Charlotte's First Trivia Night

I came from a long, hard, day at work to an empty house - Niki, on her first day home alone with Charlotte, took her to the trivia night we like to attend with our friends at Pancho's Place, a local Mexican restaurant.

I had many questions when my girls got home - did they win? How did everyone there like Charlie? Did Charlie behave? Did Niki have to feed Charlie? Did she have to change Charlie? Was Charlie awake the whole time? Did people hold Charlie, or did Charlie hang out in her carrier?

But, of all of the questions I had to ask, my one burning question was - WHY ON EARTH DID CHARLOTTE'S BREATH SMELL LIKE NACHO CHEESE?

- CJS

Oh - they got second place!

Charlotte Frickin' Rocks

Here is what www.babycenter.com says about when a baby will roll over:

Your baby may be able to kick herself over, from her tummy to his back, as early as age 2 to 3 months. It may take her until she's about 5 or 6 months to flip from back to front, though, because she needs stronger neck and arm muscles for that maneuver.

Our baby, though -

2 weeks, 6 days. Charlotte rolled over front to back three times this morning all on her own. All three times, she used the same technique. We'll see if she can do it again this afternoon!

One Proud Papa

Here's some photos from the past few days...

We're Back!

Crikey! I was having way too much fun with all of our guests (Corey's parents, then my parents and sister and brother-in-law) that I completely neglected to post anything. So much has happened since we posted last. Charlotte went to the pediatrician on Monday for her second regular checkup and received a glowing report. Her newborn jaundice is totally gone, and she weighed 8 pounds and 1/2 ounce. We received permission to let her sleep as long as she wants during the night (feeding her only when she wakes up to cry). We haven't really let her go much past about five and a half hours at a stretch, but we're totally proud of how well she sleeps at night.

In other news that may gross some of you out, I actually got breastfeeding to work! I'm still stressed out about her getting enough (it's hard to figure out how much she has eaten when she nurses, unlike bottle feeding where you can tell exactly how much she has taken in), so I'm still pumping and giving her supplements of breast milk by bottle afterward. I will try to slowly wean her off of that (except when Corey is home in the evening because he absolutely loves to bottle feed her!) so we can skip the whole pumping and bottle feeding steps, but for now this seems to be working very well. In fact, when we took her to the pediatrician's office this afternoon to check her weight, we found she weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces! That was an amazing increase since just four days ago, but not so much that the nurse or doctor was worried she would need to go on Weight Watchers any time soon.

Charlotte is awake more and more each day. We haven't run into any situations where she is uncontrollably crying and unable to be soothed with feeding, diaper changing, cuddling, and the five soothing elements from the book Happiest Baby on the Block. That's a great book that has worked very well for us so far. My childhood friend, Sally, recently recommended Babywise, and I think I'm going to pick that one up to help us work out a sleep schedule once Charlotte is old enough.

We have received so many terrific presents for Charlotte from all of our friends and family. We are horribly slow at getting thank you notes out, so please don't be offended if they come in the form of a note on the back of the birth announcements, which I am addressing tonight.

My parents, Erin and Andrew all left this afternoon. We won't have any more guests staying with us until Corey's grandparents swing by on their way back to Michigan from Florida in a few weeks, so we're pretty much on our own now. It's kind of scary, but I think we're ready for it. Corey just finished feeding the little booger and we're watching the Michigan State game on TV. We're excited to see cousins John and Susan Scott tomorrow when they come here for lunch. They are down visiting Sarah at Vanderbilt and called to see if they could stop by to meet Charlotte. How could we resist a chance to show her off?

P.S. Charlotte has now been to Blue Coast Burrito not once, not twice, but THREE times. She has also been to Sonic, Babies 'r' Us, Publix, Hobby Lobby, Ross, Arrington Vineyard, and maybe one or two other places that I'm now forgetting. She slept through 95% of these trips, but had a little melt down in Ross. Maybe she doesn't like shopping at discount stores?

Charlotte at One Week

Charlotte is one week old today, and what a week we have had. Niki, Grandma Stringer, and I have really enjoyed watching Charlotte explore her little body. She tests out facial expressions, and swings her arms around. At this point, she does not have the capability to accurately move her arms. All she can do is make her brain say "Arm move," at which point the arm moves in a random direction, and she says "Hmm. That was interesting." She is learning, by test after test, how to make her arms and legs move where she wants them. As a result, she looks like "Elaine" from Seinfeld dancing - or a Busta Rhyme video . . .

We have been bottle-feeding Charlotte breastmilk. This works well for all of us, and we are working on establishing a pattern. She sleeps 4 hours a stretch at night, and we have to wake her up when we need to feed her. We understand that colic does not set in until 2 weeks after birth, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that she remains peaceful throughout her babyhood.

Connie and Duke have taken well to Charlotte, and we are beginning to see signs now that Duke is protective of the baby, and that Connie understands that when the baby cries, Niki and I need to attend to her. Once more days go by, we will be able to tell if these are random acts that the animals have taken, or are patterns of behavior.

Pacey is very wary, and still will not come within 2 feet of the baby.

Niki is feeling very well, and is healing nicely. She has the evening weepies that new mothers get, but it does not last long. Charlotte gets a little fussy in the evening (the witching hour), but settles down quickly.

Every day, Charlotte is spending more and more time with her eyes open, taking in the world. Right now, she can recognize high contrast - she enjoys looking at our green wall in the back of the house that contrasts with the bright windows. She looks back and forth . . .

We had a Cannonwood Champagne Toast on Sunday afternoon. Many of our neighbors stopped by, and we gave Charlotte a very nice introduction to the neighbors, the McMullens, and Jordan Williams.

We have also been enjoying "Skyping" with Grandpa Stringer back in Rochester, and talking to JoAnn and Spike and looking forward to their visit.

We are having a great time.

Charlotte's Room

Here is Charlotte going in her room for the first time. She also gets to meet Pacey the Cat, and hear the MSU Fight Song on her mobile for the first time.

(This was not the first time hearing the Fight Song, though - I sang it to her earlier in the morning). (This is all on March 12, 2008.)

CJS, NIS, and CJS

Not quite Spielberg...

I strung together some clips I had taken. This is about 8 minutes long, and consists of a number of clips ranging in length from 20 seconds to a few minutes. Accordingly, this is for hard-core Charlotte-Movie-And-Pictures-Fans only. Yes, they are not action-packed, but it gives you an idea of how she wiggles and squirks. During one of the clips, the weird "breathing" sound in the background is the breast pump. I wisely didn't film Niki using it because I would still like to remain married.

Charlotte soon after birth...

Here's another video of Charlotte, about three hours old. I think she looks like a little old man.

Charlotte, meet Connie; Connie, meet Charlotte

More videos - coming home from the hospital

First checkup

Charlotte's first checkup at the pediatrician's office went very well! She has almost regained her birthweight and is back up to 7 pounds, 6 ounces. She was 7 pounds, 2 ounces at discharge from the hospital, if I remember correctly. She's at the 70th percentile for length and at the 40th to 50th percentile for weight. The doctor says she looks terrific in all aspects, and the tiny bit of newborn jaundice (very very common!) is mild and should start clearing up.

Just had a visit from the lactation consultant and will try to get the breastfeeding going. Charlotte's not super interested in having to work for her food, and the milk hasn't quite all come in yet. We're going to keep running that play until we get it right though! That's what Corey says, anyway.

Overall, everything is going well and we're learning the ins and outs of newborns. Crikey, it's a lot of work!

Baby video!

More later . . .

Very exciting second day

Discharge papers are being signed as I type this - Charlotte will feel Tennessee sunshine on her face, go for a ride in a car, meet dogs and a cat, and sleep in her own bed for the first time today. Very exciting!

Charlotte is doing well. We are breastfeeding and supplementing with formula, so she is getting all the nutrition she needs. She was a little gassy yesterday, which caused some squalling, but with some epic farting and belching, she got it all straightened out and now is our peaceful little girl.

Yesterday, Niki, Charlotte, and I spent time getting to know one another by cuddling, swinging (in our arms), singing together (she heard me sing the MSU fight song for the first time yesterday morning), and sucking (she likes fingers).

She likes the "Hush Little Baby" song. Niki sings the regular version, and I sing her a different one (she prefers mine) . .

Hush little baby, don't you fuss.
Daddy's gonna buy you a VW bus.

If that VW bus won't go,
Daddy's gonna buy you an old Peugeot.

If that Peugeot just won't do,
Daddy's gonna buy a BMW.

If that Bimmer won't go far,
Daddy's gonna buy you a new Jaguar.

If of that new Jaguar you tire,
Daddy's gonna buy us an old Starfire.

Down Tennessee two-lanes we'll rumble,
and off to sleepy land you'll tumble . . .

During the day, Grandma and Grandpa Stringer stopped by in the morning, and then brought us "Baby's first picnic" for dinner. Grandma made chicken fajitas, a lettuce and strawberry salad, and rice. It was very good. Angela, Kathryn, and Lillian from Niki's office came, brought us lunch, and cuddled Charlotte for a while.

Later in the afternoon, Sara Thomas and Annabelle came to meet Charlotte. Annabelle is a year and a half old, so Charlotte will grow up looking up to her. It was nice to see the two little girls together for the first time.

Last night, I took some baby blankets home to show the dogs. They couldn't care less. I made them sit and knelt down to hold it out to them. Connie immediately nosed under it to get closer to me, and Duke nosed in further and rolled over. So much for that plan . . .

Niki, Charlotte, and I enjoyed a very nice evening. We dimmed the lights and chatted until it was time to go to sleep. We're pretty lucky parents!

Niki is packing up to go home, so I should probably log off and help her. Big day today!

-Charlotte's Dad

First Day

Our little Charlotte has had a long, wonderful first day. We are closing in our her first 24 hours, and she's experienced a lot. She has had many visitors from the neighborhood (Ronnie the Mayor of Cannonwood being the first), and met her paternal grandparents, who made the drive from Michigan.

Most importantly, however, Charlotte, Niki, and I have been enjoying getting to know one another. She is slowly getting the hang of feeding, and we are learning how to comfort her. Our baby is already a talker, cooing, muttering, and almost purring while she sleeps and wakes. She can cry and belt it out, too. Heck, she's her parents' baby after all, and Niki and I have never been accused of being quiet . . .

We've had a successful midnight feeding, and Niki and I finally got our first hour and a half of sleep (we last slept early Sunday morning). Charlotte is quiet, and we are looking forward to finding a way to quietly transfer her to the baby trolley for a few more hours sleep.

Our e-mail accounts, blog, and telephones have been a-buzz today with well wishers, and we are very thankful for all of your good thoughts, and for the influences you all will be on Charlotte and us as she (and we) grow in the future.

More later, of course!

Love,

C, N, 'n' C

Charlotte is here!

We had the distinct pleasure of holding our sweet Charlotte at 6:08 this morning. Niki labored hard and efficiently, and is recovering nicely. Charlotte is strong, beautiful, and healthy - everything we could hope for.  She is 21.5 inches long, and 7 lbs, 8 oz.  She has a full head of black hair.

Ronnie and Jean, and Alicia, Faith Carol, and David have already come to welcome Charlotte to our world.

Today is a wonderful day!

C, N, and C

Warming the baby trolley

We're getting closer.  They've turned on the warmer over the baby trolley.  Dr. Kim Scott wil deliver the baby and is already here.  They are bringing in yak trays and towels.  Soon, soon, soon.

Just about 9

Niki is at just about 9 cm, they have called the doctor, and brought in the baby trolley.  Niki is doing well, and looks great!

C 'n' N

Lots of progress!

Niki is at 8 centimeters and plus one station!  She's ahead of schedule, which is just how she likes it. We're too excited to sleep...

Epidural works!

Niki loves the epidural!  Dr. Feelgood is quite nice, as well. Niki is at 6 cm and 100% effaced.  They tell us to expect one cm dilation per hour, so baby at six o'clock?

We'll keep you posted!

Hospital

Niki's water broke at 10:57 tonight.  We are at the hospital. Everything is going well. Think good thoughts for us. Niki's contractions are increasing, but she is a trooper!

Charlotte will be here soon!

More guessing fun!

From the Stringer side:

And who is this?

That last one was Don (Corey's brother-in-law)! He looks a little annoyed at the photographer, doesn't he? Here's a few more for you to guess.

From the Evans side:



From the Stringer side:

Who is this cutie?

Yup - the baby in that last post was my cousin, Jake. Here's another one from Corey's side for you to guess...

39 Weeks Along!

Yesterday we hit the 39 week mark. Only one more week until the due date! I'm still feeling good, but do feel more pressure now that Charlotte has dropped. I get tired more quickly, but I'm still able to do things like making it in to Nashville for a birthday lunch for one of my former co-workers (happy 30th, Angie!). My patience is running a little short (I just about lost it last night when the idiots at Lowe's couldn't seem to figure out how to charge us for the new storm door), but I thought I showed amazing restraint when I woke up to find that Duke had eaten ALL of the banana bread I made last night. Anyone who knows how much I love banana bread will find it phenomenal that I didn't murder Duke right there on the spot.

BabyCenter.com doesn't have anything very interesting to say about Charlotte's development at 39 weeks:

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

More photos for you to guess about...

Erin guessed right - yesterday's photo was our own little Stephanie Sanderson.

Got the car seat mounted in the Mazda . . . unfortunately, side curtain airbags mean that we have to mount the car seat in the middle of the back seat.

Okay - can you identify this little Evans-family baby?

Making progress!

This morning's appointment with Dr. Bell revealed that I am dilated to 3 centimeters and am 80% effaced. Not bad! Dr. Bell thinks the baby should come within the next week and is very pleased with the way things are going. Charlotte is still moving around (a good sign that she's not in distress or has the cord wrapped around her in a bad way) and Dr. Bell thinks Charlotte has dropped (though I couldn't really tell much of a difference).

All right - the answer to yesterday's "name that baby" quiz is that the top baby was my mom, JoAnn, and the bottom baby was Corey's mom, Barb! No one guessed Barb - not even Corey!

Here's the next baby for you to guess (try as I might, I could only get one photo to load today. I don't think this blogging program likes the Mac):

From the Stringer side:

Guess those babies!

I'm FINALLY scanning all of the family baby photos to hang on the wall in Charlotte's room in the "family tree". The photos are just too cute not to share. I decided to post a couple of different ones each day and let you guess who they are. I will reveal the identity of the family members in the photos the next day. You can make guesses by adding a comment to the blog entry.

Here are today's subjects:

From the Evans side of the family:

From the Stringer side of the family:

So who do you think those two cuties are?

All together now -- AWWWWWW!!!!

I have been filling my first day as an unemployed stay-at-home soon-to-be mom doing very exciting things -- laundry and vacuuming. If you had your in-laws, parents and sister and brother-in-law (not to mention a bunch of other visitors) coming to see you soon, wouldn't you do the same thing? Anyway, I was taking a quick rest on the couch in between chores when all of the sudden there was a knock on the door and the dogs went ballistic.

To my great surprise, it was a florist delivery dude with a gorgeous arrangement just for me! But who could they be from? None other than my darling husband, who is busy working his butt off while I lounge around at home just waiting to go into labor. I tried to call him to thank him, but he's super busy with a big real estate closing. So, I'm posting this so everyone else knows how tickled I am that Corey recognized the big life change we're going through. The card says, "First day of a new life! Love, Corey". Awwwww...


Yes, it's fun to think that I don't have to go to work anymore, but it's also a big shift in my identity. My new boss will be a demanding little thing without the ability to communicate to me exactly what she wants or needs, and I'm going to struggle with the worry that we're putting too big of a burden on Corey and wasting all of my expensive education. We're happy with our choices so far, but it's going to be an interesting next few years to see how it all plays out.

Connie, Duke and Pacey all seem happy that I'm home to hang out with them. They even promised to try to shed less and behave better. We'll see how they like it when there's a little baby competing for what they consider to be their belly-rub time.

Week 38 and getting closer!

Congratulations to Nancy and Matt Clark (formerly Nancy Dawson) and to Helen and Sebastian Schiavone (formerly Helen Hennighausen), who both gave birth last week! Nancy and Matt added little Cara to their family, and Helen and Sebastian brought little Joel (there is supposed to be an "umlaut" over the "e" in Joel) into the world!

Niki is at 38 weeks, and is growing bigger every day. She still looks great and cute, and besides not being able to sleep well, is doing great. I woke up this morning to find Pacey sleeping ON TOP of Niki's baby bump. According to www.babycenter.com, Charlotte is about 6.8 pounds and about 19.5 inches long. She can grasp things now (and according to Niki, can poke VERY STRONGLY). What on earth could she be grasping in there?

All's quiet here in the Cannonhood. This is the calm before the storm. (We have fully accepted, that being a child of ours, Charlotte is going to be a LOUD little baby.) Similarly, March has come in like a lamb - guaranteed it will go out like a lion . . .


Niki had her last day of work (from now until when Charlotte is born, she will be a woman of leisure). Her co-workers had a very nice going-away lunch for her. I know she will miss the job, but she is also looking forward to caring and raising Charlotte.

We also bought our Baby Bjorn. It is the Baby Bjorn Air model, which should be nice and cool for little Charlotte in the Tennessee summer heat. Even better - it fits on Duke! This is great - if Niki is on a walk and Charlotte needs a change, all she needs to do is put Charlotte in Duke's Baby Bjorn, slap him on the rump to send him home and I can get the diaper changed when they get here . . .



We are getting more excited every day. We cannot wait to meet our little Charlotte!