So, it is 2011

Happy new year, y'all!
here are some random moments captured on my phone. Baby girl is now 15 months old!

Lottie Love

Hi, there! It's me. No, we have not fallen off the face of the earth, but rather are slowly emerging from the fog of babyhood and being first-time parents. Our sweet baby girl is already CRAWLING. YES. I. SAID. CRAWLING! As you can imagine, so much has happened over the span of the last 8.5 months. I won't bore you with too many details, but I would like to gush about our babe.
She is a delight. Perfect in every way. Our pediatrician even told us so. Unfortunately for you there will be no photo evidence in this post since I am using someone else's computer. Also, don't expect another post anytime soon since we are kicking it old school circa 1998 and do not have internet service at our house. Yes, people like us do exist. And, we don't have a dvr. Or cable. Ok, now collect your thoughts and let's move on to LOTTIE!
What's that? You thought her name was Charlotte? Well, it is. As stated in the previous post, Our daughter's name is Charlotte Joy. Lottie is our sweet-name for her. For those who do not know, we named her after Lottie Moon (whose name is Charlotte). Yes, we are trying to stay in good standing with the southern baptist convention and the international mission board. i jest, but seriously, if you know either one of us, you know the signifigance...and we also pray that our Lottie would be as bold as her namesake and would develop a selfless love for all of God's people. Her middle name, Joy, is rather self-explanatory. We were indecisive about her middle name until she was about 5 hours old. We were experiencing indescribable joy just by holding her. The decision was pretty easy at that point. If you are curious, Brookes (my middle name), was the other option.
I am not sure what our monkey's stats are, but she has a 9 month dr's visit in a couple of weeks. I do know that she is putting on some serious weight, my back can tell. Charlotte was born with darkish hair, sort of brown. But all of that has fallen out and is now a beautiful blond. Looks like the redhead gene might have skipped her. Her eyes are still blue so we are thinking they will stay that way. She is at a very fun age. She fake coughs and laughs for attention and can clap, give high five, and offers wet open-mouth kisses. her father is tickled to no end because she seems to have a big interest in books and reading. I am equally ecstatic over her love of dvd's/tv, avocado's, and most food in general. This is a multi-talented girl. Charlotte may look like us, but she has an extroverted personality like some of her other relatives (I'm looking at you, aunt b!). Her dad and I tend to stay in the introverted end of the pool. speaking of pools, Lottie is a lover of swimming and baths! you have never seen such splashing!
well, this love-fest must come to a close b/c I am keeping others awake. Hopefully the next post will have pics!

Introducing...

Charlotte Joy Perry

born October 14
7lbs 14 oz
20 inches long
perfect in every way!


A month ago our world turned upside down, but in a good way. We welcomed our beautiful baby girl into our family. It is already hard to remember what life was like without her. Although, I do have foggy memories of a life with more sleep and rest. Here are a few snapshots of baby Lottie throughout the past month.
(by the way, i started writing this update friday. it has taken me until today to finish it!)

some baby stuff

this weekend some sweet friends had a shower for our little charlotte....sorry, i do not have any pics from the baby shower. but, it was such a sweet time to be with friends and family. austin and i feel so blessed by everyone's generousity! i do, however, have some pics of austin's hard work that many have requested in the last day or two. so, without further ado, here are a few not-so-great quality pictures of our crib, bedding, and curtains (which were lovingly made by Meg! thanks again!). enjoy!

the long held secret, finally revealed!

We have been trying to determine the gender of our unborn child for many months now. The baby had denied us two times previous to today. As we went in for another sonogram today, there was only minimal anxiousness because we had prepared ourselves for the third attempt to not get our hopes up. Well, I am happy to report that our blessed first child cooperated and showed us the money shot! We will be adding a baby girl to our family in October! The proof is undeniable and the technician said it is 100% girl. Also, baby Perry can now be referred to by her first name...Charlotte (middle name still pending). As soon as we left the doctor's office we headed straight for target to indulge in sweet little girl paraphanalia. It was nice to finally be specific in shopping for our baby!

more than meets the eye

wow, calm down! it took me hours to read through all the responses from my last post. i think my friend michelle might be on to something with her comment. perhaps that picture is a bit...uninspiring. well, in order to inspire, i will up the ante with a slightly altered version of that picture. also, i am proud of myself for finally figuring out how to change my background into something else besides the standard blogger layouts. the last time i tried to tinker with my blog i ended up losing ALL of my posts from the two years i was in zambia...boo hoo! they are now forever floating around lost in cyberspace.

Alright, hopefully this picture will get more than one comment...

Time for a new post

Well, since my last post got such an overwhelming response, i thought i might try it again! we have had a few things going on, most of which i (ashley) will blog about later. but for now, how about a game!?! I rather enjoy reading www.mycharmingkids.net! One thing the writer of that blog does is host contests such as "name that photo." So, i thought i might give it a go on our blog to re-invigorate what little interest is left, and hopefully generate some new.
Sorry, i do not have the connections that mckmamma has, so no prizes will be awarded for entries. so, let's get a little creative...