School Room

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We Are Moving

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The Best Mother’s Day Gift

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Corinne’s Monthly Updates

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Corinne – Two Months

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Corinne – One Month

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Siblings

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Pregnancy Update

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Painted Easter Eggs

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Our Family is Growing!

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Monthly Update

Three Months

April 22, 2013

I cannot believe this little cutie is three months old already!  I say it every month, but he is growing so fast.  I am afraid to look away from him; I might miss something.  Needless to say, it has been a while since I have gotten anything done around the house.  Oh well, he is only this age once, right?


























I had a hard time picking just a few pictures to post this month.  The faces he makes are priceless!

How could you not love that sweet little face?

We didn’t see the doctor this month, so I’m not quite sure what he weighs.  I tried to measure him last week, and based on my amateur measuring skills, it looks like he has grown another inch and is about 24 3/4″ long.  No wonder his pants are turning into high waters…time to move up a size!



We are going to be in trouble when Cullen starts moving.  He is already trying to sit up all the time.  He should have some pretty awesome baby abs with all the sit-ups he attempts these days.  Most of the time, he will fuss if you lay him down; he wants to sit up and look at everything!  (Including the TV.  I cannot tell you how many times this weekend I caught him sitting in someone’s lap starring at the television.  I can’t believe I’m having to fuss at him already!)

A few weeks ago, Cullen rolled over from his back to his stomach.  He hasn’t done it since, but I’m sure we are close to him rolling over more often.  He tries to flip over every time he’s on his tummy, but hasn’t quite figured it out just yet.

If this little ball of fun isn’t asleep he is staring at or talking to something.  He loves to look at patterns, especially whatever is on your shirt and the frame wall in our den.  And he is fascinated by his feet!  If they are anywhere near his line of sight, he stares at them with a quizzical look as if he’s thinking, “what are you, and what do you do?”  He was wearing footie pajamas one night and started talking to the monkeys on his feet.  I’m telling you, this kid will talk to anything: you, his toys, his feet, the couch.  Anything he can look at is worth talking to.  I love listening to all of his ‘ah-goos’ and almost giggles.  

This past week, Cullen has started paying more attention to our puppy, Macey.  He looks at her like she is the best toy ever and he can’t wait to get his hands on her.  Macey on the other hand, is not quite as interested as she used to be.  With his constantly moving arms and legs, she gets hit and kicked fairly often…I don’t think she’s a fan.  I can’t wait to see how they react as he gets older.

I feel so blessed to get to be the mother of this wonderful little boy!





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Cullen’s First Easter

April 17, 2013

I just wanted to share a few pictures of Cullen’s first Easter.  


The Easter Bunny brought Cullen a stuffed bunny, Sophie Giraffe and one of her friends, an Easter bib, and The Velveteen Rabbit.  As you can see, he was trilled.

























His adorable Easter outfit was a pink oxford shirt, chinos, a seersucker blazer, and the tiniest bowtie ever.  He looked pretty darn cute.






































Cullen and his Uncle Travis matched.  Look at these handsome men!






































We were able to sneak in a family photo once the sun came out.  Cullen did not want to cooperate.  I think he was ready to get out of those clothes.






































After lunch, Cullen ‘found’ his first Easter egg with a dollar in it. 

























After a busy day, Cullen did some snuggling with his Uncle.  Look at that face!  Melts my heart!


Monthly Update

Two Months

April 17, 2013

So, I’m only about a month late in writing this post, but I’m going to blame it on the craziness being a new mom.  (I can still use that excuse for a little while, right?!)  I mean, I still haven’t gotten all of the thank you notes and birth announcements mailed.  I promise…they are coming!


Anyway, another month has flown by!  Like I said last month, I feel like Cullen changes every day.  I am afraid to blink; I might miss something.

At Cullen’s two month well check, he weighed 11 pounds 6.5 ounces and was 23.8 inches long.  This kid is long and skinny…not quite the chunk we expected, but he is as healthy as can be.





































We are truly blessed to have such a healthy and happy baby.  (Corey warns me not to tell people how great he is…apparently this is not the norm.)  He almost never cries or fusses and is a great sleeper!  A little before the two month mark, Cullen started sleeping 6 – 7 hours at night and has been doing so ever since.  He is a little night owl and goes to sleep between 11 and 12 at night and sleeps until 6 or so in the morning.  It is wonderful!  Naps are a totally different story though.  Cullen is a cat-napper.  He likes to sleep for 15 to 30 minutes and then is up and ready to play again.  Occasionally he will sneak in a longer nap in the mornings, but its almost like he is afraid he will miss something if he sleeps too long.  As long as he is happy though, we are just going to let him do his thing.  

Speaking of happy, this little boy loves to smile and laugh!  If he is awake, you can probably get him talking and laughing.  Our days are now filled with ‘ah-goos’, giggles, and the biggest smiles ever.  My cheeks hurt most days from smiling so much!

Corey and I feel so blessed to be the parents of such a wonderful little boy.  I love watching him grow and learn new things every day.  He is a little ball of fun and he keeps everyone entertained.  I cannot believe how much personality such a little person can have.  I am excited to see what he will do next!

Doctor Appointments Monthly Update

One Month

February 26, 2013

I cannot believe that Cullen is already a month old!  This past month has flown by.  It’s hard to remember what it felt like not to have this little boy with us, but at the same time, it seems like just yesterday I was still sporting the baby belly.


This little cutie has changed so much in the past month.  

During the first few weeks, it seemed like all he did was sleep.  We had to wake him up at least every three hours to eat.  And by wake him up I mean undress him, change his diaper, rub/tickle his hands and feet…we tried absolutely everything.  This kid could sleep.  

Cullen has done a complete 180 in the past couple of weeks.  He still sleeps a good bit during the day, but has more and more awake time everyday.  We are now able to feed him on demand.  During the day he wants to eat every 2 to 3 hours. Most nights he is still waking up every 3 hours to eat, but occasionally we will get a 4 or 5 hour stretch.  I love those nights!






































At this point our day consists of naps, lots of eating, reading stories, time in the swing, and tummy time.  Cullen and I usually get out of the house a couple of days a week, even if its just for a quick trip to the store.  He really is a happy baby, and enjoys everything we do during the day. The only time he really fusses is when he’s hungry; so about every two hours he cries until I can get the bottle in his mouth. But once fed, he is happy again.

I got my first ‘real’ smile at the one month mark.  He was laying on his activity gym grunting (as usual).  I went over to pick him up and laid him in my lap.  as soon as I started talking to him, his face lit up, his eyes got wide, and he showed off the most adorable toothless grin.  These smiles are still pretty sporadic, but they melt my heart every time!

Cullen is becoming a pro at holding his head up.  He has had surprisingly good neck control from birth, but it gets better every day.  He loves tummy time and is great at lifting his head off the ground for a pretty good length of time.  If he is awake and laying on someone’s chest, he pushes back and holds his head up to look around.  We are going to be in trouble when this little guy starts moving.  I have a feeling it will be early and he will keep us moving.

Last week, Corey and I took Cullen to the doctor for his one month check-up.  He now weighs 10 pounds 6 ounces and is 23.2 inches long.  Such a big boy!  I can’t believe how fast he is growing.  Like any mother, I don’t want him to grow up too fast; I am really enjoying this newborn stage.  But I am also looking forward to seeing who this little boy becomes and being able to do more with him.


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Cullen’s First Snow

February 16, 2013

Cullen got to experience his first snow today.  I don’t think he really cared, but it gave me an excuse to bundle him up and take some pictures.  Enjoy!

I am sure that Cullen will enjoy next year’s snow much more.  Can’t wait to build snowmen with this little man!


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Cullen’s Birth Story

February 16, 2013

This is only four weeks late, but I wanted to share Cullen’s birth story with everyone.


On Wednesday, January 16th, I had my 39 week doctor’s appointment.  Since I had been measuring 1 1/2 to 2 weeks ahead, they wanted to do a growth ultrasound to see just how big Cullen might be.  Before the ultrasound tech even said anything, I knew he must have been measuring really big, because she had to keep zooming out to get an accurate head and stomach measurement.  Sure enough, they estimated that he weighed about 9 lbs 15 oz.  I was carrying a 10 lb baby!  No wonder I looked so huge!  

After the ultrasound, Corey and I met with the doctor to see how I was progressing.  At 39 weeks 3 days, Cullen had not really dropped, and I had not dilated at all.  This boy was obviously not in a hurry to get out.  And he was already almost 10 lbs and growing every day.

After talking with Dr. H, Corey and I decided that the best thing would be to go ahead and schedule a c-section.  We discussed with the doctor that most likely, Cullen was not going to come on his own…he was just too big to even start making his way out.  I was probably not going to go into labor on my own anytime soon, and the risks of me trying to birth such a large baby naturally were just not worth it.  We scheduled the c-section for 9:00 the next morning.  Leave it to me to plan the birth of my child.

After leaving the doctor’s office, we called our families and I called work to let them know I would not be coming back in for a while.  Then I went home to pack what we needed for the hospital. (Yes, I waited until the last minute.  Of course.)  When Corey got home, we went out to get dinner for the last time as a family of two.

Thursday morning, we got up early, loaded up the car, and headed to the hospital.  We were only about 5 minutes late (that’s pretty good for us), but my parents beat us there.  After laughing about that, I checked in and headed to the room to get prepped for surgery.  I put on that lovely hospital gown, crawled in the bed, and then the nurses hooked me up to about every machine imaginable.  Corey and our families hung out in the room with us while nurses monitored me, the anesthesiologist introduced himself and went over the drugs I would get, and Dr. H came by to check on me.

At about 8:45, Corey donned his lovely blue scrubs, and they wheeled me down to the operating room.  Let me tell you, they keep those rooms cold.  That was probably my least favorite part of the whole experience.  Despite my constant shivering, I got on the table and the anesthesiologist got to work numbing me up from the waist down.  Once I got over the fact that no matter how hard I tried, I could not get my brain to tell my toes to wiggle, I was okay with not being able to feel anything.

Just after 9:00, they were about to start.  I had to quickly let them know that I could see the reflection of my stomach in the overhead light.  Thank goodness they could move the light; I did not want to see what they were doing down there.  Corey on the other hand wanted to watch the whole thing.  I was surprised that he was able to watch them cut me open like that. ( I guess all those medical dramas we watch helped.)  

At 9:19 I heard our son’s first little noise.  It wasn’t so much of a cry…he just seemed a little annoyed that someone moved him when he was so cozy.  Corey grabbed the camera and followed the nurses to capture Cullen’s first moments as they weighed him and inked up his little feet.  



A few minutes later, Corey brought Cullen over to me and laid him on my shoulder.  I immediately loved that little boy more than I could have ever imagined.  I wanted so badly to wrap my arms around him and never let go.  But I had to settle for kissing his sweet little head as Corey held him close.



Cullen Todd was born on Thursday, January 17th at 9:19 am.  He weighed 9 lbs 5 oz and was 21 inches long.

After Dr. H sewed me back up, we went back to our Mom and Baby room.  Our families met us in the hall on the way and got a glimpse of the newest family member.


We stayed in the hospital until Sunday.  We had a wonderful experience while we were there.  Cullen’s birth went great, and I was already recovering well.  There is really not anything I would change about Cullen’s birth.  I am a little sad that I didn’t get to experience a traditional labor and delivery, but more than anything I am happy that our son made his entrance to this world happy and healthy.

And because I can’t help myself, here are a few more pictures from our stay in the hospital.

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Nursery

January 16, 2013
About a week before Cullen’s due date, we finally finished the nursery!  It’s about time!



I love this room!
Weekly Update

39 Weeks

January 14, 2013

My baby bump at 39 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: I am up a total of 18.5 lbs. (I gained about 1 lb this past week.)

Movement:  Lots!  If I’m not up and moving around, Cullen seems to be having a dance party in there.  He seems to have dropped some in the past couple of days, so hopefully things are moving in the right direction.

Boy or Girl? Boy!!!

Food Cravings: No cravings.

How I’m Feeling: For being 39 weeks pregnant, I feel great!  I could not have asked for a better pregnancy.  Usually, you hear about women who are miserable at this point in their pregnancy and can’t wait for it to be over.  I have been incredibly blessed that I have had such a wonderful experience and wouldn’t mind being pregnant a little longer (I have a feeling I am going to miss it actually.)  But I am super ready to be able to hold Cullen in my arms!

Size of Baby: Watermelon (19 – 22 in, 7 lbs) 

Baby’s Development:  Baby’s weight and height have probably increased only a little from last week.  But his brain is still developing rapidly (a pace that continues during the first three years of life), with changes we’ll be able to recognize firsthand as baby’s skill-packed bag of tricks expands almost daily.  Baby’s skin has now finally changed from pink to white.  That’s because a thicker fat layer has been deposited over the blood vessels.

Best Part of this Week: Finally feeling like we are ready to welcome a baby into our home!  With help from my parents (I don’t know how everything would have gotten done without them) and Corey being the Super Husband that he is, the nursery is finally done and the house is finally clean.  It feels so good to just be waiting now!

What I’m Looking Forward To: Meeting our little one!  I finally feel like things are moving in that direction, and hopefully we will get some good news when we go to the doctor this week.  They are going to do a growth ultrasound (if I have not had him by then…it doesn’t seem like he is in too much of a hurry).  I am excited that we will have the opportunity to see him one more time before he makes his entrance into the outside world, but am a little nervous that they are going to tell me he is huge and attempting a traditional delivery would be too risky.  But I know that God has a plan, and as long as Cullen gets here safely that is all that matters.  And Corey should get to go with me this week, so I will have some much needed support as we are faced with some decisions about Cullen’s birth.

Weekly Update

38 Weeks

January 9, 2013

My baby bump at 38 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: I am up a total of 17.5 lbs. (I gained about 2 lbs this past week.)

Movement:  Cullen is still a little wiggle worm.  Lots of squirming going on in there!

Boy or Girl? Boy!!!

Food Cravings: No cravings.

How I’m Feeling: I am ready for this little guy to get here already!  I feel huge some days…and for good reason.  At my appointment this morning, Dr. H said I am measuring at 40 weeks.  If I haven’t had Cullen by my appointment next week, they are going to do a growth ultrasound to see how big he might actually be.  If he is too big, we will start discussing the risks of a c-section versus a traditional delivery.  Hoping this little guy comes before next Wednesday so that we don’t have to make that decision and so that hopefully he is not too big of a baby!

Size of Baby: Watermelon (19 – 22 in, 6.5 lbs) 

Baby’s Development:  With only a couple of weeks left, our little one isn’t so little anymore.  As we prepare for baby’s ETA, he is also getting ready.  Vernix and lanugo continue to shed from baby’s body into the amniotic fluid.  Baby’s lungs are continuing to mature as more and more surfactant is secreted.  All systems, almost go!

Best Part of this Week: Getting everything ready for this little boy!  Everything has been washed, organized, and put away.  Going though everything made me even more excited about his arrival.  I still can’t believe we are so close!

What I’m Looking Forward To: Having this baby!  Corey and I are both super ready for him to get here already.  As much as I want Cullen to come out when he is good and ready, I hope he decides to make an early appearance!

Weekly Update

37 Weeks

December 31, 2012

My baby bump at 37 weeks from the side:



And from the front:


























Total Weight Gain: I am up a total of 15.5 lbs. (No change this past week.)

Movement:  Cullen is constantly moving!  Last night, I could make out the outline of his little foot as he pushed it out against my belly!

Boy or Girl? Boy!!!

Food Cravings: No cravings.

How I’m Feeling: I still feel pretty great!  No problems sleeping, I can still move around pretty well, and no real contractions yet.  I have some Braxton Hicks contractions just about every day, but they usually go away when I sit down for a few minutes.

Size of Baby: Watermelon (19 – 22 in, 6.5 lbs) 

Baby’s Development:  At 37 weeks, my pregnancy is considered full term.  Yay!  At this point, baby can be expected to gain about half an ounce per day.  So what’s keeping little one busy these days?  Practice, practice, practice.  Baby is simulating breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, sucking on his thumb, blinking, and pivoting from side to side.  All these are skills needed for life outside the womb.

Best Part of this Week: Christmas and working on the nursery!  I had a wonderful Christmas spent enjoying time with family.  Then, on Saturday, my mom came over to help me work on the nursery.  We made the crib skirt, worked on the curtains, and I finished the quilt.  So glad it is finally coming together!  (There’s nothing like waiting until the last minute.)

What I’m Looking Forward To: Meeting our little boy!  We don’t quite have everything ready for his arrival yet, so I am perfectly okay with him waiting another 3 weeks to get here, but I can’t believe we are so close.  I get more excited every day about getting to hold him so soon!