It’s a Boy!

Baby Calvin

We had a baby boy this weekend!  Two weeks early, Sarah went into labor on Friday night while I was at the store buying milk.  Completely unexpected, as much as 38 weeks can be, and wonderful.

Calvin Andrew Rittle was born at 10:09 a.m. Saturday 7.11.09, weighing 6 lbs, 6 oz.  He’s 19 inches long … He’s tiny!  I can’t think of any more to do but show you more first and second day pictures.  Check back for more!

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Just born

Measuring up

Sleepy baby

Edie tries out the hospital bed

Edie loving her new brother

All four Andrew-Rittles!

The first ones are in the first minutes after birth.  We were so tired on Saturday that we didn’t take too many more pictures.  Also Daddy spent some time going back and forth between our house and the hospital.

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On Sunday after a little rest we brought Edie to meet her brother.  Besides Calvin, she was also very interested in other hospital things, including the adjustable bed with eating table.

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Edie is taking pleasure at looking at and hugging her new brother.  She does seem a little out of sorts however and is still getting used to the whole thing.  We’re trying to keep her routine as much as possible.  She is continuing day care for at least part time for now, but nothing changes the fact of another person in the house.

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Many more pictures to come – this is all I could muster for the first day or two.  Bye for now – I had to wait for everyone to fall asleep to do this update!

Strolling by the Lake

Chicago Skyline ~ view from Loyola Park

Sometimes Edie just wants to get out of the house.  Ok, ALWAYS Edie just wants to get out of the house.  Requests vary: Park?  Outside?  Backpack Ride?  This last request is a good one because she usually falls asleep on my back.

nature preserve at Loyola Park

What a great excuse to take pictures!  Five years ago when Sarah and I moved to Chicago they cordoned off one section of the Lakefront as a nature preserve.  People (and lots of dogs) can walk around, but no landscaping takes place.  This path has grown over time too.  I guess people kept taking the same path.

Lighthouse at end of Loyola Pier

At the end of the path, sand, rocks, lake, and the pier.  Edie slept the whole time!

preparing for baby #2: We need a new car.

We’re debating over our next car, which we must purchase before we have another baby.  Our top choice is the fuel efficient go-to-florida-for-eleven-dollars-i’m-not-kidding Toyota Prius.  It’s affordable too, at least compared to the less efficient but super duper storage capable Subaru Forester.  We want a new car, since this year Obama is featuring a new car tax credit.  Both cars are bigger than our 1999 Saturn Sedan, and they both are – well – not over ten years old.

Most likely however we will save costs at the outset and go for the Toyota Matrix.  It’s claim to fame is that it is the same car as the Pontiac Vibe.  The Matrix gets better gas milage than the Forester, has more trunk space than the Prius, and is like $5000 less than either of them.  And now for pictures:

In order, these are: Prius, Forester, Matrix.  Despite the appearance, both the Matrix and Forester have more storage capacity than the Prius.  The Prius has the most spacious back seat.  The Matrix wins the modesty award of the three.  In the end, any rationale we can think of amounts the fact that we can only afford so much.  We need a bigger car, one that doesn’t require major repair every eight months, and we might as well do this before the next baby arrives.

Birthday Blocks!

Birthday Blocks!, originally uploaded by Marc|Sarah.

Yesterday was Edie’s birthday. We can’t believe she’s two! Supposedly the “terribles” last for the next year and a half, right?

In which my daughter attempts to roll down a hill.

more about “hillroll i“, posted with vodpod

Here’s Edie, just after watching some kids roll down this grassy hill (would it be a knoll, perhaps?)  She desperately wants to roll, and after no luck on her side decides to take a more zen-like approach sitting up.  Here’s try number two, with no help from Daddy:

It’s a cabbage!

Well Sarah is carrying a soon-to-be baby about the size of a cabbage.  We visited Sarah’s midwife this week, who assured us that it will be a baby, not a vegetable.  It’s even a smart baby, she said, in the right position and everything.  If only we didn’t have two or three months to go!

Finally a nice day!

taking a stroll to the water

This is the April day we’ve been waiting for…. and it’s already May! Sunny weather, sand beneath our feet, and aaaallll-most 65 degrees. Well we don’t care. In Chicago you get out when you can.  And this weekend was beautiful.

Daddy and Mommy pushing Edie on a swing

We also stopped at the park.  This photo is an excuse to show off Sarah’s belly.  Sarah is now 28 weeks, the start of the third trimester.  It’s incredible how much the time is flying for baby number two.  Babycenter says our future child is about the size of a head of cabbage.  Sarah feels like it may be bigger than that, but looking at our 2007 comparison pics maybe it’s not too different.  And no I’m not publishing the 2007 pics.

You been farming long?

A few families in our housing cooperative built a raised bed garden this weekend!  Edie and her friend Rivers (see blogroll) came by to help out.  By the way, this photo reminds me a farming poster.  See a resemblance? And here’s the backstory on the poster.

And, here’s some more!

paints with friends

Edie has lots of baby – I mean big girl – friends these days. Here is Miles, our neighbor. Edie and Miles held a full conversation together. It went something like “Table?” Table.” “Table!” “Seat?” “Sit down?” “Table!”

I tried to intervene but this was between them.

the day that keeps on going – i mean giving

I can’t believe it’s only 8:30, which is really 7:30 if not for Spring Ahead which happened today.  This happened last year too, where every hour seemed like The Extra Hour, ultimately making my day last about 33 hours long.  It also makes Edie’s bedtime seem extra early, makes me feel like I have time to watch a full movie before going to bed, but not before first finishing up the kitchen.

Oh, and it made me feel like I had time to even jot down this blog post.