Carla Schoepfle

Whew - the last couple of weeks have been really crazy.  Just before Ian was born - the contract I was working on was lost.  So I started work on a new contract 2 weeks before Ian was born. But before that I was running around like crazy with doctor appointments, training my replacement, and interviewing (feel slightly bad about the start work with a new group and then immediately go on maternity leave - but it was pretty obvious I was pregnant at the interviews).

So after a long labor - Ian was finally born on September 17 at 5:30 am.  It’s kinda cool that he shares the day of his birthday with Pete (March 17), and the month (September 25) with me.  So even his birthday kinda feels like it matches both of ours. 

The folks at Arlington Hospital Center were really great.  And it was really nice that Pete got to stay at the hospital with me.  So we could both learn about feeding, diapering, umbilical cords, etc at the same time.  Having Pete around made the whole experience much less overwhelming.  I generally forgot something when trying a new activity, or placed something out of reach, and Pete was always right there to help me out. 

Needless to say that upon leaving the hospital - I was not ready to drive.  So, Ian’s first car ride had Dad at the wheel.  Because of the size of the Infant seat - the front passenger, and central rear seat are pretty much useless.  Luckily, I fit behind Pete when he’s in the drivers seat (I’m really glad I’m not super tall) and the baby seat could be situated behind the front passenger seat. 

We were a bit nervous about how the cats would react to the new family member - but life seems to be settling in very well.  Spunkie is still a bit scared of everything/everyone that moves.  So he’s pretty much steered clear of Ian so far.  Otto doesn’t particularly care how many people are around - as long as he still gets fed on time.  So luckily, there have not been any major cat reactions to date. 

So today was our first trip to the pediatrician.  This required us to pack and take the diaper bag … just in case.  We did not expect to use any of the supplies since Ian had just eaten and been changed before heading out to the doctors office.  Luckily we packed as much as we did!!!  We used all emergency supplies.  Upon getting to the doctor’s office - Ian decided he needed to be changed.  So we took care of that (and were glad we packed diapers, diaper wipes, a changing pad, and a large trash bag).  Then Ian decided he was still hungry.  So we ended up using one of the emergency formula bottles we’d packed.  He ate every last drop!.  Then with the addition of new food - Ian needed another change.  So we ended up using the remainder of the diaper wipes we’d packed and were down to one last diaper!.  Luckily, he didn’t need any more food or diapers till after we got home.  The diaper bag is now stocked with many more diapers, and diaper wipes!