There's Snowman Like Our Daddy

We got some snow last night, so when Mike got home from work today he took the kids out to build a snowman.  They had so much fun, and it turned out cute.

Emily's little mitten wouldn't stay on.

Andrew kept hugging it.

He is such a fun daddy.  These kiddos are so lucky to have him!  :)  Oh, and yes.  Those are prunes for his eyes.  :)

Charles in Charge

There's no doubt who's the boss of me lately.  9 pounds, seemingly weak, only 2 weeks old, and yet...he holds me in the palm on his teensy weensy little hand.  I need to eat........NOW!  I need to be picked up............NOW!  I need something but I'm not going to tell you what it is........NOW!

It's hard to believe our little guy is already 2 weeks old.  We just love this cute, crazy little man.

 

LOL, nice face kid.

He doesn't seem too photogenic yet.  I was laughing so hard when I saw these photos.

He is so precious.  It's ridiculous.

The Other Two

My attention has lately been on the baby, but the other two kiddos have been ridiculously adorable as well.  I just love my little ones.

 

Emily watching herself on Daddy's iPad.

The kids have been so sweet to their baby brother.

Andrew's really been getting creative lately with his play.  He loves blocks, crafts, etc. 

Emily and I were on the phone with Aunt Jeanette.  She kept asking me to put the Mr. Potato Head glasses on her, and then eventually she tried to put them on herself.  She did a great job, huh?  :)

There's a picture of me as a little girl wearing these glasses, too.  Pretty cute.

What are you guys doing?  "Buildin'."

"Here dee go, An-dew."

This girl really knows how to accessorize.

Charlie Boy

This is a sweet baby.  I mean, seriously cute.  He sleeps pretty well, although the hours of 1-5 a.m. are typically a party around here, with Charlie as the "Party Master" as he likes to be called.  :) His favorite activities are being held, eating, getting lotion on his legs, and being talked to.  Eating is definitely on the top of his list.

 He had his first doctor's appointment today.  When he was born, he weighed 8 lbs 12 oz.  When we left the hospital, he was 8 lbs 2 oz.  Today?  He weighed 8 lbs 14 oz.  So no matter what he tells you, I DO feed him.  A lot.  And he's growing so well.  Dr. Vance said he looks super healthy and that he has a good set of lungs.

 That he has.

 

Why is this picture so funny to me?  He looks so stinking cute when he cries.  He's not a huge fan of baths, as you can see.

 

The nice thing about Charlie is that he is easily pacified.  As much as he hates his baths, when he gets wrapped up, he's happy as a clam again.

Apparently he smelled something stinky.  I love little newborns.  Especially mine.

Family Pictures

On Sunday, my sweet friend Michelle asked if she could come by and snap a few shots of my family for me.  They turned out so cute, and I just love them!  Thanks a ton, Michelle!  :)

 

 

 

 

A special shout-out to my amazing mommy who has been taking care of us since the baby was born.

 

Isn't he a beautiful addition to our family?!

 

His Royal Cuteness

I sat down to eat lunch and the boys decided they both needed my attention at the same time.  This is going to be interesting.  :)

Charlie brought gifts home to Andrew and Emily.  They were very impressed and Andrew even remembered to thank him.  "Sank you, Baby Charlie!"

He wasn't a huge fan of his first bath.

Number Three Has Arrived!

Here we are getting ready to head to the hospital.  I was super excited, super nervous, and not quite as pale as this picture makes me look.  (But close.)

Here I am waiting for the baby to come.  We went in at about 9 and were pretty bored.  You wouldn't think I would be able to be bored when I was in so much pain*, but I was. 

 

*The epidural was actually one of the most painful things I've ever gone through.  A student was doing it (under supervision of course) and she had to try 3 times to get it right.  Don't get me wrong, I understand that's how they learn, but I was in such terrible pain I couldn't help but just sit there quietly and cry.  I have a good pain tolerance, but it was almost more than I could take.  For me, though, epidurals truly are a no pain, no gain kind of thing.  If you don't endure the momentary (usually) pain, it won't benefit you when you're at 10 cm.  It's painful enough with your lower half being numb.  Anyway.

 He's here!  Little Charles Robert was 8 pounds 12 ounces and 21 1/2 inches long.  He's the reigning champion in both height and weight here.  He's a big, tiny guy.  Let's just say he definitely has broad shoulders.

 This picture cracks me up.  He was ticked off.

 

Daddy and our doctor, Dr. Vance.  He was listening to Charlie's heart because the doctor heard a heart murmur.  Luckily, it was just from the increased blood flow from birth, because it's gone now.  We are very grateful his little ticker is working properly.

Mike brought the kids one at a time to visit their little brother.  It was a smart idea because it made the visits much calmer and we were able to get cuter pictures.  Emily loved him, and kept saying, "Hi baby.  Hi baby.  Hi baby." while stroking his little face.

She also felt like she wasn't quite sure about the little guy.  She wasn't a huge fan of him near her.  :)

Just a picture of our newest little sweetheart.

Andrew came to visit and ran right up to the baby and said, "It's Baby Charlie!"  He was so sweet, stroking his cheek and head and smiling at him.

Then he took Charlie for a ride around the room.  That's what big brothers are for.

We are so grateful for our newest little darling.  Charlie is so sweet, so calm, and such a beautiful little man.  We're excited to get him home and are so blessed to have a healthy, wonderful little boy.  We're grateful to Heavenly Father that the delivery went well, that Charlie is here and safe, and that we have such a happy family of 5!  (5!)

Potty Success

As you know, we have been working on potty training here for the last couple of weeks, and I think the boy is finally getting it!  He hasn't gone poop on the potty, but he had his first accident in a week today.  So for you inquiring minds, here's how we did it.

For a week, we definitely spent every (almost) waking moment in the bathroom.  We read books, had snacks (I know, gross.), he watched t.v. on the Kindle, and at the end of the week, I thought there was no hope for us.  He went in the potty, but he always seemed surprised when he did. 

Then suddenly, starting last Monday, he just kind of...had it!  He still needs reminders every 1 1/2 hours or so, but there have even been times when I've forgotten for 3 hours and he stayed dry.  I think  the reasons for our success are that he was ready, we just kept trying, I (tried) not to make a big deal of it when he had accidents, and we showed him how proud we were of him when he went in the potty.

It's frustrating that he hasn't gotten all the aspects of going on the potty, but I'm really proud of what he has gotten.

Good luck to all you mommies who are going to try it soon.  It's terrible.  I mean, seriously terrible, but worth it once they get it.