A new baby!

I am backtracking a little to record months three and four of our little girl.  Just to clarify, this would be 2 and 3 months old for her.  These were some great months and we felt like we had a new baby after experiencing some major fussiness in the previous months.  We were definitely on the upswing!  This one will be a little long but I want to get caught up since we are now on month 5!

The highlight during her third month, for me, was the fact she slept through the night!!!  It was April 26 so she was almost  2 1/2 months old.  This was definitely a milestone recorded :)  Of course I didn't get that much sleep because I stayed up until midnight waiting for her to wake up for a feeding but I believe I got six hours of sleep...it was wonderful!  Since then she has continued to sleep through the night with a few hiccups here and there but she is pretty good about just taking the pacifier and falling back to sleep.  

She also discovered her hands during her third month.  I loved watching her as she would intently watch them as they moved.   This would usually lead to her falling asleep.  She also began using her hands to rub her eyes when she was tired.  I thought this was so cute.   She also became more vocal..usually on the changing table.  Sometimes it seemed as though we were having a conversation with her.   

Hannah also had her first road trip during this month.  We moved Paul's mother back down to Florida and I thought I would go see some friends in Tampa on the way down.  I thought I was crazy after the first few hours on the road with a crying baby.  She started off well but after about 3 hours on the road, she was done.  I was driving by myself because Paul was driving the truck...never again!  It made it very difficult to put the pacifier in her mouth and entertain her so I pretty much listened to static on the radio for hours.  A 7 hour drive down to Clearwater turned into 12 hours!  We stopped quite a bit because she was eating every 3 hours and because of her relux we couldn't put her back into her carseat right away.  So, it just took forever!  We tried to let her play around during the stops so that she could stretch out.  This was her entertainment at McDonalds.  She was so happy to be out of her seat.

When we got to Clearwater we got to spend the night with the Bettelli family.  It was so good to see them and let them meet Hannah.  The boys were so sweet to her.   Even though our time there was short, we really enjoyed spending some time with them.  We wished we lived closer so we could see them more often.

Before we headed down to Ft. Myers we had a lunch date with some friends.  It was great to catch up with them...it had been too long!  

Other pictures during her third month...

Spending time with Nana & Papa

 Meeting her friend Gracie

 Her first pair of jeans...Paul loved them!

Her sassy britches

Meeting her friend Jacob

 3 Months old

So now on to month four...

She continued to be very vocal.  We loved hearing her try to communicate with us.  She was usually very serious.  She also began laughing/giggling.  This just melts my heart every time.  

During her fourth month she also made a long road trip down to Pensacola.  This time Paul was in the car with me so I was able to sit in the back to entertain her.  This drive went much better than before.  It still took us forever to get there but she did a lot better.  During this visit she was able to meet a lot of new family and friends at the Lowcountry Boil that we had in her honor.  Since we were only there for a few days we thought it would be easiest if we had everyone come over at once to meet her.  We had a great time and Hannah was on her best behavior.  She didn't seem to mind being passed around to different people.  Our time in Pensacola was great and went by way too quickly.  

As the month went on, her neck was getting stronger and she was able to sit up pretty well in her bumbo chair.  She also discovered her feet while sitting in her chair.  By the end of this month, June 7th to be exact, she was rolling over from her back to stomach.  Like I mentioned in an earlier blog, she hates tummy time so she usually spent most of her time playing on her back.   Since we had just moved into our new house, I was cleaning as she played on her mat.  When I turned around I noticed that she was half way over.  As the days went on she began doing a complete roll.

We also broke her of swaddling during this month.  I was nervous that she would wake up during the night but she did great in her sleep sack.  Thank goodness!!!  

At her four month check up, she pulled out all her tricks for the doctor.  It was so cute!  She was right on schedule with all of her dimensions.  She weighed in at 13.5 and measured 24.75 in length.  

So that brings us up to date with our little blessing!  Time is just flying by way too quickly!!!

First Father's Day

Yesterday was a special day because it was Paul's first Father's Day.  Even though he has only held this job for four months, he has exceeded my expectations as a father.  I remember the day we found out we were having a girl.  Paul was so concerned that he would not know how to relate to a daughter or would not know how to play with her.  He said, I guess I will just have to learn how to have a tea party or play with dolls.  Later that week, he started to become the protector of this little girl who had not even been born.  He started to say things like, "she will be wearing a moo-moo to the beach and if she decides to surf, she is wearing a full length wetsuit."  He also said she would not date until she was 20 and would have his shotgun ready for when the boys came over.  I couldn't help but smile inside to see how his heart had already changed for this little girl.  Even though Paul was concerned about being a father to a girl, I knew she would have him wrapped around her little finger from the moment she was born.  If she wanted him to play tea party, I could see him getting down on the floor and playing along.  I could already see her fishing with her daddy, enjoying days out on the boat, and even surfing...even though this makes my stomach turn inside to think of her out in the ocean with a board.  She is already a daddy's girl and I can see her growing up to enjoy all the hobbies of her father.   They will share a bond that he never imagined.  

It all began the first day he laid eyes on her...

Once he knew I was ok after the delivery, he was in the nursery taking photos and video of her every move.  He wouldn't take his eyes off of her.  That first night he got up to change diapers or help me with feedings.  He was and continues to be a hands on dad and I am so thankful for that.  There is nothing that he won't do.

Paul had to go back to work two days after she was born but he made sure to take a break for the discharge from the hospital so that he could drive his little girl home.  I know that no matter how busy he becomes at work he will always make time for her and will be at every special event.  I know this because he has shown me this in our relationship.  

Paul is not only a wonderful father but a great husband.  Those first few weeks of being a mother were a little rocky but Paul was there every step of the way to help or encourage me in any way that he could.  I knew that he would be a great father because of the way that he has cared for me as a husband.  There are no words to express how thankful I am to have him in my life.  

So, because this was such a special day we wanted to spend it doing something that he loves.  After going to church, we geared up for the beach to meet up with some friends.  Let me just say that this is no longer an easy task.  We used to be able to gather our things in about five minutes and hit the road.  We now have to bring the pack 'n play and the wagon to carry all of Hannah's baggage through the sand.  On a side note...I wish that I had gotten a picture of Paul dragging the wagon and cooler through the sand...he is a trooper!  We got the fort all set up for Hannah out of the sun, lathered her up in sunscreen and had a great afternoon at the beach.   It was the perfect day to take Hannah because there was a great breeze and very cool in the shade.  She loved her first day at the beach and Paul was eating up every minute of it. 

 Heading to church

Waiting for us to gather up all her belongings for the beach

Loving her new location for the pack 'n play

 New way to beach it with a baby :)

Even though the waves were not too great, he got to test out his birthday present, GoPro Camera.  Everyone looked at him funny but he didn't care.  Hannah is too young to know any differently but this is just the beginning of embarrassing moments she will endure with her daddy.

I wish I could get this picture to turn the right way...it just doesn't do it justice.

We love you Paul (daddy) and are so thankful to the Lord for bringing you into our life!

Love,

Your girls