A trip to Daddy's Zoo!

This weekend Josie went to another zoo; this was a zoo of stuffed animals. This zoo is otherwise known as Cabelas! She loved every minute of it, while she was sleeping!

When can I get real food?

On Saturday we ventured out to Noodles for dinner and Josie came with us,while we were eating Josie wanted some too...

It's all about the....

ACCESSORIES!

Sparkly, fancy shoes

Stylish, retro sunglasses

cute, ribbony head bows

colorful pacifiers to match all outfits

and hats to top it all off!!!

Josie's 1st Zoo Trip

On Sunday, Josie had her 1st zoo trip. Josie and I went with my brother, his girls Karley and Makenzie, my sister and my father. Curt was up north fishing with his parents and my mom was icing her leg before her surgery in a month! It will be the first of many visits because we have many friends to visit there and only got to see two; Jennie and Joe. Josie didn't see any of the zoo though...she slept the whole time! The lull of the rolling stroller is too much for her to ignore! Here are some pics of the day; my niece Karley was our photographer!

Where will we go today?

Josie and I have started to hit the town walking; I try to get out with her each day for my sanity and hers as well. We've been to Bunzels the meat market (she is Curt's child by the way), the mailbox, the art store, the frame shop, our friend Kristin's house who has a baby girl named Anita that is one week older than Josie, to the park, to Mayfair on a few rainy/cool days, and random walks around just to pass our time. She is fabulous on walks, quite often falling asleep but when she's awake she's a nosy little Josie!

So Big at Seven Weeks!

Josie is growing fast; we are guessing close to 9 pounds and getting long! She is quickly growing out of her newborn clothing because of her length as shown in her picture below!

This week we pulled out her activity mat and she loves it! She is very mesmerized by the lights and the purple butterfly and toucan that hang above her. She has spent at least 15 minutes each day this week, kicking and waving her arms around.

She also is really holding her head up to gaze around and see her world; here she is practicing!

Dressed all pretty for church! Still working on that smile!

6 Weeks Old and Sort of Smiling

Josie is 6 weeks old and continuing to grow. My parents brought over a baby scale from when I was growing up; going off of that she's about 8 pounds or so and getting longer all the time...I only see it because her feet are getting snug in more of her outfits. She is battling baby acne, dry skin, and cradle cap all at the same time so that smooth "baby face skin" is gone for now...hopefully it passes quickly but the nurse said it all peaks at 6 weeks. She had her first "owie" when she scratched herself hard enough that it has scabbed over. Sadly, her hair is thinning out up top so she's got just fine fuzz growing back and is sporting the "grandpa hairdo". She is talking more all the time and experimenting with sounds and showing that half grin too but no full smile yet; maybe she is just going to have a little smirky grin...we'll see...hopefully soon; I'm anxious to see it!

On a side note: I had my 6 week check-up and checked out just fine. All of the baby weight is gone and my blood pressure that was sporatic was at the normal range again. My rings fit and I can spin them around; my legs no longer tingle when standing or sitting too long, and I don't see floating spots in the shower anymore! So it seems all my "strange" pregnancy symptoms are gone. However, I am starting to get some pain in my wrist and am wondering if I have "baby wrist" a form of tendonitis!

A Night Away=No Fun!

On Friday, I decided to be brave and leave Josie so Curt and I could go out together to a movie. I have been wanting to see Angels & Demons because I had loved the book! Well...I didn't love the movie; it could be because I knew the story and all the thrills before they were going to happen and because I was away from Josie and that's where my mind was. She was in the loving care of my sister...who is a registered nurse of 7/8 years and she even worked in a pediatric clinic; she knows more than Curt and I combined but I still cried 3 times; once as we left, once when the movie started, and once when we drove back and talked with my sister but I could hear her crying in the background. I'm not sure if I'm ready for another trip away; everyone says it gets easier but for now she can just go places with Curt and I.

Curt's Done with Wednesdays!

One of the things I most admire about Curt is that he is always taking classes to learn a new skill for work. This past semester he was taking a machining course...don't ask me more beyond that. He finished last night and I am glad to have him back on Wednesdays...he would be gone from 5:30am to 9:00pm every Wednesday; it made for long days for him and for me being with Josie alone. Thankfully, my sister and mother recognized this and came over on Wednesday evenings to keep me company!

Look What I Can Do... 5 Weeks

Josie has really started grabbing on to things; more than just our fingers. She will grap onto toys and as of the past few days, her pacifier. Which is really cute but then she's pulling it out all the time and lets out a shout to get it back in! She is really alert during the periods she is awake; she looks around quietly and loves to stare at the walls and lights. She has strong little legs and has started moving herself around when laying down on her back...she wiggles herself around and we find her laying at a different angle then we left her. When she's on her tummy she tries too and you see her two legs going in a "crawling" motion; obviously she doesn't get anywhere though! For the first month, Josie slept in her swing because she seemed to get a more restful sleep; hence we did too! But this past week she has started sleeping in her pack and play that's in our bedroom and has been sleeping contently in there. Next move, will be her own room in her own crib; but that's too big of a step for me! The crib seems too big for a little girl...I know, I know, babies all over the world are doing it! She is starting to make noises on a more regular basis too but not always and she has a little half grin/smirk starting so we think she'll have a full smile for us soon. Hopefully both Curt and I are together to see that happen the first time...

Our First Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to Josie and Mommy! We were busy with Mother Day celebrations; Saturday with my family, Sunday morning church, and Sunday afternoon with Curt's family.

Here's a pic of Josie and I...for Mother's Day we got a zoo pass! I wonder when our first trip will be...hopefully soon; a nice warm day that Curt has off for!

Big Girl Bath

Josie has been liking her bathtub more in the past week or so... I'm not sure why but I'm thinking it's because we moved to the bathroom where I have the water running (I know, wasteful) to keep it at a nice temperature. It seems she likes the sound of the tub running! Her favorite part is getting her head rubbed and washed...with warm water...sounds inviting to me!

One Month Old!

Josie is one month old today; when we look back it went quickly but the day to day of being home goes slower espescially compared to teaching 2nd grade. These are our TOP 5 favorite things about Josie...

1. how she holds on tightly to our fingers

2. how she stretches and moans when waking up

3. how she puts her arms up like a preacher

4. how she snuggles up in a ball when laying on your chest

5. how she makes her mouth into an O when looking around

Extra Doctor Visit

Today I took Josie in for an unexpected doctor's visit so we had an extra weight check. She is up to 7pds 9ozs; so she's gained 8 oz since her 2 week visit! They didn't measure her length but Curt says that he thinks she's longer to his eye. We went in because the past couple of days we've occasionally heard a clicking sound coming from her shoulder area when she moved even if we were just holding her or feeding her. However, she doesn't cry when picked up or being changed (well more than normal...depending on her mood). The doctor had us bring her in and he checked to make sure that nothing was dislocated, looked for anything not "connected" correctly, and a bunch of other poking and prodding. She tolerated the first half of the exam and then got cold and was ready to be done! The doctor didn't find anything wrong but did comment about how much he was able to rotate some of her limbs, he said that she had looser ligaments that allows her to rotate her limbs (shoulders, wrists, hips) more than typical and that clicking was the bones. He said it was similar to the sound heard when people cracked knuckles or twisted their back; he said it wasn't causing her any pain and wasn't a concern but she'd be a great candidate for gymnastics in a few years!

(He did give me a medical name for this but this is my layperson understanding of what he was saying.)

4 Weeks Old

Not a lot has changed with Josie this past week. She is still sleeping a lot and has 2 to 3 alert periods throughout the day. However, if we go for a walk or go somewhere in the car she is zonked out. She seems to like her carseat but not so much the inital adjusting the straps. She has definetly found her "voice" this week; she is crying when she does not like something. Up to this point it was just little baby noises or a delicate cry; now it feels full force and her face turns red if she's really frustrated. Thankfully though she seems easy to pacify and the crying goes away quickly. Thank goodness!

Spring has Sprung!

Our tulips have come out; we probably have about 80 or so and they are one of my favorite things about our house. The bad thing is we have ALOT of white tulips...maybe this fall I will add in some more colors like fuschia! Josie loves the flowers too and wanted to show off her flower power!