We decided to post a few baby pictures of us as well as few more of Claire. Enjoy!
Baby Pictures!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Announcing Claire Elizabeth Vickery!
As many of our readers have likely heard, our daughter Claire Elizabeth Vickery was born on Wednesday September 14, 2011 at 4:50AM MDT at St. Luke's Hospital in Meridian. She weighed 7lbs 6oz and was 21" tall!
Katie's doctor recommended that she be induced so we headed to the hospital around 2:30PM on Tuesday afternoon. As the induction progressed, Katie's contractions intensified around 11PM and she labored through the early morning. The nurses initially didn't think the labor was progressing well but around 3AM it became clear things were moving quickly. By 4:15AM or so it became apparent to all of the staff that the baby was imminent and after a little bit of delivery drama, Claire emerged into the world healthy at 4:50AM! It was truly a magical moment for me, unlike anything I've experienced before. After I got to hold her, I was surprised how calm Claire was after such a traumatic experience!
The labor and delivery was difficult for Katie but she was great and healthy as well. I'll let her elaborate on her experience in a future blog post! Afterwards, we spent the next two nights at the hospital getting acquainted with Claire and trying to get her feeding properly, a task that is still ongoing but progressing nicely. The nurses at the hospital were great and provided all kinds of help with regard to laboring, baby care, feeding, swaddling, and anything else we needed. On Thursday Claire got her first visitors: our friend Diana, her Great-Grandma Dow, her Grandaunt Bonnie and her Granduncle Gary. She may have not shown it, but I know she was super-excited to meet all the new people! On Friday Claire got to go on her first car ride as we were officially discharged to begin our life together. On Saturday Liz (Katie's Mom) arrived from Vancouver to meet her new granddaughter and hopefully make our transition a little less overwhelming.
Claire has her first doctor appointment tomorrow which will hopefully be all good news. Then after that, she'll be ready for her one week birthday. More soon!
Baby Pictures!
Katie's doctor recommended that she be induced so we headed to the hospital around 2:30PM on Tuesday afternoon. As the induction progressed, Katie's contractions intensified around 11PM and she labored through the early morning. The nurses initially didn't think the labor was progressing well but around 3AM it became clear things were moving quickly. By 4:15AM or so it became apparent to all of the staff that the baby was imminent and after a little bit of delivery drama, Claire emerged into the world healthy at 4:50AM! It was truly a magical moment for me, unlike anything I've experienced before. After I got to hold her, I was surprised how calm Claire was after such a traumatic experience!
The labor and delivery was difficult for Katie but she was great and healthy as well. I'll let her elaborate on her experience in a future blog post! Afterwards, we spent the next two nights at the hospital getting acquainted with Claire and trying to get her feeding properly, a task that is still ongoing but progressing nicely. The nurses at the hospital were great and provided all kinds of help with regard to laboring, baby care, feeding, swaddling, and anything else we needed. On Thursday Claire got her first visitors: our friend Diana, her Great-Grandma Dow, her Grandaunt Bonnie and her Granduncle Gary. She may have not shown it, but I know she was super-excited to meet all the new people! On Friday Claire got to go on her first car ride as we were officially discharged to begin our life together. On Saturday Liz (Katie's Mom) arrived from Vancouver to meet her new granddaughter and hopefully make our transition a little less overwhelming.
Claire has her first doctor appointment tomorrow which will hopefully be all good news. Then after that, she'll be ready for her one week birthday. More soon!
Baby Pictures!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Due Date!!.. and a Short Hike
Today is our due date, however as of this typing there is no sign of "Baby Vickery" arriving imminently. Katie has her doctor appointment tomorrow so maybe we'll know more then. For now, it is day-by-day!
With Katie's approval I used the nice weather and "lack of babyness" to go on a short hike in the Boise foothills. After leaving the house, I tuned in the Jaguars game on the satellite radio and listened to them achieve an opening day victory. As that was playing out, I drove up the 8th Street Extension which was quite rough - I got my old LeSabre up this road in 2001 and now there are a few spots where I wasn't sure about the Escape making it. But all was well and I was soon hiking uphill toward Peak 6218', an extremely obscure peak along the Boise Ridge. The hike promised to be short, only a half mile each way. I started in an open area but soon found myself trying to avoid increasing amounts of brush. It soon became evident that the peak is surrounded by an unbroken thicket of chaparral and other vegetation which I would have to confront directly. What I assumed would be a short and easy hike turned into a arduous slog through thick, chest-high (and higher) vegetation. Eventually I made the summit, which fortunately features a small rocky area devoid of the brush that was everywhere else. The views of the surrounding area were good, including the Bogus Basin area, Boise Peak, and Gardiner Peak. I decided to descend a different way (a more western aspect) but found the brush to be just as bad that way. On the way home, I drove down Bogus Basin Road which is a much better access route than 8th Street for this area.
In short, I don't really recommend anyone climb this peak unless that person likes miserable plodding through thickets. Maybe it would be better in late Fall?
Trip statistics: 1.25 miles, 650' elevation gain, 1.5 hours
Peak 6218' Hike Pictures
With Katie's approval I used the nice weather and "lack of babyness" to go on a short hike in the Boise foothills. After leaving the house, I tuned in the Jaguars game on the satellite radio and listened to them achieve an opening day victory. As that was playing out, I drove up the 8th Street Extension which was quite rough - I got my old LeSabre up this road in 2001 and now there are a few spots where I wasn't sure about the Escape making it. But all was well and I was soon hiking uphill toward Peak 6218', an extremely obscure peak along the Boise Ridge. The hike promised to be short, only a half mile each way. I started in an open area but soon found myself trying to avoid increasing amounts of brush. It soon became evident that the peak is surrounded by an unbroken thicket of chaparral and other vegetation which I would have to confront directly. What I assumed would be a short and easy hike turned into a arduous slog through thick, chest-high (and higher) vegetation. Eventually I made the summit, which fortunately features a small rocky area devoid of the brush that was everywhere else. The views of the surrounding area were good, including the Bogus Basin area, Boise Peak, and Gardiner Peak. I decided to descend a different way (a more western aspect) but found the brush to be just as bad that way. On the way home, I drove down Bogus Basin Road which is a much better access route than 8th Street for this area.
In short, I don't really recommend anyone climb this peak unless that person likes miserable plodding through thickets. Maybe it would be better in late Fall?
Trip statistics: 1.25 miles, 650' elevation gain, 1.5 hours
Peak 6218' Hike Pictures
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Baby Vickery Update time!
Well, folks, once again it's update time on the baby-baking process! This time, there are even some exciting pictures to entertain you! So, sit back, relax, and let the 39-weeks-pregnant lady do all the talking (er..typing) :-)
As Zach mentioned in his last post, this past Friday was officially my last day of work - I'm now on Maternity Leave, so I've joined the ranks of the unemployed! While it's very strange to think that I won't be going back to work on Tuesday, I know it will be great to have a different type of boss once this little kiddo arrives!
Last Saturday (Aug 27th) was my baby shower with all my coworkers. It was a very relaxed afternoon of chatting, baby-holding (one of my coworkers brought her 3-week-old son), and snacks (including homemade peanut butter & jelly cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream frosting...I have an AMAZING coworker/cupcake-making queen!). Oh, there was also some gift-opening that took place! My coworkers were outrageously generous, and the little peanut now has a whole bunch of blankets, lots of onesies, many toys & books (including "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch!) and adorable stuffed animals, to name just a few items! We also got a few packs of diapers & wipes, so we're set for at least a couple of weeks in that department. One of my coworkers donated her (barely used!) baby carrier, as well as her (gently used) baby monitors among other things. It was a wonderful day, and as soon as the host sends me the pictures she took, I'll get them posted! For now, you can see some of the items in the below pictures of the nursery.
The nursery has progressed, and we now have most stuff ready to go, including the artwork I found online. There are still a few things that we need to get (a laundry basket might be useful, for instance!), but that's something I'll be working on this week. I'm also going to try my hand at making a mobile to hang over the crib...because it is appalling to me that crib mobiles range from $50 (for your standard plastic arm with little animals hanging from it) to $80 or $120 (for a handmade mobile out of dowels/fishing line/hand-sewn felt animals). I figure that I can pick up a dowel from Home Depot, some cheap fishing line and some felt animals or something from the Craft store, and throw it all together for much cheaper! We'll see how this goes...wish me luck!
****You can click on the below pictures to make them bigger*****
View from the doorway, looking into the nursery (note my awesome Cabbage Patch Kids sitting on the toybox - one was even used for swaddling practice!). Also, the blanket over the side of the crib was a gift from Zach's coworker Linda - just beautiful!
View of the change-table/dresser station, as well as the bookshelf (lovingly filled by Grandma Vickery & the Aprim family!), and my Mom's awesome rocking chair that she rocked all of us in, just a few years ago! The green blanket is from IKEA, and is being used as a buffer to keep the rocking chair back from hitting the wall. You can also see the artwork on the walls - more on that shortly! The stainless steel garbage can by the door is actually the diaper pail :-)
A shot of the ceiling & light fixture, so you can see the colors & the sunshiney light!
View of the crib (don't worry, the blanket & stuffed animals/pillow will be removed before the baby is put in the crib - don't want any suffocation to take place! Also, the crib bumpers (there's one on the front, too) are made of breathable mesh...I haven't made up my mind about their design/colors yet, but if anything they'll keep the kid from getting limbs stuck through the crib slats! The adorable blue dog was a gift (along with other great items!) from Jan's friend Michelle, in Tampa - thank you, Michelle! You can also see the hand-made blanket on the front a little better in this shot.
A shot of the (kinda wild!) curtains!
Here's a close-up of the alphabet print I found on etsy.com - the artist who made this print (who is from Kamloops, BC!), also made the farm animal prints below - so cute!!
What? A sheep? How unexpected!
And of course an adorable pig!
And finally, this cow was too cute to pass up!
Me, modeling the awesome cloth diapers I got on sale - look at those totally adorable colours! In case anyone wonders, we'll be doing disposable diapers for the first few months (while we adjust to life as parents!) and then I'll try switching to cloth (at least while we're home - travelling with cloth diapers just seems like a LOT of trouble & mess!). This is our starter set of 6 - I couldn't pass up the sale, and loved the colours. Plus, they're "one size", with adjustable snaps, so they'll fit from infant to toddler.
Annnnnd finally...Here are a couple of shots of me in all my 39-week-pregnant glory. Pardon the "goofball" aspect of the first picture!
The profile picture was a special request from my Auntie Barb (Hi Manitoba relatives/readers!), but I figured others might also be interested!
And there you have it, folks - a baby update, complete with pictures! Big plans for this week include:
- Sleeping
- Washing/folding/organizing baby clothes
- Cleaning
- Shopping for a few things
- Attempting to be crafty & try to make a crib mobile
- Doctor's appointment & Non-Stress Test (to monitor the baby's heartbeat)
- Cooking/Baking to stock up some food in the freezer
Should be an exciting week! Hope you have a great week, too!
Also, sending lots and lots of love & hugs to my Grandma, who is being sprung from the hospital & heading home today...I'm sure you're glad to be outta there, Grandma!! We love you!
-Love,
Katie
As Zach mentioned in his last post, this past Friday was officially my last day of work - I'm now on Maternity Leave, so I've joined the ranks of the unemployed! While it's very strange to think that I won't be going back to work on Tuesday, I know it will be great to have a different type of boss once this little kiddo arrives!
Last Saturday (Aug 27th) was my baby shower with all my coworkers. It was a very relaxed afternoon of chatting, baby-holding (one of my coworkers brought her 3-week-old son), and snacks (including homemade peanut butter & jelly cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream frosting...I have an AMAZING coworker/cupcake-making queen!). Oh, there was also some gift-opening that took place! My coworkers were outrageously generous, and the little peanut now has a whole bunch of blankets, lots of onesies, many toys & books (including "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch!) and adorable stuffed animals, to name just a few items! We also got a few packs of diapers & wipes, so we're set for at least a couple of weeks in that department. One of my coworkers donated her (barely used!) baby carrier, as well as her (gently used) baby monitors among other things. It was a wonderful day, and as soon as the host sends me the pictures she took, I'll get them posted! For now, you can see some of the items in the below pictures of the nursery.
The nursery has progressed, and we now have most stuff ready to go, including the artwork I found online. There are still a few things that we need to get (a laundry basket might be useful, for instance!), but that's something I'll be working on this week. I'm also going to try my hand at making a mobile to hang over the crib...because it is appalling to me that crib mobiles range from $50 (for your standard plastic arm with little animals hanging from it) to $80 or $120 (for a handmade mobile out of dowels/fishing line/hand-sewn felt animals). I figure that I can pick up a dowel from Home Depot, some cheap fishing line and some felt animals or something from the Craft store, and throw it all together for much cheaper! We'll see how this goes...wish me luck!
****You can click on the below pictures to make them bigger*****
View from the doorway, looking into the nursery (note my awesome Cabbage Patch Kids sitting on the toybox - one was even used for swaddling practice!). Also, the blanket over the side of the crib was a gift from Zach's coworker Linda - just beautiful!
View of the change-table/dresser station, as well as the bookshelf (lovingly filled by Grandma Vickery & the Aprim family!), and my Mom's awesome rocking chair that she rocked all of us in, just a few years ago! The green blanket is from IKEA, and is being used as a buffer to keep the rocking chair back from hitting the wall. You can also see the artwork on the walls - more on that shortly! The stainless steel garbage can by the door is actually the diaper pail :-)
A shot of the ceiling & light fixture, so you can see the colors & the sunshiney light!
View of the crib (don't worry, the blanket & stuffed animals/pillow will be removed before the baby is put in the crib - don't want any suffocation to take place! Also, the crib bumpers (there's one on the front, too) are made of breathable mesh...I haven't made up my mind about their design/colors yet, but if anything they'll keep the kid from getting limbs stuck through the crib slats! The adorable blue dog was a gift (along with other great items!) from Jan's friend Michelle, in Tampa - thank you, Michelle! You can also see the hand-made blanket on the front a little better in this shot.
A shot of the (kinda wild!) curtains!
Here's a close-up of the alphabet print I found on etsy.com - the artist who made this print (who is from Kamloops, BC!), also made the farm animal prints below - so cute!!
What? A sheep? How unexpected!
And of course an adorable pig!
And finally, this cow was too cute to pass up!
Me, modeling the awesome cloth diapers I got on sale - look at those totally adorable colours! In case anyone wonders, we'll be doing disposable diapers for the first few months (while we adjust to life as parents!) and then I'll try switching to cloth (at least while we're home - travelling with cloth diapers just seems like a LOT of trouble & mess!). This is our starter set of 6 - I couldn't pass up the sale, and loved the colours. Plus, they're "one size", with adjustable snaps, so they'll fit from infant to toddler.
Annnnnd finally...Here are a couple of shots of me in all my 39-week-pregnant glory. Pardon the "goofball" aspect of the first picture!
The profile picture was a special request from my Auntie Barb (Hi Manitoba relatives/readers!), but I figured others might also be interested!
And there you have it, folks - a baby update, complete with pictures! Big plans for this week include:
- Sleeping
- Washing/folding/organizing baby clothes
- Cleaning
- Shopping for a few things
- Attempting to be crafty & try to make a crib mobile
- Doctor's appointment & Non-Stress Test (to monitor the baby's heartbeat)
- Cooking/Baking to stock up some food in the freezer
Should be an exciting week! Hope you have a great week, too!
Also, sending lots and lots of love & hugs to my Grandma, who is being sprung from the hospital & heading home today...I'm sure you're glad to be outta there, Grandma!! We love you!
-Love,
Katie
Boise Hawks Game
Despite living in the Boise area for nearly five years (!), Katie and I had never been to a Boise Hawks baseball game together. I last went during my bachelor days back in 2003. On Friday evening (after Katie's last day before starting maternity leave), we went to our first game. The opponent: Katie's hometown Vancouver Canadians! We arrived at 6:45pm just in time to hear the last few bars of O Canada before getting to our seats. The weather was perfect as it has just started to cool off after a hot summer. The game was well played and decided on a top-of-the ninth RBI double and the Canadians won 3-2. The night also featured guest mascot Reggy (and his pal, a 9 foot inflatable monkey) and a nice fireworks display after the game. It was a sold-out crowd and a great way to spend a Friday night!
Game writeup
Early action with Reggy doing a dance
Game writeup
Early action with Reggy doing a dance
