TTN

So I know that I have been away longer than my goal of getting a post a week on here. I don't want to have excuses for it, but things have been...hectic.

Cody Corippo

My son Cody was born on February 26, 2011 at 1:03 pm. He was 20 inches long and 8 pounds 3 ounces and incredible. I am still amazed that I can fall instantaneously in love. Those that don't believe in love at first sight haven't had a child yet. He stole my heart just like his older brother did two years earlier.
Then there was a problem. He wasn't breathing...how do you say this...the right way. He had grunting going on and muscle contractions. Through my new found love I didn't think anything of it. The nurses kept fussing over him and I kept hovering over him in awe of what God had delivered to my family.

Cody with all of his monitor cables and the IV

Working hard to be ready to come home

Long story shortened considerably...The nurses took him away to observe and monitor his oxygen levels. They told us that he was breathing too fast and might still have some of the pre-birth fluid in his lungs. One of the reasons could have been that he was delivered extremely quickly and didn't have it all squeezed out in the birth canal. Cody was in observation for about 24 hours. The pediatrician then decided that he needed specialized treatment at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, closest being in Santa Rosa.
We then saw our new little angel placed into an isolette and loaded into a medical helicopter. He was then separated from us during his flight to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. His 12 minute flight took us an hour in the car. One of the longest hours of my life. It was reassuring to know that my brother in law, Cody's uncle, was able to take his engine company to the hospital and meet him at the hospital door.
Once we arrived and met with the neonatalogist he assured us that Cody was going to be fine. He was convinced that Cody was experiencing TTN or Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn. It happens in about 1% of all newborns and they have to work harder to clear the excess fluid from their lungs. The doctor reassured us that a few days with oxygen and maybe some pressurized air into his lungs and he would be perfectly normal.

Taking our lil man home

It took five days for our little man to be returned to us. Five long days of living in and out of the hospital and suitcases and a huge weight hovering over your heart and shoulders. In the end he is a perfectly normal little boy that will have no effects from this experience.We also were educated on the type of care and work the NICU's around the country are doing to kids that might otherwise not make it. Our little man was the Big Boy and about 4 times as big as some of the patients in the unit with us. The people taking care of these children  are extremely gifted and should be recognized as the heroes that they are.

Robby loving up on his new little bro

I do have to thank all of the people that helped us get through this. All of the ICN nurses and doctors at Santa Rosa Memorial, the nurses that work in the Labor/Delivery Unit at UVMC, Todd Pelletier from REACH, but above anyone else all our friends and family for giving us unbelievable amounts of love and support. A special recognition should go to my monster in law who always goes above and beyond, but this time was a saint sent from God. She put her entire life on hold and catered to our every need, in addition to ensuring the our older son Robby was taken care of. Robby and his Papa spent most of the week together on what can only be described as a vacation for Robby.
There was another incident that I will soon post on my other blog, Adventure Wannabe, about the fight in the parking lot. It was just the twist of the knife in that week from hell.
Hope to talk to you soon.

Early Delivery

I was really trying to keep up the blog post a week on here. Looks like I might have a bit of a hiatus though. We are going in tonight for the birth of our second son. I look forward to being back and really spending some attention to this blog. I can't wait to meet my new son, Cody.

Talk to you soon.

Back to it

Well, it's time to stop putting it off. My new goal is to post something on this blog once a week.

Today it's just about catching up. My wife is going into the last few weeks of pregnancy, my two year old is acting like he runs the place and I've been working a ridiculous amount. All of it has made me realize (yet again) how blessed and lucky I am in life. I have had a ton of things go my way and any time I spend away from my family leaves me rushing right back to them. All the extra time at work has really hit this home this month.

My son is incredible. I wish I could get myself back to a place where I wake up and have a clean slate for the day, no plans, no regret from yesterdays, just another chance to wake up and be happy to get on with the day. Everytime I watch him wake up and see his smile, just because he woke up, it makes me jealous that I have so much worry, regret, stress and responsibilities already laid out for me that day.

So with this quick post I am rededicating myself to producing this blog, gearing up for the end of a pregnancy and the beginning of adding another life to my family, and going to attempt to wake up with a better perspective each day. Who knows if it will work, but I like the sound of it. 

Thieving Scoundrels

So just a quick story...

I went in to work the other day at the station and during the Giants game remembered that I had some Reese's Pieces up in our cupboard. I jumped up and threw open the door. There they were...with the top open. Upon further investigation I found one left in the box. An entire movie theatre style box of Reese's Pieces and there was a single piece left.

What I should have told you was that I bought the candies with the intention of leaving them in the cupboard and proving that someone would take them on my days off. I told one of my co-workers about my little plan and sure enough someone took and ate my treats.

Now I told you that story to tell you this one.

The thieves from the station returned to work and brought me replacement Pieces. I took and opened a box of them at home and had them on my night stand as I watched a show with Robby taking a nap. Later when he woke up I gave him a piece and watched him do a little happy dance as he discovered what was in that small candy shell. I put the box back on my nightstand and didn't think twice about it.

I went out and ran an errand for my MIL. While I was up at her house my wife calls and tells me that she caught our 19 month old with a box of candy. He climbed up and got the box of Pieces off of my night stand and polished them off...except for one single solitary Reese's Piece.

I couldn't believe it. Twice in one week I had a box of candy stolen and they left me a single piece in the box. Just sitting in there mocking me. No matter where I go it seems that I'm not supposed to have candy. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something...

Nap Wrestling

My son needs naps.

There is no way around this fact. He turns into a high pitched wailing tornado around 4 pm if he hasn't been put down for a siesta. I mean a F5 on the Fujita scale, ultimate devastation! Our living room can go from spotless to thrashed in less than a half hour. I don't even know how its possible. He's only 19 months old, where did he learn these techniques.

So in order to combat these afternoon meltdowns we use the time honored tradition of the Nap. The only problem with this is he isn't a fan. If you catch him on those rare occasions he will take a Baba and snuggle into my chest and drift off to dreamland. More than likely its going to go down with more punches, kicks and blood than a UFC pay per view. The only advantage I have is size and determination.

He is a dirty fighter too! Some of his favorite moves are the eye gouge, nut kick, and head butt. All of these pale in comparison to his last ditch effort, The Entire Face Scratch! He takes his fingers (this is most effective if he needs his nails trimmed, which seems to be every other day) and uses my face as his personal blackboard digging and pulling all the way down. It is every bit as painful as your imagining right now, and more so because he loves to insert those blades into every opening they can find along the way. Bloody noses lips and blurred vision are usually accompanied with his naps.

These are the moments that I wonder whose kid he really is? Or what is possessing him? I don't know whether to put him into a bear hug and hope it smothers him into sleep or toss him across the room and run for my life.

This is the moment when it's all worth it, and I've won!

After all of that I know victory is right around the corner when he puckers up for his nap time kiss. All the violence ends and he becomes my sweet little boy again. His eyes close with his long eye lashes fluttering for the last time and he snuggles in. I know that I've finally won when his quiet little snore begins to tickle my shoulder. In that moment, and for the next two hours usually, it was all worth it.

Here we go again!!

A little background to get us started.

I am a 32 year old father of an 18 month old that is the light in my life. He confirmed that I was always meant to be a father. I am also head over heels for the love of my life. She has been the biggest gift I have ever received in life and makes me a better man every day. Needless to say I am a family man and very proud of it.

Now that thats established. Two days ago my wife peed in a cup and dipped a stick. Two lines popped up and now I'm expecting my second child in 9 months...give or take a month. Funny how everything in you life can change with a little pee pee.

Life Changing

The first time those little lines appeared I wasn't even awake for it. My wife calls me at work and blurts out over the phone that we're pregnant. I had to leave the station (I work for the local fire department) and go see the stick for myself. I'll never forget the joy and fear that consumed me when I laid eyes on those two little lines. I don't know the first thing about being a father. What am I going to do with a little person depending on me all the time??

So now here we are with a little man, and another one on the way. I became inspired to start this as a way to try and remember all the hilarious things that my little creatures come up with. There are so many things that my son has done that have had me rolling on the floor crying with laughter. The problem is that I'm already starting to lose track of all of them.

Such as this doozy...Earlier I was talking about my wife peeing in a cup for the preggo test dip stick. Seeking a second opinion she dipped a second test also, in a new cup, cause we wouldn't want any cross contamination. Now I want you to get the full visual of what I'm talking about here, anyone that has been to a kegger knows the cups that I'm talking about. They are tall, red and plastic. Typical beer guzzlers. The second test was positive, just like the first (and not just a little positive. Those lines popped up like neon in Vegas baby!!) and the wife and I were laying on our bed talking about the change that just slapped up across the face. I think we had just resigned that our Mexican vacation was probably out the window since it will be around our due date when my son comes walking out of our bathroom, with both beer/pee pee cups acting like he's double fisting at a Chico State rager! I couldn't jump up and catch him fast enough as he high tailed it down the hall acting like he had to down them before a cop would pour it out on the street.

Funny thing about the whole thing is that we never leave our bathroom doors open. We know that he'll get into anything that isn't nailed down or under lock and key, and sometimes he can even get past the lock. How do they do that!?

Anyhow, that's us. Visit to find out some of our latest hijinks and watch as I try to learn to be a Dad.




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