HOPPY EASTER!!!!

Phil's at work today so we had our Easter celebration yesterday morning.  The whole thing was just THE BEST.  Turns out you become more than just a MOMMY or DADDY when you have a baby ;)

Naturally, we pretended that Nory was wise beyond her years and treated this holiday like she was age five.  "Better put those gifts in the room so Nory doesn't see them," we discussed the other day.  "We have to wait until she's fast asleep before we set up," we both agreed.  Haha.

Of course there was the traditional Easter egg hunt which a couple from downstairs joined us for.  Nory found two little bathing suits in her Easter hat, as well as a chocolate princess bunny that she decided to share with her Daddy.  The bathing suits are age 3-6 months - perfect for swimming with all of her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins this summer!  What a clever idea that Easter Bunny came up with ;)

Nory also posed for some Easter morning pictures in her over-sized "bunny" onesie.  She continues to outgrow all of her newborn attire and swim in anything 0-3 months.  Oh well - we made it work for the sake of the photo op :)

HAPPY FIRST EASTER our DARLING GIRL!

We love you!!!!

XOXO

A Hostage Situation.

(From Sunday - Thursday, 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. ONLY)

 WHY oh WHY must we keep Sophie on lock down during these hours?  

That would be due to Nanny Kumari's relentless SQUEAKS of the poor thing.  It really is for her own good.  Well - mine too. 

Another One BITES THE DUST!

While getting Eleanor dressed after bath time.....

Lindsay:  (in reference to her favourite "ducky" sleeper) Do you think ducky is too small? 

Phil:  (laughing) You've been asking me this for weeks!  Yes, it's small.  Every other sleeper gets the axe as soon as they're tight, but you keep making excuses for ducky! 

Lindsay:  (smiles)  But she LOVES ducky.  It's her lucky sleeper.  (We both look at Nory and giggle at how snug she looks in this obviously-too-small outfit).  Fine - I'll take it off!

Bad news, folks.  Ducky has OFFICIALLY been added to the "too small" pile.  And because I've been told that stunting Nory's growth would be completely unethical, this pile is a real up-and-comer.  Pfft.....some people can be SO judgmental ;)  

On Being CONSTRICTED...

Well, she hates it.  HATES, HATES, HATES, HATES it!  Swaddle her?  NO WAY!  Moby-wrap her?  GOOD LUCK!!!  This gal likes arm-flailin' freedom! 

And now it's time for the "this is how I do it" photo reel:

GOOGLING.

Sometimes I think Google is the best invention ever.  Other times I think Google was purposely designed for self-sabotage. 

These are the things we've (but mostly "I've") recently Googled:

1)  white bump on baby's nipple (because Nory has one)
2)  babies that hardly sleep during the day (because Nory rarely does)
3)  hip displasia (because Nory was booked for a hip ultrasound yesterday - p.s. she passed!)
4)  cross-eyed incidences in infants (so maybe we have the odd cross-eyed occurrence...)
5)  jaundice (don't worry - turns out her fake case of "jaundice" was a combination of dry skin and her strawberry-blonde colouring.  HA!)

Ridiculous, right?  The logical side of me knows everything is just swell.  But for heaven's sakes - that side is WEAK, I tell ya!  Not once has it won the battle against it's "nervous wreck" counterpart.

To top it off, those of you who are avid Grey's Anatomy fans will understand the psychological impact this week's episode had on my already anxious brain.  Recall:  the lady who fights for her son's health due to an "internal instinct"?  And BAM!  The line that separates insanity from legitimate concern is all of a sudden a blurry mess! 

Perhaps I should block Google on my computer.

We go to the pediatrician on  Wednesday.  I can already see his "this lady is NUTS!" face glaring at me from the opposite side of the room..........

The HAPPIEST UNICORN!

Based on this photo, don't you think that Pottery Barn Kids could give Disney a run for their money?!

What a STELLAR gift!  My only complaint is that it didn't come with a matching "Mommy" version ;)

Thank you Mr. T and Ms. M!!!!

KEEPING ME UP.

Our morning chat before Phil left for work.....

Lindsay:  I couldn't get to sleep last night until like 11:30!  My mind was racing.

Phil:  What were you thinking about?

Lindsay:  (excitedly) My next bulletin board.  It's going to have a spaceship - the one that I made last year - and then I am going to write "Getting ready to BLAST OFF into Grade 7...."  I also picked out the colour scheme.  You know - the background colour, the border colour, the lettering colour....

Phil:  (shakes his head and interrupts)  THAT IS NOT OKAY!  You need to STOP!

Lindsay:  I know.  I need to relax and sleep.  But the funny thing is that I initially started to plan my board as a getting-to-sleep technique.  At one point I was going to get up and get the pencil crayons so I could draw up a visual.  I also starting thinking about my start of the year boards for next year...

Phil:  (laughs)  You need to go back to bed!  

The good news is that I went back to bed from 7-11 this morning.  The bad news is that I was up with Nory for most of the night.  We started bath time earlier than usual (prompted by the world's dirtiest diaper) and it (the Johnson's bedtime bath to be specific) knocked her out at 7 p.m.!!!  That meant a glorious 1 a.m. feeding as opposed to the usual 4 a.m.  Luckily I couldn't be bothered to get upset at the situation.  Nory gave me TWO GENUINE SMILES in the night and my heart just melted.  Ladies and gentlemen, our baby is now SMILING!!!!!  For real - not just when conversing with Him ;)

I'm in love.  With teaching and Miss ELEANOR.

P.S.  She was 6 weeks old yesterday.  WHOA!

MOMMY & NORY NIGHT.

On Sunday night, Phil was out doing basketball-related stuff until much after the Little Miss went to bed.  This meant that Nory and I had all evening to be JUST US TWO!  The majority of the evening was spent playing Nory's favourite "I'm a little fussy right now" game called Security Police.  This game entails walking around the flat and carefully checking inspecting (sounds cooler) every room in the house until Nory seems satisfied.  Sometimes this takes minutes and other times I feel as though we've done a whole Jane Fonda routine before Nory gives the A-OKAY to relax.  Oh well.  Luckily her Mommy believes that security police are encouraged to wear pink, sing from the heart, and dance-walk on the job!       

YARMOUK GARDEN!

Emily wrote me the other day saying she found "an adventure" for us to go on.  Phil isn't usually too keen on such outings.........or at least the "thinking about going on these outings" part.  But with some gentle encouragement (haha!) I had him figure out the whereabouts of Emily's adventure and on Saturday morning we were on our way to Yarmouk Garden!  (Thanks love for taking us!)

Yarmouk Garden is REALLY neat!  First of all, it's in a fancy part of the country.  Second of all, it's been built using recycled materials!  The garden isn't complete yet but we saw some construction in action and the final plans look SPECTACULAR!  Here are some snapshots from our wonderful morning:

I think it would be a great place for a field trip (and picnic!).  We could tie it in to many subjects too - not just science!  How neat would it be to go back to the classroom and build our own "yarmouk garden" pieces in art class?  We could do some mapping for geography, practice our estimating skills for math class, or think up a fun creative writing activity for English.  There's even an area to play soccer where we could incorporate a little physical education!  Inshallah, the place will be finished soon and the safety issues associated with its current state will be no longer ;)  I think the kids would love it!

THIS WEEKEND, brought to you by my iPhone.

Does it have to be over so soon?  We want more Mommy, Daddy and Nory time!

 

WELCOME SWEET ELEANOR!

Sorry for the late post! I swear I loaded all of these photos a few days back but as we explain to others that we know - this house now runs on NORY TIME!  Interrupted blogging is as common as the quarter-tea's I've started to drink and the cold dinners we've begun to enjoy ;)  In fact, in this very moment Nory's opening her eyes and letting out little grunts - both of which are an indication that the clock is ticking and I may just have to press pause here. Let's make short work!

Okay - last Saturday some AMAZING women hosted a baby shower for Eleanor and I.  I realize most people do this whole shower thing BEFORE baby arrives, but my superstitions insisted that it should only happen once our gal was here to join us.  Doesn't this make for a more adorable shower anyhow?  ;)

Here are some pictures of this memorable and extremely special event: 

The theme of the shower:  Apple of Our Eye!!!  It's a great idea for a baby shower but the even greater part is that Emily, Phil and I have this on-going inside joke about apples.  The three of us believe that NOBODY eats them.....except for when I got pregnant and they became a favourite snack of mine!

Thank you gifts - not prepared by ME (they thought of EVERYTHING)!  How sweet of them to create such a charming take-away!  I'm telling you things were planned with the utmost detail in mind!  They must be teachers.....

#appropriate_confetti   
I've never actually used a hash-tag before but I have always wanted to!!!  These sweet things scattered the tables on the day of the shower and have scattered the floors of the apartment ever since.  It's nice to find them around the house - they make me smile as I remember the day!

Kuwait knows how to do cupcakes.  FOR REAL.  These were ordered through social media and delivered to the flat the day of the party!  The cake-decorators did a SUPERB job!

The snack table!  YUMMMMMM!!!!  Veggies, cheese and crackers, apple and cheese quesadillas, chips and salsa dip, cupcakes, and apple torte!  There was also a refreshing punch prepared by Heather :)

Yes, there was even an APPLE TREE!  All guests wrote a wish for Nory and added it to this party focal-point (well...the second party focal-point.....Nory was the first)!  I will be saving all of these words for her to read one day :)

The gift table!  Completely unnecessary.  Honestly.  Eleanor has already been spoiled beyond belief by her Kuwait family.  Alas, these crazy ladies kept up the crazy and Nory's closet is on the brim of exploding.  She got so many great outfits, accessories, toys, and more.  Thank you SO MUCH ladies!!!!!

The wonderful gals that made the day a wonderful one! 

Thank you for the beautiful shower girls!  We are so, so lucky to have you in our lives.  You make our hearts flutter.  (Well - I haven't actually talked to Phillip about the movements of his heart in relation to your adoration of our daughter.  But I bet it flutters too!)

WE LOVE YOU!

XOXO..................   

BATH TIME ROCKS!!!

And dare I say my "one-handed, you have point two seconds before she looks away" photography is pretty grand as well?! 

OH DARLING, YOU MAKE US THE HAPPIEST!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!

Today is Mother's Day in Kuwait!  Yes, it's my first official "Mother's Day" and I'm naturally beaming with glee and full of emotion.  Shall I prove it?

Okay.

So I'm shopping around this morning and Phil tells me to pick up a Mother's Day gift for myself.  Well, all I truly want is family time this evening, but since he INSISTED, I decided to find something special for Nory instead.

I went into my new favourite store (GYMBOREE!) and was thrilled to see their spring collection.  There were tulip-print onesies and Easter dresses and honest-to-goodness bonnets in pale purples and pinks - all suitable options for our sweet girl.  But then I spotted the IDEAL gift!  A ducky hoodie - the perfect replacement for Nory's getting-too-tight, yet highly preferred "ducky" sleeper.  Oh I knew she was going to LOVE it.  The sales staff found me the proper size and I smiled my way to the check-out to pay for the BEST PRESENT EVER.

Then things got weepy.

After paying for Nory's hoodie, the sweet lady at the cash register handed me a beautiful white rose and said "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!" with the most heartfelt grin.

And then I cried.  In front of her.  And the two other Filipino ladies in the store. 

Oh MOM-HOOD.  It's the best.  

Tour My Brain: At the Mall.

Does anybody work anymore?  Why is the mall so busy right now?  How can a two year old be obese?  Hey!  Use the trash can.  Is there such a thing as wearing TOO MUCH colour?  If so, that lady is GUILTY.  Do all new moms feel like zombies in public?  I am SO out of it.  Hmmm....sitting by yourself, having a coffee, and playing on your iPhone is clearly a favourite hobby here.  I'm not the only doing it.  In fact, I saw others enjoying this past-time first and only then did I decide to partake in the activity.  Should I learn another language?  Maybe French?  Maybe Spanish?  Eco-conscious clothing doesn't have to be so......safari-looking.  How does the Starbucks lady know that if I were to get a muffin, it would be a skinny blueberry?  Nice of her to inquire about a snack to accompany this steamed milk.  WHOA!  Is that the world's greatest ponytail?!  I've never seen anything like it.  Who knew I'd spot such a sweet hairdo on a man!  Why aren't any of these teenagers at school?  I'm pretty sure Nory needs that ladybug back pack........

What to do?!

The following conversation was inspired by my latest trip to the doctor's - where Phil was told he had "lost so much weight" and not a single likewise remark was directed my way!

Lindsay:  After this piece of torte I'm going on a diet!!!

Phil:  If you're going on a DIE-it, I'm going on a LIVE-it!!!!

Can you tell that neither of us were happy with the doctor's words?! 

The Bib That BONDS Us!

"I love Christmas, sparkles, stars, and surprises!" 

Puh-LEASE!  We could be at opposite ends of a big city Walmart - on BOXING DAY - and you could STILL put this Mommy/Daughter duo together :)

I've been singing Faith Hill's "Where Are You Christmas?" to Eleanor when it's just us two at 4:30 a.m.  Phil says it's gotta stop.  But I find the lyrics rather appropriate :)  WHERE ARE YOU CHRISTMAS?!  Nory and I are waiting for you!!!!

Thanks for the new bib, Auntie Gem!

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR (DECAF) TEA.

For a brief period of time I wasn't sure I'd be able to continue this feature post.  The decaf tea that Mom P brought for me was down to three bags only (gasp!) and it's nearly impossible to find regular decaf tea in Kuwait!  Luckily, you can SOMETIMES count on those VERY rare occasions where random goods that you desperately miss pop up on your friendly grocer's shelf.  And your life is MADE.  Oh praise everything in my sight!  (It may not be Tetley but it sure does do the trick!)

So let's resume..........if you were here for decaf tea:

*  Today Nory is 5 weeks old!  This may call for a special bath night with her pink, glittery rubber ducky!  She's starting to focus on things now which means her toy box is officially in use!  You should have seen her sweet face while we played with "Sophie" yesterday.  She was all about following Sophie's squeaky sounds around the room.     

*  I set out on another "trust exercise" expedition this afternoon:  I walked to school to visit Phil.  The walk was fantastic - perfect weather, only one creepy-man altercation, and two "you still look fat" remarks.  (Insert sarcasm here).  Thankfully these events were not accompanied by last week's "Kumari just might steal my baby" thoughts.  I think that phase of insanity has now passed........

*  Speaking of Kumari, I have become to trust her much more this week.  She does everything I ask and I really appreciate the extra help around the house!  I even had the opportunity to bake the other day and she did all of the dishes before I could take the muffins out of the oven!  Let me tell you, DISH-LESS baking is far superior to the usual thing ;)

*  Phil and I have had many Sri Lankan people tell us the same adorable thing:  when a baby smiles while sleeping they are having a conversation with God.  This whole concept is nicer than the "oh your baby has gas" reasoning.  I'm going to believe in it.

*  My baby shower was INCREDIBLE.  I will create a separate post for this special event.  Details have been put on HOLD until then :)

*  My final "follow-up" appointment with the obstetrician was on Sunday.  Recovery is going well but I am frustrated with how long it is taking.  Even today - 5 weeks after the surgery - I woke up feeling really sore!  Then I had high hopes of walking both to and from school but only achieved the "to" part.  The doctor informed me that I can't do any abdominal exercises for 6 MONTHS, too.  Yep, MONTHS!  That's like telling a starving person they aren't allowed to eat!  If there was ever a time in my life where I wanted to do a serious ab work-out it would be NOW!  Haha.  Oh well, my eye is still on the prize:  beautiful baby Eleanor.  

*  March Madness is almost here and filling in our individual brackets (is that what they are called?!) is on our to-do list.  Nory has expressed a keen interest in the pool so stay tuned for her picks!!!

*  In other basketball news, Phil told the kids they had a few weeks off.  I think he lied.  Because on Sunday night they have a practice with some NBA fellow and I saw another basketball event on the spring break calendar......(Do you think he LOVES the game?!) 

Lastly, Phil and I could NOT stop laughing when we saw this on the Facebook newsfeed the other day:

I foresee this being a FACT.  Haha.

Hope all of you are having a SPECTACULAR WEEK!!!

XOXO

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!

Love,
McNory & Co.
XOXO

Nanny Kumari

She's SUPER.  Kind as ever, extra attentive, and visibly smitten by Eleanor.  So why do I find myself crying at frequent & random points of the day?

It could be because my mind is doing this:

Why is Nory crying?  Did she feed her enough?  Is she burping her regularly?  Does Nory like her?  I have to pump.  Are the bottles sterilized?  Does she know where everything is?  What else must I teach her?  Is she washing her hands enough?  I feel so guilty.  I feel like I should be with her 24/7.  But I also feel like I need rest and ME time in order to be a good mommy.  What do I do?  What are we going to have for dinner?  I need to sleep.  I suppose I should keep the monitor on and listen.  Oh - why is she crying?  Maybe Nory doesn't like her.  Maybe Nory is upset with me.  What is my problem?  It's my job to comfort her.  I should go check on them.  Has Nory been changed?  Does Kumari sing to her?  I hope Nory remembers who I am when I go back to work.  What if she forgets?  What if Nory starts to like Kumari more than me?  What if I can no longer comfort her?  I need a snuggle.  Is that her crying?  Kumari, I will take her..........

Bah.  The first day she was here I think I cried for most of the day.  I talked to my Daddy and cried.  I talked to Phil and cried.  I talked to Shani and cried.  It was a never-ending cycle of uncontrollable tears.  AND I WAS AT HOME TOO!!!  What is it going to be like when I'm NOT at home?  I don't even want to think about it. 

The good news is I will have plenty of time to build trust with Kumari and see if she is a good fit for Nory.  I think I've gotten a little better (emphasis on LITTLE) each day this week - allowing Kumari a longer chance to settle our girl before I interrupt to "save the day".  I can't help it.  My Mommy Instincts kick in and I have the urge to hold her close and tell her I love her.  Today I did my first "trust exercise" by taking a 15 minute walk to the school to visit Phil.  Phil drove me home within the hour and - despite my crazy ideas of a spontaneous kidnapping - Nory was safe and sound and happy as can be.  These INSANE thoughts were never an issue when Grandma was here but working with a stranger is a whole new ball game.  It's bizarre really.  If I catch Nory crying with a friend, I wonder why Nory is acting so silly.  But if it's a stranger in the same scenario, I automatically think, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BABY?!"  Absolutely no "benefit of the doubt" given.  OOPS. 

Well - my hubby is coming home soon and I am thrilled to have two days of quality family time ahead of us.  Tonight is bath night which seems to be a Parkinson Favourite! 

Please send me some RELAX-AND-STOP-BEING-SO-SILLY-EVERYTHING-WILL-BE-FINE vibes if you think of it! 

XOXO

I DO, I DO, I DO!!!!!!!!!

Every year I forget and every year he remembers! Yesterday was March 13th. On this day three years ago, Phil proposed to me at the bottom of Mount Kilimanjaro and he has made the tradition of repeating his proposal every year since. It is so sweet and romantic. This heart of mine just might burst one of these days......

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP!  You're my DREAM BOAT - THE MAN OF MY DREAMS!!!!!!!!

XOXO

Nory's Birth Story

My intention was to publish this weeks ago.  Then I realized how difficult it is to complete the tasks you set out to do once pregnancy becomes motherhood.  Then I thought, "NO WORRIES!",  it will be a great "ONE MONTH" post.  Then yesterday came and went and today I find myself playing blog-catch-up once again!  Oh goodness.  Here's to hoping you're not reading this many, many months from THIS MOMENT.  I have a tea.  The nanny is with Nory.  And I'm determined to finish this sucker!

Here it is - Nory's BIRTH STORY!

We arrived at the hospital at about 9 a.m.  Phil was eager to get there, of course, and it turns out he go this first traffic ticket en route to the hospital!!!  You see you don't actually KNOW if you have a ticket for anything here unless you are informed to check a random website frequently that informs you of any violations.  When Phil checked the interweb a few weeks ago there was a "line violation" listed on the morning of February 12th!  Who knew?!  The day got even more expensive after this incident.......(thank goodness for health insurance)!

Here we are on the elevator ride up to floor five!  Do I look TERRIFIED or what?!  YEESH.  I was a big ball of nerves all morning long and I simply don't hide it as well as my hubby.  Phil had a slight breakdown prior to leaving the flat but he sure did step up when my breakdown started at the hospital.  We really are a great team.  I love how one of us is always able to find the strength when the other can't.

It was around this point that my nerves really kicked in.  And my tears.  Even the word "suite" didn't seem to cheer me up at this point!  I was scared and anxious about what was to come.  I sat with Mom P and Emily as Phil checked us in and then they called my name and we were off to pre-op!  Ah - it was REALLY happening! 

Biggest fake smiles ever.  Neither of us was genuinely happy here.  In the pre-op room, they put stickers on my back (which was optimistically kinda fun), gave me a fancy outfit for surgery, and put in the IV.  The nurses were incredibly sweet and did their best to ease my worries and make me feel comfortable.  We also met with the anesthesiologist, who took my medical history and described the epidural insertion in detail.  He was an incredibly calm and reassuring person.  Throughout the delivery, we came to respect him VERY MUCH.  He's likely the NICEST, BEST doctor in the world.  That is until my brother Graeme takes his place in a few years.  I think his only flaw was that he wouldn't let Phil be in the room with me when I got the epidural.  I had to do it ALONE!  GASP, TEAR, GASP! 

HOORAY!  At this point, the epidural was in place and so was my hubby.  As you can see, Phil also got to play dress-up!  Doesn't really seem fair that he was playing fashion show while I was having a massive needle inserted into my spine....but that's life!  Nah - the epidural didn't hurt as badly as I anticipated.  In fact, the IV insertion hurt one heck of a lot more!!!  The medicine acted quickly, too, and it wasn't long before I felt absolutely NOTHING. 

Can we have a little cry here, please?!  This is my first picture with our baby girl.  The whole process happened SUPER FAST!  I felt like I had been laying there - a little out of it - for only a few minutes before the anesthesiologist told us, "Oh there is her head!" and I felt a big surge of pressure that resulted in her complete delivery.  Talk about PREGNANT to NOT in the blink of an eye!  She wasn't crying right away (which had me worried!), but she started to wail once they began the measurements and tests. 

The anesthesiologist served as our official in-surgery photographer.  Phil is so proud in this moment!!!  I could see he was torn after she was delivered - not knowing whether he should stay beside me or go see his new baby.  He was looking back and forth at each of us and I finally told him to go and be with Nory!!!

Our first family photo!!!  Nory doesn't look too pleased but can you really blame her?!  She went from warm and cozy to cold and agitated!  I still felt a bit "out of it" in this moment and then I really went for a spin when they told me I'd be put in the recovery room - ALONE - for TWO HOURS!!!  Yep - my baby was off to the nursery and Phillip was off to wait around for the both of us!  You want to talk about UNFAIR?!!!  Perhaps being "out of it" was a blessing in disguise...the two hours went by faster than I thought they would.  

Phil got changed and went to meet Emily and Grandma where we left them.  Here he is showing Proud Grandma all of the pictures.  Tears all around!  

Our home for the next three days!  Although I was quite uncomfortable during our stay, the "hotel" was more-than-accommodating.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that hospitality services bothered us more often than the nursing staff.  They brought more water, a greater tea selection, a complimentary massage for the new mama, clean sheets, extra mugs.............it was all-star service, I tell ya!  They even called the room to inquire about our stay!  You can see Phil's "baby daddy" gift basket on the far bed-side table.  As well, two gifts were waiting for me!  One was a care package from Emily (THANKS GEM!) and the other was a new charm for my Pandora bracelet from Phil (THANKS HUNNIE!).  I was so happy to receive both of these gifts upon arrival to my room :) 

Sarge was part of the big day too.  He was waiting patiently (or not so) for the call that Mama was ready to be reunited with the family!  I had enough of being alone in recovery so I asked a nurse to call my husband and bring him to me ASAP.  I also wanted my baby. 

Ask and you shall receive!!!  TOGETHER AT LAST!!!  Now let's get back to the room so we can get to know this sweet wee gal!

The next thing on my mind after seeing Phil and Nory was to call my Daddy.  I was stuck in that recovery room with no phone or iPad and I couldn't wait to try to reach him once we got back the room.  Here he is FaceTiming Nory for the first time!  We could only talk for a few moments but these few moments were better than NO moments :) 

Some people have commented that I must have had a personal hairstylist after surgery.  Well - I sort of did!  Emily brushed my hair and removed all those hair-net frizzies!  I was in pure bliss in this photo.  I really enjoyed these snuggles with our girl because she was passed around for the rest of the day to all of our visitors!!!!

Can't you see he's smitten from DAY ONE?!  I love this picture of the two of them.  Phil also savoured these pre-visitor cuddles!  

WHOA.  I can't believe all of this happened ONE MONTH AGO.  People warned us that time would go by quickly but I guess it's something you don't really understand until you're in the situation!  She is growing up so fast.  The "no longer fits" pile is much too big for my liking......

We love you SWEET GIRL.  Last night (on your ONE MONTH BIRTHDAY!) we had our first official night as JUST US THREE.  It was a great night with lots of cuddling with Mommy and Daddy in our big bed!  We also made your bath time EXTRA-SPECIAL with shampoo and body wash!  You loved it!  And even though Grandma is gone now, we still included her name in our bath time song :)

Take your time getting big, Little One!  No matter what we'll love you forever.

XOXO