Posin With My Pumpkin

Well, this should be the last of the pumpkin outfits for a while...stay tuned for Thanksgiving outfits coming soon...if you're lucky, you might even get a Veterans Day outfit thrown in next weekend! Too bad we didn't get any trick-or-treaters to see Amelia all dressed up.

Smashing Pumpkins

With Halloween being Amelia's first holiday we've been given a number of festive outfits to dress her up in. Amelia spent this entire weekend dressed as a pumpkin in one outfit or another. Naturally, we felt the need to take a few pictures. Being the intelligent people that we are, Beth and I figured it would be cute to take Amelia's picture among the pumpkins on the front stoop (yes, the concrete stoop). We propped her up the best we could and began the photo shoot. If you look at the pictures, you'll notice Amelia gradually slipping down, bit by bit. We figured this was natural for a 2 and a half week old who can't even hold up her head. What we didn't realize was that the keystone of our support arrangement was the little pumpkin that could barely hold itself up, never mind Amelia. As you can probably guess by now, the pumpkin rolled and Amelia fell back onto the concrete. So there you have it, our first serious parenting mishap, smashing our little pumpkin's head on the concrete! Fortunately, our pride and confidence were hurt more than Amelia's head.

First Real Bath

Well she didn't like it all that much, but we gave Amelia her first real bath in her big girl tub today. Beth used a little too much soap so she was a bit hard to handle. Looks like we've got some work to do figuring this one out.

Lost the cord, but found the thumb!

It's been a big day for Amelia. She lost her umbilical cord, but she found the thumb she's been searching for all week!

We have a belly button!

Cord's gone and the belly button is here, now, will we get an inny or an outy

She's Too Young To Be Growing Up Too Quick

It's so cliché, but it's amazing how fast they grow up. Amelia's only two weeks old and she's already starting to change. Her face is a bit longer and more mature, her cheeks are puffier, her neck is stronger and I swear she's getting smarter. She's definitely figured out that my little finger is no substitute for Mom when it comes time for dinner! We're starting to figure each other out and Amelia is starting to develop her routine...sleep, eat, awake, repeat. Amelia's been out on the town a bunch this week. She's had her first trip to church, burritos at Moe's, shopping at Wal-mart (with Mom) and Lowe's (with Dad).

The First Report Card

Our pediatrician sent over Amelia's percentiles today from her first check up.

Weight - 51st percentile
Length - 76th percentile
Head Size - 25th percentile

Overall, right about average. I guess no news is good news.

The Luge

We tried putting Amelia in her baby swing for a while today. She seemed content while we were watching TV but after a while we noticed a squeamish look on her face. We picked her up and she was stiff as a board...she looked like an Olympian on the luge. We got a big kick out of our little athlete, but I think we'll stick with the Baby Papasan for a while.
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First Trip to the Doctor

We had our first trip to the doctor's office this morning and got a very good report card. Amelia actually weighs 2oz more than her birth weight...a full week ahead of schedule! Her lungs are fully cleared up and everything is looking great.

Grandma Rustici and Auntie Julie Come to Visit

It's not all that surprising, but Mom and Julie just couldn't wait until their scheduled November visit to meet little Amelia. We're so glad that they made a special trip to Nashville the first weekend that Amelia was home. We had a great time with them and they were such a great help...from cooking lasagna and waffles (two different meals) to keeping Amelia at night so we could get some much needed rest. They even babysat for a while when we took our first solo excursion...a trip to Target to "pink up" Amelia's wardrobe. We can't wait to see them again in a couple weeks when they come back with Grandpa and Uncle Steve.

Heading Home

Today was moving day. We brought Amelia home and gave her a tour of her new house; so far she seems pleased with the accommodations. Amelia is doing great; she's eating, sleeping, pooping and even crying every now and then. Beth and I are settling into our new roles much more confidently than we ever would have thought...so far sweet little Amelia is making our lives easy. You can check back in a few weeks for the inevitable late-night blog rescinding her "sweet little" title, but so far she's just been a perfect little angel.

If you asked Beth or me a couple weeks ago what gender the baby was going to be, we both would have honestly told you that we had absolutely no idea. As we were packing up to leave the hospital today we found out that our subconscious had stronger opinions. Beth noticed that every outfit she took to the hospital was pink and I figured out that everything I took with me was blue! Moral of the story is that, unfortunately for me, women are always right!

Getting to Know Amelia

If yesterday was the best day of my life, then today definitely comes in second. Amelia went off oxygen around 1:30 am which meant that we finally got to hold her and keep her around us all day. Her lungs are free and clear and she's a happy and healthy baby. We feel like we finally got to meet our daughter today and so far we love what we see. She is the most content and well-behaved baby I have ever seen; she'll make an occasional whimper, but for the most part she's cool, calm and collected...I just hope it stays that way tonight.

Today was visiting day. Since we gave birth at the hospital where Beth works we had visitors in and out continuously since about 8am...I think Terri is even still there as I write this which makes over 13 hours of entertaining visitors. Amelia took it all in stride and seemed to love everybody she saw.

We had our first successful feedings today along with the first successful diaper changes. Looks like we'll be heading home tomorrow...that's when the real fun begins. Thank you to everybody for being so loving and supporting over the last couple days.

Humphrey is now Amelia Rose

After 27 hours of labor, Humphrey finally arrived today and is now a little girl named Amelia Rose Rustici. She weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz and 20.5 in and she arrived at 6:43pm. Beth is doing great and was truly amazing during labor. Amelia is having a little trouble breathing right now, but she should be just fine once she clears the amniotic fluid from her lungs. Lots more to come, but for now, here are some pictures from the big day(s).

The Nursery Is Starting to Come Together

The nursery is starting to come together and we've found a place for ALMOST everything.

Coming This Fall

Beth's almost 38 weeks and we took a trip to Gentry's Pumpkin Farm this weekend to get ready for Halloween.

Baby Shower #3

The third and final shower given by Beth's co-workers at Carraba's. The day after this shower we went and stocked up on all the remaining necessities at Babies-R-Us.

Baby Shower #2

The family baby shower given by Terri, Nancy, Paula and Linda. Mom flew down for the weekend for the shower and a weekend filled with baby prepartions. We went shopping for a glider and painted the nightstand and shelves. It's wierd to think that the next time I see Mom I'll be called Dad!

Baby Shower #1

Our first baby shower, given by "The Babes", Beth's good friends from PT school.

One Last Trip To Jamaica

During the last week our doctor would let us, we took one last pre-kids trip. We went to the all-inclusive Sandals Ochos Rios resort in Jamaica. We had a blast. Beth spent a lot of time on the beach while I learned to scuba dive and took advantage of the "free" golf. Of course, we both spent a lot of time eating and I had more than my fair share of mudslides. Beth even found a bartender named Shorty to make her a fun non-alcholic drink that tasted like a milk shake, we called it the Shorty Special. The pregnancy couldn't have been going better, but we were still a bit concerned about having a premature baby with dual citizenship. I even went so far as to map out all the nearest hospitals before the trip.

Beth at 29 Weeks

Here are a couple pictures of Beth at 29 weeks. She's coming along, but it's nothing compared to what she looks like now.

Telling People She's Pregnant

Some pictures of the night we told Beth's parents and come of our close friends.