Alex's First Pool Day

Yesterday morning, before it got too hot, we decided to take Alex swimming. She loved it! I was a little afraid she wouldn't like it because the water was still a little bit cool in the morning, and definitely a lot cooler than her baths, but she didn't cry once!

We put a bonnet on her to protect her from the sun, but it was a little too big...

So we ditched the bonnet and went into the shady part of the pool.

Her body kept floating to the top and it was hard to even hold her upright because her legs kept floating up!

And how can you not love a baby's bottom?! :)
I think we have a water-loving baby on our hands!

Happy Sunday!

Some smiles to brighten your day!

Note to self: don't sweat the small stuff!

When we were at our recent pediatrician appointment, she reminded me to keep putting Alex down on her tummy for extended periods of time when she is awake to develop her neck muscles. I have been doing it, but it's not Alex's favorite activity to say the least. At first she likes it, lifts her head up, and looks around a few times. About 2 minutes into it, she starts fussing and finally erupts into loud crying. Well I can't bear it, so of course I pick her up!

Today as I was feeding her, I had this guilty feeling, thinking, "Oh no, I haven't done enough tummy time lately!" But then it hit me. It's not like you ever meet an adult (or really even a small child) who can't hold their head up! haha! So yes, it's important for her to have tummy time, but I need to stop making myself feel guilty over these little things that probably won't make much difference in the long run! :)

Photo Weekend

Yesterday, I got my "big" camera out to take some pics of Alex. My favorite one is this:

And then I did some post-processing of a couple others, and I just like the retro feel to these:
Doesn't she look thrilled in this one? Ha.

One year of memories!

One year ago today, I started this blog. And what a year it has been! Here's to a future of blogging and making more great memories! :)

New Identity

It has only been 9 weeks since our little girl came into the world, but it struck me recently how much I've learned and changed in these two months. A couple of weeks ago, one of my girlfriends asked me how I was doing, and I responded with, "Great! Alex has been doing so much better now that we've figured out her dairy allergies!" She corrected me, and said, "No, how are YOU doing?" And it's true that I hadn't really answered her question. But in some ways, I had. Because now that I am a mother, my well-being depends on my daughter's well-being. When Alex has had a happy day, so have I. And when she's been miserable, SO AM I!
And it's funny to think that my identity now is so tied up with this beautiful, tiny being that has only been here for a short time. I'll never be the same person that I was 9 weeks ago. I am trying to keep most of myself here--to be a good friend, wife, daughter, etc...--but it's definitely a new me. And I like it!

Someone take away my camera...

I know it may get a little repetitive to look at the same baby face over and over on my blog (especially when you're not family), but I just can't help it.

Just like I couldn't help myself from buying these overalls today at Target. Even though we are not even remotely lacking in the baby-clothing department.

And I couldn't help myself from putting on these sunglasses to complete the look....


Sorry. I had to. :)

8 week summary

Alex is 8 weeks old tomorrow! Here is a recent summary of her:

-She has started smiling at us in response to different things. Yesterday, I was laughing with her, and she burst into the biggest, sweetest smile. So I laughed again, and she did it again. It was adorable! And she is making baby sounds and coos when we talk to her, trying to "talk" back.

-She loves her baby gym and her swing. She has started staring at the mobile above the swing with fascination. And she loves to stare up above at ceiling fans or lights. What a cost-effective form of entertainment!
-She has become (for the most part) a happy baby again! With all of her little tummy ailments, (reflux and dairy allergies) it has been a bit of a struggle to keep her feeling well. I have cut out dairy from my diet (so she doesn't get it from me via breastfeeding) and we have her on a lactose-free hypoallergenic formula for when we supplement. We also give her a baby antacid twice a day. She hates the taste of the formula, and frankly, I don't blame her. I tasted it, and it's absolutely disgusting! But I have found that she will take it as long as it's warm. It's so sad when I give her the bottle and she pushes it out with her tongue (while making the angriest of faces) and turns her head toward my chest, as if to say, "Give me the good stuff, Mommy!" :( I wish I didn't have to supplement, but I don't make enough milk for her, so it's not an option. But even though she hates the taste, the medicine and formula have done wonders for her temperament!

-She has grown eyebrows! (Haha!) This might be a strange observation, but hey, it's worth mentioning! When she was born, she was a little bald above the eyes, and we just recently noticed that she is starting to grow them in. ;)
-She is sleeping so well at night. Most nights she will go to sleep at 8 pm, wake up to feed at 3 a.m. (for about 15 minutes) and then go back to sleep until 7 or 8 a.m. We have had a few nights in the past week where she has even slept the entire 11 or 12 hours! Even if she keeps waking up once a night, I will still feel so lucky. I know a lot of parents with much older babies who are still waking up several times a night. During the day, she takes about 5 naps. Usually her first morning nap is about 2 hours long, and the others are 45 minutes to an hour. What a good sleeper we have!

-She is on a determined mission to find her thumb lately. She sucks at the side of her hand, but the only problem is when she makes a fist, she keeps her thumb hidden in it. So then she gets really frustrated because she can't get to it. I've tried to help her out, but she will have none of it!
What a wonderful 8 weeks it has been. We can't imagine life without Alex now!

One of these things is not like the other...

Here is Alex at 9 days old:

And here she is at 45 days old:

She is a growing girl! She has gained over 4 lbs in 45 days! Okay, so that may not sound like much (especially when we think of the month of December, we can do that in a heartbeat) but that is a gain of almost 75% of her starting weight. Wow!!!

How comfortable are you in a swimsuit?

Are you this comfortable? No worries about chubby tummies or thighs over here!

"Oh Mom! You're just flattering me.""Ok, ok, you're right. I do look pretty gorgeous."
"Want to see my bottom? I'm not hiding anything. I've got a perfect figure over here. See, have a looksy."
"Mommy's looking over the terms of the modeling contract right now. I don't come cheap!"
"If only I could actually go swimming while I'm wearing this pretty swimsuit! I just...can't...reach....the pool...."