Josie "Pumpkin" Pie

What a beautiful day for Halloween this year. We're expecting close to 70 degrees for trick or treating time! I can remember years of wearing winter coats and snow on the ground, so this is a memorable Halloween for that reason too. Not to mention, Josie's very first! We thought it fitting that our Josie Pie became our Joise 'pumpkin' Pie for her very first costume. Albeit, not exactly a costume, but I don't think she could be any cuter. I'd had these knit caps bookmarked on Etsy for such a long time, it was exciting to finally have a reason to order one. Cute, don't you think?

A moment to scrap...

For years and years, my supplies have been void of girly products. I never really thought I'd be so lucky to have a little girl, and am still on cloud nine that this little girl is my daughter. Anyhow, back to srapbooking... thrilled to have a free moment (and one in which I wasn't completely exhausted) to spruce up the first page of her official baby book. Grandma D found this great leather 3 ring book, with adoption pages also. It's a lovely book, but even lovelier when adding my own touches to the pages. I'm going to follow the same format of the book, to make sure I have all my important baby info covered ;). Hoping this enthusiastic start continues through the 5 years worth journaling prompts!

Side note, last night Josie redeemed herself by sleeping 5 whole hours. Which, btw, according to "the book" that's the clinical definition of sleeping through the night. Not MY definition of sleeping through the night, but it was truly a hallelujah moment when we checked on her to see if she was still breathing at 3:45 am ;) She was, and I'm thrilled! The previous night was a doozy and I was a zombie yesterday - the extra sleep last night is much appreciated today. I'm sure I just jinxed myself and this will never happen again until she's 2 - but here's hoping!

Monday Playtime

Josie loves her SkipHop play mat! With every passing day, I can notice her focusing in on each individual toy and just enjoying the time stretching out and looking around.

Today we're going to head out to lunch with Addison (Josie's girlfriend, only 17 days older than J) and Brenda, and for a stroll around the mall. We're getting a little cabin fever these days... which is scary considering time hasn't changed yet and it isn't even winter! Yikes. We're going to stroll around the mall and see what's new - haven't done the whole stroller/gear out with just the two of us, so it will surely be a learning experience.

Regarding a Costume...

This is going to be my first Halloween that I'm not at work during trick or treating hours, and what a delight it is to be home and planning the first Halloween for Joselyn! I admit, no costume for her this year, but I have a super duper cute outfit and hat that I can't wait to photograph my Josie 'pumpkin' pie in ;)

We've had awesome success the last few nights with a bed time routine that involves HER CRIB! YAY! I thought the first night was just dumb luck that she fell asleep so easily, but after a second night of the routine and long periods in between eating - I'm so thrilled and so proud that I seemed to have gotten the hang of this, hoping I don't eat my words tonight!

Mid-week Update

Joselyn and I are catching our stride these days. Not to say we're finding a routine, but mostly finding what works for us and just going with the flow. After that rough night earlier this week, Ed and I realized that maybe there are too many bubbles in her formula that just don't escape when she burps, and that created her upset belly. Since two nights ago, we've premixed the formula and let it sit for the bubbles to escape. Her belly has been much more content and has been sleeping more easily. Maybe that does the trick, maybe it's dumb luck. Either way, mama is glad to get more sleep and have a giddy happy baby in the morning. I think today we're actually going to venture out of the house to visit with Mimi, and possibly (hopefully) run into the furniture store to get a dresser ordered for J! I'm sure they'll give us a lengthy lead time until it arrives, but can't be any longer than the insane 12 week lead time for a slipcover from Land of Nod for her rocker. So, expect a finished nursery no sooner than 12 weeks, God willing!

On Josie's One Month Birthday...

She's testing how long mama can go without sleep. Sigh. Josie had an upset tummy last night, or so we think, and hope that tonight goes much more smoothly. I'm not complaining though, she's usually a great night sleeper, but last night was the exception. Even so, we're happy and surprised to be at ONE MONTH OLD already! We didn't get much done around the house today, but that doesn't matter b/c at least we got some pretty darn cute photos :) At one month, Joselyn is starting to give us big smiles at our silly noises and faces, is eating a hearty 4oz bottle several times as day, and I can only guess is zeroing in on 9lbs here pretty soon. Her size N diapers are getting a bit snug, as are her newborn size clothes. Pretty soon we'll be digging into her closet and discovering all the 0-3 sized pretties that are waiting for her! Many outfits that were gifts that I have yet to even really "ohh and ahh" over b/c we've been just too darn busy. But soon, and we can't wait!

Rock Star Hair

To say this girl has a lot of hair would be an understatement! She has tons, and it's long. There's been much debate around here whether or not she's going to lose it or not - and I think we now know the answer is YES. I'm finding bits of dark locks on her blankie and the crib. I think there's maybe a more tame head of hair on its way in, or at least I think Josie hopes so ;)

Rise Up This Mornin'

"Rise up this mornin,

Smiled with the risin sun,

Three little birds

Pitch by my doorstep

Singin sweet songs

Of melodies pure and true,

Sayin, this is my message to you-ou-ou...."

Oh Josie, your mama can't sing to save her life. But that doesn't stop me from singing to you! I've been searching far and wide for the sweetest lullabies for us to listen to. You and I spend most of our days with the tv off, and the music on and we need more variety. I hope you have a love and appreciation for music throughout your life. Mimi was headed to the mall this week and asked if I needed anything. Since I haven't been getting out of the house very much, I told her yes! Please stop by Land of Nod and check out their lullaby collections. I've strolled through that store many times before, waiting for the day to shop for my little one - and they always have the BEST music playing. I immediately thought of Land of Nod when wondering what lullabies I needed for our collection. Boy, does Mimi love us, she bought us several cds - and we love each and every one. Mimi, Pops and I have a shared love of Bob Marley, strange but true, you'll know one day - but until then - we're really going to enjoy Bob Marley's best songs in soothing instrumentals. And my all time favorite, we've already listed to over and over again, is Elizabeth Mitchell's Three Little Birds Bob Marley Rendition (a pleasant surprise to see that in the mix on this cd!!) - so so so sweet, as is the entire You Are My Little Bird cd. We're going to have plenty of music filling our days!

Introducing "every month" Friends

Bunny and Fuzzy Bear. Inspired by Mel and others to do an "every month" photo with a special friend (or two, in this case) to show how Joselyn grows throughout the year. Bunny is my special animal for Joselyn, bought it for her long before we met her. Bunny has waited in the crib for quite a while for Joselyn to come home. Fuzzy Bear is a gift from Joselyn's birth mom for this exact reason so she can see Josie's growth throughout the year as we share photos with her frequently! Only 5 more days until Joselyn is one month old and her first in a series of 12 begins.

Regarding Sleep...

I'd like to say a few things. I've never been so happy to be awoken in the middle of the night, than I am to soothe Josie. But there's no doubt it is a definite change in my entire balance and my ideals of what a good nights rest consists of. I feel like I could write a book about the things "no one told me" before baby arrived... and raking high on that list is what it's like to get up after only one-two hours of sleep, after an already long day - and struggling to keep my eyes open and the bottle in her mouth at the same time! It's been a challenge.

_

My other question would be, what did humankind do before the invention of the baby swing? I try and try, over and over again, with marginal levels of success to put Joselyn down in the bassinet to sleep at night. But try as I might, last night was a no go on sleeping in the bassinet. Last night, like most nights, I put her down for what I consider her first "down for the night" at 10pm and she rested peacefully in the bassinet until 12. Usually she lasts longer, more like one, but 12 it was. Normal routine of diaper and bottle, quietness, darkness... and she'd usually go right back down. After several attempts of picking her back up, rocking, soothing, soothies, butt patting... just when I'm CERTAIN she's out cold, and even giving it a few extra minutes for good measure and place her back down, alas, no luck and eyes are open. I do the whole hand on her, holding her hands, patting her belly/back, rocking etc... at least three rounds before I couldn't do it any longer and into the swing she went, slept peacefully until we did that whole routine again at 5 am, with me crashed on the couch in the mean time. Swing, priceless.

Sealed and Sent

I'm proud to say that I have every last birth announcement out the door! I'm glad I went with a more simple design that I originally planned, and even so, it was a lot of dedication to get them done. At the last minute, I almost took the easy route and just ordered a digital version but am so glad I stuck it out and found the time to get them done exactly as I'd always dreamed they would be - complete with photo stamp and all!

Weekend Update

We had a blast this weekend, especially with dada home with us! It gave me a chance to catch up on some sleep in the early morning when Ed would get up with Josie, and we enjoyed a few outings too. Saturday morning was filled with stops, including Babies R Us. I have a whole new appreciation for baby gear and what's necessary and what's just frivolous. I still enjoy the frivolous once in a while, but enjoyed the chance for Ed and I to just slowly peruse the aisles of babydom and find things we wanted. We're definitely all set in the stroller department - a stroller for our county roads, beaches and trails, we opted for this beauty, the Baby Trend Expedition (mp3 player and odometer!):

Not that I'm going to be jogging any time soon, but it strolls along so beautifully and with little effort for long walks. But not practical for hauling in the car to the mall, to grandma's house etc. Ed tested them all for weight and foldability and we're happy to have gotten this stroller:

We now have a stroller parking lot in the garage that suits us perfectly! Other goodies we picked up included more bottles and other snuggly things.

We also stopped to visit Pops and Mimi, uncle Brian too! Uncle Brian ran the Chicago marathon today, and while we were a little bit disappointed we couldn't be route-side cheering on the runners with the rest of my family - we are SO PROUD that he finished his first marathon and in pretty great time!

Good Morning, Morning

ahhh. Morning time. How I love it. It's the best part of our day. Josie and I are both refreshed after a decent night's rest and ready to start our day. Every morning we start out with a bottle and some swing time. The sun coming through my kitchen window makes me smile, it's my favorite time of the day, and a time that used to go unappreciated being at work every day. As Josie naps throughout the morning, I have a lot of energy and keep things picked up around the house and usually have a "task of the day". So far, my bathroom cabinets have been organized and cleaned out, our closet and drawers have been switched out from summer to winter clothes, cabinets have been reorganized to accommodate all the new baby goods - and today I'm making progress on getting the birth announcements out the door.

Taking a Stroll

I think we got lucky this week and are going to enjoy some really fantastic weather! It feels great to have the windows open and the sun shining through today. I've been praying for some nice weather so we could get out and try our new stroller - and today turned out to be just perfect.

Best Birthday Gift

The last few days have been super busy in Josieland. For starters, it was Ed's birthday on Saturday, and probably his best yet. We couldn't think of a better gift to have for a birthday than our Joselyn. We celebrated from home, a special cake and dinner - and of course photos with da da and Josie.

Two Weeks Ago

Two weeks ago, Josie girl, you were born. I feel like you've been home with us only a few days, and here we are, almost 2 weeks ago you came home with us. It's been a whirlwind two weeks, but things seem to finally be settling down a little bit and dada and I are getting the hang of this mom and dad role. We're finally catching our breath.

13 Days Old

Good morning my sweet Josie! Today you are 13 days old. For the last 11 days, I've been wanting to sit down and take time to write you about everything. Everything from the day we brought you home, about all the people that have come to meet you, the cute things you do - everything. I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to keep up these good intentions of keeping up with this journaling - but somehow I think this time my journaling efforts are a wee bit more important. You are so special to us and I want to savor each and every moment. So here goes my attempt to catch up with the last 13 days, the best of your mama and dada's life so far