happy two months, Cora!

Happy Two Months Old to you, Cora Girl! 

You are such an easy and lovable baby.  

I am enjoying being your Mama so much.  

Cousin Caleb loves to hold you!

We went to Nana's this day to drop Big Brother off to play with the cousins and you and I went to some garage sales and ran some errands.  It was your first day to wear an "outfit" and we coordinated with our grey and yellow.  That was a fun "mother/daughter" thing to do.  

I really enjoy wrapping you up snugly in a nice soft blanket and rocking you to sleep for your naps.  

It is a joy that I am indulging myself in especially since "they" say it is impossible to spoil a baby this early.  :)  

Our friend, Mrs. Rena, from our church in Dallas made this blanket for you.  Your brother calls it your "colorful blanket" and he has a colorful blanket that Mrs. Rena made too.  They are so soft and really special to me.  

On this night we were wishing we had some Bluebell Ice Cream after dinner and we knew Nana and Ducca had a freezer full of about four different kinds from a gathering the night before so we just spontaneously called to see if we could come over for ice cream.  We had a good time and you and Daddy took a little snooze together while we were there.  

You really like to nap with Daddy and I think he likes it too.

You've had a lot of baby acne this month but thankfully you're outgrowing it now!  Hooray!

When you can't sleep with Daddy, you tend to take some good naps in the swing or the bouncy chair but you're also starting to nap well in your crib!  Good girl!!

I waited a little too late to put you back in this outfit as you had pretty much outgrown it by this point but I wanted to put it back on you since this is the outfit you came home from the hospital in and I didn't have a really good picture of it.  It is the same outfit that I came home from the hospital in nearly 37 years ago.  It is special to me that Nana kept it and I got to use it.

Grandma taught us to hold you like this and you really seem to like it especially in the evenings. 

At the beginning of the month it was really hard to get you down for the night although you were already starting to sleep some 5-7 hour stretches.  Now you go down a bit easier but how long you sleep at any given stretch is still unpredictable.  

We had another playdate with your sweet little friend this month and you guys were holding hands and sharing sweet smiles.  She also let us play dress up at her house and borrow an outfit for our church's baby blessing.  

You also went to your first estate sale with Mama and David this month.  You rode around in the Ergo carrier.

The Saturday of Mother's Day weekend our church hosted a Mother/Daughter Tea and we had a good time going and sitting at Nana's table.  You wore a beautiful light pink dress and the pearls that Nana gave you.  

Your Nana is very proud of you and enjoys holding you any chance she gets.  

A picture of all of us in our pearls

You and I came home and crashed after this while the boys were out.  A tea party can wear girls out!  

The next day was Mother's Day and Baby Dedication day at church.  There were twelve babies dedicated that day and it is wonderful knowing you are going to have some sweet friends to grow up with.

Your brother loves you so, so very much and likes to touch you and kiss you and hold you all the time. He says hi to you and calls you cute girl and all sorts of sweet endearments.  He sings Jesus Loves Me to you in the car when you're sad. 

We went to dinner at Ms. Donna's house and you got to meet all our fun neighbor friends.  They love you already.

Your brother likes to hold you every chance he gets.  

Daddy does too.  :) 

I love this little dress that is a hand me down from Dallas friends.  You've already outgrown it though along with all of your other newborn sized clothes! 

We celebrated Mother's Day at Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Mandy's house and Annma got to hold you.

Then you got to go to Secret Sisters with Nana and I.  It was a garden party theme and you wore your flower dress.  

That week Nana and Ducca's house was being painted so Nana came over and spent three days with us  holding you and reading to you and David (Big Brother picked out this book, Are You My Mother? as the book he thought you'd like to read) and helping us with things around the house.  Mama was very thankful!  

You look really pretty in purple!  

You are starting to enjoy your baths a lot!  

We have a little family tradition of going to a plant sale each year and this year was your first time to go with us!  You loved being outside and were so content!

We took a family date in the middle of the afternoon to Hacienda Colorado and the weather was beautiful so we got to sit out on the patio.  You were as content as could be in your carrier.  I think you enjoy being outside just like your brother did at your age.  

Last week we did a really big thing.  You took your first trip!  Daddy had to be away for a conference so you and David and Nana and I flew to Houston so all of our family there could meet you!

Your first airplane ride!

Giving Nana smiles on the plane

You traveled like a pro.  You were easy as pie.

Everybody enjoyed holding you and you barely got put down the whole time we were there.  

Sharing smiles with Sweetie

You also made out like a bandit in the clothes department.  People like to buy little gir clothes.  :)  Such nice gifts!

On Friday morning several of our friends came over to meet you!  Mrs. Barbie used to hold me when I was a little girl your size. 

"hmmm . . . I think I like my Sweetie"

I know she likes you!

Sweetie rocked you and rocked you and sang to you while we were there.

These pictures are special for a couple of reasons.  The outfit you are wearing is one that I wanted to buy when I was expecting your brother.  We didn't know if he was a boy or a girl until he was born so I didn't buy it.  After he was born I still liked it so much that I thought about buying it to save in case I had a little girl one day but I talked myself out of it since I wouldn't know what size was right.  

One of our friends at church gave me a bag of hand me downs before you were born and this outfit was in the bag, new with tags (it hadn't been the right size at the right season for their little girl). God takes care of us and shows His love in big and small ways!

The quilt you are lying on is very, very special because it is made from your Poppy's shirts.  I wish you would have gotten to meet him but who knows maybe he held you first in Heaven.

Mama loves you sweet daughter!

I like to dress you in some of the dresses that Nana saved from when I was a little girl.  This one I also used to dress my dolls in when I was bigger.  

The blanket you are lying on is a beautiful handmade gift from another one of our wonderful friends from our church in Dallas, Mrs. Carol.  It truly touches our hearts that people continue to love us from afar.  

All wrapped up and ready for another nap

Your first shoes and a hand me down from our friend Ruby!

And finally we did a little photo shoot with you and your brother the other day.  Such fun!

I love the two of you so very much and am happy to be your Mama!  

my beauty

just for fun

since I've been posting so much baby stuff, I thought I'd just post an old photo for fun.  

Here's one from our wedding that I don't think has ever made it to the blog.  

I don't know what I was saying/doing exactly but I really like this photo of my mom and I as I was getting ready before my wedding.  

And in baby news, since that is kind of what is consuming our days (and nights!) right now, sweet Cora gave her tired Mama a nearly 5 hour stretch of sleep last night!  Good job, baby girl!!

Kelly

Cora - one month old

You are one month old today, sweet Cora girl!

You were born on a Wednesday morning early after an all night labor.

We got to bring you home the very next day.  

Big Brother came up to the hospital to help us take you home and our neighbor, Mr. Bob, was outside and took our first family photo for us.  

I loved bringing you home to our house!  You were dressed in the sweet little white outfit that I came home from the hospital in 36 years ago.  I laid you down on our white bedspread and you looked just like a picture!  You opened your eyes and looked back and forth as if you wanted to check out this new home of yours.  I loved it.  

Silly Mama and Daddy thought that you would sleep in the pack and play in our room at night.  We thought the same thing about your brother and neither of you did.  

So we began experimenting with where/how you would sleep and those first couple weeks were not so steady with night time sleep.  You would sleep great during the day when someone was holding you!

You are a really good baby though.  Even in the hospital you showed signs of self soothing.  You sleep a lot during the day and now at one month you are sleeping well in your crib each night in between feedings.  When we put you down around 9 or 10, you will usually sleep till nearly two and then again till four or five something.  You also tend to sleep again after that early morning feeding until 9 or 10 which is great for letting Mama get extra sleep when she can or for letting Mama and David have good time together in the morning before you're up and awake.  

Brother loves you soo much and mimics the things we say to you.  He loves to touch your feet and comment on all of the tiny little parts of you.  He also says, "I will take care of you, a lot" and he sings to you in the car.  He likes to help with you and hold you.  He even gave you your first bottle!  He is a very good big brother.  

I am having so, so much fun dressing you and putting bows in your hair and snuggling you in all of the wonderful blankets we've been given.  

Daddy loves to kiss your tummy and your face and his whiskers tickle you and you make a face.  You also smile the most at Daddy of any of us.  

In your first month, we've already been on two family hikes - one to Helen Hunt Falls with Grandma and one to Painted Mines last Saturday.  You enjoy riding in the Ergo with Daddy.

Here you are with the beautiful quilt that your Aunt Gail made for you.  

All of your family really likes you and your cousin Caleb especially likes to hold you.  He is super proud of you.  Aaron really, really likes your super soft head of hair and Aunt Mandy and Uncle Jeremy really like to hold you too.

You are gaining weight!  At your two week appt. you were already up to 9 lbs. something ounces (can't remember at the moment) but you had gained quite a bit.  Now at one month you weigh 10.5 lbs! Yea!

You eat well although sometimes you're rather snacky or don't latch super well.  You like to fall asleep eating too.  

You have the cutest pink ruffle swaddle that we put you in at night.  In every sonogram from 20 weeks on, you would always have your hands up by your face so we got a swaddle where you can keep your hands up instead of down by your sides.  I think you like it.  

Some firsts:

First bath
First time to church
First trip to Nana & Ducca's house
First snow - there have been 3-5 since you've been born
First rain - that's almost a bigger deal here in Colorado than the snow!

This was Mama's outfit when she was a little girl.  

Your very first trip to a restaurant was when you were one week old.  You went with Daddy and I to Hacienda Colorado (our first time to the new Colorado Springs location!) while David was at preschool.  You slept the whole time in your carrier.  

I love to hold you in just your diaper and see and feel your sweet, soft skin.  

You have multiple chins and we LOVE them. 

Daddy had three wonderful weeks off and we spent much more time holding you and cuddling than cleaning house or anything like that.  

We also watched episodes of Downton Abbey or a movie while holding you and eating popcorn on the couch during naptime for Brother a lot of days. 

Nana broke her foot on the day you were born but she still got some good snuggles in with you this month!

Your first pair of blue jeans were a gift from your Aunt Sarah.  

Grandma came to visit and meet you when you were twelve days old.  She fed us and took care of us and took Big Brother on a train trip to New Mexico and you and Mama and Daddy hung out for the weekend and took advantage of your awesome restaurant skills and went out to eat a lot.  

At preschool this week David's class is studying the letter C and right off he told everyone, C is for Cora!

Hand me downs are fun!  

You love to nap wrapped in this blanket that your Aunt Terry made for you.  

I love your little feet and your LONG toes so much.  

You are keeping your eyes open more and more.  We love to see your pretty eyes.  

I love your room and you seem to particularly like lying on your changing table and looking at everything above you.  You would probably enjoy something above your crib to look at but Mama is a scaredy cat about things falling on you in the night so you don't have anything.  When you are in your crib during the day for a little bit for me to go and do something I give you a stuffed animal to look at and sometimes you knock it down!  You can also make the bird in the bouncy seat spin around and Brother is very impressed by that feat.  

Lots of people from church have been so sweet to bring us meals to eat.  Mrs. Ashley brought Smashburger one day for lunch and her boys and David got to play outside while you had your very first playdate with her little girl!

We love you so very much, Baby Girl and we're so glad you're ours!  

choo choo

I am thankful that my boy is into something that I enjoy too.  

Building train tracks together is one of our favorite activities.  

I love that there are so many ways to build them and no two are ever really the same.  

This configuration on the stairs was all him.

Happy Wednesday.  

Kelly