Baby Steps.

First Footprint
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

It was good to see all ten toes when Ian was born. It was also cool to see how they printed his first steps. There wasn't just a stamp pad that got pulled out of an old drawer for Ian's baby feet to paint with. Technology has advanced even the most primitive printing methods. Instead, the nurse had what looked like a 5x7 inch plastic frame clasping around the edges of a thin transparent sheet over a layer of ink. She laid the frame onto a page and brought it to his feet. His feet pressed against the transparent layer, identity lines pushing through into the ink and onto the page. Voila! Instant footprint without all the inky mess. Very clever, I must say.

Silly Bilirubin.

Photo Therapy
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

So I mentioned the word 'jaundice' in an earlier post regarding the yellowing of Ian's skin. It was constantly brought up in every check-up by the neonatologist while at the hospital. His numbers had started average and slowly got higher throughout the week. When we visited the pediatrician for the first time yesterday, they grew into a high risk zone.

Jaundice is a common condition in newborns that causes the skin and whites of the eyes to become yellow, due to increased amounts of bilirubin. When bilirubin builds up faster than a newborn's liver can break it down, excrete it into the intestines, and out of the body through stool, a baby becomes jaundiced. If a baby's bilirubin level gets too high, it can cause permanent damage to the nervous system. You can treat jaundice by increasing the frequency of feedings, causing frequent bowel movements, therefore saying bye-bye to the bilirubin. If that doesn't work, say hello to Phototherapy.

Phototherapy uses fluorescent light to help transform bilirubin into a form the body can eliminate quickly. The equipment is a cross between a flatbed scanner and a mini-tanning bed that sits in a bassinet for the baby to lie on. Wearing only a diaper and a cap, he's wrapped in baby-scrubs that velcro shut to keep him in position. Flip the switch and on go the fluorescents. We started this last night, and over 12 hours, his bilirubin levels had already begun to decrease. Today at the pediatrician's office, 4 of the newborns that had come in today showed high levels of bilirubin, so it seems to be fairly common.

Interesting side note, Lyndsey went through this same process when she was a baby. As an adult, she has a bitter taste towards bright lights, especially fluorescents. Ian is taking after his mother more and more each day.

Lastly, how many times did I use the word 'bilirubin' in this post? Go back and count them all, then mulitply that number by a thousand; that's the number of times I've heard that word in my entire life. The first time I heard it was Tuesday.

Home on the Range.

Going Home
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

After four long days in Piedmont Hospital, we got the go ahead to go ahead and head home. So we got packed and packed up the car to pack up the highway for the journey home. It's time to be real parents. Real parents without nurses and lactation consultants at our bedside, without scheduled knocks on the door to check vitals, without remote controls that can call up a pint of prune juice and a bowl of cream of chicken soup at the push of a buton, and of course without a plastic slinky disguised as a lounger for dads to sleep the long nights on. Home, sweet pillowtop, home.

Sleeping Baby.

Sleeping Baby.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

With just a tad bit of jaundice, Ian enjoys some rest after a great feeding (nice job, Lynds). Take a look at the grip on this guy. Taking charge with just one hand, and with his eyes closed! What do you think? Quarterback? Power Forward? Pitcher? Bowler? Ok, ok, Architect? Designer? In a few years, we'll see what this kid can do with a pencil.

A Family Gathering.

A Family Gathering.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Sure we've got a thousand photos, and sure I could post all of them up on another photosharing site so you can spend some time at work scrolling through an Ian Slide Show; but I'd rather just tell you a bit about some of my favorites.

Ian was born as week 8 of the quarter was about to start. Hank, the PC prez, was thankful enough to offer some excused absences from class, and Borders said 'do what you gotta do.' Luckily, a couple of projects I'm working on don't require space to cut, paint, draw, or use the internet for. Take for example, Typeface Design. I've got my alphabet pretty much sketched out and scanned in, so it's all in my iBook. It's just a matter of tracing letterforms in Illustrator and working with their details. As the Puckett family gathers at the dining table in Room 250, we all get to do something we love.

A New Mother.

New Mother.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Can you believe this little lady gave birth 48 hours from this picture? God Bless her. Lyndsey is one tough chick. I don't know if it's her 10 years of softball or what, but when she sets her mind on something...nothing can stop her. Not even contractions, incisions, or needles; 85 RN's, CP's, or BP's serving chills, pills and apple juice fills; or even all-night feedings, mid-day greetings, and tender breasts heaving.

Ok, so that perhaps that last one was a little out there. But believe-you-me, after bearing witness to everything 'labor'-intensive, any form of modesty gets thrown right out the window.

Lyndsey, you're beautiful, and I thank you for bringing little Ian into our lives. I still don't know how you did it.

Behind the Curtain

Behind the Curtain
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Shielded by this blue wall of danger, I sit pondering the special effects in progress on the other side. Staring at Lyndsey scares me (and her) as her body shakes from numbness. Who is the man behind the curtain? What will he look like? How will his entrance into this world change our lives? We're not in Kansas anymore.

Elements of a Story.

The Introduction.

What started at 5:30am Sunday morning and ended at 10:56pm that same night, was the most unbelievable experience of my life. I'd like to introduce you to a new creative.

Contractions.

Contractions.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Rising Action.

Cesarean Prep

Daddy C-Prep
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Conflict.

Fresh from the Womb.

Fresh from the Womb.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Falling Action.

Post Surgery Family

Post Surgery Family
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Resolution.

Birth Announcement

Birth Announcement
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

The Conclusion.

iBaby Update.

Well, Lyndsey completed her 38th week of pregnancy on Thursday with a weekly checkup. It appears that iBaby, Ian, is bigger than we all expected. "Not 10 pounds big, but big," said the doctor. Lyndsey was still only 1 cm. dilated, her blood pressure good, and Ian's heart rate good, but he didn't seem to be dropped into her pelvis. That's where he needs to be in order to make his way out of the tunnel. The doctor thinks he might be too big for Lyndsey's small frame. So next week we'll have another ultrasound to get a better feel for his size and location. If he hasn't dropped any further, we'll have to schedule an appointment for a Caesarean Delivery.

They suggested the possibility of simply scheduling an induction to get labor started, but that they wouldn't let Lyndsey try for very long before administering the C-section. So if they seem pretty sure about his size, we'd rather just schedule it and let it be, we're ready to love this little guy!

A Caesarean had always been on Lyndsey's mind ever since we first started talking about children. She's built like her mom, who also had troubles delivering her first girl and ended up with a C-section...which resulted in the same cut when Lyndsey was born. It's in the genes. Although you may not see it in myself or my brother, tall strong bones are in the Puckett genes. All my cousins on the Puckett side are 6' plus and played either Basketball or Football in high school. Maybe Lyndsey and I will end up being the little people in the crowd cheering for the 6' power forward who averages 10 rebounds a game.

Words of Wisdom.

"I believe you can go to school to learn to be an accountant, a doctor, a physicist, an engineer, an astronaut. I am not sure you can learn to be an artist. Artists are born, not made, and the real reason to study the arts is to have fun, learn technical skills, network with other creative types, fall in love with people who are not boring, and do the work you probably would have done anyway."

"...as a teacher of film appreciation, I believe faculties in the arts are sainted. They must guide, advise, moderate, encourage, teach methods, provide a context, share secrets and declare an informed opinion on the worth of the work. They create a world within which such work is possible and valued. What they cannot do, I suspect, is teach a student how to be original and creative."

- Roger Ebert
rogerebert.com
taken from a review of "Art School Confidential"
directed by Terry Zwigoff

One of the reasons why I love Portfolio Center is because the instructors believe this too...most of them anyway.

We're Gonna Need A Bigger Summer.

I know, I know, so I quickly posted about M-I:3, subtley announcing my extreme excitement over the new film; but what I really wanted to announce was the start of the summer movie season. There is a lot of hype over the releases (Da Vinci Code, The Break-Up, X3) and a lot of worry about potential box office struggles like last year. I'm hear to say that there is no need to fear. Who cares if M-I:3 opens up quieter than expected, I believe this summer will be about longevity; and it will be clear who the winners are. I believe audiences aren't as dumb as studios think they are. This summer, we want to be thrilled, moved, sucked into the worlds brought to the screen. Our hearts MUST race. Our laughter MUST echo through the AMC hallways. And most importantly for the sake of studios, our voices MUST communicate to each other the power of what we experienced. Longevity through word of mouth will bring success to the films that make us soar. A good trailer doesn't hurt...

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you SUPERMAN RETURNS.

Two Words.

Mission

Impossible

(iii)