4 months already!

Kate is doing great! She is laughing at us and giving LOTS of sweet smiles. She will roll over to her side and stay there all night, but she refuses to roll all the way over. Despite the fact that the doctor says it is okay, I am really rootin' for her to go ahead and roll over already! She ate her first bit of rice cereal mixed with prune apple juice. At first, she wasn't sure about the whole thing, but she managed to eat quite a bit of it!

I love, love, love spending time with her - making her laugh and smile. Every night as I put her to bed, I just stare at her and wish I could remember how wonderful it feels forever. She needs me for so many things right now, but as I have said from day one, I need her so much more. Merry Christmas, people!

Will I remember?

Will I remember how it felt to put these tiny outfits on my tiny baby? Will I remember how great it was to have my pumpkin's first Halloween? Kate will be officially three months old tomorrow. I know that everyone tells you how fast it goes by, but there is no way to prepare yourself. It seems like it was just last week that I was pregnant and anticipating a kick. I remember changing her diaper for the first time. It was absolutely amazing to think that I was trusted to care for this miracle.

Every day Kate gets more wonderful than the last. I hope that I can remember how this all felt as time continues to fly by. I hope I remember the "so cute it's scary" outfit - her jack-o-lantern onesie worn with her BOO jean, and her tiny jack-o-lantern costume.

I look forward to all of the wonderful things that life will bring to our family, but I hope I always remember how good it feels right now.

Trick or Treat!

Kate is excited about Halloween coming up. She has her costume all ready to go. Please don't be scared - it isn't a real jack-o-lantern.

Smiley

Kate has officially crossed over the threshold of only giving mommy and daddy smiles. She hands them out to so many people now. I am really happy - and a little sad. It is much like the sadness I had after I had her. I was sad that I had to share her with the world after she had been mine for so long. Now, I have to share her smiles too!

Kate is doing so great! She is sleeping anywhere from 6 - 7 hours a night, pretty consistantly. She goes down pretty easily. We have been very rewarded for the sleepless nights she gave us in the beginning! Words cannot express how much we are enjoying our most precious gift.

Being a big girl

I'm not referring to Kate. I have had to learn how to be a big girl for my little girl. It began the day she was born. I had to be a big girl and not be scared then and it has just continued from that point forward. Kate went to daycare yesterday - I went back to work. I dressed her in her adorable little pink and gray striped outfit with matching pink socks, of course. I attached her paci clip to her carefully selected bib that read, "beautiful baby." Off we went. The sweet grandma-like lady sweetly took her from my hands to begin her day. At this point, the tears are coming - I know it. All I could think was that I couldn't look back and I just needed to get in my car and get to work so I could hurry up and get back.

I made it to the office fine - a few tears fell, but I managed to pull it together somewhat. I spent the morning trying to figure out what was going on, and before I knew it, lunch was here and I went to visit my sweet baby girl. At the end of the day, she and I both made it fine.

Kate is at a great daycare. She seems to be very well taken care of. I have, surprisingly, enjoyed being back at work. Let me be clear, I LOVE being with Kate - I have liked being at work. We will see how things go from here.

She is an absolute joy for me and Andy. She seems to get more alert and sweet every day. She already has a sweet personality. She gives big smiles and even laughs at times. I guess now that I'm a mommy, I'll have to continue to be a big girl.

*I will make every effort to be better about posting on here!*

Kate's Crib

2 Weeks!

Well, we have survived almost 2 weeks. Tomorrow will be Kate's 2 week birthday. I heard that the first 2 weeks were tough and would be a blur, but I didn't have and clue - and couldn't have really. I have learned that Kate does all the teaching and we just try to figure out what she wants us to know. I have also learned to appreciate things like a good burp, a good poot, a good nap after a good feeding. I actually appreciate the poopy diapers and pee diapers. All of those things mean that things are working like they are supposed to.

I have learned that being a parent isn't for wimps! I appreciate my husband in all new ways now. We have had to become a united front to take on this little thing that is so wonderful and sometimes so difficult to understand.

Kate is doing really well. We have gone through a really gassy couple of days, but the pediatrician gave us a couple of suggestions to help us get through, and so far, they are helping a lot. She is just the most beautiful thing we've ever seen. We grow more and more thankful for this little angel every day.