What a day. One moment we finally start to think we’re getting a hold of this entire parenting thing, and the next Lisa’s in an ambulance on her way to Abbott Northwestern. Everyone is fine, and we’re all back home now, but the entire ordeal was kind of rattling.

I’m not going to go into the details of what happened. Let’s just say I’m glad I’m a guy and I don’t have to deal with some of the weird and scary things that can happen after a pregnancy.

On the off chance Lisa’s or my mom reads this before we talk: DON’T PANIC. Lisa’s fine. Really!

We’re wrapping up our time here at United Hospital in St. Paul, and will be heading home in just four or five hours. The little one is off getting yet another test done on him, leaving mom and dad with a brief moment of peace and quiet. Actually, that’s kind of misleading, as Mathias has been a very quiet baby so far, maybe too quiet. We’re getting used to waking him up and feeding him, as opposed to just feeding him when he indicates he wants to be fed, which was our plan over the first day. According to the nurses, he isn’t as fussy and hungry as he should be.

We’ve worked with nine nurses over the course of our time here at United, and it’s been interesting to see the differences in approach and thinking. Comments on circumcision, clothing choices and even naming have often had very clear links to the age and experience of the nurse involved. This morning, one of the younger (and seemingly more hip) nurses seemed to get a bit perturbed that some of the other nurses were still assuming that last name of the baby was always the same as the mother. “I keep telling them 25% of the time that’s not true anymore.” I get the feeling that may be an ongoing point of drama among the staff.

To be clear, though, with the exception of one nurse that was a bit of a tool, we’ve been happy with the variety. While there’s something to be said for consistency, there’s definitely something to gain from a variety of opinion as well.

Lisa and I haven’t really formally talked about this, but I think we’d feel comfortable recommending United to expectant parents. A few of the things that seemed like negatives when we were researching hospitals, such as having to make a transfer from the delivery wing to the recovery wing, didn’t prove to be much of an issue. (Many birth centers these days are set up so mom, dad and baby can stay in one room for the duration of their stay.) In a way, it was actually kind of nice to be in a different area after the delivery, even though both the delivery and recovery areas were comfortable and well-staffed.

Well, mom needs to get back to feeding, and dad needs to make sure the car seat is installed properly. Back to being parents!

More later.

Mathias Eugene Danielson was born at 8:34 pm last night following an 18+ hour labor. He arrived at a healthy seven pounds, 14 ounces.

Both baby and mom are doing very well. Expect an inappropriate number of photos to be posted in the next day or so.

No baby yet. We made a regular visit to Lisa’s doctor this morning, and after review the baby may not be on schedule after all.

Mentally, I’ve kind of shut down over the past few days. I got a pretty good night’s sleep last night, but other than that, much of my sleep has been fairly irregular lately. I’m always tired, but I can’t really get myself to sleep soundly. I’m sure that’s partially due to all the work I’ve been doing, but I don’t think that explains all of it.

This is a weird thing for me to say, because I usually don’t believe such things, but maybe Lisa’s body isn’t the only one getting ready for something.

Still no baby yet.  Signs are there that he’ll be arriving soon, though.

Still no baby yet.  As with the last decade of Father’s Days, the day means a call to my dad and not much else.

“They say in the first stage of labor you have a lot of excitement, and then it’s all downhill from there.”

“Kind of like life itself.”

“You need to post that on your blog.”

Still no baby yet.

No baby yet.

One week to the due date. No baby yet, obviously.

Well, we’re back online. Turns out the guy who did our first cable install screwed up in excessive and creative ways.

After a lot of work this weekend, the nursery is more or less ready, as is the guest room. The kitchen, living room and bathroom are workable but still have a ways to go. The sun room remains in storage mode, and the dining room… On second thought, I’m not going to talk about that last one.

There was a lot of painting this weekend, and stripping of paint. And building of shelves. And assembly of beds. I finally got to sleep in a couple of times this weekend, but I’m still wiped. We’re pretty much set up for the baby now, although the place could still be in better shape.

Did I mention I’m sick of Home Depot? I’m sick of Home Depot.