Rainy Day

Saturday morning brought rain, and this is what was going on in our house....

Because it was rainy, we weighed our options and thought about where we would rather spend a rainy day....at home, or the lake house....so we went to the lake. Why stay home when the view at the lake is better, even with the rain?? So we went. And it was chilly, but a few hours there is always good to recharge. Here is one of the ONLY pictures of all three of us. I'm going to change that soon, and get some more pics of all of us....especially since Carson is smiling so often now!

While Kenny dinked around outside preparing to go fishing, Carson and I snuggled inside and he cooed away and I got some cute pictures of course! He's so animated and happy all the time so his personality is easy to capture. He's so loveable!

Work

My classroom is finally put together. I threw away SO MUCH stuff away and I had the mind set that less was better, and I think it's the best classroom setup I've ever done. This will be my 8th year of teaching and every year I don't change my room around too much, however this year, I just minimized. And it looks and feels great! I took Carson with me on Tuesday and struggled with accomplishing the setup, so Wednesday I left him with my MIL and went in for a full day and got it all done. I HATED leaving the baby in the morning but I know he was in good hands and I thought about him continuously for about 3 hours. And then I focused on work and all was good. His cute little face kept popping up in my head and I would count down the hours to go home and kiss his face. Before I knew it I was home and holding him! So I guess I survived a work day away from him, so when I do go back to work, I should be able to handle it. Boohoo:(

I have a DVR confession....the latest obsession I have and MUST watch on a daily basis.....

Little House on the Prairie!

This has been going on for about a month now. I get 2 new episodes a day to watch and I can't wait to sink into my chair every night and enjoy!

My new favorite picture:

Chili Recipe

The chili I made the other day R O C K E D !!!!!!!! I've never made chili before and Kenny said I hit a homerun the first time! Yay! The recipe I followed comes from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook....

Serves: 6 to 8
Advance Prep Time: 30 minutes
Slow Cooker Time: 6-7 hours on low, 4-5 hours on high

2 tablespoons
vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped medium
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped medium
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
6 garlic cloves (I used garlic powder instead)
2 pounds ground beef (85% lean) (I used 93% and it worked just fine)
1 can tomato puree (28 ounces)
1 can diced tomatoes (28 ounces)
2 cans red kidney beans (15.5 ounces)
Pepper

1. Heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Stir in garlic and cook for about 15 seconds.

2. Add the beef and increase the heat to medium high. Cook while breaking up the beef until no longer pink for about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomato puree and diced tomatoes with their juice, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer, then pour into the slow cooker.

4. Cover and cook, on either low or high, until the meat is tender, 6 to 7 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. Stir in the beans during the last hour of cooking. Before serving, season with salt and pepper to taste.

My tips.....we always use the 93/7 lean meat, and it worked just fine. I HATE garlic, which is why I refused to put chopped garlic in it and used a TEENY bit of garlic powder. I used the crock pot on high and it was ready in about 3 hours, obviously that will depend on your crock pot! One more thing, we didn't use cayenne pepper because I couldn't find it in the store, so we used regular pepper instead. I know cayenne is hotter than regular, and neither of us like hot stuff, but if you do, use the cayenne! It was seriously the BEST chili ever!!! Oh yeah, I took american cheese slices and layed on the top of the bowl of chili was it was still piping hot before we ate it and YUM YUM YUM!!!! Next time I will double the recipe so it lasts longer:)

Grrrr

Lori was right, I didn't get much done in my classroom yesterday. I had Carson with me and even though there were other people around occupying him, I still didn't get half of what I had expected to finish done. The other reason was because everything in my cupboards and shelves was pulled out and stacked all over the furniture in attempt to "clean" the shelves. Who does that???? I don't need my storage shelves cleaned!! They are completely covered so there's no place for dust or anything! That basically set me back a good 8 hours on top of the baby being with me. So next week instead of taking him with me both days, I'm leaving him with Grandma for one day so I can get that room back in shape. I purposely didn't take much down in June so I wouldn't have so much to do now and then my room gets ripped apart.....grrrrrr. Not happy!

I tried a new recipe for chili today in the crock pot. Let me correct myself, I TRIED A RECIPE. I can't say I tried a new one when I've never tried one before...ever! It's cooking as we speak, so we'll see how it turns out in about 4-6 hours. It was super easy except for the fact that as soon as I slice open the onion my eyes poured out tears and burned so badly I had to continue chopping onions on the patio, no joke, it was that bad. Other than that, we'll see how it turns out. If it's good, I'll post the recipe. That will make me feel like I've contributed to womanhood!

Now for the the important stuff, baby pictures:

6 Week Pictures

Oooooooohhhh I swear I'm more busy being home on maternity leave/summer vacation than I am during the school year. Sheesh. But I'm not complaining, busy is good!

Yesterday I took Carson for his 6 week pictures....our first professional pics other than our friend who took his newbie pics in the hospital. When I called to schedule his appointment, they told me to choose a time when he was sleeping so we could "mold" him for the pictures. So I chose 1pm since he usually sleeps all afternoon. Was he sleeping at that time when the camera started to roll? OF COURSE NOT! And he wasn't just happy baby boy like he usually is, he was pissy, like GIVE ME THAT BOTTLE NOW pissy. Ugh. The upside was that we got a couple shots of him smiling, okay, really only one good smiling shot, but still, it was worth it. Anyway, the here are some of my favorites. I'm already excited about the next photo shoot!

He was NOT having any of the naked shots.....guess he's a little self conscious!!

I'm actually going to work tomorrow. With Carson! Our professional development has already started, and tomorrow teachers get the whole day in their rooms. So I'm going to work in my room and hopefully get it all set up for the sub when the kids come back in September. Not sure how taking the baby with me to work is going to be, hopefully I will be able to get some things done while I'm there!!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Sunday is not a day of rest

Before I talk about my day, jump on over to Lori's blog and send her hugs and prayers for her fur baby....her dog is sick and elderly, and she's facing a tough choice and can use all the prayers she can get!!

Sundays are supposed to be a day of rest, right? Not so much around here. Kenny planned on working all day (yes, even in this blessed heat & humidity) and I was going to go through paperwork looking for a trailer title that Kenny misplaced OVER A YEAR AGO so we can sell it and get a new one, that was my motivation for finding it! Anyhoo, I ended up going over to one of my bestie's places to see her new house, and ended up taking a carload of stuff to her new home. All of a sudden it was 7pm! Ah! Time flies! Carson was a dream baby all day long as usual, and cooperated through the packing and visiting!

Tomorrow is the start of professional development at my school, this year there is THREE WEEKS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Why, you ask? I'm still wondering, I'm so irritated that it's three weeks long, as is all my coworkers. Anyway, I'm not going back to work until September 28th because I just had Carson, so on one hand I'm excited that I still have 6 weeks at home with my baby. On the other hand, beginning a school year and not being there leads to issues....I'm not even sure how many issues, but they will be there. I am going in for a few days next week for some new training so I won't be completely in the dark when I go back. It feels so strange knowing that for teachers, school starts tomorrow, and I won't be there. This is my 8th year of teaching, and I'm so programmed to that lifestyle....it just feels crazy. I am blessed and thankful for my job, and I LOVE teaching, however sometimes I wish I could stay home with my little man. I'm sure I'll be a mess when I have to go back in 6 weeks. Don't even want to think about that yet!

I've babbled on long enough tonight! Off to bed, temporarily....still getting up every 3 hours to feed the kid! I have to admit though, I love that time with him when the house is quiet and I hear Kenny and the dog softly snoring. There's something very sweet and rewarding about that. I'm sure I won't be so fond of it when I go back to work, but right now, any time spending holding my cute little chipmunk is awesome!

Smiley Sounds

These are some pretty cute sounds.....

My Baby Smiles!

He's been smiling for a while now, I just haven't caught it on film. Here he is!! He smiles a lot, especially if you talk in that high pitched voice. His mouth goes crazy smilin' so much!

Sunday we celebrated my dad and my cousin's birthday....Happy Birthday boys!! Here's another 4 generation shot and another pic of my grandma holding her great-grandson. We take these pictures every single chance we can get, they are precious!

Carson kept me up all night last night. He would eat, burp, sleep for an hour (not a full hour) and then be up again. Holy crap am I tired. Kenny had to get up to work this morning so I finally gave up trying to get the baby to sleep in the basinet and moved him to the swing in a move of desperation. It didn't work. I swaddled him, found the 40th binky that hadn't been shot out of his mouth, and laid him on the couch next to me. Just about the time the sun came up, he fell asleep. Me? Up for the day at that point. And let me tell you, I've done pretty good in the last 5 weeks on little sleep, but this morning? Not so good. I have the sleep deprived headache going on. Ugh. And my little guy is just bouncin' and cooin' away in his bouncy seat, oblivious to how sleepy I am!!! Any advice from you mommas about how to keep him sleeping longer? He eats 4 ounces during a feeding, and usually during the night it's every 2 hours, maybe once in a while I'll get 3 hours, but not lately. I'm sure it's par for the course, but if you have any thoughts, throw them my way!

Yesterday I spent some time with Tasha and her crew. They got to meet Carson and Alanna loved on him! Her baby, Ben, is now 1 and he is a cutie! I was impressed how happy he woke up from his nap. Tasha made BLT pizza for lunch, YUM! I know she put the recipe on her blog a while back, check it out if you have time cause it was scrumptious!

Off to try to catch some more sleep if it's possible while my cute little baldy baby isn't looking!

Check out Tasha's giveaway!

Time Flies!

Carson turned 1 month yesterday. Holy crap!

FINALLY

We finally made it to 8am. As is, having a bottle at 11am, 1am, 4am, 6am, and then not again until 8am. And there was sleep in between 6 and 8am, on BOTH our parts (me and Carson). I have been struggling with the lack of sleep (duh, baby=no sleep), however, what was driving me nuts the most was that this little dude likes his bottle at 6am, and then he's up for the day. Me? I'm on summer vacation/maternity leave here! I want to NOT start my day that early because that's the time I leave for work 10 months of the year. I realize the baby doesn't care, but I'm new to this mommy world and I'm still believing that I can train him for those extra couple of hours...is that true experienced mommies? Anyway, we finally got to 8am. Don't let me fool you, I'm still pooped and groggy, but the accomplishment of getting to that 8am hour is overwhelming! Like I crossed the finish line and won a medal. Will it last? Who knows. But it feels good this morning! I actually did something once we got up that I fantasized about doing before Carson was born. I made his bottle, made my coffee, and took the dog and we all went outside and sat on the patio to enjoy the morning. It's going to be humid today, I can already tell, but right now our backyard is shady, cool and there are plenty of pretty flowers to look at. I have wanted to do this every morning since he was born (except on the rainy days) and just didn't have the energy or didn't have coffee (that's another story). And today, we did it! And it's so enjoyable! Carson is in his bouncy seat on the patio, I'm sitting at the table blogging and drinking coffee (he already had his bottle!!) and the dog is happily chewing on my watering can. Things are good!

I thought I would address the bottle feeding thing, Lori asked me about it through email and I wanted to write about it anyway. We are exclusively bottle feeding because I didn't produce much breast milk. About 10 years ago I had a breast reduction due to back problems and I knew that it would be challenging at best to breast feed. While I was pregnant I leaked a little, so there was hope, but when I had Carson I pumped and pumped in the hospital and got a teeny tiny drop or two of colostrum (sp?) and then when I got home I pumped several times a day and MAYBE produced 1/8 of an ounce ina day. That, to me, was no where near enough milk to spend that much time pumping. So we continued on with formula and that's my bottle story. I really gave breast feeding a try, but I have known for a while that I probably wouldn't produce the milk, so it wasn't devastating, I just accepted it and he is doing fine on formula!

Here's a picture of the roses Kenny suprised me with on Sunday. They really are the most beautiful red roses I've ever seen. They are different, a deeper red and velvety, unlike any red roses I've ever seen before. The picture doesn't capture the beauty, but it just makes my heart sing when Kenny does cute stuff like this. He is such a good husband!

Visitors

We had a busy day yesterday with family. So may visitors to see Carson! Most everyone has already met him but they can't stay away for long! My grandma is 88 and is now a great-grandma, and very proud of that! She held Carson several times yesterday, a perfect picture opportunity. The second picture is a 4 generation shot, priceless!

Kenny surprised me with 2 dozen roses yesterday in honor of the baby being exactly 4 weeks old already. I can't believe he's already that old, not that it's old, but it seems like just yesterday my water broke. Time is flying by! Everyone said it would and it is.

This is a typical scene in our house now....Kenny working and Carson napping next to him. Oh the joys of self employment....there are some perks in it like this!

A few more pics....

Lovin' Mommahood

I am so lovin' this motherhood gig. Seriously, I can't think of anything other than marrying my hubs and spending my life with him better than being Carson's momma. Tasha once told me while I was prego that the worries you have while carrying the baby in your tummy don't even compare to the worries that you have as soon as the belly becomes a baby. And she is right. There are constant worries, however, I look at his happy chubby cheeks and know that if he's not crying, he must be happy. I must be doing things right so far....we still have a long way to go and lots to learn, but right now, he's happy and we just love him to pieces. What an incredible gift he is! I know any minute he's going to wake up and cry for a bottle, and I will get the pleasure of snuggling with him in the rocking chair that Kenny bought us and feed him, listening to his sweet squeaks and teeny noises while he eats, and then rocking him back to sleep. I look forward to that, even if I'm not done posting on my blog or doing whatever it is that I do when he sleeps. Even if I'm sleeping, I love feeding him and cuddling him and rocking him. I know that he won't be small for long, and I'm taking every opportunity to drink in his newborn babiness because it won't last forever.

Carson went shopping today and out to lunch...a busy day for a 3 1/2 week old baby, but I am a momma on the move! The shopping was just to JoAnn Fabrics to get some fabric for a baby ring sling. My aunt is making us one! I can't wait to use it! I helped Kenny work in his office today and I put Carson in the baby wearing contraption that I bought at Target and he LOVED it. I tried it out when he was a week old but he was still too little, but now it works perfectly! I see why so many mommas love to baby wear!

I promise to come and visit and COMMENT blogs more often, just had to get adjusted to this new lifestyle, but I'm feeling like normal Lindsey again, so I will be dropping by more often!

More new pics to come tomorrow!

TGIF!

A Post Where I Don't Talk About The Baby

We have had a special treatment done to our dog BB twice now. It's called the Furminator, and it's a special sharp comb/brush thing that she is brushed with at the dog grooming place. It pulls out oodles and oodles of hair, more than any average brush or comb could. It's amazing! At least the first time it was. The second time we had it done in April, it didn't work as well. I'm not sure if it was the timing with her shedding or what, but I wasn't happy with the results. So the other day I was talking to a neighbor who had their lab at Petsmart and got the same treatment, but it was much more expensive than the dog grooming place we took BB to. I went into Petsmart and talked to the groomers there about it, and ended up buying the actual Furminator comb. It comes in 3 sizes, I got the medium size for $33, and yesterday I tried it out. The picture on the package shows a dog laying on the floor surrounded by its hair after being combed, and I'm telling you THAT REALLY HAPPENS!! Our entire front yard was coated with BB's hair. I combed her for about 30 minutes and she looks about 10 pounds thinner! I can't even believe how much hair this thing pulls off her! If you have a shedding dog, this is the best thing ever! After I was done combing her, she got a bath (in Kenny's shower of course, NOT mine!) and looks like a new dog, and smells like one too! It's been way to long that BB hasn't been cleaned, plus a few lake days in there made for one smelly dog!! Here's the website, check it out! I'm not selling this or anything, just a big fan!

20 Days and Counting!

(Yes, the onezie says "Dad Won Me On Ebay"....we couldn't resist!!)

I have started an entry SEVERAL times in the last week but a certain little someone (itty bitty little guy who demands food every couple of hours) has seen to it that I do not get computer time in! But he's so worth it. Anyway, I can't believe he'll be 3 weeks old already tomorrow. I feel like I was just wheeled in for that c-section. Ugh.

Anyway, he's still doing wonderfully! He's up every 2-3 hours at night for food and usually goes right back to sleep. He's still sleeping tons during the day but today he was awake and playing for more hours than normal. I'm hoping that means more sleeping hours at night? I'm not counting on it but here's to hoping.

Kenny has been graciously giving me outs every day on my own, and I don't go far, just to Starbucks or Michaels or somewhere to get away for a half hour. Believe me, it's making a WORLD of difference in how I'm handling this new life. I battled depression years ago over a certain incident and they say if you have ever dealt with depression in your life, when you have a baby you are much more prone to post partum depression, more than just the normal baby blues. So Kenny and I have been on the same program to keep me from having that, and I must say we are doing a great job! He has never once mentioned needing a break from either me or Carson, but tonight I have him one and made him go play golf for a little while. When he was pulling out of the driveway I had Carson in his stroller and the dog on her leash and we were just beginning a walk. Kenny drove along side of us for a block and yelled through the window of the truck that everything important in his life was right there on that sidewalk....what a guy! Don't worry, he's not always that sappy, but it's cute when he is!

This week Carson recognized many things....my face, Kenny's voice and I think his face too, he's been smiling a little, not sure if it's gas or what, but I'll take those toothless grins anytime! He's cooing and making lots of movements with his arms and legs and loves to flail around when he's laying on the floor or in his swing. He's an active little dude as he was in my tummy!

I could go on and on about the cuteness, but I'll leave you with pictures....that's all anyone really wants to see anyway, right??

Kisses from Dad

Kisses from Mom

Love from Grandma O

Sounds in my house

I woke up from a nap yesterday to discover Kenny working with Carson in his carseat next to him. It was adorable! Carson is usually awake for a little while each morning and quite active and alert (he was very overdue!!) and this is the show we get every day. Then he goes right back to napping, so far, his favorite pasttime. I love watching his teeny arms and hands wave around. When I look over in the bassinet at night, if I catch him just before he cries to be fed, I'll see an arm or two waving around. What an amazingly sweet picture!

This was this morning, while Kenny was out and about working, Carson and I chilled out on the couch (I was on the couch, not him). He is so content in that bouncy seat and looks all around. It's crazy to think that everything he sees is new to him.

Last night Kenny and I went on a date. My inlaws watched Carson for a couple hours. We went to applebees for dinner and it was so much fun, of course we talked about the baby the whole time, but also how our lives have changed and how we are so happy to be parents and loving this little guy. And get this....I missed Carson a lot, and I asked Kenny if he did, and he said not that much, but guess who called his mom to check on the baby during dinner?? Yup, you guessed right, it wasn't me!

More pics to drool over....

He has discovered his fingers already!!

New Mommyville 101

Am I ever learning! And crying! And laughing! And loving! And thankful every single day for this new little person in our lives. I am exhausted, but not because I don't have the opportunity to sleep, I have it, right after Carson eats he goes back to sleep at night, but I can't sleep. I'm so tired and I lay in bed and only half sleep. Not the restful kind, the worrisome kind that makes me constantly check on the baby. Then I nestle back into the crook of Kenny's arm and pray to sleep, and it just doesn't happen. Speaking of the crook of Kenny's arm, I haven't been in it for almost 9 months because I was pregnant and had to sleep with a body pillow, which eliminated any change of making it into that crook. But I'm back. And loving it!

I've had some funny funny moments lately. Yesterday I spent the day with Kenny (and I had the baby with me of course). I needed to be out of the house (going STIR CRAZY) working....I basically just put the baby in the stroller and was with him, sitting most of the time while people cooed over how cute the baby is. Then we went out to lunch with one of his coworkers, then to the baby's check-up, and then to Costco. This is when I lost it. I was feeding Carson his bottle in the back of the truck while Kenny went to get a cart. When he came back, Carson had projectile vomitted all over me and I was balling. He momentarily cried, but I wailed. Kenny thought something was wrong with the baby, but it was me that needed comforting. I lost it for a couple of minutes. I just needed a break for a minute. So after Costco, Kenny insisted that I go to the bookstore and get a coffee and read People cover to cover. And I did. I cried the whole way there and after 50 minutes, I felt guilty for being away from my boys and made a mad dash home and cried when I got home because I missed them so much. Then I felt like normal again. FINALLY. Kenny and I got a little bit of alone time then, which I'm really missing right now, and things were better. Whew! I'm starting to get the hang of this! Go to flickr on the sidebar for some new pictures. He is adorable!!

Labor Story

I'm still in the hospital, we are getting discharged tomorrow. And I'm so ready to go home. I haven't been in my own house since we got home from the fireworks on the 4th, slept for 2 hours, and my water broke. Which reminds me to tell you the labor story. My water broke at 330am on Sunday morning. I called the doctor, she said since I was dialated at a 1 a few days prior, take my time, shower, eat breakfast, and then come in. We were there in an hour and we truly did take our time. I had contractions right away, they hurt a lot, but I was breathing through them and focusing and I knew I was going to have this baby the natural way, no epidural! By the time we got through triage and into our labor and delivery room, the contractions were 2 mintues apart and had me almost on my knees in tears and screaming with pain. That was about 630am. So I asked for an epidural, and I got one within the hour. That meant that I had to labor in bed though, no hottub or showers. I was bummed, but at the same time RELIEVED that the worst pain I had ever felt in my life wasn't happening. So I labored through the "easy" contractions and as the day progressed, I labored through the painful ones, ones that felt nearly as bad as the contractions I had before the epidural. I was continously dialating, but very slowly. By 2pm, my OB mentioned the word c-section and I very promptly told her that wasn't an option, that I was going to vaginally deliver this baby, I could be patient and take the contractions as they came, I was prepared to be in labor for as long as it took. By 10pm, after major pain even with the epidural, I was dialated between an 8 and 9 and I was feeling the pressure "in your bottom" that I had been told was the pressure that meant pushing was close! The nurse told me it would be about an hour before I could start pushing. I knew I could hang in there, especially with the end in sight! I got that extra burst of energy despite being completely exhausted and I felt like I was rejuvinated with the nurse's comments of pushing soon. Then the doctor came in and changed all my positive thinking. I admit that I was super tired and worn, I admit that I was in pain even with the epi, but I was not going to give up or give in, and when the doctor said I had been in labor too long and that she strongly recommends a c-section, I completely lost it. I have never been so upset in my whole life, and even thinking about it now, I get upset all over again. She said it was my choice, but I truly felt like I didn't have one. I swore up and down and screamed that I hadn't gone almost 2 weeks past my due date and labored for 20 hours to get this close and then be told that a c-section was needed. The baby was not in distress and neither was I. Both of us were continually monitored on the screens all day, so they knew we were both fine. I threw a fit and was left alone with my mom and Kenny to cry it out. Kenny was sick of seeing me in pain and wanted me to have the c-section, he couldn't take it anymore and wanted it to be over. I was crushed. I didn't want to have a major surgery, especially in that situation, and that's what I got. I have never cried harder in my life as they prepped me for surgery. I was shaking and couldn't stop the weeping. I was resentful towards the doctor and scared shitless of being sliced open after having seen c-sections and hearing my friends talk about the healing process and how painful it was. I have to honestly say that that was the lowest feeling I have ever experienced in my life during those moments. Kenny kept reminding me that we would have our baby in a few minutes and it would all be over, all the stresses of being overdue on my body would be gone, the pain of labor and contractions would be gone. I knew that was true, but I was still not thinking clearly......pain killers and major surgery will do that to you! So I kissed my mom and they wheeled my balling body into the OR, a place I NEVER want to see again. I cried through the whole surgery, even with Kenny right there by my side. Then came the baby, what the goal was all day, to have our son in our arms. I heard his teeny little cry before they lifted him out of my stomach at 12:35am. Then all of a sudden the doctor was holding his little body up so we could see the first glimpse of our baby, at last. Kenny was in shock and awe, he was SO HAPPY. I was happy that the baby was out, but still focused on the fact that I was cut open and 45 minutes from being put back together. Kenny took pictures of the baby and I cried, from happiness of the baby, exhaustion, anxiety, and still anger of the surgery. I remember every single second of the c-section, even when I try not to remember. In recovery I saw Kenny and my mom and the baby, who was wide awake, in his bassinet next to me. I just kept looking at him and crying and I was still shaking from the drugs from surgery. I got to feed Carson right away, which felt strange and wonderful all at the same time. It hadn't set in yet that he was really our baby. After a long time in recovery, my mom went home and it was just Kenny and I. I remember getting sick a few times, and then they wheeled us to the mother/baby unit. We had barely slept in 2 days, plus I wasn't able to breastfeed yet, so the baby went to the nursery and I think we fell asleep from exhaustion around 6am Monday morning. I woke up first around 8am, still groggy and very swollen and just feeling wierd. Kenny woke up a little while later and I have never seen him so happy. He started talking about what an awesome experience it was to see Carson for the first time and how he never could have imagined how it would feel, but it was the best feeling in the world. It was amazing to hear him babble on about watching his son being born, and then he told me how worried and scared he was watching me in labor and surgery, and how proud he was of me for going through it all and how THANKFUL he was that I did it for our baby. What a moment that was. And then he told me that before our parents arrived he wanted to get me into a wheel chair and outside into the sunshine because I needed to get out of the hospital setting for a moment, which of course he was right! So he took me (after the nurses put me in the chair and got me the IV pole and all that stuff) and we went outside to the courtyard in the sun. I will never forget that as long as I live. We just kept saying over and over again how awesome it was that Carson was here and even though he didn't get here the way we had hoped, it didn't matter because he was healthy and I was too. It was one of those moments in life that make you forget about all the bad stuff and really just take it all in. Then our parents started to arrive to meet the baby (my mom had already met him when he was born) and I got some more doses of pain killers so I was blurry the rest of the day. Kenny stayed in the hospital with me until yesterday and he went home to get the house ready and grocery shop and get some work done before we come home Thursday. Carson is perfect. He is cute and sweet and smells good and I absolutly get it when people say you fall in love instantly. You really do! I still have lots of bad feelings about having the c-section, and even though it was probably the right decision, it was not an easy moment to get through and thinking about it, I get upset all over again. But it brought Carson into this world safely and he wasn't in distress and just needed to get here, so it was the right thing to do, and for that, I would do it all over again! My mom emailed me my baby picture.....now compare it to Carson's baby picture....see any resemblance??? Look at the chins!

Here's the Baby

Carson Riley Alan

Born 7/6/09

8 lbs 1 oz

20 inches