We're all smiles!

Although February is a short month, I still can't believe it's almost over! We've been keeping busy and having fun with our little love bug!

Sophia and Mom cuddling on the couch

With a break in the storms we've been getting out of the house as much as we can! We bundle up and walk in the afternoons, and sometimes Aunt Carly and Aunt Alisha get to join us! Bandit particularly likes this because it means he gets to join us on a walk!

Bandit and Sophia tuckered out after a long walk!

Sophia had her first public outing this month as well! After 5 weeks of Matt and I taking turns running the errands, we finally got to go out as a family! Even though it was a short trip to the grocery store, we still did all we could to ensure that she was not going to start crying in the store! We made sure that she had a full tummy, a clean diaper, and was well bundled before we left the house. I'm pretty sure it took us longer to prepare for the quick shopping trip, than it actually took for us to pick up what we needed! But the preparations paid off, and she was great.

The 12th marked a big day for Sophia! Not only did she turn one month old, she also began smiling! We'd seen lots of the reflexive smiling and sleepy-smiling up to that point and we kept talking, smiling and playing with her, but we kept waiting for a responsive smile from her. On the night of the 11th, Sophia and I were up all night. Yes, all night. Though she wasn't crying, she was just hungry, fussy and fought sleep. About 3 am she started getting agitated and I knew it was diaper time. We went into her room and I layed her on her changing pad. I was talking to her and telling her how much we both needed to get some sleep and she looked up and started smiling. I started laughing and she kept smiling! As tired and sleepy as I was, it all disappeared when I saw her face smiling up at me. Matt got up around 7 for work and again came into her room as I was changing her diaper. "Watch!" I told him and began talking silly and smiling really big at Sophia. Sure enough, she shared her cute smile with Dad, and gave him a great start to his day!

Sophia's first smile for the camera

Sophia's one month picture

So since then it feels like I live on a photo shoot! Just when I see that smile starting, I grab the camera, and turn it on....and the smile is over. I think I've taken about 100 pictures just trying to time it right...but they are lasting longer, and we're finally getting more! It's so hard to not try and take a picture of every one, they just make your heart smile!

Where is the time going?

It's hard to believe that yesterday was the 3 week mark already! Where is the time going?! Sometimes it feels like we just came home from the hospital. But others it does seem like we've been a family of 3 for quite some time. We're definitely getting to know what all of her little noises and cries mean; We're getting a good routine down as far as feedings and diaper changes; And we're actually getting a decent amount of sleep at night! :) We had Sophia's 2 week check up last week, and her weight is up! She's now at a healthy 8 pounds 6 ounces! So all of the 2 hour feedings paid off! And we were told that we could now extend her feeding time to 3-4 hours! This has made an incredible difference in our sleeping at night! Our routine seems to be going smoothly! We're now only getting up at 1:30am and 5:30am! Yahoo! It's great to get some quality sleep time! Matt returned to work last Monday, so Sophia and I have been adjusting to just the two of us during the day. If you know me, you know how hard it is for me to sit around, how hard it is to leave dishes in the sink, how hard it is to leave the laundry basket full of clothes, how hard it is to have clutter around...BUT I'm quickly learning that all of those things really don't matter. :) So many people tried to tell us before that it would be hard to let those things go, and they were right, it is. But one look at Sophia makes us forget it all. We just want to scoop her up and hold her and love on her every chance we get. So that's what we've been up to! We try to cherish every second because we know it's not going to last for long.



This week we are finally getting a break in the stormy weather, and I've been dying to get out of the house! Matt and I have made quick (and I mean VERY quick) trips to Target or the grocery store over the past week while family has stayed at home with Sophia, but it just hasn't been enough for me. I feel torn, I know that I need to leave Sophia at home since we are in the middle of flu season, but when I pull out of the driveway I feel as if I've left the most important part of me behind. It's so hard. But last night we finally took the plunge. Matt and I went on a dinner date and Sophia stayed home with Aunt Carly and Uncle Josh. As luck would have it, Sophia began crying and getting fussy just as we were about to leave. And of course I felt guilty leaving. It probably took us 20 minutes to finally leave the house. But we did. We enjoyed dinner at Red Robin (Thanks Aunt Alisha!), and then strolled through Target for a bit. While it was nice to be out of the house, I just wanted to get back to our little girl!

So the next outing, Sophia participated in! We bundled Sophia up and we went on a walk! It was sunny out today, and not as chilly as it has been, so we took advantage of the nice weather! I'm so anxious to start working out again, but I know I need to still take it easy, so we're walking! It felt great to get out of the house, but I will admit, it's still a little strange to be pushing a stroller! Just when I feel like I'm losing the "New Mom" feeling, it pops up again!