8 Weeks Today!

Evangeline turned 8 weeks last Thursday. She celebrated by playing with Alice cat and sitting in her boppy pillow for the first time. As you can see, she was a bit suspicious of all this at first. I think she has learned this look from her Mummy! I think Daddy hopes she will unlearn it.

Alice has been becoming more and more interested in Evie over the past few weeks. She started stroking her with her paw on Thursday. It was cute. Luckily Alice has no claws so we don't have to worry about her getting too enthusiastic. Sorry Nana for cutting off your head on this picture!! Charlie cat loves Evie but keeps away. Perhaps she's a little camera shy?

She got more into it later on . . . and then got a bit tired. I love this progression of pictures. Its pretty typical Evangeline :-)

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Also to celebrate being 8 weeks old, Evie slept for 9 hours!! Good baby. She was also good while we were out to dinner on Friday night, going to sleep like a good girl in an unfamiliar cot.

Watch this space for Evie's 2 month pictures on Wednesday. She plans to wear a pretty dress!! She's also wondering whether she can purchase an England rugby shirt before the game next Saturday. Thinking probably not but luckily we play in white so at least she can be in the right colours!!

Auggie and I also want to mention that we have discovered new skills we never knew we had, mainly involving the use of our feet!! Who knew that feet could have such dexterity?

Jane xxx

Weeks 7 - 8 and a few catch up pictures

Evangeline is still growing really fast and we estimate she is now around 12 - 12 1/2 pounds!! Luckily Mummy's arms are learning to deal with the weight! She's sleeping really well in her own bed and is a good little girl about going to sleep at 6:30 after her bath. She wakes around Mummy and Daddy's bedtime and then once more. I'm hoping she will cut out the second feed in the near future! We're also pleased to say that she does not require any rocking to go to sleep. Smiling at her Daddy!

Loving her playmat!

Evie has had some exciting outings including meeting another boyfriend last week at a ladies coffee.

Evie can now lift up her head and chest when she's lying on her tummy. She's also started giggling an little and makes lots of cute noises as if she's trying to speak to us. She loves to play on her playmat - especially with the monkey and the elephant. This was seriously one of the best things we registered for. She's also started holding up her head when we carry her around. The little squiggler likes to be involved! Slightly less cute but highly amusing is Evie's amazing ability to make very loud wind noises. It had to be heard to be believed.

A slightly older picture of Evie meeting Uncle Thad

Snuggling with her Daddy.

More fun on the playmat

Tummy time mat. Another catch up picture - this time with Grandma.
We can't wait for Evangeline's Christening in a couple of weeks. She will be meeting her Great - Ma and Great - Pa for the first time, as well as Auntie Jill. Evie is VERY excited!!

Jane xx

Big Girl Bed!! Weeks 5 - 6

Well, this week Evangeline moved into her big girl bed in her own room!! She looks so tiny in it! She's been a really good girl though and sleeps there very happily. She has also made her first trip to the City of Houston to visit Daddy at work, and took another trip to ExxonMobil today. She met Mummy's bosses and luckily was on her best behaviour. That behaviour ended however when she sicked on Auntie Jana's nice blue dress.
Evangeline is certainly eating well and is already up to 10 lbs 9oz and must be long because her 3 month clothes are beginning to get a bit small. She's growing more hair too!! Her eyes are still blue but Mummy is hoping they might turn a bit green eventually. Evangeline will be attending her first winetasting party this weekend. I think she is looking forward to it!
Here are some week 5 - 6 picture highlights!!


Loving Daddy and her play mat!
Tiny in her bed

Having cuddles with Grandad before he went home.

Sleeping on Nana. We were actually trying to wake her up but had no luck at all.

Snuggles with Mummy!

Jane xxx

Christmas Day Photo

From the top, left to right
Auggie, Evie, Jane, Rob, Pip
Nana, Sarah, Alex
Elisa, Sam
Daddad, Nanina, Papa

I should have mentioned on my previous post that Evangline now weighs in at 9lbs 14 and has more hair by the minute - or at least that is how it seems. I can tie a ribbon in it now (much to daddy's dispair).

Jane xx

Christmas etc.

Christmas and New Year was very exciting for Evangeline. She met most of her Uncles and Aunts (Uncle Robert and Auntie Elisa, Uncle Alex, Uncle Pip and Auntie Sarah, and Uncle Thad). She also met her only cousin, Sam. Later on she met her Grandad and Granny Judy. She also experienced her first family sing along session. She also had her first figgy pud and mince pie via Mummy's milk. Yum.
Mummy had some highlights too including losing 27lbs of baby weight and fitting back into a size 4. I think my size 2 clothes have a few more weeks to wait and the size 0 are probably in for a long stint in the closet. I can also now carry the car seat so Evangeline and I are mobile if we want to be. Here are some photo highlights . . .

Evie in her snow princess outfit bought by my work. Cutie!



Evie meets Grandad for the first time. It was nice of him to wear pink for the occasion.
Evie is has a nice cuddle with Nanina and Daddy.

Looking cute on Mummy and Daddys' bed.

Family!

Evangeline meets Sam! He was too cute with her - he kept saying "she's lovely" and smiling.

I hope everyone had a happy new year!! More pictures soon now that we are finally back online. yippeeeeee.

Jane xxx

Two weeks old and a milestone

Last Thursday Evangeline turned two weeks old. Daddy gave her a bath to celebrate and then Evie stayed up with us for a while looking too cute for words.

This close up of Evangeline is one of our favourites.

During the day, Evangeline took her first trip out into the wide world by attending her first Ladies' Lunch and the Lakeside Country Club. She enjoyed herself so much she slept through the entire thing including Nana's singing which to be honest, was a wee bit rude.

This was a very exciting day for Mummy, Nana and Nanina too because this was the first outing of all the girls - all FOUR generations of us! As you can see from the picture, we all had a lovely time!

On Friday night Evie's Ma and Pa came to visit her. As you can see, they are very happy grandparents! During their visit Evangeline reached a very exciting milestone - her cord FINALLY fell off!! Yippee! Luckily this was just as we ran out of her newborn nappies. She is now sporting her very trendy cloth nappies. She owns them in pink, yellow and white.

Evie also decided to show off a little for her grandparents and lifted her head past 45 degrees. She also demonstrated superior leg strength by climbing up Daddy while he was burping her.

This week Evangeline will meet her Uncle Pip and Auntie Sarah. We also hope she will take another pram ride with her great grandparents (Nanina and Daddad) since the weather in Houston is glorious!

Jane xxx

Evangeline's first pram ride!

Last weekend we took Evangeline for her first trip out around the neighbourhood in her pram. Grandma was visiting for the weekend so she got to have her turn with the pram too. Evangeline enjoyed the outing a lot despite the very cold weather. Mummy and Daddy enjoyed sporting our super pram from England.

Evie is 10 days old - and our birth story

Sorry for the long break in posts - I have not been able to get upstairs to use the computer! It has been very frustrating. But now I can show off our little girl who is already 10 days old. I don't understand how that is possible! Below is a collection of pictures from her first hours right up to a few days ago. Note the very proud parents! I can't believe how much she has changed in just 10 days and decided it was time to write our birth story down before I forget it.

Evangeline Kay Campbell's Birth Story.

Well, our story begins at 36 weeks when the ultrasound told us she was already over 7 pounds. We then determined that I was only 1cm and 25%. This did not look good. A week later, no change so the doctor scheduled another ultrasound for the next week. It was already looking like a c section. So, on December 2nd we went to the doctors. The ultrasound put her at over 9 pounds and guess what, only 1cm and 25%. My wonderful doctor told me that she could be in there for at least another 2 weeks and gain another 2 pounds and so for my safety, she recommended a c section. I agreed.

There is a certain irony to this as I was determined not only to have an "old fashioned" birth but to do it totally drug free. So I guess the joke was on me. We were scheduled for the next day at 1:30pm. As I called husband and told him it all seemed rather unreal - we were actually going to meet our baby in less than 24 hours. I was excited. It look away all my fear of the surgery.

I was not allowed to eat after midnight so Auggie took me out for dinner at our favourite restaurant and then we went home to pack. I didn't think I would sleep but surprisingly, I did. I enjoyed feeling Evangeline kick around in me for the last time and tried to commit to memory how it made me feel and how much I would miss her little feet poking out of me.

The next day went so fast. I cleaned the house in the morning, and put on some laundry and then dressed in dress and high heels to go to the hospital. The doctor was waiting for us on the 4th floor and we went off to the prep room. This is when I started to get nervous.

Having seen off one nurse who decided I didn't like her, I met the anaesthesiologist who was AMAZING and the other nurse, and listened to Evie's heartbeat. Then suddenly it was time for the IV, and then time to go.

Walking into the OR was cold (!!) and a bit scary. Not at all what I expected. The epidural was a non event - I didn't even feel it go in. I put this down to the doc and the nurse having been warned that I am not a good patient and therefore got extra special attention. Auggie got to watch all this from the ante room, and he then came in to join me.

As soon as the epidural started to work time flew by. My legs went hot and them numb and my doctor came in. Dr. John (the anaesthesiologist) and Auggie kept me so distracted that although I could feel some tugging, I didn't know they had started. Soon I heard someone say "just a few more minutes" and then I heard her cry and someone say "goodness that is a BIG baby to come out of such a small person". The held her up for me to see and Auggie stood up to look over the screen for a better look. Everyone who could see her agreed that she was a cute baby! Then Auggie was taken away to watch her cleaned up while Dr. John chatted to me to keep me distracted. I would like to say at this point that noone tells you about the "lost of pressure" part of a c section. Its AWFUL. I thought I was going to die. There was definitely nothing said about this in any of the books!!

But after that Auggie brought Evie to see me and then left to take her to the nursery to be weighed. 8lbs 8oz, 19.75 inches and a LOT of hair. Her apgar scores were both 9. Definitely a bouncing baby!!

After an eternity in recovery I met my baby properly. She fed easily first time and continues to do so. Shes a beautiful little girl and I don't think anything in the world could make me happier.

I will spare you from the nasty details of the day after the c section but at least I only needed motrin and tylenol so I could toast my baby with champagne when we finally came home!!

So that's my story. Long and not all that exciting . . .

Jane xxx

Pictures . . .

The Night Before Evangeline

After an ultrasound, Dr. McCloskey told us that Evangeline is coming out tomorrow, December 3rd, 2009. The good doctor will perform the C Section tomorrow at 1:30pm.

This is a huge relief to Jane, who did not fancy pushing out a 9 pound 5 ounce baby--no matter how cute she may be.

The ultrasound indicated that Evie has a large tummy and head full of hair. I guess we'll know for sure tomorrow.

Stay tuned for more details!

Auggie (with direction from Jane)

TAG and 38 weeks

TAG

I have been tagged by my law school friend Gara. Gara and Brandon were law school super people who we were lucky enough to get to know through Board of Barristers. They welcomed their handsome son Travis into the world back in August. I check her blog regularly for tips, advice and general good reading.

So, here's what to do. Share five things you're obsessed with then pass the award to the five most fabulous blogs you know. So, here's my five

1. The Family. Auggie is the best and I know Evangeline will be a sweet baby. I'm lucky to have a huge super family both here and back in England. I talk to Mummy (Nana) ALL the time :-) But seriously, they are all great.

2. My HMO. I know - lame. But I really don't think anyone should ever ever be without health care and I really can't argue with the fact that start to finish, Evangeline will cost me $135. That includes 9 ultrasounds, a CVS screen done by the head of maternal medicine at UT Med School, all my doctors visits, genetic screening AND Evangeline's birth and our stay in the hospital. Seriously, why would anyone pay for a PPO?? I got to choose from 850 OBs within 10 miles of my zip so its not like I didn't have choice. Ok. Rant over!

3. Champagne. I really love champagne. LOVE IT.

4. Travelling to Europe. I have to go once a year or I get withdrawal. I have to go to England and we like to fit in a trip to France and hopefully in the future to some other places too. We need to make sure Evangeline is well travelled and well cultured!

5. Cakes and cake decorating. I wish I had more time to do it and I wish I had my friend Melissa's talent!


38 Weeks:

14 days to go!! yay!!
After many threats to arrive early, Evangeline now appears to want to stay put. Its probably the working from home that helps since I don't have to drive or sit at my desk in my uncomfortable chair!!

Weight: Still at 31 pounds gained. Hoping to stay put there until she arrives.
How big is Baby: I am hoping still around 7 pounds. Maybe if I have not gained weight that means she won't have either!!
Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively!
Stretch Marks: not yet. Holding my breath on that one!
Sleep? Still pretty good'
Best Moment of the Week: Probably hearing Evangeline's very strong heartbeat at the doctors and getting the new energy efficient front door installed. This door has glass that does not feel like a baby could push their way through it!
Food Cravings: Cake. I have been doing my best to ignore it
Labor Signs: More braxton hicks but not much else
Belly button: Flat
What I miss: I'm trying to make the most of having Evie with me all the time since it won't be for much longer
What am I looking forward to: Evangeline arriving either tomorrow or Sunday, or after the 29th (no thanksgiving babies please!)

Who knows . . . . this could be the last update! Only Evangeline really knows what she's up to so I guess all I can do is wait!!

Jane xx

Photos!!

So, here are some more pictures!! Auggie and I thought it would be fun to compare 36 1/2 week bumps since we now weigh almost the same. I say that mine is more impressive overall.

Now, in case anyone thought we were being mean when we said no Christmas pressies for Evangeline, CHECK OUT HER CLOSET!! And these are just the clothes that hang up. We have a whole chest of drawers full too!!! Lucky Baby!!

And here is Evangeline's Room!

This is her cot!! I don't think there was quite as much pink on it when Uncle Alex and Uncle Pip slept in it!

This is Mummy's nursing sofa and Evangeline's new shelves. Christine made the gorgeous blanket.

Evie even has her own bathroom . . . . And here is another view of her room. Her lovely moses basket is on the bed (thank you Uncle Alex and Sam).


Shower pictures will arrive one day . . . hopefully :-D

36 and a half weeks . . .

So! We've had a couple of doctors appointments since my last post and very excitingly, we have finished Evangeline's room!! yay!! We FINALLY got some curtains from target and Nana and I prettied them up with pink ribbon and pink/white tie backs. Pictures to follow after I have asked Auggie where the camera is . . . .

The most recent appointment was today. This included an ultrasound of baby. I think she is cute but I could be considered biased :-) I don't think we are going to make it into December . . .

Weeks: 36 1/2 I think that everyone is now beginning to agree with me that baby is due sooner than the first ultrasound predicted.

Weight Gain: not much since four weeks ago. I have fat ankles at the moment contributing to an extra pound but overall still in the 32 pound range.

How big is Evangeline: HUGE. MASSIVE. She's 7 pounds already. How can that be?? I hope that she does not too much more. Nana says that Uncle Pip was that size at 36 weeks and he was a whopper. Please please please don't be that big Evie.

Maternity Clothes: Yes. And to be honest, somewhat limited in variety.

Stretch Marks: Not yet, but I feel them on their way

Sleep: Good although not quite as good as a couple of weeks ago. I am, however, apparently incapable of sleeping past 5am on any day of the week.

Best Moment of the Week: Finishing her room and seeing her on the ultrasound, even though her weight scares me a little.

Movement: Leggies and knees are sticking out all over the place :-)

Food cravings: None except random desire for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich last week (yuck - why would I want that?)

Labor Signs: LOTS and LOTS of painless contractions. At least three or four an hour. Both the nurse and the doctor think this is a sign that she will be early.

Belly Button: In

What I miss: I'm past that I think. I am thinking about meeting baby and how when she is out, I will actually miss having her with me all of the time.

What am I looking forward to: Happy last few weeks and then finally meeting my baby girl


I think that covers everything. I will be working from home from now on to avoid having to drive and sit in the office all day. Pictures from shower and Evangeline's room should be forthcoming . . .

Jane xx

A couple of bump pictures and City of Houston shower

Hello!

Here are some pictures from last weekend (34 weeks). We were celebrating at a Halloween themed wine tasting!! Very fun it was too.

We have an appointment on Tuesday so more updates after then. Maybe I will get a swine flu shot . . .

Yesterday we celebrated at Auggie's work! The lovely people at the City of Houston put on a great shower for us with cake, punch, games, candy and lots of presents. April and Christine took plenty of pictures so watch this space for those. Auggie seemed pretty excited by his "Daddy to Be" medal and his "New Daddy" mug!

33/34 weeks and XOM Baby Shower

Well, We were fortunate enough to have another shower last Friday hosted by my lovely work friends. The theme was My Little Pony :-) Lots of us gathered to celebrate Evangeline's arrival and we were lucky enough to get so much stuff we had to go and register for more!!! Evangeline now has a mattress, travel cot, video monitor, pink dresses, sun visors, a personalised lullaby CD, and bottles among many other things! It was a lot of fun and I will post pictures as soon as I get them from Jana.

We had our 33 week appointment on Wednesday and I will be 34 weeks tomorrow. So, time for another update . . .

Weeks: 33-34. On Wednesday I measured a perfect 33 cm.

Weight Gain: Only up 1/2 pound from two weeks ago! yippeeee! I was beginning to worry about gaining a zillion pounds but it looks like I am on course to gain 30-34 which is fine by me.

How big is Evangeline? 4 - 4 1/2 pounds. The doc is very pleased with her progress. She is firmly head down and has dropped slightly (so I can breath! yay!). Her heart rate is stable at around 140bpm. Doc says we are looking good for a natural delivery of an average sized baby!! This is a good sign because since I am going non-epidural, I don't fancy a 10 pound monster.

Maternity Clothes? About 90 % of the time. I have a slight problem that bump is getting too big for size S but M swamps me everywhere other than bump area. Very annoying. For this reason I have been wearing a lot of dresses with leggings.

Stretch Marks? None so far

Sleep? Still very nice thank you!

Best Moment of the Week? Hearing Evangeline's heart is always good. But also good was the labor and delivery tour we did last Sunday. It was fun to see the rooms and everything. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of babies in the nursery though :-( Apparently no one was born in Memorial City last weekend.

Movement: I think she is running out of room. I feel her stretch a lot and stick her little heels and knees out. This morning she kicked away my hand

Food Cravings: none :-)

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button: In

What I miss: Grace and Elegance and champagne. And toned thighs

What am I looking forward to? Another shower on Friday, this time at the City of Houston. I am also looking forward to getting Evie's curtains put up and finally finishing off everything in her room.

So, that's it from here. We can't believe there are only a few more weeks to go. I think they will go very fast as we are on weekly visits and have our final ultrasound on November 10th. I can't wait to see big Evangeline!!!

Jane xxx

Amazing Baby Shower!!!!

On Saturday we had our first baby shower!!! It was hosted by Evangeline's fabulous Nana at her house in Houston. 36 of us celebrated Evie's upcoming arrival including her Grandma, Great Grannie, Aunts, and lots of friends!! It was a LOT of fun, possibly due to the flowing champagne :-) Evangeline decided not to play for the occasion which is not entirely unexpected given her performance at ultrasounds. She would not kick for anyone.
We received an insane amount of goodies including two wonderful homemade blankets (which I LOVE), enough clothes for Evie's first 9 months, her whirlpool spa bath and her super-duper Britax car seat. We feel very lucky indeed!
Auggie had his own boy party at our house which comprised of beer drinking, beer brewing, burger grilling and football. Our party was MUCH more fun. Here are some photo highlights . . .




Here's me with super Nana by the amazing food. I should add that while most of the food was catered by a British Catering company, some was cooked at the house. Nana used the oven. This is really quite a momentous event that will not be forgotten for a long time.


Evangline's Grandma and Granny came from Georgetown and San Angelo! They looked very lovely indeed and brought Evie lots and lots of exciting goodies!!
AMAZING cake made by my friend Melissa Rodriguez. It tasted even better than it looked.

Amazing Food! Yummy! Sausage rolls, cucumber sandwiches, coronation chicken, hula hoops etc etc :-) There were also cookies by Grandma and scones by the ever fantabulous Susanna.

Auntie Christine made this amazing nappy cake!! Most excitingly it was all held up by a tres yummy bottle of champagne. Erica came in from San Antonio. She is 16 weeks and has no bump. I'm jealous!! Fran is the third part of our singing group and it was fabulous to see these girls!!

It was a really really great time and I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as Evangeline and I did!!

Jane xxx