j.j. toothman » On Keturah

First day with Jude

J.J. Toothman — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:01:24 +0000

Jude’s first day started with Keturah and I getting up at 4 AM PST. We called Marin General and found out they were on schedule with their baby deliveries for the morning. So we showered… I had a shot of espresso… and we left our house in Half Moon Bay at 4:45. Amazingly, there’s no traffic on 19th Avenue in San Francisco so we made it Marin General in plenty of time. So much time that I stopped for a bagel and more coffee on the way. Such is the progress of modern medicine. You can make a pit stop for coffee and a bagel on the way to having a baby.

In fact the whole childbirth experience this time around was incredibly calculated. Appointments for having a baby? It just seems like thumbing your nose at mother nature.

Regardless, we arrived at Marin General at 6 AM. Keturah was checked in and readied for surgery. I donned the sugical scrubs at 7:15 and Keturah went into the operating room at 7:30. After a lonely, rather nervous wait that seemed to last an hour (and thank goodness I had Twitter to scan and divert my attention), I went into the O.R. around 7:45.

Jude Stafford Toothman was officially born at 8:03 AM PST. He weighs 8 pounds, 4 ounces and is 21 inches tall. While not as much as Mason (our first son), he has plenty of brown hair. And he was born with blue eyes…which we are hopeful will not turn brown.

We’re all doing well. We had a steady stream of family and friends visiting throughout the day yesterday. By the time the evening rolled around we were ready for some solitude. Most of which we spent staring at Jude.

More pics of Jude at Flickr

Waiting on Jude

J.J. Toothman — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:24:47 +0000

Like Tom Petty said…

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Bags are packed and in the car. And that car has a full tank of gas (insert Blues Brothers reference here: ________________ ). Keturah has stopped working. The crib arrived this past Saturday. All camera gear packed and fully charged. We are ready.

We are ready. Yeah, right. That’s the most ridiculous thing I could possible write in anticipation of having another baby. There is no way you can be truly ready or prepared this. All that stuff above I wrote that indicated I’m ready? It’s all crap. Being ready for this means expecting the unexpected. Being ready means for a baby you welcome the winging it that’s about to come.

While I’m thinking about it, let me just say that this feels vastly different from the first time Keturah bore me a child. The main, most obvious difference is that this time around, we found out in advance that we are having another boy. And we’ve already given him the name Jude. The stuff that I’ve been writing to this blog and via Twitter wouldn’t be nearly the same if we didn’t have a name. Imagine this blog title as Waiting on TBD. Not nearly as fun.

Oh, this figures…iPod just shuffled to “You’ve Got to Hold Your Love Away”

Here I stand head in hand
Turn my face to the wall
If she’s gone I can’t go on
Feelin’ two-foot small

Confirmed: We’re expecting our second baby boy

J.J. Toothman — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:10:39 +0000

Keturah and I paid a visit to her doctor yesterday and received some wonderful news. Our second baby, due in early August, is — or will be (depending on where you stand on the whole “what is life?” debate) — a boy. This will be our second child and our second boy. The baby is healthy and Keturah’s pregnancy is going very smoothly, especially now that she’s gotten through the winter and all the nasty viruses that were going around.

I’ll be honest and say that I had my fingers crossed for a baby girl, but any baby is a miraculous gift and what’s most important is that we have a healthy baby. When the doctor said “It’s a boy” and even zeroed in on the ultrasound to show the little guy’s “manhood”, any disappointment was quickly erased by joyous thoughts of a second son.

Any lingering regrets were definitely disposed of when a friend of mine sent me a text message that said “Now you just have to decide which one is the point guard and which one is the shooting guard.” I have to admit, the possibilities for seeing Toothman backcourt tandem in the future does sound immensely cool.

Keturah and Mason in Siena last fall. Mason’s going to be a big brother soon! But is he point guard material?

Our due date is August 10, 2008. There’s indeed a chance that our two sons will be will be exactly two years apart as Mason was born on August 2, 2006. A name has not been finalized yet, but we have some leading candidates. They are…

Jude
Griffin
Tucker
Harrison

Anyone have a favorite in that list?

Are we having a boy or a girl?

J.J. Toothman — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 16:56:27 +0000

That question has been asked of Keturah and myself numerous times recently and today is the day that we can find out. And today is the day we can find out. Except that we’ve decided that not to find out. Unless, of course, Keturah caves in and just can’t contain her curiosity. A possiblity considering how she always asks to open her birthday present well in advance. So sorry if you were expecting to read this and find something out.

2006…So far

J.J. Toothman — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 15:33:47 +0000

The big happening with us in 2006 is that we are expecting our first child in early August. Our first doctor’s visit was just before last Christmas. It made for a great early present. Everything with the preganancy is going as it should. In sum, it’s an extremely exciting time for Keturah and myself.

Additionally, the upgrades to our (not so new to us, anymore) house in Half Moon Bay continue. President’s Day weekend was spent ripping up the carpet and the living room and laying down a (fake) wood floor that matches the floor in the kitchen and dining room. In anticipation of warmer spring weather, we’ve also starting cleaning up the yard a bit, actually putting thought into some permanent plants within the overall landscaping.

For a quick glance back at 2005 happenings, read this.