Yum, yum, yum!

Cate began eating cereal right before she turned 5 months old. She was not a fan at first, but has learned to love it. She looks like a little baby bird eating. She immediately swallows and her mouth is already open before we can spoon the next bite.

The first vegetable we gave her was around 5 months, and we started with sweet potatoes. She got all excited about it, I think because she thought it was more cereal. She took the first bite with excitement, and then gave me a look like, "What are you doing to me?" She looked like I would if I ate a spoonful of dirt. Each bite her mouth opened wide for more, and each time she was genuinely surprised that it was not cereal. She got used to it, and now loves sweet potatoes!

Next we tried green beans, and they were harder to get her to like. The 3rd day of green beans I was alternating beans with cereal (bite of beans, bite of cereal, etc) and it was working pretty well. At some point, she caught on and when I would put the spoon into the bean bowl she would start whining. Eventually, she just got flat out MAD and started crying her eyes out. I think this coincided with her ear infection and not feeling well, but I am glad to introduce the next veggie.

Carrots are a hit! She cannot get enough of them. She never missed a beat. She ate the whole jar in about 4 minutes. We can't wait to give her more :)

Below is Cate eating cereal. You can't really see it on her in this pic, but she is a mess everytime she eats!!



This is the face she had the whole time we were feeding her the carrots. She absolutely LOVES them! I hope her love for veggies will continue.

OUCH!

Cate got sick for the first time when she was in her 5th month. It started with a runny nose, undoubtedly from daycare, and stayed runny for a few weeks. The doctor said not to worry about it unless her demeanor changed or a fever started. On Sunday, October 9th she was kindof fussy all day, which is not like her. I decided to take Monday off to be with her since she didn't feel well. On Monday, I went to wake her up (which is so sweet and fun normally) and she looked at me and burst into tears. I picked her up, and could tell she had a fever.

The doctor said she had two ear infections and gave her amoxicillin. After 4 days, it wasn't working and she was still unhappy. Scott took her back to the doctor and they gave her another antibiotic. Within one day, she was her happy self, which we missed very much :)

Below is a picture of that sweet pitiful girl when she was not feeling well! It makes your heart melt!

5 Months

At 5 months, Cate is very close to rolling over, but can't seem to get that last arm out from under her. She can sit up on her own for the most part, but does end up lopping over on her side or face. She laughs out loud all the time now, and it is the sweetest sounds. She loves when her mommy kisses her face and feet, loves when daddy gives her "zerberts" on her belly, and also enjoys singing with us. Her favorite song is "Wheels on the Bus". When Mommy pauses between verses, she starts smiling and laughing, anticipating what will come next! She is so very happy and sleeps so well. We couldn't ask for a better baby girl.

These pictures are kind of grainy, because I tried to make them larger. Sorry!

This was a morning before school. Right when the weather started to change. Of course, she DID wear pants to school.

I call this one "Little Buddha". Look how sweet that face is :)

These were taken outside at Grana and Grandaddy's yard sale. She LOVES being outside, and it is so much fun to take her out now that the weather is not so hot. Fall is her mommy's favorite season, so maybe it will be hers as well.

4 months

At 4 months old, Cate was introduced to Mommy and Daddy's favorite past time: FOOTBALL! She also began getting more attached to her "best friends". She has: Akbar, which is the octopus on her activity mat, Meep the Sheep who is her cuddle buddy, and Susan P who rides with her wherever we go in the car. At four months, she was weighing in around 13 pounds. She was 75% weight, 75% head, and 50% height. I guess she is taking after her Mama :)

Here is a picture of her dressed up for her first Georgia game. Those dawgs didn't win, but we love them anyway!

This is just one of my favorite pictures of her! So adorable!

Here she is asleep with Meep. Luckily, she is starting to play more in her pack n play as well as sit in her swing, etc. It makes for a much easier time letting mommy and daddy do a few things around the house :)

3 months

I am trying to be better about updating, but I can't really remember anything significant that happened at 3 months. She was just still an adorable, happy, well-rested baby :)

Week 12

12 weeks marked a big day for our family- mommy and daddy both went back to work. Scott and I were blessed to stay home with Cate for 3 months. While sometimes it was tough, overall it was a bonding experience we will never forget. It was so very special to have all of that time with our baby girl (as sleep-deprived as it was).

Cate started sleeping through the night 2 days before we went back to work. What a blessing! Her first day was good. She gets a "report card" every day and she slept and ate very well her first day. Mommy, not so much. I cried when she left (Scott takes her to daycare), I cried in the car, and I cried every time my sweet co-workers asked how I was. I brought lots of pictures to share, so it was a nice distraction showing her off. I left work so quickly, I was almost running to my car. I cried again when I picked her up that day ;)

Here are some pictures of her at 12 weeks.... so precious, as usual!!!


I got Scott a "Baby Bjorn" carrier for Father's Day. At first Cate was NOT a fan, but she is now really starting to enjoy all her stuff more. She is better in the swing, her vibrating chair, and her Baby Bjorn. She loves to walk around and look up at you as she travels. I do not know HOW babies know the difference between rocking them while you stand versus rocking them while you sit, but she needs to be standing. ;)

A lot of times, we feel like Cate looks so different in so many pictures. I just wanted to add this one because she looks so darn beautiful in it :) This was taken at a restaurant that had a waterfall by the door. As you can tell, she was mesmerized.

Week 11

In week 11, Cate really started becoming more open to being in places other than our arms :) Her Grana got her this chair from Ikea, called a "Spoilin' Chair". This is also the picture that I love because I think she looks a lot like me from my baby pictures. She definitely has both of our attributes, me from the nose up and Scott's mouth and chin. We still don't know how we made such a beautiful baby. But, I guess all parents think their child is gorgeous :)

Week 10

At week 10, Cate went in for her 2 month check up. She was 50% in everything: weight, head, and height. She also had to get her first big round of immunizations. She was very mad, but then was fine. We LOVE our pediatrician's office, and our nurse, Carolyn made sure to give Tylenol to Cate before she gave her the shots so she would be able to feel better really soon :)





My favorite picture of Cate from week 10. She looks so funny and cute in this pic :)











Here is a picture I took at the pediatrician's office right after the shots. It is so pitiful. But her face only lasted like this for a brief few minutes :)

Week 9

We cannot remember anything significant happening in week 9, but I do remember crying this week because I knew that I had only 4 more weeks at home with this precious angel. I was NOT looking forward to going back to work.

Who would want to leave this face?

Week 8

Around week 8, Cate started transitioning out of all of her newborn clothes. Here is a picture of her in my favorite onesie, a Carter's with little elephants on it. I went shopping at Target that week for a friend's baby shower, saw the little newborn onesie, and started crying in the middle of Target. How embarassing! Then, I saw that, DUH they had the same onesie in a size 0-3 months. So, I get to love my baby girl in it for a bit longer. It is weird how such random things become sentimental to a first-time mom.

Week 7

Where's the hair?! Cate started losing some hair around weeks 5 and 6, but look at this pic! If you look carefully, you will see that she is completely bald on top, with plenty of reserve around the crown and down the sides. We called her the 40 year old man for a few weeks. We knew it would happen, but we were both sad to see this new "do". Truth be told, Scott was much more upset than me. Of course, both of us still knew how beautiful she still was :)

Week 6

Towards the end of her 6th week, Cate gave us her first "responsive" smile. We would put our faces right in front of hers, and one day she studied us really hard, and then HOORAY: we saw that first beautiful smile that we knew was intended just for us :)

Week 5

Week 5 is when things finally started to get into a routine. Cate began sleeping around 6 hours a night. We began making sure she went down in her crib, and she was great! I would feed her around 10:00 pm and put her down around 10:45, and she would be back up anywhere from 3:00 to 4:30.

Here is a picture of where she really LOVES to snooze, on mommy and daddy :)

Week 4

Cate has done SO well with feeding. She must be just like her Mommy and Daddy :) In the hospital, she had to have formula for the first 2 days, and from there she has been fine. She goes from breast to bottle to pacifier without a hitch. Breastfeeding is such a joy and a lot easier than I had anticipating. I love our time together. I know Scott loves giving her bottles, too.

Cate is very "milk drunk" in this picture. Her outfit is unzipped because many times we had to wipe her with a baby wipe to wake her up. :)

Week 3

Week 3 we started "venturing out" a little bit. We took Cate to her Grana's and also to her Bebe's. She does NOT like the car. Scott still makes me ride in the back with her, paci on hand.

In the car on the way to Bebe's.

Week 2

Week 2 was spent adjusting to our life with Cate. Our first week, we put her in a bassinet beside our bed, slept with her downstairs, and we changed shifts at 3:00. I would have her from 10:00 to 3:00, and Scott from 3:00 to 7:00. She was very fussy anywhere from 1 am to 6 am. We watched so much TV rocking and cuddling her that our TV started dying. Luckily, she quickly got on a better schedule. We had her in her crib at night by the end of week 2.


Mommy holding Cate in her arms. Such a wonderful, indescribable bond.

Week 1

Week 1 had us still in the hospital, coming home 3 days after she was born. We were able to give her a "sponge bath" because her umbilical chord was still attached. She slept well in the hospital. We did not want her to scratch her face, so we had mittens on her. When those fell off every 5 seconds, we resorted to socks :) See the precious pictures below.


Saying her "prayers". She is most certainly an answered prayer to her mommy and daddy. We dreamed of her for so long, and she has exceeded all of our expectations. A true blessing from our wonderful Father Above!

She did NOT like her first bath. Now that we can submerge her, she likes it a lot better.

She was much happier when Daddy wrapped her in a warm towel. This might be my favorite picture of her. She is so precious.

Four Generations

In the hospital, we made sure to get a "4 Generations" picture. Bettye Gattis Blaylock, Barbara Blaylock Zimmerman, Jessica Mease Robbins, and Catherine Allen Robbins.

Cate and her Great Grandma Blaylock (the only one living) :(

Coming Home

After 5 long days in the hospital, we finally got to bring our little girl home on Friday, May 6th. It was warm outside, so we did not know how to dress her. Also, Bebe took a bag home before us to lighten our load, and her "coming home" outfit was in that bag :( So were ALL of her receiving blankets. So, my cute pictures I envisioned were replaced with the handouts from Kennestone. Regardless, she is ADORABLE in these pics and oh-so-tiny!

Cate and Mommy in the wheelchair waiting to be taken out. Mommy was a little emotional.

In the car. She is so teeny tiny in this car seat compared to where she is now!

Aspen fell in love instantly. She is a not only a guard dog for Cate, but a wonderful Big Sister. So gentle when around Cate, and SO worried when we burp her or she is crying.

Our Birth Story

I am SO sad that it has taken me this long to update our blog. I know everyone has seen plenty of pictures on FB, so I don't feel too guilty. I wanted to write this story so we can remember it and hopefully have it be part of Cate's baby book.

Scott and I left for Kennestone Hospital on Sunday, May 1st at 5:30. We checked in for them to administer Cervadil in anticipation of my induction the next day. Neither one of us got much sleep that night. In the morning, I woke up and was given 45 minutes to take a shower. Around 9:00, they began the Petocin and my doctor broke my water at 10:00. Having my water broken was very painful. Scott had told me he was going to "hang in the background", but when I needed him he was right there. Dr. Pitcher looked me in the eye, told me what she needed me to do, and I did it just because I was able to focus on Scott. Within an hour, my contractions were really strong and hurting very badly. I went ahead and asked for my epidural. Again, Scott was there to hold my hand and make me feel better.

All day Monday, I labored, going from 1 to 6 fairly routinely. Mom and Cathy were in and out, and Scott and I read and played a lot of Gin Rummy. He is VERY good, by the way. Something new I found out about my hubby after all of these years. That night, I was still progressing, but it had slowed. Again, I did not get much sleep because I had an internal monitor, a catheter, and an epidural. Very uncomfortable. My epidural also had a spot where it kept wearing off, so they anesthesia people had to come in throughout the night to adjust it.

At 5:30 am on Tuesday, I woke up to see my doctor at my bed. She explained to me that I had been at 8 cenimeters for several hours, and that Cate's head was still wedged between my hip and my kidney. After 22 hours of labor, she said the words I was dreading, "C Section". After that, it was like a crazy whirlwind. I was crying, and there were about 8 people in my room doing various things: paperwork, anesthesia, vitals, prepping me, etc. On the way down to the operating room I told them I didn't feel well, and by the time the words came out I had thrown up all over my bed. I guess sterilization is not like the movies, because they just wiped it off with a towel and kept going.

Once I got in the operating room, I could see Scott through a window while they prepped me. I just kept asking, "When can my husband come in?" Over and over through tears. Finally he came in (I am sure it was just a couple of minutes) and they started. My epidural was supposed to only let me feel "pressure", which it did. My doctor told me I would feel better when she got the baby out, but it didn't. Apparently, I had been given so much petocin that my body would not stop contracting, which was interfering with her sewing me up. I remember them telling me she was out, and asking if she was okay, and that's all. I did not get to hear her first cry, or see her until after the rest of the family. They fully sedated me to finish the surgery and kicked Scott out of the room. They sent him back to our room with the baby, all alone :( Luckily, when he got back mom and Cathy were there to sit with him. Cate had her eyes wide open and followed Scott's voice wherever he was in the room. Already my little girl was in love with her daddy.

When I woke up in recovery, all I wanted to do was drink some water. I kept asking if my baby was okay and why couldn't I see her? I think I was too groggy and they were waiting for the anesthesia to wear off. But I bet I asked them 50 times in 45 minutes where she was. Everytime I heard the door to the room open, I was hoping it was Scott and Cate. Finally, he wheeled her around the curtain. The nurse immediately unwrapped her and put her on my chest for some "skin to skin" time. I was still a little groggy, but all I could tell Scott is, "She is so beautiful". She laid on my chest with her eyes wide open, and we just looked at each other. The sweetest moment of my life.

Catherine Allen Robbins was here! Born at 6:09 am weighing 6 lbs, 7 oz and a height of 19 inches.

After surgery, we had to spend 3 more days in the hospital. I could not breastfeed Cate for 24 hours after the surgery, and then the next morning I had to have a kidney scan to make sure my doctor had not nicked my ureter. But, Cate did great and has from then on never had a problem going from bottle to breast.

We had so many visitors, I cannot thank everyone enough. We felt so blessed with your love for us and for Cate. Also, I have to say how WONDERFUL the nurses and nurse techs at Kennestone were. They made our stay so comfortable and really gave us the confidence we needed as first time parents. We came home on Friday, May 6th. Here are a few pictures:


On our way to the hospital on Sunday, May 1st.

In the hospital. I'm pretty sure this is early on, but after the epidural. I know this because I am smiling :)

Scott getting ready for my surgery. He looks pretty cute in scrubs, huh?

Scott holding his baby girl for the first time.

Catherine Allen Robbins.

Mommy and Cate the day before we came home.

Getting her hearing test. She did great :)

Cate's Nursery

We finally completed the nursery THIS MORNING (the day I check into the hospital). Talk about wrapping things up just in time!


Below are several pictures of the nursery, I hope you can get a feel for it. The room is just really large, so it was impossible to get a shot of the entire thing. Each picture has a pretty detailed description, because so many of the pieces are special to our family. So- I hope you don't get too bored :)


I say this all over the blog, but I need to say it again: We are truly BLESSED with wonderful friends and family. They have done so much to bring Cate's nursery together. Specifically, the grandparents, the Kellams, and the Phillips. I appreciate everything you did to make Cate's room a wonderful place for her to be. I can't wait for her to meet y'all! Scott and I love you all very much.


Granddaddy sketching out where all the furniture should go.


Daddy hanging up all of clothes. He even organized them by size :)


This is the Blaylock Bed that has held 4 generations of my mom's family. My Aunt Sandy (dad's sister) made all of the bedding. She worked so very hard to make all of the details perfect. It is the sweetest bedding I have ever seen. Cate is going to love it so much. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Aunt Sandy! We love you very much!

The wall with the crib...

A close up of the bedding...

Her sweet letters that a family friend made for us. BB took great care to hang this just perfectly!

This is my paternal great-grandmother's rocker (Jess Mease). For those that didn't know, I am her namesake. She was an intregal part of raising my dad and my Aunt Sandy, and I feel so blessed to be able to rock Cate in the same rocker where she held my Granny and my dad.

The wall with the rocker and the butterflies that Grana made...

The changing table with a homeade lamp, diaper wipe holder, and even customized "C" hand sanitizer :)

The room is so large that we kept a twin bed in there for anytime we need to sleep in there. We are going to TRY not to use this too much :) The mirror above was my Granny's...

A close up of the appliques that match her bedding. Thanks, Jennifer and BB for hanging these!

The last wall. The bow hanger on the door was a gift and I cannot WAIT for the bows to go in Cate's hair! The bookshelf is filled with many special items, made especially for Cate. Her grandparents, mom, and daddy are avid readers, so Cate will get a lot of use out of the bookshelf.

A close up of the cross-stitch hanging by the book shelf. My Granny (dad's mom) made this for my big sister, Lynnie. It has hung in all of our nurseries. I am so glad to have it for Cate to continue the tradition.