The McCallister's Visit

Loren, Suzy and Liam came to visit on Sunday night. They brought us a birthday cake to celebrate all our November birthdays. It was very yummy! Sophie is going to have lots of little playmates.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Yesterday was Chad's 28th Birthday and we celebrated both our birthdays with his family at Mimi's Cafe. It was Sophie's first time out to eat and she did great...she slept the entire time. I was proud of my wrapping and the card I made and how everything coordinated. Chad always wraps things so nicely and I wanted try and make his gift special. Now he knows that I am capable of wrapping so I might not get off the hook for Christmas this year. One of the gifts Sophie gave her Dad was a frame that says "One day I may find my Prince Charming but my Daddy will always be my King". The best present this year is definitely Sophie. She was three weeks old yesterday and I can tell that she is growing and changing everyday. Time goes by so fast!
Oh...Chad's Dad had a little accident on Monday when a grinder blew up and hit him in the face. He had stitches in his lip and is pretty sore, but should be fine. He looks a little beat up in the picture so I thought I should explain.

Grant and Sophie

Grant and Sophie finally got to spend some time together after he had been exposed to chicken pox and needed to wait a couple of weeks to make sure he didn't get them. He is really sweet with her and just trying to figure out what is going on. Grant was born last March 5th and we found out we were expecting Sophie March 12th. Sophie is blessed with cousins on both sides. We can't wait to see them grow up together!

Karlee and Sophie

Karlee is 6 weeks and 1 day older than Sophie. Karlee was 9lbs and 21 3/4 inches when she was born and Sophie was 6lbs 11oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Sophie is letting us know that she is #1 in the first picture:) They are going to have lots of fun together.

Catching up

It has been a while since the last post. Probably because "Daddy" went back to work last Monday. On a side note - It always kind of bothered me when a married couple referred to each other as Mom and Dad, but it just happened once Sophie came. I guess I rarely called him Chad anyway...mostly Babe or Baby. Now when I refer to "Daddy" it means Chad and not my Dad...just FYI.
Viral, Tyler and Misty came to visit Sophie on Saturday night. She slept most of the time, but they had a good visit.

We took Sophie to church on November 16th for the second time out of the house. I need to take this time to say that Chad is amazing and there is no way we could ever make it to church on time (or at all) without him. All I do is get up, feed her and then get myself ready. He gives Sophie a bath, dresses her and packs her diaper bag so that she is ready to go when I am.

Chad went back to work on Monday and Sophie and I survived our first day alone. We slept a lot when Daddy went to work so the day went by fast. I did manage to get a shower before Chad came home from work.

I did find out some sad news on Monday. My manager passed away on Sunday evening. He found out that he had pancreatic cancer the weekend before Labor Day and had been in and out of the hospital since then. I had gone to the hospital to see him the Wednesday before Sophie was born. The doctors had told him the cancer had spread and there was nothing they could do. They sent him home and called in Hospice. I knew that things that things weren't going well, but it was still a shock that it had happened so soon. We took Sophie to the memorial service at his church on Tuesday night. It was a sad day.

Aunt Tara came into town Tuesday night and I picked her up from the airport after the service. She got to spend lots of time with Sophie and left on Monday morning. Unfortunately I started feeling sick on Wednesday and spent most of the day in bed. On Thursday I called my Doctor and got on an antibiotic for mastitis (which was causing flu like symptoms). Aunt Amber and Cousin Karlee came over that morning and went to the grocery store for us and made dinner.

I had a hair appointment for Thursday afternoon and still went out to Eagleville to get it done even though I wasn't feeling so great. Sophie had her first visit to Aunt Joyce's Beauty Shop.

Sophie's 3rd week at Church

We dressed Sophie in her Thanksgiving outfit for church on Sunday. You will see it again for her Thanksgiving pictures, but I thought we got some good pictures so thought I would post these also. Timing didn't work out for Sophie's feeding this Sunday so I pumped on the way to church and her Daddy fed her from a bottle for the first time during the service. She took the bottle and did well. I knew she could do it!

Sophie's Surprise Arrival

It has been a week and a half now since Sophie was born (time is flying by already) and I wanted to give a recap of the story of her arrival. On Monday night, Nov. 3rd, I stopped by Mom and Dad's for dinner and Chad met me there when he got off work. I was starving since I had spent my lunch break getting my oil changed, tires rotated and general maintenance check on my car (one more thing I could check off my list of "things to do" before Sophie's due date). Mom and Dad had cooked a big meal that included fried chicken, chicken casserole, mashed potatoes, green beans, cole slaw and deviled eggs (I think there was also a turtle cheesecake for dessert). Anyway, I ate a lot of food and joked with Mom that it would be something if I went into labor that night. Cousin David was in town working at Vanderbilt and we were joking about him being in town for my delivery (he was in town when Amber had Karlee). Chad and I didn't stay too long after dinner. The most comfortable position for me was to be laying on the couch so I was ready to get home and rest. We were watching our Monday night shows and I fell asleep around 8:30pm and then we moved to the bed around 10:45pm. I got up to go to the bathroom a couple of hours later (by this point I was getting up every hour or two during the night so this was normal). As soon as I got back in the bed my water broke (it was 12:45am). I knew that was what happened, but I still said to Chad..."Ummmm...I think my water just broke". I was pretty calm and Chad woke up quickly but was still kind of out of it. He told me to wait and he would help me get up. He came back from the bathroom with some toilet paper but quickly realized that was not going to help much. After calling my family and sending a few texts, I got in the shower (washed my hair and shaved) while Chad called Dr. Scott. She told us to go on to the hospital. Chad gathered Sophie's things that we had thought about taking and packed his bag. Chad had washed all her clothes on Sunday night and pulled out a bag to start packing for himself. I had thrown some things together in a bag, but neither of us were fully prepared. I took out the turtle neck sweater I had as an option to come home in since the weather for the end of the week was going to be in the 70's. We weren't in too much of a rush and were very calm considering the situation. I dried my hair and carried my makeup with me to put on in the car. I hadn't started having contractions and wasn't in pain...just some uncomfortable lower back pain. We headed to the hospital about an hour after my water broke. The next time we would come home we would have a baby with us. We realized that we forgot the car seat on our way (someone would be able to get it before we would leave the hospital). Another thing on my "to do" list was to get the base installed and figure out the car seat. We checked in at the hospital and they wheeled me up to the labor and delivery floor. Not a lot going on that night so it was pretty quiet up there. I got in the hospital gown and hooked up to monitors and IVs. Not too long after that Mom, Dad, Morgan and Brent came in and just behind them was Ginger, Don and Dustin. The two Aunts were staying home with their little ones and waiting to hear how things were going. When they came in to "check" me everyone went out to the waiting room and I went ahead and requested my epidural. I was at a loose 2 and 95% effaced. My contractions weren't that painful, but I could definitely tell when I was having one. I had already made up my mind that I would get the epidural as soon as they said I could. The process is a little uncomfortable and really more so because I didn't know what to expect. I thought the needle was in my back the entire time, but they just thread a tube in and take the needle out (might have known that if we had actually taken the birthing classes). They started me on a pitosin (sp?) drip to speed up my contractions since Dr. Scott was on call until 8am and wanted to be the one to deliver. I had the epidural in, but they didn't put the full dose of medicine in right away. I got concerned after they finally upped the dosage and I still felt the contractions (still not that bad) I just worried how much I would feel when it got to the end. It all worked out and I felt just enough to be able to push efficiently, but didn't hurt. Everyone came back in the room once I was finished with the epidural and Mom was surprised that I had gotten it already and didn't even have a chance to feel the pain. As the anesthesiologist said, you don't get any extra credit for feeling the pain. My blood pressure dropped several times during the morning making me feel very weird and nauseous. The nurses were quick to give me fluids and get it back up. They said I should rest some, but for once in my life I couldn't fall asleep. I started calling people around 6:30am to share the news that I was in labor. I don't remember the times, but after the epidural they checked me 3 more times and I was at a 4, 7 and 9 (the last time being around 8:30am I'm guessing). Dr. Scott had the day off and her kids were out of school (without a babysitter), but she came in with them to deliver Sophie. I started pushing around 9am and Sophie was born at 9:25am. I pushed through 9 contractions and didn't really feel any pain...just pressure. Chad was right there in all the action pushing one of my legs back while the nurse had the other. He even cut the umbilical cord. It wasn't as bad as I expected and seemed so natural. The sound of her crying was wonderful. They put her on me for a few minutes while Chad cut the cord and I was just shocked that she just came out of me. She was covered in the white film that goes away as the baby is full term. They took her over to wipe her down do the routine check. Chad was with her and just all smiles. I could tell he had a hard time going between the two of us. After they finished up, they brought Sophie to me and after a few pictures Chad and I were left alone with her and she nursed for the next 40 minutes. They came in to give her a bath (which is given in the room except after a c-section) and we asked if they could do it in the nursery with Chad in the room so that he could introduce her to group in the waiting room (I think there were over 20 people by that point). I stayed in the room and Amber came back to see me while everyone was watching Chad and Sophie. The rest of the day went by quickly as small groups of people rotated in and out to meet Sophie in person. We ended the night with the election results and went to sleep shortly after Obama's speech. It was a wonderful day!

One Week Old

Tuesday marked Sophie's first week in the world. We have had a great week. Sophie sleeps through the night and only wakes around her feeding times. She sleeps in her cradle beside our bed. Jodi is doing great with this schedule as well. Her mothering instincts have taken over, she wakes up to feed Sophie and I don't even realize she is out of the bed. I am so proud of both of my girls.
We went to the pediatrician yesterday. Sophie is perfectly healthy and is gaining weight.

Sophie Goes To Church

We made the brave decision to take Sophie out into the world and went to church on Sunday. A hush fell over the crowd as Miss Sophie made her entrance. Everything went well, aside from 2 dirty diapers during the service, and we were glad to share our "joy" with our church family.

Sophie's 1st Bath: So fresh and so clean

Sophie had her first bath ever. It was a learning experience for all three of us. She hated the bath, but loved having her hair washed.

I Wanna Go Home

Michael Buble's lyrics could not have been more appropriate for our Hospital departure. We left on Thursday around noon. Sophie was a showstopper in her outfit (complements of her Uncle Rhodes & Aunt Casey). Everyone in the hallway stopped and stared as we rolled by. Thank you for all your love and support. We are headed home at that is where all the real adventure will begin.

History is Made

Sophie's birth marked a milestone in American politics. We th0ught we would commemorate it with this photo.

Sophie is So...

Beautiful, wonderful, pretty, petite, sweet. My list could endlessly go on. A few days into fatherhood and I couldn't imagine my life any different. Here are a few more pics from the hospital.

VOTE Sophie Jo-Bama

McCain? Obama? Who cares! My vote goes to Sophie. Sophie arrived a few weeks early today, ready to cast her vote. She was born at 9:25 a.m., weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and measured 19.5 inches. She has A LOT of hair. In honor of the day, Sophie was decked out in a red bow. Jodi did wonderful and I could not be more proud of how she brought this most wonderful gift into the world. Soph is eating well and Jodi is feeling good, considering. I'll post some pictures now but watch for more to come. We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers.
Love,Chad, Jodi & Sophie

"All we're waiting on is Sophie"

The title of this post is part of a song written by Morgan's boyfriend, Brent. We are blessed to have him as part of Morgan's life. He wrote a song about having a new baby and after getting a small bit of inspiration from us decided to use Sophie's name. We hope to post a recorded version of the song at some point. Thanks Brent!
We are pretty much done with our 9 month long prep. Of course, there are some things we still need, but she could come today and we'd be fine. As you can see our posts have increased in the last couple of days. A new camera has been a large part of that. I hope to post a lot once she's born, but that could take the path of all my other good intentions.
The nursery is complete all but for some type of wall art above the bed. All the pieces finally came together and we LOVE how it turned out. I think it has SOPHIE written all over it. Hope you enjoy these photos.