Coming Home Day

Penelope came home on Sunday, a beautiful sunny day after one of the largest snow storms in DC history. Here's a shot Ben took outside the hospital the night before we came home.

And here are some shots of all of us preparing to come home:

Early Photos

As promised for the ravenous blog followers out there here are some shots of the three of us in these first few days.

Ben before heading into the c-section - happy dad-to-be!

PJ (about 17 hours old) and Mom (no one needs to know how old)

PJ on Day 2

Announcing the World Debut of...

Miss Penelope Jean Champa. She arrived Wednesday the 16th at 3:15 pm weighing 7 lbs 14 ozs and measuring in at 20 inches. We will have photos and/or video posted soon, but wanted to be sure the loyal blog followers had the news!

We are so lucky to have her - every time the nurses have to take her out of the room for some reason and then bring her back a little later, I can't help but think how surreal it is that she "belongs" to us. Our own happy healthy baby girl to love and care for the rest of our lives - unbelievable!

Last Day of Work

Today was my last day at work until after she arrives. It is just a matter of a few days at this point, because it turns out that my doctor will not let me stay pregnant forever. Ben and I are both staying home now until she comes, which won't be any later than the 16th. It was a very strange feeling turning off the light in my office today and knowing that I wouldn't be back for several months. I wish I could think of some poetic, creative, beautiful words to describe how it felt to finish up work this evening, only to come home and wait over the next few days for our lives to change in the most dramatic of ways, but the best word I could come up with was eerie.

I am just going to say it one more time: I hope she arrives soon, (although the idea of begging the powers to be in the world to send me into labor does seem like a sort of weird request).

When Will Baby Girl Champa Arrive?

I am getting crazy (did I say getting crazy or going crazy?) and trying to find ways to distract myself in these finals days, so I am expanding my blog skills to include a poll (see insert on the left) - I figure the oh so scientific art of guessing when babies will arrive was a perfect way to try out this new (to me) feature! So, anyone out there interested in venturing a guess. The doctors haven't given us any info to go on, so it's a level playing field. Stay tuned for any updates we get in the next few days!

Spoiling Baby Champa Some More

I hope that this little girl doesn't start out life with a princess complex because she certainly has been the recipient of a lot of parties and attention and she is not even here yet. (I guess that's one benefit of our geographically-diverse family!) Anyway, below is a shot of us with the fabulous hostesses of the latest shower in her honor. Both Baby Girl Champa and I wanted to say thank you to the hostesses as well as all of our family and friends who have made us feel so loved and blessed over the last few months. We can't wait for you all to meet her (once she arrives and we figure out what we are doing a bit).

Carolyn, Me, Shannon, and Sarah

The Nursery

Well, the nursery is done. Note I didn't say neat or suggest that everything is put away in its proper place. But the crib is put together. She has a dresser for her clothes and a book case for her books.

However the coolest part of the room, at least until the baby gets here, is the mural. Since we know she will be traveling a lot during her life to see grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, and other cool places, we wanted something that would represent that. We are really pleased with how it came out.

- Ben