Otto's Photo Book

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Baby Erika vs. Baby Otto

Ever since Otto has arrived people have made comment as to which parent they think he looks like. A majority of them think he looks like Mommy and there are a small handful that think he looks like Daddy. As of right now I only have a couple of my baby pictures to compare him to. I'm going to have to get some of Jef from his Mom. Until then, here are some Mommy comparison pictures. 

Baby Erika - August 30, 1979

Baby Otto - August 30, 2011

Baby Erika 1979

Baby Otto - Dec 2011

Daddy's new favorite.

Man life as a new parent is crazy busy, always something to do, always somewhere to be. I've literally had this post written for almost a month now and I'm just now getting the time to post it.

My new favorite thing:

As I knew there would be, I have a new favorite thing while being a dad. I guess technically this is my first favorite thing since becoming a dad seeing as my other post was pre-delivery and this one is post-delivery.

Otto’s smile, it usually starts of as a little smirk on the right side of his face that works it’s way across it until he’s all open mouthed and chubby cheeks. The sparkle that comes into his eye’s, it seriously makes my day every time I’m lucky enough to see it. And on the occasions that I’m the one that put’s it there, dang, it’s pure bliss.

There it is, short and sweet. The simplest of things seem to be my favorites. Everyday I’m blown away by how much more I love this little boy and I pray that he will always know that I do.

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Daddy Update #3

Otto Cranston Cunningham, can you believer that this little boy is already over a month old? It’s been a crazy month to say the least, from the birth of our amazing little man, to not sleeping, and on to the scariest 3 day’s we’ve ever had.

I’ll try not to repeat the things Erika has already posted in the last couple of updates. But I think I need to at least back up to:

About 9PM on August 30th 2011 Dr. Rupe came into check up on Erika and decided that things had progressed enough for her to start pushing and after an hour of this Dr. Rupe asks one of the nurses to “help her with some paperwork out in the hall” Which I thought was pretty weird so I kind of get worried. After a few minutes they come back in to our room and she tells us that Otto hadn’t progressed enough to her liking so we had one of 2 options: 1) Continue pushing and try for a natural birth, causing more stress and trauma on mommy and little Otto. 2) Continue pushing for another 2 hrs and probably end up having a C section any way, causing more stress and trauma on mommy and little Otto. 3) Go ahead and do the C-section. So the team heads out of the room so Erika and I could talk about our options, with how long this labor had already taken (they induced labor @ 7:30am) and with our Dr. feeling like it wasn’t progressing they way she would like we decided that our and Otto’s best option was to go ahead and do the C-section.

Erika signs the consent form and everyone literally jumps into action, from the time we made the decision to actually starting the surgery was less than 1/2 an hour so that was pretty impressive. But watching them wheel off my wife and our as of yet unborn son was a very scary scene, because even though I completely trusted Dr. Rupe and the team from Williamson Medical there is always that “what if” in the back of your mind. Once they got Erika to the OR I had to sit outside and wait while they finished prepping her and the room, talk about letting your mind run wild with fear because I’m just sitting outside of the door in my little paper scrub uniform by myself unable to control the “what if’s” zipping through my brain, but trying to remain calm and repeating the little prayer of please let them be ok. Once they let me in the OR just getting to be there with Erika helped to ease the fears, I grabbed her hand and before you know it.....we hear our little Otto cry. It was the sweetest sound I have ever heard, our child, my son, they held him up so I could see him over the curtain they draped over the surgery area and I was instantly in love with this little boy, nothing has ever made me so happy. They bring him around the side of the curtain so Erika can see him, and that’s when we noticed that amazing RED HAIR. What? Where did that come from? I get to follow the team that took him to the nursery while the surgery team finished up with Erika and get some more pictures. Once they were done, I get sent back to our room while they check him out so I wait...again, and I wait, and wait. I’m probably in the room 30 min. or so before they bring Erika back in, and she is just out of it, very groggy, and cold, so cold in fact that she’s a little bluish. But the first thing I hear here say is “I’m so hungry” because it’s after 1am at this point and she hasn’t had anything other than ice and a popsicle since midnight the night before. But because of all the medications and the surgery she wouldn’t be able to have anything until breakfast time (poor girl). After about an hour, a very long hour, they wheeled in our little boy, and Mommy finally got to hold her little boy. And that was a perfect moment for me.

On Wednesday September 28th at 3:07pm I got the scariest text message I’ve ever received:

Erika Cunningham: “Have to stay @ Vandy for now, His ultrasound was positive for the bad thing.”

Earlier that day Erika had made an appointment for Otto with his pediatrician Dr. Brooks because ever since the previous Thursday our little man was having trouble keeping his meals down. Originally we had thought that it was an overfeeding/reflux issue so we tried things like decreasing the amount per feeding and keeping him more upright for an extended period of time after, but no matter what we tried Otto seemed more like Linda Blair than our sweet little newborn. So, after a few of trips to the pediatrician’s office and mommy’s intuition (she kept saying “I think it’s a digestion issue and not a reflux issue”), Dr. Brooks wanted Otto to get an ultrasound at Vanderbuilt’s Children’s Hospital to basically “rule out” that it might be this condition called Pyloric Stenosis aka “the bad thing”. So insert scary text message here -> . All this time I’m at work and Erika has been keeping me updated the best she could via text throughout the afternoon. Once I got that message it literally felt like my world was made of glass and that glass had just shattered, I’m clear across Nashville without a car (I was going to ride home with a co-worker), and not a lot of information about what’s going on. Thankfully I have a pretty understanding boss that allowed my co-worker buddy to race me over to the Children's Hospital where Erika and Otto were.

Once at the hospital I find my new little family and see that Erika had been crying which wrecks me because if you know her, you know THAT is a pretty big deal (not that she isn’t an emotional person, just that she’s a very strong person). At this point I’m pretty good and freaked out because we haven’t yet met with anyone from the surgery team and we don’t know anything about the procedure, the only thing we know is that our 4 week old son will have to have this surgery. But thankfully shortly after I arrived at the hospital one of the Residents from the surgical team came in to speak with us and go over the details of his condition and procedure. The phrase “knowledge is power” truly takes on a new meaning for us here, because once we learned how common this condition is and how minimally non intrusive the procedure was it gave both of us a resolve and a peace that helped to carry us through the entire ordeal.

So, all is well.....that is until they come in and have to put the IV in his arm. The IV tech asked if I could help to keep Otto calm and still while he was putting the needle in that tiny little arm, and it just laid me to waste once the tech was finished and out of the room there was nothing I could do to stop the sobbing tears. I think that when they put the IV in it made it VERY real that my son was broken, it was a tough situation. Once daddy got his eyes dried up we meet with the surgeon that would be doing the actual procedure and that really started to put us at ease because he just came in, felt Otto’s tummy, instantly felt that the ultrasound was correct, and started telling us again that it was a common problem and a relatively simple surgery and we had caught it very early on and Otto was a healthy little boy otherwise. So a note to any aspiring Dr’s out there, good bedside manor goes a LONG way.

And that basically gets us caught up to the surgery. We had to spend the night Wednesday at Vanderbilt, Erika’s parents decided to come down that night and wait with us until after the surgery and that was a pretty great comfort just having family there. All the nurses and staff we’re amazing and as usual Otto’s fabulous red hair was a hit. Thursday morning came around slowly & so did his surgery because at this point we’re calm and just ready to get our son fixed. Sometime mid morning we get the word that it’s time and we head down to the surgical floor, and while they we’re wheeling him onto the floor it was kind of shocking just how many children we’re there awaiting some kind of procedure. When it’s happening to you it’s real easy to have tunnel vision and think of only yourself, so our hearts went out all the other families there, most of them dealing with problems far more serious than Otto’s and with children that we’re old enough to be scared on top of the stress that’s involved with their situation. It makes you appreciate the burdens that you have, because someone always has it worse.

So we’re there, answer a few questions, they go over the procedure again, talk to us about the anastesia, and basically just make sure that we’re informed about what’s going on. We get to snuggle with Otto a little bit and off he went to the OR and off we go to wait, but thankfully we don’t have to wait long. The operation only takes about 20 min. so that with a little bit of coming around time we get the call that he’s out and we meet with the surgeon so he can brief us on how it went, and all is positive. They take us back to recovery and there he is, all fixed up, a little groggy and in possession of his very first scar, but he’s perfect and we get to hold him again. Now I know I’m new to this whole dad thing but I hope to never take that for granted, just holding my son, it was amazing. We get back to our room about noon and now we have to make poor Otto wait another 6 hours before we get to feed him again, at this point it’s been roughly 24 hrs. since his last bottle and it would end up being over 30 before he got his next one. But that little boy took it like a champ, he slept most of the time but when he was awake he really wasn’t fussy or crying. Honestly the way he handled the whole situation really made all the difference, since he was calm and wasn’t in any pain and for the most part not even showing signs of being sick it helped Erika and I remain calm and level headed.

After Otto started eating again, it seemed like he instantly turned the corner and was our happy little baby boy again. We we’re understandably “gun shy” thinking that everytime he had a bottle that it was just going to come right back up, but he kept them all down and did just amazing with his recovery allowing us to all go home about mid day on Friday.

Thank you to everyone that prayed for this little guy, and for Erika and I. Your prayers we’re definitely felt and we believe they made all the difference.

Prayers for Baby Otto

Disclaimer: This was written at 5:00 AM after Mommy had about a 2 hour nap.


As many of you may know Otto has been having some reflux issues since last Thursday evening. Towards late Thursday night and into Friday morning he was not keeping most of his feedings down. They were large enough volumes that I called the Pediatrician on Friday to see what we could do for him. We tried several at home remedies for reflux with no success. We have either talked to or seen a doctor/ nurse everyday since Friday. 


Since there had not been any progress by Tuesday morning our Pediatrician, Dr. Brooks, decided to see him again. He checked him out and he seems like a normal, healthy baby. He had a check list of things to screen for and remedies to try at home. For example, keeping him upright before, during and after feedings, cutting dairy/soy out of my diet, etc. He also wanted to check out another possible issue and ordered and ultrasound for Otto's tummy that afternoon.  


So Otto and I left Franklin and headed up to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville. We arrived around 2 pm for the ultrasound and lIttle did I know we wouldn't be leaving. It turns out he indeed does have the condition that Dr. Brooks wanted to screen for. He has a condition called Pyloric Stenosis. It's where the Pyloric muscle between his stomach and small intestine gets so enlarged that it constricts/stops the flow of food from going out the back end. Unfortunately, the only remedy is surgery. It is something that is most commonly found in first born, male children. 


He will have the surgery sometime on Thursday. It's a fairly common procedure and takes about an hour. As soon as he starts eating well afterwards we will all be able to head home (most likely on Friday). At this point the poor guy hasn't had anything to eat since 12:19 pm on Tuesday. Obviously it kills us to see him like this, but we know it will be best in the long run. Grandma & Grandpa Geis drove down from Indiana Tuesday night and were able to come snuggle with him before it was their bedtime. They decided to camp out in the waiting room since visiting hours are over at 9 pm. I hope everyone is getting rest. Thursday will be a long day. 

Bionic Karate Man

Sleeping peacefully with his seahorse

He is FINALLY here!!! ...

And I am finally getting a chance to update the blog! Obviously, life over the past 3 weeks has been pretty crazy.


August 30th was the big day!! Not only was it going to be our son's birthday, but it was mine as well. Of course, I was so excited to meet him that I kept forgetting that I was turning another year older.


The day started at 6:00 AM with my induction at the hospital. Jef and I got settled into our room and the waiting began. Around 9:00 AM, Dr. Rupe came by the room and broke my water to move the process along. She then made a guess that we would have a baby by 3:57 PM. We were pleased to hear that we would get to meet Otto in a few short hours.

A few hours passed and my contractions started getting stronger and closer together, but I didn't really notice that I was having them. Jef would point them out to me if he was looking at the monitor. I went ahead and got my epidural before I actually started to feel ANY pain. I'm glad I did because shortly after that Jef would freak out by the size of the contractions on the screen and couldn't believe that I didn't feel it. The only thing I suffered from (and complained about) all day was an empty stomach. I wasn't allowed to have anything to eat or drink past midnight. Eventually, my doctor felt bad for me and let me have an orange popsicle. It was the BEST popsicle I've ever had!!!

To make a long day/story short, things progressed slowly. The nurses would check on me every few hours or so and the dilating hadn't changed much. 3:57 pm had come and gone with no signs of baby. This went on until around 9:00 PM! Dr. Rupe came in to check on my progress and was pleased that I had finally reached 10 cm. The nurses quickly got the room ready and I began pushing. Since I had my epidural in I couldn't feel ANYTHING. On one hand I was thankful for that, but on the other I had no idea how to push when I couldn't feel anything. About an hour had passed and Dr. Rupe asked one of her nurses to step out into the hallway. That didn't sound good. A few minutes later they came back in and began talking about our situation. They weren't pleased with where we were in the pushing process. Otto's head hadn't come down very far so she gave me 3 options.

1. I could push for 2 more hours and try to have him naturally.
2. I could push for 2 more hours, nothing happen and end up having a c-section and possibly creating more problems for the both of us. 
3. Go ahead and have a c-section


Everyone stepped out of the room so Jef and I could talk through our decision. By this time it would have been 10:00 PM and I had been in labor since 7:30 AM. I was so worn out, hungry and ready to meet the little guy that we felt it was best to go ahead with the c-section and not add any more complications for either Otto or myself. 


Once we made our decision everyone went to work. It was amazing to see how quick and efficient everyone was (while I was still awake). The anesthesiologist came to give me even more medicine on top of my epidural and I was pretty much out of it before we even got to the OR. I remember them moving me from my bed to the table and putting up the curtain. I had the voice of the anesthesiologist in my ear the whole time. She kept telling me everything that was going on even though I couldn't see or feel most of it. She kept reminding me to breathe. Once they got the curtain set up they let Jef come in and sit at my head. About 15-ish minutes later, around 10:49 PM, we heard the sweet sound of a baby crying. Otto was finally here!!   


From there everything is a blur. The anesthesiologist told me I could look over to me left and see my son! The first thing I noticed (and thought to myself) was his red hair! RED HAIR!?! Where did that come from?!? I also knew I was pretty drugged so I didn't think too much of it. I thought maybe it was actually blonde and he just had a little blood on his head. Turns out I wasn't imagining things.

Jef then got to go with Otto to the nursery while they finished up with me in the OR and we all met back in our room. By this point I had no idea what time it was or what was going on. My parents, sister, niece and nephew had been waiting at the hospital since around 11:30 AM. Jef went out to fill them in on what had happened and showed them pictures he took with our camera. Everyone was so exhausted that they went home to bed and would come back on Wednesday. 


Jef will have to fill you in on his side of the story. 


Here are a few pictures from the night he was born... 

The doctor told Jef it was a good thing we chose c-section because
that head wasn't coming out on it's own.

Today is the day

The last 9(ish) months have been such a blur. Not to sound like I'm speaking cliché but it literally seems like yesterday that Erika was telling me that she's probably pregnant and now as I'm writing this she's in the midsts of the labors that will bring us our son.

It's really hard to form the words to describe all of the emotions, fears, hopes, and thoughts I'm having right now.

So I'll just say this:

Otto,

I hope we do a good job being your parents. We promise to do our best and I hope that you can forgive us when we do the things you don't like but we feel are in your best interest.

You are loved, loved, loved.

see you soon

Daddy

Otto Watch 2011: 38 Week Check Up

This week's update is pretty simple.

Tuesday (8/23) was my 38 week check up. She listened to Otto's heartbeat on the monitor and everything sounds great with him.

I took a 24 hours test on Sunday to make sure I didn't have Preeclampsia... and I DON'T!!!! *Yay!* However, there is some concern with my blood pressure being a little high. So, if Otto doesn't show up before next Tuesday (8/30) then Dr. Rupe will schedule my induction to make sure I don't develop it.

8/30 just so happens to be my birthday. I told Otto if he wanted to have his own birthday he needed to show up before then. So we will see what he choses to do.

If Jef had his way I would go into labor Friday night or Saturday so he could have a full week off of work without having to break it up into 2 weeks. He knows it's a long shot, but here's hoping!!

37 Week Update

Today was my 37 week check up and ultrasound. There are lots of things to update this time.

Over the past week and a half my feet, ankles and legs have completely ballooned up. They are now to an uncomfortable, yet comical size. Jef says it looks like I’m wearing a fat suit because they don’t look real. (Sorry, No pictures) Dr. Rupe is slightly concerned about this so she is having me keep myself on “bed/couch rest” this weekend. I don’t have to stay home from work because I sit at a desk all day and keep my feet propped up on a shipping box. I’ve got to have a test next week to make sure I don’t have Preeclampsia. If I do there is a chance she will want to have me deliver very soon.

Based on the ultrasound measurements she thinks he is weighing in around 7 lbs. This sounds a lot better to me. I don’t want to give birth to a toddler!! 

The biggest news she gave me is that.... I am already 4 cm dilated!!!! The process has started, but we still have NO idea how long it will take him to get here. However, we are sure it will be before September 6.


I was not-so-secretly hoping this would be the case. I'm at the point that I am so tired, large, warm and now swollen that I am ready to have this part over. Plus, we are getting more and more anxious to meet our son.

If life goes on as normal this weekend, then my next Dr appt is Tuesday afternoon.

Making New Friends

So last week I forgot to share a funny conversation that I had. After my Dr appointment I decided to stop by Sonic and get a drink and a little snack (since I was ravenously hungry) on my way back to work.

The conversation went something like this...

Sonic woman (approx 45-50 yrs of age) walks up to the car.

SW: "Oh goodness, you're about to have a baby aren't you?!"
Me: (Look down at my enormous belly taking up the whole driver's seat) "Yep"
SW: "Oh I could tell. How much longer do you have?"
Me: "About 4 weeks"
SW: "Boy or Girl"
Me: "Boy"
SW: "Name?"
Me: "Otto"
SW: (A confused look flashed across her face) "Well congratulations!! You make sure you bring that baby by so I can see him!!"
Me: (smile and equally confused look on my face)

HAHA! WHAT?!? Yeah sure Sonic lady, I'll bring him by.

My current #1

I'm positive that many things will come and go as "my favorite thing about being a dad". Here is my current #1.

So far over the course of Erika's pregnancy I (being a responsible parent-to-be) have been reading different websites trying in vain to "know it all" before Otto's street date. One of the things I read talked about playing games with him while he's still in the womb. So most nights when we would go to bed in the evening I would try tapping on Erika's belly trying to get him to respond by kicking where I would tap. So naturally since he's our son, he decided to be stubborn and I never got a kick in return and Erika would just end up getting beat up on the outside of her tummy as well as Otto abusing her from the inside.

A couple of nights ago we we're watching some TV after a long day at work and I was mindlessly touching her belly and felt him move around so I leaned over and gave a loud kiss right on the area where he was moving and he responded, made another loud kiss, he responded again we did this back and forth for a few minutes and it was seriously one of the happiest most fun times of my life. It kind of made it feel more real that our child was in there and soon going to make his grand arrival in our lives and to the outside world.

I don't want to rush my son to grow up I want us to enjoy him in every age and every stage of development, but I can not wait until he's old enough for he and I to play more silly games. And overtime as he learns a new one, I'm sure that one will be my new #1.

36 Week Check Up

Today marks 36 out of 40 weeks. I will now begin seeing the doctors once a week until Otto arrives. They still think he is measuring big, maybe around 7 lbs. In the past couple of weeks I have really started to puff up in my hands and feet, so that has added to the weight gain. Also, as of today there is no sign that he will be making an early appearance. This early arrival idea seems to be shared by family, friends and co-workers so we will see who ends up being right. 

*Don't forget, if you came to the Baby Bash and wrote your name on the calendar you will have a chance to win the Baby Pool*

Next week's appointment is Friday at 3p. I will have another ultrasound to get new measurements and see how things are progressing. I'm hoping we get to stick to this schedule since Jef and I have tickets to see Hillsong United on Thursday night. Yipee!!

A few of our favorite things... so far!

I feel like our countdown clock is quickly running out of time until it hits 00:00 and Otto finally arrives. We have had so much fun gathering and collecting things to prepare us to welcome him home. The normal basic needs of coarse, crib, clothes, bottles, etc. However, there are things we have received that we didn't plan on and are special to us for one reason or another. I thought I would share some of those things with you. These are in no particular order. 


Starting with the homemade items....


 This blanket was made by my Aunt Maggie. It's hard to tell from the photo, but it is a light blue and light green. It matched Otto's Baby Bash colors perfectly. I can't wait to snuggle him in it.




These burp clothes were made by Jef's Aunt Yvonne. How cute are they? They are so nice I almost don't want to mess them up by using them!



 We received this from the Finance Dept at my work. The blanket technically isn't homemade, but they did have his name embroidered on there. It is so soft that I wanted to crawl under my desk and take a nap with it after they gave it to me.
*Uh, boss if you are reading this... I didn't actually take a nap!  :)

Other gifts we've received....



Skip Hop Mod Dot Collection Bedding


Some of you know how much I have HATED the bedding out there for little boys and could not make up my mind on what we wanted for his room. I was even crazy enough to try to talk my sister into making the bedding for me if I found a fabric I liked. Then I realized that was insane. She has 2 kids of her own that she didn't do that for, plus she was busy planning a giant party for her nephew. After buying and trying out other crib & nursery items we realized we hated all of it. It didn't give the right feel to his room. I had seen the Skip Hop bedding in my searches and had really liked it. We were fortunate enough to be given this as a gift from my co-workers. We LOVE it!!!

We received this amazing onesie from Seth & Casey Hester (I work with Seth). Let's be honest it was probably more Casey then it was Seth who thought of this, because she is a very thoughtful person! John Cusack is one of my all-time favorite actors and 'Say Anything' is such a great movie. I've even got the movie poster hanging on my wall at work.

Skip Hop Zoo Packs Little Kid Backpacks

We purchased this awesome Skip Hop backpack with some gift cards we had. There are the cutest owl things out there for kids right now and I fell in love with this one. There is also a matching tableware set that we received this weekend from our friend Meghan. I don't have a picture of it, but it is SUPER cute too.


And the last thing on the list isn't technically a baby gift so much as it is "Daddy's Work Schedule with a Newborn Survival Kit"

 When Jef used to tour, the band had met some guys who worked for a new company called Roaring Lion Energy Drink. Since most bands drink Red Bull, Monster, etc. while on the road they were all about trying something new and especially having an endorsement to get the stuff free. Matt was nice enough to have a case sent to the house. Jef plans on using these only when he goes back to work after Otto is born. I can't stand the smell of kind of drinks, so the more for him!


**I'm posting this now knowing that there is more to come. Aunt Ashley is currently in the process of turning the fabric from Otto's Baby Bash into a blanket for him. Once she is done I will post pictures. Also, Grandma Etta is working on a special blanket for Otto as well. He is going to be one snuggled little boy!

Welp, I can't see my feet anymore

My view of 34 weeks

Last week I had gone to the doctor and she seemed to think that Otto was measuring about 3 weeks big. Today we had an ultrasound to find out just what he looked like in there. Sure enough, they believe he is weighing in at 6 lbs 4 oz already at 34 weeks. With approximately 6 more weeks to go Dr. Rupe thinks he could get up into the 9 lb range. I've heard stories from people where they make these estimates ahead of time and then end up being off, so I'm not letting myself get too freaked out that he will actually being a 9-10 lb baby.

I had one of those normal/random questioning thoughts a couple of weeks ago and thought "What if HE comes out a SHE?!". I mentioned it to the ultrasound tech so she did everything she could to confirm for the 3rd time that he is a boy. Thankfully, she set my mind to ease - It's *still* a boy!!!



She also tried to get some pictures of his face, but he is now head down and was facing my back so we weren't able to see what he really looks like all fattened up. We will just have to wait 6 more weeks. 

33 Week Check Up

Today (July 19) was my 33-ish week check up. Otto's heartbeat sounded good and Dr. Rupe measured my stomach. Once she did that she told me that he is measuring 3 weeks ahead of schedule. *super* I have an ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday afternoon so she can get new measurements on him.

When I say *super*, I don't mean it to sound like I'm not eager to meet my son. I say it because we are not fully prepared for him. Is anyone really every fully ready for children? Probably not, but there are still projects we are working on and things to buy. Just because he is growing at a faster rate doesn't mean that he will be coming early. I'm just preparing myself mentally in case he does. And now it sounds like Jef and I need to step up our work pace on projects. 
 I will update next week with new ultrasound pictures. I'm excited to see how he has fattened up in there!!

   

31 Week Check Up

31 weeks down. 9 to go. I had a check up yesterday morning. Everything looks and sounds good. I'm now to the point where I will have check ups every 2 weeks. Then at 35 weeks I will begin weekly check ups until he arrives.
This week, Otto measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. (according to www.babycenter.com)

He has ramped up his movement in the past week or so. People other than Jef and I are now able to see his somersaults, kicks and punches. It's pretty fun to watch their reactions to my stomach swaying side to side. I've been trying to get a good video to post, but he doesn't seem to want to cooperate. I'll keep trying.

Otto's Baby Bash Weekend

I'm a little behind in getting this posted. I was so exhausted after our whirlwind trip to Indiana that I just kept putting this off.

We headed to Indiana after work on Thursday evening (6/16 - Jef's Birthday). We got to town around 9:30p, to waiting parents and doggies. Stewie always has such a great time being at Grandma & Grandpa's house with Domino & Gracie.

On Friday morning we headed over to Ashley's (my sister) house to get started on party prep. As soon as we get there Claire runs up and gives me the biggest hug. I hadn't seen her in 2 month so I thought she might be a little shy at first. Not the case, she loves her Aunt Kika!! Mom, Ashley and I leave Dad & Jef to hang out with the kiddos while we ran to Joann Fabrics &  grocery store. The rest of Friday was spent prepping food and making sweets. Ashley really out did herself this time and stayed up until midnight working on the cake. When we walked in on Saturday morning this is what we saw....



Top Layer: White cake w/ Butter Cream Frosting
Middle Layer: German Chocolate Cake w/ chocolate chips and Butter Cream Frosting
Bottom Layer: White cake w/ Butter Cream Frosting

It was INCREDIBLE!!!

Our original plan for Saturday was to have the festivities in the backyard, but the rain early in the day prevented us from doing so. We quickly made plans to set everything up in the house and got to work. 

The food table was set up in the dining area. We had a cheese topiary, potted fruit, a marshmallow & rice krispies topiary and chicken & steak kabobs!
Everything was so yummy!!




The drink station was not far off with Water, Tea & Lemonade
and Capri Suns for the kiddos!





Ashley also made some of her famous Sugar Cookies
for everyone to take with them.

 Once everyone had their fill they headed upstairs for games & the photo booth.

We had 3 different game areas set up so people could play at their leisure (and at their own risk). Table #1 was the Smelling table. There were 10 diapers filled with various food items. The person who got the most correct won a prize! To the left is my Aunt Maggie and friend Cindy demonstrating how to play.    

From there you could head over to the other side of the room to guess what day Baby Otto will grace us with his presence.

Next to the calendar we had some twine and scissors for everyone to guess how big my stomach is. That sounded like a good idea back in April when Ashley and I were planning everything. Then I show up much bigger than I was 2 months prior and it didn't sound so appealing anymore.

In my opinion, the highlight of the night was the Photo Booth. We decided to set it up in Ashley's art room so it would be more isolated. Anyone who wanted to come have their picture taken had the option to wear fun hats. Some belonged to one of my Great Aunts. The computer took 3 pictures (quickly) then printed out a 4x6 photo for everyone who participated.
 

Ashley's Art Room with Smile banner

Here are some examples of what everyone took home as well as the kiddos just being silly with the hats.  

Erika, Dad, Ashley & the top of Claire's head



This one was Jef's idea. The camera was quick so you had to be too.
We even practiced our moves.



Even though things didn't go exactly as we had planned, it turned out to be a great night with family and friends. We are so blessed and thankful to have each and everyone of them in our lives!!
Also, there are more pictures from the evening so if you have us as friends on Facebook you can view them there.

Plans for Otto's Baby Bash

June 18th, is when we are having Otto's Baby Bash for our family & friends in Indiana. I will be in the middle of week 29 of 40 for the party. I'm hoping the Indiana summer will be kind to us, since we will be hanging outside.

I'm so looking forward to this evening. I'm trying my best not to refer to it as a "shower". Jef and I decided we wanted to have a co-ed party to be able to include ALL of our family and friends. I got the inspiration from the episode of Gilmore Girls called "Will You Be My Lorelai Gilmore?" when Rory throws Lane & Zack a baby shower for their twins. The word "shower" comes with so many girlie notions, so we decided to call it a Baby Bash!! The party will be "family friendly", but not girlie!!! I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post them here once we get home.


Here is how our homemade invitations turned out. Ashley (my sister) is such a creative talent. I'm lucky to have her around when I need help making anything.

"What's In A Name?"

We have chosen to name our son Otto Cranston. Most people's reactions have been excited when we tell them. Although, I'm sure there are some who are thinking "That is so weird!". That's fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion and they have kept it to themselves. Others have asked how we ended up coming up with the name so I thought I'd elaborate on that. 

I'll start with Cranston because it actually has a family connection. As some of you know last year I started tracing Jef's family tree and ended up learning a lot. I ended up coming across family that Jef hasn't had contact with since his Dad passed in 1995. To get started on Ancestry.com I needed his parents information. His Dad's name was Theron Cranston, but he went by "Pete". I thought that was such a cool name when he told me years ago. Anytime I hear a unique name I make a mental note of future kids names. This is one that worked out. The name was also given to Jef's brother Michael as his middle name. Below is a picture of Jef as a baby and his parents and brother.


Pete, Etta, Michael & Baby Jef. So sweet!!

Otto will end up being the 4th person (that I know of) in the Cunningham line to have Cranston as a middle name. While researching the family tree I found that Pete had an Uncle named Robert Cranston. Below is a picture of Jef's Great Grandfather (John Columbus Melton Jay Van Cunningham), Grandfather (Milton Commodore) and Great Uncle (Robert Cranston). This family definitely has unique names.   

John , Commodore and Bob

Now on to Otto. Once I got to a stopping point with Jef's side of the family tree I decided to move to mine. Growing up I've always known that both sides of my family have come from Germany. My parent's wanted to give me a German name when I was born so that is why I am Erika with a "K" and not a "C". I wish I had some awesome family story or connection to Otto, but I don't. I've always thought it was really cool, but had never given it much thought. A couple years ago I was watching a documentary called Anne Frank Remembered. This is a story that I grew up learning about in school and at home. As a kid you know this is such an awful thing that happened, but to sit through the interviews and stories as an adult has a deeper impact on you (or me at least). The documentary goes through the Frank family's life and their friends and co-workers who did everything they could to help save them. Anne's father's name was Otto. Otto Frank was the only one out of the eight that went into hiding to survive the Nazi camps.

June - Welcome 3rd Trimester

Today begins week 27 of 40. The 3rd Trimester (depending on how you count)!!!! 14-ish more weeks to go. I also forgot to mention that I PASSED my 3 hour Glucose Test. No Gestational Diabetes for me! YAHOO!!!
June is shaping up to be just as busy as May was. This week we will bought tickets to see Hillsong United in Nashville on August 18. The show is 2.5 weeks before my due date, I hope Otto stays in there until after the show. 

June 4th we are celebrating my sweet friend, Amy, as she is about to welcome Baby Boy Gomez into the world. The shower will be held at Homestead Manor Plantation's Tea Room in Thompson's Station, TN. I'm so excited to visit this place. We drive by it all of the time and have never stopped.


 I met Amy and her husband, Mike, last fall when my friend Christina organized a girls Fun Fall Day at Gentry's Farm and the Pumpkinfest in downtown Franklin, TN. We had a blast at the farm, going through the corn maze, going on the hayride (even though no straw or hay were involved) and picking out our own pumpkins!! Then we headed to downtown Franklin for some yummy street vendor food and of coarse a little Starbucks Carmel Apple Spice. As conversations throughout the day progressed I found out that Amy's husband plays guitar for a band called Unspoken. How funny is that? Spoken & Unspoken!! We ended up getting the boys to come over to Christina's house that afternoon to help us carve the pumpkins we bought at the farm. They hit it off right away with their discussions of gear and life on the road. We are very happy that they are Christina's next door neighbors and our new friends.


Amy, Erika & Christina pickin pumpkins!



The beginning stages of Otto's room

Jef and I went to Lowe's last weekend to pick out the paint we wanted for Otto's room. I've stressed for a long time over what his room should look like. After looking through all of the boy bedding and decor online and in stores, I decided I hated it ALL. None of it fit our personality or aesthetics. Finally, I stumbled upon a blog that had some really cute nursery ideas. One little boy's room really stood out to me and Jef loved it when I showed it to him. This is where our inspiration is going to come from, but we won't end up completely copying it.

Here are the pictures of Otto's room so far... 

Otto's crib and the Pie Safe my Dad MADE and gave to me Christmas 1982. 

This is the first "belly" pic I've let be taken so far.
I'm sure I will regret that later. 

Stewie had to get in on the action.
We locked him out all morning while we painted.

3D Ultrasound pics from March 17th

Cute profile

He had his arm in front of his face on the right side.