Little Miss Hollywood

MiMi has a new nickname for Lainey - Little Miss Hollywood! It's hard work posing for the camera - especially when you are only 3 months old!

Lainey is 3 Months Old!

Ah my sweet Lainey girl! Has it really been 3 months already? Yesterday we celebrated your 3 month birthday and what better way to celebrate than by feeding you your first bowl of cereal! You weren't quite sure what to do with it at first, but you figured that sucking that cereal off the spoon proved to be pretty effective. We were all there to "ooh & ahh" over you as you ate. Lindsey was filming you with her video camera she got for Christmas, Daddy was spooning the cereal in, and I was sitting there watching you, laughing, and just taking in your wonderfulness!

My dear sweet baby, you will never, ever know just how much I love you. You are the most amazing & beautiful little person I have ever known. I will never take you for granted and will never forget the way one teensie little smile can melt my heart in an instant.

Happy 3 Month Birthday - Mommy loves you will all her heart!

Going Back to Work

It's my first day back to work tomorrow. I am looking forward to getting back into my groove, but distraught about leaving my baby. I knew this time would come, but I'm still not prepared! There are so many mixed emotions swirling in my head. Mostly my heart is just aching at the thought of someone else getting to see my baby's "firsts." I know that every working mother goes through this, but unfortunately knowing I am not alone doesn't console me much. I try desperately to take comfort in the fact that a wonderful lady is keeping her and that she is just around the corner from me, but it still hurts. I am her mom and I should be the one cuddling her and teaching her new things all day. I worry that she will miss the sound of her mommy's voice or somehow feel like I have abandoned her for the day. I know this isn't the case because a 2 1/2 month old can't rationalize what is happening, but it doesn't change the fact that I can. I know that many tears will be shed tomorrow, just the way they are streaming down my cheeks now. I can only hope that God will help me through this and make it a little easier each day.

Off to Church We Go!

Yesterday was Lainey's second time going to church. She got all "prettied-up" in a dress her MiMi bought her and off we went. Now Sam and I smart enough to know what will keep her quiet during the service - a bottle of course. We went prepared with the "big cereal bottle" that she has in the morning. As soon as services started, we popped that sucker in her mouth. She did fantastic the first 4 ounces, but the last 2 ounces - the last 2 that make her drift off to sleep - didn't have the same effect that they normally do. She was working on those last 2 ounces during Father Jim's sermon and let me tell you, she wanted to chime in. She started coo'ing and ah'ing - loudly! I kept my hand steady on that bottle as if silently begging her to keep eating. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing myself and finally Lainey won out. We made our exit so she could finish her conversation with mommy. I think she was trying to tell me about the humorous present she left me in her diaper - she always waits until the most opportune times to do that. Anyway, after she had a clean diaper on, we finished our conversation and she drifted off into a sweet sleep. I guess some conversations just can't wait!

Got Milk?

If my precious baby girl could talk, those would surely be her words - "Got Milk." She is a hungry little bug, but plays and kicks her legs with the same intensity that she eats. And look at that belly of hers, don't you just want to pinch on it? :-) I do all the time! Lainey has also been doing so wonderfully in her big girl bed. I was forced to put her in there a little early since I was sick over the holidays because I didn't want her to catch anything in case I was contagious. I hated it, but it did work to our advantage. She sleeps from about 8:30 P.M. until around 7 A.M. - give or take a few minutes. How awesome is that! It has me spoiled, I can tell you that! I don't think there could possibly be anything more beautiful in this whole world than seeing her smile at me first thing in the morning!

Happy 2 Months Lainey!

Today Lainey had her 2 month check-up at the doctor. She weighed in at 13lbs 15oz, putting her in the 95th percentile for weight. She was 24 1/4 inches long, putting her in the 97th percentile for height. She is a very happy healthy 2 month old baby and we couldn't be more proud of our little angel.

She is holding her head up very well and coos up a storm these days. I will never forget how precious her smile is when she wakes up in the morning, how she tugs on my shirt when she is eating, the way she looks at her favorite monkey on her jungle gym, and the sweet sound she makes when she is sleeping so soundly. My precious baby is another month older - ah, this growing up thing isn't going to get easier is it?

Merry Christmas - well sort of...

This year was supposed to be our best Christmas yet because we had a new addition in the family. However, things didn't quite work out the way that I had planned for Lainey's first Christmas. I rounded out Christmas Eve with a fever - a high fever. I was afraid I had the flu so we came straight home and I went to bed, staying away from Lainey, Lindsey and Sam. The night was hectic for Sam and sad for me because I was in bed aching with a fever. Christmas Day proved even more depressing as Sam headed out early that morning to take Lindsey to Sam's parents and then to be with her mom. My mom and dad came over to take care of the baby since Sam was away. I was in bed most of the day sad about how our first family Christmas had turned out. Sam was desperately trying to get home to us that evening and his car broke down(the CRX no longer goes on long road trips). He finally made it home to Lainey and I at 10:30 P.M. Christmas night. What a crazy 2 days!

Even though this was not how I imagined our first Christmas together to be, it made me more thankful for the wonderful family that I have, and before you know it, I was feeling merry again!

All Aboard!

All aboard the Soul Train! We started a tradition this Christmas that is definitely worth continuing. One of the local churches in the neighboring community has a train on their property. They have over 100,000 Christmas lights and various Christmas scenes, making the train ride a blast! They also have Santa there to visit with the kids, cotton candy and other things for the kids to enjoy! There was a chill in the air so we had to bundle Lainey up so she could go enjoy the festivities too! We had a great time and are looking forward to going back next year!

Lainey & Santa

Every girl needs her picture taken with Santa!

The Magic Touch

Uncle Mike got his turn at cuddling babies (Lainey and Hannah) and proved that he can definitely outlast! Lainey was so thrilled to get her 8 P.M. feeding from Uncle Mike that she took the longest time in the history of her feedings to finish off a 4 oz bottle. Lainey finally drifted off to sleep and polished off the bottle an hour later! Ahhh-the magic touch!