July 7, 2009

She's Here, She's Here, She's Finally Here!

Who is SHE? Sawyer Elizabeth Sheffield, the daughter of one of my best friends, was born today at 2:37 pm at Piedmont Hospital. She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long. I don't have a picture to share just yet, but I promise I will post as soon as I get my hands on one.

Nicole and Ron tried for years to conceive, and it has been such a blessing to be a part of this very special time in their lives. I cannot wait to meet my new "niece" and shower her with hugs, kisses, and everything girly!

Happy Birthday, Sawyer! Auntie Lindsay, Uncle Nick, and Charlie love you very much!

July 5, 2009

Date Night

It has been a very long time since Nick and I had a date night together. We get to go out together, but it usually involves going to a wedding, party, or some other event where we are not alone. Last night, we decided to ask Grandma and Grandpa to babysit so that we could have a good old-fashioned date night. We did dinner and a movie and had five wonderful hours all to ourselves.

The night was so relaxing and nice, but I couldn't help but feel a little guilty about spending money. These days, I always feel selfish when I spend money on things for us. I feel as if I am taking something away from Charlie. As I laid in bed last night with a case of spender's remorse, I realized that the money was well spent for our entire family. Nick and I need time to focus on just us. We will be better partners and therefore better parents to Charlie.

I know there are many more cost effective alternatives to what we did last night, but it has been so long, that we just went with "The Usual" date night. I would love to get more ideas for date nights from some of you...if you have any. I really think that we need to start designating at least one night a month to just us, but I don't want to spend an arm and a leg each time.

Dinner Out - $68.00
Movie Tickets - $21.00
Popcorn and Drinks - $15.00
Coffee - $5.00
Alone time with Nick - Priceless

July 4, 2009

The Joys of Technology

I am not good with technology...not horrible...just not good. The computer is one of the pieces of technology that will always be confusing to me. I love our computer, and I know that I could not live without it. That does not mean that sometimes I don't feel like throwing it through the window in our office. I guess if I am being perfectly honest, it is the combination of the Internet and the computer that drives me nutty. I just think I will always be a few steps behind.

What am I getting at, you might be wondering.

Well, five days ago I started to upload our pictures from May and June onto the blog to share with all of you (By the way, there are hundreds). This is something that I do every month, so you would not think that it would take me five whole days to accomplish the task. Well, you see, this month I had my parent's camera. I am so lucky to have their camera considering I lost ours, but it means that I have to learn how to use a totally different camera. To be honest, I had just gotten comfy with ours after two years of owning it. I just cannot seem to figure out the lighting on my dad's camera. One minute it takes a clear picture and the next it is all dark. Well, I uploaded the pictures onto our web album and realized that the shots looked even darker on there. So, I went through all 500 pictures and adjusted the contrast, texture, yadda-yadda-yadda. It took quite some time, but I was very proud of the end result.

This is when the true dilemma stared.

I have literally spent days trying to get my new, clear, edited photos over to the public album. I am sure someone else could have figured it out in a matter of minutes - okay, probably seconds, but I was bound and determined to do it myself. After many a cuss word and few tears (yes, I cried over the computer), I finally figured it out just a few minutes ago.

The point of this rambling is to let you know that our pictures from May and June are now up for your viewing pleasure. Please do not let me know if there are any problems with viewing the pictures. I fear that it might bring on a panic attack.

Happy 4th of July!


Have a safe and happy 4th everyone!

June 29, 2009

THEN and NOW

As many of you know, Charlie and I attend a playgroup each week. The group started when Miss Amber decided to invite some former co-workers and their babies over for a play date last June. Some of us invited neighbors and other friends with babies, and today we have eight mommies and nine (almost ten) babies in our group.

Well, it just occurred to me today that is has been an entire year since we started meeting our friends and their mommies for playgroup each week. I can't begin to tell you what a lifesaver it has been over the past year. The women in my playgroup are my sanity some weeks, and it has been so great having them to share the joys, concerns, and stories of first-time motherhood. I look forward to seeing our friends each week, and I am so thrilled that Charlie already has little buddies to grow up with. We love all of our playgroup pals!!!

Playgroup has certainly evolved over the year. When we started, the kids couldn't do much but lay on the ground. Now, we are chasing them all over the place. We haven't had a group shot of the kids in a long time (too hard to keep them all still), but I did get a few cute shots from playgroup today. Oh, how things have changed! See for yourself.

THEN

NOW

June 28, 2009

A Day at the Pool

We have been SOOOO busy lately! I mean not a minute to breathe kind of busy, so Nick and I decided that we were going to designate this weekend for just the three of us. We did everything together as a family, and for the most part did not do a whole heck of a lot. It was wonderful and so very relaxing. Nick and I even took naps with Charlie both days.

After our family nap today, we headed to the pool to continue our R&R. Charlie tested out his new float and for the most part enjoyed the trip. He was a little hesitant at first, but he thoroughly enjoyed relaxing in his floaty while he watched the big kids play. We even met a little boy who was a few months older than Charlie. This little boy was quite the dare devil and enjoyed being tossed in the water and dunked. Nick and I decided that Charlie might disown us if we attempted that with him. Maybe someday, Little Man.



The Kiddie Pool

Catch me if you can, Mommy!

SPLASH!!!

I am the king of the pool!

Drying off can be so much fun :o)

Grandma and Grandpa bought Charlie his first kiddie pool. At first, Charlie was terrified of it - water or no water. It took him a while, but I would say he has warmed up to it nicely, wouldn't you?

Oh, the Irony!

Well, maybe it's not irony, but I sure thought it was funny when Charlie decided he wanted to read my Toddler Wise book. Do you think he was laughing at the advice of the experts? I do!

June 26, 2009

15 Month Update (a bit late)

Charlie turned 15 months on June 7th (right before we left for the beach), and he just had his 15 month check-up last week, so those are my excuses for this tardy post. All of that, and I just plain forgot...oops!

His visit with the pediatrician went very well. He is growing like a weed and actually jumped up a lot on the growth charts. Nick was very pleased considering he is worried that Charlie will inherit his mommy's short stature. Sheesh, tall people just think they are the best! Anyway, the little man weighed in at 24 lbs, 2 oz (50th percentile), was 31 inches tall (41st percentile), and had a head circumference of 49 cm (95th percentile). I always get a laugh when they measure his head because they usually do it twice. I guess they don't get that many kids with as big a brain as Charlie's :o) We had a great visit and got a clean bill of health.

I was so surprised to hear how much Charlie had grown, because he eats like a bird. He won't eat meat, vegetables, and only likes grapes and applesauce. I swear he would live off of cheese and milk if I let him. When he does sit down to eat, he takes a few bites and begins to throw pieces on the floor. He just can't stand to sit still for a moment. I pretty much chase him around the house all day. He loves to play, but his attention shifts from one activity to another in a matter of minutes. The only thing that I can get him to do for a long period of time is read. He loves a good book. He has developed a deep love for everything ELMO these days. He will sift through his books just to find the ones with Elmo's face on them. It really is cute to see how he lights up at the sight or sound of Elmo.

Charlie is able to understand so much now. I can tell him to go get things, put things away, or go somewhere, and he totally comprehends. Now, whether or not he listens, is another story. Between he and Nick, I feel like I am losing it sometimes. Even though Charlie understands a lot, he still is not talking. He just starting saying Da-da to Nick while we were at the beach. The teacher in me is a little concerned that he has not started to talk more, but the doctor told me to give it until 18 months. So, I am trying not to think about it too much. We will continue to read to him daily and talk up a storm.

Our little man has become increasingly independent over the last few months as well. He still does not like to play alone and takes a while to warm up to new situations, but Nick and I have definitely noticed a difference. He is much more likely to walk away from Nick or myself and go with friends or family now. It makes us so happy that he feels secure enough to do this. He just seems like such a big boy these days. Nick and I are so grateful for our healthy and happy boy!

June 20, 2009

Happy Father's Day!

Charlie is so lucky to have Nick for a daddy, and I am fortunate to have him as my hubby! Here are just a few of the reasons that my heart goes pitter-pat for this dad:

-Nick calls in the middle of a busy day at work just to ask, "How is my son?"
-He goes into Charlie's room with me each night to watch him sleep.
-My big, tough hubby loves nothing more than a cuddle with his boy.
-He makes a point to by home in time to see Charlie before he goes to bed each night.
-Nick gets the biggest and most sincere smile on his face when he sees Charlie.
-He is not embarrassed to tell his friends how much he loves being a daddy.
-Daddy knows just what makes his boy giggle and how to make play time oh-so fun.
-Nick loves Charlie so completely and unconditionally, that it truly melts my heart.

I love watching my boys together, and I hope that they will always be close as father and son. Nick has been such an amazing dad, and I am so proud of the father he has become.

Happy Father's Day, Nick! Charlie and I love you more than words can say!!!


(click on picture to enlarge)