Happy New Year!
31 December 2021
We’ve been busy. Very, very busy. River is here. He is new to the this world, and likewise, we are new to the world of parenting. We had to make a choice to turn off the world of online communications to better spend our time living in the present. It’s been a whirlwind two months since River came into our lives, and finally, we are starting to develop a routine.
With numerous New Year’s resolutions we are trying to maintain, expect to see more updates on this page. For now, know that we are all very healthy, very happy, very sleepy, and enjoying the cuddles of a tiny little newborn. We never thought we could love any one person this much.
River is on third base, waiting for Aly to step up to the plate: Can she hit him home?
30 October 2020
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, family and friends: we are proud to present to you all the VERY LATE update of Baby River’s arrival to the world. At 2:27 PM, on October 24, 2020, River Alfred Silveira was born in Fall River, Massachusetts. He weighed 7 pounds, 1.4 ounces, and measured approximately 21 inches in length. If you scroll down below, you’ll see some images of our sweet little boy. :)
River has been an absolute joy to love, care for, and entertain. We are very lucky parents.
We love you, River.
River is just about ready!
24 October 2020, 11:09am
Aly received the epidural, and boy, did that make all the difference in the world! She is much happier now, and we’re both excited to share that her water broke, she is dilated at 9cm, and we’re moments away from beginning that final step. Oh, and River gets a free hat! :)
If you click on the button below, there’s a bit of humor for anyone reading this. Just choose VIEW when you click on the link. :)
22 October 2020
Yup. There’s been a change in plans.
ALL HANDS ON DECK!
Aly went in for some extra blood work yesterday. The long and the short of it is this: she is showing some early signs of possible preeclampsia. To prevent that, the doctor told us to await a phone call for when a bed at the hospital might open up. Yes, that’s right: we were told to drop everything we thought we were doing today, because the time had come: River was to be delivered as soon as possible.
Saturday is the big day.
20 October 2020
We’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. After what seems like a lifetime of anticipation, the long wait for River is almost over. At this point, Aly has been growing our little rivulet for 4 days and 38 weeks to be exact. As I reflect on how long this journey has been on the road to becoming parents, we finally find ourselves at the pinnacle of it all: at the sunrise of a whole new chapter of our lives, waiting to see what surprises this new day will bring us.
What happened over these past nine months was historic in its own right. The pandemic came and stayed. A thru hike of the AT was cancelled. Economies collapsed. Gold and silver markets hit unprecedented highs. The world changed completely. Heck, even our jobs as teachers changed, too. Yet through it all, we effectively weathered storm after storm with a lot of love, a little bit of luck, and copious amounts of much needed support from family and friends.
Oh, and we definitely had our fun as well. We went on some hiking trips, camped a little, watched as Aly’s feet and legs swelled to the size of watermelons, became regulars at a local pierogi eatery, and sold a lot of our possessions in the name of minimalism.
My favorite memories over this time period are numerous, but right now, I find myself reflecting mostly on the moments I’ve spent with the fetus. River and I learned to communicate on a nightly basis through his Momma’s belly, and we’ve developed a bonding ritual of father-son communication that I long to continue once he is born. I will surely remember this year with distinct fondness for the rest of my life.
I love you, Aly. I love you, River. We will meet you soon, sweet boy.
- Daddy
Halfway on the North South Trail!
10 + 11 October 2020
My father-in-law Alfred and I ventured 43 miles to the halfway point of Rhode Island’s North South Trail (NST). The NST is approximately 73 miles in length, runs the length of the state vertically, and takes northbound walkers from the beaches of South County, all the way to the border of northwestern Massachusetts.
It took us two days to walk 43 miles. Aly and the fetus dropped us off and picked us up from the trail each day. It was a great way to see the fall foliage, while also having some male bonding with the Original Mills man. All in all, it was a great trip. After all, we got to see some great fall foliage, explore the unknown areas of Rhode Island, bumped into the biggest snake I’d ever seen in my life, and gave our bodies a supreme physical challenge to overcome.
Needless to say, we can’t wait to finish the trail in the near future.
“I was surprised, as always, by how easy the act of leaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility.”
- Jack Kerouac
Camping in NH
2 + 3 October 2020
Aly and I took some time to get out of Dodge. Considering we were almost two weeks into our favorite season, we thought seeing the fall foliage of New Hampshire would be a safe bet for some much needed R&R. Boy were we right. We enjoyed a cool night under the stars (the first cool night in almost four months), walked a minuscule portion of White Mountain National Forest, saw some dazzling autumn colors, and stumbled on quite possibly the best jam stand in the world.
The video below was a first using the Sony A7R IV. I’m early in the honeymoon stages of using it, but it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite cameras, period.