The Richter Family Indoctrination...

Grandma Richter having a conversation. Evan is starting to track people and he bends over backwards to do so!

My boy... I love him so danged much. This is unbelievably cool being a dad.

Evan meeting his Greatgrandparents Ann and Robert Van Epps.

Unky Rob (AKA Sherpa" or "Iron Fraud") teaching Evan how to make it seem like you can eat when you really don't.

Well folks. Evan is here meeting the Richter clan during the holidays. Evan will not meet the Dobler and Wick clans until April at Grandma Mo's wedding, but he is in great spirits and charming everyone. Uncle Rob, my younger brother, is very adoring of his nephew Evan, but is tentative at best. Uncle Jim, my older brother, is an old pro who snaps Evan up and is immune to crying. Aunt Jen is a champ and keeps Allison sane with timely advice and the deafness one gains from having recently done this herself.

We are so fortunate for our family, and can't wait to introduce Evan to the rest of you all! We love you! Be safe and warm during these Holidays!

One month old!

Pictures of daddy were pulled out, and little man looks as much like daddy's first 6 months as he does mommy's coloring. At least it isn't the mailman!

Monkey see - Monkey Do.

This is mommy as happy as can be.

Evan napping at 35 days (5 weeks old tonight!)

Howdy all, can you tell that I wait until my mind is clear and my hamster is not in the wheel with work? I wanted to give you all an update from his appointment on Monday, and I wanted this decoupled from the following blog posts which will show Evan frolicking in the snow here in .... Oh shoot, that is Portland. 65 and sunny? That is South Carolina. I do want the posts introducing Evan to his great grandparents and his Uncle Rob (AKA "Uncle Iron Fraud" for all of you Montana fans out there. I can never let him show his face in Lewiston, ID again...). And the Christmas posts will be on Christmas day to celebrate the birth of our Lord.

Evan weighed 10 pounds, 13 ounces on his official weigh-in on Monday morning before he hit the road for the first time. For the math geeks, financial analysts looking to not stare at Wall Street's downward trends, or engineers, that is averaging about 12 ounces a week for the first 5 weeks. At this rate, he will not need the human growth hormone I was planning on using to get his scholarship offers coming. He did really well in the car, by the way. For it being 25 degrees outside, he didn't have any issues when we had to change him and open doors, etc.

From the pictures above, you can see we went through Tim's baby book at home. I was a dark-haired pudgepot for the first 6 months of my life until it turned bleach blond (and I mean really blond, the cuttings my mom saved would make many LA bimbos envious). And can I say that we were gypped if we were raised more than 25 years ago? The toys they have now are way too cool. I look like I was strung up with telephone cords and duct tape as a "bouncy seat."

We are here in SC safely for the Christmas Holiday, and will be returning to Richmond on Friday.

More to come later tonight!

Growth Spurts = No Sleep for Mommy

Evan at 13 days at Dr. Ryland's Office

Allison caught Evan monkeying around

Evan finally sleeping...

Wow folks, today is Evan's 3-week birthday, and it is amazing to try and look back at how our world has changed in such a short period of time. I last posted on December 4th (15 days old) and here it is December 10th (21 days old), so I guess I have some 'splainin' to do. And some catching up to do as well. Here goes...

Evan's second pediatric appointment went well last Tuesday. I know, I talked about this already. But, I didn't give specifics. I felt guilty as Evan's fans have been clamoring for the gory details. So, I will keep the paparazzi out of his bedroom and elaborate further. As I mention, he weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce (he is back to birth weight, yay!), and he had his first inoculation shot. A little crying, but he looked Dr. Ryland dead-in-the-eye and taunted her, "Is that all you've got? Bring it!"

No, not really. Dads like to think they have tough kids, but he cried like, well, a baby should, and we melted because we felt bad for him. Real bad. Like we invited a needle to sting his backside. We stink...

Ok, that confession is over, and the rest of this will be newer stuff.

________________

Maureen went to the airport on Friday morning, and we owe her so much as she was a lifesaver. She got us through the initial shock of having our world rocked. That being said, it was time to rip off the proverbial band-aid and force ourselves to develop what habits and rhythm we could. I always felt we communicated rather well, and thank goodness we do focus on that in our marriage as we now have a third-party to consider at all times. By Monday morning, we were playing well together and hitting somewhat of a stride. Then, the third week growth spurt really kicked in. Evan is feeding every two hours, and needs formula supplement at the end. So, mommy is constantly feeding and Evan fakes sleep, suckles, and then squawks after 20 minutes to lather-rinse-repeat. I am somewhat immune as I am at work for portions of this. Poor Allison is trying her darnedest.

We had some questions, so we went to the pediatrician yesterday. His weight at 20 days was 9 pounds, 12 ounces, so Mommy is feeding him well, even if his growth spurt makes her feel like she isn't getting the job done (she is, the scale proves it!). His umbilical cord fell off last Friday, so we will soon be in the clear to get the boy into bath water (we will cautiously decide this one in a week or two). We will do one more weight check before Evan sits down for Christmas Turkey or gorges on granddad's Christmas cookies, so I will be light on data for the next 12 days.

You can tell Evan's growth spurt has distracted him. The Blazers lost to the Celtics due to an 11-minute spurt of not hitting the broad-side-of-a-barn in shooting. Then, Orlando eeks out a 3-point heave with 0.3 seconds left to win by one last night and break the home streak. Yeah, the Rose City ramblers won one in between, but dang it! I want David Stern to put a temporary stay on the schedule while growth spurts are on, Evan was sooo distracted. it was like Kevin Garnett was trash talking Evan directly. Pickin' on a 3-week old, eh?

New rule, all Evan paparazzi need to wear Red and Black and name their pets after Clyde Drexler... the best Blazer ever. No, not Pothead UCLA-boy (Bill Walton) who hasn't said a nice on-air comment about the Blazers yet, nor can Greg Oden or Brandon Roy count yet. (YET)

I have to go help my bride put Evan down as she is feeling a little something coming on. man, the hits just keep on comin'.

Lots of love from Glen Allen.

Evan's hand will be as big as daddy's... someday

Evan sprawled out and flexing his biceps...

Well gang, it has been a few days since the last post, and it was due to my return to work. As much as I would love to play with my boy all day - every day, the dogs haven't earned a respectable paycheck in years and Allison is working hard already. I will still try and drop notes in 1-3 times a week, I can't promise a schedule.

Evan had his second pediatric appointment, and is back up to birth weight. The poor guy is also having a bout with thrush, which may be the source of the gassiness and discomfort he was having that we blamed on Tim's culinary skills (or lack thereof). Evan is on medication to kill the yeast, as is mommy, and they both are on the road to recovery. It is heart-wrenching to watch him struggle with the gas. It is so visibly obvious because Evan really doesn't cry, he has a wonderfully calm disposition. But this gas hurts him enough where he erupts every so often and we have to treat with Nystatin (glorified baby Gas-X) to help him out. Here's hoping this runs its course quickly.

Grandma Mo heads home in the morning, and she has been such a wonderful set of hands and cheery outlook as Allison and I learn on the fly. But, like birds getting kicked out of the nest, we are going to have to learn to do this alone, so I think the timing is about right for Allison and I to struggle with this and develop a rhythm/routine. Thank you so much Maureen! We really, really, really appreciate all of your help.

On a Blazerfan update, Evan told me to go to the Blazers-Wizards game in Washington DC last night. Evan's magic is still working as Portland took care of business yet again. I am looking forward to the day that I can take Evan to the game and tell him about the days when the Trailblazers gave away a championship to the Lakers in 2001 and when Paul Allen decided to put a team on the court that the city can truly be proud of. Evan is going to rest up tonight though as the Blazers play the World Champion Celtics in Boston tomorrow night, and doggone it, Evan doesn't think we will lose. I don't know if I share his optimism, but we'll both cheer tomorrow night as the game is aired on ESPN. Keep up the good work little man!

Turkey makes me nap...

Uncle Chris and Evan
We needed earplugs for this.

Evan representing...

Howdy gang. Not a lot to report other than Evan had a rough night and didn't sleep so well. Mommy and Daddy are tired, and thank goodness for my mother-in-law who has given a spare set of hands when one of the two of us needs rest. We're still figuring out the effects of Allison's diet on Little "E," and are not a whole lot closer than we were a few days ago.

Evan tried to stay awake to cheer on the Blazers last night, but alas, no TV coverage on this Coast. So, I kept him updated on the score throughout his feedings, and the Blazers won, placing them in a tie for 2nd place in the Western Conference. Some would say that the Blazers have a lot of talent. I think it is Evan that tips the balance in favor of the Rose City.

Likewise, Evan gave it the ol' college try to stay awake for the Gamecocks today. There was a lot of crying and screaming throughout the game, and only some of it was Evan. The rest was Daddy wondering how three interceptions in 16 minutes of football doesn't grant Chris "Stinky and" Smelley (the QB) the bench. We laughed, we cried, it was sad. The Tiggers kicked our tails today, and Evan's first Gamecock game ended poorly. Sorry little man.

I will show a few shots of Evan's second bath. He likes warm water on the head during the hair washing, but is not so enamored with the rest of the sponge bath. Poor guy.

Lots of love from Glen Allen.

Lord, We are so thankful...

Father in Heaven, thank you for our beautiful baby boy Evan. He has brought so much joy to our house and a depth of love and emotion that Allison and I did not know we possessed. We thank you for his health, his strength, and the family that was born when Evan joined us. On this Day of Thanksgiving, 2008, this is what we are most thankful for... Thank you for our blessed little boy. He is the answer to our prayers.

We are thankful for the family that has supported us from across this great country, the love they have shared, the prayers they have prayed, and the support they have showed to us as we learn to be better parents every day. We would like to share a special thank you to our brothers and sisters who have helped us survive, and thrive on the 10-month journey to this day. Jen, Jim, Chris, Rob. Thank you, we love you so much.

We are thankful for the friends we have had, both far and near, for checking in on us and offering their constant support and kind wishes. Allison and I feel blessed that we have come to know so many amazing people. As I said at our wedding, Friends are the family you choose... We love you all and can't express how fortunate we feel to know you. Please forgive the "yearbook-style roll-call." In no particular order, I would like to extend gratitude to Kris & Matt, Dustin, Brian & Jenni, Craig & Isa, Andy & Kelly, Parham & Zach, John & Cheri, Nicky, Christy, Heather, Bill, Renee, Ashton & Ashley, John & Dianne, Randy & Heather, CB, Azam & Farah, Christian & Dessi, Peter & Bethany, Paul & Laura, Kimberly & David, James & Allison (congrats on the engagement!), Johnny & Halen, Bobby & Anna. We love you guys and feel lucky to wander through life with you.

We are thankful for the job opportunity presented to our family in Osage Bio Energy. We are amazed at how this "work Family" is so loving, kind, generous, talented, capable, adventuresome, and reliable. I feel blessed to have been with Osage Bio Energy at the outset, and to have helped shape this organization of 20 of the best professionals in the biofuels sector with a world-class financial partner humbles me greatly and daily. I get to go to work with some of my closest friends every day, and the others in the company I am joyfully getting to know better. Thank you God for this opportunity you placed before Allison and myself, and for giving us the strength and confidence, both individually and as a couple, to strike out into uncharted waters to help realize this dream. Thank you for the team that you helped assemble, as we try to succeed in a manner you would be proud of. Thank you.

We are thankful for the kind folks at Transfield/VMS who have reached out to support Allison during the pregnancy and now that Evan has arrived. It was good to see those who visited in the hospital, we need to spend time together before your lives change, and we appreciated you who checked in on us during the induction.

Lastly, and not least, thank you for this gorgeous day here in this great nation. Thank you for the servicemen and women who lay their lives in front of ours to provide Liberty and security to us, the humble citizens. Please protect those who serve selflessly and provide them comfort as they are away from those that they love. We are proud to be Americans, where at least we know we're free... Thank you God for the land we live in, however flawed it may feel some times.

Happy Thanksgiving All! I'll post more Evan pictures either later tonight or tomorrow.

Dad's three brain cells are fighting...

Lovin' the papasan chair... Looovvvviiinnnnn tthhheee vviiibbbrraaatttiioonnnsss......

This is one proud mama. They poor guy finally cooled off and was feeling better.

Evan as a baby burrito last night. This is before a 5 AM eruption.

This is Evan loaded into the car seat to come home with us!

The new mommy and daddy at the doors to the hospital. Man, are their lives about to change... Suckers.... That is one cute bambino though!

Well, I would like to post my quick apologies for missing a post yesterday afternoon. After Evan's first pediatrics appointment, he was tuckered out and Maureen and I were getting the house organized. From the early morning to the appointment, Evan had an upset and gassy tummy, probably from Dad cooking broccoli (a no-no, by the way, promotes gas in newborns. Who'd a thunk it?) with dinner. So, Evan was pretty upset until his tummy settled, and the lesson learned for the new parents is that we have to watch our diet until his stomach is as strong as dad's.

The results of the pediatrics appointment? He weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces, which indicates his weight has stabilized post birth and we can look for gains from here. We were relieved as all of his turbo-squirts did not dehydrate Evan... Whew. He was fine otherwise, and we'll take him back in a week for his next checkup.

Maureen and I have figured out a good tag-team approach to assisting Allison throughout the night. We'll repeat that tonight and see how it goes. Evan's Uncle Chris arrives tomorrow from Seattle to join us all for Thanksgiving. We'll add some pictures either tomorrow or on Turkey Day!

Cheers all.

Dog tired, and that's just the dogs...

Howdy all. Allison had those pesky staples removed late morning and felt immediately better, apparently one staple was irritating her midsection and was the source of the discomfort. Allison and Evan were discharged to day at 12:15 PM to our care, and we drove home to introduce him to the dogs. We arrived home, the dogs didn't notice much was askew (wait until he screams at night...), and we fed him here at home and started what will become a bi-hourly event for a few weeks as he grows. Allison's Mom is lending a very appreciated hand and we are both looking forward to developing a routine in our home.

I am bummed to report that Amare Stoudamire, Shaq, and Steve Nash ran little Evan's tired legs off the court and the Blazers lost to Phoenix last night. I think Evan was too distracted by all the meals to play good defense. Oh well, the streak had to end sometime.

Thank you for all of the love and support, we feel so fortunate with our little man!

Are We There Yet?

Little man rooting on Allison mid-feeding

Alrighty folks, I'll get the "bad" news out of the way first. Allison is still so uncomfortable with her C-Section staples that she is not too mobile. After talking with the Hospitalist today, we were offered the possibility of staying an additional night to get more rest for Allison and try and heal a bit more. We took her up on that offer and are here watching the TTech/Oklahoma game from the comfort of our hospital room with little man joining us any moment for his next feeding.

The good news? Allison is well otherwise, and little Evan is doing very well also. We decided to begin his years of emabarrassment as a Richter boy by volunteering him for the bathing class they teach every day to new parents before discharge. He did well, but it was officially his coming out party where he was naked in public for the first time. I know, all of you folks who are snickering because rowers have a reputation for being naked in public... Maybe Evan will follow in his father's footsteps (Just kidding mom, about the nudity piece, he will know how to row...). And to keep Ian happy, our nurse in here tonight, Diana, is from Cambridge, UK and she is a Cambridge Blue fan. I promised her he wouldn't row for Oxford if I had any say in it.

A couple vital stats that I didn't have the other day. The kid has a melon (36 cm circumference - for all the math geeks out there, that is 11.5 cm diameter, or for the folks who only get pop culture references... "It's like Sputnik, it is a veritable planetoid... It has it's own solar system."), so we are glad we ended up going C-Section, Allison would have been miserable for a long time to come. His abdomen was a nudge smaller at 34 cm circumference (and this has grown to 35 cm today, a strong indication that his stomach is growing), and his discharge weight for today would have been 8 lbs, 6 ounces. His bilirubin counts at this point are 11.3, well within the normal range for a 3-day old, although his skin is getting a yellowish tinge that we need to monitor. He is pretty healthy and is doing well, all in all.

He's also already cheering on his beloved Portland Trailblazers tonight. Seeing as they won by 42 over Chicago (116-74, 2nd largest win margin by the Blazers) the night he was born, I think his mojo helped. They won again last night by 21 over Sacramento (sorry Uncle Jim & Aunt Janie), and I am hoping Evan can contribute off the bench tonight against Phoenix.

Here is hoping for a good night's sleep tonight. For all of you who have dropped us a line, thank you for your well wishes and support. Allison is not feeling up to calling anyone right now, and will start to do so after we return home and get situated over the next few days. Lots of love to all from Evan, Allison, and Tim.

Our boy is so small! (Relatively speaking...)

Day 2 - An eating machine...

Howdy all. I wanted to duck my head in and report how the last day has been. Evan is now a day and a half old, and was circumcised this morning. Or as my mother delicately referred to it, "His pencil was sharpened today." He is well, and is feeding on schedule every 4 hours faithfully.

Allison ate her first non-liquid food last night and is quite excited to be back to normal diet. She is getting up and down on her own, and seems to be getting the knack for feeding the little man. His coos and sighs are addictive to listen to, and we can't get enough of him. That being said, we did let the nursery give him a bottle for the 4 AM feeding so we could get some much needed sleep.

After feeding, he is lifting his neck and looking around very well (strong little bugger) and we are melting more and more each day. This is so gratifying, and we can't underscore how blessed we feel.

I have included a few photos from last night and today. They are, in no particular order, Gramma and Grampa Richter saying hello to their second grandchild, Evan in action today, and the beautiful flowers that my coworkers sent us welcoming Evan to the Osage Bio Energy Family (thank you gang!).

We hope this finds everyone well

Without further ado... We are thrilled to introduce our son to you, Mr. Evan Frederick Richter! Huzzah! Huzzah! Evan was a healthy 9 lbs, 1 ounce, is 21.5 inches long, and came out excercising his little lungs vigorously! He has big 'ol feet, long fingers, and a head full of dark hair that is adorable. He still doesn't like bright lights (he rarely opens his eyes at this point), but he is soothed by both of our voices very easily.

The feedings have gone really well (we feel so fortunate), and Evan is already on a regular schedule. Where did the names come from, you ask? "Frederick" is Allison's maternal grandfather's name. After that poor guy had to deal with 4 (count 'em, four...) girls, none of them named Frederica or Fred Jr., Allison and I wanted to help his name carry on. Evan? Ummm. We just kinda like it!

Attached are a couple of pics for you all to see him at his best. I promose there will be more to come.

Gettin' Down to the Nitty Gritty...

Well folks, it is over. Whew! For the folks who want to details, this post will have them. For the folks who just want to see the cute little bugger, please refer on to the next posting with pictures.

Wednesday November 19th had come, Induction Day. The day started early, we got the dogs situated and headed to the hospital at 8:10 AM. After being admitted and the preliminary hooplah, Allison was induced at 8:45 AM and her water was broken at 9:00 AM sharp. She went about her day waiting for the labor to develop, and was contracting every 2 to 3 miutes rhythymically at this point. All was looking normal.

Around 12:45, the contractions had gotten to the point where she asked for an epidural, and the petosin drip was increased. At this point, she was checked for progress, and had not progressed past 1 cm at this point.

By 5:00 PM, Allison had not dilated further (than maybe 1.5) and we started to diagnose what the likely causes were. Allison's OB, Dr. Susan Dausch (above, with Evan), surmised that he was too big and was not putting direct pressure to promote further dilation as he couldn't get past Allison's pelvis. She (Dr. Dausch) was willing to wait it out, but after no further progress at 7:00 PM, we debated Ceasarean Section.

Well, Allison and I thought it was conservative to go the C-Section route, and we started the anaesthetic at 7:15. We went into surgery at 7:43 PM, and our little boy, Evan Frederick Richter, was born at 7:56 PM EST (The anaesthesiologist quipped, "1956 was a good year...") here on November 19th. I will give his vitals in the next post, but he came out screaming and we are so blessed.

Well Gang, no news yet. Allison is offically "past-due," but the little man has not made a compelling argument to get out yet. So, I wanted everyone to see how beautiful Allison looks just days before we induce tomorrow morning (Picture from Friday evening, Nov. 14). The checkup this morning said everything is healthy, but not underway. It looks like we will need some assistance to evict the little guy.

We are eager to meet you little man!

Welcome!

Allison and I want to share our journey with our friends and family, and we took the relative success of our friends Johnny & Halen's blog to inspire us (many thanks as we steal your ideas...). Today is the official due date, and nothing yet. Kinda like running in place. I feel like we should be doing something. Maybe making Allison run up and down stairs... Who knows.

We took a beautiful walk today to celebrate our last weekend before the birth. Beautiful day. Beautiful park near our house. Beautiful mommy-to-be. Induction on Wednesday morning at the latest. Wowsers.

Lots of hugs and kisses from Glen Allen, VA.