Big Picture Monday

Enjoy!

Four weeks, 28 days, countless diapers

Four weeks ago tonight our lives turned upside-down. Just four weeks and it's becoming hard to remember what life was like without him. What did we do before we started talking in sing-songy gibberish, measuring time by feedings instead of hours, and celebrating burps like they're game-winning field goals? Well, we slept a lot more, I can tell you that. But we talked about moments like this, too, and how good they'd be. We weren't wrong.

Meet the (Grand)Parents, Part II

Another weekend, another round of grandparents. This time my Mom and Dad got to get acquainted with the newest Woodford. It was love at first sight. Mother Nature helped out, too, as the blizzard that walloped the East Coast kept my parents snowbound in D.C. for an extra night.
Unfortunately, their first night with us was also Kasper's worst night so far -- must have been something he (or his Mom) ate. He was up most of the night, but my parents managed to sleep through the whole thing. I wish they'd been such sound sleepers when I was trying to sneak back into the house in high school.
Thanks for making the trip Grandma and Grandpa! Hope we see you again this summer!

No pictures, please!

Someday Kasper's going to be old enough to say, "Dad, quit it with the pictures, you're embarrassing me." Until then, the poor kid's fair game. He had his second checkup yesterday, and the doctor thinks it's remarkable how good he is at holding his head up. He weighs 9 lbs 10 oz, so he's gaining about an ounce a day. For the math geeks out there, he's in the 75th percentile in height and weight, and 60th percentile in head size.

With love, from Great-Grandma

I'm posting this photo for two reasons: a) Kasper remains remarkably cute after 20 days on Earth, and b) he's wearing an outfit that was knit for him by his Great-Grandma Kasper, who is celebrating her 92nd birthday today! For those who don't know, our little boy's first name is also his great-grandmother's last name. This beautiful blanket and hat are just two of the many things she made for him. So happy birthday Great-Grandma Kasper! And thank you! Everything you made for our little guy is being put to good use during this ridiculous cold snap we're going through in Virginia!

Meet the (Grand)Parents

Kasper met his Grandma and Grampa Rynne this weekend, and they were a big hit. He watched football with his grandpa, who flew home today, but he's got his grandma here for another week -- which is great, because the woman knows a thing or two about taking care of babies, and novices like us can use the help. But we've laid the law down: he's staying with us when she goes home. After all, he's got another set of grandparents rolling into town on Saturday.

The cat in the hat

I guess photos like this are the price you pay for letting your mom dress you.
Kasper's doing great. He's eating alot and sleeping less, and I'd swear he's put on a couple pounds in the time he's been home. Tomorrow is his first trip to Babies 'R' Us, so he's resting up for that adventure right now. He'll wake up around midnight, have a bottle and then develop a mysterious aversion to his own bed. He's sneaky, but he's so cute we can't hold it against him.

Movin' right along

One thing that has been so much fun about Kasper's first week home is that every day is some sort of milestone, and each one is cause for its own little celebration. Friday marked our first stroll around the apartment complex. In true Kasper style, he slept through the entire trip.
(Note: To get to a larger copy of the left-hand photo, just click on it).

Comments added, comments lost

I've changed how the comments work so you don't have to have a Blogger account to post something. The new program asks for an e-mail and a URL, but you can leave those blank.
Unfortunately, this revolutionary change came with a price -- we lost all the old comments from those brave enough to give their e-mail addresses to Blogger. We read them all, appreciated them, and hope you'll feel free to post more.
That's it for now. Here's a picture to tide you over until the little guy wakes up -- one of the few I've gotten with his eyes open:

Just add water...

... to make one very unhappy baby! You'd think little Kasper was a lobster the way he turns red on contact with water. But as the photo below shows, he came through the ordeal just fine.

Tuckered out little tiger

Night owl

Turns out Kasper is a lot like Mom -- he likes to nap a lot, but he's always wide awake when the clock strikes midnight. It made for an adventurous and busy first night at home. I got strafed with a little friendly fire around 4 a.m. and he ate so much during one of his feedings that we thought he'd explode. But once he got to sleep he slept like a log, albeit a very cute one.
Now it's off to the pediatrician for our first 3,000 mile tuneup. Wish us luck.

Home at last

We brought Kasper home today around 2 p.m. He konked out immediately, so I guess he likes it here. In this picture he's resting up for a busy day of napping, eating, and watching his dad fumble his way through changing diapers.

Our own Baby New Year

He arrived with just 29 hours to go in 2004, but he's still the best thing that happened to us all year. Kasper Michael Woodford was born at 6:58 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 30, at Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax, Virginia. He weighed in at 9 pounds and is 21 1/4 inches tall. And he's the most remarkable little person you'll ever see. I hope everyone we love gets to meet him soon.
I've gotta run back to the hospital, but you're just here for the pictures anyways, right? Here are a few more:


He's a minute or two old here. Most amazing moment of my life.


Meaghan handled the c-section beautifully. No surprise, she's a fantastic mom.


A well deserved rest. A busy day for such a little fella.

More pictures on the way in the days, weeks, months and years to come. Thanks to all our families and friends for all their love and support. It means so much when we're so far away from you all.