One week old today

I can't believe it's been a week already. We are still having so much fun with our sweet little girl and she gets cuter and sweeter everyday. Since her initial appearance when we couldn't really tell who she looked like, we are starting to think she looks like Andrew. Luckily we have a picture of Andrew from high school in a grass skirt and coconuts, and he made a good looking girl, so we think she has a chance!

We took our first stroller walk the other day and she loved it. She slept the whole time and was very content.

Hanging out with Dad after a run

Hanging out with Mom

Hanging out with Grandma

She does a lot of hanging out.

Welcome Amelia Anne Checketts

Born 6:11 am Wednesday, September 23, 2009
7 pounds 2 ounces, 19 1/4 inches long

Proud Mom and Dad after a start-to-finish 3 hour labor!

She's finally here and she is so much fun! We are so in love with our sweet little girl and are having so much fun with her. Can't wait until you all get to meet her!

Tuesday morning I went into my 39.5 week doctor's appointment and my amniotic fluid was low and the baby was measuring small. Throughout the pregnancy there had been enough concern about the placenta failing that the doctor felt it was time to get our baby out. So she said, "Are you ready to have a baby tonight?" Well, ready or not, it was time!

We went into the hospital Tuesday night and they planned to induce me at 7:00am the next morning. I ended up going into labor that night at 2:30 am and having the baby 3 1/2 hours later at 6:11 am - 1 hour before we were scheduled to be induced! And she was a pound bigger than the ultrasound had shown at my doctor's appointment. It was an amazing experience and such a surprise that it happened so fast.

Andrew giving Amelia her first bath an hour after she was born. He is such an awesome dad and it has been so fun to see them together. His eyes light up when he sees her and he always wants to hold, burp and change her. She loves the sound of his voice and being held by him.

Our sweet little Amelia

We can't tell yet who she looks like, but we sure think she's cute

What a good-looking new Dad!

Andrew taking a work phone call with his 1 day old baby in his lap :)

Getting ready to go home in her fuzzy psychedelic pjs

How many first-time parents does it take to put one tiny baby in a car seat? Apparently two with two grandmas standing by for support!

1 day old
Tired new mommy...and this is just the beginning!
I love her hair and hope she keeps it! I didn't have hair until I was 3 years old, but Andrew did as a baby, so we'll see.

2 days old
After a night of very little sleep, she's ready for a day full of sleep. It appears that we've got a long way to go before this little girl gets her nights and days straight.

We are so grateful for our healthy, happy, sweet baby girl and are having so much fun with her. I know having a baby means I will be taking more pictures, and I hope I will find time to blog them more frequently. It's 2:000am right now, so it looks like I may be having more hours in my day so we'll see.

Yummy Watermelon

Doesn't that picture just make your mouth water? I love the wonderful fruits and vegetables of summer, but one of my absolute favorites this year has been watermelon - yum! I like to chop the whole thing up into bite-sized pieces and put it in a tupperware in the fridge so I can pull it out on a whim and enjoy cold, juicy, delicious cubes of watermelon...wish I had one right now.

So the funny thing about watermelon these days, unlike the watermelon from my childhood, is that they are almost always seedless. I have discovered that this is a nice perk and seems to make it that much more enjoyable to savor the flavor without bothering with the seeds. I didn't even realize how convenient this was until last week when I bought one that happened to have seeds in it. When I asked Andrew if he wanted some for dinner he jokingly said, "Yes, but can you take out all those annoying seeds for me?" Oh, how convenient our lives have become...

Okay, now the third, and last thing I will say about watermelons is this: I look very much like I swallowed one whole, don't you think?

38 Weeks

Compare to the picture in the same outfit 8 weeks ago to see the dramatic difference of the last couple months...yikes. Having such a "large and in charge buddha" (magilla gorilla quote:)) has definitely made me consider some things I will not take for granted in the future. Just a few of those things being:

• Having an innie belly button (look, you can see it sticking out in the picture above)
• When I drip food (like juicy watermelon) and it lands on the table instead of on my belly
• Being able to roll over in bed without a ridiculous amount of moaning and groaning
• Being able to get up out of bed without first rolling over onto all fours (seriously, you try doing a sit-up with a whole watermelon in your stomach!)
• Being able to wear my own workout clothes on my morning walk instead of my pajama pants and Andrew's large t-shirts (you know, the ones where the "short sleeves" come down to my elbows - so attractive. Just one of the many reasons it's wise to get married before you get pregnant)
• Being able to go to the grocery store without every little kid gawking and shouting loudly, "look Mommy, that lady has a baby in her belly!" Actually, I think that's pretty cute but I certainly hope they stop saying that by at least a month or two postpartum!

What an intense and wonderful journey this pregnancy has been. We're getting excited to meet our little girl.