He's a Growing Boy!

Joshua went back to the pediatrician on Tuesday to have his weight checked. At his last visit he weighed 7lbs 6.4oz. At this visit we hoped he had gained about an ounce a day to get back to birth weight. Joshua did much better than that and gained over 2oz a day for a whopping 8lbs 7.8oz! That's a lot for a breastfed baby! The pediatrician also removed the rest of Joshua's umbilical cord. Afterwards Joshua, his mommy, and his grandma went shopping and found some Alabama onesies that should fit just right for the game this weekend. Roll Tide!
On Monday Matt, Joshua, and I went to our prepared childbirth/lamaze reunion class where we got to see our friends and their baby and then all share our birth stories with the current class of expectant parents. It was great to be sitting on the other side of the room and share our experience and answer the class questions.

Currently we are all watching the weather to see what Hurricane Gustav is planning. I don't wish poor weather on others, but I'd prefer that the storm take a hard turn to the right or left when it hits the open water. We'll wait and see what happens.

Lastly, the nursery furniture arrived today! Yea!! Better late than never. I'm so glad it's in. Matt plans to assemble the crib and remove the boxes in the evenings, but now we can fully dress the room. I'll post a picture when everything is assembled.

Life with Joshua

Joshua is the perfect baby! I know I am biased but I'll stand by that statement. Besides being adorable, he is really good natured and hardly ever cries. It has been an exciting week for all of us. Here's a recap of events from his birth to the present. On Saturday, Aug. 9th, Matt and I decided to go out to lunch and run some errands. Shortly after we got home (~4:30) I thought my water had broken. We weren't sure at first and ultimately called my doctor who sent us to the hospital. We arrived at 6:30 where it was confirmed we were in labor. Since the contractions were small, they decided to start pitocin. In total I labored about 24 hours before the doctor decided to perform a cesarean section. Joshua was born at 4:50pm on Sunday, Aug. 10th. He had a healthy set of lungs on him. I remember hearing him cry in the OR before we got to see him. Joshua met lots of family and friends at the hospital and was showered with kisses and gifts. We left the hospital at 1pm on Tuesday Aug. 12th and Matt drove extra careful through scattered showers to protect his precious cargo. At home we were greeted by family who had hung a welcome sign and a blue wreath for Joshua. My Grandma cooked a welcome home meal which all of us except Joshua enjoyed. The rest of the week Matt and I spent quality time with Joshua and introduced him to our dogs Hardy and Ridley. (Currently Ridley is depressed and Hardy is a little jealous.) Matt has been a wonderful husband and father caring for Joshua and me. Joshua has changed our lives so much already and yet the best is still to come.

Born 4:50PM (Joshua with Dr. David)

First Family Photo

It's cold outside!

Watch over me Daddy.

Little Man of the hour!

Getting ready to go home

Leaving West Florida Hospital

Welcome Home!

Monday Joshua had his first doctor's visit. The doctor said he was impressed with how strong Joshua is. He tried to turn onto his side and also tried to hold his head up. Here are his stats: 25th % weight, 75th % height, 25th % head circumference. Overall he is a healthy baby boy! Currently his hobbies include eating, sleeping, and peeing on anything and anybody within a 3ft radius of him. Here is a slide show of some quality time with Joshua. Enjoy!

My first bath

He's Here!

Joshua Andrew Chatham was born on Sunday, August 10 at 4:50pm. He weighed 7lbs, 14ozs and was 19-1/4 inches long. Baby, Mommy, and Daddy are all home from the hospital and doing well.

Still waiting...

Emily in the Nursery

Where's Baby Chatham? Well it looks like he missed his due date. To be fair this is not a complete surprise as he does get half of his genes from me (Emily) and I'm not the most punctual person. Although my style is to realize I'm running late and then rush to get where I'm going as quick as I can so I'm not too late, which would translate into a shorter labor so hopefully he'll take after me in that respect as well.
We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and found out I am now 2cm dialated and 25% effaced. It's definitely a sign of progress. The doctor also scheduled an induction for Wednesday, Aug. 13th so there is an end in sight, though Matt and I are still optimistic he'll come on his own. We also had a non stress test done in the L&D department. They strapped two sensors on - one to listen to the baby's heart and the other to measure contractions. The baby spent most of the time squirming around and occasionally kicking the sensors which showed up as spikes on the monitor. I have been having contractions, but must have had a case of stage fright because nothing happened when I was on the monitor, but as soon as I was unstrapped and stood up I had a good one. Lastly here is a picture of the new car.

The Waiting Game

Emily at 39 weeks

It has been a busy couple of weeks. Matt and I bought a car. It's a Hyundai Sonata which Matt will primarily drive. I will now drive the Santa Fe and the Mustang will be a fun/weekend car. Matt has installed the car seat in the Santa Fe. We have mostly packed our hospital bag. We have washed and made up the cradle in our room. The pack-n-play is set up and is currently holding all the clothes, blankets, and other items that have been washed in Dreft. We checked on the furniture and it has been back ordered so it likely won't arrive until after the baby is born. My toes are painted and looking lovely. The changing table and basket of supplies, i.e. diapers, creams, and wipes are organized on the dresser.... and now we wait for Baby Chatham.

We have definitely reached the point where we are as prepared as we are going to get and would like to meet the little guy. Our doctor appointment's have all gone well and things are progressing, but nothing is imminent. The baby will likely miss his due date as most first-borns do. Now I get a daily greeting of "You're still here!?!" when I get to work which is funny to me. I don't know what I'd be doing at the house and I feel fine so I'll save my time off for when the baby is here.

Matt and I saw Batman over the weekend and it was great. It will probably be the last movie we see in the theater for awhile so I'm glad it was such a good one. We also ate at one of our favorite restaurants, which is not one you'd bring a baby/small child to, so it was good to eat there one last time. I'll close with a funny picture. It compares my belly to a 21 lb. watermelon.

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 4th Anniversary! It really doesn't seem like that much time has passed. I think we'll always remember this anniversary as our last one before we had the baby or perhaps it would be more accurate to describe it as that blur right before we had the baby. We have been really busy lately finalizing plans before the baby is here. This year our anniversary gift to each other is to have a relaxing weekend, this weekend, which may be our last weekend before we become parents. We are both looking forward to some down time because I don't know how much we'll have later. The picture I attached was taken a few months ago. I considered posting one more current, but it's a nice picture of Matt and me.

Thanks Ladies!

A couple weekends ago (6/28) friends and family hosted a baby shower at the Twin's house for me. Celeste and Elaine did a great job with the food and decorating. Stephanie made the cutest announcements and signs for the party. Everything was perfect. We played fun games and munched on yummy snacks. Baby Chatham got to hang out with his Grandma, Grandottie, Great-Grandma, all his aunts, and even a couple cousins as well as other friends and family. His best friend Titus was there with his mom, Audrey. It was great to see everyone and we received so many wonderful gifts for the baby. Thanks to everyone for a fantastic party. Enjoy the slideshow below.

This week Matt and I "graduated" from our Child Preparedness/ Lamaze class. We learned a lot, but I must admit completing the class is a little scary because it means we've learned enough to have a baby - or at least some tips to help get us through the delivery. Also, Monday marked the start of our weekly doctor's visits. The night before the appt I told Matt that I bet we were 0 cm dilated and asked him what his guess was and that he couldn't guess the same as me. With those restrictions he reluctantly said 1 cm dilated. At the appt, Dr. David told us we were 1 cm dilated and Matt said "Woo-hoo! I won - I don't know what I won, but I guessed 1cm."

One Month To Go...

Today is July 4th which means one month to go. Woo-hoo!
Happy 4th of July!

Love.
Matt and Emily

50 days and counting...

I just noticed today marks 50 days until Baby Chatham's due date. Kinda exciting/scary. Where has the time gone? Matt and I hope we are ready before he makes his grand appearance.

What an exciting week! Matt and I had a doctor's visit (all is well, though the doctor hinted he may be a big baby), another child prep class, the dogs were neutered, and we had a baby shower. We'd like to give special thanks to Michelle and Susan for hosting such a lovely party. We received all kinds of baby gear and baby clothes from our friends and coworkers. I think all our friends and family had a great time hanging out outside of the office. Mom, Dad, and the twins stayed with us for the weekend which was also fun.
On a different note, Matt and I discovered tonight that I can no longer hula-hoop. We were walking around Wal-Mart and saw a hula-hoop display and Matt said "I wonder if you can still hula-hoop." Normally I have mad hula-hoop skills so I thought I'd give it a try, but alas it fell straight to the ground. It was such a funny sight though that Matt made a video of it on his phone. If I can figure out how to post it on the website, you'll be in for a real treat.

Lastly, Hardy and Ridley are recovering nicely from their procedure. I don't think they hold it against us and have enjoyed the extra attention.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads!

Preparations

It has been an exiting couple of weeks. Emily went to a breastfeeding class, we toured one of the two hospitals we might deliver at, we had a doctor's appointment and got to meet another member of the practice, and we (Matt) painted the nursery. It's blue! We recently received the crib bedding and accessories which we used to pick the room color. Also Matt installed a ceiling fan to help keep the room cool. It's all coming together really well. We selected the baby furniture over the weekend which we'll order in the morning. Hopefully it will arrive before the baby.

Mom, Dad, and Steph visited over the weekend. It was great to see them. They brought down the car seat which is one more item off the baby to-do list.

Tomorrow we start a Childbirth Preparedness class which will last 6 weeks. We are looking forward to the class, but not the hours. It runs from 7-9:30pm which is late for a couple of early risers who work across the bay!

I can tell the baby's getting stronger because he moves all the time. He seems to especially like flailing about between 3 and 4 in the morning.

Lastly, keep your fingers crossed for good weather as today kicks off the start of hurricane season. We're hoping this year is as calm as last year in Pensacola.
Much love,
Matt and Emily