5 weeks

It is hard to believe it was five weeks ago today that we delivered her! Our next doc appt is not until November 25, but my best measurements show that she is 23 inches long and just at 9 lbs! She is growing and changing each day. Today is a big day... it is also our 1st wedding anniversary! It has been quite an amazing year for us! Today has been a good day. Grandmom came over to offer some relief so I could take a much needed nap and get some things done around the house. Tonight Jessica and Porter are coming over to sit with her while we go out for dinner. She is still struggling to find the difference between day and night. Each night is different, but she is sleeping for longer periods of time more frequently. Just as I say that though she will have a terrible night like last night when she demanded to eat every 1 1/2 to 2 hours! Growth spurt perhaps? :-) Below are a few recent photos and a short video of her "playing." She is really starting to enjoy some of her toys and I find that she is truly tracking with her eyes and following sounds and colors as well. It won't be long before she is figuring out all of the bells and whistles!

Big Girl!

This morning we were playing in the nursery and decided to try the bumbo seat. Anna Claire has been showing some great signs of strength. Her neck muscles are so strong for such a little thing! She can sit in the bumbo for a few minutes before she gets tired and starts melting. I got a few shots of her in the seat!

All is well... the past few days she has been a bit fussy. She loves being held - so nap time is difficult for her unless she is being held. It is tempting to hold her all the time, but I am trying my best to put her down anyhow! The nights do seem to be slowly getting better. She is sleeping for 2 to 3 hour stretches, which is an improvement! We increased her feedings to 3 1/2 to 4 ounces per feeding. She is still eating every 2 to 3 hours like clockwork, but seems more satisfied after each feeding. Any advice from you Mom's out there on sleep patterns or lack thereof?!?

4 Week Pics and Visit with Uncle Chris!

Anna Claire and I made a trip to Danville yesterday to visit with Uncle Chris. He flew in from Houston to meet his niece for the first time! We are sad his visit was so short, but we had a lot of fun! Chris spoiled her with a new toy and a couple of very cute outfits. We miss him already!

4 weeks!

I cannot believe that it has been 4 weeks since delivery! She is growing and changing and teaching us something new every day! Our next doc appt is not until Nov. 5th, but I suspect that she is close to 8 lbs and has grown a bit in height as well. She is now wearing the regular new born sizes (bu-bye preemie!) and some 0-3 months. She is such a content baby, but still comes alive around 11 PM! All in all we are lucky to have such a good baby... we are just trying to be patient until she figures out that we are supposed to play when the sun comes up and sleep when the sun goes down! Unfortunately this lack of a routine means Mom and Dad still aren't getting much sleep. Brad returned to work today after having nearly a month off... what a blessing to have him at home for that long! After a minimal break down last night before he went to bed and a few tears this morning, I actually did OK the first day home alone with Anna Claire! The main issue is going to be finding the time to rest. I don't want Brad up half the night when we has to work 10 hours the next day. We are cutting his duties back to 1 night feeding so he can rest a little more. Since I don't return to work until Jan. 5th I will endure the nights! I need to be better about sleeping and napping in between feedings during the day. Easier said than done when I still have things to do around the house and have the urge to pack her up and get out at least once a day for errands, walking etc. What a process to get her out the door!

AC and I are off to Danville tomorrow to visit with Uncle Chris for the first time! I promise to post pics on Sunday!

2 Weeks and counting...

We had our 2 week check up today with Dr. Childers. Anna Claire is now 20 1/4 inches long and weighs almost 7 1/2 lbs! She is certainly growing quickly and packing on the lbs!

Now that I am feeling better and we are adjusting to life with a newborn, I am going to try to post photos at least once a week so everyone can keep up with how she is changing! We adore her and are having so much fun, despite the sleepless nights!

This past weekend we vacated to Danville to spend some time with Honey and Poppy. It was nice to have home cooked meals and plenty of help with the baby. Brad and I left feeling well rested and Anna Claire thoroughly enjoyed being pampered and spoiled by her grandparents! She also go to meet her Great Granddaddy and Grandmommy. Anna Claire was named after my Grandmommy and after Brad's maternal grandmother, who share the name Anna. See a picture of AC and one of her namesakes below! While we were in Danville we also got to visit with cousin Caitlin as she was in from Mexico, Aunt Kathy, Ruby and several other family members and friends. Anna really enjoyed having her baths out on the deck in the warm sun!

We took AC to have her picture taken today... the last photo is my fave from everything we purchased. This is not a good depiction of how great this photo is as it is a picture of a picture, but don't worry - we have plenty of copies to share with family and friends!

More to follow soon!