Who's That?

Here's a picture of Charley staring at herself in the mirror while in the bathtub. She was intrigued by that cute girl staring back at her.

1 lb 1 oz in 1 Week

Today was the two-week doctor visit. The one where they weigh the baby to see if it reached its birth weight. Well, our sweet little Charley only needed to gain 6 oz last week and instead gained 17!! She is now 7 lbs 13 oz, which is 11 oz over her birth weight. Yay!! This is such a huge relief to a nursing mother who has given every ounce of her everything to feed her precious child.
There is a slideshow of Charley's first two weeks on our website.

Happy Mother's Day

First Weekend, First Bath

My parents made it into town in time for the birth, and thank goodness, my mom is still here with us. She has been a HUGE help. My mother-in-law, Frenchie, arrived on Friday with our cousin, Mylin. They were able to meet Charley and be at the house when we brought her home. I turned 28 on Saturday, so the seven of us celebrated with hamburgers and an ice cream cake! (Charley just had to watch). The Charleston crew, including my dad, headed home on Saturday.

The proud grandparents

Charley's eyes are opened! (rare)

We washed Charley's hair and gave her a sponge bath on Sunday. She did really well!

All clean!

A few things to note about Charley, as of 5-days-old:

• She hates having her diaper changed! She absolutely scream cries the moment you undo her diaper. I'm talkin' blood curdling scream, where her sweet little cry transforms into a very mad, quivering cry (it's cute for now, but I'm sure we won't think that in a month).
• Charley has had a few "awake times" both yesterday and today after her daytime feedings. She likes sitting up and looking around. She still doesn't recognize us, and often has a confused look on her face. I love her eyes, and I can't wait until she starts smiling and "seeing us."
• She falls asleep while eating. Sometimes it's not until the very end, but we pretty much have a 100% fall asleep rate.
• A rash has developed on her chin from eating all the time. Poor thing... I feel so bad! (Any tips from other moms on how to prevent/treat this?)
• Like a lot of babies, Charley is in love with her hands. They are her best friends and she always has them by her face (as she did in the 3D ultrasound). We have to keep her hands covered because otherwise she would scratch her face, which she has already done (as evidenced in pictures).
• Often when I look at Donald, I see Charley! Especially in the eye area. They're both so cute. :)
  
• We are so in love with her!!
  

Our Sweet Girl.. She's Home!

Well, here I am, the new mom, finally giving an update on the arrival of our sweet little girl. First of all, who knew she would come a week early?! All of you who voted "Earlier than May 5th" on the poll are all cheaters!! :) I'm too tired to give a detailed report, but I promise I will sometime in the future. I just wanted to say THANK YOU for everyone's love and support over the last few days. Donald and I are unbelievably blessed. I can't even describe the joy we feel over our little girl. I also can't describe the exhaustion! I set out to update you with much more than this, but wow, my brain shut down during the first sentence. Just know that we are all well and are praising God for our sweet little Charley. We are overwhelmed with this beautiful gift that He has given us.

Charley is Here

Hey guys, sorry for the tardiness of this Blog, I have been trying since last night to post a few pictures so the rest world can rejoice with MB and Me. Yes you are correct Donald wrote this Blog and there might me some mistakes in it, but oh well. Well as most of you know, Our little precious bundle of Joy is here, Charlotte Rose Spann "Charley". Born Wednesday April 30, 3:38 m Weighting 7 lbs. and 2 oz., 21 inches long, and healthy.

Isn't the most Beautiful thing in the World. God is so amazing at how he works and brings life on this earth. We are not worthy of this, but very blessed that he allowed it.

I am not a very proud Daddy am I?!

She has a ton of Hair just like me!

The most beautiful and hardest worker of all Greeville Spann's, that includes Sadie. My unbelievable wife, best friend, and now mother!!

And here is the rest of the story.

PS. MB might be able to post later, more better than me.

Love you guys

The Baby Poll

It's time to cast your vote for when you think the baby will arrive. Sometimes these are called Baby Pools, but I went with "poll" because "pools" are more complex, often involve money, and remind me of small, blue plastic tubs with two inches of [warm] water in them. "Poll" makes much more sense. Here are the factors to consider when placing your vote:

1. My original due date was May 9.
2. My due date based on the 20-week ultrasound was May 7.
3. Babies are rarely born on their due date.
4. This is my first baby.
5. I rarely eat spicy food.
6. I like Mexican food, but don't eat it that frequently.
   
7. There was a full moon on April 20th.
8. May 11 is Mother's Day.
9. May 18 - 24 is National Dog Bite Prevention Week.
10. May is National Correct Posture Month.
11. Miss Lippy's car is green.
12. Mondays child is fair of face,
    Tuesdays child is full of grace,
    Wednesdays child is full of woe,
    Thursdays child has far to go,
    Fridays child is loving and giving,
    Saturdays child works hard for his living,
    And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
    Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

Okay, so maybe that will help you as you make your decision. Vote over there (to the right). Remember, you can only vote once, and I have no way, unfortunately, of knowing who voted for what, so I won't hate you if you select "Later than May 11."