Visit from cousin Sarah

Charlie had a visitor last night. John's cousin Sarah was driving through town and stopped to see us for a couple of hours. He's quite the popular fellow!

I was cleared by my doctor to drive yesterday, and I made two trips out into the world today. One to buy a replacement bulb for our TV, and one to take Charlie to the doctor for a quick check.

We were a little concerned about the projectile spit-up that Charlie seemed to eject about every other feeding. The pediatrician's office suggested we bring him in to be sure there wasn't a reflux problem. Turns out he's doing just fine-- as long as he has no pain or discomfort when he is spitting up like that, they won't put him on baby antacids. My main concern was whether he was getting enough to eat. Between the large amounts of spitting up, and the fact that he only feeds about 10 minutes at a sitting, I was concerned about his weight gain. But it turns out he's gained at least a pound in the last two weeks, which is right on target. We go back in in one more week for his one-month visit, and I can't wait to see what he weighs then!

Who do I look like?

We are still collecting votes in response to the "who does Charlie look like" question. Some say he is starting to look more like John in the photo here, especially from the nose up. Unquestionably, he has the Knepper mouth and chin. But he has his daddy's feet. (See most recent photos loaded on flickr.)

What do you think?

An hour of freedom for Mommy

Today I had a pedicure appointment at Becoming Mom spa. This is the second to last month of the membership package that John got for me for our anniversary last fall. Since I cannot yet drive, John and Charlie dropped me off for my one hour of "me time."

While I was enjoying my relaxation, John took Charlie to Best Buy. Apparently the folks there are not used to daddies shopping with babies in strollers. Lots of people asked him if he needed any help! But it was a successful outing-- John picked out a video game to buy with his birthday money from my Grandma Knepper.

After picking me up from my appointment, we took Charlie with us to the mall so we could exchange a pair of pants we got as a gift which were the wrong size. We ate at the food court and also went to the Apple Store (of course!) Charlie did really well through all of this, even though he missed a feeding time. We tried to feed him at the food court (with some milk I had pumped before we left the house), but he wouldn't have it. I think it was just too noisy in there-- he fed fine as soon as we got home.

Tomorrow we have friends coming over for our annual Memorial Day Weekend grillout. It will be one of the first times any of our friends see Charlie (Beth is the only one to have met him so far). John and Beth also plan a small performance of the new Entertaining Lucy band (minus Eric). It should be fun.

Just how much can a diaper hold?

As a testament to the capacity of a Pampers newborn-size diaper, I present the attached photo. Apparently, John forgot to remove the diaper from the pocket of his cargo shorts before putting them in the laundry pile. And I, deprived of sleep, did not think to check his pockets before putting the shorts in the laundry.

Upon removing the shorts from the washer, I noticed that they were extremely heavy. At first, I thought perhaps one of Charlie's onesies had become stuck in the leg of the shorts, but no-- it was a diaper in the pocket! If only I had a proper scale with which to measure the weight. I'm sure it is a few pounds! I bet P&G never thought to test their diapers this way.....

In any case, I hope that Charlie never manages to fill a diaper that well. At least I know it will hold that much if necessary!

Missing: One Binkie

Missing: One Binkie. Green in color. Last seen in the juice aisle at the Kroger on Route 42. Call Charlie Robenalt's Mommy with any information.

Our first trip to the grocery as a family resulted in one lost binkie. Luckily, Michelle was smart enough to stash a spare one in John's pocket before we left the house. Emergency averted!

Mom left for home yesterday, so we had our first night unassisted last night. Things went pretty well, with John taking the "late shift." He is a natural night owl, doing a lot of work between the hours of 11pm and 2am. I took the early morning shift, taking little Charlie downstairs with me at around 7am, so John could have some peaceful sleep for a few hours before I woke him up. We'll test this procedure again tonight.

The grocery trip today was meant to set me up with all the necessities I will need to be shut in this week. Since I cannot drive yet, and John will be at work, I wanted to be sure I had everything I'd need to make it through the next few days. I'm sure there is something I've forgotten! But we managed to make it to the store and back between Charlie's feedings, so I count the trip a success!

First Doctor Visit & First Trip to the Store

Charlie had his first doctor visit on Tuesday. He's already back up to his birth weight. Seems he's going to be a big boy. Otherwise, everything was fine. Turns out, he does not have a "bucket head" after all-- taking after neither his father nor his maternal grandfather (this was a source of great debate). His head is "just right" -- at the 50th percentile. Weight and length are at the 75th percentile.

On Wednesday we made our first trip out to the store. Charlie did a little shopping with his Mom and Grandma K. I got worn out fast. Since I can't drive yet, Charlie's Grandma had to do the driving.

Life is settling down to a routine at home. With the help of the lactation consultant at our pediatrician's office, we were able to get the little guy started latching on (finally!) Now we're adapting to that new schedule and process of feeding.

Thanks to everyone for the comments and posts on our blog. We're glad everyone is enjoying the website. For those folks in Cincinnati, please let us know if you'd like to stop in for a live visit.

I am 1 week old!

Charlie turned 1 week old on Monday evening, and we took some photos to remember how small he was at this particular age. Some are loaded on John's flickr site already, and I'll add mine later this week.

It's hard to believe it's only been 1 week since Charlie came into this world. So much has happened since then. On the other hand, it feels like yesterday we were driving to the hospital.

Our First Mothers' Day

Sunday was the Cincy Robenalts' first occasion to celebrate Mothers' Day, just 6 days after Charlie arrived in this world. Somehow, he managed to get word to his daddy that he wanted to buy his mommy a gift. I was surprised by a cute little card and the largest balloon I think I've ever seen. If Charlie knew what it was, it would probably scare the little guy-- it's so much bigger than him!

We also purchased a new grill yesterday, so I could have a steak dinner for Mothers' Day. Charlie and Grandma K helped John put it together (see photos). After all of that fresh air outside, Charlie slept for 5 hours straight. Of course, I only got to partly take advantage of that, because I still woke up every hour wondering why he hadn't cried out yet!

Today is John's first day back at work, and we will miss him. Tonight we celebrate Charlie's "1-week birthday."

Alternate uses for a Boppy

Alternate uses for a Boppy
Originally uploaded by robenalt.

So I have discovered that the boppy is the best neck pillow I have ever tried. Forget those crappy airline pillows and bring your boppy on your next flight : )

First Bath

John and I gave Charles his first bath at home today. Just a sponge bath, but exciting nonetheless. He likes getting washed about as much as he liked having his temperature taken at the hospital (which was not at all).

Grandma Connie and Great Aunt Debbie also came to visit today. Grandma got to feed Charlie, and he slept on Debbie's lap for a couple of hours. Lucy was excited to have visitors at the house, but I think she wished they were there for her.

My dad left for home today, taking with him a video tape of Charlie for Great Grandma Bovier. It sure was nice for him to be here in time for the birth, and to get some time with his grandson before heading back to Houston. Mom will stay on for an extra week, to help me out a little since I'm still recovering from the surgery. She's making chocolate chip cookies right now. Just wait until Charlie learns about Grandma's chocolate chip cookies!

Web Nursery

Our photo from the hospital has been posted on their website. It's not the pose we chose, but that's okay. Here is a link!
http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage.asp?UrlID=7Y7P4D1U2G

Coming Home

We brought Charlie home today. Posted on my flickr site are photos of the ride home, as well as the moments when Charlie met Lucy. She seems to be adjusting well to the new addition. Or maybe she was just glad that John and I were finally home! Thanks again to Helana for watching her for a few days while we were at the hospital 24-7.

The home nurse will visit us tomorrow, and then we'll see the pediatrician for Charlie's 1 week visit next Tuesday. He lost a few ounces the first night, but as of last night was only down to 7 pounds, 12 ounces, so he's probably levelling off. His appetite is good, even if he won't take it from the breast. We've been pumping and feeding via a bottle for now, based on the lactation consultant's advice. We'll keep trying day by day and see how it goes.

I had my staples removed today, and don't go back

to the doctor until the 30th of this month. Until then, I cannot drive, which will be the most inconvenient thing. Mom will stay here in town for another week to help me out around the house. We're both glad she's willing and able to do that.

Now that we're home, and have better access to the internet, I'll probably try to post more often. For now, I'm going to try and get some sleep. Thanks to everyone for the comments and posts!

Home Sweet Home

We came home today. Sorry for a gap in the blogs but the free internet access at Christ Hospital is very SLOW during "normal"waking hours. We hope to have some more pictures and video online very soon now that we have reliable internet access.

By the way, how does so much poo come out of such a small guy????

Charlie's First Day

Baby Charlie
Originally uploaded by mrobenalt.

Well, the pull out love seat in the family unit must have been more comfortable than the pull out chair in the labor and delivery room, because we had a steady stream of people coming through this morning, and John slept through it all. Before he got up, we were already visited by audiology, medical records, two nurses, one resident, our childbirth instructor, and the person bringing my breakfast (of clear liquids). Of course, he did make the statement that he was "too tired to blog," so that might have had something to do with it.

Later in the day we were visited by the Knepper and Robenalt grandparents, as well as Uncle Rory (see photos posted on my Flickr site). They also came to take Charlie's photos for the hospital website (we'll confirm when those are posted). The OB and pediatrician also visited with us.

As for me, I am feeling pretty good. I have less discomfort and am already more mobile than expected based on my previous abdominal surgery which had basically the same incision. I am pretty tired, still, though, because I am such a light sleeper that the noises of the hospital kept me up most of the night, even when we sent Charlie to the nursery so we could get some rest.

Charlie is doing well also, although still not quite getting the hang of breastfeeding. Today he decided to explode a diaper on me while trying. Of course, it was when I was alone in the room, with no one to help me without making a mess of things. Luckily for me, I had already called the nurse for something else, so I just had to wait for her to rescue me!

So far my favorite quote was John's statement late last night, when we were starting to go to bed after one very long day. He said that the day had been "exhausting, exhilerating, scary, and fun." I think that about sums it up!

Survival as a Species / Upgrade

Ok, how have we survived as a species this long with breast feeding be this difficult? Charlie took to it the first time like I would have thought. Then apparently he decided to not continue this behaviour past the first feeding.

On a good note, the love seat version of the ched (bed / chair) was much more comfortable. Maybe I was just too tired to care?

Everyone is doing well,

Charles Durbin Robenalt

DSC04206
Originally uploaded by robenalt.

Born at 10:17pm via C-section. He is 19 inches long and 8lbs 2 oz. Mom and baby are recovering well. For more photo look at my Flickr page (link on the left). More pictures and video to come when I can see straight and michelle gets a chance to comb her hair.

8cm - woot

We are at 8 cm and we got there very fast. Hope to have more info soon

Epidural - Better living through chemistry

We we have the epidural now.  Michelle is resting now.  Still alot of waiting but all is well.  They plan to check Michelle again in about 30 min. so I will update then.

John

Time for the fun to start

They are going to start the pitocin at 11:00 am. This will start force the contractions to start as well as be the time that Michelle may grab my bottom lip and pull it over my head.

Note to self: Bring your own pillow

DSC04200
Originally uploaded by robenalt.

No new news to report. We are just waiting around right now. I will post when we are getting ready to start the next phase.

Note for future new dads:
Bring your own pillow. The ched (chair / bed) is very uncomfortable.

View from Birthing Room

View from birthing room,
originally uploaded by robenalt.

We have a nice view of the city from our room at the hospital.

At the Hospital

We are here. And we have internet access.

We have started with cervadial that is supposed to soften the cervix. This treatment usually goes for about 12 hours. Then we will move on to pitocin to induce contractions tomorrow. We have a nice view of the city from our room. I will post a picture soon.

All is well

Off to the Hospital

Well we are heading off to the hospital. We are supposed to check in by 10pm. More to come from the hospital

Almost Here

OK, Baby Robenalt is almost here. We will be posting information and pictures on this blog. We expect to see him on Monday, May 7.