Micah

Callie had her first "playdate" today! We went to Erica's house this morning, where I took a few snapshots of her cute little son Micah. I played around with some of the colors... I just love his big blue eyes.

How Did This Happen?

Today I realized just how much my life has changed.

I've always considered myself tried to be somewhat hip. However, I realized that I may have lost some of my "hip-ness" when I found myself wearing sweats and a pony-tail in the check-out lane at Target, holding a screaming baby in one hand and distraughtly handing over coupons for diapers in the other. All the while, trying not to get the yellow breastfed-baby-poop onto my clothes that was starting to run down her leg.

Ah, can't you just picture it? Talk about the epitome of suburban motherhood! Did I mention that, before going into Target, I sat in the parking lot in the back seat of the car to breastfeed her?

And just the other day as I was looking through my shoe closet, I was amazed at how high some of those heels were that I used to wear! How did I ever walk in those things!?! Now-a-days, I'm a little embarrassed to admit, it's Uggs, Crocs, or Nikes. I think I need to go shoe-shopping!

You know what's funny though? I wouldn't change my life now for anything. There may be a day again when I put back on my super high-heels, carry a purse instead of a diaper-bag, and am able to wash my hair and shave my legs in the same day. But for now, I'm having fun being a mom.

Happy Hiccups

Girls and Dolls

Picture of the Day...

Beautiful Feet!

I just love Callie's super long, skinny feet! I knew they would be pretty long because of her ultrasound pictures at 20 weeks. Definitely the same baby!

Life-Saving Baby Gear #2

The Arm's Reach mini co-sleeper.

I just love this piece of baby equipment and so far it has been one of our favorite items.

It's a bassinet that can be easily wheeled around the house. It's small enough that we can move it into the living room, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, anywhere.

It's a co-sleeper in the sense that it actually attaches to the side of our bed. One of the side-rails adjusts down (as pictured), so I can easily lift her out at night, as well as change her diaper, without even getting out of bed. So far, she's slept really well in it. She sleeps close to us, without the worries of "did I just roll over and squash our baby?"

Did I mention that it's easy to pack-up and travel with? Also, it has side-pockets that hold her diapers, wipes, etc. The best part of all? She sure looks pretty cute in it! =)

Ugh

We joined a gym last fall. We loved it. It's the local community center, and after our insurance reimbursement, it's super cheap. They have a very nice work-out facility, complete with multiple TV's and stocked with magazines, lots of different machines and a nice locker-room. It has everything that the big, fancy ones have except no pool or child-care facility, which we thought we could do without for awhile. And I like it because it's not so crowded. I love the elliptical, and did that up to my 7-8th month of pregnancy, then had to resort to walking (or, waddling!). When we joined, I planned to bring our baby when we had her in her carseat and set it next to me for the first few months. And we would see in the future about finding a place with childcare (they have to be 3 months old first, anyway).

The first time I went in, I brought the stroller to walk around the track with. I was informed that strollers were not allowed on the track. So instead I put the stroller next to the elliptical while I worked out. On my way out, they told me that strollers were not allowed in the fitness center.

So the next time I went, I set her in the carseat next to the elliptical. She did great, no problems. Then they told me that no one under the age of 12 is allowed in the fitness center. The only thing I could do was put her on my front-pack carrier (ie, Baby Bjorn) and walk around the track.

So I did that. I picked up some free-weights to work on my arms while walking. I was starting to have a renewed liking for the gym and thought I could do this a few times a week. And then...another lady stopped me and told me that free-weights are not allowed on the track. Could there be any more rules?

So basically all I can do is walk around the track with her in the Baby Bjorn. I'd rather do that at the mall, where it's free!

Ugh!

What a Model!

I hope you aren't getting tired of Callie pictures yet. I just can't take enough!




P.S. In case you're wondering, yes, she did pee on my blanket. But it was worth it!

Mobile

Callie was so cute this morning! She hasn't spent much time in her crib yet, but this morning after her bath, I laid her in it and turned on her mobile while I picked out her clothes. She loved it! It was fun to watch her interested in the little bears and the music. I'm sure you won't enjoy this video as much as I do (well...maybe the grandparents will), but it's pretty cute!

Life-Saving Baby Gear #1

Okay, life-saving may be a stretch, but there have been a few pieces of "baby gear" that have been really helpful these first few weeks. Today I will post one of them, in no particular order.

I love our Hotsling. As fun as it is to try to do things one-handed, this sling is great because I can put Callie in it and feel a little more useful. Some of the activities that I can now do much faster (and easier)? I can type on the computer, clean up the house, do my hair and make-up, and even go to the bathroom! I've heard that you can breast-feed while the baby is in the sling...sounds tricky...I haven't mastered that one yet!

Our Baby Bjorn is also great and has a similar function. Kyle has been using it (sorry no picture yet). He always wants to hold his babe when he gets home from work, which has been a little difficult when we're eating dinner. So our solution is for him to eat dinner with her attached!

Look at our little girl, all snuggled up!


What will the next piece of baby-gear be? Hmmm...the suspense!

Family

Over the past few weeks, we have had quite a bit of family up to meet Callie! Hopefully someday she will understand how many wonderful grandparents, aunts, and uncles she has!

Grandma R

Aunt Jasey

Grandpa R

Uncle Matt and Aunt Kiley

Grandpa L

Grandma L

Aunt Annie

Aunt Rit (aka Aunt Elyse)

Which is Callie and which is Nealy???

Callie is my little mini-me, right down to the little dimple on her chin! Can you guess..which picture is Callie and which is Nealy???

First Week in Review

What a week! It's been one of the best weeks of my life. Kyle took last week off, and it was so much fun to adjust to being a family of three. I was sad to see him go back to Monday, but am so glad that my mom is here to help me out until I feel I can handle things on my own. And this coming weekend, the L's will be here! We are so excited to introduce them to their grand-daughter/niece!

I think when I entered the "mom-world," I also entered the world of worry. The first week was full of worry for me...Does she have jaundice? Is she eating enough? Is she sleeping too much? Why is she wanting to eat so often? How much should I bathe her? Is she too hot or too cold? Can I lay her in our bed with us? Is it okay to give her a pacifier?

Our first appointment to the pediatrician last week calmed many of my fears. I not only got many of my questions answered, but the doctor confirmed that she's perfectly healthy. She even gets to skip her two-week appointment and doesn't need to go back to the pediatrician until March. Phew!

She's been mostly eating, sleeping, and pooping! We look forward to the times where she's awake. Each day, she seems to open her eyes a little bit wider and seems a little bit more aware. She's so absolutely tiny that the "newborn" clothes are even too big for her! I have a few "preemie" outfits that we have to wash about every day for now. Sometimes, I get sad just thinking of how fast she's going to grow up. She's already 11 days old today!

Speaking of how fast time goes, I can't believe how fast each day goes taking care of her! I may have one thing I want to get done one day, and it hardly gets done. It's a lot of work and everything takes about ten times longer than it usually does. But we're getting better and things are slowly getting a little easier. Hence my lack of postings on this blog lately. I'll try to do better!