I CAN do this!

Today was my first day home alone with the baby. The last of the grandparents left yesterday, and Jeff is at work today. It is 4pm, and Lauren and I had a very nice day together. She was a very good girl last night, and although she had to eat every 2-3 hours, she went back to sleep very nicely after eating almost every time. This is a big improvement for my little insomniac. So, we started out the day relatively well rested. I was able to eat both breakfast and lunch, and since Lauren's umbilical cord finally fell off this am, I was able to give her a real bath in her little tub. It went so well, and she was happy afterwards, so I put her in her bouncy chair and managed to get a bath myself. That is right- we both are clean and well fed. My attempt to nap while she napped- a huge failure, but I am taking my victories as outnumbering the one failure- what a nice day. I just need to figure out how to get her to nap on her own during the day and we are in the clear. In summary, I am going to survive my maternity leave and can take care of the baby on my own. Hurray!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Lauren, Casey, Jeff and Nicole. Lauren is wearing her Christmas gown that was made with love by grandma Veryl. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Lauren's first photo shoot

Lauren's 2 week pictures. Can you believe how gorgeous she is?

Lauren

Lauren loves her mini-boppy

Lauren got a very cute pink mini-boppy pillow from our friend Danielle. She can do tummy time or prop up to look around. She is so cute I can hardly take it!

Lauren photos

Lauren and daddy- getting to know each other. Jeff is really great with her- he is getting the hang of everything, and is much better at getting her clothes on than I am- those tiny arm holes are so tricky, I am afraid to hurt her arms!

Grandma Veryl gets to meet her sweetie for the first time.

Argh! I'm a pirate!

Casey and Lauren hanging out. Casey doesn't seem to mind the baby, but is pretty ticked off at his mommy still- he is on a hunger strike right now.

Lauren's liquor store run

For Lauren's 1 week birthday, we took her on her first liquor store run- classy huh? To those Denverites- you may have noticed that argonaut built a brand new store, and we were anxious to check it out. You can see that our new stroller even has a beer-holder (although Colt 45 would probably not be my beer of choice).
We also made a trip to the grocery store and bought our Christmas tree, but wouldn't you know I dont have photos of that trip- I got worn out from the liquor store so Lauren and I sat in the car. Once we decorate it, I will post some photos. Sorry about the lack of posting- this new baby stuff is harder than I expected. Lauren doesn't sleep at night- like basically she just screams from 11pm to 6 or 7am. This is gonna be hard...

Welcome Lauren Grace!

Introducing Lauren Grace
Born 12/6/08 at 3:06pm
8 lb 11 oz and 22 inches

Everything went very well, and we are all happy and healthy. She is the most beautiful miracle- our lives are so changed. It has been a whirl-wind few days- so many wonderful moments- so very little sleep. She is a nice baby who growls and squeeks more than actually cries. Her eyes are pretty almond-shaped and slate blue- sure to change, I bet. She has light brown hair, and a perfect pink mouth. She is pretty big for a newborn, but still so tiny she amazes us both. Some of her newborn clothes are roomy on her, she is mostly long and lean rather than chubby. I think she may turn out to be a super-model, Jeff is thinking basketball player.

Enjoy the photos- we have taken literally hundreds so far, so stay tuned for more to come...

Overdue and blue

We went to the OB again yesterday, the update is not exciting. Nothing at all going on with the baby- zero signs that I am getting ready for labor. This could be a while, and might not happen on its own. So please dont hold your breath waiting for our excited phone call. We are just going to work and going on about life, in the next day or so we may have a back-up plan finalized in case I dont go into labor by the weekend- and it doesn't seem super likely that I will. In the meantime- say a prayer for us that my body cooperates and we can meet baby soon- I am really sad and down-in-the-dumps about this dissapointing news. Will keep everyone posted if any changes. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!

Blue Topaz

Well, looks like Diva baby has made the decision to have a December birthday. Wise choice actually, because the birthstone for December is the blue topaz- very pretty. Much nicer than the yellow-ish brown topaz for november. Jeff and I are still working today, much to our chagrin. What else to do while your waiting for the baby to be born? Perhaps we should not have been so proactive in preparing for her birth- we could have spent today frantically painting her room or putting together her crib or something? Stay tuned, I am sure she is coming soon...