Family comes for a visit!

My dad, step mom, and little sister came for a short visit this weekend. They flew in on Saturday and flew out Sunday. It was a good time. They flew in from Atlanta and really loved this area. They made several comments about how peaceful this area is and how it reminded my dad of his childhood hometown. That made us feel good as we felt the same way five years ago as we came in for Brian's interview here....we felt at home.
We watched a lot of football, enjoyed a few meals together, played corn hole-we were all trying to find out if corn was in the little bags and if that is why it is called corn hole-lol (thanks Jene and Chris), and of course enjoyed every minute with Chase. It was great seeing Katie-my little sister. She is so talented and beautiful! Did I mention she received third place in the Ms. America pageant this summer in public speaking? She is one little leader! It amazes me how much Katie and Tayler look alike! They are only three years apart and definitely could pass for brother and sister.
Here are a few pics of the time we spent together.

Can you say set up?

My mom was here last week and really set me up for this week being home alone. She spent days cutting up fruits, veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower), cheese, turkey, almonds, and salads with tomato and gorganzola cheese. She made me individual fruit cups with organic apples, papaya, kiwi, pineapple, mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, banana. I can easily get these out for snacks. She also set up individual lunches for me with cubed cheese and turkey along with apples and veggies in them. She also cut up cucumber and marinated it for me in balsamic dressing. She worked really hard and I wanted to give her a shout out! Thanks mom!

Time flies when you're having fun!

I can't believe Chase is two weeks old already! He is doing well and we are very happy. My mom leaves tomorrow. My dad, little sister, and step mom are coming tomorrow and leaving Sunday..short visit. Next week, we will be here alone-so say a little prayer! I had to go to the Dr yesterday and she thinks I pulled a muscle (some long word I don't remember) in my belly. This is due to doing too much last week. This week, I have tried to take it easy. Here are a few pics of this past week along with some of our visitors-my mom, a friend from our last church who brought us dinner, and one of my smallest and sweetest friends and her family also from our last church (of course, we have posted some pics of this past week already)Enjoy!

Pondering...

Hmmm.....what IS the meaning of life?

Rubberducky, you're the one!

Chase had his first "real" bath tonight. He was so cute. Brian did a great job! Of course, Chase cried through most of it as it was certainly a shock to his system. Afterwards, we put his little preemie outfit on him. His hair was sticking up on tge top and the sides. His eyes were so wide! His hair has grown even more and we were laughing so hard as he looked like a little hobbit! We tried to get a pic but it didn't turn out great..didn't capture the full picture or cuteness but I will post it anyway. On another note, Brian and my mom attended Tayler's football game tonight. They won 48-0. Currently, they are undefeated. Unfortunately, there are no pics as our zoom is not working properly. But, enjoy the ones posted...

Check it out!

I mentioned in the previous post about our photo shoot. Our private gallery isn't available yet, but if you check out her website, you will see Chase in the first two photos under babies...he is famous and oh so adorable!
www.juliestoryphotography.com

Chase's first Photography Session!

We had a family photography sesion at our house yesterday...The pics are going to be so adorable..I can't wait to see them. We were amazed at her ability to be a "baby whisperer" and keep him calm, comfortable, and asleep. She did such a good job. (www.JulieStoryPhotograpy.com) We felt like rockstars...(lol) Here are some pics from the day. I am also posting some pics from our lazy day today...Dad and Chase watching Colts football and me chillin in the PJ's after a feeding. Enjoy!

Happy One week old Birthday!

Oh- the title of that post makes me so sad! The week has flown by and I can't believe it has been seven days already. Chase is doing great. He is eating every three hours and sleeping ALL the time. We are waking him for his feedings. I am sure he would wake up eventually but this is how it has worked out. He is a very content baby and loves to be held on your chest. He has "found" his thumb but this early is inconsistent in finding it each time.
We had his first "well baby" Dr. visit today. He has gained one ounce and is at 6 pounds even. The Dr. thinks this is good. We quit supplementing two days ago as my milk came in. The Dr. suggested we use a pacifier as studies have shown reduced risk for SIDS. I wanted to avoid the pacifier..not sure why..just did. But, we are going to attempt it tonight. We will see how it goes. He just doesn't seem to need it....(note* did this tonight and added a pic) At the appt, Chase was very alert and happy. The Dr. commented on how unusual that was....see-a braggin' momma already!
We had a few visitors today including a former youth, went to two Dr offices, and a friend brought us dinner. Here are a few pics from today and the last couple of days. The one of me looking very tired was around midnight last night; the one of Chase holding his arms by his face is what we call his "OH MY" look. He typically does this when crying. It is so funny!
P.S. I brought the camera for his first visit and left the battery at home! I was so disappointed...oh well! There will be many more to come.

Can you say overachiever?

Rachel has always been an overachiever- although she would not say so. This week was no different as she was truly a rock star! She served our family selflessly and I don't know what I would've done without her. She made it possible for me to enjoy each moment with Chase with no worries. She cooked, cleaned, organized, taught me about all things baby, and helped me with any questions. She knew what to do before I even asked. It was great! She decided to paint our guest bathroom on her final day here....note topic name...lol Here are a few pics of her stay. There aren't many with her and Chase as she let me enjoy my time with him and really never sat down for even a minute. I did get a lot of pics with Jackson as he was also my helper and treasured his time to Chase. It was a perfect first week home and I couldn't have asked for more. Actually, she did more than I would've even thought to ask for..i.e. like painting the bathroom (lol)! Here's to you, Rachel!