We did our first mini shoot of mini Saige today in-between feedings.  I was seriously debating a nap instead of getting my camera out, but so glad I chose the camera.  More to come, but here's one for now.

She's here. Saige Elizabeth Nicolosi made her debut on Friday, April 8th at 11:21am.  She weighed in at 7lbs 6oz and was 20" long. Watching her come into this world was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Ever.  She's captured our hearts in ways beyond my imagination, and the whole experience was beyond my lofty expectations. Our little girl's doing great. Mom and dad? Marginal. Actually we're fantastic and beyond blessed... just a little tired and ragged from a rough first night home.  Little Saige is testing our physical and mental stamina, but we're fine (and imagining the day this breast-feeding thing gets a little easier). More to come, but for now it's time for another feeding.

Clock's ticking. Less than 2 weeks to the official due date, but our doctor doesn't believe baby Nicolosi's gonna wait that long to make her debut. At this point the only thing bigger than Kylie's belly is our sense of anticipation... and terror. Funny, I'm in this weird phase where I find myself saying (usually to myself... hopefully), "Well, that's the last time I'll [insert random act of life here] before being a daddy." Clearly it would sound more epic if I was saying that while rescuing a puppy from a burning house, saving the world from an approaching astroid, or, shoot, just succesfully changing the oil in the car by myself.  Instead, it's usually while I'm doing things like getting my hair cut, picking out the perfect ripeness of bananas at the grocery store, or paying my quarterly photography sales tax bill.  In preparation for our little girl's arrival, I've also been busy buying, building & borrowing a large mass of items for our first series of newborn images with her. It's getting a little ridiculous, really. The upside is if Dallas gets hit with a record snow in April, I've got enough blankets and throws for everyone on our block. And I think I've managed to successfully divert Kylie's anxiety about the impending sleep deprivation headed our way by overwhelming her with the number of photo sessions I'm planning on doing with the our baby in the first 10 days. Perhaps I'm a bit overly-optimistic about how much free time we're gonna have to do these sessions all day long and how easy they're gonna be. What else do we have to do, though, right? [grin] Finally, as the time until I become a dad has gone from years to months to days and soon to hours, these are just a few things I'm anticipating: - her first cry (an assurance that she's here and okay) - the first time I look into her eyes - her first photo - the first time her tiny fingers grab one of mine - the first time they lay her on Kylie's chest and we become a family of 3 - the first time we bring her home... and then panic - watching her sleep - the first time Kylie & I get to sleep through the night again - the second time Kylie & I get to sleep through the night again - the first time the dog snags one of her poopy diapers and drags it through the house like a chew toy - the first time she wraps her little hands around my neck and gives me a big ol' hug - the first time she calls me daddy - her first trip to the zoo - the first time I trick her into thinking cleaning the house is fun (a la Tom Sawyer and the painting of the fence) - the first time she helps me with a photo shoot (cheap labor!) Counting down...