Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Gant family! Things have been busy here, and that has kept us from updating the blog as much as we would like. We will keep trying to update as frequently as possible. For now, here are some Christmas photos.

A Beautiful Day for a Walk

Today was gorgeous in Austin. We decided to hit the pavement and introduce Jasper to our neighbors. Dean and Dell came rushing over as soon as they saw the baby stroller, and Paul Smith came from across the street to meet Jasper. As long as we were moving, Jasper liked the stroller. Once we stopped - he wasn't so happy.

First Manicure

I've read that babies really don't like having their nails clipped. I was prepared for a battle from my sometimes squirmy son, but he slept through his first nail clipping and filing! We're hoping this will cut down on the scratches on his face.

Hangin' Out

Here are some shots of Jasper just hangin' out at home. We haven't ventured outside yet, except to visit the doctor's office. He's got some pretty cute clothes. He's already at the stage of being at the tail end of wearing newborn outfits but still a little small for the 3month outfits. We're rolling sleeves up pretty good to make things not so swimmy.


Drew is pretty excited about this little "Let's Take a Ride" onesie. Anything to get Jasper pumped for cycling gets an A+ in Drew's book. :)





Yesterday afternoon, Grandma Jasper, Drew & I watched the "Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD we got as a baby shower gift. It was pretty cool, and we've all been trying since then to perfect the 5 S's to calm Jasper on the rare moments when he seems near melt-down status. Drew was immediately successful at getting Jasper to calm down with the swaddling, giggling and shushing techniques.

1-week Birthday

On Friday we celebrated Jasper's one-week birthday with all the grandparents. The grandmas made a scrumptous dinner, and we rounded out the night with birthday cake. Jasper was awake for a portion of the time, but for the most part he'll have to enjoy it through our memories and stories.

Jasper & the G-Block

Just recently all four of Jasper's GRANDPARENTS were here to see him.



Grandma Jasper has been here for one week. Grandpa Jasper got here on Wednesday night, and Grandma & Grandpa Gant arrived on Thursday afternoon. All four just fell in love with him, just like we have. They spent time holding him while he slept and taking lots of photos.


Grandma Jasper is on nighttime duty (along w/ diaper duty, meal preparation, and a host of other helpful stuff!) and generally spends a good deal of time cuddling with Jasper after our late-night or middle of the night feedings. This is particularly helpful when Drew & I are so tired we're virtually zombies.

Mom's Report

I haven't posted to this blog since we left for the hospital last week. I can't believe where the days have gone! My days are filled with feeding Jasper, changing his diapers, eating and maybe (maybe) taking a shower. After two doctor appts at the beginning of this week, for the last two days my exposure to the outside world has been reduced to walking to the end of the driveway to pick up the mail. Our feeding schedule is nothing even remotely resembling a schedule. We start whenever Drew & I are good enough to respond to our alarm clocks in the morning and then space out feedings based on that throughout the day. Jasper gets very irritable after his middle of the night feeding, so we struggle to make it through that quickly and usually burn up precious sleep time (sometimes up to 3 hours) with feeding, diaper changing and consoling him. This afternoon we also gave him a sponge bath.


However ... we still think he's really cute and both can't believe he's our son. I am overwhelmed by how precious and peaceful he is. My favorite time is just after I've finished feeding him and he lies on my lap in total peace and contentment. There is no site such as lovely, in my opinion.

Eating - Activity - Sleeping

Not much to report at the Gant family home. Jasper is continuing to improve his eating habits, but he is not falling to sleep as fast as he was originally. He is still a great baby, and we love him so much. He currently is visiting with Erica's parents, and my parents are arriving later today. It will be Grandparents Central very soon!

I will keep updating the blog with pictures and stories, but the highlights are much smaller than they used to be. A personal highlight was seeing Erica and Jasper beside each other on our bed when I left this morning. I enjoy those images.

Tongue-tied no more!

Jasper had his first appointment with the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (We liked her very much), and all the reports were positive with one exception. The positives were that he had already started gaining weight, and that his color was still looking good. The exception was his tongue. The piece of tissue (frenulum linguae) that attaches the tongue to the bottom of his mouth was too close to the tip of his tongue. This was inhibiting Jasper's ability to extend his tongue during feedings, and Erica was paying the price for that physical limitation. The NP recommended that we have his tongue "clipped" which involves cutting back that tissue under his tongue. This would be done by an ENT Dr down the hall. We scheduled that procedure for 9:15 AM on Tuesday.

We arrived at the ENT office today, and the doctor met with us and explained the procedure. Topical anesthetic would be used, and the clip would be made with some surgical scissors. There are very few nerves and blood vessels in the frenulum in a child so young, and Jasper was great the whole time. The attached picture is from shortly after we arrived home.

Tomorrow I will head back to work. I'm not looking forward to leaving Jasper during the day, but I'm confident in Erica's abilities to care for Jasper. In addition, Erica's mother Diane is here to help out for a little while. We are very excited to introduce Jasper to each of you.

Let us know if you have any requests for the blog. I've heard some very positive feedback from the short videos that I have posted. I may try to post more of those in the future. We are very pleased to have so many people interested in the growth and development of our son.

Jasper comes home

We arrived at our home with Jasper in his seat at around 4 PM on Sunday, December 3rd. Here are some photos to describe the event:

We are now heading off to Jasper's appointment with the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I'll update more when I get a chance.

Heading Home Very Soon! (updated with photos)

Here are some additional photos from Friday and Saturday:





I realize you probably aren't reading this blog for the text, so I will keep this brief. We have seen the pediatrician, and we had a second consult from the Lactation Consultant. Jasper is feeding well, but it is taking a toll on Erica. We have some things to work on, and we will do that at home. It is pretty cool here today (in the 40's), and we will see how Jasper responds to his first breath of free air. I'll keep trying to post more pictures as I have time. We will be heading for home in about 30 minutes!

Coming Home Today!

After talking with Erica's doctor, we expect to be coming home from the hospital today. We aren't sure what time we will be able to leave, but we are already making preparations.

Jasper continues to improve his ability to feed, and he continues to be a very content little boy. We are so blessed by his life and his attitude toward this new world he has discovered. Erica continues to be a wonderful mother and wife, and we look forward to show Jasper his home and room.

Thank you to all of you that called and offered your congratulations. I haven't been able to return every call, but we appreciate having such a large circle of friends with whom to share this time. On this Lord's day, we have much to be thankful for.

Jasper's First Video

Here is a short film of Jasper Thomas Gant shortly after he was born. I'll upload more photos tomorrow. For now, we are going to try and get some rest. Overall, things are going very well. Jasper is feeding much more easily, and for longer durations. That is very encouraging. We plan to head home tomorrow!

He is HERE!

Our son was born today! Jasper Thomas Gant was born at 2:01 PM today, December 1st. At birth he was 8 lbs. 15 oz. and 21 1/4 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing well. Jasper is having some trouble feeding, but he is improving. We think the problems he is having can be overcome in the near future.

If you wish to talk to us, the best way to do that is to call my cell phone (512-417-0522). I may not be available to answer your call. I will do what I can to return your call in short order. Here are some photos from the big day. The first picture is from the first 5 minutes after birth.

I'll add more info tomorrow. For now, we are all going to try and get some rest.

T+4 and ... nothing.

We're still hanging out. The baby seems content to hang out in utero, and I'm not pulling out my hair yet for him to come out.

Drew and I are in the middle of getting the office/guest (grandparents') room back in order. Of course we decided to reorganize it and put in a new desk on Tuesday night. So that's something that's consumed our evenings and the better portion of our living room. We need to make room for grandmas and grandpas to come see the little guy, so we're content if he hangs out just a little while longer for us to get it done. It's given us a great opportunity to purge our files and streamline our "stuff." We could have arranged the timing better, but so far it's still ok. :)

Oh, and the weather has finally decided to at least pretend it's coming up on Christmas. We've gone from a high yesterday of 78 degrees to a current temp of 32degrees. Our high for the day was at midnight, around 70 deg, and it's been falling steadily since then. I think we might see sun later this afternoon, but right now it's pretty overcast and dreary. Remember I said we did yard work last weekend hoping we could slack off until after the baby arrives? Well, we've had rain and wind since then and our lawn and plant beds are covered in leaves again. Perhaps this weekend we'll be able to get it completely cleaned-up, but we don't know.

T+2 and ... nothing!

Quick update: my doctor appointment yesterday yielded only that the baby has dropped a little more but that I am not showing any physical signs of dilation or preparation for labor and delivery. The nurse practitioner said it's more than likely I'll be back in the office next Monday for my 41wk visit. My water could break between now and then, but we're not really holding our breath that labor (contractions) will start on its own. We're thinking the little guy may have to be induced out of me mid next week.

I talked to my 4-yr old niece, Linnea, this afternoon. She asked me if the baby had been born yet, and I told her he had not - that he was still inside me "kicking around." She asked me if it hurt when the baby kicked me. I hadn't thought that it might sound bad that he was kicking me. It certainly doesn't hurt, but it can be a good deal of pressure sometimes. He's getting strong.

T-minus 1 ... and nothing!

Our due date is tomorrow, but there is no sign of labor commencing anytime soon. That's ok. Our son must really like it in the womb, and we'll let him hang out as long as he wants ... up until our scheduled (back-up) induction on Dec 5th.

Thanksgiving in Texas was nice. We had a fun, full meal with our friends Sarah and Jorge Angulo. The weather was unbelievable, and it's continued through the weekend. Yesterday we did a little shopping, but nothing crazy. We didn't go near a mall or any store that might be berserk. Yesterday was also the most active day on record for the little guy. From about 2pm til 8pm he was constantly moving ... literally! He was so active (dancing on my bladder) that I didn't think I could handle sitting through a 2.5hr movie, however much I want to see Casino Royale. Drew thinks he was excited by part of a diet Pepsi and a full Barq's rootbeer I drank at lunch. Funny he didn't blame it on the Chipotle tacos ... just the Barq's.

Today we think he's worn-out, because his level of activity is dramatically less. So much so that I got worried this afternoon, drank part of a diet Pepsi and ate a KitKat left over from Halloween. I lay down on the couch and then bugged him (shook, poked and prodded my belly) until he started to move. That made me feel better, but it was a tense wait - and I'm sure I'll be monitoring his activity throughout the night.

Today we also did some yard work. It was gorgeous outside - sunny w/ a light breeze and in the high 70's. Drew did the lion's share, but I spent about 1.5hrs cleaning up the front beds and trying to improve our curb appeal. Leaves fall forever here, and I'm not sure they're done for the year. But hopefully we've made enough of a dent to slack off once the little guy arrives.

We are steadily whittling away at our pre-baby to do list. Drew is making good progress at reclaiming the garage since we've used it as a painting bay and a construction prep area for so many weeks.

This week, I'll work from home as long as I am comfortable. Drew helped me move out of my office at IBM on Wednesday night. I boxed up my stuff and left most of it there for them to put into storage while I'm on leave for the next year. But we did bring all my personal stuff home - including a mini frig that now sits in the garage and is stocked full of Gatorade. :)

That's about it for us. We're in a sit and wait mode, and we'll let you know how things turn out. You'll be sure to get a phone call or email from someone once the little guy arrives, but plan to check back here for his first photos.

I REALLY want out!

Here is a much longer video showing our son trying to bust out of Erica's belly. I don't think it will take too long to load up, but I think it is worth it. His arrival is getting closer...

Longer Movie of Erica's Belly

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want out!

I'm running an experiment to see if you can view this movie of our son trying to break out of Erica's belly. We have a longer, more impressive movie, but I'm running a test on the shorter movie. Let me know how this works for you. Click on the "Erica's moving belly" link below. Watch for the shadows to move because there is a baby in there!

Erica's moving belly.

The nursery is complete!

After some searching for furniture, sewing by Diane Jasper, and some furniture painting, the nursery is complete! The following is a 360 degree series of photos if you view them in order. I've also include a picture of the drapery tie back that Erica found. We are very excited to show our son his new room.

The countdown to his due date is 6 days now, and we are extremely excited and nervous at the same time. It is fun to watch him move inside of Erica. Speaking of Erica, she continues to amaze me with her strength. She looks beautiful, and I look forward to starting this new phase of life with her. Here is a picture of Erica at 6 days and counting.

"Bringing up the Rear"

So I do not profess to be very organized with respect to this whole baby-prep thing. I'm not going to be writing any books about how to get ready for baby on a more relaxed & organized timeline. I wouldn't know what to write since we seem to be doing everything rather last minute!

Yesterday Drew & I went to a pediatrician "Meet and Greet" mtg. We got recommendations from friends for pediatricians some weeks ago and just got around to checking them out personally. Thankfully, we like this practice. They're smaller and focus on teaching parents as they care for the children. So, finally that decision has been made. While at this mtg, the lactation consultant gave her intro and talked about breast-feeding classes she offers. Lucky me, she added another class this week to handle overflow from earlier this month, and I was able to enroll. That wasn't something I had thought about doing, so I'm chalking this up to God being gracious and letting me get a little extra help to cover what will be hard but very necessary with the baby.

Drew almost has all the painting of furniture done (for the nursery), and will finish that up tonight. We're also both trying to wrap up things at work this week (and maybe into next) so we can head into Thanksgiving and our actual due date with a little more peace. Friday afternoon I'm taking a 1/2 day vacation to enjoy the M3 Thanksgiving lunch with Drew and his coworkers (show off my BIG belly a little) and then check out IKEA in the afternoon. It opens tomorrow, but I am hoping there might be a little lull between the first day craziness and the first weekend madness so I can get in there and check out the deals. (An official line-up started yesterday to be the first in the store. crazy!)

Twelve days to go!

Sorry ... we haven't been posting much lately because things have been rather discombobulated. The nursery went from pseudo organized to completely disheveled in a matter of days. Drew and our friend Yobany hauled the dresser/changing table out to the garage so it could be painted. So ... that means everything that was put away was then strewn on the floor.

The dresser didn't make it back into the nursery until last night. In the mean time, I got started on laundry. There is plenty to wash. I have always had Dreft in my house for when I've made blankets for babies of my friends. However, it was a strangely different feeling to load up the Dreft (the first of many, many loads) to wash things for my son.

Drew installed the car seat bases into both cars and made sure the car seat fit properly into each base. He was singing the praises of the latch system and giving our friend Kathryn and me a visual demonstration of how hard it is to install it into a car without the latch system (aka, the 4Runner). However, his engineering skill prevailed, and we can legally take our son home from the hospital now - whenever her comes.

With the dresser in the nursery, we're back on track with a place to hold all his cute little clothes and a designated area to clean his bottom. We're still working on the overall decorations, and hopefully he'll decide it's too nice in utero to come out early. So far, he's moving in the right direction per my doctor, but we haven't made any major progress so far. We're still holding out to Nov 26th. :)

Tonight, after we got home from bible study (at 9:15pm), we continued to get the kitchen in order. While I polished silver, Drew started nesting in the nursery. He put our cute airplane sheets on the mattress and made sure it fit snuggly in the crib. Then he started assembling all sorts of things ... the mall crawler stroller, the bouncy seat, and the pack-n-play.

Pretty soon all the boxes will be dismantled in the nursery and we'll be ever so slightly more prepared to bring home baby. 24 days and counting!

Tonight the baby had the hiccups. We could see the rhythmic bouncing in Erica's belly. It was a lot of fun.

Tomorrow night we will have our second birthing class at the hospital. During the first class, they showed a video of a birth, and I told Erica that the child looked like Darth Vader without his helmet on. Erica found that both amusing and frightening. We will also participate in a hospital tour before the class tomorrow night. Both the tour and the class should be fun.

61 days and counting...

I'm hoping that this blog will help keep everyone informed as to the happenings of Baby Gant. For know, you will have to be content with the knowledge that Erica continues to do well, and we start our every-two-weeks doctor appointments on October 3rd. We continue to be excited and nervous all at the same time. This is going to be fun...