Giving Thanks

With Thanksgiving approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the things that I am thankful for. First and foremost, I am thankful for the love of my Lord. I have to say thank you for never letting go. So many times we place conditions on love. Despite my failures and mistakes and determination to do things "my way," my Lord's love never left me. In fact, with the events in this past year, my Lord has seemed to say, "It doesn't matter how much you fail, see how much I love you!" He has given and given and given.
I am also thankful for the love of my Husband. We have had our taste of "In Sickness and in Health." It's just been a taste though. If this is the hardest "In Sickness and in Health" we face, we will be doing pretty good! Pregnancy hasn't been the easiest on my body, though the fruits of that labor are EVER rewarding! Everyday he makes me feel like I am the prettiest woman on earth. We love our life and treasure each day together.
I am thankful for the love and support of my family. Having a child has opened my eyes to a lot of things that I did not see before. From the moment my family found out I was pregnant, they began supporting us. Each has blessed us in their own way and we have enjoyed being on the receiving end of their love. The distance is hard on all of us, but we make the most of it. Vega is a great place to live and raise children, but my heart hurts that Charlie won't be spending more time with his Alabama family. There is a jackpot of love for him there.
I am thankful for our church family. When there has been a need, they have been right there to meet it. They have even met needs we didn't know we had, like bringing meals to us! Our church has been an awesome example of God's love and has extended His grace to us time and time again. They have been a wonderful example of the legacy of marriage. Thank you for pouring your lives into ours. We love being a family with you.
I am also thankful for the privilege of being a mother. Every day is a gift. Charlie amazes me! He has really put things into prospective for Seth and I. The things that seemed so important before melt in comparison to one of his smiles. He brings so much joy into our lives everyday. I am so excited about what the future holds for us and all the fun times that lay in store.

Baby Books!

Can you tell that Charlie is our first born? When I say "our" first born, I mean my family too. We received three baby books for Charlie. I thought about choosing just one. When I looked at all of them, each had something that the other didn't. So, I decided to complete all three! Now that I am working part time, I have more time to enjoy doing such things. I love that they have sections dedicated to Charlie's developments. We can track his progress and can reflect back on those times. For instance, he has now mastered smiling (and melting everyone's heart) and is cooing. He loves talking to himself. I can't wait until he can talk to us. Did I tell you that I LOVE being a Mommy?

Charlie's Favorite Toy!

Susu gave Charlie this toy when she visited last New Year's. We keep it above the changing table. As you can see, he loves it.

Look At Me Smile!

Mommy Loves Dressing Me!

I have way too much fun with my child! I can't help it that I think he is SO CUTE. Here is another one of his Halloween shirts. It reads: Baby's 1st Halloween. He cracked me up when I was taking his pictures because he just seemed to strike a pose. I think he might be getting used to it. I only take a thousand a day!

Our First Outing!

We ventured out of Vega to have dinner at Red Lobster so Mommy could have some of her favorite food-CRAB! We thought that Charlie would be happy in his carrier and possibly fall asleep, but we were wrong. He was happy, but only in Daddy's arms. Daddy is good at multi tasking! Everyone complimented Charlie because he was so cute in his Halloween gear. We were proud parents! We loved being out as a family and look forward to many more fun times together.

Charlie's first Halloween outfit!

It is Vega tradition that everyone Trick or Treats on the Saturday before Halloween. We also have a carnival, but we missed that because I was being discharged from the hospital. But, we made it home in time for Trick or Treators! As you can see, Charlie's poses were priceless. We certainly enjoyed ourselves-I am not sure that he did. Regardless of what he does, he is so PRECIOUS!!!

Mommy's first flowers from Seth and Charlie!

These are the flowers I received from Seth and Charlie while I was in the hospital.

Mommy was very sick :(

I somehow acquired a staph infection in my left breast. To make a long story short, I had surgery on Thursday (10/23/08). The doctor lanced and drained the abscess. I was in the hospital from Thursday through Saturday. I now have an open wound. I am so proud of my wonderful husband, who has been a real trooper this past week. He juggled staying with me at the hospital during the days and having Charlie by himself in the evenings and nights. He now has taken on the task of unpacking and packing my wound. He will have to do this daily for the next three weeks. Surprisingly, I am able to continue breast feeding on both breasts!!! I was able to resume feeding on the left breast on Sunday. I consider breast feeding one of my greatest joys of motherhood, so I was anxious to resume. Thank you to my family and church family for your continued prayers and support. Thank you to my wonderful husband for your love and support! You continue to impress me everyday.

Visit from Grandma!

There's nothing like the love of a good mother. Mom came to visit October 16-19th. We don't have many pictures of them together from the visit. Of course, we have tons of pictures that Mom took of Charlie. She was amazed at how much he had grown. The last time she saw him, he was three weeks old. He was 9 weeks old during this visit. He is now beginning to coo. Mom was able to enjoy lots of this! I'm so glad she was here to see it. Mom was also able to spend a lot of one on one time with Charlie, as I was getting really sick. It was wonderful to have her here during that time. I was able to sleep almost all day Friday. I knew Charlie was in good hands and was loving the extra attention only Grandparents can give. I regretted that I did not get to spend more time with Mom. I was also sick on Saturday and wasn't able to do much with the both of them. Mom was able to enjoy simple things like holding Charlie during church and feeding him. Thank you Grandma for taking such good care of both of us!

Funny Face...I Love You!

Hangin' Out With Aunt Melissa!

Charlie and Aunt Melissa bonded almost instantly. She was the first to capture his smile! As you can see, they loved being together. Aunt Melissa seemed to have a gift for getting Charlie to fall asleep. She loved rocking him and singing to him. He was blessed by her embrace and sweet voice.

Our First Picnic!

We had so much fun during our visit from Aunt Melissa. She blessed us in so many ways. She decided we should have a family day on Sunday and she thought a picnic would be a lovely idea. It was! We packed our basket and strolled down to the town square. We enjoyed good food and great company. Charlie loved being outdoors and it was a beautiful day to boot! Thank you Aunt Melissa for that precious memory!

Charlie's first 0-3 months outfit!

Charlie