More pictures of our lady Vi.

REVISED: What We Talk about When WE Talk about Love.

Jason: Now if the baby dies, it's going to be really hard to dig a hole in the ground, because the ground is starting to freeze.
Me: Now that we know the baby, if the baby dies, the only hole for us is going to be the one at the end of the barrel of a shotgun.

Original post here.

Violet!

Her name is Violet, but mostly we call her Mouse, or Mouse House. We are not certain if she is indeed the mouse, or if she is simply a vessel in which many mice live. Based on the noises that come out of her, hour to hour, it is difficult to say. When she dirties a diaper, Jason says, "Eviction from the Mouse House! I understand you gotta get 'em out, but do you have to chew them up first?" in an old-timey voice. As with just about everything else these days, it's charming.

Moreover, she's the aviator of various aircraft. She is a polite hiccupper. After a feeding, she enjoys a good bit of a dance, which ends up looking a little bit like casting spells and a little bit like Thom Yorke in the "Lotus Flower" video. We have been compiling video and will hopefully post some soon.


Mostly, she's the best baby EVER. She sleeps a lot, snuggles even more, and when she's awake has this endearing quality of just looking around at things, calm and alert.

More pictures and probably the birth story for anyone who wants to hear it coming soon...as well as a MILLION AND ONE thank yous!

Introducing Violet Eliza DePasquale

(the fetus formerly known as Delano)

There is surely an epic tale to be told about the birth of our lovely daughter, Violet Eliza DePasquale, but it will have to wait until later, as we are currently frantically cycling between ecstatic and exhausted. For the moment, please know that we are all alive and well. We've had one slight complication, which is that Amy seems to be suffering from a spinal headache. In the grand scheme of things, it's minor, albeit pretty frustrating (especially for Amy...) It's kept us from being too photo-happy, which family and friends have been complaining about. (We find this very flattering, by the way.) So here are some quick shots of the last few days:



Grandma DePasquale meets Violet.




Cousin Haley and the Sumerton Grandparents pose with the birthday girl.



Uncle Rich and Aunt Rachel. This is the second baby Rich has ever held. (I don't know what happened to the first.)




Rich and Rachel brought mini bottles of champagne (among other gifts.) Here's Amy taking her first sip of alcohol in nine months. (It was also her only sip.)



My sister Natalie and Amy's brother Mike brought a whole host of cousins (and Aunt Caty and Uncle Tyler) to meet Violet. It was chaotic and wonderful.





In fact, all sorts of important people came by to pay their respects.



Here's me with my Practice Baby (Chloe), and my new Actual Baby (Violet.)
(For those who don't know, I was Chloe's nanny for a number of years. She taught me everything that I know.)




Mother and baby, resting at home in bed.


More to come. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE for the gigantic outpouring of love and support. We're profoundly grateful to have you all in our lives.

One more for the road:

Violet Eliza DePasquale
born December 12, 2011
7 pounds, 4 ounces
19.5 inches long
Conqueror of Hearts

What We Talk about When WE Talk about Love.

Me: If the baby dies, we'll have to get divorced and I'll move into a hole in the ground.

Jason: I don't see why we need to get divorced. Can't I move into the hole in the ground with you?

Me: (Pause for thought.) Okay.