Chadwick party of 4!!!

June 27...so I was having contractions just after midnight. Rick and I loaded up the car and headed to the hospital. We called my parents to meet us there and hang out with Ashlyn.

Rick and Ash patiently waiting to see if Baby C would be joining us! We waited & waited and finally the decision was made...it was NOT time! We headed home & were there by 6 am. We were all so tired! Later that morning, I called Dr. Dennis and we decided that I should rest for the remainder of the day. We set up the appointment for the following morning at 8:30...I would be induced! Rick and I headed back to the hospital on the 29th.

Ashlyn was with her grandparents and would come to hospital as soon as we called. We checked in & to my surprise, things went pretty smoothly and quickly. We had our new addition in just over six hours from arriving!

Introducing Anna Hazel!!!

June 29th, 2011

2:41 pm ~ 8 lbs 8ozs and 20 ins

Holding onto Daddy's finger just minutes after being born!

Mommy holding Anna for the first time!Things were a little bit different from the time Ash was born. Instead of taking the baby to the nursery right away and bathing her & testing her ears, etc., they left Anna in the room with me for about an hour. It was perfect. Ashlyn was able to come in right away and meet her baby sister. Then, all of Anna's grandparents came to meet her. Aunt Glenda was there, too. She brought Cara and Brooke along as well, but they were not able to come back to the room because of age restrictions. The girls were able to see Anna through the window when she went to the nursery. Rick showing Ashlyn her new baby sister. She was SO EXCITED!

I'll never forget that moment!

Ashlyn wanted to hold Anna right away!

The first of many kisses!

The Chadwicks!

Ashlyn was so proud & had lots of questions about Anna!

Ashlyn opening her necklace that Rick and I gave her for becoming a big sister!

Meme and Popa meeting Anna!

Nana and Papa with Anna

Aunt GlendaDaddy and Anna

Rick and I visiting with Anna before she had to go to the nursery for a bath and some testing.

Ashlyn watched through the window as the nurses took care of Anna. Apparently she kept knocking and saying, "don't hurt MY BABY!" She continued calling Anna "hers" for several weeks. I didn't get to see all of this, but I hear that it was very sweet!

Not too sure about all of this...

Anna in the nursery after her first bath.Our second little angel...what a blessing...God has been so good to us!!!

Ashlyn was with us most of the afternoon. She went to dinner with her grandparents and then came back for a bit. She held Anna several times!

And she kissed her....

Mommy & the girls!

Daddy had some one on one time with Anna. We have a picture of him holding Ashlyn in that same chair. It is pretty cool...both of the girls were born at St. Francis in room 5!

I could stare at this picture all day...it makes my heart melt!!!

Day two! We only stayed at the hospital for one night. The morning was pretty busy. The doctors were there to check on Anna &I had to attend a class before I could be discharged.

Mommy's coworkers, Sue, Cara, and Karen, came to see Anna. Meme and Popa came back, too. They brought Lauren with them. Nana and Papa brought Ashlyn back after lunch. we were excited to be going home...as a family of 4! Ashlyn stayed very close to Anna & helped Rick get her ready to go home.

Snug as a bug!

Checking out...let the adventure begin!

Shower Time!

As the time for "Baby C's" arrival drew near, we were overwhelmed with the love shown by our friends and family. I was surprised with a wonderful dinner and shower from the Mom's of the children in my class. Ms. Kelly and I were invited to dinner at a local favorite, Tsunami, where the girls had games and gifts waiting. I was very blessed to have such caring Moms and wonderful children in my class. Thank you all for such a wonderful year & for helping me celebrate our new addition!

Me opening a blanket from Beth Dennis. This gift became a favorite. It was just the right material for a June baby...cute and soft, too! Ms. Kelly and I with the Moms at dinner.
A couple of weeks later, "Baby C" was honored again with a celebration at Sue's house. Sue, the leader of HIS School, and the other teachers hosted a shower & invited a few of my close friends, as well as my Mom, Ms. Terri, and Glenda. It was a beautiful party & the ladies went above and beyond to show their love and excite for the new baby.

Beautiful flowers and candy that they made...the suckers were white chocolate diapers!

Shanna, Kelly, Charmaine, Mom, and Heidi

Glenda watches as I open the wonderful gifts for our new baby.

baby C's new pink tub...the girls had it filled with everything you could possibly need!

Sue, Christie, Marie, Jennifer, and Ms. Terri

Ms. Nease, a family friend for years and years, made this blanket for the baby. She sent it by Mom. She is in her 90's and still making these beautiful baby blankets for everyone. I have one that she made for Ashlyn, too. What special treasures to have!!!

The final celebration was at Aunt Jan's. She and Glenda planned a beautiful family get together. Ashlyn went this time, and was very excited to help me open presents for her new baby sister. She was super sweet and happy all day!

Aunt Jean, Terri, Rosemary, and Shelly

It was awesome, Aunt Jean happened to be in town visiting Ms. Terri and Bob, so she was able to join us for the afternoon!

Ashlyn and Hayley helping open the gifts. They had such a great time!

Mom's cousins Pam, Jan, Lori, Rebecca, and Gail.

I am so thankful that Grammy was able to be with us to celebrate. At the time, she had no idea that our new arrival would be named after her! It was so hard not to say anything, but I wanted it to be a surprise!

Grammy and Ashlyn

Happy Father's Day!

What a WONDERFUL family day!

We celebrated our "Dads" by having our favorite men in the whole world over for lunch. Papa, Popa, and Rick were honored with a special meal at our house & gifts from Ashlyn. Later that night, Ashlyn and I made dinner for Rick. She gave him a beautiful picture of her at dance, in a frame that she made at camp, and this book. "Dance Me, daddy"...I think we all had a tear or two after reading this and looking at the "prince and princess" pictures that she drew for her Daddy in the cover.

And this one time...at DANCE camp!

Ashlyn had a blast at her first summer camp! She went to the Dance Arts Studio for one week & learned more ballet & was introduced to tap...her absolute FAVORITE!!! She and Gabrielle were very excited to be in the same class each day with Ms. Jessica. They were also very excited to get to take a lunch & eat with the older girls!

The theme for the week was "Sea Cruise" so all of their dances, crafts, etc., were very beachy! On the last day of camp, the girls put on a show for all of the parents. It was so sweet & we were very proud of Ash. She did all of her dances with a room full of guests & never missed a beat! This is her getting ready to do her first ever tap performance!Ashlyn and her dance buddy, Gabrielle, doing their ballet routine!

Big Girl Room!!!

Bittersweet day for Mom...

This was Ashlyn's room for the first three years of her life & with the baby on the way, we decided to turn this room into the nursery. Ashlyn was very excited to get a new room, across the hall, because she was going to get to pick out the colors and accessories. While this was an exciting project, I started to realize how quickly our little girl was growing up!
Ashlyn quickly decided that she did not want any pink or yellow in her new room!

She wanted it ALL purple!!!

We found these adorable signs for the wall. Anyone that knows Ash, knows that these three words describe her best!

Daddy and Ms. Kellie (our neighbor) went to work painting the room. Meme got to work sewing the curtains and pillows. Ash and I went shopping! In just a couple of days it all came together very nicely!

Ashlyn LOVES her new BIG girl room!

Be' Be' Ballet Recital

I cannot believe that Ashlyn completed her first year of ballet! She really loved going to Ms. Jessica's class each week & learned more than we ever thought she would. The recital was in the local High School auditorium. There were a couple hundred people there & Ashlyn went right onto the stage and did her dance. Rick and I were so PROUD!!!

Ashlyn (second from the left) and her class danced to "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon." Daddy gave Ashlyn her first roses!
Ashlyn, Meme, and Popa


Papa, Ashlyn, Nana, and Aunt Jeanne.

We were so excited that the recital was during Aunt Jeanne's visit!

Mommy, Daddy, and Ashlyn...she looked so beautiful & did a great job!

Daddy & Ash...always playing like monkeys!

So sweet!

End of School Party!!!

I was so proud of my Turtle Pond & their singing at the end of year performance and graduation. They all did a great job & I almost made it without any tears...ALMOST! I had such a wonderful time this year & LOVED having Ash with me. I am really going to miss her next year, but I know that she will enjoy being in the 3's with Ms. Cara & Ms. Kim. Thankfully, they are next door & I can peek in on her!

The Turtles marched into the room singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children!"

They sang their ABC's!
"Ten Turtles in the Pond!"

Ashlyn did AWESOME!

Waiting to go see the family & go to the party.

The Turtle Pond Luau...Kate, Ashlyn, Avery, Alex, Noah, and Ben hanging out & enjoying the snacks.

Daddy, Nana, Aunt Jeanne, and Papa were there to celebrate, too!