Because the demand from Northeast Ohio for pictures is so high....

...I thought I'd post a few more (my Aunt B says that pictures of Cate are keeping them all warm up there). It also doesn't hurt that Cate slept pretty well again last night and that Eric is off work today and can help out a lot.

It's still so hard to believe that two weeks ago today, I was still teaching (and freaking my students out because they thought I was going to have Cate right in the middle of the classroom). In hindsight I have to say that after experiencing the whole birthing process with Cate, anyone who works in a profession that helps bring babies into the world is a hero of mine. After nearly 30 hours in the Labor and Delivery unit from when the induction prep started to Cate's delivery and our move up to the Mother/Baby unit, I know I couldn't have done it without the nurses (there were 3 shift changes while I was there), the doctors (one of the doctors from my group is always at the hospital and I started with one but ended up delivering with another as their shift changed as well), and the epidural man (who I seriously thought about taking home with me afterwards). They were all amazing...especially the nurses who put up with my complaining about being hungry and just kept the popsicles coming.

We're settling into life with Cate just fine now and I love being a mom. I've passed the "baby blues" stage (no, I wasn't depressed, it was just all the hormones and excitement making me weep with joy whenever I looked at my baby girl). And now my focus is all on Cate and integrating her into life in the Riggs house.

With English teacher for a mom, you know she's getting read to a ton. Here we are reading Where the Wild Things Are. Other kids' books I'm a fan of include: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, The Napping House, Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type, Guess How Much I Love You, and anything Curious George, Eric Carle, and Dr. Suess.

Cate's bath this morning wasn't nearly as traumatic as her first one. She looks grumpy, but I promise she didn't cry. It probably helped that she can actually sit in the water a little bit since her umbilical cord is now off. And you can see how she's gained some weight too. Keep it up Cate :-)

We brought Cate home from the hospital in this outfit and she fills it out much better now. In fact, she probably won't be able to wear it for much longer. I love the way she curls right up into Eric's chest.

So there are a few more pictures and things for all of you who requested them. :-) We'll try to post as often as we can, but I can't promise daily updates as sometimes Cate is a little more demanding than at other times. We're absolutely crazy about her though (as if you couldn't tell).

~Melody