2 months!

Almost 3 months in to this whole mommy thing and I think you can already see how these monthly updates are going to be.... LATE each month. Sorry, not sorry - I am crazy busy with moving, unpacking, studying, her doctors appointments and keeping this little love bug happy and healthy.

So, just a few weeks late....Anne Douglas turned 2 months on May 4th (which also happens to be the birthday of my favorite youngest sister!)  I weighed her on a borrowed infant scale on that date and she was about 10 pounds...FINALLY in the double digits - and we fought for every single ounce of that.

Month 2 was much more fun and easier than Month 1.  Our strict nursing schedule loosened up a little bit, plus baby girl was only getting up once a night (and was sleeping through the night shortly after 2 months yay!)  So, both baby and mama were happier and better rested and I feel I had more time to just enjoy being Annie D's mommy rather than obsessing over if she was eating enough!

Plus, we got to see more and more of baby girl's sweet personality this past month - so far, she is friendly, generally happy, a little bit silly, down to earth - BUT when she is angry, she will let you know.  She has a temper - it doesn't come out over every small thing, but it does come out sometimes! (She is just opinionated) She also has a stubborn streak, particularly when eating-- when she is done eating, she pinches her little lips closed tightly and you can't get her to finish. Or, if you give her a bottle when she wants to nurse, she will refuse - or nurse when she wants a bottle, she will refuse. She is rarely mean about it, just determined in what she wants and doesn't want.

This month, Annie D started noticing things around her a bit more - especially items that hang like mobiles or toys. It is so much fun watching her take in the world!  She also has crazy woman hair most of the time - as it grows longer, it sticks up and I have basically given up on brushing it. Luckily we think her crazy hair is adorable!! Her older cousins, Jack and Gil, visited again and she was just mesmerized by having older kids around! She has 5 older cousins and I think she is going to adore them all!

Sweet girl had to start wearing a harness/brace during her second month for (correctable) hip problems.  We had a rough few days of adjustment - but she quickly adjusted.  She is pretty flexible.  It has restricted some of her wardrobe options, but no worries, we accessorize with bows!  She wears the brace 23 hours a day and after a couple months, she will move to part time wear and then eventually she will quit wearing it at all.  We think she is pretty cute in the harness and I call her "tiny tim."

Her dislikes: wearing her brace, the first nap of the day and eating right before bed.

BUT - she loves more things than she hates! LOVES: breakfast, the mobile on her mammaroo swing, mommy singing to her, SMILING, being held high on daddy's shoulder, strolling, riding in the car and when we let her fall asleep in our arms.

Daddy calls her "lil' bit" or "lil' nugget" and I call her "sweet pea" or "little love bug."

I get sad each morning thinking that she is one day older - and yet, each day she gets more fun! She changes drastically week by week and it's fun to see her little personality and appearance form. We love our sweet girl to the moon and back and are so grateful to be her parents!

One Month

For the record, I do not plan on being a "mommy blogger" - I have a baby and will talk about her but I hope I still write about other subjects as well.  But, many of the next few posts will be about motherhood and my daughter as I catch up after nearly 2 months of inactivity.  So, if babies aren't your thing, I totally understand- then check back in a couple weeks :)

Anne Douglas turned one month old on April 4th. She was FINALLY past birth weight - 8 pounds 8.5 ounces at her 4 week appointment - and close to 22 inches long. Despite being a little chunky monkey at her birth, Annie D is not a big eater at all.  When she is hungry, she will gulp down the milk, but only if she is very hungry. She doesn't seem to be one of those babies that eat for fun...and often she will get "enough" to take the hunger away, but no more.

At one month, she was still in newborn diapers and mostly newborn clothes. After a couple weeks of feeding on demand, we moved into a 2 hour feeding schedule (to encourage my milk supply and encourage her weight gain).  At night, she usually was getting up twice to feed.

Anne Douglas' first month went by so slowly - and so quickly all at once!  I must admit, that first month was much harder than I had expected- I was weak from surgery and blood loss and we had nursing setbacks and weight gain issues - but by the end of the month, we had started to find our groove - AND were able to drop our crazy intense every 2 hour nurse and pump schedule.  This gave me more time to enjoy being AD's mommy instead of just feeding her or worrying about feeding her all day long.

The first part of the month, she was mostly sleeping and eating but by week 3 or 4, we started seeing glimpses of her personality. She is sweet and seem mostly relaxed and happy (and we are grateful for this temperament) - however, when she does get mad, she is very angry! She is also extremely observant, taking it all in!

Anne Douglas enjoyed visits from her Bella, Aunt Marley and Uncle Bech (and cousins Jack and Gil), Gran and Papa Sug, Aunt Kimmie and Aunt Beth and Aunt Annie - as well as many friends!

She also took her first stroll through the cherry blossoms and celebrated her first Easter!

Our little "Annie D" loves her Mammaroo, paci, bath time, being held high on Daddy's chest, being held while you are standing (don't dare sit down she will know it), her little lamb that plays music and her rock and play. She dislikes late afternoon, being cold when she gets out of the bath.

Even one month in, I can't imagine life without this little girl - and I can't remember not knowing what she looks like! My days are tiring but so blessed.  I am often glad for a little sleep and "me" time (without a baby attached) each evening and yet when she wakes up in the morning, I find myself saying "I missed you!"

Just Peachy

So, for those of you who aren't my facebook friends, a few weeks ago we announced that Miss Anne Douglas is going to be a Georgia Peach....and she is most excited about being able to attend SEC football games (as you can see, her gear is ready!)

Thats right folks, we are moving to the ATL, Hot-lanta, A-town. We decided that having a baby wasn't a big enough life change so we should add a new city, job change, short stint in stay at home mommyhood and a bar exam to the mix.  What can I say? We like to keep in interesting!!

We always planned on moving back south EVENTUALLY- in a few years, maybe. Then when we decided to have a baby, we begin to talk about moving in a year. Dave always liked the idea of moving early, but I was less keen on it - particularly while we were pregnant and my doctors were in DC and  I had great insurance, etc. We would at least be staying here until AD was born! So, when he brought up applying for a firm in Atlanta (which turned into interviewing with a few firms in atlanta) when I was 39 weeks pregnant, I said sure. I mean, with just beginning to look, surely we wouldn't be moving so soon right? It would just be the start of our search - but one of the jobs turned out to be a great fit for Dave - and it seemed that moving right after baby would be the best possible time for me (if you must have a gap in your resume, why not make it an extended maternity leave....) and so after much prayer and discussion - and some negotiating on how soon we could get down there, Dave accepted the job. We are CRAZY. As I said, why not take on one more life change? GO BIG OR GO HOME right???

I will be honest--- Atlanta, while a nice place to live, was not my first choice.  I had always hoped we would move to Birmingham - a city I love that is a good size, familiar to me, not far from home and perfectly situated between Auburn, Oxford and Starkville (priorities!!)  But after we did some research over the past 6 months, it seemed Atlanta had more opportunities for us. Plus it has the added benefit of being near family (Dave's sister and her family live in the area).  In fact, I believe years ago, I said "I will never live in Atlanta" (no offence Atlanta citizens, the metro area is just so large that I thought I would stay away) - but God had different plans than me! And, surprisingly, I am getting excited about it! This move will provide us with a chance to lay down some roots, buy a home, see friends and family more often  - and personally, for me, the opportunity to spend a few more months at home with my sweet girl!

We have really enjoyed DC.  I always wanted to live here - and I always wanted to work at BGR. Now, I have done both.  Leaving this city will be bittersweet. But, in all honesty, DC never felt like home in the same way that Jackson did.  I have friends here, but the city is transitional and we are constantly saying goodbye.  Also, we want to buy a house in the near future -- and as we have been saving the past few years and "browsing", we realized that in DC, we would either overspend when buying a house - or have to purchase a small condo.  Finally, while we love adventure and are fine living away from home, we are both very family oriented and wanted to live a little closer to home so that our kids could grow up seeing grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, etc a bit more often.

So, if I have been a bad blogger for awhile, its due to a new baby AND packing...and I will likely be a bit busy for the next few weeks so give me grace if the posts are few and far between, although I promise to try.

Prayers... please say a prayer for us as we move, particularly for me.  The move is a bit scarier when you are the one moving without a job.  I will be studying for a bar exam and eventually looking for a new job all at once, plus I will be staying at home in a city where I only know a few people. So please say a prayer for open doors, community and friendships, trust that this is the right decision and a smooth easy transition!  And come see us in Atlanta friends :)