Here is a photo from our Fourth of July celebration on Monday. We were playing in the front yard of Allie’s father’s house, when all of a sudden the ice cream truck appeared. The kids ran up, and we took this photo. Something about it reminds me so much about my childhood – probably the old school truck and the suburban tract homes, and the ice cream which I don’t think has changed over the decades.

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The following pictures of our daughters were taken over the Christmas Holiday.

Special challenge: See if you can guess who we have nicknamed ‘Chubs,” and who we have nicknamed “Sticks.”

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Allie was one week past her due date when our wonderful OBGYN, Dr. Bo Thordason, suggested we induce delivery for the health of the baby and momma. We were tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of the 22nd at St. John’s in Santa Monica, but we were warned that they would send us back home if they were too busy. That morning we woke up to a phone call from our doctor telling us to get to the hospital STAT. So, we hopped in the car at 8 am, and rushed to the hospital. Well, we tried to rush but we were stuck in one of the worst congested days I can recall. We live in Silver Lake, and it took us 1.5 hours to get to Saint Johns.

By the time we got settled in (camera’s ready, Allie changed, picture of Abbie on the wall, IV in, etc.) it was 11:30. Dr. Thordason came in, and broke Allie’s water. The nurse started a very small drip of oxytocin to speed the delivery process. We then settled in for what we thought was going to be an early evening delivery.

We were wrong. Allie’s contraction cycles immediately started increasing in their frequency. When Dr. Mahler, the anesthesiologist, started the epidural, our main delivery nurse left to get a quick lunch. (this is important). By the time Dr. Mahler finished the epidural, Allie’s cervix had increased to 8, and the contractions were happening about once a minute. It was almost 1 pm. All of sudden Dr. Thordason came into the room and asked Allie if she was ready. We both laughed a bit and asked her if she was serious? She replied that she wouldn’t be in the room if it wasn’t time. So, I grabbed a leg, a nurse grabbed the other leg and Allie started pushing. It was 12:55 pm.

Seven minutes later, little screams filled the room as Frankie Aisla Callaway made her first sounds. Ten minutes later our main nurse came into the room, shaking her head in disbelief that Allie already had the baby, while she went to lunch!

She was born at 1:02 pm, weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces and measuring 20 inches in length.

We are both so happy that she is healthy, and again, just absolutely amazed and awed by the whole process. We love her!

There will be more shots of Mom later, when she is recovered and somewhat willing to be photographed. Be sure to look all the way to the bottom of the photos for a unique comparison.

Attached to this photo is my first baby picture – I wonder who Frankie looks like? HAHA

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After months and months of trying to get Abbie’s tear duct to open, Allie and I finally had to deal with the necessary idea that our daughter needed surgery. From what we understood, if we were to not operate, the clogged duct can lead to a wide-variety of sinus complications well into adulthood. The best time to operate is when the child is young. The operation is a minor and routine outpatient procedure, but it requires general anesthesia, and that is where we became concerned. There is a chance of death when anesthesia is used, and albeit the chance is extremely small, it is still a chance.

The day came yesterday. Allie and I packed Abbie in the car at 5:30 am after a night of zero-sleep, and drove to the outpatient center in Pasadena. We had to wait for two hours, and during that time my mind just wandered and wandered: Is this going to be the last time? Is that her last laugh? Her last hug?

At 7:30 we were asked to come into the pre-op room with Abbie, where the nurses assured us that she would be okay. Suddenly, they grabbed her, and whisked her out of the room. As we watched her being carried away, she looked so confused, but also curious – where am I going Mom and Dad? She didn’t cry, which made it more surreal.

That moment absolutely crushed us, on so many levels: What if something happens? Is she scared? Are the doctors competent? Is this really necessary? But I think it resonated more deeply. For us, this milestone marked the first time that Allie and I realized that our daughter is her own person, an individual human being—who, for the briefest amount of time, would have to go through the procedure alone. It reminded us of death and life and all that is in between.

It reminded us how precious the gift of life is, what a miracle it is.

Ten minutes later, they called us back, and all we heard was Abbie’s screaming, and I JUMPED! YEAH! She’s ALIVE! Don’t laugh – that is how I felt. Allison grabbed her into her arms and breastfed Abbie for what seemed like an eternity. And as everyone told us, we were in the car within the hour of her surgery.

It was routine. It was simple. But not for us.

It caused reflection, and later appreciation and gratitude. We have a healthy beautiful baby girl. Other parents are faced with much more difficult challenges than a clogged tear duct. It reminded us once again how precious and fleeting life can be, and is. We are thankful and respectful.

When Abbie cries and screams it always seems to get on my nerves a bit. When I heard her crying after her surgery, it was the most beautiful sound in the world. I’ll never let her cries bother me again, at least that is my goal. I am only human after all, lucky to be here in this miracle called life.

Thank you Aberdeen. Thank you Allison. You are my family and I love you!

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Allie and I spent our first weekend at our new house, relaxing with Aberdeen, watching the Chicago Cubs – and remembering those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Thank you. Thank you. I look at the pictures below and think about how lucky I am to live in a country where I can be FREE, where she can be FREE – where we can ALL be FREE!

And, she makes me laugh… HAHA…

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