Nap Time

I'll admit, Ross' nap time usually consists of me holding her on the couch or porch rocker. In fact, I'm a bit panicked she's going to have a hard time falling asleep on her own . . . however, for the very first time Ross fell asleep all on her own the other morning! This, of course, was a momentous moment that no doubt needed to be caught on camera!

Just For Fun!

It was requested that I update more often . . . so here are a few silly photos from this week!

Can we say, GRADY!

Congratulations, Cullie & Kyle!

I love weddings! So, I was definitely looking forward to this weekend when Grady's sister Cullie and our good friend Kyle were married! It was certainly a good time!

Of course, it's not always manageable to have a 7 week old in your arms when you're in a wedding . . . no matter how much you want to!

We are extremely fortunate to have 2 great parents and 2 great Godparents who saved the day . . . or should I say, weekend! We just can't thank you enough, Mary and Jack and mom and dad! You guys were wonderful!

It certainly wasn't easy leaving this sweet little girl for such extended amounts of time this weekend, but she was no doubt in good hands!

Firsts!

Ross was thrilled to attend her very first birthday party this weekend! We still can't believe little Alex is already 5 years old!!

As you can see here, it was a "Superhero" party . . .

. . . and we all had to dress the part!

It was obviously the best birthday she had ever been to . . .

Sunday morning we woke up for our first visit to church!

. . . where we saw Uncle Trav play!

This also turned out to be quite tiring!

What a fun weekend!

Ross at 5 Weeks

She's already 5 weeks old, and it still hasn't even set in that we're parents! I just can't believe how time flies.

Thank goodness she seems to be eating well (even after our feeding time transition). We won't go back to the doctor for another 3 weeks, but based on our scale, she's about 10 lbs! (It amazes me that some people give birth to children this size . . .)

We've tested out a few new activities this week . . . including this play mat. She adores it . . . for about 10 minutes . . . but it's a great way to see her smile and let out what seems to be a little laugh. (Maybe I can get a video of this soon!)

She's still a bit leery of the swing. She'll happily sit in it . . . if she's already asleep . . . which isn't too hard, since this still seems to be her most favorite activity of them all!

It is still incomprehensible how lucky I am that God has given me such a family. I just can't understand how I can deserve something so wonderful.

Grateful simply isn't a strong enough word . . .

A Very Happy Mother's Day!

We were thrilled that our family came to us for a birthday and Mother's Day celebration!

Now, I'm not one to brag . . . in fact, it unnerves me when others do it . . . but I couldn't contain myself on my first Mother's Day.

Grady is the absolute best present-giver. I don't know how he does it, but somehow he seems to top himself with every present he gives.

How absolutely perfect.

I'll stop there. I'd really over do it if I showed you the other . . .

1 Month Old

Another week . . . gone.

It's been obvious she's definitely gone through some changes in the last week or so. For one thing, she's undoubtedly figured out crying gets her things. In most cases she starts with a few squeaks and grunts, that ultimately turn into cries . . . and if it's taking too long, those cries become screams!

In the beginning, Ross fed for roughly 30 minutes at a time. Me, being a first timer, figured this was standard: Feedings take 30 minutes. And, after discovering she'd been gaining weight, it was confirmed. Last week, however, her feedings changed from 30 minutes to 20 minutes. In a state of panic . . . wondering why in the world had she dropped 10 minutes of feeding time, I called my sister daily. She reassured me that she must be getting better at eating and has simply become more efficient. This week she's dropped again, only eating for 10 minutes at a time. In fact, screaming at me for trying to push the feeding any longer. After a bit of a breakdown (from both of us), I called my sister yet again for reassurance.

My fear, of course, is that she's "snacking" and will want to start feeding every hour . . . which is most definitely not an option. Or, that something could be wrong with my milk, which would mean breastfeeding would come to an end.

She still seems to stick with the 3 hour schedule, and I guess that would justify her not "snacking." However, I don't know that my milk hadn't suddenly changed . . . this, unfortunately, is a constant fear. I guess that's just the thing . . . I love the fact that I can breastfeed her, but am constantly worried about how much she's getting or what foods I'm eating.

With all that being said, you see why I have to stop and remind myself to calm down a bit more often these days.

Though, after seeing how far she's come in just one month, I see even more clearly how most of my worrying is completely pointless.

I know it will all work itself out . . . eventually.

So, I'm gonna push on through, and try my best to make a permanent mental image of who she is today . . . before she changes tomorrow.