Rock-a-bye Baby

After months of reading reviews, looking in stores and online, I finally decided on a swing for Emma. My mom, AKA Grammy, said that she would buy Emma a swing for Christmas, but I just couldn't seem to find the perfect one. So earlier this week, Grammy, Emma and I went to buy the Fisher Price Papasan swing. So once I got home, I put the swing together and put Emma in to try it out. This swing is a MIRACLE!! If the child is the least bit upset or restless, we can pop her in her swing and she is out like a light in about 5 -10 minutes. Emma also enjoys relaxing in her swing and watching the mobile that has a mirror on it where she can see herself. She likes to talk to that super cute baby staring back at her. This swing has saved our lives. This house will never be without of D batteries again!!! Let's all take a moment to thank Grammy for her gift and subsequently rescuing us from many nights with a grizzly baby. Here are some pictures of our sweet girl in her new favorite toy:

Tummy Time

You've probably heard that "tummy time" is important so that babies can learn to push up and eventually crawl, and tummy time is essential from day one. Experts find that babies who don't spend time face-down often have some delays in their development of motor skills. This time on the tummy helps babies learn to push up, roll over, sit up, crawl, and pull to a stand. So being the mother of the year that I am ( HA HA) of course I make sure Emma spends ample time on her tummy and up on my shoulder where she is forced to hold up her little head and strengthen her neck and shoulders. Things started out well:

But slowly started to crumble:

Until we hit meltdown:

So, as important as tummy time is, we have to do it in small doses. Oh well, at least she gets tummy time right? Feel free to pass along tips on how you make or made tummy time more enjoyable for your little ones.

Sweetest Smiles

Emma gave me some beautiful smiles today! I think these were actually in response to me and not her normal sleep smiles. Here is our happy little girl with the sweetest smile I have ever seen.

One Month Check Up

Our girl is one month old!! Hard to believe, but it's true. We took Emma to the doctors today for her 1 month check up. She did great! Emma now weighs 9 pounds 9 ounces and is 22 inches long. She is in the 50th percentile for height and 70th percentile for weight. The doctor said she is growing well and is pleased with her progress. Emma now holds her head up for quite some time and enjoys looking at the world around her. She will look at us and follow us with her eyes and even turn her head if we move. She is starting to coo a bit and is overall a content and happy baby. We are so happy with her progress and are excited to watch her continue to grow and meet new milestones. Here is a picture from this morning of our girl propped up on the couch...such a big girl!!

So after 1 month, we are all adjusting well...even our animals! Check out our dog Teddy with his new baby sister:

So cute! Animals truly are amazing. Teddy really shows concern for Emma. If we have visitors and they hold her, he has to make sure "his baby" is ok. There are many nights that he sits in Emma's room by the rocking chair as I feed her. How blessed we are to have such a good dog.

4 weeks old!

It's hard to believe, but Emma is 4 weeks old today! Time has certainly flown by. In the last 4 weeks, we have watched our little miracle grow and change everyday. She is now lifting her head and holding it up for a good amount of time, smiles in her sleep,(nothing in response to us just yet, but its still cute as can be), looks at us dead in the face and follows us if we move. Today we introduced the bottle and after a weird look and rolling it around in her mouth for a minute, she caught on and took 3 oz of milk! Emma is also sleeping better at night...a relief for Mommy!!! 4 hours of sleep at one sitting never felt so good! Needless to say we are so proud of all of her accomplishments! Emma goes to the Doctor on Tuesday so I will be sure to update with how she makes out! Meanwhile, here are a couple pictures of our girl on her 4 week birthday:

A little smile???

Some Mommy time:

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! Welcome 2008! Tonight was a quiet evening at home. No wild party and drinking this year. No sir, we were at home, watching the ball drop with our white grape juice and sweet baby girl. It may sound boring to most, but this was our best new years yet.

Since we were home this evening, Joe worked on getting some of the drop ceiling up in our basement and I spent hours working on Emma's birth announcements. I think they turned out nicely...take a look:With New Years comes New Years resolutions, so along with the rest of America, I have made the resolution to lose weight in 2008. I have a good reason though, I mean, I had a baby and need to shed those leftover pregnancy pounds (plus 10-15 more that I gained before I got pregnant). That makes me different from all the other diet junkies right? In all honesty, this new body I have is hard to embrace. I mean I am at a weight I haven't seen in years and I have new loose skin and stretch marks...sexy huh? Although, I could always say the stretch marks are tiger stripes....Roar Baby! All joking aside, while this body is tough to get used to, the outcome is so worth it. I mean I grew and gave life to a perfect and beautiful baby girl! In the words of a dear friend on her pregnancy weight, I am plump, glowing, and growing a miracle and that's good enough for me! I couldn't say it better myself! Weight can be lost,bodies can be changed, but my child is priceless and irreplaceable!

Some years we can wait to see go, and some we will always reflect back on fondly. 2007 was a year that will forever be remembered fondly, as it was the year that began our lives as a family of 3. Our lives are forever changed. May 2008 be a year of health, happiness, the love of family and friends, and the continued abundant blessings from our Heavenly Father. Happy New Year everyone!