Billy is here!

William James was born on April 26, 2007 after a long 24-hour labor. He weighed in at 8 lbs, 4 ounces and was 20.5 inches long!

His hair is dark brown, and for now, his eyes are a slate blue. We think he looks JUST like his daddy.

We are SO happy to finally introduce baby Billy to all our friends and family. Over the next couple of days Mom hopes to share the birth story with everyone (when Billy permits it!). We have tons of photos to share from labor and recovery.

Mom is also in the process of figuring out the winner of the birthday contest, so please keep checking back for the latest updates!

Love,
Mom, Dad & Billy.

Billy Belly: 38 Weeks & Contest!

Let's have a contest!
(to see photos larger, click on image...)

Hey, everyone! Billy is officially in his 38th week of gestation, and I thought I'd update you on just how HUGE the Billy Belly has gotten, as well as do a little contest for fun!

Billy's official due date is April 23, 2007. But as you all know, babies, especially first-timers like William (pictured to your left), are notoriously finicky when choosing the date they want to be born. So here's you're challenge, should you choose to accept it:

If you pick the date Billy is born, and accurately guess his birth weight (in pounds and ounces) Billy's mom will either give you one item of your choice from one of her stores, or will do a drawing of you or a loved one! (But if you pick the drawing option, you'll be waiting a while, because she wont have time to get to it until Billy is on a decent sleep schedule...). If no one guesses both the birth date and weight of little Billy, the closest to come will win!

To "enter" just scroll to the bottom of this blog post and click on "Comments." (It's in little type, right after the "posted by" line...)

You don't need to be a blogger or a google member to leave your guess - choose the ANONYMOUS option and let us know what you think! Just make sure that you include your name and email or web address so we know who wins! (But type out your email address like this: yadykaryn at comcast dot net so the email bots don't find you and spam you!)

To see a recent portrait I did of my friend Mandy's baby, go here: Baby Maggie

To see the stuff in my stores, follow these links!

Koncepts by Karyn
Koncepts for Kids
Koncepts Bridal Boutique
Cubicle Wars
ProDem

Billy and mom have a doctors appointment later today - we're hoping it's the last one and that the next time we see the OB's, its in a delivery room. Happy Friday the 13th!

Billy and Mom

The Beginning: Billy's Home

Welcome to the Chronicles of Billy!
This blog is dedicated to our son, William James, who is expected to arrive April 23, 2007.

To the left, you'll find the the last known photograph of Billy, taken when he was at 25 weeks gestation. We affectionately refer to this ultrasound photo as "Skeletor." Pictured are his two tiny fists and his large head, complete with round eye sockets, his nasal cavity and his large, curving skull -- which his mother sincerely hopes doesn't give her too much trouble during delivery!

So far, Billy has been growing on track, and other than causing his mother fatigue and pain, these last stages of pregnancy have been complication free. Currently Billy is at 34 weeks gestation. To get a good idea about what this actually means developmentally, here's a little blurb from Babycenter.com:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is probably almost 18 inches long from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. Her central nervous system is still maturing, but her lungs are well developed now. That's great news in case she decides to come early. If you've been nervous about going into preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 99 percent of babies this age can survive outside the womb — and most have no major long-term problems related to prematurity.

Currently Billy resides in a roomy one-bedroom,
which you can see to the right:

This was the least horrifying photo Mom took of herself today (please excuse the blurriness!). Hopefully it gives everyone an indication of just how roomy Billy's accommodations have grown!

Mom and dad are busy preparing more permanent quarters for Billy. Much progress has been made: all his nursery furniture has been bought (or borrowed), and his bedroom has brand new carpet. Mom and Dad have a lot of work to do to get the room all set up, but this past weekend Dad put together the changing table despite having a nasty cold (what a trooper!).

Here you can see a couple of shots of the chaos that is Billy's nursery-in-progress:

You can see the changing table, our crib and stroller/car seat combo and bassinet - both still in the box.

And here's another gratuitous nursery shot. Dad says he hopes to finish putting up all of the nursery furniture (you can see the giant box with Billy's dresser in it to the right) this weekend, so that we can start washing all the adorable baby clothes we've received so far from our friends and family!

And lastly, Mom just wanted to brag about the artwork she made to hang over Billy's dresser. You can see it in the two nursery photos - a framed print that Mom calls "Counting Sheep."

Mom ordered them from her store, Koncepts for Kids.


She made a companion piece, "Leaping Lizards" that she's already ordered and hopes will get here soon. To see the entire series, check out her store here: Whimsical illustrations just for kids & baby!

And last but not least, a closeup of the "Counting Sheep" print:

This blog will primarily be a place for friends and family to check up on the happenings with Billy - but we hope that all the visitors who stumble on this blog enjoy reading about his escapades.

Until next time!

Mom, Dad & Billy.