Bronchitis :(

Wellllll boo.  I have bronchitis.  It is not a fun time in the House of Lyons.  Charlotte has a double ear infection and is finally cutting her first tooth, and I am battling bronchitis and a sinus infection.  Poor Jeff is worn out from taking care of us both.

I just got back from my doctors appointment where I learned a few things.

1. they don't think I have the flu (seasonal or swine) as they swabbed me and the test came back negative.  However, the test is not 100% accurate so they can't say 100% that I don't have it. (did you know this?? what good is a test then...)

2. I either had a touch of the flu or another viral infection that has now caused a bacteria infection in my lungs - hince the bacterial bronchitis.

3. my bronchitis is now causing a sinus infection.

4. I am on some major antibiotics to keep it at bay to avoid pneumonia. Ugh.

5. I sound like a man. Please do not call me, I am available only via email or text cause seriously it does take a lot of energy to talk.

6. I could still get a very high fever in the next couple days and can expect to have no energy. double ugh.

7. I have an amazing husband.  He had to take care of Charlotte yesterday quarantined upstairs since she was sick while I was downstairs with the other kids.  Now, he has to watch her today and some of tomorrow while I am quarantined myself!  He is totally worn out and not getting any of his work done :(  But, he puts a smile on her face no one else can, even with her teeth and ears hurt.  What a Daddy!

Halloween in Bowling Green

Charlotte's first Halloween was spent in Bowling Green Kentucky with us, her grandparent's (Jeff's parents), her Uncle Matt and Aunt Cheryl and cousin Reese!  This was a last minute over night trip, but we are so glad we were able to spend time with the Lyons family.  Sadly we missed our Trunk or Treat at the Bridge and Charlotte did not wear her costume, but we had a great Halloween anyway!

What a ham!

We have learned more so over the past few weeks than any other time that Charlotte is a HAM!!  She looooves having her photo taken, will grin for just about anybody, and loves to clap and dance for herself.  Love Her.

Since she has started crawling it's like this whole other person emerged.  Not only is she different physically - crawling, cruising, trying to walk, sitting in carts and high chairs, etc.  She seems to have grown up over night.  She is eating her finger foods like a pro, drinking pretty well from her Sippy cup, and is slowing but surely moving into the "toddler food."  She has the biggest grin, the sweetest giggle, under her chin is now her favorite tickle spot, she has learned to "motor boat" (even while eating), and her daddy is her favorite playmate.

What a joy she is to have in our lives! Here are a few photos of my precious little one.. ham it up baby![gallery order="DESC" columns="5"]

The seasons may change...

The last 2 weeks have been very interesting for the House of Lyons.  Jeff is working at home now! This is a very exciting opportunity for Jeff to be able to do freelance video production full time out of our home.  Charlotte and I love having him at home with us to make us laugh or get a hug anytime!  It is a huge adjustment for both Jeff and I because this means that we both work out of our home.  It has provided it's tense moments for sure as we inadvertently overlap and have different needs for food, or quiet, or help throughout the day.  We get so much more time together now - no commute, and we can make lunch together!

The only downside to this new work arrangement... it was not our choice for timing!  Sadly, this decision was made by Jeff's former employer NorthStar Studios 2 weeks ago and that was that.  Doing freelance video full time was always something that Jeff wanted to pursue within the next year or so, but not this month!  The biggest downside to this is obviously financially.  We are not as set as we'd like to be with savings, and while Jeff has gained many clients in the past months, they do not bring in enough to be his only source of income.   Jeff is working very hard to bring in new clients and new projects, as well as pursue possible full time positions with other companies.  Only God knows where Jeff will land!

While this change brings lots of uncertainty, we are both experiencing a seemingly strange sense of calm.  When Jeff came home with the news, we were both amazed at how easy I took the news and didn't cry! (for those that know me, that is saying a lot!) I have complete faith in my God and my husband and am excited about the opportunities that this may bring Jeff and our family.  I love you babe!

Ironically enough, Jeff just got in his new MacPro set up in the week prior to his being let go from NorthStar.  We consider this good timing as we would not have spent this money if the timing had been off by just 2 weeks! Now Jeff has all the equipment he needs to produce the best videos he can - let's hit the ground running!

Here are a few photos of his new set up!  The pictures don't do it justice - the walls were painted a steel blue, the far wall has an clear acryllic dry erase board that is just awesome, and Jeff's displays are very impressive! Of course you can't have an office without the two loves: Titans and Gaming!  Jeff really brought his personality into his office and made it very comfortable (good, since he'll be spending 8+ hours a day in it!)

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9 Month Checkup

Today was the day we met Charlotte's new Pediatrician! We had one too many bad experiences with our old office (the staff, not so much the doctor) and after many referrals and such, we decided on Pediatric Associates of Franklin and Dr. Meneely. He was a great doctor, very "grandfatherly" which is nice in a pediatrician. He provided lots of guidance and do's and don'ts for the next few months without my having to ask and then answered the questions I did ask!

Charlotte got a perfect bill of health for her 9 month progress :) She is crawling, babbling, clapping, cruising, sleeping, eating, all the stuff she is supposed to do! She weighs 18 pounds and 2.4 ounces (in the 45th percentile) and is 28 1/2 inches long (in the 75th percentile) - still my long and skinny bug!

9 Months!

Charlotte is 9 months old!  Again I will say, I can't believe we have gotten here so quickly.  The next 3 months will fly by so fast and 1 year will be here before we know it.  I am amazed at how much she has learned the last month and love the baby she has become.  Here are a couple highlights!

• Charlotte loves to clap!  She'll clap for herself, clap for you, clap just for the noise.  Such a sweet little sound of her tiny little palms slapping against each other.  I am working on the high fives :)


• Dadadada is her favorite "word" right now.  She can say mamama and byebyebye, even a little hi-ya but her favorite by far is Dada.  We are working really hard on connecting that noise with her Dad and are starting to sign the word "dad" when she says it too.  She is getting really really good at mimicking.  You can see the concentration on her face and even how she moves her mouth when she is watching and hearing you say something and she works so hard to make the same sound.


• As you can see in our last post, Charlotte loves climbing the stairs now.  She has made it up 8 now (with me behind her!)  I have come to the conclusion that she will climb them regardless, so we need to teach her how to do it safely.  She has not had any accidents and has been very sturdy on her feet.


• It's old news that Charlotte is crawling, but she is super fast now.  She'll get places before I know it and disappear around a corner and just grin when you come get her. She does prefer to stay in the same you that you are in - and if you are on the couch, she is at the ottoman right in front of you just wanting to smile with you.


• We are in big girl car seats now! It definitely changes how we do things when we are getting out and about.  She has to be buckled and unbuckled at every stop instead of just getting in and out with her infant seat.  Since we don't have her infant seat anymore, she has to sit in the carts and highchairs like a big girl which is great for playing and eating finger foods, but not so much for drinking a bottle or when she is sleepy.  It is a change for sure!


• We have our 9 month check up on Wednesday, so we'll have updates on height, weight, and all the doctor stuff then :)

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Stairs!

So Charlotte is now dubbed "super baby"! 5 stairs in under 30 seconds. Yikes! And she would have gone the whole way if I hadn't stopped her. Wow.

Next on my agenda, baby gate research. Anyone have any pros/cons/reviews?

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Halloween Art

In honor of Charlotte's first Halloween we did a little art project! Quick coat of paint on the foot, a couple wiggly eyes, and a little stencil work and we have ourselves a master piece! Well, maybe not a master piece, but it sure is cute :) It's a wonderful way to be able to remember years from now how tiny she used to be.

[caption id="attachment_732" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Scary Ghost!! Oh, nevermind, it\'s just Charlotte\'s foot. "][/caption]

Car Seats have arrived!

I was talking with a friend recently who borrowed my "baby bargins" book to shop for son's new car seats (he is 1 year old next week and just hit the height limit). Just for kicks I measured Charlotte and looked at the restrictions on her infant carrier... she was almost an inch too big! Nooo!!! My baby is getting too big! Here I was thinking we'd do car seats for Christmas or even Birthday, but no 8 1/2 months old and she outgrew her infant seat.

I went into furious research and looked online, in Target, and talked with friends about brands, features, all that Jazz. We finally settled on the Britax brand and found a seat that while semi-expensive, would last her til booster seat age and got rave reviews. We went ahead and splurged for 2 because one, they were on sale at amazon.com, and two, I did not want to have to swap it from car to car or end up forgetting to get it from Jeff when he left for work etc. Can you tell which one is mine and which is Jeff's? (hint: check out this post...)

I do lament the end of the infant carrier - it was so easy to just carry her into places, give her a bottle in a store or restaurant, and let her keep sleeping straight up to her room. Now we will have to get her in and out and use a highchair and stroller or cart where ever we go. I know this is the life you will live for years to come, I just didn't think we'd be at this stage short of 9 months! My skinny string bean of a girl... so big.

Anyway, they arrived today and I can't wait to put them in!   For now, Charlotte and I played with them and tried them on for size!  She enjoyed them - climbing on them, sitting in them, eating them... ah the joys.  (and don't forget the fun boxes they came in either!)

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Charlotte's Fashion

I have realized a few things about Charlotte's wardrobe...

• I am now obsessed with Leggings. Now, this is not just the cotton pants - cause we have tons of those too.  These are the true to the 80s, tight legged, slightly elastic leggings.  Am I weird that I think Charlotte has really cute calves? Because of this, I think the legging look was just made for her! So here we are: lots of colors, lots of patterns.  And I still need a black pair!

[caption id="attachment_703" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Many many leggings...."][/caption]

And we cant forget this pair...

[caption id="attachment_702" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="See the leggings... and the polka dots."][/caption]

• This photo leads us to the next trend in Charlotte's wardrobe: dots and stripes! We are loving stripes and dots.  Shirts, pants, leggings, passy holder, just about anything that has stripes or dots I want for her.  I am not a big fan of little sayings or animals or cutesy characters on clothes (sorry if you are, just personal choice!) so we go with fun patterns instead - I love flowers too :)

Ring Farm Trip

Fall is here!  With Falls arrival it was time for us to get out in the fresh air and enjoy some corn, cotton, and pumpkins!  There is a farm just a few minutes south of here in Columbia called 'Ring Farm' that is run by a family.  They have a 12 acre corn maze that they cut in the shape of a county in TN with cities and points of interest along the way.  This year was Rutherford county - oh the things you can learn about Murfreesboro and Lascassas :)  The had other festivities like cotton picking, a hayride, a 40 foot slide, corn shooter, playground, and more.

Sunday afternoon me, my mom, sister, Charlotte, and our friend Tracy and her son Nathan all loaded up and headed out. We had  a wonderful time on this sunny yet cool and windy day.  The photo ops were plentiful as you can see below - no better opportunity for some fall photos!

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I'm behind... Let's catch up!

I am so behind this week!  So many things have been happening the past week or so, I'll give you the short versions.

First, Charlotte is standing! All on her own!  Her max right now is 10 seconds - pretty good for an 8 month old if I must say it myself :) She is gonna be off and walking so soon I'm sure.  Here is a little video of her first standing moments.

She Stands! (Video isn't working :( Vid and Pics soon to come!)

Triple Threat!

A huge Thank You goes out to the Ver Steeg family who bestowed upon us this wonderful triple stroller a few weeks ago!!  I was so excited to be able to get out on walks with all the kiddos - freedom and sunshine were calling my name!  Then all 3 babies got sick over the span of 3 weeks... then it rained for 2 weeks straight... but the day finally arrived where everyone was well, the weather was beautiful, and all the naps, diaper changes, and feedings lined up perfectly for us to head outside into fall. :)

It was glorious weather with temps in the mid 70's, great sunshine, and a comfortable breeze (yes, I sound like a weather man...)  All the kiddos - and me!- enjoyed it tremendously.

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Fun Weekend!

For those of you that haven't taken a look on my Facebook album, I wanted to share Charlotte's latest photos!  We had so much fun with our little bug this weekend, there were many prime photo taking opportunities! She is such a little cheese for the camera.

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Charlotte Update con't...

Home Made Baby Food Advice

I have had many moms ask me about making their baby’s food, so instead of typing it over and over, I decided to blog about it here!  If you have any further questions or would like more information feel free to email me (jordan.lyons@mac.com)

My initial desire to make Charlotte’s food was strictly a monetary thing.  I was talking to the mom of one of the babies I watch during the day and she said she spends upwards of 100 dollars a month on baby food alone - not including formula!  I was amazed at the cost and was a little worried we hadn’t budgeted enough money to cover it.  So I started researching home made baby food and saw that other than the start up cost, which for me was minimal since I already had the majority of things needed, I could spend less than 20 dollars on produce!  After making it all up, I calculated that it would last me about 2 months!  Sure enough I just hit the 2 month mark and am just about out.  I did learn that this food can stay frozen for 8 weeks so the timing worked out perfectly. After I started doing my research I became aware of all the health benefits that come from making your baby’s food.  There are no preservatives like the jar food, you can choose the quality of the produce you use or if you want to go organic, you make your own combinations, and you know for sure what your baby is eating - no recalls to worry about.  Between the money saved and the health benefits, it is something I am committed to for Charlotte until she moves on to “big people food.”

Charlotte is 8 Months!

Charlotte is 8 Months old... my how time flies.  Yes, I just posted the 7 month update, but I'm gonna post this one on time!  Regardless of how recent the last update was posted, Charlotte has changed so much in just the last days and weeks I have plenty to report.

• She is a mover and a shaker!  Charlotte is full-on crawling now.  Wherever she wants to go, she goes.


• She is using her new crawling muscles to finally sit up straight and on her own! Previously she would sit up in a "tripod" fashion but now she can sit up from standing or laying down perfectly fine.  She does seem to prefer sitting up on her knees instead of her bottom.  This reinforces our belief mentioned below...


• Charlotte wants to walk more than anything - at least that is the belief that Jeff and I hold!  She pulls up anytime she can and tries to "walk" along whatever she is holding onto.  Many times, she let go and head the opposite direction, falling of course, but wanting to walk.  She works on pulling up on things more than she does her newfound crawling skills.  And if you give her the chance, she'll grab ahold of your fingers and take off walking across the room.  She  is awesome.


• We are getting ready to move onto new foods!  Since I am making her food, I make a big batch of foods to freeze that will last us 2 months at a time.  Her first round of food were the basic first tastes and not she is ready for the big time: mixed veggies, peas, peaches, broccoli, apricots, corn, potato, blueberries and zucchini.


• Teething seems to have kicked into high gear! The last few days we have been using up the ibuprofen and orajel as Charlotte has been in some pain :( It makes me so sad - especially since we have nothing to show for it! She has yet to have that first tooth break through.  I hope with all this work maybe they will all come through at once and we'll be done with it.  It has totally disrupted her slept schedule too.  She hurts and can't fall asleep, and now that she can pull up and stand she won't lay down in her crib - meaning she can't just lay down and cry herself to sleep.  Poor kiddo :(


• The teething aside, I still hold to the belief that she is the happiest baby ever.  Other than crying over her teething and her being sick a couple weeks ago, she doesn't really cry.  She is always willing to give you a big ol' grin and curl up in your lap to cuddle.  I am around babies all day - and not naming names, but babies that pinch me to the point of bruising, try to bite me constantly, and scream bloody murder for no apparent reason.  And none of these are from Charlotte.  Hopefully I'm not spoiled and #2 (no, nothing to report thank you very much) will be the same (knock on wood, cross my fingers, whatever works)

With Charlotte changing so fast, we'll see what happens this month![gallery]

We Sleep Like Kings

Jeff and I have been sleeping on our wonderful queen bed for years now.  Jeff bought it back when we were dating (I helped him pick it out of course!) so it is a good 5 plus years old.  The age isn't as bad, but the fact that it has been taken apart, moved, and put back up at least 6 times now had begun to show its wear.  The mattress was starting to permanently have Jeff and Jordan shapes and we were not getting good nights sleep from it.  We looked at moving up to a King but the cost of the bed, mattress set, bedding, etc, was just going to be too much at this time.  We decided to go ahead and look at getting just a basic queen mattress for the time being so we can get a good nights sleep and upgrade later.

As you read in the Labor Day post, we went to Mattress Inn here in Spring Hill and found a great sale they were having and we ended up being able to get a full King set with frame for not a lot more than what we were thinking of spending for just a queen mattress.  We did have to factor in new bed linens but between the savings going to places like overstock.com and Ross and looking at the long term savings of going ahead with it now, the King won!

The bed was delivered last Tuesday and linens came via UPS over the past week.  While we still need a headboard, the bed is wonderful!  We have slept many wonderful nights - and we don't roll over and hit or kick each other either!  Here is to many more comfortable and cozy nights in our big fabulous bed.

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Jeff's Birthday!

This past weekend my dear hubby had his 29th birthday!  We had a 3 day run of birthday activities to make up for the past few years where his birthday money has been used to pay for bills or groceries :(  He has worked so hard lately I was excited to be able to help him relax for his special day.

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So I have realized that Fantasy Football is just about luck. Yes, you choose your team during the draft, and yes, you choose your starting line up but from there? Nothing! It is totally up to your players and their teams. You just have to sit back and hope they score the points they are supposed to.

The last 2 weeks I have been slated to win both games by at least 10 points - great right? Well somehow I have lost each one of them. The first week my team did not score near what they were supposed to in the "predicted" column and the other team blew their predictions out of the water with 2 players that had unexpected games. The second game, while not as bad, the same thing happened. I have realized that there is nothing I can do when this happens. Once the games start I am set with my lineup. No matter what happens, I can't change anything. It's a roll of the dice.

Speaking of dice, I have realized that Fantasy Football is very much like Monopoly for me. Yes, you can buy your properties and choose if and where to build your houses and hotels but in the end it is up to the roll of the dice where you land. Where you land, you pay. period. Once everything is bought up there is nothing you can do but roll and play and see what happens. This is what frustrates me about Monopoly. I cannot play with friend or family as I can get really upset. You work so hard on the front end to just leave it up to chance? No Thanks. Sounds familiar I think...

We'll see how the rest of the season goes... I play my husband next week. (My husband who has beat the pants off every person he has played so far - but by my theory it can't be by any skills of his own....?? )

Explosion!

Well Charlotte just exploded all the sudden!  She is crawling up a storm now!  In the previous post I mentioned that she is crawling some.  She was up on all fours and would crawl a few "steps" then collapse into an army crawl and continue on.  Today, she is crawling across the room like it is no problem at all!  She'll crawl to go get a toy, to come visit me, and even to the ottoman - where she is trying to pull up!

That is the other thing that she has started to do all the sudden.  I came in yesterday and she was up on her knees at her crib railing and now she won't stop!  Today she saw a cup on the ottoman and was doing a really good job pulling up to the ottoman to get it.  Needless to say I have gotten my butt into gear doing some of the baby proofing and tonight we have to lower her mattress before she pushes herself over the top! (she is napping in the pack n play for now - one push with a leg to go from being on her knees to wanting to stand up and I would have my first big "mommy accident"- no thank you!)

My baby is growing up!

Here are a couple photos of her new skills!  I have a little video of her crawling but it wouldn't upload to the blog so take a quick visit to my MobileMe gallery here: Charlotte Crawling!

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The Long Awaited Living Room

Well after 9 months folks it is finally here! We have furniture in our Living Room!  (Funny it took as long to grow Charlotte as it did to get some furniture... sad) We moved into this house in January and moved from about 900 square feet to over 2400, needless to say there were some empty or sparse rooms.  The formal living and dining rooms were the worst - didn't have a thing in them excepting the occasional pack n' play.  We are not formal people so didn't know what we wanted to do with the rooms, plus it costs $$ to furnish a home at at this point a nursery was more important!  I would have been fine leaving it empty - Brady loves running after his toys in there.  However, if you have been to my home you probably experienced a moment or two of awkwardness when you walked in.  That's because these two empty rooms are the rooms that you walk directly into when you come into our home.  Odd isn't it?  I would feel weird walking into someones seemingly empty home (especially if I knew how long they lived there!) Well it was time to get something done - it was driving me crazy, we had some extra cash, and we were having a lot of things happening at our house in the coming weeks (including dad's big 50th!) so we decided to get it done.

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Read "more" of our Craigslist adventure here...

Gulf Shores Vacation

A few weeks ago we took a wonderful vacation to Gulf Shores Alabama.  We were long overdue for a vacation and were excited to take our first one with Charlotte Bug!  The trip planning was actually my mom's doing.  A friend of her's has a boss with a condo that he rents out on a vacation rental website.  Mom jumped on and looked at it and it was 3 bedroom and 3 full bath - perfect for all of us! We worked it out so that Mom and Dad went down August 16th (Sunday) for Mom's birthday and their anniversary and were on their own from then until we (Jeff, me, Charlotte and my sister Hannah) drove down Wednesday. We had a great couple days as a family and then Mom, Dad, and Hannah left Friday and me, Jeff and Charlotte got the condo to ourselves until Sunday. (Our anniversary was Thursday the 20th) Shew! It took a lot of planning out all the details but it worked out perfect - and we got a cheaper rate for staying there so long!

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Find our "more" about our condo and the beach!

Charlotte's Fancy Photos

This post is a little late in being written, but I wanted to get this up on the blog for sure.  A week before Charlotte was 6 months old, our friend Erin Murphy came down to Spring Hill to take Charlotte's photos.  Erin is an amazing photographer! She and Jeff have been friends for years, she even took some of our wedding photos.  We have all wanted her to take photos of Charlotte once she was a little more interactive and could sit up and such. We decided that at 6 months she would do great and it would be a good milestone to get her "real" pictures taken.

Jeff and I found the most adorable ballerina dress at Pottery Barn Kids on a mega sale (and it was still 30 bucks if you can imagine).  It was the perfect dress to have her all dolled up and photographed in.  Charlotte was a total cheese with Erin - all smiles and giggles.  I thought she would tire out quick being moved and dressed and such but she held in there and was just a ham.  She loved the camera and the flash and most of all Erin.  We took the photos at home, mostly in her our room or her crib, so she was very comfortable with her surroundings.

I hope you enjoyed the photos!  See more on my Facebook or  MobileMe site gallery.me.com/jordan.lyons

If you would like to see more of Erin's work visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emurphy/

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Charlotte at 7 Months

Time for a Charlotte update!  She is 7 months now (7 1/2 really by the time I am posting this... ) and I can't believe how much of just a little person she is!  She has this amazing personality that she shows off to anyone that will smile at her, it's amazing how many hearts she has captured in the aisles of Target and Kroger alone! Everyone asks if she is a good baby or comments on how happy she is - I couldn't dream up a better baby myself!  She rarely cries and if she is crying you know something is up and it is usually short lived.  Even when she is hungry or dirty or tired she'll let you know by talking to you or just letting out a little whine but does not burst out in screams until you put that first bite in her mouth.  If she sees that you are fixing her food or she is in her highchair she is pretty content just to hang out until it is ready.  I mean really, what more could you ask for!

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Click on "more" to read about all the fun things Charlotte can do now!

Labor Day

Sunday! This post continues from the previous post in Owensboro... Mom, Charlotte and I left Owensboro and headed to Bowling Green after lunch on Sunday.  Mom left Charlotte and I there and she kept driving south while at the same time, Jeff drove up from Spring Hill to meet us there.  We met up at his parents new house in Bowling Green! Jeff and his family are pretty much from Bowling Green but a couple years ago his parents decided to move down to Gallatin TN to be "empty nesters."  They were not as happy with their new "downsized" home or its location and really missed Bowling Green.  All that to say, they decided a few months back to go ahead and move back.  They found a wonderful home that is perfect for them and perfect for all the family!  All their kids are married now and grandkids are starting to pop up so more space is a must!  Jeff is of course the resident tech go-to-guy so he was called upon to set up their entertainment system so that was his main job Sunday.  All this back story to say, Jeff and I were at their house Sunday to spend the night and spend some of Labor Day with them.

Charlotte had been much better during the morning and early afternoon on Sunday but by later afternoon she was getting a little fussier and snuffy so we laid her down and she fell asleep early - about 6:45!  The grown ups had a wonderful home cooked pot roast for dinner and then Jeff and I had a date night!  We took advantage of Charlotte's sleeping and having someone there to watch her and took off into the big city of Bowling Green!  We drove around for a good hour partly looking for something to do and partly seeing what has changed since we had lived there and of course reminiscing our youth years!

Owensboro Visit

The Lyons and Shoopman Families were totally wiped out from our busy weeks and dad's birthday party on Friday night, but Saturday morning came early and Mom, Charlotte and I packed up and headed up I-65 for Kentucky.

Owensboro was our first big stop and we got to take Charlotte to her first Dove Hunt on the Rudy Farm... oh yea baby. She loved being outside in the breeze and being loved on by her great aunts, uncles, and cousins.  She surprised me and was not at all bothered by the shot guns going off in the field around us (we were safely tucked inside the "shop" but I still had to work on calming my "momma nerves" with guns being around my baby!)  I was upset by seeing the poor little birdies shot out of the sky... even more so when I was shown their decapitated heads... needless to say we did not stick around for the grilling time. *shudders*  I love my family and love that they love what they do, but I am for sure a city girl and that is reinforced in me at times like this!

Anytime we are in Owensboro we stay with my Nana.  She is technically my mom's step-mother but as she became a Rudy when mom was just 11 they are very close and the only Nana Rudy I know.  Nana is approaching 85 and is in wonderful physical health but is showing signs of her age when it comes to her mental state.  Her short term memory is at times very very short, but regardless she loves seeing little Charlotte bug and gets excited for her visits. It was wonderful seeing them play together on the floor.   If you see the photo below they are playing on the floor together on the quilt that Nana embroidered for me when I was born.  It meant a lot to all 4 generations of women in that house to have them share moments together on that blanket.  Nana read Charlotte's book to her, Charlotte talked back and just smiled at her Nana - even showed her how she is just about ready to take off crawling.  It was precious time spent together.

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Here is "more" about the wedding

Dad's 50th!

Well we did it! We pulled off the surprise party for my dad's 50th birthday! After deciding months ago that we (mom and I) wanted to do something for dad's big 5-0, we procrastinated enough that it came down to just a couple weeks to get out the invites, buy the decorations, plan the food, and pull together the all important embarrassing photos! It was a very busy couple weeks for us, but totally worth it. We decided to have it at my house on the day after his actual birthday and invite everyone from the bridge (at least everyone we had emails addresses for!) as well as some "old friends" and family. All in all we filled the house with about 40 people for cake and ice cream and lots of laughs.

Dad showed up about 20 minutes after everyone else and had no clue what hit him! We did put a sign and balloons and such up outside so he had a minute to get used to the idea before he walked in the door and was bombarded with people. We could see him walking up the driveway (I think he would have run away if it wasn't for mom) and he was already red in the face and rubbing his hands down his face in either awe or embarrassment one!  Once he finally made it in the door we greeted him with "surprise" and noise makers and lots of hugs. He made his rounds of hellos and thank yous, blew out the candles on his yummy cake, and opened his very inventive gifts and cards.  Thanks to everyone that brought all the singing cards, "old man" gifts, and rolls of pennies :)

As much as my dad said he did not want a party and will kill my mother and I, I think he enjoyed seeing all his friends and family and appreciated the love and care that came with the party. Enjoy some photos of dad though the last 5 decades and of his party. (Some were too big to upload here, check out facebook for more!)

Here's to the next 50!

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Fantasy Football!

So I have fallen into the world of Fantasy Football this year. I have thought about joining a league for a couple seasons now but never really understood it enough or had a group I wanted to play with. Our small group decided to start a league for our church so its my time to start too! Not saying I understand it all by any means, and yes it is a little strange that I am the only female playing... but I'm looking forward to it!

Our draft was Wednesday night and it was an interesting experience! It was an online draft but most of us got together with all our computers and logged on together so that while we were active online we could joke and talk together. Jeff is playing too of course so it was very good having him with me to help pick my team. I read up on some strategies and the ins and outs of the fantasy world earlier that day so it helped me understand more but also made me more nervous because it can get very in depth and over my head! In the end it was pretty easy because the players were listed in order that yahoo considered them to be ranked most to least desirable. I used some of the other sites I had found to make sure that I was picking the best team for this season. I'm looking forward to getting my first week underway!

Here is the roster for "Sugar and Spice" - take a look at let me know what you think!!

And We're Back!

We are back up and running! I'm excited to be able to start blogging again. One of the fun new things in the Lyons' house is the new 13" MacBook Pro - among other things this will help with my being able to blog more consistently.
My desire in all of this was to be able to keep up with Charlotte's growth and development - that means I need to post more than once a month! She is changing so much now that she is 7 months old, it's only going to go faster from here.
I'll work on short but sweet posts to cover the last couple months of key events and of course put up a few photos too! Keep us on your radar!

Long Time No Post

To anyone out there that actually reads my blog...

I know it has been 2 months since I have posted anything - sorry!  If you found your way here from the "new" design, you'll see that my blog has been hijacked my hubby ;)  I want to blog still, (pending time, computer availability, and interesting topics) especially since Charlotte will be 6 months old tomorrow and will start doing all kinds of fun things like new food, crawling, sitting up, and who knows what else over the coming months!  I need to figure out the best way to do this and the best way to make the blog easy to find so it isnt lost in the production end of the website.  Once I get back up and running you'll know.  Thanks for hanging in.  For now, a couple Charlotte photos from the past couple months to keep you oooing and awwing![gallery columns="4"]

Charlotte is 4 Months Old!

Charlotte turned 4 months old on Saturday!  I cannot believe how much she has changed and grown in just a few short months.  We had her checkup on friday she is now 13 pounds 10 ounces and 24 3/4 inches long.  She grew 3 inches in the past 2 months!  I think she is gonna be a tall little one.  They say that if you double their height at 2 years old that is how tall they will be when they grow up - I'll have to try and remember to do that in a couple years! She got her monthly shots, but she was a trooper and only cried for a minute or two.  Overall the peds appointment was all good news! She is developing wonderfully and the doctor is really thrilled at how much she has caught up to other babies her age even though she was 3 weeks early.  She started in the 5th percentile when she was born for her height and weight and now she is in the 53% for weight and 70% for height!

Jeff's Video Shoot

I know I know, I have been totally lax at writing in our blog. I promised myself that I would keep up with it even after she was born... Not so much! I may be getting a MacBook of my own soon, and if that happens I think I'll be a better blogger. If I do get a new computer I will be because of my dear husband and all the hard work he is doing today...

Jeff got a call from his old roommate who works at Lifeway about 2 weeks ago. They had a few videos that needed to be done for an authors book release. The catch was that they needed them by the end of the month! Jeff worked hard to pull together quotes and a location and equiptment and a crew. Today was going to be just about the only day to shoot... And it totally stormed this morning. We pulled everything together and made a stop at BP to get some ice and breakfast and the rain and wind just kept coming. We stood inside BP for about 15 minutes looking at the radar and trying to decide what to do.

Such a big girl!

Charlotte is getting so big! It is amazing how much a baby can change in just 11 weeks.  She looks so different - her face is filling out, her eyes are getting lighter, her fingers are so long!  She is now smiling, such a big toothless smile :) She is noticing so much more: the fan, lights, faces - and noticing her fist with her mouth too!  she hasn't quite gotten the thumb in there, but she loves the side of her fist! Charlotte is much stronger now too now - she is holding her head up completely and has great tummy time.  She is spending a few minutes a day in her Bumbo which hopefully will help her build her tummy and back muscles and she'll be sitting up in no time.  I love playing airplane with her too :) 

The best sounds I hear right now are the cooing!! She just talks and talks to us, I wish I knew what she was saying.  I'll mimic her sounds and we'll go back and forth just chatting together. The funniest sounds come out right after she sneezes, she does this little throaty ooo sound, so funny. With her cooing and smiling so big I keep thinking that anytime now she is going to start laughing at me, its just right there at the tip of her tongue I know it!  I cannot WAIT for that first giggle! 

Another big achievement... she slept from 9pm to 4am!  Jeff and I woke up at 4 to her cries both wondering if the other had gotten up and fed her earlier - but nope!  Big girl slept for 7 hours between feedings. Here is to hoping we'll have many many more nights like this! 

I think that is all the updates I have for now.  I have posted new photos on my mobile me and facebook pages, so visit gallery.me.com/jordan.lyons to take a peek at this sweet little girl. 

The many faces of Charlotte Bug..

 

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Bridge Women's Overnight

Last weekend I was able to go on the Bridge Women's Overnight trip at Cindy Kinnards cabin up near Lebanon. We had a great group of women: Cindy, Audrey Goodwin, Emily Powis, Marianne Shoopman, Susan Howerton, me and the Charlotte bug.  The cabin is located on 150 acres of beautiful countryside with a winding creek, small pond, and quaint little cabin.  We fit perfectly in the cabin and had a great pot luck dinner with a toasty fire in the background.  After dinner we played a rousing game of Catch Phrase - we had a blast!  It was so cozy hanging around the cabin in our PJs and just talking. All the sudden it was after midnight so we all decided to turn in for the night.  

Saturday we slept in and woke to a breakfast of french toast, egg casserole, bacon and more.  We took a wonderful hike around the property - it was a little chilly but the sun warmed us up nicely.  We relaxed after the hike and then had a great devotional that Cindy had prepared.  After lunch we all packed up and headed up.  We had a great weekend and I got to know this group of great women even better!  I feel so blessed to have a church family that can have fun together :) Enjoy a few photos here and on my website gallery.me.com/jordan.lyons  you can download or upload photos there too!

 

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Busy Weekend and it's only Saturday night!

*I just found this post in the drafts folder that never got posted! oops! It was meant to be posted March 8th... little late...*

Yesterday started with MY 6 week check up at my OB.  I am excited to say that I have gotten a clean bill of health :)  I am so excited - I get to do my 2 favorite things now: long baths and the hot tub!  But seriously, I am healing right along schedule and just have a bit of pain when my stomach muscles really contract - like sneezing or coughing.  I have to say that the C-section was not nearly as bad as all the stories you hear, so if you are reading this and may have to have one yourself don't worry!  I think there are pros and cons, ups and downs for either type of birth and they each come with their own types of pain and healing and experiences.  It was great taking Charlotte to the office and have every one ooo and ahhh over her - of course they all said she was the most beautiful baby ever and all I can do is agree of course!

2 months old!!

Charlotte Anne Lyons is 2 months old today! I can't believe we are already to this point, it seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home. It has been an amazing two months and she has grown and changed so much already. Part of me wants her to stay tiny and part of me is ready to see her move and talk and giggle and grow.

One big milestone: she is out of preemie clothes! She is now fully in her 0-3 months clothes. While we are more than grateful for having the preemie clothes passed to us from Seanna, I am having fun dressing her in the clothes we bought for her and all the beautiful presents we were given. We have so many cute dresses and summer clothes and even a bathing suit for her to wear in the nest few months, I can't wait to see my cute bug :)

Onto the big event...

The House of Lyons Plague

This past week a plague fell upon our house!  Sunday evening Jeff and I were both feeling a little tickle in the throats... a tell tell sign of what was to come.  Monday we woke up to full blown icky-ness.  Jeff had to call in to work with a really sore throat, upset stomach, and some congestion. I had full head congestion and a little sore throat as well.  We laid around the house watching some tv and getting some naps in.  All in all, it was not too bad of a day - thank goodness Charlotte had a good day!

Owensboro Trip

Its a week late, but I wanted to share Charlottes first visit to her Rudy family in Owensboro. My mom's family all still lives in Owensboro KY and we try to make it up there as much as we can. Charlotte took her first trip up there at 7 weeks old. It was just us girls going up there (it was a thursday and friday so our men were working) and Charlotte did wonderful on the 3 hour trip - she slept the whole time! She woke up in the middle of the trip for enough time to eat and then was back down til we got to Nanas house.

It was wonderful seeing Nana. She has so many grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, but it was her first coming from mom's daughters and of course my first. My grandmother is 80+ and is suffering from dementia so she while she remembers everyone fine (unlike Alzheimers) she has trouble remember recent events, conversations, or to dos. She knew exactly who Charlotte was and was so excited to be able to hold this little angel. Nana held her as much as possible, fed her, burped her, and cuddled her while she slept. It was very special to both Mom and I that Charlotte was able to spend some time with her Nana. We know that Nana probably won't be here in years to come, and Charlotte probably won't be able to remember her time shared with Nana, but we will have those memories and photos to pass on to her about her great-grandmother.

Visit to Nana and Poppas

We are riding home with my mom and dad after a great visit with my nana and poppa - charlottes great grandparents. We picked up applebees for lunch and then of course had some charlotte-holding time!
It is so sweet seeing my grandparents holding and loving our sweet girl. Their other great grand baby lives in Atlanta and is now 4 with a brother or sister on the way. I know it is hard for them to not be able to visit as much as they'd like and so they are really enjoying having charlotte so close.
I think my grandfather tears up at least a few times every visit seeing how tiny and precious she is. You can see how filles with love they are for her. We know she is a blessing in our lives and it makes my heart full to see how much she blesses their lives too. I thank God everyday for letting us watch over this little one.
Now the rest of my day will be spent figuring out the many many doctor and hospital bills responsible for getting her here! Don't get me wrong - any amount of money and any headache is totally worth her being here - it is just amazing how complicated it all can be.

1 Month and Counting!

Charlotte is a month old! I cannot believe it! This tiny little baby is growing up so fast. We had her 1 month checkup and she is weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. Again, I cannot believe it - 2 pounds in a month. We could see her little cheeks filling out and her fingers getting longer, but I had no clue she had grown that much. The doctor was thrilled with her progress and even says she is holding her head up and starting push up and try to roll over early. What a special girl! She is getting so much more alert and has great awake times - I love having this time with her. Her blue eyes just melt me!

Over the past month Jeff and I have been able to take some time to get away on our own - it is hard being away from her, but I think it is great for us to have at least a bit of time just us. She has been "baby-sat" by my mom, Jeff's parents, my grandparents, and Jeff's brother and sister-in-law. We took this time to get coffee, see a movie, buy a car, and get some work done. We feel very comfortable getting out with her and so she has been to church, small group, target, out to dinner, Apple, NorthStar, and various friends and familes houses. It already feels normal having her with us and so far, she is pretty easy to tote around!

Well that is the update for now! I keep meaning to update our blog, but of course I am a bit busy lately ;) The most daunting thing was getting caught up on everything, so now that I am caught up, I should be much better about being able to sit down and write a quick post about what Charlotte did that day. Keep an eye out on facebook and gallery.houseoflyons.net to see new photos of our Charlotte Bug!

Goodbye Jeep...

For those of you that know Jeff, know him also by his Jeep.  His yellow Jeep was always a dream of his and he was able to fulfill this dream soon after we were married.  We have 3 years of memories - trips, off roading, and summer nights with the top down driving along the country side. 

As wonderful as the Jeep has been, we knew its time was coming to a close.  Jeff's commute is 45 minutes and a soft top Jeep on the interstate makes it feel even longer.  The cold and the hot, the noise, and of course, the gas! As wonderful as the jeep is for fun, it is not as wonderful for a daily commute.  Now you add in Charlotte and you realize that this is no longer the vehicle for us. :(

So new car time!!  Jeff has had his eye on the Dodge Magnum for years - I cannot tell you how many of these cars we have test drove!  It is the perfect combination of family car and vroom-vroom.   Jeff found a 2008 White Magnum at Beaman Dodge in Murfreesboro, so off we go.  Mom watched Charlotte - her first babysitter!  It was strange being away from her, but it was good getting away from a couple hours. 

I have to admit, I shed a few tears for the ol' Jeep.  It has been so special to us and it was always a dream for him to have, it was tough to see it go.  But in with the new!  It was wonderful driving off in our new car!  It was so comfortable and has soooo much room.  I am able to sit in the back with Charlotte if I need to but we still have perfect foot room up front too.  It may seem like a little thing, but it is great for me!  And Jeff's favorite part.... an Aux input!  He is able to plug his iPhone in right into the stereo system and play away.  I love the peace and quiet of the car too - he can actually call me on the phone on the way home from work and have a conversation.  Beautiful!

 

 

Our First Days as a New Family

Charlotte is here! What an amazing feeling it was to be able to announce her arrival to the world. She was born on Friday and we were in the hospital until Monday. We had wonderful visits from family and friends and our church. Everyone loved how tiny and perfect she was!

It was a very surreal time being in the hospital. I felt like she was mine and was so proud to show her off, but at the same time, I was not able to be me. I was bound to my bed until late Saturday night and even then it was slow going! I wouldn't say I was in pain, I had too much pain medication to be able to make that claim! It was just uncomfortable and I was not able to stand up straight or even shift myself in bed without a ton of effort. We were also moved from our large wonderful room to a tiny impersonal room at 11pm on Saturday night - and then moved again! So by Sunday we were getting a little stir crazy and ready to get out of there!

Charlotte did wonderful her first few days. She was so tiny that the clothes and diapers they had from the nursery were way to big and she was just falling out of them. Even though she was so small she was in perfect help and didn't need any additional help breathing or keeping her temperature up. The only issue we had was that she was so small she didn't have the strength to nurser properly. By Monday she had lost weight down to 4 lbs 14 oz, so we had to suppliment with formula. This was not something we had wanted to do, but of course we would do anything she needed.

We headed home on Monday about noon. It was so exciting to be able to take her home! It was so funny seeing this tiny little baby in this huge car seat! And not only was her car seat too big, so were her clothes that we had brought. Poor kid! But she is still the most beautiful baby in the world of course! Overall, our experience was a wonderful one. We had our ups and downs with the hospital and staff, but in the end we have a healthy baby girl and nothing else matters. Now we were home on our own and the adventure begins!

Charlotte's Birth Story

As you can see from Jeff's beautiful video posted below, Charlotte's birth was an amazing experience for us all. Here is her birth story in words!

The last time I posted was on Thursday January 22nd while we were sitting in the hospital waiting room to be admitted. Once we were in and situated Thursday night, they started my Cervidil. This medication helped prepare my cervix for labor and would work over night while I tried to get a good nights sleep. We were up the next morning at about 5:30 to get the latest set of vitals done before starting the pitocin.

7:13 am the pitocin was started and we were officially in labor! At this point I began to feel some minor contractions that slowly but surely kept increasing due to the pitocin. At 8:02 we had already gotten to 3 cm! We were moving along so well, that Dr. Rupe went ahead and broke my water to move labor along even quicker. 11:28 brought us to 4 cm and the pain had increased to a point where we decided to go ahead and place the epidural. This was not nearly as painful as I had imagined. It was uncomfortable and there were moments that had some sharp pain that ran into my lower back and legs, but overall it was an okay experience. Once the epidural was in I started getting numb from my belly down. I describe it best as the feeling you get when your legs fall asleep and start waking up again. Just that uncomfortable tingling that hurts when you move or it gets touched. It took about an hour to get fully numbed and comfortable and I was able to take that time to rest.

This brings us to 6 cm! We crossed over the halfway point and were thrilled. This happened at 1:12 and then 2 hours later we had only moved 1 cm more... by 5 that evening we were still at 7. About 6 Dr. Rupe came in and explained that our progress had halted for some unknown reason. Me and the baby were doing fine and could continue in labor if we chose, however, Dr Rupe told us that we were at a less than 10 percent chance that we would be able to deliver naturally. It was up to us if we wanted to give it another hour of labor, but we decided that the chances were too slim and we were ready to meet our daughter!

At 6:32 they were prepping me for a C-section! It was a non-emergency c-section but it was amazing how quickly they moved! I was in the OR in under 15 minutes and had gotten further doses of the epidural to completely numb me so I wouldn't feel anything except a bit of pressure. It was a little strange to have to just lay there, not being able to move with even my arms strapped down to the table. Dr. Rupe was great and came over and helped me focus and just helped me stay calm. Then the blue sheet went up and they brought Jeff in and away we go! Jeff did an amazing job to help me stay calm. We talked about Lost - even Dr. Rupe joined in! I could feel some pressure mostly up at my lungs and under my ribs, but I felt nothing else. The next thing we know it was 7:03 and Dr. Rupe told Jeff to stand up and take a peek at his daughter being born!!

I cannot describe what an amazing sound it was to hear her cry for the first time. Such a sweet cry! I was able to get a peek of her across the room being cleaned up by the nurses and I sent Jeff over to get pictures of his daughter. I missed the chance of seeing her and holding her immediately like you would with a normal delivery but I was thrilled that Jeff was able to stay with her and follow her to the nursery to get cleaned and checked. I of course had to stay behind and get put back together. Jeff was able to really bond with her for the first hour after her birth and be present for her being weighed and measured. He got priceless photos and video. We found out that the reason I had stopped dialating and she had not moved down any longer - the umbilical cord was wrapped around her left ankle 3 times! We have a little bungee jumper on our hands. After hearing this news we knew we made the right decision on going forward with the c-section when we did, there was no way she was coming out the old fashioned way! And, it makes for a fun birth story to remember for years to come.

It was an hour later once we were together as a family. I finally got to hold this little wonder! They brought her in from the nursery as soon as I had gotten back in our room and we got our first taste of life as a family of three. After we had a few minutes to ourselves and then we brought our family in and introduced our daughter:

Charlotte Anne Lyons

5 lbs. 9 0z, 19 inches long, born January 23, 2009 at 7:03 pm.

Charlotte Lyons: A Baby Story

Here is the baby video!


Charlotte Anne Lyons: A Baby Story from Jeff Lyons on Vimeo.

Twitter Updates for 2009-01-28

• Apple was kind enough to allow me to re-download everything I've ever purchased from iTunes since the HD crash. This is gonna take a while. #


• At our first pediatric office visit. #


• I think my sleep total tonight is 2 hours so far. I'm a little sleepy, but I've been productive at least. #

Twitter Updates for 2009-01-27

• If you'd like to enjoy pictures from the birth of our daughter, check the link! http://tinyurl.com/dfchm9 #


• Importing and uploading photos of Charlotte and the birth. I'll post a link when I'm done. #


• Preparing to take Mom and baby Charlotte home. #

Twitter Updates for 2009-01-26

• I'm tired, but it's ok because I'm surrounded by beautiful women. ;) #


• Hanging out with the new mom, baby and a whole train of visitors! #

Twitter Updates for 2009-01-25

• Enjoying the visits of friends and family. #


• Charlotte is still doing great. She's seen her pediatrcian today and checked out great. I've even gotten to change her diaper a few times! #


• We had a great night last night. Baby and momma are doing very well. #

Twitter Updates for 2009-01-24

• Thanks everyone for the messages. It's been a long glorious day, but we're turning in for the night. #


• Check that, Charlotte Anne Lyons. #


• Ladies and gentlemen please welcome my daughter, Ms. Charlotte Ann Lyons. #


• She's here! 5 lbs 9oz. Perfectly healthy! #


• We're headed in for a non emergency c-section. The baby is perfectly fine, just not coming down. I'll update once we're done. #


• Things are moving slowly, but moving. #


• Everything is moving along. Jordan feels good, just waiting for things to progress. #


• 6 cm. Everything is moving along nicely. #


• Jordan is at 4cm and has her epidurel in. Little bit of a calm for her to rest. #


• 3 cm. Water broken. #


• Baby induction has started. We are now officially in labor. #


• Alright. Up and moving around. About 45 min till the actual induction starts. #

Photos

Here are a few photos I took with my phone, more to come as soon as we can! It's her first diaper change by Dad! He did perfect :) You can also take a peek at all her silky blonde hair, bow and all.

Twitter Updates for 2009-01-23

• Hunkering down for the night. #


• Alright, wired up and ready to wait. Gotta pass a couple of tests before Jordan can eat. :( #


• Still getting settled. #


• In our room. Waiting for things to get hooked up. #


• Got my copy of Left4Dead in the mail today. Or course, I don't have any time to play it now. Such is life. #


• At the hospital, waiting for our room. #


• Resting before we head out. #


• I'm nervous. I'm ready to get to the hospital and get settled. #


• Wrapping up my various loose ends at work before I head out at noon and join Jordan in prepping to go to the hospital. #

Charlotte Anne Lyons

Just a quick update... Charlotte Anne Lyons is here! She was born at 7:04 pm via c-section at Williamson Medical. She weighs 5lbs 9oz and is 19 inches long!!

Hospital time!

With the blog down the last couple days I haven't been able to update with the latest baby news, so time to catch you all up!

Tuesday we had a little unexpected visit to the doctor. I have to do "kick counts" a couple times a day to make sure she is moving ok. Tuesday morning I did not get them in in the set time so they had me come in for fetal monitoring. Everything ended up being perfectly fine, she just wasn't ready to wake up yet I guess! Since I was already there we were able to do part of the appointment that I was scheduled for on Wednesday. Based on everything she had seen Tuesday we were thinking that I could go until week 38 or 39! We were going to wait to get my blood work back an have my unlrrasound to get a better idea of where we were at.

Wednesday! I had my ultrasound, she weighed in at approx. 5 lbs 14 oz. In meeting with Dr. Rupe she didn't like the little growth that she had over the past 3 weeks. This coupled with my blood work results let us know that my body is not getting enough nutrients to the placenta, therefore limiting her growth. Dr. Rupe's decision? Let's deliver!

So here we are in the hospital waiting on a room. Apparently OB has been very busy today! Today I will be given medication and be here in the hospital getting rested. The doctor will come in tomorrow morning and start the pitosin to get contractions going! If all goes as planned we will have our little one Friday January 23rd. Pray pray pray she isn't stubborn and we go through til Saturday - yikes. So here we are... Waiting. I think this will be happening a lot this weekend! You can see how much fun we are having below - thank goodness for iPhones!

That is all for now, check in for baby updates :)

Oops!

It appears that when I updated the blog design a few days ago I also broke it. Doh!

I've repaired the blog and its back and running. You may see some odd things here and there, so I apologize for that.

Thanks for reading. :)

Blog Design Update

Updated the blog design, as you can see. Yay for productive lunch hours. ;)

Thats all I have. Now back to your regularly scheduled baby makin' updates.

35 week OB appt

I just got home from my 35 week doctors appointment! I had an ultrasound today so mom went with me to take a peek at the little one. Again, can't scan the ultrasound photos, sorry. With her being so big now the pictures are not as defined so it's a little tough to pick her out of the photos anyway. Most of the time today was spent looking at blood flow to and from her heart, umbilical cord, placenta, and uterus. I never knew this was all checked so specifically! Next week will focus on her growth, but for now all looks good!

After the ultrasound I met with the doctor to get my report. Blood pressure was a little high but ok, urine test will come back today or tomorrow to check protein levels for pre-eclampsia. (update: came back today- it is still elevated, but remains steady and below the mark for pre-eclampsia) She also checked and I am not dialated at all but she has dropped and is in the "birthing" position with her head down and butt to my ribs! Ouch!

Dr. Rupe was glad that we have hit the 35 week mark and is comfortable now with delivering whenever she needs to. We talked about what we are looking at for deliver date and while these things are never for certain, it will be by 38 weeks for sure. Crazy huh!? So in less than 3 weeks our daughter will be here with us. That is pretty nice to know. Of course it could always be sooner and could change whenever, but that at least gives us an end point. I am growing more and more uncomfortable everyday so that is good news for me. With her nursery done and the house coming along nicely I can be ready for her anytime now! Thanks for all of your help and encouragement!!

Her nursery!

The nursery is done!!! We are officially ready for her to be here whenever she (or Dr. Rupe) decide! Jeff and I switched nursery d

Bridge Baby Shower!

Today was a very special day - we hit 35 weeks, I had my baby shower for our church, The Bridge, and the Titans Playoff game!

34 Week OB update

I had my weekly OB appointment today for the 34 week mark.

Moving Extravaganza

I am writing this post from our new house (with our super fast internet I might add!)