life with a mini

so here we are as usual, much later than i'd hoped.  i don't want to miss out on documenting all of little bean's daily adventures.

emmie collins, you're now 3 weeks old and getting stronger and bigger everyday.  you are such a sweet little girl and my heart just about explodes when i hold and snuggle you.

new things:

you are precious in the morning.  when i come get you out of bed you just stare at me with bright eyes.  you're just simply adorable - it may easily be my favorite time of day.  you slept in your handmade cradles for the first two weeks or so and then graduated to your crib before poppa started his big boy job.  he needed to get some sleep sans your many grunts and coo's.  by the way, you are very vocal.  you found your voice about a week or two in and have been 'talking' ever since.  you make mom and pop laugh all the time with your oh so many noises.

this morning i think i got you to smile at me on purpose for the first time.  normally you just smile because of gas, sweet baby dreams or when we squish you.

your emilical cord fell off [ew].  right now it looks like you have an outtie.  i'm not sure if they stay the same or if they change as you grow.  if this is your final button then i believe you're an outtie little lady.

you're also losing your baby 'fuzz'.  this is good news for your shoulders but not such good news for the top of your head.  you have very long hair in the back so the thinning upper portion [aka the horseshoe effect] is a little troublesome.  don't worry princess, you'll grow out of it.  someday you're going to have more locks than you know what to do with.

you are a pretty great little sleeper nowadays - you sleep from around midnight until 7 am.  and then go right back down for another 2.5 hours or so.  it's pretty incredible to have a few solid hours of rest.  it's funny what two weeks of sleep deprivation will do to you.  look at that sleepy little chunk! having a sleeping babe on you is one of the sweetest gifts.  unfortunately, you don't get a lot done when you let babies sleep on you.

before you curse me for having a sleepy babe, you should know that just about every other night or so she screams her face off for an hour or two.  completely inconsolable.  nothing is wrong, she's just pissed.  we're praying she grows out of that soon because her angry hour falls when we will need sitters most often.

you love poppa-emmie time.  you love when dad snuggles you and pokes you.  sometimes you just stare and stare at him.  poppa wishes he could be home with you more so he could cover you in sandpaper kisses and give you raspberries.  he can't wait until your big enough for him to throw you in the air [momma on the other hand, can wait for that].

nothing makes me happier than seeing you with your pops.  he is so sweet with you, when he takes care of you and misses you, when he wants to hold you really bad - it is precious.  you are really blessed emmie.  you have such a caring father who has taken exceptional care of your momma [and you] through this whole process.  he's always willing to help me and has dropped everything to do so when i'm struggling.  i'm so thankful.

you eat really well too.  you don't eat for as many minutes as they say you should but i think you might just be efficient.  you always seem pretty satisfied and are definitely growing so i'm not too worried about you.  chins & pit rolls don't lie.  nursing you is one of my favorite times - they said that it will be good bonding and i think that is completely accurate.  i may feel the same if i was bottle feeding you, but the time that we have together when you're eating is just real special.  it is a little hard to explain why and i feel a little crazy trying to put it in words.

you do awesome things with your hands when you eat.  well, all the time but especially when you eat.  sometimes you fist pump [which i was almost tempted to ask the dr. about because that seems really strange for a baby], sometimes you try and hold my hand or squeeze my fingers, and sometimes you just point, ever so delicately with your pointer or pinky.  it is adorable.

we kind of had our first family outings this weekend.  this was you in your first dress.  sorry the picture isn't so great.  this is after we got home; you had had a long evening and were in need of a diap intervention.  you looked adorable and did a great job rehearsing for matt and holly's wedding.  you even walked down the aisle with me once; i pretended you were my bouquet.  you had your first bottle during the actual wedding and i'm so thankful that it went just fine.  you drank the whole thing and didn't give nana karen much trouble other than some fusses.

sweet emmie, we love you so.  you've had your first baths, first walks with momma and poppa around the neighborhood, snuggled so many people, covered our home in spit-up [and other bodily contents] and filled our hearts with joy.  you're already so sweet and strong.  i can't wait to see how the Lord forms your little heart.  we're so thankful for you, your health & your sweet spirit.

we're getting into a bit of a routine and can't wait until life is just a tad more predictable.  i can't believe we're creeping up on a whole month old!