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Woohoo, Jeremy's parent's did indeed come over for a visit last night and the veggie lasagna was a hit. I did however shrink the garlic bread (I left it in the package when I cooked it), so that was weird. Anyway, I've now got a bunch of PS2 games courtesy of Blockbuster. This includes Metal Gear Solid 2, NBA Street, Jedi Starfighter, and Gran Turismo 3 A-spec. Neat stuff all around, though I'm gonna go find me some NBA street beginner howtos. I know its a lot like NBA Jam (remember that game?), but I can't exactly remember how I used to whip ass with it (and I did quite a bit back then).

On the puter front, I spent about 4 hours last night with Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and let me just say that I am pleased with the results. Though I could've done a better job of things, that first foray taught me much and I'm eager to try a new civilization again.

Okay, time for Life (tm). Everyone take care now...

And, is it just me, or is Jimmy's page totally misfiring? Posts from April? Huh? Anyone? Bueller?

Evan Erwin from URL @ 2:50 PM

Ah...the joys of the strange sleep schedule. Last night I did the graveyard shift so that my lovely wife could get some sleep. Sheesh, taking care of a sleeping child is a full time job. Not that it's a lot of work, just a bunch of maintenance. She loses her pacifier, get it back in, turn on the neat little vibrator function that the bassinet has, etc etc. Nothing amazing, but then comes the feeding at 1am, 3am, 5am...etc. So I finally pass out around 8am and here I am, up around 3. I'll probably do the same tonight, just so that, for the next week or so, the love(s) o' my life will have a little peace before I go back to work.

My boss is talking about coming over to the house. Wowza, talk about your weird experiences. I've worked with the guy for four years, and now he's coming to my abode. Strange stuff.

Jeremy's parents might come over tonight, I'm going to see if they can. I've purchased all the ingredients for making vegitarian lasagna, including the boca meat, so I'm hoping that will go over well. We'll see.

Hmm...not much else going on. I'm excited to see that Warcraft III has been released, but I'm not sure my celeron 300a can run it. Oh well, I'll be happy with my Ceasar III (remember that Jeremy? :), Railroad Tycoon II Platinum, Alpha Centauri, and Quake III combo. Gotta run now, cya later.

Evan Erwin from URL @ 3:44 PM

Ah...the wonders of a long, long day. Here it is past 4:30am and I'm still up.

Firstly, we woke up late this morning for our appointment with Dr. Trang Voung. Yup, that's her real name. Voung rhymes with bong. Anyway, so we reschedule for somewhere in the realm of 11am (we get up at 10:15am, supposed to have been that at 9am) and finally show up around 1:15pm. You know that saying and/or axiom that says kids add an hour prep time to anywhere you plan to go? So, so true.

Speaking of we went to Knoxville today after the doc's office. The good news from the doc is that she's gained 3oz, which is fantastic for a 24 hour period (I think anyway), and that she's practically over the jaundice that came early on. Also learned that the evil Dr. Vick, oh yes, Adolf Vick to her friends, has NO KIDS. Let's just think about this a second. A prediatrician who has never had a child of his/her own. I know she might've read all the books, listened to seminars, tried to listen to friends even. But damn, don't go spouting high-and-mighty shit unless you know what you're talking about and/or you've been through it, k? Anyway, I'm glad that our doc is great (she really is) and I'm pleased as punch because of it.

Okay, so, baby front: Ericka broke out the automatic breast pump today so that I could feed Annie. It was so great! :) She just eats and eats while staring into your eyes. Just...magical. Hehe..enough about that.

Went to Ericka's work today. You see, being that she works in a home for the mentally disabled (a PC term if there ever was one), there are many diseases/disorders around all the time. Well, we had planned to stop by and show Annie off. I don't know, if anything, I had a bad batch of cabin fever (I get it quite often, especially when I'm sick), and was yearning to go somewhere...all right, honest injun (hows that for a non-PC euphamism?), I was DYING to go to Best Buy. I had the need for PS2. Oh yes. So we go to Ericka's work and I tell ya...about three seconds before we walked into the door, panic hit. The protective, paranoid parent in me just burst out from some unknown yet hibernating coccoon and I wanted desperately to take Annie back in the car and drive her straight home. I had strange delusions and visions of sickness and pain and just imagining it, just the thought of it...oh man, I can't tell you even now what a horrible, scary feeling that is and though I wish no one else experienced it, all new parents will, I'm sure. I've read many times about these feelings, but was sure that I would be the different, ie, 1% of parents who don't really get all that anxious about possible sickness and grubby hands. But more on that in a second. Anyway, we got in there, Ericka reluctantly let one of the aids hold her for about 30 seconds, and then back in the carseat she went. Then one of the nurses came out and said, after informing Annie's 4-day-old status, "Wow, you're brave bringing her in here." That was it, my spider sense was blown out the roof, and we left less than two minutes later. Ugh. Then I told Ericka I was so paranoid which got her into the same mode. Freaking out, sleep-deprived parents are not the best company in the world, lemme tell ya. So off to the sister-in-law's place for their first taste of Annie..

Nothing very unusual, well, pertaining to Annie that is. Other than the sister-in-law's mother making some idiotic and infurating comments "I can't believe you took her to [Ericka's workplace]," she said. "That was stupid." Grr....bitch is the first word that comes to mind. Anyway, after explaining that she mainly stayed in the car seat and that her stay could've competed for the land speed record on fast-in-and-out-visits, the woman relented her comments and assured us that Annie would be fine. There are many a dangerous thing roaming around Ericka's workplace I'm sure, but as for Annie, those awful thoughts of insecurity and fear have now passed.

Okay, so at the sister-in-law's house was a bootleg VHS copy of Spider-Man. Not bad, widescreen even, but the contrast was shit and it was obviously a copy-of-a-copy-of-a-copy type deal. Probably taken off a datacine or some other method, since, again, it wasn't bad, just awful contrast that is normally associated with too-many-VHS-copies-and-or-playings-occurring. I don't know how bad it started out as, but I can imagine that the sister-in-law's five year old son, who is of course in love with all things Spidey, has been playing this 5 day old tape non stop. The sister-in-law, Laura, explained that her husband, and Ericka's brother, Jeremy, had a friend who went to a comic convention and found Spider-Man and Star Wars Ep. 2 on VHS ($30) and/or DVD ($45). He bought the VHS Spidey, has made numerous copies, and sells then at $15 a pop. Not a bad little scheme. I wonder what the MPAA would have to say about it? ;)

So I went to Best Buy, tired and irritable. Here's what I procured:

Traffic: Criterion Collection

Memento: LE

Playstation 2

Memory card for PS2

Final Fantasy X

Grand Theft Auto 3

Total? $450 or so, including PS2 5-year if-it-burns-out-like-most-do-Best-Buy-will-replace-it warranty

I wanted to get a PDA, but all they had was Visors that I wasn't interested in, and besides, I'm not exactly sure the kind I want to begin with. I was looking at the Palm m500, which now includes a rebate to get a free m120 with purchase. Neat, huh? Get a free palm pilot with the purchase of one. The m500 runs about $275 or so, last I checked, so that's an option. As for right now it's not a pressing issue, so I'm not worried.

Hmm..I might get Ericka's old P166 (I think that's what it is) Packard Bell and linux the hell out of it. A little remote management, bitch boxing, gotta love it. Run it as a router with 2 NICs, web server, samba server, NFS, perl, play around with it while keeping my personal computer nice n' cozy behind the firewall. We'll see how well that goes.

Whew...long day I tell ya. I yearn for sleep but it might take awhile. Being up so long has wired me in a weird way and I just know I'll pass out soon enough. Hmm...almost five days of fatherhood. It's wild how much you can be totally infatuated with one little creature. She is one of the most precious, beautiful things I've ever come across. I'm going to try to coax my mother into coming over tomorrow to see the baby (translation: help us clean up this apartment) and to also get John's digital camera up here. That means pics pics pics!

G'night...or morning...or something...

Evan Erwin from URL @ 4:56 AM

Wowza! It's great to see that Tony has content. I'm excited, and I like the layout.

Sweet J-man, network installs. Gotta love em. All I gotta say is that telnet and samba are your friends. Also, don't forget VNC (Server and client). Remotely manage that X Server bro.

We're finally home! Yes, less than an hour ago the baby and me and Ericka walked through the door, home at last. The bitch of a pediatricion, Dr. Vick (also known as Dr. Adolf), "let" us go home today, because the jaundas is lessening and the baby gained an ounce. We're going tomorrow to see her for the last time, when we'll see Dr. Vong from then on. She's a really wonderful doctor, either Chinese or Korean, and very helpful. Not angry and condescending (and belittling) like Dr. Vick. Grr...gets me mad just thinking about it. I tell ya, you never know how quick that protective instict kicks in until someone says something negative about your baby and/or the way you're caring for it.

Hmm..gotta go to work and make a deposit, as well as getting new tires. That should be fun. So for now I'll go, but rest assured that as soon as we get pictures, they'll be posted. For now, keep checking back at Lakeway Regional Hospital's Tiny Toes website. Her picture should be there in 1.5-3 weeks they said. Of course I'll have pics before then, but just keeping you informed.

Okay, gotta run. Adios!

Evan Erwin from URL @ 10:54 AM

WOOHOO!! The baby is here!!

Okay, I know you want to know all the details, so let's take it from the top. Get a sandwich, a cup of coffee, this may take awhile.

Firstly, it was Thursday night at 9:45pm. I had just fixed a nice little dinner with a Manwich/rotel dip combo and we ate heartily (it was some good shit, which reminds me I haven't eaten yet today..anyway..). So I'm watching TV and Ericka gets up off the couch and goes to the bathroom. Then Ericka says "Honey...I think you may want to come over here." So I do so, and she says "I'm not sure what's going on, but I can't stop peeing." She stands up and a bit dribbles down her leg. This continues for a moment, where she then informs me she could feel something on the couch and went to the bathroom. Then, the leaking stops. No contractions, just the leaking and no more.

Well, at that point we decide to wait for a few minutes. I'm getting a little nervous/freaked out (take your pick), but I'm all right. So I go downstairs, apply for some credit cards (more on that in a minute), because I'm nervous and somehow that warm oozy feeling of filling out forms is soothing at a time like that. So I go upstairs and proclaim that even though there is no more leaking of water/urine/what have you, we're going to the hospital. We had already decided that when she went to the doctor on Monday we were going to schedule an induction, because we knew the baby was big to start with and we didn't want her to get so big she couldn't come out.

Cut to the hospital. We fill out the registration forms and go upstairs. Note that no more fluid and/or contractions are happening at this point. The nurse, Christine, is a nice enough lady but is absolutely positive that Ericka simply peed on herself (which was her greatest fear and kept informing whoever would listen that it was MY idea to go to the hospital. Should it've been a false start, it would've probably been a $400+ dollar mistake). You know, the pressure the baby puts on the bladder, etc etc. So Ericka goes to change and comes back to get checked. Christine feels for a moment and says "Whoa, we got a rupture here. You're labor is starting." Then, she puts her hand up there to "help her out" by trying to tear the sac a bit more and STRETCH her cervix. Let's just say Ericka hated that, and your imagination can run with it, okay?

All right, so at this point we've been sitting around for a few hours and Joyce, Ericka's sister-in-law's mother (yeah, I know its complicated) brings her mother over. The hospital is dead, dead, dead and nothing is happening to Ericka, so we go to sleep. Well, more accurately, me and Ericka's mother goes to sleep (though I'm not exactly sure if Ericka's mom Patti went to sleep, but I sure did). Cut the morningtime, somewhere in the realm of 7am. Ericka is checked and she is no more than 2cm, despite a few contractions during the nightime. She didn't sleep at all, and is getting bit restless. At this point the doctors want to get her on Pitocin (pih-toe-sin), your friend and mine, that wonderful drug that brings on many many contractions. Now, I don't know if you know this, but somehow, that room started out big, nice, n' cozy. Somewhere between there and, oh, let's say about 3pm, it got very very small and EVERYBODY who was in there was feeling cramped. I couldn't get a hold of my mother, her phone was messed up for some reason or other, and Ericka needed an IV for the Pitocin (I'm jumping around a bit, just bear with me). Well, after my lovely wife turned into the human pincushin, yes, it took them SIX FUCKING TRIES to get the IV in her, the Pitocin kicked in and the contractions began. You see, when you go into labor nowadays, they put on two monitors, that look very much like big "Security Buttons" you see on store clothes that are actually sensitive monitors to monitor a) the baby's heartbeat, and b) the level o' contraction. The baby's heartbeat was fine, and Ericka's contractions ranged in the 30's (think of a scale from 0-80, 80 begin the oh-dear-lord-I'm-going-die type contractions).

Cut to about five hours later. Ericka's in agony, dilated to only around 3-4cm, and the demerol for pain not only didn't work, but we got a little scare as the baby's heartbeat went from 120-140 (ie, normal), to around 90. One oxygen mask later, the baby recovered and more Pitocin was given. Turns out, as we learn, that Ericka gets sick when they pump the pitocin. So insert vomiting and more pain here. Somewhere along there, my mother finally got the hint that Ericka wasn't at home (they were supposed to go to K-town that Thursday), and showed up. Well, then we had more drama. The IV came out of the vein it was in, and in order for the Epidural to be inserted, an IV MUST be in and working. So my wife once again turns into the human pincushin as the nurses and anestesiologist can't get the IV to to into her rolly-dodging veins. How many times did it take them to get that IV in? Let's break it down:

The nurse tries: 2 times

The anastesiologist tries: EIGHT TIMES

They get the head anastesiologist in there, how many times?: One.

So after ELEVEN pokes and prods and more agony (you ever taken an IV? Hurts like a sombitch) the IV is in and secure. The epidural is now ready to go. Well, overall, I didn't think it was so bad. There was no BIG BAD NEEDLE or anything, like everyone tries to scare you with, since it wasn't needed. Certainly there is a Big Bad Needle, but it wasn't needed, and the one used for this epidural was only about 3-4 inches long top (I'd say 3). So I hold Ericka's shoulders down and the Epidural is inserted with no problems. Drugs are administered, and Ericka feels a bit lopsided since she lay on one side too long (epidurals work mainly by gravity, btw) and one leg is completely numb. Either way, her nether regions are now gone and away and the pain of contractions has passed. The pump the Pitocin, she throws up, the world spins on.

Cut to about four hours later. We're talking somewhere in the realm of 9PM, Friday evening (5/7). It seems Ericka's epidural is wearing off, and the contractions, as you may guess, HURT. So the anastesiologist comes in (dammit, firstly I'm not sure if that's how you spell anastesiologist and secondly I'm tired of typing it) and, basically, doesn't believe her. "Is it pressure or is it a band of pain." Ericka isn't sure how to respond. I mean, it fucking hurts, what else do you want to know doc? Well, he gives her a bolust (a boost of pain meds) which kinda/sorta work. Nothing spectacular, but she feels a bit better. We also have talked to the doctor since and were informed that if the baby isn't here by Midnight Friday/Sat. Morning, a C-Section would have to be utilized. This gets everyone, especially Ericka, on edge and the deadline looms ever closer. She's dialated only to about 5-6cm (a stretchy 5cm we're informed) and considering we're only about three hours from the deadline, things are looking grim.

So the Pitocin is cranked (again) and Ericka throws up. Then a new nurse comes in and checks Ericka. Suddenly, she's dialated to 9CM!!! This is fucking Great btw. (10CM is baby-having width). So they tell her they're going to let her labor for another couple of hours (it's almost 10pm at this time), and we'll see what happens then. Well, Ericka's in a lot of pain still. The anastesiologist (dammit, that spelling...) comes in, doesn't really believe her again, and gives her a bolust. No dice. The pain is worse and, by Ericka's words, she might as well not have an epidural at all.

So now it's crunch time. It's midnight and she's hurting bad. The nurse comes and brings the good news: "She's ten plus one." This means 10cm dialated, and the baby is at +1 station. You see, the further the baby's head is to the momma's feet the higher the station. Think of a low point between the opening of a woman's vagina and her belly button. Now think of three inches above the opening of the vagina as 0. The baby, in earlier trimesters, was normally at -4 station, and at Wednesday when Ericka was last checked the baby was at -1 station. Now the time was now and here came the pushing. Man, it was amazing. Ericka was so fantastic! I can't tell you how proud I am. Just watching her...hehe, you just have to experience that one amazing moment for yourself. Oh man, it was incredible. I'm so proud of my lovely wife. You see what ya doin, Jimmy, goin on to we helpless romantics? :)

So she was born and she was beautiful beyond all words. Yeah she looks like a grumpy old man, but what a gorgeous grumpy old man she is =)

the stats:

Born: 12:40AM June 8th, 2002

Name: Katie Annabelle Lee Erwin

Her name originated in many various ways. If there's one thing I'm happy about, it's the fact that we had plenty of girl names to choose from. You see, when you don't have a wide selection, the process becomes a pick-and-choose game that really is quite difficult. With boys, we were nearly out of choices. Everything sounded weird, dull, or normal. Don't need any Johns or Dans or Richards or Scotts around here. Got a few too many of them already. We wanted something different but not something as "definable" like Jump. (Yes, these people exist.)

So for boys we're pretty much settled on Evan Aidan Erwin. We'd call him Aidan and he'd use his middle name like his dad :) We also bounced around the name Griffon (Gryphon, Griphin, etc), but just couldn't come up with anything.

But for girls it was fun. There was Autumn, Willow, Molly, Kate, Cadi, and Annabelle. Then we had the mothers' names, the grandmothers' names, etc. We finally decided on Katie, for Ericka's Grandmother. She lives in Mississippi and if Annie can endure the ride, we'll take her to see her "Ninny" (yes, they all are named different, aren't grandma's? We have "Memaw", "Nanna", "Nay-nah (alternate pronounciation can seperate two human beings who are both in grandmother status)", etc, on July 4th weekend. It's been awhile since we last visited, but let's just assure that at that time, we weren't expecting a baby :)
Annabelle we loved from the first moment we saw it in the baby book, and Lee for my Grandma and dad.

Woo, she was a big girl, but she's lost weight since she came out. I swear to you, you will never find a more sleepy newborn. Yes, I know what you're saying, "I can't believe you're complaining about a sleeping child" etc etc, but seriously, the beautiful little thing won't wake up to eat. Speaking of...

Breast Feeding is tough. Let's all take a note, make a mental reminder for yourself, don't forget it. Screaming, hungry children, such as my lovely little Sleeper Child, can get quite excited when they finally awake from their most peaceful slumber to find that they are REALLY HUNGRY. And that SOMEONE HAS TO PAY. They're out for vengence. She'll get so red (she gets red as a beet when she's angry) and excited that she'll latch on, find it, and latch off again, then get angry for latching off. I tell ya. Kids.

Anyway, she has a little jaundice (john-duss) right now but that should be cleared up by tomorrow, so they should be here then. Man, it's quite an experience. A bit daunting, but, wonderful :)

When you were babies, you knew who you were. Psychoanalysts refer to that as that "oceanic feeling" The [babies] don't really like it but they admit that it exists. Where the baby cannot distinguish between the world and the way it acts upon the world, it's all one process. Which is, of course, the way things are. But they learn very quickly because we are taught very quickly what is you, and what is not you. Because you can be punished for the voluntary but not the involuntarily. And so we unlearn what we knew in the beginning. And in the course of life, if we're fortunate, we discover again what we really are, that each one of us is what would be called in Arabic or Hebrew, 'son of god'. And the word "son of" means the nature of.

Evan Erwin from URL @ 1:39 PM

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