Happy Mother's Day!

Melissa celebrated her first Mother's Day today with me and Oscar and her mom. There were a few gifts and cards and lots of happy tears. Some of those tears may have been because Sue, Melissa's mom is leaving us today after two weeks of caring for all three of us. It's a little scary to think that we now have to handle the Sprout all by ourselves. I think we may be up to the challenge.


Speaking of the Sprout, his weight is up. He now clocks in (can weight clock in?) at 7lbs, 3 oz. We're amazingly happy with his weight gain. We want nothing less than a fat, happy baby. He's also sleeping well at night. We have him in the bassinet in the bedroom with us at night and he does very well. I usually have to stay up with him until about 1 or 2 in the morning -- walking with him, singing to him. This is the time when he's the most fussy. After that, he sleeps right through. Melissa actually has to wake him up to take a feeding in the middle of the night. The fact that he's sleeping so well is an immense relief to us, as you can imagine. We hope it lasts.

The new book

Just so you don't think that this blog will now become Oscar-centric to the exclusion of all else:

Copies of 100 Girls arrived yesterday from Simon and Schuster, and it's a beaut! Very nice presentation, which, actually, preserved a lot of the look of the books I designed. I'm just saying. I also had a great conversation with the books editor at S&S the other day -- Michael del Rosario -- and I'm happy to report that he's a stand up joe. He's very pumped about the book.100 Girls is Simon Pulse's (S&S's teen-targeted division) first graphic novel and they're hoping it will make a big splash.

S&S will also be in San Diego and want Todd and Me to do signings at their booth. Score.

Okay, one Oscar tidbit: We packed Oscar up into the stroller (thanks CB and Barb!) and took him out for his first stroll. He doesn't much ike being restrained, so he cried hard for a few minutes and then passed out. Very exciting.

Up all night; Visitors; Weight gain

We had a long, somewhat drawn-out weekend. Sleep deprivation makes all time coalesce into a foggy, timeless NOW. If that makes sense.

Saturday, I went to Free Comic Book Day at Danger Zone and had a nice time. I met quite a few people, sold a few books, and felt guilty for not being with the family. But I think it was good for me. I hover too much. When we have him in the bassinet or the car seat, I can't resist just standing over him and staring. And I sometimes have trouble sleeping (and sleep is so precious right now) because I lay there worried about how Oscar is doing RIGHT THIS MOMENT. We'll get it worked out, I'm sure.

My brother and his family came over on Saturday after FCBD. I felt bad because I spent about an hour with them before I had to go to sleep.

Here are some more vital statistics for Oscar: As of today, he weighs more than his birth weight. 6 lbs, 13 oz and measured 20.25 inches. Everyone, including his very tired parents, are very proud of his growth. It's amazing how much he's changed in his a little over a week. His cheeks are filling out and he's gaining a little Buddha belly.

Speaking of his belly, we think Oscar may have pulled his umbilical stump out. He has a habit of gripping very tightly onto his stomach. This freaks out Melissa and me. Last night we noticed the bloody stump hanging off his belly by a single thread. Ugh. The doctor says this is nothing to worry about.

Over the last few days, we've had a small parade of visitors come by and see our Little Man. Jim, Stephanie, and Vicky visited us in the hospital. Since coming home we've seen Kobi, Bryan, Journey and Dixon Blair; Sarah Evans and Stuart Rue; Angela Yeager; my brother's family; Tanya and Jerry and the kids; Kate Evans; and Murray and Patie (who brought us a beautiful home-made blanket. Everyone coos appropriately over how handsome Oscar is. All of our friends have really good taste.

More photos of these last few days up on our flickr page soon.

The Milkman Cometh*

Oscar gained another two ounces today. He was weighed at our latest appointment with the lactation specialist. She had a lot of praise for the routine we're following and for Melissa's technique. Score!

We're gonna continue with the routine of thirty minutes feeding, pumping and feeding the milk we get to Oscar, supplemented with formula. Please note that I say "we" though I am not really expressing any milk. After this weekend, we hope that we'll be able to cut out the formula.

And, big news, Melissa's milk is coming in!

More minutia about Oscar's feeding schedule as events warrant.

*I really, really hate puns, but, man, I couldn't resist.

Free Comic Book Day '08

I'll be signing this Saturday as part of the nation-wide Free Comic Book Day festivities. Here are the details:


Danger Zone
Saturday, May 3, 10-3
1071 Commercial St SE
Salem, OR 97302
503-364-7980

I may not be there for the whole event, so if you want to see me, call ahead to make sure I'm there, or come early.

If you're in Salem on Saturday, come by and say "hi."

Days one and two at home

We've had the Sprout home for three days now. The first night was... rough.

Oscar was still not really feeding, and Melissa's milk hadn't come in, and he was obviously hungry. He cried all night long and, my God, it was just heart breaking. Hearing him cry, wail, and even knowing why, but not being able to do anything about it but hold him,rock him, walk with him. My hips hurt the next morning because I'd walked and swayed him so much.

But that morning, this would be Wednesday, we took him to the lactation specialist. She weighed him (down to 6 lbs, 1 oz) and counseled Melissa on feeding techniques. For the most part, Oscar is latching on to Melissa's breast, but there was no milk there for him, which is common. I have to take a moment and shake my fist at evolution. Why is it that at just the moment that mom and child are trying to figure out the whole feeding thing, the body decides it should take a few days for there to actually be milk. And I know that there's colostrum there for the little guy, but it doesn't fill his tummy.

Anyway, the lactation specialist, concerned about his weight and about a yellowish tinge he's taking on due to slight jaundice (also caused by how little he's eating) has us supplementing what he's getting at the breast with an ounce of formula at each feeding. The change has been amazing. We had him weighed at his first wellness visit today and overnight he'd gained two ounces. He's sleeping soundly -- he has to be woken to take a feeding, actually -- and he just seems overall more content. Now that Melissa's milk seems to be coming in, we're hoping to soon be able to cut out the formula.

Also at his appointment today, they tested the level of bilirubin in his blood (the cause of the jaundice) and found it only slightly elevated. The doctor wasn't concerned and believes it'll dissipate as oscar gains weight.

We've settled into a routine here, feeding every three hours. Melissa will rest or sleep as she's able, her mom, Sue and I assisting as we can. Sue and I also take turns sleeping so that someone is always up with Melissa and Oscar. Without talking about, the night shift has fallen to me, but that's fine since I'm a night owl anyway. It's been a God-send, having Sue here with us. I don't know how Melissa and I would have managed without her. Besides spotting me so I can sleep, she's cooked us meals, walked with and comforted Oscar -- basically made it so we can feel sane for the last few days. She'l be with us through the end of next week. I hope we'll be okay after that.

Photos up

The first batch of photos, mostly documenting the labor and first morning of Oscar's life, are now up on our flickr page.