A Marvelous March!

Well, we have been home for three weeks now. Charlie has been one busy little boy! He has had visitors almost every day since he has been home. Family and friends have been stopping by to love on Charlie on a regular basis. Auntie Pooh (Lisa) and Uncle Andy even made special trips from out of town to come meet him. We are so happy to share him with everyone!

In addition to all the visits, Charlie also helped us celebrate our 3rd anniversary on March 19th. Nick and I went out to dinner, and my parents watched Charlie. He was very well behaved for his first babysitting adventure.



St. Patrick's Day and Easter were pretty fun for mommy. I enjoyed dressing Charlie in green to honor his Irish roots and loved making his first Easter basket. Charlie slept through most of the festivities, but I am sure that will change as the years go by.

The little guy had his first bath recently. He hates being naked, so it wasn't as relaxing as I had anticipated. He screamed at the top of his lungs until we wrapped him in the towel. Hopefully this will get better with time.

We had a two week check up at the pediatrician's office. We were excited to learn that Charlie had gained 12 ounces since leaving the hospital and has grown half an inch in length. He continues to eat well, and I can see his cheeks filling out more and more every day. We won't go back to the doctor until he is eight weeks old.

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Check out the March 2008 Album in the Photo Gallery to see what else Charlie has been up to recently!

Welcome Home, Charlie!!!

It's cold out here!

Proud Papa

Look at those ears! We know he's a Shaw.

Does it get any cuter???
A pup and his boy!

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our son, Charles Harrison Shaw! He arrived on Friday, March 7th at 2:13 pm. Charlie weighs 7 lbs 4oz and is 20 inches long...perfect, of course!

Charlie decided to start making his appearance on his due date, March 6th. I began having contractions in the afternoon, but I wasn't quite sure until around midnight that I was truly in labor. Nick and I began timing the contractions and realized that they were regular and about 6 minutes apart. We called the doctor, who told us to come to the hospital as soon as we felt ready. Nick and I got to Northside at 2:00 am and checked in.

After a quick check up, it was determined that I had not made any progress since my doctor's appointment earlier in the day. My doctor was not convinced that I was in true labor. It was so discouraging to hear that we might be sent home after a night of contractions. I was admitted for observation over night, and they decided to reassess the situation in the morning. Turns out I was in true labor! A check up at 8:00 am revealed that we were in fact going to have a baby that day.

From that point on, things happened so fast. My water was broken, and I was given a drug to help produce strong contractions. That's when I met my new best friend, the anesthesiologist. He kindly gave me an epidural, and from there I did not feel another thing. After 2 hours of pushing and some scary moments with Charlie's heart rate, he was born! Charlie was having trouble breathing right away, and it was what seemed like an eternity before he gave a nice strong cry. Because of this and the fact that I developed a fever during labor, he was taken to a special nursery for observation. I knew that this was the best place for our little boy, but it didn't make it any easier to let him go so soon after meeting him. Luckily, Nick was able to go with him while I remained in the recovery room. About 3 hours later our family was reunited!

Nick and I still can't quite put into words what it was like to see our son for the first time. We both agree that it still hasn't sunk in that he is really ours to keep and love forever. Thank you to everyone for the phone calls, texts, and e-mails. It is so heartwarming to know that we have been in your thoughts. Nick and I promise to get back to everyone as soon as we have the time...which might be in about 3 months according to what I hear! Until then, we hope that this post answers all of your questions about Charlie's arrival. He cannot wait to meet everyone, and his proud parents cannot wait to show him off!!! In the meantime, here are some pictures of the little guy.

Nursery News

The nursery is complete, the clothes are washed and folded, the diapers are stacked, and now we are waiting patiently for Charlie to arrive! Check out our photo gallery to see more pictures of Charlie's new room.

BEFORE

AFTER

Happy Nine Months!

Today, I am officially 9 months pregnant. It is so hard to believe that Charlie will be here any day. It feels like just the other day we found out we were having a baby. Now, we will be holding him in our arms in just a matter of weeks.

Nick and I are so grateful for the wonderful pregnancy that I have had. Other than a few aches and pains a couple of weeks ago, the last 9 months have been a breeze. I actually get sad when I think about not being pregnant anymore. It has been the most amazing and special experience. Charlie already has my heart, and I haven't even seen his little face yet. I can only imagine the immense love that we will feel when he is actually here.

Starting this week, I will be going to the doctor on a weekly basis. So far, we have been getting great updates. My blood pressure remains the same each visit, and I have gained twenty pounds. I was slightly anemic at my last visit, so I have been taking iron supplements to help with that. Charlie is head down, and his heartrate continues to be strong. He is supposed to be less active these days, but I don't think anyone has told him that. He might not have a lot of room, but he certainly finds some creative ways to wiggle around in my belly. The last time the doctor checked him, he made it very clear that he did not appreciate us poking him. At least we know he won't stand for getting pushed around!

The Growing Belly

Check out the belly at 4 and 1/2 months. I was just starting to show.

5 and 1/2 months doesn't look all that different.

We missed a month, and look what happend! 7 and 1/2 months is quite a change.

Here we are at 8 and 1/2 months. How much bigger can a belly get?

It's Shower Time

Auntie Lisa and Auntie Nicole hosted a beautiful baby shower for Charlie and me this past Sunday. There were plenty of blue balloons, confetti, jelly beans, and cupcakes to go around! Nick and I can't believe how generous everyone was. We are fortunate to have so many wonderful friends and family members in our lives. We can't wait for Charlie to meet all of you.

Here are some of the pictures from the shower. As you can see, Charlie made out like a bandit. He got everything from pacifiers and bottles to bouncy seats and a pack-n-play. Mommy didn't do so bad herself. My amazing sisters-in-law surprised me with a Coach diaper bag. I will officially be the most stylish mom in play group! A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!!!

Ethan and Reece were such great helpers. I couldn't have unwrapped all of those gifts by myself!

Charlie's friend, Alex, tested the toys to make sure they were baby approved.


The Aunties helped me keep all of the gifts organized.


Look at all of these gifts!

Auntie Nicole and Auntie Stefani are the best!

What a great cupcake tower!

Happy Holidays!

It is hard to believe that 2008 is just around the corner...and so is my due date! We enjoyed a relaxing Christmas with our families. They gave us a wonderful head start on some of the baby gear that we need. Nick's family bought us a great DVD/Video camera so that we can record all of Charlie's firsts. My family gave us our stroller and car seat as well as many other baby goodies. I can already tell that Charlie is going to be one VERY spoiled grand baby! He has no idea what he is in for next Christmas.

I am in my third trimester (30 weeks or 7.5 months). My doctor's visits are now every two weeks. We are still getting great news at every visit. Charlie's heartbeat is 140 beats per minute, and he is the size of an average baby for his gestation. He is very active and starts moving around the minute I stop moving. Nick and I enjoy watching my belly dance as Charlie squirms and kicks. He has become quite strong, and my ribs are taking a beating these days. I am finding it hard to believe that he still has room in there to double his current weight. Everything is great with me too. I have put on 11 pounds so far and hope to keep this slow and steady weight gain until the end. It will be interesting to see if the holidays have ruined that plan.

Nick is already back at work, and I am enjoying my much needed winter break from school. We have started working on the nursery and will receive our last delivery of furniture today! Then the decorating fun can begin. Having the room painted and moving the furniture in has really put this whole experience into perspective. In just 10 weeks we will welcome our son home to his very own room in our house. Check back in a few weeks for pictures of the big reveal!

We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday with their loved ones, and we wish you a safe and Happy New Year!

It's a BOY!

It is official...we are having a BOY! The ultrasound confirmed that we will be welcoming a little Charlie Shaw into the world next year. Most importantly, we heard that the baby is right on track as far as growth and that all of his vital organs are functioning properly. It is such a relief to hear his little heart beating each time we go in for a check up. It just reminds me of how fortunate we are.

As for me, this pregnancy has been one of the best times of my life. I have felt better than ever and have only put on 6 pounds. I am finally wearing maternity clothes full time. We just celebrated 20 weeks or 5 months last Thursday. It is incredible to believe that we are already half way through! The baby has just started to make his presence known with a few little kicks here and there. It is still very faint, but I am sure the intensity will pick up quickly.

Nick has been wonderful throughout the entire pregnancy. He has become very protective of the baby and me. I have to say that this experience has definitely shown me just how wonderful and loving he is going to be as a father.

Again, I want to thank everyone for their love and support! We hope to keep you posted on the baby's progress through this website. Check back every once in a while to share in our joy!

Love,
Lindsay & Nick

Welcome!

Hello all, and welcome to our blog. I wanted to set this site up for all of our family and friends. This way we can keep everyone up-to-date on Baby Shaw's progress. Nick and I feel so fortunate to have such a wonderful support system, and we appreciate all of the warm wishes that we have received since we announced that we were expecting. We want to thank everyone for their thoughtful and kind words. They mean so much!