Sick Baby?

Sweet Baby Girl woke up Christmas Eve morning with a cough that worried us - especially since she was about to start daycare. We didn't want her to start with a weakened immune system (plus we knew they were seeing more cases of RSV recently), so we decided to go ahead and take her in to get checked out. THIS is how she occupied herself while waiting to see the doctor. Sick baby? I think not...

Merry Christmas from the Carey's

"And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:10-12

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Christmas Eve Cookie Decorating

Ryan and I were so excited to start a new family tradition this year! We invited family and friends over the morning of Christmas Eve for breakfast in our PJs and decorated cookies for Santa. We ended up staying in our pajamas the entire day - it was GREAT!

Here are some action shots of everyone decorating the cookies. So fun! :)



Christmas Greetings

2010 Christmas card

4 months!

Sweet girl you're getting so big! Here's your latest happenings...

• Weight: 13lb 11oz (Can you believe it?! Who would have thought when you started out so small...)
• Length: 24.75 in (Tall too!)
• You wear mostly 0-3mo clothes, but some 3-6 mo outfits work too.
• You are eating 6oz every 4.5 hours now. From the looks of those chunky thighs, Mommy could probably stand to let you go a little longer between bottles! ;)
• You started sleeping straight through the night over Thanksgiving break. It's wonderful and Mommy and Daddy are very appreciative of your new ability.
• You aren't really much of a cooer or babbler, but boy can you shriek! It's the most high pitched and LOUD noise I've ever heard come out of a child.
• We haven't heard any big laughs yet, but you do chuckle a little - mostly at your goofy Dad.
• You're SUCH a Daddy's girl and will smile and squeal when he walks into the room. I try not to get jealous... ;)
• You just love your hands and can entertain yourself with those alone for a long time.
• You're starting to reach out and grab things, but you're very selective and it's a slow, purposeful process. I love watching you concentrate to make your hands move the way you want. You're favorite toy to grab is a bug that dangles from your play mat.
• You've started sitting up in the Bumbo and really enjoy looking around at what's happening.
• You also like the Jenny Jump-Up that Miss Chelsea gave you. You have a good 'ol time - spinning in circles mostly with a little hop now and then.
• TV is the most fascinating thing in the world to those little eyes! You watch Baby Einstein and Mommy cracks up at the faces you make.
• Mommy also has a flashcard app on her phone that she plays with you. Your favorite card is "cake" and you squeal every time this one comes up. That's my girl! ;)
• You're starting to get a little more hair and it's definitely going to be thick and curly. (That's from Mommy - sorry about that!)
• Next month, I'm sure I'll be reporting that you can roll over (back to front). You're VERY close now and I'm convinced the only reason you haven't done it yet is because you're so laid back you don't really care to move from where you're placed.

I'm so proud to be your Mommy and continue to be amazed by you every day. I just can't wait to see what new things you will learn and do in the coming months. Christmas is right around the corner and you are making this the happiest of holiday seasons for your Mom and Dad. We love you, Charlotte!

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Ryan and I were so thankful for a wonderful holiday with our precious little girl. We have had some stressful holiday seasons the past few years, so it was so great to relax, eat, travel a little, and enjoy our sweet baby this Thanksgiving. She was in the most adorable turkey outfit and though I had to fight the ribbon "feathers" (the onesie was a little big), it was totally worth it. We got some cute pictures I will share...

This was taken at our Oklahoma Thanksgiving lunch. I've been so excited to get a four generation girls picture and (aside from my daughter's disinterest in the camera) I LOVE it!!



Our litte family :)



This was the closest we could get to a smile. She's been in the funniest moods with cameras lately and is really in to drooling these days ;)

Thankful Thursday

Ryan and I have done a lot of refelcting on our marriage in the past week and it has made us both so incredibly thankful for the relationship that we share. We've watched others around us struggle with relationships and communication and it's really reinforced the need to always share your thoughts/feelings with those you love. It was even in the sermon at church on Sunday: "If you think it, say it!" Today, I want to express how much I love my husband.

Ryan,
You are my best friend and I'm so honored that you chose to spend your life with me. You make my every day brighter; there's truly not a day that goes by that you don't make me laugh about something. You're the best husband and father a girl could ask for. I'm so thankful for you and thankful that you love me. :)

30 Meals

Ok y'all... I've been racking my brain for so long now on the PERFECT system to organize my many recipes. I was so torn... do I want recipe cards? a binder? digital files? How exactly can I do this the best way? I often get overwhelmed by my own perfectionism and just shut down. That's what has happened with my recipes - a cupboard of papers, clippings, and cards in no particular order. It's really quite embarassing.

I'm SO excited because I just found the BEST idea! Kathryn at Nannygoat has developed a recipe system called 30 Meals. I'm seriously such an organizational junkie I can't wait to put this into practice. Click the link and check it out - it's going to change our lives! :)

Thankful Thursday

I returned to work this week and have been overwhelmed with the love and support of family and friends. Though I had some rough moments, I know without a doubt that I could not have made it through this week without those special people. I am so thankful for the babysitting help from Ryan and our mothers. Knowing that Charlotte is with family made walking out that door each morning so much easier! I recieved text messages, emails, and phone calls from friends giving encouraging words each day this week. Coworkers were kind and welcoming with smiles, hugs, even a cake! I'm truly blown away by all the love in my life.

3 Months!!

Sweet, sweet Charlotte,

Not only does this day bring a birthday for you, my little princess; it also marks the end of my maternity leave. Mommy is SO SAD to even think of leaving you to return to work on Monday! The past 3 months have been the biggest blessing and we love you SO MUCH! I know that you will love spending more time with Daddy, Lovie, and Grandma Carey, but always know that Mommy is thinking of you every second.

Anyway... on to this month's stats!

• Weight: 12 lbs!! (50th percentile)
• You are wearing sized 0-3 mo clothing.
• You're eating 4.5 to 5 ounces every four hours during the day.
• You are still not "sleeping through the night" but will snooze for 5-6 hours in your longest sleep cycle.
• You've started to develop such a personality and Mommy and Daddy just can't get enough of it! You kick, play, grin, and squeal.
• Mama's favorite is when you smile really big, raise your eyebrows and scrunch your shoulders up :)
• You're still a morning girl and Mommy loves having photo shoots with you every morning while you're in such a good mood.
• You're getting SO strong now and spend more time on your tummy before you get frustrated. Rolling over to your back is a piece of cake now, you hardly even have to try!
• Toys are starting to gain appeal and your favorite is the traditional plastic keys. Momma helps you get a good grip and then you shake, shake, shake away!

Thankful Thursday

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, I've decided to dedicate each Thursday of the month to post something that I'm thankful for. Cheesy? Ok, maybe, but sometimes it's important to express our gratitude for the good things in life - cheesy or not! So here goes...

This week, the last of my maternity leave, I'm especially thankful for... wait for it... MY BABY! More specifically, I'm so thankful for the last three months that I've been able to spend with her without the distractions that come with my classroom. Through the ups and downs, doctor appointments and play dates, coos and poos, sleepless nights and afternoon naps, I've gobbled (hehe... sorry couldn't resist) up every second with my baby girl. We are now so connected and full of love for each other. Though I will miss her terribly next week when I go back to work, I'm so grateful for the opportunity I've had to spend this time with her.

P.S. Happy 18th Birthday to my little brother! I can't believe you're an "adult" now, Bubba! It feels like just yesterday I was making funny faces and airplane noises so your plane spoon of food could land in your eager and open mouth. I'm thankful for you too! :)

Fall Fun!

We took advantage of the WONDERFUL weather this month and visited the pumpkin village at the Dallas Arboretum. We honestly couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day or more friendly people to help us take photos! The village had four houses made completely of pumpkins and each house was decorated to coordinate with a children's book (with a pumpkin in the story, of course!).

There were literally thousands of pumpkins and gourds (remember how much we like those gourds!) decorating the village. The rest of the gardens were beautiful as well. It definitely made for great photo backdrops! :)

Mama and Baby!
This was the very beginning of our day, while she was still awake.

Daddy and Baby!
Is that a smile we allllmost caught??

Family Photo :)

I couldn't resist taking a "Girls Only" photo outside of the Cinderella house!

Family Photo #2
(Notice we've lost the baby at this point and she's completely passed out!)

Family Photo in the House of Gourds! Perfect! :)

Amazing display of pumpkins and decorative gourds...

Happy Halloween Y'all!

Happy Halloween from the Flintstone family! :)

Charlotte is still too young for trick or treat fun, but we have enjoyed the holiday nonetheless! The photo above was taken at the Borg's kiddie party, which was so much fun. There were toddlers and babies everywhere and Jenn and Keith did a wonderful job of putting together a great evening for everyone. I can't wait for next year when Charlotte can be a little more involved in the festivities. :)

Ryan and I have gotten plenty of use out of our costumes! Halloween seems to be the holiday all of our friends choose to throw a party. This year worked out perfectly and we were able to attend them all. Thanks so much to the Borg, the Moravek, and the Worthy families for celebrating with us! We treasure your friendships!

New Tricks!

Look what our big girl can do!!

2 Months!



My sweet baby Charlotte,

How quickly you are growing into such a big girl! I am enjoying my time at home with you so much - I can't believe we only have one more month of time together. I have lots of things in mind to really take advantage of our last weeks. Here is all of your most updated info!

• Weight: 9 lbs 13 oz (55th percentile)
• Height: 22 in (71st percentile)
• Head: 15 in (64th percentile)
• You are finally into your 0-3 month sized clothes! Mama was actually sad when you outgrew your newborn clothing. You're growing too fast!
• You are definitely a scheduled baby with your meals. You eat 4 ounces every 4 hours - like clockwork! At least we always know what to expect with you :)
• You are sleeping longer stretches at night - usually around 6 hours through the night. Mama and Daddy definitely appreciate that!
• You smile at us often and I'm just waiting to hear a big ol' laugh very soon. We get mostly squeals right now.
• We went in to see Dr. Hunt this week and got your 2 month shots. This was probably one of the saddest things I've ever seen. I'm definitely NOT looking forward to doing that again (and again) in your upcoming visits.
• Phrase of the month: "She likes it when I hold her gourd." (Such an appropriate phrase for fall!) Your head is still VERY round in the back since you tend to look to your left, but rarely lie flat on the back of your head. One afternoon, you were being very fussy and Daddy found that he could quiet you by holding you straight out in front of him with one hand on the back of your head. He was so proud of himself for figuring out that "she likes it when I hold her gourd". It's become a bit of a catch phrase around here. :)

Me and Charlee Talkin'

Couldn't resist sharing some video from playtime... isn't she just the cutest? :)

Beautiful...

Driving home from lunch with Godmommy Krissy, I heard this song on the radio. I'm so often moved by music and found myself bawling as I really listened to the lyrics. What a beautiful way to express the feelings every parent has - including our Heavenly Father. He must feel this way about all of His children as He watches them grow from above. Hopefully we are making Him proud with the way we live our lives and the manner in which we are raising our daughter. I'm sure this will continue to resonate with Ryan and I as our sweet baby grows...

Enjoy! (If you're a parent, you may want to have a tissue handy!) :)

Announcing...

I finally (5 weeks later) got Charlotte's birth announcements in this mail this week. Between Stephanie's hard work on the front end (taking the pictures and working on some edits) and a little design work on my part... TA DA!! I think the finished product turned out beautifully and I was so proud to send these off to our family and friends. It is a unique tri-fold card and Ryan and I decided to include Matthew 18:5 on the announcement. It truly is impossible to welcome a beautiful child into the world without giving all the thanks and credit to our amazing God. We just think she's the cutest baby on the planet and are so happy to share the news of His amazing blessing on our lives.

Welcome to this world, Charlee Baby!!

1 Month

Sweet, sweet Charlotte,

You continue to delight and amaze us! Mommy and Daddy thank God for bringing you to us and for the joy you have brought into our lives! You're now one month old and here is what we know about you:

• Weight: 7.5 lbs (unofficially) - putting you in the 15th percentile
• You are still wearing newborn sized clothing, but Mommy has put you in a few 0-3 month outfits. (The seasons are changing and you have so much cute summer clothing, Mommy wants to make sure you get to wear it at least once - even if it's a little big.)
• You eat regularly every 4 hours (night and day), still nursing for about 25 minutes and then taking a 3 oz. bottle.
• You've definitely found your voice now and man, oh man, if we don't fill your belly when you are ready - we are going to hear from you about it! We've even seen a few real tears appear when you really get going.
• You are awake much more now, sometimes in the middle of the night. Mommy and Daddy are NOT happy about that part!
• You've been giving us a run for our money in the nighttime, but we are learning what makes you the most comfortable. (You still like being swaddled, like sleeping on an incline, and LOVE the vibrate function on your Pack 'n Play.)
• When you are on the brink of sleep, you grin up at us. :)
• Daddy has been helping you practice tracking movement and you're getting so good! I love watching you soak up all the sights!
• We have started using your snazzy flushable Gdiapers. So far they are working out just fine - it's a little more work, but Daddy does most of the flushing.
• This week you spent a lot of time with your Lovie because Mommy and Daddy had to attend wedding related functions. I know she enjoyed spending time with you and you were a precious angel for her (or so she said!).
• You are such a little wiggle worm - and have been since you were in Mommy's tummy! When we lay you down you squirm around so much you've gotten pretty close to rolling right over!
• Favorite Moment: You were a little fussy, so Mommy put you in her wrap so she could get some things done around the house. You curled up and promtly fell asleep and started cooing SO LOUDLY! It was the cutest thing in the whole world. Mommy even called Daddy at work so he could hear too. I never want to forget that sound. :)

3 Weeks!!

August 26, 2010

Charlee,

3 weeks already? You're growing so fast, I can't keep up - even to get this posted! It's hard to even imagine what our lives were like before you were here. You really have completed our family.

Now... on to this week's stats:

• 
  
  You weigh a whopping 7 pounds! This isn't exactly precise as we don't have another doctor appointment for another month, so Mommy used her own scale to get your weight.
• 
  
  You are still eating every 3-4 hours, taking about 2 1/2 oz of formula. Mommy still has to wake you up for most feedings, but if you do get hungry early... Everybody look out! :)
• 
  
  You are awake a little more now, mostly in the early mornings, which works out because Mommy is a morning person too.
• 
  
  Lots of people are saying when your eyes are open you look more like your Mommy.
• 
  
  We are working on getting you to bed by 7pm, but you don't always comply with the plan. Even if you don't go to sleep you just lay in your bed and check out the scenery (most of the time).
• 
  
  You still LOVE for your Daddy to hold you on his chest.
• 
  
  When you're a pre-teen you'll probably kill me for posting this but... We can tell when you are making a dirty diaper because you flare your nostrils!
• 
  
  You are smiling and cooing more and more these days - still mostly in your sleep, but we've heard a few coos while you were awake. I just know a smile is coming soon!
• 
  
  Since you have spurts of alertness, Mommy has been letting you play on your mat. You really like to stare at the toys that hang down and bat them with your hands. Mommy isn't sure if you're doing this on purpose or not, but either way it keeps you entertained! Here's a picture of you playing:

We just can't wait to see what you have in store for us next week! You just keep getting cuter and cuter! :)

Busy Day!

On Friday, the entire family ventured out to run a bunch of errands. Ryan has every other Friday off, so we have to accomplish as much as possible on these days. (Efficiency is key, people!) Charlotte had a doctor's appointment in the morning and I needed to stop by school to check on my long-term sub. I'm such a control freak, I have to check in and make sure she knows how to run my classroom just like me! On our way to the doctor I realized I had forgotten Charlotte's bow. I was VERY upset! Call me crazy, but a girl's got to make sure to accessorize appropriately! We had lots to do and people to see and my baby wasn't looking her best, darn it!

After leaving school, we met Godmommy Krissy (read: my BFF Kristen) for a quick lunch. Charlotte was a perfect angel and slept in her carrier the entire time. Luckily, she loves that thing! She'd pretty much been in it all morning after the doctor appointment, but she really didn't seem to mind.

We had also planned to go visit our friend Laura who had a precious baby boy one week earlier (on Friday the 13th!). Laura and I had experienced so much together the past nine months, I was excited to meet Mitchell Douglas. We have already decided that Charlotte and Mitch are going to fall in love and get married - or at least be great friends! Laura and I have plans for many more playdates in the future, especially as we are both on maternity leave together.

Two great friends with two sweet babies!

2 newborns + feeding time = Bad photo!
 Don't worry though - they will love each other soon enough!

2 Weeks!

August 19, 2010

Charlee,

2 weeks already?? We are settled back at home now and you are doing just GREAT! I can tell you feel so much better now - and so do I! We both hardly even cry anymore! ;) Here are this week's stats...

• Weight: 6 lb 5oz / 14th percentile (BIG GIRL!!!)
• Height: 20 in / 58th percentile
• Since you have made it back up past your birth weight, Dr. Hunt has changed your feeding schedule. You now eat every 3 hours during the day and every 4 hours at night. Mommy is so excited about this!! You nurse for about 25 minutes and then take about 2 oz of formula.
• You grin at us a little bit, mostly when you sleep.
• You still sleep most of the time, but when you are awake you stare so intently at faces. I wonder what you are thinking.
• Mommy has been out a couple of times with you in her pink wrap - you LOVE this! You curl up on Mommy's chest and sleep and coo so loudly! Mommy really likes this too because it reminds her of being pregnant with you in her belly :)
• My favorite thing to do is to wake you up. You stretch and make the cutest faces - I can't help but kiss you every time!
• We are still working on your picture posing. As you can see from above, you don't always cooperate when we want to take a picture. I still say you're so much more beautiful in person :)

Newborn Pics

On Sunday, August 15th, Stephanie came back over to take some newborn photos of Charlotte. Just like the maternity photo shoot, we had so much fun together. This time we got to dress up a precious little baby in lots of bows and bloomers! Charlotte lost her cord just the night before, so we didn't even have to worry about hiding that in the photos :)

Several of the photos we took involved Charlotte being naked, which is a little risky with a newborn! One pose had Ryan holding Charlotte on his forearm. He was telling us to hurry before she peed when, right on cue, she started to pee! Two seconds later, out came the poo! Our sweet little princess peed and pooped on her Daddy's arm. Stephanie, Mom, and I were laughing so hard we almost couldn't move to help Ryan clean up. He handled it very well and calmly took her over to the sink to wash them both off. The rest of us were still laughing about it the rest of the afternoon.

I'm going to work on getting a birth announcement designed with these photos, so family and friends should be looking for that! Here is a little sneak peek at some of the beautiful photos of our beautiful little girl.

And this was just a test shot!

There are more great ones, but I'm saving those for the announcement! :)

1 Week!

Baby Girl came home from the NICU just in time to celebrate her 1 week birthday!

August 12, 2010

Charlee,

Mommy and Daddy love you SO MUCH already and we have only known you for 1 week! We are still getting to know each other, but everything you do is so amazing to us. We were so sad when you felt sick, but are beyond relieved now to have you back home and happy again. You really are a great baby and take to schedules so easily. We have you on the same schedule from the NICU, which has you eating every 2 1/2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night. I wonder how long you would sleep if I let you because I have to wake you up for every feeding. I definitely feel like all I do is feed you - haha! I don't mind though because we are working so hard to get your weight back up. Here's what we know about you so far...

• Weight: 5lb 4oz
• Height: 19 in
• Head: 13 in
• Your feeding schedule: Every 2 1/2 hrs daytime; 3 hours nighttime (You nurse for about 20 minutes and then take 1 to 1 1/2 oz of formula.)
• You LOVE to be swaddled and will sleep so soundly all wrapped up.
• We are still figuring out who we think you look like (I say you look just like your Daddy) but we know you have my hands and feet. Your fingers are so long we will definitely need to get you in piano lessons early and your pinky toe is tucked under just like mine!
• You sleep with your mouth open and arms above your head (also like Mommy). Daddy says we sleep like we are riding a roller coaster! :)
• You love your Daddy so much! On the rare occasions you get fussy Daddy can quiet you so quickly.
• We definitely don't have problems getting you to burp- they sound like full grown man burps!

"Mommy, I Don't Feel Good..."

Charlotte was a PERFECT baby in the hospital. She rarely even whimpered! Our first night at home, however, was a very different story. She cried, and cried, and cried some more. There was nothing we could do to console her. Ryan and I joked on Saturday that maybe the hospital had sent us home with the wrong baby because this one cried. Little did we know, her discomfort was not a joking matter.

On Sunday, we had to take Charlotte back to the hospital for some tests that had been ordered. The hospital's pediatrician wanted to check up on her bilirubin levels. As naive new parents, we thought nothing of this and followed orders and took her in. I had noticed that she appeared yellow, but I also knew that jaundice was a pretty common occurence for newborns. Sunday evening, however, we got a call from the hospital's pediatrician about her lab results. Charlotte's bilirubin level was at a 16 - up from 8 when we were discharged on Friday. He ordered at home photo therapy and Cooks Childrens delivered equipment to us that night.

The light therapy consisted of two light paddles (for lack of a better description) that needed to be placed on her front and back touching her skin at all times. This may sound like no big deal, but getting a sick, wiggly, tiny baby in position on these paddles was almost impossible! The paddles were bigger than her little body. Ryan was the most amazing father and slept in a chair holding his little girl because that was the only way we could get her to be still with the lights on her. He has a way of calming her like no one else can do - even me! He jokes and says it's because he's always so hot it's like a human incubator.

Charlee and I are so lucky to have a man like him!

First thing Monday morning I made an appointment with our pediatrician, Dr. Hunt, to have her evaluate the situation. We got an appointment that morning and took her right in. She was still very fussy and I was an emotional wreck knowing something was wrong with my baby and I couldn't make her happy. I even cried in the waiting room at the doctor's office. I'm sure the rest of the patients thought I was a freak - or maybe suffering from PPD!

She weighed in this morning at 4lb 14oz - we were shocked!! Obviously, some weight loss is normal and expected, but not a pound off an already tiny baby. Dr. Hunt ran some more labs and told us to continue with the photo therapy and allow her to get as much direct sunlight as possible. We followed orders...

That afternoon, we got a phone call that Charlotte's labs were back and her bilirubin levels were now at 19 and she was suffering from dehydration. Obviously, the home therapy wasn't working, so her doctor wanted more intensive treatment... at the NICU. We were rushed to Baylor Grapevine's NICU and our sweet baby was immediately put under 5 different lights to try to get her bilirubin levels down as quickly as possible. We also started to supplement with formula right away as it was evident she wasn't getting enough breastmilk from her momma. :(

Being in the NICU was a scary, scary experience for us, but we were relieved to have our baby getting the best care possible. All of the NICU nurses and doctors were incredibly kind and helpful and tolerated our myriad of questions. Charlee made huge progress very quickly and was taken off the lights on Tuesday to be monitored. We had to make sure her bilirubin levels didn't peak again and that she was able to regulate her temperature on her own.

Wednesday afternoon, we were discharged from the NICU and headed home (again). We had our happy baby back though! Ryan and I are so thankful for the wonderful care given to our baby girl. We are truly blessed to live in a time and place where there are options to help our children when they are suffering. We are definitely saying our prayers and thanking our mighty God for his guidance and provisions to our family in our time of need. God is good!

The Early Bird Gets the Worm!

So after all that work, we were looking forward to a couple of weeks to finish up some last minute things before we welcomed our little girl into the world. Well... she had other plans. I had some signs of labor the morning of Wednesday, August 4th. I have to say I kind of freaked out! I wasn't quite ready yet - hadn't even packed my hospital bag! I called my doctor's office and the nurse advised me to go to the hospital to get checked out. I was in absolutely NO pain and was certain they were going to send me right back home and just tell me to be ready for showtime in the next couple of days.

My mom came over to drive me to the hospital, but I told Ryan to stay at work. While I got ready, Mom packed my hospital bag for me (Thanks, Mom!) just in case. The entire time I was very put off that I had to waste my morning going to the hospital just to be told to go back home. We made it to Labor and Delivery triage around 11:15am and got ready to wait... and wait... and wait. They had tons of women coming in and since I did not appear to be an urgent patient we were bumped to the bottom of the list. I didn't even get on the monitors for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, Ryan was starting to feel guilty for not being with me, but I again assured him I was fine and would be back home in a few hours. We even took this photo and sent it to him to set his mind at ease.

Once I was finally hooked up to the monitors, however, I was shocked to see this...

My contractions were coming in a very regular pattern and I continued to dialate in triage. I was in labor!! I really couldn't believe it because I still felt very little discomfort.

Finally, about 4pm my doctor decided to admit me. Now, we had to call Ryan and tell him to get to the hospital in a hurry. At this point, contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart and I was dialated to a 5. My poor hubby had to rush to a hospital downtown in rush hour traffic - after we had been telling him all day to stay at work! I was really worried he wasn't going to make it before I got my epidural, but he literally made it with minutes to spare.

Speaking of the epidural... Though I still felt no pain, I was encouraged to get the epidural early before it started to hurt. I don't think my doctor and nurses were very confident in my pain tolerance! After the medicine started to take effect, I became VERY upset. I didn't like feeling like I couldn't control my own body and since I never felt the alternative (read: excruciating pain) I felt like I had maybe made a mistake getting the epidural. Once everything settled though, I was fine and I absolutely do not regret that decision.

Now things came to a complete standstill. I had progressed relatively quickly to this point and then... nothing. We had lots of friends and family ready and waiting, waiting, waiting. Luckily I was in good spirits and was able to visit with everyone. I was just VERY hungry - I hadn't even had a chance to eat breakfast that morning!

Finally, at 1:52am on August 5th, Ryan and I got to meet our precious little girl! Charlotte Rae Carey was a tiny thing at just under three weeks early - weighing in at 5lb 13oz and measuring 18.5 in long. I can't even begin to tell you the love we felt for her immediately. Only parents can understand...

Laying our eyes on the most precious gift from God...

We are just TOO proud!!

My two favorite people in the entire world!

Things went well at the hospital and we were discharged on Friday afternoon (August 6th). We were so happy to take Charlotte home and sleep in our own beds!

The new and improved Carey family!

One quick note about our homecoming... we were greeted with a neighborhood power outage! In Texas. In August. Luckily, it hadn't been out long (our neighbors filled us in) so it was only in the mid 80s in our house and our food hadn't ruined yet. We found that our next door neighbors were the only ones with power, so Ryan ran an extension cord over so we could plug in a fan. This helped a little to circulate the (hot) air. Power came back on in about an hour and a half, so we didn't have to suffer for too long! It just goes to show you - there's always SOMETHING to deal with, right?

So Much to Do... So Little Time!

So Ryan and I approached the month of August with excitment (our baby was coming soon!) and a giant to-do list (I mean, our baby was coming soon!). Ryan spent the last weeks of July completely ripping apart the main areas of our home. He ripped out the old carpet, primed the concrete, scraped the popcorn off our ceilings, and painted ceiling to floor. Our house was a disaster zone for a few weeks, but Ryan worked SO hard (literally night and day) and got everything done JUST IN TIME!


On Monday, August 2nd, our new carpet was installed and, with some help from family and friends, we had the house put back together by that evening. I can't tell you the relief I felt. My nesting instinct was in full effect and there was only so much I could do to prepare for a baby while living in a construction zone! I wish I had taken photos so everyone could see the extent of the work Ryan did. I'm so proud of his hard work. Having a handy husband is often a double-edged sword (he fixes things I want to throw away and replace!!), but in this case it was absolutely a wonderful thing!

Tuesday evening our wonderful friend, Stephanie, came over to take some maternity photos. I joked that most people take these photos earlier in their pregnancy before things get so... large. I had just reached 37 weeks, so we were talking full-term maternity photos - the real deal! We had so much fun together trying out different poses and lighting. I'm so glad I was able to have a close friend take these photos - I felt so much more at ease. Here are just a few of the pics. Didn't she do such a wonderful job?!

This is one of my favorites. :)

See how much fun we had just goofing around?

Like I said, 37 weeks preggo pics are no joke!!

I joked with Stephanie that night and asked her what she would do if my water broke right then. Her face was priceless! If only we knew what was in store in the very near future...