Birthday Girl!

We can't believe it, but it's true! Sarah Grace is 4! This time 4 years ago I was in a hospital room eating Zaxby's with a room full of guests coming to see the new addition! What a great 4 years it has been, she's such a blessing! It's been a busy week of birthday festivities! :) It all started on Wednesday with a trip to the GA Aquarium where she got to get her own "license" (AKA season pass). We had a great time! We went with Krista and Payton and the girls (and their mommies) had a ball looking at all the fish! What a COOL place. Sarah Grace's favorite was the whale shark gallery, and her least favorite were the jellyfish. She screamed like she was being attacked when I strolled her up to the window!

On Wednesday night we made cupcakes for her school party on Thursday. I iced them and she sprinkled them. Each cupcake was for a specific person that liked a specific amount or color of sprinkles. :) She wanted a Barbie party, so we bought Barbie Princess plates and napkins and she chose lemon cupcakes with white icing and star sprinkles. When Adam and I showed up to school the next day for her party all the kids screamed when they saw us because they were so excited to have "birthday cake". The lemon cupcakes were a hit! They all devoured them and then attacked each other with the blow horns we gave them.

Then came the big day! Saturday January 13th... We had our family and friends over for her Ariel party. I think 80% of all her gifts were Little Mermaid! She was thrilled. It was a such a great day for a party, it was so warm. The kids were able to play outside & we were able to use the screened porch for lunch! After lunch she opened presents and was genuinely grateful for all of them. It was a feeding frenzy of little people all trying to "help" her open gifts. She wanted to open and play with everything right then! When it came time for cake she blew out all her candles... and then it was back outside for more playtime. Thanks to everyone that came, it was a great day!

Crazy Few Weeks!

It's been a great, busy, tiring, fun, emotional, & sickly 3 weeks! Charlotte was born on the 12th. We had a family birthday at our house on the 14th. Adam and Sarah Grace got a horrible stomach bug on the 16th (that lasted 5 days). Next was Christmas and Adam's family came to visit for a week. Then Charlotte got a cold and we took her to the ER and were sent home...on New Year's, Charlotte got worse and we ended up at Egleston for 2 nights.

Hard to believe but it's all true. The first week home from the hospital my parents stayed with us. It was great, we got caught up on our sleep and were well fed. Then the next week Adam and Sarah Grace came down with a stomach virus. I took Charlotte and stayed with my parents for a few nights until they were better. They were both better by the Saturday before Christmas and we were able to enjoy our holidays.

Adam's parents came on Christmas night and we had a good week together. The Thursday before they left Charlotte started throwing up and started to get a head cold. By Friday night, she had a cough too. On Saturday, I called the Dr and they said take her to the ER to be checked out...so we did. After a 3 hour wait at the ER they told us it was a cold and to take her home and "wait it out." On Sunday she was the same and Monday, New Year's Day, she was worse. Krista checked her out and said I needed to take her to our Dr the next day. So I called the next morning and got 2:00 appt. I took her expecting the same news as before and ended up with a quite a different diagnosis.

The Dr gave her a breathing treatment in the office, sent us to the hospital for chest x-rays, back to the office for another visit and then straight to Egleston to be admitted with Hypoxia (not enough in oxygen), RSV and Bronchiolitis. We spent the next 2 nights there. She had her lungs suctioned once and was placed on oxygen. She had 4 Dr's and 3 respiratory therapists... it was crazy few days!

She's so much better now. I took her back to the Dr on Friday and she had gained some weight back, her lungs were clear and her O2 levels were good. But she did find that she has an ear infection. So now we're treating that. Maybe by Easter we'll all be healthy! ;0)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We hope you and your family had a good holiday. Sarah Grace and Charlotte had a great Christmas...Santa was good to both. Our festivities started on the night of the 23rd. We met my family for dinner, Charlotte's first outing, and she slept through the whole thing. The next day, Christmas Eve, we went to my grandparents for lunch and gifts. And on Christmas day we spent the morning at home opening gifts, and having breakfast with my parents and grandparents. That afternoon we had lunch at my Aunt's house. And once again Charlotte slept through the whole thing.

It was an Airel and Barbie Christmas for Sarah Grace. She got a scooter, piano, dancing mat, Cabbage Patch doll, cooking set and lots of girlie accessories. Santa came to see Charlotte too. She got diapers, formula, stroller toys, a book, and an outfit.

On Christmas night Adam's parents flew in to spend the week and meet Charlotte. We opened gifts and showed off our little gift. We had a great week, we ate out, saw a couple of movies, caught up on some sleep & visited with family. A good end to 2006. On New Year's Eve we hung out at home. Jonathan and Payton came over and Mom and Dad bought us all dinner. New Year's Day we spent the day at Mom and Dad's watching football. Can't wait to see what 2007 brings!

Christmas Came Early!!!

Well, as you all know by now I got my wish! Charlotte Rose Self was born on December 12th at 12:36 AM, exactly 2 weeks EARLY!!! What an answer to prayer!!! Thanks to all of you for the calls, emails, notes and PRAYERS. He heard!

I went into labor on Monday night the 11th at about 6:00 PM. I had felt unusually good that day and had been able to clean, do laundry, address Christmas cards and make dinner. While I was getting dinner ready I started feeling a different kind of pain, labor pains. I knew what it was, but didn't want to get my hopes up. I had some false labor the Friday before and it went away. Anyway, by 6:30 the contractions were 4 minutes apart, so I called my Dr about 7:00. He called back and said come to the hospital to get checked out.

Mom and Dad came over to watch SG for us and we left the house about 8. We got to the hospital and got checked in around 9 and by 9:30 I was already 3 cm and 70%. They admitted us and Mom and Dad came up with SG. My labor went really fast this time, and was a lot more intense than it was with Sarah Grace. By 10:45 I was 7 cm and 90% (about the time I got my epidural) and by 12:00 was getting ready to push! I only had to push for about 10-15 minutes total...about 5 times and she was here! She was born at 12:36 (4 hrs after we got to the hospital) and was 7 lbs 1 oz and 19.5 inches long and had a head FULL of dark brown hair (quite a surprise). She was 3 days earlier, 1 lb bigger and .5 inches longer than Sarah Grace.

The Dr. laid her on my chest after delivery and she instantly put her hand in her mouth and fell sound asleep, which pretty much set the tone for the rest of the stay in the hospital and the first few weeks at home. She's so good. She eats great, sleeps good, and is so tolerant. Even when she's "mad" it's just more of a grunt or irritated squeak.

We can't wait for you all to meet her!