Hello Papa! Hello Mama!

Well, he's here. A week and a day early - quite unexpected (at least for dad). Just the quick details and a few pictures. The hospital does not have Internet access, and I only have a few minutes at home before tasking myself on more pressing matters.

It was a long labor - ~24 hours in total. He was born at 2 am on Thursday, June 29. After he arrived, we decided he looked just like a Liam Joseph, so that's what we named him - Mr. Liam Joseph McKernan - weighing in at a 7 lbs 9.5 oz and 21 inches long. None of those numbers were ever significant for me until I realize that every ounce and inch counts for the mom who is passing this little person outside of her body. Tara was a studette.

The full story later when we get back from the hospital. Suffice to say that Liam is fantastic - still learning how to breastfeed - and Tara and I are having an otherworldly experience just getting to know that brand new person.

Mike putting up the crib and the crib after being assembled

Here is the Belly!

Still Waiting

Well, we are about nine days away from the due date. I still maintain that I am ready for him to be born now. We are still working on getting the house together but even without everything complete Baby McK will still have a place to live and be comfortable.

We are still without a name for this little guy. Anyone have any really good ideas? We are basically between two different names but if someone has a killer suggestion we would take it. I suggested to Mike that we wait until we see him to decide what name he looks like. Mike wisely pointed out that he won't look like much since all newborns look a wee bit funny. I guess I can't really argue with that but I still hope that seeing him will help make the final decision.

I am going to post a couple of pictures I made Mike take last night. They aren't great pictures and I look a little possessed but they will give you an idea of what I look like. Many of you have been asking for pictures so hopefully this will do until I can get some better ones taken.

Baby McK is so ahead of the game

Baby McK (we still don't have a name) is so ahead of the game. He has his own blog and he isn't even born yet. We thought this would be a great way to share all the fun that goes with waiting for Jose to arrive, his arrival and then all of the fun after he makes his way into the world.
His due date is July 6th, which is just two weeks away. I am hoping that he makes an early appearance while Mike is hoping that he is on time or a little late. Why the difference in opinion there? Well, I am just ready to stop being uncomfortable. I don't really have ankles or feet that even closely resemble my pre-pregnancy feet. Really, they look more like hobbit feet. I have other minor complaints but won't go into them. I have been pleasantly surprised that I have not suffered near as much as I thought I would being pregnant. I think the secret has been staying active the whole time.
Mike would like Jose (what we call him until he has a real name) to arrive on time or late so that he has more time to get the house underway. As I post this, he is sanding some drywall in our entryway. Our living room is basically finished now that the trim is up and painted. The nursery is very close to being finished as well. Mike is going to be working on building a very large shelf/storage space in there as soon as he finishes a couple of other projects.
We will try to post some pictures of the nursery and maybe even one or two of my very pregnant belly before long.