Photo Shoot

When Brenna was 12 days old, we took her for a photo shoot with our friend Jeff, who is one of the most awesome photographers I've ever seen! Brenna pretty much fussed the entire time, but he snuck in a couple great pictures! Here you go - enjoy! :)

Go Hokies!

We have a future Hokie on our hands!

hanging out on Mom's lap during the Spring Game

Daddy's turn!

Chillin' with mom in the parking lot - check out my bow!

Go Hokies!

And another, non-Hokie picture, just for the grandmas who love to see sweet Brenna smile!

Brenna's First Roadtrip

This past weekend we discovered that Brenna is a great traveler! We are sooo thankful for this, since we love to travel so much. Here's a rundown of our trip - complete with pictures for most of the journey!

We left Saturday morning about 10:30. We stopped in Concord to see my Aunt Pat, Uncle Glenn, and Cousin Sissy. Pat is the one who made all of Brenna's crib bedding and nursery decorations, so we were so excited for Brenna to meet her. She loved meeting new family members! Unfortunately Pat was at work, so we didn't get to take any pictures - maybe next time!

Then we headed on down the road to Greenville, where we were going to stay. We checked into our hotel and hung out for a little while, and then headed over to Kelley's parents' house, where she was staying with the kiddos since Jonathan was out of town. We spent the evening hanging out, catching up with Kelley, Kiran, and Sienna, meeting Rhys and Owen, and trying to help her out during the chaos that is bedtime with 4 kids!

Me holding Owen and Rhys - and Brenna's isn't digging their crying!

Kelley with Owen and Rhys and me with Brenna - hard to believe 5 years ago we were living in the middle of nowhere with no kiddos and enjoying carefree nights of CFA and the occasional DDR!

On Sunday morning we headed to Atlanta to catch an afternoon Braves game. Brenna was decked out in her too-big Braves onesie and her brand new sun hat! She slept for about the first 5 innings, then ate, then just enjoyed the rest of the game on Daddy's lap. Oh, and the Braves won - by a base hit in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs! Is Heyward the lucky charm for Atlanta....or is Brenna?

Daddy loves carrying me!

She wasn't too impressed by all the excitement! She even slept through her first Tamahawk Chop!

Family Photo!

Heyward after his game-winning hit!

After the game we headed back to Greenville to stay one more night. We were able to spend a little more time with Kelley on Monday before we left - and our visit even overlapped with my new bloggity friend Erin and her family's trip to Greenville as well!

The girls with our babies - Erin and Anneliese, Kelley and Rhys, and me and Brenna

We headed home around lunchtime and took I-26, which was new to us, to Bristol to pick up Maggie from my mom before heading back to Christiansburg. We had great fun, and Jonathan was such a trooper since a lot of the time he only had the company of women and babies! I guess getting to see the Braves, eat at Sonny's Barbeque, and go to Guitar Center made it worth it! :) I already can't wait for our next road trip!!

SMILE!

There is just something about this smile that melts my heart! It's a very common thing these days, and I just can't get enough! I bet you can't either! :)

The first "kinda" smile I caught on camera!

:) Such a happy girl! :)

Daddy gave me a photo shoot after my bath!

Hanging out with Mommy - I'm in such a good mood!!

All Doctored Out

Brenna and I are all doctored out! We both had checkups today, and both went well. The doctor said I was doing great and I have the go-ahead to start working out again (which I kind of already have, but just a teeny bit!). I also got released to go back to work - but I'm not going back until May 3rd anyway, so that wasn't too depressing. Brenna had another weight check. I haven't really updated much about that, but it got kind of touchy there for awhile and we had to really start keeping a closer eye on her weight. The good news is that on April 2 she finally got back to her birth weight at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. On April 5 she was 8 pounds, 10 ounces. Yep, 7 ounces in 3 days! Today, April 14, she was 9 pounds, 4 ounces. Another 10 ounces in 9 days. Such a relief!!

Yesterday Brenna had her first babysitter. Kristen came over to see how things go before she takes over when I go back to work. I got to go to the gym for a quick workout and to the tanning bed, and Brenna slept for Kristen for about 1/2 the time. Kristen is too sweet to say it, but I'm pretty sure she cried after that, because when I got home she was walking around with her. That's usually what you have to do when she cries for no apparent reason. However, Kristen didn't quit on us, so all is well! Once I got home, I fed Brenna and then headed upstairs to work on some VGLA stuff for school that I've REALLY slacked on and must get done. So nice to get some stuff done. It was weird to leave her, but not nearly as hard as I had built it up in my mind. I trust Kristen and I think Brenna is a pretty great baby, so I felt pretty good about it. Now going back to work full-time - that is going to be a different story.

My next post will probably chronicle our roadtrip we're planning this weekend. We're going to Greenville to see Kelley, Kiran, and Sienna and to meet Rhys and Owen. We'll also get to hang out with Erin and Anneliese a little! On Sunday we're going to drive down to Atlanta and take Brenna to her first Braves game. Let's hope that goes as smoothly as possible with a 6 week old! Stay tuned for lots of pictures and stories!

1 Month Old!

Dear Brenna,

Here I am, writing your one month old post/letter two days late. That seems to pretty much be the story of our lives these days! Always running a little late! ;) That's okay though, we don't want to rush time too much, you're already growing up way too fast!

You turned one month old on Easter Sunday! I think that's so perfect, because this was the first Easter that I really understood what Easter meant. I always thought it was great and amazing and hard to believe, but this time, when I looked at you as the choir was singing about Jesus being ALIVE! I was just amazed that God let his only son die on a cross to save me - and you - from our own sins. Isn't that so cool? I can't wait until you are old enough to understand how lucky you are that God gave his son for you. Amazing! (Oops, I just realized I said "I can't wait"....I always fuss at Daddy for saying that, because I don't want to rush anything with you - you're growing up too fast as it is!)

We've had such a fun month. Daddy got to spend 2 weeks with us before he went back to work. We did some shopping and went on a fun walk during that time. We also took lots of naps with you in our arms. You are our new favorite hobby, little girl. We could just look at you for hours. Since then, it's been just you and me. We mostly have really good days, but there have been a few rough ones. That's par for the course I'm pretty sure. Lately you've been taking better naps, and this had made you much happier during the times in between.

You are finally gaining weight, and this makes Mommy so much calmer. I was trying so hard to make sure you were getting plenty of food, and now I can rest assured that you are, and we can enjoy time together more! You've really learned how to nurse better and I'm so proud of you! When I pump you a bottle, you almost always take right at 3 ounces. That's perfect for your age! You weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces at the doctor yesterday. Daddy and I tried to measure you last week - and our rough guess is that you are about 22.5 inches long and your head is 14.5 inches around. It looks like you might be tall and slim - nothing like me!

You have become a pretty good night sleeper. We usually nap on the couch until about midnight and you take your last feed then. You usually sleep til 4:00 or 5:00 - and sometimes I even have to wake you up to feed you! You used to be impossible to get back to sleep, but lately you've been doing better! Keep it up. We try to take at least one nap together during the day - and I love to just lay there and stare at you for awhile. I think you might lay there and stare at me, too, because I probably fall asleep before you do. Luckily for me, you usually sleep an extra hour after I wake up, so I get a few things done around the house during that time! Now that you are gaining weight, we'll let you start trying to sleep through the night before too long, and I have high expectations for this! ;)

Just yesterday you've started to smile AT me, instead of just randomly. I'm not sure how much you mean to do it, but it melts my heart every time. You especially seem to like when I kiss your little nose a bunch of times in a row. Get used to it, kiddo, you are going to be kissed a LOT! I also love the little noises you've started making. I think you've figured out that you can "talk" too! You are also tracking things much more and really focusing on what you see. You've also gotten really good at finding your fingers to suck on - it's so cute! I love seeing you be more aware of what's around you, but I already miss that teeny tiny, oblivious to the world, newborn stage. I know it'll always be like this - loving one stage while missing the one before!

Thank you for making me a mommy and daddy a daddy. You have turned our world around, and we wouldn't have it any other way. I love you, my little Sprout!

Easter

We have survived our first roadtrip as a family of 4 (3 humans, 1 dog!). The first thing I learned was that it takes about 3 times as long to pack for a baby than for 2 adults and a dog. However, we made it with everything we needed - success!!

Our first stop was Bristol to see my family. We ate lots of good food and Brenna got LOTS of love from her Nanie, Aunt Mal, Grandma Abel, cousins, great aunts, and friends! She also got a special Easter basket from Nanie - complete with a Bristol Motor Speedway onesie! ;) She also got to meet Big Girl Cara, who I'm sure she'll spend lots of time with as she grows up. And Cousin Jayla got in on the action, too, and I think they liked each other! :)

Cousin Jayla showing Brenna some love!

Nanie and Brenna!

Thanks for the goodies Nanie!

We left Bristol late on Saturday afternoon and heading to see Nana, Papa Bill, and Uncle Brandan. It was so funny - when we pulled into the driveway, I saw Lois get all excited, and I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with me or Jonathan....or Maggie! Brenna got lots more attention and love, and Mommy and Daddy got a few naps over the next 2 days! Brenna got an Easter basket from us - with some car seat toys, a stuffed hippo, an Easter book, a new, soft cloth diaper, some sweet clothes (including Hokie gear!), and shoes. Oh, and let's not forget the Sour Patch Kids candy - that is what I craved at the beginning of my pregnancy, so we just had to include those! We headed to Easter service at Pine Mountain where she met LOTS and LOTS of friends and family. Then we visited with Jonathan's Maw Maw and Paw Paw, cousins, and Aunt Becky! Brenna was SO good and alert! We headed back for one last meal (and nap!) with Jonathan's family before heading home. It was a long, busy weekend, but we are so glad we got to visit with so many people!

Brenna and her basket.

Goodies!!

Maw-Maw and Brenna

Our first Easter as parents!

Angel Baby

Check out my Easter dress. Mommy doesn't know how to turn this picture!

Baby's First Easter

Time to go home!

I don't think you can truly appreciate Easter and it's meaning until you have a child of your own. I cannot fathom how God gave his own Son to die on the cross for my sins. It's the most heartbreaking thing. I'm glad that wasn't the last chapter, and that Jesus was and is alive today. I'm already looking forward to the day that I get to teach Brenna about the miracle of Easter and how much God loves her - enough to watch his own son die for her sins!