Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Wow how time has flown by so quickly. We had a wonderful Christmas. It was the best ever so far. We so enjoyed Christmas with Leah even though she had no clue what was going on. To her it was just like any other day when everyone comes to see her. She actually slept while we opened presents. The day after Christmas she rolled from her tummy to her back for the first time. She is reaching for things with more accuracy now. She is also making new sounds which make us laugh. She is just so sweet. It's hard to believe that tomorrow will start 2010. It's been almost a year since we found out we were going to have a baby. It just doesn't seem like a whole year has pased. God has blessed us so much. We surely don't deserve it. I hope that this year will bring much joy and wonderful blessings to my friends and family.

Here are a few pictures of Leah.

The day after Christmas. Leah is trying on her new hair flower that Aunt Dana gave her.

Leah trying out her new 4-wheeler that Grump bought her.

Gran, Grump and Leah
Our first Christmas! She just couldn't stand anymore excitement for the day.
Christmas eve...so excited about Santa.

12 weeks old

I can't believe that 3 months ago I was seeing my little Leah for the very first time. It is so bittersweet to watch her grow. I have been having many teary eyed moments recently. I was holding her and realizing that when she was born the length of her body was about the width of mine. Now her head to waist are that same length. Why can't this time last a little longer. She'll have many more years to be "big" so I want this time to last. I am truly cherishing every day with her despite my house needing some attention. I figure I will always have a house to clean, but I will not always have a baby to hold. Speaking of holding, this past week Leah has decided that she needs a little independence. She doesn't want to be held as much which breaks my heart. She loves to be laying on her activity mat or the floor with some toys. She coos (quite loudly some times) and smiles and has a great time just wiggling and looking around. She still wants to be held in the evenings and when she is tired so I still get my snuggle time. She is amazed by the sight of her hand. She hasn't figured out she has 2 of them yet. Her eyes are filled with wonder as she watches her little hand move around. Life is so good!

We had Christmas/3 month photos taken on Saturday. Go to http://www.appearphotography.com/, click on find your photos, children and families, then Leah to see them. Lori did a fabulous job. I don't even know how to choose. At first, Greg was not very excited about the whole photo shoot. He really doesn't like taking pictures. He told me he did not understand what the big deal was about getting the pictures made. After viewing the photos last night, he said it was all worth it. Leah did pretty well. She had her moments, and I'm amazed Lori was able to get the shots she did. Leah can and does smile more that she did that day, but she was so mesmerized by the lights and the camera that we couldn't get her to smile much. We are going to have so much fun with future photo shoots.

Here are a few more pictures that I took. They don't even begin to compare to Lori's.

Leah with her Gran and Grump.
Our little family
I could just eat her up!

11 weeks old

Oh what joy Leah brings to my heart. I can't say enough about how much fun it is to be home with my little girl. She is so sweet and her little personality is just blooming. She melts my heart every time she smiles. She has found her voice and likes to make really loud noises now. It is so much fun to talk/read to her and listen to her coo and smile. We took her to church for the first time, and she slept through the first half of Bible study. Greg took her out to give her a bottle for the second half. She is loud eater and doesn't take the bottle very well.

The bottle....what a challenge. We had to give her a bottle when we first got home because of her jaundice. That only lasted 1 week. After that she was not given a bottle for quite some time. Here lately we have been trying to give her a bottle so that I can leave the house for more than 2 to 3 hours. It has not been going very well. She fights it! We have made investments in many bottles. She took the cheap ones the best, but that's not saying much. We have been trying to give her practice each day with just an ounce, but it seems more like torture. Then yesterday I got to thinking about what type of nipple was on the bottle. She doesn't like the silicone pacifiers. She takes the latex ones. I thought maybe that would be the case with the bottles. So I made a little trip to the store and got a bottle with the latex nipple. When I got home she was ready to eat. I warmed up the bottle gave it to Greg, and she took it with no problems. I could have kicked myself. I'm just thankful to know what works now. I feel better about leaving her with Greg or my parents and knowing she won't be screaming while they try to feed her.

Greg's parents came for the day on Sunday. It was nice having them here to spend some time with Leah. I know she had changed so much since they last saw her.

Here are some pics from the past weeks.

First time to go to church.

Trying on her shoes which are much too big.

They are only a size 1.

Her first Christmas tree. She loves to look at the lights, but that day was more interested in sleeping.
Her first snow. As you can see, she really didn't care about the snow.

Grandmama and Granddaddy

10 weeks old and Happy Thanksgiving

Leah was able to experience her first Thanksgiving day this week. She got to meet all of her cousins and her great grandmommie. She did very well for the 2 hour trip down and back. She was so good while we were there. I thought she may be fussy since she was not used to being around that many people at once, but she was just happy as can be. She actually slept most of the time. On Saturday, she rooted for Alabama during her first AL/AU game experience. I know Greg will make sure she gets to watch many more AL games.

She is smiling more often now. I finally was able to get a picture of her smiling. Most of the time she is just so captivated by the camera that I can't get her to smile, but she was just so happy that AL won the game she could not contain herself.

Go Bama!

Thanksgiving Day

Getting to meet her great aunt and cousins.

2 months old

Really? Two months has already passed? It does not seem like it has been 2 months since Leah was born. When I was waiting for her, 2 months seemed to go by so slowly, and now time flies by. Leah got her vaccinations on Wednesday. It was pretty pitiful to watch. She screamed through it, but once the last injection was complete she fell asleep. She was so deep in sleep that it concerned me a little, but by the time we made it home she was awake. The doctor gave us a prescription for prilosec because the zantac just did not do the job for her reflux. So Wednesday night we started the new medicine, and then the night turned out to be awful. At about 7pm she started screaming and could not be calmed down. I have no clue what was wrong. Thursday and Friday night were almost the same except she wasn't screaming it was more just really fussy. I'm thinking it's colic, but who knows. She has been okay the past 2 nights, but she just wants to be awake. I don't know when my child is ever going to go to sleep before 11pm. I guess she just likes being a night owl.


Even though the nights might not be what I would like, we are still enjoying having her so much. It's so fun to watch her follow Greg when he walks in and out of the room. She it so cute when she smiles that big gummy, open mouth smile. She makes the cutest little noises when she sees something that excites her. What a joy to watch her grow even though I wish she would stay little.


I have not been very good at taking pictures this week, but I did get one of her chillin' on her boppy.

Eight Weeks Old

We had a challenging but good week last week. Leah and I made out first trip out to Walmart. I used my baby bjorn to carry her, and it was a great trip. She slept most of the time and was very content when she wasn't asleep. The challenging part came on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. For some reason, she did not want to go to sleep until midnight. I didn't realize it was a pattern until Thursday night. Tuesday night I thought she slept too much during the day, Wednesday night I thought it was just gas/acid reflux issues, and then Thursday I realized we were making a habit out of this. So Friday I spent the day keeping her awake when she needed to be awake and setting up nap time when she needed to nap. Friday night she slept about 7 hours. It was great.

My mom came here early Saturday morning to spend the weekend with us. My dad and Greg were both going to be out of town Saturday night. We had a great time. Mom had not seen Leah smiling yet so she was thrilled to be able to see that. My brother and his wife spent some time with us Saturday. That afternoon we went to Hobby Lobby to get Leah a Christmas tree for her room. I'll post pictures when I get it decorated. She loves to look at lights so I think she will enjoy it.

My heart is so full of joy. God has blessed me with a beautiful baby girl, a wonderful husband and loving family. I have more than I deserve!

Here are a few pictures from this week.

This dress was made by Mrs. Herron (Dana's mom).
Leah and her Gran.
They talked for hours this weekend.

Sleeping with her dad. I took this picture and then

woke Greg up because I was afraid he would drop her.

Seven weeks old

Leah is really starting to have a little personality now. She is smiling more and beginning to make some cooing sounds. We went for our first shopping experience to the Summit with Dana and Addie Grace. Let's just say it did not go as well as I had wished. She decided that riding in the stroller was not her style and wanted to be held the whole time. So I pushed the stroller and held her. We also seemed to spend most of our time feeding the girls. We did venture out for another shopping trip at the end of the week which was much more successful thanks to Baby Bjorn. I love that thing. We had a great time! Leah got her first real bath this week. We had been bathing her with her lying on the countertop because she was so little and wiggly in the little tub. Her face at first was hilarious. She did not know what to think, but she loved it after the initial shock. Well, I must run now. She is waking and demanding to be fed!

Leah and Addie Grace

Six weeks old

Leah is growing too fast for me. She weighs a little over 8 pounds now. She is much more attentive when we talk to her. She has started smiling occasionally in response to the goofy things we do to try to get her to smile. She doesn't seem to know how much joy we get from her smiles or she would do it much more often I'm sure. Greg and I had our first night out Friday night. Mom and dad came over to keep her. She did very well and only had a little trouble figuring out the bottle. Actually, it just took time to figure out which bottle she liked. Seems she likes the really cheap ones better than the pricey ones. I had more trouble than she did. I hated being away from her. I kept calling mom and dad to make sure everything was okay. I'm sure they got tired of me calling, but appeased me each time.

We had some fun this week trying on some hats that my mom's friend had made. Leah also sported her halloween bib and "costume" while passing out candy. The skeleton on the onesie glows in the dark, but I couldn't get a picture of it.

5 weeks old

Last week flew by. Leah and I stayed at my parents' house while Greg was out of town. I hated staying at home alone even when it was just me. I definitely didn't want to stay here alone with it just being the two of us. We had a good time though. My dad got to spend a lot of time with her. My mom had to work so her time was limited. It was just nice for them to get to spend extra time with her instead of just the weekend. I didn't take many pictures last week, but we did get some photos made to celebrate turning one month. She is growing too fast for me. If anyone has figured out how to slow or stop time for a little while, please let me know. I look at her hands every day, and they are growing. I loved her hands when she was born because they were so tiny. I know each phase of her life will be enjoyable, but I just want time to stand still for a little while so I can savor the moment even more. Thanks be to God for His wonderful blessings!

This pic didn't scan so well, but you get the idea.

This is her normal position when she sleeps and even when you hold her.

Mrs. C made her an Alabama blanket which she is very excited about!

It really is such a cute and soft blanket.

One Month

Leah is one month old now. Could this really be? In a way it seems to have flown by, but at the same time it seems she has been here forever. She had her visit with the doctor Friday, and he said she looked perfect. She is now 7lbs, 2oz and 20 inches long. Even though she is growing she still seems so small. She likes to stay all balled up so it makes her seem even smaller. She loves to be held while she sleeps, and likes to wake up once you put her in bed. So after a few nights of staying up for 2 hours after eating, I decided to see if some white noise would help. Oh my goodness, what a blessing!!! We had been given a video called Happiest Baby on the Block which I highly recommend. It gives several ways to callm a baby and help them sleep. We had been swaddling her, but the white noise just made her sleep even better. The first night she went to bed at 8, awoke at 1am and then at 6am. That happened the next 2 nights until we went to the doctor where she slept all the way there and home and at that visit. By bed time she was wide awake. It was a long night, but I've decided to even cherish these moments that I get to spend with her in the stillness of the night. I'm just so grateful for any moment with her.

Here are a few pictures. She really does stay awake during the day. It's just easier to get pictures while she sleeps.

I wanted her to wear this dress home from the hospital, but it was way too big.

One of the hats Bebe made for her.
Do they make baby clothes in petite?

After a long day at the doctor's office.

3 weeks old

It's hard to believe that 3 weeks ago my life was totally changed (for the better). We are having such a good time! Little Leah is sleeping longer through the night most of the time. She is still so little, but you really can't tell that in pictures. I am learning a lot of things about this baby and being a mommy. Here are some things I have learned that I didn't know.

I did not know:
10. that something so cute and little could make such loud stinky toots.
9. that my wonderful husband would be willing to change diapers and be good at it.
8. that she would have the cutest smiles come across her face when she was falling
asleep.
7. that I could stand over her for hours just watching her sleep peacefully.
6. that being spit up on wouldn't actually bother me.
5. I would fall more in love with my husband when I see him hold her.
4. that swaddling is like a miracle drug...calms her immediately.
3. that nursing is messy...breasts turn into dripping faucets and spraying water
hoses.
2. that getting dressed, putting on make-up and fixing my hair (before noon) would
be an accomplishment for the day.
1. that I could love this little one SO much!


Here are a few pics from the week.

Leah and Dixie

Just moments before she spit up all over her dress.She looks so tiny in that bed.
She can sleep in any position.
Oh, how I love her.

2 weeks old

Leah is 2 weeks old today. I'm glad that this week went by very slowly. I have been told so many times to cherish this time because time goes by so quickly, and soon she'll be talking and walking. We had our visit with the doctor, and she now weighs 6lbs 8oz and is 19 inches long. She is still so little. The doctor said everything looks great!

My mom now requires a pic of the day to get her through the week until she can see Leah on the weekend. So here are a few pics from this week.

Leah's first photo shoot.

The day after Leah was born our friend, Rick Simmons, dropped by to take some photos of Leah. He did a great job! Thanks so much, Rick, for capturing some wonderful photos of our new baby girl.