Here Comes A New Shelmet

On Tuesday, Cheryl, Zoe and I went to my parent's house. There we met up with Uncle Charlie, Aunt Rose and Mom-mom so they could see the baby. It has been nice that so many people have had a chance to see her already. Here's a couple of pictures from that day. On Thursday I went back to work for the remainder of the week. It was fine getting back into the swing of things but I really missed the ladies that I had left at home. I was glad to finally get back to them at the end of the day. Cheryl did a great job by herself on both days, even though Zoe wasn't very cooperative on Thursday. Friday around noon Zoe enjoyed another bath. After dinner on Friday, my mom and dad came by with Zoe's great grandmoms for some pictures. Along with these, there are more in Zoe's Collection . Here are some of the highlights.

After getting Zoe good and milk drunk, Cheryl and I proceeded to set her up to take some pictures today while the light was good. I think the images speak for themselves. After the photo shoot, Cheryl and Zoe spent a little time playing on the couch. As always, find these and more in Zoe's Collection .

One week ago today, Zoe was born. She seems to have adjusted to life in West Philly fairly well. Her pink blanket is one of her favorites to snuggle up with; however, we did learn that much like her father, she hates to bathe. So her first appointment with the peditrician was Wednesday at 11:00am. She seemed to enjoy her ride in the car again, and by that I mean she was passed out the whole way there. The doctor said she was looking good. The jaundice that she had in the hospital is no longer a concern now that she's eating and going to the bathroom regularly. Also, she's working her way back up to her birth weight. After being born at 8lbs 8ozs, she dropped down to 7lbs 13ozs when she was discharged from the hospital. At her appointment she weighed in at 8lbs 3ozs. Later in the day while I was out shopping for essentials (and comic books) Zoe was getting fussy with her mother. We're not entirely sure what the issue was, but we did find out that she loves her swing.

Apparently baby theft is an issue within hospitals. To that end, the folks at Pennsylvania Hospital put a baby lojack on all newborns. Zoe had one of these on her ankle up until early this afternoon. We got that removed and put her in one of her new outfits to take her home. When we finally made it home, we found a nice welcome message and some pictures in our vestibule. Two good friends Amanda and Sarah did some preparation for Zoe's homecoming. I can't wait to hang them on her door. Once in the apartment, Zoe settled in nicely. She was quick to have us try out her changing table. After that, she spent some time on the couch. The cat met up with her on the ottoman, and the two became fast friends. You can always tell when Tinkerbell's made a new friend because she puts on her happy face. As always, you can find these pictures and more in Zoe's Collection on Flickr.

Cheryl wanted me to share the following with everyone. These are her words, not mine. Frankly, I know I'm the lucky one. So obviously the blog is Michael's thing, which is great really because if it were up to me it would have started and ended with 99 days left! But I wanted to make a post so I could thank Michael for everything he has done for me throughout this pregnancy and most of all during delivery. There is no question that being with Michael is the smartest thing I've ever done and Zoe is lucky to call him Dad. The reason we had a planned c-section was that Zoe was 'unstable lie'. In the 4 weeks before she was due she was breech, head down, breech, and then head down again. As it was explained to us, this is pretty rare. They expected that even if she was in the right position when I went into labor, she would turn during contractions creating a dangerous situation for all of us. The day of surgery I was still pretty calm. Once I was prepp

So it's been a busy four days. The other day the hospital photographer came by to take some pictures. You can find them at Our365 . Most of them are cute with the exception of the one I'm in. I don't know why I'm giving her that death stare, but that's the pose I was told to take. Whatever. So I was able to take some more pictures and they are up in Zoe's collection on Flickr. Here are just a few of my favorites:

At 12:06pm today Zoe Shelmet was born weighing in at 8lbs 8 ozs and measuring 21 inches. This from a baby who was supposed to be in the high 6's in weight. Being there for the birth was just as indescribable as everyone said it would be. There really aren't words that capture it. The only thing I know is that I have made some pretty awesome things in my life, but Zoe, by far, is the most amazing. So I have officially been a father for 11 hours now and I still don't know that it has fully sunk in. We really get to take this little miracle home with us? Seriously? I mean, just look at her! You can take a look at some more pictures on my Flickr page in Zoe's collection . Finally, to all our family and friends, I just have one thing to say: thank you. I cannot even begin to enumerate all of the love and support we have already received. From phone calls and text messages to e-mails and visits. I couldn't be happier that Zoe will have so many wonderful people in

I honestly don't know where the time has gone. It seemed like just the other day that I was coming home to find a photobooth strip telling me that Cheryl and I would be having a baby. Now, in just three days, that baby is going to be here! Well, it would seem that we have more than everything we physically need to actually keep a baby in our apartment. As for whether or not we are prepared for the act of raising a child, that's yet to be seen. I feel as ready as I'll ever be to have a completely life altering experience. I really just can't wait. Sometime on Thursday, this will be me. (That's my dad holding me when I was born)