A Photo Update

Charlie's Baptism

Swaddled and Sleeping

Feb. 14th

6 Months

St. Patrick's Day

7 Months

Easter

8 Months

The Atlantic Ocean

Playing in the sand on spring break...

Play Time!

9 Months

Toilet Paper Fun

Playing in the Pacific Ocean

Momma Love

Splish Splash

More Momma Love

10 Months

YES!

Charlie is going to be a big brother! I am due on March 1st!

Oh Baby!

Oh Baby
Oh Baby
Oh Baby!

A great big update!

So I have noticed that I am a shitty mommy blogger, but oh well.
Now that it is summer, hopefully I will find time to post more...
So here is what we have been up to during the last couple of months...
I am starting way back in February, because that is when I really started to slack...

February
-Returned to work :(
-Sister-in-Law, Cousin and In laws watch Charlie while I am gone
-The daycare is going well, but I MISS CHARLIE so much so that Tony and I fight over who gets to put him to sleep
-Breastfeeding has officially ceased
-He mastered rolling and scooting backwards and he says momma
-At his 6 month check-up his weight is 18 pounds and 9 ounces and he is 27.5 inches tall
-His favorite toy is the fan pull (Thanks daddy for teaching him that!)

March
-I adjust to work and am counting the days until summer break
-Charlie and momma have conversations back and forth by squealing
-Charlie now crawls (it is more like and inchworm) and reaches for toys
-He wears size 3 diapers and is in 6-9 month clothing
-Two teeth on the bottom made appearances this month
-Almost spring break!

April
-Charlie crawls (inchworms) all over... We totally need to baby proof our house!
-Charlie celebrates Easter and mommy gets some super cute pictures
-Spring break road trip to South Carolina is a success
-Visited the Atlantic Ocean and ate sand
-Pull ups are not just a diaper... Charlie now climbs on everything.
-Cousin Brittany babysits Charlie for Momma & Poppa's first date night since he was born
-Currently weight 21.10 pounds and is 29 inches tall

May
-The crawl is officially a four wheeling crawl at full speed
-Two more teeth show up, this time they are on top
- Charlie is in 9-12 month clothing and weighs 22.08 pounds and 29.5 inches tall
-Harvey, Charlie's new cousin, is born
-Charlie flies to California for a wedding and back all in one weekend
-Toes splash in the Pacific ocean and no sand is eaten this time
-Poppa takes Charlie on his first lawn mower ride
-Grandma and Grandpa R watch Charlie over night while mommy and daddy go to a wedding. This is the first time we ever left him with anyone over night.

June
-Chunks of soft food are Charlie's favorite especially strawberries
-Summer break starts!
-Charlie visits the cabin up-north two week-end in a row
-Two more teeth pop through on the top
-Our chubby cubby wear size 4 diapers and is in 12-18month clothing
-He is cruising all over and will be walking in no time
-Charlie can high-five, make fart noises on my skin, and move his hand up and down on his lips to make the cutest sound ever

Wow! That took a while... Anyway hope you enjoyed the update, a picture update will be coming soon!

Oh, and I hope you like the new look! I needed a change!

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Charlie is flying from the first time tomorrow.
I am super nervous and I still need to pack.
We are heading to Cali for a wedding. It is a super quick trip which is a shame because I love Cali.

Also...

Did I mention my baby is huge! 22.08 pounds 29 inches! He has three teeth and the forth is poking out. He is into everything. He loves to play peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake and he is finally crawling with his belly off the ground. He is growing too fast. I am afraid if I blink he will be graduating and having babies of his own. My love for him cannot be put into words. My husband and I make a good team.

He isn't a big brother yet, but he is a big cousin. After years of infertility treatments, my brother and SIL just had their second. Without assistance!

Also... On another note, two people I know fairly well have recently miscarried. I know no words heal that pain, so I cry. I cry for them and their loss. I cry because I know that pain and sometimes it hurts to know I lost two little ones that could have been as wonderful and as perfect as Charlie. But we can't live thinking about the could have beens... We just have the what is and the what is, is perfect and sleeping in the next room for now at least.

Busy, busy, busy...

Just when I though life couldn't get busier, it does! Work has been killing me lately. So much grading and so many extra activities are bogging me down. The good news is that I am getting my tenure and in the teaching business, this is a BIG deal. I am also getting a student teacher next year which is a huge honor because it means my boss thinks that I can positively influence other aspiring teachers. 34 more days until summer!
Enough work talk...

On to more important topics...

Like Charlie!

He is 8 months old tomorrow!
He currently weighs 21.10 pounds and is 29 inches tall.
Ladies and gentleman, we have a football player on our hands!
He has two bottom teeth and loves to say "momma" and "dadda" nonstop!
He also enjoys singing and electrical outlets.
He loves to pull himself up on just about everything and is getting brave enough to let go of things to see how long he can stand on his own. He loves to crawl around our floors and his favorite place to hang out is in the bathroom (Yuck!).

Our spring brink trip went very well. 17 hours in a car didn't phase our happy little chubby cubby at all. Went took him to the ocean and he ate some sand. We explored Charleston, SC and the little town of Folly Beach where we stayed with two other couples. It was too short of a trip to be worth the 17 hour drive there and back, but I loved being away with my boys. Also, I am thoroughly impressed that all three of us and all of the baby junk fit into my little Beetle. I am in need of a better mom mobile ASAP, but I LOVE my bug and don't want to give it up!

Every weekend from here until June is booked for us! Tony is a bestman in two weddings so we have showers, bachelor/ bachelorette parties, and wedding up the wazoo! We have to fly to California for one and organizing that was a major PITA, but it was worth it because I love the couple and I LOVE Cali!

In other news...

We are officially trying to get pregnant again this cycle. Our hope is for a spring baby, but we would feel blessed no matter when he or she comes. If he or she never does come, I feel beyond blessed to have Charlie. I know that going through what we have been through has given me a different perspective on motherhood. I don't take a moment for granted. Even when I am drop dead tired, I never forget what a blessing he is. I also think having Charlie also makes the miscarriages a little more difficult in ways... I know they weren't formed or viable, but I still wonder what they would have been. I wonder if they would have the same color of eyes as Charlie or if they a would be as mild tempered as he his...

I also wonder if Charlie was always my first, but his time wasn't meant to be until it was... I wonder if his soul was just waiting to to join that little baby body when I was finally able to carry it. I will never have the answers, but I have my Charlie and that is good enough.