Three Generations

Grandma, Mommy & Amelia

Grandma & Amelia

Mommy & Amelia

Thanks for visiting, Grandma - I am so glad I got to meet you! I love you!!

Baby Pictures

We still can't figure out who she looks like but hey, she's so darn beautiful we'll keep her! :)

DADDY MOMMY

Isn't it kinda funny how similar Shaun & I looked as babies???

Making Faces

We've captured some interesting expressions over the last few weeks. Here's a few of our favorites...cute, funny and some, downright scary! :)

Meeting Friends

Abby and Anna & Oliver

Grammy & Grampy Hartshorn - Abby's family has taken us in as part of their family over the years so AJ has a 3rd set of grandparents. Lucky girl!

Steph & Kaelani

Erin & Andrew

Ann & Isabel

Amy & Rowan

umm, really?!?!?

This is NOT what it's supposed to look like outside on APRIL 27th!!!!

4 Weeks Old

WOW! It's so hard to believe 4 weeks have already gone by - I still remember the labor pain too vividly for it to be true. :)

Today the little munchkin was SO good. Today was the big Walk MS event in Burlington for work. Even though I'm on maternity leave and wasn't expected to be there, I wanted to check it out. Having my mom here made going a bit easier because she was able to watch AJ and I could help out a little. Miss Amelia slept and then just took in the sights. She was such a good girl!

While I am convinced she's been smiling at us for awhile now and has had some great facial expressions already, she is coming up with even more. She is also becoming more attentive. Shaun will clap his hands and move them around and Amelia will follow them with her eyes. And I can tell she's focusing on us more when she looks at us.

I like the picture above because she looks like she might be mid-laugh. It cracks me up! The little dress she has on was a tad too big but it looked too darn precious on her. While I don't want my little peanut to grow too fast, it's nice to start putting her in more than just the handful of newborn outfits that fit her. :)

Like a Doll

My friend Abby's daughter Anna has a little doll bed that I borrowed because I could not resist the idea of these pictures. I was hoping to have the photographer take them but we got caught up in other poses with her and I decided I'd try them myself. For size reference, the bed is only about 2 feet long.

One Step Toward Success

At AJ's 2-week Well Baby appointment the doctor said to try and get her to take a bottle (of breast milk) a few times a week so she'll take one when she starts daycare. He also said to try and get her to sleep in the bassinet or crib more often since we've been letting her sleep in the bed with us.

Yesterday she slept in both her crib and the Moses' Basket during naps. We haven't been able to get her out of the bed at night but getting her to nap anywhere other than my chest is a big hurdle too.

Since she seems to like white noise (i.e. static and the vacuum cleaner) we've found that playing a CD with some of those noises helps during nap time. Now I just need to try it at night and see if we have any luck.

Our big success was getting her to take a bottle. I made Shaun a bottle with 4oz of milk and Amelia pretty much chugged it. And this morning she took another bottle from my dad while I took a shower. Woo hoo! Now that means I have to feed her & pump...great! (can you hear my sarcasm?)

3 weeks

Sleeping Beauty

All snuggled up with my blanket from my Great Aunt Carol.

This setup allowed Mommy, Daddy & Grandpa to eat dinner in peace for about 10 minutes.

A better size perspective

I've been told that Miss Amelia looks bigger in her pictures than she does in real life. I tried to find some objects to measure her up against to give a better size perspective. Here's my quick attempts.

By the way, don't you love the shirt? "I can't wear pink everyday" It's from Auntie Abby. :)

Hello, Grandpa

Grandpa came to visit and meet Miss Amelia. He was shocked by her tiny size. However, I think she has proven that her size doesn't impact her screaming capabilities when she's upset. LOL! :)

Luckily Grandpa doesn't scare too easily and has given me some much needed breaks to take showers, eat and just be baby-free for a few minutes.

Thanks, Dad!

Beanpole!

Miss Amelia had her 2-week Well-Baby appointment today. She's already such a beanpole! Since April 1st she's only gained 15oz, which the doctor says is fine, bringing her to 7lbs 15oz. That puts her in the 50-55 percentile for weight.

Length-wise she is growing like a weed! She was 20.5" when she was born. She is now 21 3/8" long!!! She has grown almost 1 inch in 17 days!!! She's in the 90-95 percentile for height. I guess she's gonna be tall. :)

Our next appointment is June 10th and it involves shots. :(

Feet

Thankfully the swelling in my feet finally went away.

Now maybe my fingers will return to normal so I can put my rings back on!

While I'm talking about feet - here's how tiny AJ's foot is - the length of my pinky finger. :)

Conversations with Daddy

Just having a father-daughter chat.

The Feeling of Guilt

Yesterday was Day #2 of Shaun being back at work. Friday, Day #1, went fairly well. Amelia wanted to be held most of the day but I was able to get some things done. Saturday, not so much. She would wake-up every time I put her down. It didn't matter how deeply she was sleeping when I put her into the pack-n-play, the crib or the basinet. It was like she had some 6th sense and after 3-5 minutes she would wake-up crying and not settle down unless I picked her up.

About 2pm I was starving, I was frustrated and my arms were tired. I felt T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E doing it but I called Abby and asked her to come over and just hold my little girl for 10 minutes so I could make myself lunch. Instead of giving me a brief time out, Abby and Anna came over and whisked AJ away in her stroller. Mommy broke down in tears of guilt. I felt like a failure. Two weeks old and I already was asking someone else to take her for a few minutes. Two weeks and I felt like maybe I wasn't supposed to be a mom - maybe I'm supposed to just love everyone else's kids.

The hour was refreshing. I got a sandwich, put some laundry in the washer, folded & put away other laundry, and brushed my teeth without fearing that I was going to get toothpaste all over my newborn. When I walked over to bring her home I took many deep breaths of fresh air and told myself I can do this. I might not have a sleep schedule worked out yet but I have been getting 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep from 11pm - 3am for the last several nights. I must be doing something right. I might feel like a pacifier with a little person constantly glued to my torso but when she's not eating, she's a happy little girl.

I'm sure yesterday wasn't the only time I'll call out for help. I just wonder how many times I'll bawl out of guilt for doing it even though I know it's better to ask for help than not.

Pics from Photo Shoot