Did you pack the Vaseline?

"When can we take him places?" was the second question we asked Dr. Redmond at Pediatrics East. "Get out," she said, "it's good for mom and baby." 

I once read that every time you leave the house with an infant you feel like you are about to leave for the airport. 

"Do we have everything?" "Did you get the blanket?" "I only have one burp cloth, should I bring another?" "Where is the thing that sucks out his nose?" "Wait, turnaround, I forgot an extra hat!" "Shit, I only have one bottle of hand sanitizer."

Getting out of the car is just as exciting. 

What goes first? You can't leave the baby in the car, but do you put the carrier on the concrete while you get the stroller? How do you push a stroller and a grocery cart? Do you take the stroller in everywhere? Should the baby stay in the carrier while we eat? Will the carrier fit on the table, or maybe in the booth? 

This isn't even close to all the questions and scenarios we went through. People wanting to touch, hold and talk to the baby is an entirely other post. 

But out we went...

At two weeks old, we took B to Slice and a Barons game.

Week 2: View from the outfield.

When B was three weeks old, we went to the Fox and the Hound for a Saints game. 

Week 3: Aunt Lala holding B at Fox and the Hound.

After our weekly breastfeeding support group at St. Vincent's we would visit some fun places in Birmingham. 

Week 4: Visit to Red Cat Coffee and Hop City after breastfeeding class.

As soon as we could muster the courage to travel, we headed to Gulfport to meet Gigi (my G-ma). Needless to say, she thinks her great grandson is pretty spectacular. 

Week 7: B is listening to Gigi tell him he would look better in crimson.

And to celebrate B's eight week birthday, we went to Breakin' Bread at Railroad Park. This is one of our favorite events in Birmingham because it features food from restaurants across the city and lots of WINE. 

Week 8: Dad looking like a pro, sampling some food and wine.

Tidbit Tuesday: ChapStick

At 1:00 a.m. August 18, 2013 my water broke...evidently. I wasn't entirely sure it had even happened until my back pain started to cycle and I could barely stand up. The back pain turned out to be contractions and at 4:15 a.m. when we arrived at St. Vincent's Birmingham I was "complete"...i.e. about to have a baby, three weeks early, in less than an hour, sans pain medication. So at 5:11 a.m. we met B for the first time and our lives were forever changed.

But let's rewind to that 56 minute period from when we got to the hospital to when B arrived. Pain meds would have been lovely but I only needed two things - ChapStick and Dad. 

ChapStick was essential because out of nowhere my lips were dry as the Sahara. Dad did a great job of reapplying in between pushes. It was such a strange necessity I felt compelled to write to Pregnancy & Newborn when they requested submissions for suite essentials. 

Suite Essentials in the March 2014 issue of Pregnancy & Newborn.

And I couldn't have done it without Dad. He did a great job keeping me calm because he was calm. He stayed by my side as they wheeled me into the birthing suite, rearranged the bed into a table, pulled out the stirrups, and flipped on the high beams pointed directly at my...well, you get the point. When I started to push, with nurses on my left, Dad was on my right making sure I was breathing. When everything else was chaotic, I knew it would be OK because he was calm. We did it together - and no one even knew yet because it all happened so quickly.

Dad and sweet B hanging during our first days at home.

Dad making sure B is warm enough at his one month check up.