Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! Here are some photos and videos of TMD's first Christmas:

Birthdays!

Today TMD turned 7 months, and his dad turned 31 years. We both grew up so fast!

William Britt: 1922-2008

Last night William Britt went to bed and he didn't wake up this morning. He was 86 years old. Pop Britt was an amazing man and he will be deeply missed.

He was the grandson of a slave, who was only allowed to cook food for white soldiers when he volunteered to serve his country, but he lived to vote for the first black president. He was always proud that he worked hard his whole life and took good care of his family. I am proud to have known Pop during these later years as he welcomed me to the family with his booming voice and firm hug. I married his beautiful granddaughter and am the father of his newest great grandson.

He is now with his dear savior Jesus and his beloved wife Sarah who went a few years before him. We all wish he could have stayed longer, but are happy for the bold and loving impact he had on this world.

Crossing the Equator!

After a month in Ecuador the Davis family has crossed the equator (the yellow line) and returned home to the US!

We had some silly fun returning to our own hemisphere:

We didn't leave TMD on the line too long. We don't want him the grow up thinking the world revolves around him:

Sometimes baby boy's parents are so different it's like they're coming from two different sides of the world!

Okay enough ridiculous photos from the equatorial line. We are glad to be home. We missed you all.

Ecuador Photos

We have finished a week of language school and a week of clinic volunteering. Here are some photos to give you a feel for what we see here in Ecuador.

(Click here to view full-sized photo album on-line)

5 Months!

Our little man, TMD turned 5 months old today. We are loving this kid and are thankful for his health. Here are some recent photos:



Things go well here in Ecuador. I started working at a free clinic yesterday. It is good to finally get to medical care. I wish I could say we are progressing quickly in Spanish but those verb conjugations have our tongues tied, but things are going well. We are staying with a wonderful family and loving being here and learning about Ecuador and the Andes.

Talk to you later.

Baby Boy's International Travels

Greetings from Ecuador. Little TMD just wanted to say "Hola" and let you know what fun he is having here in Cuenca.



He also wants to show you his new friend, Romina.

We Have Arrived

Hello Everyone. After brave little TMD endured 3 plane trips we arrived in Cuenca, Ecuador yesterday afternoon. We landed in Quito Saturday night and spent the night with a wonderful family Ramiro, Vicky, and David Granada. The next morning we had a dramatic flight through the Andes mountains to Cuenca. Here we are staying with the Cabera family in their beautiful home near the middle of Cuenca. Senior Cabera is an opthomologist who often volunteers at the clinic where I will be working starting next week. This afternoon we start Spanish Classes. I am studying frantically but we still have a long way to go to actually be able to speak the language with any efficiency.

Cuenca is a beautiful old city and we can walk to most places from the Cabera´s house. We will update you more soon.

Ecuador

This morning we are going to Ecuador for a month. We will be in the city of Cuenca. We hope to learn a lot of Spanish by immersion as well as volunteer at a hospital for the poor there. For us it will be an excellent chance to learn a language that is increasingly important as we serve in America, as well as an opportunity as a family to take a while and serve in a new environment and have a chance to reflect on what the impact of our lives should be.

Hopefully we will have a lot of interesting stories and thoughts when we return.

For the next month The Gridbook Blog will be silent. I don't know if we will be able to get much internet access but if we do we will try to post updates here. Keep us in your prayers.

PS: Posted Gridbook Blog presidential endorsement yesterday. Click here to read.

Full

Sorry for the recent absence of posts (both here and on the Gridbook Blog). Life has been incredibly full recently. Baby boy had his 4 month birthday this weekend, and he celebrated by going to visit his grandfathers 62nd birthday.

I suppose the biggest news from me is that I am now exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up: I am the primary care doctor of a small town. It is truly a wonderful job but it is also exhausting. I love what I do, but it keeps me away from home a lot, while my amazing son is growing so rapidly and my wife has her hands full with his exuberance. (I mostly miss the people I worked with in the ER, but my wife misses the schedule.) My friends also complain that they don't see much of me anymore, therefore as you might expect my blog frequency will drop.

But a full life isn't a bad thing, and I will try to keep you updated on things. Once we figure out a way to balance everything.

Healthy and Growing

Thanks to all of you who prayed for TMD. As you see he is very healthy.

Update on Baby Boy's Health

Sorry it has been a while since we updated everyone on TMD's bowel condition. Actually we still don't know exactly what happened with his colon. It may be Intestinal Neuronal Dysplasia although we aren't sure, BUT the good news is that he doing so well that we have stopped treatments all together.

No need to keep working up a bowel abnormality in a baby who is growing well and seems so happy. Right now he is in the 90th Percentile on weight and length so for now we are just going to watch and wait. We always have a really good pediatric surgeon who knows him well, so if problems do come up we will be ready. Hopefully the whole thing was an anomaly that resolved on its own. We will let you know if more happens but hopefully the good news will be no news at all and we won't have to worry about TMD's bowels agian.

I'm 2 months old now!

Another Video of Baby Boy

That silly dad showing off his kid again.

One year ago today...

One year ago today J. and I walked the streets of Ortona, Italy the town on the other side of the world where my grandfather Eduardo Pantaloni grew up. Then we hadn't even yet conceived of the little boy (Eduardo's great-grandson) who I hold in my lap as I write now. It makes me want to visit that place again.

I think of Eduardo (who changed his name to Edward Patton when he immigrated) growing up in Ortona and my little TMD growing here in my lap. Eduardo died on Christmas day when I was only a little boy. One of my strongest memories of him is only a few days before he died telling me about the beautiful farms in the seaside village were he grew up.

He has been dead for decades now, and no one in his home town remembers his name. He is even a distant memory to me. It makes me realize that even though I am 30 now I will also someday be gone and forgotten even in the places that were once my home. This makes me glad that I am a father. TMD may not know it now but his great-grandparents who will only exist to him as black and white photos have left themselves in J. and me. Similarly I will leave myself in him.

Update on the Biopsy

News on TMD's biopsy from last Thursday:

The biopsy showed nerve cells which means it is not Hirschsprung's Disease. At least at this point surgeon and pathologist are saying that it may be Intestinal Neuronal Dysplasia, which is similar to Hirschsprung's. This is an even more rare condition than Hirschsprung's so I didn't know much about it. The good news is that at least for now TMD won't need surgery. The bad news is that unlike Hirschprungs this can be treated but not cured. Apparently the seriousness of Intestinal Neuronal Dysplasia runs the spectrum from severe to mild.

We are going back to Augusta next week to see his doctors and discuss this so hopefully we will have more information then. The good news is the our little man continues to grow beautifully and seems happy and well (asside from the occassional fussiness that is common to all babies). He is 7 weeks old today and we are loving the little personality he is developing. Hopefully we'll have more pictures up soon.

Back from Biopsy

We just got back home from the biopsy. It went well. Baby is doing fine.

Hirschsprung's Disease

An update on our baby boy:

He continues to grow well and seems quite happy. He has recently been diagnosed with Hirschsprung's Disease, which is a genetic birth defect of the nerves of his colon/rectum that was making his belly bloat and causing him increasing discomfort. It is fairly rare (1 in 5000 babies) and it has some risks of serious infection, but the good news is that is can be cured with surgery. Although the X-Rays almost certainly show Hirschsprung's, we will go to MCG Children's Hospital in Augusta tomorrow for a biopsy required to confirm the diagnosis. Then hopefully he will have the surgery in the next month or so.

While we have a healthy level of concern, we are very optimistic. We were very impressed with the kind and competent surgeon who will be caring for him. We are doing washings of his colon several times a day and already he appears to be feeling much better. It is a joy to watch this boy grow and I am already impressed with his little personality. We are certain that everything that happens is in God's gracious will for our son. We will be busy over the next month with many trips to Augusta. I may not be able to be in touch with everyone personally so I aim to use this blog as a way of keeping everyone updated on TMD's care. Keep him in your prayers and stay in touch.

We're Back From Florida

Our beautiful boy continues to grow well. He was well over 10 lbs at his one month visit.

We just returned from our trip to Florida where TMD met more relatives and got his first beach experience. I'm not sure our one-month-old was as excited about the beach as his older cousins, but at least he'll have some great photos of his visit when he gets older.

Here are some photos from the trip as well as some other photos J and TMD took for me for Fathers Day.

We'll be back with more news soon.

Baby Video

Two silly parents showing off a baby.

Guess Who Turns 3 Weeks Old Tonight?

It's Drought Time Again in Georgia

After a rainy Spring things are getting dry again. All our plants are dying. My son will be three weeks old tomorrow and has yet to see rain.

Photo Link Fiasco

Sorry about this annoyance brought to you by the idiocy of Facebook:

Apparently all the links I have posted to photo albums on Facebook are gone now! Facebook lets you make an album "public" and gives you a link you can give people. The catch they never mentioned is that that links disappeared after a few weeks and just lead to an error message and asks you to join Facebook. Apparently Facebook doesn't really want any of the content I choose to share to really be public--they want you to see the album and sign up for Facebook so they can advertise you to death! Social networking sites are nice for keeping in touch with people, but sometimes they can be so annoying in trying to force how you use their site. I personally blame Mark Zuckerberg for this arrogant, idiotic, penny-wise-pound-foolish scheme!

So in summary, none of the links to old photos on this blog are working anymore. I'll be taking my links (and their add revenue) to Google, but it may take a while to get all the photo album links up again. Sorry!

New Friends

Little TMD is growing like a sprout! He is now 2 weeks old. We took him to the doc for a weigh-in today and he came in at a hefty 8 lbs 1.5 oz. I hate having to leave for the long shifts. It seems he is adding new expressions every day.

He had lots of visitors recently. J's family was in town for a week and just left yesterday, so he got to bond with his Aunt, Grandmom, and Granddad. He also got to meet the cabin-maties, my beloved group of roommates from college. He also got to meet the ladies at his own baby shower on Saturday.

Now after his eventful social calender he is back to the dull home-life of having to hang out with just Mom and Dad.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

Crazy Nights and Sleepy Days

Well my time off for TMD's birth is coming to an end. I have to go back to work tomorrow.

He really is a great kid. Still a bit fussy in the middle of the night, which makes for some odd sleeping schedules. This really is an amazing time. It seems every day he adds new expressions and sounds. I wish I could stay home longer. This is the age when you want to stay in the quiet of home with the new baby and not go anywhere.

TMD has had some more visitors. The Okies came by on Thursday. He got to meet his uncle and cousins on Saturday when they came with my parents. His godparents also got to meet him for the first time. Today he meets the Carlisles and Chris (as well as seeing the Drakes again). Yes this young man is set with a community of people that really love him. Then tomorrow J's parents come to town. He is their first grandchild.

Click Here for More Photos of TMD's Neonatal Adventures

Home from the Hospital

This morning we took our baby boy home from the hospital. He gets a clean bill of health, and is also quite kissably cute.

After 2 nights on the maternity ward it is so nice to be home. TMD feels much more like my own when I have him here in the house where I will raise him and read him bedtime stories.

Here are some photos of TMD's second day out in the world.

We also want to thank MaryFrances Drake for watching the dog while we were gone, and the Okies and Smolko's for the wonderful food.

Hello World!

This morning at 1 am our baby boy made his long-awaited appearance. Young TMD is healthy and seems calm and happy. J. is recovering well and as beautiful as ever.

Click here for some pictures.

By the way he was 7 lbs. 9 oz.

To get updates on baby TMD as he grows you can subscribe to the Gridbook Notes Feed.

Waiting for baby

Sorry the Gridbook Blog has been pretty silent recently. We are waiting for the baby to make his appearance. We are kind of hoping he shows up early. J. is pretty tired of being pregnant, and I want to get a turn to hold him for a change.

I'm pretty excited. Last week my wife called me "a big ball of fatherly mush."

So we put up some photos of our recent visit to Tennessee for J.'s baby shower. I also got to visit some friends up there from my residency. Good times. Now it is time for the kid to get here.

Gridbook Blog turns 2 years old

It was almost 2 years ago that I started the Gridbook Blog. It is kind of fun to realize that Joy's post came right around the 2 year mark. Hopefully adding other writers doesn't mean I have run out of worthwhile things to say. I wonder what we will be discussing 2 years from now.

Spring Photos

Life goes well. Here are some photos of recent adventures.

On the "Quote of the Day" on Google today:

"The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side." - James Baldwin

A good description of how it sometimes feels to be in medicine.

I am a lucky man

I own a website!

So, I am now the proud owner of a real web domain, and my nerdhood is confirmed! After tiring of trying to tell people about blogs that require typing "blogspot" in the name and googlepages that require long names and "remember not to put 'www' in the front" I decided to get something easy:

www.TheGridbook.com

(Unfortunately just gridbook.com was already taken, but such is life) Of course, my exciting web domain is just a page pointing to the same blogs, fiction, and other whatnot that I already had online. But hey it still feels fun to have "real webpage." Much thanks to Bob Weigers the web genius who made it possible.

Otherwise life goes well. The boy is growing well in utero. He is already getting hyperactive. Joy says he kicks and wiggles much more when she eats sugar. Wow is life about to change!

5 Years!

Today marks the fifth anniversery of my marriage. I can honestly say that I love Joy more today than I ever knew it was possible to love another human being. She is my best friend, my joy, my strength, the light of my life. It is funny that over these years we have realized that we are about as different as two people can be, but still we are deeply in love. Although we are always challenging each other with our differences, there isn't a couple I know whose souls are more perfectly matched. One of the proudest experiences of my life has been watching Joy's belly grow with our son. Of all the things in my life that give me joy and peace she surpasses every one. I am blessed far beyond what I could ever deserve to be her husband and the father of her child.

Fun with the blogs

Joya says I spend way too much time on my blogs. Probably so. I spent the last several hours trying to get perfect headers for this blog and The Gridbook Blog. Yes I am officially a nerd, but I think things are pretty nice with the new look.

The Craigslist Crib

So we bought a used crib and changing table on Craigslist the other day. It is kind of scary sitting there in the room that used to be my office, reminding us we have a cute little responsibility on the way soon. So we are compensating for the looming loss of spontaneity in life by going out on lots of impromptu dinner dates. Not the best way to get the student loans paid off, but it is fun to still feel like carefree young newlyweds while we can.

Super Tuesday

Today is the big day. Joya has already voted for Barack Obama, and I'll be voting for Ron Paul later today. I was worried I would have to do one of those lesser-of-two-evils voting choices but I actually found someone I like which is rare.

So if you are in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, or Tennessee get out and run your government!

Back from the cruise

We're home. After the intense heat and sun of the Caribbean we came home to Georgia with the temp in the 20's. Then our furnace in our house broke down for about a day and a half. We got used to shivering again. But now life is about the same. I am back at work. Our baby boy is kicking now.

The cruise was nice. Despite all of my disagreement with cruises in general, I really loved having a chance to get time with Joya's family. I particularly felt that I got a chance to really grow closer to Joya's siblings Tommy and Sheila. It is nice that they now know me as more than just that odd guy their sister married. I really like my in-laws.

You can see the pictures here.

A very large boat

So today we will be getting aboard a one week cruise with Joya's family so The Gridbook Blog will be silent for a while. I'm not so sure what my feelings are about a pleasure cruise around the Caribbean. I'm pretty sure with my feelings on travel and America's use of the tropic I wouldn't have chosen to do this on my own, but I do love my in-laws and appreciated being invited. Hopefully it will be fun. I am curious how such a different experience the Caribbean will affect me.

We have a Son!

We had the Ultrasound yesterday. It is most certainly a male child. It was a bit of a surprise because I had a hunch that it would be a girl, even though I knew the laws of genetics were chances of 50/50. So we will be having ourselves a little boy!

The Yearly Christmas Letter

I know it is a bit late for Christmas cards, but I also posted it late last year. Joya is so good at getting this out, but Jonathan's poor friends never get the card in the mail because he isn't good at keeping up with addresses. But here it is in electronic form:

Dear Friends,

For some of you, this Christmas greeting is our only contact all year long, but that makes us all the more excited about Christmas time! We look forward all year to being able to send you Christmas greetings from our family and hearing from you as well. We think about you throughout the year and embrace the tradition of Christmas greetings.

We hope that your year has been as filled with good things. Here's an update on our lives.

• We are expecting the arrival of Baby Davis the end of May! What joys and change that will bring. We have loved every minute of our lives together as a couple and filled them with unforgettable adventures and spontaneous fun. Although life will be different, we are thrilled to introduce a new life into the amazing lives God has given us.

• We spent the month of July traveling through Europe together. We bought rail passes and traveled through Greece, Italy, Switzerland, France and Spain. You can see pictures here. We got to visit Jonathan's grandfather's hometown of Ortona, Italy which was a real treat. Italy was definitely our favorite.

• After a year at Campbell Law School, Joya decided that she did not want to continue her legal education at that school for several reasons. So we moved to Athens, Georgia to be closer to family and friends. We bought a home and are settling into the area. It is wonderful to be able to make day trips to visit Jonathan's family and many friends who have been a part of our lives since childhood.

• Joya is teaching piano and violin and hoping to start a graduate program at UGA next year. “Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.” -John Dewey

• Jonathan graduated from residency in June and is working in an Emergency Room near Athens. This has been an exciting and challenging experience and he is always filled with fascinating stories. He is adjusting to being the sole caregiver and having the final responsibilities of medical care rest with him.

So it is with the Davis Family. We eagerly await hearing from all of you. Know that we love you and even though many of you hear from us just once a year at Christmas, you are dear to us all year long.

Jonathan and Joya Davis

PS: More news to come on a post later today.

SEC Football!

Another beautiful night for SEC football in the BCS Championship! Reminds me of last year when once again an over-ranked Ohio State team was demolished in the Championship Game by a team that just barely made it through a brutal season in the SEC.

I only wish that Georgia could have done the honors this year instead of LSU! I think Georgia was actually playing better than LSU at the end of the season. We certainly showed it by humbling the unbeaten highest scoring Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. How 'bout them Dawgs!

The final rankings just came out: number one and two for 2007 LSU and Georgia, both SEC schools.

The SEC has yet to lose a Championship since the BCS. The BCS is a joke and stacked against teams from harder conferences like the SEC, but isn't it beautiful to see our teams get in there and demolish other conferences? At least we can enjoy these games until college football wakes up and puts together some sort of playoff. Wouldn't it be great to see Georgia, USC, Kansas, West VA, and LSU keep playing to decide who really is the best team in the nation?

Ron Paul Wins My Vote

The Gridbook Blog has endorsed Ron Paul for President in 2008.

So I just threw my two cents into the crazy world of presidential politics. I endorsed Ron Paul over on the Gridbook Blog. I may not agree with him on everything, but I think he is the best horse in this race. You can read about it here.