Week 1

Sam has been here a whole week now! We're having lots of fun with him and enjoying his pleasant, patient temperament. As long as we keep him well-fed, he stays happy and sleeps well, so we're doing our best. Both he and mommy are doing well, and we're all getting as much sleep as we can. He's also enjoying the visits of family and friends, and if everything goes well in the morning, he'll be coming to church.

In my "spare" time, I've been having fun taking photos. You can see them at my photos website.

Samuel Griffin

10lbs 5oz, 21-1/4in

In other strange news

Since we've been married, Allie and I have never had a "home phone." We've each relied exclusively on our cell phones. With a baby on the way, we talked over several options and decided to add a third line to our family plan so that we could leave one phone at home as a "home phone." We didn't think it would cost us more than $9.99 a month plus fees, which made it cheaper than signing up for traditional phone service.

I went through the process of adding the line this afternoon and much to my surprise... it now costs us LESS with three phones than it did with two! That's right! The cell phone company gave us the phone for free, activated it for free, and added it to our plan (which we had to renew for 2 years... no problem), and it now costs us $2 less every month than we've been paying.

I wish we would have known about this sooner!!

...And counting

The one birth scenario that Allison and I did not prepare for is now upon us. We did not expect to get to Sam's due date without him being born. We prepared for very early, sort of early, and only a little early. We have had suitcases in the trunk and a car seat installed since the second week of October. We've had our hopes up for the last month since the ultrasound showed that Sam looked to be much bigger than expected. At the last doctor's appointment, we thought the 8 1/2 to 9 pound estimate meant he couldn't wait much longer. I've had my phone on every minute of every day in case contractions began, and I've lived in a perpetual state of "ready-to-drop-everything-and-drive-Allie-to-the-hospital" in order to be prepared for any scenario.

I was not ready for Sam to stay put this long.

He's so uncooperative.

No news is good news?

My worst fears did not come to pass over the weekend. The Northwestern home football game against Ohio State came and went without our needing to drive to the hospital, and we didn't have to rush to the hospital during the wintry mix of rain and snow that passed through on Friday and Saturday. In fact, the weekend was fairly uneventful, with Allie and I mostly staying at home and watching DVDs.

"Officially" Sam is closing in on 39 weeks, although November 7 was the due date determined at the very first appointment we had with the doctor. It was revised a short time later to November 19, where it remains. The official date does not change because predicting the due date is more of an educated guess than an exact science. Only about one in twenty babies arrives on the due date. Anything two weeks earlier or later than that is considered "normal," so all we know right now is that we're in the prime baby-having window. The doctor has also assured us that they will not wait longer than a week past his due date to induce labor, if it comes to that, so we will have this baby by Thanksgiving.

I still love Al's Deli

There's a small, French cafe a short distance from Northwestern's campus, just west of the Noyes "L" stop. Al's Deli makes THE BEST sandwiches in the state, if not in the country. Allie and I stopped there for a lunch date this afternoon. Waiting fifteen minutes in line and another fifteen minutes for the owner and his brother make our sandwiches was a small price to pay for the uniquely superb culinary experience that is Al's Deli. They are only open for a few hours each day at lunch, but if you are ever in Evanston, you must stop in.