Meredith's first week

Meredith slept off the tiny newborn pretty quickly and already has some good lengths of awake time (up to 2-1/2 hours).  She really opens her eyes and watches things and continues the same stretching she did in utero but with the ability to actually make it.  She likes to watch Beca for the fleeting moment that Beca will sit still by her.  The dog intrigues her but luckily the barking doesn't wake her up during naps.  Afternoon is her favorite napping time.  And she doesn't cry about much so far - mostly for being hungry or needing to burp.

Steve and I have actually figured out a decent schedule so there's some longer stretches of sleeping for both of us - he feeds Meredith after I've gone to bed and then puts her down and we all get some sleep until I get back up to feed her again.  We're getting that "4am is not awake time" thing worked out but she's pretty content after a little rocking.  I had forgotten how quickly the day goes by with feeding, changing, pumping, sleeping, feeding, changing, etc.  Worked on this posting for 2 days off and on.
Anyway, what everyone's asking for - more pictures:

Sweet big sister trying to calm the hungry baby

Beca tries talking sweetly

A new day and a sleeping baby

Beca checking Meredith's heartbeat while Meredith gets fitted in her seat for the first time (she was not impressed initially)

Family loaded and ready to go home!

Made it in the house!

Meredith's room

More of her room (with the stash of size 1 diapers - there are more in the closet)

Zoe desperately wants at her puppy - we have almost the same picture from bringing Beca home.

First bath - only liked getting her hair washed, didn't like being cold after

Daddy gets to feed his baby girl!!

All 3 girls!!

An outfit Beca picked out

Another outfit that Beca and I found shopping - and she decided to open her eyes!

Talking with the girlie while she's awake!

Meredith Grace Cottle arrives!

After a long day (because I wanted a smoothie for breakfast), Meredith Grace Cottle was born at 10:46 pm on July 22, 2010.  She weighed 7 lbs, 7 ounces, 19-3/4 inches and had a massive head of dark brown hair.

We were so excited to welcome her into the world (and out of my belly) on the 22nd because my birthday, my father's birthday, his father's birthday, and his father's birthday are all on the 22nd of a month.  Plus it is also Cynthia's birthday (one of my very bestest friends)!  And funnier - my birth year is 77 - her weight!

Here's some pictures of her first day - a very long and busy day!

Kindergarten early days and 1 week left

Beca hasn't had much information when she comes home from Kindergarten.  Tonight though, she remembered one of her new friends is Emma and she sits next to her.  She also remembered she had music today and was telling us what she did in music!  She told us that it was 100 degrees.  We had a really fun evening of Taco night and playing UNO, which she won.  We may have found a better routine for the night time routine.  But I'm sure it will be all different soon.  I can't believe she only has a week and a half to vacation!

Zoe is not happy with all the changes in the house - the sofa got moved, the big chair went to Oma's and a smaller recliner came in, new organization units came in, lots of baby stuff keeps coming in and being moved about, and her worst enemy - the pack'n'play - was set up in the living room.  She follows me all the time until she gets exhausted enough to pass out on the floor once Beca has gone to sleep.  She has figured out that the recliner is the same chair she always sat in at Oma's house but now it has a slipcover.  So she spends more time in it than anyone else.  She's also not thrilled that there's a baby sleeper/rocker in our room on my side of the bed.  Tonight she gave us the saddest look from the back door when thunder rolled overhead and she was outside.  the poodle is getting panicking in her adult age.

Since Saturday night, baby girl has moved much lower and has stayed there.  It's not comfortable.  And everything is swelling a little more.  And I sleep a lot less, spending several hours throughout the night trying to go back to sleep.  Tomorrow is 38 weeks so she'll be out in 1 week!

Baby Clue #4 and Beca's first full day of Kindergarten

Baby Clue #4 - it is an actual name and not a number, animal, vegetable or mineral. A friend asked the question if the baby's name was 20 since I had a Facebook posting describing the crazy numerical connection for Beca between her preschool (where her daycare pickup number was 20) and her Kindergarten (where she is #20 out of 22 kids when their first names are arranged alphabetically). It was pretty neat that there was such a connection. Ok, well neat to some dorky engineers.

Yesterday, Beca had "graduation" from her class. She got a cap that was made for her and a diploma. The kids were so sweet as a bunch said they would really miss Rebecca. Her teachers made her a wonderful Memory Book and she got a frame with a picture of all the graduates, which they all signed. She's the only graduate leaving for year round school so the rest don't leave until August or September. She kept saying she was really going to miss her friends. Then, she also got to meet her new teacher who I had the best feeling about at Orientation. Her teacher is going to miss the next 2 weeks of school though because she was on track 4 last year and planned her wedding for track 4. So there will be a substitute for 2 weeks but Beca seems excited about school still. Good thing - as my grandmother said - she's got plenty more years to go.
Beca made it off the bus but almost forgot her backpack until I asked her where it was. Thank goodness - the packet of papers was huge! But its all good information, except the "pay us for school pictures without ever seeing them". Hmmm... I'll have to think about that. She wasn't overly chatty but was willing to help just for a little bit on some things at the house and then she needed a break. Which gave me time to set up Baby sister's pack and play in the living room. We've got everything we have to have at this point. And I'm just ready to meet her (and stop having her try to push on my ribs and pelvis at the same time). Less than 11 days now...

Baby Name - clue #3 and our garden harvest

Baby Clue #3 - everyone has heard this name but it is not a popular one.  Yeah, I know they are still a bit vague but I really would like Steve and I to be the first people to talk to her about her name. I think we went through enough to get her here and deserve at least that.

GARDEN HARVEST STARTED!
On July 5th, we picked the first beans - and not the ones that grew in the sun but the ones that grew in the corner under some other flowers and stuff.  Beca went right to trying them but we convinced her they might be better cold.

And out of 4 tomato plants, we have 1 - that's right ONE - tomato.  It's a little smaller than a golf ball.  And as of this morning, it is almost ripe and ready to pick.  I am going to try to get Beca to take a bite and then the rest is mine.

I have a good idea for next year what we need to do differently in our little mess of a garden but as of right now, we are still waiting on the big harvest of watermelons.  we have at least 3 that are larger than a softball right now.  I'm guessing since they are sugar baby watermelons that we probably shouldn't leave them too much longer.  Then there should be pumpkins, we hope.  So far, only flowers and no actual starts of the orange gourd.  these pictures are taken from about 6 feet above the garden and the watermelons are kind of hidden.

first day of Kindergarten for Beca!!

It's amazing that Rebecca is old enough to go to Kindergarten but that's where we're at.  Check-mark for the Cottle family on one major family change today.  Her 5 year check was yesterday and it didn't take long for her pediatrician to comment on her Kindergarten readiness.  She's at 75% height and weight for a 5 year old.

Beca was nervous this morning but as soon as the camera came out, she was ready to ham it up.  We had most everything ready last night - her rest mat & change of clothes all packed in her backpack, lunch bag out and most everything ready for it.  She didn't stay up nearly as late as we thought she might.  She did get up with a little crankiness but overcame that once she had some food in her stomach.  She said she was both excited and nervous about school.  We had talked through everything we could.  Beca chose to wear her yellow dress because it is her favorite and also the color of track 3 (it is so meant to be!).  I made her a braid for her hair too. She was glad she was getting to ride the bus.  Steve wasn't as sure as she was.  I was just proud of her for being ready to go.  The bus stop is only about 7 houses up from ours so its an easy little walk.  Oma met us there for a bit and helped take the family photo.  When the bus came, she was ready to go but also content to hold Daddy's hand to walk to the bus.

 

Steve and I both made it home to get Zoe and walk up to the bus stop.  The sun was warm but the breeze was nice.  The bus runs the same direction morning and afternoon, which will be nice for me (afternoons getting out of work) because she is the 2nd to the last stop.  She was excited to jump off the bus and tell us that the twin girls that live down the street have the same backpacks.  Glad I had the personalization put on it and the matching lunch bag!

Today, we put her bags in the house along with the dog and went for some Goodberry's - chocolate with M'n'M's for Beca (her usual).  Beca was willing to tell us little tidbits of things throughout the day - she saw her friend Jolianna (1st grade) across the cafeteria and waved to her, she likes the work in kindergarten because "it's more funner", the playground is better, they sang songs and played games and she rested at rest time and could cover up her legs with her towel.  She also couldn't tell us either teacher's name or any names of any friends that she met.  But she is also very excited to go back to Children's House for 2 days to visit her friends, who she will miss when she goes to Kindergarten all the time.
Because it is Tuesday, Daddy made tacos for dinner so she was happy with the dinner of the day too.
A good first day.  We'll find out Thursday who her actual teacher is and then Friday is the first day for Kindergarteners to be in their class at school.  Pretty sure she'll love it.

Family Fourth pictures

I didn't really have a whole lot of pictures while I was pregnant with Beca but I have loved the pictures that Kimberlee Edwards has taken of others so I thought, why not book for some pictures of Beca at 5 years old and our family before it expands further.  It's selfish of me and in an attempt to allow my second child some things my first did not have, there will also be newborn pictures done by Kimberlee in the few days right after Baby girl is born and home.  I cannot wait to meet her!  Mostly because that means I'm not the only one carrying her around anymore.

The link to a few of the pictures is:
http://kimberleeedwards.com/blog/2010/07/expanding-family-with-style-cary-nc-pregnancy-photographer/

Baby Name - clue #2 and the crow

written 7/10 - Baby girl name clue #2 - much to Nici's dismay, her name is not a derivative of any of her immediate family members. As I put on Facebook, I have 17 days left and I need some sort of amusement. We have all the stuff we absolutely have to have, though Steve is getting antsy about the diaper genie. Which we'll get at some point.

Anyway, we have this dumb crow who sees his reflection in the front door glass and he slams into the door on a regular basis and then caws at the door and pecks at it, driving Zoe insane because she can't see anyone or animal from her vantage point. Then when we open the door, the crow gets mad, hops off the porch and usually hops away because he hit the door so hard, he's still recovering. Yes, exactly like the Windex commercial. In real life.

Baby Name - clue #1 and some random notes

Steve said I could put up a clue about BGC2's name.  The first clue is:
It's a girl's name.
And by that, I mean, it's a name that cannot be mistaken for a boy's name.  It's not ambiguous.

I still have 21 days until her scheduled arrival but I am feeling a lot more worn down then I remember feeling with Beca.  Sleep is not good, even when I get some.  We traded out our big oversized chair for my parent's recliner because I can sit in that a little easier than the big chair.  We also rearranged the living room, which the dog was not happy about until everything made it in its place and her bed now sits a little hidden between the sofa and the wall with a table in front of it.  The funniest part is when she stands up to look out the window and sees someone she knows - then her tail starts beating on the sofa and its kind of hollow so it thuds.  I'm trying to be amused by whatever I can since i'm uncomfortable no matter what.

I hope to have some pictures of the baby's room up soon.  I think everything is pretty much in order as best we are going to get it until we remember some of the things after she's born.  There just isn't as much time for me to sit in there and think about where I want to put/hang things as there was with Beca.  And her room has had a big transformation too.  She got a big bookshelf that is sage green and new pink curtains.  They are much more grown up than the gingham.  So with the yellow walls, the green bookshelf and the pink curtains, it looks really nice.  Of course, she's still asking why she has to give up her books for her baby sister.  It's not like we are throwing them out!!

And a funny - Beca calling downstairs "Mommy? Daddy did not come give me a night-night." me "I'm sorry baby, Daddy's asleep." Beca - "but he has to come say night-night'.  me - "I know, baby, but Daddy's not feeling good."  Beca - "What's wrong with him this time"  and the "this time" was sighed like "ho-hum" with the pitch dropping lower.  Hahaha!!!  Well, I was laughing.