Best Buddies Already!

So this post is WAY late... but better late then never, right?
My good friend Liz and I were prego at the same time (and were 7 weeks apart). I really enjoyed having someone to share all the joy/misery of pregnancy with. And was excited to know that I would have someone that I could talk with about sleepless nights and poopy diapers. Well, I was 10 days early (as you all know), so not to be outdone, her baby decided to come almost 5 weeks early! (Don't worry the baby and momma were both just fine)...We were all so very excited to finally meet Liz and Sean's new little one... they had a health little girl! Annaliese weighed in at 5 pounds 15 ounces and is so sweet tempered and beautiful! I am so excited that Mallory and she are only 4 weeks apart and about 4 blocks away from each other! They are going to be best buddies (I can tell).
I had not realized just how BIG my little Mallory had gotten, until she and Annaliese got to hang out together they other day! Look at her, she looks like a hippo! :) A cute, healthy, bright-eyed hippo! :) It's amazing what 4 weeks can do!




Oh yeah... the other day Mallory started smiling for reals! Not the I have gas and I'm going to smile about it, but a full fledged, looking at me and smiling when I would come and pick her up, or kiss her neck or play with her and her stuffed giraffe! It's SOOOOOO cute! I haven't been talented enough to snap a picture of her beautiful grin, but I'll keep working on it! Until then you'll just have to believe me when I say her smile is just about the cutest thing in the world!!!!!

THE Bug Quilt

 

It is finally finished! Back in Jan mom had offered to make our little one a quilt (neither she nor I had any idea what an undertaking it was). So we found perfect bug fabric and super cure blacks and white polka dot fabric (good for baby brain development) in an amazing fabric store in Oregon and away we went with smiles on our faces! Little did we know that what we envisioned making was crazy hard! We finished the fitted sheet, crib skirt and bumper quickly... then it was on to the monstrous task of the quilt. I know, you would think that it wouldn't be THAT hard.... but with all the little uneven/off centered/different color pieces, it WAS! But mom has completed it! And I LOVE IT!!!!! It is just perfect, everything that I could have ever wanted it to be! It looks amazing in her room! Thank you for your ALL hard work!
Oh and on a side note... that little baby wrap that I have Mallory in (in the last post).... my talented mom made that too! :)

Who Wants a Pony?

Last week Matthews work payed for the employees (and family) to go to race track. So we thought that we would bring Mallory and see what she thought of the pony's. Neither of us placed any bets, just enjoyed watching all the amazingly beautiful and powerful horses. Mallory slept through most of it, but I could tell she really loved the horses and wants one of her own... (hint, hint, grandparents)!


The other fun thing that happened last week was that Janie came and spent a few days here and FINALLY :) got to meet Mallory! It was So nice to visit with her and have her see Matthew and I as parents (since she has been pestering us about it for years). Not only did we get to hang out, but she taught my how to make REALLY cute bows and flowers to put in Mallory's hair... I don't have all the necessary parts for them all, but as soon as I do I'll post some pictures, because they are going to be really cute! (but I'm just slightly biased).

Whos the Real Monster?

One of the gifts that Jeff and Lindsay brought down with them was this way cute monster bath towel... Sonny and I had to try it out before Mallory (it's very important to make sure that all baby things are safe...right?) Mallory still is loving her baths, she just hates the getting out of the nice warm water/drying off part (I don't blame her, because that's the part I hate too).

Millions of Peaches

When we moved into our house we were lucky enough to have some beautiful, mature fruit trees... except the peach tree was a mess! It was practically dead... but after some extra love I brought it back to life and last year it produced 5 entire peaches... which were all very very good! This year after LOTS of extra love it has produced more peaches then we know what to do with!!! Seriously!!!! We have been picking them/eating them/giving them away and canning them for the last 2 weeks and there are still some on the tree! it's nuts... wonderful but nuts!

A new Aunt and Uncles

This past weekend/week we had a few out of town visitors... which was why I have been so bad about writing (sorry). Jeff and Lindsay came down for the week to meet the newest (and cutest) family member! It was so wonderful to spend time with them both... and don't you all think they look very natural holding Mallory (she does need a cousin)! :)


Russell also came over to meet the little nugget for the first time (and to hang out with Jeff). Mallory loved being held by Russell and just fell fast asleep!

Sleep, Sweet Sleep

Man, I have never realized how important sleep is... until I haven't had any!!!! Prior to last week our little 'angle' was sleeping 3-5 hours a night (because she loved us)... then a flip was switched and for 3 nights in a row the longest she would sleep was 2 hours (if I was lucky)... but really she was sleeping anywhere from 20 minutes to one hour... and taking 40-ish minutes to feed (because she no longer loved us)! So needless to say the nights were getting really, really, REALLY, long and Matthew found me crying on the couch while feeding her at 3 am one morning. She would just keep waking up with very dirty diapers and acting as if she was starving! Poor girl. Each night I would try a little different experiment to see if she would sleep any longer... 2 nights ago I thought, hey maybe I should try feeding her pre-pumped breast milk from a bottle (since I really didn't know how much she was eating I thought that this would be a good way to find out... plus it is was faster then feeding directly on the breast (oh, she is doing a great job eating now and only uses the nipple shield about 1/2 the time)... So for the past 2 nights when she wakes up I have been bottle feeding her and she is sleeping 3 1/2 hours straight each time (once again she loves her parents)!!!!! So for the past 2 nights I have getten to sleep about 7 hours! WOW! It is amazing!!!! Pretty sure that if someone would have given me the option between money or sleep I would have taken the sleep and passed on the money... I was supper sleepy! Now I am a whole new wide awake woman! WooHoo!

Wedding day

This past weekend Matthew and I (bravely) left or sweet little girl for 7 hours!!!! I know, CRAZY! Matthews mom came over to baby sit while he and I went to our friends wedding. It was a local wedding, which was nice because I was able to come home and feed/pump and then go back. Our little one did great and the wedding was wonderful! The bride looks BEAUTIFUL and as I was sitting back and admiring her and her dress I started thinking, 'Some day I will be helping my little girl shop for a wedding dress...' when I brought this point up to Matthew he said, "I am not ready for that." I then reminded him that someday he will be walking his little baby girl down the isle and the said "I am NOT ok with that thought!" He was obviously saddened by that though... it was so sweet to see.
It's been an amazing transformation, I have always known how very much my parents love me, but it wasn't until I was holding my own child that I truly understood the depth of that love!!!

Poopers

This photo has a pretty funny story... Matthew never was raised around babies. So until he has a baby of his own, he was never really comfortable holding them/changing their clothes/let alone changing their dirty diapers! He has been doing a GREAT job though! But the other night Matthews cousin Arther and his lady Ashley came over for a visit. Matthew had been holding Mallory, when she let out 3 very wet 'farts'. I told Matthew that she needed to be changed so he took her down to her room... about 5 seconds later I hear my name being called down the hallway... slowly at first, then a little more frantic. I head down there (with the camera) and there is Matthew, holding Mallory's legs, frozen In his tracts. Mallory had let loose probably the worlds largest, wettest, poop EVER! It was the biggest/messiest one I had ever seem, so you can imagine how Matthew felt! It took the two of us to change her! What team work!