Better Late Than Never

I had completely intended on getting this written yesterday, on Day 17, but somehow I ran out of time and then I was putting the baby down for the night and I needed to go to bed. Our first day of having air conditioning again was so very nice! It even felt too cool at times! Still, you don't know what you're missing until it's gone and we sure did miss the AC for those two days. I noticed immediately that Evie has taken better daytime naps yesterday and today, which is always nice.

Yesterday Jeannie came out to visit us. For those who don't know who Jeannie is, she is one of my mom's best friends. Jeannie and my mom met when my mom was pregnant with me and we lived next door to her for the first big chunk of my life as a kid. Jeannie is also (confirmed by yesterday's conversation) the wonderful person who will be taking care of Evie when I go back to work. So it was nice to be able to introduce them to each other. Evelyn slept through the whole hour we visited, but it was nice to have a visitor for me. I actually took the opportunity to take a nap yesterday afternoon as well, which was very nice. I repeated the nap thing today- only for about an hour though. Still, any sleep is good sleep! I also had a visitor today. My long term sub, Becky, brought me lunch and we had a nice time just chit chatting about this and that. We talked a little bit about my students, but for the most part we just had a nice little lunch. It breaks up the day nicely to have people come out and visit around 10 or 11...by the time they leave it's time for Evelyn's longer nap in the afternoon and I get to lay down for a bit too.

Tomorrow my friend Katie and her daughter are coming out. And we may have the owner of the AC company out here to give us a quote on the cost to replace the compressor under the house and the unit outside of the house. He'll probably give us an estimate for replacing the duct work too (which will need to be done at some point), but we're mainly worried about the actual unit working well throughout the summer time and not breaking again. It will be expensive, but in the long run a good investment. Besides, we can't have this gorgeous new baby and have the AC break again in the middle of a NC summer when it gets hotter than Hades and humidity reaches 98%. So, fingers crossed it won't be crazy expensive!

Here is a picture from yesterday:

Day 17


And two from today:

Day 18

Heat Wave, part 2

The good news is that the AC is working again. The bad news is that I spent all day in the house with no AC until after 5pm today. It wasn't the most fun Evie and I have ever had, but it could have been far worse! The AC guy came out and charged up the unit again, but found bigger problems, unfortunately. It looks like we will be saving up some money and investing in a new AC unit sooner as opposed to later. It amazes me the dumb things people do to save money. Case in point: the previous owner of the house replaced the old heat pump with a new one that does not match the compressor that is contained in the crawl space. It doesn't make sense and yet he did it. So, in the long run the whole situation could have been far worse I suppose. Two yucky days of being very warm in the house...

In Evelyn news she seems to have a crazy appetite! Today was a weird day and I can't decide if it's a growth spurt or the heat. Evie ate TONS today and took practically no real naps after about 12:30pm. That has not happened in her two weeks of life. She was sucking down 3 to 3.5 ounces of milk every two hours like clock work and then by this evening she was eating that about once an hour. Plus she was just really fidgety and demanding and would not fall asleep. I got her to nap from about 3:45 to 5:00 and then she was awake until nearly 8:45! I finally was tapped out as far as milk I had pumped and resorted to trying a little bit of formula. She sucked in a good half ounce of that and conked out on me and has been sleeping ever since! So, my new plan for tonight is to feed her the rest of the formula that I have sitting in the fridge (about 3.5 ounces) around 11pm and see how much sleep I can grab before she wakes up ready to nurse again. I love that Evie doesn't seem to be picky about breast milk vs. formula AND she really seems to not care about temperature of something. Obviously I don't make it too hot, but at best she just wants her food to be luke warmish. Let's hope she keeps being so easy going about food!

Here are two pictures from today...
Day 16

Heat Wave!

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly we go from Springtime weather in NC to all out Summer temperatures. Last week the weather started creeping into the 80 degree territory and then, this weekend, we hit 90. Even right now, at 8pm, it's still 86 degrees outside. It makes for a very warm house inside and particularly when the AC isn't quite working the right way! We noticed back on Wednesday and Thursday that the house was warmer, but figured it was just because it was way hotter outside and it cooled down nicely at night. By yesterday it hit 77 inside and we realized (too late in the evening) that something HAD to be wrong with the heat pump. So, we had every ceiling fan in the house working and turned on the box fan in Evie's room. By the time we went to bed it was still in the high 70s in the house, but it was tolerable. Evelyn didn't seem too phased by it, though. I simply stripped her down to her diaper and swaddled her for the night in a light-weight blanket and she did fine. By this morning the temperature in the house had come down to 74, but we called a service guy anyway because today's high was 92.

Sure enough the temperature inside right now is 80 and we have changed the filters on in the house. I talked to the AC guy again tonight (we opted to see if just changing the filters would work as opposed to having to pay the "weekend" fee to have the guy come out today) and it appears that we have a refrigeration issue. So, knowing we have an infant in the house the owner/technician will be calling first thing tomorrow morning to fit us in before it gets too hot outside. At least we still have cold air coming through the vents and the AC works a little bit. Otherwise I think we would be packing it in and going to stay at some one's house! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Evelyn still sleeps decently tonight (at least two hours between feedings) and that tomorrow fixing the AC doesn't cost too much money. It's a good thing that I have the paperwork that shows the whole heat pump was just replaced in 2003 and there shouldn't be huge issues with it.

In the mean time, I am working on getting my mom to upload some photos she took of Evie yesterday so that I can go back in and add a picture for Day 14. Today's picture is of Daddy and Evelyn. She has been getting really fussy at the end of the day and just wants some cuddle time. Last night it was all my turn (Chris took a late nap because of a headache) and tonight it was Daddy's turn. Here's a look at cuddle time for Day 15:

Day 14

I'm sorry to say that there is no picture today! Chris was busy today with taking the dog to Petco to be groomed and then cutting the grass and working in the yard. It totally went right past us both when it came to the picture taking! It was bound to happen sooner or later that we missed one day, though. Today was a day of trying to get some things done. I was busy trying to get some laundry done for us while Chris worked in the yard. Evelyn was very alert for most of today until the late afternoon. She took one lovely nap about 3 and a half hours long. Had I been thinking straight I would have also taken a nap, but I got caught up writing thank you notes. She's also been eating a lot today which gives me hope that I might get more than an hour and a half to two hours of sleep in between feedings tonight. I am trying a new tactic with the bottle she gets each day: give it to her at night around 9 or 10pm and see if she sleeps a longer amount of time after the bottle. Wish me luck on that one!

Tomorrow my friend, Clare, is coming over with her husband and twin girls to have lunch and meet Evie. The twins are nearly 5 already, which is hard to believe! Clare and I taught together my first year down here and she had just found out she was pregnant around the time when I decided to switch schools. Clare tells me her girls are excited to meet the new baby and it should be a nice visit. I'm also trying to line up some visitors here and there during the next week so I am not too lonely when Chris goes back to work. Then, next weekend Sylvia comes into town to meet her granddaughter and that will be a lot of fun! Besides my mom, no one from either family lives close so it's all the more special that family members are coming into town over the next month or so.

I promise to remember to take a picture tomorrow for Day 15! I can barely believe it's already been two weeks!

Another Outing...

Today we had an impromptu outing around mid-day. The unfortunate part was that the main reason for going out was to take me into my doctor because of a suspected UTI (darn that catheter when I had the c-section!). I now have 7 days of antibiotics to take although they didn't do a full culture on my sample. The doctor figured I had three strikes: some protein in the urine, some blood, and it was Friday. So, as he put it: "I'd hate to see you land in the ER over the weekend because we weren't proactive." So, rather than waste a perfectly good day where it was almost 90 degrees, we stopped at Target on the way home to drop off my prescription and see about baby monitors.

It's funny walking around with this little tiny girl. I look back at all the years Chris and I have been together (10 grand total!) and marvel at the thought that this little thing is ours. She is so precious and beautiful. I love watching Chris with her and listening to him talk to her too. I think both he and I knew relatively early on when we started dating that we would stay together and eventually get married. Having kids was always in the equation, but now it's for real and Evelyn is almost two weeks old. It really boggles the mind that we are a family with a baby now! We were a family before, but now it feels different somehow. I already look at the world and wonder how Evie will fit into it or what she will be like a year from now. I can't wait to hear her talk and see what color her hair and eyes will end up being. And even though I know that we now have to find babysitters and plan further ahead if we want to go out, it doesn't seem to be that big a deal. I have completely enjoyed hanging out with our daughter and my husband over the last week and getting to know life with Evelyn. It hasn't always been easy, but it's been wonderful none the less. Only two more days with Chris home with us and then I am on my own during the days. I have several visitors lined up next week, though, to keep me from going crazy. :)

So, here is a picture from today taken shortly after feeding time. She was so completely out cold:
Day 13

Day 12...a little late

I had intentions to write this yesterday, but then life sort of got in the way. It was a somewhat busy day. Evie was fussy from about 4am until nearly 10:30am and we also had to get up so Chris could take Sara to the airport. By the time the baby decided she wanted to sleep I was, of course, wide awake. Isn't that always the way of things? I think the worst thing about having just delivered a baby is the crazy hormonal shift you go through. Everyone tells you that you go through it and that you will have moments where you come unglued, but really- nothing ever prepares you for it until you go through it. Thankfully, Chris just sort of listens to the rants of his hormone crazed wife and then we usually just all turn in for the night. This is what happened last night. So, Day 12 is a little late, but here is the lovely girl of our dreams:

Hiccups

Today was Sara's last day with us. She goes back home to Michigan tomorrow and it was so nice to have her here. It's not that Chris and I couldn't have handled being home with Evie for the first week on our own, but those first few days were killer and it was really nice having someone who could give us a temporary break or nap. It makes me wish we lived nearer to a lot of people, but that's what makes visiting so great, I guess; it means more in the long run when you see friends and family.

Evelyn has become the hiccup champion since arriving in the world. She didn't really seem to have them much when I was pregnant with her; at least not nearly as much as she has them now. It seems she has the hiccups at least twice a day. Right now, as I write this, I am listening to the sounds of Evie hiccuping through the baby monitor. Just when I think she is done they start up again. They mostly stop after about five minutes, but it's still pretty funny to hear these big hiccups coming out of this tiny body.

Today was also a day of lovely gifts. Nana (Sylvia) sent some outfits from the fantastic store of Janie and Jack. When we pulled the box out of the brown paper it was wrapped in and I saw the name on it I knew that whatever was inside was going to kill us with cuteness. Nana does not disappoint. I will have to take some pictures. There are several little outfits, all in pink, that will fit Evelyn when she is between 6-12 months and a cute hat and bib. On the one hand, I can't wait for her to fit into these clothes. On the other hand, I don't want her getting too big too fast! The other gift was from my mom's friend, Alice. She sent two really cute outfits as well, a hat, and a blanket. There is just something about little girls that makes people want to buy clothes.

Without further ado, here are some pictures from today! Chris was burping her and she just looked too cute in his big hand:

First Outing

So tonight we took Evelyn out for the first time (besides her check up last Friday). My mom called earlier today and suggested we meet up at the Dairy Queen as it was so nice and warm. Little did we know that the temperature would drop from the mid 70s down to the mid-60s by the time we ate dinner! Still, Chris and Evie and I loaded up into the car and took a short drive all in the name of some fresh air and ice cream. It's been the first time I have really been out of the house since Friday besides walking out to get the mail or letting the dog out into the back yard. I am finding I still am moving a bit slowly, but I figure a c-section will do that to you. So, here is a picture of Evie in her car seat at the local DQ:
And just for good measure, here is another that Chris posted on Facebook earlier today. He was holding her and Evie was wide awake. She always has a great look of surprise on her face when she is this awake and around lights. :)

Feeding Time

Here's a quick 2 minutes of Chris feeding Evelyn. We definitely want her to be used to taking a bottle by the time I have to go back to school in July, so the pediatrician told us there was no time like the present. Now, once a day, Daddy gets to give Evie a bottle. Thankfully this baby isn't too picky and drinks it down like a champ! Boring to some, but thrilling to us here at home...

All on my own...

So last night I decided to let Chris sleep and see how I did with doing the whole feed/change on my own. Since we came home last Wednesday Chris will typically get up and change Evelyn and then I follow and feed her. I just figured that I needed to start getting used to doing these things on my own during the week considering Chris gets up at 5:30am to get ready for work. I found out that I wasn't quite as tired as I thought I would be until around 3:00pm this afternoon. And, despite my best efforts, I did not get a good nap when I stretched out on the couch. Chris had gone to get a chain to fix the upstairs toilet and also get a haircut. I had fed Evie about an hour before that, which left me with about an hour to try and grab a little nap. Problem #1...falling asleep takes some time. Problem #2...a bird flew into the back window and scared the crap out of me and then we were back to Problem #1. By the time I had dozed off for about 15 minutes our little Evie-bee started to grunt and grumble and make it known that she was a little bit peckish. So, nap aborted for today.

All in all, though, I have to say that she is typically a pretty calm little baby. It's almost 7pm right now and she's been awake since about 3:45 and relatively alert. She only seems to get fussy when she's hungry. We started on Friday with having Chris giving her a bottle of breast milk for one feeding. Our pediatrician had suggested not waiting too long to introduce her to this and when I inquired if now was too early he said no. Thankfully she took to it like a champ and isn't too picky about temperature of the milk. Basically it can't be cold, but room temperature is fine. I took a short video of Chris feeding her that I hope to post soon. In the mean time here is a great picture of Evelyn nearly asleep from this morning:

Day 9

Day 8

Well, last night we went to bed early. By early I really mean that I took Evelyn upstairs and changed her and fed her around 9:30pm. I was too tired to try and keep her awake anymore and figured by the time I was done feeding her it would be close enough to 10:00pm. Although she still wakes up around every 2 and a half hours, getting to bed a little earlier meant that I slept a little bit more. I know that not every night is going to be a good night, but I feel like things are looking up a bit more. Breast feeding is going well and Chris and I are estimating that Evie is back up to her birth weight of 6 lbs. 1 oz. today. She seems to fill out her clothing a little more; although everything is still big on her even if it is all newborn stuff. At any rate, the plan is to keep her awake for an hour or so before bed to set up a routine. And when she is up after feeding in the late afternoon we try to keep her alert and occupied to get the idea in her head that daytime=play and awake. Wish us luck! Here's the picture of her at Day 8:

Day 7

Trying to type and hold Evelyn and keep her awake is harder than I thought it would be! But now Chris and I have a new place to update our friends and family about the newest addition to the family. Here she is on Day 7 of her life:



Stay tuned for more news and (hopefully) daily pictures of the new center of our universe.