Christmas Stockings

It's official! I finished my first sewing projects. I made each of us a Christmas stocking!

Daddy's


Sophia's


Mommy's

6 Weeks and Counting

It's funny how the last 9 months were spent counting down and now, since Sophia is here, we are counting up. As of today, our little blessing is 6 weeks old! Once again, where has the time gone?!

Sophia is growing up too quickly. She is, however, still in newborn diapers, but I have a feeling this will be the last pack we buy. I tried a size 1 on her today and compared to last week, I could no longer stick my hands in the leg holes! It's funny though, because the Huggies newborns are still a good fit and the pampers are a bit tighter, plus, Sophia has developed a bit of a tummy. The problem, or so I have concluded, is that she has a small butt, which is not from her mommy!

Along with growing out of her diapers, she has grown out of a few of her outfits. I can't believe it. I have tucked my favorites away and the others will be stowed in a rubbermaid, just in case our next baby (not any time soon) is a little girl.

Sophia is becoming a pro at holding her head up, although her favorite position is laying on my lap with her head hanging down. I would think she would get a head rush, but this does not seem to be the case. If she is content, so be it. Actually, as I type this, she is in her favorite reclining position and enjoying every second of it.

Michael and I spend most of our time trying to get Sophia to smile. According to Michael, she smiles more at me. This morning as I took her out of her bassinet and she saw both mommy and daddy, she graced us with a huge smile, which made our day. Michael was able to get a few smiles out of her and was thrilled with each one. I have tried to take a few pictures, but the smiles fade quickly. She has also expanded her vocabulary and is cooing. It is so much fun watching her grow up!

We had a great Thanksgiving. Michael's mom and my friend Jennifer drove here from Iowa. They stayed with us from Wednesday until Sunday. Michael had to work, so we dressed Sophia up and had dinner at the fire department with the rest of the families. I do have to admit that it was nice not having to worry about cooking dinner this year. It was also nice to have the company and the extra help around the house. Plus, Michael and I went out on our first date night since Sophia was born. Thanks to our wonderful babysitters, that is.

To further our excitement, Michael and I got to put up our Christmas tree this year! Since we weren't able to take much with us to the Azores, we packed our tree up and had it stored, so we just used an 18 inch tree for the last few years. We almost got a real one, which is supposed to be the thing in the black hills, but we couldn't wait to put the tree up! We are so excited to have it in our house, after not seeing it for so long. We had to replace the bulbs, since many of them were broken from the move and we added ribbon, instead of garland. We also decked it out in white lights. We were discussing the fact that we want to give Sophia (and our future children) an ornament each Christmas and we can't wait until the tree is overflowing with their ornaments, rather then our bulbs, but until then, we will enjoy what we have. In addition, and for once, we also have some gifts under the tree! As many of you know, Michael doesn't like to wait until Christmas to open gifts, so this is a first. We will see how long it lasts! The tree picture isn't great, but you get the point.

I have also taken up a task. I decided to make some Christmas stockings. I have finished mine and hope to do so with Michael and Sophia's tomorrow. Once they are complete, I will be sure to post some pictures.

Well, that's about it for now. We will keep you posted! Love you all!

It's not a rash

I just wanted to followup on my last blog and let you know that Sophia does not have a rash. What she does have, however, is a case of baby acne and a mild case of eczema, which she gets from her daddy. The doctor said this should clear up in about a month or so, if not before then. It doesn't seem to bother her and if it doesn't, they don't want to treat her for it, which is standard for an infant. Please pray this clears up soon. Thanks!

Happy Belated Birthday!

I have been meaning to sit down and update our blog for a few days now, but I am not exactly sure where the last few days went. They seem to have flown by without me even knowing that they existed.

Last week, on the 19th, Michael turned 26. Happy Birthday! We didn't do much to celebrate. It seems as though when you get older, birthdays are not as important. We become grateful for another year and that is enough to celebrate in itself. In addition to Michael's birthday, Sophia turned one month old on the 20th! Wow! I can't believe it.

I am amazed at how fast she is growing. I am also amazed that I have managed to keep her alive, since I can barely keep the basil plant that is sitting in my window alive! How is that possible? I guess I will admit that I have never had a green thumb! Anyway, back to Sophia!

We think that she has had her first smile, although she hasn't smiled since, so maybe not. It happened when I was talking to her one evening. Michael keeps trying to get her to smile at him, but he has had no such luck. As of last Sunday, the girl can't stop looking around. It was as though she woke up one day and decided she wanted to look at everything. She has the biggest and most beautiful blue eyes and I love to see them wondering. Sophia is also pretty good about holding her head up. She still needs support, but she can lift it and keep it up for a little bit.

In addition to all the things she is doing, Michael and I had Sophia dedicated on November 15th. It was a great day. My older sister, Amber was able to come, which was really nice. One question in particular stood out to me. The pastor asked if we would be willing to let Sophia go when God had a plan for her. Whoa! Talk about a punch in the stomach. I have only had the sweet girl for a month and I am already having to think about letting her go. When I got home I thought about his question even more. What if God chooses to take Sophia before we are ready? I know He has a plan and He knows what is best for her, so I need to just trust God.

I have to say that having a baby at this time of the year is pretty entertaining, as well. We have been asked to be part of the advent readings at church. They really wanted us to read on Christmas Eve, since we have Sophia, but Michael has to work, so we will be reading this Sunday, on the first day of advent. Also, we have been asked to play Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in the Christmas Cantata. Ha! I do have to admit that I find this a bit humorous! There are plenty of other families in our church, but they asked us. Michael has to work one of the evenings, but he was able to find someone to cover him for a few hours, so he can play the role of Joseph. Michael was also a little unsure, since his little girl would have to play the role of a boy, but I think being Jesus is an exception. If we remember, we will have to video tape this! Ha!

Please pray for Sophia, she has a rash that won't seem to go away. I have been trying to get her into the base doctor since last week and finally, my perseverance (and annoyance) has paid off and they have given me permission to take Sophia to a doctor downtown. We will be heading down there in about an hour and a half. I think it is a case of heat rash, but the fact that it isn't going away or getting better really bothers me. Please also pray for Michael and I. We had asked our Pastor if we could teach Dave Ramsey's FPU and we were told yesterday that the church ordered the teaching kit. Pray that God will send those that need to be there to the class. Pray that He will soften their hearts. Too often, people don't think they have a problem with money, when really they do. This program is life changing and so worth it! We hope to fill the church!! or at least the room they give us to use!

As always, here are some photos :D Enjoy.

Sweet Cherries

I just finished knitting Sophia's baby blanket. Although she has about 10 homemade blankets, I wanted her to have something from me. I had started the blanket in the beginning of October, but had to take stop for a little while, because I lost a ball of yarn and then had a baby! Finally, today, I finished it :D



The pattern is called "Sweet Cherries" and can be found at lionyarn.com, which also has a better picture of the blanket.

What a blessing

In my last post I mentioned that Sophia's thyroid test came back abnormal and that we hadn't heard anything about the results yet. Well, we found out yesterday that the second test came back normal. Praise God! Now, we have a clogged tear duct. We brought her to the doctor yesterday and fortunately, it wasn't pink eye. The doctor said it could take up to 6 months to open and if it doesn't she will be sent to a specialist. Right now, Sophia's eye is covered with a green goop that needs to be cleaned several times a day, so, please pray her tear duct would open. This is not painful, nor causing her discomfort. It is just annoying. Thanks for the prayers!!

2 weeks and growing

Today has certainly been an eventful day. I would like to blame it on the fact that Sophia and I went back to bed after Michael left and didn't roll back out until 11am. I guess this will teach me to sleep in so late!

Sophia celebrated her first holiday this week, Halloween. I dressed her up as a little sweet pea and brought her to the Fire Department to see her daddy. She looked so cute, if I may say so myself!

We had her 2 week checkup today and she is growing nicely. The doctor said she is really strong, has a strong cry, and looks great. When she was born she weighed 6 lbs 10oz, then she lost 4 oz and today she weighed 7.39 oz. She has gained her birth weight back and is on the right track. Last week, after we brought her home, the clinic called and said she had an abnormal test result. When I went in today I was told that they retested her thyroid. I was told that many thyroid tests come back abnormal and when redone, they come back just fine. As of now, the test results aren't in yet and if I don't hear back within a week, I am supposed to call back. Please pray that these test results come back normal. If they don't, Sophia will have to take thyroid medicine her whole life. Although it would be good to start the habit now, I would rather avoid it entirely.

Michael is back at work and Sophia and I are doing well when he is gone. The nights seem long, but we make it through. I am looking forward to this weekend, as Michael has Thursday, Friday and Saturday off. It will be nice to have a little bit more of a break and a little bit more help. Michael is a ton of help when he is home and I miss him and the help when he is at work.

The cats still haven't really adjusted. They are getting better, but as predicted, they are suffering, because they used to be the "kids". Neva, although she can't hear, seems the most annoyed. Moses just leaves the room or the general area when Sophia cries. They both go up to her from time to time, but mostly, they keep their distance. This has been nice, because I don't have to worry about them sleeping on top of her or next to her.

Well, it's time to call it quits. I am exhausted and I think if I continue to type, this post will just turn into a babble. We will keep you posted :D