Merry Christmas!

ROADTRIP!!

Carly had her first road trip last night!! and did GREAT! Dave came home from work yesterday afternoon and was in a wonderful mood. He was done going into the office for the entire year (NOTE: not working, just going to the office). His celebratory mood had him eager to get on the road to Carly's Grandma and Papa in Georgia. He was also slightly concerned about the weather forecast for Friday (threatening of snow always causes NC and SC roads to come to a complete stop). So at 5:30 Dave fed Carly a bottle, I pumped a new bottle for our big trip, and we were off a few minutes after 6:00. After a stop by the gas station and dropping off a DVD we were on the interstate, where traffic proceeded to CRAWL... Once we started moving Carly was asleep and we decided to drive until she woke up for a feeding. When we got to Anderson we had to stop, there wasn't another big exit until we were well in Georgia. So through a drive thru we went, and she continued to sleep. As we approached the Georgia welcome center Dave asked if we should stop and wake her up for a feeding or try to push through the trip. Not wanting to wake up a sleeping baby I told him to push through. On the outskirts of Atlanta she started to stir, but didn't wake up until we were in her Grandma and Papa's house. At this point she was starving and drank her 3.5oz bottle before nursing for 30 minutes.

The 3.5 hours of sleep in the car not only resulted in a hungry baby but a very awake baby. Dave and I settled in to the notion that she (meaning us too) would be awake for the remainder of the night. Luckily she played for about 2 hours with her Aunt Julia and was out like a light! She then slept for 3.5 hours before waking up for a quick feed and going back to sleep for another 3 hours. While I missed a long sleep period from the previous two nights, I am very glad we were not up playing for the entire night due to her sleeping in the car.

Today we seem to be back on a semi-normal schedule (or as normal as you can have with an 8 week old), so hopefully tonight will be unfussy and restful for all!

Where's Carly?

Just another day...

Today was a big day for Carly! She started her day by sleeping through the entire night! We put her down last night just after midnight and she didn't call for our attention until 7:20!! This was HUGE news for me, I actually woke up before she did; therefore, felt very rested today. I'm not thinking tonight will have a repeat performance.

Carly's extra long sleep period really helped her out today! She was an angel when we met Dave and a co-worker out for lunch today (napping the whole time). Then when we came home from lunch and a quick errand to Babies R Us, she worked really hard on her tummy time mat. She has begun using her arms to push her shoulders off of the ground when she lifts her head. She's been working on it a lot when on Dave's chest, but has now begun to do this motion to get a better view of the Lego train or Christmas tree.

After her version of a push up she had some play time with the toys that hang above her tummy time mat. She is definitely developing her concept of cause and effect. This idea humors me because in school we spend many, many hours teaching the kids about cause and effect. Their version of cause and effect involves reading passages, drawing conclusions, and then finding cause and effect relationships with those conclusions. Carly's cause and effect work involves her hitting her toys above her head with her hand and them making a noise and mommy and daddy applauding or making a celebratory comment.

I Have Found My Balance!!

It is funny how quickly life changes. During Carly's 10pm feeding I began thinking about how quickly my life has changed over the past 8 weeks and how I have found my balance. Thinking back, Dave and I left the doctor 8 weeks ago today knowing that Carly would be coming soon and soon enough that they wanted to see me back on Wednesday (if she hadn't come). Back then (because it was sooo long ago) I was a high strung, perfectionist teacher. My life revolved around the students in my classroom and really had since the day I really decided to pursue a career in education. I chose USC because it could offer a 5 year Masters program. I worked at an afterschool and summer program at a local elementary school for over 5 years. I attended workshops in the summer months, got to school at 6:30 (if not earlier) each morning, and only left school before 5 if I had some place I HAD to be... I always brought work home (even over the summer months and long vacations). I checked my school e-mail at least once an hour each evening, just in case a parent sent a message or another teacher e-mailed out a GREAT idea. I graded and planned so much in the evening that Dave bought me a laptop during our first year of marriage so that I could at least sit downstairs with him in the evening.

Throughout my entire pregnancy Dave reminded me that I needed to find balance. That he and Carly would have to come first and school would need to start taking a distant third. I knew deep down this was true, but didn't know how I would ever be able to achieve such balance. During one of the staff meetings I missed due to a doctor's appointment my principal even spoke of how the staff as a whole needed to find balance... (This idea was trying to reach me!)

Well, I'm not working at the moment but I have found balance. I pray that this balance will stay with me as I cherish all of the small moments now with Carly and Dave. Last week I needed to get out of the house early for a hair cut and I just laid in bed listening to Carly breath as she slept on my chest. I knew good and well I could have moved her to the bassinet or over to Dave's chest, but I also knew those were moments I would never be able to get back if I rushed them away. So I just laid there and finally at the last second possible got up to leave. This weekend the three of us ran errands and visited Santa. Eight weeks ago I would have said that I didn't do anything this past weekend because nothing was "monumental;" however, my perception as changed. I did do stuff this weekend, I ran Christmas errands with Dave and Carly, got to see Santa, and even had a pretzel from our favorite pretzel shop along the way. And then tonight before Carly's last feeding a simple game of peek-a-boo entertained Carly, Dave, and I for many minutes. Dave was trying to calm her down from an I'm hungry and tired fussy spell and just began playing to see what would happen (and probably because he was tired of her crying in his ear). This simple act turned into Dave going to get his camera and us all playing together as a family. We not only played peek-a-boo, but we also watched her track the butterfly on the blanket we were using and giggle when I made the butterfly fly around her. Unfortunately, I believe that had something like this happened earlier this school year then I would have been staring at the clock thinking about how much I still needed to accomplish at 9:50 pm, not completely mesmerized by how much fun my daughter was having with her parents.


I truly believe that a nine month sabbatical is truly what the doctor ordered.

Visit to Santa

I have the distinct memory of Sharon telling me that Carly wouldn't visit Santa with all the sick little boys and girls out there. Well, Carly arrived and as soon as the Santa set up shop in Birkdale, all I heard was we "HAVE" to get Carly to see Santa for her first Christmas.

So we went...



With the rest of the photos here

Girls' Night Out

Carly got all dressed up and participated in her first "Girls' Night Out" yesterday. She and I went off to our first cookie exchange (where we were rebels and took fudge instead of cookies). I visited with old friends and met some new, while Carly showed off her good behavior with all of the new friends she met. Unfortunately, when dinner was served Carly got hungry too. (The lasagna must have smelled yummy to her too!) I had taken a bottle with us in hopes to be able to stay through one feeding; however, Carly was too tired after showing off her developing neck muscles to be interested in a bottle. She doesn't get bottles regularly, just about 1 every other day. And a result doesn't like using them when she is tired. So home we came, leaving our fudge and empty tin for one of Dave's co-workers and the party's hostess to deliver to him at work today.

All Dressed up with Daddy!

Mommy Time

Today Carly and Dave went on their first independent outing together. Dave had some errands he needed to run, and I had some fudge that needed to be made for a party tomorrow night - so he decided to take her with him. It was very cute to watch him prepare for their adventure. He got her small diaper bag and rummaged through it to make sure it was stocked with the necessities and to pull out my wallet, keys, and cell phone (it has become my new purse). He then grabbed a bottle (just in case she got the munchies) and the baby carrier. He got her all settled in the car seat and then asked for help getting out the door. I had to chuckle at watching him try to get everything, since I'm sure I look like a mess trying to get to the car in one trip without letting Jake get out when I'm home during the day and need to run an errand. Once they were both settled into the truck I dashed inside to let Jake back in the house and to start my Christmas baking. Jake travelled through the house in search of Dave and Carly and then came and stared at me in the kitchen. It reminded me of the time Dave had gone to Germany for work and Jake just stared out the window at Dave's truck, and then would run to one of Dave's "usual" spots in the house.

Dave and Carly were gone for just over an hour, but during that time I accomplished SO much. I had forgotten how fast certain chores took when you weren't carrying around a 9+ pound daughter. When they re-entered the house, I had made two batches of fudge, cleaned the kitchen, and was swapping out a loads of laundry. My "mommy time" wasn't super exciting, but I can tell from their faces that Dave and Carly enjoyed their first solo trip! Maybe that means they will continue to have solo trips, and I can have slightly more exciting mommy time.

It's Christmas time in the city...

...or small town next to ours. Tonight we ventured out to Christmas in Davidson. It is a small festival that the town organizes and many local merchants sponsor and participate with in various ways. We walked the streets of Davidson looking at various decorations and a live nativity scene, listening to carollers and a school chorus, and eating pizza at a local eatery (Carly's first restaurant experience). Carly slept through most if not all of this outing, but it was nice to participate in local Christmas festivities as a new family of three.

A train, a train...

Sometimes you can't help just laughing... I spent a great deal of my energy this summer reading and researching the "best buys" and best developmental toys for Carly. And I know the joke and stories about kids being more interested in the box a gift came in than the gift itself. However, I didn't think I would experience something similar quite so soon in this adventure of Carly's life. We have great tummy time mats to help develop her neck muscles and with items to help her tracking. We also have books and various large toys we use to work with her on tracking objects with her eyes. But even with all of this "stuff," it doesn't even come close to competing with a Christmas Lego Train set that Dave bought himself a few years back. Carly has had her tummy time in front of the train track and Christmas tree since Sunday when Dave put her in front of it just to see if there would be any reaction. She will lay there and track the train as it goes by, turns her body as she laughs and follows the train, and overall just entertains herself more than any mat, book, or toy as done. Maybe this all means that she will like trains like her daddy and Christmas like her mommy...

It is funny how life changes...

I realized that Dave nor I had posted an update recently, but then thought... "Hey, we've been busy!" My definition of busy has definitely changed in the past 6 weeks. I remember "busy weeks" used to involve grading papers, a staff meeting, professional development, progress reports/report cards needing to be finished, and probably a road trip or visitors sandwiching in that week. Now busy involves nursing, tummy time, story time, decorating for Christmas, having friends and family coming to visit, and trying to adjust to Carly's ever changing sleep pattern. This new idea of busy oddly enough leaves me more exhausted at the end of each week then school ever did. Now that I have explained my new definition of busy here is a synopsis of what we have been so busy doing.

The Friday before Thanksgiving I was able to get the H1N1 shot and joked that it was the greatest false sense of security I could have been given. This false sense of security made me feel brave enough to venture out with Carly to PetSmart with Dave to pick up Jake. I thought it's no biggie, sick people don't go to PetSmart... and of course I saw no one with the famous yellow mask, so I stayed calm while we were out and about.

Then on Tuesday I decided that I was tired of sitting around the house and only going out to walk the neighborhood or to check the mailbox, so I packed Carly up and off we went to the Post Office and ATM. Again, I thought sick people don't go to the Post Office at 10am and I was using the drive up ATM. Well, the drive up ATM is diagonal to the grocery store. I only needed 3 or 4 things and Carly was being REALLY good, so I decided we would add a third errand and headed over to the grocery store. Oddly enough as I pulled the car seat out of the car and walked into the store I felt like I was doing something wrong. I was sure someone was going to catch me out and about and "turn me in," although I'm not sure to whom. We were able to get our items and avoid being caught, until we came home. Dave came home for lunch that day and asked if I had been somewhere... BUSTED!

On Thanksgiving my parents and brother came up to bring our new entertainment unit for the family room and brought us Thanksgiving dinner. Now I will say that this day wasn't nearly as busy as the past 3 Thanksgivings have been, but then again all I did was pull the rolls out of the freezer, let them rise, put them in the oven, and then unloaded the dishwasher. My parents seem to have taken care of the rest and even held Carly for a large portion of the afternoon. Allowing me to prepare for Black Friday!!

Black Friday was a lot more low key for me this year then in years past. I was up early, but that was due to nursing. I finally made it to the stores shortly after 8 and was able to check 4 people off of my Christmas list. I know that the news and retailers were talking about the "amazing deals," but honestly unless you were buying big ticket items I thought the deals stunk... Oh well, Amazon.com will take care of the rest of our list.

After my morning of shopping Dave, Carly, and I headed out to buy Carly's first Christmas tree and the Christmas decorating began!! I must admit that it does take a lot longer to decorate your house for Christmas when you are carrying a 5 week old around. I took care of the inside (after Dave brought in our beautiful tree) and Dave hung the lights outside and on the tree inside!



Saturday brought visitors to the Orr household. Dave's mom and sister were able to come up and visit with Carly. We enjoyed walking around the neighborhood, watching and chatting during Transformers 2, and just visiting. Julia was able to finally meet Carly and got a kick out of picking out Carly's outfits. :-) Unfortunately, Carly slept for most of their visit; however, she made up for her sleepiness on Sunday.


Sunday brought a day of wearing her Panther's cheer leading outfit, watching Dave's LEGO train go around and around with Jake, and a visit with some friends. Mom and dad were tired after a busy holiday weekend, but none of this seemed to phase Carly. She was up at 5:30 ready to be held on Monday morning.



Monday morning was hectic with Carly's first month check up. I never realized how much time went into trying to get a 5 week old out of the house. I had to schedule her feedings (as much as one can for a 5 week old) around when she would be seen by the doctor and leave plenty of time after a feeding for a diaper change and getting dressed. We did arrive at the doctor early! (go mom!) and learned that Carly is now 9 pounds 12 ounces a doing very well. Luckly this visit was shot free but January 5th will be a different story.

Today (Tuesday) managed to be the most hectic day of all. Carly and I had to go to my follow up appointment. We were doing great with time and by chance started the day earlier. However it quickly began to nose dive. Carly took her very sweet time with her two morning feedings which left me more rushed to get ready. Then, five minutes before we needed to leave she had a major spit up experience. It sent me racing her outfit and chair cover to the washing machine and her upstairs for a clean sleep 'n play. We got in the car a few minutes later than I wanted, but still had plenty of time as long as the interstate was moving. Unfortunately it was moving for the first 3 miles of our trip, and then froze as we approached the last 2 miles. So, off the interstate we jumped (with 1/2 the other cars) and finished our trip using back roads and cut throughs. Surprisingly enough we arrived at the doctor's office only 2 minutes late! After a great report from the doctor, Carly and I headed out to run errands (Target and Harris Teeter). She of course slept through both of our errands and I raced through both stores as fast as possible, hoping to finish before she picked up any nasty germs and before she woke up. A some what calm afternoon (except for me cutting myself slightly with a kitchen knife for the first time ever) we finished our day with a visit from some more friends. We had a lovely evening and greatly enjoyed their eagerness to hold Carly...giving our arms a break.

While these days may not sound crazy or busy to all, they do to us. :-)

What a day...

On the eve of Carly turning one month old she participated in MANY new things. Our morning started with her sleeping from 10:30 until 5:30, and me waking up in a panic that she was dead. She then ate and went right back to sleep as I took Jake to a much needed grooming appointment. Upon my return home we had a relaxed morning with Dave making a fantastic breakfast and Carly spitting up as soon as we finished eating. This spit up was large enough to require a bath, so Dave and I decided it was time for her to use her big girl tub. We put her in the big whale tub (that fits over the kitchen sink) that her Aunt Sharon and Uncle Jamie purchased, and she had a blast!

The sponge/washcloth baths just didn't compare - her new bath event was screaming and crying free!! We then dressed her in a cute little outfit and decided to take her on her FIRST outing.

Even wore some of mom's old booties.

It wasn't anything super exciting, but Jake needed to be picked up from the groomers and was also in need of a new bag of food. So off we went to PetsMart... She seemed very undisturbed by the outing and Jake actually was on his best behavior ever walking through the store to the checkout lane, maybe he was showing off his new hair cut or maybe he was showing off Carly.
Dave and I have spent a lot of time today saying how quickly this month has flown by and how it still amazes us that we now have a daughter. But with these statements we also discuss how her routines (as random as they are) have become second nature. We don't think twice when she gets fussy about changing her diaper and then feeding her. Or how there is no hope of putting her in her crib before a 10pm feeding. Hopefully now that we are slightly more adjusted to life with a daughter and aren't running around quite as crazy as we were one month ago today preparing for our trip to the hospital, life will slow down a little bit so we can savor each moment with Carly.

Pacifier

Dave and I have had mixed feelings about Carly using a pacifier. I did go ahead and buy a pack, per various friends' suggestions. I honestly did not know if she would ever use the two I purchased, but I thought it was better to be safe than sorry (especially for less than $4). Then at the hospital the doctors taught us about how a pacifier will sooth a baby during the stethoscope portion of the medical examine. We then used the pacifier during her 1 week check up and again while I was waiting with her for another appointment. However, I've been reading that at some point babies begin to want to suck on items (fingers, pacifiers, bottles, etc.) even when they are not hungry. Tonight Carly began to fuss 30 minutes after we had fed her, Dave immediately asked, "She can't be hungry again, can she?" Out of desperation and hope that she didn't want to eat, again - I pulled out the pacifier. Apparently it can do the trick and the books are right. The more I think about it, the more I think that I would rather have to break her down the road of using a pacifier than of sucking on her thumb and/or fingers. Tough love can take a pacifier away, but it is really hard to take a thumb and/or fingers away. :-)

Feeding Time!

Today was an exciting time for David! He got to feed Carly for the first and second time. The doctors told me that I could begin pumping and feeding Carly with a bottle after 3 weeks. So this afternoon my BIG outing was to Babies 'R Us to buy a pump, giving David the chance to feed her. It was such a fantastic site to see. He diligently prepared her bottle, fed her all 3 ounces, remembered to burp her 1/2 through the feeding and after the feeding, and then grinned from ear to ear once she was finished.


I am so thankful to have a husband who gets so excited about all of Carly's big and little moments and the big and little moments he has with her.

3 Weeks

It only took 3 weeks, but Carly wore her first dress today. We have been moving out of the newborn jumpers and into the 0-3 month range so we thought we would put her in a dress for the first time.

Also, at the doctor today, Carly weighed in at 8 lbs. 9 oz. A full 1 lbs. 4 oz. over discharge weight.

How fast time flies...

Today Carly was placed in her second and third 0-3 month outfits. The first time she wore one was because all of her newborn outfits were dirty or in the process of being cleaned. (It was a messy night, and daddy just wanted clothing fast so we could try to get some sleep.) And that outfit swallowed her up. However, this afternoon's 0-3 month outfit fit her for the most part. The sleeves were just a little too long and the pants needed to be rolled at her waist, but overall it was a very cute look for her. Later in her evening she wore a yellow sleep 'n play sized for 0-3 months. Again the sleeves needed a slight cuff and the legs are just a little too long, but then again it is supposed to fit her for another 2 months...

Two Whole Weeks

Well, it has been a whole two weeks with Carly in our lives and it has been quite an adventure. By now Sharon and I have gotten down a pretty good nighttime routine. Carly wakes Sharon up, Sharon wakes me up and I go change Carly, then wake Sharon back up and Sharon feeds Carly while I go back to sleep. Then Sharon puts Carly back in bed and follows suit. Repeat this a couple times a night and all is well.


During the day Sharon is great with Carly, while I am at work Sharon showers, reads to Carly, plays with Carly, walks Carly, feeds Carly and sometimes even gets a mid morning nap. I have been trying to come home for lunch to give Sharon a break and help with Carly for a hour during the day. Plus I want to see the little munchkin too.


Below are a couple photos from the 2 week mark. See the rest of the gallery here

One Week

We have now had the pleasure of having Carly home for nearly a full week. Although it hasn't been super easy, I don't know of a single thing worth doing more. We have had late nights (more Sharon than me), help from both sets of in laws, and lots of fun diaper changes. Including a couple "quick put a diaper back, she isn't finished yet," which makes me glad she wasn't a boy, because I didn't end up with a face full.

It has been a great first week and we are excited for the weeks ahead that are filled with new a fun adventures for our family of 3 and a dog.

Additionally, I have decided to take at least one picture every day and post these pictures in a gallery of their own. There will be the normal galleries for the events and such, but I wanted to have a special record of her daily growth and because I want to challenge myself to take more pictures more regularly. Below is a slide show from this gallery and there is a smaller version on the right side of the site under the links.





There is also a RSS feed setup of this series so the pictures will come to you when they have been posted. The feed can be found at http://feeds.davidandsharonorr.com/carly

A Selfish Morning

I actually had a very selfish morning!! David needed to go into the office for a few reasons and I highly encouraged him out the door. I was looking forward to a few hours alone with Carly, since I knew at some point he would be heading back to work full time and not just working from home. So out the door he went, so I could get busy. I realized that I hadn't put Carly in or taken her out of her car seat, so that was my first mission of the day. Check! I accomplished that no problem. Second, I have been really eager about my new "stay at home" status because I really enjoy morning walks through our neighborhood. So, my second selfish mission became taking Jake and Carly on their first walk just the three of us. Again, David had done everything with the stroller and I wanted a chance to figure it out on my own. So I bundled Carly all up and headed out to the garage with her loaded in her car seat. After Jake and I got her loaded into the snap in go stroller (an ingenious idea/accessory for an infant car seat) we were all off. I started by just travelling between the two stop signs by our house, then I decided it was time to go all the way around the loop. We successfully made it around without a runway stroller or dog. I was feeling pretty great about today's accomplishments as we strolled up the driveway, until I went to lift Carly out of the seat and found that she had exploded her diaper and left me a few messes to clean up. This explosion wasn't enough to rain on my parade, but it did put a cloud or two in the sky.

Our First Outing

Carly went on her first "outing" today. She and I had a follow up appointment with the lactation specialist at the hospital. I awoke and showered early, determined to not feel rushed getting out of the house and not wanting to be one of those people who are consistently late due to an infant. I got her nursed at the specified time by the lactation specialist, got her dressed and ready for the appointment, then packed the diaper bag, unloaded the dishwasher, folded clothes and thought I was all ready for David to come home and pick us up for the appointment. Then it happened... Dave mentioned it was cold outside and I couldn't find a jacket easily. Then I-77 was slow, so we had to get off the interstate and take surface streets. As a result we ended up being a few minutes late to the appointment; however, no one else was there after our appointment waiting to be seen so maybe we didn't mess up their whole schedule. While we were walking through the building though we did unfortunately see a kid who was sick and wearing the famous "yellow mask". These masks remind me so much of having a scarlet A. The purpose of the yellow masks is to protect others from your germs, but I'll be honest - I'm going to RUN if not sprint away from you as fast as I can.

Overall our appointment went well. Carly weighed the same today as she did during her last night at the hospital (7 pounds 5 ounces) and showed that she is getting enough during each feeding.

This outing also involved a quick trip to the grocery store for me! Dave and Carly stayed in the car while I walked in to pick up a few items. It was quite a weird feeling to be entering into the real world after having been only at the hospital or my house since Wednesday night...almost a full week!

The rest of our day was uneventful. Dave worked from home while Carly, Jake, and I napped. :-)

Home Sweet Home

Day 3... Going home.



We brought Carly home from the hospital yesterday and to surprise Sharon and to let the neighbors know I had a stork placed in the front yard.

So far it has been good. Carly is eating and sleeping, sometimes at the same time, and sometimes not. She doesn't really like either the bassinet or the crib, but prefers either Sharon's or my shoulder to sleep on.

Today, she has slept a bit more in a bed, but still doesn't like to be in one for more than 30 minutes. Hopefully tonight she decides that beds are fun and Dad's shoulder isn't all that comfortable.

Also, we did get the recommended tummy time in a couple times today and Carly seems to enjoy it. It provides her with another place to sleep other than a bed.

Day 2...

She is Here!

Carly Elizabeth joined us on October 22nd 2009, at 2:17pm. She weighed in at 7 Lbs. 14 oz. and measured 20.5 inches.

Mother and Baby are doing well.

So without further ado, here is the newest member of our family.





Full and ever expanding Gallery here

Not quite so bad...

Today we have 1 week and 3 days until our "due date," and I can honestly say that this last month hasn't been quite so bad. Yes, I'm slightly uncomfortable, feel like Shamu, and really want to yell "STOP STARING AT MY BELLY!" when I'm out in public... however, many other things have made it not completely awful.
I've been very lucky to have a husband who was able to stop travelling at the beginning of October and began helping a lot more around the house. A mom who comes up to help with household chores and the paperwork and filing portion of my job. A dad who sends food to make sure I continue to eat healthy each time my mom comes. A mother-in-law who has sent a few last minute items: an awesome jogging stroller and a hand made hanging diaper stacker . Friends who are helping me get through the day to day tasks at school, so that in the evenings I can focus on the long term planning and preparation that I want to accomplish before delivery. All the books say that start around week 36 the mother-to-be should begin to take life easy. I haven't learned how to do that yet (and I'm in week 39); however, thanks to many other people I am not having to accomplish every task that pops into my head alone.

"Has anyone told you how low she is?"

This is the quote of the afternoon from our recent visit to the doctor. Everything else was uneventful, but apparently our daughter-to-be is currently trying to help me out in the lung department.

Or Another...

Another sign...

We went to the doctor today and found out that I am 50% effaced and 1 centimeter dilated!! I'm sure it means I will still be pregnant after our due date, but it does mean the end is coming...

Signs the end is near... (or in the next 5 weeks)

Over this week and weekend I have noticed many signs that the end of our pregnancy is near...
1) It is finally October
2) Random people keep asking, "How soon until you are due?"
3) Any weird looks and Dave asks, "Are you okay? Contractions?"
4) I'm limited in what chairs work for me and are comfortable.
5) My stomach and bladder seem to be shrinking at a rapid pace.
6) Dave keeps saying, "She is REALLY big today!"
7) Dave and co-workers keep updating me on how she looks lower today than the day before.
8) My mom has left her toothbrush, in case she needs to come quickly.
9) My maternity shirts are getting tighter and tighter and don't seem to be covering the bump very well anymore.
10) I seem to be starving all of the time, but 3 bites of any meal leaves me full.
11) People seem to stare at my belly instead of my face or boobs when I walk by.
12) I'm cleaning house...

Clemson Football

This past weekend I went back to the old stomping grounds of Clemson University to watch my Tigers take on BC. I met up with folks I have now known for 10 years, since my freshman year, and had a great time. It is just a little different now, as the talk has moved past beer, parties, and girls, to children, child birth and daycare. I must be getting old!

On a side note, it was a great day. Not only did the Tigers win the game I went to for the first time in 3 years, it was also parents weekend and the band played to our side.

Rest of the pictures here.

I'm a PC

In making the hiccup movie, I found that I have Windows Movie Maker. Quite possibly the most simplistic movie editing software out there, but it stretched my artistic abilities. So in honor of the 2 year old commercial spokes-kid. I'm Dave and I'm a PC.

I hope you enjoyed it. Hi-Quality here

Baby Hiccups

As I was reading Itty her evening books, she decided to respond with the hiccups on mom's bladder. So we decided to record the gyrations for posterity.

If we can catch anymore of her antics, we will try to capture them. Sometimes it looks like the scene in Aliens where the little guys are popping through chests.

Hi-Quality video can be found here

Dave is Nesting...

Dave and I had our breastfeeding class this morning. It led to a quick lunch at Cook Out and a trip to Home Depot. I was under the impression that we were buying pine straw for the azaleas on the left side of our house; however, I was slightly misled. We began walking through the nursery section and 20 dwarf mondo grasses, a flat of pansies, 4 bags of dirt, and 10 bails of pine straw later we were driving home. Of course there is never just 1 weekend trip to Home Depot, our first trip was followed by Dave's solo trip. On this trip he purchased 20 stone crawls and 5 more bags of dirt. Oh, but he isn't finished yet. Tomorrow he is planning on buying more mondo grass and laying out the pine straw he bought today (I have a feeling more pine straw will be bought tomorrow).

Dave's list of things he wants to accomplish this fall (before Miss Itty's arrival) is slowly growing, but he is making great progress each weekend. My list is growing as well; however, I keep listing things that I want to accomplish while Dave is in Clemson next Saturday. Hopefully my energy will match the length of my list. :-)

Rest of pictures are here

Guy Party

Sharon had a baby shower this past weekend and guys were not invited, so I decided that we would have a guy party and celebrate our independence. We would drink beer, eat red meat and watch all the preseason football we could handle. Oh yeah, baby sit the kids.





Here are the rest of pictures from the weekend.

The Little Engine that Could... (Maybe)

We all joke about how babies have it made - eat, pee/poop, sleep, play, and repeat. Life in the uterus I'm sure is very similar; however, recently each night Miss Itty has changed it up a little bit. Last Friday we found out that she is currently breech. If you think about my "bump" as a clock, her head is at 12 and her feet are tucked in nicely at 6. The doctor wasn't worried and said she still had plenty of time to spin herself around. Then this week her attempts to spin around began. I had just gotten into bed and was reading her a Dr. Seuss story when she began moving her head down towards 9 and trying to move her feet up towards 3. She tried, and she tried, and she tried. Eventually after what felt like hours of her trying to use my internal organs as leverage points she gave up. I finally understood the disappointment parents feel when their child isn't successful at a task he/she tries really, really hard at. Then last night after Dave read her another Dr. Seuss book she began trying again. This time though she was trying in the other direction, so her head was moving down towards 3 and her feet were trying really hard to spin towards 9. Dave loved watching all of her movement and was amazed at how much we could see and how she was poking out my belly button. He decided to read her yet another story for encouragement. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful again - but she did try longer this time. She worked at spinning herself during the entire 2nd story and then continued after he had left the room. We still have time, so maybe if I read her The Little Engine that Could each day she will keep trying to spin her little body.

SURPRISE!!!

Over the past week Dave has been very vague about our weekend plans, which is strange for him - especially since if the sun is shinning we on a weekend, then we go boating. However, yesterday afternoon he came home and said I had to be showered, in my blue dress, with make up on, and my hair blown dry by 1pm today because we had plans. Through yesterday evening and this morning he kept asking me if I had any clue what we were doing at 1pm today, if I was curious, and if I had any guesses. Honestly, I was just feeling bad that I had gotten so relaxed during my summer vacation that my husband felt he needed to tell me to shower, dry my hair, and wear make up. I admit I haven't worn make up regularly this summer, but I have showered and dried my hair almost every day.
So this afternoon we hopped in the car and began driving all over Cornelius. There was road construction on a nearby road, so Dave went into major short cut and back road mode all trying to navigate up towards Davidson. In Cornelius we have this cute, old house that has been restored and turned into a Tea House. They serve a variety of teas and yummy finger foods. He dropped me off by the front door and asked me to wait for him while he parked the car. As we walked into the house I was really beginning to wonder what he was up to, this was not his normal style. He quickly told the hostess we were looking for the Priscella Room, which was when she spilled the beans and said, "Oh, for the baby shower? It is right through there." Dave's glowing face fell as he escorted me into the room. There were 6 ladies/moms from my neighborhood (and a 7th on the way) surrounding a beautifully set table. I quickly found out that 2 of my neighbors had orchestrated this gathering asking for Dave's help with the guest list and in getting me to the Tea House at the appropriate time.
We had a lovely tea time, with Strawberry Green Tea and Apricot Tea and many yummy finger sandwiches and desserts. During our time the other moms shared many stories and a lot of advice, while I told about yesterday's doctor's appointment and described our nursery and Dave's overall excitement during this time. Towards the end of our time I was directed towards a table of gifts. As I opened the gifts many of the moms explained why the items in the bag or basket were "essential". I absolutely loved hearing all of the advice and definitely received many items that I wouldn't have picked up on my own, but totally understand what makes them essential and probably would have sent Dave out for in a panic at some point after Miss Itty arrived.
While this afternoon is technically called a "Baby Shower" I did walk away feeling like it was more of an initiation to the "Mommy Club!" Yes, Baby Orr was showered with gifts, but I was showered with knowledge and essentials and got to spend time with 7 women in my neighborhood who will help me out as I navigate this new path into the mommyhood world.

Daddy - Daughter Time

Dave has enjoyed reading a variety of books each night to my belly. This began in June when a classroom parent gave me the book, Oh, Baby, the Places You Will Go! A book to be read in utero. While reading this story Dave was able to feel Miss Itty for the first time. He has really enjoyed reading to her each night he is home and watching my belly for her reaction to the story. By watching her reaction each time we have concluded that she likes to have stories read to her, but she really likes the rhythm of Dr. Seuss.

Dave's fascination of watching and feeling her move has also led him to give my belly zurberts, poke it, or give it small "baby quakes". This week Miss Itty has been a lot more responsive to this play time. On Tuesday he would give my belly a zurbert and she would immediately kick or punch the area. This continued for a few moments and Dave left the room in a strut like any proud father would. Last night he attempted to listen for her heartbeat, I had read recently that soon he should be able to hear her heartbeat as she got into position and she became more cramped for room. Unfortunately he wasn't able to hear that heartbeat, but he did get a nice kick or punch in the face by his daughter. Again he was the proud father who rejoiced in this play time and put his ear back on my belly to wait for her to hit again. Of course Dave was not left disappointed and quickly felt a little thud.

This week of Dave being home each evening and watching this daddy-daughter time has been wonderful; however, I think it may impairing their ability to sleep. They both seem to be wide awake after this time - Dave goes off to play on his computer or to catch up on missed TV from his time in Indiana and Miss Itty continues to swim and move around.

And the building continues...

Tonight Dave and I built the Play Yard (Chicco's version of a Pack 'N Play) from my parents. Dave reminded me of a young boy on Christmas morning. He very quickly ripped open the box and pulled out the play yard. It was neatly packaged in the travel container (which not all of the parts will ever go back neatly into this bag again). The frame came out first and was opened up, like a petite tailgating tent. Then pieces were snapped in, rings with animals were hung, parts were zipped together, and using the directions only once we had a Play Yard/Changing Table/Bassinet all in one. It was quite an adventure and made us realize that Miss Itty will be here in less than 3 months...

Jake even entered the room to watch.

Happy Birthday David!

David celebrated his 28th birthday yesterday!! The day started with me getting up early to help out our neighbors and David not leaving for work until 9, he claims he wasn't feeling the early wake up on his birthday - I think he wanted to hear me say HAPPY BIRTHDAY again. :-) After he left for work I began working on his birthday cake. David requested a giant chocolate cupcake using the pan Julia had given me for Christmas. He also requested that the giant cupcake have white icing on the bottom and chocolate icing for its top. Slowly throughout the day the cupcake began to take shape.







Finally when David got home from work around 5, the kitchen was clean and the cake was ready. A very eager birthday boy was ready to eat his cake and open his birthday present and cards. We began his celebration with cards, gifts, and cake, and then continued the celebration at Tenders (a local fast food restaurant), a trip to Lowe's and Home Depot to research gas grills, and ending with an evening boat ride.

HE-HE-WHOO... HE-HE-WHOO..

Well we have now completed the hospital's child birthing class!! Unfortunately our accomplishment came with no graduation or certificate, but we did learn a lot during our time and had some fun while doing it.

On Friday evening the instructor mentioned that there would be 30 people (15 couples) participating in the class, so things would get tight. Luckily not everyone showed up and we had more room than was first anticipated. Which turns out to be a good thing when 1/2 of the participants in the room feel like over sized blimps and 2 of them wishing they would POP at any moment to rid themselves of their current discomfort. This first evening was rather slow and the group sat there like bumps on a log just trying to take in all of the information and wondering when the emphasis "birthing video" would be shown. Finally around 9:00 we learned that we would watch the first portion, showing stage 1 of labor and would actually see stage 2 of labor (delivery) on Saturday morning, after of course we had all had time for our breakfast to settle down.

On Saturday we began with a Q/A session and our instructor was trying to wake us all up. Her sense of humor really began to show and helped lead up to the climax in the video we were all anticipating and dreading. Finally after our short morning break it was time for the viewing to resume. Everyone watched, prepared to be grossed out or frightened to no end. Then it was done and a classmate commented about how this was nothing like the famous tape they showed high schoolers during the sex education unit. This was the beginning of a relaxed rest of the day. Our instructor taught us many relaxation techniques and massage positions (which sent the class into chuckles), and had a 10 minute tangent about the show "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant." It was very humorous to listen to her discuss how the girls/women on this show were either uneducated or in denial the entire time they were pregnant and how we won't be so dumb to miss the signs of labor (a common fear that we would miss the signs and end up delivering in some random, non-hospital location) since we had recognized the obvious that we were pregnant and knew a due date was in our future.

While we didn't learn Lamaze like many used to learn and I assumed we would learn, we did have a more enjoyable time than expected.

Stormy Morning

Today was off to an early start. Around 5:30 this morning we had a large thunderstorm roll through town. Jake first made me aware of this storm by nudging me at the edge of the bed with each boom of thunder or crack of lighting. Then Miss Itty began to fidget with each boom of thunder. Between the two I wasn't able to continue sleeping, but just hung out and waited for the storm to pass.

I was telling Dave about this today during our lunch out, and his response was, "There was a storm this morning?"

The Nursery is done!

Well, almost. There still are some final touches left, but the major work is done.

Day 5- Today started off slowly, we didn't have any major plans until my parents arrived from Atlanta. They were coming up to enjoy the Fourth of July on the lake with us and I was getting some free labor from Mom. See, I can roll really well, but cutting in, and touching up really isn't my thing but Mom does it really well. So I decided since mom was coming up I would let her touch up the chair rail. It worked out well, while mom was painting I got to point out all the areas that needed just a few more drops of paint. (Why couldn't the whole room have been like this?)

But after the touch up work by mom. The room was DONE! Finished! Completed! Over!. 5 days of hard work and some frustration and we have a wonderful place for our Itty to come home to. In four months.

So, while the paint is drying we took a little walk to the lake and watched the dogs play in the water. All the while the anticipation was growing. The paint was drying. The crib just sitting in its box.

So upon our return home, with the anticipation so thick you could cut it with a knife we carried the crib box into the nursery. And, the with a flourish of a pair of safety scissors the box was open and Itty's crib saw its first light of day.

It took a couple of more cuts, and tears and pulls to finally free the crib from its packaging. The crib was securely wrapped and probably could have withstood an air drop to a remote village in the Sudan. It was pretty simple to put together, but with 4 Orrs in the room, you would have thought we were building the Eiffel tower. Even with all the experts we managed to get the crib together and after some minor surgery (One hole in the spring frame need to be drilled out to accommodate the bolt.) the crib was complete.

After placing the crib in its new home, we brought the rest of the furniture back in the room and the room was done! Finished! Completed! For Now!





Full visual record of the nursery project. Here

Previous Days:
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1

Project Nursery (continued)

Day 4 -

Today started with a slightly more relaxed start. Dave actually took some time to sleep in before admiring his great second coat and beginning his new adventure with hanging a chair rail. He began by installing his new, fancy miter saw blade. Then after careful measurement (he lives by the motto: "Measure twice, cut once!") the first piece was cut and ready to be installed. Unfortunately it wasn't going to go up with quite the ease we were expecting. After a few choice words and some aggression Dave finally found his groove with hanging the chair rail. Unfortunately, there was another bump in the road when it came time to cope the joints. That's when a very smart decision was made, break for lunch and revisit coping the ends after a nice yummy lunch. We met a friend I work with at Big Bit'z (same place we began Day 1 with) and had a very tasty lunch. It was just the right meal for Dave because he did a fantastic job with the three remaining joints which needed coping.


Dave coping a joint!


A completed joint!

At this point I was thinking we were finished with our home improvement project until Dave's parents arrived the next day, but of course I was mistaken. Dave decided he was going to try to caulk the chair rail himself and did a fantastic job (by far his best ever)!! So at the end of our fourth day Miss Itty has a beautiful moonlight painted room, a freshly painted ceiling, super white trim paint, and a chair rail hung 100% by her daddy's love!!


Dave caulking his magnificent chair rail!

Project Nursery (continued)

Day 3 - (a.k.a. Day 2c)
The morning started like yesterday's with a quick entry into the nursery that is slowly forming in front of our eyes. We were eager parents wanting to see our "moonlight" in the morning sun. Dave plugged in the two halogen lights and began to second guess his task of the day. He wasn't sold on the idea that one coat of paint was good enough for his princess-to-be. So together, we moved the light around, squinted our eyes, took the light to another room we had painted in a very pale color for a comparison, and finally Dave decided the nursery needed a second coat. (I was trying my best to avoid having a vocal opinion since all I could help do was bring lemonade during his breaks... but now, I must say that I agree 100% with his decision!) This second coat went up a lot quicker, thank goodness for his sake, and only one battle wound - a callus on one of his fingers.

Later in the afternoon he then proceeded to paint a coat of super white paint on the chair rail in preparation for tomorrow's big task of hanging it.

After Dave's third day of "vacation" and home makeover we wanted to feel like real progress had been made, so we had a little fun with the camera and nursery accessories we have already purchased for Miss Itty!!