b.rox

We took the girl in for her second appointment with the pediatrician this morning. She weighed in at 5 lbs. 15 oz., up five ounces from last week and almost back to her original birth weight. (I understand a slight weight loss is expected at first, at least for breastfed babies.) The doctor said she [...]

The Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guarantees we can take twelve weeks off from work to have a baby or care for a sick relative, and that our job will still be there when we come back. It does not, of course, guarantee pay during such a leave. That’s a benefit, and different employers [...]

We took our first stroll around the block yesterday.

Many of the sidewalks are impassable, so we had to push the stroller in the street. On Iberville I saw a renovation underway; they were sanding, with clouds of lead-based paint dust going everywhere. (I’ll be placing a call to the city’s Department of Environmental Health tomorrow [...]

I’m not the kind of guy who carries around pictures of his newborn child.
But I will post ‘em on the net.

I can understand that our geographically dispersed family members would want to see more pictures of our little girl, but I was surprised that friends and co-workers have requested more as well. I mean, generally [...]

Trying to bring this journal up to date…
We spent two nights in the hospital and were discharged on Saturday just after noon. We got home less than 48 hours after the birth.
As I was running errands to the pharmacy, Xy of course overexerted herself. She was excited to be home and started trying to do [...]

Xy woke up around 3:30 Thursday morning and discovered her water had broken sometime during the night.

This took us by surprise just a bit, because we expected to have a couple more weeks.. Xy racked her brain and remembered what the doctor said: “Three reasons to come straight to the hospital: 1) blood, 2) contractions [...]

Break out the cigars and pass em around — it’s a girl.
Persephone Jean Everpax
Born on the cusp:
February 21, 2008
6 lbs. (just barely)
17 3/4″ long
Mother and child are both healthy. Persephone was delivered via Caesarian section, so Xy is recovering slowly.
More to come.
In the meantime, you can find the earliest known photos of Persephone [...]

We think the baby dropped sometime yesterday or the day before. Xy is feeling a lot better and seems to have a lot more energy.
Speaking of dropping, perhaps it’s time to drop the pretense that we’re keeping the child’s sex a secret.
See, four or five months ago Xy asked me if we should opt to [...]

I mentioned last June that I was going to be a grand uncle. About five months ago, my niece gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. Last month she ran off to Nevada with the father, whom I’ve never met. A few days ago they got married. He is joining the Marines, and my niece [...]

Our friends DJ and Daisy and Anna and Lili came over, and we spent the day moving furniture from room to room.
My office has moved in to the front room which had been serving as our “living room” (such a strange name for a room!) since our lower floor was flooded. Our bedroom has moved [...]

I got some clothes and a swell electric garlic roaster for Christmas this year, but by far the coolest gift comes from my dear departed Grandma Mildred.

It’s a crib blanket that I used as a child forty years ago, handmade by Grandma. The theme seems to be travel. It says: “BY AIR, BY SEA, BY [...]

Here’s a note I sent to my neighborhood discussion group.

Neighbors,
After much soul-searching I have decided that I will not be seeking another term on the board of the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization. This is purely for personal reasons: My wife and I are expecting a child in early March (if the Good Lord is willing!) and [...]

Just found out the sex of our impending child, via text message from Xy. However, I’m not posting it here. We need something to announce in March, right? Also, I need to sort out just how much of this child’s life is going to be subject to my compulsive communicating. And finally, it’s another opportunity [...]

Congratulations to my parents who both scored medals at the 2007 Senior Games.

Ray & Ruth Everson, Mooresville, competed in the Summer National Senior Games in Louisville, KY. Everson’s events included the 1500 meter track race walk in 9:31 earning him a Bronze medal in the 70-74 age group. Two days later he contested the 5K [...]

I hope my dad doesn’t mind me sharing this update he sent via e-mail yesterday:

A few years back, Ruth and I visited the Munch museum in Oslo, Norway dedicated to the artist of a famous work called The Scream. It showed a little man screaming.
I was reminded of that painting yesterday when I went in [...]

My dad recently discovered he had prostate cancer. It was “low grade” and slow-growing. More men die with this sort of thing than of it. Among his choices: watch and wait, or get radiation treatment, or just cut the whole thing out. He chose the latter, and on Monday afternoon, he had his prostate removed. [...]

My parents came to New Orleans Monday, but I didn’t see them for a while. They spent the week at Camp Restore, helping to gut homes in New Orleans East.

Finally they came over to our place on Friday. Today we went to the Barataria Preserve at Jean Lafitte for a hike of the Bayou Coquille [...]

Why is Captain Picard of the Starship Enterprise talking about my mother?

Some members of my extended family have been playing one of those “getting to know you” e-mail games, where you answer a bunch of questions, some serious and some silly.

Elliott and Elizabeth had to put their old friend Slim to sleep Wednesday. He was almost 14.
Also on Wednesday my Aunt Suzanne passed away at St. Vincent‚Äôs hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I’m not certain but I think it might have been a stroke. I don’t know her age, but I’m guessing she was around [...]