The things I've learned during my 6 weeks as a mom

1. You will be surprised how little sleep you can actually function on. I haven't relied on caffeine to get me through...just amazing how your body gears up and is ready for you to be up after 2 hours of sleep

2. It is amazing how fast you become skilled at using one hand to do just about everything...play on the computer, use your phone, do the laundry...at first I thought I would literally not be able to move as long as I was feeding Crawford..

3. By the end of the day you forget if you've eaten breakast or lunch...or maybe you had breakfast at lunch because that was the first time you were able to step away for a few minutes

4. After the first few weeks I had watched more television than I probably had all year. I now know that Regis and Kelly follow the today show which then leads into Rachael Ray, the news, Andy Griffith show, soaps, the Doctors, Ellen, and then Oprah...yes in that order all on the same channel...at least I don't have to find something to watch...although I try to stay busy during the 12:30-2 since I don't like those shows...but rarely does the television channel or volume change because normally I have placed them on the couch far out of reach from my feeding grounds with Crawford...thank goodness Brad gets home sometime during Oprah

5. You know your son is already trying to outsmart you when you finally change his diaper, put diaper cream on him, place a new diaper on him and he decides to go to the bathroom all over again...or sometimes you may not be so lucky and get that diaper there in time...

6. Personal hygiene is for the birds...I mean brushing my teeth for 2 minutes seems like forever when the baby is SCREAMING because you placed him on the boppy for those 2 minutes...haven't mastered buy 1 shower with just Crawford and I in the house ...in 6 weeks you do the math...not much time to get much done...can count the number of times I have straightened my hair and I'm really in for a treat if I can at least blow dry it.

7. Getting dressed is also a thing of the past...most days I am in mismatched pjs with socks and my shirt is hanging off one shoulder from feeding so frequently.

8. This whole trying to decipher crying...well again it's for the birds...I tell myself oh he must be hungry or he's tired but really this is what mommy "thinks' is wrong and so I proceed and give myself a pat on the back when it works...when all else fails I simply feed little Crawford because he is ALWAYS up for a meal!

Just a few lessons I have learned over the past few weeks...but since I have been interrupted 3 times while trying to post this better tend to little Crawford for now!

Crawford's 1st Road Trip

Well we embarked on Crawford's first road trip at about 4:30 on Thursday January 20th. We bundled him up and mommy sat in the back seat of our new car (which I guess I have forgotten to mention...got a 2009 Acadia back on Dec. 30th we love it!) ...Crawford quieted down once we started moving and literally didn't make a peep until we were inside of Corinne's house a little after 7. Daddy had to go to the bathroom since about Hendersonville and if you know Brad holding it for 2+ hours is not something he ever does...

Well the moment we stepped in the house of course Ryan was in love...she loved her adorable baby cousin Crawford (as she had been expecting his arrival)..she wanted to share her toys and hold him...what we didn't expect was for Hayden to be mesmorized by him...I mean she just followed Crawford wherever he went...When I began to feed him she was literally crawling up my leg to see him..everytime she would see him she would give him kisses all over (really just open her mouth and slobber on him but just as cute!)....She loved poking him she wanted to poke his eyes, his ears, anywhere on his face...I mean I had no idea she would even realize he was there..it was soo sweet and soo adorable!














Ryan wanted to help with every diaper change and she would always go grab one of his diapers and then make sure everything was clean she kept taking his dirty things and "washing" them in the bathroom aka she would bring them back soaking wet...thank you Ryan...














Both girls just loved kissing on him...literally without any cues these girls just loved on him...of course Ryan acted like the adult and would be like "Hayden gentle...Hayden don't touch" She would say things like "You are so adorable little Crawford...Ok little Crawford be quiet.."














Crawford wasn't on his best behavior during our visit though...he stayed pretty fussy and wanted to eat all the time....what else is new?!




























Crawford is 6 weeks old now and finally has started to settle down...in the last week he has taken naps throughout the day (in his swing ...which is brand new he used to just sit quietly for max 10 minutes and then he would be screaming...now he naps in his swing...man we couldn't be happier!)...

Over the last week he has slept 8 hours --TWICE (once from 11-6:40) and the other from (10-5:50) ...I mean I know it won't be every night but knowing that he can make it 8 hours between feedings is amazing...BUT ..the catch is Mister Fussy himself starts getting fussy about 5 every afternoon and we begin feeding/burping/diaper changing...and this cycle literally goes from 5-10,11, midnight..whenever he falls asleep so it's a LOT of work to get some sleep...but I'll take what I can get that's for sure! I am soo proud of him and just loving that he is finally settling down and becoming this little person that I see change each and every day! I couldn't love him anymore...sometimes even after feeding him and being up for long stretches at night he will decide to fall asleep while I am burping him and I literally just hold him against my chest and just love this special time I get to spend with him as I am sure it will disappear just as fast.















He really knows when I am about to feed him...at least I think he does...when he starts screaming and letting me know that he's hungry I change his diaper and as I do I calm him down and let him know that we are just getting him comfortable so we can go eat and he just stays so calm and I talk him all the way through until I get situated and ready to feed him and he just stays calm and that's how I know that he understands I am his mommy right now!














We work on tummy time every now and then...I thought I would be this stickler for tummy time and he would spend 10-15 minutes on his tummy each and every day...well that doesn't really happen but every now and then when he is in a good mood I'll put him on his tummy and give him some good practice of strengthening his upper body...he already has great head control and I am sure with much more tummy time practice he will continue to get stronger!

Newborn Crawford

Our sweet little angel! These are from his newborn photo shoot! I always knew I wanted to have these special pictures done. I think it is so neat that photographers can shape their little sleepy body in those early days. These were taken our 4th day home from the hospital (on December 21st) so little Crawford was just 6 days old! I remember being nervous that he wouldn't sleep and back then I really had no idea how to calm him down...she would tell me to take a break to feed him if I needed but I didn't know if that would calm him..haha oh how even 6 weeks have made such a difference in my confidence in caring for little Crawford. He just looks like an angel in these pictures and I think Gena Murphy did a great job. You can check her work out at http://www.genamurphyphotography.smugmug.com/ I am currently trying to print pictures and figure out which ones I will hang and how to make sure that he will have all of these pictures to look back on one day!


Making the decision to have a child-- it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body. ~ Elizabeth Stone














The moment a child is born a mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh














A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for. ~Anonymous














A baby is born with the need to be loved -- and never outgrows it. ~ Frank A. Clark




















It was the tiniest thing I ever decided to put my whole life into. ~Terri Guillemets














To the whole world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the whole world. ~Joseph Campbell

You're a special gift this Christmas

Sent from heaven above

A perfect little angel

for all of us to love

Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, Which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign onto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger - Luke 2:10-12





















Our lives are filled with happiness
Our hearts are full of love
We finally have this little babe
That we've been dreaming of




















A baby is an angel whose wings decrease as his legs increase ~Author unknown




















Ten tiny little fingers that always want to play,
that never stop exploring the wonder of today.
Ten tiny little fingers that from the very start,
Will reach out for tomorrow yet always hold your heart.














Having a baby is like falling in love all over again,
both with your husband and your child. ~ Tina Brown














Before you were conceived I wanted you,
Before you were born I loved you,
Before you were here an hour I would give my life for you,
This is the miracle of life. ~Maureen Hawkins

Loving a baby is a circular business, a kind of feedback loop.

The more you give, the more you get.

And the more you get the more you feel like giving ~ Penelope Leach

One Month

Crawford officially turned 1 month old on Saturday January 15th, 2010.
We have had enjoyed getting to know our precious little Crawford over the past month! We never knew how much our lives would change or how grateful we would be for this sweet, precious, healthy little baby.




















































































Crawford Stats at One Month

• Weight- 9 lb 12 oz (You were 8 lb 7 oz at birth)
• Length- 23 inches (You were 21 inches at birth)
• Wearing newborn diapers
• Wearing some newborn clothes but really have begun to outgrow those in length so we are mostly wearing 0-3 month clothing
• You have great head control- you can hold it very steady when we burp you and you can move it around quite nicely
• You are so very alert- you love to keep your eyes open and take in all the sights and sounds
• You always have such a serious look on your face --can't wait until that smile breaks through
• When we place you on your activity mat on your stomach you can flip over to your back
• You have an incredible startle reflex--even the slightest noise and your hands and arms are flailing all about
• You love having your hands close to your face --therefore you can always break free from a good swaddle
• You are an eating maniac--you are being nursed and you would seriously eat anytime of the day if mommy would let you
• You do NOT like to sleep --you spend most of the day either wide awake, eating, or fussy
• You do however sleep for mommy and daddy at night...you usually sleep about 4-5 hours the first stretch then another 3-4 hour stretch..sometimes even a little 2 hour stretch first thing in the morning (if mommy is lucky!)
• You sleep in your crib most of the time...however if we can't calm you, we have learned that you love to sleep in your car seat on the dryer
• You take most of you naps on your boppy pillow on the couch (you don't like bassinets, bouncy seats, pack n plays...not yet anyways!)
• You have a little reflux and is probably the reason sleeping has been such an issue (we have just started you on Zantac and are hoping that may help)
• You still won't take a paci very well...only for 5-10 minute stretches (we keep trying every day though) -- your favorite is the wub a nub --it is a paci with a stuffed animal attached to it
• You love car rides - as long as the car is moving you will most likely sleep
• We have not taken you anywhere besides Nana and Grandpas (A) because it is winter and the doctor advises against it and B) we are not quite sure if you would cooperate just yet)
• You are such a trooper when mommy and daddy run errands and you will usually sleep in the car and mommy or daddy is able to pop in and out of stores
• You love being in the bath--you love having warm water poured over you and stay quite content until we take you out and you get cold
• You are very calm when we change your diapers
• When you get fussy (which is often little man) the only thing that calms you down is mommy nursing you
• You have such a tight grasp with your hands and will hold on to mommy and daddy's shirts real tight
• You always fall into a REM sleep when mommy nurses you it's just taken some time for you to get into a deep sleep that often prevents you from taking naps
• You do not like loud noises or interruptions when you are sleeping (a little white noise is great) but if someone tries to pick you up or move you it often results in screaming
• When you are sound asleep there is probably nothing cuter in the world it just melts mommy and daddy's hearts (even if we have been trying to get you to sleep for 2 hours once you are so peaceful we just stand there and admire how adorable you are!)

4 weeks old!

I count my weeks by Wednesdays...so today has officially 4 weeks since Crawford was born. It seems like the first 2 weeks went by soo slowly. I just didn't seem to make many things "click" with being a mom. It seemed like each day was a new challenge and I didn't seem to be figuring out little Crawford. Well since the 1st of January I really have calmed down a bit. My anxiety of being a new mom has subsided and I really am enjoying my days much more. Don't get me wrong I have been trying to get Crawford to sleep for the past 4 hours without much success but again..overall I have had a lot of progress with figuring out when he is hungry and when he is fussy and when he is just overly tired. Am I perfect at calming him right away? No not always but I sure do feel more confident in my efforts.
I have really enjoyed these past 2 snow days because Brad has been home and it is so nice to have someone else help out with Crawford. He has mastered the diaper change with little explosions and messed up outfits (thank goodness) and he has become more patient when Crawford is fussy. I have gotten a few more peaceful moments. When Brad goes and gets Crawford and changes his diaper before I feed him (this 5-10 minutes of peace) is sooo helpful...every little bit of help is greatly appreciated! I am still working hard to get Crawford to suck on a paci. I really think he just always wants to suck and I know I mistake this for feeding sometimes but when I try everything and he is still not calming down of course feeding him always helps...so I will continue to work on the paci so that I don't feel like a feeding factory every minute of every day! I won't go into too much detail on his developments because of course I have to do the monthly post here in 3 days!

This past weekend Brad moved Cathleen from Savannah to Atlanta and since I was alone with Crawford Janet came to stay with me on Friday night and got to see Crawford misbehaving at night (his favorite time to not settle down is from about 7-midnight) so it makes for a very frustrating and trying time of the day! ....She stayed in the morning with me before Alexis arrived. Crawford woke up around 7 am and then never really took a nap all day. I was pretty stressed out considering I had Alexis here with a screaming baby and Hewy and Laura were on their way. I kept trying everything to get him to sleep but with 2 car drives around town and a 15-30 minute cat nap I had a screaming, fussy baby and friends who wanted to hold him. I kept just praying he would finally fall asleep....it was Laura's idea to set him in his carrier on top of the dryer....and it WORKED! So the girls and I got to enjoy some pizza and watched a couple of tv shows before he was up again. It was so nice to visit with the girls I just wish they could have visited with a calm Crawford a little more!

La They were all so cute with Crawford and Laura helped with diapers and nail filing and Alexis and Hewy were constantly giving him attention!

I was going pretty stir crazy again by Sunday so Brad and I got an early start to the day and took Crawford out for some errands. Since I am still a little too scared to take Crawford out in the midst of flu season we have a great time riding around and taking turns getting out to run the errand. I got to hop out and venture in the mall for 15 minutes and then we made a quick stop to Babies-R-Us, Kohls, and Ann Taylor Loft...he lasted a good 2 hours and mommy felt soooo much better! The Ballews, Brian, Amy, and Hope stopped by when we got home and imagine this Crawford slept the WHOLE time...I think it was a 3.5 hour nap! Normally when he even hears new voices this little guy is wide-eyed and ready to show out!

I even got a good nap in Sunday evening while keeping a close eye on my little guy!

We woke up to this on Monday which made me sooo excited because we love some snow in this house...but best of all Brad got to stay home!

I just had to get Crawford outside but I knew it couldn't be for long because it was soo cold so we bundled him up and made a couple of pictures so that he could remember this snow that kept us trapped inside for 3 days+ (who am I kidding we have been trapped basically inside for 4 weeks but whose counting ...ME!!!) ...I am dyyyying to go to the gym and I seriously will make it there sometime this week ...I am not the video workout kind of girl...I need to put on my workout clothes, get in the gym mindset, and drive to the gym, get real sweaty and come home...so I just CAN'T wait for my first post baby workout even if it is just a walk on the treadmill or an easy elliptical workout!

We have been working on tummy time ...Crawford really likes this position for about 10 minutes and then he get so unglued that he can flip himself right onto his back! It was hilarious to watch Brad document this on video the first time..I wasn't in the room and Brad just kept encouraging him to flip and he flipped all the way over to his back! Yaaay Crawford!

2010 in Review

Well 2010 was such a life changing year! We started the year off with the annual winterfest ice ball but I cannot locate the pictures! At the beginning of February I was stuck in glasses with no make-up for a couple of weeks because I had Lasix done in the middle of March. It was such a life changing event for the blind Christen and I am still so very happy that I went through with it. It has been amazing to wake up in the middle of the night and not fumble around for glasses. I then started invisilign to improve some crooked teeth and did not finish the treatment until December (one that was supposed to be completed in July.) I even ended up with braces on my top teeth from September to December and never expected that.

March 2010
At the end of March we planned an amazing trip out west with the pharmacy crew to Breckenridge for Brad and I's first ski adventure! It was AMAZING!!! It definitely was up there with my top two trips (tied with the wine trip to Napa Valley) I mean it was gorgeous and snowed every day and we exercised (skiing) and drank some wine and relaxed in the hot tub (could there be a better trip for me?!

April 2010

The day we flew in from Colorado we headed straight to Augusta for a practice round at the Masters. Yes we went from ski jackets, hats, and gloves to short weather and sun burns! I was sort of dreading the trip as I had to work long days the rest of the week and was ready to get settled back at home...but man did the Masters change my mind. It really was such a great experience! This is of course Brad's dream day and he soaked it up. He must have tried every single sandwich that they make and charge $1.50 and he drank quite a few $2 beers as he continued to collect Masters cups all day long. 2 of Brad's friends joined us Joe and Joe and the boys really had such a great time seeing all of their idolized golfers. I just couldn't believe how beautiful this golf course was in the middle of Augusta and how fun it was to be so close to all of the golfers that I somehow end up watching every Sunday on tv with Brad!

April 2010

The girls and I had been planning a trip to visit Britt in Charlotte and after having to push the trip back from March to April we finally got to see Brittany's life in the city. We spent Friday night visiting Britt's new home in Mooresville and got to see her beautiful new home on the lake. We made our way to the city on Saturday. Charlotte is so cute and I just love South Park and the downtown area. We had a great day of shopping and then planned a night out at a hotel in the Epicenter of Charlotte and ventured out for a girl's night out. We stayed up until almost 4 am having a blast out at the piano bar and others neat bars in the area.

Well Sunday morning after the Charlotte trip Brad had an interview up in Knoxville so I hurried home so that we could make the trip on Sunday and visit with Corinne and the girls for the evening. I wasn't feeling too well but just thought I had stayed up too late and needed some rest. Well Monday morning I still wasn't feeling well but thought it was because I woke up with Hayden at 6:30 and again was just a little too tired. On our drive home to Greenville Monday afternoon I told Brad I was still feeling really hungover or nauseous or something didn't feel right. I remember telling him to stop at Mcdonalds for some apple dippers (quite the weird request on a gas station stop but he did). I then remember talking to Hewy on the phone and she told me she was having a 2 day hangover so again I was just thinking that maybe us girls had just hung out too late and I didn't think much about it. I then worked Tuesday through Friday and remember feeling so exhausted on my way to work each day. One time on my drive home from the gym at 7 am I remember my head almost bobbing up and down and thinking I am never tired after a morning workout. Well Friday night arrives and I finally tell Brad that something is "not right." I told him I could not shake this nausea and didn't know what could possibly be wrong. I remember telling him that if in the morning (Saturday April 17th) I was still feeling well maybe we should pick up a pregnancy test. So the morning rolls around and I am supposed to be at work at 9 so Brad ran up to Bilo and picked up a prego test. Again, I didn't think there was anyway I was prego but thought I would just scratch out the possibility. So I took the test and Brad was downstairs making some breakfast and I didn't even have to wait the 60 seconds it tells you to wait. The second the pee hit the stick there was an instant line. I remember being in denial and thinking I must have been on the part that changes color there is NO way I am really pregnant. I called Brad upstairs and he is jumping up and down and so excited and I am still in full shock...I couldn't believe I was supposed to go to work for 10 hours....but I did and then we headed to Hope's birthday party at Amy's house and I remember just feeling awfulllll and wanting to take another test to confirm. So we picked up another test and same thing instantly the stick showed a positive result.....so forever our lives would be changed and we never looked back...we just started planning for this new life with this little nugget that we would patiently wait to arrive in December.

This picture was taken on April 30, 2010 when I was just 7 weeks along. Little Crawford was just the size of a blueberry. I had been to the doctor at 5 weeks where they didn't even confirm that I was pregnant they just gave me a lot of paperwork about how to start taking care of myself and baby. I couldn't believe that they didn't even need to confirm what I discovered on a stick but they said that the tests they use are just as accurate as the ones in the store so we were going ot have to wait until 9 weeks for the first ultrasound and bloodwork.

June 2010
So after confirming that there was indeed a baby cooking inside of me and making it through that first trimest of pure nausea...I arrived to the second trimester. Crawford was now the size of an orange and still causing mom all sorts of wonderful nausea...but at least that's the only troubles he caused....I was so excited to be carrying this baby and couldn't believe I had made it 1/3 of the way through pregnancy!

June 2010

The first gifts I ever bought for little Crawford. 2 books that are from my birth city New Orleans!

We had planned a trip with Brad's parents to New Orleans (which his parents had never visited) and then on a cruise to Mexico. Our first stop in the city was the famous Cafe du Monde. We ate up some beignets during a downpour in the city. We spent the day walking around and exploring before having a dinner full of red beans and rice and jambalaya and walk through Bourbon Street.

The next day we got to visit my Godfather (Uncle Terry) and Aunt Marion where they had prepared quite the welcoming New Orleans feast. We had a great time all visiting together and enjoying gumbo, crawfish, stuffed artichokes and all of the finest New Orleans cuisine!

After touring the city we left on a Carnival cruise to Mexico. The 4 of us had a great time enjoying nice breakfasts together, time at the pool, a little time in the casino, the entertaining shows, and of course the 3 course dinners.

In Cozymel Brad and I decided to rent a jeep and tour the island. We had a great time just driving from one end to the other while Brad's parents enjoyed a historic tour of the city.

July 2010

Brittany and David invited us to the lake for July 4th weekend. Alexis and Michael were able to join us as well and us girls had a great time catching up while cruising on Britt's new boat!! We spent time discussing baby names for hours and the nights were spent playing drinking games while prego over here hit the bed early!

July 2010

I enjoyed a nice long visit from Corinne and the girls in July as well. Everyone knows how obsessed I am with my nieces. We took the girls to the waterpark in Greenville and had a great time watching Ryan go down all the waterslides. I remember their visit quite well because it ended with my sick in bed throwing up (the only time in the 9 months that I got soo sick).

July 2010

The day was finally here....the 20 WEEKS APPOINTMENT! aka the day we found out Crawford was a little boy growing in his mommy's tummy. I remember waiting for that date for soooo long and then when the day came all I kept thinking was oh dear Lord please tell me the baby is healthy. I must have asked the sonographer a dozen times if the baby was going to be healthy. She assured me that he looked 100% healthy and so mommy was just so estatic while his daddy about lost it when he found out he was going to be having a son! It was such an exciting moment an I will never forget Brad's reaction!

August 2010

I knew my days without baby were coming to an end and there was still one city on the list that I wanted to make it to before having a baby....Chicago! Jenny and I planned a girl's trip to Chicago and we had such a great time exploring the city via the hop on/hop off bus int he midst of the heat....we enjoye deep dish pizza, nice Italian dinner, a comedy show, a boat cruise alone the river, shopping along Michigan Ave., a Cubs game, and of course a hot dog for Jenny!

September 2010

Well I worked a couple of weekends, we spent Labor day at the Hendersonville apple festival followed by apple picking, I went to Hilton Head and spent some time with Corinne and the girls on their beach trip, Brad went to Vegas for Nick's bachelor party and Cathleen came to visit and help me with baby projects!

October 2010

We planned a weekend in Athens/Atlanta. We went to the UGA/UT football game and planned a fun tailgate with the girls and then headed to Atlanta to watch the Braves in the playoffs. Unfortunately they lost to Giants but it was a fun experience to be at one of Bobby Cox's last baseball games ever!

October 2010

A couple of weeks later the girls had planned an amazing shower for me at Chateau Elan outside of Atltanta. We enjoyed watching football and having lunch when we arrived and then spent the afternoon showering me with an overwhelming amount of gifts and games. We had just decided on name the week before...so yes it took us 30 weeks to come up with the name Crawford but we couldn't be any happier with our decision!

October 2010

The last weekend in October we got to celebrate the Brown's marriage. It was a great weekend and the wedding was at Larkins (where we got married but it was inside and completely different)...still such an amazing place to get married and they are such good friends to both of us so it was great being able to celebrate with them on their special day!

The following day Janet and Cathleen through me another incredible shower. I got to include my friends from work and Janet was able to include many of her great girlfriends that are always so great to see. Again everyone was so generous and kind and made me feel like one special girl!

November 2010

We had planned to make it to one Clemson game as well since it was more difficult this year to find time for tailgating on the weekends. It just so happens that Doug was able to get some box tickets for us and it was soooo much fun watching Clemson from a box with all you can eat food, indoor warmth, and comfy seats ....truly amazing for a girl that was 35 weeks prego!

Novemeber 2010

The Mathias's and Edward's through us a great couples shower at the end of November and provided dinner, diaper cake, and a lot of fun with friends! The girls even made the trip to see me one last time before Crawford's arrival!

December 2010

We were able to enjoy one last night out with friends at the beginning of December. This was also the day I got my braces off so I was in a great mood....I remember Brad was still not feeling well and kept getting so worried that Crawford would arrive while he was feeling so sick...but Crawford decided to hang out past his due date so even though we thought this was our last night out we were able to throw in a couple more dinners in there before he arrived!

After about 11 hours of labor with little progress I was taken back for a c-section where this adorable bundle of joy entered our lives and forever melted our hearts! Crawford Baylen Redd was born at 4:42 on December 15, 2010 weighing in at 8 lb 7 oz and 21 inches long!!

After 3 nights in the hospital we were finally able to welcome Crawford into his new home on Saturday December 18th at about 2:45 pm.

Crawford's first Christmas was just 10 days later and we couldn't have received a better Christmas present than our healthy baby boy!!!