3 Month Pictures

Chaz had his 3 month pictures done last weekend by a friend of mine, Courtney Noffsinger.  He wasn't in the best mood (come to find out we had ANOTHER ear infection), but as long as I was close- he did fine.   She got some great photos and here is the sneak peak she put on facebook.  I'm putting the link to her post about Chaz at the bottom!  Enjoy!!

Courtney's post on Chaz

Another Post?!?!

I'm loving this snow day...and it's only 9am!  I'm getting so much done, which includes loading more photots!  Here are some from my phone... those seem to be my favorite because it's always by my side and easier to grab than my big camera. 

The lighting isn't the best but, oh well!

Love Bathtime!

Hate when I have to dry off..

Mama always has me in a hat!

My sick boys watching football.

Rolling

Ready for Church

Praying for snow!

He LOVES holding his hands.

If any of you know my daddy, you will think this is hilarious!  I caught Reid on the phone the other night, and he looked just like B! 

Stay tuned for Chaz's first Snow!!  He's catching a power nap before we go play!

We're getting on a roll.....

literally!  Ryan and I went to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl last week and when we got home, Chaz started rolling!  He's not doing it every time he's on his stomach, but he gets really close!  He stayed with my sister while we were gone, so of course Aunt Lou Lou says she taught him. :)  We also had our first ear infection a few weeks ago.  He's been battling a cold for a few weeks and it wasn't getting any better.  With us going out of town, I decided to go ahead and take him in.  Sure enough.. those ears were infected.  Man what a difference antibiotics make!  He's eating, sleeping, and playing SO much better!  He's a happy little man and we are just loving it!  I also think it's fair to say he's looking more like his Mama!  What do y'all think... it's probably the fat cheeks, but that's ok! I finally downloaded some videos to my computer so I'm putting one from tonight! 

3 Months Already?!?!

Going to Church

Hanging out at Christmas

Playing with my best friend, Reid

10 weeks

Chaz is now 10 weeks old!  He's so fun and getting so big.  I started back work last week so it's been an adjustment getting up, dressed, to daycare, and to work all before 8am.  Chaz seems to be doing to good at Nanny's.  She kept Mattie and keeps Reid and my cousin's daughter so he's around family all day.  I think his aunt (and uncle) are loving getting to see Chaz everyday.  I know I'm loving getting to see Reid and Eason. 

Fun Facts about Chaz:

• Weighs approximately 14 pounds.. big boy!
• 23 inches long
• Wears a size 2 diaper and anywhere from a 3m-9m in clothes
• Loves to ride in the car- it's his favorite!
• Slowly, but surely, is figuring out that sleep is the best thing ever!
• Smiles a lot (except when I have a camera in hand)
• Still loves to eat and has started eating more at a time and fewer times a day.
• Has figured out that kicking while taking a bath is really fun!
• REALLY wishes he could walk already-hates sitting in our laps, but LOVES standing in our laps.

Sorry about all the pictures!  I realized I haven't posted any in over a month!

Picking out Chaz's first Christmas tree

I wasn't the best at taking or posting these.  As you can tell, it would be about bedtime when I thought about it!

  

I love bath time!

I love my Mattie & Reider

Mama's funny!

 Mattie singing to Chaz

 Daddy dressed me... can you tell?



6 weeks

Chaz has officially passed the 6 week mark!  He's getting so big and making us laugh all the time!  I have learned that he might look like his daddy, but he's got a lot of his Mama in him.  He's a "goer."  We (well, I) don't like sitting at home, so we have been finding all kinds of things to do.  We met Ryan for lunch one day, strolled around the outdoor mall one day, met Lou Lou and Lyn for lunch one day, went to Babies-R-Us & Target one day... and that was just last week!  He does really well when he's "out and about."  He tends to sleep and eat better.  I'm so thankful and hope it stays that way!  He's getting better with sleeping at night... that or Ryan and I are getting more used to it!  :)  Here are some recent pictures taken from my phone... I seem to snap more with it than I do my regular camera.

If you know Ryan- you know he ONLY wears Polo stuff...

Chaz and I surprised him one morning and put on a Polo onesie.

He's a big boy now... facing forward- although, he's not fond of the sun in his eyes.

We got bored after a bath one night and made a mohawk... it stayed that way until his next bath!

Chaz's absolute favorite place!  He can be screaming his head off and when I lay him on his changing table, he'll start laughing and talking up a storm!  I often grab a magazine and sit in the chair while he plays!

I couldn't believe how well he did in his chair... he's been holding his head up for a while now- not for long, but I thought we would try this and he loved it!  And... there's the mohawk again.

I love this little boy!  :)



1 Month Already?

Chaz will be one month on Tuesday... in some ways it feels like it's been maybe a few days and in other ways it feels like he's been here for a year!  Maybe that's how long it feels since I've had a good night's rest  :).  He is so fun and has really started showing his personality.  He's definitely got the Hopkins genes in the appetite department... I can only imagine what it's going to be like when he's eating real food.  He's getting better with sleeping and Ryan and I have figured out that he always wants a little more to eat about an hour after we feed him... we call it his dessert.  He won't take but just a bit...so this kinda messes up our schedule during the night, but hey... I like a little dessert after dinner, too!   

We have enjoyed all the company and wonderful dinners everyone has brought!  My college friends and I still get together once a month and eat dinner somewhere in Memphis, but this month- they brought dinner to us... Here's Chaz meeting everyone.

First Bath... I think he liked it!  And... yes, his hair is curly when wet!

His sweet cousins love him so much.  Mattie wants to hold him and Reid just waves at him and says, "Hey, Baby Cha"

Just playing...

09-28-10

Sorry it has taken me so long to write about our "eventful" night when Chaz was born.  We've been busy changing diapers and making bottles!  Below is a "short" version of the events leading up to Chaz's birth.

Monday, September 27th

8:40am
I had a doctor's appointment to see if I had dilated any... and I did not.  I was a week overdue so you can imagine how anxious I was to get this party started.  My doctor gave me the option to schedule a c-section for the next day... or to go in at noon on Monday and receive some medicine to help my cervix thin.  I chose to go in and try to have him naturally since this was my first baby and we didn't know how my body would react.

12:00 noon
Ryan and I check into the hospital and I received the medicine to help my cervix thin at 1:30pm.  After 12 hours, I would start the pitosin and we would go from there.  Everything seemed to be progressing normally.  I was starting to dilate and have contractions.  At some point during the afternoon, I got up to go to the restroom and when I got back in the bed, the nurse had a hard time finding Chaz's heart rate- it seemed to be dropping randomly. 

Tuesday, September 28th

2:30am
Ryan and I haven't slept at all.  I was glued to the monitor watching Chaz's heart rate since it had randomly dropped a few times and I was definitely starting to feel the contractions.  My body was reacting to the medicine they gave me to thin my cervix and my water broke in between that medicine and the pitosin. 

4:30am
I received the epidural... best thing ever!  And for those who care- the IV in the wrist hurt worse than the epidural.  Chaz's heart rate was still dropping randomly so they had turned the pitosin completely off and I was in labor without any (medicine) help.

6:30am
Chaz's heart rate dropped and the nurses told me they were going to call my doctor and update him on everything.  My doctor was due to come on call at 8:00am and I had made up my mind that I was going to ask for a section if he felt that I needed to... the heart rate dropping had gotten the best of me.  Nurses rushing in the room hourly and me having to flip from side to side wasn't my idea of fun.

6:55am
My family arrived and a nurse I'd never seen entered my room.  I calmly said, "Hey.. you must be my new nurse."  I knew the nurses were on a 7pm-7am shift so I just assumed she was coming to tell me who she was.  Her response as she rips open a new bag for the IV, "We're going in for a section, doctor's done with this."  UMMM... excuse me?  Within the next 5 minutes, I had a team of nurses, 2 anesthesiologists, a doctor (not mine), and a worried looking husband and family staring at me.  They had Ryan dressed in scrubs and we were rolling down a hall into surgery. 

All I can really remember is the nurses discussing what patients I had "bumped" and the doctor telling me that my doctor was coming in from a meeting to do the actual section.  I was so relieved and can remember praying that God would take care of everything.  They rolled me into the surgery room and I realized they had to move me onto the surgery table.  I laughed and told them I couldn't help them because I couldn't feel a thing.  (I think that was the purpose).  They asked Ryan to sit in a room for about 10 minutes while they prep me and I was praying they wouldn't forget to go get him.  Everything and everyone was moving so fast that I could see them delivering Chaz and forgetting to get Ryan.  Within minutes, Ryan was back in the room and holding my hand.

At 7:29am, God gave us the most precious gift in the world... Charles William Abbey.  He was 8 pounds and 9 ounces and was 21 inches long.... absolutely perfect. 

I heard one of the nurses in the room say, "Look at those cheeks!" and another "Look at that hair!"  I couldn't wait to see him.  He opened his lungs for us and it was the most precious sound I've ever heard.

Come to find out- the cord was wrapped around Chaz's neck and every time I had a contraction, it was causing his heart rate to drop.  I didn't know this until a few days after his birth, but I am so thankful that the doctors and nurses knew what to do and we went ahead with the section.  He lost too much weight while we were in the hospital so we had to go to the doctor for a "weight check" one week after his birth.  Let's just say- he's doing good!  His weight is back up and he has the Hopkins' appetite!  It just took him a few days to figure it all out.

We've been doing good at home.  Ryan and I both love sleep so we are adjusting to not sleeping much.  Chaz had his days and nights confused, but he is doing much better... lots of prayers answered.  He's changed so much within the last week- it's hard to believe when I look back at the pictures.  Thanks to everyone for all your texts, emails, prayers, and calls.  I can't tell you how much it means to me and Ryan.  Here are some pictures from our first few weeks.