First Bath and Offroading

I normally play with Quinn's feet a bit each time I change his diaper. This was mostly recommended by the midwife as a way to strengthen his ankle muscles, but I find his little legs and feet so cute and soft, anyway.

Here, I was trying (and failing) to get a good B&W shot of his little feet.

We've got about 4,000 pictures of Quinn in this pose: sleeping in his cradle...and each of the many pictures in this pose are just as cute.
Similar shot from later in the day, with a 'picnic pooh' outfit. The feet are shaped in the form of a pooh bear with extra ears. Today, Quinn had his first bath! He took the whole experience really well and seemed to have a good time. Thankfully, he didn't poop in the water.

He was a bit annoyed after he got out of the bath (read: he was crying like a stuck pig), but he really calmed down once the midwife started drying him off with the hairdryer. He also really liked having his hair combed.We also had great weather for a walk this afternoon. Eva is feeling better and can walk a bit further, so we ventured out to the park near our house. We think we'll be spending lots of time there in the future! It's definitely great to have so much open space near our place, so Quinn can go out and play when he gets a bit older.

Quinn is already trying to push the limits: below, you see him trying to take on the BMX track that is close to our house. We had to tell him that he was a bit too young for the track, but that he could try it as soon as the training wheels are off his stroller.

The first walk in the great big world

The poor little guy has to live with a dad that loves to take pictures when he sleeps and looks so sweet!

Thankfully, Quinn is sleeping well through the night and only has a few hours in the late evening where he is really awake. This has allowed Eva and I to sleep pretty well at night. I've been taking the 'first shift' in the late evening so that Eva can sleep if Quinn is active. As a general rule, he hasn't been crying much, and after he wakes up, he tends to look around a lot before he starts crying for his parents. At the end of the day, he's sleeping a lot...

It is obvious, that he gets the ability to take naps from his father.

Yesterday, we took our first walk together as a family. It's definitely a surreal experience walking with a child in a stroller...yet very cool! The weather is still a bit cool, but it is great getting some fresh air.

Quinn posing with his parents during the walk. We look pretty well rested, huh?

Quinn in his carriage. To answer the obvious question you probably have: no, this is not a customized carriage with Quinn's name. The company is actually named Quinny. For your next question, no, we did not name our son after the baby carriage.
Quinn's arms don't yet come out of his winter snowsuit...

Surprise!

Being a father of a son, I have heard from many experienced parents that the little boys like to play games when getting their diaper changed. Namely, they pee after their diaper is opened.

While I was prepared for this when changing Quinn's diaper, I wasn't prepared for what happened on Monday evening. Let's just say that Quinn wasn't finished doing his 'other' business when the diaper was opened...

...no pics or film for this one...

Hebamme (Midwife)

While it is very difficult for me to compare the two different health care systems of the US and Germany, I can say that I'm truly impressed with the service that we've gotten. It certainly doesn't hurt that Erlangen has one of the best med schools in Germany and is a teaching hospital (Uniklinik).

During the birth, we had a midwife-in-training during the complete birth process. We also had regular visits from the head midwife. Towards the end, we had regular visits from the doctor.

I had to learn (or relearn) what a midwife actually was. I had this picture of the 18th century birthing process - something relatively old fashioned. After all, this is the 21st century, why can't I get a doctor.

I have to say, that the care from the midwife was exceptional. There was a nice mix of high tech from the doctor and 'practical' birthing experience from the midwife. Midwives go through a tremendous amount of training, and actually have the first priority during the actual birth. First midwife, then doctor.

What's even better, the health care system here gives us daily visits, at our home, for the first 10 days we're home. This is a very cool and comforting value added service. Definitely preventative care.

As with everything else, it has a price that has to be paid: 50%+ taxes. For now, I feel like we're getting our money's worth: We had multiple people helping us with the birth in a newly remodeled hospital, 3 days in the hospital, lots of preventitive tests, and 10 days of home visits from a midwife for 10 EUR. Not a bad value.

Pinkeln lassen

Quinn had quite a few visitors his first days in the hospital, including his Aunt Nina, who hopped on a train to Erlangen after finishing her night shift at work after hearing that Quinn had been born.

Quinn is definitely taking after his father by taking lots of naps. I'm particularly happy about this because I now have a great excuse for taking a nap. The breast that is pictured is mine and not Eva's.
Here's Quinn in his hospital crib with his name tag.
Another picture I took while Quinn was napping. I'm getting pretty good at taking pics with one hand...
When the little guy is napping, you can tell he is dreaming about something because of how he moves his eyes and hands. I definitely wonder what he is dreaming about...maybe about the 'good ol' days' of swimming around in Eva's belly.
As is tradition from Eva's part of town, when the mother and child is still in the hospital, the father throws a party for their family and friends.

"Wir wollen das Kind pinkeln lassen"

Roughly translated, we want to let the child pee. Between the lines, this means that it is the father's last chance to really get hammered before the family comes home. So, last night, I had our neighbors and friends over for a small party to celebrate Quinn's birth.

Eva'a parents and Nina did a great job getting everything prepared for our guests! Only on very rare occasions does one see Eva's mom drinking...and below we have proof of the special occasion.

As is becoming 'tradition', the Gould-Göttgens party was a great time. We played the music louder than we should have and we drank more schnapps that we needed. It got especially loud when I played Quinn's theme song: "The Mighty Quinn". Nina hamming it up for the camera with a beer cap in her eye.
Before we picked Eva up from the hospital, we got the condo all ready for our new arrival. I even cleaned the toilets!
Here I am with Quinn shortly before leaving the hospital. The weather was perfect for the event - a beautiful spring day.

At the hospital, they had a map of the world, where we could put stickers denoting origins of the newborns' parents. I put a sticker over Borger, my hometown.
Now we are all home. Quinn has been perfect since we got him home. He's barely crying. He showed extreme patience when I was changing his diaper for the first time. I'm definitely going to have to get better at it (and faster). But, I think Quinn will give me tons of opportunities to practice.

We're now trying to settle into our new lives as parents...the next chapter of our lives has now begun!

The Mighty Quinn

Presenting...Robert Rutledge Gould V...also known as Quinn !!!

After a pretty hectic last few days, I'm finally making the time for a real blog post. Thanks for your patience. I knew these days would be hectic, but it is amazing how fast the days go and how little I can actually 'accomplish'.

It all started for Eva around 2am on the 1st of March. I woke up to Eva having some contractions about an hour later. I asked Eva if everything was OK...she said "define OK. I've had regular contractions for the last hour". I was immediately awake. These contractions were a bit of a surprise for both of us, since the doctor said the day before that it looked like it would take a few more days.

(Above, Quinn shortly after his first bath. During his bath, he also had his first poop.)

We waited a few more hours until the contractions came every 3-4 minutes before going to the hospital around 7:30am. Of course, when we got checked in, they started measuring the contractions, and they were only every 5-6 minutes - only 2 cm of the birth canal was open, and we needed 10cm. We were afraid that they would send us home to wait a bit longer.

We went to the breakfast room and had a few bites to eat...then went back for further measurements. Around 11:30 (two hours after the last measurements), Eva was having regular contractions and the birth canal was 4cm open. Not bad progress.

(Above, Quinn getting weighed: 3450kg; 7lbs, 10oz)

Thankfully, Eva was far enough along that she went into the birthing room. A super cool room with a huge tub, two high tech birthing chairs, stereo, and a super old fashioned 'birthing stool' - circa 1920.

The midwife convinced Eva to go into the tub to relax a bit. Eva's not much of a tub person, but she was up to trying anything to make the pain go away. As it turns out, the tub was a great suggestion. Eva went from 4cm to 10cm in less than 2 hours. Now the pushing was going to begin. (Above, Quinn getting measured: 52cm, 21.5")

Eva had to push for two hours to finally get Quinn out. There were some birth complications, but both mother and son ended up just fine.

(Above, in a pose he will hate us for. He looks like an old man here.)

It was a pretty powerful feeling when I saw Quinn's head come out. As I had been warned, he was a dark purple color. Not exactly the cute picture of youth that you imagine you'll see.

It was pretty tense for a while: first, his umbilical cord was wrapped at least 4 times really tight around his waist. His lower body was really white, as if the lower body was completely without blood for a while, and really long and skinny. I thought his legs and feet were dead and lifeless.

Second, he wouldn't cry. He was completely silent. At least I could see him move and knew that he was alive, but it was pretty scary for Eva. She asked him to cry for him (something we won't ask for again).

(Above, Quinn and his dad taking some pics while Eva was in a post birth operation. They had to take some blood and took it from his finger...hence the band-aid).

Thankfully, Quinn cried shortly thereafter and his legs were OK. Whew!

I got to cut the umbilical cord. Very cool. It was a pretty amazing moment when the midwife put Quinn on Eva's chest for the first time. Definitely an emotion that is undescribable.

(Above, Quinn and his dad)

Unfortunately, there was an emergency C-Section for another woman, so Eva had to wait about 2 hours for her post birth procedure. The nice part was that it gave us some time with Quinn before the procedure. It also gave Eva's parents a bit more time to get to Erlangen.

(Above, Quinn with his Grandmom: Oma Göttgens)

Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. So far, Eva is recovering well. She's still tired and sore, but she's taking it all like a champ. Quinn has passed all of his prenatal tests so far. He's feeding well and sleeping a lot.

He doesn't really cry that much, but we're sure that will change soon. Eva will come home from the hospital tomorrow morning. We're definitely looking forward to our new future as a family of three.

(Above, Quinn with his grandfather: Opa Göttgens)

Finally, why 'Quinn' you ask. Well, it's pretty simple, actually. Quinn is the fifth Robert Gould. It is a long tradition in my family that started with my great grandfather. When my great grandfather (RRG), his son (RRG, Jr.), out of respect for his father and the great man that he represented, refused to change his name to RRG, Sr.), which was common at the time. That tradition was passed on when my father and then when I was born.

Robert Rutledge Gould V is named after his grandfather, RRG III - a great man, from which I have learned a great many important life's lessons. It has not always been easy, and my father has not always chosen the easy path, but he has almost always picked the right one.

As with most children, the older I get, the smarter my father becomes.

So...I still haven't answered the question: Why Quinn. Well, each of us Robert Gould's have had a nickame based from our name. These names usually changed as we got older (I was Bobby when I was young, Rob since college, and I was always "Robert" when my parents were mad at me). In this same tradition, Quinn is a nickname derived from his full name: Robert Rutledge Gould V. But, slightly different, Quinn's nickname is derived not from Robert, but from the V.

Latin for the number five is Quintus...the long form of Quinn.

While I'm rambling about family tradition from my family, I will also mention a few other items about my (and Quinn's name). The name Rutledge has a direct connection on my dad's side of the family and might be (never confirmed) connected from Edward Rutledge, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independance. You can find more information about Edward Rutledge and Charles Carroll (another signer of the DoI to whom we're related) at:

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/rutledge.htm

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/carroll.htm

...geschafft...

After 13 hours of labor, our little bundle of joy was born:

Robert Rutledge "Quinn" Gould V

3450g
52cm

7lb, 10 oz
21"

Eva and Quinn are doing well, despite some complications during birth. Most of important of all, they are happy and healthy...

...more to follow soon. I'm exhausted, and all I did today was hold my wife's hand.

Jetzt geht's los!!!

Eva's been having steady contractions since about 2am. She's doing a great job and everything is fine.

I now realize how useless I am in this situation.

We're off to the hospital. Keep your fingers crossed. 10 fingers, 10 toes.

Don't Try This at Home

Enjoying our last days as a family of two, we did a few things that good parents can't do with children:

1. We played with our food. As we were eating our evening bread, Eva noticed that my half eaten piece of bread looked like Africa. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the Africa-shaped bread to post. However, if we find a piece of bread that looks like the Virgin Mary, we will take pictures, sell the bread on ebay, and retire.

2. We drug dirt into the house...lots of dirt. Ok...maybe not that much. We bought some new pots for some houseplants, as well as some new dirt and plants after work today. It was dark and raining outside, so Eva decided to plant the plants inside.

...now I'm feeling really domesticated. I hope our child didn't see this poor example that we set this evening as parents.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Well, the projected date for the birth of our child was yesterday. Now the waiting game begins in full force. We're getting really good at twiddling our thumbs.

Eva is doing really well and is back to normal after a spell of the flu.

The (Long) Word of the Day

As earlier mentioned, from time to time, I'll post some really fun (and long) German words. They always look rather ominous, but they are usually just a bunch of small words stuck together.

Today's word is: Breitenmarkteinführung

Roughly translated to: Broad based market launch

Breiten + Markt + Einführung = broad based + Market + Introduction / Launch

Girl's Weekend

While I was off in the States a few weeks ago on a business trip, Eva took the chance to have a 'Girl's Weekend' with her close childhood friends, the Ischen: Babsi, Susi, und Ecke.

They went up to the Fränkische Schweiz just north of Erlangen and booked a weekend at a 'Wellness' Hotel...complete with sauna, spa, and massages.

Of course, the girls celebrated a bit, but Susi and Eva had non alcoholic champagne.

...and between all of the 'wellness' they had some time for a hike...

Preparing for the Change

January and early February has been filled with excitement and preparation for our 'new arrival'. As we get closer and closer to the calculated 'due date' of the 25th of February, I get more and more jumpy when I get a call on my cell from Eva.

Below is Eva on her last day in the office, taken around the 12th of January. The social structure is built pretty well for the family, and the mother gets 12 total weeks of paid maternity leave - 6 weeks before and after the birth of the child. There is also an additional ~ 10 months of subsidies for the parent staying at home and a bonus 2 months if the other spouse stays at home as well.

Time will tell if I can and will take this 2 months of government subsidies and time off of work to be a full time dad.

Sounds good...until you hear that the sales tax here is 19%.

Eva had a great going away party with her co-workers...and got some really nice flowers.

We wanted to see if the socks we bought would fit. They seem so small...
Despite a relatively warm winter, we finally got a few inches of snow.

The word of the day...

One of the many beauties of the German language is its ability to take little words, stack them together, and make a really big, ominous word. A word with 30 letters can relatively easily occur.

So, from time to time, I thought I'd share a few words that I get to stumble on in my day to day life.

The word of the day is: Geburtsvorbereitungskurs meaning 'birth preparation class'. Geburt (birth) + Vorbereitung (preparation) + kurs (class). See how easy German can be!

Speaking of Geburtsvorbereitungskurs, below is a picture of Eva and the rest of the gals in her birth prep class.

Preparing for the new arrival...

As those of you with kids know, there is a very distinct phase that a pregnant woman goes through...some call it 'nesting', others call it 'we'd better get that kid's room finished, or we're in big trouble'.

This phase started for us in November. After going to various furniture stores, we found what we wanted, with better service, online. The crib and the diaper changing station came in about 4 weeks (the furniture store quoted 12 weeks for the same stuff)...which was just in time for my parent's visit to Germany in December.

My dad and I started putting things together...

... otherwise known as quality time with my dad (Hold the light!...only my mom and dad will understand that one).

Here I am mid progress. The crib is about done.

Now we have to paint a wall. Four white walls are just not kid friendly. Eva did a great job with the rag painting after effects.

Now the real magic: the woman's touch. The room with the finer touches...ala Eva.

The diaper changing station with both German and English books...and our olive tree that is hibernating here during the winter.

Now the waiting game begins...