Happy 4 Weeks (and other pics)!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

Today we celebrated the month that Charlie has been in our world! It is amazing how time flies when you are having fun. The past four weeks have been amazing. Let me see if I can list some words to describe all of the feelings that we have been feeling: amazing, exhausting, exhilarating, grateful, overwhelmed, happy, excited, emotional, inadequate, thankful, dependent (on the Lord and each other), thrilled, questioning (on how to parent), blessed, and so much more! Truly, words do not exist to express the wonderful rollercoaster ride that Adam and I have been on for the last four weeks. Charlie has been a blessing to all of us. No one could prepare us for this miraculous journey of parenthood. Thank you, Lord, for this blessing.


On a lighter note, as some of you know, when you are a new mom or dad, you spend a lot of time at home. For me, that has meant a lot of HGTV, Today Show, checking emails, trying to sleep, etc. In the TV realm, I wanted to list some TV shows that some of you might not know that still come on during the day/night/early morning/late at night, etc.

• "Different Strokes"--yes, Willis, Arnold, and Kimberly can be found on BET in the mornings
• "Designing Women"--All of your favorite designers appear in the 3 o'clock hour on TV Land.
• "7th Heaven"--This show featuring the Camdens can be found on the Hallmark Channel in the afternoons.
• "Little House on the Prairie"--After back to back episodes of "7th Heaven," you can watch more back to back episodes of this classic. Laura has not changed a bit, girls. Amy P., thanks for giving me the heads up on this one.
• "Saved by the Bell"--Yes, Zach, Kelly, Lisa, Slater and Jessie are on TBS in the early morning hours. This was a Jackson family favorite growing up.

**As I'm writing this, I am just now realizing how much time that I have spent on the couch feeding our new addition to the family. The funny thing is, we don't even have the "fancy" cable. I'm going to try to expand my horizons to reading or listening to some devotionals while I am feeding...just trying to figure out my Ipod.

I'll try to post some more pics in a little while. The little man is snoozing and Adam is at golf lessons, so I'm enjoying a little R & R on the computer.

Happy 3 Weeks, Charlie!

Confessions of a Blog Stalker...

As you can see, I've updated the background to my blog. I heard the term "blog-stalking" last night by Liz Estess at our girls' Bible study. I had never really thought about what we do as we peruse other people's blogs. That is the best term that I have heard for it. We look and search and then end up on blogs that we have no idea who the people are or where they are from...we just like the pictures, the text, the stories, and yes, their cute backgrounds. I actually got mine from a website off of The Montgomerys blog (thanks, Ginger, for the idea...I'm about to add you to our friends list). Anyway, I guess this is just another way for us to dig into the "reality" world that we live in today.

Well, I'm off to enjoy another delicious meal brought to us by some sweet friends from our Sunday School class/Community Group. Thank you to all of our friends and family again for the meals, cards, calls, and emails of encouragement. We are so thankful for all of you!

Father's Day and Other Pics

103.1!!! Yuck!!! Yuck!!! Yuck!!!

The Blair Adventures Continue...

You all haven't heard from this blogger lately because she has been stuck in St. Vincent's Hospital on a return visit! Saturday night, I took my temperature and it was 103.1. I called my doctor and they sent us to the ER. I thought I'd be home in a few hours so I didn't take anything. Well, little did I know that I would be there until today--Wednesday---around noon. This was not what I had planned for the week. I found out later that I had a severe kidney infection. I just thought that all of my hot flashes were a result of these crazy hormones. I'm going to take my temperature now at the drop of a hat if I feel bad. After all of that, though, I am back home now just looking and loving on little Charlie, my couch, and my own bed.

One of my favorite verses is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Rejoice always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is your will in Christ Jesus." Here is a short list of reminders of God's goodnes through this small trial in my life.

--I am thankful to be home and healthy. Again, this is a reminder of God's provision for us in our lives. One nurse said that if I had not come in, I would probably have ended up in the ICU.

--I am thankful that God woke me up Saturday night to feed Charlie.

--I'm thankful that we have sweet friends and family that will drop everything they are doing at the drop of a hat to help us. Thanks, Peggy, for coming to our house at 2:00 Saturday night to keep little Charlie. You are his first official babysitter. Thanks, GrandBam (aka Lenn), for driving early Sunday morning to get here to help us. Thanks, KK and Bubba (Adam's parents) for coming home from the lake to help us. Thanks to all of you for the meals, cards, visits, flowers, my new toothbrush (Susan) and junk magazines that helped me pass the time at the hospital.

--Finally, thanks to my sweet husband, Adam, for helping me at the hospital. Thanks for asking all of the hard questions, for getting me lots of ice and snacks. Thanks for making conversation with all of the nurses. Thanks, too, for making me laugh when things were not a laughing matter. You are a blessing from the Lord. You didn't know what you agreed to when you said, "I do." I'm very thankful for your love and acts of service for me this week and always.

More updates when the next adventure arrives! I'll try to post more pictures soon too.

All Grown Up!

Well, I now feel like a real grown up. It's amazing how God can change you from being a non parent to a parent in a moment. My revelation this week is how much responsibility and love the you feel for a little person when they are born. We have been waiting on little Charlie to go #2 (as my fifth graders would say). When he had not gone in a few days, we got a little worried. Adam's mom and I took him to the doctor yesterday, and he said that he wasn't too concerned, but just to be sure we needed to go to Children's Hospital to have a test done on him. Well, Nikki and I both were anxious in the doctor's office, but we remained calm as they scheduled the test for this morning.

All that to say, Adam and I went to Children's this morning at 9:00 a.m. for the test. We waiting only for a few minutes, then were called back to our X-ray room. There, we had to undress the little fella (which he does not like), and wait for the radiologist. I'll save you all more details, but he cried during the little procedure. For a new mom who is already battling hot flashes, I was sweating profusely while trying to hold down his arms and trying to hold back tears. It really breaks your heart when you see your own child hurting and crying. The doctor thinks that all is ok, we're just waiting to hear back. This makes you thankful for our health and the health of our baby. We also realize at this point that we have to put our trust in the Lord. He will provide and will heal! Sometimes we don't want to be the grown up, but Adam and I are both thankful for this responsibility and our little one.

Praise the Lord! I just heard back from our dear doctor--Dr. Jeff Stone--(thanks, Tracy C., for the recommendation)--and he said that the test this morning turned out to be normal...his intestines look fine. What a relief! This mama is going to sleep better tonight! What a blessing it is to have our health! Little Charlie is sleeping peacefully now in his swing--thanks, Casey and Angie, for that addition!

Here are some more pics from his first few days. I'm going to take some more today after he wakes up from his slumber. Did I mention that we think he's the best baby in the world????

These pics are some of our favorites: "The Praying Child," "Uncle Garth Trains Him Early," "The One-Eyed Willie," "The Blair Clan," and "Blair and Co."

Our first outing with Aunt Meredyth! We took little Charlie to Doodle's, our favorite ice and sorbet shop! I had peanut butter cup...so Sandy, I guess he likes that flavor too!

Adam was in a Jonathan Mitchell and Brandy Howard's wedding on May 31st, just a few days after Charlie was born. We (Charlie and I) think Dad looks really handsome in that tux! As you can tell, Charlie loves his hands!

More pics to come! I'm just getting adjusted to all of this technology!

10 Days and Counting...

Little Charlie is now 10 days old. I can't believe it's even been that long. We are still enjoying every minute. He is a delightful child that only cries when he wants to be fed, be changed, or if we are changing his clothes. My mom left on Monday after both of us had shed a few tears. Thanks, Mom, for all that you have done. My sweet friend, Jennifer, came like an angel that afternoon to keep us company and to help us. On Tuesday, Megan came to be with us and help baby Charlie and me. Adam's mom, Nikki/KK has been here the past couple of days to help out. I am so thankful for all of the help that we have had so far. It also has been overwhelming the amount of cards, letters, gifts, and meals that we have had. Thanks to all of our sweet friends and family!

Today we went to the doctor again, and Charlie weighs 7 pounds and 12 ounces. That means he has gained almost back to his birth weight. He definitely is an eater. Adam has been gracious enough to take the first night shift, then I get up with him around 2 or 3. He is a great sleeper...and I hope that he continues to stay that way.

We'll post some more pictures soon. I've got to take some this week to update all of you on this precious baby's progress. Off to catch a nap!