A little over 2 months after Charlie was born, gosh, we're almost to 2.5 months now! It has been a little crazy. Ok, a lot crazy. Here's a run down of some things I've missed...
- We came home to some super thrilled kids! Everyone loves Charlie so much and is so helpful
- A few hours later that day we went to the kids second swim meet. Yep, the day we came home from the hospital. It was crazy, but the kids needed it, and I needed to feel like I could be there for them. God blessed us with an amazing parking space and unbelievable weather.
- In the spirit of Charlie's D Day birthday, and because of the way he cried, we nicknamed him "Screamin' Eagle". He doesn't cry often, really only when he's hungry or needs to spit, but he absolutely screeches like an eagle before he works into a regular cry.
- Eve finished her first triathlon! 100m swim, 3 mile bike, and 1.5 mile run. She did amazing! We are so stinkin' proud of her!!!
- We once again enjoyed the Butterfly Adventure at Roper Mountain Science Center and got a picture of Charlie at 3 weeks old petting a lamb that was also 3 weeks old. I think Charlie was cuter, but I'm biased. It was close.
- One day Jake kissed Charlie on the head and said, "There's invisible hearts that it makes, but God can see them." That's one of the sweetest, truest things I've ever heard.
- We spent a TON of time at the pool both with swim team and apart from swim team. Jake can swim more than the length of the pool alone now and is completely independent even playing in the deep end. Will can now swim without his life jacket (for as far as he can hold his breath), in fact he refuses to put it on, but he's not to be trusted alone, although he disagrees.
- We had a fantastic visit from Aunt Michelle and Uncle Greg. Always too short, but so wonderful.
- Eve got braces.
- Ellie got lice (then passed it to Eve). That was not the highlight of our summer. Ugh.
- We had a fantastic amazing visit from Grandma and Grandpa Bucky and the Cushmans. I certainly didn't take nearly enough pictures. While they were here we spent 2 nights in Charleston. We had a blast boogie boarding, playing in the waves and sand, hanging out at the market downtown, celebrating my birthday at Kaminsky's (my favorite!), and just enjoying great family time.
- We watched lots of Harry Potter movies due to the countless hours of nit picking. Ugh.
- Right around the 2 month mark Charlie started smiling a lot more, chatting a bit, and even chuckling some. He's doing those more and more every day. What a sweet doll. He really is such a sweet, easy going, cuddly, happy baby.
- Ellie started baseball. She has loved baseball for several years, although she knows almost nothing about it. She loves Jackie Robinson. The first few practices were a disaster. Not only does she barely know where the bases are, we've never thrown a ball with her or taught her to swing a bat, and she's the only girl on the team. When I was in 2nd grade I was the only girl on the team. Daddy bought me shorts because he knew I would be too afraid to slide (he was right). It was a disaster, but I found a lot of 4 leaf clovers in the outfield. I'm having major flashbacks, BUT, she's improving and getting a little more confident. Hopefully she'll end with a positive memory.
- And now, this week, we had Meet the Teacher. In the blink of an eye Charlie is 2 1/2 months, everyone is getting so big, and summer is almost over. I've GOT to stop blinking!
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Brothers and Sisters Are a Special Kind of Special
Brothers and Sisters are a special kind of special. We feel like they should be the first to know about their baby sibling, and the first to meet them. Having had the priviledge of experiencing this meeting in the past, we knew how special it would be. It's a special I really can't even describe. Birth is amazing, but somehow watching siblings meet their new sibling for the first time, and the pure, genuine joy on their faces is maybe even a little more special. Let's be honest, it's also a little chaotic and very hands-on, so since I wanted to always remember this moment, we hired a wonderful photographer and friend to capture it for us. Her photographs were amazing. They capture each child's personality in such a special way. They are likely the only photographs we'll ever have, at least of them as children, with such pure joy and excitement on their face. She did such a great job blogging about it I'll just link that here
http://photosbysabrinablog.com/charles-david-fresh48-st-francis-eastside/
http://photosbysabrinablog.com/charles-david-fresh48-st-francis-eastside/
Welcome Charles David Buckingham!
Buckingham #6 was due June 9. Before #6 came, I had a few things I wanted to happen. First, I wanted to cash in on my Christmas present to see The Lion King. #6 was so sweet to let me experience such an amazing show! Second, if I had my druthers, I really hoped to have school out of the way. The last day of school was June 2. We ended it with our annual water gun fight at the bus stop...still pregnant. Check! Thank you, #6 for being patient! At that point, I was still feeling good, so any time was fine with me.
June 6 I woke up around 2 with contractions. Not close enough to go to the hospital, but strong enough I couldn't sleep. I moved around to the recliner and such, but figured we'd be in the hospital later that day. Around 5 they stopped all together. After getting so excited, I was so disappointed! Bitter, really. Off to swim team practice, Target, the regular activities of the day. Bummer. I had a few contractions during the day, but an hour or so between them. I had given up on June 6. Too bad. D Day would've been a cool day for a birthday. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for the next morning, and they let me bump it up earlier, so I had decided to go ahead and induce the next morning. I called Mom and made plans to bring the kids to her after swim practice in the evening. Around 3:30, I guess, I started having regular contractions that were still several minutes apart, but fairly strong. I told Buck I thought I needed him to come home and help pack the kids up. Shortly after that I decided maybe we should have Mom go ahead and pick the kids up. They were getting closer. By 6:00 we were on our way to the hospital. All of a sudden contractions were about 5 minutes apart. When we got there they were 2 or 3 minutes apart, and strong. We rode up in the elevator with a couple that I assume was on a hospital tour. I cried (loudly) through a contraction, then apologized...surely it was a little discomforting to them. We got to the intake desk upstairs. The receptionist said there wasn't a room ready. Could we please wait in the waiting room? Another contraction (they were only a minute apart...or pretty much nonstop by now), and I said emphatically, "No. This is #6 and it's coming now! Wait...my water just broke...or maybe I peed...nope, that was my water breaking." She called nurses, who came very quickly, and pushed me into the nearest room. As we entered the room, I said, "Here it comes!" They literally pushed me on the bed with my dress still on and before I knew it, "It's a boy!" They recorded that we checked in and my water broke at 6:32 and he was born at 6:36. I'm a slow processor. That along with no epidural (I learned I don't handle pain well) and all of the commotion, Charlie was laid on top of me immediately, and immediately started eating, but I don't feel like we really met until a few hours later. Whew! What a whirlwind of a meeting! He was born on D Day after all. A lot of it was a blur. When things finally calmed down a bit and I got a little more comfortable, the nurse sat me up to use the restroom (a requirement before patients can be moved to the mom and baby room). As I sat on the edge of the bed after all of that pain and chaos, my gaze inadvertently drifted out the window and I saw, quite possibly, the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. It was absolutely unbelievable. It somehow brought me out of the chaos into the calm of God's sovereignty and the beauty of His steadiness.
We moved to our room for the stay. When we settled in and I had some food, I was feeling kind of shaky and weak, Buck went to get some food for himself. When he came back to the room, he said, "So, I was driving to Burger King and had a Burger King epiphany (he was listening to something about D Day). Do you still like the name Charlie? (We had discussed Charlie, but couldn't think of a middle name). You know today is D Day, and Dwight D Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander (at this point I cringed because I thought he was going to suggest Dwight)? Do you know what "D" stands for? David. What do you think of Charles David?" I loved it immediately. I love the sound, I love the story (I feel like if you're never going to use a middle name, it should at least have some meaning). Charles David it is. BUT, we wouldn't tell anyone. Not even the nurses. Not until the kids came to meet him.
That night Charlie slept so well. I didn't sleep hardly at all because I was full of adrenaline. In the morning while Buck was gone to take care of things at home and freshen up, Charlie and I hung out with quiet hymns playing. It was such a peaceful contrast to the evening before. I think that's when we truly met. And I was so absolutely smitten with this sweet boy. 8 lb 6 oz 20 3/4" of pure sweetness.
June 6 I woke up around 2 with contractions. Not close enough to go to the hospital, but strong enough I couldn't sleep. I moved around to the recliner and such, but figured we'd be in the hospital later that day. Around 5 they stopped all together. After getting so excited, I was so disappointed! Bitter, really. Off to swim team practice, Target, the regular activities of the day. Bummer. I had a few contractions during the day, but an hour or so between them. I had given up on June 6. Too bad. D Day would've been a cool day for a birthday. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for the next morning, and they let me bump it up earlier, so I had decided to go ahead and induce the next morning. I called Mom and made plans to bring the kids to her after swim practice in the evening. Around 3:30, I guess, I started having regular contractions that were still several minutes apart, but fairly strong. I told Buck I thought I needed him to come home and help pack the kids up. Shortly after that I decided maybe we should have Mom go ahead and pick the kids up. They were getting closer. By 6:00 we were on our way to the hospital. All of a sudden contractions were about 5 minutes apart. When we got there they were 2 or 3 minutes apart, and strong. We rode up in the elevator with a couple that I assume was on a hospital tour. I cried (loudly) through a contraction, then apologized...surely it was a little discomforting to them. We got to the intake desk upstairs. The receptionist said there wasn't a room ready. Could we please wait in the waiting room? Another contraction (they were only a minute apart...or pretty much nonstop by now), and I said emphatically, "No. This is #6 and it's coming now! Wait...my water just broke...or maybe I peed...nope, that was my water breaking." She called nurses, who came very quickly, and pushed me into the nearest room. As we entered the room, I said, "Here it comes!" They literally pushed me on the bed with my dress still on and before I knew it, "It's a boy!" They recorded that we checked in and my water broke at 6:32 and he was born at 6:36. I'm a slow processor. That along with no epidural (I learned I don't handle pain well) and all of the commotion, Charlie was laid on top of me immediately, and immediately started eating, but I don't feel like we really met until a few hours later. Whew! What a whirlwind of a meeting! He was born on D Day after all. A lot of it was a blur. When things finally calmed down a bit and I got a little more comfortable, the nurse sat me up to use the restroom (a requirement before patients can be moved to the mom and baby room). As I sat on the edge of the bed after all of that pain and chaos, my gaze inadvertently drifted out the window and I saw, quite possibly, the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. It was absolutely unbelievable. It somehow brought me out of the chaos into the calm of God's sovereignty and the beauty of His steadiness.
We moved to our room for the stay. When we settled in and I had some food, I was feeling kind of shaky and weak, Buck went to get some food for himself. When he came back to the room, he said, "So, I was driving to Burger King and had a Burger King epiphany (he was listening to something about D Day). Do you still like the name Charlie? (We had discussed Charlie, but couldn't think of a middle name). You know today is D Day, and Dwight D Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander (at this point I cringed because I thought he was going to suggest Dwight)? Do you know what "D" stands for? David. What do you think of Charles David?" I loved it immediately. I love the sound, I love the story (I feel like if you're never going to use a middle name, it should at least have some meaning). Charles David it is. BUT, we wouldn't tell anyone. Not even the nurses. Not until the kids came to meet him.
That night Charlie slept so well. I didn't sleep hardly at all because I was full of adrenaline. In the morning while Buck was gone to take care of things at home and freshen up, Charlie and I hung out with quiet hymns playing. It was such a peaceful contrast to the evening before. I think that's when we truly met. And I was so absolutely smitten with this sweet boy. 8 lb 6 oz 20 3/4" of pure sweetness.
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