Brad's Mini-me

It's official. Charlie is Brad's mini-me. Every person who meets Charlie comments right away how much Charlie looks just like Brad. I captured this picture a few weeks ago, and even I can't deny it anymore :)

Play Time

This week, Brad and I have noticed Charlie is more aware of his surroundings. He is interacting more with us and his environment. Brad has encouraged playtime with Charlie. I have to admit I thought he was too young, but I am pleasantly surprised. Charlie has begun to bat at the rattles and plush toys that we have put in front of him. He has even smiled back at us. I never knew how excited I would get to see a little smile :)

Charlie playing with his elephant.

I have to admit Charlie looks a bit scared by the elephant in this picture :)

On the Road...

This past weekend, we took Charlie on his first road trip. We spent the weekend in Lexington, Kentucky. We went for our friend's wedding. We were very nervous about how Charlie would do in the car. He was fabulous! He slept the entire way (both there and back to St. Louis!). It was exciting to take him back to where Brad and I met---not that he retained any of the details we kept telling him :) On Friday night, we had dinner with our friends from UK. Everyone was excited to meet little Charlie. He did great!

Charlie in the car on his first road trip...

Welcome to Kentucky Charlie!

Sleepy Time...

Charlie is already four weeks old. It is hard to believe how quickly time flies! Brad and I have enjoyed Charlie so much! Charlie is starting to come out of his shell. We are noticing more of his personality. He is more alert and focusing more on his surroundings. It is exciting to watch!

Our biggest adjustment with Charlie has been sleeping at night. He is still quite the night owl! We have tried everything to help him sleep at night, but he has been quite determined to be awake from 12:00-5:30 am. Hopefully, we are at a turning point. I am happy to report last night Charlie slept for almost eight hours, waking only briefly to take his bottle :)

Tomorrow Charlie will be a month old! He is growing up so fast!

Hip, Hip, Hooray

At Charlie's first doctor's appointment, we learned he would need an ultrasound on his hip. The doctor noticed his hip 'clicked'. As new first-time parents, this worried us. Of course, I thought this was my fault since I am notorious for always popping my hips. The doctor assured me I couldn't have done this, and I think she probably thought I was crazy.

Yesterday, we finally had Charlie's ultrasound at St. John's. The radiologist was great with Charlie, plus he was really good to us. He explained everything he was doing. He was checking to see if Charlie had Dysplasia of the hips. After doing the ultrasound, he told we had nothing to worry about it. This was a huge relief!

Life with Charlie

It is hard to believe what life was like before Charlie, and he is only 19 days old. We can't imagine life without him now. He is adjusting well to life at home. We are working on getting Charlie to sleep more at night. He seems to turn into a pumpkin after midnight :)

At his first doctor's appointment, we learned he lost weight. This was very concerning, because we felt like he was eating around the clock. The doctor scheduled us for two weight checks before his 2-week appointment. At the first weight check, he lost more weight. This was very disappointing. The doctor told us to supplement with formula, something I was seriously hoping to avoid. At his second weight check appointment, he gained 1.5 pounds--the formula was working. Unfortunately, this came at a cost---he now prefers the bottle.

In addition to eating (all of the time), Charlie has enjoyed many visitors. We are very fortunate to have wonderful family and friends near us. Everyone has been very supportive!

Charlie made his first trip to Target after his first doctor's appointment.

Charlie is bright eyed and awake after midnight :0)

Charles Allen Mock a.k.a. Baby Charlie

On Monday, August 31, we went to my 40 week appointment. At that appointment, I learned my blood pressure was high, which was unusual for my pregnancy. My doctor sent me to the hospital to start the induction process. Brad and I weren't quite sure what to expect. Needless to say, we were excited, nervous, and anxious all at the same time. We thought by the end of the day or early on Tuesday, we would have our baby. We were so, so, so wrong :) The doctor took a less aggressive approach and tried to induce labor as 'naturally' as possible. After two rounds of Cervidil (each lasting 12 hours), I still had not progressed.

At 3:30 pm on Tuesday, September 1, the doctor started the Pitocin. This made me extremely nervous, because up until this point, I had not experienced any contractions. I didn't know what to expect. At 11 pm, I had only dilated to a 4. A short time later, I received my epidural (the miracle drug). The doctor broke my water a little after midnight. At 2 am, I was still only at 5. Brad and I were both getting nervous---we just wanted our baby to be here. The doctor continued to increase the Pitocin. At this point, I didn't care---I wasn't feeling much.

At 6 am on Wednesday, September 2, I had fully dilated---it was go time. My doctor arrived around 6:30 am. At 8:20 am, Charles Allen Mock finally made his appearance. Brad and I were flooded with emotions--we finally had our baby.

Still waiting...

With the due date tomorrow, we are even more anxious to meet Baby Mock. I think we both thought (hoped) the baby would be here by now. Everyone has been very supportive, and we are very thankful for this. The next doctor's appointment is tomorrow.

In the meantime, we keep waiting. We hope to have more of an update tomorrow---better yet, we hope the baby is here!

Almost Time...

With only one week to the baby's due date, we can hardly contain ourselves. It is hard to believe how quickly the last 39 weeks have gone. We have hit the point---we are ready for baby Mock to be here. We go back to the doctor's office on Wednesday---hoping for a progress update :)

We will be sure to post some pictures soon.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Molly or Baby Charlie!

Pictures from the Ney Family Shower...

It's never too early to start 'encouraging' Truman---

It is the Harvard of the Midwest :)

It's hard to believe this baby will fit into this!