Checking In
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It's just that I haven't had much new to say. I'm up here at work right now, staring at the last dozen computers to be deployed. If we've estimated things correctly, we'll have enough to keep us busy until next Thursday or Friday. I'm going to miss working on this project, as it's close to the house and the steady paychecks have proven quite useful.

At home, Amy, Griffin and I are trying to settle into our routines. Griffin went to the doctor yesterday, and everything checked out O.K. His eye is much better, although we're still using drops each day to make sure the infection doesn't come back. The doc says that we need to start stretching out the feedings, even if it means that we have to entertain GT until his next feeding time. This is going pretty well, despite how upset he gets when we make him wait for an hour to eat. Now he's drinking larger quantities in fewer feedings. We were able to get through last night with only 2 feedings (me taking the 1:00am, and Amy taking the 5:00am). Using this arrangement, we are all getting a lot more sleep than this time last week.

We still spend a lot of time in awe of Griffin. It's amazing how fast they grow. He's already different from the baby that we brought home less than 2 weeks ago. I completely understand why people say "Enjoy it now...these times will past by quickly." We are trying to take the time to appreciate and remember each and every stage of his babyhood. And, of course, We've continued to take pictures...although not with the frequency of the past few weeks. I'll get some of the new ones posted soon.

I hope everyone's week is going well. I'll post again soon.

 
Thanks, AirCell!
Much thanks to my former co-workers at AirCell, Inc. for the cute baby gift. When I went home for lunch, Fed-X had just dropped off a box containing a plush teddy bear laying on his back. His tummy was hollowed out to make a basket, which held a batch of home-made cookies! Very cute!...and I'm sure that we'll put the cookies to good use. I'll post a pic of it next gallery. It's good to know that they still remember us up there in CO. I miss them all terribly, and often wish I could be working with them again (if they could just open up a N. Texas office!). We really appreciate it, guys!

 
Amy is staple-free!
Amy had her c-section staples removed this afternoon. I think she was expecting more pain, since she seem quite suprised that they came out so painlessly. She's healing up nicely, considering it was just over a week ago that I could see inside her incision during her surgery.

We also took Griffin to his doctor today with what may be a minor eye infection. Amy didn't want to be overreacting, but his eyes were pretty gummed up this morning, and last night, they were weeping. She talked to a nurse first, and his doctor recommended that we go ahead and come in. We ended up getting a prescription for some drops, and were shown how to help him keep his tear ducts cleared. Overall, it wasn't quite worth the $25 copay for the visit...until they gave us almost $100 worth of his exact formula (Simulac w/ Iron...BONUS!).

Time to go home from another hard day at work!

 
Omega Race Repaired
Last night, between Griffin's feedings every 1.5 hours, I managed to work on one of my arcade games for a bit. I've been having problems with the monitor on my Omega Race almost since I first got it up and running last summer. The monitor brightness was WAY too high, and I couldn't adjust it down. This prevented me from leaving the machine on, because I was afraid that it would burn into the screen. These problems are typical for an electronic game that was manufactured in 1981. So, yesterday evening I finally got motivated and discharged the monitor so I could do a little troubleshooting (I'm always very safety concious when working with high-voltage arcade monitors). Upon close inspection, a potentiometer that controls brightness appeared to be faulty. Luckily, I had a replacement parts kit that I had purchased a year ago, so with a little precision soldering, and a couple of adjustments, the monitor looks GREAT now!

Then, Jason proceeded to repeatedly kick my tail, forcing all of my high scores off the screen. I had forgotten how much fun this game was...particularly when there is decent competition around. Tonight, we're going to add in a NiCad battery to retain the high score settings when the game is turned off. We still have a problem with 2-player mode (I need to replace a couple of lighted LED buttons), and I need to finish making a back door for the game. But once I get those things done, it'll be ready to go into my computer/arcade room. At that point, I'll move my Asteroids Deluxe back to the workshop to be assembled and tested. It will be nice to someday have an entire row of video games that ACTUALLY WORK!

 
New Pictures
Here's a single page of pics taken over the past few days, including visits from Tracey, Steven and Todd as well as Amy's grandparents and brother.

It's been a long night so far. Griffin is going through his first growth spurt, so he's gone from 2-3 oz. every 3-4 hours to 1-2 oz. every 1.5 hours. He's definitely keeping us busy!

 
Follow-up Visit
I can't believe that it has already been over a week since Griffin was born. We just got back from our first follow-up visit at the hospital. They thoroughly checked him out, and gave him a A+. He's in perfect health, his circumcision is healing nicely, and his umbilical cord stub is about to come off. On top of it all, he has gained 9 oz from his birth weight of 6lbs 9ozs, putting him at 7lbs 2ozs. They were happy to see him passing his birthweight so quickly.

I have to head back to my project at Carrier, but I just wanted to keep everyone updated. I got some good pics of my sister Tracy and my nephews with Griffin, as well as some pics during a visit from Amy's grandparents. I'll get them posted tonight.

 
Added New Photos Page
I've consolidated all of the photo galleries onto a single page, to make it easier to browse through past pics. Just hit PHOTOS on the top of this page.

My sister T.R. and her boys, Steven and Todd made it into town around lunch time, but I still have work to do before I can head home and see them.

 
Yet another gallery of pictures
Here's another small set of pics taken over the last few days. I apologize for the quality. My old digital camera really has a tendency to blur images taken in low light (I really miss my Digital Elph!)

 
So far, so good
I actually have a couple of minutes before Griffin's next feeding, and Amy's in the shower...so I thought I'd jot a quick note. So far, things are going very well. GT slept between feedings (now almost 4 hours apart) last night, and Amy and I both got some much needed sleep. We all hung out together on the back porch for a while this morning, as it was a beautiful day. He wasn't too keen on the bright sun, but was otherwise unfazed.


[non-Griffin related ramblings]

Last night, while running errands with Jason, I ran into a problem with my newly-repaired car. Since I lost my remote for the car, but had a new key made, I have no way to arm or disarm the factory alarm. We were coming out of Eckerds and hopped into the car, which was parked right in front of the front door. All of a sudden, the alarm goes off, and of course, I can't disarm it. Figuring that I'd rather work on this at home (9 blocks down the road), I start the car and put it in gear. Immediately, the car dies. I remember that this alarm system had a computer controlled fuel cutoff, so we aren't going anywhere. I climb under the car, and unhook the two blaring horns...allowing me to think. One of the teenage girls working there steps out and offers some suggestions and snickers at Jason and me. I try every possible trick of most alarm systems, but to no avail. It's 6:00pm at this point, and the local Dodge dealer says that everyone in Service has gone home. Now, some additional Eckerd employees are regularly sticking their faces to the window to see if we are still there. As we ponder our situation, sitting in the car, Jason suggests that I try the Dodge dealer in Lewisville, since their service dept. is open late. Unfortunately, their techs had just left the shop as well. Thinking, thinking...what would Donnie do? (Donnie could find ANYTHING out as long as he had a phone with him). I pick up the cell phone and call information and ask for a Dodge dealer in Riverside, CA. (since they were two hours later than me). I call up and tell them that I bought my car there back in '96 and I'm having problems. They actually have someone working that knows what to do. I explain my situation, and he seems confident that he can help me. The only problem, when I try it (turning the key of the driver's side lock two times to left), it doesn't work. We try a few other things ("You sure this isn't an aftermarket alarm?"), and he finally runs out of ideas. Meanwhile, my lights are still flashing like crazy, but thankfully the horns were silent. I get off the phone and look over to Jason. We were just about to hoof it back to the house on foot, since Amy can't drive yet. At the last second, I go over to Jason's side of the car, and turn the key twice to the left...everything stopped. The alarm was disabled. Apparently, my driver's side lock is no longer functioning properly. This is approx. 45 minutes from the time that Jason and I walked out of the Eckerds to leave. We finally headed on over to Wal-mart and finished up the shopping by 8:00. Too much fun! On the positive side, my car is running quite good now, and I know how to disarm it, should this happen again. I guess I can crawl back under the car and reconnect my horn. Not that I ever use it anyway ("Don't honk my horn!"...sorry, one of my little quirks).

Amy's going to try and take a nap, and it's time once again to feed the little Griffin. I took some more pictures last night, and tomorrow Amy and I are going to try and re-create a scene from a picture she found of her Grandmother holding her Dad right after he was born. I'll get them posted soon!

 
Great Day!
This has been a really good day. Both Amy and I shared responsibilities for feeding Griffin during the night (I got the 01:30 one, she did the 04:30), so we both feel like we actually slept a little bit. He was such an angel for his first night home, waking only long enough to finish his bottles, and go back to a peaceful sleep. We realize that this can't last long...but it sure is appreciated at this point. Heavy bonding is taking place...even with the furbabies, who find GT quite interesting (and tasty). ;-)

Work at Carrier today was relatively slow, but it looks like we are going to have enough to keep us busy until almost the end of the month. Finally, I was able to pick up my car during lunchtime, after I had a new timing belt, serpentine belt, idler pulley, water pump and ignition key replaced. It wasn't cheap, but it was a LOT less than what was originally quoted last September from a Dodge dealer. Right now, it really feels strange to drive a car as large as an Intrepid, after driving Amy's Cavalier for the past 6 months...but it's going to be a much better vehicle than the "Grape Ape" for transporting "G Badd" ((TM) - Bob Lennard) when necessary. (for those who don't understand, T BADD has long since been a nickname of mine, since the old computer days when I ran an Electronic Bulletin Board (BBS).

I'm sure that I'll get more posted soon. Have a great weekend!

 

New Image Gallery!
It's late, and we've had a long and wonderful day. I did manage to get a new gallery posted, but unfortunately without descriptions. I'll do better in the future, and I'll try to get everything properly commented when I get the Gallery Archive completed. G'Night all!

 
Blogger Problems
Sorry...blogger.com has had some problems today. I can post again, so I'm going to work on getting a new gallery online. Sorry for the delay in posts.

 
We're Home!
This morning Amy was examined by her doctor. He determined that she had recovered from the surgery enough to go home. Dr. Mike (Griffin's pediatrician) also came by and confirmed once again that he was ready to go home. We just walked in the door less than an hour ago, and still have a lot of settling down to do. Griffin is happy and healthy, sleeping in his crib for the first time. He slept the entire way home, despite the glaring sun and 85 degree temp. He's so precious.

I have managed to take quite a few pictures over the last few days, and I promise to get them posted soon (hopefully tonight).

Much thanks to my grandparents, Mar and Jim Shumate, for the baby swing that just arrived via UPS a couple of minutes ago. It's exactly the one that Amy wanted. Thank you both so much! We miss seeing you, and wish that Mississippi wasn't so far away. Of course, I'll have to show Griffin "the homeland" once he's old enough to travel.

Huge thanks to all of my family for everything that you have done for us. The "long-distance baby shower" was a fantastic treat, particularly since Amy didn't have one before his birth. We just finished opening the gifts together, and we'll be using almost everything right away (the cute jungle mobile is already on his crib).

I'll post more later tonight. I need to grab a bite to eat, and head back to work. Crystal is coming over in around an hour to keep Amy company and allow her to rest. Last night, we went ahead and had the nursery keep GT from 02:00 until morning, so Amy and I both feel a little more rested. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed tonight.

 
Whew!!
We knew from the beginning that this was going to be tough...but there was no way to prepare for this. Last night was the first night that Griffin slept in the room with us, and I don't think any of us got much sleep. We're all doing fine, though. Amy is still waiting to hear from her doctor regarding her release. The pediatrician has given the O.K. for Griffin to go home as soon as Amy's ready.

We spent all night feeling like such total newbies at all of this. I often thought of Tina and Kirk, two science teachers, figuring this out for the first time last summer. We had two different bouts of the obligatory "change the diaper and have the clean one messed in less than 30 seconds". Also the "I'm not going to burp, but as soon as you lay me down, I'm gonna puke all over myself and my bedding". Amy, at one point, says to me "I should have been reading about babies for the last three months, not vampires". It might have help out some, but I'm pretty sure that even a pile of Babies for Dummies books couldn't have really prepare us for this. Thank goodness that it's only fed to us a day at a time.

Despite these negative aspects, I can't believe how much I already love the little guy. I would and will do anything for him. I can tell that Amy feels the same way. I didn't expect for our maternal/paternal instincts to kick in like this, but I'm sure glad it is. It really is true that "It's different when it's your own child". I had to go to work this morning, and I hated leaving both Griffin and Amy. I can't wait to see them again around lunch time.

Last time I checked in around 1/2 hour ago, Griffin had just finished a bottle, and was settling down for some sleep. Amy had just received her dose of pain meds, and was hoping to get a little sleep herself.

I took my laptop up to the room last night, so I'll try to update some more (including more pics) from the room later this evening. I'm glad Amy doesn't read my blog, since the pictures I posted yesterday were around 10 minutes after her surgery, so she was VERY groggy and not feeling well at all. By the way, the additional people in yesterday's pics were Amy's dad and my Mom.

Thanks to everyone for their support! I gotta get another cup of coffee in me, and get to work upgrading some computers.

 
Introducing: Griffin Thomas Baddley
Born: 03-11-02 14:19 (2:19 pm)
6lbs 9ozs
19.5 Inches

Amy's gonna kill me if I don't get back up to the hospital. After 36 hours of labor, she ended up having to have a C-section. She's feeling pretty rotten right now. I'll post more details tomorrow.

Here's some pics. from as early as 20 minutes after his birth:

Griffin Picture Gallery

I'll try to get some more pics tomorrow as well...see you then!

 
Hospital Update
Well, we've been at the hospital now since around 5:45am. Amy has been moved from Triage over to a Labor and Delivery Room. She's about 4cm dialated at this point. She finally got her epidural an hour or so ago, and her pain is GONE. She chats straight through the contractions now, without the intense pain she endured all last night and this morning. Outside of being hooked up to numerous IVs and monitors, and a severe lack of sleep, she's relatively comfortable.

Things are going well so far. I just came home for a second to let the dogs outside, while Amy's Dad is keeping her company. My parents are on their way down from Tulsa, and the rest of the family is waiting until later to visit. I better get back to the hospital before she has the kid without me!

I'll keep blogging as often as I can.

 
Heading to the Hospital
Around 5:00 this morning, the contractions started coming around every 5 minutes, and they seem to be lasting almost 1/2 that duration. I wouldn't have spent last night in Amy's shoes for ANYTHING! Hopefully, things will move along well once we get there. I'll update as soon as I can.

 
Baby Due
According to the Outlook reminder that just popped up on my screen (along with a cute little sound), we have a baby due!

Amy's contractions are now predictable at around 7 minutes apart. We're trying to rest as much as we can before we leave for the hospital. I somehow always pictured things differently. On TV, they always just suddenly realize "I'm having my baby!", and immediately rush to the hospital. I never expected to have enough time to take a shower, chat with Jason or add to my blog. It definitely adds to the anxiety, however. I doubt I'll be sleeping any more than Amy tonight.

I'll post an entry before we leave for the hospital.

 
Update
Well, It's after 8:00pm, and Amy's "cramps" have been determined to be early contractions by the doctor via phone. So far, they haven't settled into any predictable pattern. Right now, they are randomly occuring anywhere between 9 and 13 minutes apart. They don't seem to be getting any closer in frequency, but they are increasing in intensity. The Doc told us to get to the hospital when they are closer to 5 minutes apart. We could be in for a long night!

 
Getting Closer
Around 6:15 this morning, Amy woke me up saying "We may need to go to the hospital, I've been having severe cramps since around 3:30, and they don't seem to be gettting any better." In the groggy state that I was in, I could only reply "Could it wait until around 7:00 or 7:30?" I'm lucky she didn't kick me out of the bed onto the floor!

Anyway...she did wait a little longer, and the cramps subsided somewhat. I've spent the day waiting for her to tell me it's time...but it doesn't seem that we're quite there yet. At least it's an encouraging sign that maybe he realizes that it's time, rather than making Amy go through an induced delivery, which I imagine would be slower and more painful than normal. She's still cramping this evening, so we may end up at the hospital before the night is over....but who knows.

I'll keep everyone posted.

 
Jet-powered motorcycle
It's a good thing that my brother-in-law, John doesn't have one of these! He would probably end up in a situation like this guy, who was put in jail for doing 165mph out on country roads (the proof, a video tape he had made by strapping his camcorder to the gas tank). A turbine engine would sound really awesome at a stop-light though, wouldn't it?

 
If a dark-side Jedi played guitar...they'd probably use one of these.

 


Cartoons and Donuts

Saturday mornings have always been my favorite time of the week. For many years now, Saturday morning has been just about the only time during the week when I'm alone. Amy sleeps in late, so I get up early and geek on the computer for several hours. It's completely guilt-free geeking. So today, I'm enjoying and appreciating what may be my last free Saturday in a long time. Jason went back home last night to take care of some things in Dallas (hopefully, he won't get arrested this weekend!). Amy's sleeping soundly in the way-too-bright bedroom. I know that very soon Griffin will see to it that we have PLENTY to do early on a Saturday morning. I'm sure that my Mom and Dad were happy when I got old enough to get up on my own and entertain myself with cartoons, letting them have a couple of extra hours sleep after a long week. I remember they would set me up with powdered mini-donuts and chocolate milk the night before (so they wouldn't have to worry about me trying to cook myself breakfast). I'd wake up around 6:30, while the farm reports were still on (sometimes I even beat the farm reports, and the station wouldn't even be on the air yet...hmmm...Griffin will never know of television that doesn't have 24 hr. programming). Anxiously, I'd wait for 7:00 to roll around, so I could watch all the Warner Bros. cartoons that were instant classics from the first time they ran. Their subtle social commentary and ever-present pop references certainly seem to have given them a much more timeless quality than something like Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, which I'm embarrassed to say, I also watched, although usually with my sister, T.R. By that time (I was 10 or so), I preferred the creepy Sleestaks from Land of the Lost over the silly sea monsters anyday. It was always slightly dissapointing when American Bandstand came on, since it signalled the end of the cartoon programming for the day. I think I hear Barry Manilow singing right now...I better go. Enjoy your weekend, everybody!

 
Griffin Update

Well, Amy went to the Dr. again on Tuesday. He didn't feel that she was as far along as he would expect for someone due next Monday. She's going back in on Monday, and if things aren't any further along, they will induce labor the following Monday. No signs of contractions at this point (even the Braxton-Hicks contractions seem to have subsided)...but I know that Amy's ready to get this part over with.

The Carrier project has been extended an extra week or so, due to the supply of new computers coming in slower than expected. I certainly don't mind extra days of work! Signs all around seem to indicate that the economy and the technical jobs are starting to come back to life. I'm still keeping my eyes open for a permanent position. I've also put my name in the hat of a couple of I.T. outsourcing companies for any local contract work that might pop up after this one.

Thanks for all the good wishes and nice comments from everyone lately. I'm so lucky to have such supportive friends and family members!

Enjoy what's left of the week...it's almost Friday!!

 
New Photo Galleries
As promised, I've posted up some new photos. The first gallery is from the weekend of Feb 24th. The second gallery is from the past 4 or 5 days. I'll be creating a Gallery Archive in the near future, where you can browse through past photos that I've posted.

With the weather turning a little warmer, it was a great day to get some more stuff done around the house. I also had my Intrepid finally towed to a shop for repair (needs a timing belt and water pump). Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me find my keys (yes, the only set I have, including the remote for the alarm). I'm still scouring every place I can think of, trying to locate them. Hopefully, they'll turn up before I have to replace the locks.

James sent me an e-mail this afternoon, letting me know that some new machines came in today for our project. Hopefully, this batch will keep us busy until the next systems arrive.

Special thanks to Peggy and Nolan Isaacs for the early baby gift. They made it possible for Amy to pick up the Fisher Price Crib Aquarium that she's been eyeballing for the past few months. It's pretty cool, although I will probably follow Nolan's advice of wiring it up for an A/C adapter. If we end up leaving it on for extended periods of time (like they did with their daughter), it could chew through a lot of batteries.

What kind of bird doesn't fly?

Jason has been staying at our house while he works with me on the Carrier project. However, last night he got a free night in the pokey, compliments of Wichita County. Due to a odd chain of events, he ended up spending all of Sunday night at the county jail, freezing his backside off on a metal slab they called a bed. The entire event was based on the fact that Denton County had not retracted the "state-wide" portion of a bench warrant that they had issued many years ago (that Jason had long since cleared up). Unfortunately, it took waiting overnight to see a judge this morning before they could clear him, and let him out. Sometimes I feel like I have the worst luck in the world, and then I think of Jason! It really makes my life seem charmed.

 
Hospital Tour
This afternoon, Amy and I took a tour of the 5th floor (Maternity) at the hospital where she'll be delivering (United Regional Health Care). The nurses we met with there were really nice, and we were more than a little (pleasantly) suprised at their facilities. The 5th floor looks like none other in this hospital. Subdued lighting, contemporary color schemes and lots of natural wood sets this area apart from the rest of the place. The actual Labor and Delivery rooms look nicer than most Hiltons I've stayed at. With hardwood floors and lots of space, they've succeeded in transforming the surroundings from a hospital atmosphere to more of a home setting. All of the various equipment is hidden behind stained wood cabinets, and the decor of the room is quite comfortable and classy. Of course, within a couple of hours of delivery, you get moved over to a more "standard" type hospital room for the remainder of the stay. They also showed us how their new security measures can prevent someone from taking off with a baby. Cameras, keypads, electronic "tags" and sensors...man, hospital security is finally getting high-tech. At least we now know much more about where to go and what to expect, once the time comes. We were also able to get all of our admissions paperwork completed, so we don't have to worry about that part. The due date is one week from tomorrow, on the 11th....we'll see how good of an estimate it really is.

I don't go back to work at the Carrier plant until Tuesday. We've outpaced the delivery of new systems, so we're sliding the project back a day, and taking Monday off. It's a good thing, though, since I have several things, including some work for RF Consulting, that I need to get done during a weekday. We'll be back at it again on Tuesday, when a new shipment of computers hopefully comes in. I got a couple of good digital photos of the fun we had with the packing materials on Friday...and I promise, I'll get the new photo galleries posted before I go back to work on Tuesday.

For those of you who have been snowbound over the weekend, I hope that things melt off quickly, and you can get back to your normal lives. Be careful out there with the remainder of the snow/ice. Enjoy the coming week...Spring is only right around the corner!

 
I'm Still Here!

Greetings from cold and snowy Wichita Falls, TX! After weeks of false alarms, we finally got a little snow last night. It's still well below freezing, but the sun has been out and melting most of it.

I know that I've been slacking this week at Blogging Baddley. I'm starting to feel like Bob. Everything is going very well, just getting busier during these last few weeks before the baby comes. We have quite the list of chores to do this weekend. I'm hoping to get most of them out of the way today, so we can relax tomorrow. I'll be writing more and posting a new picture gallery soon.

Have a great weekend!