Hooray for Pops

She is helping him cut the grass...



Well my dad survived...he and Melanie are becoming best buds. Here are a few cute pictures of Pops and his princess...

Easter

Checking out her Easter basket with her nanna.

She is in her Easter bunny costume!

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. We all went to church with Clint's family on Sunday and Melanie was an angel (I think she knew God would be mad at her if she acted up!). She slept through the entire service. I was holding her and didn't move an inch- my arm was killing me by the end. Afterwards we went by my parents and then to Clint's parents. Melanie got so many Easter gifts you would have thought it was Christmas- what a spoiled rotten princess already. She and her Pops are learning to read each other's signals and enjoy being together during the day (when Melanie is not pitching a fit that is...). Anyway, here are some cute pictures.

We Survived

Pops with his princesses


Don't you wonder what could make her so serious?

Well, we all survived my first week back at work. It was way harder than I thought it would be. I am EXHAUSTED! But, I loved being back at work and my kiddos were wonderful. Melanie did pretty well with all of her caregivers (Clint, his mom, and my mom). Next week starts her full time with her Pops (my dad). She can now officially roll from her back to her stomach AND her stomach to her back. What an amazing little girl! I went into her room Wednesday morning and found her on her stomach after I had left her on her back. Then, on Thursday she rolled to her stomach for me at my parents and this morning I found her on her stomach again. She cries when she first rolls over and then realizes she likes where she ended up. She sometimes gets stuck on her side and will cry and it's quite funny because she creates so much drama just because she is stuck. Although my house is a wreck and I have laundry and shopping (grocery-not the fun kind) to last me for days I am so glad to be back at work. I have a million things to get done at work and I don't want to stay late to do them so I am learning to use my time very wisely when I am there. But, all in all a great and tiring week.

Oh yeah, she went to El Torero for the first time :)
Happy Birthday John Taylor- sorry we can't make it to your party- we need a bit of sleep!
Happy Retirement Pops!

First Day of Work

I went back to work today. It went amazingly well! I got Melanie up at 5:00 to feed her and put her back in her crib. Then I got ready (in peace...no baby, dog, or husband to interrupt or rush me). I got out of the door on time and on my way to work. My class was so well cared for when I was gone. My room was clean and I had a HUGE stack of stuff that they had for me to file and go through. My coworkers took over all of my duties when I was gone and made my absence very stress-free. Everything was so organized and waiting for my return. Needless to say my "To Do" list at work is massive. The biggest obstacle at work is pumping my milk but it went okay today. Surprisingly I was not upset about being away from Melanie but I think it was because I was comforted in knowing that she was with family. Clint had a great day with Melanie, though Melanie didn't want to nap for her daddy, but all in all it went quite well. So day 1 away from Melanie went well....but I was so happy to see her when I got home. I can't wait until I can get a true reaction from her when she sees me after a long day- today it was just some looks and smiles (but that is enough for me!).

If you are checking in on her life please leave a note so I know who is staying up to date on her little life.

Big Weekend

We had a very busy Saturday! It began with Melanie getting her first professional pictures. We went to the Picture People at the Mall of Georgia and could not have been more pleased with our experience. We had the first appointment of the day and Melanie was in a fantastic mood. She looked so cute and smiled and was having a blast. She then completed two additional poses naked and we started another pose in a 2nd outfit but she had done all of the smiling she was going to do for the morning. While we waited on the pictures to get developed we had her picture taken with the Easter Bunny. It was okay- she didn't cry but it is by no means an amazing picture. When we finally picked up our pictures I couldn't stop smiling. They print all of the pictures out and bring you 6 complete packages and they had the best picture in a 10x13 already framed. She was gorgeous! It took all I had to not buy it all. But we came out of the experience with some amazing 3 month pictures.

Later in the day we went to TJ's birthday party. He had everyone dress up in Hawaiian clothes. There were lots of kiddos there (Grace, Zach, Caroline, and Melanie) and they all looked sooooo cute! Obviously the all of us moms had fun playing dress up with our little ones.

Tomorrow is a big day for me...I go back to work. I am kind of ready and I have LOTS that needs to be accomplished at work but I hate to leave Melanie. I am very lucky that I have the privilege to leave her with family so I don't have to worry about people caring for her, but no one can do it like mommy! Clint is staying home the first two days, then his mom is taking her on Weds. and my mom on Thurs. and I have Friday off- so my first week is a short week. My dad will be on his retirement trip and next Monday he will star in his babysitting debut. I will update everyone on how work went later on in the week. Enjoy the pictures!

Wahoo!

This past weekend (on 4/2/06 to be exact) Melanie rolled over for the first time. She is only 11 weeks old. Wahoo! She is an athlete in training! I was home alone with her and I heard Clint open the garage door and I looked down and she rolled over from her stomach to her back. She smiled as soon as she did it. I ran and got Clint and then he came upstairs and she did it for him and then rolled for the camera and then for our neighbors. However, the stubborn little thing would not roll for either of our parents- oh well, maybe another day. Hooray for Melanie!

(Our little chunk taking a bath- she is obviously not starving!)

Cute Pics

Shelby loves baby Melanie!

Goooooo Dogs- Sic em!

A Trip to Athens

Yesterday Melanie and I went on a girls trip to Athens. We went to Randi's house and enjoyed getting to visit. We also went to see Ruth and ventured out to Bear Hollow Park which is like a very mini zoo and then we walked around the lake and saw turtles, ducks, and fish (I'm sure Melanie appreciated all of the wildlife!). Here is a picture of her first trip to the "zoo." (Notice the deer in the background.)

Yet Another "First"

She is looking over my mom's shoulder.

Well, I have to say this is not a first I'm proud to brag about...she got kicked out of daycare for the first time. Clint had to work late so I took her to the gym daycare while I worked out (I only planned on being there for 30 minutes and Clint was going to come and get her as soon as he could). Melanie was asleep when I dropped her off but she must have decided it would be much more fun to torture the poor employees. They came and got me after about 20 minutes and said she was crying and they couldn't get her to stop. I went in to check on her and she had stopped crying and the employee was holding her and walking around. I only had 10 minutes left of my training session so I told them if she started up again to come and get me. Well about 7 minutes later the girl came to get me- Melanie was finished being in the daycare for the day and needed her mommy. People who work with kids always go home with a story about a particular kid- sometimes a cute story and sometimes a not so cute story...I have a feeling Melanie was "that kid." The employees probably went home and talked about a baby that screamed for 30 minutes-AAHHH! I want her to be the kid they go home and talk about her cute smiles, cute outfits, yummy smell, etc. What in the world would Melanie do if I had to put her in daycare when I return to work? I'm sure my dad is thrilled at the prospect of keeping her when I go back to work now-don't worry dad- I 'm sure she will be an angel for you.
But, on a different note, her growth spurt seems to be over. She is sleeping through the night again. She had her first sleepover. My mom had surgery and Melanie and I went to stay at her house and help out. We took enough supplies over to their house to stay for a week instead of a night but you never know what you might need! Melanie slept very well in the cozy crib that my mom has set up. She also got to see Clint's dad for the first time in a month (he was in Arizona for spring training). She was very excited to see her Papa and was on her best behavior. She showed him how she can hold herself up when she is on her belly- what a big girl!

New "Firsts"

Well Melanie had her first bad cold. It was pretty pitiful. My dad had the same thing she did and now I have it...what fun! She had a VERY runny nose with congestion when she was flat and would have a little cough. The first day I noticed the cold she was also extra sleepy. Her eating habits never changed, she never ran a temperature and when she was awake she acted like herself so I didn't take her to the doctor. It seems as if the worst is over and she is getting better.
I also think Melanie is in the midst of a growth spurt. She is eating constantly all of a sudden. She went from sleeping through the night to waking up every two hours to eat again. When she cries I'm going in her room to feed her and then she immediately goes back to sleep. She doesn't want attention or anything she just seems legitimately hungry. She is on day 3 of this glorious eating pattern- maybe it will be over soon!
She also went to her first "day care" yesterday. Clint's car was in the shop so we went up to the gym together to work out and left her in the gym's day care for about 45 minutes. She was asleep in her car seat when we left her and when we picked her up she was awake in one of their bouncy seats. She was happy so I guess everything went all right. The daycare has a little nook for the infants and the rest of the children have to play in the other part of the room.

Doctor Visit

Yesterday we went for her two month doctor's visit. It went quite well. She will be 10 weeks old on Friday and she weighed 11 lbs 15 oz (67th percentile) and was 23 1/4 inches long (70th percentile). So, she is growing quite well. The doctor was very nice and said everything is perfect and answered all of my questions I've accumulated. After the check up was over it was time for the SHOTS. She had to have four shots- two in each thigh. She did not like it one bit. Her face was bright red and she was screaming! On top of all of that it was time to eat so she remained hysterical until I was able to get to my mom's work to feed her. She was a little sleepy after her appointment but she didn't show any side effects.
Happy Birthday Nanna!

Welcome

Isn't she a pretty princess!


One of our favorite pics


After watching other family's have postings on the internet I decided we should too. I am going to update everyone on "A day in the life of Melanie" through pictures and stories. Currently she is growing VERY fast and eating VERY often. Her favorite things to do are eat, sleep, cry and poop. She is quite good at all four. She likes drama in life and will cry to create it. She loves for you to stand up and hold her and will often times cry until you comply... Clint and I will have quads and biceps of steel by the time she is walking! She knows how to smile and that is what entertains us for the time being. She is trying so hard to roll over from her back but she can only make it to her side...she will get there one day. She is also sleeping through the night- WAHOO! She takes a bath every night and then eats, gets rocked, and falls asleep. We put her in her crib around 10:30 and she normally sleeps until 5:00 or 6:00. It's wonderful! Please post your comments and I will continue to update about our life periodically.
Leslie