Memorial Day Weekend Re-Cap

Aunt Theresa (my lil sis) with her FAVORITE nephew & godchild

Charlie and I made it home safe and sound this morning from Illinois. We were supposed to come back yesterday, but I couldn't muster up the energy to get things together and then drive for nearly 7 hours. I was exhausted and had gotten a nasty headache early yesterday afternoon so it was probably best that we stayed otherwise the drive might have been just unbearable. We stayed the day in Illinois and enjoyed a cookout at Bobby's house to celebrate Memorial Day weekend. It was nice just sitting around in the backyard enjoying the nice weather and watching everyone love on Charlie. I always intend to go back home to relax, but it seems that never happens as we are always on the go. With all of the Wulf kids home for the weekend, there was always something going on.

Here are some pics from the weekend ... way to many to add on here .... may have to do it over the next few days! Thought I would show off the little guy meeting his aunts and uncles for the first time this weekend. My youngest brother, Johnny, is the only one not pictured here, but he had the "honor" of living with Charlie for the first few weeks of his short life so he is pretty familiar with him.

Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Teddy (my older brother)

Uncle Bobby (my brother) and Aunt Alisa

Aunt Angie and Uncle David (my brother)

This trip was Charlie's first "road trip," and he did great. We were able to go with only one stop each way (7 hours each way). As long as I stopped once to change and feed, all was right in the world. Now the biggest thing will be to undue all of the spoiling that occurred this past weekend.

Illinois for the weekend!!

Charlie made his first "official" road trip this weekend ... he and I have driven back to Bloomington to meet all of his aunts and uncles. With the three-day weekend, I thought we would take advantage and see how he did ... he was GREAT in the car on the way here (keep your fingers crossed for a smooth ride back to Kansas on Monday). There is nothing big planned for the weekend, but he has been able to meet all of his aunts and uncles now and he has had ALOT of bonding time with his Grandma Wulf.

Before we left for the weekend, we made a trip to the pediatrician for his 6 week check-up. He continues to do great! He is weighing in now at 7 lbs 7 ozs, which is a whole 3 pounds more than he weighed at birth. He is eating great and really starting to become more attentive to things around him. He does sleep quite a bit, but when he is awake, those big blue eyes (yes, they have turned from brown to blue) seem to be wide awake. That head gets a moving too and you have to be careful with the "bobblehead."

Daddy Eric stayed back in Kansas for the weekend to work. He had some things to catch up on with work as this past six weeks has been a whirlwind. Charlie's official due date is actually Monday so we consider ourselves VERY blessed that he is doing so great. I have almost found it humorous as people ask if he is a newborn when the see him because he is still so small and I can reply "no ... just over 6 weeks!"

Six Weeks!!

Hard to believe that today marks six weeks since Charlie made his arrival!! Even harder to believe is that our original "due date" is not until Monday!!! He is doing great though and continues to grow. I had to go to my doctor this morning for my 6 week check up and, of course, all of the women in the office were loving all over Charlie. He got passed from nurse to nurse and then some of the doctors even took hold of him. While we were there, my doctor wanted to weigh Charlie to see how big he was since it has been 2 weeks since we have been to his doctor. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 7 ozs .... now 3 pounds bigger than his starting weight :) We actually go to the pediatrician in the morning for his 6-week check up.

I seem to be doing really well too. Everything is pretty much back to normal with the exception of my blood pressure. It has continued to stay elevated from the HELLP syndrome. My doctor is still a little bit concerned at this point that is has not gone back down. Some people take longer for their levels to go back down, while others recover in a matter of days. I feel great though, I just need to get the BP down so that I can get off the meds. I have been instructed to check it on my own and call my levels in for the next few weeks. If we don't see some progress, then we will have to look at seeing a cardiologist :( I have been able to start my workouts back up so hopefully this helps in getting the levels down.

Getting Big!!

Charlie is starting to beef up!! We go back to the pediatrician on Thursday .... should be over the 7 lb mark by now! Almost 6 weeks old too!!

Charlie and his mommy!

This photo was taken by Rebecca Peters a few weeks ago!
He is growing pretty fast ... won't stay in my arms for much longer!!

"Before I Was A Mom"
Before I was a Mom I made and ate hot meals. I had unstained clothing. I had quiet conversations on the phone. Before I was a Mom I slept as late as I wanted. And never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday. Before I was Mom I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies. Before I was a Mom I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations. Before I was a Mom I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, peed on, or pinched by tiny fingers. Before I was a Mom I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts, my body and all my feelings. I slept all night. Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep. Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom. Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important. Before I was a Mom I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was OK. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much............before I was a Mom....Author Unknown

Your Pregnancy this Week!!

When I found out I was pregnant this past fall, many people said that it would be a good idea to sign up on one of the websites that would send me weekly updates about what was happening with me and the baby. So, of course, I did. I signed up with babycenter.com and enjoyed getting the weekly updates, called "Your Pregnancy this Week." I really liked how they gave a "guestimate" of the size of the baby and compared it to a type of fruit/vegetable. (The only problem was that I didn't know what the heck a few of the fruits/vegetables were when they listed the comparison). The message also gave you an idea of what would be happening with your body and what kinds of things you need to be thinking about. It was great, especially as this was our first baby!!

Anyway, Charlie is now 5 weeks old and I am still getting the weekly updates. I never changed the due date on my profile so I should be 38 weeks today. Because he was so early, I wanted to keep getting the updates so that I could compare where he should be at in the womb to where he actually is here in my arms. I have found it quite interesting!! I got the email earlier today and this is part of the update ....

Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old.

Let's compare now -- we went to the doctor last Thursday afternoon .... Charlie weighed in at 6 lbs 7 ozs and was 19.75 inches long. So, I guess it is about right on with it's prediction. For your information, his eyes have a blue tint to them at this point. Eric has blue eyes and mine are a hazel color, so who knows if they will stay blue (I hope so!!)

He is getting a grip too!! He will clamp down on your finger if you put it in his hand and he will look "at" you when you talk to him. We have found him to be much more active over the past few days. He is starting to get some "muscle" to him. We have to keep an eye on him now as he is able to push himself. If we are not careful, he will push himself into an uncomfortable position, which causes for an unhappy baby.

Today, I stopped in at the office for a couple of brief meetings regarding our upcoming camps. While I was in, the daughter of our CFO stopped in to say hello and to show off her baby boy. This little guy, Henry, was born one day after Charlie in the same hospital. When he was born, he was about 7.5 lbs ... today his mom said that he was over 10 lbs. I looked at Henry and then looked at Charlie and couldn't believe they were the same age. Charlie does a lot of the same things that Henry does as far as holding his head, reactions to people and their voices, but Henry is so much bigger. I really kept thinking that Charlie has grown and is becoming a hoss (compared to what he was), but after seeing Henry, I now realize that we are still pretty small. It is going to be that way, but I know that Charlie will not stay small forever and that someday we will be talking about how he was once the "runt!!"

He continues to do great though and we love watching him change each day. Sometimes I just sit there and look at them and think how I want him to stay this small forever, but then I realize that he needs to grow and that it will be exciting to see all the things he learns to do. Wanting him to stay small is just another reason to have another little one in the future so that we can go through it all again ;)

Mother's Day :)

Right before heading to bed on my first Mother's Day with Charlie!!

Thanks to all who called/text or was here to wish me a "Happy Mother's Day." We had Eric's family in this weekend (Mom, Brother-Andy, Sister in law- Jennifer and nephew-Eli) in for the weekend so we were able to spend some quality time together. This was their first visit to meet Charlie, too!! Cousin Eli was very excited to meet Charlie "stinky-feet" Capps!!

I am happy to have spent my first Mother's Day with family. It has been a whirlwind month, but things are great. We have a healthy little boy who is VERY loved by our family and friends. We look forward to welcoming them all to our home over the next few weeks/months now that Charlie is home from the hospital.

I could not end this post without wishing my own mom a happy mother's day!! I am sure that she will read this so I will simply say "thank you!!" You are a tremendous woman and I am so blessed to have you as my mom. I know there were times growing up when I was not the easiest to get along with, but I have learned so much from you and can only hope that I will be as good a mom to Charlie as you have been to me. I hope that you enjoyed your day back home in IL ... we look forward to seeing you again soon so that you love all over Charlie (and then ball your eyes out when you have to leave him ;) I cannot explain the feelings of happiness that I have when I see you (and Bumpy too) hold my little guy! I love that I have been able to give you a grandbaby and look forward to all the times we will share in the future together.

Congrats Wendi!!

Congratulations to my former WKU teammate, Wendi, and her husband, JB. They "met" their little boy for the first time today!! Wendi was a senior at WKU when I was a freshmen. She and her husband live in Florida where JB is a doctor.

Wendi and JB have been trying to have a baby for some time now with little success. A friend of Wendi's became pregnant and felt she was too young to keep the baby and made the decision to entrust Wendi and JB to raise him. What a wonderful gift!!

They are hoping to bring Isaac John home sometime tomorrow on early Saturday. They will be heading back to their home in Florida later next week after spending some time with their families. Becoming parents is something they have both wanted for a very long time. They have been blessed with this opportunity and I know that they will do their very best to give this little guy a wonderful life!!

One Month Later ...

This time last month, I was recovering from childbirth!! It has been a whirlwind month, but I could not be happier with the birth of our son. He is an absoulte joy and I love being home with him and watching him grow. He has changed so much already!! Next to marrying Eric, this is the best thing I have done in my life. We are so very blessed to have Charlie in our life ... I could not imagine life without him now that he is here.

Even More Pictures of Charlie!!

I am sure you are probably getting tired of the pictures, but I have even more for you!! We had a lady come in last week when Charlie got home to take some pictures of him. She has put them to a slide show .... you can see it here. Once the page comes up, scroll down until you see this picture. It will say "Charlie-Newborn." As you read her comments, click on SLIDESHOW to see the whole show ....

http://rpetersphotography.squarespace.com/

New Pictures of Charlie ...

Tiny Little Toes ...

Sleepy Head!

These shoes were a gift from our friends, Steve and Cindy Doty. Cindy works with my mom at Washington Community High School back in IL. How adorable are these? They are tiny, but they are no where close to being small enough for Charlie (we tried to get a picture with them on his feet, but he couldn't keep them on). They are great little keepsakes to remember his birth! Thank you Steve and Cindy!!

He has not slept in his crib as we are keeping him in our room for the time being. With him arriving so early and being so small, it just gives me peace of mind to know that he is ok. Once he gets a little bigger, we will move him upstairs to his room. His nursery is all ready though.

THE END!!

These pictures were taken by my sister, Theresa.

She came out this weekend to meet Charlie for the first time. She loves photography!!

I have two CDs full of them, these are some of my favorites though ...