Charlotte

Here is Charlotte getting ready for her first bath at home. She's holding on tight to her binky just in case. I was so anxious to get rid of that mohawk they give them at the hospital.I love bathing them in fleece like this when they're brand new because they hardly notice they're getting wet.

I love these small windows of "awake time" when they look around and wiggle for a while before falling back asleep. I did try to put another bow in her hair but I didn't have Karo syrup or anything else sticky enough. Just so you know, honey doesn't work and it makes a sticky mess on your baby's head.

Lookin' at her mama.

My mom came up to visit and help out over the weekend. Thank you Mom!

RSV

Most mothers that have given birth during the winter months have heard of this nasty little virus called RSV. In adults, it manifests itself similarly to the common cold, but in infants it can be more serious. Well, tis the season and we've been hit!

The day before we brought Charlotte home from the hospital, both and Hazel and I started coughing and we both got sick. We took Hazel to the pediatrician immediately just to know what we were dealing with and she says, "Sorry, it's RSV." Needless to say, we've kept Charlotte as far away from everyone as possible. I think Hazel believes her baby sister has transformed into a little crying voice on a monitor. Since the virus is SO contagious, David has stayed home from work longer than anticipated to take care of Hazel as much as possible so that I could be with Charlotte. I wash my hands about every five minutes, disinfect, wear a mask at all times, and change my clothes every time I enter our room to feed Charlotte. We are EXHAUSTED!

But, on the brighter side, Charlotte is still doing well (we're praying she stays that way) and Hazel hasn't gotten worse, although she's still in the thick of it. David is back at work today and I actually got some sleep last night and feel a little better today. Sorry if it seems we've slipped off the planet, but we'll be staying inside for quite a while. We love you all and can't wait to have our friends over to see the baby---just know that it will be a few weeks before we can safely let you in our doors!

Here's a link about RSV for those of you who are unaware. Keep your little ones inside and wash wash wash. Remember that these germs can stay on clothes and hard surfaces for a few hours.
http://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html

Love you guys.

Janelle

P.S. thank you so much for all of your responses to our Charlotte post. We love hearing from you. I have more pictures of her coming soon. I love her dark hair, it's my favorite. And did we ever tell you? Her full name is Charlotte Patricia Phipps. I actually let David name this one since I named Hazel (although we both loved the two names we were choosing between--so I was safe either way). Charlotte is after my great-grandmother "Lottie" and Patricia is after David's favorite grandmother. She's got a lot to live up to.

She has arrived!

She's here! At about 3:30am my water broke and we headed to the hospital as soon as possible. By the time I was brought into the delivery room, my contractions were only a minute or two apart and I was dilated to an eight! They quickly administered the epidural (love that) and at 5:16 am we had a beautiful little girl in our arms! She weighs 7 lbs 9 oz and is a little over 20 inches long. She has a full head of black hair just like her mom did. We couldn't be more in love with our second little girl and Hazel is SO excited to be a big sister. Thanks for all your love and support and phone calls. We are all doing well.

At this point David votes for naming her "Tank"

My favorite is the mohawk they give her after her bath.

Hazel loves holding the baby and pointing to all of her features and saying them.- "nose", "mouth", "hair"

And there is no taking that little baby away from her. "NO!"

The Phipps ladies. I have now been completely outnumbered! -David


So, what is her name? Well it wasn't very easy, but we decided to name her...

Charlotte.

A Sneak Peak

January 18th, 2009

Any day now! I've been "nesting" like crazy the past couple of days, trying to get the house clean and ready for our new little baby.

(Front Room)
I only have pictures of the downstairs front rooms right now. More will come very soon.

Dining

I love our home!

Happy New Year to all. Thanks to all of our friends back down in Sugarhouse for a great party.

Leonard Family Reunion

The day after Christmas we headed down to Arizona for my grandparents' 50th Anniversary. I LOVE all of my cousins in the Leonard family and it was so fun to catch up with them. My camera died halfway through the Anniversary party, so I'll have to update this post once my mom sends me some of her pics. Hazel was out on the dance floor for most of the night with the smaller boy cousins showing off her Phipps moves. It was an awesome trip; we love you Leonard family.
On the left is my cousin Joshua whom I used to carry around everywhere on my hip when he was two and I was nine. I can't believe he's about to go on a mission! On the right is DJ, who also suddenly grew up before I knew it. Cute boys!

Here is my mom (far right) with all of her brothers and sisters.

Josh and I!

Christmas Morning

This was by far the best Christmas we've ever had. It was small and simple and the best part was watching Hazel get so excited about each present. We're so grateful for the little things that make Christmas special and simply the best day of the year!