Daddy is talking about being nervous/scared and not being in control. Boy oh boy, what does he think Mommy and I are going to go through? I mean, I am standing on my head for the next 8.5 weeks. God only knows what it will be like when I come out.

Mommy is getting larger, her waddle is getting wider, ankles are beginning to swell, and she is just tired. Imagine how Mommy must feel wondering whether it will be painful, how painful it will be, will she be able to do it, etc… I know this is what she has been thinking, I hear her talking to herself (especially while she is in the childbirth class).

Can someone calm Daddy down before he freaks out?

Good night and see you in about 8 weeks.

Love,

Connor James

Victoria and I (as well as Connor) have all been getting ready for our new arrival. We got together this weekend and put together a “to do list” and a “need to buy” list. Boy, we thought we were pretty well prepared but didn’t realize all the loose ends that needed to be done (ie. minor home repairs, photography business work, etc…). Looks like we have most things identified and plan to start knocking most of this out real soon. Of course, Christmas just adds to the “to do list”.

I mentioned that Connor is getting ready too. Well, we visited the doctor today and the doctor believes he has rotated and is now head down. I asked if he was going to stay like that and the doctor said that usually they don’t rotate much once they go head down this late in the pregnancy. Yet another sign that Connor will soon be joining us.

We are excited, nervous, scared, worried, and excited (did I say that already?).

We are quickly educating ourselves on breastfeeding because Victoria wants to give that a try. We went to a class on it and ordered a DVD from online.

The grandparents are getting ready too. They have their pack-n-plays and are anticipating the moment.

I feel like I have read so much that I won’t be able to remember any of it. I am sure a lot of it will come natural but it definitely is a scary feeling not knowing what to expect or how to care for an infant. Most of you know that I am some what of a control freak and like to have things very structured and in my control. In the past few months, I have begun to realize that things are and will change in that respect, so I am slowly letting things happen as they will.

We both are very exciting and looking forward to this new chapter in our lives.

We are off to Richmond to have Thanksgiving dinner with my mom and brother (his 1st Thanksgiving in his new home).  I’m sure Connor is anticipating a delicious meal, so hopefully Danny and Kristen will deliver!

We hope all of you enjoy your Thanksgiving and have a wonderful time with family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Victoria, Donnie, and Connor

Alright, we haven’t had much controversy since the “name the baby polls” came out. Here is one sure to get everyone voting.

Based on the 4d ultrasound (movies and pics), who does Connor look like? Be sure to vote to the right. Baby pics of Victoria and I are displayed below the poll.

Not that I am trying to sway your vote, but since this is gonna be an election year, I’ll start campaigning now:

1. He had is foot up near his mouth the entire time during the 4d ultrasound. Remember the 8mm video of me in September 1972…I had my foot in my mouth. (Like father, like son.)
2. Ok, my baby pic may not look too much like him (I am missing the cheeks). But here is a pic of me when I was a little older — I had cheeks!

Victoria (and Connor) continue to grow. We both thought her stomach was pretty big but in the past 4-5 days, I have noticed that it has grown even larger. Victoria started to feel some kicks in the upper middle section of her belly this week. She wondered if it was the baby positioning himself, but the nurse during our birthing class said it was a little early for that. It has been a little cold lately and it is dark quite early now, so Victoria and I haven’t had much of a chance to get out and take a walk. We did manage to take two walks today (1.5 miles each) — one in the morning and one during this afternoon.

As far as the lonely husband part…

Thomas (the orange cat) continues to be with Victoria no matters where she goes. He sleeps in between us on top of Victoria’s snoogle. If I am laying on Victoria’s lap while watching TV, Thomas finds a way to snuggle up with her and make it uncomfortable for me. I joke with Victoria and say that Thomas is her new boyfriend. He is definitely one loving cat and we are so happy that we brought him inside (from being a stray). Hopefully once the baby comes, all three will adjust fine. We believe they will because they have adjusted well to one another.

Here is Victoria on Sept 28, 2007 at Va Beach:

Here she is tonight:

Here is a photo from 3 weeks ago when we shot our last wedding of the year.  It was getting near the end of the evening and Mommy Victoria was getting a little tired from being on her feet.  I was taking shots of inside the reception area and noticed the bride and Victoria had disappeared.  So, I ventured out towards the front and discovered the bride fanning Victoria.

Here is a funny story from our 4d ultrasound visit…

For nearly 42 minutes of the 45 minutes we were getting video of the ultrasound with Connor’s arm, hand, foot, and/or a leg in front of his face. He was covering one eye and sometimes both eyes. The ultrasound technician shook Victoria’s belly, pushed on Connor’s rear-end, and even gave Victoria a glass of water and 3 hershey kisses. Nothing could get him to move his arms away from his face. We all were getting a little tired (and maybe bored) seeing the same pictures over and over again.

Finally, my mom suggested that I tell Connor we were leaving in hopes that he would give us a glimpse of his cute face. I had tried to do a little father-son talk earlier but Connor didn’t want to listen (he was being stubborn like his mommy). 😉 Well, I think I was a little embarrassed from my previous unsuccessful attempt, so I decided not to give it another try. My mom suggested it again, but I just kind of shrugged it off. Well, she started to joke with us all and said, “Connor we are leaving. Connor we are all leaving now.” With only a couple of minutes left, the technician tried one more time to see him in 3D.

FINALLY, we saw his face without the arms and legs blocking our view! Everyone was thrilled and we got some great pictures of his face.

I warned Connor that Grandma can be sneaky like that. Grandma has been known to dress like Santa Claus and also to dress up like a ghost and horrify little kids. (Trust me, she horrified a certain little boy when she was “Casper” AND when she was Santa Claus.)

Well, here is a short video of the last 10 minutes (condensed into 7 minutes). Turn up your sound and have some patience for Connor’s debut. Around 3.5 minutes, you’ll see an unobstructed Connor.

Enjoy and we love you guys!

Donnie, Victoria, and Connor

Here is a 7 minute session of the 4d ultrasound.  Grab your popcorn, sit back, and enjoy.

I’ll put more on later, but need to edit the video a little (too long and quite a few bad shots).

I don’t have much time to post because I am heading out of town, but here are the pictures from this morning.

C.T. is a boy and the grandparents actually might know his name since I was doing a little baby talk in the belly during the ultrasound. (I had try to get him moving around.)

I’ll write more about the experience come next week!

Enjoy these for now…video next week.