Today was an awesome day! We finally were able to bring June home from the hospital. The past week has felt like an eternity but the end result is a very happy one, and that's how we wanted this blog to end. June is doing great, she's a very healthy and happy baby. The doctors and nurses at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte are wonderful and talented people. We feel very fortunate that she was in such good hands and turned around so quickly.

June's trip home was a great one. She fit well in the car seat, even though she is a little pudgy. We'll get her on the treadmill as soon as possible.

A few hours after getting home and settled we went to pick up Dylan at day care and June was in the car with us. Dylan was so excited. I wish I had a better photo but I took this over the back of my head from the driver's seat so it will have to do.

Dylan is adjusting really well. We went on a walk with June today and Dylan pushed the stroller the entire way. She was super proud of her little sister and wanted to show her off to everyone.

Tonight she changed one of June's diapers almost entirely by herself, no lie! I'm hoping this is some sort of foreshadowing.

Dylan is completely infatuated and in love with her new sister. She said "we will be best friends".

This will be the final post for the baby blog and we're thrilled to end it all on a very happy note. We thank each and everyone one of you who followed along, left comments and shared our special birth of June. It's been a total blast and we're sad that it has to end. We'll sorta end, that is. I'll leave the comment section open for a few weeks, please feel free to leave a final comment on the blog before I close it. I also plan to keep the site up for a long while to serve as a journal for June's arrival. Visit as often as you like.

I'll continue to document June's life on my personal web site on humzoo.com. In the years to come, there will most likely be thousands of embarrassing photos and videos to post of June that will amount to a steadily-growing collection of blackmail material for her rehearsal dinner one day. I do look forward to that moment! Please don't be a stranger, follow along and stay in touch!

Visit me at humzoo.com/dennydeaton/.

We're home!
We'll at least June is. We're going to pick up Dylan at day care after nap time, which is around 2pm. The dogs have already licked her to death but she took it just fine. I'll post an update and some photos later on. Wish us luck, this is going to be an adventure!

I finally got around to putting the hospital footage together, also available on my Humzoo site. Enjoy!

Huge Update:
June is coming home tomorrow!! We're very excited and probably won't be able to sleep tonight. No worries, we won't be sleeping much when she gets here anyway. We're thrilled! Photos galore and a big final update coming tomorrow sometime. Stay tuned!

Also my daily photo on Humzoo today. She's super sweet!

New poll is up! When Will June Come Home?

Last Poll 'Guess June's body part' results: Arm: 6% Leg: 18% Butt: 15% Chin: 60% out of 78 votes. CHIN is the answer! Good job everyone!

Here is the original, flipped.

June is doing awesome and had a great feeding this morning. We're only days away from bringing her home!

Molly, are you saying I'm fat?

Some photos from our visits today. No new updates, but all is still going well.

We're at the hospital now. June is doing eggcellent!

Niki was able to breastfeed her just fine. We're about to leave for an Easter lunch with family but we'll be back down later today for another visit/feeding. It won't be long before June will be coming home!

Thanks to Marcus, Alisa, Addi, Baby Hall #2 and the entire eeZ family for such an awesome dinner tonight! It was soooo good! Niki's been craving full-blown sushi and a tall glass of red wine for nine months and you guys satisfied that craving!

Dylan asked for a Bagel Roll. She's well on her way to zen!

For the best sushi on the planet, check out eeZ in Huntersville, NC or online at http://www.eezfusion.com. We're only a mile away, we're lucky! Nice web site too, might I add. ;)

If you ever have a baby, go home with eeZ!

I just called to check on June. She's doing awesome! They took her off oxygen completely and started feeding her a bottle, which they said she sucked down in no time. Sweetness!

We're home, and it's a wonderful feeling! Dylan will be here soon as well. It's reported that she scored 27 eggs this morning at the Easter egg hunt. That's a huge improvement over last year's 2 eggs. Here are a few photos from our last visit with June.



Jules, we live about 20 minutes from the hospital, which is in Charlotte. Not too bad at all and well worth the trip!

We're on top of the world right now! We're on the way home but before we left we got to hold June for a long time. The chest tube has been removed, her breathing is better because of it. They'll also be increasing her feeding later today. I'll upload some photos from our visit when we get home, just wanted to share the great news!

Our visit this morning with June was a great one! The x-ray from this morning looked really good, and it sounds like they are going to remove the chest tube very soon. They are also going to remove the oxygen hood and put her on a nasal cannula for oxygen treatment. We're excited about that and it should be more comfortable! She's also eating and digesting pretty well, that's been progressing nicely.

Niki is rocking out the pumping! June is stocked up for sure. The nurses here are very proud of her, as am I. She's doing outstanding, even under the stress. She's very happy lately with all the progress and continuously increasing milk supply. We're about to take all this down to the ICU.

Leaving is a bittersweet feeling. We're very excited to get back home to a semi-normal life with Dylan but we'll miss being minutes away from June. We were just discharged, but no one's kicking us out. I'm making trips back and forth to the car loading up our goods. We're going to get at least one more visit in before we leave and might even have lunch somewhere around here. Dylan is knee-deep into an Easter egg hunt about now and is planning to have lunch with her grandmothers and Uncle Troy today, so we're in no real rush to get home. Plus, we won't be back down to the hospital until tomorrow morning.

From here on out we'll be making trips to the hospital until June comes home, at least twice daily. The updates will be spread out a little more because of our distance but I'll continue to keep the blog updated for those interested in keeping up with June's progress. They haven't indicated yet when she'll be able to come home but the progress over the last two days has been great, so we're confident it won't be too long. We're hoping by next weekend!

Today they just lifted the H1N1 restriction in the NICU for other family members who are 13 and up. My parents brought Tyler down to meet June for the first time tonight. He missed out on the big family visit the first night she was born because of the curfew at his group home. I was able to take him into the ICU to spend some time with June. She was sleeping at the time but she latched onto his finger for a few minutes which was really exciting for him. He wanted to know all about the tubes and wires on her, so we did a thorough walkthrough of what all the machines do.

They've bumped June's oxygen back up to 40% (it was at 28% earlier today) to keep her stable. That may mean she still has a small hole in her lung and needs more time with the chest tube vacuum on. They'll probably do another x-ray soon to see if air is around her lungs. On a positive note, they are starting to feed her again. We're hoping this time around goes better. Niki has really stocked up on June's milk supply over the past few days, that's going super well, and makes going home tomorrow even easier!

New Baby Poll is up! Vote! Can you guess which part of June that is? It's definitely a tricky one.

Final poll results for 'Who does June look like?':
Denny: 10% Niki: 17% Dylan: 60% Dogs: 2% Banjo: 10% out of 105 votes. Go Dylan!

Photos + More Awesomeness:
Dylan and Patty brought us lunch today and we ate outside and enjoyed the nice weather! It was really nice to get out and get some fresh air and sunshine. And it was so great to see Dylan.

After a little conversation, Dylan decided that she wanted to eat lunch alone with her baby.

She brought her stroller and baby with her but she's still getting the hang of it all.

She changed the kid's diaper about 10 times. There's no question of efficiency.

It's obvious that we need to cover the basics on holding babies with Dylan. She'll get there eventually.

After some pizza, Dylan enjoyed a delicious cookie from Katie P. Thanks again, Katie!


After a nice lunch and some sun we went up to see June for a bit. Unfortunately, Dylan couldn't go in to see her but Nana was able to visit for a bit with us. The blood culture came back and there are no new growths of infection at this point. The antibiotics are working great! Yippie! They'll continue to monitor that but we feel good about it. So far June is doing just fine without the chest tube being turned on. That's a good sign that her lung has healed a bit. They'll do another x-ray tomorrow morning to see if the air pocket has redeveloped and if not they might consider removing the tube all together.

We're set to be discharged and head home tomorrow. We'll be making a couple trips a day to visit with June and drop off milk until she comes home. The earliest day would be next Wednesday. We're very hopeful that it works out!

Thanks again to everyone for all the kind words and support! It's been really awesome reading all of your comments and hearing from everyone. Thanks so much!

Another Awesome Update:
June opened her eyes today! She's got a really pretty set of eyes, just no neck yet. At least not a visible one.

They turned off the chest tube, which keeps the air resolved around her lungs, earlier this morning. That's a big step. Now we'll wait on several x-rays to tell us if the hole in her lung has fully healed or needs more time. No word back yet on the blood culture but no news is good news.

June now weighs 8 lbs 15 oz. Still very healthy, still by far the largest baby in ICU. She's doing great today.

Patty and Dylan are on there way down for a visit. We're planning to have a picnic outside and soak up some of this awesome sunshine. It's 84F today, can't wait!

Niki just returned from the ICU, I was trying to catch a few last Zzzz. At some point in the night they had to stop the tube feeding. June was only digesting about 30-40% of the milk. It could be partly because the antibiotics are compromising the "good" bacteria in her digestive tract which help with digestion.

The doctors are making their rounds now. We'll be going back down in a little bit to hopefully get more information and maybe even an indication of when they'll resume feedings again. We're also hoping to learn the results of the blood culture this morning.

Good times! More updates coming very soon.

Another good update. My mom and I just got back from a great visit with June. She was working hard on a pacifier, oh no! We haven't seen much of a personality or reaction until tonight. That was very comforting. Also, she seems to be eating and digesting well. They'll keep feeding her every three hours from here on out. She was relaxed and her breathing was better. They've reduced her oxygen dependency from 70% to 28% within the last 16 hours. We're going to sneak in another visit before we crash tonight. I just wanted to post the good progress.

Super Awesome June Update + Cookies:
Niki and her mom just got back from the NICU. They were able to get the PICC line installed finally and after an x-ray they confirmed that it went great! In addition, they are now tube feeding June with the colostrum we've been sending down every few hours. Niki and I just went down to visit but they were installing a PICC line in the child next to June, which requires a completely sterile environment. We're going back again at 7:30pm to see her and check on things.

Thanks to Katie P for the awesome cookies! It was nice to talk to your mom for a bit, Katie. What a nice surprise, thanks so much! We'll enjoy the sugar.

We went down to visit our little astronaut an hour or so ago. They didn't have much success with the PICC line so they opted for a naval intravenous. June seemed way more relaxed and her breathing is improving.

A few new photos for everyone. They put us to work while we were down there. Niki got to check her temperature and I got to change her diaper. I think I got the short end of that deal.

Good morning, everyone! Sorry for the delay, it's been a little crazy around here this morning. People have been in and out of our room all morning long. Alright, we have some updates for ya.

We went to see June at 5am and I went again at 8:30am. During the 8:30am visit she was on her back again and there was a noticeable difference in her breathing. It wasn't as labored as yesterday.

The CNNP came to our room about a hour ago and gave us an update. They took another x-ray this morning and the pocket of air is still resolving just fine. June's breathing seems to be getting better according to them as well. The x-rays showed some white areas on her lung which could be either pneumonia or immature lungs. We may never know, but the good thing is that she started taking antibiotics yesterday morning, so any possible infection should be handled fine by that. If her lungs are immature, they will continue to mature and strengthen just fine.

The plan is to keep June here at the hospital at least until next Wednesday. She'll be treated with antibiotics until then to ensure that all infections are eradicated. Today they are adding a peripherally-inserted central catheter (PICC line) into June's arm to provide a more stable method for antibiotic therapy and fluid. That should help with the treatments from here on out.

We're about to head down to the NICU for another visit and to see how the PICC placement went. We feel more confident now than ever before about the entire situation. She's in great hands and it's just a matter of time before she's as good as new.

We'll be heading home sometime this weekend and making lots of trips back and forth to the hospital until we're able to bring June with us. Dylan is doing great, having a lots of fun with her Didi and Gigi. She has a big weekend planned with an Easter egg hunt and some time with her Nana. We can't wait to get back and spend some time with her as well! We miss her bunches.

Thanks for all the support, everyone! It's really awesome to read the comments and hear from people. I'll post another update when we know more.

We just got back from the NICU. We got some updates on June, some things have changed over the past few hours. It's been an emotional night, I'm not going to lie, but we're doing better now. Here's a brief rundown...

Earlier this evening they took an x-ray of her lung region and noticed that the pocket of air had expanded. After trying to remove the air with a needle they took another x-ray and found no progress. The procedure actually put June into distress. They moved forward with inserting a chest tube, which is basically like a small Dyson Animal. That completely resolved the air and will continue to do so for the next few days. June immediately relaxed and her breathing seems a little better now than before. The chest tube is allowing her lung to work properly now. Her lung currently has a hole in it but that should start to heal soon now that the pressure is removed. It may take several days though.

Overall things seem to be better. There are still some unknowns at this point but we feel confident. The staff here has been absolutely amazing, we are definitely in the best hands. We'll be going to visit June again as soon as possible in the morning. They are planning to do another x-ray then to give us a better idea on how she's progressing. Today's events ended up being a little more invasive that we initially thought but we do feel like we're heading down the right path now.

Here's the latest photo of June. Not the most exciting one of the batch but she's doing well under that sweet helmet.

Keep us in your thoughts. We'll keep everyone posted as we know more. We're looking forward to next week this time and looking back on this entire thing with a smile.

We're going to hold off on the visitations for a while. Right now we're back and forth between the NICU so much there's not much time to visit, unfortunately. We'll resume visitations once things stabilize, or we're home with a healthy baby.

On a lighter note, I have a couple things to share. We had a fun visit with my parents, Tyler and Dylan today. Dylan loved "riding on" the bed.

Also, I was able to "save" Niki from the dreaded White Bean Chili that arrived for dinner. We were already planning on a decent meal so I ran out to Mama Ricotta's for some tasty Chicken Penne Al Vodka! Here are a couple photos from my outing.

Sunset over downtown Charlotte

Target... that place will suck a one hundred dollar bill out of your wallet faster than you can say "purple polka porcupine".

Fun elevator photography

When I returned with the food we decided to watch a little TV while we ate, before going to visit June. I pulled up the state-of-the-art guide on the TV which provided a vast amount of insight into what channels were playing what.

Good times! Off to get some sleep. More updates in the morning.

Christina, you may need to clear your cache. Or send me some cash. Either one should work just fine.

Thanks Sarah, you're the breast! I mean, best. Sorry, lots of breastfeeding going on around this place.

June has joined the header! Welcome to the Interwebz, June.

Jason and Sarah just left. We had a really nice visit/lunch (including a tasty beverage for yours truly) courtesy of the Alexandras. Thanks guys, great to see you! Next time we'll have June with us.

We just made a trip down to NICU to visit with June. Meow!

When we entered we had to wash our hands for 3 minutes long, using those little hourglass timers. It felt like an eternity and my back started hurting about half way through. It was so worth it though once we got to see June!

She's doing really well, despite all the fancy equipment she's hooked up to. She's twice the size of most babies in there.

They just gave her an oxygen tube to give her lungs a little break. Breathing is hard right now but she's getting better!

Sweet lil' June. It won't be very long before you have a big sister slapping you in the head.

It's official!

Linda, the name and baby details should be showing up in the header now. No photo yet though. Oh, and Niki was definitely waiting on you to get home from work.

Linda, I've got plans for incorporating June into the header. I'm just waiting on a better photo to come along. The few that I was able to get of her last night won't work as well.

Spike, we'd love a visit (num num num beer) if you can swing it! If not we completely understand, that whole job thing totally gets in the way at times.

We just got a great update from the NICU nurse. June is doing well on room air right now. They're checking to be sure there's no infection and we'll hopefully know more about that by Friday. We're going over to visit in a little bit, I'll be sure to take lots of photos.

Niki is doing really well this morning. She got some rest and had blueberry pancakes for breakfast. She's taking her first shower right now and then we're off to see our new daughter! WOO HOO!

Oh, and Sarah and Jason are bringing us lunch (non-hospital food!!) and coming for a visit. We're excited!

Who wants to see some feet and hands? I snapped this sometime in the middle of the night during one of the visits.

Our doctor just came in, she said the pneumothorax isn't all that uncommon in bigger babies. Nothing to worry about, it should work itself out just fine.

She'll be in ICU for a few days, and the visitations are limited to just Niki and I over there. However, if anyone wants to come to the hospital to hang out with Niki and I we'd love to have you. Just give us a call first.

Good morning, everyone! We both got a little rest last night, with the exception of a few feeding attempts.

June seemed to be having some breathing issues and wasn't eating or crying as expected through the night. We learned this morning that she has something called Pneumothorax. It's hopefully nothing more than a pocket of air (or gas) trapped around one of her lungs that needs to be removed. At this point there's nothing to worry about, they are taking necessary precautions, and moved her to the the intensive care unit several minutes ago. She's going to need to stay at the hospital a few extra days but everything should be just fine. She should be back to a normal, screaming newborn in no time.

We're not sure this will affect visitations but we'll keep people posted as we learn more. We should get an update very soon!

About and hour and a half ago, we moved to our postpartum room. I just took a shower and despite the poor water pressure and mediocre water temperature, I feel like a new man. June just arrived back into the room after a short time to the nursery. We opted for her to stay in the nursery each night, just as we did with Dylan, so we can get a little rest this week. She just pooped in her diaper as soon as the nurse left, typical Deaton. Niki's going try to feed her, we're going to hang out a little and watch some late night Airwolf, then we're all going to crash.

I think this will be the last post for the night, I need some rest. I'll pick back up tomorrow morning with more updates, photos and typical useless fodder.

This just in, we just got a call from Banjo 2.0, our fish. He's thrilled that 14% of you thought June resembled him in some fashion. Probably in the feet.

The family just left. We had an awesome visit and it was so great to see everyone, especially Dylan. She was super excited and did great with her new little sister. Uncle Tyler couldn't make it tonight. He was dearly missed, but we look forward to his visit tomorrow. I'll post family photos tomorrow probably but here are some of June and Dylan (and Niki in some too).

The first kiss...


The first hold...

Mommy and her girls...

Dylan asked to do some "letters"... would you look what she came up with.

Lots of hair, like Dylan.

You should see a new header now and there's a new poll to keep you busy! Family is on the way, and we'll be spending a couple hours with them but I'll be sure to post more updates soon. I'm planning to keep this puppy going all week so check back often!

Thanks again to everyone for the support today! It was heartfelt throughout the day and we felt like you all were right here with us. We're so happy right now and can't wait to share our new baby daughter with you soon!

Off to get that Caramel Sundae! More details and photos coming very soon!

New poll! Who does it look like?

'What is Denny eating for dinner?' poll results: Pizza: 43% Salad: 6% Meatloaf: 6% Stromboli: 45%

You guys rock, I had stromboli.

Found it.

I'm in the parking garage trying to find the car! Which level did we park on?

Dad, I should be able to get your parking validated. I know that will be your first question.

The entire family is on their way, including Dylan!!! I can't wait.

My turn!

Niki finally gets a second hold!

Details, details, details...
9lbs 4oz and 20 inches long.

Niki did frickin amazing! I'm serious, that was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Such determination and strong will. She's a rock star!

Also, in case anyone was wondering I had stromboli for dinner.

Welcome June Olive Deaton! More details coming very soon.

IT'S A GIRL!

Doc is here. Here we go!

We see a head! Waiting on the doctor!!!

Getting SUPER close!!!

The pushing is going well. We've got a ways to go though. Taking a break now. Will post again when possible.

That right there is where it's all going to happen folks! I have butterflies, I cannot wait much longer. People are in and out of the room. I'm right by Niki's side working through the contractions.


We'll see but this could be the last pre-baby photo. It's almost time to start really pushing!

I'm gonna pass on that sundae. We're about to start doing some preliminary pushing.

Unofficially, we're at 10cm!! (via the nurse) Just paged the doctor. More to come soon.

Spike, more importantly, should I switch it up and get the caramel?

Jules, plug the power cable into the faucet. They call that hydroelectricity.

I think I failed to mention, about 35 minutes ago they measured Niki to be around 7-8cm. She's having some super strong contractions now.

I'm debating on whether to go back downstairs for another hot fudge sundae or not. One part of me feels pretty full, but the other says "Go for it dude, you can make it back in time! Run like the wind.".

It could go either way! They are prepared for a boy and a girl arrival. Surprise births totally rock! I can't imagine anything more exciting.

Niki is under there somewhere. She's getting warmed up for the action!

The delivery team just came and setup stuff. I think the beer cooler is up under that sheet. I hope so at least!


Niki is starting to feel a lot of pressure. No pain though, the epidural is handling that just fine. But Baby Deaton 2.0 is starting to push, I think we're getting close!

It's too early to call it but if I disappear for a while you know what happened. (I ran back down to the cafeteria for dessert)

Dannie, hospital food. All Spice Cafeteria to be exact. Wasn't all that bad, and now I feel really good. I was running low on steam.

While I was out I snapped a photo of downtown Charlotte from the 3rd floor. It's been a beautiful day here. I think they should start delivering babies outside when it's nice out.

The nurse just hinted that someone will be coming soon to set up the room for delivery.

I assume now is a good time to get my production photography lights out? I've been holding off not to scare away the locals. I'll also be bringing in a small video production crew of around 70 people. This is something else I haven't run by the staff, but I assume it's pretty standard.

New poll! What is Denny eating for dinner? VOTE! NOW, before I eat it all!

'What time will it arrive?' poll results: 4-7pm: 18% 7:01-9pm: 34% 9:01-11:59pm: 37% 3/31: 11%

I'm back, what did I miss?

Actually, right when I got back the nurse checked and Niki is somewhere between 6-7cm now. Also, the contractions are rock solid strong.

Spike, yes please to Matt's cervesa. An idea, I am on the third floor and we have a window. What are the chances of Matt rigging up a long tube with a tap on the end of it? That would be awesome. I'd love a beer about now, I am parched.

Now seems like a good time to take a break and go grab a quick bite. We're just waiting on things to progress more. I'll be back soon with food, and maybe some photos even.

Trish and John, welcome to the baby blog! The crowd did their guessing earlier today and here are the results.

'Guess the size' poll results: 19-20.5: 19% 21-22.5: 81% 23+: 0%
'Guess the weight' poll results: <9: 31% 9-9.5: 34% 9.5-10: 21% 10+: 11%

The doctor just left. Great news to report, Niki is dilated 5cm now! Also, they put an internal meter on the baby to measure the strength of the contractions. That will give us a better gauge of how effective they are. The doctor just left to go home for a little bit. She's planning to come back in two hours, maybe sooner if necessary. She was very happy with the progress.

Oh man, we just found out they have hot blankets here! And there is a thermostat in our room, hidden inside a secret door that was behind a bookshelf. It's seriously like 60F in here.

The doctor is here!

Hey Dylan! We love you and miss you! Can't wait to see you soon, with a sibling for you. Thanks so much for being so good. I'll give you that shiny quarter that I promised you when you come visit.

Also, I should have mentioned. No doctor yet, we're still waiting. Hopefully she'll be here soon so can get an update on the progression.

We're enjoying some Radiohead, specifically In Rainbows. It goes along nicely with the heart rate monitor in the background. Now we just need a screaming kid and we'll be good to go.

Niki is really enjoying following along this time. Thanks to everyone for keeping this day fun and entertaining! We couldn't do it without you. The day feels pretty long, we've been up since 5am and have spent most of it waiting. Keep the jokes coming! Dad, please give everyone else a head start before you start reciting your book of jokes.

Anyone want to go sledding on those hills?

Joke break: Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

Okay, possibly a little progress to report. The contractions are back up now, averaging around 2 minutes apart, and lasting for almost a minute. They are very consistent as well. We're hopeful that Niki's well-dilated when the doctor arrives and we can get this show on the road!

Those of you commuting, sorry for the lapse in service during your ride home. This could be a sign though. Time to get rid of that ol' bag phone and upgrade to something that actually communicates with the outside world!

Niki is feeling great right now. She's ready to get going though. She even mumbled something about wanting to eat dinner later. Did someone say meatloaf from the cafeteria?

The doctor is expected to swing by sometime after 5pm and measure again. Hoping for more dilation!

Tyler, can I call you later? Sorry, I thought I mentioned that we're having a baby today. I'm kind of tied up at the moment (literally there are camera wires and computer cables around my ankles). I'll touch base once it's out and hopefully you can come down!

Courtney, Niki is happy to wait. Anything for you. We don't want to hold you up. You're a busy woman.

Spike, good idea... but she just nodded off and I think it might wake her up if I put sunscreen on her ears.

Ali, he wants to know "how" to do a V-Lookup or wants Niki to do actually do one? We didn't happen to bring her computer. We didn't think we'd even need it, who would of thought?

Deanna, your kids are fine. There is no need to even go outside with them. Enjoy the large screen in front of you and some rare peace and quiet. Have a beer even. We just don't get enough adult time these days! Plus, there is a very low probability that something is going to happen to both of them. And if something happened to one of them it's going to save you a lot of money in the long run. You can always make more.

Lesley, post your question and I'll have Niki answer it. It could be a fun way to pass the time while we wait. Tell Steve that we'll be sending him a bill though.

The contractions seem to be getting more frequent again. We're hoping they continue.

Tyler, I see your latest comment buddy (#167) but I forgot to bring my Captain Crunch Secret Decoder pen to the hospital. It's in the other computer bag, the one with my Tandy in it. Can you pleaz decipher forz mi. Thanks!

Okay, I can't hold it in any longer. The real reason I am wearing a mask is because I read on the Internetz that you can catch a pregnancy. I just don't think my body is cut out for that kind of stress.

New poll, what time will the baby arrive? VOTE! NOW! DO IT!

'Guess the size' poll results: 19-20.5: 19% 21-22.5: 81% 23+: 0%
Fun fact: Dylan was 21" long.

Merritt, the deal was that I could insert the epidural needle into Niki's spine if I wore a mask. Not a bad trade off, I thought. It was my first time but they said I "NAILED IT!".

Katie, not bad. However, I'm leaning more towards Mr. Eko. Eko Deaton has a really nice ring to it, don't you think?

I told Niki she needs to have this all wrapped up before 9pm tonight so I can watch Lost without interruptions. If we had Tivo here I'd give her another 15 minutes or so since I could skip through the commercials and stuff. But we don't, bummers.

You want photos of Niki? You got photos of Niki!

Niki is in the best of spirits. We're having a good time with the nurse here.

Niki is extremely relaxed, said she's actually enjoying this entire experience so far. I can't comprehend that kind of stuff, but okay.

They just checked and she's still at 2cm. She has a catheter in now (not to be confused with a cat herder) so she's in this for the long haul. No more trips to the baño!

Niki's epidural is working great now. Pain level = 0. They are about to bump the pitocin up a little, which should help get things moving again. Her contractions dropped in frequency some since the epidural was installed.

MAJOR UPDATE!!! There is a dude outside mowing.

New poll, Guess the Size! Get your votes in. MAKE THEM COUNT!

'Guess the weight' poll results: <9: 31% 9-9.5: 34% 9.5-10: 21% 10+: 11%

All done! The epidural went perfectly. Soon Niki will have super powers, herself.

Tyler, seems that you're doing well today. And commenting in the 3rd person. Nice touch, dude!

No cape but plenty of equal qualities. He's about to start working his super powers!

justmeg, I've gotten that before. It usually goes away pretty quickly after I mention the idea of blogging a death.

Epidural Man is here! More paperwork.

The doctor just came in and everything is looking great. Her contractions are now averaging two minutes apart and strengthening. We're moving forward with the epidural soon.

Stacie, I took your advice, that probably wasn't the nicest thing to do. I've been eating my snacks in the shower in the adjacent bathroom. They taste different in there for some reason.

The water breakage must have worked! We're now getting results from that. In about 45 minutes we're probably going to go ahead and move forward with the epidural. I cannot wait to not be able to feel my ears!

It's a beautiful day here in the Queen city!

Troy, let me check and get back to you. All excellent questions. I usually bring my own liquor and purchase soda from the machine down the hall. The bartender is pretty cute though, I think you'll like her a lot. Bonus, she has 7 kids from 4 different men!! Talk about the advantages of working on the delivery floor!

The contractions are starting to pick up and Niki says they are definitely getting stronger.

I just cracked a Dew and got out some snacks, if anyone is curious.

I have more polls!! But you guys have to wait! We've gotta get the votes up higher and pace ourselves with the polls.

Niki is not thrilled about the current vote of 9% for 10+.

Ericka, Niki said she'd be happy to wait. Just grab us lunch on your way back.

Stacie, Niki reports that the contractions aren't that strong right now but are progressing nicely. It was my choice to use the word "nicely", I'm not sure she'd agree.

The contractions are picking up a little bit. I have no idea what any of those charts and graphs mean, so I just asked the nurse. She said they're about 3-5 minutes apart but we're not sure yet how strong they are yet.

The doctor just came in. Niki is 2cm dialated and 75% effaced. She attempted to break Niki's water but it was a tough angle. She thinks she nicked it and the pitocin will take care of the rest.

She voted "boy" but she knows nothing more than we do. She's planning to swing back by before 2pm. Hopefully things will have progressed more by then.

A new poll is up! Vote, vote, vote!

The gender results were: 56% boy and 44% girl. We'll see who's right soon enough!

Calm down, people! The current drug of choice is only pitocin. The epidural will be later. Niki will be getting one for her waist down, and me the waist up. Package deal!

We've got drugs!!!! WOO HOO!

The baby's heart rate is off the charts!! They are about to start the pitocin to get things moving. Niki is doing outstanding, she's very relaxed and looks great! She's enjoying reading along on the blog via her phone. Keep the comments a' comin!

Does anyone happen to have an 1/8 inch to 1/8 audio cable that they can email me? THX.

No worries, I found a workaround.

I just suppressed the ugly database connection errors that you might have been seeing. The blog is getting slammed but I think we're okay. If I need to make more permanent adjustments I will. Hope everything is working okay out there for everyone! You only really get to test out the functionality of a new site when people actually use it.

Hey, enough talk about bowel movements! I only brought that up because it was part of the mandatory disclosure.

It's been reported that the video of Dylan down lower in the blog isn't working for some people, that has a little to do with the auto-refresh but should work for most people. If not, you can also view it at http://www.humzoo.com/dennydeaton/videos/74/. Just be sure to come back here when you're done.

They found a vein after the 2nd try! The IV is in and we're about set for the doctor to come in and check on things. We're not sure how long that will be.

This might be a good time to use the bathroom or get a 6th cup of coffee.

Filling out paperwork, answering lots of awkward questions.

Last bowel movement? We just met!

Niki is connected!

Niki's hooked up to the machines now, everything looks good. I just briefed the nurses on the the baby blog, they're all cool with it. Like it mattered! HA!

We just got to our room. This is all going way too smoothly! At this rate we'll have a baby by lunchtime.

I'm setting up camp with my laptop, cameras, lighting equipment and key grip.

We just arrived at the hospital and parked. Going into check in now.

Alright, it's officially GO TIME! Good morning, everyone!

Welcome to the Baby Deaton 2.0 Live Blog! For the next week or so this will be the place to learn all about the arrival, characteristics and unknowns of the next Deaton! Please come back often, comment as much as you like and feel free to invite your friends. This is going to be a lot of fun!

We woke up early this morning, feeling good! We've been waiting around for a few hours for the okay from the hospital to come on down. They just called! I have butterflies in my stomach and Niki has a baby in hers. That's all about the change. The car is all packed. Yes, I have all 47 of my cameras fully-charged and ready to go. We're about to leave for the hospital!



To keep you occupied while we travel to the hospital and get checked in, here is a video of Dylan talking about Baby Deaton 2.0. Enjoy!