Sweet Brothers

Miles still can't get enough of his baby brother. He begs to hold "Char-Char" any chance he gets, smothering him with kisses and hugs. 

Someday I suspect these two will cause mischief together. But for now, there's nothing but love between them.  

Sweet Sleepy Guy

Settling in at Home

At 2 weeks old, Charlie is a happy, easy going baby who loves to sleep, nurse and snuggle. When awake, he intently studies our faces with a furrowed brow. But most of the time he sleeps soundly, undisturbed by the chaos of life around him. 

Grant and Miles want to hold him whenever they can. They fight over who will hold him first and who Charlie loves the most. They also want to touch his face, kiss him and essentially smother him with their love. Not surprisingly, poor Charlie already has his first cold. 

More than anyone else, Miles has become Charlie's protector. He never tires of holding his baby brother. When he cries, Miles says, "It's OK baby. Momma's here. It's OK baby. Miles is here." He sings made-up songs to him and rushes to give him a pacifier when needed. And Charlie responds to him—he seems to be soothed by Miles' presence.

Our biggest struggle in these early weeks has been remembering Charlie's name. More often than not, we call him Teddy (the cat's name). The boys simply call him "the baby." Sometimes I call him "what's his name" because it's easier than remembering. 

All in all, we're adjusting to life with a new baby, enjoying these sweet snuggly, sleepy early days.

Halloween Week

Halloween week was quite eventful, with a new baby brother, grandparents visiting and Grant's first lost tooth. But we still found time to mark the occasion. Both boys wanted to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles this year, and in a moment of weakness, I let them. Because, frankly, it required very little effort on my very pregnant part.

In any case, they made pretty cute mean, teen fighting machines.

On the Saturday before Charlie was born, we went to Salisbury House for their annual Halloween event. The boys collected candy and other treats in the mansion's rooms, explored the creepy crawly creatures on display, and did some serious coloring.

On Beggar's Night, the boys went trick or treating with Kent and Grandpa. They brought home a pretty good haul of candy before it started to rain.

Here they are defending their new baby brother. 

For his part, Baby Charlie slept soundly through his first Halloween. 

Charlie's First Days

After a difficult labor in which I spiked a fever and Charlie's heart rate was low enough to worry my doctor, Charlie had to spend his first days in the NICU. The doctors were concerned that the combination of my fever and his heart rate could be a sign of an infection. We were told he would be monitored in the NICU for 48 hours to 7 days. This news, delivered while I was still laboring, was distressing. After he was delivered, Charlie was able to rest on my chest for a few minutes before being whisked away to the NICU. Kent went with him while I waited in recovery before I could join them again. 

It was hard to see our new baby attached to wires and monitors. His heart rate, breathing and blood pressure were constantly monitored, and his blood sugar was taken before every feeding. The constant beeping from the monitors made me crazy. It was hardly the peaceful first days that we imagined. Thankfully we were able to hold him, and I was able to nurse him—although he was always attached to wires. 

He was a good sport about all the poking and prodding too. He rarely cried, and when he was awake, he was alert and content. 

We were relieved that he took to nursing right away and that he looked healthy. First blood tests came back with good results. We were hopeful that his stay in the NICU would be short.

On Monday after school, the boys came to meet their brother for the first time. They peered at him in his bed, wanting to smother him with snuggles. "What's his name again?" Miles asked repeatedly, while Grant said he was "soooo cute." 

On Wednesday morning after feeding him and heading back to my room to take a quick shower, I got a call from the NICU. The neonatologist gave Charlie a clean bill of health and he was going to be released that day. We were so relieved! And we could finally hold him without wires and monitors.

We couldn't wait to take our new baby home with us and start our new life as a family of five. 

Another Milestone

In the weeks before Charlie's arrival, Grant had his first very loose tooth. I hoped that it would come out before the baby due to a traumatic childhood incident of my own in which the Tooth Fairy failed to come on the night my brother was born. While we waited patiently for the baby to arrive, we waited patiently for Grant's tooth to fall out. He wiggled and wiggled it, but it hung on by a thread. Until...

On the morning that Charlie was born, we called the boys before school so they could be the first to hear the news. "That's great, Mom and Dad," G said, "but I lost my tooth!" It finally fell out in his bed while he was sleeping on the night we went to the hospital. Thankfully Grandma recovered it. And the Tooth Fairy did make an appearance.

Introducing...

Charlie Bedford Smith
Born Oct. 26, 2015, at 5:36 a.m.
8 days "overdue"
7 pounds, 13 ounces
20.75 inches long
25 hours of labor
2 proud big brothers