Grandma and Grandpa Emerson are finally here!

We are half way through our visit with Grandma and Grandpa Emerson. It's so great to have them here and we even had a beautiful day of sunshine today. Grandpa has been busy fishing. Today you can see below that Koda was supervising the cleaning of the fish!

Grandma is having so much fun taking care of and entertaining Leinna.

We also made a trip to the glacier today and saw two really good ice chunks fall into the river. For the rest of Grandma and Grandpa's visit we don't have too much planned- just going to enjoy the time together. Momma and Leinna decided that they are going to head to South Dakota for the entire month of December. So while we are sad that this trip is almost over, we have a future trip to look forward to!

"Rolly-Polly"

So my momma finally captured my rolling abilities on the camera today.

Step 1 ~ use strong arm, neck and back muscles to pick up head.

Step 2 ~ keep your eyes on the spot you picked.

Step 3 ~ firmly plant face into the floor to assist the rest of your body with rolling over.

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Step 4 ~ allow the rest of your body to roll on over.

My momma and papa think this is so amazing and I just don't get what the big deal is. So, here is evidence of my rolling technique. By the way- I'm the big 7 weeks old today- not looking forward to my 2 month shots but I understand I need them to keep growing into a healthy girl!

Papa Makes Me Smile

So Papa had me laughing and smiling so much the other day. I love having Papa home on the weekends and sure do miss him when he goes to work. In fact, I let Momma know when Papa is home I don't want her holding me- I want my Papa!

Diaper Changing Mystery

I think this picture pretty much says, "Momma- I need my diaper changed."

So I title this blog entry "Diaper Changing Mystery" for the following reason ~ Tonight I knew Leinna needed her diaper changed but I wanted to go walk the dogs quick and then come back and give her a bath. I didn't want to waste a diaper knowing I was going to give her a bath soon. I asked Leif if he'd be okay keeping Leinna and warned him that she might get fussy before I got back because she needed her diaper changed. He said he'd be fine. So, when I returned from walking the dogs I was getting Leinna's bath ready and noticed that her diaper was clean. I thought to myself- hmmm.... is papa holding out and changing diapers and I don't know about it? I asked him- and he denies changing her diaper- so either I'm losing it, it was just gas that Leinna was grunting about, or Koda/Bailey are miracle dogs that can change diapers.

Sunshine :>)

Ah- some sunshine. This past weekend we actually had two days in a row of some nice warm sunshine. We tried to have Leinna outdoors as much as we could because who knows when the next time will be that she'll see the sun!
On Sunday we spent the day out at Child's Glacier. It was nice and sunny and saw some great calving action from the glacier.
As you can see, I enjoyed the sunshine too! The breeze off of the glacier was a little cool, thus the reason Leinna is all bundled up. Thought it would be a neat picture to have Leinna reflected in Leif's sunglasses.

By far, it was a great weekend of sunshine. I hope we have some nice weather when Grandma and Grandpa Emerson come to visit next week!

Seeking Advice ~ To wake a sleeping baby or not?

Okay, so a few posts back I wrote how I needed to trust my own intuition. If you recall, I also said that I still research different situations and seek advice from moms who have been there. So- here is one of those moments where my intuition isn't very clear and I'm seeking advice.

Our little sleeping beauty here slept from 10:15pm until 4:30am last night! Was back to sleep by 5am and as I sit here blogging at 7:15am- she's still sleeping. I should be jumping for joy- right? However what I've read is that sometimes a baby can sleep through the need to eat and if the pattern continues the baby could start to be malnourished. Leinna is a very noisy sleeper- she often grunts and fusses as she moves around to get comfortable. Since she is such a noisy sleeper- I have a hard time figuring out if she's being noisy because she's hungry and just doesn't want to fully wake up- or if she's just passing gas or trying to get comfortable. Some more information to help with your advice: she's eating anywhere from 3 ounces to 5.5 ounces, diapers are good- both wet and poopy, and she seems to be gaining weight. Our "routine" if she really has one, is to sleep most of the morning until about noon- then she's up and very alert most of the afternoon. She really doesn't take a good nap after she's awake being content to take little cat naps, and then by 10:30 or so she settles down for the night.

Ultimately, my question is this- do you wake a sleeping baby to feed them? Especially if she's gone past the recommended 3 to 4 hours? Thanks in advance for any advice you are willing to share with me!

5 weeks old and smiling up a storm!

I'm so amazed I actually captured a cute picture of her eyes open and a little smile! I love that Leinna is smiling spontaneously and finding her voice. The other morning I just sat in her room listening to her talking in her sleep. At one point she was full out laughing! I wonder what a 5 week old baby would find so funny to dream about? Other news to report about Leinna is that she rolled over the other day. I had her laying on her stomach and before I knew it she rolled over to her back. I thought it was pure luck, so I put her back on her stomach and she did it again! Wow- just so amazed at how much she has changed already.

I'm doing well. We've had a house full of guests so I really didn't get a chance to settle into what life is going to be like. Our company left this morning so we have about 2 weeks before my parents arrive. Leif plans to go into work- so it'll be interesting to see what my "new life" is going to be like. I must admit that I'm finding it difficult to not have a classroom to go to. August is usually my month where I get excited about the upcoming school year. I usually spend a couple hours in my room each day- decorating, reading files, preparing lesson plans. It's just weird after 8 years of teaching to not have a job to go prepare for. I just need to shift my thinking from wanting to prepare a classroom for the new school year to now my job is to prepare my daughter for life! That should be an easy shift in thinking? Right?!?

Well, the little peanut is sound asleep- I should get a few more things checked off the to do list before my day with her begins. Many blessings to all!!

After Bath Hair Do!

Okay- so I couldn't resist messing with Leinna's hair after her bath today. I never realized how fast her hair dries. So, by the time I had her diaper on and clean clothes, her hair dried in this position! I was laughing so hard and just couldn't resist taking a picture. Poor thing- I had to wet her brush to comb her hair back down.

1 Month Old

Can you believe I'm a month old today! My poppa even let me wear pink today to celebrate :>)

My momma keeps capturing pictures with my eye looking droopy- but it really does open all the way! My newest tricks: smile and it's not because of gas, I get the giggles when I sleep - or so I'm told, kicking my legs so hard that I almost roll over onto my side, and fussing to have my diaper changed and then waiting for the new diaper to do the number 2 in it!

I'm so glad to be home and so thankful for all the wonderful meals friends have brought over. It's also been fun meeting all of momma and poppa's friends. Well world- it's not raining too bad out right now so maybe my mom will take me for a walk. I love being outside and looking at the trees!

A Mother's Intuition

I'm consistently amazed that no one has come to take Leinna Daisy away! I keep thinking that I'm just babysitting and that Leinna's real mom will be coming soon to take her. Then it dawns on me that I am her real mother!

4 weeks ago today, Leinna Daisy was introduced to this crazy world. As a new mom you are given advice from so many different resources and people. First, there are a million books to read before the baby is even born not to mention websites that offer monthly advice and support groups. Each book/website stating something a little different about proper care for the umbilical cord to diaper changing to feeding. Then there was the nursing staff, doctors and lactation consultants at the hospital. Each wonderful person had just a different way of doing things, from how to hold Leinna, sooth her and even how to feed her. Then if you have family or friends stopping by, they too (with the best of intentions) have advice.

Finally, just this week I realized the one person I haven't been listening to is myself. Sure I may be a new mom, but a mother's intuition seems like the best advice to follow. I still read the books, check the websites and ask family and friends for advice- but ultimately I have to make the decision on what is best for Leinna. The past 4 weeks I've been waiting for someone to tell me what to do or to come barging into my house to tell me I'm doing something wrong. Well, neither of these things have happened, so now it's time to relax and trust my own intuition.