Leif - Week One: Midnight Madness, What's Up Doc, Golden Arches

We have officially survived the first week of being parents!  And the best news is that Baby Leif is thriving and doing just fine and dandy!

We were delighted to have a private room in the the new maternity wing of the UCLA Santa Monica hospital, but we think the staff were a little less than pleased when Leif performed a classic "golden arch" onto the new furniture during one of his diaper changes.  We thought it was hilarious...until he hit each us during a later diaper change.  Lesson learned - wear a shield/protective clothing when raising an infant boy!

Upon returning home from the hospital we suffered two nights of midnight madness, where Leif was literally up and hungry from midnight to 6am.  He has thankfully settled into a somewhat normal sleep routine now - but we're still bleary eyed and not so bushy tailed. Lesson learned: don't expect to a restful night of sleep for 18 years!

Leif also had his first appointment with the pediatician , who prescribed an ointment for a small rash. Lesson learned: get your newborn on your medical insurance ASAP -  that small tube of ointment was $47 alone!

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes and congratulations!  Until the next moment of spare time we have to update the blog.....could be a while :)

Baby Newsom's first days on video

Baby Leif, now available in HD....

More to come shortly, of course!  Email if you need lower resolution, we'll put a copy up on youtube.

Leif Michael Newsom has Arrived!

Born on Wednesday, January 23rd at 6:12 pm, weighing 9 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 20 inches in length - Leif Michael Newsom entered the world and made proud parents out of Gretchen and Kris.

Both mom and baby are doing fine and have returned home from the hospital.

There will be more photos (and video) to come once we have settled a bit, but here is a website of photos that "uncle" Devon took: Devon's Baby Newsom website.   His website allows you to upload your own photos as well.

To close, Baby Leif was born with laughter - Gretchen literally birthed/pushed him out with laughter, joined by Kris and the doctor and the slew of nurses. 

The Big Day is HERE

Today, Gretchen will be induced into labor at 6:00 am at the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center. Baby Newsom "should" arrive by late this evening.

We tried everything to get the baby out naturally (spicy food, doing what got the baby in there the first place, long walks, even a Magick Salad from Caioti Cafe in Studio City that was supposed to induce labor).  Alas, the wee baby is becoming a behemoth and if Gretchen is to have a chance of giving birth naturally, today is the day.

Kris is very pleased that he will have a "1-2-3 BABY" (i.e. born on 1/23), and we are both extremely excited!  From chickpea, to behemoth, to 1-2-3 Baby...Wish us luck.  And thanks so much for your support, friendship, and blessings.

With Much Love,

Kris and Gretchen 

The Due Date Came and Went

The BIG Day - Saturday, January 19th - slipped away as we realized that Baby Newsom is a procrastinator!  Gretchen and Kris even spent three hours walking the length of each floor in a huge 3 story LA mall to try bring on contractions and labor. So today, we pass our Sunday waiting...waiting...waiting.

In other news, Gretchen did lose her M.P. (pregnant women and mothers know what this means...Men - Don't Ask!) while watching the scary movie Cloverfield at Hollywood's famous Grauman's Chinese Theater on Friday night.  The movie was so loud that her belly was vibrating!

And on Thursday, we attended our first red carpet event: The Gala Opening of the Star Trek Interactive Tour.  Yes, we're geeks (maybe not Gretchen b/c she kept referring to Star Trek as Star Track).  Kris got to rub elbows and speak with William Shatner, and we met Deacon Jones of the LA rams, and we also saw Jennifer Coolidge (AKA Stifler's Mom) and Will Wheaton.

Tomorrow, we go to the hospital for a non-stress test to determine if its advisable for Gretchen to continue her pregnancy or to induce her using the nasty synthetic hormone Pitocin, which causes contractions to much more painful!  Let's keep our fingers crossed that Baby Newsom will come out on his own very soon.

Christina Aguilera AND Nicole Richie! What about Gretchen?

A rather frustrated Gretchen was caught mumbling (or growling) today about the breaking news that Christina Aguilera AND Nicole Richie each gave birth this weekend. Only a few more days Gretch...and on the brighter side of things, at least Baby Newsom is going to most likely weigh in at more than their puny six pound babies!

Still Awaiting the Big Moment....

We are still twiddling our thumbs awaiting for Baby's Newsom's arrival, but this should keep you entertained:

Did you know that if you have a baby, and can't bring it around to show everyone, you can have it printed on a sack of rice, and send them their own to hold? Introducing the Rice Baby - so cute you could eat him up!

P.S. Gretchen was born at 9 lbs 12 oz and Kris was 8 lbs 10 oz...the likelihood of Baby Newsom weighing more than a 6lb bag of rice = HIGH!

No Bambino...YET

Much to Kris' dismay, the baby did not arrive on Sunday night. Gretchen continues to have "practice" contractions throughout the day, but we're still waiting with baited breath. She is also having a hard time "letting go" of work...typical of her style to stay until the very end - Kris has made it known that he will confiscate her cell phone and laptop once she actually goes into labor.

We spent Tuesday night at the LA Kings game (0 -Kings, 7 Predators = OUCH). While we enjoyed the experience, Gretchen thought she had acquired free box seat tickets to a Lakers game vs. the Sacramento Kings. Oh well, at least she got to attend her first hockey game!

We'll keep you posted.

The "Last" Saturday Sans Seedling

Per the doctor's orders, Gretchen is to no longer travel long distances (such as a trip to San Diego) because labor is eminent (i.e. tonight, tomorrow, or in a couple of weeks). Bearing this in mind, she and Kris wanted to spend one last quality Saturday together before the babino arrives.

We spent the morning having a leisurely brunch at John O' Groats in West LA. Known for serving up a fabulous breakfast, the establishment didn't disappoint! Gretchen had pumpkin pancakes ("Geez, I hope our kid doesn't come out orange!" - Kris) and Kris had a hearty serving of bacon, eggs, toast, and country potatoes ("Which of us is eating for two?" - Gretchen).

Next, we got lost in the hills of Brentwood trying to find the Getty Museum, which wasn't so bad because we fantasized about one day owning one of the mansions we saw. Gretchen thought she say Gary Busey's house - attributing a "colorful" statue to his portfolio, but still no celebrity sitings since our arrival in La La Land.

We finally made it to the Getty Museum and attended two exhibits: Medieval Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Decorated Letter, both of which were impressive exhibits. Kris was fascinated by the works of armour and Gretchen was delighted by the ornate calligraphy. We did find it humorous that more than one docent asked if Gretchen was feeling tired and needed to rest. We highly recommend this museum (it's breathtakingly beautiful, extensive collections, hip exhibits, and it has FREE admission).

And we concluded the evening with Kris' tale of woe as he spent many many moments in frustration installing the car seat. He swears he needed to do this tonight and not in the morning because Kris believes Gretchen is going into labor tonight. We'll keep you posted.

Reasons to Celebrate - Happy New Year!

The people you love… The places you're a part of… The memories you hold onto… …and those unforgettable moments when you close your eyes and breathe in life with a smile… A new year is a reminder to celebrate all the things that are good in your world.... Happy New Year!

With great joy, Kris and Gretchen breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the clock ticked down to the new year. Midnight meant not just the start of 2008, but the resumption of health care coverage for us (we had a 15 day gap of coverage between Kris quitting his job and Gretchen starting hers). Baby Newsom can now enter the world without us worrying about a medical financial burden/Kris having to catch the baby at home without medical supervision!

In other news, today also marks the day that Baby Newsom is considered "full term"- if he was born today he would not be considered a preemie.

Happy New Year To All, and Many Blessings to You!