Charlie's First Bath

Next time Adam and I should probably wear ear plugs....

Here we are, the calm before the storm:

It ended as quickly as it began.

Our First Walk

On Saturday we walked up to the neighborhood street fair. It was Charlie's first walk...exciting stuff!

Watching Charlie grow

Each month I'll post a picture of Charles from the same chair so everyone can watch his growth. Notice the kid has some huge feet.

Charlie already has an excellent seagull impression

Our first week

Here are some random pics of our first week. We had our first dr. visit today. Everything is great! He is currently 6lbs 5 oz and looks very healthy.

Bringing Charlie Home

On Monday, we were discharged from the hospital. We were a little anxious for the animals to meet him but everyone warmed up quite well.

The boys like to sit on the glider ottoman while I'm feeding him and Wrigley is usually to the left of the glider. I have quite a support system in place.

Wrigley has actually been quite protective. Everytime Charlie cries, she cries. She likes to lean over the pack-n-play while he naps and watch him and she follows us throughout the house looking for every opportunity to smell him.

Nursery Pics...finally

Here are a few nursery pics you all have been asking about. We don't have an area rug yet, but I don't think Charlie will notice...

Welcoming Charlie into our lives

Born Saturday July 18, 2009 at 8:31 a.m. Our healthy little (early) boy was born weighing 6 lbs 12 oz and is 18 3/4 inches long!

The two most important men in my life.

He finally got his first bath and is resting in dad's arms.

Adam is a natural.

I look tired...because I am.

Apgar score was great. He got an 8!

Our first peek at Charlie.

And here I am post epidural...life is great.

Adam and I were even able to sleep off and on during the night.

I chose to censor pictures of me having contractions for obvious reasons...

Here's me after being admitted, happy that I could eat jello. This is before contractions began.

38 weeks, 5 days belly pic

Well, I was planning to take a belly pic on Sunday at 38 weeks...but we didn't quite make it. Here is my final belly pic at 37 weeks and 5 days just after my water broke!!!

34 week belly pic

Well, I'm in the home stretch! My dr. appts are now every week. It's hard to believe that we only have 6 weeks (or 41 days) before we meet the little guy. Adam has definately been nesting...I, on the other hand, have not because it is just getting too uncomfortable to stand for longer than a few minutes at a time not to mention the swelling and back pain...did I mention only 6 weeks to go???

Lopsided belly

This morning as I was on the computer, I felt this uncomfortable pressure that kept getting worse. I lifted up my shirt and to my surprise my belly was lopsided!

Working on the nursery...

Here's the handsome dad-to-be working on hanging the nursery tree art. I know some of you have been asking for pics of the nursery...we have a few final touches in the next week and then I'll post final pics of the nursery. I promise!

3-D Ultrasound pics

I'm a little behind on my postings...Here are a few of the ultrasound pics from our 3-D ultrasound. It was pretty darn cool. We have confirmed that there will be no surprises...we are having a BOY!! He was kicking his face, sucking his toe, sucking his thumb, yawning and he even opened his eyes at one point.

Stanley's recent involvement

Stanley has become an active participant in the process now. He's been brushing up on his skills on what to expect when baby comes home. He's also put himself in charge of product testing.

30 week belly pic

Well, here's me at 30 weeks. 10 weeks to go! Adam and I start our birthing classes in June, Adam is going to take a daddy training class as well to learn the in's and out's. Now my dr. appts are every two weeks so my next update will be June 5th.

Sonoma, CA May 2009

Adam and I were in California last week. It was our last trip together being just a couple and we had a blast! It's hard to believe in just a few short months it won't be just Adam and I. We did some sun bathing, shopping, visiting with friends and dining at some amazing restaurants. Here's a picture of us outside of the Pine Ridge Vineyard in Napa.

26 week belly pic

Our Dr. appt on Friday went great! The baby's heartbeat was nice and strong. It's all starting to feel real...Adam and I have two hospital visits scheduled for Monday and Wednesday next week to decide where I will deliver. Our next appointment is May 22nd and then we start seeing the dr. every two weeks...holy crap. That means the bambino is coming soon...how exciting and scary at the same time!

Lazy Gloomy Day...

After a long workout this morning, I kicked my feet up for a bit. Lewis thought it would be a good idea to join me. I think he's warming up to this baby thing...at least from a pillow perspective. The baby kicked him numerous times and all he did was open his eyes slightly, look at me and close them again.

22 week belly pic

We just had our monthly visit to the OB and all is well. Dr. T confirmed that everything looked great on the ultrasound and RC's heart beat was steady at 140 and sounded great!

I'm getting kicked on a regular basis now. RC now weights about 1 lb. and should be about 11 inches long...18 weeks to go!

Our next update will be at the end of April after our next dr. visit!

It's a.......

I'm not telling!!! Not yet, anyway. The ultrasound appointment went great! My placenta previa is gone. RC weighs in at a whopping 11 oz. and is in the 75th percentile. The heart chambers, spine, brain and head all look great! The heartrate was 146 bpm and he/she was moving all over the place. We got to see RC with his/her legs crossed by the ankles and hands behind the head like he/she was just chillin in a hammock after a hard day of work. Kicking me the way he/she has been lately must be hard work!

Above you can see RC's profile with the head on the left, the midsection in the center, the umbelical cord on the right protruding from the abdomen, then it disappears into the abyss and reappears as the blob at the top of the screen.

Scary looking 4-D picture of RC. You can see the eyes fused, the nose, mouth and chin. The ultrasound tech warned me that the pic wouldn't be that pretty this early because they don't have much fat on them yet making them scary and skeleton-like in appearance. Glad she warned me or I would have freaked!

RC's foot. The ultrasound tech was able to count all fingers and toes!

18 week update

Rice Cake has been moving quite a bit! Everyday at 4:30pm and 8pm Adam and I can almost guarantee an acrobatic performance.

We had our monthly OB appt on Thursday and doc says mom and baby are very healthy. Rice Cake (now the size of a large green pepper measuring about 5.5 inches) had a heartbeat of 140 bpm. Every time Dr. T found the heartbeat, RC would move and make her chase him/her. Finally we were able to corner the little bugger to listen and RC started kicking me while we were listening. It was definitely a fun visit.

Our next update will be in two weeks after our ultrasound (on 3/12). Until then...

We have movement!

Rice Cake is on the move! Last night shortly after laying down to go to bed, with my hand on my stomach I felt a slow wave, almost slither across my stomach. I wanted to take my hand off because it felt so weird but at the same time I was intrigued! Then RC started kicking. Very very light kicks and sometimes it was hard to decipher between my heart beating, my breathing and RC moving.

It's terribly exciting!

Adam and I have started a spreadsheet full of names for both boys and girls and we're starting to purchase items for the nursery. It's all starting to feel real. After the first trimester, when my ailments wore off, I didn't feel pregnant anymore...feeling great, not showing...You pretty much had to convince me we're having a baby. Now, my belly's growing and Rice Cake is moving, making it all very real.

The newest belly picture will be next Thursday after my next Dr. visit update!

14 week belly picture

On Thursday Adam and I had our monthly appointment. We were able to hear the heartbeat which was timed at approx. 160 beats per minute. Our next montly appointment is at the end of February and I'll update our blog again then!