Week Twenty

I've really started getting a grasp on my toys ... I can pick them up and hold them ... throw them across the room ... stick them in my mouth ... it is so much fun ... I'm really starting to move all the toys in my exersaucer too which makes it much more fun sitting in there ...

Saturday was a rough day for mommy but a fun day for me ... mommy single-handedly put all the boxes away from the fireplace room ... I hung out and entertained her when she rested and of course I was a good baby all day so she could get it done ... I know it is something that has been bugging mommy and daddy (especially) for some time now and since it is clean mommy cause use the room as our new photo studio ...

She bought back drops from a company online and on Sunday morning taped the white one up so we could take pictures of me ... they came out beautifully and mommy has put a new link up on the site for all our photo sessions ... cause as you can tell mommy can't seem to take enough pictures of me :) She did two separate sessions on Sunday because we had so much fun ... I am sure it is something she is going to do often now ...

I was supposed to go to Grandmommy's on Monday morning but since daddy had the day off he decided we would spend the day together ... we cuddled on the couch and watched movies and he talked to me all day ... I love spending the day with daddy and wish I got to do it more often ... he is good at making funny voices and faces and really gets me giggling ...

Tuesday and Wednesday I got to spend the day with Grandmommy and Aunt Jenny and Ellie ... I have so much fun when I am over there ... Grandmommy goes on and on about what a good baby I am ... and she cuddles me all day long ... I think she coos more than I do when she holds me ...

Thursday was a really big day for me ... first thing in the morning I went with mommy to her doctor's appointment ... everyone in the office wanted to see me since they had been the ones taking care of mommy before I was born ... and they all couldn't get enough of me ... of course I was super good ... mommy brought in my Bumbo seat and I just sat there and enjoyed all the attention and loved seeing all the new stuff to check out ... everyone kept commenting on how alert and good I was ...

Then I went to work with mommy ... which of course everyone was excited about ... I get so much attention at mommy's work ... Marianne took me on a walk and took a whole bunch of pictures of me ... and just kept kissing on me all day ... Mary even brought me to her office and played Sponge Bob videos on her computer for me which had me talking up a storm ... they could hear me all the way in the front office ...

People daddy work with even stopped by the office ... Phoebe and Sydney were loving all over me too ... I think they even fought over who got to hold me ... they were pretty funny about it too and had everyone laughing in the office ... I just loved that so many people wanted to cuddle with me ...

After work mommy and I headed to the airport to pick up Aunt Heather ... she was here while mommy was still pregnant so this was the first time she was going to meet me ... and boy was I excited ... I got to sit in the airport and people watch for half and hour which was GREAT ... there was so much to look at ... I was talking up a storm and so smiley ... there was a little boy sitting next to me that couldn't take his eyes off me ... I think he was trying to figure out what I was saying ...

When Aunt Heather got there she immediately picked me up and snuggled me ... she also started signing to me which I love love love ... I can't take my eyes off her when she is signing to me ...

It was storming pretty bad on the way home so Aunt Heather drove since mommy hates driving in storms and I fell fast asleep in the back seat ... once we got home I just snuggled up with Aunt Heather till it was time for bed ...

On Friday morning bright and early mommy and Heather set up the "photo studio" and took a whole bunch of cute pictures of me ... then I hung out and talked with Aunt Heather ... we watched one of my Signing Time videos and talked in sign language ... I'm starting to move my hands and fingers when people sign to me ...

In the afternoon I got to have some real food (well as real as I am going to get right now) ... I had my first taste of sweet potatos ... I think I had mixed feelings about them ... I made faces like it was a weird taste but then would still eat the whole spoonful ... it is exciting getting to try new foods ... and I am sure as I get better at the whole "eating thing" I will have much more fun ...

Later Aunt Heather watched after me while mommy filled out all my paperwork for day care and got all my stuff together ... then we all went and picked up my paperwork at the doctor's office and headed to the day care ... it was my first time there and I just lit up when I saw my room ... it is beautiful ... lots of toys and decorations and stuff to look at ... and everyone was so very nice to me ... it is going to be a great place to play ... I can't wait for Monday morning ...

After that we all went and hung out at Starbucks and talked ... mommy and Heather had coffee while I had a bottle ... it was a fun afternoon ... then we went to visit Grandmommy and Granddaddy ... we got to see Ellie and Aunt Jenny too ... it feels like I have seen 100 people in the last two days ... by bath time Friday night I was exhausted ... (well not too exhausted to kick and play in the tub) and fell asleep curled up in Aunt Heather's arms ... I'm excited she is here for two more days ... there is just so much more to do!!

Week Nineteen

On Saturday Mommy and I got up really early and were out of the house by 10:30 AM ... we went shopping at Kohls where mommy of course bought me some stuff ... and then we ran errands like the bank and post office ... she got me a new exersaucer to keep at Grandmommy's house ... we even stopped at Starbucks and hung out on the patio while I had a bottle ... we finished the day at Target and didn't get home till 4:30 PM ... Daddy was home from work before we were home from running errands ... I had a good time and Mommy kept telling me what a good baby I am ... she said she can take me anywhere ...

On Sunday we just hung around the house ... mommy did a lot of laundry and a lot of cleaning and we did a lot of playing too ... then mommy was sad cause once daddy got home we had to go give Granddaddy's car back ... she had been driving it for several weeks and just loves it ...

Grandmommy and Granddaddy got home late Monday night ... I was excited because I was going to spend Tuesday with Grandmommy ... I had a feeling she was going to cuddle me all day and I was right ... I always have a great time at Grandmommy's ...

Mommy and Daddy took advantage of me being at Grandmommy's house and went to visit a day care center after mommy got off work ... even though I like my nanny mommy and daddy think it would be better to have me in day care, and they are right ... I want to play with other children like when I am with Ellie ... and the hours are better for everyone's schedules so in the end I will get to spend more time with mommy cause she can go to work earlier and pick me up earlier ...

They put their name on the waiting list and all night Tuesday mommy kept saying, "I wish they would call ... I wish they would call" (even though they told mommy they probably wouldn't have an opening until January) ... so on Wednesday morning mommy put a funny picture of me on a card and wrote a thank you note to the director for showing them around ... Thursday afternoon they called to offer me a spot in day care starting October 2nd ... so in a week I start day care ... I'm so excited, so are mommy and daddy ... they had to let the nanny go which wasn't easy but in the end it will be good for everyone ...

On Thursday night I set a record ... I slept from 9:30 PM until 8:00 AM ... mommy was a bit bummed she couldn't sleep in too but she had to be up early for work ...

Friday I got to spend the day with Grandmommy again and had a great time ... even though daddy forgot to put me in my cute outfit that mommy laid out and took me over there in my PJs ... it was still a fun day ... mommy and daddy came over after work for Uncle Jason's birthday dinner ... they all had lasagna and cake (which I was jealous of) while I sat quietly in my swing and watched everyone ...

Overall it was a great week ... I love seeing mommy and daddy so excited about day care ... mommy already picked up the paperwork on Friday and has started getting my "bag of stuff" together to take to the center ... so until I start daycare I get to spend Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with Grandmommy next week and then go to work with mommy on Thursday ... fun stuff to look forward to ... :)

Week Eighteen

This was a big week ... I turned 4 months old on Wednesday!!! Time is just flying by ...


My 4 month photo

On Saturday while Daddy was at work Mommy went to CostCo with Granddaddy and Uncle Jason ... I got to stay home with Aunt Jenny and Eliana ... it was a lot of fun ... I of course ate some and slept some but I also got to listen to Ellie read to me which I loved!!! I couldn't take my eyes off her ... I also had a tea party with Ellie ... it is going to be soooooo funny when we can play together ... and before Mommy took me home Ellie gave me a bottle ... it was a REALLY fun Saturday!!!!

On Sunday we hung out at home and played a whole bunch ... I am loving my exersaucer more and more each time I use it ... I love that I can stand up in it and the toys are becoming more interesting to me ... I can spin the butterflies around and the noise makers ... it is supposed to be a great toy for Mommy to use so she can get things done but she loves to sit and watch me ... and that is fine by me ... I show off all I am able to do ...

I went to work with Mommy again this week on Tuesday and Friday ... unfortunately I started getting my first cold on Tuesday ... I was sneezing a lot and had a runny nose ... by night time I even had a little cough but no fever ... so mommy figures it is just a cold that will help me build up my immune system or I could be teething ... I guess only time will tell ...

Berthe was with me for 3 days this week ... we went on a lot of walks ... played with all my toys and everyday she dressed me up in cute outfits for when Mommy got home ...

A couple of nights this week my cough woke me up in the middle of the night (4:00 AM) which is really hard on Mommy cause she gets up at 5:15 so by the time I finish eating she can't really go back to bed ... but the older I get the more I sleep ... and I am really good at getting myself to sleep each night when she lays me down ... lately I have been sleeping from 9 or 9:30 until 7:30 or 8:00 (when my cough isn't waking me up)

Next week Grandmommy comes home ... I know she really misses me and is looking forward to me being at her house ... I'm looking forward to it too!!!

Week Seventeen

This was a big week for all of us ... Mommy was going to be heading back to work ... so we spent a lot of time cuddling this weekend ... and going to Target ... Mommy and I went on Saturday, Sunday and Monday ... buying stuff, returning stuff ... she knew it was going to be a while before she could go so she had a lot to take care of ... besides I love going to Target ... there is a lot for me to look at and I always fall asleep by the end of the trip ...

Tuesday morning Mommy woke up at the crack of dawn and got me up as well and after getting ready we headed off to work ... while Grandmommy is out of town Mommy is taking me to work on Tuesday and Friday ...

Having me with her made her transition back to work a bit easier ... and everyone in the office was so happy to see me ... it had been a while and I am much bigger now ... and I smile more too ... they also LOVED seeing me sitting up in my bumbo seat ...

Wednesday was much much harder on Mommy ... it was the first day she had to leave me for the day ... my new nanny Berthe was going to spend the day with me but mommy was a wreck about it ... Daddy had to be at work early so mommy stayed home until Berthe got here at 8:30 ... Mommy showed her around and told her all about what I like and when I eat and all that good stuff ... then she kissed me about 100 times and said good-bye ... and she didn't start crying till she got out the front door ... but she did cry almost the whole way to work ... and she called home several times to see how everything was going ...

Meanwhile Berthe and I went on a walk and went to the park ... she is very sweet to me and loves to dress me up to go out ... I like hanging out with mommy but Berthe is pretty great too ...

Thursday Berthe came again ... this time though Daddy hung out with me in the morning ... got me up and changed me and fed me ... it was nice having time with Daddy ... Berthe and I played in my exercaucer and we went to the park ... but I was happy to see Mommy when she got home ... anytime I see her now I get a huge smile on my face ...

Friday I got to go to work with Mommy again ... I didn't sleep well Thursday night so I was a bit cranky in the morning ... but eventually I fell asleep while everyone was holding me ...

I had my 4 month check up on Friday afternoon ... I had to get 4 shots which I was NOT happy about ... but the doctor said I am doing great ... I weighed 18 pounds 4 ounces (up from 16 pounds 4 ounces at my 3 month appointment) and I was 25 1/4 inches long ... but the nurse said she thinks I was mismeasured last month because it says I was 25 inches which was a growth of 3 inches from 2 to 3 months ... the doctor said I could start having solids sometime in the next month if Mommy was ready to do it ... I've already had a little rice cereal but in the next couple of weeks Mommy is going to make some that isn't so runny to see how I like it ... I don't have to go back to the doctor until my 6 month check-up ...

Week Sixteen

On Saturday morning mommy and I went to some garage sales with Aunt Jenny and Ellie ... it is a good thing Aunt Jenny came because she has GPS in her car and some of the places were in the middle of no where ... Mommy was looking for things she could get to have at Grandmommy's house ... since I will soon be there a lot while Mommy is at work ... but we found nothing ... they were really kind of disappointing ... but it was funny being outside and hanging out with Aunt Jenny and Ellie ... I like watching Ellie ... she collects leaves and sticks and dances ... I can't wait till I am bigger and can play with her ...

When we got home on Saturday the house felt kinda warm ... mommy worked on fixing the air all day ... she flipped the circuit breaker ... changed the batteries in the thermostat ... everything she could think of ... but nothing worked ... once daddy got home and he too couldn't get it to work mommy called in a service request ... they were hoping someone would come out that night but it didn't happen ...

On Sunday the 27th their home warranty comapny said because I lived here not having air made it an emergency and we were allowed to call our own company to come out ... Mommy called all morning and finally found someone to come out ... unfortunately he wasn't able to fix it ... so I went over the Grandmommy and Granddaddy's house with Mommy while Daddy was a work so we could hang out in the cool for a while ... it is always fun going over there ...

Monday morning a new company came out and he was able to fix our air ... Mommy was so happy ... because the house was up around 87 degrees and we were all just sweating ...

On Wednesday the 30th Mommy and I went to Grandmommy's again ... she of course sent me home with a whole bunch of new clothes ... Aunt Jenny and Ellie sang to me and played with me ... we had some tummy time and Aunt Jenny was impressed that I got up on my knees ... but I am still doing the comando shuffle when I move around ... I'm up on my knees but I push my face along the ground ...

Wednesday night around 3:00 AM I started making noise ... Mommy got up and saw that my face was pushed into the corner of my crib ... she moved me back into the center where I proceeded to kick my leg and flip over from tummy to back ... mommy thought it was a fluke and I was pretty unhappy about being on my back so she flipped me back onto my tummy and I kicked onto my back again ... every time she put me back on my tummy I flipped onto my back ... she woke daddy up so he could see ... I must have done it about 15 or 20 times which totally woke me up ... so mommy gave me a bottle and we cuddled for a while ... when she laid me back down I flipped over several more times until I was plum tuckered out ... and fell back asleep ...

On Thursday morning daddy put me on my tummy again but said I seemed to have forgotten how to flip over ... I am sure it will come back to me when I need to do it ...

I have been grabbing at things this week too ... like my rattle and my favorite stuffed animal ... I'm even able to get things in my mouth on occasion ... Mommy got out some peek-a-blocks for me too but I wasn't too interested in them yet ... the ones that make noise sound neat but that is about it ...

Week Fifteen

This was a really big week ... on Saturday the 19th we left on our first vacation ... we were just going up to West Virginia to meet mommy's friend Naomi from her message board but it was a vacation none the less ... On the way to West Virginia daddy got a phone call from the head chef at a country club where he wanted to work - they wanted to hire him starting Sunday ... since we were half way there we decided to continue on and just come home early enough for daddy to get to work ...

I did pretty good during the ride ... mommy and daddy stopped a couple of times to let me stretch out and I even got to have a bottle while sitting outside at a picnic table ... I really enjoyed eating in the great outdoors ...

Once we got to the hotel we met Naomi and her husband Todd and her children; Terran, Tony and Mia, who was born a month after me ... I had a good time watching Tony ... he is almost 3 and ran around entertaining me ... it was great ...

While our daddy's were playing golf ... we all went up to the pool ... Tony and Terran went swimming while Mia and I lounged with our mommies ... it was really hot out but really nice to be outside ...

After we all went back to the room we changed clothes and went out to dinner ... everyone stopped by the table to say how cute Mia and I were ... I think everyone had a great time hanging out ... once back at the hotel mommy and daddy decided it was better to drive home at night so daddy could get some sleep before his first day at work ... before we left mommy and Naomi took a whole bunch of pictures of Mia and I and then we loaded up the car to head home ... Daddy was very tired but not as tired as me ... I slept the whole way home ... made it faster not having to stop to feed me or anything ...

So daddy started his new job bright and early Sunday morning and they loved him there ... I miss him because he is gone a lot more now ... but it is great he is working somewhere where he is truly appreciated ...

So Mommy and I were on our own a lot this week ... we went shopping and hung out at Starbucks and took walks ... it was very nice ... mommy even gave me a bath for the first time this week ... it wasn't my first bath it was just the first time daddy didn't give it to me ... it was fun ... I've started kicking my legs and splashing the water with my arms ... mommy laughed the whole time ... and for an amateur she wasn't too bad ...

On Friday morning mommy and daddy interviewed Berthe to be my nanny ... she was really nice and seemed to really like me ... she held me and rocked me the whole interview and even gave me a bottle ... I really liked her but I will miss mommy so much ... we have fun together during the day ...

I've been sleeping really well this week too ... most nights from 10:00 PM all the way till 7 or 7:30 ... mommy is not quite sure what to do with all the sleep she is now getting ... but she sure tells me a lot what a good baby I am ... :)

Week Fourteen

On Saturday I met Daddy's friend Sydney ... he does some of their installation work and boy did she get a kick out of me ... and all I had to do was smile ... then Mommy and Daddy took me out to dinner for the first time and I was AWESOME ... we went to their favorite diner and I just dozed in my car seat until Mommy was about half way through her dinner ... so she fed me a bottle while she finished eating ... I think Mommy and Daddy were pretty excited to go out to dinner for the first time in months ...

So excited that they took me out again on Sunday night ... we went to Panera Bread and since the weather was so beautiful we ate outside ... I was awake the whole time and had a blast ... smiling at Mommy and Daddy and enjoying the breeze on my face ...

Sunday I also turned 3 months old ... which ment on Monday I had a doctors appointment ... everyone there was gaga about me too ... Mommy carried me in her arms rather than in my car seat cause I am getting so heavy ... so everyone could see me which is probably why they all wanted to check me out ...

I weighed in at 16 pounds 4 ounces ... up from 13 pounds 2 ounces at my 2 month appointment ... I was also 25 1/4 inches tall ... up from 22 3/4 inches at my 2 month appointment ... the doctor said I am doing great ... and told Mommy to keep up the good work ... then I had to get a shot ... but it was a lot better than the 4 I got last time ... although the doctor said at my 4 month appointment I would be getting 4 shots again ... so I am not looking forward to that ...

I have really started smiling at Mommy and Daddy ... if they make faces at me or talk to me I light up ... so you guessed it they make faces at me all the time ... I am also much better in my Bumbo seat ... and I am liking it more and more every day ... I don't even wobble in it much anymore ...

On Tuesday night I had my first real food ... well as real as I am going to get at this point ... it was rice cereal and I ate it like a champ ... didn't push the spoon out or anything ... I of course got it all over my face but that is half the fun ... I wound up sleeping through the night too :)

On Thursday I hung out with Grandmommy, Aunt Jenny and Eliana ... it was a lot of fun ... Mommy went to get her hair cut and a pedicure ... two things she hasn't done since they put her on bedrest before I was born so I know she had a good time ...

Aunt Heather also planned a trip to come and visit ... she will be here at the end of September ... I can hardly wait ...

Week Thirteen

Our kitty cat Kramer has been acting weird for several days now ... staring at the same place in the corner of the kitchen so Mommy and Daddy decided they should take it seriously ... they talk about how Kramer knew there were bats in their old house and that he must see something in this house ... so on Tuesday Mommy called an exterminator and made an appointment for Wednesday ... Tuesday night Daddy decided to investigate for himself and sure enough he saw something under the stove ... to say the least Mommy got a bit freaked out ... especially with me waking up anywhere between 3:30 and 4:30 in the morning lately ... she did not want to go down to feed me with the possibility of something visiting us ...

Mommy was telling Grandmommy that it must be some rite of passage because when she was a baby Grandmommy found a mouse in their house too ... I don't think it made Mommy feel any better ... but she did keep saying "at least it isn't another bat"

So I got to move back into Mommy and Daddy's room ... Mommy brought bottles up so she could feed me in her room during the night but to her surprise I slept through the night Tuesday ... 8 whole hours ... Wednesday night I slept 8.5 hours and Thursday night I slept 9 whole hours ... Mommy seemed so refreshed ... that is until Friday night when I woke up only an hour after Mommy went to bed ... :)

Mommy is trying to figure out why I sleep so much better in her room than my own ... I can't see them but some of the women on her message board have suggested that I can smell them and that I like the sound of the fan in their room ... so once they move me back into my own room she is going to try a couple of things ... for now I am enjoying being in there again ...

I have been cooing a lot more lately ... and Mommy and Daddy sware I said "hi" a couple of times this week ... at least my coo sounded like "hi" ... I also giggled again this week but only once and only briefly ... I do break into the biggest smile whenever they lay me down to change my diaper and I now lift my legs on my own to help Mommy out ... she sure gets a kick out of it ... whatever I can do to entertain ... :)

We went on a bunch of walks this week because the weather has been cooler and Mommy has been reading me "The Little Engine That Could" and I coo the whole time she reads ... I have also outgrown so many of my 0-3 month clothes that Mommy has had to start packing them away and I am wearing all of my 3-6 month clothes now ... it is a whole new wardrobe and I just love it!!!

Week Twelve

Well Saturday July 30th was supposed to be my first night in my own room ... but after a day of eating every 2 hours I projectile vomited like nobody's business ... Mommy said she was waiting to see my head spin around ... even though I felt a lot better afterwards Mommy and Daddy had me sleep in their room again ...

But on Sunday night I slept in my room all alone ... I didn't sleep my usual 7 hours ... Mommy was up with me at 2:30 ... I had scooted all the way across the crib and my head was jammed up against the rails and my arm was hanging out ... it freaked me out a little because I don't know how to back up yet ... but Mommy was there to get me ... so I had a bottle and went back to bed in my crib and slept till almost 6:00 AM ... but then my limbs were hanging out again ... so Mommy is trying to come up with something to help me out ... she is looking for a mesh bumper ... then maybe I will start sleeping longer in the crib ... she misses the 7 hours of sleep night ...

Mommy finally finished making my birth announcements on Monday and they came out beautifully ... she took them to the post office and hand cancelled them all and sent them out ... I'm excited for everyone to know I am here ...

Tuesday night reverend Gaffney gave mommy and daddy a call ... he is the man that married them 2 years ago and he got my birth announcement and wanted to congratulate them ... he asked all about me and how they were doing and mommy said he sounded so happy to hear from all of us and that it was just so sweet of them to think of him when mailing them out ... Miss Marianne got her announcement too and said it was so beautiful that she was going to frame it so when she has grandchildren she can make one like it ... :)

On Wednesday Mommy and Daddy got me a Bumbo seat and I LOVE IT!!! ... I work on sitting up all the time and this lets me sit up on my own and check everything out ... We took it over to Grandmommy's on Thursday night and she and Aunt Jenny and Eliana got such a kick seeing me sit up ... Eliana even helped give me my bottle ... it was so much fun ... here is a picture of me in my seat ...


I've slept in my room all week and I am liking it more and more ... I've even started going to bed earlier all on my own ... I've been going to sleep around 9:30 PM and getting up at 4:30 AM ... I'm still getting my 7 hours in a row but Mommy can't seem to go to sleep at 9:30 PM so she is still struggling ... eventually we will get in sync ...

Week Eleven

I am still in love with my bouncy chair ... moreso than ever ... I can really get kicking now and make the music play and the chair bounce ... and it makes me smile so big ... Mommy of course took another million pictures of me playing in it ...

On Wednesday I went to visit Grandmommy and saw Aunt Jenny, Uncle Jason and Eliana ... Grandmommy cuddled with me almost the whole time I was there ... and I love being at her house because there are so many new things to look at ... I just move my head back and forth and back and forth ... Grandmommy says I am wearing a bald spot on the back of my head because of it ...

while I was there I sat with Eliana while Mommy read Jack and the Bean Stalk to us ... she read it a couple of times and made funny voices ... then I watched Ellie read her Sesame Street book ... it was a great afternoon ...

On Friday Mommy and Daddy took me up to Mommy's work ... we stopped and got the oil changed in the car and I was a perfect angel while waiting ... Mommy kept telling me how good I was ... then we went to the office so Marianne and Roxanne could get their baby fix ... and Alan gave me the cutest outfit from Gymboree (his wife picked it out so he checked it out with me)

This week I've started pulling myself up if I am holding onto someones hands and in a reclined position ... everyone gets so excited about it but I'm usually doing it to find the food ... it is pretty fun getting everyone so excited and I do usually burst into a smile ...

I gotta tell you ... it seems pretty easy to impress these people :)

Week Ten

On Sunday the 16th we took Grandpa to the airport ... it was so great that he got to come visit and meet me ... he said he is going to come back in the fall when I've grown even more ... little does he know that Mommy and Daddy swear each morning that I am bigger than when they put me to sleep ... I might be a giant by the time he gets back here ...

On Tuesday night while Mommy was working on my birth announcements I was snoozing on my boppy pillow next to her on the couch ... suddenly I got a huge smile on my face and then started giggling ... Mommy couldn't believe it ... she kept saying, "Oh my goodness you are so cute!" ... she grabbed the video camera but wasn't in time ... it was the first thing she told Daddy about in the morning ...

On Wednesday night Mommy cut my nails for the very first time ... before now they were just peeling off on their own ... but since I've started pinching things the long nails kinda hurt ... she used little scissors and did it while I was awake ... I sat and watched her very intensely and didn't move at all ... she was just going to test it on one really long one but I really liked watching her so she did them all ... my toe nails aren't long yet but those will be next ...

I've begun playing music on my bouncy chair with my feet ... when I kick my feet the music plays and boy can I kick my feet ... I just love it and up until this week I never even liked having the music going ... I can sit there forever kicking and smiling and watching the toys swing and wiggle ... Mommy took way too much video of me on the chair but then again I amuse her quite easily ... every time I discover something new she wants to capture it ...

Up until this week I never pooped when we weren't home ... made it easy on Mommy and Daddy and it became a running joke how I liked to be at home ... but all that changed yesterday ... Mommy and I went to Target and for the first time ever she had to use a changing table in the restroom ... and it was a double whammy ... I spit up all over myself as we got into the restroom ... so it was a full ansamble change right there at Target ... thank goodness Mommy was prepared ...

Week Nine

On the 11th I spent the day with Grandmommy again so mommy and daddy could get the house ready for Grandpa's visit ... Uncle Jason was home when mommy took me over there and he loved that he got to hold me for a while ... Aunt Jenny usually wins out on the battle to hold me ...

On the 12th I once again got all dolled up and we went to the airport ... this time the car ride was much better and I slept the whole way ... Grandpa was so excited to meet me ... I am his first granddaughter ...

On the 13th I had my 2 month check up ... I weighed in at 13 pounds 2 ounces and was 22 3/4 inches long ... the doctor again told Mommy that I was doing great and to keep doing whatever it was we were doing ... after the doctor left a nurse came in and I had to get 4 shots ... one in each limb ... mommy held me tight but it hurt and my face turned purple from working up such a scream ... I felt pretty bad the rest of the day so mommy and daddy gave me extra love and some baby Tylenol ... both helped me to feel better ...

We just spent the week hanging out at home with Grandpa ... watching movies and cuddling on the couch ... I love all the cuddle time ...

The last couple of days this week I started playing a funny trick on mommy ... every time she changes my diaper I take a poop within 10 minutes and she has to go back up to change me again ... it does make her laugh ...

Week Eight

On Saturday, July 1st Mommy & Daddy got me all dress up and we headed to the airport to pick up Aunt Kris (she isn't really my aunt but I call her that because she and mommy have been friends for over 20 years and she was almost as excited as mommy for me to get here)

It was pretty exciting going to the airport but I did get a little sick of being in the car on the way up there ... but once we got there Daddy carried me through the airport and Aunt Kris couldn't stop loving on me when she saw me ... I think she said I was cute about 100 times ...

My first 4th of July was very exciting ... I wore my Independance Day dress that Aunt Yadira and Uncle Kevin sent me and looked so cute ... we cooked out at Grandmommy and Granddaddy's house and Daddy made fried ice cream for everyone ... well everyone but me ... and at 9:00 PM I saw the most beautiful fireworks light up the sky ...

It was also Mommy and Daddy's second wedding anniversary ... I had such a good time

It was a fun week having Aunt Kris here ... she held me and kissed me all the time ... kept saying what a good baby I was and I loved hanging out and just watching her and mommy talk and laugh ...

The ride back to the airport on Thursday was a bit tough on me again ... I am getting more used to the car but we did have to stop to give me a little time out of my seat ... I was sad to see Aunt Kris go ... I wish she didn't live so far away but she did say we could all come to Las Vegas to visit and go swimming in her pool ...

On Friday morning daddy took me over to Grandmommy's house because he and mommy were going to spend the day unpacking all the boxes from their move (they moved on October 29, 2005 but mommy was so big while pregnant and they had a lot of painting to do and once I got here I have taken up a lot of their time) ... it was my first day away from them for so long ... Mommy cried after Daddy left but then got right to work ...

I spent the day curled up in Grandmommy's arms ... she sure does love me ... she talked to me ... tried to teach me how to say Grandmommy (she must have said it 1000 times while I was there) and just kissed me over and over ... it is pretty fun going to Grandmommy's house ... when mommy and daddy came to get me they hung out for a while and Aunt Jenny spent some time loving on me before we left ...

It is a good thing I LOVE being held because everyone sure does love to hold me ...

Week Seven

On the 24th I appeared to recognize mommy when she picked me up in the morning ... while I was laying on the changing table I was really looking at her face with a lot of thought in mine and smiling really big ... it made mommy so happy ...

On the 24th I also started smiling at myself in the mirror ... and let me tell you the baby in the mirror is a cutie ... especially when she smiles ...

On the 28th after we went to the mom's group we went to a very fancy baby store and got a pair of ruffled bottoms for me ... they are so pretty ... mommy came home and took a whole bunch of pictures of me so she could make a baby announcement ... the picture they chose is so very beautiful ... it came out just perfect ... probably because I was asleep when they took it :)

Week Six

On the 19th I really started to love playing on my activity mat and watching myself in the mirror ... I hardly even notice the toys above me because the image in the mirror is fantastic to stare at ...

On Wednesday mommy and I went to her first Mommies group ... it was a lot of fun ... lots of other babies to look at and mommy had a chance to talk to other mom's about what they are going through being new mommies ... she is getting a lot better at taking me out on her own ...

Week Five

On the 13th I slept from 1:00 AM until 7:00 AM ... Mommy actually woke up before me because she thought she may not have heard me cry ... as hard as that is to believe ... she hears me when I just make little noises while sleeping ... so she actually got to make some coffee and check her e-mail before I even woke up ... they wanted to brag to everyone about how long I slept ...

On the 14th I had my one month check-up ... again the doctor said I was doing great ... and I saw a really nice doctor this time ... one I really liked ... I weighed in at 10 pounds 12 ounces and was 22.5 inches long ... the doctor told mommy and daddy to keep doing whatever they are doing cause I was doing great ... that means plently of bottles ... kisses and snuggle time for me ...

For the first time this week Mommy and I went out without Daddy ... we went to AC Moore and Target and then hung out for a while at Starbucks ... Mommy had a Mocha Frappachino and I had a bottle then we just sat and read People magazine ... we also went to visit Eliana and Aunt Jenny ... Mommy had made some stickers for Ellie out of the picture of her holding me for the first time ... it was a really fun afternoon and I was so proud of Mommy being able to keep up with everything all by herself ... it isn't easy keeping up with me ...

Week Four

On the 6th Eliana and Aunt Jenny came over to play ... Aunt Jenny sat and held me the whole time ... she just loves holding me ... and Eliana was playing on my activity gym ... it was so funny because she is way too big for it ... but she was having fun ringing the bell and trying to make me laugh ...

On the 9th I gazed at myself in the mirror for quite sometime ... this was the first time mommy noticed and she watched me as long as I watched myself ...

I also gave mommy and daddy quite a big laugh ... I had what Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jason refer to as my first blow-out ... Daddy was holding me on the couch and suddenly got a funny look on his face ... as he took me upstairs he kept calling for mommy to come and help ... turns out I pooped so hard it blew right out of my diaper ... mommy and daddy couldn't stop laughing ... I was in an old onesie and they didn't want to pull it over my head so out came the sissors and they cut it right off of me ... it was right into the bath for me after that ...

Week Three

On the 27th we went to Grandmommy and Granddaddy's house for a cook-out to celebrate Daddy's birthday ... normally we go out for dinner but I'm pretty new to the world to be going out ... my cousin Eliana held me for the first time and there were so many pictures taken we felt like celebrities ... On the same night when we got home I slept 5 hours ... Mommy thought she was in heaven ... I was just excited for my bottle when I woke up ...

On Sunday Mommy and Daddy took me to Target for the first time ... it is one of Mommy's favorite stores and I can see why ... there were so many things to look at ... and they of course bought some stuff for me ...

On the 30th I got to visit Mommy's work ... Marianne, Roxanne and Mary spent the whole time loving on me ... they were all so excited to see me ...

Mommy was less excited later that night when I projectile vomited on her in the middle of the night ... and as gross as it was she just laughed it off ... the next day when I projectile vomited near Daddy he was relieved it didn't get on him ...

On June 1st Daddy gave me my first bath in my big bathtub ... there were tons of bubbles and I was submerged in warm water and I loved it!!! It was fabulous until I had to get out ... that was not fun and boy did I scream my head off to let them know ... but the big bath I can get used to ... much better than the sponge baths I have been having ...

Week Two

On Sunday the 21st I went to Grandmommy and Granddaddys for my first Sunday brunch ... I mostly just slept but it was great to get out of the house ... when we got home Daddy gave me my first bath at home ... it was just a sponge bath because I still have my umbilicle cord stump ... I did pretty good and didn't cry much ... and Mommy and Daddy both kept telling me how wonderful I smelled afterwards ...

On the 22nd I had my first pediatrician appointment ... they needed to check on me since I had been in the NICU and the doctor said I was doing great and told Mommy and Daddy to keep doing whatever they were doing ...

Later that day Grandmommy came over to babysit me ... it was the first time Mommy and Daddy have left without me ... I did pretty good though ... just slept in Grandmommy's arms ... Mommy had to go and get her staples out from her C-section and it is a good thing they didn't take me along ... it wound up taking a lot longer than they had thought it would

On Wendesday the 24th my umbillicle cord stump fell off ... Mommy was happy about that because now I could wear anything she wanted ... but they weren't quite ready to give me a bath in my big bathtub yet ...

The 25th was my Daddy's birthday and I made hand and foot prints in clay for him ... they are in a frame with a picture of him holding me in the hospital ... they came out great and now we can compare to see how much I grow ...

On Friday I actually pulled off Mommy's glasses twice ... I think it was a bit of a fluke but it makes me feel like I am getting control of my hands ...

I would say all in all I had a pretty exciting second week of life ...

My First Week

Although I wasn't due to arrive until June 4, 2006 ... May 13th is my Birth Day ... Mommy went into the hosptial on May 11th to be induced ... I had already gotten so big (they thought about 8 pounds) and Mommy was having a hard time carrying me ... when they induced her labor on the night of the 11th we thought I would arrive on May 12th ... but it just didn't happen that fast ... here is my birth story:

On Thursday, May 11th David and I headed for the hospital. We were running late but because of all the wonderful advice I had gotten from friends on my Due In June message board we stopped to get something to eat ... and thank goodness we did ... it was hours/days before I was able to eat again ...

We got all settled in our room and I was told I couldn't have anything to eat or drink until 2 hours after the servadil was inserted and nothing more after midnight ... it was around 4 o'clock and I didn't think that was going to be a problem ... unfortunately I was wrong ... they didn't put the servadil in until 7:30 PM ... so at 9:30 PM I was finally allowed to eat and drink but only for 2.5 more hours ...

they hooked me up to all the monitors and my contractions were good and not too strong ... it was great David was allowed to stay with me in the hospital ... it made it all that much better ...

They told me they would be taking me over to L&D around 6 AM on Friday ... turns out at 6 AM Friday they told me I could take a shower if I wanted (thank goodness I did) and that they would be coming for me around 9 or 9:30 AM ... at 12:30 PM we were still in our regular room ... and as I was returning from the bathroom my water broke ... all on its own ... I just stood there laughing not sure what to do ... but I did think this would get me over to L&D quicker ... again, amazingly I was wrong ...

turns out everyone and their mother were having babies on Friday ... I think later a nurse told me they had something like 22 babies on Friday ... some crazy number ...

All in all I didn't get over to L&D until about 7:30 PM Friday ... it had me worried because my doctor was only going to be there until 7 AM Saturday and I really wanted him to be the one to deliver my baby ... but everyone was telling me it would be hours and hours before I had the baby ... (since I had been in the hospital 2 weeks before all the nurses remembered me and came to hang out and talk and help me prepare)

Once they gave me the Pictocin the contractions got hard ... there was NO WAY I was saying no to an epidural ... once they had that hooked up I felt much better ... I dozed on and off throughout the night ... and kept dilating at a good pace ... but it was looking more and more like my doctor would be gone before it was time to push ...

Unfortunately any time my doctor checked my cervix I could then feel contractions again ... at one point during the night it got unbearable and I just wanted it all to be over ... the doc came in and gave me a higher dosage of epi and I was numb from the waist down ... felt great then ...

At 7 AM my doctor came in and said that I was at 10cm dialated and all the cervix was about gone ... that he thought I would be able to start pushing by 8 AM but that he would be gone ... if I hadn't been so tired and hungry I may have cried but I didn't ... I just thanked him and kept praying it would suddenly become 8 AM ...

I had such an AWESOME nurse ... I just loved her so so much ... David was awesome too ... especially since neither of us had any idea what we were doing ... and my doctor was right ... come 8 AM we started pushing ...

Mind you at this point it had been since around 10 PM Thursday since I had eaten and I had maybe gotten a handful of hours sleep ... but I pushed as hard as I could every time they told me I needed to ... I really was hoping I was going to be able to have a vaginal birth ...

At about 8:45 AM I told them I needed a little break from pushing ... and I got about 15 minutes ... I started telling them I couldn't do this ... I just didn't have it in me but of course everyone around me was a cheerleader and keep telling me I could do it ... so I pushed for another hour ... and during the 9 o'clock hour I was told they could now see the top of her head ... which I thought sounded great ... but I was getting so tired that I again told them I couldn't do this ... the doctor got me to agree to push for one more hour and then at that time we could re-evaluate the situation ... I was too tired to argue so I said OK ... unfortunately during this time my blood pressure got so ridiculously high they were worried about a seizure so I was put on Magnesium ... I wouldn't learn till much later that that meant I wasn't going to be able to eat for a long time ...

I kept pushing and pushing ... I was told they could see the top of the head ... but then she told me the head was starting to swell when I pushed ... and that when I started breathing during a push she was really taking two steps forward and one step back ... I told them it was starting to feel like she was coming up through my stomach rather than down when I pushed ... there wasn't a clock I could see so I asked David what time it was ... he told me 11:30 ... they had gotten me to push for an hour and a half ... so I said "seriously tell me where I am at ... is it like one more hour or more than that" ... the doctor said it would be at least 3 more hours if not more ... that I was not pushing as hard or as long as when I first started (ahhh duhhhhhhhhhhh) and that she was starting to worry because the baby's head was starting to really swell during the pushing ... I said "that's it I can't do this for another couple of hours you have to do a C-section" ... this was the first time no one argued with me ... they didn't even ask me if I was sure they just went into motion ...

first things first ... I got more epi to numb me from the waist down and then I was a happy camper ... they got David scrubs to change into and wheeled me down to the operating room ... they were quick to have everything set up and brought David in to sit up by my head ...

They were tugging and pulling quite a bit ... it didn't hurt but it didn't seem like it was easy to get her out ...

at 12:33 PM Schuyler was welcomed to the world ... weighing in at 8 pounds 8 ounces and 19 inches long ... I could hear my nurse and doctor talking and the doctor said "oh she was never coming out naturally" ... that did make me feel better about my decision to have a C-section ...

After she was checked out they handed her off to David and the two sat content for the rest of whatever it was they were doing to me ...

They kept asking me if I were a diabetic because she was huge for 36 weeks ... and over and over again I told them no ... while in recovery I was talking to my nurse and she told me that she and the doctor had been talking and it was a good thing I went for the C-section ... they said even if I had gotten her head out they would have probably had to break her arm to get her shoulders out ... that would have made me feel horrible ...

Unfortunately they found her sugar to be low and I got to hold her for about one minute before they took her to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ... David went along with her ... by Saturday night I was settled in my room but since they had put me on the magnesium I wasn't allowed to eat, shower, or get up ... so there was no visiting Schuyler ... David on the other hand went to see her constantly which was good ... we were lucky the NICU was right across the hall from my room ... since I was on the Mag I didn't have to go up to maternity ... I got to go back to the high risk pregnancy section ... where I knew all the nurses ... and they were so cool that even after I was off the Mag they kept it on the board that I was on it so they didn't move me ...

By late Sunday afternoon I was finally allowed to get up and they got me a wheelchair so David could take me to go see Skye ... it was hard seeing her hooked up to all the monitors and IV and such ... but I knew she was big and doing well compared to other babies in there ...

Monday I was fighting a fever all day and wasn't allowed in there to see her whenever I wanted ... only after I got Tylenol and my temp broke each time ...

Tuesday she was put into an incubator with the purple lights ... again hard seeing her in there but I was able to walk around on my own now so I went in constantly to visit her ... I was supposed to go home Wednesday and they said she might be able to leave by Friday ... that made me sad since I felt like I hadn't really gotten to bond with her that much ...

Turns out because of my fever the doc wanted to keep me an extra day ... and she was doing so well that on Thursday morning they doc said she could go home too ...

So David picked up his girls on Thursday afternoon ... and we have been having a great time hanging out with her at home ... who knew this could be so much fun ... she even likes her room ... she seems fascinated by everything hanging on the ceiling while she is getting her diaper changed ...

So that is the story of how I entered the world ... I am now a week old and have been home for 2 days ... everyone fusses over me and kisses me constantly ...

I met Grandmommy and Granddaddy and Uncle Jason, Aunt Jenny and my cousin Eliana while I was in the hospital and they have all been over to the house already to visit me ... I am a pretty good baby so far so everyone loves to hold me ...

With the fence in place ...

The fence went up easily and just really made the room look great ... each new picket that went up we ohhhhh'ed and ahhhhhhh'ed ... they were looking better than I could have ever envisioned ...

So after we had the whole fence up we wanted to see what the butterflies and ladybugs and bees looked liked ... they aren't up permanantly just to test them out but they too look so awesome ... now I can't wait to finish the room ... we have some ladybug rugs and a hot air balloon kite and flower door handles ... all sorts of stuff ... I can't wait to take the finished pictures ...

With the fence in place ...

Cloudy but still a beautiful day

The clouds just make the room ... with great determination we started working on the clouds right away ... I wanted to do all of them but I just couldn't ... my stomach has grown by leaps and bounds so it was bumping into the ladder too much especially when I reached up and backwards to work on the ceiling ones ... so I relented and let David do the ceiling and I did the ones on the walls ...

We both just love them ... they give the room so much depth ... and they came out so much better than the ones we had on our ceiling in our condo ... now that we have finished the clouds we can hang all the pickets for hte fence ...

Cloudy but still a beautiful day

Growing the Tree

So we got this amazing tree from Pottery Barn Kids ... it is called a wallie ... it is kinda like wallpaper ... you submerge it in water and then stick it to the wall ... it sticks as it dries ... and it came out beautiful ... we debated getting more than one but I think the one is enough ... there is going to be a lot going on in the room ...

Growing the tree