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Thursday, October 16, 2008

On Tuesday night, Peyton slept from 11:30 p.m to 8:30 a.m.!!! Absolutely incredible, especially for a seven week old baby. I was skeptical that it would happen again last night and I was right. She only slept from midnight to 4 a.m. - not good at all. I have been trying to get Brad to practice feeding her and putting her down at night because I go back to work in a week and half and I will be doing night shift, thus meaning Brad will be taking care of Peyton on his own at nights (only three nights a week though). I think he is having a difficult time with it and gets frustrated easily. However, he needs to keep practicing so they both will be able to sleep through the night.

Peyton and I went for a walk in her spiffy stroller this afternoon. There are two things she really likes: walks and baths. Today the weather was perfect and she was awake for most of the walk, looking around at the surroundings. I am sure she can't see much past the stroller, but she is cute when she looks like she is observing what's going on around her. I have also become extremely protective of Peyton. I don't like to walk on the sidewalks since they are incredibly bumpy and I'm afraid I am going to give Peyton her first concussion. So, I end up walking on the street, but only because the streets in our neighborhood or where I walk are extremely wide so there is plenty of room for cars to pass. Yet, some cars still come very close to us and at high speeds. That really just makes me mad. I think I might start taking a carton of eggs with me on our walks and hurl eggs at those cars who come too close to us while they are speeding. Maybe that will get the point across. What do you think?

Well she just ate and she is in her swing now looking around the room and following the dogs with her eyes as they walk around. Since she is content, I guess I will go clean up the house. It is amazing how much I have to clean on a daily basis. I wish Brad would help clean up more often. Maybe one day. We shall see.

Ok, talk later!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Visit with Mama C and Gran Jack

Brad's parents, Jack and Carolyn, came up to visit this past weekend. This was the first time they have seen Peyton since she was born, and they were amazed at how big she has gotten! As soon as they walked in the front door, they immediately dropped everything and picked Peyton up to play. Peyton was an angel and practiced her smiling all weekend; she smiled whenever Mama C spoke to her and when Gran Jack made his funny noises. Jack and Carolyn gave Brad and me a much needed break, and we were able to get out of the house and run some errands. It truly is amazing how hard it is to get ready with a newborn. It takes me at least two hours to get her and myself ready and out of the house to run errands. I have to make sure she is fed, has a clean diaper, has a clean outfit on, and make sure the diaper bag is filled with emergency items - extra bottles, diapers, wipes, outfits, burp clothes, pacifiers, and so on. Peyton seems to know when I am about to take a shower. She picks that exact moment as I am about to step into the shower to start screaming and crying, wanting to be held. You never realize or appreciate the luxury of having time to take a shower before kids. I definitely learned the hard way. Anyways, it was great to see Jack and Carolyn and I think they had a blast visiting with their granddaughter.





Peyton is still growing. I think babies have growth spurts at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Well, it seems as if Peyton has had a growth spurt since she left the hospital. I can almost promise you she now weighs 11 pounds, most likely close to 12 pounds. She definitely is a porker!!! Brad and I are hoping she will grow up to be a soccer player like us, but we may have to settle for the first female linebacker ever (Roll Tide!) (apologies to Brad's family). A good friend of mine, also a fellow moma, has reassured me that Peyton will slim down once she is mobile, which I have a feeling won't be too long from now. She can hold her head up on her own for long periods of time and has been able to do so for several weeks now. She is incredibly strong and incredibly feisty/wiggly. She goes back to the doctors on November 4th for her two month visit and to get more vaccinations. She is getting a total of four shots!!! Definitely will be giving her Tylenol beforehand, poor thing.





I have attached more recent pictures of Peyton. I still haven't downloaded the ones from this past weekend but I will do that soon. Hope you enjoy them!




Holding the bottle all by herself!


Sweet as an angel when sleeping...





Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Introduction!

I finally have found time to start a much needed blog that revolves around our precious daughter, Peyton! I hope friends and family will be able to view this blog and be continuously updated on our evolving lives as parents. Most likely there will be entries that make you wonder if we still have some sanity within us, but hopefully those will be limited!

Just a brief introduction to our family. Brad and I met during the summer of 2004 as we played on the same indoor soccer team. Although we had games every week, our conversations were limited. Then out of the blue, Brad invited me out to have a drink to celebrate my 24th birthday after one of our late night games. That night, after a year of barely talking, we spent 5 hours conversing about anything and everything. We both knew then that we had found something incredibly special. We have been together ever since! During our years together, we have rescued two wonderful dogs, Ranger and Jackson. Ranger, who will be three years old in November, is an Australian shepherd mix who loves to snuggle and visit with humans! Jackson, a German shepherd/lab mix, is our massive guardian of the house. He just turned two years old and weighs 100 pounds! We plan to rescue several more dogs in the near future and encourage anyone and everyone to do so as well. It truly is a rewarding experience.

Brad and I recently bought a fabulous house in Homewood, Alabama and hurried to get the house, especially the nursery, ready in time for Peyton's arrival. She finally made her dramatic entry into this world (after 26 hours of labor, she very stubbornly refused to come out and caused her mom to have a c-section!) on August 27th at 6:43 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs and 4 oz and had a headful of red hair! She was proud and determined to let the world know that she had a set of perfectly healthy lungs; she cried for hours and hours and I started to wonder if I had made a huge mistake.

Peyton is six weeks old today and weighs a very healthy 10 pounds! She jumped from 25% to 75% in weight in a matter of four weeks; she definitely loves to eat!! For a few weeks, Peyton and I struggled with her feedings. She would cry for hours after each feeding and have bellyaches. The doctor confirmed what I had already suspected - Peyton is lactose intolerant. We finally found a formula that she tolerates very well (Similac Sensitive (for gasiness and fussiness, lactose-free)). I am going to try to reintroduce breast milk back into her diet in a few weeks since she is older and hopefully will tolerate it better. We shall see how that goes.

Ok, that is enough for now!