If you read the “Week One” post, you may be curious as to what has been going on in the past week or desperately searching the internet for a unicorn chaser. I had been pretty worn out after everything that had happened. Worn out as in “getting up from the couch was today’s accomplishment”. Feeling a bit low, I consulted my dear friend Jeff (of the Goldblums…not of the “Action Woods”) for advice. He gave me this nugget:

Indeed, good sir.

Since Sunday night I have been under a self-imposed house arrest. During Week One – my parents were the MVPs. They were spending nights in the hospital, spending some nights doing full-time baby duty, going on formula runs, cleaning house, doing laundry and cooking meals. When they had to leave to return to Texas, Corey’s mother earned the Week Two MVP award – as she’s been watching over both Elliott and I this week, doing a lion’s share of baby care when I’ve been too weak and exhausted to do so. Without the help of our families, I’m pretty sure Lily would be wearing a mini barrel of formula around her neck whilst Elliott roamed the house nude.

(Other MVPs this week include Tim Gott, the Dr.’s Roberts and Tracy Inman from the Gatton Academy and the Center for Gifted Studies for bringing us far more delicious food than three adults could eat!)

Elliott has been a doll. He is a well tempered baby who only really cries when he needs a diaper change or is hungry. He really wails when he needs a diaper change, and has been known to dirty two diapers in one changing…surely an early indicator of being a gifted and talented child. (We’ve already sent in the apps to MIT and NYU’s Tisch, just to be safe.) He’s getting his days and nights arranged, and (wait for it) we’ve had to occasionally wake him up in the middle of the night to change and feed him. The pediatrician said not to worry about feeding him every 2-3 hours…but not to let him go longer than five. A couple nights ago he was out for six before we woke up and realized it. I told Elliott that if he kept sleeping like this, we’d buy him a car on his 16th birthday. We’ll call it the “Zzz’s for Keys” program. Otherwise, I’ve spent most days like an abstinent Hugh Hefner – wearing pajamas all day and slowly hobbling through the house.

On Friday, I went to the doctor and the trip out left me exhausted. She gave me the okay to drive and reassured me that the surgery plus complications meant that I wouldn’t be back up to full speed for a while. When discussing what had happened post-delivery, she explained that some people don’t metabolize anesthesia very well…and that this is something I would need to let doctors know in the future if I have surgery. She also noted that given the size of the baby and the size of my pelvis there was “no way that baby was going to be delivered naturally.” We’ll file that under “Information that would have been useful three weeks ago.” Seriously. I’m so glad to know that the only thing on me that is petite is the place a giant baby was supposed to pass through. She also noted that second babies are larger, so if we planned on having a second baby, it would be a scheduled C-Section and the anesthesia used would be different than what I had this time. I let her know that after the past two weeks, we would not be expanding the Alder-empire for a loooooong time.

So, I’m still easily winded and worn out. It took me three attempts to blow dry my hair straight yesterday and I was drenched in sweat afterward. (Hubba hubba) You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can’t take the need for big hair out of the girl. The gameplan is to keep taking it easy…building up strength and getting ready to fly solo in a few days when Corey’s mother leaves and I’m home alone with Elliott during the day. It makes me a little nervous…but I asked my dear friend Elton (of the John’s, not of the Food Network. That’s Alton.) for a pick me up. He obliged.

Elton, take it away.

P.S. Thank you to everyone who read the Week One blog post and sent in kind words of support. I didn’t intend for the blog post to have such an impact, I was just trying to document everything. I’ve been overwhelmed by how many people read the blog post and have been checking up on our little family. Once again, thank you so much for your concern. It has made the recovery process much easier.

Schneider Hall seems to be an important fixture in my life. I spent the entirety of my sophomore year in the building. It was where I turned on a TV the morning of 9-11 to see the events of the day unfolding. It was where I found out that my grandmother was going to pass away. It’s where I made new friends. It’s where a stream of those friends called at 3 a.m. to use the restroom the night they camped out on the lawn of Potter Hall in hopes of getting a room in the renovated directional halls on campus.

Since coming back in 2007, it’s the place where I’ve grown personally and professionally–a place where I have the good fortune of meeting hundred of the state’s finest young people through Nerd Camp and the Academy. It’s also the place where Stephanie and I celebrated our wedding reception. (Some folks say it’s the nicest the Fourth Floor Common Room has ever looked.)

Tuesday, August 3, marked another celebration in the building. Our friends and coworkers at the Academy and The Center hosted a baby shower for Elliott. We’ve been so thankful not only for their gifts but also their support and encouragement leading up to his arrival and in the days since. We look forward to him meeting these dear friends some time late next week.

Here’s hoping that some day Elliott will enjoy time in Schneider Hall as well as a Nerd Camper and Academy Class of 2028 student.

The Alderdice household is a big fan of Jeff “Action” Woods, sportscaster extraordinaire, good pal, and just a generally great guy.

Jeff isn’t a fan of the fact that I’ve nicknamed him “Action” and petitioned him on several occasions to adopt the moniker on air.  Friends and gentle readers, I believe we can make that and more happen for old Jeffrey.

I sent myself an email reminder exactly one year ago so I wouldn’t forget about this. Nominations have begun for the 2010 Best of Bowling Green.  The contest recognizes favorite restaurants, stores, and individuals in the city of Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Most of all, I want to see Jeff “Action” Woods as a finalist for Category #104 — Best Local TV Personality.

Do you know who won this category last year?  Radar the Weather Dog.  I’m not even kidding.  A dog beat out a real-life human being for best local tv personality.  Had Jeff been nominated, this would not have happened.

Never again.

Here’s why I’m asking you to do this: Jeff has been one of my dearest friends since he helped me move into my dorm room sophomore year–when I didn’t even know him.  He was my roommate in college and suffered all manner of degradation at my hand.  For some reason, he even agreed to be a groomsman in my wedding.  He’s one of the nicest guys in the world, honestly.

I am asking all of my friends to participate in the nomination process.  There are lots of categories; however,you need only vote for 104. BEST LOCAL TV PERSONALITY. Please enter Jeff “Action” Woods in field number 104. You will have to cycle through a few pages to get to the page with this category.  It’s kind of annoying, I know, but there is no direct link for the page.

It’s that simple.  Please vote early and often.  To make the final voting round, Jeff must be one of the three vote-getters during the nomination phase.

Look how happy the little fella is in the photo below.  Imagine how happy he’ll be if he wins.

The only thing good about a stay in the hospital such as this is that it brought Elliott into our world.  The journey began at 5 a.m. on Friday and finally wrapped up shortly after noon today.  Granted, there will be trips to visit Dr. Baker, our pediatrican and other stops along the way in the days ahead but I’d be happy if that was our last stay in a hospital for a while.

For the time being, though, we’re happy to have Elliott at home.  Lily, on the other hand, is a bit apprehensive about having something else tiny in the house; however, she seems to be warming up to the little fella.  Both mother and child seem to be settling in well, though each have had a couple of naps today.

Until Stephanie writes an account of the last few days, enjoy these photos from our last day at the Bowling Green Medical Center and our first day as a newly-minted family at 806 Brownstone Way.

What an exciting forty-eight hours it has been in the Alderdice world.  We were excited to welcome little Elliott Lyndan Alderdice at 9:05 p.m. on Friday, August 6, 2010.  The fella was eight pounds, five ounces and twenty-one-and-a-quarter inches long.  We’re happy to share this first bath of photos with you.

Most of our friends have joked about the likeliness of me “live blogging” the birth of our first child.

Most of our friends have been correct about this assumption.

Tomorrow, I’ll tweet updates throughout the day.  We go in for induction at 5 a.m. (CDT).  Who knows how long it will be from then until Elliott’s arrival, though.  My tweets will include a #lbrday hashtag.  If you’d like to pass along a message to us or the little fella, you are welcome to use the tag as well.  All #lbrday tweets will appear in the timeline below so you can see what’s going on if you’re not on Twitter.

It’s going to be an exciting day!

Update: You can read the #lbrday transcript of tweets via What the Hashtag.

For folks who know me, there are three things that I enjoy immensely: the charming sound of a ukulele, the nomy deliciousness of cake, and the delightful cadence of an English accent.

Boing Boing had a shout out to the song stylings of Rocky and Balls.  While the name is a bit lacking, these duet darlings from the UK combine a bit of wordplay with simple melodies.  My personal favorite of their songs is “Love Cake,” which can be found below.

Like what you hear? Check out their website for more tracks.  You can also follow them on Twitter.