1st Church Service

We decided that we would go to church today. I would say we were the last two to arrive. However, we did beat the offering plates (not by much). I will no longer wonder why or have that "you’re kidding me - your actually going to come to church this late. You might want to think about waking up 20 minutes earlier." look on my face when ushering. I understand now. I got us two fold out chairs and we sat in the very back. It didn't take long for her to get going. She was sleeping but was grunting a little but you couldn't hear her over the organ which was fine. However, it got real quite and she announced her presence to the row in front of her with a nice loud delivery of a number 2. I am glad the people in front didn't turn around because that would have been embarrassing (more than it was). Hey there's nothing you can do about it. They always say it's better to let it go than hold it in and she's a believer. Anyway, after Bob got going good in his sermon, she decided to let him know that she was there for her first visit and wasn't too impressed. So, I took her downstairs and removed her from the car seat and we hung out in the stairwell - listening. We finally got to the top of the stairs and Aubrey was knocked out when all of a sudden she let out another cry without out any warning. I guess she had gotten startled by something she was dreaming about (which is a whole different subject - what is she dreaming about?). The good thing is that was it for the rest of the morning and until after lunch. She was completely knocked out. So church wasn't a compete bust but she's going to need to work on her behavior.

Aubrey spent most of the afternoon knocked out on my chest - it's our Sunday afternoon bonding/nap time. Her great aunt and uncle came to visit her from Hemingway (Deborah and Archie). I told Deborah not to wake a sleeping baby but she wanted to see her eyes. Aubrey didn't like that too much but her mommy got her calmed down so Deborah could hold her again. It was good to see them and super nice of them to come and visit.

What does week 3 have in store for us?
*We do have a doctors appointment on Thursday - two week check -up.
*Who knows - everyday is an adventure in flexibility

Shopping Day

LA and Nana Von decided to go shopping today. However, before they could leave, I got a phone call at work asking me how the stroller folded down. Since I only had done it once about a month ago it wasn't real fresh in my mind. I knew it had something to do with the handle but LA was struggling to get it to fold down. The most surprising development was that Nana Von actually figured it out - actually it was a miracle. So while I was working to make money, LA was spending it. It's kind of like my father and second father (Clyde) always would tell me - Your spending money out the back door quicker than we can bring in the front door with shovels. They bought some cute outfits and to be honest it wasn't excessive, especially since we had not bought any gender specific clothing before she was born. Aubrey was a trooper and didn't cry the whole time and that is impressive because when I go with LA I feel like crying as soon as we get in the store (just kidding, I love shopping with you LA. It's important that we spend time together.)

We need to revist a standard rule for those that are visiting Aubrey. If Aubrey poops or pees while your holding her then you get to change her. We have relaxed the rule the last two times - Meghan and Tommy. However, it will be enforced going forward. Trust me we already have enough training in 10 days. We will provide the diapers and wipes.

PS - Stay tuned for the Halloween pictures. She is going to be adorable!

It's pretty amazing to watch Aubrey already start to change. Each day is something new.

Weigh-In

LA had a doctors appointment today so we went with her. Aubrey was pretty good. She wanted me to feed her shortly after arriving at the doctor's office. You know the rule - no crying babies in the lobby. Anyway, after LA's appointment we decided to stop by Summerville Medical Center for the breast feeding support group that meets on Tuesday's. We only wanted to go to get her weighed for free so we could see how the breast feeding is going.

I told LA I wasn't going in until she confirmed it was ok. I didn't think any males would be there so LA opened the door, stuck her head in and turned around and told me "you don't want to come in here" like it was some kind of war zone of breast feeding moms. I think I might take her next week just for a laugh and to if anybody would say anything. There are such things as stay at home dads which I would be excellent. Anyway, LA wasn't interested in the "support" function of the group but just the free weighing.

It is confirmed. We have a little chunker on our hands. She is eating well and gaining weight. I told ya'll a long time ago she was going to be a superstar at everything - so far she got sleeping and eating down pat. The official weight was 8lbs 12.5oz. She has already surpassed her birthweight after 9 days. The goal was back to birth weight in two weeks. Wonder if that broke any records. Wonder who you check with about that - might be her first trophy. Guess we better put her on a diet now - just kidding. That's good news and tells us the she is getting enough to eat and that it's full of good nutrients to help her grow up strong and healthy.

So today's summary: Aubrey is a superstar and overachiever (which translates into chunker).

1 Week Old

We had our 7 day old birthday party today. It was a pretty low key affair - breakfast at Sweetwater and a pizza/pool party without the swimming at Swoop-a-loop's house in Knightsville and the most important thing a nap on daddy's chest after breakfast. That's what were going to do every Sunday afternoon - it's a family tradition.

We had a surprise visitor today. LA wanted to get some Perkins for breakfast so we attempted to make the trip and we were too late. The line was out the door. It's hard to beat the heathens (including us) and rednecks to breakfast on Sunday morning. I guess we should have went after the 5am feeding but we weren't motivated enough for that. So on the way our second choice Sweetwater, we ran into Morgan W driving down main street. She was coming to see us but we weren't going to be home. The timing was perfect and you think things happen randomly. There is a greater purpose to our lives. To make a long story short - it was important for us to see Morgan because she and her husband Michael are getting ready to go live in St. John's for awhile. Yeah, that's right, there going to do the island life thing which doesn't sound too bad to me. I think we skipped that option. We will have to live vicariously through them. We might have to go visit them. A free place to stay in a tropical paradise and a baby sitter while we go explore. It kind of far to drop Aubrey off at the babysitter but we might have to do it. Anyway it was great to see MoMo.

We finished our first load in the Diaper Genie II. I didn't count the diapers but there was a pretty good load. I took them downstairs and left them by the back door to take to the trash can. As you can guess - I forgot about them and the next morning I remembered them because they were stinking up the house. I guess the DGII works but you have to remember to remove the hazardous waste outside. I want to take a minute to post an open apology to our garbage man. For the next two years our trash is going to stink to the high heavens. Sorry.

LA and were wondering that since we had a girl, if Heather could bring the wardrobe full of clothes we gave Emmy back for Aubrey to wear. Hope it's not too late.

Got the update from Wes and Garrett this morning... Everyone must be doing well. They said Aunt Leigh Ann was getting skinnier and her feet were getting smaller though they are still bigger than Uncle Scott's feet.

After seeing LA on Sunday afternoon, here's what Garrett and Wes said to Mindy Ulmer about LA:
"Aunt Leigh Ann was getting skinnier and her feet were getting smaller though they are still bigger than Uncle Scott's feet."
That is funny!

Craft Shopping and Family Visits

Evidently, I haven't passed the "flying solo"/"stay at home" with Aubrey test yet. It has multiple parts - written and observation. I might not pass it until she's eleveen. So LA and Nana Von took Aubrey shopping today for crafts at their favorite store - Michael's.

Hopefully, I can pass it soon so I can keep Aubrey from being sucked into making wreaths...that's pretty girly. She needs to hang out with me doing man things and and I can teach her play sports or even just take her for a ride in the car.

I am getting closer to finishing her bookcase. We are to the staining stage and finding a color to match the existing crib and dresser. Hopefully, it won't be much longer.

My sister (Julie), her husband (Chris) and two of their three children (Katie and Meghan) made the trip up from Savannah. They stole Aubrey from the car while I was showing LA, Aubrey's bookcase. When I opened the car door there was no Aubrey, we didn't have long to panic as we looked down the driveway as my sister was walking away with Aubrey. I guess they drove down to see her and not LA and I. It was great to see them and they got to hang out with Aubrey for a little while. They even came by our house to check out the nursery. Aubrey was a little fussy but she's got them wrapped around her little finger. Meghan wouldn't change her diaper when she did a number two...breaking the rule of if your holding her you change her. I'll give her one pass but next time she's changing the diaper.

We can already see her growing up before our eyes. It going to happen fast.
We are almost 7 days old...last week mommy was having contractions and preparing for a trip to the hospital. It seems like its been a lot longer...but in a good way. If week one is any indication of the what's to come, I think we are going to make it. But keep checking back because we might be pulling our hair by the time you are reading this.

Going Out On The Town

We started the day off getting ready for our big night out on the town. It's Friday night everybody get dressed up and goes out on Friday's to celebrate the end of another week. Nana Von and LA gave Aubrey a bath and it wasn't much different that the first - she isn't real thrilled about it at this point. I am sure that will change.

Aubrey and LA directed me in hanging curtains in our bedroom. Yep that's what I will be doing for a long, long time - taking directions from my two ladies. I am not a handyman either so scratch that off my list of skills. Ulmer's boys better get ready for phone calls from their sister to take care of all her requests that I am incapable of doing to my high standards (or is it her high standards?)

We got Aubrey all dressed up in her going out clothes to impress all the boys and went to Chili's to meet a large group from our Sunday school class. This was our first attempt to take Aubrey out for any extended length of time. Because we had such a large group we had to sit outside. Aubrey was fussy (don't know why - chilly, wet diaper...etc) most of the time but we survived. We learned a few things to make our next trips out into the big world a little more successful - don't go, stay in the bubble. She didn't pick up any boys this trip...no boys attended but she put everyone on notice that she's going to be a heartbreaker.

Great Grandparent Day

Just want to clarify a few things - I (KC) am the creative mind behind this blog. All the typed words, I will take responsibility for. However, all baby pictures that will be posted have to go through an approval process (LA). So if you have an issue with the posts (content, appearance, length, frequency) please submit them to me. If you had your picture taken with the baby and it is not appearing on the blog or Facebook, you will need to address that with LA. However, it would probably be safe to assume that "she just overlooked it because there are so many pictures" or "it was blurry". I am sure it didn't have anything to do with you or your outfit and it was a bad picture of Aubrey - (not much chance of that because trust me it's kind of hard for her to mess up a picture). This blog does have a complaint department but they really aren't very nice and probably don't want to hear your babbling but if you must submit your complaint/request to them via email and we will get back to you as quickly as possible (I am pretty sure your definition of quickly and there's are not the same) However, there is a simple way to remedy this issue - come back over and visit Aubrey and make up some excuse that you want to have your picture taken with her. You might even want to ask to preview the picture and ask LA for her opinion.

All that is to say - we love all of ya'll and we are sorry if we don't mention you in the blog or your picture doesn't show up on the internet. We are glad you are interested. However, it is probably my fault because my memory is not too good or I didn't tell LA something so just remind me and I will make any additions and corrections that you ask. We want everyone to feel apart of raising Aubrey - it going to take a lot of family and friends to do it.

LA and I had an interesting conversation today about how old Aubrey was - She is four days old but LA is trying to say she is 5 because we had her early in the morning on Sunday. Nice try but that's not how we count. Guess I am going to be the math wizard and LA can teach her spelling (ask anyone in Sunday school about why I am not touching that subject), english, and science. I'll take history also since I am so old and actually lived through most of the stuff in the book.

So today was another great day. In the back of our minds, we are wondering if everything is ok. However, we realize that this train could derail any minute. We hope not. We have been blessed by 4 great days of a perfectly content baby - knock on wood. We know this is subject to change and will change any minute but so far it has been much better than we imagined or thought possible. Keep the prayers coming for nights with sleep. We are pretty sure Aubrey would have slept through the night last night but LA had to wake her up to feed her. She is such a good sleeper that it is quite an ordeal to get her to wake up.

Aubrey got to meet some of our friends from Providence (the girls). They are such good people. They brought us lunch and Aubrey had her favorite - The Big Nasty (open faced roast beef sandwitch) wonder how that's going to digest (we asked them to leave off the green onions just in case her stomach wasn't ready to digest it - she didn't seem to like it as much as her daddy). Two of Aubrey's future playmates were there also - Jenn and Shara are both pregnant with due dates falling on consecutive days in February. We can't figure out what was going in May but we evidently missed the excitement and romance in the air.

The big excitement of the day was Aubrey meeting her only set of Great Grandparents - Mama and Pop (Corey's parents). Aubrey is the thirteenth great grandchild for them. Aunt Karissa drove them from Lodge which was super nice of her. I think she really wanted an excuse to come see Aubrey again. Mama is a pro. As I mentioned earlier, this isn't her first rodeo. We wish she was closer to teach us a few things but we can still call when we have any questions.

Grandma and Aubie came over and spent some time with us which was super nice. Grandma has been a trooper this week by working so daddy can be off as much as he has been.
No telling what's in store for today, every day is an adventure but it's the best adventure that we have ever been on.

New Parents / Waiting

Night life is about the same – 3 to 4 hours of sleep; not complaining. It could be a lot worse.

Here’s what our life has come to – counting poops and wets. By this afternoon Aubrey was way behind on the wets and poops. She hadn’t had a wet diaper yet today. What do new parents do when you are concerned – you call the doctor. The nurse told us a something to do to check for the wets just in case the diaper was just absorbing it and we couldn’t tell – cotton balls in the diaper. When we went to do that Aubrey had a wet diaper and what always happens when the diaper is off? She decided to wet the changing table. You haven’t seen three happier people (Nana Von and us). So we are no waiting for the poop and if the preliminary indications and the book are correct the mother load is coming – translation she has a little gas and it is absolutely terrible.

Waiting on poop.

PS – Aubrey is a sleeper – she knocks out hard must take after her mother.

9:00pm

We were right the motherload was coming and when it came - WOW. How can something so small make that much mess? It was up her front and back. I turned the duty over to her mother. It was a mess but we are happy at least she doesn't have problem in the rear.

11:00pm

Everything is working just fine now because she just repeated filling up the diaper. Hopefully the quantity will not continue.

Time to go to sleep.

Seven Deadly Sins

Unless you been living under a rock, I am sure you have watched the movie "Seven". If you are not familiar then click on it or better yet go to Blockbuster, sign up for Netflix, or go rent it from a vending machine in the grocery store. It will be worth however much it costs.

So tonight I got to experience one of the seven deadly sins - Gluttony. At about eight pm, Aubrey was fussy and seemed to be hungry but it wasn't time for a feeding (normal feeding time was about an hour away based on the last time she had ate) so we had about an ounce in a bottle and I feed it to her. She seemed happy but was still rooting around, sucking on her hands and anything else she could find. So at her normal feeding time she took her sweet time to drink four ounces. I had a feeling that she wasn't really interested in the final ounce but she went ahead and topped off the tank. So that was five ounces in about 1.5 hours. If I would have looked closely I probably would have seen it coming out of her ears - just kidding. So, if your familiar with babies you know that it is important they burp and sometimes Aubrey just doesn't want to give them up. At about 1.5 (total of 2.5) ounces she gave me a little burp. After she had sucked everything down, I tried to burp her for about 5 or more minutes and got nothing. I tried all the tricks. We decided to give up and and realize she might spit up a little later on. While Aubrey was sleeping from eating so much, LA and I decided to relax and take a break and catch our breath. We then heard a warning shot from Aubrey. I went over to make sure she wasn't choking on anything and picked her up. Everything seemed fine. She then gave me a surprise - a poop out of the bottom that was immediately followed by projectile spit up - the last two ounces or more came shooting out of her mouth right at me. She got me the sofa and the floor. I am not real sure what happens to what LA is feeding her in Aubrey's stomach but it would make some really good paper mache. I'll make a mental note of that for a Saturday project with daddy.

So the lesson we learned tonight is gluttony and that 5 ounces is too much. She is a three to four ounce girl right now.

PS - Evidently, LA has been gifted with germ vision. After one of Aubrey's pacifiers was dropped on the floor, LA picked it up and scanned every inch of it and handed it back to me pronouncing it to be fine. I looked at her, laughed and asked her about how she got the germ vision.

First Visit To The Doctor

We woke up today from about the same kind of night as the previous. I told LA we needed a plan of action so we could make sure we left on time and were not late. It’s a little different now – can’t just sit back and load up the car 30 minutes prior to the appointment.

Aubrey loved her first car ride of more that 10 minutes. We made a mental note in case she ever starts crying uncontrollably.

When we got to the doctor’s office, I noticed that it was overflowing with kids which is a good thing. While we were waiting a 2 year old approached Aubrey and wanted to see her and LA showed Aubrey to her. Then out of the corner of my eye I see her touching Aubrey’s hand. You would be proud of me because I didn’t say anything to her mother. I was wondering how long LA was going to let it go on. Come to find out later she was thinking the same thing – “Hello, she is two days old and when’s the last time you washed your hands”. Next time Aubrey will wait in the car until she is called.

Aubrey has lost 9 ounces – she was down to 8lbs. It is within the acceptable range and we are shooting for 8lbs 9oz by her next appointment in two weeks. Dr T checked her out and said everything looks good. He reassured us that were both (Aubrey and Us) figuring this thing out – Aubrey had the good life where everything was done for her and now she has to learn how to do it on her own. I know we don’t know what we are doing. He told us what we already knew – We are in survival mode for two weeks. We’re happy with our choice of pediatrician. It is worth the drive.

Aubrey loved the car ride home! She was knocked out.

We're Going Home

Aubrey found her lungs last night. She decided to make sure we didn’t forget about her and started crying. So we knew how to fix that and show her who was in control – press the button and say the magic words – will you have someone please come get our baby and take her to the nursery. Wonder how that program works once we get home.

LA is a great mother and wife. Last night after about 40 hours of being awake, I crashed in my recliner (notice I didn’t say bed). When Aubrey started crying LA got up and took care of her. I could hear something but I could not respond. When I woke up at about 5:00am, I saw LA had resorted to the pacifier to calm/quite Aubrey down. That might be a world record or at least an American record – 20 hours. Well, the good thing is I don’t think I have ever seen a middle school age person with a pacifier. We will cross that bridge down the road. It’s better than a thumb that’s for sure. We actually think it is helping with the feeding.

So to summarize – LA is great, I am terrible dad (but a rested terrible dad), Aubrey loves the pacifier.

LA’s doctors released her this morning. We’re debating if we are going to stay another night just for the nursery service. They still haven’t explained how it works from the house. I guess you just call a number and they come pick Aubrey up and bring her back in the morning. We will have to confirm that before we leave and get the customer service number. Aubrey has to see the pediatrician to get cleared to leave the hospital. I guess we will decide if we stay or go after that visit.

Aubrey is a great baby. Not a lot of random crying just to cry which is nice. She’s not sleeping through the night but she’s not exactly staying awake all night either.

Construction started while I was gone home to pick up the car seat and her coming home outfit. It is the most annoying jack hammering noise ever. It sounds like someone is going to fall through the ceiling any minute now. Guess what? Were going home, if Aubrey gets her walking papers.

Aubrey was cleared by the doctors so we prepared to come home. We got her dressed up in her coming home outfit. We had heard horror stories about the car seat so before we asked for the wheelchair we had a trial run putting Aubrey into the car seat.

We put Aubrey in the car seat and waved goodbye to the hospital. Hope we don’t see that place or another hospital for a long time. Aubrey loved the car ride home. However, I had to blow the horn just about all the way home as car were getting too closer to our car. Guess, I am going to have to get the “Baby On Board” sign.

We showed Aubrey around the house and all the hard work that daddy, his friends and our bank account had done to remodel the house and all the work mommy did to make her room extra special.

We had special treat from our friends Danny and Jennifer – dinner from McAlister’s (courtesy of Taylor Hare – Thanks Taylor) and a great welcome home basket for Aubrey. That was super nice of them. Hopefully, they will get busy so Aubrey will have a playmate…ha!ha!

Aubrey doesn’t like to sleep right after her late night feeding and is a little fussy but not terrible. Daddy took her to her gilder and got her to go right to sleep and then fell asleep in the chair with her.
Tomorrow is a big day – we are going to the pediatrician’s office tomorrow at 11:00am.

14 Hours

What an exciting day. It’s just LA, Aubrey and me now. We’ve had Aubrey in the room pretty much all day except for her hearing test which she passed with flying colors. We told you she was going to be a genius. We have had a bunch of visitors – a collection of family and friends. Aubrey met all her grandparents today. Aubrey got to meet all her nieces and nephews on the Ulmer side and one of her nieces on the Carter side. Their responsibility will be to get her in trouble…I mean keep her out of trouble. She met all her aunts and uncles except my sister’s husband who was out of town. It has been great to have everyone visit even though LA and I are working on about 38 hours of no sleep. With each knock at the door we anticipated who would be coming in next and were disappointed when it was just a nurse. It really wouldn’t matter if we didn’t have visitors because it isn’t like we were going to sleep in the middle of the day. We probably should feel tired but too much adrenaline. The sleep depravation will probably hit us just about the time Aubrey is in full gear later on tonight.

It’s nice being at the hospital because whenever we notice that Aubrey has a dirty diaper we just put Aubrey in her “bed” and roll her to the nursery and let her stay for about an hour and then pick her up and the nurses have changed her. They have to change the diaper because they took an oath. You didn’t think that after hearing all the horror stories about the first couple of poops we were going to do it. This experience is costing a fortune. You might as well get some value for what you are spending. It doesn’t have to be 5-star but we do expect to be pampered. We did just have a baby.

Actually, I changed the first two poopy diapers. Wow! It was everywhere. Thank goodness there was no odor or I might have thrown up. I was successfully able to get the green mess on the changing pad, her heals, legs, my hands (even the one that was holding her feet, I don’t know how. It kind of reminded me of painting and getting paint all over you and wonder how that happened) and fingers. I’ve decided that I am going to invent a “wall” in the diaper to keep number 1’s in the front and number 2’s in the back. This will keep it(number 2) from getting everywhere. Having a baby might not be such a bad financial decision after all.

I’ve realized something real quick – Who cares about the daddy? So far today LA has had three meal and ordered three meals for tomorrow and she’s been relaxing in the bed all day – She’s getting 3 squares and a cot and I am getting no squares and a chair.

Aubrey has been a great baby today. She hasn’t fused too much even with all the excitement and rough start. We hope this continues.
Life has changed in a good way. It’s all Aubrey. She’s definitely a keeper.

09/14/08 T+4Days (But Not Much Longer)

09.14.08
T +4 days (but not much longer)
2:00am

LA is progressing 5 cm dilated. She’s had to have some narcotics to ease the pain of the contractions. The “back” labor is what is bothering her worse that the contractions in the front. She can’t feel the ones in the front because of the pain in her back. The narcotics knocked her out. Almost forgot to tell you about how I am doing – my back is starting to hurt. LA gets a kraftmatic adjustable bed and I get a crappy chair to sit in and a wooden chair to prop my feet on. It’s going to be a long night. Good thing we’ve got the latest in tv technology to watch – a 7 inch screen. Actually it is about a 1987 Magnavox color 13in tv – you have got to be kidding me. The players look like midgets from across the room. Every computer monitor sold today is bigger. At least it does have cable. I have watched Sportcenter and College Gameday Final for the past 2 hours. How many times can a male watch this and not be bored? Sportscenter is mesmerizing. I guess we continue to watch it just in case they change a final score.

The nurse requested the doctor to give LA her epidural.

The epidural doctor came in and as he was preparing he actually asked me if I would like to watch – is he crazy. My theory is for you to go ahead and do your job and be careful. I don’t want to be a distraction and really don’t need you trying to impress me with some kind of blindfolded epidural trick and I am pretty sure LA not looking for some kind of man challenge at this point in labor. I will just stay on the front side looking at my wife. LA was real happy with the epidural doctor. He was good. She only felt one prick and that was it. Guess what time it is? Nap time number two for LA and more uncomfortable chair time and Sportscenter for me.

4:00am

LA is fully dilated and effaced except for a small ridge on her cervix. The doctor wants to see if this will go away and put LA on her right side. Still no help or attention being paid to me.

5:20am

Dr. K checks LA out and makes the call to the mission control and tells them to prepare for a launch. She asks LA to make two pushes with her next two contractions to determine if the baby is going to come out and if LA is going to be a good pusher with the epidural. It is at this point that I was called into the game. In birthing class the husband was up around the head and holding the wife’s hand and encouraging her. That is what I learned to do – remember the post about breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, stress removal…etc. Dr. K instructs me to grab a leg and hold on. After the two pushes, Dr. K is scrambling to get on her scrubs and the nurse is trying to break down the bed before we have a baby on the bed. I am going to save all the rest of my delivery experience for my upcoming book with Greg Horres – A Husband’s Guide to Childbirth – What They Don’t Tell You. If you have already had a child, let’s get together and talk because I am going to need some therapy.

5:42am

After about 10 pushes and about 20 minutes, LA and I are blessed with the most incredible baby in the whole wide world, a baby girl. See I told Heather that she and I were the only ones that knew. I don’t think she believed me but she was the first to know. She won’t be able to say “Are you serious” anymore to me – the proof is in the blog. The babies heart rate had slowed down during the last couple of pushes and the doctor told us that baby Carter was coming out on the next push – one way or another. However, she had to do it. When baby Carter came out she was in a little bit of shock from the quick decent and possibly her umbilical cord was being pinched between the baby’s shoulder and LA pelvis. When she came out she definitely wasn’t the color I had expected – sort of gray. LA only saw the baby for a few seconds before they took her to the other side of the room to start clearing her lungs, getting her checked out. I took a picture of her to show LA. She didn’t stay in the delivery room because of her condition. They immediately took her to the nursery to hook her up to some machines to see what was going on.

I stayed behind to be with LA as she was getting rebuilt. Fortunately for her she didn’t have any major complications with delivering the over 8.5 pounder.

The details:
5:42am
Aubrey Elizabeth Carter
8 pounds 9 ounces
20.5 inches long

God is not just good all the time. HE is GREAT all the time!

LA and my worlds have been rocked in the most awesome way.

The baby names were real easy for us to decide on see the earlier posts. No individual lists and each person getting 5 strikes off the other persons list. Aubrey is my father’s name and Elizabeth is from LA’s family – her mother’s side. It is handed down to the 1st girl in each family.

6:20am

I started not feeling too good for some reason and felt like I was about to drop out so I sat down. The nurse commented that I didn’t look to good and asked if I was ok. I told her I would be fine now but she went ahead and got me some water that was a close call. I didn’t need any more stitches.

6:30am

They let me go to the nursery and check out our new baby. The nurses were monitoring her heart rate, breathing and oxygen levels. She was doing fine and starting to get some color – baby color and was looking better which was reassuring.

9:30am
They finally brought Aubrey to our room for LA to see her and hold her.

The Baby Blog

Nana (Mrs Eileen) was the winner in the due date guessing game. Everybody missed the due date but Nana only missed by a few hours and was just about right on the weight and length. I was off on the date but nailed the birth weight exactly.

This is the end of the blog about Baby Carter. It’s been awesome to share this experience with everyone. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

I am pretty sure we are going to continue with the posts on this site but posted in individual posts – like these were supposed to be done. So keep checking back on Aubrey’s progress.

God is Great
All The Time
And
All The Time
God is Great

It’s no longer about KC and LA. It’s all about Aubrey Elizabeth and all our GREAT family and friends raising and supporting her to learn the importance of family, God and loving others each day as she grows up.

Hope to see you soon! KC, LA, and Aubrey

09/13/08 T+3Days

09.13.08
T +3 Days
6:00am

Got up early today to go into work to finish up all the stuff that I have to normally do on a Monday and prepare for the rest of the week since it looks like Monday is a real good possibility for us to start the delivery process. I am going to come home when I am finished and help LA clean. Everyone tells me to watch out for the LA nesting because when she starts nesting you are going to have a baby. I don’t think it applies to planned cleaning because you have a scheduled induction, so this won’t count. I am going to come home and help out – because I am nice like that. I will vacuum and mop the floors because I am anal about them anyway and whatever else LA wants me to do. LA is going shopping with Heather and Emmy today to buy Emmy pants. I am sure LA is going to bring something home. I am expecting she will come home with hands full but not knowing what we are having is playing on my side. I am calling it a spending limiter.
I haven't been able to post anything because the hospital did not have internet. I was shocked. I thought it was a given that a hospital would have internet access especially, if they could charge 10 times more that it cost. Here what happened:
8:15pm

Just got home from dinner with Tim, Arlette, and Jack at Yokoso’s Japanese steakhouse. LA says her stomach is not feeling well like she might have eaten too much. Read the earlier post about McCrady’s with Tim and Arlette. What is it about eating dinner with them that make’s LA not feel good? Anyway, I got a lesson on parenting while at dinner. The family sharing the table with us was interesting to say the least. Evidently, four letter words spoken in sentences directly to his son or used in normal conversations with the wife is acceptable. It is also evidently acceptable to drink multiple mixed drinks and be loud and to not buy the birthday cupcake and drums for the wife’s birthday because $6 could be used for another drink. I’ve got a lot to learn about this parenting thing.

8:45pm

We have changed into our comfy clothes and are just getting settled in for the rest of the evening watching the USC/ Ohio St game. LA thinks her water has broken but it didn’t come gushing out like some friends had told her. She asked me what I thought it was…I don’t know but I do know it’s not normal. Her stomach is really hard – must be contractions. It’s time to start counting and timing them. We decide there’s no need to be in a hurry, so LA got a shower. We will monitor the situation and call the doctor after the shower. I knew Dr. K would be on call but I wasn’t sure if LA did. Dr. K called and recommended that we head to the hospital. LA is having contractions every 3-4 minutes and they are lasting about 45 – 60 seconds.

I was in the middle of doing a Sunday school lesson. I called Jenn Williams and asked her to cover for me. She is awesome. Told her not to spread the word because this could be a water haul and us be back at the house in a few hours.

10:30pm

We’ve made it to the hospital – Summerville Med. I was nervous when I saw all the cars and people in the ER (which is where you check in after hours and on weekends). I didn’t want to get caught up in all that mess. We bypassed all that and were taken directly to the delivery floor and LA was connected to a machine to monitor contractions and the baby’s heartbeat. LA first exam had her at 3.5cm which is good…we’re making progress.

11:55pm

The nurse told us that we were not going home. It looks like we are going to be having a baby in the next 12 to 24 hours. It was time to call the support staff – Wesley(because he always finds out last, according to him) and the Grandparents. It looks like Wesley is going to be able to see the new baby after all – He is leaving to go out of town on Tuesday.

9/12/08 T+2Days

9.12.08
T +2 Days

Just another day…Today is LA’s last day of school. She starts her 8 week vacation at 2:30pm. We are continuing to enjoy our eight hours of sleep each night and hope we will get one last Saturday to sleep-in and Saturday would be a bad day anyway with all the football games – Clemson, Carolina vs UGA…etc.

Glad we got the bags packed up 3 weeks ago…still waiting

3:15pm

LA finished her last day of school – she’s on vacation.

9/11/08 1:00pm

09.11.08
1:00pm

Here's a picture from yesterday that might help you figure out what your looking at - Aunt Karrissa was having a hard time and thought LA might be carrying an alien. I know it's hard to see it was for me also - never thought it was an alien but...

All the pictures from Monday and the last time are taken from the same viewpoint so might be able to go back to the other pictures and figure our what your looking at better.

9/11/08 +8:20:00

09.11.08
+ 8:20:00

Those are officially the last pictures of Baby Carter to be posted until Baby Carter enters the world.

You probably figured out that we are now part of the 95% that delivers past their due date. Life didn't end and everything is good. We looking at it as extra time to get everything at the house ready - Anybody want to help clean on Saturday? :)

Wesley (LA's brother) picked the delivery date about 6 months ago - Tuesday - 9/16. How did he know? He leaves to go out of town on Tuesday early in the morning. Wesley don't give up on LA and Baby Carter. There is still hope.

My brother-in-law, Chris is hoping for a Monday delivery - his birthday.

40 Weeks - Happy Anniversary

09.10.08
40 Weeks
7:00am
Happy Anniversary


We had a long night at the h_________ (fill in the blank - hospital / house). Baby Carter ________ (will or will not) be making an appearance in a few hours.

Hope that was fun. Here are the answers - house and will not.

LA and I are celebrating 3 years of marriage today. I think you're supposed to say "it feels like a lot longer than that." I'm not sure what the gift for year three is supposed to be but I hope it has something to do with a baby. It has been a great three years and is only going to get better.

What's on schedule for today - We have an afternoon appointment with launch control. They will perform some pre-checks (ultrasound, non-stress test on baby and normal checks for dilation and effacement) and determine if the delivery window for today is go or no-go. We will only have about 9 hours at that point to have a successful due date delivery. If delivery is a no-go today, we will schedule a date for next week but still being prepared that we might have an unscheduled delivery up to that point.

Stay tuned to Mission Control for the latest updates.

9:00pm

We had a good dinner at Mustard Seed - can't go wrong there. Always have good bread and good main course choices - menu and special. We made our mandatory trip to Target while we were out. We got milkshakes at Chick-fil-a for dessert. Oh, you probably don't care about the anniversary celebration. You're reading this for the updates on the baby progress. I guess I should create a blog just for LA and I - probably not going to happen.

We visited Mission Control this afternoon. We had our ultrasound at 40 weeks. I will try to post more pictures tomorrow am. The ultrasound was to check how much fluid was surrounding the baby. There is enough fluid to wait a few more days without endangering the baby or LA. The ultrasound tech is super nice and showed us the babies head. The PA checked LA out and we haven't had any progress since last week (see last Thursday's post if you want the details). They then gave the baby a non-stress test. The wanted to make sure the baby was not under any stress. They basically monitored the baby's heart rate and LA for contractions. The baby is fine and LA's contractions are minor (might or might not feel them) so we are in the wait mode. Hopefully, the birthing process will start naturally between now and late Monday afternoon. It looks like Baby Carter definitely has the Carter and Ulmer blood - just a little stubborn. If nothing has happened by late Monday afternoon then we get to visit the hospital to start the inducing process. The short and skinny is that Baby Carter will have made his/her appearance no later that next week this time (Wednesday) - naturally until Monday or with some help Mon - Wed. The doctor and PA don't want LA to go past 41 weeks which would be next Wednesday. Anytime after 41 weeks just adds to the potential for stress on the baby and complications. So we know when this process will be over at the latest. We are now hoping for anytime after Friday afternoon so LA can finish out this week at school. Thanks for continuing to think about us during this time...keep the prayers coming.

39 Weeks +6 Days

09.09.08
39 Weeks 6 days
9:00am

No baby...We are15 hours away from our 24 hour delivery window. The question is will LA be part of the 5% that have their baby on the due date or will she be part of the 95%that either come early or late (looks like early is quickly fading out as being a possibility). If you've been reading along, you might remember how they chose her due date with that "wheel of fortune" which seemed kind of hokey at the time and I didn't put much faith in it. As a friend recently told me "it looks like we are in a holding pattern - were circling the airport but can't get clearance to land".

Stay tuned things could change...

8:26pm

No baby...Down to 3:34 from our 24 hour delivery window. Just realized that for those reading this that might be thinking about having a baby, if you plan it right you could have a baby on 09.09.09. Just count 40 weeks back - good luck. I guess we should have shot for 06.07.08. LA had a volleyball game today that she was pretty sure if she was close to going into labor it would have started. It was a frustrating win which isn't uncommon with JV. The light switch hasn't turned on yet - might not. We are entering baby time - every knows that you don't start labor during the daylight hours. It only starts after 11:27 pm because then you get to try to stay up about 36 hours.

Stay tuned things could change...

39 Weeks +5 Days

09.08.10
39 Weeks 5 days

No baby...all hope of having a Labor Day baby are now gone. LA filled up her container and will be taking it to the lab this afternoon and to give them some blood. She hasn't had any contractions yet or at least she isn't telling me. I checked the pop out timer and Baby Carter isn't ready yet. I am still betting we are going into extra time. This is LA's schedule for this week -school, volleyball, home - preparing lesson plans for the sub, sleep and repeat.

39 Weeks +2Days

09.05.08
39 Weeks + 2 days

I almost forgot to tell you what been going on in my world. I know who cares but it does have to do with Baby Carter. My lovely wife and I decided we needed a bookcase/shelves to store some of the babies items - toys, books, etc. In an effort to get exactly what we wanted, we decided that I should make it. It sounds so easy - five straight boards, nail them together, yeah right. It's got to have a back, bottom shelf not on the floor, not plywood, something we can stain...etc. We measured out the space, where we wanted it and I began the project on Saturday (just picked up the materials). I am not a carpenter, not a furniture maker...etc, would like to be one but now realize I shouldn't try to be one and I am officially quitting (I would have said retire but that would actually mean I was successful over a period of time) with the completion of this project. This will be the most expensive 44"x15"x30" shelves ever made and will look like a unskilled carpenter made them. Between miscuts, mismeasures and three trips to Lowes, I might be getting close to finishing this project. From this point forward, if LA or I decide we want anything we will proceed with these two options - 1) purchase it from a store - it's the American way 2) call a member of the Ulmer family.

Forgot to post this in yesterday's doctor's report. The PA asked LA if she was feeling any contractions and I had already answered the question in my mind because LA hasn't said anything to me about it. But instead of saying "No", LA proceeds to say "yeah, I think so". I was like "excuse me and my wife for a moment". What's up with that? I knew she was having contractions on Labor Day and just wouldn't admit it. Wonder if she's going to tell me the next time? :)

PS - LA went to the lab today to get her jug and blood work done. They won't do her blood work until Monday. So she will start collecting the liquid on Sunday(24 hours prior) and will have to keep it in the refrigerator. If you're visiting this weekend and need something to drink, don't drink out of the orange container. You might think it's orange juice because of its orange color but you will be in for a surprise if you try it. Hope, I can remember that Sunday and Monday morning.

39 Weeks +1 Day

09.04.08
39 weeks + 1 days

We went to the doctor today. I was pretty sure they were closed when I pulled up in the parking lot. I was shocked when I walked in the door and there is no one waiting. It was like entering a new world. It was just the aligning of the planets, actually one doctor had a hospital emergency and her appointments had to be canceled and the other doctor was off which only left the PA and her patients. It's the same routine every time, weight - which I have put on some pounds but I can deduct some for the wallet, clothing and shoes, LA has lost some weight; blood pressure - LA had a new person (young girl) ask her all the questions (baby moving...etc) and take her blood pressure and it was high which was shocking to LA since it hasn't been a problem so far. The girl took it again and it was 145/100 but LA didn't have a good feeling for her knowing exactly what she was doing - the cuff was low. Anyway, being pregnant and having high blood pressure is not good. When the PA comes in she tells us that she is going to check her bp again to see what's going on after she checks everything out. She did a few tests on LA's feet to make sure they were not twitching which would be a result of high blood pressure and the swelling in her feet. The PA wasn't too concerned but since it was the first reading that was abnormal she wanted cover all the bases. She told LA that if her bp was high when she checked it that she could put her on bed rest (which initially sounds good but translates into 23 hours and 40 minutes in the bed - 20 minutes for a shower) or possibly a visit for 24 hours to the hospital to monitor her bp; back to the bp in a minute. The GOOD news from the examination - baby is dropping (not very fast, I told LA to keep pressure on the baby's butt to help speed this process up). She measured 38cm which is down from 39-40cm. The baby is -2 (LA was a -3 last week) - this is the scale for where the baby's in the pelvis, it's a scale from -4 to +4 at 0 the baby in the pelvis - "engaged". I think you can start pushing at +2, maybe (if I am wrong does it really matter or would you even know?). LA is 2cm dilated and 40% effaced (see links to terms in early August post). While she was checking LA out I am pretty sure that she was trying to make LA have a baby. She said it would be uncomfortable and it looked uncomfortable. No commitment on a date but I am thinking Baby Carter will be here sometime after next Wednesday and before the 17th. Which takes us to our next minor concern, Dr K is on call the next two weekends. So we want to have a Monday - Thursday baby. We are sure she is capable but we would be more comfortable with Dr. Mc. So after the PA checked LA out, she had LA lay on her left side for 10 minutes and relax and think happy thoughts (her great husband...etc). During this time, I remembered our birthing class and how I could help LA relax with the techniques we learned. I sprang into action and started telling her comforting thoughts and found where all her stress was - not in the neck, shoulders or back but once again it was in her backside. For some reason all her stress goes there. Actually, it worked just like it did in the birthing class. She told me to stop bothering her and to get away, as we were both laughing. So the PA walked in at about that point and was like how nice, he's giving you a back rub. We started laughing again. Anyway, she took LA's bp and it was down (or never was high) to 120/78 which is fine/normal. But just because it was fine they want to make sure nothing is going on so LA gets to go for blood work and take a jug to urinate into for the weekend - just precautionary measures.

So what is up for the next 6 days?

*LA is on light duty (which isn't anything new, just kidding)
*If no baby before next Wednesday
*Ultrasound Appointment on Wednesday to check the baby's fluids; pretty sure the baby will be waving back at that point
*Non Stress check (make sure baby is not under any stress, how about the parents?)
*Doctor's Appointment afterwards
*Schedule induction (were not going to 42 weeks for anyone that was thinking it was a possibility)

39 Weeks

09.03.08
39 Weeks

Looks like the track of Hurricane Hannah is moving more Northward which is fine with me. The further the better. Keep your fingers crossed. We have our weekly doctor's appointment tomorrow for an update on Baby Carter's progress...6 days tomorrow. I will just go ahead and tell you that I am going to be disappointed if Baby Carter doesn't arrive by next Wednesday. There is so much build-up (10 months - 300+ day of anticipation growing each day) and we are planners/people that want to be in control. We tell ourselves we are ready but I have a feeling that we are getting ready for a lesson in patience and being reminded who is actually in control. I guess the best thing for us to do is to continue living each day to it's fullest and enjoy our last moments of being just two. The lesson for the day is to enjoy where you are today because it will all change tomorrow.

No Labor Day Baby

09.02.08

So we didn't have a baby on Labor Day. I do think LA had some labor pains but she wouldn't admit it. If anything would have happened yesterday that resembled having a baby, I am sure she would have left and gone to a friend/family's house to wait it out and if the baby did decide to come she would have had the baby without me and told me on Tuesday. However, my hope is not officially over. How you ask? Well, Labor Day could fall on any day between the 1st and the 7th. So, we could still have a Labor Day baby. My dream is still alive.

PS - This could be a crazy week - work, maybe a baby, hurricane, evacuation...Say a prayer that Hannah makes a turn and heads out to sea (or further north, hate to wish it someone else but the timing is not real good right now for me) Today's forecast is landfall in Chucktown. Everyone keeps telling us that if the hurricane comes, the baby is coming also - has something to do with the baby not wanting to miss a major event like a hurricane. Actually, it has to do with the low pressure...whatever, sounds like another old wives tale.

PPS - Two more storms right behind Hannah - Ike (I Like Ike) and Josephine (bad things happen in threes - hopefully not)

Labor Day

09.01.08
Labor Day

Let's Have A Baby Today

12:00am

Hoping for a baby!

11:59pm
No Baby!