This has got to be the friendliest thread I've seen on 2p2. +1 to the thanks for starting it. I saw this not long after our first was born and have followed off and on since. My son just turned 3 and we are finding out the sex of our second (due in June) this week.

here's when he was born a little old asian man

and here almost 3 and looking a bit more Swedish

Wow that is a big difference. He's got cool eyes. Cute boy.

Tycho definitely started out very Asian and turned all Nordic when he got bigger.

Wow. He DOES look Asian in the first pic.

He's got eyes that are very distinct. I would bet that will help him later when he's older and it makes him exotic looking. You'll have to beat the girls off him.

Thanks. It's crazy how much he's changed. He IS quarter Asian btw. I'm not sure if that is noticeable now. He just looks like my son to me. Found out yesterday that number two is a girl

@ pongo: is Tycho mixed? Cool name

He is 1/4 Japanese.

Little Asian newborn Tycho:



18 month old curly-haired ginger Tycho:

Good looking kid. Almost looks model-ish to me.

Yeah, good book too

IMO Tycho looks almost exactly like I'd expect him to look at around that age. Asian to Swedish baby conversion is impressive lol.

Went for our first ultrasound today. It finally felt real after I heard the heartbeat.

I'd really like your thoughts right after the baby comes into the world. I was thinking of writing a long post about how I felt right after, but I'll await yours. I wish you the best, it's the most amazing ride, and I just started. It's almost like I'm coming off space mountain and you're next in line.

My son will be 6 months in 5 days. I can't believe how fast it's gone by.

Just going back through all my old 2+2 stuff, and stumbled back across this thread. It's extra special for me because of what's happened recently with 22q and Mason's and PTLou's generous donations. Little did I know back then, the reason my daughter was so small at birth was because of a chromosomal deletion that we didn't find out about until almost 2 years later. So here's the before and after of my 2 girls. And thanks again to Dave for starting this thread again!

0 and 3 years old:


9 and 6 years old


Joe

Hey all,

So my wife and I have a daughter on the way in late April. At the end of May we have a wedding halfway across the country (13 hr drive non-stop) and we're in the wedding party so the trip is happening, like it or not. Any advice on how to make this something that is not completely impossible? We're planning to drive because she won't be fully vaccinated yet, but we could be persuaded if resident experts think driving is unmanageable.

We also have a standing offer to bring along an in-law or two if we pay their expenses, though we're not sure if that's necessary or worth it. We have plenty of friends who claim they'll be happy to help, and we can always hire a helper once we're there (a-ok'd by our hosts).

Thanks!

That sounds absolutely horrible. Can you back out of the party? That sounds like the last thing I'd want to do with a month old child.

Also you need to talk to her woman doctor about the implications of going on this type of trip with a small baby. She or he should be able to help clarify the decision for you.

When my wife gave birth last year she didn't get cut but apparently her insides got cut up and needed to be stitched up and she was incontinent for literally weeks afterward. And that was the only snafu of the delivery. Things can be much worse - it's not just the baby you have to worry about. Your wife may be struggling physically and emotionally.

The time to ask this was before you committed to being in the wedding party. I'd try to back out too, or maybe just you go.

I would think the child's well being should come before the commitment to a wedding party. Tell them it isn't in your newborns best interest.
Short of that, just fly. Plenty of people don't vaccinate.

It takes about six weeks to recover from an uncomplicated childbirth. If there is a c-section or other complications, it may take longer. Also the newborn may have problems which might necessitate a prolonged stay in the hospital nursery. And you won't know until the day of the birth whether there will be anything out of the ordinary for either mother or child or both. And then there is lactation to consider. Nursing can be easily established in many cases, but in other cases it may be diffcult and painful. A lengthy car trip at that point may be very awkward and uncomfortable. I went back to work three weeks after a c-section and flew to a conference when Edward was six weeks old (without Edward of course). In hindsight both of these activities were premature, although no real damage was done.

I would consult with both the OB and the pediatrician you plan to use and then abide by their advice.

Well, it was a long engagement and we were committed to the wedding party before were even knew about a pregnancy. Obviously if there are extenuating circumstances with baby or wife we'll have no choice but to back out, but if everyone is healthy we're going to do our best to make it - these are two of our longtime closest friends marrying. With that in mind, we were initially leaning towards driving because of germs and such, but now I'm leaning towards flying given your responses and some internet searching.

Thanks for the responses.

Those people are idiots.

I wouldn't fly, actually. I remember a story my mother told me that she flew with me, my brother and my sister when we were less than 1 year, 3 years, 5 years respectively. She said it was an absolute nightmare. She told me whatever I do, do NOT travel with very young children, especially infants.

The baby is going to go nuts on a plane, especially at 1 month old. The air pressure will hurt their ears and probably scream/cry the entire flight. Of course, he/she could sleep the entire flight too, but be prepared for the worst possible scenario.

My baby in particular LOVES the car seat, she goes right to sleep. The problem is I wouldn't dream of driving 13 hours with her. My wife breastfeeds and we'd have to change diapers constantly. Cora is almost 5 months old now and she's light years stronger than she was at 1 month, and I wouldn't do what you are planning to do.

I know it's your friend, and I know you really want to go to this wedding, but I don't think you realize how tough this is going to be to pull off. Like little old lady said, if there are any complications or a c-section, you're in even worse shape. Can you somehow manage to back out or even go alone?

I can't stress this strongly enough, do everything you can to avoid this situation. Driving 13 hours with a screaming infant and having your wife stressed out when you get there can't be a recipe for a "good time", trust me.

Well, balls. We have no illusions about how hellish it's going to be, really I just want to make sure it's going to be safe. If we feel confident that we're not putting the baby in harm's way we'll endure it - I'm just not sure how to weigh the pros/cons of driving vs flying. Anyway, thanks for the advice.

At least we gained some experience is extreme stress travel, backpacking around on buses in India a couple summers ago. I didn't think it'd get more difficult than that!

lol @ thinking that backpacking through India on buses will prepare you for traveling 3 hours by plane with a 1 month old baby while your wife is recovering from childbirth, then going to both be in a wedding party while someone... (who?) watches your 1 month old.

Seriously man this entire idea is really, really dumb imo. I actually think you are insane if you go - that's how miserable the trip will be. If your friends are as good of friends as you think they are - they will understand. Just stay home and send a better gift in your stead.

Being a good parent means making tough decisions and saying "no" to people you ordinarily snap "yes" to.

The India thing was a joke in the midst of this stupid dilemma. I'm aware it's not preparation for infant traveling. And I'm aware of how unaware I am about how it'll be, that's why I asked!

Given all this advice, we're probably going to talk to the couple and let them know we'll do our best to make it if everything goes smoothly and everyone is healthy, but if we don't feel we can make it we'll have to do what's necessary. They very well may just remove us from the wedding party, which would make things easier on both ends.

And we have an offer to bring along one or two of our parents to help during the weekend if we pay for them. If we do go, this is who would watch the baby. I'm thinking this would be well worth it.