Create a Caption Contest

I just uploaded some more pictures to my photo album:

http://www.mydnaportal.com/jdcannon

In doing so, it dawned on me that there are some choice pictures that could result in some very funny captions and thought that would be fun to see what people come up with. So, below is your first entry:



Use the Comments link below to post your entry.

First Doctor Visit

We saw our pediatrician last Friday for Joshua's two week wellness checkup. He's also our family doctor...Dr. May (for those who know him). He's a really good guy...and as most women say, very handsome. I figure if any of that can rub off on Joshua, all the better.

FLASHBACK ALERT: He also came over to assist in the delivery with our OB. Our OB actually suggested contacting him once he knew Dr. May was going to be our pediatrician to help with the delivery. Dr. May used to deliver babies. Not quite sure why he stopped doing it. Didn't ask...didn't really care. Anyway, it was really nice of him to come and help out. He also came by to visit each day at the hospital (over the weekend I might add) to check on Joshua. He also did the circumcision...more on that later. One more anecdote before I proceed...while we were in the hospital and talking with the nurses about him, they all agreed that he was a good doctor and "he's not too bad to look at too!"

So, Dr. May walks in and asks how we're doing with a big smile on his face like he always does. We, of course, give the socially acceptable answer, "good..." before launching into more realistic responses. He then asks if we have any questions for him and so we whip out our list we had been preparing the night before...probably about 5 or 6 questions. We get done and he says "is that all?" Either he's pulling our leg or he really expected there to be a myriad of questions from first time parents. Of course, it's hard to ask questions when you have no idea what you're doing to begin with. I mean...what's there to ask when you have no clue where to begin?

He then examines Joshua including looking at his circumcision job and says "did I do that? Boy I'm good!" Yeah...Joshua will be the judge of that when he grows up. He thinks Joshua might have an eye infection and says to squirt breastmilk in his eyes to help clear it up...seriously...it's got the antibodies that would help to combat it. But in case we have a hard time with our aim, he gave us a prescription for some eye drops we can use. Seems it's cleared up already.

So, all in all a good visit. We'll see him in a couple of months, barring any illnesses, and he'll get his first vaccination then. Oh boy...can't wait for that day!

Goodbye for now

Lisa left yesterday to go back to the ship (the Anastasis with Mercy Ships). It wasn't quite as hard to say goodbye this time as it was a year ago when she left originally. Probably because we only had three weeks with her this time whereas before she was with us for almost two years. Maybe also because we're a bit distracted with Joshua. But it was hard nonetheless...many tears were shed. Danielle and I love Lisa so much. Lisa's joyful spirit is very contagious. It was fun to see how much she loved Joshua too. She really couldn't get enough of him...even when he cried. I think it was hard for Lisa to leave him knowing that the next time she'll see him will be in about 14 months. By that time, he'll probably be walking and will have grown so much. We hope to make sure and take good pictures and videos of Joshua, not only for our sake, but also to send to Lisa so she can continue to share in her nephew's growth.

SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT: If you're interested in finding out more of what Lisa's doing, check out her web site at http://www.lisascharf.com. Of course, if you're further interested in supporting her and aren't already, that is always welcome. And I don't just mean financially. Your prayer support means much more than any donation you can offer.

Then there's the dog

Some of the questions we're asked this past week is how Goldie is doing with our new arrival (Goldie is our almost 4 year old cocker spaniel). It's sometimes hard to say since dogs, like babies, don't have much of a vocabulary - Goldie...how are you feeling today? "Woof!" It's amazing what can be communicated through body language, both in humans and in dogs.

While we were in the hospital, Goldie became truly depressed. I have never seen her like this. She was likely depressed because she wondered if she'd ever see Danielle again. She would see me occassionally and also Lisa, who fortunately strikes an uncanny resemblence to Danielle. Of course, Goldie knows the difference between the two. But it was clear she missed Danielle. I would come home from the hospital for a short time to take a shower or something and Goldie would just be "mopey". I would take her for a walk and she'd hardly keep up with me as she moped along. Not normal for this dog. It was obvious she was very sad. I wonder if she began to feel like Danielle would never come back.

Then the day we all came home with Joshua, she practically came alive again. She was so happy to see Danielle. The only difference, of course, is Danielle now had someone else with her...this small human-like creature. She sniffed Joshua endlessly always wagging her tail, very inquisitive in nature. You could tell she was still trying to figure this thing out. But boy was she excited that everyone, especially Danielle, was home.

There were times initially when Joshua would begin fussing and crying and Goldie didn't quite know what to do with that. She would run around trying to figure out where that sound was coming from and making these whining sounds. I think eventually, she realized, it was Joshua and there even came a point where it almost appeared that she knew this was a small human and that she was being somewhat protective of him.

Then a few days later, we noticed Goldie wasn't jumping up on our bed...or maybe she couldn't. She would usually be able to stand on her hind legs leaning against mine in order to give her a flavor snack. It was as though her hind legs or hips or something were hurt in some way preventing her from being able to jump. Yet, I would take her for a walk and she walked fine, she would take off running after a cat without a problem, and so on. But she just couldn't get up on our bed. She was even having trouble getting onto the couches. I honestly thought it was emotional at first. But as it went on for another day, I really began to wonder if there was a physical problem and was beginning to plan on taking her to the vet at some point. All this time, we continued to give her lots of attention and love and to help her onto the bed and so on.

Then later on Saturday, she jumped up on the bed again. And again. And again. She stood on her hinds to get the flavor snack. She got up on the couches without a problem. Before we knew it, she was fine and back to her playful self. It was the weirdest thing. It's possible she did hurt herself and it just took a couple days to heal on its own. But I can't help but think that there was a huge emotional element that caused her to act the way she did. As though she was testing us to see if we still cared about her. Of course we did...and we showed it...so maybe that helped her get over that emotional hurdle.

So, now we're back to one big happy family. Goldie is as cute as ever. She's doing great with Joshua so far. Someday, we'll have to do a new family picture.

Got milk?

As with any part of pregnancy, delivery and post-delivery, it seems whatever you experience is both normal and unique. Most mothers will try to tell you how their entire experience was and that what Danielle experienced was in some ways similar, i.e. normal. Yet, in the same breath, most will also say that everybody's experience is different, i.e. unique. The same thing holds true with doctors and nurses. It'll be a mixture of "don't worry, what you're feeling is normal" and "every mother is different, so it's hard to answer that question".

So, we thought after reading different things and hearing from the lactation consultant that you should be producing milk within about 2-3 days after delivery. Here we were 6 days later and hardly anything was being produced. It wasn't even certain that she was producing the initial colostrum. We were getting concerned and wanted to try and get some help at some point, especially if she wasn't producing by today. Then we talk to some other mothers and they say..."oh no, most mothers don't start producing for almost a week after delivery. That's completely normal." So, we're both unique and normal at the same time. *sigh*

Fortunately, we weren't left wondering much longer this morning. Actually, last night we could notice a little more was dripping out and her breasts were feeling a bit more enlarged. This morning, we tried the breast pump and she actually pumped out almost a full 3 oz (to give an idea, that's a full bottle of formula that we were given at the hospital). So, we were elated. We tried giving Joshua the bottle of breastmilk this morning and he immediately took it which made us feel good that he wasn't solely dependant on the formula. The next step will be weaning him off the bottle nipple and getting him onto Danielle.

So it goes one week into his new life.

Finally...some pictures!

Got a chance to do something with all the pictures we took. But rather than post any right here, go to the following web page to view them all:

http://www.mydnaportal.com/jdcannon/

SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT: This is a site that the company I work for (Smith Micro - www.smithmicro.com) can provide for users (at a nominal cost) that makes it really easy to set up your own web site without any knowledge of HTML or anything like that. Pretty easy and very cool.

Okay...after thinking about it...I will post one picture here:


I like this one because it shows how expressionate he is already. Here he looks like he's either about to slap someone (probably Dad) or he's just talking with his hands. Either way, it's way cute!

First Night Home

Last night was our first night home with Joshua. The previous two nights, we took advantage of the opportunity for the nursery at the hospital to take care of a feeding or two so that Danielle and I could get more sleep. That was great for me and I felt 10 times better in the morning. Danielle still was getting up every hour or so just because she had to go the bathroom. But it was still nice for her because she could just get up, do her business and go back to sleep rather than stay awake for a feeding.

Last night, on the other hand, we did not have the luxery of the nursery to do that for us. I thought I'd be okay, but I could hardly get up each time he was to be fed. Fortunately, Danielle really stepped up and took care of most of the feeding, burping and changing of the diaper duties while I slept. I was really impressed, and thankful, given how she's still going through her own recovery. One time I did get up to help with feeding and also to hold Joshua for a while because he was a little fussy. I could hardly stay awake. What a weird thing...I felt like I was the one that was drugged.

We went to the hospital to have Joshua's bilirubin levels checked again just to make sure. Found out later that he's doing even better. Next up is another checkup for Danielle on Friday and another checkup for Joshua the following Friday.

Welcome Home!

At about 3PM this afternoon, we finally got Joshua home...after a quick pit stop at In N Out for a celebration lunch :-). He loved his ride home in the car seat. Of course, he really didn't experience it since he was out like a light.

His bilirubin levels had been at about 19 (I think 14 or less is normal) and so he had been under the light for practically a full 24 hours. But this morning, his levels had dropped to about 13 which the nurses said was really good for just a day of phototherapy. So, we got to take him home sooner than I think they might have expected. That was a blessing.

He's now sleeping peacefully in the car seat (inside of course!) until his next feeding at which point, we'll likely put him in the bassinet or something. To be honest, I'm not sure...it's not so much taking it one day at a time as one hour at a time. But we'll make each hour count as best as we know how.

We thank our Lord Jesus Christ for this huge blessing and pray that He will be glorified through this new life and in how we raise him. Joshua is truly a gift from the Lord!

Oh and yes yes...pictures are coming...one thing at a time...sheesh!!

My what yellow skin you have...

Found out this morning that we will be staying till Monday after all. It seems most doctors are apt to want you out by the third day after a C-section rather than allowing you to stay the full 96 hours that you're legally allowed. Not sure exactly why, but it doesn't matter if there's a good reason to keep you.

Joshua's been looking a little yellow which indicated jaundice. And the nurses are a bit more precautious with this even though it's relatively common in newborns. So, they're putting him under the tanning lights throughout today (actually called a Bililight) which is to help get rid of the bilirubin (sounds like bellybuttons - "you're getting rid of his bellybutton??"). The bilirubin isn't getting processed completely through the baby's liver which is mostly just that's not fully developed to handle all of it. I'm still learning about this jaundice business. But regardless, I'm happy to let them do what needs to be done so that our son is healthy.

They hope that he won't need more than a day of this and that we can go home tomorrow. Let's hope that's true.

You just don't know till you experience it...

"Get your sleep now, you're going to need it later"
"Better rest now, you're not getting any after he's born"

These and other such statements were made several times before giving birth to Joshua. Of course, we knew what they were saying and it made sense. But it just doesn't have the same impact until you actually experience it. I feel like I'm in the middle of one large all nighter with the high school group at church. I'll have spurts of energy to help me through, yet I feel an overall sense of exhaustion unlike anything I've felt in a long while. But I'm okay with that because I understand why I feel that way and it's totally worth it. Joshua is utterly the most beautiful, handsome baby I've ever seen. Wait...I think I said that before :-). That will become and already has been a familiar refrain coming from my lips.

Gotta go back and have a "candlelight" dinner with my wife. The hospital likes to do that for the parents of a newborn as a sort of celebration. Won't really have candlelight I don't think, but a cool thought nonetheless.

First Feeding

I bottle fed Joshua this morning. What an incredible experience! We tried breast-feeding throughout the night and had nominal success...as far as we could tell. But come morning, we were told that he really needed some additional nutrients. Danielle was still recovering from everything and just wasn't at a place to try feeding again, so we decided it was fine to go with the bottle this time and try again later.

The first time I tried burping him, he immediately let out a simple burp. The second time, he let loose. For those of you who have seen the "I felt it!" SmartBeep commercial, you may not get this...but I truly "felt it!" as I held him. I thought, "Like father, like son". What a good boy :-)!

It is truly amazing to hold your newborn child and to feel the kind of love for him that you really have never felt before. And it sure helps when he is just so cute! Am I biased? Of course...

Welcome to the world!

At 6:33PM tonight, we welcomed into this world Joshua Dean Cannon. He was 8 lbs 11 oz and about 21 inches long. He is a big boy! As much as we wanted to avoid it, we had to do a C-Section to get him out. He hadn't dropped for several hours and there were too many other factors that seemed to prevent him from coming through the regular birth canal. Not to mention it was really starting to get painful for Danielle. The epidural was great, but it was just taking too long and it was about time.

Mommy is doing fine, but very sore from the procedure. Daddy is extremely tired and only home long enough to take a shower, eat and then go back. I did bring home one of the receiving blankets, so that our dog, Goldie, could begin to get used to the scent. Of course, the Del Taco scent is probably overpowering that right now.

Of course, he is the cutest boy you've ever seen! Pictures will be forthcoming...as long as I can figure out how to post a picture on this blog.

You want to deliver when???

So, we had our OB appointment this morning. And while we have both said that we're ready to be done with this, even to the extent that it would be cool to have the doctor tell us that he's sending us to the hospital right away, do you think I really believed that woud happen?

To have the doctor finish his exam and say, "I think it'd be best to send you to the hospital", I wasn't exactly ready to hear that. Fortunately, he didn't think it necessary to send us RIGHT AWAY...only at 10PM tonight. Whew! That gives me a few more hours to panic.

So, she was 2 cm dilated and he said he could touch the baby's head, so at least we know he's head down which is good. But because her blood pressure was borderline if not high among other factors, he decided it would be best to get this over with. The plan is to go in at 10PM, get Danielle hooked up to every machine you can think of, start the inducement medicine (whatever that's called) and some sleep medicine so she can sleep through the night. If all goes well, the doctor will plan on being there at 8:30 tomorrow morning and have Joshua by noon.

I think I've passed the nervous stage and entered the extreme nesting stage. I mean...I've been more of the "nester" than Danielle has, mostly because she really can't move around that much for very long and there was a lot to do. But now, it's hightened. I'd love to take a nap, but am not sure that's going to happen. *sigh* As though I'm going to get any sleep after tomorrow anyway...oh well.

Just part of the great adventure Danielle and I signed up for when we got married. What a blast!!!!

Day Spa Visit

Today, Danielle and I were treated to a visit to the day spa (Burke Williams). It was wonderful. Danielle said she had the best pregnancy massage yet (she's had about 3-4 between Burke Williams and Glen Ivy). Hard to imagine spending that much money, even if you do get quite a bit out of it. But at least this time, it wasn't my money :-).

Afterwards, we went to TGIFridays for dinner...my treat. Good food, great company...nice way to follow up our visit to the day spa.

A New Beginning

Welcome to our new adventures in the blogosphere. I do not know how this will work as I have a tendency to start new things with a lot of fervor only to let it fade away within a few weeks.

My hope is to use this as the introduction states: "A periodic account of our adventures, our thoughts, our dreams and whatever else we can think of."

Of course, our next new adventure is going to be the birth of our son, Joshua. The official due date is this Friday, the 10th. Who knows really when he'll decide to show up. This whole pregnancy has been a huge lesson in faith and that everything isn't always how you want it. And as one of the nurses at the hospital said in our birth class, "the baby didn't read the manual." So, we just have to hope that Joshua sticks to our timetable as best as possible.

We're enjoying having Danielle's sister, Lisa, here from Mercy Ships. She arrived on the 1st and seems to have already gotten over the jetlag. Either that, or she's doing a great cover-up. She'll be here till the 23rd, which is why we hope Joshua comes sooner than later. We'd love for Lisa to have as much time with her new nephew as possible. But also because we figure she can help around the house a bit the first couple of weeks. Okay...that's selfish, but one can hope.

At any rate, thanks for joining us on this new adventure on the web. Hopefully, this will provide a good outlet to view a glimpse of our lives.