Let's compare...

Charlie at 6 weeks

Collier at 6 weeks

Charlie at 6 weeks

Collier at 6 weeks

Do you think I look like my big brother?

Collier rolled over

when he was just 11 days old!

The dcotor said it was probably a fluke, but he continues to do it. He's a strong, little man.... or a genius... or maybe both!?!?

Possibly the best thing about having a newborn...

is the snuggles.

Collier- 1 month

Collier turned 1 month old on December 22. At our 1 month appointment he weighed 8.9 lbs (up from 7.14 just the week before that) and was 22 inches long (up from 19 3/4 at birth). Such a cutie, this little man!

Teams I follow

The Georgia Bulldogs because my daddy went there (although, I only have a 3T to show my support... I guess I'll have to grow into liking the Dawgs)

The TCU Hornfrogs because my mommy went there

Texas Tech because my grandparents Allen went there (and because Jeff Dillard sent me this t-shirt)

and, of course, the LSU Tigers... well, because they're the best!

Who do I look like?

Some people say I look like daddy
A lot of people say I look like my Pappa
A few people say I look like my mommy
What do you think?

What a fun weekend!

This weekend Charlie's Uncle Jay and his girlfriend, Genna, came to visit:
And Pappa (Muslow)came. Charlie and Pappa hung out...
and had long talks:
Thank yall for coming to visit! We had a great time.

OKC Visit #2

Charlie and I decided to go up to see the Leclercq's this week. We are all trying to get the kids to sleep through the night at this time, so it was interesting trying to regulate feeding and nap schedules. But, Charlie impressed everyone by sleeping 8 hrs. straight without budging. And, he was even in the same room with the babies who were up at all times during the night. (He also slept for another 8 hrs. last night at home, so maybe we are in the home stretch!) Since the Leclercq's regularly weigh the triplets, Charlie got to take a ride on the scale... he is now up to 11 lbs. 4oz! We had a great time, but as always, I am reminded how simple and easy we have it with just one baby! Here are some pics from the trip:

Isabelle, Charlie, Cooper and Sophia

Charlie and Cooper get to share a crib

We took all of the babies on an outing to lunch.

Cousin play time!

Easter

Thanks to the Horsch's for hosting such a wonderful Easter brunch. We had fun hanging out with yall and the Greer's! Unfortunately, we were all slackers when it came to getting pictures, so we have none to post. We had 4 kids total- Charlie (6 wks), Sam Greer (10 mths), Nathan Horsch (14 mths) and Jack Greer (2.5 yrs). All of the kids, with the exception of Charlie, had an Easter Egg "Hunt" which consisted of picking up eggs off of the carpet. (It was rainy outside.) And the adults enjoyed yummy food and drinks. It was a great way to spend Easter.

The Gang!

Here is a picture from last Fridays play date. From left: Rhodes Hamilton (9.5 mths), Anna Carol Hardaway (8.5 wks), Dean Williams (4 mths), Charlie Allen (6 wks). Sweet Anna Carol is going to have a hard time choosing between all of the boys!

Breakthrough!

Charlie had a very busy day yesterday. We had our first play date with some friends. (Thanks Claudia for hosting!) We then came home to nap for a bit. When Patrick got home we went over to the Hardaways house to meet Anna Carol and show off Charlie. Then, the three of us went to a late dinner. Charlie was pooped by the time we got home. We gave Charlie his bottle at 10pm and put him down. Charlie proceeded to sleep until 4:45am!!! HE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! We pacied him until about 5:30am and gave him his morning bottle. We are so proud of our little Charlie! To show you all how happy we are about it:
(I love it when he does that!)

Six Weeks In...

During my 9 mths of pregnancy I was one of those people who thought that we "needed" all of the baby products out there. I was fortunate enough to receive most of them as gifts from friends and family. And, while I am thankful for everything we have, I now know, six weeks in, that we don't "need" a lot of the items we have. We do use most everything though, just for the simple fact that we have it and I would feel bad if it went unused. But, there are some items that we use almost daily that I feel we could not go without. (Again, I realize how fortunate we are... most babies don't have a lot of these luxeries and make it through life just fine.) Here is a Top 10 list of things we love:
1. Graco Snugride Car Seat: It's safe and light to carry.
2. BOB Jogging Stroller: it's expensive, but is definitely one of the best purchases we made. We have used it almost everyday that it has been nice out. The best thing about it is that we can use it not only now, but for many years to come as well.
3. For Lounging: The Boppy and the Swing: We feed Charlie in the boppy and lay him in it when we want him to hang out with us on the couch, but don't want to hold him in out laps. And the swing is a favorite to rest in.

4. For Feeding: Due to our brestfeeding issues, I am strictly pumping and giving bottles. So, we couldn't go without our Medela Freestyle Pump and our Dr. Brown Bottles (and, at times, our Similac formula for a little supplimentation).

5. For Sleeping: These swaddlers work great for us right now. And the Sleep Sheep is a life saver. The white noise and heartbeat sounds put Charlie right to sleep!

6. Paci: we are still hooked on to our Soothie that we got in the hospital
7. For Bathing: We love this tub just for the fact that it comes with the infant net. In the picture are the other favorites we use during bath time.
8. Monitor: We originally got the most expensive TV monitor on the market. We still have it, but feel like it's not a necessity just yet (I'm sure we will get a lot more use out of it as Charlie gets older and starts to roll over and when he starts to stand up). For now, we like just the cheap sound monitor... it's basically a walkie-talkie.
9. Diapers: We like Pampers. I feel like they hold everything in the best
10. Friends: My TCU friends all have boys and live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex (with the exception of Molly, who has Ellen and lives in Kansas City). Charlie has gotten tons of hand-me-downs that he is borrowing from everyone. The picture is just one of five boxes that we now have. Thanks girls!
I'm sure as time goes on we'll find tons other things that make our Top 10 list. For now, these things have made life much easier!

Bumbo

Today we took a nice bath, got dressed and tried out the bumbo for the first time. We might not be quite ready for it yet, but it made for some cute pics!

Our 1st Outing

Charlie and I went out to lunch on Wed. and to run some errands. It was our fist time to be out without Patrick. Everything went very smoothly and made me more confident that I can take him places by myself. Thanks to Amanda and little Rhodes for meeting us for lunch!

Milestones and more...

Well, I think that we are officially out of our newborn clothes. Now that Charlie is 5 weeks old he barely can fit into them. Yet, the 0-3 months are still a little big. This isn't so sad because at least we got to wear the newborn clothes for 5 weeks. Remember when the doctor told me that I was going to have a 9 lb. baby? I thought that we would just skip the newborn outfits all together!

In other big news... I found out yesterday that I don't have to go back to work until next school year! I thought since I had to go on bed rest 5 weeks before my due date, that I might have to go back for the last 5 weeks of school. But, it turns out that I get to stay home with our little Charlie! Both he and I are very excited!

Like father like son

Patrick's first day at Beal Bank was yesterday. Now that he is in coorporate America, he gets to wear a tie to work. Charlie told me that he wants to be just like daddy, so...

Austin Trip

We had a successful trip to Austin this past weekend. Hank and Charlie did great in the back seat together. They both just slept most of the way, except for our stops to feed and change diapers.



We intoduced Charlie to his great Grandpop and Grandmother.


And we relaxed in Spicewood.