Playtime

 

It is a lot of fun watching Lottie play. Her sweet eyes seem to take everything in, and she just swings her arms and kicks her legs. She is a sweet, happy baby.

 

Playtime in the swing

 

All worn out:

 

Nanny Winnie

We were very interested to see what the pup dogs' reactions would be to Charlotte when we brought her home. Amber showed a complete lack of interest to anything and everything related to the baby, which wasn't too surprising. She has always been so independent. Winnie, however, shocked us. I thought she would be fine once she had time to adjust, but Chris was worried. We were both wrong. Winnie instantly grasped that Charlotte was something special and has been glued to her side from the moment we brought her home. She comes running whenever Charlotte fusses and constantly checks on her. She also hovers when someone new holds Lottie. We call her Nanny Winnie. We have also noticed that Winnie is exhausted--we think she doesn't get much sleep at night because she has to check on Lottie whenever she makes a noise. We joke that Winnie looks like the stereotypical new parent. The whole thing is precious, and we look forward to how Lottie and Winnie's relationship progresses. We have caught some great pics of Nanny Winnie in action.

The Many Faces of Lottie

We have been getting a kick out of all the expressions our precious Charlotte makes. It is amazing how expressive newborns are. As a proud mommy, I have to share. :)

The Angry Face

The Sweet Yawn

The Thinker

The Paci Calm Down

The Look of Innocence

The Happy Face

The Stink Eye

The Observer

The Uncertain Face (should I cry or should I go with it?)

The Are-You-Kidding-Me Face

More Pictures

Our Charlotte has been such a joy so far. She is a wonderful baby. Almost never fussy, sleeps like a log, and feeds pretty well. And of course, she is super cuddly. I don't think it is possible to love anyone more.

Time has flown. We can't believe a week has almost passed. Here are some pics of our first week with Lottie-bell.

Grandpa putting Lottie in the cradle he made her 

Dr. Daddy 

The elephant mobile made by Uncle Brian & Aunt Sarah 

Lottie loves it

The elephant clock made by Uncle Brian & Aunt Sarah

Can you believe how precious the mobile and clock are?

Grandma time

Grandpa time


Our Life Lesson for Week 1
Parenthood in Our Heads:

Parenthood in Reality:

Lottie's Homecoming

We brought Lottie home on April 1. Chris and I decided to go ahead and leave the hospital and go home. We felt comfortable going home early since we had my parents (ie experienced pros) staying with us. We got to the house around 7 pm and introduced our sweet little baby girl to her home and her doggie sisters. Here are some pics from her homecoming including links to 2 videos at the end:

The nurse helping us place Lottie in her carseat

All snug - check out how those cheeks rest on the shoulder straps

Giving the tour



Daddy love

Bringing Lottie home

 

 Showing Lottie her room

Newborn Photos

Here is a link to the photos the hospital photographer took for us. We think they came out super precious.

Click to see pictures

Charlotte Jean is here!!

Most of y'all know Charlotte Jean is here. She arrived Monday at 2:50 pm. She weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and measured 20.75 inches long. We are still in awe of this beautiful addition to our family.

Her Birth Story (no over-sharing I promise)

We decided to induce Monday morning since I was already 4 cm and it was the beginning of Chris' week off. I was hesitant at first, but I am really glad we did now. I am so glad I am getting to work through everything with Chris right there with me (completely unstressed and not busy). He is my perfect match in everything, and this is no different. We arrived at the hospital at 6 am, started Pitocin around 730 am, and had my water broken around 930. That got things going, and I was asking for the epidural 15 minutes later. I didn't get it until about 1.5 hours later, and I must say Best. Decision. Ever. I know it isn't for everyone, but I am sooooo glad I got one. It took away all my pain from contractions, and I think greatly diminished the pain later from delivering a baby 1.5 pounds more than the doctor expected. Around 1 pm, I started pushing. When she arrived 2 hours later, the doctor made a comment about how the baby just kept going as she pulled her out and then told the nurse to get her on a scale to see how much she weighed. The 2 hours of pushing were definitely due to her size. All in all the labor and delivery was quick and fairly easy though, and we think she is perfect in every way. What a gift from God. Here are pictures from her first day.

Family of 3

(Not looking my best, but decided we should share this anyways) 

Red hair - a special unexpected blessing as this came from Chris' mother

- a special memorial of her

Meeting the grandparents

Chris sharing the news with his dad

Already wrapped around her finger

Grandma with her first grandchild

Grandpa with his first grandchild