Wedding Update; The Timeline

So, Happy Easter everyone - we are going to be spending it driving down to Mike and Sonia's house in Summerland. Of course, the Easter Bunny will have made an appearance and the kids will hopefully be in a chocolate-induced coma as we make the drive down there in the afternoon.

Jaime tried to get my attention tonight and talk about The Timeline. I tried to avoid giving her my attention because I was trying to finish O Brother, Where Art Thou on Netflix. I'm on a bit of a Coen Bros. kick at the moment and have been watching their movies in 20 minute increments.
I'm sure somewhere on the Net there is a chart of all the recurring actors in Coen Bros movies; John Goodman and John Turturro are sure up there. I especially like O Brother as I think it may have been the last movie I seen George Clooney actually acting and not just being George Clooney.



But I digress, Jaime wanted my attention despite my pleas for her to talk with her wedding planner about The Timeline. Jaime made a good case for me actually actively taking part in discussing The Timeline as I am a last-minuter type of guy and will probably only start stressing out and problem-solving about 3 hours before the actual wedding. Apparently we have to buy the Groomsmen gifts. I did not know that.  Jaime is a planner, which is why we have a Timeline. And now it's a bit out of sync as one of her bridesmaid's dresses is in after four weeks when she was told it could take 14-16 weeks. That's about as far as I got before i drifted back to O Brother as that didn't really sound like Timeline type stuff.

My big decision I am supposed to make is what colour are the ties going to be; she was thinking I was going to decide on a soft pink to match the bridesmaids or she thought I might prefer to go with... uh oh... gray? I think she said gray. So pink or gray. It's on The Timeline.

Anyways, I was able to differ any more discussion of The Timeline to our afternoon drive down to Summerland. At that time Jaime will have my undivided, if not my full attention. At least my full physical body will be present, trapped right beside her so we can totally discuss timelines, ties, decorations, updating the confirmed body count and other stuff.

But when we get to Summerland she can talk to Auntie Sonia about The Timeline while Mike and I go do Manly things, like chop firewood and build a fire with the kids, who have been busy building make-believe ones in the backyard.

Memories October 2009 - Road Trip!

So about 3 months into Avery's existence, she's settled in pretty good to her new life, as has Kubie. We are still doing 1 week visitations with Jordan (which would continue up until he started Kindergarten. It was a lot of travelling to and from Cache Creek 2 days a month but you do what you gotta do... Jaime is on maternity leave from Axis Family Resources (where we met) and I'm working at a group home for teen boys 72 hours a week (3 days/nights). We are also living on Sanderson Road in PG. 

Kubie sharing valuable couch space

The problem with becoming parents is that we were no longer able to just pack up and leave whenever a decent concert came to Vancouver - however, we were able to arrange to go see U2, which was a first for Jaime, 2nd time for me. It was held in BC Place and we were able to have friends of mine babysit Avery for the evening as we went and basically joined a giant sing-a-long of U2's greatest hits.

I remember Bill Gates was also supposedly in attendance as Bono sang happy birthday to him - I can't imagine how much that would have cost - and thought it also ironic as the concert was sponsored by Blackberry (remember them?) and he's serenading the creator of Apple. Joke! Just seeing how many are paying attention...

The U2 360 tour with giant spaceship and Black Eyed Peas

Anyways, the next day Jaime and Avery took the ferry over to Vancouver Island to visit her dad and Kathy. I drove back to PG to go to work and picked them up a couple days later - Avery's first ferry and airplane ride!

2009 Getting old facts; Pittsburgh won both the Superbowl and the Stanley Cup, Chris Brown beat up Rihanna, Avatar and the Hangover were must-sees at the movies, Tiger Woods peaked career and morally-wise as he was busted for stepping out on his woman. Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett also stepped out for good which reminds me of this joke:

(spoiler, don't read if you are an MJ fan)

Farrah Fawcett dies one morning and is met by God at the Gates of Heaven. He says to her - "Farrah you are an amazing woman and I would love to grant you one wish."
She thinks about it and says "I'd like the world to be safe for children everywhere."
God says "Will do."
and then Michael Jackson died later that afternoon.

Early Memories - July 2009

Falling a few days behind on my weekly updates so I'll try to catch up a little and get 2 posts done this week. Feels strange that with the snow now gone, the reality of summer approaching is starting to hit a little closer. That, and I talked with Dave for a few minutes about the wedding last night which I guess sort of puts me on the clock in terms of whatever I am supposed to do as the Groom. Luckily, Jaime says all we have to do is dress ourselves and she will provide the ties to match the bridesmaids outfits.

Anyways, skipping through the pictures file and as if there was any doubt on our next big event - Avery's birth! Born a healthy 14 days after the due date and with no hint of it (sex was as yet undetermined) ever wanting to come out, Jaime was induced at the PG hospital.

"and awayyyy we go!"

We then went home to wait for her to feel like giving birth, which if i recall didn't take too long. I think we were back at the hospital in an hour. Unfortunately, that wasn't foreshadowing. We were in the hospital all night and sometime after midnight Jaime finally asked for an epidural for the pain.

The baby's heartbeat kept increasing and both were starting to develop a fever so it was decided a C-section would be done that day, scheduled for about 2pm. I was to wait until Jaime was prepped before I was allowed to go in. So I'm waiting w/ the nurse in my very own scrubs in a room and then someone rushes in and says; 'Hurry, they're waiting for you!' so the nurse and I run down to the O.R. where there is a giant meeting going on (I'm thinking there must have been 10 people) around the lower half of Jaime's body which I can't see. All I see is her head, the rest separated by a greenish-blue curtain.

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My role was a simple one; to sit there, not look at what's going on downstairs and when it was time, to tell Jaime the sex of the baby. So, I barely sit down and the doctor does his thing and the nurse yells out "the husband has to tell her the sex!" so he lifts this purply creature for me to see like Simba from the Lion King and I proudly go "--!".

I can't tell the sex of the baby as the umbilical cord is running down between it's legs. I look at the doctor in shock and kinda shrug my shoulders. He sees what's happened and flips the baby over.

"It's a girl!" I exclaimed and Jaime and I started tearing up. They put the baby into an incubator type thing as they start doing a quick inspection, counting toes and such. The baby is really purply-red with dark hair. I don't recall if she was crying. They take her away to ICU (because of the fever) and Jaime and I are separated. She's really pale but has a smile on her face. It's 2.30ish, July 21st.  

I honestly don't recall what happened after that for a few hours. I remember Jaime's friend Chelsea taking a picture of me with the baby. I think I got to hold her before Jaime...but I could be wrong. I must have called our folks and did all that new Dad stuff. There were some pictures and by the time night came we were exhausted. Jaime still hates me to this day for sleeping through the night as the nurses were trying to help the baby latch on for breastfeeding, despite my argument that I was really, really tired...)

Baby and Mom looking so much better the next day.

For added fun, I had to drive down to Cache Creek to pick up Jordan for his weekly visit 2 days later while baby and Mom were still in the hospital. For added, added fun when I left the hospital I found someone had vandalized our vehicle. Despite the anti-theft devices and stickers on the window, someone still tried to jimmy the ignition, which resulted in a quick fix and bill at Honda. Thankfully, they stole only some CDs but left the $350 dollar stroller and babyseat in the back.

Welcome to being a New Dad - the world still sucks.

No, it doesn't. Living proof right here...
Avery Morgan James Royston