It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Well it's been a while! Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week and then Christmas is right around the corner.

I must admit I am very excited about joining the Christmas card picture club this year! I have done a few photo cards in the past that featured the pugs but this year I will get to show off my precious Charlotte to our friends and family. I have had so much fun checking out Shutterfly and the awesome photo cards they have. I can't decide if I want to go the traditional, contemporary or whimsical route...hmmm...

Shutterfly is also an awesome place to get some great Christmas gifts for the family. I definitely plan on getting a calendar and I have already gotten a cute mug. Based on a recommendation from a co-worker, I may get all of the grandparents an ornament each year as well.

However, I must admit that this is my favorite feature of Shutterfly. They allow you to inprint on the back of the photos that you order from them. That way, you will always know how old your little one was when a picture was taken. Sometimes its the little things!

Make sure we’re on your mailing list! I’d love to see your card!


BLOGGERS- Want to get 50 free cards from Shutterfly?? It’s so simple, go here to learn more.

Charlotte and her BFF, Duncan

Long Weekend!

Hope my faithful followers (all 2 of you) have wonderful plans for this weekend! Our best friends, Holly and TJ, are coming into town for a visit and are meeting Charlotte for the first time. We can't wait!

Charlotte had her first visit to daycare yesterday. I had a dentist appointment and thought it would be a good time to do her trial run. She did much better than I did! They were holding her when I left and they were holding her when I came back to pick her up. Even though next Wednesday is going to be oh so very hard, this trial run definitely helped.

Happy weekend everybody! I will leave you with a picture of this cutie patootie!

My attempt at trying to be artistic with our pictures. I will stick with the professionals!!

Being a Mom

I was never the little girl that said I wanted to be a mommy when I grew up. In fact, I used to say I never wanted kids. I hated babysitting and usually called my parents crying saying I wanted to come home. Even after Jason and I got married, there were times that I thought I would be perfectly content with it being just the 2 of us and our dogs. I loved how we could come and go as we please and do whatever, whenever we wanted. I finally got bit by the baby bug after several of my friends started their families. However, even when I was pregnant, I would sometimes panic at the thought of how our comfortable little life was about to be turned upside down.

And then came Charlotte Sue. I recently received an email from my mom that truly captured how I feel right now. As you know, our parents live in Atlanta so I email them pictures of Charlotte on almost a daily basis. My mom recently wrote this: "All pictures are great of Charlotte. She is so cute. But I have to say, you look so good in all pictures of you-motherhood must agree with you." Motherhood so agrees with me! I developed patience that I never knew I had. I look at everyday things in a new way because they amaze her. I love Jason in a completely different way. 


I thank god on a daily basis for her. She has brought me so much love and joy and I thank Him daily for that. 


I go back to work 2 weeks from tomorrow and will no longer get to spend my days with my daughter (yes, I am bawling as I write this). I know Charlotte will be well taken care of but I will miss her more than I can imagine. I will just treasure that time that I get to spend with her that much more.


Thank you Charlotte for allowing me to be your mommy. I hope I live up to your expectations as you have already far exceeded mine. 

Charlotte at 10 weeks

Look who is 2 months old!

It's hard to believe that Charlotte is already 10 weeks old. She is such a joy and we love her to pieces! Jason and I really hit the jackpot when it came to babies! She had her 2-month check up yesterday and now weighs 12 lbs 6 ounces and is 22 inches long. She is a chubby little thing and is making up for being so tiny when she was born! She is doing wonderful and is right on schedule for what a 2-month old should be doing.

At a little over 2 months of age, Charlotte is sleeping between 6-7 hours each night and is eating between 4-6 ounces! She smiles and coos all the time which totally melts our hearts.

Here are a few pics of things we have been up to:

Charlotte loves to play in her play yard

We went to Litchfield Beach in SC for a little getaway. It was VERY hot but a nice change of scenery.

Charlotte was finally big enough to put in the Baby Bjorn. We took her for a walk around the neighborhood and she loved it even though she is crying in this picture :)

While we were at the beach we got to visit with our friends Mike and Nicole and meet their new addition Peyton. He is 2 months older than Charlotte.

An Update, Finally!

As I mentioned in my first post, I love reading others blogs. In fact, I used to get peeved when bloggers would not update their blogs for weeks and months at a time. Then, I had Charlotte and now it all makes sense! This little princess takes up ALOT of my time...but she is worth every second!

Here is a quick update:

Jason's family came to NC to meet Charlotte over the 4th of July holiday.

Grandma Dawn, Charlotte and Grandpa Mike

Charlotte's first holiday with Mommy and Daddy

This is what Aunt Meggie has to look forward to next month when Ella arrives!

All the grandkids (Bailey, Charlotte, Carter, Daniel and Thomas)
Finally got a girl in there!

The Skelley Men (and Charlotte Sue)

The Skelley Women

Charlotte also turned 1-month old! 

Here she is in her chair. We are going to do these pictures every month to see how she grows!

Here are her stats from her 1-month doctor's appt:

Weight: 7 lbs, 13 ounces (14th percentile)

Length: 21 inches (48th percentile)

Head: 37 cm (50th percentile)

Until next time!

Family Photo Sessions

While my parents were in town, we had a couple of impromptu photo sessions...

Our little princess

Sleepy parents!

The proud grandparents

3 generations

Happy 2 Week Birthday Charlie Sue!

Today Charlotte is 2 weeks old! These past 2 weeks have been exhausting but wonderful.  Here are some pics of the birthday girl...

Firsts

There have been a lot of firsts in the last 2 weeks!

First bath

First Doctor's Appointment
At her first visit, Charlotte was in the 9th percentile for weight; 54th percentile for length and 45th for head. She is long and lean!

First Shopping Trip
We went to Babies R Us and Dick's Sports

We look forward to many more "firsts" with Charlotte!

She's Here!

Hi all! As you know, we welcomed Charlotte Sue into the world 10 days early on June 15, 2010. We have felt a love for her that we never knew was possible and are so excited about this new chapter in our lives!

The Birth Story

I, for one, love to hear a birth story so for those of you interested, here is ours. I woke up at 4:30 am on Tuesday, June 15 for my morning visit to the bathroom. All was normal and I went back to bed. An hour later at exactly 5:30 am I woke up again but this time due to a different feeling. I felt as though I was 'leaking' (sorry if this is TMI) and once again went to the restroom. This was different though and I called out for Jason. He was standing there as my water completely broke. I immediately started shaking as I realized this was for real and I was about to have a baby! I called the doctor and they confirmed that I should go to the hospital. We both showered and hit the road! Of course on our way to the hospital we had to make a pit stop by Dunkin Donuts so Jason could get his extra large coffee :)

We got to the hospital at around 7 am. I waddled in and we were admitted. We had to hang out in a temporary room for several hours as the hospital was full! They said it was due to the barometric pressure and a lot of women were in labor. Go figure! When I was admitted I was 3-4 centimeters dilated and they confirmed that my water did indeed break.

I was moved to the delivery room at around 10:30 am. My doctor came and visited and he decided to start me on Pitocin because I was not having contractions. I knew I was going to get an epidural but at this time I was not in any pain so decided to wait. That all changed once they started Pitocin! I made it a good hour before the tears came and I couldn't handle the pain anymore. I got the epidural around 1 pm and after that, we waited. During this time both my parents and Jason's mom arrived from Atlanta. Around 7 pm they checked me again and I was 10 centimeters and fully effaced. We asked when the pushing started and they said now! I pushed for about an hour and at 8:04 Charlotte was born. It was wonderful to have Jason and both grandmothers there to welcome her into the world! It was a moment I will never forget.

Charlotte's Stats
Born June 15, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Weight: 6 lbs 2 ounces
Length: 19 inches

Waiting patiently. This is before the pain started :)

Mommy and Charlotte meet for the first time

The proud parents and grandmothers

Our first family photo :)

Charlotte getting checked out. She is perfect!

Going home!

37.5 Week Update

Not much to report unfortunately. I went to the doctor yesterday and I am still only about 1-2 centimeters dilated. I asked my doctor if she could predict when Charlotte might make her debut but of course she couldn't. She did say that seeing as where I am already, my due date "should" be pretty accurate. I am just enjoying these last days as a family of 4 and relaxing as much as I can :) I have asked Charlotte to let me watch the new season of True Blood this Sunday...I cannot wait!

It Takes a Village...

They say it takes a village to raise a child. In our case, it takes a village to decorate a nursery. We had so many people help us get Charlotte's room together. So, thanks to everybody involved! We couldn't have done it without you.

• Marmie (Nat's mom) for buying the furniture in the ATL because they had the best deal
• Grandpa Mike (Jason's dad) for picking up the furniture, storing it, bringing it up to the GSO and then helping us assemble it
• Granddaddy (Nat's dad) for helping Jason paint the nursery pale pink and redoing the shelving in her closet
• Ron (from work) for helping Jason sand out all the imperfections in the wall and on the ceiling
• Alison (from work) for the beautiful painting of the stripes on the wall...they made the room!
• Chip (Alison's husband) for installing the chair rail

And you thought I was kidding! We are so lucky to have the best family and friends.

 And, here I am at 37 weeks...getting bigger by the day!

36.5 Week Update

Hi all! Hope everyone had a nice, long weekend! Quick update of my doctor's appoitment this morning. Charlotte looked great on the ultrasound. They approximate her weight right now to be a little over 6 lbs and she is now in the 48th percentile. I am also dialated 1-2 centimenters already...eeek.

We got the new carpet installed yesterday and it looks wonderful. The rest of this week and this weekend will be spent getting everything back into place and putting the finishing touches on her room. We also need to pack our bags and get our car seat and pack and play assembled. Plus, I am finally going to see Sex and the City with the girls. Charlotte has to see the movie that has her namesake in it!

Not sure if you can tell but this picture is of her face...check out those chipmunk cheeks! I can't wait to kiss them :)

A Few Updates...

Yesterday marked one month until my due date which I cannot believe. These months have flown by. A little part of me is going to miss being pregnant. I will no longer have Charlotte all to myself or feel her sweet movements throughout the day. But of course, I cannot wait to meet this little lady and see who and what she looks like. I know our lives will never be the same and we cannot wait to embrace this next chapter in our lives.

Jason and I went to a 2-day parenting course this past weekend that the hospital does. I wasn't really looking forward to it but ended up really enjoying it! It was a good group and our instructor was fantastic. She was funny and brought a much needed sense of realism to what we will soon be experiencing. One thing she kept saying is your baby will have no clue if you are screwing up...something I am going to keep in mind if and when I do!

Next week during our 36 week appointment we get to see Charlotte again and make sure she is doing okay! I can't wait to hear how big she is. During our last US at 33 weeks she was weighing about 4.5 pounds so hopefully she has grown a bit.

We are also getting new carpet in the entire house next week. No way was I going to put a baby on our carpet...it was gross. Once that is done we will be able to finally get the nursery completely done. We are almost there but have been delaying things due to the carpet. I promise pics once its done!

Hope everybody has a wonderful Memorial Day :)

Work Shower

We are very lucky that (almost) every day we enjoy going to work. The main reason is due to the fabulous group of people we work with. Not only are they our co-workers, but they are our friends. The ladies that I work with threw us a wonderful shower. We got many of our "big ticket" items (pack & play, high chair, exersaucer) plus lots of essentials (diapers, wipes, bottles) and could not be more grateful.

The lovely ladies that hosted the shower

My favorite-Costco cake

Gifts and more gifts! One of our co-workers had a beautiful blanket made for us.

Jason, Lisa and Terry

Nat and Michele