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Before Tristan was Born

So much to do, so much to think about!

A lot of things needed to happen before Tristan arrived and it seemed at first there was plenty of time to do it in. Tristan was early, but we were ready for him. He was due to arrive on New Year's Eve, but instead became the best 30th Birthday present Jenny could have wished for. At least I'll never get their Birthdays mixed up.

 

It all had to start somewhere!

In order for it all to happen, I guess I really needed to locate and marry the perfect girl! This included creating the illusion that I was actually some kind of "lucky catch". The result was a Fairy Tale Wedding that took place in late August of the last century.

 

The Baby Shower

Jenny's shower was tough to pull off because she is very keen and knows when something is up. My mother and I decided to have it on my mother's Birthday to try and throw Jenny off the scent. I then asked Jenny to call my mom and ask her where she would like to go for a Birthday brunch from the two of us. Of course my mother told Jenny that she would like to go to the place where she had already arranged for the shower to be!

We'll never know if Jenny was truly surprised but the shower did go off smoothly.

 

Tristan's Room

Getting the baby room ready, I think, may have been the most fun for us. We really put it off for a long time because we couldn't decide where to start. One thing we knew for sure was that we wanted it simple and traditional. Once we started, it came together very quickly and before we knew it, it was ready!

 

How we chose our baby's name

Selecting a name for a child is a fun, emotional and momentous descision. We had many suggestions from family and friends and ultimately decided on Tristan. We wanted a name that was a little off the beaten path, but not too bizzare. Tristan... it has a nice ring to it. Maybe "T" for short... we'll see what he responds to.

 

Tristan's Quilt

In the spirit of getting ready for his inevitable arrival, the family, spear-headed by Judy (a.k.a. Nana), led the effort to construct a quilt for Tristan. The whole family chipped in and below are a few pics.

 

Earliest pictures of Tristan

If you look closely at the following sonograms, you can see Tristan's face in on the left and his right foot, looking from the bottom, to the right.

 

Educational Reading

We found a couple of books very helpful as we prepared for the events of December 22, 2001 and beyond.

• Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy, Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.
• What to Expect When You're Expecting, Eisenberg, Murkoff and Hathaway
• On becoming Baby Wise, Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, M.D.
• What to Expect the First Year, Eisenberg, Murkoff and Hathaway