Platinum Babies

Victoria and Tom


Victoria and I met at a surprise birthday party in San Francisco. I was hosting and Victoria had just moved to San Francisco from St. Louis for a new job as a news anchor. We talked briefly at the party and about a month later we ran into each other at a Versatel bank machine. We starting talking and I asked Victoria out on a date. We had a beautiful wedding with about 100 family members and friends. It was at the Olympic Club, in San Francisco. The wedding was a fun celebration, mixed with tradition and everyone partied until late at night. Our nephews and nieces decorated the wrong get away car, but otherwise, the celebration went off without a hitch. We then honeymooned on the island of Lanai in the Hawaiian Islands, which is a secluded island with only two hotels. It was very relaxing; we could swim with the dolphins, hike in the mountains and enjoy delicious dinners. When Victoria and I found out about the pregnancy, we were excited and nervous. I was excited because I felt, now, we are progressing from a couple to a family. I was nervous because I wanted to make sure everything would go smoothly. I’m sure all new dads-to-be feel this way, as many things are out of one’s control. Realizing this, I felt the best thing to do, would be to try and be as supportive as possible to the physical and emotional changes that were happening to my wife—but at the same time it was exciting to simply observe and take it all in. I was excited to share the experience with Victoria. I also wanted to include friends and family members on our new journey. We signed up for a weekly email, from a website that discusses what to expect during pregnancy for that particular week. The site would also discuss development of the baby and also approximate how much the baby would weigh and what that would equate to in size. We laughed and had a good time talking about our baby progressing from the size of an apple, to a bell pepper, to a pineapple. I probably think most people feel concerned immediately about the health of their baby. You are relying on your doctor to provide updates and information that will help put this fear to rest. We had an amazing doctor, Dr. Kerr, who put us at ease on each doctor’s visit. Once the baby arrived on her big day, (4 weeks early) I felt initial concern that I didn’t really know what I was doing in regards to swaddling, feeding, amount to feed, changing diapers, bathing our daughter. Fortunately, Victoria is a natural with babies and in a few days I felt I had most of the care items, down. I especially liked a video we watched called, The Happiest Baby on the Block, which my mom had recommended. The video shows some great techniques on how to quickly quiet a baby, tips for swaddling and how to hold your infant like a football and give it a little jiggle with the head and neck and the baby will quickly fall back asleep—because all parents know in the beginning, there are mainly three things going on: eating, sleeping and changing diapers. We both have very busy work schedules. I travel quite a bit between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Obviously, I will miss seeing my daughter day in and day out. But, I try to pack in as many items as possible, when I home. Feedings by bottle throughout the day, waking up in middle of night to soothe her back to sleep, taking her on walks and enjoying her excitement as she sees things (dogs, birds, airplanes, fire trucks) for the first time. We didn’t want our nursery to be to kidsy—we opted for the colors of gourmet honey and lavender. I think there is a sense of tranquility and calm when I go into that room and sit in the rocker. It helps me to push the stress of work to the back burner and enjoy the moment of family. The most surprising thing to happen during Victoria’s pregnancy was Em’s arrival four weeks early. I was discussing with Victoria five weeks before the due date that I really wanted to make a practice run to the hospital so I would know where to go. I was also concerned that we would need to do some paperwork and wanted to get that out of the way. Victoria promised we would go the upcoming weekend. So on Saturday morning, we drove to hospital, took the tour and put that fear to rest. On the drive home, I told her we should pack a bag and just have it ready for when the big day happens. Victoria promised that we would pack the bag the next day, on Sunday. Little did I know that at midnight, that same Saturday night, Victoria’s water would break and about 12 hours from our casual visit to the hospital, we were racing back for the delivery. And of course, as we were racing out of the house—I was asking, “What should I put in this duffel bag?” The only things I put in there were a pillow, a sweatshirt and a toothbrush. In the nursery, I have a picture of my father and Victoria’s father of when they both were alive and celebrating together at our wedding. They are dressed up in tuxedos and my dad is giving us the thumbs up signal and Victoria’s dad has a big grin. I remember when I saw the picture for the first time that it was special. I feel like they are watching over us and our daughter because Emme always smiles and points at the photo. We’ll probably have more children. I am one of six kids and always thought if I had a son or daughter that I would have more than one. Victoria comes from a big family too—so I think she feels the same.