Solid Food

The battle has begun. Mommy and Daddy want me to eat solid foods and I don't want to do the work. Here's a photo to commemorate our first attempt at Sweet Potatoes.

Six Months!

It's difficult to believe, I know, but I have made it to my first real milestone in life. I am SIX MONTHS OLD!! Mommy and Daddy can't believe how the time has flown. It seems like just last month I was the tiny little needy newborn they were bringing home from the hospital. Now after six short months, I am gaining independence. I have a personality all my own. I am working on becoming mobile and I no longer depend on the bottle for 100% of my nutrition!! I am a very happy and easy going baby. I love playing on the floor with my play gym. I don't mind tummy time (though I REFUSE to roll over!). I prefer to practice bringing my knees up so that I can get closer to crawling every day. I am a generally happy baby, but teething can make even the best of us a little cranky!! I light up when my daddy comes home every day, so Mommy has concluded that I am VERY MUCH a daddy's girl. Recently, I started solid foods (so far just cereal and sweet potatoes). I'm not sure how I feel about those. It's much easier for me to just lay back and have someone give me a bottle. I am SUPER close to sitting up on my own. I can do it, but only if someone is sitting right with me. I still tip over quite a bit. The longest I have gone is just under a minute!! I spend lots more time playing with Mommy and Daddy these days which is why my posts are less frequent. But hey I only have so much time for developing, so sometimes the internet has to wait!

Santa Claus is coming to town

In order to be sure there really was a big guy in red - I had to meet him for myself. So, I went to the mall with Mommy and Auntie Kristin on Saturday to confirm his existence. Mommy put me in this silly dress - not sure why when Santa gets to hang out in a sweat suit all day. Where is the justice in that. Oh Well, even in this crazy dress I think I took a pretty good photo. Santa on the other hand looks as though he had a rough day and hit the bottle a little early! I didn't cry one bit, but all those other kids in line did, so he was probably a little stressed out. Anyways, I've got my proof so I don't have to stay up all night on Christmas Eve to make sure he comes!

Five Months Old

Well, since I am three days away from my six month birthday it was probably time to add my 5 month photo. The update this month will be small, pretty much non-existent. Please enjoy my photo however, and I will make sure to stay on Mommy so she does my 6 month update in a timely and thorough manner!

Ms. Charlotte Goes to Washington

Last week we took our first family vacation. We went to visit my Aunt in Spokane, Washington. So, Charlotte had her first plane ride! We were very nervous because it is a long trip and we had four flights due to a layover. Charlotte did remarkably well and she was a hit with the flight attendants. We had only one snag in our travels - Charlotte pooped through her clothes before we even got to our gate in Milwaukee! This being my first plane trip with a baby I had no plastic bag in which to transport the now soiled outfit - God Bless helpful airport workers. Overall, we had an excellent trip. Washington is such a beautiful place. We can't wait to take Charlotte back when she is older and can enjoy more of what the state has to offer.

Four Months Old

Well, I figured I should make Charlotte's four month post before she turns five months in a week. To be fair, she keeps us pretty busy and she is doing so many fun things that we don't want to miss. She gets more alert by the day. It only took her four months, but she is on a pretty good schedule. She does between two and three naps per day depending on how long each nap is and she can sleep up to 8 hours at night. With nothing to compare to - we feel pretty blessed that we have such an easy baby! Charlotte is full of smiles these days and she will talk to anyone who will listen. And as you can see from her picture, she is following in her Mommy and Daddy's footsteps and becoming a badger fan (which makes her Auntie Angie extremely proud!). We've also discovered that Charlotte LOVES football. She will watch an entire game. She will only watch 5 minutes or so of a baby einstein video, but she stayed up late to watch the whole (very sad) Packers/Vikings game. She really is her mother's daughter.

Three Month Photo Shoot

Charlotte had her three month photo's taken at JCPenny's. She did a pretty good job, but she doesn't like to sit still and was staring at the toy that we brought for her instead of looking at the camera. Through all the drama, we were able to get a few good photos. I think she looks spectacular!! But I am a biased Mommy!!

Favorite Toy!

Charlotte has a new favorite toy. It is a really simple Baby Einstein Duck. She thinks it is the greatest thing ever. She actually carries on conversations with this duck. After it plays music Charlotte will goo at it and they go back and forth like this until Charlie gets tired and falls asleep. It is hilarious - I will try and capture a video!

Playtime

Mommy and Daddy caught this video of me yesterday playing on the floor. Listen carefully to hear me practicing my talking!

Three Months Old

A new milestone! I am officially three months old. I am 11lbs 6oz, which seems really tiny, but I am still in the 25th percentile. I am super long, like my daddy, so I don't have lots of baby chub, but that's okay. I have mastered the social smile - and I have LOTS of them. I started daycare this last month, which also means Mommy had to go back to work - Super BUMMER. Daycare is alright though - I like my new friends and the teachers make sure to spoil me just like Mommy did during her leave. I can usually sleep for at least a four hour stretch each night and one night I went almost six! I'm FINALLY past cluster feeding, so I have also mastered the art of a nap! On the developmental front - I love mirrors and toys that play music. I love being sung or read to. We are coming along on tummy time. I am working on getting more comfortable in my bumbo chair so I can be sitting by 5 or 6 months. And lastly, I, unlike every other child in this world, DO NOT like car rides. I want nothing to do with my car seat and don't even dream of taking a route with a lot of stop signs, cuz I will scream at every one of them! I'll be back in a month to update you all!

First Brewers Game

WAY BACK on August 12th, Mommy and Daddy took me to my first Brewer's game. We went with Mommy and Daddy's friends, Michelle and Tommy and their little girl (and one of my future BFF's!) Ella. I had a BLAST! I love Brewer's games and have been to a second one since. Believe it or not, I am going to one more game before the season is over. I have two Brewer's outfits (which is one more than Mommy!) so I have to make sure I get lots of use out of them before the season is over. However, after my last game on Labor day, it is time to focus on Packer Season! Go Aaron!!!

Two Months Old!

I am two whole months old now! I can't believe how much can change in a month. First of all, I am up to 10 lbs 1 oz, which puts me in the 25th percentile. Also, I am 22.5 inches long (50th percentile). Most importantly, I have learned a social smile in the last month. I can hold my head up now and my cry gets louder and louder! I am officially wearing only 0-3 month clothing (no newborns!) and even some of that is a little small because I'm getting so long! I continue to sleep really well at night, but not nap at all during the day. I have become a huge daddy's girl and a grandma's girl. I get to visit grandma several times a week and no matter how crabby I am at home, I always perk up when I get to grandma's house. Overall, I am a very happy baby, but you better be ready to feed me the minute I realize I'm hungry and no more shots for me. I really had to let Mommy and Daddy know how unhappy I was with my two month shots. That was a long night for all of us!

Holy Baptism

On August 1st, Mommy and Daddy had me baptized at All Saints Lutheran Church. They were pretty proud of me since I didn't cry at all! I was even awake for most of church. After church, we came back to our house and had a big party in my honor. Lots of my family came from all over including Marshfield and Mississippi and I feel really blessed because they all brought with them lots of love and wonderful baptism presents for me. I want to leave a special shout out and thanks to my godparents, Mary and Ben for all their love and support. I know their going to do an excellent job watching out for me while I grow up!

Germanfest

Yesterday, I also made my first trip to Germanfest! The celebration of my people! I had a pretty busy day at the zoo, so it took me a while to warm up to the idea of spending the night at a festival. Plus, Mommy and Daddy forgot my pacifier in the car, so there was nothing to help with stopping my crying! However, once we found a nice polka band to bounce and rock to (and Daddy made a trip back to the car for my pacifier), I fell right asleep and enjoyed my time at the festival with my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. I would like to point out that Auntie Kristin is missing from this photo. She had tickets to the brewers game because she didn't realize it was Germanfest weekend. I'm confident she won't make that mistake next year!

P.S. Notice the placement of someone's beer in front of my face. I don't know why these crazy adults thought the cup holders on my stroller were for their beers (though having four holders did turn out to be very handy!)

The Zoo

Yesterday, I took my first trip to the zoo! Uncle Ryan and Auntie Angie came down for the afternoon and we spent some hours checking out the animals. I was pretty tired, so I slept through a lot of it. However, I seem to be pretty excited in this photo...

First Boat Ride

This past weekend was my first trip to Marshfield to visit lots
of Daddy's family. While we were there, Mommy and Daddy decided to take a quick trip up to the cabin in Philips to relax for a day. Grandpa Tom and Grandma Linda have a boat on the lake, so we went for a little ride. I LOVED it. It is even more phenomenal than car rides. And don't worry everyone, Grandpa Tom drove slow, I stayed securely in my car seat which someone was holding onto at all times and I was well protected from the sun. My boat ride allowed me to have my best nap of the weekend - how relaxing!

Daddy's Girl

There is really nothing special about this photo, but Mommy thought it was adorable. I LOVE to cuddle with my Daddy when he gets home from work. Mommy caught one of these moments on camera and wanted to share it with everybody.

Welcome Ella Lynn!

So, I have some VERY exciting news to report. On, 7.8.09, my future BFF Ella Lynn was born in Madison to Mommy's friends Michelle and Tommy. Michelle and Mommy had a plan last year to get pregnant together and believe it or not, it worked! Well, actually they were three weeks apart - but who's counting. Ella is so beautiful - I can't wait till we get a little bit bigger, so we can really play together. We already have our first outing planned together. We are going to a Brewer's game on August 12th!

Happy 4th of July!

4th of July was my first real holiday celebration and I had a busy day! We had spent the night before in Madison spending some time with the Oettikers, Smiths and Hamiltons. So, Mommy and Daddy got up really early (which wasn't difficult since I didn't sleep AT ALL on my night away from home) and drove back to Milwaukee so I wouldn't have to miss my first 4th of July parade. I mostly slept during the parade since it was such an early morning, but I didn't cry or anything during the noisy fire trucks or bands, so overall I think it was a success. Later in the day we went to Auntie Mary and Uncle Ben's for a pool party with the Dahm's and Arthurs. Auntie Mary had gotten matching dresses for me and my cousins, Jillian and Madelynn. We tried to get a picture with the three of us, but Madelynn does not sit still as well as I do, so that was a little difficult. I loved the party! Mostly I loved that people held me all day long. I was really pooped after such a busy two days - but it was worth it. I can't wait till we party again next year and I will be big enough to try out the pool!

One Month Old

Can anybody believe it - I am one month old! I had my one month checkup today. I have grown to 7 lbs 13 oz and I am now 20 inches long. As I get bigger Mommy and Daddy are taking me on more outings. Last weekend, I got to go visit Auntie Angie and Uncle Ryan in Madison (my first real road trip!). I also spent a day shopping and having lunch with Mommy and Grandma. I'm pretty much totally into ladies days! I also spent a few hours alone with little grandma while Mommy and Daddy went out alone. I'm not sure why they'd ever want to be without me, but they seemed to really enjoy themselves! I've still got lots planned for the summer, including a very busy 4th of July.

Three Weeks Old

This week has been my most eventful week to date. With the weather improving and Mommy being cleared to drive, I was able to go on several outings! First, we went Friday night to Auntie Mary's house to celebrate my cousins sixth birthday. Saturday I got to spend most of the day at Grandma's house hanging out with Auntie Kristin and the cousins. Sunday was Father's day and I wanted to make sure Daddy had an extra special day, so we took a little road trip to Cabbella's for some manly shopping and then out for an early dinner. I think Daddy had a good time, but he just likes spending time with me so it wouldn't have mattered what we did. On Monday, I got to go see all the people in Mommy's office. They loved seeing me again and said I had grown so much since they met me in the hospital! Sometimes its hard for Mommy and Daddy to see how much I've grown since they see me every day. You may not be able to tell from my photo, but I am still wearing mostly newborn clothes. I can fit in a few 0-3 months outfits, but I don't quite fill them out yet. I continue to sleep in almost 3 hour stretches at night and about 2 hour stretches during the day. I still love car rides and have discovered my vibrating infant seat. It was not love at first sight with this new contraption, but I am starting to warm up to it.

Bath Time

So, I mentioned in my one week post that I was not a fan of bath time. Mommy wanted the world to see what she sees during bath time. This was my first real bath (since my belly button just fell off!). We have decided to show you the before and after photos. Mommy also wanted you to know that bath time, though it looks torturous, actually only lasts about 3 minutes!

Two Weeks Old

I have made it to two weeks old! Not much has changed over the last week. Mommy and Daddy are getting used to getting little sleep. In fact, sometimes, in the middle of the night, I like to be awake for no reason at all. Sometimes I like to just look around for an hour or so. I have gotten much more alert during my second week of life. I have also decided that the best place to sleep is in somebodies arms. Mommy thinks I'm growing, well getting longer at least. I am still in my newborn clothes, but I don't have to roll the bottoms of my pants anymore!

One Week Old

So, Family and friends, I have made it through the first week of life! Mommy and Daddy have learned so much about me over the last seven days. First and foremost, I do not sleep for more than an hour and a half at a time. Good thing Mommy read all those books that said I would sleep three hours between feedings, because that does not apply to me! I gave my parents a scare when I dropped 10% of my body weight in the first two days, so they don't seem to mind all the feedings - they know I have to put that weight back on. Next, I HATE to be nude. I despise bath time, don't care for diaper changes and you better hope you don't have to change my clothes too many times in a day cuz I will exercise my lungs for you. Third, I love to be cuddled. I can't get enough time in people's arms. I only have 24 hours in a day to be loved, so don't waste time putting me in a bassinet - I won't like it. I'm gonna keep this short since I have lots more growing, learning and living to do. I'll be sure to update often!

- Charlie-

Meeting the family

Charlie is our little miracle baby. No one could wait to meet her so she had lots of visitors in the hospital (and got lots of fantastic presents!!). She has no idea how much she is loved by her family and friends, so we made sure to take lots of pictures so that we can tell her someday.






Charlotte with Grandpa Tom and Linda









Auntie Angie and Uncle Ryan

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Charlotte Leigh!!

Our baby girl, Charlotte Leigh (Charlie for short) was born on June 2nd, 2009. She came via C-section at 8:35am. She was 6lbs 5 oz and 18 1/2 inches long. Charlotte was not pleased with her rude introduction to the world and she let us know with some nice vigorous cries before they could even suction her out! Charlie would like to thank Dr. Powell for her excellent care during her 8 1/2 months in utero and for her excellent work making her birthday a success.

The Newest Addition

10.28.08: Here is our bean at the very first ultrasound. These photos were taken at 6 weeks and 5 days. All we got to see on this day was the heartbeat (150; Nice and strong!)

12.10.08: The first images where the baby looks like a baby! This ultrasound was at 12 weeks and 6 days. The heartbeat was steady at 151 bpm.

1.26.09: 19 weeks and 4 days. This one was the biggie!! This was the day we discovered our baby to be was going to be a girl! I had been convinced until this point that I was having another boy, so imagine my surprise when I was told, with much certainty, that she was a girl! We are thrilled and it only took us about two minutes to decide on the name Charlotte Leigh. We will call her Charlie for short.

2.23.09: We are very fortunate to get lots of ultrasounds with Ms. Charlie. My doctors are fantastic and are doing everything they can to monitor the well being of this baby. This ultrasound was at 22 weeks and 5 days. It was discovered at her last ultrasound that our baby is not entirely cooperative. She does not turn in the position that the techs would like and they have a terrible time trying to get good photos of her for mom and dad to take home. We should not be surprised by this because she is after all going to take after her mommy and we all know how stubborn she can be!

In the past year, Josh and I have:

Had and lost a son. Our beautiful Sam.

Gotten a puppy.

Moved to Milwaukee from Madison.
Started two new jobs.
And bought a house.

Even I am thinking who would be crazy enough to add a second baby to that list! We have always wanted a big family (not Duggar big, but big none the less). With our lives as hectic as they are, this seemed like the perfect time to continue adding.

Our Sammie was born on Feb. 20th, 2008. He was born with profound brain damage from a fetal stroke. This was something we could have never known about unless we were specifically screening for it. Because Sam's heartbeat and growth appeared to be steady throughout my pregnancy we assumed we would be bringing home a healthy baby boy. Sam spent 26 wonderful days with us and finally stopped fighting on March 17th, 2008. We were not supposed to get 3 days with Sam, much less 3 weeks and we are so grateful for the short time that we had to get to know and love him.

Our puppy, Seamus (Sh a mus), was born on March 31st. He was a junkyard dog and it was love at first sight. We knew we had to bring him home. Seamus came to live with us in May of 2008. He has been a ton of work, but he gives us mounds of love and we feel he has been a fabulous addition to our house. Unfortunately, not everyone in our family feels this way. Our cat was very used to having the run of the house and has been very angry since Seamus came home and started claiming his space!

In August of 2008, I got a new job that transfered me to Milwaukee (Yay for the homecoming!). Josh came shortly after and on October 18th, 2008, we signed our lives away to the mortgage industry and bought our first house. Oh, I forgot to mention: on October 8th we found out we were expecting again. Happy Birthday to me!

So, currently, I am 23 weeks pregnant. I was conviced that I was having another boy and had several days of shell shock when the doctor told me with much certainty that we would in fact be welcoming a daughter. We are very excited to meet this little princess. Due to our past history, this pregnancy is high risk and right now we have an ultrasound every three weeks. It is so much fun to see her that often. I have tons of pictures hanging on my fridge right now documenting her growth. Because I am a proud Mama, I will be sharing her pictures for all to see her accomplishments!