Joseph Pierce Danforth - Page 1

August-November, 2008

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Christmas Stocking - November

One of the big Danforth traditions is hand-knit stockings for new arrivals in the family. Thanks Grandma D!

Yo! I've got mail!
Run that by me again... who fills this thing with what?
Oh, I see, it's a hat!

Miscellaneous Cuteness - November


Practicing for the Olympic Drooling events
Perhaps we shouldn't be encouraging him to pound on stuff, but it's cute for now.

Helping in the Kitchen - November


Helping Daddy make pizza
Ready for dinner!
Assisting with the Thanksgiving soup

Fall is here

In his third month, Joe is becoming quite interactive.

Joe's first Halloween. Note his Owl Hat.
Picking a pumpkin
Getting out the youth vote. Joe and I check the latest Election simulations at fivethirtyeight.com.

Family Vacation - Oct 18-24

We flew to Maryland for a week for a conference and a bit of sight seeing. Much to our relief, Joe was great on the airplane sleeping both ways. We hiked on the Appalachian Trail in Harper's Ferry, ate wonderful Afghan food at the Helmand in Baltimore, saw some old friends, and got some astronomy done.


Joe being tickled in the hotel in Annapolis
Hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Harper's Ferry

Month 2

The second month is easier than the first, right? We had visits from both Aunt Michelle and Aunt Emily.


Aunt Michelle visits


Wearing his new hat, courtesy of Grandma D.

The First Month

The first month was quite an adjustment. We had visits from both Amy's mom and my folks. At four weeks, Joe took his first hike to Roxborough State Park.


Proud grandparents
Joe's first hike (age 4 weeks)


One month old!

Day 1 - August 14th, 2008

Joe was born after a long and tumultous labor. Amy was a hero and many many thanks are due to our midwives, Dr. Jamroz, and the four shifts of nurses we exhausted. He was born just after midnight on his due date weighing a healthy 8 pounds and a lean 20+ inches in length. His head, the major obstacle, was a whopping 14.75" in circumference. As I said, Amy was a hero.

Joe, minutes old, after 38 hours of labor.
Amy took to motherhood like a duck to water. A very tired and sore duck, that is.
A few hours later, Joe already looks thoughtful.

About the name

We thought long and hard about the name for our child. We wanted something classic, but not cliche. We also wanted something meaningful in our respective families. Thus Joseph Pierce. Joseph was Amy's maternal grandfather (Joseph Wishner) who passed away shortly after we started dating. Pierce was my maternal grandmother's maiden name (Gertrude Kieth Pierce Spooner) who passed away during the pregnancy at age 98. Furthermore, his initials JPD are in honor of my paternal grandfather (John Philbrick Danforth) and for whom he carries on the Danforth name.
Charles Danforth
Last modified: Sat Dec 6 10:11:26 MST 2008