Easter 2011

This Easter was a very special one as it was our first as a bigger family. We all got dressed up and went to our church for a wonderful celebration of Jesus' resurrection. Then we enjoyed a quiet ham dinner at home (with a little sadness that our extended families were so far away from us). After lunch we spent some time outside 'playing'. Happy Easter!

One Month Photo Shoot

Our little girl turned 1 month old last week and we decided to have her pictures taken to honor the occasion. Grandma Sue and Rebekkah helped Emma with her wardrobe changes during the shoot. Emma had just woken up from a nap, so she was a very good and compliant model.

The pink dress is very special as it was worn by Grandma Sue and Rebekkah and has now been passed down to Emma. The purple dress is Emma's Easter dress for this year. The last outfit is Emma's birthday suit, proudly given to her by God.

The First Few Weeks

Some of you might be wondering why it has taken us SO long to add another post. I am learning that there are many things that can be done one-handed, but making a blog post isn't one of those that I have learned yet! The past few weeks have flown by and Emma is 3 1/2 weeks old now.

I must say that the first week was definitely the hardest. Along with healing from the labor/delivery process, Emma and I had to learn about each other too. Between feedings and attempting to get some sleep where we could, there didn't seem to be any time for much else. It was a very big shock to me not to even be able to keep up my own house....folding a load of clothes seemed impossible! Thankfully, my Mom was able to stay with us that first week and help out tremendously. From cooking dinner to cleaning to staying up with Emma for a few hours so we could sleep a little...she helped with anything and everything. And to top it off, she was a great encouragement to me during this steep learning curve. What a priceless gift!!

Grandma Sue & Emma

 Week 2 was just Me, Eddie, and Emma at home. We had help from friends with meals and we tried to settle in to being a family. Our biggest outing was a trip to the new outlet mall...we managed 1.5 hours and enjoyed doing something 'normal' for the first time with our precious little girl.

Eddie had to return to work at Week 3. I was a bit nervous and we definitely missed Daddy very much, but it was good for everyone to start a schedule. I can't say I have things all figured out, but I am starting to see patterns to what Emma wants to do every day. There are certain sleepy times, fussy times, and eating times. We have ventured out to quite a few places together: grocery store, mall, library. We have also made it to church 2 Sundays in a row!!!

Daddy and his Emma Belle

Bath Time

Tummy Time

Showing off for her Grandmas!!

 Each day we see something new in her. She is starting to make a few sounds this week. And, all of that dark hair at birth is growing in from the roots a different color....we think it might be auburn...that red is coming out after all!!