A visit from the Smiths

This past weekend we had friends in town to visit.  My best friend since childhood has two boys, ages 5 and 13 months.  My house was definitely not toddler ready...ha!  I guess I don't have too long until I have to toddler-proof, huh?

We had such a good time visiting with them.  No real plans, just meals at home, a little shopping for the girls, hunting for the big boys, and playing in the yard with the little boys. 

Then yesterday I got my house in order for the week and rested a bit.  After not napping any longer than 20 minutes at a time on Saturday (too much excitement, Mom!), Charlotte zonked out for a 2.5 hour nap.  She never does that!  Because she did, I was able to get my pictures uploaded.  Score!

 

It was a great weekend, and it went by way too fast!

A 4 month letter to Charlotte

Charlotte Ruth,
Sweet girl you are four months old!!  I'm sorry that mommy did not do one of these posts for each month of your life thus far, but I'm just getting back to blogging.

 

Last week we went for your 4 month shots.  You handled them like a champ.  It's mommy that is a wreck!  At your appointment they told us that you weigh 12 lbs. 10 oz. and you are 25 inches long.  That puts you in the 18th percentile for weight and the 83rd percentile for height.  You are going to be one tall girl if you keep growing like this!  Perhaps basketball or volleyball is in your future.  Let's pray you did not get mommy's coordination, but instead got your daddy's athletic genes. 

 

At four months you are doing so many things!  You are rolling everywhere.  Front to back, back to front.  You love to roll to your side or stomach in the crib and sleep like that.  We surely can't leave you on a bed or couch unattended these days- you will roll right off!  Luckily, that has not happened.  You are so active.  You love to play in your exersaucer even though your legs don't quite reach the bottom.  It's so funny to watch your faces when you make the iguana or gator make noise. 

 

You love to "talk" and you talk to daddy, mommy, your grandparents, the animals on the exersaucer...really anybody who will listen. One night last week you sat in your high chair while Daddy and I ate dinner, and you talked the entire time.  You have the sweetest little voice.  I can't imagine where you got the talking gene.  Ahem...pointing my finger at myself.  Yes, sweet girl, you get your talking quite honestly.  Mommy always had teachers tell MeMa "Emily is so bright, but she sure is chatty." 

Your smile lights up the room.  You can be so serious, but when you smile, it's beautiful.  You love to "flirt" with daddy.  When mommy is holding you, you will look over at your daddy in the other chair and smile at him until he looks at you.  Then you shyly bury your head in mommy's shoulder.  It is the cutest little thing.  You are clearly going to be a daddy's girl.  I'm pretty sure you do your best sleeping in daddy's arms.

Your eating and sleeping habits are pretty good, all things considered (like the fact that you have been sick for going on two straight months).  Sometimes you will refuse your bottle after only a couple of ounces, but you are doing well, overall.  Sometimes you suck it down like someone is going to take it from you....kind of like how mommy eats her meals.  You will go to sleep anywhere from 9 to 10.  That is the best routine for us to give mommy and daddy a little time with you in the evenings after work.  (You do sleep in our arms and your swing off and on in the evening, though)  You usually only wake up once in the night around 3 a.m.  On weekdays, mommy has to wake you up at 7:15 to get you ready for daycare.  This does not make you very happy.  You whine the entire time I am putting your clothes on and give me the stink eye.  It looks like you are going to like sleeping late, just like Daddy.  Unfortunately, with the oral steroid you are on and an ear infection, you are not sleeping well as of late, but we are hoping you will feel better really soon and go back to your good habits!

In your four short months, you have made several trips.  You have been to Yonges Island twice, Elloree several times, and Conway once.  You adapt pretty well to sleeping in new places.  Thus far, you've been a good dinner companion and you usually sleep right through the meal when we take you along.....strange since you don't like to be left by yourself when we are eating at home!  You seem to know the minute the food is ready and that's when you decide you will get fussy.  We've just introduced oatmeal by spoon and it is so funny to watch you eat it.  You must think you can do it by yourself because you grab the spoon.

Butterbean, you are the light of our lives....our perfect little princess.  You bring us joy every single day.  The past four months have been so wonderful, and we can't wait for all the future holds with you.  We thank God that He chose us to be your parents.

I love you,
Mommy

Introducing our sweet girl

I'm pretty sure that nobody reads this blog anymore, but I thought I might pick it back up for myself so I can chronicle our lives in order to one day look back on what we were doing at this time.

A lot has happened since I last posted on October 29th.  As you may know, I was 9 months pregnant when I posted and due on November 5th, so today I'll share the birth story of our sweet baby girl, Charlotte Ruth.

 

On November 2nd, I woke up to get ready to work and went to take a shower.  While in the shower, I started having pains that would come and go. Not having ever had contractions, I did not know that was what I was experiencing.  I started getting ready for work, and I went to wake up WEG so he could also get ready for work.  When I woke him up, I told him that I thought I might be in labor, but I was not sure since it was not something I had ever experienced.  At this point, I would double over when a pain came, but it wasn't absolutely terrible like I imagined contractions to be, so I sent WEG on to work and told him I would call the doctor when they opened.  (At the time, his office was 3 minutes from our house, and we were only 5 minutes from the doctor and hospital)

I continued to get ready...putting on makeup and blow drying my hair...because I knew that I would either go into work or would need to be presentable for labor.  Priorities, people.  When the doctor's office opened, I gave them a ring and left a message for a nurse, who called me back shortly after.  She confirmed that what I was experiencing did, in fact, sound like labor, but told us to come on in to the office to make sure it wasn't false labor.  We certainly did not want to pay emergency room fees only to be sent home.  Once at the doctor's office, they confirmed that my contractions were about 5 or 6 minutes apart and I was 4 centimeters dialated, and they sent me over to the hospital to check in.

We were all checked in at 9:30 and ready to get the show on the road.  Boy, were we in for a surprise!  At 10:30, my doctor broke my water, and by noon I had received my epidural.  My contractions were regular, but I was dialating very slowly.  So much for that quick labor I was hoping for.  My parents came, as did WEG's and all day long we waited.  Some of my friends came to see me after they got off work, and they gave me more medicine through my epidural at about 7 to combat the pain I was feeling.  Finally at about 8:30, the nurses said I was ready to push and sent our parents out.  And I pushed...and pushed...and pushed.  And then, lo and behold, my contractions regressed, and they had to give me more of the pitocin to help intensify them, and so we waited...again.  And then, it was again time to push, this time with my doctor present.  And so I pushed again, for about another hour.  At about 11:30, 3 hours after all the pushing started, the look on my doctor's face said it all.  I was making no progress.  I commented to her that I was not liking the look on her face, and she confirmed that she did not think that I was going to be able to push Charlotte out naturally.  Her head just would not come past my pelvic bone, and I was getting more and more tired from the pushing.  Dr. L suggested that we go get her.  The words I had been dreading had now become necessary.  I made the decision to deliver via c-section, and immediately they called in the anesthesiologists to re-up my medication.  In the small window of time between everyone leaving and the anesthesiologists coming in, I cried to WEG that this was not how I wanted it to go.  I did not want to labor all day, push for hours, and in the end, have to resort to a c-section.  The recovery period would be longer, Christmas was coming, and we needed to move into our new house.  I didn't have time to waste not being able to drive and having a longer time to recover from the major surgery.  But, if you ever want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans, right?  C-section was our best option at this point, and I quickly got over my pity party.  It was time to meet our daughter.

They wheeled me to the operating room and started the procedure.  I felt everything. Not just the pressure, not just something going on below my belly button...everything.  It was painful, but at that point, there was nothing they could give me until they had successfully delivered Charlotte.  At 12:13 a.m. on November 3, our perfect little girl entered the world.  I have never heard a more wonderful sound than her first cry, and when her daddy brought her to me to see her, I was overjoyed.  No, a c-section wasn't in my plan, but our girl was here.  She was perfect and healthy.  7 lbs, 2 ounces, 19.5 inches of perfection.  She was born with her Daddy's chin and her Mommy's feet, and we loved her instantly.  I would go through every minute of the pain again. 

The weeks to follow were not always easy, and there are still days, at 4 months, when I am completely overwhelmed, but I wouldn't change a thing.  Charlotte couldn't tolerate my breast milk, and then she couldn't tolerate regular formula.  It took several weeks for us to realize she needed soy formula, and it has made all the difference.  We've battled sickness since day one of daycare, and at times this has been trying.  She's had bronchiolitis, sinus infection, ear infection, and we've been to the pediatrician countless times and have even made a trip to the ER.  Our poor girl is becoming quite familiar with breathing treatments, as well, and she is getting to be a pro at taking medicine.  I've struggled with going back to work and leaving her in the care of others.  I've had emotional breakdowns, I've screamed, I've cried.  Motherhood is tough.  But, despite all the things that can break you down, there is no greater joy than seeing her smile at me or "talk" to me or the absolute adoration she has for her daddy.  Yes, motherhood is tough, but it's also wonderful, and I love being a mommy to the most precious little girl. I can't believe she's already 4 months old.  She changes daily.  Every day she does something new that amazes me and makes me so proud to be her mommy.  I love that little girl more than I ever thought I could love something, and I have now joined the ranks of other mommies who know what it is like to walk around with your heart outside of your body.  It's a real thing, y'all.

But, enough of the rambling.  That's our story of how we came to meet our sweet Charlotte Ruth.  We love you so much, baby girl!

For this child, I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of him. 1 Samuel 1:27