My Future's So Bright...

My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!
The $0.99 I paid for these sunglasses was worth it for the photo alone! We are always having trouble keeping the sun out of Annelise's face when she's in her carseat so hopefully these will help.

We have had such a great week! Bryan is still off of work (until August 3) but he is keeping busy doing all sorts of projects around the house and running errands for me. And we have been able to spend time together as a family with Annelise, which is priceless. She is already growing and changing so much. She's wearing many of her clothes sized 3 months and there are already a few things she can't fit into anymore.

She's just beginning to smile at us so as you can imagine, we melt instantly. She's also staying awake a lot more to play and we even noticed a little less of "tomato head" this week! Yahoo!

Bryan's Dad, "Grandpa" from Texas came to visit Gran and Papa before taking Annelise shopping

Whose Child is This?

So much for the cute, sweet photos of Annelise. Here's a picture of her as we see her most frequently. Bryan now calls her "Tomato Head" -- "Mater" for short, and you can see why in this photo. So for all of you who said, "Aww...she's so sweet. I bet she's an easy, good baby," and I answered, "Yes. She is."--I lied. She is good and very sweet when she's asleep and also for a while when she is awake. But otherwise she has 3 octaves of screaming--loud, louder, and ear piercing. I'm waiting for the panes of glass in our windows to shatter one day or my ears to bleed. And with each higher octave she gets more red and more red.

I can't imagine where she gets her temperment from. Bryan and I are such patient people. Aren't we? Well...maybe...okay, I guess we know where she gets this from. I bet my mother is secretly happy that my child screams this much and this loud.

But no matter how loud she screams, I couldn't imagine life without her. She is still a perfect little blessing that brings an insurmountable amount of joy to us everyday. She's an angel...with well developed lungs.

Annelise's favorite spot--on Daddy's shoulder

Playtime: Our baby, the genius! She is already tracking objects with her eyes. Thanks Marcia for the new toys!

Annelise's first MS Braves Baseball game! She was watching the game instead of the camera.

We still haven't purchased a video camera, but this is a short clip of her in the swing from our camera (including a cute little sneeze). She likes being in the swing for a while. And then...you guessed it--she turns into a tiny Tomato Head.

A week of "GREATS!"

First of all...GREAT news! Bryan has finished his orthopedic board exam! YAHOO!! He has been under an enourmous amount of stress and been preparing for the exam for many months. Having a newborn at home (that cries very loudly through the night and that he couldn't spend time with) has certainly been an added stress. Now, our little family is enjoying life together for the first time. Although Bryan doesn't get his test results until sometime in September, I am sure that he was successful. It is wonderful to have our Daddy/husband back to himself.

Annelise is one lucky little girl. Few children have the chance to meet their GREAT-grandparents and this week Annelise has met her great-grandparents on both sides! So that Bryan could study in peace in the house before his exam, Annelise, Shelby, and I took a road trip to Hattiesburg for a few nights and stayed with my parents. While we were there my Granny Ruth and Grandpa Alfred (Annelise's GREAT-grandparents) made a visit to see her for the first time.

Napping on "Papa's" chest

Annelise and great grandparents--Granny Ruth and Grandpa

After Bryan finished his exam and returned home, his Mom and grandparents came for a visit. So Annelise met her great grandparents on Bryan's side this week too!

Annelise and Grandmother--"Maw"

Great Grandmother--"Grandma"

Great Grandfather--"Paw"

And even after all that GREAT-ness, we still have one set of great grandparents still to meet--Maman and Papa in New Orleans! We will make plans soon to see them. For now, we are enjoying life together and relaxing. We made it to church this morning, a little late, but we made it. Annelise sang very loudly during the second reading but then took a nap. She even let us enjoy our Sunday morning Broad Street breakfast. She will be 4 weeks old on Tuesday...growing quickly.

Sweet little feet! Sleeping with her Razorback blanketWide awake?Shelby enjoying the sunshine

Two weeks old already!

On Tuesday, June 30, Annelise was 2 weeks old! This has definitely been the most challenging two weeks of my life. Overcoming post-partum hormones, learning how to breastfeed, and functioning on very little sleep has been difficult. And of course Bryan is still studying 12 hours a day for his board exam and comes home every day to a messy house, a tired wife, and a crying newborn...just to add to his stress. But those moments when Annelise is still, quiet, and cuddly, we both melt and the "job" and "responsibility" of parenthood turnes into sheer joy.

Tuesday Bryan and I took Annelise to see her pediatrician for the first time. Unfortunately, our pediatrician (Dr. Flowers) was on vacation so we had to see someone else (Dr. Lee). We actually liked Dr. Lee very much and are glad that now we know two of the pediatricians at the group. However, Dr. Lee happened to be the only physician at the clinic on Tuesday so she was running far behind schedule. We waited to see her for an hour! Annelise waited patiently and we found out that she weighs 7lbs 9oz! Her original birth weight was 7.3, so she's doing great!! When the nurse took off all of Annelise's clothes to weigh her, of course she starting screaming. The nurse commented on how loud her cry was! She said she sounds like a much older baby than 2 weeks old because her cry is so loud. I'm not sure that I'm proud of that fact, especially in the middle of the night. I quizzed Dr. Lee on everything I could possibly think of and we were finally out the door. Not soon enough, becuase Annelise had run out of patience after 2 hours and screamed all the way home. Our next visit is in 6 weeks...for immunizations. : (

Below are some recent photos:

Dressed up for our first pediatrician visit in a special dress hand made by Gran

Asleep before we ever made it in the car!

Big sister Shelby and Annelise napping. They are both great cuddlers!Snoozing in the "Miracle Blanket" that Daddy calls a straightjacket. A friend of mine told me about this special swaddling blanket and I'm so glad I took her advice. It's wonderful! Annelise goes right to sleep the minute I wrap her in it. I ordered an additional two of them at 3am this morning when I realized how great she was sleeping!