Happy Fifth Anniversary, my love

Mr. Carter,

December 28, 2007

5 years later.

I guess we really are grown-ups now huh?

We must be if we've been married that long! :)

Even if we did start off young, against some wishes, I feel so lucky.

So many people who get married young don't last very long at all.

Most don't make it to the first year.

No one tells you how tough those first years of married life can be.

Well, some people say the first is the hardest, but you just ignore them.

Either way, there were points these last five years when we both wondered how many more wedding anniversaries we might see.

If not for love and our God, our marriage would've crumpled a few different times.

 

I remember our wedding day.

I remember I was so worried you would think I looked crazy in that dress.

You never liked my taste in fashion anyway ;)

But I remember you couldn't stop telling me how much I took your breath away that day.

Almost the whole drive to Indy you mentioned at least once every five minutes how amazing I looked.

 

I love the way we compliment one another.

We truly were made for each other.

And just look at what we have created together!

Two tiny little lives that are an extension of our love.

I am so blessed.

Without your love I merely exist, but with your love I live and my love for you is a promise

that will always be kept.

No matter the distance we have to endure or the time apart.

 

Experience has taught me that there will be other storms, other arguments, other tough times in our marriage. What I hope is that we never lose sight of how much better we have made each other's lives. How much we challenge and push each other.

How much we have been able to grow together.

Married life with you has been an incredible adventure and

I hope it keeps feeling that way for a long time to come.

 

Thank you for being my best friend.

Thank you for being my rock.

Thank you for being the one that I laugh with, live for, and love with.

I wouldn't believe in love if it wasn't for you.

I look forward to all of our years together.

I love you so much Bear.

 

Mrs. Carter

Merry Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas!

 

From our family

to yours

 



Christmas Eve

 

Baby girl opening her Christmas Eve jammies.

 

Every year on Christmas Eve before bed we open one gift.

They are new jammies.

I usually pick a character theme of what they were into that year.

I think next year I may buy hubby Christmas Eve jammies and make him buy me some :)

Happy Birthday BabySister

November 30, 2012

1:00pm

Began pushing.

 

My emotions were rising.

I was making sure hubby could see only the things he wanted to see ;) 

Super gross picture of me.

But my emotions were shot.

This was a lot harder that I ever imagined.

I never want to forget these moments.

 

 

THIS MOMENT.

 

I will

NEVER

forget.

(notice hubby's face in this pic. it is seriously my favorite)

 

Pure joy.

 

I didn't get this moment with Babygirl.

There were umbilical cord issues with her labor.

She was rushed to the NICU team.

 

I was determined to have BabySister placed on my chest immediately after delivery.

I prayed almost daily that I could have this moment.

Funny thing was, her umbilical cord was so short that when she was delivered, the Dr was only able to place her at my bellybutton level. The nurse kept telling him to scoot her up higher. He eventually laughed and said well let me just cut the cord first then!

 

There is no greater feeling than this.

The most love and joy I have ever felt in life. 

 

I was able to just hold her and talk to hubby for about 10 minutes or so before the nurses finally took her to get her birth stats and measurements.

 

My BIG girl!

Everyone was betting on her being small.

I finished this pregnancy 16 pounds smaller than with Babygirl.

My belly was a lot smaller too. 

But this mama makes some big girls! 

8 lbs 4 oz

She had Babygirl beat by 3 oz 

Our perfect girl 

 

Blonde curly hair like her big sister. 

Her poor skin broke out almost immediately after the nurses started rubbing her to get her clean.

Poor girl has such finicky skin. 

Having babies the second time around is cake! ;) 

So much joy and love felt from daddy.

He just sat and stared for the longest time. 

 

I could not have asked for a perfect and healthy delivery.

 

Welcome to our family, angel.

 

Paisley Denise

8 lb 4oz

21 in.

11/30/2012

D-day of BabySister

Photos of labor day.

 

Together as best as we could be.

Post-epidural.

Awake and just started Pitocin.

My rock for the day.

Breaking my water

10:00am 

Making sure hubby was up and around :)

My AMAZING husband.

 

He may have not been with me physically,

but he was with me every step of the way.

As awkward/frustrating as it was for him to talk to me and encourage me while pushing,

his voice was the only thing I focused on.

I felt every bit of delivering my beautiful girl.

Every push and movement was so painful.

As tears for my husband streamed down my face,

I just heard him.

Only him.

I ignored the nurse counting and telling me to push.

I ignored my mom's encouragement.

I heard only him.

 

This is the part of babysister's labor that I remember the most.

As I sit back now and think about that day,

his voice sticks out to me the most.

 

I longed for his hand.

I just wanted to hold it

for the briefest moment.

I wanted a kiss on the forehead.

Him wiping my tears.

 

But I will never forget that day.

From so far away,

he was with me.

And I could not ask for more.

 

Lots of pressure. 7-8cm.

Started to feel like I could push soon.

Last Day Pregnant

November 29, 2012

The last day of pregnancy.

Arriving to the hospital for induction. 

Here we go!

 

 

My induction was scheduled.

I knew what time I had to arrive that evening.

But from the moment I woke up, I was filled with mixed emotions.

Had I spent enough alone/one-on-one time with my Babygirl?

Was I really prepared to do this alone?

Could I keep myself together all day and soak up every moment I could with Babygirl?

 

I was an emotional wreck the whole day.

I cuddled my big girl in my bed for a good hour straight.

We watched all her favorite shows.

We ate her favorite donuts.

We made a special trip to 'Donald's' for lunch.

I told her mama was going to pick up Babysister tomorrow.

 

I didn't have the same worries as most women about having their second baby.

I knew I would be able to love this new baby as much as my first.

Of course my heart would grow and I would cherish both children equally.

 

My worries were different.

 

Could I endure hours of labor without my husband by my side?

Could I manage the pain and the waiting without him there holding my hand?

Would I fall apart late at night sitting alone in the hospital when he wasn't sleeping on the couch next to me?

Would I feel the ache of his absence more or less now that our second child arrived?

 

Would the crazy internet cooperate for us?

I half-expected to hear that the internet cut out the moment she was born and he had missed it all.

 

 

 

Contractions started the moment I received the overnight medicine.

The later it got that night, I was getting more and more uncomfortable.

I bounced, rolled and rocked on the birth ball.

I walked the halls with my mama and my IV.

I cradled my belly and rocked back and forth for hours.

No progress at midnight.

I sent my mother home to rest.

My sister had been sleeping a while since she had to work in the morning.

I sent hubby to bed and told him to set an alarm to check on me in a few hours.

 

So alone I sat.

I kept on rocking on the ball.

I kept on pacing my room cradling my belly.

I kept my emotions together.

At this point, I had only had one emotional breakdown.

I was trying my best.