The Best of Week 4

(Enjoying her super-soft blanket hand-made by Daddy's co-worker Jeanette!)

Well, what do you know...another awesome week with our sweet baby girl. We continue to enjoy the heck out of her. She makes us smile all the time and now she herself is starting to show signs of consistent smiling! Most of her smiles are reserved for her Daddy. The have such a good time together. I wish you all could see just how amazing John is with her every day. Lola hit the Daddy jackpot!

Enjoy this week's slideshow...stay tuned for big news on Monday...her 1 month stats! Woo hoo!

CLICK HERE to see The Best of Week 4 Slideshow

Oh Crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The 4 double C batteries that power the bouncy seat ran out during dinner tonight! And we don't have extra batteries on hand. Did I miss the part in the parenting handbook that says keep back-up batteries on hand in case of emergency?!?!?!?

Out of all the great advice we received, how did this crucial piece get lost?!

:)

Daddy's Father's Day Present

John's favorite Disney movie is Pinocchio. He loves the message of the movie and can't wait to watch it with Lola. When she was still in the womb, he'd play "When You Wish Upon A Star" for her. So as a surprise for Father's Day, I had this onesie made for him for her to wear once she arrived. We wished upon a star...and she came true!

The onsie reads....I'm what happens "When You Wish Upon A Star"

She makes everything look cute!

She loves the bath!

We were finally able to give her a real bath this weekend since her umbilical cord fell off last week! And the verdict is....she loves it! And because she loves it, so do we! It was fun to watch her try and figure out what this new fangled substance called "water" was. Before we know it, she's goning to really be splishin' and splashin' all over the place!

Discovery

Just a quick post...I promise to share some new pics later today. We got some good ones over the weekend! :)

I noticed today that Lola has finally discovered the little bumble bee that hangs above her bouncy seat today! She seemed to be fascinated by it and I swear she was trying to reach it with her little hands too! It's so fun to watch her change and discover the world around her. And this is only the beginning!

I'm also quite certain that she grew over night...literally! When I was nursing her this morning I had to do a double take. I asked her "Did you grow over night?!". My mom said they grow when they sleep. I think that might be true. I am SO EXCITED for her one month check up next week. I can't wait to see how much she weighs and how long she is! I'm not, however, looking forward to her getting the second round of her Hep B shot! :( Thankfully Grandma will be there for support!

More later...xoxo
Kristen & Lola

The Best of Week 3

She's 3 weeks old tomorrow. Can you believe it?! We can't! It's like our life was a puzzle and she was the missing piece. She's now in place and the picture is so complete. That's how perfectly she fits into our hearts and lives.

She keeps eating and growing. Mommy is very curious to find out how much she weighs. I know she's gained, but her little chicken legs are still swimming in the newborn size pants! We'll get alot of use out of all her pretty clothes though, that is for sure!

Both Grandma Sue and Grandma Kiki got some babysitting experience in this week (and did a fantastic job!!!). I had to attend work orientations Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings so I had to be away from Lola for a few hours. I'm proud to say I survived. I knew she was in the best of care so I didn't worry about her for a second-though I did miss her like crazy. It was a nice little insight to what going back 2 days a week will be like come October. Daddy is our hero--he gets up every morning and goes to work, but can't wait to walk through the door and scoop his Lola-Bear right up! (As you can see from this week's pictures).

I'm finding I've never been more motivated in my life! I used to say "ah, I'll get to it later."...Later no longer exists! If I get a few minutes of her being content in the bouncy chair or her swing or her buggy from a walk-induced nap, I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to cross things off my to-do list. Somehow though, every time I cross something off, another thing sneaks it's way on to the list. That's ok, all this running around should help me shed those pounds I packed on while she was cookin' on the inside...I did kind of over do it with the chocolate milkshakes!

Well that's a little insight into our world at the moment. We hope you enjoy this week's pictures. CLICK HERE to see The Best of Week 3 Slideshow

Just after her bath...

Our first play date

What an AWESOME day we had yesterday. Mommy had to go to a work thing bright and early in the morning, so Grandma Kiki came over to sit with Lola for a little bit. When Mommy got home, Auntie Tracy and Parker came over! We headed to Potbelly for lunch and then a little Babies R Us stop. On the way home, we stopped at Auntie Alissa and Ellyana's house for a fun play date for a few hours. Then we came home and Auntie Tracy whipped up one incredible meal of meatloaf, hash brown casserole and green beans and for dessert, chocolate covered peanut butter and nilla wafers! How amazing is she?! Uncle Chris and Daddy took the train home together and we all got to enjoy a great dinner and visit. We can't wait to get our babies together again in a few weeks! We love you guys, you're the best! xoxoxoxo

Parker calling Lola up for a date...

Auntie Tracy working her magic...

Lola slept through the majority of her play date!

The Best of Week 2

This was only our second week with our little Lola, but we feel like she is already changing so much. There's no doubt she's gotten bigger already (maybe because she wants to nurse practically EVERY hour on the hour), but she's also changing in her personality--she stays awake and alert for extended periods at a time and loves to stare into our eyes and study our faces. We think she's realizing who Mommy & Daddy are!

We had more visitors this week coming over to meet and spend time with Lola. There's never a shortage of love being showered upon her! She is enjoying every second of it.

CLICK HERE to see The Best of Week 2 Slideshow.

Picture of the Day

Uh-oh, Mommy found a bonnet in my closet this morning!

Picture of the Day

Playing on the gym mat Ellyana let me borrow! :)

Picture of the Day

John's coversation with Mom yesterday:

Mom: I want a new picture sent every day.

John: Ok...

Mom: I'm serious.

Can you blame her?! I'll try to be a good daughter-in-law and do as she asks. So here's today's pictures of the day:

All dressed up for Mommy's Doctor appointment this morning...

Rockin' my booties from GiGi (Great-Grandma Gracie)

Lola at the Farmer's Markets

We were blessed with beautiful weather yesterday and today so we packed up Lola-Bear and headed out to the Tinley Park Farmer's Market yesterday along Oak Park Ave. and then headed to Downtown Frankfort to enjoy their great Farmer's Market today as well. It was a great two days to end a wonderful week with Grandma & Papa H!

FRANKFORT

Stopping for Ice Cream A rose for my Rose
Nothing says "organic" like nursing at a Farmer's Market

Grandma & Papa H

Mommy & Daddy with Lola

TINLEY PARK

In front of the old Rock Island Engine

Close up of our sleeping beauty

Farmer's Market on Oak Park Ave.

Admiring God's gift

The native New Yorkers on the NYC bench

Hello Lady Liberty

Daddy's Girl

Feeding Lola to T-Rex (not to worry, he's made of wood)

More with Grandma & Papa H

A family of THREE! :)

The Best of Week 1

We came home from the hospital on Monday, August 4 and started living life as a family of 3, surrounded by a ton of love from our family and friends. It has been the best week of our lives to say the least!

CLICK HERE to see the Best of Week 1 slideshow

Happy One Week Birthday Lola-Bear!

Tonight was beyond wonderful. We had all of Kristen's family over for dinner and cake so they could spend some time with John's parents before they have to leave on Sunday. And of course, so everyone could meet Lola! It was just wonderful from start to finish. She got passed around all night and didn't fuss once (of course until it was time for a diaper change!) and received many more wonderful gifts. The generosity we have been shown by the ones we love has made us feel blessed beyond belief.

She is such a happy & content baby, she makes us feel like being parents is the easiest job in the world. This past week has been the most amazing of our lives and we can't wait for the weeks and months to come as we continue to grow more and more in love with Lola!

CLICK HERE to enjoy MANY, MANY more pictures of our wonderful evening!

Lola's first cake from Creative Cakes (thanks Grandma & Papa H)

Mmmmmmm....cake!
Lola got into the cake a little, so mommy gladly licked that frosting right off!

Daddy snuggling his Lola-Bear after everyone left for the night.

Mommy holding Lola before the party. She's feeling better everyday!

All this partying makes a girl sleepy!

Lola's First Walk

The weather was so comfortable yesterday and perfect to take our Lola out for her very first walk. So we broke out the Bugaboo and strolled our peanut down the street. Grandma & Papa came along too. I had to cut the walk short because I was having a tad bit of pain, so they kept walking down the block while John & I went back home. As they continued their walk, we wondered if they'd walk all the way back to Florida with her! They are so in love and are enjoying every second with her. I can't tell you how amazing it has been to have them with us this first week. Saying good-bye on Sunday is going to be torture! We love them so...

Lola's First Pedi Appointment

On Tuesday morning, we headed out for Lola's first peditrican appointment. We are using a practice that came highly recomended by my good friend Alissa. She has been very happy with how they've cared for Ellyana in the past year and I completely trust her judgement!

When we arrived, I was so impressed to see that not only did they have 2 different waiting rooms (one for healthy kids, one for sick kids) but they also had a newborn waiting area where they had us sit. We walked in and there were two cushioned gliders and a changing table stocked with free formula. I grabbed two cans, just in case, though Lola seems to have gotten the hang of nursing!

We met with the nurse and then Dr. Egland came in to check out our little Lola-Bear. She said her coloring looked great and was impressed when she put her on her tummy that she was already starting to pick up her head. The way she moves it sometimes reminds me of a turtle peeking out from his shell. When she was weighed, we discovered she had gotten up to 6 lbs. 12 oz. She was 6 lbs. 9 oz. when we left the hospital Monday. We go back on Friday for another weight check, but hopefully she'll be back up to her birth weight soon.

The doctor asked if I had any worries or concerns and my only worry was that she seemed to be having a problem latching on to me since we came home from the hospital (which promted me to give her a little formula through the bottle). So the doctor watched her feed and sure enough, she latched on perfectly and nursed for a good 20 minutes. Hmmm...already making Mommy tell fibs! She's a character and we love her to pieces!

Thanks Tracy!

Our dear friends Chris & Tracy came to visit us Sunday night in the hospital. It was so wonderful to see them at this special time. They are great friends and recently became the proud parents of Lola's future husband, Parker Lee! :)

Tracy captured some wonderful pictures of mom, dad and baby with her camera and shared them with us today, so of course I'm sharing them with you all....

CLICK HERE to see Tracy's slideshow of Baby Lola!

PS...And a special treat, there are some pics of Parker Lee himself as well. Mom & Dad sat with him in the lobby so we could visit with Chris & Tracy. I walked down to see him and oh my! is he growing! A little rugby player in the making! Too cute...

Lola Arrives

She came into our lives on Friday, August 1st. We spent the next few days recovering and falling madly in love with our little Lola. We had many visitors and countless phone calls wishing us well and checking in on us. I keep saying she's the luckiest girl in the world--she's already been showered with so much love and affection.

I created a slide show of pics and will probably continue to do this as she grows. CLICK HERE to see Lola's first few days...

Our Nine Month Miracle

Isn't she lovely

Isn't she wonderful

Isn't she precious

Less than one minute old

I can't believe what God has done

Through us he's given life to one

But isn't she lovely made from love
-Stevie Wonder