Waiting No More

The time finally came like it has for so many first time parents to leave excitedly for the hospital as Karen and I did Monday night. But before I go any further, I have to brief with this description, I'm expected back at the hospital shortly. I'll claim the role of a stereotypical male in my birth description, so that Karen can fill in all wonderful details Friday when she arrives home.
Our son, Joseph Bradley Hunter was born at 11:08 Tuesday morning October 16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Karen and Brad Hunter. He weighed in at 9 pounds and 2 ounces. As many who saw Karen in person can attest, she carried every ounce of the baby very well--he was much bigger than anyone thought he would be. His cry is a not-so menacing, pseudo-angry kind of whimper, really. We only once have heard him really belt it out. The lactation consultants have been great. And so far Joe has eaten well from mom, as they both figure out the complex process of feeding for the first time. What else...what else....oh he has a little dark hair mostly in the back. He has more of my features like hands and feet, while his face is strikingly, almost scarily Karen's resemblance. Which as all of you know, is a good thing! Gotta run for now, go to Flickr to see the rest of the pics. We're just a wee bit proud right now. Thanks for visiting. Cheers!

The Waiting Game

. . . Or should I call it the "weight-ing" game instead?!? Sorry, bad joke. I just find it hard to imagine my belly getting any bigger! I know, I'm exagerrating a bit. The doctor says that I'm measuring as "average" size, but nothing about this feels average to me. Literally, I feel as if I am stretched out to maximum capacity and at any moment the baby may come bursting out of my belly button. An image reminiscent of that horrific scene out of the movie "Alien" keeps playing through my mind, so let's sincerely hope that's not the case!

As you can imagine, time seems to be moving at a snail's pace for us. We are really trying to not count the minutes until this baby will decide to arrive and rather are just trying to live our lives as normally as possible. Easier said than done, but last night was a nice break from the monotony when Brad decided to take me out on a date to a very nice local restaurant. Minus the Braxton Hicks experienced during the first half of dinner, we had a very enjoyable evening. We got a good laugh out of that because we thought maybe the baby wasn't going to let us have our last hurrah. However, he or she decided to "quiet down" and let us enjoy what felt like our last supper. Below is a picture from the evening that will give you a glimpse at our new family vehicle (the Ford Edge) as well as what I look like at almost 40 full weeks of pregnancy. Enjoy!

The Home Stretch

Now that Summer is winding down and Fall is officially upon us, we can count down the days until our new little addition arrives! The last few months have been incredibly busy with numerous travels, crazy work schedules and even a career change thrown into the mix. Although we have barely had a moment to catch our breath, we are so grateful for the time that we have been able to share with family and friends as we prepare for this major life change. Trips to Phoenix, the Outer Banks, New York, Ann Arbor and Detroit have allowed us to spend some much cherished time with our loved ones and even meet some of the newer additions that have arrived over the past few months. Be sure to check out our Flickr page for the latest pictures -- they also provide a great visual for how my belly has grown. Who knew that the human body could stretch to such capacities!?!

According to my doctor's appointment a few weeks ago, my body is doing everything it needs to prepare for our baby's arrival. The baby has dropped, the head is down and I am 1 centimeter dilated. Hey, that means only 9 more to go, right? This should be a piece of cake! We keep trying to give the baby a pep talk and let him or her know that the world is a good place and it's okay to come out now! However, for some reason the baby isn't quite ready to make its grand appearance. Perhaps the recent performance of the UM football team has been somewhat of a deterrent -- can't really argue with that one. As our anticipation builds and we wonder what this baby will be like, we remind ourselves that he or she will come in good time when the moment is just right. After all, patience is a virtue!

We want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of us during this special time and feel truly blessed to be extending our little family very soon. Feel free to post comments on our blog and even let us know if you have any predictions as to when Baby Hunter's birthday will actually be! We'll be sure to update with pictures and the birth story as soon as possible, so wish us a healthy and smooth delivery.