Some musings on time...

Before Lucy arrived, everyone always told me to treasure each and every second of time with her because children grow up before you know it. And though I feel foolish saying this, yesterday I cried when I realized how quickly my two-week-old is already growing up. Yes, perhaps it's the hormones, but when I went to change Lucy's diaper and saw that her little dried (and a bit disgusting) umbilical cord had finally fallen off, I started crying. Yes, I know I'm being a bit dramatic. I mean, Lucy is only two weeks old. I still have plenty of time to savor each and every little toothless yawn and grin while she's sleeping. But seeing her cord come off, I realized just how precious this time is. On Saturday, she'll be three week's old. Before I know it, it'll be time for me to go back to work and then the time will really begin to fly. It's ironic that during my pregnancy, I couldn't wait for time to pass. I would mark each passing day on my calendar, silently urging them by. Now, I find myself willing time to slow down. I suppose all I can do is savor each and every precious moment with my little girl and not feel guilty for letting the dishes sit in the sink as the dustballs accumulate on the floor. The hours upon hours I sit in the recliner holding Lucy and staring into her eyes aren't wasted time. After all, as T.S. Eliot once wrote, "Time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time." And I've thoroughly enjoyed "wasting" each and every second!

Baby's first Target trip awwww

Oh my goodness. The little lady isn't even a week old yet and she's been indoctrinated into the goodness that is Target.

Mom was a little worried about taking the little lady out but I think she'll be OK. We only let two homeless men hold her so she should be fine and free of disease for now. One of the men had a bit of an oozing sore but he assured me the folks at the free-clinic said it was nothing. He was nice enough so I figured what the heck.

Mom, a self-confessed Target-Fiend(tm) shed a tear as her little shopper-to-be crossed that magical threshold near the dollar items.

We're so proud.

In all seriousness, today was the second time we've taken her out because, well, we were getting a little stir crazy here in the house. Being the google-freak that I am, I tried to find opinions online for when it's ok for a proper trip out with a newly birthed earthling. And of course, since it's the Internet every whackjob out there can publish info (I'm not being elitist and excluding myself here :-) ). The info I found online ran the gammut from 6 weeks, to people talking about going to a Phish concert on the way home from the hospital (sweet).

So today Lucy got to meet her Great Grandpa Copeland down at the family hardware store in Clinton, SC and also spent some time with my own dad and my niece Lexie who was just about as sweet as she could be today.

Oh, and she went to Target.

-Jamie

New Pics! Jen will write a proper post for this later!

Lucy Adair Copeland has arrived! 9lbs 2oz and a nice 22" long

Not to mention a BREEZE of a 14 inch head that can traverse a birth canal with ease... NOT!

Luckily mom is A-OK and we are just loving up this little girl. I am in somewhat of a zombie state right now but I thought I'd upload a couple of pics to share for those of you out there who may be waiting on them.

Thanks for all the well-wishes!!

-Jamie

12+ hours and no baby so far...

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to give a quick-update for those of you that may be keeping an eye on the blog here.
We initially were told to be here at the hospital at 6:30 this morning and then we checked in and were told that they were full and to wait til about 10. So we did, and when we arrived things still seemed a bit full. We did finally get checked in and such at what seemed to be closer to noon. To top it all off, we have no window, which Jennifer is none to thrilled about.

Not long after we got settled the Oxytocin started, then a bit later the Doctor came in and went ahead and broke her water. After this the contractions got a bit stronger than the mom to be cared for. After a bit of percieved resistance (which, I mean hey they told us, theyd give it whenever we wanted) Jennifer got the epidural (which was one of the scariest times in my life to see this happening, which yes I know this is routine and all but eh they were sticking a rather large needle into my wife's spine). Jennifer is now much much much more comfortable and as I am finishing up this post I just heard the nurse say she's at about 6cm dilated.

Looks like she's not going to be born on 8/8/08 after all.

More details to come! Keep those fingers crossed.

-Jamie

Fun little comic I've had in my cube for a while now

As part of my test to prove to my wife that I can indeed complete a blog-post and upload an image (so I can share fresh baby pics as she recovers) I decided to share this little XKCD comic.
If you like this one check out some others at http://www.xkcd.com.

-Jamie

The Surreal Life

Well...the big day has come and gone. Baby C still shows no signs of appearing anytime soon. Surprisingly, I'm not as frustrated as I thought I might be. Actually, it all seems a bit surreal. Consciously, I know that we'll be parents in just a few days, but my mind can't quite process the gravity of this reality. Believe it or not, I sometimes forget that I'm pregnant...that is until I feel Baby C moving around or I cry out in pain after hitting my stomach against various household objects including refrigerator doors, dresser drawers, etc. Sometimes one does not realize how far her stomach protrudes. :-)

BUT, we do have some exciting news. IF Baby C doesn't decide to make an appearance sooner, we are scheduled to be induced Friday morning at 6:30. Exciting, yet scary prospect. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Jamie is cool and collected right now, but I'm sure he'll freak out once Friday is here. We'll keep you posted. Hopefully we'll have some photos to upload this weekend! Love to you all...

Still Waiting...

A friend (and mother of four precious little chickens) recently told me that the last month of pregnancy is longer than the previous 8. She wasn't kidding. The past four weeks have been the slowest of my life. It's not that I'm physically uncomfortable. In fact, I have to admit that this whole pregnancy business hasn't been
as bad as I had feared. I've been really fortunate overall. What I hadn't anticipated, however, was the mental/emotional toll these last few weeks of waiting would take. Every time I feel a kick or a squirm, I wonder, "Is this it?" Of course I know that true labor pains can't be ignored, but maybe it's the hope of Baby C's arrival that keeps me constantly wondering if the slightest twitch might signal her impending debut in our lives. Though I don't like to admit my "control-freak" tendencies, when faced with something I have absolutely no control over, I'm slowly going a bit insane! I suppose there's nothing to do but wait patiently. I'll continue devouring books (the latest--a 700 page novel on Marie Antoinette finished in less than a week), obsessively straighten the house, and continue to drive my poor husband insane. And maybe, just maybe, Baby C will be here just when I least expect it.