3-weeks!

aka Young Peck, aka Skeletor, aka Tubby burst forth 3-weeks ago today and he's already done so much:

He's got a real name now, as well as a Tibetan name given to him on his blessing at the Sakya Monastery. He's been to the Pike Place Market, to Tacoma, to his first bike race (as a spectator only), to name just a few, but most importantly/amazingly he's made it three-weeks with us, fledgling parents who he's been training so well.

He definitely gets his way with us as he's found that pitch of cry that so gets to both Annie and I, its heart wrenching. Of course, life isn't always so easy for a little guy either. You can tell he's still pretty frustrated that he can't hold his head up for too long although its both funny and cute when he's head gets to bobbing around until finally it collapses on your shoulder. No pain no gain, little buddy, keep it up. And sitting around in a poopy diaper is not his thing although he'll let it slide if it means he can take an extra pull of milk from mommy.

And he's no longer a little skeletor like he was in those first days as he's fattened right up from 5-9 lbs to probably 7-8 by now. But he's still little Kian, to us.

Quik Photo Post: A Weekend in the Life

Om Mani Padme Hum: The Baby Blessing at Sakya Monastery

Kian's Tibetan name is Tashi Wangdu, given to him on the spot by the head Lama or Rinpoche. Several members approached us afterwards and said what a great name it was. It means "powerful-auspicious", dove-tailing nicely with "king on the hill".

First time to Pike.

Tummy time.

Clearly, very different opinions about the new Chariot trailer/stroller/jogger/polk.

Tummy 2 tummy time.

Kian's Not Mine

If your heart just sank a little bit or you worry for me after reading this entry title, then you know how a couple of my friends have felt since yesterday afternoon.

In the midst of a flurry of email exchanges yesterday while talking about Kian's little "snip", I forgot to include one measly comma in my reply and so what should have been "Kian's, not mine", as in Kian's snip (circumcision), not my snip (vasectomy), turned into "I am not Kian's father". This caused them a bit of torture, they say, and they poured up and down my blog looking for information regarding the true identity of the father, as I had instructed them to read about it in the blog, but was referring to the circumcision, of course. They consoled me today saying how much I looked like the baby anyway and how I've been such a good father so far.


On a similar note, check out the Look Alike Meter: "Ever wondered who your kid or baby resembles more, their mother or father? Use the MyHeritage Look-alike Meter™ to find out! Let our state-of-the-art face recognition technology settle every family's debate once and for all!

And for some other pretty funny news, check out the Seattle PI's odd news link: read about the dude arrested only 12-hours after being released from jail and how Plop-plop was tasered down in Florida.

Goo Goo G'Joob

Kian loves the I am the Walrus song. But he might like it because I think he should like it and so I bounce him in my arms while I belt out the bridge, "goo goo g'joob" (or is it coo coo k'choo?). We listened to most of the Magical Mystery Tour album post-midnight last night and he seems to dig the entire album, but its a long one and so I was worn out by Penny Lane and we never got to Baby You're a Rich Man. I was too tired for the diaper change and headed down to the Tortuga with my pillows to try and finish off the night with some sleep.

"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.
See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly.
I'm crying.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen."

Religious or Spiritual

After a lengthy deliberation we finally decided to go through with the circumcision, and it was performed today by a Sephardic Jewish Rabbi on the dinning room table of his home in south Seattle. It was an interesting cultural and medical procedure and I'm so glad that I skipped out of work to attend: I wasn't sure I was going to be able, but made it happen: I realized that I needed to represent and be there in solidarity with the little man!

Annie and I both had a literal hand in the event, as I held little Kian's legs pinned down and Annie kept the sugar water-drambuie soaked gauze in his mouth -- it helped! -- while the Rabbi did his thing. That's all you'll get out of me. I don't mean to overstate it, but I was slightly traumatized and glad its done. Walking up to the Rabbi's house I had the sort of feeling you might get when you are taking your dog to the vet to be put to sleep, or maybe heading into a surgery with some apprehension about the outcome: I guess it was that sense of loss.


Next stop, the Sakya Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in north Seattle this Sunday where we have been invited/accepted to be apart of a "long life" baby blessing for Kian. Here's what one of the Monastery assistants mentioned about it:

"1. Brings about family happiness.
2. Ensures long life of child.
3. Decreases obstacles for the child.

Performed by a lama. The lama will recite prayers and give the child a sacred blessing cord and long life katag. The parents should bring flowers, incense, candles, and offerings for the Buddha to be put on the shrine. Suggested donation and offering: $20."

During my many dealings with Buddhism while traveling throughout Asia (in Thailand, Nepal, India and Tibet), from meditation retreats to Buddhist teachings and "dhamma talks", I eventually took vows of "refuge" in Buddhism, and so I continue to be a committed student. The journey continues.

**Note** If you care to attend and stand by little Kian for this short ritual ceremony, you would be hugely welcome. It might be a nice cultural experience for you too. Give a call.

Little Big Man

Just got word from Annie that Kian weighed in at 6 pounds 12 ounces today in his weekly checkup with Charlotte, our midwife. He's growing up too fast for daddy.

Would you look at the belly on that porker. It just doesn't seem right. Can you say worms.

Newer Pics & A Vid

Buddha baby.

Uncle JJ works his baby magic: the submission hold.

KC strikin' a pose.

A couple from the Arthouse.

Finally, the Name!

Saturday morning we sat down over breakfast with the latest list-of-names that we'd assembled, and after crossing off the ones that just wouldn't work we ended up staring at the same names we'd been considering for months: I had my favorites which Annie didn't like, and vice versa. Seamus was just too exotic for Annie, and I already knew too many Ian's and Andrew's. Peckinpah and Tubby were cute but weren't suitable for later in life and we needed something fast for the social security deadlines and the grandma's. A bunch of new names were thrown in the mix, just what we needed was more choices, but one surfaced that I'd discovered on a Gaelic babyname website and we picked it as one of the two names for our "name trial weekend": we decided to try one name on Saturday, then Sunday we'd try out the other name, and by Sunday evening we'd decide which name we preferred. Saturday afternoon we were already hooked and decided to go with it:

Kian Conrad Reid.

Don't call me Kiki or I'll bite your head off!

Kian is pronounced Ian with a K and is of Gaelic/Irish origin (the reason we chose it). It means "ancient name" (Cian/Kiaron from Biblical times) and "king", and I've since found other associations in Persian and Farsi as well as in African dialects. But I may have chosen Kian had it meant anything other than Satan's nickname because most names mean something cool, that's why we perpetuate them. We liked the sound and look of the name, its got some poetic influence, as we like the way it goes with Conrad and Reid. Our main goal was not to curse him with a bad name, but to give him something little different, maybe even a bit exotic, and with some connection to his heritage, which I guess is all a parent can do.

I must have been about 8-years old when I remember my dad telling me that I could change my name whenever I wanted, and I'll be sure to extend the same flexibility to my son.

Notes from Annie

I’ve been meaning to contribute to the conversation but needless to say, I’ve been busy!! Hope you’re enjoying the blog—it’s all thanks to Dougie. Giving birth was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was also an amazing experience, as is each new day with this wonderful little being. He coos, chortles, sucks, clicks, and has funny mannerisms….typical newborn I guess but to me he’s a fascinating creature. I never tire of holding him and looking into his (now) cerulean eyes as they dart to and fro, with an occasional steady gaze of profound curiosity. I had a feeling our baby was a boy and the instinct was right but you never know and does it really matter? Not to me.

Currently, he’s discovered his fingers are good for sucking, especially with a coating of milk on them. His peeling skin and oddly growing nails are likened to a reptile molting. Sometimes he smiles, sort of, and it might be related to leaving us a present in his diapers……. ahhh…..one of the few bodily gratifications newborns have. Thankfully, Tubby is fast becoming Chubby and I’m happy to relinquish that name to him. Speaking of a name, we’re still working on it but narrowing it down. Stay tuned.

I have to heap praise and gratitude to Dougie, my mom and the rest of my birthing team, a group of beautiful women whose love and support continues to guide me. Doug and I are blessed with devoted families who are sharing this joy with us and providing incredible support. Last but certainly not least, big hugs and ‘Thanks’ go to our collective friends. We love you all and look forward to celebrating ‘life’ further. Thanks also for listening.

August 6th, 2008: A Happy Birthday

Above are some shots of the happy ending, but it took an entire night of pumping and grinding to get to here, not to mention approximately 9-months of gestation. For the most part, I was able to postpone the reality of what changes this child would bring until the birth, but Annie was confronted with this on a day-to-day basis.

Below are some pics of the rest of the birth. We debated posting these on the blog but feel that they are the culmination of an amazing story, and they tell a great story in their own right: to witness a birth is an incredible, life changing event, even for the mere spectator.

Here are some pics of the birth, with permission from Annie, of course.

Our Doula, Alyssa, gets nearly all of the photo credits for these shots and did an incredible job capturing the story of this birth in picture: the drama, the emotion, even the blood and guts: Annie gave her the okay to take "hooha" shots, as she called them.



But Alysa's real gift was her support and motivation to Annie throughout the birth. She was (and is) a complete superwoman who was with Annie every step of the way by motivating her and keeping her spirits high for the entire 8-hours that started just after midnight. I cracked on several occasions and Alyssa didn't miss that either (I was saving myself for the finale).

It was a long night for all of us including for our amazing midwife, Charlotte, who is currently 7-8 months pregnant!

And at about 5 minutes to 8 in the morning on August 6th, Annie's own birthday....

Cutting the cord!

Welcome, Tubby Peckinpah Francis Reid!

More should be said about the birthing crew, they were incredible! Later.

Six.1 Pounds!

Still no official SSN compatible name yet, but "Tubby" is not only cute and loaded with historical and emotional significance, but its accurate: the kid is porking up! I'd call him Porky but that's the name of our resident squirrel at the Chiwawa home and we don't want to confuse matters.

Birth pictures are in, but most are too graphic to post on a kid and squeamish-friendly website such as this, so I need to do some heavy editing. Tomorrow I'll get some of those up, but in the meantime I'll maybe leave you with one or two. Here's the weigh-in just after the birth: we are fishers of men.

Today is Peck's first Tuesday. The first's are piling up, he's breaking records every day. Yesterday was the first day he saw papa off to work and the first day he burped a wet one down my back. May there be many more.

Tubby Update: Day 5

Today is my first day of work since the baby came, and I'm dragging. A couple hard nights sleeping and last night I ended up in the RV because of another late night crying frenzy. I love coddling the little guy and cooing him back to sleep at any hour, but last night I was desperate for a good nights sleep.

Just got a call from Annie and Young Peck is up to 5 lbs 14 ozs from his 5-9 birth weight. This is excellent news considering babies usually dip in weight during their first weeks, and we can attribute this to good advice and mom's diligence. The boobs are raw, but what sacrifice! I can pat myself on the back too, as I've been shooting up my baby a couple of times per day with a syringe full of "formula" like Saunier Duval's team doctor did for Ricardo Ricco at this years Tour de France.

Annie keeping the little guy on schedule...


The new me, showcasing my trophy child at Golden Gardens...
And here's some other goofy father-son pics: http://manbabies.com/

Tubby Meets the Whole Fam Damnly

The grandma's are loving it...

Aunt Joanie can swaddle the heck out of him!

Day Three with Baby: Wow, time flies!

Still no name but as I was introducing the little guy to my Portland-based cycling team I came up with an idea: Indurain, a fitting name for a Northwest-born baby. Fortudine vincimus: through endurance we conquer, remember?

Today was Tubster's 2nd full day and he finally learned that his daddy can't give him what he wants to stop his crying, so for the next few months I think its going to be all about mommy. But I'll be honest in saying that there is a bright side to this that my brother-in-law, "Bruncle" (my baby's Uncle Brent), carefully pointed out: when the going gets tough I can just hand him over, ha!

Annoucement & Invite

Ann Francis and Doug Reid gave birth to a bouncing baby boy yesterday morning, August 6th at about 8am in Everett, WA of a completely natural organic birth. The newborn weighed in at a paltry 5 lbs 9 oz but was of average length and exceptional health. It was Annie's own birthday and her mother was in attendance and a part of the birthing crew, as were all in attendance.

Oh yeah, mother and baby are healthy and happy and we are still calling it by its fetus name and current nickname, Peckinpaugh.

I would love to elaborate on the birth right now but I'll save that for the baby blog where I'll post a few of the pics. **Warning** "Hooha" and certain birthing pics maybe not be suitable for small children or expectant mothers. http://chubbyandtubby.blogspot.com/

We'd love to have you stop by to see the baby, and so we have organized a few hours between naps, feedings and poopings, on Friday from 4-6pm. Please don't feel compelled to bring anything other than yourselves, is that clear. Some light refreshments and medium bodied cigars will be made available.

"Welcome Home Son!"

A father and son nap: both warn out from the all nighter.

Young Peck's John McCain impression.

Roar! I'm an Obama-baby! Snap!

Annie and Me and Fetus Make Three!

Tomorrow is the due date that I've been staring at on the calendar since New Years Eve, the day that I found out. Needless to say, my resolutions were turned upside down in that moment. Actually, the mental evolution has been pretty interesting but not something I plan to get into right now...

Its this fetus, our little Bon-bon, that has already taken on a personality beyond what I ever could have imagined. It kicks and jabs, gurgles and farts (Ann says its hiccuping), and I already notice a resemblance. Its amazing how fun it is to see it (imagine it) growing, to feel it push and prod against Ann's insides. I wish I could feel what thats like. There is a reason why we are always so partial to our own kids, our own family (its evolutionary my dear Watson), but the fact that we can make sense of and give personality to a fetus is pretty extraordinary. Although however incredible it may seem, its made relatively mundane when considering that we give personality to our cars and our pet goldfish.

Annie told me that she was walking down the busy sidewalk during the Crit in Bend a few weeks ago when she bumped into someone. Looking down she realized that it was another pregnant woman, their bellies compressed, and I imagine that in that brief instant, during that momentary pause when the two expectant mothers chortled, the fetuses made a connection and their hands reached out through the nimbus-like amniotic fluid just as ET for Elliot. The women shyly and clumsily bumped their way past each other and continued on through the crowd. We cyclists raced past in ignorance dreaming only of glory and diminishing pain.

Baby Boot Camp

http://www.babybootcamp.com/pages/program.aspx

http://www.headsupbaby.com/faqs.html

and at testosterone nation dot com i found an interesting article by "gunter america" about neck work and strengthening: want to get that baby in a bike trailer ASAP.


Last weekend I got to meet the coolest people, and the best part about it is that they are my new baby-in-laws! Annie has a super cool brother, he has a rad wife, and together they have the sweetest 10-year old daughter, and they came to hang out for the weekend.

Alan, Birgit, Naomi and Annie goofing off on our deck...

We did all those Seattle things you do when friends visit from out of town: Pike Place Market, ferry ride, Space Needle, and then Ballard. Next week Annie's mom flies in from AZ to help out with the baby, can't wait.