Long and Lean

Calla had her two-week doctor's check-up today, and is a growing, healthy baby. She has grown almost an inch in length and continues to gain steady weight. The doctor said some babies are trying to get back to their birth weight at this age, so it's great that she has already met and passed that mark!


Here's her stats:
Length: 21.25 inches, 75th percentile (she was 20.5 inches at birth)
Weight: 8 lbs 7 oz., 50th percentile (she was 7 lbs 11 0z. at birth)
Head: 36 cm, 50th percentile


Calla is sleeping for up to five hours at a time now, although we're still sorting out our days and nights. We're hoping she figures it out by the time Santa comes next week - Santa can't do his work when little ones are awake! To prepare for Santa's arrival, she tried on her snowman suit that Daddy bought her. It's a bit big, but hey, that's how a snowman suit is supposed to be. Enjoy!

New Parent Dr. Visit

We made our first (I am sure just one of many) trips to the Dr for him to tell us that Calla was perfect. She just didn't seem herself the last few days; yes I know we have only known her a week, but 2 days of "feeling bad" out of 8 days of her life is 25% of the time she is "feeling bad." Not good odds. We had a much better night last night and have had a great morning.

Here is a little clip of her with her new favorite toy...the Binky!

Our first trial....

We had a bad night of sleeping last night. We could tell that Calla didn't feel well, but wasn't sure why. After some investigative research, we determined that she had gas. We gave her a little medicine and there you have it! Sound asleep and resting well again.

Welcome Home Calla

More pics...

A few more pics...

My mom requested a picture of Calla's little head...Here you go mom. Love you and we will see you in a couple of days!

Baby Calla is here!

Our beautiful baby Calla Elizabeth arrived at 2:08 AM on December 3, 2008. She weighed in at 7 lbs 11 oz, and 20 1/2 inches long. Mom and Calla are resting from the 19-hour labor (including 2 epidurals, mysterious contractions, and a short visit from the NICU team as a precautionary measure.) We are all doing fine - Calla and mom are healthy and happy. We look forward to having visitors starting later this afternoon. Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers as we begin this wonderful journey for our family. Check back soon for more pictures of our little baby girl!

Making progress!!!!

We were checked by Dr. Fogwell and we are making good progress! After some serious trials this afternoon, we are finally on a regular contraction schedule. We are seeing them every 2 minutes now. The Dr's and nurses still think she will come between midnight and 1AM. But at least we are finally making progress. Mom and baby are doing great. Elizabeth has finally fallen asleep after a long hard day. ...she needs a little cat nap before the gran finallie.

We are under way!!!

Dr Fogwell came by and broke the bag, so we are now officially underway! Early predictions are that we will not meet Baby Calla until after 6PM...but I think they were being generous!

Dr. Visit and Epidural Time!

Dr. Fogwell came by and said Elizabeth and Calla are doing great. He decided that we will wait a little bit and then break Elizabeth's water. He feels, at this point, that we don't need to have any other medicines to help her along. He also told me in private that we have his favorate nurse in L&D.

Dad has been kicked out of the room so mom can get an epidural. Apparently, a dad in California saw the needle, passed out and hit his head (My dad reminded me of the sceene in Father of the Bride II). Of course he sued, therefore everyone has to vacate the room for this procedure.

Heading down

We are head down to the Labor and Delivery area to see what steps are next. Mom is a little groggy from her sleeping pill. All in all, we slept okay and are feeling somewhere between nervous, excited and scared. But I think this is all normal!

One Day and Counting

We go to the doctor tomorrow afternoon for a quick appointment and to finalize the induction plans (timing, hospital room availability, etc.). There are a few wild cards that could change the plans, but we're scheduled as of now for an induction on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Mom and baby are doing just fine - just time for the little one to come meet the world!

Coming Soon

We had our 38th week doctor appointment a few days ago and learned that we're making progress on Calla's arrival! The doctor said Calla is very low and that it could be another week or she could come tonight - you just never know. The good news is that she is healthy and will be here very soon! We're scheduled for an induction on Dec. 2 or 3, if she doesn't come this week for Thanksgiving. We can't wait to finally meet her...whenever it is!

Man Shower

Todd's office threw us a "man" shower today for little Calla. They showered us with very thoughtful gifts - including our nursery swing - over a fun BBQ lunch. The party was complete with the most precious cake decorated in Calla's nursery colors.

Look how far we have grown!!!!

Elizabeth and I were sitting here reminiscing and we decided to post "Before" and "Now" photos....Can you tell which is is before and which is now?

Doctor Visit

We had our 37-week doctor's appointment and received a "perfect" bill of health, according to the doctor! Calla's fluid, size and position are all great. And my blood pressure was low...so healthy in fact that the nurse (she's new) asked if I was an athlete. Hah! It made my day! ;)

We also had another sonogram just to check size and positioning. Baby Calla is already 6 lbs, 9 oz. The doctor is predicting her to arrive around 7 1/2 pounds.

We couldn't get a great view of her face since she's taking up so much room in there, but we saw her hands up by her face and two chubby cheeks!

We're going to the doctor weekly now. Although she could come any day, he doesn't have any reason to think we'll go early. So, we're likely looking at early December.

We're ready here - the nursery is complete, clothes are washed, diapers are everywhere. Even the Christmas tree is up and decorated! Counting down the days...we can't wait to meet her!

Shower Time

HCK2 Partners threw us a fun, duck-themed shower at the office, complete with a chocolate, pink and white diaper cake to match Calla's nursery!

Family Visits

Over the past few weeks, several family members from both sides of Elizabeth's family were in town for separate work events. We met Uncle Tim and Aunt Georgia for dinner on a chilly night in Dallas. A few days later, we met cousin Tommy for dinner and then the Mavs game!

Girl Time

Jenn, Katy and I took the girls shopping this past weekend for the Octoberfest market at my church. Ellie and Gracey enjoyed the playground more than the vendors, but everyone had a fun time.

Later at our house, Gracey wanted to pose with her mom and her Aunt Liz. Gracey is super excited about Baby Calla's arrival - she enjoyed patting the belly and asking when she was coming to come out!

Getting Bigger

Great news - at our 35-week appointment today, both mom and baby are healthy and doing just fine. Everyone is growing! The doctor said he expects little Calla to perhaps be not so little. He predicts she's already at least 6 lbs., oh my! Time to start packing the hospital bag!

In the meantime, we've started a pretty big home improvement project. We're demolishing the carport, garage, shed and fence, and building a new fance and deck. This should look great once it's all completed - slated for mid November.

Baby Shower for Calla

This past weekend, we celebrated the upcoming arrival of Baby Calla with family and friends at the most wonderful baby shower at Bread Winner's in Dallas.










The hostesses -- Jenn, Nicole, Stephanie, Katy and Rusti -- should go into business throwing baby showers. They thought of everything - all of their little touches made the event all the more special.



And Kerry Skowron wins the prize for the most miles traveled, flying in from San Diego for this - so special to have her here for this!

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and the most delicious cake! And then opened presents, presents and more presents -- everyone truly spoiled us.


We loved having Bobby, Viki and Lisa in town with us for the weekend. After the shower, we took them to a Mavericks game at the American Airlines Center - we had a great time.

Thank you to everyone for making this such a special time!

Calla's Baby Furniture

Calla's nursery furniture arrived today...it looks great in the room and makes us want her here even more! In the meantime, we'll pass the time by getting the room all ready for her arrival.

Baby Calla - First Look

We had a 4D Ultrasound today and were able to see a sneak peak at our little girl - what an absolute treat! We couldn't believe the amazing images! Calla was on the move during the entire sonogram, but we were able to get some great pictures. Throughout the session, she was sucking her thumb and hand, and putting her feet, yes feet, in front of her face. We can't wait to see her in early December! In the meantime, we are enjoying the pictures and video of our precious baby!

Celebrating One Year!

We celebrated our one-year anniversary with a get-away trip to the east coast - we stayed at a fabulous B&B in the middle of historic Annapolis. We spent three days there shopping at the little boutiques, smashing crab, touring the Naval Academy, sailing on the water and eating ice cream every night (this town surely has the most ice cream parlors per population in the U.S.). Then, we spent a few days in DC for Annie and Jon's daughter's Baptism. Little Madeline is absolutely precious, and I am honored to be her Godmother!

We then celebrated our actual anniversary day back in Dallas with a fun dinner at Fearing's and afterward with Sara and John Lehrer for drinks (Shirley Temples for Beef). For dessert, we had the top tier of our wedding cake. Surprisingly, this cake was still delicious.

Making Room for Baby

With two months and counting, we decided to take our house off the market and stay her for a bit longer. (Hoping the real estate market will recover during this time!) We finished all of the remodeling this spring, so we're enjoying the finished product. We plan to build a new fence and deck for the backyard in the coming months. Check out some of the "after" pictures of the house at http://6222llano.blogspot.com/.

We've ordered Calla's furniture and are waiting for it to be delivered so we can get her room ready! Here's a picture of the crib....

Calla's Summer Vacations

Baby Calla has had an exciting summer of traveling from coast to coast to see family and friends! She's been to New York, San Diego, the Texas Hill Country, Minnesota, Fort Lauderdale, Annapolis/Washington DC for mom's work and for fun. Some of her favorite memories include eating root beer floats with Kerry and Heather on Coronado Island; cousin Katie's wedding at the winery; Browne family Olympics at the reunion; celebrating Gammy's 60th birthday at Barton Creek Resort; the sunset cruise on the Chesapeake Bay for mom and dad's first anniversary; Madeline's Baptism and the after party at La Madeline's; and seeing the DC monuments. She's enjoyed hearing everyone talk about her and can't wait to meet you very soon!

It's a Girl!!!!

Calla Elizabeth Cornelius is growing right on schedule and should arrive around December 4th! Nilla is thrilled to have a baby sister on the way! She is preparing for her arrival by trying not to bark at every squirrel in the backyard and walking like a champ on the leash. Nilla is most excited to eat Calla's food thrown on the floor, take naps together throughout the day and go for long walks in the neighborhood!

Baby Update

Beef and the baby are doing great - both are healthy and growing! It's been an easy pregnacy so far, and we're hoping that will continue as we're underway in the third trimester.

12 Week Sonogram

Here is my 12 week sonogram pictures from 5-22-2008. You can see my big baby head on the left and my little leg kicking out. If you think my tummy looks big, it is because I just ate breakfast. in fact, I got the hiccups when mom and dad were watching me during this sonogram. The Dr said that hiccups are a good sign of development and that I am growing right on track. I am going to take a nap and I will see you again at week 20. I will ask my mom to post pictures of her belly so you can see me grow from the outside.