And Then There Was Noah

Noah Robert Emerick was born in the afternoon of June 15th, 2013. A healthy, kicking, crying little boy, Noah showed up a few weeks early yet just fine (full-term) and Katie and I were able to hold him right away. There's been a few pushy reminders over the last nine months that we're actually going to be starting a family - birth classes, ultrasound pictures, growing and moving pregnant bellies - but this was it. This was us for now on.

Jacob, Katie, and Noah: the new family

It all happened at Theda Clark in Neenah, a distant two miles from our house. We checked on a Friday afternoon and got a great west-facing room (best views in the Birth Center). Both Katie and I were in high spirits, ready to see our child (we didn't know if it was a boy or girl yet), hopeful that before the night was through we'd have a third Emerick in the room.

View from the hospital room

An excited mom ready to see her baby

Of course that didn't happen. One thing led to another, and without diving into the specifics we ended up waiting well over 24 hours to see Noah. Both days were stressful and long, even with the accomodating staff and doctors. All of it fell away when we finally got to hear the loud cries and hold him for the first time.

Katie holding Noah

Swaddled Noah and his huge feet

The last few days have been a blur. Many of our friends have warned of stress, of sleepness nights and rocky starts, but they never told us about the ridiculous highs of holding your own child, the tiny squirms and complete helplessness of it, and even the fun (for now) of changing a diaper. I don't think you can. All I know is that both Katie and I are happy, complete, and anxious for the challenges, even with the stress and sleep depreviation.

Jacob holding a nose-picking Noah

Quick note for frequent readers: I don't have any plans for turning this site into a daddy-blog. There will be still be Upper Peninsula hiking stories (though I'm uncertain of the frequency or recency in the coming months) and code/programming posts. Noah will probably creep in every once in awhile, maybe a mention of his first words/steps/NCT thru-hike, but as of now I'll try to maintain some level of focus on the normal topics.