All the Nicknames...

I am starting to wonder if Claire will actually know what her real name is. I mean, we started with McBaby, then McBaby Girl, and Mark and I (even though no one else knew) started calling her Claire. But since she's been born, other names have emerged. Don't ask me where they've come from. I am curious, though, for all those parents out there. Is this normal? Am I the only one who does this? I mean, Mark and I do call each other Panda (he'll kill me for saying that), but that's it. No other names really. So why do I resort to this? I think it's cute, but I am preparing myself for that strange look from a bystander or relative, or sadly, the day Claire calls me "Shevawn" instead of "Mommy" in front of all of her tween friends, and tells me not to call her that cute nickname... well, that's a ways away, so I'll try to get away with it as long as I can! :)

Here are some of the names she has been called in no particular order...

Nicknames:

C

C Bear

Claire Bear

Little Bear

Monkey

Monkey Face

Button (my personal favorite)

Buggy

Pandita

Kiddo (this is what Mark calls her)

We'll see what other names emerge in time!

Thanksgiving and More!

I hope that I can catch up and not be a month behind on every post, but I'm trying here!

THANKSGIVING

We have so much to be thankful for! Thanksgiving was only about a week after Claire was born, so we stayed at home on Thanksgiving Day and had a small Turkey Day lunch at home- just the 3 of us (plus Myko :))

Here are pics from our 1st Thanksgiving as a little family:

Can you believe that our turkey was bigger than our baby?
Of course, I couldn't forget the Myks. :)
I made Cranberry Sauce with baby in tote. :)

Thanks Aunt Shawna for this super cute onesie!
This was our Thanksgiving plate: Stuffing, cajun turkey, yummy casserole potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. We were able to eat our our china for this meal (we only have 2 place settings of our Vera Wang Wedding China), and it was wonderful!

Daddy loves his baby girl!

Such a great meal!

We headed to Waco that weekend (just for a couple of hours) for a few close friends of the family to meet Claire. We only see them once a year, and they were excited to meet her. She did great in the car. Here's a pic of us outside by the lake (we only stood out there for about 2 minutes--- it was freezing!)

OTHER NEWS...

This week, Mark started a new job, and is really enjoying it. He no longer gets to work at home (sniffle, sniffle), but it looks like it will be a great opportunity for him.

Claire is doing great. She is 4 weeks old today! Time has flown by! We aren't sure how much she weighs, but most likely, she is still under 8 lbs. We are working on trying not to fuss so much in the evening. (Mark and I, too, but mostly Claire :)) She is really calm, alert, and naps great during the day, but the evenings are really inconsistent and at times quite difficult. We know it's a phase, but I am up to my ears in reading all different baby books (BabyWise, Baby Whisperer, Your Baby's 1st Year, What to Expect the 1st Year, and Happiest Baby on the Block). Is there not a book titled, "How to Raise a Baby that Sleeps Consistently and Never Fusses" ???

She's so stinkin' cute, though. I absolutely adore her. She's really opening her eyes really big, making fun sounds, and watching her laugh and grin in her sleep make me really look forward to the day when she'll laugh at me.

Until next time...

Now you are a witness to the fussing...

And when she's resting, peacefully! Here are some other pics: One where I am burping the bear... her face is so stinkin' cute! After a sponge bath, and one with mommy! She's such a joy!

She's Here!

Welcome-

Claire Marie McSpadden

Born November 14

10:24 am

6 lbs. 2 oz.

Well, I feel awful that I haven't posted anything to the blog, and here it is December 1st already! Claire is already 2 weeks and 2 and a 1/2 days old. What can I say... we've been a little busy!

I'll catch everyone up now!

The Labor:

Well, my doctor thought she would have to induce me, but I prayed really hard about her coming on her own, and apparently the LORD agreed with me. I woke up Friday the 13th (yikes) and knew something was different. I started having contractions that morning, so I went to see my doctor early (we had appt. scheduled for 1 pm), and I called in my sub. Interestingly, Friday was supposed to be my last day at work... just missed it by 1 day! So, I had contractions all day, and Mark and I stayed at home trying to "wait the labor out" at home as long as we could, so as "I" could, shall I say. :)

After the contractions got to be about 3 minutes apart, we went to the hospital. Things progressed rather quickly, so we were prepared to have a Friday the 13th baby. This is merely laughable now, considering that I eventually was in labor until Saturday morning at 10 am. :) That's right 27 hours. I was really determined not to get an epidural, and at around 2 am ish (this was when I hit my wall) my contractions slowed waaaayyyy down. No changes. I was so frustrated. Every hour seemed like an eternity. My husband was an amazing coach, but at that point, I think he would have signed off for me to have a C-Section. Still no epidural (by my choice). I mean, I got that far... why quit now. Well, I eventually took an IV drip of a type of sleeping medicine to help me relax between contractions and rest. This was great. I mean, I could still feel the contractions (not great), but it was great to get a minute of rest every 3 minutes. :)

My mom and Mark's mom were also in the room off and on helping massage my back, get me ice, and breathe. They were great assistants! I felt bad for our families who were in the waiting room from around 7pm to 10 am the next day! They were so beat, but excited to finally meet her.

Towards the end of the labor, I was incredibly exhausted, but I was so excited to see our little girl. She was so tiny. What does she look like? Is she healthy? I mean there was so much rushing around. She was perfect!

At the Hospital

Claire had some issues eating, so we had to do some formula supplementing and she eventually had to be fed with a tube (which crushed me). She also was a little jaundiced, and had to do a photo therapy. We called her our little "Super Claire" because she got to wear "superhero" glasses. :) We were so excited to take her home and start our new life with our baby girl.

At Home

Well, the first few days were an adjustment. Luckily Mark took off of work and the following week was a short work week for him (Thanksgiving), so we were able to try and get this whole thing down. Here's a quick list of what we learned the first few days...

1. Buy a better and new coffee maker

2. Sleep when we can... 20 minutes feels like 6 hours

3. When the hospital prescribes pain medicine for new moms for 12 days, there is a reason for it... :) (ouch!)

4. When Shevawn cries, it's mostly hormones... she doesn't want to drown the baby... she's also lacking a full night's rest. :)

5. Mark is great at washing bottles, pump parts, and changing diapers

6. it's a lot easier to hold her and "not break her" than we thought!

7. Always keep a diaper underneath her when you are changing her, or prepare for a leak!

8. Nothing smells better than a newborn baby!

9. Patience is a virtue. :)

10. We love her more than we ever expected to!

Now...

Claire is eating much better, and sleeping well for the most part. Each day is new! We've had wonderful visitors bring us food, do laundry, dishes, and mow our lawn, and we are so very grateful. I am still recovering from the longest labor ever (still surprised at how long this recovery process is), but it helps that I have the most wonderful husband ever to help take care of me, and the cutest baby girl ever to stare at me with those big (currently blue) eyes. :)

Although I'm not getting a lot of sleep right now, I am really enjoying my "maternity vacation" and I am trying really hard not to think about March 3- when I have to go back to work. I'm just going to enjoy these days... she'll ever be this little again!

There are other big changes coming next week, but that is a blog post for another day! So, our next post: Thanksgiving with our little family of 3 + Myko, Mark's exciting news, and more photos and Claire updates!