Zoo Time!

Adisyn has reached the 4 month mark so she's no longer a newborn, but now an infant! I love that she's doing more and more each day! At the end of last month, she all of the sudden started to really giggle and scream when she laughs. It's so cute and it makes me laugh so much. She really thinks we're funny!

5/12/12

Since April 2nd (3 months) she has slept all night from 9pm to 5am. Now, we put her in bed at about 8 and she sleeps until it's time to get up at 6. Of course we have our days when she's over-tired and harder to get to sleep or she might wake up a little earlier, but she's learning to entertain herself for a little bit and we get her out of bed at 6 to eat. I think she likes this routine!

We had a great Mother's Day together. We did everything on Saturday, because it was so nice. First, we all went out for breakfast with the Rouseys. Jefferson and Adisyn are just a couple of weeks apart, so we like to get together. We were all eating and Jefferson was sitting on mommy's lap, so I decided I'd get Adisyn out too. When I did, I didn't realize she had an explosive diaper, and it got all over me! To make it even more memorable, Mark took Adisyn to the car to change her diaper and we forgot the diaper bag at home! Good thing Paige and Trey had a diaper for us to use! Later, Mark and I went to Falls Park and walked around with Adisyn in the stroller. We went on the hiking trails and it was a little more rough than expected...she didn't mind though! We then planted some trees and flowers at home. It couldn't have been any better (and more memorable)! It was perfect and I couldn't have been happier!

Mother's Day 5/13/12 @ 4 months and 1 week

Adisyn had her 1st trip to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC on April 30th. Originally, Mark and I planned on going just to have something to do because he was on vacation and I decided to take a day vacation day off of work. We had no idea that Adisyn would really enjoy it! We brought her stroller, and used that most of the time, but we carried her a lot as well so she could see everything. She loved the penguins! She was actually watching them swim from one side of the tank to the other! I was amazed on how well she did and how interested she was!

She is so much more aware of her environment. She really loves to watch the dogs and when the cat is on the bed with us she will watch him and act like she wants to crawl over towards him. So, I get her on her stomach, let her push, and we "crawl" over to him, and she reaches out for him. When she hears mommy and daddy's voice she looks for us. She's even starting to hold her arms out some, like she wants us to pick her up! She also loves it when daddy reads to her!

Reading with Daddy

Adisyn is now in her 3 month clothes and even though she still fits into 0-3 months, they're getting a little small. Her hair is getting thicker and more noticeable on the top of her head. I'm not quite sure what color it will be, because it's still so light on top and darker in the back. Her eyes are still a beautiful bright blue with long eyelashes! She likes her baths and her favorite toy is a beach ball we have that we do "tummy time" on. She's starting to put things in her mouth now and her favorite thing this far is her hand! You can hear her sucking away! We're trying to introduce her to teething toys so she'll get the hang of it when she needs them.

"Crawling" to my toys 5/13/12

Looking at my books

I love to hug my toys!

At Adisyn's 4 month check-up on May 4th, she weighed 11 pounds, 6 oz and was 22 3/4 inches. She is right on track for her height, weight and head circumference. This is a huge confidence booster because I feel like she's eating like she should! Her pediatrician was amazed on her head control. He's a laid back guy, and makes us feel at ease, but you could really tell that he thought she was doing great!

Here's some pictures from the Riverbanks Zoo on 4/30/12:

A whole lot of firsts!

We have been quite busy! It's funny how a normal holiday like St. Patricks can be so exciting, because it was her first! So, for each holiday, I take her picture and it'll be great to look back on it.

St. Patrick's Day ~ 10 weeks

As you can tell in the picture, her personality is really starting to show! She is really goofy and smiling more and more each day!

We also had a great Easter. Mark had to work this year, so we didn't have much of an Easter dinner, but we went to see him at work so that we could all go out as a family. We are really hoping to find a church, when Mark has a day off, that we can go regularly.

Easter! 13 weeks

Smiling on Easter! 4/8/12

I love this one!

Also, this past month, Mimi came to visit. Mimi is my mother, from Massachusetts and she was down for the first time to see Adisyn. She stayed for 2 weeks and got to spend Easter with us. I know my mom really enjoyed being able to spend time with Adisyn! She got to watch her during the day when we were at work.

Mimi & Adisyn on Easter

Walking at Falls Park 3/31/12

3 months old! 4/4/12

Adisyn also turned 3 months old! I know I mentioned this earlier, but I think each day she smiles more and more. She is trying so hard to communicate with us with her baby talk! She is noticing the dogs and the cat, and even tries to "crawl" towards the cat when he is on the bed with us. She is sitting up in her stroller more so when we go for a walk, she likes to look around at everything.  Also, as of 4/2/12, she officially sleeps through the night. When I say "sleep through the night" I mean that we put her to be between 8 and 9pm and she wakes up at about 5:30 to 6! I got Adisyn a beach ball to play on and it seems like it's now her favorite toy! She gets on there like an airplane and really has fun! She's starting to put more things in her mouth and is getting better at grasping objects. I'm amazed by her everyday!

Adisyn's hair designs

For some time now, I've been designing Adisyn's hair bows, even before she was born. It all started when I found a cute headband, which we bought, but it was very over priced. I wanted to use it for inspiration because I thought "I can do that!". So, I experimented with different headbands, clips, bows and flowers. I'm my worse critic because I find something I don't like about them and I decide to do them a different way. But, that's why I experimented, to see what I like!

When we had Adisyn's 3d/4d ultrasound, the technician told us that it looked like Adisyn had a lot of hair. I was really excited and couldn't wait to make some barrettes for that cute hair of hers! I knew baby hair was fine, so I made my own Velcro barrettes, because they're hard to find in the stores.

I then decided that I wanted something that she could use when she's little, when her hair is fine, but then also use as she gets to toddler size. That's when I decided to make some flowers that we're too big looking, even on a newborn size head, and make them out of a hair clip so I could use them now on a headband and later as a stand alone hair clip. I also like the idea of her wearing any color and making it look girly.

Here are some of my creations:

The smallest 2 on the left are Velcro, just dainty enough for even the smallest amount of hair. The rest of the flowers are ones I made with clips on the back. The headbands have loops so I can fit any of my clips through them and walla! fully transferable hair designs!

The Story Behind the Picture - 2 months old!

There's a lot behind this picture. For the past 2 weekends I've been trying to do her 2 month picture (she tured 2 months on March 4th). I really like the idea of doing every month and I love to see how she's changing. Last weekend when Adisyn was officially 2 months old, she wasn't feeling good from getting her 1st shots at the doctor. I tried to take her picture, but she wasn't having it!

This weekend I tried to do the same. I had her in a few different onsys but she has been spitting up so much that she kept getting them all wet! On top of that she just seemed like she had a stomach ache, so needless to say she didn't want to pose for any pictures. After being fussy for most of the day, I decided to put another onsy on to get a quick picture, ready to give up for the weekend and wouldn't you know - she just kept smiling picture after picture! It was perfect! It was a great way to see her personality and I know as the weeks to come we'll get to see it more and more! She's so sweet and I hate to see her not feeling well :(. But, as you'll see in the pictures, she's a cutie!

You Are My Sunshine

My only sunshine.

You make me happy

When skies are grey.

You'll never know, dear,

How much I love you.

Please don't take my sunshine away

Beach Time!

As the weather is becoming warmer, I hope that Adisyn will have more time outside! It's hard for winter babies because they're so use to being bundled up and indoors when they're first born that they don't get a chance to experience the outdoors!

At the beach! 2/24/12

Adisyn had her 1st trip and we went to Myrtle Beach, SC for the weekend and we brought along Grandma and Grandpa. On the way down there, it was beautiful weather, about 70 degrees. But, Saturday and Sunday were cooler, in the 50 or 60, but very breezy. We walked on the beach and went to Barefoot Landing, which is a outdoor shopping center where you can feed the ducks and fish. I carried Adisyn in a Bjorn carrier and it kept her nice and warm. She really liked being in the carrier and it allowed her to stretch out more than in her car seat in the stroller. Grandma had fun picking up shells for Adisyn, so she'd have them for her 1st trip. I was hoping to take her into the indoor pool, or at least dip her feet in, but we decided the in-room jacuzzi was much better. She loved being in the water! I hope by this summer she'll be ready for the pool!

The view from our room at Myrtle Beach

 

At the beach - I love this picture!

Jacuzzi time with Daddy!

I'm so excited because I'm seeing more smiles and coos everyday! I love that she's becoming more interactive! She has really started reaching more for objects and is liking her play time. She's starting to roll over so with a little more practice, she'll be there! I'm proud of my little girl, I think she's doing great!

Reaching for toys!

Jefferson making the moves on Adisyn 3/2/12

Adisyn also officially met Jefferson. On our first outing with them, we all just went for a walk. This time, though, we took some pictures of the two of them together. I think these pictures will come in handy in about 20 years! She was fussy during our visit which I figured it was because we just left her pediatrician's office, Dr. Jack and she was tired and sore from her 2 month wellness check-up and 1st shots. She is now 8 pounds, 13 oz! He was happy to see her growing good and she's on track. He mentioned that he would like us to see her transition into her own room now, but take it a little at a time. She was fussy the rest of the weekend with diarrhea, she wasn't a happy girl :( She was feeling much better at the beginning of the week. We're so proud of our little girl - she's growing good and learning more each day!

Trey and Jefferson, Mark and Adisyn

Not feeling so good after her doctor's visit :(

Auntie Lala visits!

6 weeks old

It was Adisyn's 1st Valentines Day! I took some cute pictures in her outfit from her grandmother. She doesn't have quite enough hair to put the bow in that I made to match her outfit. She has brown hair in the back and on the sides, but not as much in the front (which is a lot lighter). Her eyelashes are coming in and are brown, but her eyebrows are light blonde. Adisyn is almost getting too long for newborn size now and will soon be moving to 0-3 months for her outfits that have the feet in them...that means she's growing!

Speaking of Valentines Day - Adisyn sent her 1st Valentines Day card to our neighbor across the street - Hunter and Jackson. The neighbors moved in around Halloween last year and they have 3-year-old Jackson and Hunter, who is just 6 weeks older than Adisyn.

Adisyn also went on her 1st play date with Jefferson. He was born January 21st, so he is only about 2 weeks younger than her and was due the same day. We went on a walk with him, his mother Paige, and Paige's sister-in-law, Jennifer. It was really breezy, but Adisyn's Cozy Cover over her car seat really comes in handy by blocking the wind and keeping her warm.

Auntie Lala napping with Adisyn

Auntie "Lala" came to visit this week from Massachusetts. My sister, Laura, spent a long weekend with us. We had such nice weather and we had such a great time with her. We went to Falls Park (which you know we love), went on a long walk, ate lunch by the waterfall and had a great time! We also went to a chili cook off and brought Adisyn along. It was nice to have my sister here because it was the 1st time we had someone (beside my in-laws) come to stay and give us some advice. It was nice to have my family here!


1st time in her Bumbo!

Since the last blog, Adisyn was able to sit up independently in her Bumbo! I didn't realize how much I would really like that thing! I was so impressed and she looks like a big girl! She's been using her hands a lot more, bringing them together, has really good head control and has started reaching more. She loves to reach and touch our faces! She's also been so much more alert and loves when we walk around the house to just look at things. She has smiled some since about 4 weeks, but we're not getting a good, consistent smile yet....she's so close!

She's really growing and we can't wait to see what she does next!

Appreciating the Moment

OK, I have to admit - newborns always terrified me. One thing I worried about as I progressed in my pregnancy was the whole newborn phase. How was I going to do it? Between all the sleepless nights and endless cries, how was it possible? So many women just love the newborn phase and they preach about "enjoying every moment because it goes by so quickly", but how are you going to enjoy every moment when it's 3am in the morning and the baby won't stop crying? To me, that didn't sound like fun. Would I be a bad mother if I didn't enjoy every second?

Then I read the article "Don't Carpe Diem":
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html
It really put things into perspective for me. It's ok not to enjoy every second, but I want to appreciate this moment in time.

Everything is a new experience in the eyes of a newborn. What you show them day to day is a learning experience. Adisyn is learning something new every day. She's a blank slate. Even though, when they're a newborn, her activities aren't as exciting as say, her 1st steps, but they're all new. It's the framework for her growth and development.

It sounds crazy for me to say, but so far there are so many things that I love about having a Adisyn as a newborn. It's the little moments that I'm appreciating like:

• when I get up to nurse in the middle of the night, we have our one-on-one time together, when the rest of the house is quiet
• the way Adisyn looks up at me when she's nursing
• the little facial expressions that she makes
• looking forward to everyday, wondering what she's going to do next
• the ability to take Adisyn anywhere and she's just along for the ride
• being able to quiet her cries by just picking her up
• the comfort she gets from laying on me
• the cute, dainty little clothes, hands & feet
• getting to know what her cries mean as she tries to communicate with me
• watching her sleep
• looking at her knowing that she is our little miracle

Playing with daddy and learning to reach out and touch

Also, it's funny how personalities shine though, even this early on. Adisyn is not very fond of being naked or cold. She prefers cuddling up with a warm blanket, perferabliy next to mommy or daddy. She's also a pretty good sleeper. Sometimes she can go 5 hours during the night. I know that I'm new at this, but I think that's pretty good! Trying to get her to fall asleep is a whole other story. She also loves her swing. It's amazing how every time she gets into it, she is more and more intreged by the mirror above her head and the birds going around in a circle.

This past month, we've had some exciting accomplishments. She turned 1 month old! Her 1st "real" bath was quite a success. She wasn't sure what was going on at 1st, but after the warmth of the water, she seemed to really like it. The next bath didn't go as well; apparently a hungry baby and water don't mix! Better luck next time!

Adisyn's 1st bath

On January 24th was Mark's 33rd birthday and Adisyn had her 1st trip to the park. We love Falls Park in Greenville! We went on a 4 mile or so walk and then got a blanket and laid down in front of the waterfall. Adisyn really liked laying down and taking in the sun. It was the warmest day so far, but there was a little breeze. We also go on daily walks around the neighborhood. It seems like the stroller is really relaxing and it takes all her other worries away!

Falls Park in Greenville, SC

It's very difficult raising a newborn, as I imagined, as it takes a lot of patience and you just have to learn as you go. Still, there's so much to appreciate at the same time. So when I'm worn out and just plain exhausted I just have to remind myself that she's growing by the day so I can appreciate the little moments that I love, which make it all worth it!