Newborn Photoshoot

A few of my favorites from Charlotte's newborn photo shoot with Olivia Reed

Here is a photostream of all of the images:

Welcome Sweet Baby Charlotte

She's here!

Finally!

After months of waiting...we had one more morning to wait. My bags were packed.  The house was clean.  All we needed was for Matthew to wake up and get going!

While Paul and I were waiting, we took some time to pray and remember Ruthie.  Throughout each step of the day, I could feel Ruthie's presence, watching over us, interceding for Charlotte to our Lord Jesus.

I love this about my faith. That those who have gone ahead of us, are in Heaven, and praying to God for us.  As a sweet nun in Spain explained to me once, that if we ask our friends here on earth to pray for us and expect God to hear those prayers, how much more are those already in Heaven with God, able to pray for us? I have certainly experienced this truth with loved ones who have passed away to be with the Lord, and now again know it is true with Ruthie.

So, Matthew FINALLY woke up and we got him packed up and in the car.  I ended up driving.  I knew I would have little control over the coming events and days to come so I wanted to at least control the drive to the hospital.  

We arrived around 10am.  And parked in the same spot as the day before for Matthew's trip to the ER.

Our friend Jane Hampton met us again to pray for Charlotte right before we were called back to pre-op.

Again, more waiting.

Finally, the time had come to head to the OR and for whatever reason I was able to take more of it in than with Matthew.  It was a different OR this time, smaller.  I asked about the different stations and where they would take Charlotte after she was born.  They administered the spinal and within seconds I was numb and they called Paul in.  My doctor spent quite a bit of time cleaning up the scar tissue from the Matthew's c-section.  I honestly had no idea, since I haven't been able to see that part of my belly in MONTHS!!!! Then finally she got to the task at hand and I hear her say "We have a full head of hair!"  After that it all went very quickly, she seemed to come out with less tugging and pulling than Matthew.

During all of the waiting, I could feel Ruthie with us, watching over Charlotte.

Next thing I hear her cry.  Such a wonderful thing!  I had been warned during pre-op that sometimes c-section babies don't cry because their lungs are still filled with amniotic fluid and they have to be taken to the NICU to get things cleared up.  I was so relieved to hear her cry, I knew her lungs were clear.  Praise God!

After a brief kiss they took her away and started sewing me up.  This took f.o.r.e.v.e.r.  Then their was recovery.  This took forever too.  I just kept watching the clock wondering when I was going to get to go and meet my baby girl.  

Again, as I waited I found myself thinking of Ruthie and at peace knowing that she is watching over Charlotte while I waited.

Finally they took me back to my room up on the fifth floor with a nice green view.  So much better than the room we had with Matthew (a nice rooftop view of the mechanical equipment)

Finally they brought her too me...

Charlotte Anne Baird Lindgren

...and we started the process of learning to eat.  What ensued was 36 hours of fear and frustration.  Matthew was such a stellar eater that it never occurred to me that Charlotte would have any problems in this area.  She apparently still had a bunch of gunk in her stomach and kept gagging.  They suctioned her out and that helped with the gagging but she still wouldn't eat. Or even suck.  On anything.  Not me, not a bottle, not a finger.  No interest whatsover.  This started to scare me as I had to wonder how in the world she would ever eat if she couldn't suck.  Lots of different tips and tricks ensued in trying to solve this most basic of problems.  On her second night we had a breakthrough and I knew she was going to be ok.  It might still take a while to get the hang of things, but by Thursday morning, I knew she'd figure it out and sooner rather than later.

This is how we spent the better part of her first week.

Yes, I never changed my name on my insurance card...it says "Baird".  Remind me to do that soon!

Happy Birthday Cupcake from our dear friend Courtney!

Headed Home!

Ruthie Anne

After nine months of waiting she is finally here.  But her story is inextricably intertwined with that of sweet Ruthie Anne.

You see, late last summer my best friend and I found out about the same time that we were pregnant.  Our due dates were within weeks of each other.  We dreamed and planned of the picture perfect pregnancy followed by picture perfect babies growing up together.  We even joked that we could "share a room" at the hospital.

When we found out that Charlotte was in fact a girl, we hoped and dreamed that my friend's baby too was a girl so they would grow up best friends and our husbands could take them on daddy daughter dates together.

Then came the 20 week appointment for my friend.  Mine was still a few weeks away. The night before we shared our fears about this appointment.   We shared our fears that something could be wrong with our precious babies growing in our bodies.  Best we could, we dismissed these fears as nothing but fear.  Surely, this was NOT to be our reality.

The next day, I got a call from my friend in tears.  Everything was in fact NOT OK.  Her baby, a little girl, had severe developmental problems and my friend was referred to a specialist hours away.  The diagnosis was fatal.  Her little girl would not survive.  Our little girls would never know each other this side of Heaven.

Our hearts were torn apart.  How could I fully participate in her grief?  How could she fully participate in my joy?  How could we ever move forward, with all of our hopes and dreams ripped apart.  And my pain is nothing compared to my friends loss of her baby.  Ruthie Anne.

One month later, at 24 weeks gestation, her sweet baby girl passed away.  Ruthie Anne.

My friends strength during this time has been amazing.  Her determination to share in the joy of Charlotte has been so full of grace and courage.

As I write, the prayer "Hail Mary" comes to mind:

Hail Mary, full of grace.
Our Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

So before I can tell Charlotte's story, I had to tell Ruthie's story.  We all agree that she is a sweet angel in heaven watching over us, but I especially feel her presence in Charlotte's life.  She is remembered.

Out with a bang!

Finally, Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone.  And it was a good one.  Filled with lots of adventures...both ups and downs.

Friday both Paul and I felt tremendous relief as we wrapped up work for a while.  Me for a bit longer than Paul, but finally we have some time to ourselves to focus on the transition from a family of three to a family of four.  We can't wait to meet baby Charlotte tomorrow!

On one of the sad notes, we found out Friday that it was the last day for Ms. Sarah at school.  Matthew clearly adores both of his teachers and it makes me so happy to know he has developed such a wonderful bond with these two special ladies in his life.  Ms. Sarah, you will be missed and we wish you all the best on your new adventures.  We thank you for being such a wonderful blessing to the Mateo.

Saturday morning was like most other Saturday mornings...since I typically get up and go to work early during the week, I get a little more play time with Matthew and give dad a bit of  break....

Matthew is getting ready for his baby sister.  Somehow he knew that the rock-n-play is where the baby sleeps.  

Breakfast on the patio...

Then, mommy went to get a much needed pedicure while daddy and matthew went on big adventures.  There aren't any pics from these adventures but I heard they had a great time over lunch at Taziki's...my favorite pregnancy fare.  I wonder if I'll want Greek as much once Charlotte is here?

On Sunday morning we decided to hit the road early for the annual Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Baloon Classic (for more information check out the website: http://alabamajubilee.net/)

We honestly didn't know exactly what we were going to see, other than a ton of friends had posted really cool pictures on facebook the day before and it looked like something Matthew would enjoy...and he did!!! He even learned how to say "BAAAWOOOOONNNNN!"  

I gave in and let them share (well, I had some too) a funnel cake!
It was definitely a hit!

After the balloons we headed to Clay and Natalie's to visit with them and Matthew was just enthralled with Hugh and all of his toys.  He had a great time playing and we enjoyed getting a few snuggles with sweet Baby Belle.

Young master Hugh was kind enough to share a light saber with Matthew.  We had no idea how much the light saber would become a LIFE SAVER just the next day.

When...

Matthew ate the corner of a wall today and prompted a rush to the ER to sew up his head.  Paul and Matthew were playing just like they always do and I heard Matthew fall and cry, and honestly thought nothing of it.  I knew Paul was with him and usually the tears dry up within a few seconds.  Then, I hear Paul frantically telling me to come NOW and find Matthew's face covered in blood.  Paul tries to take him to the bathroom to clean him up and I go into command mode. There clearly will be no cleaning this up and we need to get to the ER...NOW.

By the time we are out of the driveway Matthew has stopped bleeding and is happily chatting away with daddy, oblivious to the fact that his face is covered in blood.  I actually turned the mirror in front of him around so he couldn't see himself.  Paul managed to get his face cleaned up on the ride over.

In triage they gave him a topical ointment to numb the gash in his head, but he really panicked when the nurse and doctor came in to wash the wound.  Once the wound was washed, it became clear he needed stitches (the real ones, not the glue kind) and they gave him something to help him relax a bit.  He was quite comical.  I think whatever it was helped mommy and daddy too!

Finally, all stitched up, he enjoyed his first ever Popsicle   He didn't quite know what to do with it so we put it in a cup and before we knew it he had it all figured out!  Purple everywhere!

So, you see, he really did go out with a bang!  Not exactly how I planned to spend our last day as family of three but I am thankful he is ok.  After we left the ER we headed to Bill and Cristie's for lunch and then back home.  He hasn't exactly gone down easy, for him at least,  But for now, he is sleeping peacefully. 

Tomorrow is a new day and we are all so excited to meet Baby Charlotte!

Adventures with Daddy

While I have been prepping for Charlotte's arrival Paul and Matthew have had some great adventures.  Matthew LOVES his Daddy.  I am so glad.  I worried about how Matthew is going to react to his little sister and sharing my attention but seeing how close he and Paul have become I think we'll all be fine.

There is a small train museum just north of town that has train rides each weekend.  So, with Matthew's new love of all things train, they decided to go for a ride!

Oooohhhhh!  It's a TRAIN!

Daddy!  I love TRAINS!

Afterwards, they wandered downtown and ran across "Lucky Duck Days" at the Lumberyard.

I want to play in that number!

It's a Parade!

I LOVE to drive!

One week to go...

Thoughts on this pregnancy.

It is so much harder when you are chasing around a toddler.  With Matthew, there wasn't anyone else to take care of.  Paul didn't like the fact that I stopped cooking, but he could fend for himself.  Poor Matthew is surviving on bananas and yogurt.

This pregnancy has seemed to go by slow as molasses.  For lots of reasons.  But it seems like it has taken Charlotte ... f.o.r.e.v.e.r... to get here.

Tax season certainly didn't make it any easier.  I think it was much easier to have a newborn during tax season (for me at least, Paul might tell you differently).  I only had one job...keep Matthew fed and clean.  And my mom helped tremendously in this effort.  Being pregnant with a toddler during one of the most difficult tax seasons was not easy.  For any of us.  By the end of it, we were all just barely hanging on.

As a result I didn't really start "nesting" until after April 15.  Once Paul was around to help out with Matthew I was able to actually focus on getting things done around here.  The biggest task was organizing all of the clothes that Melinda gave us.  She is expecting a baby boy in July so it worked out perfectly to simply trade clothes.  I think I got the better end of the deal...girls just have more fun clothes and MORE of them.  It was so much fun just to go through it all and get things organized in Charlotte's closet.

I have FINALLY painted the tree in Matthew's new room.  For now, the plan is that Charlotte and Matthew will share a room (hence TWO cribs!)  We created a small place space between the two cribs with some toys and the leaf canopies.  Matthew loves being in his room now and in fact, it has actually created a bit of drama in the mornings when he wakes up because he wants to play IMMEDIATELY.  Forget a clean diaper, getting dressed, his milk.  PUZZLES!  That's what he wants first thing!