Little Baby Noises

Little babies make some interesting noises.  Many of them are cute.  As I'm holding Cassandra up in the office, she made a sound that can only be described as a squeak.  As I get an idea, a grin spreads across my face.  "Hey, honey?" I say to Janice.  "She's just squeaked so that means she's so new she squeaks."  Janice was not actually in sight but I swear I heard her eyes rolling back into her head.  She responded, "She's your daughter!  Nice, dear."  I'm pretty sure I detected sarcasm in her voice.

Uncle John...We Meet At Last

Today, Cassandra got to meet Uncle John.

Notice the intent stare?  From Cassandra I mean.

"What is that stuff on your face?  Daddy doesn't have that."

I should also note that, like Mommy, Uncle John enjoys LEGO games on the Wii.  This incluedes LEGO StarWars.  He will be assisting to ensure that Cassandra is brought up properly.

Photo Shoot

Today, Cassandra had her first official photo shoot.  Here are some of her favorites:

"The Thinker"

"This is how an empress should be treated."

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

The Other (Smaller) Side of the Family

Cassandra was excited tonight.  Her paternal grandparents brought her Uncle Doug and a wonderful new smell.  (The smell would be Rosedale BBQ.) 

f course, with all of today's excitement, she started to get tired.

Doug is a first time uncle.

Chill'n with Grandpa.

More Customers...er, Visitors

Cassandra had some guests this afternoon.  Her Aunt Cheryl brought her cousin Samantha to the hospital for a visit. 

Cassandra's Cousin Samantha

 See Samantha's smile?  Seems to be a universal response to Cassandra's cuteness.  Of course, as her father, I may be biased.  This will be the only cousin she sees for a while because she is the only one in town.

Aunt Cheryl
(She looks a lot like Samantha, doesn't she?)

And now, once she meets Uncle Steve and Uncle John, Cassandra will have met all the Hodge's clan in town.  She looks forward to meeting her family in Maryland because then she will have collected the entire set!

Greetings and Salutations

After being born, Cassandra was visited by Grandma and Grandpa Wendel.  Per her request, there are no pictures of this meeting because Cassandra had not had time to bathe and dress appropriately.  However, as her visitors were leaving, she was kind enough to demonstrate just how well developed her lungs were.  On the way out the door, Grandma heard one of the nurses remark "What are they doing to that baby?"  For the record, the nurse was not trying to give her a Barney CD but rather tried to bathe her.

It seems that Cassandra is an early developer.  She was wide awake and looking around after being born, has fairly good neck control for her age, and has skipped the cute newborn cry and gone directly to three month-old wailing.  (At this time, I'm sure that the peanut gallery will be trying to decide what snarky comment to append to this post.)

Later that night, Cassandra was visited by Grandma and Grandpa Hodges.  She was also able to meet her Aunt Kristi.

Notice how Grandma is smiling for the baby, not the camera?

Cassandra is the fourth granddaughter for the Hodges.  Her mommy is the fourth Hodges girl.  Interestingly enough, Grandma Hodges is one of three girls.  I guess the Wendel family mojo was just overcome.  (Daddy is the oldest of three boys, and many of his cousins have boys.)  Perhaps we are simply trying to even out the scales.

See Aunt Kristi's smile?  She is just one of Cassandra's many satisfied customers.

A Fresh One

After much procrastinating (which Daddy claims is a result of genetic donation from the maternal parental unit), [Future Empress] Cassandra Ann saw fit to grace us with her presence.

Mommy and Baby are well.

Cassandra Ann, born 17:21 on December 28, 2010.
Weight: 7 lbs, 4oz         Length:  21.3 inches
The sheen around her eyes is antibiotic gunk (yes, I know, highly technical medical term).

Baby Eviction

We arrived at KU Med at 20:00 on Monday, December 27, so the doctors could begin the eviction process.  Here are some pictures of their newly remodeled Labor & Delivery Ward with faux hardwood floor, landing lights (mounted in the ceiling of all places), and walk-in shower.

New Neighbor

It looks like the neighborhood rodents are in for a hard time.  Our new neighbor seems to like the garden I built for Janice.