not the bloopers

Here are some of my favorite from Charlie's 3 month photo shoot!

FYI...the blue blanket was made for Charlie 10 years ago by his great grandmother Helena who passed away in 2000. He would have loved knowing her.

bloopers

Charlie had his second professional photo shoot this week.
Here are some of the bloopers to hold you all over until the I post the cute ones! (I know...he's cute even in the bloopers)
We are hoping to surprise family and friends with Charlie pics for Christmas.

p.s. Charlie is such a wonderful baby! He slept through the night for the first time this week. It was great.

3 months old

Charlie is growing so fast. I can't believe it. He has finally outgrown his newborn clothes. He is such a sweet and fun baby. Here are some of his interests: his hands, standing up (with our help), jumping (again..with our help), smiling, and talking (coo-ing).

This past month Charlie helped the Tarheels score a win against Miami. Too bad he wasn't at the State game. He was great at the game....so much so that he distracted all the people sitting around us. He also watched the Yankees win the World Series! Go YANKEES.

We had a great Thanksgiving. Charlie finally got to meet his Uncle Roy and (soon-to-be) Aunt Misty. They fell in love with him immediately. They brought him some NYC loot.....books and two Yankees onesies. He did great meeting all my family.

2 months old

Where has all my free time gone? Ha! I am officially back to work part-time and still loving being a full-time mom. Charlie is getting to be so much fun. He smiles and interacts with us everyday. He is much more content in the swing, bouncy seat, and play mat. We will go for his 2 month check up next week (even though he is already 2 months). He is still just a little guy...but he has grown a lot. He is almost out of his newborn clothes. For now, his hair is still brown and his eyes are still blue-gray. Jason and I are really enjoying this new stage of life. Charlie is such a huge blessing to us.

Wow! Charlie is already over a month old. Sorry for the lack of posts, but adjusting to a newborn is tough. Charlie also likes to be held a lot...so using one hand to type wouldn't work out so well. Charlie is growing in both length and weight. His one month stats were: 7lbs. 11ozs. and 20.5 inches! He is still just a little guy, but really growing compared to his birth stats!

Charles "Charlie" Todd Weathers

Little Charlie is finally here! After nearly 51 hours of contractions and extremely exhausting labor, the journey finally came to an end at 3:58am on Friday, August 28 2009. Weighing in at 6lbs 2oz, laying at 19 and 1/2 inches. He is the most incredible and precious sight ever. Beginning at home around 1:00 am on Wednesday morning little Charlie started the journey into the world. We ended up at the Womens Birth and Wellness Center in Chapel Hill where we were expected to give birth to our son, but after many hours they transfere us to UNC at about 8pm on Thursday night. Things progressed well but then things took a quick turn which caused some concern to the nurses as well as the midwife but they dealt quickly and things corrected themselves. After several more hours the decision was made that the baby needed to come by C-Section and after just a short time we were holding our beautiful and precious son. He is the most amazing gift ever. I feel so blessed to be able to call Kathleen my wife for all she went through and she continues to surprise me even now as she recovers. I feel blessed that God would give us such an amazing gift who I can with no doubt say has changed my life forever. We are also blessed to have so many great friends and our family who have come to our sides with encouragement and prayers.

On another note, being at UNC has made me extremely proud that my son can say he is truly a Tar Heel. On a few occasions as he has begun to cry, I have taken him and sat in my chair which has also been my bed, which happens to look out to Kenan Stadium as well as the Bell Tower here on UNC's campus. We have been extremely pleased with the staff at the Birthing Center as well as here at UNC. Thanks to everyone who has called, emailed, texted, or facebooked us as we enter into this amazing time. We will hopefully be released sometime late tomorrow or Monday and then be back at home. We look forward to showing our little guy off in the coming weeks.

A Baby, the Beach, and a new Bathroom

So here we are relaxing and enjoying the beach after a wonderful dinner at the Island Grille, overwhelmed with anticipation and excitement about the new addition of the Weathers' family. That's right Charles "Charlie" Todd Weathers is days from exploding onto the scene where he is expected to do no less than change our lives forever. The whole idea of a baby has Kathleen and I full of excitement and as well as wondering what the future will hold for our family. We are extremely excited and feel blessed to be able to be the soon-to-be parents of a beautiful baby boy.

I for one can say that I am grateful to have survived the last 365 days of work. After missing only 2 days of work in the last year, it is indeed rewarding to be able to retreat to the beach for the week to recover from a long summer and even longer year. Looking back though it has been a great year. I can highlight a couple of things: finding out that Kathleen was pregnant was obviously one of the greatest moments of my life; finding out that this child to be was going to be my first son was yet another great moment; being able to see my Tar Heels win the National Championship in Detroit was unforgettable; and lastly having my love for Kathleen and our new addition grow over the last 38 weeks has unmistakably been the most remarkable thing I can ever remember in my short twenty-seven years of life. We are grateful to be able to come to the beach to rest, recover, and get ready for all that lies ahead.

And then there was the new bathroom...So I had the bright idea that I could renovate the master bath and do most of the work myself (thanks dad). Turns out working 70 hours a week and trying to get a nursery ready for a new baby are not a good combination for renovating a bathroom. Long story short, after a month of using the guest bathroom, both the nursery and master bathroom are ready for use. We both learned a lot during the process and know how to deal with the next project we face (probably the guest bath, then kitchen cabinets and countertops, then downstairs flooring, then half bath, then patio). But once again we stand amazed at how fortunate we are and how much God continues to bless our family. We are obviously happy to be done with the first of our many projects but consider all of this quite pitiful compared to the exciting arrival of "Charlie".

Baby Shower!!

This past Saturday I had a wonderful baby shower! It was filled with lots of my favorite ladies. My sweet Grandmother and Aunt Anne weren't able to make it and were greatly missed!
I was overwhelmed with all of the wonderful gifts. Baby Charlie is going to be one stylish little guy.
In one of the photos you see me holding a blue blanket. This blanket was made just for Charlie by his sweet great grandmother "Momena" Cox. She made these blanket before she passed away in 2000. We have lots of fun stories to tell Charlie about her as he grows to love that blue blanket. I had to rush that gift away since my tears seem to be very leaky lately!
I thought I would also post a picture of Isaac, my youngest nephew. He is the son of Jason's sweet sister Mandy. Everyone says that he looks just like Jason did when he was little. I guess we have a few more weeks to see!
It was a great weekend. Thursday, my best friends from childhood came to stay and help me get Charlie's room more organized and put together. Thanks Patti and Rebecca! They worked so hard! All my in-laws came on friday. They too helped get the house ready. Jason and his dad worked hard tearing apart our bathroom so that I can feel clean when I bathe! Hopefully it will be done before the baby comes. My other best friend Julie stayed Saturday night. She helped me get all of Charlie's clothes organized and put into drawers. I have the most wonderful friends. I am so happy they got to be a part of Charlie's 'in womb' life. They are so supportive of the decisions we are making in birthing and raising Charlie.
I also included a picture of me and Tara....my 'shower thrower'! She is one of my college best friends, made of honor, and Charlie's nanny! I can't believe I will be able to take advantage of her wonderful child development skills! She will be keeping Charlie for me two days a week while I make people's hair look pretty. I am so thankful for her and the blessing I know she will be to Charlie.
Lastly, I included a picture of the best mom in the world...mine! For some reason her lipstick photoed black with my camera.....so ignore that! She has been our biggest help during this pregnancy! She is going to be the best GiGi to Charlie. I am so thankful for the great example she has shown me in how to be a good mother. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful mom.
I guess I should also mention that I am 35 weeks today!

Sorry for the lack of posts. Things have been busy, but good around here. Jason has been working hard and I have also been working and resting. Baby Charlie seems to have grown a lot lately. He likes to be very active, especially around 3am. (At least I can call Rachel at that hour) I am about to enter my 31st week of pregnancy. So far, I haven't been too hot. I will keep my fingers crossed that I stay cool and air conditioned until he comes in August.

These pictures are of some great friends of ours. We all got together to celebrate Tara and Matthew's sons first birthday. Elias did a great job devouring his cake! We also got to spend some time with Josh and Courtney, who are moving abroad for the next few years! We will miss them greatly!

I still can't believe that Charlie will be here soon. Jason and I are fully aware that our world is about to change. I am very excited to meet him and see what he is going to look like. I am also eager to see Jason in "daddy" action.

I hope you like the pregnancy picture. It is still kind of a weird thing for me to want to document my belly growth through pictures. (Thanks Hadley for putting the pressure on!)

Baby Weathers

.....IS A BOY!!!!! We are so excited to be able to call our baby by name....Charlie! He proudly spread his legs at the ultrasound. From the beginning, I felt like it was a boy. We can't wait until he is here.

Good Teachings

Today at church my heart was burdened to be more consistent. With a child coming, this lesson seemed even more pressing. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says this, "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." How simple are these commands, yet so hard too. I desire to always be mindful of my relationship with the Lord. It is a powerful and life changing thing. I deeply desire for my future child to know Jesus and the great grace he bestows on us. While saying this I also know that I have a great book to refer to when raising my child, loving my husband, working, or alone. This book is what I need more of. Through this book I can listen to God. The news and the media seem to think that they are the answer to childrearing or loving one another....oh no, we have even greater answers through following Christs example. He is love. He is the only reason I will be a decent parent, wife, or friend. I want to be more thankful for that.

A little Update

I am sorry that I am not updating more about our first pregnancy. Honestly, it has been very easy so far. I can't wait to find out what we are having so that we can finally feel like things are a little more real. That will happen on April 2nd. Jason and I both have a "boy" feeling, but would be so happy to find out that it is a girl too.

We have enjoyed our experience so far at the Women's Birth and Wellness Center in Chapel Hill. Jason was most agreeable to using a midwife once he found out that our babies birth certificate would say Chapel Hill. I am hopeful that I can do this naturally, but know that getting this baby here may mean something different. We will see! I am trying to get myself "prayed up" for this birth, but I am trying not putting any pressure on myself. The facility is warm and cozy. The birthing rooms have lots of nice things that will hopefully help with labor.

I am cutting back a bit at work. Standing on my feet all day is not easy on the body, especially a pregnant body. I am trying to allow myself two days off a week and sometimes three. I think this will help me be less stressed and feel better. When I get too overworked I hardly feel like returning calls to clients.

That is about all. I pray that Jason and I will be good parents. We will have to rely strongly on the Lord in order for us to be. I desire to be more disciplined in spending time with the Lord so that when I am sleep deprived and can't figure out why my baby is crying I can recall His comforting words. We appreciate your prayers about this too!

I will post more when we know more. I am almost at 18 weeks!

BIG NEWS

Jason and I are very excited about our upcoming summer arrival. The baby gear was Jason's Christmas present from me. The picture of my Mom is her surprised reaction when she opened up a baby bib for Christmas.

Did you hear that?

Obviously it has been some time since our last post...and since I did not have to work today, I decided to get Kathleen off the hook and update our blog. Since our last update a lot has happened. We got the chance to go and see those beloved Tar Heels play after Thanksgiving and had a blast seeing them score 116 points. A few days later LeBron James and the rest of the Cleveland team were high-fiving my hands as they came out of the tunnel at the Charlotte Bobcats game. Kathleen and I enjoyed the break at work to go see both of our families at Christmas. But the real excitement came just before Christmas as I accidentally found out that Kathleen was pregnant. She hid the test under the bathroom sink thinking that I would never look there. She was wrong and I actually did try to change the toilet paper on the roll! I asked her if she took a test and she started crying and brought me my early Christmas presents. She had bought me a little Tar Heel shirt and an outfit (something called a onesie?) that said "I love Daddy". I then proceeded to clean the house for about 2 hours (she said...i doubt it was that long) before I could sit down.
We are very excited about the baby that will be coming at the end of August. Kathleen is doing well and has not been sick. She just wants to sleep a lot. Hopefully soon, she will start showing. I think she looks great.