Dinner Party

Adam & Jill came over for dinner tonight. It was so much fun! They hadn't seen me in a month so I was much more alert and bigger then the last time. Adam and I swayed together as he sang and Jill was so nice to cuddle with and tasted delicious! (I chowed down on her sweater for a while...) I was kind enough to sleep through dinner, it's amazing what I'll do when I have a full belly :) Oh, and I LOVE my new papasan chair. I highly recommend it! I thought the swing was cool, but this thing has me upright to see the world (and to auto-burp, as Mommy calls it) and it even vibrates and plays music! Thank you both Aunt Barbara & Paige for recommending it, I will pass the word along to others....

My first real SMILE :)

Mommy & Daddy had been waiting for this moment for weeks. So you can imagine the response I got when it actually happened. Daddy had just changed me (who wouldn't smile when you have a clean tushie) and I was propped up on the counter, sitting there chillin' talking with Mom & Dad when all of a sudden Daddy said "you are such a happy baby" and I smiled, a HUGE cheek to cheek, tall open mouthed smile. Then I kept smiling over and over again. Mommy said the same thing to me 5 minutes later and I smiled again! They couldn't believe it (yes, Mommy had tears, of course!) and this monumental event happened on my 6 week birthday, how fun! I have a feeling Mom's going to be chasing me around the house now to try to catch one of those smiles on camera. Stay tuned :)

PS - Happy Birthday Marissa!
I was born on Meaghan's birthday and I smiled for the first time on Marissa's birthday - Mommy & Daddy's friends bring me good luck.

My 1st trip to Rhode Island

I had such an exciting weekend! On Saturday we went to Lisa & Dave's wedding. Lisa is one of Mommy & Daddy's best friends from college. It was a beautiful wedding and they are such a perfect couple. I danced and slept and had a wonderful time. I was very well behaved, I didn't make a peep during the ceremony - Mommy & Daddy were very happy! I loved the music and all the sparkling candles on the tables.

Then on Sunday we visited with family on Daddy's side. I had so much fun! They had a really pretty cake for me, but I wasn't allowed to eat any of it... It was my first time meeting almost everyone and I loved being held, grunting and squeaking my way from arm to arm. Seven year old Rachel experienced my vibrating bottom first hand when I was sitting on her lap and boy did she jump! a story I'm sure we'll laugh about in 10 years... I can't wait to go back to Rhode Island to visit everyone again.

Below are a bunch of pictures from my fun-filled weekend.

5 1/2 hours

I went 5 1/2 hours between feedings last night! Yup, you heard me - 5 1/2 hours!!! That was 4 consecutive hours of sleep - my parents were so happy. I still average about 3 hrs between meals, but as of yesterday, I was able to go longer during the night (woohoo!!)

I'm also getting much better at holding my head up. I push off (when I'm being held up right) and then I hold my head and look around, it's quite exciting to see the world that way. I haven't mastered lowering my head back onto a shoulder yet, I just thud it back down (ouch). I love sitting up, as I'm supported of course, but I can't hold my head up in that position yet. I still look like a pile of smooshy baby, but I still LOVE sitting like that.

Also, I now have tears when I cry. Yay for me (I'm thinking it'll have a stronger impact on the 'I need attention' factor), and boy was I right! Mommy & Daddy melted when they saw my watery eyes for the first time and like clock work - immediate attention! I think they're catching on now though. However, they are getting much better at differentiating my cries - hunger, need a change, you're not giving me attention... and I grunt and squeak at them all the time as means of conversation. We have the best talks. Below is a picture of story time with Daddy. I look incredibly fascinated by the topic, don't I? :)

The REAL bathtub

I took my first bath in the REAL tub today. What a special treat! I loved being in the water. Mommy thinks I'm going to love the pool some day. I was kicking and floating and we only had one water fountain piddle accident, but Daddy caught it with his forearm :) After the bath I took a nap in my crib for the first time. I loved looking at the pooh bumper, but the crib is still WAY too big for me (5 of my friends could have fit in there too!) In the meantime I'll stick to the cradle & co-sleeper. Mommy & Daddy are happy they splurged for the new king size bed, now there's enough room for all three of us!

Welcome to my blog!

Tomorrow I will be celebrating my 5 week birthday! I went to the doctor today and weighed in at 9 lbs 11 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long. The doctor said my growth is wonderful and he loves when I visit his office because I'm such a good baby and a pleasure for him to hold :) Mommy & Daddy can't believe how quickly time has flown by.

I went to my first get-together when I was 5 days old. I would have felt guilty if I kept Mom & Dad from attending the Secret Santa since it's an annual event with Mommy's best friends from High School. Everyone really loved me, especially my tiny feet. I had fun even though I slept through most of it. I even had my very first birthday cake which I shared with Meaghan & Jill. Meaghan & I have the same birthday! That was good luck for me.

My first Christmas was pretty uneventful. I did give Mom & Dad plenty of gifts though in the form of Sesame Street diapers, and I woke Daddy up with a Christmas sign that I wore which took up 1/2 my body! Since we're all on a 2 hr sleep cycle, we didn't get out of bed that day until 1:00 pm. It was also my 1 week birthday!

I had my first play date when I was almost 2 weeks old with Paige. She is such a sweet little girl and I loved meeting her parents Chris & Amanda too. They traveled all the way from South Carolina! Paige was 2 months old when we met and she was happy & smiling. I smiled too, but Mommy knows it's still only a reflex (or gas...)

New Years Eve was pretty low key as well - Mommy & I almost slept through the ball drop, but luckily Daddy was there to wake us up. It was also my 2 week birthday (and technically the day that I was supposed to arrive). However, Mommy & Daddy thanked me for arriving early for the tax deduction :)

I've loved getting to know Aunt Jenny & Lisa, my grandparents and my great-grandparents too! Last weekend I took my first long car ride. We went all the way down to NJ to visit my great-grandfather Poppa Joey. We were celebrating his 94th birthday! He's quite a bit older then I am, but we both like to take naps, so we get along very well. I met a lot of family on Mommy's side that day too, including cousin Adrian who is 15 months old and therefore much taller than I, yet despite the age difference, he still seemed very interested in playing with me. However, for safety reasons cousin Amanda would only let him look at me and smile from a distance. I look forward to the day when we can play together!

Grandma & Grandpa live only 40 minutes away, so I get to see them often. Grandma loves snuggling with me (and even helps change my diapers!) and Grandpa loves snuggling too. He can spend hours just staring at my cute little face. My great-grandma Oma also lives nearby, so I've gotten to spend lots of time in her arms as well.

I can tell Aunt Jenny is going to be lots of fun to play with. She likes to bounce me around (which of course sometimes scares Mommy) but I love it and the other day the bouncing made my tired cries stop, so Mommy said it was OK. Aunt Lisa unfortunately is back at school in Ohio, but I got to spend lots of time with her when she was home for her winter break. She was my very first visitor in the hospital when I was born.

Grammy lives in Rhode Island and I'm so excited to take my first trip there next weekend. She always brings me lots of fun things when she comes to visit. I can't wait to meet the rest of the family on Daddy's side too.

I love playing airplane with Daddy and snuggling up with Mommy to sleep. They are constantly saying how delicious I am and how they love my little cheeks! They shower me with kisses, and I try to kiss back by bouncing my face on their cheeks. Mommy loves when I do this.

Well that's basically life up to now. I've posted some of Mommy & Daddy's favorite pictures from the past 5 weeks. They have taken SO many (thank goodness for digital!) I hope everyone is having a wonderful 2008. It's been great for me so far. Check back here often for updates and new pictures!