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Thursday morning we were all up early. The week prior Adrienne developed excruciating itching and a rash all over her body that would be diagnosed as PUPPPs. The only cure for the condition is delivery (and even then it could be some time), and so we eventually decided to induce labor, since everything else appeared ready – baby checked out and Adrienne’s body was well along its preparations. Even a few days of relief was a welcome prospect. And so we took a couple last photos before dropping Mal off at a friend’s and heading towards the hospital by 8am or so.

Since Adrienne was using the same midwives, she delivered at the same hospital – Morristown Hospital – about 30 miles south and west of our home in Bloomfield. It is a very well-regarded hospital with (what seem to me) very good facilities.

So here is where we insert the yadda yadda yadda part. No, not really, but I’ll give just minor details. It took 3 nurses and finally an anesthesiologist to have success getting an IV into Adrienne – she’s got hard veins already and the rash made it very difficult. Adrienne was already having decent-size braxton hicks contractions pretty regularly, and so a low dose of pitocin kicked things up pretty easily. Adrienne labored for about 2 hours 45 minutes and then spent 30 minutes in the water pushing. Baby girl Tallacksen (#2) was born at 1:15pm.

This birth was much less exciting than Mallory, and so the whole sense was of much more calm. In the birthing room there were us two, the midwife and the nurse and that was it. The nurse pretty much stayed back and just made preparations.

Sadly they’re using a new scale so it’s hard to get the weight and baby in the same frame. Measurements below:

Visiting hours are until 8pm, and so I was able to go pick up Mal from the friend by 5:15 and get back to the hospital so we could eat our first family dinner together. Mal proved to be quite the hit on the ward.

Mal enjoyed the double heart-shaped pretzels. They’re called heartzels.

This is what happens when you point a camera at Mal and ask her to smile:

Baby girl Tallacksen (#2) has more hair than Mal had at nearly 1 year old!

Mal immediately took to her little sister.

David and Mallory spent the nights back at home. We visited twice the following day (Friday the 5th) and celebrated Adrienne’s birthday with a candle (with a fake flame) in homemade oatmeal-chocolate chip-butterscotch cookies.

Saturday was the day to come home! David made Mallory a special breakfast of banana-chocolate chip pancakes. With sausage of course. That kid can pound back the sausage.

Discharge was pretty easy (we’re old pros!) and so we were on our way home, but not before finally deciding on a name – it took a while to figure out who this little person is and what fits her! And so we’ve got Mallory Lenora on the left below, and Hannah Lucille on the right. Both sisters passed out on the way home. Lightweights.

After a lunch of homemade pizza and some naps, we went for our first walk. I gave Hannah her first ride in the Ergo.

The neighborhood turkeys were out and about.

Hannah likes to sleep.

Celli likes to visit.

And Mallory sure seems attached. I figure it will be mutual.

Mallory helping Adrienne fold clothes (while she watches Fringe, no doubt!):

Charlie’s tail. Enough said!

Test driving the jumper.

Cats taking in the afternoon sun.

And a small weekend project: I decided I wanted a more productive workspace in my practice space in the basement. Fabricated using all scrap pieces and a couple bucks worth of hardware from the Depot.

I promise the quantity will slow down as we lose our ‘baby-high’ and realize how sleep deprived we are. So get them while the getting’s good…

We got home from the hospital about 1:30pm today, and spent the afternoon relaxing and napping and petting the furballs. Celli was interested in what was in the baby carrier as soon as it came in the door. The others have shown only mild curiosity. Had some dinner (smoked salmon and all the fixins on homemade bagels and a salad – way better than the hospital food!) and then took Mallory for a spin in the ergobaby. So nice to be outside!

Below you can see the detail of Mallory’s wounds from the suction cup and being pushed against Adrienne’s pelvic bone – light scarring and bruising. Already looks way better than when she came out!

World, meet Mallory Lenora Tallacksen.

Born 9:32am 8.15.11 after 7 hours labor and then another 3.5 hours pushing (!) with just a little help from a suction cup extractor (Baby Girl decided she preferred face up to face down, making life more difficult for Adrienne). I’ll share more detail via email with those of you seeking it. 19.5 inches long, 7lbs 3oz. (apparently they don’t round up I guess). I’ve never been more proud of Adrienne, she really is my Wonder Woman! And yeah, we’ll let you know when the whole name thing is sorted out…

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Since I’m sharing crappy cell phone pictures, here comes another one…

Many years ago while living in Wichita I decided to go to the airshow (it’s an aviation town, plus I wanted to get some cool photos (like this one and this one)). But to get in the gate, I had to give up my Swiss Army Tinker knife.

Man, that was a sad day. I can’t even say I remember my decision process. I think parking was such a hassle that I really didn’t want to go back to the car. Who knows, it’s a fog now. I liked the Tinker – nice feature set, though part of me wanted to upgrade to the Tinker Deluxe for the pliers. So there I was without a pocket knife. I’ve always had a pocket knife since that fateful day I bought one at The Alamo. (Which a quick reference to the vacation journal puts me at 8 years old at the time.) I felt incomplete!

I think it was just a couple months later Mom and Dad came down to visit around my birthday. We went to what was for me, a fancy restaurant. It was fancy but not too fancy. On the West side. The sort of place I imagined becoming a regular visit kind of place once I got older. (I just spend a minute at google maps and deduced/remembered it was LeMonde cafe.) I had the talapia and steamed veggies. We went to Kohl’s afterwards and as a birthday present I got a slow cooker (I could finally make italian beef!). And I think Dad gave me a Leatherman Juice – think a big leatherman, but pocketable. A very nice replacement for the missing Tinker. In fact, I would come to regard the Leatherman a much superior replacement.

(As I type this I start to question whether I got the Leatherman for my birthday or Christmas, but I’ve already taken the time to type that fading memory out, so it stays!)

The leatherman has served me VERY well throughout the years. So flash forward to a couple weeks ago when I started all this nonsense with a new bathroom ceiling and then I need a new fan and then I need to work on the electrical. (Parts one and two are done now, at least!) There I am in the hot attic crawlspace with my leatherman (and other tools, yes), trying to get things done. At some point I put the leatherman on the rafter, and I think it must have fallen into the loose insulation. Because next time I think to look for it to use it, gone. After a while I diligently finger through all the insulation where I think it could be. Nothing. I wonder if I left it somewhere else, so I give it a couple weeks to turn up. But what does that leave me? Again feeling sad and incomplete!

So I couldn’t deal with it anymore, I really think I’m addicted to the utility of the tool and being able to have it so near. I spent some time considering if I should upgrade or side-grade to a different model, but ended up figuring the CS4 really is the perfect tool for me. So Amazon, send me another!

I’m looking forward to many years of use (in it’s first night its philips and straight drivers have already helped fix Adrienne’s umbrella, made by another Portland-based company); I’ll try not to lose you!

Now to move the stuff from the attic down three floors…

My 250 feet of coax cable arrived at work today, so I gaffed it to my bike carrier (didn’t have the proper bungees) and brought it home. Celli quickly gave her nod of approval.

Icemaker fixed:

Craigslist chair picked up:

It was made in 1950. It’s in pretty good shape, having had a very-ugly cover on it for quite some time, but it likely needs a professional upholstery cleaning to help get rid of the musty smell.

Adrienne falls on her butt and gets huge bruise:

It’s about the size of your closed fist!

Other non-photographed tasks/events: grass mowed, hedge trimmed, mirror re-attached to Adrienne’s 100-year-old dresser, bean pods and leaves completely eaten off of garden plants 🙁 , The Shining watched (really not that scary, I don’t get it), tennis played. Gonna start prepping for a little grill out, looks like the rain may hold off. Happy Sunday!

Straight to the chase.

Goal: new duplex box in 2nd floor office and cat6 run to it from the basement.
Result: hole in wall, hole in some sort of joist, hole in front closet ceiling, much lighter wallet, new tools of destruction and new power outlet in kitchen (huh?)

Pictures of hole creating without the proper tools in office:

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The cable run to the second floor has proven to be a bit difficult and may need more tools (anyone have a fiber optic camera?). But the outlet was a bit easier, after an accidental spark test that was strong enough to arc-weld the wire to the junction box! It also gave me a good reason to do some further cleaning of the basement, as I ended up throwing away two contractor’s garbage bags of trash. And finally, the cats have enjoyed the blankets that haven’t quite made it back to storage: