Karston has been smiling on and off for the past few weeks but it's started to get a lot more consistent lately and he is mixing in some laughter and cooing. Here is a picture of him at his best, and in his Sunday best ($15 at Target). More pictures can be found on flickr.com.



However, evidently Karston can't watch TV and use the remote during the day - he ends up like an old man, falling asleep while channel surfing with remote in hand.

Labels: baby, family, Karston

This past Sunday we blessed Karston at the chapel along the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia.

Here are some photos from the event:


Our Family


Extended Family at the Blessing


Karston, Daddy, and Grandma Deborah


Karston, Mommy, Daddy and Grandparents in Attendance


Mount Vernon Chapel, Alexandria, Virginia


Karston in his blessing outfit


Karston rooting for the Redskins, grabbed his football and was ready to play!


Then on Thursday, Karston went to the pediatrician the other day for his 2 month shots. During his visit, Dr. Fleming said she 'thought' she heard a heart murmur and for us to schedule a visit to the cardiologist.

Valerie took him in today and after running an EKG and Echo cardiogram on Karston, the doctors determined that Karston has a small hole in the wall between his two upper chambers of the heart, called an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). Blood from the left atrium is leaking back into the right atrium where it goes right back to the lungs. none of this affects his breathing.

The doctor said that the hole will NOT get bigger, can get smaller and may even disappear altogether! Karston does not need any type of medication at this time. The cardiologist also said that 10% of the population has some form of minor heart defect, not including those who do not know they do, and are still considered 'healthy.' There is really no need to worry. We are going back for a check up in six months.

We are so blessed to have little Karston in our lives.

Labels: baby, family, health, Karston

For his first Halloween ever, Valerie and I decided to dress Karston as a hot dog. Valerie found this sweet Old Navy brand costume on eBay and we bought it a few weeks ago. We were so excited for him to wear it, even though he is so small compared to the 'one size fits all' costume.

For as long as I have known her, Valerie has gone around calling this last 'holiday' Halloweenie. It only seemed fitting to dress our most impressionable member of our family - the one who we can still get away with embarrassing - as a hot dog!

Labels: baby, family, Halloween, holiday, Karston

Karston's uncle Spencer and aunt Leslie gave him this bear for his birth day. It's extremely soft and cuddly. He doesn't quite know what to do with it yet but has enjoyed chewing on his ear. We call the bear "Chewy Bear."

Labels: baby, Karston

Karston just had his 1 month birthday on October 4th. It's been an awesome month with him in our lives. We love him very much even though he doesn't do anything aside from Eat. Sleep. Poop (It's a cycle)



He's an adorable little boy and very good at what he's learned how to do in his one month here on Earth. His most exciting accomplishment in our eyes is his little smile or his coos when he's falling asleep and happy. We love it when he actually looks at us, into our eyes. It's almost as if he's thinking: 'Hey, you guys aren't pros but you're all I've got for parents. Guess I gotta make the best of it!'



He absolutely loves his bath time, Valerie is ecstatic that since he was born, her Washington Redskins are undefeated and claims it's Karston's presence (while wearing his Redskins outfits).

This year for Halloween Valerie and I decided that Karston will dress up.... we bought an AWESOME!!! costume for him, which will remain a surprise until a post on Halloween day!

Stay tuned!

Labels: baby, family, Karston

Karston learns his body parts:

Labels: baby, family, Karston

Valerie and I are a bit biased but we think we have a cute baby. Tonight Karston had his first bath (thanks to Stephanie S. for providing him with all the bath supplies) and he didn't seem to mind. Valerie made the bathroom really steamy and warm so he wouldn't freak out when we undressed him and we gave him a little wash.

Labels: baby, family, Karston

Well, football season has officially started and it's Karston's first football experience. Valerie, being a huge Washington Redskins fan, is trying to convince me that she is going to instill her diehard fanaticism on Karston. I don't personally have a "team" that I root for but it's painful for me to ever want to willingly root for the Redskins because they are so awful.

Nevertheless, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to take this 'classic' picture of Karston. I guess it is a fitting outfit for him since he was born during the middle of this year's Season Opener, which ironically was the Washington Redskins versus the New York Giants.

Labels: baby, football, Karston

My first frustrating night with Karston home wasn't all that frustrating and I'm sure every parent in the world has gone through the same type of situation.

Last night Karston was "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed." It was great to see him awake so much and BOTH of his eyes open at the same time (usually he prefers the Popeye look). However when it came to trying to get him to go to sleep around midnight he would have none of it!

I tried to console and rock him so that Valerie could get some sleep but he was having a tough time. He kept giving me mixed signals.

I have seen on various sights and have heard from various people that babies have different cries to tell you how they are feeling and what they need.

The Baby Corner has a great reference on infant communication. It lists the following as common types of infant cries:

• Basic - A rhythmic pattern formed by a cry, then a brief silence, then a short whistle higher in pitch than the main cry, then another quick rest before the next cry.


• Anger - A variation of the basic cry with more air forced through the vocal chords.


• Hunger - A low pitched cry that rises and falls with a rhythm. The baby will usually root, suck on his or her hands and can't be calmed down.


• Fatigue - A soft, rhythmic cry as the baby tries to pacify and go to sleep.


• Boredom - A fake cry that stops when picked up.


• Discomfort - A whiny sound like the fake cry, but doesn't stop when picked up. Baby usually needs a diaper change or is too hot or cold.


• Pain - Differs from the other types of cries, and it stimulated by high-intensity stimuli. It is characterized by both a sudden loud cry without moaning, and a long initial cry followed by a breathing period.

Last night Karston was making cries that told me he had to burp but it turned out that he was hungry.

It isn't an exact science but it's nice to know typical sounds an infant makes so that you can narrow down what he or she needs.

Labels: baby, family, Karston

This morning Valerie, Karston and I made a family trip to the pediatrician for the first time. Dr. Fleming was really great to work with - it helped that she's around our age - easy to relate to.

Karston had his first weigh-in and measured for length (height??). Dr. Fleming noticed he has a dimple on his sacrum so she suggested that we get it checked out at the hospital. She also didn't have records of his test for bilirubin so told us to do that as well while at the hospital. He doesn't look too yellow but it is slightly elevated more than where it should be.

I also forgot my cell phone charger in the recovery room and Val wanted to rent a breast pump until hers comes in the mail. So off to the hospital we went.

The ultrasound on his spine went very well and came back positive so there is nothing to worry about there. His bilirubin test results were supposed to go back to Dr. Fleming so we'll wait to see about that, but I don't think it will be anything serious.

We asked Dr. Fleming for sleeping advice since in his first two nights home Karston hasn't wanted to sleep on his back at all! He even wakes up and pitches a fit if you lay him down on his back. I'm sure it is something that he will get used to since he's been balled up and in an enclosed space for nine months so I'm sure that he prefers that still. Today we got him to sleep in his bouncy chair (thanks great-aunt Stephie!!) and right now is actually napping on his back on the couch between the two of us. So maybe there is hope. He just does not like to sleep in his bassinet. We're hoping to break that trend soon so we can get some much needed sleep!

We've had lots of good friends dropping by and emailing/calling us to congratulate us. We appreciate all of you, especially those who have given us advice (Melissa, Jenny, Rachael, etc.)

Being parents is awesome! We love it! I really like this kid and think we'll keep him! I love bonding with him. When he gets fussy or extremely wiggly, I will put my lips on the side of his head and softly whisper calming words to him and give him soft kisses. It helps to put him to sleep. We think that he really likes me!

My next goal is to teach him to hold his own pacifier in!

Got to go change a diaper!!

Labels: baby, family, Karston

Last night Karston had his first night in our home. As many new parents have probably experienced, all three of us had a rough night.

The little guy did NOT want to sleep in his bassinet and would only nibble for a few minutes then fall asleep mid-feeding. We went through a number of diaper changes last night and struggled to get his belly full so he'd sleep - so WE could sleep!!

After wrestling back and forth I finally made him some formula - which we didn't want to do since Valerie needs to feed him to keep the milk flowing - and I hand feed him for over an hour to let Valerie sleep.

When that was done we still tried to get him to sleep in his bassinet but he pitched a fit and refused to sleep in it. So, we ended up having him sleep between us on the bed and as soon as we did he was out cold. We don't like the idea of him sleeping between us on the bed but it worked for one night.

Right now, as I write this, he is sleeping in his bassinet, so who knows what his deal is. I'm hoping that we haven't held him too much in his first two days that he has a need for one of us to be holding him.

All three of us are new at this so I'm sure it'll just take some time, eventually we'll get him on a schedule and some of our sanity back.

Right now Valerie is trying to feed him every three hours but when he has been asleep he's been real difficult to wake up from his slumber! We're also trying to get him to be able to sleep through noise and light. C'mon little dude! Work with us!!! Valerie has a tough time sleeping through both so we'd like him to be able to. I have slept through earthquakes in Southern California before, so I hope he gets the gene from me!

Labels: baby, Karston

I feel really thankful. Over the past week I've been the beneficiary of some remarkable service. The first is my fabulous sister-in-law Rachael. I hate the term sister-in-law when I describe Rachael because I've known her for 16+ years. She's my sister and I look to her for advice on many levels-- most recently as my source of all things pregnancy, childbirth, and baby.

Rachael did the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. She cleaned our townhouse last week before we moved in. I'm not sure how many hours she spent there. It had to have been at least 10. She cleaned our kitchen, wiped out the cupboards, cleaned all the floors, and the bathrooms. She did everything. Considering she has a full-time gig as a corporate executive, a seven-year old and twins under the age of two, this means a lot to me.

I am also thankful to Mike N., Mike Y., Scott, Paul, Corey, my brother Brandon, and my niece Ellie for all their help with our move last Saturday. They started loading the truck at 10:00 a.m. and had delivered and unloaded everything at our new house by 12:30pm. It was amazingly fast. Brandon and Ellie came early and stayed late to help with organizing and cleaning too.

My thanks also goes out to Holly who threw a fabulous baby shower Wednesday night. The food, especially the cake, was out of this world. I appreciate all her planning, inviting, preparing, and cleaning-up. And thank you to my friends from the Capitol Hill Ward who came to celebrate. It was a perfect night!

Last but not least, thank you to Nathan for putting up with my whining, bending over to pick things up for me and rubbing my back for a few minutes every night now. He is the sweetest and sexiest man on earth!

--Val

Labels: baby, family, house, move, pregnancy, val

Family, friends and random strangers who have accidentally stumbled onto this blog:

Valerie and I have been struggling to keep a dirty dark secret hidden from the world for 12 weeks now.

WE'RE HAVING A BABY IN SEPTEMBER!

Do not adjust the settings on your computer monitor. It's true. As the attached photo shows, we're due around September 20th.

We wanted to keep it a secret until April Fools' Day but that wouldn't be until week 16 and we couldn't hold out that long. But it would have been a great April Fools' Day announcement, most people, especially in our families, would notice that it was April 1st and suspect that since we have been married for 7 years that we were just joking.

Well, we are not.

We started the year with all these resolutions in mind and were looking forward to accomplishing all that we had planned out. Little did we know that when Valerie fell sick with an ear condition following a flight from DC to Florida that our life would change dramtically. In January Valerie was having serious ear pain and demanded that we go to the hospital in Aventura, Florida at 5 a.m. She (and I) both ended up having (OME) otitis media with effusion, which is essentially blockage of the eustachian tubes due to a cold and fluid building up in the middle ear, causing severe pain in the ear when flying.

When we got to the hospital the doctors of course wanted to do a pregnancy test just so they could see what they were able to give and not give her as far as medication. The little Asian nurse called me into the room "just in case." Then after the 2 minutes needed had expired, she looked down at the pregnancy test strip and excitedly wheeled around exclaiming, "IT'S POSITIVE!!" She must have been completely bewildered when she looked at our shocked faces, expecting us to jump up and down or something. Instead we stood there looking at each other and then smiled, trying to take the news that was just dropped on us.

Some of you might have suspected that Valerie was pregnant since I have been saying that she has been "sick and exhausted" for these past few weeks. Valerie has been extremely exhausted with work, traveling and of course having her body overrun by a parasite. In fact, that is currently the name of our baby: Paris Site Coffey (we are suspecting that it is a girl - thanks to the suspect Chinese Baby Gender Chart). Unfortunately her morning sickness has taken over her life, but fortunately, she isn't bed-ridden. We are hoping she is on the up-and-up shortly.

It's not that we didn't ever want to have kids, but like I said earlier, we had just made all these resolutions and were making plans to carry them out. This year our motto was, "Whatever happens, happens." We just never imagined that it would happen this fast! We're excited and have had a hard time keeping this from family and close friends.

We went back to the doctor at week 6, this time an OB/GYN because Valerie wasn't able to keep anything down and had no appettite for over a week and we were a bit concerned about the baby's health due to the possible lack of vitamins. The OB/GYN had us take an ultrasound and I was amazed to see at week 6 that PARIS SITE was the size of a corn kernel and in the middle of this kernel was a tiny little blip, flickering on the screen: the smallest heartbeat that I have ever seen. Later did we learn that everything seems to be okay and the morning sickness and lack of appetitte, etc. points to a healthy pregnancy.

I have never been more nervous, as most dads-to-be must be, praying that everything works out and that the baby is healthy and without any complications of any kind.

We will definitely have updates as we go along all on this website!

Below is an image that I made as more or less an "announcement."

Labels: baby, family, pregnancy, val