doctor visits.

mary has been healthy since conception and we are so blessed!  she has been to the pediatrician 4 times and all have been for well-visits.  i'm even more impressed because we live in the wellness center (infirmary), which is also where i work, and she's been exposed, indirectly, to the cold the boys have been passing around.  but neither she nor i have gotten sick (knock on wood) and hopefully we'll keep it that way for awhile.

i have taken a picture of her on the scale at all of her major check-ups.  (the first visit was just a weight check when she was 6 days old.)  but i thought it would be fun to keep up with her visits and measurements and be able to scroll through and see how she is growing.

Birth (6/26/12) :  7 lbs. 0.5 oz.  19 1/2 inches

(we have pictures of her on the scale but promised not to post naked pictures of her on here.)

6 Days (7/2/12) :  6 lbs. 12.5 oz.

(she was so teeny in her carseat!)

2 weeks (7/10/12) :  7 lbs. 4.5 oz.   20 1/4 inches

5 weeks (7/31/12) :  8 lbs. 9.5 oz.   21 1/2 inches

2 months (10 weeks) 9/7/12 :  10 lbs. 11.5 oz.  23 1/2 inches

favorite baby items.

we have lots of items for mary.  a few of them have made our favorites list.  seriously.  i don't think we could survive a day without some of them.  i know every baby is different but here is what we love and what mary loves...

Munchkin Deluxe Bottle and Food Warmer:

jay found this little gem after some research at walmart.  it's easy to use and has a timer.  and it is fast!

Tommee Tippee Bottles:

i love these and so does mary.  the nipples are very pliable and mary has never had an issue going back and forth between me and the bottles.

iSleep iPhone/iPod App:

i have slept with a sound machine since nursing school and got jay used to it as well.  we have mary used to it as well and it's so great having it on our phones.  we have it anywhere and everywhere we go.  the noisier a place is the better for her thanks to the noise.  

Burt's Bees Baby Bee Shampoo and Wash:

i love this!  it is almost 100% natural and the smell is divine.  mary enjoys playing in the bath and i love how sweet she smells afterwards.

Soothie Pacifiers:

this is the only kind she will take.  i have tried, and still do from time to time, to give her a different kind and she gets mad.  so we all love the soothie in our house.

Summer Infant Swaddle Me Blankets:

i swaddled babies in the hospital for many years.  i have swaddled mary at night since birth and she now knows it as part of her bedtime routine.  after about 3 weeks she was able to wiggle her way out of my super-snug swaddle jobs.  so we moved on to these blankets and we love it and use them every night.  

Chicco Travel System:

i love this brand.  it is so simple to use and it is the second-safest seat on the market.  the stroller is also easy to open and close.  

Boppy Pillow:

we love this!  it gives mary a comfy place to lay while she eats and it has been super great as she gets bigger (and heavier!).  she also likes to lay propped up in it, and has for awhile, to watch the fan or (now) the tv.  

Medela Freestyle Pump:

i have this on loan from my friend rachel and as soon as i send her a check, it'll be mine!  this is a great pump and has come in handy since we came home from the hospital.  it's tiny and portable and we can go 4-5 days in between battery charges.  i have a great supply with pumping and breast feeding and i know it's in large part to this pump.

Summer Infant Right Height Center Tub:

jay picked this out when we spent 2 hours registering in babies 'r' us.  he did a great job.  the infant insert was great for our sink before i put her in the tub.  and the blue base, which can also be used as a seat for me when she can sit up in the white tub and as a step stool for her when she is big enough to use the sink for hand-washing and brushing her teeth.  it has so many transitional pieces and uses- it was a great find.

Graco Lovin' Hug Plug-In Infant Swing:

mary hasn't always loved the swing but for the last 1-2 months she has really come to enjoy it.  she naps in it and seems to know it as a comfy place.  jay and i love that it plugs in so it's one less thing that needs batteries.  

Bright Starts Ingenuity Bouncer:

this is wonderful... it is an automatic bouncer that also has a sound feature.  the cover is very soft and mary has loved this since the day we first put her in it. she can make it bounce just fine on her own but the auto feature is still handy when she's tired.  

there are lots of other things that we love and have come in very handy during our first 3 months but we couldn't have survived without these items.

two months.

Dear Mary,

You have been a "2 month old" for almost a month now!  I am behind on blogging since school has started and when I am not working I love to spend my time with you.  (And when you are napping I take advantage and shower and wash dishes and do laundry.  I obviously am not blogging!)  You are continuing to grow and change so much.  You are doing something new every day it seems.

You flash your sweet smiles at us a lot.  You share your smiles with others, too.  So far you have not met a stranger and hopefully you will always be friendly.  You have a beautiful smile and when you smile, you smile with your entire face.  You are very curious of your surroundings and very observant.  I am certain you can see and focus on things that are farther away than what you should be seeing.  It is fun to watch you learn about the world.

Since your one month post/pictures, you have had a 5 week check-up and a 2 month check up (10 weeks) with Dr. Love.  You are growing so much!  At your 5 week appointment you were 8 lbs. 9.5 oz and 21 1/2 inches long.  By 10 weeks you were 10 lbs. 11.5 oz and 23 1/2 inches long.  You are still a great eater and are doing well going from eating from me and your bottles.  You have only eaten breast milk so far in your little life and I am so happy to be able to provide it for you.

You are a fantastic sleeper! You have been sleeping through the night since you were 5 weeks old.  Now you eat and go down between 10-11pm and when I work I wake you to eat at 5:45am but you usually go right back to sleep and sleep for another 2-3 hours.  When I don't have to be up for work you sleep until 7-8am.  I love that you love sleep as much as I do.  We still swaddle you at night and you still sleep in the bassinet in our room.  You are about to outgrow it, however, so we will be transitioning you to your crib soon.  I hope you will have an easy transition.  I will probably miss you being close to me more than you will.

You have started to notice the dogs and smile at them now.  It's sweet to watch you react to them.  They still aren't huge fans of yours but they do still give you kisses.  I am sure they will love you when you start eating food- especially when you are big enough to drop it on the floor on purpose.

I am so blessed to call you my daughter.  You are truly one of the sweetest babies I have ever known!  I love you...  A bushel and a peck!

Mama

mary's baptism.

oh boy was registration weekend at school a busy one!  the boys were all back and their families were here getting them settled.  it is also the weekend we had mary baptized at church.  we didn't intend for it to be so soon after her birth but our priest was serving his last sunday before a 3 month sabbatical which would put him back during the christmas season.  and we didn't want to plan her baptism during the winter because the weather is so unpredictable and we wanted her grandparents to be present.  so we had everyone in town during registration.  needless to say, it was a busy weekend for everyone!

her baptism was on august 19th which was also the feast day of our church's patron saint- mary.  we attend st. mary's episcopal church in asheville.  it is on the national historic register and is just beautiful.

the priest who married us came in town to help celebrate her baptism which made the day even more special.  jay has known him since college and it truly was a blessing for him to be a part of our wedding and to help us welcome mary into God's family.  mary's godparents, brian and meredith, are friends of ours from church and are expecting a little girl of their own the end of october.  we are blessed to have such sweet friends and mary will have a sweet friend at church her age to play with.  (our church is so small in numbers... this was great timing!)

after church- she was so tired from the weekend activities and no nap that morning.

her mimi made her beautiful dress! 

with her godparents brian and meredith (and baby girl stanley!) 

with the grandparents 

with fr. chris and fr. brent (who calls her princess mary!)