Aunt Cynda - I can always count on her to hold Ian for a good solid 2 hours every time she comes over.

Uncle Jesse and Aunt Kristen- naturals!

Uncle James: helped Tim celebrate the birth of his son with scotch and cigars.

Uncle Cody- came straight from a kickball game to visit Ian in the hospital which is why he has the diaper pad on his chest- to cover the sweat. Cody and Jesse sang Ian his first lullaby, which was actually a rap turned lullaby- "summer,summer,summertime."

Typical Guy

Ian is a total bed hog...



And knows it....

Do I really have a baby...or is that just a doll in the cradle?

I continue to have the easiest baby and recovery I could ever imagine. Tim and I keep asking each other when we think this "honeymoon" phase is going to end. Is this just the calm before the storm? Everyone assures us that at the two week mark the baby really starts to wake up and becomes more demanding. Well bring it on Ian. I am ready for some real baby.

Right now Ian is as easy as could be. He only cries for 10 seconds when we change his diaper, but as soon as the dirty diaper is pulled away he stops. His cry is a mellow cry as well- not sharp but muted. Also, he sleeps for 6 hours straight in the middle of the night, with a two hour stretch on the front end. Tim and I are alert and well rested in the mornings. Again, do we have a baby or just a doll? This goes against everything I have read. People keep telling me to get my rest and to sleep when the baby is sleeping. I am not tired in the least however. Tim and I are implementing tanning/happy hour on our back deck from 3-5pm daily because we have so much time on our hands. I think I have called my parents/grandparents so often that I am starting to bug them. But no joke, I was kinda bored the first couple of days at home. I did four loads of laundry yesterday just to fill up my day. My friend Cynda told me I should take up a hobby. Suggestions?

So, here is our amazing schedule. I'll check back in with you all in a week or so to see if things have stayed the same.

10:15am: Wake up call
10:15-11:00am: Nurse
11:00am-1:00pm: Ian sleeps, Tim and Liz enjoy a nice cup of coffee, check emails, pay bills, blog, read, shower, etc.
1:15pm-2:00pm: Nurse
2:00pm-3:00pm: Play with Ian, stare at him, take pictures, Tim takes videos
3:00pm-4:00pm: Tim, Liz, Ian, and Pippin enjoy time on the back porch. Ian is placed in indirect sunlight of course. Tim starts to burn at around the 15 minute mark in the sun- moves to the shade. Liz's hormones make her sweat so bad that she stays in the shade the entire time and learns to live with the fact that her skin is the whitest it has ever been during the summer.
4:15pm-5:00pm: Liz leaves to nurse Ian. Tim stays on back porch to read and sip an ice cold beer or Arnold Palmer (iced tea mixed with lemonade)
5:00pm-8:00pm: Tim takes Pippin for a walk. Liz prepares dinner while also trying to figure out what to do with all of her free time.
8:15pm-9:00pm: Nurse, Tim plays video games
9:00pm-10:30pm: Read, watch tv, stare at Ian some more
10:30pm: Retire to the bedroom- read, watch tv, scratch Pippin's stomach, place Ian in bassinet
12:00am: Tim moves to the guest room, Liz feeds Ian
1:00am-4:00am: Liz changes Ian's diaper twice, swaddles him, watches closely as he sleeps in the bassinet next to her, and then slowly drifts off to sleep. (If Ian does happen to wake up during this time it is usually because he needs his diaper changed. Liz changes the diaper, puts on Enya and Ian immediately falls back to sleep)
4:00am: Nurse
4:00am-10:00am: Sleep

Seriously, I feel like I am on vacation. This schedule is soo manageable.

In other news, Tim went off to work this morning. I am getting a little taste of what it would be like to be a stay at home mom. Things are very quiet around here, even more quiet than before. Kinda scary.

I'll leave you with a picture taken from our first walk with Ian. We only went two blocks, but it was great to get out of the house.

More Ian pics

Click here for pics.

Life is Grand

For the past two days since we have been home from the hospital this is where I have been spending my mornings. Tim will brew a pot of coffee and then I will just sit on the porch with Ian and Pippin catching up on emails, reading, and phone calls. Life could not get much better.

Ian on the bed

Second morning home...

Hanging out

Pippin Preparing For the Year Ahead

Ian on Tim's lap

Looking a little annoyed with Dad...

Ian after a new diaper

He is always most active and aware right after the traumatic experience of a diaper change.

Ian in the morning

After the first night in the home...he did great! Kind of cranky from 3:00 am to 6:00 am, but great otherwise. We all slept from 6:00 till 10:00 this morning.

Ian in the big leather chair

Pippin meets Ian

Ian at hospital

Ian Whitman Chapman

From Tim's Tuesday morning email: "Ian Whitman Chapman was born very early this morning at 1:13 am. He weighed in at 6 lbs 3 ounces and is 19 inches long! All he and mom want to do is sleep! And boy do they both deserve it after nearly a 22 hour labor!"

A couple of weeks ago my mom and sisters threw me an amazing baby shower. It was just perfect in every way. They put so much time and effort into making every detail flawless. It was also wonderful to see all of my Pennsylvania family and friends. Tim's mom and sister Hannah made the trip all the way from Pittsburgh and his Aunt Monika came from New Jersey! My friend Krista whom I hadn't seen in 6 years came with her daughter Hannah. I was just once again overwhelmed by everyone's generosity, words of wisdom, incredible thoughtful gifts, and love.

The menu card and decorations

My sisters Emily, Rebecca, and Abigail who did all the work and preparation for the shower.

My older sister Sally and her son Will

The soon to be grandmothers!

Tim's sister Hannah, and my friend Krista and her daughter Hannah

The Finished Project!!!!

Over the last couple of weeks we have been getting our bathroom renovated. Our good friend Jesse's company, ConnellSchmidt, has been doing all of the work and they have done a fabulous job. The bathroom is almost done, just some finishing touches are needed, but the transformation is amazing. ConnellSchmidt and all of their workers did an incredible job of dealing with our 1902 house and all of its intricacies and outdated plumbing. Jesse even recreated the original molding in the bathroom since it is no longer available. I have posted a play by play below.

Our Bathroom Before the Renovation

Notice the gross tile, no tub, and mix-matching colors

Day One: Everything out, tub in!

Oops...slight leak from 100 year old pipes. I think this is when I had a nervous breakdown. Seven and a half months pregnant and I come home to this. Not cool.

Toilet is back in, we can return home. Showering with plastic and no shower curtain is interesting. Floor is one quarter finished. I think this may have been my meltdown weekend. Fortunately my mom came for a visit this weekend and totally took my mind off of our bathroom. But can you imagine making your mom shower in this? And making her brush her teeth in the kitchen sink?

Floor is finally all in.

Floor and shower tile done!

Waynescoating is up and first coat of paint is on the walls.

Cabinets are in but still waiting on the vanity top and sink.

I'll post the completion of the bathroom tomorrow after everything is finished. They are hopefully finishing up tonight! YAH!!!

32 weeks pregnant plus need for cold bubbly beverage = Craving #4- Root Beer

Several years from now when I look back on my first pregnancy I will think of only four things:
Orange juice, eggo waffles, fruit, and now root beer.

Each trimester can be described by the food that I craved in each. The first I was sick and orange juice was the only thing that made me feel better. The end of the first to the beginning of the second I craved eggo waffles. One weekend I ate waffles for every single meal. I didn't even switch up the syrup from regular to blueberry. I literally just ate eggo waffles with maple syrup for every single meal. That carb-packed couple of weeks led to my body needing/craving/yearning for fruit. I couldn't (and really still can't) get enough. My favorites are watermelon, blueberries, raspberries, and pineapple. And now that I am in my third trimester I average a can of root beer a day. I love it.

Last weekend my two friends Kristen and Cynda threw me the most incredible baby shower. It was so surreal. Everything was perfect. The invitation declared that the "2008 model has arrived" and the theme was red and yellow cars. It was so adorable. Kristen even spent the entire previous night making pound cake mini cars for favors. I was completely blown away. They had all of my favorite food: quiche, strawberry and banana muffins, salad, and a huge fruit salad.

It was so wonderful to see all of my DC friends gathered in one place. Did I mention I was blown away? I am still overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. Tim and I got some amazing gifts for our baby. I am definitely feeling more prepared for this baby post shower. Thank you Kristen and Cynda!!!!

Some of the scrumptious quiche.

Opening an adorable outfit.

Santorum girls!

The AMAZING Hosts!