On London Time

City Park

2010-03-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Took London to the City Park in New Orleans today. He LOVED the swing and the slide--

First Tooth

2010-03-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

Today I noticed London has his first tooth! Its the lower front right one. Right now just the tip of it has broke though so its not sticking up but you can feel it, as I'm sure he can also! Since its so hard to see and the fact he is mad at me every time I try to take a picture, I don't have one yet....but I will work on it!

First solid food

2010-03-03T21:54:00.000-08:00

So we gave london his first bites of "real" food yesterday---he licked and sucked on them but never actually ate any. Well tonight we tried again, this time with broccoli and he loved it!

Standing on his own

2010-02-23T21:46:00.000-08:00

Ok well its not standing on his own but with help of the chair!

Sippy Cup

2010-01-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

Found a cup with handles finally! This one has a sippy cup top option...so we thought we would give it a try. He did awesome with the motion. But seemed confused on why he was getting cold breastmilk in a cup! hahaha He still prefers straight out of the tap :)

Great-Grandma Betty

2010-01-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

Took london for his first meeting with his great grandma betty :) He was smitten by her of course. Plus she seemed to have the magic touch with the rocking chair.

First time in the pool

2010-01-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

London's first time in the pool. He did pretty good but the water was a little chilly for him so he only stayed in for about 30 min.

Uncle Hershall

2010-01-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

My brother, Hershall finally got to meet his nephew...

Busy week!

2009-12-06T22:05:00.000-08:00

Grandma Rabenberg (aka Mimi) arrived on wed and stayed through today! She bought London a WHOLE new wardrobe for the next few months (depending on how fast he grows!). So you will notice new outfits on him in up coming pictures. He looks more like a baby now than a newborn. I think I was keeping him in onesies all the time because he felt/looked more newborn that way. But not any more...now he is my little man.

London decided to start sitting up not only on his own but now without his hands helping him like a tripod! And he found his feet! He has been very busy. No more rolling since monday though.

We got up most of the holiday decorations this weekend also. It was nice to see london's first Christmas ornament up on the tree (its a little cloth diaper with embroidery on it of a snowman and "London's 1st Christmas 2009". Can't wait to get our Hallmark one from Great Grandma Yungbluth as well! We plan to get him one every year that has something to do with that year (or in this case months). Also our "Elf on the Shelf" came in. We decided to call him Pepper Minsticks (says it fast LOL). London loves to have the story read to him every day. He hasn't quit learned to love "How the Grinch stole Christmas"....I think its a little long for him.

rolled over!

2009-11-30T08:14:00.000-08:00

Today we were playing and london rolled from his belly to his back (over the left arm/leg). I got him to roll over just like I did the dogs.....having him "chase" a toy! :D The toy was a rattle that Derek and Kendra got for him.

Sitting up

2009-11-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

We decided to try to get london to sit up by himself tonight. Well he did on his first try!!! I couldn't be prouder....AND we think he did it so he could watch football...even better :)

Out of order

2009-11-11T08:12:00.001-08:00

So I realized if I wait till I get everything done its never going to happen. I'm just going to start posting. And some things are going to be out of order, but this way you get to see something!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

London during Halloween day! I'm going out on my first night out tonight so tonight pictures will be later.

London was a Jack In The Box!

Baby talk

2009-10-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

London has made some sounds here and there. Usually it only last a few seconds then all of the sudden we were watching Football today and he decided I wasn't paying enough attention to him. So he started talking, and talking and talking....he babbled for a couple minutes. And yep I happen to catch some of it on video :)

bed-sharing

2009-09-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

So many people voice their negative opinion about him sleeping in bed with us. But they aren’t there at night, when his heartbeat and mine start beating in sync, our personal song of love. They aren’t there in the morning, when he wakes up with a smile and the confidence from knowing he belongs. Because right now, at this time in his life, this IS where he belongs.

Starting to figure out his hands!

2009-09-14T23:05:00.001-07:00

Elimination Communication

2009-09-11T15:28:00.001-07:00

A couple of my friends practice elimination communication. It is exactly what it means: a way to communicate with your baby about elimination. I have been thinking ever since London was born that I would like to try this myself, but haven't yet taken the plunge. Well, this morning, we decided to start.

There really isn't a technique or a method, per se; it's more about learning to recognize your baby's signals, then responding to them. We already recognize a lot of signals our baby gives us, like when they start sucking on their hand when they are wanting to nurse, or when they make a funny face or grunting sounds just before they poo. EC is a way to take advantage of those cues, by recognizing when a baby is about to eliminate, and then putting them over a bowl/toilet rather than a diaper.

EC is not a method of potty training. It's just another way to communicate with your baby, with the pleasant advantage of having less mess to clean up. This isn't some kind of hippie fad either; other cultures around the world have been practicing EC for generations. Before I ever heard of EC, I used to wonder that myself. I enjoy wearing my baby, and I thought about women in other cultures who wear their babies 24-7, while working and traveling, and I wondered how they handled the potty issue. How do you suppose those village women manage to carry around naked babies all day long without getting soaked constantly? They just learn to recognize babies' signals, and allow them to pee or poo in an appropriate location.

When I first read about EC, my first impression was that it might be okay for women who spend a great deal of time outdoors, or who have nothing better to do than to hold a baby over a toilet every five minutes, but that it didn't seem like something I wanted to do. When I met people who actually do EC, I saw that it is much easier than that. Also, I learned that you can be as hardcore, or not, as you prefer. While some people may throw away all their diapers, and carry around a naked baby all the time, some people choose to only "potty" their babies at predictable times, such after naps or when making that poo face.

All this may seem like a lot of trouble to go to, but really, isn't parenting inconvenient by definition? You'll spend the time one way or the other, either holding baby over potty, changing a disposable diaper, washing a cloth diaper, or cleaning up after a poo explosion. I suppose given the choice of all those, I prefer holding the baby. There's a bit of a learning curve, but I think learning to communicate better with your baby is a worthy cause.
Here is one of my first week attempts with London so you can visualize how I'm holding him since that's the first question everyone asks! :)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!!

2009-08-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

This blog is under construction. Its going to be a blog with nothing but info on London Jacob S. so if thats what your looking for your in the right place.

London’s birth story – As told by Troy -

2009-08-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

On August 2, 2009, London Jacob Small was born. This is my recollection of the events leading up to and through the birth.

We got pregnant while on an assignment in Pattaya, Thailand; a celebration on the evening that Barak Obama was elected as president of the United States. London was due July 27^th. We made plans to have a “home birth” in the Residence Inn, Chicago. Angela had made arrangements for Jonni Felton and her kids to come out to Chicago for the last week in July.

The Felton’s made it to Chicago, and we went to the Field museum, and walked to the Hancock Center on Saturday, August 1^st. That evening, around 11:30 pm, Angela started having some regular contractions. Anticipating a long night, I suggested that we get some sleep. While we were both excited, I managed to sleep for a solid 5 hours. Angela laid down for most of the night, but was awakened every 7-10 minutes with contractions. At 7:00 am, I called the midwife, Hillary. Hillary listened to Angela breath through a contraction, and decided that the pushing phase was still several hours away, so told us to call back in a few hours. After I hung up with Hillary, I called Jonni to see if she was available to come over to offer Angela some support.

Jonni was planning to drive back to Yankton, South Dakota that day (August 2^nd), and considering it is a solid 9-10 hours of driving, she needed to leave Chicago by noon. She came over to help out around 7:45 am, and helped wash Angela’s hair and offer moral support. At that time, I also re-arranged the furniture in the hotel room (Residence Inn, Rosemont) to allow for the inflatable birthing tub to be placed in the middle of the floor. I also began to tidy up the second bedroom which had been a nesting project, but would act as the nursery and post labor exam room. We continued to do whatever we could to make Angela more comfortable, which involved feeding her ice chips, Gatorade, toast, yogurt, granola, and a banana. I called Angela’s friend, Kyle King, and asked if she could come over around noon to replace Jonni. Kyle was excited to come, but was interviewing doula’s until about 1:00 pm. We also called Hillary again, and she said she would come over around noon. So just after Jonni left for her long trip back to South Dakota, Hillary and Kyle came to help support Angela and London.

When Hillary showed up, she checked Angela to find that she was 5 cm dilated, and nearly 100% effaced. Angela wanted to keep a live blog feed to update her on-line support crew on the progress of the delivery, so I kept the online community informed. The hours began to blur together, as Angela alternated between the bath tub and the bed as her contractions were getting closer together and more intense. I remember putting on my swimming suit and sitting on the edge of the bathtub for more than an hour as Angela sat on the birthing ball in the tub with the shower on. We began to fill the birthing tub with warm water, and Kyle showed up with 8 different kinds of red Popsicles for Angela to choose from.

Another check showed that Angela was now 7 cm dilated, but in order to keep the progress going, Hillary suggested that Angela wait to get in the tub until she was closer to 8 cm. Another shower and some lunch (I had a leftover piece of pizza and a few bites of the bacon & ranch Suddenly Salad) allowed enough time to get through the transformation stage. Angela got into the tub around 4:00 pm, which was also the time that the Midwife’s assistant, Tera, showed up. Shortly after getting into the tub, it was time to start pushing.

I set up the computer speakers, and began playing the hypnobabies soundtracks in the background. Kyle continued to update the blog, and the support from the online community poured in. Kyle also filmed some of the labor, and took various pictures, which turned out fantastic! As Angela began to push, Hillary suggested various positions, that were more comfortable and effective, and after her water broke, Hillary also helped to slide a small lip of the cervix out of the way to open the birth canal. As the pushing waves continued, Hillary helped by explaining that Angela should use the entire wave of the contraction to help push the baby out. Angela pushed while floating on her back, then flipped over to attempt pushing while on her hands and knees. While pushing, Angela kept using her hands to feel for the baby. I still had my swimming suit on, but tried to support from outside of the pool. If she was on her back, that involved holding her shoulders, and whispering our hypnobabies cues, such as peace and relax, in her ear. If she was on all fours, I looked her in the eyes, and tried to give her all the comfort and support I could.

As the baby began to crown, Angela started to arch her back during the contractions. Hillary explained that arching her back would be counter-productive, and that in order for the pushing to be more effective, Angela would have to bear down. Hillary suggested that I hold Angela down in the pool prevent her from arching her back, and continue to offer support and encouragement as the baby crowned. I looked down to see some of London’s hair, and within a couple pushes, I could see the top of his head. In an effort to encourage Angela with her progress, I asked to make sure she could feel the baby (meaning with her hand). Hillary, Kyle, and Tera looked at me with astonishment, and sarcastically assured me that Angela could feel it. While I attempted to clarify what I meant, their comments seemed to lighten the mood, and Angela floated on her back in good spirits as I realized that London’s birth was very close.

I remained seated at her head, as Angela used several more contractions to push London out. After the crowning, she reached down and gave everyone a play-by-play. Angela was now very close, and cried, “I am going to tear!” Everyone continued to encourage her to push, and then with tears of joy and pain, Angela proclaimed “the head is out!” Angela was then able to go into nursing mode as she reached down to catch London. She repeated to herself to breathe and keep the baby down. On the last contraction, London came out of the womb, and she brought him up to her chest. Just as I saw the baby, Angela announced with excitement “It’s a boy!!” I (and everyone else in the room) shed a tear as London opened his mouth and let out a tiny wail. Angela continued to proclaim “and he has ear lobes!” All I could do was whisper to her “you are amazing!” Everyone in the room was silent, and with her new energy, Angela said “he is perfect!” then she said “Hi London” and encouraged him to keep crying.

I was still sitting on the chair at her head, dumbstruck at what had just happened. I know we had discussed the names, and agreed that it was between London and Collin. We had also settled on the middle name of Reid or Jacob. However, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the first time that Angela held a baby and said “Hi London, you are just perfect!” Hillary asked that we were going to name him London, and I began to whisper Jacob, Jacob, Jacob into Angela’s ear. I had nothing against Reid, but every time I heard the name Reid, I thought of Dillon and Traverse Reid from Pee-Wee softball, and I didn’t want to name my child with someone else in mind. Angela agreed that his middle name would be Jacob, and she continued to hold him on her chest. Hillary noted the time on the stove did not match the time on the microwave, so we used a cell phone to determine that London was born at 5:50 pm on August 2, 2009.

As she floated in the tub, Angela put London to her breast, and he began to nurse immediately. She said the cord was short, and it was uncomfortable to pull him all the way out of the water. After about 5 minutes, the cord stopped pulsing, and Tera clamped the cord in two places. I was given the shears to cut the cord, and despite Angela’s reminder me how spongy the cord would be, the tissue cut just as I expected. A small amount of blood spilled into the pool, and Tera took a vial of cord blood for testing. As London continued to nurse, the placenta was delivered into the pool. By that time, the pool water looked pretty murky, and Hillary took London as I helped Angela out of the pool.

Angela came out of the pool into the spare bedroom, where we had chux pads, a shower curtain, and several sheets waiting. After a minute of looking for a flashlight, they used my UOP inspection light to perform Angela’s post-delivery evaluation. I held London for a few minutes while Hillary tended to Angela. I noticed that London had quite a bit of congestion, and Hillary suggested that crying is the best way for him to clear his lungs. It was emotionally difficult for me to try to make him cry, but rubbing his head seemed to work the best. After a few photos, I took off my shirt, and held him skin-to-skin until Angela was ready to hold him again. As Angela got stitched up, I brought London back and placed him on her chest to continue to practice nursing. Hillary was surprised at how little bleeding there was, and commented several times how great Angela did. We put a towel on Angela’s midsection, and Tera practiced stitching on Angela.

When Angela was taken care of, it was time for the part I was most looking forward to: London’s newborn assessment. They had a small tape measure to measure his head, torso and length. His head circumference was 34 cm, and he was 19.5” long. We used a cloth with a small scale to determine that he was between 6.5 and 6.6 lbs. My thought was that London weighed 6 lbs, 9 oz, but Hillary rounded up to 6 lbs, 10 oz. Kyle had filmed and photographed the whole thing and updated the blog accordingly.

After a few more pictures, and Hillary and Tera began to pack up their things. Kyle asked if we were hungry, and Angela jumped at the opportunity to get Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo from the Olive Garden. Kyle ordered our meals (I had Chicken Parmesan) and volunteered to drive the 25 minutes to the Olive Garden to pick up dinner. Tera and Hillary carried their things out to the car, and I carried a load of gauze and wrappings to the dumpster. We decided to empty the water and clean up the tub the next day. Kyle got back with the Olive Garden between 9 and 10, and she congratulated us once again before going home.

Just as we started eating, my mom called to see how things were going. Outside of the people at the delivery, and several people on the Internet support group, nobody knew that London was born. My mom was completely thrilled as I told her the news. As we sat down to eat, the exhaustion began to set in, and my back was incredibly stiff after hovering over the pool all afternoon. I ate half of my chicken, and Angela had a couple bread sticks before we put the dinner in the fridge. I sent a text to Jonni, who was still driving to Yankton, and Angela called her mom on Skype to tell her the good news. Then I called my mom back on Skype, so she could see London on the computer screen. After I hung up with mom, I called my dad, who was stuck on a layover in Detroit while on the way to Lexington, Kentucky on business. He was also very happy to hear that everything went so smoothly and we had a healthy baby boy. As I got ready for bed, I left messages on Jenny and Jeremy’s voicemail to give me a call back.

I don’t remember if I slept well that night, but I know it felt good to get a shower, brush my teeth, and lay down. I woke up late the next morning and went to work just before lunch time. I told my boss, and several other people that were in the office that we had just had our baby boy and everything went beautifully. I told them I would finish up the procedures that I was writing, and take the rest of the week as vacation. Hillary came back for a 24 hour assessment, and we took London to Home First pediatricians for his one-week checkup. The following week would be furlough, so would plan to travel to Fairmont, MN to stay at the condo on the lake.

I am writing this at the end of the furlough, and those two weeks have gone by faster than I can believe. I am not looking forward to going back to work yet, as it feels like my summer vacation has come to an end. London is only two weeks old, but I can already see that he is growing. Everyone says that they grow up too fast, and I am sure that will be the case. I am very thankful that things worked out so well and am more in love than ever with my amazing wife. I am looking forward to our new life as a family, and all the adventures we will get to have with London.