Learning starts early....

My cousin, Mikaila, is such a great reader!

We made it home!

We have had a busy two days! Here are some things we have done so far...

Friday we got to come home. We got everything in the hospital room packed up, including Laela in the carseat. She didn't even make a peep when I put her in. Laela did awesome in the car. She slept the entire way, even though her cheeks jiggled on every bump!

We made it home safely and daddy is taking Laela out of the carseat. We showed her around the house and she seemed to like it.

Here is her first diaper change at the house. One of her new favorite spots is the changing table. Laela seems to love her new room (especially the wall color and design.)

Our first night consisted of sleeping and eating. Overall, Laela adjusted very well. She seems to be almost close to perfect, which scares me for when she gets older...we may have our hands full! I woke up several times, just to check to make sure she was still breathing. Ro, on the other hand, had a little more difficult time. He is so tired, so I tried to let him sleep through some. When he did wake up, he is such an awesome dad. He really is gentle with Laela and he truly loves to just sit and hold her.

After a good night of sleeping and feeding, we decided to take our first family walk and Laela's first stroller ride. Again...she slept through it, but had a wonderful time!

Laela has some very interesting faces. Here is one of my favorite..."I was just fed and now I am happy" faces.

Some Laela Pictures!

Taking pictures has been quite enjoyable with a new baby! Here are a handful of them from the last couple of days!

Mom and baby are both doing great! I now have THREE beautiful ladies to share a home with.....Allie, we haven't forgotten about you.

Can't wait to go home tomorrow! Even though the hospital stay has been great, nothing beats sleeping in your own bed.

Its a Girl!.....With lots of Hair!

Since Kelli is working on recovering (And hopefully sleeping), and since I can't stop thinking about our baby, I figured it would be a good time to get some writing done. I know Kelli will be writing a blog describing her experience but I figured I would provide a few updates!

Ok, Ok, I will jump right into the good stuff! At 7:05pm on June 24th, Kelli gave birth to Laela, our 7 lb., 20 in healthy baby. I will spare the details but Kelli wound up going the C-section route so she will have a slightly longer recovery time than she expected. Her goal was to make it to some Thursday night party but those plans may have changed! But overall, Kelli is recovering well. For me, I had a really cool day. Cool is a slight understatement. I learned a little more about medicine, which is always fascinating. I saw my wife battle through alot of pain without yelling out one explictive! I sent and received over 100 text messages and phone calls, combined. I hope everyone I called has Verizon! And finally, I saw the birth of my baby girl. There are certain moments in life that you wish you could store somewhere and replay them over and over again. Before today, it was my wedding day. Before that was the time I had my first pizza roll from Old Chicago.....ok, just kidding on that one.........mmmmm, pizza rolls.

If I could replay our baby being born, I would hit rewind over and over again. I fell in love the instant I saw her. It was the weirdest/most amazing feeling I have ever felt. I dont get swept up in the moment very often but last night was an exception. I know people keep saying that having a baby is alot of work,time, commitment, etc. I am sure its going to be all of the above and more but it will be definetly worth the time and effort.

Below are some pictures of Laela. She has some BIG eyes and lots of black hair!!! What a cutie.

More pics and post to follow in the upcoming days.

Also, thanks to everyone who called, texted, visited, cried (Yes, there were some tears shed!), etc. We really really appreciate all of the support and help. It was a really great day for everyone involved.

Oh yes....

We are still missing Allie Mae! She will hopefully return home on Friday. :)

This is it!

Okay friends...this is it! Here is our plan: We have our pre-admission hospital appointment at 1:00 pm today. We will go in fill out paperwork and take a little blood. Then, we are off to the regular doctor for a sono and last check at 2:45 pm. Finally, we have to be at the hospital at 8:00pm for check-in. They are going to start the induction process. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I am hoping for a fast delivery! We will make phone calls and post pictures as soon as possible! Laela...we are coming in to get you, so get ready for this crazy world!

Summer Camp...

Ro dropped off Allie this morning. He decided to start calling it "summer camp" rather than training. I don't know if it is for the dog's sake or his own. Before packing her bag in the car, Ro had a serious talk with her. It was quite humorous! (I have to tell you first, Allie has a $50 monthly allowance for food, treats, toys, medicine, etc)

Ro said..."Allie you are going to summer camp today! You better learn something and be a good listener. Do you know that this is costing you 10 months worth of allowance! Do you have any coupons?" At that point, I burst into laughter...I couldn't help it.

We hope for her to come back a changed girl and adjust to the changes that are going to happen while she is gone. We miss you already Allie Mae!

Week #39

Didn't think that I would make it this far, but Laela is still baking! Doctor says that there is still no change. DARN! I did mention to the doc that my body has felt different and the baby didn't seem to move as much these last 4 or 5 days. She decided to hook me up to heartrate monitors for 20 minutes and then do a sono. Of course...baby is fine! There are plenty of fluids and she weighs in at 6lbs 9oz. (Hmmmm...I don't know how accurate that really is, but it makes me hopeful that she is not going to come out a giant!)

As far as everything goes, we are set-up to check-in at the hospital on Monday, June 23rd at 8:00 pm. They will start medicine to soften my cervix and hopefully the labor process if I have not already started naturally. Then...Laela may be joining us on Tuesday, June 24th...her expected date...NO EARLIER, NO LATER. I haven't decided if she is going to be stubborn or timely. Hmmmmm...can't wait to meet her!

Week #38...

Today is week #38. We went to the doctor and there are still no changes. Baby's heart rate is 150 and she is movin and groovin. Any day now!!!

Last time...

I promise...this is the LAST room update! I am very excited about how it turned out and I think we are finally ready to go. The only other thing that will fit in there is our little baby girl! Here are the final pics before she arrives. (Hmmmm...is that really the paint color I want? HA!)

Thoughts...

Kelli has been doing all the “blogging” but I figured I would throw a few in there before Baby Murthy gets here! Last week was quite an adventure. I found out the week before last that I had to go to Boston for a meeting with MIT Lincoln Labs from June 4-6. With it being so close to Kelli’s due date, it was not something that I wanted to do but at the same time, didn’t have too many choices. My company is quite flexible and will do what it takes to get me back if Kelli does go into labor. Also, Kelli finished up school this week after a long, tiring, stressful school year. I think she is finally worn out, like an old sweater, and is ready to get out of school. I guess if I worked 10-hour days, 8 months out of the year, I would be slightly tired as well. Moreover, I don’t see how a pregnant woman works an entire school year without taking a single sick day. She needs another tattoo, next to her flower tattoo, that says “Bad Ass” on it!

My Pregnancy Observations
As this is my first pregnancy experience, I have observed certain things that I find funny, annoying, and very interesting. Lets start with the interesting. I am amazed at the child development process. Kelli sends me these weekly updates providing info on where the baby is at in terms of growth, size, development, etc. This in addition to the progress seen in the sonograms is pretty amazing. First, every expecting couple needs a sonogram machine at home. Along with my queso waterslide, the homemade sono is on my “To-Do” list. Also, being an electrical engineer, we have the ability to design, develop, test, and see results. But we know each step in the process and how to impact the results. Watching my baby grow from a tadpole to a full size “being” is extraordinary because no human can synthesize the process. I mean, how does all of the development really happen?
Next, our dog, Allie, “knows” that we are having a baby. Either she is super smart, has really keen senses, or knows that a bigger belly means baby. These days, she seems a lot more protective of us, the house, etc. At night, she will sleep by Kelli’s bedside before coming to her bed. Allie also follows Kelli wherever she goes. Either she is exercising her Catahoula instincts or protecting the mom and little one.

Annoying
From my recent observations, I have determined that pregnant women don’t become moody, hormonal, irritable, or emotional by choice. These are mostly environmentally induced reactions. Sure, there are times when a 6 pound object in their midsection may cause some discomfort and irritation. But the environment consists of people who rub the pregnant belly in public like it is a magic lamp, discuss breastfeeding while discussing weather, comment that the pregnant lady looks bigger every day, and constantly ask “How do you feel? How much weight have you gained? When are you due? How often do you pee? Do you have hemorrhoids?” If I were in my wife’s shoes, I would be fired up all the time! Kelli, you do an excellent job in maintaining your sanity.

Funny
I find it pretty funny that the doctor said our baby should come out with A LOT of hair! Baby also seems to have a good-sized nose and large eye sockets! First, when I was born, I pretty much had an afro! Next, I have been told, in various conversations, that I have big eyes (and naturally, a large nose being Indian). It’s nice to see our baby has some paternal traits!

Overall Experience (Before the birthing event!)
As I was telling Kelli the other day, I have been pleasantly surprised with the last 9 months. I have heard from other men, whose names I will not disclose, and read in magazines that their wives turned into Griselda on Steroids once pregnancy hit. Ok, ok…maybe not that bad. But overall, the whole experience has been excellent. Yes, I have been busy with doing more of the house things but what’s a husband for? Also, within the last few months my excitement has really picked up. It’s hard to get super excited 1 month into it.

And in comparison to wedding planning, ha. I’d have 50 babies (Easier said than done as I am not giving birth) before I go through the wedding planning process again. The wedding itself was great. Don’t get me wrong. But the 9 months that led to it were a royal beating.

That is all from the Dad. I will write again soon!

What about me?

Ro and Allie made-up when he got back. Oh man that dog missed him!

Allie Mae...

We wanted everyone to know that we have not forgotten about the precious little girl we already have. Allie is still a stinker, but we love her! There have been a few changes lately and she has done so good. She doesn't know this yet, but she is about to go to school for 2 weeks. :( Ro and I get upset just thinking about not seeing her for that long, but it will be good for her. Recently she seems to choose who and what she listens to, as well as being very anxious. I am sure the changes don't help!

Ro has been on a business trip the last couple of days and it seems to really effect Allie. She barely eats and loves to give me the sad face. So of course...she gets to do things that she is not supposed to...like sleep on our bed, have a few cheerios, and even get on the couch for 5 or 10 minutes. :) Well...she doesn't exactly ask for permission. She does it and hopes that it is okay when I find her. This is from this morning when I was getting ready...

I found her all nice and cozy on the couch...without my permission. Did I make her get off...NO! Daddy is not home. :)