another baby!

No...I'm NOT pregnant but our family has grown again! On Friday, my sister welcomed a beautiful baby girl into this world and Emma now has an instant friend (her age) to grow up with!

Baby Ava was born at 11:11 and weighed in at 7 pounds 12 ounces

Baby Ava

Emma seems like a giant next to Ava and she's only 3 months! It is amazing how much they grow in a few short months.

Ma, Ava, Emma and me :)

There is nothing better than family and knowing Emma gets to have so much love and support around her, and from all sides... it is the best feeling! It seems like yesterday that we were bringing Emma home and now she has a baby cousin.

You can tell she just loves the camera...not so much!

We can't wait to see Ava again, along with Ava's big sister, Maddie - she's going to be such a good big sister because she's already proven to be such a caring cousin to Emma...the picture doesn't do her sweetness justice but it does her silliness :)

All the excitement wore my little one out for the ride home!

12 weeks!!

Emma is 12 weeks today - it has been the best 12 weeks and it just keeps getting better. I took a picture of her yesterday before I got her out of her carseat, and I realized that I had taken the same picture, in the same outfit shortly after she was born...she has grown so much!

Some of her favorite things: her thumb (she really wants to be a thumb sucker but we're trying to avoid that habit), her bunny - she loves that it's fuzzy and likes to grab it, being wrapped up in a blanket when she's tired, getting to snuggle with mommy and daddy, her little birds that sit over her bouncer...she is in love with these little guys, moving her little feet around and kicking things.

I swear she knows exactly what a camera is - she could be smiling ear to ear and as soon as I get the camera out she stares at me like 'did you really think you could fool me?' - oh I love her!

just sitting around

Who is that baby sitting up like a big girl? Last week I was able to sneak in some vacation time and I pulled out the ol' bumbo chair, and wouldn't you know my little lady can sit up like a pro.

yay for the holidays

I am so happy that we have our sweet baby to enjoy all of the holidays. I feel like I have so much more holiday spirit than normal - a lot of it has to do with actually taking the time and slowing down to enjoy things, but more importantly sharing it with my little family. We have so much to be thankful for this year.

Here is her first halloween picture

We attempted to take some Christmas themed pictures yesterday but it turned out to be unsuccessful - not for the lack of a cute subject though! I did end up and get some cute pictures in our regular get-up 

two months

Emma turned 8 weeks on Wednesday and I'm not even sure where the time went - I can't believe my baby is two months old.

It is amazing to watch her little personality develop and see her discover new things each day. I am looking forward to the holiday season, although I'm really not quite ready for cold or snow.

Here are some pictures off my cell phone from October. I need to upload all the photos from my camera, especially the adorable halloween pictures!

one month update

Emma is five and a half weeks old, but I am just now getting to her official one month update...time is flying! Her doctor's appointment went well - my little girl is growing, her height is 21.5 inches and she weighed in at 9 pounds 11.5 ounces - the doctor joked and said she certainly isn't missing any of her meals. She is in the 55th percentile for both height and weight so she is proportionate except she got her mommy and daddy's slightly larger head.

Ryan had his first full week back at work and Emma and I have been on our own during the day - I love being with my little baby - she is so good and I love seeing her personality develop more and more. It is amazing how one little smile can make you feel like a million bucks.

At night, she is like clockwork and has been waking up pretty consistently every three to four hours to nurse (and a diaper change) and then she typically goes right back to sleep. I really can't complain about the night schedule although generally, I am not a happy camper without a lot of sleep, but I think I am managing surprisingly well (I think, but Ryan may have a different story). It probably helps that I go to bed obnoxiously early and I currently have the luxury of sleeping in too.

I am down to a little over two weeks left of maternity leave and I am going to soak up every minute of the relaxed life with my baby girl.

1 month

My baby is going to be 1 month old tomorrow! Time has gone by so fast - I am really trying to absorb every minute with her before I have to go back to work - I am now officially half-way through my maternity leave which makes me sad to think, but luckily I still have a whole month to go. Ryan heads back to work on Monday but we feel so lucky he has been able to spend the month with us.

Emma has always been a pretty smiley baby, but she is now smiling in response to things which makes our hearts melt even more. She has her one month check up soon, but she has been doing great as far as I'm concerned.

This is going to be a big weekend for her - her first wedding! Some of our very favorite people are getting married this weekend, and both Ryan and I will be in the wedding. We can't wait for all the fun!