I have a social security number!

Mason got his first piece of mail yesterday. Yep, it was his social security card! I'm a little worried that the birth certificate still hasn't arrived yet, but we'll give them another week before I pester them about it.

The little guy is doing great. He's a good eater and sleeper. I bet he's gained almost a pound already. He's been shuttled around Brooklyn in the car over the past several days as we look for a new place to live. Unfortunately, it looks like the 3BR we wanted to buy in Ft. Greene isn't going to work out, so we may end up renting for a while.

I took this photo of Mason this morning while he was practicing his kung fu moves.

I love my daddy

Mason loves to nap with Adrian

Everyone should have a bouncy chair

Mason loves his new vibrating bouncy chair. After his first feeding this morning, I put him in the chair, and he fell asleep long enough for me to have breakfast, take a shower, AND dry my hair! Whoever invented this soothing apparatus is a genius.

Dad had to go back to work today, so Mason and I are on our own. I think we'll try out our new Ergo Baby carrier and brave the rain to get some frozen yogurt.

I'm just too cute

Lots of New Faces

Mason's met lots of new people in the last few days. First, Brian and Diana stopped by, then Gregg, Theda, and Jennifer. We got out every day this week for a walk in the neighborhood, which all included trips to either Hagen Daaz or Yogo Monster (yum). Mason and I are sad that Dad has to go back too work on Tuesday. Our days will be a lot different without our third playmate.

One Week Old!

We can hardly believe we've made it through one week already. Mason is doing great with breastfeeding. We had our second visit with the pediatrician yesterday. He's already back at his birth weight and is doing so well, in his doctor's opinion, that he doesn't need to have another visit until his 2-month check-up and vaccinations! We've been trying to get out of the house at least once a day for a stroll. Mason loves walks around the neighborhood. The vibration of the stroller on the sidewalk puts him right to sleep.

A visit from the uncles

It's been a busy few days here, but we're starting to get the hang of it. Days blend into nights, blend into days... Yesterday we had a visit from the uncles. The great thing about having visitors is that they bring you stuff! Trent and Nick came with Magnolia cupcakes and freshly-squeezed orange juice in hand. We chatted for a while and then took Mason out for his first walk around the neighborhood. I wonder what he's dreaming about in the second picture? More to come...

Welcome Mason Alexander Biltoft!

As many of you know, it was not easy for us to choose a name. After meeting the bean and mulling over our short-list, we finally decided on Mason as a first name. This is Adrian's middle name (and his mother's maiden name), and was one of the few names we agreed on throughout the pregnancy. The middle name fulfilled the "Roman emperor" aspect of the naming game (a lovely alternative to Vespasion, Trajan, and Diocletion, which were on the top of Adrian's list). Even though Alexander wasn't a Roman emperor, Adrian agreed that it worked.

We spent two nights in the hospital and finally made it home at 2:15 p.m. this afternoon.

Labor Day!

Just after going to bed on Monday night, July 6th, as I tried to flop as gracefully as possible from one side to the other, I had a very painful cramp and felt something "pop". I had a feeling it was my water breaking, and sure enough, that's what it was! Ready or not, this bean was going to be born in a matter of hours - one week early. Of course Adrian was at the Peter Murphy show at Highline Ballroom. I bet he was glad he had the cell phone (that I made him carry) on him, or he may have missed everything, since it happened much faster than we could have imagined. I grabbed the bag that we'd (already) packed and called a car to take me to the hospital. Adrian would meet me there. My contractions were coming hard and fast, and by the time I was admitted at the hospital, I was already 4 cm dilated. Epidural? Yes, please! After an hour of preparation (who knew it would take that long to actually have it administered - "note to self" for any other soon-to-be-mothers), the numbing juice was beginning to work, and I finally felt some much needed relief. Time to have a little nap, I thought, but it was not to be. The baby's heart rate dropped quite a bit, so the doctor went in to insert an internal heart rate monitor, and informed me at that point that I was already 9 cm!!! Time to call my OB! It was 5: 15 a.m. when he showed up. I started pushing at about 5:30, and the bean was born just before 7:00 a.m. Our "Lucky 7" baby - born the 7th day of the 7th month at 7:00 a.m. and weighing in at 7 lbs. 3 oz.

New Rocking Chair!

We found a classic (and very inexpensive) rocking chair on Ebay. Adrian put it together last Friday, and it is everything we were hoping for. Of course it takes up a lot of room in our tiny apartment, but we are sure it will come in handy very soon. With a little luck, it will have its own space in a proper nursery within the next couple of months!

Still no rumblings of labor yet. Many of our friends and family members have wagered a guess as to date, time and weight of the bean. Adrian's compiled a couple of guess-tracking charts, which can be viewed at http://www.kimandadrian.com/mojeter/.

Ready for Gazpacho

For anyone wondering whether the bean would share a July 4th birth date with my mother-in-law and George Steinbrenner, it was not to be. He stayed tightly bundled in the belly and allowed us to have a quiet day in the neighborhood. We made some gazpacho to share with the brothers (Trent, Nick, Greg, and Mark) and a few new friends that night, and napped while watching the 12-inning Yankee game. Of course, no fireworks were to be seen since Macy's selfishly decided to hide the display from 3/4 of NYC by moving the barges from the East River to the Hudson. I guess New Jersey is more important to them than we are...but oh well. Maybe we'll be able to see the philharmonic in the park next week, which will be followed by a fireworks display. Better late than never.

I've also included a picture of a beautiful 4th of July cake that Trent made. It was a white cake with whipped cream and cream cheese frosting, topped with blueberries and raspberries. Yum.

First day of maternity leave!

How better to celebrate the first day of maternity leave than to go to a Yankee game? Jill and Brooks joined us in witnessing the Yankees defeat the Mariners in record time (barely 2 1/2 hours). I have to admit, despite not being a fan of building a new stadium, they did a pretty good job. And yes, I thoroughly enjoyed my $6 Nathan's hotdog!