Hello Simone!

Team Swanson has achieved balance. Simone Elizabeth blessed us with her presence at 6:17 a.m. yesterday. It is hard to explain, but there is no other feeling like picking up your baby daughter for the first time.

May 17th started out as your typical day, but as I arrived home from work, change was on the horizon. Lisa was complaining that she had been having contractions all afternoon. We went for a walk and the frequency seemed to subside. Lisa suggested that we get prepared, pack some bags for the hospital, etc. So like any responsible husband, I sat down and got caught up on "Treme." I went to bed at 10:30 and drifted off to sleep. One hour later, I was awoken to "Dirk, DIRK, my water broke", to which I replied "oh shit." As my uber prepared pregnant wife waited by the door, I scrambled around the bedroom throwing whatever I could find in a backpack. As Mimi rushed in the door, we headed out and were off to the hospital for round two.

Our first trip to the Labor and Delivery unit was filled with questions. How was this going to go? What was going to happen? This time, we strolled into the emergency entrance like the crafty veterans we were. I spent the next six hours hanging out, watching some tv, and napping. Lisa spent the next six hours hooked up to various machines, being poked with various needles and being visited by various doctors and nurses. At 6am the cart was set up and the push began. At 6:17, that's right, 17 minutes, my wife is a rockstar, baby was born. The umbilical cord had conveniently placed it's self right over the ......after some adjustment, Dr Benden announced "it's a GIRL". A 6lb 3oz, 20 inch girl.

I suppose you are wondering how Cullen took this. Well to start things off, he thought Mom was having a duck. That is what he was telling all his friends at daycare. I picked him up from daycare and we headed to the hospital. The whole trip I talked to him about the baby and he just kind of stared back at me with a look that said, "what the hell is he talking about, baby?" He ran into the hospital room and just stopped and stared. Then a huge smile came over his face. He ran up to the bed and yelled "baby". I lifted him up and slowly brought him down to Simone's side. He immediately got in Simone's face and yelled "Hi Baby, Hi." He then went in and gave her a kiss and told her to "Wake up baby". She didn't comply to his order. The rest of the afternoon was filled with him poking and prodding Simone and getting into things he shouldn't be. He was real excited to hear that Grandma Yiz was coming down to stay with him for a couple of days while we are in the hospital.

Mom and Simone are doing great. Simone has spent the last 24hrs sleeping, with the occasional diaper change and feeding. Lisa and I are relaxing before the jump into a two child household.