Going Home

The time has come to finally go home. Cole was offered a job at Edward's Life Sciences in Draper, Utah and has taken it. He has been unhappy in his current job for a while now and wanted something different. He has been applying at various companies for a long time. Two weeks before Carter was born he got interviews with three different companies in Utah. Edward's was our top choice and the day after Carter was born they offered him a job. We've been waiting until Cole gave his two week notice to tell people. He had 3 years at Gore this week which meant he was fully vested, thus the need to keep this quiet until that day. He gave his notice yesterday. Needless to say his employer was very surprised and very sad to hear he is leaving. They are begging him to stay but he doesn't want to.

Preparing to move has kept us very busy. It's been hard for me to focus on the move because my focus is on Carter right now so Cole's done a lot of the planning for us. Me and the kids will drive to Utah next weekend with my Dad and Cole will come the following weekend. We've listed our home at the lowest amount we can (which means we will loose a lot of money) and if it doesn't sell we will have to rent it. My parents have graciously offered to let us live at their house until we settle things with our Flagstaff home.

I am leaving Flagstaff with mixed feelings. I am going to miss the associations we have here and I hate starting over. Change can be good but it usually comes with hardships. I am so excited to be near family. I am thrilled that my kids will grow up with family around. I am excited to be around to celebrate events and help with hardships in our families lives. I look forward to having more support when trials come. This last year has been hard and we've felt a longing for families support. I will not miss the liberal element in Flagstaff. Even though it is in AZ it is a very liberal town with a strong transient element. I will not miss the long windy season. I will miss Lexi's playgroup, my bunco group, my young women, Oregano's, my house, and the way the trees look after it snows. We would have been fine staying here but we are so excited for the opportunity to go home!

One Month Old

Carter is now one month old. It has been an eventful month at our house. We love having Carter in our family. He is such a good baby and makes us smile each day. Below are pictures from his first time going to church, Lexi reading to him, and just being cute.

Fun weekend

We had a very fun weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Chamberlain came to visit. We started the weekend by going to Eden's home in Phoenix. They blessed Crew and we enjoyed being able to be there for his blessing. Crew and Carter are about 8 weeks apart but Crew is a lot bigger already. Lexi loved, loved, loved playing with her cousins. They were so excited to see her and were so nice to her. At first they asked us if she could talk. We said yes and that she is shy at first. A few minutes later they came running in and excitedly told us she talked to them. It was really funny. It was so good for Lexi to go and have fun with them. The adjustment to getting less attention from Mom and Dad has been hard for her. The next day we got to see Aunt Ariel and hang out with Cole's parents. Lexi got a cute hat from Turkey that Grandma brought. We enjoyed seeing everyone and miss them already.

Two Weeks Old

Carter is two weeks old today. I kind of wish I could stop time. I love having such a sweet baby and know they grow up too fast. There are a lot of pictures below of life over the last two weeks: leaving the hospital, introducing Lexi to Carter, enjoying Grandma's company, Easter, first bath, first mohawk (per Cole's request), Lexi playing with Carter, Carter's 2 week birthday (the gray and lime out-fit pictures).

Carter's Story

Carter was born Monday, April 18th. We woke up and got to the hospital at 9 and the c-section was scheduled for 11 am. The wait was hard but I had a great nurse. We were prepped in the triage and there was a woman there who was having problems and they couldn't find the babies heartbeat. It was so hard to listen to them cry knowing that in a few hours I would be having my baby. I tried not to listen because it was making me sad and nervous. Eventually it looked like they found the babies heartbeat but there were still concerns. I don't know what happened. My IV went much better this time.

Once I was prepped Cole got on his scrubs and we were walked down to the operating area. I had to go in without Cole. I wish he could have stayed. Things moved very fast after that. They put up the curtain, numbed me, and then brought Cole it. I didn't shake like I did with Lexi. Cole got to watch the surgery and even took some pictures of Carter coming out. I heard Dr. Perrin say, "I see some hair," and the anesthesiologist said, "I see some plumbing." I wanted to ask her what color his hair was but didn't. I was also relieved that he really was a boy. The next thing I knew they pulled him out and showed me a handsome little dark haired boy. I got teary eyed and was so happy he had dark hair. I secretly really wanted a dark hair boy that looked like Cole and I got my wish. I immediately knew our decision to give him Cole's middle name was the right one. They took him over to be weighed and he peed. He weighed 7 lbs exactly (which was my guess:). He was 21 in which shocked us (later at the doctors he was only 20 1/2 in). It was such a joyful experience. The entire procedure and recovery were so much better than Lexi's birth. I was able to get up and about a lot faster. Carter had some of the same struggles Lexi did with nursing but we had great nurses that helped us with that.

Everyone in the hospital loved Carter. I had nurses tell me he was the cutest baby on the floor and they wanted to take him home. Carter has brought me so much happiness. I have really enjoyed having a newborn around again. I am so much more relaxed this time and it's helped me to enjoy the little things more. Carter does not like to sleep in his bed. For some reason he can tell the difference between laying in his bed vs our bed.

Lexi didn't get to come to the hospital to meet Carter due to hospital restrictions. She was really excited the day we came home. She was prancing over to us the minute we got in the door and wanted to see baby Carter so bad. I don't think I've ever seen her so excited. When she saw him she just kept saying over and over, "He's so cute!" I am so glad he is here and is healthy. I am also glad things worked out the best they could and that my Mom could come to help us with the transition. We love our baby Carter!