Short Shrift

I wanted to get something written before the weekend, because Saturday is always the slowest day for blog traffic. I don't want to disappoint any loyal readers, but I don't have a lot to say about our day-to-day lives. We've been staying close to home and trying to keep D comfortable, counteracting restless sleep with yummy ice cream. I'm still working, but I'm trying not to travel more than an hour from home, so I'll be around in case the baby comes quickly. As it is, we have a pretty long drive to the hospital...as much as an hour in traffic...so I'd rather be nearby.

Some time in the next three weeks (but likely less than two), this blog will be transformed into the Baby Girl Ryan show.....believe it or not, we still don't have a name finalized, and we wouldn't tell you if we did. As soon as she comes, you'll get a name and lots (and lots (and lots)) of pictures. I hope you're ready for videos of a baby sleeping, because I can guarantee there will be some of those as well. And, since most babies look alike anyway (or are funny-looking), you can pretty much just search YouTube for sleeping baby and get your fill now.

Anyway, once she takes over, most other topics will likely be given short shrift. So, I thought I'd give them a shout-out before our world is consumed by diapers and crying.

First, Willow. I know she gets plenty of attention, both from us and on the blog, but she's also the only thing moving in this house besides us and the ceiling fan. She has continued to adapt to her blindness, and is doing pretty well with navigation. She doesn't run into things until she gets excited and stops paying attention to where she's going....unfortunately, that's probably about twice a day. There have been some headlong runs into walls or furniture that have made me cringe in sympathy. She's still a little frantic about food, and she seems to be more concerned when we leave the house than she used to be, but for the most part she's doing well.

It's been a while since Andrew's gotten a shout-out. While looking for an email earlier this evening, I came across one with a link to a blog post I wrote almost two years ago. It was from after we had spoken with the doctors and had a frank discussion about his long-term chances, a few days before we made some difficult decisions. It brought up a lot of emotion, but none of it had to do with how we were feeling at the time. I didn't feel sorry for us at all, because at least we got to be there with him. Instead, I just miss him profoundly.

We met with our potential pediatrician on Tuesday, and we mentioned to her what had happened with our first child. She suggested that while we should certainly remember him and mourn him, we should also make sure to close that chapter and start a new one for the new baby. She doesn't want us drawing comparisons, or feeling like the new baby is a replacement, or worrying overmuch about health issues just because we had bad luck in the past. While that was always our plan, she helped reinforce it for us. It's all part of our story, but that was definitely a different chapter. So, this is a chance to pour one for my little homie and move on.

This last picture signifies a couple of things for me. First, travel. I don't see us going much further than a two hour drive in the next several months. Fortunately, we took great advantage of our long status as DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids) and have done more traveling than many people do in a lifetime. I want our kids to grow up loving travel as much as we do, so I'm sure we'll have many new adventures in the years to come, but that's a little difficult with a newborn. Besides, she won't remember it anyway....isn't childhood amnesia weird?

The second thing this picture represents is tranquility. Our stay in Hawaii in December 2007, just after we lost Andrew, was our most peaceful vacation ever. We still participated in some activities like snorkeling with manta rays and dolphins, but we also appreciated the Zen feel at the resort. We're a little too anxious at the moment to be completely calm, but we know the baby will shatter any remaining serenity that exists in our lives, at least temporarily. We know she'll cry, and keep us up, and vomit, and make messes, and be more work than we ever thought a little baby could be....but I guarantee it will be worth every minute. We welcome the challenge, and can't wait to see her!