AK Poppa

2009-08-31T22:37:00.000-08:00

Had a great trip down to Soldotna. Armani traveled very well and we spent some goodtime with gpa and gma Gary and Jackie. Uncle alex was also there and he took some great pictures, some of which are in this post. Also pictures of me and Armani in Homer, Grandma Ellen and cousin Eli and Armani and Aunty cherish.

2009-08-03T16:56:00.002-08:00

2009-07-31T22:53:00.007-08:00

Mario and Mat visit

2009-06-29T15:46:00.003-08:00

2009-06-20T10:43:00.004-08:00

Finally an update.

2009-05-29T00:43:00.002-08:00

Armani is still doing great, eating non stop and growing pretty quickly. Hes smiling and baby talking alot more and interacting with people. Here are some pictures from Auntie Casey's visit and others of Armani. Bonus video of brittany dancing with Armani.

2009-05-10T13:05:00.003-08:00

Head lifting!

2009-04-22T02:30:00.000-08:00

2009-04-13T03:34:00.004-08:00

2009-04-11T01:49:00.002-08:00

Armani is doing great. Big, strong and handsome! We had a well child check in with Dr.Foote the other day and he was up to 9lbs 2 oz. Almost a pound over his birth weight. Eyes are still blue grey and his skin is clearing up. He still has a slightly clogged tear duct that we have been massaging but that gets a little gunky. He eats like CRAZY! about every 1 &1/2 if not more. hes starting to like being changed and doesnt fuss as much. Ever since hes been born he hardly cries- only when hes hungry or if he is being changed. Looks around all day and is working out his neck muscles. Everything is great - everyone has been so generous and helpful we havent had to buy much so far. Thanks again everyone who has contributed in any way.

2009-04-06T17:14:00.004-08:00

Visitors

2009-04-06T15:02:00.004-08:00

My old friend Dirk and his great parents came up for a visit last week with thai food and some clothes and things from his sisters son. Thanks!

2009-04-05T19:37:00.002-08:00

Sling from Dad and Jackie,cloth diaper and 1st bath.

2009-04-02T18:48:00.003-08:00

Thanks Ian and Christen for the Box of Goodies!

2009-03-31T18:44:00.006-08:00

Thanks Ian and Christen for the Box of Goodies! And Grandma Barb Oard for the blankets.

2009-03-31T14:14:00.005-08:00

Armani and uncle Jake

2009-03-28T23:10:00.003-08:00

Poem by Grandpa Gary W

2009-03-28T22:55:00.004-08:00

Armani
Little feets
Auspicious hopes
Water baby
Surfaces on the vernal equinox
To wonder

Born on the equinox from:http://www.infoplease.com/spot/riteofspring1.html

2009-03-28T22:50:00.002-08:00

March 20, 2009, is a date that most of us recognize as symbolic of changing seasons. As we welcome spring, people south of the equator are actually gearing up for the cooler temperatures of autumn.

What Happens at the Equinox?

Far from being an arbitrary indicator of the changing seasons, March 20 (March 21 in some years) is significant for astronomical reasons. On March 20, 2009, at precisely 7:44 A.M. EDT (March 20, 11:44 Universal Time), the Sun will cross directly over the Earth's equator. This moment is known as the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. For the Southern Hemisphere, this is the moment of the autumnal equinox.

Equinox Means "Equal Night"

Translated literally, equinox means "equal night." Because the sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes. A second equinox occurs each year on September 22 or 23; in 2009, it will be on September 22 at 17:18 P.M. EDT (21:18 UT). This date will mark the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the vernal equinox in the Southern (vernal denotes spring)

Reasons for the Seasons

These brief but monumental moments owe their significance to the 23.4 degree tilt of the Earth's axis. Because of the tilt, we receive the Sun's rays most directly in the summer. In the winter, when we are tilted away from the Sun, the rays pass through the atmosphere at a greater slant, bringing lower temperatures. If the Earth rotated on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, there would be no variation in day lengths or temperatures throughout the year, and we would not have seasons.

Rituals and Traditions

Modern astronomy aside, people have recognized the vernal equinox for thousands of years. There is no shortage of rituals and traditions surrounding the coming of spring. Many early peoples celebrated for the basic reason that their food supplies would soon be restored. The date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is also probably no coincidence that early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox.

The first day of spring also marks the beginning of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The celebration lasts 13 days and is rooted in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Zorastrianism.

Meeting Heidi

2009-03-28T16:13:00.002-08:00

Brittanys best friend Heidi Came up today to visit.

Update

2009-03-28T01:53:00.005-08:00

Since we left the birthing center Armani has had some visitors. Uncles Jake and Hunter and Aunties Cherish and Desire have stopped by, along with Grandpa and Grandma Gary and Alice. Uncle Josh and his Girlfriend Katie stopped by tonight for their first visit. Hes still waiting to meet Bill, Ella and Simone. My out of town family will be coming to town in the weeks ahead. Hes doing great, getting lots of breastmilk and making sure we know when he needs something. We have a checkup this monday and that will be the first time he leaves the house since coming home.

2009-03-23T23:10:00.004-08:00

Midwives Talk before birth

2009-03-23T01:43:00.005-08:00

Getting first clothes on at birthing center

2009-03-22T23:37:00.001-08:00

Water broke!

2009-03-21T19:59:00.001-08:00

We stayed pretty calm after the water broke and had a smooth ride in.

2009-03-21T15:52:00.008-08:00

Wow!

2009-03-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

My son

2009-03-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

Armani Gary Walklin. 8lbs 3 oz. March 20 2009 8:08 pm

Baby boy born. Healthy. Alllllll good!

2009-03-20T20:41:00.000-08:00

Labor 9cm dialated. Contractions every minute or so

2009-03-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

Water Break!

2009-03-20T17:38:00.001-08:00

Water Just broke so we are getting ready to head in...

Check-ups

2009-03-17T23:56:00.001-08:00

Had a couple check ups today, One at TVC and one at the birthing center. Everything was good an we are still on track for the march 27th due date. The picture on the left is Brittany and her mom in one of the birthing rooms at the natural birthing center.

2009-03-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

Got a little taste of adrenaline today. Brittany felt different and was having strong contractions and felt the baby move much lower than she has before. My mom gave her a hot towel and I massaged her a little bit and after some time She was back to normal. We were really close to calling our Doula, Annie Caulfield. We realized that we need to finish packing our bags because this can happen at any time now.

Twitter

2009-03-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

If anyone twitters i finally have a reason to use my account. Brittany is feeling pretty strange. Seems like the countdown has started but I dont think its happening today. Will be updating during labor.

2009-03-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

Pregnancy Photo Retrospective

2009-03-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

Soon?

2009-03-15T12:44:00.000-08:00

Getting Close! Brittany is starting to get "that feeling". Maybe its a false alarm but the baby does feel like its hanging lower. Im definitely going to miss feeling her tummy move, which besides the ultrasound is easily the coolest part so far. Feeling the baby kick me in the back while we are laying in bed and Brittany is asleep is my favorite. Brittany will have her tummy against my back and ill be reading the news or watching a movie on my computer and he will start kicking and poking into my back. Its kind of our time to hangout and I always turn around and rub and poke back. I know brittany will really miss having him in there.

Some pictures

2009-03-09T22:06:00.000-08:00

Baby heartbeat @ 7 months

2009-03-09T22:03:00.000-08:00

I took this audio at a recent visit to the natural birthing center here in Fairbanks. We switched from TVC to the birthing center recently and its been a great experience so far.
Click on the title of the post to hear.

New Blog

2008-12-04T04:20:00.000-09:00

After months of looking at my AK traveler blog and trying to get back into posting I realized that my heart wasnt in it anymore. I really enjoyed blogging while I was traveling and studying abroad but once I got back it just wasnt fun anymore. It was draining comparing the amazing experience I had there to the daily grind of the real world. Soon after I learned that I was a father to be I started thinking about taking the ak traveker blog in a new direction and writing about my experiences as a 22 year old father to be. I finally got around to it but instead of changing the travel blog I decided to leave that one how it is and start a separate blog just about my life now.