The Bakers of Lodi, CA

Thursday, June 19, 2008

More from week two...

Here are a few more photos from Charlotte's second week of life. It has been a fun and crazy ride so far!

2008-06-12 Charlotte 2 weeks old

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Charlotte's second week of life:

We have been having a blast with our girls. Charlotte's second week has brought a bit more sleep to all and a lot more fun. She is changing quickly and has gained weight quickly too! She is now 7 lbs 14oz (as of this past Monday) and is thriving! Lola is doing SO well with her little sister and we are so lucky to have two such wonderful little girls.

Here are some photos from the past week:

2008-06-11 Charlotte beginning of June 08

Monday, June 9, 2008

One week new...

It has been a fun and crazy first week...although we are cross-eyed with sleep deprivation, all three original Bakers (me, Matt and Lola) are well on our way to adjusting to life with a newborn in the house! Lola has been handling things amazingly well and is more interested in holding the baby on her lap (with our help) than being jealous of her. We are trying to spend as much individual time with Lorelei as we can and with the help of some new toys that had been stashed away until the baby's arrival, she has been a pretty happy camper.

Charlotte is a sweet baby that seems to want to be held a LOT. She is having some reflux issues which means that we need to be conscious of keeping the upper half of her body elevated whenever possible. She seems uncomfortable after eating, but we hope that this resolves itself sooner than later. Other than this, she is a healthy little baby with a big appetite! Her hair cracks us up too...even if we have had a hat on her all day, the moment it is pulled off, all of her hair stands right back up! What a cutie pie.

Here are some photos...

One week old:

charlotte 1 week

More Charlotte photos from this past week:

Charlotte and her visitors

Monday, June 2, 2008

Charlotte Jane Baker

Charlotte Jane Baker was born on May 29th, 2008 at 11:53am. She weighed 7 lbs 8 oz and was 18" long. It was a fast and furious labor and delivery after my water started leaking at home. Here are quite a few photos of Charlotte so far...I will post a "birth narrative" to fill you guys in on most of the story when I am able to sit at the computer a bit longer! We are all doing well and we are adjusting to life as a family of four!

Check out our little gal here:

2008-06-02 Late May & New Baby

Thursday, May 22, 2008

"Time-Lapse Pregnancy"

Since I am nearing the end of the pregnancy, I thought I'd put together a little album/slideshow of the belly in its many stages and changes during the last 37 weeks. And if I make it to my induction date, I will add the last two weeks of expansion to the album as well! It has been an exciting ride and a wonderful 37 weeks.

Brace yourselves:

The belly: from the beginning...to 37 weeks

Counting down! We are 37 weeks now!

Well, at our checkup this week we found that I was still at the same dilation due to rest and our goal is to get through the end of next week when we will be 38 weeks pregnant. But, if we are still pregnant by Friday June 6th, we have a scheduled induction for 5:00am! Oh boy! So, the countdown really begins! WOW. And if things go similarly to Lola's birth (after they administered pitocin at 11:00pm when I was just a fingertip dilated...I had her 4 hours later) we will hopefully be meeting our new little girl by dinner time on the 6th! I am feeling good except for the typical end-of-pregnancy complaints (lots of contractions/pressure/aches etc.) and we are ready to meet Lorelei's little sister although Lorelei may not be!

Here is the belly as of this week:

37 weeks pregnant

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Week 36 belly!

Here is the belly in week 36 of growth. It may need legs of its own to get around soon. Even though I feel quite big, I feel pretty darn good and as crazy as it sounds, I will miss this pregnancy.

The belly:

36 weeks pregnant, May 2008

May fun outside

Lorelei has been LOVING the weather and has wanted "water time" daily. It has been warm enough to put her in either her swim suit or sometimes just a diaper to play with the hose and water containers. She has a blast and Mommy can sit nearby and be off of her feet (which Lola likes to "wash" by dumping cold water over them!) I love this age.

Here are some photos:

Early and mid May 2008

Monday, May 12, 2008

35 and a half weeks pregnant and dilated!

Well, we had our weekly OB checkup today and found out that my cervix is already 2.5 cm dilated and "ripe". My doctor asked, "have you been taking it easy at home?" to which I replied "ummmmm, nope". I guess my nesting frenzy last week of washing, folding and organizing baby clothes and packing hospital bags does not constitute "taking it easy". Finding out that I was already dilating did not surprise me because my contractions have been quite frequent and I am experiencing a lot of pressure "down there". I was told that I need to slow down (a lot)and limit my activity if I want to keep this kid cooking for another few weeks (my Doctor's goal, and ours too). So, with the help of family members taking Lorelei during different times throughout the week, I will hopefully be able to stay at this dilation for a while. If I go in next week and he finds that I am as much as 4cm dilated, he will take me straight in to the hospital because he does not want me to "have this baby at home". My labor with Lola (once kick-started by pitocin) lasted all of 4 hours and I had started at 0cm dilation. I guess with the second baby, my body is prepping early. An ultrasound today showed that she is still head down and is partially engaged and doing well. They will start estimating size in two weeks if I am still pregnant then. If by Friday the 6th of June I am still "with child", I will be sent in for an induction. Things are really moving quickly now and Matt and I are both anxious and excited but are hoping that the baby has as much time as possible inside of me to give her the best possible start. So, tomorrow the baby car seat goes in the car and the hospital bags too...just in case.

More updates to come and some photos too.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

35 weeks pregnant and getting excited!

Well, we are 35 weeks pregnant now and still marvel daily at the amazing things my body is doing and the way my belly is morphing to accommodate my little occupant! I am still feeling remarkably wonderful. I guess that the second time around you learn to ignore (or to just expect) the clumsiness, cramps, frequent urination, sleepiness and sometimes freaky body changes that shocked you during pregnancy number one. Instead, you just acknowledge them as the "norm" and feel darn lucky when those are the only things that are bothersome!

I am now having weekly OB checkups and ultrasounds- the ultrasounds are considered "biophysical profiles" which assess the baby in these ways: amniotic fluid levels, gross movement, fetal tone, "breathing" motions and a reactive heart-rate (that varies dependant upon movement). Because of my history with a blood clotting disorder and my current protein C deficiency which can sometimes complicate things, my doctor is just being cautious. I enjoy seeing that she is doing well every week at the scan. It is amazing how little of her you can see on the screen now! Last time the only parts of her face that fit in the view were her eye and nose! Everything looks great and she is head down. My doctor will soon be predicting the baby's size (oh boy!)

I was also told that I would not be allowed to go past 39 weeks before I delivered. My doc feels that everything is going so well that there is really no need to press our luck just to get to the magic "40 weeks" which can sometimes lead to a worn-out and calcified placenta as in the case of Lorelei at only 38 weeks. So...I will be delivering for SURE by the end of the first week of June instead of by the 14th. But, hopefully I will go into natural labor before I have to be induced. Either way, we are watching as the number of days until meeting our baby girl dwindle. We are filled with joy and anticipation (how are we going to handle two children under the age of 2?) But we are up for the challenge.

Lorelei has no idea how much her life will change pretty soon. We are happy to be giving her a sibling but are a little bit sad when we realize that our simple little life as the Bakers3 will cease to exist as we know it. We know the change is for the better but we are holding on tightly to the last few weeks with our only daughter.

Lorelei has been starting to show interest in toilet training and has done both duties on her potty now! She especially likes to read magazines and books while sitting. Where did she learn that??? So, we'll keep encouraging her but we won't push it since we don't want to be full-on-in-the-middle of it as we bring a new baby home.

We also had a visit from my college Roommate, Brandie last week who flew in from Spokane, WA. Although the reason for the visit was sad (our good college friend Brie's Dad passed away unexpectedly. Brandie, Matt and I car-pooled down to the memorial service in Bakersfield), we had a great time with her while she was with us.

Overall the last month has been busy, but we are doing our best to take a breath, slow down and enjoy life.

Here are some belly photos from 34 and 35 weeks: