Kevin Take 2

Kevin continues to surprise us with the creative places he hides!

E's 1st Easter

Matthew and I haven't really ever been too big on holidays during our marriage to date. Most of the time we have just gone over to a friend or family member's house and let them take the lead. Now with E around we've decided we should try to make some traditions. It is still hard to do, since at this point she won't remember, but I figure if we don't start now we might not ever start.

We decided we don't want to just get a bunch of stuff that doesn't mean much. Recently I have really been into the idea of making memories as a gift, like going on a trip or doing something new. The other gift I like to give/get is a book. So I decided to get E a book that had meaning for this holiday in particular. We got her "My First Book of Mormon Stories." A friend at church told us how much his daughter loved this book, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get it for E. It doesn't have all of the stories from the Book of Mormon and the stories it does have are in no way filled with detail, but I think it is a nice introduction. For now we read it and another story right before bed. As she gets older we will also add verses from actual scripture to the routine.

The book was shipped & didn't get here until after Easter

Besides the book for E, I also picked up just a couple of our favorite Easter-time snacks for Matthew and me.  It was a lovely day and opportunity to remember all that our Savior has done for us.

Month 2

It is almost hard to believe that E entered our lives 2 months ago. Some days I feel like she has been with us forever already and I wouldn't have it any other way! Here are her 2 month stats:

Height: 22 5/8 in

Weight: 11 lbs 8.5 oz

Head Circumference: 15 in

She is getting so big! She also got some shots yesterday...her face turned as red as a tomato. I have never seen her cry like that before, but luckily she was consoled fast and slept most of the rest of the day.

What's new with E?

-She is still as calm, content and happy as ever! We truly are such lucky parents. She gives us more and more smiles everyday. We are noticing that she is now actually smiling in reaction to things we do and Matthew even got a small laugh out of her once we think!

-E is a good eater (as noted by her great weight gain!) and sleeper. During the day she typically goes 3-5 hours between feedings and at night she goes anywhere from 5-8 hours between feedings. Recently she has pretty consistently gone 7 hours between feedings (I will feed her at 7pm and she won't feed again until 3am!) I am pretty lucky!

-She is still a cuddle bug. She loves to snuggle up close on my chest and nap.

-E loves to be swaddled. In fact unless she is snuggled or swaddled she has a hard time getting to sleep. She likes the deep pressure.

-She will take the pacifier, but doesn't prefer it. I typically only use it if she is extremely fussy and I know it is because she is tired and fighting sleep or if we are getting close to a feeding and I need to stall because I am driving or something like that.

-E is really gaining some good head control! She can lift her head up and hold it for quite a while when on her tummy and when we are holding her in sitting with our hands under her armpits she loves to look around. She still reminds us of a bobble head though. There have been a few times while on her tummy that I was sure she was going to topple over onto her back because at times she lifts her head and legs at the same time.

-She is starting to make more and more noises. She coos, babbles, clicks and occasionally sounds like a monkey or elephant. I try to catch it on tape, but it seems that every time I start the video she gets quiet...she must be camera shy!

-Speaking of noises. I know this may be embarrassing for her one day, but many of her toots are loud! And frequently they remind me of the loud, fake farts on Nacho Libre!

-We have also noticed that E soothes herself by licking her lips and trying to suck on anything from my arm, to a blanket to her fists. I can tell the difference between her being hungry and just soothing herself because if she is hungry she cries.

-E likes baths. At least she doesn't seem to mind them as long as I have a wash cloth over her tummy to keep her warm. She doesn't even get upset when I pour the water on her head. She typically sits there quietly as I get her cleaned up.

-She does however have a tendency of getting upset when I get her dressed, particularly the part when I put something over her head, although she is less upset by it when I talk to her while I'm doing it. Sometimes I tell her what is about to happen and other times I sing to her.

-Speaking of singing. Earlier in the month I watched a Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake skit called the Barry Gibb Talk Show, where they were doing an impression of Barry Gibb, lead singer of the Bee Gees. The opening song to the skit is based on one of the songs that the Bee Gees sing and it is a song that is quite catchy and can easily get stuck in your head. Well, one day when E was being a little fussy, I started singing this song, but instead of using the lyrics from the skit, I made up lyrics having to do with things that E would have a talk show about. It would go something like this:

"Talkin' it up, on the EmmaLynn Talk Show,

talkin' bout onesies,

talkin' bout burp cloths and binkies

Talkin it up, on the EmmaLynn Talk Show

talkin' bout tummy time,

talkin bout ruffle bums and wipeys

Talkin it up"

And so on. As you can see, we are having a good time!

I take so many pics of E that I found it might be most efficient to share them in a slide show so that people can see a bunch of them without having to do a ton of scrolling, plus it's fun to put the pictures to music Matthew and I like. Enjoy!