Third time's a charm

I dressed Lola in one of her absolute cutest outfits for our big trip to pick up Aunt Daynie and Uncle Mark from the airport on Friday.
She peed on it.

So I put her in one of her second-cutest outfits (still adorable).
She pooped on it.

So I put her in a moderately cute outfit that was primarily easy to wash.
She spit up on it - but we wore it anyway.

So that you don't have to ask.

Everyone I speak to asks the same question: "Are you getting any sleep?"
Seems like sort of a silly question to pose to a mother of a 2-week-old. I try to vary the answer so it doesn't sound like I'm a sleep-deprived maniac.
"We nap here and there"
"I'm trying to rest when I can"
"I got a few good stretches of sleep last night"

But here's the honest truth. No.
I'm not getting any sleep. And it's totally worth it.

Ready for her close-up

A few shots from our newborn photoshoot (courtesy of Lola's Great-Aunts and Uncles). More to come soon.

Falling Behind

I would have thought that a new baby would have given me more to write about than ever - so I apologize for falling behind. The truth is, life has been a little crazy since coming home from the hospital. We have been home for two weeks now and Lola has grown so much! She is the most expressive baby I've ever seen - smiles, frowns, grimaces, Elvis faces, inquisitive looks - she has so much personality! We've been blessed to have family in town (The Bardens were here for about 10 days after we got home, and my parents have come up on the weekends) to help with everything from the nightshift to the lawn work. I don't know how I would have gotten through these first two weeks without them.

We had our first pediatrician visit and Lola was back up to her birthweight . . . and she has been packing on the pounds ever since. She has already outgrown some of her newborn outfits! She loves being held and hanging out in her swing. For a while, she seemed to be a bit confused about day and night. She would sleep great all day and then be wide awake between feedings at night, but once we figured out the baby straight-jacket system (these contraptions made specifically for swaddling) she has been sleeping longer stretches at night.


She gets fussy when she has gas . . . and uses that time to remind us that her lungs and vocal cords are well-developed. It's so hard to know that she is hurting and there is not much we can do (although we try EVERYTHING). When she DOESN'T have gas (which is the majority of the time) she is an angel baby.


We've gone out on three outings so far . . . one for a great walk downtown with some of the other residents' wives and kids (on one of the most beautiful days so far this year), one to run errands with my mom and me (to the mall, the bookstore, and the babystore), and finally out to my favorite restaurant to celebrate a belated birthday with some much-missed sushi.

Photos and details to come soon . . . just wanted to tell you we are still here - even if we are falling a bit behind.

Best. Day. Ever.

I guess that's how life works. One day you are writing about cake and the next day your entire life changes.

Lola Hannah Barden, born Saturday, March 6 at 10:57 p.m. 7 lbs, 11 oz (just like her mommy was) and 20 inches long. Happy. Healthy. Beautiful. Perfect. Loved.

Best, Cake. Ever.

The best cake in the entire world is the Sweet Potato Cake from Brick Street Cafe in the West End in Greenville. If you live in Greenville, or near Greenville, or within a day's driving distance, you should definitely go eat this cake.
Or, if you have a phone and a disposable income you should find a way to somehow order this cake to your home. I seriously cannot speak highly enough about it. I think it's the icing. Regardless, you need to get a hold of this cake.

Twofer

Since (1) I am a few days behind in posting the 38 week picture and (2) we were recently promoted to 39 weeks with the change of due date . . . you get both at once.

Personally, I find the mini-watermelon to be infinitely more frightening than the giant leek!

A trip (and a fall)

I had a little fall last week. We were taking a group picture the kids in my ninth grade advisee (sort of like homeroom) so I could have it for my office. As we were disbanding from the group shot, I sidestepped over a small floor-chair (a chair with no legs) and tripped over it. I went down pretty hard and fell to my hands and knees. I skinned and bruised my knees - which was nothing compared to the injuries that my dignity took as I lay prone on the floor in front of eight 15 year-olds, mouths agape. There wasn't a single muscle to be moved amongst them. Fortunately, I was able to shoo them away and recover. . . otherwise they might have been frozen there forever. All's well that ends well - other than a tiny strawberry on my right knee, I am virtually unscathed (and baby was always fine - I guess even before they are born you protect them at all costs).

Catching Up

All is well is Greenville. We had a wonderful weekend with Husband at home just laying around being lazy. It was lasagnapalooza here on Monday as I made two dishes for friends with newborn infants and one for us to keep at home. I'm also taking my first run at crock-potting (results to be shared later). I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and the baby is primed and ready to go - just waiting for the right time to make her entrance. The doc actually changed the due date to March 9 from the 14th (which is sort of what we thought it was all along.) I'm off from work all week (for the "March break") so I've got plenty of time to get last minute things taken care of. I do have quite a bit of grading to do before the week's end . . . but in the spirit of the highschoolers that I work with, I'm procrastinating as long as possible.