Baptism

 Godparents John (Chris's brother) and Becky (Patti's sister) with us and Caroline

Caroline was baptized at St. Andrew's church in Chandler, AZ this Sunday, 11/28.  We were so lucky to have Chris's brother John as her godfather and my sister Becky as her godmother.  Her baptismal gown was made from my mom's wedding dress and her little bonnet was from Aunt Becky.  Although Chris's parents and sister's family weren't able to be in town.  John and Holly and their kids and my whole family were there for it.  She was such a good baby throughout mass and the Baptism (where 7 other babies and children were baptized too.)  The only time she really got upset for a minute was when the cool water touched her head.

Videos!

Smiling for Dad . . . Chris hates how he sounds on this video, but it's the only time we caught some smiles on camera!  Hopefully he'll forgive me for posting this- I couldn't edit his voice out!

Thanksgiving Pics!

We had a great Thanksgiving.  We had dinner at my house with my parents, my sister Becky and her husband Mark and their two kids- Ella (2 1/2) and Charlie (4 1/2 months) and my brother Tom.  After dinner, we went to Chris's brother John's house for dessert.  Ella loved playing with John and Holly's kids Keely, Kelsey and Johnnie. 

 Caroline with us and most of her cousins (from left): Keely, Kelsey, Ella, Charlie and Johnnie (we're missing Chris's sister's kids- Riley, Walker and Maggie)

 Ella has been so sweet with Caroline!  She loved helping us and baby talking to her.  I thought she would be "over" babies after already having a baby brother, but she was definitely excited to see Caroline.

Thankful

I haven't blogged in a while . . . returning to work full-time has made life pretty crazy.  When I get home, I just want to spend as much time with my sweet baby and a lot of things take the back burner to her (as they should.)  Work has been really hard, but only because I hate missing out on time with Caroline.

Although I hope one day I have the ability to stay home with her more, I am thankful I have such wonderful people and inspiring kids to work with.  I work as an occupational therapist in 3 special needs preschools and one elementary school where I see students who have fine motor, sensory or visual perceptual difficulties (I used to see private clients too, but that's on hold for now.)  It has been so fun seeing the kids I missed from last school year, and meet all the adorable new faces I am lucky enough to work with.  All my peers at work have been so supportive giving helpful advice and shoulders to cry on when needed, and I know not many working moms can say that.

Most importantly, I am so thankful for my amazing baby girl and my wonderful husband.  When I think about how lucky I am to have them in my life, it really brings tears to my eyes.  I am so proud of Chris for deciding he wanted to go back to school 3 years ago, after a several year break.  He basically had to start over from scratch, but he went after it to do what he loves and was meant to do- be an engineer.  He graduates this December, and Caroline and I couldn't be more proud.  Caroline is doing so many new things- cooing, smiling, kicking and squealing like crazy.  I even thought I got a giggle out of her today.  Hopefully I will get one of these sessions on video, but Caroline seems to have stage fright as she always stops when I pull out the video camera (really, I think she gets distracted watching the red light.) 

This weekend my whole family is in town- my parents, my sister Becky, her husband Mark and their kids Ella (2 1/2) and Charlie (4 1/2 months) and my younger brother Tom. We also have Caroline's Baptism Sunday.  Lot's of fun and celebrating for us the next few days . . .

So many things to be thankful for!!!

I promise I will post a lot more pics/videos after this weekend!!!

2 Months Young!

Mom put this headband on me and I was not happy!

Caroline turned two months yesterday and has made great strides.  She is now 10 lbs. 9 oz. and 22.25 inches long!  She is now in the 50th percentile for weight and height.  Surprisingly, she is only in the 10th percentile for head circumference.  I guess I don't notice her having a more petite head as her chubby cheeks have gotten so much bigger!  She is now holding her head up pretty well and is MUCH more alert than before.  She loves her swing, the car and most movements in general.  She is also doing well at tummy time and will push up on her elbows  She makes good eye contact and is just about to smile.  Although she has looked at us and smiled a few times, it's not yet consistent.

Being an occupational therapist, I catch myself anxious for her to reach some of her milestones (smiling, cooing, batting at objects, etc.), but I was reminded by my pediatrician that she was a month early and I need to give her an extra month to meet her milestones.  I find myself having a hard time giving her that extra time before I worry!

On a sad note, this is my last full week home with her.  I return to work on Monday, and I definitely don't feel near ready.  I am lucky that I work in a very supportive environment, but I still wish I was able to stay home with her until she's a little older.  I know a lot of great mom's who work, so I hope it will get easier with time.

Kansas City Here We Come!

Visiting G-Daddy's at work in the KMBC newsroom
Seeing mom's cousin Kathleen in Lawrence. She's a Pi Phi at KU just like mom!
Meeting Uncle Tom

Caroline and her good buddy Abe Harms (mom's dear friend Ashley's son)
Taking a nap with my good friend Wilson Ireland (mom's friend Katie's son) . . . we had the same due date, but I was born a month earlier!
Me and Mom's dear friend Allison.
Me and Wilson Ireland




I decided to take a quick trip to Kansas City to see meet Uncle Tom and some of my dearest friends. It was such a fun visit, but went to short. We got to see almost everyone, but hoping next trip we'll get to see more of Chris's aunts and cousins that live in KC and some of my friends that were tied up or under the weather.

Little Pumpkin!

Just a fun pic of Caroline and Daddy

For her first Halloween we had to take our little pumpkin to a pumpkin patch. In reality, Daddy was studying so my friend Colleen and I took her to a nursery where they sold pumpkins to buy her first pumpkin and a quick photo op. Of course, after the car ride, Caroline was passed out for her first "pumpkin patch," but she'll probably have more fun next year anyway! For Halloween, Caroline grew just enough to fit in her flower costume without looking like she was drowning in it! We went to Uncle John and Aunt Holly's and had a great time watching all the kids in their costumes! Caroline also saw her good friend Eva who is just 7 weeks older. Caroline the ladybug and Eva the ladybug looked so cute together, but mom flaked and forgot her camera! I hope Aunt Holly's friend emails us the pics she got so we can post them!

Right now, Caroline and I are staying with my parents and meeting Uncle Tom and all of my college friends for the first time. I'm trying to take advantage of the little maternity leave I have left and Caroline has become quite the professional traveler! I'll post pics from the KC trip soon!

Week in Florida

Florida had some great sunsets- we watched them almost every night!
Gigi and Grandaddy with Caroline at the Turtle Club for a sunset dinner.
Dick and Sue with Caroline
Great Aunt Tina and Great Uncle Pat came to meet me!


Thanks for my new swim suit Dick and Susie!




Patti's parents (Gigi and Grandaddy) have a home in Bonita Springs, Florida and Caroline and I were lucky enough to fly out for the week. Chris is busy in school right now, so he wasn't able to join us this time. There is no direct flight from Phoenix, so traveling about 7 hours for Caroline's first trip was LONG! Thankfully, Caroline continued to be a sweet, laid back baby even on the plane . . . the worst part was handling all the baby gear!

In Florida we had so much fun with my parents and their friends Dick and Sue Johannes, who also stayed at my parents'. Dick and Sue have been friends of my parents since before they were married and have known me since birth. It was so much fun getting to spend the week with them. We also got to see Chris's Uncle Pat and Aunt Tina, who joined us for dinner one night. It was so fun introducing Caroline!

One Month Doctor's Appointment!

What a difference a month makes!!!

We had Caroline's one month checkup today and she has done a lot of growing! She is now 8 pounds 8 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. This is a big jump from her first checkup after the hospital where she was 5 pounds 14 ounces and 18 inches. She also went from the 3rd percentile in both height and weight to the 25th percentile for both. Even though she was born early, she's catching up fast!

One Month Young!

Publish Post

Caroline was one month this past Friday, and we can't believe it's already been a month since we had our sweet baby Caroline (and only a few days past her due date!) Although she's still a little peanut, she's definitely filling out and her cheeks are getting even chubbier. We go for her one month doctor's appointment this week and can't wait to see how much she's grown!

Mimi and Poppy!

We were so lucky to have Chris's mom Terri (Mimi) come and stay at our house last week. She helped so much and made fabulous dinners! It was so fun to see Mimi with Caroline. On Saturday, Chris's dad John (Poppy) came in town. He couldn't stop telling us how beautiful Caroline is (we agree!) and how much she moves. Although Mimi and Poppy are now at their own place in Scottsdale, we're sure to see them a lot in the next two weeks before they head home to Iowa.

She is becoming more and more alert, although she still sleeps the majority of the day. Also, Patti is so thrilled she recently started sleeping for up to four hour stretches at night, which is a HUGE improvement from the every 2-2 1/2 hours at night! We're hoping someday she'll let her mama sleep through the night again!

Aunt Becky and Charlie come!

Cousin Charlie and Caroline . . . what a difference 2 months makes!!
Eva, Charlie and Caroline
Last night with Becky, Charlie and my mom . . . I started sobbing and ruined this pic. I miss you so much!!

Chris and his mom (Mimi) with Caroline. Mimi is an amazing cook and was in the middle of making a yummy dinner!

My sister Becky and her adorable baby boy Charlie (12 weeks) came to visit for the weekend. Becky decided Ella (2 1/2) should stay home this time with her dad Mark and his parents, but Caroline can't wait to meet her at Thanksgiving. Gigi originally planned to leave before Becky and Charlie arrive, but couldn't pass up a chance to see my sister and her two new grand-babies meet for the first time. We were so excited she extended our stay. Charlie has already grown and changed so much since I saw him at my shower in Kansas City. He smiles a ton and is rolling over on his own. He seems so huge to me now . . . he is double the size of Caroline! During our weekend we went to Chris's brother John's house. John, his wife Holly and their 3 kids (Keely, Kelsey and Johnnie) had so much fun with the babies. We also got to see our good friends Chad and Susanne and see their little girl Eva, 10 weeks. We know Eva and Caroline will be great playmates when they get older!

We were so sad for my mom (Gigi), Becky and Charlie to leave Tuesday. The silver lining was that Chris's mom Terri (Mimi) came in Tuesday afternoon. Then, Chris's dad John (Poppy) will be joining us this weekend. They are staying in town until October 16th, so I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures to show of the visit!

Caroline Fighting Sleep

Sigh of Relief!!!

When we were still in the hospital we had many different screens and tests for Caroline, especially because she was 4 weeks early. She passed everything with flying colors, except when it came to her hearing screen. She failed three times in a row, and we were deflated. The audiology tech. told us this was common with c-section babies, as they sometimes took a little longer to clear any amniotic fluid from their ears. We set up an appointment to get her re-screened within 2 weeks. Even though we were told this was common, we constantly worried about the possibility of her having hearing loss. Both Chris and I analyzed every time she did or didn't respond to noise. Thank God, when we went back to get Caroline screened today she passed the screen immediately. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and cried like a baby when we got the good news. We love her so much no matter what, but we were so relieved that her hearing finally checked out okay!

FIrst Week Home

Caroline with "Gigi" (Patti's mom)
Snuggling with Grandaddy (Patti's dad)
Caroline with our good friend Colleen Luke, "Aunt Leeny"
We had a great first week! Every day has gotten easier with feeding and Caroline is nursing like a pro. We were having to supplement with formula when we left from the hospital on Saturday 9/11, but Caroline was already taking full feedings by Monday 9/13, and we were able to change to just nursing. They told us it could take her about a month to be an efficient nurser (because she is a month premature), but she already had it down in under a week.

Caroline loved having my mom, her Gigi, stay with us this week and my dad, Grandaddy, came to meet her over the weekend. It has been great having them. Gigi has done so much laundry and cleaning that we've gotten to focus solely on Caroline. It has been so nice to have her, especially while I'm recovering from the c-section. I still am not allowed to drive or do much lifting or bending, but my pain has decreased every day. Gigi decided to stay through next Tuesday and will be here when my sister and nephew Charlie, 2 1/2 months, come to meet Caroline this coming weekend. Caroline's other cousin Ella, 2 1/2 years, is staying home this time, but Caroline will get to meet her at Thanksgiving.

Welcome Home Caroline!!!

We were discharged Saturday night 9/11/10 and Caroline, Chris and Patti headed home with Gigi (Patti's mom- Grandma Godsey.) We have been exhausted and elated so far. Feeding has been our main challenge as Caroline is still working on getting down her suck/swallow reflex (because she was born at 36 weeks, this is a little weaker than a full-term baby.) Because of this, Caroline has had a difficult time nursing and we have needed to use formula in addition to nursing attempts and pumping to make sure she is getting all the nutrition she needs. She lost a little weight at the hospital (losing 10% of her birth weight is normal) and she is a tiny 5 lbs 12 ounces! The whole feeding routine takes about 45 minutes to an hour and we are having to wake her to repeat every 2 1/2 hours around the clock . . . needless to say there is not time for much especially sleep and mommy is wiped. Thank god she has Chris and Gigi to help with the feedings!

She is just 5 days old today, but already becoming much more alert. She is staying awake after her bottle and keeping her eyes open up to 15 minutes or so before she is ready for bed. We are obsessed with her little expressions when she sleeps- grimaces, smiles, sticking out her tongue- everything she does is cute! She has been such a joy already in such a short time!

We are so excited for Patti's dad (Grandaddy) to come in town this weekend and meet her. Caroline is also so excited to meet Chris's parents (Mimi and Poppy) who will hopefully be coming soon!

The Delivery Days!

On Monday 9/6 (Aunt Becky's 30th birthday), we were called into the hospital around 7:30pm to start inducing labor. First, I was put on cervix softening gels for about 18 hours before they started petocin at around 2pm Wednesday (with not much progress.) The petocin began contractions, but unfortunately none were consistent enough to progress the labor. After about 10 hours of petocin I was still only dilated 1cm and Dr. Langer decided to take an hour or two break and then start again. Throughout this time, Dr. Langer let me know if the induction became too much I could elect to have a c-section, but I wanted to continue trying. On the second round of petocin I finally began progressing and my contractions became strong and regular. It was now 9/8 Wednesday morning, and Dr. Langer decided it was time to break my water! I continued to progress and finally began an epidural around 2pm when the pain became a little too much (I was also exhausted from the previous two nights of contractions!) Unfortunately around this time when I finally was progressing, Caroline's heart rate began to dip a little more than we were comfortable with strong contractions. Eventually, I had to stop petocin for her safety, and along with that my contractions stopped being regular- we were so deflated! Dr. Langer called and let me know we could see what happens if we tried to start petocin again, but if Caroline looked like she wasn't tolerating it, we would need to do a c-section for her safety and mine. I decided to try it, but the second her heart rate dipped again, we all decided it was time to get her out. Both Chris and I were relieved to be near the end, but both were pretty scared walking (or wheeling) into that operating room. I was shaking like a leaf throughout the surgery and Chris was amazing and right by my side. In no time our precious Caroline Reese was out and we were overcome with emotion. It was definitely the happiest moment of our lives.

Because was born premature at 36 weeks we were worried about her having to go to the neonatal intensive care unit, but she did amazing and scored an 8/10 and 9/10 on her APGAR scales! Here are her stats:

Caroline Reese Walker
6 pounds 5 ounces
20 inches
born with a head of strawberry blond hair!

Shower Pics!

Patti and her niece Ella (2 1/2)
Patti's dear friend Ashley did all the amazing decor!


Here's some pics from my KC shower! Ashley Harms did all of the decor (and invites too!)- she's so talented and it looked so cute. Lindsey made some yummy cupcakes and everyone was asking what bakery they were from. Thanks Becky, Ashley, Lindsey, Katie and Mom for putting on such a special day!