Happy Halloween!!

Full House

We have had a full house this week. Judd's Aunt Pam had surgery yesterday at Emory to remove some cancerous spots that doctors found on a PET scan. The surgery was delayed throughout the day, she finally went back at 1pm. She was just coming out of recovery last night around 10pm. The surgery went ok. I think we are waiting now to learn more.

Judd's grandparents and parents stayed with us on Tuesday night. His grandparents will stay with us until Pam is out of the hospital. His parents are coming back up on Friday to stay the weekend. It is nice to be able to provide a place for his family to stay, I'm happy to know that I can do something to help in a situation like this. I also enjoy spending the time with his grandparents and parents. I don't get to see my grandmothers or parents as often as I would like to.

Yesterday, Charlotte and I went over to Erin & Dave's for a Halloween photo shoot. Charlotte, Ella, and Emma dressed up in their Halloween finest. Posing 3 infants has to be one of the harder things to do. Erin and I were out of breath and exhausted at the end. We lucked out and got a couple of cute shots, though. Look for the pics to be posted on Friday for Halloween!

Tomorrow I am planning to take Charlotte up to Baltimore to visit my sisters. Saturday we will drive to Mechanicsburg, PA to stay with my parents for the rest of the weekend. Charlotte has been sick this week and I was wondering if we would be able to go, but she seems to be doing a little better every day, so I think we'll be fine.

Other big news, Judd now works for the world's premier global airline! That's right, Delta and Northwest have finally completed the merger. This is very exciting for the airline. We are just praying Judd's job remains one that Delta needs.

Weekend in Review 10/24-26

I made it back from D.C around 1pm on Thursday. I was able to meet Judd for lunch before I made my way home. After dropping off my computer at home, I went to pick up Charlotte from day care. I was so happy to hold her.

We have had a busy, but good weekend. Saturday we ran a few errands and had a nice lunch. Then we went to Dave & Erin's to watch the UGA/LSU game. I'll admit that I had braced myself for a miserable game (and an equally miserable husband) - I never expected the dawgs to perform as well as they did! (Well, I really only saw about 3 plays, I was too busy trying to keep Charlotte from poking Ella in the eyes.) It was nice to hang out with E & D and the girls. Those twins are just the cutest little things. We kept commenting on how much our lives have changed in a year :)

Today we went to church and put Charlotte down for nap around 2. After that we went to Costco. We planned to save loads of money by purchasing items in bulk - yeah right. Instead, I got Charlotte a few new outfits (because they were so cheap - see how much money I'm saving?), a couple of things of pasta, some french bread, granola bars, and chips. All in huge quantities of course. Obviously, we like our carbs.

Charlotte has this new face. She scrunches up her face and snorts air in and out of her nose real fast. It is hilarious. I'm trying to get video of it...I'll keep you posted.

K is for Kiss

I've been tagged...

I was tagged by Rebecca & Drena, so, I think I have to tell you 7 things about myself that you may not already know.

1. I hate ironing clothes. I throw wrinkly clothes back into the dryer for a few minutes rather than iron them. Judd knows to take his work clothes to the dry cleaners.
2. I wish I had chosen graphic design for a profession.
3. When driving, I follow the car in front of me too closely. I know I do it, and I try to back off, but I guess I'm just impatient.
4. I dream of running a sub 4 hour marathon.
5. I'm terrified of heights. When Judd and I went to Paris, I cried halfway to the top of the Eiffel tower - he had to go to the top by himself.
6. If a movie is rated R for violence, I won't watch it.
7. I play in the handbell choir at our church.

I'm tagging:
1. My sister, Rachel.
2. My sister, Sally (just leave a comment, I know you don't have a blog).
3. My sister-in-law, Emily (just leave a comment, I know you don't have a blog).
4. My coworker's wife, Glori.
5. Friend, Allison.
6. Friend, Ashley.
7. Coworker/Friend, Kindra

Happy Tagging!

I Love D.C.

This week I am in Washington D.C. I was invited to speak at a conference. My presentation was on Monday, so now I get to sit back and relax for the rest of the week. I have attended different sessions at the conference and networked with people in my field.

I just love D.C. Yesterday I was walking across the street to get a sandwich, I looked to my right and there is the dome of the captial. The sky was bright blue and the captial was just gorgeous. The city is full of beautiful monuments. They are especially beautiful at night. The lights hit them in all of the right places. At times it really takes your breath away.

Tonight the conference host rented out the Natural History Museum. So, there were only about 400 of us walking around. It was incredible. I saw the Hope Diamond while eating a chocolate truffle - what more could a girl ask for?

About 2 years ago, I worked in D.C every week for about 8 months while working on a project for the Department of Defense. While I hated being away from Judd, I did love coming to D.C. There is just a vibe I feel here. Even though I am not the most political person, I love the fact that just a few blocks away the president is having a meeting.

I have missed Charlotte and Judd quite a bit. I think this is the longest I've been away from Judd in a year. (that is incredible considering we spent the majority of the first years of our marriage apart) From what he's told me over the phone, he's doing a fantastic job with Charlotte. I think he even said, and I quote, "It is kinda fun being the one responsible for her." I'm really happy it is going so well...maybe now I can go away on a girl's weekend??

Will She Fit?

I'm leaving tomorrow for 3 nights. I'm going to miss J & C so much. I was hoping she'd fit in the suitcase and I could take her with me.

Chapter Finished - Breastfeeding

When Charlotte was 8 months old, I decided that would be my last breastfeeding session with her. I was ready to have myself back. I was ready to not have someone physically dependent on me, something I've had now for 18 months. I wanted to be able to take cold medicine without reading all of the labels. I wanted to be able to work a full day and not have to worry about if meetings would interfere with a pumping session.

On that night, I gave her a bath, dressed her in pajamas, closed the door, pulled her quietly into my lap, and nursed her for the last time. Since then, I gradually decreased pumping sessions until 2 weeks ago I stopped all together. Last week she used the last of the frozen supply that I had stocked up. She has had 100% formula for a week.

All in all it has gone very smoothly. She transitioned well to formula. I have had some discomfort, but nothing too major. While I still feel a nagging sense of guilt for having stopped because I wanted to and not because she rejected it, I feel a wonderful sense of liberation. Judd and I went to the UGA game today and didn't have to think about when I was going to pump or where. I could just go. For the last two weeks I have walked into the office with just my computer and my purse, pump-less.

There is a feeling that has been lingering for a few days that I didn't expect. It is a feeling that is hard to describe. I'm not special anymore. I'm not pregnant expecting my first baby. I'm no longer a mother breastfeeding her infant. This chapter is finished and it hit me a little harder than I anticipated it would. We are beginning a new chapter, though, and I am sure it will be one filled with so many amazing things.

Exploring

Here are a few pics I caught while Charlotte was exploring the kitchen yesterday.

Pumpkin Picking

The Himes and Davis families ventured up to Burt's Pumpkin Farm today for a little picture taking and pumpkin picking. While the farm was extremely crowded, we were able to get some pictures. (The models in these pictures couldn't be better, but unfortunately these pictures are not nearly as sharp as I would like :(, i'm not sure what happened.)

We had 3 VERY good babies considering the circumstances.

Sometimes it feels like this.

You're Gonna Miss This

Yesterday on my way into work, I was listening to XM Channel 16. This is a country station on XM radio. A song came on, "You're Gonna Miss This". I heard the cheesy twang begin in the singer's voice and reached down to change the channel, but then something stopped me and I listened to the song. Like most country songs, it was telling a story in 3 verses.



Verse 1: Daughter is being dropped off at college very excited to be independent. Parent's say, "You're Gonna Miss This" - meaning her high school days and living at home. This verse I couldn't relate to, I was a little heart broken when my parents dropped me off at college. I remember crying and crying, scared to death of what was ahead of me.



Verse 2: Daughter gets married and Dad comes to visit her in her 1 bedroom apartment. She is complaining how small it is and can't wait to move to a house and have babies. Dad says, "You're Gonna Miss This" - meaning one day she would look back and miss the newly wed times. This verse I can relate to. I think one of the best years of my life was the first year married to Judd living in our apartment. It was our first place together. Every piece of furniture we owned was either handed down to us or cost less than $50, but it was ours. We did whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Not many responsibilities - no lawn to mow and I think it took me 30 min to clean the entire place. Dad's right, I do miss that.



Verse 3: Daughter is living in house and has a 5 and 3 year old that are running around screaming while the phone is ringing and the plumber is fixing something. Daughter apologizes to the plumber for the noise. He says, "Don't worry, I have 2 kids of my own, 28 & 30, believe it or not, You're Gonna Miss This." - while I don't have kids running around screaming yet, I can begin to relate to this verse. I already miss Charlotte as a newborn. When she would sleep quietly in my arms and her clothes were size 3 months. So tiny.

I have tried to catch myself wishing time away. "I can't WAIT until she can eat solid foods." "I can't WAIT until I am done breastfeeding." "I can't WAIT until she can roll over." "I can't WAIT until she can crawl." When I have these thoughts I try to push them away and enjoy the moment we are in. Yes, it is difficult not to wish time away when you are up in the middle of the night or when you are 8 months pregnant with heartburn. But just remember that one day, not too far down the road, that baby that is up in the middle of the night or floating inside of you is going to be too big to hold. So, now when I'm frustrated and tired, I'm going to try to remember the cheesy country song, "You're Gonna Miss This".

Badge of a Mother

A badge of a mother is snot on your shoulder.

It seems Charlotte has had a runny nose for the past month. The poor thing. I wipe it, much to her dismay, and 10 seconds later it needs another wiping. You can forget about using the bulb to suction it out. She wiggles and struggles so much against me, I'm afraid I'll poke it up into her brain. So, when I pick her up, she almost immediately wipes her nose on my shoulder. So, I'm usually walking around with large snot streaks on my shirts. I guess I need to start wearing lighter colored clothes that don't show it as much.

I & J

Mirror Mirror On the Wall

Charlotte decided to wake up at 5:00 am today. We had a hard time getting her back down after a bottle...so, Judd went to work, I decided to look through some old pictures that I hadn't posted yet.

8 months

Charlotte was 8 months yesterday. This was the best picture I could get with her "sitting" on the blanket (you'll notice there is a corner of it in the left portion of the image). Yes, that is my lens cap in her mouth. I probably could have tried to get a better picture, but we were both pretty close to losing it.

But, I guess that pretty much sums up her 7th month - the month of mobility. The child. is. everywhere. I am no longer able to get ANYTHING done without fear of her cracking her head open or falling down the stairs, or both.

This month she:

• found the need for speed, she crawls really fast
• began to protest (that is a mild term) when you take something away - most of the time this is something that she shouldn't have - like an electrical cord.
• has become very attached to me.
• pulls up on anything taller than she is.
• cruises from object to object while pulled up.
• is developing a little personality that I love, but am a little afraid of. (she seems to be pretty strong willed and lets her needs be known)
• is almost weaned, she is drinking mostly formula.
• has made my eyes well up with love for her over and over again.