Fox is at home with Joe and Sadie now.

He spends most of his time sitting on the couch with Mommy.


But he did take the time to have a bath.

Often he stretches his neck back far and wrinkles his forehead as if he is opening his eyes wide (but with his eyes closed).

Here is Daddy's impression.
He's had a lot of visitors at home already. Pictures of visitors might go up here sometime soon. Until then, here is his profile to show you how much he looks like Sadie.

He does open his eyes up more and more all the time, but we rarely get a good picture of it. And for visitors, he seems to just sleep.

Fox is now at home (so pictures from home should start getting posted soon).

His likes include eating, touching his face, and being held. His dislikes include having his diaper changed, bright light, and laying by himself.

Our cat Sue Ellen Mischke seems freaked by the new primate. She usually follows Sadie or me from room to room, unable to be away from us. Now she spends a lot of time in other rooms--or even right outside the room we're currently in with Fox. Hopefully she'll warm up to him.

Visitors are always welcome--just call ahead so we know when you're coming.

Answering Questions

Why did Sadie have an emergency c-section?
Let's give a short version of the narrative: there was some evidence that Sadie's water may have broke--not terrible sure, she called the hospital. They said to come get checked to be sure. Her water had not broken; however, while the nurse was on the phone with her doctor, the monitor showed a major reduction in the baby's heart rate. This was temporary, but the doctor ordered an ultra-sound to be sure. The ultra-sound showed a low level of amniotic fluid (hence the evidence of the water breaking), which can be dangerous, and so since the baby was full-term, labor was to be induced. During the very early stages of this inducing, the monitor lost the baby's heart rate. Suddenly there was a flurry of nurses, then doctors came, and it was determined the baby had to come fast. So Sadie was wheeled away and prepared while Joe paced around the room. Later somebody came to get Joe. Thinking he was going to hold Sadie's hand during the procedure, he walked toward her but then was pointed another way. There sat Fox, screaming his conehead off.

So there's the short story, leaving out the emotions and fear of what was happening. It all went fast: Joe and Sadie were watching football, calm, laughing, and Joe looked at the clock (which read 8:05) and commented that it was already after 8:00. The baby was born at 8:36. So Sadie was spared the agony of labor, and instead got a brief dose of intense fear. It all worked out, though--before 10:00, Joe was wheeling Fox in to meet his mommy.

Why did you name the kid "Fox"? Are you a couple of crazy hippies?
Sadie and Joe both really wanted a unique name. Joe really liked The X-Files (his grad school schedule allowed him to watch a lot of the Sci Fi Channel), and Fox Mulder had all the virtues he admired (the desire to believe, the quest for truth). Sadie also loved the name, and hence his name is Fox. We are getting used to calling him by his name.

His full name is Fox Atticus Meissner Fischer. Yes, if you look at that name, I don't blame you for thinking us a couple of wackos. I don't think we are, though. It's really a wonderful name.

It's a boy!

Fox Fischer was born last night (Jan. 21) via emergency c-section. The surgery went fine: Sadie is doing great and the baby is healthy and good.

He's not very happy to be a few minutes old. We thought about naming him MacDuff (also born, seemingly, via c-section).
As King Lear says, "When we are born we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools."
Here is Fox making faces at you.

When he got to meet his mommy, he calmed right down and opened his eyes to stare at her.

They were both pretty happy.
Sadie says it was the easiest delivery ever. She was completely knocked out while it happened, so it was great when they got to meet.
Still angry about being born. It will probably get a little easier, little fellow. His hair looks really red in the picture, but as he's gotten cleaned up he seems to be a little blondie.

He's calming down. He's spent much of the morning sleeping peacefully on mommy's chest. His first moments on the scale.

So here he is, world: Fox Fischer: 6 lbs., 11 ounces, 19 inches long.

We are doing what we can to get ready for this baby. Here we are practicing mugging for the camera.

Joe is practicing for parenthood by giving in to his marsupial instincts.

Mischke is pleased about this.

And the baby is also practicing mugging for the camera.

Welcome to Baby Viking!


Hello everyone! Joe and I thought it would be nice to have a blog devoted to our new baby, so people can read updates and see pictures and such. So, we created this page, The Baby Viking. We hope you visit often!

So far, there are no really exciting updates. My gut is getting much bigger, and February 9 seems to be sneaking up on us. As of right now, I am 36 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Not that I am counting, or anything.

We have most of the things we need for the baby: crib, changing table, etc.


Joe even built a bookshelf for the baby's growing library:

We saw the birth center at our hospital (United) this week, and it seems we will either get a suite or a dorm-sized space with no tub (never fear--there is a communal bathtub area just down the hall. It reminds me of European Vacation, and not in a good way). I am kind of hoping for a suite. It's first come, first served, so I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

So, the countdown is on. Soon enough we will know the gender and what it looks like. We will update often, if there are things to update about. Don't be surprised if there aren't many posts in the next few weeks, though. But once I pop, you'll see lots of nice pictures and stuff. Thanks for visiting!