A family picture

Our friend Dina visited tonight and snapped our first family picture while she was here.

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Jasper Elliott Prince

Our baby made his long-awaited arrival this morning.



Water broke at 12:30. To the hospital by 12:45. Epidural by 4:15. And out he came at 7:15.

He's a big guy -- 8 lbs., 13 ozs. and 20.5" long.

Whole thing seems like one intensely happy blur. Along with a lot of very sweet cooing and gurgling. Can't believe he's here. He's ours. And he's just stunning.

Measuring my ride

For months now, I've resisted getting a computer for my bike. This week, however, my friend Q led me to a new find that -- minus measuring the wattage of each pedal stroke or my heartrate -- tells me most of what I'd like to know about my rides. And, better yet for all those naysayers out there, it's on my iPhone. The TrackThing app is pretty damn cool. Here's a couple of screengrabs I clicked after getting home tonight.


The odometer is based on total riding distance today -- my usual length, if this thing is right is just under 14.5 miles, which is pretty much what I expected. The average and max speeds and pace are based on just the ride home. But here's the really cool part...

It charts my speed versus the elevation change over time. The big green spike is the worst hill of my ride. And you can see, it's definitely an urban ride with lots and lots of stop lights.

This morning -- again, if this thing is accurate -- I hit 30 mph on the downhill side of the Interstate Bridge while passing cars stuck in rush hour traffic. I've always wondered how fast I get rolling there, but never knew. Never would've guessed it broke low 20s.

Next up: 40 mph.

Summer's kiss

I'm off Mondays during college football season, and Amy took the day off to rest as well. We ran a few errands in the morning, including buying a highly-recommended glider rocker for basement baby soothing. She slept most of the afternoon; I worked outside. Got a lot done -- including cutting the grass with my new no-engine hand mower. Nice. Did a little reading as well, from the late David Halberstam's "The Breaks of the Game," which includes this passage that fits the day perfectly:

In late summer the weather in Oregon is lovely, warm and dry, as if conjured up by some Chamber of Commerce to atone for the wetness past. There is a sense that you can see forever, or failing that, at least, and with ease, to the awesome mountains that surround Portland. The air is clear, as if from another, preindustrial, age, since potential polluters fear the power of Oregon's ecologically alert citizenery, and after the long gray months so recently past and so soon to return, it seems a special gift. On days like this it is inconceivable to stay inside, inconceivable to work, and there is a feeling that no business is being transacted in Portland at this moment, that an entire state may be on vacation.

Bring on baby

Nursery is done, and Lil P, as he's currently know, is nearly done cooking. Some pics while we wait.




Amy did a little artwork for the walls. The rug is one we picked out for the nursery in fall 2006, during our trip to Morocco.