6 & 7 months old.....plus baptism!

This post is long overdue. I am not sure why I was putting it off, because it is not lack for wonderful things to say about Miss Molly. I think I am just enjoying time with her too much and don't want to sit in front of the computer. Plus, it is hard to summarize everything in one post. It is almost overwhelming.

Anyway, since the last post, Molly has celebrated not only her 6 months birthday, but also her 7 months birthday!!! And she was baptized last weekend too!

One of the most exciting things about the past two months has been FOOD! Molly is becoming a champ when it comes to eating solids. Granted they are still mostly of the pureed variety but she is also starting to get some table foods to learn to grasp small things, and to navigate towards the mouth.

She is eating meats, and stage 2 foods now. Stage 2 foods from what I can tell just mean more in each serving, and a mixture of foods. Most of the veggies and fruits are a mixture of several. She likes garden vegetable (mixture of spinach, peas and carrots) and Apple/Pear/Banana. She isn't crazy about the meat (turkey, chicken, beef or ham all in gravy), but she still eats well and takes it better when it is mixed on the spoon with a fruit or veggie.

Her normal routine is a bottle when she wakes up around 6:45am. Rice cereal mixed with fruit around 9:30 or 10am. A small bottle around 11am. Lunch of either a veggie or fruit around 1pm. Another bottle (6oz) around 4pm. Dinner of a meat and veggie or fruit around 6:30pm. And a bottle before bed about 7:30pm.

She is still sleeping great! Bedtime has slowly moved from right at 7pm, to closer to 8pm now, which is nice, so we have more time with her and don't feel as rushed. And she sleeps until about 6:30am usually, but I even sometimes have to wake her up if she isn't up by 7am!

She has had a few nights here and there where she woke up only about an hour after going to bed, but that was usually because she needed to burp again, or just had trouble getting comfy I guess. But that has become far and few between now. I think her teeth have bothered her some in the past two months, but that seems to come and go as well. There have been a few nights I have given her Tylenol to help soothe her to sleep, but not much. No signs of any teeth poking through yet, but I am sure they are moving around and giving her funny sensations.

Molly is still not what I would consider mobile, but she is moving more now. She is rolling a little more - front to back - and - back to front. She spins like a top still on her back and starting to do so as well on her tummy. She is sitting up like a champ! We usually still keep a boppy pillow close by for when she tumbles back, but she doesn't need it most of the time.

She is gaining lots of strength. She tries to sit up (sometimes successfully) from a laying down or reclined position, and pushes herself up when she leans forward to grab a toy. One thing she has been doing recently that has us cracking up is when she is laying flat on her back on the changing table, she does what I would call an abs exercise and lifts her head and feet at the same time. We keep teasing that she is going to have a 6 pack soon. She has the funniest expression on her face when she does it too. We love it!

Basically, Brandon and I are just eating her up. We LOVE spending time with her and seeing all the new things she is doing. We LOVE to talk to her, but mostly hear her talk back. She is making all kinds of new sounds. We have even heard a few more sounds than just the AHHHHHH. There are a few Maaaa, Daaaa, or Baaaa's in there. And she loves to scream too. She LOVES hearing her voice. We will talk to her in her sounds, but also regularly too.

All I can say is just how much fun she is right now! This is such an awesome age! Her personality is really starting to come out. And she knows her mommy and daddy well - even to the point where separation anxiety is coming out more now. But she still does great going to others. She just gets shy in a big crowd and usually puts on her serious face for a while and then warms up to everyone. And she can even be a little shy by turning her head when someone talks to her :)

Not only do we love to hear her talk and use her voice, but we also love to get her to giggle. She has the sweetest giggle ever! She loves to play with Brandon's hair. All he has to do is lean down and put his head towards her face and tickle her with it, and she giggles up a storm. But she still ends up with the hiccups almost every time she has a giggle session. So, it is a catch 22 - we love to hear her giggle, but hate to see her get the hiccups.

Daycare is still going very well. There are more kids in her class now, which is fun so that she has more kids in which to interact. There are 4 girls around the same age. In the morning, I usually sit her down on the play mat with 2 of the other girls and they just sit and look at one another and talk and play. It warms my heart to see her having so much fun.

Molly was baptized on Sunday, August 21, 2011 at Guilford Park Presbyterian Church in Greensboro. It was a very special day!! All of her immediate family was there, as well as some other friends of Mommy and Daddy, and of course our wonderful church family. Molly did great! She just took it all in :)

There is so much more I could say, but again, hard to put it in words sometimes. Molly is such a blessing, and even though I don't think it is possible, we still love her more and more everyday.

So, now for the all important stats! At her 6 month doctor's appt on August 5th, she weighed in at 17 lbs 12 oz which is the 75th percentile. And she was 27 3/4 inches long which is the 97th percentile! We are just amazed at how quickly she is growing and changing. She is currently wearing 9 month clothes, and even some are starting to get snug in the length.

God has truly blessed us!

5 months old!

Our sweet baby girl is officially 5 months old! And so many new things this past month!!

1) Molly rolled over for the first time on 05/30/11 during tummy time with Mommy & Daddy in the evening. She rolled tummy to back. She had been sleeping on her side in the crib for a few weeks, but we were very excited to witness this milestone. However, she did it once and seems to be satisfied, because she hasn't really done it since. But oh well, at least we know she can! :) Per daycare, her first time rolling back to tummy was on Friday, 06/03/11, but we haven't seen that at home yet. One day, one day.....

2) Molly also started on solid foods this past month. Her first round was with rice cereal on 05/28/11, and boy did she make some funny faces!!! Since then we have gotten in our initial rounds (3 days each by themselves) of peaches, peas, green beans, apples, pears, carrots, squash and sweet potatoes. We decided to wait a little while on bananas and prunes for the conflicting things we have heard they do to baby's poor bowels :) Let's just hope she doesn't have her mommy's tummy troubles!! She never really took to the rice cereal, but we are going to try it again this weekend mixing it with some fruit to give it a little more flavor. Our goal for leading up to 6 months of age is to get her eating twice a day as opposed to just the once in the evening, and eating more. But she is off to a good start, and even though it took some getting used to, she is taking better to the spoon and the routine each day.



3) Another big first this past month was Molly's first overnight away from Mommy and Daddy. She had a sleepover at Grammy and G-Pop's house on Sat, 06/04/11. Mommy & Daddy enjoyed a date night, and Grammy & G-Pop LOVED their time with Miss Molly :)

4) While visiting Grammy and G-Pop, Molly took her first stroll in her big stroller without the carseat. Just her strapped into the seat :) She is getting to be such a big girl!!

5) Molly has been enjoying the entertainments of exersaucers at daycare this past month, and had her first go with the jumperoo at home too! She hasn't gotten in it much though because her feet don't touch yet, but she enjoys having "conversations" with her friends at daycare from the exersaucers :)


6) And one more milestone worth noting.....the feet have officially been discovered! And they have made it to the mouth as well :) She loves watching her toes wiggle and even more cramming those wiggling toes into her mouth :)


Words can't even describe how special Molly is to us, and how much excitement comes from each new thing she does! I am just simply amazed!!! And I love her to pieces!!!!

4 Months Old!

Another month, and Molly is amazing us more and more each day! She is growing up so fast and really starting to interact which is so much fun!!



I have already blogged about one of her big firsts in her 4th month - her first road trip! The other big thing this month was starting to sleep through the night. Her first night doing so was April 30th. She slept 10pm - 7am. That has been very nice for Mommy, so that she isn't as tired :) We still have a few nights here and there where we don't make it the whole night or we are restless, but for the most part, Molly is doing great! She is pretty tired when she gets home from daycare, and crashes around 7pm, but then we just wake her back up around 9:30 or 10pm, change her, and feed her, and she is down for the night. In a way I hate waking her, but I know a full night of sleep is good for all of us.

Now that we are already into our 5th month, Molly is changing more and more. I don't want to spoil too much for next month's blog update, but we are starting to roll over, eat solids and do our first overnight sleepovers away from Mommy and Daddy!

Molly went to the doctor on her 4 month birthday - 05/27/11. She weighed in at 14 lbs, 12 oz (75th percentile) and was 25 1/4 inches long (90th percentile). She got a few more shots, but did great! Of course she cried, but once Daddy picked her up and comforted her, she was all good :) She really is a daddy's girl already :)

She continues to explore her mouth by sticking everything in it! She especially loves to eat her bibs, clothes, and crinkle book :) In some ways she appears to be showing early signs of teething, but the pediatrician said everything looked great, and since there is nothing you really can do anyway, just let her chew on her hands, and work it out.



She is really holding her head up well now. Mommy picked her up from daycare on May 16th to find her sitting in a bumbo seat! I didn't realize she was ready for that, but of course had to come home and get ours out of the box and give it a try that same night :) She loves to sit in it and watch Mommy and Daddy do things around the house. We also put the tray on it so she can play with some of her toys.





Molly helped her Maw-Maw ring in another birthday - the big 70 this year on May 15th. And then Mommy's 32nd on the 17th.





We can't wait to see what the next month brings, and all the new changes that will occur :)

Road Trip!

Molly was busy last week! She went to 8 states in 8 days!! Molly, Mommy, Daddy, Grammy and GPop hopped in the car last Thursday and headed North. Brandon was in a wedding in Lewes, DE on Mother's Day weekend, so we decided to make a family vacation out of it, and take Molly to visit Ginny's side of the family up north.

So, Thursday morning, Grammy and GPop arrived at our house in Greensboro and we packed up the car. And boy was the car full! We had bought one of those soft top carriers to go on top of the car, and we had that filled to the brim with duffel bags of our clothes, and then inside the car was all of the things you need when traveling with a 3 month old :) But, it was bearable, and so we all piled in and got on the road about 11am. The first leg of the trip was from Greensboro, NC to Lewes, DE for the wedding weekend. The 7 hour trip took us about 9 hours. We made 2 two hour stops so that the adults could eat lunch and dinner, and so Molly could be changed, take a bottle and stretch. Molly did great in the car! We had tons of toys to try and entertain her, but of course she slept a good portion of it. And as the week went on and she spent more time in the car, she started to sleep even more. Hence why our days and nights are mixed up again, but that is ok, we will get back on schedule soon. About 30 mins away from our destination, Molly had had enough, but it wasn't worth stopping, so we all just gritted our teeth and listened to the poor girl scream. Of course as soon as we pulled into the parking lot of the Inn we were staying, she stopped. :) We stayed in a gorgeous Inn right on the waterway in beautiful historic Lewes, DE. Lewes is the "First Town in the First State", so we thought that was very fitting for Molly's first road trip destination. Uncle Andrew joined us from DC Friday and Saturday night, to hang out with Molly and Mom and Dad, while Brandon and I enjoyed hanging out with friends from Elon and the wedding festivities. Brandon was so excited to introduce Molly to all his college fraternity brothers :) So, throughout the weekend, folks stopped by our suite to meet Miss Molly. It was a lot of fun!! The suite we stayed in had a spiral staircase which lead upstairs to the bedrooms, so I pulled my first real protective Momma routine, and told my parents and brother that only Brandon or I was allowed to carry Molly up or down those stairs. Really I was just worried that if for some reason they fell holding her, that they would never forgive themselves. But I guess you could say I was also just really being an overbearing mom, but oh well, it is my baby! They respected my decision. And we had a great family weekend!! And Brandon and Ginny had a blast celebrating with Pat and Jennifer and friends at their wedding.





On Sunday, my first Mother's Day, we packed up and continued north. We took the Lewes-Cape May Ferry, which was really neat to start off the trip. Even though we were on the boat, traveling in the car, and not at home, I enjoyed every minute of the day with my little girl :) And it was even more special since I was also with my mother, and we were in route that day to see her mother in Connecticut. We arrived in Chester, CT at Ginny's grandmother's retirement community around 7pm that evening. Ginny's Aunt Diane (from Biddeford, ME), and Cousin Nicki along with her husband Adam (from Boston, MA) were there to great us all along with Ginny's Grandmother. Molly is the first great-grandchild, so Great-Grandma was especially excited to meet her!! We stayed up late that night talking, eating, and oohhhing over Molly :) The next day we enjoyed a stroll and lunch in a nearby town and just enjoyed our time together. It was so special that Aunt Diane, and cousins Nicki and Adam took off work on Monday so that they could be with us.






Monday evening, Brandon, Ginny and Molly packed themselves up in the car again (with just a few items this time) and headed to Natick, MA to see Ginny's college roomie, Mikaela and her husband Greg. They are expecting their first baby any day now, so it was very exciting to introduce them to Molly, and see the baby belly on Mikaela :) We had a wonderful visit, and then headed back to Connecticut late that night. Ginny can't wait to head back sometime soon to meet Baby M!! Since Molly was born on Greg's birthday of January 27th, we were waging guesses that Baby M might make a debut on Ginny's birthday of May 17th :)


Tuesday was a relaxing day (which was much needed!). Mom & Dad took Grandma grocery shopping, and Brandon and Ginny just hung around the condo and played with Molly and relaxed. Tuesday afternoon we did a 4 generation photo shoot, which was very exciting!! Ginny's mom and grandma had already had a 4 generation photo shoot when Ginny's mom was a year old, so we worked hard to position ourselves so that we could try and mimic that photo and have a very special keepsake. I think we took about 100 photos overall, but we came out with some great ones :)


Wednesday, we bid our goodbyes to Grandma Moseley, and started our trip south again. Our first stop of the day was in Langhorne, PA, to visit Ginny's Great Aunt Margie (Gary's aunt). She had recently had a bad fall and was in the nursing home facility of her retirement community, but we made the best of it, and made her day by bringing Miss Molly by for a visit. Dad's cousin's wife, Cindy was there with Margie when we arrived (Cousin Alan had to work), so it was great to see her as well. I am so glad Margie got the chance to meet Molly. Margie kept saying how much she wished Ginny's Nana (her sister) could have still been around to meet Molly. We got some wonderful pictures there as well, and will cherish those memories and will be sure to share them all with Molly one day.


After leaving Langhorne, PA, we continued south and arrived in Arlington, VA around 7pm Wednesday night for a visit with Ginny's brother, Andrew. He had prepared dinner for us, and we enjoyed grilling out and meeting his girlfriend, Shay. We were all pretty tired, so we weren't a lively bunch, but it was nice to have a pitstop and of course to see Andrew again.


Thursday AM, we packed the car up one more time, and finished our trip back to North Carolina. We arrived in Greensboro about 4pm, and we were all glad to be back safe and sound and looked forward to sleeping in our own beds.


Molly was a trooper on the trip, but I think she was glad to be home as well. She had a whirlwind week, and met tons of people, but I know it is trip we will all cherish and will talk about for years to come. With many of Ginny's relatives being older and so far away, it was really special to be able to introduce them to Miss Molly :) And all the adults were spoiled to have 8 straight days with our precious Molly, and were so excited to see her develop and grow up right before our eyes doing all kinds of new things and being much more interactive :) She was reaching for toys, putting everything in her mouth, and making all kinds of new giggling and cooing sounds. It was wonderful!!! And of course she captivated everyone with her smile :)


So, now our little girl is a traveling girl, and we can't wait to take her many more places in the years to come and show her everything this world has to offer!!

3 Months Old

Wow! Three months old!! I know I will say this every month, but time is flying by!! And once again, we are falling more in love with her everyday. Especially now that she is making more sounds and smiles at us a lot. It is so much fun!! There were a few milestones this month that are worth noting.

Molly gave us her first giggle on April 13th. I was looking at her in the mirror, as she LOVES to look at both her own and our reflection together. And she giggled! It was one of the sweetest sounds my ears have ever heard. Luckily Brandon was just in the next room, so he heard it too. We haven't gotten a ton since then, but have heard a few more during playtime. On April 25th, she did another distinctive giggle, and this time also added a coo sound with it. Brandon and I were both with her this time, as we talked and smiled at her while she was on her changing table after getting home from daycare. That is where she seems to smile the most, and I think it is because we are a good distance from her face. The smiles are becoming more frequent. Every morning when I put her in the car to leave for daycare, and every night when I pick her up, I make sure I get a smile out of her before I close the car door. Just makes me feel better before we start out on our drive. Sounds silly, but it just does.

On April 15th, Brandon and I enjoyed our first Date Night Out! Our friend, Jess Pardue came over to watch Molly for us, so we could enjoy a dinner outing at one of our favorite restaurants, Natty Greene's. We people watched, relaxed and of course talked about Molly :)


Another milestone, but not such a happy one, is that Molly had her first cold this month. And of course she ended up sharing it with Mommy and Daddy too :) The joys of daycare, and building up the immune systems. She actually started showing symptoms the evening of the 14th, but when we brought her home on Friday night the 15th (before our date night), she was congested and sneezing. Jess was so great to deal with that so that we could still enjoy our night out! It worked out great that it fell over the weekend, because she slept most of the weekend to try and fight it off. Two weeks later she is still sounding congested, but much much better!! I know there will be plenty more to come, but I think the first cold and learning how to deal with it, was the worst. We elevated the mattress, made sure she stayed warm, ran the humidifier at night, and put some really good use to the nasal aspirator :) I also gave her the first doses of Tylenol to help her sleep better a couple of nights. But overall we survived, and hope to be better prepared next time.

Molly celebrated her first Easter this month! And had her first visit from the Easter Bunny ;) Molly and Brandon spent Good Friday (since both daycare and his work were closed) in Wilkesboro for the day to visit with Brandon's family. Of course everyone was so excited to see Molly, especially Aunt Jana, and Cousin Ashlyn :) Jana texted me that evening to say, "Guess who I am loving on!?!" And then I texted back to ask Ashlyn if she was enjoying her cousin, and she responded as I guess a 10 year would...."Oh yeeeeessssss!! I could just dump her in my Dr Pepper!". It cracked me up!! And I guess to her, that just meant she could just eat her up :) I am so glad Molly has such a great and loving older cousin. Cousin Weston loves her too, of course, but boys just aren't into babies the same as girls :) Uncle Andrew came in town from DC for Easter, and so we spent Saturday and Sunday with Ginny's parents and him. We did some projects around the Tash house in Winston-Salem on Saturday and then went to Guilford Park for church in Greensboro on Sunday morning and lunch back at our house. It was a wonderful weekend, and so glad Molly got to spend all that quality time with all her immediate family.



Molly also got to enjoy one of her first Guilford Park Presbyterian events this month. We attended the Family Church Picnic at Bur-Mill Park in Greensboro on April 10th. Several of the girls from my church circle were there with their families, so it was nice to have all the kids together :) I can't wait for them to all grow up together at GPPC :) Molly played on her blanket, and took in all the sights and sounds of her church family :)

There are so many more things I could say about our precious girl.....but bottom line, she is such a blessing, and we LOVE her to pieces!!!

Daycare and End of Maternity Leave

Back to reality. I start back to work tomorrow after a wonderful 10 weeks off with my baby girl....weeks I will cherish forever. To help with the transition and give Molly and I a chance to adjust (mostly me, let's be honest!), she started daycare on Monday. This way I could get used to the routine of getting her there for a few days, and saying goodbye for the day. Monday was rough, I am not going to lie. I love her daycare. It is a church daycare. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that some places have now, but the important thing is that it is a loving Christian based environment. And the best part is that it is only 5 mins from my work! But of course it is still hard to leave her with strangers. Until Monday, she had only been watched by my Mom, or friends in church nursery during service, if she wasn't with either Brandon or me. I took her to visit this past Thursday morning. I got to meet her morning teacher, introduce her to the other babies in her class, and get a feel for things. Over the weekend, we got all the last minute things we needed for her to take with her, and I packed her daycare bag on Sunday. On Monday, we left on time (I was so surprised!) and I got her all settled around 8:30am. However, I had trouble putting her down to leave. I kept talking to her teacher, and kept giving her kisses, and then finally knew I had to leave. I held back my tears until I was out the door, but then let loose once I was in my car. I just drove and cried. I wasn't ready to go home yet, because that would have been worse - going home to an empty house. So, I ran some errands to keep my mind off things, and that helped. I went to the grocery store and got us stocked up for the week, and ran by the vet to get food and medicine for the animals. Then, I had to come home. And that brought on the tears again. I think I cried the hardest at home when Chelsi went looking for Molly and couldn't figure out where she was - it was so cute but so sad at the same time. I went into her room, and sat in the rocking chair for a few minutes, and then decided I couldn't sulk anymore. So, I ate some breakfast (a big fat cinnamon bun I had bought at the grocery store - yummy!), and then tackled my closet. I pulled out all the maternity clothes (well, to be honest, I kept a few in there that aren't obvious maternity that I can wear a little longer since I am still in between sizes) and changed out the seasons. I made a big pile for Goodwill which still currently sits in our hallway upstairs (will get to that eventually), and threw some other things out. Of course this was one of the tasks of many that I was convinced I would do while on maternity leave. But, did I get to any of the others??? Of course not! I just cuddled with Molly and got used to life with a baby - exhaustion and all :) I just hope I don't put off working on her baby book or scrapbook too long!! I was very proud of myself, because I made it the whole day, and didn't go pick her up early. I did however, call them about noon to find out how she was doing, and they said of course she was fine. When the clock hit 4:30pm, I hit the door running, and was so overjoyed to give her kisses and have her in my arms again. I even got a smile out of her before we walked out to the car while I was getting her in her car seat. Ah, made this momma melt :) Then, when Daddy got home from work, we gave him the full report on everything. I don't want him to miss out, since I am the one that will be taking and picking her up most days. Tuesday and today were easier. I didn't cry, but of course was still reluctant to leave her. I treated myself again to a cinnamon bun each morning when I returned home :) I will work on that post-pregnancy diet at some point :) But right now, I needed comfort food. Her afternoon teacher said she is adjusting very well compared to most babies she has seen, so that made me feel better. But then it made me wonder - did I not spoil her enough?!? I want her to adjust, sure, but why is she adjusting so well? Then I realized I can't question it, and just be thankful that she is transitioning well. Plus, for all I know, they could say this to all the parents to make them feel better. I know all day cares do this, but I still think it is neat. I get a little report card on her each evening. It tells me when she took a bottle, how much she took, when she napped and about her diaper changes. In a way, you still wish they could give you even more details on all the hours you just missed out on in your child's life, but I know I will be in constant communication with both her teachers. The ratio is very small right now, so that works out great for us! Molly gets lots of attention and I get to talk to the teachers more in depth about how she is doing. Right now there are only 4 other babies in her class, and one is actually getting ready to move up to the crawler room, so it will be down to a total of 4 babies, including Molly. So, now as I prepare to go back to work tomorrow, and hoping my brain will know how to function again after 10 weeks, the thing that is helping me hold on is that I know I will have a nice long week 24/7 with my baby again in a month when we take a family road trip up north.

Here are a couple of pictures I took Monday morning before we left for daycare. Of course I am a dork, and had to take a picture of her bags and everything. It was like the first day of school :) And I guess that just shows the scrapbook fanatic in me as well :) I can already picture this page in her 1st year scrapbook! :)



And check out that smile - I LOVE HER!!!

2 Months Old

It is hard to believe that Molly is 2 months old today!! My little girl is growing up way too fast!!! I am falling more in love every day with her. She has brought so much joy to our lives. And I am so very thankful for the blessing God has given us.

Molly is now smiling in response to our smiles, which is amazing! She always smiled as a newborn, but it was more because of gas or a dream. But, now it is actually a response to us talking to her and smiling at her. Especially when you tap her nose -she giggles in response. I noticed her first smiles on March 15th. I am trying to keep track of little things like this, so I don't forget!!

At her doctor's appt this month, they said everything looked great!! She is now 11 lbs 1.5 oz, 23 inches tall, and her head is at 39 1/2 cm or about 15 1/2 inches. This puts her in the 70th percentile for weight, 75-90th for height, and 75th for her head circumference. We have a growing little girl!!

She got 2 shots and one oral vaccine. She did great! She cried of course, but then Brandon picked her up to comfort her, and she immediately calmed down. She slept on the car ride home, I fed her, and then she slept a good portion of the day. When she woke up from her nap she was really fussing, and I could tell she was sore and just didn't feel well. So, I just took advantage of time with her, and just held and comforted her, and let her rest on my chest. Even though I hated she didn't feel well, I LOVE those moments when she naps peacefully on my chest. I just lay back and stare at her and listen to all her precious sleeping noises.

Overall she is eating and sleeping great! She has had a few long stretches of sleeping at night, but they begin around 6pm, which means she is up around 2 or 3 am. But that is ok. We will get a better schedule eventually. I am not worried about it. She is still eating every 2.5 to 4 hrs unless she is having one of her long stretches of sleep. If she is awake she tends to go a shorter amount of time. We are offering her 4 oz at every feeding, and most of the time she takes all of it, but she still will only sometimes take 2 or 3 oz. I am thankful that she tells us when she has had enough, because I don't want to overfeed her.

She is getting better at dealing with her gas. That is what made her the most fussy as a newborn. But she is a little better at burping now after a feeding, even though sometimes we have to work at it, and she is a champ at passing gas! My little girl is not a lady - LOL :)

We started playtime this month too. Since we were having longer stretches of her being awake and happy, I pulled out her play mat and let her go to town kicking her legs and checking out everything around her. We also spend a lot of time on blankets on the floor playing, and just letting her explore her voice and environment. Of course her canine sister, Chelsi LOVES to come and give her kisses still whenever she has a chance - and the floor gives her the best opportunity :)

Overall Molly is a wonderful baby. Every baby is going to have their fussy moments, but hers are minimal. There was a stretch around 6 weeks, where it seemed every night around 5 or 6pm, she would scream for an hour, and nothing would calm her, but she seems to have worked herself out of that phase. Now she is actually the most fussy right before going down for a long stretch of sleep. She fights sleep some, and so we just rock her and she eventually calms down. Brandon loves to walk around with her and sing to her. It is so wonderful to watch. I love holding her anytime I can, but I almost love more watching him with her.

We get together with family whenever we can. Grammy and/or G-Pop see her about every week, and Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw about every two weeks. It is also wonderful to see her with her grandparents, and watch them interact with her. Her cousins, Ashlyn and Weston are adorable with her. Ashlyn is especially smitten, and keeps asking, along with Aunt Jana when I will let them keep her for a night! :) In time I keep telling them :) I am not ready quite yet to be away from her that long!

I have had some outings away from her, and she has also started to go into the church nursery so that we can enjoy service and not worry about her crying. Mommy's real test is coming soon though, and sooner than she would have liked! Molly starts daycare on Monday, April 4th, and I go back to work on Thursday, April 7th. I figured this way, it gives me 3 days to get used to the idea before I am thrown into the thick of work. I know she will do great, and will be well taken care of, but it will still be hard!

Molly's facial expressions still amuse us - she has so many funny faces!! And we are enjoying every moment with her!!

The 2 month photo :)


Look at those fat rolls!!! I could just eat them up :)


Such a pretty girl!

1 Month Old

It is hard to believe that Molly is already one month old! She was officially one month old yesterday, the 27th, even though she was 4 weeks old on Thursday. Not sure which is best to go by :) We went to the doctor this morning for her 1 month checkup. Here are her stats: 9 lbs 7 oz 60-65th percentile, 22 1/4 inches long 90th percentile, and 14 3/4 inches head 60th percentile. She gained 2 lbs in 2 weeks! No wonder she is outgrowing the newborn clothes already :) I put her in one of her new 3 month outfits from Carter's today. While it is sad to already be outgrowing the newborn clothes and feeling like she is growing up too fast, it is exciting to see her development and to put her in these new cute clothes :) The doctor told us to try and get her to a every 4 hr feeding schedule, and if she acts really hungry in between to give her some water. I had never heard of that. Makes sense as all humans need water, but just never thought about for a little baby. But since we just assumed she was only 8 lbs and surprised us with being 9 lbs already, we may need to increase her formula intake too. She is currently taking 3 1/2 oz at most feedings - sometimes a little less. But she is also feeding anywhere from every 2 to every 4 hours. I think this is the only thing we really had questions on for the doctor today - trying to figure out this feeding thing! But I was super excited to hear she was not only gaining weight, but putting it on well! Just want to make sure we don't overfeed and create bad habits early. All the things a parent worries about :)

This momma is tired, but not too bad. I need to be better about napping when Molly naps. Brandon is good about taking her on Sat and Sun mornings and letting me sleep in a bit to try and get caught up. I am doing all the middle of the night feedings now as I don't want Brandon to be tired at work. And really those aren't that bad, unless she gets really fussy, which she sometimes does. She is already spoiled and likes being held or likes the vibration of her bouncy seats/swing. But, it is so easy to spoil them :)

We have gone out and gotten a little exercise here and there when the weather is nice. It feels good to walk, but still trying not to overdo it which is hard. I feel so good and then push too much and pay for it the next day. But overall, momma's recovery has been really good. I go back to the doctor on Friday and will be anxious to hear if Dr F agrees.

We have taken over 600 pictures so far. Just can't seem to have enough of all her expressions and special moments with visitors :) The doctor mentioned today for us to enjoy all her little noises now, as they will quickly be replaced with new noises. We have taken a few videos of her, but now makes me want to get more! I don't want to forget anything!!

For the sake of not having to wait to upload a million pictures, since this post is entitled "1 Month Old", here is her 1 month old picture we took yesterday. I love it, because it looks like her Panda is her little buddy :) Our plan is to get one of these every month so we can compare her progress and see how much she has grown and changed. I just hope it doesn't go by too fast, but I am sure it will!

Molly's Birth Story

We welcomed our precious baby girl into this world on January 27, 2011. We both worked full days at work on Wednesday the 26th. Mommy even stayed at work until 7pm that night as she had a feeling she would be early and didn't want to leave any projects undone. We ate dinner, watched some TV, and went to bed about 10pm. At 11:15pm, Mommy shot up in bed and said to Daddy, "Something is happening!". As it turns out, Mommy's water had broken, but at first she was unsure as to what was happening. No matter how much people tell you and how much you read, you never know what to expect. Contractions started about 5 mins after that and came about every 15 mins or so. About an hour later, Mommy called the on-call nurse who told her to go ahead and get to the hospital. Since contractions were still mild, Mommy went ahead and took a quick shower and of course shaved her legs (can't gross anyone out!! - LOL). Daddy went to town getting things settled around the house. He took out the trash, emptied the dishwasher, washed some pots/pans in the sink, took care of the dog and cat, and got the bags in the car. Already showing signs of a wonderful Daddy!! At 1:30am we were on our way to the hospital. We arrived and were officially checked in by 2am. There was one person in front of us, so we patiently waited in the waiting room. Luckily contractions still weren't bad for Mommy. Then the nurse finally took us back to confirm that Mommy was officially in labor and get all the information. We learned that they did not have any rooms available in Labor and Delivery and we were moved to a small room right off the admission area. We had what we needed for the time being - the machines to monitor baby and Mommy's heart beat, and a chair for Daddy to sit in, but the bed was uncomfortable and small for Mommy so we hoped to get a room soon. Around 4am the contractions really started to get intense and we were stuck in this small room for another two hours. Mommy didn't think she was going to make it, because they couldn't give her the wonderful epidural until she was in a L&D room. And Daddy was worried because with every contraction, Mommy was moving all around and Daddy was afraid she was going to fall off the narrow bed. This was a very long and hard two hours for Mommy. At 6am we got the word that we finally had a room. And by 7am, Mommy was getting the wonderful epidural she so badly needed!! Then it was time to rest and just wait. Mommy was comfortable, Daddy was able to get a snack, and Grandparents started to arrive to await the precious arrival of their granddaughter. Grammy and G-Pop (Mommy's parents) arrived first They stopped by the house first to take canine sister, Chelsi to the vet for boarding and arrived at the hospital about 9:30am. They stayed in the room with Mommy and Daddy until around noon and then went to get some food in the cafeteria. Maw-maw and Paw-paw arrived next and came to the room for a brief visit before joining Grammy and G-Pop in the cafeteria and waiting room so Mommy could take a short nap. Mommy wanted to try and gain some strength for pushing soon! Daddy was wonderful through it all. He kept everyone updated via text messages as everyone was anxiously awaiting news of baby girl's arrival. And he kept encouraging Mommy through everything and telling Mommy how beautiful she was and how proud he was of her. At 3:30pm, the doctor checked Mommy and confirmed that she was 9.5 cm dilated and confirmed we could start pushing within the hour. At 4:15pm, Mommy said it was time, so the pushing began. Mommy pushed like a champ (as the doctor, nurse and Daddy all said) for two hours. But, baby's head was not descending as it should, and it was determined that a c-section was the way to go. Mommy was very upset. She was taken by surprise by the news since everything so far had gone so well. And even though Mommy knew a c-section would be just fine, she was still scared and already upset that she wouldn't be able to hold her baby girl right away. Daddy got on his scrubs, and everyone tried to calm Mommy down, and we headed towards the OR. The doctor on-call that had been with us, texted Mommy's primary doctor to give her an update, and Dr. F upon hearing the news of the c-section decided to come straight from the office to the OR to assist in the c-section. Mommy was so relieved when she saw Dr. F! At 6:30pm, Mommy was wheeled into the OR. The hospital staff in the OR were wonderful and really helped calm Mommy down. Daddy was still nervous with how fast everyone was moving around and how quickly everything was happening. One of the doctors even teased Mommy as she came down the hallway crying, and said "oh, she sprang a leak, we can fix that in there too!" which made Mommy and Daddy laugh. At 7:07pm, Mommy heard the most wonderful sound - the sound of her baby girl crying for the first time! It was music to her ears, and when Dr. F held her over the sheet for Mommy to see, Mommy immediately started to cry and was so relieved to hear her baby girl was here and healthy!! So, Molly Kamryn Inscore had officially arrived. 7 lbs 8 oz on 01.27.11 at 7:07pm.


After a couple of quick moments with Mommy and the first family photo, Daddy and Molly went to the nursery, while Mommy stayed in the OR for the doctors to finish up. On the way to the nursery, Daddy was able to bring Molly into the hallway outside the waiting room, and all 4 grandparents rushed out to meet her! Mommy wishes she had been there to witness this moment, but luckily someone was snapping photos for us to help capture it. Grammy said Daddy was so proud and very emotional as he held his baby girl for all to see. Grammy also snapped Mommy's favorite first photo of Molly only 10 mins old!


Daddy stayed with Molly in the nursery while Mommy was wheeled to recovery. Mommy was lonely but very glad Daddy was staying with Molly. When Mommy asked when she could see Molly, she was told she wouldn't be in recovery long, that Molly was getting her bath, and then could join Mommy in her room for the rest of the night. So, Mommy was patient. At 8:45pm, Mommy was wheeled from recovery to her room. Mommy was taken past the waiting room on the way, and Daddy, Grammy and G-Pop came rushing out the door. Grammy was crying and holding her cell phone - she was talking to Uncle Andrew. They had all been very worried about Mommy and were glad to see she was ok. Even though visiting hours were over, Mommy insisted that Grammy and G-Pop come with her to her room. Maw-maw and Paw-paw had already left thinking they weren't going to be able to see Mommy. Daddy came with us to the room for a few minutes and helped collect all of our things from Labor and Delivery. And then Daddy headed back to the nursery to find out what was the hold-up on getting Molly to the room with Mommy. Finally at 10:45pm, Daddy and Molly joined Mommy in her room. Mommy has never been so overjoyed and relieved. After snapping some more photos for the new family, Grammy and G-Pop said goodnight, and left the happy family of 3 to bond.


Mommy and Daddy were exhausted, but couldn't have been happier. We finally had our precious miracle, baby girl Molly in our arms!! And already we were asking ourselves in disbelief on how we could make something so beautiful!! God is good!!!

Insomnia....

I can't sleep......so, what better than to blog! Why can't I sleep.....

1) uncomfortable
2) stuffy nose
3) constantly having to pee
4) mind is racing
5) scared
6) excited
7) anxious
8) itchy belly
9) thirsty (refer back to #3)
10) hungry

I guess you can call that my top 10 :)

The mind racing is the worst part though. And I wish I could say my mind was always racing about everything baby, but it is not. Mostly racing worrying about work, and my upcoming absence and the stress and strain that will put on my colleagues. Yes, I know I deserve the time off, and Molly will be my priority for sure, but just feel like I am running out of time to train and make sure everything is in order. I don't want someone to look back and say, I wish Ginny had told me that, or provided that information. But, I also feel you can overwhelm people with notes and procedures. Bottom line, they will survive. But, I just can't stop worrying!!! AHHHHH.

However, another problem on top of this is that I worry about work when I am not there, and when I am there, I can't stop thinking about baby!!! Crazy!!! I wish I could crawl inside my brain and get the priorities straight depending on my location.

I am excited about this long weekend though. We are going to attempt to tie up most of the loose ends when it comes to all things baby.

1) Maternity photos on Sat afternoon
2) Notify vet about upcoming stay of dog (IE: unknown, but in the next few weeks), and get her food packaged and ready.
3) Buy new jammies for the hospital overnight bag - VERY IMPORTANT :)
4) Pack hospital bags - #1) labor bag, and #2) overnight bag
5) Install car seat and get it checked
6) Finish the "who to call" list for baby's arrival
7) Take some time to relax and enjoy time just the two of us
8) Take time to enjoy baby's movements in my belly while I still can
9) Buy/organize things in baby's room to try and be more prepared for her first arrival home.
10) Think/wait/dream......
3)

Nursery

It has been a long work in progress, but it finally looks like a nursery now.....or at least enough now that I feel I can post pictures ;) My parents came over today to help us hang some prints on the walls, and brought the crib skirt my mom had finished. She still has some finishing work to do on the bumper pads but it was nice to see what they are going to look like. We ordered a toy hammock to put in the corner above the crib for the stuffed animals. It is all coming together!! I love it!! And can't thank my mom enough for all her hard work!! She did the curtains, the crib skirt, the bumper pads, and my mother-n-law gave us the matching mobile and diaper stacker that we happened to find in the same fabric!! Molly Kamryn is already one lucky girl :). I said I wasn't going to put her name in print until she arrived, but figure with her initials hung on the wall now, might as well put it out there ;).