Elsie Mae is One Month Old!

I can't believe it's been a month already. I'm constantly forgetting it's May (and the end of it, at that!). I feel like I'm stuck in a time warp of newborn land. That is, until daytime hits and then it's toddler land. Here's a bit about what our last month has held. . .

Week 1:

Mom and Dad were here to help with Addy, Brad was off of work. I felt great after such a quick labor, Addy was loving having a baby sister (who she only saw periodically and who mostly spent time sleeping in the basement) and Elsie did what newborns do best: eat, sleep and poop.

At one week old, Elsie Mae headed to church!

Week 2:

Mom and Dad headed to California for business and Brad and I held down the fort alone with the two girls. Brad played with Addy a lot and was able to get a few things done around the house. Not as many as he expected. . .life with 2 littles is a bit more busy than he anticipated. :)

Our first family outing to the Red Butte Gardens.

Elsie in her bouncy seat at 2 weeks old.

Week 3:

Mom and Dad came back for the week because Brad headed back to work. We did go to Elsie's 2 week appointment and she weighed in at a whopping 8lbs 14 oz (birth weight 7 lbs 10 oz). Way to go Mae Mae!

Mom and Dad with their favorite granddaughters . . . oh, and us. :)

Week 4:

Mom and Dad went home to Gunnison, and I did my first week with the girls by myself. Everything was pretty smooth because friends from MOPS and Bible study brought us dinner. :) So, Addy and I took Elsie on some adventures (the aquarium, the children's' museum and on a walk to the park). It was good to get out of the house and to begin to get into a routine.

The girls at the aquarium.

Addy playing with the balls at the children's museum.

Week 5:

My friend, Melissa, hosted a Sip 'n See for Elsie Mae and we enjoyed munching on yummy goodies, drinking tea and having a break from the bigger kids. Jenny came to visit for the week and we got to spend a lot of time at home. Mae Mae started into an unpleasant routine of screaming unless being held each afternoon/evening and sometimes into the night. Our nerves started to get a bit raw so we did go see the Dr to check on reflux. We're not convinced that is what's going on, but we'll see. (Mae Mae weighed in at 10 lbs!) It was a blessing to have Jenny in town because Addy started to realize being a big sister means sharing Mommy with baby Mae Mae. She's not to keen on this idea. Jenny was able to help with both girls since it seemed they were always waking up at the same time, crying at the same time and needing to eat at the same time. Whew! What a week. I think Jenny was ready to head home to get a break from her vacation.

Jenny and Addy at Sugarhouse Park.

Update on Addy:

Addy's vocabulary is exploding right now! She's picking up new words by the dozens and she's starting to sing the songs I always sing to her. She's growing like a weed (thank goodness for hand-me-downs!) and she loves reading books. We're definitely seeing her try to explore her independence ("I do it" was her first sentence. We're trying to add a "please" to the end of that.) and for the most part she's learning how to accept help when it isn't appropriate for her to do it herself.

Update on Brad:

Brad's job has kept him quite busy but it looks like there's some light at the end of the tunnel. A newly hired supervisor from Phoenix starts next week and she looks like she'll be a great addition to the SLC operation. She ought to help lighten the load for Brad. Brad is definitely enjoying playing with Addy when he gets home from work and he's a pro at 'shh-ing' Elsie when she won't calm down.

Brad and Addy wrestling.

Brad reading to Elsie Mae before bed.

Update on Me:

Yesterday I realized how easy it was to just have 1 newborn in the home compared to a newborn and a 20 month old. I took Elsie to the Dr by myself while Jenny stayed at home with Addy and I felt light as a feather. I wrote thank you cards, went to Kohls to get a few new shirts, picked up a prescription and even hit Toys R Us for a few new PJ's for the growing Addy Paddy. It felt so easy! Elsie slept the whole time and I only had to stop to feed her briefly. I guess it's God's grace that babies start small. When it's your first, it feels hard to do everything. Then as they grow, your competency grows. It isn't until you start over again that you realize how much more challenging the older phase really is! Then again, maybe it's just having 2 that is more challenging. Anyway, geared up with a double stroller I've been motivated to get out even if it's a bit tricky. I still haven't figured out the grocery store yet. . . or cleaning or cooking or laundry or. . .

Praise God our competency grows and praise God for patient husbands!