The Wonders of Technology

I finally did it.  I broke down and signed us up for a Skype account.  I ordered a web cam using My Coke Rewards points (free, thank you very much), set up our account Saturday night, and had our first family Skype date on Sunday.

We got to see and talk to Kimma, G'pa Sassy, and Auntie Sami.  It was awesome.  The "call" only lasted for maybe 10 minutes because she was a bit cranky, but that's 10 more than they had before.  With most of Charlotte's family being so far away, it's great to have this option.  She'll be able to see them and hear their voices and get to know them while they watch her grow up.  Of course, nothing beats the real face-to-face connection, but this is truly a fantastic 2nd choice.

I waited and pushed it off for so long, thinking that it was just another techno-fad.  And now that we've tried it, I don't know why it took me so long to give in.  I can't wait to schedule more visits with family and friends!  We may live far apart, but we won't be missing out on any family time!

One Year Ago…

I’m about a week late on this post, but whatever, I’m a working mom.  Cut me some slack.  Warning - Not for the TMI opposed.

August 16, 2010 will forever be known to me as “The Day I Peed On A Stick And Almost Pooped My Pants.”

I was scheduled for an appointment with a new chiropractor, and according to Chad, may have an x-ray as part of the initial appointment.  At this point we had only been “trying” for a couple of weeks, but I thought, better take a test just to be safe.  So, that fateful morning, I got up and proceeded to get ready for work as I normally do, but added in that lovely little stick.  After reading the directions twice for good measure, I did exactly as it said.  Then, I sat there for what should have been 2 minutes of wait time, to see what I thought would be a single blue line.  It didn’t take two minutes.  Actually less than one.  “Ummm, wait.  That’s two lines.  I thought two lines was positive.”  I read the instructions and description again.  Yep, two lines meant positive.  I was in a bit of shock, to say the least.  It was like somebody had glued my rear to the seat.  I couldn’t move, and it was probably a good thing because my legs were shaking.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or laugh.  I did a little of both.  Then I took the stick into the spare bathroom and took a picture of it.  I know, that’s weird.  But I wanted to be able to show Chad that night (I wasn’t going to wake him up yet) and I wasn’t sure if it would change or discolor, I’d never taken a home pregnancy test before.  

I didn’t wake Chad up with the news because I had already planned out the creative way I wanted to tell him.  For those that don’t know, Chad has an extreme aversion to smells, mostly in the morning or after he’s finished eating.  Sometimes he gags just thinking of smells.  To me, it’s pretty funny most of the time, and annoying every once in a while.  It’s because of this aversion that I’ve always joked that we would need to get him a gas mask when we had a baby.  And that’s what I wanted to do.  I was going to go to Home Depot on my lunch break and buy a painter’s mask to give to him when I got home.

Unfortunately, we had stuff come up that day, so I was unable to tell him the way I wanted to as he had to go out of town.  I wasn’t sure how long he would be gone, and I wasn’t sure I could wait.  So I talked him into trading cars with me before he left and I just told him in the parking lot at work.  That’s not nearly as fun as what I had planned, but it is what it is.  If we decide to have a second, I may be able to use mask idea.

Then again, by that point, I may have come up with something even better.

How Blessed We Are

During my pregnancy, I joined an online group of other mothers with babies due in April.  We’ve since started keeping in touch on Face Book.

One mommy has a daughter, also named Charlotte, who has been in the hospital since May 28th.   She is suffering from congenital lymphangiomatosis and, as I type this post, is currently undergoing surgery.  So far it’s going well, but Cheryl was told the surgery will last anywhere from 6 - 10 hours!  And, as with all major surgeries, there’s a chance her Charlotte won’t make it.   I can’t begin to imagine how they must feel.

Some friends of ours recently had a little boy who was born with a heart defect.  The chambers of his heart hadn’t fully developed before he was born.  He spent his first few weeks in the NICU.  He is now home, but is still on a heart monitor and I think has some sort of oxygen system.  In the near future, he will have the first of many heart surgeries.

Sometimes I forget how truly blessed we are to have a healthy baby girl.  I usually forget around 2 AM when I’m getting up for the 3^rd time to feed her, or when she is clearly tired but fighting her nap, or when she decides to bite down with her gums and pull while nursing.  It doesn’t really take long for me to get back to our happy place, but I feel bad that I still need to remind myself how much easier we have it than many others.

Our little girl will be 4 months old in 2 weeks.  We are truly blessed to have her and I hope, pray, implore the universe that I get to spend many more months to come with our fabulous little girl.