3 months and counting

Well, baby girl is now 3 months-old as of last Wednesday. I wanted to reflect on what she has done over those three months.

Lenna-Grace can...
1) Sing! Yes, you sing and she babbles with you. You stop and she stops.
2) Finally, with much work, take a bottle. This was necessary since I go back to work in August. I'm going to continue nursing and pumping, so a bottle was a must.
3) Sleep through the night. Oh yes, baby girl mastered this about 8 weeks old. She now sleeps from 8:30-5:30, and then 6:00-9:00. She gets in 12 hours!!
4) Roll over from her tummy to her back--surprisingly enough, she did this at 4 weeks and 3 days old.
5) GIGGLE....it's adorable.
6) Chew her fingers very well!!
7) Eat cereal--this was just accomplished a couple of days ago.
8) Sit up with a little support. She'll be doing it alone soon.
9) Enjoy a pacifier! She never wanted one much, but now....she loves to suck on it when she's tired or fussy in the car.
10) Enjoy a little TV. I do not sit her in front of the TV often, but we discovered she LOVES Go Gabba Gabba. She smiles and yells with delight for the entire show. It has bright colors and songs, so I guess that is why. Since she enjoys it, I let her watch it once a day--it's cute to watch her:)
11) Get in the pool! We've taken her swimming in our pool a few times. She does very well.
12) Splash in the tub. Lenna-Grace LOVES bath time.
13) Pass more gas than anyone else in the family in a given day.
14) POUT!! It is so cute when she does it, which is rarely, but she puckers out her lower lip....too adorable.
15) Our baby girl can be away from home for a few hours...yes, this more something Mommy and Daddy had to learn, but she's stayed a few hours away with Aunt TT or Grammy. I'm going to MISS her so much when I go to work.

Our Growing Angel

Wow. She's 2.5 months old now. It is amazing how fast she has grown. At her 2 month check-up (about two weeks ago), she was 13 lbs. 7 oz. and 24.25 inches long. WOW!! When she was born she was 8 lbs. 9 oz. and 22.5 inches. We were amazed by her height being that we are both on the shorter side. When we went to the doctor, he said she was in the 98% of her height! Take a look at the growth in only 10 weeks.

The picture above is Lenna-Grace only 3 days old.

The picture below is at 10 weeks old.

Everyone wants to know who she looks like. To some, she looks like John. To others, she looks like me. And of course, others believe she is too young to tell. I thought I would show a few pictures and let everyone decide for themselves. Of course, as she grows, she is going to change in many ways. However, for now--take a look at the photos below.

The picture above is of Lenna-Grace at 7-weeks. The picture on the

bottom is of me when I was a baby. She's wearing my dress!!

I will try to keep updating on the growth of this beautiful angel. I call her my "punkin" and John calls her his "pooh bear." She has many names already!

Almost There...

FIVE MORE DAYS!! Well, of course, that means five more days until the "due date." However, the arrival of Lenna-Grace is uncertain by all but God alone. He may have her come early--as in tonight--that sure would be nice!! Or, He may have decided she needed to arrive a little late, I hope not too late. No matter when she is expected to be welcomed into this world--everyone our home and family is getting so anxious to see this beautiful little girl.

For me, I am ready to sleep without this huge bump in front of me. For the past few days, I believe I have gotten at most two hours of sleep a night. I cannot get comfortable. When I do fall asleep, this little beauty inside of me starts kicking. Yes, I know that I will not be able to sleep a full night's sleep for awhile; however, I will able to find some sort of comfortable position and sleep in intervals. Cat naps will work for me!

Today also marks my last day of work for the school year, hopefully. Maternity leave will begin on Monday and I will be out until the doctor says so. I am hoping to be able to finish the whole school year out on maternity leave. This will allow me to spend a complete 4.5 months with my precious bundle of joy without working. Then the new school year would begin in mid-August, early-September. Although, I do have to say I have the best childcare lined up ever and I will not have any worries leaving Lenna-Grace with her--Thanks SIS!! Tuesdee has been an amazing stay at home mom for over eight years now. She has graciously accepted the job of watching Lenna-Grace when I return to work.

Many people hate to leave their children at daycare. Numerous moms decide to stay at home simply because of the fear of childcare providers not doing an adequate job of watching their children. As John and I faced the decision of whether or not I would return to work for the 2009-2010 school year, never once did I worry over how my little one would be provided for. I knew I could leave her with my sister and she would be wonderful with her and to her. I will be returning to teaching once the new year begins. I love teaching and it something God has given me a passion for. I do not feel I will be neglecting my daughter-I feel I will be allowing her some wonderful time with her Aunt Tuesdee:)

baby pics...

My goal was to blog once a week for this new year, but it is close to mid-Feb. and here I am:) So, as Lenna-Grace and I grow, I'll try to update as much as possible.

I thought I would begin by sharing my ultra-sound pictures from two weeks ago when I was 30 weeks, 4 days. I have the wonderful joy of having a doctor with a 3-D machine, so the first two pictures are simply amazing to me!

Enjoy!

Lenna-Grace's precious face. Does she not look so sweet! She has my nose and chin--we can already tell!

Here's Lenna-Grace's profile--she was sleeping on her arm. Such DETAIL in a 3-D pic.

The type of pictures most people see--Here's the profile of Lenna-Grace sucking her thumb and of her chubby belly!!