Sleepy girl

Charlotte had a great night last night. She nursed at 7pm, midnight and 4am. That's 5 hours an 4 hours which equals more sleep for mommy. I think she is finally starting to feel the difference between night and day. She is still sleeping a lot during the day but definitely has more "awake" periods. Charlotte is still healthy and growing. I'm starting to notice that the PJ's with footie's are getting small on her because she is so long. Those are the ones she will outgrow the fastest.

We are still going on walks, sometimes in the sling, sometimes in the stroller. We can't wait until it gets a little warmer outside. This 40 degrees and rainy is a pain, but I'll take it over 20 degrees any day!

Charlotte's First Bath

Today Daddy and I gave Charlotte her first bath in the baby tub in the kitchen sink. She loved the water and didn't cry at all. We washed her hair and scrubbed her tush. Afterwards, when she was in her towel and I was holding her, she tinkled in my arms. Oh, how lucky I was. We wern't expecting her to love being in the tub so much. We'll have to have baths a little more often, now that the belly is finally healed.

first shopping trip!

Yesterday G'ma Horstmeyer, Charlotte and I went shopping and stopped by the office. First of all, it was nice to crank through four files in a few hours and get some work accomplished! After a sandwich, we ran some errands at a few stores and stopped by Babies R Us to pick up a few last-minute needed items. Charlotte did great all day. She loved being out and about and really made it easy for us to get some shopping done. After shopping, we stopped by the Fantazzi house to visit. It was great to see Maureen and Frank again. They got to hold Charlotte for a few hours, and boy was she tired by the afternoon.

2 week doctor's visit

This afternoon Charlotte, Kevin and I had her 2 week doctor's check-up. Charlotte is healthy and growing big! She weighed in at 9 pounds 6 ounces (75th percentile) and was 21 3/4 inches long (90th percentile). We estimate she will be around 5'10" to 5'11". Yeah!! A tall girl-- she better be with all the good tall genes she received from both sides of our family.

The doctor also looked at her belly and opps...pulled off her umbilical cord stump. So, she is now a little more normal. Her bottom is good but getting a little diaper rash from the moistness of the diapers. I'm going to start using ointment and trying my best to keep her as dry as possible.

Otherwise, Charlotte is great! Still nice and strong. She is sleeping OK at night. Doctor said by about 2 months they sleep through the night (about 5-6 hours). I think that we are almost half way there. I'm managing to stay sane and get enough sleep.

She is so adorable though. I am enjoying the days home with her, just looking at her. I can't wait until she can interact a little too though. We also appreciate visitors and outings during the day to break things up. We have been walking outside with Griffin a lot. That helps to pass the hours in a day.

she's not all sugar & spice

Last night was terrible! Probably the worst night yet. I think she slept better the day we brought her home. From the hours of 7pm to 5am, she did not want to sleep at all. She kept waking up every 2 hours or so and was just fussy. Not hungry, not wet, just fussy. Luckily Kevin took her at 6am when she woke up and ate and I got a good 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep in. Argh!

I think I am going to go to the hospital this Wednesday to visit with the "new mom" group. It would be nice to talk to other new parents and support. Hopefully I'll meet somebody we can hang out with too. And, get some tips on how to make babies know the difference between night and day.

Day 12

Lat night was the best night yet! We went to bed after feeding at 9:30pm. She slept 3 hours, ate again, then slept 3.5 hours, fed and slept another 3.5 hours. We didn't get out of bed until 7am!! I can't believe how awesome the night went. I think Charlotte is really getting the day time/ night time routine down. I also turned our little humidifier on becuase her belly is getting dry. That may help the sleeping.

We are still hanging out during the day. I'm getting a few more things done around the house. Not up to par yet, but getting much better. I think tomorrow we may sit at the dog park for Griffin. It will be a little warmer out and I can keep Charlotte plenty warm in her cozy car seat. Griffin is getting fairly restless around here and that's mainly my fault. I can't really walk him right now, but he's hanging in there.

starting our second week

Day 9! It's Monday and we are starting week 2. Daddy is coming home for lunch all this week and we are looking forward to that. Charlotte is doing well. She was a little fussy last night, but I still feel rested. All-in-all I am managing to get enough sleep.

I can't srart using my breast pump for another few weeks. Daddy will have to wait a little longer/ Charlotte is however, getting plenty to eat. She will be gaining weight in no time. We see the doctor again in 2 weeks for a check-up.

Home at last: day 5

Today Charlotte is 5 days old and it is our third day at home. Last night she slept in her bassinet and we managed to get sleep in between feedings. Daddy sleeps in the other bedroom so that one of us is rested in the evenings. I am trying to do a majority of my sleeping between 5-9pm.

Today I wore Charlotte in my sling for a few hours and it worked great! I was able to nap on the couch and do a few things in the kitchen without disturbing her. Charlotte is eating very well and will continue to gain more weight. I love looking at her, especially when she is awake and looking back at me with those inquisitive blue eyes like her daddy.

I don't want to jinx anything, but so far things are going smoothly. After a few more nights, I think we will have the evenings figured out. She really loves listening to this lullaby music I have. That makes putting her to sleep a little easier.

For more photos, keep an eye out on our Flickr site. There is a link to the left. Click on the moving photo show.

It's a girl!

We would like share great news with you!
The newest addition to our family, a little girl, arrived at 4:38 AM on 3-1-09.
Weight: 8# 11 oz
Length:21.5 in
Name: Charlotte Oline