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| Sweet little booties made by Aunt Delly |
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| Sweet Mateo loves his tree! |
Welcome to our little space of the web.
After buying a cute little mill house in Five Points, renovating it and thinking we would never live anywhere else we decided to move. To a rancher. A pink rancher. So not us. But, it will be, with time, elbow grease and good contractors! From the first time we walked in the front door we knew we were home. The new house is right around the corner from my parent's house where I grew up. We are so excited for Matthew and Charlotte to grow up here, riding bikes, going to the pool, playing in the woods... my childhood was filled with freedom and wonder allowed by a safe neighborhood that I could explore and make my place in the world. I am thrilled we can give that to our children.
These days our blog is filled with the adventures of Mateo and Charlotte...mixed in with a few home projects and recipes. But mostly the kids take front and center. Join us on the adventure!
16.3.12
A little cuteness
Before we left for Louisiana I wanted to get some pics of Matthew in a few special outfits in his room.
4.3.12
Time Flies!
I can't believe I am over half way through maternity leave, Matthew will be 7 weeks old on Tuesday! Where has the time gone? On one hand, I can't wait to go back to work, but on the other I am dreading it. Thankfully I get to ease back into things and will only be working mornings for the first few weeks.
Matthew is growing like a weed and becoming more and more responsive and spends a little more time each day awake and interacting. He loves looking out the window and he discovered the tree and the birds in his nursery this week. He's even started smiling! It's so much fun to talk with him and show him our little corner of the world.
We try and get out at least once a day. My parents being so close has been a godsend in this regard. I typically pack up and go over to their house several times a week. LB is thrilled to spend some time with Matthew and I enjoy working on one of my "projects", whether its organizing photos, making the weekly food menu or running errands. Matthew even got to attend his first continuing education class with me :-)
My mom has declared that she has never met a baby that farts as much as Matthew. While it can be comical, it also indicates he is one gassy baby, which means a lot of discomfort for him after he eats. I am on the verge of committing to no dairy and no caffeine for the next 2 weeks to see if it helps anything. I honestly don't know if I can do it. More than 50% of my calories are coming from dairy these days and I simply adore my cafe mocha every day...
He is still sleeping in the rock-n-play. For a while now, I have been saying I am going to let him sleep in the living room, but every night I cave and put him next to me in our bedroom. I also say I am going to start putting him down during the day either in his crib or cradle so he can start getting used to sleeping on his back...that hasn't happened either :-)
Some of the nicknames that have cropped up over the last few weeks include:
- Wigglebug or Mr. Wiggles: for obvious reasons
- Robert M: one of my dad's best friends affectionately calls my father Robert L. and I had never noticed until the other evening at dinner - I just love it!
- Mateo: spanish version of Matthew
Other than the gas, he is a happy growing baby!
Matthew is growing like a weed and becoming more and more responsive and spends a little more time each day awake and interacting. He loves looking out the window and he discovered the tree and the birds in his nursery this week. He's even started smiling! It's so much fun to talk with him and show him our little corner of the world.
We try and get out at least once a day. My parents being so close has been a godsend in this regard. I typically pack up and go over to their house several times a week. LB is thrilled to spend some time with Matthew and I enjoy working on one of my "projects", whether its organizing photos, making the weekly food menu or running errands. Matthew even got to attend his first continuing education class with me :-)
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| Wigglebug on the play mat at LB's house! |
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| LB helping move some of that gas! |
He is still sleeping in the rock-n-play. For a while now, I have been saying I am going to let him sleep in the living room, but every night I cave and put him next to me in our bedroom. I also say I am going to start putting him down during the day either in his crib or cradle so he can start getting used to sleeping on his back...that hasn't happened either :-)
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| Snoozing in the rock-n-play |
- Wigglebug or Mr. Wiggles: for obvious reasons
- Robert M: one of my dad's best friends affectionately calls my father Robert L. and I had never noticed until the other evening at dinner - I just love it!
- Mateo: spanish version of Matthew
Other than the gas, he is a happy growing baby!
23.2.12
I am so proud
A few years ago after I returned home, I became good friends with a local physician. As we got to be friends, it turns out that she had worked with my dad over the years. Through her stories, I have been blessed with insight into my father's life that I never would have known otherwise.
She has shared with me many stories, but my favorite was the one about a Christmas morning many many years ago. She had an emergency case and needed a colon and rectal surgeon. My dad happened to be on call. It brought me such joy to be able to put a name and face to the many Christmas mornings that my father was called away to care for a patient.
Often, when I am out and about, someone will ask if I am Dr. Baird's daughter. They will then tell me the story about how dad saved a dear one's life and sing his praises. I can't tell you how proud I am to be Dr. Baird's daughter. It is my hope and prayer that at the end of it all, I will have brought goodness and joy to those closest to me as my father has done for his patients over the course of his career as a surgeon.
Dad retired (for the third and final time) this past January. Last night, we celebrated his service as a surgeon during the past four decades. One of the nurses in his office shared with us an article written by one of dad's patients about him. This was written many many years ago and still rings true today.
Dad, you are my hero. You have touched countless lives and your legacy will live on through your family, friends and all of the patients you served over the years. Thank you.
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| Robert M. all dressed up for the celebration! |
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| Enjoying the roast! |
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| Current and former surgeons at the Clinic for Colon and Rectal Surgery |
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| Original partners of the Clinic for Colon and Rectal Surgery |
18.2.12
Cousins
Erin, Whit and Abby came for a visit this past weekend. We had a great time!
We were hoping to get a few pictures of the cousins, but neither of them were terribly in the mood...after taking these pictures we decided it wasn't worth it upsetting them so much!
17.2.12
5.2.12
The Freshman Father
Ok. So Becky gave me the keys to 'our' blog and asked that I share a little on my perspective of all the goings-on of freshman parenthood. The past nineteen days since the birth of RM has been... different. It felt like it all happened yesterday, and it feels like it all happened years ago. It feels like both all at the same time. There will never be another day of our lives where Matthew won't be a part of it in some way. And whether one liked the thought of that or not? Well, that's just the way its going to be. Personally, I am thrilled to have this little boy in our lives when he has been at the center of so many prayers. And now here he is, on loan from God for our love and caretaking. I better raise him right!
The doctors caught this little thunderbolt of babyness who looks like me and looks like her. He melts your heart when he sleeps, enraptures you when he's alert and makes you wince when he bawls. But as far as I'm concerned, he's almost 42 weeks old. I've watched him grow up already. Birth is just a significant milestone of a journey that began at conception, accelerated by a 'blue plus' on a plastic stick, and made indelibly awkward by terms like 'mucus plug.' But RM has been a part of it since the beginning. The first book I read to Matthew was back in October: the Lorax by Dr. Seuss. He spent his first Christmas in Charlotte with his Uncle Whit, Aunt Erin and Cousin Abby. Most of the time he was unimpressed by these events and often decided it was a better use of his time to stomp his mother's kidneys and play with the many knobs and switches that controls Mommy's hormones.
The day Matthew was born began with a thunderstorm. Because it was a scheduled ceasarean, my Outlook calendar was casually blocked off with a day-long event that said "Matthew's Birth." I dressed well. It was a special day. Our friends Steve and Jane Hampton joined us at the maternity ward for a final prayer. Len and Louise joined us during preparation. Becky was wheeled into the OR and I was made to wait pacing in the hallway just outside donning the blue garbs. I had the fleeting thought that I wished I were Hawkeye Pierce (the Donald Sutherland one) from MASH, and I were doing the surgery. It happened all too quickly to get nervous. Prayer helped as it always does.
We requested our friend Lindsay Perry be one of our nurses. It was so awesome to have her there. "Are you ready?" she asked. I walked into the OR and it was cold. I know Becky mentioned it in a previous post, but it felt like a gameshow set with lights and people. Although no one was clapping, there was a lot of activity going on. I had a keen sense of a major attraction going on behind a blue curtain where Matthew's was being rudely jerked out of Rebecca's body. I made small talk with Becky to try and keep her mind off the fact she was opened up, but she seemed confused or annoyed with me breaking her concentration (that happens often). It was not gentle. It looked like they just fought a catfish out of the pond before tossing him over to the examination table. He had the color of a pale fish, and resembled something like an alien. And boy was he pissed!
And so here he is. He is unbelievably cute. There have been so many adjustments. His nursery has become a depot. Our house has become a cave. I hope it doesn't stay this way, but it could. I've already experienced some significant changes in myself. This morning I shared with Becky that I've had all these new emotional pathways awakened. Now I know what its like to have and love a child. My experience with that sensation is still quite new and will probably never stop evolving. But suddenly those movie subplots centered on the relationships between parents and children become something more clear and understandable. They have new color and pathos like I could never imagine or experience before. Life has become re-polarized and it will forever be seen in a different light. This is Matthew's world. This is every child's world now. Its not about me anymore. And if our relationship to Matthew goes wrong, then there will always be something that is 'wrong' about our lives. Why heck, I'm going back and watching all of Wes Anderson's films.
So if you ask me how I feel about fatherhood, this is all I could tell you right now. It really is special, and it continues to bring me closer to Matthew, to my wife and, most importantly, closer to the God that gave breathe to us all. I have nothing but gratitude in my heart for each day that has passed since Matthew was first sparked to life.
The doctors caught this little thunderbolt of babyness who looks like me and looks like her. He melts your heart when he sleeps, enraptures you when he's alert and makes you wince when he bawls. But as far as I'm concerned, he's almost 42 weeks old. I've watched him grow up already. Birth is just a significant milestone of a journey that began at conception, accelerated by a 'blue plus' on a plastic stick, and made indelibly awkward by terms like 'mucus plug.' But RM has been a part of it since the beginning. The first book I read to Matthew was back in October: the Lorax by Dr. Seuss. He spent his first Christmas in Charlotte with his Uncle Whit, Aunt Erin and Cousin Abby. Most of the time he was unimpressed by these events and often decided it was a better use of his time to stomp his mother's kidneys and play with the many knobs and switches that controls Mommy's hormones.
The day Matthew was born began with a thunderstorm. Because it was a scheduled ceasarean, my Outlook calendar was casually blocked off with a day-long event that said "Matthew's Birth." I dressed well. It was a special day. Our friends Steve and Jane Hampton joined us at the maternity ward for a final prayer. Len and Louise joined us during preparation. Becky was wheeled into the OR and I was made to wait pacing in the hallway just outside donning the blue garbs. I had the fleeting thought that I wished I were Hawkeye Pierce (the Donald Sutherland one) from MASH, and I were doing the surgery. It happened all too quickly to get nervous. Prayer helped as it always does.
We requested our friend Lindsay Perry be one of our nurses. It was so awesome to have her there. "Are you ready?" she asked. I walked into the OR and it was cold. I know Becky mentioned it in a previous post, but it felt like a gameshow set with lights and people. Although no one was clapping, there was a lot of activity going on. I had a keen sense of a major attraction going on behind a blue curtain where Matthew's was being rudely jerked out of Rebecca's body. I made small talk with Becky to try and keep her mind off the fact she was opened up, but she seemed confused or annoyed with me breaking her concentration (that happens often). It was not gentle. It looked like they just fought a catfish out of the pond before tossing him over to the examination table. He had the color of a pale fish, and resembled something like an alien. And boy was he pissed!
And so here he is. He is unbelievably cute. There have been so many adjustments. His nursery has become a depot. Our house has become a cave. I hope it doesn't stay this way, but it could. I've already experienced some significant changes in myself. This morning I shared with Becky that I've had all these new emotional pathways awakened. Now I know what its like to have and love a child. My experience with that sensation is still quite new and will probably never stop evolving. But suddenly those movie subplots centered on the relationships between parents and children become something more clear and understandable. They have new color and pathos like I could never imagine or experience before. Life has become re-polarized and it will forever be seen in a different light. This is Matthew's world. This is every child's world now. Its not about me anymore. And if our relationship to Matthew goes wrong, then there will always be something that is 'wrong' about our lives. Why heck, I'm going back and watching all of Wes Anderson's films.
So if you ask me how I feel about fatherhood, this is all I could tell you right now. It really is special, and it continues to bring me closer to Matthew, to my wife and, most importantly, closer to the God that gave breathe to us all. I have nothing but gratitude in my heart for each day that has passed since Matthew was first sparked to life.
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