October 28th, 2009
Ella and I were surprised on Monday with the most amazing gift. Veronica Maribel arrived on Monday, October 26, at 11:53AM. She weighed in at 5lbs 8 oz and 18 inches in length. Both Mom and baby are doing great.
Ella began experiencing contractions around 2:00AM and by 4:00AM we were timing and monitoring the frequency and duration. The frequency and duration seemed erratic so I thought it may be false labor, but Ella knew from the intensity that it was time. We went to the hospital and upon arrival at around 6:30AM the receiving nurse examined Ella and announced “Oh, you are having a baby today,” followed by an aside to the other nurse, “She is smiling and so calm, she should be screaming and flinging obscenities.” I credit Ella’s calm to her inner strength as well as our fitness training over the summer.
The baby arrived and promptly expressed her displeasure at her new surroundings. After cutting the cord I accompanied our daughter for a few of her firsts:
- Her first swaddling, which she loved.
- Her first feeding which, after a few moments, she loved.
- Her first bath in the nursery, which she did not seem to love.
- Her first shot; which she definitely did not love.
- Her first long nap, which like her Dad, she definitely loved.
The pictures below showcase some of these moments.
Meeting my daughter has been one of the best moments in my life. I am simply beside myself with pride and joy. Bienvenida hija mía!
Veronica’s First Day
Veronica’s Second Day
Veronica Comes Home
October 9th, 2009
Ella and I spent Memorial weekend in Dallas. We decided it was high time to get to know one of our adopted states larger cities. We began our weekend by visiting the JFK Memorial museum. It’s an incredibly well laid out monument to JFK’s life, the assassination, and his presidential legacy. I have to say it is very arresting to stand in the same street in which the motorcade passed. The audio tour, films, and exhibitions filled me with a palpable sense of the national shock and mourning that followed the assassination.
We also visited the Nasher Sculpture Center. This is a modern art collection assembled by the Nashers, a couple that collected modern art worldwide. Part of the museum is dedicated to the couple and their legacy; a really great documentary that conveys their passion for modern art and artists. The outside courtyard houses some of the larger and more immersive exhibits. I especially loved Walking to the Sky and Skyspace. The former was interesting because the effect of the escalator reaching toward the sky is made possible by the practical need to bury the anchoring point deep into the ground. The latter exhibit had you walk through a dark walkway with white noise, only to emerge in a stone courtyard with a perfectly square and borderless skylight. Watching the clouds go by through the skylight was like looking at a museum frame on a wall with a moving image.
Of course, food was also a prominent part of our trip. We ate at a wonderful breakfast spot just north of downtown Dallas called Cafe Brazil. On another morning we went to a great South American bakery called Zaguan. I recommend the Alfajore; a cookie that demands that other cookies be renamed to something that better depicts their mundane natures.
At this point our news was becoming harder and harder to conceal…
