Play Time!

Julia has been really enjoying her play time! She likes laying on her tummy, not for very long yet, but she'll do it a couple times a day, and she also likes just hanging out looking around.

2 Months

I love watching her sleep so peacefully!

She loves to smile!

Happy girl :)

So cute!

Julia turned 2 months a few days ago, and boy, has the time gone by quickly!! She's grown so much, and changed a lot too. She loves to smile at us, and makes lots of noises! She'll "talk" with us, loves to play on the floor, likes practicing standing up and sitting up, and still loves to cuddle and sleep with mommy and daddy. We haven't had her 2 month appointment yet, but I'll post her stats when have that check-up. I think she's about 10-11 lbs though.

Baby Blues

Our Little Darling

Standing up!

Proud Daddy

More standing practice

On her new changing table (thanks Mom and Dad!!)

All dressed up for Mass!

Here are some recent photos of our baby girl. She's doing really well and getting big! I think she's going to be busting out of her 0-3 month sized clothes in no time. She started getting on a better sleep schedule too, and now falls asleep about 10pm and will sleep until I have to get up for work, about 4am. It's so nice to get a good chunk of sleep in every night! We haven't started a bedtime routine yet, but I think we're all adjusting well by now, so maybe this week we can start. Julia's been so alert and more active lately, it's really neat to see her grow! She smiles a lot when we talk with her, and she started making more cooing noises. This morning she even squealed when I put her on her play mat! She's getting used to day care too, and seems to really enjoy it. Yesterday when I went to visit her, when it was time for me to go I handed her over to Corin, one of her teachers, and as soon as Corin started talking with her, Julia got a big smile and cooed a little bit. At first it was hard for me to let other people take care of her, but seeing how much fun she has there and how she seems to enjoy the teachers so much makes it a lot easier. With Mothers' Day coming up, Tom and I are going to get her teachers a little something to thank them for what they do. I don't think they get paid nearly enough for all the care and attention they give to all those babies!

In other news...I started working out this week, which has been a little rough. I went running for the first time and could definitely feel all those muscles and ligaments I haven't been using for the past several months! I stopped running when I found out I was pregnant, because I was so worried about something happening to the baby. I've definitely decided that with my next pregnancy, as long as there aren't any complications, I'm going to keep running until it gets too uncomfortable. I ran into a lady I used to work with at the gym, and she was asking about Julia, and told me that with her daughter she was running up until she was 8 months pregnant! It does feel really good to get back into everything, but I'm not totally convinced that I'll have the body/energy I had before Julia. I'm ok with that though, being a mommy makes me more proud than anything else :).

Sweet Girl

Smiley girl!

Love those chubby cheeks and cute belly

Her look of wonderment and discovery, so heartwarming!

Hey! It's a smile!

Suspicious of the new toys hanging on her bouncy chair.

She gave me a "what's this all about?!" look when I first put it on :)

First Days Back

So angry, but so strong!

Happy mom, happy baby :)

This week has been pretty eventful for all of us! I started back at work on Monday, and Julia had her first day in daycare. The decision to go back to work was very difficult and one that Tom and I made with much consideration. Unlike most jobs, mine is not one that I can just put in 2-weeks notice and walk away from. Ultimately, it wasn't a decision made for financial reasons, but one that was based on the commitment I made to serve, and everything I have done in the last almost 10 years to work towards being an officer. As long as Julia is happy and working doesn't take away from our life as a family, but rather enhances it, I'll continue to serve. It was really difficult leaving for work on Monday, but knowing that she's going to be well taken care of made it a little bit easier. Since I work such long shifts, Tom has to take her and pick her up everyday, and I was a little worried about how things would go for him. Monday went as smooth as possible (Tom described it as "magical"!!), but Tuesday was a little rough. I get to visit her on my lunch breaks to feed her, and I am so thankful for that. When I went to get her on Monday, the ladies said she had been sleeping all morning, but when I started talking with them she woke up and looked around for me! That felt so neat, that she recognized my voice and was looking for me. It's great to have those special moments with her :). On Tuesday, she was only there for a couple hours in the morning, since we had our last group "prenatal" appointment. This was the reunion with all the new parents and babies. It was so awesome to see all the babies together, and to see everyone as parents! It was really weird to see everyone not pregnant too. Our midwife got a few really good group pictures, which I'll of course post once I get them. It was really neat because two of the babies have parents in Tom's unit, so we got a photo of all the "services babies." We went around and shared our birth stories, and not only was Julia the first one born of the group, I think she also had the least traumatic birth. Everyone in our group either was induced or had a c-section, so I felt very blessed that besides getting an epidural, my birth experience was very "normal".

Before the appointment, Tom and I met with a lactation consultant because she's had trouble latching on, and also because of how fussy she is at night. The lady gave us some really good advice (which I started using last night, and it's been working!!). With the fussiness, she suggested cutting out dairy and some other foods, like nuts and maybe wheat, and see how she does with that. I think it's definitely dairy that bothers her because I drink a lot of milk and LOVE to eat ice cream :(. It's going to be tough not having those if it is what's bothering her, but it'll be so worth it! It breaks our hearts when she's so upset and nothing we try seems to work. I'll keep you all updated on how she does with that!

Moby Wrap

Tom and I received a front/back carry pack thing for Julia, and we've used it a few times, but all the straps are really cumbersome and hard to adjust if we try to share it. I decided to try out a Moby wrap, which is a little intimidating since it's basically just a really long piece of fabric. It came in the mail today, and wow, what a lifesaver!! It's not too difficult to put on, and once I put Julia in it, she fell asleep right away, which is very unusual considering she just ate. We think she has colic because after she eats she's very fussy and will scream and get red head-to-toe (she'll also stand up! I have a really great photo I need to post of her standing on Tom's lap during one of these crying fits). Last night, for example, she cried for at least two hours straight after I fed her, and then it was difficult to nurse her once she got hungry again since she was so upset. This wrap claims to help colicky babies, and so far so good! I'll post some photos later :). Right now...I'm going to get some much needed chores done since she's asleep and cozy!