Five Weeks!

Elizabeth Magee turned 5 weeks yesterday and weighed 7.2 pounds! We made it to church and Sunday School - our second time to church and her first time to Sunday School! It felt good to get out of the house so much this weekend! Between turning 4 and 5 weeks we: Visited Senatobia

Meet our great grandparents:

Meet our Aunt Reenie (great great aunt to Elizabeth Magee):

Aunt Reenie kept remarking what big eyes Elizabeth Magee had....she made about 10 comments in 15 minutes! Anyway, she does have big beautiful blue eyes.....and let's be honest....she was bound to have big eyes!

First Night Out

We went to ARTini last night. It was our first time out and my first time to leave the baby for more than 30 mintues or so! We were also able to get a family picture - only our second!

Oliver's mom was a SAINT and came to spend the night with us. She got up with the baby all night and I slept through the night - for the first time in 5 weeks - I feel so good today!

Hard-Knock Life

Hard Life.

Week 4 and Original Due Date

Our girl has many names: Elizabeth Magee, Elizabeth, EM, E Magee, Little Miss Ma'am, Cuddle Bug, Birdie, Minnie, Baby, Baby Cakes, Puddin', Love, Angel, Angel Love, Baby Girl, Sweetie, and Darlin, Precious, and Little One. Oliver mainly calls her Elizabeth (I think just to irritate me....I have caught him saying Elizabeth Magee some though) and Little Miss Ma'am. All the other nicknames are from me :)

Week 4 was as much fun as weeks 1, 2, and 3 with Elizabeth Magee. I am loving being home with her and making every moment count. She weighed 6.11 on her one month birthday!

We have also been enjoying this lovely weather - it is so nice! Elizabeth Magee turned one month on Sunday and yesterday, Monday, March 21 was my original due date. I told my grandmother this week that when child number 2 comes along I'm going to be furious if I have to be pregnant for 40 weeks - being pregnant almost 36 weeks was more than enough and I can't imagine having to weight another 4 weeks to get to know this little bundle of joy.

In November, I planted tulips all in front of our house hoping they would be in full bloom when we brought EM home from the hospital. They were just popping out of the ground in February but are really starting to bloom now - if Elizabeth Magee hadn't arrived until yesterday they would have been perfect by the time we brought her home!


I have been trying to read and sing to Elizabeth Magee as much as possible...I figure she doesn't know yet that I have no tone! Anyway, it's been strange how the nursery rhymes have just kinda come back to be in waves....when she first came home "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children" were about the only songs I remembered. Then we sang "Hush Little Baby" for a couple of days and this morning this song came back to be as I was downloading these pictures and trying to think of creative captions:






O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see

O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear

O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do

O be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little feet where you go
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little feet where you go

O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say

I hope and pray to be a good example to our daughter - I need to watch what I see, hear, do, and where I go - even while she's this young....she is absorbing so much more than I realize!

Week 3

Elizabeth Magee turned 3 weeks on Sunday! She continues to be such a blessing and we are both learning A LOT about each other everyday! She is very expressive in her movements - I've told Oliver that I think she is going to talk with her hands.

She is now sleeping between 4 1/2 and 5 hours at night. On Saturday, at 20 days she weighed 5.15, on Monday, at 22 days she weighed 6.3. So sometime on her 3 week birthday she reached 6 pounds!


On Monday, Oliver gave her the first (successful) bottle. We tried a bottle last week but I think the nipple was to big b/c she sucked half of it in 10 minutes and spit it all up two mintues later. This bottle, a "breastflow" seems to work perfectly - she's now had two!

We are still in premie clothes - but I put a newborn gown on her last night to compare. The above picture is at 5 days old in a newborn gown. The below picture is at 22 days old in the same gown. She is filling it out more!

She is getting used to the car seat - I think she'd like it better if she didn't turn into a bobble head everytime she got in it! So cute!

She's not a big fan of the pacifer. We give it to her if she's fussy and it calms her but she usually spits it out pretty fast. Last night, I gave her the Wabanub and she seemed to like it more - I think the little animal weighs it down. Overall, she is not a fussy baby - I keep telling her that I think I've cried more than she has in the last three weeks!

Politically Correct

Miss Priss has started laying with her legs Indian style - and her hands are always close to her face. This afternoon we had visits from both grandmothers -- I love that they are both close enough to pop up for a visit! I was showing Oliver's mother how Elizabeth Magee always has her legs Indian style. Ms. Dot informed me that the term "Indian style" is no longer politically correct and that kindergarten teachers now call it "criss cross apple sauce." Who would have known?

Pictures with the grands:

Notice the difference in EM's expressions before and after eating....

Before eating with Biscuit and looking for her dinner.....

We call this look "milk drunk."

Two Weeks!

Elizabeth Magee is 16 days old today! Her original due date was March 21...our first C-section date was March 9 (tomorrow) and our second C-section date was yesterday, March 7. Everyone tells you that having children throws your "plans" out the window - her being here early just reinterates to me that it is God's timing, not ours or a doctors, that determines the order of our lives - from beginning to end!

This picture captures my favorite moment from the day Elizabeth Magee was born. It was taken right after we got to the recovery room. I can't remember why the nurses took her out of my arms and placed her in my lap but the second they did she reached up and grabbed my finger - that was the moment I knew I was "mama" and fell completely in love. Right after Oliver snapped this picture he reached for her other hand and she grabbed his finger with her other hand.....its like she knew from her first moments that between the two of us she would be safe. I hope and pray that we can live our lives as parents keeping her safe and secure!

I have two other favorite memories from February 20. One, laying on the operating table I couldn't see them pull the baby out but I could hear her crying. Oliver leaned down and asked me if he could leave me to go see the baby....of course I said yes! He comes back a few moments later with the camera and asks me if I wanted to see pictures....I didn't....I told him I didn't want to see a picture of my baby before I saw my baby! Two, while we were still in the recovery room we heard a banging on the window. Oliver opened the blinds and both our families, and May, were standing there waiving at us!

Week 1 - Sis and I snapped this picture....our pictures with the "Week 1" sign didn't exactly turn out...and this is the best one without the signs! The first week held so many precious memories - our families and friends visiting, coming home from the hospital, learning to nurse (still learning), tummy time - the day after she came home from the hospital she was lying on her tummy and rolled over (she hasn't done it since) but she picks up her head and turns it from side to side!

At two weeks, she weighed 5.11 oz by our scale (we are going to the doctor tomorrow for the offical weigh in)! I can tell she is filling out and is getting an opinion! She is not a fussy baby (I pray she stays that way). We are following Babywise to try to get her on a schedule (and I like schedules). She is doing great - we wake her up to feed at night and she has been going to sleep on her own with no problem. We've had one fussy night - but even that only lasted an our).

Day 10 (March 2) - her diapers started stinking! Someone told me that breastfeed babies don't have stinky poops - they lied - they stink! Also, her amiblical cord fell off while nursing! It was kinda gross too!

Thomas and Laura came on Saturday to meet Elizabeth Magee. I love this picture because they are all taking each other in so intently! I don't think Thomas had ever seen a baby as small as EM- and she's a lot bigger than she was a week ago!

On her second week birthday, we took some more announcement pictures. I snapped this one of Oliver and think it is so precious! She really knows his voice and he is so good with her! Did you know he changed every single diaper for the first three days? Amazing - who would have thought - especially if you had seen his face the first afternoon when the nurse came in to change the first poop!

Me and my girl! I think she is looking at Ally on the sofa....we went to a neighbor's house for a Wildgame cook out Saturday night and took Elizabeth Magee along! One of my favorite things about our house is there are four little girls, all within a few months of EM, on our block! Yesterday was our first day "just us" and we did great - we made it to Target and then to High Point Grocery. When we walked into High Point the butcher said, "let me take her while you shop" -- and he did -- then he took her carrier out to the car for me - so nice to have a neighborhood grocery store - even if it is overpriced! We also went on our first walk by ourselves and interviewed a nanny! She was really sweet and I hope it works out - I can tell she would be wonderful with EM and I would feel comfortable leaving her to go back to work! I am enjoying and loving every single moment I have at home with my little angel - she is such a gift from God - "wonderfully and fearfully made" - and we are so blessed to have her!

Friends!

The first few weeks hold a lot of "firsts" for babies but Friday held quite a few:

1) Biscuit gave EM her first "real bath" - her amiblical cord fell off on Wednesday so we can now bathe her in the tub!

2) We also took her to Target for the first time - which sadly we have no pictures of - but she was a complete angel and slept the entire time....


3) I'm not sure that all dogs can think, but ours can...you can see the little wheels turning. Since we've been home from the hospital, Ally is not quite sure what to think of EM. She's not jealous but knows she is no longer Number 1. My mom made the comment after our first night home that it's funny that our dog still sleeps in the bed with us but the baby sleeps in the nursery! Ally is aware that she is here and is becoming protective of her. If you are holding Elizabeth Magee, Ally is going to be right beside you. When she cries, Ally runs to the moses basket or crib. If I don't get up to check on her, Ally runs back and forth between me and baby. So anyway, yesterday they had some bonding on the sofa:

4) The biggest "first" of yesterday - Elizabeth Magee had her first playdate! There really wasn't much playing - mainly just looking at each other, diaper changing, and the mamas talking about how much fun they are going to have growing up together:

My brother and sister-in-law are coming to meet our sweet pea later today! I am so excited that Thomas will finally meet his niece!

Found Her Thumb

Elizabeth Magee found her thumb last night! Ms. Dot was holding her and Oliver started yelling for me to come into the living room. Sure enough our little one was sucking that thumb. She opens her mouth wide, looks at her thumb, and sticks it in!

We knew she would be a thumb sucker because in one of the ultrasound pictures she was sucking her thumb. Now I am trying to decide whether or not to give her a passie since I can take that away one day - can't take the thumb away!

She is gaining weight - by our scale she was 5.6 and 1/2 ounces last night - which is great because she has to get back to her birth weight of 5.9 by her next check up next Wednesday....

The second picture is in her pink hat knitted by Net. Net brought it up yesterday and we had a little photo shoot - a new favorite passtime that I love and Elizabeth Magee tolerates! Last Saturday I took 114 pictures - maybe we got a little carried away....but she's just so precious!

On another note, I am trying to not have so many typos in my blog....Oliver and Garner both commented after the birth story post that they want to read it with a read pen - at least they read it!