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Leaving for Clovis tonight, then SF in the Morning

Well, my preparation plans got seriously derailed by a botched iPhone iOS4 update, requiring 15 hours of my time to obsessively work on getting it back to life in time for the trip. Turns out a defense mechanism Apple implemented if the download is corrupt actually is more of an offensive mechanism. It bricks your iPhone completely, requiring the use of a Mac and some hacking software to fix it. Nice work Apple!

Using all my time to fix my phone caused me to stupidly wait until 7:30 last night to test out the tune-up job I had done on Monday. Um… I’ve only adjusted derailleurs once and I did a better job than the shop I used. Oh well, no time to get it fixed or get a refund, so I’ll be spending Friday morning on the streets in SF tweaking out my derailleur.

I got all packed last night, and it appears that Sarah and Kyan are going to have to mount some seats on the rear bumper, because the car is full! Luckily Sarah spotted a great deal on a roof bag at Sears, so I’m going to run over and grab that during lunch. Then it’s a quick load up and go when I get home.

Typically it’s a 5 hour trip to Clovis without traffic, and around 7 with traffic. But now with Kyan on board, I’m curious to see how long it takes. I’m in a serious sleep deficit right now, which crushes performance; so I’m hoping to squeeze out a full 8 before riding. But that’s probably wishful thinking since I still have to grocery shop tonight in Clovis or in the morning in SF.

Ok, enough bitching. How many new Dads get to ride a bike 670 miles less than a month after having a kid? And down the California coastline too! Some of the best views in the world, and the longest days of the year to fully experience it. And with a support vehicle to boot! I’m only riding with about 10 lbs of gear, and in a pinch I could take that down to 5 and still have all I need. The extras weight is just my camera, a netbook, and a cable for my bike lock.

Hoping for a safe, injury free trip, and a new appreciation for our beautiful state.

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SF to SD Ride Countdown – 4 Days

For those who don’t know, I am about to embark on a 9-day journey from San Francisco to San Diego, biking and camping the whole way. I will be joined by my bro-in-law Evan on bike, and my pa-in-law Dennis in the support car.

It is an unorganized tour, in that we just planned the whole thing ourselves. We’re not riding for a cause (although we’re open to that if someone needs some press for their cause), and we’re not riding with a formal group. It’s just two dudes and one dad making our way down the California coastline, seeing the sights in one of the most intimate ways possible.

We’ll be averaging about 65-70 miles a day, with a century ride (104 miles) the final day. We finish up at my house in San Diego on July 3rd, just in time for some grilling and fireworks. And I personally couldn’t be happier that the 5th is a work holiday, because I will need a day to soak in this adventure before I tie myself back up to a desk.

I’ll update basic stats on this blog, and maybe Facebook each day if I have an Internet connection. I probably won’t be posting route maps since I’ll be saving my iPhone juice for tunes, pics, and posting, but if you just look at Google maps, search on Hwy 1, CA, you’ll get the gist. [Read the rest of this entry...]

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Kyan is 2 weeks old!

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 2 weeks since this little guy arrived.? I figured it was about time that I told the story of how he came into this world.

The morning of May 29th I woke up around 5:30am with some pretty bad cramps. Around 7:45 I had to get out of bed and stand because the pain was getting worse. All of a sudden I felt a woosh of fluid, and after checking, I had lost my mucus plug. I knew something was going to happen that day!

A little while later my water broke, but not fully. I looked down and noticed that it was brown which had me concerned. We learned in our birthing class that the fluid should be clear and if it wasn’t he had most likely gone to the bathroom inside me. This could be dangerous if he ends up aspirating it so we knew we had to go to the hospital immediately. I showered and got ready while Cody finished packing and loaded up the car. Thankfully the hospital is only 2 miles up the road.

Off to the hospital! 40 weeks and 4 days

Once we checked in I was taken to a room where they did the initial check up. There we were introduced to nurse Jenny who will forever be my least favorite nurse. As my contractions got more intense, she kept yelling at me to keep my eyes open and unclench my hands. I’m sorry! I’ve never felt pain like that and I had a contraction that lasted about 5 minutes at the highest level, according to the moniter.

All was much better once I was taken to the birthing room and finally given an epidural. Everything from the waste down went numb and I was much more comfortable. As the hours went by and I was slowly progressing, the drugs started to wear off. I had a little button to administer more, but every time I pushed it I didn’t feel the pain go away. More and more contractions came and they kept hurting more. I told Nurse jenny that I was feeling uncomfortable, so she told me to keep hitting the button and that “I signed up for this”. What?!?! I signed up for this? I was sooo pissed at her snotty comment that I flipped her off ( her back was turned of course). She repeated that saying multiple times throughout that day. Excuse me for being a first timer who’s never felt this kind of pain and uncomfort before! She’s on my list now.

It is now heading towards the evening and my doctor arrives to check on me. I was still not fully dilated and he was still pretty high up. We were concerned?because periodcally his heart rate would drop way low and they have to shake me and move me around to different positions to get it to come back up. After an hour she came back and did another check. Still at 9cm and he hadn’t moved down. Then came the bad news. It was at a point were nothing more was happening, she didn’t like what his heart rate was doing, he was face up, and it wasn’t good to leave him in there with the meconium. She gave me the option of have a c-section right then or waiting another hour with the hopes of being able to push. Though she was pretty sure i would end up have a c-section anyway. So after many tears we came to the conclusion that it was just best to have the surgery right away and not risk any more distress to the baby. This was the one thing I wanted to avoid! The thought of someone slicing open my stomach freaked me out.

They wheeled me into the OR and began to prep me. I was so worked up that I began to vomit. Let me tell you how hard it is to throw up into a tiny bowl while you are laying flat on your back. Luckily Cody came in and helped me clean my face off and held my hand. More drugs were pumped in and they told me I’d feel some pressure. I assume they were trying to get him into a good position before they cut because it felt like 10 hands slapping around and digging into my stomach. Then came the cut, which thankfully I didn’t feel. But as they were trying to get his head out I started to feel something! The worst stabbing pain right around my pubic bone. It felt like they were ripping it out. I was crying and kept telling the anesthesiologist that I could feel it which apparently threw him a bit. He gave me more and more drugs that did absolutely nothing. Then they started pushing on my ribs really hard which I could feel too! The worst part about it was the fact that they were having a hard time getting him out so the whole ordeal felt like forever.

Cody then tells me he’s out and I hear a cry. Thank God! He leaves me to go cut the cord and meet Kyan while I lay there dazed and confused. The nurse brings him over so I can meet him, but I was so drugged up that I literally saw 2 of him and couldn’t focus my eyes. Many pictures were taken and we were taken to recovery. My first thoughts after the whole process were- “ummm, I think he’s going to be an only child because that was horrible!”, and “people really do that over and over again?”

The happy ending to that story was that he was perfect and each time I stared at him it made the pain a little more bareable. The first few days were rough due to the lack of sleep and not being able to move much because of the surgery. He kept choking on the amneotic fluid still in his lungs throughout the night and it killed me that I couldn’t just sit up to help him. Thankfully, Cody was a complete rock star. I would say “He’s choking!” and he would jump up from a dead sleep to tend to him. We came home after 2 days and I was so glad my parents stayed for a few days after. They helped me keep some of my sanity by taking him during the day so I could rest. I don’t think I can thank them enough for their love and support.

So after 2 weeks I’m a little tired of being in the house, a little smelly due to lack of showering, and overall look like hell. I haven’t quite got the hang of being able to do things like my hair and makeup or any chores because he seems to always need something. At least I have 8 weeks to practice before I go back to work. But I know it is all worth it as I look at him in his swing right now and he is smiling in his sleep make little grunting sounds. Most likely he is working up a good fart :)

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Welcome to the World Kyan James Riddar

He didn’t make it easy, but he’s here.

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Today Might Be The Day

We are at the hospital right now. Sarah is 100% effaced and at 3cm. Could be a few hours, or could be a lot of hours. But he’s on his way!

Pictures will be posted after he arrives and we rest a bit.

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It’s My Due Date!

Week 38

Week 39

So I’m officially 40 weeks preganant today! It has felt like the longest 10 months of my life. I went to the doctor today and yet again there is no dilation, but the baby is getting lower. I’m so frustrated and incredibly jealous of all the people who have been popping out babies left and right these last few weeks. If things looked good today I was going to get induced on Thursday, but no such luck! So if he decides to stay stubborn over the weekend I have a date with some pitocen around 7pm on Monday.

I finally started maternity leave yesterday and felt my first day should be spent on the couch. Who knows when the next time I will be able to veg out by myself so I’m taking?full advantage of it. Now if I only had some Bon Bons :)

Thankfully my case of the angries is gone, but it has been replaced by a case of the weepies. It doesn’t take much to make my eyes fill with tears these days. Thank you hormones! The lack of sleep probably also has something to do with it. The last few nights I’ve woken in such excruciating pain that I have to get up and just stand next to the bed until it subsides. I have warned Cody to not be alarmed if he wakes up to find my just standing there like in Paranormal Activity- I am not possessed.

So everyone, please send me some positive birthing vibes. I’m ready to meet the new man in my life!

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The Final “For Dudes and Carnivores” Post

Happy Mother’s Day mothers, including our newest one, Sarah! She hasn’t felt like she qualifies for it this year since Kyan is still renting out her belly, but I figure he knows who she is, and knows that she’s his Mom, so it’s official enough. Plus, we went out running errands and everybody kept saying “Happy Mother’s Day” to her, so even society validated her qualifications.

Luckily there won’t be so much guess-work for Father’s Day since he’ll be burping up goodness on my shoulder by then. Which brings us to this… the last and final “For Dudes” post. Kyan has achieved maximum fruit and veggie size – Watermelon! According to the widget over there (if it’s still there by the time you read this), he is 19-21 inches in length, and just shy of 10 lbs.

In the world of dudes and carnivores, he is about the same size as Bruce Lee! …Whoa there, that wasn’t a joke about Asians and the vertical space they might occupy, THIS Bruce Lee – in the 12″ x 20″ poster below:

Watermelon = 20" tall Bruce Lee

And I bet if you asked Sarah, she’d claim Kyan’s punching and kicking skills were a pretty close match to the real deal. I think he’s personally mastered the “One Inch Punch”.

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Week 33-36

Week 33

Week 34

Week 35

Week 36

Here are some words to describe me as of the last week:

Irritable, angry, grumpy, hungry, in pain, crampy, disliking everyone

The people whom I most dislike:

1. My neighbor across the street who did not even say a word to me or assist in the capture of my jail breaking dogs as they ran around his driveway when he was saying goodbye to a lady friend. Um, do you not see this 9 month pregnant lady desperately trying to get her dogs back across the street who cannot bend over easily anymore? You are dead to me!

2. The customer service lady that I had to listen to smack her gum loudly for 10 minutes over the phone. If I could have reached through the phone to Boston to punch you, I would have.

3. The stupid hat lady who walks her dogs every morning before we wake up. Without fail, as soon as they turn the corner down our street her 2 dogs begin their barkfest past our house. This in turn causes baxter to go crazy and me to be angry.

There, however, has been some good times these last few weeks. We had a little baby party at our house which caused me to be on a cupcake a day diet for a week to eat the leftovers. Yum! We also got to see the proofs for our maternity photo session. There were some great pictures, so now we are just waiting for the finished product. To check out a sneak peak go to carlatoson.blogspot.com.

Last week I went to my 36 week appointment for the first of my weekly check-ups. So far no dilation even though he has dropped some and in total I have gained 20 lbs. I have a feeling that weight is going to continue to go up since the new found space in my stomach has appeared. I feel like I just keep eating, and it’s mainly sugar. In fact, before I started writing this I polished off a whole box of instant pudding and I?am really regreting it now.

So tomorrow I will officially be 37 weeks along.??We are about 90% done with his room and all I need to do is pack for the hospital. Any day now we could be meeting our little guy, and boy am I ready. This has felt like the longest 9 months of my life.

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Almost Home!

At 34 weeks Kyan just became the size of my least favorite fruit name. I really enjoy eating honeydew melons, but I can’t say I’m a fan of the list. My honey-do list grows much faster than it shrinks these days, so let’s put a positive spin on this size…

At 17″ long, he’s about the size of an official MLB Home Plate, which gives me a great idea. They should print these on the bottom of the sheets in the delivery rooms in hospitals. Think about it… the first thing your boy does when he pops out is a head-first slide across home plate. Safe! Ok, here’s a picture of one. I need to go to the craft store ;)

Honeydew Melon = Home Plate

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Week 27-32

Week 27

Week 28

Week 29

Week 30

Week 31

Week 32

Well, it’s been 6 weeks since I’ve posted anything, so let’s do a quick recap of what’s been going on.

A few weeks ago I had a wonderful baby shower at my aunt’s house in Clovis. Some of the people there I hadn’t seen since my bridal shower 6 years ago, and some had been even longer. We got so many cute things! This baby will be well dressed for months to come.

The? next event was our annual family wine tasting in Sonoma. Instead of our usual 25-30 people, there were 10 of us this year. So out went the giant bus with a driver and in came a 12 passenger van with me at the helm. This was a first and last for me. As God is my witness, I will be back to the wine swilling slightly inappropriate girl we all know and love next year! Grammy can watch the baby, right?

Then came the big 3-3, a maternity photo shoot at the beach,?and a nearly week-long visit from the parental units. Those little work horses helped us weed, clean and get even closer to finishing the nursery. I don’t know what?we’d do without them.

On the pregnancy front I’ve been slowly growing and getting more?and more uncomfortable. I’ve gained about 14 lbs (with 5 of those being baby) and have been told by the doctor to drink more fluids and eat more salt due to low blood pressure and some dizzy spells. I even got to step into my patient’s shoes and put on compression stockings for the blood pooling in?my feet. I broke a sweat putting them on and instantly felt bad for every person I gave them to and told them they’d just have to get used to them. Needless to say I’ve only worn them once.

But, overall, the best part of these 6 weeks was seeing our little guy?in 3D on the big screen. He is?getting pretty squished in there so?it was hard to get a completely clear picture of his face because there was either an arm or umbilical cord in the way. In hindsight it would have been better to do it around 27 weeks, but I wanted to wait until my family came down so they could share this with us.

So now we have 7 weeks to go. I personally think he will come 2 weeks?early, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking. Anything to get rid these painful rib and side kicks.

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