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A new addition to the barrel of monkeys! James Clayton Foster was born on May 1, 2009 @ 15:29. He was 6 lb. 8 oz. and 19.25" long.

I realize a sample of three may not be all that predictive, but in our experience there is no such thing as an easy delivery. Sweet baby James was found to be breach shortly before the due date and ended up transverse (set crosswise) on the day of his birth. Either way, c-section was the recommendation. Libby really didn't want to go that route, but it just didn't seem like there was much choice.

I "got to" enter the delivery/surgery room as they were nearing the time of extraction. For those that haven't had the pleasure, they had me wait by Libby's head shielded from the action by a screen. When it came time, they asked if I wanted to stand up and watch him come out and if I had my camera ready. I did both and out he came. Legs. Torso. Pause. A little tugging. A little more tugging. Then, "Ohhhh. That's why he's not coming out. The cord is wrapped around him." Spoken in a voice attempting to clearly convey the severity while trying not to panic the parents.

I put the camera down at this point and watched them work rapidly. The cord was wrapped three times around his neck and once around his chest! They had to cut the cord prematurely to get him. They had to ventilate and tap him to give him the kickstart he needed. It was as scary a 5-minute period as I've ever had and then nothing. No panic. Just James and me. Then a couple minutes later Libby was holding him.

The rest so far has been much easier. He's a great baby...what little I've seen of him. On May 10, Libby and James headed down to Provincetown, MA where she is finishing her last semester for a Masters of Fine Arts Degree through Mass College of Art. They are there through June 1 or so. Sounds crazy--and may be--but it's important for her to finish, and it won't be easier later. They're doing well so far and less than ten days to go. Grandma Kari, the boys, and I went to visit yesterday by taking a 90-minute ferry ride in lieu of the 3-hour drive and got really lucky with some perfect weather.

Libby's mom and my mom have split time with me taking care of the boys: Luke, Ben, Chewie, and me. It's great to have them here, and they get some quality time with their long distance grandchildren.

Ben has become quite the Lego master. He builds 500-piece sets in a few hours. Enjoys them for a few days then dismantles and combines and recreates. His diligence and passion are quite remarkable. So is the expense of Lego kits. We'll continue to promote that hobby in the era of countless multi-media alternatives.

Prior to all this, Luke turned eight years old. Who could believe it? We had a laser tag party with several of his friends. The only real option is to stay out of the way. Out of 12+ kids, we ended up with only one bloody nose and two head injuries...and everyone left happy.

If I didn't already mention it, Luke's hockey teame won their league championship with a great record and a great team experience. Below is the write-up prior to the playoffs.

Happy Memorial Day!