Iris Luella Kelley!

Iris was born today at 5:53 PM. She was 8 pounds, 10 ounces in weight, 22 inches long, and no, she is not giving you the finger. Look carefully and you'll see it's the wrong finger.

Iris was born by C-section because she was breech. Speaking as a breech baby myself (who was born the old fashioned way back before C-sections were invented) a C-section is definitely the way to go for a baby who is pointed north. Vaginal birth is humiliating when you're breech. It's not just the bad first impression you make by backing into the world and introducing your butt to everyone before they've even seen your face. It's also the whole idea that you've basically screwed up your first task ever. Everything is provided for you in there, all you have to do is face down. It's just not a good start, and a C-section is a graceful way to get around all of it and get a clean start.

Anyway, word is that Megan and Iris are well. I can only guess that while Megan is the one who had the tougher day, Iris is doing most of the complaining. And this is just the beginning.

Congratulations to mother, father, aunts, and grandparents of various rank (Clara was just promoted to 'Great-Grandma'!).

Amy Lures Firemen To Her Bedroom

The good news is that Amy appears to be fine. The bad news is we're not convinced the emergency room doctors really knew what the problem was. The good news is Amy is getting better rapdily. The bad news is there wasn't much room to go anywhere but up. The good news is that Amy now has quite a story to tell. The bad news is that Amy now has quite a story to tell.

Anyone who has experienced an Amy story knows that they tend to go on a bit, and well into the story, well after your head has started to spin from all the seemingly unrelated details and side-stories she includes, she casually drops in a detail that would have been the starting point (or the only point) of most people's stories. So she might say "My coworkers and I like to watch movies at lunch" blah blah blah "I brought in The Shawshank Redemption because" blah blah blah "I made some popcorn but I forgot about it being in the microwave because the movie was at that part where" blah blah blah "and then the smoke alarms went off" blah blah blah "and they evacuated the building."

The story from today will begin with Amy telling all about a recent bout of the (apparent) flu, and after a while get to the part where she wakes up in the middle of the night hardly able to move from weakness and soreness. If you don't know the story of me having Guillain-Barre Syndrome in 1995 then you're likely to hear that whole story before returning to the present day to the part about the fully outfited firemen in Amy's bedroom and a ride in the back of what little Amy used to call a "hospital truck".

At the moment it appears the ending of this story is anticlimactic. Let's hope it stays that way. Right now it appears that Amy "just" had a virus, and as of late this evening she was up, eating, and even sent Mom home.

In case you haven't experienced an Amy story, and in case you haven't seen this video already, here is a video from this Christmas giving a mild simulation of the Amy story experience:

A Fairey Tale

I display this image not for political reasons. This isn't that kind of blog. 

There is something significant about this now famous poster, though. It was created (independently) by an artist named Shepard Fairey of South Carolina. While his last name must have made middle school a little rough (especially for an aspiring artist), he nailed the first name. He even spelled it right. 

The poster - which elicits either retro-coolness or totalitarian leader-worship, depending on your perspective - was eventually adopted by the Obama campaign with the word "Progress" replaced by "Change." 

So I post this poster not to rub it in for those who aren't celebrating today, but just to make the case that we weren't entirely off-target when we chose the name "Shepard." The Obama-voting artistic Fairies of South Carolina apparently liked the name, too.

The timing is just a coincidence.

An Anxious Moment

Grace: Dad, will you open the washing machine?
Dad: [suspiciously] Why Grace?
Grace: Because it's stuck.
Dad: [more suspiciously] Why do you need it open?
Grace: To wash some clothes.
Dad: [sternly] What happened to the clothes, Grace?
Grace: They got dirty.
Dad: [more sternly] Grace, how did the clothes get dirty?
Grace: [pause] Barbie got them dirty.
Dad: [exasperated] Oh, so Barbie did it. Grace, what is on the clothes?
Grace: I don't know.
Dad: [sigh] [pause] [On the way to the laundry room] Okay, I'm coming.
Grace: [from the living room] No, not that one, Daddy. The one in Barbie's Dream House.
Dad: [relieved] Oh! Yeah, I'll open that one right now!

The Twins relax after a meal

Sarah snapped a quick video of the twins relaxing after a meal:

The Best of Times; The Worst of Times

'Tis the season for articles with titles like "The Best Reality Show Moments of 2008," "The Worst Snack Foods of 2008," and "Why 2009 Will Be 'The Year of the Sweet Potato'." So I'm going to pile on with two lists of my own:

1. Why 2008 Was Great:

• The Orwig twins are born
  Goes without saying. One of the best and most significant days in my life.
  
  
• Harrison milestones
  Too many to mention. The guy started second grade, and has been growing up in countless ways. He seems to be making the transition from "little boy" to "young man" already. With the addition of the twins to the family, Harrison has sometimes moved into a more grown-up caretaker role even though we haven't asked him to.
  
  
• Grace Milestones
  Again, too many to mention. She started preschool. She changed instantly from "baby of the family" to "big sister" and "middle child." She has made the transition from toddler to little girl.
  
  
• My political candidate wins for a change
  Don't worry, I don't expect everyone to agree with me on this. But it was very important to me because I felt it was very important for all of us. To me, November's election seems to improve the odds we will pull through the next decade.
  
  
• Ford releases some kick-butt new cars, giving hope
  I had been worried, but it seemed I was starting to see some Ford cars in daily use that really could be a part of the Way Forward we've been counting on for the past three years. It wasn't just the Fusion any more. Now there were multiple Ford vehicles out there that people genuinely liked.
  
  

2. Why 2008 Sucked Big-Time:

• Grandma Shepard dies
  The fact that this event was not unexpected makes it no less traumatic and significant for all of us. Now that the body of Wealthie was gone I'm really starting to miss the Grandma who was in my life for so long.
  
  
• Luke dies
  I still have trouble believing I'm even typing this one. It still doesn't make sense, and it still affects our family on a daily basis. Luke, and the loss of Luke, comes up when I'm talking to Harrison, Grace still asks questions about him, and I think of him and his family literally daily. Harrison has made new close friends but he will be forever affected by losing Luke. As stunned and sad as we were when it happened just before school started, I never would have guessed how affected we would still be now. 
  
  
• Claire gets sick
  This story has mainly turned out to have a happy ending, but it was horrific while it was happening and it cast a dark cloud over an exciting time in the life of someone who didn't deserve it.
  
  
• The economy siezes
  That "Way Forward" plan mentioned above, already behind schedule, was dependant on people not only wanting but also being able to buy these new Ford cars they were starting to like. The events of the fall seemed quickly to nullify any hope of a way forward not only for Ford and the (now) "Detroit Three", but this entire region of the country. 
  
  
• The US Senate left us to die
  I know I shouldn't take this personally. It was just politics, after all. But when the bailout failed, it killed any remaining faith I had that when necessary, politicians would rise to the occasion and become leaders. They didn't. It doesn't bother me as much when citizens who don't have all the facts make callus statements about "letting the free market take its course" or "controlled bankruptcy." But those senators knew the likely consequences and they cold heartedly decided to risk the ruin of a region of our country and even a potential depression in the hope the UAW would die in the process. As one of the people scheduled for ruin, I do take it personally.

So there's my list. I'll start work right away on my next post: "Why 2009 Will Be the Year of Early Potty Training."

Twin Milestones

These startlingly cute "jackets" from Grandma Burke are creating quite a reaction whereever I take the twins. It's the ears that make the outfits. Kennedy and Shepard love the warmth, but of course they can't see the ears. Someday they're going to get old enough to check this blog and I'm going to be in trouble.

A couple of milestones over this past week or so:

1. Kennedy has popped out the beginnings of a lower tooth. It's just the start, but Kennedy and a babysitter both noticed it before Sarahjane and I did. 
2. Both babies can now get up on all fours. Neither of them are moving very fast yet, and when they do move they are limited to reverse. But it tells me my days of parking them in one room and expecting them to stay are almost over. By now, the cats should know that their days of relative quiet are over, too.