House Update

LOVE LOVE LOVE our house!!!! It is so much fun to see all of the things we picked out coming to life! Everything looks beautiful and I can't wait to cook in my kitchen, soak in my tub and sit on my gorgeous back porch!!!!

Welcome home Mama!

4.5 months

I can't believe my sweet baby is almost 5 months old!! She is more and more fun everyday and keeps getting happier and happier. She is all smiles and just recently started the belly laugh - it is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I will post a video soon! She only cries if she is hungry or tired, but when she does she turns it on QUICK!!! She has quite a temper (the one thing that the poor baby got from her mother!) and does what we call "purple face" when she is mad... the whole wide open mouth with no noise and holds her breath. Thank goodness we don't see it too often. She is learning lots of new things - she rolls over both ways and holds her toys and bottle. She only likes to cuddle when she is tired (boo hoo) and prefers to be standing up and looking around when she is held. She LOVES to lay on the floor and play with her toys, especially if we are playing with her. She got a new jumperoo that she can sit up in and looks like such a big girl. She is supposed to be able to jump but her little legs don't touch the ground yet!! She loves to go to bed at night with one of her little lovies... and you better be near a bed by 8:00 or you will definitely see the purple face!!! Even though she is way too young for stranger anxiety, she does not like to be held by anyone that she doesn't recognize. She puts her lip out and does this pitiful cry and looks at me with those big blue teary eyes like "HELP!!". Of course, I don't handle that well and grab her right up and then she is happy. :) I love to sing "You are My Sunshine" to her and it is soooooo true... she is definitely my sunshine and brings me so much joy.
I love you to pieces, Charlotte Grace.

4 month stats:
Weight: 14 lb 5 oz (50%)
Height: 24 inches (50%)
Head circumference: 41 3/4 cm (50%)

Here is some more of mommy's favorite hobby... my 4.5 month photo shoot!

My first Mother's Day!

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom
I was rarely puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on or
Peed on. (Now it is a daily occurence.)

Before I was a Mom
I had complete control of:
My thoughts
My body
And my mind.
I slept all night. (well, most of the time)


Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never knew that something so small
Could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew how much I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
Could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonder
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I met you.



My sweet Charlotte,
The last 4 months of my life have been such a joy. You are truly a dream come true. I just cannot thank God enough for my sweet baby girl. I love you so much.
Love,
Mama

Hook 'em!

Dear Uncle Vinny,

Don't I look pretty in burnt orange? I can't wait to take pictures with you at Thanksgiving.

I love you,
Charlotte

BIG weekend.

We went to Austin for the weekend and had some big things to do! First, we went by the house. It is coming along beautifully. We had so much fun walking around each room and figuring out where everything would go. My priority, of course, was Charlotte's pink chandelier.


Love our cabinets!!



Next, I went to sign my contract with Hill Country Pediatrics - woohoo!!! Crazy to think that I am the "new pediatrician in town". Scary. Click here to checkout their website.

Next, we met with an amazing lady named Miss Martha who we hired to be our nanny for our sweet baby. Her only request was that she could bring her bible. Oh my goodness, that pretty much sealed the deal!

We had our first playdate with Francie Grace, Charlotte's future best friend in Austin! Her sweet mama, Casey, and I had so much fun catching up and making big plans for these girls. We are so excited to get to have more playdates when we get to Austin. They were definitely mistakened for twins with their matching bald heads and big blue eyes. What a compliment Charlotte, little miss Francie is beautiful!!



We had lots of fun hanging out at Papaw and Jaja's house. Lots of fun new toys to play with and rocking and swinging with Jaja. You had so much fun. And we got to have a cookout with David and Ashleigh and some friends. It was great to just hang out and to see David Ray laugh so hard he had to hold his side. He had so much fun with his old buddies.

Afternoon nap on the swing

This special blanket was from Mama Lil (Charlotte's great great grandmother!). Jeanne Ann did such a great job of saving all of these sweet things to pass down to our lucky babies.

You love to lay on your back and play with toys. I could listen to you talk and laugh all day long.

The Crazy 8.

All eight Koebel girls under one roof for five days... what a blast. Mom hosted the sisters reunion this year complete with a homemade italian feast Thursday night, a weekend at the lake, and a trip to the Dallas Arboretum and Northpark Mall. But the real fun was around the dinner table, on the deck at the lake and squished together on the couch at night. They told stories, filled each other in on the latest scoop, laughed a lot and cried a lot. I was at work most of the time they were here but I managed to squeeze in a little bit of time with them. I wish I could have just been a fly on the wall the whole time.

These 8 women are something very special. They have experienced more sadness than anyone should ever know. 3 have lost their very own children. 2 have lost the love of their life, 1 at the age of 30 with 4 kids under the age of 8. The other just last year, days before their 50th anniversary. All of them lost their mom almost 30 years ago and their dad almost 20 years ago. And they have all experienced the ups and downs of life.

But, these ladies have incredible strength. They know what life is really all about. Their mother taught them about love. They love Jesus. They love each other. And they love their families. They put all of their energy into serving others. They don't worry about what other people think. They do what is right. And despite what they have been through, they still know how to have a good time. They love a cold beer, good food and of course a good Koebel wedding with lots of dancing. These eight women are my idols.

I can't imagine the ache in my mom's heart when she boarded the plane to Texas for the first time. She left her 7 besties behind. And to know that she did it because it was best for us means the world to me. That's the Koebel way. I pray that I can pass some of those amazing ways on to my sweet children.

Charlotte, you better hope for some of those Koebel genes - look at those beautiful ladies!!

I will never forget this. All 8 of them holding hands and singing a prayer before dinner. I just know Grandma and Grandpa must have been smiling down on them from heaven. They must be so proud.

All 4 of us on 1 couch cushion.

Ruthie and Lauren

Playing chicken foot!

Ruthie and Vinny

Charlotte always found Aunt Krissy when it was nap time - she knew a good snuggler when she saw one!

I love this pic - Ruthie admiring Charlotte's tiny little feet and Charlotte smiling at her Aunt Lauren... so sweet.

Bathing beauties (and Cash figured out really fast that Ruthie is the dog lover!)

My boy :)