Getting so big

Getting ready to go on a walk. She loves her stroller!

Reese is getting so big! Within the last week she has decided that standing on your lap is really fun.

This is Reese's wild look :)

She smiles in response to us talking to her (for the records, Eric recieved the first real smile) and is "talking" more and more herself. It was good to have a baby that did nothing but eat and sleep for the first little bit, just so we could get used to the whole parent thing, but now it is SO fun to have her be more interactive. It is VERY rewarding when she stares at your eyes and smiles while you talk to her. When she was first born I was kind of sad when I realized she didn't know I existed except when she wanted to eat, but now I can tell that she recognizes when I'm around - and I LOVE it!!


Reese likes her space. Though she loves to be held and played with when she is awake, she has become more picky about her sleeping time. When she is ready to nap, she doesn't want the distraction of mom or dad's arms moving around unexpectedly, she'd rather be burrito wrapped and set in her swing or layed down somewhere that won't disturb her with unpatterned movement. Last night was different, and I treasured it for the moment. She fell asleep while I was holding her and when I layed her in her crib she started crying. When I picked her up she calmed right down and fell right back to sleep. When I tried laying her in her crib again, the same thing happened, and once again, when I picked her up she was just fine. It was quite a sweet moment for me - weird I know - but it was fun to have her want me. So we snuggled for a while. I love my girl!

Valentines was oh so sweet!

For Valentine's Day I secretly wanted to spend my time somewhere warm. Of course the weather anywhere within 11 hours only had highs of 50's, so I was trying to come to grips with the fact that I wouldn't be going anywhere warm. Eric, somehow knew I needed some warmth, and like usual, totally outdid himself and found the only warm place in the continental US to take me to. Corpus Christi, TX. SO fabulous! I'd never been to Texas!Luckily Monday was a holiday, but even though we had an extra day, traveling all the way to the south-eastern coast of TX took a lot of driving. About 3300 miles round trip, which is a LOT! Eric and I love roadtripping, and thankfully Reese seems to share our passion :) She was a CHAMP!!! Every 3 hours I'd feed her and change her diaper and then she'd be happy for another 3 hours - she works just like a swiss clock, and is SO chill!!

Eric and Reese chilling in the tent after waking up from an AMAZING nights sleep on Padre Island beach.

We enjoyed the beautiful weather by taking a nice morning stroll along the beach



Let's go fly a kite - it was very windy!

Rollerblading on the boardwalk

We got some good southern eats for our Valentine's dinner

Froglegs were the specialty. (Disclaimer: Does NOT taste like chicken! It actually tastes like really watery, flavorless meat! And looks freakishly similar to the anatomy of a human leg.)

We were excited when we saw wild hogs, spotted deer, and a smashed armadillo - but who would have thought that we'd see Zebras?? We were driving along the highway, which is lined with ranches containing horses, and cows - you know, animals you expect to see in the U.S. of A, and all of a sudden Eric says "I think I just saw some Zebras", sure enough! Oh, and the same field also contained a couple Ostriches. HA!

Um... the original Ghostbusters' vehicle?? Texas really is full of surprises!

Davey Crockett Monument - not too impresive, but whatever, picture worthy

Reese "driving". Notice that the door is open and we are stopped at a gas station!! We would NOT drive without her safely strapped in her carseat! HONESTLY!!

Family Pic at a cool shed in New Mexico or Colorado (somewhere on the way home)

Moab-ish area

Well that is a short summary of our trip. We packed a whole lot into a short time and it was SO fun! I definitely needed the break from the frigid winter wonderland we call home!! The two nights spent camping in our tent, were the best nights of sleep I've had since Reese was born - oh how I needed that! Eric, thanks for knowing what I needed and being my best friend! There's no one I'd rather talk to in a car for 28 hours straight - times 2 :) Happy Valentine's!!

As Promised...

Bath Time

The bottle was a success!! What a handsome dad!

All bundled in her crib

We enjoy our sleep

Visiting her Great Grandma Gwen

1 month old

This is a long post - probably too long - but I'm really in the blogging mood. I have a bunch of pictures to post, but can't do that until Eric gets home from work (he has the computer with all the pics on it). But until then, just a little (or big) update...

Reese is officially 1 month old today. She had her 1 month check up this morning and weighs in at 9 lbs 3 oz and has grown to 21 1/8 inches. She got her second hep B shot and what I thought would be a very traumatic experience for the both of us, turned out to be just fine. She let out a cry when the nurse was giving her the shot but calmed right down as soon as I picked her up. The cry was sad, because it was different than I've ever heard, one of pain, but it was short lived- THANK GOODNESS!

This little gal is SO fun! She is starting to "talk" a little. When she's laying on her blankie and I start talking to her, if she is in the right mood, she'll start talking back. DARLING voice and SO fun having her interact with me! She LOVES to be held, which I love because I love holding her, but it makes it a little difficult to get other things done sometimes :) No worries, things get done once Eric is home and can give her his undivided attention or once she has fallen into a deep sleep.

Miss Reese has now been sleeping in her very own crib for a week now (before she was sleeping in this cool little bed that our good friends (check our their blog - it is inspiring) let us borrow. She has been doing really good at nights, and both Eric and I are sleeping a lot better. I loved having her in bed right by me, but I couldn't sleep because I'd listen intently to her breathing and every other noise she'd make. I have a picture I'll post of her in her crib, she is so little and doesn't take up much room in the crib. We put rolled blankets on three sides of her and bundle her against them, so she feels a little more secure.

I think I'm going to have Eric introduce the bottle to Reese tonight. (I want to try a bottle once a day so that she is capable of taking a bottle and can survive if I have to leave her for more than three hours). My doc said that since breastfeeding is well established, now would be as good of time as any. I only have one bottle currently and don't know how she'll like the nipple of it, so I may have to buy a couple more tomorrow to try them out if she doesn't take to this one. Wish us luck!

Well, to end, here is something pretty funny! You may remember a post I did a while back - of our trip to South Dakota ... well, here is a picture I had posted...
And here is what cousin Micah (on the motorcycle) later let Eric know. "I just did a little research and found out, according to the "Field Guide to South Dakota Turtles", that this was a snapping turtle... the guide says "Snapping turtles should be handled with extreme care and caution." and Wikipedia says:"These turtles are aptly named, as they can snap with amazing speed and power - a large adult snapper can easily bite off a finger or toe. If moving it is absolutely necessary, scooping and lifting the turtle just off the ground with a shovel (especially a snow shovel), if done quickly, may be safest and easiest for all concerned parties."Little did we know what might have happened!!" HA HA, we had Eric hold it for such a long time to get a bazillion pictures. I'm happy Eric still has all his fingers and toes and all "concerned parties" came away safe :)