Happy Birthday Charlie!

Dear Charlie,

Today is your 3rd birthday.  It's so hard to believe that 3 years ago Daddy and I were sitting in a hospital room looking at you for the first time.  You were so small.  I remember thinking you had such long fingers and big eyes.  You didn't have much hair, but it was dark and your eyes were a dark blue.  I thought to myself, maybe you have my eyes and hair.  I had always pictured my kids as having very dark thick hair and dark eyes like Daddy.  I remember being so unsure about what to do with you and how to feel.  But, what I remember most is the feeling of love.  Deep love like I had never felt before.  Deep happiness of being a family of three.

Over the past three years you have done so much!  You have learned to walk and talk.  You've become a toddler, then a little boy.  You've been all over the country traveling with Mommy and Daddy and seeing so much.  You've seen snow and rain for the first time.  You've been swimming and gone on many wagon rides.  You've gotten to know two amazing sets of grandparents and a handful (heartfull) of awesome aunts and uncles.  You've gained a brother and a cousin.

You know what else you've done?  You've taught us all some pretty great stuff.  How to love.  How to be a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle.  How to have REAL fun.  How to be so proud.  How to completely reset expectations of life and how it "should" be.  Who knew in that little body, you could do so much for so many people.

I just want you to know that no matter what happens there are so many of us that love you more than anything.  We are there for you.  We couldn't imagine life without you just the way you are.  We think you are one of the funniest, coolest people we know.

Happy Birthday sweet boy.  Love you to the moon and back.

Mommy, Daddy, & Dean (and many more people who love you so)

I love you Charlie Bowen.

Dean has arrived!

Wow, so my blog has been extremely neglected!  In the time since I've updated, I've had a baby boy!  Dean Carter Bowen arrived on May 3, 2012 at 5:50pm.  I wanted to document his birth story so I wouldn't forget it, so I figure here is a good place for it.  So below you will find a detailed description of his birthday.  Enjoy!

Dean’s birth story 5.3.2012

We decided to get induced.  It was scheduled for Thursday May 3^rd.  Just two days shy of my due date.  At my 39 week appointment on Tuesday May 1^st I was dilated to 1 cm and about 70% effaced, baby was at a -2.  We arrived at the hospital on Thursday at 7:00 am.  I got checked in and hooked up to the monitors.  My nurse’s name was Wendy.  Dr. Downey came by and chatted with us.  He gave us an idea of what to expect.  It took the nurses a while to get my IV in.  Two failed attempts, then on the third got it in.  On the first attempt the nurse tech blew my vein and I almost threw up/passed out.  It was not a pleasant experience.  Wendy finally got my IV in and we started Pitocin at about 9:00 am.  They checked my cervix, it was the same as Tuesday.  They slowly increased the Pitocin throughout the morning.  Contractions were tight and slightly crampy, but not too painful.  My Mom, Dad, and Shane were all there, as well as Trey of course.  It was nice to chat with them during the more relaxed part of labor.  Dr. Downey came back at about 2:00 pm and checked me.  I was at a “tight” 3 cm.  He decided to go ahead and break my water.  Mom, Dad, and Shane headed out to the waiting room for the rest of the labor.  Dr. Downey broke my water.  I immediately told the nurse to prep me for the epidural.  I remember how strong Pitocin contractions are after the water is broken.  She started me on the bag of fluid needed first and went to get the anesthesiologist.  I’m so glad I did that, because the very next contraction was hard and strong!  For about 30 minutes I had extremely hard and fast contractions.  I could not talk through them anymore and had to hold Trey’s hand and breathe through them.  At about 2:30 pm the anesthesiologist came in and gave me the epidural.  It immediately started to work and I had great pain relief.  I was still able to move my legs some, which was different than my previous epidural.  Eventually my left leg went totally numb, but I could still move my right leg some.  I could also feel slight pain in my lower right abdomen during contractions, but nothing too bad.  At about 4:00pm I felt some pressure so Wendy checked me.  I was completely dilated and baby was at a zero.  We did a practice push and baby was ready to go.  They called my doctor to get him there to start pushing.  They couldn’t reach him so they left a message at his office.  Over the next hour and half we waited and they kept calling Dr. Downey.  It turns out he was with a patient at his office who had very high blood pressure and was being sent over for a c-section.  He got to our room at about 5:35 pm.  We started pushing about 5:45 pm.  The first push revealed baby was “IOP” or face up.  Usually this means lots of pushing.  All of the doctors, nurses, and Trey were joking how I only had to push twice for Charlie and this time might be different.  The next push, baby turned sideways…that was fast.  Dr. Downey got really excited and told Trey “watch it will be face down next push!”  Sure enough, one last push and baby was face down, shoulders came out and out they pulled.  I said, “I guess I’m a professional pusher!”  Everyone laughed at that.  We did not know the gender, so this was time for the big reveal.  Dr. Downey put the baby on my stomach.  I couldn’t see what it was because the leg was covering.  Everyone was waiting for Trey to announce.  As soon as I saw it, Trey said “It’s a boy!”  Dean started crying and we all started cheering.  I said to Trey “I told you!”  Dean looked so much like Charlie did when he was born.  They clamped his cord and one of the nurses said “Look at that beautiful cord!”  I guess it was very full of blood.  Daddy cut the cord and they took Dean over to get checked out.  Dean’s head was a little lopsided and Trey said “Must have been all that time waiting in the birth canal” to which I said “Not pointing any fingers (while pointing at Dr. D)”.  That got a lot of laughs.  Dean scored a ten on the APGAR, right after Dr. D said, no baby ever gets a ten J.  Dean was 7 lbs 13 oz and 21 inches long.  Overall it was a really great birth experience and I wouldn’t really change anything about it. 

Dean’s full name is Dean Carter Bowen.  Dean is a name both Trey and I love; it goes well with Charlie’s name.  We later discovered it means “from the valley”.  This has significant meaning to us as Dean is the baby we conceived after we lost a baby to a miscarriage earlier last year.  He is our sunshine from the shadows and he is our blessing after coming “from the valley”, the lowest point in our lives.  At the time we picked that name we never knew the valley ahead, we never expected where life would take us, but now we see God’s smile in the meaning of the name.  He knew all along what was ahead and that Dean was waiting for us.  Carter we decided on in honor of my Pawpaw Buster Carter.  He is my dad’s stepdad whom raised my dad from the time he was 4 years old.  My PawPaw had one daughter of his own, whom unfortunately passed away when she was a little over a year old.  He had no other children so his last name “Carter” would end with him.  We wanted to honor him by passing on that name.  We also later found out that Dean is a big family name in his family as well!

That’s the story of Dean’s beginning in life.  We waited a long time for him and had no idea who he was, but we are so thankful to God for the blessing of his life and health.  And we cannot wait to see how our boys grow as brothers!

Halloween 2011

Yesterday was technically Charlie's 3rd Halloween, but his 1st one trick or treating. His 1st he was only 3 weeks old so obviously he couldn't do much. Last year he was a year old and wasn't walking yet so we didn't do it either, just dressed him as a monkey and handed out candy. So we were super excited this year to get to take him on his 1st trick or treating.

The Lovelace's came over. Aaron unfortunately had a class so Melissa brought Drew & Leah over so we could all go out together. Melissa had Drew's costume picked out a while ago, he was going to be Buzz Lightyear. I knew as soon as she said that, I had to dress Charlie as Woody. I had a heck of a time finding a costume small enough for him. So in the end I got some Woody pajamas and my mother-in-law made a small bandanna to put around his neck. Couldn't find a hat small enough (which he probably wouldn't wear anyways) so we cut the hat.

The boys had a great time. Charlie got the hang of it real quick. He would walk right up to the doors and knock and say Hello! (he does this anytime he knocks on any door :) then when the people come out occasionally he would say something like tee! which I assume is suppose to be trick or treat. He would say thank you and bye see ya! It was so cute. I was a little worried he might be shy and not want to go up to doors, but no way, seems like his Daddy's personality came out in him. It was so fun to see him having so much fun.

Here are a few pics of the night. Drew was a little sleepy b/c he didn't get a good nap so we couldn't coax a smile out of him. Charlie was all over the place...do you have any idea how hard it is to get two, two year olds to look at the camera and stand still???

13 weeks & 2 years!

So here is a fun little comparison...As you can see I am much bigger this go around. I was really terrible about taking pictures so this is one of maybe 3 belly pics I have from Charlie, but it's exactly 13 weeks...which is also what I am today so I took a pic to compare. I had a little bit of a belly I never lost from Charlie so I knew I was going to show sooner. It will be fun to compare the 38 week pic I took the day I went in to have Charlie...

So as I said, I'm 13 weeks today with Baby B (my nickname for baby since we aren't going to find out the gender until birth day) It's been a bit of a rough pregnancy so far, but I'm FINALLY starting to feel better. It's been about the same sickness wise as I was with Charlie. Started at 6 weeks exactly, peaked at about 8-12 weeks. I'm on medication to keep from puking everyday(which I still end up doing some days) and I've been able to wean myself almost completely off of it. I've had 2 doctor appts so far...one at 6 weeks were we did an u/s and saw the tiny little heartbeat and one at 10 weeks were I heard the strong baby heartbeat :) 179 bmp, which is pretty fast and according to the old wives tale means it's a girl (though I googled it and there are way more sites saying it ISN'T true, but just throwing it out there).

For those that don't know my due date is 5/5/2012. Yep, Cinco de Mayo! I would LOVE for that to be the actual birthday b/c I am a numbers girl and I love a double number. Charlie's bday is 10/10/2009 so it would be so cool for baby B's to be 5/5. But, it could go either way. Trey's bday is 4/29 and Amy/Shane's is 5/12 so either way would be cool. We will just have to wait and see.

So, like I said, we are doing the gender surprise bit. We are super excited about it (though some of our friends aren't so excited ;). We have a few personal reasons for wanting a surprise, but also we just honestly don't have a preference either way so it makes it easy to wait. If it's a boy: I will be so happy, Charlie get's a brother, Trey and I get another little boy, we have ALL boy stuff, etc. If it's a girl: It will probably be a shock, but SO exciting. I of course would LOVE to have a daughter and Trey & Charlie would love it too, they just don't know it yet :) Not that Trey doesn't want a girl, he def does...he just doesn't know what to expect so he's a little hesitant...

So that's the update on the pregnancy and Baby B. I go back to the doctor Nov. 8th for my 14 week appt.

On to Charlie man...so he's 2 now!! It's crazy I have a 2 year old!! He is really becoming more and more verbal and fun. He also has def started showing his stubborn side...oh man terrible 2's! He is 25 lbs and about 34 inches. He's only gained 2 lbs since his 18 month appt, but he's grown 3 or 4 inches. He's def a skinny boy and he's about average height. He has a pretty short torso so he can actually still wear some 18 month sized clothes.

He loves, I repeat LOVES to play outside. Poor kid got deprived during our extremely hot summer. We go outside in the back yard or on a wagon ride everyday. He loves to slide and just run around in the grass and throw a ball around.

He started going to Mother's Day Out at our church once a week from 9:30-2:30. At first he wasn't so sure about it, but now he loves it. He doesn't cry at all anymore when I leave him. Last week he did poke his lip out a little, but I just said bye and he said "see ya!" :) So cute. The teachers tell me he has a lot of fun and is one of their best nappers.

Speaking of napping he's in a weird sleep pattern lately...actually it's not really a pattern. He forever has been sleeping from 7:30pm-7ish am and then napping from 12:30-2:30 or 3. Well then he started sleeping more...sleeping till 8 or 8:30 in the mornings and napping until 3:30 or later. Then out of no where one day he will just refuse a nap all together. He did that 3 times this week! But the other days he would take a 3 hour nap!! It's been crazy, but oh well.

He's my little buddy for sure. He is doing and saying all sorts of fun things. He can count to 3...well sort of...he says 1, 2, 1 or sometimes he says 2,2,2!! Guess he likes 2. He loves Goofy (whom he affectionately calls Goo Goo) he has started saying "Oh Gawrsh!" just like Goofy. He loves to play with his swords and his bbq pit Nonnie & Pops got him for his bday.

Here are a few recent pics...

Heading out for his 1st day of "school" (mother's day out)

Drinking some water to stay hydrated hahaha.
Playing in the blankets...
This week we went to a pumpkin patch one day. He had a ton of fun...

Apparently he was saying Oh Dear! here...not sure why...



Whoops....Oh Dear!!

Charlie update!

Sorry, it's been way too long since I updated on Charlie. I don't know what it is about blogging, but I either forget or don't feel like sitting down and writing out everything. I've also really gotten into couponing so that takes up a lot of my non-Charlie time. But, tonight I have some time to myself with Trey busy Magic-ing and I'm caught up on most of my coupon stuff so I thought I would sit down and update.

So my little boy is 22 months old...in less than 2 months he will be 2!! That is unbelievable. When you get in the routine of the day to day and the "working towards the next phase" with a baby you really loose track of time. Like you are always thinking, I need to teach him to crawl, stand, walk, talk, etc. and you loose current moment. I sat back and watched him play today and it made me tear up a little...he really is a little boy, there is no evidence that I have a baby left, well except for the diapers maybe...he is a walking, talking, opinionated, do it myself little boy. Of course I am happy that he is growing and learning, but I'm also really taken aback by how fast it really does go...I know everyone says that to you, but it IS really true.

So let me update you on what the little man is up to lately. He is learning new words, phrases, etc. everyday. He is still pretty small, but i can tell he has grown lately. I'm not sure of his stats, we don't go back to the doc until 2 years. He's pretty much doing a lot of things on his own, eating, playing, etc. He still loves Mickey Mouse Club House, along with a few other Disney Junior shows. He LOVES, LOVES (cannot stress this enough) my iPad. It's ridiculous, he can unlock, scroll over the "his" page and pic which app he wants. He knows to turn the screen to orient it the right way. He has tons of games and books on it and he literally would sit there all day with it if I let him.

He's still sleeping in his crib, but I'm not really in a rush to change that. He has a toddler bed ready for him in his other bedroom, but he hasn't figured out how to climb out yet so I don't see a need in changing that just quite yet. He's pretty good at eating with a fork, but we are still working on that whole spoon thing. He always turns it upside down after he scoops and everything falls out. He's still a pretty picky eater. He eats the same few things everyday. I keep thinking he is bored of it and I'll try something new, but he refuses and asks for "beans" or "toast" instead. Here's a list of what he likes: any veggies, edamame, peanut butter toast, banana, grapes, pineapple, pears, chicken nuggets, french fries, yogurt, applesauce, cheese, sometimes pizza, and ice cream :)...seriously that is all he will eat (he doesn't get ice cream everyday...just when Daddy shares some with him). He loves juice and milk and water. Esp. juice...he asks for it all day...sometimes I trick him and put a splash of juice in with a cup of water (I know I'm mean right?) so he doesn't drink so much juice...but I also get the kind that is only 40% juice and 60% water so it's not so sugary.

We've attempted to start potty training. He's not really a fan. I'll ask him if he needs to go potty...his answer...No!...everytime I ask. When I do take him in there, the whole time he's sitting there he says Allllllll done! We're working on it :)

We are going with my parents to Disney World in early Oct. to celebrate his 2nd and my Mom's 50th birthday (his is the 10th hers is the 15th) so we are really looking forward to that.

On Sept. 6th he starts mother's day out at our church. He is going to go every Tuesday from 9:00-2:30. I have some mixed feelings about this. I know overall it will be very good for him (and ME!) to have a day apart. I know he will learn new things and interact with different kids so I'm super excited about that. But, part of me is really nervous. He's never really been away from me much. Our parents have watched him for an afternoon or evening here are there, but every time I leave him in the church nursery on Sundays or at community group for a hour a week he cries...the whole time...I know it's a phase and it's something we have to work through, but I hate to see him so upset and I know it is hard for whoever is watching him. We go to "meet the teacher" on next Thursday so we will see how it goes. Just say a little prayer for the both of us :)

There is tons of other stuff he is doing now...I could write all night. Instead I will finish up with a few recent pictures of this little guy. We love him so much and he is such joy to us every day.

I know he is going to hate me for this someday...sorry buddy... :)

Him saying "Alllll done!"
Eating a typical lunch

Trying to eat yogurt with a spoon...see what I mean about turning it upside down?
Kisses for Mommy.
Sorry this one is a little blurry, but I had to post it, he wanted to wear his hat and ride his dragon...hilarious...
He'll find his hat and walk around trying to put it on saying "it's a hat, it's a hat"

Daddy sharing ice cream...he sits next to him and says "Bite? Bite?" over and over and over...
My boys eatin ice cream and watching tv :)