My son has his eyes open :)

What a cutie, eh? I am still trying to get the ever elusive picture of Carson smiling, but I'm working on it!

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend--we will be diving into FOOTBALL season with the CU-CSU showdown tomorrow and the Fantasy football draft on Sunday. I LOVE football season!! Carson already has a bunch of outfits to show that he loves football season too. :)

This is funny

Is it just me or is this really funny?? Maybe it is because I am a history geek who likes timelines, but this is funny...right? No wonder Al Gore is interested in the "inconceivable truth"!! :) ha ha ha

Carson has gained a whole pound since last week, which is positive proof that Boobs McGee is IN BUSINESS!

More proud grandparents and cousin Collin!

Here are some pictures of the LOWE clan--Grandma and Grandpa and Collin. Collin insists that he will be teaching Carson all about Soccer and taking him out to "show him the ropes" since there is a 14 year difference between them. I'm sure Carson will look up to Collin a lot!

My update today comes at a peaceful time when I am feeling pretty confident about this motherhood thing, and very happy with it all :). I have figured out a few very important things so far, but nothing more important than NOT TO EAT green peppers and onions....ever....when I am breastfeeding.

We are going to a neighborhood block party tonight to hang out with Jack and Phyllis Brown--enjoy the pics!

Currently God's greatest invention...

Just one more thing...I am so grateful for Mylicon! Just a few drops and my baby is the happiest little thing in the world :). What will they think of next?

Just call me "Boobs McGee"...

So I am having a great time for the most part transitioning into this motherhood thing--I have ONE specific job, and it revolves around the huge jugs that I have now that I am breastfeeding :).

This is such a cool experience. I am VERY glad that I took so much time off to enjoy this initial induction into parenthood--mostly because it is kind of SCARY at first to realize how much you love this new little being, and it is stressful because there is no instruction manual included. hahaha

I will say this though, I am grateful to have had a few extra days in the hospital as a result of having a C-section (did I mention how glad I am that Carson didn't try to come out my hoo-hoo??) because it is really nice to have the extra help from the nursing staff while you are realizing the responsibilities that lie ahead. Avista Hospital was AMAZING. It helped a little that Mike and I had both taught/coached one of the Hospital nurse-techs (thank-you Ashley Holsinger), because she hooked us up with a corner room that was big enough to have prom in, and even brought Mike a bed to sleep on instead of the couch :). She also brought us A LOT of extra supplies to take home--in addition to us taking EVERYTHING in our room when we left...seriously--we robbed that place blind of diapers and anything else we could find!

When we got home last Thursday 8/16, Grandma and Grandpa Bedwell came over and spent the night. It was really cool to have them both there, and Mom has been over every day now that Mike has gone back to work. I will always look back on this time with my Mom, because she has been an invaluable help as we have settled in. These pictures show how much Carson already loves to be rocked by Grandpa, and held by Grandma. :)

On Friday 8/17, some of Mike's buddies came over to the house to mark the occasion "the old fashioned way" and they smoked a cigar to welcome Carson to the family. There is a lot to be said about TRADITION :)!

Finally, Carson and I have settled in to a comfortable routine. I am in the stage where I get excited when he spits up on me or really throws a great deuce--don't worry I know this will pass, but we are SO lucky to be parents!!

Carson Michael Lowe has arrived

Carson Michael Lowe joined our family on Monday, August 13th at 1:11 p.m.. He weighed in at 9 lbs 5 oz, so I am filled with gratitude that he was breach and I had a C-section--can anyone explain to me how I was going to give birth to a 14-inch head through a 10-cm cervix?

More details will come, but here are some pictures to get started...

Touring the Hospital for the big day

Last night we had our final "Childhood Preparation" class with the Hospital and got to tour the facility where all the action will be on Monday. It was very informative and comforting to see how much they take care of new families at Avista. I will be in the hospital for 3-4 days, and it doesn't look so bad after the tour. Of course, one of the nurse interns that works in the Baby unit is a former student that Mike coached and I taught, and she came running over and actually cried when she saw that I was pregnant! She is also trying to switch her schedule around on Monday so she can be there for the C-section. It was a fun reunion. :)

I am heading over to the swimming pool today since it is 98 degrees here. One more appearance in my sexy maternity bathing suit!!

In the words of the band Europe--we are in the FINAL COUNTDOWN!

I'm gearing up for FANTASY FOOTBALL again this year--and so far what I DO know is who I won't be selecting at QB...

Well, after another poor night's sleep I can tell you that I am very excited that we only have one week before we get to meet the new addition to our family! It really is TIME for him to introduce himself on the outside, you know? I'm not sure the people in my neighborhood can handle seeing me in my maternity swimsuit anymore either. :)

For any of you who have finished reading the brilliant "Deathly Hallows" (last installment of the Harry Potter series)--you need to see the "Dateline" episode where Meredith Viera interviews JK Rowling. She really does tell all in this interview about her writing process and plot twists and turns. I bet you can find it online. It is worth viewing!

The newest update AND it is time to meet KAVA!

About 3 months ago, Mike and I went to the Denver Dumb Friends League (I have ALWAYS hated this name!! ha ha) to "look" at dogs now that Uncle Fatty has passed on into kitty heaven. What were we thinking?? You can't just LOOK at dogs in the pound without wanting to take home all of them!! In our case, it was love at first sight with one Black Lab/Chow mix...and the newest addition to our family is KAVA. He is a great dog and so much fun. He loves kids and to be around people. He will be 1 year old in September, so we still have some "puppy stages" to work through--but we LOVE having a dog!

We have made our decision about whether or not to do the Version procedure to turn the baby. NO WAY. Nature will take its course and hopefully the baby will turn on his own before August 13th--if not, then he will be born via C-section then. We can't WAIT to meet him!