Random thoughts and pictures

So, yesterday was one of those days.  I decided to try and teach this little princess how to start picking up after herself.  We had been playing in the floor with some rubber bands and when we finished I thought it would be a great opportunity for her to clean up.  Easy right?  Put the bands in the baggie.  Should take mere minutes, if not seconds...not for this child.  After 2 hours of standing firm that she was going to be the one to pick them up...we were still waiting... 

Shoo, we made it.  She finally had picked them all up.  I took the pic above right after she finished...looks exasperated doesn't she? Too funny.  Notice lunch on her ballet dress? Then, she was quiet in her room for just a few minutes....I should have known...

We had ourselves another mess....Round #2 ding, ding, ding!  

Ok...so, why do stores carry bathing suits for newborns?  Seriously, why?  I can tell you why...because idiots like me will buy them just to get a matching picture of her little bits!  Sorry, Charlotte.  One day you will hate me because of the pictures I took of you in this thing.  Cute on the hanger.  Not so cute on a 7 pounder.  Poor thing, looked like a little ole man in a tiny (but very cute) bathing suit!  

Nana and Papaw with their girls

Grandma B, Gator, M and my brood

Softa and Pop with our sweets!

Catching up: one hospital stay to another

Thought that I better add these photos so I don't forget how small my little biscuit once was.  We really don't have any of the typical sweet "first moments in the world" pictures since the little stinker was causing us problems.  This one was taken in the step down NICU, I think she was 3 days old.

Gotta love the "first kiss".  It was the first of a thousand that she continues to give her every day.  I have to remind myself a lot to enjoy where we are and not wish that Charlotte was older so that she and Caroline could play together.  I don't want this time to be a blur when I look back on it, but selfishly I really can't wait to be able to get down on the floor and play with the both of them.  I've been so blessed by the relationship that I have with my sister that I can only imagine how precious it will be to see them love on (and smack down) each other!

Caroline was a little scared to go into the NICU...I don't blame her. So, Daddy agreed to wear the mask with her.  She had all of the nurses entertained after a few minutes of entering the doors.  We are so blessed by her personality.  She can really light up a room (and our world!)

I forgot to take a picture of my belly from the side right before I had Caroline.  So, we took this.  Just want to remember what it was like...
Can you tell these are fake smiles? They had just told us that she needed to be taken away due to her lungs and we still had not heard her cry.  The doctor tried to keep us calm by joking that it just mean that she was going to be an easy going baby that didn't cry much.  Fortunately, her joke was right.  Gas and hunger are about the only things that get this punkin' blaring these days. 

Anyhoo...After battling Caroline for over 2 hours to nap earlier this week, I walked back into the living room and saw Bailey like this.  What a great life  :) Why can't he keep up with my blog, my laundry, etc.  He obviously doesn't have anything else to do!!

Nope, that isn't the latest fashion in baby headwear.  That is the IV that they finally put into our baby girl's head after trying to place it in both hands and one arm.  I'm so thankful that she won't remember the experience, because it is one I hope I forget.  Praise God she is healthy and fever free now.  Goodness, this girl likes to give us some scares.

If you didn't know...Charlotte hit a fever of 101.4 last week and because she is under 8 weeks old, she had to be admitted to the hospital for a total work up.  For the new mommies who might read this, that means lots of tests and a Spinal Tap!  The doctors said that 19 out of 20 times the fever is really nothing (common cold, little virus) but, that 1 out of 20 times it is a life threatening infection that has been hiding in their little body somewhere since birth.  So, if your babies get a fever this young take them on in to the ER.  I'd much rather have to deal with my memories of Charlotte's temporary pain than what those life threatening diseases might be if she had been the 1 in 20.

Well, I really wanted to add another picture here...but, can't figure out how to add pics as I go along.  If someone knows how to add a pic after you've typed, please let me know...

Happy 1 Month Bday, Charlotte!

Happy 1 Month Birthday, my little girl (yesterday)!! I wake up each day praising our Lord for your sweet life.  Your Daddy and I are blessed beyond measure with the two of you.  Our lives feel more complete than ever before.  Thank you, Lord, for choosing this child for me to love! I'm honored to be your Mommy and am so anxious to see what God has in store for your precious life. 

What a month it has been. We are learning everyday, more and more, how to be a family of four. Wow, a family of FOUR!  I love how that sounds.  Todd and I are working out the kinks of the nighttime (and morning) routine with each sunset and may I just say...he is the best Daddy ever.  His heart is so open to love thes

e girls how THEY need to be loved.  He can make Caroline laugh harder than anyone.  Last night I watched them play hide and seek with a broken comb for over a half an hour.  They were laughing hysterically.  Only a Daddy could make something so simple become a fun game.  Thank you, baby, for loving our girls so much!!

Charlotte is becoming more aware of the world each day.  She's really gaining control of her head and loves to look around at everything. Her cry is one of the sweetest I've ever heard, and thankfully, I don't hear it very often!!  We struggle during the "witching hours" (3-7), then she starts to settle down and is pretty stinkin' precious the rest of the night.

Big Sis, Caroline, is just smitten by her.  I have to keep my eyes on both of them CONSTANTLY because she definitely thinks she is the Mommy sometimes.  But, each day it is getting better and we are both learning where the boundaries need to be.  

When I started this blog, I said I wanted to record stuff for the girls about our everyday life. So, humor me with this story.  Caroline had opened her sippy cup during her nap and poured her water EVERYWHERE.  This is a pretty typical Caroline moment.  She "just wanted to see what was in there, Mommy." So, after I washed and dried the sheets, she and Todd worked on putting them back on.  Todd was telling her that they had to put the sheet with the elastic on before the other one and she looked up at him, quite like a little lady and said, "Oh, I was not aware of that."  Seriously, I was not aware!!  Where does this child get her vocabulary!!  

Some of our new pictures!

Our sweet friends, Joe and Rhonda, have a fabulous photography business.  www.joehendricks.com 

They came over last weekend and took some great pics of our little sweets and a few silly ones of all of us.  They were troopers and we HIGHLY recommend them.  You can't beat their price or quality.  I'll post some more later (as I continue to figure this stuff out).  Until then, here are just a few....

Ok, girls...tell us how you really feel about getting your pictures made for over an hour??I think this could be one of the sweetest pictures ever taken of Caroline.  She truly loves Charlotte.  Maybe a little too much at times, but if I can just step back for a moment it is really precious to watch her admire her little sister.  She is very proud!
This will be the "baby" picture I will always remember of Charlotte.  I think it is so sweet. She looks like a porcelain doll to her Mommy.  

Well, I've finally given in!  I've decided that I can no longer live as a mere "blogstalker", but must join in on the fun and start my own.  Not sure what will become of it...I'm still working on the first year of Caroline's baby book and have started 1,000 journals in my lifetime that only have 2 or 3 days entered.  So, we'll see how long this lasts!!

My hope is that this becomes a chronicle of our daily lives for my girls to look back on.  They are so amazing and Mommy is doing a horrible job of capturing their precious lives on paper...so, maybe I'll do a better job on here!

So, in advance...forgive me for my doting, bragging, rambling and typos as I share the Tale of Two Lee Sisters!

Stephanie