5 weeks

Lila is five weeks old today! I can't believe how big she's getting. She's becoming her own person - she's not just a tiny baby anymore.

Lila's starting to "talk" to us, making noises other than just baby grunts and cries (though grunting is still her favorite method of communication.) She coos and even smiles at us, and she's holding her head up and moving it around more and more every day.

Lila's sporting a bib almost as big as her! She has been quite the spitter-upper lately, so we've started putting bibs on her to save her (and us) multiple wardrobe changes every day. We received so many bibs as gifts, and I had set them aside thinking we wouldn't need them until Lila started teething or eating solid foods. Wrong! They've come in really handy already.

This was kind of a rough week sleep - wise. Lila didn't want to be put down once she fell asleep at night. I'd nurse her and she'd fall into a deep sleep, but the moment I'd set her down, she'd be awake and protest loudly until I picked her up again. It was exhausting. I wound up doing what I swore I'd never do - let her sleep either on my chest or next to me on the bed. I wound up with a sore neck and back and I'd freeze due to the fact that blankets and pillows around the baby made me fear that she'd suffocate while I slept. For days on end, this is the only way she'd sleep. Finally last night she slept soundly-all by herself- waking only twice for feedings. I'm crossing my fingers for another restful night (for all of us) tonight!

Lila has finally grown into her cloth diapers, so I got them all washed up and the covers are line drying downstairs. We have a few diapers in each color, so our clothesline looks like rows of Easter eggs have been set out to dry. I'd take a picture but then you'd all see the crazy state of our house right now. You'll just have to imagine instead. :)

One month ago today

One month ago today, at 10:32 pm, we met the love of our lives.



What a wonderful, whirlwind month it has been!

4 weeks old!

Lila is 4 weeks old!
It has been a good week for Lila. Her Grandma Z arrived on Friday and has been loving her up all weekend.

Lila has had another big week of meeting new friends. On Friday we met our friend Gretchen for lunch. Normally Lila sleeps through all outings, but on Friday Lila was wide awake and quite the social butterfly.
In other news, Lila took her first bottle on Friday. Dad was finally able to feed her, and he was so proud. It has been hard for him to not be able to tend to her every need, so on Friday he let me sleep in and he fed her a (pumped) bottle. While I enjoy our time together during feedings, it is really, really nice to be able to offer a bottle once in a while. On Saturday we went to Target and Lila had meltdown midway through the visit. I knew that she was hungry (despite having eaten just before we left) and I was so thankful that I could pull out a bottle and feed her instantly.

I'm off to get a shower in while Grandma is holding Lila. I love being able to get some things done without feeling guilty about putting Lila down - especially while she's awake. When the Grandmas are here I know that she's in good hands, no matter where I am and what I'm doing.

Pink Thursday

When I found out we were having a girl, I was immediately worried about the amount of PINK that would surely become a part of our lives. We've done a pretty good job of curbing the pink - her nursery is mostly not pink, and many of her clothes are not pink, either. I love the "gender neutral" baby clothes and accessories - especially the greens and yellows.

However...I must admit that little pink outfits are quite adorable on Miss Lila. She looks so pretty in pink with her dark hair and pretty dark eyes.

Here's one fabulous pink outfit that Lila owns, modeled by the cutie pie herself.


Happy Thursday!

Lovely baby girl

Lila has amazed us with her super neck muscles since she was born. From day one she has lifted her head up when lying on her tummy on our chests. Yesterday while lying on my chest she lifted up her head, looked right at me, turned her head to the side, and put it down facing the opposite direction. She picked up and turned her own head! Until Lila was born, I never knew how excited I could be by the little things in life.

And now, pictures! Rocking the cupcake outfit.

The pants had to go after a diaper blowout. In their place, BabyLegs! They get Rocco's seal of approval.

Lila chilling with Daddy last night...

Lila loves kisses, especially from her Dad.

Being this cute is exhausting!

Baby pants: cute but not great for diaper changes. The verdict: worth it!

Wishing you a festive Fat Tuesday! We may even get around to eating some pancakes here- we'll have to see which one of us is up for cooking tonight. Not it!

Our 3 week Valentine

Lila is 3 weeks old today!

This week has brought some new challenges for Lila. She's had an upset tummy during the night a few times which led to lots of crying and not a lot of sleep. Thankfully we learned a few tricks and Lila (and her parents) are feeling a lot better. We're all still learning, but it feels really good when we can figure out what's bothering our girl and help her feel better.

Today Lila went to church for the first time. She was the belle of the ball - everyone was so excited to meet her. She slept through the entire church service and awoke just in time to greet everyone after the service ended.

After church Lila sacked out with her mom for a 2.5 hour nap. It was glorious. Here she is just before waking up from her nap...

We don't normally let Lila nap on her Boppy, and we also don't normally have her nap on our bed. However, today Dad was studying on the bed and had a close eye on her during the entire nap time. We're learning quickly not to wake a sleeping baby - especially a sleeping baby who didn't sleep so much the the previous night.

I really wanted to take Lila's 3 week picture in her red Valentine's Day outfit, but moments before the photo session, Lila had a diaper blowout of epic proportions. This was her first 2-parent diaper change. I'll spare you the details.

We got the diaper changed and slipped on a sleep sack for the picture. Pardon the stink eye here...just a little residual grump from the diaper drama. Hey, I'd be annoyed too if my tummy had done that.

This week Lila and I ventured out of the house together a few times. I had an appointment with the midwife, we went on a Target run, and we spent an afternoon walking at Mall of America. I'm happy to report that Lila loves being out and about, just like her mom. Having a few successful trips under my belt has also really decreased my anxiety about leaving the house. I'm glad I waited until we were both ready, though. Staying home for the first 2 weeks was really what we both needed, and even now it's nice to not have any pressing obligations.

Grandma Z arrives on Friday and Lila is looking forward to having another person in the house to love and snuggle her. Baby cuddles never get old!

2 whole weeks!

Lila is two weeks old today! It's amazing how much our lives have changed in just two short weeks. We are exhausted but we have never been happier.

Lila had a big weekend filled with visitors. We had such a good time introducing her to our friends!

Today our neighbor the photographer came by and spent a few hours taking pictures of our baby girl. I loved, loved, loved watching the session because it gave me several hours to just watch our daughter without distractions. It gave me a whole different and beautiful perspective of our daughter that I may not have otherwise taken the time to notice. I realized that I hardly see her tiny toes or the soft smooth skin on her tummy because she's usually dressed and wrapped up in a blanket. It was such a treat to have several hours devoted to nothing admiring her and capturing her beautiful little details on film. I can't wait to see how all of the pictures turn out!

Last night Lila slept from midnight until 4 am, and then again from 5 am to 7:15 am. Four hours of straight sleep made me feel like a whole new woman! I'm off to take a cat nap now and then I'm hoping for another repeat of last night's "long" stretch of sleep. Fingers crossed!

Puppy Love

A lot of people have asked how our furry children are dealing with Lila's arrival. They are, in one word, fascinated. When Lila cries, Rocco gets very concerned and stands close by. He wanders into the nursery in the middle of the night to be with her while she eats. Wally is his snuggly, inquisitive self. Both pups are especially interested when she makes strange noises and smells.

Here's what my lap looks like this afternoon...

You're snoring awfully loudly, kiddo. Is everything okay?


All is well? Okay. Don't mind if I join you for a nap, then.


Lila has had a good day today. Things started out kind of rough with some crying and two diaper blowouts between midnight and 3:30 am. Once everything was cleaned up and she had a fresh diaper and pajamas on, Lila went to sleep and slept until 7:20! I fed her then and she went back to sleep again until 10:15... which means that I also got to sleep until 10:15! After a late breakfast, Lila took another long nap which allowed me to take a shower, get dressed, and dry my hair. It has been a day full of accomplishments! Here's hoping that Lila has a comfortable night tonight, free of tears and major diaper issues.

Lila cookies!

What higher honor is there, I must ask, than to have cookies baked and decorated just for you? Unfortunately for Lila, she's not quite up to eating cookies quite yet, so Mom and Dad will have to enjoy these delicious treats on her behalf. This is the rough part of being a new parent, to be sure.


Thank you, Gretchen! YUM!

Happy Wednesday!

Who doesn't love a baby picture, just because?

Lila is quite the night owl. After a two hour nap with mom last night, Lila was awake for most of the night. Guess what she's doing right now? Sleeping. Silly baby girl! She's got a visitor coming over in a few minutes, so I hope that she is awake for a bit while meeting her new friend. I'm looking forward to my own nap later!