ooops...

Wow..Do I have some updating to do!! Every day this month I thought to myself that I needed to update the blog..but I never had the energy! It's been a busy busy month! So here is the recap of December:
-Charles started getting into a sitting position from laying right after Thanksgiving. And from there (the very same day it seemed!) he started pulling himself up on our furniture! He now pulls himself up on EVERYTHING and is also cruising around the couch.

-He has also refined his crawling technique! He went from army crawling to alternating between the inch worm and actual crawling. He can do a real crawl, but seems to get lazy and then reverts back to the inch worm. Its actually really cute!

-W and I got MARRIED this month too!! It was nice weekend for us..we went to the good ol' courthouse and said our 'I do's' with a few friends and family, went out to dinner that night, and then had nearly all of our friends and family over for a celebration the next day! Sadly..we didn't get too many pictures. W and I were both so busy with our guests that we hardly spent anytime together during the celebration..which makes me really glad that we had our day the day before!
-Charlie turned 9 months old this month too! He weighed in at 22lbs and was 29in long at his checkup. Dr says he is doing great and meeting all the milestones he should as 9 month old! Preemie status...What preemie status?!!?

-Charlie had his very first Christmas last week! I can't say he enjoyed it any more than any other day...He is still too young to know the difference, but I enjoyed trying to make him excited. He did love his toys and has already injured himself a few times! Silly boy!

-Yesterday while I was playing with him, I noticed he has two more teeth!! He doesn't seem to be a bad teether...thankfully! He gets a little crabby here and there, but overall nothing terrible. He still sleeps through the night and goes to bed awake without a fuss.

-Oh and that whole eating thing?? Much improved!! He is eating baby foods again! woo-hoo! Although, if it is not a sweet potato or squash based food, he still fights with us. He still loves his cheerios, puffs and yogurt melts. I gave him townhouse crackers and a piece of cheese at a birthday party yesterday and he chomped on those too! He Loved it! We keep trying new things though. I also have been trying to give him the 3rd foods jars.. he is not as much a fan of those though because of the chunks. He still gags a bit, but the only way he will get used to it is to keep trying so I give it to him anyway!

So I think that is the jist of the month of December...Sorry there aren't any pics with this post (I am at work!) . I will try to do a photo update this weekend when I have another four days off!!

somebody thinks he is a big boy!

So remember how I have been complaining that Charlie doesn't want to eat his pureed fruits? Well, apparently Charlie doesn't want to eat pureed ANYTHING! Last week, he started refusing any and all baby food spoon fed to him. This is so very frustrating to me... My solution: try the finger foods! He LOVES to feed him self. Last week I gave him Lucky Charms (minus the marshmallows) and he loved it! (sidebar: I am well aware of the sugar content of lucky charms, however not being prepared to serve my 8 month old finger foods yet, that was all I had. I have since picked up the biggest box of cheerios I could find!)

So we also gave him Thanksgiving dinner too!! I am not sure how much of it he actually swallowed, but here he is chowing on some turkey:

Other things he has had:
-Cheese
-Crackers (wheat thins and Ritz)
-Chicken cubes
-Mashed potatoes (not sure if actually ate this but I gave it to him)
-Cheerios
-fresh banana
-fresh (well ripened) pear
-Turkey hot dogs
-whole (cut up) green beans

W was able to spoon feed some squash to him today..not much, but some. His favorite foods are anything that is crunchy. He is not so much a fan of the soft mushy things (like bananas..what kid doesn't like bananas???), but we keep trying. We will keep trying the pureed stuff too until he gets better at the finger foods and not choking!

He also has made great progress on crawling! Ok, well actually he is army crawling!! But, only if he really really wants something..like daddy's phone! He did it a little bit last night, but when I moved the object (in this case a combination lock) out of his reach again, he cried at me. He apparently does not like to be teased. ;)

There is not much else changing with him. He is just growing and getting big like a normal baby. No one would ever know he was a preemie. Wait, have I said that before? Sorry about that...

Wedding plans are coming along. W is trying to thwart my 'special day' by getting the oil changed on my car since it is my only day off and it needs to get done. oh well..I'll try not to think about it. But otherwise...my Mom is handling most of the food prep since she just so happens to be off work next week. And then I just have to clean the house. Not sure when I am going to get this done but it will happen. We have acquired a few guests that will be joining us at the courthouse on Friday. Some are special people that we want there, others are just coming along for the fun of it!! I have my dress (not a wedding gown though), I have my rings, and we just need to get W a ring. Sister-in-law D is going to do something nice with my hair on Saturday. So I think we are set. I haven't really put to much effort in so far, but I think I better get my butt in gear! It's less than two weeks away!

Eight Months!

Now that I have added pics to the seven month update..I can write the Eight month update!! Yep...I'm a slacker. Haven't been too good about keeping up witht hings lately...soo anyway...

Charles is eight months old today!! Wow how time flies!! Not much has really changed since his seven month update...just getting bigger. He did cut another tooth today so that that makes a total of four. He still isn't crawling. But he can stand by holdingon to something. We don't have to hold him up, but if we aren't careful he will fall!!

He is still fighting me on eating fruits...yesterday i managed to get him to eat a full tub of pear-pineapple, but had no success today. And lately he has even been fighting meon veggies too. Unless its squash. He is so picky. I keep trying though.. Soon we will go to finger foods. He is loving the 'puffs' right now. I want to try peas this week.

Ok so here are some pics:

Not sure how I got this super cute pose...but I love it!!

Standing all big! And yes he prefers to play on his exersaucer on the outside of it. So silly!

He can kind of hold his own bottle!! If he notices you 'helping' him, he will let go. NAd if you let him hold it on his own, he will eventually choke on it..

Finally found his toes...take his pants off and the toes go in the mouth!

Playing on the strangely warm day in November...his first time in a swing!

7 Mos and Halloween

UPDATE: Pics added (finally!)

OK..Let's get this done!! I have been putting off updating the blog because...Ok I don't have a good reason. I have been busy..underwhelmed at work which actually drains me more than being busy. Let's not mention planning a wedding..albeit small.

So in the last few weeks...Charles turned 7 months!! He is getting soo big! I measured him this weekend and he is 28 inches...thats nearly 10 inches longer than his birth length. He finally found his feet...and he went on a fruit strike. Yep, my kid does not like fruit. I can hardly believe it! I mean seriously, that was most of my diet while I was pregnant! This weekend he also got another tooth. He'll be eating steak before I know it!

He is moving around a lot now, too. No crawling yet, but goes in a mean circle and watch out if you are standing behind him...He is good at backwards! He has also begun reaching out for me..err, anyone. If you hold your hands out to him, he will reach back! (He even went to a random girl at this weekend's birthday party!)

That's about all the milestones as of late. Other than that, I have just been enjoying him and taking him to do 'Fall' things: Apple Orchard, Pumpkin Patch, Halloween costume. I am hoping to start making traditions of these things and I hope he loves it when he gets older!

Back to the wedding for a minute...I have the dress, the rings (well, mine!), the location (my house, ha!), the license, and the invites are out. The only thinkg left is nailing down the 'menu'. Thank goodness for my Mom. She is helping alot and reminding me of all the things we are going to need. Even simple can get complicated. Ugh. Oh well, I am looking forward to a great weekend in December!!

**I can't get my pics to load so I will have to try again tomorrow...sorry!

Stellan

He needs prayers agian. The poor baby has been in teh hospital since Tuesday night and is not doing well. His story is here

AND its his very first BIRTHDAY!

Some Exciting news!!

I have not blogged about this yet since I have called and talked to directly most of my readership...

W and I are getting MARRIED!!!

I am beyond excited! I love the man with my whole heart.. and he has proven time and time again, especially in this past year, how much I can rely on him and his love! He is the best father I have ever seen (biased, I know!)...and I will be proud and honored to be his wife!

We are not having any kind of spectacular 'wedding'...but it is a wedding none the less. We will be going to the JP on Friday December 11 and having a 'Celebration' in our home on Saturday December 12. Yep, only 7 weeks away!

I am so glad to finally be married!

Could it be!?!?

UPDATE:
Well I didn't do intervals today (or yesterdy for that matter)..But, I did pick up the pace on a steady 3 mile run! I am now up to 9:40 minute mile! Woo-hoo!! Still a far cry from what I used to be able to do..buta lso a far cry from where I started six months ago upon release from the Dr.

Could I finally be getting my strength and endurance back!?!? I was able to run five whole miles tonight..with one short break in the middle. And I didn't feel like I was dying or that my lungs were bleeding! Finally, I feel like i am making progress!!

Pregnancy, seven weeks of bedrest and a c-section really took a toll on my body. I am fortunate that my weight is not really showing it (just a few extra pounds), but getting back into running after being a regular 5-mile a day girl has been really really really hard. I get so frustrated that I can't do what I think I shoul dbe able to and I end up quitting. This last break was for three weeks, but since I feel so good after this week, I might be able to keep it up!

So the plan is to continue intervals next week in hopes to increase speed and then I am going to follow a marathon training program for some structure and guidance for increasing endurance. It will be my second attempt at this, but it's looking more promising and appealing to me now!

Here's hoping!

Btw- Sorry this isn't about Charles! Yes, he is seven months old; yes, I need to blog about that; no, it's not tonight!

Not Me Monday!!

It's almost the end of the day, but I thought I might jump into the circus this week anyway...so here goes:
Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.



-I did not work ~60 hours last week and miss my son terribly. Nope not me. I love my evenings with him and nothing is more important than spending that quality time him...err except maybe staying employed so we can still pay the mortgage.

-I did not tell my bosses 'too bad, so sad' one night last week so that I could have ONE night home with the babe. Nope, I didn't leave at 5 so I could have a couple hours when there was TONS of work to do and only to have to work til midnight the next night!

-I did not come home to find a clean house, dishes done, and laundry washed, dryed and put away. Nope..I am a super mom and can do it all and work a 60 hour week. W is the best.

-Speaking of W, I did not just tell him he was off his rocker when he told me that Chalres needs to drink water to get iron! What?!?! And he further explained that the reasons kids are weak is because they are not drinking tap water! again...What?!?! He is silly...

-I did not complain of being exhausted all weekend only to not go to bed early. Nope I need my sleep and I get as much as I can..unless it interferes with work or going to the apple orchard of course.

-I did not let my nearly 7 month old son entertain himself for about 15 minutes last night because he does not LOVE the new jumper that we are borrowing. Seriously he would have jumped al night. And he thought it was the funniest thing again today! I have never seen him laugh so much (seriously) and he is an overly happy baby!

-And last but not least..I am NOT dragging W to the pumpkin patch next weekend in hopes of starting some new family traditions. I think he only agreed to it because I asked while I was super busy at work and he knows how much that stresses me, oh and his fav cousin will be going to.

NICU

Yesterday W and I got to participate in a nursing seminar focusing on NICU nurses and 'Family Centered Care'. It was a great experience..long, but great! We participated as part of a parent panel, sharing our story. It was emotional to say the least. We are blessed with a happy healthy baby, but other moms and dads that were on the panel were not all so fortunate.

I have been aware over the last few months that my emotions are still very very raw from our whole experienc. Its weird..because we had such a good outcome, I should be nothing but happy. But everytime I think back on it, I think of what I did 'wrong' and how selfish I was. I thought of my feelings first when I wanted to go home while in HRM and then again when I wanted him to come home with me. And also how I didn't put him and his needs first when visitors came. And how I would have to walk away from him everyday to leave him in the care of other people.

Its almost as if the emotions I should have had then are coming out now. W probably thought I was nuts as I was crying right along with the mom who didn't get to hold her baby for two and half MONTHS!! I had to wait over 12 HOURS and that was too long, although a minute compared to how long she had to wait.

Unless you have been there, you never know how traumatic it is going to be. One of the mom's stated that it was as if she watched everything unfold from the outside looking in. I felt that way alot too. It was so surreal from teh first day of being admitted to day I brought him home. Every step of the way I asked myself "Is this really happening?" For a long time I had feelings that I wouldn't ever have or be able to have children...when I got pregnant so easily, those thoughts immediately left me. I also never ever thought I would have complications. I had no reason to believe that I would. Both sisters, mom and aunts had fairly healthy pregnancies, with minor if any complications. The 'Super-Mom' mentality kicked in long before Charles actually arrived!

So after all that...I am preparing myself for the next pregnancy, a year away yet, but I am a planner. I been told in o uncertain terms that pre-term labor will occur again. And earlier. I have to do everything I can to prevent this. With early labor comes early babies. If the labor is earlier, we are bound to have a baby earlier. There will definitely be different visiting policies established by me (and W, we will have to talk very in depth about what we want to happen next time).

I learned alot from the conference yesterday...about what I can do as a mom and what things I can make sure I am a part of. Things WILL be different next time.

Photo Shoot!

We got Charles' official SIX MONTH pictures done today!! He did sooo awesome! I was pleasantly suprised...We took Daddy with us since Daddy can always make him smile, but the girls worked wonders on him and he smiled for EVERY pose!! He are some of my fvorites:

Half a year

I can't believe my little man is six months old already! wow has time flown by!!
We came from this:

To this:He is only supposed to be 4.5 months old right now..but we are SOOO very thankful of where we are and how healthy this (big!) little guy is!!

PS- Doesn't daddy take such great pics?!

Here he is getting ready to watch football this weekend..Daddy wasn't to fond of is team colors! hee hee!

TWO big milestones today!!

My baby is getting big!!!

1) Charlie's two bottom teeth broke through!! You can't see them yet, but I can sure feel them! So far, he is a good teether. He hasn't been especially fussy and is still sleeping through the night. He is, however, gnawing on his hands any chance he gets, and yesterday started a runny nose. Hopefully in the next couple days they will be through enough to get a picture (if he lets me of course!)

2) He can now get up on his hands and knees! Tonight I watched him progress from just pushing up, to rocking, to being able to move one leg forward. he hasn't quite figured out how to pick up the hands to go forward though so he face plants when that leg goes forward. Too cute!!

I hadn't blogged about it before, but he started rolling over (back to front) a couple weeks ago. He will actualy go to his tummy as soon as you put him on the floor on his back. Fortunately he hasn't been rolling over too much in his crib. It's almost as if he forgot how to go from front to back!

Here are some rolling picks ..(sorry he didn't cooperate for me to get him all the way over..)

I'm trying...

UPDATE: I managed get FOUR workouts in so far this week! Lots of intervals and today I did speed intervals! So hard but felt sooo great! I am taking tomorrow off (busy day at work) and then will hit the path for some 'distance' on Saturday. I am also comfortably in my pre-pregnancy work pants as of today! Oh and one pound down, only 9 more to go! Woo-hoo!!

To get on a new exercise schedule..as in everyday. Today is day two of this week. Although for the last couple weeks, I have made it to day two and can't seem to get over that hurdle.

The thing is, when I workout, I have to work out HARD! This makes me tired and then I don't want to do it again the next day. And also, I am so eager to get my speed and stamina back that I am not taking the 'baby steps' that are necessary to get there. It takes time..and I am not patient.

But this week..a new approach! Yesterday and today, I did interval training on the treadmill. Slower than what I would have done if I did 30 straight minutes of running. But it is still good for the heart to practice recovery. In fact, I feel so good after today's workout, that I want to go home and do a 15-min speed workout. (Disclaimer: my 'speed' is still slow!) But no time tonight. The kid needs food so I must go to the store tonight and I refuse to go (or workout) before he is in bed.

When I trained for marathons, I followed a schedule and hardly ever strayed from it. I enjoyed it and I liked knowing what I would be doing each day during the training period. I am not quite as disciplined as I am during training. I need to find that discipline again.

I have two goals: 1) lose 10 pounds (5 is extra pregnancy weight, 5 just because I need too!); 2) Run a half marathon in 2 hours next spring..Madison, Memorial Day weekend.

I think I can do #1 by Christmas, or atleast be close. #2 will be hard. Even at my best I never hit the 2hr mark. And next spring will be here before we know it!

"Discharged"

No we weren't 'admitted', but I learned yesterday that you are not fully discharged from NICU services until the baby no longer requires follow up visits. We were officially discharged from NICU services yesterday!

Charles weighed in at a whopping 18lbs 3.5oz and 26 3/4 in.!! He was rated in the 97th percentile for his 'adjusted' age (about 4 months). The NP we saw referred to him as a hot rod!

It was a fun visit, to say the least! She performs a series of tests to determine wher he is developmentally. He passed nearly all with flying colors!! The ones that he was if-y on were standing (he wanted to stand on his toes and wouldn't stand on his heels, although he does for us and id it right after she left the room!); pulling himself up from a laying position (holding on to her fingers) and touching his toes (he still ahs no interest in his feet). I'm not sure entirely what the numbers mean but they consider a 10 excellent and right on track for Fine and gross moor skills...Charles was rated a 15 and 19!!!! And his development is that of a 5 and 6 month old!! Woo hoo!

So needless to say...we were discharged!! (with the caveat that if we ever feel Charles needs to be evaluated, we can call and he will be 're-admitted')

We were also excited to see some of our old nurses...Denise and Elise! They were also very impressed by his growth. He flirted with them the entire time they were holding him! I should have taken pics..(I mean if Denise would have let me! lol!)

ALSO...Please help me say some prayers for a friend's little baby girl...Josie Emma was born on Monday morning. They knew that she had a growth on her hand and something going on with her kidneys. Upon her arrival, it turns out she has much bigger issues going on with her lower GI and kidneys, and may also have to have a procedure done today. She is currently in the NICU and her Mom is recovering in another hospital.

No focus..

Lately, I can't focus on ANYTHING!

It's Monday morning, I have plenty of work that needs to be tended too, but I can't get my head 'in the game'.

All I want to do is be home with W and Charles...I have the next two days off, but what about the days after that? And the weeks after that??

I also can't seem to make myself workout and eat healthy consistently enough to lose the baby weight I am still holding onto..about 10lbs to get back my pre-baby physique.

Ugh...

Housework

A blog post that is NOT about the baby! You may not want to read if you only want to know about Charlie!! lol!

This was the first weekend that W and have had NOTHING going on. We were finally able to make some real progress on the yard. W wants to take everything out, I would like to keep some of our nice bushes, but I am losing the battle. He is letting me re-landscape the fron and back...just no big bushes, and nothing that overhangs the sidewalk.

So here is what we got done (I don't have any before pics, so just picture in your head overgrown plants and weeds in all areas that are now dirt!)

And this is what still needs to be done...

-W wants tot ake all these pine bushes out..after it's all out I will just seed this so its grass all the way to the house.

-And these crab apple trees are planted randomly in the middle of the yard..there were four and only two are alive now. They will be gone to open the yard up for the kids and dogs (you know, when we have more kids and get some dogs)

And this is just W working...he loves that I took his picture and posted it (well, he would if he knew I did this...hee hee!)

One year ago...

I should have posted this yesterday..but it just occurred to me that it was exactly one year ago that I discovered I was pregnant! I can still remember the day (and the days that followed)like it was yesterday.

The prior weekend I had gone to visit my bestest friend and had a drink or two. The next morning, I felt like I had done shots all night long!! I had a drink each night the next two nights. I thought I was in the clear..a negative test a week before and what I thought was my cycle starting that Friday morning. By Sunday evening I had a monster headache I took Aleve and maybe even a migraine pill and went to bed. I called off work the next day due to the headache. That evening it occurred to me the possibility...It was literally like a light bulb went on!!

The next day, Tuesday, August 19, I went to work, but the thought of being pregnant was gnawing at me. I made an excuse to my boss and quickly ran over to Target and back. My nerves were getting to me and I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom...but alas only two drops, both of which landed on the stick. Disappointed in 'ruining' the test, I returned to my desk and drank another bottle of water. Within an hour I was ready to test again. Since I only 'got a drop' on that first stick I figured I would just use it again. When I pulled it out it was already positive!! I was in complete shock! I took another test just to be sure and the screen immediately showed two lines...no three minute wait, my hormones were already high!

Frantically I tried to get a hold of W...he of course was sleeping! I got a hold of my BFF first. Most of my side of the conversation was "OMG! OMG!" W finally called back and I broke the news. His first reaction "I thought I had more time"! Lol! We definitely were not expecting to get pregnant in the first month! We had vacation planned in September and we were to start 'trying' then.

The next call was to my GP and I was scheduled that day. Then, my sister. She was less than pleased. Not the reaction I expected at all!! We laugh about it now (yes she came around and very quickly)but, man, my feelings were hurt.

We told my Mom in person the following weekend. I took her a card with a picture of W and I in it along with a picture of the positive pregnancy test. I was going to use that to tell her, but ended up just saying it before I gave her the card. We then waited a few more weeks to tell W's family. That is another hilarious story!! Phones really should be taken away from people who are completely wasted at 5am!!!!

Who knew at that point what would ensue just a short five months later...

Another week gone by

Time goes by way way way too fast these days. My days (when I am not at work) seem so robotic (explanation to come) that before I know it it's bed time again. Explanation: We (charlie and I ) get up, eat, have a bottle, play, nap and we go through that cycle 4-5 times during the day. Really I LOVE it, but the day sure goes by way to fast. So fast in fact that Charlie is already FIVE months old!!

We did have some excitement this weekend. A good friend celebrated her 29th birthday with a pool party and we spent Saturday afternoon over there. Charlie swam a bit but I didn;t get in so he couldn't stay in very long. And then we spent the rest of the afternoon on the lawn (in the shade of course!) His first big day outside! He went to bed a bit early that noght and slept for OVER 12 hours! He was tired!

Sunday we went to my Mom's to visit her and get some tomatoes (her garden is exploding with tomatoes right now). That also entails a visit with Gus, her big hyper golden retriever. Charlie totally dug the dog! Gus couldn't get enough of him! But Charlie never flinched, cried or whined the entire time, even when Gus tried to take his blanket and may have nipped his toes and hands. He even cracked a few half smiles at the dog! I loved it since I want a dog next year.

Sunday also brought a visit from Danyel and her two boys. Lincoln is getting so big and both boys poked at each other a bit! I can't wait til they can actually play together!

So its back to the grind again this week...I sure could use some time off! (Because you know 15 weeks at the beginning of the year wasn't enough!) Next week I will be home for two days and I can't wait!! We are taking Charlie to his (most likely) last NICU follow up appointment on Tuesday. Our regular Dr says he is all caught up, so I am guessing the NICU clinic won't need to see him anymore. And then the other day I am just relaxing..maybe getting caught up (or atleast a couple months) on Charlie's baby book. I am so far behind...as in hardly started! I need to get on that so I don't have a full year to do all at once! My sister was kind enough to get all the stuff for me so I really need to put it together.

Not Me Monday!

I haven't participated in a few weeks, so certainly I have some "Not Me's" to share!

First, I did not ignore my child's screaming on the last hour of our 2.5 hour drive home, hoping that he would just fall asleep. Nope. Not me.



I certainly did not update my blog while working, on the busiest day of my month! Nope I wouldn't put the reports due to the VP on hold while I update you and teh fact that my son can now roll over in bed!



I did not flip out on W yesterday when he didn't do what I wanted him to do when I wanted him to do it. I mean afterall he manages to take care of the baby and get stuff done right? So why can't I? It certainly wasn't 90 degrees with 100% humidity today so Charles could have certainly sat out side with me while I pulled weeds...Yea. Not so much.



I did not call my sister every day last week. Atleast I don't think it was every day...but it was pretty darn close! She loves that I call her to chat while I am driving homefrom work! Because I never call her about nothing...



I did not drag my 5 month old son two and a half hour away from home to attend a baby shower and see a friend. He did so well, that he promptly spewed his entire bottle on a random guest of said shower whilst I was trying to get food. Oh yea and I certainly wouldn't pawn him off to a stranger to hold while I selfishly try to feed myself! Overall, well worth the trip!



I'm sure I have many other faults from the last month or so..but can't think of them. I seriously have way too many things going on to remember everything!

He's a mover!!

So I had every intention of posting som epics this morning, but I forgot to bring the connector cord to work with me to download the pics I want to post!

So let me just tellyou what they are all about!

We put Charles to bed sometime between 8 and 9pm everynight. And he is a tummy sleeper and we put him length wise in the crib. MOST nights he sleeps all the way through (Thursday night he was up 2 times). So last night it was businsess as usual...and he slept all night. I heard him through the monitor at 6 am so I went in to get him, and what did I find? Charles is 1) on his back and 2) turned 90 degrees so his feet are pointing to the side of the crib! Mind you he NEVER rolls over if you are paying attention to him!! But it seems every morning he wakes up and rolls over before letting us know he is awake!

Tomorrow Charles and I are going on our first 'Road Trip'! We are heading to Peoria for my running partner's baby shower (obviously we haven't been running together lately!) and also going to visit my BFF nad college roommate! I am looking forward to a great time with her, even though it won't be our usual 'routine' visit!!
I am both anxious and excited! I haven't traveled that far or driven that long with him so I hope he does ok. I am trying to schedule our drive in between bottles and during times he would normally be sleeping. And in my head right now I am thinking of ALL the things I need to pack for the day...you know, just in case somehting happens!!

Getting big!!

Charlie marked his four month birthday...two weeks ago!!! We went for his checkup, complete with shots. He weighed in at 15 lbs 10 oz, 24 in. he is growing like a weed!!

We were also able to start some cereal. He didn't do so well the first couple days so we stopped. I was sure he wasn't ready and that confirmed it. The cereal cam back out of the mouth and he didn't acknowledge the spoon. So we have been trying intermittently since then and I think he finally got it tonight!! I also switched from rice to whole wheat cereal. I think that made a difference. I can't wait for him to taste other foods and see his reaction!!
Charlie also discovered his hands! They go in his mouth every chance he gets...I am so proud of him for that! ;) I have been waiting for him to start using his hands. He is trying but isn't quite grasping anything yet. If gets anything between his hands he pushes it right to his mouth...which leads me to think maybe, just maybe he might be teething. We also have had bouts of inconsolable screaming...I stuck my finger in his mouth and he bit down which made him scream even more. Poor thing. The Dr said the bottom two are right there but it could still be months before they push through...so it's just wait and see and comfort him as much as possible.

One more big thing is his head control! Charlie has always been able to pick his head up and has held it up pretty well for quite some time. But he is really getting some great control! We have been putting him in his new exersaucer for a few weeks and he doesn't bang his face anymore! lol!

The mornings with Charlie are the BEST!! He wakes up Happy (not sure where he got that from!) and smiley and talks your ear off! I love it sooo much! ANd am usually sad to leave if he gets up before I go to work...but weekends, man I love it!! He has lately gotten giggly and smiley and so very talkative! I LOVE LOVE it!!

Please help me Pray

I am a regular reader of My Charming Kids. MckMama has a nine month old son that was born witha heart defect...they were told that he would not even make it through the pregnancy. A miracle was granted and he came through strong and was thriving (with a few setbacks here and there). However this weekend, his poor little heart began malfunctioning again and the Drs have not been able to get his heart to return to normal.

Please help me pray for Stellan and his family, that he may pull htorugh this again and grow enough to get surgery that he needs to sustain his life.

Random

Nothing exciting going on around here these days...just life!

Last week we got Charlie's 3 month pictures done and also some family pictures:

You can see pictures of my entire family (sisters and their kids and husbands) here.

And here is the long awaited picture of Charlie's room. It turned out really cute! I didn't go crazy with all the accessories for the theme but got just enough to make it interesting. He is never really in there except for sleeping and diaper changes. But he does like to look at the wall when I am changing him as the border is right at his eye level.

This is Charlie's cousin Joey. They both just love each other! Joey and his brother Ben are anxious for Charlie to get bigger so he can play with them. Ben asks me a lot if Charlie has played with certain toys, and both ask when he will do things like walk or talk.

Today we went to visit with one of my old neighbors. We ran the board while we both lived in the condo building. She just loved seeing Charlie and getting a baby fix and I really enjoyed catching up with her and letting her be 'grandma' to Charlie for a little while!! She recently became a grandma as well.

Charlie goes for his 4 month appointment and shots this week...I am taking off work (kinda) to go to his appointment this time. It's kind of a big one as we will discuss when to start solid foods! I am excited for him to meet this milestone, but also don't feel that he is ready. So we'll see what the Dr. says. We may just play it safe and wait till next month when he goes for a follow up with the NICU clinic. (Denise if you are reading its Aug 26).

Speaking of work..I think this past week was the hardest so far for me. I work in accounting and with that there is an expectation of overtime during the month end close process. I am still trying to balance being a mom and a professional. I have a hard time not seeing Charlie at least for an hour each day. Monday I didn't see him at all. I just have to remember a few things:1) I cant EVER be there for everything 2) Its only a day here and there that I will miss 3) I am still his momma and he will still know who I am after a day and will still love me!

That's about all that is going on around here..unfortunately real life is BORING!! :)

The Clone!

W stopped by his Mom's last night and came home with this:


Its W at 8 month (or so).

And this is Charlie at 3.5 mos.

So I was just the incubator that carried W's clone!! Lol!!

Who's out there?

Just wondering who has been reading my blog!! I know of a few...so if you are reading this, leave me a comment!! (all you have to do is say Hi and leave your name!)

Not Me!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week

It's been a couple weeks since I did this post..so here we go again!!

I did not take my baby out on THE hottest day of the year (so far) just to show him off to some of our nurses at the hospital..nope, we stay in when its cool!! Good thing he slept the whole way
there!

Last week I had the week off to take care of the baby and I did not wish every morning, after sleeping for 11 hours straight, that he would sleep just a little bit longer!

And I never get on and update my blog at work!!! Ha! I am super productive each and everyday that I am here! Including right now at this very moment...er, maybe I am taking a small break.

While watching my nephews last night, I didn't put cartoons on for their entertainment while I tended to the baby! Nope! Honestly they don't have cable at home so they love coming to my house to watch cartoons!

I di not push and push and push W until he got ALL of our stuff moved, essentially by himself, in one weekend, just so that I could live in our new house! We didn't pay rent before and had all the time in the world to wait...but I needed it done ASAP!!

I did not leave my son with my sister yet again...this time for a full day and two more days to follow..I mean after all, I haven't been spontaneously watching her kids for the last seven years!! Love those boys!

And lastly, I did not return to work having a full week off only to call the insurance agent to get a new policy for W's car and spend 1/2 hour on the phone! I absolutely could not do that at home, during my time off..

Ok I must go now as I already got caught posting this 'Not Me'!!

The past couple days...

Charlie and I have been hanging out and making due without Daddy :(. But we've been having some fun too!

We apparently have an abundance of wildlife around our new house!! I noticed this little chipmunk guarding our front lawn yesterday:

I tried to get a pic of him outside (this was through the window) but as soon as I opened the door he ran. I noticed a few babies frolicking int eh backyard this morning

I also inherited some rose bushes from the previous home owner. Thesee flowers are from my backyard:

Aren't they gorgeous? You can see another picture of one of my flowers here

This little guy and his mommy came to visit us on Monday:

Our visits always go way too fast, but we always have a lot of fun!

And these two little guys, Bud (in blue) and Sonny came with their Momma yesterday:

Bud even took a little nap in Charlie's bouncy seat!

I met their momma while we were both 'trapped' in RMH for 30+ days. Diane, in the testing room, would always bring us tot he testing room together so we could chat and get some social interaction in. We have kept in touch and her boys are just darling! We are both so thankful that we ended up with healthy babies after going into pre-term labor at 27 weeks.

We also headed up to the hospital yesterday to see some of the nurses and staff that took care of us! They were all happy to see the outcome of the care the provided. They said they don't usually get to see the babies once they have gone home. We also stopped by the NICU. Iw as able to see Denise and Charlie was all smiles and giggles for her. Too bad I am not so good with getting my camera out and didn't snap a single picture! (although I am sure Denise is thanking me for that!)

Lets not forget a few pics of the little man.

We were supposed to go to Lake Summerset today, but Charles has had a busy couple days and it caught up with him today so we are resting. Tomorrow Our new couches come. Woo-Hoo!! So maybe Friday if Charles is feeling better we might make another attempt to go out to Lake Summerset.