First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday, probably because it is the one holiday that we declared our own when we moved in together. All of our Thanksgiving traditions are ours, made up together over the years, which is why we dared to host the feast again this year even though we have a six week old to keeping us busy. We just couldn't wait to share them with Amelia. As a bonus, she got to meet her grandpa and her uncles Nick and Tim, who joined us for the weekend. The super cute turkey bib is a present from Uncle Tim.


Unfortunately, she didn't like it very much. Hopefully, it still fits next year.

Hanging out with Grandpa.

Smiles for Uncle Tim.

Uncle Nick must be boring.

Thanksgiving table.

Assessing the turkey (named Theo this year).

Finished turkey.

The crowd.

No kids table yet.

Someone has had enough and it is not Amelia.

One Month

Whoa. It's been one month since Amelia arrived and completely rocked our world. Obviously, life is very different around here these days. For instance, for the foreseeable future, this blog will be strictly baby related. It takes all of the energy we have just to make sure the dishes get washed and the garbage gets taken out, so there will be no house projects any time soon (unless Jason's Dad and brothers want to do a little work when they come to visit. Hint, hint!).

Apart from her habit of depriving us of precious hours of sleep, Amelia is very sweet and rather amusing. If I don't get to sleep, cuddling her as she falls asleep is a pretty good alternative. At her one month appointment today she clocked in at 8 lbs 2 oz and 21 and 3/4 inches. This week she outgrew her newborn clothes, went out for ice cream for the first time, and started checking out all of her great gear, like the moby wrap, play mat, and bouncy chair.

William Senior

I've been thinking about my grandfather the last two days. November 10 and 11 were always very important to him. I miss him and I love this photo of us and felt like sharing.

Three Weeks

This week Amelia gained a pound and grew an inch! (She's now 7 lbs 5 oz, 20 inches.) She also took her first bath.

(Please pardon my enormous boobs. Jason was obviously the photographer here.)

Sadly, Nana left for Texas today, so we're on our own for the first time. I managed to both eat lunch and take a shower, so I'm calling today a success.

Two Weeks

Amelia is two weeks old today! This week she met The Lindas (aka Grammy and Nana).

She exceeded her birth weight. She's now a whopping 6 lbs 4 oz -- and growing!

And, she's started staying awake for longer stretches--up to three hours (and not always in the middle of the night!).

Oh, Yes, We Did

Is it any surprise that we are not above posing our infant daughter along side baking staples? (See Olive in the cereal bowl, if there is any doubt.) We've been calling her a little sack of sugar since we got home, so of course we couldn't resist.

One Week

Amelia is already one week old! We can't believe it. Things we've learned about her so far:

1. She likes to sleep

2. She hates having her arms swaddled

3. She already does a great impression of Montgomery Burns, which sadly we've yet to catch on film.

Note: The clothes in these photos are courtesy of my awesome friend Rachel who overnighted a box of preemie clothes to us that her own wee, tiny girl, born last month, just outgrew. Thanks, Rachel!!

Firsts

Yesterday's goals were:

1. Shower
2. Go for a walk

We managed to do both!

One of the reasons I was most excited to become a parent was the thought that everyday things would suddenly be brand new again. Everything is new to Amelia. Our lives are suddenly full of "firsts." Which is, of course, why a stroll around our neighborhood yesterday afternoon, something we've done dozens of times, became a camera worthy event. Here is Amelia on her first walk around the neighborhood:

Our Best Project EVER

Look what we did! Amelia Linda Valentine arrived ahead of schedule on Friday, October 16, 2009, at 12:11 a.m., 5 lbs 13 oz., 19 in.

Unlike our dear old house, no improvements necessary. We think she's pretty much perfect.

Welcome to The Nest!

We spent almost the entire holiday weekend and a little bit of this past week finishing up the nursery. (Accidentally gouging a hole in the ceiling while trying to hang the mobile and then repairing said ceiling drug out the process a few days longer than planned.) We're super excited about how it turned out. Come on in and check it out!

I think I've mentioned a million times how tiny and odd this room is (6 ft x 14 ft), but I'll point it out again. The only way to get the wide shot below was by crawling inside the closet. (Camera geeks feel free to make your recommendations. We're looking to upgrade.)

The following are a few shots of the much ballyhooed Eames molded plastic rocker that we waited for all summer. I'm so happy we splurged on it. It's quite comfortable and is possibly the only rocker in existence that would fit in this room. The pillow is from Urban Outfitters and is one of the very first things I bought for the nursery because for some reason it reminds of the Madeline books.

A close up on the bookshelves. The bins don't have anything in them at the moment, but I'm sure they'll fill up with toys quickly.

The wall decals were a blast to put up. These are from the lovemaestore on etsy.

The dresser is from Ikea, but I dressed it up with new knobs from Anthroplogie. (That's the birds nest print that inspired the bird theme, btw.)

The crib bedding is a combination of Pottery Barn Kids, Dwell for Target, and Carter's. (Yes, Olive will be staring down on her while she sleeps.)

And now, my absolute favorite part of the room:

The tree decal is from Dali Decals, also on etsy. It took both of us to put it up and required a lot of intense concentration and patience. I'm proud to say there was no cursing involved.

I love how the lovemae decals and the tree decal work together. I really wasn't sure if they would when I ordered them.

Of course, it wouldn't be one of our projects if it wasn't slightly unfinished. We still want to install a new light fixture (purchased, just need to remember to call the electrician one of these days!) and I'd love to replace the blinds with shades. Unfortunately, the process of measuring for and selecting shades is completely intimidating to me, so who knows if that will ever happen. Oh, and of course, we need the baby to make it really complete. For now, we're content to wait patiently.