(Not) Wordless Wednesday

Charlie - 9 1/2 weeks old

Charlie and I had a great time in Des Moines last weekend. Kara had her 2nd bridal shower in Harlan that we went to and Charlie was great throughout it. She loves to look at people and will smile at anyone who smiles at her. I'm so glad we have such a happy girl! :) My mom and I did a little bit of shopping for Charlie. I no longer shop for myself. It's not as much fun! Baby girl clothes are so much cuter (plus I've still got about 14 pounds to lose before I start spending money on clothes for myself). So Charlie got some more clothes added to her ever expanding wardrobe. But she really does need them b/c she is growing like a weed! The pile of clothes that she no longer fits in is growing by the day! In fact Wade said she looked like she had grown over the weekend since he hadn't seen her since Friday! I believe it too b/c she's eating like a champ!

We got back home on Monday night and took Kobe into the vet yesterday morning for a teeth cleaning. He was in dire need of one. His breath just about made you keel over from the stench. He had one molar in the back that was rotten and needed to be pulled and he is a new man-dog now! Yay!

This is my last week off on maternity leave and I am dreading going back to work. I don't want to leave Charlie. I've got very mixed feelings about it all. Luckily Wade is taking off next week so it's one more week we get to have without putting her into daycare yet but I am not looking forward to the day we do. I think we picked a great daycare but there is still something unnerving about handing your little one over to a complete stranger and putting your trust into them! I already know I will be a mess that morning when we drop her off... I am so thankful that I am able to switch to part time upon my return to work so it's only 3 days of Charlie being in daycare. I would miss my days with her so much if I weren't able to do this!

Other than that there isn't much new in our household. Just living one day at a time and watching our little nugget grow. I can't believe she is already almost 11 weeks old. It's so much fun to get smiles and coos out of Charlie. It's like cocaine. It's addicting. :) Now I'm just waiting for that first giggle and for her to roll over. She's gotten close on both but not quite there just yet.

Tata~

ISU's good luck charm

Last weekend Charlie went to her first ISU football game. She did great and seemed to have a fun time tailgating and hanging out with everyone. She's definitely into crowds and watching people. I think we've got a social butterfly on our hands! She was probably one of the tiniest ISU fans in attendance and we attribute her presence to ISU's kick ass performance! We beat Texas Tech 52-38! Can you believe that score? Not sure who was really dressed in ISU's football jerseys b/c that is definitely not our team! :) We never pull off scores like that! So it must have been Charlie's good luck vibes even though she fell asleep the second we sat down in our seats. But seriously, w/ a fan this cute how can we not win?

Then Sunday was Kara's first bridal shower. It was a lot of fun to get to see all our friends! Charlie got dressed up for the occasion and was a big hit with all the ladies.

And finally I missed posting about Charlie's 2 month birthday! I got her dressed up and took some adorable pictures of her. She really is growing fast! Her 2 month check up has her weighing in at 11 pounds 3 oz and she is 23.5 inches long! That puts her in the 59th %tile for weight and 87th %tile for height. She's a big girl! I'm still not sure where she is getting that height from b/c I'm basically a midget but oh well! :)

Hope all is well with all of you!

Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday

Pretty pretty princess in pink!

Football Frenzy

This year Wade and I joined in on the fantasy football frenzy. This is quite humorous as neither of us know jack shit about football or the players. Wade's sport of choice is motorcycle racing and mine is shopping (yes, shopping counts). During our draft party I chose the majority of my players because I liked their names. Very scientific, I know. Needless to say I am losing our league. Badly. I'm okay with this. Wade is doing a little better in 9th place (out of 12) but still not stellar. However it has gotten me more interested in the NFL. Before this season I only really paid attention to the Vikings but now I am cheering on the 49er's defense (which keep letting me down) and Green Bay's QB (who is my only good player on my team). I am vowing next year (if we do this again) to actually know a little bit about the players and who to pick versus just looking at who has the coolest names.

In other football news, we are heading down to Des Moines this weekend to go to Charlie's first ISU game. It is family weekend and that is appropriate since my family, Wade's family and Todd's family will all be in town for it. It should be a fun time and I'm looking forward to the tailgating. Let's hope Charlie likes football! Regardless she'll be rocking her ISU gear! Go State!

I know all I post about now is Charlie...

I can't help it though. As of now my life revolves around her. I'm still out on leave so I don't see adults for the majority of my time. I've gotten out of the house without her a handful of times but it is usually just to the mall or grocery store while Wade stays home with her. I've only gotten out for some fun three times in the last 7 weeks. Yikes. But that is the life of a new parent. Your time is no longer YOURS. A fun Friday night now consists of dinner out at Applebees and some wine/beer/liquor at home while watching a movie and maybe following that up with some ice cream. But all that is tied in with Charlie and whether or not she is cooperating and hopefully not screaming, shitting or spitting up all over exorcist style like she did Monday night. (Yeah, that was fun.)


But Charlie is so cute. I don't even mind it. Wha??? Who'da thunk it? I do miss my social life but it will return in due time. For the time being I will stay at home and stare at her adorable grey eyes (wondering what color they will turn out to be???), her long daddy-like toes, her Danny DeVito hair style, her big pouty lips, her growing buddah belly and her cute button nose. I wonder about what she will be like when she can talk. Will she be shy? (Doubtful w/ a mommy and daddy like us...) Will she be athletic? Will she like math, science, art? Will she be tall like her Grandma B's side or short like me? And the very important question: Will she like shopping with her Mommy??? Priorities people. Priorities.





Xoxo~

The first step is admitting you have a problem...

Before I had Charlie I'd have the occasional caffeinated beverage. Usually a coffee or pop in the morning and then maybe one later in the afternoon if I was dragging for some reason. However since having Charlie I have become addicted to caffeine. The lack of sleep makes me rely on some other stimulation to make it through the day which has me downing caffeine like none other. I'm going through enough Dr. Pepper that I should seriously look into buying stock in the company. And Folgers? God I love thee.

Charlie Bear has her mama wore out. But getting these smiles out of her... Totally worth it.

And somehow even these faces are priceless. :)

Long Time No Blog

Geez, I can't believe how long it's been since I've blogged. Between taking care of Charlie and our internet having the temperment of a diva I haven't had a chance. Things are getting better and better around these parts. I ended up getting mastitis 3 (yes, THREE) times. I'm finishing up my 3rd round of antibiotics and hopefully this will be the last of it. After getting it for the last time I decided to wean off the breastfeeding. It was just too much of a hassle and was a huge downer on me enjoying my leave and my time spent with Charlie. So once we are through with the freezer stash of milk we will be switching to formula. I wish I could continue but these tatas just ain't having it.

In between my lack of posting I missed Charlie's one month birthday! I can't believe she's already a month old. She is actually 5 weeks old today. She has changed a lot in these 5 weeks. She's starting to interact with us more and more and is also smiling a lot more. Her smiles melt my heart! She's very alert and will just stare at you when you talk to her. She's really a great baby. She loves to be held and rocked and loves the swing and playmat time. She's also a gas and poop machine. We have to give her baby bean-o before each bottle otherwise she gets gas pains so bad that she bawls and that is not good. I've never seen something poop so much. And her farts and belches are louder than a fat man's. It's hilarious to hear such sounds come out of such a cute little thing.

We've made 2 road trips with her the last 2 weekends. The first to Des Moines to visit my family and show Charlie off to our friends and the 2nd to Galesburg to visit Wade's family. Both trips went great. Charlie loves car rides and falls asleep almost immediately. Needless to say she was a huge hit with everyone she met.

I've been on my own with her all this week since Wade's been in Cali. He gets back this afternoon and I can't wait. First thing on my to do list is take a nap! She wears me out. But she is so worth it.

Tomorrow we will be cheering on the Cyclones and Charlie has her ISU gear all ready to wear. I'll be sure to post pics.

Sorry, nothing too exciting here. Tis the life of having a newborn. Your life now revolves around piss, shit, burps, and milk. Fun stuff.

And now what you all have been waiting for... more Charlie pics!

Later gater~

The many faces of Charlize

My little family

Yes, we are still alive and kicking. Although at times it doesn't feel like it! Sleep deprivation has hit and hit hard. My short term memory is non-existent and I can no longer do simple math. But Charlie is such a blessing.

The past week we were fortunate to have my mom come up to help us out. Wade went back to work so it would have just been me and Charlie and I seriously don't think I would have made it through Monday! I've had some serious issues with breastfeeding/pumping. I'm now on round 2 of antibiotics for mastitis and have decided to slowly wean off of pumping. All these issues were greatly interfering with my enjoyment of Charlie and I decided to hell with it. I always said I would breastfeed if possible and well, I've decided all this trouble is not worth it to me. I want to be able to hold and enjoy Charlie without worrying about another 100.4 degree fever and chills or terribly painful tatas or clogged milk ducts!

Anyway, enough about my boobs. My mom was my savior during the week. With my mastitis and c-section soreness I couldn't have done it without her. And she got in a lot of quality bonding time with Charlie. So thank you Mom from the bottom of my heart. Not only did you help me with Charlie but you also helped to make sure our house didn't look like a tornado tore through it! And Wade and I even got a date night out thanks to you! I love you!

This week we are lucky to have my MIL, Becky, joining in on the fun. So grateful for all the help we are getting. And thankful that the grandmas get to spend some quality time with Charlie.

Now, onto Charlie. She is doing great! We've found that she likes to sleep on her side and will turn herself onto her side if we place her on her back. She loves to be outside, loves the swing and her playmat and we've already gotten a few smiles out of her. Her nasty umbilical cord stump finally fell off when she was 2 weeks old. She likes bathtime. She hates the cold wet wipes on her bottom (who can blame her?) She makes weird faces when she farts and she belches like an old man (such a lady). She makes cute little goat noises and sometimes pants in her sleep. She also likes to eat. A lot. And after she is done eating she looks drunk. We call it milk drunk. The only time she fusses is if her bottle isn't ready when she wants it and then she will not be afraid to let you know how displeased she is. Other than that she is a fairly easy and content little girl. She will be perfectly happy just looking at you or around the room and cooing and making adorable little faces. Which leads me to these pictures. She has many beautiful faces and also tons of funny ones. I'm totally smitten. Oh and her hair is off the hook hilarious! Enjoy!

Holy shit that was some good milk.

Hmmm... let me ponder that.

Play mat play time!

Blue Steel (from Zoolander)

Thank you, thank you very much.

Stink face

Milk Drunk

Huh?

What a wild week it's been

I can't believe our little Charlie cracker is already over a week old now! The week has gone by very fast yet very slow at the same time. We've definitely had our challenges but this girl is totally worth it. She has stolen our hearts.

So far she has been an exceptional eater. She eats anywhere from 2 1/2 to 4 ounces each feeding and has already gotten back up to her birth weight which her pediatrician was incredibly impressed with. Eating all this delicious milk makes her sleepy so she sleeps pretty well after a nice meal which gives us about a 3 hour time frame of her passed out. I had some pretty bad issues with breastfeeding and developed mastitis in one of my now HUMONGOUS tatas. Seriously these bad girls have grown out of this league. Anyway, due to my mastitis I am now on antibiotics and have moved from breastfeeding to pumping. It is working well for the most part and we've kind of gotten a little bit of a schedule down. To be honest even though she sleeps quite a bit we still don't have a lot of free time which is why it's taken me this long to blog! All our free time is spent doing shitty/pissy/spit up laundry, trying to keep up on the shit ton of dishes/bottles/pump parts, housework and trying to slip in some food for ourselves in between. With all of this it is amazing how fast the day flies by. I have to say to my single mama friends that I am in AWE of you and how you could do this on your own. This is tough enough w/ an extremely supportive husband. I couldn't imagine trying to handle this on my own.

Wade has been my rock through all of this, as I knew he would be. Through a few hormonal melt downs he has been there by my side and being nothing but supportive and positive. He is truly more than I could ever ask for. Charlie sure is lucky to have such a wonderful Daddy.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more to tell but I want to post some pics of Charlie. We think she is gorgeous and I know we are biased, but I don't care. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on.

Wade all suited up to go into the OR

Our 1st Family Photo

Our new little family

Charlie showing off her new bow

Ready to ditch the hospital & head home

Once my schedule gets a little more settled I'll hopefully be back around to visit your blogs again! I miss you guys and just know that I'm a little preoccupied at the moment but will be back.

xoxo~

How Nugget became Charlize!

Hey everybody, Wade here blogging on behalf of my super-human wife Kellie. I thought I would tell you all the story of our new baby.


Wednesday: Wednesday night we had our last dinner out as a family of two at Friday's. Yeah, we really wanted to splurge on our last night :). After that we headed to the hospital to start the inducing process. We settled into a nice big room and Kel got a dose of medicine to begin the process. We kicked back and spent the evening watching The Big Lebowski and Its Always Sunny in Philadephia Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD. We may have made a fan out of one of the nurses.


Thursday: Thursday morning the doctor came in and broke her water which was a bit of challenge but put us on the official path to meeting our daughter! They started pitocin shortly after in a drip and we played the waiting game. After 5.5 hours of labor Kel recieved an epidural. I attempted to keep her mind off of the pains with a series of bad jokes, schtick and slapstick humor. I don't think it was very effective. The epidural made her body twitch and shake. I kept flicking water on her and yelling, "The power of Christ compels you". Throughout the day nurses were constantly checking on Kel to track her progress. Finally after 15 hours of labor the doctor decided the progress was not fast enough and Kel would need a C-section.


Friday (12am): Things started to move real fast then. The anethtisiologist showed up shortly after and added some additional pain medication. I gathered our things to be transfered to the recovery room, grabbed a camera and put on my scrubs. Its a shame I didn't have them earlier. They could have really added to my comedy routine during the day. I waited for about 10 minutes in my scrubs while Kel was prepped for surgery. That was the longest 10 minutes of my life. I walked into the operating room and Kel was laid down and ready for the C-section. I stood by her head and stroked her hair while I watched the operation. Within 5 minutes they pulled our daughter out. I was able to go to her right away while the nurses cleaned her and did the apgar. I noticed right away our little girl had a ton of black hair. The funny part was it was all around the sides and back. She looked like Danny Devito, ha! The nurses were cracking up. The second thing we noticed is she has a huge pouty lip. I showed our baby to Kel then went with her to the recovery room for measurements while they closed Kellie up. Kel joined us moments later and got to properly introduce herself to baby. Charlize (Charlie) Ann Wessels was born on Friday, August 6th, 2010 at 1:38am. She was 7lbs. 13oz. and 21 inches long. She was very alert and starred at Kellie and I with a combination of docile and grumpy eyes. They could cut glass I swear. World meet Charlie!