Happy Holidays!

Dear Charlie,

We love having you here for the holidays!  I think the best part of having babies during the holidays is that I can dress you up however I want, and you cannot do a thing about it.  I am also in a hurry to get caught up on your blog, so here is a highlight of all of the holidays and crazy outfits since you've been born.

Halloween

Halloween jammies from Grammy

Halloween jammies from Auntie Jani

My little Bam Bam
Your Grammy made your so cute costume.

Thanksgiving

Jammies courtesy of Nana

Christmas

Jammies from Nana again

Valentine's Day

St. Patrick's Day

This one is my favorite.

We'll be taking Easter pictures this week.  I will continue to add all of the adorable holiday outfits so that some day I can share these pictures with your future girlfriends. 

Love,

Mom





Your Blessing

Dear Charlie,

On October 9th, 2011, your father gave you a baby's blessing.  A few days before your blessing I sat down with your dad and asked him if we should discuss what we would like to have in the blessing.  He reminded me that, although he says the blessing, it actually comes from your Father in Heaven by way of the priesthood power and the Spirit.  Reluctantly, I agreed to let him say whatever the Spirit prompted him to say.  He fasted for 24 hours and prayed fervently to make sure that he was spiritually prepared. 

Since Gabriella's adoption was just finalized the week before we blessed you, we were able to bless you and your sister on the same day.  You were only a little over two weeks old on your blessing day, and I was still attempting to nurse you.  The nursing process had been mostly unsuccessful, but I wanted to make sure that your tummy was full so that you would behave for the blessing.  We arrived at church about 20 minutes early, and I took you into the mother's lounge to feed you.  I also waited to put your blessing outfit on because I didn't want you to poop or spit up on it.  I should have timed everything better because you take a long time to eat.  I really needed about an hour to feed you and change you, but I only had 20 minutes.  Your dad kept sending women into the mother's lounge to tell me to, "Hurry up."  I didn't get to fill you up, but you were satisfied enough.  I rushed you into the chapel just as they were getting ready to call us up to the stand.  We made it just in time!

Your father gave you a beautiful blessing that we have written down for you to read.  I cannot wait to see you fulfill all of the things your heavenly parents and your earthly parents wish for you.  I know you will be a good boy, and you will help to take care of me when I'm old and gray.  I'm so grateful to my Father in Heaven for giving you to me.  I love you son.

Love,
Mom

The Thinker

Dear Charlie,

When Ella was a baby, your dad used to say to her, "I just know she's thinking really smart thoughts."  Well, I am sure she was.  You have been dreaming of the secrets of the universe since the day you were born, and I have the pictures to prove it!

One week old
contemplating the meaning of life.

One month old
I think therefore I am.

A little over two months old
If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?

Four and a half months old
Energy is equal to an object's mass times the speed of light squared.

I can't wait to see what you will dream up next.  To quote your dad, "I just know you're thinking smart thoughts."

Love,
Mom

Your First Few Weeks

Hey Charlie,

This is just a collection of pictures from your first few weeks of life.  Enjoy!

Your first bath.  You hated it, but all new babies do.

Grammy and Auntie Jani made you pose.  You better get used to it now, because it won't get any better as you get older.

The weekend after you were born, Auntie Jani and her family came to visit you along with Pa.  Everyone wanted to hold you and love you.

These pictures were taken after Ella's adoption finalization, which happened when you were only 10 days old!

Like father like son.  I just love this picture!

I want you to know that we did pay a professional photographer to come and take newborn pictures of you, but he did a horrible job.  We're all fortunate that you have such a talented Grammy and Auntie who can take great pictures. 

I love you my beautiful son.  From the day you were born, I just couldn't stop kissing your squishy cheeks, and I will never stop.

Love,

Mom



D-Day or Should I say B-Day?

Dearest Charlie,

I have to start off by telling you about your father's vision for my going into labor experience.  I think he had seen too many movies about women going into labor because he thought that there would be a big gush of water, I would look at him with wide eyes and exclaim, "My water just broke.  It's time."  He would run and get the bags and we would rush off to the hospital.  I had heard many labor-and-delivery stories over the years, and many of them did not go that way.  I kept telling your dad to not get his heart set on that experience because many women go into labor before their water breaks.  However, your grammy and I thought we would have some fun with him.  All of us were in the grocery store, and your sister was sitting in the cart with her sippy cup.  While your dad was off looking at something, Ella took her sippy cup and threw it on the floor and splashed water all over the floor.  When your dad came back over to us, Grammy said to him, "Look Brandon, Shelley's water just broke."  His eyes grew large and he smiled, "Really!"  I couldn't believe he bought it.  "No," I sarcastically replied.  He was so angry at us, but your Grammy and I thought it was totally worth it!

Ok, back to your birthday story.  Around 10:45 at night, Grammy, your dad, and I are all sitting around the table playing cards when I hear a loud "pop."  I thought, "Hmmm, that was weird."  Then suddenly I felt something warm down below.  I looked up and said, "I think my water just broke?"  I called Trish Ellsworth to come and pick up Ella, we grabbed the bags, and headed to the hospital.  I was so excited that your dad got to have his movie moment after all.

A few weeks before you were born, I was debating over having you naturally.  As soon as the contractions began, I knew that natural delivery was not a good choice for me.  I was so scared that I was shaking all over, but I was also very excited that you were finally coming.  About two hours after we got to the hospital, I was administered an epidural, which is the best thing in the whole world!

After that, your Grammy was allowed into the room, and we waited for you to come.  I think I even took a little nap.  At around 2:30 in the morning, the nurses told me it was time to start pushing.  I had a great delivery nurse who was so kind and patient.  I think her name was Loni (Leiloni?).

She called Dr. Vining and told him to come to the hospital to deliver you.  We were so lucky that he was in town because he had been out of town that whole week.

He was not happy about your Grammy taking his picture at 3:00 in the morning, but I'm glad she took it anyway.

I pushed for about an hour and a half because your big head was stuck in my little birth canal.  I guess it was a good thing that you took a while to deliver because your Nana and Papa were driving in from San Diego to be there.  They arrived in time for your Nana to be in the delivery room with us. Luckily, we didn't need to use the vacuum or any other strange tools to get you out.  At 3:53 in the morning, you finally came!

I couldn't wait to hold you!

And neither could anyone else.

This pic was taken the next day, but Trish was still excited to hold you.

The next day we were moved to a postpartum room, and we hung out there for a little over a day.  Your daddy changed your first poopy diaper.

Your sister came to visit you.  It was love at first sight.

You and your daddy took naps together.

And just before we were ready to check out, Kyle and Caloni came and visited too.

We finally got to take you home.

I would have to say that after hearing so many horror stories of difficult labor-and-deliveries, it wasn't as bad as I had expected.  You came pretty quickly, I wasn't in pain for a very long time, and the joy of having you in my arms surpassed any discomfort I previously had.  I love you so much, and I am so grateful that I got to experience the miracle of bringing you into this world.  Ahhh, I love my family.

Love,

Mom







My Pregnancy Journal

Dear Charlie,

My friend told me this great joke, that I thought was appriate to share here.  A husband leaves for work and sees his pregnant wife on the couch.  He comes home from work and finds his wife in the same spot on the couch that she was in when he left.  The husband says to the wife, "What have you been doing today?"  The wife replies, "I made a lung today.  What the heck did you do?" 

This is how I looked and felt during my first trimester.  I wasn't very nauseous, but I was incredibly fatigued.  I didn't want to get up off the couch, and I wanted to just sleep all day long (even though I really couldn't).  Ella was only four months old when I became pregnant, so she was still gettiing up in the night and waking up early.  However, I was grateful that I wasn't throwing up and that I was still able to be a mom to Ella and do my first year of Science Alliance.

I didn't have many weird pregnancy cravings, but I did drink a lot of orange juice.  I have never cared much for OJ before, but I drank a jug of it a week during my first trimester.  I read online somewhere that Vitamin C helps with iron absorbtion, which is probably why I was craving the OJ.

This picture was taken at the end of my first trimester on 4-28-11.

The second trimester was great!  I loved being pregnant during this time.  (Well, I really did love being pregnant the whole time, but this period was the best).  I started to feel you move when I was about 20 weeks along.  I loved being able to eat a big meal, wear a fitted shirt, and not be embarrassed at all.  No one could tell which part of my belly was the food baby and which part was you.  I found that I couldn't eat too late at night before I went to bed because I would get acid reflux and be woken up choking on my own vomit.  That was probably my least favorite part of being pregnant.  I used to have to sleep on the couch in a semi-reclined position.  I also remember around this time that you loved to hang out right under my right rib cage.  The pain of it used to wake me up in the middle of the night.  I could feel your big head, foot, butt, ok I'm not really sure what body part it was, but it was always lodged up high on my right side.  You didn't move a lot, and I think that is because I didn't give you a lot of room to move.  Sorry Charlie!  Overall, I had very minimal discomfort during this time.  I had a lot of energy, and I never felt like being pregnant impeded me from doing the things I wanted to do (other than sleep).

This picture was taken in the middle of my second trimester on 7-8-11

(Just after Uncle Chad and Aunt Ashley's wedding)

My third trimester was also pretty smooth sailing.  I loved feeling you move around, and I loved knowing that I was helping to create life.  As my belly got bigger and bigger, people were giving me all kinds of advice on what I should do to go into labor.  Although I appreciated that everyone wanted to help me, I was terrified of giving birth and quite content toting you around in nature's Baby Bjorn.  I will spare you the grusome details of all of the recommendations given to me and just say that we tried some of them, but I said, "No thank you," to most of them. 

This picture was taken during my third trimester around the beginning of August.

The Monday after you were due (you were due on Sunday, September 18th), the doctor asked me if I would like to be induced the next day, and by that time I was ready.  I agreed, and he said that the hospital would be calling me to let me know what time.  He gave me their number to call in case I didn't hear from anyone.  I called my mom and told her to drive in to Yuma so that she could be here for your delivery.  Unfortunately, the hospital never called me.  By the time I got ahold of them, they told me that there was no room for me and I would have to reschedule to be induced on Sunday the 25th.  Grammy had already driven to Yuma from San Diego, so she decided to stay until I went into labor.  Twice a day, your Grammy and I would go out for walks, and while we were walking we would say to you, "Chaaaarrrrllliiieee.  Come on, Charlie."  We kept trying to talk you into coming out because we really wanted to meet you face to face.

The rest of the story about your birthday will be in my next post.  Thank you for making my pregnancy a wonderful experience for me.  You were such a sweet easy baby even before you came into the world.  I love you so much, and I am grateful for the opportunity I had to take care of you from the very beginning of your life.

Love,
Mom