...and all's well. No new developments, Ceilidh continues to grow, and occasionally hiccup. She sleeps most of the time, which is typical of all preemies. She's cute as a button, had a little bit of jaundice (also typical in all newborns) so they put a UV light on her to help her body break down bilirubin. Since she's not used to light at this stage, they put a thick black mask over her eyes to protect them from the bright light. So with her sock-hat, and her mask, she looks (if you ask me) like Hancock. If you've seen that movie.

That's all for now - have some reading to do to learn more about how I can get involved, and what-all is going on.

...Last night, as Steph and I were lying in bed, Steph began having slight cramps. Then, when she came back from the bathroom, she told me that she was also spotting slightly. Since she had had the same thing happen only about a week before, I suggested that maybe it was still just a normal ocurrance, as the doctor had told us previously. However, over time the cramps began to get worse, and the spot didn't fade as it had in the past, going light, then heavy, then light again.

We called the doctor, and were told to come in.

My head is still a bit on wackbards, but they told us that Steph was dialated, even though we're only in our 26th week of pregnancy. We were told the baby was coming NOW.

It was... a traumatic experience - my wife couldn't have pain medication at all, because at this stage of the pregnancy, it would have gone straight to the baby.

To make a long story at elast somewhat shorter, my daughter Ceilidh (pronounced KAY-lee) Madeliene Dalphin, was born at 12:33 in the morning on October 6th. She weighed 1 lb 14 oz at the time, and measured at 12 1/2 inches. Don't let the past tense fool you, she's still with us, in the NICU at Riley Hospital (wherefrom, coincidentally, I am writing this post). I just use it because I expect her to grow.

So... I'm a dad. Three and a half months early. My head feels like it's stuffed with cotton.

Your result for The Attachment Style Test...

The Cuddleslut

Take The Attachment Style Test at HelloQuizzy

VERY IMPORTANT

IF you:
-are a geek (dweeb, spaz, nerd, dork)
-enjoy gaming of almost any kind
-are familiar with Firefly, Doogie Hauser, or The Guild
-have any kind of sense of humour

THEN YOU MUST SEE!

Steph and I have been looking at onesies online - She found a site that allows you to design your own "t-shirt" style onesie - she uploaded a picture of me gritting my teeth in the rowing boat from several summers ago, and added the text "My daddy PWNS your daddy." There are also, apparently, many little baby gamer-geek onesies out there already, with World of Warcraft logos, D&D logos, and just general geekiness (one just had the pi symbol on it).

Out of hand?
Nah...

The remark above was an interview snippet I just heard on NPR where someone in the army was being asked how they felt when they heard that many people in the US now felt that the war in Iraq was a mistake. 

How horrifying is that?

I haven't been paying a lot of attention to Livejournal lately, so it escaped my notice until today that my little brother wdalphin tagged me for a... "get to know you better" mem, I suppose it is.  Regardless, I'll play along, although I refuse to tag anyone else.

So the rules are:
A) List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
B) Tag seven people to do the same.
C) Do not tag the person who tagged you or tag "whoever wants to do it."

I will abide by "A" only.

1.  Unlike my brother Wil, I love being underwater.  I took a course on SCUBA-diving in college, love to swim (although rarely get the chance), and would really like to get a chance to take my wife SCUBA-diving sometime, should we go somewhere where it's possible.

2. I have a tendency to unfold paper-clips.  I don't know why.

3. I'll do an "admission" one too.  when I was very young, and one of us was sick in camp, my mother got out the old mercury-thermometer, and took their temperature.  Then she put it back in it's padded tube, and gave it to me to put away.  I accidentally dropped the tube, and it broke the thermometer, but I didn't say anything.  Then when she needed it again, a couple days later, she found it broken, and thought that she had done it by jamming it in the tube too hard.  I've admitted this to her at least twice in my adult life, and keep forgetting that I've done so.

4.  I baby talk to cats.

5.  I'm fairly accomplished at whistling.  I can whistle classical and contemporary tunes quite well. I'm assured by my wife and family that this is uncommon.

6.  My brother Wil has no eyebrows.

7.  My favourite monster is the werewolf.  In my opinion, there simply aren't enough [well done] werewolf movies and stories.

Do you own a yard with a tree in it?  If you do, here is a list of items and gadets you really should have:

• A bow saw


• A limb saw (preferrably with optional clipper attachment!)


• A hand-held limb clipper


• A hatchet


• A splitting axe


• A chopping axe


• A rake


• Another rake for your spouse


• One additional rake for each child over the age of six


• A spade-headed shovel


• A flat-headed shovel


• A spade


• At least three five-gallon garden buckets


• A wheelbarrow


• A small wood-chipper

In addition, you should know how to maintain all your equipment.  Read the manuals at least once.  It also helps to have a working knowledge of basic physics (Yes, you can stop laughing Dad) or failing that, a phone handy for calling the hospital.

The weather has finally broken (some would argue it broke last week, but what do they know?) and it has been sunny, warm, windy... often balmy in fact.  Perfect yard work weather.  So beginning today I went on a yard-work tour.  Mowed the front lawn.  Also raked the verge.

In raking the verge, I discovered that apprently our yard has been designated the local dump.  I'm joking of course, I suspect that every yard's verge is similar to this, which is very sad.
Whilst raking, I discovered:

• One broken piece of plastic trim, 5 inches by 3 inches square


• Five pieces of plastic candy-wrap, from at least two different whole wrappers


• One sharp piece of enamelled metal


• Three feet of micro-filament fishing line with a bright shiny fishhook attached


• Ten bottle caps, three metal, seven plastic

Needless to say, it all went in the trash.  I shudder to think what might actually be hiding in the yard - I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow.