Well, I survived the gall bladder surgery and have come out holey-but-healthy on the other side. It was rough to be away from Charlie while I was in the hospital, but Edie and Daria and Robert took good care of him that Friday and my dad and stepmom were there the next day. It was a huge help to have them there while I was recovering because I couldn't do squat, really. I'm just sorry it was so boring for them, having to sit around and stare at the four walls in our house instead of getting out to explore the area!

We did have fun, though, and managed to sneak in our Christmas with them while they were here. And, boy, did Charlie like his stuff! He got some new toys that make noise and new clothes (including some rockin' sunglasses) and a mobile and a floor play center thing that he thinks is the bees knees. He is one happy baby these days (and he's FINALLY showing it! Yay for positive feedback!


Grandpa Bob didn't want to get spit up on him...so instead it looks like he's wearing a giant bib.


Grandma Nancy said, "Bring on the spit up!"


Daddy had to open presents for Charlie since he doesn't have that concept figured out yet. Plus, he can't sit up. So there's that.


The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.


I have no idea what they were looking at, but they both seem concerned.


YAY PLAY CENTER!


And then he crashed after his visitors were gone. For, like, two days.

And for proof that he is a happy baby these days...





And last, but certainly not least, showing some love for Aunt Casey and Uncle Jerry (who said they might need support today):

So I'm a wee bit behind here with the updating -- hey, I've been a LOT worse about it in the past -- but I've got a really good reason. Most of y'all know already, but for those who don't, I've had a few issues with gall stones being in places they ought not be (which is to say in my body, period) and it's involved a crap ton of pain, doctor's visits and two surgeries. I've already undergone the smaller of the two this past Friday and my second surgery to actually remove the gallbladder altogether is tomorrow afternoon. End excuses.

All that said, here FINALLY are the pictures from Jake and Sarah's Halloween Housewarming Extravaganza 2K9 (which is about the only thing besides crappy medical stuff that's worth showing since the last update)! Mike, Charlie and I went as a Scotsman, bagpipes and a sheep, respectively. Our friend Heath went as Marty McFly (from Back to the Future), prompting Jake to go as Doc Brown. Sarah was Michael Jackson (with a creepily good costume, I might add). Both Jake's mom and his buddy Jay went as ...Jake. Jay was Military Jake and Mrs. Orndorff was Graduate Jake. They even printed up photos of him to wear as their masks! Jake's dad went as Michael Vick (which was actually a clever-in-a-groan-inducing kind of way). Also in attendance were people I do not know/cannot remember dressed as Karate fighters, Ozzie Osbourne, a skeleton, a wizard, and a couple of masqueraders. And Tommy as himself.


The pretty new Fischdorff house


The pipes for Charlie's costume (because you can't see them super well in most of the photos of him in full costume)


I made Charlie his own tam!


Tracey made Charlie's plaid sleepy suit ...I mean, bagpipe bag.


Here's our family picture, awww! (Charlie was not amused.)


Here's what happened the FIRST time we tried to take the picture. Poor Cotton.


That's Jake's grandma sitting on the end of the couch. I think she may have gotten the most votes for best costume (we left early, so I never did hear the results of that contest...)


The whole gang!


Pumpkin carving central


I loooooved Heath's pumpkin -- he carved West Virginia!


All the pumpkin contestants -- the one in the very front won


Sarah made us gravestones!




They also carved this pumpkin to greet us (and trick-or-treaters, of which there were many)

Other than that, it's been all work and doctors. I should be back home on Saturday -- just in time to greet my dad and Nancy! They're going to be hanging out with us (well...mainly Charlie, we've come to accept that he's all we're good for anymore) for a few days. Following that, it'll be more work and doctors and then Thanksgiving with the Smiths this year and come December, we'll be heading down to Alabama for Christmas so HOPEFULLY there will be some more interesting updates here soon!

These days I generally spend my time confined to the house either entertaining Charlie (usually by folding his laundry or washing his bottles, etc.) or typing as fast as humanly possible during the times Charlie's sleeping. So I don't really get out much. Which makes you a little crazy, to be honest. You start thinking little things like trips to the grocery stores are REALLY exciting (even more exciting if you forget to wear pants, but I've only almost done that -- haven't actually walked out the door naked yet).

I have at least started going back to knitting night once a week, leaving Daddy Mike to babysit (I'm reasonably sure he and Charlie spend the evening trying to out burp each other), and that's been absolutely fantastic...but it's also at night. So I don't really see much of the world besides the inside of the car and then the inside of the Panera's where we meet. And while I loveloveLOVE my knitting group and -- they will be boggled to hear this -- they are a huge help keeping me sane, I also kind of like seeing other things.

So this weekend we scheduled in some outdoor time during the day, yay! Mike had to work Saturday morning, but Saturday afternoon we loaded up and drove to Cowan's Gap park to take some pictures of the fall leaves before they...well, fall. It was overcast, but I still got some nice shots and Charlie was actually awake for a good deal of the trip, so he got to see his first fall trees (we think he thinks they're actually giant containers of milk) and, as usual, the business end of my camera lens.

Here, for those of you who don't have fall (*ahem* Texas and Alabama peoples *ahem*):

















And here, for those of you who haven't see enough of Charlie (and, really, who has?), I give you the Many Expressions of Sir Charles M. Smith:


The "Making a Poo" face


The "Invest in Some Sunglasses for Your Kid, People" face


The "Oooooh, Giant Milk Containers" face


The "Don't Bother Me, I'm Solving World Peace" face


The "Practicing For When I'm 16 And OBVIOUSLY Smarter Than You" face


And finally, the "Happy to Be Wearing Donna's Sweater" face -- in which he pretends to smile but is really stinking up the car seat, but at least we know what he'll look like when he DOES eventually smile

We went out again today to the Adam's County Winery (we're starting the kid early), but no pictures were taken. Don't want any evidence, see? We tried to get some pumpkins while we were out, too, but all the stands were closed on Sundays and...well, okay, we were too lazy to try looking off our from-home-to-the-winery route. We WILL get pumpkins before next weekend, though, which is Jake and Sarah's big Housewarming-slash-Halloween Party Extravaganza 2K9, because we have to win the pumpkin carving contest. AND the costume contest. AND any other contest they throw at us. I definitely will be taking pictures.

I think that about covers our exciting existence for now. Yay Steelers today! Go Eagles tomorrow! Oh, and most importantly, happy birthday tomorrow, Mary Louuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

Charlie turned one month old yesterday (and his Great BIGI turned 912 months old -- happy birthday again, Grandma!). He officially...hasn't changed much since he was born. He still sleeps a lot and eats a lot and makes a lot of dirty diapers. And that's about it. He does spend a little more time awake now days (especially in the evening, when we wish he was winding down instead) and he's starting to show signs that maybe someday he will actually give us positive feedback (he turns his head towards the tinkly toy Miriam and Andre sent him and he grins and laughs...in his sleep). He's also lifting his head up better and for longer periods of time. Other than that, he kind of just sits there. Which is really okay, because it gives Mommy and Daddy some time to rest!

In other news, waaaaaay back before Charlie was born, my friends were secretly planning a baby shower for me to be held in September. But then came the baby (before the day they planned the shower) and he screwed up all their nice plans and so it was rescheduled. And then came the Great Durf Sickfest of '09, wherein Tracey (who was hosting the shower) didn't want to get the rest of us infected (thank you!) and so it was rescheduled again. Finally, the troops were rallied and we got to have the shower last weekend! Thank you very, very much to my knitting group friends and to Sarah and Jake and to Mike's family (who also turned up).

And now, because I'm sneaking this entry in yet again between awake times, here are the pictures and, zoom, back to baby for me!


Bundled up to head out to Aunt Tracey's house -- we might have gone a little nutso with making sure he was warm.


After a car ride, Charlie didn't mind the ridiculous outfit.


Elizabeth (Tracey's daughter) and Sarah


They say "Welcome Little Charlie". Well, they did until we ate them. Then they said "Wcom Litle Chrl".


My sash had to be altered a bit.


Left to right: Knitter Chris, Joanne Morgan (Mike's godmother), Knitter Anna, Tracey, Eric Morgan (Mike's godfather), Edie and Travis is down in front under the date.


Daria, playing the "What the hell kind of candy bar is in this diaper?" game


Me, playing the "Name that horribly disgusting baby food" game.


Sarah made me redo that last picture because of the face I was making. After seeing the shot, I don't blame her.


Mike fed Charlie while we played games and Finn was TOTALLY fascinated by the baby the whole time.


Charlie's favorite pants.

We got lots of lovely gifts for Charlie, including some new clothes -- Knitter Donna got him a Harley Davidson onesie that I adore (and will have to explain to him later in life) -- and a bathtub and a sheepskin (which he's already tried to eat, a definite sign that he likes it). Some of his favorites, of course, were the knitted stuff:


A "Baby Surprise Jacket" made by Knitter Dave


A SUPER cute red hoodie made by Knitter Donna


The Dirty Dog Afghan made by my entire knitting group (all of whom I love very much). It's called the Dirty Dog Afghan because they were knitting squares for it before Charlie was born and just in case I asked why they were all knitting squares, they came up with the story that they were knitting washclothes for the Humane Society.

And, because it's mandatory, a couple of for-no-reason Charlie pictures:


Heads up!


I'm pretty sure his internal music here is Michael Jackson's "Thriller"

So I'm kind of freaking out that Charlie's going to be a month old next Wednesday. I'm not entirely sure how that happened. I think it must have gone by during the 1.2 hours that I was sleeping.

Here are my thoughts so far since Charlie was born...

Positives:

* Charlie himself (he smells good and he's not terribly fussy [anymore] and he's kind of fun to hang out with)
* being able to sleep lay on my stomach again
* not having to pee every five minutes
* not weighing 900 pounds
* how much having a baby has made me appreciate Mike (who has been an amazing dad and husband)
* that my energy is up (kind of) because it has to be (I know lazy mom's exist...I just don't know how)

Negatives:

* NO. SLEEP. "They" were not lying when they said to get it while you can when you're pregnant. Sheesh.
* that babies do not come with decoder rings
* that my life has become whatever I can cram into the three hours between changings/feedings (and generally I can only get stuff done if he's sleeping during those three hours -- the awake times are a whole different story)
* that my social life died a horrible, ugly death

That said, my current three hour segment is almost up and I haven't posted any pictures yet (which the grandmas have been not-so-subtly asking for, despite the fact that he looks pretty much the same as the last time I posted some), so here:


Please excuse the state of my living room. I have picked up (mostly) since this was taken. Focus instead on the cute puppy and baby.


Daddy made fun of Charlie's pants for being highwaters here. Charlie wants to know how Vogue magazine is selling now that Daddy's on the cover for being Fashionplate of the Year.


Also, Charlie says, "Pbbtt." Also also, Charlie says thank you, Mary Lou, for the awesome quilt to roll around on!


And so you can see him without his tongue out...