Newborn Pictures

Here is the link to the newborn pictures that we had taken.  We had about 90 pictures that we cut down to these 30 or so.  Enjoy  : )

http://clarkberry.zenfolio.com/spurrier

2 Weeks Old

Charlotte is 2 weeks old already!  She has changed so much!  She is so alert, she will follow your fingers with her eyes, she picks her head up, and she is becoming more vocal.  She is just the best!

Scotty and I experienced our first middle of the night mess...  I fed her around 3am and woke Scotty up to change her before I rocked her back to sleep.  He began changing her - got her diaper off and then we heard a very loud squeeze of a ketchup bottle noise....then I hear Scotty say, "Jen, she just pooped on me."  I asked if it got everywhere and he said yes.  So I get up and look and sure enough it did.  All in our sheets, all over the changing pad, all over her clothes, all over Scotty's arm, and all over the floor.  I found more the next day 2 feet away that I didn't see when I was cleaning in the middle of the night.  Who knew something so tiny could make such a mess!  Oh well - she is still so cute : )

I had a small victory this week.  I can wear my own shoes again!!  Yay!  My feet were super swollen the last week of my pregnancy, the whole time I was in the hospital, and my first week home.  But this week I wore my own shoes and my ankles and feet are back to normal!  Just one of many body parts I am working to get back to normal...  Speaking of that - I have lost 20 pounds since giving birth.  I am hoping that the weight keeps coming off!

Scotty, Mimi (my mom), Charlotte, and I went and had pictures taken this week.  We went Thursday evening last week and Charlotte was not having it.  It was weird to see her so upset because she has been very calm.  We ended up going back on Monday morning and she was MUCH better.  I will post the link to all the pictures when they are ready.  Hopefully that will be later this week.  There are some super cute ones! 

Charlotte had her 2 week check up yesterday.  We saw our pediatrician, Dr. Claytor this time.  She is very nice. She checked Charlotte over and said that she looked great.  She has grown 1/4 of an inch but is still just a little under her birth weight.  She weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces when she was born and weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces yesterday (9/17).  I was pleased with that and the doctor said that was normal.  She said that bigger babies lose more after birth and breast fed babies can take a little longer to regain the weight so she was happy with the progress that Charlotte had made and felt that she would be back up to her birth weight within the week.  I had to ask about waking Charlotte every 4 hours to eat.  She has slept longer than that a couple of times and in the hospital they told me not to let her go longer than 4 hours without eating.  The doctor said that after this week when Charlotte has some more time to regain her weight then I can let her sleep.

I have been wondering about bottle feeding.  I want to make sure that my milk supply is established well and that Charlotte is very comfortable with nursing.  She does very well with nursing and I do not want to compromise that.  I will be going on a trip in October though and she will have to be bottle fed at that point.  The doctor said that bottle feeding was fine but not to give her more than 1 in 24 hours right now.  I was doing some research and some things said to wait at least 2 weeks others said 6 weeks but the over all consensus was 3-4 weeks.  Many mothers on the websites said that waiting 6 weeks or longer made it very hard for the baby to take the bottle, some didn't take the bottle at all.  Charlotte is close enough to 3 weeks for me and I wanted Scotty to be able to give her the first bottle and he was home this weekend so we tried it.  I pumped a little over an ounce (that was recommended by my research, to just pump a little and nurse the rest of the feeding) and so that is what we did and Scotty fed Charlotte her first bottle!  She did great!  She was half a asleep at first and we had to wake her up so that she would take the bottle and when she did she did ate like a champ!  She finished the bottle and then I nursed her until she was full and she had no problem with switching back.  Hopefully that keeps up!  I plan to give her one bottle every couple of days for right now and if she does well with that we will move to one bottle a day.  

I have been trying to pump to build up a milk supply but the doctor and the lactation consultant wanted me to wait another week on that as well.  I am not sure why.  I enjoy pumping and knowing that I am building a supply.  It has not affected my milk supply at all and I am getting between 3-4 ounces per pump so I am not sure why they want me to wait.  Not sure that I am going to follow those directions....  My body, my baby, I have to do what works for us (as long as it isn't harmful of course).

The doctor also instructed me that I need to give Charlotte vitamin D drops.  She said that breast fed babies don't get vitamin D and that I needed to give her the supplement.  She said she may not like the taste of them but Charlotte really likes them and does really well swallowing them!  She said that if I do give her a bottle I can slip them in there as well.

The doctor also said that anyone who is going to be around her a lot needs a flu shot and the TDAP shot.  I got the TDAP shot in the hospital (tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough).  Scotty will have to get that and he gets a flu shot through work every year.  I am apprehensive about the flu shot.  I have never had one before and I have never gotten the flu (knock on wood) and I have heard that the shot can make you sick and that you can still get the flu if it is a different strain.  I am going to get one for Charlotte but I am not happy about it.

I am trying to keep up with Charlotte's baby book.  I feel like that I am falling behind already.  I need to add her hospital visitors (Lisa, Melissa with chocolate milkshakes, flowers, and the twins, Bub, Grandmommy, Granddaddy, Brian Turk, and Mimi - if you want to count her as a visitor).  I also need to add this last doctor's visit measurements.  I can't imagine what I will have written in baby #2 and 3's baby books if I'm starting out like this.   

Charlotte had some visitors this week (also needing to be added to the baby book).  Her Aunt Lisa came and visited and also her Aunt Amy and her family from Florida came to see her (both are Scotty's sisters).  Amy made an awesome quilt for Charlotte.  It is pink and made of many of the towels that the students at USC use during Sandstorm at the football games.  It is very cool and such a thoughtful idea.  Her son Kyle also brought Charlotte a gift.  He knitted her a pillow.  It is pink and yellow and quite snuggly.  Thank you guys!

Scotty also brought some neat gifts home from work this week.  He brought home a onesie and bib given to us by the Gamecock Club and he brought home a diaper bag, blanket, onesie, and tennis shoes that were given to us by Under Armour.  Very very nice of both groups to think of us.  Thank you! 
 
Lisa, Jerri (Scotty's mom), and Kendra Turk, the wife of one of the other GAs brought dinner to us.  It was all so good and so helpful.  My mom doesn't mind cooking for us but it was nice for her to have a break as well.  Thank you!

Well that is all for this week.  Here are some pictures from the week   : )

Smiles  : )

2 weeks!

Scotty is in love with the little shoes   :  )

Charlotte, her Aunt Amy, and Grandmommy

The quilt that Amy made

The pillow that Kyle made

Charlotte enjoying both  : )

Even babies need comfy slippers!

Daddy giving the first bottle!

And just for fun - look how much Charlotte actually looks like her 3d/4d ultrasound!  Pretty cool stuff!

1 Week Old!

I can't believe how fast time is going by!  The days fly by and I don't know where they have gone!  Charlotte is changing so much each day.  She is such a cool little person and has such a personality already.  She makes the craziest faces, she makes noises that I imagine a dinosaur would make, she does not like to be wet for even one second, she is a great burper, she is not so crazy about bath time yet, and she is doing pretty good at sticking to a routine.  I love her so much : )

I had a milestone this week.  I busted out the breast pump for the first time.  That was interesting.  It was a lot of parts at first but I have figured it out now.  I have started pumping once a day for now to start building up a freezer supply for Scotty when we start bottle feeding next week.  Praise the Lord for that.  I think we are going to only give one bottle right now to start out and make sure that she will still want to feed with me.  Scotty will be taking that 3AM feeding solo from now on.  I haven't told him that yet  : )

I love being a mother.  I love looking at her, snuggling her, knowing that she needs me, and so much more.  It is hard though too.  I am still learning her and she is still learning me.  I am trying to understand her cries and what she wants.  Since she is doing so well with a schedule, it has become easier.  There are some times though that I just don't know what she wants and she probably doesn't either and then my mom can "fix" her in one second.  I know that it will come with time and experience but it is nerve racking to think about being here alone.  Scotty feels the same way.  He was trying to get her to sleep for 45 minutes last night and she just wasn't having it.  She wasn't upset, she was just wide awake.  He finally came and got me and I took her and within a matter of minutes she was asleep.  He did not understand what he was doing wrong and I know that it made him feel insecure.  I just got lucky at that point.  I think she had worn herself out with him and she was finally ready to sleep.  I told him that I don't have a clue either and that she didn't come with an instruction manual and that we are all 3 still learning.  I was trying to make him feel better.  I know that it is hard for him too because he is gone all day and feels like he isn't getting as much time to learn her ways.   I am home all day with her and I get more opportunities to ask my mom questions if I don't know what she wants or what to do.  I keep reassuring him that he is a wonderful dad and that we will get it.  I told him too - last night she may have just missed him and didn't want to sleep while she was with him.  She wanted to hang out with her Daddy. 

I still get freaked out when nighttime rolls around.  It causes me a lot of anxiety.  I am deathly afraid of SIDS and I just want to sit up and watch her and make sure that she is breathing.  I know that I cannot live my life like that with all that anxiety because it isn't good for me or her but it is still hard.  I am doing better and I keep telling myself that I can't live like that and that I need my sleep for her and that seems to help.  Plus since she wakes up so often that helps to reassure me and I set an alarm in case she doesn't wake up in her normal 2-3 hour window.  Scotty is worried about that as well.  He gets very nervous about anything being remotely near her mouth or if her head is turned in either direction and not facing straight on while she is sleeping.  Guess it shows that we care : )

Mom and I have been walking everyday with Charlotte.  It is nice to get out of the house and get some fresh air - for all of us.  It is hard to sit around all day and nurse her or sleep.  It feels good to get my blood flowing.  It helps my swelling as well.  I still have some in my feet and legs that is bothering me.  The doctor said it could be a couple of weeks before it goes down.  It has gotten a lot better though.

Today (1 week 1 day) was a milestone for Charlotte.  Her belly button fell off!  Gross!  But it is sooo much easier to work with out that thing on there.  It freaked me out.  I was so scared I would accidentally pull it off in the night when I couldn't see.  I am glad that it is gone.  It will be much easier to bathe her as well.  I was resting when it came off.  Mom was holding her and she started to fuss and it was time to eat so mom came to get me and in the time she went from downstairs to upstairs and back down again it had fallen off.  She had checked her diaper and it was on then she was going to snap her back up after coming to get me and it had come off and mom couldn't find it.  When she told me it came off and she couldn't find it, all I could think about was the Sex and the City episode where Miranda's baby's belly button falls off and her cat starts playing with it.  I was praying the cats didn't find it before mom did.  She eventually did and showed it to me.  Super gross.  That thing went in the trash ASAP.  Not before I got a little emotional about it though thinking about how it was my lifeline to her for such a long time.  Stupid hormones. 

Well here are some pictures from the week.  Thanks!

1 Week Old!

After a bath

Holding her head up

On our first walk

39 Weeks - Happy Birthday Charlotte!

So first off, I wanted to post pictures of some of the milestones of my pregnancy and look at how much my belly changed over the months.  It is amazing to see that little Charlotte grow without actually seeing her! 

Very first belly picture

Start of second trimester

Start of third trimester

The 38 week picture that I needed to post from last week

The final belly picture! 

The day finally came and went!  D-Day!  Charlotte's birthday!  Well I guess I will backtrack a little bit - the final days of week 38 were filled with cramps and Braxton-Hicks contractions.  I was getting a little nervous that she was going to come before my mom got here.  I finished out my week at work on Friday (Aug. 30) and then mom came Saturday and we went and ran some final errands and thoroughly cleaned the house.  So Monday night (38 w 6 d) I headed to bed, kinda later, later than I had planned but I figured I wouldn't sleep anyway.  I set the alarm for 3:30 am so that I could get up and get a shower and do some final packing and get to the hospital by 5am.  Well around 1:15am I felt a pop! in my lower belly and it woke me up.  It was a weird feeling that I had not experienced before.  I was crampy and thought maybe I needed to go to the bathroom and so I went and nothing so I went back to bed and then the cramps got a little worse so I went back to the bathroom and still nothing.  So I then got back in bed and sat for a minute and I started to feel a little trickle and a little more and then I knew that my water had broken.  I woke Scotty up by calling his name and he said "huh?" and I said," I think my water broke" and he sat up so fast and said, "when?" and I said about 15 minutes ago.  He said, "ok, what do I need to do?" and I said go wake up my mom and let her know and then we need to get ready to leave.  So he went and woke mom up and her response was,
"seriously?"  Guess she thought that Scotty was trying to play a really mean practical joke.  We then all got showers and headed to the hospital around 2:30am.  My contractions got worse as we drove over there, not unbearable but uncomfortable.  I called the doctor's office and let them know and the on-call doctor called me back and told me to head into the hospital.  We pulled up to the emergency room and they were expecting me.  I checked in and headed up to the labor and delivery floor.  They already had a room prepared for me since I was supposed to be checking in there in a few hours anyway.  After I got settled in, the on call doctor came in and checked my cervix and I was about 4-5cm dilated already.  It took a while for the nurse to get my IV started because I was so swollen.  It started to really stress me out.  Mom and Scotty could tell and they knew that was just making it worse.  She finally found a good vein and she told me to hold a fist and I tried and then I thought she said to release my fist and I did and it made a popping noise and blood went everywhere.  So nasty.  But at that point my contractions were starting to get worse and I was concentrating on that as well.  So I labored a little while I got a whole bag of fluid and waited for my blood to be checked (required for an epidural).  I got the epidural and things started to feel better, more muted.  Well then things started to get a little worse.  They gave me some pitocin to kick the labor up and Charlotte was not happy with that.  The pitocin was making her heartrate low so they stopped that.  Then after that I got a "hot spot".  This is an area that just isn't getting/taking the medicine.  The nurse tried to get me to flip positions and move this way and that way and it just was not working.  Then the hot spot eventually became my whole lower half.  The epidural was wearing off/hadn't taken correctly in the beginning.  So I labored that way for 4 -5 hours.  It was miserable.  I was in so much pain that I couldn't open my eyes, or talk, and could only manage moaning.  I have so much respect for women who chose to labor without meds.  My pain was still somewhat muted from the half epidural and it was awful.  They kept giving me boosts and nothing was helping.  I felt the need to push and the doctor said that I could but I was only 7-8 cm dilated at that point.  I pushed for an hour and it wasn't really doing too much.  Baby was only moving down a little.  Doc said I needed the contractions to do the work for me and move her down or I would get too tired.  The doctor said that I had a while to go and she suggested that I get my epidural redone.  I was all for that.  So the anesthesiologist came back and put in a new epidural and it was so much better!  I mean a 100% difference.  I have never had an epidural before, or been in labor so I thought maybe that was all an epidural did and I was not happy with the results.  I asked the doctor and she said I was in way too much pain for the epidural to be working correctly.  So after the corrected epidural kicked in, I was exhausted from the laboring and pushing that I had already done.  So I took a 45 minute nap.  During the nap I dilated the rest of the way - pain free.  Mom and Scotty were watching the monitor with my contractions on it and they said I was having some serious ones but I was snoozing away and while awake, felt nothing.  That's what I signed up for!  After I woke up and sat for 20 min or so, Scotty went and told the doctor that I was up and they came in checked my cervix and said if I was up for it I could push.  I was ready to get this show on the road!!  So I pushed for another hour and baby girl was born at 12:23 pm!  Like I said, I have so much respect for those who choose to labor without meds, but by having experienced laboring with and without meds, I would chose meds again in a heartbeat.  Not because of the pain level, but because when I didn't have the meds I was so focused on the pain I wasn't thinking about anything else.  When I got the meds and it was time to push I was happy, smiling, aware of what I was doing and what was going on and it was amazing.  I could focus on breathing and pushing and getting Charlotte here quickly and safely.  Mom and Scotty kept telling me how good I was doing and how that push was a good one and "you're doing it!", and they were watching her come out so I knew that something was happening from their reaction even though I couldn't really feel it.  As things got near the end, I started to feel a little, little bit of pain/pressure and I could tell a contraction was coming and that helped me to push and push correctly.  I later found out from the nurse that my second epidural was wearing off and they were trying to keep it hush hush from me.

 Mom would count for me while I was pushing and near the end she would go back and forth from yelling the numbers really loud to half crying while saying them.  She would get so excited then she would look at Charlotte coming out and get emotional and start to cry.  Then I would get emotional and lose my concentration and my good pushing.  But it was worth the couple of extra pushes : )  The doctor and nurse said that I was a great pusher.  Good to know!  My eyes were closed while I was pushing and then at the end everyone in there was yelling, "open your eyes now!"  And so I did and I saw sweet Charlotte being pulled from me all yucky and gross and perfect.  Scotty cut the cord and they handed her to me and I put her on my chest all covered in gunk and I cried my eyes out with mom and Scotty.  It was the most amazing feeling in the world.  I will never forget it.  I held her for a good while and then they took her and weighed her and did some of her tests that they do while I was being tended to by my doctor.  Scotty was watching all the tests being done to Charlotte and mom was taking pictures.  Scotty's mom was watching Charlotte be evaluated as well.  After her tests were done Scotty got to hold her for the first time and then my mom.  I watched as Scotty held her for the first time and it was so precious.  I loved watching that.  He was so proud and happy.  I talked to my dad on the phone right after she was born and he was crying his eyes out.  He wasn't even here and he was all emotional.  It made me emotional too.  He has waited a long time for her too and he was just as excited as the rest of us for her to get her.  All he talked about for months was how bad he wanted to hold her.  Now he gets to!

As for my help, my mom and Scotty were amazing.  They would take turns standing next to me holding my hand while I labored.  Mom would pat my head with the wet towel and Scotty would feed me ice chips.  They were so attentive and tried to help me as best they could.  I only had to give Scotty one mean look.  He kept telling me to "come on" while I was just laboring and not really pushing or anything and that was not helpful to hear.  But after that look, that was all he needed.  He did not want to pat my head with the wash rag.  He left that to mom.  He was scared he would get me upset. I know that it was hard for my mom to watch her baby in pain but she held strong and was a great support to me.  I could not have done it without her.  Scotty kept telling me how great I was doing and how proud he was of me.  After it was all over he said the videos we watched in class did not do the experience justice.  He said it was amazing to watch.  He also told me both nights in the hospital and the first night home how proud he was of me waking up every two hours, the way I handled labor, the way I handled being poked and prodded and really trying to nurse and not give up.  It is really really really nice to have such great support and have someone who genuinely cares about you.  Once again, I am so freaking thankful for him.  He is wonderful and he is already an absolutely amazing dad to Charlotte.  Mom made him a daddy bag full of snacks, magazines, a dad coffee mug and some other things for the hospital.  Dads get forgotten some times and I wanted him to know that I did not forget how helpful he had been this whole time.  He had also gotten me a "push gift."  He got me an hour long massage and he will take daddy duty while I go to the spa.  Yes!  Just what this mama ordered!

So we checked out of the hospital and we are now home.  Scary and nice at the same time.  Scotty and I had a rough first night.  We were both so nervous about her sleeping.  We were scared that she would stop breathing or that the swaddle would cover her mouth or that she would some how roll on to her face or something.  So needless to say we didn't sleep well.  Then Scotty left for Georgia and mom slept with me last night to help me out and we had a better routine and I was more relaxed than the first night.  I love having my mom here.  It is so nice to have someone with experience to bounce my questions off of and she knows what to do and when to do it and I don't have to ask.  She also has been doing the cooking and cleaning and that makes my life so much easier so that I can focus on learning how to take care of Charlotte.

 My dad and uncle came down on Friday to see the baby.  She was sleeping when they got here and she slept for a while and dad didn't want to hold her until she woke up and finally he couldn't stand it anymore and gave in and held her.  It was only for a second because then she got squirmy and he freaked out.  He was trying to put her hat on today while I held her and he got scared he was going to break her.  Scotty says the same things.  Men - so silly.  They should see how the nurses handle them in the hospital.  Babies are much more resilant than you think.  

So far we have taken our first sponge bath at home, taken our first walk, had our first doctor's appointment (went very well, she is super healthy), she has slept in the cradle, rock and play, and her swing.  She is a great burper!  Her cradle cap is getting better (not that it was bad before), her newborn rash is getting better (again, not that it was bad before), she sleeps about 2.5 hrs. - 3 hrs and then she is ready to eat.  She does not like having her diaper changed but she does not like wearing a dirty one for long, she likes to be swaddled, and she likes to be snuggled and warm.

I struggled with deciding if I wanted to give her a paci before the first 2 weeks since I am nursing and they say that can affect them wanting to nurse but the pediatrician said that he did not see a problem with it and that there really isn't nipple confusion since milk comes from one and not the other.  She was very soothed by my fingertip when she would get upset so I knew that she would like a paci and after I got the OK from the doctor I decided to give her one and she loves it.  She is soothed by it and she spits it out when she is done and I only give it to her when she is not consoled by anything else and I take it away as soon as she is. 

Things I love about her: well everything obviously but I love her hair for starters!  I was so happy she had some - that is all from her daddy and not me.  I love when she opens her eyes and just looks at me, I love when she pushes her little chin out, I love when she snuggles down close to me, and I love when she stops crying as soon as I pick her up, and I love how excited she gets to eat.  She is such a remarkable little person.  I thought that I would miss having her in my belly more than I do.  I do miss having her so close but I love having her out and being able to kiss and squeeze her so much more!

Things I learned about labor: First I was thankful that my water broke on its own and I went in to labor naturally.  I felt slightly guilty about bringing her before she was ready but I wanted Scotty to be here for the birth.  I couldn't have done it without him.  It was also fun to experience waking Scotty up and telling him my water broke in the middle of the night.  Labor was not fun.  I am glad that I got to experience partially unmedicated and medicated labor so that I know the difference.  It is weird how when people ask me what it was like I find it really hard to describe the pain and afterward I just forgot all about it.  And here is the part that can be TMI - I thought that I would be in A LOT more pain afterward (if you know what I mean) than I am.  I really do not have any complaints about that part.  They gave me Tylenol and and wrote me a prescription for pain meds but I have not used the pain meds at all, just the Tylenol and I have not taken as much of that since I have been home.

Overall:  I cannot say enough how grateful, thankful, relieved I am at how smoothly things went.  I could not have asked for a smoother delivery and a healthier baby.  She is perfect.  I saw parents in the hospital picking up an infant CPR kit and I thought about how lucky we are that we don't need something like that or worse.  I will thank the Lord everyday for our safe delivery and our perfect, healthy baby girl.

I have noticed my hormones are in high gear as well.  I look at that child and I cry because I love her so much.  I can't imagine my life without her.  She is so beautiful and I am so grateful and lucky to have her.  I know I need to cherish EVERY single moment I have right now because I know how quickly she is going to grow and change.  But she will always be my baby : )

So - here are a ton of pictures.  Some were taken in the hospital by a service that the hospital offers, some were taken by mom in the hospital, some were taken by me at home, just a little bit of everything.  I know that I will for sure be one of those moms that takes lots of pictures.  I have a picture of us coming into the house for the first time but I can't find it right now... but here are many, many pictures for now.  I plan to keep up the blog and keep everyone updated on how Charlotte is changing and growing.  Hopefully, I won't fall behind too bad.

Before things started to get rough

Scotty comforting me

Trying to breathe through it

Daddy Scotty cutting the cord

Us admiring our new addition

Getting weighed

On the phone with my dad

Daddy finally gets to hold her!

Fighting the tears

Granddmommy getting a good look at #12 for her

MiMi getting a good look at #1 for her

Mama and Charlotte!

Mom letting the rest of the family know



Trying to look human again

Precious baby girl Charlotte

Aunt Lisa

12:23 pm

Our family

As soon as Charlotte came and before I could even get a good look at her, my mom was saying how much Charlotte looked just like my newborn photo - Yes she does!

Photos taken at the hospital by the photo service

Smiley Baby

First up close picture!

Car ride home

First Dr. Appt.

Leaving for the hospital

Harley Baby

Leaving the hospital

Daddy putting her in the car

Scotty driving 3 miles an hour

Almost exactly 48 hours after she was born, we left

Add caption

The Daddy Bag

Yes you can see my not-so-cute maternity pants - but this was the final belly measurement picture - 48cm

For the newsletter at work

Out for a walk

Swinging

Hanging in the cradle

Mama and Baby

Her touchdown pose/So Big!