Kessler In Living Color

KESSLER STATON HILL
Born 12.7.2009 @ 10:12am
Weight: Average
Height: Average
Eyes: Bluish gray
Hair: Light brown
Middle name pronounced: State ən

A little over 24 hours has passed since Kessler was born. It's been quite special; the whole process, really.

Much of what there is to say regarding the birth process and meeting your offspring has been said in many ways and in many places, so it seems trite to even attempt to put it into words. Here are some of the things that impacted me most:

Ashley's patience, focus, and effort - Males, be very thankful you don't have to carry a baby in your belly and push a baby out of it. Ashley did it with a calmness and grace that quintupled my love for her. Since, she has only continued. Her intelligence and precision give me a confidence that my son is being cared for as well as possible. I'll now stop gushing about my wife, so you can go vomit. But, just know she's extraordinary.

Family and friend's care - Through the wonders of email, facebook, twitter, and mobile computing I was able to share updates on the process of Kessler's arrival. The overwhelming response of facebook comments, @replies on twitter, texts and emails was encouraging and a welcome distraction from the waiting. As soon as he was born, I snapped a quick pic with my phone. I posted it to twitter which then fed into my facebook page for many to see. In the 24 hours since, it's been viewed about 290 times! Also, many were praying. My faith was strengthened and I trust the prayers impacted both the outcome and our feelings throughout.

Kessler's great Aunt - Ashley's sister and true best friend, Heather, was a tremendous blessing to both of us. She came to our house and decorated for Christmas (with Russ's help too) on Saturday while Ashley and I were at the hospital. She came to the hospital and sat with Ashley for many hours on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and all of Sunday. She came back to the hospital and was with us through the early parts of labor; staying up basically all of Sunday night. All this, to encourage and love her sister (and me), resulting in a rare bonding experience.

Many other things had a great impact on me. Some just aren't fit to print on a public blog. The whole process was incredible; too extraordinary to even believe.

Our first night as parents went well. We opted to try to keep him in the room and if we couldn't sleep, we'd let the Nursery take care of him. Well, he slept unless he was eating, so we kept him in the room. Yes, I pounded on wood after I typed that.

We have loved holding him and just looking at him. Objectively, he is a cute baby. Subjectively, he's the cutest baby in the world. No one has been able to confidently say he looks like either of his parents. He's a great dude and I expect his greatness to only increase as he ages. He is not a fan of any sports teams. He does not have a favorite color and he is not potty proficient.

We love him.