Three Months

 Jenny is three months old today.

She is one-fourth of a year old.

How did that happen!?

Time is going so fast and she grows every day!

I swear, every morning I look at her she looks bigger than the day before. 

At two months she weighed 12.10 pounds and was 22 inches long.

I'm thinking she is now around 14 pounds and 23 inches long.

Double her birth weight, little chunk.

Girl loves to eat.

She got that from her daddy.

She is still wearing 0-3 month clothes, but i've had to put quite a few things away. 

Every time she grows out of something it makes me so sad.

She will never be this little ever again!

She sleeps a full 8-10 hours every single night.

Hopefully I don't jinx that.

She is seriously the best little sleeper.

Except for nap time.

She is the queen of cat naps.

She'll fall asleep during the day and i'll put her down, thinking I have time to do the dishes or the laundry, and 5 minutes later she's up and ready to play.

She's the silliest little thing.

She caught her first flu bug this month.

It went around the whole family before ending with her.

It was the saddest day, all I could do was snuggle her and kiss her baby cheeks.

Speaking of baby cheeks, she has the BEST kissing cheeks EVER.

They're so chubby and squishy.

I could seriously kiss them all day.

She found her fingers and literally sucks them off her hand. 

She won't take a paci, which kills me sometimes, but she will sure suck those fingers.

She can almost  roll from tummy to back.

Getting her to do tummy time is a struggle because she prefers laying on her back.

We'll get there.

She loves to see herself in the mirror.

We have a carseat mirror and every time we go in the car she stares at herself the whole time. 

It's like she knows she's adorable.

She loves to talk, and she's getting rather loud at it.

She's always got something to say.

She makes the funniest little facial expressions like she's telling a dramatic story.

Sassy little lady.

She absolutely loves bath time.
She can be super fussy and i'll put her in the bath and she immediately calms down.
She loves to splash around and pee in the water LOL.

Her hairs are getting longer and soon i'll be able to pull them into a tiny ponytail! 

I always said I wanted a chubby baby with lots of hair.

And I got a very chubby baby with tons of hair.

She has grown up so much.

One morning James and I were both looking at her and we both said that she got so much bigger and grown up overnight.

I have to keep reminding myself to cherish these times because one day i'll wake up and she'll be all grown up and independent, and then she'll be married and have a family of her own.

Jenny and I have such an amazing bond.

I'm so grateful for that because it didn't come from the beginning.

Every morning when I go to get her out of bed she looks up, sees me, and smiles the biggest smile.

I know she knows me, and I know she loves me and I hope with all my heart that she knows how much I love her.

She is my greatest blessing and accomplishment, and my favorite tiny little person ever.

Happy three month birthday Jenny bug!

Two Months

Happy two months of life Jenny Grace! 

This month has been SO much better on my part.

We are all sleeping better and our home is a little happier now that I feel like I somewhat have my life put together.

(lol yeah right)

I am so grateful that life is full of do-overs and second chances.

Anyhow, I can't believe I have a two month old!

My pregnancy seemed to go by so slow and I always wished time would speed up so I could meet my baby.

But now that she's here I really wish time would slow down.

Or maybe just have a pause button.

We still have our days.

Newborns are hard because there is no way to tell what they're thinking or what their needs are.

Thankfully I have a pretty easy baby and as long as she's fed, changed, and loved, she is usually happy.

She recently started sleeping through the night.

Like i'm talking 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. every single night.

From a mama who loves her sleep, it's been great.

Since she doesn't wake up at night to eat anymore, she eats a ton during the day.

She'll take anywhere from 2-4 ounces every 1-3 hours.

She's so random.

Silly girl.

She started smiling SO much this month and every time she flashes me that gummy grin my heart breaks.

I love her so much it hurts!

That smile makes all of the hard times absolutely worth it.

She also found her voice and loves to hear herself talk.

She will coo and smile the cheesiest grin because she knows she's cute.

She got her 2 month shots this month and I cried more than she did.

She was such a little trooper.

Thank goodness for infant tylenol.

She is 22 inches long and weighs 12.10 pounds.

15th percentile for height, 75th for weight.

She's short and fat.

My little oompa loompa. 

We are so grateful to have Jenny in our lives.

She has brought so much joy and love into our family.

We seriously can't imagine life without her!

Happy 2 month birthday baby girl!

One Month

Jenny Grace is one month old already!

Her perfect little self has been on this earth for four whole weeks.

The first month of her life flew by so fast I can hardly believe it.

Being a new mom is hard.

So fun, but so hard.

I never realized how honest people were being when they told me I would never sleep again.

Jenny's first night home from the hospital was the longest night of my life filled with cluster feeding and trying to soothe a crying frantic baby. 

We must have gotten less than an hour of sleep that night.

Insert new mom panic.

How on earth was I supposed to do this every night?

About two weeks in and after meeting with three different lactation specialists, I realized that nursing was not going to happen for us.

As natural of a thing as nursing should be, it doesn't come natural at all. At least for us it didn't.

She couldn't latch for the life of her.

Not even the nurses or lactation specialists could get her to do it.

So after several tries and failed attempts, and a screaming baby every time I tried to feed her, I decided I would pump and feed her breast milk from a bottle.

Insert new mom guilt.

I felt like a failure for not being able to nurse my baby.

Around this same time I realized that my emotions were definitely not in check.

I felt overwhelming feelings of sadness and longed for my old life with my husband, before baby.

I cried over everything and over nothing at all.

And I cried a lot.

I love this baby, I wanted this baby, I planned for this baby.

So why was I feeling this way?

I talked with my doctor and immediately felt a weight off my shoulders when he reassured me that what I was feeling is normal.

I often questioned why no one had ever told me the truth.

Why didn't anyone tell me that I would really never sleep through the night again?

Why didn't anyone tell me that i'm not a failure for not being able to nurse my baby or how exhausting having a newborn really is?

That I would never have time for myself anymore.

That those first few weeks are spent constantly meeting the demands of a needy baby.

I felt helpless and lost and genuinely sad.

I felt inadequate to give this baby everything she deserves in life.

I have never had to rely more on my Heavenly Father.

Things slowly started to get better each day as I started to figure Jenny out a little more each day.

She started sleeping longer through the night and was taking her bottles like a champ.

Pumping started to become more normal, and even though I hate it, it has worked its way into our daily routine.

I felt myself slowly starting to feel happier and more like myself again.

My love for Jenny grew as she grew.

Around her fourth week of life she began to become more alert and aware of her surroundings.

My heart melted when she flashed me her first big smile.

It made me feel as if I must be doing something right.

She loves to be swaddled for bedtime and naps, and always sleeps with her arms up above her head.

She usually goes to bed around 10 p.m. and wakes up around 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. to eat.

She makes the cutest faces in her sleep. She smiles and makes sad faces.

It makes me wonder what she dreams about.

She LOVES to stretch and makes the funniest little grunting noises when she does it.

At first she wasn't sure about bath time but now as long as she's fed she likes her bath, especially when we wash her hair.

She likes to hang out in just a diaper, and has gotten really good at tummy time. She can hold up her own head a lot better now and has the strongest little legs!

She hates her car seat but seems to like the car once it's moving.

She will not take a pacifier which I have mixed feelings about, but I guess when she's older i'll be grateful for that.

She loves to listen to music and look at pictures on the wall.

She weighed 8.5 pounds at her 2 week appointment, 1.3 pounds more than she weighed at birth.

She likes ceiling fans and story time.

And she gets prettier by the day.

Adjusting to having a baby was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

But now that things are better and we have found a new normal, I can honestly say that having her was the best decision we ever made.

She is the source of most of our joy in life and the topic of most of our conversations.

She is so silly and makes us laugh so much.

Happy one month birthday Jenny Grace.

You are loved beyond measure!

 

Bumpdate: 38 Weeks

Thirty Eight Weeks.

Somehow the last three months flew by and i'm due to have my first baby two weeks from today.

Everyone says the last few weeks are the longest of your life

and I would have to agree.

I'm definitely looking nine months pregnant.

I'm definitely feeling nine months pregnant.

At my last appointment I was dilated to almost a 1...

The doctor couldn't tell how effaced I was because I wasn't quite dilated enough.

BUT good news is he says i'm starting to dilate and that's all that matters to me!

Some sort of progression.

He also said that can all change in a day

I'm trying not to get too anxious at this point.

But really she could come any day now.

I just have to keep reminding myself that this is all on her schedule, not mine.

All I can do is be as prepared as possible and try to be patient.

                       How Far Along? 38 weeks, and definitely counting.

Size Of Baby? The size of a pumpkin. She could be anywhere between 6-9 lbs. and 18-20 inches long, but based on the size of my belly I think we've got a chunker on our hands.

Symptoms: I get heartburn from basically everything. Including water. Sleep is non existent these days but I guess i'm prepared for when little missy keeps me up all night. My feet fit in 2 pairs of shoes that I own. Both sandals with adjustable straps. Braxton Hicks contractions. Nesting, nesting, nesting.

Weight Gain? I'll never be more ready to start seeing the scale go down... and waaaaaay down.

Maternity Clothes? Around 5 months I started buying maternity clothes, and only 1 of those outfits fits me comfortably now. (in the most possible way... nothing is comfortable when you're 9 months pregnant) I can't wait to wear normal clothes again.

Cravings: Lots and lots of fruit and popsicles.

Mood: My nesting instinct is in full swing, so I spend the majority of my time preparing our home and cleaning things over and over again.

Movement: Less and less, but when I do feel movement I can tell she is a strong little thing.

Best Moment This Week: Realizing that in 2 weeks or less i'll be holding our sweet little baby.

Looking Forward To: Not labor haha.

James cleaned the car today and installed the car seat...
and

he looks so good holding that car seat.

Bumpdate: 30 Weeks

THIRTY WHOLE WEEKS.

I'm having a baby in 10 weeks!

Time seems to be going by a little faster now. I don't know if it's James' new schedule or the warm weather or the fact that this baby being here in 2 months seems a lot more real than 9, but I want time to slow down and hurry up all at once!

I can't wait to hold this little one and kiss her baby cheeks. 

I can't wait to see her with her daddy and to start this new adventure as our new little family of four. (including Hank the dog)

How Far Along? 30 weeks.

Size Of Baby? The length of a cucumber, about 16-17 inches tall! Only a couple more inches to grow. She weighs around 3-3.5 pounds, and will continue to put on about 1/2 a pound every week until she is born.

Symptoms: The third trimester is definitely the hardest so far! Heartburn, minimal sleep,  weird dreams, and the ever so loved morning sickness has returned. Not to mention weight gain and swelling! I'm definitely ready to get this baby here and take a little (or long) pregnancy break!

Weight Gain? Around 27 pounds. My doctor says I can expect to gain about 10-12 more before the baby comes. Joy.

Maternity Clothes? It's all that fits me, IF it even fits me! Some of the maternity clothes I bought earlier in my pregnancy don't fit anymore. But WHAT DO YOU DO.

Cravings: Cafe Rio salad, chicken salad, wraps, grapes, cream of wheat, really anything salty!

Mood: Uncomfortable. Is that even a mood? I feel so uncomfortable all. the. time. Tight clothes, big belly, swollen ankles. 

Movement: Every single day, all day. I get more powerful distinct movements now more than kicks. I feel her tiny body parts, like her heels, elbows, and fists move across my belly. She will push her heel into me, and when I push back she moves. I love it! 

Sleep: Haha

Best Moment This Week: Feeling stronger movements, and realizing I only have 10 more weeks to go!

Looking Forward To: My baby shower in 2 weeks!!! I can't wait to finally feel ready for her to come. Also, I now see my doctor every 2 weeks!

New Developments: She is losing her lanugo, the coating of hair babies have to keep them warm, because she is now chubby enough to keep herself warm! And she is strong enough to grasp a finger! 

^CHUBBY FACE, so swollen!^

Bumpdate: 25 weeks

Only 15 more weeks

or less

until this baby comes.

I can hardly believe it! 

How Far Along? 25 weeks.

Size Of Baby? A head of cauliflower. About 14 inches tall and weighs close to 2 pounds! 

Symptoms: Crazy itchy skin and exhaustion. I'm so tired!

Weight Gain? I'm just really trying not to care. I have gained more than i'd like, like every other pregnant woman, but I just try to remember that without the weight gain, the baby can't gain weight either! I have definitely gained a lot in my face though.

Cravings: Anything with peanut butter and/or chocolate, slurpees, and basically anything you don't have to cook at home.

Mood: Happy. Thinking about how close we're getting to meeting this little one makes me giddy! I love her so much already.

Movement: All the time! She likes to wake me up at 2 a.m.

Sleep: Not good! But what do ya do. 

Best Moment This Week: Seeing her kick from the outside! With my placenta being anterior, it's been really hard to see and feel her from the outside. But now she's strong and big enough to let us see it, and we are loving it.

New Developments: Hair has color, and she can tell which way is up and which way is down. 

Welcome Spring!!!

I love springtime.

It's my favorite season!

And since spring officially begins in just a few short weeks, I thought now would be a good time to make some things and decorate accordingly. 

Happy Spring!

Bumpdate: 24 Weeks

How Far Along? 24 Weeks.

Size Of Baby? A cantaloupe! I really can't believe she's that big. She is about 13 inches long and weighs 1.5 pounds.

Symptoms: Itchy belly and swelling in my face and hands. My wedding ring is starting to feel more snug than usual. The doctor says I retain a lot of water.

Weight Gain? I have gained 7 pounds since my last appointment on February 11th. When I saw the number on the scale I about died, but the doctor said it's normal to gain 1-2 pounds a week.

Cravings: Peanut butter captain crunch, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ice cream, and water. (super healthy for baby, lol)

Mood: Impatient. I just want this little one to get here!

Nursery: I ordered the last few things I need for her nursery, so it's almost done! Now I just need to finish painting her bookshelves and get to work on sewing her crib skirt. 

Movement: She's gotten into a pretty regular sleeping pattern. She mostly kicks in the morning and at night, and right after I eat anything. It is still hard to feel her sometimes with my dang placenta in the way! 

Sleep: The past two nights I have woken up hysterically laughing because my dreams are just way too hilarious these days. 

Anything Making You Queasy? Surprisingly no! 

Best Moment This Week: Seeing her nursery come together. Now all I need is a little baby to put in it!

New Developments: Baby gained about a quarter of a pound last week in bones, muscle, and fat, so she is finally starting to fill out and really look like a tiny little person! Her hair is also gaining color this week. I can't wait to see what she looks like.

Looking Forward To: My 25 week mark. She will be here in 15 weeks or less! 

DIY Hot Air Balloon Lamps

It amazes me how creative some people are.

When I first saw these on pinterest I knew I had to make them.

They were just too cute to pass up!

Also, they were so easy to put together.

I just think they add a darling touch to baby girl's nursery and they look so cute turned on at night! 

You can find the original post here.

Materials:

-Ikea vate rice paper lamp

-Scrapbook paper, fabric, or washi tape

-Tin can

-Twine or string

-Hot glue gun 

-Scissors

-Small screwdriver, or something sharp enough to punch holes in your can

-Ribbon, buttons, ect to decorate 

First, measure out your paper or fabric so that it will fit your can. If you're using washi tape, just wrap it around your can in the pattern you'd like. I thought paper was the easiest, and you can find some really cute prints!

Once your paper is cut out to the right size, secure it to your can using your hot glue gun.

Next, poke four holes in the top of your can to secure the string.

Tie a piece of string through each hole. I used a little bit of glue to ensure the knots stay put. Make sure you leave enough string to secure to the lamp.

This is how these lamps are supposed to be used, but flip it upside down and you have a hot air balloon! 

Poke 4 holes into the base of the lamp and secure the string.

This is what it will look like when you're done.

Then you can decorate your lamps using whatever you'd like.

You have to get a little creative hanging them up.

I used fishline and wrapped the cords around it, and then used filler to make clouds to cover the cords.

I just love how they turned out! 

And the best thing is they can be customized to any color or theme.

Happy crafting!