Gratuitous Cadie photo

Taken last week while she was hanging out in my dad's lap.

My secret weapon

I love being with Cadence everyday, but I also love getting things done. Since she likes to be held, and I like to hold her, I was so happy to find that she really likes the Baby Bjorn carrier. Whenever I put her in it, she usually falls asleep, listening to my heartbeat and feeling warm and cozy - and my hands are free!
I took this picture last Sunday, but today I tried out a suggestion from a friend to use the Baby Bjorn at the grocery store. Cadie and I hadn't been to the grocery store by ourselves until today, and it was great! She slept, I shopped and I didn't have to worry about her being bothered the lights or the people.

A good day for Cadie (and Mama)

First, we went to the doctor for a check-up and found out that she's gained weight and length, just like she should. Then, we had lunch with Daddy in the churchyard.

Then, we took a big nap in the crib.

Action Cadie

Cadence has been more active and alert as she gets bigger and older. Some action shots during a diaper change Friday...

Some firsts

Last Thursday, Cadie had a bottle for the first time. It went very well.

Last Friday, she got a pacifier. Sometimes she likes it, sometimes she doesn't.

Yesterday, we went to church. We just went to the early service and sat in the back. She got fussy during the sermon and I had to take her out, but we did get to sing and participate in the Lord's Supper (well, I did, at least).

Then, this morning, her umbilical cord stump came off! We were worried about it last week and when I pulled up her gown to change her diaper this morning, it just popped off. Soon she can have a real bath.

Unfortunately, she did not nap today, after having a couple really good days of naps. She cried almost every time I put her down, so I'm very tired now. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Nursery Tour

(It's 6:35 in the morning and though I'm exhausted, I couldn't sleep, so here I am posting pictures.)The nursery is really the only room in the house that is done - we worked really hard when we moved in to get it together for Cadie. You can see that she has a lot of toys - I tried to corral them all in the basket on the floor, but the blocks didn't fit.
We're really pleased with the pink and brown color scheme. A good deal of the decor came from the Dwell Studio line at Target, like the decals on the wall above the crib, as well as the crib bedding and curtains.
We love the glider for feeding and storytime. The rug is from Target too.
The changing table looks cluttered, but it's very functional.

Cadie is 3 weeks old today

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since this little girl came into our lives. She is a delight, although she's all but given up napping during the day - she just does little dozes for 10 minutes or so. This is hard for me, since I'm on my own with her now. Unfortunately, she cries when I put her down a lot of time. Sometimes I have to let her cry (because, you know, I do have to eat and use the restroom) which makes me feel guilty. The books we've read have emphasized that you can't spoil a newborn and that I should respond quickly when she cries so that she knows her needs will be met. I'm trying to do that as much as possible, but sometimes she has to cry a little bit. Hence, the pictures. Anyway, tonight I had to put her down to throw together a sandwich for dinner, and she cried pretty good for a few minutes then fell fast asleep, so I think she'll be fine.

We actually ended up going to the pediatrician today because we were concerned about her umbilical cord stump, which is taking it's sweet time to fall off. Turns out, everything is fine - we can actually swab it with alcohol a lot more aggressively than we have been. The doctor said sometimes it can take up to 6 or 8 weeks for some stubborn stumps to fall off. That's a lot of sponge baths.

Tomorrow is Matt's day off so we're looking forward to some fun family time and hopefully more pictures!