Baby, Belts & Baptism

A baby being baptized in a belt?

That most defiantly happened yesterday.

Cute does not even begin to describe it.

No Words Needed

Charmingly Charlie

Charlie turned 3 weeks old yesterday and with each passing day I feel like I'm getting to know my littlest more and more!

These are the things I want to remember about Charlie right now-

• His love for cuddling. He is happiest all snuggled up against someone's chest. And it seems like he has a special spot for his Momma, as I can usually calm him right down just by picking him up


• He weighed in at 8 pounds 9 ounces at his 2 week visit


• He is over all a pretty laid back baby

• He usually goes down for the night between 10-11 and is up around 2 to eat and then is down again until 5:30 or 6:00


• He loves to be swaddled


• He hates getting buckled in the car

• He loves his bath


• Drake's screaming, crying, or just overall loudness does not bother him at all


• He fits right into our family like he has always been here


• He really is a charming little guy with his easy-going personality and handsome looks :)

And to make my heart melt even more I convinced Drake to finally hold his brother for the first time last week and it resulted in this sweet picture of my boys. Seriously,cutest picture I own.

 

 

 

Room for Two

From the moment the 2 pink lines showed up on the pregnancy test until the second Charlie was born, I wondered how I could ever love another child as much as I loved Drake.

I had never known the kind of love I was capable of until Drake was born and I had a hard time imagining that I could feel that way again.

Boy was I ever wrong.

This picture captures the moment when I met Charlie for the 1st time.

And the moment I fell in love.

A deep love...just like I feel for his brother.

These two?

They showed me that there is plenty of room for two in my heart.

And it just so happens they each own a pretty good chunk of it.

The Story of Charlie's Birthday

Last Sunday (March 18) started out like any other day, but ended like no other day. We spent the morning cleaning the house and hanging out and watching tv. After a quick lunch we decided to take Drake to the zoo to enjoy the beautiful weather and see the new sea lion exhibit.

[caption id="attachment_1001" align="aligncenter" width="491"] Daddy and Drake enjoying the zoo[/caption]

After the zoo we hit up DQ for some cold treats. When we returned home Drake and I both took a much-needed nap. After Drake woke up we went across the street to play at the neighbors. While we were there I noticed that I had started having a few contractions. I decided to head home and time them. I timed the contractions for about a half-hour and decided that we better head to the hospital to get check out as they were coming about every 3 minutes. We quickly packed the rest of our stuff, dropped Drake off at the neighbors and called my parents to come pick up Drake.

We got to the hospital around 6:30. At this point my contractions were not painful but still timeable. The nurse got me all checked in and hooked me up to monitor the baby's heartbeat and my contractions.  She said that my contractions were not very strong and were actually probably the result of being dehydrated. Coupled with the fact that I was only a fingertip - 1cm dilated it did not seem likely that we would have a baby that night. They wanted to monitor me for an hour to make sure I did not have any changes in my cervix, but it was looking like I was going to be heading home with false labor soon.

I had almost finished my hour of monitoring and Ben I and were just discussing where we were going to pick up supper on our way home from the hospital when the nurse came rushing in. Charlie had a big decel and they were not picking up his heartbeat on the monitor. After trying for a couple of minutes to find it with no success things started to get crazy. My room was flooded with people as they had me up on all fours with an oxygen mask on to try to stimulate the baby to move all while they were trying to insert an IV and having me sign consent forms for an emergency C-Section. They were trying to track down any OB in the hospital to do an emergency section as my OB was on his way to the hospital. Just as things were getting really scary they picked up Charlie's heartbeat on the monitor after not being able to find it for over 5 minutes.

I was pretty upset from what just happened when my OB, Dr. F, arrived and told us that we would be having a baby one way or another that night. He wanted to do an ultrasound to see if there was anything (cord, placenta, etc) that was caused the decel. He told me that depending on the results of the US we would discuss how to proceed. He also warned me that if Charlie had another decel we would do an emergency C-Section right away.  It was looking like a vaginal birth was becoming less and less likely as I was hardly dilated and was not "favorable" for an induction. At this point I was still having contractions and despite all the water I was drinking they actually seemed to be increasing in intensity.

Around 9:00 the ultrasound tech arrived and performed the ultrasound. About 45 minutes later Dr. F came in and said that the ultrasound looked good and they did not see anything concerning on it. He wanted to check my cervix just see if I had made any progress and then go over my options with me.  I did not have my hopes up that I would be dilated too much further, so you can imagine my surprise when Dr. F. told me that I was about 8 cm dilated!

At this point things really started to get hectic. I asked for an epidural, even though my contractions were still only ranking as "uncomfortable" on the pain scale. I wanted to be as comfortable as possible for the delivery. I was signing consent forms left and right as they rushed to finish my paperwork. Not five minutes after I requested the epidural the anesthesiologist was there administrating it. Within 10 minutes I was not feeling any of the  contractions at all. Dr. F. came in and broke my water and shortly after I was feeling pressure and was ready to push.

[caption id="attachment_1011" align="aligncenter" width="491"] Almost time to meet Charlie![/caption]

The NICU team was called down for the delivery as I had a lot of meconium in my water. I pushed through 2 contraction and was making good progress when I could tell the nurses seemed a bit panicked. Dr. F. told me that I needed to push like I never had pushed before and that he was going to give me a little help with the vacuum. During the next contraction Charlie made his big entrance into the world! He was rushed over to the NICU team immediately as they wanted to suction the meconium out before he cried and inhaled it into his lungs. While he was getting taken care of my nurses told me that Charlie gave the quite the scare during delivery as his shoulder was stuck and the cord was wrapped around his neck making his heart rate drop with every contraction and push. I was so relieved that Dr. F and the rest of the team kept their cool and delivered my baby boy safely.

[caption id="attachment_1012" align="aligncenter" width="491"] Charles (Charlie) Morris C. Born March 18, 2012 at 10:50 p.m. weighing 7lbs 12 oz and measuring 20 inches long. APGARS were 7 & 8[/caption]

They worked on Charlie for about 1o minutes before I was finally able to hold my sweet boy for the first time. He was having a bit of trouble breathing on his own so he needed to be on oxygen to help him out.

[caption id="attachment_1013" align="aligncenter" width="491"] So excited to meet our newest boy[/caption]

I was able to hold Charlie for about 10 minutes before they needed to take him to the nursery to monitor him more closely. Ben was able to go up with him and call down to me with updates. They had to suction out his stomach because he swallowed so much meconium and also wanted to monitor his body temp as it was a little high. Ben stayed with Charlie for about an hour before he came down to pack up our stuff and help us get moved to the mother/baby room. I was moved around 12:30 a.m. to our new room and the nurses were kind enough to take me by the nursery to see little Charlie. They wanted to monitor him a bit longer so Ben and I got settled into our room and they brought him in around 2:00 a.m.

[caption id="attachment_1014" align="aligncenter" width="491"] Daddy holding Charlie for the first time![/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1015" align="aligncenter" width="491"] Enjoying some snuggle time with little Charlie[/caption]

We were able to keep him with us for about 30 minutes before he had to go back to the nursery to be monitored for the night.  We were up bright and early at 6:00 am as we were so anxious to have our little guy with us. Ben went to get him from the nursery and he was doing fantastic! We spent the rest of the day getting to know Charlie and introducing him to his big brother, (a whole post will be coming dedicated to that) family,  and friends. We did find out the next day that it appeared that Charlie had a minor fracture in his shoulder from being stuck during delivery but that his range of motion was perfect and it did not appear to be causing him pain. So we just have to wait for it heal on its own.

Our sweet Charlie made a fast, scary and dramatic entrance into the world and we are so thankful that everything turned out the way that it did. He has fit right into our family and truly made my heart double in size!

[caption id="attachment_1016" align="aligncenter" width="491"] All ready to come home[/caption]

We love you CMC!

Much more to come on Big Brother, life as a family of 4 and little Charlie.

One Week

Today our little Charlie is 1 week old. He has been such a blessing to our family with his laid back personality, curious eyes, and endless snuggles. We have adjusted well to life as a family of 4 and already can't quite imagine what our life was like before Charlie arrived.

It is funny how much can change in one short week!

Going from this...




To this...




Love you Charlie!




I am in the process of writing out Charlie's birth story. I hope to have it done in the next couple of days while it is still fresh in my mind.

Meet Charlie

Much, much more to come about the arrival of our newest family member.

But right now a little bundle of baby cuteness if calling out my name to cuddle him up :)

So for now....Meet Charlie!

38 weeks 2 days

I am celebrating this St. Patrick's day by being as pregnant as I have ever been! Seems like little brother is nice and comfortable hanging out with his Momma for a bit longer! While we wait we have been soaking up every possible moment with our big boy and dreaming about what our life as a family of 4 is going to be like!

Little Brother's Nursery

With 3 weeks to spare the nursery is done! We used the same room that we used for Drake and even left the paint and wall decals the same. I loved the look of the room and could not bear to change it. I added lots of new touches to make the room feel updated and special for the newest member of our family.

Enjoy your tour!

We bought the cube storage brand new for the room. I love how it gives us lots of storage for toys and looks perfect in the room. Looks like you get a little hint of what Little Brother's name begins with...

Just like we did with Drake, we are using a dresser with a changing pad on top. It worked perfect last time! Drake always loved to look up at the alphabet when he got his diaper changed and I'm guessing his little brother will like it too! I added the banner above the decal to give it a little color.

I found this on Etsy and fell in love. Perfect for my boys!

I have always LOVED the tree decal and was so happy that we are able to enjoy it again. The green ottoman is new and will be perfect to kick our feet up on during late night feedings. Plus it is a great place to store burp rags and bibs out of sight.

My mom made the cute pillow and it goes perfectly in the room!

I went pretty basic on the bedding-just a sheet and bedskirt. I did splurge on the sheet and bought a super soft, fleece like sheet from Pottery Barn kids. As you can see I've got the hospital bag packed and ready to go!

Looks like the little guy is set for clothes for quite sometime!

I think the only thing missing from the room is the baby!

26 more days until my due date.

36 Weeks

Tomorrow I will be 36 weeks pregnant...holy smokes!!



Apparently my belly decided to double in size this pregnancy, this is also very apparent by all the stretch marks on my tummy this time around.

Here is a little update-

• Besides the whole heartburn and my body feeling like a whale thing, I'm not feeling too bad.


• I am running out of clothes to wear, so I pretty much rotate the same few things. I refuse to buy anything new at this point.


• We officially have everything ready for the little guy. His room is done, bottles are washed, hospital bag is packed and I think anything in my house that could be cleaned has been!


• I'm getting really anxious to meet Little Brother. I often find myself daydreaming about what he will look like and what kind of personality he will have.


• Drake has been talking about the baby more, but still is not that interested in most baby related things.


• I would love for him to cook about another week, so I will be taking it easy for the next 7 days, but after that all bets are off! Wave at me if you see me running around the block!

I will be back later this week with some pictures of the new flooring we had installed this week in our front room and kitchen. It is amazing what new floors can do for a place!

 

32 Weeks

I'm not sure how 32 weeks have come and gone so fast leaving me with only about 7 more weeks (I will be 33 weeks on Thursday) until I meet my newest son. I'm excited to see what he looks like. For some reason, I keep picturing a spitting image of Drake as a newborn, so we will see if I'm right.

This pregnancy has been a rollercoaster and has definitely been harder than my pregnancy with Drake. I've been dealing with awful reflux that nothing seemed to help. Thankfully my OB put me on Prilosec on Thursday and I have seen some big improvements since then.

I've also been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. I started to get them pretty regularly around 26 weeks, they have slowly increased in intensity and are usually strong enough now to make me stop what I'm doing.

I've been nesting like crazy and feel like my house is almost ready for the baby. I tend to go a little bit crazy when I clean and over-do it. Both Ben and my Mom have been very vocal about the fact that they want me to slow down and take it easy. I've been trying, but that is easier said than done for a person like me!

Little Brother is a pretty active baby so I've been enjoying feeling his kicks, rolls, and other crazy movements. I'm still finding it hard to believe that he will be here so soon!

We are already so in love with our little guy and can't wait to meet him. I'm so looking forward to the moment that Drake gets to meet his brother for the 1st time. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

I thought I would leave you with a belly comparison picture. It looks like the further along I get the more I am carrying the same. I think my belly might be a little more out front this time, but otherwise it looks pretty much the same. Also? I look SO young in my picture with Drake!!

 

Where to Begin

Hello there blog friends, it has been awhile. Sorry for the lack post lately. I don't even have a good excuse except for the fact that I've been a bit lazy lately.

Anyways, here is a quick rundown of what is going on with us.

• I"m almost 33 weeks. I reached the point last night where all nervousness of having a 2nd baby has been erased because I'm thinking it is going to be so much better to have an outside baby (when the time is right) than suffer anymore of these increasingly annoying, uncomfortable, and down right miserable pregnancy symptoms.  I will update more on the pregnancy in a post this week.


• I joined the world of iPhone users. I'm in love. What are your favorite apps?


• Drake has been coming up with some pretty witty things to say lately. One of my favorites being a conversation we had in the car on the way to Target. It went something like this:

Me-Drake put your hat on.

Drake-No

Me- You have to put your hat on before we get to Target, it is really cold out.

Drake-No, it's my head.

Yes, he truly is my son as this is so something I would say.

• Ben and I have had TWO nights out in the past week.  And both time Drakes stayed overnight with one of the sets of Grandparents. It has been refreshing and much-needed.  Here is a little proof that we actually went out.


• I threw a surprise 30th Birthday Party for Ben 2 weeks ago. It was awesome, he was surprised, and I forgot to take pictures :(


• Be looking out for pictures of Drake with a new haircut. I finally bit the bullet and took my shaggy little guy for a cut (his sideburns were starting to curl up) he hated it, but looks so much better! He also looks like he is four now!

So those are the highlights of the past couple of weeks. I will be back later this week with a pregnancy update, pictures of Drake and maybe even a heartfelt blog post.

 

 

Why I Formula Feed

I formula fed Drake and I plan to do the same with his little brother.

Here are some things I want you to know about my experience formula feeding:

• Formula works for our family. I never had a desire to breastfeed so formula feeding was an easy choice for me.


• I have never felt guilt over my choice. This has made it easy to back up my choice a well as allow me to really enjoying feeding my son.


• I know that breast milk is best. I've done my research. I also know if you are not fully committed to breastfeeding formula is just as good.


•  I have a OB, family physician, pediatrician, family, and friends who all support my choice, making formula feeding enjoyable and stress-free.


• I loved watching Drake take a bottle from Ben or his grandparents. I loved how they felt included in the feeding process and the special time it gave them with our little guy.


• I am proud of my choice and never try to hide the fact that I did not breastfeed. I hope that by being open and honest about my choice I can help another woman let go of her guilt of giving her baby formula.


• I think breastfeeding is great. I have no opposition to it and fully support any mother who does it.  I do not think it is gross or unnatural. I think it is the right choice for many women, just not myself.

I will leave you with this- a little something I wrote in this post right after Drake was born.

I did not write this post to be all “Pro Formula”. I wrote this because whether you are nursing your child at a restaurant or you are shaking up a bottle of formula at the mall, we are all mothers. Mothers who are feeding our babies the best way we know how to. We are mothers that love our babies…and that is what is important.

 

I Never Want to Forget

Last night I had a truly magical moment- I experienced the love of a big brother towards his little brother for the first time.

Ben has this app download on his iPhone that allows you to use the microphone on the phone to listen to the baby's heartbeat. It is an inexpensive app that works about 50 percent of the time. Anyways, last night I decided to try it out. I plugged the headphones in and got the phone situated on my belly. Drake saw what I was doing and wanted in on the action so I gave him one of the earpieces. The baby was kicking like crazy and that was the only sound we were hearing.

Drake heard the sound and thought his brother was talking to him.

"What Baby?" he said as though his brother just told him something.

"I tell you something...Nana and Papa" he tells his baby brother.

He listens a bit more and says "Thanks for the present Baby" (We have been talking about how Drake will be bringing a present for the baby to the hospital and the baby will have a present at the hospital for Drake)

At this point I have tears streaming down my face, thinking it could not get any better.

Drake seemed to have enough and gave the headphones back and then quickly turned around and said "I talk to baby again"

He put the earpiece back in and listened to his brother. "I play trains and I share" he tells his brother.

Again he pauses to listen and looks up at me with concern in his eyes " Baby is sad" he says before he runs away. A second later he reappears with one of his much-loved blankets and says "Baby have blankie"

This is what make parenthood special, I think as I lock eyes with Ben who has been watching this whole exchange. 

Brothers.

These 2 boys already have a special bond that makes my heart melt and tears fall.

In that moment all my fears of being a mother to 2 fall away as I think of what a blessing my boys are to me and all of the things that are to come...as a family of 4.

* To make things even cuter Drake was not calling his little brother 'Baby' but rather by the name we picked out for him. The name I'm keeping secret on this blog until his arrival.

3rd Trimester

Well Hello 3rd trimester!

I swear I just found out that I was pregnant and blinked and the next thing I knew I woke up with 11 short weeks left to go until baby!

I'm starting to get pretty uncomfortable. I've been having a lot of trouble with pain in my pubic bone that makes sitting down, standing, and laying down all pretty painful. I've been told this is just my body relaxing and getting ready to have the baby. I wish my body would have waited a little longer ;)

I still have been dealing with awful acid reflux as well, but it does not seem as bad as when I was pregnant with Drake because I keep up on my Zantac so it never really has a chance to get out of control.

Not everything is bad though! I've really been enjoying feeling Little Brother move and kick and roll around. I've also enjoyed slowing down a bit and spending more time at home relaxing with Drakie and Ben.

I also passed my 3-hour glucose test on Thursday so that is one less thing to worry about!

We just need to touch up the paint and put the bedding on in Little Brother's room and then we will just wait on him to come.

Can't believe that he will be here before we know it. So looking forward to adding to our family and all the joy it will bring!

26 Weeks

Wow! Could time fly any faster?!? I am 26 weeks today and have less than 100 days to go!!

I've been feeling great and am really enjoying this pregnancy.

I failed my 1 hour glucose test a couple of weeks ago, so I'm going to have to suffer through the 3 hour test at my next appointment. As soon as Christmas is over I'm cutting back on my carbs and sugar to help my chances at passing the test. I might have been eating a lot of our Christmas cookies the week I took the 1 hr test ;).

Drake prays for the baby almost every night before bed and my heart just melts whenever he says it.

Little Brother's room is almost done. We did not have a lot to do since we are using the same room Drake was in when he was a baby. The room is so cute and I'm SO happy to be able to reuse it. I've added a few new things for this baby and will take pictures to show you all very soon.

The baby seems to have grown a lot in the past few weeks. I now feel like I have a head in ribs!  He seems to respond to me when I poke my stomach so I'm always trying to get him to move around in there for me!

Also did you know that there is such a thing as pregnancy induced asthma? I didn't either, but apparently there is and I have it. Thankfully it can be safely treated while pregnant to minimize the symptoms and goes away after the baby is born. Little Brother seems to already be giving me a run for my money!

We have really been trying to soak in our little family of 3 lately. We can't wait for Little Brother to get here, but are enjoying the last few months of our one-on-one time with his Big Brother. Drake seems to be enjoying all the family date nights, movies, and pizza parties we have been having lately!

ALSO, We decided on a name but are just sharing it with family and close friends. I will give you one clue though-It does not start with a D. Real helpful right?

Catching Up

Well November is almost over (how?!?!) and I did not quite succeed
in posting everyday for 30 Days of Thankful. I'm going to cut myself some slack
and be happy with what I did post. It was such a fun project and I look forward
to doing something similar again next year!

December is shaping up to be a very busy month for us and I could
not be more excited. I love everything about the Christmas season and can't
wait to spend more time with friends and family.

In the last week or so Drake has started talking almost entirely
in full sentences! He has been pretty close to doing this for some time but
always left a word or 2 out. Not anymore! This boy has something to say about
everything. I spend a good chunk of my day laughing at the hilarious stuff that
comes out of his mouth!

Little Brother has a name. We have told family and some friends
but are keeping it to ourselves for now. Hint-It does NOT start with the letter
D! :) Real helpful right?!?

Speaking of Little Brother- I can't believe he will be here in 4
months! I'm so excited and also a little nervous. We pretty much have life down
as a family of 3, so I'm a little scared what throwing a newborn into the mix
will be like. I can't wait to snuggle a new baby and I really can't wait to see
Drake with his little brother.

That is it for now. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are
gearing up for the holidays!

 

Thankful Project (Day 17) - 2nd Trimester

I'm in love with the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. Since about week 18 I've felt great and have enjoyed all things pregnancy. I have minimal heart burn, sleep great, and enjoy feeling the baby kicking around all the time. I know it is only a matter of time until I hit the uncomfortableness that is the 3rd trimester so I'm thankful to be soaking up every last drop of this wonderfulness.

When I was pregnant with Drake I wrote about pregnancy is like a Oreo cookie and the 2nd trimester is the middle. I still like to belive that is the way it is!

Thankful Project (Day 21) - Growing Baby

Me at 21 weeks with Baby Boy #2

 Me at 27 weeks with Drake.

I'm pretty much the same size now that I was when I was 6 weeks further along with Drake. This explains why it is already getting hard for me to bend over and get the laundry out of the washer. I could not be more excited to be growing though. Growing means the baby is thriving and doing well and growing also means that we are getting that much closer to meeting Little Brother. Love him so much already!

Thankful Project (Day 11) - Healthy Baby Boy

Thursday night I had butterflies in my stomach thinking about our big ultrasound the next day. Of course I was thinking about if we would have a boy or a girl and what our family of four would look like, but even more than that I could not help but pray over and over again for a healthy baby.

In the past 2 years since Drake has been born, my eyes have been opened to friends who have had miscarriages, early labor, and even a stillbirth. I don't have the luxury of being unaware of what could happen like I seemed to be while I was pregnant with Drake.

When the ultrasound tech called my name my heart started to pound. I relaxed a little every time she would take a look at a body part and say that it looked great.

Finally she had all the measurements she needed and assured us that we had a very healthy and growing baby on our hands.  I finally could totally relax. I watched the screen as she started to look for the gender, after a short amount of time. She said "It's a boy!"

The moment she said those words my heart filled up with love for my unborn son. Images of football in the backyard, legos, trains, and lots of cuddles filled my mind.

We are so blessed I thought as we left the room with a handful of pictures of the little. Ben and I sat in the waiting room talking about names and what life with 2 little boys would be like. The one thing that we both knew in that moment was that we could not be more thankful for a healthy baby.

God is so good.