On a Roll...

My goodness...Maelle is now over 3 months old and changing SO much! Let me give you few examples:

1. She can now hold her head in line with her body when she is pulled up from laying down. Although I am no longer able to use this exercise as a way to clean under her double chins, it is exciting to see her gain more control over her giant noggin.

2. Tummy Time is becoming less and less traumatic. She actually is able to smile a bit when laying sunny-side down, which means I don't feel like I'm killing her when I put her that way.

3. She has become an excellent Kicker--in fact, she loves it when the bar on her floor gym starts to lean towards her feet--she kicks at the little hanging toys like crazy. We call them "her friends" because she smiles at them and gets very excited when she is laying underneath them--hopefully, her drop kicking them is not an indication of how she will treat any real friends she makes.

4. She is learning how to sooth herself to sleep. Not only does this mean she sleeps longer at night, but it also means she is able to go down for a nap much easier--although, I must admit, helping her learn to self-soothe might be making me go a touch grey. We have had a few tears over this (me and her) but, it is working, and she is beginning to understand that nap time does not have to be a traumatic event...most days.

5. Perhaps the most exciting thing: She can roll from her stomach to her back. It is still a big effort, and sometimes she doesn't quite succeed, but she has done it about 3 times, without assistance. It is pretty crazy to watch. You can tell she is concentrating really hard and trying to get her body to do what she tells it.

On a different note...

For those of you who know Matt and are friends with him on Facebook, you might have seen a recent post detailing some of our text messages to each other. For those you who missed it:

As a follow up, a friend suggested this...I got a kick out of it, maybe you will too...just remember: Beware the Number 3:

I Survived!

Okay--so being a sick while being a mommy is not fun. Not fun at all. Last week, I did not leave the house from Saturday night until Thursday evening. I was deathly ill, with a super sore throat, achy muscles, a super-sized headache and chills. Blah. I felt terrible, not only because I was ill, but because I was certain Maelle would be the darn things next victim--however, breastmilk rocks, and my little Jelly Bean is still healthy and smiley, and for that I am grateful.

Maelle is getting stronger each day, and is now making a pointed effort to reach for things. She still isn't super coordinated in doing so, but she really has more purpose in her movements, and her fingers are beginning to cooperate. It is so very cute to watch. Matt and I about burst with pride.

She is almost ready to move out of her bassinet, which will be a tough day for me; but with her head touching one end, and her feet touching the other, it won't be long until she is ready for a bigger bed.

We bought a swing the other day off of Kijiji, and she LOVES it. I wish I had gotten it sooner.

She also LOVES reading. Every night before bed, she gets a story, and her eyes are glued to the pages and she smiles and coo's right along with us reading. It is precious to watch, and one of those moments I treasure every time it happens.

**SIGH** So many moments, so many memories...so wish time wouldn't go by so darn fast!

A Lesson Learned

NEVER LEAVE A DIRTY DIAPER IN A WARM CAR!!!! NOT PRETTY AT ALL!!

Looking for a Groove...

As mentioned before. Being a mom is great...and I've spent the last 2 months really enjoying my little darling. I still plan on enjoying her to the very fullest, but I am in search of a basic groove for life. You know, like finding a schedule that works, and getting back into shape, and figuring out how to manouver around Maelle's schedule.

I Dream of Jeans...That Fit!

Having Maelle: SO worth it---Having 2 pairs of pants that fit (my pre-pregnancy fat pants) getting old fast. I never realized how having a baby and then HEALING from having that bundle of joy, can really take forever. I am itching to get back into running and remembering what it feels like to wear skinny jeans, but I'm not there yet. **SIGH** Soon, I hope.

Napping on the Fly

Maelle is a good sleeper. She let's us get a decent amount of it ourselves at night. I just wish I could figure out what she was thinking during the day. Sometimes she's out for HOURS...and for those of you who have/do breastfeed, by the time HOURS are up, you are praying for a loud noise to wake up that baby and remind it that dinner is waiting! Other times, she seems to go forever without nodding off at all. My sister keeps telling me to cherish the sleep time during the day, because it won't be long until she is awake and I'm praying for nap time. I just wish I could figure out a routine. My days seem so fragmented and random at this point.

LOL--I guess I just have to have patience and remember to always enjoy the moment--tight pants and all. No matter what, Jelly Bean is worth it!

April Moments...

Maelle is growing up so fast. She is officially 2 months, and April is almost over, and she isn't a newborn anymore. She had her 2 month check-up today, and did really good.

She is now 11 lbs 8 oz, and 24 inches long. Like I said, growing SO FAST.

There has been some great moments, and I thought I'd share a few. Maelle and her daddy get along great. They do all sorts of things together.

They like to nap.

They like to read.

They like to cuddle.

They like to make faces at each other.

Father and Daughter...what can I say, it is a beautiful thing!

On another note--vaccines suck. I know they are important, and I value the good they do--but it was the saddest thing ever to watch Maelle go from a happy, content baby, to one that was screaming at the top of her lungs, while looking at you with eyes that say "How could you?"... I know, I know...I'm dramatic, but hey--first time moms are allowed to be. :)

A Very Special Easter

I love Easter, but this year was particularily special. Not only was it a beautiful spring day (one of the first after a VERY LONG winter,) but it was also Maelle's blessing day. We dressed her up in a beautiful white dress that my grandmother crocheted before she died. It has been sitting in my hope chest for almost 20 years, waiting patiently for the arrival of my little Jelly Bean. It was gorgeous to start and made even better by being worn by Maelle.

Matt's family made the drive to London to join us for her special day. It was a most amazing day. Maelle was fantastic, she slept through the entire blessing. Matt was one proud daddy, and I was a teary (happy tears) mommy.

Easter dinner was at our house, and we enjoyed the company. Maelle even had a special cake. We are one happy little family. I hope everyone's Easter was as special as ours!

I love this little Jelly Bean.

Maelle had just woken up from a nap. She didn't really care about the cake, but it was fun to make! :)

Gigantor Baby

Maelle is growing like a weed. Nothing highlighted that more to me than a visit to Jara & Andrew's this past weekend. Maelle, Matt and I took the long drive to their home to visit their family and to let Maelle meet her new cousin, Lili, born just 5 1/2 weeks after her.

The contrast between the two was shocking. I cannot believe Maelle was ever even close to that size. 7 weeks has seen my little Jelly Bean grow to over 11 lbs, and her noggin is way bigger than when we started. Lili was super tiny compared to her cousin--and they are so close in age!

Yep--my baby, though still the most adorable, awesome little darling ever--has become a GIGANTOR baby...I don't mind at all, I just have one question--HOW DID IT HAPPEN SO FAST!!!!???!??!???!

(Maelle & Lili--5 1/2 weeks apart)