5 months & a special anniversary!

Sweet baby Chase turned 5 months old today! Pictures will follow later this weekend when I get around to uploading them, but had to mark this monumental occasion :)

I can't believe it has been five months since I first met my beautiful baby boy. As I reflect back over the last five months of my life, my heart is taken back to one year ago today. On August 27, 2009 we had our pregnancy confirmed at 6 weeks by ultrasound and I heard the heartbeat of our growing baby for the very first time. I remember the rush of love, anxiety & emotion I felt at that moment and now one year later I have this growing little boy who has brought such joy to my life. It's amazing how full circle this life has become - what an amazing ride!

Tomorrow we are taking full advantage of the warm weather & a clear schedule and doing some fun things with Chase. I live for the weekends these days, and this one is gearing up to be a fantastic one.

xo,
Lindsay

Crazy couple of weeks!

We've had a crazy couple of weeks! Last time I posted, Matt had been away for a few days for work and it seems like since he returned home, we've not stopped! On August 16th, we celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary. It was so special this year because since our last anniversary when I was pregnant, our family has grown into a beautiful family of 3 and I feel so blessed over the last year of our married life together.

We also have been completely consumed by the planning & execution of the 2nd Annual Jessica Drew Memorial Golf Outing. It was this past Saturday, 8/21, and it was an even bigger success than I could have ever dreamed of. We had over 140 people in attendance and raised nearly $30,000!!! What a tribute and testament to the incredible life my sister led. It was a lot of work, but was so worth it when we realized what amazing good we were able to do!

Chase also threw a wrench in the mix of the last few week's craziness by going through the 4 month "wakeful period". This is where his cognitive development really kicked it up a notch and the world around him was so interesting that sleep was the bottom of his priority totem pole. He has averaged only about 3 hours of sleep a night the last couple of weeks and it sure added to our exhaustion level! The only benefit to all of it, is that even with little sleep, he is still such a well behaved happy baby that at 3am when he was wide awake he didn't cry, but was just a giggly smiley little boy. I've fallen more in love with him than even before (I didn't know that was possible?!). I love watching him take in the world around him, and see the light he brings to the faces of everyone who looks at him. He was such a trooper the entire day at the golf outing, and after being passed around to tons of people and completely thrown off any form of schedule he had, he stayed so joyful the entire day.

Things are settling a bit now. As I am typing this, Matt is upstairs packing for another overnight trip for work. As much as we miss him and it makes me appreciate our parenting partnership, I do enjoy the one on one time with Chase. Our bond as mommy & baby is so intense - its the most incredible thing I've ever experienced in my life. He is growing so quickly, and now when I look back on the pictures from when he was first born, it makes me realize how much he has grown and changed in just five months.

I am really looking forward to the month of September! First up, we have my best friend Staci's wedding, which is sure to be a magnificent day and then a week later we pack up the car and head to New England for a long awaited vacation! Our first stop will be in Massachusetts for a couple of days to spend some time with Nana & Bub. Then on Sunday we head to Maine for a week of total relaxation. My Nana & Papa's house has always been my place of refuge from the world, and I am so excited to introduce Chase to my favorite place on earth! We are even sneaking in a little family getaway while we are there and heading to the Samoset Resort to spend the night where we got engaged three years ago. It's so amazing what has happened and changed in the last three years - I've had the biggest heartaches and best moments of my life and I'm a much different person today than I was back then. Being a wife & mommy has changed my life for nothing but the better. I can't wait to make memories in my favorite state with my favorite husband, baby & grandparents. What a semi-charmed kind of life we lead :)

For now..here's a picture to show my favorite time of day that Matt caught on film. These moments don't get to happen nearly as often as I would like..but they sure are memorable and I think Chase enjoys them just as much as I do!

We don't like when Daddy is away!

Miss you daddy! Matt is away for work for a couple of days, and we made this as a surprise for him :)

Just can't have a bad day..

We had a busy weekend that went by way too fast, so it was really hard to go back to work today and be away from my little sweetie. My mom said that Chase only napped about 2 hours all day, which is far too little for our liking! Matt got home about an hour and a half before I did and said that Chase was restless, wasn't smiling like usual and just kept fussing. He was so overtired but just wouldn't go down to sleep. I came in the door from work and that was all it took for my sweet baby to burst into a smile! To make it even better, as soon as I took him and started singing my usual songs to him he quickly calmed down, laid his head on my chest and was out like a light. It is moments like these that fill my heart with such unspeakable joy. I was sitting on the couch holding this little angel and my eyes just welled up with tears of sheer joy and love at the miracle that was in my arms. I'm convinced that there is no such thing as a bad day with Chase in the world.

For another little treat, Chase decided to start trying to really hold his own bottle this morning - cutest thing! Enjoy the pictures!

Sometimes a baby just needs his mommy...


Big bottle holding baby!



I'm not sure if I shared this picture already or not, but Matt took this candid shot the other morning. Just another beautiful example of unspeakable joy.

Chase's Big Day!

Today was a big day for the Coulter family! Chase had his 4 month check up, complete with shots, and did great! I was able to sneak away from work to go with my mom & Chase to the appointment. Our little heavyweight is tipping the scales at 16lbs, 15 oz and is 26 1/2 inches long!! He is in the 81% for weight and 90% for height! He also received three shots and an oral vaccination. He screamed his cute little head off while the needles where in his leg, but once I picked him and gave him some mommy love, he was good to go!

The exciting day didn't stop there! The doctor gave us the go ahead to try rice cereal with him now that his weight is so high and he is eating so much. I went to target after work and got him some organic brown rice cereal (I know, I know) and tonight we mixed a little bit with breastmilk and the video & photos below are the end result. Of course, our little grabber had to make things even more exciting by grabbing the bowl and spilling it EVERYWHERE! Never a dull moment in our house, but certainly a bunch of proud ones :)

Fell asleep from excitement while mommy & daddy ate dinner!


First bite of cereal!


Big boy at the doctors office!



Family photo:



Proud mommy!


In action with dumping the bowl!

Rolling over!!

Today was another Monday, which we aren't too fond of in the Coulter household after we spend fun weekends together. However, Chase gave us a great surprise today and when we put him in his crib for a nap after dinner he surprised us and rolled over! We grabbed the video camera to get it for the second time on tape - enjoy!!