Happy Thanksgiving!!

Where do I start? We have SO much to be thankful for this year, it makes me a little teary eyed to think about it. I have found that when I start my prayers at night, they get longer and longer as I say thank you for all the wonderful blessings in my life. I am blessed to have been given this beautiful baby, when so many other women are fervently praying for one of their own. I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who can make me laugh no matter how down I am, who tells me and shows me he loves me in so many little and big ways on a daily basis, and who is such a natural father it makes me a little jealous. I am blessed to be sitting in this beautiful house, surrounded by things that make me feel comfortable and happy-and to not have to worry about how we are going to pay for it. I am blessed to be able to lay my head down at night and feel safe thanks to our American soldiers. I am blessed to have a job that makes me feel satisfied and like I am making the world a better place, one year at a time. I am blessed to have a family that supports Bryce and I in all of our endeavors and wouldn't miss sharing one day of our lives for the world. I am blessed to know the love that comes with marrying into a family that accepts me with open arms. I am blessed to know the love her grandparents can give to my daughter- free, unabashed, and unconditional. I am blessed to have a circle of friends who truly amaze me. They celebrate my joys as their own, listen to my story without judgment, and love me for who I am. My world is a brighter place with the love of my friends. And Charlotte. I have been blessed just to have her, yes, but to know her....she is the best part of me. She is everything I ever yearned for and more. Her smile fills my heart with joy, and holding her in my arms could make my heart stop. She has made me love Bryce, love my family, and love my life with a ferociousness that can hardly be described.
Yes, this is a happy thanksgiving-the happiest I've ever know. May blessings and a happy holiday touch your family as well.



Little Turkey!!




The Fulcher Family


Talking with Grandpa


Everyone playing


Aunt Jenna


Jenna and Stephen


Sisters


Everyone is tired now!

Funny Wordless Wednesday

Growing like a weed

The down side of blogging

I've decided that the trouble with blogging is that people get to peek inside your life and get the update without actually interacting with you. So many people view our blog, get to see pictures of Charlotte, and think they know what's going on with us, and haven't even called or visited since her birth. I love blogging for your viewing pleasure, and for my own personal satisfaction, but I would like to encourage our readers to do more than just lurk on our page. It's bad enough that texting has taken over talking, email has taken the place of letters, and even classrooms can be found online....don't fall into the technology trap, we're people beyond this website too!

Wordless Wednesday

oh yes, and Immunizations today

We had our first round of immunizations today. It was actually one of the hardest decisions I have had to make for Charlotte so far. There was no doubt in my mind that Charlotte needs all of her immunizations, it was just a matter of how many to give her at a time. The AAP claims that all vaccines are fine in the regular schedule, which means that Charlotte would have had FIVE vaccines given to her today. There are other groups (and mothers) that claim that children can have a severe reaction to these vaccines, especially when they are given so many at a time. After as much research as I could muster, we decided to give Charlotte two vaccines at a time. This means we'll have to go the the pediatrician every month for a year, and pay our co-pay each time, but I think the peace of mind (and the belief we are doing what is right) is worth it. I don't actually believe that the vaccines CAUSE disorders such as autism, I think there is an underlying gene factor and the vaccines may make it more apparent, but we don't have the evidence to back up which children are more susceptible so we are going to play it safe. This is such a hotly debated topic, with so many parents choosing not to vaccinate at all. With Bryce and I both being school teachers, I don't think this is a risk anyone should take.

Bryce and I both got flu shots today as well, since Charlotte is still too young to get one for herself, and I feel very tired. Good night to you all.

Weekend Update

Bryce, Charlotte, and I celebrated Great-Grandpa Dave's birthday with the Fulcher/Williams family on Sunday. I think Charlotte loved hanging out with her Uncle Charlie the most.


Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Williams



Charlotte "talking" to Ms. Linda


Relaxing with Uncle Charlie



Uncle Charlie loves Charlotte!



REALLY relaxing



Being a big girl



She really is the cutest baby I've ever seen!



Bryce and his Momma



Happy Birthday!

Date Night

Charlotte is officially two months old today! My mom decided that it had been long enough, and sent Bryce and I out for a date night. It feels like we haven't been out in so long, that we actually had to debate what we wanted to do with our newfound freedom. After looking and seeing few movies that we REALLY wanted to see, my vote was for an exhibition called "Dialogue in the Dark" at Atlantic Station and Bryce wanted to go see the King Tut exhibit at the Atlanta Civic center (can you tell we are social studies teachers?!). It came down to the dates the exhibits would be open, my choice is only here until February, and King Tut is here until May so I won!

I fed Charlotte one last time and changed (I have already learned you don't put on your nice outfit until you are ready to leave) and off we went. Dialogue in the Dark is almost an experiment, they literally hand you a walking cane and send you off into the dark with a guide who just so happens to be blind. You are forced to find your way through different real life experiences just by following your guide and his voice. It was a very cool experience, one we are both glad we did. Afterwards we went to Strip because Bryce and I are always looking for the next best steak. Every Valentine's day and Anniversary we pick a new steakhouse to try just so we can add to our list of "Best Steaks Ever" (PSA: CHOPS still holds our #1 spot). We spent our meal reminiscing over all the nice restaurants we have been to, and that got us started on all the great vacations we have taken and on to the ones we want to take. We basically have the next 20-30 summers of our life planned out based on vacations we want to take (all from one date night!).

When we returned, my Dad tried to convince us that Charlotte was talking to him while we were gone (apparently she can answer questions, as long as the answer you want is "YUP") and Mom had already bathed and fed her so she was ready for bed. It was a great night over all, and I am still shaking my head at the thought that Charlotte has been in our lives for EIGHT weeks already!

Wordless Wednesday

All Smiles!

Charlotte has been all smiles lately (well maybe a couple cries too), she is hard to catch on camera but we are getting better at it!

I lost the dog?!

Lola, where's Baxter?!

I could not find Baxter! Usually when we haven't seen him in awhile he has inadvertently been locked in a closet; but I checked behind every door, under beds, even outside. I could not remember if I had let him out and forgotten to let him back in, so I walked all along our fence calling his name to check and make sure he hadn't gotten out somehow and I could find nothing out of place. I went back inside and called his name some more, and I could not find him! Just when I went to my purse to get my keys I heard this loud, long snore coming from the laundry room. I had left the laundry room door open, and Baxter has made himself a new bed. Poor puppy! He really must feel left out!

That's more like it!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

I had been a fan of blogs for a long time before I decided it was time to create one for our family. When I learned about a website, www.blurb.com, that allows you to make a book out of your blog, I knew this would be an easy way for me to chronicle the progression of our family, and especially Charlotte's impact on our world. I know we will enjoy looking back at the everyday occurrences when we ask ourselves how everyone grew up so fast! Plus, I hope this will help me remember what to do for the next kid.....

The fall time change has been tough to overcome. It seems as if I should just be able to convince Charlotte to sleep an hour longer since she can't really tell time, but she still wakes up and wants to be put to bed at the same "time" as usual. We are trying to work her in fifteen minute increments back to normal but she does not like our plan very much. The good news is, she has been sleeping longer at night, last night she woke up at 3:00 am and again at 7:00am so she is stretching out her feedings a bit. This makes me happy because I LOVE SLEEP!!

Bryce's parents came over last week to watch Charlotte so we could go stand in line and vote. I know that it was important for us to be a part of this election, especially since we are both Social Studies teachers and practically preach the importance of democracy and historical events that make these elections possible. Even though I know many people have fought long and hard for the right to vote, it was hard to keep that in mind and not complain during our THREE HOUR wait. It was the first time leaving Charlotte home with someone else too, but I think I did well. (I only called once!). Of course, Bryce and I drove by our polling place today and there were only about ten cars in the parking lot....but in Bryce's words we "lived in the moment" and got to enjoy each other today.