Charlotte is 5 months!

Charlotte turned 5 months old yesterday.  Five months already?!  I'm still having a hard time believing it!

This month has been one of so many changes.  We had a week and a half of terrible sleeping.  We would put her down in her crib and she'd cry and cry and then wake frequently through the night.  Come to find out, it was an ear infection and continued congestion.  So, for the past month we have continued with breathing treatments two times per day and adding a second medicine to the treatment.  A month later and Charlotte is improving!

Daycare has been difficult since she started in January, the height of one of the worst cold and flu seasons we have had, but every day is better!

 

Despite being so sick, Charlotte is growing every day and doing so many new things.  She has discovered her feet big time, and loves to get them in her hands.  She absolutely loves when you strip her down to her diaper and wiggles all around on the bed, quite happily.  She has been rolling for a while, but is a master of that now and rolls all over the floor. Her exersaucer is one of her favorite things, and she has figured out that the dragonfly on it is a great teething toy.

 

Speaking of teething, no teeth yet, but I swear they are coming!  I have never seen quite as much drool as she produces.  Some days, she will go through three outifts at daycare.  And quite often, when it's time to eat, she'd rather chew on the bottle than drink.  And eating!  Our sweet girl is now eating cereal twice a day- rather messily, I might add- but she seems to like it.  Especially when daddy mixes it and puts a whole scoop of formula in.  Haha!

And, after being sick and a week and a half of no sleep at all hardly, our girl has been sleeping pretty well.  We finally broke her of the swaddle, and she's sleeping in a sleep sack.  Recently she has made it to anytime between 4 and 5 before she wakes for food, which is great in my eyes.  There were a couple of nights recently where she slept through the night...from 8:45 to 5:45 one night and 8:45 to 7:45 another, with only a dream feed before I went to bed.  But, these appear to have been a fluke.
We are currently cluster feeding before bed, which helps her make it longer.  I know she'll be sleeping longer stretches before long, and right now, I'm enjoying my time feeding her when it is still and quiet and dark.  It's a great time to pray, and I use that time to talk to God.  To thank him for our many blessings, like Charlotte, and to send up prayers for those around me that are suffering. 

 

In addition to her other milestones, Charlotte is working on sitting unassisted.  She's getting there!  When you place her on her back, she will try to pull herself up, like a mini-sit up, so she is getting stronger each day.

She is such a joy to us and is generally a happy baby.  She talks (coos), and laughs, and smiles, and recently, she has found her vocal chords and loves to scream.  It's pretty funny.  There are still times when she won't crack a smile for anything in the world (except maybe her Daddy or Poppy- that girl loves men!) and looks so serious, even frowning a bit just like Mommy when she's thinking hard.

(Screaming, not crying!)

 

Our love continues to grow for this sweet child that God has blessed us with.  The past 5 months have had their share of trials, but the joys far outnumber them!  Happy five months, butterbean!

 

A friend in need.....

Today something is weighing heavily on my mind.  I don't have any cute pictures of Charlotte to share, and the topic of this post will be pretty somber.  Mostly it will be for myself as a way to put my feelings into words as I know I don't really have that many readers anyway.

On Sunday a small community, much like the one in which I grew up, was rocked when one of its beloved daughters took her own life.  Although I did not know her well, she is someone I will always remember from my high school years as beautiful, friendly and outgoing.  A mutual friend described her on Facebook as someone whose smile could light up the darkest of rooms, and this one quote has affected me profoundly.  What a true statement it was.  This girl had a mega-watt smile that lit up her whole face. 

Which leads me to the question: what do our smiles hide?  We have been taught as a society to "grin and bear it," but are there times when our smiles hide pain that we would be better off sharing with others?  Do I have friends that are hiding pain, sadness, and difficulties behind brave smiles?  Am I missing the signs of a friend in need?  Perhaps, I am not.  I really hope I am not, but sometimes you just never know.  Am I being a good friend to those I love most?  Over the past several days I have examined this question in my life, and I've come to the conclusion that I am probably not being the best friend I can be.  Often, I am so consumed with my own busy life and raising my child while working full-time and keeping house that I don't think to pick up the phone and call my friends just to say hello and ask how they are doing.  Another reason in addition to being busy is my dislike of the phone.  Why call when you can send a text or email is my motto.  But, I realize that I can't tell what my friend sounds like when I send a text or an email.  However, if I would just pick up the phone and call, I might hear a sadness in a voice or someone might reveal to me something that they would not over a text message.  I've come to realize that I need to reach out more.  I never want to experience the feelings that the small community near me are feeling...the pain of losing a friend and all that comes along with it...regret, sadness, uncertainty.

And, as is the case in situations such as this, I'm sure there are those that are questioning if they could have done more?  Seen any warning signs or picked up on anything that might have led them to reach out to this woman who was obviously struggling with something pretty profound.  Maybe it would not have helped, but maybe it would have.  I am certainly not placing any blame on anyone.  I am simply putting the feelings that have been running through my head out in the open.  This post will be a reminder to myself to reach out more to those I love so they know I care instead of me just assuming.

As a community prepares to lay to rest a member of its family this afternoon, I ask that everyone take a look at your friendships and think about what more you could be doing.  Maybe you're doing it all perfectly, but chances are, you are like me...busy, weighted down with the world and everything that consumes our time...and need a reminder.  Friendships are important, and we must cherish them always and protect those we love when we can.

Charlotte's First Easter

We celebrated Charlotte's first Easter this weekend, and it was such a great time.  We skipped the Easter Bunny this year because I know she would have had no clue what was going.  We'll see how she likes him next year.

Instead, we got dressed in our Easter duds and headed to church.  Note to self, everyone in Irmo must attend Riverland Hills on Easter because even if you make it on time, you will not get a seat in the traditional service.  Annnnnddd....you might just have to sit on the back row of the contemporary service.  Lesson learned.  We will go early next year.

After church, my parents and my grandmother joined WEG, Charlotte, Aunt Charlotte and me for lunch at our house.  Charlotte played contentedly in her high chair through the entire meal...score!  Thank goodness for the Fisher Price snail. We had to hear the tune to "If You're Happy and You Know It" over and over again, but it was worth it!

Charlotte wasn't all too sure about her Easter basket.  She is five months old...what did I expect?  But she did look a little interested for me to snap some pictures.

The weather was beautiful this weekend, and now I am ready for it to stay this way.  However, I think Mother Nature has other plans this week with a bit of a cold snap before it warms up (for good...I hope!)

I hope everyone had a great Easter, celebrating with family the real reason for the day.  That Christ sent his son to die on a cross for our sins.

God sent His son
They called him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive
He lived and died
To buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives

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

One year ago today...

It's hard to believe that one year ago today I walked down the aisle and said I do to my best friend, my soul mate, my better half.  It seems like yesterday, but then I think of all of the things this past year has held for us, and I know that can't be so.

So, today, in honor of my anniversary, I want to take a walk down this past year's memory lane.

After jetting off to St. Lucia for our honeymoon, we returned to South Carolina and celebrated Thanksgiving a few weeks later with a combined family Thanksgiving.  It was such a blessing that we were able to have both of our families together in one place for the holiday.  Two days later, we watched as my Gamecocks beat up on WEG's Tigers for the third straight year...ahem, I'll leave it at that (wink, wink)

December was its usual craziness, and at Christmas we learned the art of sharing when we celebrated Christmas Eve with WEG's family and Christmas Day with mine.  Previously, we had not spent Christmas together, so this was a first, and I must say, it went off without any hiccups.

In January, WEG's granny got sick and spent much of the month in the hospital and the rehab facility before going home.  We leaned on each other, as this was hard to see her in both places, knowing how much she hated them!  We house hunted and looked at house after house trying to find a place perfect for us.

Then in February, my childhood best friend welcomed her second baby boy into the world, after losing a child in between.  We celebrated!  Then, we watched as a dear friend lost a parent to cancer- the first one in our group to have to deal with something like this.  Birth and death all in one month.  At the end of February- the 23rd to be exact- a positive pregnancy test informed us that we were going to be parents.  We wasted no time, but were so overjoyed! (And in disbelief!) We had not necessarily been trying, but we also had not been doing anything to prevent it. 

A few weeks later, on March 9th, I celebrated my 30th birthday surrounded by friends.  And, even though it was early in my pregnancy, by the end of the night everyone that was there knew our news.  Our first doctor's appointment was March 14th, and we got to see our sweet little bean on the ultrasound.  There is no greater joy!  We were also still house hunting, now with an even greater need!

At the end of March, WEG's granny again went into the hospital, and this time, she would not recover.  She passed away, and the sorrow we both felt was immeasurable.  We are so glad that we had already gotten to share with her the news of her great-grandchild and to know how much she already loved the little one growing inside of me.

We laid Granny to rest on April 1st on a beautiful Spring day, and there hasn't been a day that has gone by since that time that we haven't thought of and missed her.  It was a bittersweet day when a few weeks later, WEG's father and aunt, knowing of our house hunt, offered her house to us to buy in order to keep it in the family.  We know that she would find no greater joy than knowing that a whole new generation of the family will grow up there. 

On May 22nd, we had our 16 week ultrasound and opted to pay a little extra to find out if we were having a boy or a girl.  It was a wonderful moment when we heard the words "It's a Girl!"  Immediately, we became the parents of not just a baby, but a baby girl, and all things pink commenced.  Prior to that, we were able to slip away for a long weekend at Fripp- ahhh, that was relaxing!

June held in store for us many weekends of cleaning out our new house in order to get ready to renovate.  At times, this tested our patience, but again, we always had each other to get us through.  On June 20th, Aunt P's birthday, we celebrated when our anatomy scan ultrasound revealed a perfect, healthy baby.  What a blessing!

In July, we continued working on our house to get ready for the contractors, and I passed my glucola test- praise the Lord!  We got to head to Fripp again, this time with my parents, and we enjoyed our time away. 

In August, WEG got to go to the PGA championship at Kiawah, and we celebrated his birthday on the 22nd.  On the 30th, we saw our sweet girl in 4-D and discovered her feet might just be as big as her mama's one day!  She certainly enjoyed keeping them in her face throughout most of the ultrasound!  We also joined the church we had been attending and became official members.

September brought another little trip to Fripp for Labor Day, and at the end of the month, my first baby shower.  We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for our little one. 

Now that brings us back around to October.  My second baby shower was on October 7th, and again, we were showered with love by so many of those that are so special to us.  We attended a childbirth class to get ready for the big day, and WEG was baptized.  Now we are celebrating our 1st anniversary as we prepare for the arrival of our little girl any day now.

What a year it has been.  There have been ups and downs throughout the year, but each day our love grows stronger and we realize that through all the trials and triumphs of life, there is nobody else with whom we would rather share them.  I just thank God each day for his divine plan that I become Mrs. WEG, and I look forward to many more years with my wonderful husband.