36 Week Baby Update

Baby Watch 2010 has officially begun at the Shaw house now that I have less than a month until my due date. I am going to the doctor on a weekly basis and am being checked for progress towards delivery. As of today, I am not dilated. I am, however, having plenty of Braxton Hicks contractions which means my body is getting ready to have this baby. In addition to contractions, my heartburn is at an all time high, my tailbone feels like it is broken, my lower back is throbbing, and I can not sleep to save my life because my pelvis and bladder keep me up all night.

It's all good! Because the end is in sight, and I can't tell you how excited I am to meet Jackson and cuddle with my itty bitty baby boy! I got the chance to spend some quality time with Rylee, my niece, the other day, and I could have sat with her in my arms for days. Watching her smile in her sleep, smelling her sweet newborn skin, listening to her little squeaks, and feeling her tiny heart beat made all of the aches and pains from this pregnancy suddenly worth it. I seriously can not wait to hold my little man and get to know him. Nick and I are so curious to see if he looks like Charlie and what his little personality will be like. I really find it hard to believe that we are so close to actually having him here.

Jackson's nursery is well on its way, but it will definitely be a week or so before it is all done and ready for the big reveal. We have been taking Charlie in the nursery with us and are telling him about all of the things that we have for the baby. Today, I took out a newborn diaper and showed it to him. He was excited to show it to Nick when he got home from work and tell him that it was for the baby. This weekend we are setting up the swing and bassinet along with some other baby stuff. I am very interested to see what Charlie thinks about these new items in his house.

We are definitely in full baby mode around here! Jackson, we are ready when you are!

A Christmas Miracle

After months of pouring over baby name books, having many heated debates, and shedding a few tears (on my part), I am pleased to announce that we finally have a name for our unborn son.

Drum roll, please...

Jackson Edward Shaw

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It was tough, but I have to say that I really love the name and feel so at peace with it. We will probably call him Jack, but who knows. We will have to wait and see his little face and decide what fits.

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Jackson is a name that we both liked months ago but had dismissed when we decided it was too popular. Well, we finally gave up on the rules and decided that it won't be the end of the world if he has another Jackson in his class. He will be his own person no matter what, and there will never be another Jackson just like him. I can't speak for Nick, but I know that having a name makes it feel a lot more real now. That, and the fact that I only have about a month left until my due date!

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We can't wait to meet you, Jackson!

A Very Merry Christmas

Our family had a wonderful 2nd Christmas together. First, we ate a yummy breakfast of eggs, sausages, and cinnamon rolls. I figure this will be the last year we get to eat before opening gifts. After breakfast we went into the living room to see what Santa had left for us under the tree. Charlie loved opening presents this year, and would say, "More, more, more." after he had unwrapped each one. He will definitely be ready for his birthday party in a couple of months. His two favorite gifts were the over-sized building blocks and his electric toothbrush. Nick and I actually gave him the blocks the night before Christmas to play with, and we built a huge tower in the living room so that it would be the first thing he saw in the morning. Sure enough, Charlie ran right over, paused for a moment, and then pummeled the tower. You might think an electric toothbrush is a strange gift, but not for Charlie. He must ask to brush his teeth two dozen times a day. Once he opened the tooth brush, he was done with presents for the morning! What a silly boy.

We spent some time playing with all of Charlie's toys before Dadda had to leave to celebrate Christmas with Granddaddy, Oma, and all of the aunties and uncles. Normally, Charlie and I would have gone with him. Since Charlie had a stomach bug and a runny nose, we decided to stay at home and protect his Cousin Rylee from our germs. We were sad to miss Christmas with them, but keeping Rylee safe is much more important. We will go over to open presents and see everyone on Sunday instead.

Charlie has decided that he does not like to take naps on Christmas. I guess it is just too much excitement, because this is the second year in a row that he has not napped. I was very sad about this considering I had been up with leg cramps and contractions since 3:30 am that morning. This momma sure could have used a Christmas nap.

Later in the afternoon we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to celebrate Christmas with them and have a yummy dinner. Charlie was showered with LOTS a fun gifts, but his biggest gift was upstairs. Grandma and Grandpa made Charlie and his little brother their very own nursery. It is beautiful and has everything that they could ever need. This is such a treat for us because all we have to pack for a sleepover is our boys! We had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa and left their house with a packed car. In fact, we still have to go back to get even more stuff that would not fit.

It really was a very relaxing and merry Christmas. Nick and I could not believe how generous everyone was to our entire family. Now we just have to find places for all of our new toys. We hope that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas, too!

Twas' the Night Before Christmas

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Poor Puppy

The Little Man had his first stomach bug on Tuesday night. I got home from a night out with the girls and could hear Charlie making a bunch of moaning noises over the monitor. Sure enough, at midnight I heard, "Momma? Dadda? Momma? Dadda?" I waited a bit to see if he would go back to sleep on his own, but the call for us soon turned into tears. As I walked into Charlie's room, I could already smell what had happened. I turned on the light to find my sweet boy covered in vomit and looking very dazed. I quickly got him in the bath and stripped his bed, all the time hoping that it was just going to be a one time thing. Well, before I knew it, he was hunched over in the bath tub throwing up again. Talk about breaking your heart. What a horrible feeling to see your child so sick and to know that he does not understand what is happening.

Charlie was such a trooper though. He did not cry at all. The rest of the night was pretty much the same thing every 30 minutes or so. Charlie spent the night stripped down to his diaper laying on a towel in his crib. I slept on the floor next to him and would change the towel out each time he got sick (three loads of laundry the next day). He was so weak after a few hours of throwing up that he could not even sit up. I woke Nick up at 7:30 and sent him out to pick up some supplies because I knew Charlie would be dehydrated after his long night. Nick was stunned to see how weak his little man was.

Fortunately, the vomiting stopped in the morning. However, it did turn into a fever and runny nose. Charlie was pretty lethargic all day and had a hard time sleeping with a stuffy nose because he sucks his thumb to fall asleep. I felt bad for him, so I slept on the floor again to keep him company. Today, he is acting more like himself and seems to be feeling a lot better. He still has the runny nose and is yawning a lot, but he did have enough energy for a family dance party a few minutes ago. So, I think we are on the mend.

Seeing Charlie so sick was horrible for Nick and me! It really makes us realize just how lucky we are to have such a healthy child. It also makes our hearts go out to the families who have to watch their little ones suffer from something more serious.

Girls' Night

My high school friend and college roommate, Stephanie, came into town from Chicago the other day. A bunch of us decided to get together for a girls' night in on Tuesday. I always look forward to a night with my girlfriends, and I was shocked to find out that they had planned a surprise baby shower for me. They had games and a very generous gift card to Babies R Us waiting for me. Have I mentioned before how lucky I am to have such amazing friends?!?!

Santa aka - Stranger Danger

Last year, we took Charlie to see Santa, and Nick and I just knew he would freak out the minute we put him in his lap. We were pleasantly surprised to see that Charlie really liked the man in red and did not seem to be scared at all. He loved looking at Santa and was very interested in his beard. We got the cutest pictures, and it was a perfect first meeting with Santa.

This year we were not so lucky. I can't say I was expecting much after seeing and hearing stories about his friends' encounters with Santa. As you can see from the picture, Charlie was NOT a happy camper when he got his big chance to snuggle up close with Santa. There was a brief instant of shock on his face, and that quickly turned into complete panic. The photographer and I snapped a couple of quick pictures before I swooped in to rescue Charlie. Poor kid. Maybe he will be more excited next year when he really understands the concept of Christmas. Until then, here is Charlie wishing all of you a Merry Freaking Christmas!

Cousin Rylee

We are VERY much in love with the newest addition to our family. Rylee came home from the hospital Friday night, and Nick and I made our way over to meet her on Saturday. We weren't able to go to the hospital because of Nick's pneumonia, and it was very hard waiting to see our little niece for the first time. She is as precious as we expected and just about the bittiest little thing. She left the hospital weighing 6 lbs, 7 oz....PEANUT!!! Nick and I went without Charlie on Saturday so that we could get some good quality time with Rylee. We brought him to meet his cousin the very next day when we celebrated Auntie Dani, Auntie Vicki, and Auntie K's birthdays at the Shaw's. As expected, Charlie was very excited to see a little baby. He wanted to touch her face and head and would have crawled into the carrier with her if we had let him. He still has a lot to learn about being gentle, but he will have two babies to practice with soon enough.

Nick and I are thrilled for Dani and Walker, and we know how much love and joy Rylee will bring to their lives. We can't wait to watch Rylee, Charlie, and Baby Shaw grow up together. Nick and I both agree that holding Rylee made us get even more excited about the arrival of our little man in the next few weeks. It's a good thing I am already preggers, because I definitely have baby fever after this weekend.

Friends

Nick and I are blessed with a great group of college friends. We do not get to see all of them as much these days, but when we do get together it is guaranteed to be a great time. Last Friday was the annual holiday party for all of our UGA friends. It is something that we look forward to all year because it means that everyone will be together and that many of our friends from out of town will be there as well. Nick's best friend, Andy, and his wife, Amy, came into town from Charlotte and stayed with us before the party. Charlie was in LOVE with Andy and Amy. He wanted them to go everywhere with him, and had no problem crawling up into their laps for some one-on-one cuddle time. Here is a picture of Charlie and Andy bonding after breakfast on Friday morning.

Out of Touch

A "To Do" list about a mile long has prevented me from updating the blog recently. I am in FULL nesting mode and am trying to get so many things done that it is making my head spin. December is always a busy month for everyone, but this year it has been especially busy for us. So, here is the abbreviated version of what we have been up to recently. I promise that after this weekend, the posts and pictures will back in full force.

-As I mentioned, I am nesting big time. This means that I have spent countless hours cleaning and organizing drawers, closets, and the basement. I can feel the chaos on the horizon, so I need to make sure things are in order before the baby gets here. All of my organization may fall apart within the first few hours of bringing home baby, but nonetheless, it makes me feel more prepared.

-The nursery is well under way. We just painted, and I have three of the most beautiful, custom pieces of artwork ready to be hung on the walls. There is still a lot to be done before I make the grand reveal, so stay tuned.

-Along with decorating the nursery, I decided to redo the upstairs bathroom and decorate it for my boys. I also decided to create all of the decorations for the bathroom myself instead of buying a lot. This has kept me busy.

-In the midst of all of this, Nick got terribly sick a couple of weeks ago. He came home on a Friday complaining that he did not feel well, and by the next day he was bed ridden. He was misdiagnosed with the flu at first, and we later found out that he has pneumonia. I have never seen him this sick before, and it was very scary watching my big, strong hubby so run down. He missed four days of work. I don't think he's even missed one day before this. Nick being sick was not on the "To Do" list, and it was really hard not having his help for so long. Luckily, Nick is feeling much better, but he was still advised to take it easy for the next few weeks.

-We are back to the drawing board with a name for Baby Boy Shaw. I will spare you all of the details, but a few weeks ago Nick came home and told me he did not like the name anymore. Honestly, I was never wild about it in the first place, so it was not hard to let it go. But, seriously??? Are we really STILL looking for a name for this poor child?

-All of the above, along with the normal holiday parties, Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, etc., and it has made for a crazy busy month around here. Because Nick was sick, we have not even had a chance to take Charlie to see Santa yet. So, Charlie and I are going to have to visit Santa on our own this year. It's a good thing Charlie does not understand Christmas. I think he'd be a little disappointed so far.

-Charlie has been great during all of this craziness. He has been shopping with me way too much and watched entirely too much TV. After this weekend, the madness should begin to die down considerably. We are all looking forward to that!

Welcome, Rylee!

Rylee Catherine Patterson

December 16, 2009

10:01 p.m.

6 pounds, 12 ounces

19 inches

Our beautiful niece made her way into the world late last night. Nick and I are so happy for the entire Patterson Family, and we can't wait to meet Rylee. We love you!

32 Week Baby Update

Oh my, are there really only eight weeks left until my due date?!?! I am 32 weeks today and in shock that I am less than two months away from meeting my new little man. For those of you who are wondering - Yes, Nick and I do have a name picked out for Baby Shaw, but we are waiting to tell the whole world until we feel it out for a few more weeks. I swear naming this child has been one of the biggest challenges of my life!

I had my doctor's appointment a couple of days ago, and everything is looking great with the baby. He was napping during the visit, so his heart rate was slower than normal. I found it very sweet to think that he was sleeping. Hopefully he is a big fan of napping once he is out in the world! I have been measuring a couple of weeks small at my last few visits. It's nothing to be concerned about. It might just mean that Baby Shaw will be on the small side, and I am not going to complain about that. If I continue to measure small, they will likely do another ultrasound to make sure that everything is okay. Even though my stomach is measuring small, I am still packing on the pounds. I have gained 26 pounds so far. If you see me munching on a Christmas cookie, feel free to take it out of may hands.

Great news for the nursery! The back ordered bedding came earlier than we thought, and I have been able to get a head start on decorating. I am meeting with the painter tomorrow, and I have already met with my former co-worker to have the artwork done for the room. I am hoping to have everything done before New Year's.