A Visit from Grandma and Grandpa Nelson

Adam's parents came up from Houston this past week to see their first grandbaby! We had a great time with them and little Charlotte was spoiled just as a baby should be by their grandparents.

We spent most of our time hanging out around the house playing games and watching movies...a must at every Nelson family get together. We managed to get out and about as well. Part of the agenda included a trip to Amish country. We had a great time walking through Lehman's. Lehman's is a huge store down there with all sorts of interesting things. Every time we go we buy popcorn kernals to make some homemade popcorn. Last time we bought blue kernals, and this time we bought purple. They carry everything from cookie cutters and lamps to camping gear and drawer knobs. Really...if you ever get a chance to visit...do it!

For Labor Day we had a nice little cook out at a nearby park. The weather was perfect! Not too hot or humid (I'm sure Adam's parents had a hard time going back to the Houston humidity and heat!). Dad Nelson made delicious hamburgers...my mouth is watering just thinking about them.

We were so sad to see them leave yesterday, but very grateful for the time we had with them. We cannot wait until we see them at Thanksgiving! Love you two!

Identity Theft

Um...my identity was stolen...Adam actually wrote the previous post! I loathe the mustache. UGLY!!! I begged him for days to shave it off...which he finally did.

Hello, this is Laura. I just had to brag about my husband because he grew out this really awesome handlebar mustache which I absolutely ADORE. He looks so good in it and I just HAD to share a picture of it with you. Look at the excitement on my face in the picture and know that you too can experience this degree of joyness and fulfillment if you too allow your husbands to replicate such an aesthetic masterpiece. If you don't feel the same way, let me know and I will try with all my mind, might, heart, and soul to help you understand the joy that I experience.

For Mamita...

I got a phone call from my mom this morning begging me to put up more pictures of Charlotte. I hate to only put up posts about her, but I don't really have anything else to write about right now. My day pretty much revolves around her. So, here are some pictures for a very loving grandmother...Adam couldn't find her blanket that she usually sleeps with, so he put one of his t-shirts over her instead. If only he had gone into her nursery...he would have found a gold mine of blankets!

Monkey Face

Charlotte makes this face all of the time, and it's my favorite! I think she looks like a little monkey with her hair sticking up and puckered lips.

Charlotte's Baths

Charlotte absolutly loves bathtime! I think she likes it almost as much as she likes to eat and sleep. She just eats up the warm, soothing water.We wrap her up in the blanket while we bathe her and pull out one body part at a time to wash it. We pour warm water over the blanket throughout the bath. This helps keep her warm and happy! She looks like a drunk the entire time we bathe her with her big ol' belly, heavy head and drowsy facial expressions.

She's always so happy and alert after we give her a bath though! I love giving her a bath just to see this darling face..

I'm back!

Okay, so I know I've fallen off the face of the Earth lately! I have been busy, busy adjusting to the life of a mother. So far, it's been great! I'm loving every minute with my sweet baby girl. Hopefully, I'll be better at keeping you all updated as well.

Welcome Good Charlotte

After 8 months and 3 weeks of pregnancy and 32 hours of labor, the groundhog finally emerged from her home and announced that spring is upon us. Charlotte Eleanor Nelson was born yesterday evening at 6:59 pm. She weighed in at 6 lbs and 15 ounces, and she is 19 inches long. She already has more hair than her dad (which isn't saying much I guess). She is sporting a full head of dark hair, and if you look closely you can even see her eyebrows already. Although she is just a little gal, she put up quite the struggle. Laura woke up Tuesday morning to slight contractions that were inconsistent and not too strong, so being the trooper she is, she decided to go to work anyway (against her husband's wishes I might add). Dad went home to get everything ready (play some Wii) for going to the hospital. Laura gave me a call around 2:30 and said we had better get on with it. I grabbed everything that I thought we needed (forgeting almost all of the essentials, I guess there are things more important than the video camera) and dashed to pick her up. We got to the hospital on Tuesday around 3 pm, and we were subsiquentally released around 6pm with the nurse basically saying don't be such a wimp to Laura (she didn't get a good tip for her service). We went home and ate pizza and watched chick flicks (I know, I know, big sacrifice on my part, get ready Johnny). I tried to sleep a little, but the contractions seemed to keep both of us awake for some strange reason. We went for a 4 a.m. drive around the neighborhood trying to find a store open with fruit (which later became grapes after we found everything else but grapes specifically). And we gave up and went back home. A couple hours later Laura's contractions got really regular and really intense, so we dashed back to the hospital (within the bounds of the law, don't worry mom). We arrived around 8, and we were allowed to stay this time and were admitted around 10 a.m. By this time Laura had dialated to around a 5 and she was more than ready for the drugs. Unfortunately the drug doctors were a little backed up (i guess some other people were enjoying the same evening we were around 9 months ago, if you catch my drift). They gave Laura a shot of Nubain, which is a Narcotic to take away some of the pain, and Laura was on cloud nine. It was Laura's first time to ever use "drugs" in her life and she said, "I really like this stuff." It was really funny to see Laura "under the influence", because she was in pain still but she was having a great time anyway. It is safe to say that Laura would definately be a drug addict given the chance (Ok, ok, I know, I'm getting on with it). Laura did finally get the epidural around 1 p.m. and then it was a waiting game. Laura slept and I watched the Indians game on the hospital T.V. That's right, baseball is still imporant, even under these circumstances. Things got exciting around 6:30 when Laura was ready to push. Laura did wonderfully (probably because of the amazing coaching she had from the incredible dark, bald, and handsome man sitting beside her), and the birth was done in less than half an hour. Charlotte came out wide-eyed and screaming, trumpeting her arrival into this world. There were no complications at all, unless you consider 32 hours of labor a complication. She was in her parents arms within minutes and mom and dad were fighting over who's turn it was to hold her for the rest of the night.