4 Weeks Old!

Where is the time going? Our baby girl turned 4 weeks old today! I can't believe she is growing up so fast. She is such a good baby and makes me so proud to be her Mommy. She has the most adorable smile (which usually leads to poop but that's not the point) and is starting to stay awake for longer periods of time. She has developed a small hatred of the bassinet so she's been sleeping for 4-6 hours at a time in her "Magic Chair" at night so Mommy and Daddy are getting some rest too. She does not like to have her clothes changed and would much prefer to be naked, much to her Father's dismay. Overall she's just the best baby anyone could ask for and we're so happy that she's ours! Since we're not at home this week we couldn't take her picture in her chair so this will have to do. We love you baby girl! Happy 4-Week Birthday!

Road Warrior

Well, we made it to Texas! Allie did wonderfully on the trip making it so easy. The first night we went just past Memphis and stayed in a nasty hotel. Allie took her first trip to Beale street in Memphis when we stopped at BB King's for some barbque. She loved listening to the music and looking at all of the neon lights. We didn't let her taste the BBQ but we thought it was delicious! We got up early the next morning and headed towards Dallas. Allie slept most of the way until she had a giant blowout in the parking lot of the Love's Truck Stop. We changed her diaper, left them a dirty onesie as a memento of our visit and continued on our way. Here's a picture of her post-blowout with a fresh diaper.

We arrived in Dallas about 5pm and Allie was bombarded with family members wanting to hold her and cuddle her. She got to meet so many people for the first time. Grandpa Eddie, Nana Shell, Aunt Kelsey, Aunt Victoria & Uncle Chris were all excited to meet Miss Allie.

She's adjusted well to the time and location change and so far is doing great! I'll post some more pictures later.

3 Weeks Old!

I can't believe Allie is already three weeks old. It's crazy how fast the time is flying by but at the same time, I can't really remember a time when she wasn't a part of our little family. She's been doing really well this week. She's sleeping longer stretches at night, anywhere from four to six hours at a time for the most part. We did a little Christmas shopping yesterday and she does really well riding in the car. She's holding her head up well and is starting to stretch out more, showing off her length. Those newborn clothes and diapers don't have much longer! Our little baby is growing up!

Here are a couple of pics from the weekly photo shoot I torture her with. She's really developing a little personality and starting to smile more!

Happy 3-Week Birthday Alligator! We love you!

Ready to Go

After having breakfast with Santa, we had my company Christmas party to attend that evening. Here's Allie all dressed up and ready to go.

Allie Meets Santa

Nick's Union Hall has a breakfast with Santa every year for all of the member's children. They provide pancakes and sausage and every kid gets a present. It's a really nice event and it seems like all of the kids have a good time. Allie is obviously on the young side but we took her to see Santa anyway. We dressed her up in her Christmas dress and she was definitely the most beautiful little baby at the party!

Here she is in her full Christmas garb upon arriving to the party. The coat is huge but totally adorable!

Modeling her adorable dress. The tights and shoes were gigantic, as was the bow.

Sitting on Santa's lap for the 1st time!

2 Weeks

Today is Allie's 2 Week birthday! Time sure is flying by. I can tell she's getting bigger each day and her little face is starting to fill out. She has a good week for the most part but had a horrible night last night. Hopefully it was a one-time thing and not the early stages of colic. She's become a champion breastfeeder and makes some of the funniest faces. Nick and I just sit and stare at her sometimes and can't believe she's really ours!

Happy 2 Week Birthday baby girl! We love you!

Our Chunky Monkey

Allie had her 2 week appointment today with the doctor. They really just wanted to check that she was back up to her birthweight and that Mommy and Daddy were hanging in there and didn't have any questions. Our chunky monkey weighed in at 8lbs 7oz! She gained a whopping 6.5oz in one week! I guess that eliminates my questions as to if she is getting enough breastmilk to eat. Looks like we won't be in these newborn clothes much longer at this rate!

The Princess Throne

My Mom's sisters all chipped in to get this adorable little rocking chair for Allie as a baby shower gift. It came in the mail yesterday and Daddy put it together for her. It is so cute!

We did learn that Allie is currently too small for it when we placed her in it for a picture and she fell over and bonked her head on the armrest. The doctor said she looked fine but to wait until she's bigger to try the chair again. I can't wait until she's big enough to sit and read in her chair.

Thanks to all of Allie's Great Aunts!

Pretty in Purple

People are asking for more pictures so I'll try to take some in the next few days. Here is one I took this morning of Allie relaxing on the couch after a diaper change. We scheduled her newborn pictures to be taken on Monday so we should have some super-cute ones soon!

We had quite the exciting day today. We visited Grandma-ma, Aunt Shelley and the two Debbies at work and then went to pick up a Christmas tree for Daddy's parents. We also took your first trip to Home Depot, Daddy's favorite store! Our toilet has started leaking so we needed a few parts. I'm sure you'll be taking many more trips to Home Depot with Daddy in the future! You got a lot of compliments from the sales people on how cute you are while we were out and about. I'd have to agree!

Tomorrow we go back to the doctor to check your weight. I can tell you're gaining as your cheeks are starting to fill out. I can't wait to hear what the doctor says.

1 Week Old

Today is Allie's 1 week birthday! It has been a wild week so far but definitely one of the best weeks of mine and Nick's lives. We sit and hold her and still can't believe she's all ours. We are truly blessed.

Allie's doctor's appointment went very well yesterday. She did great and won the heart of the nurse right away. She only screamed a little bit during the exam, mostly when the doctor messed with her diaper. She hates when people mess with her diaper! She weighed in at 8 lbs 1/2 oz so she's almost back up to her birth weight. Her jaundice looked good so she doesn't need any further testing on that. We have to go back next week for another weight check but other than that the doctor said she looked perfect!

When she's not eating and sleeping, Allie likes to just stare off into space or look at Mommy and Daddy's faces. She's very alert for a 1-week-old. She's been pretty calm although she seems to get fussy for a few hours in the evenings. Repeating her name over and over seems to calm her down for awhile as does the binky. She's quite the little piggy eating 2 oz every three hours and still wanting more! Our nights haven't been too bad yet. She sleeps soundly between feedings which has been very nice. She likes to lay stomach to stomach and to be held. She's also a fan of the bouncy seat and the boppy. She's still a little unsure about the swing. She gets these adorable little smiles on her face periodically throughout the day and they instantly melt my heart. I couldn't have asked for a cuter baby! We're so lucky to have her in our lives!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Kickin' Back in my Booties

What's the equivalent of Ugg boots for babies? How about these adorable, handmade booties! Aunt Holli works with a very talented woman who made these booties just for Allie. They are so much nicer than socks because they actually stay on her feet. You can tie the bow to tighten or loosen them and they keep her little (who are we kidding, her feet are huge!) feet nice and warm. Allie loves them!

Home Sweet Home

We've been home for about 24 hours now and things are going pretty well. Allie did pretty well throughout the night and let us get a little bit of sleep at least. We ended up having to go to my doctor this morning for an infection and Allie did great in the car and in the office. We have her first pediatrician appointment tomorrow afternoon. We're eager to hear how much our little piggy weighs now. We're still re-learning the breastfeeding thing after her stay in the hospital so that has made for a somewhat trying day but I think it will be well worth it in the end. Hopefully she'll do well again tonight so that we can get some more sleep.

Heading Home - Take 2

Allie was released from the Special Care Nursery yesterday afternoon. Her jaundice levels were continuing to decrease, despite stopping treatment so they let her come home as long as we follow up with the pedi on Wednesday. We were so relieved to hear that she was doing better and that we could finally bring her home for good. Let the parenting adventure begin!