Ten Thousand Days

Sunday was my 10,000th day of life. It takes roughly 27 1/2 years to get to 10,000 days, so it’s quite an achievement! I really didn’t think much of it on Sunday. Then yesterday it occurred to me, “Today is ten thousand and one. I wonder what the next 10,000 will be like?” The worlds pre- and post-Asher are about as different as they could be. Essentially, I feel like I had “10,000 Days of Childhood.” The next chapter of life, then, would be something like “10,000 Days of Parenthood.” Farewell childhood, I’m a grown-up now. It’s someone else’s turn to have their “10,000 Days of Childhood,” and I hope his are as good as mine were.

My name is Asher Henry

I’m only 11 days old today, but I’ve been around dad long enough to figure out how to write a blog post… so here is my first.

On Thursday, my mommy put pants on me for the first time… I wasn’t sure what to think, but I got used to it after a while and started to like them. The pants are blue because I’m a boy.

Here’s me with my aunt Cara, she came to visit me this week. I like her because she reminds me of my mommy.

I went for my first walk with mommy and daddy this week. They’re silly and like to put me in little hats and wrap me up like a burrito strapped to their chest… I pretend to be fussy about it, but I secretly like it.

Aunt Cara and my Papa came on the walk too; here we all are in Selwyn College.

There are a few things that I like to do… besides wee-ing and poo-ing, I like being cuddled… here I am on daddy’s chest, thinking about how crazy the last 11 days have been.

Here’s me in my ‘little monkey’ outfit, doing my best monkey impression.

Daddy got a little carried away earlier; he was saying something about the Lion King… I didn’t really know what was going on, but I went with it anyway… daddy seemed to think it was funny.

Sometimes I get upset and daddy tries to comfort me… but daddy just doesn’t have what I need sometimes :).

I took a bath the other night, and I decided that I like the water… hehe, water’s funny.

Cambridge family

We are planning to look back and share the story of Asher’s birth, but for now, this is what’s happening. Our sweet Asher is 6 days old today and we are so grateful for his safe arrival. He is strong and healthy and beyond gorgeous. I know he’s a boy, so I should say he’s handsome or good looking, but beautiful seems to be the best way to describe him. We just keep saying ‘he’s so pretty and tiny.’ :)

The last 6 days have been amazing in a lot of ways, but they have also been very hard, long days and nights. Feeding our little man has turned into quite the challenge that we weren’t expecting. Because of this little (okay, big) trial, we have been left depleted and a bit unable to care for ourselves while caring for our sweet boy. Thankfully, our friends in Cambridge have proven to be our stand-in family over the past week.

Just yesterday, after an incredibly difficult night and morning with no food and no sleep, our friends, once again, showed love and practical care for us. One couple appeared with the diapers and pain killers that we needed from the shop in town and then held Asher while we ate some lunch. Literally minutes later, two friends showed up, hugged me and sent me upstairs with Asher while they cleaned our entire flat, including the not-so-fun jobs like changing sheets and vacuuming the stairs. Another family showed up for a brief visit, bringing gifts and snacks. These two are veteran parents and were able to tell us that what we are experiencing is normal and that it will get better. They were soon followed by other friends who brought us an amazing, hot, homemade dinner. I know this sounds like a lot of people in and out, and it was, but in the moment, it was exactly what we needed. Sure, there are days when we need quiet and no interruptions. But yesterday, we needed help.

Our friends have seen us at our worst in the past few days, desperate for sleep and food, emotional, looking like two people who had forgotten how to shower. They are patient with us when we are consumed with our own world and forget that they have their own lives happening too. They have extended us grace and provided more practical support than I could have imagined. Most of all, they have loved us and confirmed our suspicions that Asher is truly amazing. :)

Asher Henry

We waited so long to meet him, and on Wednesday, July 6, 2011, he finally showed up. Here’s the journey to his birthday.

Fourth of July, 2011

Well, contrary to our hopes, it doesn’t look like our little guy will share a birthday with America… (I’ll bet you people are tired of us blogging about how we’re NOT having a baby… but, believe me, we’ve done our darn’dest to change that). In any case, we had a nice little cookout with some friends this evening, and even though we didn’t have any fireworks to round out the fun, we did have homemade ice cream. Fireworks would be a little anti-climactic in the evening, however, since it still isn’t getting properly dark until about 10:30.

Since the Fourth of July is not a holiday over here, most of our friends had to work today, hence the evening get together instead of an all-day event. Here we are… happy campers after some particularly good BBQ beans and roasted sweet potato fries.

Here’s one of the girls…

One thing you might notice (particularly if you’re reading this in Oklahoma today) is that all of the girls have on a light jacket. That’s because it was a pleasant 72 degrees today and things were cooling off to a crisp 65 degrees for the cookout. We hear it was a sweltering 107 degrees in Oklahoma today… that’s 42 degrees hotter! 42! I can’t even imagine it… your body forgets what that’s like if you don’t feel it for a while. We met a couple of people who had just recently come from the states the other day. They were headed out for an afternoon walk and they both had North Face fleeces on… it was 68 degrees that day, and I had decided that it was a “shorts-and-a-tee-shirt” day. I guess it’s all about what you’re used to.

Happy Fourth of July everybody! Go America!

People are starting to stare…

9 days overdue! Are you kidding me?! People are starting to stare… we were walking by an ambulance one day and I swear the guy driving the ambulance was eyeing Candice, just waiting to see if she’d go into labor right then. A few days ago, a guy passed her on the street and just shook his head from side to side saying, “Oh no, ohhh… no.”

It’s kind of a funny place to be, though, it’s like everyone is rooting for you, which is really sweet. But at the same time, it’s the only time in my life someone has ever said to me, “Well, I hope the next time we see you guys, you’ll be in the hospital.” What an awful thing to say at any other time. It’s like people are cheering for you to be in pain… wierd .

It’s also impossible to think about much else right now… even my music choices have been influenced. I’ve taken to playing the song “Let’s Hear it for the Boy,” from the hit Broadway musical Footloose, really loud in hopes that he’ll get the message.

Anyways, we’ll see how long this lasts; and I guess it could be worse. Candice is feeling really good, so at least she’s comfortable while we’re waiting :).

41 Weeks

Today is 41 weeks. Still no baby. We’re watching ‘Lost’ to keep us occupied while we wait to get this show on the road. We made peach ice cream yesterday (yes, with fresh peaches, why would you even ask such a thing?); it’s my consolation for not being able to hold my son yet.

Candice looks amazing, as usual… she’s really good at this pregnancy thing. Way to go, honey… you make it look so easy :).

Also, our tomatoes are coming right along, so that’s cool…