Do the 2

As many of you already know, I will be participating in the Atlanta 2-day Breast Cancer Walk on October 3rd and 4th this year. I am turning 30 in a week, and I had decided months ago that I wanted to give back to my community for my birthday. I knew that I would probably be pregnant when I committed for the walk, and I will not be able to complete the entire 30 miles. After I finish walking each day, I will be a part of the fantastic crew who will take care of and assist other walkers along the route. Most importantly, I wanted to raise awareness amongst my friends and family and support a wonderful cause. As a walker, I have promised to raise at least $1,000 that will go towards research, education, early detection, and treatment of breast cancer in the Atlanta area. Since the walk began six years ago, the founding organization, It's the Journey, has raised over 5.5 million dollars.

I am asking for your help. I have raised close to $650, but I still have a ways to go. I know that money is tight for everyone right now, but your donation does not have to be huge in order to make a difference. By making a small donation to this wonderful cause, you are helping us get one step closer to finding a cure. Please consider making a donation today. You can access my personal website here. Thank you in advance for your support!!!

Dance Party '09

As I mentioned in the previous post, he just LOVES music. Here is a video from the dance party that we had in our office last night. The little man had a cold, but he perked right up as soon as the music started playing.

Our Little Music Lover

This kid just loves music - any type of music. I like to listen to music in the car, but other than that, I rarely have it playing around the house. Nick, on the other hand, loves to listen to music and is constantly downloading new songs to his i-pod. It looks like our little man will be a music lover like his Daddy. One of his favorite things to do these days is grab Nick's i-pod and jam to a few tunes. The ear pieces are too big for him, so he just holds one up to listen.

Nick and I are not surprised by Charlie's love for music. In fact, he showed signs that he was going to be musical before he was even born. At night, Nick often listens to music in bed while reading or in order to doze off. Many times, he would put his head phones up to my pregnant belly so that Charlie could hear one of his favorite songs. Charlie would jump and kick all while the music was playing. If we took the music away, he would stop. We loved watching and feeling my belly dance to the music. Nick is a big Beatles fan, and we quickly realized that Charlie liked their music, too. Now you know where we got the middle name Harrison (as in George Harrison). Every time I say his full name, it brings me back to those special moments with Nick.

Cayla Belle

One of our dear friends, Caitlin, and her husband, Clay, just welcomed their baby girl, Cayla Belle, into the world on August 15th. My girlfriend, Caroline, was nice enough to invite some of us over for dinner the other night so that we could meet Miss C. What a little doll baby. She weighed 8 lbs, 4 oz at birth, and it is amazing what a difference one extra pound can make on such a little body. Charlie was 7 lbs, 4 oz, and he seemed so much smaller and skinnier. Now, that doesn't mean that I hope baby number two is over 8 pounds. I barely got Charlie out, so I think I am good with another 7 pound baby! I'll just wait a few weeks for that extra pound.

Cayla was a perfect dinner guest. She did not cry once, was happy to be passed around to all of the girls, and slept through dinner in her car seat so that Mommy could eat. Of course, I was probably a bit of a baby hog, but I need my newborn practice!

Little Flutters

The last few nights I have been feeling a fluttering sensation in my abdomen. The other night I really focused on what I was feeling and decided that my newest little one is letting me know that he is really in there. With Charlie, I didn't feel anything until it was very obvious that he was kicking. It felt like someone was moving their hand under my skin. Pretty hard to miss that. This time it is a much fainter sensation, but I am sure that it is the baby.

I have been looking forward to feeling this baby move because part of me is still in disbelief that I will have another child in a matter of months. I have far less time to daydream about this baby than I did with Charlie. As I mentioned in a previous post, it seems like the weeks are just flying by this time. I feel very pregnant, but I have yet to feel connected with my new baby. This has made me very sad, and I have felt pretty badly about it. In my head, I know that I will love this new baby as much as Charlie, but my heart questions how that is possible. Charlie is the center of our world, and Nick and I love him so much. I guess it is just hard to imagine that your heart can love another person as much.

Charlie has made our lives so wonderful. I dreamed about being a mommy as a little girl, and I always knew that it was going to be the most important role I would ever have in my life. Even though Nick probably did not daydream about parenthood like I did, he too knew that he wanted to be a dad. In fact, that was one to the reasons I fell in love with him. He has always been great with kids of all ages and we talked about having children very early on in our relationship. Starting our family has been our greatest accomplishment as a couple. Our love for Charlie has made both of us better people, and we cannot wait to feel out hearts swell with even more love as we welcome another child. Children are such a blessing, and we are grateful for the fact that we are soon to be the parents of two.

Sensing the baby move has made me feel the connection that I have longed for since finding out I was pregnant. I look forward to it getting stronger as the weeks pass, and I am getting so excited about seeing Baby Shaw during our 20 week ultrasound. We are pretty sure we have a name picked out, and I am really looking forward to calling the baby by name in a few weeks.

Because the sensations that I am feeling remind me of a butterfly, I am ending this post with an excerpt from one of Charlie's books that I adore. As soon as I felt the baby, I thought of these words:

Flit to Mama;

Fly sky-high.

Mama loves you,

Butterfly.

A Very Mickey Birthday

Charlie's buddy, Brock, celebrated his 3rd birthday today with a Mickey Mouse themed party. Brock's mommy, Jenny, is quite the party planner, and I love to see all of the creative things that she does for the kid's birthdays. The house was so colorful, and everywhere you turned there was something very Disney to look at. Jenny makes a lot of the decorations herself, and even made a gorgeous cake for Brock. She plans her parties months in advance and is my kind of girl.

We had fun playing with Brock and little sis, Avery, as well as many other little ones. We ate way too much good food, and had a great time today. We hope Brock had a very happy birthday, and we are so glad we got to be a part of all of the fun!

The centerpiece on the dinning room table

Handmade signs all over the house

A yummy cupcake stand

Charlie and Daddy partying hard

The birthday boy and his family

First Haircut

Charlie's hair has really just started filling in over the last few months. Up until now, we have been trimming it at home with the clippers. So technically, today was not his first haircut, but it was the first time that we brought him somewhere to get it cut. We decided to take him in because we like his hair a little longer, and if we use the clippers it has to be pretty short. So, we sucked it up and took him to a kid's hair place. I have a few friends who have brought their kids there, so I decided it was a good enough place for us. I wanted Nick to tag along just in case their was major drama and so I could take plenty of pictures.

It turns out, Charlie was a very brave boy, and we did not need Daddy's help after all. He sat in the chair like a little man with his arms on the arm rests and did not move a muscle or seem scared at all. I think it may have had something to do with the fact that he watched an Elmo movie during his haircut. What a great idea!

With Elmo on the TV and Lovie in hand, there was nothing to fear. He didn't even flinch when the hair dresser used the clippers or the dryer on him. He looked so tiny in the chair, and it was precious watching him the whole time.

I couldn't get a shot of him looking at me when he was done because Elmo was still on. I was so proud of how well he had done, that I did not have time to closely inspect the hair cut. Once we got home, I noticed that it was not worth the $17.00 we paid plus the generous $5.00 that Nick left as a tip. The sides and the back of his hair look like a five-year-old took safety scissors to it. So, while Charlie ate his lunch, I whipped out my scissors and tried to even out the sides. I am still going to have to get the clippers out for the back, but that can wait until tomorrow. Needless to say, I think we might stick to our home haircuts from now on. At least if we make a mistake, it won't cost us $22.00.

Just Another Day at Playgroup

Have I mentioned that I LOVE our playgroup? I mean really l-o-v-e our playgroup? The mommies are my sanity sometimes, and the children are some of the sweetest and cutest kiddos I have ever been around. Charlie and I have been so busy lately, that we have missed out on a few play dates with our pals. Trust me, we try not to let anything interfere with playgroup, but sometimes we just have to miss the fun. This week, we had a great time over at Miss Patti and Chloe's house. I didn't get pictures of all of the little ones, but here are some of my favorites.

This is Matney...Miss M. She is the big talker of the group and has the most tender disposition. She and Charlie had a lot in common as infants. Let's just say they kept their mommies busy. She is a big sister now, and takes the role in stride. Every time I see her with her little sister, it renews my faith that Charlie will be just a loving a big brother.

You already know Charlie. Since this is a blog mostly about him, I figured I best include a picture of the little guy.

Say hello to Chloe. She is quiet and gentle. I love Chloe because she is always willing to give you a hug or sit in your lap. I rarely see her without a smile on her face, and she really is just a happy little girl.

This precious baby girl is Halle Kate, little sister to Matney and one of the newest members of the group. She is three months old and just about the bittiest little thing I have ever held. She reminds me of a fairy, but she is strong. Girlfriend can stand and hold her head so well for such a little girl.

I missed getting a picture of Mikey that day. Sorry, Michael! Some of our other friends weren't able to make it, but I hope to get them next time. Then you will be able to see just how adorable all of the kiddos really are!

Baby Declan

Pure Joy

Dreaming Declan

Stef and her peanut

Kisses for Mommy

Precious baby

Charlie and I took a field trip to Atlanta today to meet Declan, the son of one of my best friends from high school, Stefani. Declan was born late Tuesday afternoon last week, and this is the first chance we have been able to go and visit. I have been scouring Facebook and Stefani's blog to see every picture of him, but it was nothing compared to the real thing. He is such a little peanut and a good peanut at that! Stefani says that she has to wake him to eat, and he is already sleeping 3.5 to 4 hours in a row at night. Jealous? I am! Oh, Baby Shaw, please take lessons from Declan.

When we got to Stef's house, Declan was sleeping in his swing. Charlie went right over and tried to touch him. Then he pressed every button on the swing in hopes that he would find the one that would eject Declan right into his arms. He was so eager to touch the baby once I picked him up to hold. He wasn't jealous. He really just wanted to touch the little baby - so sweet! He about flipped out when we decided to let him hold Declan for a little bit. My big boy is going to be such a loving, attentive, and sweet brother. I can't wait to see him with his brother (or sister) in a few months.

Bubble Bath

I am the mom who buys organic food for my child, uses sunscreen without chemicals, and bathes him in paraben free, all natural soaps. Call me crazy, but I am trying my hardest to keep Charlie's little world a pure as possible for as long as I can. Tonight, however, I decided to give the chemical free, all natural soap the boot and replace it with some good old Mr. Bubble. As you can see, we had bubbles coming out the wazoo. He thought it was great and giggled each time I would grab a handful of bubbles and put them on him. He held the bubbles in his hands and was so curious about his bath's transformation.

Tomorrow, we will be back to our normal bath. I will definitely be pulling Mr. Bubble out again for a special occasion! Look at how much fun he had.

Do you like my hair?

Trying to recreate Mommy's bubble hair style

Sharing bubbles with Mommy

This is way FUN!!!