Free is my Favorite.

It will come to no shock to you all that I am always looking for a deal.  I love getting the best price on just about anything and when I score something awesome I get WAY too excited.

Speaking of, remember my sell out post a couple weeks ago?  You know, the one where I gushed about Shutterfly?  Well here comes some more gushing.  I LOVE SHUTTERFLY.  Why, oh why?  Probably because I just got the 50 free holiday cards I earned by blogging about them.  You read that right, 50 free cards.  And Envelopes.  And I barely had to lift a finger.  Talk about a steal--- that is a $119 value steal.  WOOT.

To continue the love fest, I must admit, the cards turned out awesome.  I cannot yet share their beauty since I want everyone to be surprised when they get them in the mail.  Eeeeeee!

It's the most wonderful time of the Year....

Although it is nearly 70 degrees and sunny as can be today, the holidays are in deed sneaking up on us.  And with the holidays comes all of the hustle, and bustle and of course all of the traditions.

One tradition that Matt and I have had since we have been together is our Christmas card.  We take great pride in our Christmas creations, and always try to find that perfect balance between funny and sweet.  Last year was probably our least inspired card so I am definitely trying to make up for it this year.  

Luckily, we have a clever ally in Shutterfly.  As you all know, we have a share site where we keep all of our pictures of our family (Check em out HERE).  The site also has a ton of Christmas (or Holiday if you so choose) cards for you to choose from.  You can browse their complete selection here: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

Now that our lives are Charlie filled we have a little less time for all of the cutting, scoring and folding so partnering and using a site like Shutterfly is a pretty darn good choice.

Want to see a couple of my favorites?

I am a sucker for the Holly Jolly font.. or what about...

Or this?

Of course I am not going to let the cat out of the bag on which we are actually choosing, but you can be sure it will be adorable :)

Once you are on the site they also have many a photo- related gift.  Like these calendars. Or you can always use these gift tags... super cute.  I might have to make some grandma gifts with Charlie.

Do you love Shutterfly as much as we do?  Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… learn more: http://bit.ly/sfly2010 

Happy Halloween!

Charlie is 4 months

My baby is already 4 months old.  My baby weighs over 17 lbs.  My baby wears 6-9 month clothing. My baby is a giant.

Here is a quick update of our past month.  Charlie can roll both ways now and especially likes rolling to his left.  He would roll to his left all day long if we let him. And, speaking of rolling, he is now a belly sleeper. Nothing we can do will keep him on his back, and since his head is so strong we feel comfortable letting him snooze this way. Sometimes we walk in to check on him and he has his butt way up in the air.

In the last few weeks he has also become very aware of strangers.  Some he likes and will smile at, and some (like my mom's cousins) he decides he doesn't like AT ALL.

Another more fun development is how much he plays.  He loves toys now and always wants something to bang or push. He also shoves just about anything he can into his mouth---including both of his feet.

Here are some pictures!



 
 
 
 

Happy 3 Months, Charlie!

So I am a week late.  But really, I think that is pretty darn good for this busy mommy.

Happy 3 Month Birthday Charlie!

You weigh over 15 and a half pounds and are already in 6 month clothing.  

You have put yourself on a feeding schedule that gives you 6 feedings a day.  When you drink from a bottle you take 6 ozs.  You go to sleep on your own at night and we have to wake you up in the morning or you would sleep all day.  

The day after your 3 month birthday you surprised Grandma with rolling over from your back to tummy. You have since done it multiple times and let your mom catch it on video.  A few times you have been able to roll over a complete 360.  You are such a strong little guy!

You are able to stand on your "own" if you can hold onto my fingers.  

You may need a haircut to take care of the business in the front, party in the back situation.

We love you more every day.

Happy 2 Month Birthday, Charlie!

I have soooo little time, but I just had to post a happy birthday to my 2 month old baby.

Happy One Month Birthday, Charlie!

It is hard to believe that this "little" man is already a whole month old.  I can't believe how much bigger he is now and how much he has changed already.

What a handsome young man you are, Charles. In your first month you have gone through about 350 diapers and around 425 wipes.  You have baptized your mom 5 times and have pooped all over your dad once. You now drink about 4 ozs of milk each feeding and have only had one spit up that required an outfit change. You unofficially weigh 10 lbs and 8 ozs, although we won't know for sure until your next doctor's appointment.You burp and coo and are obsessed with ceiling fans and posters. You have broken hundreds of hearts. You are the best baby we could have ever asked for.
However, you do have a bit of a problem. Apparently you have not yet learned that your middle finger is reserved for special occasions to express discontent, not to flip at your mommy when she tries to take your picture. Case in point:

Uh oh, I'm sorry that I upset you. Work out those lungs, big boy!

To wrap up this monthly update, I wanted to do something a little different.  In order to give a true idea of Charlie's size I am going to put him up against common household objects in a little exercise that I call "Charlie Versus" This month I proudly present "Charlie vs. Remote"

Charlie= not so amused. Me, I think it is hilarious.

And because I can't resist...

Do you really think I could publish a blog post with no Charlie pics and not follow it up with one chock full o Charlie goodness?

Eeeeee! We love him so much.  From his itty bitty toes to his chubby wubby cheeks.

And although I miss my old Bump... I've got a new one!

For more pictures of our little cutie, check out our website:

Little T and the Family Pictures

Things I loved during pregnancy

Well, as expected, my blogging has been less than impressive lately.  Can you really blame me? I have an adorable, hungry, attention loving newborn that I can't get enough of. It is pretty difficult to step away from that long enough to form coherent thoughts!
I didn't want to leave my readers high and dry, so I thought I might put together a quick review of the top things that I loved during my pregnancy. I know I have a few readers that are pregnant or hope to be soon, so this is my two cents.

#1 Thing Loved: Burt's Bees Belly Balm
Ahh yes, the balm. This is a little tub of pure moisturizing goodness.  I went through 6 tins of this during my pregnancy as I religiously spread it across my belly each night before I went to bed. It is the consistency and has the same feel as chapstick. Seriously. I would put it on and then wear a tank top so that it wouldn't get all over everything. In the mornings when I'd hop on the shower my belly would bead the water because of the protective coating. Each tin cost around $10, but you can usually find it on sale for about $9.   It wasn't cheap, but I am happy to report that I have zero stretch marks

#2 Thing Loved: Tums Smoothies
I ate these things non stop during my second and third trimester. They are WAY WAY WAY better than normal Tums.  I don't know why anyone would ever eat regular Tums once they have tried these puppies. With the same relief, they have zero of the chalkiness. I was so glad that our friend Vicky turned me on to these!

#3 Thing Loved: Old Navy NON-Maternity Clothes

Since Old Navy clothes are quite cheap (and often cheaply made) they have quite a bit of stretch. The last few weeks of my pregnancy I wore all non-maternity clothes courtesy of Old Navy. Their tanks are long enough to cover a bump and stretchy enough to fit well. Their skirts and capris are all generously cut so that you can wear em low.  And the added bonus? You can still wear them after you pop the baby out. 

The First Week

The first week in the life of Charlie has literally flown by.  Every day he changes so much and does new things that keep us on our toes.  He is eating like a champ, filling up his diapers good and sleeping enough at night that mom and dad are actually functioning members of society. We couldn't ask for a better little boy.

On Wednesday, Charlie was officially one week old. We celebrated this event by a trip to the pediatrician (followed by a McFlurry for momma).  Charlie is perfectly in proportion and is growing like a weed. He had lost 11ozs at the hospital before our release and by Wednesday he had gained it all back plus some.  This impressed his doc and made me feel a lot better about breastfeeding. It is crazy to look at him now and think that he had fit in my belly.

And because who doesn't love a before and after--- here I am on Wednesday of this week, exactly one week postpartum.

I do have quite a bit to go before I am back down to fighting weight, but even a little progress gives me hope! Once I am feeling a little bit more normal I intend to kick it into high gear. 

But really, who cares about pictures of just me--- I know what you all want, more pics of the babe.  I am happy to oblige and will even follow it up with another tale from our labor and delivery experience.

"Is that your baby?"- The first night that we spent in the hospital after Charles arrived was very stressful for us. We were so tired after being up for over 36 hours and our adrenaline had completely crashed.  At midnight the nurse came to get Charlie to get his weight and vitals checked. She brought him back shortly after and gave me a stern lecture on how important it was that he eat ASAP.  Yeah, lady, I know. But it is easier said than done when your less than 24 hour old baby has no interest in eating anything.  But, always one to do as I am told I continued to try and force my boob on the poor little guy.  

Hours (literally) later there was a silver lining when, thank the lord, the little guy turned his head and miraculously latched tight and started sucking away. I was relieved and excited that I had finally managed to get it right. My excitement was somewhat short lived.

Suddenly, loudly and abruptly, our room door swings open and in rushes our nurse, our tech, a second nurse, a security guard and a cop. Outside the door I could see another security guard and a couple additional nurses. There I am in my breast feeding glory, both breasts completely exposed and a baby hanging off of one suckling away oblivious to any oddities in the situation. The nurse made her way directly to me in the rocker and asked "is that your baby?"

Um, "Yes" I answered making no attempt at all to cover myself up. 

She then asked if she could check our security bands. I told her that she could, but there was no way in hell she was taking the baby off my chest because it had just taken two hours to get him to latch. Awkwardly she checked my band against his and confirmed that yes, it was my baby. She released the troops and told me that his electronic bracelet must have come loose and that it had triggered the "Stolen Baby" alarm. While I could only see those people sent to find the baby, the whole hospital had been put on lock down. Doors were all locked and no one could enter or leave. When she was telling me this I just started laughing... if it was going to happen to anyone I should have figured it would be us.

At home with the Tals

We have been home since Friday afternoon and every minute has been a new experience for us.

I thought that it would be a breeze to keep up with the blog since we have so many funny stories to share, but alas, I can't pull myself away from this kid--- he is too darn cute to be ignored.

So instead of a full blown post, here is a little tid bit from our hospital stay for you to chew on until I can regain my blogging ambition.

Poop-gate 2010: The first night at the hospital Matthew was deputy of diaper duty. He eagerly attended to all of Charles changing needs while this tired mama watched adoringly. Earlier in the evening while doing one change (in front of various family members no less) Charlie treated his papa to his first official "shart". The shart came midway through a diaper change so it was shocking, loud and hilarious. Shortly after, while we were alone in the room Charlie had filled yet another diaper. This time as Matthew was attending to the change, Charlie decided to top that puppy off. As the open diaper became more and more full, Matthew let out a stressed cry of "Why won't you stop CRAPPING!" followed by "It's like a frozen yogurt machine!" At this very moment, the night nurse came in to the room to do our vital checks.  I was laughing so much that I was actually crying. I am sure that nurse thought that we were nuts.

And, because I can't post without adding a picture of this beautiful boy, here is another little entertaining photo nugget from today.

Here we have Charlie modeling some of his collegiate gear.  Cute, no? But wait a minute. Charles... what are you doing with your right hand?

But the real question is... which team is this little birdie directed towards???

Ahhh... who cares what team you want to root for. I mean geez, look at this cutie!

Just a little peek at Charlie

Click here to view a whole bunch of other pics! 

He is here!

Introducing Little T!

Charles Jackson
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
4:53 am
8 pounds 11 oz
22 inches long

Charlie was what I would call a speedy induction. We had been told by our doctor that the induction would take a  long amount of time because of the lack of progress that my body had made on its own. So we went to labor and delivery on Tuesday night thinking that maybe by Wednesday evening we'd have our Little T. Less than 10 hours after arriving at the hospital (and only 8 hours after actually starting the induction) we already had him in our arms.

Labor was laborious of course, but it went much faster than I expected. When our nurses joked around 4 am that they had another induction scheduled to come in at 5 am, I told them that that was no problem and that I aimed to please.

We could not be happier to have our Little T here with us. So, you will have to pardon the lack of posts as we are busy loving on him. We do have many pictures and hospital stories that we are excited to share once we get back home! All in due time, my friends!

And before I forget, thank you so much to all of you for being such great supporters. It means so much to us that everyone has been thinking about us. We appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers as we continue on this journey of parenthood!

The Bump (tardy for the party)

Before I officially post the latest and greatest of my bump pictures, I want to take a second and give a big fat raspberry to all of the people who were convinced that I wouldn't make it to my due date. Nurses, ultra sound techs, friends, neighbors, and family had me feeling that maybe I would get to meet Little T before today.  As you will see by the giant protruding lump on my belly, we were wrong!

That's right folks, we have officially past our due date.  I feel that I am solely to blame for this occurrence.  Matthew is ALWAYS early. He lives by the motto that on-time is late. I, on the other hand, am often running to make it anywhere within a reasonable amount of time.  Even if I allot myself additional time I find ways to inevitably be flying through a door attempting to appear as if I might have come in at the time requested.  Given this information-- anyone want to change their Little T guess to girl? 

For being 40+ weeks pregnant I guess that I am feeling "good". I hurt. I'm tired. I'm restless. I'm blue. I'm impatient. I'm hungry. I'm hot. I'm swollen. But mostly, I am bored. I guess that the down side of being so prepared for Little T is that everything is already done! I almost with I would have left a few things until the last minute just so that I could have some form of amusement that doesn't involve people watching at walmart.

I guess that I have made things to cozy for Little T.  While I am happy that each day he or she will get bigger and stronger, I can't help but want my baby NOW!

The Bump

I may be just shy of 39 weeks pregnant... but I feel like I am running about 49 weeks pregnant.  I'm not going to lie, the novelty has definitely worn off of being pregnant.  Sleep- ha that's funny.  Sitting- yeah that isn't comfortable.  Laying down- no relief there.  Walking- only causes swollen feet, which requires laying down, which causes heartburn.  Bending- you are kidding me right?  So, let's get right to the point.  I want my baby and I want it NOW!  What little scrap of patience that God gave me has officially been depleted.

Oh, you didn't log on to read all about my current grievances?  Well what are you looking for?  Would a picture of my watermelon belly make this visit worth your while?  If so, feast your eyes on this creamy white skinned bumpy goodness:

I feel bad for all of my above complaints.  This whole pregnancy journey has been a joy and a blessing.  While some times have been more trying than others, and the past few days seem to be endless, I could not be happier with our progress. While I may feel like the goodyear blimp, I know that I am baking a beautiful baby that will make it all worth while.

I realize that I may be a bit of a drama queen with some of my complaints, but I think it is because I really can't wait to meet Little T. And I am sure that when our eyes meet for the first time I will forget all about how embarrassing it is to toot every time I cough or sneeze.