ranging from elation to terror as Coulter's made non-linear progress and his need for medical assistance varied. Being a NICU parent in general. Nearly done.

At the same time we are so grateful for the NICU. If the Emanuel NICU weren't so phenomenal Coulter wouldn't be as healthy as he is. The staff at Emanuel made this impossible time do-able. Dr. Lara "Rockstar" Williams who probably saved Coulter's life by catching his premature arrival early enough to get medical intervention in place and brought us through a sleepless 10 days in the hospital with an amazing birth. Dr. Baxter and Dr. Lewellen demonstrated great skill and knowledge to Coulter's care. They gave honest and plain explanations regarding Coulter's health without sugar-coating the truth which helped us cope honestly with the severity of Coulter's condition. As for Coulter's nurses, Christy K., Christina, Nan, and Linda, they have been the day-to-day hands-on granite foundation that have helped get us through these 53 days. Christy's humor (razor sharp, a little twisted, and a touch of Manilow) and skill made the NICU a little more "normal" and the darkest times do-able. Christina's big personality that would light up the room and make a sterile environment seem warm and inviting. Nan's seen-it-all done-it-all we're-gonna-get-through-this-just-fine I've-been-here-for-30-years-and-I'm-retiring-next-year attitude kept anxiety at a minimum when things got scary. Linda's attentiveness to Coulter, when he went from Bunnies back to Ducks, kept a developing situation from getting worse. If you are reading this - Thank you so much for everything. You are amazing. If Coulter was a girl he'd probably have been renamed "Dr. Lara Chri2nanda" or some variation by now.

Nichole is going to... Pump You Up

2008-05-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Medella breast pump is the hardest working appliance we own. It's a fixture in Nichole's daily routine and every 3 hours it becomes a fixture on her. It makes a whoaka whoaka whoaka sound that has become the background theme music of our life. Conversations in our house sound like this:

"Sean did you walk whoaka Morgan this morning whoaka?"
"No not whoaka yet, I'm looking for whoaka her collar."
"I whoaka think I saw whoaka it downstairs next to her whoaka bed."
"Should we take whoaka one car whoaka to the NICU or should whoaka I take the whoaka scooter?"
"Why don't whoaka you take the whoaka scooter so I can whoaka go to the whoaka paint store while you are whoaka at work."

The whole point of all of this whoaka-ing is two part. First it gives us the ability to build up an ample supply of surplus breast milk for Coulter to feed him when Nichole isn't around - like Fridays with Dad. Second it keeps Nichole's milk production up while we wait (and wait) for Coulter's arrival home when he'll get fed when he needs it. Above is a picture of our Milk surplus. We've run out of room in the downstairs freezer. It's now being held in the upstairs freezer. It's creeping into every cold storage area in our life. Apparently breast milk can stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months. Each one of the bottles is dated and timed so we know just how long it will stay good for and if we need to rotate it to the front or if we can keep in the deeper part of the freezer.

Nichole has been a champ about pumping while Coulter has been in the NICU. It's been painful, inconvenient, and relentless. She's up at all hours maintaining her pumping schedule. Her life is divided into 3 hour section-ettes between pumping sessions. If we do something outside the house she gets strategic. She pumps just before leaving, keeps the pump in the car in case it's a pumping emergency, and pumps when she comes home again. She even pumped while walking around the block looking for Morgan last Saturday (she was covered up but she admitted that it must have looked strange).

There's a happy part to this breast pumping story... it looks like it's going to curtail in the next few days. Maybe even by Wednesday. Coulter is off oxygen and saturating between 90% and 100% on his own. He's now taking full feeds by bottle and breast almost every feed which means that his gavage (aka feeding tube) will be coming out. His apnea have become almost imperceptibly faint and infrequent. His bradycardia's dip and recover so fast that if you aren't watching the monitor you wouldn't know that the warning bing came from Coulter's monitor.

It looks like Coulter might be coming home next week. No promises are being made, but it's on the table of possibilities. A good sign of things to come is his car seat is at the NICU waiting for the Car Seat Challenge -a test where he keeps his stats up while seated in a reclined 45 degree position. This is a requirement he must pass before he can get discharged from the hospital.

We are out of the whoaka woods now. Looks like Coulter is whoaka doing great and on his whoaka way home. Can't believe whoaka he will actually live whoaka here with us whoaka. It doesn't seem whoaka real. At times we've felt whoaka he would graduate from whoaka college while in the whoaka NICU. After all of this whoaka I think we're ready to stop renting whoaka our son from the NICU and ready to whoaka own. Whoaka.

Snuggle Time with the Peanut

2008-05-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

Looking for something to do??...Love to paint or install flooring??...C'mon over!!

2008-05-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

Coulter is doing really well and is up to 5 lbs. 4 oz. his parents are in need of some medical treatment, however, here's the scoop:

If someone else was telling me this story, I am sure I wouldn't believe it....here are the events of our weekend:

Friday night- come home from NICU to discover that air condition unit has leaked into the refinished basement (future nanny's quarters). At that point, the damage looked minimal. We set up a fan and febreezed the place. Hoping some good ol' fashion fresh air would take care of the issue....crisis averted...

Saturday- attempt to prepare house for arrival of baby C and his nanny...have the garage door open and the back gate ajar. Ms. Morgan (puppy dog) decided to take herself on a stroll (which is very common for Morgs) and gets picked up two doors down by a merry band of "do-gooders" who think that she is a poor poor neglected dog who must be dying in the heat. Of course, Morgan's collar was not on, so these "helpers" have no way of calling us and they pick her up and drive her away in their car. In the meantime, we spend 4ish hours posting signs, knocking on doors, etc. until a lady in the neighborhood calls me to say that she saw our sign and thinks it matches a posting on CraigsList. We call CL posters (aka the do-gooders) and they are not answering. They call us back an hour later from a party and confirm, they do indeed have Morgan and we can come pick her up....crisis averted (well, sort of...) Note to self- talk to Morgan about "Stranger Danger."

Sunday (morning)- Morgan wakes up limping and doing gross things that dogs do when they have eaten something bad....what did the do-gooders do with our dog? Sean calls them to ask- Sean and do-gooders have BAD BAD interaction. We are deemed terrible parents by do-gooders...they feel like they have karma on their side....I hope we meet in the afterlife.

Sunday (late afternoon)- We smell something terrible in the basement (this is not the smell of good cheese)...upon investigating, we find that the leak on Friday actually did seep through the carpet and the carpet pad...we need to remove carpet immediately...crisis averted (?)

Universe, I surrender. You are indeed stronger than me....I concede.....and all I have left to say is, "SERENITY NOW!!"

If any of you love to paint and/or install flooring- call us...we now realize that we can't do this all on our own....we are at the point where this stuff has become comical....come on over and share the laughs! There will be some beer in it for you.....and a few for me as well....catch me between pumping.

Riding the waves...

2008-05-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

We received this amazing email from our friend Heidi. She and her hubby live in Hood River and clearly enjoy the water analogies...I love this...although I would run screaming from a surfboard, I think this really captures what we are going through.

Thanks, Heidi, Tony and Eli!

So, it's like you took one on the head and then you hit the bottom, and then all the air is knocked out of your lungs and you are tumbling around getting rag dolled like you're in a washing machine. You don't know up from down so you don't know which way to swim and you start to lose consciousness and then rise to the surface. You gasp for air and get some, luckily. You look up and another wave is about to crush you and this time you don't hit bottom, you keep your air, you swim to the top and think "I've gotta get in" and so you paddle in as fast as you can and actually manage to catch a great wave on the way. You get the barrel of your lifetime and you arrive on the beach where your hot wife is waiting in her bikini looking sexy as hell.

You sit down and she hands you an ice cold beer and you look around...you're in Hawaii or some other version of a tropical paradise and you think to yourself...WOW, it was worth it! I'm not saying it wasn't rough but it was worth it and now look...I'm kicking it on the beach with my babe in paradise.

Pix from Saturday, May 17th

2008-05-17T14:08:00.001-07:00

Belly Time

2008-05-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

The doctors have a new approach to Coulter's breathing issues. They seem to be caused by gas and acid reflux. To combat this, we have him on his belly and have elevated the bed. He also gets his feeding over an hour and a half time frame instead of the usual half hour.

I hope all this helps him breathe easier....which in turn will help Sean and I do the same.

Trouble breathing = few more weeks in the NICU

2008-05-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

I have been spending most of my days at the NICU- preparing myself for what a normal day in the world of Coulter looks like. I now see how many bradys (bradycardia) and apneas he has during a typical day. It gives me a heart attack every time. Basically, when he has a "brady" his heart slows down considerably. It will be beating along just fine at ~150-170 bpm and then all of a sudden, he is plummeting to ~80 bpm. At the same time, he will just up and "forget" to breathe...which also makes his O2 saturations decrease from ~85-95% (comfortable O2 levels for babies) to ~50-60%....at which time he turns blue.

I heard from the doctor today that since all of these "episodes" keep happening as often as they do, the projected date for getting Coulter home is more realistically closer to my due date (June 17). I was really hoping for Sean's birthday (that was yesterday). I guess I should know by now not to have my heart set on a date.

As a new mom, this is all incredibly stressful. I wish I could keep this blog to just the happy, funny, and upbeat stuff but I also want to keep it real. I am tired, I am stressed, I am just plain sick of leaving our son at the hospital every day and every night. I am heartbroken and exhausted. I used to think I was tough....and then I had a child and found out what it means to have your heart in one place and your body in another. As Sean says, I want off this ride....and I want our baby home.